Anything Is Possible

Rated: M
Pairing: Hiccup & OC-Runa
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the HTTYD or Frozen characters. Everything belongs to its original creator. However, I do own all my characters.

Chapter 20.

=Normal POV=
[November 7; Midnight]
[Southern Markets]

The dragon hunters, Viggo and Ryker included, were all sitting there in the bar confused. The night had been going very smoothly up until Hiccup found out that they were going to be going to Hunter Isle, the home island of the dragon hunters. Hiccup became very scared and panicked to the point he got up and left the pub in a hurry. Ryker and Viggo planned to tell Hiccup themselves, but then it turned into a night of fun, and it slipped their minds. However, if Hiccup was freaking out now after being told, then it could be assumed without much doubt, Hiccup would react the same way.

"I suppose we should go after him," Ryker said Viggo after some moments of silence.

"We didn't mean to upset him," Olga informed.

"We thought it might make him happy," A hunter added.

"It's not your fault. Ryker and I planned to tell him earlier this evening but got caught up in fun. I feel this would have been the result had we done it before," Viggo stated before getting up, and then Ryker did the same. "We'll go find and speak with him. Return to the ship if you've finished your drinks." He ordered calmly.

"Yes, sir," The hunters replied. With that, Viggo and Ryker departed from the tavern to search for Hiccup.

Hiccup hadn't gone far, and the Grimborn brothers knew that if Hiccup was upset and needed to get away, the first place he would go was to his dragon. Unfortunately, Toothless was not here, so that left the other dragon Hiccup was close with. Cinder, the Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare. After a little wandering into the woods, it was easy to pick up the sound of Hiccup still breathing heavily and trying to calm down. Another sound Viggo and Ryker picked up on was Cinder attempting to soothe Hiccup with little whines and soft grunts. The brothers found Hiccup sitting against Cinder with his knees to his chest, head down on his kneecaps, and hands securely over his head.

"I can't….I can't do it. No matter what…Anyone says. I can't…I won't let it happen again. I'd rather be alone the rest of my life, or dead than ever to have to feel that pain again…" Hiccup was telling himself. "It was…A fool's move to believe that things changed, to think I would ever fit in, that…I would be accepted and loved for who I am…" His voice started to break. "Gods, why couldn't I have just died that night in the water…?" He asked. "I accepted that I would. I was ready to. I…Wanted too." He trailed off. "I…Still want to. Gods, I just want to die…It's the only way to make everything stop. The only way to be free…"

Cinder huffed, growling at Hiccup in disagreement, and trying to nudge him comfortingly that he was there still. Viggo and Ryker found it astonishing for a dragon to show such loyalty, and care to a person it only met a few months ago. And that Cinder was not even Hiccup's bonded dragon, but still treated Hiccup as a close friend he didn't want to lose. At the same time, as impressive as the interactions were to see, Viggo and Ryker knew that they needed to make themselves known and try to talk to Hiccup. The brothers took only a step, and it had been silent too, but Hiccup suddenly flinched and tensed, then lifted his head slightly.

"You can both stop hiding; I know you are there." Sighed Hiccup sadly. Viggo and Ryker were surprised; they hadn't made a sound and didn't feel like Cinder had noticed them either. Regardless, the two stepped out and stood side by side as Hiccup opened his eyes, but kept his chin down on his arms, which had lowered from being around his head. "Why did you come after me?"

"We're friends," Ryker reminded gently as he and Viggo shifted to sit on the ground in front of Hiccup.

"Don't friends check up on one another, and be there when one is going through something?" Viggo asked with a smile.

Hiccup shrugged miserably. "I wouldn't know…I've never had friends…It was all a lie, fake, except Toothless. That was real," Cinder snorted at him. "And Cinder too now," He added as the dragon returned his head next to Hiccup on the ground.

"But when you were upset before, Toothless would comfort you, yes?" Viggo asked. Hiccup nodded his head once. "And even right now, Cinder is with you. Right?" He continued as Hiccup nodded again. "Okay, so your friends have come to check on you and try to help, both past and present."

