Child's Play

At the same time as the whole Isle of Berk was deep mourning with Hiccup's soul being gone he was actually enjoying himself somewhat. It was an awkward situation for sure that he was in. Being ensnared in a forgotten cavern, in the middle of nowhere with only the ghost of a child, around to keep you company. But he was making the best of it. He felt that he'd been summoned to this cavern for a reason. And he knew if he was patience and loving that sooner or later he'd figure out how to get home. But for now he was doing his best to help Una out.

Ever since she declared him her new big brother he'd been doing his best to fulfill this role. They spent their first night together doing nothing but having an extremely lengthy along with meticulous conversation. He told her all the folklore he knew of and when that ran out he told his own stories. But what Una liked most to hear about was him and Toothless. She couldn't get enough of it.

"Tell me again, Hiccup! What it's like to touch an ebony colored dragon for the first time? Were you struck with overwhelming fear? What's it like to fly? What does a dragon's breath smell like? How does his skin feel?" she asked over and over again. It was like she'd a zillion questions on her mind. And as soon as one was answered she asked a zillion more. He accepted that the fact she was a child, and he knew she had an eager and inquisitive mind.

"I was struck with both fear and curiosity at the same time, Una. When I first saw Toothless I was scared to death. I thought I feel like how my father felt about the dragons. I expected to feel strong, brave and just view a dragon as a devilish demon, a pest and nothing more. However, to my complete surprise, when I gazed that first time into that Night Fury's greenish eyes, I just felt emotions I didn't expect. I did the first Viking act of mercy to our enemy. I freed him and he did sorta attack me. Although he didn't murder me like I thought he would. He just tried to fly away, but couldn't fly away."

The cavern itself was still eerie in addition to strongly spine-chilling. Nevertheless it did have a few warm touches to it, which seemed to reduce amount of disturbing atmosphere to it. The crystals around them illuminated them with an array of multihued colors. It's hard to feel scared when the colors of the Northern Lights warmed the cockles of their hearts.

Also there were those ever blooming lilacs that made everything smell so wonderful. The last thing that made the cavern more bearable was the strange melody from the echoes. Apparently this cavern went on for a very long way. And all the sounds of the whole island made for remarkable music. So while Hiccup was still unnerved, by the fact his spirit was trapped here with Una's, he wasn't focusing on it too much.

The child gazed her pale blue eyes into his green ones and laughed and giggled. "More!" she cried out with a giggle. "More stories! Please! I want to know more!" But the adolescent Viking shook his head. He gazed kindly at the little spirit girl and made a warm and tender smile.

"It's past midnight, Una. Almost dawn in fact. I need to get some rest. Tell you what? I tell you all about how my friends and I went to Breakneck Bog to get a special gift left to me by my mom, later tonight. Please just let me get some shuteye, alright?"

"Even a spirit must sleep I guess. Okay, big brother, I'll let you sleep some. I'll try and get some shuteye myself. I shouldn't be up all night either. My old big brother Boden said little girls need their beauty sleep. So goodnight, big brother," Una agreed as she let out a yawn and curled up on her lilac covered stone mound. Hiccup laid his fur vest on her again. He tried to think of something to make her a pillow with. He took some glowing blue-green moss nearby and made it into a pillow for her.

"Sleep well, Una. Have sweet dreams," he murmured quietly to the ghost child. He then curled up as close as he could to her and stroked her pale face once, before he kissed her gently on the forehead. He then yawned once and fell asleep.

While Hiccup slept he was also dreaming about the same memories his father had been dreaming of back home in Berk. In one particular recollection, he remembered playing with his mom's armor, and went to pick up her blade. He was such a small child in this memory, not much older then Una. He remembered picking up the sword and cutting himself. He cried and cried and cried in the memory. He could still remember that sharp pain and he could smell the oozing blood.

"Mommy! Mommy!" he cried in the memory. He held his left hand up and looked at the cut. He'd cut his palm a bit and some of his thumb. He continued to shed tears and call for his mommy. Though he couldn't see his mom's face clearly, he saw her warm and caring eyes come over to him.

"It's alright, sweetheart, you're gonna be fine, my little warrior," Valhallarama said in a soothing voice as she picked him up and kissed his finger. He immediately stopped crying and hugged his mom. Smiling back at her son she took a piece of brown cloth and bandaged the wound. For good measure she kissed it for a second time to make him feel better.

