Soaking in the hot water, his bare knees tucked against his chest, Hiccup tried to erase the horrid images of, whatever he saw from his mind. It had all seemed so real. It was like he was outside his body, watching himself as he destroyed the village and everyone he cared about. Hiccup sinks deeper into the tub, the water just below his nose.
The minute he jolted upright, it took him a moment to realize he was back in reality. But where did he go? The last thing he remembers was simply trying to melt a small circle with grandmamma. Then the next, he's watching himself burn the village to ash. Grandmamma said he did just fine. The circle had melted, heck he'd even made several small spring flowers bloom, but the moment she told him to stop, he'd fainted. He started to get a severely high fever and he was crying, mumbling something. One being about his father, which explains why he was there when Hiccup woke up.
Waking up in the infirmary, which has been moved next door to Gobber's blacksmith shop, Hiccup didn't count how many were there to see him. His Dad, Grandmamma, Heather, Astrid and Fishlegs. Toothless was behind him, but Hiccup didn't see as he ran out the moment he could stand. The moment he collapsed and started to cry, Stoick gathered him in his arms and brought him home. There Hiccup abandoned him as he made a beeline for the bathroom. Shutting the door behind him, Hiccup made sure to lock it.
His brain couldn't seem to sort through, let alone comprehend, the sequence of that evening's events.
Worst of all, Hiccup kept telling himself it was all just a dream, that he'd had a nightmare. A simple side effect by the magic and his intense concentration on trying to melt the snow. The reason why it was a blaze was because he was doing a fire spell. The logic seemed all too legit to deny. Deep down, though, he knew better that to hope for that. The flames, the screams, it had all been too real, his father's words of loathing to final. There had to be a reason he saw it. It meant something to him. Foreboding something. Something terrible. Bad enough to have him break down.
Hiccup bit his bottom lip, and endless stream of questions pin-ponging back and forth in his head. Why did Hiccup watch himself destroy the village? Did it have something to do with the magic training? Was it telling him not to practice it? But then how was he supposed to control it? For some reason, Hiccup couldn't that gem out of his mind. It was beautiful and, ominous at the same time. At the same time, he couldn't forget those eyes, his eyes. They were pitch black. Merciless.
Then waking up to find his father and friends huddled around him in the infirmary. Worry plastered on their faces, it was like reliving the Hadrian nightmare all over again. Everyone constantly huddling around him to protect him. Worried about his sanity.
With this in mind, Hiccup felt a gentle shift take place inside him, like a set of scales tipping. His brow softened as he recalled the anxious expression on his father's face when he jolted awake from the nightmare. Astrid's numerous attempts to extract some kind of meaningful conversation out of him also came to mind. And now everyone was doing their best to lure Hiccup back from the ledge everyone though he must be teetering on.
Why is it when one thing ends, another rears its ugly head and tries to mess with Hiccup's sanity?
Fresh tears filled his eyes, causing he room to swim. Hiccup blinked and the tears fall, searing the skin of his already aw cheeks. Hiccup drew in a shaky breath. Shutting his eyes tight, he willed the tide of despair welling up within him to subside. It filled him anyway, leaving him to wonder if the battle for his sanity was one he could never win because it was one he had already lost. A sob rose up from his depths, but Hiccup clamped quaking hands over his mouth; catching it before it could escape. He swallowed hard, forcing it down again.
It felt like drowning.
The water had not yet grown cold, but Hiccup knew he couldn't sit there while his father was trying to conduct damage control. Hiccup climbed out of the tub, wiping the drying tears from his face with both hands. He wraps himself in a towel and, tilting his head to one side, lazily combed his fingers through his growing hair.
Pulling open the door, brisk air seized his damp skin. A coldness too stagnant to be a draft permeated the empty space. Hiccup padded through the threshold to stand at the bottom of the stairs overlooking the entire first floor. Apart from the soothing popping and cracking of the fire, the house was quiet. Hiccup remembered Dad had some duty tonight and wouldn't be home until late. Hiccup was thankful. He didn't think he could have fielded any questions tonight.
