Happy Friday! A day late on the update, sincerest apologies! Super busy on my end, but here is another, as faithfully promised. Thank you to those who have followed, favourited, and reviewed Reunion. It means the world to me.
Chapter Thirteen: Survivor
Hiccup and Astrid flew under the cover of the dark upon their dragons, staying close to each other in the large patrol behind them. They had checked the coast and beyond the sea stacks, checking over the vast expanse of northern, eastern, and southern waters. No armada, no vast fleet of dark and weathered ships, were found.
It was not easy to hide a fleet of a thousand ships.
"Anything?!" Hiccup called.
"Nothing!" Snotlout replied. "It'll be dawn soon, we should turn back."
Hiccup bit his lip and nodded. "You go ahead, report back to my father with Spitelout. I'll double-check the sea stacks and be right behind you!"
He looked at Astrid, who pulled back on Stormfly and hovered. Hiccup pulled back and hovered next to her. She had a hand pressed to her lips and her face was vacant, yet troubled.
All of a sudden, she leaned over quickly and vomited.
"Astrid!" he cried as she retched. She put up a hand and shook her head.
"I'm fine," she said shakily, spitting the rest out of her mouth. "I'm fine."
"Are you sick?" he asked as the rest of the patrol gathered around them. Astrid rolled her shoulders and shuddered.
"No, I feel fine, now. Really."
Hiccup looked to Snotlout. "Get her home to Gothi."
Astrid scoffed. "Hiccup!"
"Now," he said sternly to Snotlout. His friend nodded and flew in front of Astrid. Stormfly reared her head and turned around. Astrid wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and placed it over her abdomen. "I'll be right behind you!"
"You lie," Toothless whispered. Hiccup scratched him behind the fin and waited for the others to begin departing. Astrid gave Hiccup an alarmed look as they flew away, and he wondered what that meant. She quickly gathered up her reins and followed the others. Hiccup pulled back and shot into the clouds, heading north at first before making sure they were alone.
"Why lie?" Toothless asked.
Hiccup twisted his mouth guiltily. "Sometimes, we lie to protect those we love."
Hiccup felt that Toothless did not understand. He moved on. "Let's go check it out."
Toothless nodded and banked to the left, heading west. The ocean, thundering liquid greys crashing below, became darker as he descended into the stormy morning air. Gnarled and jagged rocks began to protrude from the water as they got closer and closer. West was forbidden territory and Hiccup knew that very well.
As they approached, Hiccup's breath caught in his throat. It stung and tasted burnt, stinging his eyes and nose and making Toothless sneeze. Smoke. Hiccup gritted his teeth and ducked his head as smoke filled his lungs.
"What?" Hiccup coughed. He pulled Toothless up to get out of the smoke, flying through the foggy veil and above. He didn't know he was so close to the island, but what he found was not a piece of land, but a smouldering pit.
The island had been completely razed, demolished and burnt to ash and ember. Hiccup stared open-mouthed and wide-eyed. They hovered above and found no ships and no movement. It had not been attacked, but it looked deliberate nonetheless.
"Are there any survivors?" Hiccup asked himself, horrified. The place smelled like death to Toothless, and he got that recognition through the bond and felt ill. Toothless clicked his tongue and sent sound into the fire. Toothless could see echoes and thus, he would see something through the fire if there was anything to be found.
At first he found nothing. Then he found one body, burnt to a crisp. The other body he found was not human, but dragon. They moved on, tears stinging Hiccup's face and burning eyes before Toothless reared his head and dove down. Hiccup almost couldn't time his footwork with Toothless and the two came very close to crashing into the flames. Hiccup flew from Toothless' back into a smouldering pile of ash. He rolled over as Toothless bounded over to a pile of debris. He began digging.
"Life!" he barked as he hauled a flaming beam from the pile. Hiccup ran over to help, his lip bruising. Toothless lifted more wood and rock until Hiccup found a hand under the rubble. He grabbed the tiny white hand and pulled, praying it was attached to something much larger. A body slid forth, limp and small and blackened with soot, wearing nothing but a tattering long shirt. He could not tell if it was a boy or a girl he pulled to him, but he picked it up in his arms. The child was bone-thin in his strong arms, breaths so faint it was hard to listen to.
