69. Family Reunion

In the grip of the Shovelhelm’s talons, Hiccup was dragged into perhaps the strangest mountain he’d ever seen.

It reached impossibly high, and was comprised entirely of what seemed to be ice. The way the ice formed almost looked like an explosion, as if it was somehow blasted into place.

But Hiccup didn’t have time to ponder the nature of this frozen fortress, as he was soon being brought inside it.

Amidst the flock of wild dragons, he was taken into a series of winding tunnels. Twisting and turning through columns of rock, and bursts of ice.

The mysterious rider, atop the Stormcutter, was at the front of the pack at all times. Standing eerily still. Leading the flock through the catacombs.

During these moments, Hiccup’s thoughts weren’t preoccupied with his own preservation.

He hoped Mirabel and Mariposa were okay, and that they’d gotten to Toothless in time.

Soon enough, the flock entered a large chamber.

It was dark. With only glimpses of sunlight, shining through the ice, preventing the room from being pitch black.

But even through the darkness, Hiccup could make out the forms of a multitude of dragon species. All slumbering together in one big pile.

The Shovelhelm that was holding him descended to the surface, waking up its comrades in the process.

It unceremoniously dropped Hiccup to the ground, perhaps intending to make the fall hard.

Once Hiccup scrambled to his feet, it loomed over him. Snarling at the man.

Hiccup backed away, trying not to anger it. But he soon found himself near another hostile dragon.

It growled and hissed, approaching him with heavy stomps.

A pissed off dragon in front of him, and a pissed off dragon behind him.

He was cornered.

But he’d dealt with Pepa’s Skrill.

He could handle this.

Holding a hand out, to show that he meant no harm, Hiccup reached into his back pocket.

Unfurling his collapsible staff to its full size, he set the tips ablaze. Adding an orange tint to the cool blue enclosure.

He began whirling the flaming device around in a dynamic, but unthreatening motion.

He performed intricate, rhythmic, elegant movements. Almost seeming to dance with the fire.

He’d have to thank Felix for those lessons, later…

Dragons were creatures of flame. And if you showed them that you could manipulate flame yourself, they viewed you no differently than one of their own.

The strange rider observed this behavior with an unreadable expression.

The hostility on the dragon’s muzzle was soon replaced with a look of enchantment. Its eyes following every one of Hiccup’s steps.

A hiss from behind reminded Hiccup that he wasn’t dealing with just one dragon.

Turning around, he cut off his staff’s flames.

Reaching into another of his pockets, he retrieved a cannister of Zippleback gas. Placing it into his staff, he twirled the item about, while spinning in a circle.

A ring of gas wafted out from the staff, surrounding him. The dragons eyed it with caution.

When he ignited the ring, resulting in a circular explosion, they all quickly back away.

But they didn’t seem upset.

They were eyeing him with fascination, trying to decipher just what he was.

Only a dragon could use the element of fire in such a way, but this man didn’t look like a dragon.

Now that he’d captured their curiosities, Hiccup went in for the finishing move.

Standing up, and pocketing his staff, he held out his hand to the Shovelhelm that had taken him.

It inched closer to him, intrigue in its eyes.

Palm nearly met snout…

But a rustling brought Hiccup out of the moment.

Looking over, he saw that the strange rider was approaching.

It was crouched down low, its shield and curved staff raised defensively. Slowly circling Hiccup with movements that didn’t seem entirely human.

Raising his hands in a show of peace, Hiccup tried to speak to it. Even though he was unsure if it was even capable of language.

“Who are you?” He asked.

He received no answer.

He thought back to his previous skirmish with the Dragon Trappers, and how there’s supposedly a dragon thief. Running around with a Stormcutter.

“A-are you the dragon thief?” He questioned.

Once again, he received no answer.

It continue to stalk around him, occasionally shifting its head left or right. In a manner reminiscent of a dragon, that was trying to get a better look at you.

Hiccup had no idea if this being comprehended his words.

“Do you even understand what I’m saying?” He asked, a bit exasperated.

He didn’t know if he’d said something to offend this creature, or what. But as soon as he’d finished that last question, it raised its staff high into the air.

Twisting the staff about, it was then slammed onto the ground. Producing a rattling nose.

From the crowd of dragons, a screech signaled the ascension of a Snafflefang.

And in its talons, was Toothless.

Hiccup nearly yelped with joy.

The dragon was dropped right in front of him, and he rose to unsteady feet. Shaking his head, to knock the seawater out of his ears.

Hiccup wasted no time in rushing over, and embracing his dragon.

“Toothless!” He cried, as his friend licked and nuzzled him. “It’s okay…it’s okay…”

“I’m glad to see you too, bud! You really had me worried there…”

Though as happy as he was, he was also a bit worried.

Where was Mirabel?

After witnessing this interaction, the strange rider brought its staff out once more.

Rattling it about, it silently commanded the dragons that surrounded them to ignite their flames. Holding it within their mouths, as if they were living torches.

The once dark room now very bright, Hiccup and Toothless looked towards the mystery rider.

It met their gaze, with its own unblinking one.

Toothless positioned himself in front of Hiccup, growling protectively.

The strange rider crouched down, and dropped its staff and shield.

It lurched forwards, advancing on all fours in a savage, yet oddly graceful display.

This only served to make Hiccup doubt its humanity even more.

It slithered forth, making Toothless’ growls intensify as it breached his comfort zone.

He looked about ready to bite at it-

But in a baffling moment, all it had to do was splay out its fingers.

One second later, Toothless dropped to the ground. The rider running a gentle hand over his chin.

Hiccup eyed the interaction with surprise, and much concern.

What did it even do?

But he didn’t have the time to think about that right now.

The strange rider was now reaching for him.

Wildly uncomfortable, as those voids where eyes should be got ever closer, Hiccup reeled his head back. Averting his gaze from the thing’s face.

Even still, it kept moving its hand to meet him.

“Uh…personal space?” He mumbled.

He twisted his head in different directions, trying to avoid the being’s touch.

