Chapter 8: A Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Young Man (Hiccup)

 Measuring up to a Viking father isn't easy. Especially when that Viking father is the chief of your village. So, when you get a chance to prove yourself, you jump on it.

The shield I was holding was beginning to weigh my arm down after holding it for so many hours. In the dim light of the Great Hall, Reign strained her eyes over a sketch she was doing, occasionally looking up at Toothless. When she did, my Night Fury would stick his tongue out and wag his tail back and forth, causing her to smile.

"Shoulders back, chin up, son." I slightly jumped at my dad's sudden pat on my shoulder, quickly obeying what he asked me to do. "This portrait's gonna hang in this hall forever."

Out of nowhere, Bucket began to grumble in frustration before marching over to my father and I. He dusted something off his shoulders, and attempted to adjust me before crying out.

"I can't do this!" He tried to storm out, but ended up hitting his bucket against a column.

"I've never seen Bucket like this," I whispered.

"Well, when he lost half his brain, he suddenly became an artist." Bucket blew a bunch of powder onto the wood before smearing it around with his hands.

"So he can actually paint?" My eyes flickered over to Reign in the corner, thinking deep down that she would do a much better job.

"Oh, he's the best. He's gonna do us proud, son. This portrait's gonna take its place alongside all the other chiefs and their sons." He gestured to the most recent one, a proud smile falling onto his face. "This is the only picture of my father and me. It was a great day. And so is this." I turned around to smile at my dad, who had a sentimental look in his eyes. "Chest out, son." Quickly, I puffed out my chest and held my breath for a second, before letting out a sigh.

"Yeah, this is as out as it goes, Dad."

"Very well, then."

Bucket continued painting for a little while longer before declaring that he was finished. I handed the shield to my father and raced over to Reign. She smiled and stood, her jade eyes sparkling.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes!" she cried.

She put her sketchbook into a pocket on her belt and she grabbed my hand, practically dragging me down to the Dragon Academy. Her Thunderdrum, Shriek, was finally healed enough to start training, and I had promised Reign that I would start teaching her today.

"Okay, okay, calm down," I laughed, opening the large gates. Shriek purred, looking at her confused, before slowly padding forward, sniffing and staring down Reign with her yellow eyes. She relaxed her posture, shoulders drooping as her hand gently floated up, hovering in the air until Shriek crawled closer and nuzzled into her hand, purring at her new rider.

"Hi there, girl." Reign giggled, turning to look down at her.

"We should really get to the Great Hall soon. There's a village dinner tonight, and of course I want you to be there." She whipped around to look at me. "I-I mean we want you to be there. S-So we should really-" I halted my stuttering when I realized the look she was giving me was that same one Toothless did when he wanted more fish. "What?" I laughed.

"This is the first time I've gotten to be with her since we brought her in. I wanna spend more time with her." Shriek purred and nuzzled into Reign's side, and I couldn't keep back my smile.

"Fine, fine. Here." I went over to where we stored everything and grabbed a large saddle that would likely fit around a Thunderdrum, adjusting it around Shriek with little protest from the dragon. "Go ahead and hop on. I'm right here." With absolutely no hesitation, she mounted Shriek, then nudged her to take off as soon as I was on. "Okay, now just keep her steady, and give a gentle twist when you want her to turn."

I could hear a chuckle from in front of me, and with a sudden yank, Shriek sharply twisted to the right, then proceeded to climb through the clouds. My heart was still leaping out of my chest when she leveled her dragon out just above the cloud cover, barely noticing that I was clinging to her for dear life. It wasn't until Reign let out a triumphant laugh and I felt her shift slightly that I managed to open my eyes, taking in the sight of the brightest smile on her face, laughing and practically bursting with joy.

"This is what I missed!" she screamed, hair slapping against her shoulder. "Oh, the freedom is just palpable."

"Y-Yeah, that's great, but we should really get back now. We can't miss that dinner." Reign huffed and gently lowered Shriek back into the Dragon Academy, regret tracing her features as she locked away the vibrant Thunderdrum.

"Sorry, girl."

