Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hiccup wasn’t sure what to do.

They had been living in the Hidden World for about one year now, and overall, life was good. There was plenty of food and water, as well as different ores and dragon companionship. The dragons who went scouting always brought them back wood for cooking and other projects. But there was one problem. They were running low on cloth and leather.

Living with dragons was great, but it was definitely harder on their clothes. They mended them as best they could, but they were also growing and the cloth they brought from Berk was almost gone now.

The leather would have lasted longer if it wasn’t for needing saddles. That was not something that Hiccup had planned for. The Typhoomerangs had finally grown enough to carry riders and were thrilled. Even though Torch was the only one bonded to a rider, his brother and sister still wanted their own saddles. After all, it wasn’t fair that he had one and they didn’t. Plus, Flash and George liked to randomly grab Hiccup and Ruffnut to take them for unexpected flights. Scaldy was amused by it, while Toothless… well, let’s just say that Hiccup had gotten used to dragons fighting over him mid-air.

But now the leather was almost gone too. Hiccup had an idea for a leather/dragon scale armor that would allow their clothes to last longer, but there wasn’t enough leather left to even mock one up.

They would need to get supplies, there was no way around it, but how?

“Hey, Mom,” Hiccup said as he approached Idony, “we have a bit of a problem. We need to get more cloth and leather soon.”

“Maybe some of the dragons can scout a little further afield and grab some for you from a human nest,” she offered.

“That wouldn’t be fair, to them or the humans. I will not let them steal from another’s nest, especially as it will end in fighting.” Hiccup was determined to find a solution. He had one idea, although he didn’t think his mom would approve. But he wouldn’t know until he asked. “Do you think the Alpha would let us go? We could land on the opposite side of the island and then I could go trade for what we need.”

“No, it’s not safe,” Idony shook her head. “I will not risk you entering a human nest.”

Hiccup sighed. He wouldn’t risk the dragons and his mom wouldn’t risk him. “Could we present our problem to the Alpha? Maybe he can think of a solution?”

Idony thought about it and agreed to ask for an audience with the Alpha.

They were summoned to meet with the Bewilderbeast the next day. Hiccup explained the situation and presented his idea, explaining that he didn’t want to risk any of their flock. Idony expressed her opinion that Hiccup was part of the flock and shouldn’t be risked either.

“I can understand your concern, Idony, but young Pitch is right,” the Alpha said, using the name the dragons had given Hiccup. “It would not be safe for the dragons to enter a human nest, while Pitch would blend in. His idea of landing on the opposite side of the island is sound and should keep everyone safe. You can arrive and depart at night for less chances of exposure. But these excursions cannot happen often. We cannot risk exposing the location of the Hidden World.”

“I understand, Alpha,” Hiccup responded. He paused in thought for a moment, then asked, “Would it be acceptable for my sister, Sprite, to accompany me? With her help, we could carry twice as many supplies, and we would not need to venture out again for another year or two.”

“That is a good idea, Pitch. You have my permission to go. And Idony, if it would set your mind at ease, you may ask one of the Changewings to join you. They can camouflage near the village and keep an eye on the hatchings.”

“Thank you, Alpha,” she replied. “We will depart in one week.”

“That is satisfactory. Please inform me when you return.”

The Alpha dismissed them and they went to inform their family. Ruffnut was excited that she got to join them, but Tuff was feeling rather left out.

“Why can’t I go, too,” he complained.

“Sprite can remain focused when needed,” Idony explained.

“I can too,” Tuff insisted.

“You can, when you want to, but there is a reason the dragons named you Whirlwind.”

Tuffnut huffed and glared at Ruffnut, who had begun to snicker.

Hiccup did his best to keep his expression neutral. “I’m sorry, Tuff. But the more people that go, the greater the risk of exposing the Hidden World. The only reason I asked for Ruffnut to come was so she could help me carry the baskets and we could bring back even more supplies. It really isn’t going to be that much fun. We’ll be flying at night, then have to hike across an island, trade for supplies as quickly as we can, then hike back and fly overnight again. No time for fun or adventures.”

“Well, when you put it that way, I guess I’d rather spend the day hanging out with Torch and his sibs,” Tuffnut declared. Looking at the Typhoomerang trio, he asked, “So, who should we prank?”

