#thinking about how Berk would need to get used to a Night Fury amongst their midst & said night fury constantly acompanying the scrawny boy

[000marie198]

Do you think Toothless ever grumbles and is sarcastic in his internal monologue and then goes: "Great. I must be exhausted I'm starting to sound like Hiccup."

Hiccup building a gadget in the forge two meters away: "Did you just make fun of me?"

Toothless grumbling about how it's a long time past midnight and they should be asleep, can't Hiccup tinker in the morning or something

Hiccup: "No one is forcing you to be here, Toothless."

Toothless howls at the other and glares. Hiccup glares back. They're having a glaring contest at two in the morning.

Moments later, Berk's heir is being dragged back to the hut by his sleeve by a dark creature that almost blends into the shadows save for annoyed vivid green eyes as the boy argues with the Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death Itself in hushed grumbles.

..............

(Don't tag as a ship)

[httydfan03]

The (rather) hideous subtext of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

The Hidden World- well, a ravine of sorts.

It has completely split up the franchise, into pro(everything in this review) and against (well…ditto).

And there seem to be more of the latter. If that’s you, enjoy this review.

 The main reason people gush over this film, are well, a collection of sorts. Animation. Lighting. Moonray- a newly installed DreamWorks technological brand that only recently came into action. Many people were captivated by the Nightlights, by “ooh look at that cute dragon” and whatnot.

 The cute dragons and epic vistas of New Berk aren’t bad. It’s what’s under them.

 What lies beneath

  Cute dragons and fake facades hide what really lies beneath- what this film is all about. Separating Hiccup and Toothless. Many a time have I seen people parrot on about how Toothless found love- it’s okay for him to completely neglect and abandon Hiccup.

Many a time have I seen people go on about how Toothless and his call to the wild supersedes his friendship with Hiccup.

Many a time have I seen people justify the Light fury and make her existence seem glorified- when she exists merely to separate Hiccup and Toothless- that inseparable duo that many- if not most fans- hate to see the separation of.

In essence- people backing up a separation that never should have been. People backing up the complete and utter breakage of a friendship that never should have been broke.

 Many billions have by now seen this film- and not all of them are fans. Most of them are passers-by- giving blind praise (to this film) where it is not due.

I am not saying this film doesn’t deserve praise. Sure- the animation is fabulous. The lighting and SFX/VFX is superb. There are many things about the Hidden World that I like. None of them are to do with the plot, the way they handled the separation, the mere notion of separating Hiccup and Toothless permanently.

I don’t mind a separation.

And- by the way- I mean one which doesn’t involve the type we got in HTTYD: THW, what with Hiccup and Toothless growing apart, living alone and whatnot. I mean one like Gift of the night fury- where Toothless came back to Hiccup. Where we, as an audience, return full circle, with the affirmation that Hiccup and Toothless are indeed inseparable.

One which confirms a true friendship. Not what THW gave us. Though, I will give them credit for trying in the epilogue scene.

I am not saying this film doesn’t deserve praise.

I am saying, however, it makes a train wreck of the friendship between the central duo of this franchise.

Many people say that the Hidden World is great and satisfying (really...?)  because Toothless goes back to the wild… he belongs there… he needs to leave Hiccup as finding a FAMILY is what brings him happiness.

Not Hiccup. Hiccup used to give him happiness, love, affection and companionship- he still does- but NONE of that matters to Toothless- supposedly- when the Light Fury enters the game.

No, just no. You give me proof of Toothless behaving like this- once- even in the previous instalments- and I will give you the previous instalments.

The facts are there. Toothless’ family is Hiccup. That has already been established- from every single other piece of media in this franchise.

Since when has anything mattered more to toothless than that one boy who, being the only one in his entire village, alone, neglected and saddened, tried to give dragons and humans a second chance? This boy was known to be Hiccup- he changed history with Toothless. He ended a war between two disparate species- he gave this dragon, who we call Toothless, more love and affection than anyone else at the time would even dream of.

He gave this dragon his flight back- but the dragon gives him friendship back.

Hiccup has practically raised this dragon for years of his life. Years he could have spent being barbaric, killing dragons, fighting… no. Hiccup has fed Toothless, bantered with him, played with him, bathed him, attended to wounds/injuries.

Just like you would your own pet- but Toothless isn’t a pet. He was the first to believe in Hiccup and really bond with him- more than anyone else at that time. If you don’t recall- at the time when Toothless and Hiccup first met in the Cove, Hiccup was laughed at, taunted, bullied and neglected by his father and peers around him.

Only a member of the opposite species gave him actual companionship. First.

Which is why is why it really gets to me when Astrid says-

‘But you know what? I was the first to believe in you’- making it seem as if she was the first to instill confidence in Hiccup. First human? Sure. First sentient being? Nope.

Ironic as at the time Toothless was the only creature offering him companionship.

 The friendship between Hiccup and toothless- plus more

What has this franchise been about? What is it been centered around for as long as we can remember? The friendship- the bond between hiccup and toothless. It has always been about how they are inseparable- and also, every single movie, episode and short film- excluding the Hidden World-, every single race to the edge hicctooth moment brings them closer together. It strengthens their resolve.

They are the best of buddies. So, what does How to Train Your dragon- The Hidden World achieve? It breaks that bond. Why? For the sake of romance!

Romance.

Toothless- having been with Hiccup and fought alongside him for years- and having a virtually unbreakable connection with him that can never be broken- suddenly dejects Hiccup and is not only torn away from him, but is almost desperate to leave him? Where is his loyalty to him? Where is this ‘friendship of a lifetime’ we were promised? The entire film sets the premise that Toothless realises he doesn’t need hiccup and that his real destiny is with the light fury- as Hiccup, his best friend that is with him for years- means little. How can we- as fans- accept this? Most of you reading this won’t, I’m sure.

 The separation, gift of the night fury and freedom

 “So that we could get to that moment like the opening narration of Cressida Cowell’s first book.  There were dragons when I was a boy.  I thought there was something really emotional about that.  But it suggests the end of an era.”

 Nothing wrong with this. This could work in any other franchise. Not HTTYD. The disappearance of an entire species seems apocalyptic- right up my street in fact- but wait a minute. The dragons and the berkians are meant to CO-EXIST… right? They are meant to find a way, or ways to work together. They do. They develop a perfect state of friendly peace between the two species- until THW. Hiccup gives up his resolve- that him and Toothless- him and toothless- have been working on.

 A perfect state of peace.

  And Hiccup says- I was so busy fighting for a world I wanted- wait… ,’I wanted’ ?

 (Hiccup and Astrid, both smiling, nod at each other and press their heads together. Toothless, after walking past the Light Fury, looks at Hiccup, who smiles at him. Toothless looks towards the horizon and back to Hiccup again. Hiccup also looks at the horizon and back to Toothless. He then hops to Toothless and holds his face.)

 Hiccup: You're right, bud. It's time. I was so busy fighting for a world that I wanted, I didn't think about what you needed.

 Hiccup and Toothless have been working together- as one- from the beginning- and this movie ignores that and makes Hiccup seem outright selfish as he didn’t think about what Toothless needed? Toothless has outright stated prior he doesn’t need anyone else but Hiccup. In fact, Toothless wants peace and coexistence between humans and dragons. Wasn’t that one of the reasons they bonded?

