Astrid made her way back to Berk thinking about what just happened between Dragon and herself.

It was amazing! I've never felt something like that before. Just from one touch I could feel that I could trust Dragon. But I must be crazy. Seeing him tomorrow? What was I thinking? Well, I can't go back on it now. He'll be expecting me. I don't want to break that trust. Not after we had just created it. Me! The most promising Viking in Berk has made friends with a dragon! I wonder if anyone else in the past has done this? I'm breaking every rule and every lesson I've been taught by befriending a dragon.

She was at the edge of the woods and about to proceed home when she remembered she had a payment to deliver. She changed her direction and headed up the mountain and around the back. It was considerably darker behind the mountain and made it easier for her to drop the fish on the front step, knock, and hide without being seen by Mildew. When she was sure that Mildew received his payment, she headed back down into Berk.

She decided to go to the Mead Hall instead of her house to eat. She entered and found her friends sitting and chatting away.

"Hey Astrid!"Camicazi called.

Everyone turned and watched her as she sat down. They continued to watch as she began to eat. She finally couldn't take it anymore and turned to them. "What?"

"You complemented Fishlegs," Heather said.

"I did?" Astrid thought back to their last conversation and realized that she did. "Oh, I did didn't I? Well, it's a rarity. Don't expect it again Fishlegs."

"So, it wasn't on purpose?" Heather asked.

"Nope."

"Oh, good. We thought you were going soft," Snotlout said.

"Yeah, next you'll be friends with a dragon," Tuff said.

Astrid decided to drink at the wrong moment. She spit out her drink and began to cough hard. Everyone one looked at her with wide eyes and shock.

Oh gods! If only he knew that is exactly what has happened.

"Good Thor Astrid!" Ruff exclaimed. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Astrid lied. "I was not expecting such an absurd statement."

"Yeah, it is a little farfetched," Camicazi agreed.

Astrid busied herself with cleaning up her mess as Ruff turned to Heather and whispered something in her ear. Heather nodded and Ruff got Astrid's attention.

"Hey Astrid," Ruff said. "Where have you been all day? Dagur's been looking for you."

Astrid bolted but forgot she was under the table and slammed her head. A choir of 'ows' was heard from the group.

"Are you ok?" Fishlegs asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Is Dagur here now?"

"Um, no," Snotlout responded.

"Oh, ok."

"I could go get him for you," Tuff said and began to get up.

"No!" Astrid screamed and shoved Tuff back into his seat. "I'm fine."

"Sure you are?"Camicazi asked.

"Yes!" Astrid snapped. "I'm going to turn in." With that she got up and left the Mead Hall.

I need something to distract me.


"Did you see it?" Ruff asked.

"Yes. Yes I did," Heather nodded.

"See what?" Snotlout asked.

"How Astrid acted when Ruff mentioned Dagur," Fishlegs informed.

"She's been acting that way for the past few days," Camicazi said. "What's the big deal?"

"I think Dagur is somehow involved in Astrid's incident in the forest," Ruff said.

"What makes you say that sis?"

"I noticed that she was very un-Astrid when Dagur wanted to visit her when she was bedridden."

"What was so un-Astrid?" Snotlout asked.

"She was terrified." Everyone gasped.

"Are you sure?" Camicazi asked.

"Yes. Very sure. I then went back later and asked her and she got really defensive of the subject."

"Well, maybe he proposed to her finally," Heather asked.

"Nope. She looked liked she was about to throw up when I asked her. She wasn't defensive, she just didn't like the idea."

"Well, maybe she knows that he will propose and is avoiding him," Tuff said.

"How does a proposal cause someone to be terrified?" Fishlegs asked.

"Well it shouldn't," Heather said. "No, something else about Dagur scares her."

"Um, how about all of him?"Camicazi asked. Everyone laughed.

"So true, Cami," Fishlegs said. "He's not called deranged for nothing."

"Now that's out of our system," Heather said. "Let's get back to Astrid."

"What did she say Ruff?" Snotlout asked.

"Well, she hinted to him chasing her in the woods. She's purposely avoiding him. Whenever she sees him, she freezes in fear."

"How do you know that?" Fishlegs asked.

"Because I saw her do that in the town square. She looked ready to give him a piece of her mind but then suddenly hid."

"Oh. What else?" Tuff asked.

" Oh, and when they came into the arena the other day, he talked to her. Whatever he said really scared her. Her eyes were wide and I think she was shaking come to think of it. When I tried to get some answers, she snapped."

"Ok, so Dagur was chasing her, that made her scared of him," Fishlegs started.

"But it wasn't to propose," Snotlout added.

"And she's been avoiding him and when she does run into him, she's terrified," Heather continued.

"And after the arena, she seems even more on edge when he's mentioned in her presence," Camicazi finished. "What does it all mean?"

"What could Dagur have done to make her scared like this?" Fishlegs asked.

"And it takes a lot to scare Astrid," Snotlout added. "Believe me. I've tried to scare her."

"Well, maybe Dagur realized he wasn't going to get anything from her and tried anyway," Tuff said tiredly.

All of the teens looked at each other. Then thought about it and they all gasped.

"You don't think he'd really-" Camicazi asked.

"If he did, I'll kill him," Ruff said.

