5/25/2021: If you're reading this? That means I uploaded the update chapter going over how I'm editing some of my chapters to this story. Out of all the chapters that are getting fixed up. This chapter was the one that needed it the most. Back to when I first wrote this chapter back in January. It was the first time in seven years since I wrote anything. So understandable there were going to be many grammar errors. You cannot stop doing something for an period of time and then come back to it as good as you were. I remembered several times reading this chapter and cringe at how bad it truly was. But after months of writing had been polishing my writing, I've decided that I would make this chapter much more readable. I do hope you guys enjoyed the new and approved chapter one of f HTTYD The Dragon Master and Mistress.
Waking up from his restless slumber is Stoick the Vast. Rubbing his tired eyes as he is sitting up. Standing up and getting out of his bed, then getting changed out of his night clothes so he could start his long day as chief of the village. The chief of Berk is now walking though the dark hallway before stopping at a door in the hallway. He was about to open it so he could wake up his sleeping son. But sadly, he stops as he reminded himself that his son is not in his room.
You see this poor soul had not only lost his beloved wife twenty-one years ago, but his son, Hiccup Haddock, six years ago as well. The biggest difference between these two losses was that, as painful as it had been for the chief of Berk, he's seen the unknown species of dragon with four wings that had taken his wife, Valka Haddock, all those years ago. Years of accepting the fact his wife was dead had given Stoick closure for what happened, as heartbreaking has it was. But when he lost his son on that fateful day six years ago? Regrettably, that situation however would never get the closure because not a single soul had seen or even knows what happened to the small teenage boy. At least with his wife's death he knew what had caused her untimely death, but with his son's death surrounded by mystery of how his son died had broken the large man. After his son had won the honor of killing his first dragon in front of the village, the boy had run off inside the forest and was never seen or heard from again. It would seem like this mystery will never be solved, leaving the large Viking man with gaping hole in his heart that would never be filled.
Walking outside of his lonely, cold, and dark home, Stoick is now looking towards his right and seeing a house that belongs to the Hofferson family. Unfortunately, Hiccup was not the only one to have gone missing that day. Heartbreakingly, Astrid Hofferson had too disappeared that day. Just like his son had done, the young and coming shield maiden had also went into the forest and was never seen or heard from again. He knew that Astrid's parents were also suffering right now just like he is because today is the six year anniversary since both their children had seemingly vanished from existence. The three parents would always be carrying the pain of outliving their children. They all had felt that it was not fair. It should have been Hiccup and Astrid to outlive them, not the other way around. But sadly, life wasn't fair for nobody as unfortunate as it seems. The chief had always wondered what Berk would be like if Hiccup and Astrid were here right now. What kind of man and woman would the two lost teenagers have grown into if only they were still alive today? Woefully, he would never get the answer to these questions.
Inside the Hofferson's home, a heartbroken middle-aged woman walks into an empty room that once was Astrid's room. The mother's name is Hilda Hofferson. Everything in the room was the same as it was the day her daughter went missing. The woman walks towards the bed and falls on it and lets out soul breaking sobs into the pillow. Today was again the day that she had lost her baby girl. They say that, "Time heals all wounds." Hilda wonders if whoever started that saying ever felt the loss of a child. Because this pain never seems to get any easier for herself nor her husband, Gunner Hofferson. There were many times where Hilda felt like she was going insane from not knowing what happened to her daughter.
As the depressed mother lays down onto her daughter's bed, all of her memories of Astrid came flowing though her mind like that of a raging waterfall. Like, for example, when she was pregnant and carrying Astrid around inside of her womb. The ups and downs of the pregnancy. The day that Astrid had been born and the pain that she had endured though child labor. The moment that she first held her daughter in her arms. She also remembers when Astrid spoke her first words and took her first steps. Or about the first time Astrid learned how to use her beloved axe. And the last time she had seen and spoken to her daughter before Astrid would disappear forever. And everything in between all of these memories of Astrid.
Gunner Hofferson walks into the room to only be greeted by his wife crying her pain away into a pillow that once belonged to Astrid. He makes his way towards her and once he is beside her, he gently picks her up with silent tears falling down his checks. Once she is in the safety of her husband's arms, the broken mother turns around, plants her face in his chest, and continues to weep all her pain away. Both only wanted Astrid to just walk into her room. But they know that will not happen.
Hilda Hofferson then remembers all of the times where she would try to teach Astrid how to cook, sew clothes and other jobs a wife was expected to do. Her headstrong daughter would always tell her that marrying was not a part of her plans and who she is. That she would always be a shield maiden. That she does not have time for things like love and taking care of kids. Is this her punishment for trying to get Astrid to agree with marriage? All she wanted was for Astrid to learn that there is more to life than fighting. That when you are on the top it gets lonely. She feared that one day Astrid would be an old and very lonely woman and had wasted her whole life only fighting the next battle. What wouldn't the mother give to have another one of the arguments about marriage with her baby girl?
Ever since the day Astrid had gone missing Hilda would have dreams every night about an older version of Astrid and Hiccup with two children with them. One of the kids was a girl with auburn hair that was identical to one Hiccup Haddock. But the young girl had her daughter's sapphire eyes. The girl looked around the age of 8-10. The other kid was a boy smaller than the girl. The little boy had blonde hair that reminded her of Astrid's hair. The boy had the same emerald eyes like that of Hiccup's eyes. The tiny boy looked about 5-7 years old. Astrid looked happier that she had ever seen in these dreams. It was like the gods were taunting her with these dreams. It always made the heartbroken mother feel even more depressed. Because these dreams are what could have been if Hiccup and Astrid never went missing.
