And here we are, with yet another new story, and more fun! I still need a name for the blacksmith... names are always hard for me... but I will figure it out! Hiccup is off on his first test... get some metal... what could go wrong... right?

Enjoy!

The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou

A Blacksmith's Apprentice, Part I

He wasn't exactly sure how he had gotten back to his room, and into his bed, but that was where he woke up. His head felt like it was being hammered with a forge hammer, a constant pounding that wouldn't go away. The sun was shining bright already, so he guessed it had to be quite late. After he got dressed he went downstairs, where he promptly ran into Dale.

"Good to see you up Hiccup," the man greeted him, "how are you feeling?"

"I... I don't know..." Hiccup mumbled, "I... don't remember much... and my head hurts."

Dale smiled warmly. "You passed out last night. I brought you to bed. After I took Wrenlou to his..."

"Passed out?" Hiccup asked, "why?"

Dale's smile widened. "Because you were drunk," he said, "and so was Wrenlou. And Broghan. And everyone else. The headache means you're hungover."

"Drunk...?" Hiccup asked, "b...but... I couldn't have been drunk..."

"Hiccup," Dale interrupted him, "it's okay. I don't know what your old family thought of that, I mean, Vikings have quite a reputation considering their drinking habits, but it was a celebration. Nobody is mad at you because everyone was drunk. Even me."

"Really?" Hiccup asked and he pushed the door of the Hall open, allowing Dale to step in behind him.

"I was," Dale smiled, "but by then you had already blacked out."

"Oh..." Hiccup mumbled.

He quickly looked around the Hall and found Wrenlou at one of the side tables. He was staring into a cup, swirling it's contents around. He looked up when Hiccup joined him, and gave a quick nod to Dale as the man walked by.

"Morning," Hiccup mumbled.

"Morning," Wrenlou replied, "how are you..."

"My head hurts," Hiccup confessed, "badly. Dale says we were drunk last night..."

Wrenlou nodded a little and looked up. "So it would seem."

Hiccup groaned. "I planned on going to see the blacksmith today," he said, "but my head just... hurts. I don't think I can stand the sound of the forge hammer."

"Here," Wrenlou said and he pushed his cup towards Hiccup, "that'll help."

Hiccup took the cup and picked it up. He looked at the liquid within, frowning. "What is it?"

"It's a mixture of several different herbs," Wrenlou said, "it will ease the headache and stop the pounding. I may not be a healer yet, but I know my herbs. Drink it, you'll feel better."

Hiccup took a small sip from the liquid and nearly gagged from the bad taste of it. He glared at Wrenlou, the cup hovering near his mouth.

"I never said it tasted nice," Wrenlou said, "just drink it."

Hiccup grunted, but downed the contents of the cup. He shuddered at the burning aftertaste of the liquid, but he quickly noticed that it actually helped and that his headache went away quite quickly.

"Thanks," he said, putting the cup back down, "that... actually helped..."

"Did you doubt me then?" Wrenlou asked with a smile, "listen, I have to go. I have to meet a healer about apprenticeship. You best get something to eat before you go to the forge. Chances are, you're gonna be working hard..."

Hiccup nodded and watched Wrenlou leave the Hall. When the door closed behind his friend, he stood up to go get something to eat. He finished eating quickly, not wanting to waste anymore time, and when he was done, he left for the forge. On his way there he did his best to control his nerves, but he was also determined that he would do this, that he would take control over his future, that he would no longer just sit by and let other people decide for him.

He could hear the sound of the hammer from far away, the rhythmic banging stirring up some of the headache that had just calmed down, but it wasn't as bad as he imagined it could have been if he hadn't had Wrenlou's herbal mixture. After taking a few deep breaths, he walked into the forge. The smith looked up the moment he saw him enter, and the man set the hammer aside and put his project into the fire to keep it hot.

"Hiccup!" he said cheerfully, "what can I help you with today?"

"Well..." Hiccup started, feeling his nerves get the best of him, "I was wondering... eh... I was wondering..."

He silently cursed himself for not being able to get the words passed his lips. If he could say the oath to a Hall full of people, sure he could do this! So he took another deep breath, and started again.

"I was wondering if you would take me as your apprentice," he said, and he forced himself to maintain eye contact with the other man.

The man stared at him for a moment, then a broad smile split his face in two. "I've been waiting for this moment since you made that dagger 6 months ago!" he bellowed, "I was almost afraid you wouldn't come anymore!"

Hiccup breathed a big sigh of relief. He had taken the first step. In his opinion that was also the hardest, because he didn't expect to three tests to be too hard.

"Before I can accept you as my apprentice, you have to perform three tests," the smith said as he turned to the furnace.

