The Rider(HTTYD and Brave, 2012)

Finding out

(Hiccup's POV)

Hiccup walked towards the dining area, his dragon by his left side, his past by his other. He didn't want to think about them. How they had tormented him most of his life, only to become friends when he was almost turned a killer. He just kept a straight face as he walked, the silence almost unbearable next to these people. Almost.

"...So...you're the dragon rider?" Astrid asked. Hiccup could almost groan in annoyance, but kept his groan down.

"That would explain the dragon." He said, using sarcasm to hide his feelings.

"...What kind of dragon is that?" She asked.

"A Night Fury." Like she didn't already know that. Sure, viking has ever seen one, but if a pitch-black dragon can sneak up on a warrior totally unnoticed, that doesn't leave many options on what it could be.

"...How on earth did you tame a Night Fury?"

"I didn't tame him. He's been my friend for as long as I can remember." He said. Yet another lie on his conscious.

"And how long was that?" Hiccup looked at her annoyed.

"Why are you so interested about my life?" He said, a little more forceful than he meant to. Toothless noticed his irritation and growled lightly.

"I'm sorry, I was just curios." She said, shutting up. Hiccup sighed. Toothless bounded away, probably after some prey, leaving Hiccup alone with these two past acquaintances that had become alien strangers to him. He hurried through the castle gates towards his chambers. It suddenly occurred to him this would be the first time in public wearing normal clothes. He was worried. About what the people who were a little against the idea of riding dragons would do. How the royals might react. How Merida-

He stopped himself. Merida? since when had he cared what she thought of him? Perhaps that night...

"Is everything okay, Brynjar?" Astrid asked. His sudden stop in motion allowed them to catch up. He shook his head, as if it would help to clear his mind.

"Fine. Just some strange thoughts." He continued his fast past pace and found that the others had to nearly jog to keep up. He smiled to himself, happy that he was no longer "useless" compared to them. In fact, he had excelled past them. Perhaps he and Astrid could have a battle one day and he would prove to be a superior fighter. But for now his petty reasoning would have to wait. He needed to survive dinner first. He walked into his room and quickly got changed. As he took his shirt off, he saw the still-black scar on his side, a reminder of his impending doom. He froze for about a second with the grief and the entirety of it, but cast it aside, as if death were not a thing he needed to worry of right now. He walked into the dining area and was surprised to see how little people were actually there. The royals, Festa and Setrina, and the Vikings. Up until now, he thought that, like Creena and Berk, everyone ate in the same place. This would take some getting used to, along with many things in this foreign land.

"Ah, Brynjar!" King Fergus announced, quite loudly. "There you are! I didn't hear you come in."

"My apologies, your highness. Sometimes I go stealth without realizing it." Hiccup walked over and sat between Festa and Setrina. He noticed Setrina's uneasiness, but did nothing to comfort it.

"Go stealth?" King Fergus said, as if trying the question like a new type of food. "I like it. It sounds...mysterious." Merida had straightened up a little when Hiccup's presence was announced, but he thought not much of it.

"So, Brynjar," Queen Elinor asked, a bit more serious. "You wanted to see the dowry for our daughter's wedding. In the most respectable way, why?"