The cold seeping through his towel, he turned and made his way toward his room.
Clear shafts of icy moonlight streamed through his skylights, casting his surroundings into different shades of frost blue. Pulling out a worn night tunic, he tossed his towel to the floor and got dressed in the dark. Picking up the Book of Dragons, carefully he placed it next to his pillow. Flipping it open, the pages rested against each other with a hushing sound. Looking at the pictures he drew, the Night Fury taking off in flight, the Changewing with dripping acid breath, somehow, it managed to group d him. He came back to himself, scarcely realizing how far away he had really been.
Toothless lay sleeping on his stone bed, his tail wrapped protectively around him for security. Not bothering to peel back the covers, Hiccup climbed onto his bed. He lay down on his side, facing the wall. His mind circled back to the previous day's nightmare, the irony in of itself. By now though, the only thing that remained untarnished by layers of wishful thinking and fogginess was the core feeling left with him. It lay buried deep within him, like a piece of grit worried into a pearl.
In the end, it was the only thing he really needed in order to keep going.
Hope.
Hiccup laid awake that night.
So far, the renewed silence wasn't helping her get to sleep any faster. All things considered, he could have been tucked away in the grand bedroom of Thor's castle and still be watching the wall wide-eyed.
As midnight came and went, not being able to drift off became its own brand of torture. Especially since sleep was the one thing he wanted more than anything. Because unconsciousness was the only thing he really needed right now, despite the overwhelming idea he could relive that terrible dream. Hiccup rolled onto his back to face the ceiling, the blank space offering a better canvas on which to connect the series of dots. Hiccup shut his eyes as images of the vision swirled through his mind. In them, he found a way to sleep.
Under the cover of night, the homes of Berk gave off a warm buttery glow from the windows. The chimneys spewed out clouds of black smoke, and villagers' footprints began to fill as fresh powder snowflakes drifted into the continuing blanket of white. Astrid and Stormfly were just finishing pinning shield ornaments to the large wooden Snoggletog tree at the epicenter of the village.
"Okay girl, one more." Astrid said as she readied a shield in her hand. Stormfly flexed her tail and her spines pointed outward.
Tossing the last blue and green patterned shield into the tree, Stormfly was rewarded with a fresh leg of a chicken.
"Way to go girl." Astrid praised.
As she was petting the Nadder's snout, she happened to catch shadow movement out of the corner of her eye. Looking over, Snotlout was trudging through the thickening snow; something seemed, different about him. He seemed, desperate somehow. He was wearing his heavy coat and proceeded to get to his location with determination. Looking ahead, Astrid saw he was headed to Jolene's house. Rolling her eyes and shaking her head in disapprove, she turned away and resumed to hopping aboard Stormfly and fling off to her home.
Snotlout had finally reached the front porch of Jolene's house. Not even bothering to stomp off the wet powder form his shoes, he began to bang onto her door. A harsh pounding with persistence, acting as if he were trapped in a flooding room and the water level was just about to reach his nose. Finally he paused.
"Please," he whispers, a puff of white billowing out of his mouth. He began to pound again. "Please! Let me in!" he begged. "I need to see you, please!"
He lowers his head and can feel the wind searing at his raw cheeks. Jolene's house had an abandoned quality to it with the lights out. In fact, there weren't any lights on. Not even smoke from a fire was leaching into the brittle cold air. Her house was completely dark, practically blending into the shadows casted over her house from the icy moonlight. With his hand fisting around the brass knob, Snotlout grips it harder, hoping to crush it.
Suddenly, he hears the latch from the tumbler click. He jerks his head up and releases his grip on the doorknob. Stepping back, her door slowly opens with a long monotone creak. Darkness bled from the threshold and into the living area. Or what should be the living area, the ink black shadow made it impossible to see anything. And yet Snotlout didn't turn around and run. He stays, rooted in place, a smile so wide it mimics a grimace, plastered on his face. As he peers into the darkness, suddenly, rows of teeth launch at him with a quiet hiss.
