Becoming

The Unforgivable Truth

Jim's POV:

"Okay. Drink this," Merlin told me as I sat watch by the unconscious boy and his dragon back at Trollmarket.

Unlike the green jar that Merlin had given me last time, this time it was blue. "Am I supposed to submerge myself in it again?" I asked him, warily taking the jar from him as I did.

"No. This time you can drink it," Merlin said.

Grateful, but irritated, I lifted up the blue liquid and stared at it. If this worked out then I would get to be human again. For one last time since apparently the specific concoction only worked once on each person. In this case, Troll.

"Okay then," I said. Then took a sip of the disgusting liquid which tasted poisonous in my throat. I suddenly felt queezy.

"Aah," Claire said. "Why has nothing happened yet?"

"Fair Claire. Enchantments take a while to perform their magic," Merlin said, stating the obvious.

"I..." I started, holding my stomach just as nausea hit me. "I don't feel..."

"Jim?" Claire asked. Grabbing me by the shoulders.

"Maybe I should just..."

"He needs to rest. I will take him to the Dwell," Claire told Merlin who I really couldn't care less for right now.

I let Claire take me. Heck, it would be impossible to argue with her anyway. Something was happening inside of me. Probably the transformation which meant that I should probably just sleep it off then.

"Okay Jim," Claire said next to me as she placed me down on slab of stone that reminded me of the time when Angor Rot had hurt my mom and we had been forced to take her down to Trollmarket.

Then I was looking up at her. Until I remembered what I looked like. "I know what you're seeing right now, Claire," I said. "And I'm sorry for that. But-"

"We discussed this, Jim. I told you. Troll or human... it's not going to make a difference for the way I feel about you," she said.

Her words made me smile. Of course they did. "Now just get some rest," she told me. Then touched my cheek. She left before I could ask for her to stay with me. It didn't matter in the end anyway when sleep took me over. Next thing I knew, is that I had passed out.

🔵🔴🔵

Something felt different about me when I woke up. Almost forgetting what it was like to be human, I almost gave myself a fright when I lifted up my hand to see my own flesh and bone again. Revived with my normal attire. "It worked?" I asked myself, too excited to contain it.

To prove that this wasn't a dream I pinched my arm. But nope. This was real. The pain didn't wake me up. It just woke me up to reality.

The transformation made me laugh. Why wouldn't I? I was back. Excited, I hopped off the bed to try and see myself through the reflection of the Hearthstone around us. I couldn't believe it. I was back. I was human again.

And because I was so thrilled at having my old body back, I didn't realise how quickly I had made it to Blinky's new library until I started hearing a voice that I had never heard before.

"What's... what's going on? Where am I?" The voice asked. My back now against the wall leading down into the library, I slowly made my way in.

"I... who are you?" The boy with the brown hair and green eyes suddenly asked me.

I froze where I was. Not sure what to say. Only Claire looked too relieved to respond. "Jim!" She exclaimed. Rushing up to hug me. I couldn't be happier myself.

"Jim?" The boy asked.

"Oh Master Jim," Blinky cried. "You're back. And just in time for our new recruit to wake up."

"Whoa, hang on. Recruit?" The boy asked. And as if to back him up, his black dragon growled beside him in agreement. "First tell me what's going on? And now to think of it, how did I get here?"

"Oh not so fast, newbie," I said, now making my way closer to him and his dragon. "You're the one who landed in our territory. And to answer your question, how you came to Arcadia is something we would like to know as well. That, and why do you hold an amulet that is similar to that of mine?"

I will admit. The boy looked pretty innocent when he looked at me with those raised eyebrows of his.

"Oh the amulet," he then said. "I found mine back on Berk. While Toothless and I were scouting the area for a new island, I suddenly heard it call my name," he exclaimed.

Toothless? I thought. Strange. Though he is rather cute. No one could deny that. Cute and dangerous.

"Which is?" I asked.

"Hiccup," he said.

"That's your name?" Claire asked behind me, trying to suppress a laugh but failing.

"What? You have a problem with that?" Hiccup asked, glaring daggers at her.

"Okay. Let's just all keep it crispy here for a second-"

"Really Jim?" Claire asked.
I rolled my eyes which caused Hiccup to ask, "Now to think of it? Why above all questions did you ask me about the amulet? Do you have one too-"

"Indeed he does," Merlin suddenly said from behind us.

His irresistible presence caused us all to look at him as he came proudly walking in. "James, I see my enchantment worked it's magic on you," he said.

"Aah, yes..." he threw me something before I could finish. My blue eyes lit up when I caught it. I would recognise that round, shining blue amulet anywhere. "My amulet!" I said.

"Indeed," Merlin answered. "And your brother, I believe."

"What?!" Hiccup and I both exclaimed in unison.

"Oh yes," Merlin resumed as if it were no big deal. "Twins to be precise. I used to know your father-"

"Of course you did," I answered him sarcastically. I only could assume how Hiccup was feeling by this point because I was feeling the same. One word? Overwhelmed. "So you're saying that Stoick the Vast, was never my actual father?" Hiccup asked, tears starting to form in his eyes when I looked back at him.

"No, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. Now Chief of Berk. If you truly want to know, it was my own brother, Arthur who was your father. You as well, James. I know this is not the first time that you've never thought about your father before. Let me explain," he said when he got a look at our confused faces.

"Your father only separated you two because you were in danger. Back when you two were both infants, Trollmarket in Arcadia was under attack by Donmar. An evil wizard and half troll like you, Jim, with a dragon of his own such as yours, Hiccup. Alas he was not defeated. And so a prophecy arose which spoke of two brothers coming together again in order to help put a stop to Donmar once for all. Surt was never trying to attack you, Hiccup. He was just trying to help you. And which he did."

"Yeah, well he has a very strange way of showing help then," Hiccup said. Then looked at me. And as much as I didn't want to believe Merlin, there was something in his story that made sense. Hiccup however, didn't seem to be falling for any of this.

"Twins? Seriously. And here I thought Tuffnut and Ruffnut were the only twins that I would ever meet. When all this time, I am one myself. No... if we are brothers, then I'm going to need some proof-"

"No problem," Merlin said. "Then let me just take you back to how it all started. If you don't believe me after that, then that's your choice, Hiccup."