The Armorwing was down. The Flyers were closing in. They were out of time, and out of ideas. Strange then, that it was that single, hectic, terrifying moment that filled Astrid with more clarity than she had ever felt before.
She had spent the day in a fog of uncertainty; uncertainty about herself, about her place in the Riders, and more specifically, about her standing with Hiccup. Circumstances had been driving them apart for months now, she realized, as increased danger and responsibility had forced them to take on separate duties. She had felt the sting of loneliness for far longer than just the last few hours, but it had taken seeing Dagur and Mala to make her acknowledge it. And then she had wasted precious time agonizing over herself and her feelings when the answer had been in front of her all along.
Hiccup was insensitive, oblivious, hard-headed, and indecisive when it came to their relationship. He was a far cry from perfect future-husband material. But the moment his life hung in the precarious balance, it was clear to her that none of that really mattered. No matter how angry or upset she was, she still loved him, and she would still do whatever it took to protect him.
"We're sitting ducks out here!" Snotlout shouted above the sound of a nearby explosion.
"He's right Hiccup! It's only a matter of time before we all go boom!" Dagur put in most unhelpfully.
Only a matter of time... The words echoed in her head as she held the injured Armorwing still. Hiccup could die at any moment. She glanced back at her betrothed, her heart sinking when she saw the desperate, searching look in his eyes. He had nothing left to fight with. Then I have to give him more time, she realized. Hiccup's gaze met hers, and she held it for just a moment longer, memorizing his face. Her own face hardened in determination, and before he could breathe a word, she darted over to him, and pressed her lips to his for a split second as her hand slid into his pocket and wrapped around her betrothal necklace. She was loathe to take it from him, especially after she had practically spit on it and shoved it back in his face, but she needed it if she was going to save him. Then, without a word, she pulled back, beckoned Stormfly over, and jumped on, unsheathing her axe as she kicked her dragon into flight.
"Astrid, wh-what..." Hiccup stammered breathlessly, still taken aback by her sudden burst of affection.
"Get the Dragon Eye lens, and get the Armorwing to safety!" she ordered in lieu of an answer. His eyes widened in realization.
"Astrid, no!" That was all she heard before she was out of reach. Stormfly shot across the sky like a bullet, right into the midst of the Flyers. She held up the pendant and it caught the moonlight like a mirror. With as fast as she was going, they would not be able to tell it apart from the lens. Astrid smirked as they predictably veered around to chase after her.
"She's trying to escape with the Dragon Eye lens!" Krogan bellowed. "Don't let her get away!"
Back on the ground, Hiccup was frozen, open-mouthed and reaching fruitlessly towards the sky as though he could catch her and drag her back down to safety.
"Snap out of it!" Snotlout barked, shaking him roughly by the shoulder. "We have a job to do. She'll be fine, she knows what she's doing."
"...Right," Hiccup heard himself say, though everything inside him was screaming to go after her and stop her. She'll be fine, she'll be fine, she'll be fine, he chanted mentally. "Fishlegs, do you think we can pry the lens off of the Armorwing without hurting it?"
"I-I think so," he squeaked. "It's not very deeply embedded in the armor. We should be able to get it out with just a knife." Hiccup nodded and yanked his knife out of its sheath, trying to still his quaking hands as he knelt beside the dragon. He had to make this quick, and he could not afford to make any mistakes and hurt the Armorwing further.
"Okay, as soon as I have this thing out, Snotlout, you, Dagur, and Fishlegs carry the Armorwing back to the Edge where he'll be safe." He grit his teeth as he pried the lens out as gently as he could. It popped out with a click, and the Armorwing did not react. He absentmindedly shoved it in his pocket as he stood and sprinted over to Toothless.
"Wait a second, where are you going?" Snotlout demanded anxiously, but Hiccup had already taken off and left a cloud of dust in his wake.
"Where do you think he's going?" Fishlegs deadpanned as he mounted Meatlug."He's going to get Astrid. Come on, we gotta get this guy in the air and away from those hunters."
She's fine, she's fine, she's fine, Hiccup repeated. She has to be. He frantically searched the dark sky for any sign of her or the Flyers. If he lost her today, especially after everything he had put her through (albeit, unintentionally), he would never be able to live with himself. Even if he had not hurt her feelings today, losing her to anything would all but kill him. Toothless hovered uncertainly, turning and wheeling in the sky as he fired one sonic blast after another. A cloudbank nearby lit up with a brilliant flash of orange just as a familiar blue streak came tearing out of it. Toothless needed no further prompting. He bolted after her, as an all-too-familiar Titanwing burst out of the clouds and fired a blast at Stormfly.
For a split second, Hiccup saw everything with painful clarity, as though time had slowed to a crawl. He felt rather than heard himself scream her name at the top of his lungs, while the wild pounding of his own heart drowned out all other sound. But he was too late.
