Written at: 28 December 2021
Story Word Count: 14,681
Language: English (UK)
History:
Publish (FFN) - 14 April 2022
Publish (AO3) - 14 April 2022
Pairing:
- Hiccup (Toothless) x Light Fury
A 12-year-old Hiccup was walking down the road at Berk, in his human form. He was wearing his usual attire, with an addition of a chocolate-coloured fur vest that he wore along his shoulder. The boy was busy carrying a crate of ingots towards the forge.
It had been two years since the last incident. Stoick had kept a tight lip over how he managed to get back through the terrible winter. When things calmed down, they had found the ship that Stoick was riding. All of them were dead, and Stoick was the only survivor.
This made Stoick even more respected and legendary. He told the tale of pushing through the terrible storm and walking through the frozen ocean, all the way from the stranded ship back to Berk. The village were awed at how great their chief was!
It really raised their expectation level to the highest degree for the next chief.
In this case, it was Hiccup.
While walking, the boy saw Snotlout leaning against a wall on his path. He was looking at him with arrogant expression. There were also Tuffnut and Ruffnut as well.
Hiccup ignored them. It was not surprising to see them around the place. For some reason, they had been watching him doing stuff lately. They even tried to hide and pretend as if they were not watching him.
One of the perks of being the most dangerous dragon out there was the extremely acute senses and awareness that comes with it. He knew whenever someone tried to sneak up on him, before they even get close to him.
Stealth and secrecy were something he strongly emphasized two years ago. It was something that he rigorously trained himself for. After all, he did not want a repeat of another dragon incident at Berk.
He went past them. Suddenly, the crate on his hand was kicked away. Ingots flew and scattered all over the place. Thankfully, the crate was not broken. Nobody was injured from the flying, kilogram of ingots.
Hiccup turned to look at the offender. It was Snotlout. "What in the name of Hel are you doing?"
"What's up, Hiccup?" Snotlout taunted. "Still working on the forge?"
"You know very well that I am." Hiccup grumbled. He up righted the crate and began picking the ingots.
"Gobber should just give up on training you." Snotlout smirked. "After all, you're still Hiccup the Useless."
Hiccup dumped the ingots into the crate. "Are we doing this now?" He spoke, exasperated. "Couldn't you just leave me alone?"
Snotlout angrily glared at him. "I'm not leaving you alone until you leave Astrid alone." He yelled. "What does she see in you anyway? You burned yourself in the forge!"
Hiccup simply stared. He remembered Astrid visiting him from time to time at the forge, doing nothing but watching him work. His interaction with her was minimal, mostly because he was not interested in her. Well, not anymore. As a human, he used to have interest on her.
After the merge, he preferred to have a dragon as a mate. Preferably someone like him.
Someone that could not easily put to submission.
He was not sure why Astrid visited him from time to time. Often, she would simply just watch him working. Sometimes, she would ask questions about his work. There were times where she would invite him to spar, in which he always refused, mainly because he never have the time.
He usually spar and roughhouse with Cloudjumper in Secret Island, both as human and dragon. It was a very good exercise for them both, despite Hiccup winning all the time.
Astrid would never stand a chance.
"I-" Hiccup started as he hoisted the crate of ingots. "-have no idea what you're on about. She's the one that comes to me, not the other way around."
Snotlout grabbed him by his collar. "Well, let this be a lesson for you." He growled at him. "Stay away from her."
Hiccup let go of the crate. The box slammed to the ground and hit Snotlout's feet. That made him scream. "AAAH!"
The boy took the opportunity to punch him in the jaw. Snotlout stumbled back from the uppercut punch and crashed to the house behind him. Hiccup could hear snickers coming from the twins behind him.
The blacksmith apprentice smirked. "And that's what you get for grabbing me."
"Oi, oi, oi! What's this then?!"
Hiccup and the others turned to look to the side. They saw Spitelout standing there, glaring at him. "What did you do to my son?"
"Snotlout started it." Hiccup pointed out.
From the opposite direction, two Vikings appeared. "Aye. 'can vouch for him."
Hiccup recognised the two. It was Bucket and Mulch. Bucket was a tall Viking wearing red tunic and a bucket on his head. Mulch was shorter, but bulkier. He wore green shirt, usual Viking helmet, a hook prosthetic on his right arm and a leg prosthetic on his left leg. The two of them were carrying baskets of fishes.
"You saw them?" Spitelout asked, glaring.
"Yup." Mulch nodded. "Your kid grabbed chief's kid and start shoutin' at him."
Spitelout moved to check his own son. Hiccup moved to pick up the crate from the ground. "If that's all, I have to go to the forge now."
Snotlout whimpered when Spitelout went to check him. "… you broke his jaw!" He shouted. The parent moved and reached for Hiccup. The boy was about to walk away when he grabbed and pulled his hand.
That was a mistake. The crate toppled from his hand and the ingots crashed right onto Spitelout's feet. "OW!" The man shouted. "Ow! You troll-looking, goblin loving, dragon dung!" He screamed obscenities as he jumped around from the pain of his feet.
The twins behind Hiccup was openly laughing now. The boy frowned as he stared at the wincing adult. "Could you not?" He spoke, annoyed. "I'm trying to work here."
Spitelout gritted his teeth. "You hurt my son and broke his face!" He shouted. Then, he grabbed Hiccup by his arm. "I'm bringing you to the chief so he can hear this."
"Wait, wait, the iron!" Hiccup shouted, trying to reach for the ingots. However, he was dragged away towards the Great Hall. As he was dragged away, he saw Astrid coming into view to see them off. She look surprised to see him dragged away.
The Great Hall barged open, revealing Hiccup and Spitelout standing there. The adult was dragging Hiccup by his arm.
The Great Hall was mostly empty. There was a meeting between the chief and the village. The village was represented by the Berk Council. Stoick was there, along with Gobber, Bucket, Mulch and one other person that Hiccup recognised as Silent Sven.
Silent Sven was a bald Viking with a long white beard and thick bushy eyebrows. He wore a sleeveless leather tunic. Like the rest of the Vikings there, he was sitting on a long table with the others.
