21. Hiccup Found

It was a beautiful day in the Encanto. The sun was shining brightly, and there was a faint rainbow in the sky. Pepa was happy, clearly. Birds were singing joyous tunes, carried by the pleasant breeze. It was warm, but not overly so. Perfect weather for children to go out and play.

It was a beautiful day.

And it only made Hiccup feel worse.

This was it. He’d made it. The end of the line.

Hiccup didn’t know where he’d be tomorrow, but he knew one thing.

It wouldn’t be the Encanto.

He had woken up early, earlier than usual. The rising sun’s rays were shining their way into the simple room from the window. As he watched his surroundings slowly be illuminated, he realized he didn’t want to get up.

If he didn’t get out of bed, his day would never start, and he’d never have to face the inevitable.

But he knew that was impossible.

Besides, if this was to be his final day here, he wanted to enjoy it to the fullest. That meant no sleeping in.

Removing the covers, he took a moment to take in the guest room. It was small, and bare. No furnishings or decorations. Just four white walls, and a little bed. It wasn’t special in any way.

And yet, Hiccup felt saddened at the thought of leaving it behind. Of waking up in anything but a blank guest room, with a sleeping dragon in the corner.

Speaking of the sleeping dragon, Toothless was starting to stir. Usually a late sleeper, it seemed even he wanted to fully appreciate this day. He plodded over to the bed, and happily accepted Hiccup’s groggy scratches. “Today’s the day, bud…” He sighed.

Hiccup finally left the bed, and grabbed his ruana. Before he put it on, he took a moment to appreciate the golden symbol at the bottom of it. A symbol of his draconic best friend, hand crafted by his human best friend. With another sigh, he put it on.

Together, they headed downstairs to the forge. Hiccup descended slowly, trying to savor each step.

There was Ignacio, leaning on a counter and drinking some coffee. Smiling upon seeing them, he gave the two a wave. “Hey, kid! You’re up early!” Hiccup nodded, tentatively.

“Yeah, I figured I’d get up and…say my goodbyes.” The blacksmith’s smile faded, and he slowly placed his mug down.

He looked down, thoughtfully. “So…it’s time for you to move on, huh?” Hiccup gave another, smaller nod. The man gave a slight chuckle. “Heh, it feels like you showed up just yesterday…crazy to think you’ve been here for a bit over a month.”

He stood from his lean, and approached the boy. A very wistful look in his eyes. “Look kid, I know we’re not besties or anything. But truth is…having you and that dragon around? It’s been real fun!” He placed a hand on Hiccup’s shoulder, flashing a proud smile. “And for the record, you’ve got the makings of an incredible blacksmith. You might even be better than me! Emphasis on might!” As Ignacio moved to pet Toothless a bit, before he couldn’t anymore, Hiccup observed the man.

He was loud, just as loud as the Vikings back home. But his shouts were always joyful. This man housed them, and allowed Hiccup to use his forge for whatever frivolous inventions he could conceive. Asking only that he hand some people boxes every few days. Even back when he was considered a threat to the village, Ignacio still welcomed them with open arms.

And even though it hurt, Hiccup came to appreciate his harsh back slaps.

He called for the man’s attention. “Hey, Ignacio. Um…” He rubbed his neck as he struggled to find his words. “Thanks for letting us stay here. You really didn’t have to.”

The man chuckled, amusement in his features. “Don’t sweat it, kid. It was my pleasure! You two made things exciting, that’s for sure!” His smile faltered. Just a bit. “I’m gonna miss it…” He shook his head and regained his flashy grin. “You know what, kid? If you’re ever in town again, my forge is yours to use! And so is that guest room! My door’s always open!”

Hiccup turned to sneak a glance at the smithy’s entryway. “You don’t…have a door.”

He felt a very harsh slap to his back. “Exactly!” bellowed the blacksmith, before releasing hearty laughter.

Hiccup couldn’t help but laugh too.

He then felt himself being shoved forwards. “Now quit wasting your time here! Go on, enjoy your day!” Urged Ignacio as he ushered the boy and his dragon outside.

Hiccup took the short time he left to examine the forge. How spacious it was, how organized. How it was oddly vibrant for a shop meant for metalwork. It used to feel so familiar to Berk’s smithy, but now he viewed the place as its own distinct location. Memories of his various exploits started rushing in. From impromptu dragon-manuals, to bee repellent suits of armor, to donkey-proof latches, to a very special doorknob.

It’d only been a month, but as he thought about what was to come, those moments already felt like old memories of good times long past.

Once he and Toothless were outside, they moved to begin their final-day walk. Just before they set off, Hiccup was called.

