Hey everyone! Thank you so much for your reviews on the last chapter and thanks to those few who voted on the poll I mentioned in the last chapter. Since I have a bit of a dilemma with it, it'll stay open until the actual chapter is about to be written.
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To those who don't know about it: The poll is about Toothless, since he'll be arriving soon, and if he should keep his tailfin or not. Just tell me what you want to read through the poll. Or comment. Or both. ^^
Enjoy!
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Chapter 7 – Enemy revealed
His mother had been different ever since their town visit a week ago.
She avoided questions about this topic and was more often making patrols. It wasn't like he was used to from his father, though. It seemed like she was thinking and worrying about something at the same time.
And quite frankly, Hiccup was getting fed up with it. If he had wanted to be ignored and shoved aside, he would go back to Berk. And while he was patient and giving her space; as both of them still weren't completely used to the company of each other; it still was frustrating to watch. The day always started with having an awkward and silent breakfast together, followed by his mother leaving for patrol and leaving him at the nest by himself for most of the day, before returning long past noon only to hurry through the nest for every single thing to be done.
Just a few words were shared between them and Hiccup seriously started to question his sanity when he, out of boredom, just walked right up the Bewilderbeast and climbed onto his head to relax. Luckily the King never minded and would sometimes try to start a conversation with the teen. Finding out that the alpha could communicate with humans mentally, even if most of it was just feelings and memories, shocked him to the bone and excited him to no end equally. He once even asked him if he could teach Hiccup the language the dragons spoke but for whatever reason, the king always told him to wait.
What did he have to wait for? Hiccup had no idea and the dragon always was mysteriously quiet about that part.
That evening, he lay in his bed waiting for Valka to come home. She was late. Well, later than usual and he couldn't help but worry about her. She never really told him what or who exactly she was fighting against. The only thing he knew was that dragon trappers worked for the enemy and they, like his father always tried to find the nest. Only, in this case, it was the sanctuary.
His thoughts started to wander. He kind of missed Gunnar. While he may have known the blacksmith for just one day, the man reminded him so much of Gobber. He didn't possess Gobber's sarcasm; which Hiccup had picked up from him as a child; and he was much cleaner but the two matched in many other aspects. He wanted to back there to the trading post. Just to come and visit. But with his mother like she was, he probably wouldn't set a foot out of the sanctuary for another month or longer.
The familiar roar of a Stormcutter alerted Hiccup to his mother's return. He quickly pushed the thick furs off and hurried outside. Valka tiredly climbed off her companions back when her son came over to welcome her back. They shared a hug in greeting and she immediately went off to bed, tired from fending off the trappers who dared to venture inside the alpha's territory. Cloudjumper, the ever faithful dragon, followed her after nuzzling Hiccup lovingly. And then he stood alone.
'This is almost Berk all over again...' he thought, saddened and annoyed at the similarities between his parents right now. Sighing in frustration, Hiccup went back ti his corner and lay back down. Sleep didn't come to him easy that night.
It took him another week before, finally, he got the chance to get some answers. Valka had just come back from another of her patrols. She was tired and covered in dirt, which she, immediately after greeting her son, went to wash out. Cloudjumper was equally tired and stayed by their cave and Hiccup took the given opportunity. He followed his mother down to the stream and waited until she was in the middle of the task of scrubbing away at the dirt before making his presence known.
"Mom?"
"Yes, dear?"
"Who were those men at the port?" Her hand paused momentarily and Valka glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. Then she resumed her work with more force than necessary. Tense moments of silence followed as Hiccup watched his mother fight an internal battle with herself. He knew she didn't want to tell him but the boy felt he had the right to know if something, or someone dangerous, someone who posed a threat to his new found home and happiness was out there.
Finally, the woman sighed and set aside her tools to look her son right in the eyes. "Why do you want to know so badly? You don't need to concern yerself with this, Hiccup. And I don't want to drag you into this."
