HTTYD: Reykjavik ch.2B

Chapter 2B: The Nordic Council


"Yeah, so can you tell your girlfriend to control herself for a change?  Sheesh!!!  Three slaps from hot chicks is damn right painful enough; but adding her punch?  Man, she must be really addicted to it!!!"
--Snotlout Jorgenson, after he got slapped on the face three times and punched hard on the shoulder


The Nordic Council, officially known as the Nordic Council of the Kings and Queens: Its members all consist of the kings and queens of the Viking kingdoms that reign on the northern lands, a king and a queen for each of the nine kingdoms.  These are the most powerful figures of the Viking kingdoms and having to be called for a meeting with them is one of the highest honours any Viking could ask for.  The nine Viking kingdoms are set up according to region:

From the Eastern (Baltic) kingdoms: Kingdoms of Finland, Åland, and Estonia.
From the Core (Scandinavian) kingdoms: Kingdoms of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
From the Maritime (Atlantic) kingdoms: Kingdoms of Greenland, Iceland, and the Faeroe Islands.

The kingdoms comprise the entire Viking nation: The Union of the Nordic Kingdoms.  Each kingdom still maintains its sovereignty as an independent country but collectively they are called the Nordic Union. The capital of the union is Oslo, the seat of power for the Nordic Council, in which the council acts as the governing power over the nation.  The Nordic Union is an intergovernmental nation; with all of the nine kingdoms sharing governing authority over the nation and the kings and queens of the kingdoms act as the supreme powers of the
nation.

For centuries, since the beginning of the Vikings' war against dragons, the council has been dealing with countless complaints from cities and villages about several factors: outdated weaponry, stolen livestock, deaths of many relatives, damage to property both public and private; it was like hell on Midgard to see how the kings and queens handle this everyday.  But on one specific day, a 15year old Viking, along with a bunch of his friends and dragons, are about to make a stand and say "The war is over; I bring forth good news and proof that dragons and men can coexist in harmony, and we are here to help."  And this Viking is none other than Berk's own Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III; the Nordic Union's first dragon rider.


Oslo, Norway… February 17, 1349

Morning at Oslo; everyone is wide awake and ready to do their daily chores.  While men and women walk around the streets on a regular busy day, the children are just getting up from their beds, eating their breakfast, or just having a stroll around a scenic field with friends.  It would've been a great morning… if it wasn't for Astrid's plan that is…

Suddenly, a night fury storms into a lone street; as the wings flap, wind is generated thus causing panic over the area.  Pieces of paper fly off and windows flutter as the dragon makes its way through.  People scramble around in a wave of terror as the dragon exits the street and into another.  The city's police were called upon to deal with the situation; it was only one dragon, but as they made their way through the city, they saw many more dragons coming from the skies: a deadly nadder, a zippleback, a monstrous nightmare, a gronckle, and a winged blizzard.  Six of the most dreaded dragons are approaching the city; it was a situation that required everyone, even the townsfolk and the military reserve stationed in Oslo, to fight the dragons.  While the night fury continues to ravage the streets with its powerful wings, many of those who were able to hide got their crossbows, axes, and shields; some had no weapons because theirs were still in their houses, so they had to borrow from other people nearby.  But in this situation, everyone needs a weapon, even those who don't have one.

Those who have crossbows started shooting, but the night fury proved too fast and agile.  Even the lar-row launchers, with their explosive-tipped arrows, weren't strong enough to suffice the black beast.  Then, came what they think is the worst part: the other dragons landed near the Norwegian royal palace.  It caught the attention of the palace guards and, with their training, immediately reacted.  One of the guards, probably of the highest rank, seemed to notice someone was riding the nadder; a blonde-haired girl.  But the morning sun is shining against him, he can't see much but her hair and her shoulder armour.  Meanwhile, the majority of the citizenry and the military reserve were still on high alert; the night fury has disappeared from their sight but they know, that being a dragon, it will always come back for more.  But what they don't realize is that this is a different kind of dragon; a more tamed dragon; a kind of dragon they've never faced before.  They walk and run around the city, hoping to find and capture, or at least for their sake kill, the night fury.

