Chapter 1 - Leaving
"Rapunzel?" Jackson Overland's voice cracked at the sight before him. In his home. His eyes glared at one of the hugest heart-breakers; Flynn Rider.
"J-Jack!" Rapunzel stopped immediately, she had been far too engrossed in her ordeal that she hadn't even heard him come in. "It's not what it looks like!" Her voice was panicked. She hadn't expected her boyfriend to come home for another hour. He must have finished his shift before he was meant to, which meant that the bar must have been dead. In which time, Flynn would have been gone. She couldn't look at him. At either of the two boys. She brushed her long blonde hair away from her face, as if it would cover up what she had just been doing with another man. "Really? Really, Rapunzel? It definitely looked like you were making out with… With him!" Jack snapped right back at her. He was furious. Their voices faded in his anger. It was a sight not many people would see in their lifetime. He couldn't hear a word they were saying, but he could hear that Rapunzel was nearly crying, trying to persuade him that she 'loved him'. "Of all the people, Rapunzel. Of all the people you had to pick him?"
"This is entirely my fault, I lead her on, I-" Flynn attempted to right his wrong-doings.
"Shut up!" Jack yelled in fury.
It was her own fault. What had he done wrong? Wasn't he good enough for her? Ignoring her, he pushed past both of them, straight into the bedroom they shared. He filled a rucksack full of things he needed. Mostly clothing, but he shoved his toothbrush in as well as his savings. Upon hearing the girl begging him not to go, he turned. "I'm done, Rapunzel. You've been eyeing him up ever since we got together! I gave up everything for you. That included my family. They clearly want me more than you though, and unlike you, they weren't lying when they said they loved me." Still ignoring her pleas, he dropped the keys to the apartment onto the floor and slammed the door behind him as he left. He could stand most things she'd put him through, but downright cheating on him? That was low. Really really low.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Kingdom, a boy of a similar age to Jack was having a similar problem. "It's not mah fault, Heccup! It's me mum! She's meckin' me marreh a Prince just teh unite teh Kingdoms. It's not like I want tae do it." The feisty, red-headed Princess Merida told her current boyfriend. He just stood there, silent. "Please, Heccup. Say something… Anything… Please…" To Hiccup, this was the first time he had seen or heard of the Scottish Princess cry and plead. It was also the first time the brunet had nothing at all to say. Usually, Hiccup was the bubble of joy, constantly chatting and having all sorts to say. Sometimes about work, sometimes about his friends from his home town. No words came from his mouth and his expression was unreadable. Almost.
Hiccup didn't know what to say to her though. A part of him wanted to tell her it was okay, that he understood, but that would be lying. Hiccup was too honest for that. It would keep him awake at night if he deceived someone, no matter who they were. "Get out." He muttered under his breath. Obviously, it was too quite for Merida to hear. Upon her questioning look, he repeated. Louder this time. "Get out, Merida!" By the look on her face, she hadn't ever been spoken to in a way like this before. After all, she was the Princess. However, her social status didn't mean nothing to the freckled teen at this point in time. "Can't you see I'm busy working?" He gestured around, at all the swords that needed sharpening for the respectable knights of the Kingdom. "Besides, you wanted me to say something, so I did. For your benefit, I'll say it once more, and once more only. Get. Out."
Merida had ran out after that, she might have been crying but Hiccup tried not to notice. He merely frowned and returned to work. He felt awful for speaking to her like that, but it had to be done. He couldn't stay being her boyfriend when she would have to marry someone else. It honestly wasn't her fault in any way. She couldn't help being the Princess. She was being forced into marriage at such a young age as well, but it was a part of her responsibilities. Uniting the Kingdoms was what she had people preparing her for throughout her life. That's why he liked seeing her when she was more relaxed, with no pressure on her. Where she could be herself. They both enjoyed each other's company and it just ended up leading to a romantic relationship.
Hiccup preoccupied himself from his thoughts of guilt by getting on with his work. He did enjoy his work as a blacksmith. It reminded him of home and of his family. He missed them on days like these but he often felt like he didn't belong there. So when a chance to go to a big city like this, he jumped at the chance. Several swords later, he was almost done with work when he saw the King's personal knights. Panicking, he ditched what he was doing, letting the sword fall to the floor. Paying no mind to the clatter, he grabbed the brown fur vest from the coat hook, the only thing he had left of home. Pulling it on quickly, he left the weaponry.
He slipped out of the back door, which led him straight into the back alleys of the Kingdom. It was dark, cold and slightly scary, but he knew it like the back of his hand. This gave him quite a large advantage over the knights, as did his skinny frame. It helped him fit through tight squeezes. Glancing back over his shoulder briefly, he saw the guards far behind him. Despite seeing this, he continued to run even after he passed the gates of the Kingdom. Hiccup hadn't even had the time to run back to the small apartment he lived alone in. He didn't own much but what he did meant a lot to him. He may need to return one day to get them back.
He continued to run as fast as he could, not stopping until he was sure they wouldn't bother pursuing him any more. When he did stop, he almost doubled over from exhaustion. He was bent slightly, with his hands on his knees, panting like an excited dog. When his breathing finally steadied, he stood straight again. He looked around him. The area was so unfamiliar to him. He had no clue where he was, but he started to follow the road, in hopes it would lead him somewhere. The fur vest provided a small amount of heat and plenty of comfort. Luckily, the autumn breeze wasn't too cold at the moment. The anxiety of feeling lost consumed him rather quickly so he kept his head down and prayed to the Gods above that he would find somewhere to stay soon.
A/N: So that's that. The first of many chapters to come. Naturally, they haven't met each other yet but it won't be long until they do ;) So yeah... Hope you enjoyed :)