Hiccup
How would one describe a place like Berk?
To many, it may simply be an unremarkable island... which quite frankly it is... one look would tell you that straight away with its frankly despairing location. It stands steadily enough in the freezing waters, morphing into the streams and waterfalls one may see hidden in the vast woodland areas. Rock formations crowd around the isle, pointing sharply like fangs that accumulated from many years of slow-acting erosion. These icy stone pillars tower higher than most mountains in a hundred-mile radius... that being none... because it's mostly just ocean. And also... if you do manage to find yourself unlucky enough to land here, you better hope you packed some sort of coat... because it gets pretty cold, close to freezing some months as ice sheets sometimes churn around the beaches.
Yeah, honestly not one's first vacation destination of choice.
But for some brave... or stupidly poor souls... it's home.
And it was the first place Hiccup could think of after what just transpired. Whether the world was ending or not, that was only one place him and his friends could go, and that was all the way back to Berk... transporting an unconscious passenger along the way.
The girl from the sky.
A sign from Asgard.
A bad omen of things to come...
Hiccup had no IDEA what to call her, or even what was happening, but he couldn't say that to any of the gang... because all of them REALLY didn't know how to take this.
"Can someone care to explain how that chick just popped into existence?" Snoutlout questioned as he flew Hookfang beside Toothless to get a better look at the girl. Thankfully the night fury steered clear and gave off a growl to both of them.
"I'm more concerned about that GIANT earthquake," Fishlegs retorted, his face pale as he tried to keep Meatlug steady as can be, "did all of you feel that? The world was splitting in two! Literally into two pieces!"
"That crack in the sky... like, opened up..." Ruffnut exclaimed, laying down on Barf in amazement, "and then it shot out that weirdo! Do you think she's like... crazy? Like the look in her eyes, she looked insane."
"Take's crazy to know a crazy!" Tuffnut replied, "you fit it perfectly." Beltch gargled in agreement, to which Ruffnut and Barf hissed at the two.
"Can you two please take this seriously!?" Astrid called out behind her as Stromfly snarled in equal annoyance, "we don't know anything right now, and comments like that, certainly aren't making any breakthroughs."
The group squabbled a bit behind him, but Hiccup could pay no mind to any of them. He was too occupied with the situation... what to do next... and the girl. He had strapped her in and was holding onto her tight as blood seeped from her head. She took quite a fall, and obviously did not look like she was in good shape. Hiccup had no idea how long she would last, or how she even got here, or anything about her.
But all he knew was that her name was Heather.
...that's all she said before she passed out... before the wounds from her fall started to overcome her and blood started to pour. If they waited even a second longer she would certainly...
...certainly...
...
Hiccup didn't want to see another corpse.
"Hey bud," Hiccup gravely called to Toothless, the dragon attentively listening below as he flew, "mind going a little faster? As fast as you can preferably, this girl needs as much help as she can get!"
Toothless didn't even waste a second. As if challenged now, he sped past the entire group and was making serious headway to Berk, which was now coming into view before them.
The color popped first, the vivid paint on the buildings clearing the way through the ocean mist. And then he could see a dash of wings flying everywhere. Dragons. Flying all about and around the village. Over the peaks. Laying on roofs. Sniffing around the port as fish was hauled in. They flew about, whenever, wherever, totally free. Snafflefangs. Deadly Nadders. Gronkles. Hotburples. Monsterous Nightmares. And right next to them were his people, the citizens of Berks, leading them about, caring for them, laughing with each other. The sounds were boisterous, the color rough, but sincere, the pride for both Vikings and dragons obvious... a stark change from Snappersnarl Isle, where everything was dead... and quiet.
But now all of Berk seem to roar in excitement upon seeing the dragon rider descend, the citizens energized in potential hope of what Hiccup might bring. Their cheering brought a roar from the dragons around as well, and great horns sounded across all of Berk. One might mistake it for a grand ceremony, one that would entail great news for the people and dragons alike. He could hear them all in great anticipation below, even before Toothless landed.