Speaking of Hiccup Haddock, Hilda and her husband both agreed that Hiccup was the one to marry Astrid. They chose Hiccup for several reasons. They knew that Hiccup loved their daughter for who she was. They also remember a time when both of them were childhood best friends. Back in those days you wouldn't see one without the other. The villagers used to say that those two would marry one day. Those were Astrid's happiest days on Berk, but all good things come to an end. It all started when Astrid's beloved uncle Finn had been killed by the Flightmare and was ultimately dishonored as a coward. That was when a very young Astrid started to push others out of her life. Sadly, that included her beloved best friend Hiccup. Her parents had hoped that maybe setting an arranged marriage between the two would help their daughter relearn to let others in her life again, but unhappily, Hiccup and Astrid are no more.
In another house, a twenty-one-year-old young man woke up. The young man's name is Snotlout Jorgenson, and he is the current heir to Berk. As he gets ready for the long day ahead of him, he knows that today is the sixth anniversary of the day that not only his crush vanished but also his small cousin Hiccup as well. Snotlout learned that on this day, his uncle Stoick didn't have fairly any if not any patience whatsoever. He wouldn't admit out loud to anyone, but he secretly misses his cousin.
Sure, back before he was given the title of heir to Berk, he wanted the title. But he didn't want it if it meant that Hiccup and Astrid had to die so he could have it. How could he want something that would cost two lives that horrifying day? His friend Fishlegs once told him, "Be careful what you wish for because you might get it and so more." How true that statement is. At the time, it was said he believed that he would become heir and would go on and marry Astrid. Then he would go on and become the next chief when his uncle retired. He could have never predicted what would really happen. Maybe this is a punishment from the Gods for his selfish desire to become the next chief. Now the title of heir doesn't mean as much to him as it once did. If being heir meant that two lives were taken and their families would go on with the rest of their lives without answers, closure, and or justice, what was the point in the title?
Walking out of the Jorgenson residence, with deep thought on if he and his friends could have stopped Hiccup and Astrid from ever going into the woods. Not only was Snotlout thinking about Hiccup and Astrid, but he was also remembering all his memories of his short time with Hiccup. The more he remembered how awful he was towards his short cousin, the more he is feeling regretful and shameful. The young adult bullied and humiliated his smaller cousin when he was younger. He did it because he thought that he was helping the former heir as crazy as it sounded. The world they lived in was a kill or be killed world. He thought that if Hiccup did not put away his soft side aside and toughen up, the former heir would certainly be killed by a dragon or an enemy of Berk. If he could go back in time and redo everything with Hiccup, he would proudly take that opportunity in a heartbeat.
Back with Stoick as the once proud chief makes his way by the dragon training arena. Once in front of the arena that was supposed to have his son kill his first dragon and become a true Viking, sorrow filled him as he tries his hardest not to shed a tear for his long-lost son. He is remembering the night of that fateful day. He was celebrating his son's victory from the arena when all of a sudden, everyone heard an explosion. That had all the villagers up and running out of the Great Hall and towards where the sound came from. Once everyone got to the burning area, they all saw six dragons flying away. Still to this day they never found out how the dragons even got out of their cages. After staring at the arena for a few seconds the chief of Berk would leave and make his way towards the forge.
He knows that the forge was a second home to Hiccup, also it's here he would find his best friend Gobber. He remembers the relationship of Hiccup and Gobber as reminiscent of a son and father relationship, which did hurt him greatly. But he couldn't blame anyone but himself for that.
The broken chief had a strained relationship with his son. With how polar opposites Hiccup and Stoick were to each other. While Stoick was big, strong, and the embodiment of being a Viking, Hiccup was small, weak, and was everything opposite of being a Viking. They hardly had a common ground to even speak to one another. That does not mean that he hated his son. He loved his son so much that when he was born prematurely, almost everyone in the village wanted to write off the tiny infant. He told them that he would one day grow up and become stronger than them all. Over the years his son started to get his hands inventing odd inventions. Ones that were meant to help the villagers just for them to end up destroying the village. Hiccup's inventions would cause more damage than the dragons did.
That was when Stoick started to distance himself from his son in embarrassment and shame. He also recalled what he told his son the night before he vanished. How could he say to his son's face that he almost gave up on him? Stoick could only imagine what thoughts were going through the fifteen year old boy's head to hear his own father tell him that. Oh, how much he wishes he could take back the horrible things he said to his son? What he would give to turn back the clock to the time he last saw his son and Astrid? He would just hold his son one more time and tell Hiccup that he loves him and apologize for every hurtful statement he made about him. What the villagers of Berk did not know is? That both Astrid and Hiccup were alive and well. That the events of this day would lead to the two missing children to return to their former home.
Hey guys please don't forget to leave a comment on this chapter to tell me what I did wrong. One thing I noticed was that a lot of HTTYD fanfic have Snotlout wanting Hiccup died just so the story could have a villain. I'm sorry but I didn't think the character would want Hiccup to die. Sure, he bullied him but I haven't seen anything that suggest that he would want something like that. Sorry had to put my two cents in that one. Hopefully you guys like that Easter egg of Zephyr and Nuffink in Astrid mother's dream. I had really fun time coming up with that. I was thinking of adding the Light Fury before she normally shows up in the movie. Would you guys like that leave a comment telling me I should nor shouldn't. Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful day.
