Chapter Text
The horn had just sounded, it's dreaded hollow moan filling the peaceful air of Berk with eeriness. Mothers ran into their houses, bundling up their children and hugging them tightly to their chests. Men and young girls and boys ran onto the battlefield, screaming their battle cry proudly, once again facing off the monsters which dared enter their territory. With their hideous faces and terrifying roars, they swarmed into the unsuspecting Viking village, diving for the sheep who were running for their lives on the fields. Skimming over the tops of the village itself, brushing and breaking off the odd plank from the roof.
In the midst of the battle, as the raging beasts charge proudly to fight for their kind, a mother was fighting her way to her house. Her woollen cloak flew behind her as she charged up the hill. Having been in the Great Hall, blessing yet another baby with her title as Chiefess of Berk, Valka ran up the stairs of her home as fast as possible, where she had seen a huge, four-winged dragon burst into the house. She burst into the top floor, running straight to her son’s room, and was faced with a unique sight, rather than a one of gore that she had expected. Her son, her glorious baby boy was laughing. Laughing into the amber eyes of the horned beast. Said beast mere sat there, tilting its head in what appeared to be curiosity, and crooning softly. Almost as if…it was observing…not at all maiming her baby.
“Dr-dragon”, she whispered, standing frozen in the hallway, as a pair of amber eyes immediately shifted to her. The dragon mouth moved into what could only be described as a snarl. It moved in front of the crib, and Valka let out a shuddering gasp. The beast was protecting her boy, her baby from her. I was right, she thought triumphantly, they aren’t all evil.
Valka slowly lowered to the ground, clutching her slight baby-bump on her stomach as she lowered her axe. Straightening again, she maintained eye contact with it, approaching it slowly. She slowly reached her hand out, looking at its snout warily. This has to work.
Closing her eyes, she turned her head away in anticipation. And she was rewarded. A puff of warm break moistened her hand, and a cool, reptilian snout gently pressed itself against her palm. Her eyes snapped open and she let a breathy gasp.
“Oh my-”
The door downstairs burst open and Stoick's worried voice echoed across the hall.
"VALKA!", he screamed as he rushed up the narrow stairway, and into Hiccup's room.
It all happened so fast. So fast, that even Valka herself couldn’t explain what happened. Before she knew it, the dragon has flung her onto its back, and shot into the sky. And all she was left with was the memories of her son crying and her husband’s weeping…and an unborn child.
***
Thirteen years later, the one thing that Hiccup never expected, and dreaded after his most unique, recent turn of events occurred.
"Congratulations, Hiccup! You have been chosen to kill the Monstrous Nightmare!", Gobber announced, and beamed at him from the arena.
Hiccup felt as if he had swallowed a boulder. And at this point, said boulder was making its way down his throat and into the pit of his stomach. Ooooh boy, this is bad.
His father approached him, beaming. "I'm so proud, son. Finally, after all these years…you have made me proud”, Stoick exclaimed and clapped Hiccup on the back, sending him stumbling into the wall of the arena.
Hiccup, stumbled around, muscles as tense as those of a thief caught in action, his eyes wide and face slightly paler. That hurt, kind of. He wasn't sure whether that was a compliment, or some sort of twisted and sugar-coated insult. He was sure that his expression, probably seemed surprised, rather than terrified. The noise of the cheering crowd faded away as Hiccup's heart began to race at such a speed he was sure it would burst. He needed to get a away. There was no way he was going to be able to kill the Monstrous Nightmare, especially after all the amazing flights and knowledge he had learnt from Toothless. No. He was going to go. Far, far away. He was going to start anew.
And before he knew it, he was bolting from the ring, and running as fast as his legs could carry him, all the way up to his bedroom. He imagined the confusion the crowd was going through, watching, the Pride of Berk sprinting with a shocked expression plastered on his face.
"Books, pencils....um...FOOD, oh wait...oh Thor, my bedroll...", He muttered under his breath, gathering everything he could, and needed, as quickly as possible. He couldn't believe it. He was actually running away from his home. From his father, from whatever else he had left of his mother, from Gobber…from what was familiar.
Hiccup swung the bag over his back and ran as fast as he could across village square, and stumbled his way through the forest. Villagers who were going on with their daily activities didn't notice, but Stoick did. He did not want his son running into who knows where, just two days before his big performance. Stoick strode into the forest, trying to keep up with Hiccup, who had an advantage as he was much smaller.
The footfalls of the burly man all but made Hiccup slow down. On the contrary, it encouraged him to run faster, and faster, until he reached the cove. He ducked underneath the shield was wedged between the two boulders.
"Toothless! Hurry. We have to leave!", Hiccup hissed, and the black dragon bounded over to Hiccup, giving him a questioning look, as if he was confirming his choice. Ohhhh I need to leave.
"Toothless, don't give me that look. I don't want to kill the Nightmare, and I definitely do not belong here. I only just got my father's approval and pride, but what's the point if I can't kill it? I'm not a killer. Now come on, Toothless, hurry, because Dad is coming!", Hiccup whispered quickly, more to himself than anyone else.
The footsteps of his father started to come closer, and Hiccup hurriedly shoved his pack onto Toothless's back, cutting himself deeply with a saddle buckle.
"Argh. Thor, now I'm bleeding. Great. Okay, Toothless. NO, do not look at me like that, again. I'm okay, and we'll fix it later, now, UP, TOOTHLESS", Hiccup whispered, and they shot off into the sky, just as Stoick somehow managed to slide into the cove.
He gasped at the sight. There were drops of blood in a dark little patch of the cove. His heart started pounding harder. No. Not his son too. Stoick looked deeper, trying to find evidence that he was dreaming.
"Hiccup?", He called, his deep voice echoing around the empty expanse in the forest. "Come out, son."
Still no reply. He shuffled around the clearing, getting more and more desperate, until he noticed something. A small trail of black scales. Jet black scales. Dragons have scales. That was it. There was a Night Fury here.
Then it all connected. The blood, the scales. His son, Hiccup, had just been taken by a dragon. A Night Fury, for a matter of fact. Stoick dropped to his knees, the same words echoing through his mind. Hiccup. No son. Not now. First Valka, now you...Oh, what is happening to my life?
Sobs wracked his body, and the chief of the Hooligan Tribe sat there on his knees, muttering incoherently as he asked whatever higher power was present, the same question over and over again.
"Oh Valka...what would you do now?"
***
Later that night, Stoick slowly walked out of the bush, muttering something. Gobber, amongst the other villagers who saw the Chief in this distraught state stared at him in a mixture of shock and caution. Gobber hobbled over to his best friend, and grabbed his shoulder. The man didn’t respond. He didn’t even look at him. He just stood there…like a hollow log that had merely rolled out of the forest – unresponsive and rigid.
"Stoick, what's got yer so upse'?", Gobber whispered, not wishing to attract any more attention to them than they needed.
"It's Hiccup", the grief-stricken chief stated. Gobber felt a deep chill settle within his bones. What has happened to the poor lad? The entire town square when silent, listening for the upcoming news – and Stoick complied, with a hardened edge to his voice. "He was killed by the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. The Night Fury. And on my life, I swear that before I die, I will bring down that beast that took my son, right in front of me".