Chapter Text
He is the Alpha. He is the bewilderbeast that controls the dragons of Drago Bludvist's army. He is the mightiest of dragons, and it is him that all other dragons obey.
And it is Drago that he obeys, for Drago is great and strong; the Master of Dragons. To disobey him means pain, suffering and death. None disobey him without paying those costs. Drago's power is manifest in the great chains that bind him when he is not to fight. Great iron ones that fit to his tusks, and bind to the shackles around his legs. Shackles lined with great spikes that bite him when he moves. Such is Drago's power and none may defy them.
So when the boy on the black dragon is shot out of the sky, The Alpha knows that he will submit. They defy at first. Both boy and dragon, but he is the Alpha and all dragons obey him. So when Drago orders it, he commands the black dragon to pin the boy, to put his claws around the boy's neck and place his maw over the boy's throat.
And both submit, boy and dragon, beneath the foot of Drago Bludvist.
---
The boy is Hiccup, and he is small and tiny. He is not mighty like him, no Alpha of dragons nor King of humans. But it is him who now makes the armor for the dragons, who crafts the chains and cages that hold the flock. He is a good smith, and a different smith. For he is not afraid of dragons. Nor does he like to torment them. Never once has he taunted or mocked them, even when they have been chained and muzzled so that they cannot fight back. His chains have no bite to them, his cages have no sharp edges, and his armor is light and well fitted so that it doesn't chafe or cut at them.
The flock likes Hiccup-who-shapes-metal. His armor is the best and it keeps them safe. It is also Hiccup-who-shapes-metal who starts filing away the spikes that line his shackles. Quietly and in secret. He-who-is-Alpha does not quite understand why Hiccup-who-shapes-metal would do this. He is small and tiny. He cannot stand up to the wrath of Drago, who is mighty and strong, and whose displeasure brings pain, great pain.
Why would small, small Hiccup bring such pain on himself for something so insignificant?
---
Then one day he is let from his shackles, and the great iron chains are unfastened from his tusks. He knows this well, he is to fight. He likes to fight, for to fight means he is free. Free from shackles and chains, and free to swim. He-who-is-Alpha likes to swim, for swimming is freedom. Freedom is ocean, icy and dark with depths deep enough to swallow the tallest of mountains. But freedom only comes when he fights, and he fights only when Drago wills it.
He-who-is-Alpha does not know what this nest of humans did to bring the wrath of Drago down on them. But he also does not need to know. What Drago commands is what is to be done. Do defy brings pain and suffering and wounds and hurt.
These humans have defied him, and so their nest must burn.
Stone walls are smashed under his tusks, and his breath brings death and ice as cold as the depths of the ocean. He is the mightiest of dragons and none may stand up to him.
His flock flies about him too, burning wooden buildings and swooping and diving at those on the ground. The new dragon, Toothless-who-is-not-toothless is among them. Hiccup-who-shapes-metal rides on him, and from what He-who-is-Alpha understands, it must be such for Tooth-less-who-is-not-toothless cannot fly without Hiccup-who-shapes-metal.
Drago does not like this, and his has commanded He-who-is-Alpha to watch the two and to make sure neither Toothless-who-is-not-toothless nor Hiccup-who-shapes-metal decide to abandon the flock. Normally Drago would lock such a pair up until he was sure they would not even consider such a thing.
But he has decided otherwise, and He-who-is-Alpha can see why. For Toothless-who-is-not-toothless is fearsome in the night sky. His strikes are as swift and sudden as the lightning himself, and he is like death, silent and unseen. None can predict where he will strike next.
Toothless-who-is-lightning-and-death is feared. Not as He-who-is-Alpha of course, but feared none-the-less. He is a good addition to the flock.
---
Hiccup-who-shapes-metal is not like other humans. He does not sleep with other humans, instead he sleeps with dragons on a bed of straw by the cage of Toothless-who-is-lightning-and-death. He is good to the flock, for when he is not shaping chains and cages and armor he cleans out the cages and sneaks them extra food, and scrubs them with brushes to get out the mud and the blood that they cannot clean.
