A/N: After having seen HTTYD2 and several investigations on what's going to happen next, as well as reading between the lines during the movie and the tear-bringing hint Dean Deblois gave us, I kind of had my imagination run wild.
Aaand here is what it came up with. This is, more or less, my version of how it'll continue. So, before 2017 rolls by, have some fun with this!
A lot of Hiccstrid and Hiccup/Toothless bonding shall await you!
Disclaimer: TITLE DEDICATED TO THE AWESOME SOUNDTRACK BY JONSI!
"There used to be dragons when I was a boy..."
Chapter One
"Astrid, I need to talk to you." Frowning, he shut his eyes tightly, wincing at the pathetic sound of his rather nervous voice, "Astrid, there is something I need to ask you...no..."
He dived his right hand through his hair, shaking up the short, auburn locks and thus trying to soothe his throbbing head. Everything felt so painful and tight, as if his brain were attempting to burst free from the skull, in doing so gaining much needed space and air.
"Hey Astrid, can we talk over there for a minute...like...because..."
Hiccup sighed at the wall in front of him, pressing his lips together sternly to form a straight line.
There hung a charcoal drawing of Toothless, which he had created not too long ago on a large piece of patched, spotty paper.
Said dragon had decided to nap peacefully on top of a Viking hut only five feet from a few sharp cliffs, which fell down dangerously into the tossing, impatient oceans.
His perfect balance and nonchalance towards the imminent threat regardless of the fact that Hiccup had removed his vital tail-fin for some maintenance had astounded the young chief.
Despite all the suffocating stress around him, contentment seeped through his veins upon the sight, thus calling for him to quickly gather some of his makeshift map pages, using it instead to draw a rather large and accurate portrait of his black companion.
Astrid had pronounced how detailed it was in comparison to his usual sketches, with all the fine scales etched in, the play of light and shadow being perfectly imprinted together with every little bump and crevice the dragon possessed.
She had told him to eternalise it into burned wood, or even stone if he found the patience and time to do so.
Which lately, he did not.
Being a chief was the most demanding job Hiccup could have ever imagined.
And he had often imagined it.
Everytime Stoick had tried to touch the delicate subject of succession, Hiccup had perfectly manoeuvred a vocal way out of the speech he was bound to get and thus always managed to avoid the consequences. He did not want to hear his father's suggestion of Hiccup taking over. The thought had frightened him too much.
Hiccup had felt a pang of guilt each time, partly because he knew his deceased father had spent a lot of time contemplating that move as well planning the speech, yet Hiccup did not deem himself strong enough for the job.
There were days where Hiccup believed himself to be a coward.
He only wished his father could be here right now, not only to help him out with all the problematic situations he faced due to his new position, but also to see him in his new position.
Stoick would be proud; his mother always reminded him of that since the end of the war against Drago and his Bewilderbeast one month ago.
Once more, a tired sigh escaped his dry lips.
How could his father have much pride for a son that barely coped with the frustrating tasks a chief faced daily?
Even now, knowing who he was, it felt like too much. But he owed it to his father; to the world. He had to try and unite humans and dragons in such a way that the thought of war would forever be abandoned.
Hence, with such a grand and weighty task ahead, why did this current ordeal seem so much more difficult?
Mustering up all the strength and authority he knew was hidden somewhere within him, he puffed out air, emerald eyes glaring holes at Toothless' left ear as he spoke to himself: "Astrid, can I have a moment?"
"Sure, but...why are you asking the picture that?"
His heart twisted as it flipped violently within his chest, causing the hairs on his body to stand on edge as his orbs widened dramatically.
Oh...God Thor...
"A-Astrid!" Hiccup exclaimed with fake cheer as he turned around to face the blonde Viking, who stood with a curious yet amused expression marred across her face, "I was just...thinking of you aloud!"
Blinking several times in confusion and giving her opposite a further ten seconds of wondrous staring, all the while grinning, Astrid shook her head, shrugging, "Okay, well, I was gonna ask where you have been."
"You seem to ask that a lot...lately..." What he had intended to be a harmless joke ended up as being a stupid remark.
