The sun shines brilliantly on a new day, washing away the brisk cold of night that Berk holds with it. It's been some time since daybreak, and I can now see the sun standing well over all of the houses in Berk, but not quite yet in the middle of the sky. Vague as this positioning may be, it signals to me that it's time to go.

Hiccup and I had taken it upon ourselves to go and meet with the man conducting the dragon training, Gobber. I'd met him twice before, so I was at least spared the formalities of introductions. I'd quickly proposed my interest in taking part in dragon training, which he understandably took with some confusion and a twinge of concern.

After a brief conversation, I conceded to sit in as only an observer so as to not overtake the others in their own training. There were some secondary conditions made to my participation, on both sides, likely to preserve the system in place that Gobber may have already had planned. I accepted most of them without protest, but added the condition of my own that I am to be allowed to intervene if I deem it necessary. Technically speaking, this would be any time I decide one of the trainee's life to be in danger, most likely to be Hiccup.

Normally, we'd have departed for it together, but Hiccup commented that he had some things to take care of first. It's unsurprising to me, given that most of the adult vikings had departed before first light earlier today. The coastline, previously bursting with idle ships was now empty and tranquil as could be, aside from the odd wave crashing against the cliffs. The only adults left on the island are Gobber and some guards placed sparingly throughout the island in the case of another dragon attack.

I myself had a few preparations to make, but few and far between. I figured it would be best to sharpen my sword, given that I'm not quite sure yet what effect dragon scales have on this type of metal. While I doubt there are any grindstones here capable of honing such a tough material, I did begin keeping a file with me around the time that I acquired the royal sword. The process of maintenance took some time, but not nearly enough to keep me occupied throughout the morning.

A thought had then occurred that it'd do me well to try to replicate some of the items I'd used over the course of my adventure, since I don't exactly have a way to get back to them now. In retrospect, it was quite the oversight that I opted not to bring any with me, but I hadn't intended to stay out long without reporting back to Hyrule Castle. I do wonder how Zelda's doing. Hopefully she's not too worried about me, but she probably is.

Either way, without my typical repertoire of items, I'm rather limited in what I can do against flying enemies. I can't recreate the better part of my items, at least not with my own abilities, but perhaps I can start simple with the likes of a bow or the slingshot. Perhaps I could go about a makeshift bomb, but I don't feel that I'll need anything that lethal. For this purpose, I spent a fair bit of the morning on the edge of the forest closest to Berk, looking for any wood that I could make use of for a bow. I've never made one before, so admittedly, it'll be a learning process.

I've been told that using fallen logs off the ground is a rather poor way to acquire wood for a bow due to the fact that they tend to be already rotting and prone to snapping in your hands. As such, I borrowed an axe as I left the village and began my search for a suitable tree. It didn't take long before I settled on a reasonably sized tree to start swinging at. As much as I did talk down this village's metalwork, I can at least assert that the axe does its job, as it took me no more than ten minutes to fell the hefty tree. Perhaps my own strength played a factor in that, but credit where credit is due.

Splitting the fallen tree into a usable log took even less time, thanks to the benefit of gravity carrying every swing. Sure enough, I was left with a solid section of wood to be used for my little project. I had returned to the viking that I'd borrowed the axe from with a block of wood slung over my shoulder. I'd taken the opportunity to chop the log into a rectangle stock, leaving behind the unused chunks for firewood in a neat pile outside. He'd stated earlier that there was no need for me to repay him, but seeing as how I'm not using those parts, I might as well. I briefly informed the viking where to find the rest of the fallen tree before returning back to my oversized house.

From that point to about twenty minutes ago, I've sat on the floor drawing out the desired shape for my bow into the wooden block. Of course, the design is largely based off my own back in Hyrule, but it's not without some minor changes, mostly manifesting in the shape of the bow. I'd taken my time drawing seeing as how I was only looking to eat up the morning. Since then, I've just been silently watching the sun climb higher and higher on the horizon, taking in the various sounds of the village.

I hop down from my perch on the roof of my house where I had been waiting and set off for the location of the arena, as Hiccup had described it. I'm not too troubled over the lack of his guidance, as he described its location in a rather identifiable area of Berk. Apparently the area on a small cliff bearing a larger bluff looming above it, rather easily accessible via a small bridge linking the cliff to the edge of the village. It's rather hard to miss, even for those like myself unfamiliar with the area.

As I make my way to my destination, I'm glancing towards every corner that comes into my view, trying to gauge by just how much the village has been thinned out from the expedition. Unsurprisingly, it's by a lot. Aside from the odd guard, there's a few vikings that weren't willing to go along. That or not able. Most of them seem to be doing housework, so I can imagine their decision to stay behind was by no means selfish. A few of them offer a greeting as I pass by, which I just respond to with a wave or a nod. Gobber's shop remains open, but of course he's not there on account of being the one to coordinate the dragon training. Still though, I can probably make use of it from time to time.

The closer I get to the arena, the more the ground elevates. Be it by coincidence or deliberate planning, the arena is set in a fashion to be looked up to, almost like a realm beyond the trivial life of a regular viking. Perhaps I'm just looking too much into it. Either way, by now I can see the top of the metal cage surrounding the arena, so there's not much more to go. I've yet to see anyone ahead of me, but I haven't bothered to turn around to see if there's any of the recruits following behind.

The closer I get, I get a clearer image of the bizarrely shaped area where all the training is to be held. From just across the small bridge, I can now see that the top of the cage I was spotting before is actually open, serving as more of a fence than an enclosed area. There's a ring of wooden ledges surrounding the entirety of the area, likely as a spectator stand. There's some strange riggings spread out through the ledges, but I can't see what they are from here, nor do I think that I'll understand. Crossing the bridge, I see a small grate-like door on the ground. I walk up and peer inside to see that it leads downwards into this waiting area with a large gate at the end.

"This must be it," I mutter before grabbing hold of the hatch. It's actually a bit heavy, probably due to the fact that it's made for vikings. Either way, I throw it open for anyone else that might come in behind me and stroll into the waiting "room." Like I thought, I'm the first one here. I take the time to peer through the oversized gate and look about the arena.

It's surprisingly well stocked, with swords and axes decorating racks lined around the walls. I can see a shield rack in the corner next to some large metal doors with hefty bars keeping them shut. The arena is a nice size too, offering for plenty of movement without being too spacious to prevent proper instruction. If this wasn't a place for killing dragons, I'd be more inclined to give them some credit.

I wonder just how early I am. I don't see anyone approaching behind me, nor do I hear any footsteps in the distance. I don't particularly mind the silence and free time though, given that it's been representative of most of my morning as is. I lean against the wall and wait patiently, my arms crossed, as I look absentmindedly into the arena. My eyes wander about here and there, but nothing new catches my eye. After a few minutes of nothing, I end up closing my eyes altogether, resigning to the monotony of my own thoughts instead.

After a point, without even realizing it, I've begun to hum a familiar song. The Hero's Shade had taught it to me during our mutual howling sessions, which I had eventually recounted to Zelda later. According to her, it was a song passed down through the Royal Family to those they trusted most dearly. Supposedly, her handmaiden had sung it to her nearly every night when she was a child. I'd taken to calling it Zelda's Lullaby for that very reason, despite the Queen's protests.

