Happy Holiday

It was the first day of the Week of Snoggletog; the traditional winter holiday of the people of Berk. Though it had the stupidest of names which again for Vikings who had really stupid ideas for names to begin with it was a very wonderful nice holiday overall.

It was a time of year to let go of all the negative stuff of the year and let bygones be bygones, forgive and forget, all battles were in ceasefire and just showing the true human spirit.

There was also just enjoying playing in the fresh snow, singing fun songs, eating a big feast and dancing all night long and of course getting gifts from Odin, who gave them out for people hopefully learning something in the year important over the past year.

Therefore they deserved a present for learning a lesson or two. Or at least that was the explanation parents told their children of why they left their helmets out to be filled with goodies. Likewise why they gave gifts to each other as well.

The Week of Snoggletog started December 18th and ended the 26th so each day was very important as it lead to big day of true celebration. Overall people really did get into the holiday spirit as it really was the only time the village didn't torment the Chief's three children which it seemed they'd done since each had been born simply because they're the unforgiveable sin of being different.

Still not wanting to take any chances that people holiday spirit would be overridden by their normal distain for them Hiccup, Boden and Una were currently within their house doing their own projects whilst their father was busy overseeing the rest of the village preparing the village for the holiday.

14 year old Hiccup was at the kitchen table pouring over numerous diagrams of various inventions he wanted to get to building, 9 year old Boden was cleaning out the dragon shaped panpipes he'd received last year for Snoggletog at the other end of the table and little 4 year old Una was laying on the hearth rug writing new Snoggletog songs.

Their mother Valka was busying herself with what had become her job every Snoggletog. Their mom according Gobber may be the lousiest cook on the island, on the other hand no-one made better hot chocolate then she did.

As a result she was making large amounts for the Snoggletog party as she did every year. Though she kept an eye on all her children as she did this and noted a few things about all of them that she and her husband had found unusual about their children.

Again one reason they're inside and not partaking in helping with the rest of the village getting ready for the holiday was everyone consider them 'odd' was the nice word for it.

All three of the children had inherited her body type meaning they're slim build, though still rather scrawny for their ages. Plus their brainy not brawny which seemed to be a sin for a Viking as if thinking was wrong.

A strange thing they found out was all three of them were left-handed while both she and Stoick were right-handed. At least one thing all three of them did get from both their parents were they're gifted in music, for they did get their parents' good singing voices, could dance well and play music well.

Though they're too shy to do this in public and only did it on "Music Nights." Which usually was when it was storming outside and the family curled around the fire and spent the evening singing and dancing. Neither she nor Stoick blamed them for not wanting the villagers hear or see them play when they made fun of them so much already.

Though there were other gifts she knew they had that Stoick did not. Valka knew certain secrets about her children that she feared her husband would never know about their children. Which she felt was a shame for these talents made them very special, but as it was at the moment it was too dangerous to let him know all their secrets.

It was bad enough they had to keep from the village the secret of all their children apparent what Stoick called "eccentrics" which referred to their personal struggles mentally and emotionally.

It was something they'd noticed as parents and worked extra hard to keep the rest of Berk from noticing. That Hiccup clearly had sever attention problems and only could focus on certain topics if they really interested him or that he clearly had some issues with both heighten anxiety and depression.

Boden's problems were his unpredictable mood swings and how they affected his behavior. One minute he be one way and then the next he'd be the other and sometimes it really changed how he behaved.

Una really struggled with hers. It really hinder her in social interaction, motor and learning skills, and already showing signs of affecting her behavior in strange small ways that only a parent would notice or her brothers.

Overall it was very hard on Stoick and Valka as parents. To one run the village and make sure the village was running smoothly which was a hard enough job as it was. Then two make sure all their children's special needs were taking care of and they're loved for who they were. Whilst at the same time not letting two sets of secrets be found out.

Therefore she causally brought this up as she stirred the large pot on the fire she was using to make her latest batch of hot chocolate. "So how are you all doing? Is everything going alright?" she asked in a gently nonchalant tone.

"We're fine, Mom. I just hope these new ideas of mine help with both our dragon rescuing and with this cool idea I've got for something special for our Music Nights," replied Hiccup looking up for a moment from some of his diagrams.

One looked like he was trying to build something that be a useful tool in aiding them in their secret work of rescuing dragons. The other was the blueprint for some kind of musical instrument.

"What kind of tool are you trying to build, Hiccup?"

