AN: Hello there. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Thorongil82. I have been writing several stories on here, mostly for HTTYD. I'd usually have something to say beforehand, but not this time. I'll leave that for afterwards. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own How To Train Your Dragon. , nor the franchise. They belong to Cressida Cowell and DreamWorks. Any original characters are of my own creation.

Prologue

There was a time – long, long, long ago, when the world was ruled by the kingdoms of the Vikings spread far and wide across many islands. These kingdoms were in an eternal contest with one another; a rivalry between all over the wealth and treasures hidden across the world, the richness of their culture, the vastness of their armies and the fierceness of their warriors. And, above all, their determination to be the greatest dragon slayers and win their eternal war with the demons of death.

In the period that this tale takes place, eight Viking kingdoms still ruled the world. The Berserkers, under the rule of King Oswald the Agreeable, had spread across several islands spread far amongst the west with great seas separating them. Their mighty armada ruled those waters, keeping all pirates crossing their regions under control, while their soldiers were known for their wild ferocity in battle. The Uglithugs, ruled by King Ug the Ugly, were, true to their name, not the best looking of people. As a collective they were greedy, lusting for anything they believed truly belonged to them. They had plenty of warriors and at one stage had the largest army of all. The Meatheads, led by King Mogadon the Rash, took great interests into the conquests of the other nations, always willing to challenge them at any moment. While physically they were quite capable, they were known to be a little slow intellectually. The Bog-Burglars, presided by Queen Bertha the Well-Endowed, is a queendom where the women rule. The only men living in their territory are those that have been captured or selected by a Bog warrior as a mate, made to live underneath the women as their servants. They are fierce rivals of several of the Viking kingdoms who are famous for their excellent burglary skills, though, as they rightfully claim, they are as good at burglary as everything else.

The Frostwalkers, ruled by King Ormand the Serious and Queen Helen the Patient, occupied the frozen tundra and treacherous ice sheets of the northern waters. They were strong survivors who hunted the dangerous beasts believed to live on the northern edge of the world, seeking out the glacial dragon nests and slaughtering whatever beset them. The Skullreapers were a mysterious kingdom heard of only when a delegation bearing their banner sailed in from the southern seas. Their king was not known by any outside of their territory but was referred to by their travelling dignitaries as King Gorad the Mighty. The reason they were so mysterious led to them holding the few islands close to the fog banks of Helheim's Gate, serving as the first line of defence from the beasts that leapt forth from the veil. The fact that they were still alive led to the belief that their warriors must be great indeed. The Outcasts have recently been united under the rule of now King Alvin the Grim, formerly Treacherous. Once they were a vast empire until their greed and lust for power tore their kingdom apart, sundering them into several smaller territories. Alvin managed to bring the regions back together by reigniting their fires and hatred for the other kingdoms, bringing together a large army ready for a bloody war until peace was established.

But the largest and greatest of all the Viking kingdoms was Berk, ruled by King Stoick the Vast. Living amongst the central archipelago, Berk's status was unparalleled compared to the other kingdoms. Their riches were untold, their ships swift and deadly, and their warriors powerful and vicious dragon killers. Sitting atop a mountainous island, Berk's fortress capital had never fallen in battle to both Vikings and dragons. The great walls of white stood up high near the sheer cliff-face, with large catapults and ballistae lining the watchtowers. The town was filled with many buildings of thick oak logs and marble blocks that constantly needed repairing and rebuilding through the numerous dragon raids. The castle stood tall above the surrounding structures, built up against and into the great mountain of Raven's Peak, while winding down the hill from the town gates lay the large wooden docks, the greatest trading hub in the world.

Under the rule of Stoick and his father before him Berk had been in the grips of a golden age. One that seemed to near its end with the disappearance and presumed death of Queen Valka the Fair, snatched in the claws of a four-winged dragon from their son's room during a bloody dragon raid. Stoick was struck by grief and madness, unleashing his fury against every dragon that dared to fly near the citadel. He also sent assault after assault into Helheim's Gate, searching for the dragon's nest and the devil that stole Valka in particular. But with each foray into the southern fog bank, fewer ships would return home and the dragon's nest remained undiscovered. Berk's vast resources were declining the longer these searches carried on. However, there was one thing that managed to break through the depression of the king, bringing him back to his senses; his son and heir, Prince Hiccup Haddock III. With the support of his council of advisors, he was able to shift his focus from his bloodthirsty desire for revenge towards raising his son. The attacks into Helheim's Gate persisted still, just nowhere near as frequent, though with the Berkian lust for the blood of dragons there were few complaints for the reduction.

And so, Berk returned to glory with the prospect of greater prestige to come. At first glance, Prince Hiccup did not appear to be like his forefathers. He was scrawny, thin, short and lacked the initial strength his father did. He also took a greater interest in books, stories and exploration rather than training and dragon slaying. The prince was a fast learner and quickly took to inventing, creating many weapons that helped finetune the defences of Berk and developing systems that eased the lives of the people, such as a water dispensary unit held above the houses that, with the pull of a cord, would shower the building from the top down with water when it had been set ablaze. But what really set him above all the others was that, at the age of 10, he managed to tame the unholy offspring of night and death itself, a Night Fury. Not just that, but he was also able to convince the rest of Berk that dragons weren't all bad; some could be good, loyal and trustworthy. In fact, just about every dragon was innocent and trustworthy, so long as you proved you could be trusted too. It was a hard couple of months for the prince trying to convince his people, especially his father after what happened with Valka. But eventually, they came around after an ambush on the walls. With the Berk Guard caught off guard and unprepared, and the strike of the unknown forces swift and impacting, Hiccup managed to force them back with the aid of the Night Fury, Toothless. It even saved Stoick after he had tried several times to bring it down, which helped open the king's eyes to the truth. No one ever knew who led and organised the attack on the capital, only that it seemed a mismatch of warriors banished from their respectful kingdoms.