The guards were still facing the dragons that landed in front of the royal palace; they seem to be holding their weapons firmly, waiting to repel any attack, but the dragons never seemed to bother them; none of the dragons attacked or at least snorted in front of them, as if they're somehow tamed.  The high ranking guard went near the nadder where he saw a girl riding it.  As he went closer, he saw the girl right their sitting on the dragon's back.  He wasn't hallucinating at all; it was true.  There is indeed a girl riding a dragon.

"Excuse me, miss.  What's you're name?"  He asked.

The girl made some strange sounds then the dragon somehow responded and lowered itself to the ground.  The girl got up from the dragon and from there, the guard saw the girl without the difficulty of the sunlight.  She is wearing a blue fur coat, and under it are a pair of shoulder armour with a spiky skirt; she also has a headband that runs around her forehead.  On her legs, she's somehow wearing pants underneath the skirt, and thick fur boots.  She went near them and said,

"My name's Astrid Hofferson… and I'm from the Faeroese village of Berk."

Meanwhile Norwegian king, Harold V, was having a leisurely stroll on his lawn with his queen, located at the back of the palace.  So, meaning he doesn't know that there is a commotion running amuck in front of the palace.  He was picking up some flowers for his beautiful wife until a night fury swooped over their heads.  The couple were shocked and tried to run back to the door but the dragon blocked it.  There were guards who came to help but the dragon knocked them unconscious by whipping its tail on their faces.  The king then protected his queen by dragging her into a bush; he then took his sword and started shouting at the dragon furiously.  He swings his sword: left then right, but every time he did, the dragon would just back off.

"Come and fight me, dragon.  I know your kind isn't as cowardly as you.  Come on!!!  FGHT ME!!!"

The king took one more swing of his sword but it was blocked… by another sword.  And it came from the rider.  The king dropped his sword in utter shock.  He would never expect that to happen.  But then again, he never saw the rider since he was busy fighting and that the sun's raise was blocking much of his sight on the rider.  There was another thing that took the king's breath away: the dragon never even attacked him.  He has had a share of facing against night furies before but never had he seen one that didn't even lunge a single attack.  He knew from heart and by experience that these dragons will always go for the kill, but this one seemed quite the opposite; as if it was tamed.  And he figured that the rider has something to do about it.

As the king stood up, he went closer to see the rider.  There, he can see a young man, about in his young teens; red hair, thin physique.  He is wearing a black fur coat and under it were a green long-sleeved shirt, a brown sleeveless fur coat, grey pants, and thick fur boots.  But there was something that caught the king's attention: his prosthetic leg.  He has seen quite a lot of replacement legs and arms but never like the one he saw from this young man.

"What is you're name, young man?"  He asked as he tried to keep his distance from the dragon.

"My name's Hiccup, your Highness… Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III.  And I am from the Faeroese village of Berk."

The king's eyes widened; it was the boy the council waited for yet never came.  Hiccup… in his mind it was a very familiar name.  And just seeing this boy ride the dragon, he can tell that this is the Hiccup they've waited yesterday.

Meanwhile, just outside the other side of the palace, the guards were still standing in front of the dragons in total shock and awe as Astrid and the rest explained to them everything; from the stories back in Berk to their trip to Oslo the guards are given the entire enchilada.  Never have they even thought that they'd be face to face with the Vikings from Berk; the village famously known for being the living place of the region's most famous Viking: Hiccup.  With that knowledge in their heads, they expected Hiccup could be somewhere nearby; they never knew he was just behind them, taking the king to a little flyby across the city with Toothless.

Up in the skies, Hiccup takes the king and queen for a little ride with Toothless; showing them the sights and beauty of Oslo, Oslofjord, and the surrounding mountain ranges.  To his surprise, the king seems quite pleased on what's happening; for the first time in his life, he is able to touch the clouds without even stepping on ground like going up a mountain.  He can hear nothing but pure silence in the skies except for the howling wind that is blowing on his face.

"You were right, Hiccup, there is something good about dragons."  The king said.

"So, would you still allow me and my friends to have that meeting with the council?  Even though we're late?"

"Well," the king added with a raised eyebrow, "I don't know… let's go to the council and see if they would still allow you.  For me, I think you've convinced me to agree with you on that topic!"

Meanwhile, the team on the ground see a night fury coming in for a landing.  The guards readied their weapon but Astrid told them not to.  As the dragon landed, the guards see the king along with another Viking; scrawny, red hair, it was someone they were familiar with.

