AN: Hello again fellow readers. I must admit that I'm quite surprised at the 12 favs and follows this fic has, with only one chapter published. Moving on, some people told me Hiccup was a bit too emotional about the leaving thing. To be honest with you all, the biggest flaw I saw on the first HTTYD movie was the lack of any feelings when Hiccup was leaving. It's understandable that it wasn't the focus, but still, he was leaving his family, home and (few) friends to possibly never see them again. It's no easy thing to do, and I thought of addressing it in this fic since it is technically a runaway Hiccup fic.
ANII: for those looking straight to see Hiccup and Elsa meet, this will take a while. I want him to leave in a proper way from Berk so I can bring it back (waaaaaaaay) later in the story, and also introduce Windwalker properly (since probably not all of you are reading How to Become a Dragon Chief) as he will be an important character later. If you wish though, I can make longer chapters so the wait for Hiccup and Elsa to meet is shortened, but that's up to you all. Send me a PM or leave a review if you want longer chapters for that.
ANIII: and lastly, I am sorry for the long wait to publish anything. I'm currently facing a writer's block (being sick didn't help much either). I promise I'll update my other fic within this week.
And now, without further ado:
"The ship we saw heading towards here was from Trader Johann. I should buy from him some maps, since that would ease our travel. And some paper to make those notes. I could use trade the hammer I did to dad a while ago using my custom method. And maybe even forge some sort of goodbye gift to Astrid and Gobber using this method since we came back." He reasoned with the dragon, which seemed to be very agitated as it was pacing around. Toothless just shook his head at hearing the last part. Not believing the stubbornness of his rider.
The dragon then stopped, huffed, but nodded. "Don't worry bud; we'll be leaving today no matter what. But we really need those maps…" She didn't stay to hear the rest of it as she ran straight into her home. She was lucky that everyone was in the Great Hall celebrating Hiccup's victory because they would have seen her silently shedding a tear or two.
She slammed the door of her bedroom and sat on her bed. She was no longer crying, but inside her was a storm of feelings.
"That idiot, I can't believe him. He befriends a dragon, he wants to desert, he cheats, even leaving he thinks about the tribe…" she snarled to herself. She didn't continue though, as it dawned on her why hiccup really was running away.
He wanted to leave because he didn't want to disappoint his tribe anymore. He wanted to make her an heir because he was thinking about the tribe and her. He was doing all of those things because he was thinking of the tribe, perhaps even because he was tired of being mocked. 'He wasn't thinking about the tribe when he befriended that beast' a part of her thought.
'Then again, he wouldn't need to befriend it if his tribe didn't outcast him in the first place' a bitter voice added, recalling the many times he 'helped' on a raid, and was lashed out later. 'If you didn't outcast him' it added venomously. She never even tried to stand up for him, even if both had just wanted to kill a dragon; only he was trying to with a different approach. Astrid gritted her teeth and held her head with both hands. She felt like she was torn in two. She didn't know if she loathed the boy or respected him, if she should expose him or apologize. If she should let him leave or drag him and beat some sense in him.
While she passed the afternoon thinking about what should she do, or if she should try anything to stop him, Hiccup spent doing some sort of leather jacket to protect from the cold should he ever go north. His fur coat wouldn't be able to handle to cold air when they were flying, and would hinder their flight. He was almost done when word passed that Johann arrived.
Wrapping the hammer in a cloth, he waited until Johann had few customers so there wasn't anyone to question him or see the hammer. But, in reality, he just didn't want to be overwhelmed again because of his success in Dragon Training. Looking through the forge's window, he saw most people coming from the docks, carrying different items they probably traded.
He wasn't worried that anyone had bought those maps, since it wasn't a commodity Vikings looked for. Of course he didn't know that Astrid went to Johann and tried to buy the maps he had, but didn't have anything more to offer than her axe. Even though she wanted to stop him from leaving, she refused to sell her armored spikes that her Uncle left for her. Because of her hall's tainted honor, they weren't exactly wealthy, and she wouldn't dare trading anything that wasn't hers.
When he approached the docks, he met Johann about to leave. It was a good signal though; it meant the Trader must have dealt with almost everyone in the village (except for Hiccup himself) and that there would be no one around them. When the Trader saw Hiccup, he stopped removing the ropes. "Ah Hiccup my lad, I was thinking you wouldn't come after all. Whatever you're looking, I can assure you that I have it." He said in that enthusiastic tone.
Hiccup smiled. Johann was always friendly to him, especially because he bought things Viking didn't buy and sold him things Vikings didn't sell; mostly small inventions of his, like the spy glass. He could be annoying sometimes when he tried to tell Hiccup one of his stories, but besides that he was always fond of the trader. Like Gobber, Johann looked at his contraptions with wonder instead of skepticism.
