"You." Drago said as Valka flew down, readying her staff to fight. "I've waited a long time for this." He raised his own weapon and the two clashes, trying to overpower the other.
"You cannot take our dragons. They are controlled by the alpha." Valka said as they fought.
"Then it's a good thing I brought a challenger." Drago responded, and turned to the ocean. He took the end of his staff and waved it in circles in the air, shouting. To anyone else it might have seemed like he was just screaming, but Valka knew that cry.
"No." She said, and attacked him from behind. She was too late to realize what was going on and the grey Bewilderbeast rose from the depths onto the shore, where the white alpha, his sire, was waiting. Drago grunted and almost fell, but instead he shoved her backwards, and stomped on her chest armor, pinning her down. Valka tried to struggle, but it was no use. He removed her helmet and held back his weapon to bring the final blow.
He yelled, ready to end his enemy, but was suddenly jerked back by a punch to the face. Looking up, he saw someone he hadn't expected to see.
Stoick the Vast stood, looking down at his lost wife in the most shocking manner of faces.
Val. My wife was alive. How could this be? He thought, then remembered his conversation with Hiccup.
"The Death Rider and Hiccup are the same being. Both dark and light. Both one in the same. And just like before, there's nothing that can be done about it. So, there. There's my secrets. Everything that needed to be let out. You know now why I'm troubled so go ahead and try your best to fix me. Like mom should have done."
"What do you mean 'should have done?' She was dead, don't blame her for something she had no control over." Stoick became slightly angry at his son now.
"Psht, yeah right. I've already distinguished this, dragons don't just go for the kill. Especially not mothers. "I know about Mom. That she's alive. Where? What she's doing? I don't know. But, she's out there, for sure."
"How? What makes you so positive?"
"Because this gift we share," He turned his head, and lifted up the hair covering the scale on his neck. "bonds us. And I can sense, as a son should a parent, that she's out there."
"No, she would've come back. Hiccup, she loved you so much."
"Was she treated like I was? Like a weirdo? A runt?"
"Well, she did go against the killing-"
"Enough said. She felt like she didn't belong, and of course wanted to leave you with, as you said, training me to be a good heir. Plus, she probably had dragons to take care of. After all, I didn't come back."
He couldn't move. Stoick was stuck. What should he say now? It's been over 20 years since she left by her own will, not coming back despite having a loving husband and son. Did she really hate us that much? Did she really feel that hated? He wondered.
Valka was just as stunned. Her husband was here. The man she left behind with… Hiccup. If Stoick was here, would her son be also? They must hate her, after all she had done to them. She pondered on these questions. Not even Pache's words could make her think otherwise. Until the Berkian chief did something she would have never expected.
He held out a hand.
She took it, and flinched slightly upon contact. It was an awkward moment, yet it felt so right, her small hand in his large one. Another thing that was odd to her. Stoick's hand was soft, gentle. Sure it was worn with years of hard labor and fighting, but the kindness he put into that simple touch made her heart flutter.
Stoick also noticed something peculiar about his spouse's touch. Her hand was gentle, but it was awkward. She hadn't had a friendly contact with another person in so long, other than Pache and Gabe. But they were just two kids. Not to mention she left Berk behind. Why wouldn't she feel a little uncomfortable?
Despite the problems and doubts in the two's heads, they detected another feeling, something wonderful.
A loving bond that stood with them over all the years. They both still wore their rings, and the spouses noticed that. They made eye contact, and Valka couldn't help but smile in a love-struck manner. Stoick had tears welling up in his eyes, and smiled almost goofily.
"Thank you." She said, standing up.
"For you my dear, anything." He said, and turned to the man who just tried to kill his wife. A murderous look appeared in his eye, and Drago was angered at the chief.
"You?" Their weapons clashed, hammer against staff. "I watched you burn."
The two were equally strong, but Stoick had an advantage.
"It takes more than a little fire to kill me." He said, and shoved the one-armed man away.
When Drago got back up again, ready to strike, Stoick was gone. "AHHH!" He yelled in frustration. He wanted to kill those two so bad, but for now he had other things to do. So, he turned his attention to his Bewilderbeast, ready to lead him in the fight that he had been training for ever since he was born.
When Stoick was fighting his mortal enemy, he wasn't expecting to be plucked off the ground. Then again, he wasn't expecting a lot of things to happen. When he looked up, he saw Valka in her full armor riding a Stormcutter. She saved me. He smiled. It's not like he really needed saving anyway, but it's the thought that counts.
The dragon dropped him off behind an ice spike, shielding him from the vision of the battle. Valka circled around, making sure the area was safe before dropping herself onto the ground next to him. She took her helmet off and moved closer to him. They were only a few inches away from each other's faces. All the viking chief wanted to do was lean forward and kiss his wife. But he held back, afraid that she would deny him. He was afraid to move too quickly.
So she did instead.
With a tear running down her cheek, she leaned forward and met his lips with hers. It only lasted for a few seconds, but to the two it felt like years. In that single moment, all the years of being together almost ceased to exist, as if they had been together all this time. Their relationship was as fresh as ever, and the time spent apart healed it more than they would have thought.
