Chapter Text
Snotlout held the mirror high as he, the twins, Astrid, and Fishlegs entered the Great Hall. He made a beeline for the Chief, eager to show off his find.
“What is this?” Chief Stoick asked, as Snotlout dropped the ornate mirror on the table in front of him.
“This,” Snotlout said, waving his hands over the mirror demonstratively, “is a magic mirror. I found it in the woods, doesn’t matter how. But! Check out these runes around the frame! Fish-face here says these mean this mirror can be used to see the future!”
Chief Stoick made an unconvinced face, but Gobber, at his side, leaned over to take a look at Snotlout’s totally-real-definitely-magic mirror.
“Looks legit to me, Chief,” he said, like he was some kind of authority. Of course, Gobber had been born off of Berk, even if his family was originally from here. He knew a lot of weird things most Berkians never cared to learn about.
“And how, exactly, does it show the future?” Chief Stoick asked, raising one eyebrow.
“I think we just have to ask it, Chief!” Fishlegs said, excited.
“This thing is totally fake. I can’t believe you’re actually wasting the Chief’s time like this,” Astrid hissed.
Snotlout ignored her, waving his hands over the mirror again. “Show me my future self!” he commanded.
Nothing happened.
“See? Fake,” Astrid said smugly, crossing her arms. The twins sighed in disappointment.
“No, no, I think that was actually just too vague. Snotlout, try specifying how far into the future you want to look!” Fishlegs suggested.
Snotlout waved his hands over the mirror. “Show me myself twenty years into the future!”
To the amazement of everyone gathered, the surface of the mirror rippled like it was made of water and a stone had been dropped into the center. When the ripples passed, a new image was left behind. Not the reflection of the roof of the Great Hall, like it had been before, but the side-view of a man who looked remarkably like Snotlout, but older.
“Holy yak dung, it worked!” Snotlout exclaimed, leaning further over the mirror. “It’s my future self! What is he doing?”
In the mirror, Future-Snotlout marched up to a door and knocked on it heavily, wearing a scowl.
“HICCUP!” he bellowed.
“Ah, great,” Chief Stoick grumbled, leaning on one hand with a sigh as they watched the mirror.
The door flung open, and a woman who was unmistakably Astrid’s future self stood there. In the present, Astrid leaned a little closer to the mirror, curious.
“What, Snotlout?” Future-Astrid snapped. “What do you need Hiccup for that has you banging on our door in the middle of one of the busiest weeks of the year!?”
“Uh, actually, you being here is great. I was gonna call for you next. We need to talk about Zephyr,” Future-Snotlout said, crossing his arms with a huff.
“Look, whatever Zephyr broke, just make her fix it,” Future-Astrid said. “Everyone here is very, very busy right now.”
“She broke the morale of my students! My students, Astrid! How can you fix broken student morale?”
“Students?” Tuffnut asked. “Pfft, who would give you students?”
“Which students,” Future-Astrid asked, leaning one hip against the doorframe.
“All of them!” Future-Snotlout screeched. Then his voice dropped, and he squared his shoulders, serious. “Astrid, if she doesn’t stop doing flybys, I’m going to refuse to induct her in the autumn.”
“WHAT!?” a panicked, recognizable voice echoed from inside the house. A moment later, Astrid stepped to the side to avoid a fast-moving Future-Fishlegs when he came barrelling out of the house. “Snotlout, you can’t refuse to induct the Chief’s daughter into the Dragon Academy!”
“Hiccup is Chief,” Chief Stoick muttered, with a small sigh of relief.
“What’s a flyby?” Tuffnut wondered.
“What’s a Dragon Academy?” Ruffnut added.
“Probably just fancy Dragon Training,” Gobber said.
“Uh, yeah, I can,” Future-Snotlout shot back. “She’s making a nuisance of herself and ruining the morale of my current students. I’m in charge of the Dragon Academy, and I don’t reward bad behavior!”
“Okay, everybody just calm down,” Future-Astrid said, stepping between the two men with her palms out to each. “Fishlegs, this has nothing to do with you. Please go back inside and continue helping Hiccup with the census results and storehouse planning. Snotlout, I will have a talk with Zephyr.”
“Thank you,” Future-Snotlout huffed.
“Yes, Astrid,” Future-Fishlegs said, with a small wince. He disappeared back into the house.
Future-Astrid turned back to Future-Snotlout. “Are you sure it’s just Zephyr being a troublemaker? Dart isn’t mindless, you know.”
“Dart isn’t mindless but she is loyal. Also, I’m pretty sure Dart just thinks they’re saying ‘hi’. It’s Pouncer who likes to show off and you know it. But Zephyr? Zephyr is definitely showing off. We’re not all bilingual, you know!”
