This Is It For Me Here
Chapter Five
I Own Nothing
One month later...
A month had passed by him, one entire month without his son.
It felt like an eternity for him, it felt like an enter century had over passed him, but no. One entire month had gone by, it was nothing but pure torture, like walking on hot glass with bare feet, each step you take, the wounds get deeper, as the blood spills. You start losing it after a while, you think you begin to start seeing things right in front of you, but they are nothing but figments of your imagination. The gods playing nothing but cruel tricks on you.
Stoick damned them all, feel betrayed as he cursed under his breath, the gods were supposed to protect him and his family, not take them away from him. Stoick was supposed to live a happy life, not live one like hell.
He lost it all as he looked over the edge of the docks, the wind gently blew through his bearded and hair. His eyes were no longer warm and green, just cold and grey. Dark bags formed under his eyes from the lack of sleep,the only expression you could read on his face was pure anger. The chief rarely showed his emotions, never showing his weakness for losing his son, just leading a charge to find the Night Fury that took him away. Most of the raids had died down, but the demons kept coming, taking and burning everything they had.
He didn't care if it would cost him his life to just kill the beast, all he wanted was the retribution. Each battle he had seemed to fuel his hatred, causing him to lash out to those who were close to him. Not even Gobber could get through to him, all he did was rage and scream at everyone and everything that reminded him that his son was officially dead and never coming back to him. It was awful for his best friend to watch, feeling the same pain as he did.
Snow was starting to fall, almost all the live stock was gone, starvation was the main concern at the moment, most of their was gone. Their was no way of replacing all that meat, even if they sent out hunting parties it still wouldn't get them by. The village was going to have to ration out, some would have to go without food for days, weeks even. The ocean was starting to ice over, freezing the ice blue water, preventing them from getting fish. Sure they could break through and try, but the fish wouldn't come, nothing but small bite size fish.
Countless times he wanted to go out on his own to find the devil himself, but Stoick was stopped by Gobber, telling him the last thing the village needed was their only chief getting killed because of his selfish and recklessness, but he felt like he had no choice. But he couldn't go hunting for the beast now, winter had already set in, it was far too dangerous for him and his crew to go out in this bitter cold. They would be dead in less of a day, freeze to death before the dragons could get to them first. Hypothermia was the worst for them this year, countless times the tried to make it through the bitter cold, but it was just too much.
Stoick shuddered as he closed his eyes, trying to push the thoughts of his son away, but he couldn't. as the snow fell and stuck to his hair and facial hair, he kept replaying small memories in his head. Ones he never forgot about, even after all these years.
Winter was Hiccups favorite time of the year, he remembers playing with his son in the snow, making snow man and having snow ball fights even. Back when he showed his son attention, back then he showed him love. Hiccup was only six at the time, he was so small yet so stubborn for his age, gods he looked so much like Valka, it was so frightening of how much of her looks made it into our son. He had her laugh, her smile, but mostly her eyes, those dark forest green eyes.
Those haunted him, Stoick remember looking up at his wife for the very last time, so much fear filled them as she was carried away. Hiccup's reaction was the same, except he didn't scream, he just stood their as the devil took him up in the air, flying off into the distance and never seeing his son again.
Stoick opened his eyes and began to walk away from the edge of the docks. Feeling nothing but grief on his shoulders, it was like a giant weight that would never leave him. it was like he was dragging an anchor with him when ever he went some where, dragging all his emotions to the ground.
The village was dead quiet, no commotion going on. Just the people barely getting by. Nothing felt alive anymore, just a sad dead run down village, the people were literally just dragging by to survive. Some had lost hope, just waiting to die soon, it was a dark time to be thinking about such a thing. Well at least the beast haven't show up in a while, if they were to take what was left, they could have been done for. But none of it seemed to matter to Stoick, he had nothing in this world to keep him alive, he just wanted to give up and be with his family.
He walked over to the now silent forge, Gobber's back was turned against him as he banged his hammer against the the hot iron. Stoick stood their in silence for a few moments, waiting for him to turn around. Stoick cleared his throat, causing the blacksmith to turn around quickly.
"Oh, Stoick." he said calmly as he set down the weapon beside him."How are you doing?" he looked at him with worried eyes, wondering if he was doing any better since the incident.
He sighed heavily and looked away."Not so well." he said sadly.
Gobber's expression sadden as well, feeling similar pain."Stoick, it's been a month since-." He quickly cut off as Stoick raised his voice.
