Hiccup leaned against the counter top of the kitchen island, holding his head. Hiccup sighed. He had already been to four publishing houses already after having to do several rewrites.

And they all said the same thing.

Hiccup glanced up at the letter he had also found in the envelop. He picked up the letter and peered down at it.

Dear Hiccup Haddock

While we enjoyed reading the novel you sent us, I regret to inform you that we have decided to reject your Novel. While it is a fine read, we feel that it doesn't live up to the novel's your mother has written. We apologize and we hope you find another publishing house.

Sincerely

Marlin Beckett

Valka walked into the kitchen and saw Hiccup sitting at the island.

"Hiccup?" she said.

Hiccup turned to his mother.

"Is that from the publisher?" She asked with anticipation.

"What did they say?"

He narrowed his head. He slid the the letter to her. Valka picked up the letter and read it. Slowly all sense of anticipation and excitement was lost from her expression. She frowned, reading what the editor wrote. Valka lowered the letter. She turned to Hiccup.

"Hiccup, I'm so sorry." she said.

Hiccup sighed. He stood up and walked into the dinning room.

"Don't worry," she said.

"Remember what I said. Your always going to be rejected before you get published. You just need to try another publishing house."

"What's the point?" Hiccup said.

"I've already been four publishing houses already. Everyone is expecting to wright the next Maiden knights."

"I know it seems that way, Hiccup." His Mother reassured him.

"But you'll find a house that will publish your novel."

"It's no about that." Hiccup said, turning to her.

Valka stopped talking and glanced curiously at Hiccup. She then heard the front door open and a voice calling to her and Hiccup.

"Valka, Hiccup!"

Valka turned and saw her husband, Stoick walk into the kitchen. He was a burly man with a long brown beard and air tied back. He was wearing a pair of glasses and a black suit, holding a black brief case. He placed his brief case down on the counter top and glanced down at Hiccup's manuscript and letter.

"Hey, the publishing house get back!" He said.

"Is our son now another author in the family?"

He then noticed the word rejected which was stamped over the cover of Hiccup's manuscript. Stoick frowned. He turned to Hiccup and Valka.

"What's going on?" He asked.

Valka looked back at Hiccup. He turned and narrowed his head.

"Hiccup?" she asked.

Hiccup pondered over what he was about to say. He had kept it bottled up for so long. For as long as he could remember, his parents were the two hero's of berk. His mother, a world renowned writer that put their town on the map. His father, who made the town was it is today.

But where did that leave him?

Everyone always compared him to his parents. They all expected that he would do great things for Berk. That he would follow in his parents footsteps. They all had such overwhelming expectations for him and his parents legacy too great to live up to. Hiccup became so frustrated with it. But he had kept it to himself for so long.

He didn't know how else he could say it. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He then turned back to his parents.

"It's just... all my life, you two have always been the town heroes!" Hiccup said, as if he had released all the frustration built up inside.

"Dad, when you got elected as mayor, you've been the only politician who kept his promises."

Stoick nodded his head.

"And mom, you've got a best selling book series."

Valka turned to Stoick as the two looked to one another.

"And all I do is give tours at the museum." He said.

"Hiccup, that's not true." Valka said.

"You contribute much to this town as we do."

"How?" Hiccup said.

"All I've done is volunteer at the Museum and give tours about the history of berk. And Fishlegs knows more about our heritage then me. I just..."

"You what?" Stoick asked, squinting his eyes.

Hiccup sighed.

"I just want to do something that matters." He said.

Valka came up behind Hiccup and placed her hand over his shoulder.

"Hiccup," she said.

"You don't need to do anything. You've already matter to me and your father."

Stoick came up and patted his son on the back.

"That's right, son." He reassured his son.

"You don't need to prove anything to us. We're just happy to have a son like you."

Hiccup was laying back in his bed. He turned his head and glanced over at his desk where he had set his manuscript. Rewriting his novel again seemed like a waste of time. Every publisher had said the same thing after several rewrites. What good would it do if he rewrote it again.

Hiccup sighed and turned his head, gazing up at the ceiling. He glanced to his bed room door which hung open. He heard his parents talking from down the hall.

"Stoick, I'm worried about Hiccup." Valka said.

"Have we really pressured him so much?"

"Non-sense, what has he to feel so pressured about?" Stoick said.

"We've made this town safe for him and all the other kids and I'm sure he'll find someone that will publish his novel. It'll be fine."

Hiccup suddenly heard a knock on the window. He cocked his head and saw Astrid kneeling outside his bed room window. Hiccup sat up and got out of bed. He came up, unlocked his bedroom window and open it.

"Hey." Astrid said as she climbed into his room.

"Hey." Hiccup said, rubbing the back of his neck.

She stood up and turned to Hiccup.

"I heard you guys talking." she said.

Hiccup turned and nodded his head. Astrid turned back and saw Hiccup's manuscript on his desk. The word Rejected stamped in red across the cover.

"They said my novel doesn't live up to my mom's work."Hiccup said.

"Are you serious?" She said.

"Yeah." Hiccup said as he sat in his desk chair.

Astrid sighed and rolled her eyes. This was getting ridicules. This was the forth publishing house Hiccup approached with his novel and they turned him down because it didn't live up to his mother's books.

"What is their deal?" She said, throwing up her arms.

"Well you know how it is," Hiccup said.

"My mom's has the best selling series of novels. So now everyone is expecting me to write the next Maiden Knights."

Hiccup leaned his head back against his seat.

"I'm sorry, Hiccup." Astrid said.

Hiccup nodded to her.

"So now what?" She said

Hiccup shrugged.

"I don't know." He said.

"Are you going to try another publisher?" she asked.

Hiccup shook his head.

"What's the point?" he said.

"Even if I rewrite it again, they're still not gonna turn it down."

Hiccup then stood up from his chair.

"Why is this so hard?" he said.

"What do you mean?" Astrid asked, curiously.

He turned to her.

"I just wish to do something for this town." Hiccup said.

"I wish that I can show everyone that I can be like my parents. But no matter what I do, it's not good enough."

Hiccup sighed and narrowed his head. Astrid stood up the bed and came up behind him. He glanced to her.

"Your right." She said.

"Its never going to be enough. So why Are you trying to be like your parents?"

Hiccup glanced up at her.

"What?" he asked.

"Why are you trying to be like your mom and dad?" she asked again.

Hiccup as about to speak. But then paused. He narrowed his head as he thought for a moment.

"I... I just thought that..." he said.

"I don't know. I guess because... that's what everyone expects of me."

"But what do you expect from yourself?" She asked.

Hiccup turned to her. He never thought of that really. All this time he wanted to prove to people that he could live up to his parents. But he wasn't sure why. He thought maybe it was because that's what everyone expected of him. And he wanted to show them that he could live up to his parents image.

He shook his head.

"I don't know." He said.

"I think I know." Astrid insisted.

Hiccup glanced up at her.

"And whats that?" He asked.

"Well your dads the mayor of Berk and your mom's a best selling Author," She pointed out.

"Thanks for stating the obvious." Hiccup said.

"But you just follow in their foot steps." She pointed out.

Hiccup glanced to her curiously.

"What are you saying?" Hiccup asked.

"I'm saying, you just need need take things a step forward and do something unexpected." Astrid said.

Hiccup squinted his eyes as he thought.

"So what are you going to do?" she asked.

Hiccup cocked his head and glanced out his bedroom window.

"I don't know." he answered.

(I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please comment and review.)