Gah, more filler. But next chapter and here on out should be compelling! (I hope)

The voice haunted her in her sleep. She woke up in a cold sweat, her ears still buzzing. She only briefly realized she was standing before she concluded she was actually outside. At first, she assumed it was a dream, but after she felt the grass beneath her, and the bite to the late autumn air, she knew it was no dream.

Astrid glanced around, looking for anyone. But it the dead of night, there was no one. The whole village was in a hush that came with sleep. Curious, if not a bit afraid, the blonde made her way to the forge. She listened hard, hearing nothing. Pushing away the door and walking inside, everything was in it's place. The door to the back room was ajar, and she peered inside. Hiccup slept peacefully in his hammock, his wheelchair parked nearby. She almost wanted to awaken him, to question him…but as she drew near, she saw how peacefully he slept and lost her nerve. Instead, she pulled the blanket a little higher as he snuggled down. He could be a monster. He could be leading her to her doom. And here she was, caring for him.

She only hoped she was just sleepwalking.

—

Dagur had stayed overnight and then late into the next day. Astrid was excused from entertaining him, as she had to push Hiccup around. For this, she was overjoyed. They had to play the part of an engaged couple, but it was simple as their casual interactions depicted such. Then finally, after Dagur went home, Astrid rushed back to the forge to get Hiccup.

"The Berserker's are gone! Let's go get those dragons!" She nearly shouted as she burst into the door.

But his wheelchair sat abandoned in the middle of the floor.

Gobber was going over the specs of Hiccup's fin. "Ah, lass. I don't think he's up for it."

"Why?" Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked to the back room. "He was fine earlier."

"Aye, but as soon as you dropped him off, he fell out of his chair. I put him to bed, but I'm not quite sure what's wrong."

"He was pale this morning…" She mused. Going to the back, she found him curled into a ball in the hammock. His furs were pulled up to his cheeks and he shook, visibly. He panted, like he had sprinted a mile.

"Hiccup?" She asked, shaking him gently.

He groaned and pulled the blanket closer.

"Hey! You okay?"

This time he whimpered as he shook his head ever so slightly. She felt his forehead. Fever.

"Gobber, how long has he been out of water?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, a few days?"

Astrid ripped the blanket away and looked at the state of his dried out tail. The usual vibrant green was now pale and sickly. His fins were thin and brittle and it was flaking like a snake. She grimaced.

"We need to get him to some water." She declared, scooping him out of the bed. Despite the heat he exuded, his skin was very dry and was even cracking.

Gobber took a bucket and went to the well to fill up the basin on the wall.

Astrid set him inside, then took the bucket of dirty water from the floor. "Sorry, but it's all I've got." Then she dumped it on him.

He started breathing asthmatically as his tail slapped against the wood. It wasn't enough.

"Hurry up Gobber!"

Hiccup rested against the edge of the tub, looking awful. "Astrid…" He whispered.

If only the dragons had come back. She didn't know how long they would be away. It was making this so much harder.

Gobber rushed it and tripped at the last second, the water spilling on the floor and getting everywhere, except on Hiccup. "Whoops."

"Forget it!" She threw her hands into the air. "This will take too long, I'm going to take him somewhere else!" Again, she scooped him up and placed him in his chair.

As she began to push him out the door, Gobber tossed a blanket to her. "Cover him up, don't let the sun beat down on him."

She nodded and draped it over the boy. "You with me Hiccup? Can you hear me?"

"…Astrid…" He moaned.

"Hang on." She urged as they hurried into the square.

She headed to the docks first, but as she came closer, she noticed the amount of ships in port and decided that wasn't the best option, since he could sink beneath them, get squished, or a variety of other disastrous outcomes. No, there was elsewhere to take him.

She turned the chair quickly and started back up the hill.

"Asstrr…wha…?" He tried to ask.

"You can thank me later." She insisted.

They passed by Fishlegs at the well, and he had just pulled out a bucket. "Oh, hey Astrid! What's wrong with Hiccup?"