Hiccup hauled the frail body forward, Toothless leading the way to the shore. He crossed over the sand quickly as the sun began to rise and he plunged into the water. It was bitingly cold and Hiccup cursed loudly as it rushed over him. The body shuddered and gasped, coughing violently and arms twitching. Hiccup dunked the body down and ran his fingers through their hair, washing out the ash. He shook the body as he cleaned it quickly, hoping the cold would wake them.
"Look at me!" Hiccup growled. "Come on, wake up!"
The body whimpered and peeled open their eyes, green and bloodshot. The soot ran down their face and revealed it to be swollen and bloody. Black hair washed away to orange-red, the hair short like a boy. A boy. Bony hands and arms clothed in wet dirty sleeves too long for their wearer clutched at his collar. Chapped lips tried to say something but blood pooled forth through his teeth. He whimpered again as Hiccup tore a flask from his belt, biting the cork out with his teeth and feeding the rim to the boy's lips.
The boy slurped painfully and cried as the sunlight showed blood on the shirt. A piece of debris, shrapnel from a beam, stuck from his stomach, but it did not look deep. Hiccup grabbed it and held the boy close to him as he pulled the debris out quickly. The boy tried to scream as Hiccup pressed down.
"You're going to be okay," Hiccup promised. He hoisted the boy out of the water and forced him onto Toothless. "Fly as fast as you can," Hiccup commanded.
Toothless could fly fast if he wanted to, but when a life was at stake, he could break barriers that Hiccup could not understand. Holding on and covering the boy with his body, Hiccup and Toothless sliced through the air until Berk rose from the sunlit ocean. The boy was fading, Toothless told Hiccup that as his heartbeat grew ever fainter. Hiccup was holding the wound shut as Toothless landed.
The last of the patrol was putting away their bridles as Toothless crashed down. Most men jumped back and cursed as Hiccup leapt down and pulled the boy with him. He crossed the landing stones to Gothi as an uproar of confusion sounded behind him. He kicked open the door to Gothi's home where the healers stayed and called for help. He found them in the main hall, startled at the sound.
"I need help!" Hiccup wheezed as the boy grew limp in his arms. Juniper rushed over and whisked him away, giving orders to the other matrons with such speed that Hiccup could not keep up. He stayed next to the boy as they pressed on his wound and forced water into his mouth. One had a knife and dug it into the boys feet, making him jump with pain. Anything to keep him awake.
Hiccup ran to a cupboard and pulled bandages and a healing poultice forth, rushing over to stanch the bleeding. Juniper took over as the others cut away the shirt. Just before they pulled it off, a huge hand seized Hiccup and wrenched him from the room. Hiccup cried out in startled shock as he was dragged outside. He whirled around, free from the hand that had grabbed him, and faced Stoick angrily.
"What in all the gods' names is going on?!" Stoick bellowed. The rest of the patrol had gathered; Snotout and Spitelout glared over at Hiccup while Tuffnut cocked his head at the sight of blood on his hands.
"Are you hurt?" Tuffnut asked quickly.
"No, it's not mine. I'm alright, but –"
Stoick gave Hiccup a shake. "Whose is it, then?"
Hiccup began to explain, but Stoick wouldn't stop yelling.
"I told you to stay with the group, I told you to come back by morning!"
"Where did you find that child?" Spitelout growled. "Surely not atop one of the sea stacks."
He bit his lip and raised his voice. "I found him on Outcast Island."
Stoick's jaw dropped and his eyes flickered with rage. "You what?!"
The rest of the crowd hollered or murmured, all upset and unhappy with the discovery.
"Do you know what they could have done to you?!" Stoick bellowed. "I told you explicitly to stay away from there! You could have been killed!"
Hiccup snarled and pulled his hair in frustration. "I had to! I went alone, no one saw me and I had a feeling –"
"I don't give a shit about your feelings! What about mine? Am I to lose you to the Outcasts like we lost your mother? Or risk a war that we are not prepared to have?"
