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jadeandsunsets-blog · 8 years ago

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Deceit - Chapter 11 (Complicated Hiccstrid)

Another longer hiatus than planned, but so glad to finally get this chapter up.

Angst and awkwardness galore! With Astrid’s secret out in the open, our favorite riders have a lot to talk about.

Previous chapters

Rated T - Minor Language & References to Adult Themes

The passage of time was nearly impossible for Hiccup to gauge. Between a lack of sunlight and his own exhaustion, his senses had dulled, leading him to distrust his own perception.

There were several times where he caught himself forgetting to open his eyes after blinking - almost drifting off to sleep before he would realize and jolt awake. There was never any danger when he shocked himself back to consciousness, but his anxious thoughts refused to accept that rest was an option.

Still, there was nothing to preoccupy himself with in the cramped little space. He was uncomfortably warm, which only compounded his worsening fatigue.

And the familiar, steady rhythm of Astrid's breath wasn't helping at all.

Casting a careful glance towards the young woman, he was relieved to see that she had finally fallen asleep after restless bouts of tossing and turning.

It wasn't the first time that Hiccup found himself looking over at the messy head of blonde hair; the golden color only visible through the occasional lick of firelight. Her usually immaculate braid had largely unraveled, with wide sections hanging loosely to cascade upon the ground. Several strands stuck to her sweaty face and neck, clinging to flushed cheeks and tickling at her wrinkling nose.

Without thinking, Hiccup gingerly reached across to brush the hair off her skin and tuck it behind her ear.

Even before completing the motion, he admonished himself for his own sentimentality. He was, after all, furious. As he was supposed to be.

He was hurt, and wronged. After months of struggling to justify the suspicion he carried for one of the people he depended on the most, he had been vindicated.

He had been right, and yet also so very, very wrong.

Lips pursed, Hiccup released a deep breath through his nostrils. His irritated stomach churned with stress, and he swallowed back the acid that threatened to escape. Overwhelmed, he shifted his gaze away from her, and tried to settle his gut as well as his troubled mind.

Despite the fact that he had spoken to Astrid more in a few hours than he had in months, there was little to no resolution from Hiccup's perspective. Both had been talking almost exclusively AT each other; dredging up thick layers of resentment and fear that had steadily accumulated over time. The result left him feeling lighter in some respects, but painfully raw and exposed.

He wondered if Astrid felt the same way: depleted from an emotionally exhausting marathon yet still somehow feeling more hurt than when they started. Everything was out in the open and avoidance was no longer an option for anyone.

But that was the real issue...despite everything, neither was being completely transparent. Whatever it was that she still stubbornly hid, it was difficult to imagine what could be more shameful than everything else that had transpired. Hiccup didn't know whether to be angry or terrified by what he didn't know.

And all the while, he chastised himself for his own hypocrisy. He had been somewhat honest when he admitted to having "ideas" about how to deal with the Hunters, but those plans were far more fleshed out than he let on.

For years Astrid had been his closest confidant – the one he looked to for perfecting any strategy. But she couldn't know this time. It took him five agonizing months to develop a terrible plan that had even the slightest hope of overtaking Viggo.

There was too much at stake – especially knowing what Hiccup knew then – and he couldn't deviate.

Wouldn't.

No matter how disappointed she would undoubtedly be in him when all was said and done.

Daring to look back again at Astrid, Hiccup desperately wanted to see someone he didn't recognize anymore. As though it would somehow help him…make it easier to enforce a necessary distance between them. Enough so that the threat of her disapproval no longer stung. It should have been possible – in many ways she had been acting like an entirely different person.

But as he watched her hand loosely grip the fabric of her hangerok, and the apple of her cheek rise as she sleepily tucked her chin to her chest, he only saw the same girl he had always known.

With so many thoughts and emotions battling for dominance, the one that still won out time and time again was the relief of knowing that, at least for that moment, she was safe.

Though the light was slowly dying, the prevailing shadows emphasized the curve of Astrid's stomach as her fingers sluggishly threaded at the panel of her dress. The sight made Hiccup swallow heavily - a painful feat when his throat was so parched. Trying to align the visible lump under her clothes with a living, growing child was beyond comprehension.

He had never watched a mother or an aunt carry a baby; had no siblings to serve as a reference for what it meant to even be around an infant, let alone be near one for any period of time. There was only the vague idea that he would one day, after many, many years, be a father.

And yet, there he was.

How was he supposed to feel?

The terror was obvious.

After nearly two years of gradually adjusting into young adulthood, he had only recently begun to relish the independence that came with this new identity. It was empowering, though admittedly intimidating at times, to realize that his decisions were truly his own. Before the weight of this epiphany bore down on him thanks to Viggo's disruptive arrival, Hiccup was starting to feel like he was coming into his own self. That he could take on anything, especially with Toothless and his friends at his side.

And then, in an instant, he suddenly didn't feel very grown up at all.

Adults had children. Responsible, established, actual grown-ups were capable of raising families. Not scrawny and awkward sort-of-adults who were still bumbling aimlessly through their own lives. Especially those who would rather live on the back of a dragon than in their own homeland.

Adults somehow knew how to take care of kids. They had the basic building blocks – some kind of intangible magic - that suddenly imbibed them with the awesome power of shaping a small and barely formed creature into their final being. Of handling that incredible responsibility without having a nervous breakdown or irreparably damaging their unfortunate offspring. Not that it always happened that way; but the opportunity was there.

Hiccup was…lacking. In what, he wasn't sure, but he felt in the pit of his gut that whatever it was that this poor child would need in its life, it was almost certainly just out of his reach.

He felt shame – suddenly fully aware of the consequences beyond the inherent risks that he had only briefly allowed himself to acknowledge. It was hard to remember how those fleeting yet vivid moments of fear were so carelessly swept aside. Not why, of course. He clearly remembered that. But while the constant threat never disappeared entirely from his mind, it just seemed…distant. Unlikely. Perhaps years of repeatedly facing terrible odds and always managing to make it through (relatively) unscathed had made him complacent.

Hel, it made him downright cocky.

Muffling a reflexive huff as he mentally smacked himself, Hiccup's anxious fingers wove tightly together.

For years he had ricocheted back and forth – between knowing everything and understanding nothing. He logically accepted that that the truth was nestled somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. But as he sat helplessly deep underground in enemy territory, he was overcome by how his inability to find that balance had ultimately ruined him. And all of them.

His shaking hand swiped over his forehead, pulling away droplets of sweat. Hiccup's heart pounded. All thought honed on the fear of what it all meant - for him, and Astrid. Toothless. All of the dragons, their team, and Berk.

Seconds away from being pulled down too deep – an unpleasant state that he had become far too accustomed to – a murmur interrupted Hiccup's descent.

Gaze shooting up from his clinched hands to Astrid's shifting form, Hiccup froze. The sounds of a heavy exhale hit his ear, and it took a full second to realize that the labored breath was his own.

His lips clamping shut, and he forced himself to draw in air quietly through his nose. The thrum of his pulse slowed, and soon the only noise was Astrid's soft mumbling before she stilled once more.

Back in the present moment, and more aware of how much sound he was capable of making when teetering on the edge of panic, Hiccup felt a pang of guilt for disrupting her sleep again.

When he had initially encouraged Astrid to take the first rest shift, it had admittedly been for his own selfish needs. He had to be alone – to process everything and privately grieve.

But seeing her so fitful – and noticing the unusual blotchiness of her complexion and darkening around her eyes – he was suddenly much more concerned for her health. Despite knowing how strong and capable she was, he had always needlessly worried about her. For the first time, his worry felt fully warranted. And that scared him.

All this time, she had been trying to manage the pressures their entire team faced, while also discreetly caring for herself and a growing child. Hiccup still didn't understand why she decided to take that on completely alone, but nonetheless, he recognized how much responsibility she silently bore.

And to Astrid's credit: she had been eating when she could, and rested when able. Until this most recent act of defiance, she had begrudgingly abided by his orders and stayed out of combat. A part of him had been, admittedly, shocked that she hadn't elbowed her way back into a fight before then – she was, after all, Astrid. This atypical restraint suddenly made more sense in Hiccup's mind, and his simmering resentment was somewhat cooled in appreciation of her protection of their child.

"Their child". Gods, no matter how many times he thought about it the words still sounded strange…

Eyes unfocused as he stole another glance at Astrid's swollen stomach, Hiccup's tight features slowly released.

With all of the emotions swirling around his head – some well-known and others new – there was one that was especially hard for Hiccup to define. Something entirely unexpected.

It didn't carry the same overbearing heaviness as the other feelings, and didn't instill a sense of dread.

It wasn't quite happiness, but certainly somewhat closer. An odd and senseless pride despite everything in him that warred against the notion that any good could come from their situation. They had made a life. A life. Unwittingly, perhaps, but still…it was a humbling thought to be certain.

They were, for better or worse, parents now. And it was normal for parents to feel…something, right?

This, in turn, birthed a new feeling - a remorse that there was a need to put so much emphasis on the harm that came with it all. It felt wrong. Unnatural.

Hiccup had never considered how he would want to one day, in a very theoretical sense, discover that they were having a child. But this certainly wasn't it.

Huh…"they".

He flinched, realizing that even in his subconscious, despite everything, he had somehow solidified the fact that any children he had would have to come from Astrid. That was sobering, to say the least.

Scratching at his jaw awkwardly, Hiccup accepted that the vague wisps of his future that he purposely ignored was more defied than he ever imagined.

He must have assumed that when this moment came there would be no shame or secrecy surrounding it. They would be married, or at the very least betrothed. The idea that they wouldn't even be a couple seemed absurd. They would be together with a family, or separate without. There was no middle ground there.

And yet, there they were.

As he allowed himself to check the underlying assumptions that he unknowingly held, Hiccup realized he intrinsically anticipated that such news would be…good. Even positive.

Honestly, more than that - a genuinely happy occasion. Not only for them and their families, but for the entire tribe. An heir wasn't born every day, after all, and it would no doubt bring a certain amount of fanfare. Their townsmen would wish them well; likely help out the new family as they witnessed their future Chief grow once more.

Of course, no one would be more proud and boisterous than…

Oh.

Oh, damn.

His dad.

His very large, extremely loud, and, at times, vindictive dad.

Attempting to quash the vivid image of Stoick's reddening face returning a soul-rending glare, Hiccup shuddered. That was not a conversation that he was looking forward to – in this world or the next.

Mouth tugging into a frown, he felt ill as he began to see all of the implications of their choices and how far off course they were from anything resembling his expectations. This was not what should have been.

Yes, they would still have been terrified, because they were young, and stupid, and had no clue what they were doing. Not because they were freefalling through chaos with no foundation under their feet.

Hiccup thought about what Astrid had said: that acknowledging the child meant the end of many things. And while it was difficult to even consider the possibility that they would all make it off of Dragon Hunter Island, if they somehow did, he had no doubt she was right.

They would return to Berk immediately, and marry. It wouldn't be long before he had to take on the mantle as Chief. There would be no more adventuring for days or weeks, or especially months. The maps he had started to draft, still covered with expansive blank spaces that promised discoveries in every direction, would be folded up and put away - eventually forgotten. The only dragons he would know would be those that resided on their island or occasionally migrated over its waters.

Hiccup would be lying if he didn't admit how suffocating that all seemed – an inevitable future he had resigned himself to but far more quickly than he had ever feared.

But looking over at Astrid, a dull ache radiated from Hiccup's chest. What was the alternative? He had no idea what options she may have considered over the weeks; where that would take her and the child she carried.

Even as he briefly, for less than a full second, entertained the possibility of continuing to indulge in his wanderlust and forsaking responsibility for unrealized dreams that may exist...any momentary spark of excitement was immediately smothered by the oppressive loss that came with her hypothetical absence.

Whether they ever got back to where they used to be or not, he couldn't imagine living a life without Astrid in it.

And knowing now that he would not only be missing her, but also a living piece of them? No.

Still...

Hiccup swallowed heavily, feeling it painfully catch midway down his throat. Tapping his fingertips together anxiously, his exhausted gaze locked on Astrid as he tried yet again to grapple with how very real it all was.

He had spent week after week obsessing over every possible scenario they could face. His greatest fears had replayed over and over in his mind – a futile effort to prepare himself to act when all he would want to do was fall apart.

After living through theories and hypotheticals for so long…immersed in countless emotions that were tied to speculation over reality…it was easy to forget that the weight he felt wasn't the result of fixating on what could happen anymore. It had happened.

And as weary eyes began to blur, unfixed with fatigue and the subtle sting of frustrated tears, Hiccup released a trembling sigh.

Oh, dear merciful Frigg. He wasn't ready.

Hiccup wasn't sure when his heavy eyelids drifted down and how much time had passed since, but he found himself yet again startled awake.

This time, however, there was a reason.

Blinking rapidly, his pupils contracted against harsh light. He forced himself to be more alert, suddenly aware of what sounded like the soft padding of footsteps.

That was enough to clear his head.

His eyes darted to where Astrid slept, confirming that she hadn't moved. Other than turning at some point so that her back was to him, she was in the exact same spot.

Hiccup listened closely for the sound, starting to second-guess that he heard anything at all. Considering the amount of sleep deprivation he faced, it seemed unlikely that it wouldn't take a toll on his senses. Though as he squinted into the firelight that flowed in from the cavern, he did wonder why it seemed so much brighter than before.

Sitting quietly for several more minutes, Hiccup listened intently for any sign of movement outside of their enclosure. For the briefest second, he could have sworn he heard someone taking in a breath. But glancing back at Astrid, he realized that it was far most likely just her making noises in her sleep.

Growing embarrassed by his jittery behavior, Hiccup forced his muscles to relax as he slumped back against the cavern wall at his back.

Reassured by the continued calm, he fought the temptation to close his eyes again.

But before he even had an opportunity to risk drifting off, a distinct rustle from above caused his eyes to snap open wide, and he looked up at the gap in the rocks. Now he was certain - the light was much brighter.

Startled, Hiccup hurried to his feet, glancing at Astrid's prone form. He was about to shout for her, when something moving caught his attention.

Eyes darting back to the light, he saw the flame of a torch come into view – along with Heather's curious face.

Mouth open as he gulped down air, Hiccup's tensed shoulders collapsed as he met the woman's gaze. Still, his fingers flexed as they hovered near the hilt of his sword.

"What do you want?" he quietly hissed, eyes narrowing.

Carefully testing the strength of the rocks around her, Heather then leaned forward to brace her elbow against a stone. Her lips twisted into a tight smirk.

"Nice to see you too", she quipped flatly, unbothered by Hiccup's glare.

When the young man scowled at her response, she glanced down at Astrid, allowing her expression to soften.

"How is she?" Heather asked, her tone more gentle.

Hiccup's brow creased, lip curling. "Are we really going to go through all this again? So you can act like you care?"

Heather's lips stuck out into a pout. A flash of offense quickly eroded, and she anxiously ran her fingers over her braid as she looked down sheepishly.

"I do care", she insisted, daring to meet his stare only for a moment before retreating. She then offered a weak shrug. "…but", she conceded, "I get that that's hard to believe..."

Though Hiccup's frown loosened, his glare didn't waver. Looking down at Astrid, making sure she was still deep asleep, a pulse of fresh anger hardened his features.

"Hmm. Well, let's see…" he hummed sardonically, quietly stepping closer so Heather could hear as he fought to keep his voice down. "In less than a day she's, what? Been back-stabbed, tied up, almost gutted, nearly crushed…oh, and now she's trapped in here..."

In an instant his glare shot back up, holding Heather in a judgmental stare. "Yeah", he sassed, "I'd wager she's been better."

The acid in Hiccup's tone had little visible effect on Heather. She only shifted her stance to allow her head to rest in the palm of her upturned hand, then quirked an eyebrow.

"Wow…" she mused, almost in awe. "…you really can be a sarcastic ass when you want to be."

Rolling his eyes, Hiccup's grimace then deepened. "Yeah, who said that?" he challenged, suddenly struck with familiar insecurity.

Before the woman could answer, his gaze dropped back to Astrid, the sharpness of his offense dulled by a distressing thought. "Did…she didn't say-?"

Head pulling back in surprise, Heather frowned. "Of course not", she chided quietly, disappointed that he even considered the idea. "She'd bust someone's jaw if she heard them say that, let alone say it herself. You should know that."

Humbled by the immediate reaction to his fear-driven assumptions, Hiccup's shoulders dropped as he exhaled in relief. He hadn't anticipated how much the thought of Astrid speaking ill of him, especially behind his back, shook him. Despite how strained things had been, her opinion of him as a person had somehow remained intact - even when she opposed his behavior. He couldn't imagine losing her respect; on some level he knew it would crush him.

But while Heather's words seemed to bring some solace to his frayed ego, Hiccup tilted his head, shifting one shoulder uncomfortably. "Yeah, well..." he sighed.

Intrigued, the dark-haired woman watched him keenly. When his voice faded, she waved her hand, prompting him to continue.

Wary of why Heather was there in the first place – all the more so that she was actively probing for details - Hiccup shut his mouth as he glared.

"…I'm sorry", he retorted, thick with sarcasm, "did you just come down here to gossip or is there an actual reason?"

Heather showed little concern with his clear irritation, replying with an easy shrug of one shoulder.

"You got somewhere else to be?" she teased, the corner of her mouth twitching to fight a smile.

Narrowing his eyes, Hiccup huffed as he looked away indignantly. He said nothing more, hoping she would take the hint and leave.

But Heather did no such thing; only made herself comfortable as she tapped a finger to her chin.

"So…" she continued casually, breaking the tense silence, "is this still about the little secret she kept for me…?"

She let the question drift to an end, watching his reaction closely. Though he stayed silent, all the while making a point to avert his gaze, she noted his posture tighten.

Heather chuckled. "Because, no offense…you seem to be holding grudges a lot more these days."

This warranted an irritated glare tossed over his shoulder before he again turned back.

The easy smile on Heather's face spread. "Hmm…" she hummed, "…I must be on the right track..."

Muttering to himself as he shook his head, Hiccup looked at her wearily.

Seeing him start to wear down, Heather cocked a single eyebrow. "Am I?"

Pursing his lips, Hiccup cautiously considered her. It was apparent that she wasn't going to go until she got whatever she came for. And being a captive audience, his options were limited.

He didn't trust her. At all. But perhaps if he started talking, she would follow in kind. Maybe then he would get some idea of what Viggo had in store.

"If it was just that", he finally grumbled, crossing his arms defensively, "no, I'd probably be over it by now..."

"Probably?" Heather echoed skeptically.

Hiccup fired a quick glare, then looked down at the ground. "But there's other...things."

Humming quietly, Heather nodded slowly. "So, the baby?" she guessed.

Hearing the word said outloud again caused Hiccup to flinch, a response that didn't go unnoticed.

"I'll take that as a yes", she chuckled lowly.

Casting his gaze downward, Hiccup sighed, loud enough that he knew she'd hear.

"I'm just, not used to her keeping things from me", he mumbled. With a scratch to the back of his neck, he released a huff. "...especially things I really need to know."

Heather's smile lessened. Her face no longer impish, it instead portrayed the faintest hint of sympathy. Even genuine concern.

Hiccup saw this from the corner of his eye, encouraged that he was lowering her guard.

Still, as he turned to check on Astrid, who still lay fast asleep, he felt ill at the reminder that while his delivery was intentionally exaggerated as part of his ploy – his words were not.

Shaking his head sadly, Hiccup finally glanced back up Heather.

"W-why would she hide this?" His hushed voice shook with the authentic pain that plagued him.

Pulling her lips to the side in thought, Heather looked down at the blonde thoughtful.

"I…I don't know", she admitted. "Never had a chance to talk to her about it." Her green eyes shone with remorse. "Wish I had..."

Releasing a wistful sigh, the woman returned her gaze to Hiccup. Her neck straightened, taking on an air of confidence. "But, whatever her reasons…I'd trust she did what she thought was right. Knowing her? She probably thought she was protecting you."

Hiccup's face twisted, displeased with her answer.

"Why does this excuse keep coming up?" he asked, trying and failing to hide his offense. "I-I'm a grown man; why does everyone think I need someone to save me when I ultimately screw up?"

Without missing a beat, Heather bobbed one shoulder casually. "Because someone does."

Narrowed eyes widening, Hiccup was thrown by her bluntness.

"And", Heather continued, "someone always will as long as you keep running off into every dangerous situation on your own."

Recovering from his initial surprise – trying to orient to suddenly being on the receiving end of a lecture - Hiccup blew a soft puff of air past his lips dismissively.

"I'm not that bad", he defended, albeit more weakly than intended.

Heather stared blankly, unmoved. "You are so predictable that Viggo's plan revolved around it."

This, admittedly, gave Hiccup pause.

"Of course it did", he finally muttered, rolling his eyes before dragging a hand down his face. "He knew I would go to Dark Deep alone..."

Heather nodded. "…thus separating you from Astrid", she confirmed. "Likewise, knowing that she would drop everything if she even had a hint that you were in danger. So, we gave her one."

Hiccup's expression soured, glancing up to send Heather a heated glare.

"As disturbing as it is that you can so easily describe your betrayal..." He shrugged in concession, cheeks reddening. "I…I get your point."

Heather gave a satisfied smile.

Looking down at Astrid, Hiccup sighed.

"I'm just..." he groaned softly, raking a hand through his hair. "I know I'm going to make a misstep. I didn't want anyone else to pay for that."

Realizing the irony, Hiccup huffed humorlessly. "Like now", he muttered, motioning to their cramped space.

Nodding in thought, Heather's mouth pulled to the side. "So…you can't handle the guilt of someone being hurt by a bad call you made…so you purposely create scenarios where you're the only one who could possibly suffer for it?"

Though her tone was entirely casual, Hiccup had not expected to hear his concerns, which he himself struggled to define, so eloquently packaged.

"That is...concise", he commented, impressed despite himself.

Heather's brow pulled together as she frowned. "…even though", she continued, "having you suffer, then, as a result, also hurts them?"

Blinking, momentarily dumbfounded, Hiccup's lips parted. "…uuuugh…yes. Well, no. No", he backtracked.

Seeing Heather's doubtful expression, Hiccup muttered to himself.

"Okay…um…yes, they would be sad", he acknowledged. "Yes, I'm sure some would, probably, really miss me."

Several people came to mind as he spoke. Thinking about those he stood to leave behind, especially Toothless and Astrid, Hiccup stifled a sigh.

"But, you know, with time", he reasoned with a halfhearted shrug, "…they'd be fine."

Unimpressed, Heather tilted her head ever so slightly. "If your dad "fine"?"

The slight topic shift was enough for Hiccup's depleted brain to second-guess what he heard. "…what?"

Her lips tugged into a teasing smirk. "Stoick. Your dad. Berk's Chief…"

Hiccup frowned, unamused. "Yeah, I know who Dad is", he retorted dryly.

Suppressing a snort, Heather stare grew more intent. "Well, is he "fine"", she prodded, "after losing your mom?"

Pursing his mouth, Hiccup thought quickly, admittedly becoming more wrapped up in winning the impromptu debate than he should have been.

"…uh…yeah", he replied airily with a shrug. "Yeah, he's…great."

Memories of his father drifted to the forefront of his mind – where the hardened warrior would become unusually emotional speaking of his departed wife. Sometimes he would recall their years with pride and nostalgic happiness. But other times…

Hiccup swallowed thickly. "I mean, sure, he misses her", he admitted, dropping his gaze, "…a lot." His arms began to swing slightly at his sides with anxious energy. "Especially during Snoggletog, and festivals…weddings, and all…that…"

Feeling himself begin to be pulled down too deep into his ruminations, Hiccup shook his head, bringing himself back to the present moment.

"But, um, yeah", he maintained, trying to recover his assurance. "He's surviving. That's my point. If anything happened to me, well…they would all survive too."

Though Heather hummed in acknowledgment, she appeared unswayed. She then looked Hiccup up and down, almost calculating. "And what about you?"

Confounded, Hiccup wrinkled his brow. "…I think it's fairly obvious I would be dead in that scenario", he quipped.

Heather sighed impatiently. "No, Hiccup…"

Leaning carefully into the cavern wall, ignoring the ache in his neck from craning his head, the young man's eyes widened as realization dawned. "Y-you mean, because of my…uh, mother?"

A simple nod was Heather's response.

Hiccup frowned. "I-I don't think it really…I-I never met her", he stammered, before quietly clearing his throat. "So, um, no real difference for me. I guess."

If his stumbling words weren't enough to betray his façade, the way his gaze wandered uncomfortably to the side was. Heather smiled knowingly.

"I mean, sure", he confessed, his voice dropping, "I wish I had. Her. Um, had met her."

Tracing his thumb over the stubble of his jaw, Hiccup looked down in thought.

"But", he continued, regaining a pragmatic tone, "I'm here, and it's never stopped me from doing anything, so…" He sniffed as he met her gaze, rolling a shoulder with false confidence. "I'd say I'm surviving, thanks."

Heather relaxed into her braced hand. "Surviving is good", she acknowledged. "But would you say you're completely "fine" after losing a parent?"

To Hiccup's surprise, he forced back a reflexive "no" before it left his mouth. Despite what he wanted to think, on some level, he questioned the true impact of losing something he never really had. The part of him that still felt weird and out-of-place in the world.

Feeling very uncomfortable and exposed, he shifted awkwardly, opting to stay silent.

Heather nodded in understanding. "I know I'm not fine after losing mine", she admitted.

Her eyes grew doleful as she looked down at her hand as it anxiously picked at one of the rocks. "Any of them…"

A pang of genuine pity struck Hiccup, as it often did when Heather's unfortunate past was raised. How the absence of a parent could have a lasting effect on one's life and how they viewed the world. It was something that made him want to believe in the wayward girl when they first met - despite his better judgement, he still hoped that she would somehow come out the other end a better person. While their stories were different, there had always been a natural bind between them…an understanding through lived experiences that his Berkian peers couldn't fully relate to.

But as he gazed up at her, reminded that she stood outside of a prison that they were only in because of her deception, Hiccup's compassion swiftly rebounded into resentment.

"…so what are you getting at?" he asked suspiciously, eyes beginning to narrow.

Put-off by his tone, Heather frowned. "The point is", she retorted, "I don't think you've given any thought to what it would be like for everyone who had to mourn you. Not really."

Hiccup's mouth opened to argue.

"And", she added firmly, lifting a finger to silence him, "not that you had any reason to before, but now, you have to consider your kid. What that would do to them. To their future."

Lips still parted, his jaw hung loose as he considered her words. He then snapped his mouth shut.

Content that she had been heard, Heather relaxed, exhaling slowly.

"For what it's worth…you're not wrong", she conceded warmly. "They'd figure out how to be okay."

Her gaze then dropped, almost shamefully. "Or at least as "okay" as they can be", she sighed.

Hiccup watched Heather intently, and met her gaze as she returned a solemn stare.

"But what happened to my parents", she murmured, "…my…father…your mother…I-I don't think there was anything they could have done to stop that. Not really."

Grasping where she was going, Hiccup glanced away uncomfortably, rubbing at the back of his neck.

That didn't stop Heather from keeping her gaze on him.

"When you're running off and being reckless", she huffed, "...when you could take steps to protect yourself and just don't…"

Heather shook her head sadly, watching Hiccup's stare fall to Astrid.

"You're not saving her, Hiccup. You mean well, but you're risking ruining a lot of lives – including this brand new one - for something that could be avoided."

Both fell silent, and Hiccup found himself starting to nod.

Looking at Astrid, thinking back about their dynamic over the years, he began to re-examine the root of Astrid's compulsion to protect him. Long convinced it was evidence of a lack of faith in his abilities, he then questioned those beliefs, and felt guilty for doubting her intentions in the first place.

After all, everything Heather said rang true for his own drive to keep Astrid safe. He had no idea what he would do if anything happened to her (nor did he want to), but he knew he wouldn't ever be whole again. It would change him at a fundamental level, and while he would likely survive the experience, he couldn't imagine how he would ever be "fine" again.

And now, with a child? Hiccup logically knew that being a parent meant enormous responsibility – something he had been obsessively ruminating about as Astrid slept. But realizing that he now had an obligation to them to do everything in his power to be there …

And as he thought about this new duty, and his basic need to protect them both, he reflected on their current situation. That the peril they found themselves in put him in a position of failing on both accounts. While his revelations helped to begin the process of repairing his fractured self-worth, it only raised the stakes in his mind of what they all sought to lose.

And as he returned his gaze to Heather, who smiled kindly despite the part she played in it all, he completely and wholly resented it.

"You do know how ridiculous this is, right?" Hiccup shook his head in distaste. "That you're judging me while at the same time helping the man who wants to kill us?"

Though Heather's lips pulled down, dulling her expression, she retained the sincerity in her eyes. "He doesn't want to kill you."

As Hiccup opened his mouth to object, she raised her hand to pacify him.

"At least, I don't think that's his endgame", she added quickly. "And yes, I know I've put you all in a bad spot..." Heather's hand drifted down to lay over her heart. "I really am sorry. This…this isn't how I thought everything would play out. But I want to fix things - that's why I'm here."

Holding his stare, Hiccup looked at her with clear doubt. "Well, unless you can tell me exactly what Viggo is planning, there really isn't a point to you being here."

Heather held in a laugh, letting it escape as a snort.

"I'm flattered that you think Viggo shares everything with me, but, no, I'm in the dark as well. And whatever his initial plan was, he's changed it entirely." Any amusement in her face suddenly drained. "Which, in hindsight," she muttered, "was likely his plan all along."

Hiccup's brow raised. "You think?"

Deflated, Heather frowned. "Hiccup, I'm doing the best I can."

His lips tugged back into a thin smirk. "I'm sure you are", he agreed mockingly, "but for who? Us or Viggo?"

Heather's eyes narrowed defensively. "Hey, I put my neck out back there", she reminded him, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder. "You don't get everything I'm having to consider right now."

Unmoved, Hiccup returned a stern glare. "You let Viggo take Toothless", he returned coldly.

In an instant, Heather's eyes darkened. "I don't let him do anything, Hiccup!" she seethed.

A soft groan caused both Hiccup and Heather to freeze in place, each snapping their heads to look down at Astrid's sleeping form.

Drawing one leg closer into her body, the blonde rustled for a moment, mumbling unintelligibly.

Staying perfectly still, not daring to breathe, Hiccup and Heather's eyes met for a moment before returning to Astrid.

With his mouth ajar, Hiccup almost cleared his throat – a subtle but clear sign to his teammate of their unwanted guest. With tempers already flaring, it was tempting to recruit someone else to help wrestle important details from their former friend.

Then again…he knew Astrid well-enough to know that her knee-jerk response would likely be a well-aimed rock to the other woman's face. If Heather's worried expression was any indicator, she was prepared for the same. And he had no doubt that she would immediately take her leave – along with any information that could aid them.

Hiccup frowned, and pressed his lips together. Diplomacy, and a little manipulation, was a more promising path.

So the pair stayed silent, and waited as Astrid's murmurs waned.

Finally, the sleeping Viking settled back down, resuming a steady breathing pattern.

Heather slowly released her own breath, relieved.

Several more minutes of quiet passed, until they were satisfied that Astrid was deeply asleep.

After seeing the other woman's arms go limp, Heather huffed an irritated sigh, lowering her voice as she looked back down at Hiccup.

"What I was trying to say", she continued, less irate but just as stern, "is that you're not the only one who has to play Viggo's games whether you want to or not. I have a lot to lose too and I'm still trying to do the right thing here."