"Men, lower your weapons…" the king said, "This is Hiccup you're pointing your crossbows at after all.  We don't want to make a bad impression on him, do we?"

The guards stood there; frozen.  They can't believe their eyes: it's Hiccup, THE famous Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the Viking form Berk who had successfully caught a Night Fury and ended the war against dragons; the one and only Hiccup who has transformed the Faeroe Islands into a peaceful kingdom.  As the king stood up from the dragon, the men were awed by just how their ancestors were totally wrong about dragons and how much fun they might have if they'd own a dragon for themselves like Hiccup and his friends.

"Men," the king said, "I would like you to give us an escort to the Council Palace.  We have a conference with the kings and queens and we need to go there without interruptions or hurdles; is that understood?"

"Yes, your Highness, right away!"  The high ranking guard answered.  Soon, the king, the team, and their dragons were escorted around the city and on their way to the council.  With their trip around town, they're starting to get some attention; attention that Astrid planned would get the council reconsidering their meeting to be rescheduled instead of cancelled.  The citizenry and the reserve military that, earlier in the morning were scattered around trying to hunt down the dragons, instead were standing at the side of the streets as they see guards escorting the king of Norway, a bunch of teens, and surprisingly the dragons to the Nordic Council Palace.  They were utterly stunned yet very curious to know what was going on; they kept following them on every street, dragging more bystanders into the scene.  Ultimately, nearly everyone who was aware of the recent event was actually there just behind the team, following them to the council palace.


Nordic Council Palace, Oslo… February 17, 1349

At the gates of the council palace, many were at the side of the streets; the guards behind the gates were so confused at the scene: people were outside the gates, there's the king and his guards, and… a group of dragons.  Their eyes widened so see these creatures; and what got them all stunned is that these dragons are somehow part of the escort; they didn't attack and neither did the king's guards.  Then, the king approached the gates and asked the guards to open.  The guards, at first, didn't seem to understand the situation.  They mumbled their words in front of the king, but he said it again, this time in a louder voice.  The guards know the rules, and they also know that a king raising his voice could mean trouble.  Without asking permission from the council or their superiors, the guards instead open the gates and let the king, the riders, and the dragons in.  As the dragons entered, the palace guards were awed to see the magnificence of these creatures; they have never been near one that didn't attack them at least.

As the team walked across the courtyard, one of the guards stepped forth and stopped them.

"Um… I believe that your… d- dragons can't… well… enter the council because…"  The guard said.

"Because… well?"  Astrid added.

"Well… they're…"

"They're what!?!?!"

"Too big to fit in the door… sorry."

"Oh… hehe… Ok…"  Astrid blushed; she never noticed that the door WAS only meant for people and that they never expected dragons to come inside.

Since the dragons weren't allowed inside, one of them has to stay out and guard the dragons just in case something happens to them.  Astrid wanted to stay but Hiccup refused, he would need Astrid inside the council just in case something wrong happens.  So, Hiccup had to choose between the twins, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Kaia.  Certainly enough, he would need Fishlegs, since he has good wisdom; he also considered Kaia to be with him inside the council.  So, it was just between the twins and Snotlout.  He discussed with Astrid for a while and soon enough they've decided who gets to stay outside with the dragons.

"Snotlout, you're with the dragons."  Hiccup concluded.

"Yeah," Astrid added. "And besides, you'll cause trouble inside.  So, better off with the dragons."

Snotlout was fine by their decision, instead.  He didn't revolt or anything; in fact, he never even thought of going to the council, thinking that it'll be a bunch of talking and discussing and it would be too boring for him.  So, he agreed to Hiccup and went with the dragons as they stayed outside on the courtyard.

The team goes in the council along with the king; from there, they enter what they think is the most sacred of all palaces of the Nordic region; this is the palace of the council, the highest rulers of the land.  And from what they see as they walk along the corridors of the palace, they can see just how much a powerful symbol the council is to the Vikings.  Along the corridors, many precious artefacts and decorations; most are of gold and silver, some were rare jewels, the rest were donations from the royal families and other rich Vikings.  The ceilings are painted in pure white and golden chandeliers dangle from above.  The walls are covered with paintings of the Vikings' most famous people, including their national hero and founder of the Nordic Union: Börge
.