For reference, see Riders of Berk- in one episode, Astrid (ironically, being the same Astrid in 3 who claims Toothless has been given his freedom, so will never return) claims Toothless is happy with Hiccup and doesn’t need anyone else. Not a bad message. Many people only have one friend and are fine with them. In fact, it isn’t how many you have, but the quality (but that’s a different topic)

This movie?

Abandon your best friend for the sake of a partner.

Hiccup is everything to Toothless- and vice versa. These two have such an unbreakable connection. Where has it gone, movie?

Good movies come from character growth- character evolution. They don’t come from devolution and a complete reversal of growth of said character.

 Also- something else. About halfway into the movie, after returning from the failed mission to raid Grimmel’s base- several key lines are spoken by two main characters.

Hiccup says ‘toothless and I will-‘. He’s cut off. Hiccup at this point fully expects toothless to return- again, not because he is keeping him captive (expanded on later)- but out of love, loyalty, companionship. They’re best friends, right?

Isn’t that how it’s always been?

And then- the two lines which are simply infuriating- “you gave him his freedom” and “he has the light fury now”.

Both these lines strongly imply Toothless doesn’t want or need Hiccup. As does the scene in THW where Toothless has “found his place amongst dragons, realising his true destiny”- quote from Dean D.B.

 Without all the extra glorification- realising he doesn’t need Hiccup when Hiccup is the reason he is alive- the single person on the planet who cares for him the most. Gone.

In two days.

 And doesn’t “he has the light fury now?” completely deject their bond?

As if to say- he doesn’t need you- his best friend who he supposedly cares about.

So many lines- plot points- utter rubbish- solely designed to tear these two apart for no logical, justified reason.

 Also, let’s talk about freedom. A strong aspect when considering this concept is the call of the wild.

A call of the wild refers to an animal, kept in captivity, isolated from the rest of nature, wanting to be free.

 Remember gift of the night fury?

Toothless was given his freedom then. Surely, if he was experiencing this call of the wild it would build up over time- not just be a sharp ‘I want to leave Hiccup’

He would have left in gift of the night fury. But no- he destroyed the automatic tailfin because flying with Hiccup, as one, as two best friends bonded by their shortcomings.

As you can see, this call of the wild arc introduced in HTTYD 3 completely disintegrates the bond that Toothless chose, chose.

Toothless was not forced into captivity but instead out of compassion and love for Hiccup made the decision to live with him. How is suddenly sending him back to the wild- and according to the directors- because he chooses another dragon over Hiccup- a deepening of his arc?

It doesn’t deepen it- it’s trying to dam a river that supplies water to millions of people.

 It doesn’t end there. Toothless, when leaving is described as ‘hesitant, conflicted’

Conflicted?

Conflicted over the same Hiccup whom he shares an unbreakable bond with? The same one whom he wouldn’t leave for the world? And that too- conflicted over a female- over another dragon.

Conflicted to even think about leaving his best friend. Years of friendship- gone, replaced with the message “romance supersedes friendship”

So much for the friendship of a lifetime.

 Furthermore- the crescendo that plays during the separation is called Freedom. The original FYC OST is titled that.

Freedom? From what? Freedom implies a release from captivity for an animal that was being kept captive- in a poor mental and physical state. In essence- the dragons were being used as slaves- or tools, kept against their will involuntarily.

Hiccup was keeping Toothless a slave.

This is an utter abomination to both their friendship and the Berkian dragons.

They have relationships. They are there because they want to be there- because they enjoy human companionship. The artbook(s) even say as much- along with the script. Remember Hiccup’s line- “now they’ve all moved in. And really- why wouldn’t they?” The berkians adapted their own lifestyle to accommodate these animals. The animals-dragons- are there out of free will.

Free will. The complete anthesis to slavery and subjugation.

Let’s look at three examples.

                           Remember this scene? Hiccup says ‘we built custom stables, all you can eat feeding stations, a full-service dragon wash”

 Basically- they love these creatures and care for their every need. Far from keeping them slaves- as implied by freedom- when slaves or workers in our own world are kept in uncomfortable conditions. These dragons, and Toothless himself, are far from uncomfortable.

They even bathe them and wash them- as you would care for your own pet. Hiccup even takes the time to bathe Toothless himself as we see below. And giving him a chin scratch.

  All the time- showing Toothless affection and companionship. Important to note that without Hiccup, Toothless would be non-existent (for a euphemistic word), in Grimmel’s trophy cabinet. And Hiccup isn’t just best friends with him- he actually cares for this dragon.

  Doesn’t that indicate the dragons moved in because the Berkians became compassionate? Compassionate thanks to, and spread by, Hiccup?

Isn’t that what this series is all about? Mutual coexistence?

 Also- look at this.

  Toothless came back to Hiccup out of love for him, out of genuine compassion. I mean- look at that face. Definitely being held “captive” right? Captive by Drago- yes, but you see, this is what the franchise- at least 1 and 2- try to defy. That friendship can overpower anything.

Especially the friendship between Hiccup and Toothless.

And Hiccup didn’t go back to Toothless so he could win back Berk. That wasn’t his main motive. He went back because he loves him. Too much- in fact- to even repent yelling at him afterwards- when he screams “Toothless!” after he is taken by Drago.

Moments after killing his father. So much for “slavery”. You can visualise and make out Hiccup’s emotion when Toothless comes back. Remember what he says? “Attaboy, that’s it!”

Isn’t that genuine friendship?

Look at how happy he is just to see Hiccup. Absolutely heart-warming- and look at where HTTYD 3 puts it.

   Again. I don’t really know what to say. How are these adorable creatures being held captive? Look at him- clearly enjoying the belly rub.

What a farce. Honestly.

  Envoi- final thoughts

 To cap this off, let’s look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

 Let’s look at this. Motifs near the base of the pyramid are significantly more important that those at top.

 In Gift of the Night fury- Toothless rejects autonomous control for his friendship with Hiccup. Toothless inverts the pyramid. Looking at the pyramid, Toothless thinks “love and belonging” is more important than “physiological needs”. Why?

Because one (of the many) reasons Toothless and Hiccup are inseparable is that they are bonded over their shortcomings. And it is these shortcomings, which, mutualistically, they realise are anything but. They make them stronger.

In essence- he puts Hiccup first- then himself. Note- Toothless made this choice. Wasn’t forced, wasn’t subjugated. He chose to do this.

 The third instalment, supposedly markets this too, if we go by the trailer which conjures up a big “Friendship of a lifetime” logo on the screen. That really hyped me up. That was what- I- and so many of us- most fans- wanted- the GOTNF style affirmation that Hiccup and Toothless are indeed inseparable- despite all the terrors that strike their village.

I sold myself (as I am sure many of us viewers did) on this.

Now I wish I hadn’t.

The third movie makes Toothless put his “so called freedom” first, before Hiccup- before friendship. A complete reversal of the picture we have seen in the previous instalments.

We see that, according to Maslow, freedom is a lesser, baser need than friendship.

 I sold myself on this.

Now I wish I hadn’t.

[howtodrawyourdragon]

A Warm Snoggletog Heart

Summary: Set during RttE. The Riders decided that one of the best things about having Dragon's Edge was the excuse to celebrate everything twice.

A birthday? They would have a party on both Berk and the Edge. A holiday? A celebration on Berk and the Edge. Snoggletog? That absolutely needed to be celebrated twice!

And this year, they have something particularly special in mind for Hiccup.  

Rating: General

Words: 1 481

Author’s Notes: Wrote this in a day because someone from a whump Discord server I'm a part of gave me the motivation for it. Usually, I wait with posting fics until the weekends, so there's a little bit of time between finishing and revising it one last time before I post it. But I wanted it out before tomorrow and since I'll probably be gone tomorrow, I decided to do it all today.