A part of me felt guilty, but before I could change my mind, Reign had started toward the Great Hall, leaving me to follow in suit. Our friends soon gathered around the two of us, staring at the different portraits on the wall. The soft light of the torches just barely illuminated the paintings, but we could make out the figures on the wood.

"Look at all these great leaders," Reign gushed. "And tomorrow, your picture's gonna be hanging right next to them." Snotlout snorted.

"There goes the neighborhood." Reign made a disapproving face at Snotlout before the seven of us made our way down the line.

"You're part of an elite group now, my friend. And one of the few who wasn't killed by their successor."

"So far." The twins cackled behind me, and I tried to stifle my surprise as much as possible.

"I guess... it is a pretty big deal. I mean, it's like being a part of history, right?"

"History of goofballs. What a clown."

"Envy doesn't look good on you, Snotlout." He flashed a glare at Reign before stepping away from the portraits.

"That is Hamish the First. He was our richest and most revered leader-and his son, Hamish the Second."

"I'm Hamish the First," Snotlout mocked. "Bow down before me and kiss my pointy shoes."

Ruff and Tuff chuckled and made their way over to the cocky boy, and Ruff bent down to act like she was about to kiss Snotlout's foot before shoving him over, causing him to roll across her brother's back. They laughed at him and high-fived, when suddenly, the portrait fell of the wall and landed in front of Snotlout, trapping him against the wall.

"Wha- look what you did to the Hamishes!" Fishlegs picked up the portrait as he scolded the three mischief makers, kissing it before placing it back on the wall. Just before it was secured, a piece of paper fluttered into Snotlout's hands, coming loose from the back of the round wood.

"What's that?"

"It's probably mine!" Tuff tried to snatch the paper from Snotlout's hands, but he jerked them away before the blonde could get his greasy fingers on it.

"It looks like some sort of map... with poetry." The paper was suddenly snatched from Snotlout's hands.

"I'll take that." Gobber held the paper tight in his hand, giving us all a look that cautioned us against what we had just found.

"Hey, that's my poetry map!"

"Oh... these were supposed to be destroyed..." Gobber trailed off.

"Why?" Reign asked, trying to snatch it from Gobber. "What's so special about it?"

"Men lost their limbs, their lives, and their minds trying to find that treasure." She and I looked at each other, confused. I'd never heard anything about a treasure before.

"Oh, I've heard about this! The treasure of Hamish the First. His son buried him with it and left this map. They say the clues are so complicated, that only a brilliant mind could decipher them."

"Stoick and I even went after this treasure. It lured us high up into the mountains and a blinding snowstorm. We fought like badgers over the meaning of the clues. We were lucky to make it back with our lives, and our friendship intact. For your own good, kids, forget you ever saw this."

Of course, as soon as Gobber walked away, the five others looked at each other with eager faces. It was clear they wanted to go after the treasure anyway, but the look on Reign's face was one of caution, and she quickly changed the subject.

"So... the big reveal's tomorrow." She turned to me, seemingly shutting out the others and their eagerness. "No offense, but I'm not so sure how well I trust Bucket's artistic skills." I couldn't help but smile at her.

"I'm fairly certain they couldn't be as good as yours." She turned a bright red and looked down at her feet, shuffling them slightly before shooting her gaze up, red hair bouncing before settling right back into place.

"That reminds me! I, uh- I finished that drawing I've been working on. Here." She reached into one of her pouches and pulled out a piece of paper, slightly thin from erasures of many mistakes and countless creases from constant folding. I smiled at her as I balanced it between my fingertips.

"Thanks, Reign." She brushed some of the fire growing out of her head behind her ear before grabbing onto my free hand.

"Come on, I'm starving."

I maintained eye contact with Reign as the people crowding around us buzzed. I was eager and nervous to see not only how the portrait turned out, but how my father and the people of Berk would react. She flashed me a smile that was both reassuring and goofy, causing me to laugh and eliciting a few confused stares.

"Here it comes, son." My dad patted my shoulder. "This is our legacy."

