The Berkians began to panic; without a Chief, that was all they could do. The people who tried to make order of the situation were shoved aside, unable to get their voice over the roaring and frantic questioning of the crowds.
"This is insane," said Eret to Astrid, watching as the villagers turned to each other, asking questions such as "What's happening?" or "What's going to happen to us?" or "Should we go after them and attack?"
Astrid didn't say anything.
"You know," said Eret, "being a dragon trapper in the past has been crazy. But I never thought I'd live to see the day something became even more crazier. I never thought Hiccup would actually give himself up like that."
"Eret, please," said Astrid. "I don't...I don't want to talk about it."
"Oh, right," said Eret. "I couldn't have helped overhearing, though," he said, despite what Astrid had asked of him. "You said you took your anger out on him shortly before the battle commenced."
Astrid sighed. She should have seen that coming. "It was my fault," she said. "I was selfish. I..." She took a breath, wondering, thinking about what she had actually said to Hiccup. "He showed up late at the academy because he got caught up helping a villager with their rogue dragon. I told him he was annoying, and that he never listened, or even tried to," she said. Had she really said that to him? "I told him I didn't care." Wow, she couldn't believe herself. "He tried to apologize, but I brushed him off," said Astrid.
With yelling, part of her mind added. And quite a bit of screaming.
"I told him he was irritating," said Astrid. "I accused him of putting his duties over his friends. And I was wrong..."
Eret nodded. "Sounds like the same conversation Hiccup had to me shortly before the battle commenced," he said.
Astrid turned to him as if he had sprouted wings. "What?" she asked.
"Well, Hiccup was really angry," said Eret. "He kept mumbling and calling himself a stupid, ignorant fool under his breath, but I heard him. So, I took it up with him. He told me that he was the one who started it, and told me that he was just about to go apologize to you, and then the war horn blew, and he didn't have time."
Astrid continued to stare at him. Eret suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment, folded neatly in half, before handing it to Astrid.
"He wrote that down just before the war," said Eret. "Told me to give it to you as soon as I could. I think he was expecting to be taken away by those Lava Louts, or else he would have kept it to give to you himself."
"Did you...did you read it?" Astrid asked, just because she was curious.
Eret shook his head. "No," he said. "It's not for me to read."
Astrid very slowly, with shaking fingers, unfolded the little piece of paper, and read the very messily written runes to herself;
Astrid,
Since I might not have time to say this any other day, I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I was wrong. I do care, Astrid, I really do; I don't know what made me say those things, but I didn't mean a word of them. I do care, and I'm really sorry for what I said to you, and everything else. I have a feeling the Lava Louts are going to ask me to go with them, and in case they do and I'm not able to tell you in person, I hope that this settles. Astrid...could you ever forgive me? I'm so, so, so sorry. It was all my fault. Please, if you find yourself able, forgive me. Please.
Sincerely yours,
Hiccup Haddock
Astrid looked down at the letter in shock. Here Hiccup was blaming himself for something Astrid had done. She couldn't even begin to think about it properly. She looked at one of the words written in charcoal on the paper, and then found it smudged slightly. She reached up and touched her face. Had she really started crying without knowing she was doing so?
"I take it you regret what you said," said Eret, catching Astrid off guard. Astrid nodded feverishly, folding the parchment in half once more and tucking it away in the pouch attatched to her belt.
"I regret every word of it," said Astrid. "I...I can't even apologize to Hiccup for what I said now...now that he's gone."
"It's not too late," said Eret, "you know."
"What...?" Astrid started, but she already knew what Eret was getting at. She had actually planned on doing it all along; going out and looking for Hiccup, even before Eret suggested it. Now that Eret was bringing it up again, sounding as though he were going to come with anyone else who went in search of Hiccup, she found hope.
"The Lava Louts wouldn't take Hiccup just to kill him now, would they, Astrid?" said Eret, breaking Astrid out of her thoughtful remorse. Astrid looked at him and shook her head. "Of course they wouldn't," Eret went on, rising to stand, Astrid moving to do the same. "They'd have nothing to gain from killing him, you know," he said.
"So what are you suggesting we do?" said Astrid, although she already knew the answer.
"In this chaos," said Eret, almost whispering in case they were being spied on by some of the other villagers (mainly Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Snotlout), "no one will notice a few dragon riders sneaking away. We can leave easily, head for Lava Lout island, and demand they return to us our Chief."
"You know, Eret," said Astrid, "that's the best idea I've heard all day." She turned and ran in the opposite direction.
She had friends to gather, supplies to grab, a dragon to mount, and a friend to save.