Well, here we are at last people! The final chapter! Well, the final chapter of part one.
I'd just like to remind you all that this is a three-part story of ten chapters and a epilogue each, with two, possibly three sequels planned.
And please, once again, rate and review! I really don't mind if you've got nothing but criticism, but at least say more than "great chapter!" or "update pls!11!11".
And most importantly...enjoy!
Oh, and one more thing... Last chapter, Hiccup had just been shouted out of the village by his own father, leaving a torn Astrid to chase him down and...well, we'll see where it takes them both.
Chapter Ten: Exiled
Hiccup climbed slowly down into the great cleft in the forest floor, his mind and heart heavy with the darkest of thoughts and emotions.
But the one which stood out above all others, pushing aside any meagre feelings of sadness and self-pity, was the thought that he had failed.
And not just that he had failed, but that he was a failure.
That it was all he had ever been, and all that he would ever be.
"I should have...why didn't I just...why couldn't I have simply..."
The tendrils of self-doubt wormed their way into the depths of Hiccup's mind, fuelled by the numerous, tantalising scenarios of what could have been which now chased each other round and round in his head.
Finally reaching the bottom of the cliff, Hiccup attempted to force his face into a kind of pleasant smile...or what he hoped was something to that effect.
It wouldn't do to let Toothless see him like this; the Night Fury always became quite upset whenever Hiccup was angry, sad, or a combination of the two.
And in spite of the fact that these feelings were now regulars in the boy's repertoire of emotions, he couldn't bring himself to show Toothless just how full of grief and rage he was at this moment.
"Hey Toooothless! Toothless?" Hiccup called out, whistling that little tune he that always did upon arrival at the clearing.
And sure enough, the boisterous black dragon came bounding out from behind his favourite bush, tong lolling and tail-fin flapping, a joyous smile on his smooth features.
"No," thought Hiccup sadly, "I can't show him...I can't let him see what I'm feeling."
But, the boy noted dismally, it wouldn't be of any use to even try; Toothless had this ability to see inside of him, to perceive exactly what Hiccup was thinking and feeling.
Dragons were, undoubtedly, the intelligent equals of humans, although the majority of the latter seemed blind to this fact.
In spite of all of this, the exiled Viking could not help but break into a genuine smile of happiness as he saw how overjoyed his best friend was at the boy's return.
"Hey bud!" he called, and the dragon gave a roar of affection as he raced up to Hiccup's side.
"It's good to see you again, pal," the boy spoke softly, affectionately scratching the Night Fury's scaly hide while the dragon purred contentedly.
Having been so preoccupied with how to go about tackling the Monstrous Nightmare, Hiccup had not taken time off to visit his reptilian friend for several days.
And while he knew that Toothless could survive for at least a week without feeding, possibly longer, the poor reptile would indeed miss his human companion, and begin to pine away if kept isolated and alone for too long.
Looking down into his best friend's eyes, Hiccups studied their intricate green complexion for a moment, lost in his own thoughts; but, for Hiccup's part, this was a mistake.
The dragon blinked several times, eyes wide and curious, before it occurred to him that something was wrong.
Something was very wrong.
In fact, Toothless had never seen Hiccup this down before.
The boy seemed to be emanating an aura of pure woe.
Nuzzling his snout up against Hiccup's chest, the dragon tried very hard to get his message across.
"It's alright, Hiccup. Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."
"I don't know where to begin," Hiccup sighed, before suddenly checking himself.
"Actually, that's a lie," he chortled, a little abashed at his own verbal incompetence.
"You know how I was telling you that I wanted to make peace between Vikings and dragons somehow?" Toothless thought back to four days ago, when he and Hiccup had been drawing in the sand together down by the shores of the lagoon in the clearing.
"I've been chosen, bud," Hiccup had stated suddenly, and Toothless had looked round at him, eyes narrowed as if to say 'you-humans-are-so-bad-at-starting-conversations-so-just-say-precisely-what-you-want-to-say'.
"I placed first in dragon training, which means in only a few days time I'm going to have to kill a dragon...or risk expulsion from the village."
Toothless had immediately begun to growl at the idea that little Hiccup could be contemplating the slaughter of an innocent animal, but the boy had immediately gone on to explain how this could actually be used as an opportunity to show the Vikings of Berk the true nature of dragons, and to try and bring about at the very least some kind of treaty, perhaps leading to an eventual peace between the warring nations.
