After a week of regaining his control of magic, as well as maintain his job at the Academy, like the snow, Hiccup's connection to the other side, to the dreamworld, had abruptly ceased to be, leaving his small connection of recent experiences to thaw in the stark glare of reality.
It was now exactly a mere week before Snoggletog. The big tree at the center of the village was nearly complete and a fresh powder of snow sprinkles across the village. The sun had finally penetrated through the mush of clouds, once again spreading its warm rays along the houses, promising a new and better day.
Grandmamma had managed to explain Hiccup's blankets fading through the floor, as well as himself. It was a rare anility known as 'Density Shifting'. An ability most warlocks have trained years to master. It most likely activated with Hiccup's magic, then it spiked when the adrenaline from Hiccup's dream. He was scared to hit the ground in his dream, and in result, phasing through was his solution. With coaching and focus, Hiccup had managed to pull the blanket and pillow from out of the floorboards. Grandmamma speculates that it activates when he has a spike of adrenaline, or at least if he focuses.
Hiccup proved this theory when he spilled a bowl of fruit at him, and when he tried to catch the bowl, it phased through his hands. When it had flattened on the floor, Hiccup tapped it, and nothing happened. So he closed his eyes and imagined his hand phasing through the bowl.
And it did.
Today Hiccup was spending his time at the Academy. Everyone was relieved to have him back and he was glad to be back. It felt so long since the last time he had been there. Jolene came along to see what goes on and simply watches as the Vikings practice combat, training their dragons or practicing battle strategies.
Her mere presence made Hiccup feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But as for Astrid, it only agitated her beyond recognition. The way she constantly stared at Hiccup. She constantly dotes on him. Tracing her fingertips along Hiccup's arms, constantly playing with his hair. And the way Hiccup looks at her, it's like, he's completely entranced by her. Astrid recalled even seeing him at her house. She'll model different of her dresses, he'll brush her hair.
It was completely unnatural of him.
And when she' not around, he's normal. Something's up.
But when they're together, the way she looks to him, it's almost, disturbing. Like she's looking at her reflection, or a fountain of youth.
As Toothless disintegrates Stormfly's spines in a self-defense practice, Hiccup immediately called off the class and rushed straight to Jolene. Irritated, Astrid shamelessly walked over and pulled Hiccup aside. Offering so much as a, "Excuse us." And a fake smile.
When they're under the cover of the gate entrance, Hiccup wrenches his arm free. "What is it Astrid? That was completely rude!" he hisses in a whisper.
"Hiccup, what has happened to you? You're different." She retorts.
"Where have you been the last few weeks?" He answers.
Astrid takes a deep breath, lowering her irritation. "I mean, what's going on between you and Jolene? You guys seem, interested."
Hiccup looks to her surprised, but his cheeks warming. "Uh, well, uh. She came to visit me while I was home sick, and we just started talking."
"Oh, how sweet." Astrid snaps, the bitterness in her tone too obvious.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hiccup pressed.
Astrid takes a pause, deciding how to arrange her words without it seeming like she' judging or trying to sound snobbish. Looking into Hiccup's eyes, she sighs. "Look, I'm just trying to help you here. I, I saw Snotlout at her house last week. And after that, nearly half the men in the village. I just . . . just thought I'd make you aware."
She dares herself to look to Hiccup again. His expression remained blank, though his gaze chiseled into her, causing the world around her to smudge into oblivion, and she herself unable to break away.
Did he think she was lying? Then again, with Heather in her background, what else was there for him to think, but even he knew now that her feelings in situations were at worth acknowledging.
Something about the wounded look in his eyes suddenly made her want to take it back, but she kept her mouth shut knowing he deserves to know the truth. But she tried to ease the damage. "I don't think it means what you're thinking, but I just wanted to make you aware."
She tried to reach out and touch his arms, but Hiccup stepped back out of her reach. A clenching pain seized her heart, and she notices Hiccup tugging his sleeves down. He didn't say anything and that's what worried Astrid. The fact that he looked genuinely hurt made her flood with guilt.
"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I didn't mean to . . . its' just . . . lately it's been hard getting your attention."
"I've got a lot on my mind."
