The king was coming; the most powerful man in the barbaric archipelago. Hiccup had been told to stay hidden. It was well known in the village that hiccup was very accident prone, especially when foreign visitors were around.
He lay flat against the floorboards of his room as he watched his father pace past the fire, waiting for news of ships on the horizon. He flinched as the door was thrown open suddenly with a one armed Viking huffing in its wake.
"He's here, stoick. The first ships are already docking!" Gobber, red in the face pants.
The burly Vikings hurry for the port and leave hiccup alone in the house. He had heard stories of the man. He was a ruthless king and ruled the archipelago with an iron fist. Many a man has betrayed him, but all had paid the price with their blood. He'd heard ballads sung of him; he was a great hero who could battle the biggest giant, combat the most fearsome warrior and slay the mightiest beast. He ruled the seven kingdoms of the archipelago. Berk was part of the vast kingdom of Erva, along with forty or so tribes. The Bog Burglars, Berserkers, Meatheads and Visithugs were all part of it too.
This kingdom was governed by a man by the name of Calder. He worked closely with the king as did the other six rulers.
Hiccup knew the chief and the king had been friends from their time as young boys. He never questioned why King Jorvic was coming to the small island, though he realized it was important because his father never spoke of anything else for a week. The last time he had seen him he had been five, his 'imperfections' were less prominent as Jorvic ruffled his hair and watched as the two men laugh and catch up with their tales.
However this time as he watched the king enter their dwelling, and his father kneel, and he heard them speak with solemn tones; nothing like the playful banter between the friends. He didn't understand.
Not until the day he is threatened with execution by Sir Calder himself.