If one were to say I was obsessed with pretty presentations… I wouldn't deny them…

.

(SMr. Freeze): Duly noted…

(x1tears1x): That goes for the both of us, dude…

(Dragonbow117): You just can't let that go… can you… and yes, you can look forward to the next chapter… you're my beta reader, still a reader, albeit a little spoiled, but a reader nonetheless…

(Z): Are you seriously telling me this in times where nouns, like literal names are being used as adjectives? I agree with my story being cool though… and I wanna make it cooler… ;)

(Shaveza): wait… is your… it is!? I'd recognize that scar anywhere! OMG! Why the fudge do I keep fangirling everytime I see Allen Walker of all people!? I'll keep writing… just keep that picture right where it's at.

(alpha darkwolf): No… I actually plan to do better… but I'm kinda having a hard time…

(Septimus714): so I shall…


Chapter Two

"Transient"

I stood there unmoving on the icy plain, contemplating with eyes closed, Letting snowdrops perch on my cheeks…

I was not nice…

I was not fine…

And I definitely was not happy…

My status gave me certain privileges, yes, but it also subjected me to ridicule on a daily basis, and if we add my wiry frame and lack of lust for blood and vengeance into the mix, it would be a nice thorough concoction for a lifetime of misery…

For every good I made, they were always eclipsed by my mistakes… my wrongs that have already aged from years… you'd think they'd already have forgotten about a single three year old explosion when explosions crop out of Berk on a weekly basis… but no, I was always reminded before and after the next day unfolds, by everyone, heck, even my own blood relatives!

They kept it close to heart and personal, they tried hard to never forget, all because it was done by me… by a Hiccup…

They kept this repetitive cycle of prodding the memories out of me… constantly keeping the pain intact as they make me recall my mistakes, always recounting them, and when they run out of things to throw, they just start making stuff up… calling me a liar for my refutations, no one believes me… so why did I even bother?

I always entertained myself with these thoughts; what wound will they reopen next? What mistake will they make me recall, today? What lie of a stain will they besmirch on me tomorrow?

It never failed to help me pass time… there were just so many ways to torment the living; I just wish it wasn't directed at me… I have lived a life, anticipating each day to be full of mockery and insults…

But now, what awaited me was a tomorrow I've been dreading my entire life... what was promised to me, gone, just because of something I did that didn't even cause any damage… no explosions, no death, there wasn't even a lone scratch on even a single one of those muscle-brained idiots… I don't regret it though… it just made me realize how much I hate them…

I opened my eyes. Emeralds glimmering with hope as I trudged through the deep snow, one foot in front of the other, sinking as I shifted my weight to advance forward, plowing through the beautiful, yet cold ethereal and powdery plain… I'm on my own now with no torment left to haunt me… just a tomorrow I can craft without prejudice…

All I need to do is keep moving forward…


I hesitated… the look the dragon had on its face tugged at me… Why? How? When? Millions of other questions swirled around the confines of my head as I gaze at the creature, for that one waking moment… I saw something no Viking thought possible… I was just a second away from plunging my knife into the hide of the beast when I saw something that my people denied for three hundred years…

I saw emotion…

And it wasn't just one… there was confusion, curiosity, anger, hurt, shame, and even though they were already powerful enough that they were almost tangible, they all seemed less noticeable compared to the overwhelming amount of fear the creature emanated

From a single look alone, you can tell that the thing was devastated, I'd bet it had questions too… way more than I had in mind… I wonder, before I ensnared it, did it have a pleasant way of life? Well, probably better than I ever had… anything is better than the disreputable ways I grew up in, the treatment I was subjected to during my growth to adolescence… he had a better life, now, he's about to lose it to some miserable, puny, creature that was thought low of by even his own people …

I did this…

I released the breath that I seemed to have held unconsciously and relaxed my shoulders, I slowly brought down both arms that grasped my blade… the next thing you'd expect of me is letting go of my weapon, but my grip on my seax remained firm as it reflected the fires of the dying sun, its task is not over just yet. I held my weapon with my right hand in a reverse grip with the blade in, I made it hover just above my thigh, aligned with my chest with its sharp edge pointed away. As soon as I did so, I could hear faint whispers questioning my intentions and whatnot, but I paid them no heed… I scanned the creature of obsidian scales…