Stormfly managed to veer to the left just before the blast made contact, but her right wing took the brunt of the attack. Astrid bit back a scream as white-hot flame seared up the side of her arm. Then she felt her stomach drop as the familiar, weightless feeling of being separated from her dragon in mid-air took hold of her senses. They were both plummeting into the churning waves below. She only wished she had time to apologize to her dragon for bringing her down with her rider. Just before they hit the water, she caught sight of a black and red blur tearing across the sky like a dark bolt of lightning. She smiled and clutched her betrothal necklace against her heart. They were safe.
Suddenly, she jerked to a stop, and began rising into the air. She gasped in pain as hot talons wrapped around her chest and gripped her tightly. Stormfly screeched as seawater billowed around her and engulfed her like a blue blast of fire. Her name built up as a scream in Astrid's throat, but suddenly the hapless rider was thrown straight up into the air and caught again in another painful grip. She looked up from where she was helplessly dangling. Krogan's hand was wrapped tightly around her burned wrist, and he had a disinterested, smug look on his face.
"Now," he said lowly. "The Dragon Eye lens, please." Astrid grinned up at him triumphantly.
"Sorry," she replied breathlessly. "But I'm afraid it's long gone." She turned her free hand so he could clearly see Hiccup's betrothal necklace shining as an emblem of victory in her palm. Krogan's face contorted with rage.
"Wretched little brat! I'll send you to join your dragon in Helheim!" He yanked her up and slammed his fist into her temple, knocking her senseless. As blackness engulfed her, her stiff fingers closed tightly around the pendant, and an image of Hiccup flashed briefly before her eyes.
"KROGAN!" Hiccup bellowed at the top of his lungs, just as the Hunter was about to drop the unconscious girl into the dark water below. Toothless drew up in front of the Singetail, and Hiccup held the real Dragon Eye lens in front of him at arm's length, where he was certain Krogan could see it. The Nightfury was struggling to carry the weight of the soaked and trembling Nadder gripped tightly in his paws. Hiccup knew he could not fly fast enough to save them both. There was only one way to preserve Astrid's life. "You hand her over, and I'll give you what you want," he spoke in a steely, level voice, though he was half-blinded by the terror of almost losing Astrid.
"It's a bit late for negotiations, Hiccup," Krogan answered, though he kept hold of Astrid's arm.
"I'm not negotiating!" Hiccup snarled. "If you kill her, I will take this lens and destroy it completely. You'll never find the King of Dragons." He was taking a page from Viggo's book. The thought made his stomach churn in disgust, but he was desperate. Besides, the threat had made Krogan pause. Astrid still hung lifeless from his grip, unconscious, but within reach. "Either you let her go, or you lose everything you've worked for."
"So would you," Krogan pointed out. "You would really destroy such priceless information on dragons? The creatures you live and breathe and bleed to protect? Are you really such a coward that you would give up your life's work for the sake of a single, insignificant human?"
"Are you?" Hiccup shot back. His heartbeat picked up the pace. Toothless was growing weary. There was a dark trail of blood running down the side of Astrid's face. They were running out of time. Krogan's self-satisfied smirk settled into a grim line. Hiccup was not bluffing. Wordlessly, he held out his left hand for the lens.
"I agree to your terms," he growled. "But I want to see the lens first."
"Krogan-" Hiccup began. He stopped short as Krogan suddenly jerked Astrid's limp form in warning. Swallowing his protests, the rider guided his struggling dragon higher and closer, and placed the precious object in Krogan's outstretched hand. Toothless groaned from the effort.
The Hunter held the lens up in the moonlight, scrutinizing it carefully. Satisfied that it was genuine, he put it in his pocket, but made no further movement. An agonizing moment crawled by, as the two stared each other down like dueling dragons. Hiccup could not stand it any longer.
"Now, Astrid," he demanded. His heart plummeted as Krogan's face relaxed into another smirk. Just as he realized what was about to happen, Krogan flung Astrid's body over the side of his dragon as though she were nothing more than a child's doll.
"NO!" Hiccup felt daggers in his throat as he screamed like a dying animal. Krogan's dragon turned and floated away, as the missing flyers regrouped around it and followed their leader home. Toothless groaned underneath him and faltered. He could not dive fast enough and hold onto Stormfly. Hiccup would have to give up one to save the other. His heart writhed in a fit of agony as Astrid hit the water and disappeared beneath the foamy waves. How could he make that choice and live with the guilt that would follow?
"Gotcha covered, Brother!"
Dagur!
The Berserker chief might as well have been Odin himself the way Hiccup's breaking heart lept with newfound relief at the sound of his voice. Sleuther shot past him and pierced the water like an arrow, resurfacing not a moment later with Astrid held safely between his claws. Hiccup could have cried. He also could have scolded Dagur for going against orders and leaving Fishlegs and Snotlout to protect the Armorwing on their own, but he did not do that either. Instead, he let out a breathless laugh as Sleuther gently lowered Astrid into his arms, before taking Stormfly from the exhausted Toothless.
"Thought it might help if Sleuther and I kept the other Flyers busy for you," Dagur said lightheartedly, as though he had not actually just saved Hiccup from a lifetime of undying grief and self-loathing. "We scared 'em all off and got bored, so we decided to come after Krogan. I'm sorry he got away before we could pound him."
