So…this is…becoming something I wasn't expecting. And a lot longer than I was expecting as well.(I'm crying because I have SO many projects in progress! This SUCKS! DX)
I'm typing this up right after finishing this part, aaand, I might have dug myself into a hole. Not my fault! Those that reviewed gave me a few ideas so I ran with them and it somehow became…this. I blame you!
I might need to redo the categories on this piece…
Trigger Warnings:mentions of slavery and abuse. You have been warned.(I don't normally have to add one of these…)
Anyways, enjoy…whatever this is growing to be.
I have no idea what I'm doing.
~Silverleone
After the longest flight of my life – ignoring that fact that it was my first flight ever - Toothless landed at the island Hiccup called Berk. Hiccup hopped out of the saddle, but my legs greatly protested the action when I tried to do the same. Toothless wasn't the biggest dragon out there, but he had a wide neck. I went to step off and ended up getting my heel hooked on a strap. I groaned into the dirt as my world spun.
"You okay?" Hiccup asked, setting his hand on my back.
"Yeah, just, gimme a minute." I breathed heavily. Toothless, probably trying to help, shoved his nose into my face. The fishy-dragony smell of his breath wafted into my nose and both of them flinched back when I lost my lunch on the cobblestone. I felt my face flush in embarrassment.
'This is humiliating,' I thought.
"So-sorry Hiccup…" I stammered.
"Don't worry about it. Come on, we'll get you something to settle your stomach. As smooth as Toothless' flight can be, it's still pretty rough for someone's first flight." He held out his hand and helped me to my feet. I wiped my sleeve across my mouth, grimacing at the taste of bile.
"Yeah, I think that's a good idea." We started to walk off, but Toothless' footsteps weren't following. I glanced over my shoulder, only to reel away from what I saw. "Augh! That's disgusting!" Hiccup turned around to see the dragon's tongue dragging along a particular spot on the ground.
"Bud, really?" He asked as his shoulders dropped in exasperation. I looked at him incredulously. He was acting like it was an everyday thing. Toothless walked over, pretending like nothing was wrong. He tried to nose my arm but I pulled away. He crooned and I sighed, patting his head twice as I tried to ignore what he had just done.
"You're, okay. It's just…gross," I said flatly. Hiccup could only shake his head in fondness of the dragon.
"Come on." He waved me along and lead me to a large building with overly exuberant doors. I shook my head as we walked up the steps.
'Vikings,' I thought tiredly.
We entered a large hall set inside the mountain. As rough and tumble as the Vikings were, they sure knew their stuff when it came to building. Hiccup led me to a table where he got a few mugs of what looked like ale before we sat down at a nearby table.
I accepted the offered mug and took a sip.
"Mh-!" I held back a cough, not expecting the burning sensation.
"Never had mead before?" Hiccup asked with a sympathetic smile. I cleared my throat before nodding.
"Yeah. Wasn't, expecting that," I coughed a few more times before sighing, "I should have. You are all Vikings after all." He let out a light chuckle. We sat and talked for a few minutes as we let my stomach settle. Once I confirmed I felt well enough to move, Hiccup offered to introduce me to his father. We walked out of the hall. Toothless trounced down the hill, feeling good in the clear, sunny day.
"He's one of the fiercest dragons out there. But you can't help but smile when he acts like a hatchling," Hiccup said fondly. I smirked at him, only to yelp when a loud squawk and a crash behind me shook the ground.
"Hiccup! There you are!" A blonde girl about Hiccup's age hopped off of a tall, blue, bipedal dragon.
"Astrid! Hey, sorry! Something unexpected came up." He placed a hand on my shoulder. "Or, I guess, someone." I didn't move. "Uh, John? Are you…? Oh man. Toothless!" Leathery darkness surrounded me. Warm, fishy air rushed over my face as smooth scales pressed to my forehead. "Woah, back up Stormfly," Hiccup said.
"Hiccup, what's going on?" The girl asked.
"John has a fear of dragons. Toothless is the only one he doesn't freeze around."