"The chief has returned! Berk still remains strong!"
"What of the strange signs we've been seeing?! Has the end times been subsided?"
"Our questions will soon be answered, our great chief will surely answer them!"
As the chief... Hiccup wish he had good news, but he didn't say anything as Toothless swiftly landed, instead wearily turning his attention to the people of Berk who fell silent at his expression. The horns stopped, the dragons snuffed out their own roars, and every Viking that had crowded around the landing sight had their eyes landed expectantly on Hiccup...
...but no sooner as they did this did the sudden appearance of the girl in Hiccup's arms captivate their sight, and all at once, questions started pouring. Hiccup knew then he had to say something amidst the confusion, he raised his head high and yelled hastily.
"Everyone!" He quieted the crowd, and leaped off his dragon, "we come with new information, but there's a medical situation! Please move, we don't have time!" At this, Toothless roared, heeding all the dragons to do the same as Hiccup instructed.
Instantly, both dragons and Vikings steered clear of the leaders, all of them with concern in their eyes as they grumbled questions amongst one another. Hiccup understood their worry, but couldn't offer any reassurance as he hurried the mysterious girl off of Toothless. The badly applied bandages were already soaked in red, and she seemed even paler than before. There was a sickness in Hiccup when he saw this that reminded him of the worst image of his life, so he mistakenly hurried to carry the poor girl all by himself. It wasn't until the rest of his friends landed behind him that Fishlegs and Snoutlout hurried to help him carry the girl.
"Dude, we're here, we got her," Snoutlout reassured Hiccup, actually swooping in to help the girl on one side, "focus on what you gotta do for the peeps around here. They look worried."
"Yeah, just tell us where to take her," Fishlegs asked nervously, also helping with the girl.
Hiccup, out of breath from the whole ordeal, waved them over to the medical hut, "just make sure the healers have a proper look at her. Make sure nothing's broken, and make absolutely sure she-"
"Hiccup!" From behind, a familiar voice called out, cutting through the crowd with a strong tone of concern. His mother, Valka, he could instantly tell...
...and he could hear a panting voice following up from behind her, "would you give a lad a second to catch up! These legs ain't as sturdy as they used to be Val..." Yep... there was Gobber.
He turned around and saw his mother rush up to him first, who instantly noticed the blood all over him and stared stunned at the sight, "Hiccup, are you hurt? Where's the injury?!" She hastily checked his face for scars, her eyes intense, but clearly worried, "I came as soon as I heard Toothless flying in..."
Hiccup could understand perfectly why she was. A mother's worry knows no bounds, and his guilt only intensified with not seeking her out first to reassure her, "it's fine, it's not my blood, I'm okay mom..." He hugged her deeply, and she returned it in twofold with a relieved squeeze. At this point though, Gobber came stumbling in and also noticed the blood. his eyebrows widening.
"Didya just step off a battlefield Hiccup?" Gobber asked as he snatched Hilda way from Valka's arms, "I haven't seen you get so much action before, especially in that state, what in the world happened out there?"
"Gobber," Hiccup readjusted himself to seeing him and his mother and tried to remain focused, "a lot has happened... but we have wounded, a girl, she needs medical attention now. "
Valka and Gobber glanced each other's way in surprise before noticing the girl Fishlegs and Snoutlout carried. Before either of them could flood him with more questions, Hiccupy simply turned away and checked on the girl. Despite the hastily applied first aid, she was still bleeding heavily. She had no time.
"I know you're confused, but please," Hiccup pleaded, "she needs help."
Gobber seemed to sense the urgency and nodded, helping the boys carry the girl, "to the healers then, let's go you two! Pick up the pace!" He shouted at Fishlegs and Snoutlout, the two hurrying by his command with a bit of a scamper.
Hiccup watched as they took her away, and for a fleeting moment, he thought to follow them. But his mother's hand on his shoulder reassured him there was nothing more he could do... instead, he needed to focus on the people now... as any good chief would do. He turned around quietly as his mother held him tightly by the hand, walking together to the large crowd that clearly wanted to know what the heck was happening.
