(In this AU, Hiccup and Astrid have a week in between the day they found the nest and the final exam, so they spend all day, every day in the cove, planning.)
With the Grimbornes
Viggo POV
I was just playing Maces and Talons with my son(A/N: in my AU Viggo has a son named Apollo, who's a mirror image of him, with green eyes, like toothless, but human. Viggo's wife died in childbirth, so Apollo is all he has left besides Ryker) when there was a bright light, and everything went dark.
Hiccup POV
I was talking with Astrid, trying to plan for my final exam, which is tomorrow. I had to kill a monstrous nightmare in front of the whole village, but I didn't want to hurt dragons in any way, shape, or form. Suddenly, there was a bright light and everything went dark.
No POV (third person)
Viggo woke up in a comfortable looking room that reminded him of his quarters on his ship, but this one was much bigger.
"Dad," he heard Apollo whimper as he woke up, he gently pushed him back to the ground, reaching for his version of Hiccup's Inferno, only to find it missing from it's sheathe. "Where are we?"
"Stay there, Apollo," he ordered.
He looked around-
(Alright, I'm skipping the rest of the arrivals. I'm lazy. Just know the dragons can speak, Ryker is there, same with all the other HTTYD villains (-the red death). This takes place during Hiccup's week of preparation. This also contains the defenders of the wing and the wing maidens.)
[We pan up and glide across the ocean to see an island surrounded by fog. The moment the island is shown, a boy speaks.]
Hiccup (VO): This is Berk. It's twelve days north of Hopeless, and a few degrees south of Freezing to Death.
"Yeh have a weird way of describing things, fishbone," said Ryker.
"Ain't that the truth?" scoffed Snotlout, sneering at his cousin.
[We glide through the fog to see two giant Viking statues with fires burning in their mouths.]
Hiccup (v.o): It's located solidly on the Meridian of Misery.
"I hear that!" Yelled Fishlegs, shutting up when the other teens glared at him.
[We go past the statues only to dive through a crashing wave and jump to a closer shot of the island. As we pan in a circular motion, we see several structures, houses, and a sheep farm.]
Hiccup (v.o): My village. In a word, sturdy. And it's been here for seven generations, but, every single building is new. We have fishing, hunting, and a charming view of the sunsets.
[We land on two sheep grazing in the grass.]
Hiccup (v.o): The only problems are the pests. [A dragon carries one sheep away. The other resumes grazing.] You see, most places have mice or mosquitoes. We have...
[A dragon fires at the screen as a door slams shut, a boy cowering behind it]
Hiccup (o.s.): -dragons.
"Leave it teh you teh make dragons sound completely harmless, boy-o," laughed Spitelout.
Hiccup (con't): Most people would leave. Not us. We're Vikings. We have, stubbornness issues.
[Hiccup runs outdoors, where all the houses are on fire and Vikings are tussling with dragons all around]
Hiccup (v.o.): My name's Hiccup. Great name, I know. But, it's not the worst. Parents believe a hideous name will frighten off gnomes and trolls. Like our charming Viking demeanor wouldn't do that.
[Hiccup is seen dodging several Vikings. A nearby explosion from the blast of a teal Gronckle causes him to trip and a male Viking roars in his face.]
Ack: ARGGGHHHHH!
[suddenly cheery]
Mornin'!
[Hiccup gets back on his feet and continues to run down the street, darting past his neighbors.]
Hoark: What are you doing here?!
Viking: Get inside!
Viking: What are you doin' out?"
Phlegma: Get back inside!
[A big viking grabs Hiccup protectively by the collar of his shirt, yanking him out of the path of a strafing dragon]
Stoick: Hiccup?! What is he doing out aga-?! What are you doing out?! Get inside!
Hiccup (v.o.): That's Stoick the Vast. Chief of the tribe. They say that when he was a baby, he popped a dragon's head clean off of its shoulders. [Stoick throws a wooden cart at a dragon, knocking it out mid-air] Do I believe it? Yes, I do.
Stoick: What have we got?
Starkard: Gronckles, Nadders, Zipplebacks. Oh, and Hoark saw a Monstrous Nightmare.
"So, where are the difficult dragons," asked Apollo. "Gronckles, Nadders, Zipplebacks, and Monstrous nightmares are amongst the tamest dragons. They're literally at the bottom of the dragon food chain."
"What do you mean," asked Stoick. "That's it."
Viggo decided to chime in with his opinion.
"Well then these raids should be a breeze."
Hiccup decided to speak up.
"All anyone teaches is 'if there's a dragon, charge and kill.' They don't teach much in the way of strategy."
Stoick: Any Night Furies?
"Hm, maybe there is one or two difficult dragons." muttered Ryker.
Starkard: None so far.
[Burning embers land on Stoick's shoulder. He casually brushes it off.]