Constructive criticism is appreciated!

Enjoy!

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The Riders decided that one of the best things about having Dragon's Edge was the excuse to celebrate everything twice.

A birthday? They would have a party on both Berk and the Edge. A holiday? Again, a celebration on Berk and the Edge. Snoggletog? That absolutely needed to be celebrated twice!

So when Snoggletog came around, Hiccup and the Dragon Riders returned home to share this time with their families only to then go back to their base away from home to share it with just each other.

It wasn't as crazy as their parents probably thought it was going to be.

Astrid used her iron fist to make sure the decorations put up were perfect and up to her standards as she and Tuffnut worked together on that. Snotlout and Ruffnut were put in charge of gathering the favorite meals of the dragons so they would have something of a feast as well. And Fishlegs was made to help Hiccup get dinner ready.

All in all, it wasn't supposed to be a big celebration. It was rather small and intimate, held in the clubhouse.

That was where they were. They'd just eaten dinner, it was time for presents.

Snotlout may have actually squealed in excitement. Astrid already promised him she would never let him live that down.

"An axe! Yes!" Astrid shouted excitedly, holding the double-headed weapon. It was much like Heather's, except more her style. Less rough and more elegant. With complimentary skulls. Her cheeks and eyes lit up.

"Oh yay! Another one!" Snotlout rolled his eyes next to her.

"Thank you, Hiccup!" She told him, though her smile was more than enough of a gift for him.

"Uh, how do you know it didn't come from us?" Ruffnut asked.

"Because it's an axe, Ruff. Do you know how to make one?" She asked, though she wasn't particularly annoyed. Her day was made.

"Heather and I actually collaborated on that one. She mentioned to me how you really wanted one like hers, so we worked on it together. We each did one half and we exchanged some secrets. Blacksmith to blacksmith. It's like a Snoggletog gift and a "thank you for letting me stay in your hut" gift combined." Hiccup explained. As Astrid took a closer look, she did see some marks she didn't recognize as made by Hiccup's hand.

So this was Heather's signature. She would remember them too.

"So... What did I get?" Fishlegs could hardly wait. He was having a hard time sitting still on his chair.

It was Snotlout who gave him his present.

"From me to you." He told him and gave it to him in the most dramatic Snotlout-esque way possible.

"Awww, thank you, Snotlout!" Fishlegs responded as he accepted the gift. It appeared to be a book. Opening it up, he found detailed sketches of plants inside and he gasped.

"Is this what I think it is?!"

"The Beauty of Botany Volume Three? That's exactly what you're looking at!" Snotlout exclaimed. It was hidden behind a smirk, but he was just as excited as Fishlegs was. Snoggletog was one of the few times a year he let his generosity shine. This side to him was exclusively for Snoggletog and birthdays only.

Fishlegs grinned from ear to ear as he skimmed through its pages. He was as happy as a Nadder at a Chicken buffet.

"So everyone's got their presents, only one victim remains." Ruffnut was particularly menacing as she spoke up, leaning on her knees with her elbows.

Snotlout's gift had been a bludgeon similar to his very first, which he had lost again. The twins had absolutely nothing to do with its disappearance, they had assured Snotlout of this.

What Tuffnut was given was something made for Chicken. It was a little custom-made bed for her because Tuff had complained about it being unfair that he got a bed, but not Chicken.

As for Ruff's gift, it was a handmade lotion of fish oil for her hair created out of rare and exotic ingredients that were quite expensive on the market. She had immediately slathered her hair with it.

Hiccup was the person she was talking about, but for once, he wasn't particularly worried. The Riders watched as Tuffnut got up to grab it.

He quickly returned with something obscured by cloth and he handed it over to Hiccup, who took it.

He stared at the gift his friends decided to give him. He was certainly curious, that was for sure. It was the only one wrapped up.

He didn't quite notice it, all of his attention was on the object held in his hands, but anticipation amongst the Riders grew. They were all sitting on the edge of their seats as they watched Hiccup unwrap it.

It turned out to be a plush toy. Of Toothless! Well, he was pretty sure it was a stuffed animal version of his Night Fury, it looked quite odd.

"It's Toothless!" He was puzzled, but he was smiling nonetheless. The Night Fury himself came over from his corner to sit closer to look at the toy when he heard his name leave Hiccup's lips. He was intrigued.

But Hiccup's smile slowly faltered as he took a closer look at Toy Toothless' oddities.

He had tiny, tiny skulls for eyes. The kind he knew only one person to wear, except they were even smaller. He recognized Snotlout's stitching. The "hide" was knitted patches of black wool. Toothless' "nubs" were braided in a very specific way. And if he had to guess, the stuffing must be chicken feathers.

That's when it hit him.

His friends had made this for him. All of them had left their marks on it. This was something they worked on together. For him!

He was speechless.

"Take another look at the skulls." Hiccup didn't know when his friends decided to move in behind him, but he noticed when Astrid spoke up and pointed towards the plush's eyes. He did as he was told and saw that they were painted a dark green. Forest green.

"Do you think he realizes we made it for him?" Tuffnut asked his sister in whispers loud enough for all of them to hear.

"Oh yeah, I think he does." Ruffnut replied, proud of herself. Her arms were crossed in fulfillment.

As Hiccup looked at its eyes, there was one more detail on the doll left for him to find out.

Turning it slightly, he noticed that his emblem had been stitched onto it.

They had all put little bits and pieces of themselves in the toy and they made sure a little bit of Hiccup was in there as well.

"We saw that you brought the toy your mom made you to the Edge and thought "Hey! You like that one! Why not make another one?" So we did!" Snotlout explained. It looked like he'd been waiting to do so.

The Riders had expected many different reactions from Hiccup. Long ago, when the idea had first struck them, they even decided to take a bet and see who could nail their leader's reaction.

They hadn't expected him to cry.

Tears spilled from his eyes and he sniffed. His smile was the biggest they'd ever seen on his face.

"Hiccup?" Astrid asked, hands on his shoulders. Hiccup let his head hang as a single sob escaped.

"Oh no, we broke him!" Tuffnut loudly exclaimed with his hands on his helmet. Ruffnut smacked him hard.

"Look what you've done to him!" She accused him of an utmost heinous crime. Snotlout came and banged their helmets together.

"Ugh, muttonheads!"

Maybe it was all the stress getting to him or maybe he truly was that touched by their gesture, but Hiccup couldn't help himself.

"Hiccup?"

"I'm-I'm fine, guys. I'm fine." The level of control in his voice backed it up.

"I'm just... I'm just really touched, I..." He tried wiping his cheeks dry with his sleeves, but it was useless.

Smiling sympathetically, Astrid bend down to wrap her arms around his shoulders to pull him into a hug. The waterworks were going with her too, albeit slightly less than they were with Hiccup.

"So sensitive!" Snotlout complained with a shake of his head, even though he jumped on the chance to share a group hug with the rest of the Riders. He grabbed both Astrid and Hiccup into a hold that was more of a headlock than an actual hug. They laughed.

"Ah-ha! A way to fix this!" Tuffnut joked and embraced the three of them. Huffing, Ruffnut joined in.

"Oh, you guys!" Fishlegs spoke and completed the hug by wrapping his arms around the entire group.

