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.*･｡CHAPTER NINE.*･｡

——

By the time the next morning had come around, Vega still had no idea why she had kissed Hiccup on the cheek the night before. It had been weird, but a kind of weird that she hadn't expected it to be. Almost a good kind of weird, if there even was one. Was there?

Vega Storm had never kissed a boy in her life. Sure, Snotlout had been dared to kiss her when they were young — which had resulted in a smack and a swollen lip on his part — but she had never kissed a boy. There had never really been any boys to kiss in Berk, at least not ones that she found remotely attractive. She had never clicked with any boy well enough to want to kiss them. She'd never had that. Her father had kept her away from boys for as long as he could, the only teenagers her age being the group of idiots that she was friends with now, and the habit had just kind of stuck. Even with her father gone, she stayed away from boys as a general rule of thumb.

Boys are only going to hurt you, Vega.

Reflection on the word made her smile slightly, despite the warning tone she had remembered was always in his voice. What man could you need other than your father?

During her childhood, there had been a list of guys that she wasn't allowed to go near, not even with a ten-foot barge pole. Her mother had always shaken her head fondly and insisted that he was too dramatic for his own good, which always made him scowl playfully. She had told him that no ten year old was interested in boys or girls, or any kind of relationship at that age, especially not Vega. And she hadn't been. Not a single person on that list had she wanted. None of them.

All of them had been snobby Vikings that were slightly older than her, and her father had told her that this wasn't a list for now, it was a list for life. None of these men would ever be good enough for her, even at age fifteen or onwards, and he had been right.

Though, Hiccup Haddock, son of the chief, had never been on that list.

When her parents had passed, none of this had changed in the slightest. Vega still wasn't interested in boys. In fact, she was even less interested. Grief made her unavailable, as did the constant training she put herself through in order to become the best, and the blank expression and the blunt persona she had crafted. Sadness changed a person, loss made them morph into someone else, and Vega had become almost emotionless.

It had gotten easier through the years. After two years, she had become less statuesque and showed more emotion than she had done previously, and began to hang out with the group of teenagers much more. Snotlout had began to hit on her again, and she would continue to turn him down.

Still, Vega had never found a new-formed interest in guys, unlike Ruffnut and Astrid. The only man she had ever wanted was her father, for him to come back alongside her mother. But, she couldn't have that.

So she had no one.

Vega shook her head and let out a sigh, pushing the drawing of her father away from her. He was sad, again.

Coming back from her ride on a Night Fury, having found the dragon's nest that they had searched for for centuries, and kissing Hiccup on the cheek had left the teenager in a state of stress. Thus, she had began drawing, in search of an answer of what to do from her father, who had only been sketched in a disappointed light. No matter what Vega did, how many times she rubbed his face out with her palm and tried again, she couldn't quite get the image to smile.

She hadn't been as possessed to draw her mother as she usually would have been. The thought of it had made her stomach queasy, and whenever she had started, she hadn't been able to finish the eyes. There was something off. Vega blamed it on nerves.

The girl wasn't entirely sure what she was supposed to do now. Vega had ridden a dragon. She knew Hiccup's biggest secret, one that would send him down to the ground if the rest of Berk had found out.

The boy would have been snatched of his dragon fighter title, his father would have hated him for what he had done, all of the betrayal he had caused, and he would most certainly kill Toothless in a heartbeat. That was what Vega had wanted, originally. She had wanted to take Hiccup down, to prove that she was the best and that he was just a fraud. She had wanted to tell Stoick about what she had experienced as soon as she had stepped foot off of that creature, but she hadn't. Vega had promised that she wouldn't, and now she had nothing to do but sit and wait for whatever Hiccup decided was best. Just wait.

   Vega could hear the cheers and shouts of the crowd before she had even made it close to the arena, all of the Berkian's screaming his name. She shook of the vaguely bitter feeling and pushed past the villagers, making her way down the entrance where she has a feeling the boy would be hiding.

    "Hiccup! Hiccup!"

