#the poor baby is all skin and bones and he THANKED hiccup for coming to save him but at least they're together again

[howtodrawyourdragon]

But also, Hiccup and Toothless are back together again!

[tipsydipsydo]

➳ Virgin! AU

➳ Foursome; soft Sex

Pairing: Yoongi x virgin! Reader x Taehyung x Jungkook

Gender of the Reader: female

Word Count: ~1k

Genre: Fluff; Smut

Warnings: Sexual Language + soft Dirty Talk; Polyamory Relationship; virgin! Reader; first experiences; talk about boundaries/consent; Petnames; Praising; Worship; (double) Fingering; everything is really kinda soft~

A/N: After some time I've finally written another drabble again and I hope y'all like it. It's really soft and sweet!

[Links]:

▪BTS Smut Drabbles | My Writings

▪Blog Navigation 

「© tipsydipsydo」

This following story is my intellectual property and belongs only to my blog tipsydipsydo.tumblr.com!

I’ll not accept any kind of reposting, stealing or using/editing my work!

That includes reposting my content on other social media platforms too, even when you link me as the original author.

Thank you.

Small breathy pants and whimpered moans are leaving your swollen lips, everything is so new for you and you don’t really have a clue how to handle all these new feelings which are running through your inexperienced system. You’re biting down onto your lower lip once again, trying to suppress the urge to vocalize your desire and need, no matter if they’re just noises or messily spilled out words. Obscene yet so arousing squelching sounds are filling the room, the combination of all these things let your whole body trembles in sexual ecstasy. 

Both of your legs are bend up to your chest by one of Taehyung’s and Kook’s hand while two fingers of their other hand are buried deep into your tight pussy. Fingering you slowly with four fingers in perfect synchronized harmony open. As if that wouldn’t be already overwhelming enough, Yoongi, who is sitting behind you and supports your shaking body, is flicking mercilessly with his index and middle finger over your swollen clit. 

Flustered and hiccuping you turn your head toward the crook of Yoongi’s neck, hiding your face away from Taehyung’s and Jungkook’s attentive and curious eyes. They are a little too attentive for your own taste. 

Unfortunately your sudden movement let Tae’s and Jungkook’s Hands slowing down, Yoongi’s fingers on your clit pauses as well. All of them are taking their hands away from your private area and letting your legs go down, respecting your privacy. Well, this is something you absolutely didn’t want to happen, which is why a desperate mewl flees out of your mouth that you couldn’t control anymore. 

A deep but loving chuckle rumbles through Yoongi’s chest, wrapping his left arm a little tighter around your torso und pull you closer to his own body. It’s just a sweet little gesture but it gives you a sense of calming support, helps your poor heart to slow the rapid pace of your heartbeat down again. 

As soon as your hitched breath regulated itself again, you turn your head hesitantly back to your two other lovers. Both of them welcome you with a gentle and heartwarming smile, rubbing the big palms of one of their hands soothingly over the sensitive skin of your thighs. 

“Oh Angel, are you sure that everything is fine? Are you uncomfortable with anything we’re doing? Please tell us when something doesn’t feel good for you! We really care with our entire heart for you and we want that you feel good and safe with us.”, questions Jungkook and lift gently your chin, so he is able to look into your eyes. 

You press unconsciously your lips together into a small line and nod, still flustered from the behaviors of your own body and voice. You want to explain what made you so shy and embarrassed out of the sudden, you really want to... but your throat is so dry in this moment, not a single word wants to come out of your mouth. 

“Besides that, don’t be ever ashamed of anything, there’s no reason for any shame about how your body responds to our action or what noises you make.”, says Jungkook softly and lean over to you, cupping one of your cheek and press a sweet but short kiss on your lips. Trying to clarify the meaning behind his words. 

“Moreover... -and I think everyone of us can agree with that- your moans and whimpers are really fucking attractive, I love them so much and they’re driving us crazy, Baby. Not to be too open and blunt but... I think we all are rock hard thanks alone to your delicious noises.”, add Taehyung and flash one of his very well known boxy grins at you. You’re too cute for your own good, Tae couldn’t resist to send you a slightly teasing wink afterwards. 

“U-Uhm... I-I just... I’m not really used to get touched by someone else and to make such noises... usually when I touch m-myself, I don’t really express my feelings with m-moans or something like that...”, you mumble quietly, looking down onto Yoongi’s hand which holds you close. Even though you trust all of them with your whole heart, you just can’t put your shy and overthinking nature completely down. Maybe that’s why you struggle so much to let yourself go, to give all control away and to simply enjoy what’s happening tonight. 

“That’s absolutely okay and completely valid, Sweetheart. We know that everything is a complete new experience for you and that’s why we try to make it as good as possible for you. To make sure you’re not overwhelmed or that we didn’t infringe your boundaries. What do you think, are you comfortable to move on or do you want to stop here?”, asks Yoongi is his deep, raspy voice and draws small circles with his thumb on the skin of your pubic bone. He took his fingers away from your private parts like the other boys did, he wouldn’t touch you there until you didn’t gave them explicitly your consent that you’re comfortable with their actions. 

“Please... please continue with what you did before... I-I really want this here, I’m just a little shy and flustered sometimes. Please... I need it.”, you whimper out in a shaking voice, encourage them with a needy buck of your hips. 

“Okay, Babygirl... you’ll get everything you want. Just communicate a little more with us, yeah? This here is a safe space, you can demand and deny whatever you’re comfortable or not with.”, makes Taehyung with a small smile clear before his middle- and ringfinger join Jungkook’s fingers in your core. 

Soon after they continued with their work to pleasure you, you couldn’t keep your mouth shut even if you wanted to. Now, you couldn’t care less about those stupid and unimportant things. The one and only thought which dominate your clouded mind was the chase of your high. You’d do everything for your lovers to earn this incredible and mind numbing orgasm they build up in your body. 

“Oh Princess, you’re did so well. Let yourself go, we are here to catch you when you’re reaching your high. Come for us.”, rasps Jungkook in his hoarse and arousal drained voice. 

That was all you needed to see Heaven. 

[emptymasks]

Your liquors seeped to me, dulling and stilling

So basically I have been having many ideas for drabbles for Danvers/Ich and was going to make a drabble collection fic that would have had a fair bit of smut in it but instead I read @sincerelybluevase​ ‘s latest Danvers/Ich fics and got so many thoughts and somehow this was what ended up being written. Also tagging @need-not​ @thegirlisuedtobe​ (let me know if you don’t want to be tagged in Danvers/Ich fics and also if you do want to be tagged in future and I didn’t already tag you)

Warning for this fic (because somehow I wrote a dark thing?) for major character death and description of a corpse.

Also on Ao3 @empytmasks (please check me out there. emptymasks is my sfw account and crowdedmasks is my nsfw smut account) , which I can no longer link otherwise Tumblr blocks my posts from showing up in tags (:

Manderley awoke in screams.

"Not again!"

"How cruel!"

"This house is cursed!"

I was already getting dressed when the chaos erupted and barely had time to slip on a pair of shoes before I was being whisked down the endless staircase. I wouldn't have been able to count how many bodies I slid and stumbled past.

Someone, one of the cooks perhaps, took hold of my wrist and led me out and away from the house and around to the rickety wooden stairs that led down to the beach. When I paused on the first step he almost pulled us both down.

There was already a crowd gathered on the seafront. The waves were moaning, muddy and diseased as it spat out the foam that frothed around it's swollen mouth and yellowed teeth.

"Christ Thomas, you brought her down here?" Frith spoke from where the wooden banister melted into harsh, cold stone. He had his arm around a trembling mass of brown tweed.

The man shuddered and looked up at me as I descended. I would have barely recognised it was Frank, if not for that jacket. His face was red, eyes and cheeks puffed out like a baby making it's first cry.

"Mrs de Winter, you shouldn't..." He hiccupped out his words. "You shouldn't see this."

"Shouldn't see what?" I walked towards him, reaching out a hand and placing it on his arms that were so tightly wound around himself.

His eye's flickered to where the majority of the staff were gathered.

