Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD
Chapter Fourteen – Reunited
Toothless landed gingerly on the beach, relieved to have a chance to fold his wings. Hiccup winced as he dismounted. He wasn't half sore, especially in places he didn't like to mention…it turned out that riding without a saddle, or safety straps, on a piece of metal was rather painful. Who'd have figured?
He heard footsteps behind them, crunching on the snow, and a familiar voice, breathless. "Hiccup." He stiffened…and slowly turned around. Stoick was standing there, with a woman he didn't recognise, both of them staring at him as if they were seeing him for the first time.
With great trepidation, Hiccup met his father's eyes. And instead of the shame, or disappointment, or anger that he feared…he only saw love, and relief. The same relief, he realised, that was coursing through him. "Dad" he gasped out. He stumbled forwards, then staggered, then threw himself into his father's arms. Valka hugged him, and Stoick wrapped his arms around them both.
"You're alive" he murmured, holding them close. "Oh, gods. You're both alive."
He was never letting them go.
"I'm sorry, dad" Hiccup said tearfully, his voice muffled in Stoick's beard. "I'm so sorry!"
"Aye. I'm sorry too, son."
Son? "You still…I'm still your son?" Hiccup asked timidly.
Stoick pulled back to look at him properly. "What sort of question is that? Of course you are, why wouldn't you be?"
Hiccup hung his head, ashamed. "I'm a thrall" he said dully, tugging down his collar to reveal the slavemark branded on his shoulder. Valka gasped at the sight, and Stoick clenched his fist. "I can't be your heir…you're supposed to disown me…" he protested weakly.
"Why in the name of Odin's soiled skivvies would he disown you over that?"
Stoick gave Gobber a disapproving frown. The blacksmith winced a bit and agreed, "Ah. Right. Not the time…as you were."
Shaking his head in exasperation, Stoick reached out and gently lifted Hiccup's chin, making the young man look at him. "Listen to me. You will always be my son, and you are not a thrall. No brand or mark will ever change that."
"He's right. Your father and I love you, Hiccup, and we are so proud of you" Valka interjected, smiling at him. It faded a little when her son looked at her without recognition, and she realised that of course, he wouldn't remember or recognise her. She was a complete stranger to him.
Hiccup blinked. This woman had been riding the Four-Wing, he thought he recognised her clothes…she and her dragon had protected him and Toothless. "I…I'm sorry, ma'am" he said uncertainly, "sh-should I…know you?"
Valka sighed. "No…you were only a babe." She met her son's confused gaze and finished, "but a mother never forgets."
Hiccup's eyes widened in disbelief. Stoick chuckled softly and put an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Aye, son. I'd like you to meet your mother, Valka."
"…My…mom?" Hiccup murmured wonderingly. This woman was his mother, she was alive, and she loved him and she was proud of him and she rode a dragon…was he dreaming? If so, he hoped he'd never wake up. He swallowed and began to smile, cautiously, but before he could…
"How touching."
That sneering voice, dripping with contempt, chilled Hiccup to the bone. The tentative smile on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by wide eyed horror. No. It can't be – not now – we got out – "No, please – Master, I'm sorry, please don't! – no!" Hiccup pleaded, seeing and hearing only threats of being flogged, raped, starved, having his eye gouged out…Valka caught him as his legs buckled and he almost fell to his knees, shaking all over and gasping for breath.
Toothless rounded on Hauke, snarling viciously as he put himself between the monster and his Hiccup. Now there were no chains, no muzzle, nothing to hold him back. Hauke was the one in chains, that bound his hands behind his back; he was being frogmarched between Adulfr and the stranger Toothless had nearly been forced to kill. He looked murderous, but that would soon change.
Sure enough, the moment he heard Hiccup say 'master', Stoick saw red. He marched forwards and grabbed Hauke around the throat, lifting him clear off the ground with one hand. "You!" he snarled, "You're the nithingr who took my son from me!" Hiccup had panicked just at the sight of this man, begged for mercy, called him – gods, what had this coward done to his boy?
Meanwhile, his wife and Toothless were comforting Hiccup, who clung to his dragon like a lifeline. The dark haired youth who had brought Hiccup's captor to them stepped towards him boldly. "Don't worry, Hiccup. Hauke won't be hurting you or Toothless anymore" he declared firmly.
Hiccup looked up, hastily rubbing away tears. "A…Adulfr? What are you doing?"
