HTTYD: The Long Road Home
Chapter 1
"I just want to be one of you…"
As the movie began to transition to the next scene, I reached for my wireless mouse, swinging the cursor over to hit pause. The screen froze on an image of Hiccup running out of his house as I swung my gaming headset off my head and placed it onto the desk. Pushing myself out of the chair near my corner desk, I stood up and stretched my aching muscles, a side effect of sitting hunched over in the chair for so long. I'd spent the last hour in a heated argument with my ex-girlfriend, before closing out of Facebook in place of starting to rewatch How To Train Your Dragon, the first one. I'd needed something to put off the nervous energy bouncing around inside my chest that signaled the approach of an anxiety attack. I didn't realize how much time had actually passed until I heard my stomach growl. Oh well, I scooped up my blue tinted house key and carefully counted out a little over a dollar from the spare change I always ended up leaving around the room. The door clicked as I unlocked it and stepped out, converse clopping on the wood paneled flooring as I strode through the short hall and into the living room where my mom was currently laying on the couch reading her book, looking thoroughly exhausted from her job as a teachers aid. "Hey, I'm heading to Wal-Mart to grab a snack; I'll text when I'm there." I spoke quickly, hoping she hadn't yet made the connection between my snack trips and the candy I've been eating lately.
She looked up from her story, nodding after a moment's consideration and brief consultation of her watch. "Alright, just don't forget to text." My mom replied, moving her iPhone, a newer version than mine, closer to her side before returning her attention back to the novel. She probably wasn't even surprised to see that I had been steadily creeping closer to the door as she talked.
"Will do!" I called out over my shoulder, already unlocking the door and walking out into the outside world. Immediately I was buffeted by a strong wind, blowing my already messy black hair into even more of a mess while my hoodie flapped out behind me. In hindsight, I probably should've taken a peek outside at the weather before stepping out. Oh well, what's the worst that could happen, I get a little wet? Then I turned my thoughts back towards the last time I had adventured to the store during a storm, and how my clothes had taken two days to dry out afterwards. Okay, worst case I get soaked. Quickly as I could, I untangled my earphones and plugged them up to my iPod that I'd almost forgotten was in my back pocket. Even if the rain hadn't started yet, the black sky was evident enough to its oncoming intentions. I'd just clicked on my Rock Out playlist when I exited the subdivision I lived in, tucking the small device back into a pocket as I walked onto the sidewalk. A few minutes later I pulled it out again, scrolling through the list of songs. Over 200 songs on this thing, yet not a single one sounds good to me right now… The entire walk to Wal-Mart was filled with my constant scrolling; only stopping to text a brief "There." to my mom as I entered the store.
Being as skinny as I am, so skinny that some thought it wasn't healthy, it took almost no time at all to dodge and weave my way around the crowds until I'd reached my destination; the candy aisle. With a small box of Sour Patch Kids now within my grasp, I made my way back towards the entrance and checkout lines at the front of the store. More specifically, I went towards the automated checkout, or as I liked to call them, the anti-human interaction lines. As the machine started to print out my receipt, I pulled out my phone to reply to my mom's earlier text of "Okay". Before I could do more than unlocking it, I was interrupted by the machine dropping out a penny of change. I slid the unlocked phone into my hoodie pocket to free my hands for the change and plastic shopping bag. I was almost back onto the sidewalk again before I'd managed to once again retrieve my phone. The wind was blowing much harder than it had been; I was starting to find it difficult to even keep on my feet!
After my phone was finally back in hand, I'd begun working on zipping up the hoodie. What the hell was going on with this wind today? Now it's freezing! The wind felt as though it had dropped twenty degrees in seconds, and was still falling. My fingers freezing, I quickly typed out a text and hit send before stuffing my hand back into the hoodie pocket to converse what warmth I had left. As if it felt the world wasn't going absolutely insane before, it certainly was now, as a sudden gale of hurricane force winds blew me up off my feet and into the dense cluster of tree's on the left of the sidewalk. "Shit!" I couldn't help the curse as it slipped out my mouth, wincing in pain as I hit the dirt hard and rolled down the slight hill. My eyes involuntarily closed as I was rolling over, but once I'd slowed to a stop, the wind suddenly grew quiet and died out. The chill was certainly still there, but it no longer felt as if I'd look around to see snow and ice. Tentatively, I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings. Okay, the good news is that I'm still sitting around underneath the trees. The bad news? These definitely aren't trees from Florida.
