Wow. Ok. Thanks, TheOneWithTheScar for abandoning this piece for fricken seven months. Not like I left you guys on a cliffhanger or anything. Oh, wait, I DID!

I'm a horrible person. But, I'm updating. *hides behind a table as readers throw cookies and lemonade in my direction*

Ok, I deserved that.

I really am sorry that I haven't been updating this story. I noticed that this story has over 400 follows, and I was just like, *I must write*

But, seriously, this story is my second popular story, Lost Prince being my first. So, I will try harder. I truly will.

Alrighty, enough with the dilly dallying, it's time to get this chapter started!

Chapter 12

I ran through the forest like a terrible terror on the loose, my bare feet smacking into the ground and my scrawny limbs colliding against loose branches. Breathing became harder the more I ran, but I needed to distance myself as far as I could from Toothless.

The village couldn't know about my dragon. They just couldn't.

I looked over my shoulder, and saw deep into the woods. The cove had disappeared some time ago, but Vikings were curious and big on conquering everything and anything. I needed to get further away.

Apparently, I underestimated how far I had ran, because I smacked right into something extremely solid. I was running at full speed, so the collision sent me sprawling back. I landed painfully on my backside as my body hit the muddy ground.

"Oh! Thank Thor!" Strong and familiar arms wrapped around my body, hoisting me off of the ground. I was pressed to their chest so tightly I thought my ribs were going to break.

Finally, their grip loosened and I looked up into the familiar face of my father.

Shit.

"Hiccup!" He exclaimed. "Where were you? And why are you wet?"

"Uh," What could I say? I met a very nice dragon in the forest that didn't rip my face off so I got into a water fight with him. He's also a night fury btw.

"Oh gods." He mumbled, his voice slightly cracking. "Hiccup..did you...did you try again?"

At first I didn't get what he was saying. Try what again? And then I put two and two together.

I shook my head violently. "No, dad, I didn't. I trip and fell into a puddle."

"Your soaking wet."

"It was a really big puddle."

He looked down at me with concern eyes. They no longer had disappointment or frustration in them, like how they always used to look whenever they looked down at me. "How can I know your telling the truth?"

"Um.." I chewed on my bottom lip. "I'm alive?"

My father gave me a frustrated sigh. "Hiccup, I don't understand why you do this! Why do you insist on running away and trying to kill yourself?"

"Dad, I promise I didn't-"

"I'm doing the best I can. I"m sorry, alright? Please, just let me be your father."

I casted my gaze down to the ground. "I didn't try to kill myself, ok? I just needed to get out."

His strong hands cupped my entire face and and made me look into his eyes. Grey. I wonder what I would look like if I had grey eyes.

"I told you not to, Hiccup." His voice was stern, and suddenly I felt very small.

"Dad! Please, come on! If you were locked in your bedroom for days on end wouldn't you want to get out too? Please, just listen-"

But, I was cut off as he squished my face together, making it impossible to talk. I looked like a puffer fish.

"Sh. I get it. Let's get home and get you cleaned up. We'll talk about your punishment later, ok?"

"Hat?" I tried to say 'what', but my face was still in my father's grasp, and it made talking hard.

"STOICK!" The sound of Gobber's voice sent relief over my body. Maybe Gobber could talk some sense into him. Said blonde viking made his way over to where we were standing. My father's grip loosened on my face, and I took the opportunity and wrenched my face from his grasp.

"Oh, thank the gods, you've found him." Gobber said, sending me a smiling. "Went on a little adventure, didn't ya lad?"

I gave Gobber a small smile. "Just a little one. It can get stuffy in my room." I sent a glare towards my dad.

"You have a window." He justified.

"Stoick." Gobber sighed, tiredly. "Remember when you came down with the eel pox when we were teens? Remember being stuck in bed for two weeks and having nothing else to do but stare at your ceiling?"

My father rolled his eyes. "Where are you going with this Gobber?"

"It's exactly how your boy feels! Ever since Hiccup could crawl he's been a moving ball of energy. You can't contain that for a long period of time and then expect everything to be alright!"

My father looked down at me. His face seemed as though he couldn't make up his mind. Finally, he gave me a tired sigh. "Alright, I guess I understand."

He kneeled down to my height and put his hand on my shoulder. "I'll allow you to go outside of the house and roam the village."

A smile broke onto my face. "Really?"

"But, only during the day. I want you home exactly when the sun starts setting."

"Ok. Sun set. Got it."

"And you have to check in with me at noon."

"Check in at noon. Great." I was bouncing in excitement. I was finally allowed to walk the streets! I was finally allowed to be a human and not be locked up in my room!

And then, Toothless struck my thoughts.

"Wait...what about the forest? Can I go in there?"

My father's lips twisted as he thought of an answer. I knew he wanted to say no, but I really needed him to say yes.

"Only for an hour a day." I suggested.

My father eyed me. "Thirty minutes, tops."

My face was starting to hurt with how much I was smiling. "YES!"

"Ok, ok." My father said. "Now let's get you home, and get you cleaned up. We still have to discuss your punishment."

