The Shield Between

Rated; M
Pairing; Hiccup X Brenna(OC)
Disclaimer; I do not own How To Train Your Dragon

{Author's Note; Okay, here we go folks! Another story coming your way set it the Viking Universe! Before we begin, I'd like to let everyone know how the places, dates, and times will be written, so there's no confusion about these words you may not know. I am going to use the Viking Calendar. Meaning, there will only be Summer and Winter months. Also, I am using the Viking Days of the Week. So, for months…

Winter; Gormandur is October 14 to November 13. Ylir is November 14 to December 13. Morsugar is December 14 to January 12. Also, December 21 is the Winter Solstice. Porri is January 13 to February 11. Goi is February 12 to March 13. Einmandur is March 14 to April 13.
Summer; Harpa is April 14 to May 13. Skerpla is May 14 to June 12. Solmandur is June 13 to July 12. Also, June 21 is the Summer Solstice. Heyannir is July 13 to August 14. Tvimanudur is August 15 to September 14. Haustmanudur is September 15 to October 13.
Days of Week; Manudagr is Monday. Tyrsdagr is Tuesday. Odinsdagr is Wednesday. Porsdagr is Thursday. Frjadgr/Frigga's Day is Friday. Laugardagr is Saturday. And Sunnudagr is Sunday.
Times of Day; Early Morning(1 am-5 am), Dawn(5 am to 6 am), Morning(7 am to 9 am), Midmorning(10 am to 11 am), Midday(12 pm), Afternoon(1 pm to 4 pm), Dusk(5 pm to 6 pm), Night(7 pm to 9 pm), Late Night(10 pm to 11 pm), Midnight(12 am).

So that is how this story will go. I will be using those names to represent dates and times. The format below is how things will appear — the Point of View; then the Day of Week, Month; Time of Day. Below that is the Island; Location on the Island. Everything will take place inside the Barbaric Archipelago. Hope you enjoy this next story! -Nightstar.}

1.

=Hiccup's POV=
(Laugardgr, Goi; Dawn)
(Berk; Village)

"I WILL STOP YOU IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO, DRAGE RIDDARI!" bellowed an angry voice from below. I stood atop my dragon's back as I looked down at the crowd of people forming where the man who had yelled at me stood. All of them were sweating, panting, and mad at me. A glimmer of light caught my eyes as I glanced East and saw the sun beginning to rise. Sighing, I knew it was time to stop this, or at least do the best I could.

"Ready, Toothless?" I asked my dragon; he gave an affirmative nod. Together, we let out a roar as the dragons flying around rose and hovered around Toothless and me. I waved my black staff around in a circular fashion before pointing West. Toothless began to fly that way, and the dragons followed us. I finally turned my head to face the direction we needed to go. Another raid was over; all I wanted to do was get back to my home, make some food and get a little sleep.

. . .

(Berk; The Cove)

Toothless touched down in the cove, which sits about a half an hour walk behind the village I was just flying above after the dragons dispersed and we circled back to the island; I got off his back and rubbed his snout. "Good work, bud," I stated gently and with a yawn.

It wasn't easy being me, and this was a tough job to keep the peace, but someone had to do it. That someone might as well be me, and my name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third; I'm eighteen years old as of today. I was born in the village that I'd just left, but for the time being; I'm not allowed to step foot inside until my temporary banishment is up.

See, I'm the only son to the Chief of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe who resides on this island that we call Berk. My father, the Chief, is Stoick the Vast Haddock; he's a four-hundred pound, seven-foot tall man. My mother was carried off by a dragon when I was a baby, so I never met her. It's been my dad and me; we used to be close when I was younger, but as I got older; he started pawning me off to Gobber, his best friend and the village blacksmith. I know a lot about forging and Tribe-related things because of Gobber. I liked to make inventions, but they often failed and caused some minor destruction around the village, which led to me meeting my best friend, a dragon, and getting temporarily banished from the village for two years.

This technically started three years ago, when I was fifteen. During a dragon raid; I shot down the most elusive dragon known to man, a Night Fury. However, no one believed me, and I got yelled at, but what was new. I'm not like the rest of my Tribe or Vikings in general. I've always been different, so everyone gives me a hard time. As my father is Chief of the Tribe, I am his only child and Heir to the throne of Berk; I become the Chief when he retires or, Odin forbids it, but he passes away. But my father hates that I'm different, so I'm scolded often for messing up and not doing what I'm apparently told. So, I shot down a Night Fury and he landed here in the cove. I tried to get the Tribe to see for themselves, but they all said I was crazy and my dad told me that he had bigger problems to deal with.

I decided to check things out for myself and found Toothless, the Night Fury I shot down. I was going to kill him, prove that I was a Viking and killed the legendary dragon known as the Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death. However, seeing Toothless lying in my bola wounded; I couldn't kill him. I wouldn't do it because he reminded me of myself. Being different from others. I let Toothless go, and he let me live when a Night Fury was rumored not to let its victims live. A couple of days later; I went back and spent time observing since he was wounded and could fly. We eventually bonded and became friends, and it was nice to have a friend for once. I spent all my free time with Toothless; I learned to fly him, and I discovered dragons weren't bad. But that was only the start of something bigger, leading me to where I am now. Vikings and Dragons are at war, and if I'd ever been caught with Toothless; they would kill him and then me as a traitor.

Things began to get worse over that year; it seemed people were determined to get rid of me for a while, so I started getting framed. Some of the Tribe members who didn't like me did it, setting up trouble and when my dad asked who did it; I got blamed over and over again. The worst part, no matter what I said; he didn't believe me because I was known for causing the types of accidents that were happening. When I was about two months from turning sixteen; I decided that if they wanted to make me out to be a bad kid, then I would be. I started being everything they said I was. And just as I turned sixteen, my father had enough and issued a temporary banishment outside the village where we lived. I could be in the forest, on the beaches, any of it, just not the village itself.