As they approached, he saw Astrid, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut trying to calm everyone down. Ruffnut and Tuffnut's attempt at mediating definitely had... mixed results as now they were shouting at the villagers they were supposed to be calming down, but Astrid was composed and confident as she helped drive the crowd away from the landing zone, allowing the dragons a moment's rest.
"Calm down everyone, our chief will give a comment shortly," Astrid reassured, and at that moment Hiccup swooped in from behind to help her out.
"That's right, I apologize for the wait everyone," he called out to the crowd who waited in great anticipation, "I have many things to say, but to start... I just wanted to-" But then the strangest thing happened. He thought he felt his mouth moving, but... no sound came out. His throat, it was... stuck.
He had to laugh, what was he doing? Everyone was waiting for him. Even the dragons seemed impatient as they growled and stomped behind the villagers. He had to speak... just like as his father did... but when he tried to open his mouth. No words came out. All he could focus on were the villagers. So many eyes, so many faces... all waiting for his words. He froze, if for only a tiny moment then. He had given speeches before to these great people, but in this time of threat... the air was sickeningly twisted with fear.
And all the while thoughts swarmed his head. His father. That strange girl. The dead dragons. That earth-shattering explosion.
...
A warm presence suddenly nuzzled next to him. It was Toothless, clearly concerned for his wellbeing and sat next to the chief. And it wasn't just him... Astrid glanced Hiccup's way, sharing the dragon's worry. Seeing them both, it awoke him. He couldn't be frozen like this... he had to speak...
But at the same time... that girl. That blood. That... body...
...dad...
"Hiccup," suddenly his mother's voice snapped him back. She was holding his hand and staring at him with understanding. The understanding they shared over the death, that only they could see... only they could smell... only they could feel all around them every night. The pressure of that was immense, but they both knew it, and shared it... and his mother assured Hiccup with a squeeze of her own hand, that he had to take a stand in his father's shoes, if only for a moment.
...Hiccup breathed in with his mother by his side, and stared at the crowd, "there are many things we saw during our journey, but to explain in detail, I must ask of you all to meet in the Great Hall before sunset!" Hiccup called out, "we will discuss our findings then, and I assure you, you will all learn what we saw, and we will get to the bottom of this."
The crowd instantly roared with a complaint, stirring the dragons up to snarl and shout. But Toothless silenced all of them with a simple ear-piercing screech that cut through the air like lighting. All at once, both dragon and villager were forced to retreat, and wait for the upcoming meeting…
But it was clear as day they weren't happy about that.
Hiccup sighed. He'd worry about the villagers' perception of him later. For now, he collapsed in relief onto Toothless, "thanks bud..." His friend replied with a tired growl to get off him, so Hiccup backed off and turned to his company, "and thanks you guys... I... really wouldn't have known what to do right now without you."
"Yeah, clearly," Ruffnut rubbed the back of her neck, "you look like you wet your pants standing out there. Got cold feet?"
"As if you could do any better," Astrid rolled her eyes.
"She got you there," Tuffnut laughed as he pointed at his sister, to which she then smacked his helmet. Their antics then transpired in the background, as Hiccup wearily sighed.
"Guys, give me a second," Hiccup silenced the group, gathering his thoughts as he figured what they'd need to do next, "we have to quell everyone's concern, so you guys have to get out there and spread the word about the meeting. I gotta prepare what I'm gonna say to everyone."
"At least you bought yourself some time," Astrid nodded in understanding and turned with the twins, "we'll tell everyone about it, but take your time to figure this all out, okay?" She said softly, "we're still here for you."
"Yeah, you can count on us!" Ruffnut grinned proudly. ("What she said…" Tuffnut agreed, looking annoyed he didn't get to say that first.). Astrid could only sigh and pulled the two along to spread the news.
