A/N: So I saw How To Train Your Dragon 2 a few days ago and I thought it was pretty awesome. I wanted to write a piece exploring Hiccup as a chief so I did. Please enjoy this, most likely, anachronism soupy short story.

Sometimes being chief really sucked.

Sure there were lots of times when Hiccup kind of like it. For instance, it was his job as chief to inspect the young dragon trainees' progress. That was his favorite job as chief. Anything involving teaching the children about dragons. Sometimes he even made up reasons to go to the academy just so he could fly with the students. Astrid often rolled her eyes when he showed up unannounced with lessons in his hands but she never said anything.

Then there was the task of overseeing the rebuilding of Berk. As devastating as the Bewilderbeast's attack had been, it had left a lot of room for Hiccup to incorporate ideas and inventions he'd had in the back of his mind for ages but had never had a chance to put into place. He and the villagers had rigged up water canals above the village to transport water to put out stray fires and refill watering holes. They'd built better store houses for excess grain and meat to help get the village through the winter, perfecting the way they sealed the cracks in the wood so that the numerous storms didn't let any water in. Hiccup hadn't thought it possible, especially after his warm welcoming after defeating the Green Death, but the villagers had come to respect him even more. His desire to rebuild and strengthen the village at a rapid speed had won him a lot of favor. Sometimes his responsibilities felt less like a chore and more like an honor.

Sometimes not so much. This was one of those times.

Hiccup sat in his father's seat, his seat now, and felt incredibly small in the giant carved, high backed, wooden chair of the chief at the head of the mead hall. This particular seat had been the seat of the chief for generations. It had belonged to his father's father, and his father before that, and his father before that. Now, at this very moment, Hiccup felt that weight settle squarely on his shoulders. Gobber stood beside him, thumping him on the shoulder encouragingly. "This wasn't easy for your father either. Just remember...be fair, be firm, and above all remember you're chief."

"Right, because how could I forget." grumbled Hiccup under his breath. Gobber gave him another sturdy pat on his shoulder before withdrawing his hand and folding it behind his back. Hiccup curled his hand against the grain of the wooden armrest. His stomach flipped over in his gut.

A low rumble at his feet and a nudge to his good foot drew his attention. Toothless looked up at him from underneath his eyelids. His pupils were fairly constricted to show a large portion of his yellow-green irises. Underneath his nostrils, an electric blue flared. Toothless rumbled again. You aren't alone. I'm here too, he seemed to say. You are chief and I am Alpha dragon. There is nothing we can't do together.

Hiccup reached down and scratched Toothless behind his ears. "Thanks bud." he whispered before sitting up straight again.

Stretching himself tall in his seat, Hiccup splayed his hands on the armrests and tilted his chin level. He hoped that he at least looked the part of a chief because the gods only knew just how much he didn't feel like one. Hiccup swallowed the lump in his throat. He looked over the men and women briefly before turning his glance towards the heavy doors of the mead hall. No children he noted momentarily. This affair was too grave for kids to be involved, even the older ones. "Bring in the accused." Hiccup said. His voice rang across the unusually silent mead hall, clear and strong. The voice of a chief.

Two men at the doors pushed them open. As they parted two men flanking a third in heavy chains entered the mead hall. Hiccup took a deep breath through his nose to resettle his nerves as he watched the men approach. His eyes never wavered from the man in chains. The men stopped in front of the stone steps that led up to Hiccup's seat. The rest of the assembly closed in around the prisoner. Hiccup recognized the man. He had been one of his father's warriors. Not a very high ranking one but respected enough for his prowess with a warhammer. Gobber had put him on the detail that was responsible for rebuilding the dragon stabes. Hiccup tried very hard to forget about the fact that this man could easily snap him in half. It wasn't an appropriate thought for a chief to have.

"Your name?" Hiccup asked the prisoner solemnly.

"Borg, son of Niels." answered the man. There wasn't a trace of fear in his voice. He was a viking afterall.

"Borg, son of Niels, you stand accused of treason and selling information to the enemies of Berk. What have you to say of this accusation?" he inquired.

"Tis a lie!" hissed Borg, "I've done no such thing."

