Well…it's been awhile, longer than I care to admit. There are several reasons why. One, the site decided to be lame and not post my chapter for many hours, making it so the only ones who could read it were those who have followed or faved the story. Sorry, guys, but, trust me, you'll want to read chapter four, if you haven't already. You won't be disappointed! Second reason, the Christmas holiday is over, so it's back to working all the time. Third (and, I believe, final) reason is that I saw Frozen and I freaking loved it…but don't worry, I'm not leaving you guys because I love this story too!

By the way, guys! Special story announcement in the ending A/N. Don't pass it up! You'll want to know this, I'm sure!

Review Replies:

aaquater: Yeah, it was sudden, but it had to be done. Hiccup has no idea how long he'll be gone and he doesn't want to lose Astrid (although, there's not really that many romantic options for her) while he's away. Glad you liked it, though.

Guest(anonymous): Yep! About time, huh? Well, Hiccup will be setting out on his mission soon, so we shall see how he fares.

This chapter will be a bit different than the rest so far. In fact, as you read, you should listen to Maroon 5's "Daylight". That is all. Enjoy the chapter!

Next chapter starts…now!


Chapter 5: Daylight

Hiccup's travel wicker baskets were nearly filled with any necessities that he might need for the indefinite amount of time that he would be away from Berk. As he filled them to the top, he set them aside; later, he would strap them onto Toothless's saddle, but there was no real need to worry about doing that yet. He would begin his flight away from Berk at morning's first light. Never before, as he watched the sun sink below the horizon, did he wish for it to not reappear ever again.

The boy sighed, trying to calm his beating heart as it pulsed so many feelings throughout his small body. He was nervous for the journey that would begin all too soon. He was anxious to get it over with and return to Berk…and Astrid. He was saddened that he would have to be away from Astrid and his friends for who knows how long.

There was no one to whom Hiccup could confide his thoughts. His father was somewhere out in the village and, though he would probably be home soon, Hiccup did not know when. Toothless was sleeping peacefully on his slab of rock in the corner of Hiccup's bedroom and Hiccup did not want to wake his dragon friend. There was a long trip ahead of them and they both needed to be well-rested. Sleep, yes, I know that I need to, but…if I sleep, that will take away several of my final hours on Berk for a while. I don't want to sleep and miss out on anything. Daylight will come too fast as it is, even without sleeping.

It was getting later into the evening and Hiccup could feel himself growing more tired by the minute. He had been up early this morning to fly with Toothless and then he'd had a busy day at the Academy after that. Now, it was all starting to catch up to him and he could feel himself nodding off. Whatever had been in his hand (right now, he could not remember what he'd been holding as sleepiness crowded his mind) fell to the floor and made a hard sound on the wood. That sound, though quite slight, woke Toothless who jumped into a defensive stance, automatically ready in case of danger. The only immediate danger, he saw, was that Hiccup looked about ready to collapse onto the floor from exhaustion. Toothless came over and nudged his rider's chest, waking the boy back up slightly. Looking up into Hiccup's tired eyes, Toothless cooed softly as if to remind Hiccup that the boy needed his sleep and urging him to just climb into bed and close his eyes.

"Yeah…I know, Bud, but…"

Toothless snorted and shook his head, defiant. The dragon would not take this answer. He walked around to Hiccup's back and grabbed the boy's shirt with his teeth. Though Hiccup tried to squirm and fight back, he was no match for the mighty Toothless who deposited the boy down onto his bed. Hiccup could feel his energy leaving him and, now that he was lying on top of the bed, he no longer had the strength to fight off the oncoming sleep, so he simply closed his eyes and let it overcome him. In minutes, he was out and he would never know that Toothless continued to watch, satisfied, before using his teeth to pull Hiccup's blanket from the foot of the bed and lay it gently over the boy's sleeping form.

Hiccup slept peacefully and it was extremely hard for him to wake up the next morning. Upon opening his eyes, he spent some time just staring up to the dark roof of his room. There was still plenty of time before he had to leave, but there was only one more thing he wanted to do before then. So as not to wake Toothless again, Hiccup slipped quietly downstairs and out the door. No one else was out and about at this early time of the morning, but that was just fine for Hiccup. Where to go? He wanted somewhere peaceful where he could just reflect on Berk and all that he would be missing while he was gone. He knew an excellent place.