Hiccup relaxed, just a tiny bit at their words, and waved them off. At least he wasn't working this out alone. He'd have the rest of his friends to work with to give answers to the village.
…actually… no… the village would want answers… from him. The new chief. That was his new role… and he couldn't shift that responsibility onto them so easily, he already made the mistake of hesitating and letting his friends cover for him.
If he was going to fill his father's shoes… this is what he'd have to do eventually.
Toothless nudged him then to snap him back to reality. Hiccup sighed, "thanks bud…" He then turned to his mother, who still lingered around with a troubled look. No doubt Hiccup knew she was terrified over what might've happened to them.
"Mom…" he tried to start, but no words came out. What could he even talk about first?
"That girl…" his mother decided that for him, speaking quietly as she approached, "what happened to her?"
"I… I don't know, I can barely comprehend it…" Hiccup sighed. He usually had answers for normal kind of problems… dragon problems to be specific. But this? "Mom… I'm gonna be honest, I… I have no idea what's going on here."
Valka softened at this and without judgment took his hands into her own. "You don't need to have an idea right now, it's okay. I just don't want to see my great-son… so shaken up, but of course, you need to process… whatever happened yourself."
"But, I can't stay that way." Hiccup tried to calm his nerves, hoping to face his mother seriously this time. "I have to figure out I what the heck I'm gonna say to the village. I mean- what we saw, whatever that… explosion was? I wouldn't even know where to begin."
"Explosion?" Valka's eyes widened. Oops, he didn't mean to say that little tidbit in front of his mom.
"It's a long story," Hiccup answered as he rubbed his shoulder, "I'm still having trouble processing it myself… it was all so… so…" he couldn't even begin to describe it. Just what was all that back on that island?
Hiccup watched wearily as his mother uneasily breathed in, but then she seemed to reset and smiled, "then how about you tell me in tiny bits… if you need to practice some great speech I'm your audience. So… son… take all the time you need to tell me then," Valka nodded quietly, "I'll listen as best as I can."
To tell her everything that happened… Hiccup was weary to do so. But he couldn't do this alone, he had to confront this strange occurrence even if his heart was disturbed by it.
So with a deep breath, he nodded to his mother and held her hand tight, "alright then, it all started with this crack in the sky."
An hour later
The cliffs of Berk were quite expansive, yet isolating. It was the perfect place for Hiccup to collect his thoughts as he told his mother everything.
There were parts he had to fill in with care so as to not worry her, but Valka seemed to get the jist of it as she began to comfort her own dragon, Cloudjumper. Toothless was chilling beside the larger dragon, taking in the breeze.
Hiccup tried to relax and take in the breeze as well… but the cold air served on as a chilling afterimage of that boiling island.
"So that's what happened," Valka nodded in understanding and sighed, "Gobber is going to have a field day with this tale."
"Except it's not a tale, it's… it's real mom," Hiccup laughed. Never would he have believed it himself either if he hadn't lived through it, "you could feel the air scorching up and… and I thought…" He couldn't finish.
"It's okay, I understand." Valka's expression turned slightly dark as she stared down at Berk, "to think something like that was even possible. Perhaps your father was right… the gods truly have the means to invoke their wrath on us."
At the mention of his dad, Hiccup paused and looked down. If the day's events were anything to go by he'd rally Berk in an instant. But now…
…
"If it is the gods wrath mom, I still don't know what they want..." Hiccup said quietly as he stared at a weary Toothless. The dragon was sitting next to Cloudjumper, the two resting after their long days… and yet it still wasn't over, at least for Hiccup it wasn't. "It's disturbing the villagers… the island we went to was totally destroyed, not a single dragon… and I… I just worry something's coming for us."
"Calm now… Hiccup," his mother said quietly as she held his gaze, "the only thing we can confirm is that the disturbance seems to have stopped for now… and that… the main priority is helping everyone remain calm. You know… they were quite worried while you were all gone."
"I can imagine…" Hiccup couldn't even stomach the idea of what happened while he and his friends were gone. The citizens of Berk… all of them looked so worried for the first time in their lives. Those are faces he'd never seen before… even when the dragons used to flame down on their homes.