Within a few months Hiccup had developed an unusually powerful bond not just with Toothless, but with all the dragons. He was quick to learn their ways and mannerisms, easily helping others forge relationships with new dragons. Berk flourished once more with their newly acquired allies, prospering far more than any period in Berk's detailed history. But the young prince did not want to keep the power for himself, instead proposing to his father that the joys of union with dragons should be shared with the other kingdoms. Though wary, his father travelled with the prince as they visited each of the Viking kingdoms to try and persuade them that the war with the dragons did not need to continue, if they were willing to change. Naturally, the leaders and their heirs were all sceptical that such a change was possible, especially after how long they had been fighting against the fire-breathing creatures. But, one by one, they all eventually came around, even if it was just from the allure for greater power. However, it was a talent that was given only to the royals, lords and the elite guards to begin with in the other kingdoms, as a precaution. Dragon killing still happened throughout the world, though over time it became reduced throughout the kingdoms. Slaying a dragon was an option given only when a dragon went rogue and the lives of citizens were in danger. In Berk, that option was never needed as their prince could always be counted on to calm the situation.

In the years that followed, Berk's acceptance of dragons had grown to the point that just about everyone in the kingdom had a dragon, if not more. Under the order of the king an academy had been built where the dragon slaying arena had once stood with the prince in charge, due to his connection with the dragons, where anyone from anywhere in the world could come to learn more about dragons and train with them. Such was his understanding of the scaled beasts and the way he had with them that everyone was willing to believe he somehow managed to have the heart and soul of a dragon within him. It was even rumoured that he could understand and speak their language, a skill he taught himself. As such, he had become known as the Dragonheart. At the time, it appeared the world would be moving forward together to a bright future, with Berk's power and culture growing by the day.

But that all changed.

A week before Prince Hiccup's 15th birthday, Grand Elder Gothi sought an audience with King Stoick. Having been an advisor to the Berk kings for a long time, the best healer in the archipelago and an incredible ability to be able to foretell events soon to come, Stoick the Vast was eager to hear what tidings she brought. Shortly afterwards, an emergency meeting was called to which everyone in the council, the king and the prince were to attend. Gothi's message was simple: a curse was coming to Berk. One that would put every Viking in the region into a slumber that could last eternal. It would strike Berk on the day of Hiccup's birthday and haunt the region until a kiss is placed onto the prince from his true love. Darkness would shroud the island, with creatures of shadow and cursed defences encompassing the fortress to ward against any who would try to break the curse. The dragons would not be put to sleep; a different scourge befalling them. She also warned that the curse would also affect any Berkian not in the region, though they would not be put into a deep slumber with the rest of them.

In a hurry the advisors tried to spout out ways to attempt to avert the curse. They suggested that they should try to find out who Hiccup's love would be before the curse hits, so that the curse could be broken quickly. However, Stoick was quick to point out that it would be next to impossible in a week, not to mention that his true love might not even be in the world yet. Love is a very complicated emotion, after all. They proposed that maybe Gothi could create wards for everyone to protect them from the curse, but Gothi explained she could only protect so many people if she had the resources and the prince would not be one of them as he appeared to be the focus of the curse. On him it would be bound far too powerfully to protect against. Not only that, right now she didn't have enough resources to save even one person from the plight and getting enough would take too long. The council then moved for transferring everyone bar the prince from the island, so that they could not be put to sleep. Stoick turned down this option as well, noting that it would not be wise to lead everyone to a fate they did not know about instead of the one they did.

In the end, they ruled that they would try to get every Berkian back to the capital before the curse befell them all, thus saving them from a dark unknown fate. Messages would be sent to all the other kingdoms informing them of the blight coming to Berk and to keep their people away until the day had passed. Stoick would also offer his son's hand in marriage to the person who could break the curse, much to the chagrin of the prince. And so, sailors and dragon riders were sent out to deliver the messages and track down any citizens of Berk that were outside their territory. Inside the kingdom, everyone hurried to prepare themselves for their slumber, long as it could be. For no one knew how long they would have to wait for the curse to be broken, should they ever wake again. The prince spent his last waking days flying around with Toothless, searching for different places he had yet to explore and locations he would want to visit again. Everything he saw in the last days he had he would make a note of, filing up his books quickly with everything he wished to experience when he did wake up. But despite these preparations, he still looked for a way to keep the curse at bay. All through the day he would traverse the world, leaving people to see him less and less, while through the night he would search for any way that could prevent their fate. But nothing he devised would be able to work …

Sunset

The Day Before Hiccup's 15th Birthday

A great orange fire spread across the clear sky as the sun slowly fell towards the horizon, bathing the white walls of Berk in a golden light. Beneath at the docks Berkian merchants were still sailing into port with their vessels, just getting home in time before the dark day arrives. The villagers themselves were still bustling in the streets, looking to make best use of the time left available to them. Many did turn their gaze towards the beautiful sky, believing it to be the last time they would look upon a sunset for a very long time. What was said of Berk by visitors was true in their hearts; it always offered a charming view of the sunset.

