How to Train the Last Dragon 2 : Home is Where Heart is

Calm before the storm

Hiccup was just resting in his bed, as he did every other day. He didn't exactly expect anything special, but he felt like there should have been. The castle was quiet, which was not the norm. Usually, there was a ruckus of sorts going on, with people either getting things done or causing some sort of noise.

When he finally started to wake up, he could smell the distinct scent of fish. He opened his eyes and there, right in front of him, was Toothless. The Night Fury was also starting to wake up and was now licking his face.

Toothless said, "Good morning!" as he was excited for his rider to see what they had planned.

"Hey, bud, what's gotten into you today?" Hiccup wondered what had gotten Toothless so excited.

"What do you mean? Can't I just be excited?" asked Toothless.

"Only when you're trying to hide something from me," Hiccup said as he then walked over and grabbed his clothes.

Then, as he made his way out of his room, he wondered why all of the halls were empty. Everything was clean, but there was no sign of anyone. He started looking for anyone, but the more he went down the hallways, the less he saw anyone around. Things were starting to get a little strange for him.

"Toothless," Hiccup said, noticing his Night Fury making its way toward the kitchen. "What's going on?"

Toothless chuckled as he made his way toward the kitchen doors. "You'll see."

When they opened the doors, there was still no sign of anyone. Hiccup was only getting more lost as he started to stroll down the stone path through the gardens. As he disappeared, Toothless tried his tail fins, opening and closing them, giving a signal.

As Hiccup circled the village quickly, he saw no one outside. As the sun began to rise in the sky, he figured he would find someone eventually. He was starting to get a little frustrated as he made his way back to the dining area of the palace.

"Okay, did Kumandra get evacuated and I didn't get the memo?" Hiccup muttered to himself as he approached the doors. He raised his hands to push them open, letting out a small grunt in the process. "It feels like-"

"Surprise!"

Hiccup's heart skipped a beat as sparkles suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He saw dragon heads peeking out of the windows, and people standing in the middle of the room. Hiccup looked at everyone around the room, people from Berk and some visitors from other islands like Fang, Talon, Tail, and Spine. The dragons included Pengu, Amba, Pranee, Jagan, Cutter, and Scorch; they were excited to celebrate his birthday with him. They approached him, clapping and cheering. He was touched.

Then there came Noi, who came over to Hiccup and hugged him, causing him to flinch when he saw it was her. "Noi?"

"Happy birthday, Hiccup!" Noi cheered as she clung to his leg.

"I can't believe it's you!" Hiccup exclaimed, not having seen Noi up close in a while, and being touched by her presence. "Look how big you've gotten."

"Happy Birthday, Hiccup," Raya said in her kind voice.

Hiccup turned his head and saw his love, dressed so beautifully, walking toward him, dressed in her best clothes; her father behind her.

"Wow, I can't believe you guys remembered!" Hiccup exclaimed.

He had to admit, nobody on Berk remembered his birthday; his own father rarely did. Gobber was the only one who at least put any effort into the idea of his birth, but his gifts were always just random tools from the forge. However, he still loved them all the same.