Hey everyone, its been awhile but here's the next chapter enjoy! BTW Toothless will be speaking now but Khaine and Hiccup cannot understand him obviously, Toothless speech will be marked as *text*
Chapter Two: A Journey Begins
Hiccup was exhausted, he had been doing exercises for the past half an hour, now he trying push ups, "twenty eight". Toothless was taking a nap in the shade after their most recent flight where his flying suit* had become detached from Toothless' saddle, if not for Hiccup's quick thinking they would have both plummeted to their deaths. "Twenty nine", Khaine was stood in front of Hiccup, overseeing his new workout routine while cheering him on... sort of.
"Come on Hiccup, you can do better than that, push!"
"Thirty!" Hiccup immediately collapsed and rolled onto his side, staring up at Khaine and struggling for breath. "Why... do I... have... to exercise... and not... you? Hiccup was drenched in sweat, he had to take off his shirt, Berk might be cold this time of year... well colder, but it was still possible to break a sweat with enough exercise, something Hiccup rarely did.
"Because i don't need it, you do." Khaine held out a hand to help Hiccup to his feet. "That's enough exercises for today."
"OH THANK THOR!" Hiccup flung his arms up in the air in exasperation.
It had been two weeks after he first met Toothless and Khaine, he came back ever since, to train with Khaine and practice flying with Toothless. In these past few weeks Toothless had help him discover some secrets about dragons that no one else knew, he was the best friend Hiccup had ever had. These tricks that he discovered, not only helped him survive dragon training, but put him at the top of the class in front of Astrid, Astrid.
Hiccup had gained the attention and respect he had sought after for years in the space of two weeks thanks to Toothless, but despite all of this, he knew he would have to leave it all behind in pursuit of a new life, a life with his best friend who was a dragon and Khaine who would guide him on his quest to save the world. Speaking of which, Khaine was keeping him on an exercise routine, saying that he needed more strength before he was able to wield his sword spear properly.
"Wait, how can you maintain all that muscle without any exercise? I haven't seen you do so much as break a sweat since I met you." Khaine looked like a wall of muscle so strong that if you struck him with a sword it would break in half, how can anyone get half that buff without constant exercise.
"Champion of the gods remember, my strength and general physique are kept at their peak by the powers the gods have bestowed upon me." He answered nonchalantly as he flexed his arms while striking a herculean pose, Khaine loved to show if his inhuman strength, he reminded Hiccup of his cousin Snotlout, except he wasn't a complete arse.
One question crossed Hiccup's mind at that moment. "Come to think of it, I've never asked why you look like... this." He gestured to Khaine's huge and terrifying figure.
"Well that's going to be a long story, sit down and get comfy because we're going to be here a while." He sat down on a small rock while leaning forward.
*Oh, a story, i am intrigued.*
Toothless came over and curled around Hiccup, who sat on the grass cross legged, like a student eager to learn with an interested look on his face, of which his dragon mirrored perfectly. Khaine sighed, still perplexed by how the two were so alike sometimes.
"It all started in a place far to the east, a place where land spans for miles and miles on end, in a kingdom called Farrenheim. I was a renowned warrior in Farrenheim, captain of King Farren's royal guard, I had the nickname 'Whirlwind', a title first given to me by my father since I showed a unique talent in the art of of combat, dual swords especially. At the age of twelve I was the best swordsman in the whole school, by the time I was fifteen I had bested everyone in single combat, even some of the local guards. When I turned eighteen I was one of the most feared and respected fighters in all of Farrenheim, so much so that the king himself requested an audience with me." The joy Khaine took in telling the story was evident on his face with a wide grin, like a grandfather telling their grandson a favorite story.
"And when I arrived I was escorted to the king's throne room by the royal guard, the greatest warriors in all of Farrenheim and personal guard to the king himself, when I entered his throne room I stood dead in the centre of the room, on my own and the king said to me, 'son if you are as good as the village folk say you are, then I must see this for myself, I Galavan Farrenheim challenge you to a duel in this very hall, the Hall of Kings, do you accept!'" Khaine spoke those words with a mocking deep and grumpy voice, like a child trying to sound like an adult. "I could have sworn I shit myself when he said that!" He gave a hearty laugh, clearly very fond of the memory, even Toothless was laughing at this, Hiccup couldn't blame him though, he wouldn't know what to do if his father Stoick the Vast challenged him to a duel.
Farrenheim
The Kings Throne Room
Five hundred years ago
He was beside himself, King Farren had just challenged him to a one on one fight and rumor had it among the kingdom that he was a legendary duelist. The king stepped down from his throne and walked over to a stone statue that was wearing a suit of silver armor with a golden trim, it held a rapier in one of it's hands, the king drew the rapier and pointed it at him. The rapier had a silver blade, about two feet long and two or three inches thick, the blade drew thinner from the hilt to the point, the guard was a half sphere shape like half an empty ball, it was golden and engraved, with a shiny green trim around it. "First to hold back on a killing blow wins."
The king's guard formed a circle around them, once you were in a duel with the King of Farrenheim there was no backing out, he drew his twin short swords, his weapons of choice, from the twin sheaths on his back, he was not prepared to lose, not today. The two circled each other, sizing up the opponent, waiting to see who would make the first move. Eventually it was Galavan who made the first move, and like that the duel was begun.