“Hey kid, catch!”

Quickly and stiffly, he caught the item Ignacio had thrown. It was yellow, curved, and quite obviously a banana. As the boy looked back up to the blacksmith, he answered Hiccup’s silent question. “For the road!” Hiccup responded with a smirk.

The boy and his dragon left the forge, for the final time.

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As he walked through the village, Hiccup noticed that everything seemed more vibrant than usual.

Yes, the town was always bright and colorful. But today it was overwhelmingly so. All the wreckage and cracks in the ground from last month’s catastrophe were gone. Everything look pristine.

People walked here and there, but not in any hurry. They all seemed relaxed, with smiles on their faces and skips in their steps. Frequently stopping to wave to, or chat with another villager. Children were running and playing without a care, music seemed to be coming from…somewhere.

No one seemed angry, sad, or even annoyed. It was as if life in this village was one big party. Everyone had a reason to celebrate, so celebrate they did.

It was just like how it appeared when Hiccup first arrived.

But now, things were different. Hiccup had lived here for a month, and now had a deeper appreciation for this village. The people weren’t just people, but people he knew. The children were his dragon’s adoring fanbase. Townsfolk would stop to wave to him, chat with him.  He even knew where the music was coming from.

It was the sound of the hearts of the people, keeping the Encanto alive.

…And a band of street musicians. They were good.

He and Toothless wandered the town, a gaggle of kids following the Night Fury. He hoped Toothless wouldn’t be too disheartened about losing his admirers.

His stroll was frequently interrupted by chatty villagers, and Hiccup couldn’t say he minded it. They weren’t even thanking him for his heroics last month, not anymore. They were just being friendly to someone they perceived as their neighbor. As part of their community.

He’d started his time in this town being feared and hated. He was really glad he’d end his time here being remembered fondly.

He took a seat on a bench, not intending to rest for long, just wanting to enjoy the sun. He was seated across from the Madrigal mural, which he admired from afar. Recalling his very second day, when Mirabel explained her amazing family’s amazing history to him.

As Toothless was being playfully assaulted on all sides by children, Hiccup took a moment to regard each face on the mural.

Alma, the strong-willed leader. Now changing her ways for the better.

Julieta, an amazing cook overflowing with a kindness and warmth that felt almost familiar to Hiccup. Pepa, a literal ray of sunshine…except for when she was moody. Bruno, a man he once believed to be a malevolent agent of chaos, but now knew to be a kindhearted (if not slightly unhinged) guy.

Luisa, a giant with a gentleness she needs to embrace. Isabela, once a perfect princess, now on the path of self-discovery. Camilo, a prankster for certain, yet not nearly as bad as a certain duo of pranksters Hiccup knew. Dolores, a quiet soul with a heart that beats loudly. Antonio, the cutest kid Hiccup had ever met, with an infectious enthusiasm for wildlife.

His thoughts turned to those not on the mural, though he heard some whisperings that this may be changed soon. Augustin, prone to mishaps but never losing his spirit. Felix, unbothered by the storm, life of the party.

He then considered two individuals who may be making their way into the family. Mariano, a hopeless romantic. Valentina, a woman with a rough exterior, but a soft heart.

And finally, he couldn’t avoid it anymore. He looked at the mural and saw Mirabel.

She was the smartest, kindest, funniest, most creative, loving, devoted, optimistic, determined, all around miraculous girl he’d ever met. Every moment he spent with her was fun, even if they were in mortal peril. She was just like him in ways, yet delightfully different in many others. She didn’t just light up a room, she lit up the world.

She was the first human being to embrace him, and call him friend.

He was really going to miss-

He abruptly stood from the bench. Glancing anywhere but the mural, a reminder of the incredible people he’d met. And the friend he’d be leaving behind.

Though he supposed it was unavoidable.

He was meeting with them for dinner, after all.

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

Hiccup and Toothless spent their day strolling the Encanto. Trying to take in as much as they could, so they’d never forget this place.

They slowly climbed the hill leading to the farm, enjoying the cool breeze and observing the animals roaming the verdant rolling hills.

Hiccup did a quick maintenance check on the latch he installed on the barn doors, and it seemed to be holding up. He hadn’t seen the donkeys around recently, so he figured it worked.

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Next, he sat at a coffee shop. The location of Bruno’s first date with Valentina, that he and Mirabel had spied on.

He’d never tried this coffee stuff, but he figured now was as good a time as any. He took a sip…

And nearly jumped out of his chair as a shot of energy jolted through him. He glanced at the cup, brown liquid sloshing around as he held it with jittery hands.

One shot of this drink and he could be up inventing for a week straight!

