How They Met

A/N: Wow, it's been a long time since I posted anything in this AU…sorry for the wait!

This story takes place before the events of Out of the Sea, only by about a year or two. I'd say Hiccup is 14 or 15 at this point. Enjoy!

Hiccup took a quick look around him before swimming beyond Hyacinth's boundaries, feeling his heart lift. Finally! He was free! Free from his father's never-ending lectures on how to rule a kingdom, free from the high expectations and constant judging stares of the merpeople who all wanted him to be the perfect little prince, free to do whatever he pleased and to be who he really was without putting up a front. He stretched his arms out and flipped his fins, propelling himself through the sea as fast as he could go, relishing the feel of water rushing past his face, pushing his auburn hair flat to his scalp.

"Hey Hiccup!"

He pulled up, grumbling under his breath as he twisted around to see his best friend Fishlegs swimming toward him. He barely stopped himself from glowering. So he wasn't as free as he'd initially thought. Still, though…Fishlegs was all right. At the very least he wouldn't complain if Hiccup wanted to do something un-princely.

Fishlegs approached him, panting slightly. "You sure do swim fast," he puffed.

Hiccup shrugged. "I guess being a talking fishbone has some advantages," he remarked. Then he frowned. "Where's Meatlug?" he added, noticing the Gronckle's conspicuous absence. Fishlegs hardly went anywhere without his trusty dragon.

"Oh, she's sleeping," Fishlegs replied, gesturing vaguely in the direction they'd come from, toward the kingdom. "Gronckles do love their sleep."

Hiccup hummed but didn't say anything, turning away and continuing his swim, slowing down so that his friend could keep up. Sighing quietly, Fishlegs followed. "You know you could always borrow one of the dragons from the stable, right?" he asked.

Hiccup stopped swimming again and whirled around to face him. "It's not the same," he said. "Believe me, I've ridden quite a few of the dragons around the palace, but not one of them…you know…gets me. You know what I mean?"

Fishlegs didn't, but he nodded regardless. He'd heard all this before, of course. Being the only merman his age that didn't have a dragon of his own was a sore spot for Hiccup, and he vented his frustrations frequently.

"I mean, how hard can it be?" he went on, continuing his swim. "It wasn't that hard for you and Meatlug to bond, right?"

"Right," Fishlegs said. "We rode around, spent some time together, and pretty soon she was my dragon and no one else's. I can't explain it, Hiccup. That kind of bond…it just kind of happens. There's no real rhyme or reason to…"

He stopped as a noise reached their ears, and both of them looked up. Far, far above them, up at the surface, there was some kind of disturbance. "What in Thor's name…?" Fishlegs muttered, frowning. "Is that a storm?"

"I don't think so," Hiccup said, and there was an odd note in his voice, a note Fishlegs had heard before. Heard and didn't like. It meant that he was curious and about to go do something that was wild and reckless without thinking about it. "I think…I think it might be humans."

Fishlegs' heart sank. Perfect. Humans. Just what he needed. "Oh no, Hiccup, please don't—"

But Hiccup was already heading up to the surface to investigate and did not hear him. Groaning, Fishlegs followed him. "I'm going to regret this," he muttered.

Hiccup stopped a few feet below what he now knew to be the keel of a ship and hesitated, sensing it was unsafe to get any closer. The boat was rocking back and forth violently, and he thought it was in serious danger of tipping over. He could hear muffled shouts and screams from above, but he couldn't make out what the humans aboard were saying. He darted back and forth under the hull, wondering what could possibly be causing so much commotion.

His unasked questions were answered quite suddenly when, without any warning, something big splashed into the water just in front of him.

Hiccup gasped and drew back in fright. Then he paused and observed the object intently. He felt his heart stop.

It was a dragon. A big, black, powerful-looking dragon. And it was tangled in a net.

The moment he realized this, the people in the boat started trying to haul the dragon out of the water. The beast roared and thrashed, making their task difficult, yet still he was slowly lifted back toward the surface.

Dragon trappers. These humans must be dragon trappers.

