Chapter 14: Glory or Valhalla

A/N: This chapter and one more will conclude this story, I wish I could make it longer, but I have other projects to work on. Here we have Hiccup leading Corona's army in the defense of the kingdom against the Vikings. Who will fall? Sit back, relax, and find out!

(Normal pov— Kingdom of Corona)

Rapunzel awoke to the sounds of war horns filling the air. Groaning as she sat up from bed, she looked to the end of her and Hiccup's shared bed to find her husband in his leather armor and eyeing her with a soft, tender expression.

"Hiccup?" Sitting up fully, Rapunzel tilted her head. "What's wrong?"

Smiling softly at his wife, Hiccup reached for one of her hands, taking it, and squeezing gently. "I just want you to know that despite the threat of death and losing everything to the Vikings. If I were to reverse the sun and change anything, I wouldn't," walking over to his wife's side without letting go of her hand, Hiccup stood by her side. "Aside from bonding with Toothless, meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. I love you." He then leaned down and captured her lips with his own. Rapunzel eagerly returned her husband's kiss, cradling his face in her free hand and moaning softly against his lips.

Their kiss was interrupted by war horns sounding once again. Groaning in annoyance, Hiccup reluctantly pulled away from his wife and murmured against her cheek. "I have to go," Rapunzel nodded in understanding as she kissed his forehead and caressed his face. Pulling away from her so that he could look his wife in the eyes, Hiccup gave her a firm nod. "Stay safe."

"And you, my love,"

Acknowledging his wife's sentiment, Hiccup raced to their shared room's outside balcony and jumped off, only to be caught by Toothless who swooped by. Soon enough, the rider and dragon flew to the front gate, to lead the defense of Corona. Soldiers who had finished arming themselves all raced to the front gate, and hidden entrances, and had men and defenses pointed to the harbor as they awaited their prince to lead them. Once reaching the walls of the front entrance, Hiccup dismounted Toothless and greeted the commanding officer, second only to him before looking ahead and laying eyes on a massive Viking army amassed and ready to attack.

Hiccup could see that the enemy had cages that were covered in thick animal hides, meaning that they could place these cages at the front gate and use battering rams to bring the gate down without worrying about being killed from above. The Vikings had catapults at the ready as well as archers, but what Hiccup was worried about was the siege towers. By the look of it, those towers could hold up to sixty men or more, and if they brought those towers to the wall, they would be able to drop off a sizable force to take out the men stationed on the wall and open the front gate, allowing the rest of the Viking hordes to pour into the kingdom.

Soon enough the Vikings began chanting, pounding their weapons against shields, and roaring like a beast that was prepared to charge. Hiccup turned to the men he was commanding. "Do you hear that?" Noting how some of the Coronan soldiers were trembling, Hiccup was determined to strengthen their morale. "Listen. Listen! They're desperate. But don't underestimate them, not even for a second." He then gestured to both himself and every man stationed on the wall. "They want to kill every last one of us. Me, most of all. But I have no intention of dying this day."

Hiccup pounded his now-clenched fist against his chest and boomed out. "We will stand our ground and we will defend our home from these animals who wish to take it away from us! I know Vikings better than any of you, and should we fail, they will take your wives and children to become slaves or worse. They will pick your bones clean of any wealth and share it amongst themselves. And they will kill anyone who stands in their way of glory or Valhalla," Hiccup shook his head as he then grinned, "but despite their belief in their false gods, they are men, just like us. Cut them, and they will bleed. Kill them, and they will die!" The young prince then drew Inferno and raised it above his head. "To battle! For Christ, for your families, and Corona!" The soldiers under the command of Hiccup all roared, the fire within them had been stoked to a raging inferno, and they were prepared to defend their home to the death.

