Le gasp, a new chapter! o.O

Things are starting to get serious. The poll's still open for anyone who hasn't voted yet. Only two to three chapters left before our favourite cuddle dragon will make an appearance.

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Chapter 9 – Trapper Trouble

Something was happening.

To any outsider, the small port was as busy and loud as any other day, but those who frequently wandered the streets knew today was different. The usually falsely cheery merchants were strangely subdued, almost as if trying to go unnoticed. Not the best approach when wanting to sell their wares. Some were already packing up their stands for the day. People kept glancing around nervously, mothers were keeping their children firmly by their sides.

The atmosphere was tense, and uneasiness blanketed the streets.

"Hiccup, stop staring out the window and get back to work!"

The teen jolted out of his observations and hastily went back to sharpening the sword as the old blacksmith gave him a stern look, muttering a small "Sorry" along the way. Even Gunnar wasn't his usual cheery self. The older man, who was so much like Gobber at times, whistling and sometimes even singing while pounding hot metal into shape, too, snuck glances to the window, always keeping a keen eye on who was passing by or looking into his small business.

When Hiccup came to visit the day before, his mother allowed him to come to the port by himself as long as he was back the next day – not to mention she would hunt him down and drag him back home by the ear if he wasn't – and offered his help when he saw the workload the other man had. The help was gratefully accepted and earned him a good night's sleep in a cozy, warm bed and meal; something which wasn't all too common in the teen's lifestyle anymore as him and his mother didn't need beds when there were giant, fire breathing lizards to keep you warm and cozy at night.

Hiccup still missed sleeping in a real bed from time to time, though.

The day had started off great for both men. They shared a good breakfast, had a catch-up and went right back to work with only a few customers coming in to pick up something or bring a damaged item for repairs. The way Gunnar would glare disapprovingly whenever someone dumped an almost unrepairable item and demanded it be fixed immediately always managed to amuse Hiccup greatly. They would occasionally joke around while working on Gunnar's to-do list and simply be content in the comfortable and merry mood which had settled over the shop earlier.

However, that good mood had all but disappeared when the older man first noticed the odd behavior of the people outside. He most likely knew what was going on, but didn't see the need to share this knowledge with his younger companion. In fact, he seemed rather adamant that Hiccup stay out of sight and at the back of the shop. When the teen did ask about it, he found himself being stared down with the same glare as many costumers until he awkwardly and silently returned to his place and continued working.

And finally, after another hour "You should go home, kid." Hiccup looked up from the sword he was sharpening to see his friend staring out the window again. Wary, and nervous.

"Why? What's happening outside?"

Grey eyes regarded his lithe form and Gunnar lay down what he'd been working on. "It's nothing you should worry about. You're not from around here, so it'd be better if you leave before it gets serious."

Hiccup frowned, wondering what the man could be talking about. He set the sword aside and crossed his arms. "I'm sorry if I do, in fact, worry about it. I won't just walk away from something like this." he told the older man, gesturing to the weirdness right outside the shop. "I get that you want to shield me, but I'm not a little kid anymore. I can protect myself, you know that."

Gunnar regarded the boy cooly, but Hiccup refused to back down this time. Both men glared at the other and the stalemate continued for a few seconds, when finally, the blacksmith gave a weary sigh. Just as he opened his mouth to give the youth his answer, shouting interrupted the heavy silence outside and the pair glanced outside the window to see what the commotion was about. Dread crept up inside of Hiccup when he saw the reason.

Dragon trappers. Five of them were standing at the opposite side of the street.

Now that in itself wasn't unusual. Trappers often visited this port to restock supplies or simply to spent oen night on actual ground. But there was something off about that particular group.

From the looks of it, the leader of the small group was shouting at a poor merchant, who wasn't even able to stutter out an apology for whatever he had done wrong. The few people out on the street kept their heads down to avoid drawing attention to them as they hurried away.

Instinctively, Hiccup ducked halfway behind the window's edge as he watched them. He knew they shouldn't be able to recognize him, how would they? He always wore his mask when he confronted them. And there were many young men in this part of the known world with a smaller build like his. But still, he had the feeling that they would bring trouble for him regardless if they knew who he was or not. All he could do right now was to keep out of sight and hope the trappers would leave and go on with their day.

As usual, luck wasn't on his side, which became apparent when one of the men, after having finished with the merchant, turned and locked focused his gaze on Gunnar's shop. Hiccup was so engrossed in his own rising panic, that he failed to notice how the old smith stiffened next to him as the group began moving in their direction.

"Boy, get back to work." the man's deep voice snapped the teen out of his inner turmoil and he looked at his friend questioningly. "Well, what are you waiting for? The wares in the back won't sort itself now, will it?"

Gunnar's gaze was on the approaching group, and Hiccup finally noticed how tense he was. He threw one last glance outside and quickly disappeared behind the curtain leading to the back of the shop, just as the front door was thrown open and five men filled into the room.

"Good day", the blacksmith greeted the group, his voice holding a slight edge to it. "What can I help you with?"

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In the back, Hiccup made himself busy. He tried to be as quiet as possible for fear he could be heard and the trappers would come and investigate. There was no way out either. The room only had one door and not windows as Gunnar stored most of his equipment and expensive materials here and didn't want any unwanted guests to come snooping. In a port town such as this, there were more than enough thiefs who would seize any oppurunity given. As such, Hiccup was trapped. He still had trouble wrapping his head around what was actually happening. How the entire atmosphere of the town seemed tense. It had something to do with the men on the other side of the curtain, he was sure of it.