Hiccup noted that Bucket and Mulch were there. He remembered them standing around back there outside. How were they in the Great Hall?
Spitelout dragged Hiccup and put them at the other end of the table. Then, he moved to sat on an empty seat on the side. The rest were stunned to see them there.
The Great Hall door creaked as it slowly close by itself. When it closed, Stoick was the first one to speak. "Spitelout, why did you bring my son here?"
"Chief, your son is causing trouble again." Spitelout growled.
Stoick let out a sigh. "What did he do this time?"
"He hurt my son." Spitelout answered. "He broke his jaw and didn't even apologise."
Hiccup did not say anything. Stoick looked at Hiccup. "Is that true?"
"Snotlout started it." The boy explained. "I was walking from the dock to the forge when Snotlout pushed me. I was carrying a box of iron that I had bought from Johann for Gobber, so it was thrown everywhere."
"I did tell him to do that." Gobber pointed out. "Getting iron from Johann, that is."
"Snotlout was yelling at me while I was collecting the iron." Hiccup continued explaining. "He grabbed me, and I dropped the box, again. It crashed to his feet."
"Liar." Spitelout venomously spoke. "You punched him in the jaw!"
"I never said I didn't." Hiccup shrugged. "He was about to hit me, so I punched him in the jaw after that."
The chief let out a sigh. "It's just self-defence, Spitelout." He tiredly spoke. "Gothi can fix your son."
"But we can't let him go unpunished." Spitelout argued. "He had been a menace for so long."
"What other things did he do, exactly?" Mulch asked, curious. "I've never seen him doing much at all. He used to train with Phlegma – that was a long time ago. Now he just… stay at the forge, even during dragon raids."
The other villagers nodded. That was true. In the village, Hiccup spent his time at the forge or the forest. They admitted that the weapons he made were great – higher quality than Gobber had made. He also fixed them just as fast as Gobber does, maybe even faster depending on the problem.
The general design was somewhat unique to them. Villagers who had seen them would recognise the weapons that he made, since nobody else had a sword that could be both very strong and durable and could be easily disassembled. It became his signature of blacksmithing.
Most of the interactions they had with him were at the forge. He would ask them questions about how they broke their weapons, and he was always interested to hear their tales of how they broke them. Most Vikings liked having people listening to their tales, so it was refreshing for them.
Of course, he had a long sarcastic streak of telling them not to break their weapons. It was something that they were already used to when it comes to him. While they were not fond of him doing that, they easily ignored and overlooked it. They respected him for his blacksmithing skill.
"But even then." Spitelout started, calming himself down. "He broke my son's jaw. It's not fair if he's not being punished for it. My son didn't even hurt him!"
"It doesn't mean he can't retaliate." Gobber argued.
"He should've just run away." Spitelout fumed. "I'd say we should banish him from the village. That should solve the problem."
The rest were stunned at what he just said. Nobody had been banished from Berk for years, and he was suggesting the son of their chief to be banished?!
"That's not fair at all!" Stoick was outraged! "It's an injury that Gothi can fix. What has he ever done to you?"
"He's been a menace to me and my son." Spitelout glared at the chief. "And I want it to stop."
"Or maybe." Silent Sven suddenly spoke up, surprising everyone. "You're angry at Hiccup for embarrassing you in front of the village."
The villagers seemed to agree. Ever since Stoick gone missing and came back two years ago, Spitelout had been different. What Hiccup had said to him affected him. He was angrier at Hiccup, not caring about what he said, and generally being an annoyance to the boy. He had something against the kid, for sure.
After some silence, Bucket decided to speak up. "I'd say Hiccup should go on patrol around the island."
Everyone turned to look at him. "Patrol?" Stoick asked.
"Hiccup might need to show some restraint." Bucket spoke. He spoke in a light, melodic tone. "While he can fight and defend himself, he did not have any restraint on fighting. I'd say he should go on with the village guards on a nightly patrol. It could be a good life lesson for him."
Hiccup wanted to argue but held himself back. He was internally fuming for being punished for doing something that he knew it was justified. Spitelout had wasted his time there, while he could've been at the forge fixing things.
Stoick looked at the villagers. Spitelout was still fuming, but a bit calmer than when he arrived. The others seemed to agree with it, except for Gobber. The blacksmith was scowling.
It was the option agreed by majority. Stoick relented. "Alright. Hiccup will do a patrol tonight. I'll assign him with a group later."
Spitelout grunted. The rest of the villagers looked relieved that the situation had been resolved.
The chief looked around. His eyes fell to Hiccup. He was surprised to see him still there. How did he forget that Hiccup was there? In fact, how did everyone not notice him still there?
"Hiccup." Stoick started. "You should leave now."
Hiccup nodded. He moved and walked out of the Great Hall, leaving the adult Vikings inside.
Later that night, Hiccup was forced to go on a patrol with other Vikings.
The boy was mad. He was being punished for defending himself! Snotlout deserved everything he got that time for being a total prat to him. He had done nothing but taunting and hitting him whenever he was around.
The village never really done anything about it because he had no injuries. They were not aware of it, because the twins had been helping Snotlout to stay incognito when doing them. Hiccup never got any injuries because everything they did could never physically hurt him.
Emotionally, he wanted to rip them into pieces.
It was annoying for Hiccup at best. He was glad that those dragon strength and durability came along to his human form. Otherwise, he would be Gothi's regular visitors. They bullied him so much, it was getting very, very annoying for him.
That day, Hiccup decided that he hated his village.
Hiccup was walking down the shore. He was wearing his usual attire, but in addition to that, he wore leather armoured vest with shoulder guard, leather bracers on his arms, thigh and leg guard leather armour. Underneath all of those were chainmail armour that covered his body from neck to leg.
He also had a leather strap on his right leg, which held a knife. He was carrying his concealed sword on his left hip, quiver on his right hip, and a bow on his back.
Notably, he made no noise when moving around. He did not seem to be weighed down by carrying and wearing those armours and weapons.