All of them smiled, nobody let go. The toy dragon his mother made for him so long ago now had a friend. And Hiccup, he found this to be the warmest Snoggletog yet.

[howtowhumpyourhiccup]

The New Prosthetic

@evilwriter37

Summary: HICCUP WHUMP! Post-RttE, Pre-Httyd 2! Hiccup built himself a new prosthetic leg and he wanted to try it out. Naturally, new creations are bound to have some kinks.

Rating: Teen and up

Words: 3 585

Fandom: How to Train Your Dragon

Prompt: Dislocated Joint

Author’s Notes: Here it is! My very first prompt from my @badthingshappenbingo card!

I actually handled this one a little bit differently than my other fics. Instead of checking the spelling and posting it immediately after finishing it, I let it rest for almost a week before checking for errors. I feel like that helped me a lot with this one.

Constructive criticism is highly appreciated.

Enjoy!

Hiccup felt the tiny flutters of butterflies in his stomach.

Inventing always made him feel like a kid all over again. The initial idea, sketching each design, planning them out, working with his own two hands in the forge... Whenever he smelled the charcoal of his pencils or the metal and smoke of the forge, his heart usually skipped a beat. Everyday stenches that others might find unappealing, but which brought him a sense of familiarity, joy, even comfort on a bad day.

Especially whenever he finished something new, that was when he felt the most thrilled. When a project finally came into fruition and his hard work had ultimately paid off after hours, days, sometimes even weeks of work.

It was an exhilarating kind of feeling that he never tired of and his latest work was special to him.

He made a new prosthetic for himself. A metal leg that could double as a multi-functional tool. Complete with a regular foot that allowed running, a lockpick, a foot for more difficult terrain and one that connected to Toothless' saddle.

It helped him to lay flatter and still be able to correctly manoeuvre the artificial tailfin. This, in turn, enabled them to fly even faster, it made Hiccup a smaller target, let him move his foot out of the stirrup effortlessly, moving gracefully in the sky as one simply became so much easier.

And if this new prosthetic worked, perhaps he could invent something for Gobber as well.

He wasn't too opposed to seeing more Hiccup-y devices pop up in the forge now and again.

But before Hiccup could begin on a new arm or leg for his mentor blacksmithing, he needed to test out his own metal limb first.

And that is why Hiccup had left the house so early in the morning.

Before his dad awoke, the sun was up, the local baker baked his first loaves for the market, Hiccup and Toothless were already up and out the door.

The Night Fury sniffed the new prosthetic Hiccup wore on his stump. Though unfamiliar, it smelled of his Rider and it looked like one of his contraptions as well. He knew Hiccup's handiwork by now.

"So, what do you think, Bud?" Hiccup asked, standing up from the rock he had been sitting on in order to pull it on and showed it off.

Toothless crooned, giving him a reply as he kept his gaze on it. He was impressed, amazed even! Hiccup with his genius and his dexterous hands never ceased to surprise him. Every single time the young man managed to surpass his previous creations and this was no different.

They were in the cove, the place where their friendship first started, and he remembered Hiccup having trouble climbing in and out of their little spot without his help. One of the new "feet", as they were called apparently, was supposed to help him with terrain he used to have a difficult time traversing. Snow and hidden patches of ice were especially troublesome for him.

Toothless was excited to see it work. Much like his Rider, he was always thrilled as well.

"You know, I think this might be my best work yet. And in time, I might actually be able to add on even more! Like a dagger! Gobber really enjoyed the pegleg with the hidden dagger that I gave him for his birthday." Hiccup was no stranger to insecurites, having many of them himself, but at least his ability to invent and create was something he was proud of and relied on quite often.

Toothless had heard enough. Moving, he pushed Hiccup's side with the flat top of his head and then his back, rumbling and crooning as he urged him to walk. He wanted to see this new leg in action already.

"Okay, Bud, okay! I'm going!" Hiccup chuckled and walked away.

He didn't go too far before turning around and coming back, pacing as he stared down at his feet. He wanted to truly feel the soft padding inside, see if there were already any noticeable kinks he should work on, he hoped it felt different from his previous metal leg.

And it did. Gobber had made him a wonderful leg four years ago, but this one, with the rounded off tip, allowed Hiccup to walk easier. It didn't quite work like a real heel, but he noticed he didn't walk as stiff anymore. This would do well to improve his gait.

Toothless crooned excitedly, approaching, circling and headbutting the human's shoulder. He already noticed the difference. Hiccup didn't limp quite as much as he did before either. He still limped, he was always going to, but he also managed to take note of the rounded tip's usefullness.

"So I guess you approve?" Hiccup asked him, judging by the Night Fury's reaction, his newest creation was a success so far.

Toothless purred, giving an almost human-like "yes", and licked him full on in the face.

"N-" While Hiccup was left to sputter and spit as he tried to use his red tunic to wipe his face, his armour had been left home for today, Toothless left his side. Half of that got in his mouth and it wasn't the most pleasant of tastes. Or smells for that matter.

The Night Fury wandered towards that rock Hiccup had been sitting on and gestured towards the saddle lying beside it.

It had been modified as well.

Significantly less wet, but hair still hopelessly matted to his forehead, Hiccup approached.

"Now, I guess it's time for me to show you why I took the saddle, huh, Bud?" He questioned and Toothless gave an impatient groan.

It has been days since their last flight. His Rider had told him then that he wanted to modify it and Toothless hadn't been too opposed, but now he was dying to be back up in the air again. He knew the other felt the same way.

Grabbing the saddle, Hiccup helped his dragon pull it on again.

"Bud, stay still, please? I can't put it on you if you move that much." He chuckled. It was hard for both of them to keep from moving, excited as they were.

As Hiccup pulled on the last buckle, Toothless noticed that the stirrup on his left wasn't quite the same as it once was.

It wasn't a stirrup at all anymore, there was nothing for Hiccup's metal foot to attach itself too.

His Rider noticed the dragon's confusion, Toothless crooned and gestured with his snout to the lack of a stirrup, lifting up his left foreleg. Tapping his shoulder, Hiccup drew his attention again.

"Watch this, Bud." He sat back down again, placed a hand on the wooden cup of his prosthetic and gave it a twist. The new metallic foot disappeared and in its place came a different kind of creation, something that looked like it could attach itself to the saddle and then the lack of a regular stirrup made sense to Toothless.

Gurgling happily, Toothless urged Hiccup to stand and get in the saddle already. It was time to test the new leg up in the sky.

Hiccup didn't need to think twice before climbing up, Toothless practically bumped him onto his back with his snout nudging his Rider's rear.

Once seated and secure, Hiccup clicked his leg into the new stirrup, enjoying the satisfying 'click' it made, and grabbed hold of the handles. The two braced themselves and with a big flap of the dragon's wings and a jump, they were up.

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After spending the past few days stuck on the ground, the sky was a wonderful place to be in again. A welcoming place. Though it did make Hiccup wonder how he managed to live the first fifteen years of his life without Toothless and their ability to fly together as one.

Hiccup inhaled deeply and then breathed out again, the always present scent of the salty sea down below filling his nostrils. The wind combed through his hair and his clothes billowed. Toothless did the same thing, savouring the soft carressing of his scales and the near weightlessness of his body so high up in the air.

It felt good to be here. An unseen weight seemed to lift off their shoulders, like they were free again.

There were other dragons up there with them. Nightmares and Nadders who had also made Berk their home these past couple of years. It felt good to be more amongst them too. Off the ground and into the air, where they both belonged.