"I know that," Astrid went on. "I know you well enough to tell when something's . . . not right. The only difference now is that you won't talk about it. Actually, you don't say much of anything. It's almost like you're suddenly . . . somebody else."
Hiccup sighed, his shoulders dropping as he gazed off, narrowing on a small kink in the stone floor of the Academy. "Maybe I am." He muttered.
"Please don't think of this as me being jealous, which I'm not, but, I just want you to be aware." Astrid finally finished.
"Yeah," hiccup says, but his voice was distant. "Thanks."
Then he steps forward and passes Astrid, lightly bumping her shoulder. The pain of her heart increases and she actually feels it beat faster, thumping against her chest so hard it was painful. She slightly turns to look over her shoulder and watches Hiccup walk back over to Jolene who was occupied with Fishlegs and Snotlout surrounding her. Snotlout had strange pointed marks running all up his arms, she doesn't know where he got them, but she noticed it's been appearing on the men all over the village. Then she draws a gasp as she sees Jolene smile, get up from her seat, and takes Hiccup's hand, intertwining their fingers. Her pride deflates as they leave the Academy that way, and just before they disappear behind the corner, Jolene looked over her shoulder, looking directly at Astrid.
She flashed a perfect white-teeth smile, and strolls away with Hiccup.
Anger floods Astrid and she fists her hands, her nails digging into her palm. Heather walks over, her gaze on the exit where Hiccup and Jolene were. "What was that about?"
"Little Miss Perfect is trying to rattle my cage." Astrid answers through grit teeth.
"Well, judging from that look I'd say she succeeded." Heather says folding her arms.
"Something's not right about her. I have a strange feeling."
"Is it the same feeling you had when I came to Berk?" Heather asks.
"Exactly," Astrid answers. "Only a lot worse."
"Why won't you just admit you're jealous because Hiccup likes her?" Heather asks, her eyes, like two gleaming marbles, look in Astrid's direction.
"Because there's a difference between being jealous, and being aware." Astrid answers. "And I am becoming very aware of this woman."
The two girls leave the Academy, Heather riding with Astrid as they made the ride toward the Square. Leaving Stormfly at Astrid's house, the girls take a walk through the village while discussing Jolene.
"Look, I'm not one to deny a woman's intuition, but I can't get over how jealously at least plays a part in all of this." Heather states.
"I'm not jealous," Astrid denies. "I just don't trust her."
As they pass the market street, both girls simultaneously examine every man's arm from the village. Each containing one or more impressions of a pointed star trailing up their arms. Astrid narrows her eyebrows and tries to look closely without being spotted.
"I just feel like there's some kind of connection between Jolene and those marks on the men's arms." she whispers in Heather's ear.
"What makes you think that?"
"Because every one of the men that have those marks, I've seen them walk to Jolene's home." Astrid confirms, and this makes Heather look to her in stern surprise.
But before she could ask, a screech from behind calls their attention. Fishlegs comes running up in a state of terror. "Astrid! Where's Hiccup?!"
"Uh, at home probably. Why what's going on?"
Fishlegs is physically shaking as he tries to talk, but he can't so he substitutes. "We just need to get Hiccup!"
The three race to Hiccup's house, and are reluctant to find him in his room with Toothless, alone.
"Hey guys, what's going on?" He asks, Toothless raising his head and patting his tail. Seeing Fishlegs in his state of panic, Hiccup stands up from his chair.
"Hiccup, there's something in the forest you need to see." Is all he says, too terrified to continue.
"Alright, let's get Snotlout and the twins and head out." He orders.
Flying off to the forest, Fishelgs navigates them to a secluded area about two kilometers from the Cove. Landing the dragons within the tree line, everyone mounts off and slowly enters a large outcropping of rocks near a river.
Foliage and throne bushes hug the base of a rock wall that climbs its way upward, cradling a waterfall that pours directly into the river. There was a walled garden a secret garden, like something out of a book. The stone wall was worn away in places and completely broken into others. Skipping across the stones leading behind the waterfall, Hiccup pushed through a curtain of vines that hid an old, allege-covered archway.
"So what exactly are we looking for?" Snotlout asks with an annoyed tone in his voice.
