━━ chapter two
a viking for hire?

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  ━━"Every dragon has its own unique abilities that give it its special place in the world. Which dragon makes the best welding torch?"

    "Oh!" Astrid threw her hand up before Valkyrie could even lift a finger, pushing it away to lean in front. "Oh! Deadly Nadder!"

    Valkyrie shoved her backwards, "Hey! We're on the same team!"

    "Yeah, well, you always answer the questions," Astrid flicked some of the dust on the barrels into Valkyrie's face. She coughed, wiping it away. The group of Dragon Riders were spending their morning in the newly dubbed Berk Academy, testing their knowledge on a quick HIccup had created for them. Valkyrie would like to say she━uh, she means, her team━is winning.

    Val went to flick some dust from her own barrel at her face, but Fishlegs stopped them with a quick, "Its magnesium flame burns with the heat of the sun!" to Hiccup, and their small fight was over ... for now.

    "Correct!" Hiccup pointed their way, and Fishlegs pumped his fist in celebration. "Point to Team Astrid. Score is now one hundred to ten."

    "Why is it Team Astrid?" then asked Valkyrie. "Like you said, I've gotten us most of these points. It should be team Valkyrie."

    "It's because we agreed that it would be Team Astrid because it was Team Valkyrie last time," stated Astrid. She shoved Valkyrie to prove her point, which only caused for Val to let out an annoyed, "Hey!" and try to shove her back. Hiccup winced and went to stop them with weak calls of their names, but instead, it was their dragons that pulled them away. Valkyrie kicked her legs towards Astrid, but they fell short as Zephyr held her up in the air with his teeth around the scruff of her tunic.

    "Hey!" she told her dragon. "Put me down, Zephyr━now!"

    Zephyr just swung her back and forth, and in the end, Valkyrie stopped struggling. Crossing her arms, she glared at Astrid who just sent her a smug smile.

    "I would like to remind you, Val, Astrid," Hiccup crossed his arms, frowning at the two girls, "that you are on the same team. You're competing along side each other, not against each other."

    "We should get points for that," said Snotlout opposite them with his team of Ruff and Tuff.

    "That's because you haven't gotten any," Valkyrie taunted, kicking her legs in his direction from where she still dangled from Zephyr's mouth. "You started with ten."

    "Oh, yeah?" Tuffnut leaned forward on his barrel, glaring at Valkyrie. "Well, the games not over. Wait," he glanced at his sister, "what team am I on?"

    Hiccup sighed, "Next question," he tried to keep it moving. "What is the shot limit of a Hideous Zippleback? Team Snotlout."

    Astrid snickered as Zephyr carefully let Valkyrie back down. "I don't think they can count that high." She, Val and Fishlegs shared a snigger behind the palms of their hands at the look on Snotlout's face.

    "Oh, really?" Ruffnut crossed her arms and arched a brow. "Let's find out. Barf, Belch━!"

    "Whoa!" Valkyrie, Astrid, Fishlegs and their dragons all ducked as Barf and Belch fired right at them. With a clenched jaw, she waited for them to finish after six shots.

    "Ha!" said Tuff, "Looks like it's about three," he held up only two fingers. Valkyrie sighed. Why did she chose to hang out with these dimwits?

    "Yeah!" agreed Ruff. "Told you we could count that high!"

    Hiccup kissed his teeth and said, "It's six ... You were half-right. Five points."

    "Yes!" Ruff high-fived her teammates. "We're up to thirty!"

    Valkyrie scoffed. Standing back up, she shared a look with Astrid and knew exactly what the plan was. Astrid dusted off her armour and said, "All right, it's our turn━" she leaned forward on her elbows, scowling at the other three. "What happens when you shoot fire at the owners of a Deadly Nadder and a Windstriker?"

    Placing her fingers to her lips, Astrid whistled and Stormfly's tail shot up with spikes. As she threw them, Valkyrie was there to command, "Zephyr, heat-blast!"

    As the Deadly Nadder spikes pinned Snotlout and Ruff and Tuff to the far wall, Zephyr blew hot air onto the top three, and they lit up in flames above the three Dragon Riders' heads. Valkyrie and Astrid shared a high-five of their own.

   Hiccup sighed once again, "Glad to know you two work as a team when it comes to hurting others..."