Hiccup adjusted his prosthetic slightly, approving of how it held up so far. Toothless raised a foreleg as he took a look, he purred.

"Yeah, it's holding up great so far!" Hiccup answered, feeling confident in his newest creation. This new method to connect his metal leg and the saddle together, it was to further improve their manoeuvrability. So far it wasn't too difficult to steer Toothless' artificial tailfin with it.

But they needed to really test it. Now that they knew it could hold up in a normal flight, it was time to find some way to experiment and truly see where its limits lie.

And Hiccup found just the thing.

"Hey Bud, look up there!" Toothless looked up and saw what his Rider was talking about.

A bunch of young Nadders, adolescents, playing in the sky. They were chasing each other.

"Should we ask them if we can join in?" Hiccup knew these Nadders and they knew them. He had watched them grow up this past year.

Toothless roared to draw their attention and flew higher, the small group of six halted momentarily to watch the two familiar Dragon Riders approach.

Nadders were born with lighter colours than they usually have as adults. They were slowly shedding their pastel scales for a more vibrant hide.

"Hey guys, mind if we join?" Hiccup wasn't so sure he'd have had the guts to just go up to a group of friends and ask this in the past, before Toothless. But not only had he grown more confident, these were also a group of dragons. A people he felt more at home with.

And like he and Toothless had hoped, the six adolescent Nadders chirped eagerly in agreement. One did a roll in the sky and off they were, chattering of teasings and taunts as they dared the two to chase them. It was a game of tag apparently.

"Come on, Bud." Hiccup adjusted himself in the saddle, excitement swelling up in his chest. A deep and eager rumble vibrated from within the Night Fury, Hiccup could feel it from his position on his back.

Though the young dragons flew far and fast, it wasn't hard for them to catch up.

This game of tag, while also commonly played by Viking children, was a little bit different than from what Hiccup used to play as a very young boy.

High up in the air, dragons couldn't physically touch one another without the risk of downing each other. The slowest of the dragons would be caught and roared at, making them the one who was "it". No actual tagging, just roaring as one dragon passed the other by.

It wasn't hard for Hiccup and Toothless to catch up to the Nadders and relieve themselves of the role of "it". Though they were fast, a Night Fury was faster. One half of this Dragon Rider duo being this exact species could almost be called cheating.

It was virtually impossible to catch Hiccup and Toothless with how in-tune the two were with each other. They sped up, slowed down, dived and swerved, but adolescent dragons liked a challenge. The young Nadders knew before accepting their request to join the game that they would be difficult to catch.

A roar of laughter left Hiccup as he and Toothless barrel rolled in the sky and it was like music to the latter's ears. Their hearts soared together. Those days spend stuck on the ground, even if it was for one of his projects, had been much too long.

Though the world was spinning, Hiccup looked towards where the Nadder youngster had been left behind and noticed there was already quite a bit of distance between them. Dizziness or nausea, he felt neither of them.

"Okay, Bud, time to turn back." Toothless could hear his Rider even through the loud rush of the wind. The barrel rolls gradually ceased up high in the air and the two started a freefall.

The way down was a long one, but it was over all too soon. Falling with the wind tossing them around, they never felt more in control.

As the ground rapidly approached down below, Hiccup gave his Bud a warning pat on his neck to even out.

That is when their game came to an abrupt end.

Toothless spread his wide wings, Hiccup put the tailfin in the right position and with the sudden stop in velocity, the shock made a tear in the leather straps keeping the saddle in place.

With a yelp, Hiccup was thrown forwards and the tailfin shut itself. The two were in a freefall once more, the adolescent Nadders aware of the trouble, but too far away to be of much help.

The ground was much too close.

"Tooth-" Hiccup never felt the impact. The moment they crashed, it became dark before his eyes.

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He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but Hiccup was pretty sure he couldn't have been out for more than a couple of minutes.

Lying in the grass, sore and bruised all over, he could hear his Night Fury's crooning as he drifted back to the world of the conscious after having left it for just a moment. Toothless' voice helped lead him back.

"Hmm, Tooth?" He slurred, moving just a tad to roll onto his back. He had been lying on his side and he wanted to open his eyes, face his Bud.

Toothless gave a quick warning growl and that was when a sharp pain abruptly and agonizingly ran through him, starting at his leg and moving up through his hip.

A strangled cry left him, his face contorted in pain and he ended up on his back anyway, breathing deeply as tears sprung to his eyes.

He opened them and the first thing he saw was Toothless staring back at him, his nose twitching as it did four years earlier when he woke up after the battle with the Red Death.

Toothless crooned and pressed his snout into his Rider's freckled cheek before bringing it down to sniff his body to seek out any hidden injuries. His attention consistently on just one part of Hiccup's body.

Hiccup lifted his head up to look down at himself to see what his dragon was staring at and cringed.

His left leg was not supposed to be at that angle.

His new prosthetic, the clasp that kept it attached to the saddle was supposed to have come loose during a fall, allowing Toothless to grab hold of him safely and saving them both from a possibly very fatal blow. That had been the biggest problem with his previous replacement, a problem he had attempted to fix with this new one.

Failing its purpose, Hiccup found that his leg and Toothless' saddle were still connected. As a result, his left knee, the weaker one of the two, had been painfully dislocated.

Hiccup continued to take deep breaths, both in and out. The pain didn't lessen one bit. He could only imagine what it looked like without his leather leggings.

It had already been there when he woke up, but it hadn't been as severe as it was now after he's moved. Toothless was lying next to him, remaining still because he'd realized the state of his Rider's leg while he was out and didn't want to make it any worse.

Lifting his head up for another look at their situation, still attempting to calm his laboured pants, Hiccup wondered just how they were going to get out of this one. Every little move made hurt so much.

But he found the reason for their crash. A strap on the saddle, the stitching worn by strain and weather had torn and come loose. He had been meaning to replace them.

"Gods..." He moaned and put his head back down. This was such a mess they were in now.

Toothless prodded his cheek with his snout. He wanted to provide comfort, but instead the movement made, though it was so little, hurt so bad.

"Toothless!" Hiccup cried out, but jumping at the pain only made the pain even worse. This was becoming an awful cycle.

Mumbling an apology, Toothless put his head down, deciding to try even harder to stay still. Humans didn't have as high a pain tolerance as dragons did and this was a particularly nasty injury.

Hiccup needed a moment. Closing his eyes, he tried breathing through the agony. So long as neither of them moved, it was bearable.

The two Dragon Riders than heard the chirping of worried dragons and looked up to see the young Nadders approaching.

The group of six landed and much like humans surrounded them in concern. Hiccup could've sworn he saw them cringe in their own way upon seeing the state he was in. Even they knew a human's leg wasn't supposed to bend that way.

Though he didn't want an audience, Hiccup supposed they might be able to help in some way. They chattered amongst themselves and Toothless, seemingly discussing what to do next.

"Hey-hey!" Hiccup moaned, moving carefully to lean on his elbows and trying his best not to look at his knee.

He could ask them to get help, to find the other Riders. He knew Astrid and Snotlout had patrol today.

But the adolescent Nadders apparently already had some ideas of their own. Chittering and screeching, hissing and flexing their dangerous spines, they appeared to be arguing. Hiccup's call for their attention fell on deaf ears.

Hiccup often found himself wishing he could understand what dragons were saying and this was one such time. What could they possibly be having such a heated discussion about?