Inside the castle, the guards and servants rushed all over the grounds. The servants were making sure that everything was set for the long slumber; beds all comfortable and fluffed, food stored to keep long, and the treasures locked away safely so no thieving hands could escape with the riches of Berk. The guards were getting ready to head out at dusk to make sure all Berkian citizens were safely in their homes before midnight struck. However, they were also running around searching for a certain teenager and his midnight-black dragon.

Racing across the sky towards the palace was a dark winged creature, jet-black scaled wings outstretched and unmoving as it glided to the castle. Sitting on the back of the creature was a human shaped figure draped in walnut-brown crossed leather armour, with a slightly tattered red tunic underneath. Ebony-black leather guards covered their shoulders, wrists and upper torso, while both their boots and face-covering helmet were made of the same material. The duo floated over to a balcony jutting out of a tall spire, connected by a marble bricked bridge three quarters of the way up to the tallest tower, before the dragon touched down, the figure sliding off and removing their helmet to reveal a peachy young male face with a mop of messy auburn-brown hair. He turns around and scratches the head of the Night Fury, drawing a pure from the mighty dragon.

"That was a nice flight, hey bud?" he says, getting a mix of warbles and clicks from the dragon as he stares at the boy with vivid acid-green eyes.

"Yeah, I know you're worried, Toothless. But don't be. Everything will work out."

"About time you both showed up," sounded a voice in the room behind the duo. Both jumped as the teenager spun around to spot a burly hunched man with a long dirty-blonde braided moustache, long bear furred cloak along his back, his right hand strapped in dirty greasy bandages and a shiny metal hook where his left hand should be. His tawny and hickory-brown striped pants are covered in soot, with a wooden peg leg for a right foot.

"Gobber! What a pleasant surprise!" the boy drones sarcastically as he walked off the balcony into his room, tossing his helmet aside onto a nearby workbench.

"Hey, don't you take that tone with me."

"And you just happened to be in my room because?"

"Because I knew you would come here first after your flight, Hiccup. King wants to see you."

"Of course, he does …" Hiccup sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "Probably wants to chew me out for wasting my day flying on Toothless instead of princely lessons and duties."

"You know your father's just looking out for you," Gobber responds, putting an arm around the prince and hobbling as they move to the door.

"It doesn't mean I can't try and live my own life," Hiccup murmurs before looking back over his shoulder and the thick arm of Gobber towards Toothless. "Why don't you go down to the stables and get some food? I'll meet you back up here."

Toothless gives out a warble before leaping off the balcony with a large flap of his wings, disappearing from sight.

"I'll never understand how you can do that," Gobber marvels as they push through the door and cross a bridge connecting his room to the main spire.

"Just takes practice," Hiccup replies, walking with the advisor and blacksmith down the spire.

As both get to the bottom of the stairway leading down from the tower, it opens to a vast room from an archway behind two large golden thrones. Crimson-red velvet carpet covers the stone floor, while a golden chandelier hangs down from the tall roof. Circumventing the chandelier above is a balcony for the second floor held up by thick marble pillars, curving round the front and sides of the room but not the back leading to the spire. The raised dais the two thrones sit upon stands before a set of stairs leading to colossal double doors made of mahogany, the faces of Viking warriors of old carved into the woodwork. Standing up on the dais conversing with two guards in chainmail armour, shoulder guards and grieves of jet-black and crimson-red outlined metal, and holding a spear in their hands, was a large muscular man with long thick auburn hair braided at the back, while his lengthy beard was braided into 10 strands. A black silk cloak was draped over his shoulders with the emblem of Berk emblazoned in scarlet-red in the centre; a side-on image of a Monstrous Nightmare curled into a spiral. Holding it in place were two thick circles of steel engraved with a dragon head, while covering his torso was a thick steel chainmail tunic and long pine-green weatherworn shirt. A pair of wolf pelt boots cover his feet, while a pair of brown trousers cover what little of his legs can be seen underneath the green shirt. The guards salute the muscular man before he turns to the thrones.

"Ah, Hiccup! There you are!" the king says heartily, walking up as Gobber and Hiccup move before the two thrones.

"He was out flying on his Night Fury again, sire," Gobber explains with a bow.

"Thank you, Gobber. You can go get yourself prepared."

"Yes, sire."

The one-legged Viking hobbles off down the stairs, leaving the king and his son alone in the throne room. A long silence hangs in the air between the two before they begin talking simultaneously.

"Son, I need you-"

"Dad, I was just-"

Both the king and prince freeze up as they hear the voice of the other, their mouths slamming shut before both rock awkwardly from side to side, tilting their heads to the ground.

"You go first," Stoick says, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No, you were first," Hiccup replies, absentmindedly rubbing his neck in the same fashion as his father.

"Alright," Stoick sighs as he claps his hands together, taking a moment to collect himself. "You can't just go running off to Thor knows where, especially today."

"So, what? I'm meant to just sit around and wait for midnight? Dad … part of the reason I go flying out on Toothless is to try and find a way to stop this curse, preferably before it takes hold of everyone."

"We already have a way of beating it, son!" Stoick yells exasperatedly, gripping onto Hiccup's shoulders.

"Yeah, which involves selling me off to whoever's stupid enough to try and storm a fortress," Hiccup retorts.

"I thought you'd be glad to spend your life with your soulmate."

