Hello and Happy Snoggletog Eve!!! I am very excited to share this final story with you guys this evening.
This project has been a major success and I wanted to say a final massive thank you for all of your support! It has really kicked off of my festive season in an amazing way, and I hope I have spread some Snoggletog cheer to you guys in the process.
Updates to 'Saving Me' will be posted after Snoggletog, perhaps before New Year. It's been an honour to write for you all daily, and I am amazed that in the space of twelve days, I have been able to write 16,000 words!
This story is set just after the first movie, and is about the first Snoggletog after peace had been made with the dragons.
So, thank you again and I really hope you enjoy! Have a very Merry Snoggletog everyone xxx
.oOo.
Freezing. It was the one word which could describe the Baltic temperatures in which Berk was submerged on that fine Snoggletog eve. To be fair it wasn't a very warm place to begin with, but the snow was wrapped around the village like an eternal blanket of cold, making it physically impossible to do anything without shivering your head off.
But of course, the Hairy Hooligan Tribe were Vikings, meaning they were more stubborn than anyone you would ever meet. They were out with only one extra layer of clothing over their usual tunics and armour, and they went about their day to day life as if the ice cold wind wasn't cutting through their hometown.
Hiccup couldn't deny the fact that it was beautiful. The snow sparkled on the rooftops and made the hand carved wooden dragon heads, the statement pieces on every house, stand out more than ever. The Great Hall's windows were illuminated with the soft winter's glow and the Vikings inside were sitting, a bowl of Gobber's disgusting soup in hand, in attempts to refuel for another day of work. He could see a glimpse of Raven's Point on the distant side of the island, the lake frozen over and glistening.
He was sat on the docks, high above the rest of the island, his left knee tucked into his chest and his peg leg making a perfect indentation in the snow. He was wrapped in layers upon layers of clothing, making him stick out like a sore thumb even more than usual, his small body unable to quite cope with the chill of the air. He still hadn't quite gotten used to it, the leg, but that didn't dull his ambition to return to normal life. Well, as normal as normal was now they had made peace with the dragons.
And normal meant Snoggletog. Normal meant the biggest party Berk has ever seen.
Snoggletog was the best holiday in Hiccup's opinion. He'd always loved it, even back when everyone called him useless. Because it was a day when nothing mattered except being merry and full of love. It was the one day he felt like he truly belonged.
Of course, that was always snatched away from him the second the clock struck twelve and he was forced into the reality of being the runt son of the chief again, unable to hold a hammer never mind kill dragons. But this year would be different. No one had called him useless since the night with the Red Death just a few months prior. This time, he was determined to make the Snoggletog feeling last.
He'd been up for nights, planning, analysing, making sure there were no flaws in his plans. Nothing that could go wrong. It was going to be perfect.
There would be banners; large, Snoggletog bunting strung all over the village with fairy lights illuminating the pathway. Everyone would be drinking mulled wine and laughing and eating themselves sick on the feast laid out within the Great Hall doors.
Then it would be time for the best part. At midnight, man and dragon would go outside and light lanterns with their dragon's fire, sending them high into the night sky as a symbol that even though they were Vikings, tough and strong, there was still a soft spot inside them, and that what mattered most, was family.
And yet, there was no denying that planning a party for an entire village, never mind executing it, was a hard task, especially for the scrawny fifteen year old viking to do all himself. But, as everyone knows, Vikings are stubborn. At least this fact fuelled Hiccup with enough determination to get him through it all. Or, so he thought.
.oOo.
"Just a little closer Bud!" Hiccup wobbled on one leg, with his tongue sticking out in concentration as Toothless nudged the stepladder a tad closer to the metal pole marking the dragon feeding station.
Bunting. It was the first thing on his checklist. He had gathered together pieces of scrap paper and had spent hours sticking, cutting and decorating the perfect banners whilst he was meant to be working in the forge with Gobber. Gobber was used to Hiccup's antics by now, and tended not to question it: the apprentice had been getting his work done in double time after all.
It was six in the morning, and Hiccup had been up for an hour, trying to set up before all of the Vikings were bustling around, completing their daily duties. And in that hour, he had got a total of one out of ten banners up and ready. They were just so temperamental.
"Sticky worm saliva is not as sticky as the name suggests," Hiccup murmured under his breath as he continued to work. He was due at the forge in thirty minutes. He was never going to get this done!
No. Come on Hiccup. You can do this. He told himself. Once you have finished the first one, it'll only get easier.
"Aaah!" A rustle to his left made him jump, the ladder shaking from side to side, threatening to topple over at any moment. Thankfully, Toothless swooped in to steady it before it could.
