First chapter of my first story! I absolutely love httyd and I love AU's so I figured I would start off with one of my fave AU's where Hiccup is raised by Valka with the dragons. Many apologies if this story isn't very well written, I'm only 13 and still learning so bare with me. Since I lack a lot of experience I would love any feedback and constructive criticism you have to offer. So yeah.. Enjoy :)
Ps updates will hopefully be about once a week
The wooden ship tore through the unsteady current, fretting and churning violently. While Gobber was busy throwing his lunch up, Stoick stood perfectly still rocking himself in sync with the pounding ocean beneath them, determination and vengence spread across his aging face. It had been 20 years since his wife and son were taken.
Whether it was guilt or the feeling of the freezing water splashing onto his skin, sending chills down his spine and into his marrow, he immediately shut his eyes in a harsh manner. Yep it was definitely the guilt, Why couldn't he have been there? He could have saved them, his beloved and his child.
"Hate to burst your bubble chief but we've never sailed into these waters before.." Gobber suddenly interrupted Stoick's mourning and wiped some left over vomit out of his scruffy beard.
"Good then we might be one step closer to finding the beast that took them" He replied walking away from his sickly friend,
"Stoick, we've been searching for that Stormcutter for years, we've searched every island around Berk and we still haven't found that blasted nest" Gobber grumbled before turning around sullenly.
"Where's Astrid?" Stoick suddenly cut in, changing the subject,
"In the sleeping quarters, poor lass is exhausted after fighting off those aggressive gronkles last night"
The chief nodded and sighed, "She's a great warrior that one, sometimes I think it would be better if she stayed on Berk instead of accompanying us on our searching"
Both men looked at each other smiling slightly as they thought about the brave shield maiden, the perfect heir for Berk. It was no doubt she was Stoick's first option for chief, but he couldn't help but feel guilty, imagining his small, runt of a son all grown up, the largest of the group, big and strong like his father but those were simply dreams, foolish, childish dreams that would never become reality.
The Chief's face softened for a moment as the infant's bright green eyes flashed through his mind, the perfect mixture of Valka and Stoick. Unfortunately he was snapped out of his daydreams by an all to familiar shriek.
"Dragons" Stoick growled as he stared up at the approaching flock, it was larger then usual, it contained hundreds of species he had never seen before, which only intensified his anger. Clutching the handle of his over-used axe, that was in desperate need of some repairs he motioned for Gobber to get ready.
"I should grab Astrid" his second in command suggested attaching a mace to his stump of a hand,
"No! She'll wake up once she hears the commotion, I need you here!" Stoick growled glaring as the flock grew closer by the second, Gobber sighed not completely sold on the Chief's idea, but didn't dare argue. It didn't take long before the dragon's began swooping, it was the strangest attack the two men had ever seen, they weren't firing, it was as if they were investigating the ship. Still Stoick swung at each beast, narrowly missing the creatures, who seemed to be familiar with the Viking's attacks.
Unlike Gobber who was screaming his battle cry and swinging like a madman, Stoick stared at the dragons carefully, his eyes followed a nadder who flew towards a larger dragon that was hanging back. He squinted trying to identify the beast. Suddenly his heart stopped and his axe slipped from his large hands, it was the devil. The devil that tore his family from him, it's four wings flapping violently as it desperately attempted to remain stationary. The man's anger boiled inside of him, murder and blood lust being the only things on his mind,
"That's it Gobber, the dragon that killed Hiccup and Val.." Stoick growled pointing in the direction of the beast that started flying closer to the ambushed ship.
"What's that lump on it's neck?" Gobber asked, at first Stoick didn't see what the man was talking about, until the creature shifted onto it's side, revealing a being, covered in a strange dragon-like armour.
"It's a rider" Stoick hissed in both resentment and amazement, then a thought hit the Chief. "The rider must have helped kill my wife and son" Gobber stopped swinging at the diving dragons and stared at his friend in bewilderment.