It was night-time outside. Not far from Hiccup, there were two Vikings waiting for him. It was Phlegma and Ack. The two were standing there, both carrying axes. Ack was holding up a torch to illuminate the place. Phlegma had a large tusk horn on her hips.
Seeing Hiccup approaching, Phlegma whistled. "You look ready for war." She commented.
"Better be prepared, my dad said." Hiccup spoke with sarcastic tone. "Thank Thor I made something that fit myself weeks ago."
"Let's get going." Ack spoke. "We're patrolling the shore. There should be nothing around."
The three of them walked along the shore in silence. They had found nothing so far, and they were half-way through the island. Ack was whistling something while leading, while Phlegma was viewing the horizon. Hiccup was keeping aware of their surroundings.
"You know." Phlegma started, getting their attention. "Walking around like this is kind of relaxing."
"Better than being cooped up in the village. Hah." Ack chimed in. "Patrolling the shore is my favourite!"
"It is very calming." Hiccup commented. "The ocean is beautiful tonight."
They stayed silent once more. However, Hiccup saw something in the dark not far from them. "… wait, what is that?"
The three of them stopped. Phlegma looked at where Hiccup was looking. "Where? I don't-"
"There." Hiccup pointed at it. The dark silhouette was partially inside a cave mouth. It looked like a ship.
After being pointed out, Phlegma and Ack saw them. "Oh. I see that." The large man whispered.
"Should I sound the alarm?" Phlegma asked, concerned.
"We need to check first." Ack spoke. "It might be one of ours. The chief said to keep on a lookout for them."
The three of them began approaching the silhouette. As they do, Phlegma asked. "What did the chief say?"
"Someone forgot to tie our fishing ship to the mooring posts yesterday." Ack explained. "It disappeared the next day. It's probably not far, but we'll never know."
Reaching the place, the three of them entered the cave mouth. It was a large ship, and it was definitely not a fishing ship. It looked like a war ship, with a lot of spikes at the hull, and a dragon skull at the front. The sail was there, but it was fully rolled up. They could not identify the ship.
Notably, there was no one there. The ship was docked there, and there was a ramp for them to go up into the ship. The place was illuminated with lights and torches, including inside the ship. It looked like it was recently abandoned.
"That didn't look like our fishing ship." Ack commented.
"You sure it was a fishing ship that gone missing?" Phlegma asked.
"Err- I think it was the fishing ship." Ack didn't look sure of himself.
Phlegma groaned. "Don't tell me you forgot."
While the two were arguing, Hiccup slowly climbed onto the ship. Reaching the top, he saw that the cabin was open. "Guys? There's nobody inside."
Phlegma and Ack looked up. They carefully walked up through the ramp. Observing the place, everything there seemed untouched. It looked as if everyone left in a hurry.
Hiccup, Phlegma and Ack went onto the deck. Ack was the one to take the lead. "Phlegma, check the boxes. Hiccup, check the cabin. I'll check the weapons."
"Aye." Both Hiccup and Phlegma nodded. The woman moved towards the boxes near the cabin door, while Hiccup entered the cabin itself.
There was nothing much at the cabin. There was a table with a map, a knife, and a wooden mug. The wall behind the table was blank, but it was obvious that there used to be a flag there. There was also a large crate right next to the table.
On the left side was an open door. Hiccup moved to check what was inside. There was nothing in there but a pile of clothes. The whole place reeks of blood and sweat. He smelled a body amongst the clothes. He decided it was not worth rummaging through them, lest he found a dead body there.
Seeing that it might be clear, Hiccup moved to check on the crate. He opened it. The crate was filled with some weapons and arrows. He rummaged through the crate, trying to find anything that might be able to identify the ship. He found dry mugs underneath, couple clothes and a compass.
It was a wooden, rectangle compass with cut corners. Hiccup grabbed the compass and flipped it open. The compass pointed towards the north, and it moved as Hiccup moved the compass. It was not surprising to see a compass in a Viking ship. However, what was surprising was the fact that he recognised the compass.
Hiccup remembered his father used to hold the exact same compass. The decoration, shape and everything matched. He never saw his father holding them after the Outcast attacked many years ago.
The boy closed the compass and flipped it over. Underneath the compass, he saw something carved to it. It looked like a crude carve in a shape of a Viking helmet. The way it was carved meant that it was done in a hurry. Hiccup recognised the shape. It was the shape of the Outcast Tribe's symbol.
It was then Hiccup come to a realisation.
They were in an Outcast ship!
Hiccup heard something moved behind him. His back was facing the open door that led to the room full of clothes. He made no reaction, not even turning around to see. Sensing that someone was sneaking on him, he pocketed the compass and slowly grabbed a knife from the crate.
He pretended to be inspecting the knife. He sensed footsteps coming closer and closer to him. Then, he heard haggard breathing close to him. Suddenly, Hiccup leaped to the side, dodging a pair of arms. Whoever was behind him had tried to grab him.
Hiccup swung the knife and stabbed the offender's back throat with it. It was a Viking wearing black chainmail armour and Viking helmet. The boy recognised that it was an Outcast Viking!
The Outcast Viking choked. Hiccup pulled the knife and kicked him out of the cabin. The man stumbled out and crashed through the wall, out of the cabin.
Phlegma and Ack immediately pulled out their weapons upon seeing the ruckus. Hiccup ran out of the cabin and shouted. "OUTCASTS!"
Suddenly, they hear shouts and footsteps. More outcasts were coming in from the outside, climbing onto the ship. Phlegma rushed to grab her horn and sounded them. The loud, bellowing sound of the horn alerted everyone in the village that they were in danger.
Ack roared as he rushed to fight the incoming Outcasts. Hiccup threw the knife he was holding, and it hit an Outcast Viking right in the eyes. Seeing that it was time for battle, the boy pulled out his sword and shouted a battle cry.
Ack dodged an axe from an Outcast. He swung his axe and chopped off an arm of one of the Outcasts. He ducked at a sword thrown his way and proceed to slash the Outcast that had lost his arm to him. After that was done, he grabbed a random hatchet from the ground and threw it into the crowd of Outcasts, killing one of them right on its chest.
