Chapter Twelve

A/N: Aaaaand I'm back! Sorry this is late, guys. Like I said, I was visiting my college over the weekend and never got a chance to write... Sorry. :( I came home on Saturday (around 6pm) and just collapsed onto my bed and went to sleep for the rest of the night. The college-scene is fun and all but my introvert nature makes too much social interaction quite exhausting... But meh, I met a few gamers and watched them being goofballs so it was fun!

Thanks for understanding, love you guys!

In response to...

LittleDragonRider: Heh, heh...you'll see :)

Yondaime Namikaze: Exactly, the college I'll be attending is in a college town so everything is within walking distance. (Plus, my aunt and uncle live there so I can visit them all the time, which is awesome!) And I'm simply an introvert, cities are the bane of my existence XD And I'm glad you liked the chapter! The assassin will show up later, not just yet...

DoomsdayBeamXD: Oh, wow! Thank you! (Honestly, I don't think this is one of my better stories) but seriously, thanks! That's so cool that you like it that much! :D And it's alright that you didn't review constantly for the last few fanfics (I hardly ever review stories chapter by chapter, so I understand.)

The Wolf Raven: That's okay! :) And yeah, it was a tad shorter than usual because of college and whatnot. But I'm glad you think it was full of 'awesomenesslyness' XD

OinkyThePiggy: Yup, I can tell some of you are beginning to piece things together. (But the rest of the story is, as you said, still going to be pretty much a mystery until we get there.)

Thump

Clank

Thump

Clank

Hiccup silently curses himself with every step he takes. Every time his feet strike the ground, his heart gives a little, terrified jump and he glances over his shoulder, just to make sure he hasn't been spotted. Gods...I'm not cut out for this... He grumbles to himself as he struggles to steady the tremble in his hands. Then, with a sad frown, he finds himself thinking, I wish Toothless were here... Everything would be so much easier if his dragon was by his side. If even just for the moral support. I hope you're okay, bud...

As Hiccup turns the corner in the alleyway that runs behind the row of houses in his village, he throws another glance over his shoulder. He's very close to the Blacksmith Shop now, just a few more-

"AH-" Hiccup starts to scream when someone grabs him from behind, only to have his voice cut off when a large, meaty hand clamps over his mouth. Struggling fiercely, he tries shake off his attacker, but to no avail... He feels himself being dragged backwards, further into the dark corridor, his feet scraping the dirt as he tries to fight as hard as possible.

But then, the person releases him and he staggers forward, breath racing. Hiccup spins around, staring wild-eyed into the shadows behind him...only to freeze in place.

"What are you doing out in the open, lad?!" The familiar man hisses. "If anyone saw you out here, you'd be killed on the spot!"

"Gobber..." Hiccup whispers in breathy relief. "Gods!" He moans, placing a hand over his hammering heart. "Don't ever do that again!"

But his mentor is suddenly looking past him, over the boy's shoulder. "Quiet." He growls, shrugging past Hiccup and pushing the teen behind him.

It's only then that Hiccup sees the lantern glow, notices the sound of the heavy footsteps that are marching toward him. He shrinks against the wall, wishing he could turn invisible. "Gobber," He whispers hurriedly. "We've gotta go!"

"Hush." The Blacksmith responds. He then leans, almost casually on the wall of the building beside him and plasters on his most innocent smile, angling himself so that his body will block the guard's view of Hiccup.

Said guard appears around the bend almost a second later, his lantern gleaming brightly in the dark. Through the eyes of his helmet, he stares suspiciously at Gobber as he walks past.

But Hiccup's mentor only grins and nods at him. "Evening." He greets nonchalantly.

The solider pauses before nodding as well. "Evening." He replies in a thick accent, turning his back to Gobber and strolling away, suspicious averted. Once he's gone, Gobber looks back at Hiccup.

"Let's get inside." He says. "It's not safe out here."

Inside the Forge, there is only one fire burning. After all, there is no one who needs Gobber to make weapons for them anymore...not since Ymir's men arrived and took over. So the older Viking and his apprentice sit down on the rickety stools before the flickering fire pit, but not before locking the door and closing all the shutters over the windows.

