"We call to stand before the council Hiccup Horrendous Haddock, heir to the throne of Berk!"
Astrid squeezed Hiccup's hand as he stood, wooden chair scraping against the smooth stone platform they were on. His shiny new prosthetic clacked as he made his way to the dark wood table arranged in a U-shape, taking the three small steps in one stride. Once he was at the top, he struggled to conceal his nerves. Out in the open air, he could see clearly the hordes of Defenders crowded around him.
"This hearing is very serious, Hiccup Haddock. It is a matter of resolving the legacy of the ancestors of our people; something we do not take lightly. Do you understand this?" Mala spoke firmly, like a queen, spreading her hands wide out from the middle of the council table.
"I understand." Hiccup so wanted to send Astrid and the others at least a glance, a bit of reassurance for himself. Why did he feel like he was in trouble? The muscles in his neck strained as he swallowed thickly.
"Describe the events in the Great Cavern of Berserker Island, exactly as they truly occurred."
Hiccup nodded, resisting the urge to shuffle his prosthetic against the stone. He instead fingered the rough cloth that made up the crude sling he'd been given when Astrid had realized she couldn't keep him off Toothless. "I went into the Caverns after Johann and Krogan- they were the two leaders of the Flyer army." He elaborated for those of the council who hadn't been present for the fight. "They were looking for the King of Dragons."
A gasp rippled through the crowd. "Is it real?" One of the younger women on the council, maybe in her early twenties, asked. Hiccup nodded. He was a little more at ease with someone close to his age. Her sharp grey eyes twinkled, encouraging him to continue. She was eager to learn, he realized. As was he. A little excitement crept into his tone as he continued. "It's very real. And it saved my life."
Astrid smiled, crossing her bare arms and leaning back. There it was. His flair for dramatics. And it was working, it seemed, as the crowd gave another gasp.
"I stumbled across the largest of the Caverns, a massive hole in the middle of the island. The mountain itself is held up by a massive ice spike in the core of the Caverns, going all the way from bedrock up. It has to be as thick as your Great Hall." Someone in the council whistled. "I could tell there was something at the bottom, but I didn't care to see what it was. What I was really interested in, if I may, Your Majesty-" Mala nodded once and Hiccup flourished his good arm out towards Fishlegs. The burly Viking stood and rushed to the top, almost tripping on the small ledge. From his beige handbag he produced the Egg, completely unchanged from the first moment Hiccup had seen it. "I found this, sitting in a nest of ice at the edge of the cliff."
Murmurs rippled through the fifteen or so Defenders sitting at the ornately carved table surrounding him. "Is that an egg?"
"Of course it is, Scarff. Don't be dim." Throk growled from the edge of the crowd closest to the table. He had his long-handled axe out, as always, brown eyes scanning the crowd for any hostile movement.
Hiccup scoffed- "What? Did you not believe me?" He replied lightheartedly. But he shot the skeptics a victorious glance, letting them know that he'd seen their disbelief. And he was enjoying the looks on their faces now. "The Queen of Dragons sends her regards." He snarked, clapping Fishlegs on the shoulder. Just as they'd rehearsed, Fishlegs placed the Egg on a small rounded plate in the center of the table, made of pure gold, and reclaimed his seat with the other riders. "Now…" Hiccup began to pace, struggling to remember the events as clearly as possible. "I found the Egg, but just then Johann and Krogan came into the cavern. I guess they decided an egg would be easier to grab than a full-blown Bewilderbeast, so they came after it. I tried to protect it."
"What did the Bewilderbeast look like, Hiccup?" One of the guys, sitting close to the gray-eyed girl asked. Brandon, Hiccup's mind supplied. A Defender with short-cropped brown hair and a pretty muscular build. He was a swordsman, if Hiccup remembered correctly. The rider got the hint: Skip to the good part. But the storytelling side of the heir got the best of him.
"Well, I didn't see the Bewilderbeast directly-"
"Then why is he here?!" One of the members exclaimed- this one reminded Hiccup very much of Spitelout, only with much tan-er skin and no helmet.
"Let me finish." Hiccup shot back. "I didn't see it directly… until I threw myself over the cliff after the egg."
His dramatic retelling had the desired effect. Now he had everyone's attention, even the two girls at the end who had kept a straight face so far. "Apparently I garnered the dragon's trust because when Johann tried to stab me with his spear, the Queen shot a massive blast of ice straight past me and froze Johann. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite fast enough." Hiccup gestured with a grimace to his sling, waiting for the eventual question.