   The people went crazy when Stoick stepped out which a large grin, "I can show my face in public again!"

    "If someone had told me that, in a few short weeks, Hiccup would go from- well, being Hiccup, to placing first in dragon training, I would have tied him to a mast and shipped him off for fear he'd gone mad!" Stoick laughed merrily as his words, causing the girl to cringe, taking a second to look back. That would sting, and it would cut his son deep. "And you know it! But here we are,"

    "And no one is more surprised than I am." Vega lowly muttered under her breath, rounding the main gate. She could see him stood, antsy and waiting.

    "Today, my boy becomes a Viking." The crowd hollered once again, eager to watch the fight proceed. Stoick looked at his people with so much pride that even Vega felt as though she was going to be sick. "Today, he becomes one of us!"

The teenager loitered for a minute, hands behind her back. She was suddenly nervous. Whether it for empathy nerves for Hiccup, or nerves because he was Hiccup, she didn't know. Vega waited a short period of time and sighed, shaking her head and clearing her mind. It was Hiccup. The boy who was about to be killed by a dragon, or killed by his father when he could kill the animal first. He had told her that he would figure something out, but she wondered now if she should have taken matters into her own hands.

He was quaking in his boots.

"Be careful with that dragon." Her words were simple and blunt as ever. She took a couple of steps forward as he turned on his heel.

Hiccup shrugged, "It's not really the dragon I'm worried about."

    "What are you going to do?" Vega asked, peering over his shoulder and looking at the crowd that surrounded the ring. He turned back and pursed his lips, seeing the same exact thing, and fiddled with the helmet in his hands.

   For the first time in forever, his father was proud of him. And he was about to ruin it all, when it had barely even started. Vega couldn't help but compare herself to Hiccup in that time that he contemplated — they were different. His father was proud of who he had become, but he was willing to destroy that to prove his love for the creatures they said to be beasts. Vega would have walked on into that ring, head held high and never looking back. She would have killed whatever creature was thrust in front of her if it had meant that her parents would be proud. No matter what she had chosen to believe.

Hiccup and Vega were different, in that way. He hadn't wanted his father to proud of him, doing something that he didn't believe in. Vega would have done it. Fire and water.

"I'm going to put an end to this," Hiccup nodded his head confidently. "I have to try." He hesitated, "Right?"

Vega didn't answer. She didn't have one.

"You still wish it was you, don't you?"

Of course she did. Vega wished that it was her stepping foot into the dome. It was supposed to be her; she was supposed to be the best, to win Dragon Training and take honour of the final kill. That had been the plan for as long as she could ever remember, her parents deaths fuelling the fire and sending her motivation into hyperdrive.

They had wanted this life for her. She had wanted this life. Vega had wanted so badly to be where Hiccup was stood now, and he was going to throw that all away. And for what? A dragon?

    The concept had seemed preposterous to her. Vega had never thought a Viking would have had the mindset that he did — the one that he was starting to give to her. Toothless had been amazing creature and for that time she spent on his back, she had forgotten everything she believed in. That dragons were meant to die, that they had murdered her mother and father, that she was meant to avenge them until she no longer lived. Vega had been so sure that she would kill this dragon and sail out to the nest to kill them all, but now she wasn't so sure.

    "Maybe." She shrugged her shoulders once and allowed her words to trail as she thought about it, "My parents would have wanted it for me, I guess. I don't really know, anymore."

   Hiccup didn't say anything. He knew that losing a parent was hard, but he had no idea how it felt to lose two. He has barely even known his mother and he still missed her, that was normal, and the boy couldn't comprehend how much Vega must have missed her mother and father after having them snatched away from her. So, he didn't say anything.

   Something told him that she preferred it that way.

"He's proud of you." Vega spoke in effort to change the conversation. He knew who she was talking about. "You sure you want to do this?"

It was his turn to not answer, again. Instead, Hiccup took a step towards the gate, unable to look at her. She thought that this was wrong deep down, he knew she did, but he couldn't find it within himself to blame her. "If something goes wrong, just make sure they don't find Toothless."

