AN: So yeah, I'm alive and back. The worst at school is over now there are the holidays and I plan on writing a lot! But…yeah, here comes the great but! But I'm going on holiday with my father. We're flying to Crete and will be there for probably a little over a week. I won't take my PC along so I will have to write like old fashion on paper Anyway. There is a lot to come and now, finally, we're getting to the interesting people.

I was asked for pairings and I'll be honest, it's sadly damn obvious. Or will be in a few chapters.

On Berk its all clear I guess and Hiccup and Kate are going to travel now for the next nation.

This chapter is for Ninjago123

Have fun reading!

Chapter Thirty-Two: A bad case of rash

Hiccup woke up the usual way. Being kicked in the ribs and having Kate shouting: "Rise and shine you lazy daisy." at him in her always cheery morning voice.

He groaned and rolled around. "No." He cracked his eyes open a little bit. "The sun hasn't even come out fully!"

There was a not so soft kick into his butt.

"Maybe. But you are getting up, because you have some things to explain! Or I continue kicking." "I'm sure Toothless wouldn't let you do that forever."

He didn't need to look at Kate to know her eyebrow was creased into "The-eyebrow-of-doom"-way.

"You really wanna bet on that?" She asked.

Hiccup sighed. She was right. Whatever he'd done wrong this time that made her wanna kick his butt, Toothless would probably side with her.

He liked her. A lot! And he was a dragon!

"Okay okay, I'm up and awake!" he groaned and got slowly to his feet.

A light breeze was playing with his hair that again started to grow longer.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and turned around face Kate.

"Okay Kate, whatever I did this time, I swear I didn't…" he stopped halfway through the sentence when he looked at her.

Kate looked rather normal. On the first look.

She was a morning person so she was already dressed in tight dark green trousers, a white shirt and a black sash tightly wrapped around her waist and a matching green fur-waistcoat. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she had her two curved hunting knifes stuck in her sash.

But then he noticed the reddish tone of her skin.

It was everywhere. On her neck, her face, her arms and hands, hell, probably on other parts of her body too!

"You said those berries were okay to eat!" she hissed while scratching her arms and neck.

And sadly he did the worst thing he could do. He started laughing.

Her eyes narrowed down dangerously.

"I'm serious Haddock! This is not funny!" Hiccup gasped for air. "I'm sorry." He tried to say before he looked back at her again and again broke out into loud laughter.

"Nice to see that my discomfort is so amusing for you!" He grinned at her. "Be careful, your royal side his hanging through again." He warned, still grinning. Kate huffed indignantly and continued scratching.

Hiccup took pity in her. He sighed, his sides aching from his laughing fit. "Stop scratching, it's gonna make it worse." She didn't look happy.

"I don't need your help." "Yes you do. We passed a village yesterday. I can fly there in no time and look for a physician or healer that can help me with that." He pointed at the red rash. She sighed. "Okay." "I'll take Nightlight if you don't mind. She's not as unusual as Toothless." "Yeah, sure."

Hiccup jumped on the dragons back. "By the way. It wasn't the berries you ate that gave you that." He said, grinning like a madman. "It was the poisonous ivy you slept in."

Kate looked at her sleeping place. He was right. There was the green plant all around her bed.

She turned back to him, anger making her head even redder.

"And why in god's name wouldn't you tell me that earlier?" He grinned. "Because it's fun!" With that he gave Nightlight the signal to fly.

"I hate you!" Kate screeched and raised her fists.

Only his laughter reached her ears.

"Nightlight! Make sure he accidently falls into the biggest mud-hole you can find or the coldest lake!" she called after her dragon.

The village was small but had a good physician. Hiccup explained his 'sisters' problem to him and the old man chuckled before he gave him a small tube and a little pot with salve and the instruction to put the salve two times the day thin on the rash and chew one of the leaves with every meal and the rash should disappear in a few days.

"A few days?" Kate screeched. "Relax. It's not like you have to be somewhere important or have to dress in some fancy cloth!" Hiccup said, slightly irritated by her outburst.

