Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

        It was a quiet morning and a light fog had rolled in that covered the ocean. Terrible terrors soared through the sky as mighty scauldron broke through the water’s surface below. A terror floated on the surface to play with the other dragons when both attentions were drawn to a large ship bursting through the fog. The scauldron ducked their heads and swam away as the terror flew up to explore.

        The boat was manned by a crew of twenty or so men and women, natives of the Isle of Berk, all laughing and singing happily as they threw their nets down into the sea. Their voices carried over the waves as they continued singing.

“I’ll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue
And it’s hey to the starboard, heave-ho
Look out, lad, a mermaid be waiting for you
In mysterious fathoms below.”

        A young girl walked out on the deck and over to the railing, looking out at the vast sea around them. She had blond hair tied in a braid down her back and eyes as blue as the sea. She wore a spiked skirt and a gold band circled her forehead, the mark of a princess. She took a deep breath and smiled. “Isn’t this great? The salty sea air, the wind blowing in your face...” she sighed, “... a perfect day to be at sea.”

        She turned around to find her best friend leaning over the railing and gagging. Fishlegs Ingerman was desperately trying to keep his breakfast as he struggled to answer. “Oh, yes… delightful.”

        Astrid Hofferson bit her tongue to stop herself from laughing out loud at the sight of him.

        “A fine strong wind and a following sea,” commented a large man with a blonde moustache, a peg leg, and a hammer for a hand. Astrid turned to see her second in command struggling with some ropes and went to help him. “King Stoick must be in a friendly-type mood.”

        “King Stoick?” Astrid asked, intrigued.

        “Why, ruler of the merpeople, lassie,” Gobber replied with a chuckle. “Thought every good sailor knew about him.”

        Fishlegs huffed. “Merpeople!” he scoffed derisively. “Astrid, pay no attention to this nautical nonsense. A bunch of dragon dung if you ask me.”

        Gobber glared at him and brandished a sword in his face. “But it ain’t nonsense! I’m tellin’ you, down in the depths o’ the ocean they live.”

        “I’m a man of science,” Fishlegs argued. “Facts and figures. There’s nothing factual about merpeople.”

        “It’s the truth,” Gobber argued.

        “Like the boneknapper?” Ruffnut asked sarcastically.

        “And trolls?” added Tuffnut who was sitting beside his sister and playing with the fish.

        “Trolls are real!” Gobber protested. “They steal your socks, but only the left ones. What’s up with that?”

        Astrid rolled her eyes at the four’s antics and, once securing the rope to the nail on the floor, turned back to the sea. She only turned back when she heard a shriek followed by laughter. Ruffnut had snuck behind Fishlegs and stuck a fish down the back of his tunic. “Ha, ha. Looking a little green there Fishlegs!”

        Fishlegs staggered back, shaking this way and that as he tried to get rid of the fish. He finally was able to throw it off of him as it tumbled back into the sea. “Ugh, I think I’m gonna be sick,” Fishlegs stuttered as he ran to the railing again, Astrid putting a hand to her mouth to cover her smirk as the rest of the crew continued to sing.

“Heave-ho
Heave-ho
In mysterious fathoms below.”

        The fish swam away as soon as he hit the water and sighed in relief. He made his way down to the seafloor, weaving around seaweed and other ocean creatures. He encountered many species of dragons on his way to his destination but stopped when he saw something else. A creature that was neither a dragon nor a fish. From the waist up, it had the body of a human, but from the waist down, it had the shiny tail and fins of a fish. A merperson.

        The little fish looked around to see a lot of them, families and individuals alike, swimming this way and that, going about their day. He followed some down a crevice in the rocks below and emerged a moment later in the Kingdom of Berytheas, ruled by King Stoick the Vast.

        The merpeople swam swiftly towards the open gates in anticipation, for today was King Stoick’s birthday and they were excited for what the celebrations had in store. As merpeople settled into their seats, a merman swam to the front of them all and cleared his throat. A hush fell over the room as Spitelout Jorgenson, second in command to the King, began to speak.

        “His royal highness, King Stoick the Vast!” Spitelout announced. At his cue, a large man sitting in a chariot pulled by a zippleback entered the room from a side cavern amongst the applause and cheers. The merman wore an impressive red beard that reached down to his waist and his tail was made of shiny teal-green scales. He wore a golden crown atop his head and held a large hammer at his side which was glowing gold all throughout the procession.

        The king laughed cheerfully as the dragon pulled him around the room, waving to his subjects as he passed. It stopped at the base of the throne and the King got out gracefully before swishing his tail and swimming to the large throne in the middle of the room.

        Spitelout got the audience’s attention again once the King was seated. “And now, presenting his daughter, her royal highness, Princess Heather.”

        Another carriage was pulled into the room, this time pulled by a beautiful monstrous nightmare. The young girl of age 13 smiled widely as she acknowledged the crowd. She had ebony black hair and, as her dragon Firestorm stopped at the base of the platform where her father sat, she exited the chariot to reveal stunning blue scales as deep as the colour of the sky.

        Heather swam to her father and, after bowing deeply to him, took her place at his side. The announcer cleared his breath once more and grinned brightly. “Finally, the heir to the Kingdom of Berytheas, his royal highness, Prince Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third.”

        The audience clapped in excitement as the curtains of the cavern opened to reveal a chariot pulled by another monstrous nightmare. The citizens of Berytheas gasped as they saw the chariot empty. Spitelout shook his head and dropped his head into his hands. The boy was not one for punctuality but he had to choose today of all days to be late.

        Heather’s eyes widened at his brother’s empty chariot and looked hesitantly up at her father, grimacing at the expression he had on his face.

        The King growled deeply, and his hammer began to glow a blinding gold. His eyes glistened with rage as he slammed the hammer down in front of him.

        “HICCUP!”

… 

        Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third peeked over the fallen mast of the sunken ship that lay before him, wonder in his eyes. He went to explore deeper when he heard the rustling of wings coming from behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, brushing his auburn hair out of his eyes, to see a black dragon swimming toward him. His night fury Toothless warbled as he caught up to the merman and Hiccup cast him a semi-annoyed look. “Come on, Toothless. Hurry up.”

        Toothless gave him a look that said you know I can’t swim as fast as you, but either Hiccup didn’t see it or he chose to ignore it as he was already nearing the wrecked ship, his green fins propelling him along the way. Unlike his father whose scales were a teal-green in colour, his were forest green. 

        He stopped a distance away and sighed. “There it is,” he said, pointing to the ruins. “Isn’t it fantastic?”

        Toothless rolled his eyes and nudged Hiccup with his head. Yeah… right…. It’s great. Now can we get out of here already?

        Hiccup looked over at his dragon and raised an eyebrow. “You’re not getting cold feet on me, are you?”

        Toothless looked affronted at the mere suggestion that he was gonna back out, not that it wasn’t true, but Hiccup didn’t need to know that. He gave another weary look at the wreck and back to his friend. 

        Hiccup laughed. “Of course it’s safe. I’m sure of it.” He looked back over at the wreckage and smiled excitedly. “I’ll go take a look. You can stay here and keep a lookout for sharks if you’re too scared.”

        Toothless nodded but then his eyes widened at the inclination of his words. The dragon turned back only to find that the prince was already entering one of the broken windows of the ship. With a huff, Toothless had no other choice but to follow his wayward friend. As he swam through the porthole, a shadow of a large creature crossed the ship.

        Hiccup scanned the deck of the ship for any treasures he could salvage when his eyes fell on a shiny object dug into the floorboards. “Oh my gods! Oh my gods!” he exclaimed, swimming over to pick up the object. “Have you ever seen anything so wonderful in your life?”

        Toothless looked at the thing in Hiccup’s hands and scoffed, turning away, unimpressed. Hiccup frowned at him. “Oh, you’re no fun.”

        Hiccup turned the object around in his hands in amazement. Beside him, toothless warbled in curiosity. “Oh, so now you pay attention,” Hiccup said sarcastically as he continued to inspect the shiny object. “I’m not sure what it is, but I bet you Wodensfang will know.”

        He put the fork in his bag as a shadow crossed the window behind them. Toothless looked out in alarm, not catching what it was but now wary of his surroundings. Hiccup didn’t see what had his dragon all worked up as he continued to search for other things.

        “I wonder what this one is,” the prince said as he picked up a brown curved object.

        Toothless sniffed the water and growled sharply. He warbled loudly to his friend in warning, but Hiccup didn’t hear him, his focus drawn to the new object in his hands. The dragon roared louder and Hiccup finally looked over at him, any sentiment of awe gone. He knew what that roar meant, they were in danger. “What is it, Toothless,” he whispered, floating slowly to his friend.

        It was then that Toothless spotted the whispering death closing in on them, it’s beady eyes eyeing them in hunger, or more precisely, eyeing his friend in hunger. He grabbed the merman by the crook of his elbow and dragged him behind him, snarling at the other dragon who dared threaten them. Toothless shot a plasma blast at the approaching figure, but the amount of water between the two creatures caused it to veer off course.

        Unperturbed, Toothless sprung at the whispering death and latched his jaws on its neck, the part clear of spikes. The brown dragon shrieked in pain and used its tail to lash at the nightfury, furious at it for getting in between it and its meal. 

        “Toothless!” Hiccup cried, unable to do anything to help his friend.

        Toothless let go of the dragon’s neck and again shot a plasma blast towards it. Now that they were closer, the blast met its mark and sent the whispering death crashing on the deck of the ship that they were previously on. 

        The whispering death lay flat on its back as the nightfury stood over it, snarling with teeth bared. The defeated dragon lowered his head and squirmed in the hold of the nightfury. 

        Toothless snorted, satisfied that the other dragon wouldn’t give them any more trouble, and backed off. The other dragon quickly swam away the moment the pressure was let off of it as Toothless watched it depart. He stopped watching it when he saw a splash of auburn in the corner of his eye and he turned to see Hiccup inching his way forward. He narrowed his green eyes at the merman in a scolding manner and Hiccup had the decency to look down guiltily.

        “Thanks, bud,” Hiccup said, rubbing his dragon on the chin where he likes it. “I thought this place was safe when I first found it.”

        Toothless snorted and eyed him with the same expression as before. “I know, I know,” Hiccup said. “I was reckless and should have paid more attention to my surroundings before rushing off to explore. I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”

        Toothless rolled his eyes at the look the merman was giving him but couldn’t stay mad at him. He crooned softly and nudged Hiccup gently on the side to let him know that things were alright. Hiccup laughed. “Thanks, Toothless. Now let’s get these to Wodensfang so he could tell us what they are.” And with that, the boy and his dragon quickly swam to the surface.

Chapter Text

        Wodensfang was a little blue sea dragon who loved spending time around humans and, consequently, learning new things from them like Norse and what certain objects are. He, unlike other creatures of his species, wasn’t partial towards going underwater and preferred land greatly. Therefore, if any merfolk wanted to know anything about humans, he was the one to talk to.

        Wodensfang was snoozing on a little outcropping of rock when he heard his name being called. He opened his eyes with a sigh and looked around, blinking at the sudden brightness. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he spotted two figures in the distance and his eyes brightened. “Whoa! Merman off the port bow.” He scrambled to meet them but accidentally tripped over his own two feet, making Hiccup and Toothless laugh. The dragon balanced himself and flew over to the edge of the rock. “Hiccup, how ya doin’ kid?”

        “Great. Amazing actually,” Hiccup said as he held out the bag with all the trinkets. “Look what we found.”

        “Human stuff, huh?” Wodensfang asked. “Hey, lemme see.” He grabbed the bag and started ruffling through it. “Look at this,” he said as he pulled out a fork with his mouth. “Wow, this is special, this is very, very unusual”

        “What?” Hiccup asked, unable to contain his excitement. “What is it?”

        “It’s a dinglehopper!” the sea dragon announced proudly. “Humans use these little babies to straighten their hair out. Make sure it doesn’t get all tangled and everything.”

        “Wow,” Hiccup gasped in awe as Toothless too looked curiously at it. “A dinglehopper.” He took another thing out of the bag and showed it to Wodensfang. “And what about this?”

        “Ah!” Wodensfang exclaimed, bending down to take a sniff at the new object. “This I haven’t seen in years. This is wonderful! A banded, bulbous… snarfblat.”

        “Ooooh,” Hiccup said in amazement.

        “Now, the snarfblat dates back to prehistorical times, when humans used to sit around and stare at each other,” he flew up to Hiccup’s face and stared into his eyes, their foreheads touching, “all day. Got very boring.” He flew back down to the object. “So, they invented the snarfblat to make fine music during social gatherings and parties. Here, let me demonstrate.” Wodensfang took a deep breath and blew into the pipe but the only thing that came out was seaweed.

        “Parties?” Hiccup repeated, his eyes widening. “Dad’s birthday!” he groaned. “Oh, gods. Dad’s gonna kill me! I totally forgot it was today.”

        Wodensfang was oblivious to Hiccup’s turmoil as he continued investigating the pipe. “Maybe you could make a little planter out of it or somethin’.”

        Hiccup snatched the pipe up along with the fork and stuffed them in his bag. “Um, I’m sorry, I gotta go,” he said hurriedly, swimming away. “Thank you Wodensfang,” he threw over his shoulder and waved before diving into the sea, Toothless following him.

        “Anytime, Hiccup,” Wodensfang called to the empty ocean, waving a wing. “Anytime.”

        Once beneath the surface, Hiccup and Toothless made a dash for Berytheas. “Maybe Dad won’t be too mad this time...” he said in uncertainty.

        Toothless warbled half-heartedly in agreement and took off after his friend, both unaware that they were being watched.

…

        In a cavern outside the realm of Stoick’s kingdom, two creatures sat in the dark, one of them was watching what was going on through the image projected on an air bubble. She had short, white hair and an upper body of pale purple skin. She wore a spiral shell necklace around her neck that rested on her flat chest. From the waist down, her body resembled that of an octopus, eight black tentacles slithering along the seafloor. She looked across from her at her son. He was as well-built as they could be, living off of scraps. He had dark, wavy hair and, from the waist down, his body resembled her own, just smaller. She was staring intently at the image which showed a young merman and his dragon swimming in the direction of Berytheas.

        “Yes, hurry home, dear prince,” Excellinor hissed, smirking. “We wouldn’t want to miss old daddy’s celebration, now, would we?” Her smile disappeared and she huffed. “Huh! Celebration indeed. Bah! In my day, we had fantastical feasts when I lived in the palace.” She sighed deeply and moped to the other side of the cavern where her son was dozing off. “And now, look at me, wasted away to practically nothing - banished and exiled and practically starving, while he and his flimsy fish-folk celebrate. Well, I'll give 'em something to celebrate soon enough.”

        “Alvin!” she barked, causing Alvin the Treacherous to startle in his sleep. “I was sleeping,” he mumbled, eyes still closed. “What do you want?”

        “I have a job for you, and it involves a certain merman prince.” This got his attention and he sat up straight, eyes on his mother. “I’m listening.”

        Excellinor laughed evilly. “I want you to keep an extra close watch on this handsome little son of his. He may be the key to Stoick’s undoing.” She smiled darkly as her attention was once more drawn to the picture of Hiccup and Toothless.

        She’ll wait for the right moment to strike, and when that moment comes, the ocean will be hers.

Chapter Text

        Hiccup paused a short distance away from the castle to stash his bag behind a rock. Just as he managed to hide it, his sister rounded the corner and, after spotting him, she rushed to meet him. “Hiccup!”

        He flinched as he turned to face his younger sister, whose arms were crossed and a frown was set on her face. “Hi, Heather,” he greeted, attempting to cover up his nervousness.

        “Where have you been?!” Heather demanded. “You missed Dad’s celebration.”

        ”I know. I know. I’m sorry! I’m about to go see him right now.” Hiccup looked down, biting his lower lip. “Is he angry?”

        “Why don’t you ask him yourself?” said a deep voice from behind him. Hiccup winced as he turned around to see both his father and his Uncle standing behind him, arms crossed and glaring at the boy.

        “Um… hi, Dad,” Hiccup said nervously. Heather would have giggled at her brother’s behaviour but the look that her father and uncle wore sent shivers down her spine. She shot her brother a look that said good luck and swam swiftly away, leaving the three alone.

        “Follow me,” Stoick ordered and without waiting to see if his son was following, made his way to the throne room with Spitelout. Hiccup gulped, now he was in for it. “Stay here, bud,” he whispered to Toothless. “I’ll come to find you later.”

        Toothless warbled sadly as he watched the three royals enter the castle.

        Once in the throne room, Stoick went to sit on his throne and faced his son. Spitelout swam to his side and glared at his nephew. “I just don’t know what we’re going to do with you, young man,” Stoick admonished.

        “Dad, I’m sorry, I just forgot, I-” Hiccup tried to explain but his father kept talking.

        “As a result of your careless behaviour-”

        “Careless and reckless behaviour,” Spitelout added.

        “-the entire celebration was-”

        “Well, it was ruined! That's all. Completely destroyed!” Spitelout stated angrily. “Now thanks to you I am the laughing stock of the entire kingdom!”

        Stoick shook his head as Hiccup looked down dejectedly. “Hiccup, you are my son and the heir to the throne of Berytheas. The people look up to you as their future leader. You must set a good example for them.”

        “Dad, I know,” Hiccup said, “but-”

        “And you very well can’t do that if you're off gallivanting who knows where and missing important functions and events,” Stoick continued. “How do you think it looked when my own son was late for my celebration?”

        “I’m sorry, just-”

        “You have responsibilities as a prince of Berytheas that come first and foremost before any whimsical idea that hits you. No more going out to explore when you should be here at the castle fulfilling your duties to your people. No more… no more of this.” He waved his hand vaguely at his son.

        “You just gestured to all of me,” Hiccup remarked with a frown.

        Stoick ignored his son’s comment. “I know you are young and curious, I was like that too when I was your age, but you have to learn to prioritize your duties to this Kingdom.” Stoick sighed. “You know I’m just looking out for you, son. You’re going to be king in a few years and I want you to be prepared for when that happens.”

        “I know, Dad,” Hiccup said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He heard this multiple times before and it wasn’t like he was gonna forget it anytime soon. “I’m sorry. I swear, it won’t happen again, I promise.”

        Stoick shared a glance with his brother, clearly not believing his son. “Okay, then. Where were you?”

        Hiccup was hoping he could avoid this question. “What?”

        “Where were you?” the King repeated. “What was so important that made you forget about the celebration?”