So I've been out on my own since I was sixteen years old; I learned how to survive out here by fishing, hunting, and farming. I built my own home and forge. I make my weapons by hand from materials I collect or get from Trader Johann. I'm allowed down by the docks for a maximum of fifteen minutes to look on the ship and get things I could use. I typically trade with other things I've made or found. Johann likes my work. It's just Toothless and I. However, thanks to Toothless; I could leave Berk and get around more. A lot has happened in two years, and since I'm eighteen now; I may just leave for good. I'd never be accepted, so why stick around?

I knew why I stayed, though; it was because Toothless, and I controlled the raids. This did not mean we caused them, but we made sure the cause of them didn't succeed. Toothless and I ran interference on the attacks, making sure the Vikings didn't hurt the dragons, and vice-versa until we could figure out how to stop things. The problem is that I couldn't do this as myself; I became Drage Riddari; the dragon master. Or at least that's what they all call me around the islands because it looks like I'm leading the raids, and controlling the dragons. I'm a human riding a dragon; that already makes me Viking enemy number one. I do this almost every night, and it's all to help the Vikings despite how I've been treated; I wanted peace, so the first objective was to keep both sides from fighting.

Perhaps one day I'd tell them the truth, and pray they forgive me and understand. For now, this is all I could do. I thought I had defeated the problem while I was still sixteen, almost seventeen. Toothless and I did it together, and things were peaceful for a while; this is when I spent a lot of time traveling around with Toothless outside the Archipelago, learning more about the world beyond our borders. I always returned, of course. Then, everything started up again, and I haven't been able to discover the source thus far. So, I'm doing all I can until that time comes. As I said, a lot has happened in two years, and I could very easily just up and leave. However, the way I see things right now; dragons aren't bad, but whatever is causing their behavior is making them seem like vicious creatures. I know that's not the case, so until I get to the bottom of things and stop it; I needed to continue doing what I am to protect both sides. I'm the shield between.

"Hiccup!" a voice pulled me from my thoughts about the last two years and my alias as Drage Riddari, the dragon master who everyone hates. "Hiccup, where are you?!" I recognized that voice; it was Gobber.

"Toothless, hide!" I said quickly. Toothless quickly bounded into the cave and out of sight. I was still in my riding suit, and Gobber was here. I took a breath to relax. "I'm in my house, Gobber. What do you want?" I'd been here by myself with Toothless for two years; now someone decides to come?

"There you are," Gobber said, relieved. "Was worried you got carried off during the raid. We saw the rider come this way," he added.

"Pretty sure no one would care if I got carried off," I remarked. "I was sleeping. What do you want?" I repeated.

"Oh, don't be that way, lad," Gobber sighed. "Will you come out, please?"

"No. Kind of in the middle of bathing, so would you hurry? I have a long day of making it another day out here to get started on. And the Chief said no one was to come to see me. You expect me to believe they were worried? The Chief must have believed I'd be just fine when he banished me two years ago," I stated.

"Hiccup…I tried to stop it," Gobber informed.

"Yeah…Only you," I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest now, still in the house. "The rest would likely prefer I disappear. Not sure why the Chief calls it a temporary banishment, none of them want me back in the village,"

"It's temporary because you'll be allowed back, Hiccup. Your dad just issued an overly…Harsh punish-," Gobber started.

"Gobber, I don't care. I was sixteen years old, and he banished me out here with nothing more than a bag of clothes, dagger, bow and ten arrows. I knew nothing other than the house and the forge," I huffed.

"Seems like you've done fine, laddie. This is pretty impressive," Gobber mentioned.

"Spare me, Gobber. Just…What are you doing here?" I said coldly.

"Your punishment is up. Your father says you can come back; he was going to come himself, but I elected to deliver the news," Gobber enlightened. I stood in my house quietly now; the punishment was over? "He thinks you've had enough time to think over what you did, and that you're ready to come back,"

I shucked off the rest of my suit and leaned against the wall. This was a bad time to have me come back; how would I do my raids? See Toothless? Gods; I wish it had been permanent. Well, I made things work before the banishment; I could do it again. I'd just have to be careful and sneak off in the craziness. I sighed heavily.

"You don't sound happy," Gobber said now.

"Why should I be happy about coming back to a bunch of people who wanted me gone and my father agreed?" I asked now. "Nothing is going to change. Maybe it's better if I just stay here,"

"Can't do, lad. You're eighteen now, and the Heir to this Tribe. You have responsibilities to uphold…Your father wants you in the Great Hall by breakfast. I'm here to bring you back," Gobber informed.

"Just woke up, and in the bath Gobber…Think you can give me a little bit to finish up and I'll just come back after I'm done…" I remarked.

"Alright, but if you take too long; I'll be returning," Gobber mentioned. "Can't wait to see ya, and hope you'll join me in the forge again. I've missed having my right hand…Well, left," he chuckled a bit. "See ya soon," it was quiet as I peered through the door, seeing Gobber climbing out of the cove and leaving. Toothless warbled as he poked his head into view now, I smiled a bit.

"Don't worry, bud…Things will be okay," I said softly. "Just stay hidden, and I will come to you. You know the safe spots," I rubbed under his chin as he crooned at me. "Guess I better get ready," I sighed. Today had only just started, and I already hated it. So I was allowed back into the village finally? This should prove incredibly interest because no one has seen me in two years. When Trader Johann came; I'd see him before anyone else did. Johann would plan his trip to come early morning while it was still dark; then meet me on the beach. I couldn't wait to see their reactions when I walked through the Great Hall doors. Aside from a lot happening in two years; I'd changed too.