The fact that I went on hiatus with this story in progress really bothers me. :) So, I will be finishing this one up, and then going on hiatus until January for real this time! What I will probably do is every few months go on a one month hiatus (two months posting, one month not, and so on), just so I don't rush. So...SURPRISE, and MERRY CHRISTMAS! Just so you all know, I will post something on December 25 if all goes well, so look for that! Have fun! :)
Why was Hiccup still conscious?
Astrid was tempted to just order him to pass out, not that he would listen, or anything. Really, though, if someone was removing an arrow from her side, she would have liked to be unaware of the situation.
But Hiccup was still awake, although he spoke little, coming in and out of reality. He would sometimes ask Astrid if she was still there, and other times ask her if she was alright, and then ask if she'd seen any sign of Toothless, and then slip back into an oblivion for another thirty seconds before waking up with a few more questions.
Valka returned running a second later, her arms full of tattered looking cloths and longer ones that looked like bandages. She was holding a bucket of steaming liquid that smelled remarkably of rotting herbs, running as fast as she dared, not wanting to spill any of it.
"Look who finally decided to come back," said Astrid, her voice laced with sarcasm.
"Who came back?" Hiccup mumbled, barely audible. "Astrid, what's going on...?"
"It's okay, I promise," said Astrid.
Valka put everything down next to Hiccup and then sat down beside her supplies. She grabbed one of the cloths, soaked it in the liquid, and then rang it out several times, but not enough to drain all the water from it. Then, she carefully lifted it over the wound (still penetrated by the arrow) and then squeezed it again. Hot water ran over her hands and then onto the injury.
Hiccup gasped, almost screaming, but not doing so for Astrid's sake. He would just make it harder on her if he did that. Astrid, however, took his hand in hers casually and then looked back to Valka, almost frantically, although she held her axe in the other hand, ready to use it if that's what it came down to.
"I have to do it," said Valka.
"Then do it and get it over with!" said Astrid demandingly. She heard her voice crack, and instantly hated herself for it. She wasn't supposed to be showing any weakness to this woman. She was supposed to be strong; not only for show, but also for Hiccup. He needed her to be strong for him.
Valka took a dagger out of her pile of supplies and then cut a small part of Hiccup's shirt away from the arrow wound so she could see it better. She breathed sharply through her teeth, and then frowned.
She had learned from experience how to deal with arrow wounds, but she hated the procedure. And doing it on her son...when he was conscious...
Instead of taking time to think about it, she just got straight to work, pretending she was working on a dragon that had been shot. She had worked on dragons' wounds hundreds of times in the past. She only hoped it didn't hurt as much as it sounded like it would.
She held the dagger in one hand, holding firmly to the shaft of the arrow in the other. She would do it quickly, get it over with, and then bandage it immediately.
She hated herself for what she did next, even if it was saving Hiccup's life. It wasn't in very deep, but it was still an arrow. She couldn't just yank it out. That could either damage internal body parts, or cause more bleeding. She would have to take it out...with a dagger.
As quickly as possibly could, she slid the dagger alongside the arrow, and then turned it so it came in underneath the arrowhead. Hiccup yelped, and before anyone could do anything else, Valka shoved the dagger upwards, pushing the arrowhead free. Then, she pulled the arrow out the rest of the way by the shaft. Hiccup screamed, probably louder than Valka had ever heard anyone scream before. And it was worse, since this was her son, whom she hadn't seen in twenty years.
How did they reunite after twenty years? An arrow, a dagger, and then screaming; that's how they reunited.
Great first impression, Valka, she thought bitterly against herself, GREAT first impression.
Valka threw the arrow across the room with disgust, followed by her dagger. She grabbed another rag, threw it into the bucket, drew it out, and then, without ringing it out the least bit, pushed it against Hiccup's wound.
Hiccup's screaming turned into pained moans and random cries when Valka pressed the soaked rag to his injury, but he was visibly relaxing. He was physically drained of energy, completely exhausted, gasping and wincing with every breath he took.
Astrid had held onto his hand the entire time, and now leaned over his chest, resting her head against it, listening to his heartbeat, relieved that it was still there. This had been too much for Astrid; listening to him scream, watching him in pain with nothing she was able to do except try and keep him calm.
