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Hiccup stowed his sail and tied his boat to a nearby, half buried limb of driftwood. His boots sunk down into the damp sand a little.
The sun was high in the midday sky. He’d been sailing all morning to reach the island. Usually he would just fly on Toothless but today was different.
Hiccup had been sent on a quest.
At the age of twenty, his father had proposed it was nigh time that he proved his place as the rightful heir to the throne of Berk.
Chiefsons all around the archipelago regularly did trials like these when the time came. Some had to scale great mountains with nothing but their bare hands, others were tasked with braving savage sea storms alone on a small vessel and the rest, like Hiccup, were sent to bring back a prize.
In Hiccup’s case, the tribe had decided he would be sent on a quest to retrieve the head of the Ísmyndhöggvari.
It was said to be a creature that dwelt in the depths of a cave on a lone secluded island. Those who had been in the monster’s presence and had lived to tell the tale, told stories of a fearsome beast with eyes as blue as ice.
And it was the eyes that were the Ísmyndhöggvari’s greatest weapon. If direct eye contact was made with the creature, whoever gazed upon it was said to be turned into a statue of ice. Killed immediately. Frozen forevermore.
It was how the Ísmyndhöggvari had gained its name.
The Ice Sculptor.
Hiccup had been preparing for weeks, training day and night, often with a blindfold to sharpen his reflexes. His mother, the goddess of bravery and love, Valka, had even descended from Asgard to gift him a mighty shield to aid in his quest.
Hiccup had accepted it gratefully, and intended to use it, given its highly reflective surface.
As he followed the well trodden path to the mouth of the cave, the young chiefson felt his heart begin to quicken.
Today was the day.
His chances of dying were actually very high. These could very well be his final moments. No one who had ever tried to kill the Ísmyndhöggvari had ever walked away. And many had tried, that’s why there was a path to the creature’s cave.
Hiccup wasn’t the first to attempt this and if he died today, he definitely wouldn’t be the last.
He tried to really consider if this was a good idea. You might think it was a bit late to question it, but he hadn’t seen the monster yet, so he could still walk away.
Was he really about to risk his life over his birthright?
When you carry this shield…you carry all of us with you.
That’s what his parents had said. He had a duty to fulfil and respect to earn. It was his birthright. He was the literal son of Bravery, and he would not run away.
He reached the mouth of the cave. Cold air emanated from the darkness, and Hiccup took a fortifying breath. He unsheathed his flaming sword, Inferno, shrugged his fur cape tighter around himself and stepped into the lair of the Ísmyndhöggvari.
The light bled away quickly, leaving nothing but cold, frosted stone and the subtle shadows of the cave.
Hiccup’s breath showed in front of his face as he descended deeper.
When he found the first statue, he didn’t flinch. He’d known what was waiting for him, so seeing another human, having been turned to ice with their weapon mid attack, wasn’t as rattling as he’d feared.
This was what he was supposed to be avoiding today.
He continued on, illuminated by his flame and the occasional cracks of sunlight that slipped through tiny gaps in the stone.
The deeper he went, the more statues he found. Most were young men like him, some young women too. Some carried spears, others held maces or swords. He even found one man holding a hand mirror in his left palm, with a blindfold that had fallen off of one of his eyes.
The thought that someone else had also had the idea of a reflective tool and had still failed was a little disconcerting.
All the statues had one thing in common though - they were all attacking.
Their faces were wrought with fury and aggression, their bodies posed dynamically, loading up a mid strike before the Ísmyndhöggvari had managed to catch their eye. Hiccup had honestly expected more of them to be frozen as they ran away in fear, but maybe the Ísmyndhöggvari liked its prey to be riled up.
As Hiccup went deeper, a brighter light began to show itself. He let the flame of his sword die, but kept the blade out, ready for anything. He kept his eyes down and his shield raised as he crept along the wall of the bigger cave.
Natural pillars were dotted about, and Hiccup used them for cover as he advanced, staying deadly quiet.
And that was when he heard it.
Sniffling.
He neared the sound, staying behind a large pillar that shrouded him in darkness.
Using his shield, he angled it around the corner to give himself a mirror image. If he startled the Ísmyndhöggvari, at least he wouldn’t make direct eye contact.
