This is a note to AJ: you made a review saying you were kinda writing alternative chapters, and asked if I would like to read them. The answer is yes, of course I would. I would love to! I don't know if you can PM me, if you want my email address, but just let me know! We can make it work, I'm sure!

That being said... I'm really glad I can update today. Exams and boring stuff like that are over, just had the last test today... on my birthday, at 8:30... so yeah. It's my birthday today. So this is my gift, from me to you! I posted a one-shot earlier, about Hiccup on some of his birthdays. So if you want to read, just check my profile! For now I'm done talking! Only one thing left to say...

Enjoy!

The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou

Crystal Light, Part IV

"I don't even know where to start!" Hiccup complained while he stared at the list on the table.

"Here," Wrenlou said, pointing at the first item on the paper, "we start here."

"Clean the entire Hall? That will take all day!"

"Perhaps," Wrenlou said while he collected a few buckets, "so we best get started, don't you think?"

"Yeah..." Hiccup sighed and he took one of the buckets from Wrenlou, "we messed up good, didn't we?"

Wrenlou shrugged. "It could have been worse really. We're not suspended forever and we're not outcasted. So I would say we didn't really mess up that bad."

Hiccup grumbled something and almost wished he was back on Berk. Even though he was always ignored and treated badly, at least he didn't have to work his arms off with cleaning. True, working in the forge was no walk in the park, but at least he had loved doing that. He hated cleaning.

He watched how Wrenlou filled the buckets with water, then they carried them back to the Hall. There Wrenlou tossed in some soap and stirred it until the foam dripped over the edge of the bucket.

"What now?" Hiccup asked.

Wrenlou tossed him a brush. "Get down on your knees and start scrubbing."

Hiccup sighed deeply and slowly got down on his knees, dipping the brush in the now soapy water. He stared at the floor for a moment, the dark tiles cracked from being there for years, then he splashed the water on them and started scrubbing. First slowly, then faster as his irritation grew.

He was irritated with himself. It had been his idea, and he had pushed Wrenlou into taking him, even after he had explained why they shouldn't go. He had practically begged the older boy to ignore everything he believed in, to break every law there was, and now he was facing the consequents.

"You know, you don't have to scrub the tile away," Wrenlou remarked dryly, and now Hiccup realized he had been scrubbing the same tile with all his might for the last five minutes.

"Sorry," he mumbled and he quickly moved to the next tile.

The water quickly turned brown from the dirt and the sand on the floor, and his knees became soaked, the water crawling up the fabric of his pants. He was glad he wasn't wearing his boots, but the water was cold on his bare feet.

They had to go back for fresh water two times, but after that, the entire floor was cleaned, Wrenlou had done the tables and the benches and they had even washed the dishes. At that point his knees were red and sore, his clothes were soaked with the dirty, soapy water. His arms and shoulders hurt from scrubbing, and they were still on the first item on the list.

The next one was that they had to sweep the plaza, to get all the beach sand back to the beach. But the sand was unwilling to go, and clung to their wet clothes, refusing to be swept from the flagstones of the plaza. It took them a good two hours to get every grain of sand off the plaza, and by then they were exhausted.

"Wren," Hiccup mumbled, while he looked down at his hands, "I have blisters."

Wrenlou's long fingers took his hands gently as the boy looked at the raw palms of his hands. There were several large blisters covering his hands, red and inflamed. Some splinters from the rough wooden handles of the broom were also stuck in his palms.

"Come on," Wrenlou gestured to the healers hut, "I'll take care of that."

"You can do that?" Hiccup asked surprised.

Wrenlou nodded as he held the door open. "I've always wanted to become a healer, I just never acted on it. I did read a lot of books though, so I know how to take care of blisters."

"Wren? There's no healer here, right?"

"No," Wrenlou answered as he pointed at the bed, "but Dale has the basic knowledge he needs, and when the situation really calls for a healer, we either ask one to come from Dragoncity, or we go there ourselves, like I did with you."

Hiccup didn't say anything while he sat down, still staring at his hands. The blisters were throbbing painfully, and he bit his lip. Wrenlou searched through the cabinets a little, the placed a bowl on the table. He filled it with water, the mixed the water with some dried leaves and left it to sit for a while. He heated up some water, and took a second bowl. He poured the water in, then added some soap. Then he took some tweezers and diligently pulled every splinter from Hiccup's small hands. After he had done that, he stood up, walking towards the table

"Come on here, wash your hands. Thoroughly."

Hiccup nodded and walked over to the table. As soon as he dipped his hands in the luke warm water, he winced. The water stung in the open areas on his palms. He let his hands soak until Wrenlou took them and washed them, then dried his hands with a soft towel, taking extra care of the blisters. Wrenlou studied the red swollen areas on Hiccup's hands, gently pressing down on the blisters, then he looked up.

"I think I have to drain them. They're too big to just leave like that."

Hiccup just nodded again and sat down on the bed while Wrenlou lit a candle and searched for a needle. Then he sat next to Hiccup, holding the needing in the flame until it was red hot. He waited until the red coloring had disappeared and took Hiccup's hands. Very carefully, he inserted the needle in the side of one of the biggest blisters and Hiccup winced. Not because it hurt, but just because the sight of a needle entering the blister made him feel uncomfortable.