I walked as though in a trance. Frank made a weak attempt to stop me, but I glided away from him.

The hysterics got louder as I approached and someone looked my way before nudging the others and they parted, peeled away from the monster they were hiding.

Time stopped as I stared down at the body.

I couldn't cry. I couldn't scream. There was some sort of pressure in my skull, but my body was frozen.

Maxim's pretty, green eyes gazed up at me.

He couldn't have been in the water for more than twelve hours or so, but the sea had quickly marked its prize.

Seaweed was woven between the button holes of his heavy coat, and ran up along his chest until it almost looped around his neck like some overgrown noose. One of his arms jutted out just above the elbow at an unnatural angle and I quickly moved my eyes as my stomach gave the smallest whimper.

And his face... His handsome face was caved in above the brow bone on his left side. It was like one of those old Greek sculptures that had been damaged and lost a chunk of itself. Beautiful and pale marble lying untouched and so close to the damage that if you closed one eye and covered the missing part with your hand, you wouldn't suspect there was anything wrong with it.

I was almost tempted to do exactly that. To see if he would look alive.

But the results of the impact with some rock stained his hair with rust, caked it with grime. And those eyes... still and unblinking.

"Come on, ma'am, let's get you inside," Clarice's hands on my shoulders were as gentle as possible and yet the contact still made me jump.

When I turned around, there were so many eyes upon me. What did they think? What did they suspect?

I nodded to Clarice and made my way back to the house. I didn't need to look at him any longer.

The whisperings continued as I made my way off the beach.

"Poor man, I suppose he just couldn't take it. Perhaps he saw this as the only reason to be with Rebecca again. After all, it's Rebecca's balcony windows that were left open."

"Or, and don't look at me like that, but, well, killing himself so soon after her body was found... doesn't that make it seem like he really did do it? Even if it was an accident?"

"It sure doesn't make him look any more innocent."

"Exactly."

"He was hardly a murderer, come now."

Whatever reasons they seemed to think of, it seemed they were all in agreement. Whether it was out of grief or guilt: Maxim de Winter had jumped and killed himself.

Clarice put a hand on me as my body trembled ever so slightly, but I managed to control it by the time we had gotten back inside the house.

"Frith already called the police, Ma'am. He figured you might not be in the state to do so yourself."

"Thank him for me, will you?" I put one foot onto the staircase and looked up. The air seemed strange. But I knew where I was going. "You can go now, Clarice. I'll call you if I need you."

She eyed me with concern. "If you're sure, Ma'am." She dipped her head and went back outside.

I took deep breaths as I ascended, my footsteps echoing. It struck me that I might be the only one in the house. Well, apart from her.

The door to Rebecca's bedroom was open a crack and I slid in, barely pushing it open.

I almost expected her to be stood proud, curtains billowing around her, not daring to touch her, as I had so often found her. Instead, she was kneeling on the floor, bottles and rags around her.

"You'll hurt yourself if you stay knelt like that," She didn't jump as I spoke. It was impossible to creep up on her.

"Well someone had to get the scuff marks out of the wood before anyone saw them, Madam."

She seemed satisfied and placed the lid back on the jar of polish. I titled by head back and forth, watching as the early morning sun gleamed off the wood.

Before she could brace her palms against the now spotless floor, I held out a hand for her. She hesitated for only a moment, before she took it and I pulled slightly to help her up.

She rolled her shoulders back as she stood and towered over me.

She didn't remove her hand from mine.

The cool air raised the hair on my skin. I was only dressed in my slip, with a coat thrown hastily on top.

"You'll catch your death like this, Madam," She said as she slid her hand against me and popped open the only button I'd managed to fasten.

I smiled.

My eyes wandered over, past the balcony, and I tugged her behind me as I walked to its edge.

The sea seemed much calmer from up here, almost blending in with the sky on the horizon. I breathed in and it tasted like the air from the mountains near Monte Carlo. The anxiety I felt them, but also such hope, knowing things were about to change.

"Do you regret any of it?" Her voice was quiet and I turned away from a hollow, burnt out love and looked at her.

Those confident and oh so sure of herself eyes that burned, always burned, seemed to flicker. A flame fearing being blown out. I'd never seen her with such an expression.

"Danny," The word broke out of my mouth in a sigh and I shook my head, my body rising onto my tiptoes as I reached for her lips.

"None of it." I said when I parted from her. "None at all."

Then that familiar gnawing at the back of my head chimed in.

"Do you?"

"No," Mrs Danvers smiled. "Mrs de Winter."

AN: be gay do crime

fellas is it gay to fall in love with a married woman and then her husband kills her and remarries you want to hate her but end up falling for her and conspiring to kill her husband with her?

this was just very surprising for me because i actually like maxim (the musical version, more specifically jan ammann's version) and relate to certain things that are going on with him and i really fell like jan's version has been through emotional abuse and just overall maxim in the musical is much more sympathetic and rebecca's death is likely an accident (or at least believably an accident) unlike the book. which i wasn't aware of and i'm still not very aware of the differences between the book and the musical other than book! maxim being a complete arse.

which was just very surprising for me because i actually like maxim (the musical version, more specifically jan ammann's version) and relate to certain things that are going on with him and i really fell like jan's version has been through emotional abuse and just overall maxim in the musical is much more sympathetic and rebecca's death is likely an accident (or at least believably an accident) unlike the book. which i wasn't aware of and i'm still not very aware of the differences between the book and the musical other than book! maxim being a complete arse.

also please let me know if the first person is okay. i've written a rebecca fic before from ich/i/narrator's point of view but wrote it in third person because i don't feel that comfortable writing first person but i tried.

this is also very much the darkest thing i've ever written, the first lines i thought of for this were lines describing maxim's face. who knew i, someone who's writing seems to always turn to fluff because i'm soft, had this in me

anyway i stayed up for longer than i meant too to get this posted and now i’m gonna spend 3 hours watching the broadway revival of the king and i and it’s 10:30pm oops.

[raendown]

Pairing: IzunaItama Word count: 2302 Soulmate au: The one where you can both feel each other's pain

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KOFI

Chapter 139: Izuna/Itama

“Are you sure about this, Hachiro?” Izuna checked their surroundings for perhaps the fifth time in five minutes. “Shouldn’t we find somewhere that isn’t so out in the open? What if he screams and draws attention from a passing patrol or something?”

“You ask too many questions.” Grunting with relief, his patrol companion dropped to one knee and let the body he’d been carrying fall to one side. Hachiro was his third cousin twice removed or something like that, a distant relative of a relative, and they’d never gotten along well to begin with. Izuna wished it had been almost anyone else with him while he ran patrols today.

Coming across a lone Senju they could overpower and take prisoner would have been a stroke of luck on any other day. Izuna would have brought them back to his father – if he let them live at all. Hachiro, on the other hand, he was the cruel sort. As soon as he rendered the Senju unconscious he made it very clear that he intended to have a little play time. Torture wasn’t exactly Izuna’s racket in the first place but he was always particularly grossed out by how much Hachiro enjoyed it whenever someone let him run loose.

Still, Hachiro was older and just that little bit stronger that Izuna had resigned himself to waiting this out. A live Senju was a rare capture. A member of the head family? Not even Hachiro would be stupid enough to kill the kid, not when he knew Izuna would tell his father about it later.

“Here’s fine.” Hachiro slapped his hands together once and grinned. “Time to have a little fun. You helping?”

“Uh, no. I think I’ll just, um, watch from over there.”

The grin his distant cousin sent him was off-putting and Izuna looked away quickly, dropping down at the base of a nearby tree. He wasn’t normally much given to sympathy where his enemies were concerned but there was something about the boy they had caught that he couldn’t get out of his head. Maybe it was the fact that they were so close in age. Or maybe it was the cute face, two-toned hair falling in front of big doe eyes and cheeks that still held lingering traces of baby fat even though he was well in to his adolescence.

