Life As We Know It

Rated; M for Mature
Pairing; Hiccup & Toothless(Tallon)
Disclaimer; I do not own anything HTTYD-related. Everything belongs to its original creator.

68)

=Toothless's POV=
(9/8/2019-4:30 pm)
(Archipelago; Isle of Berk)
(Hooligan Village; Great Hall)

Despite the storm happening outside, and us being locked down in the Great Hall for an undetermined amount of time; it wasn't awful. Hiccup wasn't in an awful mood like this morning, and I think it's a lot to do with the singing; it was his favorite things to next to cook or spend time with me. I know I revealed a lot about us, but it didn't make Hiccup mad; it made him blush and then I'd top it off with being cute and he'd smile. Since that little moment we had after everyone seriously wondered if Hiccup had fire powers; Hiccup sang The Next Right Thing from Frozen 2, even though it was out of order, but the kids requested for Show Yourself last, before All Is Found, which he'd do when they were laying down to go to sleep. I had the sneaking assumption that we'd be locked down through the night again. At least Hiccup was having fun, and happy; that's all that mattered to me.

"Okay, okay! Now Show Yourself, and then dinner. Right, Uncle Hiccup?" Emma asked.

"You got it, Princess." Hiccup nodded as the kids cheered more. Hiccup reset the music to Show Yourself, but didn't hit play yet. I saw him freeze a bit and suddenly look around.

"What's wrong, babe?" I asked him.

Hiccup didn't reply at first, then he shook his head and focused on what he was doing. "Nothing, Toothless. Thought I heard something, but was probably my imagination playing tricks on me from all the silence."

"You sure? You looked pretty convinced that you heard something." I stated gently.

"I swear I did…But the room is silent, and no one else seemed to hear it…So I'm assuming that all the stress has finally made me go insane." Hiccup shrugged a little.

"What did it sound like?" My father, Drake, inquired.

"I dunno. Kind'a felt like someone was saying my name." Hiccup replied.

"But what did it sound like?" Drake asked again.

"Quiet, like a whisper and it came with a very gentle breeze." Hiccup informed.

"Which way did the breeze come from?" Always wondered curiously.

=Normal POV=

"Came from behind, then shifted around and turned going towards where you are." Hiccup said. "But again, it's probably nothing. The hall is old, bad storm; Odin knows the building is drafty and I've lost my mind to the stress of the last nine weeks." He stated before preparing to sing again. Just before he was about to begin the music again; he felt the wind go by him and circle around like a warm embrace; the voice saying his name came through with it. Toothless noticed the look on his face again; he wasn't imagining anything and looked confused, as if this wasn't the first time it's happened.

You are more than what they see. Sing, Hiccup. Release the truth. Become who are you meant to be.

Hiccup knew that was too specific to just be his imagination; this voice was addressing him. Hiccup never turned the music on as he felt the wind push him to face everyone else, but he wasn't looking at them.

Sing.

Taking an almost nervous, but cautious breath; Hiccup relaxed himself. "Every inch of me is trembling, but not from the cold. Something is familiar. Like a dream I can reach, but not quite hold. I can sense you there, like a friend I've always known. I'm arriving…And if feels like I am home." Hiccup started. And while no one minded Hiccup singing, there wasn't any music playing. Not even the video. This was Hiccup's voice, on it's own. "I've always been a fortress, cold secrets deep inside. You have secrets too, but you don't have to hide…"

Toothless just watching, Hiccup wasn't singing this because he was asked anymore. Like with Into The Unknown, Hiccup felt a connection to the song. Toothless had heard it before in the movie because it was one of their date nights to watch something and Hiccup had early access to downloading it. But this felt different than even the other song that talked about wanting to venture to find something and not feeling like you didn't belong. This song, as Toothless understood, was used when Elsa was finding the voice that called to her and finding herself, who she was meant to be. Hiccup longed for that, and he'd admitted to never understanding his purpose, or that he actually felt like himself. Yes, he liked to be who he was in the different sense. But was that who he was, or how he was.

"Show yourself. I'm dying to meet you. Show yourself. It's your turn. Are you the one I've been looking for all of my life…Show yourself. I'm ready to learn." Hiccup continued as he looked up and around more. "Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah…" Hiccup almost called out instead of sang, and then stopped, waiting for something. And then, everyone heard something in the silence. A voice repeating the same call Hiccup gave, only it was more like a ghostly, distant type of tone. Hiccup felt a pull towards the middle of the room and started walking for it slowly, hesitantly.

"I've never felt so certain when all my life I've been torn. That I'm here for a reason, could it be the reason I was born! I've always been so different, normal rules did not apply. Is this the day? Are you the way, I finally find out why?!" Hiccup's voice became more confident, and his movements through the room to the middle were faster. Toothless took notice that his father and siblings were having people clear a path and keep back.

