Yeah I know it's been almost three weeks since the last update I'm sorry. I was busy with my college starting and I didn't have time to update. But I promise the next update will be uploaded in a couple of days so stay tuned.
Snotlout's mind was a chaotic whirlwind, unable to form coherent thoughts. Describing his state as merely confused and shocked would be a colossal understatement. To his astonishment, Hiccup was alive and now held the title of Emperor of the Draconian Empire. As if that revelation wasn't enough to send his already dizzy brain into a tailspin, he discovered that Astrid, his biggest crush since he could remember, was also alive.
The sheer advancement of the village astounded him, with some inventions appearing as larger replicas of those Hiccup had demonstrated on Berk. Snotlout remembered them from when he and his friends used to destroy those very inventions, followed by a ruthless beating towards Hiccup.
However, the true bombshell dropped when he learned that Hiccup had a daughter.
In a reaction that seemed rational only in his mind, Snotlout let out a high-pitched, feminine scream, leaving Hiccup bewildered, while his eyes and fingers darted between the Emperor and his daughter.
"What did she just call you?!" the shout echoed through the air, a testament to Snotlout's disbelief and the surreal nature of the situation.
Hiccup looked at Snotlout with a bemused expression, a mix of amusement and confusion evident in his eyes. The scene was surreal to everyone present, and Snotlout's outburst only added to the already chaotic atmosphere.
"Uh, yeah. Surprise?" Hiccup replied, attempting to maintain a sense of composure amidst Snotlout's unexpected reaction. Astrid stood nearby, smirking at the whole situation, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
Snotlout stammered, "B-But you were supposed to be dead! And s-she's your daughter?"
Hiccup nodded a proud smile on his face. "This is Zephyr, my daughter. And, well, things have changed a lot since you last saw us."
"Wait, wait, hold up a fricking second! You have a daughter? When did that happen, and who's the mother? Are you even married? You do realise a child born outside of wedlock has to face death, right?" Stoick fired off a barrage of questions, attempting to make sense of the unexpected revelation.
"If you think for a moment that I'm going to let you touch my daughter, you're sorely mistaken," Hiccup declared to the bewildered Berkians, gently scooping his daughter into his arms.
Toothless, sensing the threat to his best friend's family, began to snarl menacingly at Stoick for suggesting such a thing.
"Secondly," Astrid interjected, "This is our daughter. Hiccup and I are married, and, as he said, lay a finger on her, and I'll personally send you all to Valhalla myself." She gestured pointedly between herself and Hiccup, making it clear that their family was off-limits and not to be trifled with.
"Okay, I think I'm going to faint. I don't understand anything. How is Useless an Emperor, and he has a daughter with Astrid? They're married—how did that happen? Why would you even run away to marry this loser here?" Snotlout blurted out, clearly hyperventilating. The rest of the Berkians seemed equally perplexed, mirroring the questions racing through Snotlout's mind.
Astrid's face turned as red as a Monstrous Nightmare, and the air around her practically radiated her frustration. The Vikings wisely took a few steps back, not wanting to be caught in the wake of the short-tempered Valkyrie. Snotlout, being clueless, stood only a few feet in front of Astrid with his mouth agape.
Unable to contain her rage, Astrid quickly pulled back her arm and delivered a punch square into the shocked Viking's open mouth. The sickening sound of the crack was followed only by Snotlout's anguished scream.
"What did you do that for?!" he screamed, cradling his now swollen jaw, a few teeth now at an ugly angle.
Astrid looked down at him with pure hatred in her eyes, "That's for being an insufferable moron," she spat out.
"All right now let us get something really clear, no one, no one, can call him that… Ever. And he isn't 'Useless' or whatever bullshit you lot used to call him on Berk, he is much smarter and stronger than any of you here and more importantly I love him for who he is. Also, yes, we have a daughter whom we both love very much and we also got married a little under five years ago." She stated.
Hiccup chuckled while motioning to his four-year-old to go back to her table to eat. Zephyr obediently ran back to her seat where a warm breakfast had been laid out for the little princess.