Why the change? He had to help them reconnect with their strong roots… and yet he wasn't even able to steady himself either. "How bad was it when we were away mom?"
"Nothing happen I assure you, but not everyone took it well when you went to investigate. The dragons too, poor things, they were all restless," Valka softly said, nuzzling Cloudjumper's snoot tenderly, "whatever was out there, it gave them quite a scare. I've never seen anything like it before."
Hiccup looked down at this, recalling how terrified Toothless and the other dragons were being right next to the point of origin. How bad was it for them at the moment?
He couldn't think about the matter too long or else his chest would start to hurt, and he didn't want either his mother, nor Cloudjumper, or Toothless to notice his worry. But of course, he couldn't hide anything from his mother's gaze as she titled her with a concerned look.
"But it doesn't seem like the dragons are the only things that have been restless..." Vaka slowly brought up as she held his shoulder. "Hiccup I promise you… it'll be okay. Nothing of concern has come for Berk yet."
"...I know mom," Hiccup said softly, "I just can't stop wondering how I'm gonna fix this."
"Like everything else, with your smart mind." Valka poked at his forehead and at least gave the two a brief laugh. "But also with your heart. I've seen you do incredible things… and I believe this will soon just be… water under the bridge."
Hiccup didn't wanna sound too hopeful, but he did let out the tiniest smile. "You think so?"
"I know so," Valka said genuinely, "and you only need to do it your way. Even if the villagers are concerned, this is your problem to solve in how you choose. Everyone else will always be behind you for that, and of course I'll have to be there for you."
"Cause I'm the chief?"
"Cause you're my son." Valka emphasized, "and every choice you make is one I'll always support."
With all the chaos that had happened, he was glad that at least he had people behind him. Especially his mother. It might've been small on other days but her determination stuck with Hiccup, and he wanted to hold it close as he began to calm down.
"Now then, my brilliant son," Valka smiled as she helped him up, "I'll help quell the unease with the other villagers. No one will cause any problems I assure you. But for the meantime, please stay true to yourself and think this through… it's going to be fine."
"Right, just fine, I know mom," Hiccup nodded as he begin to relax and look at Berk, "If I'm gonna tell everyone about what happened… and what we need to do next… I need some information on it. I only have our personal accounts but that's about it."
"Not everyone's personal account," his mother reminded him, "that girl-"
"Is unconscious still. And… even if she was awake, how would I talk to her? What even is her deal?"
Valka walked ahead, to where Hiccup knew was the healer's tent, "that's to talk with her about. Obviously, she needs rest, that poor child, but if you helped her, she can help you. I'm sure of it."
Could it really be that simple? He barely knew anything about that girl other than her involvement with the incident… but did she know anything, and would he be willing to bother her for answers. Even if he did, it felt a little scummy for him to do. But being a chief meant making uncomfortable decisions, right?
Hiccup sighed, thinking back to that girl's unconscious face on the island, "mom, even then I still don't wanna hound her for that info. I'll at least check in on her, he was so hurt… I don't know if she can make it.""Have faith in our healers son," Valka reassured as they stood in front of the healer's tent. It was quiet all around as the tent overlooked Berk at a safe high point, but in front was Gobber, who looked exhausted until he noticed the two approach.
"Well now look who decided to show up," Gobber attempted a smile, but it looked forced. However, he did still have the energy to bring Hiccup in for a good hug as the two welcomed each other back. "You got me paired with those two blabbering kids you got Hiccup, what's that about?"
"Sorry, hopefully, Fishlegs and Snoutlout didn't cause too much trouble." Hiccup was sure they did though, but he kept the thought to himself. "It was all a blur when we got here."
"But we appreciate you volunteering regardless Gobber." This time Valka spoke as she smiled a bit.
"Volunteering? More like forced into," Gobber shrugged, "but that girl was broken down to bits, I had to step in. You come to see her?"