        “Um,” Hiccup mumbled, trying to come up with a believable excuse. “Well, Toothless and I went out for a swim and I guess we were just having too much fun that I lost track of time.”

        “You went up to the surface again, didn’t you?” Stoick asked his son, narrowing his eyes at his son. When he didn’t get an answer, he repeated the question more forcibly. “DIDN’T YOU?”

        “Nothing…happened,” Hiccup said sheepishly.

        Stoick groaned. “Hiccup, how many times must we go through this? You could have been seen by one of those barbarians, by… by one of those humans!”

        “Dad, they’re not barbarians,” the prince defended angrily.

        “They’re dangerous!” Stoick countered.

        “How would you know? You’ve never even been to the surface since mom died!” Hiccup gasped and covered his mouth with his hands, surprising himself by saying that.

        Stoick's eyes widened and even Spitelout was getting a little nervous at the turn of events. “How dare you?!” Stoick shouted at his son. “Don’t you dare take that tone with me, young man. As long as you live under my ocean, you’ll obey my rules!”

        “For once in your life would you just listen -”

        “Not another word!” Stoick roared, turning away, “and I am never, NEVER to hear of you going to the surface again. Do I make myself clear?!”

        Hiccup straightened up, glaring at his father, before turning around and swimming away at top speed without another word to the two men.

        Spitelout snorted. “Teenagers,” he muttered. “They think they know everything. You give them an inch, they swim all over you.”

        Stoick sighed, sagging into his seat as he stared at the spot where his son had taken off. “Do you think I was too hard on him?”

        “Definitely not,” Spitelout answered. “Why, if that was Snotlout, I'd show him who’s boss. None of this ‘flitting to the surface’ and other such nonsense. No, sir - I'd keep him under tight control.”

        Stoick sighed again. Despite his brother’s thoughts, regret was starting to take hold. He and Hiccup didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye when it came to things like diplomacy and nobility, and more often than not, their conversations would end in a shouting match, but this was by far the worst one they had. How could he make him see?

        “Hiccup needs constant supervision,” Spitelout continued, unaware that the King wasn’t listening anymore. “Someone to watch over him… to keep him out of trouble.”

        “That’s it!” Stoick suddenly shouted, making Spitelout jump in alarm. “Someone to keep him out of trouble, and I know just who the person should be.”

… 

        Snotlout was swimming down the halls of the castle with his dragon Hookfang. “How do I get myself into these situations?” he asked himself, and Hookfang just warbled in sympathy. “I know Hiccup’s my cousin and he’ll make a great king someday, but that doesn’t mean I want to watch over him every second of the day.”

        Snotlout looked out the window to see Toothless giving Hiccup a bag and the two swimming away suspiciously. He frowned. “What is that boy up to?”

        Snotlout and Hookfang followed Hiccup and Toothless, remembering to stay far back to avoid detection. He saw them stop near a cave whose entrance was blocked by a large rock. Hiccup looked around for any pursuers before signalling to Toothless to push the boulder to the side. Hiccup slipped into the cave opening with Toothless right on his tail, the rock falling back into place behind them.

        “Hmm,” Snotlout murmured to himself. He then turned to Hookfang. “You stay here boy. I don’t think you’ll fit into that opening,” he whispered before swimming to the cave door. He was stronger than his cousin and had no trouble pushing the rock to the side and swimming through the hole. He turned around and gasped, eyes widening and mouth gaping.

        The narrow cave opened up to a large grotto with walls that were lined with shelves that were overflowing with trinkets and strange objects that Hiccup had salvaged from shipwrecks and just things thrown in the sea. There were bottles, plates, globes, mirrors, and a lot more everywhere and crammed into every nook and cranny. In the centre of the cave, lying on a flat slab of stone, Hiccup was gazing longingly at the fork that he had come across. Toothless nudged him gently, and when Hiccup looked up at him, he warbled softly and gave him a concerned look.

        Hiccup sighed. “I’m alright, bud,” he said. “I just… I just wish I could make him understand.” He sighed again, deep in thought. He knew some humans could be dangerous, what with the many fishing incidents and pollution of sea waters, but certainly not all of them were like that, right? Like merfolk, for example. After all, there were evil merpeople in the sea. He had tried telling his father that, but that particular conversation always ended the same way: him shouting and ordering him away from the surface.

        “Maybe he’s right,” Hiccup sighed. “Maybe there is something the matter with me. I just can’t see how a world that makes such beautiful things can be bad.”

“Look at this stuff
Isn’t it neat?
Wouldn’t you think my collection’s complete?
Wouldn’t you think I’m the boy
The boy who has everything? ”

        Hiccup set the fork in his collection of utensils and looked around the grotto, looking at all his collections with a gleam in his eye.

“Look at this trove
Treasures untold.
How many wonders does one cavern hold?

Looking around here you’d think
‘Sure, he’s got everything.’ “

        He swam over to one of the shelves and started picking up the various objects, examining them briefly. He opened a chest of nails that he had acquired and smiled.

“I’ve got gadgets and gizmos aplenty
I’ve got whosits and whatsits galore

You want thingamabobs?
I’ve got twenty ”

        His smile began to fade as he closed the chest and lowered it back on the shelf. He looked up longingly through the hole in the cavern and up to the surface.

“But who cares
No big deal

I want more ”

        Snotlout leaned in closer as Hiccup’s voice got softer. He was too mesmerized by the multiple treasures that littered the room and the sweet voice of the boy in the centre to be angry.

“I wanna be where the people are
I wanna see, wanna see ‘em dancin’
Walkin’ around on those,”

        “What do you call them?” he asked Toothless, and the nightfury smiled as he attempted to grab his toes. Hiccup giggled. “Oh, right. Feet. ”

“Flippin’ your fins, you don’t get too far

Legs are required for jumping, dancing

Strollin’ along down a
What’s that word again? Street. ”

        Hiccup swam upward, his auburn hair waving around and his eyes focused on the surface.

“Up where they walk
Up where they run
Up where they stay all day in the sun

Wanderin’ free
Wish I could be

Part of that world.

What would I give
If I could live
Out of these waters?”

        Hiccup floated back down to the seafloor and stretched his arms as if relaxing in the rays of the sun.

“What would I pay
To spend a day
Warm on the sand?"

        His smile faded as he sat up.

"Betcha on land
They understand
Listening to their sons and daughters

Bright and wishin’
Sick of swimmin’
Ready to stand. ”

        He swam up to one of the many shelves, swirling and flipping on the way, and picked up a book. He riffled through the pages and showed it to toothless who looked at it as if he was trying to read it. “And ready to know what the people know
Ask ‘em my questions
And get some answers ”

        He turned to a picture hanging on the wall of a lady sitting by a candle and traced his fingers around the bright light.

“What’s a fire and why does it
What’s the word, burn?

When’s it my turn?
Wouldn’t I love?
Love to explore the shore up above ”

        He swam up and reached his hand out of the hole at the top of the cave, willing to touch the world that was a mystery to him. His smile faded as he withdrew his hand and sank back to the floor dejectedly, knowing it could never be. Toothless watched him with a sad look as he sang to the world outside.

“Out of the sea
Wish I could be
Part of that world.”

        Hiccup sat atop the stone slab, staring at the surface that was so near yet so far with longing. He looked around him at all the treasures, but they would never be enough to satisfy his curiosity for the human world. Nothing would ever be enough but the world itself.

        His thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash from behind him. He jumped and whirled around as Toothless snarled at the intruder, unable to fully see who it was yet ready to defend his friend if need be. Hiccup recognized the intruder at once.

        “Snotlout?” he gasped. Snotlout had accidentally leaned too far and lost his balance. He had sent a lantern crashing to the seafloor as he tried to grasp at a sheet hanging from one of the shelves, but it all came crashing down instead. At Hiccup’s gasp, he looked at his cousin and then turned his head to look at all the items cluttered around the room, shaking his head. “Hiccup, what, are you mad? How could you… what is all this?”

        “It’s uh,” Hiccup stuttered, glancing at Toothless to see he had reduced his snarling, but his stance was still defensive. “It’s my collection.”

        “Oh. I see. Your collection,” Snotlout said, the calm before the storm. “IF YOUR FATHER KNEW ABOUT THIS PLACE HE'D -”

        “You’re not gonna tell him, are you?” Hiccup pleaded, swimming over to his cousin, hands clasped together in front of him and begging. “Oh, please, Snotlout, he would never understand.”

        Snotlout sighed. “Hiccup. Obviously, you’re under a lot of pressure down here.” He took Hiccup’s hand and tried to lead him out of the grotto back to the castle. “Come with me, I'll take you home and get you something warm to drink.”

        Hiccup stopped listening as a dark shadow descended upon the cavern. He looked up to see that something was blocking the sunlight from reaching down to the seafloor and frowned. “What do you suppose…?”

        He pulled his hand out of Snotlout’s grasp and, after gesturing for Toothless to help him move the cave door, swam up to the surface to investigate.

        “Hiccup? What are you doing?” Snotlout asked as the merman and dragon swam by him. “Hiccup!” He yelled, swimming after him. He met Hookfang at the mouth of the cave and glared at him. “Thanks for stopping him for me,” he said sarcastically. “Come on.” He and his dragon followed Hiccup and Toothless up to the surface.

Chapter Text

        Once Hiccup’s head broke the surface of the water, he brushed the bangs out of his face and stared in awe at the ship that was drifting a few yards away. The deck was lit up and fireworks were being shot into the sky. 

        Beside him, Toothless, Hookfang, and Snotlout emerged from the water, but he paid them no mind as he smiled and laughed at all the colours. “Hiccup, what… what are you,” Snotlout began but then he saw the ship in the distance and he gasped. “Odin’s beard!”

        Hiccup dove under the water and started swimming towards the boat. “Hiccup! Hiccup, please come back!” Snotlout called, but it was no use. He turned to Hookfang. “Oh, gods. Oh, gods. Uncle Stoick’s gonna kill me.”

        As Hiccup neared the boat, he could hear talking coming from above. He neared the side of the ship and pulled himself up so that he could peer over the edge at the celebration going on. Sailors were laughing and dancing all around as some played music. Hiccup stared at them in awe, a big smile on his face. 

        After looking around some more, he spotted a deadly nadder perched near the helm of the ship. The nadder jerked up from it’s resting spot and started sniffing the air, curious as to what the new scent was. The nadder took to the skies and circled around the ship, seeing the merman holding on to the side. It swooped down towards him and Hiccup, not knowing for certain if the dragon was partial to strangers, dropped down into the ocean. 

        Hiccup treaded about a foot from the surface of the water as the nadder hovered over him. Hiccup looked into the nadder’s face and, after seeing no ill intent, slowly began to rise out of the water. The nadder must have been excited to see him for the moment he surfaced, a forked tongue licked his cheek. Hiccup chuckled at the gesture and was about to reach up to pet her when Toothless suddenly came out of the water beside him and snapped at the other dragon. Hiccup turned to reprimand the black dragon when a voice caught his attention.

        “Stormfly!” Both dragons and Hiccup looked back at the ship at the girl’s voice. “Come here, girl!” The nadder squawked and, after shooting one more look at the boy, flew over the railing of the ship to nestle next to the girl. 

        Hiccup pulled himself back up to the peephole to see the girl who the voice belonged to, and his jaw dropped in awe when he saw her. She was beautiful, and he was mesmerized by her dazzling smile. He watched with a lopsided grin as Astrid played with the nadder.

        “Hey, Stormfly. What were you doing out there?” Astrid asked, stroking Stormfly on the side. “Were you looking for fish? I think I might have something better.” She produced a chicken leg and threw it up into the air. Stormfly squawked happily before she caught it in her mouth and chewed. 

        Hiccup watched all this in awe. He’d never seen anything like this before, and he’d certainly never seen anyone like her. 

        “Hey there, Hiccup!” came a loud voice from behind him. He jumped and whirled around to see Wodensfang hovering behind him. “Quite a show, eh?”

        “Wodensfang!” Hiccup hissed, waving his arm at the sea dragon. “Keep it down. They might hear you.” He turned his attention away from the dragon back to the party going on.

        “Ooooh, I gotcha, I gotcha,” Wodensfang said as he swooped down to hover beside the merman. “We’re being intrepidatious. WE’RE OUT TO DISCOVER-” 

        Hiccup grabbed the dragon’s snout to stop him from giving away their position. He ducked out of the way, dragging the unsuspecting dragon with him, and glared at Wodensfang. “You know, when I say ‘keep it down’, I actually mean ‘please refrain yourself from shouting at the top of your lungs.’”

        Wodensfang gulped nervously and, once Hiccup released him, laughed sheepishly. “Right, sorry”

        Hiccup rolled his eyes and continued to watch the party, or more precisely, the girl playing with her dragon. “I’ve never seen a human this close before,” he remarked to Wodensfang and sighed. “She’s very beautiful, isn’t she?”

        Wodensfang looked out at the scene and scrunched his eyes. “I don’t know. She looks kind of scaly, to be honest,” he said, bewildered. “And her eyes are placed so that she can’t see what’s in front of her.”

        Hiccup sighed in exasperation. “Not the dragon,” he said, laughing at the sea dragon’s mixup. “The girl. The one playing with the dragon.”

        “Ohhh,” Wodensfang said. “That makes much more sense. I was about to start questioning your choices in mates.”

        Hiccup was about to retaliate with a snarky comment when a voice coming from the boat interrupted him.

        “Oi, silence, you lot,” Gobber shouted over the crowd, the noise gradually dying down. “It is now my honour and privilege to present our esteemed Princess Astrid with a very special, very expensive, very large birthday present.”

        There was a murmur of excitement as Astrid looked over the present that was covered with a brown tarp and tied with a red ribbon. She punched Gobber in the arm good-naturedly and smiled, unaware of the flinch that the blacksmith supported. “Ah, Gobber, you shouldn’t have!”

        “I know,” Gobber said, rubbing his arm yet grinning fondly. “Happy birthday, Astrid.”

        The tarp was whipped off to reveal a round shield with an image painted on its wooden surface. It was a perfect image of the young princess. Everyone but Astrid ooh-ed and aah-ed at the present appreciatively and Hiccup, though he didn’t exactly know what it was, gasped in wonder.

        Astrid blinked at the painting in surprise. It definitely was a good picture, that she would admit, but it was missing something. The Astrid in the picture wore a royal pink dress, a dress fit for a princess, and her axe, her most prized possession, was nowhere in the picture. All that aside, it was a beautiful painting, but it just wasn’t her.

        “Uh, gee, Gobber,” Astrid said, rubbing her neck. “It’s… it’s… it’s really something.”

        “Yes, I had Bucket paint it especially for you, lass,” Gobber said proudly. Astrid smiled at him, for if he was delighted about it, the least she could do is be delighted as well. Gobber had done so much for her since her parents passed away and she wanted him to be happy. “Of course, I had hoped it would be a wedding present, but...”

        Astrid’s smile faded and she sighed. “Come on, Gobber. Don’t start.” She walked over to the side of the ship where Hiccup was hiding and looked out at the sea. Hiccup quickly ducked out of sight to avoid detection but was still in hearing range of the conversation. “You’re not still sore because I didn’t fall for Thuggory, the heir of the Meatheads, are you?”

        This was one of the downsides to being the heir to the kingdom of Berk. She wanted to rule Berk as she deemed fit, fight alongside Berk’s army if they ever were to go to war, explore the open seas… not play housewife to some man and watch as he rules the kingdom and she delegates the more delicate things. Besides, if she had to marry someone, she wanted to marry out of love, not out of necessity.

        “Oh, Astrid,” Gobber said, knowing her feelings toward the situation. “It’s not just me. The whole kingdom wants to see you happily settled down with the right man.”

        Astrid kept her gaze pointed out to the sea as Hiccup and Wodensfang continued listening. “I know he’s out there somewhere. I just,” she sighed, “I just haven’t found him yet.”

        “Well, perhaps you haven’t been looking hard enough,” Gobber said, half-serious, half-joking.

        “Believe me, Gobber,” Astrid replied, chuckling, “when I find him, I’ll know. Without a doubt. It’ll just… bam. Hit me… like lightning.” Right then, the sky lit up behind her and thunder cracked. Gobber and Astrid startled, looking up at the sky at the now grey clouds.

        “Hurricane a comin’!” yelled Tuffnut from the lookout. “Stand fast! Secure the riggin'!” The deck became a bustle of activity as sailors rushed here and there to tie things down and lower the sail so it wouldn’t tear in the wind. They were yelling at each other, but they could barely be heard over the roar of the winds and the crashes of the waves. 

        Hiccup hung desperately to one of the ropes, trying to shield himself from the harsh winds. Wodensfang tried to hold on, but the wind caught his open wings and he toppled backwards, barely catching himself by wrapping his tail around a string of rope. Snotlout and Toothless were trying to catch up with them but the waves kept rocking them back.

        “Whoa! The wind's all of a sudden on the move here,” he yelled. Then, there was a strong gust of wind and he was blown away. “HICCUP!”

        The merman watched as he was whipped away, unable to do anything but hold on. He could hear his dragon roaring from below and Snotlout calling up to him, but he ignored them. He had to make sure that the ship got safely back to Berk.

        Fishlegs was at the wheel, trying to steer the ship away from the storm, but it was too strong and he got blown to the side. The ship splashed hard into the water as it hit a big wave and water came crashing onto the deck. Astrid tried to grab hold of the spinning wheel and gain back control of the ship.

        Down below, Hiccup lost his grip on the ropes by a gust of wind and was thrown into the sea. He resurfaced a moment later just in time to see a bolt of lightning strike the sails of the ship, lighting it on fire. Hiccup gasped in horror as the boat came crashing down, throwing its passengers into the sea. He searched the surface for any sign that they were ok when he saw a small boat bobbing on the water.

        Hiccup sighed in relief, but it didn’t last long as he heard a strangled roar. He turned his head in the direction of the noise and saw the deadly nadder from before in the water a short distance away from the burning ship, kicking her legs and flapping her wings, struggling to stay afloat. She, unlike Toothless or Hookfang, wasn’t accustomed to being in the water and didn’t know how to swim like them. 

        “Stormfly!” Astrid shouted, and she dove into the water to rescue her dragon, ignoring the calls from her friends to come back. Once she got to her, she started trying to calm her down. “It’s okay, girl. Calm down.” She pointed Stormfly in the direction of the boat and the dragon started paddling toward it.