"How do we know that it will be my soulmate?"

"Because we'll all be awake!"

"That's if this isn't all a big trick," the prince says, causing the king to huff and pace away with his back to his son. "This could be some elaborate plan to get riches, or the dragons, or the throne. If this really is magic, then we have no idea how this will work."

"Gothi has the most knowledge of magic out of any of us," Stoick answers with a hand against his furrowed brow. "If she says it's a curse and that your true love can break it, then that's what's going to happen."

"She could be wrong," Hiccup proposes, drawing another irritated huff from his pacing father. "Everyone makes mistakes in their lives. A true love's kiss may not be what breaks the spell. Maybe there isn't a curse coming for us at all."

"I'm not taking that risk, son."

"And why not?" the prince questions, bringing his father to a standstill. There is a moment of silence once again as Stoick contemplates how to answer, before sighing and placing his hands on his hips.

"Hiccup, Gothi doesn't have too many premonitions-"

"She always can tell when devastating winter is coming. Also, heavy storms and fire weather."

"It's not the same. There are other ways to know when the weather will change. These events she warns us about tend to be few and far between, and only she can see them coming. Anything big enough to shape Berk drastically, she gives us warning. We would be fools to ignore her tidings."

"Doesn't mean she can't be wrong."

"I used to think that too, Hiccup. I didn't believe her the first time she came to me with tidings when I was king. I thought she could be wrong. My foolishness cost us your mother. She warned me that Valka was going to be gone shortly, vanishing during a raid. I thought she was just paranoid. There were always some concerns for her after you were born. I knew Valka was strong, though, so I dismissed it. The next dragon raid was a few days afterwards and it was larger than any we had had in a long time. It was during that one that they snatched your mother away. I've never made the mistake of doubting her again."

"Hasn't her premonitions been used to prevent certain events before?"

"Aye, but there's a difference in the information given for those. Events that will happen have a lot clearer information than what could happen. This curse is going to happen."

"… Why me?" Hiccup asks after a moment's pause, looking down at the ground.

"I don't know, son. Maybe we've done something to anger the gods. You haven't done anything terrible, have you?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Then maybe we've inadvertently angered some sorcerer in the far edges of the world. All that I know about curses are that they are born from passion, so I assume someone has been scorned really badly."

"How will I know that they're my true love?"

"Oh, you'll know," Stoick chuckles. "It might not click right away, but there will be something different about them."

"Different how?"

"It's hard to explain. Besides, it might not be the same for you than it was for me. All I know is that when I first saw your mother, something instantly drew me to her. It was as if Odin himself were giving me a sign."

"Personally, I'd have thought the gods would be a bit busy to be matchmaking," Hiccup interjects sarcastically, causing a light slap over the back of his head from his father.

"Regardless, that's another reason why you shouldn't be out now," Stoick replies as his son winces from the hit. "What if something happened to you and Toothless while you both were flying around, and you couldn't get back in time? It could be hard enough for them to get through Berk's defences without then finding out you're not even here. Once we're asleep past midnight, that's it. No waking till the curse is broken."

"Wait … what did you say?" the prince questions as his eyes widen.

"If something happened to you and Toothless?"

"No, not that. Once we're asleep past midnight … What if I don't fall asleep?"

"What are you talking about, son?"

"What if I stay awake tomorrow? What if I keep myself awake? I can't sleep forever if I'm not asleep. If I'm the key to the curse, then it shouldn't hold if I can't fall asleep tomorrow."

"Even if it could be possible, you're going to struggle keeping yourself awake from now and through all of tomorrow."

"I don't have to," Hiccup replies, a grin starting to crawl across his face. "I should be able to go to sleep now and be woken up before midnight. So long as I'm awake before midnight strikes, then I can keep myself awake. Once the full day goes by without me falling asleep, then it makes sense that the curse should fall."

"That doesn't make much sense, Hiccup," Stoick remarks staring at his son. "How sure are you that it will work?"

"What other choice do we have?" the prince answers before racing off behind the thrones, through the doorway and up the stairs of the spire.

"Wait, Hiccup," Stoick commands while his son continues to run up the helix staircase, ignoring his father's words. "Hiccup! Ugh … that boy will be the death of me, I swear …"

Just as the king gets ready to charge up after his son, the giant twin doors leading to the throne room on the opposite side swing open. Reaching the full extent of their swing, the hinges creak heavily as a member of the Berk Guard runs in. Instead of the chainmail armour the two guards earlier wore, plate armour the sheen of royal-blue fading to emerald-green adorns their body.

"Your majesty, Captain Mulch brings his report of the current progress at the docks."

"Send him in," Stoick says after a sigh, moving over to his throne and sitting down. "And send someone to get the Grand Elder. I require her services."

"Yes, your majesty."

In quick time Hiccup has finished traversing the stairway up to his level and over the bridge to his room. Bursting through the door, he runs up to his balcony and, cupping his hand to his mouth, utters a strange rising sound from his mouth, followed by a croaking hiss after a pause. After waiting a minute sitting on the edge of his bed, Toothless bounds up onto the balcony with a large flap of his wings, warbling to the prince.

"Oh, so you had to finish your food, eh bud?" Hiccup teases as the Night Fury crawls through the window into the room, crooning as the boy scratches his scales. "What if I was being attacked?"

The Night Fury replies with a snort of hot air as it turns around and crawls away, sweeping his long tail around and knocking the prince off his feet.