By the time Hiccup realized one of them bend down and reached for his leg, it was already too late for both him and Toothless to stop them when a green Nadder took his prosthetic and pulled it loose. That had been their master plan to get the Dragon and Rider untangled from each other.

All six of the Deadly Nadders jumped back when a pained scream tore out from Hiccup's lungs. It appeared they hoped pulling on the fake part of the leg wouldn't hurt as much.

Now lying flat on his back again, Hiccup covered both of his eyes and clenched his teeth down on one another.

It hurt. That was all he could think about, how much that hurt.

Removing one hand, he peered at the Nadders through his blurred vision.

"I'm... I'm okay." He was lying and choking up, but he didn't want them to feel guilty. It helped the green Nadder feel better again as it had shrunken back after hearing him scream.

Now free, Toothless moved, standing up and sniffing his Rider's face, but Hiccup covered it again, breathing in and out deeply in the hopes of coping with the burning and throbbing sensation left in his knee.

The Night Fury gazed at the limb. Although the angle wasn't quite as ugly anymore, he knew that didn't lessen the pain in any way.

He faced the young Nadders and with a roar angrily chased them away, they had done more than enough already. The youngsters, not willing to argue with this dragon in particular, left in a hurry, nearly tripping over each other as they flapped their wings and made way for the skies.

"You didn't have to chase them away like that, they just wanted to help." Toothless could hear Hiccup mutter, but ignored his words. His Rider couldn't have heard it, but he had warned the six that it was a terrible idea.

Looking up into the sky, Toothless charged a plasma blast and send it flying. Its purpose was to call for help. With all the dragons and Berkians around, somebody was bound to see it. Hopefully, one of the other Riders was already nearby.

Knowing that it couldn't even be minutes before help would arrive, Toothless decided to settle by Hiccup's side again.

Though somewhat recovered, there was still very little Hiccup could do besides lying there and scratching his Night Fury's chin. It was something he did for his own comfort as well.

Help couldn't be far.

Holding his breath, Hiccup managed to sit up and Toothless lied down behind him, allowing his Viking to lean back against him.

Looking up, they noticed that one Snotlout Jorgenson on top of a Hookfang Monstrous Nightmare were already headed their way.

Hiccup could only sigh. The sooner they got his leg taken care off, the better.

His dad and Astrid would chastise him and Gothi would probably advice him to stay at home or risk a whack of her staff, but Hiccup could only think of one thing, improve his prosthetic.

Next time they test it out, he'd make sure to put it through more thorough tests before taking to the sky once again.

[avannak]

Could do you expand more on Stoick’s Second chance at saving everyone from Drago like after the Dragon Raid in the first movie for starters assigning Hiccup a task to see if it is possible to tame dragons and choosing not to leave Berk when dragon training comes around. He would of course want to avoid saying he is a time traveler because everyone would think he has gone insane and are already confused as it is with Stoick becoming a completely different person overnight.

Stoick’s Second Chance

So, Stoick’s been given quite the thinking assignment for this, because even as he’s putting Hiccup on the ground he’s wondering when and where he should interfere.

Save their winter supplies and personally see to Hiccup being locked away for this raid? Spare Toothless his tailfin and keep Hiccup from the Forge in particular? But then, how would Hiccup bond with Toothless? How would they get a hostile Night Fury to give a human child a chance?

He’s certainly not going after the nest before the ice sets in this time around. Not when he knows what’s waiting for them…

Dear Thor, he knows what’s in the nest! They can train properly. He can fly against the beast himself and not his son—He can save Hiccup’s leg! He knows the boy will grow tall and strong without it, but all the same…

Stoick doesn’t know how he’s going to make his plays, but he does know he needs to make the first moves, take the first steps in making amends with dragons if they want a peaceful outcome… but delicate steps, they must be.

Side note: this can easily end up like a Groundhog’s day situation where over the course of a few months, Stoick keeps fucking up and dying and having to repeat things, and that earlier version was the “final right one”.

A situation where he stops Hiccup from shooting Toothless down, becomes encouraging of him all the same (especially for his forge skills) and Hiccup starts to adapt and grow into a capable Viking in his own right, but one that still kills dragons, much to Stoick’s helplessness (even going so far as to usurp his suddenly dragon-friendly father?x x)

He allows Hiccup to “Run off to the forge” but this time follows Hiccup and “witnesses” the takedown of the Night Fury. He stops the Nightmare before it can chase Hiccup through the village, quietly says he “believes Hiccup” and says they’ll look for the dragon once the village is in order. Later, when they find Toothless tied up, Stoick encourages Hiccup to release the dragon, but the sight of a grown Viking towering over him causes Toothless to immediately kill them both as soon as he’s freed.

But we’ll stick to one story.

Stoick decides to keep Hiccup from shooting Toothless down that night. He chooses to help out Gobber and Hiccup in the forge and make sure Hiccup doesn’t go running half-cocked with a contraption.

The raid ends, they have enough supplies, and Stoick shoots down any ideas of a final Nest Hunt. They’ll wait out the winter, he says. They’re stocked for it.

From there, Stoick spends his evenings sneaking into the Kill Ring and working with the dragons. He wants to start big, with Hookfang, but reminds himself of how much they damage these poor beasts. He wins over Meatlug first.

Night is the only time his early-to-rise vikings aren’t constantly seeking him. He’s under the guise of taking more ‘night watches’. “Don’t want another raid as we finish up the harvest!”

He also spends time talking to his son. Soaking up their time together. Listening to him. Drinking in a face he should have paid more attention to. Asking about his day, his projects, with genuine care…

And Hiccup is suspicious. His father is looking at him with eyes shining… not just from pride of all things but… remorse? Unbridled love? Longing? He’s not sure. The attention is everything he wanted but it feels so… unwarranted he’s suspicious. And his father’s behavior… out at night? Hiccup is the only night owl in the family. He used to enjoy the privacy of the dark. Now it’s being intruded upon by his father of all people. His gentle, attentive father who is now encouraging his ideas. Hell, even suggested he ‘tweak’ to Mutilator to ensnare rather than kill!

His father who cancelled dragon training. Astrid is furious, of course. She’s been particularly short with Hiccup, and he suspects its because she’s under the impression it was cancelled for him. As though, being in their age group, rather than deny Hiccup joining them, the Chief has taken it away all together. The way Snotlout loudly goes on about it in the Mead Hall, Hiccup can only assume that’s the circulating rumor amongst his peer, and no amount of denying it will get him anything but a shove in the mud.

So Hiccup takes matters into his own hands. He follows his father one night, quietly…to the Kill Ring, of all places. He watches as his father unlocks the Nadder’s cage and waits, in the moonlit arena, unarmed, for the beast to emerge from the dark. Hiccup has to swallow a scream ‘What are you doing?!’ when a spiked head charges forth.

For a split, horrifying breath Hiccup knows he’s going to witness a sudden and grisly death by one or the other.

Instead the Nadder drives right into Stoick’s open arms and start bucking into the hearty scratches. It’s purrs can be heard from where Hiccup holds the wall.

“Come on out, Hiccup,” Stoick calls over his shoulder. Shaking, Hiccup does.

The Nadder is introduced as Stormfly. And she was partial to chicken, an excellent tracker, and liked to have a particular spot on her jaw scratched.

From there, Hiccup’s introduced to every other dragon as well. Hiccup is surrounded by dragons, unarmed, and his father is petting them like dogs.

“Come tomorrow, everything will change,” he tells Hiccup, with a hearty clap on the shoulder. And tomorrow, everything did.