"Well as one of my gifts is I can hear the heart call out if someone in trouble I'm hoping to build a better compass that can somehow work with my powers to keep better track of our positions."

"I see, what the other thing you're working on?"

"That's a surprise for the party, Mom. So I can't tell you that. But at least it will make a lot of memories!"

"And maybe it will enchant that power of yours to draw them out, brother!" laughed Boden as he tested out his panpipes, yet they still didn't sound right. He grumbled moody. "Blast the gods! Geez! I've been cleaning these an hour and the still don't sound right! Ugh! This is so infuriating!" and he was starting to get really riled up and looking ready to do some damage.

"Boden! Please! Calm down!" his mother cried out abandoning the pot for a moment and held his hands in hers, "Please remember your coping skills. Take a deep breath in and out, come on. Please before your mood goes really sour."

Slowly Boden did as his mom had taught him to do when his anger or other moods started to shift. All three of them had to learn different coping skills though just being with each other helped a lot.

"Feel better?" she asked after he'd done it for five minutes and he nodded. "It's very ironic, don't you think, Mom?"

"What, Boden?" she asked as she stroked his hair that now was in short ponytail.

"That while I've problems with my own emotions and moods I have the power to feel the emotions and thoughts of dragons? Doesn't it seem ironic to you?" he asked his mother who didn't get a chance to reply because their little sister finally spoke from her place on the rug.

"Well your powers are neat and cool, but I think I take the cake with what I was blessed with by the gods, my BBBFF! I mean I'm the bridge between worlds! I can talk to the dead and see both past and future at times! How do you think I feel at times?" as she played nervously with the lilac that now was part of her hair.

Everyone paused to look at Una's hair for it was one of the strangest things ever even though it been six months they still hadn't gotten use to the fact her hair be like this for the rest of time.

During the summer when things had gotten too much for the three of them in the village they disappeared into the woods and gone exploring and swore some strange force had lead them to this strange cavern deep in the woods.

It would've been impossible otherwise to find it. There was something strange and mysterious about that cavern, it held a strange energy in the air and both the outside and inside spoke it wasn't normal.

But the thing was they'd found a ring of lilac flowers growing inside and since that was Una's favorite thing in the world they'd picked them, gone home and made a dye form them and dyed the last three four inches of her hair with them.

The family expected the dye job to last at most two weeks. It didn't, it just got more vibrant in fact and gave no sign of fading out. It didn't matter how much they washed her hair it didn't wash out either.

Finally after two months of her hair likes this they'd taken Una to the village elder Gothi to get her opinion and she'd told them, to be more accurate she wrote since Gothi was a mute, and you'd to really work hard to read what she was 'saying". On the other hand she said the flowers had been exposed to a supernatural energy and Una's hair was forever changed by it. As a result it be like this for the rest of her life.

Una was excited about being unique still everyone was still adjusting to it nonetheless. Again her parents were worried about the children already picked on for being different. And Una had the strangest of the 'eccentrics' and to their mother's knowledge one of the most mysterious gifts.

"Well, sweetheart, you were all blessed with your own unique gifts for a reason. Though again I know you all barely understand them let alone can control them. Still you are who you are for a reason."

"But Mommy even you and Daddy know we are different in so many ways it's so hard at times to be us! It's amazing we even can live on this island with the kind of lives the three of us live! Our secret lives with our dragons and gifts and these strange inner problems!"

"I know you three all have tough lives and many secrets, but that's why we truly enjoy this time of year. To remind us why we're all so blessed and there is hope and goodness in the world. That things can and will change for the better one day."

"Mom we know the true gifts of the world are the ones that are taken for granted and yet needed the most. The ones we need to truly remember this time of the year the most.

It's what you've been so sure to remind all of us every year. You've always said it's what the heart and soul need the most that matters the most. We need the gifts of love, family, friendship the most.

Those are things that we need and can't be replaced ever that's the gifts we need and should give others and the whole world every year." Hiccup spoke up to his mom from the table as he knew her holiday speech by heart after hearing it for 14 years.

"We also know so well, Mom. The meaning of this time of year is to be reminded of things we also need in life. We need to have faith, hope, trust, belief and our dreams. For those are needed as much and we needed this time of year to remember those simple but vital things at their most important times as well," Boden also knew his mom's speech so well.

"I may have only heard this speech three time before now and only can really remember it twice, but I also understand it perfectly what this time of year means and what matters in life and what the true meaning of this holiday and time of year is about, Mommy.