Hiccup's heart grew cold. His father had warned him of the evils of humans but he'd always dismissed his tales. Stoick had a tendency to believe the worst about anyone and anything, and he'd always believed that, while evil surely existed above the surface, most humans were likely quite nice.

But these humans were clearly not among them. These were the ones his father had been talking about. These were the kind of humans responsible for his mother's death…

It was this last thought that drove him to action. He swam forward and seized the rope net in his hands. The dragon, still jerking madly about, paused for just a second, his big green eyes widening in surprise, but Hiccup barely acknowledged him. Instead, he started to pull on the net. The dragon's ascent was slowed as the humans hauling him in met with more resistance, but one merman wasn't enough to completely stop them.

Two mermen, on the other hand, were.

Fishlegs, who had hovered uncertainly nearby, darted into the foray to help the prince, and together the two boys pulled and tugged and heaved until, at last, the net came free from the hands holding it above.

"We did it!" Hiccup cried.

"Yeah, we did it," Fishlegs agreed, though he didn't sound nearly so elated. "Now let's get out of here before they trap us too!"

But Hiccup ignored him, shifting his attention to the dragon. He was still tangled up in the net and struggling to get free, sinking rapidly to the ocean floor. His heart hammering, Hiccup followed, his eyes roving over the net, trying to find an opening or a weak spot and seeing none.

The dragon landed on the seabed, and as he did he looked up and met eyes with Hiccup. The merman prince inhaled sharply as he gazed into the giant green orbs. The pupils were narrowed into slits, though as he watched they seemed to dilate slightly, as if the creature realized that this runt had saved him somehow.

Then the moment passed, and Hiccup looked around for anything he could use to break the net. His eyes landed on a sharp stone lying a few feet away, and he seized it, raising it to the cords and starting to cut them.

"Uh…are you sure that's a good idea?" Fishlegs asked nervously. "That dragon doesn't look too happy."

"I can't just leave him here," Hiccup replied without looking up from his work. "Almost got it…there!"

The net fell away, and the dragon unfurled his great wings with a roar of relief. Hiccup's eyes nearly bugged out of his skull. Now that he was free and clearly visible, the prince could recognize him for what he was. "Sweet Odin," he breathed. "He's a…"

"A Night Fury!" Fishlegs squeaked. "I didn't know they still existed! The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself!" He looked as if he might faint.

The Night Fury observed them both imperiously for a moment, apparently trying to decide whether or not he should attack. Then he looked down at one of his paws and growled. Following his gaze, Hiccup saw why: his leg was bleeding. It must have been cut by the net in all his struggling.

Hiccup took a piece of seaweed and approached the dragon cautiously. "Hey there, boy," he said softly, easily. The dragon stared at him, wary. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I just want to take a look at that wound there. It looks pretty nasty. Is it all right if I come closer?"

The Night Fury did not respond, so Hiccup swam a little nearer. The dragon still did not show any sign of aggression, choosing instead to study this strange half-human half-fish creature that for some reason was trying to help him. Hiccup took this as a good sign and reached out, seaweed in hand, and started to gently wipe away some of the blood. As it turned out, the cut wasn't as bad as it first looked, so he wrapped it up and backed up a little. "There," he said, looking back up into the dragon's eyes. "You're pretty lucky, you know? It's gonna heal in no time."

The Night Fury let out a faint noise, a warble, and Hiccup noticed that his pupils were large, the eyes warm and unthreatening. Feeling bold, the merman prince reached out to touch his snout. The dragon's eyes narrowed and he growled softly in warning, and Hiccup pulled his hand back. The dragon's demeanor immediately relaxed.

"Okay…" Hiccup muttered to himself. Then he had an idea. "Hey Fishlegs," he said, glancing back at his friend. "Do you have any food on you?"

Fishlegs sighed and reached into a bag he had slung over his shoulder. "I had a feeling I wasn't going to get a chance to enjoy this," he remarked sadly as he pulled a dead fish from its depths.

Hiccup took it from him with a hurried "Thanks," and held it out for the dragon to see. His eyes widened at once and he reached out to sniff it warily. Then he opened his mouth. Hiccup frowned, gazing down at empty gums. "Huh…" he said. "Toothless? I could've sworn you had…"

All at once the dragon's mouth filled with teeth and he snatched the fish out of the prince's grasp, chewing and swallowing it in a matter of seconds. Hiccup gasped and pulled his fingers back, suddenly in fear of losing them, staring at the Night Fury as he licked his lips in satisfaction.

"…teeth…" he finished faintly.

The not-so-toothless dragon turned his eyes to the prince and warbled faintly, reaching out to sniff him. "Ah…" Hiccup swam a pace or two back. "Fishlegs, do you have anything else?"

But Fishlegs shook his head. "That was it, I'm afraid."

Hiccup stared up at the Night Fury as he loomed over him, and for a wild moment he thought the dragon was going to try eating him next. After all, he did have a fish's tail. Perhaps he would taste like a fish. What a feast he would make.

Then the dragon starting hawking and gagging, and before Hiccup could realize what was going on, he had regurgitated half the fish, which drifted down to rest on the seafloor just beneath Hiccup's fins. Hiccup blinked, looking from the Night Fury, to the fish's remains, and back again. The dragon rumbled quietly, also glancing down at the fish. Hiccup frowned, nonplussed.

Then his face paled. "Oh Thor…" he moaned. Then he reached down and picked up the slimy, half-digested fish. This should be easy, he thought. You eat fish all the time. Just don't think about where it's been and you'll…nope, too late. I know where it's been.

Nevertheless, he raised the fish to his mouth and took a bite, grimacing in disgust. With the morsel still in his mouth, he looked back up at the dragon, who nodded in approval and gulped, indicating that he should swallow. Hiccup barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes as he obeyed. Thinking he might just hurl, he grinned.

The dragon peered curiously at him, observing his expression. Then, to Hiccup's amazement, he tried to mimic it, retracting his teeth and stretching his lips back in a close approximation of a smile. The sight was rather endearing.

Without really thinking about it, Hiccup slowly reached his hand out again toward the dragon. The Night Fury's teeth popped back into place and he growled faintly as before. Hiccup withdrew his arm, but this time he decided to try again. But first, he closed his eyes and twisted his body away, putting himself in a completely vulnerable and submissive stance.

Then he held his arm out and waited.

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs hissed. "What are you doing?!"

Hiccup didn't answer. He merely waited, his heart hammering, wondering if perhaps he was about to lose his hand. The seconds ticked by, but he resisted the urge to look, holding his breath…

And then he felt something firm and smooth press into his waiting palm.

Hiccup found it hard to breathe for a moment. He looked around to see the dragon's snout pressed into his hand, his big green eyes closed. In that endless second, Hiccup felt as if the entire ocean had been turned upside-down. This is it! he realized. This is what happens when you bond with a dragon. It's like…like finding a long-lost best friend.

The dragon opened his eyes again and drew back, and Fishlegs whispered, "Wow…I've never heard of it happening that fast! You've finally got your dragon, Hiccup! This is great!"

Hiccup wholeheartedly agreed with him, but he was too overcome with joy to say a word.

…

"No! Absolutely not! I forbid it!"

Hiccup's jaw dropped. This certainly was not the reaction he'd been expecting. "What? But Dad—!"

"No buts!" Stoick barked. "For Thor's sake, Hiccup, of all the dragons in the ocean, you had to pick a Night Fury?! The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself?! What in the name of all the gods possessed you to even consider…" He trailed off, shaking his head.

"But Toothless would never harm anyone!" Hiccup said earnestly. "You know as well as I do that dragons are good creatures, Dad!"

Stoick blinked. "Toothless?" he repeated, incredulous. He looked over at the dragon standing next to the prince, who chose that moment to yawn widely. He didn't think he'd seen anything less toothless in his entire life. "You named that thing Toothless?"

