Echoes Of The Past
(Part Five)
Hiccup felt himself drift on the sea of dreams.
Have you ever noticed that when you sleep you seem to involuntarily shift from one dream to another? That sometimes thoughts appear out of context and make for a perplexing instance…
That was what Hiccup was feeling now. In the abundantly unhelpful but life saving – in fact heart and soul saving – unconsciousness from the blow to the head by Alia, Hiccup slept in her arms as she carried him across the lands. Not really too sure where to go in a land were nothing was anything and everything.
Hiccup dreamt of a time when he was a boy, a time before the Dragon Wars ended. A time before Astrid was his.
"So, I guess we'll share?"
"Read it." She abruptly stated shoving the Book Of Dragons back across the table at him. Before getting up and leaving the Great Hall.
"Oh… all mine then, wow…. so..oh-okay then I'll see you-"
The Great Hall door slammed shut with a laud resounding bang.
"…tomorrow." Hiccup sighed as the flaxen haired beauty stormed off, leaving him abandoned in the hall.
"Ha! Shot you down did she?" A drunk Viking suddenly appeared at his side, staggering as he lent one arm around Hiccup's much smaller shoulders, and held in his other, a flask of meed.
The old man's breath reeked more so than was normal for even Vikings. Hiccup bit back a sigh and a gag.
"I don't want to talk about it." He snapped. The sting of Astrid's rebuff still sharp.
"Of course you don't, lad, but take-gulp-my advise-gulp"
Hiccup raised an eyebrow at the man wondering what advise a gulping, slurred word Viking could give him.
"Just grab the yak by the horns and tell her how you-gulp-feel!" The man lavishly explained through the swaying, gulping, haze of his drunkenness.
Hiccup laughed as he took the book and walked to the other end of the table his class mates had been sitting at.
HA! Like he would ever tell her how he felt! Talk about begging for misery. He'd rather have a Terrible Terror tear at his-
"Suit yourself young man – but you'd be a-gulp-darn fool to do what I did and cost yourself a chance at true love. After all-gulp-a Viking is nothing if he hasn't got two things-gulp-a good battle axe and someone he loves!"
The drunk, yet wise geezer staggered off leaving Hiccup to study.
He imminently pushed aside all thoughts of Astrid and what the old man had said….even if he did, say, agree with the drunken Viking.
He'd never be brave enough to tell Astrid how he felt…would he?
Just then his mind drifted without structure to another time, he stood once more in the , many years later, once more that man appeared….or was it him?
The dragon riders had been reprimanded back to Berk from Dragons' Edge for getting drunk on Hiccup's birthday.
Was it really his mind trying to tell him the two events were connected? …or was this just him longing to see his father again, if only in his dreams….
"I expected better of you, son." Stoick regarded his hung-over son as the pair of them stood in the Great Hall the day after his birthday.
Hiccup groaned as Stoick walked off.
"No doubt that mother of Astrid's is giving her a fair talking too, you know she might actually thank you if you go rescue her, hehehe." Stoick called back to his son. The oddly romantic side of Stoick, minor as it were, giving flight to lesser aggravation with his son for getting himself and the rest of the Dragon Rider's hooked on Valmka, the strongest meed the Vikings knew of. It was truly deadly stuff.
Hiccup stood in the semi darkened Great Hall and let out a sigh.
Wouldn't bet they'd thank him, not when he told them they wouldn't be leaving Berk nor were they able to fly their Dragons. She'd probably kick him where it hurt most. Stoick might still have romantic delusions of his son and Astrid but it hadn't stopped him from grounding his son and the rest of the dragon riders, along with their dragons.
"He's wrong you know, boy."
Hiccup jumped as a shadowy man stepped from behind a pillar next to him.
"What? Do I know you?" Hiccup asked, uncertain as memories and confusion mixed together.
The man laughed, a slight drunken gulp breaking the sound like a bad cold.
"Better than you think, my boy. Now listen to me. Your old man is wrong about why you got drunk last night.
"No he's-"
"Listen to me boy!" The old man growled, the sound chilling and cold and vibrated around the hall. He steeped unnervingly close to Hiccup, his breath almost overpowering. Hiccup held in a gag.
"I know what path Valmka leads one down and its darker than Hel and filthier than the insides of a tore Nadder's guts."
Hiccup cringed at the awful image that formed in his head, and not surprisingly the image that formed was that of Stormfly.
"You have to break from it now before we're all doomed!"
Hiccup backed up his eyes watery from the fumes the old man produced. Hiccup recognised the stench; it was Valmka. He knew it now and a hangover wasn't the worst of it.
"It's fine, it was only one time" Hiccup tried to declare, but the old man would have none of it. He advanced on Hiccup his hand waving in the air and his eyes were crazed as he pushed Hiccup back against the large oak table, the very same table he'd once read the Book of Dragons.
"Its never just once! Boy! You hold the whole population of Berk in your hands and you're going to send them all to Valhalla! You fool!"
Hiccup jumped at the echoing words, worlds that sounded like Mildew…but that was impossible Mildew was dead.
