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 42.
=Runa's POV=
[February 8; Dusk]
[Hunter Isle; Great Hall]
Ah! I can't believe I'm seventeen as of today! My parents are throwing me a big party in the Great Hall, the whole tribe is invited, of course. I also can't believe how much has changed since honored guest, dragon rider Hiccup Raseri, even though I know his last name is Haddock and he refuses to use it, has come to Hunter Isle. Our raids have stopped indefinitely, and things are much easier working with the dragons than against them. Wild dragons were all over now, and everyone was cool with it. I always knew change was possible, and we'd been going about it wrong for Thor only knows how many years until Hiccup came to us and discovered that we were the problem when the dragons just wanted to get to know us as it was on most other islands. My dad was already having the builders on making dragon stables on homes of people who had bonded dragons. Ours was the first because now everyone in my family has a bonded dragon, except me. My brother, dad, and younger cousin Agnar all have Strike Class dragons. Like, seriously? And here I thought the only one we'd ever have was Hiccup's Night Fury, Toothless.
No, aside from my cousin Vera, Aunt Hertha, and Uncle Ryker bonding to dragons. My mom has a female Stormcutter called Twistfire; she bonded on February 5th. My brother Brynjar bonded to a Wooly Howl, a male one that he named Snowstrike on February 3rd. My cousin Agnar was next on the 5th with a male Triple Stryke he calls Poisontail. And last was my dad on February 7th with a freaking Skrill. It was a male one, apparently, that Hiccup knew from prior battles and the last one had been freeing it from dragon hunters instead of sealing it back in ice. So, it actually took a liking to dad through wanting to visit Hiccup and Toothless first. Dad decided to call the Skrill Boltrider. Others in the tribe are coming around to accepting dragons, and some have bonded as well. After dad bonded, he and Ryker named Hiccup the Hunter Isle Dragon Trainer because Hiccup is the only one qualified to teach us how to train, care for, and ride dragons.
The lessons varied, some were how to gain and earn trust while others were dragon knowledge, training, and care(if you already bonded). Hiccup said riding would come once you had a full understanding of your bonded dragon. Hiccup had rules, but that was expected. Hiccup didn't show anyone how he did the things he did, and he trusted us with the information, so we had to follow his laws about the matter. I didn't mind one bit. I kind of like Hiccup a lot, so I enjoy being around him. I think my crush started after Hiccup saved me during the dragon attack, but the weeks have gone by; I know I like him. Hiccup was smart, creative, funny, passionate, determined, strong both physically and with his powers. Hiccup has a gentle soul, caring personality, kind and loving heart. And hell if Hiccup isn't cute too. However, Hiccup doesn't seem to notice any of my slight advancements or flirting. I guess I'd have to try harder or be forward about it.
I know Hiccup is going through some personal things too, so that could be why he didn't notice, which is fine too. Maybe as things improved for Hiccup, he'd come around more to noticing a girl liking him. I know Hiccup is also busy with his new job of being head dragon trainer and rider. Dad and Ryker took Hiccup's idea of converting the old kill ring into the training arena, so construction for that, as well as stables on homes and for wild dragons to stay, have begun too; all of it is under Hiccup's designs. Basically, everything dragon-related is up to Hiccup; he's being referred to as the Hunter Isle Dragon Master, given he seems to be the expert on having peace with them. I can't say I disagree, and I really can't wait to be able to bond. I wondered what kind of dragon I'd end up with; Hiccup said to be patient because it takes time to find your forever friend.
The day has been amazing. Mom made a big breakfast feast for my birthday, and I did a picnic on the beach for lunch with my family. Hiccup was invited too, I had hoped he would come, but I guess he was busy in the forge or with training. Also, Hiccup had been busy with some more secret operations that were because of the night when Uncle Ryker bonded to Valiant when his dragon had saved him from being shot and killed. Hiccup had Toothless track the scent, dad and Uncle Ryker went with him to check things out. I'm not sure what's going on with all that, but my dad, uncle, and Hiccup said not to worry and we'd know when it was time to be told. I understood and didn't mind waiting. My mom and aunt were the worried ones about things, but who can blame Aunt Hertha when her husband was almost killed. Tonight, rather right now, is my party at the Great Hall! It was going to be dinner and then fun.