The door closes, and yet not scream was heard.
The smooth softenss brushed his arm, the sensation faint as a sigh.
Hiccup rolled onto his side.
The slight silken something returned, though, tracing the curve of his jawline.
He lifted a hand to brush whatever it was away, sending a ripple through the still pool of his slumber.
But the ghostly slip of velvet would not relent.
It passed over Hiccup's lips.
He scowled and snatched at the air in front of his face, catching something sleek and smooth within his fist.
His eyes fluttered open. Shooting upright, he unclenched his hand and frowned down at the object that now rested in his palm.
A rip of silk fabric.
Hiccup ran his thumb over the fabric. It seemed to belong to part of a dress, but it was torn as if caught on a branch. Hiccup scanned the perimeter of his room, searching the silent mesh of shadows for any sign of movement.
His surroundings lay still, quiet – empty.
Hiccup did his best to keep his breathing in check. He swallowed, forcing his panic level down while he waited of each of his senses to check in, to confirm that there really was nothing there.
But his heart refused to match the quietness or slow down.
A flicker of cool blue light drew Hiccup's attention to the stairwell.
His focus landed on the stairs. The flickering came again, the icy flutter filling stairwell, Hiccup could tell that the source of the light had to be on the first floor.
He wondered if Toothless had stepped outside to fire of plasma blasts, but that was something completely out of character for him, and besides, he was right in front of Hiccup, still sleeping, tail wound around him.
Hiccup swung his legs over the side of his bed, and his bare foot and prostatic foot hit the wooden floor. Nerves prickling, Hiccup took a step toward the hall, and then another.
As he moved closer, he had to fight the urge to rush forward and dive down the stairs, knowing all too well that diving head on into the danger was about as good as covering himself in blood and diving into a shark tank.
Peering around a wooden supporter, he lanced downward, through the banister rungs. The hearth was black, dead with a mound of charcoal settled at the center. The blue light continued to flash through from the living room; the weird flickering appeared to be emanating from the back rooms. He drifted down the stairs with careful steps. Sliding his free hand along the wall, his fingertips lightly brushed against the wood with a featherlike touch.
He froze midway down when he heard what sounded like garbled singing – a woman's airy voice accompanied by warbling piano notes.
"I'll take thee away,
into a land of enchantment.
Come my sweet lover, the time's come to play
Here in my garden of shadows."
Hiccup tensed.
He turned his head toward the music when it started to fade in and out. As if it was coming closer, then moving further away; the woman's voice starting to drown out.
"Follow . . . my lover . . .
I'll show . . . the way
Through . . . the pain . . . sorrow
Weep not . . . lover."
Hiccup moved steadily, his steps keeping time with the creaking of the wood. He made his way to stand at the back door that led into the backyard. The exterior of which stood unoccupied aside from the various small trees, and lush green grass. Through the dimness, the light glared a flickering blue from outside.
With a jolt of electric bravery, Hiccup yanks open the door.
He stands shocked.
The entire backyard, the details of the grass and trees were thrown in and out of view from the light. His eyes trailed the row of hickory trees behind a gathering of shrubs and moved past the threshold of the door. The blanket of snow flowing up to the steps melts away with his steps, as if his body was radiating a special heat that caused the snow to melt, revealing lush spring grass and early spring flowers.
"Who's there?" he asked the forest in a quiet voice.
As though in answer, the trees started to sway, whispering as a small fog bank dwindled to Hiccup's ankles.
Looking around, he tries to find any plausible explanation, just to verify he's not imaging things. The wind swished past him in a low hush, dragging col fingers through his hair. As far as he could see, the woodlands stretched long in every direction. The trees themselves stood in thick union, close as grass blades, almost as though they had conspired to merge nearer to on another in order to block anyone who might dare cross their boundaries. Or, Hiccup thought, try to escape. Layers of fog spilled out from between the blackened tree trunks.