Galavan lashed out with an overhead swing much faster than expected, but was parried nonetheless, the swing was followed by a backhand strike and a forehand strike, both once again parried with ease, his assault was met with a flurry of attacks, twin swords slashed in multiple directions, the king ducked and weaved his way around every single one. The king rolled to the side of an overhead swing and struck his opponent with a counter attack, leaving a long gash on his thigh and drawing a streak of blood.
This wasn't going to plan, not that this was planned, the king was too quick for him and if this kept up he was doomed to lose this battle, one he was determined not to. He knew exactly what to do, he had to get the king in a corner, somewhere where he couldn't use open space to his advantage, then he could win, he was quick with that rapier but a blade that thin wouldn't hold under the strength of both of his swords.
He had an idea, he rushed the king, drawing back one of his arms with the sword pointed towards his target, King Farren pulled back his left arm against his right side, ready to strike the incoming blade off course, in doing so the king had played right into his hands. He flipped the sword around in his hand and leapt into the air, landing a punch directly to the side of the kings temple, he followed up with a shoulder bash that sent the king stumbling back into one of the guards forming the circle, he did not budge however, staying his position as if he were a wall.
Before the king could regain his senses, two swords were placed either side of his neck in an 'X' formation, the duel was over, the king had lost, he had won. He drew back his swords, giving them a final twirl and pacing backwards before returning them to the two leather sheaths on his back.
"So you really are as good as they say you are." The king's smile was awfully genuine for someone who had just lost a fight. "Not only are you a gifted fighter as your father told me, but the way you switched from a toward thrust to punch, knowing exactly what I was going to do, in a split second no less, very few are able to perform such an act effectively in combat."
"Thank you my lord." The solemn warrior took a knee, bowing to the ruler of the land he had known his whole life.
"Rise, Alexander of house Terrin, you have proven yourself in single combat against myself, you need not bow to me. Now I propose this, at the beginning of next week you come here and I will oversee your further training for the next few years rather than the training academy, how does that sound." He was astounded, the king was going to mentor him, this was his dream, to be one of the greatest warriors in all of Farrenheim and it was coming true.
The guards that formed the dueling circle broke off and walked back to their positions lining the several pillars in the room. "You go on home boy, tell your parents what I've told you."
"Y-yes of course and thank you my lord." King Farren gave him a quick nod of the head, Alexander offered a bow before turning towards the huge double doors that led outside the throne room. The king paced back to his throne at the back of the room and sat down on it, rubbing the side of his head from the punch the boy landed not one minute ago.
"You really think he's got what it takes to lead the royal guard." The guard closest to the throne piped up, Davison, captain of the royal guard, he held a golden engraved longsword and had the symbol of a dragon head on his helmet.
"In time Davison, he may need some training in the ways of leadership, but I'm sure his skills have proven that he can hold his own on the battlefield."
"Very well my lord, I trust your judgment." With those last words the room descended into silence, as it had been before the boy of the Terrin house walked in.
Berk
Present Day
"So, your real name is Alexander." Hiccup nor Toothless had spoke since the beginning of the story, entranced by the magnificent tale.
"No, I used to be called Alexander, now I am Khaine. I'm not the man I was back then."
"Why did you change your name?" Hiccup was pressing on the questions now, once he had a question, he would not stop until he found an answer.
*Why would one wish to change their name, would you not rather honour the name your progenitors gave you?*
"That's a story for another time, how are the preparations for your escape coming along." Hiccup had been trying to find the best way to run away from Berk with a somewhat still positive image in the eyes of the village, since he knew he was coming back, if such a thing was possible. He had thought of a thousand ways to escape but none of which he liked.
He could fake his death, make it look like he went down in the midst of battle like a true viking should, but that would raise a lot of suspicion upon his return. He could leave a note saying he left with his night fury and a descendant of the gods, proclaiming that he was destined to save the world because he was the only person that could understand the true nature of dragons, the very beasts that have plagued them for generations. Then again he could leave without saying a word, then he could come up with a story later down the line.
Instead he opted to write a note with a vague description of why he left. "Alright I guess, I'm going to leave my dad a note saying I had to leave for some vague reason and that I'll return whenever." Hiccup really hoped he knew what he was doing, his future was riding on this.
Toothless was staring up at the sky, clearly as eager to leave the island as they all where. "I know bud, we'll leave soon I promise." Hiccup gave him a scratch under the chin which was rewarded with a delighted croon and a slobbery lick all the way from his arm to his face. "Gah Toothless!"
"Maybe you should get going, dragon training starts soon."
"Oh yeah, today's the finals, right." Hiccup was considering handing the victory to Astrid, it seemed pointless to beat her in dragon training, ruin her chance of being the first in her age group to kill a dragon, not that he wanted that of course. "Well I better go, see ya later Toothless, we'll leave tonight I promise." He grabbed his pack and made his way back to the village, strangely enough the cove had felt more like home to him than his actual house in the past two weeks.
"Remember to pack food, a blanket and any other essentials you and Toothless may need. We will make stops at trading ports but those will be far and few between."
"OK got it."
"And I want you writing that note as soon as you get back!"
*Farewell for now Hiccup.*
"Alright! I get it! See ya." Hiccup gave a silent wave and Khaine did the same before exiting the cove.
