Again, this is one of those stories that I had been trying to update for awhile now. DekuTwo, the Psychic Hero is still being worked on and is my main focus, but it's slow going. For now, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
*I still don't own Avatar The Last Airbender or How To Train Your Dragon!*
Guidance from Friend and Family
Third Person POV.
Several beat up and obviously burned viking ships docked at Berk's harbor. All of the warriors who had gone off in search of the nest are alive and mostly uninjured, though their pride is the only thing that's been seriously wounded. One of the villagers asked where the other ships were, only for a warrior to respond with a bland 'You don't want to know.'. As everyone started to disembark, the chief of the tribe, Stoick, noticed the slightly more somber mood of the village. He took a quick look around and immediately dismissed the possibility of this being a result of something his son did.
For one, there's no damage to the village at all. And he can easily recognize his son's handiwork thanks to all of the accidents he's caused in the past due to his crazy inventions. Although, to be fair to the lad, they were all made with good intentions. And his automatic seed planter that he made to help the village's agriculture worked pretty well at first… at least before it started going out of control. To this day, nobody knows how or why that rock got lodged in the… what'd Hiccup call it? Oh yeah, mechanism. Nobody knows how that rock got lodged in the mechanism that controls how quickly the machine was meant to work.
That's when the chief noticed a large blood stain close to the blacksmith stall. But there's no evidence suggesting that there was a dragon raid. So what happened? Did someone hunt some big game and use this spot to skin it? No, if that were the case there'd be more than just a big splotch of blood on the ground. He would know from all the times he's gone hunting himself.
Fortunately for him, it looks like he might just get some answers since he spotted Gobber walking towards Gothi's hut.
"Gobber, what happened here? What's wrong?" Stoick asked as he jogged to catch up with the blacksmith.
"What's it look like? Those three hooligans, Snotlout & the Thorston twins, went too far with their torment of your son!" snapped Gobber.
That comment made Stoick stop in his tracks. Snotlout and the Thorston twins have been tormenting Hiccup? When did that start? And for how long has it been going on without him even knowing?
"Ah, so ya finally take the time to notice." Gobber said with a bit of a bite to his voice. "Been goin' on since the lad was six, but it never got this bad 'till today. That's why I have to get Gothi so she can give Hiccup the medical help he needs!"
The two men decided they could talk while they ran as they made their way to Gothi's hut which stood at the highest point of the village. Nobody really knows why she lives there. Maybe she just likes the solitude that it brings. That way she can hear herself think as she heals the sick and injured. And can stay as calm as possible as she tries to ease the pain of the dying.
As they ascended the cliff to Gothi's hut, Gobber told Stoick about everything that Hiccup had been going through for much of his life. And Stoick knows better than anyone just why Hiccup would be treated the way he is. Ever since he was born he was… different… from the other viking children. For one, the lad was born prematurely. The healers didn't expect him to survive past his first winter, let alone his first year. But Stoick knew better. He could tell that Hiccup would grow to be stronger than any viking before him. And Hiccup certainly proved that he was a survivor, that much was made clear by the fact that he, the viking runt of the litter, has lived this long when none before him has before. He's a strong lad, but not in the way that Stoick was hoping for.
Instead of bulking up and becoming a giant of a human like most viking children tend to do, he was skinny and physically weaker than the other viking children in his age group. But the one thing that truly set him apart from the other viking children, or just vikings in general, was his mind.
Hiccup's mind was as sharp as any blade, faster and more precise than any arrow, and more creative than any viking before him. Besides, maybe, Bork the Bold. Back when he was known as Bork the Very, Very Unfortunate and had first created the Book of Dragons.
But that's probably what caused Stoick to subconsciously start pushing his son away like he's been doing.
Hiccup just seemed to go against everything that vikings stood for, and it was just far too… well… different, for lack of a better term. And it doesn't help that most of Hiccup's inventions, while made with the intent to help Berk and its people, always just seemed to make things worse. Not to mention how Stoick is the chief of all of Berk. He knows that he should be there for his son as a father, but he couldn't play favorites with anyone since he is the chief.
Still, he can't help but ponder one thing.