A part of Izuna, the part that remembered being an older brother, wanted to ask what this kid was doing out in the forest alone. He showed up on the battlefield sometimes and he wasn’t half bad but usually Izuna marked him holding back with the other medics to patch up the wounded and send them back out to fight. The Uchiha made a point of never sending anyone with medic training out alone. Maybe it was different in the Senju clan but to the Uchiha medics were considered a precious commodity.

Even if he wasn’t watching and he certainly didn’t care for this kid personally he still winced at the sound of a harsh slap, quickly followed by a gasp.

“Wakey wakey,” Hachiro’s voice snickered. “Hello little Senju. Are you ready to have a little fun?”

“Oh fuck.” Izuna blinked in surprise and spun his head around to stare. The kid was almost as old as him, certainly old enough to swear, but for whatever reason he’d seemed like the innocent type. On second thought that was a stupid assumption, though. No shinobi was ever innocent.

“Maybe later,” Hachiro said. The boy gagged.

“Gross, no way, no thank you. You’re really not my type.” Big brown eyes flickered over to where Izuna was slumped and then darted away again.

All eyes were drawn to Hachiro instead when he gave an ugly laugh. “I’m about to be your whole world.”

Rather than look frightened, the boy raised one eyebrow when Hachiro pulled out a kunai. It made him look disturbingly similar to his brother Tobirama for a moment until he raised the other to match and began to blink owlishly. Amazingly, it actually seemed to give his attacker pause for a few moments and Izuna nearly laughed out loud when he realized the kid was actually using those eyes of his to garner sympathy, weaponized cuteness. With a face like that he could imagine it worked on a lot of people.

Unfortunately it wasn’t bound to work for long on someone like Hachiro.

Wide eyes narrowed in to an expression of irritation when a sharp point of steel pressed against the boy’s neck, tracing senseless patterns against his skin. Either he was too brave to feel afraid of what was obviously about to happen or he somehow didn’t understand how serious the situation really was. Or maybe he thought some kind of miracle would still save him, although Izuna hoped he wasn’t holding his breath for that.

“Do you want to hear how I’m about to kill you?” Hachiro asked, turning his grin toward Izuna. “Or would you like me to keep it as a surprise?”

“I do like surprises,” the boy chirped.

“However you like it.” With a dark chuckle, Hachiro dragged the knife down until it was pressed against the front of one shoulder and pushed inwards until the skin broke and blood began to pour from the wound. The boy didn’t so much as flinch.

Izuna did.

A quiet gasp slipped passed his control when his own shoulder exploded with unexpected pain. Convulsing once, he clapped a hand over the area to confirm there was no blood, nothing there that should be hurting him. He grunted in surprise when pain flared on the opposite shoulder and looked up to find that Hachiro had cut in to the boy’s flesh in exactly the same spot.

His distant cousin was also grinning at him again with a strange light in his eyes, almost as if he could sense Izuna’s pain and was enjoying it. There was no hint of surprise or curiosity on his face but he did look gleeful. It was the same look he had whenever he caught small animals in the traps he set up around their clan compound, the poor helpless things he liked to torture and maim until either they died or he grew bored. Izuna had put more than one rabbit out of its misery after Hachiro was through with them.

“So I was right,” he said. Izuna blinked.

“Right?”

Hachiro drew the kunai out of their prisoner’s shoulder and drove the butt of it in to the boy’s temple. At the moment of impact, pain blossomed in Izuna’s head and he staggered sideways, ears ringing. An impossible idea occurred to him but it wasn’t until his cousin began to laugh that it really took shape. Hachiro beat him to the punch with a cackling laugh.

“You’re always so busy with that albino demon, your stupid Senju rival. He blinds you to the rest of the battlefield. But I see! I see the way this pretty little thing flinches every time you get hurt, tucked away from the fighting like the weakling he is. Your soulmate!” Standing upright, he dragged the knife across his tongue and savored the taste of the blood. “I’ve always wanted to play with a pair of soulmates.”

“My…but…Hachiro?” Izuna blinked furiously as he tried to clear away the dizziness.

“This is going to be so much fun, isn’t it? I’ve wanted to get rid of you for a long time Izuna. And now? Now I have a chance to make it really satisfying!”

“You freak,” Izuna whispered. Hachiro laughed and reached out towards their Senju captive, holding him by the jaw so tightly that Izuna could feel his own bones creaking in protest. His instinct told him to struggle even as his conscious mind understood that there was nothing to struggle against.

The smile dripping from Hachiro’s lips like acid didn’t change as he spun the kunai around again to press its point against the boy’s jugular vein. He snickered watching Izuna freeze in place, a quiet hiccupping noise that grew louder and louder until it could only be described as a mad cackle, never moving his eyes from his distant cousin. They both knew he held all the power in his hands at the moment and it was clear how much of a rush that gave him. If Izuna moved Hachiro would hurt him; if he didn’t move Hachiro would still hurt him. Caught between a rock and a hard place didn’t quite cover the situation enough.

Watching each other as they were, neither of them saw the Senju moving until it was much too late – for Hachiro, anyway. Izuna just barely caught movement in the corner of his eye before the blade had changed hands, the Senju was up on his feet, and Hachiro was gurgling around the blood and steel choking his throat. His fingers twitched, grasping weakly at the arm pressing his own weapon in to him, but it did nothing to deter the kind of justice Izuna had only heard of in fairytales. It could only be called fair that Hachiro die at the hands of the one he’d been trying to kill.

He wasn’t quite dead yet when he slid off the blade but the moment his body hit the ground with a muffle thump he might as well have been for all the attention Izuna or the Senju paid him. Neither of them bothered to watch him draw his last breaths, one uninterested in his own would-be killer and the other eager to forget the relative who clearly intended to torture him through a newly discovered soul bond. They busied themselves instead with watching each other. Izuna clenched his fists against the echo of burning pain in both of his shoulders until, to his great surprise, the boy graced him with a wide smile.

“Sorry about your, uh, friend but I wasn’t really looking to die today. Tobi’s gonna worry if I don’t make it home soon and I don’t like making him worry. He gets really overbearing.” He turned as if to leave and Izuna leapt forward.

“Wait! You can’t just go! We’re – you’re my – please just tell me your name!”

“My name is Itama. Honestly I’m freaking out that we’re soulmates but I thought I could play it cool until you were out of sight.” Itama rubbed at the back of his head nervously. “My shoulders hurt and my soulmate is an Uchiha. This day is crazy. I just wanted more herbs because there’s a flu going around the kids but then you guys surprised me and I just really want to go home and process it all.”

“Itama.” The name tasted light on his tongue, like a foreign fruit with an exotic flavor, and it made him shiver.

Across the clearing he could see Itama shiver as well before licking his lips anxiously and pressing a hand to one of his dripping wounds. The once soft green of his shirt was slowly turning red with blood, dripping down his chest.

“I have to go home.”

“Will you meet me again?” Just the thought of his soulmate slipping away from him was almost more painful than feeling the sensation of Itama’s skin shredding apart and echoing in his own body. He waited impatiently while the other boy thought it over, chewing his bottom lip to stop himself from blurting out anything else to interrupt such important thoughts.

Finally Itama grinned, a beautiful smile for a beautiful face, and came towards him with confident steps. Izuna swallowed against a burst of nerves but held his ground as that smile came closer, surprisingly distracting with straight white teeth and full lips. Then Itama was there pressing those lips against his own and Izuna groaned before he could stop himself. He wanted to say it felt like fireworks but instead it was like the world fell away and left them both in perfect nothingness, oblivious to anything but the young man before him and the wet fingers that traced the shape of his jaw.

And then it was over and Itama was skipping back across the clearing with one hand pressed to his shoulder with the glow of healing chakra wrapped around his palm.

“Tell you what,” he was saying. “I’d love to have a soulmate, especially one that kisses that good, but it’s like I said before: I’m not really looking to die. We can meet again when there is peace between our clans and I don’t have to be afraid that your big brother and my big brothers will try to rip each other’s faces off over this.”

“Wha–! I can’t make peace by myself, you know!”

“You can put in a good word!” Itama laughed and turned away.

“Hold on, damn it! Get back here!”