"I love you, Mommy!"

"I love you too, Hiccup. Let's go see what Daddy's up too. Let's just hope he isn't busy trying to slay another Deadly Nadder. Last one he killed took me a week to get the bloodstains off his boots," she chuckled heartily at the memory.

"NO! NO! Dragons! Mommy please protect me! Don't let the dragons get me!" he begged his mom now he was shaking with fear. He buried himself into her large bosom and the tears of fear this time were streaming down his face.

Valhallarama cuddled him close and kissed his forehead. "Mommy and Daddy will always protect you, my little one. Don't worry. I promise I'll always be there for you. Come, Hiccup. Let's go now. Don't worry I won't let the dragons get you."

"Mommy," he whispered in his sleep with a single teardrop running down his face. He felt himself be nudged and immediately woke up with a start. He saw Una looking at him with a worried look etched over her pale features.

"Something wrong, Una?" he asked as he wiped his eyes. The little ghost girl just kept looking at him with much sadness in her pale blue eyes.

"Did you have a bad dream, big brother? Sometimes with my old brother I had a bad dream and he always gave me berry juice to make me feel better. No berries here in this cavern though. I've looked and nothing."

"No, Una, it wasn't a bad dream. It was a memory, a forgotten one at that, I just dreamed. I couldn't see it all; it was fuzzy and indistinguishable, like your memories. It was about my mom. She departed this life when I was very small. Not much older then you. My helmet and toy dragon is all I've got left of her. Right now I wish she was here.

"I don't have any memory of my parents. I don't remember much other then what I told you. It does seem like being alone in this creepy cavern so long, you're memories eventually just disappear. Forgotten like how I was forgotten."

"Yeah, being alone and friendless is a sad existence. I know. Growing up I had no-one. It wasn't till I met Toothless that I even had a friend. I wonder how he's doing without me. He must be very worried. One time during Snoggletog," he started to say when Una interrupted.

"Snoggletog? Why would anyone chose such a stupid and silly name for a holiday?"

He laughed happily and soon she joined him. "Yeah, I've asked myself that same question. It's an unsolved mystery, but it's a stupid name that much is for sure! I guess when it comes to names Vikings seem to choose really silly things. You're looking at a guy named after hiccups."

"Well, tell me what happened at this Snoggletog?"

"Well, I was out flying with Toothless. He can't fly without me seeing how he needs me to work the gear to his left tailfin. I was wearing my helmet and then all of a sudden all these dragons came flocking towards and one knocked my helmet off and into the ocean. Toothless wanted to go after it but I told him it wasn't important. I later made him a new tail so he could fly on his own. He disappeared for three days and then I was kidnapped by Fishlegs' dragon Meatlug and found this island where they had babies."

"Baby dragons? Oh, they must have been so cute and adorable! Were they cute and adorable? What it's like holding a baby dragon? What do their eggs feeling like? Tell me! Please!"

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"Yes, Una they're cute and adorable. A dragon eggs kinda feels like bumpy rocks and its amazing holding a baby dragon. I accidentally trigged the return migration and had to use an old broken Viking ship to carry the babies back home. That night everyone was in a good mood playing with the babies. And Toothless came back with my helmet. The next day though he destroyed his new tail showing he wants me to fly with him, rather then just carrying me like everyone else dragons do. So I gave him freedom and he gave me loyalty and friendship."

"That sounds like a good holiday story to me," she agreed excitedly and he nodded in his own silent agreement. Then she started to clap her hands and dance a bit giddy with enthusiasm plus fun. Squealing euphorically she turned to face her new brother and said in a dreamy tone, "I wish I could ride on the back of a dragon. They're so fascinating from everything you've told me, they're not scary monsters but really fun and cool!"

"Yeah, they sure are. I promise you, I'll take you flying on Toothless, if I ever figure out how to get us out of this cave. Want to see a picture of Toothless?"

"Yes! I want to see Toothless! How?"

"Watch me, I'll show you," he told her, as he picked up a chalky white rock from the ground, and began to work feverishly as he began to draw on the cave wall. She watched intently as Hiccup's left hand moved quickly around. It seemed to almost be magic and with the rainbow colors coming from the crystals around them it was even cooler. He was so focus and serious as he worked his magic. But nonetheless he continued to draw and it looked like he was doing more then his dragon. After about ten minutes he turned to face her.

