So, you are all amazing, just thought I'd say it! Welcome to the story Alwaybri, hictooth-com, starr1095, thetimehasturned3, CosmicGuard, bandlover12 and I'mnotTophIamMelonlord, I hope you like it! Thank you for the review rodina2000, guest, Amy, Transformers 0, and ladipretender! Yeah, I meant finest. On a good note, I am having a beta go back through and fix the chapters, so I will be updating the fixed chapters as they return. It is very awesome that neobendium is willing to do this!
Hiccup saw the dragons nest coming into view and leaned down onto Toothless. "What do you think bud? Think she'll be angry?" he asked. Toothless looked up at him, and Hiccup chucked. "I see, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news huh? I can respect that." he said. He wondered if he should tell his mother or not about everyone on Berk knowing about him, or just tell her about the young vikings who made connections with the dragons. He knew she would demand to know where the other dragons were after all, but that was alright, he had a demand of his own. He had to find out where Drago was, and she was his best lead. If she wouldn't tell him, then he would have to ask one of the former raiding dragons if it would be willing to lead him. Finally they swooped into the nest and walked into the massive caverns where the dragons flew happily about, ignoring the situation of the world while they were in their safe sanctuary.
"Hiccup!" she called, and he turned to see her just as she hugged him.
"Hey, Mom..." he gasped as she crushed the air out of him. She pulled back.
"Never stay out that long again!" she scolded, and Hiccup realized just how long he had been away. It was about a day to Berk, and a day back, and he spent about two days in Berk, of course she was worried. He was usually gone no longer than three days at a time.
"I'm sorry." he said, looking down. She sighed.
"When I saw Sharpshot was back without you I was worried...where are the others?" she asked. He gave a nervous laugh, wondering how he would explain this one.
"Ah, yeah, they're at Berk." he said. She gave him a surprised look. "Don't worry, no one will kill them! If someone tried they wouldn't be around long to regret it." he said. He wasn't sure weather he was referring to the dragon fighting back, or the angry blonde viking woman that would kill anyone who tried to touch them. "I couldn't leave Berk unprotected. Drago attacked it three times now, he's not going to stop until it's destroyed and I don't think he's going to send dragons next time. Mom, he's not going to just try to take Berk either, he's going to try for the nest. Where is he?" he asked. She pulled back a step.
"What..." she started.
"I know you know where he is. You've been destroying his traps and freeing his dragons for more than five years." Hiccup said. Valka shook her head.
"There is no way I'm telling you Hiccup. Going after Drago is asking to be killed." she said. Hiccup looked her in the eye.
"And staying here is waiting for him to find us!" he said. Valka shook her head.
"If he finds us, then the fight will be then. We are not going to him." she said firmly. Hiccup was getting frustrated. She was just as stubborn as his dad. He looked at Sharpshot, who took the opportunity to land on his shoulder. He knew she wouldn't budge. "Now let's get something to eat." she said. He just nodded, knowing she wouldn't say another word on the matter. He'd just have to go with his back up plan.
"Yeah, I'll be right there." he said.
xxx
"Are we there yet? We've been flying for a while now!" Snotlout complained. Astrid looked at Eret, but he seemed surprised.
"Drago should be here, unless he already left for the nest!" Eret said. Astrid looked at him in surprise.
"That's just great, and how do we find him now?" she asked in annoyance. Fishlegs looked down, trying to think of something. They couldn't use Stormfly's tracking abilities, since Stoick took Hiccup's helmet. They couldn't even get back to Berk since they didn't know where they were.
"Just ask the dragons. You said they lived with Hiccup in the nest right?" Tuffnut asked. Astrid looked at him in surprise. Every once in a while Tuffnut had a habit of saying something either completely stupid or unintentionally brilliant. She underestimated him a lot.
"Tuffnut, that's brilliant!" Astrid said, looking down at Stormfly. She gently petted the dragons head. "Stormfly, can you take us to the nest?" she asked. The dragon let out a positive chirp and flew off in a new direction. Eret sighed in frustration, being held in the Nadder's grasp.
"Can I at least ride somewhere?" he asked, annoyed at his treatment.
"You can ride with me!" Ruffnut said. Eret grimaced and looked up at Astrid.
