this question plagued my mind, i never cared what people called me but now what my name meant more than anything ever had but why, why did it matter so much. i watched the rising sun motionless for about ten minuets, who was i really, i recalled the scent of the sea coming from the waves crashing off the rocks by the port. why did it matter, never before had i been just, accepted, for who i was, i had always needed to carve out a place in the world for myself but here it had been different.

"even a lifetime later i can't run from who i am, my name i hiccup horrendous haddock the third, son of stoic the vast, chief of berk. i was born here, this is where i was meant to be." he said. she looked on in awe as the sun kissed his face while the wind gently whipped at his hair, how can one person have so much compassion, why did he care so much about these people for thor's sake THEY HAD KILLED HIM. but that was the part of him that she loved the most, the part that didn't judge, he didn't coddle either you were worth his time or you were not either way he just accepted you as you were, he could forgive even if he never forgot and it made him human and so much more.

"alright" she said with a sigh "well, it's been fun but i gotta get while the gettings good"

"you don't have to leave" hiccup stated

"maybe but i should, you found where you belong now it's my turn maybe our paths will cross again but my place isn't here" she says walking past him towards firefly "if you survive this look me up sometime" she said giving him a quick peck on the cheek before chasing that wild blue yonder

"with a smirk hiccup turned and went to the one place where he could find someone he could talk to. as he entered the rock outcropping that led by the waterfall he didn't know what to expect but it wasn't this. he saw the man who had raised him sitting on a rock, appearing utterly at peace while a young nightfury frolicking about chasing fireflies.

he walked slowly up behind him and stood there silently for what seemed like hours just waiting for the right thing to say to come to mind but it didn't, so he just stood their. hours passed and nothing came to him until stoic finally spoke, "you going to stand their forever or did you come here for a reason." he asked without turning around

"how long have you known i was standing here?" hiccup asked

"i knew you'd be here before you did" the giant man replied

"how's that" he mused

"a man gets a look in his eyes, when he reaches a crossroads, a look that says it all, everything he wants everything he needs all the things that make him human. it defines who he is, what he could do, what he could become and in your eyes i saw that you were a monster" the man said in a method true to his name

"then why did you think i would come" he asked

"i didn't think, i knew. i knew it because while i could see you were a monster i could also see that you didn't want to be. it was my fault you became like this" he said in remorse

"yes, it was. what were you thinking that day, when you sent me out on that boat" hiccup said angrily

"that i had just made the biggest mistake of my life, i had promised your mother that i would always protect you and i couldn't even protect you from myself." stoic replied

"then why did you do it" he asked

"i was afraid, of what it all meant, you challenged every thing i had ever known and i was afraid, i just felt so... powerless. i won't ask you to forgive me, i don't deserve it but i want you to know that if you want it to be berk can be your home" stoic pleaded

"i don't even know what that means, it's been so long that words like "home" and "community" have lost their meaning" a jaded hiccup replied

"then blame me for that, if you chose to hate me for the rest of your days, i'll understand but it was my fault, not berk's" stoic said

"i don't hate you. i never hated you and that's what made it so hard, the people i loved cast me away like i carried a plague, it was a worse pain than any iv'e known" hiccup replied

"how can you not hate me, i literally killed you, my own son."

"i was raised better than that, i don't hate anyone, you can hate a nation or a group but hating an individual person? no, everyone has flaws and until i have none i won't judge anyone else for theirs" the boy replied

"so what are you going to do" stoic asked

"what i've always been good at, i'm gonna think my way out of it" hiccup asked

with a smile and a dry laugh stoic replied "that's the hiccup i know"

"somethings never change" hiccup scoffed

"where to start" stoic wondered aloud

"dragos coming, i just need to convince him not to" hiccup stated as though it was the obvious thing

"how do you plan to do that, hes a madman he won't listen to reason" stoic protested

"maybe i didn't plan on asking" hiccup smirked

"then how" his said incredulously

"you leave that to me" he said walking off into the forest

astrid was at a loss, berk was undefendable from an fullscale invasion, at this point it wasn't about weather they would be destroyed it was about how spiteful their end would be. as she sat in the great hall making plans about how best to maximize casualties to dragos forces in walked stoic the vast "where have you been" she asked angrily

"i had a meeting"

a meeting with who? "wait, you talked to him didn't you"

"i did"

"by the way you're here i'm assuming he's..."