'Of course she's always asking where you've been, idiot, because you haven't seen her in ages since you took up the position of the chief.'
Once more, the burning sensation of what Hiccup understood as guilt spread through his body, making his heart clench angrily this time.
Nothing did he love more than mapping the world together with his girlfriend and his dragon, searching for every unknown realm and species that the archipelago had to offer. They fooled around, smiled and laughed as they mocked and teased each other playfully, discovering new secrets and expanding their knowledge drastically.
How envious Fishlegs sometimes was when Hiccup told him about their accomplishments. He always tried to figure out the speed, strength and size of every dragon they described or sketched out.
Together with Toothless, Hiccup forgot about the burdens everyday life bought with it, and with Astrid by his side the joy doubled.
The sense of freedom, tranquillity and inner peace was something he would not trade in a million years.
Yet here he was, doing just that.
'I feel like a liar...'
"You know...Chief stuff." Hiccup shrugged, throwing a half-hearted smile at her.
To his surprise, Astrid returned a smile of her own, understanding his daily frustrations all too well.
She was not going to start and question what being a chief had to do with staring at a self-drawn picture of your best friend and talking to yourself.
"I'm...sorry to interrupt your work right now," she could not help the irritated frown; he had spoken her name several times after she had entered his house, in search of him, and she did not know why, "but there is something Valka wants to show you."
Upon hearing the name of his mother, Hiccup's face lightened up.
Knowing just how similar they both were, with their fascination for dragons and skill at taming them, Hiccup felt truthfully understood. He had finally found out why he had been so different all his life, and that made him no longer feel like an outcast, but rather special.
"Alright, lead the way." He trudged excitedly behind the blonde Viking as she moved to walk towards the door.
Just as she opened it to reveal the bright, cold afternoon which Berk now faced, Hiccup halted in his steps, suddenly remembering what he had originally wanted to talk to Astrid about.
He could feel the sweat accumulate above his brow as he furrowed them, unsure what he should do first.
"Astrid..." his lips uttered before he could stop himself.
Said girl turned to glance over her shoulder, curiously staring at her boyfriend. She hoped she would finally find out what Hiccup had been babbling incoherently about earlier on. She did not like it when he kept secrets from her. Neither did she appreciate the fact that she had hardly seen him this last month.
There were the occasional dragon races, of course, and a few moments which were, however, always related to chief stuff.
Their normal, intimate times together seemed replaced by heavy duty and difficult problems which had to be solved.
Like rebuilding Berk.
Astrid knew just how much Hiccup seemed to be struggling lately, and that he wished for nothing more than to jump onto Toothless' back and fly away for an hour or two, maybe more, but that he could not.
A chief had to protect his own. It was a rule Hiccup was now adamant about, after everything that had occurred. And the young Hofferson understood that like no one else.
Thus, she was rather eager to present him with her new concept for dragon races which she and Fishlegs had come up with in the last few days. She knew with certainty that he would be thrilled and thankful for the recommendation and change.
She also knew that her whole planning and plotting was not complete yet, and that, in order to get to Valka, they would inevitably fly past the academy.
Astrid had to be sneaky if she wanted to keep him from discovering her intrigue. Suddenly, it was her turn to frown, however in concentration, as she worked out the best route they could take.
"I...I wanted to...as-"
"Hiccup!"
Rudely interrupted in the middle of his strenuous endeavour, Hiccup sighed defeatedly, glancing towards the exit of his house where the young Jorgenson was currently approaching.
"What is it, Snotlout?" his annoyed tone was quite palpable; Astrid could tell as she turned to face their comrade too.
Yet nothing deterred Snotlout much.
"I have a problem I need to pronounce!"
Astrid gradually folded her arms in front of her chest, eyeing the boy carefully as she mustered her best glare, "Snotlout, if this is about the Thawfest games again I'm going to personally-"
"But it's a serious situation!" The young rider proclaimed, raising his hands in front of him, "I'm trying to prepare for them within the arena seeing as Thawfest is just around the corner-"
"Five months."
"-but those stupid twins are burning down all my training gear with their stupid double-headed dragon! Hookfang even joined in now!"
He now had a glare of his own expressed on his face as he lamented over his predicament.
