Astrid clung to the log with all the strength she had. Another wave rolled under her, lifting her up and down through the water. Her stomach flipped and her nausea doubled. She tried pull more of herself onto the tiny log. It simply rolled, and she was drifting in the water again.

A wave crashed over her, filling her mouth with water. She coughed it out, but the saltiness remained. It made her thirstier, more nauseas, more exhausted than she was before. Where were the others? Why hadn't they come for her yet? Were they even looking for her?

She tried to push the disheartening thoughts from her mind, but the thoughts of being stranded forever and never seeing Stormfly again would not leave. What could those horrible Dragon Hunters be doing to her beloved Stormfly? Were they torturing her? Had they killed her already? She gripped the log a little bit tighter. She couldn't let anything happen to Stormfly.

A chill worked its way throughout her body. Her teeth began to chatter. She let her shoulders dip below the water; it felt warmer than the air around her. She felt a wave rise up behind her, but did not expect the force of which it crashed down on her. The log was tugged away from her and she fought to get it back.

Exhaustion and cold overwhelmed her. She couldn't keep fighting much longer. The sea was tossing her around like a feather in wind, and she didn't have the strength to continue. The storm showed no signs of calming. Oh, if only there were someone around to rescue her! She didn't care if they were friend or foe. Even if it were an enemy that saved her, she would having a better chance of surviving them than this storm. She didn't even care if it was Dagur the Deranged. He was better than no one.

Lightning hit the water in front of her. She hardly reacted. Every ounce of Hofferson grit she ever had was being used to keep her head above the water. Her grip on the floating wood loosened. A huge wave washed over her. The log was pulled away from her. She reached for it, but she couldn't get to it. Her eyes closed and she started to sink. She wondered why she wasn't fighting back, why she wasn't swimming for the surface. The answer was she simply couldn't. She just couldn't.

Her lungs began to ache. Air. She had to get air. She tried to will herself to swim, but she was just too weak. She hadn't eaten anything, she had no water, and she had tossed about in a storm for hours. She breathed out the air in her lungs, and continued to sink. She slowly drifted toward the bottom of the ocean.

Something suddenly caught hold of her wrist, and pulled her toward itself. It wrapped an arm around her waist, and began drag her upwards. She felt herself being pulled out of the water, and a blast of cold air engulfed her. She forced herself to breath in. She couldn't open her eyes. She felt like a Gronckle was sitting on her chest. She drew in another small breath.

"Astrid!" The voice was small and far away. It sounded muddled, as if she was still underwater.

"Astrid!" She knew that voice. Somehow, she knew that sound. It was a good sound, too. It's didn't sound like Dagur or that Dagon Hunter she met that morning. She could feel someone's arm around her back. Whoever this was held her tightly, yet their grip was still gentle and caring.

"ASTRID!" The voice was louder and more desperate this time. She forced her eyelids to open. Her vision focused, and she realized it was Hiccup's voice. Relief flooded through her. She had never been so happy to see him in her life. She wanted to throw her arms around his neck and sob, but she couldn't let him off the hook that easily.

"What took you so long?" she murmured hoarsely.

Hiccup grabbed her and pulled into a hug. "Oh, thank Thor," he gasped, his voice cracking ever so slightly. Astrid relaxed into him. He was warm, and she was so cold. His arms felt safe, and she finally allowed herself to slip away. With a groan, she let herself fade into an exhausted sleep.

She didn't realize this would scare Hiccup half to death, and as soon as he felt her go limp, he assumed the worst. Had she just died in his arms? He immediately pressed his ear against her chest, but her could not hear a thing over the storm. Was she breathing? He couldn't tell. He watched her chest for a moment. There it was, rise and fall.

"C'mon Toothless!" he shouted, switching the gears in the dragon's tail. "It's a long way back!"

The three raced back to the Edge, the wind growing fiercer every minute. Astrid was beginning to look worse-good Thor, she was shivering so hard. Hiccup glanced around for something to keep her warm with. Of all the times he needed a survival pack, this was the time he didn't bother to bring one.

At one point he considered wrapping his shirt around her, but it would make much of a difference. In fact, it might make things worse. He was soaking wet from diving in the water, and the wind had chilled the fabric so that even he was beginning to feel cold.

He saw Fishlegs and Meatlug in the distance, still searching for Astrid. "Fishlegs!" Hiccup shouted, waving his free hand. "Fishlegs!"

