Hello and welcome to a new story! This is different from anything I've ever written, and here's the kicker! I'm not writing it alone! I am writing the first chapter to help set up the story in our beloved HTTYD universe, but then it will all be KornerBrandon you will take the story forward! So please go to their page for the full story! Please leave reviews and check out our other stories. Thanks a billion, and as always, enjoy!
-DaisytheDoodleDog
HTTYD: The Last Kingdom
Chapter 1:Goodbye
Toothless landed with a thud by the waters edge. He cooed softly as he could feel his riders fears pool off him. Toothless was worried. He knew that Hiccup and him had to disappear. Away from the cove. Away from Berk. Away from everyone they knew. They were both good at disappearing... But Astrid stood in the way of that.
Before, it had been just Toothless and Hiccup. Hiccup and Toothless. They only needed each other. Being an outcast was life, and by now, it was just accepted. But now, there was fear from Hiccup. Someone actually cared about him. Someone noticed the little fish in a sea of sharks. And that gave him the only reason to stay. She clogged Hiccup's thoughts, as she slid off the sleek, black dragon, with a shaky sigh.
"What are we going to do?" She whispered. And for the first time, Astrid sounded nervous. This was different from anything she had ever known. And while it thrilled her -and quite frankly unwanting to say it- she was scared.
She shuffled her feet, digging into the soft mud that gathered on the shore line. Toothless gurgled as he affectionately nuzzled her arm. She could barely contain the small grin that tugged at the corner of her lips. She rubbed her fingers along his cool scales, Toothless leaning lazily into her touch.
"...My plan doesn't change. I'm still leaving." Astrid's jaw dropped and turned. as she stared into his big, green eyes. Toothless huffed, as she dropped her hand. Hiccup paused as he seemed to be looking for the right words. But it was near impossible with Astrid's expression. She was flabbergasted by his words. And how calmly he spoke! She sputtered madly, throwing her hands around in complete exasperation.
"But- but you can't! You've convinced me! Now you've got to convince them! Hiccup, if you want peace, then-" She was cut off by a much more overpowering voice. She nearly jumped by his change in tone.
"Astrid! There will not be peace if I'm exiled and thrown onto Outcast island! They..." his head dropped, watching his shuffling feet, as they dug at the mud spot Astrid had been fiddling with. He face softened as he slowly looked up at her gentle gaze.
"They'll kill him." Astrid closed her mouth. Her breath hitched in her throat. It came flowing back, the merciless brutal treatment to the dragons. She and Hiccup were the only ones who knew the truth. That thought scared her... yet it made her giddy. To be part of something so important. All her life she was searching for something worth fighting for. And it was now that she knew her fight.
Astrid nodded a little, studying the boy in front of her. It was then did she realize, he was the bravest person, she had ever met. She sighed again, and rested both hands on his bony shoulders.
"We won't let them... I won't let them." He looked up at her and gave a silent nod completely lost in her ocean blue eyes. He bit his lip, ripping himself from his thoughts. It was one of the hardest decisions he had ever had to make. But there was no life for him here. He knew that. Astrid knew that.
"We have to go." He whispered. Astrid could see that he was torn. And it tore her up knowing that she couldn't do anything about it. She took in a deep breath, knowing that it was for the best.
"You... Y-you'll be back, r-right?" She hesitated her question, not sure she wanted an answer. Hiccup gasped at her, having a feeling wash over him, something he had never felt before. A feeling of belongingness. Someone cared.
"I-" He stopped and gazed at those beautiful, bright eyes. Her pupils reflected the dimly lit stars that hung in peace above them. It was a spark of hope.
"I don't know." He answered truthfully. At first he was so sure that he would never return home. But this wasn't home. There was no home for him, and that was why he had to leave. But Astrid's soft expression, and worried stare caused him to rethink. Astrid was home. But she lived here, and he could not stay. He now had no idea.
"Then I'll come with you!" She said confidently, taking her hands off his shoulders and resting them on her hips. He stumbled back, into Toothless and shook his head.
"No. you... you need to stay here. Please Astrid. If anyone can try to make a difference, it's you. I don't want to drag you into anything." He said boldly. He suddenly felt much braver than the pit in his stomach had previously convinced him.
"You kinda did when you put me in a tree." She shrugged with a hint of a chuckle in her voice. He grinned, suddenly thinking about allowing her to come. Then he pictured everything that could go wrong. He shook his head again.
"No. Ast, please. Promise me you will stay." She bit her lip. So hard in fact, that she could feel the skin break. It took everything she had to swallow the thick stone in her throat and nod.
"Okay then." She mumbled, her wisps of loose hair, blowing in the evening breeze. Hiccup sighed, so much in his mind, he could barely comprehend what happened next.
Suddenly, he arms were thrown around him, in a tight embrace. He stumbled back and cautiously held her back. "Do not forget this world. Where you came from. Or... me. Promise?"
Her words struck him in the heart, as he hugged tighter. "I promise." Slowly, and dare he say reluctantly, Astrid let go, gazing at him for a moment, as if keeping a mental picture of what he looked like. Quickly, she lurched foreword, grabbed him by the hem of his shirt and kissed him. It was swift, almost too fast for Hiccup to react. She pulled back quickly and tucked her hair behind her ear with a deep blush, that matched Hiccup's equally red face.
"Umm... Good luck." She whispered with a nod. Hiccup returned the expression, and climbed onto Toothless. The dragon stretched and shook off, ready for a long flight. Hiccup slung his bag over his shoulders and patted Toothless.
"Goodbye Astrid." She flinchned at the words and sighed nervously. Toothless let out a shrieking roar and took off, disappearing into the night sky. The stars twinkled above, giving Astrid the tiniest bit of hope.
