Hey, I'm alive again, long time no see. Not too long after RTTE ended I kinda just left the fandom for a bit there and just really got back into Star Wars. Then after a while, I kind of just lost the passion for writing and I didn't intend on coming back. Then I just so happened to rewatch HTTYD 1 again and now we're here.

Then I popped back on Fanfic and I've been lurking around for a few months. In my free time, I've been reading stories (mainly anything Hiccup and Astrid-related). I'm now 100 pages deep on the site, now reading stories from 2017. Knowing how some collections are, not all the good stuff has been found placed into one. As I've browsed I've noticed a lot and I mean a lot of really good stories have gone incomplete. This is something I'd like to avoid.

Let's set a couple of things straight here before we begin. The story for the most part as of publishing this first chapter has a beginning, middle, and end. How we get to each part is still very much up in the air but the outer shell of this story is there. I'm also gonna be real with you for a second here. I don't know if I have enough passion in me to see this all the way through. If I decide I don't want to write it anymore I won't screw with you guys and not tell you guys what the story is. Again the shell is there, the inner workings are what is still being decided. I'm also not gonna lie to you, progress is slow. It might take weeks to churn out a new chapter or it might take months. At the end of the day, I will not rob you of the satisfaction of knowing the end of the story

So without further ado let's talk about this story in a way the summary won't let me. It is another Runaway AU but with a few extra flavorings. Not spoiling anything but this is gonna be a good one. The title is subject to change, you have no idea how hard it was to come up with this one. Also, this is going to be my first M-rated story, mainly for blood, violence, and some pretty graphic descriptions of injuries and bodily harm. I'm also not gonna rule out any lemons but none are in the cards currently. In addition, there are gonna be a lot of historical references, pretty obscure ones, and references to the show Vikings.

"Let's go find your Dad," Astrid excitedly said hoping off of Toothless.

"No, they'll kill Toothless. We need to think about this carefully," Hiccup replied.

"Hiccup we just found what Vikings have been after for hundreds of years and you want to keep it a secret to protect your pet dragon! Are you serious!?"

"Yes."

Astrid was stunned into silence by Hiccup's resolve. There was a pregnant pause between the two, only the sounds of the nightfury drinking from the lake cut through the defining silence.

"Okay," she eventually replied. "So what now?"

There was another pause as the gears in Hiccup's head began to turn. His gaze remained on Astrid as she stared at him, waiting for a response. Hiccup briefly turned to look at his dragon companion. Toothless was also looking at him, waiting for his friend's next move. Sighing Hiccup turned back to Astrid.

"I can't stay here if I'm gonna stop this war, stop that monster, I-I need to do it far from Berk," Hiccup told her with shaky breaths.

"Oh no, you're not gonna leave me with this mess, not after what you showed me," Astrid quickly responded.

Hiccup grabbed the discarded bag from when Astrid first met Toothless.

"What choice do I have, Astrid? I'm dammed if I stay, dammed if I don't. I don't know what to do about that dragon if I leave I buy you time to try and sort things out here," he said while beginning to put his bag onto Toothless's back.

"Hiccup," Astrid hissed.

"They'll postpone the fight to look for me and there is enough evidence here to support that I was killed by a dragon," he continued gesturing to the discarded weapons and shed scales.

"Hiccup! You're going to let your dad think you're dead!? That'll kill him, you can't do that."

"Maybe it'd be better that way. Besides it's not like the village would miss me," he replied crestfallen.

"I'd miss you."

Hiccup's eyes went wide at Astrid's response. The girl was staring at the ground, rubbing her arm as if she was nervous.

"Astrid-"

"What about me, Hiccup?" she asked.

"What do you mean what about you?" Hiccup replied.

"What am I supposed to do Hiccup? I'm the runner-up which means if you can't fight the dragon, I have to. I can't take your place, I don't think I can harm a dragon."

Hiccup smiled "No but I have enough knowledge hidden away in the forge for you to train one."

Astrid stood in stunned silence. Hiccup smiled at her dumbfounded expression before standing up.