Stoick: Good.
Viking: Hoist the torches!
[Two enormous torches are raised and lit. The dragons swarm around them.]
[Hiccup runs into a blacksmith shop and puts on an apron]
Gobber: Ah! Nice of you to join the party! I thought you'd been carried off!
Hiccup: What, who me? Nah, come on! I'm waaaay too muscular for their taste. They wouldn't know what to do with all... [gestures to his skinny body] ...this.
Gobber: Well, they need toothpicks, don't they?
Hiccup (v.o.): The meat-head with attitude and interchangeable hands is Gobber. I've been his apprentice ever since I was little. Well... littler.
[scene cuts to Stoick on the watch-tower]
Stoick: We move to the lower defenses. We'll counter-attack with the catapults.
[A dragon swoops down and sets another house on fire.]
Hiccup (v.o.): See? Old village, lots and lots of new houses.
Viking: FIRE!
Astrid: Alright, let's go!
[The Viking teens are seen carrying buckets of water as Hiccup in the voiceover introduces them one by one]
Hiccup (v.o.): Oh, and that's Fishlegs, Snotlout, the Twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and... [dreamily] Astrid. Oh, their job is so much cooler. [Slow motion shot of the teens walking away from an explosion]
"Less useful, too," muttered Viggo. He was quiet, but everyone still heard him.
"What do you mean, dad?"
"Well, how useful is it to put out fires that will just be relit within seconds?"
[Hiccup leans out of the smithing window to get a better look. Gobber lifts him up and back into the shop.]
Hiccup: Oh, come on. Let me out, please? I need to make my mark!
Gobber: Oh, you've made plenty of marks. All in the wrong places!
Hiccup: Please, two minutes. I'll kill a dragon. My life will get infinitely better. I might even get a date.
Gobber: You can't lift a hammer, you can't swing an axe, you can't even throw one of these!
[Gobber holds up a bola and a Viking grabs it and uses it to bring down a dragon]
Hiccup: Okay, fine, but this will throw it for me.
"Did you make that yourself," asked Mala. "That's some amazing craftsmanship!" Even though she doesn't approve of hurting dragons, she knows talent when she sees it, and she'll always acknowledge it.
[Hiccup pats a wooden machine, which opens and shoots a bola randomly, hitting a Viking standing in the background.]
Viking: Arggh!
Gobber: See, now this right here is what I'm talking about!
Hiccup: Mild calibration issue-
Gobber: Don't you- no- Hiccup. If you ever want to get out there to fight dragons, you need to stop all... this.
Hiccup: But, you just pointed to all of me!
Gobber: Yes! That's it! Stop being all of you!
Hiccup: Ohhhh...
Gobber: Ohhhh, yes.
Hiccup: You sir, are playing a dangerous game. Keeping this much, raw... Viking-ness... contained? THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES!
Gobber: I'll take my chances. Sword. Sharpen. Now.
Hiccup (v.o.): One day, I'll get out there. Because, killing a dragon is everything around here.
The dragons decided to speak.
"Why," asked a baby nadder. In response, Hiccup smiled and pointed to the screen once more.
[The camera pans over various dragons as they are described. Nadders are shown attacking sheep, Gronckles are stealing racks of fish, and a Zippleback ignites a house and blows it up.]
Hiccup (v.o.): A Nadder head is sure to get me at least noticed. Gronckles are tough. Taking down one of those would definitely get me a girlfriend. A Zippleback? Exotic. Two heads, twice the status.
Catapult Operator: They found the sheep!
Stoick: Concentrate fire over the lower bank!
Catapult Operator: Fire!
Hiccup (v.o.): And then, there's the Monstrous Nightmare. Only the best Vikings go after those. They have this nasty habit of setting themselves on fire.
[A Monstrous Nightmare growls and alights itself as it climbs up the catapult]
Stoick: Reload! I'll take care of this.
[Stoick fights the Nightmare, which takes a few hits before retreating]
Hiccup (v.o.): But the ultimate prize is the dragon no one has ever seen. We call it the-
"I thought Grimmel the Grisly killed all of them," muttered Eret.
"I thought I did too," mumbled Grimmel
[A high-pitched whistle is heard from the sky. The Vikings panic.]
Viking: NIGHT FURY! GET DOWN!
[From out of nowhere, an explosion tears the catapult apart]
Stoick: JUMP!
Hiccup (v.o.): This thing never steals food, never shows itself, and... never misses. No one has ever killed a Night Fury. That's why I'm going to be the first.
Gobber: Man the fort, Hiccup. They need me out there!
[He attaches an axe to his arm and begins to run out, but turns around at the doorway.]
Gobber (cont.): Stay. Put. There. You know what I mean.
[Hiccup runs outside the fort, bringing his bolas launcher]
Viking #6: Hiccup, where are you going?!