"Where is the accuser? Bring him forth." Hiccup waited as the crowd shifted and parted to let another man through. The man came to stand in front of Hiccup as well. He gave a deep nod of respect for his new chief. Hiccup acknowledged the man's gesture with a nod of his own. "You accused Borg of selling our rebuilding plans to the Berserker tribe so that they may find a weakness in our defenses and exploit it. Is this correct?"

"Yes Chief." the man replied.

"Yer a filthy liar and ye know it Eric ye dog!" roared Borg. The assembled crowd flew into outrage. Noise pounded at the ceiling, making any words indistinguishable.

Hiccup ground his teeth together. His father would've banged his hand upon the chair for silence. That would probably break Hiccup's hand if he tried it. Hiccup cleared his throat. "ENOUGH!" he yelled as loud as he possibly could. Toothless echoed him with a deafening roar. The mead hall fell silent again. All eyes fell to him again. "Thank you," he said as he shifted in his seat.

He turned his attention back to Borg and his accuser. "This is a heavy charge to level on your fellow clansmen. What proof do you have of your claim?"

"I heard him speaking with a Berserker emissary about the dragon stables that were being built. I heard him agree to a price to sell the plans to the Berserkers. Ten silver coins."

"You heard Borg agree to this price?" Hiccup repeated the words just for clarity sake. He didn't want his first major trial to come under any scrutiny because he had failed to ensure that nothing could be misconstrued.

"That is correct." the man nodded.

"It's a lie." yelled Borg.

"It ain't!" cried a woman from the crowd. "I saw Borg talkin' to that Berserker too!"

Very suddenly the hall was in an uproar again. Many agreeing that they, too, had seen this fateful meeting. Hiccup squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose briefly before looking up. This time all he had to do was raise his hand and the hall fell quiet once more. "I can't condemn a man on words alone." Hiccup told the assembly. He looked to the accuser. "Is there any other evidence you can provide?"

One of the guards came forth this time. "We found the stable plans in his house."

In his hands held up a roll of yellowed parchment. Hiccup nodded to Gobber and he went down to grab the parchment. Gobber returned to Hiccup's side and handed him the roll. Hiccup wasn't surprised to see that it was, indeed, the plans that had been drawn up for the stable rebuild.

Hiccup looked up from the plans at Borg, "Your defense for this?"

"I am on the stable detail. I brought the plans home to study them." Borg supplied quickly.

"Despite the fact that the plans are not to be removed from the foreman's workstation?" Hiccup countered. He made a very conscious effort not to let his eyebrow creep up on his face. It would've implied disbelief. He had to remain impartial and fair. No matter how much he thought Borg was lying through his rotted teeth.

"Yes," Borg answered simply. Hiccup looked back at the plans. There were a handful of charcoal marks next to some of the exterior beams. It didn't take him more than a couple of seconds to realize that they were structural supports for the middle of the stable. One hard enough shot from a catapult or fireball could break either one of them would bring the new stable crashing to the ground on top of any dragons and riders that happened to be in there. He'd drawn them up. He knew every inch of these plans. He knew where every little detail of them. And he knew he hadn't put those charcoal marks there. Hiccup tensed his hands around the plans without realizing it.

Again Hiccup looked up from the plans. "What other evidence is there against Borg's innocence?"

"These Chief." the second guard came forth, holding a stained leather coin purse in his hand. This time, Hiccup rose from his seat himself. This he had to see for himself. He folded the plans under his arm and took the bag from the guard. Hiccup dumped the contents out into his hand. Ten silver coins, all from different tribes and places rolled out into his hand. Hiccup's eyes narrowed as he looked up at Borg.

"Where did these come from?" Hiccup asked evenly. From behind him Toothless growled in warning. "I wouldn't recommend lying." Hiccup's tone matched Toothless's demeanor.

"They are from the last raid." Borg answered. His voice faltered. Hiccup took advantage of it.

"We haven't been on a raid in nearly six months. The number of silver coins that were seized were less than a hundred. How did you come to own so many of them, especially after they were distributed to the rest of the village?"

"Not all of them are from the last raid. I've collected them over time." Borg was no longer confident. Toothless hissed.

