Ch16: Strangers And Sympathy

I don't own anything from HTTYD. I do have a little control over the OOC I generate and that you read here.

It took me most of the night, but I did finished drawing out several ideas I got during my flight with Toothless. Once I was done I fell asleep for most of the morning. Once I got up and ate what was probably lunch, I went flying again and after we returned to our camp, I finally went back to the village to trade the plans.

I knew Johan would be at his ship so I went straight there. I guess I'll just drop the journal, pick up my stuff, and get out of whatever this place is called. Never did find out the name of this village.

Fact is I'm neglecting names all over the place. Not just mine or that guy I met yesterday but I never caught the names of those countries I heard about yesterday. I need to figure that out if I intend to go there one day.

In the village the shopping crowd from yesterday was absent and the people have already gone back to their daily lives. Just like yesterday, no one paid me any heed. Once I'm at his ship I look around where I see that he is ready with my things.

"Ah Hiccup I honestly wasn't expecting you till much later, I hope you didn't cut a lot of corners?"

"Nah. Once I get an idea it pretty quick to put it on paper. Believe me their some of my favorite and my best works. Honestly I would have liked to build some prototypes but for now the plans will have to do. Just so long as I get my stuff, that it over their right."

"Right you are. Even got you a cart to take it all with you. But putting together your order made me realize that I still haven't the foggiest on how you got here?"

"Let me stop you right there and say that is something you really don't need to know. Seriously it's not important. Anyways I'm just gonna take this stuff and be on my way."

"You know, I do think you should see a healer. You never know what sort of aftereffect one might experience after torture. There's an old saying 'The pain of torture lasts a life time.' I think you should get yourself looked at, I'd hate to know such a good customer fell because they neglected their health."

"I have an issue with going to the healer here. Spitlout, remember. I just can't risk the chance of him seeing me."

"Then you should know that he is still unconscious. His condition was weak and he's not expected to wake up anytime soon."

"Still not a chance I can take. So I guess this is it. This'll probably be the last time we ever see each other."

"If that is the case theirs something I should tell you for future reference. If you ever come across any of my brothers or anyone from the Traders Guild, you should know that they will all accept your designs as payment the same as I have today. It's an open offer that may come in handy later if you plan to travel very far."

"I'll keep that in mind, and thank you."

"Wait how about a goodbye dinner. I feel bad that you're in this much trouble. Oh and don't worry about my telling anyone. I won't unless I'm paid to, and I haven't so I won't tell anyone about your being here."

"You're being awfully generous. It's making me more paranoid. So what's the deal? Why are you being so forthcoming?"

"Truthfully, it because you were one of my favorite customers."

"Cause you could swindle me for my plans."

"Hey, I thought you knew so don't blame me."

"Yeah, I know whose fault it really is. But it still makes me mad."

"But really I do like you as a customer. You always got that one item I had that no Viking would ever get and I liked that about you. You never went with the crowd, always unique to your own style, and still strong in your own way despite being different from everyone. You are a special lad. That reminds me, I threw in something in your order free of charge. It is yours after all."

"No, no free nothing! Please I don't want sympathy. Please."

"This is not sympathy. Like I said it is rightfully yours, from your mother." That really got my attention.

"What?"

"It was acquired from an extremely extremely fistey, headstrong, and dangerous woman. She requested it be brought to you."

"Who would have something like that for me, or why would they even know me or my mom like that? What is it?"

"I don't know how she acquired it but when she learned that it was yours she wanted it delivered to you immediately. As to how she knew it was yours, well it has your name on it. And as for what it is, all I know is it was a gift from your mother to you for when you were a child."

Wow, it still feels like everything I learn comes out of nowhere and hit me hard. My escape, my reputation, and now my mom? I'm really starting to think I didn't know anything before. So many mysteries that no one ever told me. Just how little do I really know of myself?

Look at me. A village outcast, who ran away for befriending the enemy. And now I'm receiving kindness from strangers I either didn't know existed or who I see just a few times a year.

I'm closer to people I don't know then the people I grew up with. It's total crap. It doesn't even make sense.

"Thanks Johan." I head over to the small cart and start to leave as fast as I can with my new equipment.

"So Hiccup, how about you come have dinner here again?"

I call back to him. "Maybe. We'll see."

I head back to the forest. Not exactly an easy trip with the stuff in the cart. It's not like it's a lot or very heavy but I'm really not in any condition for heavy lifting so the walk is putting a heavy toll on my body.

"What am I doing? I can bring Toothless to the cart rather than this!" I yell out in frustrated realization.

Leaving the cart somewhere I can find later, I go off to get Toothless from our small camp.

Reaching the spot I find Toothless resting next to the frozen waterfall. Telling him about the stuff I left back in the forest we quickly fly to pick up the cart and bring it back to our camp.