Viking #7: Come back here!
Hiccup: Yeah, I know! Be right back!
"Did you actually think Hiccup would go back? It's Hiccup we're talking about, after all!" Yelled Dagur, sounding psychotic, as usual.
[Hiccup is pushing a cart with the automated catapult on it]
[Stoick captures several Nadders in a net and wrestles them. One tries to blast him with fire.]
Stoick: Mind yourselves! The devils still have some juice in them!
[Hiccup sets up his bola catapult on an empty hill and looks around.]
Hiccup: Come on. Gimme something to shoot at, gimme something to shoot at.
[The camera pans around the night sky, and catches on a shadow, visibly blotting out the stars. It fires, and an explosion illuminates it, showing a visible shadow. Hiccup shoots, and a loud cry is heard as the shadow is seen plummeting down into a forest]
Hiccup (cont.): Oh, I hit it! YES! I HIT IT! Did anybody see that?
[A Monstrous Nightmare shows up and crushes Hiccup's bola launcher.]
Hiccup (cont.): Except for you.
"HOW ARE YOU SO CALM IN THE FACE OF DEATH!?" yelled Viggo.
"Lots of practice," was Hiccup's casual reply. That didn't help. If anything, it just made the father worse. He might not be his son, but he hates seeing others in danger. Especially children. It just reminds him of her.
[A shrill cry sounds from the hill, and catches Stoick's attention. He turns to see the Monstrous Nightmare chasing Hiccup, and gets up to go help him.]
Stoick: DO NOT let them escape!
Spitelout: Right!
[Hiccup runs behind a torch pole and hides, just as flames reach around the corner. He looks behind it and on the other side, the Nightmare reaches to get Hiccup. Stoick punches the beast and jumps back to defend himself. The dragon tries to breathe fire, but coughs up only a few drops of flaming liquid instead, having exhausted its shots]
"How did you effortlessly dodge the fire like that?" asked Apollo, genuinely curious.
"It's something I'm used to experiencing."
Stoick: You're all out.
[Stoick promptly defeats the Nightmare, which quickly flees.]
Hiccup (v.o.): Oh, and there's one more thing you need to know...
[The torch pole collapses and the torch starts to roll through the village, leaving destruction in it's wake.]
Hiccup: Sorry, Dad.
[The torch rolls onto the Nadders Stoick netted earlier, freeing them. The dragons manage to escape, hauling off most of Berk's food and livestock. With the raid over everyone turns there attention to Hiccup, it's like the entire island is looking at him.]
Hiccup: (sheepish) Okay, but I hit a Night Fury.
[Stoick grabs Hiccup by the back of his shirt and drags him towards his house.]
Hiccup (cont.): It's not like the last few times, Dad! I mean, I really actually hit it! You guys were busy and I had a very clear shot. It went down, just off Raven Point. Let's get a search party out there, before it-
Stoick: STOP! Just... stop. Every time you step outside, disaster follows. Can you not see that I have bigger problems? Winter's almost here and I have an entire village to feed!
Hiccup: Between you and me, the village could do with a little less feeding, don't ya think?
[A viking at the back rubs his stomach as if to say "Are you calling me fat?"]
Stoick: This isn't a joke, Hiccup! Why can't you follow the simplest orders?
Hiccup: I can't stop myself. I see a dragon and I have to just... kill it, you know? It's who I am, Dad.
Stoick: You are many things, Hiccup. But a dragon killer is not one of them. Get back to the house. [To Gobber] Make sure he gets there. I have his mess to clean up.
Tuffnut: Quite the performance.
Snotlout: I've never seen anyone mess up that badly. That helped!
Spitelout laughed. "Ha! If messing up means shooting down a night fury, you should all mess up more often!"
Hiccup: Thank you, thank you. I was trying, so...I really did hit one.
Gobber: Sure, Hiccup.
Hiccup: He never listens.
Gobber: Well, it runs in the family.
Hiccup: And when he does, it's always with this... disappointed scowl. Like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich. [Imitating Stoick] Excuse me, barmaid! I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra large boy with beefy arms. Extra guts and glory on the side. This here, this is a talking fish bone!
"Oh my gods, that sound just like Chief Stoick!" Yelled the twins.
Gobber: Now, you're thinking about this all wrong. It's not so much what you look like, it's what's inside that he can't stand.
Hiccup: [Sarcastically] Thank you for summing that up.
Gobber: Look, the point is, stop trying so hard to be something you're not.
Hiccup: I just want to be one of you guys.
[Hiccup enters his house and closes the door. Gobber gives a sympathetic look before leaving. A moment later, Hiccup exits through the back of the house and runs into the forest.]
"Gobber!"
"Stoick, you said take him home, you didn't say to keep him there."