Lost In Time | HTTYD Fanfic

Enlightened

"What's going on?!" Hiccup shrieked as the riders joined Zephyr in the sky, darting towards the explosion.

"The twins." She explained. "I knew I shouldn't have told them that Zippleback trick."

"Let me guess... they're angering the Changewings?" Astrid mentioned.

"Hiccup, Astrid," Zeph called. It still felt weird using her parent's names like that. "You deal with the twins. I'll handle the Changewings."

"Not alone you're not." Nuffink insisted. "Let me help you."

"I don't need help." His sister insisted. "Especially yours."

***

"NUFF, LOOK OUT!" Astrid shrieked as the distressed Changewing shot her acid in his direction. She was just a moment too late. The young blonde male hissed as the glowing green liquid burned through the shoulder of his tunic. The sheer force of the shot was enough to throw him back into a tree, knocking him out instantly. "NO!"

"Get him outta here!" Zeph ordered.

"What about you?!" Astrid worried as the Changewing turned towards the brunette.

"ZEPH!" Hiccup tossed his Gronkle iron shield in her direction. She caught it and immediately shielded herself from the green goo.

"We're fine. Just go!" She told her. Astrid scooped up the young boy, draping his arm around her neck and dragging him towards her dragon. Zephyr quickly aimed the shield upwards towards a tree branch. She shot out a rope that wrapped itself around the branch, allowing her to hop over the Mystery Class dragon to avoid another shot of acid. "Gods, I love this shield." She noted.

***

After several minutes of trying to calm down the frightened Changewing, they were finally successful and without a word, Zephyr handed Hiccup his shield and mounted her dragon, taking to the skies.

"Fishlegs, can you lead them back to Changewing Island?" Hiccup asked the stocky blonde.

"Of course. Let's go, Meatlug."

***

"Hey..." Hiccup spoke softly as he landed in the cove to find his future daughter sat at the edge of the lake. Her knees tucked to her chest and her head resting in her arms. Her eyes shot up as she instinctively turned towards the noise. "You okay?" He wondered.

"I'm fine." She fibbed. "I just needed to clear my head."

"Don't you think you should go and find your brother?" He thought. She shook her head emphatically.

"He's safer if I stay here."

"Zeph you can't blame yourself for Nuff getting hurt." He mentioned as he took a seat beside her.

"Yes, I can." She corrected. "If I wasn't so desperate to prove myself, none of this would have happened."

"Prove yourself to who?" Hiccup pondered.

"Everyone." She admitted. "My mom, my dad, my brother... I just want them to be proud of me for once. I just wanted to prove that I'm strong enough to handle myself. It's just- getting hard to believe in myself anymore. I mean, how am I supposed to believe in me when nobody else does."

"I do." Hiccup smiled. Zephyr's head shot up as her gaze locked with his.

"You do?"

"Of course I do." He confirmed. "I think you've proven that you're more than capable of taking care of yourself.  I mean, your dragon knowledge and blacksmithing skills alone are better than mine." He admitted. "Just don't tell the others I said that."

"My lips are sealed." She chuckled.

"What I'm trying to say is... I'm proud of you. Even if nobody else is."

Zephyr's arms instinctively wrapped around Hiccup's neck as she let out a little sniffle.

"Wha- okay?"

She quickly backed up, rubbing her arm nervously.

"Sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's okay."

"It just means a lot to hear that." She sighed.

"You don't have to explain. I get it. Really." He told her. "My dad never really believed in me either. I mean, before the dragons, nobody really thought I was capable of anything useful."

"Really? I didn't know that." She thought. Her father never spoke about Stoick very much and when he did it was always about how strong and fearless and heroic he was.

"Oh, yeah!" Hiccup confirmed. "I wasn't always like I am now. Before I met Toothless, I was just the blacksmith's useless apprentice."

"You?" Zeph wondered. "But you're Hiccup. You're good at everything!"

"I don't know who told you that." Hiccup chuckled.

Astrid. Astrid told her that. Or at least, she will.

"But, why don't you tell me what's going on between you and your brother?"

***