"You don't really think that, do you?" But Stoick didn't answer, too full of anger and grief he grabbed a bola and held it back before tossing it accurately towards the four-winged monster and it's devil rider. Stoick felt a feeling of satisfaction flow through himself as the ropes wrapped around the dragon forcing it to crash violently onto the ship. The beast covered his rider with the wings, trying to take the impact away from the masked man.
Stoick picked up the axe and barked at Gobber to keep the angered dragons who were now desperately trying to land on the ship, away from his prize. The rider wriggled himself out of the nets and crouched in a dragon like position, staring into skies expectantly,
"Sorry to tell you, but your dragon friends can't save you" Stoick spat twirling his weapon skillfully in his trained hands. The rider held his staff out ready to protect his trapped companion, who lay semi-conscious on the ship's deck.
"Oh you want a fight do ya'?" The man scoffed. The rider charged nimbly, but was quickly kicked away by Stoick's stocky foot. Things were starting to look bright for the Chief as he approached the dragon that had made his life a living Hel, axe raised and ready to kill. Just as he was about to take his prize an angered cry erupted from the skies, it couldn't be..
"Night fury! Get down!" Gobber yelled dropping to the deck, Stoick followed, expecting a deadly ball of plasma to finish them off, but instead felt the deck shift as the beast landed with incredible force. Staring up Stoick look at the black creature, it looked even more deadly up close, it's lithe body crouched low and his pupils slit, ready to attack. It took both men a few seconds to realize there was another rider planted on the monster's back.
Like the other rider, his face was covered by a mask and his body by a black suit that had helped him blend into the dragon's body. The new rider growled in an inhuman way before jumping off his companions back and cornering Gobber who was still in shock from it all. Small tufts of auburn hair could be seen from the back of the boy's head, it reminded Stoick of Hiccup, which temporarily made Stoick hesitant about fighting this man. The night fury surprisingly wrapped it's tail around his rider protectively and the man rubbed his head against the beast chirping lighting before continuing to growl.
"Relax son" The first rider soothed approaching the man, who was crouched in a similar way to the night fury, as if he was about to pounce. The voice was feminine, which instantly made Stoick regret kicking her, then again it was self defense, wasn't it? The boy felt the hand of the women place onto his back that was covered in the night fury's scales, making him look more like those beasts rather then a human, he leaned into the touch crooning in a loving manner, or so Stoick suspected was loving.
"Who are you?" Stoick asked in a hostile tone pointing the axe threateningly at the strange duo, that were far too close to Gobber for his liking. The boy and dragon growled snapping their heads away from the one-handed and one-legged Viking and towards the Chief.
"Tell your son to stand like a man in the presence of an enemy" He snapped at the women, this earned another angered growl from the boy and his mother alike,
"My son and I mean no harm, we were simply inspecting the ship to ensure you weren't dragon trappers" she hissed holding her arm out informing the two to stop their approach.
"I don't care, you and your dragons attacked our ship!" Stoick yelled,
"That wasn't an attack" the boy scoffed, speaking in Norse for the first time since he landed, this took the Chief by surprise, he hadn't heard the boy communicate to anyone except that dragon, but he quickly regained his composure.
"It was close enough dammit!" Stoick yelled furiously, The night fury pulled his rider closer to his body with the large wings sheltering the boy from the raging Viking. "Never mind that.." Stoick turned around glaring at the stormcutter that was now awake and growling slightly
"at least I get to kill this beast that stole my family" This had done it for the dragon-boy, Viciously he leaped from his dragon's obsidian colored arms and prepared to tackle Stoick to the ground.
"Hiccup no!" The women screamed, stopping both men dead in their tracks.
"d-did you just say-"
"Hiccup, yes Stoick" The women sighed pulling her mask away from her face revealing a skinny women, with beautiful forest green eyes,
"V-Valka?" Stoick choked, how was this possible? How could she be alive.