It's a rather simple tune, with no lyrics accompanying it. Only a docile melody meant to soothe the heart. I'd hummed it on one other occasion for Zelda, shortly after the fall of Hyrule Castle. Funny enough, that was the very occasion that prompted her to inform me of the song's origins.

Truth be told, I'm not sure what made me think of this particular song out of all the others that I'd come to know. I've only been gone from the castle for a few days, so it's not as if I miss her highness.

The more I hum, the more tranquil the world around he seems. I can hardly hear the idle chirping of birds anymore, nor the shifting of the waves below me. I keep my eyes shut, lest I shatter the illusion put forth before me.

I'm alone in this fragile oasis created by this simple song. I feel the heat of my Triforce on my left hand, but I ignore it in favor of this uncharacteristic calm.

I finish humming the song, and while I contemplate starting it again or moving to another one, I hear a new sound. It's soft, but I can certainly hear it. It's an instrument, not unlike a flute. The same faint melody of Zelda's Lullaby is being carried upon that strange instrument's tones, and the sound of it sends a chill down my spine.

My eyes fly open unintentionally and partially from shock, and the illusion fades away like I suspected. The faint sound of the instrument has faded away too, and in its place, I once again hear the chirping of birds and the waves crashing against Berk's cliffs. I'm not all that upset as much as I'm just confused what happened. Specifically what the sound of that instrument was. I look down at my arms, still crossed over my chest and notice that my Triforce isn't glowing, despite the heat that I certainly felt earlier.

I silently curse my lack of drive to study up on magic and the Triforce's true capabilities, but I begin searching the thin stores of knowledge I do have on the subject. Being a divine gift, the Triforce has enough mystery surrounding it as is. Being as ignorant as I am to its powers only aggravates the situation. This is all assuming of course that the illusion was caused by my own piece and not simply something that it was responding to.

I click my tongue in frustration, but there's nothing to be done about it at the moment. Perhaps it would do me well to experiment with the Triforce a bit, but I can do that later. As I begin to contemplate picking another song to occupy my time with, my ears twitch at the sound of footsteps. Sounds like it's just one person, but damn their steps are loud.

I hear a soft exclamation of surprise, likely to the hatch being open behind me. I turn my head slightly to look at the newcomer to this droll waiting area, arms still crossed.

Even amongst vikings, this boy is large. His disproportionate legs to the rest of his body make me wonder how effectively he even walks. His short, messy blond hair rests a few inches above his shoulders and is practically held in place by the small helmet atop his head. He's carrying a "small" stone hammer rather nervously, as if it's a baby about to slip from his hands. He offers me a greeting through a stutter, to which I just reply with a wave and a nod.

He picks a spot across from me, trying to avoid eye contract all the while. On normal occasions, I'd loosen up and try to make myself more inviting, but it's probably wisest for me to wait and address the group as a whole. Plus, this one seems exceedingly awkward.

After a minute or so of silence between us, the boy starts to ask me a question. I assume it's going to be simply asking for my name, but he can hardly even get the words out well enough.

"Link." I cut in, saving him some of the embarrassment.

"Wh- Huh?"

"You were going to ask for my name, right?" He nods, albeit a little slack-jawed.

"There you go. My name is Link. Yours?"

He blinks twice before fumbling around with his hammer as if he just remembered how to speak again. "M-My name's Fishlegs."

Really? Weird name, but I suppose it's fitting.

He doesn't seem to be trying to ask another question, so I close my eyes again and return to my silence. It may seem a little bit rude, but I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to talk during the training anyhow.

My ears twitch in response to a familiar sound approaching; another set of footsteps, heavier than the boy's. Oddly enough every other step sounds more like a wooden clunk than a footfall. I look over to the open hatch for the next newcomer and surely enough, the frame of a large man looms over the open hatch. As I thought, it's Gobber, the one conducting this training in the first place.

"Ah, Fishlegs. You're here early." Like all the other adults around here, his heavy accent laces every word he speaks. I still haven't the slightest clue why the children don't share the same accent, but whatever. "You too, eh, Link?"

"I'm used to it," I shrug back. "How many are joining us today?"

"Well, Fishlegs is already here so that's one. Then there's Astrid, Snotlout, the twins... Oh, and Hiccup."

So six total. Rather small training group, but I can't really talk, I suppose, given the population of Ordon. I don't recognize those names, but I do remember Hiccup saying them before.

I open my mouth to offer a response, but the sound of hastened footfalls catches my attention first. This time, it sounds like two sets and for some reason, they're running. Perhaps they're eager to get started. The closer they get, I can hear the sounds of arguing, but I can't get any words out of it. Regardless, the chaotic sound is getting closer and by now it's caught the attention of the other two waiting with me.

In due time, a boy and a girl come tumbling through the open hatch, both of them finding a way to lose their balance on the downwards slope into the waiting area. Despite being face-first with the cold stone, their argument persists.

"I'm first!"

"Obviously not, that was me!"

They're both back up in an instant, immediately butting heads. More specifically, butting helmets. They look considerably slimmer than Fislegs, albeit a bit lanky. The boy in the pair, from what I can see, is ever so slightly bigger, but not by much. Beneath their horned helmets, resembling something that the Bulblin clan would wear, they have long blonde hair extending well past their shoulders. The girl's braids end up tied into decorative buns while the boy's messy locks simply hang in front of him.

True to their status as twins, they're bickering wildly like any brother and sister pair would, not bothering to acknowledge the three of us watching the ordeal take place. Keeping still at my place on the wall, I raise an eyebrow towards Gobber, who just shakes his head dejectedly. He walks over to the pair and brings down his hands on both of their heads, his metal hand making a muted clang sound as it connects with the boy's metal helmet.

"That's enough of that, you two. Hasn't anyone ever taught you to greet your elders?"

The sibling duo turns over to the rest of us, now making themselves aware of our presence as they rub the back of their heads.

"Why do we need to greet you if you already know we're here?" the boy quips back.

"It's called courtesy, Tuffnut."

"What's that?" The girl chimes in this time, to her brother's entertainment. Gobber just rolls his eyes and sighs at the pair before turning around to walk back over towards the gate.

As the twins' eyes follow Gobber, they slowly fall onto me and I can practically see the gears in their heads turning as they begin to remember me from the last dragon attack.

"Hey, you're the one that killed the Nightmare."

Thanks for reminding me. I'd almost forgotten.

"That I am. And I'd rather not discuss it either."

The twins share a collective groan in response before the girl replies, "But I thought we were supposed to learn how to kill dragons."

"Yeah, how are we gonna learn how to kill a dragon when the dragon killer won't tell us?"

Nayru's mercy, these two are going to be annoying, I can already tell. Still though, I should keep some semblance of professionalism. Probably.

"If you want to learn how to kill a dragon, then pay attention when the training starts."

The twins mutter something between themselves, but my response at least seems to have pacified them for now. Or at least gotten them off of my back. I return to the peace of my corner, ignoring the passing conversations of the twins and Fishlegs' absentminded muttering. I think he's studying something, but that's not particularly my business. I close my eyes again, but I'm not quite able to drown out the sound of everyone else this time.

Well, it could be a lot worse anyways. Plus, I wanted to do this.

It's a few minutes this time before I hear the sound of approaching footsteps again. It sounds like just one person, but I can hardly tell over the chatter of the twins beside me. I keep my eyes closed and decide to wait for the newcomer to introduce themselves instead. Somehow, his voice manages to overpower the two twins as he proclaims, "Everyone, you can go home now. The dragon killing master has arrived."