Bucket took that as his cue, and pulled away the cloth covering the portrait. People gasped as they looked at what was painted on the circle of wood. But while people, including my father, were awed, I had to get a closer look at the portrait, gasping as I looked at the image of me that didn't bear as much resemblance as it should.

"Hey, Bucket? Why- Why am I so... like that?" I gestured to the portrait.

"Why is the sky blue? Why do I have a bucket on me head? We'll never know the answers." My dad made his way over and clapped Bucket on the shoulder.

"You did a great job, Bucket. Don't you think so, son?"

I looked back at the portrait again, and disappointment washed over me. Did my dad not want me to be remembered for the way I was?

"But it's not me," I protested.

"Sure it is. It's you, but... you know, bigger, stronger."

"Now that's the son of a chief." I could feel the discouragement growing as I looked at the portrait again.

"You see what I mean?" As the three men shook hands, I did my best to keep my expression from souring and backed away, turning to get as far from the Great Hall as possible. I could hear other footsteps, and though I knew they were Reign's, I didn't want to stop until I felt like I was far enough away.

"Hiccup!" I finally stopped and allowed her to catch up. She didn't say anything at first, instead just letting me talk.

"Unbelievable. My father likes that painting better than the real me. I mean, think about it. E-Even my name! You know it's Viking tradition to call the runt of the litter a hiccup."

"Come on, little hiccup." We looked over to see one of the shepherds pick up the littlest sheep as it bounded into his arms. "Oh, hey Hiccup."

"See? What do I have to do to get my father to accept me?" Her fingertips gently rested on my shoulder.

"He already does accept you. He just accepts the painting more." There was sadness in her tone as she realized just what she was saying, and what it meant. "But, hey-" Her hand wandered into my own and squeezed it. "Not everyone likes the portrait better."

"Sure, I guess." We found Fishlegs standing suspiciously outside Gobber's smithy. "What are you doing out here?"

"Uh, nothing." He became twitchy and nervous. "Cuckoo! Cuckoo!" I sighed.

"Okay... Okay, where are they?"

"Who? Who-hoo? Who-hoo?" Reign and I rolled our eyes at each other before making our way around the side of the smithy, finding the others just as Snotlout climbed out a window.

"What are you doing?" she sighed. Snotlout held up a rolled up parchment triumphantly.

"I've got the map; we're finding that treasure. And you are a horrible lookout."

"You heard what Gobber said. The bravest warriors in history have died trying to find that treasure," Astrid protested.

"Yeah, and I'm next." It was a bit disturbing how proud Snotlout sounded of that.

"Well, I personally would like to live to see my next birthday," Reign quipped.

"We'll be legends. They'll sing songs about us."

"You'll be dead," she snapped. "Come on, guys! Not even Chief Stoick could find it."

Pieces suddenly fit together and clicked in my mind.

"You're right, he couldn't." I snatched the paper from Snotlout. "Give me that map."

"Finally, someone is making sense." Everyone but Reign crowded around me.

"All right, where do we start?"

"Are you serious?" I looked her in her simmering, green eyes.

"Think about it, Reign. My father couldn't find that treasure. What-What would he say if I did something even Stoick the Vast couldn't do?" I knew deep down, she couldn't resist an adventure, but the worrying, mother-like side of her was prevailing. "How great would that be?"

"You're gonna go after this no matter what I say, right?" She made her way closer to me, and I could feel my heart rate starting to go up, slightly afraid. "So, yeah, pretty great."

"You're... not gonna give me a hard time about this?"

"Oh, I'm gonna give you a hard time, every step of the way." She pressed her finger against my chest before pushing me slightly. "Besides, I can't let you go with just them." She looked past me to Ruff and Tuff, who were shoving each other. "As capable as Astrid is..."

"Harder. I said I want to see stars." Ruffnut punched her brother on the side of his head as hard as she could, knocking him unconscious.

"Okay. It looks like the map leads us to this spot."

"The riddles are clues to what we're supposed to find." The map was suddenly snatched from my grip.

"Blah blah blah, where's the treasure?" Snotlout looked over the words written on the map. "Hmm... Clue number one: 'where the land meets the sea, in the crook of the master's knee, that's where your search will be... gin.'"

