Dawn brings me hope and promises. But dusk, the sentiment hits completely different. A silent call and a subtle reminder of what it really means to bid farewell. The pain of wrapping up one's own story book - the last page, the finishing line, the conclusive ending. There's no longer any activism left, nor any will to undertake any more endeavours. Just a tired soul looking forward to retire, to disappear into night's darkness that is soon to follow, slowly stepping into a quiet oblivion. Time never stops but dusk is where you pause, you reflect and ponder deeply on life's ephemerality. Here we are now, gone in the next heartbeat...
Description: In a slight canon divergence from book 2, Riley reaches her breaking point with the engagement tour and decides to restart her life when the court gets to NYC. Can the rest of the group clear her name, and convince her to come back before it’s too late?
Catch Up Here
Rating: PG (I think there are a few swear words in there, very angsty, but otherwise pretty mild)
Word Count: 1,299
A/N: I am so incredibly humbled by the response I got from chapter 1 last week. I don’t think it’s been much of a secret that I’ve been kind of down on my writing and myself in general the last couple of weeks, but the overwhelming love that you all have sent to me via your reblogs, comments, and messages this week has truly warmed my heart and meant the world to me. Thank you so, so much for your support.
Again, I have to mention my fandom soulmate (yea, I’m just going to start calling you that always now, because you are) @jessiembruno. Your support and encouragement has been monumental in getting me out of my funk, and I will forever be grateful and in your debt for all you have done for me. Even if it’s just keeping me company via zoom while I do my nails for 2 hours!
Shout out to @emkay512. This doll face reached out on Friday and is an absolute sweetheart. We got to talking, and she mentioned that today is her birthday, so I would like to dedicate today’s chapter to her! Happy birthday beautiful, and I apologize in advance for further breaking your heart on your special day.
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When Riley finished her song, the entire bar erupted into uproarious applause as she hurried off the stage, the entire bar minus one table. Riley’s group of friends were completely silent. Maxwell, Drake, and Hana shot each other concerned looks before turning to Liam. He was staring at a now empty stage, they could all see that he was trying to keep his expression neutral, but that proved to be difficult with a single tear rolling down his cheek.
Drake placed a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his daze. “Li, are you alright buddy?”
Liam cleared his throat and shook his head, looking over at his friend. “Yes...yea, sorry. She has an amazing voice, doesn’t she?”
“The best. She’s our very own diva!” Maxwell said in an upbeat tone, trying to remind everyone that they were supposed to be having fun. “Where did our little Mariah run off to?” He started looking around the bar to find her.
“She probably just went to the bathroom. I’ll go check on her.” Hana got up from the table and headed toward the ladies room at the back of the bar.
Liam rested his elbows on the table and cradled his head in his hands. All he could think about was the hurt in her eyes as she looked at him from the stage, pouring her heart out to him. He couldn’t help but feel like that song was more than just a way to vent her frustrations at their current situation. He didn’t need to say a word for his friends to know exactly what he was thinking.
Drake was the first one to speak up. “Listen Liam, it was a really bad day for her. She had to pick up Madeleine’s wedding ring, it was kind of a mind fuck for her.”
His head snapped up at the information he had received. “She what?!”
“Yea, Madeleine sent her. She said she needed to do it as a thank you for letting Riley come on the tour and be in your life.” Maxwell added.
Liam’s expression immediately hardened as his hands clenched into fists. “I can’t believe Madeleine would…”
“Um...guys, she wasn’t there.” Hana interrupted. All three of them turned to look at her with wide eyes.
Liam felt his chest tighten as he jumped out of his seat. “What do you mean she wasn't there? Where did she go? We have to find her!”
As Liam turned to head for the door, Maxwell grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Liam, hold on. She probably just went back to the hotel. Letting that much emotion out in front of all of these people, in front of you, it had to have been exhausting.”
“Well I need to go talk to her then.”
“Liam, don’t. If she ran out of here like that, she wants to be alone. I know Brooks well enough to know that if she wants to talk, she’ll come to you. Showing up at her door isn’t going to fix anything right now.” Drake patted the seat next to him, encouraging Liam to sit back down.
“Fine, but I’m going to need another drink.” Liam slumped into the seat next to Drake and ran a hand through his hair.
**
The next morning, Drake was heading in the direction of Riley’s room when he heard Liam calling out to him. He turned to see his friend lightly jogging to catch up to him. “Hey Liam, how’d you sleep?”
“I didn’t. I spent all night convincing myself not to rush to Riley’s room to talk to her.”
They walked together as another voice filled the hallway. “Liam, darling.” They both cringed and turned around to see Madeleine at the other end of the hall with her hands on her hips. “We are needed for the final preparations.”
“Madeleine, I’m in the middle of something. I will meet you there.” He stood tall, and took a deep breath. He still hadn’t confronted her about the errand she had sent Riley on, but that conversation would be happening very soon.
