Set one year after the events of HTTYD2
The day was like any other...except it wasn't.
Sunlight seeped through the curtains of the bedroom, disturbing the slumber of the chief and his wife. Astrid lay on her front, as she usually did, with her head turned and without a night shirt. Her flaxen hair was splayed across the feather pillow in all directions as her shoulders rose and fell. Her husband, however, had barely slept. Beneath his bloodshot eyes hung purpling bags, showing the entire village his sleepless night as though it weren't already painful obvious.
It had been a year since Stoick the Vast had died.
His father had never seen him become the chief, like he had wanted. He didn't get to see him marry the woman of his dreams. He didn't get to see him take on countless duties and win the respect of his people.
How could Hiccup possibly sleep?
Beside him, Astrid stirred, rolling onto her side and edging closer to her husband's warmth. She was still blissfully resting, looking like a fallen Valkyrie. He wouldn't wake her, she worked so hard and he was so thankfully to have her by his side. She deserved a break as much as he did.
"Where are you going?" She groaned as he shuffled out of their martial bed. He had tried to be as quiet as possible, minimizing all movement as to not disturb her. Even though Astrid slept, her warrior instincts didn't. She could sense Hiccup trying to leave.
"I thought I'd start the day early" He lied in a whisper, trying not to wince as his bare feet touched the cold floor. "The chief's work is never done"
"Stay for a bit" Astrid sat up, changing position until she was leaning on his back, her head on his shoulder. She gently placed a kiss at the base of his neck, hoping to convince him not to leave just yet. "I'll make you breakfast in bed"
"As much as I'd love that" He stood up, stretching and starting to pull on clothes. "I have jobs to do, a village to run"
He tried to ignore the look of worry on Astrid's face. She knew he wouldn't have slept that night.
"Hiccup" She said softly, kneeling up to place her hands on his cheeks. He looked away. "People will understand if you take the day off"
"He would want me to carry on" He replied bluntly, stepping away and thundering down the stairs, out the door without looking back.
The villagers had dubbed that day 'The Day of The Vast' in honour of their fallen chief. All day, Berk's people had been going back and forth to the statue of Stoick, leaving flowers, weapons and the late chief's favourite foods in tribute. Hiccup had organized a service at sundown to show his respects but found he couldn't quite rise to the occasion.
He could feel the outpouring of grief from his people as he stepped up to address them. After a year, their hearts will still heavy with loss and pent up anger at the loss of their chief and their friend. Hiccup's breath hitched in his throat.
"My father" Hiccup started, beginning to feel the eyes of the village burn through him. "Was a great man"
In his peripheral, he could see Toothless' midnight black scales and felt Astrid's presence behind him. Biting back his anxieties, Hiccup scanned the crowd. There wasn't a person nor dragon unaccounted for.
"Who was taken before his time" He continued, members of the crowd nodding. "But this is not a day of hatred or anger or revenge. This is a day of respect and we shall honour his memory by protecting each other and our home as he would have wanted"
The dragons behind the crowd looked solemn, almost as though they understood the meaning of the day and felt the same great loss as the villagers did.
"He was a man of dignity, of strength and of love. He was the first chief to open his heart and his home to dragons, a chief who was loved by his people as a leader and as a friend. And I can only hope to be half the man that he was"
He looked up at the sky, hoping his father could hear him. "We remember him today and always"
Hiccup took a step back, turned the statue and bowed his head. The rest of the village followed suit, allowing a minute of respectful silence. Toothless shot a plasma blast up into the darkening sky, as did the rest of the village dragons. The sky became alive with light and colour as Berk stared in awe at their beautiful tribute.
"You were amazing up there, Hiccup" Valka congratulated him, embracing him and then Astrid. "Your father would be so proud of you"
"I didn't think it would be this hard to let him go" Hiccup sighed.
"Look at me" His mother commanded, placing a hand on his cheek. "We never have to let him go. No matter where you are in the world or when, he'll always be your father"
"And a grandfather" Astrid interjected gingerly.
Valka clasped a hand over her mouth and Hiccup stood paralyzed in shock and disbelief before turning around, the biggest smile spreading across his face like an infection. "A grandfather?"
"And I was thinking" She continued, taking one of Hiccup's hands and placing it on her stomach, "That Stoick would be a great name for a baby boy"
He did reply. Instead, he scooped her up in his arms, placing kiss all over her. Next to them, Valka stared up at the sky, smiling.
And Stoick smiled back.
Sorry not sorry :)
