Deceit

by jadesunset

After facing Viggo Grimborn, Hiccup and Astrid have to deal with the aftermath of her dishonesty and the insecurities that come with it. Takes place during RTTE with complicated Hiccstrid. Rated T for references to adult situations.

10. Chapter 10

AN: Wow. Wow, wow, wow. I am so sorry it has taken this long to get an update out! I never intended for it to go this long, and I especially feel bad about leaving the story at such a major plot point.

I'll save the sob story and just say that the past six months have been extraordinarily rough. Many obstacles that limited my time to write, required me to re-write at times, and at one point I just kind of burned out.

But as I've said before, this story will be finished and will never be abandoned.

Since so much time has passed, a few messages and reminders:

Angst, Angst, and A Change of Pace

If you first came to this story looking for angst, I hope this chapter hits the spot!

MAJOR interactions between Astrid and Hiccup ahead. And be warned, this is a dense chapter (21,000+ words). There is much to cover and, due to certain plot points, there is a ton of dialogue.

This will be a very different pace from some of the earlier chapters, which spent more time exploring background and the thoughts of each character. There is still some of that ahead, but much of the groundwork has already been laid, and these scenes are broken up between action and dialogue sequences.

Rating

Our T rating gets more usage today, with some minor coarse language and a few very vague references to adult situations.

Remaining Chapters

Chapter 11 is in the final stage of editing, so I hope to get it up fairly quickly.

Chapter 12 is being drafted but will take some time to finalize as it is going to be heavy on action. Depending on how the timing of each scene pans out, this will either be the last chapter of Deceit or there may wind up being a Chapter 13 to close out the story.

As always, I'll do my best to get these turned around, but appreciate everyone's patience in the event I am delayed with other priorities. Rest assured - the story will go on!

After Deceit - A Collection of Short Stories

A reminder: Immediately following the end of Deceit, I will be posting a collection of short stories that take place in the timeline. These shorts will not be in chronological order, but will show major moments that occur after the story (or perhaps even bonus scenes from Deceit).

Several of these stories are already drafted, and will span a variety of genres (humor, angst, general, romance). I am very excited to share these with you all! Stay tuned for more details!

In Gratitude

Finally, and most importantly, I need to take a moment to thank those who left uplifting reviews and PMs on this story and in An Impossible Moment. I can't thank you all enough for writing such thoughtful and encouraging messages during my absence. Your patience, understanding, and well-wishes for my family greatly lifted my spirits. You are the best of this fandom and you make me want to stay a part of it.

Enjoy!

---

The taste of saline overwhelmed Astrid's mouth as thick beads of sweat slid past rough, cracked lips. Her tongue lazed along the inside of her cheek while she lightly panted, face flushed from heat and exertion.

The past several hours had been endless experimentation with her binds; testing and retesting until she could identify every possible motion she could manage. Each precious second was spent memorizing her physical boundaries and searching for ways to use anything to her advantage. She only paused at the occasional sound of footfalls pacing outside the door, then resumed as soon as she was confident the guards had passed.

Moments of doubt arose, usually when the harsh chafing of rope against her skin became too much to ignore. But finding something as simple as changing the angle of her wrist, exposing just enough space to readjust her arms, kept her focused on her ultimate goal.

Despite how excruciatingly small her movements were, Astrid's body ached more than after a full-day of training. Repeatedly tensing as she pulled, twist, and held her weight for second-long intervals pushed her to her physical limit, forcing her to rely on more than muscle memory alone. But as exhausting as it was, a small thrill drove her forward whenever she discovered even the slightest amount of give. It gave a fleeting sense of control that calmed her when the reality of her entrapment began to wear at her resolve.

Sucking in her lower lip, Astrid took a deep breath through her nose as she tightened her shoulders and biceps. Slowly, she focused on pulling herself upwards, towards the ceiling - simply a modified chin-up, she reasoned. But the angle her arms were forced into didn't allow enough distribution, and her hands could barely grasp the rope that tethered them.

Jaw aching from clenching too long, Astrid released a low growl as she allowed her limbs to drop the pose. She barely took the time to catch her breath before trying again, only to find herself still frozen in place despite the strain she placed on her body.

She reluctantly relaxed again, muttering a series of swears under her breath as she narrowed her eyes at the brackets on the ceiling. After several more failed attempts, she tried yet again, this time curling her abdomen in as much as she was able. The combination of moves was enough to raise both knees from the ground, hovering less than an inch above.

It was difficult to contain the euphoria Astrid felt at such a minor accomplishment, and she struggled to control her breathing as she held the position. Elbows deeply bent, her arms began to violently shake as muscle fatigue set in. She only had a few seconds to test swaying front and back before her body finally gave out.

Astrid exhaled roughly as her knees collided with the ground. Her head fell forward while she relaxed her tremoring arms, and her mouth pulled into a quivering smile as she rubbed her sweat-drenched brow against her burning bicep. Blowing out a breath of air as she felt her heart rate start to come back down, Astrid glanced at the small smears of blood on her scuffed knees, visible through her fraying leggings. It reminded her of coming home as a girl - bruised and scraped and bloodied from hours of training, and the immeasurable pride she felt at bearing the marks of her labor.

A strained shout echoed outside of the dingy cell, seeping through the cracks of the iron door and yanking Astrid from her reverie. The unmistakable voice of the elder Grimborn bore down on some poor soul, who could only pathetically sputter and whimper in response.

Stretching her aching neck, Astrid closed her eyes, hoping to pick-up any shred of information.

The individual words were difficult to discern; too buried under guttural growls of frustration. Disjointed shouts of "worthless", "hide", and "thief" were the few words that Astrid could pick out, though it didn't give her much to go on.

Whatever the context, it was clear that Ryker's already tenuous patience had evidently worn far too thin.

When the yelling finally ceased, the silence was shattered by the sharp clash of iron bars striking stone and a panicked gasp.

Astrid grit her teeth to hold in her own shout, first in surprise at the jarring crash and then rage on behalf of the mistreated party. In the moment she didn't care whether they were innocent civilians, Berserkers, or even part of the Hunter's tribe - they didn't deserve to be intimidated by the belligerent thug.

Her scowl set as the heavy footsteps approached, soon joined by a second set moving in a slower, more controlled, stride.

This was it.

With a deep breath, Astrid kept her sight trained on the door before her. As tired as she was, she dug her fingernails into her palms to revive her numbed hands. She had to be alert and ready for anything - missing a single detail could be disastrous.

A rusting bolt screeched as it turned, and the door was thrown open, revealing a thick hand pressed against it.

Ryker's smirking mug was the first that Astrid saw before her gaze fell down to meet Viggo's confident stare as he emerged from behind his brother. He held her unflinching stare as he strode into the room, unnervingly casual and unconcerned.

Slamming the door behind them, Ryker crossed his arms, brow raised in interest as he watched his brother slowly approach the woman.

Astrid's fatigue lent to her disinterested expression. Still, inwardly, she was deeply unsettled by their silence.

"What do you want?" she asked flatly, keeping her stare on Viggo.

Casting a calm glance downward as he dusted a hand over his chest plate, Viggo simply shrugged as he stopped several paces before her.

"Oh, just getting into proper position", he replied matter-of-factly. His vague statement was punctuated as his gaze suddenly darted up to meet hers; the placidity of his tone contrasted with a malicious glint in his eyes.

Astrid's brow knit. "For what?"

His only answer was a dark, satisfied smirk.

She tried to hide her growing panic as she looked both men over for anything unusual. The fact that neither appeared to have anything that would explain their confidence set her on-edge. Brute force she could handle. But the mind games only enraged her; they felt cheap yet insidious.

As she opened her mouth to demand answers, she jolted at the sound of the door striking the stone wall again.

Before her eyes fully registered the familiar shock of auburn hair, Astrid was struck with overwhelming relief and dread.

Pulling his shoulder away from the door, she could see Hiccup's face tightly pulled into a pained grimace, rolling his arm after the harsh hit.

His eyes snapped to find hers. The look she received was complex; a maelstrom of surprise, reassurance, fear, and something less benign.

The moment was brief, and broken by the sound of Ryker's blade being pulled from its scabbard.

Astrid looked to the Hunter and, to her horror, saw no sign of surprise about the sudden intrusion.

The larger man moved swiftly as he held his sword at the ready, but the confident grin never left his face, even as a growling Night Fury slunk into the room.

A quick glance towards Viggo confirmed that he was not only unrattled, but seemed rather pleased.

It all clicked as Astrid looked back at Hiccup, who warily eyed both men. They had been expecting him. He and Toothless had walked right into a trap.

With only his shield at his side, Hiccup stood straight as he broadened his shoulders. Posturing. Looking both men over with a hardened stare before looking back at Astrid.

She could see the heavy bob of his Adam's apple as he swallowed, his physiology betraying the confident facade he tried to present.

Pulling his mouth back in thought, Hiccup turned his full attention to Viggo. His eyes narrowed as he met the other man's gaze.

The Dragon Hunter's smirk widened. "Hiccup!" he greeted enthusiastically. "Wonderful to see you, as always."

As Viggo's expression grew more jovial, Hiccup's only soured. "Afraid I can't say the same", he dryly quipped.

The older man's mouth drew into a disapproving pout, though his eyes maintained a shine of intrigue. "No need for incivility, my boy", Viggo chided mockingly. "After all, you are the one who decided to pop in - uninvited, I might add."

Hiccup scoffed. "Uninvited?" he challenged, sending Toothless a disbelieving look before returning his gaze. "Please. You planned this all along."

With a tilt of his head in false modesty, Viggo flashed his teeth momentarily into a proud grin. "True, everything did fall into place as predicted. Everyone played their part, whether they realized it or not."

He then arched an eyebrow, casting a glance at the bound woman beside him.

"Well", Viggo amended airly, "almost everyone. Plans had to change, slightly, as we hadn't factored one little variable into the equation, but", he emphasized with a shrug while returning his gaze to Hiccup, "we are nothing if not flexible."

Responding with a disinterested hum, Hiccup scowled as he threw up one hand dismissively.

"Yeah, well, I'm here", he drawled. "So, good job, I guess." He then motioned his head towards Astrid as his glare intensified on Viggo. "You got what you wanted. Let her go."

Looking over at his brother, Viggo raised his eyebrows in amusement as Ryker threw his head back with a barking laugh.

"Oh, I wouldn't say you are in a position to be making demands, Hiccup", Viggo warned. "You see, I have already determined every possible move you can make and have my own counter-move in place."

Grasping the hilt at his back, Viggo brought his sword forward with a flourish.

The motion drew a snarl from Toothless, who crouched closer to the ground as the muscles of his back rippled in preparation to strike.

But rather than raise the sword menacingly, Viggo let it ever so gently fall to rest on the palm of his other hand.

Both riders and dragon were on-guard, suspiciously eyeing Viggo as he looked over at the blade fondly while running the pad of his thumb over the honed edge.

"You are an uncommon boy, Hiccup", Viggo sighed, as though disappointed, "who made a common mistake: to win you must be willing to sacrifice any piece. [1] You could have lived to fight another day if you hadn't let irrational emotions cloud your better judgement."

Captivated by a drop of blood that flowed from a paper-thin cut to his finger, Viggo suddenly flashed Hiccup a taunting stare as the edge of his lip curled. "Pity."

Clenching his fist, Hiccup's breathing grew shallow as he held Viggo in a hateful glare.

The young man's ire was enough for Toothless, narrowing his eyes while widening his mouth. The dragon's chest expanded slowly as he inhaled; a high-pitched shriek preceding the faintest hint of blue light brightening the back of his throat.

After seeing grown men throw themselves to the ground in fear of the Night Fury's legendary attack, it was disturbing to see Viggo's lack of concern as he continued to stare Hiccup down.

"My men were instructed to allow you to enter but to give their lives to take you down", he warned, raising his volume. "If the Night Fury attacks, I can promise it won't bode well for any of you, including Ms. Hofferson."

Curling his lip in anger, Hiccup exhaled heavily through his nose. He then glanced down out of the corner of his eye as he placed a hand just above Toothless' head.

"Not yet, bud" he muttered quietly, prompting the Night Fury to quickly clamp his mouth shut.

Though the flame was extinguished, the dragon growled menacingly at the Hunters as light tendrils of smoke drifted out of his nostrils.

Viggo released a light chuckle, allowing his blade to fall back to his side. He then looked to the open doorway, signaling all in the room to do the same.

Every eye landed on Heather, who leaned against the door's frame as she took in the tense scene. The young woman wore a stony expression as she calmly entered the chamber.

Sweeping her gaze across the room, she steeled herself as she connected with Hiccup's critical stare, perfectly mirrored by the dragon at his side.

Looking to Viggo, who stood casually as he offered a nod in acknowledgement, she dared to glance down at Astrid. While she expected the same hate and hostility as before, she was instead met with contempt as the blonde subtly shook her head in distaste.

Heather's visage dropped momentarily, pressing her lips together before looking away uncomfortably.

What she didn't notice was the pointed glance Viggo shot his brother as her attention broke. In an instant, Ryker stepped forward and swung his arm around her.

By the time Heather was aware of the Dragon Hunter's proximity, his blade was pressed firmly against her throat. Her cheeks burned with rage as she froze in place, only moving her eyes between the harrowing blade and leveling a venomous glare at Viggo.

