16Hello everyone! This story is mainly centered around Snotlout and Hiccup.
I've always wondered about Snotlout as a character. Sure they make him out to be brainless and full of himself and to an extent, that's true. However, I think they make him out to be too much of a . . well, bafoon I suppose. I believe there is far more to him than what we see in both the films and in the TV series and I wanted to explore it here. And what better subject to hit on than Hiccup, his cousin, and how he becomes Chief.
Note, this inspiration comes from How to Train Your Dragon 2. If you haven't seen the movie, well you need to. It was amazing, and very heartfelt. This story is a bit character study, but has confrontation between Hiccup and Snotlout throughout the story. I hope you all enjoy. Also, Hiccup and Snotlout are roughly 19 and 20 here, just like in the second movie.
Live With It
He wasn't the sharpest sword in the armory. He both knew and understood that fact. However, he had his pride and his strength, both of which was not in shortcoming.
And loyalty. Fierce, unrelenting loyalty.
No Viking on Berk could say that Snotlout, son of Spitelout, did not meet the enemy head on, sword in hand, and with a foul curse upon his lips. When he was younger, he took pride in his physical capabilities and his rough language. Despite his short stature, one that was somewhat unusual considering the physical nature of Vikings, he sought to rise above it and prove those who questioned him what he was capable of. And he did so. He became the strongest of his peers, the one most capable of taking even the most crippling of blows. And he had relished in it. He had exploited every opportunity he could to display who and what he was. Particularly, in the case of his cousin.
Hiccup had been the embodiment of weakness in his eyes. He was clumsy, awkward, and a coward. He dodged everything and anything ever aimed at him. Not once did he stand his ground and face Snotlout, but rather, he ran away. And it angered him.
It wasn't until now, that he was much older, did he realize why. It angered him because Hiccup was to inherit everything he himself had ever wanted and as a boy growing up, his cousin was less than Chief material. He had no physical prowess. He had no intimidating girth. In fact, Hiccup looked less like a Viking and more like a damn fishbone. Snotlout couldn't stand the sight of him because there was nothing about his cousin that encouraged him to follow him. How could he stand behind a little runt who no more could defend himself, let alone an entire village?
Hiccup was not worthy of the honor that laid ahead in his future. It was wasted on him. In fact, Hiccup's aloofness to his future only made it worse. He never possessed any drive to learn the ways of being a Viking. He merely shrugged and scurried away to wherever it was he went. It seemed, at least to Snotlout, that Hiccup's attitude was due to the fact he thought he was better than everyone else. He was going to be Chief anyway, so why bother?
This conclusion only fueled Snotlout's fury more. He, who had worked so hard from day one, who had done everything he could to overcome his own roadblock in life, would never become Chief because he was not Stoick's son. Surely, after all that he had accomplished, he meant something more than the uselessness that was Hiccup? Surely, Snotlout himself would be a far more worthy successor?
And then, Toothless happened.
Suddenly his cousin, who he had so much despised, was showing him how to train a dragon. How to befriend a dragon! And then, everything changed. Suddenly, Hiccup was training him. Suddenly, it was Hiccup who was leading them into battle. It was Hiccup who had vanquished the Red Death, saved their entire Tribe, and begun the inconceivable process of healing the rift between Vikings and Dragons.
It had taken Snotlout a long time to come to terms with just how un-useless his cousin truly was. Hiccup had something he didn't and it went far beyond brainpower or sarcasm. Hiccup was the embodiment of something Snotlout himself severely lacked: Faith in others.
Having his cousin rip away everything he had ever been taught, everything he had once believed, and shove this horrible truth right in his face, was not a welcome revelation. He had held a new hate for his cousin, but this wasn't something that could be fixed by tormenting Hiccup. No. Instead, for a short while, Snotlout separated himself from the others. They were all happy to engage with their new dragon-friends and look eagerly to Hiccup for guidance and praise. But not he.
