Where I Belong
Author: Nightstar Fury
Rating: M
Pairing: Hiccup/Astrid
Disclaimer: I don't own the HTTYD movies, or any of the HTTYD series such as Riders of Berk, Defenders of Berk, or Race To The Edge.
A Reason
The old chief couldn't believe it had been 16 years already that his his beloved wife and barely a year old son were taken by a four winged dragon that had the face of an owl. Stoick would never forget that dragon's face and if he ever saw it again, he would kill it for killing his wife and son. Wifeless and sonless, the old chief of Berk was miserable most of his days. He still did his job, ate with the Tribe, protected them, all things a chief was supposed to do. But his nights at home when the village was asleep were consumed with misery, regret, loneliness, and pain. His house was still same as they day it happened aside from the wall being repaired. The cradle still in the room by the bed, a few charred marks from the fire the dragon breathed and the sword his wife had been holding just before she was taken. That room in the house was frozen in time, a time when the chief had been happy and now there was just nothing.
Stoick tried for so long to track them down after they were taken, he tried for close to three years before Gobber the blacksmith and Stoick's long time friend convinced him that it was over, they'd searched every inch of the Archipelago but never found a trace of Valka or his young son, Hiccup. Stoick gave up, assuming they'd both been eaten by dragons which only made him hate the beasts more and fueled his desire to locate the nest to stop the raids so no one else would ever have to feel the pain he did of losing everything in the blink of an eye. Hearing a blast outside, the chief assumed it might have been a raid but upon further inspection he saw it to just be the Thorston twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut causing trouble. Stoick stalked over but Gobber stopped him with a hand out. "I'll take this one, chief...You just go...take a load off." Not arguing being it was the anniversary that they'd been taken, Stoick returned home.
Gobber eyed the twins then saw the rest come out of hiding. "Yew lot think you can not upset the chief today?" Gobber asked.
"Isn't he always upset?" Ruffnut, the female of the two twins asked. Both she and her brother had blond hair and blue eyes.
"Yes but today is not a day to be makin it worse." Gobber sighed.
"What's so special about today?" Came the voice of a rougher teen, he had short dark brown hair and blue eyes.
"Snotlout..." Hissed a female with blond hair and blue eyes, she whacked his arm as he rubbed it.
"Is something wrong with him?" Asked a huskier male, short bright blond hair and green eyes.
"No, Fishlegs...None of you know what today is?" Gobber questioned. They all shook their heads looking to Gobber for answers. "Gather round lads and lasses..." Gobber motioned for them to sit down on the grass to listen, all did so and waited. "It happened 16 years ago today kids, the day Stoick lost not just his wife but also his only son." Gobber began.
"Woah, Stoick had a kid and wife?" Snotlout asked quickly.
"I swear to Thor if you don't shut up and let him talk, your parents will lose you!" Shouted the blond with blue eyes angrily.
"Easy, Astrid...I don't expect any of you to know about it, it was a long time ago and all of yew kids were just babies yourselves. And the incident is not something the village talks about because it upsets the chief. Yes, the chief had a beautiful wife named Valka and they had one son whom they named Hiccup. He was born two months early and all thought he wouldn't survive but he did but he was small as as you know in Viking tradition, the runt of the litter was named a hiccup. The chief and his wife had been trying for a baby for a while but either they didn't make it to term or just she just had trouble conceiving..." Gobber explained.
"So when they had Hiccup and he survived he was like their miracle child?" Fishlegs asked curiously.
"Right so. But one night during a raid, a dragon broke into the chief's house...He rushed after his wife who'd run to the house to protect Hiccup who was alone in the cradle when the dragon broke in. The dragon lit the house ablaze then it grabbed Valka who had Hiccup in her arms and flew off." Gobber looked down. The other gasped looking down a bit now. "And they were never seen again...The chief searched for three years but there was nothin to prove they were alive and eventually...He laid it to rest that the dragon had eaten them..."
"That's...so sad!" Ruffnut cried, Astrid was trying to hold back her own tears.
"Its been 16 years today so like I said, try not to make him...more upset." Gobber stated standing up and walking away. "If they hadn't died...lil Hiccup would be 17 and probably training to become chief..." Gobber sighed.
