AN: Hello, everyone! Okay, so I am officially moving my Update day to Friday starting today. This chapter ended up being twice as long as it was supposed to be, so yeah... Enjoy!
REVIEWERS!:
Elphaba818: I'm glad you liked the Moana bits! I found them fun to write, and those videos are great, I love them. And, I'm sorry, but you probably won't be happy for a while...
BrawlerGamer: It is sad, and it's about to get worse. And I agree, Hiccup fits the younger brother role best. As for your latest theory, You are getting VERY close, My friend! ;)
Two of the broken masks: Mmm, you're gonna have to hold out for a while on that one...
Raxacoricofallapatoreous: Aw, shucks! Thank you! :3
WeasleyWitchesForever: Thank you! Sorry to say that I'm barely making the once a week, so faster updates are unlikely, but I will try.
Arwen Eledel: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it all so much! I really enjoyed writing that chapter, and I've been looking forward to writing it for quite some time, so I'm really happy with how well it turned out. I've been looking forward to bringing back Toothless, so I had to make his return chapter pretty epic. Hopefully I'll be able to keep it up with the second half of this book. I still can't quite believe that I'm already halfway through this story. "threw me into the orchestra" -I am now going to use that now. That is amazing, and so much more fun to say! Ending showdown; Probably both... The Pendant will show up again! And I would definitely recommend!
Nell: Thank you! And Happy Chinese New Year to you, too! :)
Origami Stars: I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'll be developing more of the vikings' stories/characters later on, so more of that to come!
NOTES: You are the Best part of Me.
Music: "You'll Be In My Heart" by Phil Collins
Chapter 11: You'll Be In My Heart
There was fire everywhere. The ground was dried and cracked beneath his feet as flames ate away at the already dead debris left behind by whatever destructive force had caused this. The heat alone was suffocating, but the smell of burning flesh and blood consumed his senses, making him stumble through the distraught landscape that surrounded him.
There was a deep, taunting laugh. A vicious chuckle that sent shivers down his spine. He whirled to find the source, turning round and round, but there was nothing in sight. He tried to call out for help, but he couldn't make a sound.
He spun around, and suddenly was faced with a giant, looming figure, twice as tall and three times as wide as him. The figure was covered by a cloak and hidden in shadows, an ominous being that struck fear into his very core as panic reached up with pointed claws to choke him.
His heart pounding, he stumbled backwards and tripped over his own feet. He fell, tumbling and rolling down a sloping hill of hard, dusty, cracked earth. He hit the ground at the bottom hard, but he pushed himself up, looking at his new surroundings.
His heart dropped and his breath hitched. A village burned in front of him, the flames licking greedily at everything in sight. Pikes rose from the ground, stained red, and unmoving figures lay among the wreckage. Some of them familiar. Some of them too familiar.
Screams and pleads for mercy echoed in his ears as the flames steadily rose higher and higher. That horrible, grating laugh boomed all around him as tears streamed from his eyes like rivers.
"NO!"
Hiccup shot up to a sitting position, panting hard as his heart hammered inside his chest. He was covered in a cold sweat from head to toe, and he couldn't keep his hands from trembling even as they lay limp in his lap. He looked around the room to find it empty and silent except for the occasional creak in the wood. His year mates had probably already gone to breakfast.
Hiccup forced himself out of bed to get ready, trying hard to ignore the toe-curling pain in his head, the soreness, and the skin-crawling, itchy feeling that made him feel uncomfortable and misplaced.
It had been two weeks. Two weeks since his father and the rest of the tribe had come to Hogwarts. Two weeks since Hiccup had reunited with Toothless. Two weeks since Hiccup had started sneaking out at night to visit his dragon deep within the Forbidden Forest.
Everything had been moving so incredibly fast. Only a week and a half of school remained before the Winter Break, which meant there were only a few more days before mid-term exams would begin, so most of the school was already deep into review and extra practice hours. Dragon Training had continued without a pause, and Stoick and the other villagers had been completely shocked and amazed by Hiccup's performance, which lead to many more praises and a few more, smaller, celebrations. And somehow, through all of this, Hiccup had managed to keep Toothless a secret. No one had even caught him sneaking out yet, so no one suspected a thing, but it was constantly weighing on Hiccup's mind, in more ways than one.