"But mom," Hiccup protested. "don't you understand? It does concern me! I am already in this. The moment Cloudjumper brought me here, into your life, I became a part of it. And if someone out there wants to hurt you, they will go after me eventually."
"Which is exactly why I'm not including you! If that madman finds out about you, he'll come after you!"
"But you'll stand a better chance if you'd just let me help!"
At that, Valka actually rolled her eyes. "You don't even have a bonded dragon companion, yet."
"I'll find my dragon! And once I have I can-"
"You will only get in the way, Hiccup!" She cut him off and Hiccup recoiled at those words. He'd heard them many times in his life already. Back when he was still 'Hiccup the Useless'. Back on Berk, where his own father used those exact words against him. Hearing them now, coming out of his mother's mouth, was like a slap in the face. His heart hadn't healed quite yet.
"H-Hiccup, I…." Valka tried, but Hiccup didn't stay long enough to hear it. He turned and raced away. His mother was left standing at the water's edge, feeling guilty and ashamed.
To avoid being found quickly, Hiccup hid inside a small and cramped crevice near the alpha's pond, fully intending on staying there for the rest of the day. His mother's words stung. The time since his abduction was probably the happiest he'd ever been and hearing her say something like that brought him crashing back to Berk. To all those disappointed and hateful looks, the physical abuse suffered by his own cousin and his friends and the loneliness that followed him every waking moment.
Valka, despite being gone entirely from his life for so long, had tried her best to make up for the missed time and treated him like any parent was supposed to treat their child.
'I'm such an idiot' Hiccup thought, letting out a shaky breath. His mother was just worried about his safety. She, like every parent, would try and keep him out of harm's way. He'd seen how she reacted to those men. They were dangerous and, in her eyes, were to be kept away from her son. Guilt hit him as he recalled leaving her standing back there. 'I better go and apologize to her...'
Yet, Hiccup couldn't will himself to leave his hiding spot. The noises of hundreds of dragons moving about the nest were somewhat calming, as were the rhythmic breaths of the Alpha. As close as Hiccup was to his pond, he could almost hear the steady heartbeat.
Ba-bum…
Ba-bum...
A sudden, low ringing noise pierced through the squawks and roars. It sounded very close and he looked around to find its origin, only to flinch violently when Hiccup felt something touching his mind. An enormous presence, making him feel small but at the same time comforted, was knocking on his inner walls. Hiccup grew nervous. It was something he had never experienced before. The ringing sound grow louder but he still couldn't find out what was causing it.
Something moved right outside his hiding spot and he slowly crept to the entrance of the crevice. The alpha had moved from his usual spot and was laying at the edge of the pond, right in front of the crevice and Hiccup, once again, admired the majestic dragon that was a source of comfort and safety to all of the nests inhabitants. It wasn't until deep emerald met crystal blue that he knew what the presence was and where the noise was coming from.
The king wasn't demanding and he waited patiently for his small not-dragon flockling to allow him entrance into his inner sanctuary. Hiccup got over his initial shock and hesitantly accepted the king's mind into his own.
He wasn't prepared for the overflow of emotion coming from the gently dragon, however. Hiccup cried out in pain when the raging storm of emotions flooded his head. Flickers of memories flashed in front of his eyes and his hands shot up to grasp his head as pain set in like hot iron on naked skin. He whimpered pathetically and the alpha, realizing that he was accidentally hurting his small flockling, was quick to pull away and suppress some of the overwhelming feelings projected towards the boy. Hiccup felt the dragon withdraw a bit from his mind and knelt on the ground for a moment to catch his breath.
'The Bewilderbeast can talk!' Hiccup realized. The King was talking to him. Not like anything he had ever experienced but this was amazing! With the pressure gone, he could feel so much through the connection. The most notable was the compassion the Alpha felt towards all of his subjects. Including him.
Guilt…
A new feeling flew through the bond. The alpha was apologizing. Hiccup dared to look up and met the king's eyes again. They were like an open book for him now. What he could feel he could also see in those eyes. Even though he was still a bit shaken from the unintentional attack, he gave a faint smile. Apology accepted.