He-who-has-Alpha has often watched Hiccup-who-shapes-metal stay up late in the night talking with Toothless-who-is-lightning-and-death. They talk of many things; of green grass, of open sky which is freedom, and of defiance. They talk often of defiance. They talk of breaking cages and chains, of flying free through cloud and sky, and of defying Drago.
For all their talk, He-who-is-Alpha can do nothing but sigh in resignation. They do not understand. Defying Drago can only result in pain. Drago is too mighty for even him, who is Alpha, mightiest of all dragons.
But still they talk, and still Hiccup-who-shapes-metal continues to file away at the spikes that line his shackles.
There are times, some nights, when Hiccup-who-shapes-metal will scale his great sides to scrub away at the barnacles and salt that builds up on his scales. There are times when he will climb along his tusks to buff away stains. On those nights he will talk to He-who-is-Alpha. Most of the topics are trivial, speculation about battles, idle talk about the happenings of the flock and of the humans.
But there is one night when Hiccup-who-shapes-metal grabs one of the great chains that fasten to his tusks. "Why do you let him bind you like this?" He asks. "These chains aren't very strong." His fingers curl around the chain and he gives it a tug. It does not break of course. "You could snap this easily."
He-who-is-Alpha merely lets out a great snort and rolls his eyes. He cannot break the great chains. He remembers how when he was a hatchling he had thrashed and strained but they would not break, and all he got for his troubles was pain and suffering. The chains are the will of Drago, and He-who-is-Alpha cannot defy the will of Drago.
One night however, Hiccup-shapes-metal-does something different. This time he stands before He-who-is-Alpha and he turns away his face, one hand raised towards him.
He-who-is-Alpha has seen this before. On nights when there is no one around and the only guards are the ones who stay on the other sides of the great steel door which seal the cave in which the flock rest. On those nights he will approach others of the flock the same way, one hand raised high, palm out. It is a gesture of dominance, he knows it and he cannot understand it. For Hiccup-who-shapes-metal is small, so very small, and so very weak. Sure he must know that he can never dominate one such as him. But others have accepted it, it is them who have leaned forward and placed their heads against his hand. Who is Hiccup-who-shapes-metal to demand something like that from any of them?
It must be a trap, for He-who-is-Alpha knows well that while Hiccup-who-shapes-metal is small, he is also very clever. It is the clever who use traps to hurt and trick the strong. So when Hiccup-who-shapes-metal takes a tentative step forward, even one as mighty as he is cannot help but to jerk back on reflex. The great chains fastened to his tusks jerk tight and there is a crack of stone. He draws breath to roar, to show Hiccup-who-shapes-metal that he cannot be dominated by one so small as him.
But Hiccup-who-shapes-metal has already fallen back and is scrambling away, fear in his eyes. He is afraid of him. Good. But Hiccup's gaze is not on him, and He-who-is-alpha follows it to the wall of the cave.
At the spot where his great chains are bolted to the wall of the cave, his strength has cracked the stone.
---
He-who-is-Alpha cannot help but stare at the spot on the cave where he cracked the stone. He has cracked the great chain too, there are small gaps in the links that were not there before. He does not know what to make of them, just as he does not know what to make of the actions of Hiccup-who-shapes-metal.
Why was he so afraid of that hand? What trick that even one as clever as Hiccup-who-shapes-metal could perform that could possibly hurt him? He was afraid of him too, as he should be, so why would Hiccup-who-shapes-metal try to dominate him?
So he asks Toothless-who-is-lightning-and-death. From him he gets an answer. Hiccup-who-shapes-metal cannot harm him, of course, and is not foolish enough to try and dominate him. Nor is it any sort of trick or trap to snare those stronger than him. It is a gesture of dominance, but not in the way He-who-is-Alpha is used to. For instead of Hiccup-who-shapes-metal trying to dominate him, he is instead acknowledging his dominance and is asking permission to join the flock. Submitting without submitting.
It is a strange concept, and one He-who-is-Alpha has difficulty grasping. But, he can understand the important parts easily enough. Hiccup-who-shapes-metal is not trying to dominate him. Hiccup-who-shapes-metal instead wants to join the flock.