Its breathing was rough, it held a few old scars; some of its scales were chipped from the fall… I shifted my gaze to the farthest part of its tail… other than minor cuts and scrapes… there doesn't seem to be any major damage on the wings and tail… I don't pride myself for being a dragon slayer, but when one lives in a place that is under constant attacks, you just can't help but pick up a few things… for example; when fighting a fire-breather, you've got to target the appendages they need to fly, specifically, the wings and tails, and since the ground is a Viking's domain… a downed dragon, is a dead dragon…

I tried my hardest to level out my breathing and keep my heart from pumping out of my chest, for what I am about to do would probably be one of my last on Berk…

I inspected the rope wrapped around the dragon, and while doing so I shifted the position of the knife in my hand into that of a forward grip where I placed my thumb on my weapon's spine, I grabbed a handful of the rope that coiled around the dragon's body… Due to my work at the forge I have surprisingly become efficient at handling knives and short blades, so it didn't take me more than a single swipe to cut the ropes, and before anyone could stop me…

Snap!

With that resounding snap of the rope, time seemed to have stopped, every villager was wide-eyed with held breaths in disbelief… the dragon seemed to be in the same condition as it lifted its head and overlooked it's whole body, eyes in slits, earflaps twitching… I slowly stood up and backed away, the dragon once again trained its gaze on me as he slowly shifted its body, positioning it to a crouching stance, gently; it lifted both wings high in the air, forcefully brought them down…

Swoosh!

And with that, the dragon was gone… and so was the sun…

I turned to my Father who was still gazing at the direction the dragon disappeared to, he seemed as dumbfounded as the other villagers, I swept my gaze all around, taking in the scene of the village, the lights were still out, that means no one has left the village square since they arrived, the whole place was dim… one by one the villagers appear to have snapped out of their stupor, some looked at me with questioning gazes, some betrayed, and most of them glared at me with hatred…

I returned my sights to my father, the expression he wore; was one of betrayal… behind him, I could see uncle Spitelout ushering the villagers to return to their houses…

This is going to be fun…

I thought to myself as the villagers began to reluctantly return to their homes. Gathered in front of me, however, was the council… my father's gaze never left me, and I already know what will happen next… the words he uttered with his expression grim at that very moment, only confirmed my suspicions…

"Great Hall. Now."

.

Astrid was dumbfounded… she couldn't believe how a simple scenario like this escalated to one of complete and utter madness… she expected him to do something stupid, and believe it or not, letting the dragon go was indeed one of the possible scenarios she came up with… but judging by the level of how stupid it was, she dismissed it as the most idiotic thing someone as smart as Hiccup would do… she thought no one would be able to go nearly as stupid and reckless as the twins… but Hiccup has shown otherwise…

She knew, Astrid knew from the look in his eyes, that he wouldn't be able to bring himself to kill the beast… she expected him to want to study it, keep it alive in a more, shall we say… subtle way…

Astrid watched as the council of elders made their way to the great hall with Hiccup not far behind, his gait was one of those unapologetic but troubled, possibly annoyed…

"I can't believe he would do such a thing…"

Astrid said barely above a whisper with slightly furrowed brows, as she follows the brunette with her eyes… (but then, who was she to say when she ignored him for almost his entire life, right?)

"Yeah, I know right? I mean, why would a dragon, just fly away without even so much as a single explosion!?"

Tuffnut voiced in exasperation, but the minute those words left his mouth, the rest of the teens froze as they began to look at him with eyes as wide as saucers… the male twin, finally noticing the attention on him, quirked his brow at his companions' antics… "What?" he questions them, but when it failed to elicit a response from the group, he grew uncomfortable and tried to elaborate the question…

"Why are you guys looking at me like that? Was it something I said?"

Astrid was the first to drop her gaze, but it didn't do anything to lessen the wideness of her sapphires as she tuned out all of the sounds around her, one thought occupying the whole capacity of her mind… Tuffnut was right, but it wasn't the sentiment of Tuffnut being right was what shocked her, no… it was what he was right about that made her gears scream and grind… the dragon didn't attack… the dragon didn't attack. The dragon didn't attack. The dragon didn't attack! No matter how she flips it, or picks out a word to stress, it still didn't make sense… she doesn't get it… after the lessons she went through, after coming out on top of Dragon Training, she remembers every tidbit Gobber, a veteran at dragon slaying and coach, had taught them… and if there's one thing he was very clear about… it's that…

"Dragons always go for the kill…"

Astrid seemingly whispers to herself, she then suddenly rips her gaze away from the ground where she was just absently gazing at as she seemed to come back down to Miðgarðr after her head's little journey from Ásgarðr…

She turned to look at the door Hiccup and the council disappeared into just in time for it to be shut, securely keeping anything out… or in…

At this moment, she was sure she wouldn't be able to get a wink of sleep after what she just witnessed… and it's probably the same with the rest of Berk…

.