Hiccup said nothing, thinking. Admittedly, he hadn't expected Heather to go so far as to attack Ryker in Astrid's defense.

"I'm a bit surprised they let you live", he remarked dryly, his skepticism evident. "Viggo doesn't seem the forgiving type."

Allowing her head to rest in her hand, Heather's lips quirked into a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"I'm not in a great position at the moment, but as long as I'm useful, I'll be okay." The assured smirk then dropped, forming a grimace. "For now."

With a shake of his head, Hiccup's heavy brow knit in thought.

"I'll never understand why you chose this over any other option", he muttered, bewildered. Giving a quiet laugh, he tilted his head back wearily until it rested against the stones at his back.

"With Windshear you could have traveled wherever you please. Seen the world. No obligations; no expectations. You're free to do whatever you want", he breathed, in wonder and with a shot of envy. "And this is the life you settled on?"

Heather scoffed quietly, looking down at her fingers absently as she gave an enigmatic smile.

"You're right - you could never understand. You have a home. A tribe, and a family." Her green eyes flicked to Astrid's sleeping form. "And people who will die to protect you."

She then met Hiccup's gaze again. "It might sound exciting to you", Heather noted with a roll of her eyes, "not having to care what anyone else thinks." Her stare grew distant and pensive. "But that's only possible because nobody else really cares."

The hint of a canted smile formed on the woman's face, meeting Hiccup's eyes earnestly. "I'd give up this 'freedom' in a heartbeat for what you have."

At this Hiccup turned his head to look at Astrid, one end of his mouth pulling up softly as he gave a shallow nod in acknowledgement. But his lips then dropped to a frown as brows creased in concern.

His gaze raised to Heather.

"Be honest…for once", he added lowly. "Are you telling me everything that you know about Viggo?"

Heather's face stilled; the only movement was her eyelashes fluttering as she carefully observed him.

With a quiet exhale, she gave a slow shake of her head.

Hiccup's chest expanded while he pursed his lips to hold back an exasperated sigh.

He glanced down at Astrid again before holding Heather in a firm stare. "Is anything going to happen to her?"

The look he received didn't inspire immediate confidence. If anything, Heather appeared worryingly apprehensive. But she then shifted to a resolute gaze. "Not if you let me help, and listen to what I say."

The dubious assurance deeply troubled Hiccup, but after some consideration, it seemed that even a little hope was better than nothing.

"Fine", he agreed flatly. "Just remember: we risked our lives to supposedly save yours. You owe us."

Heather sighed. "Okay", she agreed, more hastily that he preferred. "But Hiccup-"

He interrupted with a brisk shake of his head. "Then promise to find a way to get her out of here", he demanded.

Frowning, Heather's patience began to wear thin. "…I'll do my best."

Unfortunately, Hiccup's had completely run dry. "Promise. Me", he demanded sternly, tiring of her vague commitment.

Irritated, Heather's head tipped back. "Okay", she bit back quietly.

Seeing the distrusting look Hiccup gave her, Heather released a steady breath, letting her features soften.

"Okay…" she repeated, her voice more calm and assuring. "I promise."

Still doubtful of her word, Hiccup's skeptical gaze remained. Slowly – reluctantly - he nodded in silent agreement to her terms.

Heather did the same, and her posture loosened considerably. But her eyes suddenly widened as her head whipped to look over her shoulder.

"Great" she sneered under her breath. "Patrol."

Brows cinched in annoyance, she briskly looked back down at Hiccup. "I'll find you as soon as I know more."

Hiccup had no time to respond; only watched as Heather swiftly moved away from the gap.

Then, to his surprise, she immediately popped back into view. "Oh, and Hiccup?"

He turned back around, an eyebrow raised.

Without warning, Heather tossed down two small items. Hiccup barely caught one before it hit the ground. The other fell at his feet but was so light if barely made any sound at all.

Hiccup looked at the water horn in his hand, then at the small satchel on the ground. Confused, he glanced back up at Heather.

The dark-haired woman returned a sober gaze. "Be ready for anything", she warned cryptically before again darting out of sight.

Listening to the sound of her boots scuffing against the rocks, Hiccup tracked the pattering until it faded into the distance - leaving only silence in the surrounding cavern.

Warily, Hiccup eyed the satchel. He reaching down to retrieve it and pressed its contents between the tips of his fingers. Feeling something slightly pliable and non-uniform, he carefully pulled the drawstring and peered inside to find thin strips of dried meat.

He then took the water horn in hand, removing the cork to sniff its contents. When he didn't detect any unusual scent he took a very small sip, letting it spill over his tongue.

There was no bitterness, or any flavor for that matter. Slowly, Hiccup swallowed, frowning as he sought any possible sign of poisoning.

So far so good.

Returning his attention to the jerky, Hiccup grimaced. Despite a growing hunger, his raw stomach churned at the sickening scent of food. Of all the times Tuffnut had to take his culinary experimentation too far…

Still, he pulled a small corner off one of the strips - placing it in his mouth and gently gnawing on the dried flesh.

Satisfied that all he could taste was the flavor of overly salted chicken, he forced himself to swallow the morsel, trying to ignore the acidic burn in his throat.

Letting his exhausted gaze drift to Astrid, Hiccup stooped down to set the water and jerky aside.

Though his paranoia ebbed somewhat after their (eventually) amiable exchange, he still distrusted Heather's sudden change of heart, and the "gifts" she left them.

But, he thought as he lowered himself down to the floor, if they were clean, it could buy them some much needed time.

And if they weren't…

Pursing his lips, Hiccup gulped at the grim thought. The only modest comfort he had was that he'd have them in his system for a while before Astrid could consume any. If they were laced with anything…well…

It should be evident long before then.

Astrid didn't recall dreaming for once – her mind and body overwhelmed by exhaustion.

There were moments of distorted sound; too deep to be voices and distant enough that it didn't cause her any alarm. It wasn't until a subtle vibration carried through her entire body, growing more vigorous with each moment, that she began to question whether or not she was still asleep.

But the sound of pebbles rattling near her ears sparked a recent memory, and Astrid's eyes flew open in a panic as she clearly felt the floor beneath her move.

"Are you kidding me?!" she groaned, quickly moving to a defensive crouch. Eyes wide but still bleary from sleep, she looked around for Hiccup.

Astrid found him kneeling several feet behind her, groggily staring up at the stones surrounding them.

Following his gaze, she saw clouds of dust hanging in the beam of firelight. As the ground shifted violently, small bits of rubble began to fall.

Astrid scooted back steadily, her eyes locked on the unstable wall of rock. As the shaking worsened, she blanched, and hurried her pace while gingerly stepping towards the opposite side.

But she still wasn't moving quickly enough for Hiccup, who anxiously glanced between her and the precarious stones. He reached out to grab her shoulders, relieved to feel her reaching for him as well.

"It's coming down!" Astrid gasped near his ear, as they heard more rocks tumble.

When a sizeable chunk of stone crashed to the ground beside them, Astrid's reflexes kicked in. She dropped down as she pulled Hiccup with her, tossing one arm over her head and the other over his.

After reaching the floor, Hiccup grit his teeth as another stone smashed inches away from them. He pulled her in tighter with trembling hands.

They both flinched every time they heard and felt a rock plummet to the ground and fracture.

Astrid suddenly shouted through clenched teeth as something struck her ankle. Her cry became a furious growl as she pulled the throbbing leg into her body.

Next thing she knew she was moving. Suddenly rolled on to her back, she opened her eyes to see Hiccup's face hovering over hers.

Mouth ajar, Astrid gaped up at him. "W-what are you-?"

But he couldn't respond. Hiccup's face crumpled as he choked back a shout, nearly dropping entirely as he took a harsh hit to his lower back.

"Hiccup!?" Astrid shouted, trying to push him back but meeting resistance.

"…'m fine…" he wheezed, still unable to open his eyes.

Astrid panted through parted lips, readjusted her grip to gain better leverage. But before she made another attempt to shove him to his side, she realized the only sounds she heard was heavy breathing and the pounding of her own pulse. No low rumble or clattering stones.

Freezing her limbs in place, she pressed her spine into the ground – the moving earth had stilled.

"I…think it's over?" she noted uncertainly, looking up to Hiccup. She couldn't see his eyes – only russet bangs as his head fell forward.

The young man groaned quietly, still braced over her. He moved slowly as he flexed his hands against the stone. "Y-yeah", he shuddered in agreement, eyelids rising to reveal a pained and unfocused gaze.

Though he tried to play tough, his stiff movements as he attempted to maneuver to his knees were a dead giveaway. Also, the nearly-formed tears coating his eyes.

Rolling her own eyes, Astrid carefully pushed him so that he shifted to his hip, this time without him fighting her along the way.

"Oh, you idiot…" she breathed, admonishing but affectionate as she looked over his back with concern. "Why did you do that?"

Clamping his eyes shut as he pressed himself up to sit, Hiccup still managed to express his disbelief in his facial features. "As opposed to you getting hit? Are you serious?"

Astrid snorted, shaking her head with a faint smirk. "No, but you left your head and spine exposed. Small wonder you're in agony right now."

Slowly opening his eyes and blinking a few times, Hiccup tried to hide a wince as he adjusted the position of his legs.

"I'm fine", he insisted through shallow breaths. "Just…surprised me."

Astrid tried to hide an amused smile. "Hmm. If you say so…"

When Hiccup only nodded, she sighed, taking a moment to lightly massage her wounded ankle. A quick glance assured her that the hide of her boot was intact, and there was no blood soaking through.

A succession of quick pops drew her attention, and she turned her head to see Hiccup arching his back. Whatever shifted along his spine apparently brought some relief, and he released a grateful sigh.

Exhaling herself, glad that his pain was subsiding, Astrid reached her arms up for a much needed stretch. Content, Astrid then curled one hand to form a loose fist, and delivered a light punch to Hiccup's bicep.

Surprised, Hiccup jumped. Wide eyes soon dropped into a weary gaze. "Hey…" he groaned in exasperation, feeling too tired and sore.

But when Astrid chuckled teasingly, a sound he immensely missed, Hiccup's foul mood quickly dissipated. Realizing her attempt at being playful, his lips quirked in response.

"Gods, what did I do now?" he muttered, sounding more annoyed than he truly was as he rubbed the offended arm. "Because I didn't let you get crushed?"

"No, because you didn't wake me", she replied casually. "I was supposed to take a shift."

Hiccup shook the arm out and used his other shoulder to shrug. "Yeah, well, I was fine."

Rubbing the dust from her eyes, Astrid hummed, still feeling the extent of her sleep debt. Casting a glance at her weary teammate, she frowned when she saw him settle into a seated position rather than stretch out on the floor.

"Don't you want to try to get some sleep?" she prompted.

Hiccup simply shook his head. "Nah", he insisted lazily. "I rested a bit."

Astrid pulled her lips to one side, clearly not buying his claim. But she didn't push the subject any further, and instead stretched out her leg to better examine her ankle.

Reaching into her boot, she rubbed at the tender muscles and tendons that tensed beneath her fingers. As she flexed her foot, slowly rotating her ankle, she was pleased to find that she still had full-range of motion.

Meanwhile Hiccup looked down at his other side, pushing aside fallen pebbles and stones to retrieve the water horn and satchel.

Blue eyes widened as she noticed the items in his hands, and Astrid stilled her fingers while staring intently at the water horn.

"I didn't know you had water", she murmured, confusion shrouded with swelling hope.

Removing the cap, Hiccup looked down at the vessel to conceal his expression.

"Uh, yeah, um, sorry..." he stumbled, his awkwardness coming off as embarrassment. "Heh. Guess I forgot."

Offering Astrid the water, he was thankful to see her smile, too focused on her relief to question it further.

She brought the horn to her mouth, making herself take small sips rather than chugging it. The water gathered before she dared to swallow, moistening her tongue and lips then slowly trickling down her parched throat.

Hiccup accepted the horn as she passed it back, taking in barely enough to qualify as a gulp before replacing the cap.

As Astrid released a content sigh, Hiccup set down the water horn and untied the little pouch. He carefully dug his index finger inside to retrieve two small strips of the dehydrated meat. "Hungry?"

The question pulled Astrid's attention, and she glanced at the food with clear interest. "Always", she muttered, irritated by her own insatiable hunger.

Reaching to pluck the food from Hiccup's hand, Astrid brought the strip to her face to examine it.

Unsettled by her scrutiny, Hiccup ripped at another piece as he slowly chewed.

"Uh, dried chicken", he noted, glad that he had a chance to taste it beforehand to identify what he supposedly brought.

Her expression unyielding, Astrid's analyzing gaze drifted to Hiccup, who paled under her stare.

She then raised a brow in mock suspicion. "Better not have stolen this from Stormfly's supplies…" she warned, the corner of her mouth tugging upward.

Surprised and relieved, Hiccup huffed, looking away to hide his fluster.

"I think I know better than to get between a Nadder and food", he weakly joked.

With a brisk snort, Astrid hummed and hungrily bit into her strip of jerky.

The pair sat in, what at least appeared, to be comfortable silence as she ate.

But Astrid soon noticed that Hiccup hadn't moved in several minutes. She peered from the corner of her eye.

Seeing him staring idly at the dried chicken in his hand, she wondered what held his full attention. The fact that his face was tightly drawn as his fingers tapped with nervous energy was enough to pique her curiosity.

Swallowing, Astrid put on a light smile.

"So..." she began casually, hoping to re-break the ice. "Did anything happen last…night?" She paused. "Or was it earlier today?"

Realizing she had no sense of the time since going underground, she rolled her eyes with a flippant shrug. "Whatever time it actually is…"

Hiccup's features froze, his eyes flicking up to meet hers. "…what?" he asked, his voice ticking up anxiously.

Her smile slacked, forming the beginnings of a frown. "The quakes?" she reminded him. "Were there anymore?"

Releasing a breath, Hiccup coughed to clear his throat. "Oh, right. Um, yeah", he off-handedly affirmed, trying to sound more at-ease.

But Astrid's brow knit, causing Hiccup to replay his response.

"Oh, um, no. I meant no", he amended, shaking his head as he looked down at his jerky with sudden interest. "Nothing else."

Still frowning, Astrid took in his unusual body language. It was clear that something had set him on edge.

But other than briefly holding him in a thoughtful stare, she said nothing, dropping her gaze as she took another bite of chicken.

With Astrid's eyes off him, Hiccup's posture finally relaxed. He forced himself to gnaw on his jerky, though his gut still spasmed uncomfortably.

Finishing off her ration with a final swallow, Astrid dusting her hands together before pushing herself up to her knees. "Here, let me check on this", she suggested, pointing to Hiccup's bandaged head.

Hiccup only nodded as he pretended to chew. He sat still as she shifted towards him, tilting his head to give her better access to the wound.

Pulling back the fabric, nearly half stained, Astrid was encouraged to see the gash had clotted.

"Looks pretty good", she announced, using her fingers to pinch the material and turn it so that the clean(er) side sat against the lesion. "Just another day and I think it can come off."

Resisting the habit of nodding his head as she finished straightening the fabric, Hiccup's gaze fell to her kneeling legs. "How's yours?"

Astrid hummed in thought. She then sat down, extending the wounded leg and carefully pulling the skirt up to the top of her thigh to expose the makeshift bandage.

Her hands moved more boldly than she had with him - swiftly grasping what remained of her leggings and yanking it back to reveal the cut.

Hiccup reflexively cringed at the sight. While the bleeding stilled some time ago, the gash was far wider than he had expected.

"Good as new", Astrid concluded nonchalantly, pulling the strip of bloodied fabric completely off her leg.

His face didn't reflect the same ease. "That's...a really big cut."

Astrid's mouth curled into a smile. "Yeah, will probably scar up real nice", she replied with a satisfaction that made Hiccup shudder from his head to his feet.

Chuckling, Astrid glanced at him reassuringly. "Actually doesn't hurt that much. Really."

She then reached her arm over to her left side, lightly dragging a hand down her ribcage. "Side feels a lot worse", she admitted, eye twitching as she grazed the area. "Probably bruised something awful."

Hiccup's stare shifted to her side. He took on a pensive expression; his eyes unfocused with lips pressed together.

Sensing a sudden change in his demeanor, Astrid raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

He responded with the slightest shake of his head. "He…knew..." Hiccup murmured, his voice hollow as he continued to stare at her side, his gaze drifting to her belly.

Cocking her head ever so slightly, Astrid's brow furrowed in confusion.

"He knew and he was still going to..."

Hiccup couldn't finish the sentence, too ill at even the thought of what Viggo could have done. He shook his head with fervor, face wrinkling with disgust.

Glancing back down at her injured rib, understanding set in, and Astrid gave a small nod. "Well, we knew he was a sadistic, amoral creep..." she muttered. "Just more proof, I guess."

"He's dead."

Taken aback by the dark quality of his voice as much as the wording, Astrid looked up at the young man, eyes wide in surprise. "Hiccup..."

"No, I mean it", Hiccup replied, his tone conclusive. "Not posturing, or making empty threats. I'm not leaving here as long as he's alive."

Settling back to sit upon her folded legs, Astrid frowned. "Look...I understand the sentiment. Really, I'd like to take an axe to his throat myself..."

Yanked from his brooding, Hiccup's features relaxed, looking at Astrid expectantly. "There's a 'but' coming..."

"But", she emphasized, hiding a smirk, "that's who I am. I prefer to settle things with weapons over words, and if it means a little bloodshed..." She shrugged dismissively.

Her expression then tightened; eyes grayed with worry. "But this? Hiccup, this isn't you."

Mouth turning downward, Hiccup shifted to look right at her.

"Viggo has tormented us for almost a year", he reminded. "Injured almost everyone on the team. C-captured and sold every dragon he can get his hands on."

A crease formed between Astrid's eyebrows. "Hiccup..."

"He took Toothless," he continued as he looked away, his acidic voice straining while his hands balled into fists.

Astrid's eyes flicked to his hands, concerned. "I know", she assured, "but-"

"AND was going to disembowel you." Hiccup's teeth grit, eyes brimming with rage as though glaring at the man in question. "And he knew."

As silence set in, he looked back at Astrid. His expression quickly fell as he saw the disturbed look she returned.

Embarrassed, Hiccup sighed, letting his rigid shoulders loosely drop. "I mean, what am I…"

He shook his head before meeting her stare. He looked exhausted. Confused. "I-I'm just supposed to walk away? Forgive and forget?"

With a moment's pause, Astrid considered him. She slowly shook her head.

"No", she replied. "You're not. But you've always been able to handle threats without resorting to violence; especially just for the sake of violence."

Hiccup looked down, grinding the heel of his boot into the ground. "Yeah, but those threats were never against..."

Watching him intently, Astrid's brow relaxed – her eyes widening slightly as his voice faded.

Hair rustling as he shook his head, Hiccup huffed. "Things are just very different now", he muttered.

Astrid hummed quietly, tilting her head to the side.

"You know", she mused, "I hate Viggo."

The unnecessary declaration hung in the air for a moment. Though Hiccup's face remained downcast, she had his full attention.

Astrid huffed. "I hate him, for a lot of things", she continued. "But, I think what I hate him for the most, is what he's done to you."

Hiccup's shoulders bounced in surprise. Raising his head, his forehead creased. "To me?" he echoed incrediously.

She nodded, rubbing a thumb along the hem of her dress. "And, well, I've been thinking…"

Arching his brow, Hiccup watched as Astrid shifted in her seat to sit cross-legged, leaning in to watch him keenly.

"So, to beat Viggo you need to be a step ahead, right?" she posed, looking to him for affirmation. "Not have him control the next move but to constantly keep him guessing?"

Pausing, she waited for Hiccup to bob his head.

Astrid then frowned. "But that's the thing; he's already controlling you."

Uncertain where exactly she was going, Hiccup mirrored her unease but said nothing.

Noting his skepticism, Astrid braced her elbows at her knees, looking him directly in the eye.

"You are so fixated on getting him back", she explained, "that it's changing the way you think. And don't you think that, maybe, he knows that by now? Why else would he go so far out of his way to pick at every single thing that he knows will make you angry?"

Watching Hiccup closely, waiting for a hint of acknowledgement but finding none, Astrid sighed. "Why give him exactly what he wants?"

When Hiccup didn't immediately react, instead continued to stare at her blankly, Astrid steeled herself for another argument.

She wasn't surprised when he released a huff of air. But rather than scoff, he did something that she didn't expect – he laughed.

It was a flat and lazy chuckle; more ironic than amused.

"That's…heh. Yeah. Yeah, you're probably right …" he agreed, though the light smile on his face failed to reach his eyes.

Astrid watched him carefully, trying to decipher his reaction.

Shaking his head, Hiccup sighed. "I can't win", he replied, halfheartedly tossing a hand up in resignation. "If I overdo it, I risk losing myself. If I don't push enough, I could lose everything else. Everyone else."

Hiccup looked at Astrid with earnest eyes. "Given the two options, you can understand why I've erred on the side I have. Can't you?"

Seeing his sincerity – and a desperation to be validated - she forced a small smile. "I can", she admitted. "I don't like it...but I get it."

His thin smile spread slightly in appreciation. Looking up to stare at their only possible portal to relative freedom, Hiccup sighed. "We shouldn't be here right now."

Astrid's smile faded to a neutral expression. "Hmm? Like, here here?" she asked, glancing around, "or…?"

"On this island", he clarified. "In these waters…even knowing Viggo Grimborn existed…"

Readjusting her skirt, shifting to sit a bit closer, Astrid held his gaze, urging him to continue.

Hiccup said nothing at first; just stared back at her. Rather than looking through her as he recently had, he instead seemed to peer into her – as if searching for something.

Despite the intensity neither felt uncomfortable; if anything, the opposite.

Drawing a breath as he pursed his lips, Hiccup expelled the air through his mouth a brisk huff. "Everything…it's just so different then when we first left Berk, y'know?"

Breaking their stare, one of his hands grasped at the small stone at his feet, using it to fidget and giving him something to look at as he spoke.

"Being out here, visiting new lands, discovering new dragons...at first it was everything I hoped for", he recalled wistfully. "I figured we would just find Dagur, drag him back to Outcast Island, and be able to keep exploring as a team."

His expression then darkened, and he firmly pinched the stone between two fingers. "I-I never imagined it would spiral into this…disaster. Gods, I was supposed to be leading an expedition, not wind up in the middle of a war waiting to happen!"

Dropping the stone and letting it fall to the ground, Hiccup looked back at Astrid. His eyes held a sudden heaviness that took her aback.

"You're always telling me that I can do anything. T-that I have nothing to be afraid of."

He then dropped his gaze in shame. "But…I…I-I can't do this, Astrid."

His choice of words caused Astrid to pale, and she sucked in her lips anxiously.

"And what's "this", Hiccup?" she prompted. Her fingernails dug into her palms, terrified of what all he could mean. Her? Them? Berk?

The strands of hair that hung forward swayed as he bounced his shoulders. "Leading", he mumbled, keeping his face downcast. "Being responsible for everything and everyone."

Releasing her grip - only somewhat relieved to know that he was only speaking of the same, familiar demons he had always faced - Astrid was still saddened by what he had to say.

Hiccup rubbed his hands together. "I-I used to think I wasn't good at anything. Over time, with your help", he added, looking up enough to give a small but appreciative smile, "I learned that wasn't true. I'm good at some things. Blacksmithing. Understanding and training dragons. I can come up with crazy ideas and then, sometimes, build those crazy things…"

Astrid gave an amused huff, causing Hiccup's lips to pull upward. He then raised his head to meet her gaze.

"This isn't some, I don't know…"woe is me, I suck at everything"…thing", he assured. "It really isn't. But, some people are just really good leaders. They can manage the personalities, and the in-fighting, and, gods, the endless competition…" Hiccup's nose wrinkled. "And I am not one of those people."

Pressing her lips together to restrain her objections, Astrid made a point to keep quiet and let him say his piece.

The guilt in Hiccup's expression resurged. "I mean, I wanted to be. Mostly because people I, just, really respect thought I could do it." He then looked at her sadly. "And I really didn't want to prove you all wrong."

Bringing his hand to his face, Hiccup sighed deeply, letting a groan escape. "But I need to face facts, Astrid. This isn't me. I've tried to be someone else, and, I can't."

Angling his head to look down into his lap, Hiccup sat shamefaced. "Not for Dad." He peered at her from the corner of his eye. "Not even for you."

Astrid's lips parted, too absorbed in his words to say anything. She could only give the tiniest shake of her head.

He tried to smile again, but couldn't. "I'm sorry I let you down", he murmured.

Overwhelmed, Astrid lightly clenched at the hem of her hangerock. She felt so much: sympathy, heartbreak, relief, and truthfully, a tinge of disappointment.

But as she took in Hiccup's body language - the way his back curved and he kept his gaze low – she couldn't ignore a gnawing guilt. In her enthusiasm for him…her well-meaning support and endless faith in his capabilities…she had unknowingly given him a higher pedestal to inevitably fall from. When she spoke of everything he could achieve, he instead heard what he had to. The same way he interpreted his father's words.

"Hiccup…" she breathed.

As the young man looked away, linking his fingers around one of his knees as he drew it protectively into his body, Astrid leaned to settle onto one hip.

She wasn't sure what to say. She wanted to help him; to ensure him that he hadn't failed in her eyes.

Then, she had a thought.

Although Hiccup kept his stare away, she still smiled softly at him. "When we were kids, in dragon training…do you know why I was so rough on you?"

The question seemed to intrigue Hiccup, whose brow raised momentarily before settling back into a neutral position. He then huffed. "You have an innate revulsion to weakness?"

Smirking, Astrid gave his shoulder a light swat as penance for his self-deprecation.

"Because", she continued, "when I saw you, knowing that the Chiefdom was your birthright, I could see small glimpses of what I feared Berk would one day be."

This caused Hiccup to finally look towards her, sending a peculiar look that teetered on offense. "…um, thanks?"

Astrid shrugged shamelessly. "Life was so difficult then", she reminded him. "Between the dragons and the Outcasts, it was hard to imagine Berk having a future at all! You were…"

"Weird?" Hiccup offered dryly.

"…different", she concluded, ignoring the roll of his eyes. "Everything we were taught said that a chief had to be big and intimidating. Strong enough to take down any dragon. That…well, wasn't you."

Hiccup scoffed, returning his stare to the ground. "Understatement", he grumbled.

Leaning closer, Astrid stared at him intently. "I was scared, Hiccup."

This made Hiccup's eyes widen, and he slowly turned his face to meet her gaze.

Seeing the heat rise to her cheeks, he tried to quash her embarrassment with a polite laugh. "What, you? C'mon, you're never scared", he huffed blithely.

Biting her lip, Astrid sighed as she pushed the bangs out of her face. "Yeah, that's...not true", she admitted. "I was scared then."

She shrugged a single shoulder, looking at her lap as she picked at the fibers of her dress. "Like I'm scared every time you run off without any armor or back-up, or even a plan", she confessed. "Or when I see how much Viggo's been affecting you; what it's done to your confidence..."

With a dry huff, Astrid gestured down at her stomach. "Or this. I mean…I've been so freaked out about what you would think, and what it would do to you. I just kept…I don't know, freezing up…"

Mulling over her own words, she scoffed, nose scrunched in disdain. "I kept putting things off because…I…I was…" She growled under her breath. "…terrified of what would happen."

Feeling her companion's stare on her, Astrid peered at him bashfully. "I-It's one of the reasons I never want to be afraid...I don't make the best decisions when I am."

All the while Hiccup's gaze never wavered, though his features relaxed until the last hint of a smile dropped entirely. He watched her closely, unsure of what to possibly say.

Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, Astrid smiled shyly at the return of a distant memory.

"But, after you showed me Toothless, and the dragons...I realized that there wasn't only one possible outcome for our tribe aft all. That there were possibilities, and that, maybe, by being different, we could even be better."

Sensing Hiccup's head raise in interest, she smiled brightly, and turned to fully meet his gaze.

"I say that you would be a great chief because I mean it. Now, when I think of Berk's future, and about everything you have already done for our tribe..." Astrid shrugged. "I'm not afraid. I want that for Berk. And I just wish you saw yourself the way I do. That we all do."

Hiccup was speechless.

It took time to absorbing everything – her words, the sincerity behind them, and the warmth in her beautiful eyes. After months of distance…after everything that had been said…it was beyond his imagining that she could still hold him in as high-esteem as she used to. Especially when he certainly couldn't say the same for himself.

"Um, t-thank you", he finally offered, unable to completely stop the faint smile on his face that threatened to grow. "That…means a lot. Really."

The hopeful smile she returned caused his heart to skip a beat. But it also reminded him that, while her faith in him had somehow sustained – he still couldn't meet those expectations.

"But…" he sighed, tugging his mouth to the side. "Even still…even though I want to…" His voice faded, embarrassed. "I'm…sorry."

Seeing the brightness in her eyes dim was hard, and Hiccup looked down to the ground.

With a quiet sigh, Astrid also cast her gaze downward. But after a moment's pause, she bobbed her head in thought and gave a casual shrug.

"Well…then don't."

Hiccup peered at her under his furrowed brow, perplexed. "But, you just said-"

"That I wish one day you knew you have what it takes be Chief", Astrid explained matter-of-factly, with no hint of disapproval in her voice. "But maybe that doesn't mean it has to be today, tomorrow, or several years from now."

Astrid absorbed her own words as she said them, slowly nodding in approval. "And even if you never get there…"

She then smirked cheekily. "It would be an enormous loss for Berk..." she added with a dramatic sigh.

Hiccup huffed, a smile breaking through. "Subtle…"

Chuckling, Astrid retained her warmth as she spoke. "But we would survive. As long as you keep building crazy new things to keep us safe and stop the dragons from burning all the crops…we'll be okay no matter what you decide."

Rubbing at his chin, Hiccup seriously considered her. That he could, potentially, stall his succession as Chief for years, if not indefinitely. It sounded impossible even as he thought of it, yet the idea alone left him feeling somewhat…lighter. Hopeful.

Raising his head and straightening his shoulders, he appeared for a moment less burdened; encouraged that maybe he didn't have to seal his entire fate at the age of nineteen.

But his frown returned. "I'm…not so sure Dad will see it that way."

Astrid's smile didn't falter. "He won't", she agreed. "At first."

Hearing his worries validated, Hiccup started to dip his head back down in shame.

But Astrid reached to place her hand to his cheek, stopping his descent. Angling his face up as she bent forward, she offered an encouraging smile when their eyes connected.

"He'll be disappointed, Hiccup. But not in you. For Berk."

Blinking, Hiccup returned her stare. He held her gaze intently as he looked from one blue eye to the other.

Astrid was never one to sugar-coat things; even for his benefit. He knew she truly believed everything she said.

Still… that didn't mean she couldn't be wrong. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to fully believe her words.

But he really wanted to.

Finally, slowly, his cheek pressed into her palm as he softly smiled. "Thanks, Astrid."

Astrid's face brightened - relieved to see the shy but appreciative gaze he held her in. From the lopsided pull of his lips to the youthful shine that returned to tired eyes, she was momentarily pulled back to brighter days. Days that seemed so long ago but truly weren't; something she realized when the excited patter of her heart felt far more familiar than foreign.

It took effort to pull her hand away; too engrossed in absorbing the affection she had craved. But her logical mind won over, fighting the urge to indulge in her greedy wants as she reluctantly tugged her hand back. She imagined that doing otherwise would only be pushing her fragile luck.

That made her all the more surprised when Hiccup suddenly reached forward to lightly grip her hand in his own.

Her wide eyes met his, which were heavy with remorse.

