B&B - Chapter one: "Hiccup"

I was inspired by httydgirl74's retelling of the story on Youtube, so at least for this chapter, Mala is Gaston and Ruffnut is Lefou. However, I still really love the idea of Dagur as Gaston instead, paired with Snotlout as Lefou. We'll see however I edit the story in the future, but for now, here's chapter one! Enjoy!

The gentle sunlight slowly rose from behind the tall mountain and bathed the valley below in a warm glow. Sitting in a prairie of wild flowers and nestled underneath the shade of a willow tree, sat a small and humble stone cottage. A dragon-shaped weathervane poked out of the wooden roof, and a large waterwheel spun to a little stream that ran along the cottage.

A rooster from one of the neighboring farms crowed in the distance, followed by many brays of sheep. The front door of the cottage creaked opened to reveal a young man, shielding his eyes from the morning light.

This boy was named Hiccup Haddock the third. Why he was given such a unique name was easy to understand. He wasn't like other burly and robust Viking guys his age. Even for a twenty-year-old, Hiccup had been rather scrawny ever since he was little. While other boys wore armor, Hiccup stuck with his simple green tunic and yak fur cardigan. He did nothing to control his tousled brown hair other than maybe adding a short braid or two at the nape of his neck. Hiccup was just absolutely average. The kind of unremarkable, skinny, freckled boy who was easily overlooked in a crowd.

There weren't that many things remarkable about Hiccup, but he did have a certain invisible charm about him, a certain twinkle in his grassy green eyes, that seemed to put others at ease.

Hiccup stood on the porch, and yawned, rubbing his eyes. He looked out over the picturesque village down the road, breathed in deeply through his nose and sighed. All things considered, it was a very pretty village, peaceful and quiet. So, it had a certain charm, he supposed. Although, it wasn't exactly his style.

He heard soft purring emanating from the roof above him. He looked up to see a familiar dark face and green eyes staring down at him. He smiled up at the little baby night fury.

Hiccup gestured for the little dragon to climb in his satchel, as was their daily routine, but the dragon groaned. The boy knew how much his friend didn't like hiding in there, but it was a necessary precaution.

For you see, the villagers in town considered dragons to be as dangerous as wild boars, or bears, or wolves, and were afraid of them. Training dragons was not a new concept however. There were other faraway places Hiccup read about that had started to integrate dragons as part of their daily life. But not this remote Viking village. To most Vikings, dragons were a predator to their farms' livestock, not a creature you keep as a pet. It wasn't really their fault, though. Dragons could be extremely dangerous when provoked. But Hiccup and his mother were different from most Viking families.

His mother, Valka, was a gifted medicine woman and came to this village to be a healer, for both dragons and people alike. That's why their house was outside the village, in the middle of a wide, open prairie. Fresh air and plenty of space to fly. It was a home welcome to any dragon in need of care.

Although, most of the villagers were too afraid to come directly to their cottage for medical attention because of the injured or ill dragons they periodically kept in their stables for recovery. So, Hiccup helped his mother by making prescription deliveries to the houses in town.

Typically, the villagers put up with their 'dragon fraternizing' and left Hiccup and his mother alone, but there were a couple times that Toothless decided to follow Hiccup down to the market and… well, people freaked out.

So, after a little convincing, promising the young night fury slices of tuna for a treat, little Toothless finally climbed into Hiccup's satchel, curling around himself to nap. Hiccup sighed, letting his dragon sleep. Under the satchel's flap, he stroked Toothless's head and the dragon purred contentedly. Hiccup smiled, wishing he could sleep in for once, but he had a job to do.

Hiccup lightly stepped off the porch, careful of his metal pegleg, and closed the front gate behind him. He started down the dusty road, Toothless returning to his nap inside his satchel. A bluebird sweetly tweeted and flew past Hiccup's head, fluttering off toward the village just down the path. Hiccup smiled.

Little town, it's a quiet village

Every day like the one before

Little town full of little people

Waking up to say…

He gazed up at the clock tower and watched the hour hand strike seven o'clock. Right on que, the whole village seemed to wake up and begin the day.

