It has almost been ten years, since the folk of this unnamed village woke up one morning to find that Number 4 had been occupied by the Haddocks, but hardly anything has changed. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up their brass numbers on their front door, still creeping into their rooms which hardly changed at all. Truly, only the proof that time has pass was the pictures on the mantles and walls.

Ten years ago, there had been pictures of what looked like a rather small baby for her age wearing different onseies were now pictures of a rather skinny looking, auburn hair girl riding a bicycle, feeding the ducks at the park, presenting a sort of contraption at a science fair, sitting in a fishing boat alongside her father, and various pictures of getting hug by him or even sitting on his shoulder.

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third was no longer a baby, and was clearly loved by her father. But right now, she didn't feel like it as his booming voice was the first thing she woke to that morning, "Hiccup, its time to wake up,"

Hiccup woke up with a start, as her dad pounded once more on her door. "Hiccup, do not make me come in there and drag you out of bed. You are not being late for school," Hiccup blinks sleepily, hearing her father heading down the stairs. Yawning, she slams her head into her pillow, trying to see if she could ignore her dad and maybe...just maybe sleep the rest of the day. She had been having a good dream too, of flying on a dragon… she was sure that she had the dream before.

"Hiccup?" her dad was back at the door, "Are you up now?"

"Nearly, dad," Hiccup groans, feeling dismay that her dad wouldn't be nice and just let her skip. She pushes herself up, yawning as she slips out of her bed. She fumbles a bit, before grabbing her school uniform, and getting dress.

"Well hurry up. I know you don't like the school but you should be excited," Hiccup smiles at her dad's attempts to cheer her up, "You're going to the zoo today right?"

"Right," Hiccup mutters, grabbing her socks and slipping them on. It wasn't the fact that she didn't like school, on the contrary, she loved learning. It was the other kids she didn't like.

When she was dressed, she went down the stairs and through the hall into the kitchen. Slipping into her chair, she grabs the plate that held eggs, bacon and a warm buttered biscuit and tried to not think about how swell it was to have a whole Year Six class filled with about twenty or so mental case students running wild around a zoo. "With only two teachers who won't even try and control us," Hiccup thought sadly to herself, and pray to the hamingja that followed her that Asmund won't have a go at her...again.

Asmund Borg was the leader of the local bullies, and for some reason, Hiccup was his favorite punching bag. Luckily for Hiccup, he couldn't often catch her, because while she didn't look like it, Hiccup was very fast.

Perhaps it was because of how small she was that made her a target. Maybe it was because of her name, while Britain use Norse names, since falling under the control of vikings all those years ago, the tradition of naming your child a hideous name to frighten off gnomes and trolls have fallen out of tradition, Hiccup was still name like that. Or may it was the way her messy auburn hair fell to her shoulders and parted to the right, no matter what she did to it. Her face completely covered in freckles, as did her shoulders and arms, and bright green eyes. Or maybe what made her a target was the thin scar on the ride side of her cheek, and the massive burn scar on her left shoulder. It was dulled and pink but quite painful during the colder months. When she had asked her dad how she got the scars, he grew sad, his eyes getting wet from unshed tears that he tries to hold them back. It was the same look that he got whenever Hiccup tried to ask him about her mother.

Hiccup never asked again, she hated how sad her dad looked when he was like that. Even though she longed to know about her mother, about her scars, about what her dad really does. He always avoid questions about his job, just telling her he worked for the government. She knew that her dad was hiding something from her, but what else could she do when he refuse to answer.

The only thing she really knew of her mother was that she was name Valka Evergreen, before she married her dad and took the Haddock name. That she too lived in this unnamed village (Hiccup was sure it has a name but everyone in it was so boring and dull that they didn't care to remember it) with her father, who everyone calls Old Wrinkly. Old Wrinkly was in fact still alive, and when her dad was too busy with his work, Hiccup was sent over there. He was a mad sort of man, quite old, and lived two streets away. Hiccup thought he was alright, but his house smelled of cabbage and the smoke from his hobby of soothsaying that he had taken taken up in his old days. He always looked at Hiccup, and told her how he had looked into her future and saw that she was destined for great things.