Now, Börge, being the Vikings' hero, wasn't born a hero.  He was raised in a rural village in Sweden; he was the son of the village's chieftain and, apparently, heir to the village.  But one day, when he was 15, some men stormed his village and ransacked everything, killing even his parents.  The village was burned to the ground, and those who survived fled to the countryside, including Börge.  From then on, he vowed to avenge his village and his family, and from years that have passed he made an army.  The army fought alongside the primary Viking force as a militia corps during the "Era of Darkness"; his fighting skills and great tactics earned him fame across the region.  And on one winter day he was called to meet with the kings and queens of the nine Viking kingdoms (this took place before the Nordic Union existed).  He proposed to the kings and queens that the entire Viking people must be united if they are to win the war; the kings and queens debated over the subject, but finally they agreed.  He was then promoted to a high-ranking general and was privileged to lead the first ever Viking coalition force.  However, he died fighting with his men.  His body was brought to the kings and queens where they gave him the highest honours as a Viking.  His bravery and sacrifice was what pushed the kings and queens during that time to consider a full unification of the nine Viking kingdoms.  They suggested only a military coalition, but more and more of the kings and queens started to realize the importance of unification.  Finally, after a year's worth of debate, on 1280, the Union of the Nordic Kingdoms was established; consisting of nine Viking kingdoms and a population of over twenty million with half the population as part of the military.  Because of Börge's idea of unification, the Nordic Union was raised and the entire Viking race was unified for the first time.

As the team make their way further in the palace, they were brought to a large room.  The room had a long table and around it are eighteen chairs: reserved for the kings and queens.  They sat on some extra chairs on one corner where they were told to wait.  The Norwegian king went inside another room connected via a door, where the team suspected to be where the kings and queens are in right now.  The team were quiet, eager to hear at least a sound from the room.  They waited for ten minutes until finally, they see the door open.  In front of them, they are now face to face with the most powerful figures of the Nordic Union: the kings and queens of the nine Viking kingdoms.

"Hiccup… it's… them…"  Astrid whispered.

"Yeah… the kings and queens…"

"You know what your father said 'be polite' and don't you ever go stressful right now—"

"Yes I get it Astrid.  Now, can you please just let me concentrate?"

While the two were whispering to each other, the kings and queens take their seats.  Each king and queen represents their kingdoms.  From the right side of the table sit the leaders of the Baltic kingdoms, the left side are for the Maritime kingdoms, and the rest are for the Core kingdoms.  The two kept whispering to each other when the Finnish king interrupted.

"You must be the so called 'First Dragon Rider', am I correct, Sir. Hiccup Horrendous haddock III?"

Hiccup paused and widened his eyes; he swallowed and looked at the kings and queens, eager to hear from him.  Astrid too silenced herself; she knows now's the big moment they came here for.  Astrid distanced herself from Hiccup and took her seat along with the others.  Hiccup was finally alone in front of the table, looking to the eyes of the council members.

"Ye- yes, sir."

"OK, then.  And is it true that YOU have a Night Fury as your dragon?"

"Yes sir. That is true."

"And is it true that you have conducted the so called 'Dragon Studies' across the Faeroese Islands?  Ultimately teaching every village and city how to care for and ride a dragon.  Is it all correct, my good boy?"

"Yes sir."

His sweat was rushing down on his forehead; his heartbeat was racing, and he can feel his breathing beginning to shallow.  He was very nervous and he had good reason for being nervous; even for just being simple questions, it was all asked by the kings and queens.  One wrong word or move could cause the entire trip to be a total failure; and Hiccup's going over his limits just to keep it all cool.  Astrid, however, keeps praying to the gods that Hiccup won't slip this one unlike what he did three months ago.  She already knows what would happen if he did slip up; but she can't do anything.  Barging on a conversation with the council members is disrespectful and utterly humiliating.  She can't do nothing but hope that all would go well.

"And one more thing, son…" the Finnish king added, "I would like to see you and your friends' dragons, if I may.  Just for solid proof that you are indeed the one they say who stopped the war and united men and dragons."

