Hiccup felt a lump well up in his throat. His blood turned to ice and he fought for his breath.

"I'm going to kill the Nightmare?" He asked Gobber, doing his best to look pleased at the news.

"You sure are! Astrid even conceded defeat. She said her actions were foolish and dangerous and that you deserved to kill the beast more than any other Viking."

"Well uh, isn't it the chief who decides whether the rules are changed like this?" Hiccup was desperate to avoid the fight. No way was he prepared to leave Berk within the week.

"Stoick gave the all clear this morning after Astrid spoke" before Hiccup could ask how, Gobber smacked himself on the forehead, "how stupid of me. Your father sailed into port several hours after Trader Johann".

"Oh. Well, has he paid me a visit yet?" He raised an eyebrow at the old blacksmith.

"Nah, sorry lad, he's been trying to talk some sense into Trader Johann." Hiccup had almost forgotten his little stunt with Toothless the previous evening.

"Why would he need to talk some sense into Johann?" He asked, pretending to be confused. "Did something bad happen on their trip here?"

"I wouldn't call it bad news, but it certainly isn't good news" He muttered "Johann and his crew bumped into a Night Fury on their way here". Hiccup faked shock at this news.

"Odin's Beard, are they all right? Did it attack them?"

"Sorry lad, but I aren't allowed to tell you what happened. I don't think he's telling the truth, it's a bit too crazy, even for someone like Trader Johann". Gobber seemed especially nervous about someone riding a Night Fury. Did he and his Stoick think this 'Dragon Rider' was preparing to attack? Hiccup got up of his bed and picked up his new 'Glaive', courtesy of Gobber.

"Well, I'd best get back to my training, after all, I've got a Dragon to kill!" Hiccup chuckled nervously, walking past the broad Viking "thanks for the weapon, Gobber" giving it a shake in his hands, "you have no idea how much this will help me". Hiccup left the house in a hurry, leaving Gobber by his lonesome

'Kids these days' Gobber thought to himself, 'who knows how their minds work?'

o~0~O~0~o

"Toothless!" Hiccup yelled as he entered the grove "where are you, Bud?" The black Dragon came bounding up the boy within seconds of him calling out his name, sniffing his body for any traces of food. Instead of fish, he smelt a much more sinister odour.

"Hiccup I can smell another Dragon. Has something bad happened?" Toothless let out a low growl, checking behind his friend to make sure nothing had followed him.

"Toothless relax. The Dragon didn't hurt me and I think he's gone for now, just hear me out" The Night Fury sat down on his hind legs and let Hiccup go into detail about everything that happened. For almost an hour Toothless listened to his rider explain how he defended that jealous girl from the Changewing, and how she pulled out of the competition to kill the Monstrous Nightmare. When Hiccup had finished telling everything, Toothless got up and ran around the grove with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. "Toothless, this isn't good news! I'm not ready to leave yet and you know it!" The Dragon stopped joking about and sat back down next to Hiccup. He wished that his friend could understand him like he did, then he'd be able to explain that he was in fact ready to leave, he just wasn't ready to admit it. "Look bud, i know you're excited to leave, I am as well. But I don't want to leave without them knowing I could still be out there. I mean, what would my father do?" Hiccup put down his weapon and reached into his jacket to pull out his book and stick of charcoal. "We need to make it look like I died fighting a Dragon or something. Otherwise he'll search for me and we can never be at peace". Toothless nodded in agreement, he knew it had to be done.

"What about that spear you've got there? Is that the weapon you promised to get?" The Dragon gestured to the Glaive on the ground, and Hiccup shot him a grin.

"Oh, you mean this? Gobber gave me this when I woke up. Pretty nice, don't you think?" He dropped his journal and picked up the weapon, giving it a few slow twirls in his hands "Trader Johann called it a 'Glaive'. I think it suits me perfectly, I can attack nice and fast without sacrificing any of my range!" he adopted a fighting stance and pretended to skewer an imaginary opponent, "plus it looks pretty cool, you gotta admit"

"Keep on dreaming, you're worse with that than your dagger!" Toothless rolled his eyes as his companion continued to make a fool of himself. Eventually Hiccup drew himself away from the exotic weapon and got to work writing a letter to his father. He wanted to make sure he ran away with honour, if such a thing was possible.