"You're as beautiful as the day I lost you." He said, pulling her closer and staring into the eyes he had longed to see since the day she disappeared.
"Well, I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Gobber said, poking his head out from behind the ice shield.
"Gobber." Valka said, and the man came up to hug her. It was weird for a couple seconds, but she couldn't help but return the joyful embrace from her old friend.
"It's good to see you Valka." He said, letting her go.
"Gobber? What's going o-on." Hiccup said, walking in. He paused as he caught sight of the woman in front of him. "Should I… I feel like I should know you from somewhere." He stuttered, then rubbed the back of his neck. At the same time, Valka felt an itch on the back of hers, and rubbed it in irritation.
"Well, I'd better go. Sorry to miss the reunion but we're kind of in the middle of a war." Gobber said, and patted his old apprentice's shoulder. "Good luck boy'o."
After he walked out, Stoick walked over and put his hands on either side of his wife's upper arms.
"Hiccup." He spoke softly. "You were right."
"I-I was…" He stopped mid-sentence, realizing what his father just implied. "Right."
"Hiccup?" Valka asked, doing a double check on the man in front of her. Was this really her son? This man wearing dragon skin as armor, and taught everyone that dragons were good? She didn't doubt her granddaughter' words, but the sight was so much more unbelievable in real life. Almost like it was too good to be true. Like it was a dream and would disappear in any moment.
But it wasn't a dream. And when she walked toward him, he didn't step back, and his body language didn't appear angry. In fact, he looked almost… contented, happy, blitheful. She reached up, and took both sides of his helmet. She waited for him to brush her off, but when he didn't she slowly pulled it off. She couldn't help it.
A tiny gasp escaped her mouth, and she covered it with both hands, the tears threatening to fall again. This boy, this man, was her son. The one she doubted wouldn't make it past his first winter. Yet here he was, the scar on his chin, his green eyes reflecting hers, and even signs of a stubble. His sharp jaw-bone and handsome face could have convinced anyone that he was a foreigner, but she knew that he belonged here. She could feel it.
Valka circled around him, brushing his hair out of his forehead, checking out his armor, and even testing out some of the gadgets he had hidden within them. The movements were almost dragon-like, but Hiccup was used to it. His daughter and the dragons around him was what occupied so much of his time. Stoick didn't care if it was odd. He had her back.
Then, she stopped. Hiccup couldn't see why, because she was behind him, until he felt a few cold fingers brush the back of his neck. They stopped where the birthmark, his scale, was.
"I forgot you had the mark." She said.
"I'm just one of many who has inherited it." He replied, turning to face her.
She looked up at him. Gods, he was taller than her. His voice was deeper than she expected, yet still had the same nasally hint to it that he had when he cooed as a baby. "Hiccup." She smiled, pressing a hand against her son's cheek. He leaned into it, unable to fight the urge.
For years he had dreamed of this moment. When he would finally meet the woman who had abandoned him. Hiccup had wanted to yell at her, scream in anger and let it all out. All the years of being motherless, just another excuse to be bullied. But, that was then and this is now. He couldn't yell at her. She looked so much more fragile than he expected, yet so strong at the same time.
"You're all grown up." She beamed, proud at what he had become. "And, where was I. I'm so sorry Hiccup."
"You're not the only one who's done a bad decision." He said.
Valka took that as a sign of forgiveness, and let it out. She quickly drew her now grown-up child and hugged him tightly, like he'd disappear if she let go. "Can you give me another chance?" She asked. Everything had gone well so far, yet doubt still lingered in her mind. This was the part where reality would kick in. When everything was going right, something bad would happen. History repeating itself.
"Of course. After all, I've seen worse damage." He said, and hugged her back.
"If I was only there you wouldn't have to see worse."
"No. Everything that happened to me was inevitable. You being a dragon lover just would have promoted it more."
"Toothless?"
"Yeah. Wait, how do you…"
"Let's just say you have a beautiful little girl." She said.
"How much did she tell you?" Hiccup asked, almost shamefully.
"It doesn't matter." Valka said.
"She told you everything, didn't she?"
She laughed, and responded with, "Yes." Stoick came up and hugged them both.
The three, in that small moment, felt like the happiest family in the world.
But now wasn't the time for family gatherings. That would have to wait for later.
"Come on." Stoick said, and let go of the two. "We still have a battle to fight." Valka suddenly gasped.
"What's wrong." Hiccup asked, worried.
"I forgot! Gabe and Pache are out there waiting for my signal." She ran and hopped on Cloudjumper.
"Signal for what?" Hiccup called after, but she flew up into the air.
To her surprise, not long after she took off did she have a night fury next to her with her son and husband riding him. "Signal for what?" He repeated.
"The plan."
"The plan for what?" Stoick asked. "Pache was gone for only a couple weeks. You seriously already made a battle plan with that time?"
"No, but they are a great help." She responded, and stopped.
The next thing he knew, Stoick was covering his ears as a loud whistle blasted through the air. For some reason, Hiccup didn't seem affected. He then realized perceived that the ear-blasting sound was coming from his wife.
Well, I know what the signal is. He thought, and uncovered his ears when she stopped. Valka had just enacted the final part of the strategy.
It was about to go down now.