Here's the first chapter of my next story. I took elements from It's A Wonderful Life and the episode Unbecoming from Trollhunters. Fair warning, if you hate sad stuff, maybe don't read this; it gets pretty dark(I'm torturing Hiccup emotionally again). If you do, then by all means read on.
The emotional floodgates broke, tears threatened to fall. It was all too much. Hiccup stormed out of the Great Hall and slammed the heavy door behind him. He rushed down the stairs and into the forest. Either from the darkness of the moonless night or his emotional turmoil, Hiccup could not tell where he was going even though he had run through these woods his entire life. But he kept running, running, running. He had to escape. He needed to escape from all this.
But he could not. He never would. It was all his fault. All his fault. Stoick, his father, was dying. Because of him. Because of a war he caused.
His words, the words he had spoken but mere moments ago echoed hollowly in his head.
"None of this would have happened -and I mean NONE OF IT- if I had never shot down Toothless in the first place."
He meant those words. He believed that it was as true as the color of the sky. How could it not be? How could someone, anyone dare to say otherwise? They all knew it. Even Toothless knew it.
Hiccup slowed into a walk, his posture slumping down as he succumbed to grief and let it consume him. In a flash, every mistake, every wrongdoing, every sin he had ever committed burned into his mind. This war with the Hunters. His father's condition. Toothless' inability to fly. All his fault.
I've screwed up EVERYTHING. I… I did this. I did it all.
All his life, he knew there was something wrong with him. It was not that he was cursed, it was that he was a curse. He had hardly done anything right. Even if at the time it seemed like he was making the right decision, it brought inevitable destruction. Because that was just what he did. He wrought havoc on his own home, started a war at the cost of his own people, his own friends, his own father.
Stupid, Hiccup told himself, the tips of his fingers digging into his scalp. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. Worthless. Why did I do this? Why do I ruin everything? Why… why was I even born?
The question echoed in his mind endlessly like a bitter call sounding through a long, dark cave. Why was he born? What good did he do? Berk, his friends, his father would have been better off without him. Toothless would be better off without him. They all would be happy without him. Was he sent to this place to destroy everyone he loved, to be a curse to them, to all of them?
If he were to die, then everyone would finally be happy. Everyone would be finally rid of him. The world would finally be free of his defects, his screwups, his impurities. He had never helped with anything, anyway. He was always an impediment. He should just shrivel up and die, then it would be better for everyone.
But, even then, it would not undo all the destruction he had caused. Stoick would only be well if Hiccup had never been there to shoot down Toothless. Toothless would be free and happy and able to fly on his own, and Berk would not be suffering the loss of a chief.
"I was a mistake," Hiccup whispered bitterly, wiping a tear from his eye. "I wish I never existed in the first place. I wish- I wish I'd never been born."
As Hiccup went to kick at the dirt in self-hate, his foot slipped, and he lost his balance. He fell head over heel, tumbling into an unknown dark abyss. Hiccup screamed, clawing at the empty air for something to grab onto, but there was nothing to stop him from falling down, down, down into darkness. He vaguely felt his head collide with something hard seconds before he blacked out and knew no more.
. . .
At first, there was nothing. No feeling, no sensations, no thinking, nothing but darkness. Then, Hiccup felt himself gradually dragged from unconsciousness. He was able to think again. However, he was unable to move a limb. He could not even open his heavy eyelids.
He felt drowsy and dazed. What's going on? Where am I?
His feeling came back, and he found himself lying limply on his back in a bed of coarse grass. And someone was poking his left arm.
Then, he heard two murmuring, distant voices. Was that. . .Ruffnut and Tuffnut talking?
Hiccup moaned, turning his head slightly.
"Aw, how cute, he's dreaming," Ruffnut cooed.
Tuffnut scoffed. "No, he's waking up, Ruff. Geez, what's he doing lying in the middle of a field?"
Hiccup's eyes flickered open to see the twins leaning over him.
"Hey, there," Tuffnut said with a friendly smile.
Hiccup moaned again, blinking a few times. Was it his imagination, or did the twins have scars on their faces that had never been there before?
"Ruffnut? Tuffnut?" Hiccup groaned, pushing himself up. "What are you two doing here? How did I get here?"
Ruffnut and Tuffnut exchanged a confused look.
