Author's Notes:

While I stick very closely to the HTTYD movie/TV show lore, I take liberties with the LoZ elements. Please read with an open mind, as if this were a new game.

New chapters on Wednesdays. The whole thing, 30 chapters plus Prologue, is written and will be posted!

Hiccup scrunched the soft pillow under his neck and rolled over for the twelfth time that hour. After two nights sleeping on the ground, the bed was a welcome luxury, and yet he was wide awake, taunted by the sounds of sleep from the others in their nearby rooms.

Absent-mindedly, he fingered the space on the gauntlet where the first gem had shattered. Maybe this was his ticket home after all. Sure, it might mean facing an army of bulblins first, but he wasn't alone. Link's confidence was at an all-time high, the Princess believed they could succeed, and Impa ... Well, Impa wanted Hiccup gone as much Ganon, so it all worked out.

He rolled over again, focusing on the spears lying against the walls. He imagined what Gobber, the blacksmith, would say about these weapons. "They call that a 'spear'? I could use one of those dainty things to pick my teeth. Which reminds me of the time I was facing off against a Monstrous Nightmare with only my frying pan and a yack chop ..."

Eventually, Gobber's completely true and unembellished anecdote faded into the sounds of night as Hiccup's eyelids grew heavy. The spears blurred. The room darkened.

"Hiccup!"

He started. "Astrid?" he asked groggily. Her voice had echoed as if she was shouting from the end of a cave. Hiccup sat up and peered around him. It was so dark he could barely see the floor. The walls had vanished completely, but ... there! In the distance, he could just make out Astrid walking towards him.

"Hiccup, where are you?" she called again, this time more urgently.

"What are you doi—" he began. He didn't believe what he was seeing, but he couldn't miss this chance. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. "I'm here! I'm right here!"

She drew closer but kept looking back and forth as if she didn't notice him.

Hiccup ran to meet her. "Astrid, how did you—" He reached to touch her shoulder, and his hand passed right through her. Hiccup recoiled, her phantom body passing without a trace through his own. "Astrid?"

She continued into the darkness on her blind path. He reached out, but as his hand came to eye level, the bracer arrested his attention. The gems had melted. Puddles of amber swam around his fingers like a serpent coiling around its victim. Was he going crazy?

Before he could decide, the serpent sprang. The amber engulfed his hand and ran up his arm, hardening into a crystalline cocoon. He tried to bend his arm or flex his trapped fingers, but the crystal held fast. His eyes darted down to his feet where the same amber rock raced up his legs. He lurched forward but couldn't move; the crystal anchored him to the floor.

"Astrid! Help!" he cried as the amber encased his torso, locking both arms in place.

She stopped, straightened, and when she spoke her voice was restrained and bitter. "You're weak."

Hiccup caught his breath. That wasn't Astrid's voice. He swallowed as the crystal crept up his neck and into his ears.

Slowly, the distant figure turned. The blond braid transformed into a white bun. The leather skirt molded into blue armor. The symbol of the ever-crying eye bloomed on her chest.

The crystal encased the back of Hiccup's head and threatened to pour into his eyes and mouth. He was too terrified to speak; he could only stare wide eyed as Impa charged at him. Her hands gripped the black blade.

"You don't deserve this power!" she shouted.

Just as the crystal covered the last of his face, Impa sliced at him with the sword, and the amber shattered into a thousand shards.

He fell, tumbling through a void. The absolute blackness left his stomach churning. He threw out his arms to try to break his fall. From what? The blackness stretched out infinitely, below, above.

Something green to the right caught his eye. It was a korok. No, not just one. There were dozens of them, all around him. Huge koroks. Most as large as him, if not larger. More and more appeared till he felt he would suffocate. He ducked as one of them swooped by. Vince, the man who had sold them their ill-fated chicken rides, stood on the flat back of a korok, his signature smile shining brightly.

"Now this is a high-adrenaline adventure!" he crowed, saluting Hiccup as he dipped away.

A squawk bellowed below him. Hiccup thought the giant chicken pumped its wings to gain altitude, but as it wheeled around, he realized it had two heads, one on either side of its body, and it flapped in a frantic attempt to get away from itself.

One of the heads squawked in his face. The wild eyes locked onto him, and the creature spoke with Tuffnut's voice. "I think you're chicken." In an instant, the head transformed into Hiccup's face.

The boy screamed and floundered. He dropped past the chicken and koroks and splashed into a pool of thick, yellow liquid. Holding what breath he had left, he swam to the surface. Only, there was no surface. He pushed against the tough, jelly membrane blocking his way to freedom, kicking and desperately trying not to lose his breath. Two bobbles connected to the outside of the jelly. With a surge of fear, he recognized the rings of white, then red, then yellow swirling like a whirlpool towards the black pin-pricked center of those captivating eyes.