The things that matter most in life or death are the things that cannot be seen, heard, held, or touched by the normal senses but only by the heart and soul. Things that have no wealth of Earth but will matter beyond this Earth or any other Realm.

For what truly matters most is living a life full of love and leaving a legacy of it behind. For since love comes in so many shapes and forms that what truly matters. So as long as you live your life in love and give it to others and this world then you've done all that matters and in death you fear nothing!"

Valka smiled that her children had learned the lesson she'd wanted them to learn so much about the true meaning about Snoggletog. It wasn't so much about the decorations or gifts but the human spirit and what truly matter in life and death and that more people do well to remember that.

"I'm glad you listen and pay attention when it truly matters. Even if your father says you all have the attention spans of sparrows which I guess is true. Especially for you, Hiccup, no offense, sweetheart."

"None taken, Mom."

"Alright, so anyone want to tell me if this batch of hot chocolate is at perfection yet or needs a little more time?" she inquired to the room at large when a booming voice answered over a cold wind that swept the room.

"I'll be the first taste tester today, Val, seeing how I really need to warm my body and soul up right now! Burr, it's getting cold out there!" Stoick answered as he shut the door quickly.

"Dad! Daddy!" his children cried happily as they got up to run over and hug him as Valka smiled as she got some goblets full of her hot chocolate for everyone to taste.

"So what have you three been up to while I was busy getting frostbite on my spleen?" their father asked to which they laugh at since they knew he was repeating the joke Hiccup had made that morning at breakfast.

"Oh we've kept pretty busy doing a bit of this and that, Dad." Hiccup replied honestly but could see his father wanted a more detailed answer so he showed him some of his diagrams. "I've been working on drawing up some new diagrams. I want to build a better compass to help our boats as well when we do rescue mission find things. I was also designing something special for the Snoggletog party that you and Mom are just gonna have to wait till then to see."

"I've been cleaning my panpipes out so I could practice with them. Though I was starting to have one of my moods again, though Mom had me do that deep breathing technique she came up with to help me calm down," Boden confessed honestly look a bit unhappy to inform his father about his moodiness.

"What have you been up to then Una?" her daddy asked her gently as she had a mile wide grin that spilt even wider. "Thanks to my BBBFF helping me with learning to read and write so early I've been busy writing brand new Snoggletog songs, Daddy!" she proclaimed proudly as she opened her notebook to show him her writing which for a four year old was pretty decent.

Stoick smiled proudly at all his children making them all feel good inside and soon they're all very warm inside too as they drank their mother's hot chocolate. "Hmm, true perfection, Valka. Finer then finest wine of Asgard," he compliment his wife though this earned him a sharp look from Valka.

"Stoick, you know the rules. We do not bring up even the mere words of poison in this household. I will not have my children's minds, bodies or souls tainted by any sort of poison," she remind him sternly which made Stoick looked abashed and the children looked a little uneasy.

Valka was very firm in her beliefs and she was firmly against certain things in life. Particularly the poisons of life. There were a great many things she deemed to be poison, but the one she was referring to at moment was alcohol. She saw that as poison to the body and wouldn't even tolerate it mentioned in her presence.

She'd more than a few good reasons to not like it and what it did to people and to keep it away from her children. Everybody knew better then to argue with Valka when it came to the topic of what she deemed of poison or if she felt something was a danger to her family.

"Sorry, Val. It was a slip of the tongue, won't happen again. Though your hot chocolate is still perfection in my opinion."

"Yes it is Mom/Mommy!" the children chimed in which made their mom settle down some.

"Thank you very much for the compliments, seeing how I get such insults mostly from Gobber about my cooking. Still ever year for Snoggletog the whole village screams to Valhalla for my hot chocolate and need not to worry, Stoick. I'll have more than enough of this perfection made for the party. I've never failed to deliver yet, have I?"

"No you haven't, Val. Now as for you three, are you sure you don't want to partake in some of the festive this year? You could actually help someway this year instead of just staying in the house till the big party."

"Dad you know even if Snoggletog and everyone in the holiday spirit people are still likely to blame us or yell at us if even one measly thing goes wrong. Holiday spirit or not!" Hiccup remarked with his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall.

"It's just safer for us not to be caught in any crossfire even during the week of ceasefire, Dad! After all how is this week different from the rest of year in everyone else minds?" challenged Boden mimic Hiccup's stance.