Its hands nearly grazed his chin…

But then he heard something strange.

A gasp. Muffled by what he now was confident was a mask.

It was the first time he’d heard this seemingly otherworldly thing vocalize.

Hiccup looked back over, and saw that the strange rider was now acting even stranger.

Despite the mask’s lack of expression, he could see that it was quite shocked.

It lurched away from him, and lowered itself to the ground in an animalistic crouch. It’s hands, trembling.

What it did next surprised him even more.

“H-Hiccup?”

His eyes widened.

Not only had it spoken, it had spoken his name.

It had done so softly, with the words slathered in disbelief. He almost hadn’t heard it, under the mask.

But that was clearly his name.

And he didn’t feel comfortable calling it an it anymore, because he heard a woman’s voice.

This was a person.

The surprises kept coming.

With quivering hands, the strange rider reached up for her mask.

And removed it.

He could now see her face.

Her skin was light, and she had braided auburn hair. Similar in color to his, though it was a bit greyed. Her bulky armor offset her slender face, and her chin was dropped with shock.

Her eyes were shot wide open, with quaking blue pupils.

Unmuffled, she spoke again.

“C-Could it be? After all these years?”

Her voice sounded uncertain, and a bit hoarse. As if she’d gone for extended periods without ever using it.

And while her eyes stayed locked onto him as much as they could, they still flittered about rapidly. Almost like she hadn’t needed to maintain eye contact with another person for a very long time.

She rose to her full height, her entire body shivering with an emotion Hiccup couldn’t quite decipher.

“H-How is this p-possible?” She quietly asked, the faintest hints of a smile tugging at her lips.

Hiccup was wracking his brain, trying to figure out if he and this woman had met before. But he couldn’t recall any time he’d ever seen her.

And yet…something about her still felt a bit familiar.

“Uh…should I…” Hiccup started, eyeing her with suspicion. “Should I know you?”

The woman looked a bit disheartened at this. Her face dropping into resigned frown.

Almost as if she wanted him to recognize her.

“No…” She murmured, with a deep sadness. “You were only a babe…”

And then…

Five words.

The next five words spoken shocked Hiccup to his very core.

The next five words challenged everything he knew to be true.

She looked him straight in the eyes, managing the longest contact he’s ever seen her maintain.

And she whispered.

“B-But a mother...never forgets…”

…

…

…Mother.

Mother.

Mother.

That single, two syllable word latched itself onto Hiccup’s mind. And refused to let go.

The implication was lost on him, just for a moment. His consciousness entirely focused on that one word.

But once his brain caught up to the reality of the situation, but he realized exactly what she was saying…

He nearly screamed.

His eyes as wide as could be, his body overtaken by quivers, his vision blurring from the strength of the revelation-

He was one second away from bellowing the loudest “WHAT!?” He could possibly muster.

She quickly held a hand up, to silence his incoming exclamation. Causing him to release strangled gasps instead.

She shushed him, not wanting him to disturb the dragons.

She glanced away for a moment, her expression conflicted.

But it was soon replaced with a small, giddy smile.

And a request.

“Come.”

Not giving him a chance to respond, she skittered off. Deeper into the caves.

Leaving Hiccup standing there, wondering if this was even real.

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

Mirabel tried to keep a low profile.

She ducked down, trying to look as small as possible atop her dragon, as they flew into the ice mountain.

She was unsure which was more dreadfully cold, the outside or the inside.

Why couldn’t her boyfriend be kidnapped somewhere sunnier?

They soared through twisted caves, bending and diving through the tunnels of ice and rock.

And they wound up at more than a few dead-ends.

But soon they found themselves entering a room, with a large number of drowsy dragons.

Mirabel hid as best as she could on Mariposa’s back, to avoid detection.

And it worked.

Dragons eyed the new arrival, but no one moved to engage the Stormcutter. Figuring she was just a wild dragon that had wandered in.

Mirabel pumped her fist with victory, from her crouched position.

She hadn’t done that all day, she needed this.

Drifting above the dragon pile, she looked for Hiccup or Toothless amongst the slumbering reptiles.

Unfortunately, it seemed they weren’t present.

Swallowing her fears and assuring herself that they were fine, Mirabel flew onwards.

At the end of the cavern, they landed near an entrance to a rather cramped tunnel.

They couldn’t possibly fly through it, so Mirabel dismounted her dragon. And the two crawled inside.

Clambering over and under basalt formations, it wasn’t long before they heard a voice echoing through the caves.

“Hold on, wait just a minute!”

Mirabel perked up immediately.

That was Hiccup’s voice!

With newfound vigor, she quickly scrambled up a rock column. Stepping towards the source of the voice.

“Come back here!”

With Mariposa at her side, they ran through the tunnels. Trying to find him as fast as possible, so they could leave as fast as possible.

“You can’t just say something like that and run off! You’re my mother!?”

Mirabel stopped in her tracks, when she heard that.

Because as far as she knew, Hiccup’s mother was dead.

Just who was he talking to?

Picking up the pace, the duo were rapidly approaching the source of the nasally voice. It was getting louder and louder.

“I mean, what the-Do you grasp how insane it sounds?”

They could now hear another voice. A woman, excitedly whispering back to Hiccup.

“Come!”

“This way!”

“Come, quickly!”

Mirabel turned the corner, and there he was.

Struggling to lift himself over a very tall rock column, with Toothless watching him squirm.

Despite the oddness of their current situation, Mirabel couldn’t help but smile.

Because both her boys were okay…

And because Hiccup looked very funny, right now.

He was glaring up at something, or someone, that she couldn’t quite see.

“I have questions! Several questions!” He shouted.

“So do I.”

Hiccup quickly turned his head, to catch Mirabel and Mariposa rounding the corner.

“Mirabel!” He exclaimed, just when he lost his grip of the rock.

He slid down the smooth surface, until Toothless caught him with snout. Pushing the man up and over.

Mariposa did the same with Mirabel. And now that they were all over that hurdle, the bespectacled girl had a few questions to ask.