"Mala, why is this relevant?" The Spitelout-like Defender asked.
"Let him finish." Mala turned to Hiccup, letting her fist hit the table. "Hiccup Haddock, tell them what you told me when you emerged from the Cavern. About its… consciousness."
And there it was. Hiccup sighed, unable to resist sending Astrid a pleading glance. She smiled reassuringly, the warmth that blossomed in him giving him just enough courage to be honest. "Well, just before it shot that blast of ice, I felt this odd… pressure, on my mind. To press myself against the wall. If I hadn't… I would've been frozen right along with Trader Johann. It was strange- not quite words, just a compelling to obey."
"And we know the Bewilderbeast has the power to control dragon's minds." The gray-eyed girl- was it Helga?- commented, tossing her brunette braid behind her.
"Correct…" An aging man- the village elder- with a long, white beard spoke next. His ornate staff leaned against the front of his section of the table. "…but that does not mean it can speak."
"I think it could- sir, if I may." Hiccup countered, finding some strength in the conversation (and the fact that no one had called him a madman yet). Shoot. You're an heir. Act like it. "We've already proven that our dragons are just as smart as us, if not more so." He gestured to Toothless, who crowed in happiness at the attention. "If this dragon is capable of communicating with humans on any sort of level, what's to say it couldn't speak in a way we could understand? I'm not saying common Norse, but-"
"That's preposterous!" Mr. Spitelout stood, chair scraping against the stone painfully. His axe hit the table.
So much for not being called a madman. Hiccup held back a flinch. It was too easy for him to forget the responsibilities that came with being the future Chief of Berk out here, where he was nothing more than a dragon-loving teen with his friends. But whatever he did in front of these people reflected his tribe. He had to look strong, confident- even if he wasn't.
At least he still had Helga's attention.
"Why is it so preposterous?" Hiccup blurted, feeling nerves prickle along his skin. "My dragon draws."
"That's a Night Fury!" Brandon supplied. "Not saying you guys' dragons are dumb, of course, but…"
"Barf and Belch have made Viking-shaped smoke rings!" Ruff and Tuff shouted- and promoting fell into an argument over whose dragon had done it better. Hiccup sighed, raising his voice over the din. "How long is it going to take for the tribes of the Archipelago to realize that dragons are just as smart as humans?! Ask Fishlegs! He can tell you that their brains are extremely similar to ours, in some cases even more complex! If the Bewilderbeast could touch my mind- and it did- then I believe that it could certainly learn to communicate with humans! In fact, I think humans could learn to speak Dragonese!"
With that Hiccup cast the council members one last, scathing glance; turning on his heel, he stomped down the three small steps and took his seat at the edge of the witness' section. Astrid, sitting next to him, squeezed his hand in a comforting fashion, and Hiccup felt a little of the frustration ease. "I wish they would just believe me." He muttered, leaning in so his lips brushed her ear.
"I know." Astrid countered gently. "But Vikings have never been easy people to persuade."
"We have stubbornness issues." Hiccup smirked.
"And you have to admit, your story is a little out of the ordinary." Before Hiccup could turn on the shield maiden, she continued- "But so is a one-legged stick turning the Archipelago on its head."
"Thank you so much for your undying support." Hiccup murmured back, flashing his betrothed a lopsided smile. They spent the rest of the hearing in a comfortable silence, only breaking it to admonish the twins when they broke into a loud squabble or when Snotlout let out an exaggerated yawn. The rest of the 'trial' of sorts involved deep lore and legend that, while interesting, Hiccup found himself getting lost in after the first few speeches. Fishlegs, however, was listening in rapt attention, scribbling little notes all over the pocketbook he kept hidden in a little pocket in his leather jerkin.
After the fact, the group made their way to the Defender's version of the Great Hall. The building was made of imposing black bed stone, the doors made of stone and carved with reliefs of dragons and people, including one that looked very much like a smaller Bewilderbeast and a Skrill. Hiccup led the group through the main doors into the organized bustle, all smartly dressed in black Defender robes, Hiccup's fringed with gold. Astrid and Ruffnut looked particularly stunning in long, sleek dresses, etched with small skulls of silver along the deep neckline and bodice. Hiccup, of course, only had eyes for one of the girls- but Snotlout had been casting Ruffnut strange looks all night.
