Despite the possible looming threat descending onto Berk very soon, Hiccup found himself enjoying himself in the next few days.

One reason was because of the now very real friends. He hung out with the gang frequently, and he was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't simply because they wanted to hear more about the manor, but because they genuinely wanted to be friends with him. It was so cool.

Not that they didn't discuss the manor. Snotlout and Astrid especially loved using curse words to describe the mayor, while Fishlegs chastised them.

Hiccup was drawing Toothless in his notebook distractedly as the gang broke out into yet another argument. They were sitting in his room, simply flopped on the bed with Tuff trying dangerous poses on his chair. This time the squabble was about another one of his ancestors.

"Hamish the Second did look a lot like Hiccup!"

"Oh yeah?" Ruff challenged, standing up. "Then explain why Hamish the Second looks like a total beefcake in his portraits while this Hiccup is a fishbone!"

"Hey!"

A few inches next to him, Astrid snorted into her drink. Fishlegs took a deep breath before explaining his counter argument. He was the one trying so hard and he was still somehow losing the argument.

Astrid leaned over to see Hiccup's notebook and raised an eye, whistling appreciatively. "You're not bad. Ever been in a competition?"

"No." He kept his eyes focused on the drawing, because he was certain he'd blush if he actually looked at Astrid, but a smile grew on his face. She was still gazing at the drawing, interested as she scooted closer to him.

"What else have you drawn?"

Nope, the blush was coming whether he looked at her or not. "Uh...I've drawn some places I like. I've drawn -"

"Have you drawn Astrid?" Tuff, who had apparently been eavesdropping as he sat upside down on the chair, asked.

That got everyone else's attention very quickly, and as Ruffnut began to make kissy faces, Astrid scowled. "Oh, shut up. He hasn't drawn me."

He had, though. Minor sketches, mind you, but he still had.

"Cut it out," she snapped at Ruff, leaning back with her arms crossed. That was the end of conversation with Astrid for the day. Hiccup sighed. She became closed off and cold so quickly - he wished the the rest of the teens hadn't said anything, or they could still have been talking at the moment. And he liked talking to her.


"Do you need some help?" Hiccup asked quietly, watching his stepmom about to start mopping the kitchen floors.

Kara smiled at him, and her eyes twinkled before she leaned in as though telling a secret. "I bet I can clean the counters faster than you can mop the floor."

Hiccup grinned - and took the challenge. He was relieved she hadn't brought up anything that had happened before, even if he hadn't really expected her to. They started cleaning quickly, and he took the time to truly see that their work ethic was a lot alike too.

Kara was the most normal person in this whole town, wasn't she? His dad certainly wasn't.

Which the man proved when he trampled into the kitchen, setting down a huge bag of groceries and collapsing into the chair. Hiccup's eyes widened in horror at the mud tracks. Kara smiled amusedly.

Damn challenge. He had lost.


Hiccup was left alone in the forge again. Okay, he had sneaked in at night. But it was really hard to be in there alone at all - this was the only way. It wasn't as though he was breaking in, either, he worked here.

Sucking in a breath of air, he got started on two projects. A new tail fin, and a saddle. It would be close to impossible to ride Toothless's back if he didn't have a clutch.

Which meant he had to make a new outfit for riding. It could be similar to horse riding, he'd read up on that.

Bang after bang went the hammer. Despite the sweat and occasional bruise it caused, Hiccup quite liked the work.

He had wrapped the materials in cloth and was struggling to carry them back home, when out of nowhere, Excellinor was in front of his path, grinning madly.

Hiccup yelped, the saddle and fin nearly slipping from his hands. "What is your problem?"

"You killed my son…" she crooned sadly. "Of course, he tried to kill you first, but you just wouldn't cooperate."

"I haven't killed anyone," Hiccup said quietly, "please, just let me…"

He tried to sidestep her, but she blocked him and came even closer, close enough for him to smell her rank breath. "He lives in you! Oh, that horrible brat of a Hiccup lives in you! I thought - I thought it'd be your mother...but she…"

He stepped back and narrowed his eyes. "What about my mother?"

"Oh, it couldn't be her," the woman said, scowling, "it's always a Hiccup. But she reminded me of him, oh yes. Not as much as you do, of course," she cooed, grinning, "but enough that they didn't let her into the manor. The day she went in is the day she never came back."

Fear rose up inside Hiccup. Valka? Valka Haddock. His mother, had died in the manor? They had been told she'd had a heart attack, that she had just gave out…

Hiccup started to run towards the manor, his mind racing. Excellinor called out after him.

"You won't find her in your little home, Hiccup! You'll only see her blood!"


Toothless was most certainly becoming the best part of his days.

It was today that he dropped down shakily next to the dragon, no longer worried about any of the others in the sky. They never came down, never touched him.

"Mom moved when I was six after her and Dad got divorced," he mumbled to the dragon, scratching behind his ear, "and then all of a sudden she died last year. But if she was involved in all of this, it makes sense that she would…"

Hiccup hated Viggo Grimborn even more now. He was the reason for the death of his mother, he just knew it. And by association, Ryker.

He didn't realize Toothless was nudging his hand until it was a few seconds late. "Sorry, bud. I guess - that witch really spooked me out. Let's go flying."

He unwrapped the new tail fin first. That Toothless had no problem with, he happily put it on, eager to fly again. It was when the saddle came out that there was a power struggle. It ended up with him chasing the useless reptile all around the yard, being hit by his tail many times, and falling a lot before he finally got Toothless still enough to put on the saddle.

And with that they were flying again. It wasn't any less exhilarating - he was glad the spirit world was as windy as the real one.

It was a nice end to a tiring day. And it should have ended there.

But it didn't. Instead, Hiccup got off Toothless, and was about to go back when his arms were roughly grabbed, and he was yanked off the ground. Toothless letting out the loudest roar he had ever heard as boy and dragon were separated from each other.

It was the dragon on the floor, and the boy flying away.