Valka herself was bandaging the wound, wrapping over and over and over again, unaware of how many layers of cloth she was using, not caring if she used ten or a hundred. She had about a million questions. And then there was that Night Fury the dragons brought back sitting at the back of her mind.
Astrid had her own dragon. Did that mean that Berk had changed? Or had Astrid trained the dragon, and then left without anyone knowing, taking Hiccup with her? That was a thought, but judging by the clothes both Hiccup and Astrid were wearing (not worn, tattered or ripped), it disqualified them as runaways. And then the shoulder pad on Hiccup's armor was the same that matched the prosthetic on the Night Fury's tail. Was that his dragon?
Had Berk changed for the better? How did Hiccup get a Night Fury? Valka had never actually seen one up close before, and when her dragons brought that last one back, she wasn't able to examine it very much. It was snarling, and she wasn't able to train it. If Hiccup was its master, then that would explain why.
There were still so many unanswered questions: how did the Night Fury lose its left tailfin? Was it Drago? A trapper? And how did Hiccup lose his leg? That was one of the biggest questions Valka had. While she had lived on Berk, seeing people with missing limbs was quite common. But this was different. This was her son.
"What now?" Astrid broke Valka out of her thoughts, intentionally or unintentionally, Valka didn't know. "Remember, if you try to hurt either one of us, I promise you will regret it. We will take you back to Berk, and slam you in prison. You'll never get out."
"I'm not trying to hurt you!" said Valka, suddenly angry. Why didn't Astrid just trust her, especially now, after all Valka had done? Then, in a much calmer tone, she added, "I'm trying to help you."
Astrid wasn't fazed, just curious. "Why, though?" she said. "Why help us if you have nothing to gain?" She said if because she was still holding on to the possibility that Valka was just trying to hurt them. "Why save us? What's it to you? Why would you care if we lived or died?" She relaxed slightly. Part of her believed Valka. It took talent to lie to someone like Astrid. She could always see right through it. But Valka...there was something about her that seemed...strange, almost; different; curious; more like a dragon than a human.
"Who are you, really?" said Astrid. "And don't just tell me a first name, either. Tell it to me how it is."
Valka didn't lie to her. Besides, she and Hiccup were visibly close. What was the point in making something up? The only thing she decided not to tell them yet was that she was Hiccup's mother. That could really throw Astrid off. "My name is Valka, as I have already stated," she said. "I have lived among dragons for twenty years, fight against Drago at every chance I have. My dragon's name is Cloudjumper, and he is a bit protective." Behind them, Cloudjumper growled in agreement. "There's really not much else to know about me," said Valka. "Now, why don't you tell me about you?"
"Twenty years?" said Hiccup. Astrid tried not to look astonished; although she had been sure he was sleeping. "You've lived among dragons for twenty years?" Valka nodded. "Wow," Hiccup breathed. "I've only lived among them for five years, and that alone is incredible. Twenty years, though, that's...that's awesome."
Valka nodded. "So...Hiccup, right?" she said, although she already knew. When Hiccup nodded, she continued. "Could you tell me a little bit more about yourself?" she asked. "I think I know enough about Astrid."
"Yeah, I guess," he said. "My name is Hiccup Haddock. Don't ask for a full name, it's too long." So far, it sounded like the Hiccup Valka had left behind on Berk. "I am twenty, a dragon trainer, son of Chief Stoick the Vast, heir to the Hooligan tribe. I have a Night Fury named Toothless..." His voice turned into one filled with panic, and he sat up. "Toothless!" he said. "What happened to him!?"
Astrid pushed him back down. "We don't know," she said.
"We have to find him!" said Hiccup, trying to sit up again, failing when Astrid kept pushing him back down. "Seriously, Astrid!"
"I think I might know where...Toothless is," said Valka. Toothless? Peculiar name for a Night Fury, especially the one Valka had seen. He most certainly had teeth; lots of them, too, and sharp ones, on top of that.
"You know where Toothless is?" Hiccup asked, almost hopefully. "Where!?"
"Hang on a second," she said. Valka nodded to Cloudjumper, who instantly knew what she wanted. Cloudjumper headed off, deeper into the sanctuary, to retrieve a certain Night Fury.
Toothless? What a funny name.