"That doesn't sound so brilliant."

"Okay, think, think, think, think, think... think. I forgot what I was thinking."

"The master's knee..." I studied the picture closer. "I've seen that before. Come on." I grabbed Reign's hand and led everyone back into the Great Hall, where we stood before the picture of Hamish and his son. "Look, right there, where his knee bends is pointing to this spot on the beach. That's where we start." Everyone got on their dragons, including Reign, whose dragon looked just as happy as her to be flying. We all flew down to the point on the beach, landing on the soft sand but not dismounting. "Okay, listen up, you guys. 'You will see the see that's been sown, where water turns to bone.'"

"Water turns to bone? Hamish isn't even trying to make sense."

"No... Water turns to bone... water turns to bone..." I rolled it over in my head. Suddenly, I came up with something. "He must mean ice! The glacier!"

"We have to go up in the cold?" Reign whined. I chuckled at her.

"The quicker we go, the quicker we get it over with." She groaned, but agreed to follow the rest of us up to the glacier. The glistening ice cascaded down from the mountain, into the snow. "Toothless should come with us, just in case, but the rest of the dragons stay out here."

Everyone nodded, and we made our way into the glacier. I could hear Reign shuddering and shaking, but she chose not to complain. It wasn't until we were a quarter of the way through that Astrid pointed out something obvious.

"There's something in there."

"You mean aside from the dead body?"

"I bet that guy saw it too..." I looked at the map and read the next line of text.

"'Call on Magne, you'll go astray. Freya, though, will show the way.'"

"I get it."

Snotlout dropped himself onto the ice and began to smash his helmet against the glassy surface, creating cracks. There was a strange rumbling, and in an instant, I threw Snotlout out of the way as a large, spiked weapon swung down and crashed against the ice.

"Look out!" Our hearts jumped again as it swung back up. "We can't break the ice. That's what Magne means. He's the god of strength."

"That's right! And Freya... is the goddess of fire!"

"And that's exactly what we're going to use." I looked up at my Night Fury, perched on a ledge the ice made above us. "Toothless, you know what to do!" He sprung off and landed next to me, big eyes asking if he should start. "Light it up."

Toothless opened his mouth and allowed white fire to melt the spot where Snotlout had been banging his helmet, revealing the object lying beneath the ice. I tried to pick it up, but it was smoldering to the touch from having just been exposed to fire, and once I removed it, the glacier shook slightly.

"That's it? This is the treasure?" I turned the object over in my fingers, awe written all over my face.

"No, it can't be. But I bet this'll lead us to it." Tuffnut snatched it from me and stared at it, holding the object inches in front of his face.

"Take us to the treasure." I heard Reign scoff between shivers.

"Let me know if it answers." I took it back from him.

"This is just the first piece." Suddenly, the glacier began to tremble furiously, and cracks formed in the surface below us, threatening to bury us if they broke.

"Toothless!"

I jumped onto my Night Fury, and the others followed, quickly making our way out of the glacier before something awful happened. As we flew away, I watched it crumble, blood and adrenaline pumping. We landed so that we could take a few moments to compose ourselves and catch our breaths, before I pulled the map back out and read the next clue.

"'At the edge of the world, amidst the raging sea, in the serpent's mouth lies another key.'"

"Serpents? I hate serpents. Those are reptiles, right?"

"You do realize you're sitting on one?" Tuffnut cried out and flinched in disgust.

"Hey, that cloud looks like a snake," Snotlout observed.

"Yeah, and in five minutes, it'll look like a bunny," Reign shot back.

"Well, wait a minute. He might be onto something. In the mouth lies the key." I looked out at an oddly shaped island, holding up the map to compare. Sure enough, they matched almost perfectly. "Look, right there." I pointed at it so everyone else could see. "Toothless, let's go."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. A-Are you crazy?" Fishlegs stuttered. "You can't take a Night Fury with a wingspan of forty-eight feet and expect him to hover in winds like that! You'll be killed!"

An idea popped into my head.

