Elements of Change- Bonus Chapter

Expecting

Hiccup ran to the docks as fast as he could while tripping over himself and the cold snow. His metal prosthetic scraped against the hard wood of the docks and eventually he came to a stop. Trying to look over the side of the newly arrived boats, he stretched his neck as far as it could go. Finally, the one he anticipated hopped gently onto the docks.

“It’s good to see you, Merida.” Hiccup said as he embraced his wife.

“You too.” she said with her arms around his neck.

When they finally let go, a playful Night Fury ran up and snuggled next to her.

“Well hello to you too, Toothless.” Merida scratched the top of his head and back of his neck while he hummed softly.

“You smell like fish.” the dragon said, licking her cheek gently.

“But she doesn’t have any, and she doesn’t need your slime all over her.” Hiccup tried to push the dragon’s head away, but Toothless just gave him a glare and nipped at Merida’s hand.

“You’re just jealous because I got to kiss her face before you.”

“Hey, watch it!” Hiccup kicked his friend in the leg. In response, the dragon flicked the back of his head with his tail.

Merida just laughed at them and proceeded to walk up the docks. By now she was used to the two of them talking privately to each other, but she was glad they were still playful with one another.

“So how’s the kingdom doing?” Hiccup said as they walked.

“Alright. Nothin’s changed much, but the winter frost is heavy this year. We may have to wait a bit longer ta start plantin’ anything.” A chill went down her spine and she pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders.

“Well, we’re glad you could be here for Snoggletog.” Hiccup put his arms around her, trying to get her a bit warmer as they walked.

“Why is it named Snoggletog again?”

“Believe me, I have no idea.”

They kept talking about the winter celebration and what Hiccup had planned during her visit on Berk as they walked up to his house. But before they walked in the door, Merida stopped him.

“Oh, ah have somethin’ important ta tell ye.” she said.

“Well, let’s get you something hot to drink first. You look like you’re freezing.”

He pushed the door open, and there decorating the inside of the home was Stoick. He was handing decorative lights and shields up in the rafters, but he nearly fell when the two of them and the dragon walked inside. As soon as he got inside, Toothless found a comfortable spot near the fire.

“Oh! Merida, I didn’t know you were here yet.” Stoick said as he nailed a shield to the large post.

“Ah only just got in.” she said, sitting at the table near the blazing fire, warming her hands. Meanwhile, Hiccup found a kettle and began prepping it.

“Did you have a safe trip?”

“Aye, cloudy skies but good wind. However our captain almost sailed us right into Outcast territory.”

Stoick gave a scoff and went back to work. Merida wasn’t sure, but she could’ve sworn he said something like “Scottish sailors” very sarcastically under his breath.

After giving a small chuckle, Merida turned back to her husband. “So, what ah was sayin’ before…”

“Yeah?” Hiccup said, though most of his attention was focused on trying to find the lid to his kettle. At last he found it.

Merida paused for a bit, but then the anticipation was too much for her to wait.

“…I’m pregnant…”

In an instant everyone froze. Hiccup dropped the kettle, but his hands remained in the air. Stoick nearly fell from the rafters again, but he secured himself with his hammer and Toothless’ head shot up from the noise the kettle made from hitting the floor.

With just two words Hiccup’s mind began to spin like crazy. He tried to break away from his state of shock and respond but no words came out. Eventually he looked to his wife, who gave him a small smile. Again, he tried to speak but all he could gag out was broken words and non-distinguishable sentences. At last, his father saved him by shouting:

“FINALLY!”

Birthday

Months later Hiccup found himself pacing through the halls of DunBroch Castle. The midwives assured him everything would be alright and that he ought to get some sleep while the night was still young, but there was no way he could sleep now.

It had already been hours since Merida went into labor, but his nerves just kept building higher and higher. Twice he found himself knocking on the door to the delivery room to ask if everything was alright, but he was just shoved out the door and away from that half of the castle.

With nowhere else to go, Hiccup wandered out the back door and to the stables. While his stomach churned uneasily, he laid down in the hay next to his best friend. Toothless always stayed in the stables, despite Hiccup’s request to let him stay inside, and the dragon grunted when the viking disturbed his sleep.

“Relax.” The dragon said. “I swear, you’re worse than Gobber on bath day.”

“Well, excuse me.” Hiccup put his hands to his face and ran them up through his hair. “It’s not every day I become a father.”

“And this is why eggs are so much more manageable. You humans always make everything so much more stressful.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t write the laws of nature.”

After that, the dragon got up, moved a few feet and flopped down on his rider, forbidding him from speaking let alone breathing.