One Hour Later
After a long trek back to the village, Hiccup saw people from all directions heading down to where he knew the docks to be, some greeting him as they walked past, an upside of his new found 'talent' is that he actually got a smile out of people instead of the usual scowl or frown.
He walked to a section of houses that overlooked the docks and saw several ships that bore the Berk crest as well as many holes and burn marks, his dad must be back from the nest hunt. Hiccup knew once his dad found out about his success in the ring he would come looking for him, and since gossip spread like wild fire around Berk, he would find out the moment he stepped off the boat. "Well I'm never gonna hear the end of this."
"Damn right you're not!"
Hiccup whirled around in surprise to see a none too pleased Astrid. "Gah! Uh- hi- um hi Astrid, what- uh what are you doing here?"
"You might have everyone else here fooled Haddock, but you haven't fooled me!" She took a step forward, it was clear that she took the loss of being head of the class deadly seriously.
"I- uh what are talking about-?"
"Don't play dumb with me Hiccup! I know you're hiding something, no one just gets as good as you in two weeks, especially you!" She poked him in the chest with the head of her axe. "Someone who's never even been strong enough to lift a hammer being the best in dragon training? Not a chance!"
"Uh I- I don't know Astrid, maybe this just meant to be you know, you don't have to be the best at everything."
"BULLSHIT! I will find out what you're hiding and when I do, everyone will know that I will be the one to kill the monstrous nightmare, not you! And everyone will realise who you really are, a Hiccup, a mistake!" Astrid's face was one of absolute rage: bright red, teeth barred, breath low and ragged.
Those last words shook Hiccup to the core, had she really just said that, is that all she saw him as, a hiccup, after all these years of worship, of him seeing her as the perfect viking, everything he was expected to be, all the times he did things to make her happy, to try to get her attention, only to be shunned away, all he wanted was to be her friend. She had gone too far, sure Astrid occasionally took part in the beatings and teasing usually lead by Snotlout, but this wasn't right, sure the other teens had ever said such things to him, yet he thought the reason she never had was because he might actually be getting through to her, that he might actually be getting on her good side. Now he had seen her true colours, after years of being in the centre of attention, all he did was take the spotlight for a week or two and this is how she reacts, was her pride and glory all she cared about.
Hiccup's inner grief was quick to turn to bitter resentment, to hell with trying to be good enough for her. He was not about to stand there and take this, it was time he stood up for himself. "Really... really Astrid, after everything that's happened, after all of your teasing and taunting, time spent ostracizing me because you had nothing better to do, and still after all of that, every day for the better part of a decade... I looked up to you, I looked at you and saw what I wanted to be, what I strove to achieve, after everything you and the others put me through I still saw you as the perfect Viking."
Hiccup was shouting now, not to be heard but in anger, something he rarely expressed. "And after going through that hell every single day, all the hatred, the tears, the pain, the rejection and the beatings Astrid, THE BEATINGS! DIDN'T YOU JUST STOP AND THINK THAT MAYBE ALL I WANTED WAS TO BE YOU'RE FRIEND!? Think that maybe I actually sort of... liked you? Hiccup's chest was heaving from the amount of shouting he was doing, he held a steely gaze with Astrid, his heart was pounding and his fists were clenched.
Astrid's expression looked like her world had fallen to pieces around her, never had Hiccup ever spoken to her like that, he hardly ever worked up the courage to speak to her at all, and here he was pouring his heart out to her because of so many years of repressed anger from pain that she caused. " H- Hiccup I- I don't-"
"Save it Astrid, after tomorrow you won't have to worry about me ever again." It wasn't until now that the two realised they had drawn a huge crowd of people, come to see what all the racket was about, to find that the runt of the village was venting and taking out his anger on one lone Hofferson who had seemed to set him off.
"See you in the ring, Astrid." Hiccup walked past her, intentionally knocking her on the way, the crowd parted for him, not wanting to set him off again. The crowd now focused their attention solely on Astrid who was in a state of shock and looked like she was about to burst into tears, she quickly reaffirmed herself, still having at least an ounce of pride left. "What are you all looking at." The crowd dispersed at her words, back to whatever they were doing beforehand.
One question suddenly rang in her mind. Did he really like me?
Training arena
Astrid showed up right in time for the big event, the match that would decide who would kill the monstrous nightmare, Hiccup was already present and he completely ignored her as she entered the arena. The entire village was here to see this, the village elder Gothi and Hiccup's father Stoick were also watching. There were several wooden chest high walls, perfect for taking cover, Astrid took a shield from the weapons rack and brandished the axe she brought with her, Hiccup took a shield and a dagger, typical for him. Stoick called over the constant chatter, "release the dragon!"
The Gronckle was let loose from it's confinement, hovering in the air like a bee. Hiccup and Astrid ran opposite ways around the arena, Astrid dived for cover as a fire ball was fired her way then began beating axe against shield to disorient it, she moved in close and swung her axe, but the Gronckle hovered backwards out of her reach. Hiccup took the initiative and climbed onto one of the barricades, leaping onto the dragon's back, in turn the Gronckle spun in circles in an attempt to shake him off. Hiccup held on with all his might and crawled his way to it's head, he tapped the pressure point, disguising it as a shield bash to the cranium.