"It was over there." Fishlegs points a shaky hand toward the rock wall.
Hiccup slowly eases in, and picks up the faint sound of digging. He peers over a bush and finds an old man kneeled on the ground desperately clawing at the ground, bits of dirt and rubble arching through the air. Fishlegs whimpers as Hiccup emerges from the bush, completely exposing himself.
"Uh" he nervously clears his throat. "Excuse me."
The man immediately stops digging. Hiccup was about to go on, but the man jerked around to look at him, and fear welled in Hiccup's throat. Skin gaunt and inhuman. His cheeks sunken inward lips shriveled back. His eyes, hollowed, the pupils of his eyes like pinpricks.
"No," he whispers. He takes a step back and the man rises.
He moans in aggravation and raises his arms and lets out an unworldly scream. Hiccup stumbles back and the other teens step back. The man runs for a giant boulder, lifting it like it was a pebble and chucks it for Hiccup.
"Hiccup!" Astrid cries.
In an instant, the boulder blasts to smithereens and Toothless jumps over Hiccup, hissing. Hiccup pushes himself to his feet. "Thanks bud."
"Uh, Hiccup . . ." He hears Snotlout call.
Looking to the side, four more zombies emerge and Fishlegs shrieks in horror. Two of them, younger boys, hiss and charge for Hiccup, but he takes the initiative and fists his hands. Two balls of white light flicker and glow, then hiccup brings them up and shoots them at the zombie pair. The two boys are sent flying back and skittering in the dirt.
"Whoa!" Fishelgs exclaims, a sudden change in emotion. "Energy bolts! How did you do that?!"
"Later Fishlegs!" Hiccup protests as the men get up.
"They look like villagers!" Astrid says as she readies her axe.
"Try not to hurt them, maybe we can reverse this . . . whatever this is." Hiccup says.
Another man closest to Snotlout grips the trunk of an oak, yanks it free like a weed and runs to swing at him. Snotlout jumps back and onto Hookfang. "Try not to hurt them?!" he shouts.
Everyone mounts their dragons while Hiccups stays to the ground. One man hisses and charges Hiccup. Before Toothless could shoot the man off, the second jumps on Toothless' back and tries to scratch at his skin. The one man pins Hiccup to the trunk of a free, and hisses, but Hiccup knees him back, and the man yelps in pain. He's back a few feet, and as he charges, he howls like a demon. Hiccup ducks and rolls as the man's fist crashes into the trunk. It penetrated in, but not all the way through. Hiccup pushes to his feet as the man wrenches his arm free and rips off a thick branch.
Charging for Hiccup, Hiccup fists his hands, but before he could get close, a bright blast scorches the dirt. Before checking to see who it was, Hiccup rushes forward and claws his hands. Lightning flickers at the center and he grabs the wrists of the zombie man. Hiccup's eye glow icy blue and the lightning travels up the man's arms, shocking him through his muscles and his hair spikes one end. In a high-pitched screech of pain, then man blasts back sliding across the dirt until when he comes to a stop.
Hiccup looks up and finds all the dragons were downed and fighting in teams rather than aerial attacks, but the sudden save has pulled their attention to the sky.
Hiccup's mouth drops on aw.
Jolene floated in the sky, above the tree line. Her hair billowing out around her as she floated up and down, a soft but brilliant glow emanated from her body, casting her entire being in a beautiful golden halo. Her dress swayed and swooshed in time with the wind, but opposite her hair. Little flickers of light would tinkle all around her, as if surrounded by peeking stars. Her hair looked sleek and shined from the light, her eyes a pale yellow.
"Jolene!" Hiccup calls. She looks and smiles, but it quickly changes. She mouths something, and despite her height, when her mouth moved, Hiccup could hear her right in his ear.
"Behind you!"
Hiccup whirls around and ducks just as the man was about to swing the branch. As Hiccup comes up, he fists his hand and slams the man in the stomach. He bounces back and pauses he before getting up. Turning to the closest person to him, he charges Snotlout.
"Hiccup how is she doing that?!" Astrid calls.
"We'll worry about Jolene later! We need to get these men back to the village so Goathi can help them!" Hiccup says.