Lovely. Of course, the sibling duo wastes no time quipping back at him with their own retorts. At this point, I'm pretty sure I can hear Gobber sighing. Part of me contemplates slamming my shield against the metal gate just to get them to be quiet, but that sounds a little excessive. Might just end up scaring Fishlegs out of the damn arena while I'm at it.

The twins continue to throw insults and banter back and forth with the new loudmouthed addition to the training party until I hear a "hey wait" in the conversation, directly suspiciously in my direction. Of course, it's the loudmouthed one seeing as he's looking straight at me from where I presume to be directly past the open hatch.

"Isn't he the Nightmare killer?"

Hylia grant me patience. I'm fully aware that I just showed up in town, so perhaps I do stick out a bit more than others. But in a dragon killing village, is it really so uncommon to see someone that killed a dragon? I feel bad enough about it as is, but I suppose being constantly reminded of it is my punishment for the day.

I open my eyes and look over to him, only to be greeted with the human form of a bulblin. Despite being obviously a teenager, his arms are thick and almost muscly in some regards. His legs are rather thin, but not as much as Hiccup or even Fishlegs'. He's rather stout, but I don't think that it'd be fair to call him fat or even out of shape. Of course, just like everyone else, he has a rather primitive helmet atop his head, covering a mop-like mess of prickly brown hair.

While I'm scanning the boy, the twins respond for me before I have to, confirming his inquiry.

"Oh, well," the loudmouth clears his throat before continuing. "I could have done that too, I was just busy doing, y'know, viking stuff."

"Sure, sure you were." Gobber speaks up this time, a bit to my surprise. "You carried those buckets with the strength of a thousand vikings, Snotlout."

The twins cackle obscenely at the joke, but Fishlegs remains more or less silent across from me. The little viking, apparently named Snotlout, is of course not laughing and instead just puffs up his chest a little more.

"Yeah yeah, keep laughing. I'll be the first one to kill the dragon anyways. Maybe I'll even be nice enough to let you watch." He's made a point to look away from me and towards the twins while he's saying this, but it won't stop me from responding to his bravado.

"Yeah?" The sound of my voice quiets down all parties involved, but the twins are likely expecting me to make a joke. I lower my gaze to catch Snotlout's brown eyes before pointing to the arena behind me. "Prove it."

Snotlout's eyes dart nervously between me and the smug faces of the twins. He clears his throat again before straightening himself up. "Obviously, yeah. I'll just- show you when we're out there."

Uh-huh.

Between the twins bickering with Snotlout and each other along with his ensuing attempts to save face, I hadn't heard the next set of footsteps approaching the arena. This time it's another girl, axe at her side and sauntering proudly down the sloped path into the waiting area. Snotlout breaks away from his attempted bragging to address her, managing to squeak out a half-hearted greeting.

She's a rather petite girl, even compared to the other kids here. She's a bit shorter than the twins it seems, but her short blonde hair is much neater than either of them. She's the only one here, aside from me, without a helmet adorning her head. Unlike the others, her clothing is rather lightweight and the only armor she has to speak of are some metal spaulders on each of her shoulders. Her arms and part of her hands are wrapped in some fabric, likely as a stand-in for gauntlets.

The girl carries herself with confidence, but it's not just empty bravado and valor. Her eyes seem to be telling a different story from the others. She's not here to prove something to herself nor anyone, nor is she desperately looking for more information. The training is little more than a whetstone to hone the edge of her spirit. She walks up to the gate separating all of us from the arena, and I can see her grip on her axe tighten ever so slightly. For what little it matters to her, she is a little nervous, judging by the way she's looking around the arena.

"Nervous?" I ask in a hushed tone.

She shoots me a quick glance out of the corner of her eye before nodding her head with as little motion as she possibly can.

"Good," I whisper back. "It means you know the danger before you. Now you can learn from it."

The girl's nervousness is replaced by an ounce of confusion as she turns her head to look towards me. I break away eye contract from her to look at Gobber, who's moving to cut between us and open the gate to the arena.

"What about Hiccup?" I ask him.

"He'll be right over, don't you worry."

The massive man grabs the bottom of the gate and flicks it up with ease, freeing us all from the cramped space of the waiting area.

"Welcome to dragon training!"

He makes his proclamation to all of the recruits, turning around with a bright smile as he does. He gestured with his artificial hand into the area, beckoning myself and all the trainees into the large space. I take the first step, pushing off the wall for the first time since my arrival here. The girl I was speaking to just a moment ago follows after me, and everyone else after her.

"No turning back." I hear her soft but resolved voice behind me with a few awestruck gasps from the rest of the kids.

I walk into the middle of the arena and turn around, watching everyone else's reactions as they enter the spacious ring. Like Gobber said, I can see Hiccup in the far back making him way past the gate, looking much less than pleased to be here. Everyone else on the other hand, is looking around in wonder at the place where they'll be honing their skills.

"I hope I get some serious burns," one of the twins blurts out.

"I'm hoping for some mauling," His sister, of course, offers a response as she's done for the entirety of our time here so far. "Like my shoulder or lower back."

"Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it." This time the blonde offers a reply.

I don't have much to say myself, but I simply roll my eyes at their apparent desire for pain. Not my business, anyhow.

"Yeah, no kidding, right?" Ah, there's Hiccup.

"Pain. Love it." Surprisingly, he's carrying a rather unwieldy looking axe. Doesn't seem to be bothering him though.

His sarcasm isn't lost on anyone, as all of the trainees turn around to face him. I can't see their faces, but one of the twins gives me a good enough idea what they all look like with a disgruntled, "Aw great, who let him in?"

"Let's get started!" Gobber calls out to the group, clearly trying to limit the backhanded chatter towards Hiccup. "Now, the recruit who does best will win the honor of killing his first dragon in front of the entire village." He makes an obscene motion with his hook-hand, twisting it in the air as if breaking a neck.

"Hiccup already killed a Night Fury, so does that disqualify him or..." Snotlout takes the opportunity to make his own joke, which of course the twins find humor in.

Rolling my eyes again, I walk over to the bulk of the group and speak up right behind the twins, startling them a bit. "Just means that you all have some catching up to do, don't it?" I tap the brother's spear with the tip of my finger, jostling it a bit in his grip.

"Ah right," Gobber taps his hook against his helmet as if he just remembered my status as a foreigner in this village. "We've still got some introductions to do, haven't we? Gather 'round, everyone."

"Don't worry, I've never been much for formalities," I reply rather hurriedly. I always hated having to introduce myself to the new group of Hylian guard recruits. Still did with every new batch we got, and I still do now even with dragon trainees. At least here I can drop some of the professionalism and get right to the point.

"Let's keep this short and sweet, yeah? My name is Link. I don't know how long I'll be around, but for now, I'll be sitting in and watching your training sessions." Without even realizing, a rather smug smile finds its way onto my face. "Who knows, maybe I'll learn something from you lot. Now then..."

"Snotlout, Fishlegs, Hiccup." I point at the three boys that I listed off, each of them straightening up as if they're expecting some task to be delegated to them. "I know your names. The rest of you I don't know."

"Ooh, me first!" The sister of the sibling duo speaks up first, but before she even attempts to say her name, her brother of course has a response.

"How come you get to go first?"

"Because I called it first, idiot."