"Yeah…" Hiccup looked down as he sighed, trying to hold hope that girl was alright. He was still curious about her though… but he figured he'd wait until she recovered before even thinking to talk to her. "Did the healers manage to… you know?"
"Save her? Seems like it yeah," Gobber nodded, "we've been running low on that herbal remedy… whatever you call it, so I thought it was a lost cause. But when they left to get more and I checked on her, you could barely tell the girl was bleeding! Seems like a miracle honestly."
"What…?" Hiccup blinked and looked at his mother, who seemed similarly confused. After hearing the story… who wouldn't be since that girl fell from the sky and hit the ground. "Wait so… is she okay?"
"Not awake but as far as I can tell, yep!" Gobber grinned, "though again poor gal is out for the count. If you wanna see her she's inside, but I gotta ask, what the heck's been going on?"
Hiccup knew Gobber deserved an explanation, especially since he's been out of the loop… but before he could start, his mother stepped in and gave him a nod, "Gobber, Hiccup just told me everything, I can relay everything back to you. And why don't we give the boy some space, hm?"
Ah, she was stepping in for him. Hiccup was appreciative of that as he saw Valka give a nod. Gobber seemed a bit surprised by the request itself, but then shrugged, "if you needed alone time you coulda asked, but I wanna be included on this! You can't just drop a bleeding girl on me and then expect me to not think anything of it."
"Of course Gobber," Hiccup uneasily spoke as he rubbed his neck, "I'll let you know everything soon… along with the rest of the village. I just need to take of this… and see how that girl's doing."
"And we'll make sure the village is prepped for the meeting," Valka nodded as she nudged Gobber.
"Wait we are?" Gobber questioned, "I thought you were gonna tell me the story?"
"That'll come later, for now, let's help Hiccup hm?" Valka said as she pushed Gobber away and Cloudjumper followed calmly behind the two. But before the two left, Valka gave one more look behind and smiled at Hiccup, "good luck with preparations my son… I'll see you then."
Hiccup nodded, feeling both a little relieved… and also concerned as he worried over the events. Regardless he lied and waved to his mother and Gobber, "I'll take care of it, I swear. You've got nothing to worry about…"
Now left alone, he could only sigh as he saw Toothless sit outside, knowingly aware he couldn't come into the healer's tent with its small door. However, Hiccup still lingered around his friend, not wanting to depart and be totally alone just yet before he visited the girl. He had so much to worry about, and so little time to go over it.
"Well bud…" Hiccup said to Toothless, "a lot's gonna happen. But at the top of the list… I better… check on this girl first. Stay out here, okay?" Toothless complained but laid down, waiting as Hiccup sighed and went to the tent.
If the healers really had done a good job… Hiccup was curious if the girl was alright. How did she survive such a fall? And what was her purpose in that event? All he knew was that her name... was Heather, and that was it. Everything else about her was a mystery. He could only hold onto the questions tightly to his heart and push through the door.
As soon as he entered inside though, alarm bells started ringing in his head.
The bed was empty… the covers were thrown onto the floor… the chair kicked over missing one of its wooden legs.
W-Where is she? Hiccup looked around, dread overcoming him, did something happen to her?
He got his answer when a faint creak of wood sounded behind him and he felt a sharp tip of a weapon get placed at the back of his neck. His muscles tensed up, and slowly, trying not to be too sudden in his movements, he looked back quietly.
Sure enough… hiding behind the door, am, with red eyes that screamed "murder"... was the girl he had just promised to take care of, pointing a splintered chair leg at him.
"Take one more step and I'll kill you…"
A very very long time for the next chapter yeah?
I apologize it took me so long, writers block and all, and HTTYD is a bit of a more personal media I want to get right since I love it a lot, but I hope this chapter was worth the wait! The next one is being typed as we speak! Although it is very late so sleep first, then next chapter soon... I would hope. But yeah! I hope you like the way I'm portraying the characters here, especially Hiccup since I have so many plans or him! But for now have a good night!