The Rouge Angel (Book 1) - HTTYD

4| Veatta

|ASTRID|

I have to go and sign a peace treaty, again. Because of the whole threat of the Rouge Angel, tribes are renewing their peace treaties, because they don't want a tribe to turn on them, because of the mysterious murderer. I'm heading to Gerf, which is pretty far from Berk, and will be about a ten day boat trip.

I grip my axe in one hand as I walk down the docks, towards the ship I will be taking. A hand touches my shoulder from behind, and I am slightly startled by it.

I turn around, ready to snarl at the person for startling me, but I raise an eyebrow as I see who it is.

"Trader John?"

He grimaces, handing me another scroll. He leans in, cupping his mouth with one hand as he whispers to me.

"I just got these reports, but they were written a few weeks ago. Apparently, someone is fighting the Rouge Angel."

I feel my breath hitch as he says this, but I do nothing more, for I want to hear the rest.

"Not directly, but she has been raiding bigger, more wealthy tribes and giving the stuff to the poor tribes that have been affected by the Rouge Angel."

"She?"

He nods. "She. She wears a brown outfit, and bandages up both her arms and legs. She also wears a hood...so no one knows who she is. She's fast though, and when I say fast, I mean fast. A blur, she is! Well, that's what they've been saying."

"Is she...called something?"

Trader John nods, leaning in closer as he whispers. "They call her Veatta. Because, she leaves a symbol everywhere she goes--no matter if it's the place she's robbing, or the poor that she is helping."

"What symbol?" I ask, curiosity biting at me.

Trader John frowns, patting down his pockets before he digs his hand in to one, pulling a chain out with a stone on the end. He hands it to me, and I look at the stone, and I see a symbol engraved into it.

"The symbol of hope" he says. "Veatta means 'Hope'. She is..is the hope that the Rouge Angel won't destroy us; that we are strong."

I clutch the stone in my had, before I smile, offering it back to Trader John but he shakes his head.

"Keep it...we all need a little bit of hope at the moment."

"Thank you Trader John" I smile, before softly waving and walking down the docks.

I finally step foot on to my ship, and I shout some orders to the Vikings that are manning the ship. I grip the edge as the ship finally sails away from Berk, and I take a deep breath of the ocean air.

I so badly wanted to get off Berk. Just to take a breath; to has a break. Being chief is harder than I once thought. Even though I am in charge, I feel like I am controlled by everyone around me. I also hate the responsibility. If I wasn't chief, I would probably be doing something dangerous and daring, not giving a care in the world.

Because I am Fearless Astrid Hofferson.

And I am not cut out for being a chief.

I hold the necklace that Trader John had given me in my hands, and I close my eyes for a moment.

There is hope. There is hope that someone will stop the Rouge Angel.

I reach back, placing the chain around my neck and the little stone sits on my chest, the symbol of hope carved into it.

Hope...there is hope...

• • •

It's been a few days since I have left Berk, and I couldn't be more bored out of my skull.

Ruffnut came with me on this trip, and I hadn't realised that until she sat down next to me after an hour or so on this boat.

We both now sit on the deck, like we always do, staring at the floor. Ruff won't ever talk to me, because that's how she's been for the last five years. I find my eyes staring at her missing arm, and I can't help but gulp wen I think of how she lost her arm.

She cut her own arm off.

How could someone possibly do that?

"I can feel you staring."

I quickly look away, feeling awkward. Ruff just shrugs, sighing.

"It's fine. It's a part of me. Stare at it all you want."

We sit in silence for a heart beat, but then I speak up.

"Tuff loved you Ruff; that's why he did what he did. You know that, right?"

She doesn't reply for a moment, and for a heartbeat, I think I have plucked a nerve. But then, she raises her hand, and wipes away a tear that had spilled from her eyelids.

"I...I know" she says, her voice sounding a little more raspy than usual. "And I never got to tell him how...how much I loved him..."

I lift my hand, patting her shoulder to comfort her. I won't hug her; I can't hug. I don't really know how to hug that well. And I don't want to hug her. I'm not a hugger.

"You want some water or something?" I ask her as more tears flow.

She nods softly, so I stand and make my way to the front of the ship. Some of my blond hair falls in my face, and I sigh, blowing it away. I keep on my current path to the front of the ship, my stomach churning.

I feel terrible for saying anything to Ruff...I hope she isn't going to start sobbing. I would understand if we did, but I wouldn't know what to do if that happened. I've never really dealt with a sobbing, nineteen year old girl. I want to be like a big sister to her, since I'm twenty, a year older, but I don't even know how to do that.

I hear the slightest sound of flapping wings. But I dismiss it, thinking it's a bird.

But then I hear a scream.

And then something grabs my arm.

And then I am lifted up into the air.

I scream, shocked and frightened, and I grasp whatever is holding me tightly, afraid of falling as we get higher and higher.

I try to look up at what has got me, but then a something hard like a fist is brought down on my head, and everything slowly disappears, turning black.

___________

The edit above was done by ZombieDragonRider . Let's just make it clear, ALL of the edits will be edited by her, because I can't edit photos at all.

Quick chapter :] I literally just got this idea, so I had to quickly write it down. It hasn't got much action in it, but, oh well.

And, I decided to do a character comtest. In the comments, give me a character, and I might use him/her in the book. Make sure you say the following;
- Appearance
-Attuitude
-Name
-Age
-Backstory
-Fears/hopes/dreams
And you can add a lot more :] details would be great! I will chose a character by the next chapter or so, so watch out for then :D