WriterFreak001:
Just so you know, the next chapter for "Prepare for the Storm" is currently in the process of being written. I should be out with a new chapter sometime this month! Hopefully once I finish moving, chapters will be out a lot sooner than they have been. :/
The following story will be a Modern AU based off of the Korean TV Drama, Heirs. If you haven't seen the K-Drama, then you're in for a lot of fun. :)
For the purpose of the story, while Berk is still an island, it's more modern with skyscrapers and urbanization. Berk is the largest urban country/island in the Archipelago in this story.
Title | Heirs of Berk
Fandom | How to Train Your Dragon
Description | What happens when the person you thought you never would see again, the one who captured your heart overseas, ends up working in the same household you're trying to leave behind? Hicctrid – Modern AU.
Rating| T
Disclaimer | I don't own the HTTYD franchise, but I wish I did. XD
Chapter One: Different Lives (Part 1)
** HICCUP / LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA **
When he was sent to America, Hiccup didn't really mind the change of pace compared to his home back on Berk. While he was barely considered a member of his family back home, in America, he was his own family and didn't need to rely on anybody to do whatever he wanted to do. Yes, in his own strange way, he missed his family, mainly his mother – who loved him dearly, but the thought of returning to Berk after three years of barely any contact overwhelmed him greatly.
In America, he was respected by the few friends he had made over the last 1,095 days when his father, cousin and uncle would hardly give him the time of day. Though he made his own choices and didn't have to rely on any authority from home while he was abroad, his father – probably due to his mother's influence – still paid all his expenses and wired over a large sum of money every month to make sure he would never want for anything.
While Hiccup could easily provide his own way with the job he secured through the good graces of Hogarth – a distant cousin of his godfather, Gobber – as a welder, it was nice not to have to worry about mortgage or the electricity bill. Not only did he apprentice under Hogarth for the past three years, but in a way, Hogarth served as Hiccup's silent guardian. The young man lived by himself and did almost everything alone – save for the time he spent with his friends, but if he ever needed an adult for any occasion, Hogarth was on standby.
"Dude! Naraly on the waves, Hic!" Jake – Hiccup's first American friend – exclaimed as he gave the auburn Berkian double high-fives. The strange pair of friends walked along Malibu Beach after a few hours of surfing, ready to grab a bite to eat. "If only I could learn to cruise over those large waves. I swear, man, you could ride a Tsunami and survive. You're that good!"
"Trust me. If anybody could surf a tsunami and survive, then they're probably dreaming," Hiccup rolled his eyes, his remark going unnoticed by his spacey friend.
Ever since Hiccup knew Jake, it was obvious the American wasn't the brightest crayon in the box. Jake often annoyed Hiccup to no end with constant stupidity; however, the blonde surfer had a talent of keeping Hiccup distracted whenever his mind started to wander off to unwanted memories of continuous rejection and dissonance.
"I mean, how the hell did you manage to surf through that monster wave as it began curling around you?! That was awesome! You gotta teach me that move." Jake blabbed on, start-struck with Hiccup's remarkable talent to surf inside a standard-sized wave. If Jake wasn't actually high on drugs right now, he'd be able to realize that the oh-so-impressive wave was just a standard tubing wave. Anyone with intermediate surfing experience could have easily surfed through the wave without issues.
"Thanks… I guess…" Hiccup answered with a forced laugh as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. Before Jake could say anymore, Libby, the blonde junkie's busty 'Weekend's Only' girlfriend, caught up to them and gave Jake a wet, sloppy kiss on the cheek. She hugged him tightly, pressing her large boobs against him – her bright yellow bikini leaving little to the imagination. Jake reached down and swiftly groped Libby's ass before smacking her behind as she yanked him down for a hard and deep kiss, causing Hiccup to shudder at the public display of their affection.
If only the sand could open up and swallow him whole.
Unlike Hiccup, Jake was a very confident, promiscuous young man who had more girlfriends in the last week than Hiccup ever did in his entire lifetime. Hiccup was your average, skinny seventeen-year-old who was splattered with freckles at birth and was cursed with a messy mop of thick, auburn hair. Though he was athletic – to some degree – he wasn't a big fan of sports and never cared about building his body up when his mind was his most valuable asset. Hiccup was far more intelligent than any of his peers and always made top remarks in class. He was a thinker but also a creator. He loved designing new styles of anything and enjoyed the intricate details of blueprinting his ideas together. Back home on Berk, Gobber often let him work in the forge and apprentice under him. The Berkian could essentially build anything if he put his mind to it. His designs didn't always work, but the blueprinting and building process never gave him a dull moment. If he could, he would hideaway in his room and do nothing but design and build all day, but his mother wanted him to continue his high school education while overseas, and he didn't have the heart to defy her.