The Berkian shouted a battle cry as they charged to each other. Ack slashed his axe and killed one, dodged an axe swing from another, ducked over a sword that tried to chop his head, and slashed another Outcast with his axe.
However, an Outcast suddenly leaped out of nowhere and crashed to him. The other Outcasts began overwhelming him, as they restrained the male adult Berkian.
Phlegma dropped her horn to duck when an arrow flew past her. She leaped and chopped the head of an Outcast that was charging towards her. The woman ducked a hammer swing, backed off from a sword stab and chop off the arm that tried to stab her. The Outcast screamed. Phlegma leaped forward and swung her axe, cutting his head off.
Phlegma turned to see an Outcast charging towards her. She yelled a battle cry as she charged to him. However, she was suddenly slammed to the side, as another Outcast had gone to charge to her as well. She was slammed down to the ground, as other Outcasts went off to restrain her.
Hiccup seemed to be faring well against a lot of Vikings. He danced around the paths of arrows, swung and thrown axes, hammers and swords with impressive agility. The Outcasts were everywhere around the ship, and he was getting surrounded.
The boy slashed his sword and cut the throat of an Outcast. He grabbed an axe from the falling Outcast and threw them to another Outcast, immediately hitting their head. He back jumped to the wooden railing when a hammer tried to swipe him. He jumped forward, jumping on top of the crowd of Outcasts, before leaping down and stabbed an Outcast with his sword down through the collar bone.
Hiccup knew everything and anything that happened around him. His senses were on full battle mode. His agility and prowess were unparalleled when he tapped onto his dragon side while in human form. His swordsmanship was something to behold because of his constant practices on using them.
The boy was dancing amongst the crowds of Outcasts. He parried an axe, chopped a head of one Outcast, chopped another one on the side, dodged a charging Viking, grabbed a thrown hatchet and threw them back to the sender, chopped another Outcast head and stabbed one that tried to sneak on him.
Eventually, dead bodies began to pile up. The Outcasts were getting fewer and wary of him. His body and sword were covered in Outcast blood. Against all odds, Hiccup was somehow winning!
Hiccup was a predator, finally unleashed against his prey. He had been holding himself back. He had been restraining himself. It was exhilarating to finally let himself loose. All the pent-up frustration and anger finally blow up. The boy did not want it to stop!
Hiccup was cornered at the deck, but it did not matter. Anyone that came close to him was immediately killed, no matter what they do. The boy managed to knock arrows with his sword, and there seemed to be nothing to stop him.
Suddenly, there was a shout. "STOP!"
The Outcasts that surrounded him stopped charging. They put some space between them and Hiccup. Suddenly, Phlegma and Ack were brought forward. They were restrained, with ropes on their hands. The Outcasts were warily glaring of him.
A large man came forward behind them. It was a man that Hiccup recognised. The man wore unpainted steel chainmail armour, with spiked shoulder and arm guard. He wore a Viking helmet that had a large pair of horns. He also had a long beard that goes over his neck and shoulder.
"Boy." The large man demanded. "What in Thor's beard had your dad been teaching you?!"
Hiccup glared at him. "I know you." He spoke. "You're Alvin the Treacherous."
The large man – Alvin – smirked. "So, you're not that dumb, after all."
He pulled out a sword and pressed it against Phlegma's neck. "You killed a lot of my men tonight." He whispered. "I know you care for them. Drop your weapon or she will get what she deserve."
Hiccup gritted his teeth. He slowly moved, but immediately stopped when Alvin further pressed his sword onto her. Alvin smirked. Ack was angrily glaring down to the floor, while Phlegma looked at him with determined expression.
Hiccup pondered on what to do. He was close to the rope that held the sail. Alvin was standing right under the sail. If he cut off the rope, it would immediately drop the sail and crash the wood holding it right on top of him. He could release them both while the Outcasts were occupied.
Hiccup admitted that it was unrealistic. He needed an opportunity to do just that.
Even the tiniest bit of opportunity should be enough.
Hiccup slowly relaxed his stance. Everyone seemed to relax a bit. Suddenly, there was a loud horn sounded outside, along with clashes of battle. One of the Outcasts that was close to the exit ramp shouted. "THE HOOLIGANS ARE HERE!"
Everyone turned around. That was the lucky opportunity that Hiccup needed, and it was far more than necessary. He immediately swung his sword to the side and cut the rope right next to him. The sail instantly dropped down, along with the large wooden log that was holding it. It creaked under the weight and swung through the Outcasts, instantly knocking them down from their feet.
Hiccup moved and cut the ropes on both Berkians. "MOVE!" He shouted.
Phlegma and Ack immediately sprang into action. They grabbed the weapons on the floor and began battling once more. The Outcasts were caught off-guard, and they managed to take down and kill one Outcasts each. However, nets suddenly thrown to them. Not expecting the tactic, they struggled as more and more nets went over them.
Hiccup managed to slash the net that tried to reach him. He dodged another net that tried to catch him. Suddenly, the whole ship moved as wind pushed the sail onto the ocean. The exit ramp creaked and fell off the railing, as the whole ship started sailing by itself.
Hiccup growled. The ship was docked but not tied to anything on the ground. They were now trapped in a ship full of Outcasts!
The boy saw Alvin charging towards him with a sword. Hiccup parried his swing, surprising him. Hiccup thought that the swing was strong, but his sword and prowess were stronger. They started dancing their swords together, stabbing and slicing some area that they thought others might not notice.
Each time they went closer to get each other; they would go defensive. The process was repeated every time they switched side with each other. The surrounding Outcasts were busy sailing the ship, trying to escape from the angry Berkians that had just arrived. The rest were not sure on how to help, since they did not want to get close to Hiccup.
Alvin was a great swordsman, but he relied too much on his strength. Hiccup was a far more excellent swordsman. He was faster and stronger than him, and he preferred to strategize fighting his opponents. The fight was slowly leaning towards Hiccup.
At some point, Alvin growled and grabbed a hammer from the ground. He swung his sword and Hiccup parried, but Alvin was prepared. He swung the hammer with his other hand, hitting his sword hard enough to break the tip of the sword.