"Hiccup sighed in relief; he feels this as a both a good thing and a bad thing.  Being a good thing, the members would finally see the better, more tamed side of dragons; but the bad thing is that the member would negatively respond to this, much less to his concern that they might violently react to the sight of dragons.  But he remembered what Astrid said 'keep a positive thought about it.  Think positively…' He took a deep breath and said,

"Please come and follow me you highnesses."  He bring them through the corridors and out from the palace doors.  There, the kings and queens were greeted by Oslo citizens; but there were others who greeted them as well.  Just near the gates, along with another young Viking, sit the dragons of Hiccup and his friends: A night fury, a zippleback, a gronckle, a monsterous nightmare, a deadly nadder, and a winged blizzard.  At first, the kings and queens were shocked to see themselves being so near dragon; they've never been this close to dragons so often since their guards will ultimately drag them away into a secluded place where they're safe, but now the guards don't mind the dragons since they understand that these are tamed and that they belong to some of the first dragon riders.

"So, your majesties… there you have it; our dragons."   Hiccup grinned as he awaits the response of the members.

"Let's discuss more inside, shall we?"  The Finnish king asked, awed as he saw the dragons.  Soon, all went back inside and walked to their seats once again.

"Now that we know that you are indeed Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, mind telling us why you were late yesterday?  We have been waiting since afternoon for you and you never came, so we decided to cancel the meeting instead; you wasted our time, son." The Swedish queen said with a worried look on her face.

"I know… and I'm sorry." Hiccup began explaining, mumbling every word to the kings and queens.  "You see… there were… incidents that happened during the trip and… well…"

"We have time, my dear boy.  Care to tell us why?"  The queen asked some more.

So, Hiccup begins explaining all about the trip: from the time they left Berk, to their stopover in Shetland Islands, their near-death experience over Bergen, the fishing in Hordaland county, and their arrival in Oslo.  Hiccup took nearly an hour to explain everything; there were questions raised to Hiccup, particularly about the passports and how they got to land in Shetland without one.  Surprisingly, Hiccup was able to answer every question truthfully and accurately.  Astrid was quite pleased to see Hiccup like this; since he is relaxed he can concentrate and answer all the questions.  All he needed was a little spirit-lifter, and Astrid's presence has always been that, always lifting his spirits and calming him down.  Every time, an answer is raised to him and he feels that he can't answer, he would always look at Astrid, then take a deep breath before another word comes out of his mouth.  His friends watch as the conversation between villager and royalty continue on for a whole hour until finally ending with satisfaction from the council members; they agreed that Hiccup's explanation to why they were late was acceptable, and that they can now move on to the real topic: dragon studies.

"Now then, Sir. Haddock," The Danish King then said. "Let's move on to our main discussion about you and dragon studies.  We were told that you wish to teach the entire… and let me repeat… ENTIRE Viking people about dragons?"

"Yes sir."

"And are you aware of the scale of this task?  Remember that our total population is about twenty-five million or more with thousands of villages and hundreds of cities and this, in my perspective, would take you quite a while to do."

"Yes sir.  I understand the complexity of the situation; I am willing to take the risk."

"But before we can allow you to do so," The Danish queen suddenly interrupted, "We need you to tell us everything about dragon studies.  We want to know what our people would learn from this.  What will they be studying?"

"Yes indeed, you highness.  Ruffnut, the bag please?"  Hiccup called for Ruffnut and her bag.  As she opened it, there contains several documents, folders, and scrolls that inside them are written notes of all the information, all the lessons, and all records of Dragon Studies that he, Astrid, and Fishlegs did when they ended the war.  The bag also contains the revised version of the Dragon Manual, which Fishlegs did, changing everything most notably the 'extremely dangerous, kill on sight' phrase seen on every dragon profile written.

Like a teacher giving a lecture, Hiccup starts to discuss Dragon Studies to the council, spreading the papers and the documents across the table.  His friends also helped out, particularly Astrid, giving all the information to the kings and queens; there were of course questions raised, but they always get it right since after all they were also asked many times about dragon studies back in Berk for the last three months.  The whole session lasted for two hours; the kings and queens called for a lunch break yet the discussion wasn't even finished.  So, they decided to continue on after noon time.

While the kings and queens went back to the other room to have their lunch, the team went out to get their own food.  Meanwhile, as they were heading outside, Snotlout was busy with his own discussions.  Everyone else who was outside earlier in the day left except for three girls who were talking to him.