Viking war horns sounded and Hiccup returned his attention to the hostile army outside the gates of his home and he heard the roars of thousands of warriors as they charged. "Archers, nock!" Hiccup turned to his archers as they then aimed. "Loose!" As arrows blotted out the morning sun and rained down on the advancing Viking army, Hiccup reached for a horn strapped to his left thigh and blew it with all his might. Suddenly, a large group of dragon riders, led by his mother, Valka, emerged out of the forests behind the Viking army and began to destroy their siege towers and catapults.

Cheering as the Viking war machines were being laid waste, the soldiers of Corona quickly returned their focus on the Vikings who were quickly crossing the bridge leading the the front gate. These Vikings were lugging one of their cages with them so that they could batter down the front gate and not worry about damage overhead. As his troops were repelling the Viking ground forces, Hiccup spotted four dragon riders flying straight for him, leading this small band of Viking riders was Astrid Hofferson, perched on the back of the same Deadly Nadder they had trained against back on Berk.

"Hiccup!"

The prince quickly reached for his Gronckle Iron shield and protected himself from a jet of Nadder fire. Grunting as the heat wave caressed his skin and the force of the attack nearly knocked him down, Hiccup quickly leaped on Toothless, who had just finished shooting an advancing Viking siege tower in the center, causing the whole thing to collapse and crush many Viking warriors. "I'll deal with the enemy dragon riders," Hiccup said to the highest-ranking soldier. "Hold this position. Do not let the enemy inside the city. If they breach the gate, spring the trap."

"Yes, Prince Hiccup!"

"C'mon bud, let's deal with this... annoyance," Toothless barked in agreement as the duo took to the sky with the Riders of Berk on their tail. "How about a game of chicken?" Hiccup barked out over his shoulder, goading his enemies into making a mistake.

"Ooh, you are so on, Useless!" Snotlout grinned. "Let's go, Hookfang!" The Monstrous Nightmare pumped his wings as he then lit himself on fire and charged Hiccup and Toothless. Before Hookfang could sink his claws into Hiccup, the experienced rider had Toothless dive down, in doing so, the Night Fury landed a powerful tail whip across Hookfang's jaw, sending the Monstrous Nightmare to spiral out of control.

"Uh, Hookfang! Hookfang!"

Laughing his cousin and dragon crashed into the streets below and were soon taken captive by soldiers. "One down. Three to go," Hiccup smirked as the other Riders of Berk were eager to make a move, but were hesitant. "You may ride dragons, but your feeble skills are no match for my own." Urging Toothless to go for Astrid and Stormfly next, Hiccup knew that if he took her down, the twins and Fishlegs would fall apart.

"Let's see if you can back that tough talk up, Haddock!" Astrid placed a hand on her dragon's head. "Spine shot, Stormfly!" Hiccup and Toothless avoided the volley of Nadder spines, and just as Astrid could have her dragon attack again, Hiccup lifted his shield. It fired a bola that wrapped itself around the Nadder's wings, causing the dragon to squeal out in panic and the blond shield maiden to scream.

"Astrid!"

Fishlegs and the twins swooped down to save her, but Hiccup patted Toothless and murmured against his ear. "Stun blast, bud," the Night Fury fired two blasts that stunned Fishleg's dragon and the twins shared Zippleback, causing the two dragons to spiral out of control and crash into the streets below. "Take them and their dragons!" Hiccup barked to the nearby soldiers who were now apprehending Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut, and muzzling their dragons.

Astrid and Stormfly had crashed down not far from Fishlegs and his dragon and were soon being surrounded by soldiers, Hiccup, however, stopped them. "I'll handle her. Ensure that no other Vikings enter the city," the soldiers bowed their heads and returned to their posts, leaving Hiccup face-to-face with the girl he was once head and heels for.

"Hiccup,"

Once Toothless touched down on the ground and Hiccup slid off of his dragon, he merely gave the blond beauty before him a nod. "Astrid,"

If Hiccup had been told that he would face the greatest shield maiden of his generation in a fight to the death had he still lived on Berk, he might've either passed out or run away. But now, having fought as a mercenary in countless wars, as well as sharpening his skills as a bounty hunter, and having had the privilege of training alongside some of the finest warriors the world had to offer at the time, Hiccup was very confident to face off against Astrid.

