43. Fighting over a Fishbone (Custody Battle of the...

There was a time when Hiccup had become so accustomed to being beaten up, that it barely even hurt anymore.

It still stung, just not as much.

His body had adapted, gotten used to the sensation. He’d just curl into a ball, take all the kicks and jabs, and wait for them to be bored of him.

But now, after an entire year of living relatively carefree…

Being punched hurt like Hell!

Hiccup heard laughter, as he held his aching jaw in pain. Snotlout and the twins were taking pleasure in his misery, as they always did.

It was like he’d never left.

“Man, I forgot how good it felt to pummel you!” Snotlout grinned, cracking his knuckles.

“And how funny he looks when you knock him over!” Tuffnut chuckled.

“And those pathetic little noises he makes!” Added Ruffnut.

Groaning from his position on the ground, Hiccup wiped the dirt off his face with his sleeve. “Did you really come all the way out here…just to beat me up?”

Snotlout’s smirk widened. “Actually, yes!”

He delivered a kick to the boy’s stomach, making him grunt in pain. “You see, Useless. If I’m gonna be the chief of Berk, I gotta eliminate the competition.”

Another kick, this one even harder. “And competition means you!”

On the ground, Hiccup wheezed out a response while holding his stomach. “B-But the chief disowned me…I’m not the heir anymore…”

The bully halted his onslaught. “Nah, Stoick took it back. Dumb move, if you ask me…”

Hiccup’s eyes widened with shock. “Wait…why did he take me back?”

His question was answered with yet another kick. After this one, Hiccup felt his breakfast rising back up. “Don’t change the subject!” Snotlout hissed.

Blow after blow was delivered to Hiccup’s gut, each one hurting even more, as his ears were filled with the sounds of mocking laughter.

This was nothing new to him, he was quite experienced with this scenario. He would always just lie there and take it.

…But strangely, something from within Hiccup began burning. Boiling. A red-hot scorching feeling he couldn’t quite place.

And it spoke to him.

“Are you really just gonna sit there and let them push you around AGAIN? Stand up for yourself!”

The unknown feeling spread throughout Hiccup’s entire body, and lit a fire in his heart.

It was a feeling he’d never felt before, as he was discouraged and neglected during his most formative years. But now, after the past year’s changes, it seemed his psyche had learned a few new tricks.

And while Hiccup didn’t know it yet, this unknown emotion had a name.

Self-Respect.

Surging with adrenaline, Hiccup quickly rolled to dodge the stomp Snotlout was aiming for his belly. As his boot met the grass, the stout boy’s grin turned into a look of surprise.

He looked up, just in time to see Hiccup sweep his leg out. Knocking Snotlout onto his back with a loud thud.

Hiccup stood, shocked at himself. He’d grown a bit less clumsy in the last year, but this was something else entirely.

But it seemed his old bullies weren’t quite finished yet, as he ducked under a mace that was swinging for his head. Jumping back, he dodged the second swing that was coming for his midsection.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut were armed with identical maces, and identical devious smirks. “Finally…” Tuffnut spoke.

“A target that can fight back!” Ruffnut finished.

His reflexes were being put to the test, as he dodged their wild swings. Their attacks were messy, unfocused. But that just made them more lethal. They were unpredictable.

As Hiccup quickly stepped around the camp, avoiding the twins, Snotlout lied on the ground in complete disbelief.

“Did I just get punked…by Useless?”

Hiccup was starting to grow tired, as his bolt of adrenaline began to wear off. He was panting, and sweating. His dodging became sloppier, and unfortunately he was just too slow.

As he spun out of the way of Ruffnut, Tuffnut landed a solid hit with his mace. Directly onto Hiccup’s face. Knocking him back a few paces.

He was lucky the weapon was blunted, and relatively small, or he’d be in a world of hurt.

A bigger world of hurt, that is.

“Did you see that? I got him!” Tuffnut cheered, seemingly surprised at his own victory.

“I guess your twinkle toes aren’t so twinkly, huh?” Jeered Ruffnut.

Hiccup rubbed his cheek, as he tried to regain his balance. The twins were advancing, and fast. He couldn’t keep dodging forever, he had to think of something.

What could he use against the twins?

…Themselves.

Smirking, Hiccup out his plan into action. “H-Hey, Ruffnut! How’s the clothes shopping going?”

The female twin regarded him with a puzzled look. “Uh…what are you talking about?”

Hiccup shrugged. “Well, I just figured you’d need a lot of new clothes. Tuff told me you got super fat, so…”

He stopped speaking there, as he saw his scheme was already working.

Immediately, Ruffnut launched herself at her brother. They began wrestling in the grass, kicking up dust clouds in their attempts to clobber each other.

Hiccup took this as his chance, and willed his tired legs to sprint back towards the cracked mountain. Back towards safety. Back towards his home.

But as he ran, he felt something snag his ruana, and throw him to the ground.

Standing again, he saw that Snotlout was the one who yanked him. He was trying to appear nonchalant.

“I totally let you kick me. I was just trying to let you win a little, y’know? So it feels more satisfying when I beat the crap out of you!” He claimed, though even he seemed a bit uncertain of his words.

“Where’d you get that, by the way?” The stout boy asked, gesturing to Hiccup’s sky-blue ruana. “It looks stupid.”

Bristling with anger, Hiccup got right in Snotlout’s face. “Don’t. Diss. The ruana.” He seethed.

The bully seemed a bit uncomfortable at this interaction. “Why do you care so much? What, did your girlfriend make it for you?” He mocked.

Hiccup didn’t respond, continuing to glare at his assailant. But the twitch in his eyebrow was enough indication that the question hit a nerve.

And Snotlout laughed.

“No way!” Snotlout exclaimed, chortling. “You’re lying! I know you’re lying, because the only girl who’d ever be willing to touch you would have to be the fattest, ugliest, smelliest, most pathetic- “

Snotlout never got to finish that sentence.

As Hiccup punched him right in the face.

He hadn’t planned this, it was a complete gut reaction to hearing this bully insult that wonderful girl he adored.

But he didn’t regret it.

The twins ceased their scuffling, dumbstruck at what they’d witnessed.

Snotlout stood with his head still turned from the punch, eyes wide as dinnerplates. Slowly, he reached his hand up to touch his cheek, where the blow was struck.

His pupils darted to Hiccup, as his face crumbled into a vindictive sneer. “Grab him…” He whispered.

Upon hearing this, the scrawny teen started to run away again. “GRAB HIM, YOU IDIOTS! GRAB HIM!” Snotlout yelled.

Fumbling over themselves, Ruffnut and Tuffnut chased after Hiccup. Catching him before he’d left the camp.

They each held one of his arms, keeping him in place, as he struggled to free himself.

Snotlout approached, a dangerous glint in his eyes, and delivered a powerful jab to Hiccup’s stomach. “This…is for punching me!”

He socked him again, even harder. “This…is for taking my place as future chief!”