    "Hey!" Tuff shouted back at them. "No far! You didn't give us time to answer!"

    Snotlout's nostils flared in anger, and he jumped off from the wall, pulling himself free from the Nadder spikes. "I've got a question," he snarled. "What happens when I sick Hookfang on you."

    Astrid stepped forward, up for the challenge. Realising this was getting too heated, Hiccup snapped the Book of Dragons closed. "Okay, guys, that's enough training! So, we did some really good work here today!"

    They didn't listen. Snotlout glared at the girls and stood over his dragon. With his chest out, he declared, "Prepare to face the Monstrous Nightmare!" he tapped Hookfang twice on the jaw, and instead of standing up, the dragon was startled awake. His whole body erupted with a thin coat of fire, and Snotlout leapt off, screaming. "Ahhh! That's the third time this week!" jumping into the water trout, Snotlout sighed in relief.

    Hiccup frowned. Walking up to Snotlout, Valkyrie was quick to follow━she doesn't know why, she just does. She just automatically gravitated towards Hiccup━perhaps a flight on Toothless in the clouds will do that to two people (or a kiss at Snoggletog ... that would do it too...). Either way, they've grown a lot closer since. Valkyrie never thought she'd end up friends with Hiccup the Horrendous, but ... well ... here they were.

    Stopping by the water trout, Hiccup crossed his arms. "Hookfang never flames up when you're riding him. Is he okay?"

    Valkyrie scoffed, "Maybe he just realised who his owner is."

    Snotlout peered up at her, and gave her a flashing grin, "There's room in here for two━gah!" Valkyrie shoved him back down under the water by the horns of his helmet before walking off. Hiccup sent Snotlout a look that said, you had that coming before wandering after her.

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    ━━Returning for dinner after a night ride with Zephyr and Hott and Strikemoth, the two siblings entered the Frode home and frowned to see their mother supporting a tired gaze at the table. Valkyrie knew something was up, because Erik and Mak's Terrible Terrors were running around the table, and she was doing nothing to stop them.

    Hott shared a glance with Valkyrie before making his way over. "Uh━hey, Mum, what's wrong? You look a wee bit off colour."

    Valkyrie frowned at him, and flicked the back of his head. Hott let out an, "Ow! What was that for?"

    "You don't just tell someone they're off colour!"

    Before a fight could start out, their mother sighed and sat up. "I just had a big day, don't worry," she said. Rubbing her eyes, she let Erik's Terrible Terror under her hand for a pat. "I just had to deal with a lot of injuries because Gobber thinks the best way to diplomacy is to have two people knock some sense into each other."

    Valkyrie and Hott shared another look. Was that ... not how you do it? Then she realised their mother said Gobber. "Wait━Gobber? What's he doing handling stuff Cheif Stoick's meant to do?"

    Her mother and Hott stared at Valkyrie, as if she was supposed to answer this question. She frowned again, "What?"

    "I figured you'd know," said Hott, crossing his arms. "Considering you spend half your time with Hiccup."

    Valkyrie gaped at him, "I do not. For you information, I spend a lot of time with a lot of people that aren't just Hiccup! I spend a lot of time with Astrid, and Zephyr, a━and Astrid..." she counted them off on her fingers, and winced. "Um ... good point. Look, that doesn't mean I know what Gobber's doing. Maybe he's just helping out. He has a lot less on his plate now that we aren't killing dragons anymore."

    "Well, he's not helping," said Val's mother, scratching the Terrible Terror behind the ears. He purred. "Bucket went from being able to count to fifteen to only being able to count to ten."

    Hott pursed his lips and started his way to his chambers. "Well ... Bucket's not a halfwit for nothing ..."

    Valkyrie's expression turned blank, and with a nod from her mother, she was allowed to catch up to her younger brother and whack him upside the head. "You've been hanging too much around Gustav. Regain your manners."