He decided not to drink any more, as he was sure if he did, he’d never sleep again.

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

The boy and his dragon arrived at the shady forest, and found the exact spot where they crash landed.

Hiccup still didn’t remember how they ended up here. All he recalled was flying over the ocean, with no real destination in mind. One moment the skies were clear, the next there was a massive storm. Lightning struck-

And that’s it. The moment he awoke, he was in the Encanto.

But in a way, he was glad they crashed here.

He took a seat on the dirt, and Toothless did the same. Basking in a particularly sunny spot.

Hiccup had a nice view overlooking the village, an idyllic view.

He would miss this view.

So he took out his new sketchbook, and got to sketching.

He took his time with the drawing, really trying to capture every little nook and cranny of the town. Every house he could see, every tree he spotted. No detail was left un-scribbled.

Finally, his pencil brought him to casita. He took great care in his depiction of the magical house, not wanting to offend it with a poor rendition.

As he was finishing his sketch, his mind turned to Mirabel once more. Not her personality this time, but her appearance.

In an artistic trance, he started to consider the shape of her face. And how it shifted whenever she smiled. He thought of her curly dark hair, cascading down her head like a waterfall. Her sparkling deep brown eyes, framed by those adorable green glasses perched atop her cute nose. That wonderful dress she wore, marked with designs of her own creation. And the way she-

He snapped out of his trance when he realized just what he was doing.

He looked at his sketchbook with disbelief. On the very next page from the sketch of the village, was a beautiful sketch of Mirabel. Perhaps his most detailed drawing ever.

As an artist, he was actually quite proud of it.

As Hiccup, he was petrified.

What was he thinking? Why’d he draw that? What was happening?

Toothless approached the silently panicking boy, trying to get a glimpse of what he was drawing. Hiccup snapped the sketchbook closed with lightning speed.

“Nope, nothing to see here! Come on, bud. Let’s go do…something. Anything. Anything else…” As Hiccup stuffed the sketchbook in his pocket and stiffly walked back to town, Toothless had to resist laughing at his companion.

Because he’d seen it.

He’d seen everything.

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

Unfortunately, time marched on.

Despite how much he wanted to prolong this day for as long as possible, the sun began to set. The day was over, night was fast approaching.

Time for dinner.

He and Toothless trudged up the hill. The evening sky blanketed the Encanto in an indigo hue, with lanterns set up around town creating small spheres of golden light. He smoothed out his clothes and tousled his hair. He didn’t want to look bad on his last day.

Finally, he’d arrived at the doors of Casita. The smiling visages of the Madrigals on the door only served to dishearten him, as he realized this would be his last time seeing them.

“It’s for the best…” He thought. “You’ve burdened them long enough…”

He made to knock on the door…and froze, before withdrawing his hand. He moved to knock once more, and hesitated again. Before he could try a third time, the doors opened for him.

Oh, yeah. Living house.

“Uh, thanks Casita.” He nervously laughed, as the house played a welcoming tune.

He took a deep breath. There was no escaping this now. He stepped into the building, Toothless trailing behind him, warbling a greeting to the house. It responded with some peppy clinking of its tiles.

They were alone in the courtyard. He took some time to really appreciate the miraculous house he was standing in. As he was sure he’d never stand in it again.

He did a quick turnaround, taking in all he could. He stopped for a moment to observe the candle. Burning brightly. Brighter than he’d ever seen it.

“Hiccup!”

He turned as his name was called. He saw Mirabel at the top of the staircase, smiling as brightly as the candle above.

She began to descend the stairs. “I’m so glad you could make it- “Her greeting was abruptly cut short when she tripped with a startled yelp.

Rushing into action, Hiccup moved back to catch her, and catch her he did.

On the ground.

She slammed into him, and they both tumbled to the floor with her in his arms. Toothless watched them, amused.

As Hiccup sat there, dazed. She scrambled to apologize. “Oh my gosh, Hiccup! I’m so sorry, I don’t know what happened I just…tripped!”

Neither of them noticed the step jolting under the girl’s feet, launching Mirabel at precisely the right trajectory to crash into Hiccup. Neither of them noticed the walls creak with a mischievous satisfaction.

“Are we interrupting something?” At the sound of a flowery voice, the fallen teens looked to see Isabela and Luisa entering the courtyard. Luisa looking concerned, Isabela very smug.

Mirabel frantically tried to explain their position. “No, no, no, wait! I fell over, and he caught me!” Hiccup didn’t say anything, his eyes wide in shock. His face burning hotter than a Monstrous Nightmare that’s set itself ablaze.