She glared hard at him.

"That's your entire fault." She declared before she grabbed the tube and disappeared behind some boulders.

He sighed. Girls had no sense of humor.

Flying that night was a quiet business. Kate hadn't said a word since he'd returned with the salve and the herbs.

She sat on Nightlights back, starring ahead into the starlit sky.

Hiccup sighed and steered Toothless so they flew wing to wing.

"Kate?" She ignored him. "Come one Kate, listen to what I have to say." She starred ahead. "Please, then let's have it your way." He growled and steered Toothless away again.

The next morning came pretty fast and with the first sunrays, they spotted the sea gate between Derandolia and their next goal, the nation of Baratellum.

As far as Hiccup knew from what Kate had told him Baratellum was not at best terms with dragons but they didn't despise them or hunt them down.

But there were other problems with them.

And Hiccup was about to find out what exactly.

"We're not near any big city. The capital was built on the farthest point north of the land and we're in the very west. With a little bit of luck we can make it there before nightfall." Kate said quietly.

Hiccup stretched his stiff and arching limbs.

"Well that sounds good…" "I wasn't finished." He looked at her. "I meant nightfall by horse, not dragon. The dragons have to follow us but we can't be seen with them. The people here may not hunt dragons but that doesn't mean they won't kill them, if they feel threatened by them. And we're both strangers to them." Hiccup nodded. "Okay, so what do you suggest?" "Get two horses and ask someone for the way." Hiccup pulled a face. "I thought you knew the way." "Do I look like a walking dictionary to you?" "No, calm down." He raised his hands in a defensive manner. "Gee, what's wrong with you today?" She just huffed and walked away. "And there goes my second attempt. Thanks for speaking openly with me." He muttered sarcastic before he followed her.

Getting two horses was easier than Hiccup had assumed.

In a small town they found after two hours of walking north, they treated food, money and one of Kate's brooches for two black stallions and simple riding gear.

Finding the right way was a whole different level of trouble.

While Kate insisted that they asked at the next place for the right way, Hiccup was sure that he'd memorized the way the right way.

"Admit it; you have no clue where we are!" Kate groaned. "Yes, I don't know where we are, because I've never been here before but I know that I'm going the way, the man from the stables had told us!" Kate groaned again and pressed her forehead against her stallion's neck. "Why won't men just ask for the way?" "That has nothing to do with not wanting to. We just don't need to." "Sure."

They were riding along a little brook and enjoyed the sunlight falling through the top of the trees, when something moved in the bushes.

Hiccups hand found the Stormblade on its own, and Kate stopped next to him.

"What was that?" she asked with a hint of nervousness in her voice.

Hiccup shrugged. "A deer maybe. Or some bandits. Maybe cannibals? Could be anything." He whispered. Kate was a bit pale.

Then the bushes moved again and out came…

"A rabbit? All this fuss because of a rabbit?" Kate asked angrily. Hiccup laughed. "Why, were you afraid?" Kate straightened. "Of course not. Let's keep moving." Hiccup laughed again. "It's okay to admit that you're afraid. I mean, I'm afraid the whole time practically." She just rolled her eyes. "Yes, because you are you." She just said. "What's that suppose to mean?" he asked. "Nothing." She huffed and put her knifes back.

"No, tell me."

This was their first conversation in a long time. Hiccup didn't intend on giving it up so quickly.

She turned around to tell him something, when again something moved in the brake. Annoyed she turned around and hissed: "Get out of there you stupid mammal before I catch and skin you alive."

Out of the bushes came a very big, very ugly, very angry looking teenager, not much older than him and ten others followed him.

"I'm not a stupid mammal." He said in a raspy voice.

Hiccup was about to say that he was wrong and that he actually was a mammal but looking at the giant clubs they had and the way they surrounded them.

"This is our territory. What are two fledglings like you two doing out here without mommy and daddy?" "Why are you afraid?" Kate asked. Hiccup resisted the urge to do a face-palm. The leader of the teens, Hiccup assumed so, narrowed his eyes down to slits.

