The scent of burning wood filled Hiccup's senses as he slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times to let his eyes adjust to the light, and when they did, he was surprised to find himself inside a room. Hiccup glanced around, taking in details of the room he was in. It didn't take long for him to realise who's room it was.
It was his very own room. The room he resided in during his time at Berk before running away.
Hiccup's eyes then fell on the mass of black lying on the floor next to his bed. "Toothless?"
The Nightfury's ears perked up as he heard his name being called. He looked up and his eyes widened as he saw Hiccup. "Hiccup!" He immediately lunged at his friend, nudging and licking him.
"Hey-hey, easy bud, Tooth-ough!"
As it appears, Toothless, in his excitement, had accidentally placed his paw in a place where paws shouldn't be placed. Hiccup groaned after Toothless moved away from his place on top of him and crooned apologetically.
Hiccup glanced at his room once again. "Uh, I am in… my room." He glanced back at Toothless. "And you're in here too. Does-does Stoick know you're here?"
"Yeah. He didn't mind me staying over here."
"Uh huh." Hiccup absentmindedly responded while he got out of the bed.
But Hiccup had underestimated how weak his body still was and soon found out about it the hard way as when he tried to stand up, he almost fell over. His face would have been on the floor, if it wasn't for Toothless, who came to Hiccup's rescue just in time and placed himself beneath Hiccup to break his fall.
"Thanks bud."
The Dragon just crooner softly in response and helped Hiccup get out of the room. They were half way down the stairs, when someone suddenly called out "Hiccup?" They looked towards the source of the voice. It was Stoick.
The chief of Berk was staring at them with his mouth a gap. They descended the final few steps as Stoick went over to them and held Hiccup as he descended the final step.
"Are you okay? Any pain or something?" Stoick asked.
"Uh,...no." Hiccup answered, feeling a bit awkward under Stoick's attention. "Um, how long was I out?"
"From yesterday night. You had us worried."
An awkward silence lingered between them after Stoick finished his sentence. Neither of them knew what to say or if they even wanted to say anything.
"Uh, um, you want some breakfast? I don't think you've eaten anything since noon yesterday. You must be starving." Stoick suddenly said, deciding to break the silence.
"Yes please." Hiccup replied.
Stoick nodded and led Hiccup to the dining room. They both sat in silence as Hiccup devoured his bowl of soup. Neither said anything and Hiccup looked really absent minded. As if he was deeply thinking about something.
Stoick sat on another chair, avoiding to look at Hiccup and instead opted to stare into the mug full of juice of fruits.
"Stoick, I think we need to talk." Hiccup suddenly said.
Stoick looked at him, surprised with that. "Uhm, okay. Uh, what do you want to talk about?"
"Us." Hiccup said,"I want to talk about us."
Stoick was dumbfounded by what Hiccup said and he continued,"When I left Berk, it wasn't just because I wanted to protect Dragons. I also left because of you."
Stoick couldn't describe the hurt he felt when he heard that. While he knew he wasn't the best father, but being one of the reasons for your son to run away? He hadn't expected it to be that bad.
"All my life I tried so hard to make you proud, to be your son. But nothing I ever did was enough. That day, when Toothless revealed himself, I knew that I could never be the son you wanted. So I left so that I can leave my past behind and have a fresh start. So that I can be something other than a disappointment."
Hiccup stopped for a moment, letting the words sink in.
"That night, on the boat, I thought I would die and my entire life flashed before my eyes." Hiccup said,"I have many regrets. But the biggest of them was never mending the bond between us."
Stoick looked up at him as Hiccup continued,"I want to move on from the past and-and move forward. I want to start anew. But I can't do that if I, if I don't let go of the past and hold onto a grudge. So I forgive you. And-and, I hope that we can rekindle our relationship……. Dad."
Warmth swelled in Stoick's chest as he heard all that, and then he spoke. "I'd love that son."
