Author's Note: I know I posted this I RttE but whatever. So basically this is just a bunch of one-shots I'm going to write for The Snow Queen AU.
Enjoy! :-)
Asher POV (Weird right?)
Terror, panic, pain and worry.
The words best describe my feelings as I stand on one edge of the Clubhouse, my axe more than a dozen feet away, the other riders battling the Dragon Hunters outside.
Haedryin gives a strangled cry the dagger digging into her neck further a thin strip of red spreading across her neck. I scowl at the man holding it; trying to bury the panic swirling through me. I make one wrong move and Haedryin is dead.
Toothless and Stormfly are unconscious in one corner the sleep blow darts sticking out of their scales almost mockingly.
"Let us try this one more time, Asher." Viggo says and moves forward pushing his captive with him.
Let her go, let her go, let her go. I will send you to Valhalla myself if you touch one hair on her head.
"Just hand over the lenses that you have and your queen goes free." Viggo says. I clench my fists tightly trying to ignore Haedryin's warning shakes of her head.
I do nothing and she dies. I have to give the lens, I cannot let her die.
"Fine." I spit and turn walking towards the chest where they're in a small bag.
"Asher dont!" Haedryin pleads. I don't look back at her. No I refuse to let her die, a world without Haedryin is like a world without a sun. I shove the chest open and grab the sack with trembling fingers before turning back to the Grimborne. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!
"Good." Viggo says and hardly seems to notice Haedryin's heavy struggle. "My dear, you're going to behead yourself, struggling is useless." Viggo says. I move forward until I'm less than five feet from the man.
He lifts out a hand and I drop the sack into it, scowling murderously at him. "Now let her go." I growl.
Viggo nods, "Of course." He agrees, he releases her shoulders and moves the dagger from her neck shoving her forward. She stumbles slightly and my hands snap forward grabbing her arms and steadying her. I prepare to shove her behind me and tackle Viggo for the lenses back but Haedryin's eyes widen her mouth opening with a silent scream. No, no, no!
Viggo pulls back his dagger from her back and I stare at Haedryin in horror before she collapses into my arms. "Admittedly, I am impressed, you lasted longer than most of my other opponents. You fought a good fight, but Maces and Talons is a game of strategy; that you failed to perceive." Viggo walks to the door pausing to say before moving on: "The game is over."
"Ash.." Her word is cut short at a shaky breath and I fall to my knees taking her in my arms in a limp hug trying to calm my panicking heart. She'll be fine, she'll be fine-no she won't.
"Shh, it's going to be okay. You're going to be okay." I promise as tears form in my eyes. She won't be and both of us know it.
"Take...c-care of Toothless for me. T-tell my dad I love him." She whispers her voice full of pain and sorrow.
"You can't leave me!" I yell and her eyes slip shut.
"I-I love you, A-Asher." She rasps. I take her hand in my own, twitching slightly at the cold feeling the pulse slow.
"I..love you to, milady." I choke through sobs before her head rolls back a final breath escaping her chapped lips. Gone. She's dead, I'll never hear her laugh or see her bright eyes, the way she wields her magic or extreme sass. I love her! And now, she's gone, dead. Dead, dead, dead.
I jerk forward in a cold sweat my bangs sticking to my forehead; my clothing damp. I shove my eyes open blinking rapidly at the darkness for anything to calm me spotting Stormfly sleeping in the corner. Her head snaps up at my shaky breathes and I lift up a hand.
"I-I'm okay." I stutter. It was just been a dream. It was just a dream...was it?!
Scrambling out of my bed I shove off the blanket and look out the window where the tall ice structure stands strong, the rest of Dragon's Edge at ease. No ships, no Viggo, no battle. It wasn't real, it wasn't real...
I move back to the bed and sit down stiffly trying to calm my racing heart. We haven't seen Viggo for months, it's fine, it's fine. Stormfly shoves under my hand and I give her half attention staring forward in a small daze.
Stormfly growls softly before she scampers down the stairs bursting from the hut. Where is she going? I need her!
Pursing my lips slightly I rub my temples softly, come on Asher, you are an adult, you don't need your parents or a dragon to calm you down. You're fine, just breathe. After several minutes I hear the front door squeak slightly. "Asher?" Haedryin calls softly.
A flood of relief washes through me, she's alive. The Snow Queen climbs up the stairs looking up at me. Her hair is loose, falling down her back in soft curls to her knees the wild layers sticking out. "Stormfly woke me, are you okay?" She asks quietly.
"I-uh, yeah." I assure. She raises an eyebrow and I sigh shaking my head slightly. She moves forward and sits next to me on the bed the wood creaking softly. After several seconds she reaches her hands up her frigid skin grazing my neck slightly. She's so cold it literally hurts to be touched by her, but even though I'm used to it I still flinch slightly. She grasps a thin chunk of the hair next to my face and starts to braid it.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
She shrugs as an answer, "What's wrong?" She asks sitting up slightly to braid easier. It's weird having someone do it, but it feels nice, reassuring.
I bite my lip, its not very Viking like to be scared by a dream, then again Haedryin has never been a standard Viking. "Nightmare." I admit.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asks after a second her eyebrows knitting together as she concentrates on the braid, looping her fingers through bits knotting it before continuing the braid. Not in the slightest. What if by telling it to her, it becomes real?
"Not really." I say and she nods softly as an answer. Stormfly enters the room looking satisfied with herself and curls up in the corner probably trying to fall asleep again. I don't want to sleep again, I dont think I'll ever rest in peace again with the image of Haedryin's bleeding body in my arms every time I close my eyes.
Yet, here she is, perfectly safe and not stabbed, a little tired but safe.
She finishes off the small braid with a final knot at the end and smiles slightly staring at it. Seeing my face, she grows serious again. "Do you think your going to go back to sleep?" She asks.
"No." I say and she nods.
"I'll stay up with you."
"No you don't have to-" I start and she lifts a finger to my lips.
"I know. I want to." She assures and spins her bracelet around her wrist slightly fingering the pearls of Dinja. After a few seconds she looks up at me. "I'll help you patrol the Edge." She says with a smile and I smirk softly. She knows me well. I nod and grab my axe lying at the end of my bed, I get to my feet as Haedryin gets to hers and we both slip down the stairs, out of the house and to Dragon's Edge. I give her another half glance as she rubs under her eyes slightly, if Viggo comes here, he won't get to her. Not if I have any say in it.
Author's Note: Please review!