Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the hope and heir to the Hooligan Tribe, was not normal. 

Such was obvious just by looking at him. He was small, frail, and utterly helpless with a weapon. What he lacked in use, he made up for with eagerness. Or at least tried to. Over-eagerness, really. It ended up making a mess more often than not. 

But one day, he’d get out there and prove his worth. He’d catch the biggest fish of them all!

If his father would only allow him on a boat. 

For now, he was the blacksmith’s apprentice. He repaired harpoons, reels, and nets, and occasionally weapons. 

Yes, life was pretty mundane in the little fishing village of Berk. While other viking villages were raiders and pillagers and warriors, Hiccup was born on boring old fishing Berk. 

Except, there was nothing boring about the fishing on Berk, at least, not for the inhabitants. Everyone ate, slept, and breathed fishing. It was everyone’s favorite pastime! There were annual festivals, contests, races, anything you could think of, it was fish themed. 

Even the folks who weren’t physically out on the boats were still involved in the process somehow. There were those who cleaned the fish of course, and those that repaired boats and supplies. 

Of course, to have a functional village, there were plenty of people that held other jobs, like Axel Hofferson. He worked at the saw mill and cut wood…which would be used to repair boats, yes, but also build houses and furniture. There were hunters that killed boars, because even the heartiest of vikings got tired of eating fish. There was a baker, a medicine woman, farmers, all upstanding citizens of Berk. 

But each and everyone one of them knew how to swim, had been on a boat, and had helped haul in a catch in one way or another. 

All except Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the chief’s son. He was 15, well past the age when children learned to swim. Well past the age when fathers took them out on their first fishing trip with a rod and reel. And now, his peers were starting training for their careers, and he was left behind. 

All because of his alleged ‘sea water allergy’. 

Maybe some vikings would be content working in the Forge. It was an honorable job, and necessary. Hiccup was fine with the actual work as well. 

But because he hadn’t contributed a single scale to the island’s main export, the village had some unfavorable things to say about him. 

“What am I even doing here, Gobber?” Hiccup asked his mentor one day. 

“Fixin’ that net’s what yer doin’!” Gobber shot back, not putting up with Hiccup’s sulking. 

“Not that!” Hiccup twined the rope around, showing Gobber he was doing his task correctly while still complaining. “Spitelout came to the forge today, and he asked me what tools I worked on. When I told him ‘most of them’ he scoffed and said ‘I don’t want no tools made by a bastard that can’t even fish’! And that man is my uncle!”

“Well, Spitelout can be rude to everyone, but I think it’s because he’s your uncle he thinks he can get away with it.” 

“But it’s not just Spitelout. I’m sure if something happened to Dad tomorrow and the council elected me as the chief, the entire village would just go,” he gave a thumbs down and blew a raspberry. 

“You’re still just a lad.” 

“Exactly!” He pointed. “I’m 15, the perfect age to look at my career path and adjust.” 

“Yeah?”

“Yes, and I’ve concluded that I’m on a path to a dead end. I’d be better off getting on a boat and sailing to the Berserkers, or Outcast Isle. Then I could just be some regular joe-shmoe and no one will care that I’m allergic to saltwater. Maybe I can even get a little wife.” 

“You’re giving up on Astrid?” 

“You wanna say that a little louder? I don’t think they heard you in the Great Hall.” He rolled his eyes.

“Aye lad, you could certainly go somewhere else. But two problems.” 

“Wait, don’t tell me.” 

“One, you’d break your poor father’s heart, and two, you can’t get on a ship!” 

Hiccup sighed massively. “Yeah, I already break my father’s heart on a daily basis, so I don’t really want to push it.” 

“Lad, what I’m trying to say is that you’re still young, and you have time to find your niche.”

“Hey!” A young man called into the forge. 

The two blacksmiths looked over to the three teens standing at the window. 

“Your turn,” Gobber shoved him forward. 

“Of course…” Hiccup rolled his eyes. He approached the counter and put his best customer service smile on. “Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, what can I do for you today?” 

“We’re going to need a net, bola, three harpoons, and a sword,” said Snotlout. “Because my dad’s taking us out. You know, on his boat. To go fishing.” 

“I figured,” Hiccup drawled. “Whatcha luring for?” 

“Like you would know.” Snotlout snipped. 

“I kinda have to. It’s part of my job.” 

“Fine. Tuna, big ones. Bigger than your mom.”

“That was unnecessary.”

“And…mermaids.” 

Hiccup raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You mean, an actual, live mermaid?” 

“Lad,” Gobber interjected. “Only the toughest of the tough are able to reel in a mermaid. And you know Stoick isn’t going to let you keep her.” 

“I don’t care what happens to the she-devil after, I just want the glory of catching one!” 

Hiccup crinkled his nose. “Okay, well, good luck with that.” He went to retrieve the tools. 

“I don’t need luck, Salt Boy. I have training!” 

“Right, just make sure you don’t wad up the net when you bring it back.” Hiccup avoided looking at Snotlout, not allowing him the satisfaction of getting under his skin. 

Snotlout and the twins took the equipment gleefully down to the docks. 

“They would have been my friends,” said Hiccup to Gobber. “If I was allowed to go.” 

“Oh you don’t want to be friends with those muttonheads! I’m sure they won’t catch anything but a few guppies.” He placed a paternal hand on his shoulder. “Just remember, the grass always seems greener on the other side.” 

“I guess…”

—-

Hiccup typically didn’t see his father until later in the evening. He had dinner in the Great Hall. That was fairly common for him. With no mother at home to cook, and Stoick busy chiefing, Hiccup usually found something to eat among the shared food brought to the Hall.

But when the village returned home, Hiccup found himself returning to the hut on the hill. 

For once, Stoick beat him home. “Hiccup,” he said by way of greeting. 

“Dad.” 

“We have to talk.” 

Hiccup sighed. “What did I do this time? If it’s about Spitelout, know that he started it and I didn’t even charge him any extra!” 

“You didn’t do anything, son,” he said, calmer. “What’s this about Spitelout?” 

“Oh…uh, nothing.” 

Stoick glared at him, prying the truth out of him. 

“He just…called me a bastard and said he didn’t want any equipment I worked on.” He rubbed his arm. 

Stoick shook his head. “Don’t listen to him. He’s always been a jerk.”

“Yeah, well…that’s what I thought you were going to talk to me about…I may have given him his stuff and told him, ‘here you go, asshole’. Not my proudest moment, I’ll admit.” 

Stoick actually smirked at that. “Spitelout’s heard worse his time. And it sounds like he deserved it. Now, come and take a seat.” 

Hiccup ran through the list of mistakes he had made through the day. None of them seemed monumental enough to catch Stoick’s attention. Unless Gobber had gotten fed up with him and wanted him fired. But Hiccup thought he was doing rather well. 

Stoick sighed once again, but gave Hiccup a bit of a smile. “Alright son, you get your wish. Tomorrow morning, I’m going to teach you how to swim.” 

Hiccup’s eyes blew wide. “Swim–! But—really!? You’re gonna!? Yeah!?”

Stoick chuckled. “Aye lad.”

“But…where? Not in the ocean.” 

“Not in the ocean,” Stoick confirmed. “There’s a cove out by Raven’s Point. It has a small freshwater lake. Should be warm enough, and no saltwater.” 

“So, I’m going to be able to take the swimming test and go out on the boats?!” 

“No.” 

Hiccup frowned. 