"Did..." Hiccup's voice faded as he frowned. "Did I really scare you?"

Though his tone almost sounded disbelieving – as if the idea that he could somehow instill a sense of terror in her was impossible – the penitent expression he gave reflected the guilt he carried.

Seeing him look so ashamed tempted Astrid to lie, or to at least downplay the impact. But seeing his full transparency made it feel cheap to return anything less – though she hoped it didn't further erode his shaky confidence.

Sucking in her lower lip, Astrid finally looked down sheepishly before looking back up, giving a small nod in admission.

"Everything has just been so...heavy, you know?" Shrugging, she looked at their clasped hands. "You take on everything, and after some..." She groaned, embarrassed. "…very stupid mistakes on my part..."

Hiccup's head tilted as he listened, and Astrid looked into his eyes apologetically.

"I made it so that I couldn't even help you anymore", she explained, giving her head a slow shake. "Seeing you dealing with everything on your own...I…guess I worried I'd lose you."

She then swallowed thickly. "One way or another."

Hiccup's silence worried her, but the fact that his thumb absently rubbed against the backs of her fingers was a comfort. Glancing up at him, curious to what he was thinking, she saw him pursing his lips in thought.

"I'm…sorry", he finally breathed. "I-I didn't want you to worry about me." He then huffed a half-hearted chuckle. "That was kind of the point, actually", he muttered in embarrassment.

Confused, Astrid's brows knit.

Peering at her long enough to notice, Hiccup then dropped his gaze.

"I…I hate that you always have to come to my rescue", he admitted, training his gaze to the ground. "You're already stronger than me...faster...a much better fighter. I should be able to handle my own battles - figurative or literal."

His words had little effect on her puzzled expression. "Why?"

Baffled, Hiccup's head reared back.

"Why?" he repeated. "Because…I'm not a child anymore. Because, how can I expect anyone to listen to my directions when I have no idea if I can even handle everything myself?"

Uncertainty became firm dissent as Astrid shook her head.

"But that's why leaders have teams", she countered, squeezing his grip before releasing to use both hands to gesture as she spoke. "So you don't have to handle it all. You make a plan, and put your soldiers into the right positions. But then? They have to take it from there."

When Hiccup's stare grew pensive, Astrid smiled. "And, if you picked the right people, they'll be able to back you up."

Leaning forward as he braced against his bent knees, Hiccup nodded thoughtfully.

"And as for me..." she mused, raking her fingers through her loosened strands, "you help me all the time."

This made Hiccup's brow furrowed, unconvinced.

Astrid shrugged. "I needed help today, didn't I?"

"Well, yeah," he acknowledged, albeit dismissively, "but…"

"And even everyday stuff", she admitted, forcing herself through her embarrassment. "Without you, I get…angry. Stay angry. I can tell people what to do all day but, I don't know, it's...hard."

Intrigued though still confused, Hiccup arched one eyebrow. "What is?"

"I don't know…" she sighed. Despite the fact that she shrugged, Astrid's continuous brushing of her hair betrayed her – revealing her discomfort. "I guess, maybe, it's because it sometimes seems like no one else really…'gets' me", she confessed.

Though her bangs were still hanging in her eyes, she peeked at Hiccup through the strands. "Not like you do, anyway. You always make me feel like I'm more than just…bossy. And mean." Thinking back on some of the words her teammates had used in moments of anger and frustration, her expression grew blank. "Cold."

Mouth slightly ajar, Hiccup frowned, aghast. "Those aren't – you aren't any of those things", he insisted.

Without hesitation, Astrid gave a quick shake of her head. "No, I am", she concluded, matter-of-factly. "Or at least I can be."

Taking a moment's pause, Hiccup mulled over her word. "Yeah, well…so can everyone else. We've all been like that, at one time or another."

Touched by his defense of her, Astrid's small smile returned. "True. Though some of us more than others. But it means a lot to have someone who I can just, well, be with. When I have my bad moments you don't hold it against me."

Astrid grimaced, reminded that that hadn't been true in sometime. That she had taken his tolerant nature for granted, and crossed an invisible line.

"I think – I hope – you know that's not who I am. Not entirely," she murmured. "I've...I've missed that."

Sitting in stunned silence, Hiccup drew in a breath without warning.

He hadn't expected her to say what she did – to allow herself to be so vulnerable. And it was becoming increasingly more difficult to police a surging optimism that he consciously contained.

Taking in Hiccup's surprise, Astrid smiled sadly as she considered why he was still keeping a safe distance between them. Why she was doing the same.

"I know it wasn't the right decision", she acknowledged, "- not telling you. But when everything feels like the wrong choice...I-I've never had that happen before. I just pick one and whatever happens, happens."

Tugging her mouth back into a faint frown, Astrid's fingers ran against the panel of her hangerok that hugged her belly. "But this one doesn't just affect me. Someone was going to get hurt, no matter what I did."

When Hiccup still didn't respond she looked up, finding herself in his unflinching gaze. He didn't appear upset, or sad. Or really anything that she could discern.

Feeling herself flush even more, Astrid wrinkled her nose. "Sorry", she muttered. "I'm not making sense."

But Hiccup quickly shook his head. "No, no", he insisted, his tone reassuring. "I…actually follow completely."

Tensed shoulders relaxed as Astrid's lips pulled upward. "You usually do", she chuckled lowly.

Her smile diminished somewhat, looking down at her hands as she flexed them in her lap awkwardly.

"That's the part that killed me: telling you was going to drag you into this, and I didn't want to do that you." She sighed, running a finger over an old scar on her palm. "But you were the one I really needed to talk to. So I could try to figure this all out."

Hiccup didn't react right away. Instead, he watched her thoughtfully; absently rubbing at his jaw. He wore the same enigmatic expression, giving Astrid no insight into what he would say or do.

Pressing her lips together, Astrid managed to hold her gaze – fighting the urge to break the awkward stand-off.

Finally, Hiccup hummed to himself. "Well…", he breathed with a soft exhale, "there's nothing we can do about what's already happened…"

A wrinkle formed between Astrid's brows as they pulled together, relieved but off-balance in the face of his abruptly amicable tone.

Though he saw her confusion, Hiccup continued, giving a loose shrug. "But I know now, so…I guess, all we can do is keep going forward."

His voice wavered only for a moment as he looked at Astrid with uncertainty. "Um, r-right?"

Astrid's lips parted before they stilled in place. Seeing the insecure gaze she was receiving – realizing that he was looking to her for assurance when she had been looking to him for the same – she quickly collected herself.

Pressing her mouth into a weary smile, she nodded in agreement.

When Hiccup's features released, Astrid's stare rose to the small opening in the rocks above.

"Though", she grumbled, "I wish I knew what we were going towards."

Following her line of sight, Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, you and me both."

Picking at the fraying fibers of her skirt, Astrid's thoughts drifted to their present situation, and how they could possibly escape. She barely noticed that Hiccup's gaze had dropped back to her, only realizing when he shifted a mere inch closer.

With wide, curious eyes, Astrid watched the man before her clasp his hands together, anxiously twiddling his thumbs. Despite his obvious discomfort, his eyes remained clear and earnest.

"Astrid…you've been on my case about taking everything on myself", he noted bluntly, seemingly out of the blue.

Astrid frowned, almost offended, as she opened her mouth to rebut.

But Hiccup raised a hand. "...and rightfully so", he quickly added.

Closing the gap between her lips, Astrid expression loosened. She was calm again, but only grew more confused.

Releasing a heavy breath, Hiccup looked down to her abdomen for a brief second before retreating back to her face. "Well, you didn't do this on your own", he continued, the uneasiness beginning to overtake his tone.

Slow realization began to sink in, causing Astrid's features to slack.

Hiccup's mouth pulled upward into a weak smirk. "You're obviously not going to let me handle Viggo on my own."

"Nope", Astrid immediately chirped, leaving no room for debate.

Though he rolled his eyes momentarily, Hiccup's small smile never faltered. "Well," he informed her, "I'm not letting you take this on by yourself either."

When Astrid didn't respond, he leaned forward slightly, raising one eyebrow. "Fair?"

Despite the enormous wave of relief that threatened to overtake her – leaving her disoriented and unsure of how to express it - Astrid fought back the urge to do…something. Anything. Her usual reactions felt like too much; anything else seemed too little. A hug, a kiss…Hel, a handshake felt inappropriate in the moment.

So instead, when she became aware that he was still waiting for her reaction, she pulled her lips to one side, acting as though she was deeply considering him. "…yeah…", she sighed in mock resignation. "I mean, I guess…"

Her heart thrummed when Hiccup showed no offense at her reaction; if anything he appeared grateful for the familiar teasing and the levity it brought.

Scoffing lightheartedly, he shook his head.

"Oh, well", he muttered, attempting to hide his smirk by angling his head down, "by all means, don't let me strong-arm you into submission…"

Astrid snorted. "Like that could ever happen", she ribbed dryly, flashing a wry smile.

Raising his face to look square at her, his eyebrows lifted in surprise. Hiccup then narrowed his eyes as though offended. "Ah..ha…a strength joke! That's…very original…"

As Astrid's hand rose to rub at her chin (and certainly not to conceal a smile), Hiccup shook his head.

"You know, I expect more from you", he chided in feigned disappointment. "You're better than that."

At this she let her hand drop, revealing a cheeky grin. "No I'm not."

A sputtered laugh almost escaped Hiccup's mouth, forcing him to choke it back. "Alright, fine", he conceded with a sigh, no longer hiding his lazy smile. "Do I at least get credit for trying to be nice?"

Tapping a finger to her chin in consideration, Astrid hummed thoughtfully. "I'll give you a point for that; but you lose half of it for begging."

Hiccup shrugged. "All I'm hearing is that I won half a point", he smiled, enough to show the slight gap in his teeth. "And for the record: asking is not begging!"

"Sure, sure", Astrid dismissively teased, smirking while absently popping her knuckles.

First looking up in a halfhearted attempt at rolling his eyes for show, Hiccup smiled to himself as he glanced down at his own hands. He flexed his fingers in and away from his palm as he sleepily immersed himself in the return of the comfortable silence between them. At the edge of that comfort was an electric tingling; an old excitement that made every molecule in his body feel like it was buzzing with energy.

It was difficult to ignore the sensation. And it wasn't for lack of trying: his ingrained drive for self-preservation gave him more than enough motivation to do so. But the combination of their forced physical closeness and the stark candor of their words formed a tempting intimacy that he was reluctant to push away. Even if it was something that he couldn't keep forever.

Friendliness fringing on flirtation had been a constant theme through their teenage years. Something so wonderful and familiar was now strangely surreal. He was no longer dancing around an attraction for his best human friend but with a former lover – one that carried his child.

He wasn't sure if that made him more or less entitled to enjoy those pleasant moments; whether it was kind or cruel to allow more to happen.

Peeking up through his hair to look at Astrid, his pulse skipped when he saw she was watching him as well. She looked away first, but only after giving a shy smile.

Seemed he wasn't the only one feeling flustered and conflicted.

Despite his exhaustion, Hiccup was overcome with an anxious need to move. Shifting to plant his hands behind him and lean back, Hiccup took the opportunity to stretch his neck. As his head rolled to the side, trying to work out a crick, he again glanced up at the opening in the rubble.

Though he gave up on relieving his sore neck after several attempts, his stare remained in place as he thought.

"So...", he mused, finally looking back at Astrid. "What do you say we try to get out of here?"

Without a word, Astrid smiled broadly as she gave an eager bob of her head. She then pushed herself up to stand and brushed her skirt to shake off some of the dust that had settled.

Hiccup rose to his feet as well.

They both turned to look at the precarious pile, scanning for weak points and assessing where best to start.

Arms crossed, Astrid's fingers drummed as her eyes squinted, analyzing the rubble's structure.

"I'm thinking try to move one higher up", she advised, pointing up to a cluster of stones near the gap that appeared small enough to potentially move. "Less above to drop."

Eying the area in question, Hiccup gave a satisfied nod. "Agreed."

His gaze then dropped downward, frowning at the considerable distance between their target and the ground. "Now, how to get up there…"

Pursing her lips in thought, Astrid's eyes suddenly widened. Loose hair swept over her shoulder as her head cocked to face Hiccup. "Give me a boost?"

With a raised eyebrow, Hiccup slowly turned his head to look at her, his eyes dipping to her stomach pointedly. "…you're joking", he challenged, bewildered by the mere suggestion.

Astrid returned a weary stare. "Hiccup, I'm not an invalid."

Though his expression loosened out of respect, he still wasn't the least bit swayed. "Well, what if-?"

"You stand on my shoulders?" she interjected, following his thought process. Astrid held back the urge to briskly shake her head, and instead pursed her lips. "I mean…I guess we can try again", she murmured, though any attempt to appear open-minded was overridden by her doubting tone. "…just, you know, that has proven to be…"

Her voice trailed as she saw Hiccup glance down at his prosthetic, his features hardening as he dug the metal prong that formed his "foot" into the ground.

No more needed to be said – he vividly recalled every unfortunate event where he had to use someone else for leverage in a drill or in battle. Best case, he face-planted to the ground. Worst, the poor soul he stood on had only a nasty bruise on their shoulder or back to show for it.

Frowning at his leg, discouraged, Hiccup groaned deep in his throat. When he looked back up at Astrid, his face portrayed his frustration at his crumbling arguments. "And if you fall?"

The blonde gave an unconcerned shrug. "Well, then I guess you'd have to catch me."

Seeing the young man's face whiten in horror, Astrid grinned in amusement, finally taking pity on him as she placed a comforting hand to his arm.

"You're not going to let me fall", she said with unfailing confidence.

Her infectious faith lessened the growing fear in Hiccup's eyes.

Returning a small smile, though far less assured than hers, he looked back up at the rocks they would need to reach. Seeing no better alternative, he nodded reluctantly as he laced his fingers to form a foothold.

His knees bent slightly before looking at Astrid expectantly.

Without missing a beat, she stepped into Hiccup's hands, quickly moving to his shoulders as his arms shot up.

"Watch the ankle", he warned, noting the awkward angle of her injured leg.

She grunted in response, grasping his raised hands and using them to maintain her balance until she found the proper footing. To her dissatisfaction, she found the whole exercise to be more difficult than it would have been months earlier.

Bracing his legs, Hiccup moved his hands to grasp her calves while angling his neck to peer up. "Any luck?"

Finally at a point where she felt in-control, Astrid frowned as she placed a steadying hand against the rocks in front of her, looking up at the gap that still was out of her reach.

"Not unless you're planning on growing another foot", she reported dryly.

Hiccup couldn't help smirking at her unintended phrasing, glancing down at his prosthetic. "Is it sad I almost wish Snotlout or the twins were here for the obvious punchline?"

With a quick snort, Astrid smiled at the thought. "A little", she quipped, running her hands over the wall. "Though, I'll admit, I kind of miss the muttonheads too."

Holding back a laugh, forcing his shoulders to hold still, Hiccup huffed. "Wow…" he drawled. "Heat must be getting to you."

He then smirked as she rotated her foot to nudge her good heel into his cheek in retaliation.

"Yeah, yeah…" Astrid muttered playfully, all the while gingerly pressing the pads of her fingers against every fault in the rocks.

She worked quietly for a moment, trying to hide her growing discouragement as each attempt yielded zero give. This became more challenging as every stone she examined remained solidly in place.

"Speaking of which", she continued, turning to small talk to distract herself, "what are the odds of them figuring out where we are?"

Repositioning his sweating hands to grasp Astrid's legs more firmly, Hiccup tilted his head in thought.

"Assuming Viggo doesn't bait them too? Not very high", he admitted sheepishly. "I, uh, didn't, really, tell anyone before I left."

Though Hiccup cringed, anticipating an earful for his repeated carelessness, he was surprised when he only heard Astrid hum in acknowledgment.

He looked up at her, brow quirked in interest. "What? No "I told you so"?"

Hearing her chuckle, he pressed a bit more. ""This is why you always leave a note, Hiccup?" Nothing?"

Grinning at his sass, Astrid shook her head.

"I won't lie, it's extremely tempting. But…" She shrugged. "I didn't either, so I can't really talk."

Chastising herself for not leaving any clues behind, her smile fell. "When I realized what had happened…I guess, I just reacted. Didn't really think it through."

Hearing her somber shift, as well as the sincerity in her voice, Hiccup's grin dulled.

"…yeah", he agreed, reliving the wash of panic when he saw Stormfly with no rider. "I-I know what you mean."

The drop in his tone also didn't go unnoticed. Astrid raised an eyebrow, tempted to prod but opting not to.

They continued to work slowly and methodically. After Hiccup took a few careful steps to the side, Astrid was relieved to finally find a rock with some give. It was lower than she had hoped, but the placement seemed promising.

"Alright", Hiccup said, voice strained with anxiety. "At the same time you push, I'm stepping back."

"Got it", Astrid confirmed, placing her palms against the stone.

"And if you feel unsteady", he warned, "try to fall straight down. Not forward or back."

She nodded her head. "Right."

Unsatisfied with her quick response, Hiccup tried again.

"Straight down", he repeated firmly. "I cannot stress how important that part is."

A snort escaped as Astrid laughed.

"Okay!" she assured, craning her neck to look down at him. "Message received."

Hearing him grumble beneath her, she smirked. "I'll try not to hit your head on the way down."

Hiccup's eyes narrowed slightly up at her.

"I can't tell if you're being serious or not", he muttered, suddenly too nervous for teasing. "Anyway, on three, when you're ready."

Astrid nodded, bracing her arms. "Ready", she announced. "One…"

Hiccup tensed as his grip tightened. "Two..."

"Three!" Astrid grunted, giving the rock a firm shove.

At first it felt like her efforts were for not, as the stone barely moved despite how much force she applied. But she finally felt it roll away from her fingertips, and heard the rocks above it scrape against one another as they shifted out of place.

She snapped her hands back, concentrating on staying upright as she felt Hiccup move below her.

The rocks that fell scattered quickly, a few rolling away but most crashing to the floor in front of them.

With one landing closer than expected, Hiccup had to take an uneven step back, throwing off Astrid's balance as her bad ankle gave way.

Her gasp came at the same time Hiccup felt her boot slip off his shoulder. Panicked, he quickly positioned his arms into a tight loop, gasping for air as she fell into him.

Lightheaded, he then took another quick step backwards, placing his back to the opposing wall as they both watched the rubble resettle.

Chest heaving as she drew in breaths, Astrid kept one hand clutched to her belly as the other wiped across her dusty face. She then looked into Hiccup's wide, traumatized eyes.

"S-see?" she offered with a forced smile, waving her hand towards the slightly widened opening in the rocks. "Progress!"

Hiccup followed her gesture, panting as his eyes flicked back to hers. "…and how many more times do we have to do this?"

Sucking in her lower lip, Astrid scanned the rubble as she motioned for Hiccup to put her down.

Her feet barely touched the ground by the time she frowned, realizing how much more work lay ahead.

"I'm going to say: a lot."

After some back-and-forth on whether to continue as planned (which Hiccup grew increasingly opposed to), the pair soldiered on. The rocks that fell offered more options as they used them to reach higher stones. Over the course of an hour they managed to carefully remove several more stones near the open gap and widened the space.

There were some near misses along the way - one of the rocks had been almost entirely removed, until several heavier rocks began to slip too quickly. Astrid shoved the stabilizing stone back in place, causing only two smaller chunks to crash to the ground. These missteps became more frequent as the dying fire light made it difficult to see the fine cracks between each rock.

With both of them back on the ground, looking for their next target, Hiccup groaned as he wiped at his burning eyes.

"I think we should stop", he muttered, stretching his lower back.

Meanwhile, Astrid rubbed at her strained bicep as she eyed a particular stone up above.

"Are you sure? If you give me another lift, I think can I try this one from a different angle."

Watching her stand beneath the rocks that were barely settled in place, Hiccup's desperation to get out of their enclosure was tempered by the fear of making a deadly mistake in the process.

"I'm...just worn out", he claimed, sights still locked on the rocks above her. "Don't you think we've earned a break?"

Astrid pressed her lips in thought, clearly antsy to escape. But she ultimately bobbed her head in concession, brushing her palms together to remove streaks of dust as she shifted to sit down as Hiccup did the same.

Before she reached the floor, the familiar jab of pain shot down to her groin. Pulling air between clenched teeth, Astrid grimaced as she settled on the ground.

With wide, startled eyes, Hiccup's stare darted between Astrid's face and the hand pressed into her hip. "W-what? What's wrong?"

Biting at her lip, Astrid gave a quick shake of her head.

"Nothing", she briskly assured, her pitch too high to be genuine.

Hiccup frowned. "Astrid..."

Hearing the warning in his tone – and knowing he wouldn't back down again without an answer – Astrid released a defeated sigh.

"...fine", she relented with a frown, face still screwed in discomfort. "I don't know."

Hiccup's brow dropped in concern. "Don't know...?"

"What this is", Astrid groaned, rubbing the tender line down the side of her belly.

As his stare grew distressed, she shrugged dismissively. "It happens sometimes, but then it stops."

"Sometimes?" he echoed, disturbed that it had happened before. "How long has it been happening?"

Nose scrunched as she adjusted the way she sat, Astrid bobbed a shoulder. "Couple of weeks I guess."

Mouth ajar, Hiccup looked down at her abdomen.

"A couple of weeks…?" he murmured under his breath.

Hearing how hollow his voice was, Astrid cringed.

"I know" she sighed, feeling the resurgence of guilt. "I should have said something before now."

"Well, yeah, that", Hiccup acknowledged, "but…well, I'm also kicking myself here."

Finally feeling the pain begin to subside, Astrid drew in a full breath in relief. But her face only relaxed for a moment before her brow knit as she replayed his words. "Why?"

Hiccup shook his head, his gaze still locked on her stomach.

"H-how did I not notice that you've been hurting?" With a small huff, he waved his hand towards her figure. "How did I not notice all of this?"

Blue eyes narrowed in light offense, looking down at her belly and her broadening form. "Tread carefully, Haddock", she muttered.

At first confused, realization finally hit, prompting Hiccup to wrinkle his nose at her.

"Not like that", he chastised lightly. "All I'm saying is…" But he paused, groaning.

Astrid watched him in interest as she stretched one leg out.

Hiccup's shoulders rose, only dropping as he released a heavy sigh. "I-I don't even know what I'm saying", he admitted. "I knew I'd been distracted but...I mean, I saw you were having some trouble chopping wood..."

He then froze, looking up at her with wide, guilty eyes. "Wait. Could…could that have-?"

Astrid held out her other hand to stop him, knowing where he was going.

"It's not from chopping wood", she firmly assured him.

Truthfully, she didn't know that for certain. But she didn't want him to go down that path.

Not entirely convinced, Hiccup gave a single nod of his head - though the worry in his features remained. "I mean...is everything okay?"

Astrid's expression dropped, putting Hiccup more on edge.

"I...I don't know", she admitted weakly, letting her gaze drift away. "Hopefully."

Hiccup was completely out of his element, with no reference what so ever to determine how concerned he should be.

"It's just…is this normal or...?"

"Hiccup", Astrid interjected softly, reaching out to put a hand on his forearm.

The man paused, head snapping up to meet her stare as she looked him square in the eye.

"I don't know", she repeated. "Never done this before and never paid any attention to anyone who has."

Releasing a puff of air past her lips, Astrid shrugged. "Honestly, I didn't want to know about any of this."

Seeing her discomfort, Hiccup forced a sad smile. "You really didn't want this to ever happen, did you?" he asked bluntly, battling a strange sense of rejection.

"Never even considered it could", she admitted. "Dumb as it sounds, just...seemed like that wasn't in my life's plan."

Head rolling slightly, Hiccup looked at her quizzically.

Astrid scoffed, lazily rolling her eyes halfway. "Like it wasn't destined to happen, so it couldn't. I've had my whole life planned out since I was eight years old, and let's just say," she added with a soft pat to her stomach, "this wasn't part of that."

What she said rung true for Hiccup, who nodded as he recalled the assured and driven little girl who somehow knew she was meant for glory and greatness. Something he envied.

But as he thought about the past four years, he wondered what the small warrior would have thought of the way her life unfolded. How she would have felt knowing that her plans had been derailed – and worse, by the village menace.

"And how'd the rest of that plan work out for you?" he asked carefully.

Astrid snorted. "Let's just say nothing panned out the way it was supposed to", she muttered dryly.

Swallowing uncomfortably, Hiccup shifted in his seat. "Y-yeah…" he laughed weakly. "Um, s-sorry for…you know…my part in all…that."

Arching a brow in confusion, Astrid took in his insecure posture. Her lips tugged into a reassuring smile. "But…that actually hasn't been a bad thing. Berk's safer than ever. The dragons are amazing. I can't imagine not ever knowing Stormfly."

Though her face reddened slightly, she looked back at Hiccup, eyeing him intently. "All in all, I'm honestly glad you ruined my plans", she admitted.

Taken aback, Hiccup's own mouth quirked upward. "…oh. Well…glad I ruined something in a good way – for once."

Giving a quiet chuckle, Astrid's smile weakened as her attention pulled back to her abdomen.

"This has been…hard to wrap my head around. I'm still not completely sure how I feel about it but…I really, really don't want things to not be okay", she mumbled, running her thumb tenderly over her stomach.

Something in that moment shook Hiccup to his core. Seeing the rough warrior sitting, legs folded as she gently stroked her swollen belly was a surreal sight. He could see her suck her lower lip in as she looked down with concern.

It was then that it dawned on him - the amount of fear and anxiety she must had carried all along.

Biting the inside of his cheek, Hiccup awkwardly scratched at the side of his face, eyes locked on the small mound. His hand momentarily jerked forward before he pulled it back, fingers curling into his palm.

Noticing the movement, Astrid looked up from her stomach, eyes falling on his withdrawn hand.

"Oh", she breathed in surprise. "Um, you…you can touch", she invited.

Wide eyes stared back at her.

Suddenly second-guessing her read of his intent, Astrid shrugged, forcing her tone to become more casual. "I mean, if you want to."

Hiccup blinked owlishly. "Oh. Uh, really?"

When she nodded, he cleared his throat as his gaze fell back down. "…uh, yeah. Sure. O-okay."

He adjusted to sit a little closer, hesitantly reaching forward but stopping mid-air.

His hand hovered over the mound, adjusting slightly but never quite touching. "Where do I-?"

Biting back a laugh, Astrid smirked. "It's just my stomach, Hiccup."

Hiccup's eyes darted to hers. "I think we can agree - this is a little different than just a stomach."

Rolling her eye good-naturedly, she placed her hand over his, guiding it down until his palm pressed firmly against her. "Here. This is where I think they were moving earlier."

At first fixated on the feeling of the taunt swell under his hand, Hiccup's reaction was delayed as his head shot up, gaping at Astrid in disbelief.

"M-moving...?" He squeaked out.

"Mhmm."

His stare didn't waver. "…there's been moving?"

Astrid looked down at where his hand rested. "I think so. Just today...or I guess yesterday? Technically."

Shocked, Hiccup could only shake his head, struggling to absorb that information.

Turning his attention back to her stomach, he found himself wondering if he would feel anything like she described.

But after several minutes passed, all the while only sensing the slightest shifts that fell in time with her breathing, Hiccup frowned, disappointed.

He couldn't see much detail under the thick garment, but as he timidly glided his hand to the side he clearly felt and saw the definitive curve of her rounded abdomen.

Astrid watched Hiccup's face as a soft smile formed on her own. At first waiting with apprehension, wondering if he would be repulsed by the changes in her once lithe form, it quickly became apparent that that thought never once crossed his mind. If anything he looked mesmerized; taking in the experience with an incomparable fascination.

When his wrist brushed against her hip, Hiccup suddenly remembered the line down her side that she had grasped.

"This where it was hurting?" he asked while motioned to the spot.

Astrid only nodded, watching carefully as he gently pressed his index finger inward and dragged it along the edge of her belly.

Hiccup glanced up to see if the movement caused any pain, but Astrid's face showed no sign of discomfort.

She shrugged. "Like I said - it comes and goes."

Humming in thought, his eyes squinted as he looked back at her abdomen.

Knowing that his attention was entirely off her face, Astrid didn't bother to hide the amused smirk that formed - he was deep in problem solving mode.

For a moment Hiccup gingerly palpitated the area; no longer bashful about their close contact but still mindful of the pressure he applied.

His facial features would occasionally shift, serving as a reflection of his thoughts. One minute his brow may knit if he felt something unexpected, or his lips would part as though preparing to speak. But he never said anything beyond occasionally mumbling to himself or breathing a "huh" in interest.

All the while Astrid watched him closely. After consciously and subconsciously keeping a safe distance between her swelling abdomen and nearly everything else, having such prolonged contact with another person felt…strange.

The fact that it was Hiccup, while comforting and not the least bit unpleasant, made it all the more surreal.

Pursing his lips as his head tilted to the side, Hiccup slowly nodded as he allowed his hand to still. But he didn't pull it away, and lifted his face to offer Astrid a canted smile.

"It'll be okay", he concluded suddenly, said with an unusual confidence.

Surprised by his declaration, Astrid looked at Hiccup curiously. His words had an instant effect, not only on her worried mind, but her tensed body – as though she could suddenly take in a full breath that reached the bottom of her lungs. Still, her uncompromising skepticism didn't allow her to enjoy the feeling.

"You don't know that", she countered quietly. Looking around at their surroundings pointedly, she flicked her eyes back to Hiccup. "Especially with all this."

Although Hiccup nodded in understanding, his assured expression held firm. "No, I do", he insisted, though he was just as baffled by the absence of logic to support it.

As Astrid's lips pulled down into a small frown, he shrugged.

"Don't know how", he admitted. "...but I do."

Jaw loosening, Astrid blinked her tired eyes as doubt melted from her face. Seeing Hiccup look so sure…and knowing him well enough to know he was nearly incapable of offering empty assurances. Certainly not well enough to ever get away with it.

She wanted to believe him. Needed to.

Dropping her gaze to his hand, still limply settled against her stomach, Astrid forced her lips to curve upward. "Well, let's hope you're right", she sighed.

Returning a warm smile - relieved to see some hope underlying her somber expression - Hiccup reluctantly withdrew his hand as he adjusted to sit in a more comfortable position beside her.

The pair soon fell into a lazy but content silence, sitting side by side as their weary minds drifted off. Had they not been in such a precarious position under extraordinary circumstances, it would have felt like any old day. The way their days used to be.

Stifling a yawn, Astrid blinked rapidly, trying to keep her tired eyes open. She was surprised Hiccup wasn't nodding off, and was instead rolling the small stone between his fingers again, his gaze honed on the opening above them. While she had expected the fatigue from yet another night without rest to take its toll, he seemed alert.

Oddly alert.

Daring to turn her head, Astrid took a better look at him. The repetitive motion of his hand was nothing new – simply a nervous tic of his. But paired with a fixed, anticipating stare, his thoughts were unusually transparent.

"So…what are you waiting for?" she prompted, intrigued.

Startled, Hiccup's eyes shot in her direction.

Astrid's own eyes widened before a glint of suspicion hardened her stare.

Realizing his slip, Hiccup angled his face up and away from her gaze. "W-what, uh...what d'you mean?"

Holding back a snort at his poor cover, Astrid shrugged in feigned ignorance. "Oh, just wondering why you've been rolling that rock in your hand non-stop", she noted easily, looking down at the object in question. "You're fidgety. Impatient."

Her gaze flicked to his eyes knowingly. "Waiting for something."

Hiccup looked down at his hand, tugging his mouth back. "…no", he replied calmly.