Hiccup shook his head, now standing next to his girlfriend,"Snotlout, we have more serious problems than your training difficulties; we need to repair all of Berk and help our people. We are facing hard times and need to work together."
"I'm trying to do just that. The people of Berk will be so happy to see me winning in all glory at the Thawfest games, so for me to be in top shape I need to train now."
"Is that what your father tells you, 'cause it sounds like the idea of a mutton-head." Astrid threw in, feeling her patience run thin.
"Very funny Astrid. No, it's a logical assumption I have come up with all by myself!" He pointed his finger repeatedly at his chest, scowling at the Hofferson heir, "And with your stupid preparations all around the aren-"
"Aaalright, enough for today!" As speedily as she could, she pushed forward and shoved Snotlout a good two feet backwards, "How about you go do something actually useful for our people, like getting your Monstrous Nightmare to burn down the huge ice spears that are currently making Berk inhabitable."
"But-"
"Go on, take the twins with you, stop wasting our precious time." Shoving him further and further as Snotlout struggled, looking a little devastated, Astrid finally turned back to the young chief, "Come on, Hiccup."
Confused, the boy nodded slowly, finally exiting his house.
The moment he stepped outside, a dark, rapid shadow engulfed him and before he knew it he was knocked to the ground roughly, something heavy placed on top of his chest.
He opened his eyes, which he had shut in pain beforehand, only to feel himself being blinded by thick, moist slime.
"T-Toothless!" He half-laughed as his onyx dragon licked his face happily, growling and grunting with glee upon seeing his beloved rider.
Hiccup pushed him off, rolling to his side and getting to his feet with the help of a giggling Astrid.
The Night Fury stood expectantly in front of him, large dark pupils sparkling with joy.
"We just came back together, I took him with me seeing as you were busy in the Meade hall earlier on." Astrid explained, smiling at the black dragon who now tried to nuzzle Hiccup.
Said boy was trying to free his face from the sticky spit.
"I missed you too, bud." He quickly patted Toothless on the head, who appreciated the gesture greatly.
It was ironic to consider that, merely five years ago, an encounter like this would have been unthinkable and would most certainly have ended in the death of either of them.
Hiccup was glad times had changed, and that he now had Toothless to count on – anytime he needed the aid of his black counterpart, he knew he'd get it.
And no matter what happened, so the chief thought as he stroked the side of the dragon's face, he would always hold his back, too – no one would hurt Toothless.
Not as long as Hiccup had a say.
"Alright, then let's go." He nodded towards Astrid, who returned the gesture, glancing upwards into the sky before whistling with her two fingers placed inside her lips.
Upon the shrill call, an even shriller Deadly Nadder answered.
Stormfly landed elegantly beside her mistress, waiting for her to climb onto her back, "Let's get going!"
Both riders took off into the heavens.
"So, what were you going to ask me earlier on?" Astrid called over to him as she steered Stormfly to glide a little bit closer to Toothless, careful as to not collide as she flapped her wings to maintain some distance.
They were currently soaring over the vast, roaring ocean, past a few cliffs and stone constructions mother nature had conjured, heading towards Dragon Island.
It was the very island where Hiccup had battled the Red Death over five years ago.
Surprised at the sudden start of a conversation, seeing as they had been flying in silence for over ten minutes, Hiccup felt himself stutter.
"E-Erm...well...i-it's not really something I can just tell you like this." He could feel the heat seep into his cheeks, the urge to rub his neck tickled in his hand, yet he fought against it.
He did not want to display his nervousness so openly in front of Astrid. It would only give him away.
Yet said girl frowned upon his secrecy, sighing in annoyance, "Hiccup" she called his name sternly, causing the young Viking to jump a little in his saddle and glance over at her, "what's wrong?"
He could tell the pain and feeling of rejection within her gleaming eyes. She obviously felt left out out of his life; this past month, Hiccup had been facing and inner battle he, for some inexplicable reason, decided to keep to himself, instead of involving his ever-helpful girlfriend, as was usually his habit.
There were no barriers between the two since they started being a couple. Whenever Hiccup had something on his mind, Astrid would be the first person to know, beside Toothless, of course, who could feel his best friend's distress all the time.