Hiccup-who-is-shapes-metal is no dragon, he does not hear the call of an Alpha and bend accordingly. But he is not as other humans are, and it is him who crafts the only chains and armor that does not cut or bite. He is also the only one who is brave enough to come to him to scrub away the barnacles and salt that cake his scales. He-who-is-Alpha finds he likes the idea of Hiccup-who-shapes-metal being part of his flock.
So when a few nights later Hiccup-who-shapes-metal approaches him again, he is waiting. Now that he understands he can see what is happening, the way Hiccup-who-shapes-metal approaches him is not to show dominance. He is wary, careful after his first failed attempt, and it is obvious he is trying to guess how close he must approach without getting too close.
He-who-is-alpha makes it plain enough when he is close enough. The great rumbling growl that emanates from his throat has Hiccup-who-shapes-metal freezing in place, his hand held up. He is afraid. Good.
Hiccup-who-shapes-metal is small, he carries no weapon or trap. He is no threat. Hiccup-who-shapes-metal cannot hurt him.
He lowers his face. Hiccup-who-shapes-metal wordlessly holds up his hand, even as his eyes dart away to watch the two tusks that pass on both sides of him.
He barely feels the touch of Hiccup-who-shapes-metal upon his face. He is so small that he is like an insect before He-who-is-Alpha.
Nothing hurts. There is no sudden pain or hurt to mean a trap. Just the tiny, warm feeling where the hand of Hiccup-who-shapes-metal touches his face. There is no trick. Toothless-who-is-lightning-and-death was right.
A contented growl rumbles from his throat. Hiccup-who-shapes-metal cannot hurt him. Hiccup-who-shapes-metal doesn't even try.
He lets out a short huff of frosty air which whitens the hair of the small human before him. Hiccup-who-shapes-metal is now of his flock.
He likes that.
---
But the talk of defiance continues. Then one day, it becomes more than just talk. As it turns out, the dragon traps Hiccup-who-is-of-his-flock has been making are defective. The trapper's ships have all returned with their hulls filled with broken traps instead of new dragons for the flock.
Drago is furious. He storms into the cave, determined to punish Hiccup-who-shapes-metal himself. He is half-way up the stairs to the area where Hiccup-who-is-of-his-flock has made his bed, when he is suddenly blasted off the stairs. Toothless-who-is-lightning-and-death is free of his cage, chains, and muzzle. Drago is the only one who has all the keys to the dragon's cages, and he does not trust Hiccup-who-is-of-his-flock to hold even one. But Hiccup-is-of-his-flock can open the cages and unfasten the chains. He is the one who made the locks.
Drago opens his mouth, doubtless to order him to take control of Toothless-who-is-lightning-and-death so that he can punish Hiccup-who-is-of-his-flock. But Hiccup-who-is-of-his-flock has crept up behind him and strikes at Drago's head with a forge hammer. It works only because Drago is not expecting it, and even then the blow only staggers him. He roars with rage and charges at Hiccup-who-is-of-his-flock.
But he side-swiped by Toothless-who-is-lightning-and-death. But Drago is a strong man, and he has fought dragons before, and he throws the furious night-fury off him, but he doesn't want to kill a dragon. Toothless-who-is-lightning-and-death is useful, and under the thrall of He-who-is-Alpha. It is the boy who will receive his wrath. It is Hiccup-who-is-of-his-flock who made him defective traps, it is Hiccup-who-is-of-his-flock who has defied him, and it is Hiccup-who-is-of-his-flock who has attacked him and made the cut which now bleeds down his face. Drago's wrath is terrible, and he knows how to make both dragons and humans suffer.
But what He-who-is-Alpha notices is not something that would be noticed by either Hiccup-who-shapes-metal or Toothless-who-is-lightning-and-death. Drago is small. When He-who-was-alpha was a hatchling, Drago had always seemed so large and terrible, the source of unquestionable power and terrible punishment.
But he is small. Smaller even that Toothless-who-is-lightning-and-death. It is the first time he has ever realized that.