The younger Grimborn offered an ambivalent shrug. "Merely taking precautions, my dear", he explained smoothly, though he gave the slightest roll of his eyes. "In case you're having yet another moral crisis."

Watching the altercation intently, Hiccup took the opportunity to methodically scan the room. He then slowly shook his head before his gaze fell back on Viggo. As much as he tried to appear unfazed by their predicament, the slightest tensing of Hiccup's fingers gave away a growing anxiety. But his features remained slack as he held the Dragon Hunter in a weary stare. "You think you have everything figured out", he challenged.

This brought a smile back to Viggo's lips. "I know I do" he declared, tilting his chin upward as he looked the younger man in the eye. "And while I have enjoyed this round, I am afraid the game must come to an end. You are out of opportunities to win, Hiccup, so I suggest you count your losses."

The Hunter's gaze suddenly snapped to Toothless. "Give me the Night Fury and I will release the girl." Viggo's smile then grew more malicious as he made a show of slowly angling his sword towards Astrid. "Or, refuse..."

Tensing, Astrid's stomach twisted as she saw Hiccup's shoulders slump in defeat.

"Hiccup, don't", she firmly urged.

Her outburst earned a quick flick of Viggo's blade, bringing the edge uncomfortably close in warning. But it had the desired effect - drawing Hiccup's gaze to her for a moment. With the slightest shake of her head, Astrid implored him to reject the deal.

The conflict in Hiccup's eyes was evident. His expression softened momentarily, looking her over before glancing worriedly towards Toothless.

With a quiet sigh, Hiccup then cast a skeptical stare at Viggo. "So I'm supposed to believe that if I give you Toothless, you'll let Astrid just walk out of here?" he asked flatly. "Alive?"

The question caused an amused smile to spread across Viggo's face, and his shoulders bounced as he chuckled.

"You really are quite intelligent", he mused as he shook his head, then rolled his shoulder dismissively. "For a Viking."

Without warning, Viggo gave a fluid twist to his wrist, and his sword swung towards Astrid's core.

Several shouts rang out at once. As loud as they were Astrid couldn't grasp the words, even those that flew from her own mouth.

Her reaction was reflexive, throwing her body back and letting herself follow the sway of the rope. The rough maneuver ripped at her shoulder blades, bringing tears to her eyes as her knees crashed back to the earth.

She waited for the searing pain in her gut that never came, not realizing that she had cleared the blade's path.

Thrown by the unexpected movement, Viggo hastily swung the sword back, losing all of its momentum in the process.

The blunt edge of the blade struck Astrid's ribs at a poor angle, barely cutting into her flesh but delivering enough force to knock the air from her lungs. This resistance was enough to pull the sword from Viggo's loosened grip, allowing it to clatter to the stone floor.

Then, all Hel broke loose.

Hiccup and Toothless lunging into the fray, and the Hunters were suddenly on the defensive.

The Night Fury checked Viggo to the ground and thrashed violently as he whipped Ryker and Heather with his tail, taking them both to the floor.

Hiccup ran past them and fell to kneel in front of Astrid.

"It's okay", he assured in a hushed tone, meant just as much to soothe himself as her. "It's alright..."

Hiccup then hurriedly threw his shield to the ground as he grasped the rope that pulled Astrid's arms upward. "Just a second..."

Taking in ragged breaths, Astrid peered up at him through her bangs. As deceptively calm as his voice seemed, she could see the panic in his eyes and feel quaking fingers grasp at the rope against her wrists.

"What are yo-?" But the words caught in her throat when Hiccup's hand shot down to his right side, pulling a short blade from a holster on his hip.

Her brow quirked as she caught a quick glimpse of the unusual weapon, not made of solid steel but rather a barbed frame where a blade should have been. [2] Before she could even begin to form a complete question, the blade was lifted out of her line of sight, raised to her bound hands.

A throbbing pain spread from Astrid's ribs and down her back, making it difficult to concentrate as she anxiously waited to finally be able to move.

The edge of the "sword" was apparently not especially sharp; she could feel Hiccup urgently sawing through the coarse fibers of the rope but still had not successfully severed it. All the while she looked over his shoulder, growing increasingly restless as she watched Toothless struggling to manage both Hunters.

Suddenly, she realized one of her arms was beginning to drop on its own accord. The arm then collapsed limply to her side, soon joined by the other as a strand of severed rope fell to drape over one shoulder.

Astrid reached up to pull the rope away, but hissed at the burn of blood rushing back to her limbs. She still couldn't feel her fingers, and tried to use her hands to squeeze the flesh of her arms, only succeeding in weakly slapping limp digits against her skin.

Giving a frustrated growl, she stopped to look up in surprise as Hiccup's hands suddenly grasped her forearms, rubbing firmly from her elbows to fingertips.

When his gaze returned to meet hers, Hiccup's brow furrowed. "Are you okay? I mean, can you move?"

The answer was a definitive 'no' in that moment, but before Astrid had a chance to reply, Heather's shout pulled her attention. She looked up in time to see the woman unceremoniously shoved back to the ground by Ryker as he charged towards Toothless, who had Viggo tightly pinned.

Astrid looked up at Hiccup, who also watched the scene in terror.

"I'm good", she hurriedly insisted, placing a numb hand against his chest and pushing him towards Toothless. "Go!"

Hiccup hesitated, but gave a quick nod before launching towards the scuffle.

Seeing Viggo roll away from Toothless' grasp as Ryker pushed the dragon aside, Astrid looked to the Hunter's fallen sword beside her. Clenching her teeth in response to the dull ache in her side, Astrid leaned towards it, willing her tingling hands to grasp the hilt.

"Damn it!" she hissed under her breath, unable to fully feel the weight of the metal against her palms.

Carefully, she drew the blade closer as she twisted to rest on her hip.

Moving as swiftly as she could, Astrid's heart began to pound at the sight of a battered and furious Viggo approaching to reclaim his weapon. There was no time to bring the blade to her ankles - she'd have to somehow fight back.

Teeth bared, she hurriedly re-positioned the sword in her awkward grasp as the Hunter closed in.

Reaching out and within several strides, Viggo didn't have a chance to finish turning his head in response to a furious shout, let alone brace himself before Hiccup's shield bashed into his side. The collision threw both men roughly to the ground; each scrambling to gain the upper-hand while blocking frenzied punches and several swings of Hiccup's blade.

Not wasting the gift of time, Astrid dragged the sword to the rope tethering her legs and repeatedly grated the honed edge against the fibers. Within only a few slices the rope gave way, loosening around her ankles and allowing her to kick the remnants aside.

Though Astrid's hands became increasingly sore, the discomfort was a welcomed alternative to numbness as she felt more assured in her grip. Pushing herself up to kneel, she pressed her weight into each leg as the blood flow began to return. A final push launched her to fully stand - a feat more difficult than it used to be - while keeping her arms slightly splayed for balance.

The distinctive thud of fist landing reached Astrid's ear, and she looked up in time to see Hiccup grip his jaw as he rolled to his back with a groan.

Ryker hovered over him, tightly gripping Hiccup's armor as he pulled back his arm to deliver another hit.

Blood boiling, Astrid took an unsteady step forward to rush the Hunter from behind. As she attempted to complete her stride, she felt her knee drift out of alignment and began to tumble forward.

But her descent was interrupted as two hands quickly gripped her arms and held her upright. Astrid's blue eyes widened when they looked upward to meet green.

A lock of Heather's dark hair fell forward as she frowned deeply at Astrid. Tightening her hold on the other woman, she shook her head.

"Stay down", Heather begged. "Please, don-"

But visceral fury overcame Astrid's capacity to listen. "Don't touch me!" she bit back angrily while ripping her arms away, trying to cover the slight wobble in her step.

Though holding her hands up in a placating manner, Heather maintained a serious stare.

"Fine", she relented, "but trust me, you don't want t-"

Toothless' incensed roar suddenly filled the space, and both women whipped their heads towards him.

The dragon thrashed wildly as three more Hunters rushed into the chamber to push him against the wall, racing past Viggo as he gasped for air on his hands and knees.

Eyes already wild and panicked, the Night Fury's pupils became feral slits as he stared across the room to see Hiccup's face pushed to the ground. His snarls then grew to a piercing shriek as Ryker raised his blade above the rider.

Arcing through the air, Ryker's sword met sudden resistance.

Eyes wide in shock, the Hunter then sneered as he looked down into the flushed face of a furious Astrid standing between him and Hiccup, with Viggo's sword still in position after the deflecting the hit.

Enraged, Ryker gave a guttural cry as he swung again, this time aimed at her.

Again their blades met, and Astrid couldn't hide the defiant smirk that formed as she dug in her heels.

While Hiccup made an attempt to crawl up from his knees behind her, disoriented from the last blow to his face, Astrid continued to parry with every swing Ryker threw. Several hits were far too close for comfort where she barely dodged in time. As much as she hated to admit it, he was certainly skilled with a sword. What she wouldn't give to have her axe in hand...

Knowing he was quickly gaining the upper-hand, the Hunter flashed an arrogant grin as he picked up his speed.

It was enough to push the Viking to her limit, and seeing the fear in her eyes as she struggled to block several strikes in a row, Ryker readied a finishing blow.

So fixated on his attack, his didn't notice the sound of someone approaching, nor the cheek of an axe swinging for his head.

The sickening crack of metal against bone preceded Ryker's pained shout as he dropped to the ground.

Legs still quaking, Astrid fell to one knee. She lifted her gaze to see Heather breathing heavily as she stood over Ryker with her double axe in hand, the flat edge still angled towards him.

Frozen in shock, Astrid locked sights with Heather.

The dark haired woman's eyes were wide as she looked down at Ryker, apparently just as surprised by her own actions.

The first one to move was Hiccup, who shook his aching head and scrambled to his feet. He watched Heather warily as he reached for Astrid's arm to help pull her back up, sparing a confused glance at Ryker's prone form before staring back at the dark-haired woman.

Hearing the sound of shouts and clattering weapons approaching the chamber, Heather looked at them both incredulously.

"What are you waiting for?" she prompted. "Go!"

The two riders narrowed their eyes at her before looking to the other. Both seemed unsure, with Astrid arching an eyebrow as she looked at Hiccup. It was his call.

With a firm nod, Hiccup lightly gripped Astrid's upper arm, holding her steady as they ran towards Toothless.

The Night Fury was once again wrestling Viggo to the ground, having already thrown the other Hunters aside. Hearing Hiccup and Astrid's approach, Toothless pressed Viggo firmly into the stone floor and released a deafening roar inches from his face.

He then pounced off and raced towards the two riders.

As a band of Hunters began to crowd the doorway, Toothless unleashed a plasma blast before them. The percussion sent the wave of men to the ground as they dove away, clearing a path for the trio to escape.

With the riders gone and the Hunter's party in disarray, Ryker snarled as he rose to his feet, a hand firmly pressed to his head. He gripped his sword, glaring poisonously at Heather.

"Traitor!" he roared, branding his blade as Heather readied her double axe in both hands to defend.

But as Ryker stepped forward, Viggo reached up to place a stilling hand to the man's chest as he stepped to his side, smirking at the open door as he used his other hand to rub his own offended jaw.

"Easy, brother", Viggo soothed, turning to give a satisfied smirk. "All is not as it seems."

Though stopping against Viggo's restraint, Ryker's expression drew tight with confusion.

In response the younger Grimborn gestured towards Astrid's severed binds behind them.

"Why use fragile rope", he posed, "when we have ready access to dragon-proof iron?"

Ryker's eyes fell on the cords in question that lay strewn across the floor. He relaxed slightly and lowered his sword, though his brow cocked in uncertainty.

Meanwhile, Heather tensely watched the exchange. She kept one hand tightly wrapped around her weapon and brought the other to her neck. Ghosting her fingertips over the raised skin where Ryker's blade had rested, she steeled her jaw in anger.

Taking a smooth stride towards her, Viggo's hand landed heavily on Heather's shoulder. "Well done", he praised.

Heather said nothing in reply, only returning a tight smile.

Watching the pair critically, Ryker swiftly swung his sword upward until the flat side rested passively against his arm. His gaze focused on his brother. "I...I don't understand-"

Viggo's smirk dropped to a frown. "You don't need to", he briskly interjected with a dismissive glance. "You only need to be ready to strike when I give the word."

Momentarily taken aback by his brother's hubris, Ryker's expression then darkened as he growled under his breath.

Viggo showed no concern for the other man's offense. He instead crossed his arms and slowly smiled as he gazed at the open door.

"Rest assured. This is all just part of the game."

---

With one hand firmly planted on Toothless' back, Astrid marched ahead as quickly as she could.

Hiccup followed closely by her side; shield in one hand and blade in the other.

The group moved briskly, silent as they listened for incoming threats.

Looking down the empty tunnel, Astrid frowned at the realization it was becoming increasingly narrow. The ceiling steadily grew lower, and space between the walls became thin. From a tactical standpoint, between losing ground and being forced to engage whatever lay ahead, it was the worst terrain she could imagine defending in.

Soon there wasn't enough room for the three to stand side-by-side, requiring Hiccup to slow his stride to fall-in behind Astrid and Toothless.

He then cautiously glanced over his shoulder to confirm that they were, curiously, not being pursued.