At dawn, Stoick flies on the back of a Monstrous Nightmare he’s calling Hookfang and lands on the highest steps of the Mead Hall. The village is in an absolute state of shock. Weapons are equipped, but held loosely, uncertain. Mouths are open but silent, save for a few expletives. Tuffnut has stars in his eyes and Astrid Hofferson hadn’t looked so gobsmacked since she was told Dragon Training was cancelled. Hiccup has a hand over his face, perhaps the least shocked of everyone. He feels Gobber watching him more than his father.

The wind picks up and suddenly Berk is looking at a painting more likely seen in a book of legends.

The Gods had given him a vision, is what Stoick tells his village. A vision of victory against a devilish beast, but only if humans and dragons united ways. Stoick was shown how to do that.

That’s the story he goes with, anyway, and Hiccup is certain he and Gothi are the only two people on that island who think it absolute poppycock. Gothi because she probably receives real visions, and Hiccup because, after a full night straight of talking with his father (about what the hel he was doing the past nights), he couldn’t get the feeling that his father was holding something vital back. Not a vision from the gods, but perhaps something else.

But with his grand stature, heroic red hair, and legendary feats under his weighty belt, near everyone else can only shrug and say “Why not?”. If there were any viking of their age for the gods to deign worthy of a vision, it would be Stoick the Vast.

A new regime comes into play. Vikings are taught ‘sweet spots’ and ‘grasses’. They take turns flying on the backs of the dragons they’ve captured in raids past. Weapons are altered for the part. Saddles are made.

The only time Hiccup nearly believes that the gods had indeed spoken to his father is when the man stops him, repeatedly, from bonding too well with any particular dragon, despite his natural talent for flying (even Astrid Hofferson had to begrudgingly admit as much). His reason?

“You’re meant for another.”

Every. Time.

Winter passes. Vikings and Dragons train together. Raids come and go, but each time they seduce more dragons to co-exist and protect them. Whenever attacking the nest is brought up, Stoick would say, “Not yet.”

It happens over dinner in an early thaw. A gronkle named Newtsbreath happily crunches on a yak’s femur. Hiccup sketches out a design for a Timberjack’s saddle. Astrid Hofferson’s bonded to one and Hiccup thinks it’ll get him back in her good graces (she’s annoyed, now, that he beat her in a friendly age-group race. It’s like she’s trying to find excuses, he swears…)

“There was one other person who knew, without a doubt, that dragons were reasonable creatures, deserving of our kindness, and not our blades.”

Stoick waits and Hiccup, putting his charcoal down, gives into the silent prompt.

“Who?”

“You’re mother.” Stoick grins as Hiccup chokes on his drink. “… And we’re going to get her.”

Defeating the beast, finding the nest��� all that battle will be done much more easily with another expert dragon rider at their sides. And he’d been without his wife for quite long enough.

[jloves-pp]

Merida and Hiccup’s wedding day part 8

Chapter 8

"Sorry about before Mer"

"You don't need to apologise Hic. It wasn't you fault and besides, people will remember it for a long time".

"True".

The celebrations had gone on for hours, the newlyweds had spent their time dancing, eating and being with friends and family, when it was time to leave Fergus was performing the 'song of Mor'Du' for the 16th time. Some of the guests like the triplets were already in bed and Merida and Hiccup said their goodnights and headed to their new bedroom, Hiccup spotted a of tapestry ahead, he grinned as an idea came to him. When they had nearly reach it, Hiccup pulled Merida underneath it and the two shared kisses.

"You know, we don't need to this" Merida whispered after their separated.

"I know but it's still fun" Hiccup replied, grinning to his redheaded wife. The newlyweds moved out from underneath the tapestry and continued walking to their bedroom with arms around each other's waists.

As they got closer Merida was already feeling butterflies inside her tummy, she didn't know if butterflies were for their alone time or their future, since the ceremony her mind has been occupied but now that it was late she began to get worried.

Hiccup could tell by Merida's face that she was nervous. He was afraid to tell her but it was important.

"Um, Mer, I need to you tell something" Hiccup said, he then saw his wife's face become worried. "Yes...yes..It's not what you think" he quickly added, gently placing his hand on her shoulder.

Merida didn't really know what was he was up to or what's going on but she knew him, she had known him well for years, she trusted him, so she nodded understandingly.

"Well remember I visited Berk at few months ago", Hiccup said.

"Yes" Merida answered.

"When I was there, me and Toothless overheard Snoutlout telling Fishlegs and Ruffnut about crashing in on us in our room tonight. He said it's his family tradition, so he was planning to carry on the tradition with us on our wedding night"

He now saw her face change for worry to anger. "Why that...that no good, son of a two-headed dog", Merida shouted, no one was going to spoil our day or our night. Especially…. people like Snoutlout. "You know what, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind", she started to walk back to the hall but was stopped when her husband grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.

"Or..or..We make him think he's be successful but find we have disappeared" Hiccup replied to her.

Merida expression softened as he talked, "Oooh" she finally said, understanding his plan.

They both smiled and took each other's hands and went to their bedroom.

When they reached their room, Merida opened the door, they both gazed around the room, there was a fire roaring in the fireplace. The fire place had a design (of course, it was of bear and a dragon) above it. There was one wardrobe that held their clothes already, there was a cupboard, another wardrobe held Merida's bows, arrows and other weapons. Also, Hiccup had his desk it was laid out with drawings, maps, inventions, pencils and quills. Candles had been lit all around the room and the large four poster bed, this was made up neatly with lots of pillows and throws and in the middle of the bed there was a heart made out of rose petals.

The couple took a moment before Hiccup said "Well it's a shame we can't enjoy being in are new room together"

"I know but there's always tomorrow know" Merida replied looking up to him. They both took their crowns off and placed them side by side on a tabletop before they began to carry out their plan, as Merida went to get changed. Hiccup took out his black fur cloak and found his makeshift ladder he had made out of sheets. He opened the window and looked out, down below, he saw Toothless.

"Hey bud" he said waving to him to attract his attention. The dragon's big green eyes turned to find Hiccup, he answered with a purr. Hiccup lowered the ladder until it reached Toothless. Hiccup made sure the ladder was secured before packing a small bag with fresh clothes other bits and pieces and his sketch book. He glanced up to see his wife now changed into her new night gown and her hair unbraided. Hiccup couldn't help to stare in admiration at this sight. She shook him out of his trance when she said.

"Erm, can you past my cloak".

"Ur..er..sure, sure", Hiccup said as he fumbled. Merida couldn't stop a smile and a shake of her head in response. Her husband got her cloak from its hook and handed it to his wife.

"Thank you" Merida said, Hiccup finished his packing and helped Merida pack her things. Soon they climbed out the window and down the ladder. "This is one way to start a marriage" Merida said which made Hiccup grin as they nearly reached the ground. Toothless meanwhile kept watch in case anyone came walking by, the coast had stayed clear and soon the newlyweds had joined the Night Fury.

The two put their bags on Toothless's saddle and the Trio were out into the night sky just as Snoutlout had sneaked around to find the honeymoon suite, Fishleg and Tuffnut should have been with him but Tuffnut was still sick after in gorging all those oysters and Fishlegs was spending time with Orla, so Snoutlout had gone along alone. Finally he found the room, he listened all was quiet, he got himself ready and with a bloodcurdling yell, he burst through the door. It took a few seconds for him to realise that the room was completely empty.