"Sorry for being late, I was at the forge" Hiccup sheepishly apologized, "I was hoping you would have some paper. And some maps." Johann eyed him a bit confused. While asking for paper was usual from him, and ink from the colossal squid Johann himself wrested (or so the trader says), asking for maps was unusual at the very least. Besides it usually was a Chief of the tribe that requested maps to trade and Johann suspected it wasn't for Stoick since the man himself would have requested if he wanted so.
"Well, you're lucky." The trader answered, deciding to wait questioning Hiccup later, "A lass came asking for the maps, though she didn't have anything valuable enough to trade for it. I hope you'll have it then?" Hiccup froze, barely paying any heed to Johann's question. 'Who else would be looking for maps besides him?' he thought. He decided to play along to try to find out who is 'she'.
"Well… I believe I do have something valuable enough to trade." He spoke as he un-wrapped the cloth from around the hammer and showed it to Johann. The man's eyes widened as they also lit up looking at the shiny hammer. It was the first time the man saw a weapon Hiccup himself had forged, and how the craftsmanship looked so good surprised the Trader.
"I forged it mixing Gobber's technique with one I have read from some of the books you traded with me. It's twice as lighter as and 3 times stronger than a normal one." he gave to Johann so the man could compare with a hammer he had on his ship. While Johann didn't have your normal Viking build, he still could pick up swords easily, and 'wrest a colossal squid to have Hiccup's ink' as he liked to tell. He wasn't just as beefy as, say, his father or Gobber.
Johann was amazed that the lad was right about the weight, but still doubted about the strength of it. "Well, if you doubt about the strength, I guess you could try the Viking test" Hiccup suggest somewhat shyly, as he crossed his arms trying to look confident. It wasn't that he feared being wrong, but his request would result in a damaged good, something not good for Johann. The Viking test consisted of slamming a new weapon with the owned one and select whichever was least damaged. That way, it would have a lower risk of being damaged beyond use on the battlefield.
Johann thought about it as he picked a hammer from his storage and held both hammers, looking at them. If the lad was being honest, though he didn't recall a single time Hiccup tried to fool or lie to him, this hammer would be worth a fortune trading with any chief of the Archipelago. That also meant that if he did the test he would have a damaged good, which is bad for his business. Still, the value of Hiccup's hammer would far outweigh the loss of a common hammer to trade.
"We could try this" Hiccup began to suggest so he could disembroil the trader. Johann pried his eyes away from the hammers to hear the lad. He knew the boy always came up with a good solution. He didn't understand how the village didn't see how clever Hiccup was, but didn't question either; Stoick's hospitality was something he would never take granted. Still, Johann always thought that the boy would have been a great trader if he chose to be one.
"This is the only hammer I forged. And considering its properties I know it would be a very valuable item to you trade as it would also be unique" 'damn the boy is clever, it'll be tougher to trade it now' his trading side thought. While he was an honest trader, he knew that trading the real value of the hammer would be very costly to him, surely costing more than just a couple of maps and papers.
"So you do the test. If the other hammer is badly damaged to the point it wouldn't be a tradable good you could trade it with me, along with the maps and the papers. I could fashion something out of it to give you next time we meet." He smiled hearing the clever suggestion. Even though the boy could just ask to trade it together, he wanted to compensate Johann. Sometimes he thought Hiccup was too generous for his own good.
"I'll be honest with you lad. You're a clever boy; you don't need to compensate it if you're speaking the truth about its strength. To be honest your hammer would worth a lot more than just some maps." Hiccup nodded, he knew very much that. "But since you want to, I accept the deal." He looked back at the hammers and smashed them together.
Hiccup chuckled a little at the awed, jaw-dropped expression Johann had when the common hammer almost broke in two when it came in contact with Hiccup's, while his had barely a scratch on it. The normal one had a huge crack, travelling through the entire head of the hammer. Probably if he dropped the hammer, it would break in two.
When he came out of the trance, he gave Hiccup the broken hammer. "Well, you were speaking the truth. You did your part. Wait a second while I bring what you want lad." And with that Johann went to his cabin to take what Hiccup requested and safely guard his newest merchandise. It's not like any Viking would try to steal from him, but he always thought its better be safe than sorry.
He came back shortly after holding a small chest, probably no larger than two feet. Hiccup put down the hammer to open it and check if everything was in place. "Well. Everything is in there. I also gave you an ink pot from the colossal squid I wrested as a gift." He was a bit surprised when he saw the pot among the maps and papers. It was rare for him to receive a gift from someone, hence why he had been so surprised when his father gave him a Viking helmet (more like breast helmet, as he recalled the vast man telling him the origins of said helmet).
"You didn't need Johann." He said, smiling at the trader while closing the chest. Johann returned the smile; he liked the lad very much. And since he was pretty much the only one to ask for him, might as well give him what he has left.
"Nonsense; your hammer is worth a lot more than what you're asking me for. You're a good lad, you deserve it. You would turn out a good trader." Hiccup thanked the compliments a bit sheepishly, after all this was one of the few times someone praised his skills. If only he really was the best in Dragon Training… "Now lad, if there's no problem, would you care to tell me why of the maps?" he asked out of curiosity, making Hiccup stiffen slightly. He didn't consider that Johann would ask what he would do with those maps.