After he had poked a small hole in the blister, Wrenlou pressed down on it, wiping away the fluid that spilled from the bubble on Hiccup's hand. He repeated the process with the other blisters, making sure that they were all completely empty before he gestured to the second bowl.

"Hold your hands in there for a while. It's a disinfectant, it will help prevent infections. It may sting a little."

"Okay," Hiccup said and he slowly submerged his hands in the water. It was cold, and stung as Wrenlou had said, but it also felt soothing in a way, "where are you going?"

"To continue the list. You just stay there for a while. I'll be back to bandage your hands, then we can get on with that stupid list, okay."

Hiccup nodded, although he felt a little guilty that he could have a break, while Wrenlou had to continue, but he also knew that it wasn't his fault that he had blisters. He didn't have to wait long until Wrenlou came back and dried his hands. Some of the water had filled the blistered skin again, but Wrenlou just pushed it out again.

After making sure his hands were really dry, Wrenlou carefully wrapped them in bandages, just enough to keep the blistered areas covered and the blisters clean. After that, he put the things he had used away and turned to Hiccup.

"I have been over that list and there are a few things you can do without your hands getting wet. I'll take care of the windows, why don't you sweep the cabins. After that we'll see."

Hiccup nodded and followed Wrenlou outside. There was a bucked with water waiting for them, accompanied by a broom. Hiccup took the broom, and swept the healers hut first, just because he was already there. He could feel the bandages rub painfully against the tender skin, but he bit through it. It had been his choice to stay on the island and learn, and part of that meant conforming to their laws. He hadn't done that, and he had forced Wrenlou to break them as well, but he knew that from now on, he would contain his curiosity and make sure his actions didn't break any laws. He made a mental note to ask Wrenlou to teach him those laws.

After he was done with the cabins, making sure that not a grain of sand remained on the floor and the beds were made, he went to find Wrenlou. He found him at the Hall, checking a few more things of the list.

"My arm hurt," Hiccup complained and Wrenlou nodded.

"Mine as well. But we're almost done. Might as well, seeing how it's getting late and they will be back soon."

They hadn't noticed that the day had gone by really fast, and already the sun was creeping towards the ocean.

"So what's next?" Hiccup asked plucking the bandage around his right hand.

"Make the beds..." Wrenlou started, but Hiccup interrupted him.

"I did that already. When I was sweeping."

"You did? Great! Then we have two more things to go."

"What's that?" Hiccup asked, "is it going to take long? I'm really tired."

"Yeah me too," Wrenlou muttered, "alright. We have to empty the fireplace..." he glanced at the fireplace in the center of the Hall and sighed, "which is gonna be messy, and after that we have to build a new fire. So, ready to get dirty?"

"I... I guess," Hiccup said while he looked down on his hands.

"Why don't you bring in some new wood, I'll take care of that black mess over there."

Hiccup nodded while he left the Hall and walked over to the pile of wood behind the building. The fire wasn't for warmth, the island was warm enough on its own, but it provided their light in the dark hours of the night, along with some torches that hung on the wall. He had also learned that the wood they used for the fire, wasn't from the palm trees. It came from another kind of tree that grew all over the island, but he had forgotten the name.

He carried the logs inside, two at a time, while Wrenlou carried the ashes outside. He swept them in a bucket and dumped them on a spot besides the pile of fresh wood. It was a good thing that they didn't have to clean the fireplace that often.

By the time they were done Wrenlou was covered in a layer of sooth and Hiccup's arms were trembling from the continued strain as he carried the logs inside, but they were done with their work, and before the sun set. They were exhausted, hungry, sore in places they didn't even know they had muscles, Hiccup's blisters had started bleeding when he carried the logs inside, but at least they were done.

After Wrenlou had washed the sooth from his body and changed into clean clothes, he had taken Hiccup to the healers hut again to take care of the now bleeding wounds.

"It's only the first day," Hiccup complained, "and my hands are already bleeding."

"We'll survive," Wrenlou said, massaging a painful muscle in his shoulder, "I have blisters too now."

"Wren? We did everything now, right? What can he make us do tomorrow?"

Wrenlou shrugged. "I don't know. We'll see I guess. All I want right now is food, rest and Snowflake."

Hiccup nodded. He agreed wholeheartedly with that statement. His arms were sore, his hands were burning, his stomach was demanding food like a hungry animal, and he had missed his dragon terribly. So when the doors of the Hall burst open and Toothless came bounding in, his heart jumped in his chest and he threw his arms around the dragon. Toothless warbled and crooned, licking his hair and sniffing the bandages around his hands. Hiccup inhaled deeply, closing his eyes as Toothless wrapped his wings around him. Before he knew it, he was asleep, right there in the Hall, the dragon curled around him and he didn't notice how Dale gently carried him to his bed and tucked him in. He was fast asleep and only reacted when Toothless rested his head against his back, snorting softly. He curled in at the dragon's warm touched, his bandaged hands against his chest, and smiled blissfully while he drifted further into the embrace of heavenly sleep.