Author's note: Hello! Sorry if it's been a while since we last updated! This chapter is extra long (around 2100 words) so we hope you enjoy! Our next chapter may be a while until it's published on this site as it's still under construction. We would also like to thank the people who've reviewed this story!

theccentricouins: we're glad you're enjoying the story. We're also happy that you like how we brought in Lord of The Rings in chapter two!

Guest: Thank you for reviewing! We definitely agree with you! :)

Astrid's POV (Planning for Europe)

Why in the world did I tell him that? Nobody knows that I've considered leaving, not even Camicazi. So what made me tell Hiccup? No way out now I guess.

"Why don't we then?" I say.

"What, leave?" he says, surprised.

"Well, my family are mad at me so I guess the only way to easily make it up to them is to prove I'm capable. In the Hofferson family, we have to undertake a journey at 15 to prove we are good enough but if I do it now, they might forgive me."

"Or they'll be even more annoyed at you." Hiccup says drily.

"Oh well, it's a risk I want to take. You up for it?" What's going on in my head?! I'm never this reckless.

"Fine. The Horrendous Haddock's have a similar ritual to be honest. Where do we go?" he says cautiously.

I point to a map on the wall. "We head east to London by train then find someone who'll take us to Europe or take the train further. Once in Europe, we can backpack and hitchhike, go where we want to go, see the world!"

He looks excited for a moment before his face falls. "What about our school work? They can sue our parents if we don't turn up."

I pause for a minute, contemplating what we can do to avoid this issue.

"Yes! We ask for a form to take leave from school and fill it out ourselves. Do you know your dad's signature?" I say.

He grins wickedly. "Yep."

I see a car go past and jump up.

"Thor!" I curse. It's my mum's car heading home.

"Sorry, gotta go. I'll text you later!" I say as I swing down an emergency rope ladder.

I run down the alley and grab the guttering, scrambling up. Just as I tumble through the window and collapse in my chair, Mum unlocks the door and comes in. She sees me sitting demurely in my chair so she walks out again. I let out the gasp I've been holding in and she opens the door again sharply. Don't pant, stop needing air! I tell myself. She looks suspicious but leaves and locks it again. That's when I realise that Stormfly is still at the tree house. Great. I wait for a moment until I hear the television turn on and then hop back out the window and start the run down the alley. Where I hit Hiccup who is running at full tilt with Stormfly. We both sprawl on the floor for a moment before getting up.

"I was just coming to give her back!" he says, panting.

"Thanks, I only realised she was still here when Mum came in to check I was working."

With that, I turn and jog back to my house, Stormfly clutched in my arms.

After several hours of dedicated typing, I decide to have a look at train fares. We live very near to Sheffield so I figure that it will be easiest to travel from there by train. The journey would take us just over 2 hours and cost £27 each! I don't have much money here but I do have a card with about £125 on it. Most of that will be needed for food so travel is going to be heavily based on walking. Plus, I have a bike and if Hiccup does too, we can cycle a lot.

My phone pings and it's from Hiccup.

U still want 2 leave? It says.

Yep. U got any money? Trains r super pricey. Also, do u have a bike? I send back.

Some money, and an old bike. Is anyone else coming? He asks. It's a good question, I hadn't considered that someone else might come. I definitely want Camicazi to come and her family encourage mad independence - permission will be easy to get. Hiccup (taller) will want to come as well which is amazing - I mean, it would be pleasant if he would.

Um, I dunno. Try start a group chat 4 us all I say.

Who do I add? He asks.

U, me, other Hiccup, Camicazi, the Fishlegs'

He goes silent for a moment before my computer makes a small jingling noise.

#dragonwhisperer has invited you to a group chat as well as MapMaker, chaos2020 and 2 others

I click on the link and see that several of the others are already online. School must have just ended I suppose.

chaos2020: hey guys. What's this chat 4?

#dragonwhisperer: is everyone online now?

MapMaker: yep

Lobsterclaw: I'm here

+BOULDERCLASS: Me too

st0rmflyer: hi

#dragonwhisperer: ummmm this is about an idea me and Astrid had

MapMaker: speaking of whom, why weren't u guys at school 2day?

st0rmflyer: we got suspended for a few days

+BOULDERCLASS: for the roof thing?

#dragonwhisperer: yep

st0rmflyer: anyway we were wondering if u want to come on a trip to Europe with us. Im running away to go on a backpacking tour of Europe with #dragonwhisperer

Lobsterclaw: wait, r u 2 together?

#dragonwhisperer: of course not!

st0rmflyer: ew, no

MapMaker: Im up for it

+BOULDERCLASS: me 2

chaos2020: ok!

Lobsterclaw: wont we get in trouble though?

#dragonwhisperer: maybe but wouldnt it be awesome?!

Lobsterclaw: fine

st0rmflyer: can we talk 2morrow in the library, me and #dragonwhisperer

will be in school then?

MapMaker: sure, c u there

MapMaker left the chat

chaos2020: ok, byyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeee

chaos2020 left the chat

+BOULDERCLASS: ok i'll be there

+BOULDERCLASS left the chat

Lobsterclaw: yep bye guys

Lobsterclaw left the chat

st0rmflyer: bye, c u there 2morrow

st0rmflyer left the chat

#dragonwhisperer: ok

#dragonwhisperer left the chat

I can't wait for tomorrow.

