I thought I would try and update as quickly as possible since I was a jerk and left you with a cliffy...again so without any further interruption on with the tale
It was late in the evening when Toothless finally decided to join the Vikings and dragons in the great hall for a modest meal that was quickly put together on short notice. It was long and painful self-debate for the Night Fury before he finally decided to stick to his human form not feeling the urge to go through the pain a second time. Gobber had stopped him along the way and gave him some clothes that he hadn't fit in since he was younger which Toothless took gratefully so people would stop gawking at him. After he received his portion for dinner he scanned the room until his eyes locked in on her.
Tyra was sitting across from Hiccup and Astrid laughing at something the children were doing along with a few other of the Night Furies. As he made his way over he couldn't help the smirk on his face as he watched the long lost cousins interact, they'd only known each other for a day and already they acted as if they'd been joined at the hip since birth. There was also a small hint of jealousy that was starting to rise in the pit of his stomach that he wanted to desperately shake off.
'Why don't you just claim them both?' a voice inside his head hissed.
'Not you again.' Toothless replied irritated.
'You know I'm right boy, the child is your possession and the girl would be a fine mate' the voice argued but the Night Fury ignored it.
'Strong, beautiful, powerful…just imagine the hatchlings she could produce for you' the voice continued to taunt the Night Fury.
'SIlence!' Toothless cried in his head to his primitive sub conscious.
'You cannot silence your own thoughts dragon, I am simply its voice.' The being said before it did indeed leave Toothless alone. He soon found himself sitting beside Hiccup and across from the person who had been haunting his thoughts since the moment she arrived.
"How are you adjusting in your new body?" one of the male Night Furies asked Toothless.
"It is strange to say the least but I will manage," he replied to the man.
"You have our sympathies friend, none of us remember that pain. It was kind of the princess to begin that training first. Now the rest of your training will feel like flying through clear weather after a bad storm," an older female dragon said resting a kind hand on his shoulder.
Toothless' head shot towards Tyra who was sighing in irritation at the information that had been revealed to the newcomer. She reluctantly met his gaze and nodded confirming that what he had just been told was true.
"Wow, that's just like Hiccup," Astrid said innocently.
"I'm not a prince," the boy said replied.
"You sort of are, the chief is like the king of our village so when you take over as chief you're the new king," Astrid explained.
Hiccup seemed to think about it as everyone continued their conversations and ate happily until the little human looked over at his friend and said in a casual tone, "wanna be the queen?"
This moment had apparently been the exact moment all the people at the table were drinking or eating because suddenly they were all spitting out their drinks or choking on their food in shock. This boy was either incredibly confident in what he was asking the girl or he had no idea what he was asking of her.
They were even more stunned when the little girl seemed to actually think about the question and replied, "eh why not? Sounds like fun."
Everyone both dragon and Viking at the table minus Toothless and Tyra were laughing their heads off at what was just declared.
"Sure lass, you two will have LOT'S of fun. Kings and queens play all sorts of games together," one of the Vikings said making everyone laugh even harder. Toothless still couldn't believe what he just heard when the man made the comment and looked down at the two naïve children who were looking back at him innocently and confused.
"Well we do like to play hide and seek," Hiccup suggested.
"With a whole house to ourselves nobody could tell us not to jump on the bed," Astrid said excitedly making Hiccup very excited in turn.
'Somebody pleeeeease make them stop' Toothless thought as he hid his face in his hands and groaned when the table only got louder with laughter.
"Hiccup what other things would you do if you were chief?" Tyra asked trying desperately to change the subject.
The boy thought to himself for a moment and said, "well…I'd like to stop the war with the dragons so we could all be friends. Then we could show other tribes that dragons weren't scary and then they'd be friends and maybe we could work together to make a better life for everybody. We could have trading groups where dragons could help with trading to other islands and they could have human riders with them with maps so they wouldn't get lost."
"Humans and dragons as partners in trade…," one Night Fury said contemplating the idea.
"It would also work in everyone's favor in battle. Imagine Vikings riding into battle on dragons, not like riding them as if they were horses but as a tribe to protect each other and our home," Hiccup said smiling until he saw everyone's stunned faces and his face fell.
"Was that a silly idea?" he asked looking disappointed as the silent table.
They were all still in awe by what the boy had said to respond to him. The child that all the Vikings called the dreamer, the strange boy had probably said one of most insightful ideas that any Viking leader had ever suggested. The dragons' view of humans suddenly had a different light in that moment inspired by this hatchling who they were glad to know would become the leader of the human tribe.
