Astrid sat on her bed, leaning against the wall, resting and trying not to think about the pain. The door to her hut crashed open.
"Hiccup!" His face was all business and his fists were clenched tight against his sides. "What's wrong?" She made to stand up, nearly forgetting not to put weight on her bad leg. But he stopped her with a stern gesture of his hand. Quietly, he approached her, and knelt by her feet. "Hiccup?"
His voice impossibly soft, he said, "Take off your boot."
"What?"
His voice hardened just a notch. "You heard me. Take. It. Off." When she didn't comply, he looked up at her. "I won't bother asking you how bad it is. You said the arrow grazed you. That means the least it did was pierce you."
Exasperated, she replied, "Hiccup, I'm—"
"Fine. I know. I just need to see. Please, Astrid. For me."
Grumbling, if a bit fondly, Astrid bent forward to pull off the boot, and let out an involuntary gasp. Pain shot down her leg from the wound. Hiccup's fists clenched again, and she looked at him sheepishly.
Brow furrowed, he settled down a bit more comfortably on the floor, gently pulled her foot into his lap, and gingerly peeled off her boot. He reached into his forearm guard and pulled out a thin knife, using it to cut away her bloody tights. Astrid flinched as the fabric tore away from the still-forming scab. The wound was now completely exposed, and Hiccup's eyes looked dangerous as he took in the sight.
"Hiccup, it looks worse than it is, trust me."
He ignored her, and unwound a long piece of cloth from around his wrist. He laid it on the arrow wound, wrapping it in a bandage. The repetitive motion of the wrapping seemed to ease his tension somewhat. He sighed. "Astrid, I'm so sorry. This is my fault."
She socked a light punch on his shoulder at this. "How in Thor's name do you figure that?" He tried to say something else, but she kept talking. "I told you, Hiccup, we all know the risks. We freed another handful of dragons today. This," she gestured at her now bandaged leg, "will heal before we know it. It was totally worth it."
"I know," he sighed. He eased her foot back into the boot and stood up, only to sit down next to her on the bed. "I know all that. But I wish I could have blocked that arrow. I can't help but think I'm putting all of you in too much danger. What if that arrow had hit a bit higher up? Dragon root or not, if that arrow had hit your chest…" He couldn't complete the thought.
She took his hand, and waited until he looked her in the eyes. "Hiccup, I hate Viggo and everything he stands for just as much as you do. If you weren't leading us to fight his hunters, I'd be doing it on my own." That got half a smile out of him.
"You're a warrior, Astrid. I'm not here to tell you not to fight." He laced his fingers with hers. "But please, just… try to be more careful." He left a 'for me' unsaid, but her tender smile told him she'd caught it anyway.