"I think, for once, I might be doing the right thing" replied Adulfr. He turned and looked up at his father, stone faced. "I heard what you said. How I was more use as a slave than as a son. My whole life, I tried to be worthy of you…but that was a waste of time. I've had a whole week to think about this. I've seen how Hiccup and his dragon care for each other, the way you never cared for me.
"If you think I'm more use as a slave than a son, then I'm not going to be either. Goodbye, father" Adulfr said coldly. He looked back at Hiccup, took a deep breath and added "Now if you'll excuse me…I don't think I want to watch this." With that, he turned on his heel and marched towards the ocean. Eret edged away as well, giving the Night Fury a wide berth.
Stoick broke the silence first. "If that's how you treated your own son, I'd hate to be you when I find out how you treated mine" he glared at Hauke.
The dragon hunter rasped out, "I improved him."
"You enslaved him!"
"But I didn't kill him" Hauke retorted, as if it made a difference.
"No…" Hiccup said slowly, without raising his head. "You killed your first slave and replaced him with me. You had your men treat me like dirt, you had me flogged, you let them" – he choked off, hands clenching into fists – "you made Toothless pull your stupid ship, you starved him…" He looked up at Hauke. "You didn't kill me. You just made me wish I was dead." Hiccup's gaze was dark.
Valka stared at her son and his dragon in horror, shocked by how much they had suffered. With every cruelty Hiccup spoke of, Stoick's grip had tightened around Hauke's neck until the man was choking, face red and eyes bulging. "I've heard enough. Toothless, do you want a piece of him before I finish the job?" Stoick inquired of the Night Fury, who glanced uncertainly at Hiccup.
His other half nodded. "Go on, bud. I know you've been wanting to do this since the monsters took us away…now's your chance." Hiccup had never wanted him to maul someone before, much less encouraged him to. Still, he had permission, and Toothless knew exactly how he would punish Hauke for all he had done.
Stoick punched Hauke in the midriff and sent him flying into the snow. "He's all yours" the Chief informed Toothless, who gathered himself up and leapt. He pinned the monster under his claws and snarled, blasting away Hauke's left spaulder with a well aimed plasma blast. Then he savaged the man's tunic and tore it away to reveal bare skin. Hauke gasped for breath and struggled.
"Is that all you've g-AAAAAH!" Hauke screamed when Toothless breathed white hot flames on his shoulder, burning skin and scorching flesh. He flipped Hauke over and tore off the backplate before scoring bloody gashes onto his back, over and over again. He pounded Hauke with his paws, tossed his screaming victim like a rag doll, tore off the armour and blasted Hauke's stomach with fire.
He blasted off more armour on Hauke's arms and legs with small plasma blasts, then savagely tore and bit at him until the snow all around was stained crimson. Hauke screamed and begged for mercy, but that only enraged the dragon even more, and he beat the hunter bloody. Everyone, humans and dragons alike, watched the grisly scene unfold with horrified fascination, unable to look away.
Toothless' anger fed into Hiccup and vice versa, in a loop that had his fists clenched and heart pounding. His eyes widened when Toothless' back spines began to glow bright blue. Fury's Fire! So it was a real thing, not one imagined. Toothless reared up, wings spread for balance, and charged a plasma blast, his biggest yet, aiming right at Hauke's head…but instead it struck the ground.
Toothless dropped back to his paws and stepped aside. He panted and looked up at Stoick. With his slit pupils, the blood on his claws and fangs, and that mysterious light shining from his spines, he looked more than ever like the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Toothless gestured with a wing at Hauke, who seemed half-dead already, groaning in agony, and nodded.
The chief returned a solemn nod of his own. He would end this miserable creature, for his son, and for the poor man who had been sacrificed for the monster's sadistic plan to steal his only child away. "Astrid, I'll need your axe."
She handed it over at once. The glow on Toothless faded as he returned to Hiccup, who welcomed him with open arms. Stoick marched forwards, bent down and grasped the front of Hauke's bloodstained tunic. He hauled the man upright; Hauke struggled to lift his head, and much to Stoick's satisfaction, there was fear in his eyes. "You don't deserve to live" he declared.
The axe took Hauke's head off in one clean blow. Toothless slumped, and moved towards the ocean; the dragons nearby backed away, but Hiccup stuck to his side as if welded there. When they reached the water, Eret nervously circled around Toothless and edged his way back up towards the others.
