Just Around the Riverbend
A/N: A few replies to reviews before we get started:
Guest/Mirror Mirror: I'm so glad you enjoyed it. :) I actually have some other fairy tale writings in mind: I've been writing a collection of retellings featuring horse characters (which is a lot more difficult than working with the HTTYD characters…after all, a horse can hardly wear a glass slipper: it would smash with a single step… XD) and I have been brainstorming for a novel that combines the plots of "The Little Mermaid" with "Cinderella." This last one might show up here on this site once I start writing it to see what others think of it. Also, in the HTTYD realm, I've got a full-length fairy tale in the works called The Servant and the Heir. Once I finish "Astrid and the Beast" and "The Sleeping Viking," I'll start on that one and see how it goes. It's not so much as a retelling as it is inspired by a variety of fairy tales, and I'm really looking forward to getting started on it. :)
Guest: I'm afraid I'm sticking to classic fairy tales, and neither Tarzan nor Lady and the Tramp fit into that category. And while I can see a Tarzan AU working, I just don't feel like it's something I want to do. Sorry.
As for this story, this one's for DrabbitDragonLord, who asked for a Pocahontas AU one-shot. This thing practically wrote itself, it was so easy and fun, and I think it's finally kicked my writer's block to the curb. Thanks for suggesting it! I had a blast. :)
"Just Around the Riverbend" from Pocahontas © Disney
"Son, we need to talk."
These were not words that instilled Hiccup with good feelings. It was a phrase that usually preceded something he didn't want to hear: a scolding perhaps, or unpleasant news followed by steps he needed to take in order to address the problem. So he braced himself and said, "Uh…okay…?"
He looked over at his father and was surprised to see that Stoick was smiling. Hiccup blinked a couple of times just to make sure, but there could be no doubt of it. The chief was grinning…no, beaming with excitement. Usually, whenever he said they needed to "talk," he wore a frown, so this change was rather startling and did nothing to ease the sense of unease brewing in his gut.
"You're the pride of Berk, son," Stoick said, walking over to his son and clapping a hand on his shoulder, making his knees buckle so badly that he almost hit the floor. "And I couldn't be prouder."
Hiccup blinked again, more confused than ever. Where was this going? "Uh…thanks, Dad."
Stoick nodded and then turned away, taking a few steps toward the fireplace. After a pause in which he seemed to collect his thoughts and Hiccup steeled himself for whatever was coming, he went on solemnly, "You're all grown up, and since no chief could ask for a better successor…"
Hiccup's eyes widened in understanding. Oh no…oh gods no…he couldn't be…he wasn't saying…
He was.
"I've decided it's time for you to take my place as chief."
Stoick turned around to see the expression on his son's face, ready to celebrate with his boy over this big news. But his face fell at once. Hiccup was gone, and the front door was swinging shut in his wake.
"Well…that went well," he muttered.
Outside, Hiccup ran down the hill that led into the village, calling for Toothless. The Night Fury appeared at once by his side, and Hiccup leapt into the saddle without a word. A moment later the pair was airborne and streaking away from Berk and out over the ocean.
As he pulled on his helmet, Hiccup thought over what his father had said. Chief. He was going to be Chief of Berk. He sighed, and Toothless warbled in concern. But Hiccup was too lost in his thoughts to tell his friend what had happened.
If he had to be honest with himself – and he was never anything less than honest with himself – he'd known this day was coming. How could he not have? Stoick had been grooming him for the chiefhood for as long as he could remember, and since the integration of the dragons the training had intensified. He'd always known he'd someday take over from his father and lead the village. It was inevitable.
But for Thor's sake, he hadn't expected it to be so soon! Stoick was still in the prime of his life. Perhaps there were a few gray hairs in his great red beard, but he was still healthy and strong. What was the rush? Why couldn't he have a few more years before having to worry about the village, years he could use to explore the further regions of the Archipelago and the world that lay beyond it? Years he could use trying to discover other dragon species, perhaps even find another Night Fury somewhere out there? He wasn't ready for this! He wasn't ready to settle down and give up this life of adventure and excitement, to give up exploring in exchange for domestic squabbles and politics, to give up on exhilarating flights with his best friend for tribal meetings and councils.
He spied an island up ahead and directed Toothless to land there. He knew the place: it was Dragon Breath Island. (Toothless had burped in his face when he was thinking of a name for the place. The stench of digesting fish, a memory he'd always associate with this island, had been enough to make him want to hurl.) The Night Fury settled on the grass near the bank of a river, and Hiccup slid down from the saddle, pulling his helmet off and running a hand through his disheveled auburn hair. Then he flopped down on the ground and let out an exasperated sigh.
Toothless crooned questioningly, and Hiccup told him what his father had said. The dragon listened attentively throughout the explanation, and when his human was finished he let out a quiet warble of support. Hiccup grinned. "Thanks, bud," he said, sitting up and gazing down at the stream that wound away into a great forest a few paces away. He looked down at the water thoughtfully for a moment.
And then he started to sing.