He was about to hit him a third time, before an idea struck him. Smirking, he sauntered over to the pile of weapons. Whistling as he sifted through the stack.

He pulled out a large stone hammer, and his smirk grew.

“And this…” He spoke as he readied his strike. “This is because I feel like it!”

He reared back, a wild grin on his features. He was ready to destroy Hiccup’s stomach, and possibly a few bones in the process.

But right before he could land the final blow, they heard a familiar shriek…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Of course.

Of course this would happen.

Right after she swore she wouldn’t let anything threaten her family’s happiness, something literally swoops in and does just that.

It was a cruel irony. It’d be funny, if she wasn’t so terrified.

Mirabel soared through the sky, on Toothless’ back. In hot pursuit of a supposed monster that had kidnapped her boyfriend. They hadn’t seen the beast, but had been told it was flying towards the cracked mountain. So that’s where they were heading.

As the wind whipped through her hair, Mirabel took no joy in this flight. Not this time. Not when so much was at stake.

Beneath them, she could see the rest of her family on their way as well.  Her sisters and two of her cousins leading the charge, while the older Madrigals lagged behind a bit. Not being as spry as the younger generation. Especially her Abuela, who was being supported by Dolores as they hurried as fast as they could.

Soon enough, they approached the cracked mountain. It wasn’t the biggest town, and Toothless was very fast.

She looked around as they hovered in place, but she saw no sign of any flying creature in the sky with them. Her attention was drawn to the ground, when she heard what sounded like a struggle.

She looked down, and gasped.

There was her Hiccup, but not with any monster. He was being held by a pair of identical blond figures, and being assaulted by a short boy.

Fear gripped her heart, as a chill ran down her spine.

They were hurting him!

Toothless was also distraught, warbling in fear. Without hesitating, they dropped into a dive. Her glasses rattling on her nose as the wind whipped her face. The Night Fury started shrieking as a charge built up in his throat.

Just before they landed, Toothless fired a plasma blast near the teens. Not intending to hit them, but to scare them away.

And he succeeded in scaring them, as they immediately let go of Hiccup and ran for cover. Screaming things like “NIGHT FURY!” and “GET DOWN!”

As soon as they’d landed, Mirabel rushed over to Hiccup. Fretting over him, and helping him to his feet as he clutched in stomach and winced in pain. Toothless stood in front of them, growling protectively.

“A-Are you okay? Is anything broken?” She asked, frantically.

Despite his pain, Hiccup managed a sly smirk. “Nothing except my pride…”

But she needed to see for herself. She lifted his shirt, surprising the boy, and paled at what she saw.

His stomach was covered in bruises, all dark and purple. It made her skin crawl, seeing what they’d done to him

She dropped his shirt. Momentarily glancing towards the teenagers cowering behind a log, she frowned. “Hiccup, who are these people? Do you know them?”

Hiccup answered with a groan. “Behold, Berk’s best and brightest…”

She gasped at the name she’d heard many times, but only in stories. “You mean, they’re from…?” Hiccup nodded before she finished her question.

She eyed the teens again, as they seemed to muttering with each other. They were adorned with dark clothing, covered in spikes and other threatening things. And most prominently, they all had helmets with distinct horns on them.

These were Berkians, the people who’d beaten and belittled him for years.

And here they were, doing it again.

Mirabel felt a surge of rage climbing through her, but once her boyfriend fell to the ground once more as his pain increased, she knew she couldn’t stick around to give them a piece of her mind.

She gently tried to help him up, and onto Toothless back. “Come on, let’s get you to my mama…”

Despite how hurt he was, the thought of Julieta’s food already made him feel better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While this was happening, Snotlout and the twins hid behind a log.

“I can’t believe this! Useless still has the Night Fury!?” Snotlout whispered, harshly.

“And who’s that girl?” Ruffnut asked, as she and her brother peeked over the log.

As they watched the bespectacled girl fuss over Hiccup, Snotlout was fuming.

He was enjoying himself! Why did that chick have to come in and ruin it?

But as he sat with his arms petulantly crossed, he glanced to his side.

At the weapons pile.

And in a rare moment of intelligence, he formulated a competent plan on the spot.

Smirk returning, he whispered to the twins. “Hey, guys! Check this out…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was slow going, as Hiccup’s injuries prevented him from moving his midsection with ease. Toothless sat patiently as Mirabel tried to help Hiccup onto the dragon as painlessly as possible.

She really wished she had some of her mother’s food on hand…

They all suddenly turned, as they heard a ridiculous battle cry.

Tuffnut came rushing in, waving his mace in the air.

“I SHALL DESTROY YOU, NIGHT FURY!” He yelled, running towards Toothless.

With little effort, the dragon leaped into the air to avoid the Viking.

But just as he did, Snotlout’s real plan came into effect. Toothless was enwrapped in a bola soon after, thrown by the stout boy. It sent him crashing to the ground with a surprised screech, and he rolled down a nearby hill. Away from the action.

“Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi, Oi, Oi!” He cheered, pumping his fist in the air in victory.

Both Mirabel and Hiccup watched, horrified. Of course, Hiccup tried to go help his dragon. But the sudden burst of movement caused him to double over in pain.

Mirabel went to help him, but she was intercepted by Ruffnut. Now wielding a dagger. “Where do you think you’re going?” She smirked.

Mirabel stood, frozen. Eyeing the dagger with fear. She’d never been in a situation like this, it’s what the Encanto was created to prevent.

“This is awesome!” Snotlout proclaimed, looking at his catch lying at the bottom of the hill. “I just took down a Night Fury, the chief will have to make me heir now!”

The Night Fury in question was furiously trying to escape the net, but it seemed to be made out of an extra durable material. His efforts were fruitless.

“Uh, you have to kill it first…” Tuffnut noted.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll do that later.” Snotlout responded. “Right now, there’s something else I gotta take care of…”

Snotlout stood imposingly over Hiccup, grinning savagely. Bending down, he grabbed the scrawny teen by his shirt, and readied his fist.

“Y’know, I’m almost sad to do this. I’ve been having such a great time wrecking you, I kinda don’t wanna knock you out.” His raised fist trembled in anticipation. “But all good things must come to an end!”

Mirabel watched in terror, but every time she tried to move, Ruffnut would match her actions. And push that dagger ever closer.

Toothless writhed from within the net, desperate to return to his friends. To protect them.

Tuffnut really wished he had some popcorn right now.

Hiccup glared defiantly from within Snotlout’s grasp. He wasn’t going to give the boy the pleasure of seeing him afraid.

Finally, Snotlout was ready to pulverize Hiccup’s face.

His trembling fist, aching to cause some damage, came crashing down-

Or it would’ve.

If his wrist wasn’t caught by a vine.

Snotlout tried to punch Hiccup multiple times before he realized something was physically stopping him. Baffled, he glanced at his arm…

Just in time for the vine to cause his own fist to punch him in the nose.

He cried out in pain, clutching his nose with both his hands. Dropping Hiccup in the process.

