AU. Hiccup never took the shot on that fateful night. Toothless was never shot down-and the war continued. Three years later, Berk is beset by dragon raids and hostile tribes while the boy who should have saved the island is merely the assistant in the forge. Replaced as Heir and with only the beautiful Shield Maiden Astrid as his friend, fate gives Hiccup one more chance to end the war and become the hero he was meant to be. Hiccstrid. Disclaimer: I don't own How To Train Your Dragon. Rights remain with Cressida Cowell and Dreamworks.

Hiccup finally had the chance to be the Viking he never was. But he never brought down the knife. Instead, he freed the most notorious dragon ever known in Berk. But what if this one simple act of kindness resulted in Hiccup's life changing in a way he never expected? Hiccup will have to decide if this change is either a punishment or a reward for his actions. A/N This story was adopted from fanfiction.net after the writer claimed they couldn't continue the story due to their busy life. The first fourteen chapters is Hamsterjellyman's original work on www.fanfiction.net. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8341488/1/New-Life-Ahead

It's the story of a young Viking. Actually, he isn't that young anymore. He's 23 years old now. His name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. 8 years ago, he had to run away from his beloved home Berk because he became best friends with a creature that no Viking should ever become friends with: a dragon. Follow the brave Viking on a journey filled with joy, pain and even love, as he comes back to Berk... quite unexpectedly. 20/07/18: Changed the dialogue format and corrected a few grammatical errors. (There may still be a few errors, if so, feel free to tell me in the comment sections!) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE HTTYD FRANCHISE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cover by: @heysierra