"I'm only four, Daddy and even I know the villagers still get mad at us even when we do absolutely nothing wrong. They just blame us for everything under the sun that goes wrong in the village!" Una cried with tears in her blue eyes the eyes of her mommy.

"That's really too bad you feel that way, since I know for a fact there about to be a snowball war," Stoick said in a sly way and his children looked at him in a strange way as he continued.

"Snowball war?"

"Oh yeah I heard when I was overseeing the building of the Snoggletog tree in the town square. The Twins and Snotlout had roped Fishlegs as part of their army and Astrid was looking for some soldiers to be her army.

If say three soldiers were looking to get some 'revenge' during a ceasefire they'd be able to get it if they hurried to creek by the tree with the burned scar. Sure Astrid would love to have the help to take out the enemy…" he didn't get any farther then that as the three of them were out the door hurrying to get to that location as fast as they could get there.

Valka looked at her husband matching his mischievous grin. "So that's how you plan to get around the ceasefire rule of Snoggletog? A snowball war as it's never a simple fight but all-out war?"

"Well, it's not like the three of them don't have reason for a little revenge and even you have to admit even you want to see them have their revenge on those three."

"Of course I do! After how those three have tormented our children for years? It's bad enough at times the village picks on them, but children can be especially cruel.

Though even you and I can't really ever truly forgive what the Twins and Snotlout did to Boden and Una and most certainly Hiccup never gonna forgive them for it!"

"I did my best to punish them and so did their parents though I don' think either lesson sunk in."

"No, I really don't, Stoick. Even if most wouldn't approved of it, but if being spanked for locking Boden in that shed for an hour after beating Hiccup up when he was five as a prank, which is why he's now claustrophobic didn't work, and it didn't obviously!" she hissed angrily and he had to hold her to try and calm her down.

"I know you're still angry as I am about that. Though I think its Hiccup who's the most enraged as he felt he didn't live up to his promise for being a big brother. Which is why he still the most livid about what those three did to Una."

"Well he probably feels that was his fault too, after all he was just trying to give us an afternoon to ourselves when he took Boden and Una into the woods to that meadow for a picnic."

"Well, even so, he shouldn't feel guilty. How was he supposed to know those three had followed him? Even though I still wish I could've wrung their necks for what they did to our daughter?

I mean thinking it's just a joke to get a two year old lost for twenty minutes when Hiccup was trying to play hide and seek with her and Boden in the meadow? If I wasn't the chief and it wasn't wrong I would've murder them for that!"

"Well the damage is very lasting from that for sure since now Una's got that lasting fear of being alone. She can't stand being away from her brothers and will go into a full-blown panic if left alone for more than ten minutes!"

"All I could do was sentence them to hard labor and yet I still wish I could've hurt them for what they did to all three of them. So I hope they beat them to a pulp right now in that snowball war."

"Yes, a little revenge I think be very sweet for our family. Also Hiccup just gonna enjoy being near Astrid, since he's been in love with her forever. Isn't love so grand?"

"Yes, but let's get what we need done so we can finish our surprise for the children in time. And still pray to Odin they beat those three to a pulp."

"Gladly, Stoick."

Well Stoick and Valka didn't have to worry about their children not getting their revenge on the Twins and Snotlout. They just asked Fishlegs to make the snowballs. Therefore he wasn't part of getting annihilated by the four soldiers on the other side of the creek who had good reasons for totally and utterly annihilated their enemies.

Revenge was indeed a dish best served cold in this case. After they had undoubtedly won the war the siblings and Astrid had gone to the cove to try out the new skates that Hiccup had made.

It wasn't easy trying to learn to skate when you never skate before though after falling down at least five times each they got the hang of it. Boden was even able to do a couple of tricks even. Una did a little dance and both Boden and Una couldn't help but giggle when Hiccup and Astrid were skating together.

Astrid always acted tough as nails and only claimed she 'needed help' with Hiccup's crazy skates and was only doing this in the name of the 'holiday spirit'. Though the three of them had always suspected there was a different side to Astrid she didn't let show in public very often.

Either way they had a lot of fun just spending till it was almost dark skating around the pond in the cove. When it got dark Astrid offered to carry Una back to the house so Hiccup could carry Boden back to which he was happy about.

On the second day of the week of Snoggletog the kids had gone to the private space that was theirs at the back of Gobber's blacksmith shop to work on Hiccup's surprise. It was also a good place to practice singing and not be heard.