“But I don’t see the harm in you learning how to swim. I know it’s important to you and something you’ve wanted for a long time. As long as you stick to freshwater, you’ll be fine.” 

“Okay! Yes! Definitely!” He leapt from his seat and hugged his father. “Thank you thank you thank you!” 

Stoick rubbed his head. “Better get to bed then. Early morning!” 

—

The next morning, Stoick and Hiccup made the hike out to Raven’s point, Hiccup nearly bouncing the whole way there. Being able to swim would bring him one step closer to being like the rest of the village. 

He just had to work on the whole ‘being allergic to seawater’ thing. 

The cove was cool, the rocks shading the ground from the early morning sun. Thinking about it, that water was probably going to be frigid, but he couldn’t back out now! 

He and Stoick undressed down to their skivvies, and Hiccup started towards the water. 

“We’re waiting on one more, son.” Stoick commented, wading out to his waist. 

“One more? Who?” 

As if on cue, footfalls sent gravel skittering down the sloped entrance to the cove, and a young woman called out, “Chief Stoick?” 

“We’re here, lass!” 

Hiccup’s heart squeezed painfully in his chest as he recognized that voice. Oh gods, he was going to be swimming with Astrid Hofferson. The most beautiful, strong, confident girl in the village. 

She arrived, wearing only her shirt, leggings, and boots. No armor. She had a towel with her. 

Wow! Nearly one on one time with Astrid! Would this finally be the catalyst to bring them closer? Would he finally start a proper friendship with him? 

Her eyes locked onto Hiccup’s and she growled, “what’s he doing here?” 

His elation evaporated. He didn’t think Astrid hated him like everyone else, but that was obviously not the case. He hid his hurt behind sarcasm. 

“Nice to see you too, Astrid.” 

She cringed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” 

“Astrid,” Stoick began to explain. “Hiccup hasn’t had any swimming lessons yet. Being unable to be around the ocean, I didn’t see a point, but he finally twisted my arm enough to teach him.” 

Wow. Thanks dad.

“Hiccup, Astrid’s here because she’s been having a hard time passing the swimming test to be allowed out on the boats. She needs further instruction.” 

“Oh! Okay! Yeah! Sure!” Hiccup looked at Astrid, who was red in the face. Her hostility was embarrassment, not directed at him specifically. “You’re more practiced than I am. I’m sure you’re great! I mean, I can’t do anything! So don’t be intimidated or anything! It’s fine! It’s all fine!” 

She scoffed. “Shut up.” 

“Yes ma’am.” 

Hiccup gave her some privacy as she stripped down to her briefs and breast bindings that women wore for swimming. Then she waded into the water with them. 

“The first lesson is on floating,” Stoick explained. “Floating is the key to swimming. Making sure that even when you’re tired, you can reach the surface and breathe.” 

Astrid groaned. Apparently, this was already a problem for her. 

“The easiest way to float is to lean back in the water on your back and relax. Fat floats, so for me, it’s a little easier. But for you two, it’s all about keeping your muscles relaxed. When you tense up, you sink. Let’s start with you, Hiccup.” 

“Oh-okay,” he stuttered, nervously. 

Stoick rested a hand on his back and held him up as he reclined. 

“Spread your arms out, make yourself as wide as possible.” 

Hiccup did so, and rose to the surface. It was a little hard to hear, as his ears were underwater, but Stoick moved his hand away and Hiccup kept floating. 

“There you go! Nicely done.” 

Hiccup smiled as he righted himself. 

“Why don’t you practice that without my hand while I work with Astrid?” 

Hiccup nodded and scooted a little ways away, to give Astrid privacy. 

Though, even with his hearing muffled by water, he could still tell that Astrid was beyond frustrated. Her cross yell was unintelligible, but the emotion was clear. 

He righted himself again, only to listen, but kept his glance away to stay out of it. 

“You just have to relax,” Stoick said again. 

“I am relaxed!” She snapped back. “I can’t be any more relaxed!” 

Ah. That made sense. Hiccup had very high opinions of Astrid, but she had definitely seemed the type to keep her guard up at all times. 

Stoick taught him the basics, and reviewed them with Astrid. Hiccup picked it all up fairly quickly, feeling very at home in the water. Kicking was weird, and he sometimes felt like he was off, but the rest of it was a cinch. 

Astrid on the other hand, was not taking it well. She couldn’t stay a float and she couldn’t move when she tried. As he watched, he began to realize what the problem was. She wasn’t using her body to move through the water, she was fighting the water, trying to get it to submit to her. 

“Astrid, you know if you tried to—“ he began, but was cut off by her intense death glare. 

“You just learned how to swim today. Don’t think that I’ll take any advice from you.” 

“Oh yeah! No you’re totally right! I won’t…I wouldn’t take advice from me either.” 

They spent the morning in the cove, and by the time Hiccup had to go to the forge, he felt pretty confident in the water. 

“Now,” said Stoick. “I want you both to come here and practice as often as you can. That’s the key to honing any skill: practice.” 

Astrid huffed. 

“You don’t have to come together, of course. The water is shallow enough that I’m not worried, but be careful, and be smart. 

Hiccup noticed most of this was being said to Astrid, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. 

He and Stoick left together, while Astrid remained in the cove, to practice a bit longer. 

“So lad, how’d it feel?” Stoick asked him. 

“Great! I…I didn’t think it’d be that easy, but I got it right away! It feels like I’ve been swimming my whole life!” 

Stoick had a strange, sad smile on his face. “You did take to it quickly. Most do not. If you ever end up going to practice and see Astrid…” 

“I will try to help, but I don’t think she’d listen to me.” 

“Well, it’s the thought that counts. Now, you better get on going to work. I’ll see you tonight.” 

“Right, thanks again dad!” Hiccup split off from his father and hurried to the forge. He’d have plenty of work to catch up on from this morning, but it would be easy work. Mindless work. That would give him time to think about the next step in village acceptance.

How to fish without breaking any of his father’s rules. 

—

There was always a party going on. Someone celebrating something. Tonight, they were celebrating a big catch. He didn’t hear what was caught, just that it was a big fish and that it wasn’t Snotlout’s boat that caught it. That’s really as far as he cared anyways. 

He sat at a table in the corner, poking at his food as he listened to people milling about. 

“Is this seat taken?” A girl’s voice pierced through his self induced sulking. 

Hiccup glanced up to Astrid, who was standing with a plate of food, looking impatient.

“No! No please, be my guest!” 

“Thanks,” she offered a smirk. 

“So…you taking the fishing course?” 

She raised an eyebrow and shook her head. “I can’t pass the swimming test, remember?” 

His eyes widened. “Oh! Right! I’m so sorry, I can be really dumb sometimes.” 

He thought she’d be angry, but she just laughed at him. “At least you’re aware of it, unlike Snotlout and the twins. I’m with the gutters for now. I thought I would hate it, and the smell isn’t pleasant, but it turned out to be really fun.”  

“Yeah?” He asked, more bewildered that she was talking to him in the first place.

“Yep! Watch,” she took his plate away from him. He had a cooked, but fully intact fish on the plate, and he watched as she quickly and expertly fileted it, cutting off the head, tail, and separating the meat from the bones. “Ta-da! It’s easier on an uncooked fish though.” She pushed his plate back. 

“Thanks,” he smiled. “So uh…didn’t want to sit with the others?” 

“Nah,” she shrugged, tucking into the chicken on her plate. “They’re moping because they didn’t catch anything. And Snotlout said something stupid like I couldn’t imagine their pain because I’m not a real fisherman. Whatever.” She scoffed. 