Drago has now knocked Hiccup to the ground, he has his arm raised, ready to give the killing blow. Toothless-who-is-lightning-and-death is screeching is panic. He cannot shoot without hitting Hiccup-who-of-his-flock, and he cannot move fast enough to make a difference. Hiccup-who-is-of-his-flock will die for his defiance.
His bellow of rage shakes the entire cavern, and the force of his voice alone is enough to send human and dragon sprawling. It's entirely on reflex, no thought behind it, and so is the panicked lunge he makes. The great chains fastened to his tusks snap. The shackles around his legs don't bite him as he tears them from the walls. Hiccup-who-is-of-his-flock has filed away the spikes.
Everything freezes. The snap of the great chains rings in the air. Hiccup-who-is-of-his-flock and Toothless-who-is-lightning-and-death scramble to get out of the way. Drago merely freezes, there is an uneasiness in him now. An uneasiness He-who-is-Alpha cannot recall seeing before.
The great chains fastened to his tusks represent the power and might of Drago. The chains have been broken. Hiccup-who-is-of-his-flock was right, they were not strong. They were weak. To defy the will of Drago means pain and suffering, but the will of Drago is weak and broken. Drago is weak. Drago is small. He is alpha, mightiest of dragons. Drago cannot hurt him.
The chains were Drago's will. He broke them.
Drago is small and weak. He can break him.
His roar of fury reverberates through the bedrock. It contains all the fury and rage, born of countless decades of pain and hurt and suffering. Human and dragon alike fleet before him as he charges at Drago with all the unstoppable might of an avalanche.
One blow, and Drago is nothing more than a bloody smear on his tusks.
It is not enough.
The great steel doors that seal the cave stand before him. He tears them from their hinges and crushes them under his feet. The fortress of Drago stands before him. A symbol of Drago's might and mastery of dragon-kind. It is a lie. It is a monument to one who was small and weak and who broke like an egg against his tusks.
He bellows his rage to the night, and smashes his tusks into the walls. Stone cracks and crumble. Towers topple and crash to the ground. Entire buildings collapse and fall before him as he rampages through the fortress.
Hiccup-who-is-of-his-flock and Toothless-who-is-lightning-and-death fly ahead of him shouting out his presence and warning all to flee before him. The humans run from his wrath in all directions, climbing into boats as fast as they can and running off into the night.
It is as it should be.
---
By morning his rage is exhausted, and Drago's fortress is nothing more than a pile of crushed gravel. His army has scattered to the winds before the wrath of the bewilderbeast, and if there is any who do not know of what has happened they will find out soon enough.
The flock is released from their cages. Hiccup-who-is-of-his-flock cuts their chains and frees them from their armor. With dragon's fire from Toothless-who-is-lightning-and-death, they cut the shackles from his ankles and the giant iron bands from his tusks. He-who-is-alpha cannot remember a time when he did not wear iron up his tusks, he likes the feeling.
Hiccup-who-cuts-chains tells them of his hatching nest, on an island far to the north. So north they head.
They cross the ocean, so comfortingly cold and welcomingly deep. Hiccup-who-cuts-chains and Toothless-who-is-lightning-and-death fly above them, directing the flock in the right direction. The journey is many days, and the flock rests upon his back when they are tired from flying. But he doesn't rest, he cannot rest. He is swimming across the ocean, and the ocean is freedom. He is free and a part of him is almost afraid that if he stops swimming then he will cease to be free.
They come upon the nest of Hiccup-who-cuts-chains in the middle of the night. But something is not right. The nest of the humans upon the cliff is lit by fire, both by great raised torches and burning buildings. Dragons, who are not of the flock, swoop and dive through the sky as they fight the humans of the nest.
Hiccup-who-cuts-chains lets out a cry of distress. But He-who-is-alpha knows what to do. This flock has no alpha, and if an alpha exists for this flock, then they are a bad alpha for leaving their flock unprotected and deserve to lose them. He is alpha. It is him all dragons obey.
He roars to the night sky. A great roar that echoes to the horizon and up to the moon and stars. It shakes ocean, island, and the heavens themselves. It reverberates through the body and shakes the soul. It is the call of an alpha, and all dragons obey. It matters not where these dragons came from, nor which flock and nest they belong to. They are of his flock now.
