How To Be Brave

Suitors

"I'm starving. You hungry too, Toothless?" I asked when I hopped off my dragon. As answer he swept his tail right in my face. Jack chuckled. "Salmon it is, then." We walked into the kitchen, were the wervants were busy preparing dinner.

"Good afternoon, Hiccup, Jack", some greeted us. I asked them to call me by my name a long time ago.

"I cannot find the salt. Where did you put it?" I grabbed an apple from a fruit bowl.

"It was over there a minute ago, the last time I looked at it." Jack's eyes fell on a plate cookies. We casually passed the table and when no one looked, we took it with us.

"And then, out of nowhere, the biggest dragon you've ever seen! His hide littered with the weapons of fallen warriors." When we arroved in the dining room, Gobber was, again, telling his 'famous' story. "His body scarred with a cripple leg." While he told, the twins were doing impressions of him, which he didn't seem to notice. "I drew my axe and..."

"Woosh! One shap, his axe was shattered!" I interrupted him.

"Then 'chomp'! Gobber's leg was clean off! Followed by his arm", Jack continued. "Down the monster's throat they went!"

"Oooh", Gobber sighed disappointed. "That's my favourite part."

"Bloodvist is never been seen since, and is roaming the wilds, waiting for his chance of revenge", I whispered on a spooky tone.

"Let him return, I'll finish what I guddled in the first place", Gobber threatened.

"By letting him rip off your two other limbs?" Jack mocked. Gobber opened his mouth to reply.

"Hiccup, a prince doesn't place his weapons on the table", My father said, reading some letters.

"Dad, it's just my sword", I complained.

"You should not have weapons in my opinion", dad stated.

"Leave him be! Prince or not, learning to fight is essential", Gobber said. I grinned grateful.

"Dad? You'll never asked what we did today. We climbed the Crown's Tooth", I told.

"And drank from the Fire Falls", Jack added.

"Fire Falls?" Gobber asked surprised. The twins looked at us with admiration. "They say only the ancient kings were brave enough to drink the fire." We chuckled.

"What did you do dear?" My father asked, finally looking up from the letters he was reading.

"Nothing, dad", I answered.

"Hungry, aren't we?" He asked.

"Daaaaad", I complained.

"You'll get dreadful collywobbles", he warned me. "Oh Gobber, look at his plate." Gobber looked at the plate full of cookies I placed right before me. His own plate was full of roasted meat.

"So what?" Before dad could answer, Tuff and Ruff's pet dragons attacked him and the plate. "Your great..."

"Don't let them lick", dad said. "Kids, you're naughty. Don't just play with your stew. How do you know you don't like it if you never try it?" The twins were saved as my favourite servant friend came in, holding three letters. "Thank you, Fishlegs."

"Pssst." I passed Fishlegs a cookie, then let the plate softly sliding on the ground, so it landed under the table. Ruffnut and Tuffnut immediately sneaked under the table.

"Ahah. From the chiefs Hofferson, Agreeable and Unbreakable. Probably their responses." He started reading the letters, while Gobber kept trying to get the twin's dragons off. "Gobber." Named person looked up. "They've all accepted", dad said excited. I frowned confused while Gobber looked from the letters to me and back.

"Who's accepted what, father?" I asked curious. He bit his lip.

"Kids, you are excused." The twins ran away as quick as they could, followed by their pets. Jack wanted to go after them, but dad gestured him to sit.

"What did we do now?" We asked in unison.

"Hiccup, Gobber has something to discuss with you." Gobber spit out his beer when his name was mentioned. "Gobber?" Dad urged. Gobber cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

"Hiccup." When he took too long before speaking again, my father continued.

"The chiefs are presenting their daughters as suitors for your betrothal."

"What?" I asked shocked.

"The tribes have accepted", dad said excited.

"Gobber!" I yelled.

"What? I..." he protested. "You... He.... Stoick?"

"Honestly, Hiccup. I don't know why you're reacting this way." Jack and I looked at each other before I gave up and covered my face with my hands. "This year, each tribe will present a suitor that will fight in the games for your hand." I looked up, angry.

"I suppose a prince just does what he's told?"

"A prince does not raise his voice. Hiccup, this is what you've been preparing for your whole life."

"No! It's what you've been preparing me for my whole life!" Jack and I stood up. "I won't go through with it! You can't make me!" I yelled, then left the room with Jack.

"Hiccup!" I heard my father yell.

"Hiccup!" shouted Gobber a few seconds later, followed by a loud crash and "Kids!". I didn't care. I ran straight up to my room. I raised my sword against Jack. He picked up his from the floor, and we both started fighting. It was nice to focus on something else for a minute. Until dad came in. We immediately lowered our swords.

"Father. Suitors? Marriage?" Instead of answering he walked to the other side of my room and spoke:

"Once there was an ancient kingdom..."

"Dad", I complained. This wasn't the moment for bedtime stories. "Ancient kingdom..." I fell down on my bed, sliding off it so I sat next to Jack.

"Its name long forgotten, ruled by a fair and wise king who was much beloved." While he spoke, he showed me the chess board I played with when I was bored. "And when he grew old, he divided the kingdom among his four sons, that they shoud be the pillars on which the peace of the land rested." He placed for pawns under the corners of the board, three white and one black. "But the oldest prince wanted to rule the land for himself. He followed his own path and the kingdom fell" He removed the black pawn, so the board fell, "to war, and chaos and ruin."

"That's a nice story", I mocked.

"It's not just a story, Hiccup. Legends are lessons. They ring with truths."

"Dad..."

"I would advise you to make peace with this. The tribes are coming to present their suitors."

"It's not fair!" I yelled.

"Hiccup. It's marriage. It's not the end of the world." With those words he left. I sighed and laid my head on Jack's shoulder. It might not be the end of the world, it would be the end of my world.