"What's the wingspan of Meatlug?" Fishlegs' eyes bounced from his loyal dragon to me. "Reign, you still carry that rope around?" Her expression was stern.

"Hiccup, I understand what you're trying to prove here, but I'm not about to help get you one step closer to killed. I don't want to risk something like that."

"I'm not gonna get killed," I sighed.

"You always say that, and what happens? You almost get killed."

"But I'm still here." She grunted in frustration, but unclasped the rope from her belt and tossed it over. Fishlegs tied it around his dragon's waist, and I grabbed on tight, casting a brief glance at Reign before Fishlegs and Meatlug took off. "Keep her steady." The winds got stronger, blowing me back as I gripped the rope tighter.

"Oh, Thor. Do we really need that treasure? Isn't our friendship treasure enough?" Still, he got me to the mouth of the dragon rock and lowered me down and level with the mouth. I could see something glinting the sunlight, wedged between the rocks. My arms weren't long enough to reach, so I tried to swing in order to get closer, but I didn't have enough momentum.

"I can't reach it."

"Okay, we tried, 'A' for effort." I wasn't about to give up.

"Hold on!"

I slid myself further down the rope, so that I was nearly dangling by one hand, and Fishlegs lowered Meatlug closer. I reached out my peg-leg and tried to pick it up with the flat part meant to serve as a foot. It kept falling every time, until I managed to press it down against the rock and flip it up. It teetered a little bit before I was able to kick it into the air and catch it in my hand.

"I got it!" Fishlegs turned Meatlug back around to get back to the others. "How's that for a hiccup?" I threw Reign back her rope as soon as she landed, and I noticed her hands were trembling, and her pallid face was emphasizing her freckles more than usual.

As our dragons walked along, I managed to figure out how the two pieces fit together. I turned to Reign and held them out so she could look at the pieces.

"Look, they fit together. We must be on the right track."

"Hiccup, what are you going to do with your part of the treasure?" Ruffnut asked me.

"I'm not really here for the treasure," I admitted.

"Great. I get his share."

"You know you don't have to do this, right?" I looked back over at Reign to see her eyes sparkling with sympathy.

"Yeah, try telling that to my dad." I could tell Reign was trying to think of something to say back to that, but before she could, we reached a circle of rocks set in an odd formation. I looked down at the map, then back up at the rocks. "This must be the spot. Why else would anybody build a wall in the middle of the woods?"

"Uh, duh. To keep out the other trees."

"Tuffnut, trees don't..." Reign trailed off, realizing the fight wasn't worth it. "Never mind."

"Well, I got another one for you. 'The world is right when stars align. When not in sync, the danger you'll find.'"

"Stars? I'm not waiting around here until night!"

"I don't think he means actual stars," I sighed. "I mean, the water didn't really turn to bone."

"Well, what do you think it means, Hiccup?"

"Why are you asking him? Maybe I know." Reign shot Snotlout a look through half-lidded, unamused eyes, and I raised an eyebrow at him. "I said maybe. Turns out, I don't."

"I'm shocked." Fishlegs approached the rocks and ran his hands over them.

"Huh. There's shapes carved into each of these bricks." The rest of us hopped off our dragons and joined him as I glued my eyes to the map.

"Keep a look out for anything that looks like a star."

"Got one!" Snotlout yanked on the brick confidently, but as soon as it was out as far as it would go, the wall began to tremble, and a few pebbles tumbled down from above. "Hookfang!" We looked over to see the Monstrous Nightmare staring absentmindedly at a drifting leaf. "Hookfang!" That second cry got Hookfang's attention, and he rushed over, pushing the brick back into place, allowing everything to stop trembling.

"Okay... it says 'in sync.' That means there must be another star."

"Over here!" Reign pointed to another star carving higher up.

"I think we're supposed to pull them out at the same time. Ruff, Tuff?" Their Zippleback pulled out the two star bricks perfectly in sync, and everyone held their breath. After a few moments, nothing happened, and the tension faded as the bricks opened up to reveal a cavern, hidden in the wall.

"Wow."

"This is amazing."

