Wandering around the house that was supposed to be theirs, Hiccup took everything in one last time. The fireplace, the table, the bed he and Astrid never shared as husband and wife. It was late into the night, but Hiccup couldn't sleep. Sound asleep in the corner, Toothless was silent.
On the table sat his wedding clothes, in the same spot he had put them when he had first taken them off. Running his fingers along the engravings, he took in the intricate designs for what might be the last time. As he did so, the memory of what had happened on his wedding night played over and over again inside his head.
Finally, Hiccup pulled his hand away from his outfit. He had begun to wander the house again when he realized there was something on his hand. Moving into the light of the fire, he saw there was orange tinted dust covering the tips of his fingers. This puzzled him.
Where could it have come from? Wondered Hiccup. It wasn't on me before I touched my outfit and it wasn't on my outfit before the wedding.
Bringing his hand close to his nose, he sniffed the powder. It had an oddly familiar smell, but Hiccup couldn't quite place it. A little hesitant, he touched the very tip of his tongue to the dust. Iron. It was iron.
But where did it come from? Pondered Hiccup. There's no iron mine on Berk or anywhere else in the area. The nearest one would be the Mines of Equid.
Everything clicked into place.
Astrid's kidnappers had the iron on them when they attacked us. When they fought me, some of the iron that was on them was transferred to my clothes. The iron was from the Mines of Equid. That's where Astrid is being held.
Grabbing his bag, Hiccup rushed to the storage room and threw open the doors with a crash. Toothless woke up with a jolt, first annoyed, then curious about what his rider was doing. Hiccup grabbed some bread and water, shoved it into his bag, then dashed upstairs. A moment later, he came crashing back down, tucking Inferno into his belt. Already dressed, Hiccup looked around one more time to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything.
Running up to his confused dragon, Hiccup said, "Come on, Toothless. I know where to find Astrid."
Immediately understanding, Toothless quickly stood up and followed Hiccup out the door. Once they were outside, Hiccup hopped onto Toothless and they took off into the night sky.