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Chapter 3
The Unexpected Guest

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A quiet chirping met Katherine's ears as a gentle breeze hit her face. A quiet sigh passed over her lips as she slowly opened her eyes to be greeted by the sunlight. The redhead's fingers dug into the earth beneath her before she pushed herself away from the tree trunk she was leaning on to look around the clearing. That was the best sleep she had in years.

After running all night through an unfamiliar forest, the young girl ended up just outside a small village that looked untouched by the Ogre Wars. From what she could tell, everyone in the village looked happy and went about their night without a care in the world. Katherine thought about walking into the small town a few times throughout the night but ultimately decided against it. She didn't need or want to draw unwanted attention to herself by being a stranger walking into a village in the dead of night. Instead, Katherine decided to spend the night in an open field nearby to wait until the villagers began their day.

After getting to her feet and stretching out her tired muscles, Katherine looked around to take in all the bright colors that she was deprived of for all these years. No matter how many times she saw the rainbow that constantly surrounded her, the young girl didn't think she'd ever get over it or fully believe that this was her new life. Katherine's fingers ran over a bright green leaf on one of the lower branches as her eyes scanned over the details of the plant. Just as she was about to move on to look at the small flowers that covered part of the field, a shadow flashed across the clearing before she picked up on the sound of branches snapping.

Every inch of Katherine's body tensed up when she heard a conversation happening in the distance followed by the sound of footsteps approaching her. The redhead quickly snapped out of her daze before she pushed her body up against the large tree trunk in an attempt to hide. Her heart raced faster than she thought humanly possible with her breathing matching its pace. Time seemed to slow down when the footsteps came to a stop somewhere nearby.

When she peeked her head around the tree trunk, Katherine instantly spotted two people looking around the clearing. It wasn't long before their eyes landed on the disturbed piece of land where Katherine slept and the remains of a small fire she put out earlier that morning. The brunette boy looked around as if trying to see which direction their visitor went while his blonde-haired friend stared at Katherine's former campsite for a moment longer.

"Astrid," Katherine heard the boy call out before she watched the girl turn around to face him, "take them back to Berk and tell everyone to hide the rest. I'm gonna look around a bit more to see what I can find."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" the blonde girl questioned without even attempting to hide the concern in her voice, "I mean, we don't even know who's out there."

"I won't be too long. Just please make sure they're safe."

The only response Katherine saw the girl give the boy was a small nod then she turned and vanished into the forest. A strange sound soon followed her disappear before they were left in the silence of the forest once again. The redheaded girl kept her eyes glued to the blonde until she was out of sight before her eyes landed back on the boy. She watched as he spun around in circles while scanning his surroundings before he turned in a way that let Katherine see his face without seeing her. Katherine was surprised to find that the boy was around her age, which made her assume the girl he called "Astrid" was too. It wasn't long after that when the boy gave up on his search for her and ran off in the direction his ally disappeared.

Katherine's feet stayed planted to the forest floor until the sound of the boy's footsteps pounding against the grass faded. A relieved breath passed over the redheaded girl's lips as she made her way back into the clearing to clean it up and make it seem like she was never there. Just as she was about to finish, her eyes landed on the small village in the distance. The anxiety she was feeling earlier instantly returned as she watched the small figures walking around the town. The side of her that wanted a normal life was telling her to go down there and socialize. But the other half of her knew that was a mistake. Especially if the Dark One ever found her.

However, Katherine's internal battle soon came to an end and her feet began to move towards the small civilization without her having to tell them to.

An anxious eternity passed before the redheaded girl reached the outer rim of the village. Katherine stopped next to one of the wooden cottages while her eyes quickly scanned over the scene in front of her. There was nothing but smiles on everyone that walked around her, making her skepticism fade as she walked further into the town. Katherine looked around in amazement at the adults washing their clothes and watering their gardens to the laughing children running down the paths. If that was how the world was outside of the Dark One's castle, Katherine wanted to see every inch of it.

Just as the redheaded girl reached a small fountain in the center of their town, Katherine picked up on the familiar sound of footsteps approaching her. The smile on her face instantly fell before fear flooded through her veins once again as she turned around to find the boy from the forest walking towards her. Katherine was about to turn and sprint in the opposite direction when she spotted the blonde girl from before standing with four other people in the distance. By the looks on their faces, the redheaded girl knew they expected her to attempt an escape and they were prepared to stop her. A shaky sigh passed over her lips as she turned back to face the brunette boy, only to find him standing a few feet away from her.

"I'm guessing you're the one who camped out in that clearing," he said as gestured in the direction Katherine just came from while his eyes scanned her over before they came back up to meet her gaze, "you're not from around here, are you?"

"What makes you say that?" Katherine questioned while trying to hide her shock of the fear within her slowly fading in the presence of this boy.

"You look like a lost baby goat," the brunette boy chuckled before a large grin appeared on his face, making his group of friends watching them pair visibly relax, "my name's Hiccup, by the way."

"I'm Katherine."

"So, where are you from?" Hiccup questioned, causing all positive emotions that were beginning to form within the redheaded girl to quickly vanish before she broke their gaze with the boy.

Katherine's eyes scanned over the dirt beneath her feet while she tried to think of a place. It wasn't long after that when her attention was quickly drawn back to Hiccup after he said her name. She would be the first to admit that she was surprised when she saw the grin on his face hadn't faltered in the slightest.

"If you don't wanna talk about where you're from, I'm not gonna force you. You'd be shocked to know that a lot of people here come from a place they'd rather forget."

The redheaded girl just stared at him for a long moment as she fully took in his words. She soon turned her attention away from Hiccup to look around at the carefree passerby who wore the biggest smiles Katherine had ever seen. Her eyes continued to scan over the crowd while her mind raced with the possibilities of what these people ran from. It surprised her that she felt happier knowing she wasn't the only one who came from a past they'd rather forget.

"Are you gonna need a place to stay?" the brunette boy asked, drawing the redheaded girl's attention away from the villagers and back to him before he continued speaking, "because my father and I have a spare room. I'm sure he wouldn't mind you staying there for as long as you need."

"Oh, no. I don't wanna be any trouble for your family or your village," Katherine told him, even though she wanted nothing more than to live in a place like his town.

"Nonsense. You won't be a bother. Now let's go."

Before she could argue any further, Hiccup turned and began walking towards the group of teens watching them from a distance. When he noticed the redheaded girl wasn't following him, the Haddock boy turned and gestured for her to join him. Katherine hesitated for a moment before she slowly moved towards them. As soon as she reached him and his group of friends, the Haddock boy introduced her to them before he explained her situation to them. It wasn't long after that when they were smiling and laughing as they walked through the village towards Hiccup's cottage.

At that moment, Katherine was the happiest she had ever been in her entire life. She never imagined anything like this happening to her any time soon and she never wanted it to end. But no matter how much joy she was feeling at that moment, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. She just hoped it was just that...a feeling

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