She stopped him in the shade and took the blanket off of him. "Hold this." She shoved the blanket into Fishleg's hands and stole the bucket. She gripped the bottom and dumped it on the merman, the liquid hitting him with a loud smack. He sighed in relief.

"That'll be all." She assured, taking the blanket back and draping it on him. Gripping the back of the chair, she booked it into the woods.

"What's going on?!" Fishlegs called after.

"No time to explain!" She cried back.

The duo raced through the forest, Hiccup bouncing around in his chair over each rock and twig. He huffed as he struggled to breathe. His tail was secreting a sticky slime.

His vision was blurry, shapes and lines blended into each other as things doubled over and twisted. Hiccup saw vague flashes of blonde and a sweet ringing, a knew it was Astrid. Her presence was a comfort, compared to the harsh tone of Gobber's voice and his cold callus touch. Moving around made it worse. He felt his stomach doing loops as his head filled with air.

He needed water.

The couple of buckets that were thrown on him almost made it worse, because it kept him conscious. He could feel every bump in the road and wanted to hurl the dried mutton he ate for breakfast.

Finally, Astrid came to a crevasse and wheeled him down into a cove. It was peaceful as the sun peeked through the trees and the gentle breeze skirted through the area. The air was crisp with the scent of autumn. She pushed him over to the shore of the little lake, then kicked off her boots and rolled up her leggings. Once again, she put her arms around Hiccup's limp body and pulled him up into her arms. His head rolled over to lay against her shoulder.

She waded out to her waist and lowered the boy into the water. Almost instantly, he began to sink away, before he twisted and darted into the deep.

She tried to follow, but with the water being so cold, and her inability to swim, she gave up relatively quick. She waded over to a rock that looked over the lake and pulled herself up to sit. Running her hands up and down her arms and legs, she tried to build up friction to keep herself warm.

Soon enough, the boy surfaced over by the small waterfall a few feet away. He rolled his head back and let the water crash against his neck and shoulders. Upwards he stretched his arms and thread fingers through his hair. He poised ever so carefully on the rocks, as the water revived him.

After a while, he took up a rock and rubbed it over his tail, shucking the goo and dead scales to reveal his vibrant tail.

"Does that hurt?" Astrid asked as she watched him.

He heard her over the roar of rushing water and smiled, but didn't answer. After all had been cleared away, he dipped into the water and slipped over to her. He rested his arms on the edge of the rock and looked up to her, a pleasant smile on his face.

"Why didn't you say anything?" She asked.

His smile slipped away. "I…I didn't want to worry you."

"Well, you did!" She scolded. "You could have died."

"No I—…" then he stopped. "Well, I guess I could have." He swallowed and rested his head on his arms. "I'm sorry. You had a lot to worry about with Dagur, I didn't want to blow my cover."

"I understand, but this was important!" She nodded. "We could have done something. Next time, don't be afraid to get help!" She pause and then faltered, they both knew it was likely there wouldn't be a next time.

He shook his head and held out his arms. "Come on in, let's finish our swimming lesson."

She pulled her knees up. "Nope. Too cold."

"Well, we can get Toothless to—…" He paused. "They aren't back yet, are they?"

"Does he know when to come back?"

Hiccup was quiet, his tail flicking out of the water absently. "Hmm…I hadn't thought of that."

"Tell you what, after you recharge, we'll go to the other side of the island and see if we can't find them?"

The merman perked up happily and playfully squirted water in her face.

She wiped it away with mirth. "Very funny..." She droned.

It was if he finally realized that she was sitting right in front of him, her feet bared. He stared at them intently.

"What?" She asked, following his gaze.

"Those...are your feet."

"Yeah." She nodded, like it was the most obvious thing.

"May I?"

Tentatively, She stretched her limb out to him. Delicately, he reached out and cupped her ankle, examining every groove. It was much different from the toes that he had as a child. Not that he really remembered them. He pressed on the ball of her foot and pushed, seeing how far it bent in each direction.

Astrid smiled and wiggled her toes. His eyes widened slightly, as he pinched each nub and tugged on them. His fingernails softly scraped the bottom of her arch, and she had bite her lip to keep from laughing.