"That's not a good sign", he grumbled, wondering what exactly they were walking into.

Astrid said nothing; only nodded as she squinted her eyes, trying to see as far down the corridor as possible.

The purpose of her hyper-focus was two-fold: in anticipation for the trials ahead and in a vain attempt to block out the raw stinging of her wrists and ankles. Every swing of her arms and legs caused the irritated skin to stretch, and she grew frustrated at her inability to push it out of her mind. Not that that stopped her from anxiously twisting her wrists every few seconds, trying to memorize the heft and balance of Viggo's sword.

Rounding another bend in the tunnel and passing a torch, they could see that the path ahead was clear at least to the next turn. The light also allowed Hiccup to get a better view of Astrid, and how stiffly she moved. The sight caused his frown to deepen.

"Wait, Toothless", he called out.

As the Night Fury obliged and slowed his pace, Hiccup approached, noting Astrid's confused expression from the corner of his eye.

"Hop on", he instructed, tilting his head towards Toothless.

Tightening her lips, Astrid briefly considered the idea. But her own discomfort was quickly outweighed by pride.

"I'm fine", she insisted with an assurance that would have fooled many.

Hiccup, however, knew better.

"Astrid, please", he urged, anxiously looking behind them again. "We have to hurry."

Stifling a groan, Astrid also looked back, knowing he had a point. Without further debate, she carefully swung her leg over as she mounted Toothless' saddle. The mound above her groin made the action awkward, and she was glad to be facing away from Hiccup so that he couldn't see the tell-tale cringe before she finally settled into a comfortable position.

Giving the dragon a quick pat to his flank, Hiccup walked at the dragon's side as they hurried their pace.

All the while, there was a shared but silent expectation of being attacked at a moment's notice. Every bend of the tunnel birthed fresh anxiety, prompting the two riders to grip their respective weapons as Toothless' muscles tensed.

It was a surprise each time they discovered that the path ahead remained vacant. But this did little to ease their fears - if anything it only heightened them.

The quiet was made all the more agonizing by the palpable tension between the two humans. After experiencing the emotional high that came with knowing the other was safe, they found themselves settling back into the beliefs and perceptions that led them to that moment.

Neither wanted to be the first to speak, both still hurt and at the same time guilt-ridden for the role they played in their current dysfunction.

After a lot of time to do nothing but sit and think in the prison cell, Astrid knew what she needed to say. Just not how.

She couldn't even get Hiccup to look at her for more than a few seconds before he would turn his head away, making a point to avert his gaze. While brooding was far from unusual for him, there was an uneasiness that felt out of place. What at first she attributed to their precarious situation, she soon realized that the anxious fidgeting of his fingers and nervous pull of his lips followed each tense glance he threw her way.

The fact that he was suddenly so hard to read, and predict, made her second-guess how to proceed.

To top it off, Astrid was humiliated at the folly of her trust in Heather, and disgusted by her own naiveté. Hiccup had been right, which only ever bothered her when that ultimately meant that she was therefore wrong.

And as she carefully observed the young man at her side, noting how tightly he cradled his injured arm to his body, she remembered why she left the Edge in the first place; how terrified she had been.

His stubborn refusal to listen at the price of his own skin.

Like he always does.

As it often did, her fear and protective nature manifested as anger towards Hiccup's repeated recklessness.

"You okay?" she asked quietly, consciously dampening any ire in her tone.

The sudden question caused Hiccup's expression to still for a moment before nodding absently, all the while looking anywhere but at her.

Though unconvinced, Astrid slowly bobbed her head in apparent acknowledgement.

"Good."

And with that she leaned over to deliver a firm slap to his good arm.

As Hiccup hissed in surprise, he quickly cast a weak glare towards her before returning his stare to the path ahead.

"Guess your arms are better…" he muttered. "What was that for?"

Astrid returned a casual shrug. "For flying off on your own", she replied coolly, keeping her voice down. "Again."

Hiccup scoffed at the accusation. "Me?" he shot back, peering at her from the corner of his eye. "What about you? You don't even have Stormfly with you! Are you insane?"

Though painfully aware of her own missteps, Astrid ignored the jab. "I did what I had to to get here", she replied, arching an eyebrow and looking at him pointedly. "Because I was looking for you."

Pursing his lips, Hiccup momentarily glanced down in remorse. But a renewed indignation caused his brow to furrow as he gave Astrid a stern glare.

"Well you shouldn't be here looking for me", he countered gruffly. "You should have listened and stayed on the Edge."

Astrid turned her head to look over her shoulder, confirming that they were still alone as she huffed. "And do what? Sit back while you run head first into a suicide mission?"

Her refusal to back-down stoked Hiccup's irritation. "If that's the order I give", he rebuked, exasperated, "then yes. That is exactly what you should do."

There was something about the wording that set Astrid off - this new-found belief that his demands were to be followed without question. Especially when she was expected to sit idly by as he put his life at risk.

Tightening her grip on the saddle's hide to release her pent up anger, Astrid fought to keep a neutral expression despite the severe glint in her eyes.

"Oh, okay", she stressed, her inflection ticking up in false innocence. "So, just so I'm clear - after realizing that you were, in fact, flying into a trap, exactly how long should I have waited before doing something?"

She could see Hiccup's scowl deepen, though that only drove her on.

"A full night?" Astrid mused sardonically. "A couple of days, maybe?"

Her sarcasm finally earned a withering glare from Hiccup, to which she hummed airily.

"Just want to make sure I'm following your orders."

Hiccup's mouth shot open to return a snarky reply, but he paused as he thought better of it. Fuming, he shook his head.

"You should just trust that I can handle it", he grumbled. His already bruised pride wavered at the reminder of his own dependencies in battle. "Despite what you think", he added gruffly, "I don't need you."

The frown on Astrid's face froze in place, and she sat unblinking as she stared at him in disbelief.

Internally, she was crushed, having her own fears seemingly validated. But on the exterior, she bristled, looking away with a stormy expression.

"Yeah..." she replied bitterly, "you've been making that really clear, Hiccup."

Despite his own anger, Hiccup's hardened features faltered, his eyes flicking over to her as he realized the impact of his careless words.

Even Toothless groaned uncomfortably, his ears flat against his head.

Releasing a weary sigh, Hiccup ran his hand through his hair. "Astrid, I-I didn't mean it like-"

Hurt and not in the mood for excuses, Astrid's temper flared.

"Why are you here?" she interjected forcefully. Her throat tightened as the underlying sadness ebbed, barely restrained beneath a palpable rage. "Why even waste time stopping for me instead of just focusing on finding the Dragon Eye?" The resentment in her voice was thick and unmistakable.

Hiccup's lips parted as his jaw slacked, taken aback, finally turning his head to fully look at her. "What?"

With a flippant shrug, Astrid grit her teeth, almost shaking. "That's what's important, right? Worth risking your life...Toothless' life..." She shook her head in disgust, thinking of all that he and everyone else stood to lose. "Everything."

At a loss for word, Hiccup blinked rapidly. His lips fumbled as if trying to form a question, but no sound came as he reoriented his thoughts. Confusion slowly turned to offense, and his ears then began to burn red.

"That's for me to decide", he scolded, his voice commanding. "And as long as you are on my team, then you're going to have to accept my decisions."

While her knee-jerk reaction was to bite back, Astrid paused as she fully absorbed the statement. The tight scowl on her face eased as her eyes grew soft - contemplative.

What he said was true...and that was the problem. She found herself facing the same barrier time and time again; one that she couldn't circumvent.

Her abrupt silence caught Hiccup off-guard, and he watched her carefully.

Seeing Astrid's features relax signaled him to do the same. Returning his stare to the path ahead, Hiccup exhaled sharply, exhausted but satisfied that his point had been made.

"…then I quit."

Though softly spoken, the words sent a violent shock through Hiccup's system. He froze mid-stride and fell several steps behind before Toothless came to a halt.

Turning to look curiously at his rider, the dragon tilted his head while the woman on his back looked into Hiccup's blank gaze.

To his surprise, Astrid's expression portrayed no anger or spite. If anything, he saw only sad resignation.

"…w-what?" he forced out.

Thrown by how easily the words tumbled out of her own mouth, Astrid was disturbed by the realization that it wasn't a hollow threat.

"I…I quit", she repeated with growing resolve.

Jaw slacked, Hiccup stared at her in disbelief. "You're no-", he started, having to stop to swallow heavily. "…why?"

Seeing him distraught by her announcement stung; after everything she almost expected him to be relieved.

Looking away from him, dragging her finger along the saddle's seam, Astrid released a sigh.

"Because I can't accept that." She raised her stare back to meet Hiccup's. "If being on your team now means mindlessly following every order - without question, without input...and then just looking the other way while you throw your life away..."

Her unraveled braid swung as she shook her head sadly. "I can't do that, Hiccup."

Brow tightening, perplexed, Hiccup's eye twitched. "W-what did you think this was going to be?" he asked, desperation blending with incredulousness. "Since when do YOU not understand chain of command?" he asked, gesturing towards her. "That someone has to give the orders to be followed? Why is this suddenly a problem now?"

Before Astrid could respond, Hiccup shook his head, too done to even attempt to listen anymore.

Taking a cursory glance behind them, he continued to trudge ahead, right past Toothless and Astrid.

"This was never an issue on Berk", he muttered, loud enough that she would hear. "Never threatened to quit the Academy..."

Just hearing Hiccup mention those simpler days stirred something in Astrid. As Toothless plodded after him, she swayed in the saddle; numbed by the memories that flooded her mind and reminded her of all the reasons she loved being a Dragon Rider.

The camaraderie of their motley team.

The daily sense of purpose that came from a shared vision to protect their home and its dragons.

And the complete faith she had in their diminutive leader.

Hiccup wasn't perfect, though in her eyes he had been as close as anyone could be. He was well-aware of his flaws, and while he wasn't immune to moments of blind pride, he placed the well-being of the team above his ego.

Looking through her eyelashes, eyes falling on Hiccup's rigid form as he marched ahead, it was difficult to reconcile the humble boy of her memory with the man before her.

Her heart thrummed at the reminder that they were one-in-the-same. That despite everything said and done, he was still Hiccup.

Teeth bit down to still her quivering lip as she thought of just how much she missed and needed THAT Hiccup.

Releasing a shaking breath, Astrid pushed back the swell of emotions that weighed heavily in her chest.

"Because…" she explained slowly, considering each word, "back then you never expected me or anyone else to just accept every call without question." Feeling braver, she sat up a bit straighter, staring at the back of his head. "You knew that if I spoke against something I had a damn good reason to."

Shaggy strands of auburn head swayed as Hiccup shook his head.

But Astrid persisted, and her voice grew. "And you listened", she added. "Your decisions were always based on reason, not driven by…" Her blonde brows knit as she tried to pinpoint the word. "What even is this? Bruised ego? Retribution?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Hiccup growled under his breath, keeping a quick pace to stay ahead of them.

"And I was a kid, Astrid, who didn't know what I didn't know." His tone took on a cold quality. "That there are threats like Viggo, who won't fall for childish tricks. He won't listen to reason and..."

Voice fading, Hiccup released a defeated sigh. "And he's not interested in peace."

The words he chose made Astrid frown. "You're sounding like your father", she noted dryly, her voice tinged with disappointment.

Hiccup threw an irritated glare over his shoulder, adjusting his body to almost side step so that he could hold her gaze.

"And that's suddenly a bad thing?" he challenged. "I'm finally doing what I'm supposed to do and now you're on my back about that?"

Astrid's eyes narrowed slightly, both at a loss and offended. "No one has said you're "supposed" to be Stoick."

At this Hiccup's glare waned, looking down in thought before weakly throwing his hand up and letting it fall to his side.

"Yeah", he grumbled, "because no one thinks I can."

The comment softened Astrid's gaze, shifting to a sympathetic stare as she saw his very posture change in the face of his longstanding insecurities.

Shaking his head, Hiccup looked back at her, slowing his pace as he met her eyes with a desperate stare.

"What do you want from me, Astrid?" he asked with sincerity. "Y-you wanted me to grow up, right? Accept that I am going to be Chief? Well, I'm doing that. I'm being decisive...taking responsibility." Pursing his lips, Hiccup's expression hardened. "You have no idea of everything I'm having to consider. Why I make the decisions I make."

Astrid huffed. "And how could I, Hiccup? You won't tell me anything anymore."

His lip curled. "Because you-"

"Lied", she finished flatly. "And you don't trust me. And you won't forgive me."

When Hiccup didn't respond, not expecting her blunt summation, Astrid held his gaze.

"So now what?" she appealed to him in earnest, grasping for any sign - no matter how small - of a resolution. Despite her own begrudging acceptance of their fate, she couldn't forsake her own stubborn desire to see it through; to somehow recapture any shred of what once was.

But no matter how deeply she searched his forest green eyes, reddened with exhaustion, she couldn't find any spark of ingenuity. Nothing to inspire or motivate or encourage. He instead looked as lost as she felt.

Swallowing heavily, Astrid forbid herself from looking away in discomfort, instead keeping Hiccup in a steady gaze. "Where can we go from here?"

To his credit, Hiccup didn't disengage – no shrugging, sarcasm, or storming away. He instead seemed contemplative; seriously considering her question and wondering the same. His stare only wavered as his forehead furrowed, his pupils shuttering slightly as he was set adrift in his own chaotic thoughts.