Ruffnut, who was waiting with baited breath for the beatdown to start, grew a confused look on her face.

She then heard a growl from her left. Turning, she came face to face with the biggest gods damned cat she’d ever seen.

She then heard giggling. Perched on the ferocious cat’s back was a small boy, looking down on her smugly. “You should run.” He suggested.

She took his advice.

Tuffnut, for once worried for his sister, reached for his mace to defend her. But he couldn’t find it.

Looking to the side, he saw that Tuffnut was wielding it.

A second Tuffnut.

The first Tuffnut gasped. “I performed mitosis! I knew this day would come!”

He was then bonked on the helmet with his own mace, by the second Tuffnut. Following a resounding clang, he fell to the ground dazed.

“That was too easy!” Camilo smirked in his normal form.

Ruffnut was running from the cat, screaming as it pursued her with its vicious fangs and monstrous claws. She didn’t notice when a root emerged from the ground where there wasn’t one before, causing her to fall flat on her face.

Snickering, Antonio held his hand out for a high-five. One Isabela gladly returned.

Snotlout staggered around, holding onto his aching nose. As he stumbled, he knocked into a wall. But as he gazed upwards, he saw that it wasn’t a wall, but a girl.

And she didn’t seem too happy.

She plucked him like he weighed nothing, before stomping through the campsite to retrieve the fallen Ruffnut. As well as Tuffnut.

Luisa unceremoniously dumped the trio in front of a tree. Isabela sauntered forth, and flicked her wrist to create some vines. Securing them to the tree trunk.

“W-What the? Where are these vines coming from!?” Snotlout yelled.

“It’s probably witchcraft!” Tuffnut said, before starting another of his odd yet knowledgeable rambles. “You see, witchcraft has an interesting history dating back to- “

“Nobody cares, Tuff!” He shouted, still trying to fight his way out of his bindings.

But as he was being restrained, Snotlout couldn’t stop his jaw from dropping once he finally saw Isabela.

Time seemed to slow down for him, as her luxurious hair flowed in the breeze. Her brown eyes sparkling illustriously. Her every movement, so elegant. So refined.

“What a babe…” He whispered.

Mirabel watched all of this happen, it felt like it only took an instant. But with the threat now subdued, she allowed herself to release the breath that she didn’t realize she was holding in.

Her family really was amazing.

Luisa tromped over to her and Hiccup, looking incredibly worried. “Are you guys okay?”

Mirabel nodded, before pointing to Hiccup. “I’m fine, but he’s hurt. Badly!”

Hiccup hadn’t even noticed what had just occurred. He was curled into a ball on the ground, wriggling in pain.

“What the heck happened?” Camilo asked with genuine concern. Both Antonio and Isabela joined the group as well, looking anxious.

Before Mirabel could answer, a snotty voice interjected.

“I can answer that!”

Before speaking, Snotlout whispered to the twins. “Don’t worry guys, I’ll get us out of this…”

They didn’t seem convinced.

The family turned to the tied-up Vikings, as Snotlout smugly began to speak. “Here’s the thing, the skinny twig over there is actually a dangerous war criminal who escaped from our island! I know he looks too pathetic, but trust me, it’s the truth. We tracked him all the way here to bring him to justice!”

His smirk became very self-congratulatory. “No need to thank us, just doing our jobs. But if you insist…” He directed his gaze to a disturbed Isabela. “How does Friday at eight sound, babe?”

He received a cactus to the face in response.

“…What about seven?” He asked, voice muffled by the spiny plant.

The sounds of multiple footsteps filled the campsite. Mirabel watched with great relief, as the rest of her family arrived.

Julieta immediately noticed the squirming Hiccup, and bent down to assist him.

“Please, Mija. Roll him over.” She requested, as she dug in her pocket for some food. Mirabel gently complied, moving Hiccup to his back as he began sweating profusely. His breathing becoming haggard.

Julieta needed to know how drastic the injury was, so she’d know how much food to give him. She lifted his shirt, and everyone present besides Mirabel winced at the awful bruises.

“From these bruises, and his level of pain, it looks like blunt abdominal trauma…” Julieta deduced.

“What the heck happened?” Asked Felix.

“That’s what I wanna know!” Camilo added.

Seeing as how she was here first, everyone faced Mirabel.

Glowering, she pointed to the teens that were trapped against the tree. “They did this to him. They assaulted him!”

Dark scowls fell on every face, each one aimed at the Vikings. Pepa manifested a storm, blanketing the area with dark clouds and heavy winds.

The tied-up trio became very nervous, as twelve pairs of eyes burned into them.

It was just so odd. Who were these people? Why did they care about Hiccup?

“Mirabel, do you know who these people are? Why they are here?” Alma asked, eyes not leaving the trio.

Antonio was looking around for something, or someone. “And where’s Toothless?”

The bespectacled girl was on the ground, trying to keep Hiccup steady as her mother fished some arepas from her pocket. “They’re Vikings, from Berk.” This elicited some gasps. “I don’t know why they’re here…”

“Uh, we told you?” Snotlout spoke from the tree. “We’re delivering justice! Your eyes obviously don’t work, but do your ears not work either?” This earned him another cactus to the face.

“Insult my sister, one more time! I dare you!” Isabela threatened. “You already beat up my nerd! You’re lucky I’m not feeding you to a flytrap right now!”

The twins remained silent, for once in their lives. Fearing the cactus witch.

Mirabel faced Antonio. “They tied up Toothless in this weird net thing, and he rolled down that hill. I wanted to help him but…” She regarded the female twin with a frown. “She threatened me, with a knife.”

Once more, the whole family regarded the Vikings with hostile looks. The clouds were thundering now.

Augustin dropped to his knee, panicked, checking his youngest daughter for any sign of damage. “Are you alright? She didn’t cut you, did she? I swear if that little- “

“I’m fine, papa! I’m fine!” She brushed aside his frantic fretting.

Ruffnut grinned. “Actually, it was a dagger. Not a knife! So I’m off the hook…” A vine then appeared and slapped her across the face.

“Hey! Why doesn’t she get a cactus?” Snotlout protested. For that, he got another cactus.

“But what are they doing so far from their island?” Dolores asked.

“A-And how’d they find this place?” Bruno pondered, sharing an uneasy glance with his mother.

“Whatever the reason is, they have to leave.” Alma declared. “There is no place for such violence in the Encanto!” She received words of unanimous approval.

“Okay, but…what’re we supposed to do with them?” Asked Camilo.

It was a legitimate question. They could just make them leave, but what if they gave away this location to any listening ears in the outside world? Yes, the fog was meant to repel intruders. But they got in, so clearly it wasn’t 100% effective.

A cry of pain diverted all their attention from the conundrum.

Hiccup’s condition was only worsening, he didn’t seem aware of his surroundings any more. All he knew was hurt.

Julieta was trying to feed him, but he was moving around too much. “Please, Nino! You need to eat if you’re going to get better!” She pleaded. But he couldn’t hear her.

