We don't own any of the OG characters, that credit goes to C. Cowell and DreamWorks.
Hiccup slowly moved toward the hole in the wall.
It was small, but he could most likely squeeze through. He looked over into toothless's green eyes and put a finger in front of his mouth, indicating to be quiet. The boy tried to look through the opening, but couldn't see anything.
"Okay. I'll go in, you stay here." The dragon grumbled in disagreement.
"I know, I know. But whoever is on the other side, could be able to help us and might be scared of you. Besides we know you can't fit through and blasting our way in isn't an option," Hiccup whispered.
The dragon nodded in agreement, but looked a bit miffed. Toothless then moved to stand directly under the crack and Hiccup smiled. He proceeded to step on the dragon's back and, with some struggle, climbed through the hole.
The boy landed on his feet and dusted himself was warm inside. And quiet. There was a sense of mystery in the room. Really it was a cave but quite a big one.
Hiccup turned his head to the wall to give Toothless the OK, but only seconds after he'd turned his back, the boy found himself trapped.
A small knife had come right out of nowhere and pinned him to a very uncomfortable wall.
What the fuck just happened? he asked himself as his mind was stinging with pounding heartbeats.
Hiccup finally recovered from the shock and looked in the direction of his left hand. The sharp blade hadn't hit flesh or bone but that was conceivably the smallest problem at the time.
He scanned the room with sharp precision in a matter of seconds. The cave seemed organized and comfortable, but there was a corner that wasn't lit by the warm fire.
Bingo, Hiccup thought.
"Don't move, or next time I won't miss," a strong voice said. It was a girl. And despite her tough demeanor, Hiccup heard the fear in her words.
Or at least he thought he did. Instinctively, he took a step forward and opened his mouth to explain, but he was hit by another knife in the other sleeve.
"I'm not going to hurt you! I just need a place to hide away from the storm!" Hiccup exclaimed. He caught a glimpse of a small delicate hand, holding a shiny knife between its fingers.
Hiccup's eyes wandered up the arm and landed on her face. She'd stepped out of the shadows. The all black mask she was wearing allowed only two tiny slits in it, enabling her to see.
Hiccup stared into them. The eyes. So familiar, they were a beautiful green color and they glared back at him.
"You have really pretty eyes," were the words that shot out of his mouth. He'd made her uncomfortable and she was confused but mostly scared.
Though he really didn't mean anything by it, she had no idea what he meant. It was merely an observation that came out as a creepy remark.
He noticed a color not united with the all black outfit. Otherwise, she was wearing a short black dress with a hood and long tight black pants underneath, as well as some fur boots ending at her ankles.
But the thing that caught the boy's attention most was the teal cape that extended to her knees and was sealed in the front with a silver pin. The most unusual silver pin. So detailed and interesting. He'd never seen anything like it.
Next thing, a white dragon's tail wraps around the girl's feet and only then does he realize the big bright eyes staring at him from the shadows, the pupils narrow and menacing.
"Is that your dragon?" he asked sincerely. No answer.
"Look, I'm not here to hurt you and we just need a place to hide from the storm," Hiccup explained. The girl's eyes narrowed and stared untrustingly into his.
"We?" she asked suspiciously.
"Me and my dragon," he shot out trying to seem as trustworthy as possible but she was still on the fence.
"You have a dragon?" she asked him.
"Yes. A Night Fury," he answered, disclosing as much as needed to gain her trust.
"Why were you out here anyway?" her eyes looked down but her voice was strong.
"It's a long story," he answered calmly. She doesn't respond.
Hiccup looks to his right, where he sees a stove with food. As if on cue his stomach growls, reminding him when he'd last eaten. Rena's eyes follow his to see what he's taken an interest in.
"Do you want some food?" She asks and his head snaps back to her in surprise. Slowly he nods his head in agreement.
She silently plops down to the ground and bites into her food. He waits in a, what he would call patient manner.
After about 50 seconds he sighs. "Look, i don't know if you've ever held a hostage before, but they're usually much better hosts." He remarks, letting sarcasm flow into his voice.
She raises her head, and eyes the knives in his sleeves, that she, in the meantime, already forgot about. Her eyes met Hope's on her left, and the dragon stood up, walked over and gently removed the knives from Hiccup's sleeves.
After that the orchidian brought the knives back to Rena and laid down in her previous position. Sheleft her them at her side making sure Hiccup knows he isn't completely trusted yet. Rena pushes a plate filled with food towards Hiccup who accepts it and mutters a quiet "thanks."