"Show yourself! I'm no longer trembling. Here I am, I've come so far! You are the one I've been waiting for, all of my life! Oh, show yourself! Let me see who you are!..." Hiccup suddenly stopped as a light was coming towards him, but he stayed still and observed as it continued to happen. "Come to me now. Open your door. Don't make me wait, one moment more." The lights took form as dragons classification symbols; seven of them, representing Stoker, Boulder, Tidal, Mystery, Tracker, Sharp, and Strike. They'd swirl around Hiccup once and take their place in a line before him. It was odd, but Hiccup started smiling as he walked closer to the symbols, and brought his hands up as the symbols flashed. "Come to me now! Open your door-," Hiccup raised his hands up, as the symbols moved in the motion; Hiccup began to lower his hands down as the symbols fell flat on the floor in a circle around him. "Don't make me wait one moment mooooore!"

A glowing white circle appeared in the middle of the symbols as Hiccup took a hesitant lean forward before leaping and jumping into the circle as everything responded by glowing it's rightful color. The circle around Hiccup flashed and shot upward towards the ceiling, a white veil seemed to fall over the room, showing images from Hiccup's life up to his now, twenty-one. There was even some moments from the past before he was born. Toothless was astounded by everything he saw, so was everyone else because something like this had never been seen before. The voice everyone heard before was seen to belong to a young boy who looked like Hiccup, but not dressed the same; this was generations ago.

"Come, my darling, homeward bound…." Sang a female voice as Hiccup turned around behind him on the back wall where the Chief's chair was to see his mother there, smiling at him; it was only her face, and clearly just an image.

"Mom?" Hiccup asked as the image smiled at him, looking nothing but proud. It made Hiccup tear up and smile.

"I am found!" Hiccup sang out as the symbol he was standing on flashed again and his outfit started to change. "Show yourself! Step into your power." Hiccup dawned black pants, and a longer long sleeve tunic top. His boots were dark gray with a somewhat lighter shade of fur around the calves. Black leather arm guards were on his wrists and stretched to just below the elbow bend. There was a belt black belt dawning all the dragon class symbols around it and a crest with the symbol for Night Fury and Strike Class. His sword and shield stayed in place on his back while metal shoulder protectors with the Strike Class symbol of a Night Fury appeared and from them grew a long black dragon scale cape; it had a single S shape in the form of a dragon in the middle of it, but the design was big, so it took up a good portion of the middle of the cape. "Grow yourself into something new." The last thing to appear on Hiccup was a gold helmet with horns on the left and right sides on Hiccup's head.

"You are the one you've been waiting for!" His mother sang gently.

"All of my life! Oh, show yourself!" Hiccup smiled, on the verge of tears, but kept them back. "Ah-ah! Ah-ah! Ah-ah-ah!" All the glowing stopped as the symbols on the floor vanished leaving just Hiccup there looking around at the memories on the walls, literally.

"Is anyone else as lost as I am?" Snotlout sounded, and was ignored. Mostly due to shock.

"What is all this?" Stoick asked.

"They're the memories of all the Hiccup Horrendous Haddock in history. Technically, just three. The first, second, and of course, Hiccup here being the third." Drake said. "I'm surprised you've forgotten your history over the years." He added.

"I…I don't understand why all this happened?" Hiccup breathed out, still looking over himself.

"Hiccup, your ancestor, Hiccup the First, lived a thousand years before you did. He was the first Viking to ever bond with a dragon, befriend one over kill it like the rest of his tribe. This tribe, in fact. Hiccup the First was a Hooligan, and he was born and resided on Berk. Hiccup the First ended the first dragon war, and became not Chief of Berk, but King of the Archipelago. Every tribe within Archipelago walls was under his command and rule, even the tribe Chieftains." Drake explained gently.

"But…How does that affect me?" Hiccup asked.

"Because you descend from Hiccup the First, as did Hiccup the Second. Unfortunately, Hiccup the Second was killed by his father, Grimbeard the Ghastly, because of some lie he believed from his other son. You remember all that history, yes, lad?" Gobber questioned. "I remember telling ya about it, because you were curious about your family history."

"I remember…Grimbeard the Ghastly had three sons. Chucklehead, Thugheart, and Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Second. Hiccup the Second was abandoned for being a runt, but saved by dragons. Grimbeard killed him on a lie of Hiccup's the Second's intentions from Thugheart." Hiccup replied.

"Thugheart was the first Chief of the Outcasts." Alvin mentioned. "He was married to Psychofanta, having a son, Algarick Ogglebert, who married Excellinor the witch and they had me. But I was born on Berk because my father didn't want to rule the Outcasts. Then I was cast out and took over leading the Outcasts some years ago."

"And Chucklehead went on to rule Berk, married to Brenda Bigarms the Sixth and had Squidface the Terrible, who is my grandfather. Squidface married, but I forget who…But he had my dad, Spitelout, and…Five sisters, who…I have no idea where they are these days." Hiccup stated.

"Correct, very good, Hiccup. So you were paying attention." Gobber chuckled.

"Haha, very funny, Gobber. But seriously…What's all this," Hiccup motioned to himself. "Have to do with the past?"