From atop his Jaguar, Antonio’s bottom lip trembled. Watching the boy he’d come to love as a cousin go through such a harrowing experience, it made him feel awful.

He had to do something.

Urging his Jaguar friend to move, he began to make for the hill. Pepa noticed.

“Er, Tonito? Where are you going?” She asked.

He faced her with a wide smile. “I’m gonna go let Toothless out! Maybe if he’s here, Hiccup won’t feel so bad!”

The clouds dissipated just a bit, as Pepa gazed upon her child with warmth and love. What a kind-hearted boy!

“I think that’s a wonderful idea!” She agreed.

Antonio began to make for the hill again, but not without sparing one last disheartened glance towards Hiccup.

It broke all their hearts to see the boy in such torment, his mind consumed by so much pain that he couldn’t even accept their help…

And it boiled their blood, when a certain snotty voice just had to speak up again.

“Ha! We got him good, didn’t we?” Snotlout chuckled.

But the twins didn’t share in his joy.

They were terrified.

Terrified of the cactus woman.

Isabela, her patience depleted, summoned two vines from the ground. Each one wielding a cactus.

The vines lashed like whips, and repeatedly smacked Snotlout with the pointy plants. Over and over and over, until his face was covered in spines.

And then even more after that.

Everyone present watched the altercation, stunned. Some Madrigals were taken aback, while some thought it was hilarious. But no one moved to stop it.

It might’ve gone on for hours.

But then Dolores perked up, and listened…

“Isabela! Dodge!”

At her cousin’s call, Isabela removed her vines and jumped out of the way.

Just as an axe sailed through the air, cut right into the tree, and chopped the vines. Freeing the teens.

Looking for the source of the weapon, the family all turned to see four figures enter the campsite…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Moments before, Stoick was chasing after the Deadly Nadder that had retrieved his son. Along with Gobber, Astrid, and Fishlegs.

The bearded man’s heart was filled with joy, as they race to the cracked mountain.

His son! His only son! He was going to see his son!

They bolted out of town, shimmied through the mountain’s crack, and hurried as fast as possible to their camp.

But upon reaching their campsite, Stoick could see that something was not right here.

The Nadder was nowhere to be found.

Snotlout and the twins were tied to a tree, by green ropes. And Snotlout was being attacked by…vines?

Holding cactuses?

They looked like they were being controlled by a woman, somehow. A very angry woman.

Stoick’s brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

Looking around, he noticed the clearing was filled with unfamiliar people. And several more oddities.

There was a woman with a cloud over her head, a positively gigantic girl, and a boy who seemed at ease with a ferocious beast.

He couldn’t see any physically apparent strangeness with the others present, but he could tell something was off with them too. At least most of them.

“Th-Those are the people from the mural!” Fishlegs gasped.

Gobber stared on, confounded. Astrid’s eyes narrowed as she assessed the situation.

Stoick came to the realization fairly quickly.

It was obvious what was happening here.

They were witches.

Witches and warlocks. This town must’ve practiced black magic, which explained why it felt so surreal. That storm must’ve been black magic too.

And then, Stoick saw him…

His son.

Hiccup.

He was on the ground, seemingly in terrible pain.

And being held down by witches. Surrounded by witches.

Harmed by witches.

Pure rage built up from within Stoick, and he huffed steam.

These fiends were practicing their vile witchcraft on his son! Hurting him with some sort of spell or incantation.

They were attacking his people, and his son. They must be dealt with.

From beside him, Astrid grabbed her axe. Gobber affixed his hammer to his hand. Fishlegs just looked very, very scared.

“Witches…” Gobber spat. “Never much cared for them…”

Stoick was tempted to just run in there and cut them all in half, for daring to bother his son. But he knew he had to be careful. Black Magic was a dreadful thing.

First thing first, free the teens. They’d need their full numbers for this.

“Astrid.” He called for her, and pointed to the tree the other Vikings were tied to. Without being told what to do, she flung her axe at the tree. Chopping their restraints, and releasing them.

The Berkians stomped into the clearing, scowls on their faces. Stoick brandished his own axe, and hefted it over his shoulder. For intimidation.

The now freed teens quickly scampered over to reunite with their group. The twins armed themselves with their maces, as Snotlout grabbed the hammer. Fishlegs tentatively picked up the dagger.

The magical family gazed at the new arrivals with fear and surprise. These people are from the same place as Hiccup?

Stoick glowered at the group, the people he was sure were sorcerers, and spoke. Loudly, and clearly. “I’m only going to say this once. Give me the boy.”

The family, now huddling closer to each other for protection, gazed downwards at the wounded teen in Julieta’s arms.

A wound the Vikings had caused.

They all came to the same conclusion.

Not gonna happen.

Alma stepped forward and spoke herself. Firmly, and resolutely. “We will do no such thing.”

Astrid immediately tried to advance, but Gobber held her back. “Not yet…” He whispered.

“…Allow me to rephrase…” Snorting with anger, Stoick waved his mighty axe about before planting it firmly in the dirt by it’s handle. A show of his prowess. “THE BOY. NOW!” He shouted.

Dolores covered her ears, Antonio tried to make himself smaller atop his Jaguar, Pepa was developing a flurry, Bruno was furiously knocking on a nearby tree…

But it was Augustin, surprisingly, who spoke up. “No.”

All eyes turned to him, shocked. Stoick watched him approach, confounded that this beanpole of a man had the guts to stand up to him.

But what he saw in his determined glare confounded him even more.

The spark.

The drive to protect your family, your child, from any harm.

Stoick knew it well. But why was it present in this man, for Hiccup?

Augustin stood right in front of Stoick, and stared him right in the eyes as best as he could. It looked rather silly, considering the size difference. But the sheer might in the thin man’s eyes made it almost seem like Stoick was the short one.

But it was what he said next that threw Stoick, and the other Vikings, for a loop.

“You will not lay a finger on my boy!”

…What?

His boy?

Hiccup. Was not. His son.

But he seemed to feel that way.

Gobber gasped, Fishlegs as well. Snotlout and the twins looked like they didn’t have any clue what was happening. And Astrid muttered a colorful swear, as she knew things had just gotten complicated.

Stoick’s expression was incomprehensible.

Augustin’s statement seemed to start a chain-reaction, as soon every Madrigal spoke out.

“That’s right!” “Leave him alone!” “Piss off, Tubby!” “Your brutality is not welcome here!” “STOP BEING MEAN TO MY COUSIN!” “Hands off my bro!” “You’re three seconds away from being eaten by a giant pitcher plant!” “Haven’t you hurt him enough?” “H-Hiccup’s a good kid, he doesn’t deserve this…” “You messed with my wedding, and now you’re messing with my family. You have to go.”

Mirabel, who’d been quiet during this, gazed down to Hiccup. It seemed the pain had knocked him unconscious.

She wished he was lucid enough to hear this.

Standing, she joined her father at the front of the group.

“Hiccup has become a part of this family!” She declared. “And you do not mess with this family!