On one hand, Hiccup felt guilty about hiding Toothless from everyone. Lying to them, and pretending to be something that he wasn't. Also he was always stressed out, wondering if people were noticing his flinches and twitches during dragon-killing-talks, and trying not to think that everyone was on to him, watching him. He was terrified of what they would do if they found Toothless.
On the other hand, Hiccup was always thinking about the next time he'd get to see Toothless. When he was with Toothless he felt fine. His migraines and pains disappeared. He felt relaxed and normal and good. He loved flying, wrestling, and playing with Toothless. Everything was better with his Night Fury. He wanted to spend every second of every day with his dragon, and while it made his days so much harder, he still went into the forest every night.
When Hiccup had finally managed to ease himself into his dress shirt, completing his school uniform, he grabbed his book bag from it's place on the floor and shuffled out of the Ravenclaw common rooms, heading for the Great Hall.
Luckily, the Great Hall wasn't very crowded when he arrived, so he migraine didn't feel the need to scream at him about how completely overwhelming everything was. Even luckier, Hiccup entered the Great Hall to see Merida and Rapunzel seated together at the Gryffindor table, and he smiled as he hurried over to join them.
"Hiccup!" Rapunzel smiled when she saw him. Merida turned around to look, and she grinned.
"Wow, you're up early! You never show up to breakfast before the last fifteen minutes or so." Merida said teasingly as Hiccup took the seat right across from her.
"Ha, Ha, very funny." Hiccup replied dryly, grabbing an apple and smiling as the two girls laughed.
"I'm glad you're here. We haven't been able to hang out in a few days." Rapunzel told him as she tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear.
"Don't worry about it, Rapunzel. We've all been a bit busy." Hiccup forced a smile, trying hard not to notice the empty seat beside him.
"Are you sure that's it, Hiccup?" Merida asked, her eyes fixed on him with a curious look. "You've been acting a little different lately in class. Are you sure everything's alright?"
"Different how?" Hiccup returned a bit too quickly, stress and panic shooting through his system in a heartbeat.
"Well, you've just been really quiet lately. More so than usual." Rapunzel explained nervously, like she was afraid of hurting his feelings. "A-and, well, it's just that, well, you, um..."
"You've been moping." Merida stated bluntly, making Rapunzel bite her lip and watch Hiccup with wide eyes.
"Moping?! What? I have no idea what you're talking about!" Hiccup scoffed, laughing at the thought, but then he saw their doubtful expressions. "You guys, I'm fine! Really!" Merida and Rapunzel looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a gentle expression, respectively, and Hiccup slowly felt his forced expression of lightness and humor crumble. "I mean, yeah, I miss you guys, that's not even a question, but it really doesn't matter. I'm -I'm fine." He couldn't help but glance over at the spot beside him; empty with a dirty plate left on the table.
"He wanted to wait for you, you know. But Professor North called him for a meeting before classes." Rapunzel informed him gently, reaching across the table to rest her hand on top of his.
Jack's training with the Guardians was great, and Hiccup was incredibly proud of his friend, but he was so busy nowadays that Hiccup never got to see him. Jack had no free time because if he wasn't on the Quidditch Pitch with his team, he was off training with North or one of the others. They didn't hang out and have adventures after curfew anymore because Jack was too exhausted after his long days to stay up, and Hiccup was lucky to even see him at meals lately. It seemed the only time they actually got to spend together was during their classes, and it wasn't like they could catch up with each other while in class.
Hiccup shot out of his seat, surprising both Rapunzel and Merida as he firmly reminded himself that how he was feeling was much less important than the incredible opportunity his best friend had been given.
"I appreciate it, but I'm fine." Hiccup told them, offering a smile that took much more effort than it should have. "You don't have to worry about me. As long as you two and Jack are happy then that's all that matters."