"Thank you," Hiccup gasped, clutching Astrid tightly against him. He looked up at Dagur with shining eyes."Thank you so much."
Finding herself coming to in the warmth and safety of her hut, and not the radiant splendor of Valhalla, left Astrid feeling both relieved and a little confused. The last thing she remembered was having her skull bashed in by that slimy low-life and rapidly descending to her watery doom. By her calculations, she should have been dead by now. But instead of staring up at the shining and majestic face of Odin, she was met with a vision of her betrothed, his hair a tangled mess, his eyes swollen and red from exhaustion, and his bony fingers reverently caressing the knuckles of her left hand. Her temple throbbed angrily as the light assaulted her eyes, and she quickly shut them again. Hiccup must have realized she was awake, though, because he began gushing apologies like a broken water spout.
"Oh gods, Astrid! Thank Thor you're awake. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry, this was all my fau-" She cut him off with a finger pressed against his lips.
"You're making it worse," she whispered, lifting her other hand to massage her splitting head.
"Sorry," he said again much more quietly. There was an awkward stretch of silence between them as Astrid struggled to collect her senses.
"What happened?" she finally asked, opening her eyes a crack to look at him again.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Hiccup asked hesitantly.
"That son of a half-troll clocking me in the head," she groaned. Her eyes widened in spite of the pain. "Stormfly! She was-"
"Toothless pulled her out of the water," Hiccup interrupted softly. "Her wing's broken, but she's going to be fine in a few weeks." Astrid let out a long sigh of relief and closed her eyes again.
"So...how am I not dead?" she mumbled. She felt Hiccup squeeze her fingers tightly as he let out a shaky breath.
"Luck of the gods, I guess," he murmured. "I couldn't...I couldn't get to you fast enough and hold on to Stormfly. I thought I'd lost you for a second there, but Dagur showed up just in time and caught you."
"Dagur saved me?" Astrid scoffed. "That's one guy I never thought I'd owe anything other than a good thrashing, let alone my life." There was another heavy pause. "What about the Dragon Eye lens?" Hiccup did not answer her. She opened her eyes and looked at him pointedly. He was looking everywhere except for at her. She took a deep breath and heaved herself upright, shuddering just a little when Hiccup immediately brought an arm around her back to support her. "Hiccup," she repeated, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at her. "Where. Is. The Dragon Eye lens?"
"It's...ah... It's gone," he fumbled.
"Gone...where? What happened to it?"
"...Krogan has it," Hiccup answered meekly. Astrid's hand dropped from his face and she glared at him.
"I don't suppose he just swooped in and took it from you by force, did he?" Hiccup let out a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back if his neck.
"N-no, not...really."
"You know, the whole point of me going up there ahead of you was so you guys could get away with the lens," she scolded as firmly as she could. She could feel her cheeks heating up in spite of herself.
"Which was entirely idiotic of you, if I may say. You should have known I would never leave you behind, not for all the Dragon Eye lenses in the world." She let her gaze drop and clenched her unoccupied hand in her lap. Yes, she did know that. She had always known that. Why had she ever doubted that? There was yet another stretch of silence. She was starting to lose count of them at this point.
"Astrid," Hiccup said so softly it made her heart clench. She looked up and saw his face twisted in intense sorrow. "You almost died." She swallowed nervously. Hiccup was being far too serious for her liking.
"Happens to the best of us," she replied nonchalantly. His grip on her hand tightened.
"You almost died," he repeated, as though she had not spoken. "And I didn't even have a chance to apologize." Astrid's brow furrowed. She looked up at him with a strained smile.
"You don't need to. I was being petty and stupid."
"No, you weren't," he argued. "I should've noticed that necklace right away. But...it's not just about that. I've been taking you for granted. I have," he insisted as she opened her mouth to deny it. "And I didn't realize it until I almost lost you. I couldn't have done any of this without you, Astrid. Not the Dragon Riders, or the Edge. You've always been there for me, and I want to always be there for you." He paused and slowly withdrew her beloved pendant from his pocket. She had held onto it; even in the depths of unconsciousness, she had not let go. Holding it gingerly in his cupped hands, he looked her dead in the eye as he continued. "I love you, Astrid Hofferson, with everything I have. And I always will."
Astrid was not sure whether it was from pain or because of what he said, but right as he finished, she felt unwelcome tears welling up in her eyes. Breathing deeply to steady her fluttering heart, she took the necklace from him and hung it back on her neck where it belonged. Then she cupped his face in her hands, one of which was slathered heavily in burn ointment and wrapped tightly in numerous layers of bandages, and gazed fixedly into his eyes.
"I know," she said firmly. "And we don't have to be like Dagur and Mala for me to believe that. Even if you're a muttonhead sometimes, I'll always love you too."
And as he pressed his lips to hers, she could only marvel how she had ever doubted him in the first place.
A/N: Mi Amore Wing was an episode that I found to be a bit disappointing for various reasons. That being said, this story isn't meant to disparage the RTTE writers or make anyone assume that they did an objectively bad job. It is simply a different version of the story that I wanted to tell. I still love RTTE and Hiccstrid, and greatly admire all the people who have put so much work into it.