“Are you okay?” She questioned, brimming with concern.

He nodded. “We’re fine, don’t worry. What about you?”

“Well, I’m gonna catch a wicked cold…” She snarked. “But I’m alright.”

She checked them over, just in case, and they truly didn’t seem harmed.

Satisfied, she asked her second question.

“Hiccup…who were you talking to?”

And at this, Hiccup could only shrug.

“I-I’d tell you, but I’m not sure if you’d believe it…” He chuckled, nervously. “Honestly, I’m not sure if I believe it.”

This did nothing to quell her confusion.

“You…you called her your mother.” She said, silently asking for answers.

Hiccup looked like he wanted to answer, but he just couldn’t find the words necessary.

Instead, he started moving again. Gesturing for them to follow him down the cave.

There was a light, at the end of the tunnel. They headed towards it, and Hiccup began asking more questions to whoever it was he was engaging with earlier.

“Where have you been all this time?” He called. “What have you been doing?”

They ducked under overhanging rocks, as they began to exit the cavern.

“They said you were dead!” Hiccup shouted, confusion evident in his voice.

They were nearly out, now. The light from outside shining brightly, obscuring their view of anything else.

Shielding their eyes, they stepped out of the cave.

“Everyone thinks you were eaten by…”

Dragons.

That’s what they heard, and what they saw, when they exited the cave.

Lots and lots of dragons.

Stepping out into what seemed to be a lush jungle, enclosed in a dome of ice, Hiccup and Mirabel observed their frankly beautiful surroundings.

Dragons of all shapes and sizes flew throughout the mountain. Soaring this way and that, and perching on basalt formations.

Baby dragons frolicked along the grass, without a care in the world.

A massive flock of them circled a pillar of ice and rock that towered above, flying in a wondrous formation.

It was even fairly warm, as opposed to the crushing cold that lied outside. Bubbling pools of steamy water lied on the surface, with many reptiles opting to take a hot bath.

This strange mixture of paradise and ice…

It was positively breathtaking.

“What Antonio wouldn’t give to see this…” Mirabel whispered.

Hiccup, Mirabel, and their dragons gazed upon the sanctuary with sparkling eyes. Completely awestruck at what they were seeing.

But then, Toothless began growling.

Following his eyes, they saw the odd woman and her Stormcutter. Hanging upside down from a cliffside.

She was giving Mirabel the strangest look. An apprehensive, feral glint of distrust in her features.

Hiccup realized that she hadn’t seen Mirabel come in, and quickly tried to ease the situation before anything could escalate.

“I-It’s okay!” He quickly said. “She’s a friend…she’s a friend to dragons.”

As if to prove the point, Mariposa starting nipping at Mirabel’s hair again. Making the girl giggle.

The woman still seemed to have her trepidations…but she accepted his answer.

“So…this is where you’ve been for twenty years?” Hiccup asked.

She just looked at him for a moment, smiling. But then she quickly, rigidly nodded. Like she’d forgotten how to answer a question.

Hiccup looked again, to all the dragons.

A lot of them seemed to be scarred, or even disfigured. These were clearly creature’s who’d had bad encounters with humans.

And yet, they were all here. Living happily.

“You’ve been rescuing them…” Hiccup realized.

Again, the woman nodded. More easily this time. She’d gotten the hang of it.

Hiccup couldn’t comprehend what was happening. It was unbelievable.

And that’s exactly what he said.

“Unbelievable…” He mumbled, still not quite sure what he was feeling.

The woman, his mother, Valka, asked him a question this time.

“Y-You’re not upset?” She wondered. Her voice, still not quite used to engaging in conversation.

“W-What? No-I-I don’t know, I…” Hiccup sputtered for a response. The cold, yet warm winds ruffling his hair. “It’s a bit much to get my head around, to be frank…”

“It’s not every day you find out your mother is some kind of…crazy, feral, vigilante dragon lady!”

Valka raised her staff, and gently, her Stormcutter lowered her to the ground by the tips of its claws.

“Oh, well…at least I’m not boring, right?” She asked with a chuckle.

Though there was the teensiest bit of desperation, behind her laughter. As if she was searching for validation from her child.

As Hiccup’s arm was nudged by a curious Thundeclaw, he managed an answer. “Well I suppose there is that one, specific thing…”

Valka looked to him with wide, almost pleading eyes. “Do…Do you like it?”

“I…I don’t have the words…” Hiccup responded, because he truly felt he didn’t.

Mirabel furrowed her brow, a frown beginning to form.

“So…you were alive this whole time?” She asked. “You knew your son, your only child was out there…and you didn’t do anything? You just let your family think you were dead?”

Family was incredibly important to Mirabel. For someone to just abandon their own child like that…they’d better have a good reason.

“Woah, hey! L-Let’s be cool, here…” Hiccup shuffled awkwardly, while keeping his eyes locked on his mother. Afraid that she’d flitter away at the slightest provocation.

Valka eyed her once more, uncomfortable at the look the girl was giving her.

“I…I love my family…” She mumbled, squatting low to the ground and averting her gaze. “I just, I didn’t know how to…how to…”

She looked like she wanted to answer the girl’s question, but for whatever reason, she couldn’t right now…

So she changed the subject.

“And…and this is?” She asked her son.

Hiccup began his introduction, eager to bring some positivity back to the mood.

“This is Mirabel!” He proudly proclaimed. “Savior of the miracle, hero of sheep, master accordion player, and future candle holder!”

Valka had no idea what any of that meant.

Seeing as how her boyfriend was just kidnapped by his apparent deadbeat mom, Mirabel wasn’t exactly in the friendliest of moods. But she still held her hand out in a greeting.

“Nice to meet you.” She said, cordially.

But instead of taking her hand, Valka instead chose to stalk around her. Leering, and even sniffing at her. Looking more like a beast at times.

This was Hiccup’s mother?

…

In a way, it sort of makes sense.

Confounded by the sight, Mirabel glanced to Hiccup. But the young man just shrugged.

