Family Bonds

It was an extremely stormy night on Berk; they still hadn't fully recovered from the tragic events of losing their chief Stoick the Vast, and the Drago Bludvist's assault on Berk. It was still also a shock that the late chief's wife Valka had returned from what others thought was the dead. She was still in her own grief losing her husband right after being reunited with him and her son. As a result she was very emotional; however she wasn't the only one taking the death of Stoick hard. If she was brokenhearted that deeply, it was only as you would expect that Hiccup was in even more anguish and brokenhearted from the events, he was still trying to adjust to his new role of leading both the people of Berk and keeping dragons safe from others evil. Still there wasn't day since his father passing that Hiccup didn't wake up hoping it had been a dream, yet he knew it wasn't a dream. It was then he'd after to remind himself that his father died doing what any parent would do to for their child. He'd sacrificed himself so Hiccup would live. Plus he knew it wasn't Toothless's fault. Like his mom Valka had said, evil people controlling good dragons didn't make the dragon bad, it made whoever had forced them to do such evil things bad. Toothless was extremely upset for doing what he'd done, it was the worst sin you could commit, ending someone's life. Yet he and Hiccup knew it wasn't anyone fault other then Drago's evil Alpha Dragon. Now that Toothless was the Alpha they'd make sure not a soul Viking or Dragon would loose their loved ones to such evil ever again. That was a promise he'd keep for he did have the heart of a chief and soul of a dragon.

It was on this particular stormy night that Hiccup found himself thinking about someone he'd not thought about for quite some time. Someone he'd consider family and had cherished very much. She'd been as much of as his family has his father had been, and as he lay in his bed he held a single crystal necklace, he'd worn around his neck for the past five years in wonder. He felt slightly happier when he gazed at the single lock of lilac hair inside. He allowed a small but happy smile to etch its way across his face from looking at the crystal. It had been for these past few days getting everything back to normal that he'd even had time to think of the little girl he'd thought of as his little sister, Una.

He'd never missed her more then he did now, nevertheless he felt slightly ashamed he hadn't thought much about her for awhile. It made him shed tears wishing she was still around to help him through this grief he'd for his father. Yet she was already in Valhalla with her real brother Boden. On the other hand they'd both said before they'd crossed over that they're family. That he'd always be a brother to them both. As a result right now he just wished he could hear Una's voice and feel her tender touch and just tell her how he was feeling. Closing his lovely green eyes he tried to evoke the memory of Una to dream about her. It had been so many years, yet one never quite forgets losing their soul and helping a child's spirit cross over to the other side. He was just remembering the first time he'd laid eyes on the little ghost when he was woke up from a dead sleep when a huge bolt of lightning broke through the night.

"Ahh!" he woke up with a start and screamed loudly. Clutching his heart he tried to take a deep breath. His screams attracted his mother Valka, who immediately come into the room to comfort him, just like he'd wanted when he'd been a child. Well as they said better late then never. Right now Valka hugged her son tenderly and stroked his auburn hair. "It's alright, son. It's just a storm, just a storm. Did you have a bad dream? Is everything alright? You didn't dream about your father's death again? Is everything okay?"

Finally feeling like his heart wasn't about to explode out his chest, he shed a single tear and looked at his mom. "I'm alright, Mom. It wasn't Dad I was dreaming about it was Una, I was trying to dream about Una and when I heard that big crash of lightning I remembered how frighten she'd been of the storms."

His mother gave him a puzzling look as she looked at him. She had no idea who this "Una" was or what her connection to her son was. He'd never mentioned her before. She did take notice that he was clutching his crystal necklace tightly in his left hand and that his tear had now stained the crystal. She figured out pretty quickly that this Una had to be tied to that necklace for he never removed it. She hadn't thought about asking him what that necklace stood for but she felt now would be the perfect time to ask him about it.

"Honey? Who is this Una? And does she have anything to do with your crystal necklace?"

"Yes, she is connected to the necklace. You see Una was my little sister…" he started to explain when Valka broke in.

"You have a sister? Your father had another child? I thought he never loved again after my suppose death. I mean he never mentioned having a daughter during our brief reunion. Though, I guess there wasn't anytime, seeing how we're busy trying to stop the end of the world, with a massive dragon army. So it wasn't like there was time to tell me if he had had another child."

"No, Mom. I'm Dad's only child. He did never love again after you. Una wasn't my blood sibling but she was still my little sister in all the ways that mattered. I just feel bad that I promised her I never forget her and I've been so busy lately I've not had much time to think about her. Still I wear this necklace as an everlasting reminder of her and the bond we shared."

"Care to explain what you mean? Do you have a story you wish to sing to me? Tell me? I want to know about your little sister. Tell me everything."

Taking a deep breath he began to sing the tale of his little sister. "It happened five years ago. It was just prior to Dad letting his first dragon Thornado go free, and before we stop Dagur the Deranged, in addition to reuniting the Screaming Death with its mom. Fall was settling in and I was leading the Riders on patrol. Everyone was acting like idiots and more worried about their stomachs then seeing if Berk was safe. So they headed home and I was following them. Then all of sudden I heard a child's voice calling out for help. So I followed it deep into Thor's Woods and nearly crashed into two intertwined trees. Toothless and I were a bit shaken up but otherwise fine. So I followed the voice to a small hidden cavern. When we got there I swore I could smell lilacs."

"Lilacs? In the fall? This far north? That's peculiar."