Jake – on the other hand – was the exact opposite of Hiccup in almost every way. Jake was good at virtually every sport, carried muscles like a Norse god and had greasy, blonde, shoulder-length hair that was always tied in a bun whenever he surfed. One of the only few positive differences between the two was that Jake's brain was nothing but a vat of sawdust. Oh, and the fact that Hiccup knew how to use shampoo and conditioner.
Thank Thor.
Hiccup turned back to his friends and cocked his eyebrow when he saw Jake mindlessly reach for the strands on Libby's bikini top before tugging on one of them slowly. Luckily, she was facing the water when Jake flung the material off of her chest. Laughing manically, the blonde dufus raced off into the water with Libby's bikini top, and with an arm covering her breasts, she chased after him, her expression morphing from shock to anger to laughter. As the two lovebirds swam deeper into the water, it was obvious to Hiccup what they planned to do, and he wanted no part in witnessing any more than what was already making his eyes bleed.
Quickly, he marched away and pretended not to know the two rabbits in the water as other people gawked and pointed them out. Hiccup spotted a member of the beach security hustle towards Jake and Libby's direction, and all Hiccup could do was whistle while he walked away, grateful he didn't stick around.
He made his way to his favorite beachside café and took a seat in the usual spot next to the a large window facing the sea. Thankfully, Jake and Libby weren't in his line of sight. After ordering a coffee, he rummaged through his bag and pulled out his blue essay book, the last assignment of the year.
English was the only class he sometimes struggled with – not because he wasn't fluent in the language, but because he sometimes had a hard time piecing together the words he wanted to say in his journal assignments. When the semester began, his instructor gave the class liberty to write whatever they wanted, as long as they were writing entries weekly. The Journal assignment was a way for the instructor to analyze each student's writing style and evaluate any improvement made on syntax and semantics throughout the term. Hiccup decided, because he was far away from home, the best way to share everything he was feeling was to write about it. So, while some students used their journals as travel logs and storytelling, he chose to write an autobiography.
People didn't realize how different Berk was from any other country outside of the archipelago – how the country continued to preserve its Viking traditions along with consisting of a very outdated socioeconomical hierarchical system – especially among students at Berk Island Preparatory. Granted, because of how powerful his father is, Hiccup grew up with the notion that only the strong and rich survive. Hiccup may come from a rich family, but he was never strong in his father's eyes. So, to prove himself to Father Dearest, he started hanging out with Eret – the most popular guy in junior high. They made rules among the students, standards he wasn't proud of executing.
Life in America gave Hiccup some perspective on how he treated his fellow classmates; he realized that no matter what he did, he would never amount to anything in his father's eyes. He could terrorize the entire student body if he wanted, and Stoick 'the Vast' wouldn't care less. So Hiccup vowed to be different whenever and if ever he returned to Berk for the remainder of his high school education.
He had one year left of high school – he could, if he wanted, continue his education abroad, but he knew that the moment he turned 18, his father would demand him to return to Berk for his Coming of Age ceremony. No matter how much of a thorn he was on his father's side, Stoick still valued and honored Viking traditions and wouldn't let their dashed relationship to ruin celebrating Hiccup's ascension into adulthood. But that was just it – Hiccup would be a legal adult, meaning his father could essentially expunge his existence from the family line without guilt, and no one would on Berk would bat and eye.
Except for maybe Valka, his mother.
Hiccup inhaled deeply as he reached down to pull out a pen. After opening up his journal, he smoothed down a clean page and clicked the pen for use before writing everything that was on his mind.
On the day I left for America, my cousin's farewell was simple, short and to the point. He didn't think I should bother with studying; he didn't think I should learn the English language (even though I was already fluent, much to his dismay); and he thought I should waste my time in California by having fun.
I am an intellectual being who craves and enjoys learning. Snotlout knows I'm mentally incapable of 'having fun' when it doesn't include learning about a new topic.
I think he wants me to go crazy until I lose my wits. He might be a dummy, but I wouldn't put it past Snotlout to try and plan my downfall. I mean he's already telling me to have fun and not study – two things that could destroy me if I let it. (Not really, probably, but you get the idea).
My poor excuse of a cousin also told me not to worry about anything or think about anything. I wasn't even allowed to have dreams.
Seriously.
That's how awful my life back at home is at the moment.
I don't know how I could ever face Snotlout again after that last conversation. He was very adamant about how he felt about me regardless of the strange fact that I still – in my own way – cared about him. If there was any relationship that I wish I could salvage, it would be with Snotlout. As annoying as he was, he was still my cousin, and when we were younger, we were almost like brothers. We did practically everything together.
