// 7 y e a r s e a r l i e r
---
"Don't stay out too late tonight, we've got something to talk about."
I glanced towards my mother, eyebrows pulling together in confusion at her vague words.
"About what?" I asked, tilting my head. My hands stalled their fiddling with the knots on my boots, focus now shifted to my mom.
"It's a surprise," was the only answer she gave. I grew suspicious, but my heart jumped at the possibilities. Had she finally listened to my requests of getting that fancy leather journal I saw Igar selling?
"Alright.." I said slowly, returning my attention to tying my shoes up. I stood once finished, grazing my palms along my waist in an attempt to straighten out my tunic. I rushed over to the door, stopping only once to press a cheek kiss to my mother before bidding her farewell as I ducked out the house.
It was mid-November, so the sun hid much earlier in the evening nowadays. The slight remaining sunshine painted the sky shades of orange and pink, with hints of pale purples and blues peeking from behind the dreary clouds threatening to surround our island. I paused a moment to let myself fully admire the sight. Though Berk had its downsides, it was no exaggeration that our sunsets were of prime beauty.
My mesmerization was quickly diminished when a villager stumbled into me from the side, mumbled apologies spilling from their mouths before they left as soon as they'd appeared. I watched the elder villager, whom I vaguely recalled as Bevard, a man who used to run the armory with my father when I was a child.
I watched his trail for a minute, realizing he was headed for the blacksmith as I was meant to be. I started with a wide eyed realization, following after him with quickened strides.
I rounded the corner just as I heard Gobber's enthusiastic greeting to Bevard, sighing inwardly. He'd probably scold me for being late, again.
I took the distraction to slither my way into the back of the shop. I reached for my apron off the hooks, tying it around my waist swiftly as I pulled my hair away from my face into a messy ponytail.
Hiccup opened his mouth to say something but I hushed him, reaching out with my fingers to wipe off cooled soot from his tool and smudging it along my cheeks. His eyebrows furrowed, lips still parted as he watched me with curiosity.
I rubbed my hands together, getting the remaining soot along my arms as much as I could and it clicked for him, eyes widening as his lips closed into a pressed smirk.
I ducked behind a tall shelf just as Gobber waved Bevard goodbye, and took a second before I stepped out into his view.
"Ah, there you are, (Y/N), about ti- wait a second." His beginnings of a scold dropped into a confounded murmur as he took in my messy appearance.
"Hi, Gobber," I piped up, taking my place beside Hiccup at the furnace.
"How are you all dirty? You weren't..." Gobber drifted off again, and I glanced behind me to catch him stroking his braids in thought.
"Working gets you dirty, Gobber. Surprised?" I said, a sarcastic raise of an eyebrow the final straw for Hiccup. A sharp, short laugh escaped his lips before he stopped himself, turning his face away and pretending to be busy sharpening an already-sharp sword.
"I am fairly sure you weren't here ten minutes ago," Gobber said, but his uncertain tone proved my outrageous plan had worked.
"I've been here since I was supposed to be. Ask Hiccup," I shrugged a shoulder at my best friend, turning my eyes to him expectantly.
"Right?" I added. He held my eyes intensely, silent, considering. I hoped Gobber didn't see the pleading expression I showed for quick moment.
"She was, indeed," Hiccup finally agreed with a nod, turning his attention back to the sword. He moved to go return it to the shelf as Gobber eyed us.
"If you say so," the elder blacksmith finally muttered, wobbling off to the front of the shop just as Helga, the bakery owner, called her need for help.
"You definitely owe me," Hiccup murmured as I made my way over to the shelf.
"Yeah, sure," I said with a playful eye roll, nudging his shoulder with mine halfheartedly. He still managed to stumble aside at the gentle prod, and I laughed in response.
"Remind me why I'm friends with you when all you do is bully me," he shot back, holding his upper arm dramatically.
"I don't bully you," I argued.
"Explain this, then?" he gestured to his new location, the result of my playful shove. I crossed my arms, biting on my bottom lip.
"You're a weakling," I finally said, flashing him a teasing grin.
"Right, see, that is bullying. Right there." He pointed an accusing finger at me before strolling past, reaching for a heavily chipped axe off a table.
"No, it's tough love, there's a difference," I shrugged, eying the shelves for any weapons not in tip-top shape.
"It certainly doesn't feel like I'm getting any love. Just insults and bruises," Hiccup sighed, pulling on the axe handle. He seemed to be having trouble, eyebrows furrowing as he yanked harder. It didn't budge, and he was obviously growing frustrated, exhaling a quiet grunt as he tried to use both hands and set the axe head against the edge of a corner. It worked, but in the process of separating the axe pieces, the sheer force he was exerting sent him flying backwards and crashing into the shelf.
I gasped, watching as it teetered, the rattling of endless deadly weapons filling the air seconds before it began to tilt towards Hiccup.
The idiot only stared up with big eyes, and I took no time in running and shoving him away just as it began to fall over.