“You don’t look like you’re from Berk…” Valka muttered, while examining her clothes. “or…anywhere near here…”

The bespectacled girl raised an eyebrow, knowingly. “That’s because I’m not!”

Standing back up, Valka darted her eyes between the two.

“And are you…f-friends?” She questioned.

Mirabel smiled shyly. “Well, we’re actually- “

Her sentence was cut off by a sneak attack. A kiss to her cheek from Hiccup, freezing her words in place and causing a deep blush to develop on her face.

Valka got the gist.

“O-Oh…” Was all she had to say.

Mariposa tromped close, and trilled a request for scratches from her rider. She obliged.

Valka grinned a bit, upon seeing this.

“W-Well, um…” She found speaking to people besides her son to actually be a bit hard, but she managed. “You certainly have good taste in dragons!”

She was unsure if her attempt at a joke had worked.

Mirabel looked over to her, skepticism in her eyes…

But she relented with a small smile. One that Valka returned.

Toothless was cowering from a large group of dragons, all observing him with fascination. A Night Fury was a rare sight.

He grumbled and groaned, not liking all the attention. And when his backside was suddenly lifted into the air by a Snifflehunch, he’d reached his limit.

He barked and growled at them, demanding they back off. Before settling into a displeased pout.

The three people present laughed at the sight, before Valka grew an expression of wonder.

She began reaching for the Night Fury, but she stopped herself.

She faced Hiccup from her crouched position.

“C-Can I?”

Hiccup gave her his permission.

“Oh, he’s beautiful!” She cooed, while caressing the dragon’s face.

Always happy to be praised, he started bumping her with his snout. Making her giggle.

“He might very well be the last of his kind!” Valka said, while the dragon slid down for belly rubs.

But then Valka noticed something she found exciting.

“A-And look!” She joyously exclaimed, plucking at lines of scales under Toothless’ jaw. “He’s your age! No wonder you get along so well!”

Hiccup supposed that was the dragon equivalent to facial hair.

And while things got weird, when she started caressing his tongue, seeing the woman that called herself his mother playing around with his best friend…

It warmed his heart.

“How did you manage to even find him?” Valka inquired, her eyes sparkling.

Hiccup grew ashamed, when he was asked this. Because he knew the answer.

And it wasn’t one of his prouder moments.

“I-I found him in the woods…” He mumbled, while averting his eyes. “He was…shot down, and wounded…”

A dark, righteous fury overtook Valka’s features.

She stood, all too firmly, and began walking around the area. Gesturing to various injured dragons who were nearby.

“This Snafflefang lost his leg to an iron trap…”

She pointed to more dragons, sadness in her voice.

“This Raincutter had her wing sliced by razor netting…And this poor Hobblegrunt was blinded by a tree snare…” She held the color-changing dragon close. “…And then left to die, alone and scared.”

It was very somber moment. Both Hiccup and Mirabel glanced to the wounded creatures around them, and wondered just how people could be so cruel.

Mariposa trilled sweetly to them, trying to offer comfort.

Bending down, Valka began examining Toothless’ tail-fin.

“And what of this?” She asked, anger returning.

And for the first time in front of his birth mother, Hiccup felt like a child who’d been caught doing something bad.

“Well, uh…crazy thing is…” He nervously laughed, while rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m actually the one who shot him down…”

Toothless nuzzled him, to show that he wasn’t mad.

“But, it’s okay though! He got me back!” Hiccup snickered, while playfully jostling his dragon’s face. “You couldn’t save all of me, huh? You just had to make it even! So…”

He then proudly presented his prosthetic.

“Peg leg!” He cheered.

Mirabel rolled her eyes, while chuckling.

Even all these years later, sometimes she’d look at his leg and just feel awful. Even if only for a moment.

And he’d see it, and do something just like this. To make a joke out of it, and show her that she needn’t worry.

As physical proof of their friendship, Toothless stuck his head under Hiccup’s legs. And gleefully hefted him up and onto his back.

Laughing, Valka moved to engage Toothless more.

It was astounding, honestly. Her only child had managed to befriend perhaps the rarest of all dragon species.

And he did this on an island full of dragon killers?

“And what did your father think of your Night Fury friend?” She pondered, imagining the vast man’s reaction in her mind.

Hiccup grimaced, as memories of a rather tumultuous time in his life flashed in his mind.

“He uh…” He shook his head, to clear himself of the dark and painful thoughts. “He didn’t take it that well…”

Valka nodded. That sounded about right.

But his next words perplexed her.

“But then…he changed!” Hiccup jovially said. “I mean, it took a while but…he changed! They all did!”

“Pretty soon, everyone on Berk had dragons of their own!”

Valka eyed him skeptically, before brushing it off as a childish fantasy.

“If only it were possible…” She chuckled. Such a thing was beyond the realm of reality, surely.

Hiccup tried to convince her. “No, really- “

“Believe me, I tried as well.” Valka said, cutting him off. “People are not capable of change, Hiccup.”

Mirabel stepped forth.

“I dunno…” She started. “I’ve seen people who I thought would never change, completely turn themselves around.”

Hiccup’s mother scrutinized them both, seeing the sincerity in both their faces…

And furrowed her brow, with a frown.

“No…it simply cannot be…” She muttered. Stubbornly clinging to what she believed to be true.

“Some of us…were just born different…”

Her eyes became distant, as she was speaking. She wasn’t looking at the world around them, but a memory.

They walked, further down the cliffside. Listening to her story as she led them deeper into the nest.

“Berk was a land of kill, or be killed. But I believed peace, between Vikings and dragons, was possible…” She chuckled ruefully, remembering the odd looks her ideas would earn her. “I-It was a very unpopular opinion…”

She spoke in excited whispers, as if retelling a tale of daring adventure.

“Then one night, a dragon broke into our house.” She pointed to Hiccup. “Finding you in the cradle!”

Hiccup was so enthralled in the story, he nearly tripped over a baby Gronckle as they were walking.