"Shouldn't you have at least two coins that are from the same place, especially since the raid before last had a taking of more than five hundred silver coins that were distributed amongst the village." Hiccup glared at Borg. He took a step back and turned his hand over. The coins hit the ground at Borg's feet with a thunderous clang. Hiccup uncurled the plans again. "Where is the foreman for the stable rebuild?" he called.

A woman came forward this time, pushing her way through the throng of people crowding around. "Here, Chief." she said giving him a respectful nod.

"What notations did you make to the plans?" he asked her.

"I made one or two on the door overhang where the pulleys and opening mechanisms were supposed to go. You were there when I made them Chief." the forewoman admitted to him.

Hiccup nodded gravely. He held the plans out to the forewoman. "Do you deny any knowledge of these particular notations. The ones on the support beams?"

The forewoman took the plans and scrutinized them for a moment. She shook her head. "I didn't make them. I hadn't noticed them before now."

"Thank you." Hiccup took the plans from her once more. Suddenly his nerves flared. He had only one or two more questions for the trial but he already knew the verdict. Hiccup had hoped desperately that this trial would've gone differently. Gods! He had wanted this to go so differently! Again he had to consciously suppress the urge to shake his head in frustration. He grit his teeth and took a breath before saying, "One more question madam forewoman…why didn't you bring it to my attention that the plans were missing?"

The forewoman shook her head, "Because they were not missing. At least not to my knowledge. They were at my workstation every morning when I came to work. "

"Did you lock them up when you left for the day?" Hiccup inquired.

"I didn't see the need to. The only reason why I discovered them missing when I did was because you ordered Borg's arrest and searched his house." she replied.

"So anyone could've come in and taken them after you'd gone for the day?"

"Yes," the forewoman told him. Her voice quieted with shame. Hiccup's mind sagged underneath another weight. He'd have to see that some sort of punishment was dealt to the forewoman for her carelessness too. Great, he thought ruefully to himself, another court meeting I can dread. At least the punishment would be less severe.

"Thank you for your honest testimony. You are dismissed for the time being." Hiccup told the forewoman with a curt nod. He turned back to Borg. "You admitted that you took the plans. These notations aren't mine or the forewoman's. Are they your's?"

"No!" Borg said vehemently.

"Then whose are they?" Hiccup's voice wasn't demanding or accusatory. It was deadly even. Borg shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. Hiccup's eyes narrowed. Borg wouldn't even answer the question. Wouldn't even give a reason! Toothless rumbled. He had slunk to edge of the stairs but hadn't come down to stand next to Hiccup. "Then whose are they?" he repeated icily.

The tone took Borg off guard. Hiccup stood straight in front of him, arms crossed over his chest and peering up at the taller viking. Borg seemed to shrink. "I don't know." he said weakly at length.

"You don't know." responded Hiccup quietly. No one jeered in the crowd. No one seemed to be breathing. Hiccup surprised even himself with how calmly he spoke to Borg. "What defense do you have then against the charges? You were seen by several people talking to the Berserker emissary. One heard you agree to ten silver coins for information on our rebuilds. Ten silver coins were found in your home, not a one from the same place. The plans for the dragon stables were also found in your home with two crippling weak points highlighted in plain sight. And your defense for all of this that others are lying and you don't know who made the marks. When did you plan to make the final trade off? How much more were you promised to sell your tribe out?"

Say something. Anything! Some sort of defense! Hiccup screamed in his mind. Borg remained silent. Hiccup grit his teeth as he stepped away from Borg once more. He ran his eyes over the assembly. "Does anyone have anything to say to defend Borg, son of Niels? Some to account for his whereabouts during the days when the plans were left unattended or when he was supposedly meeting the Berserker emissary?"

Silence. Deafening silence. A few people shifted uncomfortably but not one single person opened their mouth to speak in defense of Borg. Hiccup's heart dropped into his stomach. "Alright then." he muttered to himself as he mounted the stairs and return to the chief's seat. He didn't sit down right away. For some reason it didn't seem like he ought to be sitting for this part.

Hiccup squared his shoulders. "Where are the twelve members of the jury?" he called across the mead hall.

Twelve vikings separated themselves from the main assembly to stand behind Borg. Hiccup looked each one in the face for a few seconds. "You have heard all offered testimony, evidence, and defenses. Are there any questions that you have for the accused that have not yet been asked?"

