Oh, my gods, it's finally here! After months of hard work, of juggling with academics and other crazy shenanigans life has thrown at me… it's finally done.

I want to thank all of my readers for all their support – from leaving reviews, following, to adding this story to their Favorites list – and for their patience. Sorry this took so long. WolfWitchHuntress1318 (the best beta reader/editor ever) and I have been pretty busy with things outside of fanfiction and didn't always get enough time to work on this.

All your patience has paid off. Enjoy!

NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD!

Chapter 25: Weirdos for Life!

"Okay. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this…" Erland muttered to himself as he walked to the cove. But as he approached the worn trail leading to the cove, the less brave he felt. "Oh Norns, I don't know if I can do this…" He turned around only for Gothi to hit him on the head.

"You know there's no escape from this," Embla purred, blocking his path.

"I did not come all the way here to see you break your promise, Loki," said Gothi sternly, one hand on her hip.

Sighing, Erland continued walking until he, Gothi, and Embla were at the cove. Hiccup and Zenna were waiting for them, Toothless and Stryka playing near the pond.

"Oh, Gothi's with you?" Zenna cocked her head to the side, seeing her mentor.

"She's here for moral support," Erland explained, wringing his hands. Gothi patted Erland on the back, resting against Embla. She knew this wasn't easy for him, being the God of Lies and all.

"I'm scared, but I promised you two that I would be completely honest," Erland began, trying his hardest not to tremble.

"It's okay. We know this isn't easy for you," Zenna said calmly.

"I just don't how you two will take this…" Erland mumbled, taking a deep breath.

"That you're actually Loki, the God of Mischief," Hiccup stated.

"Yes, and I…" Erland's eyes widened. "Wait, what?" he gaped at the duo for a split second before whipping his head back to glare at Gothi. "Did you tell them?!" he yelled.

"No!" Gothi replied before gasping and clapping a hand over her mouth.

Now it was Hiccup and Zenna's turn to gape.

"Gothi? You're not mute?!" Hiccup's jaw dropped.

Zenna was livid. "You mean to tell me that this whole time, you were pretending to be mute? Do you have any idea how many headaches you could have saved us both from if you had just told me what I was doing wrong during our lessons?!" she exclaimed, clutching her hair in frustration.

Gothi had the decency to look apologetic.

In spite of his shock, Loki laughed. "I have to live with this woman's antics every day," he told Zenna who snorted.

"Yeah, but you've only been living with her for three months. She's been hitting me on the head with her staff for eight years," she pointed out, glaring a little at Gothi.

Hiccup raised his hand. "Back to what you were going to say…" he frowned at Erland. "Um… should we call you Loki now or keep calling you Erland?" he asked.

"I'm fine with either." Loki shrugged. "Although, I think it would be best that you two call me 'Erland' when we're out in public. If it's just us and the dragons, you can call me Loki," he said.

"You're not going to tell anyone else?" asked Zenna, fiddling with her eye patch.

Loki put a hand to his chin. "Everyone in the village would have a hard time believing me. And even if they did, I can't say that they'll be pleased to know I'm walking among them. I do have a reputation as you both know," he said, smirking. His smirk grew wider as he got an idea. "Though I believe Ruffnut and Tuffnut should be in the know," he suggested.

"No!" Hiccup and Zenna cried out, their faces pale.

"Absolutely not! They can't know," Hiccup said, shaking his head for emphasis.

"Aw, why not? They worship me," Loki pouted.

"If they knew who you really are, they are going to follow you wherever you go and pester you with who knows how many questions. Do you really want that?" Zenna countered.

That made Loki pause for thought. "I do need my privacy," he muttered then furrowed his eyebrows. "Hang on. If Gothi didn't tell you guys, how did you two know that I was really Loki?" he asked. In all the confusion, he'd nearly forgotten the fact that Hiccup and Zenna had already known his real identity before he had even told them.

Zenna rubbed the back of her neck. "You probably haven't been aware of this, but you've been giving us hints with regards to your identity ever since we first met, and recently we just started putting the pieces together," she began.

"For starters, you clearly don't like Thor." Hiccup remembered the one time he used the God of Thunder's name while talking to Erland when they first met. "And then you kept mentioning how you often felt like you were always playing second fiddle to your older brother. A lot of the legends we tell around here on Berk involve you and Thor at each other's throats," he continued.

"Then there's your proclivity for mischief. Ruffnut and Tuffnut often say that you're well-versed in the pranking arts. Only someone who is the embodiment of mischief itself can pull off something as elaborate as psychologically torturing Mildew," Zenna chimed in.

"But we didn't start seriously considering the possibility that you were an actual being of power until the dragons." Hiccup smiled when Toothless and Stryka trotted over to the three of them. "Once you told us that you could talk to and understand them, we started thinking that you weren't exactly who you said you were," he said.