"What I love most about rivers is
You can't step in the same river twice"
He reached out and ran his hand through the cool water, feeling it trickle between his fingers as it moved gently downstream.
"The water's always changing, always flowing"
On a whim, he stood up and climbed back into the saddle. Toothless wagged his tail excitedly, but instead of shooting skyward, Hiccup directed him to follow the river into the woods. Toothless did as asked, bounding across the ground along the riverbank until they entered the trees. Then he hopped from one side of the stream to the other, stepping lightly on rocks peppering the shore before leaping gracefully to the next landing point. And all the while Hiccup continued singing:
"But people I guess can't live like that
We all must pay a price
To be safe, we lose our chance of ever knowing
What's around the riverbend
Waiting just around the riverbend"
The river curved up ahead, and as they rounded the corner he burst excitedly into the chorus:
"I look once more
Just around the riverbend
Beyond the shore
Where the gulls fly free
Don't know what for
What I dream the day might send
Just around the riverbend
For me
Coming for me"
He paused thoughtfully, looking out into the forest to his left. There was darkness in those trees, hiding who-knew-what in its protective embrace. Who knew what kind of excitement was waiting for him out there? How was he supposed to give that up?
He went on:
"I feel it there beyond those trees
Adventure waiting in disguise
Can I ignore that sound of distant drumming
For a sturdy Viking village
Filled with sturdy Viking guys
Who never dream that something might be coming
Just around the riverbend?
Just around the riverbend"
Toothless bounded on, shooting around another curve in the stream and revealing a waterfall that plummeted into nothingness. With a joyous roar he leapt over the edge and streaked downward, spreading his wings at the last moment so that he and Hiccup soared over the churning rapids at the base of the fall. A broad smile crossed Hiccup's face as he bent low over the saddle, adjusting his foot in the stirrup to shift the dragon's prosthetic tailfin so that they weaved and spun over rocks and foam.
"I look once more
Just around the riverbend
Beyond the shore
Somewhere past the sea
Don't know what for
Why do all my dreams extend
Just around the riverbend?
Just around the riverbend"
The water below them calmed, and Toothless' flight eased into a steady glide over the river as they came to yet another turn. Rounding the corner, Hiccup suddenly pulled back so that he and his dragon hovered over the stream. Hiccup's smile faltered as he gazed down at the split in the river. To the left the water was clear and calm, a straight path that seemed to lead out to the ocean. To the right the river narrowed and became twisted, a serpentine course that would have been treacherous to sail down.
His voice quieted down considerably as he continued singing:
"Should I choose the smoothest course
Steady as the beating drum?"
He peered over Toothless' side and into the river. His reflection stared back up at him, but…somehow, it didn't look like him. Instead of his flight suit, he was decked out in the finery of a chief, the clothes his father wore. A heavy fur cloak rested on his shoulders, and his old Viking helmet sat upon his head, shining in the morning sunlight. The image made him feel as though a rock had settled in the pit of his stomach.
"What kind of chief will I become?
Are our adventures at an end?"
He paused and closed his eyes. When he reopened them, his reflection was back to normal. Satisfied, he looked up again, turning his eyes to the narrower, crooked path. Then, his voice climbing higher, he finished his song:
"Or is there still something waiting out there
Just around the riverbend?"
He directed Toothless to take the right path, and the dragon did so with a rumble of approval. The going was tricky: trees lined the riverbank so that they had to twist and turn with quick precision, but Hiccup reveled in the challenge. This was what he was meant for: adventure, excitement, soaring through the air with his dragon, exploring the world, discovering new lands. He wasn't ready to be chief yet. He just wasn't ready…
The river suddenly opened up into another waterfall, one that tumbled down into the sea. The ocean stretched out before them, as blue and crystalline as an endless sapphire sparkling in the sun. His heart lifting despite his uncertainty, Hiccup put his helmet back on and said, "All right, bud. Let's see what you've got today."
Toothless needed no further persuasion.
A/N: And, just for laughs, here's this little bonus just for you, DrabbitDragonLord. ;)
Hiccup looked to the sky and sang:
"Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon?"
Beside him, Astrid frowned. "What does that even mean?"
Hiccup didn't answer her. Instead, he just kept singing:
"Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?"
Raising her eyebrows, Astrid replied, "No, can't say that I have…"
Undaunted, Hiccup continued:
"Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains?"
Astrid threw her arms to the side in exasperation. "Can you say something that makes sense?"
Hiccup merely held out his hand for her and sang:
"Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?"
Astrid huffed irritably. "I don't think that's physically possible."
Smiling gently, Hiccup repeated the last line:
"Can you paint with all the colors of—"
At this point, Astrid reached up and put her hand over his mouth, effectively cutting off his voice. Sounding stern and impatient, she snapped, "No, I can't paint with all the colors of the wind, Hiccup. Stop singing."
Unable to say anything with her hand over his mouth, Hiccup simply nodded meekly.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed that! I've gotten a good start on "Astrid and the Beast" so that will probably be what you see next from me. :)