"Head home, girl. I'll meet you there," The girl said. The dragon squawked, making me jump. Toothless pressed his head closer to mine, a deep sound in his throat. The other dragon leaped into the air and flew off. Once wingbeats faded into the distance, Toothless stepped back and folded his wings. He crooned and tipped his head forward, looking at me with wide eyes. The girl turned towards Hiccup, her hands on her hips. Her blonde hair was mostly in a braid, except the few strands that covered her left eye.
"So, you wanna explain what's going on?" She asked.
"Uh, yeah, hold on. John, you okay?" Hiccup's hand rested on my shoulder, making me jump again.
"U-u-um, y-yeah. I'll be, okay." I was pale and sweat rolled down my forehead. All I saw was the other bipedal dragon with its claws near my neck. I shook my head to rid myself of the thought. "Yeah. Sorry." Astrid shook her head.
"I can imagine you went through something pretty bad if you freeze at the sight of Stormfly."
"A Nadder had him pinned underfoot when I found him," Hiccup noted quietly, though he wasn't hiding his words from me. Astrid winced at that little tidbit if information.
"Oh. Now I feel bad."
"No, no, it's not your fault," I quickly amended, shaking my head. "You didn't know."
"Still, we should be more careful about who we let our dragons shove their noses at. It's a matter of respect." I shrugged, agreeing with that point at least. I shook my head again, trying to clear my head, before I held out my hand.
"Well, at least you didn't have to meet me like Hiccup did..." She shot me a sympathetic smile and shook my hand.
"So, what are you doing here? Don't tell me Hiccup kidnapped you." We both laughed at the indignant look on his face.
"Wha-why would you even think that?!"
"No, um," I laughed before feeling shame, "As he said, he saved me from a dragon like yours. My tribe got sick of me being afraid of them and abandoned me on an island. They said they'd be back, but it's been twice as long as they said." My hand went to my arm and rubbed it a little. A dragon landed a few dozen feet away and I flinched at its roar, though I was able to control myself better.
"I uh, wasn't getting anywhere near Toothless until he saved me from freezing to death last night. He really didn't give me a choice when I woke up with him curled around me."
"I see. Hiccup," She turned to him.
"Uh, yes?"
"Tell me, if someone is afraid of dragons," I mentally grimaced at where she was going with that, "Why in Thor's name would you think it would be a good idea to bring them here?!" She finished rather loudly. Hiccup flinched and held his hands up.
"Well, where else was I supposed to take him?!" She paused, her brow furrowing.
"Okay, fair point. But still." She let it drop. "So, now what?"
"I'm going to introduce John to my dad," Hiccup stated. She raised an eyebrow before turning to me.
"You're not afraid of giant, Viking men, are you?" I felt rather insulted, and my face showed it. "Look, you're scared of dragons, there no telling what else you might be afraid of." I folded my arms and glared.
"For future reference, no, I am not afraid of men," I generalized, "They can't breathe fire or fly. Nor do they have scales and sharp teeth." Toothless groaned behind me and I glanced back to see him holding his mouth open, no teeth to be seen. I blinked a few times.
*Shnick* I nearly left my skin behind when his teeth appeared.
"Toothless!" I snapped. He startled at the volume before his ear fins pinned back. I shot him a scathing look as I pushed a harsh breath through my lips. "I'm going to regret this," I muttered as I ran my fingers through my hair. At least he had the decency to look guilty. Hiccup placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Come on, before he scares you to death."
"Too late."
««{{¤}}»»
Hiccup led me around the outskirts of the village where there were less dragons. Thankfully, we were able to avoid further incidents. Which I was grateful for. We arrived at the hut resting at the top of the hill. Hiccup stepped inside while telling Toothless to stay for a minute. I followed him into a humble abode. It was made to seem smaller when I noticed the living barrel of a man sitting in front of the fireplace.
"Hiccup! There you are!" He stood up and I felt ready to shrink back. Then I remembered Astrid's words and steeled myself. Well…as much as I could anyways. I wasn't a fool, and knew a chief, leader, etc. when I saw one. The bear of a man approached, his thumping steps nearly shaking the earth itself.