"Toothless, how to you want to live when we get out of here? I mean, we could live all alone or something. Or maybe we could find a new village that's slightly more accepting to Dragons?" Hiccup asked, as he scribbled away at the piece of paper. He was still so unsure about everything.

"I don't know, Hiccup. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Let's just focus on getting out of here"

o~0~O~0~o

Astrid hobbled around the streets of Berk, a splint on her left leg and a thick wooden cast around her right arm. She'd woken up earlier that morning, and still hadn't bumped into Hiccup: the 'cowardly' boy who was the only person with the courage to save her. Every second of the day she repeated the scenario over and over in her head. Astrid remembered the immense pain as she doubled over onto the cold floor, unable to defend herself from the Dragon. She remembered Hiccup's voice, full of determination and fear as he ran into the Kill Ring, all to save her. The more she thought about it, the more guilt built up inside of her. Every day, for as long as she could remember, Astrid had treated the Chief's son like he was some sort of pest; a nuisance and an inconvenience to be around. She was determined to account for her wrongdoings, and apologise for all the terrible things she'd ever done to him. Astrid could see Spitelout and several Vikings in the distance, making repairs to one of the large net-launchers.

"Hey Spitelout, have you seen Hiccup today?"

"Mornin' Astrid, glad you're still in one piece! I think I saw him head down to the forest earlier on. Probably training for his big fight" Spitelout pointed at the dense section of trees down the road with the rusty hammer he held. Astrid was hardly surprised he'd be in there, since Dragon Training began, he had basically lived in there. If she wasn't in such a bad state, she probably would've gone down there and spoken to him, but she wasn't ready to risk another injury when she could simply wait for him to return.

"Astrid" A deep voice came from behind her as she limped to the forest. She turned to face Hiccup's father, Stoick the Vast.

"Oh, hey chief" She cleared her throat, intimidated by his unmistakable scowl he gave people, "Are you looking for Hiccup as well?"

"Aye lass, have you seen him lately?" Stoick asked

"No, but Spitelout told me he went into the forest earlier". Stoick nodded and walked off the pathway they were on and down into the bushland, where he'd hope to find his son.

o~0~O~0~o

Hiccup lay in a small mountain of discarded papers, as he continued to perfect the letter he would leave to his father. He wanted to make sure it was believable, yet still left his dad proud of whom he once was. Hiccup put down his stick of charcoal and held up the paper, perhaps this one he'd gotten right.

"Toothless, come over here. I finished another." The Night Fury had been splashing around in the lake while his friend wrote, and was looking forward to him finishing. "I think this one is just right" He gently shook the letter, as if it were a flag or banner. "I used smaller words this time, and talked more about 'Viking honour' and all that rubbish, here's how it goes:" The Dragon listened closely as Hiccup read out what he'd just written.

To my father, Stoick the Vast

These past few weeks, I've learnt more about the Viking way of life than I would've ever hoped to. I have found out what it really means to be one of the tribe: To walk like a Viking and to talk like a Viking. I'm honoured to have been chosen to kill the Monstrous Nightmare, as part of my graduation, but I'm afraid I must decline the offer. Not because I believe it's wrong, but because I have set myself an even greater challenge.

When I stopped the Changewing from killing Astrid, I could hear the cries of the Dragon I would soon have to fight. I could tell it was wounded, poorly fed and clearly terrified. I see no honour and no glory in slaying a beast in that state. Instead, I am determined to track down a healthy Nightmare in the wilds, and bring you its heart. This will prove to you and all Vikings on Berk that I am worthy of being both your son and heir.

By the time you have read this, I will be long gone and hopefully still alive. If I am to perish on my hunt, I ask not that my death be avenged, but simply celebrated. I do not want my memory to be a burden to you, or anyone else.

Odin watches over me,

~Hiccup.

"How's that sound, boy? Think they'll believe it?" Hiccup asked. Toothless nodded in agreement and gave a satisfied purr.