Noting the slightest shift in his features, trying to interpret what he could be thinking, Astrid sucked in her lower lip.

"I…um…" Hiccup finally shook his head, "I'm not really sure. I just…"

He groaned, tipping his head back to stare up in discouragement. Every possible solution disintegrated before it could fully-form. After everything, where did they want to wind up?

They continued to move slowly down the corridor, neither sure of what to say.

As Hiccup's silence lingered, Astrid could feel any remaining hope she clung to gradually fade. Taking cautious glances towards him, she couldn't shake the fact that he looked, and sounded, and just felt like he had nothing else to give. And could she blame him?

Still, it hurt. Really hurt.

Then, a low rumble caught Astrid's attention; so quiet she almost missed it. Her gaze reflexively dropped for a split second in worry, barely seeing the draped curve of her belly in her periphery before looking off to the side.

Toothless' stride hitched momentarily, ears perking up and swiveling. He continued onward, though Astrid noted that the Night Fury remained more alert.

She said nothing, only discreetly scanned the cavern. Hiccup didn't appear to notice anything, perhaps too engrossed in his thoughts or because he simply missed the insignificant tone.

Moments passed, and Toothless soon relaxed as well as he padded along.

Astrid reasoned that she too should be able to relax. The strange sound vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and there was nothing she could see to suggest imminent danger.

But her heart pounded anyway; she felt uneasy and like she was coming apart at the seams. She needed to be off the island. To protect the innocent soul she carried.

Hiccup needed to be safe. And Toothless, and Stormfly, and their team and Berk…

And damn it she couldn't even talk to the one person she HAD to work with to make that happen?

The fringe of Astrid's braid tickled her collar bone as her head slowly shook side to side. As much as she'd like to just forget their personal trials and focus on survival, she recognized that the two were closely intertwined.

If he wasn't going to move the conversation along…

Drawing in a slow, full breath, Astrid dared to break the silence. "There is...a lot that we've needed to talk about", she admitted in a deflated drone.

Her stare was locked ahead, and she didn't notice the sudden drop of Hiccup's brow or the unusual glance he sent her.

She scoffed ruefully. "We can't even get through the day-to-day crap without arguing", she muttered dryly, "let alone anything new."

Hiccup said nothing, still watching her closely.

Astrid tossed her hand up in defeat. "So what are we-?"

But she stopped abruptly, feeling herself wobble in the saddle as the low rumble returned - this time deeper and reverberating around them.

Hiccup's nose scrunched in confusion, but as he felt the ground beneath him shift, his eyes widened.

The two riders looked about, unsure what exactly they were sensing.

By the time Toothless crouched closer to the ground, small stones beneath them began to rattle as the entire tunnel quaked.

Astrid's head rapidly turned to check both ends of the tunnel, expecting an onslaught of Hunters storming towards them but still found the cavern empty.

However, seeing bits of dust that fell from above was enough to bring her heart to her throat.

"What the Hel?" she breathed, looking around as the tremor continued.

As the distant light from the next torch wavered, Hiccup was suddenly at her side, grasping her arm while angling his shield upward.

"Get down!" he plead, guiding her to the ground so that they were both huddled under the steel barrier.

Toothless spread his wings as much as he could in the narrow tunnel to give some form of shelter, head whipping around as his emerald eyes searched for incoming debris.

Pressed into Hiccup's side, Astrid kept one arm stretched to grip at Toothless' harness anxiously, listening for any sign of an impending cave-in.

Hiccup did the same, keeping a firm hold on the dragon's hide.

CLANG! CLANG!

The party jumped at the sharp clash ringing above them, watching as several small chunks of stone clattered to the ground after bouncing off the shield.

As she heard more rocks strike the floor, Astrid's bent legs began to shake, fighting the urge to risk rushing through the tunnel.

But Hiccup's arm tightened around her shoulders, holding her in place. If the hurried rate of his breathing against her cheek was any indication, he wasn't feeling any more secure in that moment.

After almost two minutes, the quake finally appeared to subside. It was difficult to tell at first, as everyone still trembled even after the ground beneath them stilled.

Toothless was the first to move, cautiously bringing in his wings as he slowly looked around them. A shake of his head threw little bits of debris from his face, and the dragon chuffed in dissatisfaction.

Both riders then carefully stood, still clinging to one another. But as one crisis dissipated, they became aware of their proximity and reminded of what had transpired only moments ago.

Stiffly, uncomfortably, they both took small steps in opposing directions, placing some distance between them. Neither could look at the other, instead opting to survey the minimal damage around them.

Astrid tried to slow her breathing, consciously inhaling deeply as her gaze followed newly formed fractures in the cavern's walls. Despite her intentions, it had little effect on the tightness in her chest, making her lungs contract. She could feel her heart rate getting away from her and panic set-in.

Beneath the swelling fear, a calm voice of reason managed to broke through; just enough to contrast the distorted reality of her angst.

They couldn't afford for her to breakdown. She could fall apart later, alone in the solitude of her hut when they finally made it back.

Before she packed her belongs. Before she went…

Apparently somewhere that wasn't Berk.

The thought of what all that entailed made her blood run cold. But as her breathing grew shallow, she tried to remember the determination she felt in the Hunter's cell. To focus on what was most important – living. So that she could worry about the rest later.

The psychological torrent of her mind had little impact on her blank expression, but it must have shone through in her eyes. Astrid only realized this when she suddenly became aware of Hiccup's stare, snapping her back to reality.

His own face paled as he became the focus of her attention. Still, he held his gaze a moment longer, looking her over warily.

Astrid tried not to flinch under his analyzing stare. She couldn't even begin to imagine what he was thinking, or what he was looking for.

Whatever it was, Hiccup finally took his eyes off of her. With an uncertain look behind them, he groaned lowly.

"Let's keep moving", he instructed, glancing at his companions with a quick nod of his head down the tunnel.

There was no need for Astrid to respond. Numbly, she took a careful step forward, signaling him to do the same.

The group resumed a brisk pace, with Toothless' ears up and alert. Astrid decided to walk again at the dragon's side, too jumpy to comfortably sit and preferring to have more control over her body in case of another quake.

Hiccup trailed only a few steps behind, but unlike the others, his attention was not on the cave.

He instead watched Astrid carefully, noting how she carried herself. His eyes slid over her form as he furrowed his brow, replaying what she had said before the tremor. Thinking of Heather's claim; so absurd that even in his most distrusting state he couldn't envision that level of deceit.

Not from Astrid. Never about that.

Still...it was enough to painfully gnaw at his deepest fears and pick at unhealed wounds. She was hiding something. She'd admitted as much. With uncertainty surrounding whether they would make it home...whether she even would go home...he had to know.

His jaw clenched. "Um, Astrid?"

"Hmm?" she hummed, glancing behind only momentarily.

"When you said that there were things we needed to talk about", Hiccup began, his words slow and precise, "what exactly did you mean?"

She winced, regretting saying anything in the first place. Glad to still be facing away from him, she forced an apathetic shrug.

"This and that", she replied as calmly as she could. But her throat betrayed her efforts, bringing a touch of melancholy to her voice as it lost its punch. "…nothing that really matters anymore."

Hiccup's gaze grew more suspicious. "Nothing in particular?" he prompted, keeping his tone level. "Anything I should know about?"

Astrid's features stilled, second guessing her decision. She found herself at a crossroads, where she either told the truth and accepted the consequences, or made the call that her silence would ultimately be better for everyone. After months of fighting her doubts and leaving ample opportunity to finally come clean, enough had been said to make up her mind.

She didn't know where she would go; assuming they survived this, staying no longer seemed like an option. But that would be her problem to solve, and her pain to bear.

"Nothing you need to be worried about", she replied, her voice more quiet than intended as she kept her gaze ahead.

The silence behind her was expected, but if she had turned she would have been surprised by the intensity of Hiccup's gaze. The muscles of his face twitched as competing emotions fought for dominance.

"Really?" he asked, an unusual edge to his tone as he watched her carefully. "Nothing for me to worry about..."

For a moment he paused, uncertain whether to continue. "Because, from what I hear, there is."

The sudden shift in his tone was jarring; enough to cause Astrid to look back at him as she slowed her pace. Her brows knit when she found herself in his critical stare.

But as his gaze dropped down her body, stopping pointedly for only a second on her abdomen before traveling back to her face, Astrid stopped cold.

The tendons of her jaw involuntarily slacked, and the sound of her heart beat filled her ears. Legs feeling ready to buckle, she stopped walking without conscious thought.

Taking in her reaction, Hiccup's eyes slowly widened as his own grimace loosened. He too came to a quick stop, letting the arm holding his shield up drop to lay at his side.

His stare never left hers, and Astrid could see her own panic mirrored in his.

"Astrid…?" he droned, practically pleading for her to correct him.

At that second Astrid would have been satisfied to have the whole tunnel cave-in on her after all. The inevitable moment that she had been trying to plan for - to control - had suddenly fallen chaotically at her feet. Her lips moved but her voice failed her, only gulping down air silently.

Focusing on her fumbling lips, Hiccup's ire vanished entirely, overtaken by stark disbelief.

That wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to throw the accusation back in his face; tell him what was really going on.

He scanned her face, desperately looking for signs of offense or confusion. Finding none, his face crumbled.

"Y-you're…" he murmured, timidly looking back at her stomach. "…gods, are you…seriously…?"

As Astrid's vision began to blur, fresh tears welling in her eyes, she dropped her gaze to the ground in shame.

Lips clamped tight together, she forced a small nod in confirmation.

Hiccup's shuttered breath brought the acidic burn back to her throat. When she dared to look up again, she wasn't surprised to see his face downcast with eyes squeezed shut and a hand pressed into his hairline, gripping at unruly bangs. The only movement was the slight rise and fall of his shoulders as he tried to take even breaths.

With a moan in concern, Toothless looked at both riders as he took cautious steps towards them. His muzzle nudged into Hiccup's side with a quiet warble.

Without looking, Hiccup weakly removed his hand from his hair and placed it on the dragon's head, leaning into Toothless as though he was the only thing keeping him upright.

Astrid's hand rose to cover her mouth, feeling the prickle of tears weigh against her lashes.

"Hiccup..." she breathed through her fingers, suddenly aware of the metallic taste of blood that seeped from her chapped lips. "I-I'm...sorry", she stammered, hating how inadequate the word was. "Gods, I am so, so sorry…"

Moving her hands to swipe away at the tears that threatened to fall, she held them there for a moment to shield her eyes in disgrace. "I wasn't-"

"No."

The swift interruption sucked the air from Astrid's lungs, prompting her to peek over her hands as her lips froze.

Eyes still closed, Hiccup shook his head in astonishment. Despite how clear and assured his interjection was, he looked anything but. In the wavering firelight, mostly cast in shadow, he appeared unspeakably frail and shaken.

After a pause, he finally looked up, immediately locking his gaze ahead and away from her.

"I-I…I can't-" he stuttered, but stopped himself mid-sentence, and huffed humorlessly. Pursing his lips in thought, he again shook his head as he tugged at Toothless' saddle, urging him to follow.

Realizing her mouth still hung open, Astrid brought her lips together as she swallowed heavily, standing perfectly still as she watched them walk away from her. She drew her arms into herself, legs feeling paralyzed.

As Hiccup and Toothless continued forward, she hazarded a glance back down the other end of the tunnel, for a moment considering taking her chances by turning back. At least she knew what dangers lay behind her; the same could not be said for the obscure path ahead, taking her into uncharted territory that she felt pitifully ill-equipped to handle. Worse, reliant on a companion who would likely prefer she be anywhere but at his side.

She couldn't blame him - given the option, she wouldn't choose to be in her own company either.

Her dismal thoughts were broken by the rough sound of Hiccup clearing his throat. She turned in surprise to see that the two had paused ahead.

Toothless looked at her expectantly, claws shuffling against the ground impatiently. His rider averted his gaze as he waited, making a show of positioning his head to look away from her while clearly still watching from the corner of his eye.

Biting her lip, Astrid hesitated. It wasn't until she looked down into Toothless' viridescent eyes, wide with worry as he chuffed at her, that she released a breath in resignation. Slowly, she took a step forward and approached them.

Hiccup never fully looked her way but waited until she was within a stride before continuing down the tunnel. He then took on an urgent pace, with Toothless at his heels and Astrid following a few steps back.

The dragon groaned quietly as he cast troubled glances at his rider, his ears quirking in uncertainty.

But Hiccup paid no mind, only keeping a vigilant stare down the tunnel.

Meanwhile, despite an empty stomach, Astrid felt an intense need to vomit. The cavern's uncomfortable warmth paired with an extreme anxiety that seemed to boil the acid in her gut made for a noxious combination.

Feeling the sword begin to slip from her weakening grip, she consciously curled her hand around the hilt, willing herself to focus and ready for whatever awaited them.

But it was difficult to maintain her attention: too engrossed in the panicked realization that her worst fears were playing out and that there wasn't anything she could do to fix the mess she made. Instead of searching for traps or signs of impending conflict, her mind kept wandering to Hiccup.

She watched him carefully as he trudged ahead with heavy footfalls, noting that he occasionally turned his head to look at the stone walls around them.

