Born A Warrior
By Companion of the Dragonmark
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Nobody is born a Warrior. Or a Hero, for that matter. You choose to be one when you refuse to stay seated. You choose to be one when you refuse to back down. You choose to be one when you stand up after getting knocked down.
You choose to be one because if not you, who?
I didn't want to be a Warrior; nor a Hero; nor a King. I never wanted to be any of those things. But I was destined to be all three—not because I desired glory or hoards of gold or power, but for the sake of the dragons' survival, and ours. For the sake of both Vikings and Dragons to live in peace without violence, without bloodshed. For the same reasons my ancestor, Hiccup the First, became King.
And thus, here I am, sitting on this Stone Throne, and wearing this ancient Golden Crown, burdened with the weight of authority passed down by my forebears long since dead—a King.
O, how I wish I could live a life that was as free as a dragon in flight and as unburdened as the winds that blow from the North. To go a-Viking, to go adventuring, without having to worry about other things.
In all honesty, had my beloved cousin, Snotlout, been alive, I would've happily made him the Heir of Berk, so that I wouldn't have to worry about any heavy responsibilities.
However, that wouldn't have been right.
I am, after all, the descendant of Grimbeard the Ghastly, of Hiccup the Second, and lastly, Hiccup the First. They were all Kings or Kings-to-Be—renowned leaders of men and dragons. Any one of them could've fled from the mantle of responsibility, but they didn't. They decided to rule for the sake of others, and sometimes for themselves.
I am their Heir. I am the Heir to their Legacy. Snotlout died so that I could live because he believed that I was the best choice to lead our people to a better future. He could've killed me and assumed the mantle himself, but he didn't.
With my cousin's death, and with my archnemesis, Alvin the Treacherous, being the only other option to claim the Throne of the Wilderwest, can I truly afford to ignore the Fates of many for the sake of my own selfishness? No.
So with that burning determination in my heart and my steeled resolve, I charged into the fray and brought defeat against my enemies, and put an end to the Cycle of Death and Destruction.
I am now the Thirteenth King of the Wilderwest! Vikings and Dragons have once again united until one banner. However, even as we rebuild the ruined foundations of Grimbeard's City of Tomorrow, enemies still seek to destroy that Legacy entrusted by my ancestors.
The Uglithug Tribe, led by UG the Uglithug, King of the Mainland. They've been the archenemies of the Hooligans since long before Hiccup the First's time, many hundreds of years ago. And I have heard that UG the Uglithug has rallied his spirits and is preparing a fleet of longships to challenge me for the Throne of the Wilderwest!
And, surprisingly, Flashburn the Hero, along with his retinue. Instead of giving up, he refuses to acknowledge my Ascension as legitimate and has made accusations that Alvin and I were both responsible for not only taking the King's Lost Things from HIM, but also destroyed his Castle! His forty Warriors that ride Red Tiger Dragons have come back and want revenge! Other Vikings have rallied to his cause, his Hero status still nothing to underestimate.
They clamor for my destruction; they band together to cut me down; to devour and destroy to rubble the hopeful-yet-very-fragile-peace that has sprouted from the ash and snow through my efforts.
O, how I wish all conflicts could cease. I wish I could be a King in Peaceful times instead of a Warlord who makes Difficult Decisions.
But peace cannot exist without the strength to protect it. That lesson has been beaten into me and branded into my forehead, forever embodied on my skin like a solemn oath.
It's ironic, isn't it? I was born a Runt... and perhaps I will remain as one. I was never born a Warrior as others did, nor did I have ambitions to become one. But as I did before, so, once again, I must become a Warrior. I have no choice, for they seek to have us wiped from the face of the earth—from the annals of history. I am the only one standing in their way.
Thus, here I stand! I don my armor; my Roman shield is girted to my arm; my Kingly helm rests on my brow; my mantle wraps me in its embrace like a mother's blessing; lastly, I grab hold of the sword of my ancestors, Endeavor—the Dragonsword!—to use for the sake of my people, my family.
I'll do anything, and everything, to protect them. And defend them I shall—to my last breath.
Here I stand, the Warrior of the Renewed Kingdom of the Wilderwest!
I make this decree: They shall not sail a single quarter-league CLOSER to MY Wilderwest! They have declared war, so a war they shall get! Summon my Companions! Rally the Dragonmarkers! Saddle our Dragon-steeds! Sharpen our blades and don your armor! TO ARMS!
My name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, O Hear My Name and Tremble, Ugh, Ugh!—I am the Thirteenth King of the Renewed Kingdom of the Wilderwest! Last Hero of this Age!
And I am... forged a Warrior! A Hero! And a King!
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Author's Note:
Greetings, my fellow Dragonmarkers! Here's another fanfic for you. It's something I felt inspired to write today and got it done in an hour. See what happens when you're motivated? lol 😂
In Book 9, Hiccup mentions that Flashburn and UG ran completely out of the story due to the traumas they suffered at the Witch's hands and the dismantling of their massive egos. However, for me, I have a belief that they would've rallied themselves once they heard that Alvin and the Witch Excellinor were both slain, and that Hiccup had become King and was re-establishing the Kingdom of the Wilderwest. As both had, at one point, fostered ambitions to be King—and the Uglithugs had always been enemies of the Hooligans—I doubt that UG and Flashburn would've just move on and let it happen. It's a very Viking thing, after all, to challenge authority when it's not YOUR authority.
Thus, this fic was born as the narrative that I think might've happened had the story continued. Who knows... I might even use this as part of my future Wilderwest Saga, the story of Hiccup's reign and the sequel to the HTTYD series. 😉
I'm just on a roll pumping out these fanfics! O-ho! I will hopefully finish another fic soon, and then I've got another few fics I plan on writing for this month. So I hope you stick around!
Long Live the Wilderwest!
— Companion of the Dragonmark