The night was calm. A chilly breeze wafted through the grass that lined the shoreline. The cliffs plunged into the sea, disappearing down into fathomless depths. It was like standing on a mountain cliff, except water covered the foot of the mountain.
Toothless had travelled far, over a whole ocean and many islands in his search for his most beloved human. He missed him dearly. It had been years since that night and Toothless never gave up the search.
The gears on his tail were rusty and threatened to lock up at any moment. His journey would end as soon as its metal gears died. No matter if he couldn't fly, the black dragon would walk. His direction was aimless but his will to go on was never-ending.
He sniffed the ground he stood upon. It was a loamy soil, evident of that which was found in a forest. It was springy and moist. Something felt important about this place. The soil held a magical quality, although it was writhe with tension and anger.
Two great ravens watched the black dragon as he wondered away from the Cliffside. One took off whilst the other stayed behind, keeping watch on the unsuspecting dragon.
Toothless followed his senses. Something had been calling him ever since he neared this land; something he couldn't understand beckoned him, telling him that this part of the journey was nearing completion. He was hungry and exhausted, but he ventured on.
A great forest opened up, the tree-line expanding far into either direction. Toothless peered in, unsettled by the closeness of the boughs.
His ears twitched and his pupils narrowed. There was barely a sound within this wooded landscape. No birds chattered and the leaves barely moved, even though the wind was blowing. Only darkness encroached.
Toothless stepped in, his claws digging into the earth in slight apprehension. He walked on through the dim light.
He walked for what seemed like an age. His previous hunger forgotten in this warped place. The very air was thick and the thought of his quest seemed to squeeze through his brain, trying to force him to abandon them. He shook his head, his ears flapping about comically. Never.
Hours must have passed, days even. The light never changed, only the feeling of drastic time passing.
What was once loamy earth radiating slight warmth turned into chilled ground. Snow began to fall through the sparser trees.
Soon enough Toothless found himself leaving the forest behind and entering a vast icy plain. It was eerie. The snow fell silently and the landscape glowed a deep and dark blue. Mountains loomed in the distance like the ridges upon his back. A giant Night Fury must be sleeping upon the frozen ground.
'So close now.' Toothless shuddered when he felt something speak to him.
'Meet me halfway.' Whatever the thing was said.
'Never turn back.'
Toothless never did.
Toothless found himself halfway between the forest and the mountains, in a place where the snow didn't fall. The sky was still dark, but the air was still. Before the small black dragon stood a hunched figure of something far larger than himself.
Whatever it was it wasn't a dragon.
The thing was laying in the snow, its great bulk breathing calmly as it lay there. Shaggy black fur covered the body, which was streaked with silver hair that glimmered in the half- light.
Toothless waited on the edge of the area, waiting for the great beast to move.
The furry heap made a growling noise and then it shifted, the great head rising from the ground, sharp ears raised in alertness. Stark silver eyes regarded Toothless shrewdly, as if one great beast was sizing up the worth of another.
'You have arrived, finally.' The beast said. Its voice was calm and strong, although it sounded sad. 'I have been waiting for such a time as this, where the last male Night Fury shall come across the reincarnation of the dragon god.'
Toothless sat there, watching the creature as it moved around to fully look at him. It was then that the dragon noticed that the beast was shackled to the ground by great interconnecting rings of metal.
The beast looked from Toothless to his shackles before chuckling humorlessley. 'Yes, I am a prisoner of the gods. Whilst I stay here and rot in solitude they stay up in their glistening city, eating well and ignoring the plight of others. God's are selfish beings. They don't really care much for us beasts.'
Toothless was silent. He didn't really know what he was doing there.
'I know whom you seek. You have travelled far. I will help you, but only if you help me.' Toothless listened well then.
'Only the fire of those who are kin of the dragon god can melt these Dwarven locks. Free me and then I will take you to your master. But tarry you must not, for the king of the Gods surely suspects the events that are unfolding. Hurry!'
Hiccup sighed, flicking his hair away from his face as he gazed upon the moons of the place he called home for the past five or so years. It had grown out since he left home. He had to braid it to keep it somewhat tame.
Hiccup fingered the hair bead Hel had gifted him; a beautiful white gold band etched with scaled patterns; it contrasted well with his brunette locks. Yet another piece of Jewellery adorning his person which lowered the masculinity in his eyes. Even though Hiccup had grown taller in his time in the underworld; he was about six feet tall, he was still slender and far from the ideals of a modern day Viking.