And whenever she had a trouble plaguing her, which actually happened more often than the girl liked to admit, Astrid would confide in Hiccup, albeit reluctantly.
He remembered the first time she faced an inner turbulence he knew nothing of, but could tell by the look of anguish she openly displayed. It had taken him nearly a whole day, talking into her uninterruptedly, before she mumbled along and allowed for his assistance.
Granted, she had felt so relieved when she had told Hiccup, and suddenly, it seemed as if they were a lot closer; like there was a deep understanding between them only they could grasp, and no one else.
It was ever since that moment Astrid felt truthfully blessed to be by Hiccup's side, and yearned for his company whenever she was not.
Such unaccustomed, strange and rather irritating sentiments were not welcome at first, of course, seeing as she used to be too proud for her own good.
Yet once she overcame her sense of weakness, she realised just how well the change did her.
Now she was more than glad about it. These feelings made her stomach flutter as if thousands of tiny Terrible Terrors housed within it, and the thought made her smile.
Right now, however, she felt anything but happiness, "You used to tell me everything, like, one bloody month ago. And now you are all keeping to yourself. You can't tell me that being chief means not talking to your girlfriend about what troubles you."
"That's not it!" He balled his fists tightly, feeling the leather rub into his skin harshly, "I just...I can't..." he flung both hands up into the air, sighing with aggravation.
How could he tell her what was troubling him, if the very thing plaguing his mind was her?
Not in a negative way; far from it. But this last month things had changed so drastically Hiccup felt like his head had popped off several times and left him; everything was so different, and there were so many decisions to make.
He forgot most of the things he was supposed to do; like writing out scrolls with important documentations, overseeing the trade and commerce in and around Berk, memorizing the desired saddles of each Viking and even trivial things like eating, sleeping or thinking up the next speech he had to hold in front of the civilians when Snoggletog arrived.
The lack of Astrid's presence, however, was felt and noticed the very moment it occurred.
Suddenly, the auburn-haired boy was surrounded by hundreds of demanding Viking's with personal problems they wanted to exclaim and Astrid was no where in sight.
If she had left due to the suffocating crowd within the hall, or had gone under in the masses; Hiccup did not know. Fact was, she was gone, and seeing her became rarer and rarer. He felt pained, and lonely, horrible as well as ignorant for some reason.
Toothless would always nuzzle him then, trying to cheer him up with one of his makeshift grins; and whilst Hiccup did twist his lips upwards a little, pressing his forehead to that of his dragon, it never lasted long enough.
That was when he knew it; realised what he had to do in order to keep Astrid around him everyday, the only way they would work as a team once more because everyone around Berk would expect them to. How they could be a couple without much hindrance, despite all the day-to-day chief-problems Hiccup now faced.
And the thought thrilled him immensely, as well as caused his knees to buckle like on the day he had first met Toothless.
Obviously pissed off by now that Hiccup was simply remaining silent and not confiding in her, Astrid growled in a very unfeminine way, steering Stormfly away from Toothless, who at first did not like that idea, before calling for her to fly higher and take a detour towards Dragon Island.
Hiccup watched remorsefully as she flew away, having had enough of him and his secrecy and wanting some alone time.
And as it happened so frequently since the rise of the sun this day, he sighed, feeling his heavy heart sink a little further within his chest.
The sympathetic wail of his scaly friend, who could feel Hiccup's sorrow, soothed him a little, and he patted his head affectionately, "Come on bud, let's hurry to mom."
Astrid was already there when Hiccup arrived. She avoided looking at him, keeping a rather emotionless expression plastered to her face as she talked hectically with Valka, hands on her hips.
His mother smiled with strong affection, glad to see him having finally arrived, and Cloudjumper, who stood idly behind her, glanced with curiosity at the young Viking, and then bowed down in respect towards Toothless as said dragon approached.
He loved all the attention he was receiving ever since he became the alpha, for he broadened his shoulders and levelled his head.
"Son, good to see you." Hiccup hopped off of Toothless' back and trudged towards her, giving her a brief hug.
"What's the matter?" He questioned, swallowing thickly, trying to ignore the tense situation he and Astrid currently underwent.