"He has retractable teeth," Hiccup explained hurriedly. "The point is that we've learned a lot about dragons over the past several years, Dad. They're not the mindless killing monsters that we once thought they were. So why is it such a big deal that Toothless is a Night Fury?"

Stoick sighed. "Son, think for a moment," he said with the air of one struggling to be patient. "Yes, we've learned a lot over the years. But a Night Fury…Hiccup, there are some who believe that they don't even exist, that they're just fairy tale creatures made up to scare little children. What kind of reaction do you think we'd get when everyone realized that, not only were they real, but there was one living here in the palace?"

Hiccup considered. "I imagine they'd be shocked at first, maybe a little frightened," he conceded. "But once they got used to it and learned that he's just like any other dragon, they'd be fine…"

"Hiccup, I just can't risk it," Stoick said in his most authoritative, my-word-is-law voice. "I have a kingdom to run and can't deal with frightened merpeople who are convinced that having a Night Fury in their midst spells certain doom for them. It's just not worth the hassle. Now release the dragon immediately." He softened slightly and added, "I'm sure you'll find another soon…"

But Hiccup was already storming from the room, his fists clenched in anger. Toothless swam along behind him, rumbling in bewilderment.

Hiccup finally stopped swimming once they were safely beyond the borders of the kingdom once again. "I can't believe him!" he burst out, and Toothless crooned in sympathy. "I just can't believe him! To let a silly superstition take control of our lives like that…!" He growled in anger and sat down upon a rock. Toothless warbled and settled down next to him, nudging him gently with his muzzle. Hiccup looked up at the dragon and couldn't help but smile.

Reaching up to stroke his new friend's head, he murmured, "How does he expect me to just get over you? He knows how long it's taken me to find a dragon to bond with. Does he really think that it will be easy for me to let you go and find another?" He snorted and shook his head. "He has no idea…"

He hesitated for a moment, and then he released his sadness and frustration in a very different way: through song.

He took a deep breath, familiarized himself with a melody that played in his head, and started to sing.

"He never hears me

Although he has ears he

Refuses to understand

He nearly sees me

He doesn't believe he

Can let me be who I am"

Toothless cocked his head in confusion. Was this normal behavior for half-breeds? Hiccup continued to stroke the dragon's sleek black scales as he kept singing.

"What am I to do?

There's so much of me in you"

Then he straightened and his voice became a little stronger, more daring as he jumped into the chorus:

"He may tie the ropes

But he can't hold our hopes

That someday

We'll break away

And we'll ride, you and me

To the edge of the edge of the sea

To be free from his undertow"

His smile flickered as he added:

"But how I don't know"

He looked up at Toothless again, and the dragon purred. He'd determined he liked the sound of his new half-human friend's singing voice. Hiccup smiled weakly, and he decided on the spot that he was going to disobey his father. He couldn't pick and choose what dragon he bonded with any more than Stoick could pick and choose how his son turned out. Sure, he'd have to be careful: Toothless couldn't accompany him back to the palace. But he could always sneak away for visits whenever he could…

Emboldened by his decision, he rose from the rock. Toothless roared quietly, and Hiccup shushed him before continuing his song.

"Toothless, be quiet

Come on, let's try it

So many worlds to explore"

He paused, looking out at the big, wide ocean stretching out before him. It was dangerous, he knew. There was a lot that could go wrong. Looking back at Toothless, he admitted:

"I don't have a plan

You'll just have to trust my hand"

Toothless didn't seem bothered by this, and he started quivering excitedly. Hiccup went on:

"He may be wise

But we still can surprise him

Someday

We'll break away

And we'll ride, you and me

To the edge of the edge of the sea"

He rose up and settled himself on Toothless' back. The dragon barked happily as Hiccup finished his song, holding the final notes for several seconds:

"To be free from his undertow

I can't wait to know"

Then he ended with a shout: "Let's go!"

And Toothless took off into the gathering night.