"Did I give you permission to speak you ugly witch?"

Again, Hiccup resisted to do a face-palm.

"You called me what, exactly?" Kate asked in a quiet dangerous voice.

Hiccup didn't know why but apparently girls were extremely sensitive about their outer appearance. He once saw Tuffnut asking his sister what was wrong with her hair in if a bird had attack her. In fact, Ruffnut had tried a new look for her long hair.

Tuffnut couldn't leave the house for three whole weeks after they had finally managed with three men to get Ruffnut of her brother.

Kate seemed to be no exception. Hiccup remembered how furious she was when he laughed about her rash. He' realized that it was more than him tricking her. It was also about her looking ridiculous.

"Why, do you have tomatoes on your ears or what? They would suit the color of your skin." The guy asked gloatingly.

The other boys snickered.

"It's a rash!" Kate hissed.

"Not that you'd look any better without it."

They weren't snickering anymore when Kate jumped from her horse on their leader, knifes drawn and hissing like a cat.

Her knifes cut through the boys cloth, but they didn't seem to hurt his skin much.

They recovered from their shock and the boy grabbed Kate in the neck, tossed her knifes away and held her in front of him, examining her.

"You might be pretty but seriously, where you born this ugly? Your parents probably disowned you because you were this ugly. You and that scrawny friend of yours on the horse." He sneered.

Hiccup tried to hold his temper. "It's a rash, now stop talking trash!"

These boys were just bullies. They liked demonstrating their strength and intimidate the weak. Thing was, neither Kate nor Hiccup were weak.

Here were two forces clashing together.

Were these normal bandits or bogglers Hiccup would have fought them. But something kept him from just putting his hands on fire and scare those stupid minors.

Their leader was still having his grip on Kate. Hiccup wasn't worried; he knew that Kate was tougher than she looked.

But still they were outnumbered and Hiccup didn't like the idea of hurting or killing these boys. They didn't look like they had a proper home nor parents nor a safe source of food. Hiccup suddenly felt sympathy with the boys. He knew what it was like to stand in the shadows, ignored by everybody else.

"Let her go." He demanded in a steady voice. The boy laughed and his friends joined in. "Yeah. And who are you to tell me?" "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." "You can't be royalty. Look at you, you look like travelers maybe." "Something like that. Now let her go and no harm will be done."

Again there was this sneering laughter. "Yeah right and I'm the princess." The leader rolled with his eyes.

"You seem to forget boy that it is me and my friends that have you surrounded and I have that little ugly friend of yours at hand. It's you who has to listen to us!"

"Stop calling her ugly!" Hiccup snapped before he composed his mask again. "Tell me your name." he said. The guy smirked. "I'm Brutus! And this is my forest." "You're hardly older than I am." Hiccup said with raised eyebrows.

"Your point?" "I just don't feel like answering to you." Hiccup said with raised head.

Brutus smirked. Again. "Well let's see, I'm sure we can change that!"

"Great! Well done Haddock." "You attack him first!" "But I didn't bring us in this situation." "If you hadn't act this harum-scarum, things might would have gone differently." "So you're blaming me again." "I've always been blaming you." "Shut up." "I was about to ask you the same." "Oh safe your smug look, you're in the same position as I am."

He indeed was.

They were hanging by their feet from a tall tree in the boy's camp.

It consisted of some poorly made hoods and tents, a big fireplace, all in the middle of the woods next to a small river stream.

Now in the summer quiet nice. But Hiccup didn't want to know how it would be in winter.

His head hurt from all the blood in it and his feet tingled like they were picked with a hundred small needles.

Next to him, Kate's rash nearly completely disappeared under the red tone of her skin from all the blood in her head.

This probably wasn't very good.

"You alright?" he asked concerned. "Besides the obvious?" "Yes." "Been better." Hiccup grinned. "That's an understatement." He chuckled.

She laughed silently.

