Chapter Text
Written by Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the last of the great Viking heroes
Translated by Layla Tess (because Cressida Cowell should have done this but for some reason did not #pissed ( Edit: now she is!!! AHHHH!!!))
There were dragons when I was a boy. Tiny little nano dragons hiding in the heather, great sea dragons gliding through the deep waters of the Atlantic, invisible sky dragons flying so high they seem to touch the very moon with their wingtips. Sitting at my desk, as I do now, an old, old man so far away from that boy I once was, it is almost hard to believe. How on earth could it have been possible for creatures so large, so impressive to really exist? And by Thor, how was it that humans and dragons used to co-exist in the same world? Looking out of my window at the rebuilt once-ruins of Tomorrow, filled with bustling Vikings and not much else, it seems impossible to this old, frail brain. My ink-dyed hands shake as I write this, the thin fingers of my left hand now grasping a pen instead of a sword. But if I look up, I can see the lost things scattered about the room, reminding me of those adventures so long ago. The lessons of my childhood, still reminding me every day of what it means to be a leader, a king. And if I look carefully, I can see the claw marks on the Roman shield, the burnt edges on the hilt of my old sword, Endeavour. Crucial evidence I didn't imagine the whole thing. And, of course, there's Toothless. Sarcastic, loveable, infuriating Toothless. His perch on my windowsill is scratched by his claws- once tiny, but growing. One day he will grow to the size the Dragon Furious once was, a sheer mountain of hardened scales and raw power. But I know, in my heart, he will always be the same miniature, gummy little dragon I found in my basket all those years ago.
I have already written about those years in journals, and locked them in a chest. I hope, someday, that someone from the future will find them and read them, and they will become a better hero than I was. However, I both rejoice, and regret, to say that there has been more to my young life than those eventful years. Collecting the ten lost things, learning to train a dragon, to sword fight, to speak dragonese, defeating my childhood nemesis; Alvin the Treacherous; these things filled my young life. They shaped me into the king I became that fateful day on the isle of Tomorrow. But I must confess, dear reader, that day- both dark and joyful- was not the end, but the beginning. The ordeal I, and so many others, went through, as a slave, as a warrior and as a child- for that is what I was- was not the darkest period to grace the seas of the archipelago. My kingship would go on to be a tumultuous one. Viking politics would develop (truly as hellish and confusing as it sounds), battles would be fought, and new wars would have to be won. I would have to grow up a lot more before I was ready to face the future. So, before my old, old heart finally gives in and I have a hero's death, there are a few more stories I need to tell. Some nights I can feel Valhalla calling me. The voices of my beloved, brave parents, and many old friends I made along my adventures. And on the coldest nights I hear my cousin Snotlout's voice, telling what I must do before I go to my final rest. That I must pass on the knowledge I have gathered throughout my long life.
I know I have been putting this off. Reliving the best, and darkest years of my life has been something I've left in my nightmares for too long. So now, I will dip my quill in ink once more and hope, dear reader, that someone such as you will find this one day and learn from my mistakes. But I must warn you to be prepared for what is to come. We are now leaving behind the years of my childhood, and entering a new world. One with a lot more fear and horror than ever before, so hold tight to your courage and trust in hope, for it is the greatest magic mankind will ever know.
I will leave you with one last request, dear reader; don't feel too disappointed in my young self. We all make mistakes. I just hope you learn from my own as I have. I will begin where I last ended... The Night of the Black Star, the 12th day of doomsday.
Yours sincerely,
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III