It piqued her interest, wondering what it was he sought. But she couldn't bring herself to ask, and only tried to take in any clues through his actions. From what she could see from the sides of his face as he looked about, his features no longer showed despair. Instead, they portrayed extraordinary distance; as though he was a world away.

The whole situation made her uncomfortable - everything. From the foreign self-doubt that plagued her to the passive role she felt compelled to play as she watched the one person she didn't want to hurt suffer at her unwitting hand. Her instinct was to race ahead to grab his arm and force his attention, so that she could unleash every apology that came to mind. Not back down until she found a way to fix the damage and did anything she could to make amends.

She could handle his anger; she could use it. Poking and prodding until they finally worked through every awful feeling and thought - allowing them to come out the other side and maybe, finally, move on in some form.

But despite his rigid frame and steely expression, she knew Hiccup well enough to recognize that behind a superficial rage was a man in shambles. This was significantly more difficult for Astrid, as he didn't react in a way that was intuitive for her. He didn't take his problems on; he left them behind. In moments like these he instinctively stepped away, sometimes outright fleeing to be alone with his thoughts. It was only after he had a chance to process everything in solitude that he was could return and work past whatever ailed him.

But there he was trapped - unable to get away from the source of his pain. Her. The result was a cold exterior that Astrid was unaccustomed to; a false front to conceal the tempest of uncontrolled emotions that he couldn't process in the moment.

So she did what was most unnatural for her: to quietly wait for him to make the next move. After everything, having ultimately called the shots up to that point, if felt like the very least she could do.

The party continued down the seemingly endless path, with Hiccup actively seeking something, and occasionally muttering under his breath.

Toothless' nostrils suddenly flared as he audibly sniffed. His jaw released slightly, and he tilted his chin upward as he appeared to be following a scent trail.

Astrid watched his actions closely with interest, and tensed in preparation.

Hiccup also took notice, eyes scanning to see what the dragon may have detected.

"What is it, Toothless?" he whispered, looking at the dragon expectantly.

Emitting a low groan, the Night Fury leaned into the side of the tunnel, pressing his snout into a thin crack between the rocks. With a deep inhale, Toothless' chest expanded.

Suddenly his throat spasmed, and he hacked loudly to clear his lungs of some sort of irritant.

While Astrid took several long strides to the dragon's side, firmly striking him between the shoulder blades with the heel of her hand, Hiccup frowned as he examined the fracture in the wall.

Placing his own nose only inches away, an acrid scent filled his nostrils, causing him to curl his lip.

"Not air", he grumbled to himself, releasing a defeated sigh.

With a final cough, Toothless was able to take in a deep breath, his muscles relaxing as he gave his head a firm shake.

Frowning, Astrid glanced over at Hiccup, watching as he walked ahead and ran his hand over the cave wall. Again she fought the urge to pry, growing more perplexed by his actions.

Toothless quickly padded behind Hiccup, and she too followed them as they continued on.

Keeping his back to them, Hiccup sighed. "As soon as we find a way back to the surface", he announced flatly, "you're taking it."

Astrid didn't miss the fact that he clearly meant that only she would be exiting the tunnel if they managed to find an unlikely escape.

"And leave you two down here?" she asked incredulously. When Hiccup didn't speak up to correct her, she frowned at his back. "That's not happening."

"It is", Hiccup replied coolly, still keeping his gaze ahead. "Viggo has the Dragon Eye, and I'm not leaving without it."

Mouth agape, Astrid scrunched her face, astounded by his stubbornness. "This is crazy" she mouthed to herself, trying to keep her temper in check.

"Do you even have a plan?" she then asked aloud. "An exit strategy?"

The fact that Hiccup didn't immediately respond did little to quell her fears.

"I have ideas", he finally muttered.

Astrid blinked in surprise, though she wasn't sure why. This was exactly the amount of recklessness she had come to expect.

"…ideas", she echoed slowly, clearly underwhelmed.

With a light sigh, Astrid pulled the remnants of her braid over her shoulder, picking anxiously at the loosened plait. "Okay...great", she added, making every attempt to sound encouraging. "Ideas are...good."

Hiccup gave no response, only stopping to inspect another fracture in the wall before continuing down the tunnel.

Discouraged and worried, Astrid looked down in thought. "Can you at least promise that you'll go in, get the Dragon Eye, and get out?"

An impatient sigh was Hiccup's first response. "The Dragon Eye is only part of what needs to be done", he muttered shortly.

Astrid reared her head back, brow quirked. ""Needs to be done"?" she repeated, wondering what he could possibly have in mind. "I mean, I'm sure there's dragons to free", she posited. "Of course, I could be doing that-"

"You're not", Hiccup replied firmly, leaving no room for argument.

Frustrated, Astrid's eye twitched as she drummed the fingers of her free hand against her hip.

Though keeping his direct gaze off of her, Hiccup did briefly turn his head to glance at Astrid from the corner of his eye.

"But, yes", he conceded, "that is another thing."

Every evasive response made it difficult for Astrid to maintain a supportive front, especially in the face of his willful refusal for help.

"Well, what else is there? If you have the Eye, and there's no more captured dragons, the only thing left is-"

She stopped short, struck by a disturbing thought. Her eyes focused intensely on the young man as he continued his search.

"Hiccup..." Astrid drawled in warning, "what are you going to do?"

She watched him carefully as his limbs tightened, his fingers flexing against the grip of his sword.

"Tell me you're not going to take the Hunters on", she begged, though her tone carried the desperation of a demand. "Please. I need to hear those words…"

His silence was all she needed.

Her mouth dropping in horror, Astrid shook her head as fear weighed in the pit of her stomach. "To do what?" she pressed. "Capture? Kill?"

The muscles in Hiccup's face pulled tight, his jaw flexing. "That's up to them", he replied with a displaced ease, though his voice wavered.

Another wave of nausea hit as Astrid was inundated with a rapid series of images pulled from fitful dreams and anxious ruminations, culminating into her greatest fears - a final battle between Hiccup and the Dragon Hunters. No back-up, no armor, and no plan.

"You're not seriously...by yourself!?" she gawked in disbelief, her dismay reviving the heat in her voice. "You'd have the Dragon Eye. Why would you-?"

"Because I need to stop them", Hiccup interjected briskly over his shoulder. "For good."

Eyes following Hiccup as he resumed his pace, Astrid stared slack jawed at Toothless, desperate for any validation that she wasn't the only one to see the glaring faults in his plan.

When the dragon returned a despondent stare, grumbling with discontent, Astrid suddenly felt emboldened.

She hurried ahead, first catching up with Hiccup and then stepping in front of him, arms slightly spread to block his path.

Hiccup's heavy brow cinched as he came to a quick stop, looking Astrid over.

"Hiccup, no", she insisted, stone-faced.

Considering her for a moment, he then huffed, unimpressed, as he tried to step around her.

But she only shuffled to quickly move in front of him again.

Growling under his breath, Hiccup gave her an exasperated look. "Astrid. Move."

"No", she repeated firmly, planting her feet for good measure. "You need to stop for a minute and think about what you're doing."

Shoulders slumped, Hiccup's eyes narrowed slightly. "Either you move you or I'll move you."

Unfazed, Astrid scoffed. "Try me", she challenged, her stare taking on a feral quality.

Hiccup rolled his eyes to stare up at the stone above them. "We. Do not. Have time. For this."

"Well, we're making time", she insisted. "Because we can't afford impulsive, half-baked "ideas"."

At this, Hiccup's mouth dropped. "After everything...I..." he sputtered, bewildered. "You have been hiding this", he stressed, motioning towards her stomach, "from me, and you are seriously going to start lecturing me on anything!?"

For as flustered as Hiccup was, Astrid was equally cool. "And what does that have to do with you suddenly going on a vengeful rampage?"

Hiccup froze, blinking.

The edge of Astrid's lips tugged back, covering a knowing smirk. She had him.

Looking away, Hiccup shook his head in exasperation. "For the love of..."

With a drawn out groan, he then met Astrid's gaze, irritated. "Look. If we take back the Eye, they're just going to keep searching until they find us and take it back. And along the way, they will continue to hunt and sell any dragon that crosses their path."

Astrid frowned. "And dragon hunting doesn't end just because Viggo and Ryker are gone. Hiccup, they're part of a tribe." Her nose scrunched slightly, disturbed. "Are you willing to wipe out an entire culture, even for a good reason?"

Mouth agape to retort, Hiccup's expression dropped, releasing a strained sigh. "No, of course not", he admitted, grumbling, "it's just...t-this has to stop. Here. Today. Otherwise their next stop could be Berk."

Astrid's mouth curled into a faint but defiant smirk. "And it'd be the worst mistake they ever made."

Groaning loudly, Hiccup threw a hand up, letting it fall to his side. "Why do you have to fight me on everything!?"

"Because", she argued, her teeth gritting, "everything that's coming out of your mouth right now is crazy! Hiccup, I don't know what's going on up there..." Astrid's index finger tapped at her own temple. "But you're not thinking. This isn't you."

He scoffed in reply. "Oh, I'm the one who's not thinking?!"

Astrid glowered. "We can both be stupid at the same time, Hiccup!"

Too focused on their argument, neither saw Toothless' ears pull to the side of his head or heard the low hum of his growl. It wasn't until he whipped his tail harshly against Hiccup's hip that the two riders took notice.

"What?" Hiccup snapped in surprise at the sudden interruption. But his expression fell as soon as he saw the wave of Hunters racing towards them.

"Hiccuuuup..." Astrid droned behind him, her pitch raising anxiously.

Hiccup turned to see her staring at another group approaching from the other end of the tunnel.

The trio froze, and the two riders grasped their weapons. There was no escape, and they were quickly losing ground between the approaching hordes.

As Toothless took an aggressive pose and snarled at one side, Astrid stared down the other end as she tightened her grip on Viggo's sword.

"I'll take this side", she called over her shoulder, expecting Hiccup to turn his attention back towards Toothless.

When he instead took a step ahead to stand between her and the oncoming Hunters, shield overlapping and blocking her from using Viggo's sword, Astrid arched an eyebrow.

"Uh, Hiccup...?" she prompted, glancing over her shoulder towards the men racing at the Night Fury.

"I've got it" Hiccup maintained, holding his own sword at the ready as he locked his gaze on the Hunters.

Astrid frowned. "I can cover here", she insisted, growing more panicked as the dragon's growls grew increasingly vicious. "They're after Toothless, he needs-"

"Would you stop it?" Hiccup rebuked, shaking with nerves as his eyes darted to meet hers. "I've got it!"

At first disturbed by his outburst, Astrid then narrowed her eyes in offense.

"Fine", she retorted with a click of her tongue, lowering the sword and relaxing to a neutral pose for show.

Shaking his head, Hiccup looked ahead just in time to see an arrow flying through the air – arching and aimed right for his throat.

With a reflexive wince, his eyes closed as he heard the sound of the projectile strike. But to his surprise, there wasn't a piercing pain.

As his eyes shot open, the sound of something shattering to the ground drew his gaze downward. The arrow lay at his feet, its head now separated from the shaft.

Hiccup turned to see Astrid with Viggo's sword, this time angled high over his shield, and her eyes fixed on the approaching Hunters.

"Now may I step in?" she asked tersely, "Or have you still "got it"?"

Catching his breath, Hiccup's cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"If I hadn't been distracted", he muttered, "I would hav-",

Astrid couldn't hear the rest, as the booming roar of an explosion above them absorbed all other sound.

It took a moment to register the sudden blast, which was immediately followed by a second detonation a short distance away.

Mouth still ajar, Hiccup looked up just in time to see the tunnel's ceiling suddenly rushing towards his face.

"LOOK OUT!" Astrid shouted as she grabbed his arm, roughly pulling Hiccup back and out of the path of a slab of stone.

A low rumble preceded the shower of rocks that fell around them as the tunnel began to collapse.

Distracted by the barrage of stones, Hiccup barely saw the chains being thrown around Toothless as the dragon spun to rush to their aid.

"Toothless!" he screamed, seeing only the Night Fury's claws frantically rake the ground as the falling debris obscured his view.

The sensation of a smaller stone striking his shoulder prompted Hiccup to quickly drop his sword to throw one arm over his head, pulling Astrid into him with the other. A sharper blow to the side of his temple caused him to shout out in pain, taking them both to their knees.

The thunderous clash of the avalanche almost masked the panicked screech of the Night Fury. Toothless kept fighting back, attempted to lunge towards the riders but was slowed by his restraints.

Turning his head towards the approaching men, eyes turning to slits with unbridled rage, the Hunters took the opportunity to jump the dragon and press a metal muzzle to his jaws. They worked quickly to clasp the device, all the while dodging the thrashing creature's tail and inching away from the rocks still tumbling ahead of them.

Meanwhile the riders stayed huddled, laying between the piles of rubble that fell on both side of them. While they had missed the worst of the collapse, they still felt the weight of smaller stones crash inches away from them and occasionally striking them.

Soon, the deafening sound finally subsided, with only the sporadic crack of stones fallings and then settling on the cavern floor.

Despite this, Astrid stayed in place as she drew in ragged breaths. Head pressed against Hiccup's chest, she released a sigh of relief as she felt his rib cage expand as he inhaled. He was alive.

She finally, though cautiously, pulled her face away from his side and could feel smaller rocks that had gathered on her back roll off as she shifted; a few catching her hair and pulling at her scalp.