Until the day, not long after the battle with the Red Death, did his cousin approach him after a meeting in the arena. They had been going over dragon species, their likes and dislikes, and after the lesson most of everyone went home. Except for himself. He had wanted to practice with his battle axe for a while.
"Hey." His cousin had said, awkward as always. He was scratching the back of his thin neck again. Snotlout hated the habit.
He had merely threw back a small glare and continued with his form. "What?"
"Most of everyone seems interested in the dragons. What's wrong? I thought you liked the Monstrous Nightmare."
He gritted his teeth. He did like the damn beast. Yet, admitting it to his cousin felt demeaning and wrong. Besides, the thing was huge! How he had managed to ride it at all during the battle, he didn't know.
"What if I don't?" He had retaliated, spinning around to face Hiccup.
For once, his cousin didn't take a step back as he usually did when Snotlout made a sudden move. Slightly, Snotlout felt impressed. But only slightly.
"I'd chance a guess that the two of you are more alike than you think." Hiccup had retorted before spinning on his good heel and exiting the arena, leaving Snotlout to stare after him with wide eyes and open mouth.
After that, he had gradually allowed himself to be more active in Hiccup's classes. For once, Hiccup had stood his ground. Not to a dragon. But to him. To Snotlout. He had hated to admit it, but he had to give credit where credit was due. Hiccup was slowly, but surely, earning his place as a Viking. Snotlout respected that. Still, the war continued on within himself because now, Hiccup was becoming something. No one looked at him as useless anymore. That meant that Snotlout's own public appearance had changed.
He wasn't spoken of nearly as much as he had been. Where once the village looked at him with pride and with approval, Snotlout was now pushed to the side. Because Stoick's son, the future Chief of Berk, was now worthy of that title and Snotlout was left in his shadow. It was then he began to realize how his cousin had felt. To be shadowed by someone else, to be overlooked, was a horrible feeling. He never had experienced this before and he didn't understand how Hiccup merging the dragons and their people really changed anything.
Well, it changed a lot. But in Snotlout's mind, he was still the best warrior. The one who could throw the best spear and whose abilities with a sword were uncanny and far exceeded those of his own age. Well, beside Astrid.
Astrid. She had been the next blow. For so long he wanted her to look at him. To see that they were equal in physical prowess. He admired that a girl could be so close in strength and he wondered in her. She was someone he could understand, for they shared equal views on weapons and technique. They both valued hard work and training, to be the best they could be. Astid was the girl he could see himself living with for the rest of his life.
And yet . . and yet it was his cousin, Hiccup, of all people, who had managed to capture her heart.
Nothing had hurt worse. Watching the two of them talk or laugh together or be in one of those awkward conversations that made you feel as if you were intruding on some private moment, was heart-wrenching. Snotlout had lost his place in the public eye and then, he had lost the woman he had hoped would see him for what he truly was. A warrior who wanted to fight for her. A man who would stand by her, as an equal. Someone far more than . . well, Hiccup.
It had taken him even longer to speak to his cousin without fearing he would do something he would later regret. Of course, such a thing never lasted long for him. He always acted on his emotions and Snotlout, on several different occasions, roughed his cousin up to the point where the bruises were much more noticeable than usual. Yet, Hiccup never told anyone the real story by how he received them. Instead, his cousin merely scratched his neck in that nervous way of his and told some story about another failed invention. Of course, everyone bought the tale and no further questions were asked.
None except by Hiccup himself.
"How much longer?"
"What?" Snotlout had barked, again, slightly surprised by his cousin's bravery.
"How much longer until you finally feel better?"
"Don't start on me, Hiccup." Snotlout's lip had curled into a nasty snarl. "You don't get to pick at my head too."
"Ah, I see." So his cousin had said. "I understand, you know."
That had set Snotlout's temper aflame. "Shut up! You don't get this! You're not going to take this too!"
"I'm sorry."
That, more than anything else, stopped Snotlout from slugging his cousin again. "What?"
"I'm sorry. This," again his cousin did some strange, unidentifiable motion with his hands. "Wasn't what I wanted. I didn't ask for any of this."
