Yep…again, I didn't even have this started by the time I predicted that I'd post it. In fact, I didn't even have Brave finished at that time and that story was slotted to be updated before this one! Hang with me for just a few more weeks and then my schedule opens up and then I should be able to write faster again…and then HTTYD 2 will be out as well!

Yay! We made it to chapter 20! That's exciting…well, to me, I guess.

Review Replies:

kitty.0: Yes, he did, but he's never been in such a situation before so he's just got a lot on his mind right now.

aaquater: Yep, that's the best he can do for now. Maybe he'll get lucky and his letter will actually reach Berk, but, if it does, will it be too late?

Guest (anonymous): Yes, he does! He's been quite lucky so far, but how much luck does he have left? Hmm…I could perhaps honor that request. I like writing cute Hiccup and Astrid dreams!

Next chapter starts…now!


Chapter 20: Pressure
Here Without You

The chief was waiting for Astrid's decision. She knew this well; that he wanted to send word to the other tribe about who would be arriving to train their dragons in Hiccup's absence. When Astrid would pass by him out in the village, the chief would keep silent but the girl could see expectation and urgency gleaming in his dark eyes. What answer did she have to give him, though? Each time he would start to ask, Astrid would give some excuse, but they were all the same; she still wasn't ready to make such a decision. It was her hope that she could find Hiccup and convince the village to believe her intuition. Astrid knew that her boyfriend was still alive; she just knew, but she couldn't explain how. For now, she had to bear the secret feelings alone. Though she had an ally in Fishlegs Ingermann, she did not want to place too much burden on him. Sometimes, Astrid wondered if keeping this all to herself was a good idea. The weight of everything was dragging her down and she was certain that everyone else on Berk could see it too…though; they probably just thought it was grief over the "death" of Hiccup.

Every day was just the same. Waking up was easy, but it was the hours that followed that was always increasingly harder. With each passing day, the weight grew heavier and doubt had started to meander into the cracks in Astrid's heart. She wanted to believe that Hiccup was alright but then the questions would start. If Hiccup was alright, why had he never arrived to the other island? Why had he not, then, just returned to Berk? Why couldn't any of the search parties find him? Astrid didn't want to question what she knew…or thought she knew, but what choice did she have?

With all this added stress of decision-making, Astrid had not had time to return to organizing a search party for Hiccup. After Stoick had snuck up on them that day, Astrid had chosen to disband the effort just in case he'd choose to come back. She had informed the other Riders that they would soon head out in search Hiccup, but it had yet to happen, especially with the Chief keeping such a close eye on Astrid lately.

Today was another day like the others. It seemed as though Astrid could not walk through the village anymore without being flagged down by the chief. Maybe I should just stay inside…but that wouldn't help bring Hiccup home any sooner either! Everything is just so frustrating!

"Ah, Astrid! Just the Viking I wanted to see!" he started, coming up to her. "So, have you…?"

"No," Astrid answered quickly, averting her gaze down to the ground. She did not want to see the look of disappointment that had surely flashed in her chief's eyes upon hearing her whispered answer. "I…I haven't made a decision either way," she continued in a whisper without lifting her gaze from the stone ground.

Astrid heard the chief exhale deeply. "Okay, but, Astrid…"

"I know. I know. You need my decision as soon as possible, but I have no answer to give you, Chief, I'm sorry. Maybe once Hiccup…"

Now it was Stoick's turn to cut off Astrid's words. "Look, Astrid, I want my son to be safe just as much as you do…probably more so, in fact. I want to think positively, but the evidence is not looking so good at the moment. This decision needs to be made soon regardless of whether Hiccup is found or not. Promise me that you will think more seriously about this offer. Deal?"

Astrid sighed. "Deal," she answered softly. How does Hiccup put up with this?

