[The words 'Several Years Later' appear on the screen.]
[We pan into a cove. There is a lake and a couple of rocks scattered around.]
"Huh," Flynn says. He tilts his head to the side a bit. "Sort of reminds me of Blondie's cove."
Rapunzel hums in agreement.
[We hear a yelp off screen, followed by the sound of something heavy tumbling down. It goes silent for a moment.]
Unknown: [O.S] Oh, the gods hate me.
Hiccup makes a face, recognizing the voice.
[We hear footsteps, before Hiccup appears on screen, brushing leaves and branches off of his clothes. He has a disgruntled expression on his face.]
Merida snorts at the sight.
Snotlout huffs a laugh, though it sounds a bit forced and halfhearted. He ignores the way the twin's snicker to themselves, and the way Astrid rolls her eyes.
Hiccup: [Yelling] Toothless? Toothless? Where are you, bud?
Astrid frowns. Toothless? Who's 'Toothless'?
[Something big and black madly leaps from off screen in a blur, tackling Hiccup to the ground as he yelps.]
[The camera zooms down, and it is revealed that the black mass is none other than a dragon.]
Gobber sucks in a breath, his good hand unconsciously clenching onto the chair's arm-rest. He sneaks a glance at Stoic, and is not surprised (though he is a tad disappointed) to see that his face is as stoney and emotionless as ever.
Hiccup: Toothless! TOOTHLESS! You know that doesn't wash out!
[The dragon reluctantly backs up, allowing Hiccup to stand up. He attempts to wipe the slobber off of him, a disgruntled look on his face. Toothless croons, and Hiccup casts brief, wary glances at their surroundings.]
Hiccup: We need to go. It's not-It's not safe for us anymore.
"What do you mean by that?" Flynn asks him.
"Oh-erm." Hiccup shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "Uh, they don't-We can't-Um, our friendship isn't exactly-Er, normal, in my village."
"I don't think I like the implications of that sentence."
Hiccup snorts.
[Hiccup climbs aboard Toothless' saddle, hooking his feet onto it. Toothless flares his wings and soars into the sky.]
[We zoom up behind them, allowing us to see Hiccup cast one last glance at Berk. He seems a little sad, and tired. He looks back forward just as fast.]
Guess I really do go through with it, huh, Hiccup thinks. He's not—He's not particularly surprised about it. It's better than being banished as an outcast, that's for sure.
And, besides, no one in his village really likes him all that much, save for Gobber, and maybe the village elder. Hiccup doesn't interact with her much. He wouldn't know what she thinks about him.
[There is a time skip. It is night now, and Hiccup and Toothless are resting underneath a tree. There is a fire in front of them.]
[The scene cuts to Hiccup's face. The flames cast shadows on his face as he stares blankly into it. He leans against Toothless's back, who appears to be asleep.]
"You went alone?" Jack questions. His eyes remain glued to the screen in front of him.
"Well, yeah." Hiccup answers almost absently. "No one really cares for me. Except for Gober. And maybe the village elder," he adds as an afterthought.
"But you didn't tell them."
"Probably not." Hiccup side-eyes the young spirit. "I mean, this is the future, remember?"
"Oh."
Merida shoulder-bumps him, though her eyes hold a kind of fondness in them. "Dummy."
[Hiccup closes his eyes, seemingly falling asleep.]
"That can't be comfortable, though." Flynn frowns. "Your poor back."
"You seem to speak from experience," Rapunzel says to him.
". . . Oh, actually, it looks pretty comfortable."
Jack gives a peal of laughter.
[There's the sound of twigs snapping and rustling from a nearby bush, and Hiccup's eyes snap open. He leaps to his feet, and so does Toothless. They back up, and Toothless growls, flaring his wings.]
[Scene cuts to a bush. The sounds grow closer and closer. They stop suddenly, before a man tumbles out of it.]
[He is revealed to be none other than Flynn Rider.]
Flynn makes a face upon hearing the grumbles of the guards of Corona.
Yeesh, he had thought that they'd have found some other criminal to go after by now. Guess not.
Merida glances to the Coronian guards, then back to Flynn. "They seem lovely."
He lets out an exasperated sigh. "Oh, trust me, they are."
[Hiccup lets out a breath of relief. Toothless, however, remains tense and snarls at the newcomer.]
[The man freezes from where he'd begun to stand up. He looks up, slowly, and, upon meeting Toothless's narrowed eyes, mutters something that sounds suspiciously like "Oh shit".]
Hiccup: Toothless, it's alright. He's not gonna hurt us. (Pause) I think.
Man: No no, no no no, I come in peace. [He raises his hands in a peaceful gesture.]
[Toothless calms down a bit, still giving the man a suspicious glare.]
Hiccup (awkwardly): . . . Um. So, hi, I guess.
Man (blankly): . . . Hi.
