Chapter 1
The Beginning
This story is before the red death is destroyed. Valka wasn't taken she left Stoic after she trained a terrible terror and Stoick killed it. Everyone in Berk knew the story but few spoke of it especially around the chief. Stoick loved his wife but as chief could not tolerate any dragon with the raids getting worse after three hundred years of war. He had even prevented Valka from taking their eighteen month old son Hiccup with her when she left. He was Stoick's heir and would someday assume the chiefdom. The boys name was Hiccup Horrendous the III. Hiccups name was traditional but he had been born in the winter, two months early, tiny and sickly. It had taken all their energy and strength to keep the baby alive. Though small, Hiccup was a fighter and survived. He had his mother's face, eyes and personality. The only thing he seemed to have inherited from Stoick was his hair and his temper.
Stoick's was heart broken and clueless as to how to raise a child. Thank the gods he had been weaned early due to Valka inability to nurse him longer. She was gone, Valka was gone. He had hoped she would return on her own but she hadn't. Stoick had sent ships to the other tribes looking for her. He seemed to be one step behind her every time. Then, right before Hiccups third birthday news of Valka came. It was the worst news possible. A messenger from the Murderous tribe reported that during a dragon raid, Valka had tried to talk and stop a huge four winged owl faced dragon but in the end the dragon grabbed her in its talons and carried her off. She was just one of thirty that had died or been carried off that day. Stoick was devastated at the news. He did not leave his home or speak to anyone for two weeks and when he came out he was a changed man. He was no a longer smiling a jovial man always there with a good joke or advice, no more the easy going quick to forgive man who had been such a caring kind chieftain. Now he was cold, spoke only when necessary and broached no patience for failure or disobedience. During a visit a man from the Berserker tribe had gotten a little too drunk and had kissed a Berk mans wife uninvited. Before even the woman's husband could stand, Stoick had grabbed the man then had beaten him so badly it took months for the man to heal just well enough to leave and then Stoick had insisted the man be given over to the Outcasts tribe. That was the new reality on Berk. Stoick became distant to his best friend Gobber the village blacksmith, he ignored his brother Spitelout and became resentful of his own son because he looked like Valka. He went so far as to hand the boy over to Gobbers wife Helga to rear. No amount of talking would get Stoick to pay any attention to Hiccup. Hiccup of course didn't understand. Helga and Gobber even brought the boy to their home so he could have some sort of normalcy in his life.
For the most part Hiccup was a good kid. He was very bright, he loved being at the forge with Gobber and home with Helga. Helga taught him things his mother would have, even how to cook. Hiccup was still tiny compared to the children his age. He was also smarter and had a sharp cynical sense of humor. There were only a few kids Hiccup could associate with around his age. There was Astrid Hofferson, a strong cute blonde girl from a family of warriors. She excelled at everything it took to become a warrior but less so at domestic chores. Next came the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston, children of Loki always in some sort of mischief. The came Fishlegs Ingerman. He was a huge boy who had weighed nearly twelve pounds when he was born (little Hiccup had barely weighed four). He too was very bright like Hiccup. Next came Heather and Nora Swenson, both pretty, bright and energetic girls. Lastly was Snotlout Jorgenson. He was short but very muscular, not very bright and was a bit of a bully. Hiccup was a year older than all of them but was also the smallest. They all started school at five years learning the basics of writing and numbers along with survival skills. Weapons training and defense was also taught. All adults were expected to teach and took turns doing so. As expected, the Hofferson girl was the best at anything that dealt with weapons and defense. Close second was Snotlout who was naturally aggressive. Heather turned out to be the best archer and Nora was the best at the short sword. Fishlegs didn't like weapons training but with a shield and broadsword no one, not even Astrid with her trusty double headed axe could get near him. Poor Hiccup was so small and weak that he couldn't raise any of the blades and didn't have enough strength to pull back a longbow. He became the target of all the other children's verbal and physical abuse. He was teased remorselessly, physically abused daily and avoided during any exercise, playtimes or lunch. Like any other bullied child he withdrew into himself, rarely speaking unless forced to do so. He did have talents though, he had a quick mind and an almost scary memory. He rarely had to hear or read lessons more than once to be able to give correct answers. He was curious to a fault and in class the other kids would get angry because he too often asked the most questions and gave the most correct answers to questions. Hiccup was also artistic. Though sometimes crude, Hiccup could draw things and people around with great accuracy and detail. He also loved to read and write. He kept a journal starting when he was six. These talents and traits were ignored by because they weren't Viking enough. He was inventive, constantly taking things apart to see how they worked. He tried to make items that would improve weapons or life in Berk. His inventions almost always failed. A couple had caused damage to the village ended up hurting him. Stoick out of embarrassment tended to ignore Hiccup. It was easy to do too because as Chief he worked sometimes long into the night and was to mentally exhausted to deal with the little boy once he got home. That all ended the day Helga Duterson was killed and his best friend Gobber was badly wounded. Hiccup cried when he was forced to leave Gobber and Helga house, (he was almost five). His father berated him for it, "your a Chief's son for god's sake, quit your blubbering and man up. Viking men to not cry! You are so much like your mother. Get up, go up to the loft, get in your bed and get out of my sight!" Hiccup feared and resented his father, though he loved him and like all little boys craved to have his father's love support and approval. Before Helga was killed he was usually at the Duterson home and Hiccup did everything he could to avoid Stoick. Things only got worse for Hiccup. Early in the morning, just two weeks before his fifth birthday there was another dragon raid. Hiccup was playing just outside of Gobbers house with Astrid and Fishlegs. When the warning horn sounded three times to identify the threat as incoming dragons Astrid and Fishlegs ran for cover like they had been taught by their fathers. Hiccup didn't have the luxury of a father who was loving and protective so when the dragons attacked he froze. A Deadly Nadder had landed and was walking towards the little boy when Helga burst out of her door screaming at the dragon as she headed out the front door towards Hiccup still frozen standing in the middle of the villages main path. Unfortunately she surprised and startled the Nadder which immediately shot poisonous spikes from its tail before it flew off. She was struck by three. Nadder poison is fast acting and Helga immediately collapsed to the ground in front of the little boy. Hiccup sat down picked up Helga's head and cradling it in his tiny little lap crying,"I'm sorry momma, please don't die, please don't die! I'll be a good boy I promise!", he cried. Helga reached up and weakly put a hand on Hiccups cheek,"you are always a good boy my sweet love. Be brave and I will be waiting for you in Valhalla". With that her hand dropped, her eyes glazed over, a smile still on her face. Hiccup rocked her crying inconsolably while the raid continued on. Finally rough hands grabbed him and pulled him away from the dead woman.
The next evening a large funeral pyre was erected for the fourteen souls who had died. Hiccup hysterically cried when the pyre was lit. He screamed and cried so loud Stoick slapped him hard to the ground shouting, "She died saving you, you useless runt of a child! I'm ashamed of you and so would she be!" Hiccup went dead quiet. Even those families grieving were taken aback by the scene before them. Tiny Hiccup raised himself off the ground and looked his father straight in the eyes. He wiped blood from his mouth and nose and with his small squeaky voice shouted,"I hate you, I hate you, I hope you die in your sleep!" Enraged Stoic went to grab the child but his brother-in-law Spitelout and three other men stopped him as Hiccup ran into the forest. Hiccup was gone over two and a half days before a search party found him clinging to life in a small cave on a cliff overlooking the bay. Besides nearly dying the village learned a new insult to the boy and their cruel chief,"Hiccup the Useless".