"Oh, well it's good to see your concern," Hiccup responds sarcastically, groaning a little as he pushes himself up from the floor.

Toothless glances over his shoulder with a sly eye and a croon at the prince who walks over to his desk until a soft squawk comes from outside. The Night Fury's gaze turns to the balcony window as a lime-green Terrible Terror flies through the opening, watching as it flaps past the jet-black dragon and lands on the desk that Hiccup currently occupies.

"Hey, Sharpshot," the prince says, scratching the Terrible Terror and making him chirp before turning back down to the desk. "I need you to take a message to Gothi."

Shortly afterwards, Hiccup rolls up a piece of parchment and wraps it round the right forelegs of the small dragon with a thin length of twine before it flies off out the window it came in. Toothless watches the messenger leave before turning back to his rider with a soft growl.

"I'm asking Gothi for a sleeping draught strong enough to keep me out for a few hours," Hiccup explains, setting his charcoal pencil down against the top of the desk and pivoting his chair to face his dragon who stares back with the furrowing of his brow and the tilt of his head.

"There is a reason for it, bud. My theory is that if I can stay awake for the entirety of tomorrow, then the curse won't be able to keep everyone asleep. It requires me to be sleeping to be the lock, as the kiss is meant to be the key. But if we can stop it from locking; that is, me being asleep at any stage tomorrow, then there won't be any affect."

Toothless warbles a little as the prince pivots his chair back to face the desk, pulling out one of his notebooks from a strap within his leather armour and setting it down on the slanted platform.

"I'm not too sure if I can stay awake through all of tomorrow as well as the rest of today, so getting some rest now is the best way to do it," the prince continues, flicking through the pages till it settles on blueprints for a multi-tooled shield. "Problem, I'm not feeling tired right now. That's what the draught is for."

Several minutes pass as Hiccup draws through his notebook, taking notes of possible materials that could best be used for the exterior of the shield along with slight adjustments and other possible uses that could be built into it. He already had plans for a slingshot compartment but was struggling to come up with other possibilities that were probably capable. In the meantime, his partner was lying by the feet of the wooden chair, purring as he keeps an eye on the door to the prince's room.

'Maybe I should add in another projectile,' Hiccup muses with his pencil pressed into his cheek. 'Perhaps a bola launcher? Or what about a grappling hook?'

The Night Fury sits up sharply at the soft sound of flapping wings, ears perking up and eyes widening as Sharpshot flies back through the window. Vivid acid-green eyes follow the Terrible Terror as he soars over and lands down on the desk once more, a roll of parchment tied to one foreleg and a small brown pouch to the other.

"Thanks, Sharpshot," Hiccup says, untying both items and giving the dragon a scratch behind his head before he flies off out the window again. He first unrolls the piece of parchment and reads it before opening the pouch, the contents revealed to be a small glass cubic vial filled with a sky-blue liquid within.

"Okay, bud. Gothi says this will help put me to sleep," he relays to Toothless as he gets up from the chair, grabbing the vial and heading over to his bed. The Night Fury follows behind his rider as he sits down on the bedding, setting the vial on a small bedside table, before taking off his leather boots.

"However, she warned that it could make me sleep past midnight if I sleep too heavily. So, I need you to wake me up before midnight, okay?"

Toothless nods and rubs his head against the chest of the prince.

"Okay, Toothless," Hiccup chuckles, running a hand against the scales atop the Night Fury's head. "Don't worry. Just keep an eye on the clock and you'll be fine. Remember; wake me before midnight."

Toothless replies with a crooning growl as Hiccup swings his legs up onto the mattress. Taking a deep breath, he reaches over and takes the vial, uncorking the top. The soft scent of lavender and chamomile wafts up from the opening, already coaxing a yawn from the prince's mouth.

"Here goes everything," he says before pressing it against his lips and tipping it upwards. Before long the entire vial is empty and set back down against the bedside table. Another yawn escapes Hiccup's mouth, this one louder and longer than the first, as his eyelids begin to droop, taking one last look at the protective Night Fury before closing.

Night, Berk

The Day Before Hiccup's 15th Birthday

Drifting out from the realm of his dreams, the prince of Berk slowly begins to wake up at the prudent touches and nudges made against his head.

"H-Huh … W-What-" Hiccup groggily stammers as his eyes flutter open to be met by his Night Fury perched on his mattress gently headbutting him. "O-Okay … Okay, Toothless. I'm awake, I'm- Argh!"

Hiccup sits upright, clutching at his stomach in pain from the sudden firm hit to his midriff. He curls over wincing and moaning only to be pushed back down by another sudden assault, this time by the tongue of the Night Fury.

"Aw- Bud! Toothless, stop!" the prince protests to no effect as he scrambles to try and push Toothless away, the dragon licking his face more and more. "N-No more, Toothless! I'm awake, bud!"

The prince finally manages to push Toothless' face away to the side, the body following afterwards on its own as Toothless hops down to the floor. Hiccup starts rubbing down his armour as he sits up.

"You know that doesn't wash out," Hiccup complains, causing the Night Fury to let out a guttural laugh.