"On second thought, I'm fine!" he called.
xxx
Hiccup felt the tension from his mom, and knew she wasn't about to let him leave anytime soon, but he only had a few minutes before she came looking for him for dinner. He wondered over toward the opening of the nest, looking for a dragon that they took from Drago. The problem was, there were so many from Drago's traps and raids, Hiccup couldn't remember the difference. He didn't have to before, so now it didn't matter. He spotted one that he thought may have been from a recent raid when a hand came down on his shoulder. He saw Toothless tense up, and the hand was far to big to be his mom. Hiccup yanked his arm forward and turned around to see his Dad and Gobber, with two dragons behind them. "Wha...what are you doing here?!" he asked, stunned.
"Did you really think you can just show up and then leave without giving me a chance to speak?" Stoick asked. Hiccup looked around, not sure what to make of this.
"Ho...how did you even get here?!" he asked, knowing it wasn't possible for them to sail there in that amount of time.
"How do you think, we rode dragons!" Gobber said, gesturing to the two. Hiccup was stunned. His dad and Gobber rode dragons, to come speak to him! Before he could figure out what to make of it, a figure suddenly attacked both Stoick and Gobber. Hiccup recognized his mom's armor quickly and tried to separate them all. He got knocked aside by his mothers staff.
"Hey, stop!" he tried calling, but none were listening. He looked at Toothless, who made a careful aimed shot between the three of them. All three jumped back from each other, and Valka could finally see who was with her son. "Thank you Toothless." Hiccup said to the dragon before starting to get up. Toothless quickly helped his friend back to his feet. "Alright, Dad, Gobber...I uhm...I forgot to mention I haven't been living with only dragons." Hiccup said. Stoick's eyes narrowed at the masked figure.
"I see that." he said. Hiccup looked to his mom, wondering what she would do now. She took a deep breath before removing her mask as well. Both Stoick and Gobber looked like they were going to pass out, and Hiccup couldn't blame them. Everything that the two men knew had just been torn to shreds. Hiccup took a step back to see what would happen.
Stoick couldn't believe it! His son was alive, and now his wife was standing in front of him, next to their son. Stoick was never one for careful approaches, but this time he knew he'd have to. His wife looked at him, then Gobber.
"I know what you're going to say Stoick! How could I have done this, to stay away for twenty years without coming back to you, to keep Hiccup here with me for the last four years? Well what choice did you leave me? There was no sign that anyone on Berk could change, so I stayed here, where I could protect dragons from people who would do them harm. I owe you an apology for letting you believe I was dead, but I won't apologize for looking after the dragons. I don't think it was wrong, but at the same time..." she trailed off. She had told Hiccup that there were no 'what if's' because she didn't want him to be tortured by them like she had. She knew that feeling, and she always wondered about what would have happened if she had gone back. Stoick meanwhile fumbled with his helmet, removing it as he took a step forward. "Go on then, yell, scream, say something!" she ordered, taking a hesitant step back. Hiccup took an unsure step toward his mother, not knowing what to do or even if he should do something at all. Suddenly Stoick moved faster than Hiccup thought he could, capturing Hiccup in one arm and Valka in another. He pulled them both close, hugging them tight.
"D...dad?" Hiccup gasped. He heard a soft sob come from the viking as he finally had his family in his arms again. Toothless and Gobber both smiled, Gobber wiping tears from his eyes. Valka stood tense for a minute, then relaxed, hugging her husband and her son. Hiccup let out a shaky breath. Stoick finally pulled back, but held onto both of their shoulders. He had no words to say, and that was alright for now. No words needed to be said.
xxx
The four vikings and four dragons sat nervously in the cave that Valka and Hiccup had called home, Hiccup serving dinner. It felt weird, to be eating a meal as a family, since this had never happened before. Gobber smiled as he looked over at the three vikings. They could be a family again one day, he realized. It all was in the balance of how they treated the next few moments. It looked like it would be alright though. Toothless leaped around the two new dragons, as if he was trying to see who they were. "So, you both rode dragons to get here?" Hiccup asked, more excited than anything. Stoick nodded.
"Yes...and you were right Hiccup, they are amazing beasts indeed." Stoick said, looking at Skullcrusher. After all, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't impressed. Hiccup grinned at Valka and she gave him a small smirk, probably an understanding they had between each other that he would most likely never learn. He smiled, they were indeed alive and well. However a hollow feeling crept into his heart. The question was, would they return to Berk? Stoick thought for a second, there was a way to find out. He started whistling a tune.