Hiccup quietly began helping Toothless wash the blood off of himself. Adulfr remained standing on some rocks, looking out to where his dead father's ship was still moored. An awkward silence fell, and nobody was sure what to say or do. It almost felt anticlimactic. "So…this is nice. Family reunion, and uh…nothing like a vicious mauling to, ah…" Eret cleared his throat.
"Thank you, Eret" said Astrid, "We couldn't have done this without your help."
"Oh…you're welcome. It was nothing, really. All in a day's work…" he trailed off when he glanced at Valka, and winced. With a nervous laugh, he remarked "You must be, uh…"
"The dragon thief?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah…uh, no hard feelings, about all that, right? Cos I am done with trapping" Eret declared firmly, offering a hand to shake. Valka paused, but she could tell he was genuine, so she accepted the handshake and smiled warmly at him.
Stoick put an arm around her shoulders – he was never going to tire of being able to see and touch her, or Hiccup for that matter – and waved a hand at the assorted dragon riders. "Val, these are our son's friends…and girlfriend" he added slyly, gesturing to a certain blonde haired shield-maiden.
Astrid smiled and introduced herself. "Astrid Hofferson. It's an honour to meet you, Mrs Haddock."
"Oh, the pleasure's all mine, dear; and please, call me Valka."
Ruffnut looked bewildered. "Wait, so, let me get this straight. Hiccup isn't really dead, his mother isn't really dead…is there anyone else who isn't really dead?"
"Viggo isn't really dead."
"What?!"
"No, wait! My bad, he is. Dead, I mean. He wasn't really dead the first time, but now he's definitely dead. I think." Tuffnut blinked uncertainly. "What are we talking about?"
Astrid rolled her eyes. "That's Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston. Please, just ignore them" she advised Valka, who seemed slightly bewildered.
Fishlegs looked ready to burst from excitement. "So, you've been living with dragons this whole time?" he asked Hiccup's mother eagerly. "Oh my gods, you – you must have learned so much! Please, tell us everything. Oh, where are my manners? My name's Dragons and I'm the log-master of the Book of Fishlegs!" he babbled, before blinking and realising, "Wait…that's not right…"
"Slow down, lad" Gobber remarked, clapping Fishlegs on the shoulder. "We know you're more hungry for dragon knowledge than a Nadder is for chicken, but give her some breathing room, okay? It's a lot to take in."
"Right, sorry. Um…Fishlegs Ingerman. I am. Uh. It's nice to meet you."
Valka smiled kindly at him. "It's very nice to meet you as well."
Snotlout butted in, because of course he did. "Snotlout Jorgenson, at your service. You know, it was actually because of me and Hookfang that we found Eret here who led us to Drago's armada and your son. But there's no need to thank me; getting our dear Hiccup back safe and sound is its own reward."
Astrid raised an eyebrow. "Wow. You are so humble" she deadpanned sarcastically. He would try to make out that this was all because of him.
Tuffnut then remarked, "Uh, I don't mean to be that guy…"
"Yeah, you do!"
"No, you're right, I do. So should I just ask about the Buffalord in the room?"
"…What Buffalord? And we're outside, duh."
"What are you two muttonheads talking about?" Astrid demanded, impatient.
"I'm just thinking, if Hiccup isn't dead – which is great, don't get me wrong, it's good to have you back, H" – here Tuffnut looked at Hiccup, who was hovering nearby with Toothless, "but um, if it wasn't your body we set on fire, then who…?" Tuffnut trailed off and looked at Hiccup questioningly.
Hiccup sighed. "His name was Sigurd" he replied, before taking a deep breath and looking at Eret, who froze. "I'm sorry. About before, I mean. Toothless didn't really want to kill you. He's not dangerous, honest, it's just – Drago was – we were scared – and my friends – I couldn't – he'd have" – Hiccup rambled in stops and starts, self-consciously wrapping a hand over his cropped hair.
Eret felt sorry for the poor guy; he'd seen how Drago treated dragons and he couldn't imagine the warlord had treated his slaves any better. I still can't believe he's dead. "Oh, don't worry about it! Wouldn't be the first time my life's been threatened by a dragon…eh, heh…besides, I know how Drago could be."
