Published 25th February 2023
Not edited 😬
Hiccup's POV

Previously:

I know my old life is gone, and good riddance! I just want to move on, build a life for Toothless and I. Help and befriend more dragons, perhaps figure out what the hel everyone means by 'Raven' and why that involves me. I just want to find our freedom.

Now:

The ocean is vast and empty, save for a few sea stack formations scattered around, for about half an hour before an island appears in the distance. I look over at Bo, about to ask him if he recognises the island, but he's already sat up and looking at it with excitement.

"That's it!" He exclaims. "That's— That's home!" He has a beaming smile on his face, obviously thrilled. I can't help but smile too, glad to see him so happy.

As we get closer, the details of the Island become visible. Most of it is covered in vegetation, with tall trees with thick branches reaching high up into the sky. There are sandy beaches sweeping around to the bottom left of the island, and cliffs producing down to the ocean on the right. Already I can make out some buildings poking up not far from the beach. It's not a huge island, but it sure looks like it can sustain people well.

"Let's head towards the top," Bo advises, directing the Nadder to aim for the top right of the island. Toothless adjusts the flight path easily, his eyes on the island in excitement and slight distrust. "I know a hunting cabin is this way, hopefully it's still around. No one ever uses it." Bo explains as we approach the island. We stay up amongst the clouds as we get closer, not wanting to be spotted, but once the island is directly under us we slip out from the cover and dive towards the ground swiftly.

We dive down through the trees, Toothless and I dodging branches effortlessly while Bo and the Nadder hit a few, and touch down on forest floor. "Do you know where we are?" I ask Bo. He slides off the Nadder's back and lands firmly on the ground, looking around us.

"Good luck with whatever lies ahead." The Nadder caws.
"Thank you for your help." Toothless responds.
"Bye." The Nadder takes back off into the sky, disappearing above the clouds in seconds.
"Didn't waste a second." Bo chuckles. "Guess she's not coming back?"
I remember that he can't understand Dragonese and nod, "Yep. She says 'good luck'." I inform him.

"Anyway, I know where we are. The cabin is this way," Bo changes the subject and points uphill. I stay on Toothless as he walks beside Bo. "It's not far." Bo explains as we walk. "I used to come all the time growing up; live purely off gain for a few weeks. I always found this place peaceful."

"What kind of animals would you catch?" I ask curiously.

"Deer, boar, birds, snakes, the odd bear," he lists casually, "there's a few wolves too, but I don't go after those. My people think they're sacred."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, the founders of this island had a run in with a bear when they got here, and apparently a pack of wolves saved them and attacked the bear." Bo shrugs. "Or somethin ' like that. The story gets altered each time I hear it, so it's probably highly inaccurate." 

After a few minutes of walking through thick shrub we come to a small path, most likely used by animals. Bo leads us up it, assuring us it's not far. The path winds around trees and hills, gradually heading uphill until we're walking beside tree tops.

"It's just over this rise," Bo explains cheerfully as the path becomes more rocky and steep. It's cut out from a hillside now, with it much more narrow as apposed to earlier. It's narrow enough that Toothless has to duck his sings in as much as possible and walk behind Bo, but we otherwise have no issues. We continue up the hill, and as we do I notice a leafy roof poking up amongst a patch of trees. We approach, seeing a small log cabin nestled amongst the trees with a camouflaged roof—leaves, dirt and branches strategically placed on top of a roof painted in splashes of green, brown and red. It has a small window next to the door, a hatch pulled down to keep the weather out.

"It looks good!" Bo grins, leading the way up to the door. He moves a branch off the doorstep and swipes some leaves away with his foot. He approaches the door but signals for us to stay back, sharing a nod with me before he pushes open the door. Silence follows as he steps in and out of view to check that it's empty, but a few seconds later the window hatch pushes open and he pokes his head out of the window. A bunch of leaves and dirt falls in on him and he coughs slightly, before smiling and waving us in.