He looks to Jolene and gives her a look of discourage, but she only shrugs and swoops down to fly a few feet above the ground. She brings her hands forward and blasts at two oncoming adolescent zombies. They screech and hiss as she pivots toward the sky. Jolene tries to aim from the above, but the two boys dodge her shots and charge Hiccup.
Remaining expressionless, Hiccup fists one hand until it glows green, and pounds it into the ground. A burrow, like the kind of a Whispering Death cracks and navigates to the two boys, and once it reaches them, two giant roots shoot out of the ground and wind around them. Hiccup keeps his hand fisted as smaller thinner roots spiderweb their way around the men's to secure them. Suddenly a wave of fatigue washes over Hiccup and it seems as though the men triple in weight. Hiccup's arms shake, and his strength diminishes in an instant. The roots quickly rot and shatter releasing the men and Hiccup collapses. Jolene quickly swoops down and catches Hiccup before he could hit the dirt. His eyes flutter open and he looks to her. Her glow faded off when she landed, but when Hiccup looks to her, he still smiles.
"Are you okay?" she asks as she helps Hiccup up.
"I don't know. I felt really weak for a moment." Hiccup explains as he holds his head. Jolene rests a hand on his shoulder in concern. "I'm okay now."
She smiles as Hiccup straightens his form and hissing suddenly draws their attention. The men push themselves to their feet and run towards Hiccup and Jolene. Jolene takes Hiccup's hand and her body then exudes that halo of light – an odd familiar feeling crawling over Hiccup's spine.
"Take my hand, use my energy." She says.
Hiccup takes her hand and she grips back, hard. Hiccup hisses in pain for a moment, then suddenly he felt his scalp prickle the hairs on his arms and neck stand on end, but it felt like he just got hit with twenty-two shots of adrenaline. A small wind kicks up from the wave of energy, and as the men come closer, Hiccup's eyes glow and he spreads his fingers out in a fan. Thrusting his hand forward, two energy bolts shoot out, each one landing directly on the men. They're sent flying back, sprawling across the dirt. Jolene raises her hand, but instead of hitting the men again, she instead hits the rocks above them and they tumble down, severing the space between them. The group of men hiss then runs in the other direction.
"Oh nice work. They're getting away!" Astrid fits as she and Stormfly walk over.
"Sorry." Jolene says.
"We all make mistakes." Hiccup quickly defends and after a glare in his direction, Astrid looks away.
Another question pops into her head. "How did you do that? The flying the energy shots . . ."
"Astrid!" Hiccup suddenly shouts, and everyone's eyes divert to him. Hiccup had always had such a calm demeanor, so to hear him shout sent everyone aback. "Enough." He says through grit teeth. The look of anger and, hatred was so deep Astrid was hurt into silence.
"It's fine Hiccup." Jolene says placing a hand on her forearm. "I'm fine."
Hiccup looks to her with worry in his eyes. She only smiles and turns to face the group of Vikings. Hiccup is shocked by her level of confidence.
"I'm a witch. I have the powers over the earth and worlds unknown. It runs in my family, and while my other sister didn't have the ability, I was the one who was granted the gift."
"That was incredible!" Fishlegs exclaims. "The way your body glowed and the transfer of you energy to Hiccup! It was awesome!"
"I've never seen a more beautiful glow in my life." Tuffnut suddenly adds in.
"So, why didn't tell anyone" Astrid questions, not even risking a glance at Hiccup. The hatred in his emerald green eyes could shrivel her sudden gain in confidence.
"I told Hiccup, but I didn't say anything to anyone else because I was afraid of being accused and, run out of the village." Jolene explains, taking a moment to swallow a lump in her throat.
"Why would we do that?" Fishlegs asks Jolene.
As Jolene explains, Astrid could still feel Hiccup's burning gaze in the side her head. She risked looking in fear that the moment they made eye contact, he would shot out deep crimson red beacons, reducing her to ash. The look was so unnatural that it unnerved Astrid. She had no idea such level of hatred even existed in Hiccup. Once Jolene finishes her story of abuse and family history, Astrid watches as Hiccup takes her hand and gives her a reassuring grip.
"Alright, they may have gotten away, but we'll come back tomorrow and track them down. Until then, they're away from the village. We should be fine." Hiccup says. "Let's head back."