"Then don't let it go wrong." Vega responded, face statuesque. To that, the boy nodded. He hadn't known her for very long, but he knew that there was more behind her words.

"It's time, Hiccup!" Gobber swung the gate open with stark enthusiasm, running his hand against his hook as Vega shuffled back. He was eager for this moment, they could both tell, "Knock them dead."

Eyebrows knitted together, Hiccup sucked in a long breath and placed the helmet upon his head, not hesitating even once as he walked into the arena. It didn't take long, however, before he had looked back. Vega bit her lip in attempt to hide a smile. Maybe she didn't mind the fact that he always looked back.

"Yeah!" Snotlout yelled from where he stood with the group of teenagers, "Show them how it's done!"

"Hiccup! Hiccup!"

With slouched shoulders, though no one else could tell, Hiccup made his way over to the weapons rack. He grabbed a shield and a small blade, heaving a sigh before making his way to the middle of the arena. Vega noticed his father watching intently, analysing his every move.

She couldn't help but think that, perhaps, this wouldn't go very well.

In seconds that had felt like days, the gate eventually unbolted with a taunting scrape, the sound of metal upon metal making Vega's skin crawl. It all fell silent upon the dome, not a sound, nor a whisper. But the silence didn't last for long when the gates slammed open and the dragon leapt out, flames ablaze as it hurtled itself along the walls. It fired a shot out of the dome and Berkian's were forced to jump back — even Vega found herself stumbling away from the gate she peered through, the sight of the Monstrous Nightmare making her feel nauseous.

Eventually the flames dulled and the dragon slowed. It crept towards Hiccup with narrowed eyes, sniffing the air left behind when the boy moved back. He dropped his shield and his blade to the ground with a clutter; his father paled.

The dragon growled and he raised his arms in surrender, tone calm. "Hey- it's okay. It's okay," when the dragon didn't grow timid, he removed his hat, "I'm not one of them."

He then threw it to the side, metal scraping the floor.

Vega cursed Loki under her breath and watched as the crowd gasped. What was he thinking?

"Stop the fight." Stoick demanded.

"No-" Hiccup denied, reaching a hand out to the animal. It sniffed his fingers, eyes still narrowed, trying to get a read of him. Vega didn't know much about taking dragon's, but her lips parted when he hedged closer. It hadn't eaten him yet; it was working. "I need you all to see this."

He continued, "They're not what we think they are. We don't have to kill them."

As the Monstrous Nightmare was about to touch his nose to Hiccup's palm, Stoick shot out of his chair and lurched towards the dome, swinging his hammer so hard that it hit the metal and left it dented.

"I said, stop the fight!"

Hiccup let out a yell when the dragon's eyes reformed into the orange slits, diving for him with teeth bared. The boy was lucky enough to jump back before he had lost a hand, tucking into himself and spinning in his heel as the beast shot at him.

"Hiccup!" Vega called out for him, starry eyes wide and panicked. They glowed amber under the flames and the constellations burned.

Forcing every single ounce of doubt from her mind, the girl pushed her hand through the whole in the gate and snatched an axe from the wall. She didn't need spare time to let the thought that her parents would be disappointed occur, because she knew that they would be. Maybe they would have been disappointed in the fact that she had ridden a dragon, or that she had failed the penultimate challenge, and that she hadn't told the chief about what his son had been up to. Maybe they would have been, but they weren't there to see her do it. If only they were able to see what she was about to do next.

It was the same feeling she had gotten back on the first day of training. The need to help him, before he died and for everything else killed, too. But, maybe it wasn't for the sake of everyone else.

Maybe it was just for him.

Not thinking any deeper, she shoved the axe under the bottom of the gate, stamping her foot on the other end and watched the blade hitch the wood up. Vega got to her knees and shuffled under the gap, groaning when her skin caught the rocks.

Hiccup let out another yell and held up his shield defensively, only for the dragon to snatch it and toss it aside. Vega's eyes narrowed as she sprinted to the weapon cart that was now destroyed, using the toe of her shoe to toss a hammer up into the air and catch it, swinging it at the dragon with perfect aim. The mallet collided with the beast's face, sending it to the ground.