"Don't." He looked at him with stern eyes, not wanting to bring this up at all."Don't you dare bring that up." He said coldly, the last thing he wanted to talk about was his son death. He turned away rubbing his hands over his face, trying everything in his power to hold back his emotions. It was too painful to handle."Just drop it? Alright?" He said to his pal, before nodding and walking away.
Gobber watched his friend walk away with a heavy heart, feeling powerless to do anything. He didn't what was going to kill him first, starvation or the depression consuming his heart.
But he did know one thing.
Nothing could pull Stoick out of this, nothing.
Back to an Unknown Location in the middle of nowhere...
He had been out for an entire month, nothing but groaning and tossing and turning. Hiccup ha fallen over fifty feet in the air, if it weren't fir Toothless, he would have been dead in a heart beat. Hell, if it weren't for that new tail fin to make him go free roam, his beloved rider would have been dead as soon as he hit the ground. But that was long and over, they were both safe and sound.
But they weren't alone, gods no far from it.
The last thing Toothless saw was a mysterious woman approaching them, she looked like his rider, even smelled like him too. But she was a rider also, she rode a storm cutter, one she called,'CloudJumper' The young Night Fury thought it was strange by the way she acted towards the creature, she talked to him as if he was another human being. Next thing he knew the woman took Hiccup in her arms as the storm cutter carried them away from the battle field from Hell. It was hours before they reached their destination. She didn't seem to worried about Hiccup's condition, she kept saying he would be alright, he would get through this.
The place they reached was some kind of giant ice berg, made out of nothing but ice. But until they reached inside, the entire place was surrounded and cover in dragons, almost ever inch the eye could see, was nothing but different types of dragons. Once when they were both safe in this strange safe haven, the woman looked over the small wounded boy, he was lucky to be alive, he even had all of his limps intact. But it left him in a coma, he hasn't woken up in almost three weeks now, an entire month his best friend hadn't awaken.
His left leg was broken in seven different places, but some how it was savable. It was wrapped up tightly in a homemade cast, holding his leg in place so it could heal properly. Hiccup's face was covered in cuts, most of them had healed and scab over. Most his bruises had faded away, going from black to a light yellow. Toothless never left his side, always wrapping his paws and wings around his to keep him warm. The only time he would let him go, is when he had to be feed or cleaned, or have his wounds be redressed.
Over the the past couple of weeks Toothless got to know this female, she was kind and soft spoken, always feeding him and rubbing the sweet spot under his neck. He liked her a lot, kind of like having a second Hiccup around almost. But then he finally got a name to actually call this woman, 'Valka' was her name, she wasn't no ordinary human that's for sure, but at least she wasn't trying to kill him like the other humans have had over the past.
It was night time, Toothless held Hiccup in his lap, waiting and waiting for him to wake up.
But nothing, just nothing was happening. It was like a never ending waiting game for him. The dragon tamer was sitting right across from him, her arms were folded as she looked at the sight.
"He'll wake soon." She said calmly."He's been through much worse."
He grumbled lightly, holding him still. Just looking and gazing at him, wanting for him to come out of his coma.
"I can tell you too have been through a lot, that's why you too are so close." She smiled lightly at the black dragon."I'm the same way with CloudJumper here." she turned to her storm cutter as he cooed at her,Valka patted his head as he nuzzled her softly. It felt kind of nice seeing another human and dragon connect together, it didn't seem real at first, but over the weeks it just stuck in Toothless head. He just wish he could share it with Hiccup.
He looked down again, nudging for Hiccup to wake up for the millionth time.
"Just give time young one." Val spoke up."He'll wake up when his body is ready."
Toothless moaned in annoyance, not wanting to wait another minute without his best friend. He didn't want to wait another month for him to wake up.
Suddenly he felt Hiccup's body shift in his paws, Toothless's eye shot wide open as he looked down and saw Hiccup starting to wake up. Valka watched as she walked over and rested her hand on his face. Then his eyes started to open slightly, he groaned heavily as he reached up and ran his hand over his face, rubbing his eyes as he looked up and saw Toothless staring right back at him with a wide gummy smile.
"Toothless." he whispered as the boy reached up to pet him,"Hey bud." He smiled for the first time in weeks since waking up. Toothless licked his face, covering him in slobber as the young teen cried out."Toothless stop! you know that doesn't wash out!" He cried out in laughter, then he notice the cast around his leg, feeling the pain rush back into him as he groaned in."AH!" he shot up as Toothless backed off.
"Take it easy." A soft voice said.
Then it stopped, some of the pain had eased up, Hiccup pulled away a little bit as he notice a figure out of the corner of his eye. He saw an older woman sitting right in front of him, Hiccup looked at her for a few seconds, waiting for her to say something."Uh...hello?" he said awkwardly as the woman let out a small laugh.