“There will be no pranking while we are gone. Scauldy will be in charge and those who don’t behave will be in serious trouble when I return,” Idony warned.

“So, if Scauldy’s staying here, am I riding with you, Mom,” Ruffnut asked.

“Yes, dear. You will ride with me and Pitch will ride with Toothless. The Alpha also gave permission for us to ask a Changwing to join our party. They can keep an eye on you while you are in the human nest.”

“Now that everything is settled, we need to start working on things to trade,” Hiccup announced. “Dragon scales are generally valued for jewelry, so I was thinking of engraving them, only I can’t take too many. We don’t want them to get suspicious. Our wood pile has gotten pretty large. Tuff, do you think you can carve some figurines? I’ll give you a hand once I finish with the scales.”

“Can do, bro,” Tuff replied. “I’ll go sort through the pile to find the best pieces for us to work with.”

As Tuffnut was heading off, Ruff asked, “What about me, Hiccup? I want to contribute too.”

“Hmm,” Hiccup thought. “Maybe Scauldy can help you find some broken corals? Small pieces, like what you could find washed up on the shore? Just a few though. They should be worth a fair amount and we don’t want anyone questioning how we found so many.”

“Sounds good. We’ll get to work on it right away. Come on, Scauldy!”

Chapter Text

It took the full week, but they were ready.

The baskets were carefully packed with items to trade. Scauldy had brought Ruffnut seaweed, which she dried out and used to cushion the figurines. Hiccup had also used the remainder of their fabric to make hoods and scarves that they could pull up over the bottom half of their faces to help hide their identity. Ruffnut decided that a different hairstyle would aid their disguise, so she chose to do her hair in a single braid instead of her usual 3 braid style. She even added a few small braids to Hiccup’s auburn mop.

They set off just before dusk, accompanied by Chester, a mature Changewing father who knew of an island with a human nest. The flight itself was rather boring, but they made good time, reaching the island a few hours before dawn. They cuddled with their dragons and got a few hours of sleep before sunrise, at which point they started their trek across the island, with Chester showing them the way. Fortunately, the island was not too large and it took just a little over an hour for the village to come into view. Chester found a tree with a good viewpoint and cloaked before climbing it.

“Be careful, little ones,” he warned. “I will be right here if you need me.”

“Thanks, Chester,” Hiccup responded. After checking that his sword was secured on his belt, he turned to his sister and asked, “You ready?”

“Yup, let’s go.”

They pulled up their scarves and walked into the village. They were quickly noticed and the Vikings were happy to direct them to their Chief.

“How can I help you two youngsters,” he asked.

“We have come to ask if we may trade with your village,” Hiccup explained. “My name is Kevin and this is my sister, Shirley. Our family lives at sea and there are some supplies we are unable to procure for ourselves. We promise to be fair in our dealings with your people.”

The Chief eyed them with suspicion. “I did not see your boat dock. Where is it and where are your parents?”

“We made landfall on the other side of the island, sir. The majority of our family is not comfortable around large groups of people, so our mother sent us to do the trading.”

“Hmm, well, I suppose it would be alright, as long as you remove your face coverings. Our people are not inclined to trust those who hide their face.”

Hiccup glanced at Ruffnut and gave a slight nod. Hiccup could not risk exposing himself. As the son of a chieftain, he was more well-known. On the other hand, Ruffnut had never left Berk. She removed her hood and scarf, then asked, “If I handle all the trades with your people, may my brother keep his coverings on? He was scarred badly by a dragon and is uncomfortable with the stares.”

Hiccup was glad for the scarf, as he blushed at Ruff’s exaggeration.

Thankfully, the Chief was willing to accept their compromise and even procured a few crates for them to set their wares on.

The morning passed by quickly and Ruffnut was in her element, closing deals left and right. Once the baskets were empty, Hiccup went to dispose of the seaweed, as they needed to be able to carry as much cloth and leather as possible. He knew that his sister had a few daggers hidden on her person and could take care of herself while he was gone. By the time he got back, Ruff was finishing up her last trade.

Once the Viking left, Hiccup inquired how they did. He let out a low whistle when Ruff showed him a small pouch full of coins. “You’re sure you didn’t overcharge anyone?”