"So you're actually telling the truth?!?! You're Hiccup; the one who they say ended the war?"  One of the girls said.

"Oh wow, you must've been through a lot of thing just to do that!  Did you get hurt or anything?  I heard you lost your leg."  Another girl added.

"What!?!?!  I don't get hurt!" Snotlout shouted as he starts to flex his muscles. "With these macho looks, I'm pretty much invincible… well, except for you ladies.  It seems that you just stole my heart."

"Oh wow, those are some hard arms there, Hiccup.  But I thought you were scrawny?"  Yet another question was raised to Snotlout.

"Well, after dealing with dragons a lot, one such as me needs hard abs as a start.  Then it's off to the arms, then the legs, and then—"

As he continues to pretend to be Hiccup, the real Hiccup however suddenly appears coming out from the council palace along with the other members of the team and was a bit bewildered to see whatever Snotlout was doing.

"Hey Snotlout, ca— WHAT are your doing!?!?!"  Hiccup asked in utter surprise.

A moment of silence filled the scene, both Snotlout and the team were staring at each other, even Tuffnut had some drool coming out of his opened mouth as he freezes to find out that Snotlout's been doing something stupid.

"So, you're not Hiccup?"  One of the girls then said with disappointments on their minds.

"Well, you see… um… I…"

Snotlout mumbled on his phrases and tried to explain himself, but all to be stopped as all the three girls slapped him on the face for lying to them about everything and left the gates.  The team were laughing to the scene; often they would just be quite mad if Snotlout did something stupid like that, but seeing girls other than Ruff and Astrid slap or punch him like that, it made them laugh a lot, indeed.

" *hysterically laughing* Well… at least I didn't punch him for doing something stupid!"  Astrid said, as she fell to her knees laughing.

"Well no, you didn't they did."  Fishlegs added.  Astrid did realize that the girls did hurt him for doing something stupid and not her; she knows that it's in her antics to do that even if others did it for her.  So, like the Astrid she really is, she punched Snotlout on the shoulders… just for the fun of it, though.

"THAT'S for doing something stupid!" She shouted.

All that Snotlout did was writhe in pain on the ground, with three slaps on his face and a strong punch on his shoulder.  The team then gets their food and went back inside the palace.  However, Hiccup helped Lout up and told him to get his food and meet him inside.

"But Hic, I thought I'd watch over the dragons just in case anything might happen?"  Lout asked.

"Don't worry, I think the guards know that they don't have to fear anything from these dragons.  So, um… hey, sorry for Astrid there…"

"Yeah, so can you tell your girlfriend to control herself for a change?  Sheesh!!!  Three slaps from hot chicks is damn right painful enough; but adding her punch?  Man, she must be really addicted to it!!!"

"Well, you know her… she has a knack for hurting people like you."

"HEY!!! What does that even mean?!?!"

" *giggle* Never mind… come on in, and get your lunch."

So, they made their way in the cafeteria located near the palace's courtyard; after which having spent an hour eating and chatting, went back to the meeting room and awaited the kings and queens.  Snotlout, instead of heading back outside, went with the team; but Astrid and Ruffnut weren't that pleased with Hiccup's decision.  They know that sooner or later, big trouble will follow on.

Snotlout Jorgenson… often called either Snotlout or just Lout… he has been the village bully ever since.  He's big and strong; his diet consists mainly of meat, eggs, and milk, some of the food that gives him the macho figure he has now.  But inside that macho-ness is a reckless, cocky attitude that would often lead him into trouble one way or another.  He began being the bully since he started picking on Hiccup.  Now, his relations to Hiccup was been nothing but strained; he always sees him as nothing more than a walking, living fishbone.  However, he treats the other kids more equally, and has been very good friends with Tuffnut.  He however, has a crush on Astrid; and it shows because every time he's near her he starts to show off, ultimately leading him to fail many training sessions during dragon training.  This is where Lout's weak side shows, even if being a very muscular Viking with the real Viking attitude, he's not that well prepared for fighting dragons.  He THINKS he's ready for dragons, but all in all when he shows up on the ring, he only tries to impress Astrid and the other teens, and also humiliate Hiccup; thus his focus on the training is lost and he gets his ass kicked for it.  He only started to respect Hiccup more when the used-to-be scrawny boy began to show some actual abilities in the dragon training.  He began to adore Hiccup and his sudden change from being a weakling to a village celebrity; he even said that he loved his plan on rescuing the village from their raid to Helheim.  This shows just how a weakling Snotlout is even with his muscular physique.  His ultimate test to see if he is a good friend of Hiccup came when Hiccup recovered from his four-day come.  By this time, Astrid began dating Hiccup; but he wanted her to date him.  In his mind was envy and vengeance, but in due time he realized that maybe Astrid's not the right girl for him; maybe there's another girl that's as good as Astrid and that's suitable for him.  So, he was able to calm himself down and just allowed the two to date.  Even if he has changed a lot, his crazy antics remain in his mind; causing trouble most often to himself.

