Author's Note: Hello everyone and welcome to another HTTYD one-shot written by me! =D Now, I have no idea why DreamWorks and the HTTYD team totally missed out on this opportunity...so I went ahead and wrote it, haha. I honestly had no idea what I was doing throughout this one-shot, hence why it's so short, but eh. I still like it. XD

I hope you guys enjoy "What Once Was a Plate of Armor (Now Sits Upon His Head)!" =D

What Once Was a Plate of Armor (Now Sits Upon His Head)

The Dragon Sanctuary hadn't felt any brighter. Valka still couldn't get over the surprise that Stoick, Gobber, and Hiccup had found her, let alone on the same day! Fate had brought them together, and Valka felt as bright as the dancing flame in the center of the nook.

After being reunited with Stoick, the group went to a small cave within the ice and rocks. This was what Valka called her "room," but Cloudjumper shared it with her as well. They hadn't realized how tired and hungry they were until they arrived. Right now, Valka was in the middle of preparing fish for the Stoick, Gobber, Hiccup, and the dragons. Her thoughts were still muddled as she wondered and pondered on how in Thor's name this had happened. This couldn't be a coincidence, Valka refused to believe so. Something had brought them together again, and whatever that was, Valka hoped to discover it soon.

She placed the leftover fish from earlier's feeding time into a wicker basket, carrying it back into the larger room. Hiccup was telling Gobber how he and Toothless encountered Valka, and the Blacksmith was listening intently. His dragon, Grumpy, snored lazily on the ground. Toothless' head was placed in Hiccup's lap, purring as the young Viking rubbed his scaly head. Cloudjumper calmly watched the scene from the corner. Valka gave him a pat on the side, to which he grumbled in pleasure.

Stoick was busy admiring the scenery; the Dragon Sanctuary was a place to behold. His dragon, Stormcrusher, had gone out to explore the rest of the Sanctuary, so he was the only one in the room without his dragon. He noticed Valka carrying in the fish, and he immediately walked up to help her. "Let me do that for you, Val."

"Stoick, it's fine really," said Valka, though she appreciated his offer. He always did this…offering to help her with the smallest tasks, even though she was capable of handling them on her own. But it was one of the traits she loved about him. And adding in the fact they had been apart for twenty years, Valka knew that he only wanted to help her.

So, without further argument, Valka let Stoick carry the basket of fish. "It is a little heavy," she said. But she didn't need to warn him. Stoick was very strong; a full basket of fish was like lifting a twig to him.

"This is a nice place you've built here," Stoick remarked, placing the basket down next to the cooking area. Valka watched as he looked out the large opening. It gave a remarkable view of the dragons outside. "I've never seen so many dragons. Not even at the Nest."

"The Dragon's Nest?" Valka questioned. She remembered the many meetings Stoick would hold at the Great Hall, determined to find and destroy the place that the raiding dragons were coming from. Valka knew that there had to be another option than just slaughtering the reptiles, but Stoick was just as boar-headed as Hiccup. And stubborn too. He only wanted the best for his people, and bringing down the Nest seemed to be the only—and fastest—way to do so.

But the war with dragons had raged even before Stoick became chief. Hundred of Vikings had lost their lives in battle. Thousands of dragons were slain by the sword. It was a world filled with violence and spilled blood. A world that Valka didn't want little Hiccup to grow up in. If only the situation had been different if only the answers were easier to find…If only Vikings took the time to think before they acted. If only they had the heart to listen instead of just fight.

"Did you find it?" asked Valka.

Stoick shook his head. "Hiccup did. At fifteen," he said. Valka's eyes widened. "I'm not surprised he hasn't told you, though…The story ties into how he lost his leg, but I'll let him tell that tale when he's ready."

A part of Valka wanted to pry more answers out of Stoick, but Hiccup did appear uncomfortable explaining how he lost his leg. And there were parts of the story that he purposefully left out. Valka decided to be patient, but a hole still bore itself into her heart. Fifteen…Hiccup had lost his leg at fifteen. He was a teenager—a child. And she wasn't there to comfort him.