However, his desire to get to the bottom of it, had vanished. He mentally thanked Gunnar, he knew the man wanted to protect him from whatever threat these trappers posed to everyone around, despite his earlier claims of bein capable to protect himself. He had left most of his gear back at the sanctuary, thinking he wouldn't need it and it would only give him away should someone find it.

How foolish. Hiccup should have known better.

He could hear the men in the front rummaging around, creating enough noise outside to make it hard for the teen to hear what was spoken. He could barely make out the blacksmith's voice, sounding tense and very displeased. Whatever he told the men must have not been to their liking. Somethign metallic crashed to the ground, most likely thrown by one of the trappers.

"Do you take me for a fool, old man?!", Hiccup started at the loud and angry tone. "The new shipment is supposed to be delivered by tomorrow. I can't step in front of him with this junk!"

'Shipment? What shipment? And who is him?'

Gunnar scoffed loudly. "Well then, if this junk is not to your liking, you're free to leave at any time. I'm not one of your men and you don't intimidate me."

The voices grew quiet again so that Hiccup had so strain to hear anything. He moved closer to the entrance, curiousity roused once again. However, in doing so, the teen accidentaly knocked into the wobbly shelf right next to the curtain. A metal helmet, placed halfway on the edge and already dangerously close to rolling off the shelf, finally lost the battle with gravity and fell into a pile of junk metal with a loud clang.

Silence.

Hiccup stood, completely frozen as he held his breath. And then: "Oy, that room is off limits!"

Loud footsteps approached and the boy scrambled back just as the curtain was thrown open. A large shadow fell over Hiccup as the trapper standing in the doorway sneered at his lean form. "And what have we got here?"

The teen didn't even have the chance to stammer out an explaination, when his arm was seized and he found himself dragged back into the shop. Gunnar was standing near the anvil. He was clenching his jaw tightly and threw the man currently dragging his young friend a seething glare. The other four were near the door and Hiccup had the feeling this was not coincidental.

"L-Let go!" Hiccup grunted as he attempted to free himself. He never thought he'd find himself in such a situation. Of course, the possibility of getting captured was always there, but he'd never suspected that it could happen here, when he was visiting a friend without anything suspicious about him. As such, he wasn't wuite sure what to do. Running was out of the question. The exit was blocked and it would only arouse more suspicion. Not to mention he might endanger Gunnar and the last thing he wanted was for his friend to be thrown into prison, or worse, killed for something he wasn't even aware of. His attempts turned out to be fruitless as the man simply gripped tighter and jolted the boy for good measure. The man, still holding Hiccup, turned his ugly sneer to Gunnar. "He yours? You should teach that brat some manners, smith. Gods know what we do with little kids evesdropping on other peoples' conversations."

"Sir," one of the trappers, Thug nr. 2, interrupted whatever his colleague was about to say. Hiccup looked over his shoulder to see the man picking up one of his own creations. He was turning the sword over, examining the blade and its engravings, testing its balance and swinging it, slashing at unseen enemies, a few times. "This one's different from the rest."

Thug 1 sneered at the teen one more time, before shoving him aside. He took the sword from thug 2 and examined it himself. "Who made this sword, smith?"

"It's mine." Gunnar growled out. "Made it not too long ago. But it's already accounted for, so you'll have to look for another one."

"Don't lie to me, old man." Thug 1 pointed the sword at the blacksmith. "We've been buying your wares for years now and you've never gone into detail like this. Who really made this?"

"I'm telling you, I made this. A custumer ordered this for a betrothal."

Thug 1 scoffed, not believing a single word. Then, his gaze fell back on Hiccup, who was currently stay as unnoticable as possible. The teen stiffened as he cold eyes landed on him. "If you won't tell us, then maybe that boy of yours is feeling a tad more helpful?"

He made to grab for Hiccup, but he quickly sidestepped the man's hand and moved to stand next to his friend. "Don't touch me!"

"He knows nothing!" Gunnar, who was getting angry now, stepped halfway in front of the teen as if to shield him from the offending men. "He's been helping me around the shop every now and then. Now, leave him out of this and get out!"

Thug 1 stared at the pair with narrowed eyes. His goons were getting restless now. Shifting every so often and throwing glances between their leader and the blacksmith. Hiccup noticed how they moved their hands close to their weapons and tensed in preperation for a fight. A wave of the leader's hand had them settle back down, though their hands didn't move from their positions.

"Drago won't be happy to know you're refusing him your skills. Or rather, whoever you think you are protecting." His eyes fell on Hiccup as he spoke and he paled at his words. Drago? He was the man Thug 1 had been talking about? Gunnar's been making Weapons for that madman? His brows furrowed in worry as another question came to his mind.

Were the weapons Hiccup made to help him out sold to Drago? Were they used to hurt captured dragons?

It was a troubling relevation, one that made Hiccup sick in the stomach. Guilt ate away at him, but he couldn't afford to let the trappers notice anything suspicious now, so he quickly wiped any traces of worry and guild from his face and stared at the men in front of them blankly.

"Know this," Thug 1 continued. "We won't be leaving this town until you tell us who made this and where we can find him. In fact, no one will be leaving the town until then. We'll give you time to think about our propostion." That being said, the group left the shop, leaving two very worried men behind. Gunnar and Hiccup shared a look.

Whatever would happen from now on, it was certain, that it wouldn't end well.

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I hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to review on the way out!