JenniferTjandrajana

Hiccup stared at the shrouded figure in the dark.

Curiously, he moved closer, his heart thundering louder than Thor's thunder.

Then he felt a sudden nudge from his Night Fury.

Hiccup turned to his dragon, his green eyes calm and assured. His dragon didn't seem so convinced and knowing danger lurks ahead, he yanked a mouthful of his rider's tunic, urging him to get back.

"It's okay, bud," Hiccup spoke with reassurance, "You stay here, okay? I'll be right back," he glanced at the figure hidden in the shadows, "I need to check on something,"

Toothless fixed his reptilian gaze with his human.

Although he was worried, his human did seem so certain he will keep himself safe. So the Night Fury gently released Hiccup out of his grasp.

Toothless stood back, letting out a low whine.

"I'll be right here, Toothless. Don't you worry," Hiccup wrapped his arms around his dragon's neck, shutting his emerald green eyes for a moment, "Trust me, bud. Nothing will happen to me,"

Certain the Night Fury wouldn't follow him, Hiccup gently pulled away from their small embrace. He gave one last glance at Toothless, then slowly ambled towards the figure.

Cautiously, Hiccup climbed over rocks following the stream.

The closer he approached the figure, the more anxious he became.

Slipping a hand on his waistband, Hiccup sheaths his sword-Inferno. In case the intruder did try to attack, at least Hiccup could defend himself. Of course, he did have Toothless, in case something goes wrong.

Sword held high, Hiccup pursued the stranger, taking short shallow breaths.

He swallowed an anxious lump in his throat the closer he was in close contact with the stranger.

Peering over his shoulder, he made sure Toothless was still there, hoping nobody emerged and hurt him.

Shaking that thought aside, Hiccup proceeded towards the figure.

An ice cold touch penetrated down his spine. A gentle breeze swept along his skin, leaving trails of goosebumps beneath his sleeves.

Shakily, Hiccup clutched onto his sword, his footsteps being as silent as the night.

Perched over the stream, the stranger removed a wooden flask from their rucksack. They stoop the flask into the stream, gathering enough water to fill it up.

Hiccup slipped behind a shrub, cautiously watching the stranger's every move.

He sucked in a breath, his hands gripped tightly onto his sword that they grew white.

Curiosity flickered in his forest green eyes as he observed the stranger by the stream. One question kept circling his mind.

Who were they? More specifically, what were they doing here?

It wasn't every day that Hiccup would be awoken in the middle of the night with a stranger, dangerous or not, roaming outside his home.

He needed to get to the bottom of this.

Leaping out of the shrubs, Hiccup drew up his sword. His gaze fixed on the crouched figure.

"W-Who are you?" he demanded, his voice breaking slightly, "A-Are you a hunter? Horas the Merciless? What are you doing here?"

Startled, the stranger dropped their flask. They stood up slowly swivelled around to reveal their identity.

That's when Hiccup got a closer look at the stranger.

Tall, standing at around six foot three, slender and was covered in some leather armour.

A mask, resembling a dragon's complexion shielded the stranger's identity completely.

A battered red cape falls over the stranger's hunched shoulders.

Hiccup's eyes then fell on a wooden staff clasped in the stranger's hand. He examined with curiosity as the staff rattled, sending off a rhythmic pattern.

Hiccup watched the stranger set their staff on the rock nearby. Then the stranger got down to their knees, grabbing their flask from the ground.

A sigh escaped their lips as they stoop the flask into the stream, refilling it up.

Hiccup anticipated the figure would speak, but instead, they remain silent, which made Hiccup grew even more agitated.

"You don't speak, do you?" Hiccup eyed the stranger closely.

The stranger simply stared at the young Viking, but they said nothing.

"I-I heard a noise," Hiccup went on, "Then I saw you. What...what exactly are you doing here? In the middle of the night. You know, when everyone's asleep," he drew a dejected sigh, muttering, "Of course, you don't really get enough sleep when you've been having nightmares of your best friend being taken by hunters,"

The auburn-haired teen stepped back, suddenly bumping into something.

Turning around, he found Toothless had stubbornly followed him. But Hiccup was too exhausted to scold the Night Fury.

All he was focused on was this mute stranger. Could they actually speak or did they hold their silence for some solemn reason?

"Hunters? Where?" the stranger responded in a muffled voice, which made Hiccup blinked.

"Wait, so you do talk?" he asked, eyeing the outsider quizzically, "Could you please tell me why you're here? Are you lost or...?"

Toothless exchanged looks with his rider, then his gaze fell on the intruder before him. There was something strange about them, and the Night Fury wasn't exactly sure what. But he could sense this stranger wasn't to be trusted.

Then to Hiccup's surprise, the masked stranger crawled on all four, cautiously approaching the brunet.

Toothless gave a perplexed groan as he watched the intruder approached his rider, their mannerism similar to a dragon's.

"Ah...What are you doing?" Hiccup shuffled backwards, his eyebrows sewed together, mystified.