“Nope,” she replied. “I just know the value of my brothers’ skills and wasn’t about to let anyone take advantage of us.”

Hiccup gave her a crooked grin. “Thanks, sis. So, you ready to haggle some deals for us?”

“Always! Lead on, brother.”

They made inquiries and headed off to purchase the cloth first. The local seamstress was happy to do business with them and they filled one basket a little over halfway with their purchases there. Next, they headed off to the forge, where Hiccup was able to purchase a few tools he needed for forging, as well as for his leatherwork. Fortunately, the blacksmith also had a large amount of leather he was willing to sell. After a bit of haggling from Ruffnut, they settled on a price. The blacksmith was impressed by the youngsters and kindly agreed to watch their now bulging baskets while they collected a few other items.

They grabbed their satchels and headed back out, first to the local healer for some herbs, then to the baker. It had been two years since they had eaten bread and one year of eating nothing but fish and seaweed. While life with the dragons was great, the diet did get a little boring. They filled one satchel with bread and another with cheese and berries. It wouldn’t last long, but it would be a nice treat. The last satchel was filled with root vegetables… maybe they could try growing some of these on their own… he would have to ask the twins if they knew how. Odds are they probably had an uncle who was a potato farmer or something.

As they were heading back to the blacksmith’s to pick up their baskets, they stopped to admire some wares that another Viking was offering for trade. Hiccup noticed Ruffnut fingering a delicate comb. She reluctantly set it back down and they continued on their way. Hiccup felt bad, as they had already used up most of their coins and only had a few left. The comb was beautifully made and the price would be more than they could afford. He resolved to do something nice to make it up to her.

When they arrived at the forge, the Chief was there. They thanked him for his acceptance and he commented that they would be welcome to trade in his village again if they were ever in the area. Grateful for his support, they said their goodbyes and headed into the forest with their supplies.

It didn’t take long for them to meet up with Chester, who was happy to help with their burden. When they reached the beach, it was still an hour or two before sunset. Not having gotten much sleep the night before and knowing that they would be flying for hours tonight, they decided to get a bit of rest.

They took off once the sky was completely dark and made it home just before dawn. They removed saddles and harnesses and tucked their supplies in a safe place away from prying dragons. Idony went to tell the Alpha of their safe return, while the hatchlings thanked Chester for his help. With everything taken care of, the travelers collapsed in a human and dragon heap and slept until noon, at which point an impatient Tuffnut woke them up.

“Ugh, are you gonna sleep all day,” Tuffnut whined.

Idony was the first to move, stretching her wings and dislodging the others who were curled and draped around her. Then she froze, wide eyes focused on Tuffnut. “Whirlwind! What did you do,” she shrieked.

Toothless was not pleased to have been woken and wrapped a protesting Hiccup in his wings before promptly falling back asleep.

Ruff rubbed the sleep from her eyes, then found herself in the same state as her Mom. “Bro! What happened?”

Tuffnut was thoroughly confused. “What do you mean?”

“Have you seen your hair?”

Hiccup finally managed to extricate himself from Toothless’s grip and burst out laughing as soon as he saw his brother.

“Oh, that,” Tuff said nonchalantly. “Torch may have started sparking a little more than normal while we were flying yesterday. But it’s ok, it’ll grow back.”

“Yeah, eventually,” Ruffnut agreed, “but you can’t just leave it like that.”

“Why not?”

“Uhh, Tuff, it’s burnt pretty bad and it’s really uneven, like, I don’t even know how that happened. Plus, it’s not like this is the first time, though it is definitely the worst.” Hiccup explained, “Torch is still learning how to control his sparks, but until he does, your hair is just going to keep catching on fire if you leave it long.”

“I guess that makes sense…” Tuffnut frowned in thought, “But if I can’t have long hair like my twin, then I want it cut to look like my brother.”

Ruffnut giggled, then glanced at Hiccup. “Your brother needs a trim. I guess I can do two for the price of one.”

“Why did I get dragged into this,” Hiccup complained.

“Because you’re family,” Ruffnut said, draping an arm across his shoulders.

“Comes with the territory,” Tuffnut added. “But you’re going first, just in case she chops off an ear or something.”

“Wait, what,” Hiccup panicked. “Mom!”

