The Arcane Evil (httyd-fic)

Chapter 50

Hiccup took Toothless out for a flight after the confrontation with his brother. He had just returned as the sun was setting and made his way through one of the corridors. It was there that Stoick confronted Hiccup.

"Hiccup I want to have a word with ya." Stoick shouted.

Hiccup stopped and watched the man approach. Stoick towered over Hiccup as he crossed his arms. "I would like tha know why ya attacked my son earlier today."

Hiccup simply looked at the man before asking without any emotion. "Am I not your son as well? Of course I'm not. I never mattered to you or mom after Geir was born. You had the perfect son then!!" Hiccup raised his voice, echoing throughout the corridor.

"Now don't-" Stoick started to speak but Hiccup cut him off.

"Don't what, Stoick?" Hiccup stood straighter now, breathing in a deep breath before continuing, "Don't complain?, Don't whine?, Don't be a nuisance?!" He asked, raising his voice. "All I wanted from you and mom was to hear you say that you were proud of me. Even if it was just once!"

"I had tried, and tried to be the son you wanted but all you could see me as was a useless waste of space wasn't it?!! And just for the record I did not attack your son." Hiccup spat.

Stoick had never seen the boy act like that and took a step back out of shock. "That is what he told you right?" Hiccup now questioned. "He went whining to daddy that I attacked him for no reason? He seems to like to pin the blame on me just like when we were kids."

Stoick sputtered and wanted to reply but Hiccup kept ranting. "Well do you want the truth Stoick or are you going to turn a blind eye and coddle one son while you ignore the other?"

"And what is the truth?" Stoick finally asked as he saw Hiccup glaring angrily at him.

"Your son is nothing more than a fat coward and a liar. He challenged me to a swordfight, which I won. I did not attack him, I did not even lunge for him. I simply parried his blow and that was all it took. Ask any knight that was on the field today if you won't even believe your own flesh and blood."

With that said Hiccup whirled around and continued walking while leaving a shocked Stoick standing in the torchlight of a now empty corridor.

Hiccup needed to clear his head and walked with no destination in mind. He passed the library and heard a voice inside. Peering into the open door he saw Fishlegs seated amongst tomes and scrolls while looking frustrated.

"Fishlegs what is the matter?" Hiccup asked as he stepped into the grand library.

"Oh Hiccup!" Fishlegs said as his head snapped up in surprise. "I'm...... I'm just looking for a way to get my courage up."

"And you thought a spell would help?" Hiccup questioned as he took a seat. "Why would you even need more courage. You got plenty of that."

"I wish." Fishlegs muttered dejectedly. "I can't even ask Heather do the ball like Astrid insisted."

"Well you have talked to women before right?" Hiccup questioned and got a nod from him.

"Yes it usually involved a lot of stammering. The women I talked to wouldn't even give me the time of day and the one girl I finally got to listen to me ended up betraying me. Heather seems nice and Astrid insisted I ask her to the ball tomorrow."

"But you don't stammer when you talk to Ruffnut." Hiccup remarked.

"That is because Ruffnut is crazy!!" Fishlegs said as he grasped Hiccup's shoulders and shook him. "I was the twins' neighbor when we were children. I know how crazy both of them can be!! She used me to practice her knife throwing!!"

Both of Hiccup's eyebrows shot up at the news. "Okay Fishlegs." Hiccup said as he thought for a moment. "Why don't you give her a bouquet of some of the moon lilies which grow in the garden, I know they are her favorite, and you just ask her to the ball."

"Just ask her?!" Fishlegs squeaked.

"Yes Fishlegs. Just ask her." Hiccup said guiding the man out of the library and in the direction of the garden. "She is a Viking. Just ask her straight-forward if she would like to go with you."

"Alright Hiccup." Fishlegs said as he headed for the garden.

"Also, watch out for her deranged brother!" Hiccup shouted after the man and shook his head in mirth as Fishlegs' shout of "Wait what?!!" traveled through the corridor.

Meanwhile Stoick had returned to the chambers he shared with his wife and he sat down with his hand in his hair. Gobber was also in the room and was stoking the fire.

"Stoick what is wrong?" Valka asked as she took her husband's hand.

"Now what has gotten ya so frustrated?" Gobber asked also asked as he looked at his old friend

"I think we have been terrible parents." Stoick muttered as he placed his head on the wooden table. "Hiccup gave me a serious rant."

"Well it's about time the lad got it off his chest and ya realized what kind of mistake ya made." Gobber stated as he looked at the two.

"You knew Gobber?!" Stoick asked as his head snapped up.

"Of course I knew Stoick. I even told ya outright ta show the boy ya cared but you're as stubborn as a yak and didn't take my advice!!" Gobber said evenly.

"I didn't want to coddle the boy Gobber. He needed to become strong."

"Aye, ya didn't coddle the boy but ya didn't show him ya loved him either." Gobber now counters. "Ya did nothing to stop the bullying by the villagers or that of his own brother. The times I had to patch the lad up from all the bruises he suffered. He needed to become strong yes, but he also needed to know that he wasn't alone in the world."

"What were we to do Gobber. He was just a tiny babe." Valka said. "How could we raise someone so fragile in such a rough world."

"Hiccup is anything but fragile!" Gobber defended. "Don't you underestimate the lad. You sat there and watched him get his heart broken and did nothing. I was the one to see him off when he decided ta leave and I'm glad he did. He's happier here than I have ever seen him!"

"And you are treating your grandson just like you treated Hiccup." With that said Gobber left Stoick and Valka to think over what he told them.