Once again, they're quite literally butting helmets like a pair of ornery goats.

As if he's seen this skit a thousand times, Gobber comes up behind the twins, intent on breaking up the meaningless dispute. He grabs both of their collars and holds them up, despite their protests. "This is Ruffnut." He holds up the girl first, then the boy. "And this is Tuffnut." Without another word, he drops them back down. The pair stumbles a bit, but just barely manages to keep their balance.

"How 'bout you, blondie?" I turn towards the only remaining unnamed girl, the same one I'd briefly exchanged words with a moment ago.

"Astrid."

"Hm. I'll remember that." Let's hope she doesn't disappoint. I like this one so far.

"Now that we've got that squared away," Gobber walks past the small group of kids and myself to stand between us and the several gates on the end of the arena.

"Behind these doors are just a few of the many species you will learn to fight."

He takes his time walking past each gate as he speaks, likely breaking down the species of each dragon. It'd do me well to listen close here, I think. While he starts to speak, I move towards the entrance of the arena so that I'm out of the way once the action starts.

"The Deadly Nadder."

The first gate he passes by. I hear Fishlegs spout something that sounded like statistics, but I have no clue what he's running on about.

"The Hideous Zippleback."

This gate shakes a little bit, as if responding to its title. Fishlegs calls out another statistic, and for a moment I feel like I can see a scowl crossing Gobber's face. Nonetheless, he moves onto the next gate.

"The Monstrous Nightmare."

I click my tongue in response to the sinking feeling in my chest when he sounds off that dragon. Even if I didn't learn it's name earlier from Hiccup, I've had these kids mention it enough to me already to remember it by title.

"The Terrible Terror."

Gobber's picking up the speed of his introductions, and for some reason, Fishlegs seems to be getting even more excited. By this point, I can hear the statistics he's calling out rather clearly from here, to the point where Gobber yells for him to knock it off. The large boy recoils a bit, but still stays in line with the other recruits.

"And... The Gronckle."

Gobber lays a hand on the lever beside this gate, which I can only presume is what opens it. His action doesn't go unnoticed by the recruits, as Snotlout quickly voices his opinion.

"Aren't you gonna teach us first?" His voice is much less than confident, but he does bring up a good point.

Of course, Gobber's expression doesn't change. If anything, I think his grin just got wider. "I believe in learning on the job." He jerks the lever down and just like that, the large bar holding the doors in place rise and out bursts the dragon.

The Gronckle, as he called it. A rather stout beast with a body that looks like three boulders stuck together. If there was a Goron dragon, this would be it. Its two large, beady eyes rest atop it's grotesque head, with a massive mouth and a wide nose to round it out. Despite its heavy looking appearance, its wings are rather small compared to the rest of it, leading me to believe that it can only hover rather than fly around.

It proves that theory wrong incredibly quickly as it makes a beeline through the group of students. It misses all of its targets, instead slamming itself into a wall a couple meters away from me. As it tries to regain its composure, it scoops up some rocks off the ground and into its large maw. Shit, this thing really is a Goron, isn't it.

"Today is about survival," I can hear Gobber's voice over the sound of dragon wings and exclamations from the group of kids. "If you get blasted, you're dead."

He's not batting an eye at the dragon now set free to do as it pleases, but I can only assume that's due to his experience with this kind of task. Come to think of it, the Triforce of Courage isn't reacting either. Perhaps it's because I'm not necessarily perceiving any danger just yet.

"Quick! What's the first thing you need?" Not skipping a beat, he goes into the first question of his "lesson."

"A doctor?"

Preferable, but not necessary, Hiccup.

"Plus five speed?"

I don't even know what page Fishlegs is on.

"A shield!"

There we go. The correct answer comes from Astrid, who's already made herself ready to spring to action at any time, it looks like. Gobber confirms her response, prompting the recruits to start to run towards the walls of the arena, where shields and various other weapons are ready and waiting. There's a couple scattered around the floor, now that I look at it.

"Your most important piece of equipment is your shield!" Gobber continues his lecture as I watch everyone scatter about, arms crossed. "If you must make a choice between a sword or a shield, take the shield!"

One by one, the recruits hastily slip their arms through the shield straps and get running before the dragon decides to set upon them. Hiccup seems to be struggling a bit with simply finding the strap, but before I can even think about helping him, Gobber grabs the shield and throw it on Hiccup's arm before giving him a shove into the center of the arena.

I look over to one of the sides of the stone ring, and I see the twins fighting over a singular shield in a pile of about four. The dragon doesn't seem to be intent on wasting any time with it, as it shoots a fireball between the two, knocking the shield clean out of their hands. They look like they're fine, if not a little bit shaken from the impact.

"Ruffnut, Tuffnut, you're out!" Gobber calls out the first two failures in this little combat simulation before moving onto his next point.

"Those shields are good for another thing; noise! Make lots of it, and throw off a dragon's aim!"

Without skipping a beat, Astrid begins beating her axe against the metal bearings of her shield, causing a shrill clanging sound. The rest of the recruits follow suit shortly after her, despite the Gronckle looking right at them. It seems to be working just fine though, considering that its flying seems to have gotten worse. It looks frantically between the different recruits, but doesn't seem to be able to pick one to take a shot at.

"That's new," I mutter to myself. I can't recall any monsters in Hyrule hating noise or even being impeded by it. Some of the creatures I fight simply shrug off a point blank bomb explosion while half the time I need to make sure I don't lose my hearing from it.

While the Gronckle is still being distracted from the metal drumline before me, Gobber moves on to the next question in his lecture. "All dragons have a limited number of shots! How many does a Gronckle have?"

"Five?"

"No, six!" Fishlegs corrects Snotlout's guess, and much more confidently at that.

"Correct, six! That's one for each of you."

Well, that's useful to know. Turns out I was right with that other dragon back in the forest. Makes me wonder if all dragons can recharge their shots like that one did. Maybe that's why I saw this one scoop up a rock earlier. It would make some sense, but just to be sure, I'll ask Gobber later.

Despite answering correctly, Fishlegs' combat sense still has much to be desired, as the Gronckle fires off a fireball towards him. Still suffering the effects of the shield banging from earlier, its shot misses the boy and instead sends his shield flying.

"Fishlegs, out!"

The boy wastes no time running out from the center of the arena and towards the entrance. He joins the twins in the waiting area past me, leaving just Astrid, Hiccup, and Snotlout in the ring now.

Speaking of which, I think I can see Hiccup hiding behind a rack of weapons, his shield raised just above his torso.

"Hiccup, get in there!" Gobber calls out the frail viking, but a fireball shot at the wall just beside Hiccup sends him cowering behind the weapon rack again.

The Gronckle seems to have acknowledged the futility in trying to lure Hiccup out from there, as it turns around to face Astrid and Snotlout, who are for some reason rather close to one another despite all the free room in the arena. Snotlout looks incredibly distracted, and for some reason he seems to be smirking at the back of Astrid's head. I think he's saying something to her, but I can't hear from here. Still though, I'm able to put two and two together and assume that his mind is wandering elsewhere at the moment.

"Eyes open, kid!" I shout out towards him, bringing his attention back to the Gronckle flying towards the two of them now. Astrid tumbles away from the dragon's line of sight, but it wasn't her I was worried about. Snotlout raises his shield just in time to block an incoming fireball that knocks him right on his behind.