“What does that mean?” Astrid wondered.
“Okay, I will talk to both of them, yeah? And Pouncer, I guess. You haven’t had any trouble from my other boys, have you?”
“Pfft, like what? Ruffrunner just sleeps all day and Finn can’t even swing an axe. Like, at all. It’s kind of stunning how much he takes after his dad when he was that age.”
“Snotlout, Fink is ten. He has plenty of time! Hiccup got there, didn’t he?”
“Uh, yeah, after two wars and intensive training. Legnut is getting downright scary with a mace and she’s the same age.”
“Well, Fink is getting downright scary in the forge. Last month he figured out a way to use Nightmare Gel as a propellant.”
“That would probably be more impressive if I knew what ‘propellant’ means,” Future-Snotlout said, sticking out his tongue. Future-Astrid rolled her eyes and made a frustrated motion with her hands.
“Astrid!” a new voice hollered from inside the house. “Do you have the armory numbers?”
“Coming, Hiccup!” Future-Astrid shouted back. She turned to face Snotlout again. “Well, duty calls. Hey, are you free Thorsday? We should spar, it’s been too long. Okay, see ya!”
“Wait, Astrid!” Snotlout shouted, as she disappeared. He scowled, muttering to himself, “I am not free Thorsday.”
“Grandkids, and one’s in the forge with me!” Gobber cheered, bopping the Chief’s shoulder with an excited punch. “And it sounds like Hiccup finally finds his feet in a fight!”
“Yeah, but come on! This is all just daily boring stuff,” Snotlout complained. “Where’s the action? The cool battles and war stories?”
“Your future self said there had been two wars,” Astrid pointed out. “So we know there should be that many stories, at minimum. Maybe we just keep watching until it’s dinnertime. Most Vikings prefer their stories with a little food.”
“Whoa. What is that?” Fishlegs asked, pointing. Everybody directed their attention to the mirror again.
Future-Snotlout marched up to a red Monstrous Nightmare and climbed into a saddle positioned just behind its head. “Come on, Hookfang,” he said, and the dragon took off.
“I’m riding a dragon!?” Snotlout shrieked. “I’m riding a dragon! I’m riding a dragon!?”
“You said you were in charge of a Dragon Academy! Shouldn’t that make you some kind of legendary dragon-killer?” Tuffnut asked.
“Yeah, what’s all this riding stuff about? Not very Viking of you, Snotlout!” Ruffnut chimed in.
Chief Stoick glared down at the image, but made no comment.
The image in the mirror pulled back from Future-Snotlout as he flew over Berk, showing off a village that was half again as big as the current village, the buildings decorated with intricate carvings and bright paint. In the midst of it all were dragons and strange fixtures that were obviously built for the dragons, such as elevated perches and feeding troughs of fish. Eventually, the image focused closer on Future-Snotlout again as the dragon he rode landed outside of a building which was positioned atop the cliff that overlooked the docks. The roof had a multitude of windows built into one side, and through them Terrible Terrors of a variety of colors could be seen.
The Monstrous Nightmare landed and Future-Snotlout slid off its back.
“Come on, Hookfang. After that conversation, I could really use some good news,” Future-Snotlout grumbled.
The Nightmare laid down in the grass outside of the strange building and huffed, seemingly in response to Future-Snotlout.
Future-Snotlout pushed open a set of doors, entering the building. Terrible Terrors lined the walls, on perches or in strange nests on high ledges. The cacophony of sound they produced with their ‘singing’ was, well, terrible, but Future-Snotlout didn’t seem fazed at all. He simply marched over to a low ledge on the right wall which was empty, then whistled. Immediately, a Terror dove down from the ceiling and landed on the ledge, holding out its hind leg. Future-Snotlout untied the parchment there from the leg, then gave the Terror a scratch under the chin and left the building.
“What the heck?” Snotlout asked, completely baffled.
“No, no, I get it!” Tuffnut exclaimed. “It’s like a mail raven. It’s a mail dragon!”
“I… actually think you might be right,” Fishlegs agreed.
Future-Snotlout walked over to the Nightmare and sat down, leaning back against the joint where the wing met the body. The Nightmare craned its neck so it appeared to be reading over Future-Snotlout’s shoulder.
“Alright, Hookfang, let’s see what Minden has to say about scheduling this year,” he said.
“Oh, come on! My idea of ‘good news’ in the future is talk about schedules!? That’s ridiculous!” Snotlout complained.
For a minute, Future-Snotlout just read intently, then a smile spread over his face and he cheered.
“Yes! Hookfang! She says that it works out that the Grand Transition and Thawfest line up this year! She and Julia can stay on Berk for an extra week before the newborns are ready to be partnered!”