The team waits for the kings and queens in the meeting room; for another ten minutes, they sit quietly on their chairs.  Then the doors open, and from there, the discussion was back on track.  For yet another two long hours, the villagers of Berk and the royalties of nine Viking kingdoms discuss, or more to describe it as debate, the subject whether to allow Hiccup and his friends pursue teaching dragon studies across the Nordic Union or not.  Sweat was falling from their foreheads as they give questions and answers, meaningful yet complex explanations on specific topics within the debate; it was like a sauna inside that room, to think that even in the dead of a typical February winter, they are sweating.

Finally; somewhat 3 in the afternoon, after two hours worth of talking, the discussion was over.  Everything that Hiccup and his friends needed to say to the council was said, and the council has all the information they need to decide whether it is a YES or a NO for Hiccup and his team to teach dragon studies.  The team take their seats, and wait as the council members talk to each other, just waiting for an answer.  Suddenly, the members then looked at them; this is it, the moment they've been waiting for…

"We the council members," The Faeroese king addressed.  "Through six painstaking hours worth of debates, and that all the information has been delivered to us, we have decided to discuss this more later this day and tonight… alone."

"WHAT!?!?!"  Snotlout shouted.

"Excuse me, sir…"  The Faeroese queen interrupted.

"Snotlout, get back in your seat!!!"  Astrid pulled him back.

"WE like spent nearly the entire afternoon giving you what you wanted to know… and now you just don't want to tell us your decision!?!  This is madness!!!"  Snotlout added some more.

"Sir," the Faeroese king firmly said, "Please understand; the council would need more time to discuss this.  Your job of telling us everything we needed to know is done.  Now, all you have to do is wait.  By tomorrow we might have the answer, but I can't assure you that."

"Now our guards will bring you to an apartment; you can stay there for the meantime.  And don't worry about expenses; we've paid for those as well."  The Norwegian king added.  "So, for now you are dismissed."

"Thank you, your majesties.  We hope to hear of your decision soon."  Hiccup said; then he and his friends stood up and left, exiting the door and heading to their dragons.

Outside, the team finally relaxes after hours inside the council.  Astrid was quite angry at Snotlout for what he did, and she would've blamed Hiccup for bringing him inside, but she doesn't want to.

"SNOTLOUT!!!" She punches him on the shoulders, "That's for screaming in front of the kings and queens!!!  What were you even thinking, you son of a—"

"Astrid enough!!!"  Hiccup intervened, covering Astrid with his arms. "It's alright, it's not his fault; he never knew the situation from the very beginning.  He wasn't there in the morning remember?"

"But Hic… we… we could've been in so much trouble for what that TROLL did!!!"

"Astrid, control yourself; remember what you always told me 'calm down, relax.'  Now, I need you to calm down.  Please…"