He placed his hand on his furious wife's shoulder as a gesture to calm her down. "Why don't we sit down I am pretty sure all of you are hungry, we can have something to eat while we tell you everything we have down in the past eight years. And then you can ask all the questions you have." He told the Vikings.
"Heather, could you please lead the council members to their guest rooms?" Hiccup told. Heather nodded while walking out of the Hall.
As the Berkians slowly got seated they saw that the Dining Hall was at least three times the size of the Great Hall back in Berk. It was now empty except for themselves, Hiccup, Astrid and their daughter.
"So, let's start from the beginning, shall we? My life on Berk wasn't the best. I was the runt, the outcast in my own tribe. I endured bullying and abuse, with only a few people caring about me, Gobber and Gothi. Snotlout and his band of idiotic lackeys took every opportunity to beat me to a pulp or humiliate me in whatever way they found amusing," Hiccup recounted, his gaze pinned at Snotlout, who still held his jaw in pain.
"Even at home, my father didn't care if I was bleeding or hurt. Come to think of it, he wouldn't even acknowledge my existence unless he was shouting at me in front of the entire village," Hiccup continued, Stoick was filled with guilt.
"Despite all this, I didn't mind being considered a runt by all of you. But everything changed when I shot down the Night Fury during the raid before we disappeared," Hiccup admitted, revealing a shocking truth that left the Berkians in disbelief. The tale he had told eight years ago about shooting down a Night Fury was indeed true.
"The morning after the raid, I set out to find the Night Fury so I could kill it and finally gain acceptance in the tribe. But then, I looked into its eyes and saw fear, the same fear I felt in my own eyes. I don't know why, but I decided to let it go," Hiccup further recounted while giving his best friend a scratch under his ear.
"I eventually located the Night Fury again, trapped in a cove without its tailfin. I forged a bond with it and crafted a prosthetic so it could fly once more. The only condition was that I had to fly with him. So, I learned to ride him, discovering tricks that helped me win in dragon training. Through this journey, I realized that all dragons are kind and intelligent creatures," Hiccup concluded, taking a sip of water.
Astrid then continued, "I got jealous and mad that he was winning in dragon training… And so I followed him, to find out how he gotten so good at dragon training…"
Astrid wistfully chuckled, "Out of all the possibilities I thought the conversation would go I would have never expected to find out that Hiccup had learnt how to train dragons. I didn't know what to think or say, as I just stood there looking between Hiccup and Toothless like an idiot."
"So I did the only logical plan I could come up with at that moment, I just turned around and ran as fast as I possibly could, back to the village to tell Stoick everything, but before that could happen Hiccup and his pet dragon kidnapped me," Astrid said while staring daggers at her husband.
She further recalled, "He took me for a ride in the clouds, showing me the true nature of dragons, and that was when I fell in love with him… that was also when we found out the true reason behind the raids, a dragon the size of Berk, whom we named the Red Death, forced the dragons to raid and bring it food or it would eat the dragons themselves…"
"When we returned, I revealed my decision to escape Berk with Toothless to Astrid, I couldn't stay there after all the abuse and after knowing the truth about dragons. Astrid pleaded to join me, and despite my attempts to dissuade her, I eventually agreed. That night, we left Berk behind," Hiccup told. "We faced the Red Death together the following day, and after defeating her we freed all the dragons, ending the raids, but I lost my left leg."
"He's being modest. I wasn't that good at dragon flying back then, and so Hiccup single-handedly battled the massive dragon. While I stood away in fear, he fearlessly fought the Queen until her demise," Astrid interjected, as gasps from the audience echoed around the massive hall.
"After defeating the Queen, I took Hiccup to Bog Island to get medical aid. Surprisingly, Bertha welcomed us, and once Hiccup recovered, we played a crucial role in integrating dragons into Bog's life. We encountered skirmishes with the Outcasts and Berserkers, but they eventually became our allies."