        Astrid was about to follow but the flaming boat behind her suddenly exploded, sending shrapnel flying through the air. A chunk of wood collided with Astrid’s head and she grunted in pain before losing consciousness.

        “No!” Hiccup yelled and quickly dove under the water. He spotted the girl instantly, looking so peaceful like she was merely asleep. Hiccup grabbed her under her arms and pulled her to the surface. He looked around, trying to decide what to do. He could take her to Berk, he’d seen the island before, albeit from afar, but he knew which direction to go. She’d be able to get help there. He set out for the island, making sure that Astrid’s nose and mouth were above the water.

…

        Dawn was beginning to break when Hiccup reached land. He gently laid Astrid, who was still unconscious, out on the sand. The storm had long passed and the sky was starting to clear of any clouds. He leaned over Astrid and brushed the hair out of the princess’s eyes. He was so worried about the girl he had saved and noticed Wodensfang landing a few feet away from them.

        “Is she… dead?” Hiccup asked hesitantly as Wodensfang sniffed the girl.

        “It’s hard to say,” Wodensfang said. He flew over to her feet as Hiccup watched nervously. He pressed his head to the bottom of one of her bare feet and listened intently. His face fell when he couldn’t hear anything. “Oh… I… I can’t make out a heartbeat,” he sighed, shaking his head.

        Hiccup’s heart clenched as he looked down at the girl sadly. Just as he was about to turn away, he saw movement from the corner of his eyes. “No, look,” he gasped, watching Astrid’s chest move slowly up and down. “She’s breathing.” He brushed her bangs out of her face. “She’s so beautiful,” he breathed. The prince cupped his hands around the princess’s face softly and turned her toward him, stroking her cheek as he sang.

“ What would I give
To live where you are?
What would I pay
To stay here beside you?
What would I do
To see you smiling at me? ”

        Toothless, Snotlout, and Hookfang washed up on the shore behind them. Snotlout’s eyes fell on the scene of the prince lying on the sand next to a human and his jaw dropped in shock. Wodensfang smirked as he hit the back of his head with his tail and landed on the rock next to the merman. Hiccup took no notice of this as he continued to sing.

“ Where would we walk?
Where would we run?
If we could stay all day in the sun ”

        The clouds in the sky cleared and the sun emerged from behind them, bathing the two in a warm light. Astrid started to stir and brought her hand to the one touching her cheek as her eyes opened blearily. She caught a blurred image of the boy’s face, framed in the morning light. He was the most beautiful thing she ever saw and she smiled as he continued to sing to her.

“ Just you and me
And I could be
Part of your world ”

        Hiccup smiled down at Astrid as she stared up at him with unfocused eyes. At that moment, bathed in the golden glow of the sun, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a familiar screech.

        He jerked back in fear as he looked up to see Stormfly flying toward the two. “Astrid!” someone called as Stormfly reached the girl, licking her cheek to fully wake her up. The dragon looked out to the sea just as the tip of Hiccup’s tail disappeared under the surface. 

        “Oh, Astrid!” Gobber rounded the corner and rushed to her side, quickly followed by Fishlegs. “You really enjoy scaring the bejeebers out of me, don't you?”

        He helped the girl to her feet as she shook her head. “A… a boy… rescued me. He… he was… singing,” she stuttered, looking out at the sea as if the boy would just reappear in front of her. “He had the most… beautiful voice.”

        She took another step toward the sea but swayed on her feet and would have fallen back on the sand if Gobber had not caught her. Fishlegs smiled and shook his head. “I think you might have swallowed a bit too much seawater.” He chuckled but suddenly gasped in pain as Astrid punched him in the arm, apparently not too weak to do that.

        Gobber rolled his eyes and set his hands on Astrid’s shoulders. “Let’s go, lass. Back to the castle.” He whistled to Stormfly who had waded into the shallow part of the sea, trying to find the familiar scent she had smelled on her friend. “Come on, Stormfly.”

        Astrid didn’t say anything as she was led off the beach, casting one last glance at the vast ocean before nodding.

        Hiccup and Toothless watched the three humans go from behind a rock. Behind him, Snotlout was muttering under his breath while Hookfang watched him curiously. “We’ve just got to forget this whole thing ever happened,” Snotlout announced. “The Sea King will never know. You won’t tell him.” He looked at his dragon who snorted in agreement. “I won’t tell him. I will stay in one piece.”

        Hiccup ignored his cousin as he continued gazing out at Berk’s shore as Astrid disappeared out of sight. A feeling bubbled up inside of him that made him giddy with happiness. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew that he didn't want it to go away. 

“ I don’t know when
I don’t know how
But I know something’s starting right now

Watch and you’ll see
Someday I’ll be
Part of your world! ”

        On the last word, a wave crashed over the rock. Stormfly, with her acute dragon hearing, heard the merman’s voice and squawked in greeting. Hiccup watched as she flew away back up the beach, staring longingly at the empty shore.

        Behind him, a mop of wavy black hair slowly rose out of the ocean, unbeknownst to Hiccup or his companions. Alvin watched the merman prince with an evil smirk and his mother, who was watching Hiccup stare at the island longingly, cackled in her cave. “Oh no, no, no, no, no, no,” she said, unable to control her laughter. “I can't stand it. It’s too easy! The child is in love with a human! And not just any human… a princess!” She threw herself onto a flat rock, giggling hysterically. “Oh, dear daddy’ll just love that!”

        She drew herself up and watched as Hiccup swam quickly back to Berytheas, hoping his father hadn’t noticed he was gone for too long. Excellinor laughed mirthlessly as a plan started to form in her mind.

        “King Stoick’s headstrong, lovesick boy would make a charming addition to my little garden...” Her eyes roved over to an alcove in the cave where hundreds of shrunken, shrivelled, pale brown polyps gazed up at her. They cowered back as her shadow loomed menacingly over them, shaking fearfully as her evil laughter bounced off the walls of the silent cavern.

Chapter Text

        King Stoick was swimming through the halls of his castle to his children’s bedrooms to wake them up. He was deep in thought about his conversation with his son yesterday and was feeling a bit guilty over it. Maybe he and Hiccup can go on a father-son swim, just the two of them like when he was younger. 

        He rounded the corner just as his daughter was slipping out of her room. “Good morning, Heather,” he greeted. “Is Hiccup up yet?”

        “Morning, daddy,” Heather said and shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t heard him come out of his room yet.”

        The two swam down the hall to a doorway carved in the stone with green seaweed screening the entrance. “Hiccup?” Stoick called. “Are you awake, son?”

        After he got no reply, he went to pull back the curtain but stopped as his son came out, almost bumping into him. “Oh, good morning, dad,” Hiccup said in surprise, a big grin on his face. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you call. Isn’t it a great morning?” He turned to swim past the king and saw his sister behind him, watching with wide eyes. “Hi, Heather,” he greeted before continuing down the hall, humming cheerfully under his breath. The two stared at him as he left, one in confusion and the other in amusement.

        “Oh, he’s got it bad,” Heather remarked.

        “What?” Stoick asked in alarm. “What has he got?”

        “Isn’t it obvious, daddy,” Heather said, clasping her hands together and smiling. “Hiccup’s in love.”

        “Hiccup? In love?” Stoick marvelled, a smile slowly creeping on his face. This was good, this was very good. This was more than good actually, this was great!

…

        “Okay, so far, so good,” Snotlout muttered to himself as he paced back and forth nervously. Hookfang floated nearby, watching him with worry. “I don’t think the king knows.” He paused to look at his dragon but Hookfang offered no assurances. “But it won’t be easy keeping something like this a secret for long!”

        Hiccup was reclining on a rock a few feet above Snotlout, picking petals from a flower dreamily. “She loves me. Hmmm, she loves me not.” He then smiled widely at the last petal and plucked it off the flower. “She loves me! I knew it!” he said, giggling giddily and holding the petal upward before pulling it toward him and hugging it

        “Hiccup!” Snotlout interrupted, swimming up to face his cousin. “Stop talking crazy! She doesn’t even know you exist.”

        ”You’re right,” Hiccup agreed, his face falling, but he suddenly got an idea and his face brightened again. “So, I have to let her know that I exist!”

        “That’s not what I meant!” Snotlout argued, but it fell on deaf ears.

        “I have to see her again,” Hiccup said, sitting up. “Tonight! Wodensfang Can find out where she lives.” He started swimming away in excitement at his plan.

        “Hiccup, please,” Snotlout pleaded, grabbing the prince’s tail to stop him. “Will you get your head out of the clouds and back in the water where it belongs?”

        Hiccup ignored him and pulled out of his cousin’s grip. “I'll swim up to her castle. Then Toothless can fly around outside her window to get her attention, and then with-”

        “Down HERE is your home!” Snotlout shouted. He swam up to block Hiccup’s path and the prince jerked to a stop, startled. “Hiccup, listen to me. The human world… it's a mess. Life under the sea is better than anything they got up there”

        He swam forward, causing Hiccup to back up and sit back down on the flat rock. Snotlout opened his mouth to try to convince him that his life was better here, in Berytheas.

“ The seaweed is always greener
In somebody else’s lake
You dream about goin’ up there
But that is a big mistake. ”

        Hiccup’s gaze started to drift towards the surface but Snotlout put his hand on his cousin’s shoulders to draw his attention back to him.

“Just look at the world around you
Right here on the ocean floor
Such wonderful things surround you
What more is you looking for? ”

        A group of baby gronkles swam around him and he smiled in delight. Snotlout, taking this as a sign that he was getting through to Hiccup, continued with his song.

“Under the sea
Under the sea

Hiccup, it’s better
Down where it’s wetter
Take it from me!

Up on the shore, they work all day
Out in the sun, they slave away
While we devotin’

Full time to floatin’
Under the sea! ”

        Hiccup watched with amusement as Snotlout swam around, getting other sea creatures to join in the song. Snotlout found some clams and started clapping them together to make a beat.

“Down here all the fish is happy
As off through the waves they go
The fish on the land ain’t happy
They sad ‘cause they’re in their bowl ”

        Hiccup frowned as he thought of the prospect of being stuck in a glass bowl for the rest of his life.

“But fish in the bowl is lucky
They in for a worser fate

One day when the boss gets hungry ”

“Guess who’s gon’ be on the plate? ” A passing fish sang sadly.

“Oh, no

Under the sea
Under the sea
Nobody beat us
Fry us and eat us
In fricassee ”

        Hiccup, getting bored, fiddled with the coral below him, but then a few baby whispering deaths burrowed out of the sand and swam up to him. Hiccup giggled as they circled around him and Snotlout, seeing Hiccup smiling and laughing, continued to sing with gusto.

“We what the land folks love to cook
Under the sea we off the hook
We got no troubles
Life is the bubbles! ”

        Hiccup sighed as he watched his cousin flit about on the seafloor, caught up in the music. He had to admit, despite the message of the song, it was catchy and he found himself bobbing his head to the beat.

“Under the sea (Under the sea)
Under the sea (Under the sea)

Since life is sweet here
We’ve got to be here
Naturally (Naturally)

Even the sturgeon and the ray
They get the urge and start to play
You got the spirit
We got to hear it
Under the sea! ”

        Snotlout continued singing as he looked out that the crown of marine creatures who had joined him in the song, even Hookfang was swishing his tail to the beat.

“The newt play the flute
The carp play the harp
The plaice play the bass
And they’re soundin’ sharp
The bass play the brass
The chub play the tub
The fluke is the duke of soul

The ray he can play
The lings on the strings
The trout rockin’ out
The blackfish he sings
The smelt and the sprat
They know where it’s at
And oh that blowfish blow! ”

        As the song went on, Toothless entered the clearing and weaved through the dancing sea creatures to the merman watching it all on the side. Hiccup saw the black dragon swimming toward him and smiled. “Hi, Toothless,” he greeted. “What’s up, bud?” Toothless warbled softly and began gently tugging on his arm. Hiccup frowned but decided to humour his best friend. “Alright, bud, I’m coming.” He rose off the rock and followed the dragon out of the clearing without a look back. Snotlout was having too much fun to notice his cousin departing as he continued singing happily.

“Yeah, under the sea! (Under the sea)
Under the sea (Under the sea)

When the sardine
Begin the beguine
It’s music to me (Music to me)

What do they got? A lot of sand?
We’ve got a hot crustacean band
Each little clam here
Knows how to jam here
Under the sea!

Each little slug here
Cuttin’ a rug here
Under the sea!

Each little snail here
Know how to wail here
That’s why it’s hotter
Under the water
Ya we in luck here
Down in the muck here
Under the sea!”

        Snotlout turned to the rock where Hiccup had been sitting with a huge grin and his arms held wide only to find it empty. “Hiccup?” His smile faded and his arms dropped back to his sides as he looked around. “Hiccup?” Snotlout searched in every direction but the prince was nowhere in sight. He groaned and shook his head. “Somebody’s got to nail that boy’s fins to the floor,” he sighed and Hookfang warbled in agreement.

        “Snotlout!” called a voice, and he looked up to see his father swimming his way, a stern expression on his face. “Boyo, I have been looking all over for you. I have an urgent message from the king.”

        “The sea king?” Snotlout asked nervously.

        “No, the ice king,” Spitelout said sarcastically. “Of course the sea king! He wants to see you right away… something about Hiccup.”

        Snotlout gasped and his eyes widened in horror. He turned to his father but he was already swimming away in the direction of the castle. “He knows!” he said nervously to Hookfang.

…

        Back at the castle, Stoick was laughing happily on his throne, smiling and fidgeting with his hammer. So, his son was in love. This was wonderful news. He was beginning to think Hiccup would never find love, always too busy exploring the seven seas with that dragon of his to make any friends or meet anyone. Hopefully, this girl could draw his son’s attention away from the human world and back to where it should be. He just had to find out who it was.

        “Hmm, let’s see now,” he mused to himself. “Oh, who could the lucky mermaid be?” He then noticed Snotlout peeking uncertainly at the entrance and cleared his throat. “Um, come in, Snotlout.”

        Snotlout took a deep breath and swam forward slowly. “I mustn't overreact. I must remain calm,” he muttered under his breath. He stopped before the king’s throne and bowed. “Yes?” he squeaked in a voice that was several octaves higher than normal. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Uh, yes, your Majesty?”

        “Now, Snotlout, I'm concerned about Hiccup,” he said, attempting to conceal his giddiness with a stern look and fiddling with his hammer. “Have you noticed she's been acting peculiar lately?”

        “Oh, uh, peculiar?” Snotlout asked, feigning curiosity. 

        “You know, moaning about, daydreaming, singing to himself...,” Stoick prompted. He then looked down at the smaller merman and frowned. “You haven't noticed, hmm?”

        “Oh… well, I...” Snotlout stuttered.

        “Snotlout...” the king drawled, gesturing for the other merman to come closer. “I know you’ve been keeping something from me.”

        Snotlout gulped. “K...Keeping something?” Oh, Thor, what is he gonna do?

        “About Hiccup?” Stoick prompted, his eyebrows raised.

        Snotlout started to hug himself to stop himself from trembling. “Hiccup?”

        “In love?” Stoick leaned in closer and inadvertently brought his hammer up to point at Snotlout. Snotlout gasped and dropped to the floor as his confidence broke.

        “I tried to stop him, sire!” he wailed. “He just wouldn't listen. I told him to stay away from humans… they are bad, they are trouble, they-”

        He didn’t get any farther as Stoick straightened in his seat. As soon as he heard the word ‘humans,’ his smile disappeared and his hammer began to glow angrily. “Humans! What about humans?! ” he roared, standing up abruptly.

        Snotlout realized his mistake and tried to rectify what he said. “Humans?” he asked, laughing nervously as he began to back away out of the room. “Who said anything about humans?” 

        With one look at Stoick’s face, he knew he wasn’t convincing anyone. The sea king looked furious and he gulped nervously as his shadow loomed over him.

Chapter Text

        “Toothless, what’s all this about?” Hiccup asked as Toothless led him to the door of their secret grotto. The dragon pushed the door aside and swam in, closely followed by the prince. 

        Toothless warbled happily, shooting a gummy smile to his friend over his shoulder. Hiccup shook his head and laughed in amusement as the dragon’s antics. “Alright, you useless reptile. What do you want...” 

        He trailed off as they came to the entrance opening up to the wide grotto. Hiccup’s eyes were drawn to the object in the centre of the room and he gasped, lost for words. It was a shield on which was painted a beautiful, blonde girl, the same girl he had met but a few hours ago. 

        “Oh, Toothless,” Hiccup whispered. He grabbed his dragon in a hug before swimming to the shield. “Toothless, you're the best! It looks just like her. It even has her eyes.” Hiccup ran his hands along the wooden surfaces of the shield dreamily. “Why, Astrid, we meet again.” He giggled and bowed. “May I have this dance, milady?” He closed his eyes and twirled around in the water, grinning like a madman. 

        He opened them to thank Toothless once again but instead gasped in shock, the smile wiping instantly off his face. “Dad!” he said, shrinking back in fear.

        Stoick the Vast swam out of the shadows, all the while glaring at his son. Snotlout was behind him hidden behind some pots and pans, not wanting to look Hiccup in the eyes.

        “I consider myself to be a reasonable merman,” Stoick said, attempting to keep his voice calm. “I set certain rules and I expect those rules to be obeyed.”

        “But, Dad I-” Hiccup said, but his father continued.

        “Is it true you rescued a human from drowning?” he demanded.

        “Dad, I had to,” Hiccup tried to explain

        “Contact between the human world and the merworld is strictly forbidden. Hiccup, you know that! Everyone knows that!” Stoick’s voice started to rise and his hammer began to glow, reacting to his growing anger. Hiccup glanced at Snotlout but his cousin had yet to look at him.

        “She would have died!” Hiccup argued.

        “One less human to worry about!” Stoick yelled.

        “You don’t even know her,” Hiccup said angrily, his eyes narrowing at his father.

        “Know her?” Stoick repeated incredulously. “I don't have to know her. They're all the same. Spineless, savage, harpooning, fish-eaters, incapable of any feeling

        “Dad, I love her!” Hiccup shouted, but then gasped and shrank back in fear. Snotlout inhaled sharply from behind him and Toothless even warbled softly, worried for his best friend yet unwilling to stand up to the inflamed merman.

        Stoick’s eyes widened to the point that they were sure to pop out of his head. “No,” he breathed. “Have you lost your senses completely? She’s a human, you're a merman!”

