46. History Lesson 2: The Sequel

The next morning, Stoick was fuming.

Gobber hadn’t done anything to get Hiccup to join them. It seemed like the boy was more inclined to stay.

He’d been stomping around all night, huffing and puffing. And now that the sun had risen, he was still huffing and puffing.

Nothing was going as it should’ve. He was supposed to find Hiccup, they’d reconcile, and be going home in an hour.

Why did things have to be so complicated?

Gobber insisted they let the boy stay. “He’s happier here than he ever was on Berk.”

Stoick bristled with rage. “Why are you fighting me on this? I just want my son back!”

“And ye’ll never get him back, if ye keep trying to force him into doing something against his will!” He retorted. “If ye accept his choices, maybe he’ll actually talk to ye again! Who knows, perhaps he’ll pop in for a visit now and then?”

The bearded man shook his head. “We don’t even know where we are, or how far it is from Berk! How is he supposed to visit?”

“We can work that out!” Exclaimed the blacksmith. “But we won’t be working anything out, until ye get your head out of your- “

Stoick, overwhelmed with frustration, suddenly let out a mighty yell. He swiftly turned and launched a massive punch to the nearest tree. Toppling it with ease.

As he stood there, panting and sweating from his anger, Gobber crossed his arms. Unimpressed.

“Did that make ye feel better?” He asked.

With a huff, Stoick stomped away. Not wanting to even look at Gobber right now.

Fishlegs cowered, and Astrid stood at attention, as he approached.

“You’re up next. Go into town, and talk some sense into Hiccup.” Commanded the chief. “Try to…relate to him on a teenage level.”

While Fishlegs had no clue what the man was talking about, Astrid simply nodded. Eyes set in a determined glare. “Don’t worry chief, Hiccup is definitely coming back with us. No matter what.”

Stoick didn’t catch the threatening undercurrent in her tone.

With Stormfly in tow, the two made for the cracked mountain.

“Remember, we’re not here to fight!” Fishlegs reminded. “We’re just going to talk to him.”

“Oh, we’re gonna talk alright…” She spoke, grip tightening on her axe. “We’re gonna have a nice, long talk…”

Fishlegs did catch the threatening undercurrent in her tone.

And he did not like it.

Meanwhile, Ruffnut and Tuffnut were formulating their own plot.

They had to go into town, Loki was there! But the chief wouldn’t let them leave the camp.

And so they came up with perhaps the most ingenious of their schemes…

“I gotta pee!”

Stoick eyed Tuffnut with an odd look. “…What?”

“I gotta pee!” Tuffnut repeated.

“So do I!” Added Ruffnut.

Stoick shrugged. “Then go find a bush…”

“No, no, no. You don’t understand…” Started Ruffnut. “This is a Thorston pee!”

The chief’s face was a visage of pure confusion.

“You see, chief.” Tuffnut began to explain. “Every year, we Thorston’s unleash a mighty and unnaturally green tinkle. It lasts for hours, and it smells like skunk spray mixed with sweaty socks and rotten fish.”

“I don’t think you want that in the camp.” Stated the female twin. Stoick feverishly shook his head in reply.

Tuffnut smiled. “Lucky for you, there’s a river nearby! So we’re just gonna go there, do our business, and be back before you know it!” The twins then began to leave, before Gobber stopped them.

“Hold on…why are ye going together?” He asked.

“Uh…we’re twins? We do everything together!” Said Ruffnut, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Stoick and Gobber, eyes wide, shared a horrified glance.

Finally, the twins were free to go. Snickering as they left the camp.

“Pfft, Thorston pee? I can’t believe they bought that!” Chuckled Ruffnut.

“It’s tough, being the smartest man alive.” Sighed Tuffnut. “The burden I bear is a heavy one…”

As they approached the cracked mountain, they faced each other with eager grins.

“Loki, here we come!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“W-WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE DOING!?”

Yelling over the howling winds, Fishlegs openly wondered just why they were flying above the town.

