The Twins Have An Idea, second draft

Author’s Note: This is a work of fanfiction. The rights to How to Train Your Dragon remain with Cressida Cowell and Dreamworks. Only the plot is mine.

I’m sorry, but it’s true.

§ § §

The area behind Mead Hall had patchy grass and a well-worn path. Generations of kitchen workers had trodden it down getting to the back entry. They were the only people who used it.

Except for Hiccup and Toothless. Hiccup’s dragon had become a Mead Hall favorite, and somehow found the kitchen door. Hiccup caught him crooning, turning pleading eyes in Quicklegs Ingerman. Toothless scored a dozen herring and a large Salmon. She began feeding Hiccup as well, and he discovered the relative solitude of the location. The sunlight was limited, and did Hiccup needed to hide, the shadows were perfect.

Hiccup was leaning against a napping Toothless, avoiding his father and griping to Toothless.

“‘You’re leading the forest patrol tomorrow, son, so be up early. A Chief never keeps his people waiting.’ I’m not leading forest patrol with him there, no, I’m in charge of it. Me, like I know what I'm doing. “ Toothless shrugged; he had heard this rant before. “Oh, that’s not all. Once I step outside, somebody stops me. ‘Oh, Hiccup, what’s Stoick going to talk about at the next council meeting?’ ‘Can you speak to the Berk Guard about Dragon rescues?’ ‘How much of the tree line can we cut into for the new storehouse?’ ‘I’d ask Stoick, but you’re right here.’ I have no time for anything. I want a break, you know?”

“Boss man!”

“Gah!” Hiccup shot up, opening his eyes. Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston were crouched, one on either side of him, their heads turned sideways like owls.


“That’s not a very pleasant way to greet your favorite friend and his sister.”

Ruffnut shot a glare at her brother. “I thought we agreed I’m his favorite.”

Oh, Thor, the twins had found him, and Hiccup did not need their lunacy. “How did you guys find me?”

Ruffnut swept her braids behind her shoulder. “Brother mine, it appears the heir of Berk has forgotten our considerable skill at tracking.”

“So sad, sister. I truly fear for Berk’s well-being when he ascends to the chiefdom.” Toothless snorted, flipping his tail at the sky. The twin’s dragon was glaring at them, then turned and flew away. Clearly Hiccup wasn’t the only one fed up with them.

“Your dragon abandoned you.” Toothless snickered.

“Maybe.” Tuff drew out the word, cringing a little.

“Guys, I’m really not in the mood for this. Can you just go somewhere else?”

“Well, no, we can’t. You see, we overheard you telling Toothless you need a break. My brother and I have the solution to your dilemma.”

“You do?”

Indeed we do. You,” Ruffnut pointed at Hiccup, “like to invent things. We,” she indicated herself and Tuffnut, “are brilliant and have an idea for an awesome invention. You shall take our brainchild and bring it to life.”

Inventing didn’t sound like a bad idea. “What do you think, Bud?” Toothless shook his head. Leave me out of this.

I going to regret this, but what’s your idea?”

“It’s a game.”

“It’s a toy.”

“So, you thought up a game toy. Tell me what it does, and I can figure out if it’s possible to make one.”

“You throw it through the air for another person to catch.”

“That’s a great idea, but balls already exist, Tuff.”

“You muttonhead.” Ruffnut shoved her brother. “Our invention flies through the air and someone else has to snatch it from the air.”

“That’s called a shuttlecock. You can’t reinvent it.”

Tuffnut grabbed a stuck and started tracing in the dirt. “It’s not a shuttlecock. I didn’t think we had to draw you a picture.” Tuffnut drew for a moment. “Voila.” Hiccup knelt forward, and Toothless circled around him, both examining the drawing.

“What I see is a circle. Could you add a little more detail?”

“That’s not a circle, it’s a disk. The edges come down so you can grab it. Like an upside down bowl. But not a deep one, a…what’s the word, Sis?”

“Shallow. It’s about a fingertip deep. We know you can do it, because you’ve invented weird flying stuff before.” She thrust her face into Hiccup’s. “So, you gonna do it?”

“I’ll do a few preliminary sketches,” the twins high-fived one another, “but no promises about making your…what do you call it?”

“It’s the Flying Remarkable Innovation Supplying Boundless Exciting Entertainment. I,” Tuffnut thumped his hand to his chest, “came up with the name.”

Hiccup put his head in his hands. “That’s a great name, but I’m going to call it the Disk.”

Tuffnut nudged his sister. “Hiccup thought up a name. He’s totally going to make one.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I guarantee nothing.” Hiccup’s voice was flat. “This disk is a conjecture, okay? Nothing else.”

“Okay, we’ll wait. Personally, I want to see how you use the netting.” Tuff reached down to scratch Toothless. “It’s tricky to work with, but my sister and I concur you are up to the task.”

“What netting?”

“The netting you’re making our Flying Remarkable…” he stopped short at Hiccup’s look, “the Disk from.”

“Don’t be an idiot, Bro. Hiccup’s using leaves. The crunchy ones—they float better.”

“I’m not using dead leaves. Even if they’re lighter, they won’t survive.”

Ruffnut picked up the drawing stick. “Ohh, I see. Sticks lack the panache of leaves, but I suppose they’ll do.”

Hiccup snatched it back. “Look, you muttonheads. It can’t have holes or the disk won’t fly. Dead leaves are too brittle and will crumble before I can assemble anything. Sticks aren’t aerodynamic and rocks are too heavy. The material has to be solid and light enough to stay airborne.” Hiccup’s scribbles were spreading out. “I could try leather.”

“Okay, we’re going to leave you to it.”

“Talk to you later.”

“Yeah, see you guys later.” Hiccup fumbled for his notebook; the ideas were fresh and he began writing them down. He heard Tuffnut’s voice fading away.