Hiccup sighed, greatly missing his best friend.
Although he knew that at least five years had passed in the outside world, there was an endless, almost timeless and constant hum to the land of the dead. A whole world of its own boasting vast deserts, beautiful forests with the most exotic and unusual plants that hiccup had ever seen, and fathomless oceans. Loki and Hel took it upon themselves to teach hiccup the history of the gods, how they came to be and their current politics. Hiccup found it fascinating, but honestly, he constantly felt restless. Like he was once again a young teenager, always running about and discovering new places and inventing new mechanisms, Hiccup wanted to explore this world and its many wonders. The only problem was that he missed Toothless, his father and Astrid terribly.
His moping was disturbed when a shadow fell over him. Hiccup ignored it, simply blowing out a breath of air.
"Why don't you go and visit Jor if you are going to be like this. I get sick of watching you mope around brother."
"Thanks Loki, I will soon be out of your shadow." Hiccup huffed and stood. He cast his gaze back out of the window, the myriad of glass reflecting his solemn pout.
Loki sighed next to him, placing a reassuring hand onto his shoulder. "I get it little flame."
"Oh yeah, Im certain that you do, brother."
Loki smirked. "Hmm, whoever said Hiccup wasn't one to play with fire, they were always going to to fail at anything they did."
Hiccup stepped away. "Well, who can boast that their brother is the God of mischief. The twins would have loved to have met you. In their eyes, you were the king of the gods and not Odin." Loki just smiled, but said nothing.
"Maybe I should visit Jor. Better than being stuck here all day, not that it's bad here or anything. I love the creepy fire and the gothic decor. Did Hela design it herself?" Loki was chuckling now. Hiccup smiled for the first time that day.
Loki put his arm around Hiccups shoulder and led him away from the window ledge. "Come. We can go and visit my son together."
Hiccup shrugged his shoulders before taking on his draconic form. The shift was seamless. He had plenty of time to practice during the passage of time. Loki looked to him, secretly ecstatic to be reunited with his long lost brother. Like Loki, hiccup was a handsome lad, with warmer tones then Loki, but equally as wry and sarcastic. He was a little spark of wildfire and Loki discovered he was very fond of his human raised kin, moreso than he ever expected. The only problem that Loki could think of was that Hiccup had a soft heart. It may be problematical in the future and Loki was a little bit worried. Even to the souls of the dead, Hiccup was a golden light in a landscape of grey. There were those who were cold and accepted their fate. Hiccup could not. He was too naive in his ways, believing in a better flip side to any situation.
The dragon version of Hiccup had aged too. His feathers grew out, and his horns grew in length. Instead of remaining straight they twisted and little growths sprouted along their lengths, resembling small deer antlers. His spines grew out and his mane grew in fullness and shine. Not only that, he was much bigger than he used to be. Easily the size of a Monstrous Nightmare, but more serpentine and graceful. It was strange, considering how awkward hiccup still was in demeanour.
Loki transformed into his preferred form of a hawk with sharp silver wings and a piercing gaze.
They left the mansion and flew towards the sea on the far side of the mountains. It was about a half days flight, traversing the range and following its tip to a rugged coastline. Jormungand took up residence within the sea of the dead, talking to the souls of deceased sea life and sleeping within the calm waters. This sea was vast, far more vast than the oceans of Midgard. The depths dropped into trenches many times farther, home to beasts larger than any whales or even dragons. They were true behemoths, and Jormungand loved it, for nothing was quite as big as himself, even still.
Loki could somehow let the great serpent know they were coming, for his great head was always sitting idle above the water, his luminous eyes scanning the sky to watch out for their forms.
Hiccup discovered that the Midgard serpent was wise. He was patient and less likely to anger than his father. Although he wasn't at all humble. Hiccup guessed it ran in the family, for even though Loki didn't resemble his children all that much, they definitely harboured his mannerisms.
Hiccup liked the great snake. He never would have suspected such a large and terrifying creature could be so wise and patient. The snake taught him the rhythm of the world. Why the sea held currents and why it lapped against the shoreline. He also taught him why the seasons changed and why the wind blew; He told Hiccup that a god needed to know how and why the world worked as it did. Gods were in a sense, nature itself, just with their own wills and wishes.
"The sea is an ancient entity. You adhere to its power and will and accept it's wishes. Sometimes the currents are far too powerful for you to fight against."