Nobody was required to give me gifts either, but usually, as I've noticed as an heiress to the tribe; people always bring gifts if they know its for a birthday party or some other kind of celebration. For me, I've gotten some clothes and other knickknack things I like from friends and family so far. Hiccup said he had something for me, but wasn't ready yet and promised it would be by the time we had dinner tonight, so I'm excited about that. Is it bad that I blush just thinking about how sweet he is sometimes? I hope not. My family and I are just getting to the Great Hall now, so I can't wait to see what it looks like inside. Dad and Uncle Ryker opened the doors for me as I saw everything and smiled wide.
"Happy Birthday, Runa!" The tribe yelled when I stepped into sight.
"Awe, thank you, everyone!" I called back before getting inside, then my family following as we reached our table and sat down. As I glanced around, I didn't see Hiccup anywhere, but I didn't see Ulrik either, so there was a good guess that they were still at the forge.
"Now, let's-," Viggo started as Hiccup and Ulrik hurried into the hall. I smiled, hoping I wasn't blushing. "Okay, now that everyone is here, let's eat!" He announced.
"Hiccup, come! Come, my boy. Join us," Ryker smiled. "You're still our guest of honor, so you have a seat up here with us," He added. Hiccup said bye to Ulrik and then came up to join us at the head table. Hiccup sat down near me, his preference to avoid the seat between my father and uncle because he apparently felt too much like the center of attention when he wasn't any kind of status in our tribe. I guess I understood it, but truthfully; I hoped Hiccup would stay on Hunter Isle, and I hoped that he might join the tribe too. But that was entirely his decision, and I'd support anything, but it would suck if he left because I like him a lot and I think we'd fit well together.
"Happy birthday, Runa," Hiccup told me with a smile.
"Thank you, Hiccup," I replied, praying I wasn't blushing.
I needed a chance to just hang out with Hiccup, maybe we'd get more interaction for him to see that I like him if we were alone. So far things have been when others are around and I didn't consider Hiccup could be shy or whatever. Maybe he's never had a girl like him before, due to being different? Sadly, I didn't know much about Hiccup, but I wanted to get to know him better if we could ever get any time together. My mom had me with her, Aunt Hertha, and Vera on wife/mother training. It was mostly cleaning, laundry, sewing, cooking when we were younger around twelve or thirteen to fifteen-ish. Now, we were in the actual wife/mom training because we were of age to be married. So were the boys, but our parents didn't believe in marital contracts, they wanted us to marry for love and only then would betrothal and contracts for marriage be used between families.
Such things would get discussed after a couple was dating and lasted six months, sometimes it was three, but only if the couple felt absolutely perfect together. That's just how we did things. I wonder what it was like for Hiccup's tribe. I should be wondering all this, but to me, Hiccup was a mystery that I wanted to understand and know everything about. I'd get there eventually, perhaps tonight during the party. Maybe I'd ask him to dance. For now, I should probably start eating; the fun could commence afterward.
. . .
[Night]
[Great Hall]
The party was such fun! I was loving this. I did get some gifts, more of the same. The one thing I really wanted was a new sword, mine was old and past its sharpening point. Ulrik told me about a year ago that it would shatter, and I didn't want my first real weapon to break, so I've left it hanging over my bed like a decoration. My weaponry was more than one weapon; I had a vast collection of small, but highly effective weapons at my disposal. Dad got them for me during his travels a long time ago, and I've practiced almost every day to master things. I specialized in silent attacks, ninja-style. I had kunai knives, nunchucks, throwing stars, sword, daggers, bow and arrows, bow staff, and so much more. I kept it all very hidden on my person when I wore my armor. Now, most wear their armor over their everyday clothes. Not me. The point of my weaponry was to hide it on me, but mostly the small stuff so I could use it if the visible objects were taken.