For a second he thought Itama really was going to stay but he was only throwing one last smile over his shoulder along with a parting shot. “Oh and teach your clan mates to tie better knots. I was free in what, five minutes?”

A moment later he was gone, leaping in to the trees and heading east. Izuna watched him go with exasperation heavy in his chest and his fingers pressed gently to his lips. As much as he hated to say so of any Senju, he really would like to get to know this guy more. If peace was the only way to do that then, dare he even think it, Izuna thought he might be willing to actually go through with it.

To do that, however, he would need to convince Madara. As he stared in the direction his soulmate had disappeared, Izuna wondered how hard it would be to rekindle his brother’s childhood dreams of peace with the Senju clan.

[p-artsypants]

The North Tower (11)- New Search

Previous 

AO3 | FF.net 

“I can’t find my body.” After ageless centuries, everyone else was now where they were supposed to be. And yet, poor Hiccup was left behind. That was plenty of a good reason to be upset.

His mother, Valka, was immediately present. “It’s alright, baby. We’ll find it.”

Mrs. Hofferson, also being motherly, asked the question out of habit. “Where was the last place you saw it?”

Hiccup gave her a look, and answered. “I was wearing it.”

Phillis shrank a little.

“Let’s go get some flashlights,” suggested Astrid. “The crypt was really dark.”

Hiccup nodded, optimistically. “Okay, yeah.”

So Astrid had her phone, and Eret went to get some other lights and extension cords. Then the group all headed back down the tower into the crypt.

With the new light, Astrid had a new chance to look into the room. First, the stone floor stretched out in front of her, before a column met her lights. Another column was not that far away. The tops ended with an arch, which repeated on and one several times into the back of the room. A very thin layer of water covered the floor, reflecting the columns and arches and creating an odd illusion of space.

Astrid frowned. “Where are the others? There was a bunch of…long dead bodies down here…wasn’t there?”

Stoick answered. “When the souls rejoined their bodies, they dissolved into dust. Time just caught up to them.”

“So in theory,” said Axel. “Any bones or remnants should be Hiccup.”

Hiccup shuttered. He hoped there was more than just a few bones left of his body. He was really rather hoping that he would be alive.

Axel and Phillis also turned on their cellphones and the group split as light spread out over the cave.

“Bring the light over here,” Astrid heard someone call.

“Did you find it?” Hiccup asked anxiously.

“…no, false alarm. It’s just a rock.”

Hiccup deflated.

“Well, it can’t just be gone!” Boomed Stoick. “Everyone else’s was here! Even if someone took it by accident, there would still be something here!”

Suddenly, the cavern filled with much brighter light from the door. Nearly everyone flinched heavily.

“Sorry,” stated Eret, standing behind a flood light. “I should have prepared you for that.”    

With the crypt illuminated, the group spread out and scanned every inch of the floor.

After about an hour, almost everyone had given up. And yet Hiccup tried to feel along the floor for anything.

Astrid spoke from where she was leaning against a column. “Um, you said those who had left early…their bodies were decaying. Right?”

“Aye, it appears that way. Hamish, who was the first to leave after…oh, 200 years, he was just bone.”

Hiccup seemed to not notice the exchange as he sifted through the water on his hands and knees. “Hiccup?”

He paused.

“Didn’t you say…you were the first one to leave?”

Valka gasped, her hands flying to her lips. “Oh Odin, I forgot about that!”

Hiccup didn’t move from his spot on the floor, but asked in a very quiet voice. “How long was I gone, back then?”

“Nearly a hundred years,” Answered Stoick. “It was startling when you came back.”

“So if Hamish was just bone…” He began. But he didn’t finish. His fingers curled into fists, his knuckles pressing against the floor. “Is there nothing left of me?” His voice was just a whisper, full of only sorrow.

“Hiccup…” Astrid reached for him, but he leapt to his feet and turned on her.

“I don’t need your pity!” He screamed, his body shaking with anger and frustration. “I don’t need anything! Not…not a thing…” his anger was quickly spent, and his nearly tangible form began to fade. “I don’t even exist anymore…so why should I care?” He hurried from the room, and disappeared into his cell.

For a moment, no one knew what to say.

“That can’t be right,” said Phillis, “there’s mummies that are buried in graves like this, that are older. If this room was magically sealed, like Astrid thinks, then nothing should have gotten in to harm the body.”

Eret chimed in. “Even if Hamish’s body was a hundred years older, in these conditions, his would be here, too.”

As the adults discussed plans to search the rest of the castle inside and out, Astrid snuck back into the main tower, and knocked on Hiccup’s cell.

“Hiccup? It’s me, Astrid. Can I come in?”

When he didn’t answer, Astrid pushed the door open on her own and wandered in. The door closed behind her, leaving darkness in it’s wake. She felt around with her hands until she felt a slab of wood, a bed, and then finally a warm wall of air.

“Hiccup…”

“Don’t talk to me like that.” He reprimanded.

“Like what?”

“Softly. Tenderly…It’s more than I can handle.”

She reached her hand up to where she assumed his head was, and felt his hair. It wasn’t hair exactly, more like the seaweed at the bottom of a clean lake. Too soft to feel like anything at all.

“I just…don’t know what to say. I want to help, but I don’t know what to say.” She sighed. “Your dad and the others are going to split up and check the rest of the castle.”

“If it was anywhere else, we would have found it by now.”

“You never know! The Druids hid this room away, what if there’s another hidden room? Hmmm?”

He didn’t respond more than a grunt, and she only continued to play with his hair.

“Astrid?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you. For everything. But I need to be alone right now.”

Astrid sighed, and pulled her hand away. “Okay. I get it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, Hiccup.” She smiled in comfort. “I understand. I’ll see you later, okay? Whenever you need to talk, you know where to find me.” She rose, and moved to the door.

She’d wondered if he’d be alright.

Days passed, and they were spent trying to get the vikings acclimated to the new world as well as getting the castle ready to host guests. The vikings happily continued their jobs as hired hands within the castle for room and board, with the only condition that they could come and go as they pleased. Most were just satisfied being able to go outside and work in the garden or build things (every day a new piece of furniture entered the castle). Others jumped at the chance to ride with Eret into town, amazed by how things had changed in world. And finally, a group went on a two week hiking trip through the national park to the South. Of course, they came home early with tickets for shooting and trapping wild life, but Astrid didn’t mind paying those off.

The Vikings discovered the internet, and branched out to learn new recipes to cook for the guests. Others wrote songs and practiced dances for entertainment, anything they could do to make the castle a retreat.

This was all done in motivation to thank their new boss.

However, at night, when things calmed down, everyone put in an hour or two to look for Hiccup’s body.

Days turned to weeks, with no sign of even a hair from Hiccup.  Many Vikings gave up the search, thinking it was a fruitless endeavor. Yet, Stoick, Valka, Gobber and Astrid faithfully spent the evenings checking the crawl spaces, attics, and wine cellar for any sign of human remains. And as diligent as they were, still there was nothing. Hiccup himself, had resigned to never regaining his body. He had sighed one day and said, “I’ve been a ghost this long. It’s what I’m best at,” and then picked himself back up by his bootstraps. “I want everyone to stop wasting their time looking for something that doesn’t exist and instead live your lives. This is when you have the chance to do all the things you’ve always wanted to do. Don’t let me hold you back.”

Valka was quick to rush to him and cup his face. “We search because we love you. We want you to live too.”

He smiled at her. “Well…I’m not going to stop looking. I have 8 hours a day where everyone is sleeping. I’ll have to occupy myself somehow.”

So, everyone left him to it, and he showed no outward signs of the melancholy that gripped him so fiercely earlier.

Halloween came and went. Hiccup being the main source of entertainment and using his skills to wow and amaze their guests. The North Tower was decorated like a haunted house with fake skeletons that jumped out and scared people. The entrance was guarded by Toothless, who had remained in his gargoyle form, since Hiccup was still cursed. Those that made it to the end got candy. It was all very fun and quaint.