Evidently, it had not gone so well.
"Well, today was that day," Hiccup said softly, and Toothless' eyes widened with fear.
"Surely...surely he hadn't...?"
"I didn't kill the dragon," the boy stated simply, smiling down at his friend, but Toothless relaxed only a little; he knew that this was not all that Hiccup had to tell.
"You, of all people, should know that I couldn't. Ever. So, right in front of the entire village, I made a truce with the great red Nightmare that we...that they have captive in Berk."
Hiccup was now visibly fighting back tears, and Toothless crooned softly, curling his tail around the quivering boy.
"Surely they would have seen that if you could quieten the raging heart of a fiery Nightmare, that anything was possible between dragons and humans?"
Hiccup shook his head mournfully.
"Long story short...I've been exiled – by my own father."
There was silence between human and dragon for a minute or two, before Toothless perked up the courage to continue.
"Yet...please don't take this the wrong way, but is it really such a loss? I mean, they never accepted you for who you were anyway, so why should they have reason to listen to you now?"
Hiccup chuckled.
"I figure I shouldn't be complaining," he grinned sheepishly, wiping a few tears from his eyes.
"And anyway, none of that matters now, because we're leaving."
Toothless cocked his head to one side, ears pricking up with curiosity.
"You've finally decided? But where will we go?"
"I neither know nor care where we end up, as long as it's as far away from this ghastly place as possible...but I do know that this has been a long time coming," Hiccup spoke slowly.
"I wanted to leave after I beat Astrid in dragon training almost a week ago, but something held me back. I still can't figure out exactly what it was either..."
Toothless' mind flashed back once again to the day after Hiccup placed first in the dragon training tournament which was apparently intended to shape Vikings into true warriors and dragon-slayers.
"Hey bud..." Hiccup had mumbled upon entering the clearing, and Toothless had known instantly what the outcome of the match was; his rider had explained the stakes the day before.
"Hiccup, look at yourself."
Toothless had done his very best to try and make Hiccup see the light.
"Look at what life here is doing to you; how it's affecting you. We need to leave. Now."
Hiccup's eyes had glazed over at these words, and he had stared off into the distance thoughtfully.
"No..." he had said at length, "not now. Not yet. I need to see this through."
Perhaps this was another sad attempt to gain the respect of his fellow...of the other villagers, the Night Fury had pondered at the time.
"Then again, perhaps there is something deeper at work here. Surely Hiccup would see reason in this matter and heed my council."
Suddenly, Toothless' eyes narrowed and snout stiffened, ears pricking up as thought trying to make out the faintest of sounds.
"What is it, bud –" Hiccup began to ask uncertainly, but was immediately cut off by a loud clattering sound.
Turning abruptly to look at the crevice down which he had climbed to get into the clearing, the boy watched with a slight feeling of satisfaction as a cascade of pebbles came crashing down the side of the cliff...carrying Astrid with them; the Viking girl had apparently been trying to sneak up on Hiccup and the dragon, but had failed dismally.
Toothless gave a deep, grating laugh.
Hiccup's feeling of amusement was only momentary, and he scowled.
What was Astrid doing here?
Had she only come to have the last laugh?
To send him on his way?
Hiccup casually noticed that the girl did not have her axe with her presently.
Astrid without her axe?
This was truly a first.
Sensing his friend's aggressive feelings, Toothless also began to growl, creeping slowly forwards towards the blond Viking, who was now picking herself up off the ground, looking rather dishevelled, clothes torn in several places.
Doing his very best to ignore the highly suggestive way in which her tunic had torn, Hiccup let out a derisive snort.
"Come to laugh at me once more?" he called out, just as Astrid noticed the great black dragon bearing slowly down upon her.
"H-hey..."
the Viking girl stuttered, backing away towards the cliff as Toothless prowled slowly towards her, snarling ominously; he obviously didn't think much of this new intruder.
Hiccup felt some strange sense of power at this scene; a defenceless, teenage Viking, indeed, one of his previous oppressors, backing away in fear from Hiccup's own friend, a mighty Night Fury.
But regardless of this, he still didn't want to see Astrid hurt.