Madeleine arched an eyebrow and walked quickly and confidently in their direction, stopping in front of Liam with her arms folded across her chest. “Sweetheart, you are needed to prepare for our wedding shower. What am I supposed to tell everyone when I arrive on my own? Do what you will with her in your free time. This is our time, I cannot have you missing important meetings for her. That’s not how this works.”
“She is more important than any meeting that will ever come across my calendar, especially any meeting involving you.” He sneered at her before turning to Drake. “Tell her I came by. And let me know if there is anything I can do.”
“Of course, man.” Drake clapped Liam on the shoulder and watched as Madeleine linked her arm through Liam’s and walked away.
As Liam and Madeleine headed to the elevator, they passed Maxwell, the friends exchanging sad looks.
“Hey Drake, how’s our girl holding up?”
“Don’t know, that interrupted us before we could get to her.”
“Well, let’s go cheer her up. I’ve got some great news!” He bounded toward Riley’s room.
“What do you mean? What kind of news?”
Maxwell turned to him as he began to knock on the door. “We found Tariq!” Drake’s jaw dropped and he stared at Maxwell in shock, as he continued to knock on the door, not getting a response from Riley. “Little Blossom, rise and shine. We’ve got a big day ahead of us!” He turned his attention back to Drake. “This is weird, she’s usually at least yelling at me to go away by now.”
That comment gave Drake an uneasy feeling in his stomach, he pushed Maxwell aside and began banging on the door. “Come on Brooks, let us in.” A couple of neighboring doors opened as angry heads popped out of them, glaring at the early morning intrusion.
“What is the meaning of this commotion? This is a nice hotel, not a frat house!” Maxwell stiffened at the sound of his brother’s voice. Drake continued his assault on the door.
“Bertrand! Um...hi. Riley’s not answering the door. She had a late night, she’s probably still asleep.” Maxwell stumbled through his words.
Bertrand closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Maxwell, do you have the spare key to her room?”
“Oh, right! I forgot about that.” He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a key card for the room and handing it to Drake. “Here, use this.”
Drake shook his head and snatched the card out of his hands. “Brooks, we’re coming in. You’ve been warned. I don’t want to see anything I’m not supposed to.”
They opened the door and entered her room, walking through the sitting area, the bedroom, and then the bathroom. Riley was nowhere to be found. Her bed looked untouched, and it was too early for housekeeping to have come through.
The three men discussed how best to move forward from here. They were in New York, so Riley was already home, they knew she wouldn’t try to fly out anywhere. But they also knew that they needed to get to LA to track down Tariq and get him to make a statement before he found out they were on his trail and disappeared again. Drake and Maxwell hesitantly agreed to meet up with Hana and take Liam’s jet to LA to get Tariq, while Bertrand went in search of Riley, to talk her into returning. All three agreed it was best not to tell Liam that Riley was missing. He was already dealing with enough, and Riley’s performance the night before had taken quite a toll on him.
Well if anyone sees this, thanks I really needed this and even though it's really late right now and I'm tired I'm so happy that unus annus gave us something that we won't forget. We were here. I was here. I'm just so scared I will forget.
Thank you for the tags @queenrileyrose, @kat-tia801, & @callmeellabella!
I’ll get back to Sapere Aude someday, I promise. I’ve got nothing to share on that front, unfortunately. However, I do have a snippet from Wednesday’s finale of The Final Goodbye (a Liam x Riley story).
There was a gentle knock at the door, all three of them jumped up in the hopes that it was Riley. Maxwell ran to answer it, revealing Liam on the other side. “Oh, Liam. Hey.” Maxwell stepped back, allowing Liam to enter.
Unable to contain his grin, Liam entered the room and approached the group. “I had a feeling you all would come here. I came to see you as soon as I could.” He looked around, noticing that Riley wasn’t with them he turned back to Maxwell and noticed his nervous expression. “Where is the woman of the hour? I wanted to personally offer my congratulations.” His face fell as he noticed his friends fidgeting, unable to make eye contact with him. Even without his years of training, he was easily able to read the tone of the room. He knew something was wrong.
“Liam...why don’t you sit down for a minute.” Drake placed a hand on his shoulder and attempted to guide him toward the couch. Liam shrugged him off.
“No thank you Drake, I came to see Riley. If she’s not here, just tell me where she is and I will go to her.”
“We ah...we don’t know.” Drake awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, unable to meet Liam’s gaze. “This morning, after you left, Maxwell and I came to check on her and she wasn’t here. It looks like she never came back to the hotel last night.”
[postHTTYD 2] A series of Hiccup’s short monologues over the course of the first two years after Stoick dies.
(can be read seperately, but it is suggested to do it chronologically)
1 2 fanfiction.net version
“Hey… Dad.
Did you often fight with your family?
Have you ever… had a fight so bad you thought about letting it go, once and for all?
Mom and I…
It’s…
…
At heart I always wished I had someone similar to me around. Someone that, like me, never quite fit in. Frustrated, I searched for that faceless, shapeless somebody, angry and disappointed You were not them.