The rest of the day Astrid played a self-initiated game of "Avoid the Chief". She laughed silently to herself a few times throughout the "game" as she imagined a younger and more accident-prone Hiccup playing a similar "game" back in the days when his father still often looked down on him as a failure and detriment to his village. What am I thinking? He probably never avoided his father like this. That's not a very Hiccup approach to a problem. Then, she couldn't help thinking what he would've done. Back then, she had silently observed the boy but never paid much attention to his actions.

In her attempts to avoid Stoick, Astrid forgot to eat dinner that evening and by the time she remembered (or, more so, was reminded) that she had not eaten, it was late and she knew that food would no longer be served in the Great Hall. There would probably be mead. There was always mead. Astrid refused to drink the strong drink on an empty stomach, though; she needed a clear head. Besides, that's most likely where the Chief would be anyway, drinking away his sorrows of losing his only son. Oh well…guess I'm not eating tonight, then. She stared out at the waters surrounding Berk. Without thinking, Astrid had allowed herself to walk over to the high cliff overlooking the docks. This spot…this is where I talked with Hiccup after…when they captured Toothless, she recalled.

It had probably been about an hour since the sun had set and the wind tonight was cold, but Astrid paid no attention to it. Instead, she was lost in her memories, replaying conversations between herself and Hiccup in her head. Without thinking about it, Astrid had moved back to the spot where she had stood then. She could still hear her words, asking Hiccup why he wouldn't kill Toothless when the dragon was weak and helplessly downed in the woods. As she stared out at the smooth waves on the dark waters, Astrid thought back to one of her last conversations with Hiccup. She had been wary about telling him to agree with his father's decision, but she had let him go. It was for the best. That had been the excuse…and look where that had gotten them. I should've tried harder to stop him. I never should have let him go. A single silent tear dripped from Astrid's right eye, but she did not bother to wipe it away; there was no one here at this moment anyway. She was wrong again.

"Astrid!"

The girl turned to see her mother walking quickly towards her.

"Mom?" she replied, sweeping her arm across her face to wipe away the tear before it could be seen.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" her mother asked, concerned. "It's brisk tonight! You'll catch cold if you stay out here much longer! Come on back home and I'll prepare you some nice warm stew."

Astrid had thought little of the wind and the cold, but now that her mother had mentioned it, the girl could feel the small bumps rising on her bare arms and she realized that she had started to shiver. Her shoulder armor did not provide sufficient coverage from the rage of the cold wind. "Of course," she obliged, taking one last look out at the water before following her mother home.

Briefly there was silence, but it was Astrid's mother who broke it. "I know what you were doing. You were thinking about him, weren't you?"

Astrid nodded but realized that her mother probably had not seen the response through the dark. "Yes, I was." It was almost strange. At one time, her parents had both hated Hiccup, seen him as a nuisance and a disgrace. They had been very vocal then about how they'd felt. The feelings had slowly started to rub off on Astrid, but she'd still held out some hope and interest for the Chief's son. When Hiccup had been declared top student at the end of Dragon Training, Astrid's parents began to change their minds about the boy. "Maybe he's not as useless as we thought," she remembered hearing them say. Once Hiccup saved the Vikings and dragons from the Red Death, though, that was when Astrid's parents finally fully accepted the boy as a worthy Viking. Now Astrid knew that they were contend with their daughter's relationship with Berk's best dragon trainer.

When Astrid and her mother arrived back home, the older Hofferson woman immediately began preparing the promised hot stew for her daughter. Astrid, not known for her patience, retreated to her bedroom and shut the door; she wanted to block out the wafting scent as best as possible. Her mother was an excellent cook and the scent of the cooking stew that filled the house continued to remind Astrid of her gnawing hunger.

She lay down on her bed and waited, staring at the ceiling. Her mind preoccupied with the excitement of eating her mother's amazing warm stew, Astrid did not even realize that she had fallen asleep…even when the dream started.