"What the hell?" I spoke allowed, questioning the universe itself quietly as I gaped at the new environment I'd found myself in. Everything around me had changed in nearly every aspect possible. I was in a clearing inside a forest, in a place that definitely isn't my home state. The tree's were nothing like anything we had back home, if anything, they slightly reminded me of the types of tree's I would see in vacations to Tennessee or Arkansas. Hesitantly, I glanced over my shoulder, still trying to hold out hope that I would see the sidewalk that led back to Wal-Mart. I couldn't have been more wrong; instead, I saw what appeared to be a dusty trail worn into being by the passage of time and people, which led to a decently sized village. It wasn't a modern type of village though, no, this seemed like it'd been taken directly out of a history book, complete with actual lit torches to burn away the inky blackness of the night. Wait, night? Sure enough, whatever brought me here hadn't even had the common courtesy to drop me off at the correct time of day that I'd left. Not only that, but… "Of course, it has to be raining too!" I groaned, as if things couldn't have been any worse, now I was lost andwet.
Muttering a few choice curses under my breath, I flicked up the hood of my jacket over my head and picked up the bag containing my candy. If I'd known the universe planned to kidnap me when I left to go buy some Sour Patch Kids, I would've brought some more supplies than just a jacket and my music! It took me a good twenty minutes to walk from where I'd arrived to the edge of the village; it'd looked so much closer than it really was! During this time I'd pulled out my earbuds and safely wrapped them around the iPod, which resided in one pocket of my hoodie. The second was occupied by my iPhone, which frustratingly, had been unable to tell me where the hell I was. By the time I'd finally reached the village, I was cold, tired, confused, soaking wet, and extremely irritable. It was only there though, that my pessimistic side chose to rear its ugly head. Trying my hardest to ignore the thoughts that were threatening to crack my already shaky resolve, I took a deep breath and stepped inside the village grounds, searching for the largest and most brightly lit building I could find. Maybe there I'd be able to find some sort of answer to where and why I was here.
The massive building I'd settled on had two massive doors, obviously built for someone much larger than my lean build. Despite their size, however, they opened with only slightly more effort than it took to open one of the heavier types of metal doors at school. Oh, lovely, it groans too. Well, so much for making a stealthy entrance. After I shut the door behind me, I finally looked around the large room, my jaw dropping as the realization hit me like a slap in the face. There's no way… How can this be the Great Hall from How to Train Your Dragon?! That's just a movie!
As impossible as it seemed, there it was, staring me right in the face. Thankfully it was near empty, aside from one table where a group of people were too caught up in their own conversation to notice me. Unfortunately, being me, I had absolutely zero luck; I just wish it'd chosen somewhere more convenient to run out than right then. The doors groaned behind me as they opened up, and I just prayed that if I really was in Berk, like some part of my gut was beginning to believe, that it would be a Viking who would choose to ask questions rather than a straight axe to the face in surprise.
Turning around, I saw that I was now face to face with a boy who looked to be about a year younger than I was, with a mop of messy brown hair and bright green eyes. I was staring at the face of Hiccup Haddock III, of Berk, who luckily looked just as startled as I was. I probably would have run and tried to hide somewhere else in the hall, if not for the equally surprised Viking teens now staring at me from their table behind me. Talk about stuck between a rock and a hard place! "Uhh…" Oh, brilliant way to introduce yourself, just perfect. Before I could think of anything else to say, preferably something smarter, I saw a blur of movement behind me and ducked instinctively. Just in time too, judging by the polished axe now embedded in the well behind me. "Oh shit!" I can only imagine how Hiccup felt, the axe had missed me but nearly nailed him as it flew past me!
"Whoa! Astrid, watch it!" Hiccup cried out in shock, now behind me as I turned to face the obvious threat. On the bright side, it didn't sound like he was anything more than surprised. On the not-so bright side, my attention was now diverted towards the five Viking teens now advancing threateningly towards me, being led by none other than the axe's owner herself, Astrid. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Hiccup scamper around to stand behind the fiercer teens, and remotely noted that they all seemed to look, dress, and act exactly as they'd been portrayed in the movie.
Of course, that brought my attention back to the situation at hand. Namely, that at least four of the currently assembled group could kick my ass off the island, literally. Not to mention, the toughest of them was now standing right in front of me, glaring. "I'm only going to ask you again once before I let my axe interrogate you." Whoops, I'd been paying too much attention to my surroundings that I didn't even hear her ask me anything in the first place.
"Maybe he's too stupid to talk, I mean, just look at his clothes! That doesn't look like anything a Viking should wear." Tuffnut suggested, standing between Snotlout and Ruffnut. His twin sister chuckled along with him in agreement. Wow, that was actually half right, I'm impressed. The Viking part, I mean.