Hiccup turned around to see what the noise had been, when he noticed that the opposite end of the banner he had been intricately putting up had fallen down.
He sighed.
"Hey! What are you doing up there?" Snotlout yelled up to him as Hiccup wallowed in his failure. He was rubbing his eyes, and his hair was straggly, despite him being in armour, a sure sign that he had just woken up. Hiccup must have made some amount of noise to drag the beauty queen out of his hut before he was ready.
"I'm putting up banners for the Snoggletog party!" Hiccup responded, trying to keep some kind of Snoggletog cheer in his voice as he climbed down and shifted the ladder to the pole he had been working at just moments before.
"What Snoggletog party?"
"Well it's Berk's main holiday- you can't expect us to just stop celebrating it just because we made peace with the dragons!"
"No, but I expect us to stop celebrating it because it's awful. Snoggletog is lame. If it weren't for the food, I wouldn't bother showing up!"
Hiccup winced initially, but straightened again. This was Snotlout, for crying out loud. Not to mention, Snotlout after he had just woken up. He was as grumpy as you could get! One person being on a downer was not going to stop his plans.
"There!" In the time that he had been speaking with Snotlout, he had managed to finally get the bunting up.
It glimmered in the new sunlight, the snow reflecting perfectly off of the tree sap which he had used to make the colours to write 'Happy Snoggletog!' a tad nicer. The angles were all precise, and it didn't look homemade, the strong greens and reds sticking out against the brown and white landscape surrounding them.
Hiccup clambered down the ladder and stepped back, elbow leaning on Toothless' head as he admired his handiwork. Toothless let out a happy grunt and Hiccup scratched under his chin.
"One down, nine to go!" Hiccup laughed.
And then fate responded. As the words just slipped off the tip of his tongue, both ends of the banner slid downwards towards the ground, crashing into the snow at the exact same time, as if they were synchronised swimmers in a pool. He ran to pick it up, and found the writing messy and wet, smeared all over the ground and the paper. He sighed once again.
"Well Bud, at least we have the others, right? Oh no..." Hiccup raced towards his things as he remembered that he had left all the others lying in the snow too.
Each of them was ruined, the colours blending into one another, the writing unreadable. He threw down the banner and glared at Snotlout as he began to laugh.
"Oh Hiccup! You really are useless!"
.oOo.
"Okay, on my count, I need you to blow a low blast of fire into each of these lanterns," Hiccup stood before Meatlugs, Hookfang, Stormfly and Toothless with delicately handcrafted lanterns placed in front of them, making indentations in the snow.
Little trees were intricately carved into the thin fabric, made out of minuscule circles and squares that would have taken ages to cut. They had a dragon-proof metal frame inside, to prevent any accidental explosions, and they gleamed in a clean colour of white, which blended in perfectly amongst the lancet of snow lying on the ground.
And Hiccup had made them all. All one hundred of them himself. The future chief was determined to surprise the entirety of Berk, meaning using as little help as he could possibly receive.
But he didn't include dragons in this.
He thought back to when he began making them, in the dead of night during the slightly warmer September. It began with one, before it turned into ten and fifty, which he had to stash somewhere in the house without his dad knowing.
He had almost been caught a countless amount of times, and was lucky to have his bad Hiccup excuses that Stoick didn't question as they were so common.
"3, 2, 1, now!" The dragons fired as Hiccup held up one of the lanterns. Every blast combined was too much for the frail thing, and the heat shot through the metal and set the lantern aflame.
Hiccup danced about, his hand scorched and burning before he slipped on a particularly bad bit of ice, landing on his bottom in the snow. His arm went flailing to the side.
The dragons stared at him.
Stared.
Stared.
Laughed.
They let out little grunts of amusement, before flying off together, probably mocking him in Dragonese.
Only Toothless remained, and he nudged Hiccup anxiously on the shoulder, as he was still sitting in the snow, jaw dropped into it too as he gawped at the sky. This snapped him out of his trance, and he scratched the Nightfury under his chin.
"Still the tree to go!" He said, still confident that everything was going to work out.
It's Snoggletog, after all.
.oOo.
The tree. Probably the most crucial thing about Snoggletog, and Hiccup was determined not to mess it up, especially not after how the day had gone so far.
It was nearing dusk, and the sun was setting over the horizon, the sky emitting gorgeous blends of yellow and orange, contrasting drastically the grey sky that had loomed above Berk the rest of the day. It was cloudy still, but the snow had passed temporarily to clear the vision. It was as if the universe had wanted him to succeed.
The greenery was up, in a pot of Deathsong amber, towering high above the village. Hiccup had already attracted some intrigued looks from the crowds of citizens ready to head home for the day, but he had not batted an eye at them, meaning they soon carried on with their travels.
