Chapter Thirteen: The Monster and the Man

Hiccup rushed into the room he was keeping Iris in.

"We've done it, Iris!" Hiccup called out triumphantly. "We've beaten them back! Come and see!"

He then stopped when he noticed that Iris wasn't moving at all.

"Iris, wake up." Hiccup said. "You're safe now."

No response.

"Iris?" Hiccup asked. He felt Iris's cheek, and it was as cold as ice. "Oh no."

Hiccup scooped some water from a basin and tried to pour it down Iris's mouth. It didn't go in. It just trickled all over her chin and cheeks.

"Oh no…" Hiccup caressed Iris's body. He understood that she didn't love him like that, but she cared for him like a sister, and he accepted that now. One of his five friends was gone from this world forever. Hiccup sobbed as hard as he probably did when his mother abandoned him.

When the orange light from outside shone into the room, Hiccup guessed that Alvin had arrived.

"You killed her." Hiccup whispered angrily through his tears as Alvin put his hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"It was my duty." Alvin said simply. "Horrible as it was. I hope you can forgive me."

Hiccup simply sighed sadly as he held Iris's hand.

"There, there Hiccup Haddock." Alvin said. "I know it hurts, but now, the time has come to end your suffering, forever."

At that moment, Hiccup looked at the wall and saw a shadow of Alvin holding a long knife as he turned around to see him. Hiccup grabbed Alvin's hand before he could thrust the knife into him and managed to shove him to the opposite wall, causing him to drop the knife. Hiccup then picked up the knife and walked to Alvin.

"Now, now… Hiccup Haddock." Alvin said nervously. "Listen to me."

"No, you listen!" Hiccup shouted as he starred angrily at Alvin and let everything that had built up since the Festival come out. "All my life, you've told me that the world is a dark and cruel place, but now I see that the only thing dark and cruel about it is people like you!"

Hiccup then tossed the knife away when Iris's voice groaned, "Hiccup?"

"Iris!" Hiccup said in surprise.

"She lives." Alvin said angrily as he drew a sword.

"No!" Hiccup called out as he rushed out of the room holding Iris as if she were a baby.

Hiccup took Iris and hid among the gargoyles as Dartz walked around. Suddenly, Alvin looked down at them, and smiled wickedly as Hiccup held onto a decorative gargoyle.

"Leaving so soon?" Alvin asked with a dark smirk.

Alvin swung once-twice with his sword.

"Hang on!" Hiccup called out as he swung from gargoyle to gargoyle.

()()()()()

During the fight, Hiccup shoved Iris away, and looked at the two.

"I should have known you'd risk your life to save that gypsy witch, just as your own mother died trying to save you." Alvin said angrily but softly.

"What?" Hiccup asked in a look of surprise that Iris recognized as belonging to her father. The father she'd been separated from when her mother was nine months pregnant. Could Hiccup be…? He had the same facial structure as her father if a little more emotional. She had always thought Hiccup was like a brother to her, now maybe he really was.

"Now, I'm going to do what I should have done twenty years ago!" Alvin said as he threw his cloak around Hiccup's head as he lost his balance and fell. He grabbed onto a wall, which caused Alvin to fall over as well.

As Hiccup clung onto the wall, Iris rushed over and took Hiccup's hand. Meanwhile, Alvin swung onto the last gargoyle Hiccup had hoped to when he was attacking the two.

"Hold on." Iris groaned as Hiccup began to lose consciousness from the hot air all around. Alvin had climbed on top of the gargoyle and stood up as he held his sword, ready to strike.

"'And he shall smite the wicked and plunge them into the fiery pit!'" Alvin called out.

There was a creek, and Alvin lost his balance as the gargoyle began to give, and Iris could swear the gargoyle growled angrily at Alvin as it came lose, and Alvin screamed as he fell into the fiery pit himself, in this world at least. Of the next, Iris had no idea.

Iris barely registered this as Hiccup began slipping.

"Hiccup… Brother…" Iris groaned as she tried to pull him up, but she was still weak from her near suffocation. Hiccup's hand slipped from hers. "NOOOOO!"

Suddenly, Drew flew in on his dragon and grabbed Hiccup before he fell and jumped inside Notre Dame.

()()()()()

Hiccup woke up with Drew next to him and hugged him gratefully for all his help that day. Iris then rushed in and smiled as Hiccup saw her relief, and she hugged him. Hiccup then backed away, took Drew and Iris's hands and put them on top of each other. He knew now that it didn't matter if Iris loved him in the same way she loved Drew. She loved him as a real true friend, and that was enough for him. Drew and Iris then kissed as Hiccup smiled on.

()()()()()

The three walked outside as everyone cheered for the victory against Alvin, whose body had been taken off.

Iris held out her hand, and Hiccup took it and walked out, shielding his eyes from the sudden burst of sunlight. Hiccup looked around nervously as everyone seemed afraid of him until a little girl in a purple dress walked up. She had blonde hair and looked at Hiccup. She couldn't have been more than eight or nine. She then hugged him as Hiccup smiled and hugged her back. The girl then led Hiccup into the crowd as Trader Johann called out, "Three cheers for Hiccup Haddock!"

The crowd then carried Hiccup on their backs as they celebrated.

So… Here is a riddle to guess if you can

Sing the bells of Notre Dame.

What makes a monster, and what makes a man…?

Whatever enrich you,

Fear and bewitch you,

Sing the ritual bells

Sing the bells of Notre… DAME . . . !

Chaos dose not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or HTTYD but she owns Iris and Twilight the Snow Fury, Hikari belongs to WingBladeWeaver1357, and Drew belongs to RedDiEnd.