The room was fairly silent now after Hiccup explained his meeting of Toothless the Night Fury. Even the royal family hadn't heard that part of Hiccup's past. They knew he ran away because he was sick of life on Berk, but never how he came to befriend a dragon. Now that it was out in the open, they assumed the Hooligans wanted to know the parts that they already knew. Question is, would Hiccup tell them what they wanted to know or explode in anger for how cruelly they treated him when he was there.

"I am to assume you wish to know why I made the choice to leave?" Hiccup asked formally now.

"It'd be nice since you had like...everything you could ever want..." Tuffnut remarked now.

"I didn't actually." Hiccup stated which gained their attention now. "What I had was reactions based on lies. True they were my lies but as I mentioned before, they were necessary to keep Toothless a secret. Since what I did was considered treason. I befriended a dragon and had anyone known such a fact, I would have been killed or shipped off the island being banished. You also would have killed Toothless and I couldn't have that. So my option was to leave on my own terms." Hiccup informed them.

"You had...popularity, Hiccup! You had praise, affection...you had so much. It makes no sense!" Astrid said quickly now getting to her feet.

"It makes no sense to you because you were the one who wanted what I had. Your remarks to me currently are simply because you were jealous that I did better than you in training. I surpassed you, Hiccup the Useless surpassed the great Astrid Hofferson. Because he was as the village saw it, a great dragon master. But in truth, it was just me understanding them. That they were different, like me." Hiccup sighed contently.

Astrid was about to say something else but she shut her mouth realizing he was right, so she sat back down mumbling under her breath. "Tell me. Would I still of had praise, affection, and popularity if you knew previously that I was harboring a dragon on the island. A dragon I befriended, trained, and learned to ride on. As a matter of fact, those tricks I used in training are ones I learned with Toothless on all our test flights. Toothless the dragon is the reason I became so good in training. So lets be truthful here, if you knew the truth behind my sudden skill...would I still have all I did? Or would I still of been Hiccup the destructive, useless, disappointing, embarrassment of Berk?" Hiccup asked now.

They remained silent looking down. "Is it really so hard to use your words? Please don't confuse my dull, calm tone for hate. It is not my intention to make you feel guilty, rather to understand the truth." Hiccup added. "We all know that if you knew the truth behind my success in training. I'd be marked a traitor to be cast out or killed along with Toothless. So once more, my lies were necessary because I was protecting my best friend." Hiccup felt Elsa touch his hand and smile softly.

"If you aren't trying to make us feel guilty why are you telling us things that make us feel guilty?" Snotlout retorted now.

"Because the truth of the matter is that I'm stating facts that you asked for. If you feel guilt towards my facts, then clearly you did something you are not proud of and thus you feel guilty about doing such. I've made no attacks at anyone this evening. You asked for this story, so I am only giving you what you asked for." Hiccup replied calmly.

"How can you be so calm about this! You running away at 12 years old on the back of a dragon and making us all think you've been dead for the last 6 years doesn't make you ashamed and feel guilty over! The whole village was mourning you! We all were! Don't you feel bad about what you did to us!?" Astrid exploded at him now.

Expecting Hiccup to fire back in anger, he simply sighs catching them off guard with his calm demeanor. "How can I feel bad about something I never did, Astrid?" Hiccup responds.

"Yes you did, Hiccup! You trained a dragon, you lied to everyone in the village, you ran away, you made us think you were dead!" Astrid snapped back at him.

"Was it me? Or perhaps was it you all?" Hiccup asks calmly which made Astrid's eyes widen a bit. "You claim I did these things but you so soon ignore the fact that I did not make you or the village do anything of the sort." Hiccup stares at her calmly. "I did not ask to be placed as Gobber's apprentice at 5 years old. I did not ask to have my father and village ignore my existence except for when to scold, or belittle. I did not ask to be picked on, teased, or beat up. I did not ask to be put in dragon training. And I did not ask for praise, affection, or popularity. I asked for nothing, other than acceptance. And even then, I never asked aloud because I was invisible to everyone. With the exception of Gobber and Gothi." Hiccup states cooly but not harshly.