Astrid huffed.

"You're lying", she challenged, only the slightest hint of surprise in her voice.

His shoulders tensed at the remark, and he cocked an eyebrow.

"Really?" he asked wearily. "You want to be the moral authority right now?"

Though his tone didn't carry the heat of an accusation – just his typical snark - the small jab tested Astrid's fragile patience.

The woman's expression dropped, looking at Hiccup with stark disappointment. Two steps forward and then another step back.

"…alright", she sighed heavily, feeling both wounded and ashamed. "I get it. I hurt you, so you hurt me. Fine."

Hiccup's face slacked, no longer fixated on his own discomfort. Suddenly more bothered by hers.

Shrugging in resignation, Astrid shook her head sadly. "And we can just keep going back and forth until Ragnarok. Gods know we're both stubborn enough…"

Head turned slightly, Astrid bit her lip as she peered up at him. "Problem is, Hiccup…I don't want to do that."

Lips parting to speak, Hiccup's voice caught. He wanted to tell her there was nothing behind the comment – that he wasn't even upset anymore. But at the same time knew that doing so would only be tossing another lie into the mix.

The irony wasn't lost on him.

There was more truth behind his sarcasm than he was comfortable with. He wasn't angry anymore; or at least he didn't feel angry.

"I…I don't either", he assured.

And he was surprised to realize that he meant it.

"I'm…sorry", he mumbled, rubbing at his neck as he looked down in shame. "I don't know why I said…I didn't mean anyth…"

But his excuses fell apart.

Grimacing, Hiccup closed his eyes as he exhaled deeply, letting his shoulders drop weakly. "…I'm not trying to hurt you", he murmured.

Watching Hiccup carefully, the sharp glint in Astrid's stare dulled.

Hiccup took no notice, his gaze fixed away from her as he shook his head. Then slowly, he turned his face towards her to reveal wide penitent eyes. "But…I am really sorry I did."

Any remaining shred of offense quickly melted from Astrid's features, leaving a slacked, neutral expression. Even in the firelight, Hiccup could see the half-circles beneath her tired eyes – appearing not only physically drained but emotionally spent as well.

The pair held their gaze on one another in complete silence.

Finally, Astrid sighed.

"…I know", she muttered, running the back of her hand over closed eyes, fighting a raging headache. "I know."

As Hiccup's furrowed brow relaxed in relief, Astrid's face only tensed.

Crossing her arms tightly over her chest, she huffed bitterly under her breath. "Believe it or not", she grumbled in embarrassment, nose wrinkling as she absently ran a finger over her grazed palm, "…I'm not trying to hurt you either."

Taking in her hunched pose…the way she avoided his gaze and the light wrinkle of her nose as she grit her teeth, Hiccup was disturbed to recognize the body language. He had felt it before (especially in recent months) – that inward anger that threatens to grow, eventually caving in on itself to become self-loathing. It was a terrible place to be, and it was disturbing to see it reflected in her. It was so far from the confident woman he knew.

Considering her for a moment, Hiccup nodded shallowly. "I know."

With her fingers pressing into her stiffened jaw, massaging tight tendons, Astrid looked up at him. "Do you?" she asked, her tone disbelieving.

Hesitating for only a second, Hiccup gave another nod. "Yeah."

Stilling her fingers to rest on her face, Astrid returned to neutral. "How?" she questioned. Her desire to believe and be believed was tainted by months of evidence to the contrary, leaving her off-balance and desperate. "Why…y-you haven't belie-"

"Because…" he interjected, interrupting her ruminations. Cringing for the briefest second – an apology for his interruption – Hiccup still maintained their gaze. "I…I know you."

Astrid's nose scrunched for a mere second in confusion before his words fully hit. Blonde eyebrows then rose as her eyes widened.

Noting he had her full attention once more, the corner of Hiccup's mouth quirked upward. "I did…forget that, for a time," he admitted, with a loose bounce of his shoulder, "but…yeah…"

His lips pulled tighter into a sad smile. "…I still know you, Astrid."

He stared at her blank expression that portrayed little emotion. But it was the minute shifts in her eyes as she looked deeply into his gaze that showed him everything he needed to see. Even in the dimmed light he could see the shine of saline, and the construction of her throat as she swallowed heavily.

Her lips parted to speak, and he watched as the fingers still pressed against her face limply slid down until the tips left her jaw.

And as her slender digits fell away, they revealed long, dark smears of blackened dust across her skin.

Hiccup's eyes widened, taken aback by the unexpected sight. Momentarily pulled from the gravity of the moment, his gaze lifted back to Astrid's eyes as he attempted to ignore the little smudges.

The very dark little smudges.

The very dark and, truthfully, fairly sizeable smudges. That streaked along her mouth and jaw.

That he could still clearly see in his periphery.

Any self-discipline began to break, and despite his efforts, Hiccup's attention kept being pulled.

His distraction became evident, and Astrid's features tightened as she watched him quizzically.

"What?" she asked, unable to ignore the way one corner of his mouth suddenly quirked up. She was confused, and frustrated at the poor timing of his sudden amusement.

"Um…n-nothing", Hiccup choked out before clearing his throat. Even as he tried to recover, his cheeks kept rising as he fought back a smile.

Offense bubbled under the surface, and Astrid's eyes narrowed. "Hiccup…"

Realizing he was caught, and that any build-up between them had entirely dissipated, Hiccup's mouth dropped. But even in a moment of genuine remorse, his eyes still shone. "Um, sorry. You've, eh, got something right..." Not trusting himself to speak, he used his index finger to circle his own mouth.

Astrid's eyes widened. "Seriously?" she asked, glancing downward in disgust.

Squinting his eyes slightly, Hiccup examined her face and then glanced down at the ground. "Looks like ash", he mused.

Astrid looked at her hands, and saw smears of dark residue coating her fingers.

"Must have been a fire here at some point…or something", she grumbled, using the back of her hand to rub around her mouth. After several swipes, she pulled her hand away as she looked to Hiccup. "Better?"

Bringing his fist to his mouth to hide his growing smirk, he shook his head.

"Um, no…way worse", he informed her, his voice muffled by his hand. "It spread and…well, it looks like you've got a beard."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Great", she groaned, using the clean heel of her hand to rub against her chin.

Hearing several stifled snorts escape beside her, she glanced up to see Hiccup's shoulders shaking, no longer attempting to hide his amusement.

"It's not that funny", she lightly grumbled.

Hiccup smirked. "...I mean, it kind of is."

With her lower lip sticking out to form a pout, Astrid scratched at her sullied face before pulling her fingers away for inspection. Seeing the clumps of oily ash caked beneath her fingernail, she twisted her face in disgust.

Meanwhile, Hiccup casually watched her wrestle with the grime. With a lopsided smile, he purposely laced his fingers together, pulling them tautly over his knee. He had to do something to control his itchy fingers; to combat a growing urge to reach for her. Whether it was the comfort of their familiar banter or the overwhelming temptation to indulge a need for closeness – the day's events had only further complicated his feelings and threatened to blur the boundary lines he had begrudgingly drawn.

He had been truthful when he said that he knew her – despite everything said and done. Even at her worst, she was Astrid. Nothing would change that. Yes, there had been times where he barely recognized her, but it only truly hurt because he knew she was still there. So he took the good moments as he could find them, while begrudgingly lamenting

But, this – this Astrid, he knew better than any human in Midgard. Lively, and animated. Clever.

"I think…I think it's coming off", she murmured as she firmly scrubbed at her face. Casting a look at Hiccup for confirmation, her frown soured as he shook his head.

"Damn it!" she cursed, rubbing her chin more briskly.

Stubborn.

Peering at him from the side, she narrowed her eyes. "And wipe that smirk off your face", she muttered, now using both hands without success.

So stubborn.

Her chastising had the opposite effect, causing him to release a loud short.

Though at first she sent a petulant glare, Hiccup then saw her eyes widen for less than a second. He knew that look well – something she did whenever a wily thought arose.

Relaxing her frown into enigmatic smile, Astrid shrugged one shoulder dismissively. "You're just jealous because you're officially the last one on the Edge without facial hair", she teased.

Hiccup sputtered. "What?" he asked incredulously, gesturing to the rough stubble that followed his jaw line. "What do you think this is?"

As she continued in vain to wipe her own chin clean, Astrid squinted her eyes, craning her neck forward as if struggling to see the sparse collection of wispy hair.

"On you?" she mused, letting the words drawl loosely. With a glint in her eye, she gave a cheeky grin. "I'd guess one – no, that's not fair - two weeks without shaving."

Lips parted, prepared for a comeback, Hiccup instead paused. His face screwed in thought, mentally ticking through the days. His mouth pulled slowly spreading into a grimace.

"That's…honestly not too far off…" he admitted under his breath, rubbing at his jaw.

Catching herself from snorting, Astrid smiled slyly. "To the day, isn't it?"

At first too engrossed in his inspection of his stubble, it took a moment for Hiccup's eyes to bounce back up to her face, shooting her a teasing glare.

Flashing a brilliant smile in triumph, Astrid continued rubbing at her lower jaw. "Now?"

Hiccup shook his head, grinning. "Nope."

Astrid's arms dropped to her lap. "Oh, come on!" she moaned.

Though thoroughly entertained, Hiccup decided to cut her some slack. "Wait, wait", he instructed.

Scooting closer to her, he brought his thumb to his mouth, wetting the pad before dragging it over her chin.

Astrid's lip curled as she felt the viscosity of his saliva as he scrubbed away at the ash.

"Gods", she groaned, "Is this really the best we can do?"

Hiccup huffed, rewetting his thumb as he moved further up her jawline. "It's just spit."

"Hmm…"just spit"", she muttered. "You forget that not all of us are used to bathing in dragon slobber."

Her comment prompted him to meet her challenging gaze with mock offense.

Then, his eyes shone deviously. "Just for that..."

He licked his finger again, this time emphasizing the motion as Astrid squirmed in response.

Her nose wrinkled as he again placed his finger against her jaw, spreading the saliva as he went.

Astrid shuddered.

"C'mon, it's not that bad", he laughed.

"Yes, it is", she argued.

Rolling his eyes, Hiccup's smile widened. "Hey, could be worse", he teased. "…I could be Snotlout."

Even in the dark, he could see Astrid's pallor shift to a sickly green.

"Don't even SAY that!" she admonished, swatting at his chest as her tongue stuck out. "Ever! Ugh!"

Chuckling, Hiccup continued to scrub at her face, finally seeing patches of pink skin emerge from the soot.

"Aha! See…so it could be worse", he smirked.

Tapping the side of her foot into the ground impatiently, Astrid shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Fine", she conceded with a dramatic sigh, eyes closed as he rubbed up her cheek. "That is way, way worse. I mean, this is gross enough with someone you love - but Snotlout?" she scoffed, nose scrunched in disgust. ""Like" is too strong of a word most days…"

In an instant, Hiccup's hands stilled.

The sudden stop made Astrid's eyes quickly open, worried that she had offended. But when she met his gaze she saw no irritation. The amusement in his expression was gone, replaced with something akin to shock.

"What?" she prompted, feeling oddly self-conscious under his indecipherable stare. Replaying her words, a frown appeared. "Look, when I say I don't like Snotlout sometimes, it doesn't mean I won't work with him or anythin-"

Eyes still wide, Hiccup's hands slowly dropped from her face. "No", he interjected briskly, shaking his head. "No…not…it's not Snotlout."

This made Astrid's lips pull tighter, and a single blonde brow rose as she eyed the man carefully.

Feeling his lips grow dry, realizing his mouth was still slightly ajar, Hiccup his jaw shut. "You…" he started again, before his voice fell away. "…um, me?"

Astrid returned a slow blink – unsure whether to be frustrated or worried. "…me and you? Aaaare…?"

Holding her in a bewildered gaze, Hiccup used his hand to cautiously motion between them. "Just, ah, now…" he stammered. "I-I…you. And assuming someone is me..."

Seeing the blonde's expression rapidly growing more concerned, Hiccup exhaled sharply before drawing in a steady breath. Feeling a bit less shaky, Hiccup tried one more time. "Did you say…did you mean to say…you love me?"

Astrid's brow lifted as her eyes widened. Suddenly aware of her slip, she resisted the urge to turn away, opting instead to lightly rake her fingers through the split ends of her hair.

"Oh. Um, well…" she drawled awkwardly, cheeks heating up. "I guess I did say that, huh?" She almost released a weary laugh, though it was largely lost beneath her muttering. "Didn't plan to say it…", she admitted with a weak shrug. "But, I mean…it's not wrong."

Cringing at her own words, Astrid's discomfort only worsened under Hiccup's vague stare. Though she certainly hadn't intended to be quite that transparent, and was admittedly embarrassed for it, she didn't understand why he was so taken aback. He left her, after all – not the other way around.

Unsettled, she paused. "And?"

Swallowing heavily, Hiccup's gaze fell before drifting back to her face. "It's just…you've, uh…never said that before."

Rearing her head back in surprise, Astrid huffed in disbelief. "What do you -?"

But she froze, frantically searching through fragments of shuffled memories - certain that he must be mistaken. Yet she couldn't recall a specific event where she had actually said the words aloud.

She remembered many things: laughing, kissing, teasing, and quiet moments just being together. All things that felt like love to her, but not a single instance where the words had ever been said. On either side.

Suddenly aware that she had spaced out, she noted how carefully Hiccup observed her.

"...oh", Astrid finally breathed, her pitch unnaturally high. Wincing from the sound, she cleared her throat. "I thought I…it's just, it's obvious. Isn't it?"

She was disheartened to see his expression remain unchanged, showing no sign of recognition for what she considered to be a simple fact.

Pushing forward to sit up straighter, she looked at Hiccup, shaking her head. "Really?" she breathed in disbelief. "After everything?"

Hiccup's stunned silence made her stomach churn.

"I mean, Hiccup…we wouldn't be here if I didn't", she added with a weak huff as she placed a hand over her belly.

His gaze fell momentarily on her hand before rising back to meet her stare.

She didn't understand. How could this have been some huge revelation for him? And his reaction – it made it impossible to tell whether this "news" was welcomed or not.

Sucking in her lips, Astrid looked away awkwardly as she brushed her bangs to the side with shaking fingers.

"D-does it even matter anymore?" she boldly asked - though in the moment she didn't feel very brave.

As the numb expression he held began to shift, she was horrified to see him grow more uncomfortable rather than relieved.

He looked fearful. Sick.

Astrid's face began to reflect the same ill-feeling, though hers for an entirely different reason.

"I…sorry", she mumbled, glancing away from him. "I shouldn't have said that...apparently..."

Shaking his head, Hiccup quickly jumped in.

"No! No, it's just..."

Lips parted, his eyes tracked her face unevenly, occasionally straying to look to the ground. "...it's…"

Feeling the sting of saline coating her wide eyes, Astrid froze as she waited and watched the young man flounder.

Tightening his expression as he kept his stare to the floor, Hiccup circled one wrist, allowing his fingers to flex as he struggled to speak. "It's, um…complicated." He cringed. "I-I guess."

Blinking in rapid succession, Astrid's expression dropped, hurt by the return of her own words. "...ah."

Despite consciously averting her gaze, Hiccup could see the fresh pain emanating from it.

He stammered, trying to backpedal. "But it's not - you aren't the-"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Astrid rolled a shoulder. "No, no, it's…fine", she forced out, trying to regain a neutral tone. "You don't...you're not required-"

Hiccup shook his head feverishly, panicking. "That's not..."

His voice trailed before he groaned in frustration as he dropped his head. "It's really just…"

When he didn't finish, Astrid peered back at him. With his head in his hands, he appeared shattered by the whole exchange.

As deeply disappointed as she was, she reminded herself that he didn't owe her anything. While she couldn't grasp what he could be grappling with, she was growing increasingly concerned by how lost he seemed.

Whether he couldn't explain or didn't want to…the end result was the same from Astrid's end.

Covertly curling her fingers into her palm, pressing them into the soft flesh to focus her tension, she managed to press her lips into a sad smile.

"...really, really complicated?" she offered weakly, giving him an out.

Hiccup groaned as he ran a hand down his face. Unsure of what else to say, he simply nodded, avoiding her gaze as he viciously berated himself.

Drawing in a sharp breath, subtly grinding the heel of her boot into the ground, Astrid absently swiped her forearm across her jaw. The skin felt tacky as the motion pulled away the cooling remnants of his saliva.

She tried to ignore Hiccup's discomfort as he ran a hand through his hair and blankly stared at the wall. It wasn't that she didn't care – she did. Maybe too much. But despite her best efforts Astrid couldn't quash the hurt that enveloped her.

While not an outright rejection, his reaction was outside of anything she had prepared for. She didn't think she was expecting him to return the sentiment – at least not anymore. Logically, she could see why he wouldn't.

But it was one thing to fall out of love…now she was left questioning whether he had ever been in it to begin with.

Bothered by her sudden doubts, Astrid tried to distract herself with needless acts. Anxious fingers wove into her fallen locks, threading back and forth until she had a poorly done plait held together only by her pinched fingertips grasping the end.

Realizing she had nothing to tie it with, she exhaled as she watched ash-streaked strands unravel yet again.

Seeing the dark smears contrasted against blonde hair brought her attention back to her stained fingertips. Wiggling the digits as she thought, Astrid looked at the pile of ash at her hip.

Could come in handy, perhaps.

Reaching over - awkwardly stretching past the dispirited Viking beside her – Astrid grasped the small satchel at his feet.

Hiccup didn't react, keeping his face downcast to the dirt as he rubbed his temple.

Swallowing in reaction to her thickening throat, Astrid tried to ignore him. She instead concentrated on her task: removing the remaining piece of jerky and opening the little bag as much as she could.

She held the satchel in one hand, using the other to carefully scoop the soot and sprinkle it into the sack. After several attempts, Astrid managed to fill the bag halfway.

Dragging her fingers once more through the thin layer of ash that remained, Astrid then wiped her blackened fingertips roughly against her skirt.

As she did everything she could to avoid thinking about the uncomfortable air between them, Hiccup could do nothing but. His eyes clenched shut; lips silently mouthing curses and insults aimed at his own stupidity.

He had barely noticed the soft scraping of Astrid's fingernails against the stone floor. He tried to shut out the sound of her uneven breaths punctuated with an occasional sniff.

But another sound – something distant – forced his full attention.

At first perfectly still, Hiccup's back grew rigid before raising his head. His eyes scanned the space as his brow raised.

Again, he heard it.

"Do you hear something?" he murmured.

Giving a final tug to the satchel's cords, Astrid frowned.

"Hiccup", she sighed, "if you want to talk about something else, then just say so."

His head shook as he rose to his feet. "No, really."

Thrown by his insistence, Astrid pursed her lips as she stilled.

He was right - she heard the sound of scraping stone.

Scrambling to stand, she looked up at Hiccup as he held his gaze in the direction of the noise. He took a small step back, lightly gripping Astrid's shoulder to pull her back with him.

The pair stared at the wall intently as the noises became louder: the friction of boots stepping over stone and strained grunts.

A hand then emerged in the open gap; grasping the largest stone and pulling it away. They could hear the sound of the rock rolling down away and crack as it hit the tunnel wall. The next stone was then extracted, and then another.

Smaller rocks crashed to the ground, rolling at the Vikings' feet and prompting them to take another half-step backwards until they were flush against the other wall.

Casting a quick glance at Astrid, Hiccup saw her quickly stoop down to grasp a split rock. As she stood she positioned a sharp, jagged edge outward as she gave a slight bend to her knees.

Following her cue, Hiccup drew his blade as well, taking a defensive stance.

Both were overcome with anticipation and apprehension - relieved at the prospect of freedom but distrusting of their savior.

As they carefully approached the widened opening, gingerly climbing over the remaining stones, they realized their caution had been prudent as they gazed at the grinning, disheveled face of Dagur the Deranged.

"Brother!" the Berserker cried gleefully as he took a stride towards the younger man, arms thrown open as if expecting an embrace.

Hiccup reared his head back in surprise, grimacing. "Dagur?"

Stepping forward to stand at Hiccup's side, Astrid grit her teeth and growled menacingly at the Berserker.

The sound attracted Dagur's attention, whose smile remained unchanged.

"And Blondie's here too? Hope I didn't interrupt anything!"

With that he cackled wildly, delivering a hard blow to Hiccup's arm. Naturally, his injured one.

"Gah!" Hiccup shouted, flexing his hand to combat the sharp pain that shot through his arm. "W-what are you-?"

Dagur's jovial expression quickly collapsed, replaced with a grave expression. "Seriously, though, stop dancing around, Hiccup", he lightly scolded. "I mean, it's funny, but we gotta go. Like, right now."

Giving his arm a shake, Hiccup frowned as he considered their unexpected rescuer. While certainly not what he had anticipated, Heather did say to expect anything.

Astrid on the other hand showed no hesitation, brandishing her makeshift weapon menacingly towards Dagur.

"We are not going anywhere with you", she sneered.

Tugging his lips back in thought, Hiccup took a small step forward while placing a soothing hand to Astrid's arm.

"...unless you give us your word that you're here to help us", he amended, holding Dagur in a firm stare.

Without lowering her arm, Astrid's head spun to stare at Hiccup in disbelief. "What?"

Dagur returned an amused smirk while meeting Hiccup's gaze, unflinching as he held up his hand in a mock salute. "Of course. Berserker's honor."

Hiccup's frown remained, seriously doubting the virtue of the crazed tribe, and especially its volatile leader. But despite his better judgment, he offered a nod in agreement.

At his side, Astrid's jaw dropped, lips parted as she stared at Hiccup.

Dagur turned to grin at the flustered blonde.

"Aww, come on, Hofferson", he teased, earning a heated glare from the younger woman. "If I wanted to kill you and your boy I'd just finish the job here! Some may like the chase", he acknowledged with an unnervingly casual shrug, "but me? I don't like to wait."

When Astrid's lip curled in disgust, the Berserker had the nerve to give a cheeky wink.

Awestruck, the woman returned her gaze to Hiccup - begging him to be reasonable. So when he simply motioned to Dagur to lead the way, she looked at him as though he'd lost his mind.

Grinning broadly, Dagur clapped his hands together. "Yes! Brothers: together again!" he cried.

While Hiccup's lip curled in response, Astrid glower only intensified on Dagur.

But the Berserker paid no mind. "And you, warrior princess," he drawled as he glanced derisively at the stone in her hand, "are gonna need a little more firepower than a rock. Don't cha think?"

With that he pulled an elongated dagger from his belt, flinging it at Astrid who reflexively caught it by the hilt.

As Hiccup blanched, only registering that the weapon had been hurled after it was safely in her grip, Astrid stared dumbfounded at the blade. She then looked back at Dagur.

"Onward!" he crowed, thrusting his own sword before beginning his march down the tunnel.

Hiccup and Astrid hesitated, but the former soon followed.

Frowning, Astrid took long strides. "You can't be serious", she breathed as she fell into step beside Hiccup, both keeping several paces behind Dagur.

"Wish I wasn't", he muttered.

Jaw set, Astrid took in the details of Hiccup's expression. "You were expecting him", she plainly stated.

The slightest twitch of Hiccup's mouth gave him away. "Not in so many words..." he replied vaguely.

Releasing a harsh exhale through her nose, Astrid shook her head in disgust. "Hiccup, we can't trust him."

Hiccup sighed. "No, we can't", he agreed. He then tilted his head towards Astrid, looking at her intently. "But I need you to trust me."

Pressing her lips together, Astrid growled under her breath as she cast another distrusting glare towards Dagur.

Hiccup dipped his head slightly to prompt her gaze. When she complied, he gave a weak smile. "Do you?"

Though her nose still scrunched in distaste, her brow softened as she held his stare. "Of course", she said without hesitation.

Hiccup returned a grateful smile that didn't meet his eyes, trying to conceal his own worry.

The party continued on in relative silence, save for Dagur whistling a jaunty tune that echoed down the narrow corridor.

Astrid's eyes narrowed at the Berserker's back. "That being said", she whispered to Hiccup as she leaned shoulder-to-shoulder, "whatever you have planned...are we going with stupid or crazy?"

With a soft snort, Hiccup gave a sheepish grin. "Can't it be both?"

She looked him up and down, mouth pulled tautly to the side. "We're all going to die", Astrid concluded flatly, shaking her head as she returned her gaze to Dagur's back.

Chuckling nervously, Hiccup used his free hand to scratch at his neck as he tried to ignore his own grim doubts. "That's the spirit."

#deceit httyd #httyd #hiccup #astrid #hiccstrid #angst #fanfic #pregstrid

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jadeandsunsets-blog · 8 years ago

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Modern AU College Hiccstrid Headcanons

Yes, more because I’m obsessed with this AU!

–Hiccstrid go to NYU. –They met through Fishlegs. –Hiccup has both legs, but he walks with a limp. –Their first date was in November of their freshman year. Hiccup took Astrid out for pizza. –There was a second date, and a third, and a fourth, etc. –Their first kiss happened on their third date because Hiccup was too shy to kiss her before that. –In spring of sophomore year, after they’d been together for over a year, they started staying at each other’s dorms. –During breaks, they missed having each other to snuggle with in bed, so at home on Berk, they snuck into each other’s houses so their parents wouldn’t find out. –Hiccup proposed on their second anniversary. Astrid said yes! –Their wedding was in March of their junior year. Their families weren’t big on the idea of them marrying while still in school, but Hiccstrid couldn’t wait any longer. –They’d seen each other in their underwear before and had heavy make-out sessions, but their wedding night was the first time they went all the way. –They didn’t get to go on their honeymoon until May because of school. –They went island hopping in Hawaii and got realllly sunburnt. –Half their vacation was spent rubbing aloe on each other. –After the sunburn, they both got more freckles on their shoulders. –They also had a lot of NSFW time. They felt sorry for the hotel staff who had to clean their sheets.

#crazy4dragons #this is what would happen #great now im obsessed with this AU #seriously though this is everything

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jadeandsunsets-blog · 8 years ago

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Fanfic Writer’s Lament

That feeling when someone says you’re a good writer but doesn’t trust you to write the ending of your own story...

#vent #fanfic writing #don't tell people how to finish their stories

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jadeandsunsets-blog · 8 years ago

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Deceit - Chapter 10 (Complicated Hiccstrid)

For anyone who still remembers this little epic of angst and secrets surrounding our two favorite riders, I am SO sorry for how long it took to update -- and for leaving off at the worst possible place.

But, *the* big moment has finally arrived, and oh what a moment it is! I hope it was worth the wait!

Previous chapters

Rated T - Minor Language & References to Adult Themes

The taste of saline overwhelmed Astrid's mouth as thick beads of sweat slid past rough, cracked lips. Her tongue lazed along the inside of her cheek while she lightly panted, face flushed from heat and exertion.

The past several hours had been endless experimentation with her binds; testing and retesting until she could identify every possible motion she could manage. Each precious second was spent memorizing her physical boundaries and searching for ways to use anything to her advantage. She only paused at the occasional sound of footfalls pacing outside the door, then resumed as soon as she was confident the guards had passed.

Moments of doubt arose, usually when the harsh chafing of rope against her skin became too much to ignore. But finding something as simple as changing the angle of her wrist, exposing just enough space to readjust her arms, kept her focused on her ultimate goal.

Despite how excruciatingly small her movements were, Astrid's body ached more than after a full-day of training. Repeatedly tensing as she pulled, twist, and held her weight for second-long intervals pushed her to her physical limit, forcing her to rely on more than muscle memory alone. But as exhausting as it was, a small thrill drove her forward whenever she discovered even the slightest amount of give. It gave a fleeting sense of control that calmed her when the reality of her entrapment began to wear at her resolve.

Sucking in her lower lip, Astrid took a deep breath through her nose as she tightened her shoulders and biceps. Slowly, she focused on pulling herself upwards, towards the ceiling - simply a modified chin-up, she reasoned. But the angle her arms were forced into didn't allow enough distribution, and her hands could barely grasp the rope that tethered them.

Jaw aching from clenching too long, Astrid released a low growl as she allowed her limbs to drop the pose. She barely took the time to catch her breath before trying again, only to find herself still frozen in place despite the strain she placed on her body.

She reluctantly relaxed again, muttering a series of swears under her breath as she narrowed her eyes at the brackets on the ceiling. After several more failed attempts, she tried yet again, this time curling her abdomen in as much as she was able. The combination of moves was enough to raise both knees from the ground, hovering less than an inch above.

It was difficult to contain the euphoria Astrid felt at such a minor accomplishment, and she struggled to control her breathing as she held the position. Elbows deeply bent, her arms began to violently shake as muscle fatigue set in. She only had a few seconds to test swaying front and back before her body finally gave out.

Astrid exhaled roughly as her knees collided with the ground. Her head fell forward while she relaxed her tremoring arms, and her mouth pulled into a quivering smile as she rubbed her sweat-drenched brow against her burning bicep. Blowing out a breath of air as she felt her heart rate start to come back down, Astrid glanced at the small smears of blood on her scuffed knees, visible through her fraying leggings. It reminded her of coming home as a girl -- bruised and scraped and bloodied from hours of training, and the immeasurable pride she felt at bearing the marks of her labor.

A strained shout echoed outside of the dingy cell, seeping through the cracks of the iron door and yanking Astrid from her reverie. The unmistakable voice of the elder Grimborn bore down on some poor soul, who could only pathetically sputter and whimper in response.

Stretching her aching neck, Astrid closed her eyes, hoping to pick-up any shred of information.

The individual words were difficult to discern; too buried under guttural growls of frustration. Disjointed shouts of "worthless", "hide", and "thief" were the few words that Astrid could pick out, though it didn't give her much to go on.

Whatever the context, it was clear that Ryker's already tenuous patience had evidently worn far too thin.

When the yelling finally ceased, the silence was shattered by the sharp clash of iron bars striking stone and a panicked gasp.

Astrid grit her teeth to hold in her own shout, first in surprise at the jarring crash and then rage on behalf of the mistreated party. In the moment she didn't care whether they were innocent civilians, Berserkers, or even part of the Hunter's tribe - they didn't deserve to be intimidated by the belligerent thug.

Her scowl set as the heavy footsteps approached, soon joined by a second set moving in a slower, more controlled, stride.

This was it.

With a deep breath, Astrid kept her sight trained on the door before her. As tired as she was, she dug her fingernails into her palms to revive her numbed hands. She had to be alert and ready for anything - missing a single detail could be disastrous.

A rusting bolt screeched as it turned, and the door was thrown open, revealing a thick hand pressed against it.

Ryker's smirking mug was the first that Astrid saw before her gaze fell down to meet Viggo's confident stare as he emerged from behind his brother. He held her unflinching stare as he strode into the room, unnervingly casual and unconcerned.

Slamming the door behind them, Ryker crossed his arms, brow raised in interest as he watched his brother slowly approach the woman.

Astrid's fatigue lent to her disinterested expression. Still, inwardly, she was deeply unsettled by their silence.

"What do you want?" she asked flatly, keeping her stare on Viggo.

Casting a calm glance downward as he dusted a hand over his chest plate, Viggo simply shrugged as he stopped several paces before her.

"Oh, just getting into proper position", he replied matter-of-factly. His vague statement was punctuated as his gaze suddenly darted up to meet hers; the placidity of his tone contrasted with a malicious glint in his eyes.

Astrid's brow knit. "For what?"

His only answer was a dark, satisfied smirk.

She tried to hide her growing panic as she looked both men over for anything unusual. The fact that neither appeared to have anything that would explain their confidence set her on-edge. Brute force she could handle. But the mind games only enraged her; they felt cheap yet insidious.