Now Hiccup hadn’t known what to expect visually, given that most who had seen the creature hadn’t survived. Some said it was covered in fur, some said it had dragon’s skin and a face so hideous it would make babies weep.
So when Hiccup saw a young man crouched beside a large cave pool, illuminated by a large stream of light breaking through the cave, all he could think of was that he’d happened to run onto another adventurer.
His first instinct was to announce himself quietly, or to call the man over so they could formulate a plan to kill the beast, wherever it was hiding, but something in him told him to wait.
Wait and observe through the reflection.
The man was hunched over on his knees, cradling something in his hands and it came clear to Hiccup that he was crying softly.
Had the Ísmyndhöggvari wounded him? What was going on?
“Oh I’m so sorry.” The deep, wet voice whispered, echoing a little off the cave walls and into Hiccup’s ears. “I’m so sorry little one.” A heart churning sob shuddered from him. “I didn’t mean to, I thought you were over there- I- I- I didn’t realise.”
Hiccup watched the man shift slightly, and he finally managed to see what was in the man’s hands, who he was talking to.
A bird.
A tiny, little, frozen bird, turned into ice, so clear that Hiccup could still see the wing patterns.
A little sparrow by the looks of it.
“I’m so sorry.” The grieving stranger continued. “Please forgive me…” He swallowed heavily. “I told you to leave last week.” He protested to the dead bird. “Why did you stay? ”
Last week?
The stranger was apologising for the bird’s fate.
The stranger had been here for over a week.
The stranger didn’t seem all that stressed about the fact it was in a cave of a fabled monster.
And so it was with a dry throat, that Hiccup realised the white haired, pale skinned, handsome young man crying by the water’s edge over a little sparrow…
He was the Ísmyndhöggvari.
He stood up, still cradling his little sculpture, and neared the water’s edge. Hiccup watched as he walked in up to his calves before setting the little bird afloat.
The ice bobbed on the surface, and gradually, in the warmth of the light, it melted, joining the rest of the pool.
The chiefson started to question if the pool was naturally occurring or if this was how it had grown.
The Ísmyndhöggvari was a person?…It was a gods damned person?
Hiccup didn’t know what to do. Oh gods, what should he do? He had walked in here prepared to face a viscous beast, not slay a young man who wept over the accidental death of a little bird!
The rest of the statues came into Hiccup’s mind and he glued his eyes back to the reflection of the Ísmyndhöggvari. Upon closer inspection, he could see that the pale skin was indeed littered with scars beneath his dark blue cloak that was riddled with patches and stitches.
This boy was his age…and was clearly human.
How on earth had he ended up here? Was he born this way? Or was it an affliction?…Did he still kill for sport or did he treat every death he caused the same as the bird?
…There was only one way to find out.
So Hiccup did something that was perhaps very stupid given how little he knew and how out of depth he was, but when in doubt, follow your gut. And Hiccup’s gut told him that now was the time for questions.
“Hello?” He called.
The Ísmyndhöggvari shot round, zeroing in on the shield, and Hiccup was met with that handsome face and a pair of two, impossibly cold eyes staring right at him.
It only lasted for a moment before the man darted from the pool and the light and ran behind an opposing pillar.
He wasn’t attacking?
“Wait!” Hiccup called, shuffling himself upwards.
He kept his sword up just in case, and held his shield in front of his person. His eyes were glued firmly to the floor as he ventured out into the space.
“LEAVE.” The Ísmyndhöggvari snarled venomously.
“Hold on…” Hiccup placated. “I just want to-”
“GO!” The man shouted. “GET OUT.”
It was then Hiccup felt it, like an icy hand running its fingers up the ridges of his spine. It was faint, but there. The Ísmyndhöggvari had his eyes on Hiccup. The Chiefson was one look away from death.
He dared to close his eyes as a precaution.
“I- I’m not going to hurt you.” He said calmly.
The ice sculptor scoffed. “I’d like to see you try. All those statues outside thought the same.”
Hiccup inclined his head, trying for a conversational tone. “I doubt they stopped for a chat.”
There was a pause, then another scowl. “Leave.”
