The Gift Of Power | Wattys 2020 (Dance of Power Trilogy: Book 1)

I Should Go

This story is rated M, so I shouldn't really have to warn you, but I will. There is likely some sexually explicit language ahead. Enjoy ;)

Just a note before you read too far, or get too concerned. It has been 5 years since Hiccup left Berk. He is 20, and Astrid is 19. No underage funny stuff here! :P Even if real people do it all the time...

This chapter's title came from the song 'I Should Go' by Levi Kreis and I think it's a pretty darn fitting song.

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Hiccup had been distracted and restless since last night. During their morning flight he had been so uncoordinated that he had missed a crucial tail change and crashed he and Toothless into a sea stack; just like his first day flying. It was honestly a bit embarrassing, and he thanked his lucky stars that no one was around to see. Toothless had promptly smacked him on the thigh with an ear flap, but it was no good. He could barely focus and Toothless decided to just give up and land on the next pillar. Giving Hiccup an accusing glare while Hiccup tried to act like he didn't know what was wrong with him.

Of course it was a lie. Both he and Toothless knew exactly what was wrong with him. It was the same thing that had caused him so much trouble when he was a young boy on Berk. The only difference was the mature nature of his distracting thoughts. 14-year-old Hiccup could have never dreamed up these images. To voice it was to make it absolute though, so he was fighting it as hard as he could.

It shouldn't be affecting him like this, though! After all, Hiccup was no stranger to the female form. Bedmates were not very hard to find in the capital, and more than a few nobleman's wives and daughters had enjoyed the thrill of a tumble between the sheets with the Dragon Master. Hiccup being more inclined to allow these women to share his bed as he knew they would take necessary precautions. They wouldn't risk losing their social status and winding up on the streets just for a mercenary, no matter how dangerous and enticing he was. The feeling being completely mutual, as Hiccup had no intention of letting them tie him down either.

At first, Hiccup had been both surprised and confused in equal measure when the ladies of Rome began to chase him. Especially the wealthy ladies of the courts. Sure he might be less of a runt now, but he was still a scrawny nobody with messy hair and an attitude problem. What could a beautiful woman with high status possibly want from the village loser? He had been convinced they only liked him because of Toothless. It took well into his 17th year before Hiccup finally realized the ladies actually found him attractive.

At just over six feet tall by the age of 18, he had admittedly been something of an imposing figure in the southern lands where the average height of men was 5'9" or less. His once gangly limbs filling out nicely thanks to all the time spent training, fighting, and riding with Toothless. His slender frame gradually gaining a solid build of lean muscle that might even make his father proud. The angles of his face becoming sharper and more defined as well, as the boyish roundness of youth faded. Even the exotic tattoo which he had hidden for years now marked him out as a dangerous and intriguing foreigner, and he started taking every chance he got to flaunt it at the courts and public bathhouses. He may never look like a 'proper Viking', but standing tall and strong beside his fire breathing brother now, at least Hiccup no longer felt weak, useless, or undesirable.

Much like the gladiators that they fawned over in the arena, the nobles had fantasized and gossiped about Hiccup too. In Rome, it seemed the more brutal a man was, the more interesting he was. As Hadrian's favourite though, Hiccup had also boasted a certain level of status within the courts that the gladiators didn't. The ladies had seen the ruthless mercenary as a perfect way to explore their racier desires without shame, for he was no lowly slave. Ever the gentleman, Hiccup was more than happy to oblige them. Discovering a few of his own much darker tendencies along the way, and expanding and perfecting his skills with each willing body that crossed his doorstep.