"We don't have to fight, Astrid. Your odds against me are not in your favor, trust me," Hiccup paced back and forth slowly as he tried to reason with the woman he once loved. "You're a strong warrior, it's true, but I've trained with warriors that make Vikings look like drunken fools. I don't want to kill you."

Astrid, with her battle axe in hand, the same axe that he had crafted himself, glared at Hiccup before her face softened. "I... I don't want to fight you either, Hiccup," letting out a frustrated huff, the blond beauty cut the bola that was wrapped around her dragon's wings. "After hearing all about your adventures and exploits these last five years made me realize that I was wrong to treat you like yak dung. I was wrong for the way I treated you in my pursuit of glory, but I was wrong for doing nothing to protect you from Snotlout, the twins, and everyone else who made your life miserable back on Berk."

"Yet here we are."

"Yet here we are," Astrid agreed. For a long while, the two warriors eyed each other until Astrid spoke softly. "Come away with me." Hiccup frowned but Astrid pleaded further. "Hiccup, we can start over, if anyone needs a clean slate, it's me. But if you come away with me, we can live on our wits and maybe rekindle our friendship." Extending a hand, Astrid gave him a hopeful look. "Please. Let me make it up to you, Hiccup. Come with me."

Hiccup began to laugh, in both amusement in utter disbelief. Once his laughter had died down, he shook his head. "Astrid, my feelings for you withered the moment I was branded and banished from Berk. I have a future, here in Corona. You and the other Vikings threaten that future, and nothing you say or do will ever make me betray my wife, in-laws, and people." He then gave her a stern glare. "If you want a future for yourself, I suggest you heed my counteroffer."

"Hiccup—"

"No, Astrid, I know you're going to tell me that Vikings don't compromise. But for your sake and the sake of the other fools hurtling themselves against the walls of my city, you'll hear what I have to offer you and others."

Having been raised by a family steeped in tradition, Astrid knew that she shouldn't even consider what Hiccup was about to offer, let alone entertain it. And yet despite what her gut was telling her, she wanted to make things right with Hiccup, especially how she treated him when he was still living on Berk. If hearing out what Hiccup had to offer and then acting on it could be the start of repairing the friendship they once had as children, Astrid was willing to try, she owed it to both herself and to Hiccup.

"What do you have in mind?"

Stoick the Vast hated to admit it, but during a raid like this, he was sloppy. It was safe to say that all the Vikings participating in this grand raid were sloppy, after all, Vikings had not conducted a raid on this scale in centuries.

Not only did his fellow Hairy Hooligans and Vikings have to deal with the enemy archers and defenses cutting them down, but they also had to deal with enemy dragon riders who were just now destroying the last of their war machines. The Hooligan chief was leading some of his best men in one of the cages that was now flushed against the gates of Corona and Vikings were now battering the gate down with a massive battering ram.

"Bring that gate down!"

Despite the efforts of his warriors, the gate would not budge, and the Vikings were losing numbers by the second. Stoick could even see many of the Vikings running. "Hooligans, no matter what happens, stand your ground, and fight!" The Chief of Berk boomed out over the ensuing battle. "The gods are with us! Fight on!" The Hairy Hooligans battering down the gate roared, their chief's words fanned the raging inferno within them.

Unfortunately, the enemy dragon riders began to drop amphoras full of oil and have their dragons light the flammable substance, raining fire on Viking warriors. Their screams filled the air as they were being burned alive. The gate to the city suddenly began to budge and Stoick felt hope stir in his belly. "Hit it again!" Helping his men with battering the gate down, the gate began to strain and groan under the blows of the battering ram. "AGAIN!" Roaring out, Stoick poured all of his strength into every blow, he would not accept failure. He would see this through, even if it meant meeting a glorious death.