"Let's not forget what happened in the arena during Hiccup's final exam." Zenna's one violet eye gleamed. "I've heard that a seidr can use powerful magic. What you did back in the arena was definitely the type of magic a seidr can do. But it felt… different. Hiccup and I may have been in shock at the time, but we felt it. We felt your magic… and it was raw, primeval, power. Something that only gods themselves can do," she said.

"At first, Zen and I thought that maybe you were a servant of Loki or something. But, while we were waiting for you to get here after you said that you were going to tell us the truth…" Hiccup glanced at his sister in all but blood. "We went over all of the clues and thought about it really hard… And then, suddenly, as hard and crazy it was to believe, we just figured it out," he finished.

Loki shook his head and chuckled. "I always knew you two were clever, but I certainly didn't see this coming," he remarked.

"There's just one thing Zen and I don't get." Hiccup folded his arms across his chest. "Why would the God of Mischief want to live down here on Midgard?" he asked.

Loki sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I suggest that we sit down and get comfortable. It's a long story…" he began, the dragons gathering around them.

Once Hiccup, Zenna, and Gothi were sitting on the ground with Toothless, Stryka, and Embla, Loki also sat down and took a deep breath. And then, he told them the truth.

He told them of how he had sabotaged Thor's coronation and how he had unwittingly discovered that he was a Frost Giant when Thor had led him and Lady Sif and the Warriors Three into Jotunheim afterward. He explained how he had discovered the truth of his heritage, how angry he had been, and how he had tried to kill Thor before killing Laufey, his birth father. Finally, he spoke of his attempt to destroy Jotunheim using the Bifrost as a means to erase any existing links to his past and his fall at Thor's hands… and that he decided to commit suicide by falling off the Bifrost despite Thor's willingness to help.

When he finished telling his story, Loki leaned against Embla, taking a shaky breath. It had been painful to relive all of those memories, but it also brought relief and made him feel like a weight on his chest had disappeared. For someone who was best known for his talents as a lie smith, Loki felt good with telling Hiccup and Zenna the truth.

Looking at Hiccup and Zenna, and the way their faces contorted as emotions chased through them, Loki braced himself for the rejection. He felt Gothi squeeze his hand and he gratefully squeezed back as he waited.

Zenna was the first to break the silence. "Okay. I'll admit that trying to eliminate your entire race is a pretty messed-up thing to do… But I understand why you did it… sort of," she said haltingly.

"Yeah. I mean, if I had found out that my whole life was a lie, that I was just being kept for some other purpose, I'd be angry too," Hiccup said in agreement. "If I had your powers… Maybe I wouldn't have eliminated an entire realm but I would have definitely caused some damage," he added, chuckling nervously.

Loki could hardly believe his ears. "Y-you mean… You both don't hate me?" he asked.

"We'll admit that we're shocked and a little horrified by what you've done. But we understand that you weren't in the right state of mind when you were doing those things. We don't condemn you for your actions." Hiccup smiled gently. "And you're our best friend. We could never hate you," he told Loki.

"What you did in the past, Loki, that was the old you. The new you, the one Hiccup and I see before us in this very moment, is someone kind, caring, supportive, and willing to risk it all to protect his friends. So don't think that Hiccup and I are going to stop being your friends just because of what you did in the past." Zenna grinned as she held out her hand, palm facing down. "We're the Three Weirdos and we're weirdos for life!" she declared.

"Weirdos for life!" Hiccup placed his hand on top of Zenna's, and the two of them looked at Loki expectantly.

Loki felt tears pricking at the corners of his eyes as he gave the duo the widest smile ever and placed his hand on top of theirs. "Weirdos for life," he said, his voice trembling.

Seeing their mischievous friend tear up, Hiccup and Zenna shuffled over to give him a big hug.

"Thank you…" Loki whispered, melting into their embrace.

Zenna laughed softly. "We've been friends with the God of Mischief this whole time. And we've trained dragons." She glanced at Hiccup. "It's official, Hicc. We're the weirdest pair of Vikings in existence," she declared.

"The Twins can't even begin to think of measuring up to our level of crazy," Hiccup laughed.

"I don't think the Ruffnut and Tuffnut can even count past five." Loki rubbed his eyes. "My poor disciples. They're in dire need of an education, which I'll be glad to give," he said.

"Provided that you keep your real identity a secret," Gothi piped up, tottering over to him and giving him a good whack on the head with her staff. "That's for making these two young ones do all of your chores for a month."

"You found out?" Loki whined, clutching his sore head.

"Boy, I'm the elder of this island. I know everything that goes on here," Gothi replied, tapping her helmet with a shrewd smile.