"But you're scared of Toothless" Hiccup said sadly. Eret winced, but he supposed it had been sort of obvious. The dragon in question whined softly and looked up at him with wide pupilled eyes. It was undoubtedly cute, but Eret couldn't just forget seeing the Night Fury's mouth filled with fire, aiming right for him, or hearing the screams of that hunter, even if the guy deserved it.
"It's alright" Astrid interjected, trying to keep her voice gentle. "You don't have to be scared of Toothless, Eret. He's a good dragon…Drago made him try to kill you, and that Hauke got what was coming to him. Here, I'll prove Toothless isn't dangerous" she declared, approaching him and Hiccup cautiously. Not because she thought they would hurt her, but because she didn't want to spook them.
Slowly, she reached out a hand towards Toothless. He crooned and stepped forwards, pressing his snout into her palm. She felt him sigh in relief. "See? He's fine. You can trust him" Astrid told Eret, who was looking on in wonder. Hiccup gave her a grateful nod, and she smiled at him. Toothless pulled away from her hand and looked over at Eret, clearly wanting to make amends.
Well, Eret son of Eret was many things, but a coward wasn't one of them. So he swallowed his fear, closed his eyes and stretched a totally not trembling hand towards the Night…towards Toothless. Odd name for a dragon he thought, just before he felt scales under his fingers. He gasped, eyes flying open. Toothless purred. Eret smiled tentatively. Toothless, bizarrely enough, smiled back.
Footsteps crunching on the snow made them look round as Adulfr approached. "We should thank you as well, I suppose" Astrid admitted, "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been able to take out the rest of those wretched hunters."
Hiccup stared at her. "You what?"
"Don't worry" she smiled reassuringly, "those horrible people can't hurt you anymore. We freed all the dragons they captured and they got…well, let's just say they met the same fate as Hauke" she finished.
"But then…why is their ship still here?" Hiccup asked nervously, looking back over his shoulder at the Black Death anchored some way off shore. Toothless growled at it, wrapping a wing and his tail protectively around his other half.
Adulfr replied, "Most likely because my – former father's men were sailing the ship, and the survivors don't know how to move it."
"Th-there are survivors?" Hiccup looked fearful; he was clearly imagining dragon hunters coming after him.
"There should be. The cooks, galley girls, cabin boys, the surgeon, Onarr" Adulfr listed off, shrugging. "Everyone who wasn't a dragon hunter."
Hiccup's expression morphed from nervousness to relief and then, inexplicably, to disappointment. "…Oh. You could have let Onarr get eaten."
That was so unlike him that Astrid immediately questioned, "Who's Onarr?"
"A backstabbing git" Hiccup responded, his voice surprisingly bitter.
Adulfr more helpfully explained, "Onarr is – or was, I suppose – our ship's captain's thrall. He and Hiccup…didn't get on well. I think he told my father about Hiccup's escape plan…so it failed."
"He hates me for getting Sigurd killed and he sold me out to save his own skin" Hiccup said bitterly, "but I guess it's my own fault for trying to help the ungrateful fucking coward" he scowled, shocking everyone. It wasn't like him to be profane. Then he cringed and hurriedly said "I, I'm sorry, I shouldn't – please don't – I'm sorry!" It wasn't like him to be this apologetic, either.
"Hiccup, it's alright" – Astrid reached a hand out to him, and he flinched as if expecting to be struck. She snatched it back like she'd been burned. "It's alright" she repeated cautiously, "You've been through a lot, but that's all over now, okay? Those men can't hurt you anymore. You're safe." This time, she held her hand out more slowly, letting him decide whether to take it or not.
He hesitated, but finally reached out and held her hand. She gently tugged him closer and remarked "You know, I think you look good with short hair."
"No, I don't…do you really still want me? Even though I'm…like this?" Hiccup asked shyly, gesturing to – well, all of him.
Astrid smiled. "Maybe this will convince you" she remarked, before pulling him into a kiss. Hiccup stiffened briefly – but then he relaxed and kissed her back.
Hug my dad? Check. Kiss Astrid? Double check.
Adulfr turned to Eret and asked, "You can sail a ship, correct?"
"Yeah…why?"
"Because I'll need some help sailing my fa- I mean, my ship back to my village, of course" Adulfr explained, as if it were obvious.
Eret raised an eyebrow. "I'll help you get home. But do you mind if we take a detour to find my crew? It'll be easier with more than the two of us."
"Very well" Adulfr nodded.