“But what I saw…was proof of everything I believed…” She said. “The dragon wasn’t trying to kill you, i-it was playing with you!”

“You’ve had a thing with lizards from day one, huh?” Mirabel asked her boyfriend, with a smirk.

Valka looked to her Stormcutter, adoration and respect in her eyes.

“He didn’t look like a vicious beast, but an intelligent, gentle creature…who’s soul reflected my own…”

Both Hiccup and Mirabel could definitely relate to that statement.

But her tale took a gloomy turn, when she told of how Stoick rushed in to defend her.

“The dragon got spooked, he flew away…and he took me with him…”

“You and your father nearly d-died, that night…” Valka’s expression became one of regret. “All because I couldn’t kill a dragon…”

Those words, that sentiment…

They were so very familiar to Hiccup.

“Eh…runs in the family.” Hiccup shrugged.

His attempt at levity did nothing to lift her mood.

“It broke my heart, to stay away…” She spoke, remorsefully. “B-But I believed you’d be safer if I did.”

“I thought I’d just…drag you down…” She said to Hiccup. “The village wasn’t overly fond of me, I didn’t want to involve you with that. I thought you d-didn’t need a dragon-lover for a mother…”

Hiccup couldn’t hep but see the irony, considering the village wasn’t overly fond of him for a while anyway.

Mirabel disagreed with her reasoning.

But…she knew a scruffy man who’d performed similar actions for similar reasons.

Sometimes people made desperate decisions, in an effort to protect those they held dear.

“How did you survive?” Mirabel wondered. This frozen tundra wasn’t exactly kitchen-adjacent.

Valka’s mood brightened considerably, as they approached the cliff’s edge.

“Oh, Cloudjumper never meant to harm me. He must have thought I belonged here!”

As they approached the end of the cliff, their dragons bounding around the area playfully, Hiccup and Mirabel could see that something was in the hot springs.

A very large something.

“In the home of the great Bewilderbeast, the alpha species!” Valka announced.

Sitting amidst a flittering flock of dragons, letting the warm waterfalls splash onto its snow-white body…

Was the biggest creature they’d ever seen.

It was positively ginormous, with pure white scales tipped with a dark red. Its back was lined with towering spines, and a mighty crown of thorns adorned its head. Two great wings rested at its sides, and while it looked too big to fly, they’d been fooled before…

Lacking a muzzle, its blunt face carried a burst of spines on the chin. Giving it the appearance of a regal beard. And two colossal tusks framed its head.

The young couple were immediately apprehensive. The last time they’d seen a dragon this big, they’d lost a leg and became permanently scarred.

The Red Death was a truly atrocious monster, responsible for the loss of countless lives.

But…this Bewilderbeast looked nothing like that.

It was sitting, serenely. Lying on its watery throne, and simply observing the much smaller dragons that flapped around it.

The reptiles would bow to the creature, of their own volition. It didn’t look like they were being forced or threatened, it looked like they were showing respect.

“Every nest has its queen…” Valka stated, speaking with the excited titter of an enthusiast. “But this is the king of all dragons!”

“With his icy breath, this graceful giant built our nest! A safe haven for dragons everywhere!”

Well, that explains the strange nature of the ice.

“Wait, that’s the ice-spitter?” Hiccup asked. “We heard some trappers, talking about him.”

Valka grinned. “He’s garnered a bit of a reputation, amongst that crowd.”

“He helps me free the dragons, that are being abused by cruel-hearted people.” She stated. “He protects us! We all live under his care, and his command.”

Toothless and Mariposa were suddenly crowded by a gang of baby Scuttleclaws, including the injured one from before.

They frolicked around the duo, impeding their movement and generally being nuisances.

Toothless was quite annoyed, but Mariposa thought they were cute.

Cloudjumper appeared from behind them, and bellowed at the younglings. Getting them to skitter off, and bother someone else.

Mariposa looked up to the larger Stormcutter, who seemed so much more dignified compared to her silliness…

And plopped her tongue out.

Cloudjumper didn’t know what to make of this gesture, so he continued along.

The baby Scuttleclaws were now scampering around the Bewilderbeast’s face, appearing to have no regard for their ruler’s opinion.

Seeing such a monumental beast being used like a playground, and seemingly being unbothered by it…

It was a hilarious sight.

“Well, except for the babies…” Valka laughed. “They don’t listen to anyone!”

Noticing the arrival of his small, human subject, the Bewilderbeast began to ascend from the pools.

Hiccup and Mirabel stared in absolute awe, as a positively colossal face rose up to meet them.

It’s giant blue eyes, filled with kindness and the wisdom of a life long lived, stared down at them. As if trying to look into their very souls.

There was no malice, to be seen. No bloodlust, or bottomless greed.

This beast had the power of a god, and the benevolence to not abuse it.

Cloudjumper, Mariposa, and Toothless all sank into bows. And so did Valka.

But the young couple remained standing, awestruck at such a creature.

“I’ve lived amongst them for twenty years, Hiccup!” Valka whispered, from her bow. “Discovering their secrets!”

The king of dragons kept his eyes locked on the duo, and they tried to meet his gaze without cowering.

He was studying them, sensing for something…

And after a moment, he puffed a cloud of cold air at the two.

Frosting Hiccup’s hair, and covering Mirabel’s glasses with snow.

“He likes you, both of you!” Valka laughed.

The Bewilderbeast, satisfied with his evaluation, then settled back into his resting position.

“Well…” Hiccup started, wiping snow out of his hair. “At least he’s not giving us the cold shoulder!”

Mirabel groaned, while cleaning her glasses. “Make another joke like that, and I’m calling off the wedding…”

Valka’s eyes widened in shock.

Her son was getting…?

“A-Are you…are you two?”

She didn’t finish her question, but the implication was clear.

“Oh! U-Uh, I mean…” Hiccup sputtered. “Not-We’re trying-What I meant- “

“Yes.” Mirabel answered. “Not right now, but soon!”

And as Valka watched the two share an impassioned glance, nothing but eternal adoration in their eyes…

She realized that this girl was to be her daughter-in-law.