"Hiccup, what we're saying is that perhaps the riders were never there for you during bad times, but you're not with them anymore," Ryker said as Hiccup glanced at him a little. "You're with us. We're your friends,"

"Yes, absolutely. And if someone is feeling down and upset, their friends are there for them and try to help any way they can. That's what good and true friends do for each other," Viggo smiled.

"So we came to be here for you, Hiccup, and help if we can," Ryker added. Hiccup knew he said he trusted them, but there was always going to be that shadow of doubt until he told them about his secret. That was the true test of their friendship. "Come on, you know you can tell us anything," Ryker reminded softly with a smile.

Hiccup looked at them both, his eyes showing sadness and worry. "Can I?" Hiccup asked, his voice small, and full of fear.

"Of course, Hiccup. You trust us, we trust you. I promise nothing you tell us will ever be used to hurt you, and we will never judge you. So, please, feel free to reveal anything you wish." Viggo reassured.

Hiccup closed his eyes tightly, holding himself. "Would you abandon me?" That made things a bit more clear for Viggo and Ryker. Hiccup's behavior about not wanting something to happen again; it was because he was terrified of the past repeating itself, where his tribe betrayed him. "Would you turn on me because I'm different from everyone else?" Hiccup looked at them again for an answer.

"You know that we don't mind you being different," Viggo informed.

"You are who you are, Hiccup. We just told you in the bar all the things that make you different that we don't mind, like, and accept." Ryker mentioned.

Hiccup shook his head. "No, you don't understand…" Hiccup sighed as he lifted his head more. "Yes, all that stuff is what makes me different from others…But there are people out there who can do that too." Hiccup closed his eyes. "When I say different from everyone else, I'm not talking about all the things I can do that others could probably do if they tried, or took an interest in. I have all those hobbies and skills because I either enjoy or learned them…" He paused. "It means that there is something about me that sets me apart from others. Something only I have and can do. Something that makes me different…Too different." He hid his face against his knees. "It's…What made Berk scared of me. What made them…Abandon me…"

"And you're afraid if you tell us we'll do the same?" Viggo asked. Hiccup nodded.

"That's why you kept saying you couldn't do it again, isn't it? You don't want whatever happened with them to happen again with us?" Ryker questioned. Hiccup nodded once more.

"Hiccup, I promise that we will not do what Berk did to you." Viggo vowed.

"Don't make a promise you can't keep…" Hiccup sniffled.

"I never do," Viggo stated calmly. "Look at me, Hiccup," It took a moment, but Hiccup finally lifted his head and looked Viggo straight in the eyes. "I do not make promises that I don't intend to keep,"

"I'd reword that," Ryker suggested. "Excluding any promises, deals, and so on while we were enemies…" He offered.

"Yes, excluding that time of our encounters, consider these points," Viggo paused a few seconds. "Ever since you woke up and discovered being among the dragon hunters, that Ryker and I were alive…Have we, or any of the others, hurt you?" Hiccup shook his head. "That's right because I promised that we weren't going to hurt you. I promised that you were not our prisoner. I promised that you had freedom with us, and could do what you wanted. I promised you were safe. And I promised that we were not your enemies. Now, knowing all that…Have I broken any of them?" He inquired.

"No…" Hiccup answered softly.

"Then understand that I will not make you this promise to break it, no matter what. I may be surprised or confused, but I am a man who relishes in learning new things, and I excel in adapting to anything. Ryker and the tribe too. All of them, not just the ones we're sailing with. We gave you our trust, Hiccup, and I do understand that whatever this is you're scared of revealing, is making you doubt we'll remain true. But that's the thing about trust, for it to work, it has to go both ways. You have to trust us as we trust you." Viggo insisted.

"We know you're scared because you trusted Berk, and they only proved that you shouldn't have placed your trust in them. They've shown that just because you were born into a tribe doesn't mean there is automatic trust." Ryker mentioned. "Us, though, Hiccup…" The teenager looked at Ryker now, meeting his eyes. "You didn't immediately trust us. You told us right off that with all you'd been through, you couldn't trust anyone anymore. That people had to earn it and prove they wouldn't break it. You said we earned your trust after the Johann situation…" He paused.