"Hiccup, it's okay if you're upset." Rapunzel tried again, looking up at him sadly, but Hiccup shook his head.
"I'm not upset. As long as you guys are happy, I'm happy." Hiccup told them again, his smile coming a little easier with that small bit of truth. "Look, I've got to go. I'll -I'll talk to you later."
Merida opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something to make him stay, and Rapunzel was obviously upset with the outcome of the conversation, but Hiccup didn't give them the chance to continue the argument. Because he couldn't lie to them. Not while looking them in the eyes. If they kept asking, he would crack, and then he'd tell them everything. He just couldn't let that happen.
The pain was getting worse, and he felt like he was falling apart at the seams. He needed to get himself together. He needed to get away from the castle. From the Guardians. From his father. From Jack. Merida. Rapunzel. He needed to get away from everything before he fell apart.
Hiccup left the Great Hall, walking fast. Soon he was outside, and when his feet touched the snow-covered earth, he started to walk faster, and faster, until he was running as fast as he possibly could towards the Forbidden Forest, ignoring all rational thinking. He ran and ran, racing through the trees in an attempt to get away. To escape.
He burst into the newly familiar clearing, and Toothless leaped about a foot in the air from where he had been curled up, napping comfortably in the sunlight. Hiccup was panting, and he stood at the edge of the clearing for a moment, unsure of what to do.
Why did everything always lead back to here?
Toothless was very confused. His boy never came to visit him during the day. He only came at night when the other humans were asleep. But worry started to overshadow the confusion as he sensed the Sad and Distressed that as rolling off of his boy in waves. Toothless hurried forward, sniffing at his boy, inspecting him for any injuries. He found no physical damage, but Toothless could sense Hiccup's stress and he didn't like it. His boy shouldn't be upset like this.
Toothless nosed Hiccup's cheek gently, cooing softly, and Hiccup wrapped his arms around his dragon's neck and felt himself kneel on the ground in utter exhaustion. Toothless responded by laying down and wrapping Hiccup in his front paws, and then curling his tail around the boy protectively.
Hiccup choked on a sob he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. He quickly tried to swipe the tears away, but they were almost instantly replaced by more, and Hiccup became even more frustrated as he couldn't make the steady stream of salty tears stop.
Toothless pulled his head back and gave Hiccup's cheek a small lick. Hiccup sniffed, but felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards with his dragon's affectionate gesture. Toothless nodded, pleased with himself, and then he curled inwards around Hiccup. Toothless's boy laughed and rested his forehead against Toothless's. The dragon purred happily.
That was much better. No more crying. Toothless would protect his boy from anything, and he would always be there for him, too.
Toothless crooned happily as he felt Hiccup scratching his chin, and his boy smiled. "Thanks, bud. I'm better now."
Toothless gave a gummy smile of his own, and stretched and stood as Hiccup got up from the ground. Toothless looked at his boy, happy that he was no longer upset, but also thoughtful.
His boy was so small, even by human standards, and yet Toothless knew that he was much stronger than he looked. Even if Hiccup himself didn't know it yet, Toothless was certain that his boy was special, and Toothless had promised himself some time ago that he would keep Hiccup safe no matter the cost.
And that was strange for Toothless. For a very long time, Toothless had hated humans. It had been humans that attacked his family's nest when he was just a cub. It had been humans that killed his entire family. His father, his mother, his older sister, and his four brothers and sister who had been his litter-mates. Toothless had been the runt of the litter. By all means, he cheated death when the humans attacked. He was the weakest of the pack. If anyone died, it should have been him. Taken by nature or sickness. But his oldest sister, who had been the same age as he was now, had hidden him from the humans. Thanks to her, because she had protected him and believed in him when no one else did, Toothless had survived the attack, and since then Toothless had worked to never let his sister's confidence in him be in vain. Over the years he grew, learning and growing stronger with each experience, and he vowed to avenge his family by joining in the war against the humans he hated so much.