"I know," Hiccup said quickly, "Wrenlou told me about that."

"Ah... but are you ready for the challenge?" the man said with a smile, "I must warn you, these tests are no childsplay. They will be hard, potentially dangerous, possibly fatal... if you're not careful." He poked a hot fire poker in Hiccup's direction. "Are you sure you are ready for it?"

Hiccup nodded. "I'm sure. Just... tell me what to do and I'll do it. Do I have to make something? A sword? I can do that."

The man started laughing and put the fire poker aside. "Slow down, slow down," he said, wiping his hands on his apron, "it won't be that easy. Come here, sit down. I will tell you about the first test."

Hiccup took a deep breath and sat down in the chair the man pointed to. The smith went to a small cabinet and opened it. He pulled out a small chest that he took over to Hiccup. When he sat down on the other chair that was there, he set the chest on his knees, and looked at the boy in front of him.

"In here," he started and he placed his hand on the chest, "is the first test. Many consider it t be the hardest, and I must tell you, many have failed. So before I open this, I must as you, are you sure you are ready for this?"

Hiccup looked at the small chest. It didn't look like much. Just a small chest made from dark oak, or something similar. It had a copper lock, at least it looked that way. The metal bands around it looked old and worn. The entire chest looked old and worn. The wood had chipped and been repaired in some places, he even saw some burn marks on it. He bit his lip. One part of him was screaming to give up, to go somewhere else, find another profession, but the other part was telling him to go on, to do this, succeed with these tests, and do what other had failed to do.

"I have to do this," he said, "not just for an apprenticeship, but for myself."

"Hiccup, you don't have to prove anything," the man said softly.

"Yes I do," Hiccup said, "I have to. All my life people have told me that I can't do things, that I'm a wimp, that I'll never be a real Viking. Maybe I won't be a Viking, I don't even want to be anymore, but I have to do this. I'm not a wimp..."

"Nobody is accusing you of being a wimp Hiccup," the man said, "listen, we know what you can do, we've all seen it when you went back into those tunnels and trained a dangerous dragon and saved all of Dragoncity. We know you're not a wimp. We know you're capable of many great things. You don't have to prove yourself to us anymore."

"But I have to convince myself," Hiccup said, "because even now I can still hear their voices, mocking me, telling me I can't do anything right. I have to do this, so I can silence those voices. So I can take control of my life and go my own way. I am ready, and I'm not afraid. I won't fail."

"Alright," the man said and he pulled a key from a pocket in his apron, "what I'm about to show you is something that has been passed down from blacksmith to blacksmith for many generations. If you succeed, and you become the blacksmith, this will belong to you. It is valuable, and precious to our trade. Not many people have seen this, and I must ask you to not discuss this with anyone. Not even Wrenlou. Do you understand?"

Hiccup nodded. He moved closer to the edge of his seat as the smith turned the key in the lock, and the lock opened with a metallic click. Before he lifted the lid the smith tucked the key back into the pocket it had come from. Then he looked at Hiccup, and opened the chest. The outside may have looked like it had passed through many hands, but the inside was a completely different story. The chest was lined with what seemed to be red velvet, that still shone like it was new. There was just one single item in the chest. A rolled up piece of parchment, and it looked as old as the box itself. He watched hos the smith took it out, closed the chest and placed it on the table.

"This," the man started, "is a map. But it's not just any map. It's a map to an island not too far away from here. And on that island, that's where your first test awaits."

"What is it?" Hiccup asked, "the first test?"

The smith smiled. "On this island a rare kind of metal can be found. It is the strongest, most durable kind of metal there is, but it is so rare that it's only used for the weapons of the highest ranking officers of the Guard. Ezra has a sword made with this metal, and it's one of few weapons ever made from this material. In fact, it's so rare that not few blacksmiths have ever worked with it. I myself only worked with it once, and that was when I was an apprentice."

"I need to go get some..." Hiccup said softly, "right?"

"Yes. Your first test is to go to this island, and bring me some of this metal. A good amount, a sizable chunk, not a little sliver. It will be dangerous, no one has been to that island since... well... since I was doing the tests, which is now... 25 years ago I think. I will be honest with you Hiccup, I don't know what you'll find there, I don't know what dangers await. Do you still want to go through with this?"

Hiccup nodded. "I do. I want to do this."

"Alright then," the man said, "then I want you to go to your room, collect some clothes, a bedroll and enough supplies to last you at least a week. This won't be done in a day. In fact, there's a reason you have a week to complete this test. Since this metal is so rare, it's very hard to find."

"So I have a week to complete the test and find the metal?" Hiccup asked, "I better tell Wrenlou I'll be gone for a while..."

