Runaway Viking

Part 1: Leaving

Hiccup's POV

"You did it, Hiccup!" Gobber exclaimed, grabbing me by the shoulders, "you get to kill the dragon!"
"That's great," I said, sarcastically, " I'm so, so…"

"Leaving," I said, entering the cove with all of my important items, including clothes and food, in a basket, "We're leaving, Toothless."
"Who's Toothless?"
I jumped at the voice behind me. I turned around.
"Astrid, wh-what are you doing here?"
"Who's Toothless?" she repeated, firmly
"Uh, my pet...fox? Yeah, my pet fox!" I stammered
She raised an eyebrow.
"Really? A fox?"
"Yeah, I'm uh, training it… to do... tricks," I stuttered.
"And you called it Toothless?"
"Long story."
She continued to stare at me suspiciously.

"And where are you 'leaving' to?"
"Wh-what? No-nowhere, just going for a walk, with Toothless."

Suddenly, Astrid's eyes widened as she noticed something behind me.
"Get down!" She cried, jumping on top of me and knocking me over, "there's a dragon!"
I was alarmed. Astrid had brought out her axe and was headed towards the dragon, otherwise known as Toothless at an alarming rate.
"No!" I shouted, running forwards and stepping between her and Toothless, who currently had his teeth bared, snarling violently.
Astrid looked at me in a mix of surprise and fury.
"What are you doing?" She shouted.
"Astrid, this is Toothless," I said, introducing her to my best bud, "Toothless this is my friend, Astrid"
Astrid continued to glance between Toothless and I, seemingly taking note of the saddle Toothless wore on his back. She then stared at me, fright clearly evident in her expression, before dropping her axe and running off into the woods.
"Wait!" I called, but she was already too far ahead,
"Come on, Toothless," I said, "we can't let her tell Dad."

(Whole romantic flight scene + Red Death's lair/ nest)

Toothless, Astrid and I landed back in the cove, contemplating what we had just seen and the following day's upcoming events.

"So," Astrid said, eventually, "what are you going to do? I mean, about the whole dragon-killing thing?"
I sighed,"I'm leaving."
"WHAT?" She shouted
"Think about it, Astrid!" I reasoned, " I can't kill the dragon, and if I don't, Dad will be even more disappointed in me than he is now. On the other hand, if he finds out about Toothless, I'll be disowned by him, and probably branded a traitor. Either way, the outcome is bad. I have no choice!"
She was stunned for a moment before sighing, "I see what you mean, but if you're leaving, I'm coming with you."
"No," I replied, sharply, "You have family, friends. You can't leave them behind!"
"What about you?" She shouted back, "your father, your friends? What will they think?"
"My father doesn't care, Astrid," I said, sadly, "I'm just the village runt who can never do anything right. I'm just the walking fishbone. I have no friends, no one will miss me if I leave."
"I will," she said, quietly.
I gave her a small smile, "Thanks Astrid, that means a lot. I promise I will write letters to you whenever I can."
She returned my smile briefly, before punching me in the arm.
"Ow!" I cried, "What was that for?"
"That," she said, "Was for kidnapping me and for running away" She then grabbed me by my shirt and kissed me briefly, "and that was for everything else."
She blushed, and so did I.
"Goodbye, Hiccup," she said, before turning to go back to the village.
"Goodbye, Astrid," I replied, "please don't tell anyone where I've gone!"
She responded with a brief nod of the head, before she walked between the trees, out of my sight.

I stood gazing at the spot from where she left for a few moments longer, before mounting Toothless again.
"Come on, bud," I said to him, "it's time to disappear."
We took off quietly into the fading dusk and I whispered 2 words before my home disappeared from my sight.
"Goodbye, Berk."

664 words