Determination was the sole emotion fuelling him onwards. He would not be shamed as Hiccup the Useless again. He could be a strong, independent Viking. The rest of his tribe used to kill dragons for Thor's sake! He should at least be able to put up a tree.
Hiccup was perched upon Toothless' shoulders, the dragon standing like a meerkat, struggling whilst attempting to move as little as possible so as to not throw Hiccup off, resulting in another casualty. He knew how important this was to his owner. He was not going to mess it up for him.
The tree had some snow laying upon it's sturdy spruce branches, the green and the white matching perfectly whilst being so boldly different. Bobbles of red and yellow and green were hung in a cascading pattern, an ombré effect beginning at the tail of the tree until the very tip.
And there was tinsel. Bright, sparkly tinsel that glistened like the snow in the sunset. Bold, silver tinsel which added yet another layer of colour to the tree, adding the final touches to make it pop. Soft, thickly tinsel, that was edging it's way up Toothless' nose as he stood.
Don't sneeze.
Hiccup had his tongue out again, and the Nightfury attempted to simply admire how adorable he looked when he was so focused.
Don't sneeze.
Crowds of people were gathering again, as Hiccup finally went in for the final touch.
Don't sneeze.
The future chief stretched up on his tip toes and very top of his peg leg, and Toothless swayed from side to side, careful not to send him toppling to the ground.
Don't sneeze.
Hiccup had got it balanced on top, and the Vikings below were staring in anticipation.
Don't sneeze.
"There!" Hiccup said with excitement as the massive star lantern took pride of place at the top of the tree.
And then, the moment was killed. After an instant of cheers and applause from the crowd below, gasps and pointing hands made everything suddenly flip into slow motion.
Toothless sneezed hard, and toppled forward wit the sheer force of it, pulling Hiccup down to the ground...
And the tree along with them.
It was like dominoes, the way the trunk whacked into one house, and it toppled over, its wooden structure unable to bear the force of it. The house then fell to the ground, crashing into the one directly behind it as it did and the chain rippled onwards until all of the homes in that line were no longer standing.
Hiccup went sprawling to the ground, the snow breaking his fall. Physically okay, mentally not so much. Being the every glass-half-full guy that he attempted to be during Snoggletog, he was thankful that all they had to do was reset the positioning of the houses and all would be well.
And then all his hopes blew up- literally.
The lantern at the top of the tree erupted into flames just as the others had with the dragons earlier, skinning the tree of all leaves and dignity. Fire spreading just as quickly as the sunset in the sky above, the houses burst into flames, and people ran towards them yelling, as others barked insult after insult at Hiccup.
"What in Thor's name were you thinking boy!"
"Are you trying to kill us all?!"
"Disgrace!"
"Useless!"
He wasn't going to sit there on the ground and let himself be embarrassed any further.
Hiccup threw his hands up in surrender, and not saying a word, he stood up and ran towards the forest, away from the mess.
The mess he'd created, again.
.oOo.
He couldn't believe it. Just couldn't comprehend all that had just happened.
The bunting, the lanterns, the tree...
It all flashed by his memory, lingering, like a half remembered song that won't stop pestering you for hours upon hours on end.
He sat by the edge of Raven's Point lake, at the same place he'd first learned to train Toothless. The lake was frozen over and the ice shimmered, not taking the hint that the Snoggletog winters cheer was not to be shared at that point in time.
A week ago, he was a hero, remembered for his fight against the Red Death and his bravery to end the 'tradition' of murdering innocent dragons. A week ago, he was finally respected and people finally saw that he was capable of being a Viking too. A week ago, the village liked him for the first time in years.
It had been amazing.
And now look at him, sitting alone, throwing stones at the lake to crack the ice just like his Snoggletog dreams were cracked.
Again, the village thought he was hopeless. Useless.
Useless.
Thor, how he hated that word! Though it was probably the one he had heard most in his lifetime. It was his nickname after all.
He just didn't understand it. Everyone had a purpose. Everyone leaves a mark on this earth.
Hmh he sighed in amusement as he contemplated it further. Perhaps his purpose was to show the world that you can get scrawny little failures even if you are a strong tribe, like the Hairy Hooligans were.
He was just Hiccup the Useless. That was the way it always had been, and he guessed that's the way it always will be.
A noise came from behind, and Hiccup's head whipped around to see a sullen-looking Nightfury tiptoeing towards him. The dragon paused, wary that he wasn't wanted, but Hiccup nodded, prompting Toothless to come closer.
"It's okay, Bud. It wasn't your fault."
Toothless growled and murmured as if to insinuate this wasn't the case, but Hiccup turned his dad away.