Hiccup looked over at him after breaking from another kiss with Astrid. "Adulfr? Thank you. For – well, for everything. Helping me, and my friends…are you okay? I mean, with your dad…" he trailed off, uncomfortable. He was relieved that Hauke was dead, but the man had still been Adulfr's father.
Adulfr took a deep breath and nodded. "It's for the best" he decided, "and besides, this means I'm the Chief. And I intend to be better at it than him."
Stoick remarked, "Well if you want some advice, from one Chief to another, you can start by freeing all those other thralls that your father had."
"And stop hunting dragons" Astrid added with a pointed glare.
"I can't do that. Who would do all the work? How would we get any gold?" Adulfr protested. When everyone frowned at him, he revealed "I'm kidding. I thought joking around is something that friends do?" he asked Hiccup.
Toothless rolled his eyes; Hiccup had a sudden urge to facepalm. "Uh, see, the thing is – just because I'm your friend, and they're my friends, it doesn't necessarily mean…oh, never mind. So…I guess this is goodbye" he remarked, overcoming his hesitation enough to hold a hand out to shake.
"For now" Adulfr replied, even as he shook Hiccup's hand. "You and Toothless should come visit. You can show us how to live in peace with dragons."
"I'd like that."
Adulfr looked at Snotlout. "You and your dragon should fly Eret and I onto my ship. I'd much rather not have to swim, or row in some rickety old dinghy."
"Uh, aren't you gonna say please?"
"Very well. Please."
Eret said goodbye to the riders, and a grumbling Snotlout took him and Adulfr to the deck of the Black Death. "Why that arrogant – how can you stand that guy?" Astrid asked Hiccup incredulously. Then again, he has put up with Snotlout…
"He could be a lot worse" Hiccup pointed out, "And he pretty much told me his only other friend is a wolf. Can you cut him some slack? I know he's kind of a jerk, but I trust him. Adulfr was…one of the few people on that ship who were kind to me" he confessed, looking away in embarrassment. In his head he knew he had nothing to be ashamed of, but the feeling still lingered.
Astrid sighed and nodded. Then her eyes widened and she exclaimed, "Oh! I just remembered, I have something for you. Stormfly?" She called her dragon over and rummaged in the saddlebag, lifting something out of it and hiding it behind her back. "I've been taking this everywhere…I know it's silly, but I just wanted to keep a part of you with me" she explained, holding the object out to Hiccup.
"…My leg" he murmured, reaching out to take it from her. The metal prosthetic was a familiar weight in his hands, scratched all over but sturdy. Using Toothless as a seat, he pulled off the horrid wooden peg and hurled it as far away from himself as possible. Hiccup secured his proper peg and tested his weight on it. It felt okay, but he still held onto Toothless. "Astrid…thank you. All of you, thank you so much, for everything. I…" Hiccup sniffled, "I really missed you guys."
"We really missed you, too" Astrid told him gently.
"And we're here for you, Hiccup. No matter what" Fishlegs insisted.
"We know you've had a really Ruff time of it lately, but you'll pull through."
"Yeah. You're too much of a Tuffnut to crack." The male twin grinned and asked "Get it? Rough? Tough nut?"
Hiccup chuckled. Toothless nuzzled him; he turned and held the dragon's head in his hands. "And thank you. I couldn't have gotten through this without you, bud" he murmured, resting his forehead against Toothless', "I love you."
*I love you too* Toothless purred. Then he licked Hiccup, again, and again…he was just so happy, and he loved Hiccup so much, and he'd even waited until after Hiccup had kissed his desired!
Nobody had gotten much sleep, and they decided to get some rest before travelling back to Berk. Stoick couldn't be happier. The gods had been merciful, returning to him not only his long lost wife but also their beloved son. It had broken Stoick's heart to see Hiccup so afraid; as incredibly vicious as Toothless' mauling of Hauke had been, he didn't blame the dragon in the slightest.
From the way Toothless was nuzzling Hiccup, it was hard to believe he'd ever gone into such a bloodthirsty state. With Gobber's help, Hiccup had removed the armour, including that awful metal collar. Their little family was in Valka's cave in the Dragon Sanctuary. Hiccup had indeed been awed by the sight of it all, as had the rest of his friends, who were resting with their dragons.