To Stoick, it was like he had been stabbed by one of the people he trusted the most, if it wasn't in sight, it was obvious in mind, he couldn't see it… but he felt it… and even though it didn't seem obvious, despite the boy's shortcomings, he trusted his judgement when it wasn't about his inventions… Hiccup was smart about these things, he's practically the smartest boy in the village, and he'd be damned if anyone told him otherwise…

So imagine how he felt when he saw his son… his only son; that was more intelligent than three-quarters of the people in Berk, release that dragon for the whole middle world to see right into the heart of the village! And what's more, that dragon was none other than the notorious offspring of lightning and death itself! The Night Fury!?

Stoick boiled with rage at his son's actions. It had mutiny written all over it! No matter how much Stoick tried to think objectively, he still didn't see why his son had to make a show of letting loose one of his people's most hated enemy…

Why did he do that? It didn't do well for Stoick and was sure to tear him up inside, he couldn't even begin to think how he'd react to what Hiccup would say when trialed… even worse, what would the council think? What with the boy's silver tongue and all… he'll probably make it sound worse than it is… Odin above… what will become of his son? His only son… it broke his heart thinking that by the end of the day, he'd lose what was left of his family… just the thought of it made a big lump form in his throat, making a little harder to breathe…

Stoick turned to look at the others following him just as he stepped foot in the great hall… he searched for the familiar mop of auburn hair and approached his son, placing his colossal hand on top of the boy's narrow shoulder, he spoke in barely above a whisper…

"Leave us… I need to have a talk with my son…"

He intended for a low and neutral voice, but instead what came out was the sound of a man that was in the verge of tears… and just when his very dense brother was about to protest –probably didn't even notice the pain in his chief's voice –Gothi, the village priestess and one with the highest authority within the council of elders, abruptly raised her staff, and brought it down, none too gently on Spitelout's head, and began pulling on his ear for good measure… she began leading the rest of the council towards the Chief's table, signaling that they'd wait for them there, and they can take all the time they needed…

After sending a grateful smile to the elder, Stoick beckoned Hiccup to follow him to one of the corners of the great hall for privacy… he turned to his son and began to kneel to achieve eye-level, Stoick has learned a long time ago that when confronting Hiccup; it's best if you make him feel like you're equals… the child knows what respect is, and mirrors it like a… well, a mirror…

In fact, he has become so much like a mirror that it's sometimes very hard to look at him… to most people he reflects their most ugliest side and his words just make it seem more real… Stoick knows what the boy is like at his worst, and he doesn't want to bring that out now by starting this with an accusation… he thought for a moment, long and hard on how to make his words sound as less accusing and menacing as possible…

With a short sigh, he looks into the boy's eyes, and then spoke in a pleading way… he thought of a certain set of words with the least possible tendency to put off the teen… but all he managed to say was…

"Why?"

That single word was very insignificant at that moment… there was not even a need for words at all since his expression gave away anything he might've wanted to say…

.

Silence…

That was all I answered my father with… absolute silence… while gazing into his eyes, I found that the emotion of betrayal drifting within them, his expression was that of pain, like he was the one most damaged out of this whole event… well, it's understandable, when a child goes against their folk's wishes, it could very well cause pain to their own parents… I remained still, gazing back at my father. I could slightly feel the beginning of a crease between my brows… It's not like I came out of this unscathed either…

I had my own emotions forming within my gut like a snowstorm… and the most defined out of all of them was that of anger… fury raged inside of me, ravaging my whole being… I felt a strong resentment for the island, Berk, the village, the people… My father… My mind seemed to want to scream at him… I so badly wanted to raise my voice and start angrily lashing out, but I don't want to waste this much energy on just one person…

"Did you single me out just to ask that?"

I asked him, a little more flat-toned and cold than I intended, with venom leaking out from gritted teeth… as much as I'd like to conserve the anger, I can't seem to stop myself… the only option would be to get on with it before Múspellsheimr freezes over.

