Secret of a Dragon (An HTTYD Story)

Epilogue

And here we go.

Enjoy!

The sun sets slowly over Berk as Hiccup and Crystal sit overlooking the sea. The evening is mostly quiet, save for the occasional movement within the forest behind them and the crashing of the waves below them. Crystal had brought them here earlier, but Hiccup still isn't sure what her intentions were. She had hardly spoken at all since they arrived, only giving the simplest replies to Hiccup's awkward comments, until finally he fell silent as well. 

It's starting to get unnerving.

As the fading sun turns the horizon a blistering red, he finally decides to try again. "So, um --"

"Autumn."

She says the word so abruptly that Hiccup jumps. "I -- What?"

"What do you know about Autumn?"

"Uh... it's when the leaves start changing --"

"Not the season." Crystal sighs, running a hand across her forehead. "The girl. She was in dragon training with us, her name is Autumn. I'm sure you know her."

For several long seconds Hiccup sits silently, his mouth open but frozen, until finally the vague image of the other girl cuts through his mind. "Oh! Yeah, I know about her, but I've never talked to her. I don't know a whole lot about her, other than she's really shy and doesn't get involved in much. Come to think of it, I don't think I knew her at all before dragon training. She's always kept to herself. Why are you asking?"

"No reason, really, I just..."

She pauses.

"It's nothing. Nevermind. Hiccup, I have something really important to say. I'm going away."

"Wait, what?"

He pauses, not totally comprehending what she said, and Crystal starts again, speaking almost too quickly.

"Look, I know it's sudden--"

"You don't say--"

"--and this might not be a good idea but I think it's the best thing to do right now--"

"Crystal, hold on--"

"--and I'm sorry but I don't know what else to do--"

"Crystal!"

She stops talking.

"Okay, I don't know what you're talking about. Why are you going away? We just brought the war against the dragons to an end, this calls for celebration! Where are you going?"

She looks out toward the sunset once more, and Hiccup, watching her in the crimson glow of the disappearing sun, sees her for the first time. Her eyes, so like Hiccup's own, are dull, with pronounced circles traced under them by her exhaustion. Her skin is creased with worry lines, dotted with tiny scars and marred by larger ones, still as pale as the day Hiccup first laid eyes on her. Her hands move restlessly in her lap, fiddling with different things she picks up off the ground just for the sake of not staying still. 

She looks lost.

"I don't know," she says finally. "I'm not sure how it works. But you don't have to worry. Toothless won't be going anywhere."

Hiccup blinks. "I thought you were Toothless."

"I am. In a way. I can become her, but she is also her own pers-- dragon. I'm going to be going away, but she's staying right here. So..."

She turns to him, her face framed by her hair, flaming under the remaining sunlight.

"Take care of her, alright?"

"What? Crystal, hold on, why are you leaving?" Hiccup isn't sure he is understanding this correctly. He doesn't want Crystal to leave. They had become best friends, and fought together to save Berk. Why would she be leaving now?

"I don't belong here, Hiccup. I shouldn't be on Berk, sometimes I don't think I should be here at all. I have to go.

"And I never said I was leaving," she adds. "It's... hard to explain. I'm going to be withdrawing. Away. Into my own mind. You might never see me again."

Hiccup's mouth opens and closes, but he can't form the words.

"Why?" he says finally.

"It's for the best."

Her gaze turns back to the sunset, but from the side, Hiccup can see the small smile playing on her lips. 

"Just take care of Toothless, okay? And yourself. Promise me."

"I will." The words slip from his mouth before he even realizes he needs to say them. Of course he would take care of Toothless.

"Thank you," Crystal whispers.

She closes her eyes, and slowly, she exhales. Her hands stop moving.

"Crystal?"

She doesn't show any sign of having heard him. Her body begins to completely relax, her head slumping forward as her smile finally appears in its full glory. Hiccup calls her name again, once again receiving no response. Then suddenly, she falls. She collapses backward, prone to land on her back. Hiccup shouts her name one more time, reaching an arm out in a futile attempt to catch her -- he's too far away from her, and he didn't move fast enough.

But she doesn't hit the ground.

As Hiccup makes eye contact with the fully formed Night Fury, he can see it in her eyes. This is different from Crystal. This is no human in disguise: this is a true dragon. This is Toothless.

She shifts closer to him, body heat radiating off of her as Hiccup sits up, watching her in awe. His friend just disappeared before his very eyes, replaced, and possibly never to return. For several minutes, he sits silently, staring at Toothless as she closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep, digesting this new development. Until finally he turns his eyes to the horizon. The sun is gone, replaced with pure darkness -- the Night Fury's domain. 

He made Crystal a promise, and there was no way he would be breaking it. For Crystal, for Toothless, and for himself, he would continue to move forward.

But he wouldn't be leaving Crystal. He would find a way to bring her back from the depths of her own mind, and this is the promise that he makes to himself at that moment.

A chapter in his life has ended, but of course, there would always be more. His story is only beginning.

~Fin.

...That's not the ending you were expecting, is it...?

That actually hurt to write. Rip me and all the readers.

DON'T ASK ME ANYTHING ABOUT A SEQUEL BECAUSE I'LL PUT OUT ANOTHER CHAPTER TONIGHT OR TOMORROW WITH ALL THE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT.

Special thanks to @caboose837 for sending me a message to get me going on this again, and a huge thank you to every single person who reads my stories for almost 200 followers. I am so glad you all enjoy reading what I write. I would not still be here without you.

Keep an eye out for the special information chapter next. I'll see you guys there, and until then, that's a wrap.

I hope you liked the book!!

Bye!!!