His wife was trying to fix them a meal – trying being the operative word. "I'm a little out of practice" she said apologetically, after stumbling and dropping some fish on the ground. Cloud Jumper swallowed them, but when Toothless whined he took pity and spat the fish back out. Toothless happily slurped them up, ignoring Hiccup's muttered jab of "You are so gross…"
"Ah, well, I didn't marry you for your cooking" Stoick joked, before offering – purely for her own sake, of course – to take over. She nodded, secretly relieved, and moved aside. Valka's curiosity got the better of her, and she gingerly approached her son and his dragon. They both looked up at her.
"Can…can I…?" Valka reached out a hand to Toothless, but looked at Hiccup, asking permission to come closer. Wordlessly, Hiccup nodded. She let Toothless sniff at her hand – he crooned, eyes half closing, and she knelt down to caress his head. "Incredible…I've never seen a Night Fury this close. And retractable teeth!" Valka said in delight as Toothless gave her a gummy smile.
She nuzzled noses with him, and smiled at her son. "He's beautiful."
"You too…I mean, thank you! I mean, uh…" Hiccup turned red and looked away.
Valka hesitated, then reached out and cupped his cheek in her hand. He leaned into her touch. "You're welcome, dear. And you're very handsome" she complimented. The poor thing blushed even harder, bless him.
Stoick served up the meal – not much, just a fish soup – and the three of them ate, not saying much but just glad to be in each other's company. Hiccup gulped his soup down like he'd been starving (unfortunately, that might have been true) and waited for his parents to finish. When they had, he gathered the bowls up and carried them over to a trickling waterfall.
Oblivious to the concerned looks of his parents and dragon, Hiccup began washing out the bowls. "Leave that, son" Stoick dismissed the task, but Hiccup kept doing it. "Hiccup?" he prompted, a little louder.
Hiccup jumped and looked up. "Yes, sir? I mean, dad?"
"Leave the dishes. We'll wash up later" Stoick insisted.
Hiccup's brow furrowed uncertainly. "But it's one of my…chores…" He seemed to realise, or remember, that he was no longer enslaved – the bowl in his hands fell from his suddenly slack grip and tumbled down to shatter on the floor. He flinched and crouched to pick up the pieces, quickly rambling "I'm sorry, I'll clean it up, please don't – don't hit me, I" –
"Hiccup!"
At his father's exclamation, Hiccup flinched again and stammered "Y-yes sir?"
Stoick sighed. "Son" he went on, more gently, "Leave that and come sit back down, please."
Red faced, Hiccup slowly put the pieces of broken clay down and returned to his makeshift seat. He was tense as the trigger of a snare, refusing to meet their eyes. Toothless shifted and pressed his head against Hiccup's thin chest, purring; he wrapped his arms around the dragon and held on tight. "I know…" he began, voice strangled. "I need to be punished."
Toothless growled slightly. Stoick and Valka looked at each other in worry. "It's just a broken bowl. It doesn't matter" Stoick pointed out.
Hiccup shook his head. "Not…not that. I mean…for going to Myrkr alone. For c-causing so much trouble…" He sniffed and wiped his face on his sleeve.
"We're not going to punish you for that, either" Stoick said firmly, "you've been through enough."
Rather than reassuring Hiccup, as he'd hoped, this only seemed to distress his son even more. "Of course…being enslaved was my punishment. Should've figured…" he muttered, voice dull. Toothless nudged at him, but he shook his head. "It's true. You know it is. It's all my fault…"
His parents were very concerned now. "Hiccup, dear…surely you don't think you deserved what happened to you?" Valka asked slowly.
He looked at her with tear filled eyes and replied, "I went to Myrkr alone, and I got an innocent man killed. Sigurd didn't deserve to die, but I…I must have…if I didn't, then why? Why did this happen? Why…why me?" Hiccup asked desperately. He broke down in tears and buried his face in Toothless' scales.
Valka looked on, feeling helpless and broken-hearted. She looked up at Stoick, who could only shake his head. It was bad enough that Hiccup had suffered so much, but for him to believe he deserved it…For a few moments, the only noises were the waterfall, Hiccup's muffled sobs, and Toothless' croons. Stoick couldn't stand it. He wanted – no, needed – happier sounds.
His wife stood up and moved to clean up the dishes…but she froze when she heard Stoick whistling. That tune…she knew it so well. "Do you remember our song, Val?" he murmured, tentative, hopeful. "I'll swim and sail, on savage seas…with ne'er a fear of drowning…" Stoick sang softly. Valka stared at him, stricken. "And gladly ride the waves of life…if you will marry me…"
He stepped towards her, reaching a hand out to stroke her cheek. "No scorching sun, nor freezing cold, will stop me on my journey…if you will promise me your heart…and love…" Stoick trailed off, hoping that she would finish the verse. When she hesitated a moment too long, he sighed and lowered his hand.
