The Gift Of Power | Wattys 2020 (Dance of Power Trilogy: Book 1)

Of Monsters And Men

After spending the whole rest of the night reminiscing about his time with Astrid, Hiccup was having a hard time containing his good mood. What he wouldn't give to have her in his arms every single night. Simply holding her as she slept. As much as he would have preferred to stay, Hiccup had been forced to escape back to the trees rimming the village when she looked away to open her door. Wanting to ensure that he was nowhere near her when the light from inside illuminated the entrance. Still, he had stopped to watch from the shadows as Astrid turned back to peer through the dark for him.

Arriving back at the cove a little later, Hiccup had found her axe still lying on the grass. Waiting until the darkest moments before dawn, he returned to her house and left it propped against the wall just inside her front door. She would find it in the morning. Then he sat and reminisced in the forest a little more as he waited for sunrise. His heart feeling lighter than it ever had.

Returning to the village at first light, Hiccup ignored the curious stares of the early morning villagers as he weaved his way through the houses. He was only here because he needed to stop in at the smithy before training to ask Gobber for a favour. When he arrived at the forge, the old smith opened the door and stepped aside to let him in. No questions asked. Apparently Gobber didn't think Scáth was too terrifying a monster to be alone with.

"Pardon my early intrusion, sir," Hiccup started politely. Smiling behind his mask at the thought of calling Gobber 'sir'. "I am in need of training weapons for the recruits to spar with. I can make them myself, but I will require use of your forge and some materials. I can assure that you will be reimbursed handsomely for it."

Gobber studied Hiccup hard for a moment as he tapped his hammer hand against the work bench. Then he huffed and said, "I don' need ya ta pay for use o' the forge. You saved us all, and yer makin' these weapons ta train Astrid and the others so that we can save our own arses next time we decide ta do somethin' stupid. I'll even make them for ya if ya want, since I know yer busy with the dragon stuff an' all that." Hiccup had just started to pull the sketches out of his pocket, when Gobber suddenly cracked a huge smile. "And don' call me sir, 'iccup. It don' feel right."

Hiccup's head whipped around to stare at the old man in shock. "What?.."

Gobber just waved his hand in the air. "Ah, Gothi told me. She also said that if I didna' keep my mouth shut about it, she would feed me a cup o' holly berry tea."

Sighing, Hiccup rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. "I knew she had me figured out. Nothing gets by that woman, does it?"

Chuckling, Gobber shook his head. "Nope it doesn', but come here and let me look at you. Gods ye've gotten tall! What happened to ya, my boy? Yer bigger than yer father and yer ridin' a night fury ta boot! I shoulda known Astrid was tellin' the truth when she said you'd be the first one ta ride a dragon. Well, I really shoulda guessed it was ya after tha' meeting. Yer the only one I know with a mind tha' clever and a tongue tha' sharp."

Hiccup simply chuckled and pulled his hood and mask off. Watching Gobber's eyes go wide as he took in Hiccup's unexpectedly handsome features. "No wonder Astrid looks so happy these days," Gobber stated in surprise. "Ye've got yer father's build and yer mother's looks. The best of both worlds."

That had Hiccup snorting a laugh, even as he shrugged in acceptance. "Poor Snotlout. He ne'er stood a chance at winnin' her heart, did he," Gobber then added deviously.

"No, I do not suppose he did," Hiccup quipped back. Now Gobber was chuckling too as he pulled Hiccup in for a tight hug, which Hiccup returned gratefully. Shocked by how much shorter the burly smith was than him now. Gobber had always seemed like a giant to Hiccup when he was a boy. Though in all fairness, everyone seemed short when you were a seven foot tall beast.