…

Hiccup continued to visit Toothless in secret, sneaking away from the palace whenever the opportunity arose. He told no one, not even Fishlegs, where he was going or why, and while his absences were noticed, no one gave much thought to it. They all assumed that the prince was merely off exploring the seafloor and didn't bother looking into the matter further. Every day without fail Hiccup and his dragon friend would go for swims all over the sea, sweeping over the coral fields, diving into the deep chasms, hurtling over the rock formations, and speeding through open ocean. They grew to live for the moments they spent with each other, and their bond grew stronger with every day. Hiccup hated having to say good-bye to Toothless at the end of each visit, but he was able to cheer himself with the promise of the next afternoon's sojourn.

This went on for several weeks.

And then one day, the kingdom was attacked by a rogue dragon.

A Monstrous Nightmare, to be exact. Where it had come from no one knew, but the people of Hyacinth suddenly found themselves in the middle of a horrible battle. The beast swam from house to house, shrieking and roaring at the top of its lungs and snapping at anything that moved.

Stoick called the royal guards and their dragons together to fight off the creature. "Stay here where it is safe!" he ordered his two children.

"No way!" Hiccup's sister Camicazi exclaimed. "Me and Fireworm can handle that thing!" (Fireworm was her dragon.) "She's a Nightmare too! It'll be a great fight!"

But Stoick was adamant. "I don't want you getting near that thing," he said firmly. "Either of you," he added, looking at Hiccup.

"Dad, I know dragons!" Hiccup said. "You might need—"

"Stay!" Stoick barked, and there was no arguing with him. He swam off, leaving his two children alone in the palace.

Camicazi turned and swam away at top speed. "Cami?" Hiccup called after her. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get Fireworm!" she yelled over her shoulder. "We can totally fight that old meanie!"

"Dad said to stay here," Hiccup reminded her, though even to his own ears the words sounded halfhearted.

"Oh come on, Hiccup!" Camicazi said exasperatedly. "You're not seriously going to sit back here and do nothing, are you?"

Hiccup's hesitation lasted only a moment.

"Let's go!" he said, swimming after her.

…

Stoick was not happy to see a Monstrous Nightmare ravaging his kingdom. But he was even less happy to see his children disobeying his direct orders.

Camicazi brought Fireworm in close enough for Hiccup to dismount and drift in front of its face. From afar, Stoick watched with mounting horror and fury as his son tried to placate the angry dragon, holding his hands up and speaking in soft, soothing tones. But the dragon was too furious and agitated by the commotion around it to be calmed.

So it attacked instead.

Hiccup's yells of terror echoed throughout the town surrounding the palace as he swam in circles, trying to avoid the Nightmare's flashing teeth. "Hiccup!" the king roared, darting forward, but his path to his son was blocked by the angry dragon's tail, which whipped around and smacked him hard across the face.

"Get it, Fireworm!" Camicazi cried, but her own Nightmare was a fair bit smaller than the wild one, and she was hesitant to come too close.

Which meant the dragon's entire attention was focused on Hiccup.

The prince swam as fast as his fins could move him up and down and left and right, always only a matter of inches out of the Nightmare's gaping maw. He was at a total loss as to what he could do. If the dragon could not be soothed into submission – and it clearly could not be soothed – then there was nothing for him to do but swim for his life.

But he was quickly tiring, and it was only a matter of time before he failed to move fast enough. And then…

Camicazi gave him a few seconds' reprieve by hurling a rock at the charging reptile, but that only distracted it for a moment or two before it returned to the chase. Hiccup darted left, and the dragon careened into a building, smashing it to rubble and throwing chunks of stone all over the place. One sizable piece hit Hiccup over the back of the head, and he went down in a spiral, hitting the seafloor with a pained gasp.

Then he looked up in horror at his approaching death.

The dragon roared down at him, its mouth opening wide. He could count each and every tooth stretching out toward him.

He closed his eyes tight.

"HICCUP!" Stoick bellowed.

And then every head turned at the sound of an unearthly screech. Even Hiccup's eyes popped open, for he of course knew what was making that battle cry.

It was a Night Fury.