“I just want to talk.” Hiccup promised. “I’ll stay over here.” He crouched down. “Look, I’ll put my sword down. If I make a move you’ll see me do it.”
“Doesn’t stop you from trying to kill me with your eyes closed.”
Hiccup creaked his eyes open as a show off goodwill, still keeping them firmly on the floor.
The icy gaze was still trained on him like an arrow head. Hiccup saw the figure shift round the pillar in his periphery. All he could think about was how defensive the ice sculptor was. He’d been expecting an all out attack.
“Okay.” Hiccup nudged his toes under Inferno and kicked it over to the pillar. “You take the sword then. Here. You have the advantage.”
“Is this a trick?” The deep voice asked. “Are there others? Will touching this sword harm me?”
“No, it’s not a trick.” Hiccup said, placing his hand on his heart. “It’s just me here and no, I made that sword myself. It won’t hurt you.” He paused. “At least not more than any other sword would. It’s still sharp and watch out for the buttons, it can hold flames.” He added. “Be careful.”
The ice sculptor knelt down, keeping his eyes on Hiccup, and with a cautious hand wrapped in his cloak, he slowly lifted Inferno’s hilt into his hold. When it didn’t kill him immediately, he held it with his bare hands, following Hiccup’s instructions and staying clear of the buttons.
“Why should I believe anything you say?” He asked, pointing the tip in Hiccup’s direction.
Hiccup bit his lip. He had nothing.
“You have no reason to…” He admitted. “So you’ll just have to take my word for it.”
“You came here to kill the infamous Ísmyndhöggvari , did you not?” The young man demanded harshly. “You’re dressed for battle and you brought weapons and you snuck up on me. You’re just like the rest of them.”
Hiccup swallowed. “My name is Hiccup Haddock,” He began. “I was sent here to kill you, yes. I’m dressed for battle, I brought weapons. I’m in line to be the Chief of Berk and I was sent on this quest to prove myself.”
“Return home with my head you mean.” He spat. “You think you’re the first warrior to come here seeking glory to add to his name?”
“No.” Hiccup nodded. “I know I’m not. But what I will say is that you’re right, I did sneak up on you, and if I wanted to kill you then announcing my presence isn’t a very good way to go about that.” He wetted his throat. “And I- I was misled about what you were.”
The ice sculptor stepped out, staring at him with those penetrating eyes that promised death. Hiccup kept his gaze firmly to the side as his own sword was held to his neck.
“And just what am I, Haddock?” He asked, deadly calm.
“Human.” Hiccup breathed.
In his periphery he saw the sculptor falter, blinking several times as multiple expressions passed over his handsome face, but Hiccup couldn’t discern what they were.
“I was told you were some mindless, monstrous troll hiding in a cave, waiting for any passerby to kidnap and freeze. I see now that information was false.”
His white head tilted mockingly. “So what? You want to do some journalism before you try to murder me?”
Hiccup shook his head. “I don’t want to kill you.” He reiterated. “I’m just…visiting.”
He laughed nastily at that. “A visit? You’re just paying me a visit?”
Hiccup nodded. “Yes. A visit. I’m visiting.”
“Does the definition of visiting include murder?” The tip of Inferno dug into his skin. “What about your precious quest?”
It was a good point. A good question Hiccup had yet to ask himself, so he thought on it and answered in real time.
“I…don’t care about returning to the tribe in this kind of shame.” He said. “I want to be Chief one day and make my father proud but I- I also want to do that on my own terms. If that means killing someone undeserving…then I don’t want it.” He finished.
The sword at his throat wavered slightly.
“I’ve killed countless people, Chiefson.” He snarled. “I’m not innocent. I killed my own family, you know? I may not look like a troll but how do you know I’m not the monster they say I am?”
Hiccup shrugged. “I don’t think that monster would weep for a little bird.” He answered honestly.
The ice sculptor, carefully, and extremely hesitantly , lowered Inferno.
Hiccup’s breath of relief puffed in the air. “And given your nature,” He continued. “I think I’m starting to understand that you might hold resentment towards it. So, if you don’t mind, I would like to ask you some questions so I can better understand. Some light journalism, like you said.” Hiccup joked.