“Yeah, he says stuff like that to me all the time,” he rolled his eyes. 

Her gaze was full of sympathy. “It sucks. And I’ve been out to fish before too. I’m just…not allowed to go out full time.” She muttered the last part under her breath. “So Mulch told me to come talk to you.” 

“Oh, yeah?” 

“Yeah. You’re the knife guy. Since I need sharp knives for my job, he suggested I get friendly with you.” 

Oh. Now it made sense. And he thought she might actually be interested in him as a person. Maybe their little swim session had given them something to bond over. He should have known.

“I see,” he hummed. 

“Not that I’m expecting a deal or anything, just that we should be on good terms, because we’ll be seeing each other a lot.” 

He shrugged. “Maybe. I’m not allowed to even go to the docks, so if we do see each other during work, it’ll be you coming up to the forge.” 

“Your allergy is that bad?” 

He shrugged again. “I have no idea. Dad just wants me to avoid any risk. He even gets uncomfortable when I handle wet nets, which I have to use gloves for.” 

“And you have no idea what reaction you have?”

“Not really. My dad said when I was a baby, I got splashed and my whole body broke out in a rash with blisters. I was crying in pain for days. It sounded pretty gruesome, so I’ve avoided it. Sometimes my skin gets kinda scaly if it gets wet though.” 

“Like eczema?” 

“Yeah, exactly! Fortunately mine goes away when I dry off.” He looked at his hands. “I don’t want to imagine what a full body outbreak looks like.” 

“It really sucks you were born to a seafaring tribe then,” she offered a sad smile. 

“Don’t I know it?” 

“What about tears? Does your face break out when you cry?” 

“Huh, I never thought about it. Tears are salty, aren’t they? But nah, I’m fine. It must be something else in the sea that does it. Or my body is okay with my tears.” 

“And you can have salt in your food, right?” 

“Yep. Even though we get our salt from boiling seawater, I’ve had no problem with it.” 

“That’s so interesting,” She leaned in and scrutinized his face. “I think I understand you a little bit better now, Hiccup Haddock.” 

A warm, fuzzy feeling settled in his chest then, as her words found a home in his heart. It felt like she was the first person that finally tried to understand him for him.

He didn’t really care what her motivation was anymore. 

Music started to fill the hall, singing, a drum, and a lute. Hiccup and Astrid turned to look, just enjoying the entertainment. 

“Well met, well met, my own true love

Well met, well met, cried he.” 

“I love this song!” Sang Astrid. 

“Me too,” Hiccup smiled. “It’s a good one.” 

“I've just returned from the salt, salt sea

All for the love of thee.” 

Hiccup began tapping his foot and nodding his head to the beat. He’d always liked music, and often found himself singing when he was alone. For some reason he still didn’t understand, his father was very paranoid about him singing. He had forbidden it in every situation. He technically wasn’t supposed to do it ever, but what was the harm when he was out in the woods? In fact, it almost felt like a compulsion. The longer he went without singing, the more boisterous he was when he was alone. There was one time he went a week before he had some time in the woods and he belted out some notes at the top of his lungs. Not even any song in particular either. 

Right now, everyone was singing along with the band. Even Astrid was! He didn’t really want to be left out. 

“Well I could have married the King's daughter, dear

She would have married me

But I have forsaken her crowns of gold

All for the love of thee.” 

He sang just loud enough to hear himself. He closed his eyes and just got lost in the music. He hadn’t even noticed Astrid stopped singing and stared at him. 

“Well, if you could have married the King's daughter, dear

I know you are to blame.

For I am married to a house carpenter

And I find him a nice young man.” 

The music had faded out, and Hiccup peeled his eyes open. The song wasn’t over, but they had stopped playing. 

Everyone was staring at him, slack-jawed and wide eyed. 

Hiccup felt his face color several shades in embarrassment. Whenever he was in the limelight, it wasn’t good. “Uh…That bad?” 

“Lad,” said Gobber, wobbling over in awe. “Your singing voice…it’s so beautiful!” 

“Really?” 

“Captivating!” Someone shouted. 

“It really is nice,” said Astrid, smiling. 

“Well, thanks!” He said breathlessly. He never got compliments! 

Sigurd, the singer of the band called him up. “Come and finish the song, boy! Lead us home!” 

“Go on!” Astrid encouraged, nudging him. 

Awkwardly, he stood in front, with his ‘please be nice to me I’m fragile’ smile. 

The lute began again, and he started singing. 

“Oh, will you forsake your house carpenter

And go along with me?

I'll take you to where the grass grows green

To the banks of the salt, salt sea.” 

Hiccup smiled as the crowd stared with rapt attention. Awe, adoration, and even euphoria. He’d never seen the village look at him like that. It was almost too good to be true. 

“Well, if I should forsake my house carpenter

And go along with thee

What have you got to maintain me on

And keep me from poverty?” 

Actually, it was too good to be true. At that moment, Stoick stepped into the hall. 

“Six ships, six ships all out on the sea

Seven more upon dry land

One hundred and ten all brave sailor men

Will be at your command.” 

Stoick’s face went pale, before he screamed over the hall. “Stop! Stop it now!” 

Hiccup snapped his mouth shut and hunched his shoulders. Stoick ran at him and grabbed his arm. “You know you’re not allowed to sing!” 

“But dad—!” 

“We’ll talk about it at home,” he snapped. 

Hiccup glanced over at Astrid, who was holding her head and shaking it in disappointment. 

Likewise, everyone else in the room was murmuring to each other, displeasure scrawled all over their faces. 

Hiccup felt his heart break. 

Stoick dragged him out of the room while the band started playing a different tune. 

“I didn’t do it on purpose!” Hiccup began. “I just—everyone else was singing! So I sang along and then they heard me and asked me to get up!” 

“I don’t want to know how it happened, I want to know that it will never happen again! I told you not to, and you deliberately disobeyed me!” 

“Because it doesn’t make any sense, dad! What is the big sin with me singing? It’s harmless! And apparently, I’m good at it! You should have seen the way everyone was looking at me! It was the first time I saw some of those people happy while looking in my direction!” 

“Exactly!” Stoick barked, then he winced, and waved it away, like it could undo what he had just said. 

“Dad, I can’t help it,” he pleaded. “It’s like…like I have to cough, and I just blurt it out. I know you hate it, so I just do it out in the woods but—”

“It is unlucky for the Haddock clan to sing,” Stoick said sternly.  

“That’s stupid.” 

“You’ll understand one day. But today, promise you won’t do it again?” 

Hiccup scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Fine. I won’t sing…ever again.”

Chapter Text

Hiccup was at a loss. So far, his plans of fishing without being near water were not working. He had made a specially designed rod to fish from the cliffs, a pole twice the length as normal, and a reel that held thousands of feet of line. He had taken it for its maiden test, and it actually worked! He hooked something, and yanked on the line to set the hook. 

Then the pole vanished from his hands as the beast yanked back. Whatever it was, it was way bigger than he was prepared for. He watched his pole disappear beneath the waves. 

Well. Back to the drawing board. 

“What if I made a harness?” He consulted Gobber. “To keep the pole strapped to my body.” 

“Oh, so all of you gets pulled over the cliff instead of just the pole?” 

“I could tie myself to a rock.” 

“Alright, then you hook a beast, start reeling it in. Now it’s out of the water, and you have to get it up 300 feet of cliff.” 

“Ugh.” 