        “I don’t care,” Hiccup said defiantly, scowling at the floor.

        “So help me Hiccup, I am going to get through to you,” Stoick roared and Hiccup flinched as his hammer began to glow even brighter. “And if this is the only way, so be it!”

        Without another word, he pointed his hammer to a globe and shot a burst of blinding light at it, disintegrating it at once. Snotlout gasped at the destruction and Toothless went to hide in one of the alcoves. “No, Dad!” Hiccup cried, but his father paid him no attention as he pointed his hammer at one of his son’s other trinkets. “No!” he yelled as a candle holder smashed into bits alongside his many shelves of books. “No, please,” he pleaded as he watched his beautiful collections shattering around the grotto. The dinglehopper and snarfblat that he had found the other day were the next to go and that snapped Hiccup out of his shock. He swam to his father, attempting to physically stop him from destroying anything else. “Dad, stop!”

        Stoick ignored his son’s pleas as his eyes fell on the picture of the woman that his son claimed to love so much. His eyes darkened and he raised his hammer. Hiccup followed his father’s gaze and cried, “Dad, NO!”

        A jet of angry orange light blasted the shield and it exploded in thousands of tiny wooden shards, leaving behind nothing but dark scorch marks and air bubbles. Hiccup stared at the remnants of the shield in shock. He then dropped to the stone floor where it had previously been and sobbed hysterically. Stoick, calmer now that he had gotten his rage out, turned away, his face falling a bit as he heard his son’s cries echoing through the cave. He shook his head slightly, convinced there was nothing else he could do, and left the now empty grotto without a single word.

        Snotlout watched the King leave before bringing his attention to the prince. He’d never seen Hiccup cry before. He had always held his head up high and pushed through whatever situation he faced, even during his conversations with his father. To see him now, Snotlout thought, I guess everyone has their breaking point. He sighed, the guilt overwhelming him. “Hiccup, I...”

        “Just go away,” Hiccup sobbed, not lifting his head to look at his cousin.

        “But,” Snotlout tried again, “Hiccup, I-”

        “I said go away, Snotlout!” Hiccup yelled sharply, raising his head to glare at his cousin. “How could you?! I thought you were my friend!” Snotlout opened his mouth to tell Hiccup that he was his friend but he was cut off. “Get out! Get away from me, you… you traitor!”

        Snotlout watched as Hiccup continued to sob on the rock and swam forward to do… anything when a vicious growl stopped him in his tracks. He turned to see Toothless snarling at him and he backed off, leaving the two alone. Toothless looked back to his friend, crooning softly in sympathy, before leaving the prince to his privacy.

        As Hiccup lay in the centre of the grotto, his shoulders bobbing up and down as he cried, another creature slithered into the cave. Alvin the Treacherous watched the merman and smiled to himself, taking in the perfect opportunity to enact his and his mother’s plan.

        “Poor child,” Alvin crooned, and Hiccup jerked up at the raspy voice in surprise. “You have a very serious problem, don’t you? If only there was something I could do...” He pretended to think for a moment before smirking wide. “Oh, but there is something.”

        Hiccup stared at the stranger and frowned. “Who… who are you?” he asked, sniffing

        “Don’t be scared,” Alvin said softly, swimming closer to the boy and wrapping his tentacles around him, not too tight but uncomfortably close. “I represent someone who can help you. Someone who can make all your precious dreams come true. Just imagine, you and your princess together… forever.”

        Hiccup blinked and shook his head slowly. “I don’t understand.”

        “Excellinor has great powers,” Alvin explained.

        “Excellinor?” Hiccup gasped, shaking his head as he drew back. “The sea witch? Why, that's - I couldn't possibly - no!” Hiccup shouted, straightening up and waving his hand at the half-octopus, half-human, turning away.“Get out of here! Leave me alone!”

        Alvin shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He started to leave as he called over his shoulder, “It was only a suggestion.” As he was leaving one of his tentacles flicked something that landed on the floor near the young prince.

        Hiccup picked up the object to see that it was one of the colourful shards of the shield Toothless had found. He blinked down at it in surprise. It was a shard with Astrid’s face painted on it, surprisingly still intact after the shield was so brutally blasted apart. Hiccup’s breath faltered as he gazed at the beautiful girl. “Wait,” he called.

        Alvin paused at the entrance and grinned evilly before turning back around to face the merman. “Yes?” he asked expectantly.

… 

        Outside the cave, Snotlout paced back and forth as Toothless stayed at the foot of the cave, waiting anxiously. Hookfang was resting not too far from the two and watched the scene wearily. Toothless was still glaring at Snotlout, but it had softened from before. “I didn’t mean to tell him, honestly,” Snotlout said to the dragon, sighing sadly. “It was an accident.”

        Toothless scoffed but ceased his glaring. He could tell that what the other merman said was true and wouldn’t fault him for that… but it didn’t mean that he couldn’t fault him for everything else.

        A shadow suddenly passed over them and Snotlout looked up to see Hiccup swimming behind a strange creature. “Hiccup?” He frowned and swam up alongside his cousin. “Hiccup, where are you going?” He asked but Hiccup didn’t answer, refusing to even look at him. “Hiccup, what are you doing here with this riff-raff?” Snotlout shot a glare at Alvin who glared back at him.

        “I’m going to see Excellinor,” Hiccup said without looking at Snotlout and instead stared straight ahead.

        Snotlout froze and gasped in horror. “Hiccup, no!” he cried, grabbing the prince’s tail to stop him. “No, she's a demon, she's a monster!”

        Hiccup glared at him and shook his tail angrily to throw his hand off. “Why don’t you go tell my father?” he said coldly. “You’re good at that.”

        Snotlout stopped as Toothless rushed past him to follow Hiccup. “But… but I,” he stuttered, trying to think of anything to say. He then straightened up and looked at Hookfang who had swum up to them. “Come on, Hooky,” Snotlout said, gesturing for him to follow, and the group of five were off.

        They reached the border between Berytheas and the wastelands beyond. The group swam up to a cave shaped like a giant dragon skeleton and Alvin swam up to it confidently while Hiccup paused with uncertainty

        “This way,” Alvin prompted him and Hiccup looked hesitantly at the menacing dragonish skull. He looked to his dragon and gulped nervously before following the son of the sea witch inside. Upon entering the cave, he paused again in shock and disgust. The floor was covered with hundreds of polyps, their brown, shrivelled bodies twitching and squirming as they glanced balefully up at him with wide eyes.

        He carefully swam down the opening, careful to stay high enough that they couldn’t reach, but one managed to spring up and latch onto his right wrist. He yelped in surprise and staggered back, struggling to loosen the polyp’s grip. Once his wrist was free, he rubbed it soothingly as his dragon, who had yet to enter the cave, warbled in concern. “It’s ok, bud,” Hiccup called to him, unable to keep the tremble out of his voice.

        “Come in,” called a voice from inside the cave and he continued on inside. “Come in, my child.” He turned the corner to see the sea witch waiting for him, smirking and eyes wide.  “We mustn’t lurk in doorways. It’s rude.” Alvin went swimming to his mother’s side and smirked as well. “One might begin to question your upbringing.”

        She laughed menacingly and Hiccup shifted in discomfort. “Now then,” she announced, turning to a vanity mirror and squeezing a handful of gel out of a bottle onto her hands before running them through her white hair. “You’re here because you have a thing for this human. This, er, princess…”

        “Not that I blame you,” Alvin said. “She’s quite a catch, ain’t she?”

        “Alvin!” Excellinor barked at her son, and he stopped laughing. “What did we say about interrupting mummy?”

        “Not to,” Alvin mumbled, bowing his head obediently

        Excellinor nodded and turned to Hiccup with a smile. “Forgive my son, he doesn’t know when to shut up sometimes.” Hiccup nodded dazedly, unsure of what to say. “Now, where were we?” Excellinor asked, turning back to her mirror. “Ah, yes. Well, angelfish, the solution to your problem is simple. The only way to get what you want is to become a human yourself.”

        Hiccup gasped and looked at her in wonder. “Can you… do that?”

        Excellinor smirked to herself before turning to the prince and shooting him a sympathetic smile. “My dear, sweet child. That’s what I do. It’s what I live for. To help unfortunate merfolk, like yourself.” She swam over to him and cupped his chin in her hands. Hiccup flinched and drew away, but that didn’t perturb her. “Poor, unfortunate souls with no one else to turn to.” She slowly drifted away from him as she started to sing softly, Hiccup listening intently to her words with a feeling that sent both unease and interest shivering down his spine.

“I admit that in the past I’ve been a nasty
They weren’t kidding when they called me, well, a witch
But you’ll find that nowadays
I’ve mended all my ways
Repented, seen the light, and made a switch ”

        “True? ” She asked Hiccup, and the merman drew back instinctively with a barely noticeable flinch. Without waiting for a reply, Excellinor answered her own question. “Yes .”

“And I fortunately know a little magic
It’s a talent that I always have possessed
And here lately, please don’t laugh
I use it on behalf
Of the miserable, lonely, and depressed ”

        “Pathetic, ” she whispered to her son as she stood over a bubbling cauldron. She waved her hand over it and two merpeople appeared, one a skinny merman and the other a fat mermaid.

“Poor unfortunate souls
In pain
In need
This one longing to be thinner
That one wants to get the girl
And do I help them?

Yes, indeed ”

        She snapped her fingers and the two merpeople changed. The man became more muscular and the woman became thinner as they embraced lovingly.

“Those poor unfortunate souls
So sad
So true
They come flocking to my cauldron
Crying, ‘Spells, Excellinor, please!’
And I help them?
Yes, I do ”

        Snotlout and Toothless hovered near the entrance of the cave, Toothless because he was too big to fit in and Snotlout because he was too nervous. They watched cautiously at the scene before them, watched the sea witch sing and watched Hiccup begin to relax at her words.

“Now it’s happened once or twice
Someone couldn’t pay the price
And I’m afraid I had to rake ‘em ‘cross the coals ”

        Excellinor clenched her hands together and the images of the merman and mermaid started shrinking into two polyps. Hiccup gasped and drew back in alarm.

“Yes, I’ve had the odd complaint
But on the whole, I’ve been a saint
To those poor unfortunate souls ”

        Her shadow rose over the shivering polyps that littered the entrance floor and Hiccup glanced at them in sorrow. His attention was suddenly drawn when Excellinor grabbed him around the waist with one of her tentacles. “Now, here’s the deal. I will make you a potion that will turn you into a human for three days. Got that? Three days.”

        Excellinor led Hiccup over to her cauldron whilst he tried to slip the tentacle off of him. “Now listen, this is important,” the sea witch said as three glowing orbs rose out of the rock edifice. “Before the sun sets on the third day, you've got to get dear ol' princess to fall in love with you. That is, she's got to kiss you.” Hiccup watched as a crown rose out of the cauldron followed by a red heart. “Not just any kiss - the kiss of true love. If she does kiss you before the sun sets on the third day, you'll remain human, permanently.” Hiccup smiled excitedly as the heart became the silhouette of a man running. “But - if she doesn't, you turn back into a merman, and…” Hiccup frowned as the image morphed back into a merman before disappearing, “you belong to me.”

        Snotlout gasped from behind. “No, Hiccup.” He tried to swim to him but his path was blocked by Alvin.

        Excellinor smiled widely at him, cupping his chin in her hand to bring his attention away from his cousin. “Have we got a deal?”

        “If I become human,” Hiccup mused to himself, “I’ll never be with my father or sister again.”

        “That’s right,” Excellinor said, crossing her arms and acting as if that thought never occurred to her. “But… you’ll have you girl. Life is full of tough choices, innit?” She chuckled darkly as Hiccup flinched back. “Oh,” she added as if in an afterthought, “and there is one more thing. We haven't discussed the subject of payment. You can't get something for nothing, you know.”

        Hiccup’s heart sank as he swam around her. “But I don’t have any-”

        A tentacle shot out and covered his mouth to stop him.“I’m not asking for much,” Excellinor interrupted. “Just a token, really, a trifle. You'll never even miss it. What I want from you is… your voice.”

        “My voice?” Hiccup repeated, bringing his hand up to his throat. Was he really willing to give that up for the thing he had been dreaming about?

        Excellinor nodded. “You got it, sweetie. No more talking, singing, zip.”

        Hiccup frowned. “But without my voice, how can I;”

        “You’ll have your looks!” the witch interrupted impatiently. “Your handsome face. And don’t underestimate the importance of body language! Ha!” She shook her hips in a sexy manner that made Hiccup flush red and look away

“The girls up there don’t like a lot of blabber
They think a man who gossips is a bore
Yes, on land it’s much preferred
For humans not to say a word
After all, dear, what is idle prattle for”

        Excellinor swam to a cabinet full of bottles and vials containing odd ingredients and started tossing them into the cauldron. The pot bubbled and boiled as it turned mixtures of blue and green

“Come on, they’re not all that impressed with conversation
True gentlemen avoid it when they can
Women dote and swoon and fawn
On a man who is withdrawn
You’ve got to hold your tongue when you’re a man ”

        She threw the last ingredient, a forked dragon’s tongue, into the cauldron and it released a burst of steam. Hiccup yelped and swam back a few feet away from the boiling mixture.

“Come on, you poor unfortunate soul!
Go ahead!
Make your choice!

I’m a very busy women 
And I haven’t got all day
It won’t cost much
Just your voice! ”

        An image of Astrid’s smiling face appeared above the cauldron. Hiccup smiled and leaned in but the image quickly disappeared and was replaced by Excellinors’s face.

“You poor unfortunate soul
It’s sad
But true
If you want to cross a bridge, my sweet
You’ve got to pay the toll ”

        Excellinor suddenly appeared beside him with a long, yellow scroll covered with words. She swam away, leaving the scroll floating in the water, and a pen made from the skeleton of a fish appeared beside it.

“Take a gulp and take a breath
And go ahead and sign the scroll”

        She leaned over to her son and whispered in an undertone, “Alvin, dear son, now I’ve got him, boy!” She then shouted,

“The boss is on a roll!
This poor unfortunate soul! ”

        At the last word, Hiccup made his decision. He grabbed the pen and, before hesitating for a second, hastily scrawled “Hiccup H. Haddock III” on the bottom line of the scroll. As soon as he finished, Excellinor snatched the contract away and smiled evilly, turning to her cauldron that was now filled with a blue potion and chanted.

“Paluga, saluga, come winds of the Caspian sea
Larynxes glossitis, ad max laryngitis
La voce to me! ”

        A blue whirlpool surrounded the witch and prince as neon green hands emerged from the pot. She glared madly at Hiccup and pointed a finger at him. “Now sing,” she hissed.

        Hiccup looked at the hands, too afraid to move or do anything other than quake in fear. Then he remembered Astrid and focused on her. Astrid, he was doing this for Astrid.

        Finding the courage, Hiccup opened his mouth and began to sing a wordless melody. Excellinor smiled cruelly, her crazed-filled eyes bulging. “Keep singing!” she roared as the hands neared him. Hiccup didn’t flinch back and continued to sing, picturing Astrid in his mind. He slipped his eyes shut as one of the hands slipped into his mouth and reached down his throat. A moment later, it drew back and he fell silent. He opened his eyes to see a small, glowing orb in its palm, his voice echoing from it. He gripped his throat with his hands as his eyes widened in shock, watching the orb drift to the sea witch. He watched as wisps of his voice entered the opening of the spiral shell necklace that she wore around her neck until all was silent.

        Excellinor began to laugh hysterically as a giant bubble formed around the unsuspecting merman. Hiccup gasped as a sharp pain shot through his tail. He cringed and shook uncontrollably as his fins were ripped apart and formed into two long human legs. The bubble burst and Hiccup struggled to keep afloat, kicking and flailing his arms and legs. He opened his mouth to call for Toothless but instead, a handful of seawater entered his mouth. He spluttered and gagged, thrashing around in the water.

        Immediately, Snotlout swam to his cousin and, once he pulled him up out of the cave, Toothless and Hookfang rushed to his side. Toothless positioned himself on one side of the prince and Snotlout was on the other, Hookfang trailing closely behind them, and as one, the group swam quickly to the surface, the sound of Excellionr’s laughter echoing behind them.

        Just when Hiccup was sure he was going to drown before he had even taken his first steps as a human, his head broke the surface of the water. He gasped, spitting out water and taking in as much air as he could. His lungs felt like they were on fire and it took a while for him to get his breathing back to normal. He panted heavily as Toothless crooned beside him, nudging the former merman in concern. Hiccup looked at his dragon and gave him a smile in gratitude as the four began the long swim to the shores of Berk.

Chapter Text

        Astrid leaned on the side of the castle as she looked out into the sea, basking in the morning rays of the sun. She watched as her dragon frolicked around in the shallow waters a few feet away and sighed. She pulled out Gobber’s panpipes from a saddlebag at her feet and brought it to her lips. She played a beautiful tune, the soft notes echoing in the peaceful air. The song was the tune that her rescuer had been singing as they lay on the shore. She could recall every detail of the song clearly. If only she could do the same with the boy.

        She sighed again and Stormfly flew over to her, squawking in concern. “That voice,” the princess moaned. “I can't get it out of my head. I've looked everywhere, Stormfly.” She stroked her dragon’s tail and looked out at the sea longingly. “Where could he be?”

        Unbeknownst to her, her rescuer was closer than she thought. A few hundred feet away, obscured by some rocks, Toothless and Hookfang pulled an exhausted Hiccup into the shallow end of the ocean on to the sand. Snotlout emerged from the water behind them, equally exhausted and panting heavily

        Hiccup stirred groggily and blinked his eyes open. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and looked around. He was so tired from the long journey and his head started to sag. His eyes drooped and he looked down at his knees that were sticking out of the water

        His head jerked back up and his eyes widened. Knees? Then that would mean he also had…

        He slowly lifted one leg out of the water and gaped at it. It was long and smooth and, like the rest of his body, matched the colour of his skin. He wiggled his toes experimentally and laughed in delight.

        “Well, look what the catfish dragged in?!”

        Hiccup and his friends looked up to see Wodensfang soaring down to them. The small dragon landed on Hiccup’s leg which he crossed over his knee. “Look at ya!” Wodensfang exclaimed, laughing happily. “Look at ya! There's something different. Don't tell me.” He thought for a moment, then his eyes brightened. “I got it. It’s your hairdo, right? You’ve been using the dinglehopper, right?”

        Hiccup, grinning widely in amusement, shook his head while Snotlout rolled his eyes.

