Chapter 2
~ Hiccup's POV ~

I took a long breath and rested my hands on my hips. Before I could even walk down the concrete steps of the fish storage in pursuit of the SnaffleFang, Gobber plodded over to me with a big lop-sided grin sliding down his face. Dragging his peg-leg behind, he stopped beside me. He was maybe even gasping for breath, the old man had walked about ten steps! Gobber had been looking for an apprentice for some time now as I had no time to work for him any more, by the sound of him, he needed an apprentice very soon.
"What's the plan for today then?" He gruffly asked.
I ran my hands through my hair that was still stuck in a static bed-time look and rested my hand on Gobber's shoulder. "I was about to ask you the same thing...But I won't, where's Toothless? He was gone by the time I got up this morning."
Gobber stopped and thought for a moment. "Err....No idea. Perhaps he got bored waiting for you."
I laughed and felt my eyes glaze over at the thought of Astrid again. The only person who could keep me from my duties.
"Yeah...perhaps. I'll go and look for him, then. Spitelout and Snotlout can handle the SnaffleFang."
Gobber slowly raised an eyebrow. "Sure about that?" He asked wryly.
I tilted my head in a side to side motion as I questioned my sanity. "No..." I decided finally.
Gobber shook his head quickly and smiled, his crooked teeth over-lapping his dry lips. "You're right, Silent Sven wasn't over-exaggerating. Just a wee' typical Lout and dragon skirmish. I'll fix it, you go and fly Toothless. It sounds like both of you need some alone time."
I gasped and shook his hand quickly. "Thank you, Gobber! I owe you one!" I yelled, running toward the stables before he changed his mind.
"You can work late in the fort. I'll be waiting for you!" He called in my wake.

"You got it!"

We parted ways and I followed the paths to the Dragon Stables where I hoped Toothless would be.

"Toothless?!" I called.
My voice echoed across the quiet village and was carried on the morning breeze to my dragon. Toothless jumped up at the sound of me and followed it. He bounded up like an over-grown puppy, his cat eyes glowing, and nuzzled his head against my chest.
"Hey bud! Where have you been?" I asked happily, scratching his head.

As I spoke, Stormfly trotted up behind and I gently stroked her nose. "Hey girl! So, what have you two been up to?"
Stormfly took to the sky and flew up to the house where she would find Astrid.

Who knows what Toothless and Stormfly had been up to already!

Probably rolling in the dragon nip fields. I laughed as Toothless rubbed against me again, nearly knocking me off my feet this time as I stumbled backwards.
"Okay, okay! Quick flight round, then back, sound good?"
Toothless licked me and I shook off the saliva (aiming it at my dragon!) before climbing onto my scaly Night Fury and taking off.
As I flew, the wind untangled my clogged up brain.
"Ah! There's nothing like a flight to wake you up, is there?" I asked myself more than Toothless, but he replied with a flap of his ears. Slowly the dragon gradually lost speed and levelled out. I puffed out my chest and slowly exhaled, letting all the worries and burdens of chiefing roll off my shoulders.
"It feels like it's been a lifetime since we last did this. Just me and you, Toothless. I've been neglecting our flights a bit, sorry bud."
Toothless grumbled in agreement and slapped my hand with his ear. He never misses! Every single time, no matter how ready I am, he catches me.
"Ow! Alright, alright! A lot! I've been neglecting them a lot! Sorry!" I apologised again, only to receive another dragon moan.
"Okay, let's do some sky diving...How do you like that name for our trick? Mum came up with it when she said the other day, 'I saw you diving through the sky and I thought you were going to hit the water, but you didn't!'" I laughed, trying my best to imitate her shocked voice.
I unclipped my buckles and clips, flapped my helmet down and shrugged my shoulders to prepare myself.
"You ready?" I slipped off the leather saddle and began plummeting towards the ocean below.

"whooooaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

The wind rushing past me and the thick sea air washing over me was enough to make me forget everything and live in the moment.
It was just me, and Toothless falling for what felt like forever.
Once we were picking up speed and the land seemed a lot closer all of a sudden, I unstrapped my flight suit wings and the wind lifted me up. I closed my eyes and waited for the purple plasma blast to blow from behind and give me a boost, but no blast came, instead a distant whimper. I turned around and Toothless gestured to a ship sailing freely towards Berk on the crystal blue ocean.
"What?! Oh no! I forgot that Trader Johann was coming today!"
While I was distracted by the boat, I didn't notice the pillars of rock not too far away. By the time looked up to hear Toothless' warnings, there was no time left to stop.

"Agh! TOOTHLESS!" I shouted in a panic-stricken tone.
Toothless dived for me and coiled around me like a black egg shell as we crashed into the ledge that over-looked Itchy-Armpit...again.
"Ah...There goes another column..." I groaned as we watched another column of rock collapse into the water behind us.
"Oh dear...We nearly had it again, Toothless! We'll never beat that flight with the Bewilderbeast though, that was fantastic! Right, we had better get back because Johann will be waiting for us." I sighed, affectionately patting my trusty beast on the nose.

I climbed back on Toothless and we flew up into the clouded sky.
In a few minutes, we landed swiftly on the dock and I hurried in next to Gobber as he welcomed the trader onto the island.
I leant into Gobber's ear and whispered, "Sorry..."
Gobber just grumbled and gave Johann a hand onto dry ground with a smile. "Welcome back, Trader Johann!"

Johann nodded being his usual bouncy, merchant self. "Thank you! It's good to be back, all my favourite customers here on Berk!"

I shook the sailor's slimy hand and climbed onto the merchant's boat. As I looked around at all the exciting and exotic things Johann had picked up on his travels, I felt a hand slip into mine and looked down to see my little daughter smiling up at me.
"Hey beautiful!" I greeted, squeezing her tiny fingers.
Lucy grinned happily and skipped on beside me. Her hair buns bobbed up and down as she danced her way around the boat.
She spotted a little rag doll on an empty barrel on the starboard side and squealed with joy. "Daddy! Can I have this dolly, please?!" she exclaimed pointing to it and bouncing from one foot to the other in anticipation.
I laughed with a nod of my head while examining a piece of leather that would be perfect for a new saddle. Lucy reached for the doll and hugged it tight to her chest.
"Yay!"

Astrid wandered over to my side and leant on my shoulder, her blonde hair brushing against my chin. "More leather...?" She groaned, rolling her eyes.
I looked down at her with a grin and chuckled lightly. "Always the enthusiastic one. Yes! Have you seen the rips in my saddle?"

Astrid pressed her lips into a purse and picked up a freshly-sharpened axe.
I smirked and seized the moment for revenge. "Another axe..." I moaned with a grin.
She pulled a tongue at me and shoved my arm playfully. "Uh huh! You can never have too many axes!"
The young lady hugged the axe and pouted while giving me puppy eyes, her blue orbs sparkling like the sapphire ocean on a summer day.
"Aww, is that why you're pouting big baby boo! So...then you can never have too much leather!" I argued, returning the sparkly-eyed expression and hugging the leather in imitation.

Astrid giggled and another laugh burst out of me like a plasma blast. I laughed just because I loved to see hear her laugh. She was infectious in her every way, I just couldn't get enough of my Astrid.
"Okay. Objection over-ruled." She finished.
I nodded and stood tall, trying my best to execute a victorious stance and expression. "Ditto."

We paid for our things and started to make our way off the ship. I helped Astrid out onto the shore, then took my daughter's hand and lifted her up onto the island. "There you are, milady."

