Time for more Wheel! I don't know why I felt that I started the initial set-up for this chapter, but I can't find it. Random…I know.
Oh, and I did some more plotting for this story tonight. We're up to a total of 61 planned chapters and five planned arcs…and that's only a little under three-fourths of what I have planned (or thought about, anyway) to occur in Wheel!
Review Replies:
lorde (anonymous): Guilty as charged. In 12 days, I'll be 23.5…Gods help me. Haha.
Jesusfreak (anonymous): I hope they don't explore it, but I will wait the two years until the next one (two years is so much better than waiting four…although, I only waited two because I didn't immediately watch the first movie).
aaquater: Yes, it was too close! Luckily, Hiccup still has both hands…for now. I, too, could definitely see Hiccup arguing that point.
UnbreakableWarrior: Thanks!
Diskonnekt: They should show a canon of Hiccup growing up. We've seen him as a baby, but I want to know what he was like as a kid. I, personally, want to see him out hunting for trolls.
kitty.0: He knows what to watch out for, but he has no way to stop it from happening.
Guest (anonymous): Good guess about the mysterious figure, but not quite. You are right to think of the TV series, though. Here's the next chapter.
MHJohn64th: Yep, 100th review. What will they endure, huh? Heat? Nope. Wild dragons? Nope. Island's deserted. Pirates? Unlikely. I will say that things will begin to turn around for them in Arc 3. This arc is naturally supposed to be slow and depressing (I mentioned that at the start of the arc, in fact). Well, I wasn't going to have Hiccup sing it; I just said that the thought crossed my mind. Maybe I'll write it up as an extra for this story just because the idea is too good to pass up. Oh, when HTTYD 2 comes out on DVD, I'm going to buy it at my earliest convenience and rewatch it cause I'm already starting to forget scenes from it (I only saw it once!).
dragonlover17: Someday I'll get around to writing that. I need to just post up all my outtakes and extras because they are piling up in my saved documents. I loved reading about little Hiccup and I'm glad that you think I kept him IC. I was a little worried about that…especially in the scene with his father. I felt I was slipping at one point and making his speech sound older. It happens, I guess. No need to worry. I'm glad you did get to read the chapter.
Next chapter starts…now!
Chapter 26: Life Is Overrated
Here Without You
It was another one of those days, the days when Astrid felt as though life was crushing the very air from her lungs. Responsibilities and grief were constant weights upon her shoulders. To make matters even worse, Astrid's dreams had been bleak and void lately. When was the last time Hiccup had even entered her dreams? She could not even remember; it had been too long.
Her mood did not improve as she walked to the Academy. Another Viking woman approached her, greeting Astrid and asking how she was feeling on this afternoon. Inwardly, Astrid sighed, but she kept her obvious frustrations locked inside. Instead, she plastered a fake smile onto her face and gave the same answer that she'd already spoken to the other five (or was it six now?) Vikings who had already asked her the very same question just this morning. She was fine, that's what she would tell them. Just heading out to the Academy for another day of dragon training. As soon as the older woman had turned to return to her work, Astrid dropped her fake smile in favor of a scowl. Life is overrated. I hope it gets better…but it only will when Hiccup returns. Then everything can be normal…well, as normal as life on Berk can be…again.
Up ahead, the Academy waited with its gates open and ready for her to enter. When she did, Astrid found that she was the last to arrive. This was unusual; Snotlout and the twins often would saunter in ten minutes late with some stupid excuse about yaks. As Astrid entered the Academy, Snotlout and the twins all gave anxious remarks about being kept waiting, but Astrid, also upset, pushed the comments aside. Looking out to her four friends, Astrid tried to remember what she had planned on teaching today. Instead, all she seemed to think about was this morning. Sure, everyone was just concerned and being friendly, but Astrid was fed up with giving the same answers. Of course she wasn't okay. Her boyfriend was missing and presumed dead. Then, as if the Gods wanted to add salt to an already-open and stinging wound, she thought of the season. Soon, the snows would set in and Berk and all surrounding areas would be covered in white. Let's also not forgot the cold. That would be even worse than the snows. If Hiccup did not return home soon, then… "Training is canceled today." She spoke the words before she could even think them through.
Astrid heard the muttering and whispers from her friends along with the concerned squawks from Stormfly, who, up to this point, had followed beside her Rider quietly, but the young Viking shieldmaiden pushed all the sounds aside. "We'll be back here tomorrow. Just…enjoy the day off," Astrid told them before running out of the Academy. She could feel their confused stares on her back and she could hear Stormfly running to catch up with her, but Astrid didn't care; she just wanted to be alone, away from everyone and their concerns and questions. It all was overwhelming.
Hiccup had once showed her a place where he liked to spend his alone time. Similar to the cove, it was peaceful and serene. It was a beach on the opposite side of the island from the docks. As Astrid took a seat on the sand, she remembered a happier time when all the Riders had stood upon this very beach. In reality, it had been another of Hiccup's plans to show his father that he was a worthy Viking (and the young heir had almost gotten himself hurt(or worse) yet again. He had found a hidden map to some kind of treasure placed in a concealed location by one of Berk's former heirs. There were riddles throughout the map, leading adventurers on the path to this supposed treasure. Though Astrid had, at first, been adverse to letting Hiccup take on the quest, she eventually consented and all had turned out successfully; Hiccup had found what he was looking for…in more ways than one.