Book Hiccup's POV (Even more travel planning)

I put my phone in the secret compartment of my tree house, because there's always a chance my dad'll find it if I keep it in my room, or leave it in the house. I glance at my watch. 6:52, how did it get so late? Dad could have come home by now… No! He normally finishes at 8, he wouldn't come back this early, would he? Remember what happened yesterday… says an annoying little voice in my head

Shut up I tell it. I should probably go home just in case…anyways, Wodensfang and Toothless need feeding. Toothless makes a whining and says he wants food now; which isn't an unusual thing for him to say, he's forever hungry. I don't want to risk a repeat of yesterday's events, so I scamper down the emergency rope swing and sprint at full speed back along the alleyway. Wodensfang and Toothless seem to catch on and I find them leaping about along the hedge to my left, scurrying about. Within a few minutes I'm scrambling over the fence to our garden, I pant out of breath and lean against it's wooden panelling for a minute; I clamber back on top of it for a better vantage point, and discover, much to my relief that Dad's car is, thankfully, not placed in the driveway. I let out a sigh of relief and jump down off our separating fence, then scurry up the wall to find Toothless and Wodensfang waiting impatiently on my window ledge; heaving myself in, and re-locking the window, I check my computer to see if any new messages have come up.

Inbox (1), it says. I click on the tab to discover an email from Astrid, 5 minutes ago, it reads:

Hi Hiccup. Do u want 2 chat 4 a bit?

I respond with: Yeah, sure, we should make a plan 4 how we r going to pitch our idea 2 the others tomorrow.

2 minutes later, she pings back: I've already done some research into train prices (as I told u earlier), and have made some notes, we could use those too when we talk about it 2morrow?

Earlier, back at the treehouse I'd read up about various travel destinations in Europe in one of the many books I store there, there were some pretty cool places we could visit, but of course travel and money is an essential part to make our trip run semi-smoothly. I write back :

That sounds like a good idea. Could u possibly send me your research?

Hang on a mo...might take a while to type! :) Astrid sends.

9 minutes later her email arrives:

Here's my notes:

We can get to Paris for about 50 euros on the train and look around the ,we can head aroundEurope and go to all the famous places; the Alps, Neuschwanstein Castle, Versailles, everywhere!

Where do you think we should visit?

I respond with:

I think we should go to loads of ancient castles and monuments but also visit mountains and stuff! Also Italy and Greece have epic history, we'll see what the others think 2morrow though. Anything else you've dredged up from your research?

Several minutes later I get the response of:

Not much else, a lot of it depends on where we go. Of course, planes and ferries r a no go cos u need adults. We need 2 get the forms from school 2morrow BTW.

In response I say:

That sounds good, we should tell the others about the permission form 2morrow, parents signatures could be a problem.

Astrid responds with:

Naturally we'll tell the others about the form, signatures might be an issue, but that's unlikely. Ok, gotta go now

Byeeee

I send back:

Byeeeeee, see u 2morrow

Then I turn off my computer and start reading a book called "Where The River Runs Gold".

A few hours later and I'm lying on my bed, the book open above me, almost finished. Wodensfang is lying lazily on my right shoulder, about to drift off to sleep; Toothless leaps around the room, swinging nonchalantly on the light above my bed (similar antics has caused said light to fall off before, but we try not to talk about that). It's evening, and the sky outside has darkened, but small fragments of light occasionally stream through the glass panels. I get up to put the light on, startling Wodensfang who had just drifted off, when I hear heavy footsteps clumping through the house.

Dad's back I think to myself while checking that the window bears no sign of being fiddled with. Everything seems fine and I flop back onto my bed to finish reading my book in the brighter light of an er...light. I hear a pair of heavy footfalls thump up the stairs and cross the landing; my father's head pokes round the door, bushy eyebrows pointed firmly downwards (no, I didn't do something stupid in 5 seconds, he always looks like that), he looks around and can't seem to find anything wrong, then gives me a suspicious look and leaves. I hear the click of a lock as he slams the door behind him. I sigh, wondering whether he'll remember something called dinner. After finishing my book, and placing it back in my bookshelf, my thoughts start to wonder about the trip we're planning; it's going to be exciting, travelling is always going to be exciting, especially when you're going to do as much as we seem to be planning, but at the same time it's worrying me: going behind our parent's backs and leaving? They'll become really worried if we don't tell them we're leaving; but on the other hand if we tell them we're leaving, they won't allow us to leave (or they won't in my case, I don't know about the others).

There is the family ritual... that could be a good excuse...But you're not meant to undertake that journey until you reach 16! I tell myself. You could just leave without telling him...that same voice inside my head says, leaving a note would probably do the trick...I ponder on said idea for a bit, it would mean facing the full extent of my father's rage when I get home, oh well, it would work, and it seems to be my best option.

End note: hope you enjoyed this extra long chapter! Just to clarify on the names for the group chat, #dragonwhisperer is book Hiccup, st0rmflyer is Astrid, chaos2020 is Camicazi, Lobsterclaw is book Fishlegs, +BOULDERCLASS is screen Fishlegs and MapMaker is screen Hiccup. Please review! It improves the story...As we said at the top, our next chapter may or may not be a while! Again, thanks for reading!

-2writerslivehere