Opening her eyes revealed nothing - only complete darkness. On her hands and knees, Astrid reached forward, feeling only the wall of rock surrounding them.

Hiccup slowly brushed away the rubble around him, then moved to stand on quaking legs.

Still able to hear the muffled roar of his best friend echoing through the tunnel, Hiccup grew panicked. His breathing became heavier as he too pressed against the rocks, only to find that they wouldn't budge at all.

"Damn it!" he hissed, bashing his fist into the stone. Hiccup winced at the feeling of his bones compressing, feeling a joint pop out of place.

Dropping his head in defeat, he then took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself.

"A-Astrid?" he called, desperately grasping into the darkness.

Still on her knees, Astrid coughed, lungs agitated by the dust that still hung in the air.

"O-over here", she croaked, groping until her hand found a ledge, using it to pull herself to standing.

A shaking hand swung past her, just barely missing her.

She tentatively reached towards where she felt Hiccup should still be. Ready to carefully step towards him, the palm of his hand then met the side of her face. The tip of his thumb was uncomfortably close to her eye, but she said nothing and raised her hand until it met his arm.

Hiccup dropped the limb, slowly guiding it down until their hands met and he exhaled deeply as he clasped her wrist.

"Hiccup? Can you hear me, my boy?"

The pair froze at the sound of Viggo's voice, and they could hear his boots scuffing against the ground on the other side of the wall separating them.

"No use giving the silent treatment", Viggo taunted loudly, allowing his voice to carry through the rubble. "I know you're alive. The Night Fury would have been uncontrollable otherwise."

Hiccup said nothing, only tightened his grip on Astrid's wrist.

The sound of Viggo's pacing stopped.

"Suit yourself" the Hunter continued tepidly. "You know as well as I that you won't last in there for more than a couple of days. If you're truly a worthy opponent, I trust that you'll find a way."

They then heard his footfalls begin to fade.

"And when you do", Viggo added, "I'll be waiting."

As all sounds beyond the barriers vanished, Hiccup and Astrid stayed perfectly still in the darkness. Neither said a word.

Astrid began to shake, coming down from the experience. Restless and disoriented, she hadn't even had a moment to relish her escape from one prison before finding herself in another. As relieved as she was to know that Hiccup was okay, the knowledge that Toothless was in danger devastated her.

Now she was trapped with his despondent rider, and after her secret had been shattered wide open in the worst possible way.

Her thoughts drifted to her belly, and to Stormfly. Her parents. His father. Their friends.

They had to get out of there.

She released Hiccup's arm, feeling his fingers loosen as well.

Placing both hands on the wall of rubble, Astrid began to press on each chunk of stone she felt, testing for even the slightest amount of give.

One by one, her hands traced the edges of the rocks, and as she carefully walked the perimeter, it began to sink in just how small the space truly was. Several times he had to awkwardly brush past Hiccup, who stood silently in the center.

When he finally did move, she could hear a quiet grunt and the sound of metal scraping the ground beneath as he sank to the floor.

The fact that he wasn't looking for a way out was concerning, and Astrid frowned in response.

"…one of these must be loose", she reasoned aloud, her hands still moving with nervous energy.

He said nothing.

The uncomfortable silence hung thickly between them, all the while tempering her frustration with his disengagement with her own personal shame.

"Some of these are too high for me to reach", she hinted, hoping he would get the message.

When he didn't respond, Astrid sighed and tried to get a foothold on one of the lower rocks, pulling herself up. But when her footing slipped and she slid back down, the raw cuts on her palm wore her patience.

"Could you please help me?" she begged, trying and failing to keep her frustration at bay.

Still, Hiccup remained silent. She could only hear the occasional breath.

With a low groan, Astrid pressed her damp bangs back, keeping her hand to her head for a moment.

"Look, I get it, alright?" she started. "You're pissed. You should be. You have every right to be."

She paused, hoping he would jump in. He didn't.

"But we have to get out", she argued. "We have to save Toothless, and we obviously can't do that from in here."

As he continued to sit in obstinate silence, Astrid's own irritation resurfaced.

"Hiccup…" she groaned, "we need to work together right now. I-I'm not asking you to forgive me or anything. But can you just set it aside long enough to get us off of this damn island?"

When she was still ignored, Astrid clenched her jaw.

Nearing the end of her rope, she balled her scraped hand into a fist. "No? Fine."

Her mind scrambled for anything that would reengage him. "Then, I don't know...what about, just, letting it all out? Say whatever you want to me. Anything."

The silence that followed ripped at the edges of her patience.

"I mean it! Shout, scream, cuss!" Astrid prodded. "Call me whatever...tell me you hate me! I can take it."

Still, he said nothing, though his breathing became more audible - more haggard.

Shaking her head, Astrid pressed her lips together and exhaled deeply through her nose to rid herself of the anger that threatened to erupt.

"Gods!" she moaned, her jaw tight. "Why won't you—"

"...what do you want me to say, Astrid?"

She paused, realizing he finally spoke up. While relieved to hear him finally speak, the weak desperation in Hiccup's voice was unexpected.

Astrid considered everything she was afraid he would say; what she wished he would.

"…anything", she insisted.

Hiccup released an uneven breath. "Um...okay...w-where do I even start? This is all...so..." He growled in frustration.

Astrid shifted impatiently. "So...?"

He sighed. "Every time I think I have you figured out these days, you prove me wrong. Y-you used to be so…constant. Like you were the one thing in my life, besides Toothless, that didn't change."

Steeling herself, Astrid tensed. "That's...fair", she admitted, under her breath, thinking of her own discomfort with aligning to their new reality. "Everything is changing. We're all changing."

Feeling exposed, she shrugged in the darkness. "Including me, I guess."

"Yeah, but before y-" Hiccup paused, exhaling harshly. "Even then, you were still Astrid. But now...?"

Astrid inhaled sharply, stung by the unexpected words.

Hiccup moaned softly, pressing a palm against his aching eyes. "It's like…why don't you trust me? W-what did I do to make you not trust me anymore?"

At this Astrid's brow cinched, baffled by the sudden turn. "Nothing", she assured. "I do trust you."

Hiccup released a huff of air, nearly a strained laugh. "But not enough to let me in on Heather's scheme", he reminded. "Or the Terror, or the note. A-and why? Because you already decided I was going to swoop in and screw everything up."

Lip curled, Astrid shook her head. "No, Hiccup, that's not wh-"

"You don't trust me", he concluded, his tone adamant.

Astrid teetered between sympathetic and indignant. "I do, trust you!" she insisted.

"Gods", Hiccup groaned, muffled by his hand as it slid down his face. "I am so sick of the lying…"

Face flushed, Astrid began to fume. "I'm not lyi-"

"Fine", he interrupted brusquely, "half-truths, partial truths, missing details. Whatever."

Jaw flexing, Astrid's features twitched as she reigned in her ire. "I'm not…"

But the rest fell flat, realizing she had little equity to draw on to prove her assertion.

Silence overtook the space; the only sound the scraping of Hiccup's prosthetic as he anxiously tapped the end against the ground.

Swiping at a line of sweat forming against her face, Astrid parted her lips to release a slow, calming breath.

"Okay. Fine", she relented, her tone civil. "You want the whole truth?"

Hiccup paused in surprise. "Please. Some honesty would be really refreshing about now", he added flatly.

Nodding, Astrid pursed her lips in thought. "I completely, and totally, trust you with everything…except for the one thing that's been the most important to me."

Hiccup's lips pulled back into a mirthless smile. "And, finally, there it is", he droned, shaking his head sadly. "What?" he challenged. "What is so important that you can't trust me?"

Astrid chewed at her lower lip. "To protect yourself."

Hiccup didn't immediately respond, clearly unprepared for that.

"I-I know you'll do anything to protect everyone else", Astrid continued, pulling her hair off her overheated neck, "…everything else."

Her cheeks reddened, less from the heat and more from embarrassment. "Whether you believe me or not…even after everything", she admitted, "you're still the only person I trust, 100%, to have my back."

Looking up into the darkness, where he imagined her face must be, Hiccup's brow knit in thought.

A nervous swipe of her tongue over parted teeth preceded a deep inhale. "But...I also know that you won't hesitate to risk your own life for any gain." She huffed. "I-It's like, when you weigh the value of your life against anything else, your survival always seems to take lowest priority."

Hiccup shifted his weight and planted his hand at his side, forehead furrowing as listened.

"I mean, with Heather…" Astrid swallowed. "Can you honestly tell me you wouldn't have rushed in to pull her out? On your own?"

Considering her, Hiccup's features relaxed, though he frowned in disappointment.

"I would have done what I thought was right", he assured. "And if you really did trust me you'd know I wouldn't do anything to endanger her."

Astrid took a small step backwards, letting her aching back rest against the cragged rocks. "That's just it - I wasn't worried about Heather, Hiccup. I knew you wouldn't let anything happen to her...but what about you?"

Hiccup's mouth opened, but his response fell apart in his throat. Blinking, he pressed his lips together, breathing out through in nose. "T-that still doesn't..."

With a shake of his head, Hiccup again tensed. "Well, what about this?" He waved his hand in the pitch black where he imagined her abdomen must be. "That you're...I mean..."

Hiccup was glad to be sitting, certain his shaking knees would buckle otherwise. "A...a baby? S-seriously? You've seen me every single day and you didn't trust me enough to tell me?"

Drawing in her arms to rest on her chest, Astrid shut her eyes. "It's…not that", she assured. "There's...well..."

She could feel her throat tighten, heartbeat speeding up as she tried to rationalize her increasingly irrational thoughts. "It's just, really, really…"

Hiccup frowned. "...really...?"

"Really..." Astrid sighed, lip curled. "...complicated", she muttered, too humiliated to share the crippling fears that motivated her decisions.

Raising an eyebrow, Hiccup's frown deepened. "Complicated?" he repeated, disappointed in her response. "Yeah, that's...that's one way of putting it..."

Hearing his displeasure, Astrid scrunched her nose.

"There are things that have nothing to do with you", she explained, knowing where his mind would go. "…reasons why I didn't want to say anything yet."

Hiccup hummed absently, acknowledging her but clearly not convinced.

"Well", he sighed, "now that the secret is out, I don't suppose you could finally tell me what those things are?"

Astrid froze. "I-I'm not…I'm not really ready to…"

To her surprise, his reaction was to chuckle, though hollow and void of any levity. "Of course you aren't..."

She bit back an irritated growl. "Hiccup-"

"And the rest?" he urged, his tone growing impatient. "The things that apparently do apply to me?"

Again, Astrid shutdown. While she knew exactly why she struggled to tell Hiccup before, she knew it was only throwing tinder onto a somewhat controlled fire.

When she didn't respond, Hiccup sighed deeply. "It's just...my gods...you're pregnant?" he breathed in disbelief, his mouth tripping along the foreign word. "You're pregnant and you didn't tell me? I can't...y-you were just going to leave and not say anything?"

"That's not..." Astrid groaned, struggling to keep her emotions in check. "It's not what I planned on doing. T-this isn't how I wanted you to find out."

"Oh, so you were planning to bring it up at some point?" Hiccup asked sardonically. With a scoff, he mumbling under his breath. "Maybe send a nice note in a few years...ask Johann to spread the word next time he comes to port..."

Astrid tensed at his sarcasm. "Yes", she insisted, "I was planning to tell you - in person." Despite her offense, she bit at her lip in remorse as her voice strained. "At least, I wanted to."

An uninspired hum was his response. "Well. That...that changes everything then", Hiccup retorted flatly.

Holding back a frustrated growl, Astrid instead released a small sigh. "I tried to tell you, Hiccup. When I got back from Berk I looked everywhere for you." She shook her head. "I tried to tell you at the creek. I wanted to tell you before we left for the shipwreck. On the island-"

"But, you didn't" he argued, wounded.

Through the darkness she could see no detail; only had a vague sense of where he sat.

Taking in a slow breath, Astrid chewed the inside of her cheek when she remembered the moment on the hill, the morning after the blow up. One of many missteps that in hindsight took her down a path she never imagined she could walk.

"Because you looked at me and said you couldn't handle one more thing", she reminded him, exhaustion weighing on her voice. "That it was good that things fell apart."

Whatever Hiccup was going to initially say fell to pieces, momentarily choked by the resurgence of the fading memory. That one stupid statement – something he didn't even believe as he said it…

"W-well… who cares what I could "handle"?" he countered. "Whether I was…okay about it or not?"

Astrid's arms crossed defensively over her chest. "I didn't thi -"

"I mean, Astrid, this is huge" Hiccup continued emphatically.

"Yes, I know", she insisted, pulling her arms in tighter. "I-"

"This is..." Hiccup again interrupted, too lost in his ruminations. "I-I had to know about this, and why you didn't just tell me-"

Astrid rubbed at her weary eyes in exasperation. "I was just sick of hurting you", she muttered, without thinking.

"…what?"

Astrid growled, discouraged by her lazy slip and growing exhausted by their ceaseless arguing. "Nothing", she groaned. "It's stupid, I-"

"N-no, no", Hiccup insisted. "Explain. How is this sparing my feelings?"

His voice began to break, overcome with hurt and genuine confusion. "How the Hel does this help me, at all?"