“You gotta be more careful, sis!” Spoke Luisa as she gingerly plucked Mirabel from her toppled state.

“Yeah, careful.” Agreed Isabela, eyeing Hiccup as he stood himself up with a knowing, mocking grin.

Before things could get any more awkward, Dolores sauntered into the courtyard. “Come on, Tia says dinner’s starting.” As Luisa and Isabela made for the dining room, Mirabel remembered her promise.

“Oh! Hold on, I’ll be right there! I just gotta grab something!” With that, she ran up to her bedroom. Leaving Dolores and Hiccup alone.

“So uh…” Hiccup started. “How’re things going with Mariano?”

At the mention of her boyfriend’s name, Dolores’ pouty lips formed a small smile as she sighed with adoration. “It’s been amazing! He doesn’t want to talk about what I’m hearing, but what I’m feeling. And he buys me flowers, and chocolates, and he writes me poetry…” She paused, and put a hand to her ear. Listening. “Oh! He’s writing me another poem right now!” She squealed in excitement. “I don’t like to listen when he writes, I want it to be a surprise!”

Normally, upon hearing such things Hiccup would respond with a simple thumbs-up or a corny joke and leave it at that. But now, for a reason he couldn’t quite understand, those things sounded absolutely captivating.

Before he could ponder this more, Mirabel came rushing out of her room and back down the stairs. A box cradled in her arms. “Alright, I’m good! Let’s go!” He called for Toothless to follow, and they entered the dining room.

It was cozy, really cozy. With nice warm lighting and cute decorations. Hiccup never had much of a dining room in the first place. Either his hut’s living room, which was small and cramped and damp. Or the great hall, which was way too big, dark, and usually filled with people who didn’t like him very much.

As soon as his head peeked around the corner, Hiccup heard a shout.

“Hey, there he is! The guest of honor!”  At Felix’s exclamation, a myriad of voices spoke all at once. Spouting a variety of greetings to the boy.

“Hiccup, it’s nice to see you!” “HI HICCUP! HI TOOTHLESS!” “Hey, skinny’s back!” “H-How’s it going, Hiccup?” “Good evening, Mr. Invader!”

Hiccup very much didn’t like being the center of attention. Whenever he was, it usually didn’t end well for him. And while he was still a bit uncomfortable because there were so many eyes looking directly at him…it was also nice. It was nice knowing so many people were happy to see him, happy to have him over for dinner.

Strange, but nice.

“Alright, alright! Stop crowding the boy!” Julieta stepped in from the kitchen, carrying a plate of unknown but surely delicious food. After placing it on the table, she faced the scrawny teen with a warm smile. “It is very nice to see you though, Hiccup!” She then placed a hand on his chin, turning his head left and right. A look of concern on her face. “Are you eating enough? You’re so skinny!”

Hiccup chuckled as she examined him. “Trust me, miss. I’ve been a fishbone since the day I was born.”

Smiling again, Julieta pat his cheek. “Well then, we’ll just have to fix that tonight!” Before she took her own seat, the woman grabbed a plate and placed it on the floor. And then plopped the biggest, fattest, juiciest fish Hiccup had ever seen on the plate. “Dragons have to eat, too!” She chuckled.

Toothless looked at her with a newfound sense of adoration. He wanted to hop over there and start the slobber slaughter, but he knew dinner time wasn’t play time. He nudged her leg as she was heading for her place at the table, eliciting a surprised giggle from Julieta. With a grateful croon, he went to town on his fish.

“Hiccup!” Mirabel was calling to him from the table. “You can sit by me!” It really didn’t look like there was space beside her, there wasn’t even a chair. But seeing her eager grin, he just couldn’t say no to her.

Just as he began to take a step, he heard a voice from the other side of the long table. “Actually, we have a place for Hiccup already.” As soon as Alma spoke, a chair came rolling into the dining room. Being carried by Casita’s versatile tiles. Casita placed the chair at the other end of the table, meaning he got a good view of everyone. And everyone got a good view of him.

He suppressed a chuckle as he noticed Mirabel’s pouting, and took his seat. Toothless sat near his chair, not even a fraction of the way done with his gargantuan fish.

The food was placed on every plate. It was something called Bistec a Caballo, and Hiccup already knew he would love it. Before he got a chance to taste it though, he was asked a question from the other end of the table.

“So, Hiccup…” Alma spoke casually as she sawed through the meat on her plate with a knife. “You’ve been in the Encanto for a month, yes? What do you think of it?”