The dragon fell to the floor, throwing Hiccup off wildly, his shield luckily broke his fall. The crowd erupted into cheers that echoed off the stone walls of the arena, Gobber entered and brought them both to the center of the arena where they would be judged. The audience fell silent as the fatal moment was upon them, Gobber held one hand over Astrid's head, elder Gothi shook her head, then he held a hook over Hiccup's head and she nodded.
Cheers of a deafening volume filled the air, before she could even begin to interrogate Hiccup for daring to deprive her of her dreams, Astrid was shot a death glare by Hiccup, by the time she worked up the courage to confront him he was carried off by the other teens while Hiccup cheered half empty thanks to people swarming him as they paraded him around like a prize. And Astrid was left alone, forgotten like an object of no worth to anyone, invisible.
The Cove
"So you won the finals?"
"Yeah, which means my dad is expecting me to kill the nightmare, woo hoo." Hiccup's sarcasm never failed him even in the most dire situations.
"And Astrid really set you off on one didn't she?"
"Hey she deserved it, let's just hope she didn't catch on to that last part I told her." Hiccup never really lost his temper, he had no idea he would let info slip without realising.
"Indeed, you best go plant that note. You did write the note for your father didn't you?"
"Got it right here, shall I give it a read?" He waved it in the air like a flag.
"Let's hear it."
Hiccup cleared his throat before reading the letter his father would have read by the time he was long gone.
Dad
By the time you read this I will have already left Berk, over the past few weeks I have become the viking that you always wanted me to be, I have become the best dragon fighter of my age and I know you must be so proud of me, but I'm afraid I have to leave. I'm sorry but there are things I need to know, I have questions that need answers, I know you likely won't listen to me when I say don't come looking for me, but I mean it, don't start sending search parties out looking for me, you have enough to worry about with the dragon raids. Don't worry, I will come back, it may be years before I return but I promise I will come back, I just need some time to think this over and find the answers I'm looking for.
Odin watches over me.
Hiccup.
*Why do you humans bother with such formalities, I find it very boring*
Khaine clapped his hands while putting on a posh gentleman act. "Bravo ol' chap, bravo!"
Hiccup did the same, standing up, planting his sword spear in the ground and leaning on it. "Oh you honor me good sir." He took an eloquent bow, the both of them laughing away the tension in the air.
Khaine took a moment to regain his composure before speaking. "So when are you going to plant the note?"
"Dear Thor, you make it sound like a conspiracy. I'll wait till sundown, there's a celebration for my victory against Astrid in dragon training, my father will no doubt be there along with most of the village, the perfect time for me to slip into the house, gather everything we need and get back here for us to leave. By the time my father finds the note we'll be long gone."
"It'll be a while before sundown, are you sure you want to wait that long?"
"There are some people I want to see before I leave, there are people I care about and it kind of pains me to just abandon them." Hiccup did feel bad about leaving Berk behind even if it wasn't permanent, especially Gobber, the man was more like a father to him than Stoick was.
"You're not abandoning them Hiccup, think of it as... a hiatus of sorts."
"Yeah you're right, I should really stop feeling bad about this, its what I want and it's what's best for Toothless. I better get going, see ya later Khaine, you too Toothless and when I get back were leaving." Toothless was most pleased about this, wagging his tail with a goofy smile on his face.
*Yes! Finally we will leave this stars forsaken island of vikings.*
This walk down the trail was making Hiccup feel anxious, this was the last time he would walk through this path in the forest, the last time he would see the village on the horizon of grass and shrubbery, the last for a very long time. He eventually got to the village, the first thing he wanted to do was see the other teens, he wondered how they would react when he left.
On his way to the ring, Hiccup was greeted with many wave, handshake and congratulations for his performance earlier today. He stepped into the arena and immediately everyone was all over him about his fight against the Gronckle.
"Hiccup! What you did today was amazing."
"Yeah cousin that was awesome!"
"You were all over that dragon like lighting on Thor's hammer!"
"Hey I was gonna say that!"
"Was not!"
"Was too!"
"Wow uh thanks guys, just came by to see how you were getting on." He was still astounded by how much attention the others were giving him since his rise to fame, this put him in a really good mood, he almost forgot that he was leaving them all behind.
"Hiccup we heard things about you and Astrid having an argument before the finals and for what I heard it was pretty serious." And of course Fishlegs had to bring this up.
"Yeah Hiccup, was all that stuff you said true?" Knowing Snotlout he was probably on about the part where he admitted to liking Astrid.
"Listen guys I was just really stressed about the finals and Astrid picked a bad time to interrogate me about it, we both said some things that we shouldn't have, but don't worry, all of that's behind me now, I didn't mean any of what I said. Speaking of Astrid where is she?"
"Dunno, we haven't seen 'er since the finals, you don't think she's upset about losing do you?" Tuffnut wasn't the smart type so it would make sense if he didn't piece the story together that he might have upset her.
Fishlegs was the one to catch on to this first. "What if it's about the argument you two had?"
Snotlout was the first to defend Astrid's honour, even if it wasn't at stake. "Come on Fishlegs, we all know ma' girlfriend's too much of a viking to cry over something so stupid."