Hiccup nodded, not really understanding why the serpent was telling him this.
After a visit with the great snake, Loki urged Hiccup to return to the mansion, expressing his need to eat before he starved to death. Hiccup rolled his eyes at his brother and bade goodbye to Jormungand.
Hiccup felt a little glum as he flew home though. It had been many years since he saw the mortal world. Where was everybody at these days? He felt there were many adventures he would have missed.
Once the mansion was within view Loki sped up a little. His brother was prone to fits of extreme need. He loved to eat, even though much of the food had the ability to phase out of existence- even within their stomachs- after it had been harvested. Food was rare in the world of the dead. It didn't stay around for long. Sometimes Hela sent out spirits to gather food in the mortal realm.
Hiccup alighted upon a balcony within the upper section of the mansion. A huge waterfall cascaded down from the rocks above bathing the air in mist that smelt and tasted refreshing. Hiccup morphed back to his human form seamlessly, the transfer as natural as breathing.
Loki transformed as well, entering through the large arched doorway and into the shadow of the huge building. Hiccup wasn't hungry. He too entered, but carried on past the dining room and further back still. There was a beautiful garden behind the mansion, a circular oasis where Hela allowed Hiccup to set up a stall and workshop so that he could carry on inventing and practising his craft. A golden flame-his own- cast the metal and wood in glorious light. Hiccups flames were hard to extinguish, so he had no fear of them burning out, even without a source of fuel.
The young man was in the middle of constructing a beautiful telescope, with different lenses made out of crystal clear quartz mined from the world of the dead. The casing, made of silver with threads of rose gold held an intricate network of mechanisms that allowed the quartz lenses to spring out or back within the metal tube.
Hiccup used intricate tools to fix the multiple lenses into place, spending hours lovingly tending to his work. The telescope would be powerful enough to see the stars in the sky, along with any astral body for Hiccup to ponder over. It was here, in his outside workshop amongst the beautiful waterfalls and bioluminescent plant life that Hel found her uncle.
Her skeletal hands picked up a beautifully forged dagger and flipped it around, testing its weight and balance. "It's rare for you to forge a weapon Hiccup."
Hiccup hummed, never taking his eye away from his project. His face was placed against a large magnifying lense, his cheek almost making contact with the rim of the glass.
"Whatever could you do with something like this?" She asked.
"Oh well, you know," Hiccup said, a clicking noise following halfway through his sentence, "you can hang it anywhere. In your bathroom stall, on the wall in the hallway, on the end of your bed."
Hela grinned. "It is beautiful. You are quite the artist. Maybe you are not simply the god of dragons. God of art and craftsmanship sounds good too."
Hiccup looked away from his work, casting his green gaze onto the half alive woman. There was a question in his eyes.
"I always had talents that everyone else did not. I think that was partly why it was tough growing up. You know, being the outcast?"
Hela nodded, understanding fully. "Being different isn't a bad thing hiccup."
"Oh, don't worry there Hel. I'm used to it now." He placed the telescope carefully down on top of a piece of cloth.
Hela gingerly picked up the telescope, looking through it carefully. "But do you accept being different?" She asked bluntly.
Hiccup didn't turn towards her. He breathed in deeply through his nose. Hela took that as a no. She sighed as well. "It's not that it's bad to be different Hiccup, but knowing who and what you are now, you can never return to the world you grew up within. The gods are here for a purpose, just as you will learn what your purpose is and what you need to do.
Hiccup could understand what the woman was saying. He could never again live on Berk with his family. His life and world was now separate from theirs. But where will he go? Loki said he cannot live in Asgard with the other gods; Odin was still looking for him; likely to imprison him in some kind of capacity. But then again, Hiccup only had Loki's word for it. He was the god of lies and even now Hiccup didn't fully trust the man.
"I just want to see them again, even for a moment." He whispered.
There was silence for a few moments The sound of the waterfall filled the quiet garden. It was a place to reflect and to seek peace. Hiccup loved the area for its tranquility and it's ability to offer him solace which helped accumulate the concentration needed or his numerous projects. He needed to keep his brain alive any way he could.
"There may be a way," Hela said. "Just don't tell my father."
The dragons within the village were more excited than usual. Astrid noticed the subtle changes, her natural sensitivity to slight behavioural changes in those she observed a great asset when trying to work out anything going on that shouldn't be going on.
At first it was a slight change in the air. Some dragons, such as the terrible terrors and the Zipplebacks became less mischievous. The Nightmares less aggressive and the Gronkles less lazy.