"It's done, Una. Take a look," he instructed her. Cautiously she got up from her ring of lilac and went to look at the pictures. What she saw stole her 'breath' away as she gazed at the godly artwork of her new brother. It was amazing! Such grand details and so realistic too! It was as if she could reach out and touch the real thing. She saw Toothless soaring into the majestic sunset, and let out another hyper squeal, and gave a thundering round of applause to her new brother. This all made Hiccup smile and feel incredibly proud. Not many Vikings learn the art of drawing. He also never painted a false image like the one Bucket did that one time with his father on that shield. As the little girl ran her tiny hands on the pictures he remembered that moment of pride when he discovered the true treasure of Hamish II. As it said on the scroll "This treasure had been passed from father to son, I leave it to you, the next worthy one. For only a hiccup could make it this far, from one to another be proud of who you are!"

"This is totally amazing, Hiccup! Can you draw a picture of me?"

"Already did, take a look to your left. I noticed you're left handed as well. So here's your picture," he told her as he took her tiny left hand in his. He then gestured to the picture of both of them holding hands. She cried happily.

"Oh! Big brother it's so wonderful! I love it! I love it!"

"Now watch this! I'll make them move and you'll see yourself flying," he said as he took some of the crystals and moved them around some. Then all of sudden like a spotlight the whole rainbow was moving around and it made it look like the pictures were moving.

"It's so beautiful! Thank you, big brother!"

He then picked Una up and spun her around in a circle several times so she could 'fly' and then gave her a piggyback ride. They spun around some more and then both fell down laughing at it all. "You know something, Una? I've got a confession to make."

"What's that?"

"Every now and then at what time I was feeling really without a friend in the world, I wished I did have a little brother or sister. I felt if I had one then I'd be less lonely. Though at the same time I felt secretly if I did have one my father might like them better then me. Be prouder of them. I spent almost my whole life fighting for my father's love and pride. From time to time I if truth be told felt like I was nothing to my father, but a big letdown," He admitted with tears in his eyes. He then cocked his head back and spoke in a different deeper tone of voice, "Excuse me barmaid, I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring. I order an extra large boy with beefy arms, extra guts and glory on the side. This here is a talking fishbone!"

"Is that how you felt that your father saw you as? Did he ever tell you that in his own words?"

"No, he never said it, but that how I felt for ages. I wanted so badly for him to say that he was proud of me and that he loved me for me. It wasn't till I was about to take on the Red Death. Then he finally said it. I waited so long to hear those words."

"I can't image how that must feel. To want so badly to be accepted for whom you are and not what you're not. I don't remember my parents, but I do remember my old brother say this once. He said family and friends should love you the way you are, and what they already got, and not love and want the person they think they should be. I think you're a beautiful person on the inside. My old brother Boden always said it was what was on the inside that made a person who they are. That having a pure heart was what matter most. Not how big or strong you are. What you can and cannot do. What's in your heart is what matters most. That I know he did say to me a lot."

"You're brother was very wise beyond his years. How old was he when he left?"

"Not much older then you, he was about 15 years old at the time. That as much as I can recall. But that's in the past. You're here now and you're my brother now! So let's play some more!"

Hiccup and Una played for awhile. He played hide and seek with here. He showed her how to draw on her own. He also sang some songs with her. It was all going well and when that thunderstorm came he kept her safe and happy. It was a good feeling knowing that someone loved him and looked up to him so much. Yet he knew as much as she pretended he was her brother, he knew he wasn't. Though maybe not by blood, but bonds of love are what make a family a family. As the storm raged its might will outside he looked at Una in the eye.

"I promise you this, little sister. I promise I will get us both out of this cave and then I will bring you home. I promise you that. I love you, my little sister Una," he said with a big hug.

Crying tears of elation she hugged him back and told him return, "I love you too, big brother Hiccup!"

Now Hiccup knew he'd to keep his word and he hoped he didn't just give her an empty promise. He would try everything in his power to make sure he kept this promise even it meant he never return to his body. He knew he had to help Una be free and he intended to do just that!