Upon seeing who had thrown it, Hiccup let out a sigh of relief. Of course it had been Vega. She always seemed to help him when he had expected it the least.

His eyes widened, however, when the Monstrous Nightmare growled and ran for the girl, causing her to swivel on her foot and head in the other direction. Vega sprinted as fast as she possibly could, huffing and puffing. She didn't dare turn her head back to look at the animal, for she could feel it's heat close enough to know where it was. Vega kept going. This wasn't how she had expected to find herself in the final challenge, ready to kill a dragon in front of the whole village, but it was close enough.

She would take it.

"This way!"

Both teenagers threw themselves in the direction of his father's voice, Vega making it there long before Hiccup. Stoick grabbed the girl and pulled her by his side, reaching his other arm out for his son.

Hiccup skidded to a stop when the dragon shot at the side of the gate, cowering behind an arm and turning back to where he had come from. He cried out when he fell to the ground, the dragon forcing a paw down and holding him in a cage with his talons. That was when the whistling started.

Vega's head shot up as she stumbled further into the arena, barely able to see the cause of the sound before he sight had been blinded by smoke. She hadn't needed to see it, she knew that sound.

"Night Fury!"

She watched in amazement as Toothless pulled the Monstrous Nightmare off of his friend and threw him aside, the two dragons battling for a short while, before the Night Fury growled and shuffled to cover Hiccup protectively. The boy was in a daze as he watched, heart leaping out of his chest as the animals brawled, snapping at one another until the Monstrous Nightmare began to back down. He had come to save him.

Without a second thought, Vega pushed herself towards the boy and his dragon, reaching them long before anyone else could. Toothless growled until he noticed who it was and snarled, recognising her scent and listening to her heart beat, allowing her to take his other side.

He knew that she had wanted to help Hiccup, too. So he let her.

"Toothless, go!" Hiccup pushed the dragon's head in hopes of getting him to leave, "Get out of here."

Vikings began to jump over the barrier and into the arena, waving their weapons and crying out for battle. Vega shook her head in panic and turned to the pair, eyes wider than anyone had ever seen. For once, Vega was scared and she showed it. She had never thought that she'd worry for a dragon's life, before — not until now. "You two need to leave!"

"Go, go!"

"Hiccup-" Vega cried out as his father rushed towards the scene with an axe in hand, "Get him out of here!"

"Dad, he won't hurt you!" The boy pleaded as he gave the animal another helpless shove. Toothless bared his teeth and lunged for the man, ready to protect the human he had somehow grown to love.

"No, don't-" Hiccup tried as the dragon knocked down several villagers who had drawn their swords too close for his liking, "You're only making it worse!"

Toothless eventually flipped foreword, pinning Stoick to the ground in a blink.

"Toothless, stop!" The dragon ignored his words and breathed in heavily, ready to fire a plasma shot and kill the chief in an instant. Hiccup shook his arms widely and screamed, his heart racing, "No!"

It didn't work.

"No!"

As though someone had pressed a button, Toothless shut his mouth and perched on top of Stoick's frame almost obediently. He turned to Hiccup and blinked.

   Whilst the dragon was caught off guard, Stoick swiped his fist and hit him in the face, yanking his head down to the ground beside him. Villagers screamed out and hurtled back into action, "Get him!"

    "No, no!" Hiccup shouted as Snotlouts father pinned Toothless' mouth down, several other vikings attacking from behind and holding down his every limb. "Please- just don't hurt him!" Vega grabbed Hiccups collar before he could try and intervene, "Please don't hurt him!"

   When the Night Fury was successfully demobilised, snarling empty threats that it could no longer keep now that it had been caught, Stoick scrambled up and stumbled around, glaring at the monster. He allowed his strong gaze to travel to his son and he grit his teeth, anger drenching his every bone. It bursted at his blood vessels and spread through his system.

   He spat at the dragon, "Put it with the others."

——