"Do you guys promise to keep my secret?" Jolene timidly asks. "I'm not comfortable yet talking about it with the chief."
The teens agree in unison, but Astrid only looks to her. After Jolene believes she's gotten everyone's promise, she climbs up on Toothless with Hiccup and the others mount their dragons.
"Hey Astrid, you coming?" Fishlegs asks.
Astrid looks to Hiccup who only takes notice out of the corner of his eyes, an eyebrow arched as is impatiently waiting for an answer. She mounts Stormfly and says, "I'll meet you guys back at the village. I'm going to go visit Heather."
"Since when are you and Heather friends?" Tuffnut asks.
"We're actually getting along better lately. You guys go on, I'll see you back at the village." she says, then without waiting for anyone to ask more questions, she takes off and heads in the direction of Heather's house. Anything to get away from those eyes, at least it wasn't a lie.
As Astrid takes off, Jolene watches as she disappears behind a gathering of clouds.
Knocking on Heather's door, Astrid tries to rid her mind of Hiccup's penetrating glare. The way he looked at her, it seemed so, unworldly. And as if that wasn't strange enough, walking her way toward Heather's house, a man approached her asking where Jolene was. He said she hasn't seen him since she started hanging out with Hiccup.
"Uh, I don't know. The last time I saw here she was with Hiccup." She says.
"Then you know where she is! Can you take me?!" the man desperately asks.
"Relax!" she spazzes as she jerks her arm free from the man who grabbed it in a desperate plea.
"I need to see her. Why won't see she me?!" he pleads.
Astrid was about to reply until her gaze unintentionally wandered to the man's arms. And a ten point star poking out from under the sleeve of his tunic caught her attention. Her throat constricted as she flashed back to the zombie Viking from the secret garden. He had the exact markings in the same pattern. But he looked, normal.
"W-where did you get those marks on your arms?" she asks.
The man simply looks to his arms and shrugs his shoulder. "Look I need to find her! I need to find her." He repeats softly.
The door suddenly clicks, disrupting her train of thought, and Heather peaks her head out from behind.
"Hey Astrid." She says, casually. "What's up?"
"I need to talk to you. I would bring it up to everyone else, but I don't they'd believe me."
"What about Hiccup?" Heather innocently asks.
Astrid immediately goes rigid as his glare resurfaces at the mention of his name. She looks away, and Heather immediately invites her in. The two settle in Heather's bedroom, comforted by the warm buttery glow of a trio of candles on her night table. Astrid explains everything that happened that day, and she wasn't surprised to see Heather's after expression after she talked about Hiccup.
"So he just glared at you?" Heather asks after she finishes.
"I can see why he's, suspicious of me since, you know." Astrid trails off, gently referring to how she didn't trust Heather at the beginning. "But, that looks, it was completely not like him. It was like he was willing to kill me for just questioning."
"That's a little unnerving." Heather says.
"I haven't even gotten to my suspicion yet." Astrid says as she takes a sip from the yak milk her mother offered her. "I have a, theory, and I know it sounds crazy, but I have plenty of evidence to support it."
"What is it?" Heather asks in curiosity.
Astrid takes a deep breath. "Okay, so you know how all the men of the village have been acting weird and having those weird marks on their arms?"
"Yeah . . ."
"Well, each one I saw, I recognized because I saw them heading in the direction of Jolene's house." Heather's eyes widen in astonishment. "Look, I know it sounds crazy but, could it be that Jolene's the one making the men this way?"
Heather looks away and to the floor, pondering the question. "It's a distinct possibility." She admits.
"Look, it didn't hit me until just now, but Hiccup's been wearing his sleeves lower than usual. He was hiding something." Astrid tells her.
"You mean you think Hiccup has arms like that on his arms?" Heather asks, fear crawling into her eyes.
"Maybe, but I'm not sure." Astrid asks. "And come to think of it, when I saw Snotlout walking to her house, he was weak and wobbly. And Hiccup was the same way in the fight back in the garden."
"He might've caught whatever bug might be doing this." Heather says.
"Yeah and the bug has black flowing hair and is draped in elegant gowns." Astrid snaps. "Look Heather, you're the only person in the entire village that I've told, so you have to keep this to yourself. Please."
