Prologue-

"How did this happen?", Hiccup repeated in his head over and over every night for six months. As time went on the other question of, "Will anyone help him?" had dissolved from his mind.

"I was so careful.", he wondered. "Nobody cared where I was, Toothless kept quiet in the cove, although he couldn't get out anyway, right?"

He was on his way back to the cove because he knew he would never hurt a dragon. Not only would he be disregarding everything he learned about the creatures, but he would be betraying the only genuine friend he had in years, and Hiccup could never look at himself again if he did that. At the same time, he wanted Berk, especially his father, to see things differently, so that both sides could benefit. It wasn't in Hiccup to wish bad upon them even though they never really tried with him when it was difficult.

He certainly had nothing but time where he was. He found himself traded to Outcast Island for the simple request of no raids. It seemed fitting in a way because he was all but an outcast before dragon training anyway. Ignored by his father, avoided by villagers as if he had a plague, and mocked and jeered by his peers. Even with all that, Hiccup couldn't believe he had been put here. Dragons were considered a threat, but Hiccup had done nothing but protect one. Nobody had been hurt and the Night Fury always shot from afar. It never attacked the village or injured anyone. The fact it spared Hiccup in the woods was proof enough for the slim boy to realize it wasn't so black and white. The vague terms of his banishment really hurt. It was if he had slaughtered all the children there to be treated so harshly now!

He had a swirling mix of emotions in him at this point. Guilt, anger, confusion, and worst of all hopelessness. How could his father put him here? Why did no one try to listen? Would anybody come back and get him, and even if they did, would he want to return to the place that had done worse than execute him? They discarded him, as if he were trash.

He had one small hope still. Stoick and the village couldn't find Toothless in the cove. When they interrogated him about where his winged companion was, Hiccup was confused at first but realized the Night Fury managed to escape and hide. The island was bigger than it looked. There were forests, burrows, and caves all around and they never mentioned Toothless' injury, so they must have assumed he flew to safety. Hiccup alone knew that wasn't possible and he decided to keep it that way. Otherwise they eventually would hunt his friend down and end him. Small consolation because once Hiccup refused to speak and save himself, the Council came back with a near unanimous vote to have him put away until he spoke. He never knew who voted what and he probably didn't want to.

"Just get him out of my sight! This treason will not stand!", Stoick shouted.

"Dad, please just...", Hiccup pleaded.

"SILENCE! YOU PROTECT THAT DEMON, YOU ARE NO SON OF MINE!", bellowed the Chief of Berk.

Hiccup had no response to that. He only hoped he was having a bad dream, but it was never a dream when he was getting reamed like this.

"Perhaps time in here will harden you into something more suited to Berk and get the truth out of you.", Stoick said.

It was if Hiccup didn't recognize the man he'd lived with for fifteen years. Sure they had grown distant from the day Hiccup couldn't lift an axe and just liked drawing and building things, but this was something else. He saw an angry man who enjoyed the Viking way so much, not even his son would get in the way. Stoick had walked out without turning his head. He knew what the Outcasts were like. Being the son of their rival would benefit Hiccup even less here than it did on Berk. Hiccup took that to mean his father didn't care. How else could he interpret this? He was a child. He sees things in the moment.

Hard labor and lousy scraps of food weren't doing anything to liven his spirits. Being so scrawny, he obviously had trouble there. The mockery was worse and the boy was whipped every time he couldn't meet demand on time, which was almost always. Some nights he was so pain-stricken and dehydrated, he couldn't even cry in that dreary cell. He had no friends, no family, little food and daylight, and no clue what had happened to Toothless. Maybe Stoick never retrieving him meant they had found him without Hiccup's help and they decided to let him stay there until they felt punishment was over. Hiccup's very soul was all but dead at this point and he was ready to surrender and accept his fate. Then he heard whimpering as another cell door opened next to his.

"Stop your crying, girl! You were lucky to even be put here! Just be glad we need help with cleanup and repair."-shouted the guard. "Now, get some rest, girl, because you and that boy need all of your strength tomorrow."

Hiccup was aghast by what he saw. It was a raven-haired girl who looked his age with hazel eyes. She was dirty, crying, and shivering in the dark. Hiccup had no expectations of the Outcasts, but they locked up this young girl now, and who knows what they'd do to her?

Hiccup walked toward a small crack in the wall that could see into the cell next to him and said, "Hello. What's your name?"

