The Runaways of Berk

A FATHER'S PRIDE

Unable to contain her rage, Astrid quickly pulled back her arm and delivered a punch square into the shocked Viking's open mouth. The sickening sound of the crack was followed only by Snotlout's anguished scream.

"What did you do that for?!" he screamed, cradling his now swollen jaw, a few teeth now at an ugly angle.

Astrid looked down at him with pure hatred in her eyes, "That's for being an insufferable moron," she spat out.

"All right now let us get something really clear, no one, no one, can call him that... Ever. And he isn't 'Useless' or whatever bullshit you lot used to call him on Berk, he is much smarter and stronger than any of you here and more importantly I love him for who he is. Also, yes, we have a daughter whom we both love very much and we also got married a little under five years ago." She stated.

Hiccup chuckled while motioning to his four-year-old to go back to her table to eat. Zephyr obediently ran back to her seat where a warm breakfast had been laid out for the little princess.

He placed his hand on his furious wife's shoulder as a gesture to calm her down. "Why don't we sit down I am pretty sure all of you are hungry, we can have something to eat while we tell you everything we have down in the past eight years. And then you can ask all the questions you have." He told the Vikings.

"Heather, could you please lead the council members to their guest rooms?" Hiccup told. Heather nodded while walking out of the Hall.

As the Berkians slowly got seated they saw that the Dining Hall was at least three times the size of the Great Hall back in Berk. It was now empty except for themselves, Hiccup, Astrid and their daughter.

"So, let's start from the beginning, shall we? My life on Berk wasn't the best. I was the runt, the outcast in my own tribe. I endured bullying and abuse, with only a few people caring about me, Gobber and Gothi. Snotlout and his band of idiotic lackeys took every opportunity to beat me to a pulp or humiliate me in whatever way they found amusing," Hiccup recounted, his gaze pinned at Snotlout, who still held his jaw in pain.

"Even at home, my father didn't care if I was bleeding or hurt. Come to think of it, he wouldn't even acknowledge my existence unless he was shouting at me in front of the entire village," Hiccup continued, Stoick was filled with guilt.

"Despite all this, I didn't mind being considered a runt by all of you. But everything changed when I shot down the Night Fury during the raid before we disappeared," Hiccup admitted, revealing a shocking truth that left the Berkians in disbelief. The tale he had told eight years ago about shooting down a Night Fury was indeed true.

"The morning after the raid, I set out to find the Night Fury so I could kill it and finally gain acceptance in the tribe. But then, I looked into its eyes and saw fear, the same fear I felt in my own eyes. I don't know why, but I decided to let it go," Hiccup further recounted while giving his best friend a scratch under his ear.

"I eventually located the Night Fury again, trapped in a cove without its tailfin. I forged a bond with it and crafted a prosthetic so it could fly once more. The only condition was that I had to fly with him. So, I learned to ride him, discovering tricks that helped me win in dragon training. Through this journey, I realized that all dragons are kind and intelligent creatures," Hiccup concluded, taking a sip of water.

Astrid then continued, "I got jealous and mad that he was winning in dragon training... And so I followed him, to find out how he gotten so good at dragon training..."

Astrid wistfully chuckled, "Out of all the possibilities I thought the conversation would go I would have never expected to find out that Hiccup had learnt how to train dragons. I didn't know what to think or say, as I just stood there looking between Hiccup and Toothless like an idiot."