"I promise, Astrid."
"Okay, look I really appreciate this, thanks for letting me talk."
"Of course, and if you need help, I'll be here." Heather officially says.
That night, Astrid skipped her dinner, her appetite dying after her talk with Heather and remembering the way Hiccup glared at her. She took a bath and went up to her bed, falling asleep the moment her head hit her pillow.
A cold breeze swept over her. She stirred. Through half-mast eyelids, she saw her breath puff out before her in the dim wash of filmy moonlight that shone through her bedroom window.
Her window as open.
She scowled, squinting at the gaping foot-wide gap as another breeze, harsher than the first, surged through, causing her blanket curtain to swell. Smoothing her hair back, she pushed herself up onto her elbows, wondering who had opened the window. More important, why? Stormfly was the first option that popped into her head, but she only does it in the morning. When a blast of artic air brought with it a spray of snow, Astrid sat upright. Shuddering uncontrollably, her teeth chattering, she pushed her confusion aside and scooted toward the edge of her bed.
She froze, though, a clangor of silent alarms triggering within as her focus was drawn to the outer fringe of her vision. To the dark figure standing at the foot of her bed.
Her hands gripped the covers. Slowly she turned her head to look.
Motionless, he stood watching her, his thin, angular form little more than a black outline in the darkness. When he moved, sliding one green-clad knee onto the edge of her bed, she heard the soft creak of the wood. Her gaze dropped to the place where the board creaked beneath his weight, where one slender white hand splayed itself against her murky brown quilt.
Astrid remained still, making no move either toward him or away.
She could only mark his steady approach with her eyes, following his spindly frame as he climbed onto her bed, moving toward her. Over her. She felt herself tip backward beneath him. Looking up, she scoured those shadow-swathed features, seeking his eyes through the forest of his brown hair, the only things that could tell her for certain whether or no this was a dream.
But what else could it be?
His face drifted to hover within an inch of hers. She felt his breath against her cheek. Astrid parted her lips, prepared to speak, but he stopped her mouth with his. Her eyes fluttered shut. Smooth and velvet soft, his kiss ignited her from the inside, sending a flash-fire coursing through her, surging to engulf all rationality, all question of doubt.
An involuntary moan escaped her as his lips, tempered by the frigid air, pressed against her moth. She sought it out, warming them with her own lips as he pressed down on her. Fastening on hand to the nape of his neck, she pulled him to her, her fingers intertwining with the brown, familiar soft wisps of his hair.
The moment felt so real.
Astrid pulled him closer still, suddenly afraid that he would slip through her grasp, or that at any moment she would wake up and he would be gone, and hating her again. She felt his hands fall to trace her sides, sliding to burrow beneath the thin barrio of her tunic. They glided upward, gathering material as they went, pushing back the fabric to expose her stomach.
Her pulse quickened, causing her thoughts to disconnect. An erotic, hypnotic hold on her.
A burst of winter wind rushed around them.
She arched beneath him, her own hands seeking to bury themselves under his tunic.
But she found no heat in his skin.
Astrid frowned as her palms followed the corded knitting of strong muscles.
He felt strange to her somehow. His skin was too smooth, his body too light.
He lifted away from her long enough to strip his tunic off over his head, long enough for her to glimpse the jagged line of an angry scar etched like a curved lightning bolt along one side of his torso.
"Hiccup?"
He descended once again, his mouth locking with hers, silencing her.
The urgency in his kiss grew, climbing toward ferocity. She struggled to keep up, to catch her breath.
She pressed her palms flat to his bare chest . . . and felt no heartbeat.
His grip tightened.
With a whimper, Astrid tried pulling away. She wanted him to slow down, to stop. She needed to understand what was happening. Both of her hands rushed to cup his face, to push him back. But her fingers fell through on one side, curling to hook onto a jagged cut-glass socket in his cheek.
She stiffened.
Against her mouth, she felt his lips curve into a slow smile.
He drew back, angling to grin at her, displaying two rows of white teeth visible through the aping void in the side of his face.
"I've missed you, too, blondie." Hissed a familiar voice.
Astrid screamed.