Toothless needs no more encouragement, eagerly walking up to the door. I slide off his back and we enter the hut side by side; with me leaning on him slightly. I look around as my eyes adjust to the darker place. The hut is small but homely. A fireplace lays to the left, looking in good condition except for some dust. A chair sits next to it, a pillow resting half off it with a handful of chicken feathers flowing out of a tear in it. There's a shelf to the right end of the room, housing a few books, a box of arrows, a lantern, and an empty woven basket. To the left of the shelf is a bow mounted to the wall, intricate details carved into its wood. A deerskin rug lays on the floor, sprawled out in the centre. A chest sits between the window and the door, with Bo currently digging through it.

"You like it?" He smiles, straightening up. He holds a handful of handles and begins distributing them around the room.

"It's not bad," I admit as I shut the door. "Quite cozy!" Compared to how we've been living for, well, weeks, I'd have to say a roof over our head that isn't Dagur's ship is quite a welcomed change!

"You won't have to worry about anyone coming up here, no one really uses it." Bo reminds me, placing one last candle down. "There's a pile of wood around back for the fire place, blankets in the chest, and a stream is only about a five minute walk that way." On the last sentence he points to the right, past the shelf. I nod to show him I understand.

"We should head into the village," I suggest. "I bet they're dying to see you."

Bo smiles. "And I, them. Gods, I can't wait!"

"You should stay here bud," I tell Toothless. "Rest up, that was a long flight."

"I don't know..." He grumbles, uncertain. I rub his head affectionately.

"I'll be fine!" I assure him. I understand he's worried, especially since we only just got each other back, but I can't risk him being near the village.

"Alright, just be careful."

Bo and I leave the hut, taking the fifteen to twenty ish minute walk into the village. On the way Bo explains the surroundings, pointing out routes to freshwater lakes and creaks, as well as popular grazing fields for yaks and deer. The land is fairly manageable, as it's downhill for the most part, but it doesn't stop my leg from aching the entire time. Still, I try not to let it slow me down.

***

Finally, we reach the outskirts of the village, and walk past small farms until we reach the village itself. It's not a particularly large village, but it seems nice and sturdy. As we start passing homes, people poke their heads oit and look at us curiously.
"Is that..."
"Is everyone seeing what I'm seeing?"
"Surely that's not Bo..."

Bo chuckles, amused. "What? I'm gone for, like, six months and you forget what I look like?" He calls out loudly, doing a little spin to look around.
Somewhere nearby, there's a gasp. "I know that voice anywhere."

Bo looks over as soon as he hears that voice, eyes wide. Seconds later a man appears, a bucket of water in hand. As soon as he makes eye contact with Bo, he drops the bucket and gapes at him for a good half second before rushing forward to tackle him in a hug. The man is tall, fairly slim built if it wasn't for the bulging muscles on his arms, with brown eyes much like Bo's, and a mop of curly brown hair on his head.

"D-Dad," Bo wheezes. "Can't breathe."
The man laughs and releases him, holding him by the shoulders and shaking him. "I'M GLAD YOU'RE BACK BOY!" He beams, overjoyed, voice cracking with all the emotions I imagine he's feeling.
"Yeah, me too dad." Bo responds, much calmer, but a large grin on his face gives away his joy away. He then turns to me. "It wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for my friend here." He smiles at me and I smile and wave him off, not feeling like it's such a big deal. He shakes his head in amusement then looks back at his father.

"Well then," Bo's father regards me with a large grin, "I think this only calls for one thing!"

The next thing I know he's pulled me into a strong hug. My eyes wide and my body rigid from the shock, but I soon laugh and hug him back politely. "It-it's really nothing, sir." I murmur. He simply hugs me tighter. "No, it's everything. He is everything to me," he insists. "I couldn't thank you enough if I tried!"
"Dad, you're gonna strange him." Bo calls, amused. His father releases me, giving me a pat on the shoulder.

"Well then, let's get your both home!" Bo's father insists brightly. "You both look like you need a few good meals."

"That sounds great, dad!" Bo agrees. "But we're gonna need to freshen up." He wipes some mud off the back of his calve to show.
"Aye, that too." Bo's father nods.

