A Hijack Story ~ One Sea; Two Secrets
Chapter 3 ~ Underwater Truth ~
Hiccup swam until he reached an enclosed cave. He swam up to catch his breath. He gasps sharply for air, as he coughs and struggles to the shore of the cave. He sits up and stares out the entrance of the dome. He sat there. Suddenly regretting what he had done and all the trouble he caused. He was miles away from the manor. It was gonna be dark soon. The worst part was that he was alone. 'Oh sirens, what have I done?! Merida and Uncle Fergus are probably worried sick about me. If I go back they'll probably force me to my sences,' Hiccup thought as he washed his face in the water of the pond. He looked up, the moon would be up soon, and it would get dark. Bringing the evening mist.
~ Meanwhile ~
"Astrid!" called a man, his voice booming off the walls of his underwater throne room. A blonde woman swam into the room. Her tail a brownish-green, and her bangs in the way of her face. Hiding her ocean blue eyes. "Yes, your Highness?" She questioned as she bowed before the man. "My son. He's in our territory." "What do wish to have done?" Astrid questioned, brushing some strands of hair away from her face. "Bring him here. To me. I'd like to see him for myself," the king ordered. Astrid nodded her head,"Yes, King Stoick." She then goes off to get Stoick's request.
~ The cave ~
Astrid swam up to the surface and found Hiccup sitting on the shore. "Oh, my," She said, earning Hiccup's attention," It seems I want to go on land. Alas, I can't." "Why is it you can't come to the shore?" Hiccup questioned, a surprised look upon his face. Astrid showed him her tail. Hiccup gasped. "Your a... Mermaid." Astrid smirks as she informs him, "Only a kiss from a pirate like yourself, can give me my land fins; Yet I guess you don't play that way." She's just about to leave when Hiccup calls out, "Wait! I'll do it. I'll kiss you." Astrid then swims up to him and kisses his lips. Hard. The pressure and the magic causes Hiccup to fall asleep, and he faints into the water. "Well, the easy part's done," Astrid says as she brushes her hair from her face and grabs Hiccup into her arms.
~The palace ~
"King Stoick." Stoick turns. "Heather!" He calls. Another mermaid, with silk black hair and a red tail enters the room. "Yes?" Stoick gestures Astrid to bring Hiccup to her, so she could make him able to breath underwater. Heather grabs Hiccup's face and kisses him passionately. Astrid looks away in disgust. Hiccup then wakes up and takes a deep breath, thinking he must have drowned. "What's going-" Hiccup looks around. Two mermaids. And a merman in front of him. 'Dad?' Hiccup thought as Stoick turned once more. This time, to see his son. "Welcome home son," Stoick said, stretching his arms out and concerning the palace.
Hiccup was confused. Then, a sudden flashback fills his mind. ~
~Flashback ~
Crying. That's it. Crying of an infant baby boy.
A mop of auburn hair. Topped over an oval face. A button nose dotted the center. Freckles running across his red face. Beyond the tight shut eye lids were two semi light and dark green crystallized roses which played as the young child's eyes. Every time anyone came to see these eyes. They knew that the eyes were the young infant's and the infant's alone.
A voice filled the room where the merbaby slept. "Shh. Hamish," the voice said as gentle arms picked up the fragile body that was the boy. A small laugh left the baby's lips as it opened it's eyes. The boy looked with gentle eyes, upon Valamir, his mother. A man came into the room, and placed his bold hands upon his wife's small shoulders. "Is there something wrong Val?" He questioned as he looked over her shoulder at the small baby in her arms. "No Stoick, " She gently replied, "Hamish just woke up frightened again is all." As Stoick left the room. Valamir held Hamish close to her, not wanting to put him back into his sea shell crib.