He sits down opposite her, while still at a 2m distance (about 6'6"). Hiccup starts devouring the food in front of him, and soon notices its delicious yet unfamiliar taste, but blames it on the hunger surging through him.
He felt a stare on him and looked over at the girl opposite him, who was looking at him weirdly. He slowed down feeling sheepish. The awkward moment passes quickly and they both continue to eat in silence.
Eventually Hiccup speaks up. "I'm Hiccup, by the way." He introduces himself.
The girl's dragon fakes hiccups and cackles quietly. Hiccup's lips tug upward at the joke, then looks into those green eyes expectantly.
"I'm Re— Rebecca," she almost disclosed. "And this is my dragon, Faith." She lied swiftly.
"That's an unusual name," he commented shortly.
"Yeah, and Hiccup is sooo traditional" she added sarcastically, but ever so warilly.
"Well, it's nice to meet you. You know, now that I'm not trapped on the wall by knives that flew at me from the other side of the room." Rena looked down as she didn't know how to respond.
Her reaction had been rash, but it was basic safety and self defense. How could she have known he was sane? Hiccup continues eating, now a lot less tense.
"This is really good. What is it?" He asks, genuinely curious. He had never eaten anything like it. It was meat, a kind he had never eaten before, it was seasoned, with spices just as unfamiliar as the meat.
"It's just a little something I got at the southern market." She answers. "And thank you." She smiles under her mask.
"Wait, southern markets? What do you mean by that?"
Rena frowned. "You've never been?"
He shook his head, but was in reality nearly jumping up and down from joy. He knew there was more to the world, and he had just found the key to it.
"It's a huge market way down south, outside this archipelago. They sell things from all of the northern islands and the most southern parts of the continent." She explained.
"The continent? Wow. Where is it?" He asked, trying to keep his excitement under control, despite not knowing what exactly a 'continent' was.
It sounded fascinating and new. It sounded very Hiccup.
"You just need to continue flying south from here for about four days, if you fly for about 7 hours a day. It's pretty big, so you should be able to find it." She explains.
He nods in thanks.
"You know, you still haven't answered my question." She challenged.
"What question?" He inquired
"What brought you out here?" She narrowed her eyes slightly, finally remembering that this boy she was talking to was a complete stranger.
"Like I said, it's a long story." He tries to avoid the topic of his father, since that was the very thing he was running from.
"I've got time." The girl didn't let go.
"I had a big argument with my dad." He finally lets out.
She gestures for him to continue.
"He's just really stubborn. And he's really hard on me sometimes. Always comparing me to anyone better than me in any aspect he can find. Today he fucking compared me to my girlfriend, asking why i couldn't be more like her. And I love Astrid, I really do, but it gets annoying. Always being second best to her." Hiccup felt a weight lifted from his shoulders when he finished.
"And it's not like she's making it any better. But it's whatever. Just a bad day I guess. There isn't anyone I can really talk about this stuff with except Toothless and the sky, so I just wanted to get away."
Now, he was frowning, memories of the past few hours flashing at a rapid pace in his mind. Rena understood his frustration.
It made sense, and it was the first time she met someone who felt being up in the air the same way she did. It was their escape.
"I get it, you know. The family problem. I've been living on my own for a year, and haven't seen my mother since I left. We never really got along. While I wanted to explore, see the world and meet new people, she was all about dragons, dragons and more dragons. I never got to do what I wanted. Since H- Faith and I left it's been easier. Free of all responsibilities, just me, her and the white clouds." She sighed in content.
"Wow, that felt really good. Saying it, I mean. I've been thinking about it for so long, but hearing it out loud is just different." She chuckled.
"That sounds kind of amazing. Being free like you. But I guess being on your own gets lonely." Hiccup remarked thinking about his friends back home.
"Not really. The only friend I've ever had was my dragon. My mom wasn't really around enough for me to feel the absence when we were finally gone." She detailed.
"Oh. I grew up with people around me constantly. At first everyone hated me as well as dragons, especially Astrid. But we grew together, and eventually everyone realized dragons are good. And now everyone has their own, and I consider them all my friends. I could never get where I did on my own. I got lucky that way." He finished.
"What are they like?" She asked, feeling herself relax and lean back on Hope.
Hiccup smiled. "Well there's the Twins, and Snotlout, they're muttonheads, but are also pretty great. In a creepy, kinda disgusting way. They're all for pranks but are.. less intelligent if I dare say so myself." Rena let out a laugh, surprising herself and him.