The gates suddenly came down, and the Vikings cheered, Stoick, however, reached for his battle axe and picked up a discarded shield from the ground as he barked out to his Hairy Hooligans and any Viking charging to the now battered gates. "Forward!" As the Vikings all poured through the breach, they were met by a sizeable force of Corona's soldiers who were waiting for them. Before the Vikings knew what was happening, a reinforced iron gate slammed behind them, trapping them like rats.

Gasping in horror that he and his forces were now in a kill box, the Chief of Berk noted how Corona's soldiers surrounding them had formed a shield wall and archers were now picking them off. "Shield wall!" Stoick barked out to his men. "Back to back, circle up, now!" Vikings who foolishly tried to penetrate the Corona soldier's shield wall were run through with spears and finished off with arrows filling their chests before the shield wall began to close in.

"We're trapped!"

"We're dropping like flies!"

"Stoick, what do we do?"

As more and more of his allies and fellow Hooligans fell, Stoick inhaled sharply before roaring like a ferocious beast. Charging the shield wall surrounding him and his brave warriors, the Chief of Berk smashed through before killing the nearest archer and quickly using them as a human shield to protect himself from a volley of arrows. Diving towards the next archer, Stoick hacked one of their legs off and hurled his axe which embedded itself into another archer's face. Quickly drawing his sword, Stoick then avoided one of the enemy soldiers' spears, cutting half of the shaft off and catching it before driving the spearhead into his opponent's throat.

"Open the gate!"

The remaining Hooligans began to raise the reinforced gate while more of the soldiers along the wall raced down the steps to deal with the Vikings attempting to open the gate. Stoick, who had finished off half of the soldiers who had nearly killed him and the remainder of his warriors, then rushed the new arriving soldiers who tried to stop his men from raising the gate and allowing the rest of their forces and allies into the city. The Vikings on the other side of the gate lifted the gate from the ground up while the Vikings within the city were lifting the gate as fast as possible while Stoick continued to kill countless soldiers of Corona. Eventually, the gate opened, and the Vikings unleashed cheers, roars, and battle cries as they charged into Corona to pillage everything of value.

A stream of fire suddenly cut the Vikings off before they could advance. Looking to the sky, they saw that the enemy dragon riders were now before them, along with more soldiers of Corona that were on the other side of the flames. Before any Viking could make a move, a large Stormcutter roared in warning, while the rider on its back pointed its strange, curved staff at them. Stoick suddenly recognized the beast before him, this dragon was the very same dragon that had taken his wife from him so long ago.

"You," he seethed in hatred. Pointing his bloodied sword at the Stormcutter, Stoick growled. "I'll make you bleed for taking my wife away from me!" The dragon snarled in challenge as if he was daring Stoick to back up such bold talk. And before the Chief of Berk could attack, an ear-piercing roar stopped him.

"ENOUGH!"

Hiccup and Toothless landed between his bloodthirsty father and his mother who was defending his new home from being raped and defiled. Astrid too landed beside the former heir of Berk and his Night Fury, causing the Vikings to look at each other in confusion.

"Astrid, what is the meaning of this?" Stoick demanded.

Sliding off of her dragon, the young Hofferson spoke up. "Chief, you need to hear what Hiccup has to say," Astrid then turned to Hiccup and gave him a firm nod.

"This raid won't end well for you! You've made it inside the city, true. But what now? You're going to lose in the end unless we can come to an agreement that benefits both parties—"

"There will be no compromise, Hiccup Haddock," Queen Una said firmly while perched on a horse. The leader of this raid gestured around them. "We will take this place and take you to see you executed properly for not only renouncing our gods but also for slaying countless Vikings this day."

Glaring at the leader of the Shivering Isles, Hiccup looked to nearby rooftops, and the Vikings followed his line of sight, only to see archers surrounding them on the rooftops around them. "Refuse my offer and I'll have my men kill you where you stand, and you will die," the Vikings were considering hearing Hiccup's offer while others stood with Queen Una, unwilling to compromise.