The girl wouldn't look up and continued to sob. She was obviously afraid and Hiccup couldn't blame her, but he wanted to offer a kind word. It had been so long since he had seen anyone his age and if anyone was going to offer anything decent to another innocent soul here, who else but him?

"Hello there...", he tried again.

"Leave me alone, jerk! I'm tired!", she screamed.

"I'm sorry, really. I mean no harm, I was just worried."

"Worry about yourself, okay?", she shouted. "Just like everyone else I've ever met lately!"

Hiccup had no idea what to say to that. The girl, like him to her, was a total stranger. They didn't know each other, but this girl obviously had been through something rough. What else could he think given her hostility and situation?

He decided to make one last plea to her before he went to try and sleep. "Listen I'll leave you alone, miss. But here's some food and water I saved for myself. I didn't see you with any and they won't be back until morning, so here." He then slipped a cup of water and bread through the crack in the wall corner. "Try and get some rest, okay? I don't know why you're here, but it's obvious you shouldn't be."

As he walked away, he saw her reach for the rations and muscled a little smile. Then he went to the rock bench and tried his luck at sleeping. Tonight went somewhat better than usual. Not much, but Hiccup still brightened at offering kindness. It's just who he was. Before closing his eyes, he heard something.

"Thank you," the girl whispered through sniffling, "and my name is Heather."

BERK (Six Months Earlier)

Stoick's last words to his son still burned in his mind, but his anger and pride dissuaded him from turning around. It was too late for that. The Viking Way was all he knew and he would not let his naive son make him forget that.

Once he docked, the village didn't dare speak to him. They did not want to give him the bad news they had not found the Night Fury in the cove, although the small evidence of scales, claw marks and burned soil made it obvious it had been there. Plus, some would be lying if they said they agreed with him trading his son to Outcast Island. It wasn't really a friendly place and given the leader there was an enemy to Stoick, exposing his son to the maniac called Alvin the Treacherous meant it would only get worse for the boy. However, the boy had aided a dragon and Berk had no place for those beasts. It was all they knew and given Stoick was the chief, what could they say without being reprimanded as well? So they kept quiet and went along, just like always.

Gobber was certainly unhappy about it. Hiccup was so frail already, not to mention he needed help in the forge. Hiccup was scrawny but a hard worker, as were some of the young ones, primarily Fishlegs and Astrid, although she wouldn't say it. Snotlout made no never mind about it for a while because this may have raised his status in the village, but sorrow would reach him eventually, and the Thorston twins were upset, although not for the same reasons. How did Stoick's fishbone son find and tame a Night Fury? They imagined all the crazy destruction they could cause with it. They wished they were the ones.

Most of Berk wanted to believe this wasn't true, but Hiccup's turnaround in training along with his current absence meant it had to be. I mean they never believed the boy could even scratch a dragon, but had he really made a pet out of one? And just what would he intend to do with it? They only assumed the worst. I mean Hiccup wasn't exactly revered in the village and maybe he intended revenge with what was titled, "The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself." The raids were bad enough already and they simply convinced themselves Hiccup being gone was a good thing.

Before going into his house, Stoick turned and beckoned the entire village to his front steps. Then he made his declaration.

"My son, Hiccup, was been banished to Outcast Island. In exchange Alvin agreed not to pillage our side of the Archipelago until Hiccup is to return. For those of you who take issue with this, remember the boy had been accused of protecting a Night Fury. He made no denial of this when I summoned him, nor would he give me information on where it would go or how to stop it. I may not know the circumstances involved, but dragons are a scourge on the island of Berk, and Hiccup's treachery could not be overlooked! This note was left on my doorstep of what had occurred. Now I don't know which of you learned of this or why you chose to be nameless, but I thank you. No dragon, especially Night Furies, can be left unchecked on this island. Hiccup will remain imprisoned on Alvin's island while this is sorted out for at least a year's time. As harsh as this seems, the way of the Hooligan Tribe demands it. We will search for that beast and keep watch. This, plus the raids of his brethren, will be difficult but we are strong and will stay the course. Get some rest. We will see this through."

The village mostly cheered as Stoick waved good night to them, although there was a small handful that are not so cheerful for different reasons.

Stoick the Vast was right about one thing. They would see this through. The problem was he really had no idea what laid ahead for Berk and how this course would put them in turbulent waters.