Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD. I do own a copy of the DVD though. :D
A/N: This is my first time dabbling (somewhat) in the HTTYD fan fiction fandom. I've been an avid fan of the movie since I got it for Christmas the year it came out ('10, I think) and I finally managed to watch all the episodes of DROB as well and felt brave enough to take a stab at it. I thought it turned out pretty well… ^_^
Warning: You might need tissues.
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Hiccup's bleary, old green eyes stared tiredly out the window. He was well past his prime, and almost as old as Gothi had been; at 75 years old, his mind was not what it used to be. Most times he could barely remember who he was, let alone friends and family. Sitting by his bedside, Astrid faithfully held his hand, squeezing it every so often. With her sat their daughter, Svana, and granddaughter Arrella. Svana, much like her father, had bright, and usually cheerful, green eyes but her mother's corn-silk blond hair. She was much like Hiccup, being that she inherited his brilliant and inventive mind, but she had Astrid's stubborn streak. The entire village knew not to get in her way when she was on a mission to invent something, nothing short of an invasion could stop her; seeing her away from the forge was uncommon. Her daughter, Arrella, had inherited her Grandfather's red-auburn hair and skinny stature, everything else she received from her father, including her grey-blue-green eyes and timid nature. They came and visited faithfully, Svana's husband, Liefr, often covering the Chieftain duties while she visited with her dad. "Afternoon again, Dearest," Astrid said, running her thumb along the back of her beloved's hand. He turned away from the window and looked back at his wife. He looked confused for a moment, and then his face cleared momentarily.
"I remember you," He stated. Astrid felt her heart leap into her throat; he remembered. "You came by yesterday. Astrid, was it? How very kind of you, to visit again." He continued smiling a smile only he could. Astrid smiled sadly, he didn't completely remember.
"Yes, I am Astrid. Do you remember Svana, and her daughter, Arrella?" She asked, motioning to the two women behind her. Hiccup's weary gaze turned to the older of the two, and he smiled.
"Yes, they came with you last time." He nodded. His gaze fell on the youngest of the three females gathered in his room. The granddaughter he couldn't remember. The old Chief smiled broadly. "You are beautiful, my dear," he told her, reaching for her hand. Arrella came forward slowly, and sat on the edge of his bed; she'd heard many stories of her grandfather's amazing feats, but in all her 15 years, she had never seen him like this. "Someday, you will make a special man quite happy." He said, nodding sagely. A burst of sudden wind caused the window to fly open, as a dragon soared past. Hiccup's grizzled eyebrows furrowed. "Are we under attack again?" He asked no one in particular. Astrid choked back a sob.
"No, Gra-. No, Sir, the dragons live peacefully on Berk, now." Arrella gently reminded him. "The war has been over for many years, and we no longer get raided." She whispered, her grey-blue-green eyes staring out the window. Her mother stood and made for the door, nodding goodbye to her mother, and her father.
"I should go relieve Liefr of his duties." She said, backing out of the room. That left Astrid, Hiccup, and Arrella in the room alone.
"Tell me, young one, what is Berk like now that there is peace." Hiccup asked, placing his old wrinkled hand on his visitor's smooth, smaller hand. The 15 year old gazed out the window happily.
"You would love it, Grandpa," She said before she could stop herself. "People and Dragons are working together to accomplish more than we ever have before. They form bonds so close they're basically family, and they love and protect each other as such. Everyone has a Dragon and every Dragon eventually finds their person. No longer do we have sleepless nights waiting for the Dragon's to attack Berk, we sleep through the night knowing our loved ones are safe." Arrella said passionately; it was one more thing she shared in common with her grandfather, a love for all things Dragon. Hiccup stared out the window with glazed eyes as well. At one time, he had sharp, clear vision, now the most he could make out was vague shapes and blurs of color.
"I wish I could see it with my own eyes." He sighed, patting Arrella's hand. "I do wish I could go outside, I'm not as frail as one would think." Hiccup stated with a touch of his old touch of snarkiness. Astrid, unable to stick around for much longer, left after bidding her forgetful husband and granddaughter goodbye. "Could you take me?" He questioned his remaining visitor. Arrella looked up sharply. Her grandfather was, once more, staring sightlessly out the window in a whimsical manner.