The smile from face melted. "Punishment? Wh-, why?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Because you gave me a heart attack when I saw your bed empty. That's why."

I slumped my shoulders and starred back down at the ground. It wasn't because I was worried my father was going to spank me or anything, (He's only spanked me once when I was eight, and he didn't realize how hard he was hitting me. My hip was set out of place, and it seemed more like a punishment for him as I cried and wailed in pain as a midwife had to position it correctly.)

No, I was worried that he was going to make me spend all of my free days roaming the village down at the docks, sorting out fish and carrying heavy boxes. Some labor work that would keep me busy and outside.

"Hey." My father took his index finger and raised my chin. "Don't look like I'm sentencing you to jail or something."

"Might as well." I said, closing my eyes. "You're just going to make me do hard labor so I can't wonder around the village and be free."

"Aw." My father cooed at me. "You don't think I'm that bad of a father, do you?"

I scrunched up my eyebrows and looked up into his face. "What?"

"Please, I'm not going to do that to you. You...you deserve some freedom."

My face broke out into an even bigger smile as I bounced excitedly. "Really? Thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah." My father smiled at me. "C'mon, let's get you home."

I started to walk towards our house, when my father grabbed me from behind and lifted me into his arms. I squirmed, my ankles dangling slightly. "Dad." I whined, "You said-"

"Oh, no. You're new freedom starts tomorrow. I still have the rest of the evening with you." My father gave me a playful smile, and jostled me slightly in a playful manner.

"Ug." I said, leaning my head back onto his tree trunk arm. "Just kill me already."

My father's grip tightened around me as I realized what I had just said. I shot my head up. "I didn't mean that! It's an expression..er, I mean, like-"

"Hey." My father said gently. "You don't have to walk around eggshells with me. I get it."

I relaxed slightly in his arms, not realizing how much I actually liked being carried by my father.

But don't tell anyone I ever said that.

"This is humiliating." I said as a bucket of water was dumped over my head.

"That's kinda the point, Hiccup." My father replied, smiling a bit. He then grabbed the soap from the edge of the tub and rubbed it against a deer skin cloth.

"You couldn't have thought of anything else?" I said as he handed me the cloth. I started to scrub myself with the cloth, ignoring my father.

"A bath and a punishment. Killing two birds with one stone." My father smiled at me as he proceeded to dump an additional bucket over my head.

I spit water out of my mouth and tried to clear my eyes. "Best dad of the year." I said sarcastically.

I scrubbed the rest of my body clean as I grabbed another form of liquid soap.

"You know, you're suppose to wash your hair first, and then your body." My father said to me.

"I know." I said, lathering the soap into my hair. The bath water was slowly becoming brown the more I cleaned myself. My father dumbed two other buckets over my head. I pushed my wet bangs out of my eyes and looked over at him. "Can I get out now?"

"Hm. Alright." As I quickly got out of the bathtub, my father grabbed me a towel. I shivered slightly from the cool air, but soon my father wrapped the towel around my body. I snuggled into the warmth, and relaxed.

My father was still scarred to let me take a bath by myself. (What if you tried something?!) So, my punishment was that he had to help me take a bath. It was a lot more worse than it sounds.

"Come on." My father said, putting an arm around me and steering me towards the house. "Let's get you in some clean clothes, ok?"

I just nodded as we entered our house. The fire was blazing in the center, heating the entire space. Food was already placed on the table, and the smell made my mouth water.

"I laid a tunic out for you on your bed. Go ahead and put it on and we can start dinner."

I smiled up at him as I ran up the stairs. Sure enough, there was a reddish tunic laying out on my bed. And, by the looks of it, it was longer than my previous one.

I quickly dried off and placed the garment on my body. It was warm and comfortable, and smelled like my house.

I made my way downstairs and sat down at our table. My father placed a plate of beef and potatoes in front of me. I took a sip of my water and dug in.

I finished before my father did. He was eating an entire boar tonight, while I could barely finish a leg. I peeked up at him through my bangs, and saw that he was starring at me.

"What?" I asked.

My father smiled at me. "Nothing. You just look tired."

I shrugged my shoulders, trying not to yawn. "A little."

My father chuckled a bit and finished the boar. He stood up and wiped his hands on a nearby rag. "Alright, let's get you to bed."

I whined slightly. "I'm not that tired." I said.

"Yes, you are. Now come on, or else I'll carry you up there."

I willingly stood up fro my position at the table. "Are you sure you don't need help cleaning up?"

"Nope." My father replied, leading me towards the steps.

"Really? Because I'm willing to, if you want-"

"No, Hiccup. You need rest. I can take care of it myself."

We had entered my bedroom. He gently pushed me towards my bed. I slowly got into my bed, snuggling into the blankets as my father placed them onto my body.

"Sleep well, Hiccup." He murmured, swooping down and laying a soft kiss on my forehead. "And no running off." He told me sternly. I smiled at him and nodded. "Good."

I cuddled into my pillow as my father walked down the steps, allowing sleep to take me.

Well, there you are beautiful readers. A much needed update.

Please review and I will really try my best to update as soon as I can. Thanks again for reading and I'll see you next time.(: