Hiccup & Toothless' Fate

Chapter 19 - Return from Odin's Halls

"WAIT!" I roared after them. "COME BACK HERE!" They paid no mind to me and continued onwards, speeding away towards Berk's forests. I lurched forward as fast as I could, running in the same direction. Ormr would - no, Hiccup would head back to his camp. I'd find him there. It would just be a matter of catching him in time, before he left forever. I just got him back - I wasn't about to let him go again.

I lumbered through the trees like a flaming wild boar, my head whirling. Hiccup was alive! Where had he been this whole time? Why did he leave in the first place? If he had been on his own, how wasn't he actually dead? How did he survive without our help? Yet...

Hiccup, using the name Ormr, had been invited to Berk under the title Dragon Chief. He'd achieved that title by himself, training the dragons to do his bidding and making a name for himself over three years. Many were genuinely terrified of the Dragon Chief, or at least the threat he could pose if he so wished. If you believed legend and rumour, the Dragon Chief was eight feet tall, had a voice like a dragon's roar and could control the mind of any dragon. We now know those rumours were not true, of course, but the Dragon Chief had a reputation. Scrawny Hiccup, Berk's runt of the litter, had this reputation. He could not only survive without us, but live and breathe and thrive out from under Berk's protective shield.

I raced down the tiny path into the cove, my peg leg nearly slipping out from under me. I eventually reached the break in the boulders and burst out onto smooth grass, hoping I wasn't too late. The ashen remains of a fire nestled in front of the remains of a pitched tent, the main pole still erect but the canvas strewn on the ground. A figure was frantically attempting to roll it, a bag stuffed full of items at his feet. His dragons were nowhere to be seen.

"Ormr," I called softly, approaching slowly like he was a skittish sheep. "...Hiccup."

He visibly flinched. "That's not my name," he snapped.

"I'm not wrong though, am I? Yeh are Hiccup, aren't yeh?" I stepped closer. The young man whirled around to face me, drawing his sword and leveling it at my neck. I froze, raising my hand and hook into the air, palm open and empty of weapons.

"My name is Ormr," he hissed, the visible sliver of green eyes furious behind his mask.

"Meaning 'dragon', or 'serpent'. An alias."

"Hiccup is... Hiccup was..." His voice faltered yet his blade did not.

"You were born Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third," I said, sure now in my belief. "Here on this island, to Valka and Stoick Haddock, heir to the throne of Berk."

"No! Hiccup Haddock is dead! Everyone knows -"

" - that he was killed by a Night Fury! He died three years ago, in this very cove, with the Dragon Chief making an appearance soon after, riding a Night Fury. The same dragon yeh 'ave such a bond with." I nodded my head at the reptile I had only just caught sight of, crouched in the shadow of the rock to my right, slitted, unfriendly eyes locked on me. "That Night Fury. But though we combed the entire island and sent out messages to other islands for months afterwards, we could only find dragon scales and an abandoned knife. There was no body and barely enough blood for a dragon attack. We assumed Hiccup had been carried off like his mother, leaving the rest of us to mourn his fate."

I swallowed harshly, dragging the next words up from the depths. "Hiccup was gone, and we were left grieving. The rest of the village may have lost their heir, but I... I lost the brightest, hardest worker I have ever seen. I lost the boy who could make me laugh on the worst days, the boy whose sarcastic streak ran a mile. I lost the boy who I saw as my own kin."

His sword wavered, the point dropping until, with a dull thud, the weapon dropped to the ground. His chest heaving, Ormr reached upwards, gripped hold of his helmet and slowly removed it. Hiccup's pale face, slightly older and leaner than I remembered, stared back at me. There were freckles still dusted across his face, and the scar he'd received when he was but a baby shone dully from beneath his mouth. A bruised scrape decorated his jaw, but it was still undoubtedly him. Wide green eyes filled with tears. I wiped my own away.

"It's good to see yeh, lad."

Hiccup choked a laugh, disbelieving smile on his face. "You too, Gobber." He stepped forward, then after a moment of indecision, lurched onward to throw his arms around my bulk. I swept him closer, wrapping my arms around his smaller form. I never wanted to let go.

xXx

Ahhh this was so much fun to writeeee. The last chapter fought me at every turn, but this just flowed. Hopefully you enjoyed it just as much as I enjoyed writing it!

I just want to give a massive shoutout to @Ever_Dragon because she is an amazing human being, please please please go check out her fics! She's also incredibly talented with her art, so please show her some love!

ALSO.

GUYS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO EVER CLICKED ON THIS FIC.

I have been posting and writing this fic since 2018, and as of literally right now I have reached 100,000 reads over both Wattpad and AO3!!! I AM FREAKING OUT. If only my younger self could see me now. She got so excited over 10 reads on her random story, and just about burst when she hit 100! I still get excited over 10 reads now, to be honest! I feel so incredibly blessed that I've now hit the number I have, and it's all thanks to you wonderful people who keep clicking on my crappy story. So, so, so much love to everyone.

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