1 Chapter 1: The Thief

Hiccup

The waterfalls of the Dragon were the ones that brought water to the city. There wasn't a single waterway, but they divided like the branches of a tree, continuing to the blindest points. Hiccup had been studying the map for days, and he had memorized all the lairs, secret passages, and river beds that led to the desired areas.

He ran fast, the wind jagged in his face. Hiccup ran silently as if he was skimming the ground and that his body was slowly taking flight. His breath stuck in his throat, his forehead beaded with sweat, and his legs throbbing with pain. He stopped running and caught his breath, but immediately saw that he had reached the top of the waterfall, exactly above the dragon's head between the two horns. He didn't stand a chance to escape this time.

"Dead end, little thief?" yelled one of the guards coming toward Hiccup "Hands in the air, now. You're blamed for stealing, usury, and murder" he seemed surprised.

"Well, I must say that you were good, but you still failed miserably" he said before jumping off the cliff. The wind whistled in his ears. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the guards approaching the spot where he jumped a few seconds ago. A resounding shout spread throughout the area. The warm water from the waterfall allowed him to hide from the guards positioned at the bottom. He clung with all his strength to a vine in the dragon's mouth and swung until he could leap.

He entered the mouth and leaned against the wall that served as the entrance for the body. He was sweaty and wet. "Make sure the others are safe" he thought while looking out the ingress.

"Justin, I swear to God I'm gonna kill you" "Felix, of course"

Hiccup heard footsteps coming from the opposite side from where he entered. Two boys appeared, evidently in the middle of an argument. They immediately stopped when they saw Hiccup almost lying on the ground, half dying.

"What the hell happened to you? Did they stab you?" gasped Felix at his sight.

"While I was running, one of those motherfuckers pulled out a dagger" you could hear the pain in his voice "He threw it, and now I look like this"

Justin knelt and took off Hiccup's clothes. He stopped once he arrived at the bandages wrapped around the stomach from last time. He looked at Hiccup as if asking permission to remove them. His friend gave him a knowing look and nodded. The bandages came off with ease. Beneath them, there was an oval-shaped, deep wound given color by the red blood.

"Damn" marveled Justin "I can try to treat it, but you're going to have to rest"

"I don't have time for that, Justin. Please, do it fast. After this I'll go search Natasha"

Justin glared at him. He immediately stopped him from making any moves or trying to escape again. Justin looked him dead in the eye and started doing his job. Felix opened his bag and pulled out all the things needed: bandages, a sort of lotion, and a knife. After several minutes, which to Hiccup seemed like hours, Justin finished his job and let his friend go.

"Hiccup, please be careful" Felix mentioned.

"Thank you, Justin and Felix. I know you care about me, but I can take care of myself. I'll be back once I find Natasha"

"Just be careful, okay?" insisted Felix "I heard some slavers are here"

Those words made Hiccup freeze on the spot. Just the thought of slavers sent him out of his mind. The image of six years ago became fresh in his mind. He was twelve years old when slavers arrived in his hometown. He was at the temple, ready to finally enter his homeland religiously. He was kneeling with his head raised to the sky, his mother there beside him, looking at him proudly. The man in front of him made the hole between the two nostrils and put the horseshoe piercing made of obsidian. He was officially one of them: a Noruh.

From the ceiling fell the hard, heavy gray stone. Hiccup's mother grabbed him as soon as she could, and the only thing he knew was that now they were both running. Blasts, screams, ashes, and the fire. He saw crosses being fixed to the ground and people, especially women and children, being picked up and taken to ships. His mother, Ondine, took him to the forbidden forest. The branches created a kind of crooked circle. The thorns gave an eerie area, already created by the fog and the dim blue light.

She took him by the shoulders and glanced at him.

"Just listen to me, okay? On the other side of the forest is a warrior's statue with a sword in his hand. There is a hidden spot big enough for you to pass. Hide there until I come to you, all right?" she said before disappearing.

He waited hesitantly. A man's scream of pain prompted him to run as fast as he could. He cut himself with the thorns found in the vines, his face full of scratches. His legs carried him to the place his mother said. The warrior made of stone was one-armed, full of vines and creepers that went from his stomach to his broken helmet. The sword was held in the left hand and sank almost through the blade into the ground. Hiccup didn't dare look back. The entrance to the hiding place was hidden by the vines found in the left forearm, near the wrist. Hiccup climbed up and hid.

He waited for three days; there was no sign of her. He missed her: braiding her aqua-green hair, looking into her proud, blue eyes, hearing her laugh as they competed for the fastest runner. The third day was when a group of Noruh found him. He had been lucky that he had already performed the rite of entry into his homeland. They saw his piercing and took him with them. A bronze-skinned man with hazel eyes and pitch-black hair found him, laying on the hard stone. He said his name was Amaury and he was the leader of the group.

He was the man who taught him how to use even the heaviest objects such as the sword, spear, and crossbow, and he taught him more techniques in a hand-to-hand fight. He knew most of the things he said, cause his mother taught him. But he didn't complain. When he turned sixteen, he and Amaury went hunting down slavers. The men doubted the skills of the young boy, not knowing that they were facing a trained assassin. It took less than five moves to kill them all. As he killed them, he felt something in his body moving, as if a creature inside him had awakened. Amaury looked at him in astonishment.

He had lost his blond hair, replaced by black hair, and his eyes were no longer sea blue but pure gold. Amaury explained everything to him: the Noruh had two lives, the past one where the person inside you was in control and the present one where your body and his were joined to form one. When the person inside you took control, his or her physical characteristics emerged. The person inside him was called Rigel. They became friends pretty quickly.

"Hiccup, you still with us?" grumbled Justin.

Hiccup shook his head abruptly, evidently absorbed in his thoughts.

"I have to go, I'll se you later guys" were his last words before disappearing.

A/N

Hello, this is the first chapter of my first story. I apologize for the grammar mistakes and I hope you enjoy it. I expect to publish the next chapter in a few days! Byeo👋🏻