Lucy curtsied and took her mother's hand with a girly giggle. In turn, I jumped out with just one hand and rested my hands on my hips. We were the last to leave the ship so I shook the trader's hand and thanked him for visiting.
"Any time, Hiccup!" Johann hollered, boarding his ship again and rolling up the anchor.
As he did, I spotted a round barrel on the ship wobble like the ship had already started moving.
"Hang on! Stop Johann!" I shouted, waving my arms like a drunken sailor.
Johann released the anchor and gave me a confused, maybe even impatient, look as I leapt onto the boat again.
I rested a finger on my lips and silently pointed to the barrels stacked on the deck. Together we watched and it move again.
"A stowaway!" Johann hissed angrily, stomping toward it.
The half shout, half whisper gave me the chills.
I felt bad for the stowaway that was hidden, only to be caught by an angry merchant.
The trader furiously marched over and ripped open the barrel.
A few apples rolled out and then slowly, a young girl followed the fruit and toppled out onto the deck.
She had dark hair in a long fish plait down her back and dark eyes that stood out against her olive skin.
She was simply skin and bone and her rags she would call clothes looked baggy on her frail and weak form.
"What do you have to say for yourself, lass?" Johann demanded with a wave of his hand.
She looked up to Johann with frightened eyes and a trembling lip. "Nothing Sir..."
She shrank back into the barrel and hid from him. "Get out, now! I need to take you-"
I couldn't stand there and watch him rip into a little girl in an interrogation. I broke in and rested a hand on Johann's arm to shush him.
Slowly, I knelt down and looked into the wooden jar.
"Hey...Come out, it's okay. We don't bite...Well, at least I don't."
She slowly crept out at my encouragement.
She had nothing with her but her ragged clothes and seeing her close up showed the dark circles beneath her eyes and the enlarged bones of her face imminently reaching through her flesh.
"What am I supposed to do with you?!"
The impatient sailor demanded.

Did Johann have any feelings? I thought to myself.

I neared her a little and looked into her terrified face, locking eye contact. I was more skilled in dragon communication than with humans.
"Where are you from?" I quietly asked.
She chewed on her nails and very nervously answered. "I can't go back..." I frowned, then I spotted a scar going down the side of her face from her temple to her chin. That was the kind of scar that a monstrous nightmare claw would give you.
"Okay, you can stay with me. Come' on."
The girl could hardly believe her luck and staggered to her shaky legs.
"I'll take care of her, you go on."
Trader Johann nodded gratefully and reeled in the anchor.
She kept close to my side as we watched the ship go then I followed in the wake of my wife and daughter.

"What's your name?" I asked quietly as we followed the path.
She looked up to me, her brown eyes shining. "Eva."
I nodded and held out my hand to her. "I'm Hiccup...Nice to meet you."
She softly shook it and gave me her first smile, even if it was more of a grimace than a smile.
"So...Where are you from and where were you heading?"
She shrugged plainly. "I didn't know where I was going, but I knew I had to get off that island. It was so...I had to leave..."
I understood and dropped the subject, when the house came into view.
"I have to go because I have work to do, but Astrid, my wife, will take care of you. Give you a place to sleep tonight and some fresh clothes. Okay?" I assured her, resting a hand on her shoulder and bending down to her level.
She nodded slowly, a nervousness speeding up her breathing. I sensed her worry and knelt in front of her so I wasn't quite so intimidating.
I hated having people look down on me when I was younger, not because they were better, though some were, but simply because they were taller and stronger.
"It's okay, I promise. You're safe here from whatever you were running from..."
She quickly nodded again but the worry in her eyes did not seem to settle.
"Go on in, make yourself at home."
She grimaced again and hurried in as Astrid walked out.
Astrid closed the door over when she stepped outside. "Hiccup...Where did she come from?" She asked, insecurity glistening in her eyes.
"Johann said the last place he visited was a dangerous and barbaric island four days north from here. He only travels there twice a year." I explained, unable to shake the image of Eva climbing out of the barrel from my mind.
"Four days?! She's been on the ship in that barrel for four days?!" Astrid gasped uneasily, her face turning pale.
I shrugged and nodded plainly, "I guess so...Give her something to eat, she'll be starved."

"Okay but...Hiccup...Be careful....children don't generally wash up on Berk like this, I don't trust her yet." Astrid whispered indignantly, glancing at the open door.
.
Astrid was someone few people had earned the trust of.
I was a lucky man.
Somehow, through my clumsy and useless ways, I had won the trust and love of the most beautiful lady on the island, and for that I would always be astounded and grateful.

I nodded and locked my attention on Astrid's face. "I know...It's weird."

~*~*~*~
So, what did you think? :)
What about Eva? What did you think about her, or Astrid and Hiccup's conversation on the trader's ship?
What did you think overall? XD
I would love to hear what you thought, good or bad! Thank you so much! And if you have any questions feel free to message me or leave a comment!
~ Httyd_2014 <3