"I...I just don't know what to do anymore..." Hiccup admits in a hushed tone. "You heard right? My dad...is going to be executed in two days. The dragons are locked up...even the other Riders have been thrown in jail..." His worry-clouded green eyes watch as Gobber stokes the flames with a little, iron poker. "I can't...I can't save the whole village on my own..." He whispers, hands clutched tightly together.

"You don't have to." His mentor reminds him. "That's why you came to find me, right?"

Hiccup nods and leans his head on his hand. "I just figured...if anyone is still loyal to my dad...it's you."

Gobber snickers, causing the boy to look up in confusion. "Trust me, Hiccup. I'm not the only one who is still loyal to your father. Actually, I'd be surprised if anyone has truly sided with Ymir..."

Hiccup straightens a little. "You think the others still have confidence in my father to save them...?"

"Ah...maybe." He shrugs. "But I do know one thing..."

The young Viking tilts his head, curiously.

"They do have confidence...in you."

Hiccup recoils. "Wha-me?" He gasps. "What do you mean?!"

"You saved them before, lad." Gobber reminds him in a near-humorous voice. "From the Dragon War, the Red Death...all of those threats." He smirks at the shocked teen and places a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "They believe you are going to be the one to save them again."

"But...as far as they know, I'm still in jail!" He points out. "How could they believe in me?!"

"But you're not in jail, are you? You broke yourself out..."

Hiccup sits back and stares at him in utter dismay. The villagers really think he's going to save them? Until now, all he's cared about is protecting his dad and his friends... It never even crossed his mind to try and help the others...

"And besides," Gobber says as he stands up and tosses a log onto the fire. "You're their Heir. Their future Chief. If they can't rely on you, who can they rely on?"

Puffing out a huge sigh, Hiccup sits back and folds his arms. "Well...that's great and all...but that still leaves the question: What in Thor's name am I supposed to do?! I can't fight Ymir's entire army all by myself! Especially without Toothless!"

That's when Gobber's smile turns more...devious. "You don't have to." He says. "All you need to do is stay hidden. The longer they don't know where you are, the crazier it will drive them!" He laughs at the thought of Ymir and his men losing their cool over one, tiny kid. "Eventually, something will go wrong for them. Ymir will lose his head..."

Hiccup has to admit...that could work. With all of their focus on tracking him down, it would give the villagers a better opportunity to fight back amidst the chaos. But that still leaves one problem... "But that takes time." He mumbles. "And I've only got two days..."

Now, Gobber's smile fades. The peg-legged Viking sinks down onto his stool and nods, glumly. "You don't suppose you could turn their whole system upside down by then, do you...?"

"I don't think so, Gobber..." He admits quietly.

"Maybe-"

PAAAR-PAAAR-PAAAAAAAAA!

Both Vikings shoot to their feet at the sound of the horn. "What was that?!" Hiccup demands, goosebumps racing over his skin. For some reason, he doesn't like the sound of it...

"I don't know." Gobber says. "Stay inside, I'll go check it out." With that, he hobbles over to the door and pulls it open, peering out into the streets.

"Well?" Hiccup hisses. "What is it?"

But his mentor only steps further out into the street, looking a bit...surprised.

"Gobber...?"

"ATTENTION CITIZENS!" Someone outside shouts.

Hiccup moves over to the window, peeking around the corner to see what's going on. In the center of town, a guard wearing a very shiny set of armor is standing, surrounded by other soldiers. He must be the top-guard.

"THERE HAS BEEN A JAIL BREAK! ONE OF THE INMATES HAS ESCAPED AND FLED SOMEWHERE INTO THE VILLAGE!"

Hiccup freezes, his stomach twisting into terrified knots. They know...

"EVERYONE UNLOCK YOUR DOORS AND ALLOW OUR MEN TO SEARCH YOUR HOMES! ONCE THE ESCAPEE HAS BEEN FOUND, WE CAN ALL GO BACK TO OUR EVENINGS!"

Gobber flashes a fleeting look to Hiccup. He doesn't say anything but his expression screams, 'hide!'

A/N: Thanks for bearing with me, guys! I hope you liked the chapter and don't forget to REVIEW! :D