"I'm sorry I stayed away, I'll explain everything, just please don't hurt Cloudjumper" Valka begged motioning for Hiccup to retreat from his initial attack. Stoick was too shocked to speak, his tear filled eyes drifted over his dear wife, her beautiful face shining in the morning sunlight, he then looked over to Hiccup, who had once again buried himself in the night fury's wings. The boy's face was still covered by the rather impressive helmet but Stoick could see a small portion of the still green eyes, that stared at him through the slitted holes cut into the well crafted leather, except his eyes were what one could describe as wild and untamed.
To Stoick's disappointment the boy was still lanky and rather scrawny, it was obvious he had taken after his mother. A small croon escaped Hiccup's curled lips, snapping the Chief from his trance, carefully the man began his approach to his wife. This earned a suspicious growl from Hiccup as he moved closer towards his mother, still walking on four legs.
"Shhh, it's alright dear" Valka soothed stretching her fingers forward and twisting them slightly, to Stoick's surprise Hiccup and the night fury back away slowly still staring intensely in Stoick's direction. Once again he walked forward,
"I know what you're going to say Stoick, how could I have done this? Stayed away all these years, why didn't I come back to you? Why didn't I bring our son back to you?" She paused taking a shaky breath, desperately trying to regain her composure "Well you can't change Stoick! No one on Berk can! I asked so many times to stop the fighting, but did any of you listen?" Stoick continued strolling carefully, fresh tears glazing over his eyes, "I know I didn't allow you to be apart of Hiccup's life, and I'm very sorry, I just did what was best for him.. But, oh stop being so stoic Stoick scream, shout, say something!" She choked on her breath as the man placed a hand on her cheek caressing her high cheek bones softly,
"You're as beautiful as the day I lost you" Valka finally leaned into the touch and felt all the fear escape her as Stoick planted a gentle, loving kiss on her deprived lips.
Hiccup stared in hatred at this disgusting man, he had never seen his mother interact in such a way, it wasn't right, why was she treating this dragon killer kindly?
"Hate to interrupt but ye' dragons are still swooping the ship" Gobber stated awkwardly, Valka smiled before waving the flock away, signalling for them to return to the nest.
"Oh Val I-" Stoick was cut off by a furious battle cry, as a blonde Viking sprang from the lower decks, axe in hand. "Astrid no-" The chief began, but watched in horror as a startled Hiccup leaped aggressively onto the women forcing her to drop the weapon in shock. He held her firmly in a death lock growling as he awaited a reaction from his victim, the night fury stood closely behind, ready to defend his rider. "Hiccup it's okay" Stoick started, the dragon-boy ignored the man he despised so much and continued holding Astrid down.
"Hiccup stop" Valka interfered much to everyone's surprise Hiccup listened to his mother stepping off the girl and walking back to the night fury, grumbling something in Norse under his breath. Astrid stood up, clearly shaken, but still refusing to reveal any traces of fear on her glaring face.
"What's going on sir?" Astrid questioned turning to Stoick
"I can get Toothless and Cloudjumper to tow your ship to the nest, I think I have a lot of explaining to do.." Valka admitted grabbing a small knife to cut her dragon from his restraints. Both Astrid and Hiccup looked at Valka in shock,
Astrid once again directed her attention to her chief "We're not actually going with these feral dragon people!" Astrid argued, meaning it as an insult, but neither Hiccup or Valka were offended by that claim.
"These feral people are my wife and son! So I trust them" Stoick spat, making the girl shrink a little bit, sparing one last glare in Hiccup's direction she nodded.
"Okay, but I want to know what you mean by 'Son and Wife' as soon as we get there" she stated folding her arms sullenly. Hiccup snorted in annoyance and growled at Astrid, Stoick and Gobber before returning to the side of his dragon companion. This had been a strange day for both sides and it was about to get a whole lot stranger.