The ice sculptor was quiet for several long moments before finally, “I will answer your questions.” He muttered. “On one condition.”
“Name it.” Hiccup replied.
“Once you have finished, you will leave this sword, you will turn around and you will leave this place and you will never come back. No more visits .”
Hiccup could always make another Inferno, so this deal was as good as he was gonna get. Leaving with his life was also a massive plus.
“Deal. No more visits.”
The sculptor leant against the pillar. “Go on, begin.”
Hiccup instead turned around, propping his shield up against the wall and spreading his fur cloak over the floor so he could soon sit down. He then began taking various items out of his pockets and nooks, as well as grabbing stray bits of wood that lay about the cave.
“What are you doing?” The sculptor asked, confusion taking over the wariness in his tone.
Hiccup kept his eyes down as he worked, always careful of where the sculptor was standing. “Getting a fire started.” He replied. “It’s cold and I need something to cook my supper.”
The sculptor stepped closer, spluttering. “I- What?”
Hiccup smiled, resisting the urge to look at him. “You never specified how many questions I could ask. So we’ll be here for a while. I want to get comfortable.”
“You-” The sculptor actually laughed at that. “What are you? A child of Ruffnut?” He asked incredulously, referring to one of the twin gods of deception.
“Child of Valka actually.” He chirped, setting up the fire. “She’s the one who gave me this shield. Being a demigod has its perks.” He said, gesturing at the object.
As he did so he realised the Ísmyndhöggvari was in its reflection, and there it was safe to meet his eye.
He was looking at Hiccup with an air of complete disbelief, edging on a small smile tugging at his mouth.
Scars littered his face. One prominent one stretched over the bridge of his nose and another curved up his cheek from beneath his jaw.
Several smaller ones could be seen on the flesh around his eyes.
How many people had attacked him? How many had tried to blind him?
“So.” Hiccup cleared his throat. “What’s your name?”
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And so the time passed. Jack, for the Ísmyndhöggvari’s real name was Jack, helped out by fetching some food from his tiny camp cramped into a tight hidden crevice of the caves.
As they got the fire started they began preparing their fish as they spoke, sitting on the thick fur of Hiccup’s cloak, and using his shield positioned across so they could talk at each other properly.
Hiccup’s first questions were all about Jack’s story.
He learnt that he used to be just another simple mortal boy who lived on an island in the western reaches of the archipelago. He’d grown up in a forest with his family near a pond, where, during the winters, he would often go skating with his little sister.
Years ago, one fateful day, the ice had begun to crack beneath Jack’s sister. In a desperate attempt, Jack had managed to save her, but in doing so had taken her place in the icy water that had ended up drowning him.
The sculptor’s story got foggier then. All Jack remembered was crawling from the pond, retching water with his sister tugging him to the shore.
But as soon as their eyes had met, Mary had been turned to ice as cold and clear as the cracked ice stretched across the water.
Hiccup had remained quiet as Jack told his sorrowful tale. How the same fate had befallen his parents, and some other islanders while the young man had been confused and terrified. He’d been driven from the place by vengeful pitchforks.
And so he had begun his path as the Ísmyndhöggvari.
He had ventured from place to place, accidents had happened and people had been hurt. He had tried to blindfold himself, but all that achieved was making him an easy target.
When he avoided people, choosing this island and this cave, they, in all their vengeance, began to seek him out instead.
Stories got told, lies and misconceptions were spread, and soon the Ísmyndhöggvari became one of the fabled monsters of the archipelago, with many hunters having their eyes set on him.
But of course, as soon as they literally set their eyes on him, it was back to square one, back to waiting for the next killer to come and find him. Most of the statues were added to the pool as a sign of respect, but the angrier ones, the more cruel and violent ones, Jack had placed near the entrance as a warning.
The questions had begun to go back and forth; Jack asked Hiccup about Berk and how he lost his leg, Hiccup asked what Jack’s abilities felt like so on and so forth.
Days and nights began to slip by during Hiccup’s stay as Jack’s walls were gradually lowered. Hiccup discovered that the sculptor had a mischievous streak as well as a witty mouth.
