The Lost Boy V - Short stories

Bad Choices 4 - A different life

Hiccup's brain worked at top speed. Gobber had asked him a potion from Joke while he had been talking about the healer. So the auburnet viking made a risky bet, assuming Joke was the healer of the village.

In his memories, he couldn't recall a time when the white-haired boy who used to be his best friend told him about such projects, but it didn't prove anything. Indeed, back then they were young and weren't thinking about their future. Hiccup had been too busy trying to fit in, and Joke trying to get more freedom and helping out the chief's son.

Holding on the hope his hypothesis was right, the young viking man ran down the streets, panting and his head buzzing because of the fever. He didn't pay attention to his peg leg which, despite his body being used to it, was causing him some troubles to keep his balance while running. He didn't mind either the countless stares he got, mixture of surprise, curiosity and worry.

He ziped along the village towards the old healer's hutt. He didn't know why, he had convinced himself the new healer was settled there, too. Luckily, he didn't have to reach the place to get an answer, because he stopped in his tracks as he heard the name he had been searching for.

He stopped and turned around on his heel to face a large building he had never seen before. Like the smithy, it was a long rectangular building with multiple opening, but it was more colorful and had two floors above it. A lot of dragons were coming in and out of the numerous windows. From one of the openings on the first floor, Hiccup recognized the Night Fury that had been in his bedroom in the morning. Much to the viking's surprise, next to the black dragon was another one that looked a lot like it, though thinner and surprinsingly white.

He pushed aside this comment and focused back on what looked like a courtyard on the side of the building. The voice that had called Joke was coming from there, and Hiccup spotted a viking walking away, waving back while a Terrible Terror was snuggling happily in his free arm.

Hiccup quickly forgot about this viking and looked back to the courtyard, which looked a lot like the counter at the smithy. He took a few steps closer, listening to any sound coming from there. He could hear countless dragon sounds in the background and coming from inside the building, but also from the one laying on the floor. While Hiccup entered the courtyard, he noticed someone crouching next to the dragon.

Hiccup froze seeing him. The numerous memories of this precious friendship he had lost flooded back into his mind. He remembered the very first time they had seen each other, they were mere toddlers. He remembered perfectly the doomed day he had rejected him for his much different point of view concerning dragons, because himself was obsessed with fitting in and become like the other vikings.

He also remembered he had had not the slightest regret about it, at least until he had officially entered dragon training. Seeing the white-haired boy avoiding him with so much pain and anger in his eyes, it had made him realise his mistake. But they had never made up.

For lack of courage, for lack of time... He didn't know. He only knew that, after his banishment, the boy who had been his best friend had become his worst regret. He had often wondered what the boy would have become if he had survived. What he would have look like once adult, what kind of job he would have done, what kind of family he would have had...

Now Hiccup knew. And it overwhelmed him. The young man crouching beside this Thunderdrum really was the boy he had known. The snowy color of his hair couldn't be mistaken, nor the slightly too big ears popping out of it, nor the paler skin than the other vikings... and his lean frame barely seemed to have gained muscles through the years.

Hiccup remained still, frozen like an idiot, staring at this impossible face. The features had changed with time, but still felt so familiar. His jaw was more angular, still it was softer than the usual vikings, and was not bony despite the slim build. His eyes seemed different, too. They were brighter and wiser, in a way.