A/N: Not beta-read. Sorry for the errors.

Warning: Will contain adult content in the future. Will be SLASH and may contain lemons. This isn't a story of growing up with adventure. This will contain dark themes, possibly political conflict, and pretty morally ambiguous stuff. Hiccup won't grow up to be a bright, noble, and brave hero. He will be someone who works in the shadows and is not above manipulation of every kind.

Beneath the Surface

I

Sharp

A boy barely eight years old remained as still as he can. A mouth with a few gaps of space where teeth should be bit down on dark sleeves, and green eyes were wide and red with tears. Leaves and twigs were stuck on auburn hair, and small cuts and scrapes littered pale-freckled skin. He was trying to stifle his short breaths and he hoped that the heart pounding a tattoo against his chest was only audible to him.

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III kept still inside one of the many underbrush in the forest as he waited for a man and a woman to leave the clearing. It didn't look like they planned on doing so any time soon either.

It was obvious the two were foreigners. Neither had the stature of a Viking, and they were shorter than the average European. They were both pale and their skins were clear and smooth, not even a freckle in sight of whatever bit of skin they exposed. Both had midnight-black hair, but the man's hair was chopped messily and the woman's hair was pulled tight in a high pony-tail. Their eyes were slanted and their brows arched sharply, both of their irises were dark. Even though they had somewhat similar appearances, Hiccup could see that they were not related. They both wore dark robes with a large belt that kept it snug against their bodies to show their slim figures, and their garb didn't even have a hint of metal or hidden armour. They only had clogs with leather thongs tied that separated the largest toe from the other four, with an elevated wooden base. That type of clothing was impractical in Berk's regions, but neither seemed to mind the cold and snow.

The pair spoke in a strange language, seeming to be composed of consonant-vowel collection of syllables which rolled out smoothly from their mouths. Maybe if the man wasn't cleaning a bloody wickedly sharp, thin, and curved blade while standing over another man dressed in similar garbs; Hiccup wouldn't be afraid to approach the two and ask for help to return to the village. It was still noon-time, and it was far too early for Stoick to be really worried about him since there were no dragon raids in the morning or any sort of danger from wild animals other than wild boars. Hiccup wouldn't test his luck to see if the foreigners would see him.

There was still the slightest bit of suspicion that the two knew he was there, but neither seemed inclined to do anything about his presence. As if they didn't view him as a threat, but Hiccup wouldn't mind if they keep thinking like that. Hiccup sucked a sharp breath when the woman bent down and stripped the corpse of its garments. Green eyes clenched shut as he heard a sharp tune whistle out and the sound of cawing birds descended into the clearing. Hiccup tried the best he can not to imagine what the birds of prey were probably doing to the body.

Hiccup had no idea how long he waited, but he managed to calm himself down enough to stop biting his clothes. He wasn't short of breath anymore, so he was rather confident that he managed to keep his silence. The sun now cast shadows at a different angle, so it may have been some time since he started calming down. His heart was still and Hiccup knew that he wouldn't really worry much about being found. However, he was rather nauseous when his gaze landed on whatever that was left of the pair's supposed comrade. He bit his tongue and steadily increased the pressure until he tasted blood just so not to make a single noise.

The pair showed no signs of leaving anytime soon, but it didn't look like they had any reasons to stay at all. Even if the man had his sword sheathed in a scabbard strapped on his back, that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous at all.

"It was such a shame Wind was traitor." Green eyes almost bulged out of sockets when the man switched to Norse. The time between each syllables of the man's words were equally paced; the language was a little butchered from the man's accent, but Hiccup understood what he meant nevertheless. "A replacement required. We request Pierre from commander, but we need initiate to fill his place."

A strange sense of foreboding crept down Hiccup's spine, but he did not dare move an inch –even if it seemed to him that the woman was looking at his direction with her head cocked to the side. He silently took a deep breath when the man turned to gaze at him as well.

"You are right. However, it must be someone young and impressionable, it is uneasy to deal with an initiate already entrenched in tradition, values, and loyalty to a single group that would turn a blind eye to their own tyranny. Also, it is difficult to teach someone whose body is no longer flexible as to learn the art of our Order."

"Perhaps this young child would be willing to join?" Hiccup froze. "He shouldn't be afraid, we intend no harm."

They knew. They knew. Yet they… didn't want to hurt him? He saw them… take out their companion, but they didn't intend to… kill him? Hiccup's shoulders sagged with relief when the realization dawned on him, but he didn't want to go out of his hiding place just yet. Even though it was small and cramped, it would take a while before the two would reach him and he could scramble back and head back to the village.

"It is alright, come out little one, we don't wish to kill you. You have traits desirable to our Order, if we hadn't known of your presence earlier; we would not have known you were there." The two crossed their arms and kept passive expressions as they waited for him to show himself.