Her statement received uproarious cheers, as the Vikings continue to be flabbergasted.

Hiccup was…adopted? By a family of witches?

“That’s…kinda cool actually…” Tuffnut mumbled.

The cheering died down, and the Vikings were still speechless. But then, they heard a strained voice.

Hiccup was momentarily roused from his unconsciousness, and it seemed he had something to say.

“Y-You…guys…are…the b-best…”

He had to force out every word, between labored breathing and pained wincing, but he did it. His goal accomplished, he was out like a light once more.

But he was heard.

The Vikings went from flabbergasted to positively dumbfounded. But the Madrigals were overjoyed.

Still very concerned for the boy’s health, but overjoyed nonetheless.

Now knowing he was capable of some lucidity, Julieta tried to have him eat an arepa. “Just one bite, Nino. Just one…”

All the others glared daggers at the Vikings, sending a clear and silent message.

Back off.

None of the Berkians knew what to say, but Stoick…

Stoick knew exactly what he had to say.

Over the howling winds, his whisper was heard by all.

“…My son…”

This elicited a lot of shocked reactions. “C-Come again?” Bruno asked, trembling.

“Hiccup is my son!” the chief seethed, anger igniting. “And if you think you can just- “

“You’re his dad?”

Stoick’s rant died on his lips, as he was asked a simple question by a bespectacled girl. “…Aye.” He answered.

For some reason he couldn’t quite grasp, this seemed to upset her. “You’re his father!?” She asked again, louder.

Stoick grumbled, annoyed at having to repeat himself. “Yes, I am!”

Mirabel felt angrier than she had in a long, long time.

This was the guy.

This was the guy who made Hiccup believe he was worthless.

Yes, his entire village was in on it. But with even the slightest bit of support from his father, Hiccup would’ve persevered.

But that’s not what happened…

Flashes.

Flashes of every time the boy second-guessed himself, doubted himself, hated himself, had an emotional breakdown because he thought he didn’t deserve happiness, because he thought if people loved him he’d drag them down…

Every instance of who Hiccup was when he first arrived, before a year’s worth of love on their part and effort on his part changed him for the better…

Everything flashed in Mirabel’s mind at that moment, as she stared at Stoick.

And she went off.

“How dare you!” She exclaimed, and now she was the one in Stoick’s face.

“How dare you ruin Hiccup’s life, wait until he starts a new one, and try to ruin that too!” Physically she wasn’t threatening in the slightest, but the boldness she portrayed by standing up to the biggest man she’d ever seen was almost frightening.

“You sailed hundreds, perhaps thousands of miles to get here! Months of a slow, boring boat trip! Driving yourselves crazy looking at nothing but ocean! And for what? To make one guy miserable? Do you realize how awful that is!?” Stoick tried to get a word in, but she kept going.

“What did he do to deserve this?” She asked, furious. “All he ever wanted to do was make you proud! All he ever wanted was your love! And what do you do? You treat him like garbage! He gets beat up every day, and you know it, and you ignore it! Everyone in the village acts like he’s the devil, and what do you do? Nothing! You let them make your child, your only child, into a goddamn pariah!”

While surprised at her aggressive reaction, the Madrigals began agreeing with her words. Backing her up, and adding their own comments.

“You named him Hiccup, what’s up with that?” Camilo asked.

“It’s a tradition, it’s a name you give to a child who looks like they’ll wind up a disappointment…” Gobber shrugged, answering in Stoick’s place.

“As if that’s any better!?” Isabela huffed. “You didn’t give him a chance from literally day one!”

Mirabel continued. “I’m sorry he wasn’t enough of a fat, stupid, VIKING for you!” She spat the word with a surprising amount of venom, like it disgusted her to even say it. “But you know what? I’m glad you pushed him away. Because it led him here!”

Her tone became softer. “He always tells me how lucky he feels, that I chose him. That we chose him. But…He chose us just as much as we chose him. He chose to open himself up to friendship, to love. And I’ll be forever grateful for it…”

Mirabel gazed at Stoick once more, and he felt like he was nearly blown away by the force of her unwavering determination.  “Our family is incomplete without him. Hiccup is a wonderful boy, in so many ways. If you can’t see that…then…then vete a la mierda!”

With that as her final words, she marched back to her mother and Hiccup. Not flinching even for her abuela’s shocked gasp, or the cackles of Camilo.

“Uh…I didn’t catch that last part…” Fishlegs mumbled, and most of the Vikings agreed.

Except for Tuffnut, who was surprisingly fluent in multiple languages.

He translated for them…

And they sputtered in complete shock.

“W-Where’d a dainty lass like that get such a vocabulary?” Gobber wondered.

“Guilty!” Admitted Felix.

The Madrigals were getting ready to leave, having said all they wished to say to the Berkians. Their current dilemma was figuring out how they were going to get Hiccup to actually eat, before his injuries became too problematic.

None of the Vikings said anything. Not even the moronic twins, or the loudmouthed Snotlout.

Gobber spared a glance to Stoick, and saw that his expression was unchanged. However, his breathing had become heavy. And Gobber knew there was a storm of emotions raging within him right now.

Because Stoick realized that the girl was absolutely right.

Astrid, however, was broiling with rage.

Hiccup was there! He was right there! They should already be on their way out of here!

But no, they had to deal with all these inane distractions.

And who did that girl think she was? Talking to chief Stoick the Vast like that! Hiccup was a nightmare to live with, especially in their dangerous environment. But they wouldn’t know about that over here in magic land, would they?

Astrid didn’t care who any of these people thought they were. She didn’t care if they were witches. She didn’t care if they truly loved the boy, or if it was all part of some strange enchantment.

She was ending the war with dragons. She was saving her people.

No matter what it took.

Charging ahead, too fast for Gobber to stop her, she pointed her axe directly in Mirabel’s face. The bespectacled girl stared at the blade in fear, and didn’t dare to move. Her entire family stood frozen in surprise. They still weren’t accustomed to situations like this.

“I don’t know exactly what’s happening here, and I don’t care…” Astrid sounded tired, because that’s what she was. She was so close to accomplishing her mission, and she was sick of the obstacles. “Here’s what’s gonna happen. We are taking Hiccup, and we are leaving.”

Despite the weapon that was dangerously close, Mirabel still managed a defiant look. “Hiccup isn’t going anywhere near your stupid island ever again!”

Astrid’s rage hit an entirely new level.

Normally, she wouldn’t care about petty insults.

But something about this girl bothered her.

This girl had lived a life of splendor, not knowing a day of strife in this ridiculous witch village. But she acted like she knew hardship, like she related to Hiccup’s “plight”.

Meanwhile, Astrid and her village had to fight for survival every day.

This spoiled, prissy, pampered witch living a spoiled, prissy, pampered life in fantasy land had the nerve, the gall to call her island and her people stupid?

Something within Astrid snapped, and with a furious battle cry…

She decked Mirabel right in the face.