"Hello." She smiled lightly as she caressed his cheek, making him jump a little.
Hiccup just kept staring at her."I..uh...should I know you?" He whispered quietly, wondering if she even heard him.
Her smile faded a bit as she pulled away."No, you were only a babe the last time I saw you." She turned her head, looking sad."You were so small, such a wee thing."
The boy looked at her dumbfounded, not understanding what she meant."What are you talking about, how do you even know me?" He arched a brow.
She then turned to him again, this time taking his hand into hers."Because I'm your mother." You could literally hear a pin drop, the entire place was dead silent as Hiccup looked at her with wide eyes, not believing what he was seeing.
"I knew it I'm dead." Hiccup said flatly as Valka started laughing."I'm really am dead aren't I?" He asked her as she shook her head.
"No, but you almost did a month ago." She sat closer to him, running her fingers through his dark brown hair."You scared me when I found you, I thought you almost died, but if it were for your night fury friend over here." She looked up and rubbed Toothless's head as he purred loudly."You probably would have died." She said a bit sadly, worrying about losing her only son again.
"A month ago?" He said with a shocked expression."Was I really out that long?"
Valka nodded.
Then a long paused as the two looked at each other.
"So your my mother?" He asked her as he received another nod from his new found mother."How in Thor is this even possible?" He shook his head thinking this was all some kind of messed up dream."I thought you were dead?, I mean everyone told me you were killed by dragons." This wasn't real, his mother has been dead for fifteen years, he never met or knew her at all, the only thing he was told were stories about her when he was younger and that's it. Now her she is sitting right in front of him, taking care of him and loving him.
She put her hand on his shoulder."I thought it would be best if everyone thought I was dead." Hiccup listen to her as she explained her side of the story." I thought it would be best if you grew up without me, but now I see I was wrong."
"You couldn't have know." I said to her, trying not to blame her form abandoning me a baby, not on purpose. I faked my own kidnapping so she has nothing to be ashamed about, believe me at least she managed to get away from Berk. I had to spend fifteen ears trying to be something I'm not.
She looked at me sternly."I could have taken you with me."
My jaw dropped a little, wondering what could have happened if I was raised around her and dragons.
She sighed heavily."But I couldn't have done that to your father."
I turned away."I wish would have." She then jerked her head quickly, looking at me with wide eyes. At this point I could care less about my father, I was nothing to him in the first place, he didn't care for me, let alone love me.
"What are you saying?" She asked me.
"I'm saying I would have been better off with you and not dad." I pointed out laying down a bit." I'm just like you, I'm not a dragon killer like dad, I'm nothing like him." I said very coldly, thinking about all the years I wasted trying to be the perfect son."He never really cared about me, I was just a runt."
"You don't mean that Hiccup, your father loves you." She tried to get through to me, but their was no way of getting to me.
I shook my head."You weren't their mom, you weren't their when he would lecture me, yell at me and call me an embarrassment of Berk." I felt the heat rushing into me, I just wanted to yell on the top of my lungs, but I held back."I left Berk to start something new, so I could get away." I looked back at her with pain in my eyes, feeling the emotion rushing in like a river."Just like you." She smiled a little as I smiled back at her.
"So Stoick thinks your...?"
"Dead?" I said flatly."Yeah." I said giving her my answer, not really make much eye contact with her.
Valka sighed heavily, feeling terrible for her husband who had no idea that she was alive, now he thinks his son was dead as well, suffering from the same death from dragons. When Valka looked back at her son, he was rubbing his eyes and starting to feel tired. She moved forward and move the fur blankets up to his chin, tucking him in. Gods he must have been to tired from all the fighting and injuries.
"Go to sleep Hiccup." She said gently as she tucked her child in."I'll be here when you wake up."
"I'm fine mom." He protest at his mother, but she wasn't having any of it."I'm not even that tired."
"Sure you are." She said gently pushing him into the makeshift of a bed.
"Oh come on I'm alright, no need to worry." Gods now he was starting to sound like his father.
"No, now come on, go to sleep, you need to regain your strength back." She ran her fingers through his hair as his eyes started to close quickly, watching her son go fast to sleep.
She had her son back, safe and sound, Valka actually had the chance to raise her son, away from Berk, away from her husband. It sounded really selfish and awful, but it was the truth.
This was her chance to show her son what peace between humans and dragons could really be like. Except for the one little problem she had, but she wasn't going to bring it up just yet.