Oh no.

ZAPPPP! His body seized, the electricity surging through every fiber. He screamed, and liquid rushed into his mouth.

Everything went white. He knew he wasn't dead because he could feel his body twitching. Even after the shock ended, his body continued to spasm with residual energy.

His lungs were on fire. He needed air. He couldn't help but breathe in.

More liquid poured in like lava. His vision started going black. Not like this! Not like this! He wanted to fight his way out, but his limbs refused to move. He began to sink. Down, down, down.

Hiccup's weary eyes registered a shadowy figure in the distance. It was Link! He'd recognize that goofy hat anywhere!

Hiccup tried to wave but only succeeded in lifting his arms a few inches. The figure strode forward. As it did, Hiccup felt unease rising in him. There was something off, something sinister in the way he moved. The shadows clung to him—his clothes, even his skin. Hiccup didn't have the energy to push back from the edge as the dark doppelganger stopped in front of the jelly.

It leaned towards him, the glowing red eyes taunting. "Let's face the truth. You are a weakling. And frankly, it's pathetic that you think you could help me." The mouth twisted into a sardonic smile. "You think death will send you home? Let's put that theory to the test." In one swift motion, he drew the Master Sword and plunged it through the jelly, piercing Hiccup's heart.

The giant jelly popped. Hiccup dropped onto a stone floor and immediately began hacking up the thick liquid. How was it possible that it hurt worse coming out? Wait, he had been stabbed! He clutched his chest and drew his hand back. No blood, not even a cut in his leather tunic. Even so, his heart continued racing as he coughed and took gasping, haggard breaths.

After a few moments, he struggled to his knees. The jelly was gone, and so was the doppelganger. Shivering and alone, the only sounds were his own coughing and dripping.

"This is no place for you." A deep voice resonated from the darkness. "You don't belong here."

Hiccup wiped his face and looked around. He recognized this place—the stone columns arching like a giant rib cage, the piles of dried leaves huddled in the corner, the discarded remnants of a smashed statue—it was the shrine he had woken up in on his first day in Hyrule. He turned, and sure enough, the stained-glass windows of the three women—he now recognized as the golden goddesses—stood behind him.

There was only one difference. On the sill obscuring the window almost entirely with his massive frame stood a man. A hawk-like nose and a pair of amber eyes were all that was visible under the shadowy hood.

The man continued in the same bass voice. "I can help you get home."

"How?" Hiccup panted. The man stepped off the sill and strolled around him to where the shrine doors should have been. Instead, a giant barren fountain, larger than the one in the Hall of Heroes, floated in the black void.

"Bring me the bracer of power," he said, "and I can send you home." With a snap of his fingers, a terrible ripping echoed from the fountain, and a crack of light emerged. Hiccup slowly got to his feet, peering into the glowing portal. Was that ... the ocean?

He looked down at the bracer. The two gems had returned to their normal places. "If you want this," he started warily, "then you must be the enemy."

The man shrugged, his massive shoulders sending a ripple through the black cloak. "And why is that your concern? Tell me, what was it that brought you here in the first place?"

Hiccup hesitated but heard the words coming from his lips as if drawn out on their own. "I heard someone asking for help." His eyes snapped wide open in realization. "Zelda. It was the Princess!"

The man rolled his eyes as he responded. "And since heroically answering that call, what has it brought you?" Hiccup felt the burn on his cheek flare. "Leave now before it gets worse," the man advised.

"I'm not leaving these people."

The voice sighed exasperatedly. "What do you owe this world?"

"I don't owe anything to the world, but I have friends here, and friends look out for each other."

"Are you sure they are your friends? What do you really know about them?" Hiccup glowered. The man began to circle; Hiccup countered by walking the opposite way. "The Princess is the last of a house that failed their country. Better stewards would have acted before letting the fountains go dry. And the Hero? How heroic is a thief?"

Hiccup's eyes narrowed. "He said you're the thief."

The man snorted. "A thief and a liar. Not an uncommon combination."

"He's not a liar!"

"Then ask him how he came to have the Triforce." Hiccup stopped. His mind raced back to that moment by the chasm. Hiccup had assumed Link, like the rest of the Heroes, had been given the Triforce. When pressed about it, Link had resisted, and Hiccup, not wanting to make him feel any worse, hadn't pushed it. How had Link put it? It's complicated. Hiccup shook his head.

The amber eyes twinkled. "Oh, you already tried. Let me tell you, then. I received the Triforce only because he tried to take it first." Hiccup blinked.

The man lowered his head and took a step forward. "He is proud and foolish; he wanted the power all to himself. But the Triforce deemed him unworthy and shattered. Tell me, what has been his goal all along? Has it not been to claim each piece of the Triforce, first by recovering the Princess then from defeating me?"

Hiccup took a step back. "That's ... That's not right."