I do plan to vent… but I won't give it all to one man… all my life I have lived without being heard… the sensation of bottling up emotions and having to bite back words that might've made Loki proud was, indeed, unpleasant, and believe me when I say that it's frustrating and I want to get rid of this ugly thing, making me want to do horrible things right then and there, but I won't waste it all just because I've run out of patience…

"Let's go, wouldn't want to keep the elders waiting…"

I said solemnly and began turning around, I was itching to get this over and done with, but before I could take even a step, an enormous calloused hand was suddenly in front of me…

"Please Hiccup…"

I scrutinized the large hand blocking my way, and then lift my gaze to meet his; he was practically in the verge of tears… he looked at me with concern and pity… it took my all to keep myself from chuckling sardonically at my father much less avoid a sneer… he seemed to have misunderstood, I wanted to get to the Village elders so that I could vent…

But it seems instead of an impatient youth, all he saw was a criminal who wanted out of the torture of having to wait… I then suddenly felt in the mood to poke bears as I can no longer keep a smirk in check… and as far as anyone is concerned… yes, I'm referring to my dad…

"Wow, this must be my lucky day… I got 'Stoick the Vast' begging."

My father wasn't as put off as I was expecting though, he merely frowned and grasped both shoulders of mine… ignoring my taunt, he spoke in a tone of all seriousness… I wouldn't be surprised if he was as desperate as he sounds…

"No, Hiccup, you don't understand… after what you did back there, that is no laughing matter, son… they won't just let that go, they'd be asking for an execution!"

"A life destroyed where it was conjured… seems fitting."

I said nonchalantly shifting my gaze away, brushing off any concerns he had for me… my father then narrowed his eyes…

"Hiccup…"

He starts off in a warning tone… but I interrupted him before he could add any more words to make a sentence after my name…

"Dad, it's to be expected… you and I both know that it was only a matter of time before they decide to get rid of me…"

I said while making a motion of shrugging my shoulders as high as possible so that it wouldn't look like a small twitch happening under my father's massive meaty hands… but of course I failed at that too, proving that my father's appendages were just as heavy as they appeared to be… maybe even more… I instead hardened my gaze as I it locked onto my father's…

"All I did was cut the waiting short…"

.

Stoick sighed and released his son from his grip… there was no getting through the boy… he's about as stubborn as a mule, and his stubbornness is probably the only trait he's inherited that could be considered Viking-like, and that, at the moment, is not something Stoick needs right now…

"Think whatever you like, but I'm not about to let them choose execution as a punishment…"

Stoick said as he turned around, he could faintly hear Hiccup say "Good luck with that" behind him, voice dripping with sarcasm…

Both father and son passed a couple of tables before one that was of circular shape came in sight, it was located at the very center of the hall, it's size was noted to be the biggest, with a fire pit in the middle, this was where serious discussions like dragon raids were planned including the problems within the village…

The elders were already seated but seemed to have not noticed the two due to a conversation they were having… starting a discussion as serious as this was not supposed to be done in the absence of the Chief, for he is the one who has the final say in the matter…

As the pair neared the table, they could hear fragments of the heated discussion…

"The boy's not right in the head…"

"… to free a dragon…"

"It's to be expected…"

"… runt of the village…"

"… He's just a boy."

"So what!?"

"… needs to be executed."

"… to rid the village threat…"

"Dragon sympathizer…"

"Just like his mother."

With the last sentence spat out with as much venom as the rest, Hiccup's patience snapped and he finds himself stomping towards them before his father could even do anything about it… he may not have met his mother, but Hiccup wasn't about to let these geezers flap their mouths and insult her however they please… he didn't have a problem with their choice of words per se, but the tone did wonders to fan his ire… Gothi was the first to notice his approach, but said nothing as the others remained oblivious…

Hiccup walked up to the vacant part of the table, which also happens to be where the Chief was supposed to be positioned, kicking off whatever was on his path to make way for his footwear which startled the group into silence, he climbed on top and looked down on them… one by one… as the elders seemed to have become speechless with the child's actions, Hiccup began to speak, no hint of humor in his voice whatsoever…

"Will you look at that… The gossiping terrors have finally shut up…"

.

Uncle Spitelout was the first snap out of his bewilderment and began to take on an expression like he had been insulted…

"Hiccup! Get off the table right now… we will not tolerate this show of disrespect!"