His green gaze fell on the stranger, incredulous of their strange, animalistic behaviour.

Behind him, Toothless growled silently, suddenly growing suspicious of this masked being coming to close contact with his human. He wasn't going to let them, whoever they were, hurt his human.

"Shh be still, bud," Hiccup whispered, steadying the Night Fury, who reluctantly obeyed.

The stranger halts several inches from Hiccup. They muffled something that Hiccup had no idea what was said. Yet, it did sound something like his name.

"J-just tell me why you're here," Hiccup whispered, his eyes studying the stranger's features.

Then to his surprise, the stranger stretched an arm towards Hiccup's face.

An unnerving feeling ran through him when he felt the stranger's cold hand touched his cheek.

Hiccup steadied his dragon as he growled, rattling his head furiously from side to side.

To Hiccup's surprise, the intruder then lifted off their mask, revealing the face of a woman with skeletal-like complexion.

The woman was indeed beautiful; her emerald green eyes reflecting a somewhat familiar look. Her thin lips lifted to a content smile and her hair, a rich brown colour fell past her waist like an endless waterfall.

Her face did not resemble a resentful, dangerous intruder. Yet, it indeed resembled a kind, humble traveller, slightly shaken by the young man standing before her.

For a moment, the two fixed their green gaze to one another. Then they slowly circled one another, like two opponents ready to attack in a tournament.

Their movements mirrored each other, their faces had such similarities that Hiccup was convinced he must have met this woman before. Perhaps, somewhere in his lifetime.

Though, he has never recalled meeting her, whoever this person was.

They paused, backing away slightly, but their gaze remained fixed on another. Then the next thing made Hiccup's heart skip a beat.

"Hiccup?" the woman spoke, her voice tearing up.

The young Viking's mouth hung open, agape. He tried to utter something, but he was shaken up, tongue-tied that no words rolled out of his tongue.

Once he found his voice, Hiccup eventually spoke.

"W-Who are you?" he whispered with a sense of fear in his voice, "H-how did you know my name? Have we met before?"

Hiccup exchange looks with his dragon, who simply groaned in bewilderment.

The woman stared longingly at Hiccup; her unnerving making Hiccup even more uneasy.

Casting her eyes to her reflection in the stream, the woman gave a solemn sigh.

"You don't know who I am. To you, I am nothing but a stranger to you. Believe it or not, I recognise who you are," she looked at Hiccup, letting out a crestfallen breath, "You were only a babe, but a mother never forgets,"

In that instant, Hiccup could feel his world crashing down on him. He was spellbound that this woman, this stranger was the one person he's contemplated for all of his life. Ever since he could remember, Hiccup has always wondered about his mother. Now perhaps he finally has this chance to finally get to know her, get to know what she was like. But a part of him thought this was merely impossible.

"You're...you're me..." Hiccup's words trailed off, realising how insane this sounded.

The woman, supposedly his mother- his dead mother, gave an affirmed nod.

"B-but that's not possible." Hiccup shook his head, "Everyone thought you were dead. Dad-I mean, Stoick told me you were dead,"

Hiccup shut his eyes as flashbacks of his banishment flood his calming thoughts.

He could never forget those eyes-those cold glass-green eyes glaring at him like he was a pile of trash tossed aside.

Hiccup could never forget the chief's bitter, unforgiving tone denouncing Hiccup's place as heir. What had hurt the young man was being disowned as the chief's own flesh and blood; the chief's only child.

Tears stung in Hiccup's eyes, but he held them back. He didn't want his so-called mother to know about the whole ordeal he had lived through.

"Why do you hesitate?" the woman asked, studying the young man's features.

Hiccup blinked, his breathing becoming unsteady. Then he relaxed a little, erasing flashbacks of that horrid day out of his mind.

The woman stared at him, dumbfound.

"Stoick the Vast is not my father anymore," Hiccup sighed in defeat, "I was banished from Berk,"

"Banished?" the woman repeated, then shook her head incredulously, "How did this happen?" her tone was stern, yet it did possess deep concern.

Hiccup knew he needed to tell her. Yet, a part of him had his suspicions of this woman. If this woman was really his mother, why hadn't she come back to Berk? Why had she abandoned him? Was he nothing but a burden to her?

Hiccup could feel the woman's warm hand pressed against his shoulder. He looked up, his green gaze fixed on his mother's eyes.

In those eyes, Hiccup could recognise worry, hurt and compassion. He could recognise his own, and it did surprise him how he wore his mother's face.

From time to time, Stoick would remark how Hiccup resembled his mother.

At times, he would utter his late wife's name. Valka.

"Please, tell me what happened," Valka's tone was soft and honey-like.

Hiccup stayed silent then he drew a breath.

"Da-" he sucked in a breath, "Stoick banished me for befriending a dragon. A Night Fury," he glanced over at Toothless, who peered at Valka curiously, "Toothless almost got killed because of me. Because I tried to convince the Vikings that dragons weren't horrible creatures; that everything we know about them was wrong,"

Toothless nuzzled his head against his rider affectionately. A smile formed on Hiccup's face as he scratched the Night Fury's chin. A dejected sigh then escaped from Hiccup's lips.