Pepa was lightning-storming now.

Her family watched in shock as she fell to the ground with a yelp. As one, they all rushed over to her, worried out of their minds.

Julieta had gently placed Hiccup on the ground, just for a moment, to tend to her daughter.

Meaning Hiccup was unprotected…

So she ran.

She ran straight for Hiccup, intending to nab him and run off. Regrouping with the Berkians later.

Astrid dashed right by the Madrigals. Heading straight for the boy’s unconscious form.

Luisa stomped after her, her powerful gait catching up to Astrid swiftly…

Until she was knocked off-course, as Stoick bashed her aside with his shoulder.

Astrid’s sprint was intercepted by a vine wrapping itself around her leg, and flinging her back towards her group.

Luisa got back to her feet, and saw that Stoick was clomping over to Hiccup. She gave a mighty stomp, causing the ground to quake and rumble. Losing his balance, the chief stumbled backwards and ended up standing with the Berkians again.

Mirabel, who was fine, stood. Patting the dust off her skirt.

She looked to Hiccup, lying just a few feet away from them. As did the rest of her family.

He was so vulnerable, they had to protect him...

Astrid, Stoick, and their crew were doing the same.

He was so vulnerable, they could just grab him and go...

Then, both groups glared at the other.

Brows furrowed. Fists clenched. Frowns deepened.

No words were exchanged.

There was complete silence in the campsite.

But they all knew exactly what was about to happen.

Madrigals vs Vikings.

Winner takes Hiccup.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rain crashed to the ground.

Thunder raged in the dark clouds above.

The winds howled.

And it was chaos at the campground. Pure chaos.

The Vikings, weapons in hand, readied themselves to charge.

“I thought you said you didn’t want to fight!” Gobber exclaimed.

“That was then, this is now!” Stoick yelled right back. “We’ve got to get Hiccup away from these sorcerers!”

Snotlout casually toyed his hammer, leaning against a tree. “I dunno, if Hiccup really wants to stay I think we should…”

His statement petered out as he saw the deadly glare Stoick was giving him. “Take him home! We should take Hiccup home, yessiree!”

Without wasting anymore time, Astrid attempted to grab Hiccup again. She saw the vines coming this time, and cut through them with ease.

What she didn’t see coming was the rafflesia.

A root grew from under her feet, tripping her over. As she was falling, a large and incredibly repulsive smelling flower bloomed in front of her. And she fell right into it. Her screams being muffled by the stinky petals.

Isabela loomed over it, menacingly. “Touch my sister again and the next one will eat you!”

Ruffnut rushed forward, only for lightning to strike right in front of her. And beside her, and behind her.

She was essentially forced to dance, as she hopped from foot to foot to dodge the bolts. Courtesy of Pepa.

Fishlegs whipped his head around, nervously. Clutching his tiny dagger close. He really didn’t want to be here…

“What are you waiting for, Yak-Brain?” Snotlout asked, as he tried and failed to hammer a dodging Felix. “Grab Useless!”

Suddenly, he was on his back. Mirabel, having just swept him, looked down on him with disdain. “Stop calling him useless!” She demanded, before rushing off somewhere else.

Snotlout lied there, in total disbelief. “Did I just get punked…by four eyes?” He thought.

At the stout boy’s command, Fishlegs anxiously ran towards Hiccup. Antonio saw this, whistled, and a whole zoo of animals emerged from the woods.

The rotund boy stopped in his tracks, quivering in fear. The creatures were all growling, hissing, and snarling at him. While the child looked unbothered.

“Are you an animal person?” Antonio asked, with a threatening level of innocence.

Gulping, Fishlegs responded. “W-Well I do find the study of zoology very intriguing- “

A crocodile snapped at him, and he ran off screaming.

All the animals chased after him, but Antonio stopped one. A small primate with a bushy mustache, known as a Tamarin.

“Not you.” He spoke softly to the small creature. “I have a special job for you!”

Bruno had somehow gotten into the middle of the fray, and he very desperately tried to get out of it.

Tuffnut spotted him, and grinned. An easy target.

Approaching, he began swinging his mace around wildly. “Let’s dance, skinny!”

The seer backed away as the crazed boy advanced, and he was soon backed up against a tree. But before Tuffnut could do anything, Bruno’s eyes flashed green. And suddenly he had a question to ask.

“You wanna know what your sister’s gonna be doing in a couple years?” The scruffy man asked, surprisingly casually.

Tuffnut shrugged. “What?”

Bruno pointed, just as Fishlegs came running their way. A myriad of critters nipping at his heels.

“Him.” Was all he said.

It took Tuffnut a moment to understand the implication, but when he finally got it…

It all faded to black.

Pepa, who was standing behind the now unconscious Tuffnut, looked at her brother in shock.

Answering her silent question with a nervous grin, he chuckled. “H-He couldn’t handle the truth!”

Snotlout swung his hammer around wildly, trying to hit anyone he could.

But as he continued swinging, he had to stop as he saw a visage of pure beauty.

Himself.

He was looking at an exact copy of himself, smiling smugly.

Eyes sparkling, Snotlout held his hands to his face in wonder. “He’s like an angel…” He whispered.

Politely, the second Snotlout silently asked the first if he could hold his hammer.

“Who could say no to that face?” He cooed, gladly handing over his weapon.

He was then whacked on the helmet with his own weapon, falling to the ground after a resounding clang.

“I barely even have to try!” Camilo smirked, reverting back to normal.

Ruffnut and a now awoken Tuffnut watched this display, gasping.

They faced each other, eyes wide, and whispered. “Loki…”

Stoick stomped towards his son, only for Luisa to jump into his way. “Back away from my bro!”

Stoick grimaced. “He’s not your brother!”

Pounding his fists, he charged. She stood her ground.

He swung his colossal fist, right at her face…

And his hand nearly broke.

Luisa was unmoved, and unharmed, as Stoick was forced to back away. Hiding the pain his hand was in.

“Witchcraft…it’s basically cheating…” He bitterly thought.

Fine then, if he couldn’t punch her, he’d move her out of the way.

He charged again, this time with both his hands out. But as he advanced, he soon found that he was the one lifted off the ground, and tossed aside.

He didn’t even feel heavy to her.

He sat there, in the mud. Truly stunned.

He was the one who threw people, not the other way around…

Before he could get up, he was tied up in vines. He struggled against his wrappings, and shouted. “Release me, witch!”

Isabela frowned. “Again with the witch stuff?”

Grunting from the effort, he flexed his muscles and snapped all the vines off. Easily storming by Isabela, he caught Luisa before she could stop the twins from going after Hiccup themselves.

He grabbed her from behind, and leaned back. Slamming her into the ground in a mighty suplex. Creating a crater where the impact hit.

Mirabel was running towards Hiccup, when her feet suddenly stopped hitting the ground.

Gobber had snagged her collar with his hook, and was dragging her away. “Not so fast, lassie!”

Rolling up his sleeves, Augustin charged forth. Ready to fight.