The humans of the nest have gathered, they point and shout, and brandish weapons and argue. But He-who-is-alpha know what to do here too. Without hesitation he approaches the island and pulls himself up onto the cliffs, rearing up to his full height so that there is none on the island that does not know he is here. He is not afraid. There is no dragon alive that can challenge him, and no human alive who could harm him.
At his command the flock fills the night sky with fire and noise. They swoop through the air in a great circle, a whirlwind of wings, roars and dragon-fire. This nest must be shown the strength of the flock, so that they can properly understand his might.
The humans shout and cower in surprise and fear. But they are made of stronger stuff than other human nests for they do not let go of their weapons, nor do any panic and try to flee.
Then Hiccup-who-cuts-chains dives out of the sky on the back of Toothless-who-is-lightning-and-death, and climbs off before the crowd of humans. The crowd stares, and begins muttering in shock. At his command the flock falls silent. He-who-is-alpha know what is to happen now. Now the humans of this nest will submit to Hiccup-who-cuts-chains and present him with gold and silver and other precious things, and because Hiccup-who-cuts-chains is of his flock, they will be submitting to him, who is alpha, and the flock is his.
Sure enough, a human with fur like brushed copper emerges from the crowd. He is large for a human, clearly the alpha of this nest. But he does not bow, or kneel, or grovel. Instead he opens his arms and wraps them around Hiccup-who-cuts-chains. He-who-is-alpha does not recognize this gesture of submission, but Hiccup-who-cuts-chains returns it, so all must be as it should be.
He bellows to the sky, and the flock scatters. This nest is now his nest, and these humans are now of his flock. Dragons head off the find places to nest, but the humans stay. They crowd around Hiccup-who-cuts-chains and Toothless-who-is-lightning-and-death. Hiccup-who-cuts-chains is explaining something to them, doubtless an explanation of what has just happened and what is going to change.
But He-who-is-alpha does not stay to hear. Instead he climbs down to the harbor and sinks into the comforting cold ocean. The sun has just started to rise above the horizon of the ocean and the sky is lit with orange and yellow and pink. He likes this new nest. The water is cold and deep and perfect for one such as him. The ocean spreads out around him, as far as he can see, and he can just glimpse the comforting sight of ice floating on the water just at the edge of the horizon.
He is alpha, and he will keep this nest. He knows there will be others; other alphas who will seek to take his flock, other humans who will seek to burn and steal, and whatever other horrors lurk in the world. But he is alpha, and he will defeat them as they come. This is his nest, and he will keep it.
The waves break against his face, and he feels strange. It's like he is tired, but there is not the deep weariness that he is used to. He does not recognize it, but he is at peace for the first time in his life. For once in his entire existence there is no great chains that imprison him and no threats of pain and hurt and suffering if he does not bow to the will of another.
The sun rises higher in the sky, his eyes drop, and he drifts off to sleep.
---
Omake:
In sixteen years, Valka has rarely ever had the need to return to human society. If the small trade-post at the edge of civilization could be considered human society. But there are some things that a human needs that dragons simply cannot supply, and she can usually get a good deal trading the shed dragon scales she gathers around the nest. But it is also a good place to get information. The trade-post is the only settlement this far into the wilderness, and the dragon-trappers frequently stop there in order to resupply. None of them have ever made the connection between the woman who trades dragon scales and the masked dragon rider who raids their traps and attacks their ships.n
Something has changed lately. Valka doesn't know what, but for some reason the trappers have stopped showing. The few that have returned have come back only to retrieve their traps, regardless as to whether they had any dragons in them. Some haven't shown at all, and their sabotaged traps lay forgotten in the wilderness.
While Valka can't do anything but approve at the trapper's disappearance, the suddenness of it all is worrying. Something has happened, and she doesn't know what. For all she knows Drago has recalled them and is gathering his strength for more direct action. Something has happened, and she intends to find out what.
As she approaches the trading post, it becomes readily apparent that everyone at the post is celebrating. What exactly is being celebrated she is not sure.