"But no one would listen. So after I was banished, Toothless and I ran away,"

Valka's thin lips shifted to a frown. Her once warm green eyes were become distant and cold, like something dark flickered inside her. Hatred.

"Vikings are stubborn; always have, always will be," her voice dripped with resentment, "Believe me, I've tried to reason with them too. But did they listen? No. You see, people never change, Hiccup,"

Hiccup nodded. He frowned, suddenly troubled by so many unanswered questions swirling in his mind.

"So what exactly happened?" he asked, eyeing his mother closely, "We all thought you were dead. At least that's what Stoick and everyone else told me,"

His mother sighed, then looked at her son warmly. Just like that, the resentment and coldness displayed in her eyes were replaced by compassion and warmth.

"It's quite a story to tell. I believe your father-I mean, the chief never told you," she said, lifting a brow.

Hiccup lowered his head. A dejected sigh drew out of his lips.

"He hasn't,"

Valka nodded silently, "Your father may have been too stubborn to change. But what you did, standing to everything you believed took a lot of courage. But if only they would have listened," she then placed a comforting hand on Hiccup's shoulder, "I'm sure you missed home,"

Hiccup sag his shoulders. He lowered his eyes, his fingers fiddling with his silver wristband; a usual habit whenever he felt troubled. It did help calm his nerves at times.

"Sometimes. But I live in Edon now. This is my home," he spread his arms, gesturing to the wilderness, "I have friends, a home, and a job at the blacksmith shop. And people here live peacefully with dragons. Just like me,"

Valka smiled as she watched the young man stroked the Night Fury's dark scales.

"My, I have never seen a Night Fury this close," Valka crouched down to meet Toothless' level, "Oh, he's beautiful

Hiccup chuckled as his mother got up close and personal with his Night Fury companion.

Intrigued, Valka lifted Toothless' jaws, revealing strong, healthy fangs.

Then coming down on all four, she mimicked Toothless' signature whine and groans.

Amused, Hiccup chuckled as he pet his dragon's scaly head.

The lanky woman studied the Night Fury's anatomy. Then something caught her attention, Toothless' fake tail fin.

A frown crept along her face.

"And what did this?" she questioned, lifting Toothless' prosthetic tail fin, "A hunter, perhaps?"

Hiccup exchanged looks with his dragon, then let out a forced laugh.

"Uh...I found him wounded back on Berk," Hiccup managed to say, "You see...one of the Vikings set up a horrible trap. I was going for a walk in the woods and I found him trapped. I couldn't let him die. So I freed him and decided to make him a new tail. See," he sheepishly pointed to the Night Fury's prosthetic tail.

Valka furrowed her brows, then muttered, "I see. And what exactly happened to your foot?"

Hiccup stared at his prosthetic foot, sighing. He really did hate to be reminded of his missing limb.

Even though his modified prosthetic foot didn't bother him, he did miss his real foot. It never occurred to him that he would live his life with an enormous battle scar.

Most Vikings twice his age would be proud of such honour. But he only saw it as losing a huge part of him. Losing a limb meant there was no way everything will ever be the same again, but at least he did it for the greater good.

Losing a foot was indeed a sacrifice. A foot for a life.

"Let's just say Toothless and I ended a three-hundred-year war between Vikings and dragons," Hiccup announced modestly.

The dark haired woman's eyes widened, intrigued. Yet, she was even more amazed ending a war would result to such a great loss.

"So what happened, exactly?" Hiccup asked after a brief silence, "You were gone for seventeen years,"

"I know," Valka exhaled deeply, "And perhaps I may have some explaining to do,"

Hiccup eyed his mother curiously. All these years he thought his mother was dead, mauled to death by a dragon. But here she was standing an arm's length, looking alive and well.

Though, under the cover of darkness, Hiccup thought he must be dreaming, and knew his mother was a hallucination.

He wanted to believe she was, but he knew he wasn't dreaming at all.

Now he was going to get answers of his mother's seventeen-year absence.

The brunette woman slumped on a large rock, close to the river bank.

The rapid rushing of the river with the howling of the wind really did bring such a calming, yet eerie atmosphere.

Hiccup joined his mother, keeping little space between them.

"So...mom," the word tingled on his tongue, a word Hiccup thought he'd never say, "I want to know...I need to know what happened seventeen years ago. If you're alive, then where were you all this time?"

The auburn-haired teen shut his eyes, recalling all those times growing up where he needed his mother the most.

Even when Stoick banished him, at the back of his mind, Hiccup wished his mother was there to support him.

"People are not capable of change, Hiccup," Valka mused, "Some of us...were just born different,"

She cast her eyes to the inky dark river, letting flashbacks of that fateful night long ago flood through her mind.

"Berk was a land of kill or be killed," Valka began, recalling the memory, "But I believe peace was possible,"