Taming Hearts

Chapter Five: The Great Day Arrived

Hiccup stood at the docks, his hands clasped behind his back and his lips pressed together. Something in his gut told him that this, what they had been planning for months, was still a bad idea. But being out-voted at the council meeting happened often and so he had to go with what the majority wanted. And the majority apparently wanted to join the Outcasts for the Hooligans' first Thawfest games ever to combine two tribes. From what he had heard, now that dragons were becoming a popular mode of transport, other tribes had given it a shot to fairly good results. And since the Outcasts were now allies, it seemed sensible to try it out with them. This might have been a good thing because the Outcasts had given this a try the previous year and were eager to do it again but Hiccup would have preferred joining the Meatheads. If only he hadn't asked too late.

"I barely know Allie the Insincere." Hiccup admitted to Astrid. "And now I'm going to be spending almost every day with her."

"Well... you know she's insincere. So take anything she says with a grain of salt." Astrid shrugged. "Beyond that, when have you ever been shy?"

Hiccup sighed. "I'm not being shy, I'm being cautious. I trusted Alvin. Well... sort of. Allie, on the other hand, might have inherited the maniac trait."

"Maybe not. She's not in Alvin's direct bloodline. Maybe her father was the calm, peaceful brother." Astrid peered at the sky, waiting for the outlines of dragons and ships alike to appear on the horizon.

Hiccup shook his head. "I'm just not comfortable with this. The kids' first Thawfest and they're going to have to stress over hundreds of visitors."

"Since when have the kids ever been shy?" Astrid nudged him. "You worry too much. Just let things fall into place."

"Yeah..." Hiccup said as the ships and dragons finally came into view. "You're probably right. As always."

Astrid kissed him on the cheek. "You know it."

Outcast ships, in addition to Outcast dragons, weren't as fast as the Berkian ones but nonetheless, the neighboring tribe arrived at the docks well before Hiccup was quite ready to greet them. He'd been rehearsing this speech for a while but now it was flying out of his head faster than a Terrible Terror chasing a butterfly.

Allie the Insincere was a short, very skinny woman with bushy auburn hair. Her brown eyes seemed to bulge out of her face and her mouth broke into a smile so big, it couldn't possibly be genuine. Hiccup stepped forward and shook her hand.

"Well it's nice to have you back on our shores, this time for a much more pleasant visit, I hope." he said in a friendly manner, vaguely gesturing to the land around them.

"I'm always happy to be back on Berk." Hiccup had forgotten how sickly sweet Allie's voice was, in addition to how condescending it could sometimes feel. "Do you think we can go for a tour? I didn't really get one last time but I'm sure it would be amazing."

"Uhh... well that was the plan. I've got my council members here who can give tours to your people." Hiccup grimaced in a genuine attempt at a smile. Something about Allie definitely rubbed him the wrong way. "Astrid and I can show you and whoever is accompanying you around. This way, please."

Hiccup led the small entourage, exchanging a look with Astrid as he did so. The two of them could definitely tell why the Outcast chief was called Allie the Insincere. Everything she said was sweet and kind but she gave off a distinctly negative vibe. Almost like she was internally insulting them with every single word.

"Wow, Berk has certainly changed. How are your kids?" Allie asked after giving the village square a halfhearted glance.

"Great. Doing great." No thanks to you, Hiccup thought, remembering vividly how quickly Allie's hand shot up when asked if she wanted to force him and Astrid to give their children to a madman. "Finn's shaping up to be a great chief and Adrianna-"