“Looking for someone.” Astrid replied, whilst scoping the ground below them.

“BUT WHY- “

“Stop shouting!” Astrid snapped, looking back to him.

Quieting himself to a normal tone, he spoke again. “But why did we pass the forge? That’s where Hiccup lives, remember?”

“We’re not looking for Hiccup…” She muttered, ominously.

Fishlegs didn’t like the sound of that.

They soared over the village, Astrid using her keen eyes to find her target, and glowering in disdain at just how insufferably cheerful everyone was.

Some people from below would stare up at them, or point at them, making Fishlegs very nervous.

Finally, Astrid spotted her.

They were flying towards a huge house, so colorful that they’d spotted it from a distance.

Once they were above it, they looked down into the courtyard. Astrid saw a mop of curly black hair, and the swaying of a blue dress.

She then realized that it was a girl.

And not just any girl.

The bespectacled girl.

She was sweeping, and humming a tune to herself. And most importantly, she was alone.

None of the other witches were present. Neither was Hiccup, or the Night Fury.

She was vulnerable.

“Uh…Astrid? What are we doing here?” Asked the increasingly uncomfortable boy.

She handed the rope to him, and stood on the Nadder’s back. “Go land her outside, and be ready to take off. I won’t be long…”

She readied herself to leap, gripping her trusty axe, as Fishlegs sputtered. “W-Wait, What are-Why-What’s happening!?”

Without another word, Astrid jumped off the dragon’s back.

She glared daggers at the girl, as she descended into the courtyard. Her braid snaking in the wind.

She braced herself for impact, and fell into a roll. Flipping onto her feet and immediately brandishing her axe, like a practiced warrior.

Mirabel jumped backwards with a shout. Pointing her broom to Astrid like it was a weapon, while she jittered in fear at the girl who seemingly just teleported behind her.

“LISTEN UP!” Astrid shouted with authority, pointing her axe to the girl. “YOU’RE COMING WITH- “

Her demands were cut off, as she felt the ground beneath her rumbling.

Before she could look down, she saw Mirabel rapidly backing away. While somehow staying in place…

No, Mirabel wasn’t backing away, Astrid was. She was being moved against her will.

Looking down, she saw that the tiles on the floor were shuffling her away from the girl, and towards the doors.

Before she had time to even scream, the front doors opened, and the tiles unceremoniously shoved Astrid outside. The doors then slammed shut.

Fishlegs was waiting for her, standing next to Stormfly. “What happened?” He asked.

Astrid didn’t answer. Instead, she hopped on the Nadder and flew up. Before jumping back inside.

Stormfly returned to her position besides Fishlegs, right before the doors opened and Astrid was pushed out once more.

“I really think you should- “Fishlegs’ suggestions went unheard, as Astrid mounted her dragon again and tried to enter the house again.

The result was the same.

Undeterred, Astrid attempted this plot a fourth time.

And ended up face-first on the grass a fourth time.

Tired of this nonsense, Fishlegs grabbed Astrid’s arm before she could rush to her dragon again. “What is happening!?”

“The house keeps throwing me out. Its moving on its own! It’s probably cursed…” She replied, before starting to move again.

But Fishlegs didn’t let go. “No, what’s happening with you? What are you doing? What does this have to do with Hiccup?”

She pointed inside with her axe. “That’s Hiccup’s girlfriend. If we take her to Berk, Hiccup will follow us!”

Fishlegs’ face paled as he heard this. “W-What the? That’s kidnapping! Are you crazy!?”

But Astrid didn’t reply. She just hopped on Stormfly, and tried again. While wailing a furious battle cry.

When she dropped down into the courtyard once again, Mirabel was waiting in a chair. A drink in her hand, legs crossed, and a deadpan stare on her face.

“Do you know the definition of insanity?” She asked.

Astrid, caught off guard, froze in place. “Uh…no?”

Mirabel took a sip of her drink, and responded. “I figured as much.”