Then he found Hiccup.
When he had first seen Hiccup, when he really looked at him, he saw something. The boy that had been pinned to the ground by his massive paw was... Different. Toothless couldn't explain what he had seen in the boy's eyes that day, but it had made him pause. Something had Changed, something had... shifted inside the dragon. He'd ended up leaving the boy alive, confused and angry. He had loathed the idea that this boy, this human, might be the very thing he'd spent his life searching for.
Before Toothless knew it, he was spending time with the boy. He noticed how the boy was full of Light and curiosity and cleverness. He grew to tolerate him as he would any other hatchling. And at some unknown point the boy became Hiccup, and Hiccup was His Boy. And then Toothless was promising that he would never leave his boy, that he would always protect his boy.
At some point, without Toothless knowing, Hiccup became a part of him. He didn't know if it was before or after they started flying together, when they were together in the cove or separated by miles and miles of ocean with no idea of where the other was.
But Toothless didn't mind. Toothless adored his human, as silly as it was. Toothless cared about him and the bond they shared. Their bond was so strong, so powerful, that Toothless was certain nothing could break it.
Toothless was shaken from his thoughts by Hiccup's quiet sigh. His boy was looking up at the humans' castle and his eyes were filled with storm clouds of emotions. Toothless didn't like the tired look on Hiccup's face, or the way he seemed to dread returning to the human nest.
Toothless trotted forward and rubbed his head against Hiccup's torso, nudging his boy towards the saddle. Hiccup chuckled, the clouds in his eyes clearing, but he paused and bit his lip, thinking about something. Toothless stood patiently, watching his boy. Maybe Hiccup wouldn't want to go flying during the day. They could be seen.
But Hiccup's eyes cleared, and he smiled at Toothless.
Within moments Toothless was flying up high in the air, soaring far above the clouds that hid them from anyone below, and Hiccup was tucked almost completely flat against his back as the shot through the crisp air.
It was cold up there with the frigid winds blowing against them from every direction, and Toothless partially wondered if it was too cold for his human boy, but he didn't sense any discomfort from Hiccup. The only things Toothless could sense was Relief and Freedom.
Toothless purred. Yes, Hiccup was a part of him. The most important part of him. Sensing such happiness from his boy was what Toothless wanted all the time, and he chuckled, as well as any dragon could, at the irony.
Hiccup had found a place in his heart. Right in the center, where no one could ever take him away, and Toothless would never let him go. Toothless would keep Hiccup in his heart forever, no matter what any human, any dragon, or any other creature in the world said.
Hiccup felt so much better. They had been flying for hours, his heart felt so light, and all of the pain and stiffness from before had disappeared. When he was up this high, flying with Toothless, he didn't even feel the cold.
He just felt Free.
Eventually, though, their rumbling stomachs forced them to find a place to land and to find lunch. Being miles from the school, deep within the Forbidden Forest, they didn't have to worry about anyone seeing them as they descended down to the earth.
They landed next to a river with plenty of fish swimming along, and Toothless started scooping out fish with practiced ease while Hiccup gathered some small sticks and a couple of stones to make a fire.
As they rested, munching on their fish as the small fire crackled, Hiccup's thoughts began to wander. He knew he should be worried and concerned about skipping an entire day of school, especially with his friends getting suspicious and his stern father staying at the castle, but he really couldn't bring himself to care. All of his teachers were reviewing for the mid-term exams, and he'd already known the information the first time they'd gone over it. He wasn't really missing anything. It was all boring.
Hiccup sighed. Why couldn't people just... Understand? They all needed him to be the Son of the Chief, the Heir of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe, the Dragon Slayer, the Smart Ravenclaw, the Intelligent Leader. The titles and expectations were endless, but what Hiccup wanted? What he needed? Hiccup needed to be with Toothless. He wanted to follow the Wild's Call, and he wanted to listen to his heart.
But people don't trust things they can't explain. Peace with dragons isn't possible. Vikings do not get put in Ravenclaw. Friends tell each other everything. Scrawny, failure vikings don't befriend Night Furies.