"Well I'm gonna go find her and apologise, I do feel bad about what I said. So... see ya guys." It was lie, he didn't at all feel bad about what he said to her, after she dared to call him a mistake and that he deserved to be punished, when it was her that had contributed to the years of torment he suffered.
"See ya Hiccup!" The teens all spoke in unison.
Next on the agenda was stopping by the forge to see Gobber, he was no doubt making some weapons for the village since he and the much older man were the only people on Berk who knew how to make weapons and the such. When Hiccup arrived Gobber was half way through sharpening an axe on the grindstone. "Hey Gobber, how ya holdin' up?"
"Hiccup, there you are lad! Quite ah show ya gave us this mornin'." Gobber set aside the axe he was working on in favor of regarding his apprentice.
"Yeah, I showed that dragon who's boss around here."
"Well that'd be yer father actually but that's not the point." The blacksmith put one meaty arm around Hiccup's shoulders. "Now you know yer goin' up against the nightmare tomorrow and yer father will be there watchin' ya, so remember try yer best, remember what I taught ya, and you'll do us proud."
"Uh thanks Gobber that really means a lot to me." In truth he wanted to strangle the smith for making this last visit even more painful than it had to be.
"All in ah days work, now go see yer father, I won't keep ya." This wasn't going to end well.
"Yeah, uh sure Gobber, see ya around I guess."
"See ya Hiccup." The boy left the blacksmith to his work and went to go look for his father, as much as he didn't want to right now, he knew he would regret it if he left without seeing him one last time.
Hiccup managed to find his father in the village square surrounded by many vikings, no doubt talking to him about his son's latest success. "Well let's get this over with." He walked out into plain sight where everyone immediately dropped what they were doing to talk to him. One voice in particular caught his attention.
"Hiccup, oh son I've heard all about ya doing so well in the ring, but I never believed it until after what I saw this mornin'. I'm so proud of ya son, come here." Stoick enveloped Hiccup in a spine crushing bear hug.
"Good to know dad... but you're... crushing my lungs... just a bit." Hiccup was wheezing due to the pressure on his small body.
"Oh sorry son, but I'm just so happy for ya, after years of the worst viking Berk has ever seen, but here you are, beating the Hofferson's daughter in dragon training HAHA!"
Hiccup's blood was boiling, his father had the audacity to admit that his own son had been the worst viking in all of Berk history and he thought it was OK because he was the next dragon slayer prodigy, or at least that's what the village thought. He balled his hand into a fist behind his back to hide his anger.
"Oh and get this, I have decided we're gonna have a celebration in the Great Hall in honour of your new found success!" Great, now not only was his father proud of him for something he wasn't, now he was throwing a party because of it, this would make disappearing a bit more difficult.
"Gee uh thanks I guess?"
"No problem Hiccup, its the least i could do, oh yes I almost forgot. I've been keeping something for ya, for a... special moment, I figured now would be fitting." Stoick unclipped a round metal helmet from his waist belt and handed it to him, it had one large horn on either side with a row of studs down centre and another around the rim, Hiccup held it by the horns. "Yer mother wanted you to have it." Hiccup took one hand off a horn and traced the studs down the middle of the helmet. "It was fashioned from half of yer mother's old breast plate." Hiccup quickly retracted his hand from the helmet, this situation had become very awkward very quickly. "Matching set, keeps her close ya know." Stoick rapped his knuckles on his helmet. The crowd laughed heartily at the implied breast joke, making the situation even more awkward. Hiccup didn't know whether to be thankful, embarrassed or furious, his father, who he thought hated him, just gave him a gift he had been holding onto for years from his mother who had passed when he was just a baby, yet the gift was something of essential clothing, but his father had just insulted him by bringing up his past fifteen years of failure as if it was all just a thing of the past, he might have gotten over it but Hiccup hadn't, at least not yet.
"Wow uh thanks dad."
"Glad ya like it son." The conversation grew quiet between the two, they hadn't talked this much at once unless Hiccup was being scolded because he did something wrong, they both stood in awkward silence before Stoick broke the atmosphere. "Well I best be on my way.
"Yeah me too I uh..."
"Got a party to plan..."
"I've got training to do..."
"Well... I'll see ya later son."
"Yeah uh see you later too... dad." They walked their separate ways, Stoick towards the great hall and Hiccup towards the forest, what Hiccup was really doing was circling around and back to the house, the last thing he needed was someone walking in when he was packing all of his stuff to leave, it wouldn't be easy to explain. If he circled around from the forest then if someone wanted to talk to him people would go looking there instead of where he actually was.
Hiccup darted in through the back door and rushed up the stairs to his room in the attic. He grabbed his pack and put what he needed inside: a pillow and blanket for sleeping, an extra set of clothes, his notebook and a stick of charcoal, his savings of gold he had hidden under his bed, being the chief's son did have it's privileges. Something crossed his mind as he finished packing, this would be the last time he'd see his own bedroom for quite some time, he looked around, soaking it all in before making his way downstairs. He took some dried meats stored in one of the boxes in the corner of the room, he wrapped them in cloth to keep them somewhat fresh, after that Hiccup found a flask made of sheep skin on one of the overhanging shelves as well as some his dad's gold, he would need it more anyway right? Hiccup went to the backroom of the house where he knew his father kept their own supply of mead, he found the barrel tucked away in one of the corners, the lid was pried off with what strength he had and filled the flask to the brim, he had never had mead before or any alcoholic substance for that matter, but what was stopping him, if he was leaving he was sure as hell going to have a little fun with it.