    Hott scoffed and disappeared behind his door. Valkyrie rolled her eyes and made the journey to hers, eager for some sleep ... just a usual conversation between any of the Frode siblings. Val didn't think she actually wanted to know what Gobber was doing helping out Stoick with his chief duties, she had already seen the horror that was him trying to sell his old weapons as kitchen utensils ... poor Silent Sven's house had a fresh catapult hole in the roof! In saying so, she was also glad that this might mean Gobber has stopped selling those weapons, because Valkyrie can only hide Erik and Mak's chore money for so long until they trash her room, find it, and buy said catapult themselves. The day that happened, will be the day Berk shall fall. Or the day the Terrible Terrors, Fleecy and Meecy lose a tail, or a wing, or a leg... or Gothi, because Valkyrie wouldn't put it past those two in harassing the poor Elder. They stopped helping her and their mother with healing for a reason. (To which she will not disclose, because they all decided to never speak of that incident again. Mainly because Snotlout is far too proud to admit it ever happened).

    (Which is why she's telling you anyway: imagine getting a drink from Gothi to soothe a sore throat only for it to turn out to be Yack dung ... after he drank it ... yeah, Snotlout's pride was hurt very much that Loki Day).

    When morning came around, Valkyrie made sure Erik and Mak's money was well hidden before waking up Zephyr for breakfast. They went for their usual morning flight and training run, testing out some new tricks. Valkyrie wanted to beat Hiccup the next Trick Competition. He can run across the sea stacks? Well, Val can now stand on Zeph's back and stay stable while flying ... well ... kind of ... she has to work a few more kinks out ... like not falling off.

    A little bruised from some almost-misses━sometimes, Valkyrie thinks that Zephyr almost just lets her drop until last minute to prove a point━she made her way into the Dragon Academy, cracking her nuckles and rubbing the back of her neck. Hiccup watched her enter with an amused smile on his face. As she got closer, he said, "Enjoy your morning flight?"

    "Shut up," she told him before coming to a stance next to him and wait for the others. She rubbed her neck again, and shot Zephyr a quick and playful glare as he made a sound in the back of his throat Valkyrie has known to be laughter. Fixing up the flowers in her hair, she heard the others arrive with their dragons, and looked up.

    Hiccup grinned in seeing them. "Great!" he said once they touched down. "Now that everyone's here, I have something to tell you all..."

    He told them what he had planned for today. Once he was done, there was a echoing silence among the Dragon Riders before Astrid let out a loud, "What?"

    Fishlegs held his hands nervously to his chest, sharing glances with the others, "You're bringing Gobber here?"

    "He's gonna be great!" Hiccup's grin turned nervous at all of their incredulous faces. "Nobody knows dragons like old Gobber. He's spent a lifetime, you know ... studying them ..." (Yeah, studying is one way to put it). "If we can tap into that, we'll all be better Dragon Trainers!"

    Valkyrie didn't like the sound of this idea━at all. She was going to tell Hiccup this, perhaps tug him aside and explain just how troubling this could end up as ... Gobber joining them in the Academy? Yes, he knew quite a lot about dragons ... how to kill them. Which they didn't do anymore. And well, Gobber's ... they all love Gobber, truly! But sometimes he can be a bit over the top, in a way; Valkyrie isn't sure how to describe it, she just really didn't think this was a good idea.

    She didn't have time to tell this to Hiccup, for the gates sprung back open and there Gobber was, tugging a wagon full of ... dragon killing weapons? Valkyrie frowned. She glanced at Astrid, and stepped back to Zephyr just in case he got startled. They had just gotten them okay with being back in the arena, but adding weapons to that list? Not exactly a good combo.

    "I'm back!" announced Gobber. "Did you miss me?"

    Zephyr reacted just as Valkyrie suspected. His head shot up, eyes widened into slits and Valkyrie was quick to place her hand on his nose, calming him down.

    Hiccup stared at the wagon of weapons, wincing. "Uh ... First of all," he began, cautious over what to say, "welcome. And second ... tiny question, why did you bring your ... you know...?"

   "Killing things?" Gobber tapped his hook against the weapons fondly. "I thought maybe we could train them━" he swiped out a mighty battle-axe and Valkyrie held onto Zephyr tighter, "━by threatening to kill them! That's how my daddy taught me to swim." With a yell, he brought the axe to the ground, and the stone cracked in impact. "School's in session!"

    Zephyr broke free of Valkyrie's hold. She called after him as he and the rest of the dragons━save Toothless━fled the arena. They took to the air, and she gritted her teeth. "Oh, Odin's ghost━"

    She sprinted after thim with the others, and heard Gobber say to Hiccup, "Eh, I didn't like school either."