"Easy, bud," the boy spoke confidently, striding up to rest a hand on his friend's back.
"She won't hurt you. She can't hurt you," Hiccup finished, giving Astrid the dirtiest of looks.
Toothless ceased his low growl, and instead began to pace from side to side, eyeing the nosy invader off.
"You didn't answer my question," Hiccup shot, his voice curt and dry.
"No," returned Astrid, her eyes still following the prowling black dragon nervously.
"That's...not why I came here."
"Then why bother following me all the way here?" Hiccup demanded angrily.
"Surely you Vikings have better things to do than spy on a dragon and his recluse outcast of a human?" Hiccup had never before spoken as though there was any kind of ownership present between himself and Toothless...but did so just this once and in just this fashion simply to produce that predictable look of surprise on Astrid's face.
The girl paused, obviously disconcerted by the way he had referred to her and the other villagers as "you Vikings".
But Hiccup didn't want to hear her speak.
In fact, he wanted nothing more to do with anything that could link him to his tribe...no, to her tribe.
Just as Astrid opened her mouth to speak, Hiccup held up his hand to silence her.
Once there had been a time, he noted with satisfaction, when an action like this would have sent Hiccup plunging to ground with face full of fist.
"Why don't you just hurry on back to Berk," he spoke, lacing his words carefully with a hint of sarcastic Viking authority.
Now that the boy was officially no longer a part of the village of Berk, he felt no reservations in mocking the Viking customs and culture.
In fact, he revelled in its derision.
That...and he had the supreme ruler of the dragon's skies present and watching over him, making sure that no-one could bring harm to him for voicing his true feelings and opinions.
"They'll be wondering where their favourite shieldmaiden has got to."
But, just as Hiccup turned to go, climbing up to sit astride the black dragon, Astrid finally plucked up the courage to speak.
"Hiccup I'm...I'm sorry for –" But the freckly boy quickly cut her off; she was singing a familiar tune, one which he had heard many times before; and this time he was less than impressed.
"No you're not," Hiccup spat, enraged that the blond girl had the nerve to try and pull this particular wool over his eyes yet again.
Toothless' growling increased in volume, incensed that this puny little Viking would even dare to ask for Hiccup's forgiveness, and after everything she and the others had done, too.
"You were never sorry. All you ever wanted was to see me gone, just so you get all the glory yourself –"
"That's not true!" Astrid yelled at him, her voice beginning to shake with sadness once again; but he would not be fooled this time.
"Isn't it?" the boy shouted back, suddenly finding himself needing to fight to once again control his anger.
"Petty jealousy was all that ever motivated you to do this, and you know it!" A single tear streaked down the side of Astrid's face at these words, and Hiccup felt a slight twinge of guilt at the extreme harshness in his own voice; perhaps she was sincere?
"Will you please let me finish?" Astrid asked loudly, also struggling to keep her voice civil.
Hiccup nodded slowly, and she continued.
"I'm sorry that Snotlout and the others wouldn't listen to you, and I'm sorry that your father –"
"He's no longer my father; he said it himself!" Hiccup cut in.
But now it was Astrid who was commanding his silence.
"But more than anything else...I'm sorry for what I did.
I was wrong...and for that, I can never apologise enough."
Hiccup held her gaze for almost a full minute, thinking things over.
"Why would she even bother coming here at all?" Hiccup asked himself "She's got what she wanted – another chance at placing first in dragon training. Perhaps Astrid really means what she's saying."
"No," chimed in Toothless, the dragon's thoughts mingling with those of his rider.
"When did a Viking ever show the capacity for true remorse? When did one of the villagers ever demonstrate to you that they could feel as deeply as you and I do?"
Hiccup sighed inwardly "...you're right."
He blinked several times, coming out of his revere with Toothless.
Taking one last look at the timid Viking girl, Hiccup steeled himself, resolutely setting his mind on one goal, and one goal alone.
"Goodbye, Astrid."
And without another word, they took off.
Well, there you have it. That's it. He's gone.
You'll be getting a short epilogue in two weeks, and then two weeks after that I'll start posting up the second part, one chapter at a time every two weeks.
I hope you've all enjoyed the story so far, but it's about to get a whole lot more intense!
Lumpyness.