And then Astrid was ferried out once more.

Before she could try again, Fishlegs stood in front of her. His large body acting as a wall, and his face stuck in an uncharacteristically stern glare.

“THAT’S ENOUGH.” He bellowed, with a bass the boy never spoke with. “This is not who we are. This isn’t who you are! And I will not stand by and let you harm an innocent girl!”

A jolt of rage shot through Astrid. “Well do you have any better ideas!?”

To her surprise, he nodded.

“Actually, I do!” He replied.

He began stepping forwards, before suddenly stopping. He turned around and frowned at her, and then pointed at the ground. A clear demand for her to stay put.

She crossed her arms, but didn’t move from her spot. Blowing a tuft of hair out of her eyes. Stormfly beside her eyeing the colorful house with curiosity.

Fishlegs then approached the building, and after a moment’s hesitation, politely knocked on the doors.

They opened, with Mirabel standing behind them. She took one look at Fishlegs, and immediately moved to shut them again.

“WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, PLEASE WAIT!” He begged.

Before the door was completely shut, she peeked through the small remaining space and glared at the boy. “What do you want?”

He sighed with relief, and put on his best smile. “Well first of all, I’d like to apologize for my companions’ behavior! For both the other day and…five minutes ago.”

The door creaked open just a bit more. She wasn’t expecting that.

“Okay…” She murmured, eyebrow raised in confusion.

“A-And I was also wondering where Hiccup was?” He asked, shyly.

Her brows furrowed into a frown, and she attempted to close the door again.

“H-Hold on!” In his panic to stop her, he pushed his foot into the door’s path. Successfully stopping it from closing.

And smashing his foot in the process.

He grit his teeth and squinted his eyes while trying to suppress the scream of pain he was about to release. Mirabel actually looked at him with some concern.

He took a deep breath, and shakily spoke again. “I-I just wanted to ask him something, that’s all…”

The bespectacled girl stared at him suspiciously. “Ask him what?”

Despite his nervousness and the throbbing pain in his foot, his natural geekiness took over in this instance. “Well, this village of yours is very interesting! There’s so many plants and animals and…stuff I’ve just never seen before!”

“I didn’t want to ask a stranger, that’d be weird. And I figured he’s been here for a year, he might be able to answer some of my questions!” His giddiness at the prospect of learning was almost endearing. “And I know you’re…uh…close, so I thought you’d know where I could find him?”

Mirabel searched his face, for any trace of deceitfulness.

She recalled Hiccup talking about him. Apparently, despite his size, Fishlegs was harmless. And as she watched him fiddle with his hands meekly, she could agree that he didn’t look like a threat.

The doors were nearly fully opened, as she examined the boy in front of her.

…And she began to close them again, when she saw the girl behind him.

“And what about her? Why did she keep breaking into my house?” She asked, more than a bit peeved.

“That’s because…Uh…because…” He scrambled to think of a suitable excuse. If he told her she’d intended to kidnap her, she would turn them both away instantly. And probably get them incarcerated.

“Astrid…has a problem with respecting boundaries!” He fibbed.

“She does?” Mirabel asked, not quite believing him.

“I do!?” Astrid asked, feeling insulted.

“She sure does! You should see her on Berk, always entering people’s houses without permission! The poor girl has no sense of personal space!” He laughed a bit too hard, trying to be casual.

“Isn’t that right, Astrid?” He glanced back to her, his forced smile and sweaty brow silently pleading her to go along.

On the one hand, she felt like she should clobber him for lying about her.

On the other hand, this might be their best chance right now…

“Yep, you got me…” She agreed in a monotone voice.

Mirabel scrutinized her with a stare, before turning back to Fishlegs. “…And what about the axe in my face?”

“That’s just how we Berkians say hello!” That part wasn’t entirely a lie.

A tense silence passed.

Fishlegs honestly seemed like he couldn’t hurt a fly, but she didn’t trust Astrid as far as she could throw her.