"alive and well"

"what? how did you get away from him"

"i didn't"

b"ut you said"

"i know what i said, we didn't fight, didn't yell, we just talked"

"talked? he's our enemy"

"not as much as you might think"

she stood in shock for a moment pondering what that meant before she came to a realization "you mean he's not"

"no"

"and he's going to"

"yes"

"but how"

stoic chuckled at her "when it comes to that boy, some things are better left unanswered"

astrid's legs collapsed and she hit her head on the table before scrambling to her feet when stoic said "he's really something else that boy of ours"

"yeah", astrid replied still in disbelief, but what that is we'll have to wait and see"

hiccup wandered through the forest with the sinking suspicion that someone was following him. he whipped around to check but nothing so he continued on, a few minuets later he could feel the same presence again and again turned to find himself alone. what was this person following him for? he would just have to wait and see

as he reached the edge of the forest he found himself on the calm shores of berk's southern coast. he took off his shoes still with the eerie feeling of being watched but whatever it was seemed content to watch from a distance so he would give them a show. he walked over to the water allowing it to rise up to his knees and closed his eyes. after a few moments the water around him began to stir as fins began to rise out of the water but they dissipated for they were not the one being called and they knew this.

astrid sat in abject shock as she watched hiccup summon dragons from the depths only for them to disappear whence they came, was his plan not working? what was his plan to begin with? and why did he look like something that did not belong in this world? in truth he looked more like he belonged in Asgard than berk, a transcendent being that even such beasts recognize as greater than themselves.

harm stand motionless for two days oblivious to the world around him as the waters remain calm until on the sunset of the second day the waters tension finally broke. slowly at first just ripples in the pond, then gradually it began to fluctuate, astrid had long since left but hiccup still felt like he was being watched but paid it no mind. the water finally broke, with a single spike emerging from beneath from its murky depths but it was finally happening, soon in front of him stood an ancient and powerful being.

it was a relic of a bygone age, the form of an old god given new life through purpose, it came not to save berk nor protect him but seeking an ally worthy of it's strength. harm stood looking it in the eye, a thing of legend that was beyond this world but he was bound to it as it was to him.

this was the closest he had ever been to it, no matter how long he had been there before it had never seen him worthy of it's presence. how long had he waited for this moment? since he had first discovered the everfalls chasm he had dreamed of this day and now it was here, they stood as equals.

it was the nearing the end of the third day in berk and dragos ships were on the horizon and hiccup had not been seen since astrid had left the first day. she went to check on the man who would be their ally but when she arrived he was gone, she couldn't say she blamed him, berk had after all decided to kill him it was well within his rights to leave it to rot. with a sigh she turned and left to return to berk.

drago's forces were nearing berks port when the water froze his ships in place

what was that he shouted running to the edge of the ship only to find it made static by a chunk of ice enveloping it.

"what could have done this?" artorian asked worriedly

"only one thing i know of" drago said in a still shock

as if on que it showed itself the bewilder beast drago said as though in disbelief but what shook him was what or rather who, was standinng upon it's head as it rose out of the water

"HARM" he yelled in a rage "YOU TRAITOR, I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD" he proclaimed pulling out his spear and swinging it around making dragon calls bidding the bewilder beast to heed his command. in response the bewilder beast just let out a small sigh, freezing the man in place with a thick layer of frost "why isn't it working"

"someone like you, who only sees others as tools could never stand equal to the spirit of an old god" hiccup replied

"and i'm to believe that a child like you could" he snarled

"i'm no child, my name is hiccup horrendous haddock the third and berk is my home, only those who care enough about those they wish to protect could ever be worthy of the bewilder beast's strength" hiccup quipped