Our feet tangled and he tripped, falling hard onto the ground with me following right beside him. The shelf hit the ground just as we did with an ear-shattering mixture of metals scraping, clanging, and breaking as wood cracked against the stone.
My ears were still ringing after it went silent, save for the hissing flames and Hiccup's shaky breathing beside me. We remained frozen, unsure of what was going to happen as a result of his clumsiness.
Gobber made his expected entrance, stopping dead in his tracks as he took in the sight: weapons scattered, some destroyed, the shelf flat against the ground. His two apprentices looking absolutely frightened, huddling atop another a mere foot or two away from the destruction.
"I got the handle off," was Hiccup's quiet announcement as he raised the aforementioned axe handle still in his hand, and I would've laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of his sudden sarcastic statement at a time like this, but I was a bit scared of the look in Gobber's eyes.
"The blacksmith is closed for tonight. Off you go. Both of you."
We scrambled to our feet in no time, nodding and apologizing but Gobber only gestured out the shop.
---
"So what now?"
I shrugged my shoulders, strolling beside Hiccup as we wandered down one of the village paths. The sun had set already, the only lights being occasional fires spread around the areas.
"I hadn't really planned on getting kicked out of the shop so early," he added with a sharp glance my way.
"And whose fault was that?" I shot back, crossing my arms at his mildly accusing gaze.
"Maybe if you hadn't shown up late.." he started to tease but I suddenly remembered my mother's request from earlier, stopping my walk. Hiccup instinctively halted beside me, watching with confused eyes.
"Late! Gods, I have to be home already," I said quickly, glancing around to figure out which way I needed to go.
"Since when does your mom care about you being late?" Hiccup asked, eyebrow raising as he followed behind me.
"Since she has some surprise to discuss," I answered.
"Surprise?"
"I don't know, she didn't say much. Just that I had to be back to talk," I explained.
"What do you think for?" he asked slowly. I was quiet for a moment, considering several possibilities before remembering what I had originally assumed.
"Remember that journal I told you about a while ago?" I started. His eyes widened in recognition before he tilted his head a bit.
"You think she wants to talk about that?"
"Well, I'm hoping, at least," I murmured, eyes landing on my home a fair distance ahead.Hiccup was silent, eyebrows furrowing in thought before he shook his head slowly.
"I dunno, there's always a chance, I guess," he said a moment later.
"I'll find out now, won't I?" I pointed out. He nodded just as we reached my front door.
"Tell me later, okay?" he said, starting to back away to leave.
"Was planning on it," I replied with a wave before letting myself in.
My mother was sat at the table, busy messing with some sort of sewing project beneath her hands. I closed the door noisily behind me, alerting her of my arrival. She looked up, watching as I made my way towards her.
"Hi," I said, sitting down beside her.
"We're leaving tomorrow," was the quick reply I got.
"What? To where?" I asked, taken aback by the sudden, almost nervous response I had received."Oh, just another island. It's not too far, though," she shrugged, eyes on the fabric.
"Really? That's great!" I said, eyes widening in excitement. She looked up, genuine confusion crossing her features.
"You think so?"
"Yeah! Hiccup and I are always talking about how cool it'd be to visit other islands," I started, unable to contain the enthusiasm stirring. Her eyebrows furrowed even deeper, and her hands had stalled their fiddling.
"I'll have to find some sort of souvenir to bring back from him, actually, can you imagine if we just brought him along? Do you think we'll visit any other islands?" I rambled, starting to stand from the chair.
"Flower, I think you've got the wrong idea--"
"Why? I mean, it's not like the village will miss him if he's gone for a bit," I added, a hint of bitterness seeping in.
"It's not that, I just meant... Well, you know.. We're not.. It's a bit difficult to explain." She was struggling to form her ideas, and it made me pause.
"What is?" I asked. She sighed inwardly, setting her needle down before turning to face me.
"It's just.. you see, flower, the thing is that we're not going to be coming back," she said slowly.
"What do you mean?" escaped my lips before I had the chance to even consider what her words had meant.
"We're moving."
---
"Moving? As in, to another island? For good?" Hiccup repeated, disbelief etched into his face.
"I'm not really sure how good it could be, but yeah," I muttered.
"Why would you even do that?" he argued.
"How should I know? She's the one who decided on it," I replied, throwing my hands up a bit.
"Yeah, but I mean, did she not explain it to you or anything?" he said.
"All she said was that it was for the best and that it had to do with my dad," I said after a moment of trying to gather myself. Hiccup gave me a perplexed look, eyebrows furrowing.
"Your dad?"
"Apparently when your father is killed by dragons, instead of dealing with it, you switch entire islands," I mumbled, a heavy bitterness seeping into my words as it did my body.
"Why do you have to go?"
"Because I'm a child and I have to do whatever my mother wants me to?" I retorted, shaking my head. Just the idea of having a new home miles away from here sent a cold feeling through my skin.
We were somewhere in the outskirts of the village, having disappeared after my mother's talk to discuss what she had told me. I wasn't sure how late it was but I didn't care at all.