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    ━━It took Valkyrie four hours to find Zephyr. Four hours. She loved the boy to the end of the world, but she didn't expect to have to travel to the other side of Berk to get him back. Gobber's weapon spectacle had spooked them nearly right off the island, and Valkyrie wanted to have a word with him, maybe smack him upside the head━but then she realised that that might be a little unfair and well ... Gobber can pack a punch. However, maybe a punch might regain the feeling in her legs after riding Zephyr for so long to try and get him back.

    Hopping off and onto the stone ground of the arena, Valkyrie winced and stretched out her lower back. The others were in no better condition. Astrid doubled over and bent her knees, Ruffnut and Tuffnut were kicking feeling back into each other's backsides. Hiccup frowned at them, a little taken aback.

    "What's wrong with you guys?" he asked, and Toothless tilted his head in curiosity.

    "Ugh!" Astrid cracked her back, standing back up straight. "We've been riding our dragons for four hours. It took forever━" she glared at Stormfly, "━to chase them down after Gobber scared them away."

    "Yeah," agreed Valkyrie, scowling at Zephyr who cooed by her cheek as if knowing she was mad at him. "That was a terrible idea, Hiccup."

    He winced, "Yeah, I'm sorry about that," he sighed, shaking his head. "I just don't know what to do with him."

    Valkyrie propped her hands on her hips, and let out a sigh as well. Truly, none of them wanted Gobber to lose his job; to fall down so low considering how much they all respected him. Pushing past her pain, she walked up to Hiccup and placed her hand on his shoulder. "We'll figure something out," she promised like he has promised to her plenty of times. Then she punched him in the shoulder. "But that's for inviting him here in the first place."

    "Ow," Hiccup frowned at her, cradling his arm. He shared a look with Toothless, but in hearing the cries of the twins, his frown turned to them. He rolled his eyes. "Do you guys always have to fight?"

    "It's okay!" said Tuffnut as his sister hit in again. "I asked her to do that. I was just trying to get the feeling back."

    Ruff scoffed and bent down herself, gesturing back at him. "You gonna return the favour, or what?" Tuffnut rolled his eyes, but kicked her up the backside.

     Scratching the tip of his nose, Hiccup muttered, "I've flown for hours on Toothless and I've never had a problem."

    Valkyrie sent him a sharp look, "That's because you have a saddle."

    Hiccup's eyes brightened, which wasn't the reaction she was expecting. "Saddles!" he exclaimed. Clapping his hands at Valkyrie, he said, "You are a genius━I owe you one!" and with that said, he sprinted out of the arena. Toothless shared a perplexed look with Valkyrie before bounding after him.

    Astrid came to stand next to her, and said, "Why do I have the feeling this isn't going to end well?"

    Valkyrie fiddled with the flowers in her hair, grimacing herself. "You're not the only one, trust me."

    Hiccup's grand plan was revealed the next morning. It involved Gobber, again. Valkyrie wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, considering he didn't arrive with a wagon full of weapons this time. But she was still uneasy, standing in between Astrid and Ruffnut and frowning at Hiccup hoping that he knew she wasn't sure on this. It was warmer today, which was quite strange━but a good strange, Valkyrie had gotten tired of the constant chill on her bones, and welcomed the beam of the sun. (It made her mood just a slight bit better).

    Fixing today's flower crown on her head better, she saved some of the petals that fell off into her pocket for her mother later. (She liked to use some for her remedies). It helped her nerves. Hiccup didn't look much better, glancing apprehensively at the tarp-covered wagon. "All right," he began, "this is an exciting day for all of us. Gobber━" he gestured to the blacksmith, "━has been working hard to━"

    "I think they might want to hear from the artist himself," Gobber stepped in front of Hiccup, pushing him gently away by the mallet attatched to his prosthetic. Fishlegs shuffled excitedly on his feet, Snotlout nodded to himself━most of the teens seemed quite fired to see what Gobber had made for them while Valkyrie crossed her arms and glowered her usual scowl until she was sure this would be good. "I've made a lot of saddles in my day," went on Gobber. "Horse, donkey and now, dragon. But these