Hiding his disappointment at being kept from his meal, he answered without hesitation. “It’s amazing!” He didn’t miss Mirabel’s smile. “I never could’ve imagined a place like this existing, magic being real!” He began to cut the food on his own plate as he continued. “Not just that, though. The people are really nice here…generally speaking.” He took a small bite, and his tongue was immediately blasted by an immaculate flavor. “It’s a far cry from my old village, that’s for sure…”

Camilo snuck the scrawny teen a glance, speaking with a mouthful of food. “And what was your old village like?”

Hiccup hesitated, before shaking his head. “I dunno, it’s-it’s kind of a long story…”

Once more, a litany of voices spoke at once.

“Come on, Hiccup!” “Pleeeeease?” “You can’t leave us hanging like that, bro!” “I-If you’re okay with it, that is…” “It sounds like an interesting story.” “Just tell us already, jeez!”

Hiccup looked to Mirabel, a silent plea for help in his eyes. But she was demanding he tell his tale as well. “I only know bits and pieces. I want the whole story!”

He released a sigh in amused exasperation. May as well give the people what they want.

Especially because this would be the last time he would ever see them.

With some resigned chuckles, he accepted their requests. “Alright, alright! I’ll tell you my story!”  As cheers came from the majority of the table, he held up a hand to silence them. “But before I do that, I need you all to do something.” Every eye in the dining room was looking to him with intrigue. Even Alma lifted a curious eyebrow.

He spoke with a slight dramatic flair. “I need you to picture the Encanto. The sunny skies, the warm breeze. The plants, the animals. The colorful village. Picture all of it…” He observed their expressions, they were all processing his request. Some faces were scrunched in concentration, while others just became more unfocused as they looked at something only they could see.

He grew a slight smirk. “Are you picturing it?” He received some nods. “Good…”

“Now imagine the exact opposite.”

He snickered at the bewildered expressions. He spoke in a hushed tone, as if he was sharing something forbidden.

As he began to tell them his story, he set the scene with three simple words.

“This…is Berk.”

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He had them now.

Every single person at the table was absolutely enraptured by his tale of Berk.

They sat, food almost untouched (except for Camilo’s) as they dared not to entertain a single distraction from the story they were being told.

He told of Berk’s climate. How it was almost always grey, damp, and raining. And when it wasn’t, it was cold, harsh, and snowing. To which Camilo deviously responded. “Like whenever Mami has her period?” earning him a harsh slap to the back of his head.

He told of the village he’d grown up in. How it was smaller, more archaic, and certainly not as colorful. Yet, it still had its charms. He didn’t understand why everyone was so disturbed about them still using outhouses. To him, that weird room with the white bowl was disturbing.

Of course, he had to talk about the dragons. He gestured wildly as he recalled action-packed memories from dragon raids. When describing a particularly nasty Zippleback encounter, Felix was ducking and bobbing in his chair. As if he was part of the action.

“But wait…” Isabela began to question, arms crossed. “If dragons are so horrible, what are you doing with a dragon?” It was a question a few of them shared.

Hiccup’s smile faltered just a tad. “Now that…that is a very good question. To answer it, I’m gonna have to go back a bit.”

He started with Stoick.

“Stoick the Vast is a mountain of a man. Seven foot tall, five feet across. There are stories about him taking down armies of dragons all by himself, and I believe every single one of them. He’s a Viking, through and through. And I can’t think of anyone better suited to be chief of Berk…”

He grew a lopsided, self-deprecating smirk. “So imagine his surprise when he got me as a son.”

He got a lot of surprised looks, exactly what he wanted. Though Mirabel looked confused more than anything.

The mood grew a bit more subdued as his story shifted to his many attempts at winning his village’s respect and his father’s attention. He still got some laughs, mostly when he’d tell of an invention that had gone horribly awry.

But as he told them about the village’s increasingly negative treatment of him, everyone began to look somber. How the other kids would beat him up, how the adults would ignore him, how his father stopped looking him in the eye when he was barely a preteen. He noticed Bruno looked particularly upset when he spoke about being considered bad luck, a walking disaster.

“Titles are very important for Vikings, they’re the names that follow you throughout history. Most Vikings don’t get a title until they’re adults, but not me. I got a title at age nine.” He puffed out his chest in a mocking prideful manner. “Presenting, Hiccup the Useless!” He declared sardonically. He didn’t miss the few whispered gasps, he think they came from Mirabel, Julieta, and Luisa.

“So…I knew what I had to do. If I wanted anything to change, I had to kill a dragon. I created a machine to capture dragons…” Mirabel nodded, she knew this part. He glanced at Toothless, who had just barely gotten halfway through his fish. “And as you can see, it clearly worked.”

Antonio slammed his little hands on the table. “What happened next!?”