Hiccup tried to think of a way to dismiss that. After a couple of silent seconds, an idea dawned on his head. He figured he could speak part of the truth, but also saw this as an opportunity to know who asked for the maps. "I answer you and you answer a question for me, how that sounds to you?" Hiccup suggested, hoping the Trader would agree. Hiccup was eager to know who had been looking for the maps earlier. It was odd that someone would look for them the same day he would.
Johann gave a thought for Hiccup's suggestion and eventually deemed it fair; after all he had no business in whatever Hiccup wanted to do with these maps and the same could be said to the boy regarding the Trader's own business. "It seems fair to me. You answer my question and I'll answer yours." He answered.
Hiccup agreed, already knowing what to say. He was thankful Johann took his time to give him an answer, since it allowed Hiccup to think what he would say if the man agreed with him. "Well… I was planning on doing a little trip. Soon I'll be chief-in-training so I wanted to explore the Archipelago before it." '…and avoid killing a Nightmare' he completed inside his head. Johann agreed; a trip around the Archipelago would give more wisdom to the heir.
"Well thought. You would toughen up and gather more wisdom visiting other places. Now, what it is that you wanted to ask me?" he asked the lad, holding his part of the deal as the boy held his own.
"Well. Since I had that planned it a while ago, I wanted to know who came asking the maps. It would have hindered my plans if I didn't get those maps." When Johann eyed him a little confused to why this mattered, but he could see the point of the lad. If he planned travelling, going without maps would be certainly risky; the possibility of getting lost after a storm would be tremendously huge. Not to mention the chance of going astray from his course because of a rogue dragon attack.
"Well. It would have indeed. I am lucky to have faced very few dragon attacks during my travels. Though I know of friends that did not have such luck, but still managed to keep within course because they had maps to guide them." he commented. "I presume I must do my part of the deal. It was a blond lass, carrying an axe and shoulder pads. I think it was Astrid her name. Seemed the warrior type, it would do you nice to have her with you in your journey Hiccup." He suggested, oblivious of their current relationship or Hiccup's secret crush on her.
He froze, panic rising inside him, though Johann didn't notice. 'Why would Astrid need those maps? I doubt she was planning on travelling, not with Dragon Training. Did she know I plan to leave? Or about Toothless?' he asked himself. He made a mental note to be quicker so the odds that she would stop him would decrease. If she really knew his intentions, then it would be only a matter of time before she stopped him.
"Thank you Johann. I'll give a thought to that. Safe travels to you." He said when he left the ship. Johann was already setting sail to leave Berk. "Safe travels to you too lad. Perhaps we can share stories in the future once we meet again." Johann said before he was out of earshot.
He continued waving while holding the small chest in one of his arms. While it was heavy, he also had enough strength to hold it. Some for working in the forge for years, some he gained in Dragon Training and some because Toothless liked to play with him, often trying to pin him down to cover up him with saliva. He grabbed the hammer with his free hand once Johann was nothing but a small dot on the ocean and immediately went to the forge as fast as possible.
He didn't see a young blond warrior peeking out of the corner of a hut, shocked, amazed, angry and, most of all, terrified of what just transpired before her own eyes. Not only had her plan failed, since Hiccup had the maps as he originally planned, but Johann also told the boy it had been her who looked for the maps earlier, meaning Hiccup would try to leave as fast as possible.
ANIV: I always saw Hiccup as an strategist, so I doubt he would leave Berk unprepared. And by the look of the Series he and Johann seems to have a friendly relationship, most probably due to Hiccup's unusual merchandise he both seeks and trades with Johann, hence why I decided to include the Trader here. As for Hiccup and Astrid's childhood friendship I have the following theory, considering some hints of the movie and series: Astrid became the cold, always striving to be the best warrior after her uncle was killed by the Flightmare, and considering Snotlout's ranting, I guessed that few people really showed that they cared about her due to her family's tainted honor. Hiccup, meanwhile probably began his apprenticeship when he was around the same age to which Astrid lost her uncle. Before that they probably were friends, since children at such age tend to be, before they drifted apart. As the years passed by and it became clear that Hiccup was different, he must have dwelled further into blacksmithing to make up for it, driving him and Astrid further away. There's a scene right after her shoots Toothless down in which she looks at him rather pitiful, which means that she cares about him, probably a trace of their long lost friendship. Also the way she was harsh with him at Dragon Training seemed very similar to how Stoick was harsh, and both characters are not very good at communicating with words.
And usual, reviews are much appreciated. Any thoughts, suggestions and constructive criticisms are very welcome. For any of you wondering about romantic pairings (Hiccstrid, Hiccelsa, Hiccanna, and even Heathercup) I have not drafted that far so as of now I have no pairings in mind.
Until next time!