Hello lovely readers! This is essentially a crossover between HTTYD and the Atlantean Chronicles, but I'm not sure if this site has those, and also, they're highly M-Rated. I'm going to try my hardest to make this story not M-Rated, so I'd like feedback on how I'm doing. If one chapter is too M, tell me and I'll water it down.
To those of you who read my other stories: no, I am not abandoning any of them, and I think that I've now worked out a system for chapter updates. One chapter per week, and I will choose one story per week to update. Don't worry, I'll get to all of them, I promise.
By the way, I think I just figured out the perfect playlist for the Hiccstrid ship. :-)
Heart By Heart-Demi Lovato...representing the emotional part.
Moves Like Jagger-Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera...representing the physical part.
Poker Face-Lady GaGa...representing Hiccup's dirty and inside jokes (oh, look, I just made a dirty joke there. Completely unintentional, I promise) from the fics "Thor Help Her" and "Thank Freyja" by KageOkami-Kogo.
Dangerous Woman-Ariana Grande...representing what I feel to be Astrid's view on the relationship.
Can't Feel My Face-The Weeknd...representing what I feel to be Hiccup's view on the relationship.
Hee hee, it was so funny putting their relationship to a playlist.
Any way...
Chapter One.
It was an ordinary day on Berk. Dagur had been imprisoned a few months ago, and life was going smoothly. Well...apart from the twins and their escapades. But a ship was slowly making its way there. It was a ship with black sails, ripped and tattered. The ship itself was quite small, but had a figurehead that would have made most parents cover their children's eyes. There was a teenage girl at the helm, singing a pirate song to herself as she sailed toward the island where lived the boy she had taken an idle interest in. He was fascinating, for a mortal.
Yo ho, heave to,
The wind's caught in our sails
Yo ho, heave to,
Dead men tell no tales.
Snotlout spotted her while he was out flying Hookfang. Well, he spotted the boat. He didn't spot the girl, which was probably a good thing. He turned right around and flew to the Academy, where Hiccup was trying to teach the twins basic dragon facts. Such as, never tickle a sleeping dragon. The twins really needed to learn that one. Astrid was watching with a glint of humor in her eyes while Toothless chased Ruff and Tuff around the Academy. Fishlegs was laughing too hard to notice anything else.
"Finally decided to show up, huh, Snotlout?" Hiccup asked as Snotlout and Hookfang arrived.
"Yeah, sure, Hiccup. There's a really weird boat sailing towards us."
Toothless had given up on catching the twins and they ran over, grinning with reckless abandon.
"Can we destroy it? Pleeeaaaassse, Hiccup?" Ruffnut begged.
Hiccup crossed his arms. "No."
"What do you mean, 'really weird'?" Astrid asked while the twins whined.
Snotlout turned scarlet. "Um..."
"Spit it out." Astrid said.
"It can't be that bad," Fishlegs said.
"If it made Snotlout turn that color, I really want to know what it is." Tuffnut snickered.
"Fine!" Snotlout shouted. He lowered his voice a bit. "It has black, ripped up sails. But..uh..that's not the weird part."
"Then what is?" Hiccup wondered.
Snotlout turned a shade redder. "Look, guys, if you want to know, you can come see for yourself. I'm not saying it."
"Oooh," Ruffnut said. "Is it the figurehead?"
"How did you know?" Snotlout demanded.
Ruff shrugged. "I'm just a genius."
"That's debatable," Snotlout muttered.
"Okay! Guys, lets just go," Hiccup intervened.
Fioshlegs was wrong. It could be "that bad."
Upon seeing the figurehead, every single member of the riders turned their heads away and turned various shades of red. It was the upper halves of a man and a woman, wearing nothing at all, their lips locked together.
The girl on the boat saw them and waved. Hiccup swooped down.
"Who are you, and why are you coming to Berk?" he asked politely, trying not to look at the figurehead.
"My name is Seyla," the girl said. "I am here to offer you a choice, Hiccup Haddock."
"What kind of choice?"
"The kind that will save your people."
"Aren't you a Viking?"
There was something off about her voice. it was like she had an accent she was trying to hide.
"No. I am not. May I speak with you and your father?"
"Um. I'll see what I can do."
Half an hour later, Hiccup, Stoick, and Seyla sat in the Great Hall together.
"My son tells me you wished to talk to us?" Stoick asked.
"Yes." Seyla leaned forward. "Do you know anything of your ancestors?"
"How far back?"
"Two thousand years."
"No." Stoick regarded her suspiciously. "Why?"
She sighed, and there was a hint of disappointment in her voice when she answered him.
"I had hoped that your tribe would carry the memory of what the first two Hiccups did to this world. But I suppose the second was shameful enough that your tribe decided to forget."
"Forget what?" Hiccup asked curiously.
Seyla sat back, as if to begin a long story.
"In the past, there was a Sea-Dragon named Merciless-"
"Sea Dragon?" Hiccup interrupted.
"The same species as the Red Death. Do not interrupt."
"Sorry."
"Merciless could, as all Sea Dragons can, see into the future. What he saw was the extinction of the dragon race at the hands of a human man named Hiccup. He called the dragons to war in order to destroy the humans and to kill this 'Hiccup'. The first Hiccup was found on this very island. He too, was the son of a Chief, a Chief who had broken all Viking law in order to keep his son, for he had been what the humans called a 'runt.' Hiccup the First saved the life of a much smaller Sea Dragon who was named Odinsfang. They became a bonded pair, much like you and Toothless, Hiccup.
"Hiccup the First ended the first dragon war by use of the Dragon Jewel, which contains a sickness that only affects dragons and has no cure. Hiccup threatened Merciless with it, and Merciless left civilization, returning once he had turned evil and lost all shreds of empathy. He was an unstoppable, always-hungry killing machine who is today known as 'The Red Death.'
"Hiccup made a kingdom for himself. He joined together all the Viking tribes and ruled them wisely for the length of his short human life. The dragons were equals to the humans. Every human knew Dragonese. Every human had at least one dragon friend. But when Hiccup died, humans began treating dragons worse and worse, until dragons were treated like animals, which they are not, and the dragon riders of that age were scorned and hated because they had bonded with dragons instead of making dragons their slaves.
"It was at this time that Grimbeard the Ghastly was king. I see you recognize that name. Yes. He was a wonderful Viking, but he was a terrible person. When his third son was born, the baby was pronounced a runt. And so, as is the custom in the Hooligan tribe, the boy was named 'Hiccup.' 'Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Second.'
"But Grimbeard had banned Dragonese. He had closed the great Viking Library. He had executed the last of the honorable dragon riders. He had no qualms about killing his son, as was the law. What is it you Hooligans say? 'Throw out the freak or the tribe will be weak'? Something like that? Anyway, he would have done it right then and there if his wife had not begged him to let her son live. He agreed so as not to make a scene, but that night, he took the baby boy and left him on a mountainside for dragons to eat.
"Now, ordinarily dragons hate the taste of human flesh. But sometimes in desperate need a dragon will eat a human. One such dragon heard the baby crying and came to him. The dragon brought the baby back to his mate, who had just hatched a stillborn cub. The dragon would have eaten Hiccup, but he won her heart. So Hiccup the Second was raised by dragons. He even had a brother, another Sea Dragon named Furious."
"Hang on," Hiccup interrupted. "You're telling us that people rode dragons before us?" He looked incredibly shocked.
"Yes." Seyla said. "Those who rode dragons then were known as the Dragon Markers, because they wore a mark known as 'The Dragon Mark.' But Grimbeard changed that too. He renamed it 'The Slave Mark.'"
"You're saying that the Slave Mark was once a symbol of power?" Stoick shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable. "But it has been a mark of shame for a thousand years."
"And it was a mark of honor and glory for a thousand years before that," Seyla said. "Might I finish the story now?"
"Yes, of course. Sorry. Go ahead." Hiccup settled back into his seat.
"Hm." Seyla's eyes glinted.
"Well, as I was saying, Hiccup the Second had a brother, the Sea-Dragon Furious. They were a bonded pair as well. But Grimbeard could not escape his son forever. Some of his men found Hiccup seven years after he had been abandoned, quite wild in the mountains. He was dirty and feral, and tried to bite and scratch them. But they brought him back to the great Viking city that Grimbeard had built on the backs of slaves, slaves both human and dragon, a mighty city named 'Tomorrow.'