It was as if there was a fervent activity within the village's dragons. Many spent more time preening and others keeping their living areas clean of fish bones and shed scales. Astrid noticed a Nadder seemingly telling another dragon off, a young and inexperienced Nightmare for leaving outgrown teeth and scales within its nesting area. The Nightmare promptly gathered them up with his tongue and spat them into the ocean.
Astrid asked Fishlegs about what he thought was going on, but the 'walking dragon encyclopaedia' didn't have an answer that could really explain what was going on, "maybe they are entering the breeding season."
Astrid voiced her doubts, the dragons usually left for a couple of weeks when it was breeding season, but Fishlegs just shrugged and continued to scrub Meatlug's back. When Astrid asked Gobber he just laughed, patted her on the shoulder and told her to not worry about it.
Astrid would sigh dejectedly, She wished dearly that Hiccup was there with them. He would have known, or at least found out the answer.
Amongst the weeks, months and then resulting years that passed, nothing new or strange had gone on since the night the future heir or Berk had disappeared. Life went back to normal, although it was never the same. Stoic put on a brave face for his people, but only Gobber knew how shook up he was that Hiccup had followed his mother into the unknown. Stoic's only remaining family member was gone and the man was unconsolable. It was his good heart and strong bearing that meant he could carry on leading the village. 'Or pure stubborness,' Gobber thought.
Close to six years after that night, Astrid noticed a strange dragon lingering around the village. Or was it dragon's?
Every now and then, in the corner of her eye, Astrid could see some dragon or another watching her, or watching the village, or watching Stoic or the other young vikings and Gobber. It was like longing and whenever the dragon noticed Astrid watching it would take off and disappear.
Once she saw a Monstrous Nightmare with striking forest green scales perched upon the cliff above the village looking over the huts and ships. Other dragons gave it a wide berth, as if respecting its perimeters. Another time it was a Terrible Terror with shimmering yellow skin and white wings napping in the sunlight amongst a nest of other dragons. The other terrors circled around it, snoozing and unleashing breaths of smoke that simmered in the cool air. The yellow Terror blinked open deep green eyes and saw Astrid watching. It yawned and then all the other terrors woke up. They all took to the air like a flock of rooks and then by the time Astrid could find the spot the terror was napping on it was gone.
"Do you guys ever notice any strange dragons lingering about the village?" Astrid asked the other twenty year old vikings.
"I notice some weird vikings- oh wait, it's just Ruffnut." Tuffnut was then promptly punched in the face by his twin sister.
Astrid placed a palm over her face, "I said dragons, not people."
"Weird how?" Snotlout asked, actually paying attention to what Astrid was saying.
"I don't know really. I keep seeing certain dragons behaving strangely, or dragons with colours strange to their breed. I saw a Terrible Terror with bright yellow skin and white wings the other day. I have never seen a coloration like that in a Terror."
"Actually yeah, "Fishlegs excitedly spoke up enthusiastically, his moustache braids swaying too and fro with his movements. "I noticed a Changewing within the woods as Meatlug and I flew by. We were looking for medicinal herbs for Gothi. It wasn't very shy when it saw us and it appeared to be alone. I swear it led us towards a patch of a specific rare herb we were looking for. It then disappeared."
The twins and Snotlout were silent.
"Okaaaayy." Said Snotlout eventually. "So a Changewing led you to some plants?"
"I'm positive. It was so cool." Fishlegs jumped up, his eyes gleaming.
Astrid contemplated what she knew. She needed to observe and try and approach these dragons. She couldn't help but think they were linked up somehow. And to Astrid, anything as unusual as that night could be a means to finding out where Hiccup was taken to.
Astrid knew she was holding onto hope. It wasn't likely she would find Hiccup. Afterall, Toothless left all those years ago to find him, and he still hadn't returned with a young man riding upon his back, his wide toothless grin adorning his face.
Astrid left the arena, Stormfly walking close by.
She rubbed her slightly tear filled eyes and felt Stormfly nuzzle against her back. She turned and brought her hand to the soft scales on the blue dragons nose. "Thanks Stormfly." Astrid climbed onto her back and they both took off. Flying always cheered her up.
Hiccup felt sad. It wasn't anything new to him. It felt horrible to him to hide away like this, away from the world and everything he loved. He only hoped there would come a day soon where he can reveal himself to everyone and everything and reunite with those that he loved.