Jack even took him out of the cave, leading him by the hand and showing him some other sights of the island, like a waterfall in the forest that fell so smoothly you could see someone’s silhouette walking behind it.
It didn’t feel like Hiccup had been on the island for over a fortnight now, but that was the case.
They were always careful to avoid eye contact, usually choosing to speak through the shield. But on their way into the cave after some fishing one day, Jack had accidentally misjudged where Hiccup was behind him.
He had been about to turn around, about to look at him.
Jack’s sharp reflexes saved Hiccup as he turned and flinched to the side, but the consequence of this is that he ended up catching his arm on one of the statue’s razor sharp swords.
“Come here.” Hiccup said, taking his hand and leading him back to camp where they cleaned the wound.
He sat Jack down on his fur cloak, and noticed the sculptor was watching him curiously as he unpacked some bandages.
“You’re strange, Hiccup, y’know that?” He chuckled.
“Thank you.” The viking replied, coming to kneel before him.
He was about to begin wrapping Jack’s arms by the candle light, but a pair of pale hands stilled his.
“Stay still.” Was all Jack said as took the white strips of cloth.
He reached up, and Hiccup’s heart stuttered in his chest when he realised what Jack was doing as he gently wove it around Hiccup’s head and over his eyes.
He almost flinched when the hand came to cup his cheek. For a moment he thought Jack was going to kiss him, but then the hand slowly drifted past his face and ear and then into his air.
A second hand joined it and a finger drifted over the edge of his nose and Hiccup realised that Jack was, quite simply, exploring his face. He was mapping it. Taking in every detail with no fear of accidentally catching Hiccup’s eye.
In the slightly warm darkness, with the edged shadow of the fire dancing through his eyelids and the cloth, a thump brushed over Hiccup’s bottom lip and down across his chin, tracing his scar there.
The pale hands came down and grasped Hiccup’s limp ones in his lap. Together they were brought up, and Hiccup’s heart was throwing itself against his ribcage as Jack tenderly pressed a kiss to each one.
Hiccup’s hands freed themselves and instantly came to hold Jack’s face. Blindly, Hiccup climbed up and straddled the sculptor, eliciting a noise of surprise.
Their breath mingled as Hiccup leant to Jack’s ear and whispered desperately. “Come back with me.”
“What?”
“Come back with me," He repeated, kissing Jack’s temple. “To Berk. They’ll see you’re not what they thought.”
Jack leant into his hands and let out a small whine. “I can’t.”
Hiccup’s mouth began to gather its courage. He places kisses wherever he could, be it Jack’s neck or his cheek or his brow or eyelids. He was using them as punctuation between each of his begging. “We can be careful. Gothi is our elder. She’s wise. She might know something. I can contact my mother. She might be able to help us.”
Their movement grew slightly feverous in each other’s hold.
“Hiccup.” Jack gasped beneath him. “I- I can’t . It’s too dangerous. I’ll hurt someone.”
Hiccup hands explored while he trailed kisses all the way up Jack’s neck, turning him into a writhing mess. “No you won’t. I’ve been here for ages and I’m fine.” He said.
Jack shook his head. “There’s- There’s an answer to this Hiccup.” He protested. “There always has been. I- I don’t want to be blind.” His voice cracked on the last word.
Hiccup stilled, pausing for a beat before he closed their mouths together.
It was slightly clumsy, given Hiccup couldn’t see, but when he got his bearings they descended into a lulling rhythm in that cold yet warm and lovely cave.
Hiccup kissed Jack with the passion of every glance he had dared to steal in his time here, every second walking with Jack under starlight, every shared joke or meal or snatch of laughter, every moment of endlessly admiring him in the reflection of the shield he had been given by his mother, the goddess of bravery and love.
And that was the thing about this. They had a choice here. And they could choose to be brave.
They gasped apart, and Hiccup rested their foreheads together with an eyeless grin. “No one is taking your eyes Jack. I won’t have it. But we can make them safe to see, I promise.”
Jack huffed out of his nose. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep-”
“COME OUT AND FACE US YOU FILTHY CREATURE. SHOW YOURSELF!” A familiar voice bellowed from the entrance of the cave.
Hiccup, immediately sobered, yanked his blindfold off and reached for his sword.