Her thoughts turned to the strangeness of the situation.

Not only had she been reunited with her only son, not only was he a friend to dragons, not only had he befriended the most elusive of all dragons…

But he had a girlfriend, and they intended on marrying each other.

This was too much for her empty stomach.

“You two must be hungry!” Valka said, as she began to move away from the cliffside.

The thought of archipelago food immediately made Mirabel’s face scrunch with distaste, but Hiccup shrugged.

“Yeah, I could eat.”

“Good!” Valka replied, with an excitable grin. “It’s feeding time!”

Watching the trio as Valka began leading them along, Cloudjumper suddenly felt two presences under his wings.

Looking down, he saw that both Toothless and Mariposa had positioned themselves under him. Using two of his wings as if they were funny hats. With goofy expression on their faces.

And the elder Stormcutter just rolled his eyes.

“Kids…”

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

Something wasn’t right.

Mirabel and Hiccup should’ve been back by now. Whether they’d found that Scuttleclaw or not, it shouldn’t be taking them this long.

Isabela was starting to get very worried.

She, alongside the other Dragon Riders, were sitting atop an ice floe. Giving their dragons a rest, before they continued their return to Berk.

Isabela looked out into the horizon, the seemingly endless sea, and couldn’t help but fret over just what her siblings were doing.

Luisa tried to offer reassurance, even though she looked quite unsure as well.

“I’m sure they’re fine!” She said, while stroking her dragon’s antlers. “They’re tough! They can handle themselves!”

“Yeah, but…come on!” Isabela exclaimed. “They have the two fastest dragons here, they should be back by now! Something’s up!”

Camilo showcased a smidgen of concern.

“You don’t think they ran into any more trappers, do you?” He asked.

The thought sent a shiver of fright through the Madrigals.

Fishlegs raised a point. “We didn’t spot any ships, while we were out there- “

Ruffnut pushed him into the waters, before he could finish.

“Stay in there until you get hypothermia!” She commanded. “I wanna see how blue your face gets!”

With a resigned sigh, Fishlegs opted to float on his back.

“Yes, dear…”

He denied any attempts to fish him out of the frozen sea. This was his lot in life.

From amidst the other Dragon Riders, Astrid stepped forth.

“Stormfly knows their scents by heart, now.” She said. “You wanna go find ‘em?”

It was an offer they readily accepted.

They soared over the ocean, flying in the direction they’d just come from. Following Stormfly’s every movement, as she led them to their relatives.

On the way, they crossed over the wreckage of the trapper ships they’d destroyed. Evidence of a job well done.

Isabela especially grinned at their handiwork, and looked down to get a closer look at the damage.

Though she quickly had to reel her head back, when a blade-like boomerang came sailing through the air.

Down below, standing on the only intact ship, was Arnapkapfaaluk. Arny for short.

And she was not happy.

As her fellow trappers moseyed about the boat, trying to work with what little they had to get sailing again, the woman dressed in furs glared daggers at Isabela. Scowling up at her with a bestial snarl.

She threw her second boomerang, as the first returned. Aiming for the Madrigal’s neck.

But all Isabela had to do was get her dragon to move just a little upwards, and she was out of range.

Over and over, the huntress tried to strike her from below. But she just couldn’t land the hit, Isabela was too far away.

“THIS IS REALLY SAD TO WATCH, YOU KNOW THAT?” Isabela called down to her, while hovering in place.

When Arny punched the ship’s mast in fury, she knew her comment had struck.

But as funny as it was to watch her fail, she had things to do.

Astrid and the others were already flying ahead. She had to catch up before she was left behind.

“AS MUCH AS I WANT TO STICK AROUND AND CRUSH YOUR EGO, I’VE GOTTA GET MY SIBLINGS…” She smugly shouted. “BUT TELL YOU WHAT, IF YOU EVER NEED TO BE PUT IN YOUR PLACE AGAIN, JUST FIND ME!”

And with that, she urged her Snaptrapper to keep flying onwards. Leaving the trapper to stew in her failure.

The snowstorm from earlier had cleared into a surprisingly picturesque sunset, making the trip smoother.

And as they glided through the pink clouds, Stormfly brought them towards a very strange sight.

A ginormous mountain, seemingly made of ice, lied in the distance.

While the three women present were stupefied by the sight, Camilo regarded it with a half-lidded smirk.

“Yeah, they’re in there. Whenever there’s something weird, those two are usually involved.”

They couldn’t deny that he had a point.

But just when they readied themselves to storm the mountain and rescue their relatives…

A massive flock of dragons came from the clouds, all flying into the mass of ice.

And at the back of the flock, they could see a Night Fury and a Stormcutter.

“And there you go!” Astrid grinned, patting Stormfly appreciatively.

She flew back, heading home, while the Madrigals soared towards the flock. All overjoyed to see that the young couple was okay.

Though their path was blocked.

Their dragons all rapidly backed up, when a large Stormcutter suddenly appeared to halt their progress.

It hovered in place, looming over them with a threatening bellow.

“Its like a fat Mariposa!” Camilo gasped.

On the dragon’s back, was a woman. Glaring down at them with a fierce look of disdain.

Her hands twitched, while gripping her staff. Ready to swing the thing about and command her dragons to deal with these interlopers.

The Madrigals all grew glares of their own, ready to tussle with anyone who got in-between them and their family.

But before anyone could make a move-

“STOP!”

Hiccup’s shout ceased any potential fighting that may have broken out.

Both he and Mirabel flew their dragons between Valka and the others, while trying to mediate any conflict.

“What are you guys doing here?” Mirabel asked.

“We came to find you! We were worried!” Luisa responded.

Camilo shrugged. “And you’re our only rides home,  so y’know…”

Valka looked like she was seconds away from using her staff to whack the Madrigals off their dragons, but Hiccup tried to talk her down.

“It’s okay, mom! They’re friends!” Hiccup said.

Three pairs of eyes widened, and three jaws dropped.