Raking back dirty bangs from her face, Astrid clenched the strands between her fingers in frustration. "What was I supposed to say, Hiccup? Y-you make it very obvious that you don't want anything to do with me anymore…and I'm trying to tell you about this?"

Hiccup said nothing – so she continued.

"Every time I was prepared to just say it…I just…" Her head shook in disgust, her arms falling limply at her sides. "You'd be stuck with me, okay? Do you get it? You're stuck with me now."

Astrid huffed under her breath, taking an uncomfortable step back before remembering there was nowhere to go. Instead she swallowed heavily, nose wrinkled as her voice lowered.

"You're stuck with Berk. With being Chief."

Letting a quiet moment pass, Astrid gave an empty laugh. "So, congratulations!" she added with mock cheer, "you are now stuck with everything that you never wanted."

In the darkness, Hiccup stared towards her, features slack.

Shifting awkwardly, embarrassed by her volatile mood, Astrid sighed.

"I guess…I don't know…" she muttered. "You wanted to get away from me, and if I told you, then you wouldn't have a choice. If you didn't know…" Letting the statement die, she shrugging shallowly.

Blinking rapidly, Hiccup frowned. "That's...why would you…?"

As he struggled to pull together a coherent sentence, he then paused, replaying something she had said. "I-I never wanted to get away from you", he insisted.

A small snort escaped from Astrid's mouth. "Really? Because a lot of what you've said...and what you've done…"

Though he shook his head, wishing she could see him, Hiccup couldn't bring himself to argue.

"And to be honest", she continued, her tone carrying the worry she felt, "you've been so erratic lately. You've been distancing yourself from everyone, even Toothless. Drinking alone. You don't sleep; you don't eat…"

"I had no idea how you would even react. And when I say "handle", I'm not talking about, like, just accepting it…I mean being able to function at all."

Taking it all in, Hiccup sat quietly, fidgeting with his fingers anxiously. As much as he wanted to debate those points; to prove she was worried over nothing – he couldn't.

Relieved by his silence, hoping that he would at least hear her out, Astrid's voice grew quieter.

"I-I kept waiting for you to come out the other side of this – so that I could tell you once you were feeling stronger."

Astrid closed her eyes. "I didn't want to leave", she promised. "I wanted you to know."

Hiccup didn't react immediately; letting this new information seep in.

He finally bobbed his head. "That's…good to hear", he replied, though it didn't begin to express the jumbled thoughts and opinions that he was still trying to piece together. "And, I guess, I can see why you waited…"

While some of his pain was soothed by her admission, Hiccup was admittedly still bothered that she had taken the onus on herself. "But, I'm kind of involved in this whether I'm ready to be or not, aren't I? I mean…" he huffed weakly, "you didn't exactly do this on your own. I-I knew the risks."

Startled, Astrid stared blankly into the dark. "...what?"

"Well, yeah", Hiccup shrugged, "obviously, I knew that this could happen..."

His fingers continued to restlessly squirm. "I tried to be careful and, you know…" His volume faded as he muttered uncomfortably, "...move in time." [2]

Cheeks reddening, Hiccup scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as he bounced one shoulder. "So much for that, apparently."

Astrid's eye twitched, trying to wrap her brain around the idea that he had already accepted any consequences that came from their intimacy.

Even without seeing Astrid's expression, the extended pause was enough to peak Hiccup's attention. "What?"

Realizing that she had essentially shutdown mid-thought, Astrid tried to recover.

"Nothing", she hastily replied, her tone not matching the words. "Just...you know…you knew this could happen."

Now it was Hiccup's turn to freeze in surprise. "Yeah…? Wait…you didn't?"

Hearing the disbelief in his voice made her feel extraordinarily dense.

"I should have", she acknowledged sheepishly, face flushing with embarrassment. "I...I wasn't really thinking…"

Hiccup sat in stunned silence.

"The thought never crossed your mind?" he reiterated incredulously. "Not once?"

When she didn't answer, his tone weakened. "If it had, would I...would you have still...um...?"

The question hung in the air as Astrid seriously considered it. She thought of all the pain and heartache over the past several months. Her fears of how it would permanently change their relationship, and that it truly had. The fact that everything had changed, and not for the better.

As easy as it was to recall how right her decisions seemed in the moment, she wondered how these fresh anxieties may have shaped her opinions had she allowed herself to think things through.

Though she was only silent for several seconds, the time dragged on for Hiccup and quickly chipped away at his insecurities.

"Of course you wouldn't", he muttered sullenly, grunting as he carefully pushed himself to stand. "Why sentence yourself to a life with the useless heir?"

Astrid's head spun to look towards him, at first startled but soon shifting to annoyance. She tilted her head back, closing her eyes in exasperation.

"Hiccup..." she groaned, tiring of having their arguments always return to the same issue. "Why do you always..."

She then shook her head, crossing her arms tightly across her chest as she glared into the darkness. "You know I don't think that!"

"No, Astrid", he countered, "I really don't know that."

"Well, you should! Gods, sometimes you're just..." She growled under her breath, jabbing her finger towards him in emphasis. "You have plenty of reasons to be mad at me but do not blame me for something that I've never said!"

Hiccup laughed sardonically, though his voice cracked with hurt. "You don't have to! Your actions say plenty...why else would you go so far out of your way to make sure that everything about us is so damn temporary?"

Astrid's brow creased, still confused but feeling the quick return of her indignation. "Whoa, whoa!" she cried. "What are you talking about?"

Hiccup exhaled harshly, groaning under his breath as he struggled to articulate his hurried thoughts. He felt crazy, trying to wrangle impulsive words without a logical filter to pass them through.

"We've spent years making sure no one could think we're anything other than friends...we've had to hide everything." At this he huffed humorlessly. "Still hiding everything, evidently."

Mouth ajar, Astrid shook her head. "I'm not the one who broke things off", she reminded, her tone icy.

"That's just it", Hiccup breathed, tossing his arm up. "There was nothing to break off! Everything changed, but at the same time, nothing did! As far as everyone else is concerned-"

"Who cares what everyone else thinks?!" Astrid cried.

"You do!" he argued. "I think you care a lot about what people think..."

Astrid's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

Desperately needing to pace, Hiccup instead took small steps to turn away from her.

"We finally get away from Berk...no parents or nosy neighbors watching our every move..." He shook his head at his own naiveté. "I don't know, I guess I thought things would change. T-that whatever was making you go out of your way to keep everything a secret, was finally gone and we could stop having to act like different people half the time. And still, nothing changed!"

Curling her lip, Astrid placed a hand to her rounded stomach. "Uh, I'd say a lot changed, Hiccup, or we wouldn't be fighting about this right now, would we?"

Hiccup scoffed. "You know what I mean", he chided. "Even on the Edge: nope, still had to keep up appearances…"

Baring her teeth, livid, Astrid seethed. "And you agreed to that!" she reminded, crossing her arms defensively. "What happened to you worrying about being accused of playing favorites?"

Turning to face her, knowing they were less than a foot apart, Hiccup braced his hands on his hip.

"I agreed, with you, that it would be an awkward situation. You clearly still weren't comfortable with it all and I was just trying to find any reason to be okay with it. I-I never liked it, okay? I still don't and still can't understand why you were too embarrassed for even our friends to know that we were…gods, whatever we were!"

Insulted, Astrid leaned forward slightly. "I was not embarrassed", she hissed. "Everyone from the Shivering Shores to…I don't know…Changewing Island could have known and that would have been fine with me!"

Her insistence came as a surprise to Hiccup, who expected to hear at least some hesitancy.

"…um…r-really?" he probed, still struggling to fully accept that. "Then, why was it such a big deal that the gang not…?"

Rolling her eyes, Astrid sighed.

"Because", she reminded, "I'm the one who has to deal with Ruffnut or Snotlout or whoever using it against me!"

Not understanding - and already doubting - her argument, Hiccup frowned.

"If I'm ever given a better mission, or get to break for the day before they do", she explained, her face heating up just thinking about it, "it's not because I'm better suited, or woke up at the crack of dawn. No! It must be because you want to get into my leggings!"

Hiccup's scowl loosened somewhat, remembering similar jabs in the past.

Sensing his de-escalation, Astrid leaned back a bit, groaning as she rubbed the taut muscles of her neck. "Gods, they say that now..." she grumbled. "Who knows what that they would say if they knew everything!"

Pursing his lips, Hiccup exhaled through his nose. "That's…yeah", he conceded. "I can probably guess what they would say…" His nose wrinkled as he imagined what fun their crude teammates would have at their expense.

Nodding in thought, Hiccup released a breath he had realized he was holding.

"Still…" he continued, "it was going to have to come out as some point, right?"

When Astrid didn't immediately agree, his brow furrowed. "Oooor were you satisfied with just sneaking around until…what? I got forced into a marriage with someone else?"

Wrinkling her nose, Astrid wriggled uncomfortably at the thought. A worst case scenario she never allowed herself to consider yet knew it was possible at the rate they were heading.

"I…didn't think about all that", she mumbled, an honest statement but lacking needed context.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow, doubting that she would miss something so obvious. "How?"

"I don't know", Astrid shrugged dismissively. "I should of, but I guess I just didn't, okay?"

Shaking his head, Hiccup pushed back, unsatisfied. "No. No, not okay", he prodded. "You're a smart woman, Astrid, so I know that's not it."

Pressing her lips together nervously, Astrid's form became rigid. His persistence worried her, and Astrid was growing irritated with his unknowing but incessant prying into her fears.

The fact that she didn't have an argument prepared was enough to convince Hiccup.

"So", he continued, "what did you really think was going to happen when-?"

Finally past her limit, Astrid stomped her foot into the ground. "Hiccup, stop it!" she demanded, eyes wide with fear. "I just don't want to talk about it, alright?"

The outburst startled Hiccup, who reared his head back, dumbfounded.

Realizing how heated her reaction had been, Astrid instantly regretted lashing out.

"S-sorry", she muttered, her voice quieter. "But, really, please", she begged, "…not right now."

Still taken aback, Hiccup stared her direction. He had no idea what triggered that response, or which boundary he clearly overstepped. But beneath the anger in her tone, he could feel the panic that drove her.

He didn't understand if, but it genuinely bothered him that something could shake her so much.

"Okay…" he soothed. "Alright."

Astrid nodded, relieved but still too humiliated to speak.

Wanting to break past the tension, Hiccup took the conversation a few steps back. "Well", he sighed, "the team is going to have to know now." The thought soon expanded, and he rubbed his chin anxiously. "Gods, everyone is going to have to know…"

When Astrid didn't respond, only nodded her head quietly, Hiccup voiced another question. "Does anyone else know?"

Astrid shrugged. "...Heather..."

Hiccup huffed quietly. "Yeah, I knew that one", he grumbled. "Why did Heather get to know before I did?"

Astrid crossed her arms defensively. "I didn't tell Heather anything", she muttered. "Viggo figured it out and-"

Hiccup's eyes widened. "Wait. Viggo?"

She frowned at the recurring interruptions. "Yes."

"Viggo knows?!" Voice raising in alarm, Hiccup swore under his breath. "How? How did he know? H-how long has he known?"

"I don't..." Astrid started, replaying the event. "…no one said anything. Even Heather didn't know then. But he just knew."

Astrid wished she could see Hiccup as he fell into total silence.

A frustrated groan was the first sound he made.

"This", he stressed. "This is exactly why we cannot afford any secrets. I-I'm trying to consider every angle - every possible move he could make - and I can't do that if I don't know what he knows."

"I didn't know he knew anything!" Astrid insisted. "Why would he? Until yesterday the only people on Midgard who knew were me and Gothi."

Rubbing his hands together anxiously, still fixating on Viggo, Hiccup was momentarily yanked from his thoughts.

"Gothi? How does Gothi..." He then paused, bringing his hand to his face, fingers pressed to the bridge of his nose. "Berk", he concluded flatly. "When you left for Berk."

Astrid rubbed her hand on the opposite arm. "Yeah..." she confirmed, recalling that difficult day. "I wasn't sure, and I didn't know who else to go to."

"That's why you went to Berk", Hiccup stated plainly for his own benefit, another detail clicking into place after months of confusion. His brow then shot straight up. "...d-does that mean Dad…?"

"I don't think so", Astrid interjected. She couldn't help but to huff a small laugh. "I'm sure you'd know if he did."

It was hard to imagine anything short of a surprise visit from their Chief, enraged and ready to drag them both back to Berk himself.

"Heh, y-yeah…" Hiccup stammered, forcing a nervous laugh. He could practically see that conversation play out, and the thought alone made him shudder.

"…plus", Astrid added, "I begged Gothi to let me handle it. She seemed to understand." The confidence in her voice slipped a bit as she considered the cryptic old woman. "…I think."

When she could hear Hiccup shift uncomfortably, Astrid thought of anything else that may help to alleviate his anxieties. "Besides, I didn't even say who was...um..."

"Responsible" Hiccup finished dully.

Astrid nodded, looking in his direction with sympathy. He was catching up and fully absorbing what it all meant; what the true ramifications of their recklessness would be.

The heaviness in his voice reflected the fresh burden that had been dropped on his shoulders, when he could barely manage what he already had. What she was trying to avoid all along.

His sigh pulled her from her thoughts.

"I can't believe we're even having this conversation", Hiccup mumbled, so quiet she almost didn't hear.