"Whoa." Toothless suddenly let out a distressed roar and tried to dig at the door as it slammed shut behind us.

"Oh, man."

Reign and I glanced at each other, as though trying to read each other's minds, before I nodded my head deeper down the hall, and everyone followed at a far distance behind Reign and I. The two of us grabbed onto torches hanging on the wall and allowed Toothless to light them. We came across a circular room at the end of the hall, and suddenly, the temperature increased.

"Ugh, it's so hot in here. Is anybody else hot, because I'm hot?"

"I know. I'm sweating like a dragon at an eel party."

"Uh guys? Is it just me, or is the floor moving?" We all looked down to see that not only did it look like the floor was slithering, but it was a bright yellow in large patches. I lowered my torch closer to the floor, and it suddenly scattered with a high-pitched squeal.

"Uh, Toothless, can you give me some light?" Toothless shot a plasma blast into the air, and as soon as it exploded, it revealed thousands of little dragons all across the floor.

"That's why it's so hot in here! Fireworm dragons!"

"Whoa..." Tuffnut reached down and tried to pick up one that was bouncing by his feet.

"Don't! Their skin burns hotter than the sun." He picked it up anyway.

"Yeah, but how hot can the sun really be?" The little Fireworm ignited itself, causing Tuff to scream and drop it. "Ouch! Ow! Aah!" All of the Fireworms began to light themselves, and I felt a searing pain rush through my real foot as a couple tried to crawl up my leg.

"Aah!" I shook them off and Toothless hit them with a plasma blast. The dragons that could breathe fire rounded themselves around the pit of Fireworms and breathed fire down in it, causing the little dragons to scatter and revealing the final keys.

"Grab 'em, and let's go!"

"No, it's a choice. Listen to this, guys. 'Something pure, and something strong. Look first to yourself, and you won't go wrong.'" I looked around at each of the keys on the pedestal.

"Strong... that must be the one made of iron."

"But iron's not pure," Astrid protested. "Take the gold." The fires our dragons had lit to scare away the Fireworms were starting to go out, and they were getting closer to the pit again.

"It's getting really hard to breathe," Reign gasped.

"That's what happens when you're getting roasted alive. You might want to make a decision soon, Hiccup, we don't have much time." I backed up behind Toothless as the Fireworms got closer, and he kept trying to fend them off with his fire as I tried to make a decision.

"'Look to yourself.'" I made my way over to the iron one and stared at it.

"Careful, it might be a trap," Reign cautioned.

I hesitated a few moments, making sure this was really the key I wanted to pick, before snatching it from its pedestal. The Fireworms began to scatter on their own, and in a split second, the ground collapsed beneath me. I tried to reach out and grab Reign's outstretched hand, but I fell too short, and instead kept tumbling down into the darkness. Toothless managed to catch me before I hit the rock below- which likely would have been fatal- and help me land safely. But the world above was so far away, and rocks had caved in to make sure we couldn't get back up.

"We have to find a way out of here," I sighed, brushing myself off as Toothless purred, making sure I was unharmed. "Give us some light, bud?"

He looked around the room before firing at a rock, the light calling my attention to a strange hole on the floor with a peg and holes in it. I stared at it for a few moments, trying to make sense of what could possibly fit in there, until my mind wandered to the pieces of the key I had been picking up.

"I wonder..."

I reached into the pouch on Toothless' saddle and fit the cool metal together before placing the assembled pieces into the hole. They clicked into place, and gently, I turned the key to my right, my nerves on edge after falling through the floor. Nothing happened, and for a moment, I let my guard down, until a pedestal suddenly rose from the ground, causing me to jump back against Toothless. He pushed me forward and directed my attention to my left, where the wall was opening up to reveal another passageway.

Reign would have loved this.

As I tried to make my way forward, Toothless roared in protest, but there was no way I was about to turn back now.