Sad. Little flockling why?
"What? No, no. I'm not sad" Hiccup said. Liar.
This statement was met with confusion. The Alpha didn't understand him. Hiccup knew, that with them practically in each other's mind, there was no way he could lie to the king. He might even insult him if he tried. So, with a small sigh of resignation, he tried again. This time projecting his thoughts and emotions through the connection.
Sad yes. Feel small worthless useless. Mother –dam- rejects me? Father –sire- rejected me? Not enough? Lonely hurting cry out nobody comes everyone turns away useless! prove myself still not enough. Need love comfort useless! Help me?! Comfort me?!
Hiccup didn't notice when tears started to roll down his cheeks as he poured out his heart to the Alpha. It had been too long since he could cry into someone's shoulder. His father stopped listening when he was around six and he didn't want to bother Gobber. His only friend on Berk had turned his back early on to avoid suffering through the abuse Hiccup was subjected to. So he bottled up everything inside him. If he wasn't as broken as he was he would find it ironical that the first person he could go to find comfort in –really find comfort in- was, in fact, a dragon. A very intelligent one, but a dragon nonetheless. Sure, he told his mother when he arrived at the sanctuary, but humans couldn't feel the emotions as this Bewilderbeast could.
The King remained quiet as his little flockling cried in front of him and opened up to him. He went through this once. When Valka was brought here years and years ago, she too, was broken. But while she missed her babe and mate, this little boy just wanted to feel loved. He was lonely throughout most of his life. He couldn't understand human speech, so he didn't know what Valka had done to make her offspring feel so unloved all of a sudden. The boy felt as if his sire and dam had left him. But he, as the Alpha, knew better. His dam loved him. She would always speak about him. How much she wanted to keep him safe. How happy she was that she was finally reunited with her long lost babe.
Comfort. Love. Dam loves you. Flocklings love you. Safe here. Not alone. Little flockling that I love.
Warmth spread through Hiccup. The Alpha spoke the truth. Through him he felt the love his mother felt for him. The fear for his life and the happiness of seeing him again after so many years torn apart. He managed a small smile through his tears. He couldn't much about his life on Berk. Those demons of the past would probably cling to him his whole life. But he could make it better.
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Hiccup didn't move from his spot next to the pond for hours, soaking in the Alpha's comforting presence, occasionally trading thoughts with him and simply relaxing. The drama from before almost completely forgotten.
Only when he felt someone settle down next to him in the grass, did he remember. Mother and son sat next to each other in silence for what felt like hours. Neither knew what to say and therefore settling for an awkward silence. Cloudjumper eventually grew tired and curled around the pair, dozing off.
"Hiccup-" "Mom-" Both started at the same time.
"You go first." Valka said but Hiccup shook his head. "No, no. You first."
The woman sighed and shifted her gaze to look her son directly in the eyes. That way, he would know that the following words were nothing but honest. "I'm so sorry, Hiccup. I never intended to hurt you the way I did. All I want is to keep you save and from harm's way. I know I haven't been there for you all those years, but I can't change what has already happened. Would you be willing to give me another chance? To start over?"
Hiccup let a small smile grace his features and embraced his mother gently. "Of course, mom. I guess it just takes a while to get used to not being alone anymore. And I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have pestered your for information about something that doesn't concern me."
Valka returned the hug and stroked her son's hair, glad that he had already forgiven her for her earlier outburst.
While searching for her son throughout the nest, she had done a lot of thinking over everything. Everything being the threat that Drago posed for not only her, but the entire archipelago and more importantly, her son. His arriving at the Sanctuary proved to be an enormous impact on her life and everything connected to it and she realized, that sooner or later, he would have to face what was out there. Valka had to tell him. As much as she despised the idea of dragging her little boy; because to her, he was still the tiny, innocent baby who looked sickly enough for her to doubt his surviving his first ice on Berk; into the mess that was her life. It took her quite the effort to come to her decision.