Other than that, Hiccup knew that she had inherited her looks from her mother, though she had blue eyes instead of the emerald green that Hiccup has, the same eyes that Hiccup inherited from her father. Whenever Hiccup tried to think of her mother, a vision came to her, of burning green fire and her shoulder beginning to ache. It made her think that her mother must had died in a fire…

Half an hour later, Hiccup was sitting in the back of the bus, being ignored by all her classmates. Even Asmund was ignoring her this time, too excited to see all the animals he would see in the zoo. Hiccup though, felt her stomach churn in discomfort, as before she could had gotten onto the school bus, her teacher had grabbed her by the arm and yanked her to the side.

"I'm warning you now, Haddock," Mrs. Dalh snarls, not caring that Hiccup was wincing in pain as her long nails dig into her skin, "I'm warning you now- any funny business, anything at all, and you'll find yourself in detention from now until Christmas,"

"But I'll be in a new school, then," Hiccup had mutter but at Mrs. Dalh's glare she sighs, "I'm not going to do anything, honestly,"

But Mrs. Dalh didn't believe her, no one did except her father and grandfather.

The problem was, strange things often happen around Hiccup and it was no good telling anyone she didn't make them happen. One time, during a camping trip with her father, Hiccup, while running around, had tripped and fallen into the burning firepit. She had been so shocked to find that the fire didn't bother her at all, no burns or any of the sort. Instead, the fire felt warm and tickled her. She had felt immensely disappointed when her dad had scoop her out of the flames, and kept her away from them as well. (Though Hiccup had been very confused about the pride she saw shimmering in his eyes)

Another time, in Year Four, Hiccup had yelled at by a substitute teacher. He had been extremely mad at her for looking out the window while doodling mindlessly instead of listening to his lecture. Hiccup was known for her strange fascination with the sky and the dream of one day flying, so it was the norm for her to lose focus. Just an easy call to her name would get her back on track. But this guy had been enraged that she was not giving him her full attention and started yelling at her, spewing spit onto her face. The only reason it didn't last for hours was because the next thing he knew, the others in her class had started laughing hysterically as his wig turned bright blue.

And finally, Hiccup had gotten into extreme trouble for being found on the roof of the school building. Asmund's gang had been chasing her as usual when, as much to Hiccup's surprise to everyone else, there she was, sitting on the chimney. She had tried to explain, to the headmistress in her office that she had only been trying to jump behind the trash can to hide, and then her dad had started yelling quite loudly about Asmund chasing after her.

(Funny enough it had just been when Hiccup was mention that it felt like the wind had caught her mid jump)

But today, nothing was going to go wrong. And Hiccup had high hopes for it as they walked through the very crowded zoo. Even though it was just a Friday, the zoo was having a bit of a rush, with people taking the time off to enjoy a nice trip with their families. Hiccup had scrunched up her face when Asmund and his best friend, Rollo had bought large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and had started to gobble them up while also floating very greedily. Asmund Borg was the largest kid in all the year, and sometimes Hiccup thought he was bigger than the kids at the end of their Secondary schooling. He had blonde hair that curled around his ears, and small eyes that squint when he found something he wanted, and wouldn't take no for an answer, even if he had to beat up the person who first owned it. Which he had great pleasure in. Because he knew he would never get into trouble because of his parents, who were in Hiccup's opinion blind as bats when it comes to their son. To them, Asmund could do no wrong, couldn't hurt a fly.

And none of the teachers feel the need to correct it. Asmund's father was in fact director of some big name company, and many people in the village work there. So many were afraid to get on the man's wrong side by giving nasty comments about his son or try to get him and his wife to be a bit stricter. The one time someone did try, they and their family were forced to leave the unnamed town to look for a better job. Because of this, many of the other bigger kids crowded around him, trying to get in Asmund's good graces.

So, while they gloated, Hiccup bought a simple and cheap lemon ice pop. It wasn't bad at all, and she quite enjoyed licking it as they watched a gorilla scratch its head. Hiccup couldn't help but think it looked remarkably like Asmund, except it wasn't blond.

Hiccup was having such a grand time, she was being careful to keep away from Asmund, who was starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on his favorite hobby of hitting her.

Hiccup should had known that after the tantrum he threw about not having enough ice cream, that every good thing was coming to an end.