"And you?" she asked. "I'm grand. You know, besides the obvious. The ego is maybe a little hurt. I mean being dragged down from your horse by one guy who is only using his right hand while holding you with the other is rather embarrassing." Kate laughed again and unconsciously leaned her head against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you this morning about the rash and everything. And that I lost my temper with the guys. You were right. If I hadn't said that we might not be in this situation." Hiccup laughed softly. "Not quite what you imagined when you dreamed of adventures, is it?" She laughed. "You kidding? That's exactly what I imagined. It's just…I couldn't quite think of how it would actually feel." "Hanging upside down from a tree? Yeah, I can imagine that it's rather difficult to think what it might feel like. Well, I have experience with that by the way. But honestly, you dream of strange things!" Kate laughed again.

"I'm sorry too. I was acting childish and it was a stupid prank. I'm sorry. Are we still friends?" he asked quietly.

Kate laughed and turned her head as far as she could to look him into the eyes. Green met green.

"We never stopped being friends. Let's agree it was both our fault." "Deal."

For a few seconds each of them was quiet.

Then Kate asked. "So, how are we getting out of here?"

"I'm thinking of something." "Think faster my head feel like it's about to explode." "You could help." "I fight. You think. That's how it always was and always will be." "That was deep." "I have my moments."

It was dark by the time the boys had settled down for the night. Only one guard remained but he sat at the fire and was nearly asleep. Actually he was suppose to take them down every once in a while so they wouldn't die. But he didn't seem too concerned about that. He actually looked very much asleep.

"You already had better ideas." "You want to get out of here or do you want to die because of all the blood in your head?"

"I just don't understand why we can't call Toothless and Nightlight to blast these idiots into oblivion!" "Because that would spread word and we would lose our cover. Besides, dragon-friends are not so common and liked. It could ruin our chances." "Okay okay. Stop making sense. Just make sure you make no noise!" Hiccup rolled with his eyes. "Yes your grace!" She shoved him in the shoulder. "No need to call names fishbone."

Hiccup concentrated and willed the flames alive.

"Note to self: Thank Loki again for this ability. This is more than handy." He mumbled to himself. You're welcome. Oh now you decide to show up. Thanks a lot. Hush. Don't ruin the moment Hiccup.

Hiccup just rolled with his eyes.

"New note to self: Kick the god's butt the next time you see him." Surprisingly, there was no answer.

"Who are you talking to?" Kate asked. "No one." I feel offended. Shut it prankster god. Don't you have a war to fight? You seem a bit uptight. We are trapped.

Kate looked at him with one raised eyebrow. "If you're going mental now, I will ask someone else to rescue us." "No, I'm fine."

Again he concentrated and sparks bounced of his skin and a small flame began burning away the ropes that held his hands together behind his back.

"Something smells…burned." Kate realized after a while. "That's me. I'm burning the ropes." He saw her look. "I explain once we're out of here. There are a few things I haven't told you about." "It would appear so."

Hiccup dared the flame to grow bigger and suddenly his aching arms were free. He shook them and sighed in relief.

He tried to rise as far he could with his upper body so he could grab the line that connected his feet with the tree.

He needed tree four tries before got a hold in the rope.

A lot faster now he could burn though the rope now and he was nearly through, when Kate suddenly nudged him and whispered: "Down!" He let himself fall just in time as the guard looked up, still sleepy but Hiccup didn't want to risk anything.

The problem only was that he'd nearly burned the whole rope. His life, literally, hung by a threat.

He didn't dare to move.

The guard still looked at them. And then, to Hiccups great despair he started walking over to them.

He was older than Hiccup, maybe eighteen or so. His hair was blond and he is face was covered in pimples and he smelled like bad eggs. He also looked quite drunk.

He had a knife in his right hand and in the other a club.

He pocked Hiccup in the ribs and hissed: "I…don't like you. You…there is something strange about you…Your aura…it's…different."

He hiccupped.

"Yours and hers too." He pointed at Kate. "The ugly ones."