“We’ll assume the fish doesn’t swing and get torn to shreds from the rocks. Without the water to hold it up, I don’t know if the pole or line will survive the journey.” 

“I’ll reinforce the pole with iron, and the line…I’ll make a braided yak hair line.” 

“You can certainly try, lad. But it’s a waste of time.” 

And try he did. He was eager, and was desperate to get it right. 

“Ah ha!” He cried as the fish on the hook crested the cliff. It was a four inch haddock, appropriately. “It worked! Look look!” He ran back to the square, where his father was chiefing. 

“Dad! My pole worked! Look! I caught a haddock! And I didn’t get a single drop of seawater on me!” 

“Well, look at that,” Stoick had a sad smile on his face. “You sure caught something.” 

The other men around started laughing. 

Hiccup felt his heart sink. “What…what’s wrong?” 

Stoick easily removed the hook and took the fish. “Lad, I’m proud of you, but this is much too small to keep.” 

“Leave it to tiny Haddock to catch a tiny haddock!” Someone else laughed. 

Hiccup’s face burned in embarrassment. 

“It’s alright, lad.” Stoick padded his shoulder. “It was a valiant effort.” 

“I’ve been working on this rod for weeks,” Hiccup whispered. 

The other men offered words of encouragement, despite making fun of him. They complimented the rod and reel, expressing admiration at it. 

Eventually, disheartened by his failure, he gave the rod to one of the fishermen and scrapped the idea. Even when he was successful, he was still a failure. 

—-

An early morning on Berk, Hiccup wandered down to the cove. It had been several weeks since his initial swimming lesson. He had made a habit to come out to swim every day since then. It had become a bit of a ritual, a way to wake up and start the morning with a clear head. He hadn’t seen Astrid come out, but in passing, she mentioned she came out to practice later in the day when the water was warmer. 

He couldn’t blame her at all for that, but he was kind of bummed they couldn’t practice together. Though, knowing the way Astrid was, he figured she was avoiding him on purpose. 

This morning, he scrambled down the slope to the entrance of the cove. Though, as he entered, he saw a large black blob at the far end. 

“What the Thor…?” He muttered.

He abandoned his towel on the rock by the lake and carefully came closer to the blob. 

It was an animal, shallowly breathing. It was all black, and as he got closer, he saw scales and wings. 

“A dragon…” he breathed. 

On Berk, dragons were fairly normal to see. They were brutally dangerous creatures, but didn’t care much for humans. They were often spotted flying over or swooping down to catch fish. Most caves on the island were homes to sleeping dragons and so exploring them was ill advised. Still, the beasts were treated with the same respect as bears. 

Live and let live. 

Of course, other Viking villages in the archipelago had different opinions on them. Some hated them and hunted them, some revered them, and some, like Berk, found a way to tolerate them on their shores. 

The creature weakly opened an eye to look at him. 

Hiccup froze, not knowing the dragon was conscious. “It’s okay…” he said softly, keeping his hands in front of him. “I didn’t mean to bother you…” 

He had to be prepared to bolt if the creature so much as looked like it was going to move. But at the moment, all it did was sluggishly blink its eyes. 

“I’ve never seen a dragon like you before,” he explained again, softly. “You’re not from around here, huh?” 

The dragon slowly and shakily moved, putting one foot on the ground. Then he pushed to stand, but only accomplished flopping into his belly. 

But with this new position, Hiccup could see three arrows sticking out of the dragon’s side. 

“Oh…” he said sadly. 

The dragon let out a sad whine, breaking Hiccup’s heart. He took a few steps closer, testing his safety. The dragon just peered at him, eyes full of fear and resignation. 

Even though this could very well get him killed, Hiccup made a bold decision. “Okay, I’ll help. Just…just stay still, I’ll be right back.” 

The dragon warbled at him, as if to say, “where could I go?” 

Hiccup ran back to the village. He contemplated all he’d need, and got to work. He gathered a bucket, rags, bandages, and a wound salve from his house. As he ran back, he spotted Astrid leaving the forge. 

“Astrid!” He called, eagerly. 

She stopped and glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. “Hey, thought you'd still be off swimming.” 

“You remembered!” He smiled. 

She didn’t seem all that flustered. “Only because I always have to have Gobber sharpen my knives in the morning.” She held up the leather case that held her tools. “Now did you need something? Or just wanted to say hi?” 

“Well, first of all, good morning.” 

“Morning,” she replied, flatly.  

“And second of all, could I have some chum and reject fish?” 

She smirked. “Another fishing experiment? Did you move on from the twenty foot rod?” 

“Uh, yes and no. Yes I’m off of the rod, and no this isn’t a new experiment.” 

“Good, because I’m not supposed to indulge you. How much do you need?” 

He was just glad she wasn’t asking more hard questions. “A fish basket worth.” 

“‘Kay, I’ll leave it over at Gobber’s?” 

“That’s perfect! You’re a lifesaver!” 

She smiled before poking his chest. “Tomorrow, you’re sharpening my knives. Gobber’s good and all, but he talks too much.” 

“Absolutely! I owe you!” 

Happy to see that he was still on Astrid’s good side, relatively speaking, he returned to the cove quickly. 

The dragon indeed hadn’t moved, and appeared to just be barely alive. 

“Okay, I brought some bandages,” he said, loud enough to alert the dragon, but not too loud to startle it. It didn’t seem to matter, as there was no response. 

Hiccup slowly approached, taking careful, calm steps to appear as non threatening as possible. It wasn’t until he touched one of the arrows, the one in its leg, that the dragon responded. He let out a growl, and narrowed his eyes at him. 

“Hey hey,” he said, setting the bucket down and holding out his hands. “It’s okay, Big Guy.”

The threat was weak, but nonetheless true and deadly. Hiccup considered his options as he filled the bucket with water and came back over. 

“I can’t help you if you don’t let me take these arrows out,” he told the dragon. 

Could it even understand him?

He took hold of the arrow again, though this time, the dragon didn’t growl, just glared at him. 

“Okay, one…two…three!” And he yanked the arrow out. 

The dragon wailed a horrendous noise in pain. 

“I know, I know…sorry.” He dipped a rag in the water and cleaned the wound where fresh blood slightly oozed. “It’s not very deep at least. That’s good.” 

The dragon whined again, pained with every touch. It let out a louder cry as he held the rag in place. Hiccup hummed, and started to sing.

“There’s a shallow river running 

down the hill,

Moving softly 

through the valley where I live.”

Hiccup sang for the dragon, like a lullaby, instinctually trying to calm him down. It worked, as the beast ceased its whining and its eyes dilated. 

“When it rains

When it rains 

the river runs so deep.”

Hiccup rubbed the salve in the wound, never stopping his singing. He wrapped a gauze around it, and moved onto the next one in its side. He yanked out this arrow, but the dragon didn’t make a peep.

“When the water is clear and still 

like a mirror,

I can see you

On the surface

 of the river.”

He treated this wound just as he had the others, but worked quickly to lessen the discomfort. Then he went to the last arrow, which was at the base of the dragon’s neck.

“Where will I find you

 When I need you 

my long lost friend?

Bring back the mirror

so I can see your face again.”

He yanked out this arrow, and the dragon remained docile. 

“In the rain

In the rain

In the rain

In the rain I weep…”

He repeated the last part of the song a few times, having run out of words, while he finished the treatment. 

Then he took a few steps back and waited, silently. 

The dragon blinked a few times, dazed, before it turned its head to look at Hiccup’s handiwork. Seemingly satisfied, it shuffled a little to get comfortable, and fell asleep. 