He glanced up to her, running his hand up her shin. "Your feet are so much nicer than Snotlout's."

Astrid burst into genuine laughter, "Well, that's good!"

He grinned and patted the top of her foot.

"Alright, time for you to repay the favor."

"Excuse me?" He demanded.

"Tail, up."

He blinked and rolled back, his tail swishing over. His fin flicked up and hit her chin. She grabbed the base of his tail, and gave him a hard stare. Hiccup smirked.

One would assume that a mermaid's tail would feel like a fish, but it didn't. It was more like a snake, smooth and wet, but not sticky and slimy. However, his fins were sharp, as she poked herself on the barbs. He pulled his tail away. "Yeah, it's ugly and gross." He claimed.

"I don't think so." The blonde stated, trying to pull it back. "It's cool. I mean, you have a tail!"

"You have feet!" He countered.

"Feet are normal."

"Tails are normal."

They both had a point as they stared at each other. Finally, Astrid broke the silence with a question. "How do you pee?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know, go to the bathroom? Urinate? Exude waist?"

"Uh…" He flicked his tail up and gestured to the end, vaguely. "There's a hole." Then he smirked. "How do you pee?"

She rolled her eyes and met his stare. "There's a hole."

He stuck out his tongue, in teasing.

Gobber came into the area, glancing around with a parcel under his arm. "Ah! There you two are! I figured you'd be here, since you weren't at the docks. Feeling better, laddie?"

Hiccup nodded. "Yes, thank you."

"Quick thinking there lass, couldn't have our good luck charm dry out!" He laughed.

"What's up, Gobber?" She asked, knowing he wouldn't be looking for them without good reason.

"Oh, I thought it might be a good idea to try this out." He set the parcel on the rock, and unwrapped it.

Hiccup peeked up over the edge. "Is that…?" He needn't ask, as the contraption looked very much like the design he had sketched.

"Yep, it's your new tail! Come on up and we'll get it strapped on."

It took a bit of adjusting, but after a few pinches, they got the fin to work. Hiccup opened and closed his tail to see the prothetic respond to his movements. "Perfect!" He smiled broadly.

"Try it out!" Astrid urged.

He nodded once and leapt into the water. It rippled behind him.

Many moments passed and there was no reply from the merman.

"I guess it worked?" Astrid asked.

"Maybe he's just overjoyed at having a working tail?" Gobber suggested.

It was then that the prothetic came flying out of the water and landed on the rock with a clang. Hiccup surfaced a few moments later, panting with exhaustion. "It's too heavy." He complained. "I sank right too the bottom."

Astrid grimaced.

"Well, maybe iron and leather aren't the best combination." Gobber shrugged.

"No kidding!" The merman scolded, resting on the side of the rock. "Leather will crack in water, and iron will rust!"

"Oh…" The blacksmith shook his head. "I knew that." He folded up the device. "Well, the mechanism works, but we just need the right materials."

"How about silk?" Suggested Astrid.

The two boys looked at her in question. "I mean, it's light and durable, like his actual fin, and the water won't do anything but mess with the dye."

"Which I can handle." He conceded.

"And what about the iron?" The blacksmith questioned.

The merman scratched his chin. "We could use a little metal for the gears, something that doesn't rust…like copper, but the frame needs to be light, hollow even!"

"Ah, you know, I think trader Johann might have some teak."

"Teak?" Astrid asked.

"It's a wood that needs to stay wet. It's bendable, should work."

"Hiccup! You have those treasures we could trade for it!"

He perked up, "Good idea!"

Gobber wrung his hands. "Then it's settled, our next prototype will be teak and silk!"

—

Freedom was a delicious satisfaction. Astrid did wheel Hiccup all the way to the northeast side of the island, where he whistled for Toothless. From there, the rest of the gathered dragons followed their alpha back to the village. Astrid could have ridden Stormfly. Hiccup almost expected her to. But, she didn't. Instead, she rode Toothless, saddled with Hiccup, claiming that she wanted to make sure that he was really okay, after the fainting incident earlier. After all, he had to make good on his promise to show her the sunset from the cloud's point of view.

