7/19/10

New fic! This is going to be a mix - suspense, mystery, a little action, and more than a little Hiccup angst. Remember, reviews are chicken soup to the fic writer's soul!

Disclaimer: Do not own, no infringement intended.

The oddly matched couple stood outside their modest home. It was not the newest house in the village; there had been no need for new buildings in over four years. The young man had in that time reached his full height and could now easily plant a kiss on the top of his flaxen-haired bride. He was still slender and unimposing physically, but no one would call him weak. His own hair was dark, flashing auburn in certain lights, and she reached up to push her hand through it as she so often did. It never ceased to make him grin like a fool.

"Go," she told him. "You haven't flown since your father died."

The grin faded and he dropped his head at the mere mention of the loss. "There's just so much to do," he said heavily.

"And you've done it. You've done everything that was asked of you. You would have made him proud ten times over." She looked up into his face and smiled. "Just like you make me proud."

He placed a hand on her protruding belly. "I only wish he had lasted a little longer. Just so he knew."

She kissed him on the neck. "Go," she whispered into his ear. Behind them the black dragon pranced excitedly. "Six months is an eternity to him. Besides you deserve a day off. No one is going to blame you."

And he wanted to, he really did. As busy as he'd been settling into the role of chief, he still laid awake at night recalling the cool air blowing in his face and the flip of his stomach when they dove heedlessly towards the sea only to pull up at the last minute.

She pulled his face to hers and claimed his mouth in that possessive manner that always curled his toes, before sliding her tongue across his lips invitingly. His body immediately came to attention and with a growl his tongue accepted her invitation eagerly, while pulling her hips against him. His spirit still desperately wanted to fly, but the rest of him wanted to carry her into the house and get lost in those crystal blue eyes and greedy mouth for several hours. Or days.

Laughing, she placed her palm against his chest and pushed him away. "Go!" she cried. "I've got a thousand things to do and you're only going to be under foot. I don't want to see you till supper."

He groaned and stepped backwards. "You are a cruel and evil woman! And I love every inch of you!"

Her lips pulled down comically as she placed her hands against her stomach. "And there's so much more right now."

"All beautiful!" he shouted as he reached the dragon's side and leapt onto his back.

She kissed her palm and waved to him as the man and dragon working as a single unit soared into the air.

He smiled as the land became a distant memory behind them, still tasting her lips on his. He supposed this was the curse of newlyweds, never feeling sated of each other. He shook his head: who was he kidding; he knew in thirty years she'd still be able to turn him into a puddle of desire with just the crook of her finger. It's her ardor for him that was a constant source of amazement.

He closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the peace in his heart and then patted his companion on the neck. "I'm sorry I got so caught up, buddy. We'll do this more often now that things have settled down, I promise." The dragon crooned in response. He felt infinitely lucky, able to soar atop the most magnificent being in the sky while the vibrant shieldmaiden who'd deigned to marry him waited at home. After so many years of hardship and loss, things were finally perfect.

"Let's stretch those wings of yours," he called out happily and urged the dragon faster.

Hiccup was tired and hungry after the day's adventure, but also rested in a place deep in his heart where life has made him older than his nearly twenty years. After tending to Toothless' large fish dinner, dragon and rider walked sedately towards home, imagining what delicacies might await the human of the pair. Hiccup secretly hoped for roast lamb, but that's reserved for special occasions, and while a day spent flying certainly counted as special in his eyes, he doubted it reached roasted lamb-worthy to his wife.

He stopped just short of the dooryard. Something was wrong; he could feel it, but didn't know why. Behind him, Toothless trilled inquisitively.

"Does anything seem wrong to you?" he asked the dragon, not expecting an answer exactly, more like a confirmation, and when the flat head bumped his elbow he took that as an affirmation. "The smoke is not right," he finally said, realizing there was none coming out of the chimney, where one might expect a lot of smoke if supper were being cooked in the hearth.

"Astrid?" he called out as he reached the door, pushing it open. The house felt lifeless, empty, cold; the fire in the hearth had indeed died down to embers. "Astrid?" he called out louder, just in case, with no answer. He tried not to acknowledge the fear that grew in his chest, clutching at his heart insidiously, certain that she must be at Ruffnut's house, the two women having talked the day away without realizing it.

He stepped out the door, preparing to walk down and check, but something drew him around the side of the house, and that was when the fear let loose, growing spikes that burrowed into every crevice, having spotted the overturned basket, various garments including several of his own tunics spilling out onto the grass. "Astrid!" he yelled turning around wildly, looking but not really seeing. "Astrid!"

Not too far away, at the border between village and wilderness, something caught his eye, the glint of the setting sun on a burnished metal disk, and he stumbled practically on all fours towards it. Hanging loosely from a low hanging tree limb, he plucked her headband, clutched it like a lifeline. Behind him, his panicked cries had drawn several curious witnesses. "Where's my wife?" he screamed at them. "Has anyone seen Astrid? Somebody tell me where she is!"

"Hiccup!" a concerned voice called to him as hands grabbed his shoulders. "What's going on?" It was Snotlout, his cousin, and, more recently, his friend. Tuffnut was close on his heels.

"She's gone. I went flying today, and when I got back…I found this hanging on that tree," Hiccup told him, in choking stilted breaths. He knew this was not how a chief was supposed to act, but he couldn't help himself, that fear was nearly strangling him.

"Okay, calm down, bro. She can't have gone far. She's probably somewhere in the village. Have you checked her parents or Ruffnut's?" Snotlout asked in a calm tone.

"She's not at Ruff's," Tuffnut offered. "I just came from there.

"Great, one less place to look. It's going to be fine." He put a reassuring hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"'Lout, are you not hearing me? I found her headband hanging on a tree!"

Snotlout took Hiccup by the shoulders and said in a low voice, "I can hear you fine, and so can everyone else. I know you're worried, but people don't need to see their chief panicking right now."

Hiccup stared morosely at the circlet in his hands, then at the spilled laundry. It didn't just come off on its own, he was sure of it. It was a sign. Maybe a warning. All he knew is that she was not going to be found in the village; he had to do something. "Toothless!" he called out, and the Night Fury was at his side in a moment. He held the band out to the dragon. "Can you smell her? Can you find her?" he asked his friend desperately.

Toothless sniffed deeply at the band and looked up at Hiccup with a flick of the head, that insistent gesture he used whenever he wanted Hiccup to get onto his back. Hiccup did so and yelled to Tuffnut and Snotlout, "Keep looking. I'll be back."

"Hiccup!" Snotlout yelled after him, but Hiccup was already out of sight.