DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters from the HTTYD series or any of the ideas to the plots. My ideas are inspired by a collective of stories that I have come across. But I am always open for any ideas that could help with the story. I might also mess up with some details but I will try my best for the story. Without a further ado I will let you get on with the reading, enjoy!
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Bold: Notes or comments for the story
Italics: Flashbacks, dreams, or reading
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Normally Astrid didn't have nightmares, but for the past few nights she's been waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. They were all the same every night, and always ended the same. Tonight wasn't any different and her nightmares weren't being kind to her at all.
Astrid shot up in her bed as she heard several cries outside of her room. She quickly got up and ran over to her window and opened the shutters. She looked out and saw that almost everything was on fire. All of the houses were mini inferno's as people ran around trying to put them out but it was pointless. Astrid looked closer and saw bodies piled around, more and more being added by the second. She heard someone cry out her name in the distance but she couldn't tell where it was coming from. She quickly turned and ran down her steps before she opened the door to step outside. It wasn't any better now that she was outside as it seemed the smoke thickened around her.
She heard the cry again but as she tried to look around all she saw was a wall of black smoke. Her feet seemed to carry her as she ran off towards the sound of the person calling her name. Astrid was finding it harder to breathe now and her legs started to feel heavier by the second but she kept running. As she continued to run she saw familiar faces as she passed by the bodies laying on the ground. She saw the twins, Fishlegs, and Snotlout all next to each other. A few feet away from them Gobber was on the ground as the forge collapsed in on itself. The cry seemed to grow louder but Astrid couldn't tell where it was coming from. As she rounded a corner of a house she finally saw who was crying out to her.
She spotted Bella trapped in a ring of fire and a look of fear was on her face as she tried to find a way out of danger. As she spotted Astrid her cries grew louder and Astrid started to look for a way to help her sister. She looked around for a few seconds before she saw a nearby cart that could help her. She quickly ran over to the cart and made sure it was steady before she backed up a few steps. Astrid then ran towards the cart at a sprint and then jumped up into the bed of it. The momentum sent the cart forward and it passed through the ring of fire without any damage. As she entered the ring of fire Astrid looked back to where Bella was but it seemed that she disappeared.
She looked around and it also seemed that the wall of fire tripled in size now so that it was towering above her. As she watched the fire above her continue to reach up to the sky she heard a loud roar above her. Astrid looked up to see a black figure circle around her before it landed on the ground. She quickly realized that it was Toothless in front of her and he was shielding her from the fire. She looked up to see Hiccup was extending his hand to her as he sat in Toothless's saddle. Astrid slowly lifted her hand and right before she reached his hand the ring of fire vanished. Astrid looked around and saw that all of the fire had vanished now and the village seemed to return back to normal.
The whole village seemed to be surrounding them now with Stoick and her parents at the front of the group. Stoick made a gesture and then several nets were launched towards Hiccup and Toothless. Hiccup was knocked out of the saddle and was sent flying backwards. Several vikings charged forward and held down Toothless who was trying to break free from the net. Astrid watched in horror as Stoick walked forward with an axe and stood above Astrid. He stared down at her but Astrid couldn't see his eyes as a shadow was casted on them. He dropped the axe next to her and then pointed towards Hiccup. 'Kill him', echoed throughout the crowd and Astrid looked around to see shadows across everyone's faces.
Astrid hesitantly picked up the axe and stood up as she slowly walked over to Hiccup who was also being held down by several people. He stared up at her with a look of fear on his face and he realized that situation he was in now. The vikings holding him down moved slightly so that she could have a cleaner shot at him. It felt like she couldn't control her arms as they rose above her head and her hands gripped tighter on the axe. It took all of her willpower and strength to stop herself from bringing the axe down. 'Kill him' continued to echo throughout the crowd, now louder and more demanding. She continued to fight against the force urging her to bring the axe down but she felt herself starting to lose.
