Had you asked Hiccup if he loved Berk, he would have answered 'yes'. He loved the salty shores, the deep cliffs he occasionally climbed to enjoy the view and a pleasant sunset every once in a while, he absolutely loved the woods, in which he could scurry off and be... well, Hiccup. He even loved the climate, the thin air as it seared through his lungs, even if his feet nearly froze off. Had you altered the question a bit and asked him if he loved the village or the people that lived there, in each and every way would he have said no. Being Hiccup meant he could see the world from a different perspective, and not just because he was so small and scrawny for his age, but it meant that people treated him like an outsider. So much unlike their own, the clumsy, the incompetent, the useless. A sad, taunting nickname that stuck and was often thrown at him even if it was totally uncalled for.

Every day he would let his mind wonder off to the great unknown, the world beyond the icy shores, far away from this meridian of misery. With his thoughts a hundred miles away he frequently screwed up awfully and made a huge mess out of things, usually followed by an angry Gobber, the name calling, and a disappointed sigh from his father.

He'd find a safe haven in his art, a place where he could mess up to his heart's contents and not be scorned for it. It didn't matter what the subject was either, it could be a portrait, a rough sketch, or a blue print for whatever it was that came across his mind. He always enjoyed to put his brain, rather than his none-existent muscles, to work.

And he tried. He really did! But his efforts were never appreciated and they would backfire on him with the most horrid and awful results. Couldn't they just try to understand that he was doing it for their best interest? All he wanted was to help them, aid them in their battles... be accepted, or recognised for his efforts at the very least!

Hiccup thought his life would be forever stuck in this void spiraling down, always dreading what would become of him if he were to hit the dark bottom. He had nothing to hold on to, or so it seemed, just as he was about to slip down further he was offered a helping hand. Or... rather... a helping claw.

Up untill this day he thanked Thor, Freiya and every other God, Valkyrie and Deity that would listen to him, for letting him meet Toothless. Whenever he looked at Toothless, and the dragon in his turn looked at Hiccup, he couldn't help but be filled with warmth and gratitude that spread pleasantly from the pit of his stomach to every cornor of his body it could reach. Somehow this dragon had ignited something in him, and it continued to burn every waking and every dormant moment of every day.

At first no one noticed of course, heck he suspected they right out chose to block him out unless they could chew him up on something and spit it out into his face. Sometimes he felt terrible, hating himsef for feeling so bitterly about his tribe.

But after a while, it became very hard to simply brush it off, the villagers started to notice him. His way with the beasts, as Gobber liked to call it, drew out full blown crowds to the kill ring to cheer him on and roared with applause at each and every conquest.

Hiccup ofcourse, basked in the positive reactions he received, he'd daresay they had been the happiest days of his life. Basking in the attention and adoration of the village, and living out his dreams with Toothless. They bonded in a way no one would be able to take away from them, they flew together, ate together, snuck into the village together so Hiccup could fix their flight gear, they sometimes even napped together. But he was always happiest knowing that this dragon had his back, that he would be there if he needed him.

Happiness however, is a very feeble and fleeting thing. It didn't last long before Hiccup had to face reality again when the elder had chosen him, HIM, out of everyone, to slay a dragon, his first dragon, in front the entire tribe! And all under the careful watch of the Chief, he hadn't even told him yet!

Hiccup was torn between his duties and his moralities. He had to kill that dragon in the morning, but he didn't have the heart to do it. Not after it had been saved by a dragon. But what would they say? What would his father say, he doubted he would ever be able to look at him ever again were he to forfeit. He knew that going back to being the town's Useless was out of the question, he simply couldn't! After every thing that happened in the past few days he couldn't go back to slumping his shoulders, to stumble through misery and to be shunned again. Even thinking about it nearly drove him mad.

It was then that the idea of fleeing, leaving the island had bashfully announced itself in his head. Enthusiastically ringing every bell in his mind, making it really hard to ignore.

He doubted his plan... no scratch that, something so irrational couldn't be called a plan. It was rather a thought, one he didn't even fully think through! But the thought of running away was so tempting, and seemed like the perfect sollution back then.

Even after all this time, it still hurt Hiccup to have left them so shamefully. His dad, Gobber, Astrid (even if she never showed any sign of caring about him at all). He sometimes wandered back to Berk in his mind. Imagining his climb to the top of the cliff, the mead hall and the happy burly vikings making a big scene each and every night, the deep woods and the cove. He even missed the forge! Nostalgia and a mixture of emotions left him feeling bittersweet every time.

Funny how things were the exact opposite now. He was happy, instead of miserable, he was on the other side of the horizon, accepted, and surrounded by people who actually understood him and loved him for who he was. He had left Hiccup the Useless heir of Berk far behind him. In his place was now, Hiccup Horendous Haddock, Dragon Master, and the kindest leader of the world's biggest group of nomad dragon riders.

Their lives were peacefull.

Just a quick Prologue for you guys. Just so you know, the biggest part of this story will be away from Berk, it is how I imagined things could have gone for Hiccup had he actually left (and not turn evil or mad or hungry for Berk's destructio )

I tried to make something new and used Hiccups love for adventure and traveling to build the fundamentals for this story. I hope you'll like it!

Edit: I tried to take out as many grammar mistakes as I could find. If any of you were to find anything I missed or think something sounds weird and should be changed let me know and I'll take care of it.