Kate fought against her bonds. "It's a rash for god's sake!"

Hiccup tried to ignore her and looked at the boy. "I have no clue what you are talking about." He said but his heart skipped a beat.

The guy pinched him in the chest. "You're lying. You…you are up to something." "Me? Naaaawwww! I'm just a little looser." Hiccup said with his most winning smile.

That was the moment the rope decided to snap apart.

Hiccup just in time raised his arms to catch himself before he hit the ground.

There was flabbergasted silence.

The guy narrowed his eyes down. "So that is nothing to you?" "Yes?" Hiccup said before he tackled the guy.

He didn't intend to but he suddenly felt the urge to hit the guy.

He had his hands around the guy's neck and started strangling him.

"I'm sorry but I have no time for this!" he explained calmly while the guy beneath him slowly turned blue and purple.

"But we have a deadline kind of and immature idiots that live in the woods and rob innocent people are just not worth our time. Think about it and look for a better way to use the time that is giving to you."

"Ahem Hiccup, he won't have any time left to spend if you don't stop strangling him." Kate interjected.

Hiccup looked down again. The guy wasn't moving.

"Oh shit." He let go and was relieved to see that he was still breathing.

"Yes, could you cut me down now? I start losing the feeling in my feet!" Ah, sorry. I'm on my way." Within seconds Kate was standing next to him and rubbed her arching limbs.

"We probably should get going." "Not without our things." Hiccup interjected. They may had left most of their stuff with the dragons but Hiccup wanted the horses and his sword back. "Of course. Well, I saw that Brutus guy duping them somewhere over there." Kate said and pointed at one of the poorly made hoods.

Carefully Hiccup opened the door and looked inside. It was pitch-black so he willed his hand to catch fire. Kate sucked in her breath but didn't say anything.

That didn't mean there wouldn't be any questions later.

They were greeted by deep snoring and grunting. Kate gagged. "Charming." She whispered.

Hiccup quickly scanned the hood.

"Over there." He said and pointed at a shelve that stood on the opposite wall.

Their backpacks and weapons laid there.

The problem was: Brutus was sleeping right in front of it.

"Let me get it." Kate said. "I'm a lot more silent and practiced in sneaking than you." Hiccup nodded. "Okay. But when he wakes I will punch his lights out!" he warned. Kate chuckled. "Maybe I'll wake him on purpose then." "Please not." Kate smiled and began moving through the rows of beds over to where Brutus snored.

Carefully she reached over him and grabbed their stuff.

Sadly, Brutus was smarter than he looked.

Kate activated some kind of bobby trap that ended in Brutus opening his eyes abruptly, starring right into Kates.

A moment there was silence.

Hiccup was frozen. Then Brutus yelled: "The prisoners are escaping!"

Only then Hiccup jumped over the beds of slowly waking boys and punched him square in the face.

It didn't knock him out sadly but made him dizzy and shut him up.

"A little late." Kate growled.

Indeed.

The other boys were already up.

"Then there is only one thing we can do." "And that is?" "Run."

Hiccup tossed his left hand towards the wall and a fireball shot from his palm and exploded. He dragged Kate through the hole and they ran for the horses.

Hiccup help Kate on the back of hers before he jumped onto his own.

Behind them the boys stumbled out of the hood, coughing.

Brutus was in front. Blood was tickling down his chin and he looked murderous.

"You'll pay for this! You and your ugly deformed girlfriend, you will pay for this!"

Hiccup pulled hard on his horse's reins.

It swirled around and Hiccup glared at Brutus so cold, the boy flinched slightly. "Don't you dare insult her! You incompetent brainless pieces of horse dung! For the last time! IT'S A RASH! For the god's sake, can you get any denser?"

With that he kicked his horses' sides and he and Kate disappeared in the woods.

AN: Yeah, quite a long chapter. As you can see, a friendship is growing between Hiccup and Kate. She's similar to Astrid I guess but she actually is a whole new and different type of person.

Review please! And favorite if you haven't done that already. Or do anything else nice!