"Snotlout, you're done!" Another one down, another name from Gobber.

Now it's just Hiccup and Astrid. The former's at least come out from his hiding spot, but Astrid's tumble put her right next to him, giving the dragon a clear shot at two recruits at once. Again, Astrid picks the easier of two choices and runs out of the way while Hiccup barely manages to get his shield up to deflect a fireball. Surprisingly, he's still standing, so I guess that counts as alive in Gobber's book.

"One shot left!"

I didn't notice at first past the fire, but the shot actually sent Hiccup's shield flying from his hands and rolling across the arena. He runs off to try and retrieve it, but the dragon is keeping right on his tail as he does. Gobber calls out the boy's name with some sense of urgency, but he's not close enough to try and shake the beast off.

I click my tongue with an ounce of disappointment, but nonetheless, I grab a shield off the ground. The Gronckle's already pinned down Hiccup against a wall, but it hasn't taken its shot yet, instead just growling at the helpless viking. Works for me though.

Clenching the shield by its edge, I take aim at the side of the dragon's head first, and in turn it starts to inhale, presumably charging up a shot to ensure that Hiccup is put down for good. Wasting no time, I hurl the shield like a weapon with all my strength. The wooden disc flies through the arena like a cannon, its metal bearings giving it that much more momentum. It finds its target head on, sending the charged fireball not at Hiccup, but instead harmlessly into a wall beside him.

"Gotcha." I might have sounded a little smug, but not like it matters.

Unsurprisingly, the Gronckle's not too happy about being interrupted, as it whips around to face me and roars angrily. It's out of shots now, so of course, it's only method of attack now is-

"It's gonna charge!"

Fishlegs' exclamation doesn't go unheard by anyone in the arena, but I don't bother to move out of the way. The dragon lowers its head, like a goat ready to ram would, challenging me to try and take it on. I shift my footing a bit and raise my hands, ready to intercept the beast's mad charge.

One foot in front of the other, I keep my center of mass low to the ground and take the role of an immovable object ready to meet the unstoppable force. The Triforce of Courage flares to life, filling me with the extra confidence and strength I need to take on this assault without wavering. Looks like the Gronckle's made its own necessary preparations, as it launches off towards me with speed unlike what it's shown throughout this training session.

I hear some exclamations of fear from the recruits, and even Gobber trying to warn me of the danger. Still though-

"Link!"

I'm fine.

If the dragon had opened it's mouth during its charge, I would have made the choice to duck under it and go for the tail instead, but it had no such intent. Its only goal was to bludgeon me with the massive weapon that it calls a head. It runs right into my grip and the weight of the impact pushes me back a bit. Not by much though.

Every time a goat would go out of control in Ordon, or a Goron would come tumbling down Death Mountain to try and stop me, my goal was never to stop their charge and counter attack. Instead, I would always aim to use their weight and momentum against them. Gravity was a wonderful ally back then, and while I can't exactly make use of the ground against a flying enemy...

"The wall will do just fine for you!"

I growl out a taunt towards the dragon, unnecessary as it may be, before repositioning my hands to grab it by its two large teeth jutting out from its massive mouth. Before it has a moment to think about biting, I focus all of my strength into carrying the dragon into the stone wall beside me. The force of the impact leaves the wall completely shattered in a small radius around the dragon's body. Its wings beat against the wall a couple times before they completely stop, signaling that the beast has been knocked out cold. Its stubby body is lodged in the wall for a few seconds before its weight breaks off another section, sending it crashing to the ground.

A heavy breath leaves my mouth as the heat of the Triforce against my left hand fades. It's soon replaced with a tingling numbness from having withstood the dragon's charge head on. While I'm shaking my hands in an attempt to get some feeling back, I can hear the kids in the waiting room beginning to breathe again.

"Woah. That's hardcore," Tuffnut says, mouth open.

"Well, what do you know? Looks like you've got a bit of viking in you after all!" Gobber's cheerful proclamation reaches my ears from the other side of the arena, drawing a smirk out of me. I look over to where Hiccup was cornered, and sure enough he's still there. Unharmed, but visibly shaken. Normally I'd go get him up, but Gobber's already walking over to pick him up off the ground.

"Oh, don't you worry, the rest of you. You'll get another chance," he adds, using his real hand to help Hiccup up off the ground. "Remember, a dragon will always-" He leans in towards Hiccup, repeating himself to drive home the point. "Always... Go for the kill."

Ah, I wouldn't be so sure. Hiccup seems to share the sentiment, as he looks back at the scorched mark on the wall with a perplexed look on his face. Gobber on the other hand, is already walking towards the unconscious Gronckle besides me, probably to bring it back to its cage.

"So, what's next?"

"Next? Well," Gobber grunts while tugging on the bulbous tail of the Gronckle, trying to answer my question at the same time. "Can't work too hard on the first day. Give 'em some time to rest and I'll get to teaching them all about the Book of Dragons later."

Little light, don't you think? I won't deny that was a pretty intense first training session for trainees new to fighting dragons, but still, it probably took me longer to walk here than it did for all that to finish.

"Mind if I conduct a lesson of my own, then?"

"Sure, just try not to wreck the place. This arena can only take so many Gronckles in the wall, you know." He gestures over to the dragon shaped hole in the wall, a direct result of my intervention.

"I'll do my best," I respond with a chuckle. Astrid and Hiccup are still in the ring, the latter avoiding eye contact with the former, but the others remain in the waiting area. "You four, come on back in. And take your weapons with you."

Following my instructions, the group all slowly lines back up in the center of the arena, muttering back and forth between one another. Probably about what just happened, but maybe about something else. Either way, they all take their spots again, holding their weapons with a bit more fatigue this time around. Hiccup is practically dragging his axe on the floor, in contrast to Astrid, who has hers resting against her shoulder.

"You all could stand to learn a thing about teamwork, so let's work on that." As I speak, I start to undo the straps holding my sword and sheath on my back, eliciting a couple reactions of fear from the group.

"Why would I need to know how to work as a team? Everyone knows I work best alone." Snotlout is, of course, the first one to speak up.

"Oh, is that why you weren't paying any attention when the dragon blasted you?"

I don't bother waiting for a response, instead turning away now that I've gotten the scabbard off my back. I draw the sword from its sheath, but it's not the weapon I'm interested in this time. Laying the blade carefully against the wall, I return to face the group before I continue on. "Here's a simple fact of life. Dragons are stronger than all of you."

"That doesn't really sound convincing coming from the person who just wrestled a Gronckle."

Hiccup's actually the one to speak up this time. The group glances over at him, but no one bothers to disagree.

"That's why I said all of you," I quip back, twirling the empty sheath in my hands. "There's lots of ways to beat an enemy stronger than you. You can outrun it, you can outsmart it, or... you can outnumber it."

"Yeah, uh, that didn't really help us a second ago." Ruffnut this time. She's technically not wrong, but her point lets me get to the real purpose of this exercise.

"No, it didn't. Because none of you bothered to work with each other. So, we'll play a little game to teach you all teamwork."

"Oh, I love games!" Fishlegs exclaims.

"So... what kind of game is this exactly?" Astrid, on the other hand, isn't nearly as excited from what it sounds.

I tug on the ends of my bracers, making sure they're both secure before I start. "You're all going to try to land a hit on me."

Fishlegs' expression, among others, falls instantly. "On second thought, can we play a different game?"