And that's what we do, making our way through the village to Bo's family's house. Upon entering Bo gets smothered in a hug by a lady he calls his mother, and it takes him a while to convince her to let him go. They then let me use their bathroom (it's not much, as most houses don't have plumbing. But it's enough to wash some of the dirt, mud and dried blood off my body) while Bo talks with his parents. Once I come out I'm presented with some new clothes, a red tunic and brown pants, which I am more than grateful to accept. I change into them, doing my best not to irritate my wounds.

"So, you never did tell us your name," Bo's mother smiles as I sit down at the table with her and Bo's father, while Bo freshens up.
"My name is Hiccup, mam." I respond politely.
"You can call me Åse," she smiles warmly. I nod, returning the gesture.

"I'm Njal," Bo's father introduces him self, "none of this sir stuff." He laughs.
"Okay," I respond with a nervous smile.

Bo returns then, also in new clothes.

"Sit, sit!" Åse encourages him, "you boys need some meat on your bones!"
Bo shrugs and takes a seat next to me on the table, leaning over to whisper in my ear, "we'll get outa here soon, before they smother us."
I chuckle at him, "it's fine, take all the time you need!" I assure him. I couldn't blame him, after all, if he wanted to spend time with his family after so long apart. Not everyone gets that... so those who do should embrace it.

Åse leaves the room and comes back with two bowls of stew. "Still warm," she sets them down in front of us, "it's like I new we were having company," she laughs. "Yak and potato stew."

"Thank you, mam— Åse." I thank her. She waves me off with a kind smile. Åse and Njal start talking about the village as we eat, explaining that a new barn is being built, there's construction about to begin to build a new set of docks, and all about how the yak farms are going really well. Bo pays close attention, hanging on every word he learns about his village. Once we finish eating, though, Bo insists on taking me around the village.

"You—You just got here," Åse pouts as we make our way to the door.

"Mum, I promise we won't be long. I wanna show Hiccup around the place." Bo assures her.

"Let em go, he'll be back." Njal rubs his wife's shoulders in comfort.

"Alright, just... come back real soon." Åse sighs. At that Bo drags me out of the house before they can 'change their minds'. We head away from the house and into the village, many people we pass calling out to Bo to say welcome back.

"Do you guys have a forge?" I ask as we walk. "Maybe I could talk to 'em about making a new leg,"

"Ooh, good idea." Bo nods, taking a left turn. "So our forge is run by one man, his name is Leif— it means descendant, which fits because his family have owned the forgery since the island was first settled."

"So he'd know a lot of things." I observe.

"Yep, and it'll be passed on to his daughter and his son when they're old enough. They're only, like, four and two right now."

As Bo talks, I notice smoke coming out of a building in the distance. As we get closer, I can make out the shape of your average forgery, partly open with a room or two completely enclosed, with a chimney producing from one room. "Excellent, he's in!" Bo cheers.

We walk all the way up as the sounds of metal hitting metal ring oit from the building. "Leif! LEIF!" Bo cups his hands to his mouth and yells. After a second the banging stops. "LEIF!" Bo yells before the sound can start restart. Silence follows, before a series of thuds and clangs reach my ears. Then a man bursts through the doors, eyes wide.

"Bo? That you?" He looks around, then spots us. Bo grins and waves. The man brightens up and half runs over to us. He looks bo up and down as if he can't believe it's him.

"It's good to see you, boy. Your parents said... well, I'm just glad you're back!"

Bo shrugs, "yeah, a whole bunch of stuff went down... I'm just glad I'm home."

The man pats him on the shoulder, nodding. "Aye, I'm glad too." He then notices me for the first time. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Leif, the forge master!"

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Hiccup." I smile at him, offering my hands to shake. He takes it. "I was wondering, sir, if I could possibly borrow your forge for a little while?" I ask nervously. I then try to be confident. "I've worked in a forge all my life, since I was very young, I can, uh, sharpen weapons, build weapons, you name it. I'd love to help out in your forge in exchange of making myself a new prosthetic." I gesture to my leg.

