Sorry it's been a while since I updated. I had a big project to do and I had no idea how to continue this…until now! So, here it is! Please read/review/enjoy!
Chapter 4
Hiccup slipped quietly into the house. The firelight slipping through the crack of the door told him his dad was still awake. Hiccup paused before the door and exhaled slowly. Bravely, he strode into his house, like nothing was amiss.
His dad was cooking a whole chicken over the fire. Toothless took a deep sniff at it, shook his head, and wobbled to the sleeping Thornado. Toothless curled up beside him, snorted at Hiccup, and laid his head down.
Hiccup immediately climbed the stairs. He climbed them slowly, waiting to see if his dad would stop him from retreating to the sanctum of his room. He didn't. Hiccup made it to his desk, almost disappointed that Stoick didn't stop him.
Guilt knocked on Hiccup's heart. "Should I have thrown that "mom died" card?" Hiccup asked aloud. She didn't die!
Hiccup shushed that voice in his head. That voice had continued shouting that same phrase ever since the year after she left. He always hoped that he'd see his mom again. He guessed that the voice was his way of hanging onto the hope that she'd miraculously return. Was that why he had that dream?
He half-heartedly sat at his desk, wondering what brilliant invention would draw itself onto his paper now. Instead, he thought.
He thought of everything. What was a chief? What did you have to do? How were you supposed to balance that life with having a family? Was he cut out to be a father? Was he cut out to be a husband?
"Husband," he murmured. That word alone held a terror and a wonder that somehow balanced. Who would he…marry? It was his choice, he realized. There was only one girl he loved since childhood, but their relationship hadn't been that…deep. Yeah, she kissed him once or twice, but five years of a courtship didn't mean anything? Right? Was he ready to marry Astrid? Was he ready to tell her that he loved her beyond any love he felt before, that he'd die for her, and he wanted to spend his life with her? More importantly, did she want to spend her life with him?
He rested his head on the desktop, wasting time. Life held too much responsibility now that he was officially an adult. He let memories whisk him away to simpler days, the days when he led the Dragon Academy and it was just him and Toothless. He wasn't pressured to be married, to be a chief, to get muscle, to lead people, and to stop riding Toothless. When he was…a kid.
He wanted that freedom again. He couldn't do this.
Snotlout stared at himself in the back of the frying pan. He honestly had no idea that Hiccup could hit that hard. The bruise was like the size of an apple! When did that little jerk get that strong?
"Oi, a Viking knows when to get hurt!" his father cheered. Somehow, Spitelout had ignored the fact that Snotlout started the fight and that Hiccup actually pinned Snotlout to the ground; he rejoiced that Snotlout had a scar! It was a noteworthy scar too! It was probably permanent!
Spitelout continued rejoicing. "Oh, Snotlout, Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi! Ha ha! Already as an adult, you're a worthy Viking!" He sipped some more ale. "Ale, son?"
"Nah, I've got to meet Tuffnut in the Meade Hall. Younger girls kind of made that their meeting place. I'm hoping one of them likes Monstrous Nightmares."
"They adore battle scars too! Ha, you're going to be a great Viking!" Spitelout again took a drink.
"Yeah, I got to go." Snotlout slipped out the door. Slipping out was easier when he was younger and smaller. He had bulked up, but not much. At least his beard was improving.
A spew of fire slid across the ground, cutting his path. "Hookfang!" he shouted.
The Monstrous Nightmare poked his head out from dark of the stable. He had a pleading look in his eyes.
"Stop whining! You're coming with me!" Hookfang had been the only reason girls looked at him. Even that girl Heather from like, five years ago, had been "interested" in him only because of the dragon. But still, there had to be some macho in Snotlout for her to like him!
Hookfang hid in the darkness.
"Ugh! Stupid dragon! Just come on! I'll give you a basket of trout when I've got a date!"
That drew Hookfang out.