As she opened her mouth to demand answers, she jolted at the sound of the door striking the stone wall again.

Before her eyes fully registered the familiar shock of auburn hair, Astrid was struck with overwhelming relief and dread.

Pulling his shoulder away from the door, she could see Hiccup's face tightly pulled into a pained grimace, rolling his arm after the harsh hit.

His eyes snapped to find hers. The look she received was complex; a maelstrom of surprise, reassurance, fear, and something less benign.

The moment was brief, and broken by the sound of Ryker's blade being pulled from its scabbard.

Astrid looked to the Hunter and, to her horror, saw no sign of surprise about the sudden intrusion.

The larger man moved swiftly as he held his sword at the ready, but the confident grin never left his face, even as a growling Night Fury slunk into the room.

A quick glance towards Viggo confirmed that he was not only unrattled, but seemed rather pleased.

It all clicked as Astrid looked back at Hiccup, who warily eyed both men. They had been expecting him. He and Toothless had walked right into a trap.

With only his shield at his side, Hiccup stood straight as he broadened his shoulders. Posturing. Looking both men over with a hardened stare before looking back at Astrid.

She could see the heavy bob of his Adam's apple as he swallowed, his physiology betraying the confident facade he tried to present.

Pulling his mouth back in thought, Hiccup turned his full attention to Viggo. His eyes narrowed as he met the other man's gaze.

The Dragon Hunter's smirk widened. "Hiccup!" he greeted enthusiastically. "Wonderful to see you, as always."

As Viggo's expression grew more jovial, Hiccup's only soured. "Afraid I can't say the same", he dryly quipped.

The older man's mouth drew into a disapproving pout, though his eyes maintained a shine of intrigue. "No need for incivility, my boy", Viggo chided mockingly. "After all, you are the one who decided to pop in - uninvited, I might add."

Hiccup scoffed. "Uninvited?" he challenged, sending Toothless a disbelieving look before returning his gaze. "Please. You planned this all along."

With a tilt of his head in false modesty, Viggo flashed his teeth momentarily into a proud grin. "True, everything did fall into place as predicted. Everyone played their part, whether they realized it or not."

He then arched an eyebrow, casting a glance at the bound woman beside him.

"Well", Viggo amended airly, "almost everyone. Plans had to change, slightly, as we hadn't factored one little variable into the equation, but", he emphasized with a shrug while returning his gaze to Hiccup, "we are nothing if not flexible."

Responding with a disinterested hum, Hiccup scowled as he threw up one hand dismissively.

"Yeah, well, I'm here", he drawled. "So, good job, I guess." He then motioned his head towards Astrid as his glare intensified on Viggo. "You got what you wanted. Let her go."

Looking over at his brother, Viggo raised his eyebrows in amusement as Ryker threw his head back with a barking laugh.

"Oh, I wouldn't say you are in a position to be making demands, Hiccup", Viggo warned. "You see, I have already determined every possible move you can make and have my own counter-move in place."

Grasping the hilt at his back, Viggo brought his sword forward with a flourish.

The motion drew a snarl from Toothless, who crouched closer to the ground as the muscles of his back rippled in preparation to strike.

But rather than raise the sword menacingly, Viggo let it ever so gently fall to rest on the palm of his other hand.

Both riders and dragon were on-guard, suspiciously eyeing Viggo as he looked over at the blade fondly while running the pad of his thumb over the honed edge.

"You are an uncommon boy, Hiccup", Viggo sighed, as though disappointed, "who made a common mistake: to win you must be willing to sacrifice any piece. [1] You could have lived to fight another day if you hadn't let irrational emotions cloud your better judgement."

Captivated by a drop of blood that flowed from a paper-thin cut to his finger, Viggo suddenly flashed Hiccup a taunting stare as the edge of his lip curled. "Pity."

Clenching his fist, Hiccup's breathing grew shallow as he held Viggo in a hateful glare.

The young man's ire was enough for Toothless, narrowing his eyes while widening his mouth. The dragon's chest expanded slowly as he inhaled; a high-pitched shriek preceding the faintest hint of blue light brightening the back of his throat.

After seeing grown men throw themselves to the ground in fear of the Night Fury's legendary attack, it was disturbing to see Viggo's lack of concern as he continued to stare Hiccup down.

"My men were instructed to allow you to enter but to give their lives to take you down", he warned, raising his volume. "If the Night Fury attacks, I can promise it won't bode well for any of you, including Ms. Hofferson."

Curling his lip in anger, Hiccup exhaled heavily through his nose. He then glanced down out of the corner of his eye as he placed a hand just above Toothless' head.

"Not yet, bud" he muttered quietly, prompting the Night Fury to quickly clamp his mouth shut.

Though the flame was extinguished, the dragon growled menacingly at the Hunters as light tendrils of smoke drifted out of his nostrils.

Viggo released a light chuckle, allowing his blade to fall back to his side. He then looked to the open doorway, signaling all in the room to do the same.

Every eye landed on Heather, who leaned against the door's frame as she took in the tense scene. The young woman wore a stony expression as she calmly entered the chamber.

Sweeping her gaze across the room, she steeled herself as she connected with Hiccup's critical stare, perfectly mirrored by the dragon at his side.

Looking to Viggo, who stood casually as he offered a nod in acknowledgement, she dared to glance down at Astrid. While she expected the same hate and hostility as before, she was instead met with contempt as the blonde subtly shook her head in distaste.

Heather's visage dropped momentarily, pressing her lips together before looking away uncomfortably.

What she didn't notice was the pointed glance Viggo shot his brother as her attention broke. In an instant, Ryker stepped forward and swung his arm around her.

By the time Heather was aware of the Dragon Hunter's proximity, his blade was pressed firmly against her throat. Her cheeks burned with rage as she froze in place, only moving her eyes between the harrowing blade and leveling a venomous glare at Viggo.

The younger Grimborn offered an ambivalent shrug. "Merely taking precautions, my dear", he explained smoothly, though he gave the slightest roll of his eyes. "In case you're having yet another moral crisis."

Watching the altercation intently, Hiccup took the opportunity to methodically scan the room. He then slowly shook his head before his gaze fell back on Viggo. As much as he tried to appear unfazed by their predicament, the slightest tensing of Hiccup's fingers gave away a growing anxiety. But his features remained slack as he held the Dragon Hunter in a weary stare. "You think you have everything figured out", he challenged.

This brought a smile back to Viggo's lips. "I know I do" he declared, tilting his chin upward as he looked the younger man in the eye. "And while I have enjoyed this round, I am afraid the game must come to an end. You are out of opportunities to win, Hiccup, so I suggest you count your losses."

The Hunter's gaze suddenly snapped to Toothless. "Give me the Night Fury and I will release the girl." Viggo's smile then grew more malicious as he made a show of slowly angling his sword towards Astrid. "Or, refuse..."

Tensing, Astrid's stomach twisted as she saw Hiccup’s shoulders slump in defeat.

"Hiccup, don't", she firmly urged.

Her outburst earned a quick flick of Viggo's blade, bringing the edge uncomfortably close in warning. But it had the desired effect - drawing Hiccup's gaze to her for a moment. With the slightest shake of her head, Astrid implored him to reject the deal.

The conflict in Hiccup's eyes was evident. His expression softened momentarily, looking her over before glancing worriedly towards Toothless.

With a quiet sigh, Hiccup then cast a skeptical stare at Viggo. "So I'm supposed to believe that if I give you Toothless, you'll let Astrid just walk out of here?" he asked flatly. "Alive?"

The question caused an amused smile to spread across Viggo's face, and his shoulders bounced as he chuckled.

"You really are quite intelligent", he mused as he shook his head, then rolled his shoulder dismissively. "For a Viking."

Without warning, Viggo gave a fluid twist to his wrist, and his sword swung towards Astrid's core.

Several shouts rang out at once. As loud as they were Astrid couldn't grasp the words, even those that flew from her own mouth.

Her reaction was reflexive, throwing her body back and letting herself follow the sway of the rope. The rough maneuver ripped at her shoulder blades, bringing tears to her eyes as her knees crashed back to the earth.

She waited for the searing pain in her gut that never came, not realizing that she had cleared the blade's path.

Thrown by the unexpected movement, Viggo hastily swung the sword back, losing all of its momentum in the process.

The blunt edge of the blade struck Astrid’s ribs at a poor angle, barely cutting into her flesh but delivering enough force to knock the air from her lungs. This resistance was enough to pull the sword from Viggo's loosened grip, allowing it to clatter to the stone floor.

Then, all Hel broke loose.

Hiccup and Toothless lunging into the fray, and the Hunters were suddenly on the defensive.

The Night Fury checked Viggo to the ground and thrashed violently as he whipped Ryker and Heather with his tail, taking them both to the floor.

Hiccup ran past them and fell to kneel in front of Astrid.

"It's okay", he assured in a hushed tone, meant just as much to soothe himself as her. "It's alright..."

Hiccup then hurriedly threw his shield to the ground as he grasped the rope that pulled Astrid's arms upward. "Just a second..."

Taking in ragged breaths, Astrid peered up at him through her bangs. As deceptively calm as his voice seemed, she could see the panic in his eyes and feel quaking fingers grasp at the rope against her wrists.

"What are yo-?" But the words caught in her throat when Hiccup's hand shot down to his right side, pulling a short blade from a holster on his hip.

Her brow quirked as she caught a quick glimpse of the unusual weapon, not made of solid steel but rather a barbed frame where a blade should have been. [2] Before she could even begin to form a complete question, the blade was lifted out of her line of sight, raised to her bound hands.

A throbbing pain spread from Astrid's ribs and down her back, making it difficult to concentrate as she anxiously waited to finally be able to move.

The edge of the "sword" was apparently not especially sharp; she could feel Hiccup urgently sawing through the coarse fibers of the rope but still had not successfully severed it. All the while she looked over his shoulder, growing increasingly restless as she watched Toothless struggling to manage both Hunters.

Suddenly, she realized one of her arms was beginning to drop on its own accord. The arm then collapsed limply to her side, soon joined by the other as a strand of severed rope fell to drape over one shoulder.

Astrid reached up to pull the rope away, but hissed at the burn of blood rushing back to her limbs. She still couldn't feel her fingers, and tried to use her hands to squeeze the flesh of her arms, only succeeding in weakly slapping limp digits against her skin.

Giving a frustrated growl, she stopped to look up in surprise as Hiccup's hands suddenly grasped her forearms, rubbing firmly from her elbows to fingertips.

When his gaze returned to meet hers, Hiccup's brow furrowed. "Are you okay? I mean, can you move?"

The answer was a definitive 'no' in that moment, but before Astrid had a chance to reply, Heather's shout pulled her attention. She looked up in time to see the woman unceremoniously shoved back to the ground by Ryker as he charged towards Toothless, who had Viggo tightly pinned.

Astrid looked up at Hiccup, who also watched the scene in terror.

"I'm good", she hurriedly insisted, placing a numb hand against his chest and pushing him towards Toothless. "Go!"

Hiccup hesitated, but gave a quick nod before launching towards the scuffle.

Seeing Viggo roll away from Toothless' grasp as Ryker pushed the dragon aside, Astrid looked to the Hunter's fallen sword beside her. Clenching her teeth in response to the dull ache in her side, Astrid leaned towards it, willing her tingling hands to grasp the hilt.

"Damn it!" she hissed under her breath, unable to fully feel the weight of the metal against her palms.

Carefully, she drew the blade closer as she twisted to rest on her hip.

Moving as swiftly as she could, Astrid's heart began to pound at the sight of a battered and furious Viggo approaching to reclaim his weapon. There was no time to bring the blade to her ankles - she'd have to somehow fight back.

Teeth bared, she hurriedly re-positioned the sword in her awkward grasp as the Hunter closed in.

Reaching out and within several strides, Viggo didn't have a chance to finish turning his head in response to a furious shout, let alone brace himself before Hiccup's shield bashed into his side. The collision threw both men roughly to the ground; each scrambling to gain the upper-hand while blocking frenzied punches and several swings of Hiccup's blade.

Not wasting the gift of time, Astrid dragged the sword to the rope tethering her legs and repeatedly grated the honed edge against the fibers. Within only a few slices the rope gave way, loosening around her ankles and allowing her to kick the remnants aside.

Though Astrid's hands became increasingly sore, the discomfort was a welcomed alternative to numbness as she felt more assured in her grip. Pushing herself up to kneel, she pressed her weight into each leg as the blood flow began to return. A final push launched her to fully stand -- a feat more difficult than it used to be -- while keeping her arms slightly splayed for balance.

The distinctive thud of fist landing reached Astrid's ear, and she looked up in time to see Hiccup grip his jaw as he rolled to his back with a groan.

Ryker hovered over him, tightly gripping Hiccup's armor as he pulled back his arm to deliver another hit.

Blood boiling, Astrid took an unsteady step forward to rush the Hunter from behind. As she attempted to complete her stride, she felt her knee drift out of alignment and began to tumble forward.

But her descent was interrupted as two hands quickly gripped her arms and held her upright. Astrid's blue eyes widened when they looked upward to meet green.

A lock of Heather's dark hair fell forward as she frowned deeply at Astrid. Tightening her hold on the other woman, she shook her head.

"Stay down", Heather begged. "Please, don-"

But visceral fury overcame Astrid's capacity to listen. "Don't touch me!" she bit back angrily while ripping her arms away, trying to cover the slight wobble in her step.

Though holding her hands up in a placating manner, Heather maintained a serious stare.

"Fine", she relented, "but trust me, you don't want t-"

Toothless' incensed roar suddenly filled the space, and both women whipped their heads towards him.

The dragon thrashed wildly as three more Hunters rushed into the chamber to push him against the wall, racing past Viggo as he gasped for air on his hands and knees.

Eyes already wild and panicked, the Night Fury's pupils became feral slits as he stared across the room to see Hiccup's face pushed to the ground. His snarls then grew to a piercing shriek as Ryker raised his blade above the rider.

Arcing through the air, Ryker's sword met sudden resistance.

Eyes wide in shock, the Hunter then sneered as he looked down into the flushed face of a furious Astrid standing between him and Hiccup, with Viggo's sword still in position after the deflecting the hit.

Enraged, Ryker gave a guttural cry as he swung again, this time aimed at her.

Again their blades met, and Astrid couldn't hide the defiant smirk that formed as she dug in her heels.

While Hiccup made an attempt to crawl up from his knees behind her, disoriented from the last blow to his face, Astrid continued to parry with every swing Ryker threw. Several hits were far too close for comfort where she barely dodged in time. As much as she hated to admit it, he was certainly skilled with a sword. What she wouldn't give to have her axe in hand...

Knowing he was quickly gaining the upper-hand, the Hunter flashed an arrogant grin as he picked up his speed.

It was enough to push the Viking to her limit, and seeing the fear in her eyes as she struggled to block several strikes in a row, Ryker readied a finishing blow.

So fixated on his attack, his didn't notice the sound of someone approaching, nor the cheek of an axe swinging for his head.

The sickening crack of metal against bone preceded Ryker's pained shout as he dropped to the ground.

Legs still quaking, Astrid fell to one knee. She lifted her gaze to see Heather breathing heavily as she stood over Ryker with her double axe in hand, the flat edge still angled towards him.

Frozen in shock, Astrid locked sights with Heather.

The dark haired woman's eyes were wide as she looked down at Ryker, apparently just as surprised by her own actions.

The first one to move was Hiccup, who shook his aching head and scrambled to his feet. He watched Heather warily as he reached for Astrid's arm to help pull her back up, sparing a confused glance at Ryker's prone form before staring back at the dark-haired woman.

Hearing the sound of shouts and clattering weapons approaching the chamber, Heather looked at them both incredulously.

"What are you waiting for?" she prompted. "Go!"

The two riders narrowed their eyes at her before looking to the other. Both seemed unsure, with Astrid arching an eyebrow as she looked at Hiccup. It was his call.

With a firm nod, Hiccup lightly gripped Astrid's upper arm, holding her steady as they ran towards Toothless.

The Night Fury was once again wrestling Viggo to the ground, having already thrown the other Hunters aside. Hearing Hiccup and Astrid's approach, Toothless pressed Viggo firmly into the stone floor and released a deafening roar inches from his face.

He then pounced off and raced towards the two riders.

As a band of Hunters began to crowd the doorway, Toothless unleashed a plasma blast before them. The percussion sent the wave of men to the ground as they dove away, clearing a path for the trio to escape.

With the riders gone and the Hunter's party in disarray, Ryker snarled as he rose to his feet, a hand firmly pressed to his head. He gripped his sword, glaring poisonously at Heather.

"Traitor!" he roared, branding his blade as Heather readied her double axe in both hands to defend.

But as Ryker stepped forward, Viggo reached up to place a stilling hand to the man's chest as he stepped to his side, smirking at the open door as he used his other hand to rub his own offended jaw.

"Easy, brother", Viggo soothed, turning to give a satisfied smirk. "All is not as it seems."

Though stopping against Viggo's restraint, Ryker's expression drew tight with confusion.

In response the younger Grimborn gestured towards Astrid's severed binds behind them.

"Why use fragile rope", he posed, "when we have ready access to dragon-proof iron?"

Ryker's eyes fell on the cords in question that lay strewn across the floor. He relaxed slightly and lowered his sword, though his brow cocked in uncertainty.

Meanwhile, Heather tensely watched the exchange. She kept one hand tightly wrapped around her weapon and brought the other to her neck. Ghosting her fingertips over the raised skin where Ryker's blade had rested, she steeled her jaw in anger.

Taking a smooth stride towards her, Viggo's hand landed heavily on Heather's shoulder. "Well done", he praised.

Heather said nothing in reply, only returning a tight smile.

Watching the pair critically, Ryker swiftly swung his sword upward until the flat side rested passively against his arm. His gaze focused on his brother. "I...I don't understand-"

Viggo's smirk dropped to a frown. "You don't need to", he briskly interjected with a dismissive glance. "You only need to be ready to strike when I give the word."

Momentarily taken aback by his brother's hubris, Ryker's expression then darkened as he growled under his breath.

Viggo showed no concern for the other man's offense. He instead crossed his arms and slowly smiled as he gazed at the open door.

"Rest assured. This is all just part of the game."

With one hand firmly planted on Toothless' back, Astrid marched ahead as quickly as she could.

Hiccup followed closely by her side; shield in one hand and blade in the other.

The group moved briskly, silent as they listened for incoming threats.

Looking down the empty tunnel, Astrid frowned at the realization it was becoming increasingly narrow. The ceiling steadily grew lower, and space between the walls became thin. From a tactical standpoint, between losing ground and being forced to engage whatever lay ahead, it was the worst terrain she could imagine defending in.

Soon there wasn't enough room for the three to stand side-by-side, requiring Hiccup to slow his stride to fall-in behind Astrid and Toothless.

He then cautiously glanced over his shoulder to confirm that they were, curiously, not being pursued.

"That's not a good sign", he grumbled, wondering what exactly they were walking into.

Astrid said nothing; only nodded as she squinted her eyes, trying to see as far down the corridor as possible.

The purpose of her hyper-focus was two-fold: in anticipation for the trials ahead and in a vain attempt to block out the raw stinging of her wrists and ankles. Every swing of her arms and legs caused the irritated skin to stretch, and she grew frustrated at her inability to push it out of her mind. Not that that stopped her from anxiously twisting her wrists every few seconds, trying to memorize the heft and balance of Viggo's sword.

Rounding another bend in the tunnel and passing a torch, they could see that the path ahead was clear at least to the next turn. The light also allowed Hiccup to get a better view of Astrid, and how stiffly she moved. The sight caused his frown to deepen.

"Wait, Toothless", he called out.

As the Night Fury obliged and slowed his pace, Hiccup approached, noting Astrid's confused expression from the corner of his eye.

"Hop on", he instructed, tilting his head towards Toothless.

Tightening her lips, Astrid briefly considered the idea. But her own discomfort was quickly outweighed by pride.

"I'm fine", she insisted with an assurance that would have fooled many.

Hiccup, however, knew better.

"Astrid, please", he urged, anxiously looking behind them again. "We have to hurry."

Stifling a groan, Astrid also looked back, knowing he had a point. Without further debate, she carefully swung her leg over as she mounted Toothless' saddle. The mound above her groin made the action awkward, and she was glad to be facing away from Hiccup so that he couldn't see the tell-tale cringe before she finally settled into a comfortable position.

Giving the dragon a quick pat to his flank, Hiccup walked at the dragon's side as they hurried their pace.

All the while, there was a shared but silent expectation of being attacked at a moment's notice. Every bend of the tunnel birthed fresh anxiety, prompting the two riders to grip their respective weapons as Toothless' muscles tensed.

It was a surprise each time they discovered that the path ahead remained vacant. But this did little to ease their fears - if anything it only heightened them.

The quiet was made all the more agonizing by the palpable tension between the two humans. After experiencing the emotional high that came with knowing the other was safe, they found themselves settling back into the beliefs and perceptions that led them to that moment.

Neither wanted to be the first to speak, both still hurt and at the same time guilt-ridden for the role they played in their current dysfunction.

After a lot of time to do nothing but sit and think in the prison cell, Astrid knew what she needed to say. Just not how.

She couldn't even get Hiccup to look at her for more than a few seconds before he would turn his head away, making a point to avert his gaze. While brooding was far from unusual for him, there was an uneasiness that felt out of place. What at first she attributed to their precarious situation, she soon realized that the anxious fidgeting of his fingers and nervous pull of his lips followed each tense glance he threw her way.

The fact that he was suddenly so hard to read, and predict, made her second-guess how to proceed.

To top it off, Astrid was humiliated at the folly of her trust in Heather, and disgusted by her own naiveté. Hiccup had been right, which only ever bothered her when that ultimately meant that she was therefore wrong.

And as she carefully observed the young man at her side, noting how tightly he cradled his injured arm to his body, she remembered why she left the Edge in the first place; how terrified she had been.

His stubborn refusal to listen at the price of his own skin.

Like he always does.

As it often did, her fear and protective nature manifested as anger towards Hiccup's repeated recklessness.

"You okay?" she asked quietly, consciously dampening any ire in her tone.

The sudden question caused Hiccup's expression to still for a moment before nodding absently, all the while looking anywhere but at her.

Though unconvinced, Astrid slowly bobbed her head in apparent acknowledgement.

"Good."

And with that she leaned over to deliver a firm slap to his good arm.

As Hiccup hissed in surprise, he quickly cast a weak glare towards her before returning his stare to the path ahead.

"Guess your arms are better…" he muttered. "What was that for?"

Astrid returned a casual shrug. "For flying off on your own", she replied coolly, keeping her voice down. "Again."

Hiccup scoffed at the accusation. "Me?" he shot back, peering at her from the corner of his eye. "What about you? You don't even have Stormfly with you! Are you insane?"

Though painfully aware of her own missteps, Astrid ignored the jab. "I did what I had to to get here", she replied, arching an eyebrow and looking at him pointedly. "Because I was looking for you."

Pursing his lips, Hiccup momentarily glanced down in remorse. But a renewed indignation caused his brow to furrow as he gave Astrid a stern glare.

"Well you shouldn't be here looking for me", he countered gruffly. "You should have listened and stayed on the Edge."

Astrid turned her head to look over her shoulder, confirming that they were still alone as she huffed. "And do what? Sit back while you run head first into a suicide mission?"

Her refusal to back-down stoked Hiccup's irritation. "If that's the order I give", he rebuked, exasperated, "then yes. That is exactly what you should do."

There was something about the wording that set Astrid off - this new-found belief that his demands were to be followed without question. Especially when she was expected to sit idly by as he put his life at risk.

Tightening her grip on the saddle's hide to release her pent up anger, Astrid fought to keep a neutral expression despite the severe glint in her eyes.

"Oh, okay", she stressed, her inflection ticking up in false innocence. "So, just so I'm clear -- after realizing that you were, in fact, flying into a trap, exactly how long should I have waited before doing something?”

She could see Hiccup’s scowl deepen, though that only drove her on.

“A full night?” Astrid mused sardonically. “A couple of days, maybe?"

Her sarcasm finally earned a withering glare from Hiccup, to which she hummed airily.

"Just want to make sure I'm following your orders."

Hiccup's mouth shot open to return a snarky reply, but he paused as he thought better of it. Fuming, he shook his head.

"You should just trust that I can handle it", he grumbled. His already bruised pride wavered at the reminder of his own dependencies in battle. "Despite what you think”, he added gruffly, “I don't need you."

The frown on Astrid's face froze in place, and she sat unblinking as she stared at him in disbelief.

Internally, she was crushed, having her own fears seemingly validated. But on the exterior, she bristled, looking away with a stormy expression.

"Yeah..." she replied bitterly, "you've been making that really clear, Hiccup."

Despite his own anger, Hiccup's hardened features faltered, his eyes flicking over to her as he realized the impact of his careless words.

Even Toothless groaned uncomfortably, his ears flat against his head.

Releasing a weary sigh, Hiccup ran his hand through his hair. "Astrid, I-I didn't mean it like-"

Hurt and not in the mood for excuses, Astrid's temper flared.

"Why are you here?" she interjected forcefully. Her throat tightened as the underlying sadness ebbed, barely restrained beneath a palpable rage. "Why even waste time stopping for me instead of just focusing on finding the Dragon Eye?" The resentment in her voice was thick and unmistakable.

Hiccup's lips parted as his jaw slacked, taken aback, finally turning his head to fully look at her. "What?"

With a flippant shrug, Astrid grit her teeth, almost shaking. "That's what's important, right? Worth risking your life...Toothless' life..." She shook her head in disgust, thinking of all that he and everyone else stood to lose. "Everything."

At a loss for word, Hiccup blinked rapidly. His lips fumbled as if trying to form a question, but no sound came as he reoriented his thoughts. Confusion slowly turned to offense, and his ears then began to burn red.

"That's for me to decide", he scolded, his voice commanding. "And as long as you are on my team, then you're going to have to accept my decisions."

While her knee-jerk reaction was to bite back, Astrid paused as she fully absorbed the statement. The tight scowl on her face eased as her eyes grew soft -- contemplative.

What he said was true...and that was the problem. She found herself facing the same barrier time and time again; one that she couldn't circumvent.

Her abrupt silence caught Hiccup off-guard, and he watched her carefully.

Seeing Astrid’s features relax signaled him to do the same. Returning his stare to the path ahead, Hiccup exhaled sharply, exhausted but satisfied that his point had been made.

"…then I quit."

Though softly spoken, the words sent a violent shock through Hiccup's system. He froze mid-stride and fell several steps behind before Toothless came to a halt.

Turning to look curiously at his rider, the dragon tilted his head while the woman on his back looked into Hiccup's blank gaze.

To his surprise, Astrid's expression portrayed no anger or spite. If anything, he saw only sad resignation.

"…w-what?" he forced out.

Thrown by how easily the words tumbled out of her own mouth, Astrid was disturbed by the realization that it wasn't a hollow threat.

"I…I quit", she repeated with growing resolve.

Jaw slacked, Hiccup stared at her in disbelief. "You're no-", he started, having to stop to swallow heavily. "…why?"

Seeing him distraught by her announcement stung; after everything she almost expected him to be relieved.

Looking away from him, dragging her finger along the saddle's seam, Astrid released a sigh.

"Because I can't accept that." She raised her stare back to meet Hiccup’s. "If being on your team now means mindlessly following every order -- without question, without input...and then just looking the other way while you throw your life away..."

Her unraveled braid swung as she shook her head sadly. "I can't do that, Hiccup."

Brow tightening, perplexed, Hiccup's eye twitched. "W-what did you think this was going to be?" he asked, desperation blending with incredulousness. "Since when do YOU not understand chain of command?” he asked, gesturing towards her. “That someone has to give the orders to be followed? Why is this suddenly a problem now?"

Before Astrid could respond, Hiccup shook his head, too done to even attempt to listen anymore.

Taking a cursory glance behind them, he continued to trudge ahead, right past Toothless and Astrid.

"This was never an issue on Berk", he muttered, loud enough that she would hear. "Never threatened to quit the Academy..."

Just hearing Hiccup mention those simpler days stirred something in Astrid. As Toothless plodded after him, she swayed in the saddle; numbed by the memories that flooded her mind and reminded her of all the reasons she loved being a Dragon Rider.

The camaraderie of their motley team.

The daily sense of purpose that came from a shared vision to protect their home and its dragons.

And the complete faith she had in their diminutive leader.

Hiccup wasn't perfect, though in her eyes he had been as close as anyone could be. He was well-aware of his flaws, and while he wasn't immune to moments of blind pride, he placed the well-being of the team above his ego.

Looking through her eyelashes, eyes falling on Hiccup's rigid form as he marched ahead, it was difficult to reconcile the humble boy of her memory with the man before her.

Her heart thrummed at the reminder that they were one-in-the-same. That despite everything said and done, he was still Hiccup.

Teeth bit down to still her quivering lip as she thought of just how much she missed and needed THAT Hiccup.

Releasing a shaking breath, Astrid pushed back the swell of emotions that weighed heavily in her chest.

"Because…” she explained slowly, considering each word, “back then you never expected me or anyone else to just accept every call without question.” Feeling braver, she sat up a bit straighter, staring at the back of his head. "You knew that if I spoke against something I had a damn good reason to.”

Shaggy strands of auburn head swayed as Hiccup shook his head.

But Astrid persisted, and her voice grew. “And you listened”, she added. “Your decisions were always based on reason, not driven by…” Her blonde brows knit as she tried to pinpoint the word. “What even is this? Bruised ego? Retribution?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Hiccup growled under his breath, keeping a quick pace to stay ahead of them.

"And I was a kid, Astrid, who didn't know what I didn't know." His tone took on a cold quality. "That there are threats like Viggo, who won't fall for childish tricks. He won't listen to reason and..."

Voice fading, Hiccup released a defeated sigh. "And he's not interested in peace."

The words he chose made Astrid frown. "You're sounding like your father", she noted dryly, her voice tinged with disappointment.

Hiccup threw an irritated glare over his shoulder, adjusting his body to almost side step so that he could hold her gaze.

"And that's suddenly a bad thing?" he challenged. "I'm finally doing what I'm supposed to do and now you're on my back about that?"

Astrid's eyes narrowed slightly, both at a loss and offended. "No one has said you're “supposed” to be Stoick."

At this Hiccup's glare waned, looking down in thought before weakly throwing his hand up and letting it fall to his side.

"Yeah”, he grumbled, “because no one thinks I can."

The comment softened Astrid's gaze, shifting to a sympathetic stare as she saw his very posture change in the face of his longstanding insecurities.

Shaking his head, Hiccup looked back at her, slowing his pace as he met her eyes with a desperate stare.

"What do you want from me, Astrid?” he asked with sincerity. “Y-you wanted me to grow up, right? Accept that I am going to be Chief? Well, I'm doing that. I'm being decisive...taking responsibility." Pursing his lips, Hiccup's expression hardened. "You have no idea of everything I'm having to consider. Why I make the decisions I make."

Astrid huffed. "And how could I, Hiccup? You won't tell me anything anymore."

His lip curled. "Because you-"

"Lied", she finished flatly. "And you don't trust me. And you won't forgive me."

When Hiccup didn't respond, not expecting her blunt summation, Astrid held his gaze.

“So now what?” she appealed to him in earnest, grasping for any sign -- no matter how small -- of a resolution. Despite her own begrudging acceptance of their fate, she couldn’t forsake her own stubborn desire to see it through; to somehow recapture any shred of what once was.