She then came to a decision.

“Alright, I’ll take you to him. But on one condition.” She poked the round boy right in the chest. “I’m going with you. I don’t trust you around Hiccup for even a second…”

That last part was directed at Astrid, and she definitely felt it. A sneer formed on the blonde girl’s face.

“B-By all means, lead the way!” Fishlegs gestured.

Mirabel groaned, and walked forth. She’d hoped she was done with Viking shenanigans, but of course that couldn’t be the case.

Astrid approached Fishlegs, whispering. “So what’s your real plan?”

He shrugged. “Have fun!” He whispered back.

Her glare became deadly. “…You’re kidding, right?”

Despite her frightening look, he didn’t cower. “Nope! If we have a good time with him, he may be more receptive to helping us! Then we’ll tell him about the …you know.”

He grinned a nerdy grin. "And also...I really do have questions I want answered!"

He then walked ahead, besides Mirabel.

Astrid watched them, Stormfly preening herself behind her. The girl sighed.

Every day they spent here is another day Berk could be getting burned to the ground.

She really hoped this worked…

Astrid turned to her dragon, scratching her neck. “You can head back to camp now, girl.” With a nuzzle and a chirp, she did as she was requested.

The girl then hurried to catch up to the other teens.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He looked so…normal.

Like an ordinary boy of sixteen years.

At first glance, there was nothing signifying his true nature.

But they knew. They’d seen it with their own four eyes.

That was Loki.

The twins had successfully snuck into town. Sneaking around alleyways and hiding behind buildings.

They could be surprisingly stealthy, when they wanted to be. A good prank required such skills.

They were searching, looking everywhere they could for him. They didn’t know what Loki was doing here of all places, but they figured he was the God of chaos. He doesn’t need a reason for doing what he does.

While they were looking for him, they spotted an old man carrying a baby in his arms. Nothing peculiar there.

Until they saw an identical old man arrive, and take the baby from his perfect double. The second man then shrunk down into a teenage boy.

And they knew they’d found him.

The twins took a moment to psyche themselves up, and perhaps cry a little. They’d been waiting for this moment their whole lives, they couldn’t look weak in front of Loki.

Finally, they turned to each other and nodded.

They were ready.

They marched right up to the boy, who’s back was turned to them…

And dropped onto the ground.

“Almighty Loki!” They both cried at once.

Camilo, not hearing their approach, jolted with fear. Swiftly turning to face them.

His startled expression became one of contempt, as he saw who was bowing to him. “Oh great, it’s you guys…”

“Oh my Gods, Loki recognizes us!” Ruffnut whispered to her brother, excitedly.

They both tittered with glee, and Camilo became annoyed. “What are you morons doing here? And what’s a Loki, why’re you calling me that?”

They both stood up from their bow, with confused expressions. “Uh…because Loki’s your name.”

“What? No it isn’t!” The shifter insisted.

“Yes it is!” Countered the twins.

“No it- “Camilo stopped himself, realizing this would go on forever. He was already sick of these two. “Y’know what? I don’t have time for this…”

He began to leave, but each twin grabbed one leg to halt his retreat.

“Wait! NO! You can’t leave!” Ruffnut groveled.

“Get off me, you psychos!” He tried to trudge his way elsewhere, despite the two weights on his legs.

Tuffnut was nearly in tears. “Please, let us worship you!”

Camilo suddenly stopped.

Did they say…worship?

He glanced down. “What are you talking about?”

“W-We devoted ourselves to Loki, the shapeshifting God of mischief…” Ruffnut sniveled.

“All we wanna do is obey your every command!” Cried Tuffnut.

Camilo considered this.

Here he had two nutjobs, who’d deluded themselves into thinking he’s a God, and wanted to serve him…

…He had to test this.

Looking around, he spied a delectable smelling pie sitting on a windowsill. The scent made his mouth water, but he knew he couldn’t.

But this wouldn’t be him doing it.