"I would ride with you," Toothless said to the boy breaking the silence.
"Really?" Hiccup asked as his eyes lit up in excitement.
"Yes, when I believe you are fit enough to go into battle," the Night Fury replied.
"Sooo never," Hiccup said annoyed.
Toothless gave him a look before he asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Means you're a big old mama hen of a dragon," Astrid replied casually looking up from her meal before she grinned from ear to ear at the Night Fury's irritated glare. This once again sent the table into a huge fit of laughter this time including Tyra who was in tears at the bluntness of the hatchling girl.
"Why don't you two go over and tell your father your plans of the future," Tyra said finally wiping tears from her eyes. When the adorable pair left the table holding hands to walk through the crowd of people the remaining group that stayed were still surprised by the children.
"Could you imagine if what the boy suggested came to pass," one of the dragons said smiling at the possibility.
"Hmm," the Viking beside him grunted in reply.
"Why couldn't it?" Kelda spoke up who had been sitting on the other side of her daughter the entire time.
"I would ride with you," Tyra spoke up reaching her hand across the table to the other woman.
"And I you," Kelda replied to the young girl that reminded her so much of her lost friend as she grapsed her hand in return.
The others at the table looked around at each other before one of the Vikings stood up and said as he raised his pint, "I dunno any one of ya from a hole in the ground but I'd ride with any of ya."
A female Night Fury rose from her seat beside him and rested a hand on his shoulder before she said," I agree I feel what we know about your kind is just as twisted and warped as whatever it is you humans know about us."
Tyra stood and lifted her mug to the table and said, "than let us bring down the mad queen and begin a new age of peace…or at least to a point for our Viking friends, for both our kinds."
"Ai!" Everyone replied cheering their mugs clanking together in merriment catching the attention of others from nearby tables who had been listening and smiled with them as they all thought:
'Dragons and Vikings working together, imagine that.'
…
Stoick and Gobber had been staring at the woman for a few minutes now, she was at the other side of Hàkon's wife happily chatting away. Her brown hair was pulled back into a braid that flowed down her back and her beautiful green eyes twinkled as she laughed at whatever they were talking about.
'Valka, my wife.'
Across the table Hàkon sat contently with his wife by his side surrounded by their friends as they regaled the Vikings at the table with tales of their travels. The stories brought back happy memories of when his daughter was still young and shy clinging to his leg believing daddy could protect her everything. Suddenly sensing something amiss Hàkon looked around him until his eyes fell on his younger brother looking as if he had seen a ghost and followed his gaze to the woman sitting beside his mate. He politely excused himself from his wife's side before he went and sat beside his brother.
"See something you like little brother?" the older man asked spooking the Viking chief who did not see him sit down.
"How you did...Where did you…," Stoick mumbled still in shock.
Still confused Hàkon tried to make out his brother's ramblings before he finally understood what Stoick was trying to ask him.
"You remember Valka Stoick? A few of the dragons from my clan saved her while they were chasing down the queen's dragons stealing our supplies from our boats. I recognized her when I saw the birthmark on her neck and the armor could only be made by one man," the older man said smiling as he leaned over to Gobber.
"Was it the fine craftsmanship?" the other man smiled proudly.
"No my friend it was the carving inside the armor along her breast plate that read 'Gobber was here'," Hàkon replied.
"Oh ya," Gobber replied before both men started chuckling while the man in the middle looked none to amused.
"Really Gobber?" Stoick asked his friend.
"Oh Stoick it was a joke as a wedding present, you know damn well we were like family. I had my eye on someone else," the man replied looking over at another table.
"She stayed with us insisting to repay our kindness so we trusted her as Tyra's nurse and named her guardian of our daughter," Hàkon changing the subject.
Stoick smiled at the idea of being the guardian of his brother's child in his place, such an honor was heavily discussed amongst Vikings and the elders before the child's birth. Gobber was Hiccup's guardian in the event of his death since his brother had a full house already.
"Stoick I have to warn you," Hàkon said seriously.
"When Valka was captured something happened that even I don't know, but she knows nothing of her life here on Berk. Whoever her husband is, her children, they need to be…..oh Stoick I'm so sorry," the man said as he saw the pained expression on his little brother.
Stoick remained silent as he continued to watch the love of his life ignorant to the pain he was in only a few short feet away.
"The fall…it must have been the fall the night she was taken," the chief said trying not get chocked up.
"Walk with me Stoick," Hàkon said picking up his brother's massive form and wrapping his arm around his neck before they exited the great hall unnoticed to all except Gobber. The older man watched with great difficulty as his brother clung to his shoulder struggling with the pain that he thought he had let go of years ago.