Revenue came pouring in after that. Folks from all over the UK started taking holidays to come stay at Hofferson castle for the weekend. The idea of staying at a haunted castle was too fun of an opportunity to pass it seemed, as more and more reservations came calling in. Everything seemed fine…

Until one day.

“Excuse me,” Astrid overheard a guest say to Stoick. “Are you the owner of the Castle?”

“No lass, that would be Ms. Hofferson.” He beckoned to her.

Astrid, putting on her customer service face, smiled at the woman. “Hello, what can I help you with?”

The guest furrowed her brow. “My sons really wanted to stay here for the weekend, and of course I jumped at the chance of a fun filled family weekend…but there was an incident last night. The castle isn’t really haunted…is it?”

Astrid crossed her arms. “What kind of incident?”

“My son Jacob heard weeping and moaning coming from our tower. It got louder and louder until…this thing came into our room. It was…hideous and gruesome.”

“What did it look like?”

“I think it was a man, but it was emaciated and the skin was just hanging on it. My older son Harry said it was just a hologram, but it responded to him.”

“What did it say?”

“It asked if it could have his body.”

Astrid winced and pinched the bridge of her nose. It was a busy Sunday, plenty of guests were checking in, while many more were checking out. She hadn’t even thought to check on Hiccup.

Stoick seemed to have the same idea. “I haven’t seen Hiccup all day. I’ll go see if I can find him.”

“Alright,” Astrid agreed. Then she returned to the woman, “How can I best make this up to you?”

“I would like a refund, please. My husband has a heart condition and that…thing didn’t bode well for him. We weren’t expecting to be scared in our own room.”

“I understand.” Astrid said with a disarming smile. “I can refund you, no problem.”

After that was taken care of, Stoick returned, not looking optimistic.

“Well, what is it?”

“No one has seen him. I checked his room, but nothing. I have the twins, Snotlout, and Fishlegs searching for him now.”

“It’s weird. He was fine not too long ago. I wonder what changed?”

“Maybe he didn’t want to act anymore.”

That was a heartbreaking thought.

Astrid had a thought, “what about Viggo?”

Stoick sneered. “What about him?”

“Is it possible that he did something with Hiccup’s body?”

Stoick grew silent and thoughtful. “I haven’t the slightest. But there is a way to find out.”

The next day, Astrid called the prison that Viggo had been sentenced too, while Stoick and Gobber listened over the speaker.

A woman answered, “Berwyn Men’s Prison.”

“Hello, my name is Astrid Hofferson. Is there a way to get in contact with a Prisoner just to ask them a question? We need his help locating something.”

“We offer a voicemail service. You can leave a message on a private line and the inmate will return your call.”

“That would be amazing!”

“Do you have the inmate ID number?”

Astrid blanched. “No, actually, I don’t.”

“Then the name?”

“Viggo Ryker.”

“Alright, may I put you on hold as I look that up?”

“Of course.”

Soothing music came over the speaker.

“What if Viggo doesn’t answer us back?” Asked Gobber, with good reason.

“Well, he did want the curse to be lifted. He might be more cooperative now.” Said Astrid.

“And if he puts up a fight, I’ll go down to the prison and knock some sense into him!” Threatened Stoick.

“Let’s not do that one.”

The line picked up and a man was on the line. “Are you still there Miss Hofferson?”

“Uh, yes!”

“My name is Dr. Jeffery Van Ravensway. I’m the director of this facility. Can I ask what your relationship with Viggo Ryker was?”

“Uh, acquaintance, I guess?”

“Do you know if he had any living relatives? Next of kin? Spouse?”

She glanced to Stoick, who shrugged. “Uh, not that we know of. Why?”

“Well, Mr. Ryker died last week. He listed no emergency contact information, so we didn’t know who to tell.”

“He died?” Astrid asked, surprised. “How? If you don’t mind me asking…” “It’s…very odd. We didn’t even get the chance to get an autopsy before the body dissolved.”

“What…?”

“He just….aged rapidly all of a sudden. We had him for mere months, but he went from looking in his late 20’s to ancient!”

“Did he say anything? Before he…?”

“Once he started aging, he started being really nice to everyone. When his psychiatrists asked him what was going on, he just said that someone had lifted his curse.” The man cleared his throat. “I don’t know if I believe in magic and curses, but that…I might just have to change my mind.” The man laughed a little over the line. “I’m sorry, this is incredibly unprofessional. Normally we don’t disclose this sort of information like this, but like I said, we have no contact for him. At least someone knows now.”

“Alright, if I find any family, I’ll be sure to pass on the information.”

“Thank you, Miss Hofferson. If they would like to call us here, we can explain everything.”

“Alright, thank you.”

“Good day.”

After she hung up, the small group sat in silence for a few minutes before Gobber declared, “well, that was a bust!”

Stoick scrunched up his mouth in thought. “Ya know, I don’t think Viggo did have anything to do with it. There wasn’t any time for him to get all the way down in the tower past all the guards…and for what? Just to steal one body? It doesn’t make sense anymore.”

“Yeah, now that you say it.” Astrid shrugged.

“It was a good thought.” Gobber offered, “a better lead then anyone else had.”  

Yet, Astrid felt like it was a waste of time and hope.    

As time passed, Hiccup remained missing, no matter how much begging and pleading his family did. Even in the middle of the night, when his moans echoed through the halls, Astrid would awake and call out to him. He would not respond.

It was one week after that, Fishlegs had a sudden realization. Everyone seemed to notice, as he let out a loud ‘oh!’ and banged the table as he stood suddenly.

“What is it Fishlegs?”

“I just had an idea where Hiccup’s body might be!”

Stoick stood suddenly as well. “What?! Where?!”

“The boat!”

It seemed like no one else followed. “What boat?”

“The boat! Our boat! The one we came on!”

Stoick frowned. “That boat probably sunk centuries ago. Who knows if there’s anything even left of it.”

“But what if that’s where Hiccup’s body is?!”

Stoick sighed, “Well, it is worth a dive, I suppose.”

“At this time of year?” Gobber finally spoke up. He stood and went to the window, pulling up the curtain and gesturing to the lake that surrounded the back half of the castle. Ice formed around the edges while chunks floated in the center. “Because I certainly don’t want to swim in that.”

Astrid thought a moment. “I might have an idea. Give me a minute.” And she took out her phone and flipped through her contacts.

The phone rang a few times before it connected.

“Hey Dale! How are you?”

The voice on the other line was unintelligible to the others siting in the library.

“Great! I’m calling because I remembered during dinner when you visited you spoke of a new hobby in scuba diving…would you be willing to get some practice over here at the castle lake? We’re looking for something…I mean, I suppose we could wait until summer, but we were hoping for as soon as possible…Oh I wouldn’t mind compensating you for it then. It looks kind of frigid out there. You have a wet suit, right?…Awesome! When are you free?…Friday afternoon. Awesome, we’ll see you then! Thanks so much!”

Friday afternoon rolled around, and Astrid waited anxiously for her cousin. She wandered over to the North Tower, pausing in the stairwell to stare at the statue.

“You’ve been here all this time. Watching. What do you know that we don’t?”

But being a statue, the man said nothing.

The heavy doorbell rang, and Astrid hurried from the tower.

In the lobby, Eret opened the door and let Dale in.

“Hey Astrid,” he greeted casually.

“Hey! Thanks for coming.”

“No problem,” he smiled, “as long as you got your ghost problem solved.”

Astrid laughed sheepishly. “That’s the thing. It’s almost solved.”

Dale raised a single eyebrow. “What do you mean ‘almost’?”

“Well…there’s one we’re working on. That’s why I asked you here, actually.”

Dale crossed his arms, listening.

“In order for the ghost to move on, he has to get his body back. We’ve looked everywhere for it. The only place left is the lake. Specifically the wreckage of a viking ship right outside the North Tower.”

“Are you certain it’ll be there?”

Astrid could only shrug. “If it’s not, then…we have no idea where else it could be. This is literally our last resort.”

“That’s a lot of responsibility to put on a new character.”

“Yeah, I know, but we needed someone to go down there, and I don’t really want to trust a stranger with this…delicate situation.”