Toothless, alerted by the sounds of Hiccup's yells, had streaked into the kingdom, following the noises of battle, and he attacked the Nightmare with every ounce of ferocity a dragon could possibly possess. His teeth were bared, his eyes reduced to slits, his body tensed in rage. He was truly a terrifying sight. "Night Fury!" several people whispered in tones of awe and fear, but Hiccup wasn't paying attention to anyone except his best friend. Toothless seemed to be holding his own fairly well, but it was fierce battle with blood shed on both sides.

It finally ended when Toothless got the upper hand – or claw – and pinned the Nightmare to the ocean floor, roaring in its ear. The other dragon whined and shrank in submission and fear, and when the Night Fury released it, it swam away as fast as it could, never to return.

Toothless then turned to Hiccup, his eyes returning to their usual warm state. He crooned softly, and the prince swam up to him, throwing his arms around the dragon's neck in a grateful, relieved embrace. "Thank Thor," he moaned. "Thank Thor you're all right."

Then he drew back to look at his father.

Stoick's expression was totally and completely blank. His eyes were wide, his mouth hanging open in shock. His hammer was resting at his side, completely forgotten.

Then he seemed to reawaken. "Hiccup," he said, swimming forward. "Are you all right, son?"

He pulled the prince into a bone-crushing hug that rendered it hard for Hiccup to say much, but he did manage to gasp, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Stoick released him, and Hiccup drew in several deep breaths. "Why did you disobey me?" Stoick asked, though he sounded as if he already knew the answer.

"Well," Hiccup said a little sheepishly. "I thought that maybe I could calm it down on my own. I didn't figure on it being so…well…angry…"

Stoick sighed and shook his head. "At least you're okay." Then he looked at the Night Fury, and Hiccup stiffened. Surely he wasn't about to send Toothless away again, was he? Not after he'd saved them all like that?

"You've been spending time with this dragon, haven't you?" he asked in a voice totally without inflection. "That's where you've been going off to every day, isn't it?"

Hiccup nodded, waiting for his father to berate him and hoping Toothless would be able to escape the king's anger.

But Stoick said, "I don't like that you disobeyed me. But I can admit when I am wrong. This dragon has proven to me that he cares about you, that you share a bond that cannot be severed. It would be cruel to force you two apart once again."

Hiccup smiled up at him. "Thank you, Dad," he said, reaching up to stroke Toothless' forehead. "Thank you so much."

Stoick nodded, also smiling, and then turned to address the merpeople watching with wide, frightened, and confused eyes. "As you have all seen," he said to his audience, "Night Furies are not the monsters we once believed them to be. They are not the offspring of lightning and death, but merely dragons like any other. And this one here…" He gestured toward Toothless. "…has shown to have a heart as pure and strong as any dragon's in all the sea. He is my son's friend and companion, willing to put his very life on the line to protect him. I know it will be hard for some of you, but we must all put our every effort into accepting the Night Fury as one of us, for he has proven himself worthy."

It took a few moments, but then one of the watching mermen bowed in acknowledgement of their king's command. Another imitated him, and then another and another until everyone was kneeling to accept Toothless the Night Fury. Hiccup beamed up at his father. "Thanks, Dad," he murmured.

"You're welcome, son." Stoick smiled, but then his expression slipped a little when his eyes moved over the ruined house that the Nightmare had crashed into. "Hmm," he said, and then he looked back at Hiccup.

"Uh-oh," Hiccup muttered. He knew that look.

"Since you disobeyed me," Stoick said, his smile returning, "I think you and your sister ought to help the owner of this building rebuild. Don't you agree, son?"

Hiccup sighed. What could he possibly say? Except…

"Yes, Dad…"

A/N: For those of you who don't know, the song "Edge of the Edge of the Sea" is from The Little Mermaid TV show.

Also, I'm hoping to start work on Return to the Sea pretty soon. The outline is done and has been sitting in limbo on my computer for months now, so I think I ought to get started on it. I'll probably put more effort into finishing Hiccup the Useless first (not to mention the six or seven other stories I've got lined up), but once that's done then hopefully you'll start seeing the first chapters of my new sequel. I hope you'll enjoy it.