The dragon, Hookfang, huffed smoke in Future-Snotlout’s face, eyes crinkling in a way which looked undeniably pleased.
“Alright, Hooky! We gotta go tell Spatlout, c’mon! He’s probably messing around in the forest, let’s go find him!”
“Spatlout, huh? I have a son!” Snotlout cheered.
The mirror followed Future-Snotlout and Hookfang as they flew over the forest and found nothing. Then they flew over the town square and found nothing. They briefly searched the Great Hall and found nothing.
Through this, two things quickly became apparent: firstly, that twenty years in Berk’s future, dragons were everywhere, embedded into the culture and their daily lives, somehow rendered non-hostile. It was completely baffling to Vikings who had been fighting the Dragon War their whole lives. Secondly, searches were a lot faster on dragonback.
Finally, Future-Snotlout and Hookfang flew down to the docks, Future-Snotlout dismounting to better search the crowded docks on foot. There was a large fishing operation bringing in their haul, but Future-Snotlout wove expertly through the crowd until he approached a tall, dark-haired man who was giving out orders. He had strange, blocky blue tattoos on his chin: clearly a foreigner. Next to him, practically in his shadow, was a miniature copy of Snotlout.
“Eret!” Future-Snotlout called.
“Snotlout!” the foreigner called back.
“Dad!” the mini-Snotlout called, clearly Spatlout.
“Spatlout!” Future-Snotlout called back, getting down on one knee to catch his son in a hug as the small boy launched himself at his father. He propped Spatlout on one arm as he stood back up. “Have you been behaving for Uncle Eret?”
“I always behave! Tell him, Uncle Eret!”
“Spatlout was no trouble, Snotlout. He never is. He’s much preferable help than, say, Legnut,” the foreigner—Eret—answered with a fond grin.
“You only think Legnut is trouble because you didn’t know the twins when they were her age. Trust me, Legnut definitely takes after her dad as well.”
Eret shrugged. “I’ll take your word for it.”
“You know,” Future-Snotlout said, looking around. “If you keep bringing in hauls like this in the middle of the census, you’re going to screw up Hiccup’s precious count.”
“The Chief counts fish by the barrel and knows the sort of inventory turnover to expect. I keep track and provide him with an accurate count at the end of each day.”
“That sounds exhausting. Thank the gods I don’t have to count anything in either of my jobs!” Future-Snotlout grinned.
“What? Yes, you do. The stables are responsible for the count of adolescent dragons.”
“Ha. Yeah, I knew that. Obviously. I was just testing you.”
“That’s been the rule since the stables were built, Snotlout,” Eret said, giving Future-Snotlout an incredulous look.
“Dad, it’s not dinnertime yet,” Spatlout said, tugging on Future-Snotlout’s clothing. “Why’d you come find me?”
“I got good news!” Future-Snotlout said, redirecting all his attention to his son. “Your mom and sister are going to be able to stay a whole extra week during Thawfest this year!”
“That must be who Minden and Julia are,” Snotlout said in a low voice, sounding mesmerized.
“Yes!” Spatlout cheered, throwing his little fists into the air. “I’m gonna show Julia the baby Nightmares!”
“Yeah you are!” Future-Snotlout cheered with him. “Just be careful not to get any gel on your clothing, okay? If you guys get set on fire by accident your mom will kill me.”
“Got it, dad!”
“Here, go tell the baby Nightmares all about your sister so they know what to expect, okay?” Future-Snotlout said, setting Spatlout down.
“Okay! Bye Uncle Eret!” Spatlout agreed, running off. He quickly disappeared on the busy docks. Both Future-Snotlout and Eret watched him until he reappeared on the path above the docks, leading back to the village.
“Say it,” Future-Snotlout said in a deadpan, crossing his arms and turning back to Eret.
Eret pursed his lips. “What? I didn’t say anything.”
“You’re making a face.”
“I am not making a face.”
“Trust me, I’m your best friend, I know when you’re making a face.”
At that, Eret’s lips twisted more and his brow lowered.
“Seriously? This again?” Future-Snotlout said, with a dangerous edge to his voice.
“I’m allowed to think it’s unfair. He’s practically my son as well.”
“Yeah, which is why I should have known to check the docks first, not a reason for you to think his mom is a bad person!”
“I don’t think Minden is a bad person. I just think it’s unfair to Spatlout that he only gets to see her a few times a year.”
“Wait, what?” Snotlout asked, face falling.
“Yeah, I know you think that,” Future-Snotlout said, with a glare.
“And it’s unfair to Julia that her mother keeps her away from her father, especially when it’s obvious how much you love her.”
“I know you think that, too.”
“And it’s unfair to you that you only get to see your wife and daughter on the terms of a queen who rules an entirely different island!” Eret yelled.