He snapped, and pointed to the pastry. “Uh…Get me that pie!” He commanded.

Immediately, they scrambled to their feet and got to work. Using their skills of espionage, they acquired the pie without being caught.

Shuffling into an alleyway as to avoid detection, Camilo dug into the pie without a second’s thought.

It wasn’t as tasty as it smelled. It was even better.

His mouth covered in raspberry filling, he looked back to the twins. They were both grinning, and looking at him expectantly. Like puppies begging to be praised.

They wanted to do his bidding.

These…these were his minions.

A devious smirk wormed its way onto his face.

“Shapeshifting God of mischief, huh?” He wondered.

“…I can work with that!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mirabel, trailed by Fishlegs and Astrid, found Hiccup in the plaza along with Toothless.

He was relaxing against a tree, eyes closed and arms behind his head. Enjoying the shade and the pleasant breeze, with his dragon at his side.

He opened his eyes and smiled upon seeing Mirabel, and she smiled in turn. But he couldn’t help but notice that her smile seemed a bit apprehensive.

When he saw who was standing behind her, he understood why.

Toothless began growling, but Hiccup soothed him. He knew Astrid would be quick to bring her axe out, he didn’t need them fighting in the middle of town.

He stood, and approached the group. “Are they bothering you?” He asked Mirabel, quietly.

She shook her head. “No, I offered to come with them. They were looking for you, I had to make sure they didn’t try anything.”

He grew a wry smirk. “Wow, and you led them right to me? I knew you were a double agent!”

She snickered, and he snorted in turn. Toothless warbled joyously, as he watched his friends enjoying themselves.

A cough brought them out of the moment.

Fishlegs was standing politely and as awkwardly as could be. Astrid had her arms crossed, face locked in a sneer.

“H-Hey, Hiccup! How’s-How’s it going?” Asked the rotund boy.

The scrawny teen shrugged. “I’m doing pretty good. My broken ribs aren’t bothering me anymore. I’m sure Snotlout won’t be happy to hear that.” He snarked.

Fishlegs winced, and Astrid rolled her eyes and called him a whiner under her breath.

“I’m really sorry about that, none of us intended for that to happen.” He perked up a tiny bit. “But don’t worry! Snotlout and the twins have been strictly punished by the chief, and they aren’t allowed in the village anymore.”

“Surprisingly reasonable.” Noted Mirabel.

“So what do you want?” Hiccup asked. “Don’t bother trying to convince me to go to Berk, it’s not happening. You’ll just be wasting everyone’s time.”

Astrid suddenly burst with rage, but Fishlegs stepped in before she could say something they’d both regret.

“N-No, nothing like that…” He half-lied. “We were just interested in this village! Everything about it is so fascinating! I-I was wondering if you could tell us more?”

Hiccup believed part of what he was saying.

Fishlegs was always interested in knowledge, and obtaining more of it. It didn’t shock him at all that he’d find such a strange place intriguing.

But Astrid didn’t care less, and Hiccup could tell. So why was she here?

He decided to play along for now, while keeping an eye on the shieldmaiden. “Well I could tell you a little, but Mirabel here is the master of all things Encanto!”

“I-I dunno about ‘Master’…” The girl stuttered, while developing a blush.

Hiccup didn’t relent, enjoying seeing her flustered. “You taught me everything I know about this place! You were my guide when I first got here!”

“Did I ever officially stop being your guide?” She asked.

“I dunno, is there anything else I need guidance on?” He pondered.

She immediately shot back with a teasing grin. “Reading!”

He slumped over, pouting. “I’ve been getting better. I know a few basic words!” His protests went unheard, as she was already in a laughing fit.

While it felt a bit uncomfortable to just watch a couple share a moment, Fishlegs couldn’t deny that it was adorable.

Astrid on the other hand was about to vomit.

“Alright…” Hiccup sighed, facing the duo again. “So what do you wanna know?”