"Then there's Fishlegs. He's my best friend, right after my dragon. He's scared of almost everything, but is also one of the bravest people I know, because he always fights his fears when the people he loves are in danger. He's also a bit of a dragon nerd." He pauses, and Rena is watching him with anticipation, waiting for him to go on. "And then, of course there's Astrid. She's… amazing. The best really. She was the best dragon fighter back when we were kids, and she's one of the best dragon riders now. She's smart, and fearless, and determined, but at the same time caring and kind. I think she would like you. Especially that knife throw." He chuckled a dry chuckle.
"I'm sure I would like her too." Rena whispered, her yearning for a friend doubling.
"Yeah, you would. Everyone does." He was smiling sadly now.
"So is your dragon out flying?" She asked, trying to lift his mood. Unfortunately the question had the opposite effect.
"Actually.." Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"He can't fly on his own. Half of his tail was cut off about three years ago. He has a spare I built for him, but the storm caught up with us, and since the tail is metal, lightning struck it. That's why we crashed. I have metal replacements, but I forgot the material for it. But it's fine, I'll figure something out." Hiccup looked into her eyes nervously. They were staring at the fire, trying to solve the riddle he'd placed.
"How did it happen?" she wondered sympathetically, her eyes slowly meeting his.
"Well…" he chuckled anxiously. "I…sort of…shot him.. down," he gradually revealed and when he noticed the drawback of her body language, daring him to explain, he shot out
"But it's ok! He got me back!" and pointed to his metal leg attachment.
"And if it hadn't been for my stubbornness, we never would've become the island utopia for dragons," Hiccup sighed in satisfaction as he'd finally admitted it.
Rebecca softened again thinking about how much worse the stories of the brutal vikings had been. The very ones her mother told her about before she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
She always said they were based on true tales of her fellow vikings, and some even of Rena's father. At least this boy's island seemed to have found their way and true peace of living. It's been some moments since they've finished eating and it felt like an appropriate time to get some rest.
No more lightning illuminating the entrance to the cave, no more thunder making them jump from their seats. Hiccup was very tired and she gave him a warm blanket that she took from home before she left.
"Good night," he mumbled, half asleep and tucked tightly into the corner for support.
"Night," Rena answered and waited for his breathing to slow to a soft grumble every five seconds or so, before she locked eyes with her dragon.
You think he's trustworthy? her eyes moved from him to Hope rapidly. The dragon muttered and tilted her head from side to side slowly, telling Rena many things.
To the average observer, it might seem like Hope, or Faith, was just unsure. Hesitant. Distrustful. When, really, she was saying much more.
See, the muttering meant, He's a stranger and even if he seems nice, it might be a lie. The tilting of the head though: You used too much oregano on the rabbit.
"I know, I know, but you know I have an unsteady hand," she whispered, almost mouthing the words. Their collective cackling awoke a loud snore from the pile of warm animal furs in the corner.
Holding their breath, then letting it out, they barely held back more giggles. But, with them having a long trip the next day, it seemed right to at least try to fall asleep.
Rena lied down under Hope's wing, placing her head on the dragon's warm belly and almost immediately going into deep sleep.
Hope stayed awake for a little longer, pretending to sleep just to see if the strange boy would wake up and try to kill her rider and only friend. But no luck. So, after a while, she too fell asleep.
The only last thing worth mentioning, were the big eyes glaring through the Hiccup sized hole in the knife grazed wall and when Toothless made sure his rider and best friend was ok, he closed his eyes and drifted off into dreamy land.
Hiccup POV
It was extremely bright when he opened his tired eyes. Hiccup could barely make out the room but he remembered his encounter with the strange and mysterious dragon rider well.
His legs almost gave in when they supported his weight for the first time in hours. When he was upright, the view of the cave was very clear due to the beautiful morning light shining thinly through the entrance and a little further through some corridors.
Hiccup looked at the place where there'd clearly been a dragon. He could tell by the scorched floor in the shape of a circle.
Honestly, he wasn't surprised. But the surprise was, that she'd forgotten her gorgeously teal cape. It was just lying on the floor, in the dust. Hiccup moved closer and saw there was a note, written with coal on a yellow, slightly singed piece of paper.
Picking it up, he read it out loud.
"Hope you get home safe."
Such a short letter, but it said so much more than anything he'd read in an eternally long time. Home. Where was that. Well, obviously, Berk. They say home is wherever you have your saddle, but Toothless' saddle came with him, exploring beyond.
Farther than vikings have thought until now. Maybe it was time he went home. To his home. And it wasn't Berk. But where was it then?
Perhaps it was time to find out.