It wasn't until now that Hiccup gave thought to the helmet his father gave him not an hour ago, he wouldn't need it, he had Toothless and Khaine to look out for him, that and he was training to be the savior of Midgard. He placed it on the table where he and his father usually sat and ate together, and under it he placed the note he had written for his dad to find, hopefully not until tomorrow. With one last heartfelt look around the house and reminiscing over old memories he left out the back door, ready for the journey ahead of him.
By the time Hiccup reached the cove the sun was going down. The moment he set foot in the cove he was tackled by Toothless, lapping his face with his tongue. "Toothless stop, I get it, you're happy we're leaving, but the sooner you get off the sooner we can leave." Toothless let him up and Hiccup wiped the saliva from his face with his sleeve.
"Look who's finally back, ready to go?" Khaine walked over from his spot by the lake.
"Yeah I'm ready, let's go."
"You pack everything? Food, water, blankets?"
"Yes I packed everything now let's get out of here." Hiccup jumped on Toothless' back ready to take off when he noticed Khaine wasn't getting on. "Aren't you getting on?"
"Gods no, as strong as Toothless is I'm sure he can't hold my weight and yours, and your supplies."
"Well how are you going to come with us then? Its too late for me to steal a boat for you." As if to answer his question the familiar flaming vortex appeared behind Khaine. "Oh right, well where are we going to meet?"
"Go wherever you think is safe for you and Toothless, wherever you go I will follow, I'll see you then."
"See you then." Khaine turned to enter the vortex and Hiccup left on Toothless, finally he was free, soaring through the sky he felt more alive than he could ever remember being on Berk, like he could finally breathe. A single tear fell from Hiccup's eye as the duo shouted to the heavens, finally their journey had begun.
The Hofferson's House
Haldor and Brenda Hofferson were in distress over their daughter. Astrid went straight to her room after the finals and hadn't come out since, that was hours ago, sunset had just passed and a faint hue of red lingered on the horizon.
"Honey I know she can be competitive, but she wouldn't lock herself away in her room." Haldor knew his daughter, she took after him in many cases.
"She's been training for this since she was eight, it was right there in front of her and then that Haddock boy took it all away from her!"
"I know she's wanted to be a dragon slayer and this was her chance, but she'd usually throw something or shout at someone, its just not like her to go all quiet like this, ya know I heard something about Astrid having an argument with that boy. I swear to Odin if that boy has said anything to upset MY GIRL I'M GONNA-"
"Calm down Hal, you're gonna wake the whole village up if you keep shouting. I'm gonna go talk to Astrid right now and get to the bottom of this mess, after all I didn't make her supper for nothing." Brenda picked up a wooden tray with a bowl of broth and piece of bread and walked to Astrid's room. She opened the door slowly, "Astrid, I brought you supper."
"Oh, hi mom." Astrid's face said it all, her eyes were sore and her lip was trembling, she had been crying.
"Dear, have you been crying? Aw come here." Brenda quickly set aside the food to sit by her daughter's side, she embraced her in a wide hug. "Oh Astrid what happened, does it have something to do with that Hiccup lad?" Astrid slowly nodded. "Well why don't you come talk about it with me and your father?"
"OK." Astrid's voice was soft and frail, she was already on the verge of tears. Astrid walked into the front room of the house in Brenda's arms to see Haldor and get this mess sorted out.
"Astrid, are ya crying, come sit down darlin'. Astrid sat at the table with her parents sat either side of her.
"Now tell us whats wrong Astrid, whatever it is we'll try to help OK."
An hour and a lot of tears shed later Astrid had explained the confrontation between her and Hiccup, this led to her having to tell her parents that she had been bullying him along with the others, they were mortified to hear that their daughter had caused physical harm to the heir of the tribe and kept it a secret from them, neither of the parents particularly liked Hiccup and even they believed in the old tradition of naming the runt of the litter Hiccup, but this was something they would not accept.
"Astrid how could ya do something like that, we raised ya better than this!"
"Haldor you're upsetting her."
"Brenda do ya have any idea what this means, if the chief were to find out we will be the ones to blame!"
"He won't find out, if he hasn't already then he won't now." Haldor ceased his pacing at sat back down.
"I am s-so so sorry." Astrid was still crying with her head in her hands.
Haldor signed in defeat, this was his daughter, he couldn't stay mad at her. "Its OK Astrid I forgive you, but I am very disappointed in you and this will not happen again, understand?"
"Yes father."
"Good, now go to bed, after Hiccup kills the nightmare tomorrow I want you to apologize for what ya did."
"OK." Haldor and Brenda walked Astrid to her room and she was left alone to eat her supper and sleep. Astrid had everything set in her head, tomorrow she would apologize to Hiccup for all her past wrong doings, even if she had to beg for his forgiveness, whatever it took. Tomorrow she would set everything straight.
The Great Hall
It was almost midday when the chief woke from his alcohol induced slumber.
"Oh my head, wha-what happened last night?"
Stoick then realised the awkward position he had fallen asleep in, he was sat backwards on a chair and a red mark had appeared on his face from how he had rested it on one of the corners. He stood up only to fall back into a table.