"The island is gone!" Hiccup screamed. Stoick caught his breath and glared as Hiccup shoved himself free from his father's wrath. "The whole damned place is destroyed! There is no Outcast Island!" Hiccup thrust a hand to Gothi's home, nostrils flared and head shaking in anger. "That boy in there is the only survivor, the only living thing that was left behind and if we keep him alive, then we can get our answers! This is serious, dad, not some blind adventure I wanted to have. If you had any sense or care in the matter, you'll realize that I'm trying to say that the Outcasts knew we were looking for them and burnt their own home to the ground! They don't want to be found and I don't like that, do you?"
The crowd went silent as Stoick stared tensely at his son. If he were a child once more, he would have been smacked upside the head for raising his voice. But surprisingly, Stoick sighed and closed his eyes slowly.
"Ah, I see the chief in you, already," he spat. "Damn it all. Send another patrol to Outcast Island. I want everyone armed. I will send word to the alliance myself for precaution. We need to find out where those Outcasts are, and where the Berserkers are as well. There is no way they all got off their island without a little help. I want that boy kept alive for questioning. Move!"
The crowd dispersed, all running to their dragons or the forge. Hiccup immediately ran for the forge, knowing that they would need his help sharpening blunt swords. That, and he needed his shield. The shield he had made from Gronkel iron was the lightest and strongest weapon he had. With a push of a button, it would pop into a crossbow, and another button would send the middle of it outward with deadly force. He hadn't had to use it too much before, but there were times where it saved lives.
As Hiccup ran into the forge to grab his shield, a tiny body with a whirlwind of blonde hair leapt in front of him. He skidded to a halt in front of Snowdrop, who had her hands on her hips and a huge pout on her lips.
"Hup!" she barked as angrily as her little body could handle. She certainly was her sister's sister. "Stop right now!"
Hiccup scooped her up and held her to him as he reached down to grab his shield from behind a shelf. Snowdrop pulled his hair to get his attention as he readjusted the shield in his other hand.
"What's going on, Snowdrop," Hiccup asked quickly. "Why aren't you home with Stoick?"
"I was with Astrid," she replied. "And then I ran out to get you."
"Why?" Hiccup asked as he exited the forge, heading home at a moderate pace while the rest of the villagers ran about getting prepared. Toothless stalked next to him as Snowdrop wrapped her arms around his neck.
"She is mad that you didn't come home like you said you would. And she is sick. Why are you bleeding? Where is everyone going? I'm hungry. Did you really go to Badman Island to save that boy?"
"I'll feed you at home," Hiccup muttered as they climbed the hill to his house. They made it near, and Snowdrop wriggled free. She ran into the house and he heard her yell to Astrid.
"Astrid, Hup is home! He went to Badman Island! I'm hungry."
Hiccup rolled his eyes and cringed as he heard Astrid's footsteps storm to the door. It was wrenched open and she raced over to him, her riding gear still on and her hair falling out of its thick braid. She crossed to Hiccup and looked at him, eyes frantic.
"You're bleeding!" she cried.
"It's not mine," Hiccup said quickly.
"Oh. Good," Astrid scoffed. She slapped him across the face.
"Hey!" Hiccup complained, holding his face.
"That's for going to Outcast Island!"
She raised her hand again but she wavered. She slumped into him, groaning jaggedly.
"Whoa, Astrid!" Hiccup gasped, his cheek throbbing. She lurched in his arms and puked next to his feet. She spat the rest out.
"Astrid?" Snowdrop asked quietly.
"I'm fine, baby. Just go inside for a second." Snowdrop disappeared into the house as she straightened herself again. "Don't worry, it's normal," she groaned, spitting again. "Apparently it happens."
"What?"
Astrid's shoulders sank as she looked around. Then she pulled Hiccup close and murmured in his ear.
"I haven't bled in two moons."