Camilo swiveled his head around, looking for Julieta. She obviously wasn’t present.

Luisa looked to Valka with an extreme amount of surprise.

Isabela eyed the woman with great suspicion.

And all at once, they cried out a single word.

“WHAT!?”

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

Eret was not pleased.

Once again, those infuriating Dragon Riders had flown in and made their already hard lives just a bit harder.

All the dragons they’d spent weeks capturing, gone in a matter of minutes.

Every one of his men were packed together on the one remaining boat they had left, and even then it was in poor condition for sailing.

Yes, they could stop by a nearby island and get repairs. But it was the principal of the thing.

A week ago, they’d gotten the ice-spitter to ruin one of their operations. And today, the Dragon Riders struck again.

He was sick of it.

He mumbled and grumbled swears under his breath, while their boat slowly sailed across the waters.

It was gonna be a long trip…

Arny, his good friend, was stationed at the back of the ship. Her well-trained eyes, locked onto the clouds. Her dark hair, tied into a messy bun, whirling in the salty breeze.

He knew what she was looking for.

“She’s gone, you know…” Eret said, as he sauntered up to her. “Those Dragon Riders always find ways to disappear, only to show up again when it’d be most inconvenient for us.”

Arny spared him a glance, her frown deepening. But she didn’t say anything.

Eret rolled his eyes.

“You realize you can talk again, right?” He asked. “That witch beat you, your vow of silence is- “

In an instant, she was on him.

Her boomerang-blade held tightly against his throat. Her eyes, wild with rage, and her lips pulled back in a vitriolic sneer. Even the white fur of her cape seemed to bristle with anger.

Holding up his hands in surrender, the man tried to save his skin.

“R-Right, of course! It doesn’t count because witchcraft is cheating!” He whimpered, interpreting her silent message. “I must’ve forgotten, how silly of me!”

With a huff, she backed away from him.

Returning her eyes to the skies above, her sneer only intensified.

No one beat her.

No one.

She would find that obnoxiously smug witch again, and prove she was superior.

Rubbing his neck, relieved that it still attached to his head, Eret mulled over their current predicament.

“It doesn’t look like we’re gonna be making that much, this month…” He sighed. “Considering we have no dragons.”

Arny shot him another look.

He wasn’t entirely correct…

She brought him over to the deck, and they went beneath the ship.

Creaking down the stairs and entering the dark, murky space, he could see that there was a cage.

A cage with a dragon.

“A Whispering Death…” Eret realized, as it started to stir from the noise and the light.

“I can’t believe those riders missed this. They usually aren’t content until they’ve taken everything from us…”

The thought of the Dragon Riders sent a jolt of anger through Eret’s body.

“I wish there was a way we could just…get rid of them!” He groaned.

And it was then that he saw Arny giving him a rather strange look.

“What do you mean…you have a plan?” He asked.

She raised her eyebrows, in a silent question.

“Yes, I know the Dragon Riders are from Berk.” He answered. “One of those braindead twins wouldn’t stop shouting ‘Berk Forever!’…”

Arny pointed to the serpent they had in the cage.

“What the-did you just say we can’t sell this dragon!?” Eret repeated, outraged. “Oh, sure! Instead of making a little money, let’s just make no money!”

Arny released a silent groan, and gestured to get her point across.

“I’m aware that Whispering Death hatchlings are extremely dangerous, and have been known to destroy the islands they were born on…” Eret mumbled, while rolling his eyes. “Geez, you’re starting to sound like the fat one…”

Once again, the wordless huntress pointed to the dragon they had chained up.

“Alright, so its female. What about it?” Eret responded.

More questions were asked, even though no words were spoken.

“Yeah, we have another Whispering Death back at the fort. It’s got the weirdest bite mark, too…” He answered. “Yes, its male! Why are you asking me so many- “

His eyes shot open, when he caught onto to what she was scheming.

“…We get them to lay eggs…drop them on Berk…” Eret grew a grin. “And let them kill the Dragon Riders!”

Arny grew a devious smirk as well. Satisfied that he got the point.

The Dragon Riders, destroyed by the creatures they adored…

It was perfect!

They looked upon the hissing serpent in the cage, grinning with malicious intent.

“We’ve got big plans for you, girl…” Eret whispered.

“Big plans…”

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

It took some time to explain to the Madrigals just what was going on, but they soon came to understand the situation.

…Mostly.

They were sitting on a sizeable glacier, while their dragons frolicked on the snow. Watching Toothless display his mastery of the arts with an icicle he held in his mouth.

“Hiccup’s mom is a wacky, dragon hippie.” Isabela remarked. “Yeah…yeah that checks out.”

“You’ve really been out here for twenty years?” Luisa asked, earning a stilted nod from Valka. Who stood a bit away from them, near Cloudjumper.

“What, were the walls in your house not good enough?” Camilo snarked.

For a moment, Valka’s stoic visage was replaced with a look of sheer confusion.

“It’s a Madrigal inside joke.” Hiccup shrugged.

The word was quite unfamiliar to the seasoned rider.

“And what’s a…M-Madrigal?” Valka asked.

Mirabel jumped at the opportunity.

Literally.

She was standing above them, on the glacier’s peak. And as soon as those words were spoken, she hopped down.

Valka lurched back with fright, at her sudden appearance. But Mirabel was unbothered.

“We’re the Madrigals!” She proudly said, gesturing to everyone present besides Valka herself. “The most magical family in the Encanto!”

She noticed that Hiccup was included in this description.

“Hold on a moment…” She started, while looking between her son and his companions. “You’re one of these…Madrigals?”

“Not yet.” Luisa answered, elbowing the thin man. “I mean, it’s not in writing. But he’s basically part of the family already!”

“And it looks like they’ll be getting married soon…” Isabela said. “I better start picking out my dress. Y’know, my Maid of Honor dress?”

“What do you mean, sis?” Luisa asked, with a competitive glint in her eyes. “We all know I’m gonna be the Maid of Honor!”