"Yes it was. Still that's what I smelled. I then entered the cave and called out to the child. When they answered me back I was blinded by a brilliant white light. I fell hard and fast and Toothless roared to get the other Riders to me. They found me unconscious and took me home to Berk. But I wouldn't wake up and they did some very painful things to try and wake me up. But nothing work. So Dad took me to see Gothi and she discovered my soul wasn't in my body any longer! My soul was trapped in the spirit cavern back in the woods!"

Valka gasped loudly at this and her hands covered her mouth in shock. This wasn't what she was expecting. But she still let her son continue his tale. She was listening with baited breath and very curious to see where this tale would go. She'd missed out so much in the past 20 years that she didn't want to miss out on this particular story. So each took a big sip of yak milk and he went on telling his tale of his 'little sister'

Smiling and turning the crystal over in his left hand he went on with the tale. "Well at first I didn't know what happened to me. I mean I saw my own body! But there wasn't a mirror! I was looking at myself from the outside! I then went further into the cave and came to a bizarre sight. A little girl in a simple snow white dress with an awful haircut, it was messy and uneven. I also noticed that both her skin and hair was extremely pale and the only other thing odd about her was the tips of her hair were lilac. She was shivering like she was cold so I laid my fur vest over her. I study the runes on the cavern's wall tills she woke up. I got her a drink from a nearby pool of water and then we talked. I made a joke about my name and it took her awhile to remember her own. But she finally remembered that it was Una."

"Una? Very pretty."

"Yeah, it is. She was pretty herself, even with that ridiculous haircut. I did sketch a picture of her. Give me a minute to find it," he told his mom as he paused the story for a moment. It took about ten minutes before he finally found the sketch he'd done so many years ago. It was a perfect match to what she'd looked like. If there was one thing that Hiccup was good at other then taming dragons, it was that he did have the artist eye. So his mom took the piece of paper and cried a bit looking at the image of a little girl. She was so beautiful and sweet looking. And he'd been right her hair was a mess. Smiling he took the picture back and then continued.

"I told her a bit about myself and it helped her remember her own past. Her memories were very limited and she could barely remember anything. But I helped her remember more and she told me about her last days of life. She'd been out exploring with her older brother Boden who looked just like me! He was a bit more toned and wore his hair in a short ponytale but other then that we're a match. Anyway they encounter rough seas and a passing family of Night Furies came by and led them to safety. They hurried to find a safe place to wait out the storm. Una got caught in a bramble bush and had to be cut free."

"Which explains her hair I bet?"

"Yeah, it does. When they came to the cave Boden made a dye from a ring of flowers and dyed her hair lilac. Lilacs were Una's favorite's thing in the world. They waited three days and nights for the storms to pass and when he left to see if it was safe to go home, he never came back. Una waited forever and day for him to come back. She waited till she died. Then her spirit became trapped in the cave and couldn't move on to Valhalla."

"So what happened next? How did you get out of the cave then? I mean to say if your soul was also ensnared with in this spirit cave, how did you leave it?"

"Well, it wasn't easy, I was scared and homesick, and yet being with Una made me feel something I'd never felt before in my life. A sibling bond, the kind a true brother and sister feel. So I became her 'new' brother and I did everything in my power to help her. I played games with her, told stories, taught her to draw and read. It was a wonderful time and I had a lot of fun, that a part of me didn't want it to end. Yet I knew I belonged home on Berk and Una needed to cross over to the afterlife. We found a riddle on the cave's walls and solved it. As soon as we solved it and then her brother's spirit came back from the afterlife to take her 'home'. I was very sad and depressed that our time had come to an end. But both told me were family. That I would always be Una's other big brother and Boden told me I was his brother as well. They promised to watch over me from Valhalla and I promised to give them a proper funeral. Once they walked through blinding light to the next life I just cried. Then I felt myself yanked back to my body. I woke up in my bed with my helmet on my head, which was made from half your breast plate, and the toy dragon you made me in my left hand. I cried and vomited a bit and then I ran into the village screaming for my father and friends. We rejoiced and I kept my word to Una and took both her remains and Boden's and gave them a proper but beautiful funeral. When we got Una's remains out of the cave I discovered some of her hair had become encased within the crystals of the cave. So I made the best one into a necklace and I've worn it everyday since. I never want to forget the only person who I consider to be my sibling. I also promised I wouldn't forget her. And I've never have. She's in my heart just like you were and so is Dad," he said finishing his story.

Valka was for a few minutes very quiet and took the necklace into her own hands and looked at it with new meaning. She felt bad she hadn't been around to give Hiccup a sibling but was happy he'd done so much good in her absence. He truly was her son and she was deeply proud of him.

"You've done many wonderful and amazing things my son. Even greater then taming dragons. You helped a spirit cross over. I'm so proud of you and I know Stoick is proud of you too. Now you've got three souls watching over you and Berk. I'm happy you had a sister even if it was only for such a short time. I love you my son."

"I love you too, Mom. And Una?" he spoke out loud, "I know you're listening please know I've kept my promise and you've not been forgotten again. I still love you my sister." To his amazement he suddenly felt a familiar sensation that he hadn't felt in five years. He knew Una's unseen spirit was in the room and she was hugging him and kissing his cheek, letting him know she was still there for him as he'd been here for her. He then also felt the strong arms of his father and for a few moments all of the family both the living and dead were together for a moment of warmth and love. Hiccup smiled and so did his mom and Toothless. He knew he'd never forget his sister and he was glad she and his father both were watching over him. For nothing can break family ties and love withstand everything, even death! So love is forever!

The End.