"Now give us the chance to prove that we won't break it," Viggo finished for his brother, as Ryker nodded to confirm that is what he was going to say.

Silently looking up towards the sky, Hiccup prayed this wasn't going to backfire on him. After a moment, Hiccup closed his eyes and brought his head back down to face them again with a sigh before opening his eyes. "Okay, okay…You win…" Hiccup gave in. "I'll tell you…"

"We're all ears," Ryker assured.

Hiccup got to his feet. "Not here, back on the ship with everyone else and below the main deck. I don't want to have to explain it more than once. Cinder will guard the boats," Not questioning Hiccup at all, the brothers got to their feet and nodded. Cinder rose as well, looking to Hiccup for instructions. Hiccup snapped his fingers and motioned out to where the docks were, Cinder got the message and headed off through the woods. After that, Hiccup, Viggo, and Ryker began their walk back as well.

. . .

[Southern Markets; Docks]

Upon reaching the lead ship, Hiccup went right to the chamber. Viggo and Ryker rounded everyone up below the main deck and stayed there to wait for Hiccup while explaining that Hiccup said he was going to tell them something about why Berk betrayed him. Hiccup only went to the chamber to use the bathroom, and try to collect his thoughts. The first time it came out was purely by accident, and now he was about to reveal his secret openly. After a few moments of getting himself together, Hiccup made his way below deck and saw the hunters there.

"Is this everyone?" Hiccup asked.

"Except the tribe members who are on our home island, yes," Ryker nodded.

"We're ready whenever you are," Viggo stated lightly.

"There's…Not really a set level of ready for this; I've never actually sat down and told anyone…" Hiccup sighed. "And before anyone asks…I never told the Berkians either; they found out on accident." He added. "Well…Most of them learned by accident, three already knew…Not that it made a difference," He muttered in annoyance.

"Just…Take your time. We have all night," Olga offered with a smile.

"A couple of nights ago, Viggo, you asked me why I had to train myself to control my emotions before explaining to me why I zone out and forget whole conversations on anything related to Berk's betrayal. I know it's because shut down and dissociate from the topic to regain control. The only parts you were wrong about was that the reset of my mind being automatic and that I blocked the conversations." Hiccup admitted.

"So, you do remember the talks?" Ryker wondered.

Hiccup nodded. "I don't block them; I just push them back to retake control. The reset to before the conversation started is only temporary; it lasts seconds. I remember as soon as I'm in control again. And the reset isn't in response to me refusing to feel the hurt; it's not automatic when the pain comes up. That's just…How fast I've gotten at catching myself before I lose control. I can do it in seconds, shutting down and resetting the hold." He informed.

"But…It took you a couple of minutes that night when Viggo was trying to get you to stop doing that," A hunter mentioned.

"Because Viggo was distracting me. The longer it takes me to focus, the longer it takes and the harder it is to regain control." Hiccup said.

"Okay, that makes sense. But Hiccup, why?" Viggo questioned. "Why do you have to be in control of your emotions?"

"So I don't lose control of what makes me different…" Hiccup sighed.

"That's the first time I've heard you refer to something specific about why you have to maintain control of your emotions. It's not you refusing to feel your emotions; you're not afraid to face what happened with Berk. You're scared of what happened there will happen again. You are worried about what happens if you lose control," Viggo understood.

"Bad things happen if I lose control," Hiccup nodded. "It's not that I want to be in control of my emotions…I just have no choice, or what happened with Berk will happen again…All my secret has done is get me abandoned or hurt. And even then, I can't let myself feel anything from it. I'm forced to bury it because I can't let lose control of my emotions…Or I lose all control..." He closed his eyes.

"This secret of yours is why you can't lose control, and it's what makes you different from others?" Viggo quizzed. Hiccup looked at him and nodded softly. "So then after all this explaining of why you have to stay in control," He paused.