They weren't disturbed for most of the morning but about a quarter to eleven their privacy was invaded by Gobber who scared the shit out of them by coming in unexpected and more or less yelling at them did they know where their parents where?

Once they sure they're not gonna die of a heart attacks and doing their own yelling at Gobber for his lack of manners and that he should've at least knocked they told him they had no idea where their parents were.

It was like that for the remainder of the week for the whole Haddock family. The children would spend some time working at the blacksmith shop and practice singing in relative privacy. Then they go play and try to take some part in the holiday spirit.

Their parents would do their part in helping with the holiday but occasionally vanish for a couple of hours without anyone having any clue where they'd vanished too.

Finally it was December 26th and it was time for the big party and this year it was one of their best feast. There seemed to be more of an abundance of food and drinks this year. The laughter and fun was greater this year as well for some reason.

It was when the whole village was served a cup of their mother's hot chocolate and it was time to start singing the traditional songs that the children walked to the center of the room and announced they had a gift for the whole village.

Everyone in the village looked at them in surprise and wondered what kind of gift did they have for the whole village? So looking extremely scare and nervous being the center of attention of the whole village Hiccup unveiled his new musical instrument he'd invented and been practicing all week with.

He called it the Dragon Organ. It was a little bigger than a child's toy piano and it had two keyboards with different bells and chimes on top and different pipes coming out the back.

Taking a deep breath he started to play it with one keyboard working like a normal piano and the other controlling the bells on top and the pipes in the back. While he played his brother and sister started to sing and he soon joined them.

They sang the original song they'd written for holiday called "The 12 days of Snoggletog" and everyone was very impressed by their musical talent and gave them a standing ovation when they're done.

Feeling very happy that they hadn't embarrassed themselves they did enjoy the rest of the party and enjoyed the gifts they got from their parents. Their mother gave them new winter clothes and bedding she made them herself and their father gave them each a journal.

However, that wasn't the only gift they received from their parents that Snoggletog. It was after the party had ended and the rest of the village was going back to their houses that their parents lead them up a hidden pathway to a hidden clearing.

They explained to their children they'd been feeling for a long time that the three of them deserved their own secret hideaway. Like how Lover's Cove was theirs or how they also had the secret Dragon's Glen as well. Two locations known only to their family and no-one else ever had found.

Though they felt they need a place to call their own, a small sanctuary to go to when things became too much and could just have fun alone. So they brought them to a clearing to show they what they'd been working on in secret since about the time they'd found those flowers that changed Una's hair forever.

In a clearing concealed by beautiful trees with a very magnificent tree in the center was the most amazing tree house! It was a masterpiece in its own right and there was also a cool swing below for Boden and Una to play on.

They hurried up the rope ladder and found inside was even cooler then the outside. It'd a warm and cozy atmosphere with nice décor, beautiful things painted on the walls and overall it encompass some part of all three of them.

"Just your own space for all three of you. Any time life gets too much you have this place to come to. We also with your clever mind Hiccup have a way to have a fire without setting the place on fire. So you all three can spend the night here enjoying your Snoggletog gift!" Valka told them as their father showed them three sleeping bags made of the finest furs and how everything was set up for them.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! We love it! It's the best Snoggletog gift ever!" they cried in unison as all three of them hugged their parents and got ready to sleep.

After making they'd be warm enough and okay they promise they come get them in the morning. But after making sure everyone was tucked warm and snug like bugs in a rug with their dragon dolls the three siblings fell asleep and their parents went back to the house happy their children had their own space.

Though if Stoick was worried about them being cold he didn't have to be. Turned out that clearing was very near one of the many secret entrances and exits of Underground Dragon Sanctuary that was part of his wife and children's secret lives of rescuing and training dragons.

Each of them had been bonded with a unique dragon since they're six months old and the dragons weren't ones to be left out in the cold during the holidays either. They'd waited till they knew their Riders were totally alone and their parents weren't around.

They may be known to their mother but couldn't at this time risk being seen by their father or the village. So the three dragons who were known to the village as The Dragons of Legend the Night Fury, The Silver Phantom and the Aurora Borealis Singer or as they're named Toothless, Stardust and Nightrainbow snuck out of the Sanctuary to the tree house and curled around the tree.

They created a ring of embers around the tree and between that and their own body heat no way their Riders be cold. When they woke the next morning they saw their best friends and all of them cried out "Happy Snoggletog!" and indeed this was one none of them forget ever!