Ignoring his complaint, I continue on to explain the rules of this new activity. "If just one of you manages to hit me with your weapon, you all win. I won't be guiding you through this, but I will be calling out any personal flaws that I see."

"Won't we... hurt you?" Astrid makes no attempt to hide her concern about this particular method of training. Still though, I'm wearing a comfortable smile on my face.

"I'm not as frail as I look. And neither are these clothes." I pound my chest with my fist, allowing the sound of my chainmail to reach the recruits' ears. While my tunic does very little to mitigate any blunt force inflicted against me, it's still nigh impossible to cut or pierce, except maybe to enemies with enough strength to overpower its blessing. Still, it's not like I plan on getting hit either way.

"So wait, if we're trying to hit you, what are you gonna do to us?" Tuffnut leans against his spear as he asks, his sister nodding in agreement just after he does so.

"Well of course, I'll be fighting back." Unsurprisingly, Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Snotlout all react fearfully to that response. The twins for some reason seem even more excited, while Astrid simply remains neutral. "Don't look at me like that, you three. I'll only be using this sheath in two ways. Obviously, I'll be trying to deflect your weapons with it."

"A-And, the other way?" I think I can see Fishlegs' hammer quivering in his hands.

"If I tap your neck with the sheath, you're dead." I lightly tap the sheath's edge against my own neck a couple times for the sake of the example. "But, feel free to get up as many times as I knock you down, as long as this doesn't touch your neck. Of course, I win if I manage to take all of you down."

"Am I the only one concerned about fighting a man who just threw a Gronckle at a wall?"

"Uh, yeah, that sounds awesome." Despite Snotlout and Fishlegs sharing Hiccup's fearful look, neither of them bother to voice an empathetic opinion, with only Tuffnut chiming in with his own to the contrary.

"Well, if we've got that all covered, let's get started shall we?"

I pull the Hylian shield from my back, strapping it to my right arm. The trainees clutch their weapons with varying degrees of readiness, but all that matters is that they're on the same page. I take a couple practice swings in the air with my sheath, serving both the purpose of getting my arm ready and testing the nerve of the recruits. A couple of them flinch, but no one backs down.

"One more thing." The air about the arena changes in an instant, being overrun with the combined tension of all of the soon to be combatants. "I'm not just gonna stand back and let you come to me."

My final warning to the trainees presented, I kick off the ground and charge towards the group. If my limbs were still being strengthened, I probably would have shattered the stone beneath my foot. My first target is Astrid, and it's no coincidence either. If I want this to be a learning experience, I can't simply take down the first person I run at. I can't guess how the others might react, but something tells me that they might not even think to dodge.

Astrid, however.

For Astrid, this fight had begun the moment that I'd even started explaining it. That's how ready she seemed to be. The tip of my sheath finds air, and my target has already vaulted backwards, axe ready for a counter-strike. The other recruits take a second to get into the rhythm, like I thought, but they quickly catch on in their own ways.

The twins have an interested plan of attack, which entails running straight at me, spears raised. At least they're in sync, but-

"Too obvious!" I bat away one of their spears with my shield, knocking it into the other. As I thought, they're aiming past me, not at me. They're still charging forward with the same reckless abandon that I'd just demonstrated the futility of a few minutes ago, the hole in the wall being constant proof of that. Tuffnut's the closest to me, so I opt to sweep one of his legs to throw him off balance before shoving him into his sister, knocking them both to the ground.

I don't have the time to finish them off with the sheath, as Astrid comes right back in for an wide strike.

Her axe lands against my shield, but it wasn't a direct hit that she was looking for. She's keeping me busy so that her friends can recover, but if no one covers for her, she's wide open for me.

"Snotlout!" She barks out an order to one of the other three standing idle to join in before I can take her down. She's clearly given this some thought with what little time she had. The bold little girl's still pushing against my shield with her axe in an attempt to keep me locked down but it only lasts for another second. I force the cleaver down towards the ground before kicking her away. She quickly abandons her weapon and instead chooses to catch my leg with both her hands.

Not a bad strategy. Like this, it's harder for me to get away before Snotlout reaches me. Although, if it's just two of them, then there's no real problem. The boy's mace meets my sheath head on, sending a slight tingle down my arm. I don't particularly care about the weapon though, as much as I do him. The moment I see his hand fly back from having the strike deflected, I drop the sheath in my left hand and instead grab Snotlout by his shirt. If he reacted quick enough, perhaps he could grab my arm and take another swing with his mace, but there's no time for that.

I toss him towards Astrid, knocking both of the recruits off their feet and freeing my leg. The twins are back up now, but they're not making a move just yet. Neither are Hiccup or Fishlegs. Before any of them move in, I pick up my sheath off the ground and kick the other two weapons back to their owners.

"Two people at a time isn't a strategy. Coordinate better."

Astrid pushes herself off the ground with a groan of frustration, grabbing her axe as she does. I need a way to provoke the two more cowardly members of the group to attack without just knocking them out immediately.

Well, let's try a straightforward approach.

Breaking away from the four vikings attempting to surround me, I make a break for Fishlegs, my shield raised. If he runs away, I'll just tap him on the neck with my sheath. But, if he stands his ground, maybe things will get interesting. The round boy yelps, but he doesn't turn. He certainly cowers, but his hammer is still somewhat pointed towards me, so that's enough. I drop the shield and begin to make my assault on his weapon with my sheath, as if to disarm him. His hand shudders with each hit, but now he's actually looking at me, waving his hammer frantically to try and keep me back.

If I wanted to, I could have disarmed him several times over, but that's not the point. The question here is, who will be the first one to try and come to his rescue while I'm focused on him.

After a few more strikes, Fishlegs' expression grows a bit more pitiful, and his grip on his weapon is getting looser. I thought this might happen, but he has no intent of striking back, only defending and waiting. "Don't just stand there and take it!" I holler back a provocation at the boy, hoping to get him to actually make a strike at me. Even if I deflect it, it's still something. My words seem to have gone unheard though, as my next swing knocks the hammer from the boy's hands, leaving him and his neck defenseless.

The same moment his hammer hits the ground, I hear hurried footsteps coming up behind me. Unconcerned with Fishlegs, I turn around to bat away another attempt at an attack, this time from Snotlout. It looks like Astrid's been slowly creeping up behind me while I was occupied with Fishlegs, while the twins look more or less confused what to do. Oddly enough though, I don't see Hiccup.

"Little late to be coming to his rescue, don't you think?" I knock away another swing of Snotlout's mace with my shield, keeping my eyes on Astrid as I do. The fact that I don't see Hiccup worries me, but there's only so many places in this open arena he could be. Still, I have to focus on the problem at hand here.

Despite having knocked his weapon away twice, Snotlout doesn't seem to have the slightest intent of backing down. He raises his mace above his head for what looks like an overhead strike. His body's wide open and I could just knock him away, but at the same time, Astrid's decided to rush in.

"Now!" She shouts out to the others. Like clockwork, the twins make their approach, practically shoulder to shoulder. But, the ones in front of me aren't the ones I'm worried about.

It's Hiccup.

While the four in front of me make their charge, Hiccup springs out from behind one of the racks that he was hiding in earlier, using his small size to his advantage. I'm not sure if he crafted this plan or if he just went with the flow, but either way, their trap is sprung now. It's a sound strategy, and I might even say that it'd work on a dragon. Part of me wants to grant them the win here, but there's still more they can learn.