The mood improved once more when he began to tell them about his time in the cove, and his burgeoning friendship with Toothless. “He helped me realize that dragons weren’t demons. They were amazing creatures, who only attacked to defend themselves.”

As the family listened in fascination, Isabela didn’t look convinced. “Okay, but why were they raiding your village and stealing your food?”

Hiccup didn’t entirely know the answer, but he’d given the question some thought. “That island was there before we were…” He shrugged. “My current theory is that it was their primary hunting ground, and they’re too stubborn to give it up.”

Toothless made a few mumbling noises, and Antonio heard him. He abruptly shouted. “That’s not it! It’s because of the Red- “

“Hush, Tonito!” He was shushed by his mother, intently listening to Hiccup as he spoke about his plan to unite Vikings and Dragons.

“If I could just show them that Dragons were capable of being docile, then maybe I could end this war.” He smiled ruefully. “It…it really didn’t work out.”

He was near the end of his extensive tale. He spoke of the intense battle between Toothless and the Monstrous Nightmare, after he'd failed to show the Vikings that dragons could be peaceful. When he told them Toothless was captured, there were gasps.

As he told them about how he was thrown in a cell and disowned by Stoick, he was surprised to see a flash of fury in not only Mirabel, but both Julieta and Augustin. He knew it wasn’t the happiest story, but he wasn’t expecting that.

“I had to do something! They were gonna kill Toothless, and I knew how traitors were dealt with on Berk. I was as good as dead too. I managed to break another dragon, a Nadder, out if it’s cell. I flew it to where the execution was being held. They were making a big deal out of it, the first Night Fury ever killed on Berk…” He shuddered in disgust at the memory, and young Antonio looked very distraught. Even though the dragon was just a few feet in front of him.

“I busted Toothless out, and we made our escape.” Antonio released a sigh of relief. “We flew…and kept flying until we were sure they couldn’t follow us. Then we flew some more. We’d stop on sea stacks or small, uninhabited islands for rest. But we never stopped for long. One day, when we were flying…we ended up here.”

He looked to the side, suddenly very uncomfortable with all the eyes watching him. “So yeah…th-that’s my story.”

There was silence for a moment, before someone spoke out. “You were right, that was long.” Snarked Camilo.

His incoming reprimanding cut short when Hiccup burst into laughter. Trying and failing to hide his snickering in the crook of his elbows, which were placed on the table.

This caused a chain reaction, and soon almost everyone present was laughing. Even Alma had the slightest hint of a smile.

“I, for one…” Adjusting her glasses, Mirabel began to speak as the laughter died down. “Am glad that you’re here!”

Hiccup really didn’t know how to respond to that.

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Dinner was progressing at a leisurely pace. The conversation shifted to various topics. Dolores and Bruno’s love lives, a new recipe Julieta was trying out, Antonio asking about a not very child-friendly word he’d heard from some lemurs. Leading to a pretty awkward explanation.

Eventually, though. The question was asked.

Augustin cleared his throat and faced the scrawny teen. “So, Hiccup! I hear that you’re, erm, leaving us.”

As soon as those few words left Augustin’s lips, shocked looks appeared all throughout the table.

Antonio looked to Hiccup, his big sad eyes revealing feelings of betrayal. Upon seeing her son’s disheartened expression, a small raincloud appeared over Pepa. Felix rubbed her arm to calm her, but he didn’t look too thrilled either. Camilo and Dolores shared a disappointed glance.

Julieta just sighed, deeply. Isabela showed a visage of confusion, before her eyes focused on Hiccup and settled into a hard scowl. Luisa visibly deflated, no longer feeling like the largest in the room despite clearly still being such. Bruno’s fidgeting increased tenfold.

Alma’s expression was unreadable.

Hiccup was now very confused. First of all, didn’t they all know he was leaving eventually? Second of all, why did it look like they cared so much?

Then his eyes found Mirabel’s.

Mirabel’s expression was also hard to decipher, but it wasn’t a poker face like her grandmother’s. She glared at him with an unwavering determination, and he immediately knew she was planning something.

Augustin coughed into his hand to continue his question. “So uh, where do you plan to go?”

Hiccup fiddled with his fork. “I uh…I r-really don’t know. We don’t really have anywhere to go…” He hesitated. “I just want to find somewhere we can be safe. Happy. Where I know Toothless won’t be in danger, and I won’t be…you know…despised…” He kept his gaze squarely on his plate, not wanting to look into any eyes right now.

“So stay.”

Those two words shocked him to his core. He looked to find the source, who was none other than Mirabel. As she glared at him, he felt like she was glaring at his soul.