Mother and son pulled away from each other, not quite letting go completely.
"Hiccup," Valka said. And all of a sudden, the blissful mood vanished as her smile was replaced with a seriousness that had Hiccup on edge. "Earlier, you asked who the men at the port were. I didn't want you to know any of what was going on. But I came to realize, that sooner or later, you would find out anyway. I want you to be prepared for that, so I will answer your questions. However, it is not a simple story."
The boy tensed at the seriousness of his mother's voice. He suspected there was something going on.
"Those men you saw were dragon hunters." He guessed as much. "You should know of them. Berk did occasionally trade with them. But those men you saw, are working for someone. His name is Drago Bludvist. He is a madman who captures and enslaves dragons to build a dragon army. He is the one I'm fighting against and if he is not stopped, he will conquer the entire archipelago."
Valka paused, letting her son take in the information she had given him for a moment.
"When Cloudjumper brought me here, it didn't take long to find out about him and his ambitions. I started to oppose him. I freed captured dragons and attacked his bases. Ever since he found out about me, he's been trying to find the Sanctuary. The reason why I didn't want to involve you was because I'm afraid that he will try to use you against me. He already tried so many things to lure me out into the open. I know what Drago Bludvist is capable of and I am afraid of losing you once more, Hiccup. But I see now that you have a right to know the dangers outside the Sanctuary."
To Hiccup, this Drago person did sound like a very unpleasant fellow to cross paths with and even with the few details his mother gave him, he had no desire to actually meet the man. Even though he was barely a teenager, a small and scrawny one at that, he was aware of the seriousness of their situation. He still wanted to help. But he doubted that Valka would just let him run out there and fight Dragon Hunters like he wanted to. She said he had to know, not to help her. He knew now that it was fear that held her back. The fear every mother carried deep inside their hearts. Hiccup could understand that. Her fears were well-founded seeing as he had knw next to nothing about actual battle or fighting in general. He didn't even have a dragon companion yet. What could he possibly do? Make the enemy laugh themselves to death?
However, he knew what he had to do. Hiccup looked hard into Valka's equally emerald eyes.
"Mom," he said. "I still want to help you. I know I'm just a scrawny little kid, but with someone like Drago running around out there, wouldn't it be much easier if you had ever support you could get? I want to help you protect the dragons. The Sanctuary has, in the short time I have been here, become like home and I can't just sit around and hope for the best while my home is threatened. Please, mom. Let me help you!"
Hiccup felt his mother's gaze burn through him as he said those words. In fact, he felt not just her eyes on him. He still felt the Alpha's presence inside his mind as he looked at his soul, searching for the tiniest shred of deceit in his words and feeling his determination flow through their bond. Yet, he never let his eyes stray from hers.
Finally, after what felt like hours, she closed her eyes and sighed. The Alpha seemed pleased with what he found, too.
"Fine" she told him. Valka stood and offered him a hand, which he took smiling. "But if you really want to help, then you need to learn how to fight."
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I'll just say it now. I absolutely suck at writing mother-son bonding between Hiccup and Valka (which is why I skipped their reunion when they first met) and both are probably reeeealllyy OOC in this chapter. But hey, this is a fanfic. It's not like they actually have to stay in character all the time.
And surprise, surprise (or not) the Alpha can talk. The way the Alpha communicates is somewhat inspired from the fic "Carried off" from Raberbagirl... somewhat... And I'm not completely happy with how it turned out but it's alright, I guess.
To my reviewers:
Crystallion12 - Thank you! And of course we'll get to see him. Very soon, in fact. There wouldn't be httyd without Toothless =3
midnightsky0612 - woooh! Cut him into tiny pieces and feed them to Stormfly!
HeartAngel1796 - You won't have to wait long! (I hope)
.2015 - Thank you and welcome aboard! Yep, Toothless is alive alright. :)
tenorsaxgirl - Thank you!
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So, I hope you enjoyed and don't forget to review on your way out.