But no matter how deeply she searched his forest green eyes, reddened with exhaustion, she couldn’t find any spark of ingenuity. Nothing to inspire or motivate or encourage. He instead looked as lost as she felt.

Swallowing heavily, Astrid forbid herself from looking away in discomfort, instead keeping Hiccup in a steady gaze. “Where can we go from here?”

To his credit, Hiccup didn’t disengage – no shrugging, sarcasm, or storming away. He instead seemed contemplative; seriously considering her question and wondering the same. His stare only wavered as his forehead furrowed, his pupils shuttering slightly as he was set adrift in his own chaotic thoughts.

Noting the slightest shift in his features, trying to interpret what he could be thinking, Astrid sucked in her lower lip.

“I…um…” Hiccup finally shook his head, “I’m not really sure. I just…”

He groaned, tipping his head back to stare up in discouragement. Every possible solution disintegrated before it could fully-form. After everything, where did they want to wind up?

They continued to move slowly down the corridor, neither sure of what to say.

As Hiccup’s silence lingered, Astrid could feel any remaining hope she clung to gradually fade. Taking cautious glances towards him, she couldn’t shake the fact that he looked, and sounded, and just felt like he had nothing else to give. And could she blame him?

Still, it hurt. Really hurt.

Then, a low rumble caught Astrid’s attention; so quiet she almost missed it. Her gaze reflexively dropped for a split second in worry, barely seeing the draped curve of her belly in her periphery before looking off to the side.

Toothless’ stride hitched momentarily, ears perking up and swiveling. He continued onward, though Astrid noted that the Night Fury remained more alert.

She said nothing, only discreetly scanned the cavern. Hiccup didn’t appear to notice anything, perhaps too engrossed in his thoughts or because he simply missed the insignificant tone.

Moments passed, and Toothless soon relaxed as well as he padded along.

Astrid reasoned that she too should be able to relax. The strange sound vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and there was nothing she could see to suggest imminent danger.

But her heart pounded anyway; she felt uneasy and like she was coming apart at the seams. She needed to be off the island. To protect the innocent soul she carried.

Hiccup needed to be safe. And Toothless, and Stormfly, and their team and Berk…

And damn it she couldn’t even talk to the one person she HAD to work with to make that happen?

The fringe of Astrid’s braid tickled her collar bone as her head slowly shook side to side. As much as she’d like to just forget their personal trials and focus on survival, she recognized that the two were closely intertwined.

If he wasn’t going to move the conversation along…

Drawing in a slow, full breath, Astrid dared to break the silence. "There is...a lot that we've needed to talk about", she admitted in a deflated drone.

Her stare was locked ahead, and she didn't notice the sudden drop of Hiccup's brow or the unusual glance he sent her.

She scoffed ruefully. "We can't even get through the day-to-day crap without arguing”, she muttered dryly, “let alone anything new.”

Hiccup said nothing, still watching her closely.

Astrid tossed her hand up in defeat. “So what are we-?"

But she stopped abruptly, feeling herself wobble in the saddle as the low rumble returned -- this time deeper and reverberating around them.

Hiccup's nose scrunched in confusion, but as he felt the ground beneath him shift, his eyes widened.

The two riders looked about, unsure what exactly they were sensing.

By the time Toothless crouched closer to the ground, small stones beneath them began to rattle as the entire tunnel quaked.

Astrid's head rapidly turned to check both ends of the tunnel, expecting an onslaught of Hunters storming towards them but still found the cavern empty.

However, seeing bits of dust that fell from above was enough to bring her heart to her throat.

"What the Hel?" she breathed, looking around as the tremor continued.

As the distant light from the next torch wavered, Hiccup was suddenly at her side, grasping her arm while angling his shield upward.

"Get down!" he plead, guiding her to the ground so that they were both huddled under the steel barrier.

Toothless spread his wings as much as he could in the narrow tunnel to give some form of shelter, head whipping around as his emerald eyes searched for incoming debris.

Pressed into Hiccup's side, Astrid kept one arm stretched to grip at Toothless' harness anxiously, listening for any sign of an impending cave-in.

Hiccup did the same, keeping a firm hold on the dragon’s hide.

CLANG! CLANG!

The party jumped at the sharp clash ringing above them, watching as several small chunks of stone clattered to the ground after bouncing off the shield.

As she heard more rocks strike the floor, Astrid's bent legs began to shake, fighting the urge to risk rushing through the tunnel.

But Hiccup's arm tightened around her shoulders, holding her in place. If the hurried rate of his breathing against her cheek was any indication, he wasn't feeling any more secure in that moment.

After almost two minutes, the quake finally appeared to subside. It was difficult to tell at first, as everyone still trembled even after the ground beneath them stilled.

Toothless was the first to move, cautiously bringing in his wings as he slowly looked around them. A shake of his head threw little bits of debris from his face, and the dragon chuffed in dissatisfaction.

Both riders then carefully stood, still clinging to one another. But as one crisis dissipated, they became aware of their proximity and reminded of what had transpired only moments ago.

Stiffly, uncomfortably, they both took small steps in opposing directions, placing some distance between them. Neither could look at the other, instead opting to survey the minimal damage around them.

Astrid tried to slow her breathing, consciously inhaling deeply as her gaze followed newly formed fractures in the cavern's walls. Despite her intentions, it had little effect on the tightness in her chest, making her lungs contract. She could feel her heart rate getting away from her and panic set-in.

Beneath the swelling fear, a calm voice of reason managed to broke through; just enough to contrast the distorted reality of her angst.

They couldn't afford for her to breakdown. She could fall apart later, alone in the solitude of her hut when they finally made it back.

Before she packed her belongs. Before she went…

Apparently somewhere that wasn’t Berk.

The thought of what all that entailed made her blood run cold. But as her breathing grew shallow, she tried to remember the determination she felt in the Hunter’s cell. To focus on what was most important – living. So that she could worry about the rest later.

The psychological torrent of her mind had little impact on her blank expression, but it must have shone through in her eyes. Astrid only realized this when she suddenly became aware of Hiccup's stare, snapping her back to reality.

His own face paled as he became the focus of her attention. Still, he held his gaze a moment longer, looking her over warily.

Astrid tried not to flinch under his analyzing stare. She couldn't even begin to imagine what he was thinking, or what he was looking for.

Whatever it was, Hiccup finally took his eyes off of her. With an uncertain look behind them, he groaned lowly.

"Let's keep moving", he instructed, glancing at his companions with a quick nod of his head down the tunnel.

There was no need for Astrid to respond. Numbly, she took a careful step forward, signaling him to do the same.

The group resumed a brisk pace, with Toothless' ears up and alert. Astrid decided to walk again at the dragon's side, too jumpy to comfortably sit and preferring to have more control over her body in case of another quake.

Hiccup trailed only a few steps behind, but unlike the others, his attention was not on the cave.

He instead watched Astrid carefully, noting how she carried herself. His eyes slid over her form as he furrowed his brow, replaying what she had said before the tremor. Thinking of Heather's claim; so absurd that even in his most distrusting state he couldn't envision that level of deceit.

Not from Astrid. Never about that.

Still...it was enough to painfully gnaw at his deepest fears and pick at unhealed wounds. She was hiding something. She'd admitted as much. With uncertainty surrounding whether they would make it home...whether she even would go home...he had to know.

His jaw clenched. "Um, Astrid?"

"Hmm?" she hummed, glancing behind only momentarily.

"When you said that there were things we needed to talk about", Hiccup began, his words slow and precise, "what exactly did you mean?"

She winced, regretting saying anything in the first place. Glad to still be facing away from him, she forced an apathetic shrug.

"This and that", she replied as calmly as she could. But her throat betrayed her efforts, bringing a touch of melancholy to her voice as it lost its punch. "…nothing that really matters anymore."

Hiccup's gaze grew more suspicious. "Nothing in particular?" he prompted, keeping his tone level. "Anything I should know about?"

Astrid's features stilled, second guessing her decision. She found herself at a crossroads, where she either told the truth and accepted the consequences, or made the call that her silence would ultimately be better for everyone. After months of fighting her doubts and leaving ample opportunity to finally come clean, enough had been said to make up her mind.

She didn't know where she would go; assuming they survived this, staying no longer seemed like an option. But that would be her problem to solve, and her pain to bear.

"Nothing you need to be worried about", she replied, her voice more quiet than intended as she kept her gaze ahead.

The silence behind her was expected, but if she had turned she would have been surprised by the intensity of Hiccup's gaze. The muscles of his face twitched as competing emotions fought for dominance.

"Really?" he asked, an unusual edge to his tone as he watched her carefully. "Nothing for me to worry about..."

For a moment he paused, uncertain whether to continue. "Because, from what I hear, there is."

The sudden shift in his tone was jarring; enough to cause Astrid to look back at him as she slowed her pace. Her brows knit when she found herself in his critical stare.

But as his gaze dropped down her body, stopping pointedly for only a second on her abdomen before traveling back to her face, Astrid stopped cold.

The tendons of her jaw involuntarily slacked, and the sound of her heart beat filled her ears. Legs feeling ready to buckle, she stopped walking without conscious thought.

Taking in her reaction, Hiccup's eyes slowly widened as his own grimace loosened. He too came to a quick stop, letting the arm holding his shield up drop to lay at his side.

His stare never left hers, and Astrid could see her own panic mirrored in his.

“Astrid…?” he droned, practically pleading for her to correct him.

At that second Astrid would have been satisfied to have the whole tunnel cave-in on her after all. The inevitable moment that she had been trying to plan for - to control - had suddenly fallen chaotically at her feet. Her lips moved but her voice failed her, only gulping down air silently.

Focusing on her fumbling lips, Hiccup's ire vanished entirely, overtaken by stark disbelief.

That wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to throw the accusation back in his face; tell him what was really going on.

He scanned her face, desperately looking for signs of offense or confusion. Finding none, his face crumbled.

"Y-you’re…" he murmured, timidly looking back at her stomach. "…gods, are you…seriously…?"

As Astrid's vision began to blur, fresh tears welling in her eyes, she dropped her gaze to the ground in shame.

Lips clamped tight together, she forced a small nod in confirmation.

Hiccup's shuttered breath brought the acidic burn back to her throat. When she dared to look up again, she wasn't surprised to see his face downcast with eyes squeezed shut and a hand pressed into his hairline, gripping at unruly bangs. The only movement was the slight rise and fall of his shoulders as he tried to take even breaths.

With a moan in concern, Toothless looked at both riders as he took cautious steps towards them. His muzzle nudged into Hiccup's side with a quiet warble.

Without looking, Hiccup weakly removed his hand from his hair and placed it on the dragon's head, leaning into Toothless as though he was the only thing keeping him upright.

Astrid's hand rose to cover her mouth, feeling the prickle of tears weigh against her lashes.

"Hiccup..." she breathed through her fingers, suddenly aware of the metallic taste of blood that seeped from her chapped lips. "I-I'm...sorry", she stammered, hating how inadequate the word was. "Gods, I am so, so sorry…"

Moving her hands to swipe away at the tears that threatened to fall, she held them there for a moment to shield her eyes in disgrace. "I wasn't-"

"No."

The swift interruption sucked the air from Astrid's lungs, prompting her to peek over her hands as her lips froze.

Eyes still closed, Hiccup shook his head in astonishment. Despite how clear and assured his interjection was, he looked anything but. In the wavering firelight, mostly cast in shadow, he appeared unspeakably frail and shaken.

After a pause, he finally looked up, immediately locking his gaze ahead and away from her.

"I-I…I can't-" he stuttered, but stopped himself mid-sentence, and huffed humorlessly. Pursing his lips in thought, he again shook his head as he tugged at Toothless' saddle, urging him to follow.

Realizing her mouth still hung open, Astrid brought her lips together as she swallowed heavily, standing perfectly still as she watched them walk away from her. She drew her arms into herself, legs feeling paralyzed.

As Hiccup and Toothless continued forward, she hazarded a glance back down the other end of the tunnel, for a moment considering taking her chances by turning back. At least she knew what dangers lay behind her; the same could not be said for the obscure path ahead, taking her into uncharted territory that she felt pitifully ill-equipped to handle. Worse, reliant on a companion who would likely prefer she be anywhere but at his side.

She couldn't blame him - given the option, she wouldn't choose to be in her own company either.

Her dismal thoughts were broken by the rough sound of Hiccup clearing his throat. She turned in surprise to see that the two had paused ahead.

Toothless looked at her expectantly, claws shuffling against the ground impatiently. His rider averted his gaze as he waited, making a show of positioning his head to look away from her while clearly still watching from the corner of his eye.

Biting her lip, Astrid hesitated. It wasn't until she looked down into Toothless' viridescent eyes, wide with worry as he chuffed at her, that she released a breath in resignation. Slowly, she took a step forward and approached them.

Hiccup never fully looked her way but waited until she was within a stride before continuing down the tunnel. He then took on an urgent pace, with Toothless at his heels and Astrid following a few steps back.

The dragon groaned quietly as he cast troubled glances at his rider, his ears quirking in uncertainty.

But Hiccup paid no mind, only keeping a vigilant stare down the tunnel.

Meanwhile, despite an empty stomach, Astrid felt an intense need to vomit. The cavern's uncomfortable warmth paired with an extreme anxiety that seemed to boil the acid in her gut made for a noxious combination.

Feeling the sword begin to slip from her weakening grip, she consciously curled her hand around the hilt, willing herself to focus and ready for whatever awaited them.

But it was difficult to maintain her attention: too engrossed in the panicked realization that her worst fears were playing out and that there wasn't anything she could do to fix the mess she made. Instead of searching for traps or signs of impending conflict, her mind kept wandering to Hiccup.

She watched him carefully as he trudged ahead with heavy footfalls, noting that he occasionally turned his head to look at the stone walls around them.

It piqued her interest, wondering what it was he sought. But she couldn't bring herself to ask, and only tried to take in any clues through his actions. From what she could see from the sides of his face as he looked about, his features no longer showed despair. Instead, they portrayed extraordinary distance; as though he was a world away.

The whole situation made her uncomfortable - everything. From the foreign self-doubt that plagued her to the passive role she felt compelled to play as she watched the one person she didn't want to hurt suffer at her unwitting hand. Her instinct was to race ahead to grab his arm and force his attention, so that she could unleash every apology that came to mind. Not back down until she found a way to fix the damage and did anything she could to make amends.

She could handle his anger; she could use it. Poking and prodding until they finally worked through every awful feeling and thought -- allowing them to come out the other side and maybe, finally, move on in some form.

But despite his rigid frame and steely expression, she knew Hiccup well enough to recognize that behind a superficial rage was a man in shambles. This was significantly more difficult for Astrid, as he didn't react in a way that was intuitive for her. He didn't take his problems on; he left them behind. In moments like these he instinctively stepped away, sometimes outright fleeing to be alone with his thoughts. It was only after he had a chance to process everything in solitude that he was could return and work past whatever ailed him.

But there he was trapped - unable to get away from the source of his pain. Her. The result was a cold exterior that Astrid was unaccustomed to; a false front to conceal the tempest of uncontrolled emotions that he couldn't process in the moment.

So she did what was most unnatural for her: to quietly wait for him to make the next move. After everything, having ultimately called the shots up to that point, if felt like the very least she could do.

The party continued down the seemingly endless path, with Hiccup actively seeking something, and occasionally muttering under his breath.

Toothless' nostrils suddenly flared as he audibly sniffed. His jaw released slightly, and he tilted his chin upward as he appeared to be following a scent trail.

Astrid watched his actions closely with interest, and tensed in preparation.

Hiccup also took notice, eyes scanning to see what the dragon may have detected.

"What is it, Toothless?" he whispered, looking at the dragon expectantly.

Emitting a low groan, the Night Fury leaned into the side of the tunnel, pressing his snout into a thin crack between the rocks. With a deep inhale, Toothless' chest expanded.

Suddenly his throat spasmed, and he hacked loudly to clear his lungs of some sort of irritant.

While Astrid took several long strides to the dragon's side, firmly striking him between the shoulder blades with the heel of her hand, Hiccup frowned as he examined the fracture in the wall.

Placing his own nose only inches away, an acrid scent filled his nostrils, causing him to curl his lip.

"Not air", he grumbled to himself, releasing a defeated sigh.

With a final cough, Toothless was able to take in a deep breath, his muscles relaxing as he gave his head a firm shake.

Frowning, Astrid glanced over at Hiccup, watching as he walked ahead and ran his hand over the cave wall. Again she fought the urge to pry, growing more perplexed by his actions.

Toothless quickly padded behind Hiccup, and she too followed them as they continued on.

Keeping his back to them, Hiccup sighed. "As soon as we find a way back to the surface", he announced flatly, "you're taking it."

Astrid didn't miss the fact that he clearly meant that only she would be exiting the tunnel if they managed to find an unlikely escape.

"And leave you two down here?" she asked incredulously. When Hiccup didn't speak up to correct her, she frowned at his back. "That's not happening."

"It is", Hiccup replied coolly, still keeping his gaze ahead. "Viggo has the Dragon Eye, and I'm not leaving without it."

Mouth agape, Astrid scrunched her face, astounded by his stubbornness. "This is crazy" she mouthed to herself, trying to keep her temper in check.

"Do you even have a plan?" she then asked aloud. "An exit strategy?"

The fact that Hiccup didn't immediately respond did little to quell her fears.

"I have ideas", he finally muttered.

Astrid blinked in surprise, though she wasn't sure why. This was exactly the amount of recklessness she had come to expect.

"…ideas", she echoed slowly, clearly underwhelmed.

With a light sigh, Astrid pulled the remnants of her braid over her shoulder, picking anxiously at the loosened plait. "Okay...great", she added, making every attempt to sound encouraging. "Ideas are...good."

Hiccup gave no response, only stopping to inspect another fracture in the wall before continuing down the tunnel.

Discouraged and worried, Astrid looked down in thought. "Can you at least promise that you'll go in, get the Dragon Eye, and get out?"

An impatient sigh was Hiccup's first response. "The Dragon Eye is only part of what needs to be done", he muttered shortly.

Astrid reared her head back, brow quirked. ""Needs to be done"?" she repeated, wondering what he could possibly have in mind. "I mean, I'm sure there's dragons to free", she posited. "Of course, I could be doing that-"

"You're not", Hiccup replied firmly, leaving no room for argument.

Frustrated, Astrid's eye twitched as she drummed the fingers of her free hand against her hip.

Though keeping his direct gaze off of her, Hiccup did briefly turn his head to glance at Astrid from the corner of his eye.

"But, yes", he conceded, "that is another thing."

Every evasive response made it difficult for Astrid to maintain a supportive front, especially in the face of his willful refusal for help.

"Well, what else is there? If you have the Eye, and there's no more captured dragons, the only thing left is-"

She stopped short, struck by a disturbing thought. Her eyes focused intensely on the young man as he continued his search.

"Hiccup..." Astrid drawled in warning, "what are you going to do?"

She watched him carefully as his limbs tightened, his fingers flexing against the grip of his sword.

"Tell me you're not going to take the Hunters on", she begged, though her tone carried the desperation of a demand. "Please. I need to hear those words…"

His silence was all she needed.

Her mouth dropping in horror, Astrid shook her head as fear weighed in the pit of her stomach. "To do what?" she pressed. "Capture? Kill?"

The muscles in Hiccup's face pulled tight, his jaw flexing. "That's up to them", he replied with a displaced ease, though his voice wavered.

Another wave of nausea hit as Astrid was inundated with a rapid series of images pulled from fitful dreams and anxious ruminations, culminating into her greatest fears - a final battle between Hiccup and the Dragon Hunters. No back-up, no armor, and no plan.

"You're not seriously...by yourself!?" she gawked in disbelief, her dismay reviving the heat in her voice. "You'd have the Dragon Eye. Why would you-?"

"Because I need to stop them", Hiccup interjected briskly over his shoulder. "For good."

Eyes following Hiccup as he resumed his pace, Astrid stared slack jawed at Toothless, desperate for any validation that she wasn't the only one to see the glaring faults in his plan.

When the dragon returned a despondent stare, grumbling with discontent, Astrid suddenly felt emboldened.

She hurried ahead, first catching up with Hiccup and then stepping in front of him, arms slightly spread to block his path.

Hiccup's heavy brow cinched as he came to a quick stop, looking Astrid over.

"Hiccup, no", she insisted, stone-faced.

Considering her for a moment, he then huffed, unimpressed, as he tried to step around her.

But she only shuffled to quickly move in front of him again.

Growling under his breath, Hiccup gave her an exasperated look. "Astrid. Move."

"No", she repeated firmly, planting her feet for good measure. "You need to stop for a minute and think about what you're doing."

Shoulders slumped, Hiccup's eyes narrowed slightly. "Either you move you or I'll move you."

Unfazed, Astrid scoffed. "Try me", she challenged, her stare taking on a feral quality.

Hiccup rolled his eyes to stare up at the stone above them. "We. Do not. Have time. For this."

"Well, we're making time", she insisted. "Because we can't afford impulsive, half-baked "ideas"."

At this, Hiccup's mouth dropped. "After everything...I..." he sputtered, bewildered. "You have been hiding this", he stressed, motioning towards her stomach, "from me, and you are seriously going to start lecturing me on anything!?"

For as flustered as Hiccup was, Astrid was equally cool. "And what does that have to do with you suddenly going on a vengeful rampage?"

Hiccup froze, blinking.

The edge of Astrid's lips tugged back, covering a knowing smirk. She had him.

Looking away, Hiccup shook his head in exasperation. "For the love of..."

With a drawn out groan, he then met Astrid's gaze, irritated. "Look. If we take back the Eye, they're just going to keep searching until they find us and take it back. And along the way, they will continue to hunt and sell any dragon that crosses their path."

Astrid frowned. "And dragon hunting doesn't end just because Viggo and Ryker are gone. Hiccup, they're part of a tribe." Her nose scrunched slightly, disturbed. "Are you willing to wipe out an entire culture, even for a good reason?"

Mouth agape to retort, Hiccup's expression dropped, releasing a strained sigh. "No, of course not", he admitted, grumbling, "it's just...t-this has to stop. Here. Today. Otherwise their next stop could be Berk."

Astrid's mouth curled into a faint but defiant smirk. "And it'd be the worst mistake they ever made."

Groaning loudly, Hiccup threw a hand up, letting it fall to his side. "Why do you have to fight me on everything!?"

"Because", she argued, her teeth gritting, "everything that's coming out of your mouth right now is crazy! Hiccup, I don't know what's going on up there..." Astrid's index finger tapped at her own temple. "But you're not thinking. This isn't you."

He scoffed in reply. "Oh, I'm the one who's not thinking?!"

Astrid glowered. "We can both be stupid at the same time, Hiccup!"

Too focused on their argument, neither saw Toothless' ears pull to the side of his head or heard the low hum of his growl. It wasn't until he whipped his tail harshly against Hiccup's hip that the two riders took notice.

"What?" Hiccup snapped in surprise at the sudden interruption. But his expression fell as soon as he saw the wave of Hunters racing towards them.

"Hiccuuuup..." Astrid droned behind him, her pitch raising anxiously.

Hiccup turned to see her staring at another group approaching from the other end of the tunnel.

The trio froze, and the two riders grasped their weapons. There was no escape, and they were quickly losing ground between the approaching hordes.

As Toothless took an aggressive pose and snarled at one side, Astrid stared down the other end as she tightened her grip on Viggo's sword.

"I'll take this side", she called over her shoulder, expecting Hiccup to turn his attention back towards Toothless.

When he instead took a step ahead to stand between her and the oncoming Hunters, shield overlapping and blocking her from using Viggo's sword, Astrid arched an eyebrow.

"Uh, Hiccup...?" she prompted, glancing over her shoulder towards the men racing at the Night Fury.

"I've got it" Hiccup maintained, holding his own sword at the ready as he locked his gaze on the Hunters.

Astrid frowned. "I can cover here", she insisted, growing more panicked as the dragon's growls grew increasingly vicious. "They're after Toothless, he needs-"

"Would you stop it?" Hiccup rebuked, shaking with nerves as his eyes darted to meet hers. "I've got it!"

At first disturbed by his outburst, Astrid then narrowed her eyes in offense.

"Fine", she retorted with a click of her tongue, lowering the sword and relaxing to a neutral pose for show.

Shaking his head, Hiccup looked ahead just in time to see an arrow flying through the air – arching and aimed right for his throat.

With a reflexive wince, his eyes closed as he heard the sound of the projectile strike. But to his surprise, there wasn't a piercing pain.

As his eyes shot open, the sound of something shattering to the ground drew his gaze downward. The arrow lay at his feet, its head now separated from the shaft.

Hiccup turned to see Astrid with Viggo's sword, this time angled high over his shield, and her eyes fixed on the approaching Hunters.

"Now may I step in?" she asked tersely, "Or have you still "got it"?"

Catching his breath, Hiccup's cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"If I hadn't been distracted", he muttered, "I would hav-",

Astrid couldn’t hear the rest, as the booming roar of an explosion above them absorbed all other sound.

It took a moment to register the sudden blast, which was immediately followed by a second detonation a short distance away.

Mouth still ajar, Hiccup looked up just in time to see the tunnel's ceiling suddenly rushing towards his face.

"LOOK OUT!" Astrid shouted as she grabbed his arm, roughly pulling Hiccup back and out of the path of a slab of stone.

A low rumble preceded the shower of rocks that fell around them as the tunnel began to collapse.

Distracted by the barrage of stones, Hiccup barely saw the chains being thrown around Toothless as the dragon spun to rush to their aid.

"Toothless!!" he screamed, seeing only the Night Fury’s claws frantically rake the ground as the falling debris obscured his view.

The sensation of a smaller stone striking his shoulder prompted Hiccup to quickly drop his sword to throw one arm over his head, pulling Astrid into him with the other. A sharper blow to the side of his temple caused him to shout out in pain, taking them both to their knees.

The thunderous clash of the avalanche almost masked the panicked screech of the Night Fury. Toothless kept fighting back, attempted to lunge towards the riders but was slowed by his restraints.

Turning his head towards the approaching men, eyes turning to slits with unbridled rage, the Hunters took the opportunity to jump the dragon and press a metal muzzle to his jaws. They worked quickly to clasp the device, all the while dodging the thrashing creature's tail and inching away from the rocks still tumbling ahead of them.

Meanwhile the riders stayed huddled, laying between the piles of rubble that fell on both side of them. While they had missed the worst of the collapse, they still felt the weight of smaller stones crash inches away from them and occasionally striking them.

Soon, the deafening sound finally subsided, with only the sporadic crack of stones fallings and then settling on the cavern floor.

Despite this, Astrid stayed in place as she drew in ragged breaths. Head pressed against Hiccup's chest, she released a sigh of relief as she felt his rib cage expand as he inhaled. He was alive.

She finally, though cautiously, pulled her face away from his side and could feel smaller rocks that had gathered on her back roll off as she shifted; a few catching her hair and pulling at her scalp.

Opening her eyes revealed nothing -- only complete darkness. On her hands and knees, Astrid reached forward, feeling only the wall of rock surrounding them.

Hiccup slowly brushed away the rubble around him, then moved to stand on quaking legs.

Still able to hear the muffled roar of his best friend echoing through the tunnel, Hiccup grew panicked. His breathing became heavier as he too pressed against the rocks, only to find that they wouldn't budge at all.

"Damn it!" he hissed, bashing his fist into the stone. Hiccup winced at the feeling of his bones compressing, feeling a joint pop out of place.

Dropping his head in defeat, he then took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself.

"A-Astrid?" he called, desperately grasping into the darkness.

Still on her knees, Astrid coughed, lungs agitated by the dust that still hung in the air.

"O-over here", she croaked, groping until her hand found a ledge, using it to pull herself to standing.

A shaking hand swung past her, just barely missing her.

She tentatively reached towards where she felt Hiccup should still be. Ready to carefully step towards him, the palm of his hand then met the side of her face. The tip of his thumb was uncomfortably close to her eye, but she said nothing and raised her hand until it met his arm.

Hiccup dropped the limb, slowly guiding it down until their hands met and he exhaled deeply as he clasped her wrist.

"Hiccup? Can you hear me, my boy?"

The pair froze at the sound of Viggo's voice, and they could hear his boots scuffing against the ground on the other side of the wall separating them.

"No use giving the silent treatment", Viggo taunted loudly, allowing his voice to carry through the rubble. "I know you're alive. The Night Fury would have been uncontrollable otherwise."

Hiccup said nothing, only tightened his grip on Astrid's wrist.

The sound of Viggo's pacing stopped.

"Suit yourself" the Hunter continued tepidly. "You know as well as I that you won't last in there for more than a couple of days. If you're truly a worthy opponent, I trust that you'll find a way."

They then heard his footfalls begin to fade.

"And when you do", Viggo added, "I'll be waiting."

As all sounds beyond the barriers vanished, Hiccup and Astrid stayed perfectly still in the darkness. Neither said a word.

Astrid began to shake, coming down from the experience. Restless and disoriented, she hadn't even had a moment to relish her escape from one prison before finding herself in another. As relieved as she was to know that Hiccup was okay, the knowledge that Toothless was in danger devastated her.

Now she was trapped with his despondent rider, and after her secret had been shattered wide open in the worst possible way.

Her thoughts drifted to her belly, and to Stormfly. Her parents. His father. Their friends.

They had to get out of there.

She released Hiccup's arm, feeling his fingers loosen as well.

Placing both hands on the wall of rubble, Astrid began to press on each chunk of stone she felt, testing for even the slightest amount of give.

One by one, her hands traced the edges of the rocks, and as she carefully walked the perimeter, it began to sink in just how small the space truly was. Several times he had to awkwardly brush past Hiccup, who stood silently in the center.

When he finally did move, she could hear a quiet grunt and the sound of metal scraping the ground beneath as he sank to the floor.

The fact that he wasn’t looking for a way out was concerning, and Astrid frowned in response.

"…one of these must be loose", she reasoned aloud, her hands still moving with nervous energy.

He said nothing.

The uncomfortable silence hung thickly between them, all the while tempering her frustration with his disengagement with her own personal shame.

"Some of these are too high for me to reach", she hinted, hoping he would get the message.

When he didn't respond, Astrid sighed and tried to get a foothold on one of the lower rocks, pulling herself up. But when her footing slipped and she slid back down, the raw cuts on her palm wore her patience.

"Could you please help me?" she begged, trying and failing to keep her frustration at bay.

Still, Hiccup remained silent. She could only hear the occasional breath.

With a low groan, Astrid pressed her damp bangs back, keeping her hand to her head for a moment.

"Look, I get it, alright?" she started. "You're pissed. You should be. You have every right to be."

She paused, hoping he would jump in. He didn't.

"But we have to get out", she argued. "We have to save Toothless, and we obviously can't do that from in here."

As he continued to sit in obstinate silence, Astrid's own irritation resurfaced.

"Hiccup…” she groaned, “we need to work together right now. I-I'm not asking you to forgive me or anything. But can you just set it aside long enough to get us off of this damn island?"

When she was still ignored, Astrid clenched her jaw.

Nearing the end of her rope, she balled her scraped hand into a fist. "No? Fine."

Her mind scrambled for anything that would reengage him. "Then, I don't know...what about, just, letting it all out? Say whatever you want to me. Anything."

The silence that followed ripped at the edges of her patience.

"I mean it! Shout, scream, cuss!" Astrid prodded. "Call me whatever. Tell me you hate me! I can take it."

Still, he said nothing, though his breathing became more audible -- more haggard.