"Well, we've come this far." Though he resisted at first, eventually, Toothless followed behind me. The passage wasn't very long, but there was a slope to climb, making for a bit of difficulty. "Look." Just across a bridge was a light, shining down on something that was surrounded by objects of gold. As we got across, it revealed itself to be a scroll, and gently, I picked it up and read what had been written on the outside of it. "'This treasure was passed down from father to son. I leave it to you, the next worthy one. For only a hiccup could get this far. From one to another, be proud of who you are.'" I couldn't fight the smile that curled onto my face as I unrolled the paper. On it was that drawing of Hamish the First and his son, but... Hamish the Second was much scrawnier. I couldn't believe it. "Hamish the Second was a hiccup!" I looked back at Toothless. "Just like me. He knew only another one of us could find this place." I rolled up the scroll, and allowed my eyes to scan the shimmering, gold figurines. "Look at all this stuff."

That was the moment when my attitude changed, the moment when I started to see things through a different lens.

"I guess being a hiccup isn't such a bad thing after all." In front of my eyes, the old platform lowered, bringing up two others. "Wow, so Hamish-two really loved pedestals." That's when I noticed more words carved into the stone below me. "Huh, and apparently riddles. 'In between the body and mind, a choice must be made on what you find. At this moment, you must look to yourself, as only one path will give you true wealth.' Ugh..." I barely reacted as two rock spires crashed onto the bridge behind me. "Oh, come on, Hamish. You're killing me." The ceiling began to crumble down in chunks, and I realized I had to make a decision right then and there .

My eyes bounced between the two pedestals, looking at what was on them. One held a large, heavy hammer, while the other gently supported a pillowy feather. Even though it was likely only a short while before Toothless and I were crushed, I took a few seconds to think about it before darting to one of the pedestals and snatching the object resting on it. The rest of the ceiling caved, but Toothless and I remained unharmed as I held the feather in the air, a proud smile on my face.

The bright sunlight of above-ground revealed three figures standing in front of five others: my dad, Gobber, and Reign, each with different expressions.

"Son!" My dad raced to me with a big smile on his face, relieved I was alive. I hadn't even considered that he would try and follow us out here, much less be able to find us. Though I suppose we did leave quite the trail of carnage on nature.

"Hey, Dad." I ran up the mound of dirt, and we met in the middle. It wasn't until I reached him that I realized that could have been the last time I'd ever seen my dad, and I jumped up as he hugged me tight and spun me. But, of course, the crushing reality of just how tight that hug was hit me pretty quickly. "Uh, Dad, I can't breathe." As soon as he set me down, the others raced over, each exclaiming with their own relief, as well. In fact, everyone seemed pretty relieved.

"What happened?" Fishlegs asked me eagerly.

"Blah, blah, blah, who cares? Where's the treasure?" I unfurled the scroll to reveal the real portrait of Hamish and his father.

"This is Hamish's real son." My dad looked dumbfounded, before his face relaxed into a smile.

"That's not treasure," Snotlout whined.

"To a father, it is." He knelt down and held my shoulders. "I never meant to make you feel like you had to do something like this."

"I know that... but I had to do it. For myself."

I hugged my dad again, but when I opened my eyes, I saw the one person who wasn't relieved; a certain red haired, green eyed Viking leaned against a tree, staring at the bark and tracing her fingers along it, the chain of her necklace twisted and turned.

Reign was worried, and maybe a little angry.

Cautiously, I made my way to stand next to her, and the others gave us some space.

"Reign, I-"

"I like you the way you are, Hiccup." I was caught off guard by what she had just said.

"Wh-What?"

"I know that now you've had this big realization that it's okay you don't look like all those other sons in the portraits- including your own- but I've never wanted to see the you in that picture. I like this you, as pathetic as you may have thought you were. Because you're not a jerk, and you care so much more about the little things in life."

Her tone was starting to get aggressive, and when she moved, I flinched slightly, unsure of whether she'd lightly hit me or do something meant for comfort.

I was able to relax again when she wrapped her arms tight around me and sighed.

"Please don't change, Hiccup Haddock." I smiled and hugged her back, and just before we all got on our dragons to head home, she reached up and gently kissed my cheek, leaving me red and blushing.

"Those two..." my dad muttered, shaking his head.

I've spent most of my life trying to prove to my dad that I could be his kind of Viking. As it turns out, I already was.

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