"Those were all things given to me forcibly." Hiccup says now, "Do you desire to know why I decided to leave the village on my own accord?" Hiccup asks them, they nod slowly listening. "I left because I no longer felt like lying to myself that the village cared about me." Hiccup said calmly. They seemed to gasp a little, not understanding his answer.

"But the village did care about you son, we all did..." Stoick who had been silent up until now jumped in.

"Did the village care about me? Or did they care about the dragon tamer?" Hiccup asked, they were quiet now. "That's what I assumed to be the case. No one cared about little 12 year old Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. But everyone cared about the 12 year old dragon tamer, he is the one who had the popularity, affection, and praise. He's the one everyone liked. No one, including you father...like me as myself. And I can tell you with 100% certainty, that is due to the simple fact that me wasn't you. Dragon tamer Hiccup was your kind of Viking. Not me." Hiccup watched them look down in shame.

"We thought you...had been holding back, just waiting for your moment. For years–..." Stoick was cut off by Hiccup putting up a hand.

"Yes. I know. For years I was the worst Viking Berk had ever seen. Because my inventions were stupid, unnecessary, and destructive. Every time I stepped outside, disaster fell. That you always had my mess to clean up. You don't need to remind me. 6 years has not made me forget the life of being invisible that I led." Hiccup responded looking at each of them. "My reasoning to leave the village was solidly due to the fact from the time I was 5 to 12, I didn't matter to anyone. Living every day being hated for being different. This is not something you can deny, any of you or them. You know it to be true." Hiccup tells them.

"Okay but...then what did you mean earlier by no longer living the lie you believed, and that you didn't make us do anything...we thought you were dead, Hiccup. For 6 years..." Fishlegs says sadly almost.

"In response to Astrid's words about me making the village do those things? Its untrue. I did not make you believe anything. I ran away, yes. I trained, befriended, and learned to ride a dragon, yes. But making you believe I was dead for 6 years, now. That was your assumption. Not mine. I've been here, alive and well. Its not my fault you limit yourselves to the boundaries of the Archipelago. And its not my fault you believed all you did in the ring about what I could do because I was just being mean. The pedestal you placed me on was your own doing. To put it in a way you can understand, I was only being me. You are the ones who built me up to be some great master of dragons. I was only being myself, and it took you a total of a month to see something I've been doing all along." Hiccup said.

"So you left because you were sick of believing the lie we placed you in. We assumed you became the Viking we wanted you to be, when really you were still being just you. And when it came time for you to kill the dragon, you realized it was enough and decided to leave because you couldn't refuse to kill it without revealing why. And that endangered your friend's life?" Fishlegs replies.

"Putting it in those terms. Yes." Hiccup said.

"You couldn't...write and let us know you were okay?" Snotlout asked.

"How do you suppose I would of gotten a letter to you? Fly in on Toothless?" Hiccup stated.

"But if all this is true...then...why are you so calm about it. We...hurt you, made you feel like a nothing...you should be screaming at us in anger..." Astrid asks having found her voice at last.

"Yes. Yes I should be. But I'm not." Hiccup folds his arms over his chest gently.

"Why though, I don't understand how you can be standing here so calm after what we did when you should be wanting to Toothless to blast us to Valhalla..." Astrid asks again.

"For one thing, having Toothless do such a thing would only further prove your ridiculous belief that dragons are dangerous. And two, I'm not yelling because there is no point to do so." Hiccup stated as they blink in shock and confusion.

"But we treated you like an outcast...called you names, hurt you emotionally and physically..." Fishlegs looked down with the others.

Hiccup sighs now dropping his arms. "Yes you did. Being on Berk...frankly. I hated my life, I wanted nothing more than for it end." He said as it earned him a few gasps, even from the royals sitting there. "However, that would make the things everyone was saying about me true. I'd be a coward, and weak. And I was determined to prove it all wrong. I was hated on Berk until training, then suddenly loved because you believed a lie that I was the Viking you all wanted me to be. Though I was only being myself. But as I stated in my letters when I left, regardless of the hate thrust on to me for being different. I do not reciprocate the feelings back. And that is because it would do nothing for me to return the hate. I am a loyal, kind, caring, loving, understanding man. Hating you for all you did, would change who I am and that would defeat the very purpose of me running away in the first place. I had two choices when I left Berk. Live in the past, or move on to the future. And thus since, I have and I'm quite happy to of done so. " Hiccup smiles now.