Stoick noticed Valka's heartbroken expression, and he said, "The lad's stronger than he looks, Val. He woke up after a week of being bedridden."

"But I should've been there," Valka said softly. "I should've been there while he was being amputated. I should've been at his bedside. I…I should've been there for it all. And where was I? Here with the dragons oblivious to the important happenings at my own home…

"I should've gone back," Valka said. "I should've gone back sooner, and yet—"

Stoick took Valka's hands. The woman's blue eyes flicked to him. They locked eyes, forest, and sky. Valka saw nothing but pure love for her in his eyes.

"We all make mistakes, Val," Stoick whispered. "What's important is that we accept they happened, and we learn from them. Don't be too hard on yourself. You must've had your reasons to stay."

Valka caught the unspoken question in his voice. Why didn't you come back to us? She had been so busy rescuing dragons, tending to them and healing them, defending them against Drago, that the thought of ever returning to Berk came seldom. She knew that if she left, the dragons would be vulnerable and exposed. And in her mind, she thought that she'd never be accepted by the Berkians, who had so long abhorred dragons and killed them on sight. Valka had always felt different from the rest of the tribe; she was quiet and patient and found the Viking method of fear and intimidation to defeat dragons unpleasant.

But a part of her wanted to return. She wanted to see who her son Hiccup had become. To tell Stoick that she was alive. She wanted to walk through the streets, see old friends, and meet new people. And live life on the island that she had called home just as long as the Dragon Sanctuary.

Why didn't you come back? The question was written in Stoick's eyes, and Valka found herself straining to answer. Before she could, something else caught her eye. That something, being, Stoick's helmet.

Even when she saw him again after twenty years, she knew that this helm looked oddly familiar. This wasn't the helmet Stoick used to wear while she was still living on Berk. She wanted to call it new, but the helmet was so, so familiar…But what was it that was so recognizable?

The answer hit Valka like stone.

"Stoick…" Valka started

"Yes, Val?" he replied.

"Is that…" Valka cleared her throat. "Is that my breastplate upon your head?"

Stoick blinked and brought his hand to his head. "Um…well…yes. Yes, it is, Val."

That explained why it looked so familiar. "Oh…it did look rather familiar."

A faint blush had appeared on Stoick's cheeks. "Well…I wanted to keep you close. So I shaped half your breastplate into a helmet." The more he explained, the more flustered he appeared. "This…doesn't make you uncomfortable, does it?"

"No, no!" Valka said. "It's…touching, actually." She blushed lightly as well. "It suits you."

Stoick smiled lightly, the red on his cheeks remaining. Suddenly, Hiccup walked over, and the two quickly put on a normal composure.

"So…what are you two talking about?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing much," said Valka. "Stoick's just catching me up on what's going on on Berk."

Hiccup's eyes brightened. "I actually wanted to talk to you about that! Things on Berk are completely dragon-friendly, now. We have stables underneath the island for the dragons to live in, and where we used to build weapons we make saddles and fix dragon teeth—!"

As Hiccup continued, Valka listened harder than she ever had before. Hiccup seemed so passionate as he spoke, and Valka wished she could've seen what he was like when he was just a boy. She had missed so much, and she was determined to make up for it.

And in the back of her mind, she wondered fleetingly, what Stoick had done with the other half of her breastplate.

Author's Note: *Sighs* Seriously...I can't get over the fact that while in the middle of planning HTTYD 2, this never happened. =') And as I've said several times before, this is why we have *jazz hands* FanNfIcTiOn. UwU

I wanted to keep the ending open-ended so you guys can imagine the scenario in which Valka realizes that Hiccup has the other half of her breastplate. XD Feel free to share how you think that'll go in a review or somethin'. X)

Haha, anyway...I hope you guys enjoyed this little one-shot, and I'll see ya'll in whatever I write next. ^u^

Until the next story!

~BeyondTheMoon1203