He nodded. “Ah, gotcha. Well, I brought up my fishing boat, too. Didn’t know if you had one. You’re welcome to come sit on the boat if you want. Don’t know how much fun it’ll be.”

“I was hoping I could sit on the boat. I’m kinda anxious.”

“Anxious it’ll be there? Or anxious that it won’t?”

Dale always had a way of pointing out things she hadn’t wanted to think about. “I…I don’t know.”

He simply nodded in understanding.

She shook her head. “Well, are you ready now then?”

“Yeah, I just need to get my suit on, and we can go out. You might want to get a jacket, it’s a bit chilly.”

And so the two motored out to the North Tower, where the wall showed where the castle had been breached. The bricks were patchy and mismatched the rest of the Tower.

“This should be the spot.” Astrid announced, peering in the water. “I have no idea how deep it is. Just be careful.”

Dale grinned, preparing his mask. “Oh, it’ll be fine. I’m just stoked to dive by a Viking shipwreck.” He checked his watch. “Alright. It’s 2 now. I have about enough air for an hour, but I like to come up at the 45 minute mark. I have this mesh bag to put any bones or treasure I might find.”

“I don’t think you’ll find any treasure after all these years.”

“Let me live a little,” He scolded. Carefully, he positioned himself on the edge of the boat. “Wish me luck.” And he dove in with a splash.

Once he disappeared, it became eerily silent. Only a faint rolling of waves on shore could be heard. A gust cold air rushed at her, chilling her right down to the bone, even with the coat, boats, hat, and gloves.

This was going to be a long hour.

Some 10 minutes later, Dale returned briefly. He said nothing, only heaved a ancient viking shield over the edge of the boat, and then dove right back down into the water.

The shield was rusty, and some of the wood had rotted, but most of it was still intact. Whatever it had been painted had faded with the salt.

Again, he returned long enough to surface and drop a sword on deck, then he disappeared. It was obvious he had found the wreck, now it was just a matter of him finding Hiccup’s remains.

Another 10 minutes passed, and then another. Then the 45 minute mark came, but he didn’t surface. Then close to an hour went by. Astrid swallowed nervously. What was taking him? Did he get stuck? Should she try to go in after him?

But only a minute later, Dale surfaced and grabbed onto the edge of the boat. He dropped his bag onto the deck, and then frantically tried to pull himself up, kicking and shaking the whole time.

Astrid acted immediately and yanked him up into the boat, while Dale removed his mask and goggles. He panted heavily and coughed.

“You okay?” Astrid asked.

He didn’t answer for a while, just threw his head back and sucked in several deep breaths. “I’m…I’m fine.” His tone conveyed otherwise. “Here, this is all I found.” He gestured to the mesh bag on the floor.

Carefully, Astrid opened it, only to reveal a skull.

“It’s all I could find.”

Astrid nodded. “But it is what we’re looking for. I think this will be enough. Thank you.” She smiled.

“Promise me…you won’t go down there by yourself.” He replied.

This confused Astrid. Didn’t he say it was going to be fine? “What?”

“I found the ship fine. It’s right down there. After I found the sword and shield, I travelled out a bit, and found a bunch of…statues.”

“Statues? What did they look like?”

He furrowed his brow. “It was kind of hard to tell, since they were worn, but they looked like…hooded people?”

Astrid’s eyes widened.

“They were really big. And…” He shivered as he reached for the towel. “Look, let’s go back to the castle, I don’t want to be anywhere near that…thing.”

“The statues?”

“No…those are the least of my concerns.” He crawled over and started the engine, then sped away from the Tower as soon as possible.

Not a word was spoken when they returned. Dale took off his wet suit and donated the sword and shield to the castle, and then prepared to leave.

“Wait? That’s it?” She asked. “You don’t want to stay for a bit? Gobber’s making a nice big dinner, and it’s at least an hour back to Manchester.”

Dale was quiet, then replied. “I’ll come again some day, when this ghost problem is solved.” And he headed to toward the door.

“Wait!” She begged. “Before you go…will you come look at something?”

He was skeptical, but followed her to the North Tower.

“Isn’t this the forbidden tower?” He asked, before daring to step foot into the hall.

“It was, but the curse is…mostly lifted.” At the other end of the hall, Astrid opened the door, showing the statue in all it’s splendor. “So…did the statues look like this?”

Dale nodded. “Yeah, for the most part. Maybe a little smaller. There was several, and they were laid out in a grid.” He glanced down to see that she had brought the skull with her down here. “You gonna see if that works?”

“Yeah,” she stated, setting the bone on the ground. She took several steps back, and then called out. “Hiccup! Hiccup, we think we found your remains! Come out!”

It was quiet for a moment, before Stoick, Valka, and Gobber came rushing down the hall. “We heard ya shouting lass! Did ya really find es bones?!”

“A skull, at least. But it should be enough.”

A glowing vapor appeared, rolling in like a cloud, until it took a visible form of a boy. Of Hiccup. He said nothing.

“Look,” Astrid pointed. “Is that your skull? Is that you?”

Hiccup reached down and grasped the skull in his wispy hands. He stared into the sockets, like he was trying to remember an old friend. Then, he dropped it, letting it crack upon the cement.

“I don’t know those eyes.” He said, before disappearing.

Dale huffed, and turned on his heel. “Well, I got nothing. And I’m not going back in that Bay. Good luck Astrid.” And he hurriedly left before she could stop him.

Astrid just continued to stare at the skull with a shattered dome. Of course it seemed too good to be true. She shook her head and retreated herself.

Who was she kidding? It was hopeless.

That night, Astrid laid awake in bed, staring at the fire. It was back to day one, with more questions without answers. And this time, her Hiccup was suffering alone.

Her Hiccup? Where had that come from?

She rolled over to stare at the ceiling.

Her feelings for Hiccup had been in a delicate state. She knew what the answer was, ever since he told her that he loved her, they had only ground stronger, even though she tried to stomp them into the dust. Hiccup was just too good of a match for her. It seemed that she was destined to fall in love with him, but never be with him.

Talk about Star-crossed lovers.

She didn’t matter anymore. The wasn’t about getting her happily ever after. This was about Hiccup being about to move on. And once he did, she would too.

So putting her fickle heart to the side, she contemplated what had happened this afternoon with Dale. Especially those damn hooded statues.

Why have so many in the Bay, and only one in the tower?

At this rate, she wouldn’t get any sleep, and so she kicked off her covers and wandered down to the Library. Her phone read 4am, which was a good thing if she wanted to think alone.

But she wasn’t alone, because shortly after she arrived, a wisp billowed in through the wall.

“Oh! Hiccup! Sorry, you startled me.”

The vapor just floated around the room, lacking the strength or focus to take a more finite form.

“I’m sorry about this afternoon, I really thought we had found your body.”

The wisp came closer, circling her.

“Won’t you say something? I haven’t gotten to speak with you for so long…I really miss you, you know?” She reached her hands out, feeling the warmth he left in her skin as he passed by. She let out a sigh, and then made a risky move. “If you want…you can use my body.” Then she immediately blushed after it was said.

Hiccup disappeared from her sight, and convulsion racked her body. Her toes curled as a pleasant heat settled in her chest. Her arms raised, not on her own command, and wrapped around her in a hug. She collapsed onto the settee feeling weak and confused.

Then overwhelming pain took her. A pain of loss and heartbreak, of hopelessness and despair. She knew they were from Hiccup, and she gladly shouldered them, if only to ease his mind.

“You’re safe with me.” She whispered. “I promise, I’ll set you free.”

Then all of a sudden, all the foreign feelings within her disappeared. As she opened her eyes, she found Hiccup, in a more recognizable form, looking at her with something akin to adoration.

“Thank you…I think I can last a little bit longer now.”

Astrid answered breathlessly. “What…did you do?”

“You let me use your body, just for a moment. And that was all I needed to ground myself. It was like…waking up, and now I’ve gone back to sleep again. I was able to breathe and I felt your heart beat. And there’s no one I would have rather shared that moment with….than you.” He leaned and left a whisper of a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you.”

