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.

The Necklace

Hiccup remained sick the rest of the day but Astrid took good care of him. She changed his bucket out, washed it and put it back before he woke up. Astrid also made him some tea and crushed up some herbs for pain too, she fed him light foods so they wouldn't upset his stomach more than it already was. Gothi confirmed it was just a stomach bug and Einarr would be fine in a few days and if not she'd come back to check again. Astrid and Hiccup were mostly alone, they talked for a bit in between while Hiccup was actually awake but most of it he was sleeping off the sickness like he'd always done. It did feel good for Hiccup to have someone take care of him but also a little weird because this was his girlfriend, not his mother who should have been doing it the last 17 years of his life. Hiccup's birthday had come and gone, he was officially 18 now and had been on Berk a year. It was pretty big for him, and the village wanted to celebrate but of course he was sick right now so Stoick said they'd celebrate when he felt better.

It was close to 8:30 at night and Hiccup was asleep again, he really did feel terrible but then again the first day of any sickness was probably the worst so he hoped tomorrow he might actually be able to move without wanting to puke up his insides. Stoick arrived to relieve Astrid of her Einarr caring duties, she told him that he had mostly been sleeping and the fever was still there. Stoick sent her off back home as he sat down in the chair that was in Einarr's room and watched him sleep peacefully. Might of been a little creepy but of well, the chief couldn't get over this boy. A dragon rider who ran away from home because his mother was neglectful? How could any mother be such a way, to choose dragons over their child. True Stoick wasn't a fan of dragons before Einarr showed up in Berk but still, this boy changed so much in only a years time. And once more, he felt close to this boy but had no clue as to why.

Hiccup slowly began to wake up, thankfully this time he didn't have to throw up so he hoped it stayed that way. He saw Stoick sitting there now so Astrid must of gone home. "How do you feel lad?" Stoick asked curiously sitting up more.

"I can move without wanting to throw up so that must be a good sign..." Hiccup mumbled some as he sat up slowly, cringing a bit at his sore body.

"Gothi says you should be alright in a few days." Stoick added.

"Yeah, Astrid told me...She went home?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes, she looked tired." Stoick nodded.

"I hope she didn't get sick taking care of me..." Hiccup sighed out.

"Oh don't you worry about, Astrid. She's a tough girl." Stoick chuckled some, Hiccup nodded in response. "You shouldn't sleep with necklaces on around your neck, you could choke that way." It took Hiccup a minute to realize that Stoick was talking about the necklace that his mother said she never wanted to see again. Hiccup sighed some as he felt the string but still didn't take it off. "Has some meaning to ya, doesn't it?"

"Yeah...It was mom's." Hiccup answered looking down.

"You want to talk about it?" Stoick asked.

"It was in a box of things she wanted to throw out, it fell out and when I asked her about what it was she said something her husband gave her as a proposal. I asked her to tell me who he was and she said it didn't matter because it was the past and to throw it away because she never wanted to see it again. That's what made me leave, she never told me anything about my life. Where I come from, if we used to belong to a tribe, who my father was, is if the guy is even still alive...She always said that Vikings just weren't capable of change and they'd take the first chance they get to kill dragons. Our only mission was to rescue the dragons and that was it. That is who I was but that...can't be all I am. It just can't. I came from somewhere..." Hiccup looked away closing his eyes now. "This necklace has initials on it, and a crest I can't make out because its so damaged, its the only clue I've got to who I am..."

"Of course you did lad. You'll find out one day, for now just relax and enjoy your life a little. You're only just 18." Stoick smiled putting a hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"Stoick, if you ever had a family...and you were taken from them...Do you think those people would search for you?" Hiccup asked not looking up.

"Aye, I think they would. I'm surprised no one in the village has told you that I did have a family at one time, Einarr." Stoick sat back looking into the fire now.

"You did?" Hiccup asked looking over.

"A long time ago son. I had a beautiful wife and a young son who was almost a year old. Would of been 18 by now..." Stoick chuckled softly as Hiccup laid back down when he began feeling light headed again. "One night, during a raid...a dragon broke into this very house, set it on fire then made away with my wife and my son in her arms. I searched for years but never turned up anything and eventually Gobber told me to put it to rest that my wife and son had been killed...I'm sure now you can see where my hate for them stemmed." Stoick explained.

"Its weird..." Hiccup said suddenly as Stoick looked over.

"What is?" Stoick questioned.

"My...mother said the..." He stopped and coughed hard again leaning over the bed trying not to throw up again.

"Ssh now. You're still sick, you need your rest son. We can talk more tomorrow." Stoick smiled as he had Hiccup lay back down then cover him up to his chin before stepping back, not long after Hiccup was back to sleep. Yeah first day was always the worst for illnesses. Stoick looked over the boy again and saw the necklace still around his neck, he went over and carefully removed it but as he went to place it down he noticed the front was damaged as Einarr had mentioned it was, true the crest on it couldn't be made out at all but as he turned it, the initials on the back gleamed from the light of the fire, Stoick placed it in his palm and looked closer.

SH & VH

Stoick's eyes widened, tears instantly forming as his eyes fell back to Einarr's sleeping form on the bed. Stoick had given this necklace to the woman he loved more than anything, the necklace that was his proposal gift when he asked her. This necklace is the one he gave to his wife who was taken by a dragon 17 years ago, the wife who was holding their son in her arms when taken. His wife who was Valka Haddock. And this boy said this necklace belonged to his mother, then that meant this boy laying before him was the infant son he thought he lost. This boy was Hiccup.