They were in the reptile house after they had their fill. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were scrawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Asmund and his group alongside everyone else had run off, not caring for Mrs. Dalh calling them to stick together. Hiccup herself wander about, looking at each reptile in interest and reading the facts about them, until she found one that made her stop completely in her tracks.

The creature behind the glass looked at first like an iguana but Hiccup soon realize that was not the case. For this reptile had two pair of horns on top of its head, a barbed tip at the end of its tail and finally two wings. "What… are you?" She couldn't help but whisper in awe.

To Hiccup's amazement, the lizard opens its eyes, revealing them to be quite large and a gorgeous yellow. It shakes his head a bit as it stood up, and gazed at her, before licking its own eyeball with its tongue, making Hiccup laugh.

"Well I'm a dragon! What else would I be, young one?" Hiccup jerks at this, staring wide with wide eyes filled with shock. The suppose dragon blinks at this, "wait… can you… hear me? Like… can you understand me?"

At Hiccup's shock nod, the dragon smiles, and apparently he, for by the sound of his voice he sounded like a he, began to hop in place, "Oh by Alpha! What an honor! A child that speaks Dragonese! You must be a Haddock!"

Hiccup blinks at this, "How do you know I'm a Haddock? And what does being a Haddock have to do with understanding you?"

"Well, everything my dear lady! It was the last gift he gave to his blood brother, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Second!" Hiccup at this jerks, she knew she was the third one to have the name Hiccup in her family, but she never had heard of the two who held the name before her, "long ago anyone could learn to speak the tongue of Dragons, but after the death of his brother, the great Alpha vowed that only the blood of his brother may be worthy to speak and-"

A deafening shout rang through the reptile house and Asmund all but charge towards Hiccup and the small dragon as fast as he could. "Get out of my way, runt," he grunts, punching Hiccup in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Hiccup almost fell to the floor, but catches herself by placing her hand against the glass, glaring at Asmund as he leans right up close to the glass.

One second, everything was calmed, and then with a great roar in her ears, the glass shatters. Asmund jumps back, just in time to keep himself from falling into the tank or getting cut by the small pieces of glass. But not in time to dodge the dragon from leaping at his face, biting his nose.

"How dare you attack a Haddock! You are the reason we hide from most of you vile humans!" Asmund was crying, trying to pull the green lizard off his face, and Hiccup couldn't help but laugh, as Asmund finally gets a taste of his own medicine.

But her laughter dies in her throat, forming into a lump as Mrs. Dalh screamed in terror.

Hours later, Hiccup was right as her Dad opens the door to the house, "You were expelled. In one day you got yourself expelled,"

"I mean… I did want to skip today," Hiccup pointed out but grimaces at the slight glare, "sorry, dad," she mumbles, looking at her shoes.

"You're lucky that it's near the end of the school year so that it won't effect you," her father mutters, "and it's not like I'm not happy you stood up for yourself but why did you attack him? He needs stitches now, and we're lucky his parents aren't suing us,"

"I didn't attack him!" Hiccup snaps, feeling completely drain, "I didn't even touch him! It was all the dragon! It was the one who bit Asmund's nose!" That was the thing that truly made Hiccup mad. Everyone and their mother said that she was the one to tackle Asmund's nose, and bit into it. They don't even remember the winged lizard, even the zoo director himself had said there were no occupants in that tank.

But her father blinks, before his eyes widen slightly, "A… dragon?" He swallows, his face pale and his eyes shifted, showing Hiccup that he believed her but won't tell her.

"Yeah," she drawls, her green eyes narrowing at him, "and it spoke to me… like in a way I understood it. It said that because I'm a Haddock that I able to,"

"Go to your room," he grunts, keeping his gaze away from her, "we will speak of this later,"

"That's what you always say!" She throws her arms in the air, and Hiccup felt so tired, felt so drained and upset. Her eyes were burning with tears, "I get it I'm not the child you wanted. But you never listen, and when you do it's always with this disappointed scowl like someone skipped on the meat of your sandwich," she then begins to swing her arms, lowering her voice a bit, "Excuse me, barmaid. I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring! I ordered an extra boy with beefy arms, extra guts and glory on the side. This here? This here is a talking fishbone!"