I know what you are thinking boy, I ain't Mildew."
Hiccup blinked and felt the first ripples of revelation give way to straight out fear.
"How did you-"
"You've got to listen to me boy, I've not got much time. You need to stay away from that bottle you hear me! You need to change the path you're on before all of Berk is turned to ash because of you!"
Outside the Great Hall a thunderous roar cracked across the sky, Hiccup jumped and turned his head to the sound as wind and rain slammed open the hall doors. For an instant Hiccup had the offhand thought that for giant oak doors they held little weight against Thor's mighty thunderstorms.
Then he turned back to find the old man was gone, gone as if never there at all. Hiccup blinked into the shadows and held a hand to his head, maybe he was still a little drunk…? Valmka was indeed incredibly powerful. As he headed out to find the others he felt himself stagger, and he couldn't place where he'd seen that old, drunken man before.
There was something eerily familiar about him. That question alone wasn't the only one to plague him. Where had the man disappeared to? There wasn't any other way into the Great Hall, it was a massive hall built to hold all the Vikings of Berk and dragons, it was built into the side of a massive hill…. what in Thor's name did he mean Berk would be turned to ash because of him?...
"No!" With a jolt Hiccup woke. He surprised Alia so much as she carried him across the plains that she dropped him. With a cry of surprise and flaying limbs he tumbled to the ground with a thud.
"Oh good you're awake."
Alia smiled.
Rubbing his behind that had taken the brunt of the fall he looked up at the beauty as she lent down to him, her hands on her knees.
Hiccup glared at her.
"Why did you do that!" He asked not referring to her dropping him on the ground.
"It was necessary I assure you."
"Oh sure knocking a person out is always necessary." He sarcastically rebuffed as he shakily got to his feet.
"I think I prefer the kiss." He mutter under his breath.
Alia mockingly gasped.
"Why! Hiccup don't let her hear you say such a thing." Alia teasing said referring to his beloved Astrid. Still lost in the nothingness of Hell's Heaven.
Again he glared.
"Listen to me you…you " Hiccup words trailed off unable to find an apt word to describe this beautiful perplexing complicated and irritating woman. At least not a degrading one at least.
"Until you kissed me Astrid was the only one I'd ever kissed!"
"Well, that's not true." Alia qipped unthinkingly.
Hiccup blinked.
"You kissed Tuffnut too."
Hiccup stumbled back.
"WHAT?!"
Alia hunched her shoulders and looked sheepish.
"Oops that hasn't happened to you yet has it?"
Hiccup was wide eyed and terrified. What could possible possess him to kiss Tuffnut!
"Changewing." Alia added. "Best stay way from them. Never try to train one."
Alia added unable to hold back the laughter any more, thinking of how he'd been hypnotized by a changewing and been oddly lulled into kissing Tuffnut! It was still laughable and it had been months since that tale had reached her, however it seemed that the Hiccup that stood before her now had yet to live that little awkward moment.
"Sorry." She laughed over the world. So giddy with the humour of it all.
"You poor thing!"
Alia continued to laugh.
"Poor Tuffnut!" She added.
"Then again I can't really say kissing you isn't a pleasant experience."
Hiccup froze and gulped in air awkwardly. The look upon his face was akin to that of no other. Alia burst into a fit of laughter that had her bending over clutching her side. Oh there were so little reason to laugh in this land it felt ever so good to be able to laugh exuberantly now.
The only thing that stole the smile from her face and abruptly ended their debate was something happening over Hiccup's shoulder.
Something that made Alia's blood run cold. Drawing her sword from the holster at her side all laugher gone.
"Hiccup watch out!"
END
Eliana Robinson
31/12/18
CREATION DATE – 31/10/17
PUBLISH DATE – 31/12/18
Echoes Of The Past Disclaimer
ECHOES OF THE PAST - is a Fanfiction of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON I do not own the characters or original plotline, with the exemption of anything in relation to new characters, the kingdom of Alexyarna and Hell's Haven which are original creations of my own from my own original works. The character of Alia is of my own creation with the name being created by a contest winner VenomousFantum, as their winning prize. The character herself is of my own invention.
PLOTLINE:
Awake in the new land with Hiccup and see the difference in all ….where can this Viking chief be?
Is it heaven or hell….
…. or someplace worse than either above or below.
Enjoy the fifth instalment of the mysterious Special "Echoes Of The Past"
Dedicated to VenomousFantum for winning the Reader's contest 2017
Thank you for your choice in the name of this fiery heroine. I hope you enjoy this story and that it's all you hoped for, regards. Ms Robinson.
This story is NOTfor official publication or profit.
ECHOES OF THE PAST is a tale in an unofficially link series between all my HTTYD fanfics and is purely meant as entertainment.
CREATION DATE – 31/10/17
PUBLISH DATE – 31/12/18
Part of the "Dragon Adventures" Series By Eliana Robinson
Actually a Crossover between HTYYD and my own Original novel series, "The Ring Dynasty" – a fantasy collection of novels based in the magical kingdom of Alexyarna.