Ruffnut then glanced back at Hiccup. "We were hoping you'd know, mister."
"Why are you even here? I- Daaah!" Hiccup screamed in surprise.
"Whoa-whoa, easy, dude! What're you freaking out about?" Tuffnut inquired.
Hiccup hyperventilated, panic filling him. Looking down, he saw it. A left boot. He had two feet!
"Oh my- What the- it's not possible!" Hiccup gasped. "I'm not supposed to- what?"
It was impossible. It could not be real. But when he reached forward, he found it was actually there. It was attached to his body. He was able to wiggle his toes, something he never thought he would be so surprised and happy about!
Then, he noticed another strange thing. His red tunic and leather riding vest had been replaced with his old green tunic and leather vest. He had not worn this in ages.
"I don't understand," Hiccup muttered, shaking his head to clear it. "What is going on?"
Ruffnut leaned in close. "Hey, you okay?"
Hiccup panted. "I don't know. I know I didn't have a left foot before you guys found me."
Tuffnut raised an eyebrow. "Uh, what are you talking about?"
Hiccup blinked in surprise. He gestured towards his left leg. "Tuff, I haven't had one for nearly five years! I lost it after the battle on Dragon Island with the Red Death, you remember!"
Tuffnut chuckled nervously. "Uh, sorry, I don't- do we know you?"
Hiccup squinted at them. "Ha, ha, funny, very funny. Please don't play that joke, I hate it."
"I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?" Ruffnut asked.
Hiccup's jaw dropped open. "What- guys, I said stop that! You do know me, so stop playing games. Now's not a good time."
Tuffnut and Ruffnut glanced at each other, then back at him.
"Sorry, we-we really don't," Tuffnut laughed. "You're a pretty memorable person, considering you're by far the skinniest Viking I've ever seen, mister..."
Hiccup was starting to get annoyed. For the first time in forever, he got to his two feet. "Hiccup! Hiccup Haddock III! You-you know that."
Ruffnut scratched the side of her head. "Wait, there's three of them? I thought there were, like, only two."
Tuffnut nodded. "Yeah, that's 'cause Chief Stoick and Chieftess Valka, they never had a kid."
"Ohh! Yeah, yeah, that's right. Valka, she miscarried, then, nothing."
Hiccup scoffed incredulously. Were they being serious? Why were they continuing with this charade? By now, they would have backed off. And why were they playing this in the first place? Did they not get the seriousness of what was currently happening?
"Okay, I don't know what you two are doing, but it's not funny," Hiccup snapped. "Okay? It's not. If you're trying to-to cheer me up in some sick, convoluted way, it's not working. So stop."
Tuffnut blinked. "Okay. Geez, dude, we're not playing with you. We seriously have never met you before."
Hiccup gaped at them. They seemed to be telling the truth that they did not recognize him. But it was impossible. Right?
"You- guys, come on, it's me," Hiccup stammered. "It's me, it's Hiccup. You've known me since we were kids. You and Snotlout used to pick on me, but then we all became friends and- Look, you're freaking me out-"
Ruffnut shrugged. "You're probably mistaking us for someone else. We've never seen you before."
"We're best friends! I'm the son of the chief!" Hiccup enunciated.
"Okay, he's crazy," Tuffnut chuckled. "The chief has no heir-"
"Wh-what are you talking about? I am the chief's heir," Hiccup protested.
Ruffnut laughed. "Okay, you're not from around here, are ya?"
Hiccup took a step back. "Wha- I don't- what- Just forget it. I'm gonna-"
Suddenly, an explosion sounded, and in the distance, Hiccup saw one of the catapults on the cliffs on Berk burst apart in flames. Screams and warcry arose from the village below, and screeches and wingbeats filled the air.
"Dragons," Hiccup murmured.
"Ugh, hate those things," Tuffnut snarled, taking out a crossbow and loading it with an arrow while his sister did likewise.
Hiccup then noticed the malicious green tint on the tips of the arrows. Dragon Root arrows. But how-?
"Shall we shoot them down?" Ruffnut smirked.
Tuffnut returned his sister's smile with a nod. "We shall."
They rushed down the hill, letting strange battlecries. They were going to hurt the dragons. No, no, this was all wrong.
"No. No, wait, don't! What're you doing?!"
Hiccup raced after them.