chapter 16

The next morning I was preparing myself for the final exam. I was pacing back and forth from how nervous I was, that I might have slowly started to wear down the stone flooring of the Kill Ring entrance. It didn't help that my dad was making a speech either.

"Well, I can show my face in public again! If someone had told me that in just a few short weeks, Hiccup would go from being, well... Hiccup, to placing first in Dragon Training... Well, I would've tied him to a mast and shipped him off for fear he'd gone mad. Yes! And you know it! But here we are. And no one's more surprised...or more proud than I am. Today, my boy becomes a Viking. TODAY, HE BECOMES ONE OF US!" My dad exclaimed and cheering ensued from the other Vikings.

Astrid was waiting with me as I tried to calm down. I tried to get her to leave, but with her being stubborn like everyone else in the village that didn't really work.

"Be careful with that dragon." She said.

I rolled my eyes and looked at her. "You're not helping any."

Astrid sighed and walked up to me with a shield, shoving it into my arms.

"Why can't you accept that I'm trying to mend the past?" She asked as I slipped the shield onto my arm.

"Maybe because you've hated me for fifteen years? Ever think about that Astrid?" I retorted.

She went quiet after that and I looked away taking a couple deep breaths to calm my nerves.

'This would be so much easier if Kala was here with me..'

I sighed and looked at Astrid.

"If you really want to mend the past, then promise me that if anything goes wrong..you'll keep them from finding Toothless. I don't want anything to happen to him. Get him off the island if you can."

Astrid nodded, holding her right arm. "Of course Hiccup, I promise. Just be careful in there."

"I'll try my best." I said.

'I'll try my best for Kala. There's no way I'm going to die before telling her that I love her for the first time.'

Gobber came into the entrance with a smile.

"It's time, Hiccup. Knock him dead." He said happily.

I took another deep breath and entered the ring. The cheering was deafening as I took a dagger from the weapon rack that was put up.

"Hm. I would've gone for the hammer." I heard my dad comment.

I fixed my hold on the dagger and the position of my shield then readied myself.

"I'm ready." I stated loud enough for everyone to hear.

One of the Vikings opened up the cage that the Monstrous Nightmare was locked away in and the cage immediately burst open. The Nightmare was completely lit up as it rushed out of the cage and climbed across the dome that kept the dragons from getting out. It snapped at the people outside the dome, then spotted me at the bottom of the ring and hopped down right in front of me.

I looked into its eyes and saw that it was scared. So with all the determination I could muster, I tossed my dagger and shield to either side of me. They scraped across the stone floor as they slid.

The Nightmare gave me a confused look as I slowly started to walk towards it with my hands raised.

"It's okay. It's okay." As I got closer I hesitantly took off my helmet and tossed it aside like my dagger and shield, then I raised my hand again. "I'm not one of them."

The dragon calmed down as it sniffed my offered hand, the flames on its body dying down.

"Stop the fight." My dad said.

"No!" I yelled. "I need you all to see this. They're not what we think they are."

The Nightmare purred at my scent and rested its snout on my hand. I smiled and rubbed it.

"We don't have to kill them." I explained.

"I SAID STOP THE FIGHT!" My dad shouted as he stood and hit his hammer against the dome.

The dragon and I jumped and I backed away from it as it got a bit irritated. I looked into its eyes and could tell it didn't want to hurt me. I quickly came up with something.

"Pretend to chase me down." I mouthed to the dragon as I continued to back away.

It nodded just enough for me to see and flared its body up and started to chase me around the ring. I was the only one that knew it was just pretending. Everyone was freaking out.

"Out of my way!" My dad yelled as he tried to get through the crowd to get into the ring.

The Nightmare and I locked eyes and I nodded. It sent a stream of fire my way and I dodged easily, faking fear.

"Hiccup!!" Astrid yelled and entered the ring by propping the gate open with her axe.

She tried to come over to me, but the Nightmare sent fire at her to show her to keep her distance. My dad opened the gate and gestured us over.

"This way!"

Astrid was able to get out, but I had no intentions of leaving. The Nightmare knew this and helped me stay as I faked going towards the entrance by blocking my path with fire. It got closer than intended and I screamed as I put out the fire on my vest while faking running for my life.

~~~HTLANF~~~

I was resting in a sunpatch in my dragon form when I heard the screams. My earplates perked up immediately and I listened closely for a specific one.

As soon as I heard Hiccup's, I quickly got up from my lying position and transformed to get out of the cove easier. Once I was transformed again, I bolted towards the Kill Ring.

~~~HTLANF~~~

After a little longer of the Nightmare and I faking, it pinned me to the ground to make things more believable. I could see in its eyes that it hated doing it, but it needed to be done.

I braced myself for what was coming next, but what happened was not what I was expecting in the slightest.

There was the sound of a blast being charged up and an explosion that filled the ring with smoke.

It took me a while to realize what was going on, but once I knew I just hoped the Nightmare could explain to Kala that we were faking.

~~~HTLANF~~~

When I got to the ring I blasted my way in and started to fight the dragon that had Hiccup pinned down.

"How dare you try to harm my intended?!" I screeched as I fought him.

He fought back, but I could tell he didn't want to.

"I wasn't harming him! He told me to pretend to chase him down! I only pinned him to make it look more realistic for the Vikings! I swear!"

My eyes widened, but I kept fighting him.

"Well then let's keep it going." I said.

When the smoke cleared I was in front of Hiccup growling protectively.

~~~HTLANF~~~

Once the smoke cleared I could see Kala in front of me in a protective way and The Nightmare faked fear as it cowered back into its cage. Everyone else saw her too.

"Night Fury!" Gobber yelled. Some others did as well.

"Alright, Toothless, go. Get out of here!" I said very worried as I tried to get Kala to run.

She looked at me worriedly and crooned. People started to jump down into the ring from the hole she made with their weapons drawn.

"Go! GO!" I yelled trying to get her to leave without me, but she wouldn't budge.

My dad came into the ring with his hammer in hand.

"Stoick, no!" I heard Astrid yell as she tried to go after him, but Gobber held her back.

"Take it alive!" Someone in the crowd shouted.

A couple of the Vikings pulled me away from Kala and I struggled to get out of their grasp.

"No, Dad, he won't hurt you!" I yelled as my dad got closer to her.

Kala backed away from him growling. Others started to surround her and she was trying her best to stay away from all of them.

"No, don't! You'll only make it worse!" I shouted as tears came to my eyes.

Kala saw this and got even more worried, maybe even scared. When my dad got closer she tackled him to the ground, ready to attack.

"Toothless, STOP!" I screamed, scared that my dad would kill her if she tried anything else.

Kala looked at me and got off of him whining. I could see it in her eyes that she knew I was terrified she would be killed. My dad was pissed and started to raise his hammer. I struggled even more, tears streaming down my face.

"No! NO!!!" I was crying at this point.

'This wasn't supposed to happen!'

My dad looked at me and lowered his hammer glaring at me, but he never hit Kala.

"Get it!" One of the Vikings surrounding Kala shouted and she got tackled to the ground by quite a few of them.

She cried as she tried to get out from under them, which made me cry even more.

"No! Please! Don't hurt him! Please don't hurt him!" I pleaded as I stopped struggling.

My dad glared at Kala and raised his head in his chiefly way.

"Put it with the others!" He ordered.

The Vikings that had Kala pinned down locked her up on a chained cart that was used to bring dragons into the Kill Ring. When she was fully chained up they started to roll her into an empty cage.

Kala and I locked eyes as she was put into the cage. We both had tears streaming down our faces.

~~~HTLANF~~~