"Why didn't Hiccup talk to me about this problem if he was really being bullied that badly?" he asked Gobber.
To his surprise, though he didn't show it, the village blacksmith who is his oldest friend sent him a glare so dangerously scary it would likely make a Monstrous Nightmare wet itself before flying away while crying for its mommy.
"For the same reason he never tries to talk to me about it! 'Vikings don't get sick, have fear, or feel pain!', do those words sound familiar to you? I should think so since you told him those words every time Snotlout and those hooligans beat him black and blue in the past!" said Gobber. "And now, it's gotten to this point! The lad's lucky to be alive right now."
Eyes wide as he does indeed remember telling Hiccup those exact words, multiple times, Stoick began to panic a little on the inside.
"What should I do?" he asked.
"My advice? Go to him now and just be there for Hiccup as a father while I bring Gothi around. She can heal him, but Hiccup needs his father there for him in his time of need right now." Gobber advised. "I know it seems difficult for you to accept, but the fact remains you won't always be around to protect Hiccup. This incident more than proves it. Besides, even after he's healed he's going to get out there again!"
Having said his piece, Gobber continued on to Gothi's hut while Stoick just started on his way back to his own house knowing that Gobber is right about this. Hiccup needs a father right now, not a chief. And it's time Stoick started truly acting like the father he's supposed to be, instead of the chief he's always been.
Fire Nation Prison
"Just because you are a prisoner of war does not mean that they should be treating you so poorly." Iroh said as he prepared a pot of tea. "Even back when I was a general in the Fire Nation Army, when I was a different man, I still treated war prisoners in my care fairly. This is just plain abuse."
Azula just stayed quiet, feeling that she hadn't earned the right to speak to her uncle again. She just doesn't understand, but that might be due to her broken mind. How can Iroh possibly bring himself to visit her in her freezing cold prison cell and speak to her as though she's done no wrong? She hurt and killed so many innocent people just so she could be seen as a worthy heiress in the eyes of Ozai, it caused her to lose everything. Her friends, her brother and uncle, and even her freedom. As Azula pondered these things, Iroh held a cup of tea out to her.
"Even though you are technically a prisoner of war, Azula, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy a hot drink to warm up in this freezing cold season." Iroh said with his normal kind smile.
Azula was hesitant to accept for two reasons. The first, of course, being that she felt as though she was undeserving of her uncle's kindness. She was the one who hunted him and Zuko down so relentlessly and forced them to become fugitives in the first place. She was also the cause of Iroh himself doing time before the Day of Black Sun when the eclipse blocked out the sun. Isn't he mad at her for that?
Although Iroh laughed as he pretty much guessed her second reason for her hesitance.
"It's not poisoned if that's what you're thinking. I know we weren't exactly close while you were growing up, but it's still quite easy for your old uncle to read your thoughts." Iroh said.
After a moment, Azula took the cup and took a small sip of the hot beverage. The warmth from the drink instantly flooded her freezing cold system as it began to warm her up from the inside.
"Azula, I know that you have done some terrible things in your life, and you're obviously not proud of it. But it wasn't entirely your fault that they happened. Yes, you did hurt and kill people, innocent or otherwise. But the Four Nations have been at war with each other for more than a hundred years since Sozin used the power of the comet to commit the genocide of the Air Nomads. War is a terrible thing that warps the hearts and minds of all who experience it. Even a good heart, or in your case a misguided one, can be tainted by the vast hatred and sorrow that comes with the territory." Iroh explained.
As Azula set down her tea cup, she could only look at her uncle with confusion and sorrow. Isn't he upset with her for her actions against him and Zuko? Doesn't he hate her for the monster she had become? Even a little?
"I know what you are thinking, my young niece, and no. I don't hate you. Not even a little." Iroh said, drawing a small, almost inaudible gasp from his niece. "While it is true that you did some terrible things to your brother and me, even forcing us to become fugitives for awhile, you are still my niece. My family. And I have long since forgiven you for your actions during your rather troubled past."
Tears began to gather in Azula's eyes as she tried not to cry. Her uncle forgave her? Just like that? Why? She let out a shaky sigh and lowered her head.