"You are a tool to him," the man persisted. "Once he has what he wants, he will throw you aside like one of his weapons. Useful until no longer necessary."

Sweat danced on Hiccup's brow and ran into the ever-changing wrinkles as his eyebrows scrunched.

The man approached, his voice low but full of strength. "This is not your conflict, boy. I can send you home and spare you from so much pain." He stopped a foot away. "Just bring me the bracer."

Hiccup's gaze lingered on the ocean waves tumbling on the other side of the portal before shifting to the bracer. He tugged on the end, and ever so slightly, it slipped. It would be so easy. The man leaned forward, a thick gloved hand extended towards him.

Hiccup looked up into the dark hood. Then, he took a step back. "No." He stood tall with the goddess window at his back.

"Foolish child." The voice went cold. "You don't even know what you're up against." Hiccup shivered as the warmth was sucked from his body. Shadows raced toward the man, and he grew, his black cloak enveloping the fountain and the brightness of the portal until all was dark. The man stood poised, a shadow in the night, ten times his previous size.

Hiccup swallowed but pulled the bracer behind him.

"So be it." In an instant the man shifted into something else. The arms, as thick as tree trunks, extended into muscled legs. The back arched. Thick fur sprouted along the spine. Were those tusks? The mouth roared, and the eyes glowed with red malice. Hiccup recoiled at the beast towering in front of him. Then, it evaporated into shadows, streaking towards him like a thousand daggers of darkness.

Hiccup sat up with a start. His heartbeat throbbed in his ears like a war drum. He stared forward and saw the spears still leaning against the wall. He swung his feet over the edge of the bed and held his head. A dream? It had to be. He stumbled to the doorway, knocking over a spear on his way out.

\\\

Zelda woke to the sound of metal clattering on the stone floor. She turned over just in time to see Hiccup shuffle outside. Slipping on her shoes, she followed him out the front doors and around the back of the shrine. She paused under the archway leading down the steps to the fountain. The near full moon bathed the space in cold light and reflected in the perfectly still water. On the lowest step sat Hiccup. The princess barely made a sound as she approached and touched his shoulder.

"Hey."

"Whoah!" Hiccup jolted.

"It's just me!"

"Oh, sorry" he said, clutching his chest.

"Can't sleep?"

He nodded slowly and resumed staring ahead. She sat next to him and took a deep breath of the night air. It was drier than she remembered but still just as sweet.

"How did Ganon win?" Hiccup asked. Zelda turned to him. His eyes remained fixed ahead.

She folded her hands to keep them from fidgeting. "It's complicated," she managed. Hiccup snorted.

"There's no need to sugar coat it," said a voice behind them.

The two spun around and looked up the stairway. Leaning against the archway, silhouetted against the bright, moon was Link. Zelda noticed Hiccup catch his breath, his face suddenly pale.

"I couldn't sleep either," Link said, uncrossing his arms and descending the steps to join them. As he came into the moonlight, his noble green tunic and dirty blond hair came back to life. Hiccup released his breath, panting, and looked away.

Link took a seat on the other side of Hiccup. The Viking shifted away and kept his gaze steadily forward. Link looked across to Zelda. She nodded encouragingly, and he began.

"We had gathered all the races of Hyrule at the Castle—the Zora, Gorons, even the Ritu—to put an end to Ganon's advance. That night I had a dream." Hiccup twitched. "A hooded figure told me what I already feared: that we were not strong enough to defeat Ganon as we were. He showed me how to access the Triforce. He said only with that power could we defeat Ganon ... And I was stupid enough to believe him." Link clenched his tunic until his knuckles turned white. Zelda reached over and touched his hand. He immediately released his grip, took a breath, and continued faster.

"That morning I set out alone to the Temple, and it was all there just as he said. I reached for it, but instead of receiving it, it shattered. Even with just a fragment, though, I felt completely different. When I returned to face Ganon and his army, I wasn't afraid; the Courage of the Triforce made me oblivious to the danger.

"I knew it was my destiny to defeat Ganon so I charged head in, leaving my allies behind, and confronted him. And that's when I realized he had received the Triforce of Power. He used it to transform himself into a beast." Hiccup stirred as Link continued. "He slaughtered our army, and those who did not fall retreated to their homes, where he trapped them like goats in a pen. He took control of Castle Hyrule and has been poisoning the land and water ever since.

"The Princess, with her blessing, found a new connection to the goddesses and immediately sought their guidance. I'm glad Impa and I went after her because she was in the shrine one moment and the next she was gone."

Link paused, his eyes scrunched. From his reaction, Zelda guessed what was coming next; she had seen it all. Zelda rubbed his back. He took a breath and continued, but his voice was softer than before.