It was useless for stabbing now.
Hiccup almost lost his grip on his sword. Seeing that Alvin was not playing fair, he took a step back, switched his sword hand, before moving to attack. He swung and the sword was parried. Alvin swung his hammer down and missed. Hiccup immediately pulled out his dagger and slashed his arm. It created a long vertical gash on his arm.
"AH!" Alvin screamed in pain. "You little runt!" He roared.
The Outcast leader swung his sword. Hiccup used his sword to parry. Alvin slid the sword to the side and smashed it with his hammer, shattering it. The sword had taken too much powerful beating in the battle. It also broke the wooden railing.
Hiccup let go of the sword to block a punch from Alvin. He put his arms in front of him. His arm guard softened the impact. He was pushed all the way back, roughly ten metres away from Alvin.
Suddenly, a net was thrown to his direction. Hiccup tried to use his dagger to slash, but it was too thick for a simple dagger to cut. The net suddenly slid, knocked him down and pulled up high into the air. Hiccup accidentally dropped his dagger in the process.
Hiccup struggled, but it was no use. He was hanging on top of the sail, held by a net. He took his time to look around. The ship was sailing away from Berk. He could see many people on the beach, torches on hand.
Looking down, he saw the Outcasts rushing around to assess and fix the damages. They were also restraining and putting Phlegma and Ack into the ship hull. Alvin was recovering from the wound that Hiccup had given him. That looked like it was going to scar.
Alvin looked up to Hiccup, who glared at him. He shook his head, before going into the cabin to treat his wound.
Hiccup did not know how long they were going to keep him up there.
He had gone to sleep after knowing that they were trapped there. When he woke up, he was still there. It was evening already. He assumed that they thought he was pretending to be asleep, and it would be much safer for them to keep him up there.
The boy looked around. The ship was docking into the docks. There were a lot of wooden boxes and dragon cages around. He looked at the island and saw a long, high rock mountain. He recognised the place. His father had shown him drawing of the island in a map before. It was the Outcast Island.
When the ship finally docked, Hiccup saw Phlegma and Ack getting carried away. Hiccup realised that they were going to move him as well, sooner or later. He remembered the bow behind him. He had carried twenty arrows in his quiver.
Hiccup suddenly felt movement. He looked down and noticed that the Outcasts below were trying to slowly topple the sail. "Careful, careful." He heard the Outcasts below him.
Suddenly, there was a snap and whole sail pole started falling. As it did, Hiccup used the downward momentum to pull himself out of the net. It worked, and he jumped off and rolled as the sail crashed down onto the solid ground.
Hiccup saw Vikings rushing towards him. In a flash, he pulled out his bow and three arrows, pulled the string and fired. It immediately killed the incoming Vikings. He rolled away once more as Outcasts with crossbow fired their arrows at him.
Hiccup pulled several arrows and prioritized on taking out the crossbow Vikings. He managed to fire and killed five, before moving to duck behind a wooden crate. He pulled out more arrows, fired towards an axe wielding Viking behind him, before moving out of cover to shoot five more arrows to kill the crossbow-wielding Vikings.
Nine arrows left. He did not see any Vikings with crossbow anymore. Hiccup saw Phlegma and Ack. He pulled two arrows and fired towards their guards behind them, before rolling away from an axe swing.
Hiccup pulled an arrow and fired right to the offending Viking in the head, instantly killing them. He pre-prepared the bow as he rolled to avoid a net. He fired towards the offending Vikings that had thrown the net to him. He was down to four arrows left.
Hiccup saw four Vikings coming in with crossbows. pulled all his arrows from the quiver, pulled back the bow string and fired. The Vikings did not have the chance to even aim before arrows struck right into their forehead.
Seeing that he had no more arrow, Hiccup threw away his bow into the ocean next to him. He saw several Vikings running towards him, carrying axes. Hiccup rushed forward. He instantly slid down under them, pulled a dagger from one of his opponents' hips, jumped up and stabbed him up from the chin, killing them. He pulled the dagger and threw them into another Viking, instantly killing that one as well.
Hiccup ripped a hatchet from the dead Viking's hand. Before he could do anything else, he instantly turned around to block a powerful punch with his arms. Alvin had come rushing from behind. Hiccup was pushed back couple meters away.
Suddenly, there was a mechanical snap and rolling chain sound. Right when Hiccup stopped, a large metal cage fell right on top of him with a loud wham. Thankfully, the underside was hollow, but it meant that Hiccup was trapped inside.
The Outcasts finally relaxed when they saw Hiccup trapped there. Alvin dusted off his shoulder. He approached Hiccup. "You're really persistent, I'll give you that."
"You're the one docking your ship in our island." Hiccup responded. He noticed that Phlegma and Ack were being moved close to him. He instantly threw the hatchet to Alvin.
Alvin barely dodged the hatchet. It grazed through the tip of his helmet, before hitting an Outcast behind him. Looking back, the hatchet had solidly hit them in the head. They fell to their knees, before collapsed to the ground, dead.
Alvin growled. He turned to look at Hiccup. "If I don't need you alive, you'll be dead by now."
"You don't look like you're planning on keeping me alive anyway." Hiccup crossed his arms. "Don't think I didn't notice. You come to me with intent to kill."
Alvin growled. Hiccup knew that he had struck something. "If you weren't being so difficult to capture." Alvin started. "It would've been easy for us. It was the only opportunity we had to capture you. The others were just a bonus."
Hiccup realised what he was implying. He narrowed his eyes. "You have a spy at Berk." He accused.
Alvin smirked. "Oh yes. He was quite helpful too." He cheerfully spoke. "We usually come to visit whenever we need something from him. There's not that much that we can get, but for someone that nobody suspects, it was enough for us."
Hiccup pondered for a bit. The spy was the one that everyone least suspected. There were several candidates. Gobber, Spitelout, Gothi, Sven and several others. He narrowed the suspects, since Alvin admitted that there were not much that they can get from them, meaning that most people in the list were out of the suspects.