"Goodbye Hiccup."
"Hiccup? Hiccup!" The booming voice shouted from atop the hill, overlooking the plaza. Stoick the Vast groaned angrily as his On was nowhere to be seen. Much as usual... but now, it had been three days. Hiccup had never been gone for this long, and while he would never show it, Stoick was terrified. He marched through the village on high alert, barking orders as people frantically searched. Gobber hobbled at his side, having difficulty keeping up with the chief.
Everyone was outside. Searching forests, the shores, the village. Everyone turned up empty handed. Stoick interrogated everyone. He clapped his hands together trying the hide the slight tremble. He was beginning to fear the worst...
Hiccup had served the same fate as his mother 15 years ago.
Stoick stomped his way back to his house in a raging anger, as a way to conceal his fear. The growing black hole in his stomach beating him by the hour. He stopped and watched curiously as Astrid sat quietly on the hill, weaving long pieces of grass together in boredom. She stared off into the grey horizon, the sea and sky dull with chilling grey clouds. Her hands fiddled with the pieces of grass, braiding the strands unconsciously, as she seemed to be off elsewhere in her thoughts. Stoick moved closer, the grass crunching under his heavy feet.
His shadow blocked her view as his blazing stare sent chills down her spine. "Astrid?" The poor girl nearly jumped in a foot in the air, a gasp escaping her. He hadn't meant to scare her, but by now, he was frantic.
"Have you seen Hiccup?!" He demanded. He was so tired of asking, and he meant well, but Stoick was scared. Hiccup was all he had left.
Astrid gulped and refused to look her chief in the eye. She couldn't lie to the chief. Hiccup's dad. But she had made a promise. And she intended on keeping it. She quickly shook her head, a lump in her throat stopping the words from coming out of her bone dry mouth. The chief raised his eyebrows, something about the normally confident, outspoken girl was different.
"Are- are you sure?" He asked softer this time. His voice lowered, momentarily letting his brave face go as Astrid could now clearly see the thick expression of worry plastered to his face. She nodded and opened her mouth, her voice breaking as she spoke.
"No chief. I have not seen him." Her voice was barely a whisper, just hushed enough for the chief to hear. He nodded with patted her shoulder. She winced under his touch, biting her lip so hard, the gum inside began to bleed.
"Okay lass." He smiled proudly at the young warrior, knowing that she would become the best dragon killer Berk had ever seen. The irony. She sighed and gave weak nod and stared at him with glassy eyes as he made his way down the hill.
Astrid felt terrible about lying. But she knew that it could Hiccup and Toothless in trouble. Heck, it could get her big trouble. She clenched her fists in a boiling rage at the situation, squeezing her hands so hard, knuckles became white. She huffed an angry breath and began to walk. She didn't care where, just away from the panicked faces the waved through the village.
Sh grunted and kicked a pebble. It went flying, and rolled right off the edge of a cliff, overlooking the rough black waters below. She peered over, dirt crumbling under feet. She nearly scoffed, so wishing she could have the amazingly feeling of floating in the air. The rush of wind hitting her pink face. The true feeling of freedom. She sighed sadly, her shoulders sinking, her thoughts wandering to where Hiccup could be with his dragon. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head.
A wide smile spread across her face as she picked up speed, running away from the village and people and worries. The woods portrayed a cozy comfort. Birds sang and gentle winds blew through the leaves, rattling them pleasantly. And while the grey skies still loomed above, the trees hid the dullness in their bright green, showing off the vibrant color for only a short time, before another winter would set in.
Finally, hundreds of feet below her, was the dragon killing arena. It sat silently in the cliff side, looking over the docks, alined with ship after ship. The arena looked ominous, an unsettling feeling hitting Astrid like never before. She made her way down ladders, steep stairs, and rickety bridges, until she came to the large iron gates, barbed and rusted from use. She gulped and threw open the large gates with a grunt. It was then, that she could hear it.
The soft chirps and cooes from inside the cages. The sad sound made Astrid sick, as she thought how despicable humans could be. How evil and cruel they are. How cruel she was. She shook it off. That wasn't her. That was before. That was before the truth that changed her mind. Astrid gulped, quietly stepping over to the large wooden lever mechanism that opened all the gates. She stared at it, completely unsure of herself. Her fingers brushed over the splintered wood, her hands trembling like a newborn sheep.
Her face contorted at the thoughts of Vikings killing these innocent dragons. Dragons that were only stealing to survive. Dragons who had been tortured and caged against their will. And now they were sitting in the dark, alone, hungry, and scared. She gripped the lever with a force that surprised her, and with powerful grunt, slammed down the lever.
"No more!" She shouted as she steeped away into the middle of the arena. The metal doors suddenly burst open with a loud crash. Suddenly, a flaming Monstrous Nightmare, coated in orange flames snarled, showing off his sharp fangs, climbed the walls. A Gronkle, Zippleback, and a few others came crashing out, angry and surprised. Astrid dropped the small dagger she had been gripping. It's small clang as it hit the cobble silenced the dragons, as they stared almost, curiously at her.
And through the thin line of zippleback gas, was a Deadly Nadder. Her blue scales shined in the hidden sun. She cocked her head and squawked. Astrid rolled her shoulders and stood defensively in front of the dragons. Her heard her joint pop, ready for the impossible. She took a deep breath, steadying her racing heart.
"Okay... Let's give this a try."
To Be Continued...
Please go to KornerBrandon's page to read the full story, this is just the chapter that I wrote! I hope you enjoyed go check out our other stories! Until next time,
-Daisy