“You mean, it’s unfair to you that Spatlout is more excited to see his mom than he is to see you,” Future-Snotlout replied, venomous.
“Ooh, yikes,” Ruffnut hissed.
“The terms of a queen of a different island? What does that mean?” Snotlout grumbled.
“I never said that,” Eret grumbled.
“Yeah, you didn’t have to. It’s written all over your face,” Future-Snotlout said, raising one eyebrow and pointing dramatically at Eret’s face. “Look, Spatlout is eight, okay? He’s excited to see his mom because he only gets to see her, like you said, a few times each year. He sees you all the time! So he’s not excited, or whatever. That doesn’t mean he loves you any less. You’re his uncle.”
“His uncle. Not his dad,” Eret said, half to himself.
“Do we seriously have to have this fight every time Minden visits?”
“Hey, now, I didn’t say anything! You brought it up,” Eret complained. He turned and hauled a net full of fish out of the boat behind him.
“You were thinking it! You made a face!”
“But I didn’t say anything.”
“Uncle Snotlout! Uncle Eret!” a new voice called. A white-and-black dragon of a species nobody recognized landed on the cliffside, clinging to the horizontal surface like a gecko.
“What kind of dragon is that?” Chief Stoick and Gobber wondered, in unison, leaning closer to the mirror.
“You don’t recognize it?” Astrid asked.
“There’s nothing like that in the Book of Dragons,” Fishlegs fretted.
“Hey, Finn! Pouncer!” Future-Snotlout called back.
“How are the two of you today?” Eret called.
“We’re good! Uncle Snotlout, dad said to tell you that you’re in charge of the launchers for the Thawfest Opening Dragon Races. Uncle Eret, he said to tell you that the dragons are going to be exhausted and hungry after Thawfest, so make sure there’s plenty of fish!” Finn relayed. “Also, mom said Zephyr is in trouble? What did she do?”
“Got it, Finn!” Eret called, then turned back to his fish-hauling tasks.
“Tell your dad I’ll get right on those launchers. And, Zephyr is in trouble for being a show-off and doing flybys of the Dragon Academy before she’s old enough to enroll. Most of my students can’t pull off the kind of tricks she can yet, and it’s having a visible effect on their morale!” Future-Snotlout yelled.
The dragon perked up.
“No, Pouncer, do you want to get in trouble too?” Finn scolded softly, running a hand over the top of the dragon’s head.
“Uh, isn’t Pouncer the name of one of my sons?” Astrid asked, looking disturbed.
“Woah! Dragon son!” Ruffnut cheered.
“I’ll have a talk with Dart, she’ll get Zephyr to stop being annoying,” Finn promised.
“She literally has less than a year left before she can join the Dragon Academy herself,” Future-Snotlout groused. “The graduation ceremony kicks off Thawfest! This is the worst time of year for my students to get de-moralized.”
“Hey, do we know if we have any diplomatic visitors during Thawfest this year?” Eret asked.
“Yeah!” Finn cheered. “The Outcasts and Berserkers and Defenders are all coming for the races! It’s gonna be awesome!”
“The Outcasts!?” Chief Stoick exclaimed.
“Same group that comes every year, then. Definitely no visitors from the Shivering Shores?” Eret asked, his voice turning light and cautious.
Future-Snotlout’s face fell into a snarl. “If those bastards show their faces, I’ll bash them all in with a hammer! All their faces! With a big, spiked hammer!”
“Woah! What happened with the Shivering Shores?” Gobber asked.
“This glimpse into the future sure comes with a lot of unanswered questions,” Astrid groused, crossing her arms.
“Just making sure,” Eret said, holding his hands up innocently.
“Ha! You’d have to beat mom to it,” Finn said. Pouncer shifted awkwardly underneath him, readjusting his grip on the vertical cliff face. Finn reached down and pet soothingly over his head. “Uh, I was just sent to deliver those messages. I’m gonna go find Legnut, good luck with, uh, all the fish.”
Pouncer smiled at Future-Snotlout and Eret, then took off with a powerful wingbeat. As the two boys flew away, they buzzed past Hookfang at the top of the cliff, who blew smoke at them.
“Well, I better go get started on those launchers. Maybe Tuffnut will be free to help me,” Future-Snotlout said.
“If you’d like, I’m free tonight. We could do a practice race, just the two of us. A few laps around the island, you eating my dust…” Eret proposed, smiling.
“Hey! It’s gonna be you and Skullcrusher eating Snotfang’s dust,” Future-Snotlout fired back, also smiling.
“We’ll see,” Eret teased.
“Count on it,” Future-Snotlout promised. He turned and left the docks, climbing onto Hookfang.