"So you don't hate us for it all?" Tuffnut asked him. He shook his head slowly. "Then...you forgive us?"

"There was nothing to forgive, Tuffnut. I understood that some people were set in there ways, and believed what they wanted about something or someone. I'm one man, I cannot change them all. I chose to focus on me and my life, not others. For once, I stopped worrying about what everyone else would think and did for me what I thought was right. And it has turned out to be the best decision I ever made. Hating you for what you've done to me would do nothing to benefit me. What happened was in the past, no amount of hate will change what already happened. So why hold on to such?" Hiccup asks them making their mouths drop open in shock.

"Could not have said it better myself, Prince Hiccup." Agnarr smiled to him, Hiccup bowed his head in thanks.

"Okay so now...we want to know what started all this..." Stoick asked.

"What? Me living here?" Hiccup questioned arching a brow. They nodded.

"I'd been flying 5 days through the nights, resting during the days. We were caught in a storm, a bolt of lightening took out Toothless's leather prosthetic tail and we crashed in to the waters behind the castle. Toothless pulled me out, then when I woke up. Anna was there to greet us, she led us to the stables for the night. Her parents came out and said if I cooperated they wouldn't hurt Toothless or I. I agreed and once inside told them that I ran away and wanted a new life. After a little discussion, they said I could stay if I helped their eldest daughter, Elsa here adjust because she was different too. This was before I knew about her powers." Hiccup explained.

"That next morning, I met Elsa and we became best friends. So started my new life here. 6 months later, Elsa told me about her powers and how they weren't controlled until she met me. We asked her parents why that was so and they revealed that the elder troll told them when Elsa was 8 years old after accidentally hurting Anna with her powers that the one who would help Elsa was a stranger from a far away land with a gift, who rides a creature of fire and holds no fear. They assumed, it was me and...it turned out to be right. When Elsa froze my heart and Kristoff took us to the trolls, the elder told me that I was the one he foretold of in Elsa's future." Hiccup smiled seeing Elsa's shocked face looking up at him now.

"So after Elsa told me about her powers, and we learned why the king and queen let me stay. Things were great, everyone was happy. And just 2 years ago...I asked Elsa to be my girlfriend. On a like one another level, we hadn't admitted to loving one another because we didn't know for sure. We wanted to take it slow, but when her parents didn't return at their scheduled time, I went out looking for them. On that trip, I realized I loved Elsa and would be telling her when I returned which I have now done." Hiccup chuckled.

"Because you are a man of his word!" Anna said excitedly.

"That I am my princess." Hiccup bowed his head.

"So...why do they call you Prince Hiccup?" Astrid asked.

"Because my father though labeled as a chief, is a king and I'm his son making me an heir. A prince by blood. Revealing such to Lady Iduna and Lord Agnarr, they just referred to me as such. As does the kingdom." Hiccup shrugged.

"And...that is...everything?" Stoick asked him.

"It is." Hiccup nodded.

"Well knowing all that makes things less confusing than when we arrived and saw you riding a Night Fury..." Stoick laughed a little. "After you left, we stopped killing dragons completely, and searched for you for 6 months. Then the twins found a basket of your things and we...assumed you had died." Stoick added. "But now that we know you're okay...we can all go back home together. The village will rejoice for your return son." Stoick smiled.

Hiccup's smile fell now. "I'm not returning." Hiccup said flatly.

"What...do you mean you're not returning?..." Astrid asked him in shock.

"I wasn't speaking old Norse, Astrid. I meant what I said. I am not returning to Berk with you." Hiccup said again, firmer this time.

"But you...are the heir of Berk..." Fishlegs adds.

"Yeah, and I left Berk 6 years ago. I ran away, to get away from it. I exiled myself, why would I go back?" Hiccup questions him.

"As your father, I am making you." Stoick replied.