“Wow…” Hiccup breathed. 

The arrows were still on the ground. He’d made enough over the years to recognize what kind the village used. These weren’t remotely similar. They were mostly red, and the tips were made of a light colored metal. They had been dipped in a green solution that looked to remain even with the blood. 

Now that the dragon was sleeping and would probably be okay, he returned to the village. 

“Hey Gobber?” He asked shyly as he entered the forge. 

“Morning!” The blacksmith greeted, oblivious to what had transpired. 

“Do…these look familiar to you?” He held an arrow out to him. 

Gobber looked uninterested at first, and then tilted his head and snatched the arrow. “Where’d you get this?” 

“I uh…I found it in the woods.” 

“Where? In a tree? On the ground?” 

“...in a dragon?” 

Gobber’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. “In a dragon! Well, that explains it! The beast was probably shot miles and miles ago, and only succumbed to his wounds here.” 

Hiccup didn’t bother telling him that the dragon was still alive. 

“I’ve heard of poachers up north that hunt dragons. Probably one of theirs.” 

“Why would someone hunt a dragon? Are they edible?” 

“No,” Gobber chuckled. “But some dragons have unique qualities that people would spend a lot of money to have. Fireproof hides, teeth and spines stronger than iron! It could be lucrative, but extremely dangerous, for many reasons! That’s why we don’t touch ‘em. They leave us alone, and we leave them alone.” 

“Do you think that green stuff on the end is poison?” He pointed. 

Gobber, without hesitation, touched the arrow tip to his tongue. He sneered and spat. “Bitter! Definitely some kind of poison! You didn’t prick yourself, did you?” 

“No! No, I’m fine. I just…the dragon might…still be alive?” 

Gobber’s eyes widened again. “And what are you thinking, lad? Nursing it back to health?! You’d have better luck with a bear or a wolf!” 

“You know, someone a long time ago nursed a wolf back to health…now we have hunting dogs.” 

“A bad analogy! Just—leave it alone, boy-o! Don’t want you getting yourself killed!” 

“Yeah but,” he pleaded. “Aren’t some dragons favored by the gods? If I take care of him and nurse him back to health, maybe the gods will show favor on me and I’ll start having some better luck around here! Maybe they’ll cure me of my allergy!” 

“Save the life of a dragon to cure an allergy, that’s a new one.” 

“Gobber, please.” 

“What do you want me to do? I won’t tell anyone, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’d go see Gothi and see if she can identify that poison.” 

Hiccup’s eyes lit up in excitement. “That’s perfect! Thanks!” 

Gobber grabbed him by the back of the tunic before he could bolt up the hill. “Just promise me that you’ll be smart about this lad. If that dragon let you pull arrows out of it, it’s probably at death’s door for now. But there’s no telling what it will do once it gets some energy back.” 

“Right, I’ll be careful.” 

“Off you go then. The sooner you do this, the sooner you can get to work!” 

Hiccup sighed, but gave a little salute. 

Gobber called after, “and it’s supposed to rain later! Better make your nursing job quick!” 

As he left the forge, he spotted the fish basket that Astrid had promised him. Perfect! Food for the dragon! Food, antidote, and now, apparently, a tent. 

The road to Gothi’s was annoyingly long, but he was very familiar with it, being as accident prone as he was. He arrived at her porch, where she was working at her station. She greeted him with a look that said, ‘what is it this time?’

“Not here for me,” he grinned awkwardly. “I was wondering if you could identify this poison, and if you had an antidote for it.” He gave her the arrow. 

She looked at it skeptically, and touched her tongue to it like Gobber had. Then she went inside her hut and beckoned him along. 

Gothi took several vials of liquids and mixed them in a bowl, then dipped the arrow in. The mixture turned black. 

“Uh, is that bad?” 

Gothi took her staff and scrawled in the sandy floor of her hut, “this is dragon root. It’s not poisonous to people, only dragons. It’s also not lethal, it just sedates them. Where did you find this?” 

With Gothi, honesty was the best policy. The woman had a sixth sense and could sniff out a lie at a hundred yards. “I found a dragon in the woods with three arrows in it. It was so weak, I was able to take the arrows out and bandage the wounds.” 

Gothi didn’t look nearly as surprised as Gobber did. “Trying to find favor with the gods to cure your allergy?” 

“Oh, something like that…” though it was an afterthought. 

“What kind of dragon?”

“Not one I’d ever seen before. Not even in the Book of Dragons! It’s all black. Instead of horns, it has these little flaps on its head…kind of like a rabbit.” He used his hands to mimic the shape he’d seen. “His snout almost looks like a salamander.” 

“Size?” 

“Smaller than a Monstrous Nightmare.” 

She contemplated this more, rubbing her chin. “All black? No pattern?” 

“Not that I could see.” 

Her eyes went wide. “I think you found a Nightfury.”  

“Nightfury?” 

“It’s been called the Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death.” 

“The Offspring of…of Thor and Hel?! Then surely this will cure my allergy! Gothi, you have to make me that antidote!” 

She nodded, but warned, “that dragon is extremely dangerous. I wouldn’t spend any more time around it than you have to.” 

“Okay, I promise I’ll be careful.” 

Satisfied, she wrote, “It would take me a long time to make this antidote. I don’t have the ingredients. Dragon Root is temporary, meant to sedate the dragon to kill later. By the time I make it, I think the effects will have worn off.” 

Hiccup sighed, defeated. 

“Make sure it is fed and watered. You’ve done the hard part by removing the arrows and treating the wounds. Now just pray and wait. You’ve done well.” 

—

Hiccup returned to the cove with the fish basket and tent in tow. 

The Dragon peered a sleepy eye up at him. 

“Hey buddy,” Hiccup greeted stiffly. “Remember me?” 

It seemed like he had, as his eyes dilated like a cat. 

“I brought you some food. It’s not much, but I hope it helps.” He dragged the basket close and knocked it over so it spilled in front of the dragon. 

The dragon nosed the offering, and opened its mouth to eat. 

Hiccup watched in surprise as the mouth full of only gums nibbled at the fish guts. 

“Toothless? I would have thought you’d have teeth.” 

But the dragon just continued to scoop up its breakfast, far too weak for Hiccup’s liking. 

Though it was a stupid decision, he walked closer and pushed the fish up, so the dragon didn’t have to reach for it. 

“You know, I think Toothless is a great name for you. Can I call you that?” 

The dragon warbled. 

“Okay, Toothless it is! My name is Hiccup.” 

The dragon crooned and gathered another mouthful of fish remains with a lap of his forked tongue. 

“Thirsty?” Hiccup hopped to his feet and grabbed the bucket he’d used earlier. He cleaned it out and refilled it with clean water from the pond. He held the bucket up for Toothless to see. “Water?” 

Toothless opened his mouth, allowing Hiccup to pour it in, then he swallowed it with a gulp. 

“You’re pretty smart,” Hiccup noted. “It’s like you understand what I’m saying.” 

Toothless rolled his eyes and dove back into his meal. 

“Yeah, I know that look,” he rolled his own eyes. “But we’re good, right? You’re not going to eat me when you get your strength back, right?” 

“Waaarrgghhhh…” 

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He sat crossed-legged in front of him, nervously rubbing his thighs. “So I talked to Gothi, the medicine woman. She said those arrows had dragon root on them. It’s not lethal, but you’ll be really weak for a while. It’ll wear off eventually.” 

Toothless gave a relieved croon. 