There was very few people there that knew about his punishment to do patrol with the others. Not that it was intended, it was just that nobody else bothered to know or ask. There was also the time frame between when the punishment was assigned and when he started the patrol. It was roughly 6 hours' time frame.
It was midnight when they found the ship. They fought in the ship for few hours. It was evening when they docked, meaning that it took roughly 12 hours from Berk to Outcast Island. Hiccup assumed that was at full speed, because of how rushed everyone was at the time.
There was also no shore patrol in that area yesterday. There was one day delay for each shore patrol because there was not enough manpower to patrol the whole island.
It was when Hiccup realised it. "You didn't really plan to capture me." He accused. "You had been at the island since yesterday."
What he said did not give any reaction. However, Hiccup could smell fear and surprise coming from Alvin. He had struck and made correct assumption.
"You were meeting your spy at Berk." Hiccup continued. "If you have a spy there, you should know our patrol already. For some reason, you stayed overnight at Berk instead of leaving. Your spy knew that I was in the patrol. It was an ambush set for us."
The shock and surprise was visible from Alvin. Phlegma and Ack were shocked to hear what he said. Based on Alvin's reaction, they both knew that Hiccup had guessed correctly.
Hiccup remembered the cave mouth where they found the ship. He had been there before, when there was no Viking ship. He remembered seeing a dirt path that goes down from a small village path into the woods. The path there led to a cave entrance, which was a short cave way that led into the cave where they found the ship.
"The visit yesterday didn't go as planned." Hiccup continued speaking. "You stayed overnight because something had happened to your spy, but they arrived yesterday morning to see you." That was a pure speculation.
"They reported to you about what happened to me." Hiccup slowly spoke. "And instead of leaving during the day, you stayed until we found you."
The shock on Alvin's face became more apparent. Hiccup thought more. The path that led to that cave led to a larger path that was somewhat far from the village. The larger path was connected between Mildew's house, further up the ridge was Gothi's house, and the path led to the village.
It was impossible for Gothi to be the one. However, nobody suspected her to be a traitor of the village. It would be the most shocking. An elder being a traitor would put other elders in question for their loyalty.
Mildew would be the obvious one. He often complained about the village, and nobody liked him. Nobody would be surprised if he was the traitor.
Yesterday morning, Hiccup saw Mildew complaining to his father at the Great Hall. Gothi was nowhere to be seen. Mildew stayed there and kept complaining about things and left later that night. Gothi was there that night. She stayed to talk with his father.
Hiccup knew that Gothi was busy with healing Snotlout when he was punished. Mildew did saw him passing by when he was wearing his armour. He had complained to his father about proper Viking attire for him. His father dismissed him, but he remembered his father telling him that he wore them because he was going on a patrol.
He never saw Mildew anywhere anymore. He saw Gothi standing outside before, tending her garden. The speculation was there. But what did Alvin mean when he said it was the least suspected?
Hiccup realised it was reverse psychology. Everyone expected Mildew to be the one, but because of that, nobody expected him to be the traitor, mainly because it would be too obvious. He did smell that Alvin was telling half-truth about the spy being the least suspected, meaning that it was really him.
"You didn't expect me to fight back." Hiccup continued speaking. "You didn't expect the alarm to come off. It was meant to be a quick snatch and grab the moment I entered that cabin."
"You have the spy with you when it happened." The boy spoke. "Because the tribe was alerted, the spy had to come along to not blow their cover. The spy was the least suspected because it would be too obvious. It was not someone higher up, but somehow managed to get some information just fine."
Hiccup took a deep breath. "You have Mildew in your pocket." He simply spoke, shocking everyone. "He was the spy. He complained all the time, that's how he got information. I bet he was here right now with us, listening to this very conversation."
Alvin was completely stunned. He had guessed them correctly. He had meant to misled him into thinking someone else, but Hiccup somehow guessed them correctly.
"Welp, no use hiding now." A familiar sound spoke. A man behind a box revealed himself. He was a tall, lanky old man, with white hair and wrinkly skin. He was also carrying a wooden staff. The man was wearing sleeveless brown tunic and trousers.
Phlegma and Ack saw and immediately recognised him. "Mildew." Phlegma hissed.
"Mildew, you traitor!" Ack shouted.
An Outcast standing behind slapped Ack in the head. "Shut up!"
"The kid is smart." Alvin warned. "I didn't tell him much and he figured it out."
"He only ever worked at the forge and did nothing else." Mildew told him. "I never knew what he could do until today."
"Tell me, Hiccup." The old man asked. "How did you correctly guess that it was me?"
Hiccup snorted. "It wasn't that hard to guess." He answered. He noticed that Alvin had moved to talk with other Outcasts. "All you have to do is just listen in and look at the right place."
"You're different than I know, Hiccup." Mildew cackled. "But you're trapped here, and I'm here where my friends are. Hahah. None of you will ever get out of here alive."
Hiccup smirked at him. "Keep telling yourself that." He chirped.
Alvin came back to them. "You're a dangerous kid, Hiccup." He threatened. "When I'm done with you, I'll make you regret for killing my men."
"Oh, I already regretted one!" Hiccup cheerfully spoke.
That caught everyone off-guard. "What?" Alvin asked, stumped.
"Remember that hatchet I threw before?" Hiccup reminded him. "I should've not done that. Had I known Mildew was here, I should've waited and kill him instead."
It was when they realised what he was saying, those words became very chilling for them. Mildew took a step back, eyes wide in terror. Phlegma and Ack were surprised to see that side of Hiccup. Alvin gritted his teeth.
"After I'm done with your father, I'll chop your head myself." Alvin angrily shouted. He turned to look at the Outcasts. "Bring them all to the dragon storage. Make sure the boy stay inside that cage."
Later that night, Hiccup, Phlegma and Ack were resting inside the prison area. Hiccup was still in the same dragon cage as before, mostly because nobody wanted to let him out in case he went off on a tangent to kill everyone again. Even when he was unarmed, he was dangerous against them.