Having checked his armour and noting that it wasn't drenched, Hiccup wipes the draconic saliva from his face. With a cheeky glare, the prince flings the collected saliva back at Toothless, silencing the Night Fury's laughter. The dragon sulkily wipes the flung spit from the top of his head as Hiccup gets out of bed and moves over to a bucket resting against a curve of the wall beneath a closed valve. Pulling down on the lever next to the valve opens it up, allowing a steady stream of water to pour down into the bucket. Once it was filled with water, the valve was closed once again before Hiccup cupped his hands and plunged them into the bucket, lifting them back up and splashing some of the collected water over his face. He then grabs a nearby towel and rubs it over his face, drawing the excess moisture from his skin.

"What time is it anyway, bud?" Hiccup questions, lifting his face up from the fabric. Toothless purrs and nods over towards the large bronze and onyx clockface hanging from a wall. The large hand was nearly pointing straight up towards the twelfth digit, leaning slightly to the left of it, while the smaller hand was resting on the tenth digit.

"Eleven fifty," the prince observes, putting the now slightly damp towel back down on the nearby towel rack and walking over to his draconic partner. "Good work, bud."

He scratches the Night Fury under the chin, drawing another purr from the dragon as he closes his eyes and rubs his head against his rider. Toothless then circles round and walks over to the workbench which now had placed upon it a plate containing two thick chicken drumsticks, a handled mug made of glass containing honeyed yak milk, previously warm and now cool, and a note. The prince first picks up the note and scrawls his eyes over it.

Son,

Gothi has told me what your plan is. And, as much as I'm sceptical of its chance of success, I know I'm not going to be able to prevent you from trying anyway. Gothi doesn't know if it will work or not, but there's always a chance. She did warn, however, that the rest of us will still fall into our slumbers when midnight strikes. If your plan works, then we should all wake up the following day. If not, then you'll have to wait for someone who can break it. And if you're still awake, then don't go leaving Berk. That goes for tomorrow too. We can't have something happen to you when no one can do anything to help.

I know the marriage arrangement isn't to your liking. But think of it this way; it's a peaceful resolution that could help to unite us with another kingdom. More people for you to share your knowledge of dragons with and a better lifestyle for lots of people. Stronger safety, guaranteed trade, all without any blood being spilt. It also doesn't hurt that this will be the person you're meant to be with in the eyes of the gods. Perhaps you will understand better once you've met them.

Good night, good luck and may the gods watch over you,

Stoick.

"So, now it's all down to us then," Hiccup mutters as he sets the letter back down. He then grabs the plate and mug and carries both out to the balcony, followed behind by his Night Fury companion.

Leaning up against the railing with his left arm resting on top of the barrier, Hiccup grabs one of the drumsticks from the plate now balancing precariously on the edge and slowly starts chewing his way through the cooled meat, taking the occasional sip of the golden liquid in the mug. As he eats his meal, both he and Toothless watch the scene of Berk beneath as people spend their last few moments in preparations. Most of the citizens have already retired for the night, though there were still a few lit by the torches they were carrying. Those still up appeared to be putting the final touches on their houses, boarding up the windows and doors with heavy lumber planks to make sure that no one could break in while they slumbered. There were also small pockets of guards still roaming, trying to get these last straggling Vikings inside their homes before midnight struck. The citadel appeared dark from above, the burning light from the torches not strong enough to fully illuminate the buildings. A faint light did shimmer down from above, however, with the moon slightly poking out from between the cover of the grey clouds gently gliding by.

As the prince finishes his first drumstick and moves to grab the second his hand freezes as a beautifully soft voice creeps into his ears, barely a whisper. His hand falls to the top of the railing as he shakes his head, furrowing his brow at the new sound that slowly grows louder by the second.

"You hear that, right?" Hiccup asks his draconic companion, the Night Fury nodding in response. A yawn escapes his mouth as he stretches, the elegant voice growing louder and forming a song that seems to surround and envelop him.

Below, out of the corner of his eye, he sees the civilians still awake change, succumbing to their own fit of yawns before dropping any items they may have been carrying and slowly bumbling towards and inside their respective houses as if in a trance. Another yawn breaks free from Hiccup's lips before he slumps against the railing, his eyes slowly drooping.

"So beautiful …" he mumbles, slowly turning on the spot to move towards his room. He takes a couple of steps before he is stopped by the body of Toothless as the dragon croons and screeches, butting his head into the body of his rider. "Not now … must sleep …"

Toothless warbles in a panic as his rider slowly pushes his head aside and continues to move inside his room, towards his bed. In a quick movement, Toothless leaps past the prince and grabs the bucket of water he had used earlier, extending his teeth and biting down on the handle. Turning back round, the Night Fury bounds over to his rider and throws the liquid over the prince. As the water splashes over Hiccup, he sputters and coughs at the sudden drenching, wiping the liquid from his eyes and slicking his hair back.

"Toothless? What are-?" he asks before being cut off by a shrieking Night Fury, dropping the bucket as he warbles and growls.

"I was yawning and going to bed?" Hiccup questions. "But that shouldn't be the-"

The prince slowly yawns yet again as the beautiful voice continues to sing in words foreign and unknown to him, the involuntary motion enveloping him before his eyes open wide in realisation.

"The song!" he exclaims. "The song is a spell to put us to sleep! Whoever's behind this must be nearby!"

He goes to move to his desk, stumbling a little after a couple of steps. Only the quick movement of Toothless getting underneath him helps to keep Hiccup upright.

"Looks like it's already having a big effect," Hiccup notes, shaking his head to try and keep himself awake. "We need to find this person now."