Astrid smiled at him, embarrassed and flattered. “Of course, I’m glad it helped…In all honesty, I’m really glad you’re here. I’ve been thinking…”

“Is that why you’re up so late?”

“Yeah, I can’t sleep. See, earlier, my cousin Dale dove in the bay to see if he could find your body. He found that skull, and along with it, there were a bunch of statues, like the one in the North Tower.”

“Oh really?”

“He said they’re laid out in a grid. What do you think it means?”

He settled on the settee next to her, crossing his legs. “Well…it kind of sounds like a cemetery. But it was a bay when we came here. So there’s no way to know.”

“I thought about it being a cemetery too. Maybe those statues are grave markers.”

“Makes sense.” He nodded. “There were a lot of dead bodies in the Tower. Maybe the druids were just showing respect.”

“To intruders?”

Hiccup shrugged. “Why else?”

Astrid was quiet for a moment, before she jerked upright suddenly. “We’re all idiots!”

Hiccup stared at her, “umm?”

“How do you show where a body has been put away?”

“By…a…grave…marker?” He answered carefully.

Astrid leapt to her feet, and ran from the room. Hiccup, curious and concerned was hot on her tail. She threw open the door to the hall, then to the Tower.

The statue stood before her. Taunting her.

Hiccup caught up to her. “Was I right?”

Astrid studied the highly detailed stone man in front of her. There had to be a trick to it. A handle or a switch…something. “Come on, where is it?”

“What?”

Astrid didn’t answer. She only walked quick steps down to the armory.

“Astrid, what are you doing?”

“It was right in front of us the whole time!” She pulled open the door and scanned the shelves. The axe she used that night trapped in the tower laid on the floor, a thin layer of dust taking root. She took it, not even slowing down, and turned back to the stairs.

“Wait!” Hiccup called. “Don’t do anything brash!”

But Astrid ignored him, as she hurried to the back of the hall. “I’m ending this now! Stay out of my way!” Then she bolted into a sprint, running full speed at the rusty bars.

“Astrid!”

She leapt, pushing off of the railing with one foot, and became airborne. A shout ripped from her throat as her stomach fell to the bottom of the Tower. The face of the statue rapidly approached her, and she buried her axe in the stone.

Immediately, the stone started to crumble under her blade. She began to slip, and found purchase with her feet in the arms. Once she was stable, she ripped the axe out of it’s place and hacked at it again. A chunk of stone fell and she halted.

A new face, one of flesh and bone, laid before her. A familiar, handsome face, that she often fell asleep looking at above her mantle.

Astrid turned and looked over her shoulder where Hiccup’s ghost stood, frozen. She smiled at him and turned back around. Careful not to fall, she touched his cold, solid skin carefully.

“I’m sorry it took so long,” she whispered. “But I finally found you. And I know now…” She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his frozen lips, savoring the feeling.

Before she even pulled away, there was a long cracking sound and the pillar began to quake. Unable to do anything else, Astrid clung to Hiccup.

“Hiccup!” She screamed for help, but his spirit was no where to be found.

The pillar shook violently as the foundation crumbled and together they fell.

“I’ve got you!”

But when they hit the ground, it was a lot less painful than she had expected. The ruble of the statue had returned to what it once was, gold, silver, and precious gems. The treasure the vikings were after when they raided. But she didn’t care much about it, as Hiccup’s motionless body laid within her arms, just barely breathing. “Hiccup? Are you still…?”

He opened his eyes faintly. “Astrid…?”

“Yes! Yes Hiccup! I’m here!” She hugged him fiercely. “I’m with you…”

His hands wrapped around her, and hugged her as well. “I’m sorry, I’m really weak…”

She kissed his forehead, “I don’t care…I thought I’d have to say goodbye…” She absently wiped her wet cheek. “Or maybe I wouldn’t even get the chance to do that.”

“I would have said goodbye, don’t worry.” He brushed her hair away from her cheek. “But I don’t have to. I’d love to stay with you, if you’ll let me.”

“Of course!” she choked. “I love you.”

Hiccup smiled warmly in adoration. “You do? Really?”

She kissed him again, letting her lips linger against his just because she could. “I do. And nothing in 18 lifetimes could make me stop.”

[imagineclaireandjamie]

Lord!!!' I am so in love with The Gateway!!! Thank you for this AU. It is so magnificent. I cannot wait for the next installment. Thank you. This blog is my jam. You all rock!

anonymous asked:

I am eagerly waiting for The Getaway! I love it!

anonymous asked:

Loved the latest Getaway. Those crazy kids.

diversemediums asked:

Could we get another installment of The Getaway please?

anonymous asked:

Any plans to continue The Getaway?

Wrapping her large scarf around her neck, Claire waited in the draughty bus station walking from end to end as she tried to decipher the local routes. Hungry and cold, it’d been just over two days of heavy travelling and the extended journey was beginning to take its toll on poor Claire.

“Ma’am...madam?” Calling out, the conductor waved his hands in front of Claire’s face as she shuddered and focused her energy back onto the poor man who was trying to give her advice.

“S-sorry, what did you say?” she returned, blinking the haze away as she rubbed her hands together in the frigid station.

“The next bus, miss, it’s ready to leave in five minutes from stand two, alright?”

Nodding her head, she glanced the length of the building, her chest constricting as she faced the prospect of finally reaching her intended destination. The whole way here she’d been convinced of her decision, certain that Jamie’s presence would fix the fear that had taken root deep in her bones the moment her suspicions had been realised.

But now, being so close to fulfilling that desire, Claire wondered if she was putting too much pressure on poor Jamie.

“Thank you,” she whispered to the kind gentleman as he tipped his hat and turned on his heel in the opposite direction.

Walking towards the waiting bus, Claire clenched her hands together, trying desperately to warm her frozen digits.

Sitting on the cheap plastic flip-down seats, Claire settled herself, pulling her full rucksack from her shoulders and resting it at her feet. There would be another bus along in thirty minutes, and she’d rather give herself that extra time to settle the uncertainty that was now bubbling inside her belly than set off in such a state.

“Ye look fair fashed, wean…” came a small voice to her left as Claire twisted her head to look at her mystery friend.

Sat on the bench beside her, an older lady sat, her knitting abandoned in her lap as she bent her head to the side, appraising Claire with a kind look in her eyes.

“Ye love him, aye?”

Shocked, Claire jumped a little as the words hit her.

Forced into a corner, there was nothing to say but an honest reply.

“...yes, and I’m about to ruin his life,” she almost choked out, her throat pulsing in time with her pounding heart.

There it was. The facts in black and white.

It wasn’t that she didn’t think Jamie would stand by her, that he wouldn’t do all he could to be her rock --hers and the baby’s.

But the crux of the matter was just that, whatever his plans for the future, she was about the stride into his life and tear them all down.

True enough, they were both responsible for what had happened. But Jamie had been a gentleman. He would have waited. He had forced her to actively contemplate what they’d been committing themselves to and she had thrown caution to the wind.

“I can see the cogs turning, lassie,” the lady broke in, snapping Claire from her maudlin thoughts. “And afore ye dig yer own grave and cover yerself over in the dirt, let me tell ye something…”

Raising her brows, Claire turned herself fully to face her new friend and relaxed her tense shoulders, thankful for the distraction.

“It isne just yers to take on, ken?”

Wetting her lips with her tongue, Claire blinked slowly before speaking. “H-how? Do you...is it obvious?” she stuttered, assuming the lady had guessed her predicament just from the look of her.

“I’m a mother, wee one…and yer rubbing your belly unconsciously, my dear.” Winking, she smiled pleasantly as she picked one stray knitting needle from a bag filled with wool and looped the long scarf-like material around the fresh metal.

“It was an accident, I’ve only just finished my exams.”

“--and ye dinna want an abortion?” The woman asked, playing devil's advocate with Claire’s emotions as she watched the horror play out on her face.

“No...no, I...that was never. No.” Claire returned, absolute certainty lacing her strong words. “She’s a part of me now, I couldn’t do it. Even if he sent me away.”