"What happened Stoick?" he asked gently.
"She was protecting Hiccup, one of the beasts grabbed our baby and she went after it. It dropped the boy so she jumped off and protected Hiccup as they landed knocking her unconscious. The beast got to her before I could and carried her off leaving the baby behind. I thought her dead," Stoick said as he continued to lean on his brother.
"I was so numb I blamed the dragons, I blamed myself but worst of all I-I actually blamed Hiccup for a while. I actually told him that I did one night while I was drunk and I've never forgiven myself for it cause I know it rooted somewhere inside of him," Stoick said as tears of grief finally allowed themselves to fall.
"How could I have done that to him, he was our only son, our miracle boy. Took us five years of marriage to gain that blessing and I abused it," he ranted on. Hàkon clung onto his brother just as he had done when he was a little boy scared of the monsters under his bed. Silently he held the large man in a protective embrace and allowed the mighty Stoick the Vast to let go the past at last. When he finished neither brother said a thing until Stoick got himself together and nodded gratefully to the other man.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
"Anytime little brother," he replied with a gentle smile.
"Stoick!" Spitelout said running out of the hall. He stopped when he saw his older brothers standing together one looking depressed and the other looking sympathetic.
"You saw her?" he asked.
"Ya," Stoick replied.
"Then what troubles you go after your woman," he demanded.
"Spitelout she hit her head, she doesn't know who Hiccup and I are," the chief explained.
The youngest of the three stood silently as he understood his brother's distress, finally he walked over to his older brother and said, "Stoick she's still your wife, she just can't remember. So do whatever it was that ya did last time to win her over."
"Can't believe I'm saying this but your right," Stoick replied as he slapped his brother's arm and took a deep breath before walking back into the hall. Spitelout and Hàkon watched happily as Stoick bravely walked over to the table where Valka was sitting and asked if he could join her. The two brothers were silent as they observed the pair strike up a lively conversation when the older brother suddenly started to chuckle.
"What are you laughing about?" Spitelout asked.
"I'm just wondering how they got together in the first place, they hated each other as children," Hàkon explained in amusement.
"Really?" the younger brother asked surprised.
"Oh ya Stoick used to pull on her braids and call her stupid head with yak butt breath and she told him he looked like a giant ugly bellybutton that pulled her hair like a girl," Hàkon laughed at the memory of him and Valka's mother pulling those two away from each other.
"Stupid head and the giant ugly button together at last," Spitelout teased. The older brother laughed as he wrapped his arm around his youngest brother's neck and said, "Come on, nothing builds a bond between two brothers together like a barrel of mead."
…
Tyra and Toothless sat in silence still picking at their dinners, the other Vikings and dragons had wandered off to mingle with the other occupants and go on their own way.
"I'm sorry," Tyra said breaking the silence.
"For what?" Toothless asked.
"For embarrassing you in front of your treasure, you really did do a good job on your first try dragon," she explained finally meeting his glaze.
"That's quite a compliment coming from the future queen of dragons," the Night Fury replied meaning it as a joke.
"You are right I should have spoken up about that when we were speaking but I am still trying to accept it myself. In human years I may be an adult but in dragon years I am barely out of childhood and now I must accept that both my parents are dying and take on the responsibility as queen after I destroy the mad one…It is difficult especially for something like me," Tyra explained.
"I'm sorry," Toothless said not knowing what else to say sending them back into silence.
"You are not a thing princess," the Night Fury said catching the girl across the table off guard. No stranger that found out what she was had ever said that to her before and she was grateful for the kindness.
"Thank you….and don't call me princess my name is sufficient," she replied.
"Then don't call me dragon," the dragon across from her replied.
"Then what am I to call you?" she asked.
"My friends call me Toothless," he replied with a handsome smirk which Tyra found contagious.
"By the way I'll forgive for today on one condition," he said looking serious.
Tyra raised a brow at him and nodded to him with her business face on before he said, "I wanna know what you whispered to Hiccup."
"Not a chance," she replied returning her attention to her meal.
"Oh come on," he said but before Tyra could reply everyone that was sitting at the same table as Stoick suddenly spat out their drinks and chocked on their food.
"Probably should have specified to Hiccup to just mention his dragon plan," Toothless said before the pair burst out laughing.
I realize Stoick is out of character in this one but hey even if you were a big, bad ass looking dude wouldn't you get a little teary eyed at seeing your supposed dead wife after seven years? Anyway readers tell if me what you think I hope my second surprise character was an interesting twist into the mix. Till next time :)