If I were to take the time to deflect Snotlout's strike, I'd probably end up getting hit by Astrid or Hiccup. But, my escape plan lies in the fact that the twins are so close together. Behind me is almost entirely open, aside from Fishlegs. Even then, he still doesn't have a weapon, so I can pass by him rather harmlessly.

I shift back an inch or two before vaulting away from the group. In complete fairness to the recruits, they have no reason to think that I'd be acrobatic. As I flip through the air, I grab the twins' spears and jerk them towards the empty space underneath me. Like dominoes, they end up crashing into Astrid, knocking both her and Snotlout off balance. Hiccup's attempt at a sneak attack ends up meeting nothing but air as I land harmlessly next to Fishlegs. He yelps again in fear, but he's made no real attempt to run away, so I tap his neck with my sheath. The cold steel makes him shudder, but his reaction is quickly replaced with a disappointed, "Oh."

"Not bad. That could've worked on a dragon. But..."

I point my sheath towards the twins, both of them groaning as they pick themselves off the ground yet again.

"Don't get in each others' way. If I didn't grab your weapons, you probably would have ended up hurting each other. Spread out more, and you can all react to one another that much easier."

I turn my sheath to the now "dead" viking retrieving his hammer off the ground. "And Fishlegs. Fight back."

He jumps a bit from having been addressed directly before hanging his head shamefully. "Y-Yes, sir."

"Now then..." I turn back to the rest of the party, swinging my sheath through the air once again. "If you all don't strike first, then I'll have to pick up the pace."

It's a cheap provocation, but my desire is made clear to the recruits. I want to see them fight for real, and I can't do that if they just sit back and wait for me to move. I expected Astrid to be the first one to move again, but Snotlout surprises me by stepping forward first.

"I'll show you guys what a real viking looks like. Just try to follow my lead."

With a renewed spirit, he makes a charge at me with his mace. He swings it at an odd angle, not even bothering to aim at my body, but instead my sheath. The weapon glances off the metal scabbard, but before I can regain my bearings, Astrid is attacking me from the other side. One another another, a refreshing tempo. Both of the trainees run past me while making a sweeping blow with their weapons, but the dance doesn't end there. Now the twins are charging at me head on, spears aimed head on at me.

"That's right, just like that!" I shout back, smiling in excitement. I deflect the two spears with a quick Shield Attack, just barely managing to recover from Astrid's strike. I can tell that's not the end of this composition, but I don't have the time to turn around. Still, I don't need to see the attack if it doesn't hit me. I drop low, and just as I expected, I hear the sound of a blade shearing air above me, followed by a grunt of frustration. There's no time to entertain her attempt though, as Snotlout is still free to swing at me again. I tuck my body in and roll, making my way past the newly opened gap between the twins. Of course, the maneuver puts me right in front of the only competitor yet to participate in the latest measure of this battle ballad.

"Hiccup!" Astrid is the one that shouts his name, either as a warning or an order. Hiccup hesitates for a second, but decides to try a weak swing of his axe, aimed diagonally towards my "sword" arm. Both of his hands are being put into the swing, yet it's still too slow to try and catch me off guard. I catch the axe against the side of my sheath and jerk my hand back, wrenching the weapon free from his hands.

"Stronger grip."

Hiccup lurches forward with his axe, landing right into my shoulder. Funny enough, this awkward position stops me from making the finishing blow to his neck. The sound of boots beating against stone behind me forces me to turn around, Hiccup in tow, to face my newest aggressor.

It's Snotlout again.

His mace is out by his side, so I consider myself free to shove Hiccup at him, knocking them both over yet again. Astrid wastes no time in jumping over both of them, however, her own axe raised up high. She brings it down on me, but a simple sidestep results in her weapon embedding itself into the stone arena. I take aim at her neck and thrust my sheath, fully intent on taking out the party's strongest link.

Since this is still just a lesson, I'm not quite able to strike with the same speed that I normally would. After all, a weapon's still a weapon, and the neck is a fragile area. This hesitation allows Astrid to abandon her weapon and retreat back behind the twins, who're making another attempt at hitting me. This time though, rather than attacking together like they've been doing, they try a new strategy. Ruffnut dips behind her brother for a second, only to put all her force into kicking him at me.

The plan was neither coordinated nor planned, judging by Tuffnut's indignant, "Hey!"

Her sudden strategy admittedly catches me off guard, and Tuffnut crashing into my chest causes me to stagger backwards, albeit not fall over. I only have a second to shove him off before his sister is already upon me, taking a wild swing with her spear. Just like the other attempts, I'm able to deflect it with my shield, but the combination of my being off balance with Ruffnut's speedy approach is making me sloppy.

I'm forced to take a step back to regain my form, but Tuffnut recovers surprisingly quickly, coming back at me with a thrust of his spear. Again, I narrowly block it, but I'm pushed back another step. The brother and sister duo keep up their attacks, and soon enough, Snotlout joins the fray, forcing me to stave off his axe with my sheath.

Despite my position, I can't help but smile. Hylian knights pack more of a punch than these kids, but not nearly as much spirit. Smacking away another spear, I shout some praises at the three trainees. Their grins only grow wider in response, and their tempo quickening even more. Ironically, their inability to work together is what makes this so tricky for me. Their attacks are barely coordinated, but it's that very thing which makes it difficult for me to get a handle on their movements.

While I'm busy dealing with the main three, Astrid finds the time to circle around to my right side. Ruffnut uses the moment of confusion to smack my shield outwards, which Astrid eagerly grabs onto. For whatever reason, I'm unable to fling her off from my arm. Perhaps it's because I'm trying to block three other trainees at the same time, but either way, she's glued to my shield.

Luckily Snotlout and the twins haven't realized that they'd win if they all attacked together, nor do I intend to give them the chance to discover that. Astrid's pulling on my shield has already made it loose, so I just let go of it. She falls to the ground with the hunk of metal and like that, my right side is that much lighter.

The constant attacks from the three recruits has already pushed me back against the wall, but ironically, that's probably the best place for me to be right now. I duck to the side to avoid another swing from Snotlout before going low under the trio's weapons. I kick against the wall, throwing me forward between the group. I'm not being cornered anymore, but this new situation isn't much better. Snotlout passes Astrid her axe while the others slowly circle around me. Hiccup seems to have gotten the memo, as he picks a spot cutting off my escape.

"This was my idea, by the way," Snotlout proclaims.

"Wait, it was? I didn't even know we had a plan." Tuffnut offers a bewildered expression in response, to which Snotlout just rolls his eyes.

"Can we focus!" Astrid snaps at the both of them this time, eyes locked on me. "One hit. That's all we need."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" I turn towards Ruffnut now, who has her spear eagerly raised towards me.

Without my shield and no escape, I'll have to resort to another method. I might as well put both hands to my sheath if I'm not going to be using the other to defend, anyways.

I take a deep breath in before lowering my stance, exhaling as I bend my knees. My weapon goes out at my side and I slowly focus my strength.

My most reliable technique throughout my many battles and adventures. It's so simple that even a child could perform it, yet it's so very effective in a large group like this. At the peak of my health, I can feel the attack being imbued with my full vitality. It makes no difference, since I'm not using a sword, but the extra force should knock them all back. u

I look back at Astrid, daring the de facto leader to give the order. Her eyes shift about her teammates, but she lays them back on me before gripping her axe, fully resolute.

