Love Between Riders 2: Nightmares

Just a Little Mischief

Astrid and Hiccup wake up the next morning to something shaking the house. Astrid falls asleep again, tired from the long night, while Hiccup attends to it. He goes outside to spot a kid with black ash all over his face. He couldn't help but laugh.

"Backfired, huh?" Hiccup asks Thorn.

"You're telling me," the kid laughs. "Tuffnut told me to try this thing..."

"I should've know," Hiccup chuckles and shakes his head. "Looks like I'll have to talk to him once again."

"So I'm not in trouble?" Thorn asks.

"Anything damaged?"

"Thorn shakes his head.

"Any injuries?"

Once again, shakes head.

"Then you're off the hook. This time," Hiccup winks.

Hiccup goes inside to change into more appropriate clothes. Wearing just shorts wouldn't quite cut it. He goes and knocks on Tuff's house, greeted by Ratchet. Hiccup silently laughs to himself, glad he decided to change.

"Is Tuff home?" he asks.

"Who's asking?" Ratchet inquires.

"The chief," Hiccup folds his arms. She's not the brightest sometimes. Ok, make that most of the time.

"I'm behind ya, dude," Tuff says, making Hiccup jump slightly.

"What exactly did you get Thorn to do?" Hiccups asks Tuff as the two walk to the Great Hall.

"I just gave him some black stuff in a ball and told him to play with it."

"Well it exploded and now it's all over his face and nearly took my wall down," Hiccup laughs.

"I might've forgot to mention not to get it too hot..." Tuff scratches his head.

"What'd you do this time, doofus?" Ruff walks up, Snotlout by her side.

"Nothing you need to be concerned about," Tuff counters.

"If it deals with harming my friends, then yes I do," she states.

"Who ever said you had any friends?" Tuff laughs.

"I do," Snotlot backs his girl.

"Not good enough," Tuff crosses him arms.

"Ok you two, enough already. Let's enjoy the morning, shall we?" Fishlegs walks up with Gretchen, hand in hand. "And where's Astrid? You two are always together until you go do your chief duties. Kinda cute if you ask me."

"They're just adorable together," Gretchen says.

"Eh, what can I say? I'm the lucky one out of us," Hiccup grins. Seconds later, the trio of kids comes up to Hiccup.

"Can you help us?" Starlight asks.

"With?" Hiccup wonders.

"It's a secret," Hubert chimes.

"Ok," Hiccup laughs. "Go eat something and come find me later." The three run off to grab breakfast.

Hours pass and the kids haven't come to Hiccup yet. He spent most of the day wrangling lost sheep and cattle, breaking up arguments the in the most diplomatic ways he could, and went out to the forest to exercise his control over his demon. He never found a way to get rid of it. The woman never visited him again, and he always had to watch his temper.

Hiccup had walked to the cove an hour ago, wanting to spend a little of the demonic energy that builds inside him. He meditates before he he does anything. He unsheathes his sword, swinging it in arcs and spins. His mastery of the sword came at the expense of using the demon some.

It was an addictive thing, using its power. He was always careful to control how much he used and how often.

Little did he know, though, that the trio were watching his every move. They were awestruck that Hiccup had such control over his sword with every movement a fluid connection to the next, looking like a deadly hurricane.

"Hiccup!" Starlight waves after he finishes.

"There y'all are!" Hiccup goes to them after putting his shirt on and putting his sword up.

"You ready to have a little fun?" Thorn asks him. "You need a break from being chief."

"That I do, young ones," Hiccup ruffles his hair. "But being chief is a 24/7 job."

"This won't last very long," Hubert pleads. Hiccup rubs his chin, thinking of how much trouble they might get in...

"Alright," he chuckles.

"Yay!" Starlight nearly squeals. They lead him to a crashed boat that's been there for a very long time.

"You know how that thing exploded this morning?" Thorn asks Hiccup.

"Aye, I recall that."

"Look what happens when you put a flammable in the casing and fill it up with that black stuff..." Thorn lights the string and rolls it towards the ship.

Seconds later it explodes, sending shards of wood flying in the air.

"We made a bomb!" Hubert says happily. "Well, sort of..."

"Why sort of?" Hiccup asks.

"If we throw it amongst a group of people, the worst that would happen is black powder all over the place," Starlight explains.

Hiccup wonders how longs they've been at it with this little project of theirs.

"We need a casing for it that will contain the blast enough to cause some real damage, and we were thinking that with your experience at the forge, you could maybe help us," Hubert finishes.

Hiccup ponders over all the possibilities it could have. Depending on what he uses, he could have many different types of those things. Smoke, flash, powder, and frag.

"They'd be a hand bomb," Hiccup thinks aloud. "I think y'all just added to what we can use to fight our enemies with. You know, if we ever have any again."

He high fives all of them. Having mischievous kids running around Berk can be a good things sometimes. Unless those kids are the twins. Hiccup silently laughs to himself.