Okay, so, something weird happened where I posted the chapter, but it really didn't post...
Here it is now! :D Enjoy! :D Oh, yeah...
Aaand my birthday is tomorrow. :D
Valka didn't know why, but even after Hiccup fell asleep, she refused to leave him.
She wasn't going to leave him after her nightmare. There was just no possible way for that to happen. She wasn't about to leave him, even for a second. She was just so worried that somehow, her nightmare would become a reality, and her Hiccup would be gone before she even knew it.
She stayed there until the sun rose, indicating that morning had come. Even then she was reluctant to leave him. Part of her thought that she was being ridiculous. It was just a dream. That was all it was. Yet still, why was she so afraid of leaving? She was afraid that if she so much as turned her back, when she looked again, Hiccup would be dead.
"Valka?"
Valka had been so consumed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the door opening, and Astrid walking up the stairs to stand in the doorway. The younger girl leaned against the doorframe, her arms crossed.
"What are you doing?" she asked. "Shouldn't you be resting?"
Valka shook her head. "Impossible, Astrid," she said. "I just...I don't know."
"Yeah, I get it," Astrid said, finally dropping her tense posture to cross the room. "You're afraid of leaving him. But you know, he's on the path to recovery. I don't think hovering over him constantly is going to make him get better faster."
"Well," Valka said, "it can't hurt, can it?"
Astrid smiled half heartedly. "True," she said. "True. I can stay with him if you don't want to leave him alone. I really don't mind."
Valka didn't argue. She thanked Astrid, and then headed downstairs to fetch Hiccup's medicine. As she left, Astrid called back to her.
"When are we going to tell him?" she asked.
"About what?" Valka replied.
Astrid took a few steps towards her. "You know," she said. "About...the thing. The thing Toothless and I found."
"Oh, that," Valka said. "I'd wait a few more days, just until he's completely well again. He gets tired easily...we don't want him passing out on Toothless' back, do we?"
Astrid shook her head feverishly. "Nope," she said. "I see your point. Yeah, sounds great."
Valka and Astrid exchanged smiles.
The next few days weren't much different then the first: Hiccup woke up long enough to eat something before falling asleep again. As the days wore on, he had more energy, and eventually only slept after doing something particularlly strenuous.
"Well," Astrid said as she entered the residence, nearly seven days after Hiccup's recovery began, "looks like someone's feeling better."
"Rather," Hiccup said. "Thanks."
"Hey, don't thank me," Astrid said, punching his shoulder lightly. "You've got one stubborn attitude, and your body's stubborn, too. Too stubborn to be taken down by something like tularemia."
Hiccup shrugged. "I guess," he said. "I mean, I'm still here, aren't I?"
"Yep," Astrid said, "and you also have your right leg, still, so you must be fine, right?"
"Right," Hiccup said.
Astrid looked around for just a moment. "Where's your Mom?" she asked after a pause.
"She left to go get the healer to check over my condition again," Hiccup said. He sighed, drumming his fingers on the table absently. "Even though I told her that I feel perfectly alright and that she doesn't need to keep worrying over me."
"Yeah, well," Astrid said, "she has right to be worried. I was worried, Hiccup."
Hiccup turned to her as if she had pulled the pin out of a gernade. "What?" he said. "The great Astrid Hofferson afraid of-" Astrid's balled fist connecting to his shoulder shut him up. "OW!" he yelped. "What!? What did I do!?"
"You're acting like an idiot!" Astrid snapped.
"I am not acting like an idiot!" Hiccup shot back.
"You know as well as anyone that I get worried just like everyone else does!" Astrid came back.
"I was trying for a joke, Astrid!" Hiccup said. "What do you have against the jokes?"
"It wasn't funny," Astrid said. "You scared me, Hiccup. There, I said it. I was terrified that you weren't going to pull through. I was scared I was going to lose you, Hiccup. I couldn't...I couldn't lose you."
There were tears in her eyes, and before they fell, Hiccup pulled her into a hug. She hugged him back fiercely, and Hiccup let her.
"Hey, I know," he said. "I know you were worried. I'm alright. You're alright. We're alright..."
"If you break out into some weird musical number, Hiccup, I'll..." Astrid started. Knowing Hiccup, she had a feeling he was going to come up with some way of lightening the situation.
"I was not planning on it," Hiccup said, putting more emphasis on the word "not" then what was needed.
After a few more moments, Astrid pulled back. "You're feeling better, then?" she asked.
"Almost all better," Hiccup said in response. "A bit tired, but...it's only sometimes."
"Good," Astrid said, "because I have something to show you."
Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked. "What is it?"
Astrid frowned. "I don't know if you'll like it or not," she said.
"Well, we've had worse conversation starters," Hiccup said after a brief silence. "Come on. Do tell. You have to tell me now that you've got me interested."
"Well..." Astrid began, wringing her hands togetehr nervously, "maybe it's better if I just show you instead."
"Alright," Hiccup said, rising to a stand, Astrid doing the same beside him. "I'll get Toothless. Where is it?"
"At Raven Point," Astrid replied. "Right in the middle of it."