Fishlegs had a million questions he wanted to ask, about a billion different things.

But as he looked around them, he realized there was one question he needed to know above all the others.

“What about them?” He asked, pointing behind Mirabel and Hiccup.

They turned, and saw that he was pointing to the Madrigal mural.

“I’ve never seen a witch before! Maybe you can tell me about their powers? Preferably with numbered stats?” Fishlegs requested.

Despite herself, Astrid was interested too. Wanting to know more about the people she’d fought against the other day.

Both Mirabel and Hiccup groaned. “They’re not witches…” said the scrawny teen.

“Oh yeah, sure. The people who use witchcraft aren’t witches. That makes sense.” Huffed Astrid.

The young couple shared a look, as Mirabel elaborated. “They’re magical gifts, not witchcraft!”

“Uh…could you explain what you mean by magical gifts?” Fishlegs asked, taking out a notebook to jot down statistics.

Mirabel grinned, as she always enjoyed explaining her family’s history. Even to people who’ve heard it before.

She began to speak-

And so did Hiccup, at the same time.

“Oops, sorry…” Hiccup chuckled, nervously. “Go ahead. This is your thing.”

While a bit surprised, she actually started to smile.

The fact that Hiccup was so eager to explain her family history, almost as if he’d accepted it as his as well…

It made her heart feel all fuzzy.

“No, it’s fine.” She offered. “I wanna see how you tell the story!”

He grinned himself. “Well, it probably won’t be much different from how you tell it. I learned from the best!”

Mirabel moved to stand beside Astrid and Fishlegs, as her boyfriend began to tell the tale.

His movements and words were so fluid, and animated. She could visualize what was he was saying in her mind perfectly.

In fact, it almost sounded like he was singing…

“Drawers!”

A myriad of drawers clattered to the beat, courtesy of Casita.

“Floors!”

The floor tiles rattled with the rhythm.

“Roars!”

Toothless unleashed a mighty, jovial shriek.

“Let’s go!

This is our home,

We’ve got every generation!

So full of music…

A rhythm of its own design!

This is the family!

A perfect constellation!

So many stars, and everybody gets to shine!”

He gestured to the top of the mural.

“Woah!

But let’s be clear, Miss Alma runs this show!

Woah!

She led them here so many years ago!

Woah!

And every year the family’s blessings grow!

There’s just a lot you’ve simply got to know, so-

Welcome to the Family Madrigal!

The home of the Family Madrigal! (We’re on our way!)

Where all the people are fantastical and magical!

This here is the Family Madrigal!”

Just then, a stomping alerted them to the presence of Luisa. Walking by, carrying a building like it was a feather.

“That’s one of them!” Fishlegs gasped.

He turned to Hiccup, his hands trembling. He needed details. Now. “What are the gifts? I can’t remember them all! Who’s who?”

Mirabel giggled at Hiccup’s frightened expression. “Alright, aright! Relax!” He pleaded.

The chubby boy’s mind was working overtime as it yearned for new information. “It’s physically impossible to relax!”

“I think you better get back to the story, before he has a heart attack.” Mirabel suggested. “You’re doing great, by the way!”

Hiccup gestured to Pepa, on the mural. And returned to explaining.

“There’s Tia Pepa!

Her mood affects the weather!

When she’s unhappy…

Well, the temperature gets weird!”

Next up, a scruffy man holding an hourglass. Bruno.

“There’s Tio Bruno-

Let me tell you ‘bout Bruno!

He sees the future, but sometimes it’s a bit unclear…”

His heart warmed and his stomach subconsciously gurgled as he pointed to Julieta.

“Oh! And that’s Miss Julieta, here’s her deal!

Woah!

The truth is she can heal you with a meal!

Woah!

Her recipes are remedies for real!”

Mirabel turned to them.

“If you’re impressed, imagine how I feel!”

Hiccup continued.

“Welcome to the Family Madrigal!