"Woah...So there used to be an heir but a dragon took the chief's wife and kid from him..." Tuffnut mentioned.
"I can't imagine the pain he feels every time he sees a dragon attacking..." Astrid looked down.
"He'd be older than all of us, I'm only just about to turn 17 in two months." Snotlout shrugged.
"Me in one month." Fishlegs nodded.
"Same for me." Astrid agreed.
"We'll be 17 in four months." The twins said together.
"So what happens when Stoick retires, he doesn't have an heir to pass it along too." Fishlegs asked.
"I believe the council votes in a new chief, start a new bloodline until Stoick remarries and has another child." Astrid pointed out.
"I don't see that happening if 16 years later he's still mourning over the wife and child he lost." Snotlout mentioned, Astrid punched him in the arm again before getting up and walking away from them. "She wants me so bad."
"She hates you and would rather you at the bottom of the ocean." Ruffnut chuckled, soon the rest of the group dispersed to do their own thing again but all remembering to try and not bother the chief.
(The Ice Nest)
Hiccup now 17 was celebrating his birthday with Toothless in the air. Of course his mother had only gotten him a new tunic, red this time and her ruffling his hair some. That was it, Hiccup didn't care though. He had Toothless, he didn't need his mother to care about him. She hadn't since he was about four years old, the neglect just grew more and more with the older he became. She used to leave him in the care of the dragons, mainly the king dragon called the Bewilderbeast who was an alpha species. Sighing Hiccup and Toothless now did more aerial moves around the outside of the nest which is where he wasn't supposed to be in case anyone ever saw him but he didn't care, he wouldn't live in that nest forever. As soon as he had an excuse to leave, he would but right now all he knew were that Vikings hated dragons and would kill them without a moments hesitation.
"HICCUP!" His mother's voice brought him from his thoughts, he scowled a bit and hovered as she came over on Cloud Jumper. "I told you to stay INSIDE the nest." She reminded.
"I just wanted a little fresh air, mom...No one ever sails this far out...We're miles from anyone in utter seclusion..." Hiccup retorted.
"I don't care. What have I told you about people. They are dangerous, they don't love dragons like us and they never will. They are mean, heartless, cruel people who only think about themselves. Now get inside, I need your help cleaning a few things out." Valka told him, with the roll of his eyes he turned Toothless and shot back to the nest. Landing he got off and stood in the house with Toothless beside him as his mother arrived soon after.
"Just tell me what I'm dumping this time..." Hiccup snorted arms crossed over his chest.
"Those boxes." Valka pointed to two on the ground by the door. Hiccup mumbled and lifted them with ease as he walked towards the back of the nest with Toothless following. Hiccup tripped and the box on top spilled over, Hiccup groaned beginning to pick things up when his finished Toothless brought over one more item that had slid away.
"What ya got there bud?" Hiccup asked as the dragon handed it to him as Hiccup inspected it. A silver chain pendant? Looking more he couldn't make out whatever was on the front of it but flipping it over he saw initials: SH and VH. "What's this..." Hiccup asked himself.
"If I'd known you were going to screw around, Hiccup then I would of done it myself." Valka mentioned walking by him with a box in her arms.
"I tripped stuff fell out..." Hiccup said, "Hey mom...What do the initials SH and VH stand for?" Valka froze as she whipped around and saw what Hiccup was holding in his hands. Quickly she continued walking.
"It was the gift your father gave me when we got engaged. Nothing that concerns you. It was part of the past and that is where it will stay." Valka stated firmly.
"Come on, you never tell me anything. What is this thing, if its nothing then why do you still have it. We've been here as long as I can remember...I know I came from some where. Why won't you tell me anything about my past..." Hiccup asked.
"Enough, Hiccup!" She yelled taking him by surprise. "Your past doesn't matter, this is your future. Rescuing dragons, that is it! Now throw that garbage away, I never want to see it again." Valka said briskly walking away. Hiccup looked at the necklace again, whatever this thing was...It was part of the past, his past. Narrowing his eyes he put the necklace on and hid it beneath his armor making sure none of it could be seen. If she wouldn't tell him anything, then he was going to find out for himself. To find out who he was and where he belongs because rescuing dragons couldn't be all his life had to offer him. Now he had a reason to leave.