The End of the Beginning (Hiccup x OC) [COMPLETED]

Chapter 3

"Welcome to dragon training!" Gobber said from the arena below, opening the gate leading into the structure. Looks like I didn't miss anything. The trainees piled in as I climbed onto a nearby platform attached to the arena wall.

The arena was a circular stone building with a strong metal gate and a dome roof formed with chains just close enough so no dragons could escape. A wooden platform formed by planks circled around the arena where the dome's attachments to the stone began. Cages inside the arena held the dragons and their doors could be opened simply by removing a large log the size of a tree trunk from barring it. All in all, the structure was well built and constructed to safely keep the captured dragons contained and out of the village.

I lay down on my stomach to watch the teen recruits as they entered the arena. There was Fishlegs, a well-fed young man who knew all there was to know about dragons the Vikings have ever encountered. Ruffnut and Tuffnut, blonde twins who got themselves into trouble often and were certainly not the smartest Vikings on Berk. Astrid, a tough girl who showed little sympathy, if any, for anyone. And then there was Snotlout, an egoist who gloated constantly and showed no love for anyone but himself and in his attraction to Astrid.

Although, there was one recruit I had never seen before in the group. Hiccup. The chief's son, named as being the runt of the family. He was a scrawny thing, but smart and worked in the blacksmith shop with Gobber usually, fixing and making weapons. Why he was in the arena confused me. He was certainly no fighter. His body looked like a single jolt would break one of his bones.

"Let's get started!" Gobber turned to them. "The recruit who does the best will win the honor of killing his first dragon in front of the entire village."

"Hiccup already killed a Night Fury, so does that disqualify him or . . . ?" Snotlout made fun of Hiccup as the other teens laughed, but his comment made my mind dive deep into thought. A Night Fury? Hiccup killed a Night Fury? Maybe that was what I saw last night. That was one mystery down, but one was still left.

Gobber put an arm around Hiccup and led him away from the group, saying a few words to him and putting him back in line with the others. Roars from the dragons trapped in the cages sounded loudly and Gobber walked over to the five gates leading into the five cages. "Behind these doors are just a few of the many species you will learn to fight. The Deadly Nadder," he listed off the dragons as he walked down the side of cages. A dragon with poisonous, sharp spines on its tail, able to fling them at its opponent like arrows. It has binocular vision in its eyes and can fly at impressive speeds.

"The Hideous Zippleback." Two heads, double trouble. One head shoots out flammable gas, the other shoots out sparks and the two combined create fire. The two heads fight often, each having a separate brain but the same body. Without the two heads cooperating, the dragon is useless.

"The Monstrous Nightmare." A stubborn dragon that can light its body on fire at will with scales unaffected by fire. Its body lacks forelegs, but has claw-tipped wings which allow it to lurk around in a crawling characteristic.

"The Terrible Terror." The second smallest dragon, although its size has no limitations on what the dragon can accomplish. It is capable of sneaking into barns unnoticed because of its size, but is able to shoot fire with extreme accuracy. A hissing sound is the only warning sign before it shoots its fire.

"And . . . the Gronckle." A tough-skinned dragon with a small wingspan. It is limited to six lava shots at a time, it eats rocks and melts them in its stomach to refill the shot limit. It sleeps most of the day, so when flying, they tend to fall asleep and because of their small wingspan, hover in the air often.

Gobber pulled a lever which raised the log holding one of the doors closed.

"Whoa, wait!" Snotlout shouted. "Aren't you gonna teach us first?" I snickered at the fact he seemed frightened.

"I believe in learning on the job," Gobber replied. A Gronckle came angrily out of its cage, charging into the ring as the recruits scattered to find shelter. "Today is about survival. If you get blasted, you're dead." Literally. "Quick, what's the first thing you're going to need?"

"A doctor?" Hiccup asked.

"Plus five speed?" Fishlegs tried.

"A shield," Astrid stated simply as if she knew the answer all along.

"Shields. Go," Gobber ordered and the students ran to find shields scattered around the ring. I leaned my chin in my hand, watching from above. "Your most important piece of equipment is your shield. If you must make a choice between a sword or a shield, take the shield." I watched as Hiccup struggled to pick up his shield, lacking the arm strength to hold it properly. Gobber lifted the shield and shoving it against him, sending him into the arena running/stumbling because of the weight.

The twins, creating more trouble, found one shield in the midst of many other shields lying at their feet and began to fight over it. You're kidding me, right? Just grab another shield. "Get your hands off my shield!" Tuffnut exclaimed, tugging at one end of the object.

"There are like a million other shields!" Ruffnut complained, tugging back from her side. The Gronckle flew over to them lazily and fired, hitting the shield between them. The blow knocked the twins down onto the ground, dazed.

"Tuffnut, Ruffnut, you're out!" Gobber called. The Gronckle flew to a pile of rocks and swallowed them, refilling the number of shots it could fire as the remaining recruits gathered to the far side of the arena. "Those shields are good for another thing. Noise. Make lots of it to throw off a dragon's aim."

The students grabbed weapons off the ground nearby and began to bang them against their shields. The Gronckle shook its head at the noise, confused. I took up my charcoal stick and wrote the fact down in my book. Loud noises throw of a dragon's aim . . .

"All dragons have a limited number of shots. How many does a Gronckle have?"

"Five," Snotlout shouted and I stifled a laugh. Overconfident as usual.

"No, six," Flishlegs corrected.

"Correct, six. That's one for each of you!"

"I really don't think my parents would—" The Gronckle fired at Fishlegs, blasting the shield out of his hand before he could finish his sentence.

"Fishlegs, out," Gobber announced and observed the arena until his eyes landed on Hiccup. "Hiccup, get in there!" I scanned the scene below, finding Hiccup hiding behind a barrel so as not to be seen by the Gronckle. He lacks bravery . . .

Snotlout began to flirt with Astrid, but was caught off guard when she dropped to the ground and rolled away from him, dodging the Gronkle's attack which hit Snotlout's shield. The blast flung him onto his back. "Snotlout, you're done!"

Astrid rolled to a stop and stood up beside Hiccup, who felt awkward but tried to play it cool. "So," he began with a voice crack, "I guess it's just you and me huh?"

"No. Just you," she responded coldly, rolling away as the Gronckle knocked Hiccup's shield from his hand.

Without his shield, he was exposed and began to panic as he ran after his shield. The Gronckle chased after him, pinning the boy's thin body against the wall. The dragon opened its mouth, the lava preparing to fire in Hiccup's face. I stood up suddenly, terrified for the boy.

"Hiccup!" Gobber, suddenly worried, ran over and stuck his hook in the Gronckle's mouth, yanking the head upward. The blast fired above Hiccup's head on the wall, a burned mark left where it had struck. I stood in shock for a moment before laying down on my stomach again so as to keep hidden.

Gobber had lost one of his hands years ago and replaced it with a metal hook, telling the gruesome tale of its fate often. He dragged the Gronckle across the arena by the hook in its mouth toward its cage. "Go back to bed, ya overgrown sausage! You'll get another chance, don't you worry." He shoved the dragon in and slammed the cage door, barring the gate again.

"Remember," Gobber turned to the recruits and looked sternly at Hiccup, "a dragon will always, always go for the kill."