Heir and Pride

Chapter Four

Four.

He awoke to the hammering on his door and Gobber bellowing to wake him up for dragon training. His boss knew the boy's father was away and probably guessed that even Hiccup wouldn't be too lively today. In fact, he was stiff as a board, his pain excruciating and face swollen and bruised from the blows his father had given him. He slowly got up and shucked his tunic off. There were a handful of thin bloodstains on the back from his thrashing and he shuddered. He scrambled in his chest and found his other tunic, dragging it and his vest on.

Dragon training! His father couldn't have come up with a better way to humiliate him in front of the the other teens. He was already the favourite target for the bullies and adding dragons and Gobber into the mix would probably end in his death. But his father had insisted so Hiccup would have to go through with it, though he doubted his decision would change. He couldn't kill a dragon.

There was nothing in the store so he limped to the Great Hall, ran the gauntlet of Vikings making 'funny' comments about how his back was feeling and forced down a breakfast he had suddenly little appetite for. He guessed he was late so he lifted his axe and trotted stiffly down the hill to the Dragon Killing Arena where the other teens were just entering. Hiccup hung back because it was always a wise policy rather than get in range of Snotlout's fists. He could hear the others.

"No going back!" That was Astrid, her voice calm and determined.

"I hope I get some serious mauling!" Tuffnut announced.

"I'm hoping for some burns in my shoulder and lower back," Ruffnut added. Hiccup could see the twins were carrying spears. Both the twins actively helped Snotlout beat Hiccup up and the boy tried to steer clear of them as well.

"Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar," Astrid agreed and Hiccup finally entered the ring. He hefted his axe onto his shoulder with a wince.

"Yeah. Pain-love it!" he said sarcastically as he joined them. He was greeted by the chorus of groans and the total lack of enthusiasm he was familiar with.

"What's he doing here?"

"Get out, Useless!"

"Can I train in the class with the cool kids?"

"Useless has already killed a Night Fury so does that disqualify him?"

He stopped. He wasn't sure he could do this, with the blizzard of taunts already swirling around him. He swallowed, his bruised face downcast. Then he winced as Gobber carelessly gripped him round the shoulders, forgetting his welts.

"They will see you as weak and insane and ignore you in favour of the more Viking-like teens," Gobber told him in what was supposed to be a reassuring tone.

"Never stopped them before," Hiccup reminded him in a pained voice. Gobber peered at him and grinned.

"They'll have bigger fish to fry!" he promised and shoved Hiccup into line by Fishlegs. The boy had been one of Hiccup's best friends when he was younger, a geeky and awkward boy who was also intelligent and self-effacing. But Fishlegs had hit his growth spurt as the bullying had really taken off and he had drifted away from the smaller boy, leaving Hiccup completely friendless to face his bullies. But Hiccup didn't especially blame him: who would want to risk the targeting by the bigger boys as well as their own group for Useless?

Gobber was talking through the dragons they would train as Fishlegs quoted dragon facts from his cards. Geeky to the end, the boy-the biggest and bulkiest in the class-had memorised the Dragon Manual and devised his own collector cards on every species known. In fact, Gobber had to shout at Fishlegs to shut him up. And then he opened the cage of the Gronckle.