Escaping to You -Book I of the Journey Series

Chapter 1

===Hiccup===

All was well in the archipelago. The war with Dagur the Deranged and the Berserker tribe is long behind us, along with the the Screaming Death and our strange alliance with Alvin the Treacherous and the Outcasts. Three years have passed and the world was peaceful. A little too peaceful if you ask me.

Ever since our victory three years ago, everyone decided to go on with their personal lives. Berk has changed so much, then again so have we. Take Snotlout for instance. The snotty and obnoxious guy in our group now works at the armoury. Gobber gave him the title of 'Official Weapons Tester'. And because of this, he's now a regular visitor at Gothi's hut. Its his job...... amd no one's complaining, so far.

The twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, was the most predicatble, to be honest. To absolutely no one's surprise, they've decided to dedicate their lives to Loki, the god of pranks. Lucky us....... Let's not forget that half of the village was almost destroyed because they accidentally lured a wild Timberjack while pranking Not-So-Silent Sven.

Fishlegs, as much as it pleases me, has decided to take over the Dragon Academy and teach the little children of Berk a thing or two about dragons. And honestly, I couldn't be more proud of him.

Amd as for Astrid, Well........... she decided to join the Berk Guard. I couldn't be prouder, of course. I was just surprised, because we spent so much time together in the past three years, she never once mentioned a thing about her wanting to join the Berk Guard. And I'm also sad about the fact that I won't get to spend time with her as much as I used to.

My Dad, on the other hand, since he noticed how bored I was starting to become, decided that I should start learning what it is to become chief, since I'm his only heir. And if I don't agree to it, Snotlout will become chief, which was horrifying, for lack of a better word.

Gobber, not surprising, has been doubling my work at the forge, since I have nothing to do but laze around all day. It did keep me occupied, and it felt like old times. Oh how I missed working back at the forge.

But I miss flying around in missions more. Exploring islands, searching for new things. The adrenaline and the thrill.

Wake Up. Eat. Walk. Fly. Chief rounds with Dad. Meet Astrid. Eat. Explore the woods. Hang out at the Cove. Fly. Check in on everyone. Work at the forge. Eat. Draw. Sleep. Repeat. Everyday for three years, that was my routine.

Occasionally, I would get back to inventing. But, it didn't feel the same. Nothing I ever did felt the same. There are also times where I would escape and try to reach the farthest reaches of the archipelago alone, but I never made it because someone is always around catching me. And that someone would be Astrid.

As much as I love having her around, it seems like she's managing her time in the Berk Guard just to catch me red-handedly exploring on my own. And she would always try to get me to tell her what I was planning. It was starting to get really annoying. And of course, I didn't crack. Because if she found out what I was doing, she would quit the Berk Guard and join me. So will the rest of the riders. I can't do that to them. That would be selfish on my part.

Right now, I'm at the cove, with Toothless. Just relaxing. Mostly thinking, though. Thinking on what should I do with my life so far. Toothless lying on the grass under the afternoon sun, while me leaning my back against the rocks and staring at my surroundings.

The forest filled with nothig but grass, shrubs, trees, bushes and heather. Speaking of which..... Heather. The mysterious girl whom we saved her parents form the Outcasts. Her raven colored hair, emerald green eyes, and bright and clever smile. Let's not forget her incredible skill and knowledge when it comes ot forgery and blacksmithing. Its hard not to admit that I felt something for her the whole time she was here. I mean, sure. I like Astrid. She's amazing, I know.

But Heather was-is..................... well, she gets me when no one else does. She understood me better than anyone. I admit, Me finding out that she was working with the Outcasts broke my trust in her. But, I understood why she did it. If I were in her shoes, I'd do the same thing.

Looking up, I thought, 'Why can't I just run away......?'Then, it hit me like a lightning bolt to the head. RUN AWAY! That's it! I'll run away with Toothless and escape, to the world beyond the archipelago.

"Toothless, what do you say you and me go on a little trip?" At my words he bounded up and started jumping up and down in sheer delight. I scratched his head and said, "I feel the same bud." I mounted him and flew back to the village. 'I need to pack a few things, but in secret, and fly at full speed after sunset. That way, no one will see us.' I thought catefully as we landed right next to my house.

Before I did anything, I went up to my room and got Toothless' black tailfin and replaced the red one on his tail. "This should make it easier for us to escape." I said to myself. I got at least two rucksacks and filled it with everything I could possibly need. Clothes, quills, blankets, books, empty notebooks, pillows, parchment, charcoal pens, Toothless' spare tailfins, my spare prosthetic legs, and extra pieces of fabric. I miraculously fit them all into one rucksack and grabbed the other one as I dashed to the forge.

Tools, sketches, layouts, scrap metal, and leather. I fit them all into the rucksack and ran towards my house, thankful that I wasn't seen. I place it next to the other and grabbed two saddle bags. I went downstairs to find that my dad isn't home yet. I went to the cupboard and filled the two bags with food and multiple canteens of water and milk. I went back up and placed them next to the two rucksacks. I carefully hid them where no one could see them.

That night, I went to the Great Hall for dinner. Everyone was so busy so I decided to make my escape earlier than planned. I finished my dinner quickly and stalked towards the doors of the Great Hall, when a voice called from behind. "Hiccup..." I flinched as I turned around and saw...... Astrid. No surprise there.

"Where are you going?" She asked. "To sleep. I did a few tricks with Toothless today, so I'm pretty beat." I lied smoothly, and she seems to buy it. "Will you show me sometime?" She asked. "Sure, but not now. You're still busy with the Berk Guard. Maybe one day." I told her. "Okay... well, good night." She bid me and went back to her usual spot. "You too." I mumbled and went out of the Great Hall and towards my house.

I strapped the rucksacks, and saddlebags to Toothless' saddle and opened the hatch in my room. I wrote a note and placed it on my bed. And the two of us flew away from Berk at Toothless' top speed, looking back every now and then to make sure we weren't followed.

Toothless glanced at me, his eyes filled with worry. "Don't worry, bud. We'll be back. I promise." I reassured him. And he seem to relax. 'This is it. This is the start of a new chapter of my life.' I thought as the two of us flew towards the fog bank in the dark cover of the night.