“Unhand my daughter! -MMPHMPH” Gobber held his lone hand out, stopping the thin man as he pointlessly tried to fight. His protests muffled through the palm.

“Ye’ve got the spirit, but I don’t think this is gonna work out for ye…” Sighed the one-legged man.

Mirabel swung herself free from the hook. Yes her shirt was ripped, but it was nothing she couldn’t fix later.

She ran off, but not before kicking Gobber in the shin. Causing him to release her father, who fell flat on the dirt with a splat.

As she ran, she encountered Dolores. She was crouched down, hands over her ears as the twins made a cacophony of obnoxious sounds.

Thinking fast, Mirabel stood in between each twin. Waving her arms around and making herself an obvious target.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut brandished their maces, took the shot-

And ended up hitting one another, as the bespectacled girl ducked. Both of them falling over.

Dolores sent her a silent, but grateful thumbs-up, as she continued on her way.

She arrived at her destination, a bush where Alma and Julieta were crouched in.

Oddly enough, the Vikings never moved to strike either of them. Unless they reached for Hiccup. Perhaps they thought the elderly woman and the medic were not to be harmed.

Apparently a child was fair game, as long as he had a large cat.

Julieta felt awful, just leaving the boy lying there. But every time she tried to help him, one of those Berkians would stop her.

Mirabel’s shoulder was caressed by her mother as she entered the bush, overwhelmingly worried. “Mija, are you alright?” She girl nodded. “Are your sisters okay?” She nodded again. “And what about your father?”

She could only shrug at that one.

Mirabel could see that her grandmother was quite pale, even in the shade of the bush. “This is horrible…” She whispered, watching her children and grandchildren partake in a battle. Something she hoped she’d never see. “We have to find a way to end this.”

“Don’t worry abuela.” Mirabel spoke optimistically. “I’ve got an idea!”

And for this idea to work, she’d need an arepa.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Tamarin skittered down the hill, away from the brawling.

At Antonio’s behest, he’d located the squirming black mass that was currently trapped within a net.

Using his dexterous hands, and opposable thumbs, he freed the creature from his trappings.

Bursting out from the net, the creature frantically checked it's surroundings. Looking for it's companions.

Hearing the commotion, it warbled a brief thank you to the Tamarin, and bounded up the hill.

The Tamarin smiled, as it knew it had done well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Madrigals had magic, but the Vikings had battle experience.

After the initial shock had worn off, the Berkians began devising strategies that accounted for their gifts.

Loud noises incapacitated Dolores easily.

Antonio’s animals were still animals. They could be spooked off.

If you’re unsure if someone if Camilo or not, just punch them anyway.

Pepa can’t attack with certain weather on demand, it’s reliant on her emotions. She can’t hit you with lightning if you frighten her into a flurry of snow.

Chop any plant Isabela makes immediately. She can’t manipulate it if it’s dead.

Don’t engage Luisa. Just don’t.

Soon enough, the Vikings were gaining the upper hand. The Madrigals were tiring out, but Vikings could keep fighting for hours.

Camilo’s face was thoroughly punched, no matter who he turned into. Isabela couldn’t grow fast enough to keep up with their hacking and slashing. Pepa’s volatile emotions were used against her. Antonio’s critters had been scared back to the woods. Dolores’ ears were suffering. Bruno, Augustin, and Felix were all easily apprehended. And Luisa was fine, but it was one girl against seven Vikings. She couldn’t wrangle them all.

As the six other Berkians kept Luisa busy, Stoick took this opportunity to finally retrieve his son.

Unobstructed, he gently placed the unconscious boy in his arms. It felt so nice just to hold him again, like when he was a child.

Stomping back to camp, his son acquired, he spoke to the Madrigals. “You’ve fought valiantly, witches. Unfairly, but valiantly. But you’ve lost. I’m taking my son home.”

The Vikings followed their chief, seemingly relieved that the fight was over. Astrid seemed incredibly excited.

The family was distraught, all muttering amongst themselves and wondering just what they’d do.

And where Camilo was.

He’d disappeared a few minutes ago. Dolores, her ears being terrorized by the twins, couldn’t make out where he went.

No one knew where he was right now.

Except Pepa.

Pepa knew. She could always tell.

That boy in Stoick’s arms…

That wasn’t Hiccup.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mirabel hurried into the woods, as fast as possible. Hiccup in her arms.

The plan was simple.

1: Have Camilo pose as Hiccup, occupying the Vikings while she grabbed the real Hiccup.

2: Wake Hiccup just enough so he could eat, finally curing his injury.

3: Hiccup will tell the Vikings himself that he’s not leaving, and tell them to kick rocks.

It was so simple, it had to work!

Or at least, that’s what she hoped.

Placing him on the soft grass, she tried to nudge him awake.

“Come on…wake up…wake up for me…”

But it wasn’t working. His eyes remained shut.

Mirabel frowned. Even when he wasn’t awake, he was stubborn.

But she could be stubborn too.

She continued to try, even as she got no results.

She didn’t quite hear the footsteps, growing closer to them. Or the rustling leaves, or the snapping twigs…

Mirabel jumped with fright as a large creature dove out from the foliage, and relaxed when she saw who it was.

She gasped in pleasant surprise. “Toothless! How’d you get out?” She asked, obviously not receiving a coherent answer. She’d have to ask Antonio to translate later.

The dragon glanced to his friend, crooning softly.

“He’s really hurt. He needs to eat, so he can get better. But he won’t wake up…” The girl sighed.

Toothless looked upon his rider’s silent face, and did the only thing he could think of.

He licked him.

“Hey! Cut it out!” Mirabel tried to free her boyfriend from the dragon’s onslaught, but he was persistent. “Toothless come on! You can’t- “

Hiccup stirred.

Mirabel watched the boy, shocked. As the Night Fury beside her released some smug warbles.

He was moving, only a little.

But it was enough.

Quickly, she shoved a piece of arepa into his mouth. Reflexively, he swallowed it whole…

…And jolted up, awake.

“What-Where’s-Where’s Snotlout? Where’re the twins? Where are we?” He asked, a bit disoriented.

He was quickly hugged by Mirabel, and nuzzled by Toothless. Despite his confusion, he managed a smile. “Oh cool…hugs…hugs are nice…” He slurred.

He didn’t quite feel perfectly fine yet, but a few more bites fixed that.

Once he was in peak condition once more, Mirabel explained everything. He frowned as he learned the Vikings were trying to take him back, smiled when he heard how the Madrigals defended him, and balked when he learned that they were now involved in a crazy fight.

"Why are you fighting over me!?" He asked.

But Mirabel just shrugged. "We'd fight for anyone in our family."

Hiccup sighed, a grateful smile on his face. He really was lucky to have found these people...

Not even thinking, he hopped on Toothless’ back. He then held his hand out to Mirabel. “Come on, we gotta stop them!”

Grinning, she took his hand.

Together, they all set out to put an end to this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stoick was not happy.

