In Lieu Of A Tail

33. Hiccup Returns To An Awkward Situation

After Hiccup had taught Astrid the basics of trust and training, he helped her attach a rope to the Nadder so she could ride securely. He then demonstrated the hand signal for crouch, so she could easily mount. Once she was settled comfortably on the creature's back, and holding tightly to the reins, he spoke.

"I should warn you that the take-off is intense at first," he started, before noticing her horrified face and adding, "but she will go carefully, as you're a beginner."

"Oh," Astrid stated nervously, "okay then."

"Astrid," Hiccup called gently, walking up to where she shifted on her mount and resting his hand on hers in reassurance, "I promise I won't let anything happen to you," he looked deep into her eyes, "Toothless and I will be right there the whole time, and believe me when I tell you that flying is worth it."

Astrid closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before opening her mouth and responding. "Okay, okay I trust you."

"Okay, give her a little, gentle kick and she'll take off."

Astrid complied, giving the dragon a gentle kick and holding tight to the rope in her hands as they accelerated and the Nadder began to flap her wings vigorously, lifting off just before the edge of the clearing. Hiccup was right, it was intense.

"Open your eyes, Astrid!" He hollered over the tailwinds, she obliged - albeit reluctantly - forcing her eyes open. She almost forgot to breathe at the view.

It was incredible, so completely different from anything else. Somehow it felt right, somehow it felt so much more natural than she thought it would. The air rushed past her, sending shivers down her spine and the warmth of the dragon beneath her gave her a sense of peace, despite the roar of the wind in her ears. The fading glow of the sun was even better up here, with no trees or rocks in the way.

She was snapped from her thoughts by a voice. "It's amazing, isn't it?"

She turned to Hiccup, for of course he was the one who spoke. "There are no words to describe it." She answered.

A silence followed, aside from the wing-beats of the dragons.

"Why did you leave Berk, Hiccup?" Astrid questioned suddenly, startling herself and everybody else.

"Sometimes." Hiccup started loudly, clearing his throat before continuing in a smaller voice. "Sometimes, just after I left, I asked myself that too. Then I'd go flying with Toothless and remember, this feeling, I--" He paused, searching for the right words, "I could never find it here, on Berk. Anything close was always overshadowed by doubt, and even fear - sometimes - I had to get away from it." He noticed Astrid was still watching him curiously. "I've wondered many times what might have been had I stayed, kept hiding him, maybe eventually revealed the truth. It all happened so fast."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean one second I was the village runt, the screw-up, and then suddenly I was this amazing dragon killer or something, even though I never hurt the dragons," he threw his hands up in exasperation, running one hand through his auburn locks, still tangling in the wind as they glided, I wonder if they're as soft as they look, "then the next minute I was in the running for killing the Nightmare and then I'd 'won the honour' and I just couldn't do it anymore."

"Do what?"

"The lying, the tricks! Y'know what the worst part was?" Astrid shook her head in response, and he answered himself, turning away to stare straight ahead. "How easily they bought it. Nobody cared enough to question why I was suddenly trying so hard to be a 'Real Viking'. Well," he corrected himself, "except you, Gobber thought it was Stoick's lectures finally getting through."