"Because you're a descendant to the first king of the Archipelago, Hiccup. And you followed in your ancestors footprints in befriending a dragon and ending the war between them and Vikings." Toothless said, realizing it now. Hiccup looked at him, arching a brow. "After Grimbeard killed Hiccup the Second, the kingdom of the Archipelago fell. Thugheart ruled the Outcasts, and Chucklehead returned to Berk and became Chief, thus following the line down to you. Hiccup the Second, had he lived, would have been the next in line to rule the Archipelago as he also befriended dragons. But as he passed…It goes to you. Hiccup the Third, who befriended a dragon and ended a war. You might have been born as Heir to Berk, but you were also born as next in line to rule the Archipelago, babe."

"How did…Singing a song from a movie trigger this?" Hiccup asked. "I get all that, kind of…But the changing?"

"All your life, as the song reveals, you've wondered who you are and who you're meant to be. This is it, Hiccup." Toothless said. "You said you kept hearing a voice right before you sang, someone calling your name. And we see now…" He motioned to Hiccup the First on the wall. "It was your ancestor, showing you the way to become who you're meant to. And I believe your mother appeared as an obvious ghost because she's known all along that this, being King of the Archipelago, is your destiny."

"The song was about finding yourself, who you're meant to be. You singing, and letting whatever force it was guide you to all the things you did just now, triggered the transformation. You're a Viking King, so you took on the appearance of one. The dragon class symbols appearing for you represent that you've discovered every type of species out there, in every class. You've associated and trained them all. You're not just a king, Hiccup, but you are the dragon master too. I know you don't call yourself that, but it's what Hiccup was considered, and the mark he bore is on your cape. It's called the Dragonmark. It was said, not sure if true, that Hiccup the First could speak Dragonese. Meaning-," Drake paused.

"That like Toothless can talk in both languages, so can I? Is…That why I've always understood dragons without…Hearing anything?" Hiccup asked.

"It's very possible, Hiccup. I've always wondered about you, since my scouts found Toothless here on Berk. Your name always rang familiar as your Viking history is also part of ours too. Our stories, of course, were of a dragon who was friends with a Viking and they ended the war. We've been watching all these years, and I had the slightest feeling that you were the descendant of Hiccup the First after hearing about you befriending my son, and I knew for sure when you two ended the war." Drake smiled.

Hiccup wished he could have kept the happy feeling, but all this just…Continued to tie him to the Archipelago. A place he didn't want to live anymore. "Great..." Hiccup mumbled, not bothering to hide that he didn't like this. As much of an honor as it was to not be Chief of Berk, but King of the entire Archipelago; this didn't make him happy, even if he'd finally found who he was meant to be. "I didn't want to be Chief of Berk, now I'm King of the Archipelago…I didn't want more responsibility…What if I don't want the job?"

"Well…I assume the kingdom would fall, again as it did after Hiccup the Second was killed. Everything would just go back to being Chiefs leading their tribes...The same as it was before this happened." Drake informed lightly. "But…I advise, Hiccup, that you don't make the hasty decision to abdicate your throne as king…"

"Why not?" Hiccup asked.

"Because with you in power as king, beloved…You've got the power to overrule any tribal law or tradition. Your power is above all the Chieftains, and you can change any of those things you didn't like or approve of without their consent or vote…Say for example…The one about being married and having to have one blood child to remain Chief…?" Toothless hinted. "And you don't have to rule the Archipelago while residing in it. Hiccup…You set all the rules now. You can change old ones, make new ones! Don't give this up, please? I know you don't want to be a leader…But you can work things that way you still have a normal life, in Norway while things are taken care of here. As long as you keep your position; you're in charge of everything done here regarding Vikings. All of them answer to you. Like…You're president of the Archipelago, and they are your mayors/governors of their home state/island."

Hiccup eyed him a moment; he did have a point. "And because these islands were owned by and under the rule of King Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the First…It was in effect long before the Queen of Denmark had any say in things. Not, that it matters because she probably won't care all too much if you're leading the Vikings…" Dag offered. "My brother is right, Hiccup. Don't give this up; you wanted to have a say in anything you do, your life…This is how you take back what is yours and do what you wanna do."

Hiccup sighed. "I will think about it; this is still a big job for one person who never even learned how to be Chief…I've been winging it for the past week…" He muttered. It really was a lot to think about, and he was right back to being stressed about things that had happened. Now this? Being king of the Archipelago? Who would have thought someone like him could be born into such a powerful place. Toothless and anyone else imploring him to keep the position and just work with it had good points; Hiccup could use this to change everything, like he originally had wanted and hoped to do. Regardless, this would take some serious thinking and thankfully with them in a lockdown, all he had was time to think. At least now he could put it to good use and figure out if he should resign his command as king, or keep it. It would mean a lot of work, would the real question was if it was worth it.

Author's Note; So, I don't want to hear ANYONE complain about the Show Yourself scene. Have seen Frozen 2 twice, and that is by far, my favorite part in the movie. I thought it would be fitting to reveal that Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third as King of the Archipelago. I promise that it's part of the story as to why I made him such, and also, the story is coming to a close soon. So yeah, I don't own Frozen 2, or Show Yourself, but borrowed the scene because I thought it'd be kind'a fun and it worked for what I wanted to do. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and the next one will be coming soon.