"In the next few years, we explored new territories like Dragon's Edge and forged alliances with the Defenders of the Wing, Wingmaidens, and Night Owls. After a conflict with Viggo, we convinced him to join our cause, turning his tribe of dragon hunters into valuable allies," Hiccup added.
"As time passed, Hiccup and I became betrothed and later got married. Despite losing Bertha in the war against Drago, Hiccup managed to defeat him. We then dedicated the next year to trying to dismantle Drago's army, rescuing dragons and slaves, and helping them start a new life on Dragon's Edge. Our daughter, Zephyr Bertha Haddock, was born, named in honour of the brave woman who sacrificed herself to save my life," Astrid shared, her eyes slowly welling up with tears. Hiccup comforted his wife by holding her hand, while Stormfly, sensing her rider's distress, emitted a soft coo.
Hiccup and Astrid continued to take turns telling different stories, experiences and the journeys they had been on in the past eight years.
"So this is what we have accomplished in the past eight years." Hiccup said as he finally looked at his father to note his reaction.
Stoick fixed his gaze on the stone table with a gaze so intense, that he could make out the minute cracks across its surface. The weight of guilt settled upon him for the harshness he had shown his son, mingled with a sense of betrayal stemming from Hiccup's actions.
In contrast, Astrid's parents were taken aback; they had always sensed their daughter's deep affection for the auburn-haired young boy, recognizing his kind and caring nature as the key to overcoming the emotional barriers Astrid had built since her uncle's untimely death. The realization that Astrid had discovered true happiness filled them with joy, and the prospect of having their family whole again was a delightful revelation.
Astrid's sister leapt from her seat, rushing towards her sibling with an embrace so tight that it started to restrict Astrid's breath. "I'm so happy that you're alive, sis. I missed you so much," the young Hofferson whispered, tears streaming down her face and onto Astrid's shoulders. Astrid, comforted her younger sister, expressing how much she, too, had longed for their reunion.
But all good things have to come to an end, that was Snotlout's purpose in Midgard.
"No! That's a lie, there is no way in Helhiem that Astrid fell in love with this fishbone… he must have kidnapped her against his wish and is forcing her to be with him and bear his children." Snotlout vehemently declared.
After taking a deep breath he continued, "She could never settle with him. She was always supposed to be mine, and Useless is a chief? Oh, please. This tribe is surely weak and needs someone like me to lead them—a true Viking," he proudly asserted.
The guards had their weapons withdrawn and were filled with rage.
The guards, fueled with anger at the disrespectful words Snotlout had told their Emperor, withdrew their weapons "Sir, please, can we kill this cocky fool and teach him a lesson for not treating you with respect?" One of the Royal Gaurd seethed, glaring at the stunned Snotlout.
"That won't be necessary, Throk," Hiccup intervened, chuckling at his guards' loyalty.
"Believe it or not, I am the Emperor of the Draconian Empire. I am married to Astrid by her choice and consent. I am not the weak, useless fishbone you all used to know," Hiccup declared in a cold, monotonous tone that sent shivers down every Viking's spine.
"I will offer you shelter, food, and protection if you follow my rules. But if any of you disrespect me, especially my wife and child, I will kill you in the most painful way possible. If you harm the villagers or dragons, I will cast you back into the sea to survive on your own in the vast oceans. Am I clear?" Hiccup demanded, slowly rising from his seat and fixing an intense gaze on everyone gathered at the table.
Stoick nodded, his gaze fixed on his son. He could see the growth in his son, Hiccup had evolved into a leader, a father, and a husband. Responsible for the demise of the most dangerous man in the Archipelago for nearly two decades, Drago. Hiccup had also become an Emperor who knew when to be strict and when to be kind and fair. It was evident that these qualities made him a great leader, which explained the loyalty of his people and the prosperity of their nation.
While Stoick acknowledged that their relationship still needed mending, unsure if it aligned with Hiccup's plans, he was still proud of his son. Proud of the man his son had become, Stoick recognized Hiccup's growth and the positive impact he had on his people.