There is a ship pulled up at the docks, and she recognizes it instantly as belonging to one of Drago's trappers. Thankfully however there is no signs that this ship in particular contains any suffering dragons in its hold. Which probably explains why the trappers on this particular ship have had no qualms about joining in on the festivities. She can see at least three of them staggering around on-deck.
"Hey lady!" One of them calls out as she walks past. "You wanna buy a dragon trap?"
That was new.
"Excuse me?" Valka asked pointedly, coming turning to face the man. "And why would I need to trap dragons?"
"Not just dragons," another one of the trappers yells out. "You can catch other things with them. Y'know moose, deer, wolves, bears, whales; all those things. You got folks you don't like prowl'n around near your house and one of these'll take care of them good. No point in trying to trap dragons now anyway."
That was definitely new. "No point in trapping dragons?" Valka repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Last I heard Drago Bludvist was taking every dragon he could get his hands on."
The man let out a loud laugh. "You haven't heard!? Drago Bludvist is dead!" he cheered. "Had his dragons turn on him. I was there. Got smashed like a bowl of eggs! Master of dragons my ass." He held his bottle aloft and turned to his shipmates. "Goodbye and good riddance! What say you?"
His shipmates let out a loud cheer and raised their own bottles. Evidently someone else in the crowd heard, because the cheer was picked up and soon the entire trade-post was cheering.
"So what about you ma'am," the former trapper said, turning back towards Valka. "You interested in a trap? Even if you don't want to trap anything, they're still made of good metal if you know a blacksmith."
"Thank you but no," Valka replied, and headed off down the dock. Her mind was spinning.
Drago was dead. That explained everything. Without his insatiable appetite for new dragons, there was little reason for anyone to trap a dragon for anything other than self-defense, and even she couldn't be grudge someone merely trying to defend themselves.
This changed everything. It had been her life's mission to help the dragons and drive away the trappers, but now the problem had apparently been taken care of. Drago was dead, the great looming shadow of his ambitions having been blown away like morning mist. It's so unexpected she isn't really sure what to do. There is so many things, certainly there will be a few traps that she has missed or the occasional idiot with no idea what they're messing with. But, nothing like what she's been dealing with up until now. She could go exploring, find other nests. She could track down the last of the trappers still trying to be active. She could go home.
Home.
The concept suddenly looms in her mind, both hopeful and terrifying. She could go back to Berk. It is not like she is turning her back on anyone, not now with Drago dead. Go back, back to Stoick and Hiccup.
Hiccup.
It's been sixteen years. The revelation hits her like a blow from the King himself. Sixteen years since she has last seen Hiccup. He'd be a man by now. All grown up. Without a mother, without her. It's enough to make her feel almost sick. What kind of mother is she, not to return when she had the first chance?
What about Stoick? Had he remarried? It has been sixteen years. He must surely think her dead, and he wouldn't be unjustified in taking a new wife. Was he even alive? Was Hiccup alive? What if they had died and she hadn't been there to prevent it.
It's sickening and terrifying all at once. Sixteen years. A lot could change in that time. Would she even be welcome? Would Stoick drive her away once he found out she could have returned and didn't? Would Hiccup reject her? Spit in her face and turn his back on the mother she never was.
She wouldn't blame him if he did.
But, she won't know unless she returns. She has no excuses now. Drago is dead. The nest is safe. Even if Stoick and Hiccup turn their back on her, and the entire village chases her away with axes and torches, she can still return to the nest. Return to Cloudjumper and the King and the entire nest of silly little hatchlings.
No matter what, she knows she will always be welcome there. And maybe things won't be as bad as she fears. Maybe Stoick will welcome her back with open arms and Hiccup will embrace her with tears in his eyes, maybe she can make a difference now that she knows what she knows. Maybe she can show them that dragons don't have to be their enemies.
Even if the worst happens, she might still be able to make a difference and she owes it to everyone, human and dragon, to at least try.
Yes. She will do it. No matter how terrifying the prospect is. She will do it. Even if the entire village rises up in arms and drives her into the sea, she will be able to return to the nest with the knowledge that she at least tried.
For the first time in sixteen years, she will return to Berk.