A/N: RTTE SEASON 2 TONIGHT!! AHHH I LITERALLY CAN'T FOCUS ON ANYTHING ELSE BUT HTTYD SO I'M JUST WRITING FANFIC ALL DAY. Who's as excited as me?
(Also this is where I started writing this again after months and months. My chapters are a ton longer now. The plot's changed a tiny bit. Beware of dark hiccup.)
I can't let them continue to kill dragons. I can't. My mind raced with the possibilities. I currently sat on Toothless, flying over Raven Point but not daring to get any closer to Berk. Toothless wasn't enough to take down the whole town, and there was no way for me to talk them into it. For hours I just circled, pondering how to do it. I didn't fancy killing anyone, though my blood burned with passion whenever I thought of striking down my father.
How I longed to teach them all I wasn't a runt they could just kick down in the mud. Fear kindled in me whenever I thought of Snotlout and the twins but so did anger. In the end, anger was more powerful than fear.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. All I needed to do was take away the Book of Dragons. For now. I would update it so it scorned Vikings and supported dragons, showing only their good qualities and etc. It would also show how to train them- so long as the viking didn't want to kill them. It wouldn't change the battles being fought, but it could give the vikings a new vantage point on dragons.
How to push the point? I didn't know. I didn't want to kill anyone. I didn't want to write that they should befriend dragons, or I would pick them off one by one. I didn't want to, but I would. Not that they could know it was me- the runt Hiccup- until after I had picked them off.
The thought dwindled in my mind for far too long, and the pleasure I felt at the concept of changing my father's mind through force was far too strong. My limbs still ached, and scars still lined my whole body from his whips. It only made my mind more made up, though. There was no way to win in this world besides being the better man.
I furrowed my eyebrows. First I had to steal the Book of Dragons.
***
I molded the leather slowly. It was the middle of the night, but I worked tirelessly to finish what I had started. It was a brown leather suit, lined with black nightfury scales and the molted skin that I had found searching for dragons. The more scales Toothless shed over time, the more I would sew into the suit. The bodice was done and I had it on. It was comfortable, more comfortable than any of my former clothing. I was finishing the intricate details of the mask- the ridge of my nose, the outline of scales around the eyes, and more...
It would be a terrifying thing, once it was done. I would wear it to get the book of dragons, and to get any supplies I might need in the future. This suit thankfully didn't need the help of the forge to be built; many other projects would. Especially if any of them involved metal. It would intimidate anyone who might see me, make me blend into the shadows, and conceal my identity. In any case, it was a good upgrade from my torn, stained-with-mud shirts from back home.
***
I slid the cap over my head, staring through the eye-holes at my reflection in the water. It was impressive. I took in a deep breath and turned to Toothless, "stay here bud. If I don't come back, come get me, but be careful, and don't come unless I sound in pain, okay?"
I didn't know what I expected, but he normally understood. We were in the cove- he would only leave if I really, really needed him. Otherwise it was altogether too difficult. I hoped.
I walked up the small path that would lead me to the outside of the cove carefully. I had traversed the path home often enough it was easy, so it gave me a lot of time to think.
I had the Book of Dragons last, since I found it interesting and wanted to see if Night Furies were in it. It's not like anyone would have cared to give me a funeral or search through my things, so it's probably still in my room under my bed. If it isn't, I'll have to check Fishleg's house, and the great hall. It was dusk, so I had the cover of nightfall, and many people would be asleep, but I still needed to be careful.
I neared the edge of the town to hear the screams of "DRAGON ATTACK!" from several villagers. I sighed and furrowed my eyebrows. At least this way Stoick would not be home. Probably. Mind you it was just starting, so he might not be outside yet. I walked over to my house, creeping to the back door. I pressed my ear to it to make sure that there was no sound coming from inside before opening it and stopped dead.
"You must get out there Stoick," came Gobber's voice. "The people need you. You needn't be the cause of another's death."
The clatter of thrown furniture was heard from inside. "I was not the cause! He was an imbecile and an embarrassment! He ran off to his death for good reason. He came in muddy and beaten everyday because he couldn't even get through the woods without falling on his face, for Thor's sake! He-"
"Listen to yourself Stoick! What would Val think of this? You speak of him like he was nothing but a creature."
"He was nothing, in the end. Even if his death hurt more than it should have. Val is gone. It does not matter. Now, let me leave. As you said- my people need me." there was the loud sounds of his steps and then the slam of the door. A pause followed, before Gobber's limp of a step followed and shut the door respectably behind him.
I shuddered, the pain from before coming back to me in waves. Tears filled my eyes, but I fought them. It did not matter. Anger roared in me more than sadness ever did. My steps were stiff as I made my way into the dreaded house. The walls were clean- even when he was drunk he never missed with the whip once. It always struck me. Always me. I glared at the overturned table, my sadness masked by anger.
I hurried up the stairs and into my room. I peared under my bed and narrowed my eyes. As I had assumed, there it was. The Book of Dragons. Now to get paper. I walked over to my desk and shuffled through the drawers, pulling out a stash of paper I had collected over the years. It was going to be enough. I stood up slowly, peered around my room for what was not the last time, and walked down the stairs again.
I got to the main floor with no other human contact, and walked out the back door, sprinting into the forest with no interruptions. I stood there for a moment, staring at my house. That's when the fire struck.
In an instant, I was blown backwards. I had been standing to the edge of the forest, and the fire blasted me into sight. I gasped in pain, but recovered quickly. If my father's beatings had taught me anything, it was how to get up and keep running. I stood up, wobbly, gritting my teeth at the pain in my back. That's when I noticed I had lost the book.
I panicked ever so slightly and surveyed the ground quickly before whipping around to look on my other side. Cold metal hit the leather of my suit. An axe- to be exact- was pressed up against my throat, and holding it was Astrid.
She didn't leave me in a tizzy anymore. After three weeks alone with Toothless, I had thought all of it over. She didn't care for me, to be honest, and although she wasn't as bad as Snotlout or the twins, she would still kick me down if she found it entertaining. I narrowed my eyes and flicked my gaze to the book in her hand.
"What do you want with this?" she muttered, gesturing with her head to the book. She paused, "who are you?"
I didn't respond, but the metal pushed deeper into my armor. I finally spoke, trying to make my voice deeper than it actually was, "You would not know my name if I told it to you, and I want to revise it. I want to make it truthful."
Her eyes narrowed for a moment and then widened. "I do know your identity! Hiccup! You're supposed to be dead!" after a few seconds her words turned icey, "why aren't you dead?"
"That. Is a story for another day. Give me the book back. I will return it."
"Why should I give it to you Hiccup?"
"Because I am more powerful than you could ever imagine."
She curled her lip and lowered her axe, "sure. I'll totally believe that, now, after all your lies. But here, if you want the book, take it. I assume you'll come hobbling home soon, your foot being eaten by a dragon anyway."
She threw the book at me, and the impact made me stumble. I grabbed it though and straightened up as she glared at me, obviously underwhelmed. I gulped, but returned her look with a full on glare. If anything, my lack of stuttering seemed to throw her for a loop. I hesitated one last time, but hearing Snotlout's voice in the distance, sprinted off into the woods.
Astrid stared after me, but I never looked back. Her words, her disbelieving words, made me angry. Angry beyond belief. I would convince her I wasn't just Hiccup the Useless- I was The Dragon Trainer, and nothing less.
I shook my head slowly. I would prove it to them all.