"Hiccup learned to be a human, to walk and talk and think like one. But his heart always belonged to those who had raised him; the dragons. His brothers were jealous of him. He had been gone, and now he was back, and he was receiving all the attention from their father's subjects. Hiccup did not care for his human brothers. He tried to arrange a peace meeting between Grimbeard and the dragons. He and the dragon Furious brought a great host of dragons in the hopes of writing and signing a peace treaty, but his brothers were so angry and jealous that they wanted him dead. So they lied to their father. They said that Hiccup was bringing the dragons to kill Grimbeard. Hiccup and his friends flew into an ambush."
Seyla bowed her head.
"There were so many deaths that day that the harbor was red. The ground was mixed with blood. The city was in ruins and on fire. Grimbeard killed his own son. But as Hiccup was dying, he told Grimbeard the truth. Grimbeard was filled with remorse, for the first time in his life. But he could not give his son a proper funeral, because Hiccup's brother Furious came and took the child, to give him a dragon's funeral. But Grimbeard could do one thing. He renounced the throne. He hid his treasure. He set a maze of tests and traps, so that only a man greater than he could claim all the things that give the king the right to rule. This maze extends throughout the known Viking world. The first thing that the Heir would need to find...was a toothless dragon."
Seyla fixed her gaze on Hiccup.
"Wait..." he said. "Are you saying..." he trailed off.
"Yes." Seyla said. "That is exactly what I'm saying. When Grimbeard ran away, he had two sons left. You are descended from the elder. Do you know what that means?"
"I'm...the Heir?" Hiccup whispered. Stoick looked speechless.
"You are the Heir." Seyla said. "But there is more to being the Heir than being king. I watch the patterns of history, Hiccup Haddock. I have seen what is to happen. According to this pattern, and according to the prophecy seen by all seers, the next man who claims kingship will be the man to drive the dragons into extinction with the Dragon Jewel."
Hiccup looked outraged through his shell-shocked expression.
"I would never do such a thing," he started, raising his voice, but Seyla cut him off.
"And that is why I am here, Hiccup!" she shouted. She lowered her voice to a normal pitch.
"You have a choice. You could love your destiny. You could be proud that you are ridding the world of dragons. I'm not saying you should be. I am only saying that is one of your options. Your other option, the option that would spare the dragons and prevent a new king, is this: you could come with me. Leave this life behind. Abandon your people. Abandon the dragons. Save thousands upon thousands of lives. If you stay, you will eventually begin a war with the dragons that will leave them all dead and tribes upon tribes of Vikings lost to talons and flame, even to each other. There are a hundred tribes, are there not?"
Hiccup nodded slowly.
"There will be less than half left."
There was utter silence.
"And where would you take him?" Stoick asked finally. "What place is there that would prevent this?"
"Dragons are not the only supernatural creatures in this world," she began, but Hiccup interrupted again.
"How are dragons supernatural?" he asked curiously. Seyla sighed.
"How do you think such creatures can stay aloft? How is it that their fire can be liquid, can be sparks, can be plasma? How is it that they can join their souls together with humans?"
"They can...do what, now?"
"Bonded pairs between human and dragon means that their souls are one. They merge their souls with a human's to create a whole new kind of a soul. But if neglected, the bond can break. Snap like a twig. You would be giving up such a bond with the Night Fury if you came with me, Hiccup."
"You still haven't said where!" Stoick huffed.
"That is true, I have not." Seyla cocked her head to one side. Hair black as squid ink shifted over her shoulder.
"I am a fallen nymph."
"And what's a nymph?"
"A nymph is a supernatural creature with the ability to attract any humanoid of the opposite gender."
"Humanoid?" Hiccup wondered. "And by attract, do you mean, like, physically attractive?"
"Yes, I do. And humanoid means any creature that looks like a human. Has the same shape and all that. I am a fallen nymph, which means I was punished for breaking a law by being stripped of my nymphhood and being forced to live as a mortal."
"Are nymphs immortal, then?" Stoick asked.
"No. They can die. But old age does not claim them."
"Oh."
"Hiccup would be a nymph. He would live a glorious life in the haven city, far under the sea. He would live a life of glory, for the nymphs are warriors as well as supernaturals. He would save thousands of lives by leaving here."
"Under the sea?" Hiccup asked.
"Under the sea. There is a city there, called Atlantis. It is a safe haven for all supernatural creatures except dragons."
"Son, you cannot be thinking of going!" Stoick burst out.
"I have to, Dad. You heard her." Hiccup shifted in his seat. "I can save people. I can be a hero."
"You're already a hero!"
"But I can save many more lives. I'm going." Hiccup looked at Seyla. "Can I bring anything with me?"