Somehow she managed to win her mental battle and the axe dropped to the ground with a thud. 'Traitor' now echoed throughout the crowd and it quickly turned into a harsh and angry chant. Astrid looked around to see the crowd was now closing in on them. Astrid tried to look for a way out but it was no use. Stoick stepped closer to her with a large axe in his hand and an angry look on his face. He brought the axe up as he was just a step away from her and then swung it at her neck. Time seemed to slow down as Astrid watched the axe come closer to her and she was frozen in place. 'Traitor' now seemed to be screamed at her and it all turned to a deafening roar as the axe touched her neck.
Astrid quickly sat up in her bed, breathing heavily as she felt her heartbeat racing wildly. She quickly brought her hand up to her neck, sensing the touch of the blade on it. She looked up to see Hiccup standing next to her bedside with a worried expression on her face. Seeing his face and thinking back to her nightmare she started to break down. Hiccup sensed this as he sat down on her bedside and then wrapped her into a comforting embrace. She didn't say anything as she just felt the tears run down her eyes. She rested her head in the crook of his neck as he rubbed her back in a comforting way. After a few minutes she finally managed to pull herself together but she still kept close to Hiccup.
He didn't say anything as he just kept holding her and rubbing the small of her back. A few minutes later Astrid slowly leaned back to see a concerned look on Hiccups' face.
"Nightmare," he asked and she slowly nodded but didn't say anything right away. He didn't press her for answers right away which she appreciated.
"I was back on Berk," she finally told him as she looked down at her hands which were folded in her lap. "There's fire everywhere and I just hear someone calling my name the whole time. I find Bella trapped in a ring of fire and then it leads to you showing up." She paused as she looked up to see his reaction but he didn't show anything.
"What happened after that," he asked slowly and Astrid felt her voice catch as she thought back to her nightmare.
"You get captured and then the whole village wants me to kill you," she finally managed to say as she kept her eyes down at her hands again. "But I don't and then they kill me instead." At first Hiccup didn't say anything as he just thought over what she said.
"Well I appreciate that you didn't kill me," he finally said with a joking smile. Astrid managed to show a weak smile but she looked back down at her hands again, not being able to look at Hiccup right now. "What are you thinking about," he asked her in a voice to where she could tell he was trying to be careful to not send her over the edge at all.
"In the nightmare I almost killed you," she said as she looked up at him.
"You told me that already," he said but she shook her head.
"I almost killed you Hiccup," she said again, this time a little bit louder. "I felt something urging me to bring that axe down on you."
"But you didn't," Hiccup said as he took her hand in his and lightly squeezed it.
"But what if I did," Astrid asked in a desperate voice.
"You don't need to worry about it," Hiccup reassured her but Astrid shook her head as she stood up from the bed and started to pace around from the room.
"But I do Hiccup, what if it happened," Astrid asked again as continued to pace around the room. She wasn't paying attention and ran into Hiccup who stepped into her way.
"Do you hate me," he suddenly asked her, which shocked her into a short silence.
"What," Astrid asked, not understanding where this question could come from inside his head.
"Do you hate me," he repeated in the same serious tone as he looked down at her.
"No," Astrid told him as she shook her head, confused by how this came up.
"Then you don't need to worry about anything," Hiccup told her, "You don't need to worry about that nightmare because it's only a nightmare." He then leaned down and kissed her and leaned back with a smile on his face. "Do you think you can get back to sleep," he asked her to which she paused wondering if she could. "You can stay with me if that would help," he offered.
"That sounds good," she said, causing him to smile softly and then he walked back over to his bed. She followed him and waited for him to get situated before she slowly climbed into the bed. Astrid rested her back against his chest and then smiled when he placed his hand over her and brought the covers over them.
"Sweet dreams," she heard him mutter as he kissed her cheek and she snuggled closer to him. Before tonight Astrid would have doubted the possibility of that but now there was a chance she would sleep a bit better now.