"Alright, I'll bite. What are you offering us, brother?" Dagur pushed his way through the hundreds of remaining Viking warriors.

"I will offer you all every ounce of gold and silver that I've earned in the five years of living as a bounty hunter and mercenary for hire—"

An uproar of outrage and disgust came from the Vikings, they all cursed Hiccup Haddock for trying to stop their grand raid and attempted to bribe them to stop. Dagur laughed manically before his amusement was replaced with murderous resentment. "We are Vikings, brother, unlike you. We will never stop!" The Vikings roared in agreement with the young Berserker chieftain.

"Speak for yourself, Dagur!"

All eyes turned to Camicazi who pushed through the crowds of Vikings. She and Thuggory soon approached Hiccup and stood by his side. This caused the other Vikings to murmur amongst each other in both shock and confusion.

"Camicazi. Thuggory. Explain yourselves!" Queen Una demanded.

Turning to Hiccup, the heir to the Meathead Vikings looked to his patron and spoke boldly. "I will not fight Hiccup Haddock, neither will my betrothed," taking Camicazi's hand and interlacing his fingers with her own, the two Viking heirs stood tall. "Hiccup Haddock has stood as a brother to the two of us, and I refuse to rob him of the happiness he deserves. after he has suffered a lifetime of torment because he wasn't "Viking" enough to please his father,"

"Agreed." Camicazi glared at Queen Una before gesturing around them. "We can't win this raid! Hiccup's tactical genius and superiority as a warrior are too much for us. What good will it do for our people back home if our armies die here?"

Mogadon and Big Boobied Bertha shared a look before nodding in agreement with each other. Their respective children were right, especially Camicazi. If they could deal with Hiccup, then their armies could return home and prevent other hostile invaders from usurping them of their lands. The leaders of both the Meathead and Bog Burglar Vikings stood by Hiccup's side, alongside their children. The armies of these respective Viking leaders took the side of their chieftains and now stood in defiance of Queen Una and all the other Vikings who opposed the notion of compromising with Hiccup.

"Traitors, all of you!"

"You call yourselves Vikings!?"

"You would forsake your honor to side with a Christian!?"

As the tension grew thicker by the second, Hiccup drew Inferno and his sword of fire effectively shut everyone up for the moment. "If you won't deal with me, then here's an ultimatum for you all. I call a hólmgang and challenge the leaders of each opposing Viking leader in a battle to the death. If you all kill me, then you can carry on with your raid and see if you can finish what you started. But I kill... three of the most powerful Viking leaders, then all of you will take your armies and leave these lands. I'll even release the Riders of Berk, who are now my prisoners for the time being."

"You would fight us, Hiccup Haddock?" Dismounting her horse, Queen Una gestured to some of the other ferocious Viking leaders— Alvin the Treacherous, Dagur the Deranged, and Bjorn the Bear. The leader of the Shivering Isles crossed her arms behind her back. "Your odds against us are not well."

"I've faced men ten times more fearsome than this lot," Hiccup's words caused many of the Viking leaders to snarl, Hiccup, however, was unfazed as he looked back at Queen Una. "I kill three of you, and you all leave Corona. Or stay if you want, and I'll kill every last one of you myself."

"Bold words for such a little man," Bjorn the Bear huffed as he towered over Hiccup. Resting his massive war hammer on his shoulder, the mountain of a man bore his teeth. "Do you think you can kill me?"

Smirking, Hiccup answered the giant with confidence. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall," with that said, Hiccup used Inferno to cut the giant's legs out from under him, causing Bjorn to roar in sheer agony. The Vikings opposing the notion of compromise all let out a collective gasp as Hiccup grabbed the giant by the front of his armor he mewled in pain while clutching his bleeding stumps that were once his legs. "Not so tall without legs, are you?" Hiccup's taunt was then followed up with him driving Inferno through his opponent's heart, killing him.

As the giant fell dead, Hiccup extended his arms in invitation to the shocked Vikings. "Who's next?"

