Chapter 1: A Broken Man
It had been 4 years since Hiccup's heart had been broken; 4 years since he had unknowingly kissed the love of his life goodbye for the last time. It had been 3 years and 364 days since he first set out to look for her. A simple joy ride on Stormfly over the ocean obviously went badly, and something deep in Hiccup's bones told him that she needed him. The very next day he set out on a quest on the back of his best friend to track down Astrid.
He never found her. Weeks went by at a time without Hiccup returning. When he did, he was most often pale and malnourished with a case of hypothermia, astride an exhausted and equally unhealthy Toothless. Hours after eating a light meal and warming himself with a blanket, he was off into the night sky again. This went on continuously for years, slowly degrading to madness, and the village began to think this would be the death of the future Chief and the dragon that changed Berk forever. Stoik had tried to stop his son, but nothing could hold him back from looking for Astrid. At first, he and her parents were proud of his determination, but as their attitude turned to mourning her loss, Hiccup's became more desperate and angry.
Over the years he had been hardened, physically and emotionally. He came to care about nothing but finding Astrid, not even his own health or the health of his Night Fury. He continuously rejected his friends, family, and the entirety of the village, only staring at a wrinkled picture of his girlfriend he always kept. He also grew. Lack of food paired with hours and hours of dragon riding left him not that much bigger, but far more muscular, lacking so much fat it was borderline unhealthy. He had been living this lifestyle since he was 17, and now that he was 21, he was unrecognizable, but with the same goal. Toothless had aged substantially, looking more worn every time Hiccup briefly returned home. At times, he would simply crash into the main square of the town, fall fast asleep, and not move for hours. Hiccup never seemed like it bothered him, and that is what bothered the rest of the town. He would walk away from his downed dragon like he never cared for him in the first place; like he was nothing more than transportation. Hiccup came down from searching in the polar ice, but the bitter cold stayed in his eyes, and seemed to freeze ever more solid for each day he spent away.
He had mapped places the Vikings had never even knew existed; finding distant islands in the frozen north, and discovering tropical beaches towards the equator. He had met fellow Vikings, discovered hundreds of other dragon species, but never found the woman he was looking for. He was beginning to be named Berk's greatest adventurer, yet he never paid any attention. Astrid was the only thing ever on his mind.
At the moment, he was away from home, traveling over a vast land he had only seen from afar. He had never known the name of this seemingly endless but forested land, and it was even harder to see when it was covered by a moonless black sky. This time, something caught his eye: Civilization. He spotted a small camp complete with a fire and what seemed to be a large man in rags and a woman in armor. There was hope that Astrid could on this island. Something he hadn't felt in a long time lit up his insides, lighting him on fire. He burned in his ears and core, and he felt his heart racing in his chest, thumping swiftly. Tears stung his eyes. For the first time in months, there was hope he would find her.
In the same moment he flew over the camp, he heard them yelling and drawing their swords. That was never a good sign. He quickly turned his dragon around and took out a small blade, whispering for Toothless to get ready with a purple fireball. But before he and the dragon could blow them to fiery pieces, a net sprung from the ground, trapping the Viking and the Night Fury in ropes. Helpless, the pair plummeted to the ground, Toothless wailing in agony. Hiccup very distinctly remembered the ruthless and unforgiving pang of the ground when they hit, and the sound of heavy footfalls coming closer. He let his eyes roll back in his head, just as the duo emerged from the trees, weapons drawn, overlooking their perfect catch.