Astrid smiled as she woke up and slowly leaned backwards, bringing the covers closer to her. However, she paused when she didn't feel any resistance on her back and she looked over her shoulder to see that Hiccup was out of bed. She slowly sat up as she heard a noise coming from the hallway and saw Hiccup come back into the room. She could tell that he had just taken a shower as his hair was still wet and she could see droplets of water on his chest.
"You're up early," she commented as he walked over to her with a smile on his face.
"I haven't been up for too long," he told her as he slipped his shirt on and walked over to the cabinet. "After watching you sleep for a bit I finally decided to get up and get a quick shower."
"You watched me sleep," Astrid asked jokingly as she raised an eyebrow at him.
"Sure did," he said as he looked through the cabinet before grabbing his riding helmet and closing it. "You drooled a little, it was kinda cute," he added with a smirk on his face. Astrid didn't say anything as she just leaned back and brought a pillow over her face in embarrassment. She heard Hiccup laugh a bit more and she eventually removed the pillow to look up at him.
"Where are you going," she asked as she noticed that he had several other things already set out. He didn't say anything at first as he set his helmet on the table and then walked back over towards her.
"I figured you could use a vacation," he suggested as he sat on the edge of the bed.
"What do you mean," Astrid asked as she sat up a bit more now so that she was fully sitting up.
"Well we've been having a rough few weeks lately so I figured we could use some time away from everything," Hiccup explained.
"What about the raids," Astrid asked but Hiccup held up his hands to ease her questions.
"They've gone on before without me and they can go on for a little bit without me," he told her. Astrid hesitantly nodded, slowly agreeing with what Hiccup was saying but still a little doubtful.
"Are we going to stay with Ashley and her family again," Astrid asked him.
"Not for this trip," he told her with a smile, "The rest of it is a surprise, you go clean up and then we can go." He leaned in and kissed before getting up from the bed and got more things ready. Astrid slowly got up and grabbed a change of clothes before heading off to the washroom. She took a quick shower and then walked back into the main room to see Hiccup changed into his riding gear.
"How far is the flight," Astrid asked as she went over to the cabinet to grab her riding gear.
"It's called a surprise for a reason," Hiccup told her, "You're not supposed to know about the details."
"You're no fun," Astrid told him to which Hiccup just shook his head as he walked over to Toothless to get his saddle situated. Astrid did the same for Stormfly's and made sure to pack everything she might need for the next few days.
"Ready," Hiccup asked her as he held his helmet under his arm after finishing packing everything up.
"Ready when you are," she said with a nod and then they were off to wherever Hiccup planned for their vacation. The flight to their destination wasn't too long and eventually Astrid saw a beautiful island in front of her. On one side of the island she could see a small town and then she saw other small villages clumped together here and there across the island. Hiccup motioned for her to follow him and he had Toothless dive down towards the ground. They landed in an open clearing and Astrid was shocked by the area as she looked around. They were completely surrounded by trees and she saw a beautiful lake as well.
"See why I wanted to keep this a surprise," he asked her as she continued to look around the area. She looked back to see him watching her with a smirk on his face as he had his arms across his chest.
"How did you find this place," she asked him and he just shrugged his shoulders.
"Toothless and I were just flying around one day and came across this place," he told her. "Usually I come here whenever I need to clear my head or just need some time away from everything. Come on there's more to see," he said as he held out his hand to her. She took his hand and intertwined their fingers as he led her to a cabin tucked away under some trees.
"I wonder who built this," she asked with a joking smile as they walked closer to the cabin.
"They're probably pretty awesome aren't they," Hiccup asked, causing Astrid to laugh.
"I've heard they might be a fishbone," Astrid said, which made her laugh even harder.
"Wow, that's a low blow milady," Hiccup said but she could see a smile on his face as they stepped inside of the cabin. It was a simple build but Astrid saw that Hiccup had put a lot of detail and work into it.