I saw myself in a Night Fury, a dragon that was more of a legend, a myth, than anything else. And I was…happy, I felt I belonged. I understood then that it was a dragon, not a human, that would understand me the most.
And then…I found Mom and my life has, once again, been turned upside down.
She suddenly came back into my life, just as You…
One thing Mom mentioned is forever stuck in my head. She…she said that, that this gift that we share, it bonds us, in a way. I thought I knew what that means. Maybe I don’t.
I always thought that those are our differences that make us fight the most. As it turns out, similarities can do that too.
I do not want to fight. I know she doesn’t either. But the wound is too fresh, the pain too raw and the pressure too big, hitting us both harder than we make it seem. Sometimes I feel she does not deserve to grieve you, not like I do, not like Gobber, or anyone who you have kept close to your heart in the last twenty years. It’s bitter, I know. And selfish.
I’m not proud of some of the things I’ve said and done this past few months. At times it feels as though some dark, uncontrollable force takes over my body, making me angrier…lonelier...unfair… Sometimes…sometimes I don’t recognize myself anymore.
…
She sleeps in Your room, in Your bed. She eats in Your chair. My heart aches each time she does.
She tries. I do too, when I’m not too tired. But there is so much that we need to talk about, so many wounds that have not been tended to yet. She’s a stranger to me, will remain one for some time. She is not ready to get back into the community of Berk, and Berk is not yet ready to welcome her either. There is just so much…so much I don’t know. The burning question of “why” is always on my mind but can never leave my mouth.
Maybe because I’m too scared of the answers.
She says she did it to protect me. I don’t know…
It’s…Dad, it’s all going too fast.
The repairs.
The Berserkers.
The dragons.
Drago…
My, my wedding.
And…Mom.
So many things are happening at once and I…I can’t keep up. And then, and then she mentions You, and that’s the last straw. She speaks as though she knew You, but, but how can she if she has been away for the past twenty years? How can she know what made You happy, what angered You, what saddened You, irritated…? I see the pain in her eyes whenever I mention her time away. It’s real, sincere. I wish I could do something. But I can’t.
It’s not fair.
None of it is.
Gods above…
I sometimes doubt I can do anything….
I…I miss You, Dad.
I miss you every single day.”
I’m trying out this mythical thing called “regular updates” - we’ll see how that goes. ;)
[postHTTYD 2] A series of Hiccup’s short monologues over the course of the first two years after Stoick dies. (Father’s day special)
(can be read seperately, but it is suggested to do it chronologically)
<- Previous one FF.net version
“Hey, Dad.
It’s…
It’s been… two months now. Time flies by fast…too fast…
The events that… that took You away…
It feels as though it was only yesterday that all of this happened… I-
…
Astrid is worried.
She thinks I don’t notice all the concerned glances thrown my way, but I do. She looks at me like, like I could break any moment now. I keep telling her I’m fine but I don’t know if I’m lying more to her, or to myself.
Astrid is…amazing, not like I have to tell You that - You always liked her, respected her a lot.
To me…
She is my light in the darkness, able to lift me up when I’m at my lowest. I feel safe when she’s around, the sadness fleets away for a short moment whenever she laughs, her smile is what brightens my day. She supports me with everything she has, sometimes forgetting about herself and her own needs. She always puts me before her – it’s… I don’t even have the words that would describe what she means to me.
Sometimes I think I don’t deserve her, her love and support.
I love her.
I love her so much it sometimes doesn’t feel real. Or possible.
I can’t imagine a world without her.
The villagers tease a lot, the words “Berk’s lovebirds” are something we heard countless times already. Some things have not changed, even after, after… I can see Astrid doesn’t like it very much, but I don’t mind it, not really. It’s a distraction, I think I’m in need of one.
Was it like that for You and my Mother too?
I try to imagine that, but I fail miserably every time.
My Mother, the one I always imagined, the one that filled in the empty void in my heart, and Mom, the Crazy Vigilante Dragon Lady…they are two different people. I know Her – the one from my dreams, the one that never left, the one that You, in my mind, fell in love with. But… Mom - she’s nothing like her.
When I was younger, I tried to imagine You and Her, the fleeting shadow. In my mind, you were always the perfect couple, the perfect Vikings. You trained together and fought side by side, fearless, able to conquer the world.
But then…
I was confronted with a stranger that, surprisingly, held something familiar, something that felt like home. I cannot explain it, nor do I understand it. Not yet anyway. She is nothing like I imagined. You, together, were nothing like I imagined. It was magical, to see You and my Moth- my Mom…
It was different.
It was…better than what I have imagined for all those years.
The love you shared was shown in the tiniest, seemingly most insignificant of things. And it was beautiful. Your love declarations didn’t need words. And it was inspiring. Your usual quick, sharp movements became gentle, Your frown turned into a soft, loving smile. You were so happy…
I…I took that away from You…
Sometimes, sometimes my mind wanders onto dangerous territory and I… I try to imagine what if, what if Astrid-
I can’t…I,I simply can’t…
I’m so sorry, Dad. I wish…I wish you had more time together...
