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Hiccup H. Haddock III, Swordfighter
Topic Started: 25 Apr 2016, 15:27 (7596 Views)
Zira Shadow
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Skrill

Chapter 1
Astrid Class
Hiccup
I stumble out of bed early, an hour before dawn, because Astrid had told us to meet her at the dome at this time of day. Specifically at sunrise, but it never hurt to be early. What on earth could be so important that Astrid would risk getting Fishlegs cranky?
This had to be something urgent.
Luckily, Toothless and I have gotten up earlier than this before, so we know what to do. Because of that, we’re the first ones there. Even Astrid isn’t up yet!
Instead of doing what most people would do (go back to sleep), Toothless and I go out for a flight (surprise!). Ten minutes in, I see another Dragon-and-Rider duo rise up from the stables, a few metres ahead. I can’t see who the rider is, but the dragon appears to be a electric-blue Deadly Nadder.
Oh.
Toothless closes the few remaining meters in the gap between us, then flips upside down. I tap the rider on her head, and Toothless rights himself again.
“Up early, are we, m’lady?”
Astrid Hofferson turns around and fake-scowls. “Hiccup, you shouldn’t be out here.”
“Neither should you,” I remind her.
She opens her mouth, then closes it again. I’m getting good at this stuff.
“Well, as long as you’re up, we should probably wait in the dome,” I point out.
Her sky blue eyes light up. “We could get a head start on the training!”
I raise my eyebrows. The training? When Astrid’s eyes light up, you know you’re in trouble.
“What training?”
She looks at me, puzzled. “The training. It’s why I called you guys out.”
“You didn’t actually tell anyone what we were doing…” I say.
“I didn’t? Oh. Okay…” She absentmindedly spins a loop on Stormfly. “But it’ll be like a surprise!”
“Uh, no offense, Astrid, but your training courses are kind of…” I trail off, trying to find the right words.
“Rough?” She offers. I’m surprised that she thinks of it like that.
“I was going to say something like, ‘harsh’,” I say with an air of finality. We’ve reached the dome with forty-five minutes to spare. Astrid walks inside, and I follow her.
She unloads a barrel of weapons and pulls out six swords. I groan. This is why she wanted to extra-train me. I suck at swordfighting.
Astrid tosses me a relatively long sword. I try to grip it properly, but it keeps slipping. If I’m not careful, I’m going to stab myself.
“Hiccup, balance your sword,” says Astrid strictly and firmly. “Steady, no, you’re holding it wrong, okay, try to thrust, no, this way, Hiccup, no, other direction….” It continues on like this for a while, with Astrid coaching me and me looking like a total doofus. Finally I manage to get a good grip on the sword, and Astrid judges me ready to start sword fighting.
She lunges forward and I barely manage to parry her thrust in time. A few seconds later, she has me disarmed with the point of her sword resting on my throat.
Astrid removes her sword and tuts in disapproval. “Hiccup, you’ve got to get better at this. If the Dragon Hunters attack, you’ve got to be able to defend yourself.”
“But I’ve got Toothless for that!” I protest, scratching him under the chin. Toothless purrs happily.
Astrid gives me a look. “Dragon. Hunters,” she says pointedly.
I sigh. She’s got a point.
“Fine. I suppose we're starting all over again?”
“Yes,” she states, “And this time I expect you to put up more of a fight.”
I’d just like to say, I did. I put up more of a fight. This time I lasted around a whole minute fighting Astrid!
Although that’s not much of an accomplishment.
She obviously knows that too. “Hiccup, you have to be better than that. If the Dragon Hunters attack, you have to-”
“Be prepared, be ready, stuff like that. I know, but it’s not like I can’t defend myself.”
She tilts her head to one side. “We’re starting over.”
I sigh in resignation. “Fine.”
This time I almost catch her distracted. Almost. She parries my thrust, and pretty soon she has me disarmed again. It’s becoming our signature position:me with my back against the wall, Astrid holding a sword point to my throat.
She drops her sword again, and tosses me a new sword. “You did better this time, so here’s your gift.”
“Ha, ha,” I say, with no intention whatsoever of laughing. “Gobber, I’m guessing?”
She nods. “And your dad. I was supposed to give it to you when you were ready for training...your dad thought I’d lost it so he gave you an axe.”
“That Stormfly melted,” I remember. “So in a way, my dad thinks you two lost my weapons.”
She nods. “Pretty much. Do you like it?”
The sword was long, yet sturdy, and it was inlaid with runes. A few of them had been hammered out and replaced, and as I studied the sword more it became clear to me what they were.
Killer replaced by Trainer, and in some places, Rider.
Thank you, Gobber, I thought dryly. That just sums up my entire life.
“It’s nice,” I decide. I drop the other sword. “I should probably fight with this one.”
Not that it makes a difference. A few minutes later, we’re mimicking what we looked like before. This continues on for a few more times until I accidentally drop my sword. I was doing pretty well before.
I reach down to pick it up-with my left hand. A crazy idea begins to form in my mind…
I pick up my sword with my left hand and to my surprise, my hand grips it properly. The handle fits my hand like I’d done this before. Is it reflex because of Astrid?
No, the sword felt wrong in that hand. As I look closer, I can see that the grip was designed especially for my left hand. Huh…
Astrid sees the sword in my left hand. Her eyebrows go up, but she says nothing.
She lunges, and to my surprise, I parry it easily. I thrust, and this time she can’t deflect.
We stay locked in combat for a few minutes. I’m matching Astrid’s skills perfectly. In fact, if I just went a little bit more to the right when I lunge, I might be able to…
Astrid blocks my thrust, but I’ve planned this out. I duck her swipe, and we continue on like that until, finally, I tip the balance.
In a few seconds, we’ve reversed our positions. Astrid’s sword is on the ground, and the point of mine is on her throat.
I remove the tip. “Uh, sorry.”
She breaks into a wide grin. “Sorry? I’ve never seen anyone do that before! The Dragon Hunters don’t stand a chance!”
She looks down. “And with your left hand! Actually, maybe...Hiccup, use your right hand this time.”
I do, and this time she disarms me with no effort at all.
“Huh. I guess it’s because I’m left-handed.” I shrug.
“You knew?!” Astrid explodes.
“Um, yeah..”I say cautiously. She’s gotten her sword back now. She points it at my heart.
“Do that again,” She orders me.
I pick up my sword. “If you insist…”
And we continue like that until the others arrive.
:P :P :P :P :P I ship it
Sister in arms of the forgotten disaster branch, Saturn Starlings
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Heather the Berserker
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I go where no one goes

Awww, I like it!!! Great job!!! ^_^
Bear the flame
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Ocean Rose
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Over whelmed: Too many fandoms. How am I even alive?

That was so cute! And a perfect shout-out to the books.
You want my tears
Every messy word
Every scar and every fear
You want all I have, with no holding back
When I'm hurt, at my worst.
You meet me there
'Cause You see the beauty
In my broken prayers
--- Riley Clemmons; Broken Prayers
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