"I tried to fight back, to help the Hylians languishing under his reign. But everywhere I went, Vabblin and the Yiga found me, and it was worse for the people than if I had left them alone. So we lived in hiding. That is, until three days ago when I heard Zelda's voice. She told us we'd find a gift at one of the shrines." For the first time since beginning his story, Link cracked a smile. "And ... that's how we found you." He patted Hiccup on the back. The Viking stiffened.

Placing her hand on Hiccup's shoulder, Zelda said, "The goddesses must have deemed Ganon unworthy which is why they've given a portion of that power to you."

Hiccup's voice roiled with emotion. "That still doesn't explain how I got here. Or how I'm going to get back." Suddenly, he stood up.

"This is crazy! This is completely insane!" he shouted, pacing back and forth. "Because I have this magic thing, I'm supposed to risk my life to save the world!? This crazy, dream world!"

"It may be a dream to you, but it's real to us," Link said.

"Hiccup?" Zelda's voice wavered. "What's going on?"

Hiccup stopped. His eyes focused on something distant. Something terrifying. "I saw him," he whispered.

"Who?" the Hylians asked.

"The man from your dream," Hiccup said, locking eyes with Link. "I ... had a similar dream tonight. He told me"—Hiccup glanced at the bracer—"he could send me home."

Link jumped to his feet. "You can't listen to anything he says. He's a liar!"

"I don't know," Hiccup countered, his voice rising. "He was spot on about that." He jabbed a finger at Link's left hand. Link stood his ground, but his expression looked like he had taken a punch to the gut.

Hiccup took a step forward and continued, eyes fixed on Link's. "He said you wanted all the power of the Triforce for yourself. IS THAT TRUE?!"

Link looked him straight in the eye. "It was."

Hiccup blinked, stumbling a step back. He shook his head and turned away.

Link continued faster and more urgently. "I was afraid, and he used that to deceive me. I never would have taken it if I knew this was going to happen."

Hiccup turned back around, arms outstretched. "Well, it did. And now we're all here because of you." His eyes caught Zelda's. They were red, tears brimming at the corners, but she remained silent. Acid bubbled in his stomach, and his face grew hot. All that talk about being strong. Did she even care what happened to him? Did any of them?!

He ripped his eyes from the princess to the Hero who hung his head in shame. Hiccup saw Link in a new light now, the cloaked man's words floating through his mind like the mist of the shadow beasts. Every courageous action Link had taken was to further his own personal goal. This glory, this purpose he was so desperate to fulfill, Hiccup saw now he would fulfill at all cost.

Standing in front of the disgraced hero, Hiccup asked, "So what do you want now?"

Link wearily raised his head, as if he hadn't rested in all those long years. "I want to defeat Ganon." Hiccup groaned, but Link continued. "I want to restore Hyrule, and then ... I want to seal away the Triforce." Hiccup looked up. The blue eyes were soft and vulnerable. They had seen the consequences and grief of one mistake multiplied across a kingdom. "It's too much for one individual, even in fragments."

Hiccup wanted to trust him. After all they'd been through ...

The burn of the Captain's knife flared on his cheek, and he felt the pinch of the makeshift leg. He scowled. After all he'd been through for this coward, he deserved better. He turned his back and stepped away.

Link called after him. "You can stay here and hide, and no one would blame you." He paused, letting his voice drop. "But what would Astrid say?"

Hiccup's eyes flared. He whirled around, his fist raised to strike, the Triforce of Power glowing.

At that moment, Zelda stepped in front. Hiccup stopped short.

A tear slipped down her cheek, but there was strength in her eyes, a depth of love and heartbreak he had never seen before. Without turning, she said. "Link, give us a moment. Now!"

Link stumbled back up the steps to the shrine. I shouldn't have waited, he thought. He had lost to fear again and now it had cost him his second chance. He looked over his shoulder at Hiccup. His first friend in years. The one who believed in him when he didn't believe in himself. And now that friendship was destroyed. All because he had been afraid. And I was chosen for my courage. He tucked the Triforce to his side and trudged up the steps.

Hiccup stared at the fist that launched at Link. It was his left hand, his dominant hand. He had meant to hurt him. It trembled.

Zelda took his hand in both of hers. "I know you're scared and confused, and we've put a lot of weight on your shoulders." She held up the Triforce of Power. "This is a gift. You can use it however you choose." She looked into his face, but his eyes remained fixed on the ground.

"Impa is wrong you know," she continued. "You're stronger than you realize. When you believe that ..."

"Then what?" Hiccup asked miserably.

She smiled. "You'll have to find out."

He stood there for a long time, long after the princess hugged him and left. He glanced at the dull triangle on his hand and noticed a crack in the second gem. His knees trembled, and he collapsed onto the steps.

Author's Notes:

And thus we get the big emotional showdown! I hope you liked it. :)

Thanks to Ari Lewis and Luke for beta reading!