Toothless must have sensed his mood darkening with his thoughts because he nudged his shoulder, crooning worriedly. Hiccup looked up at his dragon and their eyes locked. Hiccup knew that his bond with Toothless was unlike any other. They needed each other to survive, both literally and figuratively.
It was strange because Hiccup and Toothless were so Different from each other. Hiccup was a weak, struggling human. Toothless was a powerful, respected dragon. They were so completely different, but when Hiccup looked Toothless in the eyes, he didn't see anything different. They were the same inside. They were two parts of the same being, and they needed each other.
Toothless was the part of Hiccup that he didn't know he'd been missing.
Toothless suddenly pushed on Hiccup's back until the skinny, little Ravenclaw was on his feet, and Hiccup laughed as Toothless stood, nudging Hiccup towards the saddle again. Hiccup shot his dragon a curious smile, and climbed onto his back, wondering where it was his dragon wanted to go all of a sudden.
Hiccup lifted his chin towards the sky as they took off, loving the feeling of the wind in his hair, and he smiled widely.
Toothless's place was right in the center of his heart. The place where no one could ever take him away, and Hiccup would never let him go. Hiccup would keep Toothless in his heart forever, no matter what anyone said.
The sun was setting, coloring the ocean with sparkling oranges and golds, but it didn't take long for Toothless to get to wherever he wanted them to go, and he landed quietly on top of a large pile of giant stones. Hiccup slipped out of the saddle and looked at Toothless, who nodded to somewhere below them.
Hiccup peeked over the edge and saw a small pack of Terrible Terrors. He was surprised to see them here, of all places, because dragons didn't inhabit the kingdoms this far South. They lived strictly in the far North. But, seeing the half-made, messy nests that the pack occupied, Hiccup realized that they must have been migrating and got thrown off course. There had been a few storms recently with all the snow falling for the winter.
There were at least three different families, the stark differences in colorization and certain features made it obvious that they were not all related. Some had sharper spine-spikes, others had longer nose-horns, and others still had longer tails, but despite how different they looked from each other, they all helped and cared for one another as one pack. Feeding the younglings, preening each other, building nests for sleeping.
Hiccup looked up at Toothless to find him already watching him. Looking in his eyes, Hiccup felt more than he saw the emotion, and he was surprised when his heart swelled in his chest and he was somehow able to supply the word all on his own.
Ohana.
Suddenly, Hiccup didn't care what anyone said. He didn't want to listen. He needed Toothless, and Toothless needed him, too. They were connected.
Toothless nuzzled Hiccup, and he grinned, scratching his dragon's chin and understanding perfectly what he was trying to say. Hiccup didn't need to be afraid or confused because Toothless would always be there for him. And even if he wasn't, Hiccup needed to be strong and hold on.
Because they could only show them they were wrong if they were together.
By the time they returned to the clearing, it was dark, and the moon and stars shone bright in the sky. Toothless landed with a skip in his steps, and Hiccup slid off of the saddle feeling better than he had in a very long time. He looked at Toothless, and wrapped his arms around the dragons neck in another hug, but this time he wasn't sad.
"Thank you, Toothless." Hiccup murmured, stepping back, and Toothless looked at him with a look that Hiccup had only ever received from his father. Hiccup wasn't entirely sure what it meant, he assumed Toothless saw him as his hatchling in some ways, but he knew the promise that it held.
"I'll always be with you."
It made going back to the castle seem less dreadful then it was before, and it made Hiccup feel as if he could keep going. He was strong enough to handle this, and Toothless would be there to help him if he ever found himself in trouble. So he didn't have to worry. Everything would be okay.
After a few moments of saying goodnight and goodbye until tomorrow, Hiccup started to walk back towards the castle, his feet feeling a little lighter. When he reached the edge of the clearing, he stopped and looked over his shoulder.
Toothless sat there, watching him go with that same look from before, that same promise, and Hiccup smiled.
"Always." Hiccup promised.