The prison area was a large but tight hangar. There were various dragons caged in the area. Phlegma and Ack were at the corner inside normal human cage, while Hiccup was placed right next to them inside a dragon cage. Notably, there was a wooden floor under him inside the cage.
The dragons were all asleep. Phlegma and Ack were leaning onto the bar close to Hiccup. The boy was resting close to them. It was very quiet, with occasional dragon snore.
"… boy was dangerous." Hiccup perked up. He heard something. It sounded like Alvin, and it was coming from far outside the hangar. "200 of my men were killed, Mildew. 200! What kind of training did Stoick put him through?!"
Phlegma and Ack seemed to hear it as well. They listened in. "Stoick never put him to any training. He never ask for dragon training, or anything!" They heard Mildew speak. "All he does is just spend his time at the forge and the forest."
"He must have gotten some kind of training." They heard Alvin spoke. "I saw him in the cage. He didn't even break a sweat! … some sort of monster is he…" It was getting drowned in quiet snoring ambient noise. "… always go for the head and never missed. All of them, dead. 200 of them."
They heard Mildew speak, but it was drowned by ambient noise. However, the sound Alvin made let them guess what they were saying. "… was not going for me…" He sounded afraid. "… behind me. It was too accurate. He knew I was going to dodge that."
The sound was getting distant. They sounded like they were arguing while walking. After they disappeared, Hiccup let out a sigh. "200 kills, huh." He muttered, looking up to the ceiling.
Phlegma chuckled. "You put up a good fight, Hiccup." She complemented.
"Aye." Ack agreed. "I saw you hurt his arm. That looked like it would scar."
Hiccup smirked. "It should serve as a reminder the next time he's going to cross me again."
They were silent for some time. Then, the boy let out a sigh. "Welp, so much for a peaceful patrol." He lamented. "Someone had to ruin the whole thing and that involves me."
"It's not your fault, Hiccup." Phlegma soothed. "You did not know it was going to happen."
"Well, it happened already." Hiccup simply spoke. "If what Alvin said was correct, he's most likely going to use me as a bait to get my dad to come here."
"Why does he wanted your dad to come here?" Ack questioned, curious.
Hiccup shook his head. "I don't know." He whispered. "For all I know, Alvin probably wanted to kill him."
They stayed silent some more. Phlegma let out a sigh. "… now what?"
"I'll think of something." Ack shrugged.
Hiccup rested his head onto the bar behind him. Looking around the place, there were a lot of dragons in the cages. He wondered why Outcasts had so many dragons there. It was unusual.
Deciding that was none of his concern, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.
The next day, Hiccup, Ack and Phlegma were brought around the place. The Outcasts were still afraid of Hiccup, as they kept him in a cage inside the cart. Ack and Phlegma were pushed around by several Outcasts, with their hands tied in front of them. Hiccup was sitting at the middle of the cage.
It was afternoon outside. There were a lot of people around, doing their errands. The whole place look like a huge market, with crates, stands, tools and weapons all over the place. There were dragons in cages being carted around, food baskets moved around and so on. Alvin and Mildew were there, walking alongside the Outcasts soldiers.
Notably, Alvin had a large scar vertical along his left arm.
"So, Hiccup!" Alvin called out. "What do you think of the island?"
"It's not so bad." Hiccup shrugged. "I can see the difference between here and Berk."
"What's the difference?"
"Management." Hiccup dryly responded.
Alvin chuckled. "You have a bit of humour, kid." He boomed. "Tell ya what. We run things differently here. Not like your village. Not that there was much there anyway."
"Oh, I know that as a fact." Mildew smirked.
"Mildew, why are you doing this?" Hiccup asked, exasperated. "Why are you betraying the village? Is it because you want to kill my father?"
Alvin and Mildew stopped. Everyone behind them stopped. They had stopped at a somewhat empty clearing. It was large and there were not that many Vikings there.
"Oh, it wasn't about killing him." Mildew soothed. "No, no. We want something from him."
"And what exactly do you want from him?" Hiccup questioned.
"Don't take me as a fool." The old man scowled. "We know you know what we're talking about."
Hiccup gave him a blank expression. "… No. I actually don't." He spoke.
Alvin caught that expression. "Did your father not told you about your legacy?" He demanded.
"Well, I'm supposed to be the chief of the village." Hiccup shrugged. He would refuse that title and give it to someone else worthy for it.
The Outcast chief looked exasperated. "Did he not tell you anything?"
"What am I supposed to know?" Hiccup demanded. "It's not like he actually told me anything. He's always busy doing his thing, and I was just doing my own thing in the village."
Mildew shook his head. "He really didn't tell you, did he?"
"Mildew." Hiccup patiently spoke. "If you don't explain to me what was this all about, when I come out of this cage, I'll shove an axe so far up your ass, you'll be puking steel when I'm done with you."
Mildew shuddered. Alvin laughed. "You have a lot of guts, kid." He complemented. "For someone so young, you're aggressive and brutal."
Hiccup smirked at him. "I had to live up the name Haddock, after all." He boasted.
The Outcast chief gave him a nod. He looked at Mildew. "He doesn't know. Best explain that to him."
"So, your father never told you why?" Mildew spoke, frowned.
"Nope." Hiccup shook his head.
"You see, the Haddock family goes all the way back to the place in the mainland." Mildew lectured. "They ran off into the Isle of Berk because of the Romans."
"My ancestor was your great-great-great-great aunt by marriage, you see?" Mildew told the tale. "He moved in and joined the Hairy Hooligan tribe. At the time, Hamish the First was the Chief. Hamish have treasures and he hid them from everyone else. Nobody else knows where it was, but they say that there were a lot of money in there."
Hiccup narrowed his eyes. "You betrayed the tribe for money?"
"Oh yes." Mildew smirked. "Lots and lots of gold. Enough to buy the whole mainland! Your father have the map hidden somewhere. It was something that I want. Just imagine; gold, as vast as eyes can see. It was a shame that Stoick doesn't want to look for them."
Hiccup raised one eyebrow. He had been telling the truth so far. Was his father really hiding gold from the whole tribe?
"And why is that?" Hiccup questioned.