        “No? No, huh, let me see.” He sat on the leg and continued to think, his tail swishing around Hiccup’s foot. Hiccup started bouncing his leg up and down to give him a clue, but the blue sea dragon was completely clueless. “I gotta admit, I can't put my foot on it right now, but if I just stand here long enough I know that I'll-”

        “He’s got legs, you idiot!” Snotlout yelled impatiently and Wodensfang jumped up in the air in surprise and hovered over the leg he had vacated. “He traded his voice to the sea witch and got legs, for Thor’s sake.”

        Wodensfang landed on the rock outcropping beside Snotlout and scoffed. “I knew that,” he said, chuckling in a way that made the four watching him unsure of whether he was telling the truth or not.

        Snotlout held his head in his hands and shook his head. “Hiccup’s been turned into a human. He's gotta make the princess fall in love with him, and he's gotta kiss her,” he explained, struggling not to yell in exasperation. “And he's only got three days to-”

        He was interrupted by a big splash and he and the three dragons were drenched. He looked over to see Hiccup, who had tried to stand on his wobbly legs, toppled over into the shallow pool.

        “Just look at him!” Snotlout cried in despair, gesturing at the prince who had a seaweed stuck in his hair. “On legs! On human legs! My nerves are shot.” He groaned. “This is a catastrophe! What would his father say? I'll tell you what his father'd say, he'd say he's gonna fillet himself a merman, that's what his father'd say!” He took a deep breath to compose himself. “I'm gonna swim straight home right now and tell him just like I should have done the minute-”

        Hiccup’s eyes widened and he quickly rushed in front of his cousin to block his path. He shook his head wildly and clasped his hands together in front of him in a pleading gesture, but Snotlout was having none of that and crossed his arms. “Don't you shake your head at me, Hiccup!” he snapped. “Maybe there's still time. If we could get that witch to give you back your voice, you could go home with all the normal fish, and just be…”

        He faltered at the look that his cousin was giving him. At the mention of going back to Berythes, Hiccup’s face dropped at the thought of giving up all he ever dreamed of. He looked utterly devastated and Snotlout couldn’t help the guilt of offering the idea build up inside of him.

        “... just be…” he tried again but then sighed in defeat, “...just be miserable for the rest of your life.” He shook his head and sighed. “All right, all right. I’ll try to help you find that princess.”

        Hiccup’s face brightened and he was so excited that he gave Snotlout a big hug. Once he let go, Snotlout sighed again and looked at his dragon. “Boy, I’m going soft,” he muttered.

        “Now, Hiccup,” Wodensfang announced, flying back to the shore where some remains from a previous shipwreck lay, a tan sail among the mess. “I’m tellin’ ya, if you wanna be a human, the first thing you gotta do is dress like one. Now lemme see.”

…

        Not far away, Astrid was walking along the shoreline while Stormfly was trailing behind her. Suddenly, the Deadly Nadder jerked up, catching a familiar scent, and squawked happily. Astrid turned to her dragon and frowned. “What’s up, Stormfly? Hey!” Stormfly flew past her and headed down the beach. “What? Stormfly? Come back!” she shouted, running off after the dragon, but Stormfly ignored her rider’s calls and latched onto the scent.

… 

        Hiccup had just finished wrapping the ripped sail around his waist, covering his lower body down to his knees. “Ya look great, kid,” Wodensfang complimented him. “Ya look… sensational.”

        Hiccup looked down at himself and tried to hide his grimace. This was definitely not what he saw the other humans wearing, but it would have to do.

        His thoughts were cut short as a loud screech came from around the corner and he looked up just in time to see a nadder fly toward him. Snotlout gasped and dove into the sea, Hookfang and Toothless right on his tail, and Wodensfang took off in fright. Hiccup recognized the dragon barreling toward him and smiled. Wherever the dragon was, her rider shouldn’t be too far behind. He held up a hand to the dragon like he once did with Toothless a long time ago, and Stormfly pressed her nose up to his palm.

        “Stormfly!” a voice called and Hiccup and the dragon jumped apart just as a young girl rounded the corner. “Stormfly, what’s gotten into you, you overgrown reptile,” she scolded but then stopped in her tracks at the sight before her. “Oh,” she said. “I see.”

        Hiccup, despite dreaming of this moment for ages, suddenly became very nervous and he rubbed the back of his neck as Astrid slowly approached. She smiled warmly at the boy and spoke softly so as not to scare him away. “Hey there. Are you okay?” Astrid turned to her dragon and started stroking her side. “Sorry if this knucklehead scared you,” she said fondly.”She’s harmless, really.” She looked back up at the boy to see he was staring at her intently with something that she could have sworn she’d seen before, but for the life of her could not pinpoint where.

        “You… seem very familiar… to me,” Astrid murmured, “Have we met?”

        Hiccup started nodding his head vigorously and Stormfly warbled happily in agreement. Astrid gently nudged her aside so that she could see Hiccup more clearly. “We have met?” she repeated, and when Hiccup nodded again, her eyes lit up. She surged forward and took Hiccup’s hands in hers. “I knew it! You’re the one! The one I’ve been looking for! What’s your name?”

        “Hiccup,” the prince tried to say, but no words came out

        “What’s wrong? What is it?” Astrid asked and Hiccup patted his throat with his hand. “You can’t speak?” Hiccup shook his head sadly and Astrid looked down in disappointment. “Oh, then you couldn’t be who I thought….”

        Hiccup and Stormfly both huffed in frustration. He was the one! He was the one who saved her! He tried to find a way to make her see when he got an idea. He tapped Astrid on the shoulder to get her attention and started gesturing with his hands.

        “What is it? You’re hurt?” she asked, staring at him in confusion. “No, no… you need help?”

        In his desperation to make Astrid understand, Hiccup accidentally overbalanced and lost his footing. As he braced for impact, a pair of arms suddenly caught him and stopped his fall. “Whoa, whoa, careful,” Astrid gasped as she helped him straighten up. “Careful, easy.” Their faces were inches away from each other and Hiccup looked into her deep blue eyes, willing her to remember.

        A flash of recognition crossed her eyes but it was quickly shoved down and discarded as wishful thinking. “Gee, you must have really been through something.” She smiled comfortably and told him, “don’t worry. I’ll help you. Come on.” She gently slipped her arm around his shoulders and led him back to the village. “Come on, you’ll be okay.”

        Hiccup looked back to see Snotlout, Toothless, and Wodensfang watching from behind a rock. Toothless gave him one of his gummy smiles with his tongue hanging out and Wodensfang smiled and wagged his tail. ‘ Way to go ,’ he mouthed and Hiccup smiled

        “Wow,” Snotlout said to the two dragons. “That was easier than I thought.”

…

        Getting Hiccup through the village and up to the castle was a hard task. The gossip mill had taken flight and people openly stared at the two as they passed, Stormfly trying as hard as she might to cover Hiccup’s near-nudity from view. Astrid ignored them as she continued to lead the mute prince up to the castle while Hiccup looked around in awe.

        He had never seen anything so wonderful as this, craning his neck to try to take in everything, not wanting to miss a thing. Astrid had to wonder at his obvious curiosity but just brushed it off. First, she had to make sure he was okay.

        She guided Hiccup through the doors of the castle and found Gobber in the dining hall. He took one look at the two and his eyes widened at the prince’s choice of wardrobe. “Ah, who’s your friend, Astrid?”

        “I found him on the beach,” Astrid explained, rolling her eyes at the man’s expression. “Or, more like Stormfly found him on the beach. He must have been shipwrecked or something.”

        “Or something?” Gobber asked. “Has he not told you yet?”

        “He can’t talk, Gobber,” Astrid said, shaking her head. “Either he lost his voice or he’s a mute.”

        “Oh,” Gobber mused. “That explains it then.” He then thought hard to himself. “You should borrow some clothes from Tuffnut’s closet. They look about the same size.”

        Astrid nodded and led Hiccup up the spiral stairs.

…

        After leaving the boy to change in Tuffnut’s room, Astrid rejoined Gobber in the dining hall and sat in a chair to the side. She contented herself with watching the larger man work, a glazed look in her eyes.

        Gobber glanced at the princess and sighed. “What’s wrong, lass?” he asked. When Astrid looked at him in confusion, he gave her a pointed look. “I know that look. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

        Astrid groaned at being caught, but this was Gobber. He had practically raised her since she was seven. “For a moment,” she started, blushing at the idea. “For a moment… I thought he might be the one. You know, the one with the...”

        “... the one with the voice,” Gobber finished for her. “What makes you think that he still couldn’t be the one?”

        “He can’t talk, Gobber,” Astrid said pointedly. “I think that is a pretty big clue

        Gobber sighed and opened his mouth to say something when he was interrupted by the presence of three other teens. “Are you still going on about how a man with the body of adonis and the voice of an angel rescued you,” Tuffnut asked, his voice laced with sarcasm.

        Astrid glared at him. “And so what if I am? Is it really that unbelievable?”

        “We’re just worried about you, Astrid,” Gobber said. “Ever since that day, you won’t think of anything else except that lad. It’s not healthy.”

        “Trust me, he’s out there somewhere,” the princess said, “and I just know we’ll meet again.”

        “Good luck with that,” Fishlegs commented offhandedly. “Come on, Astrid. Be reasonable. Nice young men just don't swim around rescuing people in the middle of the ocean and then flutter off into oblivion, like some-”

        “I'm telling you, Fishlegs, he was REAL!” Astrid insisted. “I'm gonna find that man… and I'm gonna marry him.”

        The others gaped at her when she said that and Gobber was about to try to reason with her again when a voice echoed from the entrance to the dining hall.

        “Come on, honey,” a voice belonging to one of the serving girls said to someone behind the door. “Don’t be shy. They are right through here.”  The curtains were pulled aside as Hiccup cautiously entered the room. He was dressed in brown pants and a green tunic, much like the colour of his former tail. He also wore a brown fur vest and brown boots. Astrid stared at him in awe, finally turning away when she felt a nudge on her side. She looked to her side to see Gobber smirking and she rolled her eyes and punched him in the shoulder… hard.

        Ruffnut nudged her brother. “Hey, isn’t that the shirt that Aunt Cassie gave you for your birthday?” she whispered

        “Yeah,” Tuffnut answered. “Why?.”

        “Well, it looks so much better on him,” Ruffnut said, roaming her eyes up and down Hiccup’s body. “Yeah, so much better.”

        Astrid rolled her eyes at the two and stepped forward. “You look great,” she told him before gesturing behind her. “These are my friends, Fishlegs Ingerman and the twins, Tuffnut and Ruffnut Thorsten.”

        “Well, come on, you must be starved,” Gobber said, leading the way to the giant dinner table large enough to fit ten people. Gobber sat at the head of the table while Astrid and Fishlegs sat to his right and Hiccup sat in between the twins to his left. “It's… It's not often that we have dinner guests, eh Astrid?”

        “What about us?” Tuffnut asked and Gobber frowned. “Let me rephrase. It’s not often we have polite dinner guests.”

        Hiccup looked down at the strange objects in front of him and his face lit up when his eyes laid sight on the fork. A dinglehopper! He remembered what Wodensfang had told him about them and started running it through his hair. It didn’t take him long to realize that this was not the right thing to do. Astrid blinked and stared at him, her hand holding her cup frozen in midair. One glance at the others showed more or less the same thing with varying expressions of surprise. He placed the fork back on the table and smiled sheepishly.

        Gobber straightened up in his seat and cleared his throat. “Um, well, that’s a…. that’s an interesting way to use that, lad

“I take it they don’t have forks where you come from?” Astrid asked, realizing the oddity of that question as soon as the words left her mouth, but she couldn’t think of a better explanation. Hiccup shrugged and bit his lower lip, it was technically true. His eyes widened as he saw Gobber pull out a snarfblat and Gobber, noticing his attention on the pipe, held it out for him. “Oh, do you like it? I do like a good smoke now and the-”

Gobber was interrupted as Hiccup blew deeply into the pipe and a large cloud of smoke came out of the other end, covering his face in a dark layer of soot. Astrid snorted and Fishlegs tried to hide his smile. The twins, of course, cheered happily. While they were conversing to Hiccup to ‘teach them his ways’ and Gobber was busy wiping the soot off his face, Fishlegs gently nudged Astrid on the side.

“That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile in weeks,” he whispered, and Astrid blushed in return, her smile never wavering. She glanced at Hiccup, who was beginning to look uncomfortable between the twins as they conversed back and forth, and her smile broadened.

…

That night, Hiccup went out to the balcony of his newly assigned room and gazed out into the ocean dreamily. The day had been the most wonderful day of his life. He had stayed with Astrid and her friends for the rest of the afternoon up to dinner and had learned a lot from them. Fishlegs was so smart and Gobber, despite his size and tough exterior, was a big old softie. The twins still confused him, but after being around them for the whole afternoon, he got used to their crazy antics and found them really fun to hang out with.

And best of all, Astrid seemed to really like him. She laughed and played around with him like they were friends all along. His heart fluttered at the thought of her bright smile and the sparkle in her eyes.

His thoughts were interrupted by a splash from the water below and he looked down to see the outlines of a merman and two dragons.

“Hey, Hiccup,” Snotlout called up to him. “How are you doing so far?”

Hiccup, unable to express his feelings in words, smiled widely and nodded his head. “That’s good,” Snotlout said. “Has she kissed you yet?”

Hiccup’s face fell and he shook his head sadly

“Hmm,” Snotlout mumbled. “Well, we still have two days left. Plenty of time. Now, we just need to make a plan to get that girl to kiss you.” He was lost in thought for a moment. “Tomorrow, when she takes you on a tour of the island, you gotta look your best.”

Hiccup frowned. How was he supposed to do that?

  Snotlout saw his cousin’s frown asn he tried to offer up some suggestions. “First, you gotta show her you’re strong. Flex your arms, like this.” He flexed his arms to show off his biceps, but that only made Hiccup’s frown deepen. Out of the two of them, Snotlout was always the stronger and huskier one, and what Hiccup lacked in brawn, he made up for in brains. That was clearly not going to work. He looked down at Snotlout so that he could hear the next suggestion. “Next, you gotta pucker up your lips,” he did just that, “... like dis

The look that overcame his cousin’s face made Hiccup laugh silently. He humoured him by puckering his lips, but it only made him feel foolish and he stopped immediately. He shook his head, still smiling gleefully, and tried to get Snotlout’s attention but he was too busy making pucker faces at his dragon. Hiccup rolled his eyes and, after making eye contact with Toothless and giving the black dragon a wave, he went back into his room to rest up for the exciting day ahead.

“And then, you gotta’” He looked up at the balcony to see that it was empty and frowned. “Hiccup?” When no answer came, not that he was expecting one, Snotlout sighed, smiling to his dragon and shaking his head slowly. “That boy… hopeless, I tell you.”

…

Back in Berytheas, King Stoick was pacing back and forth across the throne room, worry overclouding his emotions. He looked up when his daughter and his second in command entered the room. “Any sign of them?” he asked desperately.

Heather looked down dejectedly and sighed. “No, Daddy. We’ve searched everywhere. We’ve found no trace of Hiccup or Toothless.”

“My son and his dragon seem to be missing as well,” Spitelout said, then said hopefully “perhaps he’s with them?”

Stoick groaned, his eyes pleading. “Well, keep looking. Leave no shell unturned, no coral unexplored. Let no one in this kingdom sleep until my son is safe at home.”

Both Heather and Spitelout nodded. “Yes, Daddy.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” Spitelout swam away as Heather slowly approached her father. “Don’t worry, Daddy. We’ll find him,” she assured him as she too swam away to join the search parties.

Stoick watched his daughter go and sighed, sinking down on his throne. “I did this,” he whispered, burying his head in his hands. “Oh Thor, what have I done? What have I done?”

Chapter Text

        The early morning sun was streaming into Hiccup’s bedroom as the prince groggily began to blink his eyes open. He looked around him at the unfamiliar atmosphere and racked his brains for an explanation. After a short moment, his eyes widened and his smile broke out into a grin.

        It wasn’t a dream , he thought to himself happily. He threw the blanket off of him and was delighted at the sight. It really happened . I’m really a human…. and Astrid, his beautiful Astrid, was here, just a few rooms away .

        His thoughts were interrupted by a knocking at his door. “Hey, um, are you awake?” a girl’s voice called from the other side

        Or just a few feet away , Hiccup corrected himself. He opened his mouth to call out to her, but when no sound came out, he remembered that he was mute. He jumped off the bed and opened the door, smiling warmly at Astrid

        “Good morning,” Astrid greeted, returning the smile. “Did you sleep ok?”

        Hiccup nodded and gestured to her, silently asking her the same question

        “I slept fine, thank you,” Astrid answered. This, of course, was a lie. She had been up well past midnight thinking about her mysterious saviour… and now her mysterious guest also. He reminded her so much of her saviour and she would have thought that they were one and the same… if not for one thing. Oh, how she wished that he could talk and put her questions to rest.

        Clearing her throat, she focused back on the boy standing before her. “So, I was thinking we could go down to the village and start the tour there. Would that be ok?”

        Hiccup nodded eagerly and Astrid smiled. “Perfect. Come on, let’s get some breakfast first

        Hiccup grinned and followed her to the dining hall. After a quick meal, the two made their way down to the village. They explored the marketplace and Hiccup pointed at everything they passed while Astrid found it very amusing. They stopped at a vendor selling freshly made loaves of bread and Hiccup studied them curiously.

        “What? Have you never seen bread before?” Astrid asked in jest. When she saw Hiccup shaking his head, her joking manner dropped and she gaped at him. “Seriously?” Hiccup shrugged and looked away, a blush of embarrassment creeping up his neck. Astrid stopped gaping at him and, feeling guilty for making him uncomfortable, turned to the lady behind the cart. She bought several loaves and handed one to Hiccup.

        “Here, try it.” Hiccup took the offered food and bit into it, his eyes widening. “It’s good, isn’t it?” Astrid asked, smiling

        It was definitely more than ‘good,’ but since he couldn’t exactly say that, he just nodded his appreciation.