"Of course," She agreed politely. She cautiously supported Hiccup's body as he pushed himself to his feet. Looping her arm through his, she led the elderly man out the door.
"I cannot see as well as I used to, my dear, so let's make a deal. You can be my eyes, and I will be your imagination." Hiccup said as they walked down the dirt trail. Arrella hugged his arm and nodded, her hair brushing against her shoulders.
"Okay," she giggled, smiling for the first time in months. "I see a pink Deadly Nadder teaching her children to fish, but one, a purple male, got too close to the water too quickly and scared the catch away." She paused to smile again. "His siblings are quite mad he's ruined their fun. And, there's a pair of sheep watching their Ewe-Lamb play with a baby Terrible Terror. The Terror likes to ride on her back a lot." The auburnette described. Seeing a raised root, she calmly warned her grandfather of the small obstacle. They paced around the root and continued on their way. Arrella picked back up on the running commentary, now describing a father teaching his son to swordfight.
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A ways off, Toothless sunbathed on a particularly flat rock. The loyal Night Fury had not seen his best friend and Rider in many moons. He didn't know why he wasn't allowed to visit him, but he waited patiently until he could see his favorite human again. He was, of course, also older, but Dragons had a longer life-span than the much more fragile human species. He had already lived 3 decades when the then-lanky boy had shot him from the sky; and would probably continue to thrive for many more decades after Hiccup passed on. The thought of living without his Rider made his heart ache, and it would be tough, but he could already see some of Hiccup in his granddaughter, Arrella, whom he had adopted as his second rider. Ever since he had been forbidden from seeing Hiccup, Arrella would take him out to fly instead. Despite becoming rather fond of the 15 year old, he knew no one would ever replace Hiccup's place in his heart. Hiccup was not only his first Rider, but his First friend as well. Ears twitching, Toothless picked up the distant sound of Arrella's laughter and he felt his heart grow warm; at least she was laughing again. Then, his head suddenly picked up as he heard a second, also familiar laugh mixing with Arrella's laugh. 'Hiccup!' The Dragon thought happily. He bounded off his rock and headed in the direction of the laughter. His Hiccup was alright, he was back outside! He could go Flying with his Best Friend again. Excitedly, the night-shaded dragon lengthened his strides and released a happy roar. Finally he located both the riders, young and old. Humming affectionately, Toothless waddled closer to the pair.
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"And, who is this." Hiccup asked, feeling the presence of someone else. Toothless paused, cooing in confusion. He looked at Arrella, who was now trying not to cry, for guidance.
"This is Toothless, Sir. He's the Dragon that stopped the war by defeating the Red Death; He and his Rider, together." Arrella explained softly. She looked sorrowfully at the dark Dragon, trying to hide her sniffles. Toothless cooed again, creeping closer to the two humans. He sniffed at the old man, and moaned sadly. His pupils circular and wide, he nuzzled his Rider's arm. "He's… He is very loyal to his Rider, and waits every day for him, to go flying again." Arrella whispered softly. Hiccup slowly stuck out a hand, guessing where Toothless' head would be. Toothless leaned up and rested his nose in Hiccup's cupped hand. He purred slowly, not wanting to frighten the man who had appeared to forget his life.
Hiccup tipped his head to the side slowly, rubbing his hand along Toothless' blunt snout. The dark dragon continued to purr, the sound vibrating through Hiccup's entire being. He couldn't understand why, but being here with this girl he'd only known a short while and the Dragon he'd just met felt right; like he belonged there, with the two of them. The Dragon, Toothless, almost felt familiar, as if they knew each other in another life. "Toothless, what a funny name for a Dragon," Hiccup chuckled. Toothless nudged his nose under Hiccup's arm, and pressed his face against the old man's side, where he could hear a steady heartbeat thrumming. "Who is his Rider?" He questioned, curiously. Surely such a magnificent creature had a caring Rider as well.
"I am, now." Arrella admitted, scratching Toothless behind the ears. Hiccup tipped his head back to look at the sky, just a formless blur of blue to him. Staring at the sky had always brought him comfort; he felt an odd connection to that second world.
"Would you mind taking me on a Dragon-Ride, Dear? I'm awfully curious as to what clouds would feel like. Do they feel as fluffy as they look?" Hiccup asked, resting his frail hand on his granddaughter's arm. Toothless crooned happily at the prospect of flying with his Rider once more. Arrella blinked in shock and let a small, shy smile spread across her face.