When he faces forward again, the image of a young woman seated in profile at a grand piano, her hands trailing back and forth over the keys, began to bleed through the overly of fog. The music picked up once more, the pattern of trickling notes matching the movements of the figure before him. Oddly, everything within the fog's spread, except for the woman's deep violet evening gown, appeared in muted tones of black and white. Her long fair hair, secured partially by a glittering comb, hung in loose strands around her downturned face, concealing her features from view as she played and sang.
The dress that she wore, beautiful and elegant, was floor-length. It hugged close to the curves of her body before opening out just below the knees like the trumpet of a bell flower.
The woman's hands, nimble and long-fingered, seemed to float over the piano keys. And yet the way she moved, jerky and quick between smooth slow-motion moments.
Rocking forward and back ever so slightly as she played, the woman sang with a wispy and ethereal voice, one infused with control, less like an angel's and more like that of a ghost, heartrending and full of mystery.
"Hush now dear lover, it must be this way.
To weary of life and deception.
Rest now my lover, for soon we'll away,
Into the calm and the quiet."
Hiccup lowered his guard as he drew closer, entranced by the strange scene playing itself out in front of him; confused and curious as to what it was doing there and where it came from. He wished the woman would turn and look his way, if only for a second. There was something so familiar about her. Especially those floating hands.
Had he seen her before?
Hiccup studied the woman, who continued to play a though locked in a trance, the melody now meandering on without vocal accompaniment, the piano taking over. An interlude of high notes trickled forth in a complicated pattern, accented by a few well-placed chords from the instrument's lower spectrum. This mixture of dark and light, high and low, hope and despairs, worked is hypnotic effect on Hiccup, as though he was a small child listening to an intricate story. Then there was a pause
"Oh, hello there."
Hiccup halted.
Taking a half-step back, Hiccup was suddenly debating on whether to peel out and run given he'd interrupted her. But the woman didn't even look up to officially acknowledge his presence. Willing himself to stand his ground, Hiccup waited for something else to happen, steeling himself to move in the even that it did.
"It's okay." The woman's voice broke through the quietness of the forest, her tone reassuring. "You can come in."
Hiccup swallowed a lump in his throat and proceeded forward, baby steps as he inched closer to the piano.
"I shouldn't play so late," she said. "Did I wake you? Since you're up, if you like, I could let you hear the rest. It's our song, after all, and it is almost finished. Here, let me sing you the last verse."
As the tinkle of piano notes trickled through the trees, Hiccup's initial fear began to subside, and he pressed on toward the piano as music poured from it.
"Come my sweet lover, I'll take thee away,
Into a land of enchantment.
Come my dear lover, the time's come to stay,
here in my garden of shadows."
Hiccup sidled up to the piano, drawing closer resting his elbow on the edge. He listened, hypnotized, as the piano carried on anyway. Then the music faded off, ending in a sharp clang of keys a though something about the song's execution had frustrated the composer.
"I don't know." Her voice sighed. "Do you think that last part's too sad? Well, don't just stand there, silly," she said through a laugh. "Come, sit with me on the bench awhile. Let me play you the whole thing from start to finish, and then you tell me what you think."
The woman patted the spot on the bench next to her as she scooted over to make room for him. Hiccup circled around as the melody picked up again.
"Come my sweet lover,
I'll take thee away,
Into a land of enchantment.
Come my dear lover, the time's come to stay,
Here in my garden of shadows."
A snap of a twig drew Hiccup's gaze over his shoulder. Beside him, the piano clang out of aggression. Hiccup jumps back, frightened.
"Oh that woman." The voice sneered. "She's always ruining my melodies."
"There's someone else?" Hiccup asks, barely audible.
