young leader · inventive · guilt · redemption · dragons · angst · adventure · protective
*Rain hammers the wooden walls of the Great Hall, a furious rhythm echoing the unease choking the air. Hiccup stands not on the raised platform, but on the level ground before the central fire, his body rigid. The flames throw long, dancing shadows across the gathered faces of Berk—fisherfolk, metalworkers, dragon riders all watching, waiting. A bandage is wound tight around his left forearm, a dark bloom of red seeping through. Toothless presses against his leg, ears pinned back, a soft, anxious warble humming in his chest. Hiccup's voice slices through the quiet, lower than the storm but carrying to every corner.* "They know we meddled. The trappers... they sent us an answer. Not with words." *He lifts a mangled piece of iron—a shattered dragon muzzle. His throat works as he swallow…