"Hiccup I-"

"I have faith in you," he assured her.

Hiccup mounted Toothless and was about to take off before Astrid ran over to him and punched him in the arm.

"What was that for!" he shouted rubbing his arm.

"That's for kidnapping me and leaving me," she quickly responded.

Toothless snorted and Astird couldn't help but smile at the Dragon. She looked back up at his ridder and grabbed him by the collar before pulling him close, pressing her lips onto his cheek.

"That was for everything else," she sheepishly said, quickly pulling away from him.

Astrid watched as the young man's shock turned into a sheepish smile as he looked towards the ground. She couldn't help but flash her sheepish smile in his direction. Astrid clasped his left hand into hers and looked into his eyes.

"Just promise me you'll stay in contact, just so I know you're safe. I don't care how you do it but do it for me please.," she asked him.

Emerald met ocean blue and Hiccup nodded.

"I promise," he replied.

Astrid smiled and backed away knowing to keep enough distance so the rider could take off.

"I'll end this war, Astrid. I don't know how but I'll end this," Hiccup added.

Toothless let out a mighty roar before they took off and all Astrid could do was watch the pair disappear into the night sky. She felt tears pricking at her eyes but Astrid quickly blinked them away. She couldn't, wouldn't, cry over Hiccup especially since he was leaving berk behind, leaving her behind. Yet why did she feel jealous that Hiccup was free, free of an island that wouldn't understand, free of the past seven years of bullying and disrespect?

Astrid walked out of the forest and towards the great hall, the chief probably celebrating his son's triumph in the arena. Before she pushed open the massive doors, Astrid ran her hands through her hair, messing it up a bit more than Toothless already had. Astrid was never good at acting since it was just lying with style and Hoffersons don't lie. Hiccup put his faith in her, Astrid didn't know why but that gave her all the confidence she needed.

"For Hiccup," she told herself.

She put on the most frantic face Astrid could muster and charged through the doors. Astrid spotted Stoick by the fire pit and rushed over to him.

"Chief!" she shouted.

Stoick the Vast turned to face her, towering over the young Viking teen.

"What's the matter Astrid, it looks like you've gone and wrestled a Thunderdrum," he laughed.

"Hiccup," she simply said.

"What?" Stoick question.

"Dragon… Hiccup…" Astrid replied in between breaths

Stoick's expression quickly changed from one of joy to concern.

"Gobber I need you to gather some of our best men, Hiccup is in trouble," The chief told the man behind him.

"Aye," Gobber replied.

Stoick planted a hand on Astrid's shoulder.

"Where?"

The band of warriors barged their way into the cove, Stoick's shoulder checking the shield wedged into the rock cut. Stoick scanned the cove for any signs of life, dragon, or human.

"Hiccup!" he shouted.

Stoick walked further in, hammer and shield at the ready. Behind him Gobber and the rest also carefully filled in, forming a small shield wall. Gobber also began looking around the cove, claw marks carved into the ground and part of the rock wall but not of any dragon he recognized. Stoick saw something shimmer on the ground, bending down he picked up a jet-black dragon scale.

"Gobber!" he shouted.

Gobber hobbled over to the chief and was handed the scale in his friend's hand.

"What is it from?" Stoick asked.

The blacksmith eyed the scale carefully, he didn't know of any dragon besides the whispering death to have black scales but the claw marks didn't match. Aside from that the only other dragon he could think of was…

"Well?" Stoick pressured.

"I… I don't think you want ta hear this," Gobber responded.

"What dragon?"

"Night Fury," Gobber replied his voice just above a whisper.

Gobber watched as Stoick's expression broke.

"HICCUP!" the chief yelled, fear laced in his voice.

"HICCUP!" he shouted again.

"Stoick," the chief's brother Spitelout interjected.

Stoick turned to face him and his heart dropped. In Spitelout's hand was a dagger, the hilt had H.H.H. marked on the side. With a shaky hand, Stoick grabbed the dagger out of his hand and stared at it. As the band of warriors continued to search, more and more belongings of Hiccup began to surface. Ivar Hoffereson walked up to Stoick and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Found some burned ground, blood nearby. I'm sorry Stoick," Ivar told him.