"And love me for eternity" Valka sang, catching his hand again. "My dearest one, my darling dear...your mighty words astound me…but I've no need of mighty deeds when I feel your arms around me."
"But I would bring you rings of gold, I'd even sing you poetry."
"Oh, would you?" Valka chuckled. Hiccup had stopped crying, and was looking on in wonder at something he never thought he'd see – his parents, dancing.
"And I would keep you from all harm! If you would stay beside me."
"I have no use for rings of gold, I care not for your poetry! I only want your hand to hold."
"I only want you near me!"
"To love, to kiss, to sweetly hold, for the dancing and the dreaming! Through all life's sorrows and delights, I'll keep your love beside me. I'll swim and sail on savage seas, with ne'er a fear of drowning, and gladly ride the waves of life…"
"If you will marry me…"
"If you will marry me" Valka finished, smiling, before sharing a kiss with her husband. They both looked over at Hiccup and held a hand out to him. He stood up and approached cautiously, until Toothless lost patience and simply pushed him into their arms, before poking his head into the family hug as well.
Hiccup smiled and said, "Thanks, dad, mom. I…I feel a lot better now."
"Good. And Hiccup, listen to me" Stoick said seriously, putting a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "I don't know why something so dreadful happened to you…but I know you did not deserve it. It's not your fault Sigurd died, so don't blame yourself. Now, you and Toothless should get some rest" he prompted.
Hiccup's eyelids drooped. "Yes, s-Dad" he replied docilely, yawning. His mother gave him a kiss on the forehead and stroked Toothless' nose. They curled up together in a corner of the cave, falling asleep almost at once.
The riders travelled back to Berk with an unexpected entourage. All of the armoured dragons began to follow them as they left the Sanctuary, to the alarm of everyone except Hiccup. He explained that because he and Toothless had appeared to be the ones who 'defeated' the grey Bewilderbeast, the dragons under his command would now follow the pair as their Alphas.
This had prompted Astrid to ask about something she'd been puzzled about. Namely, Hiccup telling Drago what his dragon was saying. With a lot of trepidation, he explained how he and Toothless had heart bound, and what it meant. When he learned that Hauke had gone so far as to actually try to kill his son, Stoick's only regret was that he hadn't hacked the nithingr up a bit more.
Hiccup expected them to be upset; and true, they weren't sure what to make of it, but his friends and parents were very supportive. Not just of his bond with Toothless, but of him adjusting back. He kept waking at dawn and having to remind himself that he could sleep in, that he didn't have to work all day. He still nearly said "Yes, sir" or "Yes ma'am", and cringed when he didn't.
With encouragement from Toothless, Hiccup admitted to his dad that he had never particularly wanted to be Chief, never felt he could live up to Stoick's legacy. His father reassured him that he'd already surpassed expectations, and acknowledged that he too should have made more of an effort to talk to Hiccup about the matter. Astrid was still willing to be Chief of Berk, whilst Hiccup would be co-Alpha with Toothless and the 'ambassador' between Vikings and dragons.
When Berk came into view at last, Hiccup felt his heart leap at the sight. The so familiar mountain and spire, the sea stacks and forests, the village. He had feared he wouldn't see his home again for years, that when he returned it would have changed beyond recognition. Beneath him, he felt Toothless rumble in contentment, and reached out to stroke his crown, smiling fondly.
The villagers emerged to greet the returning riders. They were quite surprised to see the assortment of armoured dragons that had followed the riders home. More shocked still when Stoick landed on the steps of the Great Hall, and on either side of him landed two people nobody expected to ever see again.
"People of Berk!" Stoick boomed out to the assembled, open mouthed crowd, "Drago Bludvist is dead, his dragons have joined us, and my wife and son are alive!" he announced. For a heartbeat, there was only silence.
Then villagers and dragons alike burst into joyous applause, cheering and roaring so the whole island echoed with it. Hiccup let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, as he looked at all the familiar faces, heard everyone welcoming them home. *It's good to be back* Toothless purred. Hiccup agreed, feeling another piece of his broken heart fall back into place. We're home.