Idony shook her head in amusement. “Sprite is good with her knives. You’ll be fine.”

And they were fine, much to Hiccup’s relief. His hair had gotten longer than he was used to and it was nice to have it short again. Ruffnut even added the little braids back in, claiming it marked him as part of their pack.

Tuffnut was up next, and despite his initial reluctance, he was thrilled with his new short style, complete with braids in the same spot as Hiccup.

Ruffnut decided that she wanted a fresh look as well. Not that she was ready to cut her hair, but the single braid was growing on her. She added a few small braids on the sides to incorporate into the main hairstyle and overlapped smaller sections, creating a new braid that resembled a fish’s tail. Satisfied with her efforts, she went to wash up and join her family for dinner.

Chapter Text

The next day found Hiccup sitting on the sandy shore with his notebook, trying to think of something nice he could do for Ruffnut. He rattled off a few ideas, but they didn’t seem quite right. “What do you think, bud?”

Not getting a response, he turned and saw Toothless sound asleep. “Useless reptile,” Hiccup murmured. He closed his notebook and flopped on his back, rubbing his face with his hands. “I just don’t know what to do…”

“About what?”

Hiccup bolted upright, Idony’s face mere inches from his own. “Mom! You scared me.”

“You need to be more alert,” she countered. “What are you having trouble with, hatchling?”

Hiccup explained about the comb Ruffnut admired. “I just… she does a lot for us, the cooking and most of the mending, cuts our hair, and she doesn’t really ask for anything. I could see how much she wanted the comb, and I wish I could’ve gotten it for her…”

“Pitch, she understands. Sprite knows that the money had to go for the things you needed.”

“I know,” Hiccup sighed. “But she always looks out for me, even though I’m supposed to be the older sibling. Life before…it wasn’t that great. But when we became friends, she saw me, and I didn’t feel so useless anymore. I wasn’t a burden to her. And now she’s my sister and I want to be able to give her things just because, to make her happy, to show her how much I appreciate her. I want to do something for her, I just don’t know-”

Hiccup’s rambling was interrupted by one of Idony’s spines landing right next to his foot. She nodded at the golden spine, “Then make her a comb.”

Hiccup carefully picked it up, turning it around in his hands. “I-I don’t know…”

“Pitch, look at me.” Once she had his full attention, she continued. “You are very talented. Your paws are capable of amazing things. I’m sure that you would be able to make a comb even more beautiful than the one she saw. And she will treasure it even more because YOU made it just for her.”

“Maybe…,” he mumbled, starting to examine the spine a little more.

Idony could see that the gears were beginning to turn in his mind. “So, when are you going to get started?”

Hiccup looked up at her with a lopsided grin. “Well, I guess there’s no time like the present. Thanks, Mom,” he said as he threw his arms around her.

She nuzzled him in return. “Any time, my hatchling.”

—————————

Hiccup had never worked with a Nadder spine before. Fortunately, Idony’s spines were quite large, so he was able to cut it down to the size he wanted the comb to be and then practice on the leftover pieces. He found that when the spine was heated just enough to become warm to the touch, it would carve quite easily. The main issue was going to be making sure that the teeth were the same size and evenly spaced. He sketched out his design and then set to work.

He did most of the carving at night in his cavern, as he didn’t want anyone to see what he was working on. He didn’t normally have a fire in his room, preferring to just snuggle up against Toothless, but the Night Fury was happy to blast the stone whenever Hiccup needed to warm the spine back up. It took a few nights to get the teeth just right, but they were finally done. Tomorrow night he could start on the last part, carving the shaft.

To keep himself busy during the day, Hiccup decided to test something out in the forge. The night before, when Toothless heated the stone for Hiccup, one of his shed scales got blasted. Hiccup noticed that the longer it stayed on the heated stone, the softer it became. He experimented with some extra scales the next day in the forge and was able to break them into smaller pieces and form them into beads. It was interesting though, because not all scales reacted the same. The scales from Scauldy did not change, maybe because Scauldrons are Tidal Class dragons? Same with the Monstrous Nightmare scale, but then again, they set themselves on fire and need to be able to withstand constant heat. He sifted through his dragon scale collection to find the ones he wanted and was able to finish shaping them by dinner time.