Up they went, in a gentle glide, up into the clouds. The sunset had been beautiful, captivating even. Toothless, now that he liked Astrid, took it easy, instead of terrorizing her to show dominance. The girl reached out and touched the wisps, watching them disappear in her hands.

She straddled Hiccup's back, the only way should could ride on the dragon with him on it. Every tilt of the wings, and her hands would come to rest on his shoulders for support. Hiccup smiled as he assumed Toothless was doing it on purpose.

If she was honest with herself, Astrid would say she was attracted to the merman. No, it wasn't normal. And it probably wasn't a good thing. But he was so kind and smart. His desire for knowledge sparked a desire in her as well, as he continually taught her and made her think in new ways.

It was wonderful. Never before had she felt so civilized, so un-viking-like, and yet so human, like she belonged. It was nice having his company and Astrid would admit that his face was pleasant to look at, as well as the rest of him.

Soon though, to her dismay, he'd be returning to the ocean. It wouldn't take long for new prototype to be build, since Johann was scheduled to come within the week. The hardest part about it though, was realizing that with the way he had been treated by the village, he was not likely to come back. At least not often.

"Hiccup, when you go back, what will happen to Toothless?"

"He'll go with me." He stated, matter-of-factly. "We're inseparable."

She didn't doubt it. "But, since he's alpha…" She elaborated.

"Oh. I—I hadn't thought of that. There's not enough room in my grotto for all the dragons."

"Not exactly."

"Well…I guess…" He paused, not really liking what he was going to say. "I guess I'd have to let him go."

"Can't you stay?" Astrid asked, the tone in his voice breaking her heart.

He was firm. "No. I can't." Then he softened. "But I can visit."

"But—but why?"

"Astrid, let's not worry about this until the time comes, okay?"

Again, he had cut off the conversation. She wanted to pry, she really did, but something in the back of her mind forbade it. "Okay," she resigned.

She had so many things she wondered about. The things he had announced to the Berserkers, had he been serious? Surely that couldn't all be true. Still, the voice that kept her up at night begged her to wonder if it really was safe being so close with such a strange creature.

The sun's light was covered by the clouds, and the sky turned black. Stars appeared like raindrops. Astrid yawned.

"Ready to go back?" The merman asked, hearing the sound.

"Yeah, may as well."

He patted Toothless' side and the dragon began a slow descent.

They landed at the forge, and Toothless dropped the wheelchair he'd been carrying.

"Oi! Be careful with that!" Gobber shouted from the shack. "Ya big lizard!"

Toothless huffed in his general direction.

Astrid got off first and then helped the merman to slide into place. She knew he hated being carried and picked up, so she did her best to just assist him, but let him do most of the work.

"So lad," Gobber stated coming out, "why don't you two come inside, I think there's something we need to talk about."

"What's up, Gobber?" Astrid asked, following him in, diligently.

Stoick stood at the basin at the far side of the room, unannounced. Hiccup became nervous.

"Gobber told me that the testing of the prototype didn't go so well." The chief stated.

Hiccup shook his head.

"That's too bad." He scratched his chin. "Well, according to Bucket, the first winter storm is on it's way. Maybe tomorrow even. So, that said, Gobber and I have decided—…"

"You can stay through the winter!"

"Gobber!"

"What?!"

"I wanted to tell them!" Stoick shook his head. "Anyways, it'll give us more time to learn the dragons while you're here. Plus, you can stay for Snoggletog, and you won't have to go out in the cold."

"So, what do you say, lad?" Gobber asked, a broad smile on his face.

"Where will I stay?"

"Here, like always. Come," the blacksmith beckoned. He stepped to the back room and opened the door. "I'm cleaning it up, but this will be your room. Even in the future when you come to visit you can use it. Still a bit messy though."

Stoick, Gobber, and Astrid all looked at him expectantly. "Well…okay. But only through the winter. First thaw, and I'm gone."

Gobber nodded. "You have our word."

Hiccup really hoped so.