Shaking her head, Astrid pressed her lips together and exhaled deeply through her nose to rid herself of the anger that threatened to erupt.

“Gods!” she moaned, her jaw tight. “Why won’t you—“

"...what do you want me to say, Astrid?"

She paused, realizing he finally spoke up. While relieved to hear him finally speak, the weak desperation in Hiccup's voice was unexpected.

Astrid considered everything she was afraid he would say; what she wished he would.

"…anything", she insisted.

Hiccup released an uneven breath. "Um...okay...w-where do I even start? This is all...so..." He growled in frustration.

Astrid shifted impatiently. "So...?"

He sighed. "Every time I think I have you figured out these days, you prove me wrong. Y-you used to be so…constant. Like you were the one thing in my life, besides Toothless, that didn't change."

Steeling herself, Astrid tensed. "That's...fair", she admitted, under her breath, thinking of her own discomfort with aligning to their new reality. "Everything is changing. We're all changing."

Feeling exposed, she shrugged in the darkness. "Including me, I guess."

"Yeah, but before y-" Hiccup paused, exhaling harshly. "Even then, you were still Astrid. But now...?"

Astrid inhaled sharply, stung by the unexpected words.

Hiccup moaned softly, pressing a palm against his aching eyes. "It’s like…why don't you trust me? W-what did I do to make you not trust me anymore?"

At this Astrid’s brow cinched, baffled by the sudden turn. "Nothing", she assured. "I do trust you."

Hiccup released a huff of air, nearly a strained laugh. "But not enough to let me in on Heather's scheme", he reminded. "Or the Terror, or the note. A-and why? Because you already decided I was going to swoop in and screw everything up."

Lip curled, Astrid shook her head. "No, Hiccup, that's not wh-"

"You don't trust me", he concluded, his tone adamant.

Astrid teetered between sympathetic and indignant. "I do, trust you!" she insisted.

"Gods", Hiccup groaned, muffled by his hand as it slid down his face. "I am so sick of the lying…"

Face flushed, Astrid began to fume. "I'm not lyi-"

"Fine", he interrupted brusquely, "half-truths, partial truths, missing details. Whatever."

Jaw flexing, Astrid's features twitched as she reigned in her ire. "I'm not…"

But the rest fell flat, realizing she had little equity to draw on to prove her assertion.

Silence overtook the space; the only sound the scraping of Hiccup's prosthetic as he anxiously tapped the end against the ground.

Swiping at a line of sweat forming against her face, Astrid parted her lips to release a slow, calming breath.

"Okay. Fine", she relented, her tone civil. "You want the whole truth?"

Hiccup paused in surprise. "Please. Some honesty would be really refreshing about now", he added flatly.

Nodding, Astrid pursed her lips in thought. "I completely, and totally, trust you with everything…except for the one thing that's been the most important to me."

Hiccup's lips pulled back into a mirthless smile. "And, finally, there it is", he droned, shaking his head sadly. "What?” he challenged. “What is so important that you can't trust me?"

Astrid chewed at her lower lip. "To protect yourself."

Hiccup didn't immediately respond, clearly unprepared for that.

"I-I know you'll do anything to protect everyone else", Astrid continued, pulling her hair off her overheated neck, "…everything else."

Her cheeks reddened, less from the heat and more from embarrassment. "Whether you believe me or not…even after everything", she admitted, "you're still the only person I trust, 100%, to have my back."

Looking up into the darkness, where he imagined her face must be, Hiccup's brow knit in thought.

A nervous swipe of her tongue over parted teeth preceded a deep inhale. "But...I also know that you won't hesitate to risk your own life for any gain.” She huffed. “I-It's like, when you weigh the value of your life against anything else, your survival always seems to take lowest priority."

Hiccup shifted his weight and planted his hand at his side, forehead furrowing as listened.

"I mean, with Heather…" Astrid swallowed. "Can you honestly tell me you wouldn't have rushed in to pull her out? On your own?"

Considering her, Hiccup's features relaxed, though he frowned in disappointment.

"I would have done what I thought was right", he assured. "And if you really did trust me you'd know I wouldn't do anything to endanger her."

Astrid took a small step backwards, letting her aching back rest against the cragged rocks. "That's just it - I wasn't worried about Heather, Hiccup. I knew you wouldn't let anything happen to her...but what about you?"

Hiccup's mouth opened, but his response fell apart in his throat. Blinking, he pressed his lips together, breathing out through in nose. "T-that still doesn't..."

With a shake of his head, Hiccup again tensed. "Well, what about this?" He waved his hand in the pitch black where he imagined her abdomen must be. "That you're...I mean..."

Hiccup was glad to be sitting, certain his shaking knees would buckle otherwise. "A...a baby? S-seriously? You've seen me every single day and you didn't trust me enough to tell me?"

Drawing in her arms to rest on her chest, Astrid shut her eyes. "It's…not that", she assured. "There's...well..."

She could feel her throat tighten, heartbeat speeding up as she tried to rationalize her increasingly irrational thoughts. "It's just, really, really…"

Hiccup frowned. "...really...?"

"Really..." Astrid sighed, lip curled. "...complicated", she muttered, too humiliated to share the crippling fears that motivated her decisions.

Raising an eyebrow, Hiccup's frown deepened. "Complicated?" he repeated, clearly disappointed in her response. "Yeah, that's...that's one way of putting it..."

Hearing his displeasure, Astrid scrunched her nose.

"There are things that have nothing to do with you", she explained, knowing where his mind would go. "…reasons why I didn't want to say anything yet."

Hiccup hummed absently, acknowledging her but clearly not convinced.

"Well", he sighed, "now that the secret is out, I don't suppose you could finally tell me what those things are?"

Astrid froze. "I-I'm not…I'm not really ready to…"

To her surprise, his reaction was to chuckle, though hollow and void of any levity. "Of course you aren't..."

She bit back an irritated growl. "Hiccup-"

"And the rest?" he urged, his tone growing impatient. "The things that apparently do apply to me?"

Again, Astrid shutdown. While she knew exactly why she struggled to tell Hiccup before, she knew it was only throwing tinder onto a somewhat controlled fire.

When she didn’t respond, Hiccup sighed deeply. "It's just...my gods...you're pregnant?" he breathed in disbelief, his mouth tripping along the foreign word. "You're pregnant and you didn't tell me? I can't...y-you were just going to leave and not say anything?"

"That's not..." Astrid groaned, struggling to keep her emotions in check. "It's not what I planned on doing. T-this isn't how I wanted you to find out."

"Oh, so you were planning to bring it up at some point?" Hiccup asked sardonically. With a scoff, he mumbling under his breath. "Maybe send a nice note in a few years...ask Johann to spread the word next time he comes to port..."

Astrid tensed at his sarcasm. "Yes", she insisted, "I was planning to tell you - in person." Despite her offense, she bit at her lip in remorse as her voice strained. "At least, I wanted to."

An uninspired hum was his response. "Well. That...that changes everything then", Hiccup retorted flatly.

Holding back a frustrated growl, Astrid instead released a small sigh. "I tried to tell you, Hiccup. When I got back from Berk I looked everywhere for you." She shook her head. "I tried to tell you at the creek. I wanted to tell you before we left for the shipwreck. On the island-"

"But, you didn't" he argued, wounded.

Through the darkness she could see no detail; only had a vague sense of where he sat.

Taking in a slow breath, Astrid chewed the inside of her cheek when she remembered the moment on the hill, the morning after the blow up. One of many missteps that in hindsight took her down a path she never imagined she could walk.

"Because you looked at me and said you couldn't handle one more thing", she reminded him, exhaustion weighing on her voice. "That it was good that things fell apart."

Whatever Hiccup was going to initially say fell to pieces, momentarily choked by the resurgence of the fading memory. That one stupid statement – something he didn’t even believe as he said it…

"W-well… who cares what I could “handle”?” he countered. “Whether I was…okay about it or not?”

Astrid’s arms crossed defensively over her chest. “I didn’t thi -“

“I mean, Astrid, this is huge” Hiccup continued emphatically.

“Yes, I know”, she insisted, pulling her arms in tighter. “I-“

“This is...” Hiccup again interrupted, too lost in his ruminations. “I-I had to know about this, and why you didn't just tell me-"

Astrid rubbed at her weary eyes in exasperation. "I was just sick of hurting you", she muttered, without thinking.

"…what?"

Astrid growled, discouraged by her lazy slip and growing exhausted by their ceaseless arguing. "Nothing”, she groaned. “It's stupid, I-"

"N-no, no", Hiccup insisted. "Explain. How is this sparing my feelings?”

His voice began to break, overcome with hurt and genuine confusion. “How the Hel does this help me, at all?"

Raking back dirty bangs from her face, Astrid clenched the strands between her fingers in frustration. "What was I supposed to say, Hiccup? Y-you make it very obvious that you don't want anything to do with me anymore…and I'm trying to tell you about this?”

Hiccup said nothing – so she continued.

"Every time I was prepared to just say it…I just…” Her head shook in disgust, her arms falling limply at her sides. “You'd be stuck with me, okay? Do you get it? You're stuck with me now.”

Astrid huffed under her breath, taking an uncomfortable step back before remembering there was nowhere to go. Instead she swallowed heavily, nose wrinkled as her voice lowered.

“You're stuck with Berk. With being Chief.”

Letting a quiet moment pass, Astrid gave an empty laugh. “So, congratulations!” she added with mock cheer, “you are now stuck with everything that you never wanted."

In the darkness, Hiccup stared towards her, features slack.

Shifting awkwardly, embarrassed by her volatile mood, Astrid sighed.

"I guess…I don’t know…” she muttered. “You wanted to get away from me, and if I told you, then you wouldn't have a choice. If you didn't know…" Letting the statement die, she shrugging shallowly.

Blinking rapidly, Hiccup frowned. "That's...why would you…?"

As he struggled to pull together a coherent sentence, he then paused, replaying something she had said. "I-I never wanted to get away from you", he insisted.

A small snort escaped from Astrid’s mouth. "Really? Because a lot of what you've said...and what you've done…"

Though he shook his head, wishing she could see him, Hiccup couldn’t bring himself to argue.

"And to be honest”, she continued, her tone carrying the worry she felt, “you've been so erratic lately. You've been distancing yourself from everyone, even Toothless. Drinking alone. You don't sleep; you don’t eat…”

“I had no idea how you would even react. And when I say “handle”, I’m not talking about, like, just accepting it…I mean being able to function at all.”

Taking it all in, Hiccup sat quietly, fidgeting with his fingers anxiously. As much as he wanted to debate those points; to prove she was worried over nothing – he couldn’t.

Relieved by his silence, hoping that he would at least hear her out, Astrid’s voice grew quieter.

“I-I kept waiting for you to come out the other side of this – so that I could tell you once you were feeling stronger.”

Astrid closed her eyes. “I didn't want to leave”, she promised. “I wanted you to know."

Hiccup didn’t react immediately; letting this new information seep in.

He finally bobbed his head. "That’s…good to hear”, he replied, though it didn’t begin to express the jumbled thoughts and opinions that he was still trying to piece together. “And, I guess, I can see why you waited…”

While some of his pain was soothed by her admission, Hiccup was admittedly still bothered that she had taken the onus on herself. “But, I'm kind of involved in this whether I’m ready to be or not, aren’t I? I mean…” he huffed weakly, “you didn't exactly do this on your own. I-I knew the risks."

Startled, Astrid stared blankly into the dark. “...what?"

"Well, yeah”, Hiccup shrugged, “obviously, I knew that this could happen...”

His fingers continued to restlessly squirm. “I tried to be careful and, you know…" His volume faded as he muttered uncomfortably, "...move in time." [2]

Cheeks reddening, Hiccup scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as he bounced one shoulder. "So much for that, apparently."

Astrid's eye twitched, trying to wrap her brain around the idea that he had already accepted any consequences that came from their intimacy.

Even without seeing Astrid's expression, the extended pause was enough to peak Hiccup's attention. "What?"

Realizing that she had essentially shutdown mid-thought, Astrid tried to recover.

"Nothing", she hastily replied, her tone not matching the words. "Just...you know…you knew this could happen."

Now it was Hiccup’s turn to freeze in surprise. "Yeah…? Wait…you didn't?"

Hearing the disbelief in his voice made her feel extraordinarily dense.

"I should have", she acknowledged sheepishly, face flushing with embarrassment. "I...I wasn't really thinking…"

Hiccup sat in stunned silence.

"The thought never crossed your mind?" he reiterated incredulously. "Not once?"

When she didn't answer, his tone weakened. "If it had, would I...would you have still...um...?"

The question hung in the air as Astrid seriously considered it. She thought of all the pain and heartache over the past several months. Her fears of how it would permanently change their relationship, and that it truly had. The fact that everything had changed, and not for the better.

As easy as it was to recall how right her decisions seemed in the moment, she wondered how these fresh anxieties may have shaped her opinions had she allowed herself to think things through.

Though she was only silent for several seconds, the time dragged on for Hiccup and quickly chipped away at his insecurities.

"Of course you wouldn't", he muttered sullenly, grunting as he carefully pushed himself to stand. "Why sentence yourself to a life with the useless heir?"

Astrid’s head spun to look towards him, at first startled but soon shifting to annoyance. She tilted her head back, closing her eyes in exasperation.

"Hiccup..." she groaned, tiring of having their arguments always return to the same issue. "Why do you always..."

She then shook her head, crossing her arms tightly across her chest as she glared into the darkness. "You know I don't think that!"

"No, Astrid", he countered, "I really don't know that."

"Well, you should! Gods, sometimes you're just..." She growled under her breath, jabbing her finger towards him in emphasis. "You have plenty of reasons to be mad at me but do not blame me for something that I've never said!"

Hiccup laughed sardonically, though his voice cracked with hurt. "You don't have to! Your actions say plenty...why else would you go so far out of your way to make sure that everything about us is so damn temporary?"

Astrid's brow creased, still confused but feeling the quick return of her indignation. "Whoa, whoa!" she cried. "What are you talking about?"

Hiccup exhaled harshly, groaning under his breath as he struggled to articulate his hurried thoughts. He felt crazy, trying to wrangle impulsive words without a logical filter to pass them through.

"We've spent years making sure no one could think we're anything other than friends...we've had to hide everything." At this he huffed humorlessly. "Still hiding everything, evidently."

Mouth ajar, Astrid shook her head. "I'm not the one who broke things off", she reminded, her tone icy.

"That's just it", Hiccup breathed, tossing his arm up. "There was nothing to break off! Everything changed, but at the same time, nothing did! As far as everyone else is concerned-"

"Who cares what everyone else thinks?!" Astrid cried.

"You do!" he argued. "I think you care a lot about what people think..."

Astrid’s eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

Desperately needing to pace, Hiccup instead took small steps to turn away from her.

"We finally get away from Berk...no parents or nosy neighbors watching our every move...” He shook his head at his own naiveté. “I don't know, I guess I thought things would change. T-that whatever was making you go out of your way to keep everything a secret, was finally gone and we could stop having to act like different people half the time. And still, nothing changed!"

Curling her lip, Astrid placed a hand to her rounded stomach. "Uh, I'd say a lot changed, Hiccup, or we wouldn't be fighting about this right now, would we??"

Hiccup scoffed. "You know what I mean”, he chided. “Even on the Edge: nope, still had to keep up appearances…"

Baring her teeth, livid, Astrid seethed. "And you agreed to that!” she reminded, crossing her arms defensively. “What happened to you worrying about being accused of playing favorites?"

Turning to face her, knowing they were less than a foot apart, Hiccup braced his hands on his hip.

"I agreed, with you, that it would be an awkward situation. You clearly still weren't comfortable with it all and I was just trying to find any reason to be okay with it. I-I never liked it, okay? I still don't and still can't understand why you were too embarrassed for even our friends to know that we were…gods, whatever we were!"

Insulted, Astrid leaned forward slightly. “I was not embarrassed”, she hissed. “Everyone from the Shivering Shores to…I don’t know…Changewing Island could have known and that would have been fine with me!”

Her insistence came as a surprise to Hiccup, who expected to hear at least some hesitancy.

“…um…r-really?” he probed, still struggling to fully accept that. “Then, why was it such a big deal that the gang not…?

Rolling her eyes, Astrid sighed. "Because”, she reminded, “I'm the one who has to deal with Ruffnut or Snotlout or whoever using it against me!”

Not understanding -- and already doubting -- her argument, Hiccup frowned.

“If I'm ever given a better mission, or get to break for the day before they do”, she explained, her face heating up just thinking about it, “it's not because I'm better suited, or woke up at the crack of dawn. No! It must be because you want to get into my leggings!”

Hiccup’s scowl loosened somewhat, remembering similar jabs in the past.

Sensing his de-escalation, Astrid leaned back a bit, groaning as she rubbed the taut muscles of her neck. “Gods, they say that now...” she grumbled. “Who knows what that they would say if they knew everything!"

Pursing his lips, Hiccup exhaled through his nose. “That’s…yeah”, he conceded. “I can probably guess what they would say…” His nose wrinkled as he imagined what fun their crude teammates would have at their expense.

Nodding in thought, Hiccup released a breath he had realized he was holding.

“Still…” he continued, “it was going to have to come out as some point, right?”

When Astrid didn’t immediately agree, his brow furrowed. “Oooor were you satisfied with just sneaking around until…what? I got forced into a marriage with someone else?”

Wrinkling her nose, Astrid wriggled uncomfortably at the thought. A worst case scenario she never allowed herself to consider yet knew it was possible at the rate they were heading.

“I…didn’t think about all that”, she mumbled, an honest statement but lacking needed context.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow, doubting that she would miss something so obvious. “How?”

“I don’t know”, Astrid shrugged dismissively. “I should of, but I guess I just didn’t, okay?”

Shaking his head, Hiccup pushed back, unsatisfied. “No. No, not okay”, he prodded. “You’re a smart woman, Astrid, so I know that’s not it.”

Pressing her lips together nervously, Astrid’s form became rigid. His persistence worried her, and Astrid was growing irritated with his unknowing but incessant prying into her fears.

The fact that she didn’t have an argument prepared was enough to convince Hiccup.

“So”, he continued, “what did you really think was going to happen when--?”

Finally past her limit, Astrid stomped her foot into the ground. “Hiccup, stop it!” she demanded, eyes wide with fear. “I just don’t want to talk about it, alright??”

The outburst startled Hiccup, who reared his head back, dumbfounded.

Realizing how heated her reaction had been, Astrid instantly regretted lashing out.

“S-sorry”, she muttered, her voice quieter. “But, really, please”, she begged, “…not right now.”

Still taken aback, Hiccup stared her direction. He had no idea what triggered that response, or which boundary he clearly overstepped. But beneath the anger in her tone, he could feel the panic that drove her.

He didn’t understand if, but it genuinely bothered him that something could shake her so much.

“Okay…” he soothed. “Alright.”

Astrid nodded, relieved but still too humiliated to speak.

Wanting to break past the tension, Hiccup took the conversation a few steps back. “Well”, he sighed, “the team is going to have to know now.” The thought soon expanded, and he rubbed his chin anxiously. “Gods, everyone is going to have to know…”

When Astrid didn’t respond, only nodded her head quietly, Hiccup voiced another question. "Does anyone else know?"

Astrid shrugged. "...Heather..."

Hiccup huffed quietly. "Yeah, I knew that one", he grumbled. "Why did Heather get to know before I did?"

Astrid crossed her arms defensively. "I didn't tell Heather anything”, she muttered. “Viggo figured it out and-"

Hiccup’s eyes widened. "Wait. Viggo?"

She frowned at the recurring interruptions. "Yes."

"Viggo knows?!" Voice raising in alarm, Hiccup swore under his breath. "How? How did he know? H-how long has he known?"

"I don't..." Astrid started, replaying the event. "…no one said anything. Even Heather didn't know then. But he just knew."

Astrid wished she could see Hiccup as he fell into total silence.

A frustrated groan was the first sound he made.

"This", he stressed. "This is exactly why we cannot afford any secrets. I-I'm trying to consider every angle - every possible move he could make - and I can't do that if I don't know what he knows."

"I didn't know he knew anything!" Astrid insisted. "Why would he? Until yesterday the only people on Midgard who knew were me and Gothi."

Rubbing his hands together anxiously, still fixating on Viggo, Hiccup was momentarily yanked from his thoughts.

“Gothi? How does Gothi..." He then paused, bringing his hand to his face, fingers pressed to the bridge of his nose. "Berk", he concluded flatly. "When you left for Berk."

Astrid rubbed her hand on the opposite arm. "Yeah..." she confirmed, recalling that difficult day. "I wasn't sure, and I didn't know who else to go to."

“That’s why you went to Berk”, Hiccup stated plainly for his own benefit, another detail clicking into place after months of confusion. His brow then shot straight up. "...d-does that mean Dad…?"

"I don't think so”, Astrid interjected. She couldn’t help but to huff a small laugh. “I'm sure you’d know if he did."

It was hard to imagine anything short of a surprise visit from their Chief, enraged and ready to drag them both back to Berk himself.

“Heh, y-yeah…” Hiccup stammered, forcing a nervous laugh. He could practically see that conversation play out, and the thought alone made him shudder.

"…plus”, Astrid added, “I begged Gothi to let me handle it. She seemed to understand.” The confidence in her voice slipped a bit as she considered the cryptic old woman. “…I think.”

When she could hear Hiccup shift uncomfortably, Astrid thought of anything else that may help to alleviate his anxieties. “Besides, I didn't even say who was...um..."

"Responsible" Hiccup finished dully.

Astrid nodded, looking in his direction with sympathy. He was catching up and fully absorbing what it all meant; what the true ramifications of their recklessness would be.

The heaviness in his voice reflected the fresh burden that had been dropped on his shoulders, when he could barely manage what he already had. What she was trying to avoid all along.

His sigh pulled her from her thoughts.

"I can't believe we're even having this conversation”, Hiccup mumbled, so quiet she almost didn’t hear.

Astrid wasn’t a bit surprised by how deflated he sounded; she was well acquainted with enormity of it all.

She wanted to say something – something insightful, or that would offer any comfort. But as worried as she was about what this news would do to Hiccup’s faltering resilience, the knowledge that her decisions along the way, and how he found out, made it all the more distressing.

For someone raised to value her pride above all else, her time on the Edge had proven to be a gauntlet. One she was still trying to rebuild from.

Astrid canted to rest with her hip against the rock wall, habitually hiding the tears that irritated her eyes despite the cover of dark. Bowing her head, she angrily wiped at her face.

The pressure of her leaning against one of the stones produced the slightest amount of give, and Astrid could hear the soft groan of two rocks rubbing together.

Her hands quickly flew to the stone, as she gentle pressed against the wall looking for any budge. After traveling halfway up, the tips of her fingers detected the slightest wiggle in a rock just out of her grasp.

"Hiccup...Hiccup, this rocks loose!" she breathed hopefully. "Maybe…if we can give it a shove from higher up… "

This time, Hiccup was far more responsive. In only half a step, he was at her back, and he raised his arms to run his hands across the stone.

He slowed once he brushed past her fingers, trying to locate the rock.

Stretching the entire length of his body, Hiccup flattened his palm against the loose stone. With a few firm presses, he was able to push it out an inch or so.

Pulling his hands away, shaking his arms before reaching back up, he grunted as he gave another shove.

The stone finally fell away and tumbled down the pile of rubble, allowing flickering firelight from a nearby torch to flood the space.

Both Vikings gasped, adjusting to the harsh glare that caused their pupils to contract.

With a groan, Hiccup forced his eye lids open, squinting as he tried to take in the visual details around him. The first thing he noticed was just how many stones surrounded them, and how truly cramped their quarters were.

As his gaze shifted to Astrid, his vision starting to sharpen, he took in her own pained expression as she wiped away bits of dust from her eyes.

Beginning to turn his head to look up at the small opening above, something unusual stood out in Hiccup's periphery. Eyes darting back to Astrid, he looked down, and he paled at the sight of deep crimson running down one of her legs.

"O-oh, gods!" he gasped.

Startled by the dread in his voice, Astrid followed his stare, seeing the blood soaking through her leggings on her left leg.

Her breathing hitched, and she quickly scrunched up her skirt. Pulling the garment up, she revealed a tear in the fabric and an open wound slashed across her upper thigh.

"I-it's okay", she assured, though her voice was shaking. "Just a cut. That's all."

Hiccup’s stunned features relaxed only slightly, though he winced at the injury that he deemed far more extensive than just “a cut”.

Meanwhile, a large gash on his temple drew Astrid’s gaze.

"Wow, your forehead is really bleeding…" she breathed, frowning as she inspected the slice. "Sit down."

Hiccup didn't move, still rattled and gaze locked on her legs. "Y-you're sure you're okay, right?" he stressed.

"Yes", Astrid quickly assured, "I'm not the one who is going to pass out if they don't get down. Now."

Slowly, Hiccup complied, lowering himself to the ground.

Astrid hiked her skirt back up and ripped at the right legging, tearing the threads until they split. A rough kick tossed her boot to the ground before pulling the fabric away from her leg.

She repeated the same action on the other side, letting the tattered material drop to the floor.

With one of the strips still in-hand, Astrid gripped each end; tugging firmly to stretch the fibers.

Meanwhile Hiccup said nothing, only watched as she settled to her knees beside him. The first sound he made was as he felt the band of fabric press against his temple, and he held back a pained hiss as it tightened around the throbbing wound.

Looking for a distraction, Hiccup scanned their surroundings, though there was nothing of great interest beyond the impressive amount of debris that encased them.

The flickering light highlighted just how fortunate they were to not be immediately crushed by the collapsing rubble. His gaze wandered to the worst of the pile -- where he had been standing before Astrid yanked him back.

Feeling Astrid's fingers raking his hair back as she found a suitable placement to place a knot, he tried to ignore the tight squeeze of his stomach at the familiar, pleasant sensation. It soothed him, and he fought the feeling of comfort it brought.

As the pressure of Astrid's hand directed him to tilt his head slightly, Hiccup found himself staring down at her stomach. With her shoulders hunched forward as she leaned in towards him, he could see the thick panels of her hangerock lay against the mound beneath. After weeks of forcibly preventing himself from looking at her for any length of time, he took in the evident changes in her body that he should have recognized as being out of place.

Muttering quietly to herself as she wrestled with the fabric, Astrid hazarded a glance down at the young man's face. Seeing him fixated, she looked back at her work.

Another minute passed before she looked again, still seeing the same indiscernible expression. Her lips tugged into a hint of a wry smile, though she ignored the urge to say anything.

She returned her attention to tightening the fabric, testing the knot and finding herself overall pleased with her handiwork.

"There", Astrid signaled, not allowing her gaze to fall again to Hiccup’s face. She instead rubbed at a splotch of blood that was beginning to dry against her palm. "You'll want to keep that on for a while."

Astrid didn't expect him to say anything. She was surprised when he did.

"How long?" he murmured.

Pressing her lips in thought, Astrid used the pad of her thumb to carefully tug one side of the makeshift bandage down, adjusting to a better angle.

"At least the rest of today", she suggested, frowning at how quickly the thin fabric became saturated with blood. "Though we'll want to switch it out at some point…"

"N-No", Hiccup corrected.

Her brow creased as she finally looked at him in confusion.

Hiccup's mouth hung open awkwardly before his lips pursed together, his hand traveling to rest on the back of his neck as his eyes fell back to her stomach. "I mean, um…"

Astrid's eyes widened slightly, her hands falling to her thighs as she tensed her fingers against the flesh.

"Oh", she replied lightly. She lowered herself until she was sitting on the ground as well, looking down at her belly and pushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"You mean until I…" The rest caught in her throat.

He nodded meekly, looking up at her face momentarily before dropping his gaze again.

Tapping her fingers against her knees, Astrid counted out the months. There was honestly no reason to -- she had performed the simple calculation at least a dozen times before. But there was something therapeutic about abandoning more emotional topics for unfeeling facts.

"Sometime in Gói, I think”, she recalled. “Maybe even Einmánuður." [3]

She watched Hiccup’s expression as she spoke, noting one side of his mouth pull back into a faint grimace. Having been born before the spring, he was well aware of the added worries that came with birthing a child in the coldest months.

Astrid forced a faint but comforting smile. "Should be past the worst of winter", she assured, though she carried the same concerns.

Hiccup only nodded, letting his features slack as he blankly stared at her abdomen.

Astrid watched him carefully, trying to predict his current state of mind. The initial panic seemed to subside, though there was an understandable hint of residual terror. He would have appeared contemplative if not for the nervous way he chewed at his lower lip.

Feeling uncomfortably vulnerable under his stare, Astrid dipped her head to try and meet his gaze.

"What?" she prompted.

When their eyes, met he raised his brow. "What what?" he returned, unsure what she was asking.

Having Hiccup’s full attention did little to quiet the awkwardness Astrid felt. Brimming with anxiety and suddenly desperate to move, she sated the need by running her hand up and down her arm.

"...I don't know what you're thinking", she admitted.

The uncharacteristically sensitive tone of Astrid’s voice seemed to rattle Hiccup from his musings.

His expression eased as he looked down in thought. With an empty huff he looked back at Astrid with a failed attempt at a smile. "Honestly? Neither do I."

She said nothing, only nodded slowly while holding his gaze as she pushed sweat-soaked clumps of hair out of her face.

The positioning of her folded legs stretched the severed tissue of her thigh, reminding her of her own injury. Carefully extending her leg as straight as she could along the ground, Astrid bunched her skirt into her lap so that she could see the entire gash.

Hiccup watched silently as Astrid worked; her fingers deftly winding the other strip of fabric tightly against the wound. When she raised a hand to her forehead, using the back to swipe a line of sweat from her brow, the slight shine of her skin made him more fixate on how warm is was in tunnel.

"Why is it so hot down here?" he wondered aloud, wrinkling his nose while wiping damp hands down the sides of his pants.

Relieved for a neutral topic to break the tension, Astrid shrugged. "I don't know…you’d think it’s be cold, right?”

Nodding in agreement, Hiccup tilted his head back to examine the small opening in the rocks. Thinking back, he hadn’t seen anything as he flew over the island that would explain the heat.

After tying a second knot to keep her bandage in place, Astrid ran her hands carefully over the rough rocks beneath her, pushing small fragments of stone aside to reveal a tiny patch of the solid earth. As the tips of her fingers pressed into the ground, she frowned in thought.

"Feels like it's coming from further down", she noted

She kept her hand in place as Hiccup set the back of his hand next to hers.

He too felt the warmth radiate through the rock.

With a sigh, Hiccup pull his hand back. "You are right", he admitted, flicking his gaze to her. "We have to focus on getting out of here."

Astrid peered up at him through her bangs, re-positioning herself to lean on one hip.

Pushing the fringes of his own hair off his face, Hiccup frowned.

"I don't know why Viggo wants Toothless. Or why he wants me to get out of here to get to Toothless." With a quick roll of his eyes, he rubbed his hand over his brow. "Or why he does anything that he does", he added, muttering.

Sliding the tip of her tongue over her lips in an attempt to soothe the chapped skin, Astrid nodded absently.

"Well, if he wants you to escape, he isn't making it easy", she sighed, dusting her palms against her bare thighs as she gave their enclosure another scan. "One wrong move and-"

"And it all comes crashing down on us", Hiccup finished flatly. "Yeah. I got that."

Astrid's brows fell in response to his sharpness. While sarcasm was far from novel for him, his words carried an extra bite that they normally didn't.

But he seemed to catch himself, his expression quickly softening before shooting her an apologetic look.

Both parties became quiet, reminded that even small-talk was suddenly an uphill battle.