"You can't make me do anything. I'm 18." Hiccup retorts. "This is my life. This is where I am staying. I'll visit from time to time perhaps but residing on Berk again, no." Hiccup says.

"But–..." Tuffnut starts.

"The answer is no." Hiccup says sternly. "Now, I have been more than generous with the story you asked for. The other guests who were here for Elsa's coronation have left. It is time that you do the same." Hiccup crosses his arms over his chest. A crack of lightening outside, followed by the deep roll of thunder made him sigh. "You may stay until the storm passes." Hiccup adds.

"You look tired, Hiccup. Why don't you go rest a while?" Elsa offered to him.

"I can rest later love. It's only 4:30 in the afternoon. I will go to sleep early tonight for your sake, alright?" Hiccup smiles at her.

"I can accept such terms." Elsa smiles back as Hiccup places a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Prince Hiccup, if I may suggest..." Iduna began as Hiccup looked to her. "Perhaps you can...introduce us formally. Given the...circumstances?" She adds gently. Hiccup knew what she was referring to, the fact he was going to propose to Elsa and his father was here so they'd be in laws soon.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt. Royal family of Arendelle meet the Hooligan tribe members from Berk. For the royals we have Lord Agnarr, Lady Iduna, Princess Anna, and Queen Elsa. Friends of the family are Kristoff sitting beside Anna, and also Olaf and Sven who are probably outside. Olaf is the snowman, Sven is the reindeer. Moving on. For the Hooligans; Chief Stoick, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut." Hiccup stated.

"Pleasure to meet you all." Agnarr says smiling.

"Likewise." Stoick nods.

"Well then. Hiccup seeing as you know them personally, perhaps you can show them their stay rooms for the night?" Iduna offered.

"Yes ma'am. Follow me..." Hiccup told them as he headed for the doors, as the Hooligans got up they offered bows to Elsa and the rest of the royal family then followed Hiccup out in to the main area. The walk was mostly silent up the stairs and to the left where guest rooms were. Hiccup stopped at 6 doors, three on the right and three on the left. He opened them all and stepped back calmly. "One to a room. Your things from the ship will be brought in within the hour. Dinner is served at 6:00 sharp in the room we just left." Hiccup informed them.

"Uh...thanks?" Snotlout said now.

"Don't you...want to...hang out with us or something...its been...6 years after all." Fishlegs asked.

"No thank you. I have far to much to do than to hang out." Hiccup responded dryly.

"Oh. We understand..." Astrid says slowly.

"If you have something to say, say it." Hiccup ordered firmly.

"Well its just...you know...you've been gone 6 years, Hiccup. And you're treating us like...we're just guests..." Astrid tells him.

"You are guests. This isn't Berk and things done here are not done the same on Berk. You need to understand that. This..." He motions around him, "Is not a joke to me. It is not a place to play, it is my home. Showing up here, after 6 years does not mean anything has changed. You and the rest of Berk still hurt me, so excuse me if I'm not thrilled to see my past has caught up with me." Hiccup states.

"You said...you let it go." Tuffnut puts a finger up.

"And I have. But that does mean the pain I felt is forgotten or erased. The sooner you understand that, the better it will be for everyone. Do not attempt to use this borrowed time to convince me to return, because I will not. As I said, I will visit every once in a while. But my duty, and life are here with Elsa and the rest of the royal family...who took me in when I had nothing." Hiccup then turned away from them and retreated down the stairs.

"I have a feeling...its going to be a long, long night." Fishlegs sighed as soon the 6 of them separated in to a room closest to them and they made themselves comfortable. As told by Hiccup, their bags from the ship were delivered to their doors by 3 guards. When 6 came around, they ate in the dining room with the royals. Hiccup missed dinner and went to sleep early, he was exhausted after the last almost 3 weeks he'd had. Rescuing Iduna and Agnarr, then going to Elsa, getting blasted, the trolls, back to Arendelle, being weak for hours, saving Elsa from Hans, getting everyone back on their tracks home, and then to end the night dealing with his past. It was all just too much at once, he needed a good nights sleep. Because very soon...he would be asking Elsa to marry him, and he couldn't wait to do it.