"Did I get the right room?" Snoutlout thought aloud, "maybe they're e hiding" ,he began searching the entire room but he wasn't having any luck.

"When I find those two, I'll..."

"You'll what?"

The Viking quickly turned and standing in the door way was the queen.

Snoutlout froze "Oh...er...this isn't the bathroom" he said with a laugh trying to act confused.

" I knew I should of have made a left", he tried to worm his way out of the situation but he should have remembered that no one could lie to Elinor, she was staring at him, right into his eyes, he felt like she was reading him and was aware of all his thoughts and deeds. The stare would've even made the toughest man tremble.

"Well it's not here so excuse me", he said but he was stopped by the Queen grabbing his ear and pulling him away as he cried in pain. Elinor frog marched Snoutlout to the stables as punishment. Elinor settled for the cleaning of the stables for the next week, she thought because of all the visitors horses and the dragons he would be kept busy, Yes all that work would keep him out of mischief.

Elinor had noticed the crowns on the table and the window left opened, she guessed rightly that they had left before Snoutlout came in and had gone in hiding so they could enjoy their time alone, without rude interruptions and she didn't blame them a bit.

Flying at night was just as amazing as daytime, the warm evening air blew on the wedded couple as they and Toothless continued to fly over the highlands, Merida rested her head of her husband's shoulder and Hiccup held his wife's hand.

"So, how long have you been planning this escape?" Merida asked Hiccup.

"Oh a couple of weeks, I wanted to find the perfect place for tonight and I don't think the castle fitted somehow ", he replied.

"And where is your perfect place?"

"We'll be there shortly, ok take us down bud", Toothless started down and landed in the forest, the princess looked about, there was little to see.

"Is this it?" She asked as Hiccup lit a lantern.

"No, I thought we could continue on foot", Hiccup answered and then offering his arm.

A playful grin appeared on Merida's face, becoming more excited by the mystery.

"Well then", she began putting her arm into his, "Let's head on".

With the Night Fury followed them, the three walked towards the wood with the glowing light of the lantern being their only light source. For a while everything was peaceful just the usual forest noises, until they heard a faint voice. They turned to see a small flame by some rocks; they looked at each other with a knowing look.

"A wisp," Merida whispered

Both Merida and Hiccup had came across the Willow of the Wisps before, sometimes they led them to trouble or helped them, but what happened next stunned them.

The wood became alight with thousands upon thousands of wisps, it was an incredible and magical sight. The trio had never seen or heard of the Wisps doing this before.

"Are they here, for us?" Hiccup asked quietly after a while.

"I think so" Merida replied softly.

They began to walk again and they could see more Wisps amongst the trees. They were enjoying the sight of the wisps as they walked until the Viking said "Oh there it is".

Merida looked away from the wisps and her eyes widened. In the distance there was a large island in the middle of a lake that the couple had discovered a few years ago. Merida couldn't believe that they were spent the night there, it was peaceful, secluded and the perfect romantic hide away.

The couple shared a smile before jumping back onto Toothless and flying to the island, Hiccup got off and picked his wife up, bridal style then carried her until he stopped and said

"Well here we are"

Merida could see amongst the trees, a very spacious tent, there was a warm glow from inside. After Hiccup placed his hand on her back Merida replied with a kiss and a loving embrace. They then heard the familiar low growling from their friend.

"Thank you Toothless" Merida said softly to him and kneeled down to him

"You've make today extra special for us". Toothless softly purred in replig as the princess stroked and then kissed him above his nose.

"Goodnight". She stood up and turned her Viking,

"I'll let you two say your goodnights" she gave him a kiss before entering the tent.

Inside the tent, Merida could see a few lanterns spotted around, there was a fragrance of perfumed flowers, Merida closed her eyes and breathed in. There was a chest that stored extra blankets and other things. The vase of beautiful flowers was on top of the chest, but the space was dominated by a large bed that had thick mattress and was covered by blankets, furs and pillows. It looked so cosy, warm and inviting. She took out a clock and placed it down on the chest before she flopped onto the soft pillows and blankets, sighing with relief.

Outside, Hiccup had just unhooked the bags from Toothless' saddle. "Ok bud, you're are on guard duty. If anything unusual happens, let us know" Hiccup told Toothless who purred in reply. Just then the both hear a voice saying Hiccup's name, they turned to see a wisp floating towards them but to Hiccup, there was something about this wisp that felt familiar. He stepped closer to the blue spirit and held his hand to it but then the wisp flew off and disappeared.

Hiccup and his dragon stared at were the wisp was for what felt like a long time. Hiccup felt a smile appeared as he figured who the wisp was.

"Thanks dad".

Their heads turned to look up at the night sky before Hiccup stroked his old friend good night. The Viking entered the tent and the first thing he saw was his beloved wife was still lying on the bed. Hiccup went to the bed and laid down next to her, letting out a soft sign. He turned to Merida who had her eyes closed, Hiccup leaned over to kiss her, but he felt something stopping him, he opened his eyes and could see his wife havd one finger on his lips, smirking at him.

"Did you think you can get away with a quick kiss?" Merida said.

"Maybe" Hiccup replied. They both sat up and held each other close for a moment, enjoying the peace and the feeling of closeness.

"How's my Scottish Queen?"

"Exhausted but happy, very happy", she softy replied to Hiccup as she tightened their embrace, burying her head into his chest..

"Me too", he kissed her forehead before her added "this has been the best day of my life".

"Mine too" she said before looking up at him. "My Dragon King never looked as handsome as he did today"

"Milady looked beautiful as she does now", Hiccup said, has he sat up and began to unbuckle his fake leg. Merida took this time to think, this morning, she was so nervous and feared for what would happen but it was the most perfect day, it all felt like a wonderful dream.

Merida felt a kiss on her cheek "Hey, what's wrong?" her husband said as he gently held her.

She could see he was concerned Hiccup and she wanted to say nothing, it was so silly but she told him what was on her mind.

"It's just...I'm afraid if I fall asleep, all of this day or my time with you will be nothing but a dream".

Hiccup understood how she felt because he felt the same way, the whole day was truly like the most perfect dream, he didn't know what to say for he couldn't find the right words at the moment. So instead he cupped her face and kissed her passionately and Merida returned the gesture.

"I know how you feel Mer" he said "I can't imagine that it could be any better, sure there were one or two things but I wouldn't change anything. Merida couldn't fight a small smile broke across her face at her husband's before she wrapped her arms around his neck. Merida saw him blushing now she always thought was cute when he was like that.

"I don't want this perfect day to end". She said staring into his emerald green eyes. Hiccup he moved a lose strand of her hair from her face.

"Well, do you have any ideas, what will make this day longer?" Hiccup asked with a knowing smile. Merida known what he was thinking for she was thinking the same thing, they smirked at each other.

"I think I do" Merida replied before they kissed with all the passion they felt in their hearts, they became lost in the moment they were the two people that mattered.

Their night they shared was nothing but joy and bliss. After a few hours, the wedded couple drifted off to sleep holding each other closely.

Merida was awoke by sunlight beaming into the tent, she moaned and tried to go back to sleep until her tired eyes lay upon Hiccup . At first, she wondered why was he in her bed but soon remembered that she wasn't in her room and she notice her wedding ring on her finger then remembered their wedding yesterday. She gave a loving smile to her husband, kiss his cheek and snuggled into him. Merida felt Hiccup pull her closer as he groaned, she sighed ed contentedly, resting her head to his as she shut her eyes again, knowing a new chapter of their lives had just begun.

The end