“So, I’ll come check on you. Make sure you have food and water. Keep you company…as much as you can find company with a fishbone like me.”

Toothless coughed up a half of a fish and nosed it over to him.  

“Oh, no thank you.” 

He nosed it closer and whined. 

“I appreciate it Toothless, but—” 

Toothless barked at him, and huffed. 

Hiccup put his hands on his hips and glared down at the dragon. “Now bud, you need to eat all of this. You need your strength! Besides, I make it a habit to never eat raw fish.” 

Toothless grumbled, but lapped up the fish bit with his tongue. 

“Good boy!” Hiccup beamed. 

Toothless considered him, narrowing his eyes intensely. Then he mimicked the look, opening his mouth and exposing his gums.

“Oh! A smile!” Hiccup smiled more genuinely. “Though, it’s not as obvious without teeth.” 

Teeth sprang out of the gums, small and with rounded points. 

“Oh!” Hiccup jolted back. “Ha! Okay, so maybe you’re not so Toothless afterall!” 

He retracted his teeth and made a noise that sounded like a laugh. 

The noise made Hiccup relax, and he settled on the ground in front of the beast. “If you had told me yesterday that I would be having a functional conversation with a dragon today, I would have called you crazy.” 

Toothless huffed in a way that said, ‘same here’. 

So Hiccup spent the afternoon in the cove, watching over Toothless. He set up the tent around him the best he could. It was a tent made to house Stoick the Vast, but even then, his hind quarters stuck out from the back. Toothless faded in and out of consciousness, no doubt thanks to the poison. To occupy his time, Hiccup drew in his sketchbook, taking notes of the dragon and drawing every detail he could. All the while, he sang softly to himself, and partially to sooth Toothless.

“What do you think?” He turned the book around and held up the drawing. “It’s you!” 

Toothless observed the drawing and gave a contented warble. 

It was a strange thing, watching this bond form with a fantastic and dangerous creature. It had only been a few hours, but he was pretty sure he couldn’t live without this dragon in his life. 

The rain came just as Gobber said, and Hiccup began to look for a place to take shelter. But Toothless made the decision for him, weakly catching his vest with his claws and pulling him inside the tent. There wasn’t a lot of space, considering Toothless’ size, so Hiccup was forced to sit right up beside him. Eventually, Hiccup leaned against him and Toothless let out a long sigh. 

But, the day couldn’t last forever, and as the golden hour approached, Hiccup sighed. “I have to go for today. I’ll be back tomorrow with more fish, okay?” 

Toothless crooned. 

Hiccup went to lay his hand on his snout, but Toothless flinched back. 

He tried once more, holding his hand out and turning his face away. Cool, soft scales pressed against his hand, making his heart flip. 

He turned to look, and Toothless was staring at him with wide, dilated eyes. 

“It's a promise then.”

Chapter Text

A week passed. Each day, Hiccup brought a basket of fish for Toothless, and sang a little song for him. Each day, Toothless got more and more strength back. He was able to walk around and get water for himself.  

All that was left was for Toothless to take flight. Hiccup kept telling himself that Toothless didn’t need him anymore, and he just needed to let the dragon go back into the wild. 

But he simply couldn’t. Selfishly, this was the first true friend he had and couldn’t find it in himself to leave him alone. Toothless, likewise, didn’t seem too eager to leave Hiccup either. 

So it was a matter of getting the tribe to accept that he had a pet dragon. A vicious, fire breathing, wild dragon.

Gobber was right, this would have been easier with a bear.

Hiccup sat in the backroom of the forge, idly rolling a scribblestick across the surface. He was trying to come up with a plan for Toothless, but it was proving to be harder and harder. His father was just so damn protective of him! If he wasn’t allowed to get near the docks, why would Stoick be okay with a wild dragon companion?

“Come on, there’s gotta be something!” 

He was interrupted by the clanging of a bell outside. He knew what that meant. Everyone on Berk did. It was a rare sound, maybe twice a year if that. 

Someone caught a mermaid. 

Hiccup just hoped it wasn’t Snotlout or he’d never hear the end of it. 

He hurried out of the forge, and watched as the fishermen brought their haul up the hill. The mermaid was tied up, wrists and tail to a pole, and they carried the pole over their shoulders. 

His father waited in the town square. Hiccup hurried over to him, overly curious. 

From his father’s side, Hiccup observed the Mermaid, the only times he was able to see them. She had pale skin and a dark, forest green tail that glittered. Her golden blonde hair was long, wild, and almost dragged on the ground as she was carried. She was extremely beautiful, as all mermaids were. She had an assortment of gold jewelry around her neck and partially obscuring her bare breasts.  

The first time he’d witnessed this ritual, he’d been too distracted by the mermaid’s breasts to really understand what was happening. They weren’t a modest folk, and didn’t cover them like viking women did. But over time, it was easier to get used to. It just wasn’t the same as seeing human breasts. 

Well, the only comparison he had was Inga, the village drunk nudist. There wasn’t a soul on Berk that hadn’t seen her bosom…though it wasn’t exactly a treat. 

The fishermen, older, tougher, experienced men, stopped in front of Stoick, and waited for him to speak. 

The mermaid’s chest was heaving as she shuddered with terrified breaths. 

Stoick had a strange look on his face, one that Hiccup was sort of familiar with. It was a look of exasperation. 

Odd place for it.

The mermaid just awkwardly smiled at him, then asked, “hey, how’s it going?” 

He sighed. “I am Chief Stoick the Vast of Berk, what is your name?” 

“Camicazi, my Chief. My loyalties lay with you and Bertha.” 

He nodded while several others groaned. “She’s one of ours. Let her go, and give her some beef for her trouble.” 

The mermaid visibly relaxed. A barrel full of seawater was brought to her and she was cut free of the pole. Then someone gave her a hunk of raw beef. The crowd began to disperse as she ate the meat raw. Soon, she’d be lifted onto a wagon and taken back down to the docks to be released in the ocean. 

Hiccup rather preferred this outcome. It was the humane ending, unlike the other scenario. 

When he had been old enough, he’d been allowed to see what happened to the mermaids that weren’t ‘one of theirs’. 

One had been caught in the spring, right when the ice thawed. Her tail was a dark navy with silver fins. Her skin was almost snow white in color, and her black hair was tied in big knots. She hissed and snarled all the way into town. 

“I am Chief Stoick the Vast of Berk, what is your name?” 

“You do not have the honor of knowing it, Flesh!” 

Stoick just sadly shook his head. “She’s an enemy, tie her up.” 

The mermaid transformed, her eyes turning completely black and her mouth opened up to her ears, filled with sharp, needle-like teeth. “Food! I will savor the day your corpse bobs in the waves!” 

Still tied to the pole, the mermaid was hauled down to the arena. Before Hiccup’s time, when his grandfather was chief, the arena was used to fight mermaids for sport, as a coming of age ceremony. It was a pit carved into the cliffs and connected to an underwater cave leading out into the ocean. An iron grate made up the floor, and water came up to the knees when inside. People gathered in the stands and watched as the mermaid, still spitting and snarling, was shackled to a beam in the center of the ring. Then, once the men got out, a switch was thrown and the iron grate slid back. The mermaid fell into the water with a splash, the only indication she was around were the chains still connected to the beam. The chains pulled taut and moved every which way, following her swimming through the water. 

Then she screamed. It was inhuman, monstrous, ear-piercing, and you could still hear it on the surface. The water roiled, green fins flicking around, until there was a bloom of red that filled the arena floor. The chains went slack, and it was over. 