“Hide Jack.” He whispered. “Hide!”
The sculptor was way ahead of him, already dashing behind the nearest pillar.
Hiccup barely had a couple moments to ready himself with his shield before the people appeared.
It was a large party, composed of young people.
Hiccup knew more than a few of their faces. The party was comprised of high ranking warriors of multiple allied tribes.
“Hiccup?” Dagur asked, emerging from the shadows with his own sword drawn. “You’re alive?”
“Careful.” Another, Heather, warned placing a hand in front of her brother as she glanced all around the cave. “It’s probably a trap. He might be bait.”
“I’m not.” Hiccup said lowly, trying to count the figures that emerged. “What are you all doing here?”
Dagur frowned. “When you didn’t return, your father contacted the neighbouring tribes. All the Chiefs have gathered their heirs and trusted hands. We’re here to cut the head of the snake of course.” He grinned. “Unless you’ve handled it already?”
Hiccup gritted his teeth. There were a lot of them. A dozen at least.
“Jack isn’t what you think he is.” Hiccup warned.
“Jack?” Dagur echoed.
“He named it?” Heather asked in disbelief.
“He’s just a person!” Hiccup insisted. “I chose not to try and hurt him and he didn’t hurt me! I listened instead. He has a story, Dagur. He’s not a monster, believe me. Now put down your weapons. Just let me show you- ”
“Take one look at the statues, Hiccup, and tell me the Ísmyndhöggvari isn’t a monster.” Dagur drawled cruelly.
Heather frowned fully at him. “It’s put him under some kind of dark spell. A compulsion maybe. These aren’t his words.”
“I’m not under a spell!” He swore.
Dagur considered his sister’s words. “Hmm. We’ll see about that brother. Grab him and take him outside.” He called to the others. “Spells have anchors, it might be attached to the cave. See if he recovers himself outside.”
They began to stalk forwards.
Hiccup ignited Inferno, making them pause.
His blade was feared among the tribes. Many knew him as one of the best bladebearers in the archipelago.
“You would draw your weapon against your own allies?” Heather scoffed. “Hiccup, we're trying to help you.”
Dagur tutted apprehensively, spinning his sword in his wrist. “Definitely a spell.”
“I won’t let you hurt him.” Hiccup growled.
“Hiccup there’s fifteen of us. We don’t want to hurt you but we will if it means getting you out of the way.” Heather warned.
“Go with them.” Jack’s voice echoed.
“Jack.” Hiccup breathed.
He didn’t turn around because he could feel the chill in his spine. Jack’s eyes were out on the room as he stepped from the pillar.
Hiccup watched in shock as one of the chiefsons made the mistake of raising his eyeline at the movement.
He froze. Flesh-turned-ice.
“Eyes down!” Heather shouted at the group.
“Go with them, Hiccup.” Jack said softly from behind.
He shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere.” He snarled.
“If you all leave now.” Jack called calmly, projecting his voice. “I swear I will not harm any more of you.” He paused. “That man just now was unfortunate. But if you do not do as I say, you will join his fate, that I promise you.”
Heather glared at the floor, glazing at her frozen comrade. “You have the nerve to enchant the heir of Berk?” He scoffed, the sound tried to cover the fear in her voice. “Your reign of terror is over, Ísmyndhöggvari.”
She flashed her right hand in a signal, and from a higher ledge of the cave, an arrow whistled through the air.
Jack dodged it, pinpointing its archer who dropped his bow and quiver in shock. His weapons fell to the floor, followed by his frozen body which smashed into pieces on the stone.
“Attack!” Dagur cried.
Hiccup swept forward, tripping two advancing men before meeting swords with Dagur.
He fought with his old ally for a few moments before Dagur called others over from their advancement on Jack. Hiccup found himself outnumbered and soon his arm was captured and hands wove around his body.
“NO.” He writhed. “LET ME GO.” He turned, seeing as Jack was being driven into a corner.
Using his last bit of power as Hiccup was dog piled, he called Jack’s name and threw his sword up and over the cave where it landed at Jack’s feet.
As the other heirs tried to drag Hiccup’s protesting body from the fight, Jack became a whirlwind of blue and fire.