"I think it's excellent, Hiccup. Makes much more sense than those others you wrote"

"I'm glad you like it, bud. Now all we need to do is pack our bags and make it look like-"

"Hold on, I can smell a Viking nearby" Toothless let out a guttural snarl, sniffing the air intensely and scanning the tree line for any signs of company.

"T-Toothless, is somebody near us?" Hiccup grabbed his glaive of the ground and put his back against the rock wall. "Is it someone we know?" He hissed. Toothless gave another sniff, his eyed widening at the realization of who it was.

"Oh no, I think it might be-"

"Hiccup" A booming voice could be heard nearby, "where are you, son?" Hiccup let out a quiet groan, out of all the people to meet him here; it had to be his father.

"Toothless, I'll go up there and keep him busy. Get in the water and don't come up until its all clear." His Dragon gave a small nod, creeping out of cover and sliding into the sapphire blue water. Hiccup ran through the gap in the grove and up to where his father was looking for him.

"Son, there you are!" Hiccup was genuinely shocked by his dad's expression; was he actually pleased to see him?

"Hey dad, good to see you back on Berk" he gave an awkward wave to Stoick "so, how was the raid? Did you find the nest-"

"Who cares about the nest!" the chief let out a laugh, lightly punching his son on the arm, "I've heard all about how well you've been doing in the ring. Odin's beard I think I can actually show myself in public now!"

"I know right" Hiccup nervously laughed, "Well I listened to what you said before you left. It's high time I became a Viking like you and lived up to the family name".

"Indeed you are. I can finally call you my son!" Hiccup felt a slight burst of anger inside when his father said that. Did he honestly have to become a savage killer to earn his respect? Stoick pointed at his son's Glaive, "I'm guessing Trader Johann gave yer that?"

"Yeah, I think it's great" He handed the weapon to his dad, who gently tossed it up and down.

"It's quite nice actually. Kinda reminds me of the spears those twins use, except this is much better looking" the chief grinned and handed it back to Hiccup, "Just don't poke your eye out with it, that can be quite messy."

"Thanks for the advice, dad." Hiccup rolled his eyes, "have you seen Astrid yet? I've meant to ask how she's holding up."

"Aye, she was looking for you moments before I went into the forest" Stoick nodded, "I'm sure she's very grateful for you saving her life"

"That's great to hear, dad." A lengthy silence followed, neither of them had a conversation lasting this long, "well um, I guess I'd better get back to training. I don't want to disappoint you next week, do i?"
"Couldn't agree more my son, train hard and do all of us proud" He gave a firm nod and walked back to Berk. Still unable to believe how much his son had changed over the weeks he'd been away. Hiccup let out a deep breath, thanking the Gods he hadn't heard Toothless down in the grove. He returned to where his Dragon was in hiding and gave the all clear.

"That was too close, Hiccup. Now he knows where to find us if he wants to speak with us again" Toothless grunted, shaking his body dry of the water.

"I don't think he caught a glimpse of the grove, so I think we're safe for now, bud." Hiccup picked up the papers he left discarded on the mossy floor and packed them into his fur jacket. "As I was saying, all I need to do after this is pack my bags and make it look like I was killed by a Dragon." The Night Fury stared around the grove they were in.

"This is where we could do it. You could put some blood in the water and I can put my tracks all over here."

"I agree. This is where we should fake my death." He nodded, "But we'll focus on that later. I still haven't finished saying my goodbyes or packing my things." Toothless nudged his friend towards the exit of the grove, clearly excited about his companion's announcement.

"Well hurry up then, I can't wait to leave!"

o~0~O~0~o

Astrid finally caught a glimpse of Hiccup leaving the forest. He was carrying a long, spear-like weapon in his hand and a small piece of paper in the other. She got up from the tree stump she was sitting on and walked up to him.

"Hey, Hiccup" She called out; catching his attention "can we talk quickly?" The boy quickly walked up to her, a slight smile across his face.

"Hello Astrid. Good to see you up and about"

"Yeah well, thanks to you" She returned the smile and shrugged her shoulders, "it was stupid of me to run in there, thinking I could take that Dragon on alone."

"We're Vikings: it's an occupational hazard" Hiccup grinned, "I'm sure if it wasn't in hiding you would've taken him on. I guess it's just luck he showed himself when I ran on…" Astrid nodded in return.