Astrid smiled softly in remembrance as she looked out to the gently rolling waves on the water. She just knew that Hiccup was still out there somewhere. Though she did not know where, Astrid simply refused to let herself believe otherwise. As she sat there on the calm beach, Astrid found herself constantly looking to the sky, hoping to see Hiccup fly overheard on Toothless. Heck, right now, she would even be fine witnessing one of his freefall exercises. Anything was better than this uncertainty.
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Astrid stayed at the beach until the approach of dinnertime. This way, she figured, I can hopefully avoid having to answer their concern questions again. When she was certain that the majority of the villagers would be eating in the Great Hall, Astrid stood up and brushed the sand from her skirt. "Come on, Stormfly. Let's head back to home," she told her dragon as the Nadder kneeled down to allow her Rider to climb aboard into her saddle, one fashioned by Hiccup a while ago.
Stormfly flew straight to Astrid's home, landing behind the house. From there, the Nadder entered the nearby stable where she spent her nights and Astrid followed to feed her dragon the nightly supply of chicken for dinner. Astrid even threw in a little extra as a reward to Stormfly for being her calm comforter today.
The house was dark and Astrid guessed that her parents had chosen to eat dinner tonight at the Great Hall. She was certain that they would he expecting their daughter to join them, but Astrid just wasn't hungry tonight. Instead, she retreated immediately to her bedroom and set to work removing her shoulder armor. After the frustrations of today, all Astrid wanted was to sleep and see Hiccup in her night visions. Would that be too much to ask?
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Apparently, it wasn't too much to ask for at all. Soon after falling asleep, Astrid found herself in a vast darkness. She could only see a short distance ahead of her and around her. Why is it so dark? she wondered. Beside her, Astrid felt a familiar presence. Stormfly was there with her, but that was not surprising. Her dragon would always have her back and she would always be there for her dragon. That was one of the many similarities between Astrid and Hiccup. They both held this unswerving loyalty and the bonds between them and their respective dragons ran deep.
Astrid kept walking forward…or, the direction she thought was forward anyway. She could easily be walking the same circular path, but something told her that she should walk this direction. Besides, Stormfly was here and surely could see through this darkness. If it was unsafe or incorrect, Stormfly would surely stop her and lead her to the correct direction.
Up ahead, Astrid could make out a light growing brighter as she walked closer. "Come on, Stormfly. That must be where we need to go," she spoke to her dragon who chirped in agreement.
As she approached the lit area, Astrid's eyes readjusted from the dark and she noticed that the area was not lit…exactly. Instead, it was white. Everything was lit with a pearly brightness. That's why the two figures were easy to spot. Hiccup! Toothless! Running over to where her friends sat, Astrid noticed, as she approached that they were shaking uncontrollably, well…Hiccup was, at least. Toothless looked to be fine. "Hiccup, you're…!" She was cut off, though, as Stormfly took off running to the other side of the white surroundings. That's strange. Stormfly never leaves my side. What's going on? The dragon had run faster than usual too. To Astrid's eyes, the Nadder had been a blue blur.
"I think your dragon likes me."
That voice! Astrid had hoped she would never hear it again. There was no mistaking the words either. They were the same as last time. Besides, Hiccup would never say something like that; he already knew that Stormfly liked him best out of the other Riders.
In front of her eyes, Astrid watched Hiccup stand and begin walking toward the figure, still shrouded in darkness. Desperate, Astrid ran to her boyfriend, hoping to catch up to him and convince him to stay with her. Gripping his left arm, Astrid momentarily halted Hiccup's approach. "Wait, Hiccup. Don't go. Stay with me. Come back to me. On Berk. Where you belong."
The figure was still hidden, but Astrid could hear every spoken word. "Come with me, Hiccup. I can provide you with warmth and shelter and food. Everything that you could ever need. I have it all."
Astrid could feel Hiccup's shivering through her hands, but she refused to give in; she would never let her opponent win, not when the prize was her Hiccup. "Can't you see? We have all that too on Berk. Everyone misses you. You need to come home to us, Hiccup!" The Berk shieldmaiden did not care that some of her words lacked truth. Right now, she was just desperate to convey her message and need to Hiccup.
Hiccup turned back to face Astrid and his spoken reply tore at her already-broken heart. "I'm sorry, Astrid."
Stunned, Astrid loosened her grip and Hiccup easily shook himself free. How could he-? Astrid could not believe her boyfriend's choice and she felt, deep in her chest, as if her heart had just shattered into thousands of tiny pieces.
Oblivious to his girlfriend's despair, Hiccup kept walking, his steps a little shaky, to the end of the white area where another dark area began. In a last ditch effort, Astrid, still rooted to her spot in shock, called out to her boyfriend. "Wait, Hiccup! Don't go to…" Her words fell short as the figure from the other side of darkness finally stepped out into the white. Though Astrid already knew who had been speaking, it still hurt to see that person again, especially knowing that Hiccup had chosen the other girl over his own girlfriend. "Heather."
As I take a deep sigh…Wow…that chapter took forever to write. I'm so sorry. The beginning of the chapter was so hard because I was super excited to write the dream…but I had to get there first. Hope that everything sounded alright.
Coming Up Next: A new day has dawned. The storms lately have been harsh and the temperatures bitter. Hiccup, though, is optimistic. Death will not have an easy victory. No, Hiccup will continue his work on the fishnet he had started. Hopefully, he can stop the fierce shaking in his hands long enough to complete the project.
Next Chapter: As always, it depends on when I can get Brave updated as that story will receive the next update. I will aim to have chapter 27 posted next Wednesday after 10 PM US East Coast time.
Thank you all for reading and supporting Wheel in the Sky!
Posted: July 15, 2014