Thus far, no weapons were given. It was clothes, furs, and so on. I loved the music playing, people were talking, laughing, drinking, and dancing. I really wanted to ask Hiccup, but also didn't want to get rejected on my birthday either. Surely, Hiccup wouldn't do that; he didn't seem the type to say no. Everyone was having a good time, and that made me happy. I saw Hiccup relaxing against the wall, Toothless wasn't with him, but that's because our hall wasn't built for dragon support. That was another project dad granted Hiccup if he wanted to expand the hall to allow dragons to be in there with them. Hiccup said he'd consider things but had a lot going on as it was with other construction projects, dragon training, forge work, and whatever his personal things were. Whatever, I'm going to ask him!
I located Hiccup and made my way towards him. "Hi, Hiccup," I greeted with a smile.
"Hi, Runa. Enjoying your birthday party?" Hiccup asked.
I nodded. "Loving it. How about you? Having fun?" I turned the question on him.
Hiccup shrugged with a smile. "I've never been one for parties. I was the loner in my tribe, kept to myself,"
"Aw, that's awful," I frowned; that had to be super lonely. "Well, you don't have to worry about that with us. We love a good celebration or two," I informed.
"I'm noticing. It's nice and much calmer than some I've attended," Hiccup replied.
"That's only because not everyone is drunk yet, it can get a lot crazier," I stated, just so he'd know.
"Thanks for the warning," Hiccup chuckled. "At parties, I typically sat in some corner with decent lighting and drew in my notebook. I didn't interact with people, and I generally just didn't find them fun. I only went because I was required," He mentioned. "Your parties here are much more entertaining, it's nice not to be invisible," He added.
"So I was wondering-," I started.
"While I've got you here-," Hiccup said. We both paused, and laughed a little for speaking at the same time. "Sorry, you first," Hiccup insisted. Before either of us could talk again, my family strolled up smiling and happy.
"The birthday girl is not supposed to hide off in the corner," Truda giggled a bit.
"Not hiding, Hiccup was. He looked lonely, so I came over to talk to him," I admitted. Hiccup had been looking pretty alone and miserable, at least until he saw me and perked up with the smile. "That's…What I was about to ask you, Hiccup, was if you wanted to come to join me as I rejoin the party. I promise it'll be fun and you won't be alone?" I offered. I could see Hiccup was hesitant but didn't want to offend anyone by denying a request.
"Yeah, sounds great. But…Can I give you my gift first?" Hiccup asked. I blinked a little but nodded to him as I was kind of excited about this. I had no idea what Hiccup would get me since we didn't know each other too well. Hiccup smiled and grabbed the wrapped gift; it looked like white fur was the choice for wrapping. Hiccup carefully set it on the head table before me and stepped aside. "For you, Milady," Hiccup offered a bow and I did blush this time too.
I gently unwrapped the fur and my eyes widened at what I saw there. An entirely new set of weaponry, all the things I used! My shock turned to excitement as I looked at him, the smile forming. "Really?!"
"It's what is right in front of you, so yes," Hiccup laughed a little.
"How'd you know I even used all this?! It's not like you've been into my room and I keep it hidden all day except the bow staff, bow, and arrows!" I exclaimed.
Hiccup shrugged and smiled. "Little dragon told me," Hiccup winked as Sharpshot landed on his shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah. Come on…Who told you I'm into and use all this?" I grinned.
"I told you…Sharpshot," Hiccup replied again. I put my hands on my hips, eyeing him curiously. He was probably told not to rat out whoever told him.
"He's telling the truth, sis," Brynjar smiled.
"None of us ever told Hiccup about this," Vera confirmed with a nod.
"My dear daughter, Hiccup speaks the truth. He knows from his little Terror there. Hiccup can talk in multiple languages, including Dragonese," Viggo patted her shoulder. I stared in shock at Hiccup, did he really know Dragonese and could speak it fluently!? Could he read and write it too?! Gods, I needed to be able to learn more about this man!
"I had Sharpshot following you around and reporting back to me. I caught wind you wanted a sword, so I did that. But it's not your average sword. I'll show ya in a sec. But the rest, I overheard that you said your stuff was old, as in original set from the one your dad got you years ago. I decided to remake the pieces," Hiccup explained.
"Wow…" I continued to admire everything. "So…Tell me about everything because knowing you and the fact you said not average sword means you threw some kind of inventive flare on it all…" I chuckled as Hiccup nervously rubbed the back of his head and laughed too.