She nodded. "Yes, as long as it is not living. No one can come with you. It would just be you and whatever you wanted to bring."
Hiccup's face fell slightly. But then his eyes hardened and he stood up decisively.
"I guess I'd better go pack up then." He walked out of the Great Hall, his prosthetic clinking against the floor, and stepped out into the sunlight outside. His friends could be heard asking him what had happened as the doors swung closed.
Stoick sighed and buried his face in his hands.
"I'm sorry, Stoick," Seyla said. "It's for the best."
But she was lying. She thought of the patterns she had truly observed. There were three Hiccups. There were three dragon bonds. The destiny had only been averted twice. It could be averted again. That was exactly what she was doing. She was averting the destiny for the last time. It would come again, with Hiccup the Fourth. And then nothing could stop it. Nothing could stop him becoming king. Nothing could stop him ending the dragon race. Seyla was sorry for that. But it would not affect Atlantis. It would not affect her kind. And besides, the purpose of the dragons dying was so that the world could grow up. Could grow out of the age it was in. The Vikings would end, and usher in a new age, a new people, a new rise of humans. Yes, the DragonTime was coming. But it would end with Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Fourth.
"Goodbye, Hiccup."
Astrid's lips were quivering. She looked like she wasn't sure whether to be sad or angry. She settled for both. She punched him hard in the shoulder and then pulled him into a tight hug.
"I'm really going to miss you." She pulled away and looked at the ground, blinking hard. The twins pushed her out of the way and they both threw their arms around him at the same time.
"Bye, Hiccup." Ruffnut said.
"You're a great friend." Tuffnut said. "Don't get turned into a frog!"
"Why in Thor's name would I get turned into a frog?" Hiccup asked exasperatedly as the twins disentangled themselves and sat down on the dock.
Tuffnut chuckled out a little evil laugh. "I don't know! Magical people are weird..."
Fishlegs extended a hand, and he and Hiccup shook.
"It'll be strange to not have you around, Hiccup," he remarked.
"Yeah... it was great, Fishlegs." Hiccup replied.
Snotlout was next. He seemed to have no idea what to say.
"Y'know, you're not so bad." He finally said.
Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Thank you, Snotlout," he said with his usual sarcasm.
"No, I ..." Snotlout hesitated.
"I'm sorry for all those years I made you feel like a runt, okay?" He said. "...and I'm proud to call you my cousin."
He and Hiccup shook hands.
"Thanks." Hiccup said quietly. He shouldered his bag and took a deep breath. Stoick and Gobber and everyone else had already said goodbye. Now he had to say goodbye to the creature who could have been his brother.
Toothless came up to Hiccup and nudged him.
"Yeah, Bud. I've got to go. I'll be saving your life. And the other dragons' lives. And..." Hiccup trailed off. He knelt down and wrapped his arms around the Night Fury.
"Goodbye, Toothless. I'll miss you...so much."
Toothless crooned. He understood why Hiccup had to go; he wasn't a fool. He understood why it hurt so much. It was hurting him, too. When a soul that was joined breaks apart again, the emotions on both sides are intense.
Hiccup stood up and walked aboard the boat where Seyla was waiting.
"I'm ready."
"I can see that." She looked at him with pity, her dark eyes seeming to cut to his now separated soul.
She raised the small sail, and the boat began to move, cutting through the water. Hiccup stayed at the stern until Berk was gone from sight. Then he went and joined Seyla at the wheel.
"Why are your sails black and ripped?" He asked after a long silence. She glanced up at them.
"It is a symbol to any nymph that I am fallen." She gazed straight ahead. "I know you are wondering about the figurehead too."
Hiccup blushed. "Maybe a little."
"It is the standard figurehead on any nymph boat."
"Oh. And...why is that?"
Seyla chuckled darkly. "I did not tell the whole truth back there. Nymphs are not your ordinary supernaturals. They have their seductive gifts for a reason."
"You didn't say anything about-"
"I said attraction. What did you think that meant?"
Hiccup was silent, so she went on.
"Nymphs enjoy...such things...far more than any other creature, so it must follow that they have gifts to obtain what they want."
"O...kay?"
"See, it's not so hard to understand."
But Seyla had again lied. Nymphs did not "enjoy such things more." They simply couldn't survive without them. They would sicken and die if they did not have nightly relations with another humanoid.