Stoick eyes never left the dagger, tears beginning to form in his eyes.

"Hiccup," Stoick whispered stroking the blade.

The news of Hiccup's disappearance spread quickly upon the group's return to Berk. The village would have celebrated if this had happened just a few weeks earlier. However, the village's best dragon-fighting warrior was either taken or killed by a dragon.

A few days had passed since the dreadful night, and Astrid found herself wandering around Berk trying to convince herself that it was all for the greater good. Since returning, the chief had remained indoors, which was understandable. Even Snotlout was grieving for Hiccup, which surprised everyone. Astrid though couldn't shake the guilt bubbling inside her.

As she passed by the forge, Astrid heard the sound of a hammer hitting metal and saw that the building was brightly lit. Normally, she would just leave her axe at the counter and let Gobber handle it, but today was different. Hiccup's words kept echoing in her mind and she knew she had to find his journal.

Astrid walked into the forge and saw Gobber hammering away at a weapon. Since Hiccup's "death," Gobber's demeanor had changed. He hardly talked anymore and when he did his voice lacked the cheer it used to have. Gobber had buried himself in his work and no one could blame him.

Sighing, Astrid knocked on the wooden beam at the entrance of the forge.

"Bucket, I swear ta Odin that's you again I'll take tha bucket off yer head and shove it up yer-" Gobber shouted turning around only to find Astrid standing there.

"Oh Astrid, thought you were-" Gobber started.

"Bucket yeah I gathered that," Astrid interjected.

"What can I do for ye lass?"

"I don't know to be honest, I guess I just wanted to check up on you," she answered.

"Oh, that's kind of you lass to check up on ol' Gobber. Thought you didn't care for much aside from the lust of battle," Gobber responded with a small smile.

"Oh," Astrid simply responded.

"Ah, I'm only messin' with you, lass. How have you been, ye haven't said too much since, you know…" Gobber trailed off.

"I've been alright, just been thinking about him a lot recently," she answered truthfully.

"Aye so haven't I. I miss the lad, always tried ta prove himself in front of all ye," Gobber said returning to his work. "He always wanted to be something more, wanted ta join you teens on the fire brigade but was never given the chance. His inventions were always out there but when he was needed, 'iccup was very capable in the shop." he continued.

Astrid nodded, turning her gaze to the ground.

"He made yer axe you know," Gobber added as he lifted a white hot blade from the fire.

"He did?" Astrid asked.

"Oh yeah, I remember the day well. Your father wanted ye ta have one for yer tenth birthday. 'Iccup always looked up to ye, asked me if he could try making the axe. I thought there would have been no harm done in letting the boy try."

Astrid grabbed the weapon in question off of her back and began looking at the blade.

"I had gathered all the materials needed just in case he messed up or gave up but when he lowered the axe head on the hilt, 'Iccup created one of the finest looking weapons I'd ever seen. When Ivar came back for it, he couldn't believe the boy made the axe. Since then he had a hand in making and reforging all weapons on Berk. I'm willing ta bet half the weapons on this island have been worked on by him."

Astrid's eyes scanned the hilt and etched into the wood were Hiccup's initials. Regret replaced the guilt she was feeling earlier. If only she had known what Hiccup was truly like, they could have been the greatest of friends. She hated herself so much for allowing Hiccup to go through the torment he did.

"He had a crush on ye," Gobber said bringing Astrid out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" Astrid replied.

"Yeah, he was head over heels for ya, like a lovesick puppy. Though he thought he never stood a chance not with Snotlout around trying to win ya heart."

'Oh Hiccup' Astrid thought, looking back down at the ground again.

"I bet it broke his heart when ye started getting nasty with him towards the end of dragon training," Gobber continued. "But ye tried to save his life in the end, for tha at least I am thankful."