"NO!" the smith practically yelled, "you will not tell anyone where you are going. You are going to your room, gather your supplies and come straight back here, do you understand? You will not talk to anyone, or say anything."

"O...okay..." Hiccup said, a little startled by the other man's outburst, "no talking to anyone. I get it. Just... get supplies..."

He quickly left the forge. After taking a deep breath, he suddenly realized he hadn't seen Toothless yet, and he sighed. The dragon was probably somewhere playing around with the other dragons, but it made his job a whole lot more difficult. He ran to the plaza, where the dragon was likely to be, since that was where all the Night furies seemed to hang out during the day.

"Toooooothleeeeess!" he called out over the plaza, "where are yooooouuuu!"

The only response he got were other dragons that perked up as soon as they heard his voice, and riders that greeted him with a cheerful "morning Hiccup!", but no Toothless. He stopped walking and looked around the plaza. The Night Furies were piled up, napping in the shade and he quickly spotted Snowflake in the black mass of scales, but he didn't see Toothless. He decided to pack some things first, maybe Toothless would come out then. But just as he was about to cross the plaza to his room, he spotted the green tailfin in another pile of Night Furies.

"Toothless! There you are!" he called as he ran over, "come on Toothless, I need you."

He grabbed the dragon's tail and pulled on it. There was a low grunt from the mountain of Night Furies and Toothless poked his head out. The dragon looked at Hiccup and slipped away from the other dragons. Then he stretched, flexing his claws as he did so, and yawned widely. Hiccup sighed and pulled on Toothless' tail again.

"Come on," he said, trying to get the dragon to follow him, "this is important. It's about my future. I really need you to come with me."

Toothless crooned softly, and allowed Hiccup to jump onto his back. He flew the dragon up to his room, where he quickly packed the things he would need for a week away. An extra tunic, his bedroll and blanket, some other things. He also stuffed his notebook into his bag, just because he was going to an unknown island. Who knew, maybe there were dragons living there. He could take some time to document them. Then again, he had to remember why he was there, so he only took one pencil. He also took an extra, empty bag for the metal. The smith had said a sizable chunk, and he expected it to be heavy, maybe even sharp, so he made sure he took the strongest bag he had.

"Alright Toothless," he said as he fastened the bags to the dragon's saddle, "are you ready bud? This will be quite an adventure I'm sure..."

Toothless crooned again and turned towards the plaza. After Hiccup had jumped onto his back he spread his wings and they flew down to the warm stones.

"I'll just be a minute," Hiccup said, "I need to get some food and water. Wait here okay? Don't go anywhere!"

He ran into the Hall, swiping some bread from the table. He also packed some fish and filled two bottles with water. He stuffed it all in his bag, and just before he left he took a few oranges from the table as well. Then he ran back out, finding Toothless exactly where he had left him. He hopped onto the dragon's back.

"To the forge Toothless! There's no time to lose."

Toothless spread his wings and flew up. It only took him a few seconds to reach the forge and Hiccup jumped off the dragon's back before he had even landed. He ran inside while Toothless landed outside. The smith looked up, and a broad smile spread across his face.

"I'm here," Hiccup said, "I'm ready."

"Not completely," the smith said with a smile, "you need one more thing. Come here."

Hoisting his bag higher onto his shoulder, Hiccup walked around the anvil towards the smith. The man was holding the map in one hand, a small knife in the other.

"You're going to need this," he said, handing him the map, "to find the island. Do not lose it! It is very important to our guild, it may not be lost."

"I will keep it safe," Hiccup said, taking the map and tucking it into his bag. He made sure it couldn't fall out, then he looked back to the smith.

"And you forgot this," the man said, handing him his dagger, "you need to take it. As I said, no one has been to that island in many years. I don't know what dangers are out there."

Hiccup took the dagger, feeling a little stupid that he would have forgotten his only weapon. After he fastened it to his belt, he looked around the forge.

"Won't I need mining tools or something?" he asked, "you know, pickaxe, shovel..."

"You do not," the smith said, "now go. You have a week to complete this task."

"What... what if I can't?" Hiccup asked softly, "what if I fail and don't find the metal?"

The smith sighed. "If you fail to find the metal... then I'm afraid I cannot take you as my apprentice, no matter how good you are. So do not fail Hiccup, I would hate it if you did... You have talent. I want to teach you how to use it. But for that, you need to bring me this metal. So go. Go quickly! You have one week!"

Hiccup nodded and ran towards Toothless. After jumping up on the dragon's back he checked the pedal for the prosthetic, making sure it moved without hitching.

"Be careful Hiccup!" the smith shouted as he flew away, "come back in one piece!"

"I will!" Hiccup shouted back, "and I will bring you the biggest lump of metal you've ever seen!"