Astrid looked around, taking in her surroundings and trying to figure out where she was. This definitely isn't Berk, she knew instantly. The beach on which she was standing was warm and the sunlight bounced off of the sand below her and blinded her. As she was trying to figure out where she was, Astrid heard a familiar voice and she immediately walked toward it.

"We're never going back to Berk, Bud."

Hiccup? There was no mistaking it. That was definitely his voice, but she didn't understand why he would say something like this. He'd never intentionally stay away from Berk. Up ahead, a little ways in front of her, Astrid could see him sitting with Toothless. They were staring out at an endless ocean of gently rolling waves. When she'd successfully walked closer, Astrid made her presence known. "Hiccup?" she asked softly, earning a sudden jerk of surprise from the boy as he turned to face her.

"Astrid? What are you doing here?" he asked, curiosity edging into his voice.

"I…I don't know," she replied. How had she arrived at this place? "Where is here? What is this place? Tell me, Hiccup. I need to find you."

"Here…" Hiccup started. "Here is…well, this place, it…"

Before Hiccup could finish his explanation, though, he was stopped as the sky grew dark. It happened so quickly that even Astrid could not explain it. "Hiccup, what's going on?" Without realizing it, Hiccup (who had stood up to better observe the darkening skies) and Astrid moved closer to each other. They felt safer when they were close together.

"I don't know, Astrid. Maybe it's a snowstorm. It is the season of harsh snows, after all."

"Snow? How can that be? It was warm and sunny just a moment ago!"

They held onto each other, waiting for whatever was to befall them. Astrid never was one to frighten easily, but there was just something about the darkness that chilled down to her very core.

"What is this? Fearless Astrid Hofferson is…scared?" Hiccup teased, but Astrid could hear his own fright which he tried his best to hide.

Astrid moved a little closer to Hiccup. "I am not!" she lied. "I just wish you would tell me what was going on here!"

"I'd tell you if I knew, milady," he replied simply.

The winds swirled around them, catching Astrid's braid and Hiccup's fur vest. The rushing air was growing stronger by the minute.

"Astrid."

His voice was so soft that the female Viking almost didn't hear it over the sound of the wind. "Hiccup?"

"In case we…I don't make it through this…"

"Stop, Hiccup," Astrid interrupted. She did not want to hear such talk from him. "Don't talk that way. Of course you'll live."

Hiccup made no effort to further continue the conversation. Instead, he gently turned Astrid to face him. No words were needed as he moved closer and Astrid knew immediately that he planned to kiss her. Closing her eyes, she also moved to close the gap between them. As their lips touched, Astrid heard her name being called and she knew exactly who was calling it. Mom?

Astrid opened her eyes to a different sight. The darkness and wind no longer overwhelmed her. Unfortunately, though, Hiccup was also now gone as well. It was all just a…dream? Is this the only way I've ever see Hiccup anymore? Just in my dreams? At least there we're alone, but…

"Astrid." Her mother appeared at her door. "Your stew is ready. Come and get it now while it's still hot."

Oh, yeah, that's right. I was waiting for mom to prepare me some of her awesome stew. No longer did the highly-anticipated stew interest Astrid.


Well, this chapter really branched out away from where I had planned to go with it. That's probably why it took so long. I was having a hard time. I kept coming up with so many ideas but I did not have enough time in the chapter to use them all. At least it's a longer chapter this time! Over 2,000 words (and that's just the chapter content itself!)

Coming Up Next: The days keep passing by and Hiccup is no closer to finding a way home. There's just nothing left that he can think to do. Creating a temporary tailfin mechanism out of leaves, vines, and twigs is sounding more and more appealing. Too bad leaves are not actually abundant during this season of harsh snows. "There has to be something I can do, but…what?"

Next chapter: I'll tentatively say that I'll aim for Saturday after 10 PM US East Coast time. My schedule looks to open up again this week, but I never know.

Thanks for reading and supporting Wheel in the Sky!

Posted: June 2, 2014