Bonjour!

Bonjour!

Bonjour!

Bonjour!

Bonjour!

There goes the Baker with his tray like always,

The same old bread and rolls to sell…

Every morning just the same

since the morning that we came

to this poor provincial town –

"Good morning, Hiccup!" he heard someone call. Hiccup turned around and saw it was one of his friendly neighbors.

"Good morning, Monsieur Jean. Have you lost something again?" Hiccup replied.

"Why yes! I believe I have," the pot-bellied man answered. "The problem is… I can't seem to remember what!" Hiccup gave a little laugh. The man was always forgetting things like that. Monsieur Jean shrugged. "Oh well. I'm sure it will come to me. Where are you off to?"

Hiccup looked down at the book in his hands. "To return this book to Gobber. It's about two lovers in Fair Verona."

Monsieur Jean scrunched his face. "Sounds boring."

Hiccup shrugged and went on his merry way, passing through the market place, pretending he couldn't hear the people around him.

Look there he goes, that boy is strange, no question

Dazed and distracted, can't you tell?

Never part of any crowd,

'Cause his head's up on some cloud

No denying he's a funny one that Hiccup

Bonjour! Good day! How is your family?

Bonjour! Good day! How is your wife?

I need six eggs! That's too expensive!

Hiccup shook his head and sighed.

There must be more than this provincial life!

The bell rang as Hiccup opened the door, stepping into the tiny shop. "Ah, if it isn't the only bookworm in town!" greeted the large Scottish man, hammering away at a glowing sword on an anvil. "So where did you run off to this week?" he asked, his silver tooth glinting.

Hiccup smiled. The town's blacksmith, Gobber, never questioned Hiccup's love for reading. Their mutual love for 'curious' baubles and junk was really the one and only thing they had in common, but Hiccup could always count on a friendly welcome from him.

"Two cities in Northern Italy. I didn't want to come back," Hiccup teased. Then he peered over the little bookshelf at the back of the shop. "Have you got any new places to go?" he asked.

Gobber shook his head and moved around the back of the counter. He kept lots of things that no Viking wanted to keep anymore. "I'm afraid not. But you may reread any of the old ones that you like," he said, waving to the same small pile of seven books.

It didn't take long for Hiccup to decide. Tucking the book under his arm, he reopened the door. "Your library makes our small corner of the world feel big," Hiccup said to Gobber's turned back.

"Bon voyage!" said Gobber with a small wave over his shoulder. He was already getting distracted by a new customer asking to repair his mace. Hiccup just smiled and stepped out.

Look there he goes, the boy is so peculiar

I wonder if he's feeling well

With a dreamy, far-off look

And his nose stuck in a book

What a puzzle to the rest of us is Hiccup

Hiccup finally found a good spot by the fountain to sit momentarily as he flipped through the familiar pages. He gently set his satchel down and Toothless wiggled a little inside the bag. His black nose was peeking through the top flap, his nostrils flaring, sniffing for treats. Hiccup was too distracted by his book to worry too much about it. He absent-mindedly petted Toothless's head and held out a piece of fish, which Toothless swiped from his hand in the blink of an eye and curled back inside his satchel, contently chewing. Hiccup knew Toothless didn't care for books and stories all that much, but the little dragon was still a good listener.

Oh, isn't this… amazing?

It's my favorite part because – you'll see

Here's where she meets Prince Charming

But she won't discover that it's him 'til chapter three…

It was a good thing Hiccup could easily fall into a good story, relishing every word, because he could tune out the gossip floating around the village.

Now it's no wonder why his name is "Hiccup"

He used to be scrawny as a twig

But behind that fair façade

I'm afraid he's rather odd

Very diff'rent from the rest of us

He's nothing like the rest of us

Yes, diff'rent from the rest of us is Hiccup!

From atop a nearby hill, outside the village, there sat two large steeds, their riders looking down at the village entrance. The first was a tall, blonde woman, her hair in a military pixie cut. Her name was Mala. Unbeknownst to Hiccup, she held a spyglass, watching him from a distance, through the village gate.