“Nnh, get off!” Hiccup huffed, and he tried to lift the heavy body off his chest. But it wasn’t until a handmaiden came running into the stables calling for him that the dragon released his captive.

“Oh, Chief Hiccup. You can come and see her now.”

Wide-eyed and excited, Hiccup nearly made the poor girl fall over as he ran past, sprinting through the castle halls and rooms. At last, he made it.

Merida was lying on the bed, sweaty and pale with her hair splayed out in all directions, but in her arms lied their firstborn son.

He was pink and squishy-looking, but as Hiccup neared his heart stopped and a great smile crept onto his face. Before he was even close to the bed, Merida smiled and asked,

“Do ye want ta hold him?”

Hiccup nodded slowly, and once he was finally close enough she slipped the child into his arms. He was lighter than Hiccup expected, and his shoulder’s stiffened out of fear of dropping him. The baby cooed and whined a bit, but he remained still in his father’s arms. After admiring the gentle creation in his arms, Hiccup finally turned to his wife.

“How are you doing?”

“Ah just went through four hours of hell, but ah’m alright. He was all worth it.”

“He looks like your dad.”

“Ooch, no. He has mah mum’s nose, and yer big ears.”

He chuckled at her, then looked back down. Carefully he brought his hand up and stroked the boy’s cheek before kissing the top of his head.

“So we’re naming him Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Fourth right?” Hiccup smiled when he got a small glare from his wife.

“No. We agreed if it was a boy that his name would be Gregor Fergus Haddock.”

“I know.” Hiccup chuckled again, and he gave his son another kiss on the forehead before whispering the child’s name in its ear.

A Time of Peace

Years later a couple slept peacefully together in a cozy corner of a wooden house. It was not even dawn, yet a series of noises echoed through the halls. They were the soft pitter-patters of small feet running through across the wooden floors, and as the chief of Berk heard them approaching, he turned and dug his face in his pillow.

Unfortunately the owner of those feet jumped on the bed and shook his father, bouncing up and down.

“Dad! Get up! C’mon, dad!” Gregor cried.

Groaning, Hiccup rolled over and moaning in his wife’s ear, “Your son is talking.”

“Before dawn, he’s your son.” She responded, and pulled the covers over her face.

“Dad! You promised that we could go see more dragons today!”

Hiccup rolled over again, trying to smother his ears with his pillow, but the boy tried a new tactic and started bouncing on his mother instead.

“Mom! Dad won’t get up!” he said loudly, and with that Merida took her pillow and smacked her husband with it.

He groaned at the contact, but to the boy’s disappointment, he still didn’t get up.

A bit defeated, the boy crawled out of the bed, went back to the stairs and called,

“Ellie! Yokol! You wanna jump on daddy?”

“What?” called a sleepy, yet obviously younger voice.

“Hop on pop!”

In a flash, Hiccup’s eyes widened more than ever before as he heard two more sets of tiny feet bound down the stair and sprint right for him.

“Wait! No, no hop on pop!” but it was too late. All three children jumped on top of him, and he grunted as the air suddenly left his lungs. They bounced up and down, giggling and laughing as their father struggled to get up.

Finally, he managed to roll over and plant his foot on the cold floor, signifying his defeat.

“Alright, alright. I’m up.” He said, and the kids cheered their victory.

Yawning and stretching, he slowly got dressed as the children ran circles around him. Then once he told them to go get ready, the two oldest sprinted back upstairs.

Little Yokol James Haddock jumped back into his parents’ bed however, and once he did Merida sat up and cuddled with him.

“Ah suppose there’s a lesson ta learn from this.” Merida said to her husband as he readjusted his prosthetic.

“Yeah.” He said. “They’re much stronger united than apart, and hopefully they’ll always stay that way.”

“Ah was just thinking ‘Get up when he first tells ye an’ ye won’t get clobbered’ but yer version works too.”

Just then the two other children came back down the stairs, with big, bright smiles on. And despite being in Viking territory, Elinor Val Haddock still wore a long, plain dress from Scotland. Meanwhile Gregor ran up to his father wearing an old shirt of Stoick’s, and some newly made trousers.

“You wanna come too, Yokol?” Hiccup said, picking Ellie up in his arms.

But the little three-year old shook his head and snuggled with his mother.

“You go on ahead, we’ll catch up later.” Merida said, and she smiled as the three of them walked out the door.

Leaning back she brought Yokol closer to her and kissed his forehead, while the little boy played with a strange silver necklace around her neck.

    THE END

    (for real this time)