"Oh, I love this one!" Gobber said with a smile. Hiccup gave them a confused look, and Valka looked stunned. Stoick stood up, walking over to the love of his life.
"I'll swim and sail on savage seas, with never a fear of drowning." he sang as he stood beside her. Hiccup looked between his parents then to Toothless who also seemed to like the tune. "and gladly ride the waves of life, if you would marry me." Hiccup seemed to understand, and a huge smile broke out on his face. "Nor scorching sun nor freezing cold will stop me..." Stoick started.
"On my journey...sorry." Gobber started singing, but stopped at an angry look from Stoick. Hiccup gave him a 'why would you do that?' look and Toothless lightly whacked the guy on the back of his head with his tail. Hiccup looked back at his mother, but she seemed so scared and confused, like she didn't know what to do.
"If you will promise me your heart..." he started again, but then trailed off. Stoick was asking her if she would come back to Berk, if she still loved him! Valka's mind was racing. It was clear that Stoick had changed. In a desperate attempt to talk to the son he lost, he made peace with the dragons and rode one out to find him, he clearly still cared about her as well. He wanted them to come back home, to be a family again, and she knew if she remained silent, the answer was no, but if she joined in their song, the answer was yes. This wasn't just a decision for her either. Hiccup would be affected too. She glanced at her son to see his hopeful face. She knew she still loved this man, but did she have enough faith in him to think he wouldn't go back to hating dragons when this was all over?
Stoick felt his hope diminish at her silence. So, she neither loved him or wanted to return home. In that moment, he felt his heart brake. He hadn't been able to fix it this when he had a chance, and now he'll never have a second one. "And love me for eternity." her voice rang out like a bell, and Stoick looked up in both amazement and shock, before relief. "My dearest one, my darling dear. Your mighty words astound me." she sang, moving to an open space, Stoick followed. Hiccup was smiling so big, she couldn't remember the last time he had smiled so large. "But I've no need for mighty deeds when I feel your arms around me." she continued, then held out her arm. Stoick took the hint and the two began to dance together.
"But I would bring you rings of gold, I'd even sing you poetry." Stoick sang, and her resulting laugh was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. "And I would keep you from all harm if you would stay beside me." he sang, but it just wasn't a lyric to him. This was his promise to her and their son. She smiled such a beautiful smile, that he felt he could never let it fade again.
"I have no use for rings of gold, I care not for your poetry." she sang, knowing full well that she meant both of those completely. "I only want your hand to hold." she continued, and she meant it. Stoick removed his forearm from against her own to take her hand in his.
"I only want you near me." he swore, and they both agreed.
"To love and kiss to sweetly hold, for the dancing and the dreaming." they sang, and Hiccup sat nearly crying tears of happiness. His parents still loved each other, and they both had changed. Gobber suddenly pulled him to his feet, getting a surprised gasp from the youth as the two danced as well. Hicccup went with it, just happy his parents were there together. "Through all life's sorrows and delights, I'll keep your laugh inside me. I'll swim and sail a savage seas with never a fear of drowning. I'd gladly ride the waves so white if you will marry me!" they sang, both stopping and Hiccup assumed the song was over. Gobber was still holding the last note and Hiccup hit him lightly, a cue to stop.
"eeee, and I'm done." he said. Stoick looked at his wife again, and bent down so that he had to look up at her.
"Val, will you come home with me?" he asked, then he looked at Hiccup and waved him over. Hiccup ran over to see what he wanted, and Stoick wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders. "Will you be my wife once again, and we can be a family!" he said. Valka looked at the two and felt herself laugh a little.
"Yes." she said. Stoick wrapped them both into a hug, with Toothless coming over and joining, as well as Gobber.
"Great, but I'll do the cooking!" Gobber decided. Valka laughed a little, and was about to ask about her coking when a huge crash sounded. They all looked at the mouth of the cave. Something was seriously wrong.
I had to put the song in there, because I feel like it was the most important part of their reunion, where she made that decision that she wanted to be a part of Stoick's family again. Just my opinion. Feel free to disagree.