Chapter 53

Stoick had us all looking around the plaza where he had landed earlier that day. While we were looking I noticed a bush near Hiccup's house, one neither of us had seen before.

I walked over and called the others to come take a look. "Does anybody remember seeing these flowers before?" I asked suspiciously

"They were here when I got back." Said Stoick.

Fishlegs tool a closer look at the one I was holding. "It looks an awful lot like the Blue Oleander, I recognize from my botany book, chapter eight."

"Is there anything specific you can remember?" Stoick asked with a lot of worry in his voice and I could understand why.

Now it wasn't just the dragons but Hiccup was getting sick too and we didn't get rid of what was causing it soon, none of them was going to have much longer.

"They're very beautiful, very soft, perianal…" he then paused and got a look of fear and realization on his face. "…and poisonous to reptiles."

"Which means poisonous to dragons and Hiccup!" I cried realizing what was going to happen if we did do something now.

"This is serious, did your book say anything about a cure?" Stoick asked with panic in his voice.

"I don't know, because someone had me throw it in a pit." Fishlegs answered sarcastically.

"Well then go back and dig it up!" Stoick shouted.

Now we were all very scared, if we couldn't find a cure we would lose not only the dragons, but we would lose Hiccup and I can't imagine the impact it would have on Stoick. I don't know how it would affect the others but I would certainly be hurt, Hiccup and I had grown really close in the past year or so and if I lost her, I don't know what I would do. She was like a sister to me and I didn't want to lose her or Stormfly. I can safely say I don't think the others wanted to lose their dragons either. But first things first, we had to figure out where the flowers came from and what we are dealing with.

"I don't understand where did these flowers come from?" I asked curiously.

"Mildew." We heard Tuffnut answer from behind. "I saw him plant them the other night."

"And you didn't think that was strange?" I asked feeling irritated.

"No, well, maybe. I don't know quit pressuring me." He answered.

"Let's go pay the old man a visit." Stoick said venomously.

The others stayed behind with their dragons while Stoick and I made our way up to Mildew's place. The whole way I was hoping Hiccup would hold on, she was a strong girl in her own right, she could get through this right?

When we got to Mildew's door, he reluctant to talk, but Stoick can be very persuasive. "What do you want?" he barked when he let us in.

"We came to ask you a few questions." I said cracking my knuckles.

"What Astrid means is," he said holding me back. "Did you plant the flowers in the middle of town?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because your stupid flowers are making the dragons sick!" I said harshly.

"So what if I planted some flowers, the town square has never looked better. I was merely trying to spread some beauty and happiness." He said innocently.

"Since have you cared about beauty or happiness." I barked not buying it. "You did this."

"Well I had no inclining Stoick that these flowers had special properties." He said innocently. "Which true I'm no friend of the dragon but, in this case, on my life I was not trying to harm them." He said like he was making a weak attempt at a promise. "By the way Stoick, how's your daughter, is she feeling any better this evening?"

"Let's go." Stoick sighed.

As we walked back to the village, I could see the look of fear in Stoick's eyes. I opened my mouth to talk but I couldn't find the right words to say.

"What do we do now sir?" I asked flatly then mentally slapped myself for realizing how stupid I must have sounded.

"I don't know." He answered emotionless.

We didn't say anything else on the way back. When we got back to the village, we went into Hiccup's room to check on her and it didn't look good. Toothless looked bad enough, but Hiccup looked like she was barely hanging on.

Her face was pale as the snow on the mountain top and her eyes had dark rings under them making her look like she was a living corpse, her brown eyes were now gray and misty. And for the first time when I touched her hand, it wasn't warm, it was cold, like she had been out in the snow for too long.

"How're you feeling lass?" Stoick asked.

"Not feeling any better to say the least." Hiccup said weakly.

She gagged and threw up into a bucket by her bed.

"Don't worry Hiccup, we found what was making the dragons and you sick and we are trying to find a way to save you and the dragons." I said holding her hand in mine.

"What was it?" she asked her voice hoarse and scratchy.

"It was the flowers in the middle of town," Stoick answered. "The Blue Oleander, it is very poisonous to reptiles, to you." Stoick said putting his hand on her head and rubbing her hair out of her face. "Just hang in there lass, we'll find a cure. I promise."

For a moment Stoick sounded just like Hiccup, and I knew for sure that Hiccup was definitely his daughter.

Fishlegs chose that moment to come running in to the house and up the stairs. He looked like he was upset and out of breathe but the good news was he had his botany book with him and another one tucked under his arm.

"Fishlegs you found your botany book. What does it say?" I asked.

He stilled out of breathe. "Calm down, son talk to me." Stoick said approaching him.

"My botany book says that Blue Oleander's poisonous to reptiles and dragons are reptiles." He said when he found his breathe.

"We know that, was there anything else?" I pushed.

"Not in here," he said putting the book in his pocket. "But I remembered the Book of Dragons talked about a dragon that feeds on the Blue Oleander, it's called a Scauldron. In a perfect world if it eats the flowers, maybe its venom can be used as an antidote like with snakes and spiders. But alas we do not live in perfect world," he said turning the page. "Look the Scauldron has no venom."

"The book is wrong." We heard Gobber say as he came into the house and up to Hiccup's room. "I've dealt with a Scauldron before. They're sixty feet long with razor sharp teeth. It'll shoot boiling water that melts the flesh from your bones. The Scauldron has no fear, no conscious, but what a Scauldron does have is venom and lots of it."

"What do we do now?" I asked turning to Stoick.

"Dad, we need to find a Scauldron." Hiccup said trying to get out of bed.

"No lass, you too sick to go anywhere, you stay here, we'll find the Scauldron." He said laying her back down. He then turned to Fishlegs. "Fishlegs, you and the other riders stay here and take care of your dragons and my daughter."

"Yes sir." Fishlegs said turning to leave.

"Gobber, I need you to go get Mildew and have him dig up all the flowers he planted on Berk. Astrid and I will get everything ready. Now let's go find ourselves a Scauldron."

"I thought you'd never ask." Gobber said leaving the house.

While everyone was getting ready, I stayed with Hiccup and Toothless. I took another look at the Scauldron in the book before putting the book down.

"Astrid, you can't go, what if you get hurt or killed or…" Hiccup weakly argued but her stomach lurched again and she threw up into the bucket again.

"Just hang in there Hiccup, I'll be okay and I'll be back before you know it." I said taking her hand in mine.

"Promise me you'll come back."

"I promise." I said going down the stairs and out the door to meet Stoick.

I saw talking to his Thunderdrum. When he finally looked back, I said what I had come to say with losing a word.

"Sir, it time, the boats ready." I said flatly, not sure if I should be scared, worried or angry.

From the look in his eyes, Stoick felt the same way. We made our way down to the docks where Gobber, Mildew and a small crew were waiting for us. After we shoved off, things got more tense and lifeless. No one knew what to say, we just sailed the ship into the open ocean away from the village. Stoick, Gobber and I looked back one more time before the island disappeared from sight.

"She'll make it Stoick. Remember Hiccup just as strong and stubborn as you were, in her own way anyway." Gobber said putting a hand on the chief's shoulder.

I couldn't find anything to say. All I could do was stand and wait for us to go over what the plan was and wait for us to find what we came looking for. It was definitely going to be dangerous, but if would save Hiccup and the dragons, it would be worth it.