Snotlout climbed on top of Hookfang's neck and started to ride up to the Great Hall, where men and women bustled with their own business on their own minds. The only light in the Plaza was at Gobber's forge. But Gobber wasn't working there.
Hiccup looked at him. He was angry, hurt, but he was definitely more angry than hurt. He returned to his work without a second glance at Snotlout.
Snotlout growled. "Seriously, Hiccup?" he shouted. "What is wrong with you?"
He was silent.
Snotlout growled and leapt off of Hookfang. "Hiccup! Come on! You threw the first punch for a reason! What was it? What did I do?"
"Can't be chief," Hiccup murmured.
"You saying that I can't be chief?"
"Quite the opposite," Hiccup slid the sword into his scabbard. "Be chief! Have a hot girlfriend! Get the glory, the honor, the…power!"
"What are you doing?"
"Goodbye, Snotlout." Hiccup leapt on Toothless and flew into the sky.
Snotlout shook his head, confused. "What are you doing?" he yelled into the sky.
Hiccup didn't answer.
"He what?" Astrid boomed in the Meade Hall. No one in the Hall paid heed to it; Astrid shouted a lot.
"He left Berk, Astrid. Weren't you listening?" Ruffnut said. She waited for a punch, but Astrid was too distracted to defend herself.
"He just left?" Tuffnut gawked, amazed.
"No last words? No long explanation as usual? Nothing?" Fishlegs asked, less perplexed than Astrid, but more perplexed than he ever had been.
Snotlout raised his hands. "He just left! He said "Goodbye Snotlout" and flew off on Toothless. He had a food bag with him, a sword at his side, and he flew off into the sunset!"
"I can't believe…" Astrid lost her breath. "What did he think he was doing?"
"I asked him the same question! He said something about me becoming chief and he just left!"
Astrid's eyes became like fire. "What did he say exactly?"
"He wanted me to become chief!"
Astrid yelled and pinned him to the floor. "You idiot! He's leaving! His own Dad said that he wouldn't be like a chief! You just told him all the more! He's abandoning the island because he doesn't think he can do it! Do you have any idea just what you've done?"
Snotlout growled, "He admitted it, Astrid. He told it to me before I said it to him."
"What about the fight?"
Snotlout bit his lip, careful about what to say. "That was just about half and half."
Astrid shouted and grabbed Snotlout's shirt, slamming him into the floor. "You mutton-headed-yak! You ruined his destiny!"
Tuffnut hummed, "Uh, what's a destiny?"
"Path in life," Fishlegs answered. "Shouldn't we go find him?"
Ruffnut shrugged. "Brainy, what can we do? The Night Fury's the fastest dragon, you should know that!"
Tuffnut hummed, "Uh, maybe we should go find him anyway. I mean if we do know where he is and the chief doesn't, when the chief finds out Hiccup left and finds out that we didn't tell him when we knew, won't we be in trouble?"
Fishlegs nodded. "That could be a possibility."
"So let's go," Tuffnut encouraged. "Oh! Hey, look! Girls!" Tuffnut raced to the women.
Ruff smashed her head into the beam. "Forgive the lunatic."
Astrid rolled her eyes and got off of Snotlout. "We have to find him!"
"Why?" Snotlout asked. "He's just going to avoid you. He didn't say anything to me about leaving for good when I ran into him."
"You're the last person he'd tell anything to!" Astrid barked.
Fishlegs stepped between the two of them before another fist fight could break out. "Look, Astrid and I will go out and look for Hiccup. We'll get him, we'll come back, and we'll all be much happier when this is over. Okay? Good! Okay, let's go, Astrid!"
Fishlegs grabbed her by the arm and led her away. Astrid surprisingly let him lead her away, but her iron gaze stayed focused on Snotlout.
Snotlout shivered. He noticed Ruffnut next to him, wisely avoiding the situation.
Snotlout gripped the sides of the table. "I didn't think she'd blow up like that!"