"Argh, what in Thor's- wait WHAT!? Where is Thor's blazes are my clothes!?" Stoick had nothing but his pants to hide his modesty.
"Here ya go chief." Said chief turned around to have his kilt thrown in his face.
"Gobber? How long have you been up?"
"About... an hour? Maybe? Some party we had last night 'ey?" It certainly must have been if he had been unconscious, sitting backwards in a chair. He would have loved to have remembered it, but due to his drunken state at the time and his headache caused by the hangover he couldn't remember much, only a few snippets of what happened were willing to shed some light on the topic.
"Aye it certainly was Gobber, what were we celebrating again?"
"Hiccup's success in the ring remember? He's gonna be killing the nightmare today." Stoick's heart swelled with pride at the mention of his son's name.
"Finally, my boys living up to the family name, he's finally one of us, who would have thought it 'ey, Hiccup placing first in dragon training, who knew he had such hidden talent?"
"I know chief, the lads surprised us all, ya think he can do it?"
"Of course he can, he's a Haddock, son of a chief, he's destined of greatness I tell ya! HA- oh my head." Stoick's hangover was starting to catch up to him and his naturally loud voice caused his head to pound at the sound of his own voice.
"Maybe ye should go home for awhile, rest up a bit, the fights not till after noon." His friend was right, Stoick couldn't do chief duty in this condition.
"Alright I'll go get some rest, but I'll be at the kill ring at noon, I want to talk to my son before he goes in."
"Sure chief, see ya later." Stoick departed for his home, eager to get at least an hours sleep before the ascendance of his son from boy to man was to take place. As he walked through the door, Stoick could feel the atmosphere in the room, as if something suspect had taken place here not moments ago, something wasn't right. "Hiccup!" Stoick's call went unanswered, his son was probably out in the woods training, he'd spent a lot of time there recently, he must be taking his training seriously. The first thing that caught his attention was the helmet he had given his son just lying there on the table. "Why would Hiccup leave this here? This was from his mother Thor damn it. I'll be having a few words with that boy when-" As Stoick picked up his son's helmet he noticed a piece of parchment hidden underneath.
"A letter? From Hiccup?" Stoick's interests in the helmet were immediately discarded in favor of the letter. As he read, Stoick's frown began to loosen and his fingers tremble, his shoulders slackened and a lump formed in the back of his throat. The letter was dropped as Stoick's world collapsed around him, his son, his last living connection to his long lost wife was gone, fled of his own accord. Things I need to know? Don't come looking for me? It may be years before I return? What did all of these things mean, did Hiccup think he was hiding something from him, had the years of ostracization and humiliation finally taken its toll, one thing was for sure, Hiccup was gone and there would be no telling when or even if he would be back. So many questions rolled around in the chief's head, but only one word managed to reach his lips as a single tear fell from his eye. "Son?"
The Middle of Nowhere
After a long flight throughout most of the night, Hiccup and Toothless agreed to set down on an isolated island in the early hours of the morning. They landed in a clearing surrounded by trees, with the shore nearby he had a place to wash, although it wasn't very private, Hiccup just had to keep a lookout for any sailors passing by. The clearing had shade and space, it was all he needed, at least for a few weeks. Right now it was noon, the killing of the nightmare was bound to take place soon, when people found out he wasn't there who would take his place? Astrid was the most likely bet, although she didn't know what he knew about the dragons, she was the most capable warrior among the likely contestants, maybe the event would be canceled altogether and the nightmare would be spared, but knowing vikings that would be unlikely. Khaine had arrived moments after they had landed, now he and Hiccup were engaged in conversation about the relations between Heaven and Hell with Toothless listening in, while sat around a campfire.
"So you're saying that Valhalla and Helheim are not opposed but are in fact working together to keep Midgard in balance?" Hiccup was perplexed by the fact that what he had been brought up to believe was false and the truth was being told to him by an agent of the gods themselves.
"Yes, Heaven allows peace and prosperity to flourish, rewarding those mortals who follow their teachings with an eternity of life in Heaven, whereas Hell punishes those who defy the gods and wage war against innocents by damning them to an eternal purgatory."
"Well OK, so what do I have to do with all this, why am I saving the world and not the gods?"
*Yes. What do we have to contribute to the business of these gods that you humans are so fond of.*
"Because there will come a time when the gods will be no more and man will have to survive on its own."
"So its Ragnarok, end of the world kind of thing?"
"Indeed."
"And you are technically from Hell, the underworld where daemons live?"
"Yes."
"What do daemons look like anyway, are they terrifying, intelligent, can they think for themselves?"
"Well starting with your first question, a daemon's appearance is based on their role and personality. There are the Draugrs, souls of sinners and the damned, bound to an eternity of servitude by the gods as punishment for their actions, there isn't really any other use for them other than entertainment." Hiccup was shocked to hear that the suffering of the souls of the dead was what passed as entertainment in the underworld, even if they had offended the gods.
*Another world comprised of beings whose physical appearance is based off their own thoughts and personality, interesting, tell me more of these so called 'daemons'*
"Isn't that a bit cruel, they are already being punished."