Any heir that tried to strike him, found themselves kicked in the gut. When they opened their eyes as they were winded, Jack was there, staring into their soul and stealing their life out from under them.
When they were too focused on keeping their eyes shut, Jack darted behind them, running them through with the burning blade. He ended their suffering by staring in their eyes as they cried out in pain.
He was outnumbered, vastly, but he was winning.
That is, until he caught a blade in his calf. Heather took this moment to level a blow to his neck, but Jack’s reflexes were ahead.
He parried her blade and kicked her to the floor. She scrambled away, retrieving her axe but Jack was there kicking it away, grabbing her hair and pulling her head back.
She grunted, keeping her eyes firmly shut.
So Jack threw Inferno to the ground and used his spare hand to wrench her eye open. She died.
Dagur let out a howl as he charged, and this time Jack didn’t have time to look or grab his weapon before a ruthless punch, powered by an extremely muscular arm, smashed into his face and sent his head spinning as his body slammed to the ground.
Dagur raised his sword over Jack’s back.
“STOP IT.” Hiccup screamed. “STOP! DON’T HURT HIM! PLEASE!”
If Hiccup’s cries made Dagur hesitate, it didn't show.
“Hiccup you’ve lost your damn wits!” One of the heirs holding him down shouted.
He slammed his head back into their face, heading their nose crunch. With his arm free he grabbed his dagger from his boot and slammed it in and out of their neck. He kicked the other in the gut and bit through another’s finger until he was free, slashing the small blade through their flesh.
In a flash he was on his feet. He tackled dagur around his torso before the sword fell. The rest was a foggy haze of punching, cursing and grappling on the floor. The dagger was thrown into the pool.
Dagur got his feet in Hiccup’s stomach and pushed him off with enough force to throw him several feet away.
Jack was rousing on the ground and Dagur took that moment to grab the nearest weapon he could find, the bow and quiver from earlier.
Hiccup watched in slow motion as the arrow was aimed and released in a direct beeline for Jack.
Jack wouldn’t be quick enough to dodge it.
Hiccup kicked off, landing and wrapping his arms around Jack, shielding him.
He stared into a pair of ice blue eyes.
He felt no fear as the world went dark.
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The arrow made a pinging noise as it bounced off of something hard and impenetrable.
Jack blinked back, the adrenaline in his blood waking him quickly. His brain throbbed against his skull and his breathing was laboured.
He realised he couldn’t really see.
Something was obscuring him, and it was cold. Why- What-
An arm was braced over his head, another cradling behind his back. A cold weight rested all over him.
His eyes focused.
A face looked down at him.
There were eyes but…but they were supposed to be green. Why weren’t they green?
Why was Hiccup a statue?
…
…
“No.” Jack breathed as he scrambled back out of the statue’s half-hold. “No.”
His hands hovered over the ice. He glanced up, meeting eyes with the stunned attacker he had been fighting a second ago. The man was staring at Hiccup, jaw dipped.
He turned to ice immediately as his gaze met Jack’s.
He looked across the cave to the few other wounded people left. They were watching him. They turned to ice too.
Jack didn’t care.
“No.” His hand held the cheeks of ice that were so cold they bit into his palms. “ No no no no no no no no. Hiccup. Hey- No you’re not- You- No. Hiccup.” He began to hyperventilate. “ Please .”
He groaned wetly as a lump built in his throat. This wasn’t happening. He heaved the heavy statue over.
“Hiccup, come on now. Don’t do that. You’re not supposed to do that.” His voice cracked. “Please? You’re okay. You’re fine. Come back. I- I’m not doing this again- you come back to me right now. Come on.” A sob crawled from his throat uncontrollably, his voice shook. “ Why did you do that? Why-” His tears fell onto the statue’s face as his sobs grew in power. “Please.” He begged, groaning a horribly low whine that echoed hauntingly through the cave of all his years of pain and loneliness.
The tears overcame him. They were ugly and awful as he begged pathetically for Hiccup to come back. To not do what he just did. To stop being dead. To wake him up from this nightmare.
He descended into senseless screams, the pain ripping from his chest as he wept over the only person who had ever truly seen him since he had become this fucking monster.