'What compost pile did his parents stick him in?!' Hiccup stepped forward and gave the man an…attempted hug. His arms didn't even go halfway around his middle.
"I was worried when Snotlout of all people told me you weren't going to be back yesterday."
"Well, I ran into John here." The man's eyes finally landed on me and I nodded respectfully, not trusting my own voice.
"And why did meeting John here keep you over night?" Hiccup glanced at me and I nodded again.
"Toothless and I saved him from a hungry Nadder." The man looked at me again and I nodded to confirm it.
"Again, why did that make you stay out over night?" He asked his son.
"Sir…?" His eyes locked onto me, hearing the unfamiliar voice. He tipped his head forward in a silent signal to continue. "I um, I'm terrified of dragons. Sir." His eyes widened a little and he turned to Hiccup.
"Hiccup…" The warning tone made me cringe.
"Please don't be mad at him sir!" I cut in before the other teen could defend himself. "I, It was my fault."
"And how is that?"
'He's testy with his son, not me.' I told myself.
"I couldn't even look at Toothless. Much less, think about riding him. Or any dragon for that matter."
"I see…"
"And, my tribe left me alone. I don't think I could get on a boat if I tried…" I noticed his eyes softened a little. It was by a hair, but I noticed.
"So you couldn't get off the island." I nodded. "How long were you there?"
"Around two weeks? I think?" I was rubbing my arm out of nerves.
"And why did your tribe desert you?" I glanced at Hiccup for a split second before my eyes dropped to the floor.
"Who needs a child who can't even look at the corpse of a dragon without freezing in fear…" There was silence.
"Come sit." I looked up, my brow furrowing in confusion. The large man walked back over to the fire and sat back down. Hiccup led me over with a hand on my shoulder. We both sat down and the silence returned for a minute.
The pop of the fire didn't help the tension I was feeling.
"What can you do?" I nearly jumped at the words.
"Uh, what?"
"What can you do? What are your skills?"
"I'm not a bad hunter, when there are no dragons…"
"Crossbow? Bow? Traps?" He asked.
"Yes, except the crossbow." I held up my arms. "I'm not the strongest…"
"Anything else?"
"I'm good at, organizing…" I trailed off.
"Organizing what?" He pressed ever so slightly. I could tell he wasn't trying to interrogate me, but he needed answers.
"Stock, food, weapons."
"You're hired." He said, a finger pointing at me for a second before resting back on the chair arm.
"Uh, what?" Hiccup and I spoke in unison. We glanced at each other incredulously before looking back to his father.
"What do you mean, I'm hired?"
"You're hired. Hunting? Keep numbers? We are Vikings, those things don't come easily to us. Well," He glanced at Hiccup, "Most of us." Hiccup flushed a little before glancing at me.
"I'm not your, average Viking." I shot him a flat look.
"No kidding." I jumped when his father let out a belly shaking laugh. He shook his finger at me.
"You! I like you! Good find Hiccup!" He stood up abruptly, heading over to their kitchen.
"F-find?! I'm not some meat sack on the side of the road!" I said, filled with indignation.
"No, but you would have been." My mouth dropped open.
'Unbelievable! How is Hiccup so nice and this man so, crass?!'
"A-and who said I would ever work for you in the first place?!" I stood up, only to freeze when the man looked over his shoulder.
"Either that, or find out if you can swim."
"Dad!" Hiccup stood up, getting between us. "Come on, be a little more civil! It's not like he's our slave!"
"No, but he does owe you his life." Hiccup paused, his hands slowly coming to his sides.
"Yeah, I do. What's your point?" I was suddenly not liking where this was going.
"There's a little thing called a life debt." It was my time to freeze.
'He can't mean…'
"You owe Hiccup your life. As he is future chief, it applies to the entire tribe." He turned around with three mugs, only to see the door swinging back form hitting the wall and Hiccup staring at the open frame.
"Where did he go?" Hiccup could only glare.