Hiccup bit his lip, unsure if he could trust these people. Though, he wondered how they knew he was there. He didn't make a sound when he saw the man stab the other, and he had been under the bush for some time since he heard the three (now two) pass by from another direction. His gaze darted around his surroundings and Hiccup almost groaned when he noticed that he left a trail to the underbrush. The boy sighed and he hesitantly crawled out of his hiding place.

Hiccup's gaze flickered between the pair and possible escape routes.

Now wasn't this embarrassing? If Stoick was there to see this, he would have shaken his head in disappointment. A Viking does not run and hide in the face of danger; he would fight until the bitter end in a bloody battle, but this sort of danger was different from what most Viking faced.

There was no exclamation of a battle cry, nor was there any sign of conflict. What the man did was quick, efficient, and far too impersonal to be considered a victory –it was simply cold-blooded murder, a sudden blade to the man's chest and a quick swipe to the neck. It wasn't even brutal, but it sent chills down Hiccup's back worse than the ones he always had when the older Vikings slayed dragons. They were not the sort of people that did found glory in battles or would they fight fair, they were the kind of people that did what they had to do and no one would know a thing about it.

Except maybe Hiccup.

The red-head swallowed and he kept a wary gaze at the foreigners who both observed him appraisingly. Hiccup stared back with a hint of distrust; most children his age would slowly let their guard down, considering the two held themselves similarly like experienced Vikings like their parents, but not Hiccup. Even if his mother mediated between him and his father (and to the rest of the village by extension), Hiccup had always felt like an outcast, and that it made him wary of other people besides his father and Gobber. Should both twitch a single muscle, Hiccup would be sure to run while alerting the whole village to the presence of two unknown visitors.

"So young, yet intelligent and observant, a precious and priceless trait our Order is looking for." Did the woman… just compliment him? That didn't mean Hiccup was going to trust them any time soon though. "You have the capacity to remain still for quite some time just as well, perhaps honing these talents are not something you are against? It would be such a waste that you follow the path of your peers who would have different talent to yours."

Nope, Hiccup wasn't convinced to trust them yet. "Uh… intruders are not allowed?"

The man smirked and then inserted a hand inside his robe and quickly pulled out a rectangular piece of wood with a drawing of a golden sun with a silver crescent moon with an eight-pointed-star on the centre inside. He threw it towards Hiccup, and Hiccup barely caught it with both hands. Hiccup remained aware of the foreigners' presence even as he turned the piece on its other side to inspect the token.

"If you wish to learn, return here tomorrow. It is preferable you are alone and no one would know where you would be." The woman turned and the man was quick to follow; even with their ridiculous footwear, neither made the slightest sound. Then the woman stopped walking when she was just on the edge of the trees and then glanced back at Hiccup with a passive expression. "I am Stone and this is River, we shall be back tomorrow."

By all rights, Hiccup should have told Stoick about River and Stone, but he didn't. He really should have at least implied it when he woke up the night before to see the two rummaging around his home without even waking up his father without as much as a blink. Hiccup wondered how on earth those two managed to not even make the slightest bit of sound considering their ridiculous clogs.

River turned to him with a smile that made him look eerie against the glow of the hearth of fire in their home. The dark-haired man placed a finger over his lips to hush Hiccup with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

At least a scream would have been a good and short way to alert the village of the presence of the two assassins, but…

Stone scaled the wall and made her way towards his bed in silence. "Here, this would fit just fine. Wear this tomorrow."

She took out a package covered with linen and tied with a thin string; she placed it over the foot of Hiccup's bed before tapping the wood of his bed's frame twice before ambling her way back to the window. "Tomorrow child."

He was awake for all night, but he wasn't tired or groggy for the whole day. The sense of unease wouldn't leave him even long after he found the clearing again with the package in hand. Hiccup took a deep breath and sat cross-legged on the ground, carefully pulling the string and then folded the linen open.

Inside were robes and clogs similar to what the two wore, and a thin and straight dagger. Hiccup inspected the robe and held it out above his head. Hiccup frowned, noticing that it would highlight his small frame should he wear it. He turned the garment over and pouted to himself, did he really have to do this?

Well, Hiccup knew he didn't have to follow through, but what kept him there was the fear of these people stabbing everyone in the village without anyone knowing. That and maybe he was somewhat curious just as well.

Hiccup rarely received compliments that did not come from his mother, and if ever he did receive one that didn't come from her, it was either he became suspicious or appreciated it. He never realized that the two would mix together in the face of strangers.

On one hand, even if Stone and River judged him, he was pleasantly surprised that it was full of approval. It was definitely a breath of fresh air compared to the elders in the village looking down on him for having a small and not-Viking like body like Snotlout. Those two definitely thought that all of him was just fine.

With a defeated sigh, Hiccup held the garment up and then began to undress. "Alright…"

TBC