"Go!"

The moment she shouts, all of her teammates leap to action. The twins take a straightforward approach, charging with their spears up. Snotlout's going for a wide sweep, Hiccup with a similar diagonal swing, and lastly Astrid, the only one to try a jump attack.

Doesn't matter, though.

I swing my sheath around, creating an impassable whirlwind of metal around me. A battle roar escapes my mouth as I twirl, unleashing the full brunt of the Great Spin Attack. Normally the magical cyclone would inflict heavy damage to anything around me, but the combination of using a sheath in place of a sword along with the low magical content of this place just sends the recruits flying back. I don't even think I made contact with any of them, the shockwave alone was enough to repel any attack.

The group all land on their backs, their weapons being thrown from them. Ignoring the groans of pain coming from each of the recruits, I leisurely walk over to Astrid and tap her on the neck with my sheath. Her eyes practically fling open, but her expression quickly washes over with disappointment at having been eliminated.

"Maybe I went a little overboard..." The thought crosses my mind as no one bothers to offer any resistance anymore. They all just wait for me to walk over and tap them on the neck. No one looks hurt, at the very least, so that's something. Even Hiccup doesn't have a single scratch on him, just some messy clothes and a slightly fractured ego.

"That wasn't bad, though." Having finished off the last recruits, I rest the royal sheath against my shoulder while I walk over to pick up my shield. Before I continue to speak, I start trying to get my gear back on and properly strapped to my back. Turns out it's a lot easier to take off all this gear than it is to get it back on.

"Surrounding me was a good plan. You all worked together much quicker than I'd expected."

Praise where praise is due, the kids did some good work, despite being defeated.

"Y'know," Hiccup groans after finally deciding to get up off the ground. "That doesn't feel so reassuring after you took us all out at once."

"Speak for yourself. I wanna learn how to do that spinny move." Tuffnut seems to be oddly entranced by the Great Spin, and somehow I feel like it's for the best that I never teach it to him as long as I live.

Finally getting all the straps in the right place, I slip the belt into its buckle and tug. "Don't sweat it, I'm a knight. If I'd lost to you all, I'd probably have to retire."

"What's a knight?"

Ah right, vikings.

"It's the opposite of day, dummy," Ruffnut snaps back at Snotlout.

Close, but no.

"Not exactly." I walk over towards the entrance to reclaim my sword. Fishlegs flinched a bit in the waiting area as I slash the air a couple of times out of habit.

"Where I'm from, knights are people like me tasked with protecting the people and our queen."

"Why can't your people protect themselves?"

Astrid asks the question in such a matter-of-fact way that it catches me off guard. Still, I can get why she would think like that.

"Not everyone's cut out for battle." I picked the easiest answer I could, but even that seems to have had an unintended effect. Half of the eyes in the arena turn towards Hiccup, who then looks at the ground in silent frustration.

"If you've got less people runnin' around and gettin' themselves killed, then it sounds like blessing to me."

Nayru's graces, I'd actually forgotten Gobber was here. His voice even startles me a bit.

"You were awfully quiet for most of that."

"What, me? I can admire a good show when I see one," he replies with a coy chuckle. "Well then, that's enough for now, recruits. Get yourselves some rest. We'll meet up later in the Great Hall for dinner."

With a swing of his hook in the air, the arena slowly disperses with a mess of mutters and vacant conversation following it. Hiccup lingers for a moment in the middle of the arena, earning a pitied glance from Astrid. She walks off in a hurry when she notices that I was watching both of them, leaving just myself, Gobber, and the downcast boy as the last ones in the arena.

Gobber and I both look to Hiccup before our gazes meet one another. I silently convey the message of "I got this," with a nod before walking over to Hiccup. He jumps a little bit when he feels my hand on his head, but looks up at me anyways as I tussle his hair.

"Come on, let's get something to eat."

Something tells me he's going to try to run off somewhere on his own if I don't keep an eye on him. Might as well get a hold of him for a bit.

"Oh, I'm uh... not hungry."

Uh-huh, sure. "Then just humor me for a bit, and then you can go. You're not that busy, right?"

"Who, me? Nah, of course not."

He's doing the thing where he waves his hands all exaggerated again. This boy is many things, but a good liar is certainly not one of them.

"It's just, uh... I figured you'd want to go with some of the more viking-like ones like... Astrid?"

I shake my head at his suggestion, but for some reason he tries again.

"Snotlout?"

I grimace this time, although not consciously.

"...The twins?"

The glance I send back at him can only be described as a silent "really?"

"Okay, yeah, that's fair." Even he seems to understand the nonsense in it. "But seriously, why me?"

I let out a heavy sigh and roll my eyes, half admiring his stubbornness while half condemning it. I walk over to him until my mouth is practically inches from his ear.

"If I leave you alone, I know you're going to that forest. So how about we talk about what you should do, and you don't do anything reckless."

Just loud enough for Hiccup and Hiccup alone to hear, I make my demand to the boy. It's posed as an offer, but it's clear that there's no room for disagreement in this case. If he does try to go to the forest, I'll just follow him anyways to make sure he doesn't get himself killed.

He looks back at me with an exasperated expression for a moment, but nods anyways.

We both stand there in silence for a little bit, Hiccup looking around the arena awkwardly. "So..."

"I was serious about getting food, you know."

Waving off his hasty apology, I simply gesture towards the gate of the arena for him to take the lead. He complies, albeit muttering something to himself as he walks out the door. It looks like Gobber's already left while we were talking, so I'm the last one in the arena.

Against my better judgement, I turn back towards the cages holding the many different dragons that these kids were meant to train with. I look over my shoulder to see if anyone is around, and like I thought, there's no one in sight. Even the sounds of Hiccup's footsteps are fading away ever so softly.

Like a man possessed, I slowly drift over to the massive door holding back the Gronckle that I'd just knocked out earlier. As I get closer and closer, I lift my hand up towards the lever that opens the gate, nothing but air separating me and the mechanism. An intrusive thought makes itself known to me at this particular point in time.

I could free it.

A second later, my hand is gripping the level tightly. A simple thrust downwards is the only thing separating the caged dragon and another chance at pulverizing me.

That's how I'm trying to rationalize against pulling the lever. It would certainly try to kill me again, wouldn't it? Just like that other dragon in the forest. Just like the ones from the attack the other night.

...But not like that one.

I'm so caught up in my own thoughts that I don't even notice the mark on my left hand dimly shining.

"Not now."

I take my hand off the lever and step away, returning to my senses. I turn away again from the gates with a frustrated growl and shake away any more thoughts to the contrary that try to wriggle their way into my mind.

"Link?"

Hiccup's voice carries over from the bridge all the way to where I am, thanks to my hearing.

I click my tongue, but decide that I shouldn't spend any more time here before I try to do something foolish again. I make a rather hasty exit out through the large gate of the arena towards Hiccup, who's standing at the edge of the bridge with a worried expression.

A sigh escapes my lips, but I just usher him on nonetheless. I don't make an effort to change the expression on my own face, but Hiccup doesn't press on the matter further, either out of fear or understanding.

It's a rather simple message anyways, whether he gets it or not.

This isn't the face of a troubled man, or someone who's in over his head. I'm not confused or scared.

I've simply got a lot of work to do here.