“Think about it. You said you need to find somewhere safe, somewhere Toothless won’t be at risk, somewhere you’ll be accepted.” She chuckled slightly, while gesturing to all around her. “Hiccup, you’re already there!”

She stood from her seat, palms firmly planted on the table. “The Encanto was created to be safe. Yeah, that mountain is cracked. But with the magic back, the magical fog will keep anyone with bad intentions out. So that’s check one!”

She held up one hand, and displayed two fingers. “Toothless is like the town’s pet at this point. No one’s gonna hurt him. So that’s check two!”

Three fingers were proudly displayed as she grinned brightly. “And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but a ton of people here care about you!”

She motioned to the rest of her family. “Antonio and Toothless are nuts about each other! And are you really gonna quit Luisa’s book club after only one meeting? And I know you’ll miss my mama’s cooking! And I know you’d feel horrible about missing Tio Bruno’s wedding!”

“Woah, hey, wedding? But we’re not even- “Bruno’s stammering was cut short as Mirabel continued her plea.

“Speaking of weddings, what’s Mariano gonna do if you can’t be his best man?” Hiccup rolled his eyes, this was getting silly. “And what about Ignacio? I bet that forge gets really lonely…” That made him pause.

She closed the distance between them. “And I don’t know if you know this, but-” She poked his chest with every word to accentuate her point. “You. Are. My. Best. Friend!”

She took a step back, smiling brightly. “Everything you’re looking for is right here. So stay!” Several Madrigals agreed with her, and they all cried out at once.

“Yes, you should stay!” “We’d love to have you!” “We know you want to!” “I’d miss you…” “I-I mean you don’t have to, but I’d like it if you stuck around.” “Where else do you gotta go, bro?” “You’re pretty cool.” “Come on!” “STAY WITH US!”

Mirabel’s bright smile shone even brighter. “And that’s check three!”

Hiccup gaped, his jaw slack. Before he quickly scrounged up his response. “Bu-But what about the promise I made to your grandma? I fix the tail-fin, I leave. That was the deal.”

All eyes shifted to Alma. With a sigh, she stood. And addressed the scrawny teen directly.

“Hiccup. When you first came here…I hated you.” Hiccup slouched over, a pout on his face at the kind words.

“I thought you were dangerous, an invader. I wanted you gone as soon as possible, because I was reminded of the men who nearly ruined my life, all those years ago…” The room became a bit sullen again.

“But then…you showed me who you truly were.” Hiccup perked up at this. “All you had to do was repair your device and leave. And yet, you spent your time on inventions meant to help the people. You were a friend my granddaughter could rely on, in a time when we were all failing her. You rescued the people of this community from danger without question, you spent weeks assisting us in rebuilding our home. Just because you cared…”

A faint smile graced her lips. “You have shown me, without a shadow of a doubt, that not only do you mean no harm to this community…you have become a part of this community. Toothless is beloved by all the children, you have earned the respect of the village…” Her smile grew teasing. “And I think if you were to leave, my granddaughter would create a device herself to shoot you down!” This earned some laughter from the table.

She smiled warmly to the boy, something he never expected to see. “Please, what is your full name?”

He hesitated. “…Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III.” He wasn’t surprised at the befuddled looks he was getting. His name truly was an oddity.

Alma tried to regain her composure. “Um…Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III…” Her warm smile returned. “You are welcome to stay in the Encanto for as long as you’d like!”

There was cheering from every corner of the dining room. Everyone seemed happy with this, even Isabela gave a resigned smile at the proclamation.

Everyone was happy with this.

Except Hiccup.

He should be happy, this is what he wanted. But he never truly considered the prospect of living in the Encanto, he always viewed it as a temporary situation.

Now, the idea of staying here was very real. And after telling of his troubled past, his insecurities were in full effect.

“Wait-no, stop! I-I don’t-I CAN’T!” The cheering ceased at Hiccup’s frenzied stuttering. “I-I can’t stay…” Everyone seemed very confused, glaring at him with bewildered expressions.

Mirabel now looked very hurt. “Why not?” She whispered.

The boy’s breathing was getting heavy as years of self-loathing washed over him. “B-Because if I stay, I’ll ruin everything!” Upon seeing the confusion and concern in every face present, he bristled. “Did you not hear what I said? I’m a walking disaster! If I stayed here I’d-I’d find a way to burn down the village or-or-or destroy the town’s food supply or something- “

As Hiccup’s frenetic tirade continued, Mirabel was overcome with a somber understanding. His mistreatment on Berk wasn’t just an unfortunate story from his past, it was still having an effect on him. Even though he was hundreds of miles away.

