The Boy Behind The Mask is a How to Train Your Dragon fanfic
written by IAmTheBrovahkiin.
Hiccup couldn't deny fate; soon the Vikings of Berk would discover Toothless- his best and only friend. With careful preparation, he fakes his own death and leaves Berk, with no intention of ever returning. But even as he grows into a powerful man and meets the woman of his dreams, Hiccup knows he cannot simply forget the place of his birth. After all, he's their only hope...
Story has not been updated since May 2018 and is presumably abandoned.
This fanfic provides examples of:
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Snotlout wanted to be chief and the people of Berk wanted an heir that exemplified good old viking machismo. Unfortunately, Snotlout had no idea how boring and hard it would be to be the next chief and the people of Berk don't like the fact that their future chief is a self-righteous idiot, the current Chief and Elders having little to no faith in him.
- Best Her to Bed Her: When Astrid has her prophecy read by Gothi, she states that only the one who can best her in battle will marry her. For years Astrid (who is determined to stay bachelorette at all costs) has defeated every person who has challenged her undefeated until Hiccup, who was trying to keep her from killing Katla over perceived disrespect, completely curb-stomps her when he ceases on the defensive.
- Black Swords Are Better: Hiccup was able to concoct a black metal stronger and lighter than even Gronkle Iron called "Nightshade Steel," forging weapons for himself and his friends with it.
- Chick Magnet: Hiccup ends up becoming this to the Free Folk within his first week among them. Considering he was considered less than average for most of his life, this makes Hiccup rather uncomfortable.
- Embarrassing Tattoo: During their drunken bender on Trader's Isle, Hiccup and Katla end up getting tattoos on their backs. Katla gets a tattoo of a Skrill skull with her swords behind it with "Helheim hath no fury" written below it in cursive, while Hiccup got a massive depiction of a Night Fury.
- Faking the Dead: While Hiccup originally left a note claiming that he ventured off to find a dragon worthy enough to be his first kill, Astrid finds black scales and a spot of Hiccup's blood in the cove and everyone assumes this means he was massacred by a Night Fury.
- Given Name Reveal: Hiccup goes by the name "Fjalar" to keep himself hidden, though he has to confess his real name at the Free Folk trial.
- Meaningful Rename: When Hiccup leaves Berk, he takes on the alias "Fjalar" (meaning "deceiver").
- No More for Me: The day after Katla, Hiccup, Nina and Lodin celebrate Hiccup waking up after nearly dying by Skrill with excessive amounts of wine, they spend half of the next day sick out of their minds.
- Recursive Fanfiction: Hiccup's Story by Hero Time 81.
- Romantic False Lead: While at first pissed at Hiccup for defeating her (see Best Her to Bed Her for context), Astrid then becomes incredibly spiteful towards Katla after finding out that Hiccup is already in a relationship with her, even going so far at to challenge her to a fight for the right to be with Hiccup.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: While normally the timid and sarcastic boy he has always been, a mix of the Romans destroying Helgafjall and the people he has come to call his own and Cold-Blooded Torture by Alvin the Treacherous has left Hiccup with scars that turn him into The Berserker should any of his friends or family be threatened. He nearly killed Snotlout when he called Katja a whore, and mowed down countless Outcasts - even cleaving Savage in-half - with inhuman ferocity.
- Sons of Slaves: It is established that the Free Folk are a people descended from slave-fighters that escaped Constantinople and made a home in the Barbaric Archipelago, the very concept of being free men and women ingrained in their culture.
- Stating the Simple Solution: Sick of Katla and Hiccup arguing over whose dragon is faster, Nina asks if they have actually raced to settle the argument. They both awkwardly admit that they didn't think of that.
- Virgin Vision: Toothless and Elysia could tell instantly that their riders had sex the previous night by scent alone.
- What Did I Do Last Night?: After drinking a particularly strong mead at Trader's Isle, Hiccup and Karla wake up the next day naked in the same bed post-coitus with two raw, noticeable tattoos on their backs.