With his battle axe in one hand, Dagur drew a sword attached to his back and licked his teeth as he approached Hiccup. "You may have caught big 'ol Bjorn by surprise, but let's see how you fare against the chieftain of the Berserkers!" Summoning his inner rage, Dagur roared as he and Hiccup hacked and slashed at each other. Many of the other Viking leaders joined the fray, attempting to overwhelm Hiccup with their experience and numbers. Hiccup, however, was not fazed, and he kicked many of the other Vikings away before returning his attention to Dagur, who ducked just as he would've taken off his head. "Haha!" The Berserker chieftain landed a fierce kick into Hiccup's chest, sending him crashing down.

"ARGH!"

Hiccup rolled away just as Dagur drove his sword into the ground. Attempting to pull his sword out of the ground, however, the Berserker's leader gasped when he realized that his sword was wedged into the ground. Noting this as well, Hiccup then cut off Dagur's sword hand, causing the Berserker chieftain to crumble to his knees, screaming while he was clutching his smoking stump. "Y-You... just cut off my hand!" With a murderous glare, Dagur hurled his axe at Hiccup, only for him to swat away the weapon before being shoulder-charged by Alvin the Treacherous.

"Not bad, boy. Looks like your reputation wasn't an exaggeration,"

Quickly rolling away from the Outcast chieftain's sword, Hiccup kicked one of Alvin's knees, causing the large man to fall onto all fours and then receive another kick directly in the face. Now back on his feet, Hiccup turned around ready to strike another of the Vikings down, only to be face to face with his father. And for a moment, time seemed to have stopped as father and son stared into each other's eyes.

Could Hiccup truly kill his father?

Hiccup was suddenly stabbed from behind, causing him to let out a choked gasp. Looking down, the prince of Corona could see a bloodied blade protruding from his midsection, the pain he was feeling was excruciating. Looking over his shoulder, he laid eyes on Dagur, a crazed grin on his face. "Huh, I guess you do bleed after all. Every story I heard about your exploits made you seem as though you were invincible," cruelly twisting his blade, Dagur reveled in Hiccup's agonizing screams as he then leaned in to murmur against the former heir of Berk's ear. "Once you're dead, I think I'll pay that pretty princess you married a visit. I'll have my wicked way with her and then hand her over to my men."

It was as if something snapped inside of Hiccup; his blood began to boil and he felt a burst of adrenaline course through his veins. With a cry, Hiccup bashed the back of his head against Dagur and pushed himself off of his sword before turning to the Berserker chieftain with a murderous glare. As both men narrowed their eyes at each other, Hiccup took a strong stance and merely waited for Dagur to make a foolish move. After wiping the blood trickling down his nose from the blow Hiccup had dealt him, Dagur roared out as he lunged at Hiccup, determined to run him through. The former heir of Berk severed Dagur's sword in half and then drove Inferno through the Berserker's belly, searing him from the inside. Dagur's cries of agony were followed by a choked mewl as Hiccup then spilled his guts open, forcing him to collapse on his knees. While desperately trying to stop the intense bleeding from his open belly, Dagur choked softly when Hiccup then drove Inferno through his jugular before slashing his throat wide open. Torrents of blood stained Hiccup's boots and ground as Dagur fell face first, dead.

Inhaling sharply, Hiccup spat on Dagur's head. "Threaten my wife with rape and abuse, and you will pay the price," he seethed before eyeing Alvin and Stoick, as well as the other Viking leaders yet standing, silently challenging them. "Care to test your luck?"

"I'm not going to accept your charity, boy! I'd rather go out like a true Viking. Glory or Valhalla!"

Alvin bellowed as he rushed Hiccup with his sword in hand. Diving away from the Outcast chieftain's word, Hiccup reached for his Gronckle Iron shield, activated the crossbow feature, loaded a bolt, and pulled the trigger just as Alvin was about to bring his sword down on top of him. For a moment, there was silence. But then there was a choked gasp when Alvin tried to speak but couldn't, thanks to the crossbow bolt embedded in his throat. Hiccup strapped his shield behind his back and merely looked into Alvin's eyes as he soon fell back, dying from suffocation.

