Heir Of Berk | A HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON FANFICTION |

EPILOGUE

Lost in his thoughts, Hiccup drifted away from reality. He walked through the bustling marketplace, eager to escape to the northern forest.
After observing that large soot on the wall, he was determined to find the dragon in the woods.

Suddenly he crashed to someone, almost losing his balance. Luckily, he stopped himself from falling and grimaced.

Whoever he bumped into, Hiccup hoped they wouldn't start something unnecessary. These past few months had been tough, and he was emotionally and physically tired from dealing with dramas. All he wanted was to be left alone.

"Sorry," he mumbled an apology. "I should've watched where I was going."

Scowling, the person gave an annoyed grunt.
"Now, you're going to stay out of trouble, won't you, runt?"

Hiccup winced at that nickname.
Apart from the name 'Useless', 'Runt' was just as bad, but it did fit him since he wasn't physically strong like everybody else.

Heck, he was quite short for a boy his age, thanks to being born so early into this world.
However, since his father was quite tall - average height for a Viking - there was a chance Hiccup may have inherited that gene.
Being runt was a temporary thing; one day he'll become strong like everyone else.

"W-what?" Hiccup looked up to find the owner of the voice - his neighbour, Arne.

Arne was a man in his mid-forties with a full thick brown beard and clad in a brown tunic and chainmail. During raids, he would fend off dragons with Stoick and his men.

However, after injuring his arm in the last raid, Arne bailed to go on Stoick's expedition since he wasn't exactly fit for battle.

Like most of the villagers, he was cold towards him and would hurled insults for Hiccup's size and made accusations of him being cursed, since disaster seems to follow wherever he went.

"Just because Stoick's gone, doesn't mean you can go around causing trouble," Arne declared, his voice cold. "Show some respect around here, boy. Stoick does everything to keep your sorry arse safe and out of trouble while he's got an entire village to run, not to mention dragons to kill. Just to keep you ungrateful bastard safe.
Don't you think he's got enough on his plate?"

Hiccup blinked, offended by Arne's remark. He furrowed his brows in confusion. Before he could speak, Arne went on.

"You may be the chief's son, but you can't expect Stoick to always do everything for you, boy." He jabbed a finger at Hiccup's boney chest.
"When you're chief, you got to fend on your own. Nobody's going to clean after your mess; only you. And I refuse to follow orders by a runt who can't stay out of trouble."

By now, a small crowd had gathered, anticipating some interesting drama to start.
People murmured excitedly among themselves that someone had the guts to tell off the runt bluntly.

Hiccup glanced anxiously at the crowd, feeling his eyes welled up. He knew he isn't going to be the chief they wanted, but it hurts to know people are doubtful and still accuse him as a troublemaker.

Right now, he wanted to take off and run. But he couldn't because that's just being a coward, and Hiccup was no coward. So he endured every verbal insult and doubt thrown in his way.
If he's really a Viking of Berk, he needed to be strong in the face of adversary.

"I feel bad for Stoick honestly," Arne started to walk away. "Without his wife around, there's no extra hands to help discipline his son. There's no one to guide him in the right path. There's nobody to make sure he stays out of trouble. I hate to be disrespectful on Stoick's behalf, but he is a terrible father but an excellent chief.
Of course, you cannot have the best of both worlds."

When he heard that, Hiccup felt his blood boil.
He clenched his fists, pursed his lips; restraining himself from exploding. Sure Stoick wasn't the best father, but it wasn't right to question his parenting like this.

Right now, his mind raced with endless comebacks for Arne; comebacks to put him in his place.

Hiccup had the urge to lash out, but he didn't want to start something. All he wanted was to run away before things got out of hand. And that is what he did. He sprinted away from the marketplace towards the woods.

As weeks went by, Hiccup stood by the arena assisting Gobber with setting up each training session. He'd point out which recruit performed poorly and which performed their best. Astrid Hofferson had been the best out of the five while the twins were doing poorly. She had the making of a Viking warrior, who might gain the privilege of killing the Monstrous Nightmare in the arena. 

After every session, Hiccup would sneak off into the woods. Why? To visit the midnight scaled dragon - the Night Fury. Yes, the young Viking had dared to confront the dragon, bribing him with a fresh tasty cod or trout; to gain its trust. 
At first he thought the dragon was a threat, but after spending afternoons observing it, Hiccup saw something in that dragon nobody has ever saw; curiosity. 

Staring deep into its emerald green eyes, Hiccup felt compassion and a longing to understand these mysterious creatures Vikings have longed feared. 

Did they only kill humans for no reason? 

Or did they only harm to defend themselves because humans have been a threat to them?

Outside of Berk was a vast world like no other. Surely there must be other Night Furies out there. Not just these mysterious dragons but monsters, disguised as humans; who must have hunted them for years. 

Standing on the docks, Hiccup stared out into the dark waters surrounding his island. He thought what would happen if he had given in to the pressure of killing that Night Fury. 

Would he be just as horrible as those who dragon hunters?