"Nice one, dad." He ran outside. Toothless already knew what he needed, and leaned down. The dragon could run much faster than a one legged Viking, after all. Hiccup hopped on and Toothless sprinted after John. Hiccup tucked flat against the saddle, trusting Toothless to find the other man. He wanted to avoid branches as they almost flew through the forest.
Toothless burst out of the trees and skidded to a halt. Hiccup looked around and saw John standing at the edge of a cliff.
"John!" I didn't respond as I stared at the horizon. "John?" Hiccup hopped off Toothless and slowly approached.
My hands were in my pockets. He placed a hand on my shoulder, only to pull his head back a little. I was staring at the setting sun with tears streaming down my face.
"…John?" A wistful smile tinged the corners of my mouth as it opened.
"Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have someone that cares. Or even the chance to live my life the way I want to." My eyes squinted just a little as more tears fell. "I can't have it though." I closed my eyes. "I'm not allowed to."
"I care." Came a simple response.
"Do you? Or was this some sick method to have someone beneath your feet?" Hiccup was taken aback.
"What?! No!" He protested. I tipped my head back, looking to the sky.
"I wondered how someone so kind came from such a monster."
"My dad's not a monster-!"
"He wants a slave!" I shouted, yanking my shoulder away from him. The tears didn't stop, but the smile was twisted into a scowl. "Just like my tribe did! They didn't care about what I wanted! They worked me into the dirt and kept stomping! They didn't leave me on that island, I ran!" Hiccup stared in silence as my breathing became shaky. "I left, because I thought I had a chance in the wild! Away from dragons, and more importantly, away from them! I was worried they would hunt me down, or that I would die before I got to do anything for myself!" I stared for a second before turning away.
"But no, they never bothered," I spat viciously, "Not that I'm surprised."
"John…"
"Oh don't keep up the act!" I turned back around, almost pleading with him. "To think I almost fell for it too." Toothless stepped forward, but I kept him at arm's length. "You manipulated me." I glared at his rider.
"I didn't."
"You made me trust him."
"John, please, just listen."
"No!" I shook my head. "The last time I listened, I nearly lost everything!" Hiccup stared, unsure what to do. I turned away again, facing the sunset, as if staring at the blazing ball of fire would bring me the - apparently - crazed machinations of my mind. Toothless crooned, but I ignored it. He nudged my hand and I yanked it away as if burned. I put some distance between us. I couldn't look at them.
Logic would say that Hiccup was right. That he could be trusted. That his father wasn't a monster. But logic had dictated that my family should have loved me, cared for me. That I shouldn't have been the equivalent of dirt under my home's tribe. Logic had nearly gotten me killed.
"…John, if there is anything I can do to gain your trust, tell me." I nearly laughed at the fact that he sounded desperate.
"Give me a blade."
"What?"
"A blade. Sword, knife, I don't care." There was a heavy pause.
"…Why?"
"So I can finally be at peace."
"You are not killing yourself!"
"Is that an order by my new master?" I hissed sarcastically over my shoulder. Hiccup reeled back, stammering for a moment before giving his answer.
"No! I am not your master, John, I'm your friend!" I closed my eyes as I turned away again.
"That's what they said too." I grabbed my shirt, lifting it up. I didn't need to see his expression, I could hear the wind leave his lungs. "They were only trying to help. To make me stronger, a better person. They were family, friends, after all. Isn't that what they are supposed to do?"
"J-John…Oh Thor."
"Hmph. Pray to your gods all you want. They didn't come when I was screaming in agony." It sounded like I punched him in the gut. I dropped my shirt back into place. "Don't follow me. I don't know what I'll do if I see you again." I walked off, following the cliff. Hiccup could only stare, the image of my back, or more accurately what was left of it, was burned into his mind.
"…What have I done?"
…
*Slowly peaks around corner*
…
Hi.
Don't kill me.
I don't know why this happened.
I just write the crap.
…
I probably need therapy.
Again.
Aaaanyways.
Don't panic, this isn't the last part. I just…It's 1am and I'm tired.