Astrid wasn't a bit surprised by how deflated he sounded; she was well acquainted with enormity of it all.

She wanted to say something – something insightful, or that would offer any comfort. But as worried as she was about what this news would do to Hiccup's faltering resilience, the knowledge that her decisions along the way, and how he found out, made it all the more distressing.

For someone raised to value her pride above all else, her time on the Edge had proven to be a gauntlet. One she was still trying to rebuild from.

Astrid canted to rest with her hip against the rock wall, habitually hiding the tears that irritated her eyes despite the cover of dark. Bowing her head, she angrily wiped at her face.

The pressure of her leaning against one of the stones produced the slightest amount of give, and Astrid could hear the soft groan of two rocks rubbing together.

Her hands quickly flew to the stone, as she gentle pressed against the wall looking for any budge. After traveling halfway up, the tips of her fingers detected the slightest wiggle in a rock just out of her grasp.

"Hiccup...Hiccup, this rocks loose!" she breathed hopefully. "Maybe…if we can give it a shove from higher up… "

This time, Hiccup was far more responsive. In only half a step, he was at her back, and he raised his arms to run his hands across the stone.

He slowed once he brushed past her fingers, trying to locate the rock.

Stretching the entire length of his body, Hiccup flattened his palm against the loose stone. With a few firm presses, he was able to push it out an inch or so.

Pulling his hands away, shaking his arms before reaching back up, he grunted as he gave another shove.

The stone finally fell away and tumbled down the pile of rubble, allowing flickering firelight from a nearby torch to flood the space.

Both Vikings gasped, adjusting to the harsh glare that caused their pupils to contract.

With a groan, Hiccup forced his eye lids open, squinting as he tried to take in the visual details around him. The first thing he noticed was just how many stones surrounded them, and how truly cramped their quarters were.

As his gaze shifted to Astrid, his vision starting to sharpen, he took in her own pained expression as she wiped away bits of dust from her eyes.

Beginning to turn his head to look up at the small opening above, something unusual stood out in Hiccup's periphery. Eyes darting back to Astrid, he looked down, and he paled at the sight of deep crimson running down one of her legs.

"O-oh, gods!" he gasped.

Startled by the dread in his voice, Astrid followed his stare, seeing the blood soaking through her leggings on her left leg.

Her breathing hitched, and she quickly scrunched up her skirt. Pulling the garment up, she revealed a tear in the fabric and an open wound slashed across her upper thigh.

"I-it's okay", she assured, though her voice was shaking. "Just a cut. That's all."

Hiccup's stunned features relaxed only slightly, though he winced at the injury that he deemed far more extensive than just "a cut".

Meanwhile, a large gash on his temple drew Astrid's gaze.

"Wow, your forehead is really bleeding…" she breathed, frowning as she inspected the slice. "Sit down."

Hiccup didn't move, still rattled and gaze locked on her legs. "Y-you're sure you're okay, right?" he stressed.

"Yes", Astrid quickly assured, "I'm not the one who is going to pass out if they don't get down. Now."

Slowly, Hiccup complied, lowering himself to the ground.

Astrid hiked her skirt back up and ripped at the right legging, tearing the threads until they split. A rough kick tossed her boot to the ground before pulling the fabric away from her leg.

She repeated the same action on the other side, letting the tattered material drop to the floor.

With one of the strips still in-hand, Astrid gripped each end; tugging firmly to stretch the fibers.

Meanwhile Hiccup said nothing, only watched as she settled to her knees beside him. The first sound he made was as he felt the band of fabric press against his temple, and he held back a pained hiss as it tightened around the throbbing wound.

Looking for a distraction, Hiccup scanned their surroundings, though there was nothing of great interest beyond the impressive amount of debris that encased them.

The flickering light highlighted just how fortunate they were to not be immediately crushed by the collapsing rubble. His gaze wandered to the worst of the pile - where he had been standing before Astrid yanked him back.

Feeling Astrid's fingers raking his hair back as she found a suitable placement to place a knot, he tried to ignore the tight squeeze of his stomach at the familiar, pleasant sensation. It soothed him, and he fought the feeling of comfort it brought.

As the pressure of Astrid's hand directed him to tilt his head slightly, Hiccup found himself staring down at her stomach. With her shoulders hunched forward as she leaned in towards him, he could see the thick panels of her hangerock lay against the mound beneath. After weeks of forcibly preventing himself from looking at her for any length of time, he took in the evident changes in her body that he should have recognized as being out of place.

Muttering quietly to herself as she wrestled with the fabric, Astrid hazarded a glance down at the young man's face. Seeing him fixated, she looked back at her work.

Another minute passed before she looked again, still seeing the same indiscernible expression. Her lips tugged into a hint of a wry smile, though she ignored the urge to say anything.

She returned her attention to tightening the fabric, testing the knot and finding herself overall pleased with her handiwork.

"There", Astrid signaled, not allowing her gaze to fall again to Hiccup's face. She instead rubbed at a splotch of blood that was beginning to dry against her palm. "You'll want to keep that on for a while."

Astrid didn't expect him to say anything. She was surprised when he did.

"How long?" he murmured.

Pressing her lips in thought, Astrid used the pad of her thumb to carefully tug one side of the makeshift bandage down, adjusting to a better angle.

"At least the rest of today", she suggested, frowning at how quickly the thin fabric became saturated with blood. "Though we'll want to switch it out at some point…"

"N-No", Hiccup corrected.

Her brow creased as she finally looked at him in confusion.

Hiccup's mouth hung open awkwardly before his lips pursed together, his hand traveling to rest on the back of his neck as his eyes fell back to her stomach. "I mean, um…"

Astrid's eyes widened slightly, her hands falling to her thighs as she tensed her fingers against the flesh.

"Oh", she replied lightly. She lowered herself until she was sitting on the ground as well, looking down at her belly and pushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"You mean until I…" The rest caught in her throat.

He nodded meekly, looking up at her face momentarily before dropping his gaze again.

Tapping her fingers against her knees, Astrid counted out the months. There was honestly no reason to - she had performed the simple calculation at least a dozen times before. But there was something therapeutic about abandoning more emotional topics for unfeeling facts.

"Sometime in Gói, I think", she recalled. "Maybe even Einmánuður." [3]

She watched Hiccup's expression as she spoke, noting one side of his mouth pull back into a faint grimace. Having been born before the spring, he was well aware of the added worries that came with birthing a child in the coldest months.

Astrid forced a faint but comforting smile. "Should be past the worst of winter", she assured, though she carried the same concerns.

Hiccup only nodded, letting his features slack as he blankly stared at her abdomen.

Astrid watched him carefully, trying to predict his current state of mind. The initial panic seemed to subside, though there was an understandable hint of residual terror. He would have appeared contemplative if not for the nervous way he chewed at his lower lip.

Feeling uncomfortably vulnerable under his stare, Astrid dipped her head to try and meet his gaze.

"What?" she prompted.

When their eyes, met he raised his brow. "What what?" he returned, unsure what she was asking.

Having Hiccup's full attention did little to quiet the awkwardness Astrid felt. Brimming with anxiety and suddenly desperate to move, she sated the need by running her hand up and down her arm.

"...I don't know what you're thinking", she admitted.

The uncharacteristically sensitive tone of Astrid's voice seemed to rattle Hiccup from his musings.

His expression eased as he looked down in thought. With an empty huff he looked back at Astrid with a failed attempt at a smile. "Honestly? Neither do I."

She said nothing, only nodded slowly while holding his gaze as she pushed sweat-soaked clumps of hair out of her face.

The positioning of her folded legs stretched the severed tissue of her thigh, reminding her of her own injury. Carefully extending her leg as straight as she could along the ground, Astrid bunched her skirt into her lap so that she could see the entire gash.

Hiccup watched silently as Astrid worked; her fingers deftly winding the other strip of fabric tightly against the wound. When she raised a hand to her forehead, using the back to swipe a line of sweat from her brow, the slight shine of her skin made him more fixate on how warm is was in tunnel.

"Why is it so hot down here?" he wondered aloud, wrinkling his nose while wiping damp hands down the sides of his pants.

Relieved for a neutral topic to break the tension, Astrid shrugged. "I don't know…you'd think it's be cold, right?"

Nodding in agreement, Hiccup tilted his head back to examine the small opening in the rocks. Thinking back, he hadn't seen anything as he flew over the island that would explain the heat.

After tying a second knot to keep her bandage in place, Astrid ran her hands carefully over the rough rocks beneath her, pushing small fragments of stone aside to reveal a tiny patch of the solid earth. As the tips of her fingers pressed into the ground, she frowned in thought.

"Feels like it's coming from further down", she noted

She kept her hand in place as Hiccup set the back of his hand next to hers.

He too felt the warmth radiate through the rock.

With a sigh, Hiccup pull his hand back. "You are right", he admitted, flicking his gaze to her. "We have to focus on getting out of here."

Astrid peered up at him through her bangs, re-positioning herself to lean on one hip.

Pushing the fringes of his own hair off his face, Hiccup frowned.

"I don't know why Viggo wants Toothless. Or why he wants me to get out of here to get to Toothless." With a quick roll of his eyes, he rubbed his hand over his brow. "Or why he does anything that he does", he added, muttering.

Sliding the tip of her tongue over her lips in an attempt to soothe the chapped skin, Astrid nodded absently.

"Well, if he wants you to escape, he isn't making it easy", she sighed, dusting her palms against her bare thighs as she gave their enclosure another scan. "One wrong move and-"

"And it all comes crashing down on us", Hiccup finished flatly. "Yeah. I got that."

Astrid's brows fell in response to his sharpness. While sarcasm was far from novel for him, his words carried an extra bite that they normally didn't.

But he seemed to catch himself, his expression quickly softening before shooting her an apologetic look.

Both parties became quiet, reminded that even small-talk was suddenly an uphill battle.

Trying to ignore the painful tug at her heart, Astrid attempted to get the conversation back on an amiable track.

"So what do you want to do?" she asked.

Though Hiccup's frown persisted, the inquiry prompted him to reorient his thoughts to solution finding.

"I'm…not sure", he admitted. He looked to Astrid, whose eyes momentarily widened in concern.

"But we'll think of something", he assured, keeping his voice even.

The promise encouraged Astrid somewhat, though she couldn't shake the feeling that it was an empty gesture. Even assuming they managed to wriggle out of their latest confines, they were still in danger the moment they stepped foot outside of the rubble.

As much as she loved a good fight, her current condition and the cumulative exhaustion she felt left her dreading the thought of their next trial. And if the bags under Hiccup's eyes were any indication, he wasn't doing much better.

If they wanted any hope of holding their own, they needed time to recover.

"Might want to rest then", she suggested with a shrug, fighting her own reluctance to let her guard down. "Be ready for anything."

Hiccup stared back up at the small gap in the rocks, humming in agreement. "We can sleep in shifts", he added. "I'll take second."

Frowning, Astrid shook her head.

"You first", she countered. "I'm sure I've slept more recently."

Scratching at the uncomfortable stubble on his jawline, Hiccup shrugged one shoulder.

"Maybe", he acknowledged, "but there's no way I can sleep right now."

Astrid didn't see how that was possible. From his ashen complexation to his blood-shot eyes, he looked like he could fall asleep walking.

She pursed her lips, frustrated and worried. "Well, I don't think I can sleep either", she claimed, hoping he would give in and admit he needed the sleep.

Without glancing back over at her, Hiccup gave a soft groan. "Try", prompted wearily.

A tug of Astrid's cheek signaled her disapproval. But sensing that they were at the precipice of yet another fight, she begrudgingly relented.

Looking down at the ground, she realized just how little space she had to work with, given that their close quarters created an awkward environment to share. The farthest she could be was barely more than a stride away, assuming she hugged the cavern wall.

As uninviting as the option was, it would have to do.

Leaning further to her side, Astrid tossed several stray rocks aside and brushed away bits of debris to clear something almost suitable to lay on.

All the while Hiccup awkwardly watched her as she carefully maneuvered about to find a comfortable position.

Rolling to her good side and putting pressure on her injured leg, Astrid tensed suddenly from the shot of pain.

The movement wasn't missed by Hiccup, whose brow creased with concern as he found an acceptable patch of the tunnel's wall to lean again. "You alright?"

"…yep…" Astrid claimed through clenched teeth. "Fine. I'm fine."

The look Hiccup gave her portrayed his disbelief, but he said nothing as she shifted again, finally settling into a passable position with her face turned towards the cavern wall.

Neither said a word, laying in silence as they each stared at the rocks surrounding them. Shadows danced across the stone as the firelight that filtered from above flickered in and out.

The last nearly formed thought that drifted through Astrid's mind was how much longer the flame would burn until they were again plunged into darkness - only seconds before she gave in to sleep.

---

[1] Reference to Viggo's advice to Dagur in RTTE S2 Ep 13 - Maces and Talons, Part 2.

[2] While there are many different approaches to managing birth control in the HTTYD fandom (all valid), I decided to go with the norm that, short of abstinence, the "pull-out method" would have been the best chance to reduce - but certainly not prevent - the chance of pregnancy. This further re-enforces the disconnect in the story where Hiccup has a better grasp of the potential risks.

[3] The last two months of winter, which aligns with the Gregorian calendar to be anywhere from mid-February to early April.