"This is amazing," she told him as she walked into the center of the room and turned in a full circle to look at everything. On one side of the room was a simple bed with a set of cabinets and drawers that were expertly handcrafted. On the other side was a simple fireplace and a table with a set of chairs around it. Both dragons walked into the cabin and luckily there was enough room to where it wouldn't be crammed. Hiccup took off both of their saddles and set them in the corner of the room so it was out of the way.
"Let's go back outside," Hiccup suggested and she nodded as she followed outside of the cabin. He led the way and walked up the lake's edge before he slipped off his shoes and stood where it was just his feet in the water. Astrid did the same and enjoyed the cool water on her feet. "Come on let's get in," he said as he slipped off his shirt and stepped a few more steps into the water.
"I think I'll pass for now," Astrid told him as she moved back and sat on the lake's edge so that her feet were still in the water. Hiccup just shrugged as he continued to walk further into the water until he could lean forward and fall in so he was completely submerged. Astrid watched him for a bit as he swam around and floated on the water. After a few minutes she leaned back so that she could rest her back on the ground. She stared up at the sky and watched as the clouds passed by for a few minutes. She snapped back to reality when she heard Hiccup faintly call her name. She leaned back up and looked around before finally finding him standing on a set of rocks high above the water.
It didn't take her long to realize what he was planning on doing and she just shook her head as she saw his inner child come out. He waved his arms above his head and Astrid smiled as she watched him stand on the edge on the rocks. He then took a few steps backwards before he set himself and then sprinted forward. He then jumped off of the rock and Astrid watched as he fell down into the water below. He broke the water's surface a few seconds later and then made his way back towards her. "Nice stunt," she told him once he was close enough to her to stand up and walk over to her.
"The water's nice," he told her as he shook his hair, causing his hair to shake back and forth.
"Maybe later," she told him but as she looked at him she saw an idea starting to form inside of his head. "Hiccup don't you dare," she warned but it was too late as he quickly walked over towards her. She tried to get up and run away but he managed to grab onto her and lifted her up into his arms. She let out a mixture of yelling and laughing as she tried to kick free from his hold. She failed to get free as he continued to walk further in and then stopped as he was now waist deep. "I hate you," she told him but he had a big smile on his face now.
"You know you don't mean that," he told her and before she could say anything he leaned back so they both went under the water. Astrid quickly stood back up and a second later Hiccup did as well with a smile still on his face. She then slashed him in the face with the water, now smiling herself. It seemed like they spent an hour or maybe even more just having a good time in the water. Finally they decided to head into the cabin to get into fresh clothes. "So how are you liking the vacation so far," he asked as he brought his arm around her.
"I love it," she told him as she did the same, "I definitely needed this, thank you."
"Anything for you milady," he told her as he kissed the top of her head, "Anything for you."
Ayo, it's me, hopefully everyone enjoyed the chapter and with it being a bit longer than the previous ones as of recently. The nightmare idea just kinda popped into my head and I had nothing else so I just decided to rock with it.
MeoW: I don't ever plan to abandon this story, however updates could get slower. Especially now in the summer and athletic camps and my summer job will pick up soon so I will be dead tired some days. But I don't ever plan to completely abandon this, I'm in it for the long haul.
GOJIIII: I will share the fact that I do plan to have Hiccup and Stoick to have a tense relationship when it comes. Astrid and Snotlout, I will neither confirm or deny anything of what will happen with them, but hopefully it turns out good in terms of content.
Atomic R4y: Always nice to hear that I am doing somewhat of a good job making the characters seem alive and have something to them. Sometimes when I write out all of this I wonder how it seems from someone else's perspective.
Thank you for the feedback and reviews, always nice to just hear what some people thought was good and what they like overall. And of course thank you for the follows and favorites that have come along. Like I said also I have stuff over the summer but the summer job is at a firework stand so it won't last the entire summer. I have too much fun with this to just abandon it so I will always try to get stuff out as fast as I can. As always if you have any thoughts, questions, and/or reviews please leave them as they are always helpful and peace out!