"When are you guys leaving?" Hiccup asked, question in tune with my current thoughts about time.
"Tomorrow morning," I groaned.
"What? No, no, you can't actually do that!" Hiccup argued.
"Apparently we can," I sighed.
"That's so soon, though. I mean, you haven't- you haven't even said goodbye to anyone! Or, or.. Have you even.. did you even get packed? I bet you're not even packed. That's insane! You need at least a week," he rambled heatedly. I felt a pang in my chest, a sharp pain at realizing I was really going to be leaving, and that it would be without my best friend. Listening to Hiccup starting to panic was hurting me far more than I anticipated, so I did what I did best: changed the subject.
"Do you think Gobber is gonna let you touch those weapons again?" I asked casually.
"What? This is not the time to talk about Gobber, (Y/N)," Hiccup scoffed.
"I'm being serious! There was at least 20 weapons on those shelves," I argued.
"29. I counted a couple days ago," he admitted. I laughed, shaking my head. The conversation drifted into a discussion of blacksmithing etiquette and possible punishments, a welcome change from the depressing talk of my impending leave.
But at the back of my mind, a constant reminder of how this would probably be the last 'normal' conversation we'd had kept invading my thoughts every so often, and with it, a sad pull in my chest.
---
The following morning was a rushed blur of hectic motherly shouts to hurry up and last minute house checks for any missing items. According to my mom, she'd told most of those who cared about her plans to leave months ago, and left out my knowing until the very final chance. In turn, there was really no excuses for us to not leave that day.
And leave was exactly what we did.
-
"So... this is it, I guess," Hiccup murmured, hand gripping his upper arm as he shrugged loosely. I chewed on my bottom lip, trying to bite back the tears burning behind my eyelids. I didn't trust my voice at the moment, so all I managed was a curt nod.
"At least we're not saying goodbye to a burning ship, right?" he tried, but the humorous tone sounded forced; unnatural. I huffed a single laugh instinctively, turning my gaze upward before glancing behind me. I heard footsteps, quiet thuds against the wooden dock which I somehow recognized as my mother's walk. Just as I figured, she stood behind me, eyes unreadable as she observed us huddled near the edge of the walkway.
"It's time to go, flower," she said, turning her eyes onto mine for a second before giving Hiccup a small smile. I nodded, watching as she left us to our farewells, strolling back towards the boat that would take me away from my home.
I inhaled a shaking breath, struggling to seem like I was okay, like I didn't actually feel as if I was heading towards an inevitable doom. A part of me understood how irrational I was, and how this was all being done with the best intentions in mind. But the dominant part, the part telling me it was a bad idea and I shouldn't have to go, was the one echoing the loudest.
"I'll come find you as soon as I get a dragon to ride," he muttered, voice thick with a solemn sarcasm as he referenced back to last night's conversation.
"So you're basically saying we'll never see each other again?"
"Just take the sentiment," he muttered with a playful eye roll. I grinned that time, the familiar banter making it feel normal for a split second.
I wasn't sure how but at the same moment we stepped towards one another, arms reaching out to pull into a tight hug.
"I'll miss you," I admitted, though I knew I didn't need to say it.
"Shut up before you make me cry, I'm already a terrible Viking as it is," he retorted. I held back a laugh, pulling away from the embrace to hold his eyes.
"You're perfectly fine," I insisted. He raised an eyebrow, arms crossing at his chest.
"And you're an absolute liar who really needs to get on a boat before it leaves," he said, nodding in the direction of the ship.
"Do you think if I stay here it'll leave me behind?"
"Just.. go already! Stop making it worse," he groaned halfheartedly, throwing out a hand towards the water.
"This is an awful goodbye," I complained loudly, earning a shush from the boy.
"Well, you have to actually go for it to be a goodbye, so that's partially your fault."
"You haven't even said goodbye!"
He sighed, shaking his head before looking at me.
"I don't really want to, actually, but since you're pressuring me so much, I guess I could maybe--"
"Bye, Hiccup," I interrupted him. I had heard the footsteps again, and turned to catch sight of my mother halfway down the dock, giving me a very impatient stare. I nodded, understanding what she was silently insisting and spun back around for a moment. Hiccup huffed at me, eyes suddenly looking a lot less bright than they usually were. For that split second, I felt like I was already gone.
"Bye, (Y/N)."
---
i'm gonna be honest this is just a prologue i wrote 6 years ago and i swore i posted it here too but i just checked out of curiosity and it seems it was only on quotev so.. surprise! many years late! if anybody is still here to even see this late night lil update i hope ur healthy and doing well ♡
(ps i just watched httyd3 for the first time this week and i havent stopped thinking about it. turns out my love for hiccup & toothless is eternal, or at least does not disappear after 8 years, so.. thats also kind of why ive been rereading my fics for the first time in years and realized this wasnt here. i will not make any promises about anything.. but.. does anybody else wish i wrote a sequel cuz i felt that pain when i finished rereading f&tt :/)