"YOU DAREST DEFY ME?" drago replied cracking the ice around him and throwing his spear aimed for hiccups heart. but it never reached, the very presence of the bewilder beast sent it asunder

"someone like you, a cursed and wretched soul consumed by hatred could never know what it means to care about someone more than yourself, this is why you can never match my strength" hiccup said with a pronounced note of arrogance

"LIES" he screamed running to charge the bewilder beast but as he did he was knocked to the floor by a purple blast of lightning and fire. hiccup looked over to the side of the bewilder beast to find that they had at some point picked up a tag along, it was the baby nightfury from his grotto.

hiccup smirked walking over to it "and what are you doing her little bud" he said in a voice that displayed his once childlike innocence

"ARTORIAN, MERCY GET HIM he yelled but they remained in place TRAITORS THE LOT OF YOU"

"not so much, their just waiting" hiccup mused

"waiting for what" drago said entertaining the thought

"to see which of us is worthy of leading" hiccup replied flatly

"I AM THE LEADER" he roared

"then prove it" he said jumping from his ally's head to the deck of the ship. drago was stunned by his actions but none the less drew his sword as hiccup followed suit. they paced in circles around each other for a moment, no move betraying any weakness. when drago rushed forward he sung wildly only to be parried and countered as harm kicked him in the side.

more cautiously he took a second sword from one of his raiders so as to wield one in each hand he swung again, more visciously, hiccup jumped over him leaving a parting shot on his cheek before landing behind him. drago responded by turning to swing with both sword which harm blocked behind his back before sweeping the feet from his opponent knocking the swords from his hands.

when drago hit the ground one of sword clattered to the ships deck infront of him, he madly scrambled towards it but he was not quick enough. hiccup had caught his other sword in the air and jumped over drago to land between him and the sword, one sword aimed at drago the other pinning the sword to the deck.

"you've won, do as you will" drago said defeated

hiccup just stood their for a moment before he turned to walk away

"you're not going to kill me?" drago asked surprised

"no, just leave" hiccup said coldly

"how kind of you" drago said resentfully getting to his feet but not to smart he said as he drew a dagger from his sleeve and rushed at hiccup. hiccup never saw it coming, fortunately for him however a particular infant dragon did and the next thing that was seen on the ship was drago being thrown overboard and landing face first in the ice surrounding the ship.

"what about you" hiccup asked turning to artorian and mercy

"i don't need your pity" artorian said be before giving the order to turn the ship around.

mercy came over to him and leaned down, whispering to him "i'm glad you found a place you belong, so is he even if he wont say it" she said motioning to artorian "stay safe, write often, and find yourself a nice girl" she said before giving him a hug and turning to get the ship ready to leave

"mercy" he said stopping her in her tracks

"yes" she asked turning around

"thanks, he paused for everything"

"don't thank me, my life would've been boring if you hadn't been there causing trouble all the time"

"i'll miss you"

"don't worry i'll be sure to visit from time to time"

"i'd like that"

well hiccup of berk she said standing up straight and putting her hands on her hips see ya around. with that hiccup turned to leave. as he climbed atop the bewilder beast the ice began to melt from around the ships and soon they were gone, but they did forget one thing, or maybe they didn't forget, but drago bloodfist never did make it back on that ship.

the celebration in berk lasted for almost a full month, hiccup was there and he could fill the hole that had been left in berk all those years ago. where he went from here didn't matter, what mattered was that now this tired dragon finally had a place to rest his wings and that's what it all means, he could have had anything he wanted but he chose family and isn't that kinda the whole point? he didn't have to stay forever but he knew that when he grew tired he could always come back here, their would always be a place for him

[author's note: and with that we say goodbye to hiccup and to berk, i promise there will be more to come from me in the future but it may be a minute, because you see blodborne's coming out and... yeah, sorry about that but i'm kinda obsessed. in summation i would just like to say i have enjoyed myself more than i could truly express with words on a keyboard so i just want to say thank you, thank you and goodnight.