And then my father decided to name Snotlout as his successor to the throne when we were 12. Oh yeah, by the way, by name and title, I'm the Prince of Berk. Probably have never heard of me because our country is tiny compared to America. By birthright, I should be my father's successor, but because I was small as an adolescent, he didn't think I was the right fit – hence Snotlout… Ever since Dad named Snotlout as his heir, Snotlout stopped treating me as his friend. A prince without any claim to the throne is almost as bad as being a commoner on Berk.
Berk is old-fashioned that way.
The only thing different from Medieval Viking Berk to Present Day Viking Berk is the technology and carpentry skill. Houses were no longer built of wood nor looked like boats as described in our country's archives. Which, hey, since I won't be king and if welding for some reason couldn't work for me, at least I could be the country's Archivist. I am pretty much the only one who has read all of the country's archives from start to finish at least three times.
In case you haven't figured it out yet, I had a lot of time on my hands when I was young.
"That's what happens when you're born into a wealthy family. And if you can, don't come back" was the last thing Snotlout said to me before I left for my flight. On the way to America, I realized that I wasn't actually being sent to the States to study as I originally thought. Sure, the schooling would be there, but it was obvious now.
I had been kicked out.
My cousin was already taking back the things he feared I would take from him (when, in all seriousness, they were always mine to begin with).
And if I go back to Berk, I wonder just how much more he has stolen from my birthright.
"Do you want any more coffee?" Ingrid, Hiccup's usual waitress, asked as she waved a carafe to capture his attention.
Hiccup reluctantly closed his notebook and gave the older woman a smile. "Thanks."
"You're from Berk, aren't you." It wasn't a question but a statement of familiarity.
Hiccup's eyes widened with surprise. Most of the people he's interacted with have never even heard of the place. "How did you know?"
"It's where I'm from," she replied with a gentle smile. "You have the Berkian nose," she added with a light laugh.
"The Berkian nose? Is that even a thing?" Hiccup asked with a chuckle, completely unexpecting that explanation. "And here I thought it was the name."
"That was a giveaway, too." Ingrid grinned as she lifted the carafe upward. "There's only one place in the Archipelago that still gives horrendous names to children."
"No kidding," Hiccup smirked as he crossed his arms, wondering if he should tell her what his middle name is. That would be a riot! "When did you leave Berk?"
"Oh, about two years ago," Ingrid replied after a moment of deep thought. "I came here to go to college – but that didn't work out for me, and I couldn't bring myself to go back home when my mother and sister were rooting so much for me to graduate."
"Tell me about it," Hiccup automatically agreed, knowing how it felt to have family with high standards and expectations. "Came here to study per my father's request but sending me to America was his original way of kicking me out. Let's not forget the fact that I've been practically shunned by basically my whole family except for my mom and godfather…"
"The difference between you and me is that I left my family willingly. My mom is a mute so there's very little she can do to make money, and my younger sister was always nagging on me, telling me how I should live my life. So, when I had the opportunity to leave the country, I took it immediately." Ingrid replied with a frown. "I don't care ever to return to Berk; no offense or anything, but as beautiful of a country it is, it's very limited in opportunities." Ingrid placed the carafe down on the table for a moment and crossed her arms, giving Hiccup a pointed look. "You seem smart enough; are you going to exact some sort of sophisticated revenge on your family for treating you like crap?"
Hiccup shook his head with a small smirk. "No… Because even after all the shit they've caused me, I still care for my family regardless. I don't know why… I just do."
And even if I wanted to exact revenge, I couldn't; As king, my father was untouchable.
Ingrid's eyes widened from his admonition. If she was in his shoes, she'd return to Berk and ruin the lives of everyone involved. Frowning, Ingrid leaned against the chair across from Hiccup. "So, you don't blame them? At all?"
All Hiccup could do was shake his head in finality, not wanting to go deeper into details. Ingrid rolled her eyes, not really understanding why Hiccup wouldn't try to get back at those who wronged him. But, in Hiccup's defense, she didn't need to understand, and he didn't have to explain.
As he continued to ignore her question, she scoffed and grabbed the carafe before marching away to serve the next guest. The Berkian Prince glanced towards the horizon where the sun was beginning to set and heaved a heavy sigh, now wishing he never said anything.
I understand her frustration, but… to be honest? I'm too lazy to blame anyone...
WriterFreak001:
I hope you've enjoyed this story so far. The second chapter will be about Astrid's life on Berk. If you're familiar with Heirs, please know that I'm going to use the Korean TV Drama as inspiration, but the storyline will be a little bit different. If you're not familiar with Heirs, I hope you enjoy this story all the same.
Chapter three or four will be when the storyline starts to pick up. 😊