"It is Hell, its more or less intended for that. Anyway getting back on track, there's also what we call Brutes, they use size and strength to their advantage, very few can stand up to such a monstrosity in the moral realm, although they aren't very smart so they can be easily lured into a trap."
"So a daemon has thoughts and emotions just like people do right?" Hiccup considered himself smart among is tribe, but he was struggling to wrap this information around his head.
"Thoughts yes, emotions no so much. I think the closest to human a daemon can be is a Revenant."
"A Revenant? What's that?" The mention of such an ominous name intrigued Hiccup.
"A Revenant is the soul of someone from the mortal world who is slain and has been wronged greatly and has been deemed worthy of being resurrected and allowed vengeance upon those who are responsible for that persons suffering. These individuals are hybrids of human and daemon, they are some of the most powerful beings of both the mortal world, Heaven and Hell, even one so powerful enough could destroy an entire army alone."
"Woah, so they're invincible."
"No, not invincible, they are stronger and more resilient, beyond the limits of any mortal and posses a fury unlike that caused by the fires of battle or a frenzied blood lust, wreaking havoc and terror among even the most disciplined of soldiers."
"Wow, capable of destroying entire armies, I pray to Odin I never meet one."
*I concur.*
"Who says you haven't already?" Khaine's face lit up with a smirk and a cocked eyebrow, his yellow eyes shining in the flickering light.
"You? You're a Revenant? Which also means you're dead right?" It was painfully obvious: the yellow eyes that bore into your soul, the complexion of a being from your nightmares, the immense muscular physique, it made perfect sense, how could he have not guessed as soon as the topic was brought up?
"Yes, technically I am."
*By the stars, it is truly an honour to behold one who has returned from death's hold."
"Wow, so I'm an apprentice to a dead person, I'm not sure how to feel about this."
"You should be grateful, you will be trained by not only such a powerful warrior, but one of the greatest to ever exist."
"Well I guess I'm grateful then."
"Good, because I think its time you learned how to use this." Khaine held up Hiccup's sword spear to attention, pointing vertically towards the sky.
"Woah really? I'm actually going to use this thing?"
"Sure thing, but you also need to grow a little more meat on your bones." Khaine lightly jabbed Hiccup in the ribs with the butt of the spear. "Don't worry, I have just the thing for that, and since you're not going to the village to cover any more, that leaves plenty of time to double your workout schedule."
"Oh come on really, I get tired enough doing two hours let alone four."
"This will give you the proper strength you need to use the sword spear effectively, you do want to use it don't you." Khaine teased him with the prospect of actually being able to fight, something Hiccup had longed for. Toothless' warbled laughter caught both humans attention.
*Hahaha, good luck with those exercises, you will be working off your rear end and I'll be relaxing in the shade, haha, have fun.*
"I don't know what you're laughing at Toothless, you've got some muscle building to be doing yourself don't you think?" Toothless' reaction was priceless, his eyes wide with disbelief and his ears drooped to the corners of his jawline.
*Hey, what are you trying to say!? I'm strong enough already, I don't need any of this 'workout' business.*
"The both of you must be in peak physical condition if you are to save this world, and that means exercise."
"Ha look who's laughing now, not you."
*Shut up.*
Toothless slapped Hiccup around the head with his tail.
"Oh that's it you-"
"Enough! The both of you, your training stars tomorrow whether you like it or not. Get some sleep you'll need it." Boy and dragon both reluctantly laid down on the ground, Toothless with his wing draped over his head and Hiccup laid up against him. Hiccup pulled out a small flask from his pack, as he drank its contents he choked almost immediately.
"Woah Hiccup, you alright there?" His coughing fit subsided after a few seconds, allowing him to answer.
*Hiccup are you okay?*
"Yeah I'm *cough* I'm alright, just *cough* a bit strong ya know." Hiccup struggled to speak, beating his fist on his chest.
One word in that sentence peaked the man's interest. "Strong? You snuck some booze along from Berk didn't you?"
*What is this 'booze' you speak of, is it poisonous?*
"Please don't lecture me, just thought it would be a good way to-"
"HAHAHAHA OH OHAHAHA, oh Hiccup you- your so funny sometimes, HAHA, I didn't think you had it in you to actually drink!" Khaine was caught in a bout of hysterics, tumbling to the floor with his hands over his stomach.
*I take it from his hilarity of the situation that it is in fact not poisonous.* Toothless resumed his slumber as if nothing had happened to disturb it.
"Wait, so you're not mad?"
"Haha, what, why would I be mad, if you want a drink then that's your choice, just don't go overboard, I am not dealing with a hangover tomorrow."
"Alright, I only brought the one flask anyway." As Hiccup drank the rest of the mead he wandered off into the land of imagination, thinking of what the future would hold for them, where would they go, what dangers would they face, how many times would he suffer a heart attack from Khaine's workout routine? One thing was for sure, the three of them were going to start a new life together, one that would start tomorrow.
Tomorrow was a new day.
Hey everyone thanks for reading this chapter, exams will be over soon so I will be able to update more often. Since it takes me a while to update ad it is I think I'll leave you with a teaser for what will happen in the next chapter, it will be one year after Hiccup has left Berk and there will be some action finally, hope you're excited.
BTW if anyone is willing to do cover art for this story that would be awesome, just pm me and we will get it sorted, anyways see ya next time.