"What is it that makes you different?" Ryker finished Viggo's question. Hiccup stood up straight now, lowering his arms down at his sides before taking a breath and closing his eyes. "Don't forget what we said, Hiccup. No matter what it is, we're not going to do what Berk did," He added.

Hiccup let out the breath he's been holding before walking towards Viggo. "Can I borrow your sword a sec?" He asked. Viggo nodded, pulling the blade from its sheath on his back and handed it to Hiccup, who then stepped back and set it flat on the deck floor before taking a few more steps away.

Hiccup looked at the sword before raising his left arm slowly as his eyes engulfed with a full white glow, then Hiccup's hand immersed in a white aura at the same time the sword did. Still raising his arm, the sword came off the ground hand first until it was upright from the tip of the blade. Hiccup brought the sword up more to be off the deck entirely, and then he moved it around in a few different directions. Finally, Hiccup the glow in his eyes and around his hand, and the sword faded, but he continued holding it off the ground as he directed it before Viggo again. Hiccup let the blade float in front of Viggo in a flat laying direction, as it had originally been set on the deck. "Go ahead; you can grab it. My powers aren't going to hurt you," Hiccup invited.

"Alright," Viggo set his hand on the sword hesitantly, closing his fingers around the handle.

"Got it? I don't want to let go, and you drop it on yourself…" Hiccup said.

"I have it," Viggo nodded, holding it and noticing that it was weightless. To Viggo, the only proof he was holding something at all was his hand around the handle, and that he could see the sword in front of him. Hiccup closed his hand to a fist and dropped his at his side before relaxing his hand again as Viggo felt the full weight of the sword. "It was so light before…Remarkable," He said in surprise before setting it down in his lap and looking back at Hiccup. "How did you do that?"

Hiccup shrugged a little. "I don't know. I just can," He stated.

"Can you do it to other objects?" Ryker inquired.

"Probably, but don't know for sure." Hiccup said, not entirely sure.

"You don't know?" Olga asked gently.

Hiccup shook his head. "No. I don't exactly just wake up and decide to find out what I can do with them. I've kept them hidden for years, say for a few accidents I don't want to get into right now," He muttered the last bit. "All I know is that if I don't stay in control of my emotions, I lose control of my powers, and bad things happen if that happens…" He glanced down at the floor.

Viggo and Ryker could tell Hiccup was tired and didn't want to stay on this all night. "Why don't we stop here for tonight? It's nearly 1:00 am, we've all had more than a few drinks. Hiccup explained a little and showed us why he is different; we can talk more tomorrow on the sail back to Hunter Isle. If Hiccup doesn't mind, of course," Viggo stated, looking at Hiccup for confirmation to his suggestion.

"I…Don't mind, just know that I actually don't know much about it myself…And maybe subjects I don't want to talk about if they come up in conversation…" Hiccup replied.

"If there is anything you don't want to talk about, you just say so. We're not going to push you; we just want to understand. And we get you might not know either…But maybe we can figure things out together? Maybe we can help?" Ryker offered.

"I can't say yes or no to the helping thing. I've been living my life thus far, staying in control and hiding it…At least up until last year…" Hiccup mumbled. "Which has been a nightmare I can't seem to get out of, but hey…That's my life for you." He shrugged sarcastically.

"Well, we're your friends, Hiccup. So we're going to do what we can to help if helping is a possibility. And if not, then know we aren't going anywhere. Okay? You got us for life. Your powers or whatever aren't going to chase us off, and we're not going to abandon you over them." Viggo assured. "Now, it's late, and much work needs to be done tomorrow."

"Yes, Viggo." The tribe replied, and Hiccup only nodded.

After that, everyone filed out to where they were going to be for the night. Some right to bed, others to guard for the night, or at least until the shift change. Viggo, Ryker, and Hiccup retired to their chamber, one by one getting ready to turn in for bed. Hiccup was the first one to lay down and almost instantly knock out. Viggo and Ryker weren't far behind him around two in the morning. The one thing everyone knew for sure was they were going to start their journey to Hunter Isle in about eight hours.