With three of the Viking leaders dead, Hiccup groaned as he then cauterized the wound Dagur had given him with Inferno. Growling in pain as the fire of his sword sealed his wound cut for the time being, Hiccup approached Queen Una. "I win," he said before pointing to the front gate. "Take your army and your rabble and return home with your lives."

Queen Una could see that many of her warriors and the warriors of her allies' morale was now crushed. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III had killed three of the top Viking leaders in their ranks with little to no problem, and now with the threat of facing the most famous Viking in their lifetime in single combat or being riddled with arrows from above, Queen Una sighed in defeat, knowing that either way, this raid was now a lost cause.

"Very well, Prince of Hiccup. I surrender."

Dropping her sword to the ground, the leader of the Shivering Isles turned to her warriors and gave them a silent command to drop their weapons. Reluctant at first, Una's warriors ultimately obeyed, and the clattering of weapons and shields filled the air. Hiccup turned to his men. "Release the Riders of Berk back into the custody of my father," the soldiers nodded and raced to where they were keeping the other young Hooligans and their dragons. The prince of Corona then turned to another group of soldiers. "Go to the treasury and withdraw all that I've earned before becoming prince of this kingdom. It's time to pay off our... guests and have them leave these lands for good." The soldiers bowed their heads and raced to Corona's treasury to withdraw all of Hiccup's wealth.

"Hiccup—"

Turning sharply to his father, Hiccup held a finger up, telling him to shut up. "I could've killed you, but I didn't. Instead, you'll take your portion of gold and silver, take your Riders of Berk and the rest of your warriors back home, and never again return to my kingdom." Glaring heatedly at his father, Hiccup gestured to his father's sacred arm ring around his right wrist. "Swear it to me."

Caressing the ring, Stoick nodded. "I swear, my tribe and I will never against set foot in these lands,"

"Break your, and I won't hesitate to kill you," Hiccup looked to his mother, who was still perched on Cloudjumper's back. She didn't say a word, and although he couldn't see her face, Hiccup knew that Valka wanted nothing to do with Stoick in this life. "Maybe when you die in battle or your bed, my mother can find it in her heart to forgive you for treating your one and only son so poorly." His words cut Stoick deeply, and before he could offer apologies for how poor of a father he was, Hiccup didn't want to hear it.

He was done with the past, which included his father.

Eventually, the Riders of Berk were returned to their parents who were alongside Stoick, and soldiers of Corona began to wheel in wagons that bore chests and crates full of gold, silver, and precious stones. Turning to Queen Una, Hiccup gestured to his wealth. "Distribute the wealth among your people and your allies. Once that's done, return the fetid corpse, Gothel. She's a criminal who will receive the executioners' axe." Nodding, Queen Una had two of her men deliver Gothel into Hiccup's charge.

Once the old woman was in Hiccup's grasp, the prince of Corona could see Gothel's withering form swell and jostle. His thoughts stink of disgust, and she could smell it. "All I ever wanted was to live a long life, to not suffer... this," Gothel's skin is mottled with sickly translucence that grips Hiccup's stomach, despite having a strong stomach, the woman who used his wife as a means of preserving her youth and vanity made Hiccup grit his teeth in disgust at this corpse of woman.

"Death comes for us all. You can't cheat it, no matter how hard you try," Hiccup pressed Inferno to her heart and ignited his blade, killing her. Gothel stumbled back, clutching her wound and looking into Hiccup's stone-cold eyes with shock. "That was for using Rapunzel for your selfish desires at the expense of her happiness and dreams." Eventually, Gothel fell back before reducing to dust. After centuries of evading death, it caught up to her, and what remained of her scattered in the wind.