"Alright, alright…" Hiccup caved. "So, first off…All of these are made Gronckle Iron, so if you don't already know what that is; it's one of the strongest, but lightest metals in existence. A specific formula of rocks for Gronckles can make the spew that when it's formed and cooled gives it this super shiny look. Also…This will require extraordinarily little sharpening and is not likely to break. I've yet to find a dragons' fire that can melt this yet. So all of these weapons are light and damn near indestructible. You can shoot them at the stone walls and it will damage the wall before it nicks, bends, or dents any of those. I'd say sharpen maybe every four months," He explained.
"That's incredible," Vera looked in awe of the spread. "I need you to do my axes…"
"Sure, catch me in the forge and I can have it done in a few hours," Hiccup nodded as she beamed excitedly. "Now…For your bow staff and sword, I know you're into hiding all your weapons…and obviously such things are rather hard. However, while tinkering with my own sword because I hate carrying extra gear on me; I came up with something that works," Hiccup continued as he picked up a silver tub like thing and held it out to me. I took it carefully. "Now…Carefully give that spot you're holding a tight squeeze, and make sure neither of these ends is facing you when you do it," Hiccup instructed.
I did exactly what he said and gripped the spot hard as sections came out of the ends, extended into a bow staff. "Odin above, that is freaking amazing!" I whirled it around a bit. "It's so light as if an extension of my arm…" I gasped in wonder.
"And making it retract is the same thing, just giving it another squeeze," I did what Hiccup told me and the two sides retracted in. "So that should make that easier to hide for you," He informed. "Now, the sword…" Hiccup picked up another tube object, thicker than the bow staff. "Same general idea, but improvements…" He added, handing it to me. "Give the handle a squeeze," I did and I saw thin poles extend out in the shape of a sword. "Now, press that button there," Hiccup pointed as I did and the sword caught fire. "I saw how much you admired Inferno the first time I used it and remembered what you said about wanting a sword like that, so I made you one and those little canisters are extra Monstrous Nightmare gel, which makes the sword light. Despite the fire, those piles are sharp and it will still cut like a regular sword, made from Gronckle Iron as well," He explained.
"Oh," Hiccup started after a moment. "And retracting it only takes giving the handle a squeeze, the fire will douse as it retracts back inside. And if you flip the weapon to this side and press the left button, gas will expel, then the right will light it on fire. Inspired by the Hideous Zippleback attack. It can cause an explosion, and let you get away from enemies, or keep them back. These were the things I did to Inferno, and I felt you'd appreciate them given your particular style of fighting. I made sure you would have extra canisters of gas too, but if you end up needing more; come see me," Hiccup informed. "I also have plenty more throwing stars and kunai knives made at the forge. You've basically got an endless supply. The sword and bow staff can be hidden with ease due to their construction. The only weapon you really have to carry and reveal is your bow and arrows." Hiccup finished.
I couldn't believe he went through all this for me. I instantly hugged him once I made sure the weapons were down first. "Thank you," I said and planted a kiss on his cheek, close to his lips, and held it a few moments. I pulled away and saw Hiccup standing there, blinking in surprise, then shook it off.
"You're welcome, and my pleasure. Happy birthday, Runa," Hiccup stated calmly. That was when I noticed it, all his excitement seemed to fade again. Hiccup was still smiling, but the happy energy was gone like he only smiled to be respectful. I didn't understand why, had I upset him with what I did. I was positive that aside from the fake smile, there was…Sadness in his eyes, or behind them, at least. "Now, onto the party, right?" Hiccup asked. "I believe you asked me to join you, before all this?" He reminded. I managed a nod to him and started back to the rest of the tribe with my mom, aunt, cousins, and brother.
"Are you alright, Hiccup?" I heard my father inquire.
"No…Maybe one day I will be, but it's not today and it probably won't be any time soon…" Hiccup replied. "It doesn't matter right now what my issues are; this is Runa's birthday party. I'm not gonna go and ruin everything because of my past…So let's just…Leave it alone and get back to things," He added. "Okay, please?" He asked. I spotted from the corner of my eye that my dad and uncle just nodded, then they walked faster to join us and the part. I didn't know what was up, but I was determined to find out. And I would, just not tonight.