"Wow, you guys are excellent at socializing," Merida teases.
"Shut up," Flynn hisses to her. Though he rolls his eyes fondly and a smile creeps onto his face.
[We hear muffled voices from somewhere nearby. The man's eyes widen and he scrambles to his feet, clearly panicked.]
[Toothless tenses, and Hiccup looks between the two in alarm.]
Man (sheepishly): So, uh, long story, I'm kind of on the run right now and they're most likely going to execute me if they caught me, so mind if I join you?
[Hiccup appears to be at a loss for words.]
Hiccup: I—That was a lot to take in. But, uh, sure, I guess.
"You don't just say that to random strangers you just met," Jack says. He sounds rather indignant. "Especially when they say they're a wanted fugitive!"
"You know he wouldn't hurt me!" Hiccup argues back.
"Yeah, but the you on the screen doesn't know that!" Jack pauses, as if pondering something. "That kinda sounds weird. But that's besides the point!"
Hiccup rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
"They're like an old married couple," Flynn whispers to Merida out of the side of his mouth. She nods in agreement, huffing a small laugh.
[The man gives a sigh of relief.]
Man: Thanks, uh—
Hiccup: Hiccup.
Man (incredulous): What.
Hiccup (seemingly embarrassed): My name is, uh, Hiccup.
"It's still kind of funny."
"It is not, Flynn. Stop laughing, I'm trying to be angry at you—!"
[The man nods, still seeming skeptical.]
Flynn: The name's Flynn by the way. Flynn Rider.
Hiccup: Nice to meet you.
[Toothless relaxes, though he still seems to be a little wary of Flynn.]
"I don't think he likes you," Jack says jokingly.
"What gave it away, Mr. Obvious?"
Hiccup (awkwardly): Uh, Flynn, Toothless, Toothless, Flynn.
Flynn (cautiously): [He forces a smile onto his face.] Nice to meet you.
[Toothless gives him an unimpressed look.]
[Hiccup gives Toothless a look.]
Hiccup: Toothless, be nice.
"It's fine." Flynn shrugs. "I'm sort of used to people not liking me."
"You shouldn't be," Rapunzel tells him gently. She places a soft hand on his shoulder.
[Toothless huffs, and gives a gummy smile.]
Hiccup: Thank you. [He turns to Flynn.] Um, maybe we should, y'know, stay here for a bit. 'Cause the guards or whatever still sound like they're nearby.
[Flynn nods in agreement.]
"Glad to see you still have a brain in there," Merida says. She smirks and reaches over to knock on Hiccup's head. He shoves her hand away, laughing lightly.
Tooth smiles at their interactions, though she still feels a bit shaken up.
"Are you okay?" Bunny whispers to her in a soft undertone.
"Yeah," she replies, just as quiet. "It's just-We remember our past, and we're adults. But Jack's still a child, and he doesn't remember anything from his past life."
"But he's fine now. Lookit him, having fun with the rest of them."
"Yeah, you're right." She sighs. "I just wished he could have had it easier."
Bunny says nothing.
[There is another time skip. It is the next day. Flynn yawns and stretches, while Hiccup readjusts Toothless's saddle.]
Hiccup: [To Flynn] Are you ready to go?
Flynn: Y-yeah. Just let me-Let me check something real quick.
[Hiccup nods and climbs aboard the saddle. The scene cuts to Flynn rummaging through his satchel, and it pans in as something sparkles inside. It is revealed to be the crown of the lost princess.]
"Isn't that-" Merida turns to glare at Flynn. "That's the Lost Princess's crown!"
"How do you even know what it is!" Flynn scowls at her. "You're not even from Corona!"
"My mom makes sure I'm caught up on whatever's going on in the neighboring kingdoms-But that's not the point! The point is that you're a thief!"
"You were fine with me being a wanted criminal five minutes ago!"
"Can we please not argue?" Jack says in a sort of pacifying voice. "I mean, stealing's bad, yeah, but I'm sure he has his reasons for it. But, uh, you shouldn't steal. Because it's bad and it can hurt a lot of people. I'm-I'm gonna shut up now."
Rapunzel pats his shoulder. "You tried."
Merida huffs, leaning back in her bean-bag and crossing her arms. A scowl is etched firmly onto her face.
Jack gives Hiccup a desperate glance. The viking shrugs. What's he to do about the situation?
"Maybe they'll make up by the end of this 'movie'," Hiccup whispers to Jack. Hopefully they would, anyways.
"Yeah," Jack sighs, in a near-tired way, "maybe."
0-0-0-0-0-0
I'm sorry for not updating in a while I kinda got sucked into another fandom so yeah
If I'm being honest I feel like this chapter isn't really my best work but I didn't know how to fix it so here
yeah I might go and edit the previous chapters a bit so uh
And no I will not discontinue this story I've rewritten this so many times it's not even funny