Taming Hearts

Chapter Eleven: The Next Great Dragon Master

Finn tromped through the village, angry scowl ever present on his face. If any of the older generation had been paying attention, they might have mistaken him for a young Stoick the Vast when he sneered in the face of danger with contempt. The young man was beyond furious and thus didn't notice his elderly friend following closely behind. Finn was on a mission and couldn't care less who knew about it or stood in his way.

That terrible Outcast chief caused a lot of pain on his father. His father! How dare she! Oh, how she had crossed a line, and oh, how she would pay for her injustice. She hadn't fought the duel fairly; she had seriously injured his father in front of two tribes; and she had made him look weak and helpless in the process.

And if there was one thing Finn hated, it was when one person openly subjugated weakness on another.

His father was not weak. Hiccup was the strongest man he knew, aside from his Poppy or Benen. These were the strongest men, the leading figures he looked up to for advice and leadership and responsibility. Poppy had given him solid foundational principles such as strength and unbending leadership while protecting those who you care about. His father taught him compassion and kindness and how to be an adroit handler of various situations. And then there was sweet Benen, who taught him the true definition of strength and power.

Criticize any of these men, whether in word or deed, you will face the wrath of Fearless Finn Haddock. No questions asked.

The headstrong boy saw his target long before she was within earshot. He stomped toward her like a raging bull before halting at her hip with the dust swirling at his ankles. Allie the Insincere looked down at him with an air of boredom before raising a critical eyebrow.

"What do you want?" she snipped.

"You've got some nerve!" Finn growled, fists at his sides. He vaguely registered Benen puffing beside him, finally catching up.

Allie stuck out her lower lip with creased eyebrows and drawled, "Aww is dis about your daddy?" When Finn's scowl deepened, her expression returned to its former icy constitution. "Good. I only exposed my tribe to the truth."

Finn stood his ground. "And what's that?"

"That the Hooligan tribe has truly declined from the glory of its former leaders. Hiccup is nothing but a joke, the runt of the village who got lucky enough to become someone powerful because of a stupid flying lizard." Allie ignored the slight gasps from a few Hooligans standing nearby and only smiled at Finn's reddening face. "He's weak, he's crippled, he can't even control his own children—gives his son a run of the village while his little blonde brat can't even lift a hammer, let alone throw it. The Haddock line has truly deteriorated to nothing and I am beginning to wonder why the Outcasts would ever agree to peace with the Hooligan tribe in the first place."

Finn saw red. He'd never felt more angry in his entire life and he couldn't even pinpoint what exactly he was angry at—the degrading comments on his father, his grandfather, his ancestry, his tribe... All he felt was pure rage surging through his veins with each rapid pump of his blood.

Nearly panting to keep himself standing where he was, and hiding his flinch under Benen's warm hand, Finn tensed when Allie leaned closer. "Just accept the fact that your father is a weak runt who can't be normal and that you are to clean up his mess when he's finished. I'd start praying to be a better chieftain right now."

Finn couldn't hold himself back any longer. He did the first thing that came as instinct. He did what he had always wanted to do to Ratri after he'd yank him up by the hair and beat him to a bloody pulp with his cane.