"Yeah?" Snotlout had shot back bitterly. "Well, you got it now cousin. Live with it."
That was the last time Snotlout had physically tormented his cousin. After that night, he never went after him again. He never could figure out why but, perhaps, it was Hiccup's apology that had done it. It had stung his pride, but it had let him heal.
Slowly, Snotlout had let the anger go. Hookfang, turns out, happened to play a huge role in his own inner healing process. Hiccup had been right when he said the two of them were alike. Snotlout discovered the Monstrous Nightmare was a very proud creature. It did not like being undermined in anyway and appraisal was a necessary part to Hookfang's care. Snotlout allowed him to make the first moves whenever they met in the arena, because one, Hookfang was still learning to trust him. Trust. Hookfang did not trust.
That had frustrated Snotlout more than anything in their first steps as a new team. He couldn't understand what there was about him that the damned creature didn't like. Yet, Snotlout was not one to give up. As much as he hated it, he let Hookfang make the decisions. And then it hit him. Snotlout himself hated relying on others and Hookfang had trust issues. They both did.
After coming to this new realization, Snotlout thought that the best place to start was with something simple, but meaningful. So, instead of focusing on physical contact with the dragon, he decided on something . . a bit more deep. Talking. It started off as awkward, talking to a creature that couldn't talk back. Or, at least not in the same way as him. Hookfang did speak, Snotlout just had to listen more closely. And, it worked.
Snotlout told Hookfang about everything. About his new place in the village, about losing Astrid, and about everything that had happened between him and his cousin. Everything. And, in turn, Hookfang began to allow Snotlout to touch him more. The creature would nuzzle its head against his own and blow hot breath in his face as a form of joke. It took them several months, but it was worth every day. Because now, they trusted one another and Snotlout found that Hookfang was more of a brother than a dragon. No one else understood him half as well as Hookfang did.
And that led him to the here and now.
The sky was dark with night and the water of the bay, calm. Too calm, it seemed to Snotlout. In fact, everything about tonight seemed much too perfect. How did nature always present itself at its most beautiful when something tragic happened?
As he made his way from the celebration, no answer came to him. He didn't know what was possessing him to do this. He wasn't that type of person. This was more of Astrid's thing than his. But, as he looked back in the direction of the square, Snotlout could see that Astrid and all the others were far too close. Hearing it from them would feel, and sound, like coddling or sympathy. Snotlout, however, was none of those.
So he muscled up and shook his head. This was going to be . . . well, something.
He continued until he found what he was looking for. Well, more of a 'who' than a 'what'. Seated at the edge of the cliff, not too far from all the dancing and singing, was Hiccup. He was still clad in his riding gear and he held his left leg (or what remained of it) over the ledge, allowing it to swing back and forth mindlessly.
"So, Chief huh?" Snotlout asked quietly, a fact that surprised even himself.
His cousin glanced up at him through the fringe of his hair, not quite meeting Snotlout's eyes. This slightly irritated him, but old habits die hard and what did it really matter at the end of the day? Today, Snotlout would let it slide. His cousin wasn't in any shape to be really concerned with it anyway.
"Yeah." Hiccup replied lowly, looking out over the water.
"Well, you've got it Hiccup." He said simply, turning to look over the bay as well. "Live with it."
His cousin gave a wry scoff of irritation, but Hiccup's wrath was something he was willing to risk on this one.
"Blunt and to the point as always, cousin."
Snotlout smirked and raised an eyebrow. "I don't do that negotiation stuff. That's your thing, not mine."
"Good thing too," Hiccup retorted darkly with a wry laugh, tilting his face so it was hidden from view. "We'd all be pushing up daisies if you were."
"Probably."
"Huh?!" His cousin turned and faced him fully now, his mouth open and his eyes stretched wide in disbelief. "Did you just – no, no, - wait a minute! I'm confused-!"
"Don't think I'm going to repeat myself, Hiccup." Snotlout grumbled, keeping his eyes on the fading horizon. "I'm not as smart as you, but I'm not stupid."