Suddenly, his mother's loving expression was replaced by one of concern. She diverted her eyes towards the ground thoughtfully, "Let me show you." and then she turned, patting Cloudjumper as they walked across a large plain towards the forests.
Enwrapped in silence for several long minutes, they trudged in between the dark, clustered trees, over small hills and through tiny trickling creeks.
Just as he was about to question where exactly they were headed, Valka stopped abruptly.
He struggled to look past her, seeing as his mother was quite a bit taller than him, so he stepped to the side.
Toothless too halted, sitting down and twisting his head quizzically at the sight in front of them.
There, next to a splintered, fallen tree, leaves and branches scattered in a hazardous manner, lay a whimpering Timberjack, barely moving at all.
By the small size of it, it must have been a baby, having gotten somehow separated from his mother.
Now Hiccup knew just how dangerous separating a mother dragon from her child could get.
He did not want to reconsider the terrible state the forests were in back when he had found Torch.
"What happened to it?" He asked softly, moving with careful, slow steps towards the infant whilst stretching out a comforting hand.
"Careful Hiccup! Their wings are razor sharp, he could slice your hand off if he wanted to." His mother warned worriedly, stepping beside him and placing a hand onto his shoulder.
"I know, I'm careful." He whispered, continuing to approach the small being.
The dragon hissed in a furious attempt at scaring Hiccup away, trying to scurry deeper into the forest but finding himself too weak. He hissed some more and roared with his underdeveloped voice, wriggling his snake-like body.
"It's okay little one, I'm your friend." His fingers were millimetres from approaching the Jack's head, the dragon already snapping warningly.
At this, Toothless came forward, growling as he bared his teeth at the baby, telling him in dragon-language to watch his mouth and show some respect.
Hiccup could see the Timberjack gradually averting his attention towards the Night Fury, and knowing that one glance at Toothless' penetrating glare would call for even his immediate obedience, he raised his hand and placed it in front of him.
"No, don't Toothless. Let me tame him." Surprised at that, Toothless shut his maw, tilting his head in puzzlement as now dilated orbs watched his rider inquisitively.
The young chief reached out with his hand once more, observing as the Timberjack continued to grunt and attempt to wriggle away, yet when his hand neared his face, the small, frightful being suddenly tensed, before relaxing.
He sniffed the skin several times, inspecting it curiously before he allowed Hiccup to touch him.
"Good boy." Both women behind him sighed with relief.
It was now that Hiccup got to see the deeply etched scars across its main body, evidently having been caused by some sort of trap.
'A trap...' His eyes widened with realisation, and he turned around to face his mother.
"There must still be some traps scattered around here to lure the dragons in. He was merely a late victim." Valka uttered, presenting her son with a a serious, concerned expression.
"Then we need to find them all and remove them. We have done that before, ages ago, with all the traps we Berkians used to spread when we were still at war with the dragons." It was the first time since their disagreement that Astrid spoke, and Hiccup was glad to hear her voice.
Valka nodded, her large staff raised as she walked back towards Cloudjumper, who, together with Stormfly, had stayed behind Toothless.
"But it is dangerous nonetheless, even for expert dragon riders. We need to be careful, and the Berkians should not fly too far out, seeing as there are traps even so close to home."
"Well, I know one man who'd be perfect for the job then." Hiccup got up and straightened himself, determined as he stared at both women.
Astrid nodded in understanding, "Of course, he'll know perfectly well how to deal with them."
The elder lady gazed inquiringly between the two, not knowing who they meant.
"We should not leave him out here all alone; let's take him back to Berk with us." Hiccup pronounced, stepping slowly towards the little dragon before he gently picked him up, wary of the wings.
The being barely had any energy left to flap them.
"What about the mother?" Astrid questioned.
"I fear she will not return." Valka answered, sorrowful, dark eyes glanced upwards at the sky thoughtfully.
Astrid was about to inquire how she knew, but feared somehow that she would not appreciate the answer.
"Here, let me take him to Gothi; she'll be able to treat him." The blonde Viking stepped forward, grabbing a small tattered blanket from Stormfly's satchel which she held out in her hands.