“Go to him, darling girl. Yer brave, I can see it in yer face. You are here, and ye didna spring it on him over the phone. Whatever ye feel inside,” she continued, standing as she repacked her small wool bag, brushing her short gray hair behind her ears, “going to him is the right thing. I believe in ye.”

Brushing passed Claire, she handed her a small piece of paper with a number written on it in beautiful cursive script.

“I had my son at seventeen, out of wedlock. My husband, the man who fathered my son, he was devastated that I hadna thought he would step up. We were married soon after and not a day goes by that I dinna think how much easier it would ha’ been had I just allowed him to bear some of the burden from the beginning. Trust me, dearie, I ken.”

Tapping her nose, she rested her bag over her arm and shuffled off in the direction of the exit, leaving Claire alone once more.

Folding the tiny strip of note paper, Claire slid it into her jeans pocket just as the next bus pulled into the bay and opened its doors.

Reaching into her jacket pocket, she pulled the last of her change and picked up her rucksack. Taking a deep breath she stepped onto the bus and paid her fare before sitting in the closest seat, her knee jiggling up and down as the engine idled, the constant whirring keeping her grounded.

Finally, the doors slammed shut and the driver reversed, the bus leaving the safety of Inverness behind.

Taking her book from the side pocket, Claire busied herself, hardly paying attention to the beautiful scenery as they began to pass along the length of Loch Ness.

It would be nearly an hour before she arrived in central Beauly, and then she’d have to find her own way to Lallybroch.

The kind man in the bus station had assured her the big Fraser house wasn’t too far from the main stop in the middle of the small village. But until she got closer, she decided not to add another worry to her ever expanding list.

It was nearly midday by the time the little passenger bus reached Claire’s intended destination, and the driver had to purposefully stop to remind her that she had arrived.

Thanking him, she slung her backpack over her shoulders once more and typed in the address to google maps on her phone.  

The automated voice read out the directions in her computerised voice as Claire wandered slowly along the main road before turning off when instructed. Her battery was low, but with any luck, she’d have her bearings before it completely died on her.

As it was, luck was on her side and just as the phone beeped to signal its near demise, Claire saw the large sign for ‘Broch Tuarach; Lallybroch’ pinned to a small hand-built wall.

Holding tightly to the straps of her bag, Claire began the meandering walk up the long drive, the sound of her feet crunching against the smattering of gravel keeping her on task.

As the familiar arch came into view, she slowed her pace, her eyes darting here and there as if anyone of the Fraser’s might suddenly appear before she’d had chance to solidify her thoughts and prepare herself.

“Pull yourself together, Beauchamp,” she chastised herself, her words floating off into the surrounding trees as she passed under the arch, “you can do this.”

Clattering rang out from the kitchen, the sound of dishes being washed coming from the open windows as Claire stood in front of the large wooden door. She could hear Ellen humming, the light airy song drifting through the air as she finally knocked, her mouth dry as a bone.

Waiting for someone to open up and let her in seemed to take an age, and by the time the door had begun to open, Claire had all but zoned out.

Ellen’s eyes grew wide as she saw her best friends daughter huddled on her stoop, a large bag filled to the brim hanging from her right shoulder.

Claire looked bedraggled.

Before Ellen could muster the words to ask how she’d travelled here from Oxford, Claire and dropped her rucksack and launched herself into her arms, clinging tight as she buried her face into Ellen’s neck.

“Och, Claire lassie...wha--” she began as she rubbed her hands over Claire’s back. It was as she pulled her off the step and into the main hallway that she felt it, the slight protrusion of Claire’s belly against hers. A sure sign of the babe that grew beneath her almost-daughter’s skin.

“Oh...my…” she muttered, the air leaving her lungs in a massive gust as she swayed Claire from side to side, taking in the unspoken truth of what had actually possessed Claire to make her way to their little home.

Claire said nothing.

Certain that Ellen knew exactly what was going on, she simply accepted human contact for the first time in a while, basking in the closeness she so desperately craved.

“Is he at school?” Claire whispered, her words muffled in Ellen’s woolen jumper.

“Aye, my dear. He is. Dinna fash though,” Ellen replied, her heart breaking for poor Claire; who’d obviously endured so much on her own, “I’ll make ye some willow-bark tea and run ye a bath, how does that suit?”

Stepping away, Ellen held onto Claire by the shoulders with one hand and let her other rest gently against her tear splattered face, her eyes soft and warm.

“I s-should have called, I should have--” Claire began, the words falling from her lips so quickly that Ellen almost didn’t catch the underlying meaning.

“Nay, Claire,” she broke in as she realised why Claire was werriting, “ye did the right thing. Yer alright. This is your home, a leannan, always.”

Nodding, Claire hiccuped and swallowed the last of her apologies, her heart finally calming as Ellen walked her into the sitting room and removed her coat for her.

“Now, do ye want to talk?” Ellen asked, a soft kindness in her voice as she sat next to Claire, holding her cool hands between her warm ones and rubbing her fingers gently.

“I do,” Claire replied, a tiny burst of life fluttering in her stomach as the first feelings of joy began to flow through her veins.

‘I’m going to be a mother.’ She thought, the image of a tiny baby with Jamie’s vibrant red locks appearing before her very eyes just as the feeling subsided and she shook her head.

“But I want to tell Jamie first...please.”

A small smile tugged at Ellen’s lips as she clenched Claire’s hands between her own.

“O’ course, Claire. But I have to ask,” Ellen finished, a glint of happiness sparking behind her eyes, “my darling girl, have ye told yer mam and da that yer here wi’ us?”

Letting her eyes fall to her lap, Claire shook her head. “No, but I can phone them now. It wasn’t that I was a coward, Auntie Ellen, I promise,” she pleaded, her words clear now as let all the anguish leave her system, fatigue taking root in her bones, “but you must understand-- I needed Jamie to hear it from me first.”

Chuckling, Ellen plucked the landline handset from its charging spot and passed the device to Claire.

“That I do, Claire. But now ye must tell them. And all o’ it, ye ken?”

Nodding, Claire began to key in the number of her father’s mobile, her sweaty fingers slipping on the plastic keypad as it started to ring out.

“I’ll be right here,” Ellen whispered, as she crept out of the large sitting room, closing the door behind her until it sat nearly level with the frame.

Taking a deep breath, Ellen listened only for a moment to ensure Claire had reached Henry and Julia before returning to the kitchen for the tea.

Looking out of the window, she gazed down the drive as the clouds began to lower, a soft pattering of rain falling and speckling the clean windows.

“Grandma Ellen,” she muttered, her fingers rapping against the marble countertop, her eyes watering at the prospect. “A wee bit young, weans,” she continued, a grin spreading across her mouth as she pictured Claire holding an infant as she paced in front of the fireplace in the lounge. A stunning image to be sure. “A bit young, aye. But no less perfect.”

Waiting for the kettle to finish its whistling, Ellen poured the boiling water into two cups before straining the decoction of willow-bark through the small infuser, swishing it around in each mug and watching as the faint traces of purple and brown swirled in the heated liquid.

Looking up at the ceiling, Ellen closed her eyes for just a moment and placed her palms together, an almost silent prayer falling from her lips as the family scene disappeared from her subconscious.

“Dear Lord,” she began, unaware of Claire as she peeked into the large kitchen, her eyes fixed on Ellen, “take care of them. Of Jamie, Claire and baby.”

Leaning her head against the wood, Claire smiled at Ellen’s words, the depth of the Fraser matriarch’s feelings for her warming her blood as she stepped backwards and returned to the sitting room.

This journey, she reasoned, would not be an easy one. But with the support of Jamie’s parents --and her own-- she was certain they would all prosper.

Secure in the knowledge that she had Ellen’s blessing, Claire tucked her legs under the throw on the sofa and closed her eyes, the effect of forty-eight hours on the road finally catching up to her as she dozed off.

“Sleep well, beautiful Claire,” Ellen sing-songed, pulling the blanket around her shoulders as she snuck back into the room and kissed her god-daughter on the forehead lightly, “dream sweet dreams, Sorcha…our fair English rose.”