We start a fire and once we settled Toothless grabbed a branch which he used to draw and I started sifting thru the stuff I got.

It was everything I needed to get. I start sorting it up and getting it ready to load on Toothless.

It really wasn't much. In the long run the food, water, and healing supplies I got would only last us a few days. The maps are good and detailed, most of the Archipelago and some of the continent that will later be my destination. And of course the tools and I will need to work and repair Toothless's flying gear.

Aw geez! "I need to go back and see Johan again. I never learned the names of the countries I wanted to go see."

Damn really what's with me and forgetting the damn important stuff?

But I already know the answer for that. The thing from my mom. I just wanted to see it the moment I heard about it.

I got everything set up and ready to leave but now I'm stuck just looking at the last item from the cart. A small chest that easily fits in one hand and it was light too.

"So this is something from my mom? What could it be? What do you think buddy? Wanna make a bet on what it is?" He just snorts and continues drawing.

The chest was locked, but that means nothing so long as I have Gobber's knife.

Huh I'm using my father figures last memento to open my dead mother's final gift. In a way, for just a second, I feel like my real family is here with me. My mother, my father, and my brother.

Other than me and mom, none of us are related. And yet were closer like this than I have been to my real dad or most anyone else.

The only one I'm missing is Astrid. Now what would she be? Lover? Nah not anymore, even as kids we weren't that close, I mean we were close just not like that. No, maybe like a sister? No, it doesn't matter now. All she is now is my future death. I don't even consider her my enemy; she's just going to kill me. For her that's the only way to get me back.

But now thinking about it there is someone who I could loosely call a sister based on what happened during my escape, Ruffnutt. No, she's more like a loose friend then sister.

Weird, she was never as bad when it came to bullying me like Snotlout and Tuffnutt, they were always my main tormentors. She usually just laughed or snickered at me. It may have been a negative interaction but unlike Astrid or Fishlegs who ignored or tried to avoid me, she at least interacted with me with the least amount of pain.

I guess in a way it was like she was a sister laughing at her brother as he fell in the mud, except she just never helped me up. I guess it's as close to a sister as I can imagine.

My mother, Valka

My father, Gobber

My brother, Toothless

My friend/sister (kind of), Ruffnutt

My crush/lover/killer, Astrid

And my real enemy's; Stoic, Snotlout, and the rest of Berk.

Listing out my relationships like that really puts things into focus and perspective.

And builds some concern in my heart. If I really do see Ruff as my sister like person for helping me, then I just left her behind on Berk with the same bastards that could kill her just for helping me.

Looking at the knife and chest in my hands, it's almost like their telling me what I need to do. "'Brothers should watch over their sister after all.' Yeah, I need to make sure, I'll need to see for myself that she's alright. I owe her that much at least. I did promise to pay her back after all."

Turning my attention back to the locked chest, I jam the knife into the lock and pop it open.

It didn't look familiar to me, but it might have just been from when I was a baby I might not remember. A small dragon shaped stuffed toy. Picking it up and holding it makes me feel close to her and remember her, whether my few memories or the stories of her I heard from Gobber. I could feel warmth and kindness coming from the hand stitched toy as I held it in my hands.

"Gods mom I really do miss you. Without you I've been alone. I made friends but lost most of them. I always missed you, but I'm not alone anymore. I have a overprotective big brother watching over me now. You don't have to worry about me anymore, I'm going to be fine, so just watch me as I keep moving forward."

I feel tears come to my eyes but unlike the ones I shed over the past few days these were proud tears, tears that said that I was going to be alright. The first I've shed in years. Not since me and the other teens made our promises together.

Our broken promises.

I hope that's a bad memory I get past soon. I hope I can put Berk and nearly everything their behind me. Not forget, just move on from. I should never forget otherwise I wouldn't be who I am now.

Yesterday I wondered who I was and how my name reflected the me now. I know now that A hiccup was the me back then, but from now on I can and will be Hiccup. I will be the Hiccup that got his name from his mother, the Hiccup that my father taught for years at the forge, the Hiccup whose brother stood next to and flew with, the Hiccup who Ruffnut risked to save, and the Hiccup that Astrid will one day kill.

"I'll be me. For my family. My completely messed up and patchwork fake family. My names for you guys, you give it meaning because you gave it to me and keep using it."

Toothless looks at me and wonders what I was muttering. He came over and wrapped his wing and tail around me.

I felt better and am now more sure about my situation. I wasn't without regrets but now I was confident about continuing. "No more second guessing or doubting myself. I'll keep going, I'll push on. I'll make it and I'll live as long as I can."

My first step in this is to take that cart back to Johan and finally get the name of that country that will later be my destination.

"Hey Toothless, I'm gonna take a nap. Could you wake me up before sunset. I need to take that back, then we can leave." Nodding at my request, I lean next to him and drift to sleep.