While the vikings cheered in bloodlust, Hiccup found himself rather nauseous, and decided seeing it once was enough. 

Now, he was watching the green mermaid, the one that was apparently allied with Berk. She happily tore into the meal given, and didn’t seem one bit bothered by her current predicament. 

As she licked her fingers, she made eye contact with Hiccup. She put on a smile he would call seductive and crooked her finger at him. 

Awkwardly, Hiccup approached. “Uh, Hi! Camicazi was it?” 

“Honey, you can call me anything you want.” 

“Uh, okay…my name’s Hiccup.” 

Her seductive smile turned into a genuinely friendly one. “Oh! You’re the chief’s son, aren’t you?” 

“That’s me.” 

“You’re smaller than I expected.” 

“…I get that a lot.” 

“Ugh, are you seriously talking to the mermaid, Salt Boy?” Snotlout’s irritated voice interrupted the conversation. He dropped the wagon he was wheeling with him with a huff. “You really are useless, aren’t you?” 

Hiccup rolled his eyes. “I was just being friendly.” 

“Friendly? To them? Newsflash genius, just because she has boobies, doesn’t mean she’s nice.” 

Hiccup frowned. “Uh, duh Snotlout.” 

“I had to learn this lesson too, Hiccup. ‘Cause all female creatures on Odin’s earth are attracted to the Snotster, ain’t that right, baby?” He directed that last bit at the mermaid. 

She responded by squirting him with water. 

Hiccup chuckled. 

Snotlout sputtered and wiped his face dry. “Fine! You know what? You can escort your new best friend to the sea! I didn’t want this stupid job anyway!” He flailed his arms about as he left. 

“Snotlout! Wait, come back! I can’t…” he trailed off as Snotlout was long gone. “…lift the barrel.” 

“Can you lift me? I’ll be fine going in the wagon without the water.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Certainly! You know, I rather enjoy sunning myself on a rock on nice days. I can handle a little air for a while.” 

“Alright…hmm.” He looked at the water she was in and decided lifting her out like normal wasn’t going to work. He couldn’t get his arms wet afterall. “Here,” he turned around. “Put your arms around my neck.” 

At this point, several people had stopped what they were doing to watch, but not help. Most likely to intervene if Hiccup needed it. 

Camicazi did as instructed and reached forward to clasp onto the front of his tunic. Then he leaned forward and pulled her out, having her lay across his back. Then he walked her over to the wagon and set her inside. 

“Sorry, I’m allergic to seawater. That was the best way I could think of to get you out.” 

She shrugged as she got comfortable in her seat, resting her arms on the edge of the wagon. “Allergic to the ocean? How very interesting.” 

“It’s not. It’s the worst.”

She laughed. “I would assume so! What a curse to have.” 

“You get it.” 

Halfway down the hill, he spotted Astrid approaching. She looked confused and alarmed. 

“Astrid!” He greeted, warmly. 

“Hiccup? Is that a mermaid?” 

“Didn’t you hear the bell ring? They just caught her. She’s one of ours, so I’m taking her back.” 

“Charmed!” Camicazi chirped. “Is this your lover?” 

Hiccup turned a violent red, as Astrid answered a cool, “no, just friends.” 

If Camicazi noticed his face fall, she didn’t say anything. 

“Could you help me?” Hiccup asked Astrid. “I’m not supposed to go down to the docks, but I really ought to see this through. Can you just…make sure I don’t fall in?” 

“I suppose…but if you do, I’m not a strong enough swimmer to pull you out.” 

“I can help with that!” Said Camicazi. 

Satisfied, the three went down to the docks. All the while, Camicazi chatted happily. 

“I love the way you’ve done your hair! That’s what they call a braid, isn’t it? Oh I’d love to learn how to do that, but the humans are such skittish creatures around us. Not that I can blame them. It must be a little like talking to a shark, one generation is prey, and the next is friends? It can’t be easy of course—” 

Once they reached the docks, Hiccup walked her to the end. “Alright, let’s see how I can best do this…” 

“One moment,” Camicazi demanded. Then she took hold of the front of his shirt and pulled him down so she could kiss his cheek. “There! A kiss on the skin from a mermaid is good luck, you know!” 

“Oh! Uh, thanks?”

“You too, missy!” She crooked a finger at Astrid. 

“I’m good.” 

She pouted, but shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Astrid held onto Hiccup’s belt as he took Camicazi’s arms and lowered her into the water. Anyone else probably would have just tipped the wagon, but he had at least a little compassion. 

Once free, she surfaced to wave goodbye. “I’ll put in a good word with Bertha for you! She’ll be happy to know the chief’s son is kind and a friend!” Then she swam away.

Astrid yanked him back. “That was the craziest thing I’ve seen you do.” 

He shrugged awkwardly. If only she knew about Toothless… “What can I say? I’m a wild and crazy guy!” 

She chuckled, not believing that for a second. 

“Hiccup!” Stoick’s voice came from the other end of the dock. 

“And here comes the hammer…” Hiccup muttered. 

Stoick ran to him. “You know you’re not supposed to be here! Did you return that mermaid?” 

“I know and yes, I did. But could you redirect this anger at Snotlout? He was the one that was supposed to, but made me do it. Besides, Astrid was here to keep me safe. I’m not completely stupid.” 

Stoick hemmed and hawed, then eventually conceded. “I’m glad you were practicing common sense. But don’t do it again! Now, let’s get back to solid ground, where it’s safe for you.” 

As they walked, Astrid asked, “Chief Stoick, why do we release some of the mermaids? Who’s Bertha?” 

He glanced at her. “You mean, you don’t know?” 

She shook her head. “My parents told me to ask you…and I never found the appropriate time to do so.” 

Hiccup had heard the story a few times. Stoick was just about the only Viking on Berk that had any emotion besides contempt for the mermaids, and raised Hiccup similarly. 

“Well, when I was a teenager, getting ready to take the role of chief, I was out on my own sailing when a terrible storm sank my boat. A mermaid saved my life, and through talking to her, I learned that they could be civil. She helped me meet with Bertha, the queen of the mermaids of the archipelago, and we made an alliance. 

“You see, lass, just like Vikings have their wars with other tribes, so do the mermaids with other pods. They have a fearsome feud with the pods to the north and south. Those pods are bloodthirsty and rape, kill, and eat humans. Ours don’t. The alliance grants us several advantages, as they leave our fishing boats alone, rescue us from drowning, and protect us from the other mermaids. In exchange, we provide food on occasion, and let them go if we catch them. And of course, don’t hunt them.” 

“And so the arena…?” 

“Those are the enemies of our pod, usually spies. We tie them up and our mermaids take care of them as their way dictates.” 

“Hmm.” She responded, not sure what else to say. 

“I don’t blame you for being skeptical. It’s hard not to be. Ask Bucket and Mulch about it sometime. A few years ago, they were rescued as well. Their opinions have changed since then.” 

“But you said the other pods are bloody thirsty? How do we know which ones are safe?” 

“A good question! Generally, our girls have green tails. And they will respond positively if you mention you are from Berk. But you can never be too careful.” He rested a hand on both of their shoulders. “Mermaids are a lot like humans, despite what’s been said. They can be compassionate and loving, and they can be deceitful and manipulative. Be wise and treat them as you would a stranger. You never know what they’re capable of.” 

—

“It’s not fair to ask you to stay in this cove, you know,” Hiccup told Toothless. “But it might take some work to convince the village that you’re well behaved enough to come into Berk proper.” 