"Look at him, Ruffnut," Mala said coyly to her long, blonde haired companion. "My future husband. Hiccup is the most handsome boy in the village. That makes him the best."

Ruffnut shrugged and scoffed, "But he's so… well-read! And you're so… athletically inclined."

Still, Mala didn't listen. "I know. Hiccup can be as argumentative as he is handsome."

Ruffnut brightened. "Exactly! Who needs him when you've got us?"

Mala cast a side glance at Ruffnut, not convinced. "Yes… But ever since the war, I've felt like I've been missing something. And he's the only boy that gives me that sense of… "

"Mmm… je ne sais quoi?" Ruffnut suggested.

Mala shook her head, motioning her stead forward down the path toward the village. "I don't know what that means."

Right from the moment when I met him, saw him

I said he's gorgeous and I fell

Here in town, there's only he

Who is beautiful as me

So, I'm making plans to woo and marry Hiccup

Three boys: Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Tuffnut grouped together and watched the pair ride into town. They all admired Mala.

Look there she goes!

Isn't she dreamy?!

Madame Mala, oh she's so cute!

Be still, my heart

I'm hardly breathing

She's such a tall, dark, strong and handsome brute!

Ruffnut leered at the boys. "It's never going to happen ladies."

Mala made to follow Hiccup through the bustling crowd.

Bonjour!

Pardon – M

Good day – H

Mais oui!

You call this bacon?

What lovely flowers!

Some cheese

Ten yards!

One pound

Excuse me – M

I'll get the knife

Please let me through! – M

This bread

Those fish

It's stale!

They smell!

Madame's mistaken

Well, maybe so

There must be more than this provincial life! – H

Just watch, I'm going to be Hiccup's wife! – M

Look there he goes

That boy is strange but special

A most peculiar monsieur indeed

It's a pity and a sin

He doesn't quite fit in

'Cause he really is a funny boy

A handsome but a funny boy

He really is a funny boy…

That Hiccup!

For some reason, at that moment, Hiccup felt a chill up his spine and turned around. But the villagers were operating just as normally as ever. Before he could wonder if he was going crazy, he heard a distinctly familiar voice rang out.

"Good morning, Hiccup!"

Hiccup cringed slightly as he turned. "Mala," he greeted, if only to be polite.

The truth was, he didn't hate Mala, but he really disliked her love for hunting and killing dragons for sport. She had been that way ever since he met her. But even then, she was a huge show-off and she also bullied others, throwing around her influence to get whatever she wanted without thinking about the consequences. And lately, she'd been paying way more attention to Hiccup than usual. Hiccup had no idea why. He was nothing like Mala. Why would she keep pursuing him?

"Wonderful book you got there," Mala said as she caught up to him.

This shocked Hiccup and got his attention. "Have you read it?"

Mala shrugged. "Well… not that one, but you know… books…"

"Right..."

The awkward silence was drawn out until Mala spoke again.

"For your table," she said, whipping out a bouquet of flowers. "Shall I join you for dinner this evening?"

Hiccup hesitantly took the flowers, but he needed a way to let her down gently. "Sorry… not this evening…" He said slowly.

"Busy?" Mala asked.

"Um… no…" Hiccup said, before awkwardly turning and walking away. He couldn't leave quick enough.

Still, Mala was left where she stood, clenching her fist. Just what was it going to take to win over that stupid boy?!

"So! Moving on?" Ruffnut asked, popping up behind her.

Mala shook her head, sneering. "No, Ruffnut. It's the ones that play hard-to-get that are the sweetest prey. That's what makes Hiccup so appealing. He hasn't made a fool of himself just to win my favor. I wonder, what do you call that?"

"Dignity?" Ruffnut suggested.

Mala nodded. "It's outrageously attractive, don't you agree?"

Over their shoulders, a group of love-struck boys were smiling goofily, flexing their muscles. Mala winked at them and laughed to herself as one of them fainted. Ruffnut just followed behind.