"Fine. I won't pass off my duties to others next time." Loki rolled his eyes before smiling. "But don't be so smug. I'm going to do my very best to annoy the hell out of you while I'm stuck here," he announced.

"Looking forward to it. This old lady needs some entertainment every now and then," Gothi chuckled, turning around to leave.

Once he had escorted Gothi out of the cove, Loki jumped onto Embla's back and wrapped his arms around her neck.

"How do you feel now that you've told the truth?" Embla asked, using one of her head tendrils to pet Loki's hair.

'Free. I feel so much more free than I've ever been in my entire life,' Loki replied before turning to Hiccup and Zenna, who were already adjusting the saddles on Toothless and Stryka's backs.

"Come on, you lot! The skies await us!" Loki whooped, spurring Embla upwards.

Toothless and Stryka roared with delight and lifted up into the air, Hiccup and Zenna laughing with pure glee. The six of them soared through the clouds, enjoying the wind blowing in their hair and the thrill of flight.

Looking at Hiccup and Zenna, Loki couldn't help but feel like his heart was brimming with joy, pure unadulterated happiness that he hadn't felt in a long time.

Sure, he was still stuck in the body of a mortal and didn't have all of his magical abilities… but he was home.

"I didn't plan on making new friends today," Loki sang out, surprising Hiccup and Zenna as well as their dragons. "But I'm glad that you came along when you did."

Catching on, Hiccup and Zenna began riffing, their voices carrying beautifully over the wind.

Hiccup: We are a couple of misfits but we fit.

Zenna: Together and the outlook's looking sunny from here.

Toothless, Stryka, and Embla warbled in harmony as they wheeled through the air as their Riders sang.

Hiccup, Zenna, and Loki: I will stick up for you.

And you look out for me.

We're a team, but I do most of the speaking.

They flew over the forest, birds and Terrible Terrors flying alongside them and filling the air with their chirps and whistles.

Hiccup: We get in trouble with our best friends and our foes.

Zenna: But it's always simple and it works out, it does.

Loki had Embla fly closer to Stryka so he could ruffle Zenna's hair. "Short of attention." He winked at Hiccup. "Did I mention, all the sass?" he sang, his two best friends rolling their eyes fondly at him. Then he threw his arms up in the air and belted out, "But I wouldn't have it any other way I guess!"

As they passed over the village, the Three Weirdos let their voices be heard by everyone. Stoick, Edgar, and Henna, in particular, looked up and smiled as they heard them.

Hiccup, Zenna, and Loki: I will stick up for you.

And you look out for me.

We're a team, but I do most of the speaking.

You will watch out for me.

No doubt, I believe.

It's a dream, but there's always room for tweaking.

Flying out to sea, Hiccup, Zenna, and Loki had their dragons split up as they approached the sea stack maze.

Hiccup, Zenna, and Loki: Neither of us knows…

Where this thing could go…

Following each other's singing, they reunited at the end of the maze.

Hiccup, Zenna, and Loki: But it's never stopped us once.

So let's not let it stop us now.

Hiccup: So let's not let it stop us now!

Zenna: So let's not let it stop us now!

Toothless, Stryka, and Embla carried them further up into the clouds until they were high above them, free as free can be.

Hiccup: I will stick up for you!

Zenna: And you look out for me!

Loki: We're a team, but I do most of the speaking.

With their dragons singing along in their special dragon way, Hiccup, Zenna, and Erland went for the big finish.

Hiccup, Zenna, and Loki: You will watch out for me!

No doubt, I believe!

It's a dream, but there's always room for tweaking!

Upon finishing the song, Loki leaned back and took in the view. The sun was setting, turning the sky into a watercolor painting of pinks, blues, purples, and oranges, and reds. Embla was purring contentedly as she carried him on her back. On either side of him, Hiccup and Zenna were also drinking in the beauty of their surroundings with Toothless and Stryka.

'As long as I'm with them, being a mortal won't be so bad after all,' thought Loki, already looking forward to whatever adventures and fun pranks that would come their way.

Most of Berk knew him as Erland the Brave, the strange seidr ward of Gothi.

To Hiccup and Zenna, he was their best friend no matter what his name was.

To himself, he was both Erland and Loki. The Serpent Tongue. The Dragon Whisperer.

A Dragon Rider and a Weirdo. And that was fine by him.

And that's that!

If anyone's wondering about the song, it's from the band boyonastringmusic. They make awesome fan songs for anime, movies and TV shows like HTTYD and RWBY. Check out their YouTube channel for more great Dragons-themed songs ;)

I plan on adapting the entire Dragons cartoon series but that will take time. I'll most likely be able to start working it mid-December once I'm on break from college.

In the meantime, live, laugh, make mischief, and soar high!

WEIRDOS FOR LIFE :D

-GuardianDragon98