"So how'd you do it? I think it knocked me out before you stopped him"

"Honestly? I've got no idea" he chuckled, "I think it was surprised that someone was stupid enough to mess with it, and thought I was diseased or something." Astrid laughed at that comment, surprising Hiccup. This was the first time he'd ever seen her like this: not staring at him with frustration or anger. She saw him as a person.

"Well, thanks to your 'stupidity', I'm alive today, and with some pretty awesome scars to show off" Astrid brushed her long blonde hair off her face, showing off a large red gash on her forehead, "hurts a bit, but should look pretty sweet."

"That's great news" Hiccup beamed, pleased to have finally impressed his long-time crush. "I heard you dropped out of the competition to kill the Nightmare." Astrid nodded, revealing a hint of disappointment.

"Yeah, you heard right. I'm in no condition to fight a Terror, let alone one of those Dragons. Besides, you've proven you're a much better candidate than I am."

"Wow. Well thanks I guess" He said, "that means a lot actually. I just hope it doesn't beat me. That would be kinda embarrassing."

"It definitely would be, and messy come to think of it" Astrid added, before lapsing into silence. "H-Hiccup, I'm not good with talking so ill just put this as it is. I didn't just come here to say thankyou for yesterday." He raised an eyebrow, unsure of what she meant.

"What? I don't understand?"

"I came to apologise, Hiccup. These past few years I've treated you pretty badly, so have the others." He could tell it was hard for her to say this, which made him glad in a strange kind of way. "You've proven to me and every other Viking on Berk that you aren't useless, and that you don't deserve to be made fun of." She stuck out her hand, offering it to Hiccup. "You're a Viking now, and it's time we treated you like one." He shook her hand and smiled in return.

"Thanks Astrid" was all he could manage; he was stunned that she did this. It gave him a sense of relief he'd never experienced before. "I suppose I should get back to it" he said, resuming his traditional 'Hiccup' awkwardness, "I'll catch ya' later. Get well soon!" He ran off up the hill and back to Berk, leaving Astrid to watch him leave.

'Wonder what goes on in that head of his' She shook her head and smiled, 'and to think, a few days ago I hated that guy.'

o~0~O~0~o

Hiccup was lucky to find the forge abandoned when he arrived at Gobber's store the next day. He intended on taking several crafting tools before he left, so that he could create equipment and gear while away from civilization. Hiccup decided to take a hammer, tongs and a small set of bellows he could fit on his fur pack. He was weary that some of these tools would go noticed if taken, so he made sure to only take the things not often used.

Hiccup left the smithy with his bag almost full and starting to feel heavy. He was having a hard time deciding what he was going to take, leave on Berk, or destroy. He made his way home, knowing there were still some notes stashed away about his Dragon's wing attachment.

'Perhaps I should make some armour' He thought, passing several Vikings who greeted him, 'I doubt my flying suit would serve much protection' the chief's house was stone cold when Hiccup arrived; he knew his father was by the docks and wouldn't be back for several hours. The boy began rummaging through his room, grabbing anything related to his Dragon or the tailfin he made. As Hiccup looked through his drawers and under his bed, he got an idea. He could write a book, not revolving around Dragon's weaknesses or where to hunt them, but instead how to train them and what makes each of them unique.

"The Rider's Manual" He smiled, grabbing several more sheets of paper. Hopefully when- IF he settled somewhere, he would have the time to make such an idea become reality. After some time clearing the household of all evidence, he made a short trip to visit the Viking teens in the Kill Ring. He wanted to make sure he left them on good terms, without revealing his plans of self-exile.

o~0~O~0~o

"Astrid. All I'm sayin' is that we go out on a fishing trip!" Snotlout asked as he practised his sword fighting skills against a straw target. "We'll have the sea, the fish, and if you're lucky a Scauldron can show up and I'll slay it for you."

"Yeah, how romantic" Astrid snorted, sharpening her axe with a small stone, "You'd soil your britches if a Scauldron showed up, and I'd have to kill it." Tuffnut was absent-mindedly throwing stones at the thick wall keeping the Gronkle in its cage.