As the Vikings had all taken their share of the wealth Hiccup had accumulated over the years and collected their dead for a proper burial, Hiccup had shared a final, heartwarming farewell with Camicazi and Thuggory, thanking them for standing by his side as well as thanking Mogadonn and Bertha before wishing them farewell.

Hiccup watched as his father, the Riders of Berk, and the Hairy Hooligans were about to leave, they all cast one last look at Hiccup, but the prince of Corona gestured to the front gate with his head, silently telling them to leave. Eventually, all the Vikings were out of the city and were leaving the Kingdom of Corona. While his men began the tedious task of removing the dead and clearing the destroyed Viking war machines to be repurposed, Hiccup watched the Viking ships sailing away as the late morning sun hung high in the sky.

"Hiccup?"

Turning around to see his wife, Rapunzel, he smiled at her greetings before looking back to the horizon. "I gave away every ounce of my wealth to send them away. It was either that or allow them to kill countless citizens of Corona and take what they had for themselves,"

Taking her husband's hand in one of her own, Rapunzel gave him a gentle squeeze. "You did the right thing, Hiccup. I'm proud of you,"

"As am I,"

The two turned to see Valka approach, her helmet tucked under her right arm while offering her son a soft smile. "I understand giving away your wealth must hurt, but when you become King of Corona, you will make more wealth with trade deals or other ventures,"

"I know, Mom. I just... it feels weird, giving away everything I earned after five long years of blood, battle, and taking jobs. But that doesn't mean I regret my choice. I would do it again in a heartbeat, especially if it meant Corona and its people remained safe."

Leaning against her husband, Rapunzel lifted their laced hands and kissed his knuckles. "Your compassion is one of the many reasons why I love you, Hiccup," smiling at his wife's words, he kissed the top of her head in acknowledgment. Rapunzel then looked to Valka, eyes full of hope. "Can you and your riders stay for a while? I'd love to get to know more about my husband's mother and all of her exploits."

"Oh, I don't want to be a burden, my dead—"

"Nonsense!"

King Frederic and Queen Arianna approached, backed by their bodyguards as they approached. "You and your people aided us in our time of need. And my daughter is right, I would like to know more about my son-in-law's mother,"

"As would I," Arianna smiled before giving Valka a hopeful look. "Join us for an evening meal? You and your riders?"

Valka looked at her son, she could see his features soften, and he gave her a hopeful look as well. She couldn't deny his pleading eyes. "Oh, very well. I suppose my fellow riders and I could stay before we depart."

"Excellent," King Frederic laughed before approaching Hiccup. "Thank you, son. For defending our home." Hiccup smiled and hugged his father-in-law, causing the king to let out a surprised gasp before chuckling and returning his embrace.

"I'm at your service, my king," Hiccup respectfully said to his father-in-law before taking Rapunzel's hand. "Until the time comes for me and Rapunzel to rule, I will lead your armies, train new soldiers as well Corona's very first dragon riders to combat external or internal threats, and I will offer you counsel in any way that I can."

"And your service will be well received, my dear," Arianna smiled before gesturing to Corona Castle. "Until then, wash away the stench of battle and blood, and prepare to join us later on this evening as we celebrate your victory over the Vikings."

Hiccup nodded and as he and Rapunzel returned home with their respective dragons by their side, the former heir of Berk thought back on how he had come in life— to be the laughing stock of Berk, to becoming the most famous Viking in his lifetime, to finding the love of his life, and then becoming Corona's prince. And to think, all of this had happened because he had been banished from Berk. He had everything he had been missing back on Berk, and he wouldn't trade it for anything the world had to offer him.

He was home, and he would soon rule Corona as king, with Rapunzel as his radiant queen, and eventually, they would have children of their own. The future was something Hiccup once dreaded, but now, he could hardly wait to see what the future had in store for him.

A/N: Fitting that I end this story here and now. I wish I could've done more with it, but I needed to end this story. But yeah, I hope you all enjoyed the story regardless, and I'll catch you all in the next one!