"No Chief." one said after they had all exchanged looks.

"And after hearing all testimony, evidence, and defense, are you ready to pass judgement and verdict?"

Slowly, each of the panel of twelve judges nodded in response. Starting with the viking that was closest to Hiccup's right, each one answered, "guilty."

Borg's face grew stony after the unanimous guilty verdict. Slowly, mechanically, Hiccup sat down again in his seat. For half a second his hands curled into fists, his nails digging into the wood. Then he felt Toothless nudge his foot.

Being chief really, really, really sucked sometimes. Hiccup let out a breath of pent up tension and let his hands relax.

"I'm ready to pass sentencing." Hiccup announced to the assembly. He looked straight at Borg. In that moment, Hiccup was left without even a shadow of a doubt to hide behind. "Borg, son of Niels, you have been found guilty by a jury of your clansmen of treason and conspiring to aid the enemies of Berk."

There was a roar through the crowd. Hiccup held his hand up for silence again. The noise quieted. Hiccup felt his stomach roll. It wasn't the same light feeling that he got sometimes when Toothless hit an updraft and they were suddenly forced higher into the air. He wanted to be sick. He bit it back. "As punishment for the crime, I sentence you to be cast out to sea from a ship twenty miles from Berk. May the gods of the sea, Ægir and Rán, have mercy on you."

Borg didn't say anything. It wasn't the viking way. He was dragged away by the two guards in his chains. Even if he did say something, it would've been drowned out cheering of the crowd around him. As everyone filed out of the mead hall to go about their day, Hiccup's shoulders sagged in exhaustion. His hand fell off the side of the arm rest. "Well done," Gobber said, clapping him on the shoulder and making him jump in surprise.

Hiccup rubbed his face. "Why do I feel so, so wrong?" he asked Gobber as he slumped forward in his seat.

"Yer dad used to feel the same way after trials like this. It shouldn't be easy, handing down a sentence that is most certainly certain death. And if it ever becomes easy, well then, you've got a bit of a problem on your hands." There wasn't a hint of lightness in Gobber's voice. It held all sobriety of a man who'd seen several such proceedings.

"Did I even do the right thing?" Hiccup shook his head, feeling completely lost once more in his role as chief. Why hadn't he paid more attention when his dad was around?

"If you'd let him off any easier, he'd run right to the Berserkers to spill our secrets." sighed Gobber.

"I just wish there'd been another way." he murmured. Gobber clapped him on the back again.

"Come on, let's get some grog at the forge." he offered.

Hiccup clutched his forehead, wrapping his hands through his bangs, and shook his head. "Nah, I think...I think I just want to be alone for a little while."

"Suit yourself." shrugged Gobber. "Yer dad was the same way after his first trial like this. He'd never admit it, but he was just as uncertain as you are now."

"Really?"

"Really." Gobber assured him. "You're more like him than you realize."

With one final pat on the shoulder, Gobber hobbled down the stairs and towards the door. Hiccup was left with his much desired alone-ness.

Toothless chirped and forced his head up under Hiccup's own listless hand. Hiccup looked over at him. Toothless blinked, his pupils wide now that seriousness was over. When Hiccup didn't respond right away, Toothless bumped his hand again more firmly and made a deep, soothing growl in the back of his throat. Are you going to be okay?

"Yeah, I'll be okay bud. I think…" Hiccup mumbled unconvincingly.

Toothless raised his tail, showing off his vibrant red prosthetic, and fluttered his wings suggestively. His backend wiggled in anticipation. For the first time since the trial had started, Hiccup cracked a tiny smile. "Yeah, let's go bud." he nodded.

Toothless flashed one of his toothless 'smiles' and bounded towards the mead hall doors. Of course as he ran, he ran into several tables and benches which in turn sent things flying everywhere. Hiccup couldn't stop the laugh bubbling to his mouth. "Watch it!" he cried as he raced after Toothless.

They cleared the doors, and Hiccup was on Toothless's back in seconds. The sky rushed to meet them moments later and laughing, oblivious children smiled and waved to him as he took off. Hiccup started to remember that being chief didn't always suck.

A/N: I'm not sure if this is where this story ends. I have another part in mind where Hiccup actually has to mentally come to grips with his actions.