"Hmm... well," Leif begins. "I don't see why not. I could use the company."

"Really?" I beam, excited.

Leif grins and bunches my shoulder. "As long as you don't mind my jokes."

I chuckle, ignoring the pain. "I'm sure I've heard worse."

"Well then, let's see what you can do!" Leif grins, taking me under an arm and leading me into the forge. "You should go back to your parents, boyo, I think they're itching to spend time with you." He calls over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I should head back." Bo agrees with a chuckle. "I'll come grab you, Hiccup in a couple hours or so."

"Sure, Bo." I give him a thumbs up. "Have fun with your parents."

Leif takes me into the forge and starts explaining where everything is. There's a few bench tops around with wooden stools under them, a serving widow with a shutter, and a fire pit in the centre of the room.

"So the main fire is here, the bellows are a little temperamental sometimes. That table over there are for orders, most people drop off their swords but you'll see a few axes and a bludgeon or two. There's the sharpening stone, works by a foot pedal." Leif explains, pointing them out respectively.

"Oh, and in case of a fire, the bucket of water is kept in this corner. All the tools can be found around the bench tops, they're quite out of order and placed randomly so don't worry about putting them back where you got them from."

"Right," I nod in understanding. "What would you like me to do first?" I ask patiently.
"Well, I think starting with the orders is good." Leif responds, "I'll watch you first just to make sure you know what you're doing."
"Of course," I nod as we walk over to the bench top under the serving window. "I'd do the same if I was in your position."

I pick up a sword, noticing how blunt it is, and walk over to the sharpening Stone. I heave it onto the stone and press the foot level with my right foot, which isn't great for my balance. Leif watches over my shoulder as I sharpen the sword, falling back into the familiar rhythm. A few minutes later I lift my foot off the lever and admire my work, lifting the sword up to examine it from all angles.

Leif let's out a whistle, "Not bad, you were taught well!"

I beam at the compliment, "I sure was!" Gobbler was, after all, responsible for teaching me. I know all I know because of Gobber. The person that treated me the best...

After I place the sword on a table near the serving bench I pick up another sword and get to work on that. Leif starts melting some metal to shape into a weapon, telling me about his family as we work. It turns out his family not only run them forge like Bo said, but also farm chickens. His wife takes care of the chickens when he can't, she's also a farrier. His two children probably will do the same once they're older. He said that his daughter will be ready to be taught first and that he can't wait to teach her blacksmithing.

When I move onto rewrapping a handle on an axe I tell him a little bit about how I grew up helping Gobber in the forge and how much better I became over the years, soon making entire weapons before I was even a teenager.

"I was much the same," Leif tells me with a bright smile. He gives me the sword he was forming and I start banging and shaping it into its proper form, "I was running this place on my own before I was twenty."

"That's great!" I chime in, "it must have felt great to be behind the wheel."

"Oh, it was! Business was booming, so I got overwhelmed on the first day of course!" He laughs. "But once I got in my rhythm I was fine! Don't tell my father, but some of the villages say I make better sword then he does." He leans in and whispers the last sentence.

"Well considering how long your family has had the place, I think that's an amazing compliment Leif!" chuckle. "The fact that you're better than your father speaks wonders about your talent!"

"You're too kind, kid!" He exclaims, fanning his face dramatically. Once I finish with the sword I grab another from the window and start to sharpen it. He starts telling a story about his early days in the forge, and I listen intently as I work.

Thank you for reading! I'm sorry it's not exactly an action packed chapter lol, but I believe Hiccup and Toothless deserve a small, tiny break 💀

Anyway... are you also a marvel fan??? If so... be on the lookout over the next few days. Because over the course of the last year I slowly wrote a crossover book, and I will be publishing the first chapter soon.

But yeah. The plots pretty shitty but at least it's more put together than this book 😂

I promise I haven't and will not forget about this book.

Oh yeah, and I've started my uni semester so as you know updates will be random.

Okay, have a great day!