I saw Snotlout then open his mouth, no doubt to further insult me, and decided it'd be best to just nip that in the bud. "Can you repeat the question? Sorry, I was a little distracted by the axe being flung at my head." I replied, sarcasm dripping from every word. I'd swear I heard Hiccup let out a brief laugh quietly behind them, but nobody else seemed to either hear or care as Astrid's already irritated glare intensified.
"If I'd been aiming for your head, you'd be dead and we wouldn't be having this conversation." Astrid stated bluntly, "Last chance, who are you and how did you get on Berk?" The tone of her voice made it sound like an order rather than a question, and I could see it in her eyes that she'd have absolutely no qualms about giving me the axe, so to speak.
I raised my open palms up at my sides in what I hoped was a peaceful gesture. "No need to be rude, my name's Jared. As far as the second question, uh, that's a little bit harder to explain…" How do you gently break it to someone that their entire lives are the result of a team of writers and animators? Easy enough, but the hard part would be to explain it in a manner that didn't get me thrown into an insane asylum. At Astrid's unyielding expression, I continued on uncertainly. "I was out gathering… supplies, and then the storm crashed me here." Well, it's not exactly a lie.
"It is storming pretty badly tonight." Fishlegs mumbled quietly, ever the voice of reason in the group of teens. Not counting Hiccup, of course, who nodded beside him. He was standing just far enough away that even if I hadn't known he wasn't a part of their group from the movie, I wouldn't have associated with the rest of the group by mistake. From what I remembered of the movie, it seemed like Fishlegs was the only one he'd been on decent terms with throughout the beginning and end of the movie.
Snotlout snorted, whether he was unimpressed with my tale or Fishlegs logic, I wasn't sure. "So? It's just a little rain; any real Viking would be able to sail through it." He accentuated the words 'real Viking', probably in an attempt to insult me, but he was totally right. "I bet I'd be able to do it." He then boasted, flexing his muscles with a wink towards Astrid, who promptly ignored his attempt at flirting.
Ruffnut jumped all over this idea though, taking a step towards me with an insane grin on her face that made me begin to worry for my safety, almost more than when Astrid was outright threatening me. "Ooh, he could be a spy for the dragons!"
"How could a Viking work with a dragon? Idiot!" Tuffnut retorted, smacking his sister in the back of the head. This wouldn't have been a normal occurrence nowadays, but usually my friends and I never used our full strength in the blow, like he did.
Ruffnut whirled on him, pounding her fist into his shoulder. Hard. I couldn't help the wince as I heard the loud smack, but Tuff acted like this was a daily occurrence! In hindsight, it probably was. I didn't feel as bad anymore. "Who're you calling an idiot, idiot?"
"Or he's from another village trying to get the jump on us, to take down Berk." Snotlout looked as though I'd punched his grandmother as he thought out his own suggestion, before his face contorted in rage. "You're going down!" He shouted, cocking his fist back to swing at me.
"No." Astrid ordered, turning her head to glare down Snotlout and the twins out of the corner of her eye while still keeping me partially in her line of sight. "We're gonna take him to Gobber, he's the acting chief while Stoick is gone. He'll decide what to do with him." She had an air of authority around her as she silently dared any of the others to challenge her decision. Eventually even Snotlout grumbled an agreement as he lowered his fists, thankfully.
I tried not to let the relief show too visibly on my face, as that could potentially make them even more suspicious. I'd really have to watch myself around here, an extremely difficult task for someone who typically had no problems sharing almost anything with anybody who'd ask. "Sounds like a plan." I affirmed, moving off the wall that I realized I'd slowly been backed up against by the group of Vikings. Astrid just rolled her eyes and turned, pulling her axe out of the wall before gesturing for me to follow her. The rest of the group filed in around me as we walked, the twins on either side of me, and Snotlout ensuring I kept moving from behind. Fishlegs and Hiccup resided just slightly behind Snotlout, and every now and again I could swear I heard the littlest bits of whispered conversation back and forth. I couldn't help the small grin I had on as we trudged on through the rain, my hood at least doing its job of keeping my hair and head dry whilst the others were being soaked.
Let me say, the village seems so much smaller in the movies, because it felt like it took ages for our small party to reach the forge. The flames were alight and glowing, and there stood Gobber hammering away at a sword with a crooked and bent blade. The metal was quickly being bent back into its proper position in the face of Gobber's determination. The hammer didn't hurt either, I suppose. "Gobber." Astrid attempted to get his attention, but he continued to hum a little tune to himself as he hammered away, finishing the corrections to the sword. "Gobber!"
