Hiccup had never really thought of himself as the heir to the Berk Chiefdom.

Oh sure, he was the offspring of Stoick the Vast, who just happened to be the current chief. Traditionally, that did mean he would have been first in line. Contrary to popular belief, however, their line of succession wasn't strictly based on blood. If someone more worthy vied for the position they would be given their fair chance, and in the end the decision would be based upon both the valor of the challenger and how the people felt.

Naturally since Hiccup was, well…Hiccup, he had accepted a long time ago that no one was ever going to follow a puny little fish-bone who couldn't even lift an ax, let alone defend a village. He'd been the laughingstock for so long, the last person to suggest Hiccup take up his father's mantle was a comedy performer at their last Snoggletag celebration. Silent Sven re-cracked his injured ribs he'd laughed so hard.

Needless to say, most Hooligans had long since stopped even mentioning his name in the same sentence as the word 'chief.' So, when his father approached him one summer afternoon to tell him he would be accompanying Stoick to a meeting of the Great Chiefs, Hiccup thought his reasoning perfectly sound when he laughed in his father's face.

"Yeah, good one dad," Hiccup gasped between breaths, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. To the other chiefs, his name might as well have been 'Stoick's Little Embarrassment.' What could his father ever hope to gain from claiming somebody like him, son or not? Sure it was true he'd successfully integrated dragons into Berkian society, but it wasn't as if one good thing was going to erase so many years of being the village runt. He was still puny and pathetic in stature, and that was all they cared about. Right?

Right. Now Stoick would laugh, slap him on the shoulder and walk away, while Hiccup pretended it totally wasn't throbbing in the aftermath.

Oddly enough though, when Hiccup gazed into his father's face, he most assuredly wasn't amused. On the contrary, he looked troubled.

"This isn't a joke, Hiccup. You're to accompany me as my heir."

He chuckled. Man, who knew his dad could be such a kidder?

Stoick narrowed his eyes.

"You're…not kidding, are you?"

His father clucked his tongue in disbelief, cape billowing behind him as he strode a few paces to stand beside Hiccup, who was in the middle of sharpening a sword.

"Of course not! Berk has never been in a better position and we have you to thank! People are taking notice, and do you know what that tells me? It tells me they'd follow you."

Hiccup's only response was a skeptical raised eyebrow.

Stoick sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Son, I know what I've said in the past. I'm not proud of it. But if you'll give me the chance, I can start makin' it up to you now. There's not a better man to lead when I'm dead and gone. I'd like you to consider it."

Despite his misgivings, Hiccup couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face, or his heart from bursting with joy. That sentence was everything he'd ever wanted from his father wrapped up in just a few words.

How many days had he curled up in bed at night, hoping to wake as someone else? Clutched his sketchbook tight wishing it were a weapon? How many times had he told himself he was a Viking as he hid behind his sarcasm and pushed back the tears?

His father was proud of him. He was proud of him and now he wanted him to take his place when he was gone. It was too good to be true.

I'm dreaming this. I must be.

A small bitter part of him, however, turned his joy to ashes. He couldn't help the scathing remark that slipped unbidden from his lips.

"Gee, and all I had to do was lose a leg and save the entire island from a legion of enslaved dragons. Thanks, dad. You know what they say. A little bit of death goes a long way. What do I get if I lose an arm? Because you know, there's still time to cash in on that."

Before the words were even out of his mouth, he wished he could take them back. His dad wasn't exactly the paragon of fatherly wisdom, but Hiccup never thought himself the type to use his mistakes to hurt him. It was petty and stupid, and he was above that.

Or he thought he was, at least.

Unfortunately, his words hit their mark regardless. Stoick's face darkened with regret.

Though he wasn't a man who shied away from fights of any sort, there were a few distinct moments throughout Hiccup's life when his father had refused to look at him. He could count them on the fingers of one hand, but they existed all the same. This was another of those moments. For a split second, Stoick the Vast squeezed his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

Suddenly, he didn't seem quite so vast anymore. It was highly unsettling.

Hiccup was one of the few people alive who could so flippantly disrespect the chief and walk away from a humbled man, rather than an angry one hunting for his head. Nevertheless, he almost wished for anger. It would have been better than…this. This quiet sadness.

Oh, Gods. Please yell at me. Say something. Anything.

Before he could stammer an apology, the Stoick he knew was already back, all fire and brusqueness. The Viking Chief met his eyes and though Hiccup could see the apology in them, they also left no room for argument. "No, don' take it back. You've a right to be angry. And I'm not goin' to force you into anything you don't want. Just think about it."

Without another word, he spun on his heel and stomped his way over to the exit, pausing in the doorway to gaze back at a reeling Hiccup over his shoulder.

"I'm proud of you, son. Whatever you decide."

When he heard the front door of the forge slam shut, Hiccup groaned, setting the sword aside and banging his head repeatedly into his work table. Of all the cards he could have played, did it have to be the all-important, I'm proud of you, son?

Toothless warbled and nudged him in the side, green eyes huge as he studied his rider.

Hiccup smiled, though his heart wasn't in it, caressing his cheek. "I'm all right, bud. I just never thought I'd hear him say that once, let alone twice in my lifetime. And he wants me to be chief too? What do I do with that?"

His best friend cocked his head and favored him with a goofy, toothless grin, one that had earned him his name. He could practically hear the enthusiasm in his silence. Well. Silent save for the excited swishing of his tail.

"Yeah, I'm excited too. But…making me Chief of Berk? I've been getting more respect around here, but would the tribe go that far? Would I even be any good at it?"

If it was possible for a dragon to nod emphatically, that was what Toothless did. He surged to his feet and leaped enthusiastic circles around Hiccup, knocking several shields and old maces off the walls in his haste. The boy laughed as he licked his face and settled on his haunches, gazing at him with adoring eyes. "Well I have your vote of confidence. That's something, huh?"

The Night Fury blew a frustrated huff out of his nostrils, disgruntled.

Hiccup scowled, though it was more playful than serious. He wished he could be as confident as his dragon. "Hey, it's a lot to take in. I'll think about it, okay? In the meantime what do you say we find you some dinner? Gobber won't mind if we close shop early for one day."

Toothless was bounding out the door before he'd even gotten the entire sentence out. Well, that was a yes then.

As he locked up the forge and followed contentedly after his dragon, the young rider had to admit; it really was incredible to see how far he'd come in just a few short months. He wasn't the village screw-up, not anymore. It was a little early to say but maybe, just maybe, Hiccup the Useless wasn't so useless after all.

Frightening as it sounded, he was almost starting to believe that himself. He might never be a Viking in the traditional sense of the word, but he could be just as strong. Just as brave and fearless. After what happened with Toothless and the Red Death, he would never doubt that again.

But could he be Chief? Could he actually take on such a daunting task?

Honestly, he didn't know, but it was an opportunity he shouldn't let go to waste.

Initially this was going to be a oneshot, but then I started writing and the story obviously had other plans, because it's at least going to span a few chapters now, if not longer depending on where it goes. This is pretty much just an introduction. Short, I know, and I have part of the next installment written already. I just felt like the story flowed better if I split this part and everything else though.

I just got a second job, so my time will be more limited, but I'll attempt to update in a somewhat timely fashion. Thanks so much for reading!