"It's funny 'cos neither of you have actually killed a Dragon. None of us have" he stated smugly. Fishlegs tried to hold in a laugh, but was given a dirty stare by both Snotlout and Astrid.

"Won't be able to say that for much longer, Hiccup is going to kill the Nightmare" Fishlegs said

"You really think he'll do it? I mean, I get that he's good, but this is a Monstrous Nightmare we're talkin' about" Ruffnut asked

"I reckon he could. I mean, he's taken down every other Dragon without a scratch. Wish I knew how he was doing it, though" Astrid said with a hint of disappointment.

"I bet he's just been training hard. I mean he's got to prove his worth, being the heir to Stoick" Fishlegs answered. Snotlout was happy for his cousin's success against the Dragons, a fact the surprised even himself. But what he couldn't bring himself to accept, was that Hiccup would soon become the chief; his chief. He would do anything to take his spot, but had no clue on how he would do it. The gentle sound of stepping could be heard behind the group, along with the clanging of metal.

"Hey everyone," It was Hiccup, carrying a large pack with a fancy spear attached to it.

"Oh hey, about time you joined us for some practise." Many heads turned at the sound of Astrid saying that. It was obvious that her attitude towards him had changed since he saved her. Hiccup gave a small smile and shook his head.

"Nah, but thanks for the offer Astrid, I actually came here to say farewell"

"Wait what? Are you leaving or something?" Snotlout asked

"Yes, but hopefully I'll be back some time next week" The teens raised their eyebrows at his mentioning of hopefully. Hiccup had a whole speech prepared to give them, and spoke with confidence. "I'm travelling to Lavalout islands to train for the big fight ahead of me."

"Why don't you just train here?" Astrid questioned, not quite believing his story.

"I want to, really. But Berk is simply too distracting and this is my life on the line" Hiccup tried to sound as casual as possible; he couldn't let them realise the truth. "I just wanted to wish all of you guy the best of luck. I'll be cut off from the village and anything can happen in a week or two." Hiccup walked up to his cousin and gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder, "Stay safe and keep all those limbs on you."

"Um, what are you doing?" Snotlout stared at him as if he was pulling some sort of prank, "You're going for a few days, big deal. The worst thing that could happen is a raid or two, and we're prepared for that." Hiccup ignored the comment and walked out of the Kill Ring before anyone could say anything more. He didn't want to say too much, and give away how he wouldn't be coming back.

"Well… That was weird" Astrid noted, watching Hiccup turn the corner and leave her sight.

"You're telling me!" Snotlout gave his shoulder a brush off and stared at the group, "can someone please tell me what just happened?"

"Well, from what I heard. Hiccup is leaving Berk" Tuffnut said proudly,

"Thanks for your input, Tuff" Fishlegs rolled his eyes, "Well he seems to be telling the truth. If I was in his shoes I'd remove all distractions and train in complete peace"

"I guess so" Astrid mused, returning to sharpening her weapon, "but he acted like he's leaving forever."

"You guys are all forgetting one thing" Snotlout threw his hands up in the air and barked a short laugh. "This is Hiccup we're talking about!"

o~0~O~0~o

Toothless helped his human companion to a boulder by the lake inside the grove. It had been several hours since Hiccup had returned from saying his goodbyes to the teenagers, and since then he had been hard at work creating the scene of his death.

"Thanks bud… Think I'm gonna take a lie down" The boy slumped against the rock, fighting the dizziness inside of him. The Dragon stared down at his friend, he'd cut himself with his dagger and smeared his blood all over the grove.

"You really went over the top with all this blood. Looks a bit unrealistic" Toothless grunted as he stared at the many small puddles he'd created. The Dragon had also heavily contributed to his 'death', there were plasma blasts all over the grove, along with several of his obsidian scales.