"I do not sound like that," her dad rebuffed, but Hiccup could see how his face was flush in embarrassment underneath his large beard, "and if you just stop all of… this," he gestures to Hiccup and she scowls at him.

"Thank you so much, dad. For summing all that up by gesturing to all of me," she remarks, sarcasm all but dripping in her voice, "except that I don't know what's wrong with me! Is it something wrong with my brain?" She grabs her hair into her hair, and she could feel the tears flowing down her face as a sob slips from her lips, "am I broken?"

"Oh lass," her dad kneels down and gently cradles her head in his large hands, "you… you are not broken… you just… you're just different and there is nothing wrong with that,"

"But I don't want to be different. I just want to fit in," Hiccup whispers before she pulls away, running up the stairs and ignoring her dad's voice, slams the door of her room shut.

Gasping for breath, her shoulders began to shake as she slid down against the door, and pushed her face to her knees, wrapping her arms around her. Muffling her sobs, so that her dad wouldn't be able to hear them.

"What am I doing wrong, Valka," Stoick asks out to the darkness of the living room. It's been hours now since he brought Hiccup home, and he felt completely exhausted.

Rubbing his hands against his face, he groans. It seems like a perfect plan, raise Hiccup away from the Viking world, but it was hard with the fact that he was still chief of the Hooligan Tribe. It was still his duty, along with the other chiefs and chiefess to keep the world of magic and dragons hidden from the Magi-laus, and Vikings and Valkyries make it much harder. Hiccup had been very confused about the strangers that meet her in the streets. A tiny man wearing a violet helmet who bowed to her once while out shopping. A wild looking woman dressed in all green who waved merrily at her once on the bus. And one time, before Stoick had glared him away, a bald man in an outfit consider of purple scales had shaken her head, before walking away without a world.

"And now the dragons are showing up," he groans, slumping in his chair. He should be happy about that, that Hiccup was ready to finally take the next step into her life, that he will no longer have to hide things from her…but yet. "What am I going to do with her, Valka,"

"Tell her the truth," her voice rang in his head, and he closes his eyes in pain and longing.

"She won't...Valka they'll eat her alive,"

"Oh Stoick...stop being so Stoick, you don't know that,"

"Yes, I do," he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I actually do...you know what's she like Valka. Before the time she could crawl..Hiccup's been different...which isn't a bad thing, but for the heiress of the Hooligan tribe...for what people consider their savior...it is. She doesn't listen, she has the attention span of a sparrow. I take her fishing and she goes hunting for trolls,"

"Trolls exist," this time it was Gobber's voice speaking to him, "they steal your socks but only the left ones. What's with that?"

"When I was a boy," and Stoick frowns when he hears the imaginary voices of his dead wife and his best friend groan in unison, "my father told me to bang my head against a rock. And I did it. I thought it was crazy, but I did it. I didn't question him, and you know what happen?"

"You got a headache?" Gobber's voice mocks him, and that brought a snort out of Stoick.

"That rock, split in two. It taught me what a viking and a valkyrie can do. That they could crush mountains, level forests, tame seas. Even as a boy, I knew what I was, what I had to become. Hiccup is not that child,"

"You can't keep her hidden, Stoick. You can only prepare her for what is coming. I know it seems hopeless, but the truth is you won't always be around to protect her," and that made Stoick grimace as Valka's voice points that out to him.

"I know Valka...I know…" Stoick sighs, feeling like their was a heavy burden on his shoulders, "I wish you were here...you would know what to do...you would know how to connect with her...I wouldn't be surprise if she has your gift in dragon training," he quickly wipes his eyes, so that the tears wouldn't fall, "I miss you," he whispers to the darkness.

But this time...there was no voice to respond to him.

So as I said in the tags of the ao3 version of this fic. Stoick is a good dad, and he tries, but he is very much missing his wife and feels like he isn't doing a good job raising Hiccup. He is also afraid for her, how others will treat her once she is brought back to the Viking world and having all those high expectations on her...

And he is very much missing Valka, who in this is dead. There will be no mysterious Dragon rider that is revealed to be alive Valka.

Anyway, that's the last of this chapter. Please leave a review!