The home of the Family Madrigal! (I swear it’s true)

I know it sounds a bit fantastical and magical…

But this is the Family Madrigal!”

He highlighted and Felix and Augustin next.

“Two guys fell in love with Family Madrigal!

And now they’re part of the Family Madrigal!

So yeah, Tio Felix married Pepa…

And Augustin, Julieta…

That’s how Alma became an Abuela Madrigal! (Let’s go, let’s go!)”

Mirabel interjected again, smiling fondly as she always did at the thought of her family.

“We swear to always…

Help those around us.

And respect the miracle,

That somehow found us.

The town keeps growing…

The world keeps turning…

But love and understanding will keep the miracle burning.

With each new generation, we’re all still learning!”

Astrid rolled her eyes. “Gods, there’s too many people…”

“Wait, so who’s a sister and who’s a cousin?” Fishlegs rapidly flipped through his notes. “How do you keep them all straight?”

Chuckling, Hiccup answered their question.

“Okay, okay, okay, okay!

So many kids in the house, so let’s turn the sound up!

You know why? I think it’s time for a grandkid round up!”

A crowd of children had gathered, and were cheering him on as he pointed to Dolores. Sometimes they’d sing along.

“(GRANDKID ROUND UP!)

Cousin Dolores, can hear a pin drop!

Camilo shapeshifts.

Antonio hears what creatures say!

Her older sisters-

Isabela and Luisa!

One strong, one wild!

They’ll brighten up your day!”

He then gestured to Mirabel, but not on the mural. Mirabel herself.

In this moment, she felt like he was talking only to her.

“(Mirabel!)

A miracle in most every way!

(Mirabel!)

She always knows how to save the day!”

He turned back to the mural, as the girl he was just talking about felt her heart beating out of her chest and her face burning red-hot.

She really wished they didn’t have an audience right now…

“(Luisa! Luisa! Luisa! Luisa!)

And Luisa’s super strong!

Isabela handles fronds-

You can’t go wrong!

That’s life in the Family Madrigal!

Now you know the Family Madrigal!

Where all the people are fantastical and magical!

That there is the Family Madrigal!”

Hiccup took a bow, as he finished his retelling of the story. Mirabel, Fishlegs, and the children all clapped with fervor. Toothless, noticing the behavior, tried to mimic them by sitting on his hindlegs and tapping his paws together.

Astrid didn’t clap, of course.

Mirabel enwrapped him into a crushing hug, as the children dispersed. “That was amazing!”

“Like I said, I learned from the best! I just said what you would say!” He replied.

“You definitely changed some of it!” She pointed out.

He shrugged. “Certain people deserved some extra recognition, that’s all I’m saying.”

She snickered again, and fanned herself with her hand. "Oh, Senor Hiccup! You flatter me!" She spoke haughtily.

"Think nothing of it, milady!" He said in an overdramatic voice.

“What about her?”

They both turned, as Astrid asked a question.  She pointed to Mirabel. “What’s her gift?”

“…I didn’t get one.” For the first time in her life, answering this question didn’t bring Mirabel pain. It was just a simple fact of who she was. She now knew it didn’t make her any less worthy of love, or respect.

It was a freeing feeling.

Hiccup sent the two a silent glare, warning them against trying anything to belittle her.

Fishlegs would never dream of it. And while Astrid was tempted…she decided against starting any fights.

For now.

“I-If you don’t mind me asking…what exactly is your relationship with them?” Fishlegs inquired. “They seem rather fond of you.”

Hiccup smiled at the question. “I couldn’t tell you exactly when it happened, but they just…took me in. They became my family!”

Both Viking teens were very happy Stoick wasn’t here to hear that.

Astrid scoffed. “What? Hiccup Madrigal?” She asked, mockingly.

But her statement only seemed to improve the boy’s mood, as he looked to Mirabel with a wide grin.

“That doesn’t sound too bad!” He said, and she wholeheartedly agreed.

Hiccup Haddock Madrigal.

It had a nice ring to it.