Astrid's eyes wandered to the back of the forge. Gobber seemed to follow her gaze and sighed.

"That's 'Iccup's old study. I can't bring myself ta go back there, it'd bring up too many memories."

"Do you think I could go back there," Astrid asked.

Gobber thought for a moment before nodding. "Aye, just please don't touch anything."

"Of course," answered Astrid.

Gobber resumed his work as Astrid made her way to the door. Once she opened the door Astrid was met with a desk with papers strewn about. Her eyes scanned the desk, looking for anything that resembled a book but all she could find were blueprints. Some were designs for weapons while others were buildings but that's not what Astrid was after. Astrid couldn't help but admire the boy's talent at drawing though. Each stroke of his pencil was done meticulously to the point where she had to wonder how many times he'd drawn these designs.

Astrid shook her head and focused back on the task at hand. She carefully began lifting papers attempting to find his journal, trying not to disturb them too much. As she shifted one of the papers something caught her eye. Grabbing the parchment, Astrid's eyes widened as she stared back at herself. Her counterpart looked fierce, leaning on her axe with a small smile. Behind her was the nadder in the arena standing proudly as if the two were the same. The one thing that struck Astrid was how beautiful she looked.

The picture made Astrid's heart flutter. Gobber's words echoed in her head, 'He had a crush on ye.' Without hesitation, she folded the paper and tucked it into her tunic. Once it was safely away Astrid's search continued. Her eyes moved away from the top of the desk to below. If she were Hiccup a book like that wouldn't be out in the open for anyone to see. As she crouched below the desk, Astrid spotted a small chest tucked into a dark corner. Astrid pulled it out from its hiding spot and set it on top of the desk.

Thankfully it wasn't locked allowing for ease of access. The box opened with a small creek revealing a book bound with leather. As Astrid picked it up, she could make out the runes 'Property of Hiccup Haddock the Third'. Astrid quickly unbound the book and opened it. She breathed a huge sigh of relief when the first image she was greeted with was one of a nightfury. It was crude, with the bottom left tail fan appearing to be smudged and then redrawn. This had to be the book that Hiccup wanted her to find. Astrid quickly closed the book and placed the now empty chest back where she found it. Once it was tucked away, Astrid grabbed Hiccup's journal and made her way back out to the forge.

"I didn't know Hiccup could draw so well," Astrid told the blacksmith.

"Aye, he was something else," Gobber replied with a sad smile.

Guilt began to creep up on Astrid at his response. She wished Gobber could know the truth about his apprentice but a small voice in the back of her head told her it was for the best. Astrid simply nodded at the man before turning to leave.

"Thank you Gobber, for everything," Astrid said as she made her way to the exit.

"No problem Astrid. Please visit me more often, I could use the company."

That stopped Astrid in her tracks. The shieldmaiden turned to face the blacksmith and gave him a small smile. "Of course Gobber," Astrid replied which caused Gobber to brighten somewhat.

"Thank ye lass, now get along with ya don't let ol' Gobber keep ya held up." With that Gobber returned to his work once again. Astrid gave the blacksmith another small smile before she briskly made her way back home.

Darkness fell over Berk once again and the night watches began to make their nightly patrols. Astrid watched from her window as the torches danced around the streets of Berk. Her focus wasn't on the Vikings on patrol but rather on the sky above them. Astrid silently hoped that she could make out a black speck blocking the stars bringing home the young boy that had left her a few days ago. She yearned to be up there with him, flying to the world's end and attempting to figure out a way to defeat the dragon queen. For the first time, Astrid felt trapped.

Sighing, Astrid turned away from her window and made her way over to the small table in her room. Next to the candle that illuminated her room rested Hiccup's journal. If Astrid was gonna join Hiccup in his quest, save Berk, and change the world's views on dragons, she had to learn from the best source. Astrid sat down and opened the book turning past the crude drawing of Toothless. Her lips curled into a smile as she began to read the words inscribed on the page.

So… How are we feeling about this so far? Good? Great? Hated it? It doesn't matter let me know. Until next time...