This finally seemed to get his attention, as he dipped the hot metal in the water with a steaming hiss. "Ay, what can I do for you lass?" The older Viking questioned, seeming to not notice me yet as he reluctantly ushered us all into the forge. "Well don't just sit there in the rain! We need you all in peak condition for training in the morn…" Ah, he'd finally noticed. "Now, who are you then? I've never seen anyone like you 'round here before." Gobber spoke warily, switching the prosthetic hammer attachment off his arm to replace it with a generic hook.
I opened my mouth to reply, but was abruptly cut off by Astrid. "He says he was out gathering supplies when the storm started and he crashed here on Berk. We found him in the Great Hall just a little while ago." She summed up quickly, straight and to the point. Gobber looked around at the faces of the other teens to confirm this story, before staring me down. It's incredibly difficult to seem at ease when this man could decide whether or not I'd be booted off the island, head first.
Then something I'd never expected to happen, happened. As if this day wasn't crazy enough already, Hiccup spoke up for me. "I don't think he's a spy." If it were around just the teens, I'd doubt he would've done that. Maybe being around Gobber brought out a little confidence in him, like Toothless would soon do. I never would've expected it now though, before the dragons moved in. Instantly, Snotlout and the twins whirled on him, looking disgusted. Hiccup shrank back under their combined glares; they'd probably forgotten he was even there due to his quietness. Gobber was the only one who seemed to be totally unaffected, and gestured for him to explain.
"Well, I mean…" He began nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "He's not even armed, why would they send a spy with no weapon? Not to mention, he looks more confused than we do. No offense." Hiccup explained, while I waited to see how well received his logic would be.
"He isn't just unarmed, he's just as skinny as Useless is!" Snotlout jeered, the twins laughing as they noticed this fact. It isn't like I haven't had to deal with everyone's, including my own, negative opinions about my appearance for years, so I brushed it off with no more than a shrug.
Hiccup on the other hand, still seemed annoyed but just rolled his eyes and continued. "So he's as skinny as me, and you'll think of him as a threat. Wouldn't that make me a threat too?"
This time, there was no way they could argue with his logic. Gobber nodded as he made up his mind, "Alright lad, you can stay the night. We'll figure out what to do with ye in the morning." The matter settled, he turned and picked up the sword he'd been working on previously, and placed it onto a weapons rack with many similarly deadly blades.
"Wait, where am I staying though?" I looked back and forth between Gobber and the teens. Please, for the love of god, anyone but Snotlout and the twins. The others stayed silent as they waited for Gobber's decision, who'd paused in his tracks.
"Uhh… Hmm, I didn't quite think of that." Gobber finally admitted, narrowing his eyes as he ran through his options. The awkward silence continued as he thought it over, scratching his chin in while he waged his inner debate. "Well, I suppose we can just give ya some blankets and throw ye in the Great Hall."
Once again, Hiccup amazed me. "He can stay with me. I've got the biggest house, and with my dad gone, it's even bigger. Plenty of room for the both of us, if you're okay with that." He suggested, glancing at me to see if I approved, to which I nodded gratefully.
"That'd be great, guess that means I'll have to break the news to the huge line of people offering now." I joked with a small grin on my face, which Hiccup soon matched. Good to know that there are at least a few people on this rock I'll be able to make a relatively normal conversation with, granted I knew this before, but the reassurance was welcome.
"Good grief, that's just what this village needs; two Hiccups'!" Gobber mockingly groaned, accompanied by the other teens whose groans were too loud to be meant in jest. "Now get out of here, all of ya! We've got some dragons that are waitin for you all in the morning."
With the issue settled, everyone slowly made their way out of the forge and went their separate ways, some with more grumbling than others. The rain had stopped at some point while we, or more of they, discussed what to do with me. According to a quick glance I'd snuck at the phone hidden in my hoodie pocket, it was only around 9:30 at night, but I was exhausted! I guess dimension-jumping really takes it out of a guy. I didn't even have enough energy to attempt starting a conversation with Hiccup as he led me back to his house and prepared a makeshift bed on the bottom floor, near their fireplace. "Sorry for the lack of conversation, I'm a smidge tired." I mumbled, muffled by the pillow that I'd immediately plowed into when the bed was finished.
Hiccup just laughed, "It's fine, just let me know if you need anything."
"Mhmm." I grunted in affirmation, hearing the steps on the stairs creak as he continued on his path up to his own bed. Whether I wanted to or not, within seconds my world went dark as I was pulled into a restless sleep.
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of my first ever How to Train Your Dragon Fanfic! I'm writing this in a perspective I usually never do, and in a fandom I've never written for before, so I hope you'll excuse any mistakes you find. Namely, trying to write Gobber. I do plan on editing the chapters every once in a while to ensure it slowly becomes the best I can make it. If we're all lucky, I can update this every week. Reviews are much appreciated!