A Runaways Resolve, A Dragon Master's Legacy

A whole new world of possibilities

"So, later" I say, keeping my head down and slowly picking up speed as I try to escape the rapidly escalating situation that is Astrid behind me. "Oh oh, not so fast" Gobber says whilst using his hook for a hand to grab me, hooking onto my fur jacket's shoulder lifting me up and pulling me back, well that's not good, I thought to myself "Uh uh, I'm kind of late for" I started before getting cut off by a double headed axe at my throat "What!?" the walking frustration began, how is she so angry?,I questioned myself before Astrid continued "Late for What, exactly?" she growled out, emphasising the what in her question. I slowly made moves backwards though those were mainly from her pushing the axe against my throat more forcefully every second,come on there has to be a way out anywhere, I thought my eyes darting between the axe and the blonde viking with more anger showing on her face than a rampaging dragon. "Ok! Quiet down! The elder has decided" I heard my father call out though i was still focused on the axe but in a turn of luck I was not expecting Astrid lowered it away from my neck. I backed off rubbing my neck before turning my attention to my dad whilst Astrid continued to glare at me.

Standing just in front of Gobber to his right with Astrid on his other side I waited, hoping that the gods would allow her to be chosen over me but, as I have discovered, the gods seemed to be having fun at my expense as Gobber lifted his hook over Astrid's head just to receive a disapproving gesture from Gothi. I winced as he put his hand over my head as I knew what was next and with a nod and a smile and a roar from the crowd it was decided, I get to kill the dragon. Gobber was overly excited as he exclaimed "You've done it, Hiccup! You get to kill the Dragon!" all the while Astrid glared at me there was a real chance she would burn through my skull. Suddenly Fishlegs from thor know where alongside the other teens appeared in front of me, Fishlegs immediately lifting me onto his shoulder as they and what was probably the entire village cheered me on. "Yeah. Yes. I can't wait. I am soo excited" I spoke out trying to sound enthusiastic as I was carried around.

Only a few minutes later I managed to get off of Fishlegs and I immediately made a break for it heading straight to my home where I almost barricaded myself inside "Leave, that's it, that's what I will do I will make a run for it with Toothless and then in the middle of the night I will come back and open those cages. I disappear and I don't have a dragon being killed on my conscience, a win win." I said in a somewhat exasperated voice as I started to collect things into a bag, spare clothes, my designs and journal, a few charcoal pencils and a dagger and a spare just in case and then I ran back down the stairs having not heard my dad come back yet. "Bread. a plate, a bowl and a cup" I said quietly as I threw a couple bits of bread and the extras in my bag before running back upstairs hiding the bag. "I am going to need to get some fish for Toothless and maybe a couple of my smithing tools but I need to wait for it to get darker or the village to get drunk for that though given my recent dragon training success I don't think that's an issue. For now at least I guess I will write a letter no actually I should make 2, 1 for Gobber and 1 for Dad" I said out loud to no-one but myself when I heard the door open.