Trying to ignore the painful tug at her heart, Astrid attempted to get the conversation back on an amiable track.

"So what do you want to do?" she asked.

Though Hiccup's frown persisted, the inquiry prompted him to reorient his thoughts to solution finding.

"I’m…not sure", he admitted. He looked to Astrid, whose eyes momentarily widened in concern.

"But we'll think of something", he assured, keeping his voice even.

The promise encouraged Astrid somewhat, though she couldn't shake the feeling that it was an empty gesture. Even assuming they managed to wriggle out of their latest confines, they were still in danger the moment they stepped foot outside of the rubble.

As much as she loved a good fight, her current condition and the cumulative exhaustion she felt left her dreading the thought of their next trial. And if the bags under Hiccup's eyes were any indication, he wasn't doing much better.

If they wanted any hope of holding their own, they needed time to recover.

"Might want to rest then", she suggested with a shrug, fighting her own reluctance to let her guard down. "Be ready for anything."

Hiccup stared back up at the small gap in the rocks, humming in agreement. "We can sleep in shifts", he added. "I’ll take second."

Frowning, Astrid shook her head.

"You first", she countered. "I'm sure I've slept more recently."

Scratching at the uncomfortable stubble on his jawline, Hiccup shrugged one shoulder.

"Maybe", he acknowledged, "but there's no way I can sleep right now."

Astrid didn’t see how that was possible. From his ashen complexation to his blood-shot eyes, he looked like he could fall asleep walking.

She pursed her lips, frustrated and worried. "Well, I don't think I can sleep either", she claimed, hoping he would give in and admit he needed the sleep.

Without glancing back over at her, Hiccup gave a soft groan. "Try", prompted wearily.

A tug of Astrid’s cheek signaled her disapproval. But sensing that they were at the precipice of yet another fight, she begrudgingly relented.

Looking down at the ground, she realized just how little space she had to work with, given that their close quarters created an awkward environment to share. The farthest she could be was barely more than a stride away, assuming she hugged the cavern wall.

As uninviting as the option was, it would have to do.

Leaning further to her side, Astrid tossed several stray rocks aside and brushed away bits of debris to clear something almost suitable to lay on.

All the while Hiccup awkwardly watched her as she carefully maneuvered about to find a comfortable position.

Rolling to her good side and putting pressure on her injured leg, Astrid tensed suddenly from the shot of pain.

The movement wasn't missed by Hiccup, whose brow creased with concern as he found an acceptable patch of the tunnel’s wall to lean again. “You alright?”

“…yep…” Astrid claimed through clenched teeth. “Fine. I’m fine.”

The look Hiccup gave her portrayed his disbelief, but he said nothing as she shifted again, finally settling into a passable position with her face turned towards the cavern wall.

Neither said a word, laying in silence as they each stared at the rocks surrounding them. Shadows danced across the stone as the firelight that filtered from above flickered in and out.

The last nearly formed thought that drifted through Astrid's mind was how much longer the flame would burn until they were again plunged into darkness - only seconds before she gave in to sleep.

[1] Reference to Viggo's advice to Dagur in RTTE S2 Ep 13 - Maces and Talons, Part 2.

[2] While there are many different approaches to managing birth control in the HTTYD fandom (all valid), I decided to go with historical norm that short of abstinence, the "pull-out method" would have been the best chance to reduce - but certainly not prevent - the chance of pregnancy. This further re-enforces the disconnect in the story where Hiccup realizes that potential risks.

[3] The last two months of winter, which aligns with the Gregorian calendar to be anywhere from mid-February to early April.

#deceit httyd #httyd #hiccup #astrid #hiccstrid #angst #fanfic

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jadeandsunsets-blog · 8 years ago

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Oh...oh, wow. Oh my goodness, I am so sorry this is delayed, but @hello-em75 I cannot thank you enough for the spotlight and your lovely message!

You are such a gift to this fandom and I’m just so touched that you took the time to read and share my work. I would love to know you better as well, so please never hesitate to send a message my way!

Thanks for doing all that you do!

IHFAP #80

If you’re up for some Dragons, my livestream of HTTYD and HTTYD 2 is happening tomorrow (Friday, April 7) at 4 PM PDT (Pacific Daylight Time)! I’ll be posting the link to get to my room on rab.bit at around 3 PM, so watch out for that so you don’t miss out on a minute of Dragons!

IHFAP Informational Post / IHFAP Sept./Oct. Recap / IHFAP Nov. Recap / IHFAP Dec. Recap / IHFAP Jan. Recap / IHFAP Feb. Recap / IHFAP March Recap / IHFAP #79

Spotlight: @jadeandsunsets

We haven’t really talked or anything, but I just wanted to say that I’m a huge fan of you and your blog! Your writing is so wonderful and the way you write Hiccstrid is so tried and true to their characters. I’ve definitely caught myself watching RTTE and having to remind myself that what you wrote wasn’t canon (at least not yet)! Anyways, you seem like a very friendly and fun person and I hope that we can get to know each other better! Thanks for making the HTTYD fandom such an awesome place to be in!

If you want to read some fantastic fanfiction, then I’ve got you covered:

Jadeandsunset’s Fanfiction

#hello-em75 #IHFAP #Fandom appreciation #httyd #hiccstrid

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jadeandsunsets-blog · 8 years ago

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Hiccstrid Short Story: Back In the Saddle

So, like some others in the fandom have mentioned, I’ve been a bit perplexed why in RTTE Astrid has repeatedly fallen off of Stormfly in battle. How is it that the same woman could ride so expertly in HTTYD 2 while doing some pretty intense maneuvers without any trouble?

Then I looked at her saddle in RTTE vs HTTYD 2. Notice a difference?

Major design improvements: different shape, side grips, and a handlebar. This got me thinking… what prompted the additions to her saddle? Here’s my take.

Back In The Saddle

Note: Takes place during RTTE, sometime after the end of S4.

Hiccup stood outside the stable, fingers flexing at his sides anxiously as he stared at the open door. Chewing slightly at his lip, deep in thought, he didn’t notice the curious look he received from the Night Fury beside him. Toothless’ emerald eyes flicked between his rider and the stable, wondering why they didn’t just walk in. It was a beautiful day -- perfect weather for flying -- and standing there doing nothing was wasting such precious time.

Growing inpatient, Toothless warbled, nudging his snout against Hiccup’s hip.

“Oh, heh, sorry, bud”, he apologized sheepishly, placing his hand on the dragon’s temple. “Just, eh…preparing.”

Lifting one ear in confusion, Toothless chuffed as he blinked owlishly.

Hiccup puffed his cheeks, blowing out a breath in anticipation. “Wish me luck.”

Entering the stable, the pair saw Stormfly resting on her haunches, crooning happily as Astrid slid a soapy brush against her shoulders. The young woman’s back was facing them, her arm pull stretched to reach further up her dragon’s back.

“Hey, Hiccup!” she called brightly, not needing to turn her head to recognize the scrape of her boyfriend’s prosthetic against the wooden floor.

Hiccup smiled, trying to appear more at ease as he approached. “Hey yourself”, he greeted casually.

As Toothless bounded towards Stormfly, shaking his head side-to-side with excitement, Hiccup stepped briefly to Astrid’s side and leaned towards her.

She shifted her face towards him slightly while keeping her gaze on her work, offering her cheek as he planted a quick kiss.

He then took a small step back, watching as Stormfly bobbed her head at the Night Fury that leapt around her in an attempt to initiate play.

Astrid chuckled, reminding her dragon to try to stay still so that she could finish.

Settling into what he hoped appeared to be a natural pose, Hiccup scratched at the bottom of his jaw as he looked back at Astrid. “So. How’s, uh -- how’s it going?”

“Pretty good”, she reported with a quick nod of her head. “Just giving Stormfly a quick wash before we try out a few inversion maneuvers I’ve been wanting to practice.”

The Nadder gave an excited squawk, turning her head to receive an affectionate scratch from Astrid.

Hiccup’s mouth reflexively tugged back, though he made a point to relax his features. “Oh, yeah…that’s, great”, he replied cheerfully – perhaps a little too much. “You, uh, two sure are getting to be quite the daredevils, huh?”

His tone prompted Astrid to turn her head to peer over her shoulder at him; brow raised in amusement. “You’re one to talk”, she teased, smiling as she resumed running the brush over Stormfly’s scales. “I’m not quite jumping off my dragon yet, thank you very much.”

Hiccup huffed a muted laugh, running his hand through his hair. “Yeah, you, uh, you got me there”, he admitted, his voice strained with forced levity.

Unbeknownst to him, Astrid pursed her lips in thought, acutely aware of his discomfort. She then smiled; this could be fun.

“So…” she breathed with a content sigh, pretending to focus entirely on Stormfly’s bath. “You gonna tell me what’s up?”

Blinking in surprise, thrown by the lilting tone that contrasted her knowing words, Hiccup pulled his mouth into a nervous grin. “W-what? Up?” he repeated, his voice rising unnaturally high.

Seeing Astrid look at him out of the corner of her eye, smirking, he cleared his throat. “Nothing’s “up”, just, standing here. Talking to you.”

Astrid rolled her eyes good-naturedly, turning to fully face Hiccup as she lightly gripped the brush and settled the back of her hand on her hip. “Out with it, Haddock”, she prompted.

He stared at her blankly, eyes wide with the realization that he’d been caught. Coughing, if for no other reason than to give him something to do as he looked off to the side, Hiccup crossed his arms over his chest. “Right, okay…” he sighed in resignation. “I guess I did want to talk to you about something.”

“Hmm, really?” Astrid asked with false surprise, struggling to hold back a smile as she watched him fumble awkwardly under her calculating stare.

Hiccup swayed slightly as he spoke, smiling weakly as he finally returned Astrid’s gaze. “It’s nothing, really”, he insisted, “it’s just, about you…”

“Uh huh…”

His smile faltered a bit as he absently scuffed the tip of his prosthetic against the ground. “And Stormfly…”

Astrid’s brow angled in surprise. “Okay…”

Hiccup noticeably flinched. “And, y’know, just an observation that you’ve been having….trouble, lately.”

Her own smile quickly fading, Astrid tilted her head. “Trouble?” she echoed, slowly forming each syllables.

“Y-yeah”, he laughed uncomfortably, his hand traveling to rest on the back of his neck..

Cinching her brow, Astrid’s form began to tense, her hip jutting out slightly. “Define “trouble””, she prompted, a hint of offense in her voice.

Hiccup’s false front quickly crumbled. “Well, y’know, you, uh…” Then, with a long, drawn out sigh, his shoulders fell in defeat. “You’re falling off Stormfly, Astrid. A-a lot.”

Rearing her head back, Astrid’s lips parted as her stare grew heated. “I am not!” she shot back, scandalized.

In an instant Hiccup hands were up and splayed in a placating manner; the same form she saw him use on feral dragons. “Not criticizing!” he assured. “You are an excellent rider; one of Berk’s best. Nothing to do with your skill or anything like that.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You’re damn right it’s not”, she muttered. Flashing him a disappointed look, Astrid shook her head as she turned back to Stormfly. “And there’s nothing to criticize because nothing is wrong”, she muttered.

Tilting his head back to look at the ceiling, groaning under his breath, Hiccup shook his head slightly before trying a different approach.

“Hey”, he breathed soothingly, slowly approaching Astrid and reaching for her hand. The action prompted his girlfriend to cast an indignant stare and her muscles tensed as if ready to yank her hand back.

Interlacing his fingers with her, gently keeping her hand in place so that he could guide her to face him again, he met her gaze with an earnest look. “You know I care about you, right?”

Pushing her lips together into a tight pout, Astrid continued to stare him down. “Yes”, she admitted, a bit tersely. “Though you have a funny way of showing it.”

Hiccup huffed, his mouth quirking into a smile. “Trust me, I have not been wanting to have this…talk. I don’t want to offend; I’m only doing it because I’m genuinely worried.”

Though her expression remained unchanged, Astrid’s eyes softened. “You don’t need to be worried”, she mumbled gruffly. Her cheeks reddened. “So I’ve lost my grip a few times, it’s not a big deal.” She squeezed his hand affectionately before pulling away and shrugging dismissively. “That’s why we train; it’s nothing we can’t handle.”

The smile on Hiccup’s face took on a sad quality. “I know you can handle it. You can handle anything…”

Leaning back against Stormfly’s flank, Astrid crossed her arms defensively. “But….”

Hiccup sighed. “But I think you might need some help to do it.”

An unexpected laugh erupted from her throat. “What kind of “help” could I possibly need?”

Hiccup shrugged one shoulder, though she knew he would never approach her without some ideas in mind. “I don’t know, but I’ve just been watching you two for a while now. I-I’m thinking a few small changes could make it easier to stay on. The way you crouch, you know, that could be a problem…less stable than straddling.”

“Not happening”, Astrid replied dryly. “Would kill my reaction time. Besides, Stormfly rarely flies with her back completely straight.”

Hiccup hummed in thought. “Yeah, that’s the other thing. Deadly Nadders are…well…”

A flash of anger caused Astrid’s eyes to widen before they narrowed. “Nadders are what?” she challenged.

Rounding his shoulders, ready for a confrontation, Hiccup scrunched his nose as he held her stare. “I mean, you have to admit, they can be a little…” His hand rotated in the air, searching for the word. “…jumpy. A lot of jerking, sudden movements -- especially when she’s startled.”

The dragon in question cocked her head aggressively, releasing a defiant squawk as she directed an intense glare at the one-legged Viking..

Her rider reached over to pat Stormfly’s face in support. “You’re just fine, girl”, Astrid cooed, making a point to send Hiccup a loaded look in offense.

Holding back an exasperated sigh, forgetting he would have two headstrong warriors to persuade, Hiccup instead frowned. “It’s not a judgement, I’m just trying to identify what it is that makes flying Nadders more difficult.” He tapped his finger to his chin, brow furrowed. “Maybe a few tweaks to your saddle would help...”

Casting a skeptical look to Stormfly, who swayed her head as she grumbled lowly, Astrid looked back at Hiccup. “We’re fine, Hiccup”, she assured coolly. “Thank you for the concern, but we have it under control.”

Before Hiccup could argue, Astrid tugged firmly at Stormfly’s harness, prompting the dragon to follow her as they left the stable in a huff.

Finally releasing an irked sigh, Hiccup shook his head as he watched them leave. “Well, that went about as well as I expected”, he muttered to Toothless.

“Stormfly, twirl! Dive! Double loop!”

After leaving the stable, Stormfly and Astrid took to the sky, flying as quickly as the Nadder’s wings allowed. Both tense and feeling the pangs of damaged pride, they furiously ran through a circuit of non-stop drills, pushing the dragon to her physical limits. Astrid ran them through every exercise they knew, experimenting with balance and positioning as she maintained a sharp focus on every move she made. To her satisfaction, other than a few slight shifts in her saddle that could have thrown her, the pair were in perfect sync.

As they cut through a wisp of clouds and started to descend as they flew back towards land, they soared over the Edge’s forest, just above the tops of the tallest trees.

The intensity of their flight did wonders for Astrid’s mood and confidence, and she grinned wildly at the addictive feeling of adrenaline coursing through her body. What was the harm of one more trick? “Roll, girl!” she cried, bracing for the impending inversion.

One minute Astrid could feel the hide of the saddle beneath her; the next she felt nothing but air whipping all around.

She barely had time to register she was falling, crashing into tree branches as Stormfly shrieked above her. After striking several limbs on her way down, Astrid managed to catch one of the last layers separating her from the ground. Her body wrapped around the branch, sputtering as a firm hit to her gut expelled all air in her lungs.

Groaning in pain and humiliation, Astrid loosened her grip enough to swing down so that only her arms held her up, checking the distance below her as she released her hold all together. She landed roughly on her feet, her arm grasping at her belly as she gasped for air through grit teeth.

Stormfly landed beside her, squawking in fright as she hurried towards the young woman. She tenderly prodded Astrid with her beak, but the rider was too enraged to even notice.

Making a tight fist, Astrid snarled as she stomped her foot into the dirt, then used her other to kick a nearby stone through the grass. “What is wrong with me?!”

Hiccup sat at his worktable, tongue poking out of his mouth as he carefully adjusted part of the Dragon Blade’s internal mechanism. Toothless lounged on the floor at his feet, having fallen asleep after waiting for the rider to complete his tinkering. To the dragon’s great disappointment, after the heated exchange between the riders, Hiccup was suddenly hesitant to fly around the island as planned.

So Hiccup kept his anxious mind busy, making adjustments that weren’t necessary and inspecting components that he knew were fine. Falling into a hyper-focused state as he went about his work, Hiccup didn’t even notice someone trudging up behind him until a saddle fell roughly on the table top before him.

Startled, Hiccup looked up, eyes wide as he met Astrid’s perturbed glare. Hair disheveled and fresh scratches to her face and arms, she looked worn out and disgusted.

“Do what you want”, she grumbled. Without another word she marched out of his hut, face flushed in embarrassment.

Hiccup turned his chair to watch her as she left, bewildered.

Having woken from the commotion, Toothless warbled, head cocked in interest.

Hiccup frowned. “I…I couldn’t say, bud.”

Looking back over at the discarded saddle, he ran a hand over the stitched hide. It was one of the first he made, not long after awakening from his battle with the Red Death. Still struggling to get around, Hiccup had spent a lot of his idle time sketching, drawing whatever random thought or creation came to mind. Whenever Toothless would pad about anxiously, desperate to fly but unable or willing to leave without the young boy, Hiccup would glance wistfully at the saddle he hastily built when Gobber was away from the forge. Thinking of his newfound friends, watching them as they spent each day getting to know their dragons and mastering the art of riding, he realized that they too would need something more secure than a simple roped harness.

Inspired, he sketched some simple designs, each with some consideration for the dragon that would be wearing it. He then made his was to his workshop in the forge, getting to work on making sure each rider had something suitable for their type of dragon and style of riding. Astrid’s had been the first that he made -- second ever -- shaped to accommodate her preference for balancing on the balls of her feet, ready to jump at a second’s notice. While his legs ached just thinking about holding that position for hours at a time, he had to admit that the warrior’s priority of utility over comfort was, well, fitting.

As Hiccup held the worn saddle in his hands, examining his earliest work, he immediately saw opportunity to improve the design. He knew more than he used to; not just in terms of craftsmanship but of the rider herself and the dragon she flew. She valued quick movements, and despite her issues maintaining her balance on Stormfly, was astoundingly graceful. Many of her movements were improvised; an organic response to whatever obstacles she faced. Stormfly also had rapid-fire reaction times – almost excessively so. Her motions were often rigid and unpredictable, and Astrid would need to be able to accommodate those shifts no matter how rough the ride became.

Pulling out a sheet of parchment, grasping at a charcoal pen, Hiccup began to sketch.

Arms crossed tightly over her chest, Astrid’s mouth pulled to one side of her face. “Hmm, a handle”, she muttered in a failed effort to hide her disdain.

Undeterred, Hiccup smiled proudly as he tightened the updated saddle’s straps against Stormfly’s flank. “Yep. If you’re going to be flying as erratically as you two seem to enjoy now, I think having something solid to grip is going to make all the difference.”

Astrid hummed, acknowledging that she heard him but clearly not fully onboard.

After pushing against the saddle to ensure a snug fit, Hiccup pointed out the other new features. “Back of the seat curves up a bit”, he noted, “for when a rough maneuver sends you backwards. And these”, he drawled, motioning to two curved bars on each side of the saddle, “are back-up grips.”

His enthusiastic smile waned momentarily as he turned to see his girlfriend’s apprehensive, almost mournful, expression. “You’d think I just broke your axe in front of you”, he teased lightly.

Astrid’s eyes flicked to meet his gaze, her features relaxing into a void neutral. “No”, she insisted quietly, “it’s…nice.”

Hiccup’s shoulder’s bounced, scoffing at her poor attempt to conceal her disappointment. “Try it”, he urged with a smile. “If you don’t like it, I’ll just take it all off. No harm done.”

Pressing her lips together into a thin line, Astrid eyed the saddle warily as she absently nodded.

Sensing that she wasn’t going to move on her own, Hiccup reached up to firmly pat the seat with his hand, looking at her expectantly.

Astrid’s chest expanded with a slow inhale, quickly blowing upward at an errant bang hanging over her eyes.

Hiccup chuckled at her dramatics, shaking his head.

Stormfly craned her neck in interest at the new addition on her back, tilting her head in various angles to see as much as she could.

Her rider, meanwhile, appeared less enthusiastic, gripping the edge of the saddle as she hoisted herself up. Settling onto her knees, having to consciously lift her thighs over the new side grips, Astrid found her balance as she wrapped her fingers around the edge of the saddle’s lip.

Hands at his hips, Hiccup canted his brow. “It’s not going to do anything if you don’t use it”, he jokingly chastised.

Groaning under her breath, Astrid scrunched her nose as she tentatively placed a hand on each side of the handlebar.

Hiccup snorted as he watched her, holding back a laugh as he side-stepped towards Toothless. “You’re acting like this physically hurts.”

“It does”, Astrid muttered, though the ends of her lips turned up as she glanced his way.

Hiccup smiled as he gave Toothless a firm scratch under his jaw. “C’mon, let’s go test it out.”

Noting his choice of words, Astrid hummed quietly as she flexed her fingers around the foreign handle. “You’re only going with me so that you can catch me when I fall. Again.”

Her dejected tone drew Hiccup’s gaze, and he signed with concern. Still he offered an affectionate smile. “No, milady”, he corrected gently, giving Toothless’ face a final pat, “I’m going because it’s been forever since we flew for fun. Just us.”

Astrid’s tight features released as she looked over at Hiccup, his sincerity cracking through her foul mood. She looked down, cheeks blushing as she tucked her bangs behind her ear, revealing a soft smile.

Satisfied, Hiccup swept his arm forward as he climbed onto Toothless’ saddle. “Lead the way.”

Finally returning a faint but genuine smile, Astrid patted Stormfly’s neck. “You heard him, girl”, she prompted.

With that the Nadder pushed off from the ground, wings flapping as she veered towards the south sea. Toothless quickly followed, slowing his pace to travel just to their left.

The team flew in comfortable silence for a time, just enjoying the novelty of being in the air again without any particular goal in mind. No missions to complete; no Hunters to find. Just freedom.

Astrid’s sour mood began to ease, comforted by the feeling of the sun’s warming rays on her face, even as the crisp air chilled her skin. With a content sigh, she looked ahead, seeing a cluster of sea stacks surrounding a small isle with a rocky terrain.

“Good a spot as any”, she called over to Hiccup, who nodded in agreement.

Toothless hung back slightly as Stormfly tilted at a sharp angle to follow the island’s coastline. Astrid dug her knees in as she always did, knuckles turning white as she clutched the saddle’s edge.

“Astriiiiid…”

The blonde whipped her head to the side to see Toothless and Hiccup a mere wing behind, the rider giving her a playful look in warning.

“Huh?” She followed his line of sight to her grip on the saddle. “Oh. Right”, she muttered, moving her hands to the bar. ”Sorry.”

As the dragons glided closer to the island’s cragged peaks, they followed the landscape down into a small valley before quickly turning upward. From there they coasted easily, tracing a stream leading back to the open sea.

Hiccup glanced over at Astrid, groaning in mild frustration as he noted that her hands had dropped back to their usual position. It couldn’t be said that she wasn’t as stubborn as any Viking who’d ever lived.

Feeling his gaze upon her, Astrid glanced at Hiccup. In response to his critical stare she shamelessly shrugged. “See? I’m fine.”

As her boyfriend’s expression hardened ever so slightly, she gave an appreciative smile. “It’s sweet that you did this; really. But I can manage these conditions just fine.”

Holding his stare, looking her over before turning his gaze to the serene scene around them, Hiccup pursed his lips. “Yeah”, he murmured in thought, “you’re right…”

His inflection caught Astrid’s attention, knowing there was some sort of idea brewing in his head. She watched him, curious, though looked away once it became apparent that he wasn’t going to divulge whatever was on his mind.

Just as her own thoughts began to wander, lulled into complacency by their placid surroundings, she was startled by a loud, high-pitched whine. A small explosion erupted in the air in front of them, leaving a thick puff of dark smoke.

“Whoa!!” Astrid shouted in surprise, bracing herself as Stormfly shifted erratically to avoid the plume of smoke. “Hiccup!” she called in surprise, at first worried for his safety. But her face blanched when she realized that not only was he fine, but that his Night Fury was the cause of the rude disruption.

“What is Toothless doing!?” she demanded, voice raw with shock.

The only response she received was a second shot in the air ahead of them, again startling the Nadder as she quickly dove down to dip underneath.

Nearly thrown from her seat again, Astrid turned her head to glare at Hiccup in disbelief. “What the Hel!?”

To this, he smirked. “What, you wanted a challenge, right?” Hiccup ribbed.

Realization set in, causing Astrid’s eyes to narrow. She knew she was being goaded, using her competitive nature against her. Even still, she returned a defiant smirk, shrugging her shoulders dismissively. She could play his games; AND win. “Do your worst.”

Arching an eyebrow, Hiccup smiled as he urged Toothless to speed up. With Stormfly on their tail, he led them back around the island, making a point to change altitudes without warning.

The Nadder kept her pace, falling behind momentarily but quickly making up ground.

Approaching the sea stacks, Toothless wove through the natural pillars at high-speed, creating a challenging obstacle course requiring instantaneous decision-making.

But Stormfly and Astrid pressed on, with Astrid keeping a sharp eye on the Night Fury’s movements as her dragon navigated every twist and turn.

Hiccup glanced behind and nodded, impressed that they’d managed to keep up.

As Stormfly pulled up alongside them, Astrid tossed Hiccup a bored expression. “So is there a point to all this or are you just being ornery for no reason?” she taunted, unable to hold back a grin.

“Oh no”, he assured cheekily, prompting Toothless to turn sharply as they again approached the sea stacks at a different angle. ”There’s a reason.”

Before Astrid would probe for a clear answer, her eyes widened as she saw Toothless suddenly swing upward upwards in one fluid motion, clearing the top of a sea stack that seemed to just appear from the mist.

Stormfly didn’t have time to increase her altitude, and was forced to swing rapidly to her left, flying at a tight angle as her rider clung to the handle bar.

Breathing heavily, Astrid’s head whipped around as she looked for any other surprises that hid within the vapor.

“Controlled flying is one thing”, Hiccup shouted calmly over the wind, “but when you add…”

Another burst shot from Toothless’ mouth, just beneath Stormfly’s claws, causing her to frantically flap her wings to rise higher.

“…distractions”, he continued, “and….”

Tensing as his sentence faded, Astrid looked ahead in time to see that the gap between the next line of sea stacks was too narrow for them to slip through. She growled in frustration as a panicked Stormfly was forced to break suddenly, turning so sharply that Astrid had to release one hand from the handle bar to grasp one of the side grips to avoid flying off.

“….multiple threats…”

Planting the soles of her boots firmly against Stormfly’s side, Astrid redistributed her weight to primarily hold herself from the side rail. As Stormfly worked to right herself, rising higher into the air, Astrid couldn’t help but notice how oddly secure she felt hanging off the Nadder’s side. Able to adjust her own balance to be in sync with the dragon’s movement, she felt sure-footed and stable.

Releasing a breath as her heart rate finally slowed, Hiccup and Toothless were once again at their side. The young man grinned widely. “…then even little advantages can help.”

Swallowing heavily, Astrid laughed breathlessly as she pulled herself back into the saddle. She was quickly beginning to appreciate the benefits of these new features, and thanked every god that she had thus far avoided another humiliating plunge.

“I want to try something else”, she announced to Hiccup, looking down at the waves far below. Her eyes then darted to him, holding him in a serious stare. “And don’t trail me.”

Hiccup didn’t hide the nervous twitch of his lips, but held up his hands in concession.

Smiling, Astrid craned her neck to look into the Nadder’s golden eyes. “Stormfly”, she prompted, using her index finger to point downwards, “dive!”

The dragon obliged, curving her back to fall into a steep drop.

Hiccup peered down around Toothless’ wing, biting at his lip as he watched them plummet but stayed in place as promised.

As the water’s surface rushed towards them, Astrid could feel Stormfly shudder, glancing worriedly at the Viking on her back.

“I’ve got it, girl!” Astrid promised, shouting over the deafening rush of air. “Go!!”

The Nadder returned her gaze to the water, increasing her speed then quickly jerking upward just above the cresting waves.

Astrid felt herself slide way back, but this time gripped the handle with both hands as she braced her arms, feeling some resistance at her tailbone from the curve of the seat. Her stomach wavered, and her cheeks pulled back against the sudden force. She allowed her lips to slide up, revealing her teeth as she threw her head back with a boisterous laugh and a loud whoop.

Flapping her wings heavily as she readjusted to climb at a sharp incline, Stormfly pushed onward, soon leveling off as Toothless swooped down towards them.

“You did it!” Hiccup cheered, relieved and reveling in Astrid’s elation.

“We did it!” Astrid corrected, throwing her arms around Stormfly’s neck. “Oh, you did great, girl!”

The Nadder crooned happily, relishing the praise.

Pushing back wind-swept locks of hair from her face, Astrid looked over at Hiccup to see him staring at her with such reverence that it made her heart skip a beat. It was the same loving gaze she had occasionally caught him sending over the years, but it warmed her that they were now to a point where there was no need for him to look away awkwardly and mumble excuses.

Astrid smiled back, overcome by a wave of rapturous bliss; a foundational sense of well-being that she hadn’t felt since before the Dragon Hunters intruded into their lives.

Turning her head to look at the horizon, estimating they had at least another hour or so before the others would expect them back, she glanced at their dragons, both content and still full of energy, before gazing at Hiccup with an impish grin. “So?” she beamed excitedly, “what’s next?”

Toothless raced into the stables, looking over his shoulder to be sure that Stormfly was still chasing after him. Sure enough, she came bounding in behind him, bobbing her head forward to nip playfully at his tail, inciting him to turn the tables and begin pouncing after her.

Their riders strolled in behind them, chattering away happily about the various stunts and tricks they practiced until the sun began to set.

“I cannot wait for the next race!” Astrid gushed with excitement, her grin almost becoming vicious. “Snotlout is going to wet himself when we barrel-roll over him and snag a sheep right from his hands!”

Hiccup laughed at the disturbing but vivid image that came to his mind. “Good to know my hard work will be put to good use.” Smiling as Astrid chuckled in response, he then sucked in his bottom lip, looking at her with cautious optimism. “So….you like it? The saddle?”

Looking at the young man’s expression, hopeful but weighed with concern, her face lit up. “Love it.”

His face instantly brightened, giving a quick nod as he looked down at the loose reins in his hands. Hiccup’s chest puffed up slightly, swelled with pride. “Well, let me know if the bars are holding up okay over time”, he noted, stepping to a row of hooks on the wall and looping the leather band around one of them. “Probably a good idea to check them every now and again unti-“

He stopped in surprise as two arms suddenly wrapped around him, and he smiled at the weight of Astrid’s body against his back as she embraced him.

“Thank you”, she murmured into his armor. He could feel her forehead resting along his spine. “I know fighting me on anything is a bit of an uphill climb.”

Releasing a quiet huff, Hiccup turned slowly to face her, allowing him to place his arms around her shoulders as he pulled her into a proper hug. “Eh, sometimes”, he admitted with a shrug, smiling as he pressed a kiss into her hair. “But you’re worth every step.”

#rtte spoilers #hiccstrid #fanfic #stormfly #astrid #httyd2 #short story

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