There is one thing that not everyone knows but only Hiccup and Snotlout know about: Astrid has a short temper when agitated at a certain level.  Not even the twins, Kaia, nor Fishlegs know that Astrid can reach this level of anger, but Hiccup and Snotlout had already seen it happen.  It was one specific day when they were still at Berk.  Hiccup had just finished a typical day of lessons about dragon riding when he encountered shouting from the forest.  He went there along with his dragon, Toothless, and there they see Astrid and Snotlout arguing at something.  He quickly rode his dragon and made a quick dash (since he can't run properly with the prosthetic).  What he heard was all about some specific topic in dragon studies; Hiccup asked Astrid how everything started, she told that Snotlout came all a sudden while she was in the middle of teaching a class.  Snotlout then started telling the class some false ideas about the subject, which Astrid hated him for doing so.  Astrid tried to stop him, but it only made him do more.  She can't stop him, and just can't take it anymore.  She reached her breaking point and just smashed a hard blow on his shoulder, as usual.  But the blow was much harder than what she would typically give.  She told the class to leave immediately, and here is when Hiccup started hearing the shouting.  If he weren't' on the scene, Astrid and Lout could've had a bloodbath.  He told Lout to leave immediately; he however stayed and calmed Astrid down.  It took Hiccup a quarter of an hour before Astrid finally rested her head on his lap.  He calmed her down, but it was an experience to learn from.  The following day, she apologized to the class and also to Snotlout, not to mention to the village chief.  It was very rare for Astrid to go on a rage, but it can happen… all it takes is a certain level of agitation to bring her to her ultimate breaking point.

Hiccup was able to clam Astrid down as they walked to their apartments.  Snotlout, who just had escaped what would've been his worst day yet, kept his distance from the blonde Viking.  They reached the apartment, which was pretty near the council palace.  There, they noticed that their dragons won't be able to enter because of their size.  However, the guards were able to build makeshift stables that fit the dragons; just located behind the apartments.  They then brought their dragons to the stables for the night.


Typical apartment, Oslo… February 17, 1349

Meanwhile, at dinner, there were lots of commotions between the team expecting all about the decision from the council: When will they announce it?  What will they answer?  Those were the topics on their minds.  After dinner, a few went out for a little walk; Fishlegs and the twins went up and prepared to sleep, but the rest were outside taking a stroll on the streets.  Hiccup was with Astrid, while Kaia went to the stables to check on the dragons.  Snotlout, however, went with Kaia.  There, he saw her petting the dragon and watching over them; making sure nothing might go wrong.  He approached her, and as he did she quickly grabbed her dagger and swung it towards him.  But fortunately, she missed and she sees Snotlout right in front of her.  She was utterly in shock to have almost killed Lout, but she calmed down quite fast.

"Damnit, Lout!  You sacred the hell out of me.  What are you doing here anyway?"  She asked.

"Well, listen… about the incident back at the palace… I… I didn't mean to—"

"Why are you even saying sorry to me?  You should say it to Astrid; she's the one you pissed off.  Come to think of it, I've never really seen her like that before."

"Well, you see… I can't do it right now.  I want to talk to someone who has a close relationship with Astrid… other than Hiccup, I mean."

"Well, here's some advice I can give you: change your attitude.  The things you do are causing stress and trouble not only to you, but also to us, particularly to Hiccup and Astrid.  If you can't change your ways soon, well… Odin knows what'll happen to you.  Anyway, it's getting late; I better head back up to the apartment."

Kaia then leaves Snotlout on the stables.  Lout thought deeply about what she said 'change you attitude'.  It seems that all the things he does isn't causing laughter at all, as he thought it was; but instead it was giving the team a great deal of burden and with his recent incident in the meeting room, he can't help but think that it almost cost them the entire trip.  Snotlout has been a bully for too long, and he feels that his time of fun might be over; he needs to be more serious especially he is involved in a massive project that'll bring Dragon Studies across the Nordic Union.  He indeed needs to change the way he thinks and acts, or else it will jeopardise Hiccup's plan, not to mention get Astrid so upset again, which he knows all to well not to do anymore.  He returns to the apartment minutes after spending some time in the stable; he enters his room where he lies down on the bed, and fell asleep.  From then on, Snotlout knows that the only way to really impress the team is that he changes himself, and he plans to do so by tomorrow.

It might be tomorrow, it might be next week… the team cannot tell, but the only thing that they are sure of is that the council has only two things to say to them when the time comes for them to tell their decision: Yes or No.  All their hard work in going all the way to Oslo might pay off depending on the decision.  But for now, everyone is resting on their own room: Hiccup with Astrid, the twins together, Fishlegs, Kaia, and Snotlout on the same room.  Everyone must be prepared for tomorrow if just in case that IS the day they will make the decision.  The thing they are praying so hard for to the gods is that by the time they are called back to the palace, they will hear what they wanted to hear.


Oslo, Norway… February 18, 1349

…