"Hey," his cousin raised his hands and offered him peace. "Never said . . ."
"You thought it once."
"Yeah," Hiccup drawled slowly, unsure if that was something he wanted to corroborate or dismiss altogether. He lowered his hands and shot Snotlout a look of uncertainty. "So, why the pep talk all of a sudden?"
"Don't kid yourself, cousin." Snotlout snorted irritably, waving him off. "That's not what this is."
"Then, what?"
"A lesson, I guess."
"Really?!" Hiccup offered his cousin a look that was torn between nervousness and confusion. "Of all times, you pick now to -?!"
Snotlout rolled his eyes dramatically and crossed his thick arms over his chest. "Oh get a grip, cousin! We're twenty winters old, not fifteen! Brawling for the Hel of it is one thing, going back to five winters ago is just . . ."
Snotlout trailed off, unable to finish. Hiccup, for his part, looked rather sheepish.
"Gods, Lout." The new Chief ran a tired hand down his face, scratching at the few whiskers that clung to his chin. "Sorry, that wasn't – I shouldn't – you're not-"
Snotlout snorted and drew his eyes to the heavens. "Forget it. It's over and done with. You can't change it. I can't change it."
"No, but-"
Snotlout felt anger rise within himself and his eyes snapped back to his Chief cousin. "There are no but's, Hiccup. There are no what-if's. There is and there isn't. It not right and it feels like Hel but it's not Ragnarok. And I don't mean because I was a lousy, pain in the arse as a kid."
His cousin's face darkened instantly and his normally calm eyes suddenly turned deadly. "Then what?"
"You're smart," Snotlout retorted evenly. "You figure it out."
With that, he turned on his heel and made his way back to the square. His cousin was hurting and he understood that. However, Hiccup no longer had anything left to prove. Not to anyone. He had stood up for himself five years ago. He had trained dragons. He had made friends with the most unlikeliest of people. He had a talent for judging the good from the bad. He was smart in ways Snotlout could only dream of. And he had Astrid, a woman that would stay beside him, no matter the storm, no matter the enemy, and no matter what the Gods could possibly throw at them.
In Snotlout's opinion, his cousin was the Chief he had every hope he could be. Whether anyone else knew it or not, Hiccup had overcome what had held him back. Himself. Something that had once held him back, until Hiccup had all but shoved the problem right in his face. If it hadn't been for his cousin, he wouldn't have been able to find his place again, to conquer his anger, or to even have the patience needed in bonding with Hookfang.
His cousin had long surpassed being a Viking. He had surpassed Dragon Rider, Tamer, Conquer, or whatever fancy name they decided to grace him with in the future. No, Hiccup was something more than any of those things. Yet, for now, his cousin was Chief and even though the circumstances that had gifted him that title were far from what any of them wanted, no one was more deserving of the title than Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III.
"You've got it now, cousin. Live with it."
I always believed that Snotlout secretly admired Hiccup. Probably because of all the brilliant ideas his cousin comes up with. As you can see, Snotlout has greatly matured and I firmly believe his hatred for his cousin no longer exists in the second movie. They seemed to have repaired the rift between them, to an extent at least. Yet, I wanted these two to have interaction and for Snotlout to try and give Hiccup advice.
After all, advice from Snotlout is going to come across in a far different way than from Astrid or anyone else, which is what makes it more meaningful. Just Snotlout trying to help, in his own small way, shows how much he's matured in the past five years. Though, he's not going to give Hiccup all the answers right up front. He knows that Hiccup himself is going to have to work out his own issues in his own way. Snotlout's just shoving the issue in his face so Hiccup will man up and deal with it instead of brooding.
Snotlout is a man of action and of loyalty and I wanted to show that he really does view Hiccup in a much better light than he once did. There is no Chief Snotlout would rather follow than Hiccup. That's what I wanted to convey to everyone. I hope I did it in a way everyone could understand and appreciate.
Thanks for reading and let me know what you think! Thank you!