“I told you it would work.”

“That was too easy.”

Hiccup stared at their retreating backs as Toothless began laughing at him.

The twins weren’t the muttonheads. He was.

Ruff and Tuff had played him. Hiccup’s imagination took over and now the Disk sat at the top of his invention list. He had to make it or go insane.

He glanced at his dragon. “What do you think about stiffened leather?” Toothless rolled on his back, laughing again.

§ § §

Hiccup’s shirt and flight leathers lay discarded under a birch tree. He and Toothless had flown for hours, escaping Berk’s suffocating heat wave. Now his dragon was limp with exhaustion and napping. Hiccup stretched beside Toothless and closed his eyes.”

“Ooh, nice abs. I didn’t think Hiccup was much to look at, but I like this view.”

“I dunno, sis. He’s not a runt any longer, but he’s still a fishbone with strange teeth.”

Odin help him, it was the twins. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were bizarre, one moment brilliant, the next absurd. They were violent masochists who beat each other up and enjoyed getting hurt as much as they did hitting each other. The tribe thought of them as a plague on the island, and the only explanation anyone could offer for their antics was “It’s them.”

They were Hiccup’s friends.

“Hiccy. Wake up, Hiccy.” Tuffnut shook Hiccup’s shoulder. “He’s not answering. Do you think he’s dead?”

“Nah, just unconscious. While he’s out, I’m getting a better look at those muscles.”

Hiccup opened his eyes to Ruff’s braids and Tuff’s dreadlocks dangling over his face. “Oh, hey guys. It’s good to see you. Uh, is something going on?”

Ruffnut moved closer. “We’ve been looking for you.”

“You have?”

“You’ve been avoiding your dad.”

“Yes. Yes I have.” Hiccup was avoiding everyone today, but Stoick topped the list. He was only nineteen, and the “duties of a chief” lectures were getting on his nerves.

“We know what you’re doing.” Ruffnut leered at him. “So tell us about the invention.”

“What? There is no invention. I don’t have time to invent. Believe me, I’d like to, but my dad’s dumping Chieftain lessons on me nonstop.” Hiccup ran his fingers over Toothless’s scales. “He’s driving me crazy.”

Ruff and Tuff looked at each other and smiled. “Perfect,” they said.

“You” Tuffnut pointed at Hiccup, “like to create things. My sister and I have an idea for an awesome invention. You shall take our concept and bring it to life.”

“What is it?” The twins had occasional flashes of genius; this might be one of them.

“It’s a game.”

“Or a toy.”

“We haven’t decided yet.”

“What is it supposed to do?” Hiccup opened his notebook to a fresh page. “Can it move, or is it stationary, like a game board?”

“You throw it for another person to catch, right sis?”

“No.” Ruffnut folded her arms and stared her brother down. “It flies through the air and someone else has to snatch it.”

Hiccup wrote down both answers.“This idea of yours—is it more like a ball or a shuttlecock?”

Tuff grabbed Hiccup’s notebook and charcoal. “It’s not either of those. I didn’t think we had to draw you a picture.” He sketched for a moment. “Voila.”

“What I see is a circle. Do you want a hoop?” A flying hoop wasn’t the worst idea the twins ever had.

“What I see is a circle. Could you add a little more detail?”

“That’s not a circle, it’s a disk. The edges come down so you can grab it. Like an upside down bowl. But not a deep one, a…what’s the word, Sis?”

“Shallow. It’s about a fingertip deep. We know you can do it, because you’ve invented weird flying stuff before.” She thrust her face into Hiccup’s. “So, you gonna do it?”

“I’ll do a few preliminary sketches,” the twins high-fived one another, “but no promises about making your…what do you call it?”

“It’s the Flying Remarkable Innovation Supplying Boundless Exciting Entertainment. I,” Tuffnut thumped his hand to his chest, “came up with the name.”

Hiccup put his head in his hands. “That’s a great name, but I’m going to call it the Disk.”

Tuffnut nudged his sister. “Hiccup thought up a name. He’s totally going to make one.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I guarantee nothing.” Hiccup’s voice was flat. “This disk is a conjecture, okay? Nothing else.”

“Okay, we’ll wait. Personally, I want to see how you use the netting.” Tuff reached down to scratch Toothless. “It’s tricky to work with, but my sister and I concur you are up to the task.”

“What netting?”

“The netting you’re using to create our Flying Remarkable…” he stopped short at Hiccup’s look, “the Disk from.”

“Don’t be an idiot, Bro. Hiccup’s using leaves. The crunchy ones—they float better.”

“I’m not using dead leaves. Even if they’re lighter, they won’t survive.”

Ruffnut picked up the drawing stick. “Ohh, I see. Sticks lack the panache of leaves, but I suppose they’ll do.”

Hiccup snatched it back. “Look, you muttonheads. It can’t have holes or the disk won’t fly. Dead leaves will crumble before I can assemble anything. Sticks aren’t aerodynamic and rocks are too heavy. The material has to be solid and light enough to stay airborne.” Hiccup’s scribbling sped up, and he turned the page. “I could try leather.”

“Okay, we’re going to leave you to it.”

“Bye for now.”

“Yeah, see you guys later.” Hiccup’s ideas were fresh and he began writing them down. He heard Tuffnut’s voice fading away.

“I told you it would work.”

“That was too easy.”

Hiccup stared at their retreating backs as Toothless began laughing at him.

The twins weren’t the muttonheads. He was.

Ruff and Tuff had played him. Hiccup’s imagination took over and now the Disk sat at the top of his invention list. He had to make it or go insane.

He glanced at his dragon. “What do you think about stiffened leather?” Toothless rolled on his back, laughing again.

§ § §