Fishlegs saw them and started in their direction.

"We found her!" Hiccup called, "Get the others and meet us back at the Edge!"

Fishlegs nodded and set off.

They had traveled several miles by the time Hiccup spotted their base in the distance. He pulled Astrid's cold body closer to him and urged Toothless faster. The rain stung their bare skin like a thousand bees.

They landed outside of Astrid's hut. Hiccup jumped off of Toothless and lifted Astrid into his arms. She moaned even though she was unconscious. "Hang in there, Astrid," he comforted, shifting her weight around to make her easier to carry. "You're almost there."

With Astrid in his arms, he approached the door, and tried to push it open with his back. Unfortunately, it was latched, and Hiccup didn't have a free hand to open it.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Someone behind him demanded. Hiccup turned around to face the one and only Snotlout Jorgensen.

"I'm trying get Astrid inside," he replied, confused.

"Yes, but you're carrying her."

"So?"

"So, I should be carrying her! Don't you think she'll want to wake to the face of her Viking in shining Gronkle iron?"

"Since when are you Astrid's 'Viking in shining Gronkle iron?"

"Since forever."

"Will you just open the door?"

"No."

"Now, Snotlout."

"No, Hiccup."

"Snotlout, I swear, if you do not open this door I will remove your right to call yourself a man!"

"Yeah sure, like you are capable of doing that." Snotlout snorted, but he opened the door anyway.

Hiccup pushed past him and hurried over to Astrid's bed. "Snotlout!" he ordered, "Start a fire!"

"Why do I have to start the fire?" Snotlout complained.

"Because I told you to!"

Hiccup gently set Astrid down on her bed. He proceeded to remove her shoulder guards and boots. He was trying to figure out how he could get her leggings off appropriately when Fishlegs came waddling into the room.

"I found the twins," he gasped, "but I couldn't find- oh, hey Snotlout."

"Fishlegs, is Ruffnut with you?" Hiccup asked urgently.

"Yeah," Ruffnut said, stepping into the room.

"Ruff, I need your help."

Ruffnut's eyes grew wide. "Did you guys here that?! Hiccup needs my help! Not yours, just mine. Your command is my wish, Master Hiccup."

"Um, I pretty sure it's 'your wish is my command.'" Fishlegs said with an "obviously" tone.

"Tomato, tomahto."

Hiccup groaned. "Listen, Ruffnut. I need you to take off Astrid's wet clothes and put her in some dry ones."

Ruffnut was utterly appalled. "You mean take off all her clothes?"

"Yes."

"And see her buck naked?"

"Ruff, that's not the point."

"Why are you trying to pawn it off on me? Couldn't one of you do it?"

"No, Ruffnut. One of us could not do it."

"Why not?"

"Because we are men, and it is definitely not okay for men to remove a woman's clothing."

"Don't you think calling yourselves men is kinda pushing it?"

"Ruffnut Thorston-"

"Don't you 'Ruffnut Thorston' me! Only Tuffnut is allowed to do that! And he only uses it in emergency situations!"

"This is an emergency situation!"

"How!?"

"Because if we don't get those wet clothes off of her, she will catch hypothermia."

"Hypo-what-mia?"

"Hypothermia. It means that her body temperature will get so cold she'll die."

"She'll freeze to death?!"

"You're on the right track."

"Wait. So if you and Astrid were lost in the wilderness, and she was gonna catch hypo-hernia, would you take off her clothes?"

"If I had no other choice, yes."

"So why can't you do it now?"

"BECAUSE WE ARE NOT LOST IN THE WILDERNESS AND I DO HAVE ANOTHER CHOICE!"

"Gosh, Hiccup. You don't need to freak out. I'll do it."

"Thank you."

Hiccup led the others out of Astrid's hut. They all left to put on fresh clothes, but by the time they got back, Ruffnut still wasn't finished. When they asked her what was taking so long, she angrily yelled: "You try dressing a 120 lb. rag doll!"

Ruffnut finally let them in, and everyone was surprised to find Astrid dressed as well as if she had dressed herself.

"Wow, Ruff," Hiccup praised, "You put on her boots and everything!"

"Yes," Ruffnut replied mournfully, "and now I am scarred for life."

"Oh, for the love of Thor, Ruffnut! You're both girls!"

Ruffnut only shook her head and left the hut.