“I just-I…” His anger faded, and was replaced with a deep sadness. “I love it here…Which I why I have to go. I’m a liability, an unnecessary burden. Hiccup the Useless…” He voice was barely above a whisper. “And I don’t know what I’d do if you guys ended up hating me too…”

The room was silent for a time, no one knowing just want to say. Everyone looked stunned, disheartened. Toothless tried nudging his rider, but he got no reaction as the boy sat with his face in his hands.

He felt her looming over him. He glanced up, jut a bit, and saw an absolutely furious Mirabel.

Without words, she retrieved her box from underneath the table. Moving his now empty plate, she plopped it down in front of him.

“Open it.” She commanded.

He knew he couldn’t resist her if he tried, so he did as he was told. He opened the box, peered inside-

And gasped.

It was the new cover, for the tail-fin. A turquoise piece of cloth, absolutely covered in embroidery.

There was a large variety of golden symbols embroidered all over it. Flowers, a dumbbell, a bee, an arepa, a jaguar’s paw, sound waves, a chameleon, a shining sun, an umbrella, an hourglass, a candle…

And in the middle, a large golden strike class symbol. A Night Fury. But what’s more, in the center of the dragon, where its tail curled around itself, was a golden butterfly.

He gazed at the piece of cloth in wonder, Toothless appearing over his shoulder to sniff at it inquisitively.

“We made that.” He looked up to her as she spoke again. “All of us. Originally it was just going to be the dragon and the butterfly, but everyone else saw me stitching it and insisted they be a part of it too. You know why?”

She answered her own question before he got the chance. “Because we care about you, Hiccup!” She was beginning to smile again. “The Encanto is a better place with you in it! You are not a burden, you’re our friend!”

She moved in even closer. “I know they named you Hiccup because you were seen as a mistake, but you know what Hiccup means to me?” She took a breath. “To me, a hiccup is someone who’ll always do the right thing. Someone who’s always happy to help! Someone who’s a genius at inventing! Someone who betrayed everything he thought was right to protect his friend! Someone who’ll never give up on you!”

Her smile was positively radiant. “If you ask me, a hiccup is a wonderful thing to be! And if a bunch of musty Vikings can’t see that…then that’s their problem!”

He could see every face smiling at him as well, he knew they all agreed.

Toothless nudged his arm once more, and as Hiccup stared into those big, green eyes, he gave an urging rumble.

“He really wants to stay!” Translated Antonio. A few giggles were heard throughout the room.

Hiccup sat there unmoving, dumbfounded. His eyes wide as the plates they were eating off of, his jaw nearly hanging open.

“Is this…really what they think?” He thought. “They really want…me?”

Without any change in his expression, tears started flowing from his eyes and down his cheeks.

He looked one last time to Mirabel, still smiling down on him with a warmth he’d never experienced before.

He couldn’t say no to her.

He wiped his eyes, sniffled, and attempted to save face.

“Well, I mean…I guess we could- “

He never got to finish his sentence. As soon as the very thought that he was staying entered their minds, they broke out into uproarious cheers.

“YAAAAAY!!!” “Finally!” “O-Oh thank goodness…” “That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” “Good, it was getting too sappy in here…” “So when are they gonna…?”

Mirabel was so excited she launched at Hiccup, knocking them both onto the ground and crushing him into a hug.

There was much laughter, and clapping. The tiles on Casita’s walls clicked and clacked with celebration.

Hiccup took a gasping breath as he was freed from the hug. Mirabel grabbed the tail-fin cover and shoved it to Hiccup. “Put it on! Put it on!”

Chuckling, he obliged. Toothless sat patiently as his new tail-fin was finally, finally installed.

The dragon turned to observe his new tail, examining it from different angles as he glared…

Before he bounded to Mirabel and started licking her all over.

Her family snorted at her predicament as she tried to avoid the Night Fury’s slimy thank you. “He says he loves it!” squealed Antonio.

“Yeah, I can tell!” yelped Mirabel, trying to avoid getting slobber on her glasses.

Hiccup watched.

He watched as his dragon freely played without fear of being hunted.

He watched as the people he’d come to like, who’d come to like him, snickered at the girl’s situation.

And he watched as Mirabel, his best friend without scales, was joyfully assaulted by his best friend with scales.

And he smiled. Because now he knew he’d accomplished exactly what he set out to do.

He had left Berk to protect his dragon’s life, and his own.

He had left to find somewhere they could live in peace. Maybe even be…happy.

And he’d found it.

He was no longer an outsider, not anymore.

He didn’t know just what tomorrow would bring, but he knew where he’d be.

He’d be home.

In the Encanto.