Silently, Hiccup walked to the edge of the village. Here was the place, a place full of memories. He had arrived at the wooden platforms leading down to the docks of Berk, but he did not go down to the docks. No, Hiccup stayed up higher, looking out over the dark waters surrounding Berk. The boy knew it was not safe to sit here, but he figured that it would be okay; he wouldn't be out here too long for the cold early morning air would prevent that. Letting his legs dangle over the edge, Hiccup sat, alone with his thoughts, until he heard quiet footsteps approaching. Whipping back to see who was coming this way, Hiccup saw the very person he was hoping would show up. "Hi, Astrid."

Astrid apparently cared little about playing it safe as well because she took a seat next to him with her legs also dangling over the ledge. "You're up early."

"Yeah," Hiccup replied. " I couldn't sleep." Sure, that wasn't exactly true, but she didn't need to know that. "So are you? What are you doing all the way out here?"

"What do you think?" she replied, giving him a playful punch to his arm. "Looking for you! I was going to your house, but I saw you leave and I just followed you from a distance."

A cold wind blew in off the waters and both Vikings shivered a little. Hiccup pulled Astrid close; they would both benefit from sharing the others' body heat and, besides, Hiccup could tell that they both just wanted to sit here, together, in each other's' arms. He looked down as Astrid cuddled into him just a bit more. She probably only did this to feel warmer, but Hiccup still smiled just a little. Astrid was so perfect; he still couldn't believe that she had agreed to be his girlfriend. Sometimes he wondered what Astrid saw in him. Did she only love him because he defeated the Red Death and ended a violent 300-year battle? As much as Hiccup hoped (and was almost certain) that this was not the case, still a small amount of doubt was present in his heart. Someday, he would ask Astrid this question, but tonight was not that night.

"Are you sure about this, Hiccup?" Astrid spoke up.

He knew that she was talking about this upcoming mission. What else would she be talking about? This mission was the only thing that either of them could think about recently. "No, but what choice do I have? I have to do this, but I promise to complete it as quickly as possible."

"There's always a choice, Hiccup. You can still opt out of this!"

"Try telling that to my father," Hiccup told her, downcast. "There's no way he will accept that answer, but I promise, Astrid, everything will be fine. I'll have Toothless there with me, remember?"

"Yes, I know." Hiccup could hear that Astrid did not sound too sure, but he knew that she would always support him because that's what friends (and girlfriends) did.

The sky was slowly starting to brighten. Both Viking teens noticed but neither wanted to bring it up. Hiccup sighed, but otherwise said nothing; the silence between them was comforting. This is too hard. I never thought seeing Astrid one last time would be so hard. In fact, I thought it would be harder when I'm away from her. As they sat together, Hiccup made sure to take subtle glances at everything in his surroundings and at Astrid; he did not want to forget anything while he was away. He let out a soft chuckle as a sudden thought came to him. "It's almost funny," he told Astrid without waiting for her to ask, "At one time, I was afraid of the dark. All it used to mean was the potential for a nighttime dragon attack. For Berk, darkness used to be frightening, but, now, it's all that I want."

Astrid said nothing in reply, but Hiccup did not necessarily need one; he had just admitted one of his darkest secrets to her. Vikings were supposed to be fearless people, but here he was, breaking the mold again. Time was fast approaching and Hiccup regretfully pulled himself away from Astrid's warm embrace, helping her up as he stood. "I should go wake Toothless and get our riding gear. You will be there when we take off, right?"

"Of course, but are you sure that you can't stay for just a little longer?"

"I would if I could, but if I put this off anymore, I'll never leave Berk. Astrid, I wish more than anything that you and Stormfly could come with me and Toothless, but it's my father's orders and it's common knowledge not to disobey Stoick the Vast. We both knew this day would come and look out across the water. It's…it's time."

They both stared out over the waters that surrounded Berk as morning's first light shone its way, rippling across the moving waves. Daylight.


Gods, I thought this chapter was going to turn out better. Well, at least we had some more Hiccstrid. There will be just a little more in the next chapter, but then Hiccup will be gone. Don't panic, though! I assure you that they will both still love each other while they are apart.

Now, for that special announcement! Remember, I mentioned about it before the chapter began. Here it is! I have started the process of creating a new Astrid-centric story! It is based on the song "Let It Go" from Frozen and focuses on the hardships of a young princess who must confirm to the social norms of her position. Trust me, the story will be much better than I have made it sound. Anyone interested in seeing this story posted in the (perhaps!) near future?

Next chapter: I think that I will try to aim to have the chapter finished and posted on Wednesday after 5PM US East Coast time.

As always, thank you for reading and supporting Wheel in the Sky!

Posted: January 11, 2014