Kings and Kings (Hijack/Frostcup AU)

Hiccup Haddock

"Someones trying to get our attention, Father." 

"Is that so?" 

"Yes, and they've certainly got it alright. King Jac-" 

"Jack Frost again? Hiccup your being paranoid. Whoever he's killed now is nothing out of the ordinary, he's a king after all he can do whatever the hell he likes." 

"It's not who he's killed it's where he's done it. Right on the edge of our border! My guess is he's testing us, seeing how we will react all while making the perfect trap. I know how his brain works, he's trying to but us out in the open where we are defenceless, So he can get an easy kill. He maybe decisive but he likes things easy." 

"There's two things wrong with what you said Hiccup. You mean to say 'you' your the only target he has." 

"And the other thing?" 

"Jack Frost doesn't like things easy, his mind his like a game of chess, and his target is his opponent, you'll never know what his next move is, no one has ever beaten him in the short time he's been ruling." 

"Then I shall be the first." 

King Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the 3rd, He's been ruling for 2 years after his father Stoick the Vast stepped down and gave Hiccup the reins. Now that Stoick is on his death bed, the kingdom was starting to wonder whether having Hiccup as their ruler was such a good idea, a few people even left because they believed Hiccup was unworthy of being king. 

The truth was he wasn't worthy of being a king. From the day he as born he was physically weaker and smaller, his powerful mind and stubborn attitude were the only things he had going for him. He could barely lift a sword until he was 16. 

Haddock also had an obsession with a formidable opponent under the name Jack Frost. He'd never met him before, he imagined him to be a scary 7 foot tall, brawny man with a murderous face. But with a name like Jack it was almost hard to believe he was a king, that alone made Hiccup suspicious of him,  He was sure that his name, Jack Frost, could be his weak spot. 

It was dinner time in the castle, he sat down at the end of the long wooden table and looked around at the few empty seats, two of his guards had betrayed them. They decided to leave and serve another kingdom, all because Hiccup wasn't the king they wanted. His self esteem took a hit from that, It made him feel like he'd never be good enough. But it also made him feel more determined to prove that he could be the leader they wanted. 

Suddenly one of the servants burst in through the door, panting and sweating as he leaned up against the door way holding a letter in his hand. "My king, It's a letter from King Jack Frost... He wants a dual." Hiccup's eyes widened, he dropped his fork on the table as he looked over that the servant, he opened his mouth to decline, then he glanced at everyone on the table who gazed at him with inspecting eyes, if he declined this he'd look like a coward, but it could be a trap... Stoick was right, you never do know his next move, this next move came from nowhere... Something wasn't right, but there was only one way to find out. "Tell him I accept the offer." he replied, the table gasped, everyone was shocked by his answer. 

Silence. He didn't know what else to expect, he never accepted challenges like this. Then suddenly the whole table erupted with cheers, "give him hell my King!" he heard someone yell out, he looked around in astonishment, everything seemed to be fast forwarding, the people cheering we're just blurs. He instantly regretted everything, but if he'd said no to Jack he wouldn't be getting this kind of reaction. He felt... respected and it felt good, so this is what it feels like to be a king. 

When he snapped out of his trance everyone was gone, he was left sitting alone at the table, it was only him and the fire behind him keeping his back warm. Hiccup slowly stood up, the chair groaning against the hard floor, the sound echoed through out the room. Haddock sighed, what had he gotten himself into, this wasn't him, this wasn't a smart move at all, he'd been swayed by his own kingdom, that feeling of respect had gone, he didn't deserve to be respected when he could be so easily pushed around. Still he could earn it a different way, the real way, if he defeated Jack in a dual, he could have that feeling again, the feel of a king. But first he had to get past this inner turmoil. 

For next few weeks, Hiccup trained his ass off during the day, hoping to get more coordinated with a sword, so he wasn't made a fool of during this fight, sure, Jack was probably a terrifying giant, but Hiccup was quick, if his calculations of Jack were correct his size would slow him down, but there was still a chance he was wrong and he could be utterly defeated. 

One chilly afternoon as Hiccup was practising his swordsmanship against one of his guards, one of his knights came towards them helping Stoick walk, Haddock gasped and drove his sword into the grass before running up to him, putting his hands on his fathers shoulder to help him stand, "father what are you doing out of bed! I said I was coming to visit you later." he said frantically, he shouldn't be out of bed, he could get hurt. "Did you? Oh, sorry son, I'm getting a little hard of hearing these days. Well since I'm already out here we might as well have a chat. It's about Jack." Stoick responded, Hiccup felt intrigued and nodded, he turned to the guard and the knight "alright you two may leave now." They nodded and quickly left. Hiccup helped his father sit down on the grass with him. Hiccup looked forward at the darkening sky as he waited for the retired king to speak. "I thought I should tell you what your up against, the dual is in two days am I right?" 

"Yes... Wait you've seen Jack?" 

"From a distance when he was a young boy. It was at a wedding between two people from different kingdoms, our kingdom and his kingdom were both invited. You weren't there so you wouldn't remember, that was back when you kept on falling ill with every disease there was. Anyway that's getting off track. I knew from the moment I glanced at him he was odd, it wasn't just the fact that he had pure white hair at his age, it was his eyes, cold, like a snakes, even back then he was way more intelligent than most people older than him, he knew who he wanted out of his way, he knew how to get them out of the way, he was and still is a cold blooded monster. You'll see it too when you look into his eyes." 

Those words sent shivers down Hiccup's spine, a cold blooded monster, who was this guy? He could end Hiccup. 

"What did he look like? Was he brawny too?"

"Not at all, he was quiet scrawny actually, he didn't like he could swing a sword, like you were at that age. He was quite lanky for his age though 5'9, no doubt he's grown since then though he was only 9." 

"So I could be up against a giant, thanks father that really helps..."

"Don't doubt yourself Hiccup, I've seen you practising, your quick on your feet which is what you need in a dual, big and brawny won't do you much good if you can't see where your enemy is going, I should know." 

Hiccup nodded, that reassured him a bit, he looked up at the sky, the stars were coming out. "Come on, let's get you inside."

Hiccup helped Stoick to his feet before leading him up to the castle, he handed him over to the knight that brought him here, "take him to bed, I've just gotta grab my sword, I-" 

"And Hiccup another thing. You have more heart than Jack ever did, either way, I'm proud of you no matter what you do." 

Hiccup felt his chest warm up as he smiled, "Thanks father." 

Hiccup Haddock is a good person.