He takes another couple of steps, this time stumbling on top of the desk. Reaching out, he grabs the brown leather cylinder placed at the top, with two draconic heads on either end; one with its mouth agape, the other closed shut. Using his partner for support, they move towards the door and push it open, the song sapping Hiccup's will to stay awake by the second. Looking out across the walkway, they see a figure cloaked in black, arms outstretched on either side. With a dark hood covering their head, they were completely covered save for their bare hands and feet, the skin pale white, and the lower half of their face, skin also pale and rosy lips moving as they sing.

"Stop!" Hiccup shouts, grimacing at a stagger as his strength almost fails him. The figure stops their singing and turns to them as Hiccup presses a button on the cylinder in his hand, a metal blade spitting out from the agape dragon mouth and bursting into flame. Toothless glares at the figure with vivid acid eyes narrowed, the pupils dilated, and teeth pushed out in a growling snarl.

"Why do you still resist?" the figure asks in a soft feminine voice, taking a step towards the duo. However, at the snarling of the Night Fury she pauses her movements. "Don't you realise that it's easier for everyone if you just give in?"

"You're the one who's behind this supposed curse, right?" Hiccup says, attempting to take a step forwards but stumbling yet again, the spell still having drained his strength despite her song having been silenced. "Why us? Why me? What are you trying to gain?"

"You'll know soon enough, my dear sweet Hiccup," she responds with a small smile that almost seems to enchant the prince momentarily. "Please, won't you just make this simple and fall asleep? For me?"

"I don't even know who you are," Hiccup says as they take another step forward, Toothless' snarls growing louder.

"Yes, you do, Hic. You just don't realise it yet," she says as she takes a third step, outstretching her arms and humming the same tune she was singing before. As soon as the third step hits the ground Toothless pounces forward. The female figure quickly extends a hand in the Night Fury's direction, sparkling white particles bursting forth from it and engulfing the head of the dragon. Toothless appears to push through the haze only to fall to the ground, his chest the only part still moving as he slowly breathes in and out.

"Toothless!" the prince cries out as he staggers over to his dragon. His feet fall out from underneath him and he crashes to the ground, his flaming sword falling out of his hand and clattering uselessly upon the stone pathway. Crawling forwards, he places a hand upon his draconic partner, feeling the slow heavy breaths of the beast. "What did you do to him?"

Looking up the prince's eyes widened as the female was no longer in front of him on the pathway. He tries to push himself back up to his feet, but his lacking strength cannot hold himself back up. He falls once more, this time over the body of his companion.

"I've put him to sleep," her voice echoes softly from behind, followed by a touch on his shoulder cool to the skin, even with the leather armour on. "Don't worry, he will wake up. But by then, you'll be sound asleep."

"What do you want?" he asks as he turns around, seeing her raise a hand to her face. With the palm flat horizontally, she blows onto it in his direction, as if she was blowing a kiss. From the tip of her palm shoots out the same white particles that fly forwards and envelop his senses like a cool mist. Hiccup's vision suddenly became blurred, marred by blinking white lights that seemed to dance before his eyes. The desire to slumber implanted by the strange song quickly overcomes in, leaving Hiccup staring up at the cloaked individual as his vision turns black.

"I just want you, Hic."

…

The vivid green eyes of the Night Fury shoot open. With a shriek he pushes up to his feet, turning his head from side to side and seeing neither the figure nor Hiccup. Turning around, Toothless bounds over towards the prince's room, running straight through the blue ethereal runes appearing before the door. The door slams open as Toothless barges in, roaring in a panic as his eyes rapidly search the room. And there, lying on his back on the bed, his retractable sword and mother's blade grasped in his hands over his chest, is Prince Hiccup Haddock III. The Night Fury leaps up onto the bed, groaning under the weight of the dragon, and frantically butts his head against his rider's. There is no response. Toothless continues his efforts to get Hiccup's attention, hitting and nuzzling all over his body and even licking the face of the prince. Still, the eyes of the Dragonheart remain closed as an amber light peers in through the window. The sun slowly rises from beneath the horizon. The sky lightens up from the darkness of night. The dawn of a new day, Hiccup's 15th birthday. The curse is sealed.

And so, despite Hiccup's efforts, still he slumbered on the day of his birth and has done ever since. The same fate also befell the Vikings of Berk, their future bound to that of their prince. True to Gothi's warning the dragons remained awake, free to eat, sleep and live their lives as they chose. Their choice; to watch over the lands they shared and to protect their slumbering kin, serving as their guardians. Also true to Gothi's prediction, the few Berkians that had failed to return to their territory by the day the curse struck too were likewise not sent into an indefinite slumber. Unfortunately for them, the curse would still claim its victims.

Shortly after the demise of Berk, thick black thorny vines grew swift and dense across the isle. After the first day, tiny sprouts had broken through the soil. By the end of the first week they had spread all over the citadel, scaling the white walls and winding up the tall towers of the castle. And when the first scouting ships sailed into Berk to observe the situation, the thorns had become a wild forest that had taken over the citadel, spreading further than the walls and growing taller than the tallest spire of the castle. Sunlight could barely break through the abundant forest, leaving a veil of darkness before the scouts. None dared to go beyond sight of the clear sky, making it only as far as a hundred metres in at best, with just a speck of light keeping them from being lost. Further into the forest of thorns resonated creeping groans and croaks from unknown sources, drawn out and guttural, causing the hairs on the back of their necks to stand on edge. The few houses just on the edge of the wild growth were barred and boarded up, locked from within. They dared not disturb the residences of the afflicted. The scouts left having barely made a mark, charged only with gathering what information they could. By the time the first rescue team arrived a week later, the forest had grown yet again, blanketing the isle. The thorns had extended beyond the walls further, stretching down and strangling both the docks and the pathway between it and the entrance to the citadel.