"No one important." The woman's snaps, her voice as sharp as s freshly hammered sword. "Come, let's go somewhere more quiet." The woman gestured with an outstretched hand.
Ignoring her gesture, Hiccup headed into a tunneled opening. The mouth an angular circle, wide open like the mouth of a Thunderdrum. The branches of trees curving and arching up and around until they met as a keystone. Placing a hand on the outside, Hiccup gazed inward. It dipped down for a moment before stretching up. Hiccup proceeded, but a distant sound, hissing from behind, stopped him before he could set a foot into the open archway.
Glancing over his shoulder, back toward the piano, Hiccup watched as spider web fissures started to crawl their way up the legs of the piano, then branching out across the lid. The entire thing crumpled and dissipated into the fog, with not so much as a hushing sound. The woman was gone, and that feeling of peace along with it. His nerves prickled again with a rush of adrenaline, as if they had been sleeping the wile time to melody was infecting the air.
The hissing transformed into whispers. Then the whispers became words, which began to drift from the atmosphere, growing louder but still not discernible. It sounded like bickering women.
Approaching the archway, Hiccup could see a narrow set of stairs just within; forged by the roots of trees. He crossed the threshold and, looking up saw open skies. The low-flying clouds skimmed past at a frightening speed, the cavernous spaces between their folds illuminating with brilliant flashes of violet lightening.
Fighting vertigo, Hiccup groped for the stairs. He mounted them, watching his feet climb until he reached the top. When he raided his head again, he saw that he was in an open clearing. Black trees crowded the freestanding platform, their arms outstretched to the passing clouds.
In the middle of the room, wearing a blue tunic and a studded skirt, stood his mother, her back to his. Between her shoulder blades, a long braid trailed down stopping at her lower back. Hiccup wanted to laugh. To dance. To open his mouth and let the fierce joy singing through him echo from the treetops. Clenched in one fist, he saw she held a deep purple ribbon, a sash fitted to wrap around the waist of a tunic. She turns to face him slowly, the wind teasing at her hair, tugging at the hem of her skirt. Hiccup took a step toward her but stopped when their eyes met.
Her stare, a penetrating emerald gaze he remembered, rendered him immobile. He didn't feel threatened, but he didn't feel welcome either. But the overwhelming joy of seeing his other after so long coursed through him like the poison of a Scauldron. The ribbon had the initials V. H embroidered in the corner. Without saying a word, Hiccup moves toward her, his heart suddenly knocking against his chest like it wants its freedom.
She raised her hands and held her palms out to him. Hiccup lifted his own hands to mirror hers. He pressed their palms together, his fingers folding down to lace through hers. Hiccup felt a rush of warmth course through him, a relief as pure and sweet as spring rain. He catapulted himself at her, swinging his arms around her neck and pulling her into a tight embrace. She drew him close. "I've missed you so much." He whispered.
And that couldn't even be closer to the truth. Hiccup hadn't seen her since he had fought off Alvin and his Changewing, then she returns to warn him about his evil Doppelganger Hadrian. Then it has been horrible, torturous silence ever since then. While the fact that she only appears as an omen when something bad was about to happen, Hiccup didn't care. He'll worry about the badness to come later, right now, she was here, she felt a real as it could get. And he wanted to memorize everything about her before the call of reality pulled him back; the call always coming to him like the harsh caw of a crow.
Tears burned at the edges of his eyes. He pressed his face against his mother's arm and breathed in she smiled so wonderful to him. Like fresh-picked vanilla, fireplace cinders, and fresh baked bread, a smell tied to a million different memories. Leaning into her, he felt her press her lips to his forehead in a kiss.
"I have missed you my child." She breathes as she pulls away. Wiping away his tears with her thumbs, she then takes the sash and places it in his palm. "Keep this close. And never forget who you are."
"Wait!" he called as she began to turn away. "Mom!"
But it was too late. His eyes were open and he was back in his bed, awake and alone in his darkened room.