As she starts rocking the tiny infant back to sleep, she starts singing. She starts to sing a song only she knew. The song which she chose to be her son's lullaby. "Dancing winds, painted waves. Things you'll almost remember, and the song, I sing, Once Upon a December. I hold you safe and warm. Land birds fly through the evening storm. Mermaids swimming gracefully, across your memory. Far away, long ago. Green lit blueness and silver. Things your heart, used to know; things it yearns to remember. And the song, I sing... Once Upon a December." As her voice dies down softer and softer. Hamish's eyes begin to close with slumber approaching behind him. She lays him down and he is fast asleep.
~15 years later ~
"Hiccup!" Stoick yells. Warning the teen boy, he had done something wrong. Again. If only his mom was here. She'd know what to do. Hiccup appears before his towering father, his eyes not meeting the face of the man. "Hiccup, have you been out late at the surface again?" His father questioned. Hiccup nodded, knowing it was useless in arguing with him. His father tossed him a satchel as he said, "second time this week son, one more time and I'll have to limit your surface time." Hiccup nodded. He understood entirely.
According to the other merpeople, the surface was dangerous. It was where pirates, whom were after mermaids and mermaid treasury, plowed through with their gigantic ships. Hiccup knew that he was supposed to stay away from the ships. Yet, something about them amazed him. He snuck up to the surface that night, and found a ship anchored in a cave referred to as 'Mermaid's Cove'. It was where Hiccup took small glimpses, when he was younger, at his Mother and his Father sitting on the rocks talking to one another. It was also where a pirate's ship had killed his mother. Though the others said it was dangerous, Hiccup couldn't stay away.
As he got closer, he saw ruckus play out on the ship's deck. "Look what we have here mates," a man said with a thick Australian accent, "If it ain't a small cod of a stowaway fish." A boy, whom seemed around Hiccup's age was tied up by his hands and feet. His stomach squished on the deck. His back weighed down by the tall man's foot. "Let's show'em what we do with stowaway fish," the man said, his accent like whips,"Strip'em of his shirt and tie'm to the mast!"
Hiccup saw it all. The men of the ship, stripped the boy from his white sailor shirt. Turned him so his bare, peachy tan blameless back faced them and bonded him to the mast. Then, the man came back, a whip in his hand and a stern look upon his face. "After this," he said, straightening the whip in his hand, "Ye'll think twice before sneakin' aboard my ship, you little slim worth piece of cod." As he finished his sentence; CRACK! The whip came down hard.
" AHHHHHH!" The boy, tied to the mast screamed. The rope left the first line of red scarlet across the boy's back. CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! Went the whip again. The boy screamed every time the rope came in presence with his back; only to have it slice him up more.
Hiccup looked away. Just mainly hearing the screams of the tortured male, made him want to jump back into the sea and swim all the way back home. He then waited. Hiccup waited till the men untied the male and had him brought over by the opening near the edge of the boat. When that was done, and the men went away, Hiccup tried to untie the ropes which bonded the other male's hands.
The male jumped as he felt Hiccup's hands against his skin. He turned to look at him and said as quietly as he could manage,"What are you doing here?!" "I'm trying to free you," Hiccup replied sternly." If they catch you, they'll ring you from your tail fin and use you as their dart board," the male warned. Hiccup pushed himself up and landed a hard passionate kiss onto the male's bit and bloody lips. When they parted, the male ordered,"Get out of here before they catch you." "What about you?" Hiccup questioned once more. "I'll be fine. Now go!"
That was the last time Hiccup saw the male. That last word sounded as if it faded into his ears. The next words he heard were,"Hiccup... wake up!" Hiccup's eyes shot open. He didn't notice that he was asleep the whole time and that the mermaids took him back to the beach just a few feet away from the manor. He looked up. His spirited cousin, Merida was standing beside him. "How long were ye out here Hiccup?" She questions as she helped him to his feet. Hiccup shook his head,"I don't know." Merida smiled at him. "Come on," She said,"My dad wants to talk to ye." Hiccup sighed as they started heading back to the house.
Something bothered him though. He finally knew the truth about himself. Was there more? Was Hiccup just a merman prince with the ability to appear human towards others or was he something else. He kept these thoughts in his mind. Yet what he didn't know was, that he wasn't the only one who had something to hide. ~