A small smile formed on Stoick's face and so did on Hiccup's. Hiccup hesitated for a moment, but then went forward and hugged Stoick. The Viking chief was shocked for a moment, but then wrapped his arms around Hiccup. Unbeknownst to both men, a small smile had formed on their face as they basked in the embrace.
Later that afternoon, Hiccup and Astrid were both sitting on a cliff beside the shore, staring at the setting sun. Astrid was quite surprised when Hiccup had approached her and asked her if they could talk in private. And thus they ended up here.
There was an awkward silence between them for a while. Both of them had so much to say, but neither knew how to start. Finally Hiccup broke the silence between them.
"You must be wondering why I asked you to come here."
Astrid looked at him and found him staring at the view in front.
"I wanted to talk to you Astrid. Talk to you about my past." He said.
Astrid was surprised by this. Even more so, when Hiccup handed her a piece of paper. Astrid looked into it and found a sketch of a woman on it. She had a simple face. The sketch depicted her having black hair and she was dressed in a tunic and pants and boots.
"Her name was Idunn." Hiccup said,"I met her a year after I left Berk. She was a young thirteen year old girl. A sweet person, but like me, she was also an outcast in her tribe. So I took her in."
A smile formed on his face as he talked about her,"She was a great companion, and I cared about her a lot. And as time went on, our relationship improved too. She became my sister. Someone I'd give my life to protect."
Hiccup paused for a moment before continuing,"Back then, I wasn't like this. I was open, more trusting. Not-not like the cold person I've become now. But then something horrible happened."
His voice showed anger as he kept talking,"A friend of mine, whom I had deeply trusted betrayed me. He sold me out to my enemies. They tried to break me, force me to train Dragons for them. But I didn't give in. So they tried another way."
Hiccup's voice broke as he went on,"Th-they took Idunn hostage. T-tortured her in front of me. Even, even violated her. And that backstabber joined in with them. By the time I managed to escape, it was too late."
Hiccup sniffed and then wiped away the tears that welled up in his eyes. "In a fit of rage I killed them. I killed all those bastards, including that backstabber. But it didn't fill the gap left in my heart. Nothing ever will."
Astrid had her hand over her mouth and her eyes wide as she heard all this. Never had she expected Hiccup to go through such a horrible fate.
"I tried to keep going. But it never was easy. Many nights I had spent wishing that I was dead too. If it wasn't for Toothless and others, maybe I would have killed myself." Hiccup said,"But that night, when I almost died on that ship, I realised that I don't want to die yet. No, I wanted to live. I wanted to live a life with you,... Astrid." Hiccup said..
This stunned Astrid and her head snapped towards the auburn haired boy.
"You showed me love. You cared for me. But I was blinded by my rage and fear. I had been so afraid of getting hurt again, that I pushed you away." Hiccup said, his voice weakening as tears welled up in his eyes again.
"Hiccup, it's not your fault." Astrid intervened,"I did betray you. You had every reason to be angry with me."
"But it was wrong." Hiccup insisted,"I should have known that you would never betray me without any reason. I should have had more faith in you." He then sighed "I wish I could be back with you once again. But with how I treated you, I won't be surprised if you don't want me anymore."
Suddenly Astrid grabbed his arm and made him look towards her. "Hiccup, I do not dislike you. I still love you and I still want to be with you. And, and, I'm sorry that I hurt you…"
"You love me?" The question was so sudden that Astrid was left speechless for a while. She just kept staring into his eyes. His forest green eyes, filled with hesitation and resentful, but behind them she could see a glimpse of hope.
"Yes. Yes I do." Astrid said. "I love you with all my heart."
Hiccup suddenly leaned forward and captured her lips in his. Astrid's eyes widened, but then she leaned into the kiss. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she melted into the kiss. Hiccup pulled away from her and smiled as he wiped the tears away from her face.
"I love you too, Astrid. Always have. Always will." Hiccup said.
Astrid's face lit up as she smiled and they leaned into another kiss. The last rays of sun fell on them as it slowly descended below the horizon as the two lovers enjoyed their embrace and the love they have for each other.