"Yes." She said with finality. Carefully, she helped Hiccup mount Toothless, then swung up into the saddle in front of him, and fit her booted foot into the left stirrup. Being seated in this manner brought back memories of when her grandfather had first taught her how to work Toothless' prosthetic. When she was much younger, he used to take her on joy rides as well. The red-auburn haired teen could tell that Toothless was feeling nostalgic too, and anxious to taste the sky with his Original Rider once more. Leaning forward, she patted his scaly hide, letting him know she understood somewhat what he was feeling. "You might want to hold on, Sir. Toothless likes to go fast." She warned her grandfather. Hiccup wound his skinny, yet still slightly strong arms around her thin waist and grinned like he was young again.
"Good. It would be a shame to waste such a lovely sky on a "Leisure" ride. I want to remember this feeling." He decided. Toothless gave a gummy grin to his duo of Riders and took off, into the clear blue skies. Dipping and diving, he trilled when he heard Arrella's excited laughter, echoed by Hiccup's whoop of unadulterated joy. Enthusiastically, the Night Fury climbed higher and higher, until they were among the clouds.
"Paw-paw, we're in the clouds." Arrella whispered, letting the fond term of endearment slip past. Hiccup carefully released his hold on the "driver" and stuck a hand out to touch a passing cloud, gasping in wonder of the dewy sensation forming on his fingers.
"Why, clouds are wet." He laughed joyfully. "Who would have thought clouds were wet!" He exclaimed. Toothless crooned and dove into another cloud, purposefully spritzing his Riders. Hiccup chuckled breathlessly and they climber higher, and returned his arms to their previous positions around Arrella's slim waist. Then, when Hiccup thought they couldn't go possibly any higher, they trio broke through a layer of clouds. "What do you see, Young one." Hiccup asked, yearning to see with his own eyes.
"Berk is safe. The families and their dragons are all happy, some people are flying and the children are playing. The sun is casting a beautiful reflection off the surface of the waters, making Berk's shores sparkle brighter than any gem I've ever seen, and there are pods of Scauldron swimming in the deeper water. The sky is the purest shade of blue I've ever seen, and the sun is shining so brightly." Arrella described in an awe-filled whisper.
"Ah, lass, I wish I had my eyes, to see these wonderful sights. I'm sure they're every bit as wonderful as you have told me." Hiccup sighed. Arrella smiled softly, and guided Toothless back to the ground.
"We should get you back to your room. If anyone has realized you're missing, they'll go ballistic." She pointed out, helping the older figure dismount. She turned to face him, getting ready to lead him back to his place of residence, when he captured her in a tight hug.
"Thank you, Arrella, for showing me the world as you see it." He whispered into her ear.
"It was no hassle, S- Grandpa." She smiled, hugging him back. The grandfather smiled his lopsided smile at the young woman then turned back to Toothless.
"May we have a moment to say our goodbyes?" Hiccup requested, placing his hand on Toothless' snout once more. Arrella nodded, and walked a short ways off, around the bend. Hiccup walked over to a flat stone and carefully lowered his creaky body to the ground, using the boulder as a back rest. Toothless instantly sat, curled up next to him, and placed his head in his Rider's lap. Hiccup smiled as he scratched at Toothless' jaw with his somewhat achy hands. "You are magnificent Dragon, Toothless one." Hiccup said wisely. Toothless crooned again at him, nuzzling his head into the man's stomach. He purred loudly when Hiccup found that one sweet spot only he'd ever been able to find in years earlier. This was blissful, getting to spend some quality alone time with his aged Rider. Hiccup patted Toothless' head one last time and took in a deep breath. "Thank you, Old Friend," He breathed out, as his eyes drifted closed for the last time.
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A/N: Wow, I don't know about you, but I needed tissues once or twice while writing this. I'm rather proud of it, because this literally came out of nowhere. I was watching HTTYD with my Neighbor's daughters, and just kind of pondered what would happen if Hiccup was ever diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Drop a review; let me know how I did. I hope no one was too out of character (though, really, Hiccup is an old, forgetful man, he's bound to have changed somewhat)…
Harmonious Wolf~ S2