The voice screeched and I turned to my left to face him…

"Or you'll do what? Sentence me to death? Torture me? Make me regret I was born? You've already done most of that, Uncle… that is, if the last fifteen years aren't anything to go by…"

"Hiccup get off the table…"

Elder Abbas said sternly, within the council he was the fourth most powerful, oh by the way, it seems the most of the council consisted of males, the only female was elder Gothi… I raised a brow at him and asked… "And why would I do that? It's public property." one of the elders piped in again and spoke in a calm tone that irritated me, a lot…

"We will forgive you for this little act if you just get off the table and do as you're told…"

"Forgive?"

I parroted the word in a form of a question… It irritated me on how belittling their tones indicate… First they insult my mother, and then they switch gears and pretend they're on my side? I would laugh at their transparency but I settled for a glare.

"If you are regretful…"

He said, nodding, I took in his words as it further angered me, but before I could start, I stopped myself and I thought for a while, I realized that my little outburst was, indeed, a bit premature… I should've thought of a speech before I did this… well, might as well just wing it… Not like anything planned would have gone any better because hello, Hiccup here, what else could possibly happen.

"Come to think of it, what do you believe should become of me?"

I asked them, in a tone that was slightly higher in pitch than I meant it to be… My change of demeanor bothered the crowd a bit but one of them answered nonetheless…

"For the crime you have committed is most atrocious, you are to be sentenced to death… the least you could do, would be to apologize."

"Crime… I see, Yes, makes great sense… Hey, do you know what else a crime is?"

I questioned them as they began to take on quizzical looks…

"Insulting the Chief's wife dead or not, in front of her family…"

I turned to look at the direction to which I came from. It was then that my father decided to make himself known… He glared at the council, low and menacing…

"Chief Stoick! Uh, that was…"

"Oh and by the way…"

I said raising my voice to get their attention to return to me… I raised my chin and looked down at the elders, all the amusement I had in my voice was already gone… but I allowed a ghost of a smile to grace my features…

"You said to apologise, Like, say sorry, right?"

I gave out an insulting laugh and spoke again…

"Are you kidding me? After all I did for you; forge your weapons, sharpen your tools, and try to be worth something. you then have the audacity to be the ones to think it was I who needs to apologize?"

I kicked the nearest mug into the fire that was situated in the center of the table and sent the flames blazing, the owner of the mug looked at the fire with wide eyes and glared at me… Alcoholics…

"You think I was the one who did all the damage? What? Do expect me to say sorry? Feel concerned, after what I've been put through? Well, tough luck, why don't you petty fiends get a mirror and reflect for a while…"

After kicking off the rest of the things that were on the table, I glanced at the seat that Gothi occupied… it seems out of all of us, she was the only one with the leveled head, she just sat there, clutching her staff and returned my gaze, her face shifted and she smiled at me… it was probably meant to be pleasant, but with her wrinkled face, her haunch and that half-closed left eye, it instead made me shudder… I jumped off before anyone could grab me and headed for the door; that was when I heard a voice of an old man shout after me, I don't know who it was; he was simply too enraged that I couldn't tell… And to be honest, I didn't care.

"GET OUT!"

I turned to look at them; some were red with anger… I smirked for the first time in what felt like years… it just feels great when you have your intended effect on people…

"With pleasure…"

With that I walked towards the entrance, yanked it open and slammed it shut… Albeit the door didn't slam as well as I hoped it would. Given the lack of upper body strength.

Bam!

The short but reasonably loud bang was close enough.

Good riddance!

.


A/n:

This site is all about reading and sharing right? I would probably kill for a bookmark option right about now…

I'm going monthly, and I'm sorry if none of you considers it as fast, but with school and all that… I can't say time is on both Dragonbow117 and my side… but let me give you a bit more hope, I'll update on the last Sunday of every month… double chapters is also a possibility… this one just came a little too early... it'll happen sometimes...

So you have a month all to yourselves… please take time for reviews, I'll even beg if I have to…

So now, a few words from Cupcake!

Dragonbow117: I don't really mind what you tell them. you can quote anything I've previously said. But whatever you do don't quote this entire sentence that has me explaining that I don't mind what you tell them from me.

(You're going to make THAT my quote aren't you.)

Ps: It's not a quote though... hehehe...