        They next went to a small shop selling fabrics and clothes. Hiccup had never seen such fine clothes before and couldn’t resist running his hand through each and every one of them, much to the amusement of both Astrid and the woman selling them. “We should probably get you some new clothes while we’re here,” Astrid said. “I would think you’d want your own instead of wearing Tuffnut’s

        Hiccup didn’t actually mind wearing her friend’s clothes, but before he could do so much as to shake his head, Astrid was already flitting around the shop and picking out outfits for him. At that moment, she reminded him of Heather whenever she was searching for new shells. She had always insisted that she needed at least one for every day of the year. Hiccup sighed and shook his head slightly, his smile wavering. Gods, how he missed her. Maybe he’ll see her again someday…. Hopefully.

        He was pulled out of thoughts when a woman walked up to him, smiling gently. She had a basket full of roses and Hiccup faintly recognized her from when Astrid had found him and she was taking him up to the castle.

        “Hello, dear,” the woman said sweetly. “I’m so sorry for what happened to you.” At Hiccup’s questioning look, she added, “the gossip mill runs fast in this village.” She picked out a rose from her basket and handed it to him. “Here, this might cheer you up.” Hiccup took the flower and smiled at the woman, nodding his thanks. The woman smiled back and went on her way.

        Just in time, Astrid emerged from the shop carrying several bags of what he could only suspect were new clothes for him. “Are you ready to go back?” Astrid asked. “ It’s almost time for lunch.” Hiccup nodded and Astrid turned around to show him the way up to the castle. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see Hiccup standing there, holding something behind his back. He held up the rose to her and she took it, smiling graciously.

        “Is this for me?” Hiccup nodded shyly and that made Astrid smile wider. “Thank you, it’s beautiful.” She turned away to hide the pink tinge that was spreading on her cheeks. “Come on, I have a surprise for later.”

        She continued to make her way up to the castle and Hiccup followed dutifully after, a grin making its way on his face. They were getting somewhere.

…

        Up at the castle, it was now the afternoon and Hiccup was in his room. He had just finished changing into one of the new outfits that Astrid had bought him and now he was inspecting himself in the mirror. Wearing clothes was a new prospect for him and he was still getting used to the feeling of them

        There was a knock at his door and the prince opened it to see Astrid standing outside. “Wow,”  Astrid commented, looking Hiccup up and down. “You look great.” Hiccup smiled and gave her a nod, thanking her. “I thought we could go on a flight around the island. It looks really beautiful up on dragonback.” Hiccup nodded and Astrid smiled. “Great. Let’s go.”

        A few minutes later found them on the beach with Stormfly padding around them and squawking in excitement. Stormfly went up to Hiccup and started licking him happily. Hiccup staggered back to get away but was laughing all the same.

        “Stormfly!” Astrid ran to her dragon and tried to pull her away by her saddle. “I’m sorry about that,” she directed at Hiccup, struggling to keep Stormfly back. “She’s not usually like this. She must really like you

        Hiccup nodded with a knowing smile on his face as Astrid finally got Stormfly to calm down. She gracefully got on top of Stormfly and turned to Hiccup, holding out her hand. “Here, let me help you up.”

        Though Hiccup didn’t actually need it, he graciously accepted her help and got on the dragon behind her. He looked down and wondered what he should do with his arms when Astrid reached behind her and pulled them around her waist. “Hold on tight,” she warned before Stormfly took off.

        They spent some time soaring through the clouds before they levelled off about ten feet above the water. Astrid sighed and laid back, resting her head on Hiccup’s shoulder. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she asked, not exactly expecting an answer. “I had a lot of fun today,” she said softly. “I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun actually.”

        Hiccup, taking a chance, tightened his hold around her waist. Instead of moving away as he thought she would, Astrid brought his hands to hers and held them close, making Hiccup smile widely.

        A few feet away, three figures drifted in the water and watched intently.

        “Nothing’s happening,” Wodensfang hissed from his spot atop Hookfang’s head. “Only one day left, and that boy ain't puckered up once.” He paused to think. “Okay… all right, this calls for a little vocal romantic stimulation. Stand back.” He flew off to glide near the two humans and opened his mouth, clearing his throat before starting to sing.

        Both Hiccup and Astrid jumped at the screeching sound that filled their ears, the warm embrace long forgotten. Hiccup cringed and looked at the blue dragon in horror. How he so wanted a voice so that he could yell at Wodensfang to shut up.

        Astrid grimaced and brought her hands up to cover her ears. “Wow,” she said with a chuckle. “Fishlegs must be trying to teach other dragons to sing again. He keeps insisting that they have more musical talent than we do.”

        Hiccup faked a chuckle behind her and glared at the smaller dragon. Wodensfang grinned at him and made an ok sign with his tail and Hiccup resisted the urge to facepalm.

        Wodensfang’s voice carried to where Snotlout and Hookfang were watching and Snotlout rolled his eyes. “Odin’s beard, I’m surrounded by amateurs!” he groaned in exasperation. “If you want something done, you have to do it yourself.” He cleared his throat before looking around. “First, we need to set the mood.” He dove underwater to get closer to Stormfly and her riders and opened his mouth to sing.

“There you see him
Sitting there across the way
He don’t got a lot to say
But there’s something about him ”

        Hiccup heard his cousin’s voice and looked up in alarm. His eyes widened as he caught sight of him underneath them, poking his head out of the water. Hiccup sent him a look that screamed, ‘Are you crazy?’ What if Astrid heard? What if she saw?

        Meanwhile, a faint frown was starting to creep up on Astrid’s face. She heard something but couldn’t make out what it was or where it was coming from.

“And you don’t know why
But your dyin’ to try
You wanna kiss the boy ”

        “Did you hear something?” Astrid asked, turning around to face him. Hiccup shook his head and smiled innocently at her.

“Yes, you want him
Look at him you know you do
Possible he wants you too
There’s one way to ask him

It don’t take a word
Not a single word
Go on and kiss the boy ”

        Snotlout ducked under the water and gestured to the other sea creatures who had been drawn to the singing. “ Sing with me now .”

“Sha la la la la la
My, oh my
Look like the girl too shy
Ain’t gonna kiss the boy

Sha la la la la la
Ain’t that sad?
Ain’t it a shame?
Too bad, she’s gonna miss the boy ”

        Astrid looked back and furrowed her eyebrows. “You know, I feel really bad not knowing your name.” She then brightened as she got an idea. “Maybe I could guess.”

        Hiccup shrugged and waited patiently as Astrid thought. “Is it, err, Marvin?“

        Hiccup made a face and Astrid laughed. “Okay, no...How 'bout...Devon?” Hiccup shook his head. “Rory?”

        Snotlout whispered up to her. “Hiccup. His name is Hiccup.”

        Astrid frowned. “Hiccup?” she murmured. Hiccup straightened and started nodding his head.

        “Hiccup?” she clarified and Hiccup gave her a hesitant smile.”That’s… an unusual name… but it suits you. I like it.” Astrid turned back around and leaned back, smiling. “Okay, Hiccup”

“Now’s your moment
Soarin’ o’er the ocean blue
Girl, you better do it soon
No time will be better

He don’t say a word
And he won’t say a word
Until you kiss the boy

Sha la la la la la
Don’t be scared
You’ve got the mood prepared
Go on and kiss the boy

Sha la la la la la
Don’t stop now
Don’t try to hide it how
You want to kiss the boy”

        The sun was beginning to set as Astrid steered Stormfly back to Berk. In the red and orange light of the sun, Hiccup thought Astrid looked so amazing. She turned around to glance at Hiccup and their eyes locked.

“Sha la la la la la
Fly along
And listen to this song
The song says kiss the boy

Sha la la la la la
Let the music play
Do what the music say
You gotta kiss the boy ”

        Hiccup and Astrid stared into each other’s eyes, neither one moving but both of them smiling wide. Below them, Snotlout prompted:

“You've got to kiss the boy ”

        This was it , Hiccup thought to himself, breathing heavily. It’s now or never . I can do this . He started to lean forward slowly and she reciprocated the action, their hearts pounding in their chests.

"You wanna kiss the boy ”

        They inched closer and tilted their heads slightly. Astrid’s eyes fluttered closed and Hiccup did the same, lips puckered.

“You've gotta kiss the boy ”

        They were mere centimetres away from kissing. Snotlout smiled eagerly, adding another line for good measure.

“Go on and kiss the boy! ”

        Their lips gently brushed against each other… until they were not.

        Suddenly, they were pulled apart by gravity as Stormfly jerked up. She screeched in terror as something slimy curled around one of her legs. Hiccup and Astrid were both caught off guard and were thrown into the ocean.

        Snotlout slapped his forehead and sighed. “So close,” he muttered to both Toothless and Hookfang and they crooned softly in agreement.

        Hiccup, unused to being in the water without fins, started to panic and flail around. Astrid saw this and quickly went to his aid.

        “Whoa, hang on,” Astrid said, wrapping her arms around the prince to hold him up. “I’ve gotcha.” Once Hiccup calmed down, he coughed and sputtered out water. The two stared at each other for a moment before Astrid burst out in laughter. “Well, that didn’t go according to plan. Are you ok?”

        Hiccup smiled sheepishly at her and nodded. In truth, he was irritated that their moment had been interrupted, but by what, he didn’t know.

…

        Alvin the Treacherous smirked to himself as he swam back to his mother’s lair after spooking the Deadly Nadder and ruining Hiccup and Astrid’s flight

        Excellinor didn’t look at her son as he entered the cave, keeping her focus on the image of the prince and princess floating above her cauldron. “Nice work, my boy,” she said. “That was a close on. Too close,” she snarled, running her hand through her hair. “That little tramp! Oh, he’s better than I thought.”

        She swam over to her cupboard and started rummaging through her ingredients urgently. “At this rate, he’ll be kissing her by sunset for sure! Well, it’s time Excellinor took matters into her own tentacles.”

        She then threw some of the bottles into her cauldron, causing it to glow orange. “Stoick’s son will be mine!” She swam over to her son and forcibly put her shell necklace around his neck. Alvin looked at her in confusion, but she ignored it and continued with her scheming.

        “And then I’ll make him writhe. I’ll see him wiggle like a worm on a hook!” She began to laugh hysterically as Alvin was engulfed in an orange glow. He looked down at himself with wide eyes before looking back at his mother, realization dawning. He started to laugh as well as the light brightened. His body began to morph into a taller, more muscular shape and his voice became more smooth and melodious, much like another voice had once been.

Chapter Text

        That night, under the light of the full moon, Astrid stood on one of the balconies of the castle overlooking the sea. She had Gobber’s panpipes with her and was playing the tune that had been stuck in her head ever since the day she was rescued from the shipwreck. She sighed and lowered the pipes, knowing nothing would be better than the real thing.

        “Ah, so that’s where they’ve been,” said a voice from behind her and Astrid whirled around, startled to see Gobber standing a few feet away. He was watching her with a sympathetic smile on his face.

        “Sorry,” Astrid said sheepishly, holding out the panpipes to him. “I meant to give it back, you know, later.”

        Gobber chuckled. “Not to worry, lass

        Astrid nodded and continued to look out at the vast sea before them.

        “You know, Astrid,” Gobber began, “if I may say, far better than any dream man, is one of flesh and blood, one warm and caring, and right before your eyes.”

        Astrid looked at him in confusion to see his eyes turned elsewhere. She followed his gaze to one of the higher balconies and saw Hiccup leaning on one of the rails. He hadn’t noticed the two people below him and was gazing out to the sea. In the light of the moon, he looked wonderful and Astrid couldn’t help the smile that broke out on her face.

        She turned back to Gobber only to see empty space where he once was. She sighed and looked down, lost in thought. Perhaps he was right. It had been a few days since that night and her mystery man hadn’t shown face since then, and possibly won’t ever.

        She looked up again to see Hiccup had gone back into his room. She sighed again, but this time it was a happy sigh. She truly had a lot of fun today, more fun then she had in a long time… and it was all thanks to him. Maybe it was time to move on.

        She smiled to herself and made her mind up. She turned to go back into the castle but something made her hesitate. The faint whispers of a voice reached her ears, a voice she recognized. She turned back around and leant over the railing of the balcony to get a better look at the beach below.

        The voice grew louder, singing a familiar tune. Astrid squinted her eyes as a silhouette of a man emerged from the mist. He was tall and muscular and had shoulder-length black hair. She gasped as their eyes met and he smiled up at her, still singing the wordless tune that she was playing not moments ago.

        Her eyes widened as a wave of recognition came through her and she smiled back at him.

…

        The next morning drew fast, and with that, a small, blue dragon flying as fast as his little wings could carry him to Berk. Wodensfang streaked through Hiccup’s open window, squawking loudly and happily. “Hiccup! Hiccup, wake up! Wake up! I just heard the news! Congratulations, kiddo, we did it!”

        Hiccup opened his eyes blearily and yawned. He blinked at the dragon sleepily and frowned, confused and a little irritated at being woken up so early.

        Seeing Hiccup’s blank face, Wodensfang scoffed. “Right, as if you didn’t know,” he thumped Hiccup on the back of his head with his tail. “The whole town’s buzzing about the princess gettin’ herself hitched this afternoon

        Hiccup continued to stare at him in confusion, hearing his words but unable to actually understand what they mean. At the prince’s lack of reaction, Wodensfang prodded, “You know, she’s getting married.”

        Hiccup was in shock and tried to process what he had been told, but Wodensfang was too excited to notice or care. “You silly sand lover,” he laughed, nudging Hiccup on the shoulder. “I just wanted to wish you luck. I’ll catch you later. I wouldn’t miss it!” He spread his wings and took off out the window. “Oooh, wait til Snotlout finds out about this.”

        Hiccup was too busy thinking to notice the dragon’s departure. Wodensfang said the princess was getting married. Astrid’s a princess. He and Astrid had spent the whole yesterday together. Wodensfang came to congratulate him.

        His eyes widened as the pieces all came together. His face broke into a huge smile and he leapt to his feet. He tore off out of his room and down the hall, running as fast as his legs could carry him to the dining hall. He rushed down the grand staircase but stopped suddenly when he heard Gobber’s voice echoing through the room. He hid behind a pillar and looked down to see Gobber, Astrid, and another man standing there.

        “Well… I’ll be, Astrid,” Gobber was saying. “It-it appears we, er, I was wrong. This mystery man of yours does in fact exist. And he is quite the catch,” he said, looking the man over, then took Astrid’s hands in his. “Congratulations, lass.”

        “Yes, Gobber. This is Verick. We wish to be married as soon as possible,” Astrid ordered, snuggling deeper into the man’s embrace. Hiccup gaped from his position on the stairs and silently shook his head no. He drew back fully behind the pillar and looked up in despair, gasping for breath.

        “Oh, yes - of course, Astrid,” Gobber stuttered, “but, er - but these things do take time, you know-“

        “This afternoon, Gobber,” Astrid insisted.  “The wedding ship departs at sunset.”

        “But, Astrid. What about Hic-”

        “Enough talk Gobber,” Astrid cut him off. “We have much to prepare for.”

        “Oh, oh - very well, Astrid,” Gobber said, a little put out. “As you wish.”

        Hiccup had heard enough of the conversation and burst into silent tears and ran off to his room. Verick caught movement from the corner of his eye and looked up just in time to see the former merman exit the hall. He smirked to himself and hugged Astrid closer to him. He fingered the shell necklace around his neck and chuckled softly

…

        The sun was beginning its descent later that day when the wedding ship was beginning to set sail. Hiccup watched it leave from his position down on the docks. He had decided not to go to the wedding where he would have to face the villagers. He couldn’t bear to see Gobber’s and the castle staff’s looks of pity and he definitely did not want to see Astrid, the love of his life, walk down the aisle with Verick.

        He was devastated by the fact that Astrid hadn’t come to see him once since their romantic flight last night. Not even to invite him to her wedding or anything like that. But, it didn’t really matter now. By the time they would be back, the sun would have set and he would be long gone

        Snotlout looked up at his cousin in sympathy, Hookfang and Toothless on either side of him looking equally miserable. When he had first heard the news, he was ecstatic and swam as fast as he could to Berk to congratulate his cousin and tease him about finally settling down with a woman.

        As the ship sailed further away, Hiccup sank to the ground and finally allowed himself to let loose everything he was feeling up to this point. He dropped his head onto his knees and began to sob silently. Toothless crooned softly from beside him, laying his head on the floor at his rider’s feet. He didn’t like the fact that his best friend was heartbroken and there was nothing that he could do about it.

… 

        Wodensfang was soaring through the air toward Berk when a voice caught his ear, and not just any voice. He would recognize that voice anywhere, it was Hiccup’s voice. He squawked in excitement. If he could hear Hiccup’s voice, then the two humans had finally got around to kissing and the boy got his voice back.

        He swooped down and followed the sound of the voice to the wedding ship. The voice was echoing out of an open window and Wodensfang flew down to congratulate the happy couple. As he perched on the window sill though, he drew back in surprise, not expecting what he saw.

        Verick was busy preparing himself for the wedding, examining himself in the vanity mirror. He was grinning and pacing the room as he sang.

“What a handsome looking groom I’d make, oh gods this is divine

Things are working out according to our ultimate design ”

        Verick took out a small dagger and threw it at the head of the mirror. Wodensfang gulped nervously as he watched.

"Soon I’ll have that little merman and the ocean will be mine!

        He laughed evilly as he stepped up on the vanity and pulled the mirror to level with him. Wodensfang gasped as the reflection showed his true form

        “Alvin the Treacherous,” the little dragon exclaimed. Fortunately, Alvin was too busy praising himself to hear or see Wodensfang fly away. “Oh no. He’s- I gotta-” Wodensfang was shocked for a second. The sea witch must have cast a spell or something to make her son human and trick Astrid into believing that he was her saviour instead of… Hiccup! He had to find Hiccup and warn him about their plan, and fast. The sun was starting to set and soon they’d be out of time.

        His head was spinning in panic and he turned to fly away only to bump into the mast of the ship… hard. He shook his head to clear it then flew as fast as he could to Berk, shouting Hiccup’s name. He found the prince, Snotlout, Hookfang, and Toothless at the pier.

        “Hiccup,” he gasped as he came in for a rough landing. “I was flying, I wa - of course I was flying - An' - I s- I saw that the watch’s - the witch’s son was watchin' a mirror, and he was singin' with a stolen set o' pipes!” At both Hiccup’s and Snotlout’s blank expressions, Wodensfang started hitting Snotlout on the back of his head with his tail. “Do you hear what I'm tellin' you? THE PRINCESS IS MARRYING ALVIN THE TREACHEROUS IN DISGUISE!”

        Hiccup’s eyes widened as Snotlout blinked irritatedly. “Are you sure about this?”