"You shouldn't." she said just loud enough for Iroh to hear. "Mother put it best when Firelord Zuko and I were very young. I'm nothing more than a monster in human skin. Something that everyone fears and wants put down like a rabid animal. She was right about me…"
"Azula, you are not, nor were you ever, a monster. You were merely a misguided child who wanted nothing more than to earn the love and approval of your father and mother. And while Ursa may have unintentionally played favorites when it came to you and Zuko, she still loved you very much and wanted you to be free from Ozai's influence." Iroh said, appalled that Azula would think that she was a monster.
Not that he blamed her for thinking that way. In Iroh's view, Azula was as much a victim of circumstance as anyone else during the war. But it was clear to him that Azula doesn't see it that way. She sighed sadly and put her now empty cup down.
"If only that were true." she said. "But my soul is stained with the blood of the innocent. Blood that I willingly spilled all for the sake of power."
Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, lowering her head in shame as she refused to look at her concerned uncle. This behavior was so unlike Azula, and Iroh had never seen her even once act like this in all the time that he's known her. It was highly unsettling to the Dragon of the West, as his niece looked so… broken. So vulnerable.
"I treated Zuko like dirt and forced both him and you to flee from the Fire Nation as wanted fugitives, impersonated the Kiyoshi Warriors in order to stage a coup against the Earth King, almost killed the Avatar, multiple times, betrayed Mai and Ty Lee before imprisoning them on the Boiling Rock, and as if that wasn't bad enough I even tried to kill my own brother on the day of Sozin's Comet and nearly succeeded!" Azula said as her tears began to fall. "I am beyond redemption, Uncle! They're all right about me… a monster like myself deserves to be locked away and kept in chains!"
As Azula silently cried, Iroh scowled at the last words she had spoken. He'd have to have a word with Zuko about how the guards have been treating Azula, and also tell him about her broken mental state.
Azula was sure that Iroh had chosen to leave, even though she didn't hear the door open to release him. His silence was proof enough for her. Until she felt a pair of arms wrap around her in something that was both foreign and familiar to her at the same time. Her uncle Iroh was hugging her. Azula couldn't even remember the last time she's ever been hugged by someone other than Ty Lee, and even then those hugs weren't from family.
"I meant what I said, Azula. You are not a monster, and you never have been nor will you ever be!" Iroh said. "As far as I'm concerned, you're just a young girl who is a victim of a madman's atrocious ambitions. And I'm not the only one who thinks so."
Azula could say nothing as her uncle's words finally began to sink in. She just closed her eyes and hugged her uncle back. She didn't know whether or not she'd ever be able to truly redeem herself for all she's done, but she's happy to know that there's someone out there who hasn't given up on her.
But little does she know the spirits have a plan for her. A plan which will help her restore balance to a new world.
A world where dragons haven't been hunted to near extinction.
***To Be Continued…***
Poll Question: Which of these stories do you want me to focus on once I complete DekuTwo, the Psychic Hero?
Avatar The Heroic Flame: Book 1 (Water): 15 votes
MHA: Chronicles of the Golden Jaguar: 8 votes
Marchen Awakens Ed: 7 votes
The Ballad of Team MUMY: 6 votes
Taking Control of One's Future: Ranma in a World of Ninjas: 4 votes
Digital Fire Princess: 4 votes
Digimon Tamers - Teen Titans Edition: 4 votes
American Dragon GX Avatar: 2 votes
Reign Storm: A Hero and his Queen: 2 votes
Coraline, the Ultimate Warrior: 2 votes
How To Train Your Dragon: The Viking and the Princess of Blue Fire: 2 votes
Total Drama Pokemon X & Y: The Island: 2 votes
The Rise of Darth Imperius: 1 vote
Bakugan Battle Brawlers: Beyond the Veil: 1 vote
Ultimate Ken's Teen Titans: 1 vote
Ben 10: Jedi or Sith: 1 vote
Hero of Equestria: Revamped: 1 vote
Yu-Gi-Oh GX-Zal: 1 vote
No Such Luck AU (The Emperor's Wrath): 0 votes
Battle for Enchantia: 0 votes
A Vladat in the Clone Wars: 0 votes
XYZ Hiccup: 0 votes
The Book of Digimon: 0 votes