"Do we have to wear this stuff?" The girls had asked in a huff, determinedly ignoring the guys' compliments. "Who cares how it looks?" Astrid had complained, spinning in front of the mirror and taking Hiccup's breath away. "It's so impractical!" But the thick leather, Hiccup had pointed out, was extremely thick and heat-proof. It was indeed practical garb. Eventually the two had given in, and off the group had went- to what would probably be one of the most formal events of their young lives. The Defenders took their trials seriously, it seemed.
"Woah…" Tuffnut breathed, glancing around at the endless rows of wooden tables dotted with yellow buttercups and leather runners. "They really pulled out all the stops for this!"
"Yeah, but they didn't contact us!" Ruffnut complained, jerking her arm in Snotlout's behind Hiccup and Astrid. (Both male Vikings had invited the girls to somewhat of a double date, seizing the rare opportunity to 'fraternize', as Gobber would put it.) "Mala knows we're party planners!"
"And I'm sure they'd trust you after you kidnapped their Queen." Fishlegs replied, eyes eagerly drinking in the scene. "Remember that?"
"Oh. Yeah." Snotlout huffed a laugh.
They found a table with placards for their names and sat, each taking a drink from a passing waiter or waitress. Hiccup smiled- Astrid was wearing the betrothal necklace he'd given her. In exchange, he'd worn a simple leather choker she'd bought him from one of the blacksmith shops on the island. "A little souvenir." She'd smiled, fastening it around his neck. Back in the present, Astrid caught his gaze and smiled, shifting a little closer so her foot bumped his. Hiccup felt his cheeks heat despite his best attempts to hide it, even at such a small touch. He couldn't hide the shiver either, when her foot began a slow slide up and down his leg. His grip on her hand tightened as he fought for composure, pulling a little on the high neckline of his tunic. It suddenly felt a bit too constricting.
Thankfully, they didn't have long to wait. After minutes of friendly conversation with the council members- especially Helga, who had secrets shining in her eyes and a ready smile on her face- Mala began her ascent up the wooden steps leading to the grand stage in the center of the Hall. Hiccup nudged Astrid to get her attention, jerking his chin towards the dais.
"Defenders of the Wing!" Mala began, voice slicing through the din with ease. The room instantly quieted, save for the growling of dragons and the snapping of the various hearths scattered through the room. "The council has reached a verdict!"
Pregnant silence.
"As you all know, a certain group of Berkians have challenged the legacy of one of our ancestors! Today's trial has decided whether or not his statue should be moved from our Hall of Villains to our Hall of Heroes!" A murmur rose from the farthest table- the eldest members of the tribe, it looked like. Hiccup shook his head. It seemed people were the same everywhere. Then his gaze snapped back up to Mala. He was strangely intent on the outcome of this trial.
"I have conferred for long ours with our council. We have decided that Umb Fenris Vang did indeed learn Dragonese, and was not a madman."
A ruckus rose from the crowd even before her words had finished. As the other dragon riders jumped to their feet with a victorious shout, Hiccup smiled. Astrid met his eyes, shining with a mixture of relief and awe. "What?"
"You know what umb means in the Old Language, don't you?" Hiccup spoke in nothing more than a whisper.
"No."
"Runt. Fenris was a Hiccup."
Before Astrid could fully process the emotions that must be racing through her betrothed's mind, she was distracted by a groan from the young Viking. "Hiccup?" He didn't reply right away, pressing a hand to his head with a wince and glancing up at her with agony-filled eyes. Dread filled Astrid.
His eyes were teal.
Hiccup stood, the motion stiff and strange. His face contorted in an even stranger motion-
And out came a roar.
A real life, draconic, booming growl that overshadowed everything else going on in the shadowed Hall. Hundreds of heads turned in his direction as he stumbled, Astrid catching him in her arms as he blinked. His eyes were their normal sharp green again. Gazing up into her worried eyes, he smiled. "It's OK, Astrid. The Queen is happy. We finally found the truth."
Mala surveyed the scene. One long, elegant hand pointed towards the riders, all staring the leader with unabashed curiosity and fear. "Well, if anyone had any remaining doubts…"
No one questioned Fenris again.
And as for Hiccup? He never connected with the King's mind again, but the other riders swore he had a strange understanding of the way the dragons behaved that wasn't quite… human.
Of course, no one questioned the Champion of Dragons.
A/N: Well, that wasn't supposed to end like that...
I blame Pinterest.
No regrets.
Also, this ended up being the longest prologue in the universe haha sorry about that. Hopefully it wrapped up nicely? I feel like the ending was a bit rushed. As always, please give me some criticism or feedback! It's always greatly appreciated.
I love Hiccstrid.
God Bless :)