"It looks quite believable, if you ask me" Hiccup breathed, removing his jacket and cutting it up and scattering the pieces in the lake next to him. "Hopefully then won't find this for a few days, and by then we'll be far away from here"

"I can't wait to finally get out of here. We can go wherever we want" Toothless purred, sitting next to his friend, "Let's just hope these Vikings don't figure it all out"

"I know I'm excited as well bud. I'll plant the note in my father's room and we'll get going." Hiccup took a sip from his water container and shakily got to his feet. Sundown was approaching fast, and he knew his father would be in the Meade Hall until late, it was a better time than ever. "I'll be back within the hour"

o~0~O~0~o

Stoick the Vast sat on at one of the large tables in the Meade Hall, surrounded by his fellow Vikings. It had been a long day, yet a pleasant one. He hadn't seen his son today, yet that came as no surprise. Since Hiccup's success, the chief had given him as much space as possible. He wanted his son to do as well as possible in the coming weeks, and do the entire village proud.

"Spitelout, fetch me another mug will ye?" Gobber asked the chief's brother, who responded with a careless grunt. "So Stoick, Fishlegs told me this afternoon that Hiccup's off to Lavalout Island, for some extra training and stuff, you knew about that?"

"No actually, when did he leave?" the chief raised an eyebrow.

"He said that he left yesterday and that he'll be back in a week or so"

"I sure hope so; I still haven't seen him against a Dragon." Stoick took a swig at his drink, "I gotta hand it to you Gobber, I was sure he wouldn't make it through Dragon Training, let alone top the class"

"If I'm honest, so was I" He laughed in response, "I think the gods favour the lad. He's the sway with the beasts like I've never seen before"

"He'll make a good chief some day. If I don't find the nest, he surely will." Stoick had been at the hall for most of the evening now, and wanted to be in good condition for the next day. "Gobber, I think I've had enough for one night. I'm off to bed" He rose from his seat and gave his friend a rough pat on the shoulder, "Keep up the good work at the forge, you're going great considering Hiccup isn't there" The red-haired Viking pushed open the tall doors of the Meade Hall and walked out into the cool night. After a short walk he arrived at his home, it had no smoke coming out the chimney and no candles lit- a clear sign that nobody was there. He pushed open the door and collapsed into his favourite chair, completely unaware there was a letter stuck to his front door.

A letter from Hiccup.

o~0~O~0~o

"Okay bud, I'm back" Hiccup panted as he ran towards Toothless, "I put the note on the front door, hopefully he won't see it until tomorrow" He picked his large bag off the floor and attached it to the back of his Dragon. "How's that feel? Not too heavy?"

"I'll manage, let's get going before they find us" The boy jumped onto Toothless and attached his harness, countless emotions running through him.

"Okay let's do this. No turning back now" He gave the grove he was in one last look. For the past few weeks this place was more his home than the house back at Berk. He stared at the spot where he first drew Toothless; the lake where he crashed after his first flight; at the spot of dirt where he first bonded with the Dragon. A small part of him wanted to stay here and not leave, but he knew it was best to leave Berk and not risk the life of his best friend. "You ready bud? No more Vikings, just you, me" He looked up and pointed at the sky, filled with beautiful gleaming stars, "and that"

"Can we please just leave, Hiccup?" Toothless let out a small laugh, stretching his wings and getting ready for a long flight.

"Okay okay, let's get going!" The Dragon crouched down and launched into the sky, ecstatic to have begun the long journey from this barbaric place. "Toothless, give the people of Berk a nice goodbye" He laughed, patting the Dragon as they flew higher into the clouds.

"I was hoping you'd say that" Toothless opened his mouth and gave a peircing roar, terrifing the wildlife below them. Hiccup was too happy to care about being seen, he was leaving, at long last. He was sick of the Viking life, and wanted a fresh start. The Dragon and his rider leveled out eventually, soaring over the deep blue sea. Hiccup looked behind him and at Berk; it was more beautiful than ever. The Meade hall was filled with candlelight and faint yelling could be heard from inside. Hiccup would always have a soft spot for Berk; it had his childhood along with many memories to cherish. He turned back to face the ocean, and let a single tear fall from his face.

"No turning back now"

Hey All, thanks for reading another chapter!

I've been thinking about Hiccup's future and i want to ask the readers a question: Hiccup can't fully understand Toothless and he will soon enough, how should he be able to? (Either learn Dragonese or have the gods give him the gift to hear Toothless in English) Post your ideas if you feel like sharing! Anyways, stay tuned for the next episode, i'll try to have it ready in the next couple of weeks!

Peace :-)