        “Have I ever been wrong?” Wodensfang said nervously, but then saw the suspicious look on Hiccup’s face and corrected himself. “I mean when it's important!”

        Toothless and Hookfang crooned worriedly, sensing the other dragon’s distress. Hiccup got up and ran to the edge of the pier, looking out at the receding ship in the distance. He saw the orange sunset behind it and thought back to Excellinor’s words. ‘ Before the sun sets on the third day... ’

        He looked down at his dragon and thought hard. The ship got a great distance head start and there was no guarantee that he would get there in time, what with Toothless having to swim above water instead of under, but he had to try. With a determined look on his face, he dove into the ocean with a big splash. He surfaced but then started to flail his arms as he still didn’t know how to swim without fins. Toothless panicked and quickly swam over to where Hookfang was already lifting Hiccup up.

        “Hiccup,” Snotlout called to his cousin. “Get on to Toothless and Toothless, swim as fast as your wings can carry you!” Toothless looked back at Snotlout and nodded before swimming toward the ship. “Hookfang, you’re with me. We’ve gotta get to the sea king. He must know about this.”

        “W-What about me?” Wodensfang asked him. “What about ME?”

        “You,” Snotlout pointed at him, “find a way to STALL THAT WEDDING!” He dove underwater with his dragon, leaving Wodensfang alone on the pier.

        “Stall the wedding? Wh- what am I -what.” He then got an idea and gasped.  “That's it!” He took off through the forest around the village, squawking loudly to get every fish, every bird, every dragon, everyone to pay attention. “Move it, let's go, we got an emergency here!” He continued making a ruckus as he, followed by many other creatures, started to make his way towards the wedding ship.

...

        On the party ship, the wedding was just beginning. Wedding music played as Astrid and Verick walked arm in arm down the aisle. The citizens of Berk bowed to the soon-to-be-wed couple as they passed. As they passed, Stormfly growled at Verick, but Verick just snarled at her and ignored the protective dragon, Astrid none-the-wiser.

        Gobber watched them as they approached the podium. He loved Astrid as a daughter and while he was happy that she had found the man who she had been dreaming off and loved, he couldn’t help wishing that it was someone else walking down the aisle with her, someone who was currently waiting for them on Berk, or so he thought.

        When the couple reached the podium, Gothi, who was acting as the person to officiate the ceremony, cleared her throat. “Dearly beloved… Yes, um, do you, Astrid, take Verick to be your lawfully wedded husband, for as long as you both shall live?”

        “I do,” Astrid answered, her eyes clouded over in a daze. Verick smiled down at her before peeking at the setting sun and smirking to himself.

        “Eh, and do you...” At that moment, Wodensfang and a bunch of terrors suddenly swooped down from the sky and attacked Verick. Verick screamed and ducked to avoid them as Gothi continued delivering the sermon as if nothing was happening. Astrid just stood to his side, unaware in her state to what was actually happening. More dragons and sea creatures came from above and below to wreak havoc on the wedding.

        The villagers watched as the fight continued, amused yet unwilling to come to the groom’s aid. From the time that he was on Berk, they had learned that he was rather rude and didn’t really want him to become their King, but for the sake of Astrid, they put up with him. The twins, who had since then been bored with the lack of action, clapped and cheered as the once perfect wedding became a disaster.

        Below them, Hiccup and Toothless had finally arrived at the bottom of the ship. Carefully, Toothless lifted the prince so that he could reach the railing. He peeked over to see what was going on and was amused to see that no one was paying attention to him and instead at Verick’s misfortune. He was just in time to see Verick being thrown into the tall wedding cake that had been made for the occasion.

        “then by the power inves-”  Gothi continued as Verick continued screaming profanities as he was attacked. “Get away from me you slimy little-” Suddenly, Wodensfang flew up to his face and squawked loudly into his ear.  He then spotted the spiral shell necklace hanging around Verick’s neck and he clenched his teeth around it and pulled. “Oh, why you little!” Verick yelled and struggled to bring the sea dragon down.

        Stormfly watched the procession and roared happily, wanting to get in on the fight. She bounded towards the struggling human and dragon and did something she had always wanted to do since the moment she met him. She bit him on the butt and he screamed in pain, giving Wodensfang the chance to rip the necklace off of him.

        The chain snapped and the shell went flying through the air. All eyes were on it as the shell hit the deck and shattered into a million pieces, right at Hiccup’s feet.

        Immediately, a golden light rose out from the broken shell and floated up, emitting a melodic tune. The familiar tune snapped Astrid out of her daze and she gasped, her eyes widening at the scene before her. The villagers watched in awe as the ball of light floated higher and swirled around Hiccup. He watched it uncertainly, unsure of what it or he should do. As the orb floated to his throat, a sudden warmth washed over him and he opened his mouth to sing. All too soon, the song came pouring out of his own mouth.

        There was a stunned silence as the song ended, broken only when Astrid stepped forward. “Hiccup?”

        “Astrid,” Hiccup replied, a hand brought up to his throat and, not gonna lie, a little shocked as well, though smiling widely all the same. Stormfly bounded toward him and squawked happily.

        “You… you can talk,” Astrid said, surprised yet happy… very happy. She rushed forward and took Hiccup’s hands in her own, reciprocating his smile. “You’re the one.”

        “Astrid, get away from him!” Verick yelled, but instead of the soft, graceful tones, his voice came out thick and gravelly. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand, shocked at the sound of his own voice, but Astrid was too busy with Hiccup to notice.

        “It was you this whole time,” she said, laughing softly to herself. Gobber was right, her dream man was closer than she thought.

        “Oh, Astrid, I-,” Hiccup said, sighing. “I want to tell you...” He trailed off as the two drew closer to each other, gazing at each other with love in their eyes. He leaned over and closed his eyes as she did the same.

        “Astrid, NO!” Verick shouted, but neither paid any heed. Hiccup and Astrid’s lips were inches apart from each other.

        And then the sun finally set.

        Hiccup gasped as a pain shot through his legs. He slipped out of Astrid’s arms and sank to the deck. He looked down and in place of the two human legs he had for the past three days was his forest green tail. He was a merman again.

        “You’re too late!” Verick cackled hysterically. “You’re too late!”

        Hiccup chanced a glance at Astrid who was gaping unbelievably down at him with wide eyes. He couldn’t think of anything he could say that could possibly explain this to her

        Fortunately, or rather, unfortunately, he didn’t have to. There was a big splash and many of the people on board screamed in terror as the hideous form of Excellinor rose up from the water onto the deck, her evil laughter in parallel with her son’s who was changing back into his true form. She scrambled hastily across the deck where the merman lay and grabbed him around the waist with her tentacles.

        “So long, sweetie,” Excellinor snarled at Astrid who stood there in horror. With the prince held firmly in her clutches, she dove back into the ocean with Alvin right on her fins.

Chapter Text

        As Hiccup, Verick, and… whatever that thing was… dove into the ocean, Astrid ran to the railing and looked over. “Hiccup!” she cried, but there was no sign of him, only the dark surface of the water.

        She searched around her, looking into the terrified faces of her people, for anything she could possibly use to help him. Merman or not, that was the boy who she had been searching for and loved with all her heart, and she was NOT letting go of him.

        She ran up to Stormfly and mounted her quickly, pausing only to grab a dagger lying haphazardly on the deck. After their last flight, Stormfly was weary about flying over water, but for her rider’s mate, she would do anything to get them together

        “Astrid, what are you doing?!” Gobber demanded as the dragon and rider took to the sky, causing the boat to rock a bit.

        Astrid looked down at Gobber with a set determination. “Gobber, I lost him once. I’m not gonna lose him again.” With that said, she and Stormfly glided over the surface of the water, looking for any sign of Hiccup or those who had taken him.

…

        Under the sea, Excellinor dragged the prince down to the seafloor, keeping one of her tentacles wrapped tightly around him and his arms strapped to his sides. Alvin swam after them with an evil, anticipating grin. Soon, their plan would be over and he will be King of the Sea.

        “Poor, little prince,” the Sea Witch whimpered sarcastically as she swam back to her home. “It’s not you I'm after. I've a much bigger fish to-” She was stopped by the booming voice of the Sea King.

        “Excellinor, stop!” Stoick the Vast roared, halting her in her path. He looked and felt the angriest that he had ever been, holding his glowing hammer threateningly out and pointing it at the witch. Snotlout and Hookfang floated behind him, glaring at the sea witch.

        “Why, King Stoick!” Excellinor said happily. She detangled her tentacles from Hiccup, only for her son to wrap him in his, and shimmied to the king’s side. She ran a finger along the edge of the hammer, laughing sinisterly. “Ha ha ha… How are you?”

        Stoick raised the hammer to her face. “Let him go,” he snarled, eyes narrowing in fury.

        Excellinor dropped her smile and a serious expression came over her face. “Not a chance, Stoick. He’s mine now. We made a deal.” She then conjured up the contract with Hiccup’s signature and stuck it in Stoick’s face. He quickly read through it, his eyes darkening by the second, and focused on his son’s hasty scrawl at the bottom of the page.

        “Dad, I’m sorry!” Hiccup cried, trying to swim to him but was being held back by Alvin. “I - I - I didn't mean to. I didn't know-”

        Stoick ignored his son and raised his hammer as it glowed brighter than ever before. He pointed it at the contract and a golden shot of energy shot out of the head. The force of the blast pushed Excellinor back into a rock outcropping, but the glowing scroll withheld no damage.

        Excellinor cackled evilly. “You see? The contract's legal, binding and completely unbreakable - even for YOU.”

        Stoicks eyes widened and he gaped down at the weapon that had failed him, looking worried. 

        “Of course,” Excellinor continued slowly in a thoughtful tone. “I always was a girl with an eye for a bargain. The son of the great sea king is a very precious commodity.” She let go of the contract as Alvin let Hiccup go and it swooped toward the prince, encircling him and bathing him in a golden glow. Stoick watched in horror as his son began to shrink, his skin shrivelling up and turning an unpleasant grey colour. He reached out his hand to grab him when Excellinor started talking again.

        ”But - I might be willing to make an exchange for someone even better…” Stoick tore his eyes away from his son’s figure and looked at the sea witch furiously.

        “Do we have a deal?” Excellinor asked, smiling coldly and holding up the contract in front of him. Hiccup looked up at his father with wide eyes, desperately trying to tell him not to do this, but it wouldn’t have changed anything. No matter how many times they fought, Stoick loved his son above all, even Berytheas, and he’d do anything to keep him safe.

        He raised his hammer once more and another burst of energy shot out of it, and in place of Hiccup’s name at the bottom of the scroll was Stoick’s.

        “Ha!” Excellinor cried in triumph. “It’s done then!”

        Instantly, Hiccup grew to his normal state and the golden light left him. He watched in dismay as the light circled his father. “No . . . Oh, No!” he cried as Stoick withered away. Excellinor and Alvin laughed triumphantly from behind.

        From above the water, Astrid could see a light glow coming from below and pointed Stormfly in the direction of it.

        Finally, the light vanished as Stoick’s crown drifted down to the seafloor, in the centre stood a wrinkled polyp resembling the former king. Snotlout gaped from behind and gasped. “Your Majesty.”

        “Dad...” Hiccup whispered, bending down to come at eye-level with his father. Stoick looked balefully up at his son with wide, sad eyes and Hiccup’s heart dropped. I did this.

        “At last,” Excellinor hissed gleefully, reaching down to pick up the crown and the hammer. She turned to her son and placed the crown atop his head. Alvin laughed evilly as he reached out to take the weapon in offered to him. “It’s ours!”

        “No… no...” Hiccup muttered, looking up at the mother and son with horror. He felt a sudden rage build up inside of him and he lunged toward the sea witch. “You-you monster!” 

        Excellinor snarled at him and twisted her body, effectively throwing the merman off of her and pinning him to a rock with the hammer pointed at him. “Don't fool with me you little brat!” she snapped.  “Contract or no- AAAAHH!”

        Excellinor screamed in pain as a dagger tore through the skin of her right arm. She clapped her hand over it and glared at the one who threw the weapon.

        Astrid was floating a few feet above them, glaring down at the scene determinedly. “Why you little troll!” Excellinor snarled angrily. She turned to her son, grabbed the crown atop his head, and pointed at the girl. “After her!” she snapped furiously and Alvin swam after her, his tentacles beating at the water to propel him faster.

        “Astrid!” Hiccup yelled, trying to get to her, but Excellinor’s tentacles held him back. “Astrid, look out!”

        Astrid swam as fast as she could to the surface and away from the cecaelia (half-octopus, half-man, I looked it up). She broke the surface of the water and spotted Stormfly hovering over it not too far away. She tried to call out to her but was pulled down back down into the ocean before she could say anything. She wiggled and squirmed in Alvin’s tentacles but his grip held fast.

        Suddenly, a roar echoed from the surface and Toothless came hurtling towards them. He shot a plasma blast at Alvin and, even though it missed, it distracted him long enough to loosen his grip and for Astrid to swim away.

        Excellinor watched as she made a beeline for the surface and smirked. “Say goodbye to your sweetheart,” she hissed at Hiccup and pointed the glowing hammer at the girl.

        Hiccup’s eyes widened and, without thinking, he lunged at the sea witch again, pulling her hair back so that her back arched backwards. As he did so, energy burst from the hammer and, instead of hitting Astrid, hit Alvin in the back. He screamed in pain before bursting into pieces.

        Excellinor screamed in anguish. “Alvin!” she howled agonizingly. “My son!” She growled angrily when she saw Hiccup swimming quickly to the surface where Astrid was trying to stay afloat. Her vision went red as the hammer glowed paralleled her anger and a black cloud of ink spread around her.

        At the surface, Hiccup swam to where Astrid was treading and grabbed onto her arms. “Astrid, you've got to get away from here.”

        “No,” Astrid defied, hugging him tightly. “I won’t leave you.”

        Hiccup opened his mouth to speak but the two were distracted by a purple glow coming from the water beneath them. A loud rumble echoed around them and the water began to shake.

        Suddenly, a golden spike erupted from the water and separated Hiccup and Astrid. He soon recognized it as Stoick’s golden crown, now a hundred sizes bigger and rising rapidly out of the water. Excellinor rose out of the water with the crown atop her head, cackling evilly and looking up at the human and merman.

        “Jump!” Hiccup yelled, grabbing Astrid’s hand before diving into the churning waters below. The two resurfaced and Hiccup held onto Astrid closely as they watched in horror as the witch continued growing in size, laughing down at them menacingly.

        “You pitiful, insignificant, fool!” she roared, her great, black tentacles rising out of the water and splashing and thrashing wildly. She raised one of her tentacles to bring it crashing down on the couple.

        “Look out!” Astrid yelled, pointing at the raised appendage. She and Hiccup dove out of the way as the tentacle slapped the surface of the water. Excellinor laughed madly and waved the hammer in the air, creating bursts of lightning and making the clouds darken.

         “Now I am the ruler of all the ocean! The waves obey my every whim!” Excellinor yelled as the waves crashed and thunder cracked. Angry storm clouds rolled in and it started pouring rain.

        A strong wave rolled over Astrid and Hiccup and they were torn apart. “Astrid!” Hiccup yelled, reaching a hand toward her, but it was no use. Astrid screamed as she was thrown rather forcefully further away from him.

        “The sea and all it’s spoils bow to my power!” Excellinor continued, swirling the glowing hammer in the ocean to create a giant whirlpool that extended all the way to the ocean floor. Hiccup used his tail to propel him toward a large rock jutting from the surface. He clung to it desperately as the force of the water tried to pull him away.

        Astrid was rocked this way and that by the ocean waves crashing around her and it was getting hard for her to stay afloat. Every time she tried to swim away from the sea witch, the water always managed to pull her back.

        “Astrid,” Hiccup gasped as a huge wave crashed on top of her, sending her underwater. She resurfaced after a moment and gasped for air, spluttering out water.

        “Astrid!” Astrid jerked her head from side to side to see who had called her. Her eyes landed on the wedding ship not too far away. Fishlegs was leaning over the railing with a coil of rope in his hands, looking straight at her. “Grab on!” he yelled as he threw the rope in her direction.

        Astrid desperately tried to swim to the end of the rope but the sea kept pushing her back. Finally, after one strong kick of her legs, she managed to grab on to the rope and the men on board the ship began to pull. Once she was safely on the ship, she took in her surroundings. There was water overflowing onto the deck and the mast was broken in half, the sails ripped to pieces. She took in the faces of her people and there were varying expressions of horror, nervousness, and bewilderment, save for the twins who looked like Christmas came early for them.

        “Astrid!” Gobber yelled, running up to her and grabbing her by the shoulders. “We have to get out of here!”

        “No!” Astrid said, running up to the railing of the ship. “Hiccup… Hiccup’s in trouble. We have to help him!”

        “How?” Fishlegs asked, looking at the huge monster before gulping in fear. He grabbed onto his friend’s arms to lead her away. “This isn’t our fight, Astrid.”

        “I don’t care!” Astrid struggled out of Fishlegs' grip and looked over the railing down to the sea below, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man she loved. She caught sight of Hiccup holding onto a rock just as Excellinor shot a bolt of light at it. Thankfully, it missed the merman, but the rock shattered on impact and he was thrown into the whirlpool. Astrid gasped as Hiccup hit the muddy seafloor, gasping in pain and looking up at the sea witch.

        Excellinor’s smirk widened and she cackled in glee, firing shot after shot at the young prince. Hiccup yelped and dodged the angry bursts of energy, unsure if he could continue to keep this up.

        “No,” Astrid murmured to herself as Hiccup dodged another blast, Excellinor’s smirk darkening at every miss. She had to do something to help him… but what? A sudden screech caught her attention and she looked up to see her dragon flying a few feet above her. Her eyes lit up as an idea suddenly came to her.

        “Stormfly!” she called, waving her hands in the air to catch her attention.

… 

        Down on the seafloor, Hiccup wasn’t having much luck. While he was successful in avoiding being blasted apart, he was growing tired fast. Excellinor attacked once more and it missed him by mere centimetres, singeing his tail. He looked up at her wearily in his weakened state and she laughed gleefully.

        “So much for true love!” the sea witch yelled, raising the hammer in the air and pointing it at him to finish the merman once and for all.

        “Stormfly!” Astrid suddenly called before pointing at the witch. “Spineshot!”