Ruffnut groaned. "Men can never figure out when a woman's in love!"
"I know she's in love with Hiccup!"
"I know you do. Hiccup has everything you've ever wanted, doesn't he?"
"What?" Snotlout snapped. "Where did that come from? Since when are you that deep into how people feel?"
"Oh, I hit something, didn't I?" Ruffnut teased. "You knew you had more than Hiccup before he trained the dragons, but now that he's trained the dragons and was the village hero, suddenly the spotlight moved. He's got the girlfriend you wanted, the job you wanted, the attention you wanted; this has been going on for five years and it just makes you sick."
"You've got to be kidding me," Snotlout threatened. "You don't look that deep."
"I've been hiding behind the image of my idiot brother for too long. I'm smarter than most people think."
"Just like I noticed that you've got a crush on Fishlegs," Snotlout sang.
Ruffnut punched him, sending him across the floor.
Snotlout rubbed his head. "Oh. I need to figure out girls. I don't know if she hit me because it was true or if it's because I suggested it."
Stoick stomped into the forge. "Hiccup!"
Like he suspected, he wasn't here.
In frustration, almost worried that he'd rip the paper in half, he re-read the note he found in Hiccup's room.
Dad, I know you'll be disappointed in me. But believe me, you'll be even more disappointed if I don't do this. I'm leaving, just to clear my head. It's not you, not anyone, it's me. I can't be chief and I just need to be alone. I'll come back, but you should know, I can't be chief. It's impossible. I know that you want me to, but I really don't think I can.
Hiccup
Stoick threw the note into the fire.
Hiccup smiled. This was where he was supposed to be. His place was in the sky, flying on Toothless, exploring other places. He felt the wind rush into his face. He and Toothless glided through the sky as if they were one. Yes, this was where he belonged! This was where he was home!
Hiccup opened his eyes for a second. They were beyond any island that they had visited. They were past Outcast Island, Changewing Island, and every other scenic island they discovered. This was uncharted territory. He felt a chill shoot up his spine. He was beyond ecstatic. This was what he was born to be doing.
"Toothless!" he shouted, delighted. "It's an island! A new island! Come on, let's go!"
Toothless growled. You seriously think this is going to be fun, don't you?
"Toothless," Hiccup chided. "Come on! It'll be fun! Please! It's night! No one's going to see you, we'll be fine!"
Toothless shrugged it off. He flew to the island.
When they landed, Hiccup slid off the saddle and ran into the forest. Toothless halted, sniffing, suspicious of this new territory. He purred, warning Hiccup, but his rider ran off the beach and paused at the border of the forest. "Wow, I can't believe that…"
A hand gagged him, an arm trapped his body, and he was pulled into the forest. Toothless leapt at him, but ropes attached to rocks wrapped around him. Big Viking men leapt on top of him.
Hiccup struggled, belatedly realizing that the man holding him was a woman. She was talking to him as she bounded him with ropes.
A tough, authoritative, yet feminine, Scottish voice snapped, "Do what this person says. You don't want to challenge him. You want your dragon to live, follow me. I'm Valka. Trust me. I have to go. He's coming."
Before Hiccup could question anything, he was thrown into another grasp, but this one was threatening, gruff, and it scared him.
The voice darkly chuckled.
Hiccup widened his eyes. He scanned for the woman who helped him. He saw a thin figure in a dark cape. It was standing like a woman. The figure was like a woman. It was Valka. Next question: Could Hiccup trust her?
"Who are you?" Hiccup demanded. "Where's Toothless? What do you want with me?"
The one holding him down chuckled. "You're going to help me."
"If I refuse?" Hiccup dared to ask.
He saw the woman gape. Her body posture alone was scared that he said that.
No second later, a knife slipped between her and his eyes. His eyes widened.
"You don't want to see this go into your or your Night Fury, do you?"
Hiccup kept silent.
"I didn't think so."