"Because he was a coward!" Mildew shouted. "Too afraid to search for them, in case other Vikings wanted to take them away from him. He wanted them all for himself."
Hiccup smelled lies and speculation in those words. "You liar." He called him out.
"Now why would I lie about it, hmm?" Mildew smirked.
"Because you don't even know why he didn't look for them." Hiccup accused, surprising Mildew and Alvin. "My father is the most fearless Viking I had ever known. He faced against all odds and survived. He was anything but a coward."
"So, you actually know…" Alvin muttered.
"No." Hiccup shook his head. "I don't know about this until now. I know my father more than anyone else in the village. Of all the flaws he had, fear is not one of them."
"Then why would he not look for it, then?" Mildew challenged.
"I'm sure he have his own reasons." Hiccup shrugged.
"Don't you see where I'm going with this, Hiccup?" Mildew spoke, smirking. "You're a smart kid, aren't you? Just imagine, all the gold that you could have. We'll even share it with you."
Hiccup was silent. Ack and Phlegma looked hesitant. It was a new information for them as well. Ack looked at the boy. "Hiccup?"
"If you think I care about money." Hiccup started, staring at Mildew. "Then you had another thing coming for you."
"Just think, Hiccup." Mildew spoke as he came close to him. "Money. Everything you can buy."
Money did not matter to him. Materialism was a human nature. While he used to be a human, such behaviour was simply not in him. His dragon side never had them. As such, that kind of personality was never in him to begin with.
After all, there were far better and exciting ways to get things other than using money to get them. Why buy them when you can get them in other ways?
"I don't really care." Hiccup admitted. "Money is not something I care about."
Alvin and Mildew looked at each other. Hiccup wondered what they were thinking about. After some time, they both looked at Hiccup. "Going as normal, then." The Outcast chief spoke.
"Yes." Mildew muttered. "I'm off. See you next week."
With that, Mildew left the place. Ack and Phlegma glared at the retreating form of the lanky old man.
Alvin stroked his beard. "Hmm." He hummed. Then, he shrugged. "Oh well. What a shame. Money is good."
Hiccup stayed silent. The Outcast chief looked at his men. "Alright. Leave 'em there. Do your own duties."
"Yes, chief." The Vikings chorused. They spread around as they continued to do their work.
One Viking came to the centre of the clearing. A dragon was brought into the area using a cart. It was a Deadly Nadder. The dragon was not in a cage, but it was restrained and could not move.
Hiccup raised his eyebrows. The dragon looked panicked. Its eyes darted around and stared at the Viking at the centre, who were holding a large standard axe.
Seeing that, it struggled. "No, no! Please!"
The Vikings stopped the cart right in front of the axe-wielding one. He raised his axe on top of the dragon and swung it down right onto its neck. Blood poured out of the wound and splattered onto the floor. The dragon choked before limped on its restraint, dead.
After it died, the other Vikings carted them away to another location, with dragon blood trailing behind them.
Another group of Viking dragged a different dragon into the clearing. It was a Monstrous Nightmare. It looked very exhausted. They brought them fourth to the centre. Like before, the axe-wielding Viking raised his axe. The dragon looked up to the raised axe and resigned its fate.
The axe swung down and chopped his head off from the body. When that was done, the other Vikings carted the body parts away. Another dragon came in, ready for the slaughter. The process repeated itself without any signs of stopping.
Hiccup was silently watching. Inside, however, he was seething with anger. He was watching dragons being slaughtered for no reason in front of him. He was helpless, as he could not act without revealing himself as a dragon.
Watching those dragons being killed one by one made him somewhat distressed. He showed no emotion, but he wished nothing but death to the Outcasts for doing this. He promised himself to kill them when the time comes.
Suddenly, Phlegma decided to ask. "Why do you have so many dragons?"
"Eh?" Alvin turned to look at her, confused. "Ah. Well, we attacked this strange settlement that had a lot of dragons in it and not much else. But we're Outcasts! We wipe them clean of everything they have!"
"That was weeks ago. We don't have that much use for the dragons." The Outcast chief shrugged. "We're killing them to save some space."
"You raid other villages?" Hiccup calmly asked.
Alvin chuckled. He looked at Hiccup. "It shouldn't be a surprise to you."
"No." Hiccup shook his head. His eyes darkened as he stared at the slaughter. "It doesn't."
Watching those dragons being slaughtered made something in him snap. He realised that the village Alvin raided most likely worked by capturing dragon for a living. They were done by humans. Captured by humans and slaughtered by humans. It was a slaughter done by humans against dragons.
Hiccup suddenly came to conclusion that he despised humans.
The boy paused. He was reminded of Valka. He despised almost all humans.
Hiccup contemplated on what to do. They were slaughtering these dragons. It was no self-defence. It was mass murder. He pondered a way to get himself out and escape the Outcast Island. He almost groaned when he was reminded that he needed to save Ack and Phlegma as well.
After some time, the boy spoke. "Why don't you make use of them for entertainment instead of killing them like that?"
"Hmm?" Alvin looked at him.
"You can have dragons fighting against other dragons." Hiccup suggested. "It's a waste of effort if you don't really get anything out of it. You raided a village without that much stuff in it."
Alvin thought about it. After some time, he laughed. "Hah! You're a smart boy, Hiccup." He praised.
The Outcast chief looked at his men and shouted. "Stop the execution. Move the dragons into the ring."
"Aye, chief!" The Vikings chorused. The Deadly Nadder that was about to be killed sighed in relief. The cart then dragged back to where it came from.
Alvin then barked more orders. "Get these two into the prison." He gestured towards Ack and Phlegma.
Two Vikings came and prepared the two for transport. Then, one of them asked. "What about the boy?"
The Outcast chief smirked. "Get him to the ring. Make him fight the dragons."
Phlegma and Ack's eyes widened. "No!" Phlegma shouted. Ack gritted his teeth.
She struggled against the Outcast. The Viking holding her down smacked her head. "Shut up!"
Hiccup gave them a determined expression. He nodded. Phlegma and Ack could only stare at him, as they were dragged away from the place.