        The blue nadder fired a series of spines from her tail at Excellinor just as the witch turned around to see where the voice came from, leaving her chest exposed. The spines pierced her skin and she clenched at her heart as she yelled in agony. Thunder and lightning cracked angrily as her body began to spasm with intensity. Her eyes bulged, threatening to pop out of her sockets, as the pain consumed her.

        Excellinor screamed as she fell to the surface of the water, her tentacles thrashing this way and that. Her body disintegrated as it hit the surface, floating to the ocean floor and dissolving into sea foam. The still glowing hammer floated to the floor and her polyps were turned back into the mermen and mermaids they once were.

        The winds calmed and the sky brightened, the clouds receding as fast as when they came. The whirlpool vanished and all was quiet. The occupants of the Berkian ship gaped at what just happened.

        Astrid ran to the railing and searched the flat surface of the ocean. “Hiccup!” she called, but there was no answer.

        “Astrid,” Gobber said, drawing her attention away from the water. “We have to get back to Berk.”

        “But… but,” Astrid stuttered, gasping for breath at the thought of the merman, her merman, still out there, possibly hurt… or worse. “Hiccup… we need to find him.”

        “Uh, Astrid,” Fishlegs said from his position next to her. “If you hadn’t noticed, we’re kind of sinking right now.” He gestured to the many people holding buckets and trying to scoop out the water on the deck and throw it into the ocean.

        “He’s right, lass,” Gobber said. “If we don’t leave now, we might not make it back at all.” He walked over and gently put a hand on her shoulder, guiding her away from the boat’s edge. “Come now. I’m sure he’ll be fine. The lad’s made of stronger stuff than we realized.”

        Astrid frowned and didn’t reply. She nodded slowly and allowed her guardian to lead her below deck, but not before seeking one last glance at the ocean behind her. Please, Hiccup. Please be okay.

Chapter Text

        Hiccup groaned as he rubbed the back of his head. When the whirlpool vanished, it had sent the young prince spinning and tumbling head over fins in who-knows-which direction, only stopping when his head collided with the sharp edge of a rock. He waited for the world to stop spinning and his headache to subside before opening his eyes. He almost immediately closed them again when a big, black blur streaked towards him, stopping inches away from his face.

        “Toothless,” Hiccup gasped in relief. He swam forward and engulfed his dragon in a massive hug. “Are you okay, bud?” he asked, placing one hand on the top of Toothless’s head and the other under his chin.

        Toothless crooned in response and proceeded in licking his rider’s cheek. Hiccup couldn’t help the smile that graced his face.

        “Hiccup!”

        Hiccup spun around to see Snotlout swimming to him, Hookfang right behind him. Upon closer inspection, the two looked a bit winded and battered, but they were fine. Hiccup darted towards him and hugged his cousin tightly. “Thank Thor you’re alright.”

        “We’re fine, Hiccup,” Snotlout assured him, patting his cousin awkwardly on the back. He, unlike Hiccup, didn’t often wear his heart on his sleeve, but he couldn’t help the wave of concern that passed through him. He pulled back and put his hands on his cousin’s shoulders. “The question is, are you okay?”

        Hiccup gave him a small, reassuring smile. “I’m okay,” he answered. “My tail got a little singed, but it’ll heal.” He then looked down and frowned. When he looked back up again, he had a confused expression on his face. “What exactly happened? I couldn’t really see anything since Excellinor created that whirlpool.”

        “Well, it all happened so fast. We tried to get to you, but the waves were too strong and they kept pushing us back,” Snotlout explained. “Alvin’s dead if you weren’t sure before. But I have no idea about Excellinor.”

        “Excellinor is dead,” said a deeper, huskier voice from behind.

        Hiccup whirled around to see Stoick the Vast slowly approaching him, smiling in triumph and with his hammer firmly held in his hands. His heart clenched and Hiccup lunged at his father, throwing his arms around him.

        “Dad!” Hiccup cried. “Gods, dad, I… I’m so sorry. I… I wasn’t thinking. I should never had gone to the sea witch. I was just so angry and it was stupid and reckless. I never wanted to hurt you or anyone. I… I’m so sorry!”

        Stoick wrapped his arms around his son and held him tight. “Oh, Hiccup,” he said. “It’s alright. You’re alright. All that matters is that you’re safe. The witch and her son are gone from this world, they can never harm you again.”

        Hiccup looked up at his father, his eyes watery with unshed tears. “I’m so sorry, dad. Can… can you ever forgive me?”

        Stoick smiled down at his son and hugged him closer. “Of course I do, Hiccup.” He pulled back and placed a hand under his son’s chin, gently lifting his head up so that he could see his face. “You are my only son, Hiccup, and I love you so much, never forget that. I don’t really say it too often, but it’s the truth. I love you, son.”

        Hiccup smiled weakly and brought his dad into another hug. “I love you too, dad,” he whispered. “And thank you.”

        Snotlout, Hookfang, and Toothless watched the reunion from a few feet away. They wanted to give the father and son some privacy. “I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry,” Snotlout chanted under his breath. “I am a fierce warrior. I will not cry.” The two dragons exchanged looks from behind him and just continued watching the scene before them.

        After a few more moments, Stoick and Hiccup pulled away from each other and Stoick cleared his throat. “Well, we’ve better be off. It’s a long swim to Berytheas.” He turned two leave with Snotlout and the two dragons following closely behind, but Hiccup didn’t move, a frown set on his face.

        Stoick sensed that his son wasn’t following him and turned around to see what was troubling him. He saw his son glance worriedly behind him at the surface in the direction of Berk. Hiccup turned back to his father, not exactly meeting his eyes.

        “Dad, I… I,” Hiccup stuttered.

        Stoick smiled at his son and swam to him, catching his attention by laying his hands on his shoulders. He was not going to make the same mistake again. “I understand, son. Go check on the humans.”

        Hiccup looked up at his father with wide eyes. He fully expected to be refused, to be dragged back to the kingdom so that they can return to their normal lives, pretending that the past few days never happened. He was more than surprised when his father gave him permission to go up to the surface.

        Hiccup blinked at him before breaking out into a big grin. He hugged his father tightly and whispered in his ear, “Thank you.” Once they pulled apart, Hiccup turned away and swam to the surface, swimming as fast as his fins could carry him.

        Stoick watched his son go, a big smile on his face. After a moment of pause, Snotlout spoke up from behind him. “Uh, should we follow him.” He looked up at Stoick hesitantly, confused at what just happened. “Your Majesty,” he hastily added at the end.

        Stoick looked at his nephew from the corner of his eye and chuckled deeply. “Come on, my boy. It’s time I see what is so special about this Berk.”

… 

        Astrid paced back and forth on the beach, stealing worried glances at the sea every few seconds. Stormfly was lying down a few feet away from her, most likely exhausted from the afternoon’s events. She thought over the past events and mentally berated herself. She was so stupid. She had chosen to marry someone who she had literally just met and a couple of hours before over one that she had spent the past three days with and grown to love… and for what? Just because he allegedly rescued her. And now she may never see him again. She sighed and looked out over the now calm waters. Where could he be?

        A sudden splash caught her attention and she squinted her eyes at the horizon. Someone broke the surface of the water and called out to her. “Astrid!”

        Astrid smiled widely and she sighed in relief. She would know that voice from anywhere. “Hiccup!” she yelled, running into the water to meet him.

        Hiccup reached the beach and began to pull himself out of the water. He was almost thrown back in when Astrid tackled him, wrapping him in her arms and holding onto him tightly, never wanting to let go. “You’re okay!” Astrid breathed in relief. “Gods, you’re okay. I was so worried I lost you.” She then drew back and punched him in the arm. “That’s for scaring me.” Hiccup frowned, rubbing his shoulder to lessen the pain, but before he could say anything, Astrid leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. “And that’s for everything else.”

        Hiccup grinned and brought his hand to the side of her face, brushing a stray hair away from her eyes. “Astrid. I-” He was suddenly interrupted by the sounds of running feet and Gobber, Fishlegs, and the twins rounded the corner.

        “Astrid!” Gobber panted. “We… ugh, I think I soiled my skivvies… we’ve been lookin’ all over for ya. I was worried you… were… ” he trailed off as he saw Hiccup, half-hidden behind Astrid, and he smiled. “Oh, it’s… it’s good to see you got out okay, lad.”

        Hiccup smiled sheepishly at him. “Thank you,” he said softly. While he had met them before, that had been when he was human. He was now meeting them as a merman and it made him nervous how they would react.

        Gobber chuckled as Fishlegs and the twins gawked at the young man, or rather, his green tail. “You’re...” Fishlegs stuttered, “you’re a mermaid.”

        Hiccup’s shyness immediately vanished and was replaced with irritability. His eyes narrowed and he slapped his fins down on the surface of the water indignantly. “I’m a merman, thank you very much.”

        Gobber and Astrid laughed as Fishlegs backed up, raising his hands in surrender. “Sorry,” he said softly, not wanting to anger the… uh, the merman. Gobber slapped him on the back. “‘Bunch o’ dragon dung,’ eh?”

        Fishlegs didn’t answer and just continued to openly stare at Hiccup. Hiccup looked down and squirmed uncomfortably at the amount of attention he was receiving. Suddenly, there was a splash from behind him and he whirled around to see his father, his cousin, and two dragons watching him from a distance away. Hiccup made a small gesture with his head for them to come closer.

        As the group swam forward, Stoick put a small smile on his face despite the nervousness that overcame him. These were humans, the vile creatures that caused him so much, but his son looked so at ease with them. He would do it for him, he would be open-minded for Hiccup.

        Hiccup turned back to Astrid and the group of humans who were gaping at the two mermen approaching. “Astrid,” he began, taking her hand in his, “this is my father, Stoick the Vast, King of Berytheas.”

        “King?” Astrid gasped, looking at Hiccup who nodded slightly, before bowing her head. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, your highness.”

        Stoick smiled at the young girl and took her hands in his. “The pleasure is all mine.”

        “King,” Gobber echoed under his breath. “So the lad’s a prince. There was royalty under our noses and we didn’t know.”

        “Dad,” Hiccup said, “this is Astrid Hofferson.”

        “The human you saved, I take it,” Stoick said and at Hiccup’s nod, he turned to face the girl. “I owe you a great number of thanks for your assistance in defeating the sea witch. And for looking out for my son when I could not.”

        Astrid bowed her head. “Of course, your majesty.” She then turned to Hiccup. “So, you was you who rescued me,” she clarified before engulfing him in a hug. “Thank you.”

        Hiccup hugged her back and pulled away when Stoick cleared his throat. “Well, son, we must be going. As I’ve said before, Berytheas is a long swim from here.”

        “Right,” Hiccup said softly, looking at Astrid who felt just as devastated as he was. “Um… dad, could I have a moment alone with Astrid?”

        Stoick nodded. “Of course, son. Take your time.” He put a hand on Snotlout’s shoulder and led him and the dragons away.

        Gobber took the hint and turned back to the castle, making a shooing motion with his hands. “Come on, you three. Back to the castle. After the day we’ve had, we all must be feeling tired.”

        “But, but,” Fishlegs tried to argus, but Gobber grabbed him by the back of his tunic and dragged him away with the rest of them.

        Once both parties were gone, leaving Hiccup and Astrid to themselves, the two gazed at each other, an awkward silence settling between them.

        “So,” Astrid said, not really sure what she was going to say. “You’re a merman.”

        “Yeah,” Hiccup said, looking down in shame. “I, I wanted to tell you before, but...” He trailed off as he glanced at his fins.

        “Can I touch it?” Astrid asked hesitantly. “Or is that too weird?”

        Hiccup laughed. “No, go ahead.”

        Astrid held a tentative hand out and brushed her fingers along the appendage. “Your scales are really shiny and smooth. You look really good in green.” She raised her eyes to him to see that he was watching her intently. “They match your eyes,” she whispered softly, getting lost in them.

        They both leaned forward slowly, heads tilted to the side and eyes fluttering shut. This time, there was nothing to get in between them, no slimy octopus or setting sun

        On the beach where they first laid eyes on each other, Hiccup and Astrid shared their first kiss.

…

        Several feet away from the couple, Stoick watched his son with Snotlout floating in the water behind him. He saw the two kissed and he sighed. sadly “He really does love her, doesn’t he Snotlout?” he asked his nephew, who had been with his son through everything.

        “Mhm,” Snotlout hummed, nodding his head. “Well, it's like my father always says, Your Majesty, we’ve got to be free to lead our own lives.”

        “I have never heard Spitelout say that,” Stoick said, raising an eyebrow at the boy

        Snotlout gulped and laughed nervously. “Well, he doesn’t actually say it… but that’s what he thinks.”

        Stoick’s mouth quirked at the corners and he shook his head before turning back to his son. He and Astrid had pulled apart and were talking. Though he couldn’t make out what was being said. he could see their faces drop and his heart broke at the sight of his son looking so miserable. He sighed. “Then I guess there's just one problem left.”

        “And what's that, Your Majesty?” Snotlout asked him.

        “How much I’m going to miss him.” Snotlout looked up at him with wide eyes as he raised his glowing hammer and levelled it with his son. Golden light lit the surface of the water and made a path toward the merman prince, surrounding his lower body.

        Hiccup looked down in confusion and then gasped, eyes widening in realization. His eyes shot up to meet his father’s and Stoick gave him a small nod, smiling himself. A broad smile graced Hiccup’s face and his heart leapt with joy. He rose up out of the water with, having done this before. He was clothed in a forest green tunic with brown trousers. A regal blue cape trailed behind him, the hem flowing in the water around his feet.

        Astrid gaped in astonishment. “Hiccup?” she gasped but was stopped in saying anything else as he threw his arms around her and hugged her tight. She laughed wholeheartedly as he swept her off her feet.

        They held onto each other as Astrid leaned her head on Hiccup’s shoulder. “I love you, Hiccup.”

        “I love you, Astrid,” Hiccup replied, and without another word, they shared their second kiss.

…

        Roughly two months later, they found themselves yet again on the repaired wedding ship. Most of Berk was in attendance for what they deemed the ‘Wedding of the Century,’ for it really was a miraculous event. Both merfolk and citizens of Berk gathered together to celebrate the former merman prince and princess, two worlds united as one.

        Hiccup wore a white tunic with matching tan pants and a brown, fur cape pooling on the floor by his feet. Golden cufflinks were attached on his wrists and a gold belt was fastened around his waist with the image of a nightfury’s head at the buckle, a gift from his father. Astrid wore an elegant white dress with a gold sash tied around her waist. She had on a pure white fur cape and her blonde hair fell neatly down her back. Golden crowns sparkling in the sunlight lay atop both of their heads.

        Everyone cheered as the two kissed, ending the ceremony and beginning the celebrations. Stormfly bounded toward them and jumped between the happy couple, licking both of their cheeks. Fishlegs and Gobber were holding onto each other, tears of joy falling to the deck. 

        Down below, almost all of the citizens of Berytheas joined in on the celebrations, cheering happily for their prince. The dragons of the sea got along perfectly with the dragons of the land and everyone had a great time. Toothless, despite wanting to be with his best friend, decided to stay in the ocean and, as per Hiccup’s request, look out for his father and sister.

        The celebrations continued well on through the afternoon and soon the sun was beginning to set. Gobber announced that it was almost time to head back to Berk and Hiccup leaned over the side of the ship to bid his friends and family farewell.

        Snotlout swam up to the ship and, with the help of Stoick’s hammer, rose to where Hiccup was.

        “Thank you, Snotlout,” Hiccup said. “For everything.”

        Snotlout smiled at him and shrugged. “You’re my cousin, Hiccup. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you,” he replied, then added jokingly, “and you’re the King’s son, so there’s nothing I can’t do for you.”

        Hiccup laughed and tried to punch his cousin on the shoulder but he managed to swim away in time. It was then Heather’s turn and as soon as she was in front of Hiccup, she did jab him in the shoulder.

        “Ow,” Hiccup yelped, grabbing onto his shoulder and rubbing it. “What was that for?”

        “Thanks to you, I am now the heir to Berytheas,” Heather explained. “Daddy and Uncle Spitelout’s been training me for the past month and they are driving me crazy! Maybe I can ask him to make me human too.”

        Hiccup and Astrid both laughed at this. “Sorry, Heather, but if I had to go through that for six years, I’m sure you can as well.”

        Heather pouted but then dropped it and grinned, pulling her brother into a warm embrace. When they pulled apart, she fixed her gaze on his new wife. “You’d better not hurt him,” she threatened, “‘cause if you do, you’ll have me to answer to.”

        Astrid smiled and looked up at her husband, wrapping an arm around his waist. She turned back to Heather and said, “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dream about it.”

        Hiccup grinned and leaned down to give her a peck on the cheek, Heather smiled at the two lovebirds. “I’m glad you’re happy, Hiccup,” she said sincerely

        “Thank you, Heather,” Hiccup said, holding onto her hand softly. “I love you, sis.”

        Heather grinned. “I love you too, brother. Take care of yourself.” With that said, she sank back into the ocean and smiled up at them from next to Snotlout.

        Hiccup then turned to his father while Astrid backed up a bit to let them have their talk. Stoick was beaming at his son as he conjured up a swell of water to raise him to Hiccup’s eye-level. They gazed at each other for a moment before Stoick spoke. “You did the right thing, Hiccup.”

        Hiccup snorted. “What? Completely disobey you and almost doom Berytheas and the seven seas?” he joked.

        Stoick chuckled then said seriously, “No. For chasing after what you believed in.” He set his hands on his son’s shoulders. “I’m proud to call you my son.”

        Hiccup inhaled sharply as his eyes watered. He wrapped his arms around his father in a warm embrace. “I love you, dad,” he whispered into his ear. Stoick didn’t say anything but hugged his son tighter.

        Hiccup pulled back and Stoick moved his gaze from his son to Astrid who was standing a few feet away. She saw him looking at her and she smiled before bowing deeply to him. Stoick returned the smile and nodded before lowering himself back into the ocean.

        Hiccup turned to his wife who walked up to his side and they both waved down at the merpeople who were waving back to them, happy in each other’s arms.

“Now we can walk
Now we can run
Now we can stay all day in the sun

Just you and me
And I can be
Part of your world!”

        Toothless, Stormfly, and every other dragon in attendance there shot blasts of fire into the sky. As the boat set course for Berk and merfolk and humans alike waved goodbye to each other, Hiccup and Astrid leaned toward each other and kissed again. The prince looked at his wife and a wave of happiness washed through him. He had finally found a place where he belonged.

The End