He thought he was finished. He thought he’d finally gotten his son back.

But it was just another trick.

Pepa had come forth, but instead of trying to zap them or take Hiccup away, she’d asked “Milo, what are you doing?”

At first, Stoick had no idea what she was talking about. But when he felt the weight in his arms shift and morph, he knew this was more witchcraft at play.

“Surprise!” Camilo cheered, before he was dropped.

Stoick looked around frantically, trying to find any trace of Hiccup. “Where is he? Where is my son!?”

As if on cue, a familiar shriek filled the air.

“NIGHT FURY!” “GET DOWN!”

The Vikings ran for cover, but the Madrigals took this noise as a sign of good news. Julieta and Alma stepped out from there hiding spot, once they heard the screech.

Not only was Toothless back, but Hiccup was alright as well.

The family cheered upon their arrival, and swarmed Hiccup with affection. Hugs, kisses, loving back pats, and the like.

Toothless also received his fair share of pets and scratches. And Mirabel was praised for her clever thinking.

The weather cleared up into a beautiful sunset, as Pepa embraced her sobrina and not-yet-sobrino. Eyes sprinkling with happy tears.

The family (sans Mariano and Valentina) was reunited, and all in good health again. That alone was reason enough to celebrate.

The Vikings watched this go down.

“They…really do seem fond of him.” Gobber noted.

“Yeah, and it’s gross!” whined Snotlout.

Astrid was fuming. They’d had him again. And they’d lost him again. This was getting ridiculous!

Fishlegs was in awe at being so close to a Night Fury again, and the twins were discussing how to best appease their newfound Loki.

But Stoick looked awestruck.

There he was. His son.

Awake and alert.

Slowly, he stood. The teens began to move as well, but Gobber stopped them.

“Stoick, whatever you’re about to do, I just want ye to think it through…” He pleaded.

The chief, eyes not leaving Hiccup, nodded. And began making his way over to his son.

Immediately, the mood fell. Both Toothless and Antonio’s Jaguar began growling, and a small cloud appeared above Pepa’s head.

Stoick held up his hands, showing he meant no harm, and continued to approach.

With a sigh, Hiccup walked forwards as well. He was immediately stopped by a hand on his arm from Mirabel, hands on both of his shoulders from her parents, and Toothless moving to stand protectively in front of him.

Groaning slightly, he lightly brushed the hands away. And stroked Toothless’ back, to calm him down. “I’ll be fine, guys. Just let me handle this…please.”

Reluctantly, they allowed him to step away. Fourteen pairs of eyes, two pairs belonging to animals, scowled at Stoick. Daring him to try something.

Father and son walked towards each other, before stopping at a respectable distance.

Neither said anything, for a time. Stoick looking increasingly nervous, Hiccup completely nonchalant.

Finally, the bearded man coughed into his fist, and started talking. “Son, I- “

“Nah.”

Surprised at the interjection, the chief gave the scrawny teen an odd look. “Excuse me?”

Hiccup shrugged, as if discussing common fact. “You disowned me. I’m not your son.”

With a deep and weary sigh, Stoick nodded, “Aye, I did disown you…and I’m sorry for that. But I- “

“Cool.” After saying that one word, Hiccup turned around and began to leave.

As patient as he was trying to be, the constant interruptions were really starting to annoy Stoick. “Hiccup! I’m trying to talk to you!”

“There’s nothing to talk about. You want me to go back to Berk, and I’m not going. Simple as that.” He calmly responded.

In the back, Astrid was boiling with anger.

Stoick bristled, starting to become heated. “Hiccup, Berk is your home. You don’t belong here with these witches!”

Hiccup regarded the man with a blank look for a moment…

Before turning to Isabela, smirking. “Is that what I sounded like when I first got here?”

“No.” She answered. “You were way geekier!” Her comment made Hiccup laugh, along with the rest of the family.

Seeing that he was being ignored, Stoick felt his rage peaking.

But he held it in, took a few deep breaths, and kept his composure.

“Hiccup, please…” The sincerity in the man’s tone actually seemed to surprise the boy. “I know I’ve wronged you, I know all of Berk has…” That surprised Hiccup even more.

“I’ve been searching for you, for months! So I can make things right between us!” Hiccup actually felt a small tug at his heart.

“I’ve been an awful father to you, you deserved so much better than what I gave…” The boy’s eyes widened, and he wondered if he was really hearing what he was hearing.

“Son…all I want is to take you home, so we can be together again. So we can be a family again…” The teeniest, tiniest buds of tears were starting to build in his eyes.

Father and son, brought back together in this strange land. It’d be so poetic, wouldn’t it?

Stoick grew a gentle smile, and Hiccup couldn’t fight the slight smile he was growing himself.

But then he ruined everything.

“…So let’s get you away from these witches, and kill that Night Fury!”

Hiccup’s good mood vanished instantly.

From behind Hiccup, the Madrigals gasped. Antonio clutched Toothless protectively.

From behind Stoick, Gobber slapped his palm to his face in exasperation.

In that moment, any doubts Hiccup had in his mind vanished.

He definitely, 100%, without a shadow of a doubt…

Wanted absolutely nothing to do with Berk anymore.

Wordlessly, Hiccup waked back to the Madrigals.

Stoick, stunned by the sudden change, tried to run after him. “H-Hiccup, wait- “

“NO!”

Everyone in the clearing was astounded by the power in Hiccup’s voice.

Hiccup glared at Stoick. A man who’s survived countless battles with both man and beast. A man who was already the stuff of legend, and he was barely middle-aged.

And Stoick shivered.

Because in Hiccup’s eyes was a powerful, burning rage that he’d never seen in the boy before.

But just as quick as it came, it vanished. Hiccup slumped over, suddenly very tired. “You came here to take me to Berk. I’m not going to Berk. You have no reason to be here anymore. Please leave.” He droned, exhausted.

He walked back to the Madrigals, with dark bags forming under his eyes. “Can we just go home?” He pleaded.

They all agreed, desiring rest after that ordeal.

As they began to leave, Mirabel grabbed his hand. And Toothless rubbed against his opposing arm. Despite how tired he was, physically and emotionally, he allowed himself a small smile.

As a group, a family, they headed back to the cracked mountain. Back to the Encanto.

The Vikings watched them go, all with mixed reactions.

Gobber seemed distressed. The twins were in their own little world. Snotlout looked like he was happy to see Hiccup go. Fishlegs appeared very nervous. And Astrid was positively livid.

They heard a squawk, from above.

Their Nadder flew down and landed beside them. Eyeing them curiously.

“You’re late…” Gobber groused.

Stoick didn’t say anything as he watched his son leave. He didn’t move a muscle.

If he didn’t move an inch, his body wouldn’t be working.

If his body wasn’t working, his mind wouldn’t be working.

And if his mind wasn’t working, he wouldn’t have to acknowledge that for the last half a year he’d had one mission. Bring his son home.

He wouldn’t have to acknowledge that he’d failed.