When he got to his cavern that night, he started carving the shaft of the comb, pouring his heart into his work. It took all night, but it was completed, along with a couple of other projects he had decided to tackle.

Hiccup was thoroughly exhausted from all his hard work. He lay down next to a drowsy Toothless, who instinctively reached out to enfold him in his wings.

“Just a few hours of sleep bud,” Hiccup mumbled, “then we can go for a flight.”

Toothless rumbled in pleasure as Hiccup drifted off.

—————————

Toothless woke Hiccup up around noon, not willing to wait any longer to go eat.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m up.” Hiccup yawned. He sat up, leaning against the Night Fury and trying to get his eyes to open all the way. He was just starting to stretch when Toothless darted toward the entrance of their cavern, removing his support and causing Hiccup to fall backward.

“Ooof! Thanks, bud,” Hiccup said as he pushed himself off the ground and rubbed his head. “I’m really feeling the love…”

“That’s what you get for staying up all night and making me late for breakfast.”

“I know,” Hiccup admitted. “I’m sorry. Go get your breakfast, I’ll join you in a minute.”

Toothless came back to give Hiccup a nuzzle and a big lick, then quickly took off.

“Toothless,” Hiccup yelled, then tried to wipe the Night Fury saliva from his face. “Ugh, this stuff does not come off.”

Hiccup scrubbed his face the best he could, then tucked the gifts in his satchel. He finally emerged from the caves to find everyone eating lunch.

“Look who finally decided to get up,” Tuffnut teased.

Ruff rolled her eyes. “Yeah, because you’ve been up for what? Thirty minutes?”

Tuffnut pouted. “I’m never up before Hiccup. Can’t I gloat just this once?”

“Nope,” Ruffnut responded. She looked at Hiccup, narrowing her eyes. “Did you get caught up in a project again?”

Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck. “Well…”

“Hiccup! You have plenty of time during the day, and nothing is needed so desperately that you have to work all night.”

“But then it wouldn’t have been a surprise,” he replied softly, pulling the comb out of his satchel and gently placing it in her hands. She looked at it in awe, running her fingers over the detailed carving of a Scauldron with blue eyes.

“I saw how much you admired the comb in the village and I know we couldn’t afford it, but I wanted to try and make it up to you. Mom and Toothless helped…”

Ruffnut threw her arms around Hiccup in a tight hug. After a moment of shock, Hiccup returned the embrace. “You do so much for us,” Hiccup explained, “and I just wanted you to know that we appreciate and love you.”

Ruffnut let go of her brother and continued examining the comb. “Hiccup, it’s beautiful. Even better than the one we saw. How did you…?”

“It’s made from one of Mom’s spines, her idea.” He glanced at Idony, who was looking at him with pride. “And the Scauldron’s eyes are made from George’s scales. I would’ve used Scauldy’s but-“

“It’s perfect,” Ruffnut interrupted him, looking up with tears in her eyes.

“I’m glad you like it,” Hiccup blushed and glanced down. Grinning, he continued, “but there’s more.” He reached into his satchel and pulled out two necklaces, holding out one to Ruff and one to Tuffnut.

“Cool,” Tuff exclaimed, immediately putting it on and then looking closer. “Wait, is this-?”

“Yeah, it’s one of Torch’s baby teeth. I know you’ve been saving them, so I had Sharpshot sneak into your room to get one. I filed it down a bit so it won’t catch on anything. And the beads are actually dragon scales from Torch and Flash.”

Ruffnut was examining her necklace as well, admiring the Scauldron carving on the pendant. Holding it up, she said, “So that means-“

“-that your beads are scales from Mom and George. And one of Scauldy’s scales for the pendant. They may not react to heat, but they engrave nicely.” Hiccup smiled sheepishly. “I know it’s not much, but I just wanted to do something to say thank you for being my family.”

“Bro, this is the coolest gift I’ve ever gotten. I’m never taking it off,” Tuffnut declared.

Ruffnut smiled softly. “And I love my gifts too. Thank you, Hiccup.”

“Thorston Sandwich,” Tuffnut yelled as he launched himself at Hiccup.

Ruffnut laughed and joined in. They may not have a traditional family, but she wouldn’t trade it for anything.