Toothless rolled around in the dirt. 

“I can’t imagine my dad would mind having an attack dragon as part of the defenses. But I doubt he’d believe I had you under control.” 

Toothless left a slobbery lick on his face, as if to say ‘you have no control over me’. 

“Okay, fair fair!” He pushed Toothless away and attempted to wipe his face clean. 

“Maybe we’ll just take it slow. Show you to Gobber, and then my dad. Maybe Astrid would be impressed!” He rambled on. He didn’t notice how Toothless got to his feet and sniffed the air. “Oh who am I kidding? She’d think I was crazy.” 

Toothless let out a low growl.

“I know it’s not exactly fair—”

The ground rumbled, and there was an eerie whispering sound. 

“What in the name of Odin…?” 

Another dragon, horrific in sight, burst from the ground. It was serpentine, and completely covered in spines. It had a mouth full of spinning teeth, and bone white eyes. 

Hiccup yelped and staggered back as Toothless jumped in front of him to protect him. 

The two dragons exchanged fire, before the enemy shot towards Hiccup. 

Toothless scooped him up onto his back with his snout, before leaping into the air and taking flight. 

Hiccup screamed, feeling his stomach remain on the ground. He wrapped his arms and legs around Toothless, as best as he could as Toothless was so much bigger. 

“What happened to taking it slow!?” Hiccup shouted. He was silenced soon after as a plume of fire singed the back of his hair. “Nevermind! Faster, Bud!” 

Toothless dodged and weaved, doing everything he could to evade the other dragon. As they flew, Hiccup looked up, and scanned the landscape. 

“Look! A cave to your left!” 

Toothless quickly darted to the side, almost throwing Hiccup off his back, as he escaped into the cave. He didn’t slow his pace as he ducked and weaved through the rock formation. 

Hiccup could hear the other dragon colliding with the rocks behind them, but the collisions were slowing it down. 

Toothless emerged on the other side of the cliffs, flying out over the ocean. 

“We gotta hide!” Hiccup demanded. 

Toothless agreed and dove down. 

“Wait wait wait! I’m allergic to seawater!” 

But his protest went ignored as Toothless dove right into the sea, and sank into the depths. 

For a moment, Hiccup didn’t feel any different. Just wet. He opened his eyes, and looked around. Toothless paddled through the water, making his way back to shore. Fish swam around them, glimmering like little looking glass shards. 

It was beautiful. 

Suddenly, a pain like he’d never felt before consumed him. Duel cramps took his legs, and he stiffened up like a stone. He cried out in agony as every inch of his skin felt like it was on fire. 

Bubbles burst from his lips as he screamed in pain. He inhaled on accident, swallowed a lungful of water, and burned his insides. 

But he could breathe? 

Then Toothless surfaced, and climbed onto a flat rock to dry off. Hiccup remained on his back, holding on with his hands and he lost feeling in his legs and struggled to breathe. 

Toothless let out a concerned warble and gently slid Hiccup off his back. He caught his head with his snout, and huffed at him in comfort. 

“I’m…I’m okay…I just…I’ve never…” Hiccup stuttered, water sputtering out of him. He rested his hands on the rock beneath him, and pushed himself up to sit. He looked down at his legs…

Which were no longer legs. 

“Oh…gods…” he shuddered. 

A tail, a mermaid tail, seemingly so innocently replaced his stick legs. It was black, blacker than coal, and the tiny scales almost had a blue sheen where the sunlight hit it. The fins were mostly translucent, and had a spiderweb of black lines within them. They gradually turned a bright crimson at the edges. 

He just stared, dumbstruck. 

Toothless let out a warble at his side. 

“It was you!” He accused, pointing at him. “The gods didn’t cure my allergy! They cursed me!” 

Toothless rolled his eyes and chuffed. 

“No, you’re right, that doesn’t make sense.” 

The most likely scenario began to take shape as he rubbed his hands over the smooth, almost snake like scales. He was wet, but not slimy like a fish, which was nice.  

He had never gone into the ocean. His father had been so adamant against it. He had no idea what his allergy looked like, as he had never witnessed a reaction. 

And Stoick was one of the only Vikings that had never said a hateful word towards the mermaids, even though they were largely reviled. 

He knew. His father knew this would happen. But how? How was he like this? Was it permanent!? 

As he panicked, Toothless just observed, trilling in curiosity. He leaned in close and sniffed his tail.

“I’m not a fish! Don’t eat me!” Hiccup protested, flopping in panic. 

The motion of his tail looked like great fun for Toothless, and he batted at it, eyes dilated almost solidly. 

“No no no!” Hiccup writhed, trying to get away. “Stop! Don’t!” 

Toothless settled on the ground, continuing to sniff, but didn’t seem like he was intending to take a bite. He was just curious, probably confused.

As Hiccup was.

“I don’t believe this,” he breathed. “How…how is this even possible? I…have you ever heard of such a thing?” He asked Toothless.

Toothless shook his head. 

“Well if either of us had, it should be you. You’re exotic.” 

Toothless huffed, as if to say, ‘well excuse me!’ 

“Sorry, I’m just…panicking! If my dad found out this happened, or that I knew, I’d become shark bait!” He pushed back his sopping wet hair. “Come to think of it, why didn’t he ever tell me? I would have understood the concern! I certainly don’t want to be hunted and killed!” 

Hiccup ran his hand over the scales, kind of hoping if he did it hard enough, the scales would rub off and he’d have his legs back. But no such luck. 

“I can’t even confront my dad about this. What am I supposed to say? ‘Hey pops, I was out flying on the back of the world’s deadliest predator and went for a dip. I know I’m a mermaid—merman? Merfolk? Why didn’t you tell me?’ Yeah, I’m sure that’ll go over well!” He gnawed on his tongue. 

The longer he stared at the tail, the more the situation began to sink in. 

“I can’t go back.” He breathed. “I can’t go back to the village. What would they do if they saw me? I—how do I explain this? Another curse from the gods?” He looked at Toothless. “What am I going to do?” 

Toothless, being a dragon, couldn’t answer. 

“So I’m just—I’m stuck like this, huh?” He chuckled, humorlessly, hysterical. “I’m a monster.” 

Toothless crooned at him, sad. 

Hiccup threw his arms around him, hugging him. “What am I going to do?” He asked again. “Do I just…go live in the sea? But Dad…he’ll never know what happened. Or…” an idea started to form. “Maybe he’ll figure it out if I leave a clue.” He took off his sopping wet vest and tunic, leaving them on the flat rock behind him. “When they start looking for me, hopefully they’ll find my clothes. And then he’ll know.” 

“Waarrgghhh…” 

“I know it’s not as good as a note, but that's all I got. Maybe we’ll cross paths and I can explain then.” 

Toothless nosed him, crooning softly. 

“I’m sorry. I promised I would try to convince the village to let you stay and we could hang out all the time, but…you can’t breathe underwater, can you?” 

Toothless shook his head, no. 

“I thought so. Well…we can still be friends, but it’s going to be a lot harder now. This is so messed up…” he groaned. 

Then another thought occurred to him and he snapped his fingers. “I’ll go find Bertha, the Queen of our mermaids. If anyone knows who and what I am, she will! And maybe I can live among the merfolk here!” 

Toothless licked him, happy to see his mood turn around. 

“Okay, I better get looking. I’ll see you around, okay bud?” 

Toothless nudged him on towards the water, encouraging him to go. That’s all he needed, and he dove in.