In the following years all the remaining kingdoms made their moves to try and liberate Berk from the clutches of darkness. Due to the royal title held by Hiccup, the general notion was that another royal would be the most likely candidate for his true love. As such, most eyes lay on the Outcast, Frostwalker, Uglithug and Bog-Burglar kingdoms as they alone had princesses. For the Meatheads and the Berserkers, whose heirs were male, both kingdoms selected female champions from their respective regions. Both champions were strong, both in mind and body, shining representations of their kingdoms. The Skullreapers too had a male heir, but their course of action remained, like most of their affairs, concealed. All that came were rumours of either a champion having been chosen, or a hidden princess younger than the prince.

The quest to awaken the prince became a path drenched in blood. Of the many that have set foot on the island and ventured into the thorns, few have returned. Fewer still have lived long afterwards, succumbing to their wounds. This was also true for any Berkain messengers that tried to return home. The Meatheads and Berserkers both sent a few expeditions into Berk before pulling out of the race. With their heirs not being in the running, their interests in awaking the prince were not quite as strong as the other kingdoms. The Berserkers also had their main strength through their armada, leaving a stronger assault difficult, while the Meathead champion went in alone after their king refused any expeditions, news returning that she perished on Berk. The Uglithugs, at the furious behest of Princess Tantrum, sent constant assaults into the forest until they were spent. Most of their army disappeared into the cursed wilderness and did not come back out. Such was the scale of their losses that the king pulled out of the race, much to the anger of the princess, refusing to send any more soldiers to their deaths. The Frostwalker princess, fair and beautiful Silval, had always expressed a desire to try her luck at waking Hiccup. However, the king and queen were preoccupied with the dragon raids in the frozen north, while the princess was travelling as a diplomat to the other kingdoms if not helping her people. Still, a few warriors had been sent to try their hand, unable to achieve the princess' wishes. Unsurprisingly, no proclamation had been made by the Skullreapers as to their intent. The belief of the other nations was that they, like the Frostwalkers, were busy defending their own from the dragons in Helheim's Gate and needed every warrior they had. However, there had been two sightings of small ships flying the banner of the Skullreapers sailing across the seas in Berk's direction. No news had come to the others of their fate, though because Berk had not been freed, they obviously hadn't awoken the prince.

Five years have passed since the curse struck and two kingdoms remain committed to the quest. Of the Bog-Burglars attempts little has been heard. Many conflicting stories have travelled across the waters from their lands. Some claimed that they have been training hard and were planning a massive force to penetrate the cursed defences. Some said that they never had any interest in rescuing a man. Some alleged that the princess hated the notion that she would be marrying Hiccup if she did wake him up, refusing to take part. And some asserted that she was training in secret, using the forests of their island and even venturing to Berk to prepare herself. As for the Outcasts, King Alvin always intended on sending Princess Heather in to Berk, having her trained ever since the messages were sent from Berk. However, he would not send her in alone. The first few scouting parties he sent in either did not return or barely survived. So, the king sent out word to all the other islands, both his own and in other kingdoms, stating that a series of trials would be used to determine a small group of elite warriors. Those warriors would accompany the princess into Berk and be rewarded handsomely if they are successful. The proclamation caused quite a stir amongst the other kingdoms, and as the date for the trials rapidly approached many hopeful people travelled from all over to Outcast Island to seek fame and glory …

AN: Yeah … a 9,000 word prologue. Nice little opener, eh?

Now for the usual stuff I say at the end of an opening chapter. Firstly, I am the leader of a writing group based on here called the G.M.A.D. (Guardian Magic Archer Dragons). We tend to focus more on the Big Four (HTTYD, ROTG, Brave and Tangled), though we certainly aren't limited to it. If you'd like to join, or want some more information, by all means give me a PM.

Secondly, from a length point of view I wouldn't normally write a prologue this long, but there was a fair bit of information you guys needed to know before we dive right in. That and I believed doing the Hiccup scenes the way I did was a better choice than just summarising it, though it could have been added to something I've got planned later. No matter, here it will stay. Plus, this is also much more the length that I tend to write in anyway. Any returning readers will very much know that. It's not quite as colourful descriptively as I normally would do, but then again it was for the most part a summary anyway.

Finally, and more for the people that do know my not-so constant uploads; I will try to upload this as frequently as possible. However, I am currently studying at university; a Bachelor in Professional and Creative Writing - yes, I'm studying to write as a living - so things might crop up that intervenes with this, such as assessments and whatnot. However, I will try and focus on this as much as I can. If there is a long gap, which happens with just about anything I write, don't think I've given up on it. If that happens, then I will let you know.

Now, as I normally say, please fav and/or follow this if you enjoy this or are intrigued. It's the best way to know when I'm uploading. Please leave a review with your thoughts, constructive criticism and suggestions are always welcome, and feel free to message me with any questions, suggestions or concerns (any questions I'll look to answer without spoiling anything). I am always happy including ideas if I think they'll work well, so if that happens I'll be sure to credit whoever gives it to me.

Anyway, sorry for the long spiel. That should be all for now, so I'll see you all next time. Until then, adios!