This friendly, but heated rivalry has been an ongoing event, much to Mirabel’s annoyance.

“They know there can be more than one Maid of Honor, right?” Hiccup asked.

Camilo hushed him. “Don’t tell them that! This is hilarious!”

Valka’s thoughts were racing.

Hiccup lived with these strange people? Not only was he romantically involved with one of them, but he was close enough with the others for them to consider him kin already?

It was then that she finally noticed his strange, foreign attire. It looked like nothing that was worn in or around the archipelago.

But it looked similar to what the others were wearing.

And they’d said something about a location, perhaps their home.

What was it called…

“You don’t live on Berk?” Hiccup responded to her question with a shaking head. “You live in this…In-Can-Toe?”

“That’s Encanto.” He corrected, with a smile.

“You wouldn’t believe what it’s like over there, mom! It’s beautiful! And the people are great! The food is to die for! And, you’re gonna like this part…it’s full of dragons!”

Seeing Hiccup have so much excitement for this place certainly piqued her curiosity.

“Oh, and there’s-y’know…” Hiccup laughed, having forgotten to mention the most important part. “Magic!”

Valka scoffed.

“There’s no such thing as magic, Hiccup…”

The Madrigals heard that…

And they all shared a grin.

“Yep!” Camilo smirked, before turning into an exact replica of Valka. “No such thing as magic!”

“No magic here!” Luisa said, while hefting her massive Goregutter into the air with one hand.

Isabela summoned a burst of flowers, leaves, and small cacti around her feet. “Magic? Don’t be ridiculous!”

Both Valka and Cloudjumper now looked very afraid.

“I know what you’re thinking!” Mirabel suddenly said. “But we’re not witches!”

Valka was surprised that the girl knew what she was about to say.

Perhaps this one read minds…

“They’re just…they’re really good people!” Hiccup spoke, with a smile that was filled with love.

And that smile fell, when he noticed how low the sun was getting.

“…Really good people who’ll be expecting us at dinner.” He realized. “We gotta get going!”

Hastily, they all readied their dragons for takeoff.

Valka was stuck between dashing over to them, and staying rooted in place. She started and stopped moving several times, unsure of how to proceed.

Hiccup looked back to her.

“Hey uh…today was really something crazy!” He laughed. “But…I-I’m glad you’re alive.”

She looked into his pine green eyes, so similar to his father’s. And yet so different.

“Will…Will I see you again?” She asked, softly.

She’d just gotten her son back, she didn’t want to let him go.

He grew a casual smile.

“Yeah, sure! I can pop in whenever!” He answered. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily!”

“Trust me, I’ve tried…” Isabela groaned. “He just sticks around, no matter how much you want him to leave, and wears you down until you can’t imagine your life without him.”

As usual, Isabela only professed her sisterly affection for him if it was disguised as an insult.

With a shaky breath, Valka nodded.

“A-Alright, well…be safe…”

And then she stood there. Her eyes pointed downwards, staring at her feet. Not quite wanting to see him go, but wanting to be there for it.

From his position besides Toothless, Hiccup took a few steps forward.

The seasoned rider looked back up again, noticing the determined glare in the man’s eyes.

“S-Son..?” She asked, in a whisper.

And then, Valka was given something she hadn’t experienced in two decades.

A hug.

Hiccup held her, while she froze. Unsure of how to respond, if at all. Her eyes as wide as they could go, and her breath stopping.

“See you soon, mom…” He mumbled into her shoulder.

And then he let go of her.

Even though she really didn’t want him to.

She watched them mount their dragons, and take off into the air. Her mind still reeling from the embrace…

But then, the strangest thing happened.

They were here, one moment. And in the next, they’d disappeared.

There was a brief flash, and suddenly they were nowhere to be seen.

They were gone.

Valka had the feeling that something was very wrong.

“Hiccup!” She cried, fearing for her son.

She quickly joined Cloudjumper, and they ascended after them. Trying to figure out just what had happened.

They flew, tearing through the clouds, heading towards where the young adults just were.

Their panic increased, when they found no signs of them.

They decided to keep searching, and soared onwards.

Right into the magical particles, that hadn’t finished dissipating.

And in a flash…

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

They were so late.

The sky had become a deep blue, when they arrived in the Encanto.

Bursting out of a golden light, and landing on the hill leading up to Casita.

The house moved its tiles about, probably asking the group where they’ve been. Everyone was in the middle of dinner by now.

The door opened, and Julieta stepped out. Followed by Augustin.

“There you all are!” Julieta said, a slightly disappointed look on her features. “I know you like having your little dragon adventures, but family meals are important!”

“Lo siento, Mama.” Mirabel chuckled, dismounting Mariposa. “We kinda got sidetracked!”

“Really, really sidetracked…” Hiccup sighed. It’s been a long day.

“Well, you can tell us all about it over dinner!” Spoke Augustin, cheerfully.

Their dragons knew the way to the stables, and so they started stomping to the back. While the Madrigals began to enter the house.

But then, there was a flash of light.

And a very heavy something crashed behind them, making an impact of the grassy hill.

Everyone turned around, to see a large dragon lying in a newly made crater.

A Stormcutter.

“Cloudjumper?” Hiccup asked.

His mother’s dragon was curled up, moaning with pain. He rolled over a bit, revealing an unconscious Valka within his grasp.

Hiccup and the other Riders gasped, while the parents looked confused.

The rest of the family heard the commotion, and came rushing to the door as well. Trying to see just what was going on.

Hiccup hurried down the hill, and sank to his knees. Pulling Valka out from Cloudjumper, and checking her for injuries.

Health concerns being Julieta’s forte, she sprinted to join her adoptive son.

Once she made it, she noticed the recognition flashing in Hiccup’s eyes.

“Mijo, do you know this woman?” Julieta asked, already fishing an arepa from her pocket.

Hiccup looked to her.

And then down to Valka.

And then back to Julieta.

Then back to Valka.

And he formed that lopsided grin.

“Uh, mom…”

“…Meet mom!”