"Whoa, whoa. Wait," Fishlegs said as Ruff began to leave the table. "We can't ask Dagur because he'd lie to us. And Astrid won't tell us. We can't run around without knowing the real truth."

Ruff sat back down. "Ok then. This is what we do."


Astrid dropped her axe on the floor and roughly sat down on her bed.

Damn them! Damn Dagur! Why can't I go a few hours without having to look over my shoulder or someone trying to pry the truth from me? This is getting too much. With that, she punched her headboard and it snapped a little.

She looked over at her night stand and saw Hiccup's journal and picked it up. She opened it again and continued to read.

I hope he's having a better time than I am right now.

Everything's changed. Dad hardly looks at me anymore. Gobber says because I remind him of mom and I can understand that but it still hurts. Gobber has become like a second father to me, which I don't mind, but I miss dad. The village seems to treat me differently too. They seem kinder but also distant, like they don't know what to do or say towards me. I know they are trying to be kind but it actually makes it worse. All this uncertainty, it's messing with my nerves. I hope things will go back to normal soon. Well, as normal as possible with mom gone. I miss you mom. Terribly. Please watch over me. I think I'm going to need your eyes.

Man, I didn't know a five year old can write something so deep. I know I wouldn't have been able to.

Dad was mad at me today because I got home late. I told him I lost track of time and he told me to find out how to not do it again. So I did! I came up with a way! I call it a clock. It's a device that has 12 numbers on in. I was going to go with 24 but it didn't look right. I did 12 because I noticed how we change our greetings from good morning to good afternoon after the sun is in the highest spot, so I figured that I'd split the 24 in half. As you can see from my design, the numbers go around in a circle and there are two lines coming from the middle. The smaller line I've decided will be the hour line and the longer line the minute line. It will go around in a circle from hour to hour with the minute line moving every one minute and the hour moving every 60 minutes. Oh! And every single number represents 5 minutes. So when the minute line is on the 1, it's been 5 minutes. On the 2, it's been 10 minutes and so on. When it hits the 12 then I know it's afternoon. It will continue to rotate even when I'm asleep so when I wake, I know what time it is. Now if only I can figure out how to make it work.

Astrid looked under his entry and saw a circle with twelve numbers going around in a circle in ascending order up to twelve. From the middle she saw two lines, one smaller than the other, pointing out to one of the numbers. The smaller line pointed at the three while the longer line pointed at the seven. Under the design was a little inscription. 3:35

Astrid studied it more and found that it would be an affect way to track time, if he ever got it to work. Well, that's impossible now.

My father surprised me today. I thought he was going to wish me a happy birthday but that didn't happen. I think he forgot. When I came home, he was waiting by the fire, seeming nervous about something but he never tells me so I was about to go to my room when he said he wanted to talk to me. He said that I wasn't growing up like a regular Viking should. How can he tell that already? I just turned six today. What does he expect me to do? Spilt a rock in half with my head? I not big and strong like Snotlout so something had to be done about it. He said that he talked with Gobber and that Gobber agreed to let me apprentice with him in the forge! I hadn't been so excited or happy since mom died. I can't wait for tomorrow. At least I won't be so useless. I might actually find my place in the village. Perhaps this is my chance to show them what I'm capable of. Just watch out for me mom, from Valhalla. I miss you and so does dad. We all miss you.

"He seems so happy but there's still that pain. He's right. Why did she have to go on his birthday of all days? He doesn't deserve that kind of guilt. It was never his fault but no one told him that, I think."

Astrid was going to continue when she heard something in her room. She looked up and tried to see what it was but the candle made more shadows for whatever it was too hid in. She was about to grab he axe and get up when she was pushed onto her bed.

Before she could make a sound, a great weight was pressed onto her chest and a hand covered her mouth. She wriggled and tried to bite the hand but it moved just enough so protect its skin.

"I told you I'd get another chance."

Astrid's eyes went wide with horror. Oh Thor! Dagur broke into my room! Why didn't I hear that?

"You really must have been into what you were reading. You didn't hear me come in. Lucky me."Dagur ran his hand up and down her body and greedily looked into her blue eyes. He then smiled evilly and began to lift the hem of her shirt.

Oh gods, no. He's going to do it! He's crazy! Astrid's breathing and heart rate increased dramatically.

Dagur felt this and grinned even wider. "See. I knew you would like this." His hand finally found his way under her shirt and began to run his fingertips over her smooth skin. "How are you such a strong and tough Viking warrior maiden with such smooth and soft skin?"

Dagur was so engrossed in his exploration of Astrid's body that he neglected to feel that Astrid had freed her hand and grabbed her axe that was leaning near her bed.

"AH!" Dagur yelled as the butt of the axe collided with his head. He fell off the bed and clutched his head and felt wetness connect with his hand and run down his face.

As Dagur recovered from his daze and discovered his injury, Astrid had jumped out of bed. She grabbed her axe and ran out of her house.

Where can I go? If I go to Ruff's, I'll have to explain what happened which means telling the whole story. If I do that, I'll put Ruff's and possibly Tuff's lives in danger. No I need to go somewhere else where he won't be able to find me. Somewhere I know I'm safe.

Just as she was about to exit the house, Dagur had gotten up to chase her down. "You witchy dragon! I'll make you pay for this! I will get you and what I want! One way or another!"

Dragon! I'll go to the cove! Even if he does follow me, Dragon can easily tear him apart.