She pulled away and searched his face for a reaction. He stared and didn't understand at first. Astrid didn't know what else to do besides pull Hiccup's hand against her abdomen. He held it there for a moment until his eyes grew huge.
"Oh… oh gods… you're…"
Astrid's eyes welled up with tears as she smiled. "Yeah. We think so. It's early and it's too soon to be sure, but…"
Hiccup grabbed her and held her against him. He buried his face in her hair and crushed her body against his as wave after wave of realization rushed over him. A baby, he thought. His baby. His family.
"So please stop putting yourself in these awful situations," Astrid murmured in his ear. "If this is happening, I need you here. Safe."
"Alright," he replied calmly. "No more adventures, no more patrols. I... I promise... oh gods..."
He smiled, showing all of his teeth. Astrid split a grin with him, and their lips still curled in happiness met with a long and sweet kiss.
The patrols went out that night and Hiccup went to the matron with Astrid once they had departed. They entered Gothi's home quietly and entered the room where the boy had been. Juniper and the other matrons were still cleaning themselves when they entered. On the bed, the boy had been cleaned and covered, and was struggling through his breaths valiantly. He was alive.
Juniper turned to them as Hiccup and Astrid got a closer look. The boy was covered in a blanket and his face was very badly bruised and swollen. His red hair was clean and didn't appear to be healthy. His collarbones jutted from under his skin horrifyingly. Astrid narrowed her eyes at the sight of the boy. He didn't look older than twelve.
"How is he?" Hiccup asked quietly.
Juniper raised her head and sighed from exhaustion. "Well, for one, you didn't save a boy, you saved a girl."
Hiccup looked back at the body in the bed and shook his head. "That doesn't matter to me. Is she going to be okay?"
"She's a fighter, I'll give her that. But I don't know if she'll be able to keep that up. She's lost a lot of blood, probably due to the fact that you pulled whatever was in her out. She's also been starved. Her teeth tell me she's around fourteen winters old, maybe fifteen, but she has the weight of a seven-year-old."
"What else can you tell me?" Hiccup asked.
Juniper twisted her mouth and pulled the blankets back slightly. She picked up an arm and held it up. Around her wrists were cuts and bruises. "She had been bound like this for what I think were a few moons. The scarring and new wounds look like shackle markings, the likes I haven't seen for many years. The same are around her ankles. Her back is riddled with whip marks and her thighs are badly scarred from what I think you can piece together on your own."
Hiccup swallowed and held Astrid's hand.
"This girl shouldn't be alive, Hiccup, and she wasn't meant to survive," Juniper whispered. "Whoever did this to her did this on purpose, out of hatred. She wasn't intended for a quick death or suicide, but torture over many years. Her scars range from last month to birth."
Astrid shook and swallowed another wave of nausea.
"Please tell me that's it," Hiccup breathed.
"Aside from two broken ankles, yes."
"Gods. Will she be able to walk again?" Astrid asked. Juniper sighed again and rubbed her withered eyes.
"Only time will tell. We can barely expect she will wake, let alone walk again. But we are trying our best to keep her in a deep sleep so her injuries can begin to heal. Some herbs and potions will keep her in a dream state for a while. The most we can hope for is they will keep her asleep until the bruising and swelling of her face goes down so she can talk with ease."
Hiccup agreed. The swelling was so severe, it was hard to tell what facial features the girl had besides injury. He thanked Juniper and left with Astrid, where they looked over the ocean hand in hand. They didn't need to say much on the matter; both knew the stakes they had made. If the girl died, there would be no explanation into the Outcasts' intentions. But if she lived, there was no stopping the Outcasts from retaliating. It was a chilling realization that neither wanted to acknowledge.
Toothless lurked in the shadows that night and silently climbed up Gothi's home. He sniffed the wooden roof, grunting and chirping as he did so. There was no dragon door to Gothi's home, but that didn't stop Toothless from sniffing the girl through the roof.
He found her scent, the smell of smoke and blood. He sniffed again before looking up to Hiccup's home, where he knew his master and his wife were lying. He sniffed the girl one more time and bared his teeth before slinking back into the darkness.