Hiccup gently placed the being into her arms, wrapping him up within the blanket so that Astrid would not injure herself.
There was a curt moment where the dragon struggled to adjust, and both Vikings feared he would tumble out of her hold. Astrid stepped forward slightly as Hiccup pushed him up gently, causing both their faces to be only millimetres apart.
As Hiccup and Astrid glanced up simultaneously, they froze in their actions, staring at each other for several, fast-paced seconds before Hiccup stepped away, rubbing the back of his neck and watching out of the corner of his eyes how Astrid avoided his gaze.
"Good, I'll...take my leave then." She smiled weakly, turning towards Stormfly and climbing on top before both rider and dragon sailed off into the sky and back home.
Hiccup sighed as he watched her leave.
Meanwhile, Valka had observed their peculiar and somewhat foreign interaction, intrigued by the reason why both seemed so tense.
Usually, Hiccup was loose, relaxed and content whenever he spent time with his beloved girlfriend; they both were an incredible team, always working together, acting all intimate and lovingly with one another.
Yet this seemed a little very different.
Just as he was about to turn towards Toothless and take off himself, knowing exactly in his mind whom he had to talk to now, Valka stopped him.
"Hiccup...?" He turned his head towards her, one hand resting on top of Toothless' snout, "Is there...a problem?" She twisted her head curiously, glancing back up at the sky where Astrid had been merely seconds ago.
Somehow irked by the fact that his mother had caught onto their stressful situation, Hiccup's eyes widened as he began to mumble.
"Err...no! No! Everything's...alright!"
Yet her imminent frown caused the boy to falter with his words, "Alright...well...we are kind of having some problems right now." He did not want to look his mother in the eye; he felt too embarrassed to be currently approaching that topic.
Her silence, he knew, was a sign for him to continue with his explanation.
Hiccup scratched his head, glancing into the deep parts of the forest, "We...didn't get to spend much time with each other this last month and...she...thinks I'm keeping secrets from...her." Why was it so hard to talk to his mother about it?
Maybe because he was so used to his father usually helping him out with such predicaments?
Probably.
Valka raised an eyebrow at him, "And, are you keeping secrets from her?"
The question caught him off guard. He did not expect her to be questioning his honesty.
He could only presume it was a mother-kind-of-thing to be able to tell when something burdened your child.
"...Not really, I-I mean, sort of, but...I just can't tell her! I mean, not yet! Not unless I find the perfect moment to propo-"
"Marry..." his mother breathed out, eyes wide with astonishment, "You...you want to marry her." Her face brightened immediately.
She really was damn clever, mother-instincts or whatever, "Yeah. You know, being chief and all...I-I mean dad said part of being a chief was to settle down with your own family, a-and with Astrid as my wife she'd be around me more often, doing chief stuff with me, so we'd see each other a lot and..." his cheeks were so vibrantly hot he was sure they had the colour of Gobber's hearth whenever Grump left it to burn down to embers.
He suddenly heard his mother's light-hearted laughter.
She smiled understandingly at her son, stepping forward to place a comforting hand onto his shoulder, "It is a great decision, my boy, I cannot imagine any other woman more suiting for you than her."
Hiccup pressed his lips together, feeling them curl upwards, "Thanks mom. I'm glad you think so." Yet once more a sigh ran past his lips, "But still. I don't know how to approach it. I mean..."
"I understand. One of the many prideful stories a Viking has to tell is how he managed to woo his wife." She now gently placed both hands around his face, stroking his cheek affectionately, "You'll find the right moment, son, just be patient."
She kissed him on the forehead, smiling some more before Valka turned towards Cloudjumper, giving her boy a nod as they both now flew away and into the distance.
Hiccup stared at their retreating forms for several minutes, feeling Toothless nudge his side comfortingly.
"Yeah bud, I know. Today's not my day..."
A/N: I really hope you enjoyed this, guys. And I'd appreciate it terribly much if you reviewed.
If you want to read the next chapter and see this continue with all its twists (for I have many chapters written already), just REVIEW with a "yes" or anything to show me that! So that I know it's worth posting at all. Otherwise it might die within my computer folders...
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