Secret of a Dragon (An HTTYD Story)

Chapter Fifteen: Astrid

Sorry for the wait, people. I know it wasn't as long as it could have been, but it was still pretty long!

Also, the three soundtracks that go with this chapter, This Time For Sure, Astrid Goes For A Spin, and Dragon's Den, are all awesome. This Time For Sure's on the side, make sure to look up the other two!

Enjoy!

There is a fury in the way Astrid moves the next day. She seems angry at something, or someone, as Hiccup suspects it is himself. He isn't the only one that Astrid targets, either, as Crystal has also been under heavy fire. Breathing heavily, she slams her back into a wooden barrier between herself and the Gronckle they are fighting, only to find Hiccup crouching beside her. He grins nervously, and she shoves his shield to the ground.

"Stay out of my way!" she hisses. Her voice lowers dangerously as she continues. "I'm winning this thing."

"Please, by all means," Hiccup calls after her. He stands and faces the crowd. He straightens his helmet, and gives a halfhearted smile to the watching Vikings. The applause rises in volume. Sighing, Hiccup turns back to the arena to watch Astrid give Crystal a similar warning, but Crystal rolls her eyes and ignores her.

The Gronckle blunders through the arena, glancing over at the three of them. Astrid and Hiccup are the two that everyone is watching; Crystal made it into the final three by how much she knew of the dragons, which was far more than even Fishlegs.

Astrid ducks behind another barrier, leaving Hiccup to watch the Gronckle patrol the arena. It glances over at him and sees that he is alone; spotting an opportunity, she charges. Astrid's voice echoes through Hiccup's head, but he can't see that he has much choice. He ducks his head, and his helmet falls off, and he drops his axe and shield. The dragon stops, mostly out of surprise. Hiccup dives in and scratches her chin, causing her to collapse from happiness. Astrid suddenly makes a war cry, which is cut off short. Hiccup picks his head up again from where he was trying not to make eye contact and gestures desperately at the dragon, trying to tell her he didn't have a choice, but she won't listen.

"NO!" she screams, slamming her axe on the ground. She puts her hands on her head, and then begins to swing the axe around wildly. "NO, SON OF A HALF-TROLL -- RAT-EATING -- MUNGE -- BUCKET!!"

Hiccup stares dumbly as she vents, his hands falling to the side. Crystal watches in amusement. "Nicely done," she remarks to Hiccup. "I haven't managed to make her this mad yet."

"Yet?" he echoes.

"But I will," she smirks.

"Wait! Wait!" Stoick calls down.

Hiccup gulps. "So, uh, later," he says, about to make a run for it. Gobber hooks the back of his shirt.

"Oh, oh, not so fast," the blacksmith counters.

"Uh, uh, uh --" Hiccup stammers. "I'm kinda late for --"

"WHAT?!" Astrid shrieks, jamming the butt of her axe into his throat. "Late for what, exactly?!"

Crystal intervenes and shoves Astrid's axe away. "What's it to you?" she demands, as Hiccup breathes a sigh of relief and rubs his neck.

Astrid opens her mouth to respond just as Stoick speaks again. "Okay, quiet down! The elder had decided."

All eyes turn to the village elder, Gothi. The three teens stand in a line: Hiccup, Astrid, and Crystal. Gobber holds his hook over Crystal, and, surprising no one, Gothi shakes her head. The tension becomes palpable as Gobber moves to Astrid, but the elder frowned and shook her head. Gobber slowly puts down his hook and puts his good hand over Hiccup, pointing down. Gothi grins and points with her frail hand.