"What if I am just Hiccup the useless? What if I'll never be more then a failure?" A single tear rolled down his cheek, and Toothless we asked his head under his arm and lay down beside him. "All I wanted to do was make Snoggletog special, but apparently I cant even do that. They'd all be better off without me."
Toothless jumped up and began pacing instantly. Hiccup watched with worried curiosity.
"What is it, Bud?"
And just like that, Toothless began to act.
It was random and spontaneous, something you would never expect a dragon to do, and yet it was a beautiful and moving sight.
His movement first showed him collapsing, and he tied himself up in loose branches and vines, before he pushed them off of himself.
He then grabbed a fish from the crack in the lake Hiccup had made with his rocks, ate it and spat half of it out in from of Hiccup.
"What are you..?"
He leapt about, wings outstretched dodging and diving about the snow. Hiccup couldn't help but laugh.
And then the finale. Toothless climbed up the wall of the cavern, before he let go.
"Toothless!" Hiccup cried.
The dragon flopped onto the ground, motionless, before opening one single eyelid and unwrapping his wings.
And that's when it clicked. Hiccup finally understood what the Nightfury was trying to do. It was a re-creation of everything that had happened in the past few months, from Hiccup shooting him down to the battle of the Red Death.
You are not useless, Toothless thought, walking over and nudging Hiccup's arm. You are more special and meaningful and amazing than you know.
Hiccup wiped the tears from his eyes after a few moments and shivered. They were huddled together, Hiccup crying under Toothless' wing, and it was a more meaningful embrace than you will ever see.
It was pitch black now, the snow still falling, the stars sparkling. The temperature had dropped even more than before, and Hiccup found himself unable to sit on that icy rock a moment longer.
"Let's go home," He said brushing himself down and smiling at the dragon.
Maybe Snoggletog wouldn't be that bad after all. They had each other, and that was enough.
.oOo.
The snow crunched under their feet as they finished up the long walk back from Ravens Point. The village was in darkness, no signs of festivities in miles.
Hiccup sighed. "Well, maybe next year."
And just like that, everything changed.
Bright coloured lanterns outshone the brightest star, hanging from intricately placed rope, dipping in and out between all of the key points of the village.
New bunting had been made, and it was strung from house to house, connecting them with a metaphorical bond that could never be broken.
Wreaths made of the saved spruce branches of the burnt tree were hung with berries and flowers on every door, and the Great Hall was filled with people laughing and chatting, enough divine food inside, thankfully not made by Gobber, to feed the village for a week.
And the tree. Yes, it wasn't real anymore, but it still looked stunning. Planks of wood had been painted a lime green colour, and they were pinned together with Deadly Nadder tail needles. It was decorated with Gronckle iron and death song amber baubles and more wreaths, as well as golden axes obviously handcrafted in the forge.
"Surprise!" The entire village leapt out from their hiding spots and ran towards the young boy.
It was perfect. Better than Hiccup could have very wished for. He glanced around in awe at what the village had put together.
Stoick pushed his way through the crowd, and wrapped his arm around his son.
"So, what do you think?"
"It's amazing," He looked up at his father and smiled. "But how did you know?"
"I've heard my fair share of reports from various villagers about your antics. I am the chief after all," He laughed. "Also, did you really think you could keep all of those lanterns hidden from me? Speaking of lanterns..."
The sky lit up immediately, and Hiccup saw his creations dance around in the sky. Toothless bounded off, chasing one, and the entire village stared upwards, watching them float away, all their worries with them.
Stoick hugged Hiccup for the first time since the Red Death before sauntering towards the Great Hall, obviously to get some of the delicious grub from inside.
"Ow!" Hiccup yelled as he spun around, rubbing his arm. Astrid stood there with a smirk on her face. "What was that for?!"
"That's for not asking for help and thinking that Snoggletog was going to be ruined." She turned away, and saw Toothless bounding up to them, a branch in his mouth. he held it over their heads.
The leaves on it were sharp and pointy, and yet the white berries attached to them were soft, showing that in a world of chaos, there is still good.
Mistletoe.
"Well," Hiccup had never done anything like this in his life. He had no idea where this new-found confidence was coming from. But his body was pumping with adrenaline, and his heart was pounding against his chest. "M'lady, we mustn't deny tradition, should we?" And with that he grabbed her by the front of her armour and pulled her close, their lips touching under the moonlight.
It was wonderful. Hiccup felt the sparks radiating off of them as they stayed in that moment for what felt like hours. He never wanted to let go.
And when they did pull apart, it was as if everything had changed. Hiccup had never been happier in his life.
Perhaps this Snoggletog wasn't that bad after all.
Actually, it was the best one ever.