"Hiccup!" I heard my dad shout leading me to dropping the pencil I had picked up. "Son! Are you here?" Stoick shouted out as I heard him begin walking up the stairs and thinking it's best for him to not go in my room for now I rushed out to meet him. "Yes! I am here." I said as I came out of my room just to almost walk straight into the vast frame of my father. "What are you doing here, the village is celebrating your achievement at the great hall." He said as he almost stumbled with my sudden appearance. "Yeah, right I will be there soon i just had some things I wanted to do first and to let things die down a little before I joined, you know, give the party a second rush of excitement halfway through, make an entrance kind of thing" I said hoping he wouldn't notice the low levels of enthusiasm in my voice. Stoick immediately laughed out at this "Aha that's my boy, already thinking of ways to please the people. I am proud to call you my son.". I felt pain in my heart as I heard this, after 15 years he is finally proud of me and yet it's not even the real me he is proud of, just a facade. "Thanks, Dad." I responded hoping I didn't sound the same way I felt as we just stood there for a few moments afterwards in an awkward silence. "Ah right, I suppose I should head to the party, leave you to do the things you wanted to." spoke up Stoick as he nodded to me and turned to leave and within a minute I heard the front door to the house shut behind him. As I did so I let out a massive sigh of relief before I turned to go back to my room to start the letter. (A/N I am going to do writing in italics so letters or stuff like that will be differentiated from normal speech, so basically speaking out loud will be "this" and stuff people read will be like "this") "Dear Dad, I know I have never been the son you truly wanted and up until recently I have been the bringer of disaster every time I stepped outside, and I know that now you truly are proud of me but that's the problem. The son you are proud of, the Hiccup you and the Village seem to love now, that's not me, it never has been but all of you have been to blind to see it. If you remember a few days ago I said I shot down a Night Fury, everyone thought I was lying, chalked it up to me looking for recognition, but I wasn't and later that day I found him, but you know what I did, I didn't kill him, I freed him, and in that moment I knew dragons weren't mindless beasts, they are understanding, they are capable of kindness. I might not know why they attack us but I can say for certain that who I am is not a dragon killer, just like how the Night Fury I found is not a viking killer, he like me is misunderstood. You see whilst you were trying to find the nest, I wasn't just learning how to fight dragons, I was learning how to ride them. When I told you I can't kill dragons, I meant it. I could have killed the dragon but I chose to let him go and he did the same for me and now I have decided I will be leaving with him. I probably won't come back here. For as long as I can remember I have been ridiculed, bullied and neglected by the people of this island and now, well now I have a way to leave. I just thought you should know all of this before I did and I knew if I told you face to face you would probably just lock me up and then go kill my dragon no actually he has a name, you should know that too, his name is Toothless. Oh and please don't look for me. Goodbye Dad" As I finished my letter for my dad I realised I didn't have time to do too much for Gobbers letter if I wanted to leave soon whilst everyone was still at the party.

After I finished writing the second letter for Gobber mainly thanking him for putting up with me for the past several years I grabbed my bag and started to make my escape, leaving my dad's letter on the dining table under my helmet as I then ran out the door using the gaps between houses to make it to the smithy where I grabbed a couple tools and left my letter to Gobber under the weight of his hammer attachment. Finally I made my last stop at the food storage, grabbing a few fish for Toothless so we wouldn't have to stop any time soon to get food and I ran, I ran as fast as I could straight to the woods and cove, straight to Toothless. Though of course it wouldn't be that easy as it would turn out I was being followed. "Toothless! It's time to go, we're leaving!" I shouted as I entered the cove looking for my dark scaled friend all the while I remained unaware of a pair of eyes watching me from the treeline. "Toothless! Come here, I brought you some dinner." and of course by the time I finished the word dinner the dragon was sitting just in front of me waiting for me to give him his fish whilst he had a large gummy smile. "Hey bud, here you go" I said as I threw a nice and large fish into his mouth much to his delight and then I just sat down and watched as he finished before he chose to lie down with his head next to me and we just sat there for a bit. "So bud, what do you think, should we leave, leave this island and go somewhere else. Make a home for ourselves without the fear of being killed?" I asked even though I know he can't give me a proper answer but the crooning response he gave me was more reassuring than I thought it could be. "Thanks bud, well then shall we get going." I said as I attached the bag to his saddle and I was ready to get on when I heard a voice I was definitely hoping not to hear right now. "Hiccup, what are you doing! And why are you with a dragon!" the voice shouted and so I turned to face the voice. "Astrid? What are you doing here, and please put the axe down, nothing good will happen with you holding it" I said as I stared at her, keeping between her and Toothless as I heard him start to growl. "I asked you first, What Are You Doing? '' she practically hissed back at me. "Fine, I suppose it doesn't matter now anyways," I responded "Leaving. I am leaving this island, its people only care for a fake me and they would never be able to accept the real me so I am leaving, and I am doing so right now. So there I answered your question, your turn." I finished continuing to stare. "Leaving? Are you serious? You are going to leave your home, your family and your entire village for what? A dragon?" she asked as she glared not at me but at Toothless. "Yes'' I responded, more confidence in that one word than I had felt for the last 5 years "Astrid, during our first training session with the Deadly Nadder, after you defeated it you told me something, you told me that our parents war is about to become ours, to figure out which side I am on and well here is your answer. So if you would excuse me I have to leave, Now" I said as I quickly hopped onto Toothless and activated his tail, and we took off, straight up to the clouds. I looked back for a moment just to see Astrid running back to the village. Just great I was hoping I would have more time before the village found out but oh well, the gods have their own plans I suppose. "So bud, choice is yours, take us wherever you wish to go." I said as I looked back ahead of me, to a whole new world of possibilities.