He had seen him.
Jack had seen him back.
And now Hiccup was dead. Jack had killed him. The exact same way all these other non-bodies littered the cold cave floor.
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It might’ve been minutes later, but Jack thought perhaps hours…he didn’t know.
But eventually he had gotten up from the cave floor and carried Hiccup to the pool.
He waded in up to his hips, watching the water lap at Hiccup’s face as he caressed the icy cheek. He watched him like that for a while, committing his face to memory like he’d been doing all the weeks.
“My son.” A woman’s voice called.
Jack turned around. His eyes were bloodshot and he was so out of it that he didn’t think twice about meeting the woman’s pale gaze.
She didn’t turn to ice.
She was not mortal.
Jack bowed his head before the armoured and masked goddess of bravery and love. “I did this.” He said, dead and toneless with his voice reduced to scraps after all his screams. “Take your vengeance, Lady Valka. I don’t care.”
She hummed, walking into the water without another thought. Jack expected for her to drown him with a mother’s wrath, but she did no such thing.
She removed her helmet, revealing an elegant face with high cheekbones that vaguely resembled Hiccup’s. She beheld her frozen son before showing Jack a gentle smile.
“I could.” The goddess said. “But that is not why I am here. I’m here to collect the wins of my wager.”
A spluttering sounded from under them. Jack’s eyes flew down to find Hiccup gasping for breath as he floated with his head above the water. His bleary green eyes were wide and stared right into blue ones.
Jack’s heart stuttered. “Hiccup?!”
Hiccup tried to right himself, he clung to Jack’s shoulders. It took Jack several moments of shock to realise he hadn’t turned Hiccup to ice again.
He was- He was alive- What?
“You can look at him.” Valka smiled at her boy.
Hiccup grinned at his mother and pulled back to give Jack a stupidly wide smile. His hands came to cradle Jack’s face, brushing under his worn, shocked and grieving eyes.
Jack had to be dreaming. Had Valka actually ended him? Was this Valhalla?
Hiccup kissed him, hard and full on the mouth, making Jack squirm in surprise before letting himself fall right into it. Relief and confusion sang in his blood.
Valka walked from the pool, vanishing the other forms that lay around the cave with a wave of her hand. She picked up the shield she had gifted her son and brushed it off as the two men shakily emerged from the water, still aware they were in the presence of a mighty goddess.
“Many years ago.” She began, capturing their attention. “A boy drowned in a pond to save his sister. The realm of the gods watched this happen. I declared that the act was of pure bravery and love, and that I would like to reward the mortal with the gift of immortality before his soul passed on.” She smiled at Jack tenderly.
Jack swallowed.
“However, the god of fear, Pitch, denied this.” She frowned. “He said that fierce love like that can be foiled by fear, and that the mortal could not ascend until he proved himself more powerful than fear. He placed a curse.”
“You let him?” Hiccup demanded in shock, his hand finding Jack’s.
“No.” Valka shook her head. “It was proposed as a godly wager, which cannot be refused nor tampered with. If I had had the power to stop him, I would have.”
“What were the terms of the wager?” Jack asked, his voice sounding hollow.
He was following the story, he really was, but the fact that Hiccup was standing next to him, alive and breathing and safe and alright and wet was- well it was all quite distracting.
Her brow furrowed sympathetically. “He cursed you with eyes that would turn any onlooker to ice. If the day came where one could meet your eye without fear poisoning them, then the curse would be broken. That day is today.” She said, smiling fondly at her son.
And it was true, as Jack turned to gaze into those beautiful green eyes that had promised such warmth from through the reflection of a shield for so long.
He- He was free of it…it was finally over.
“What now?” He breathed, hope rushing into his bones.
Valka grinned. “Pitch has lost a significant well of power from his loss, while I have gained more. And with this power I have gained, in those waters just now, I have chosen to elevate you both to immortality, like I wished to do so long ago.” She smirked victoriously.
Hiccup laughed at the absurdity of it all, even if he knew to believe every word his mother said.
Jack meanwhile, with his hand locked in Hiccup’s warm fingers, met his eye with a glint and asked a single question.
“Want to pay Pitch a 'visit'?”
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