Four in a row! I can never thank you all enough - thank you to you newcomers and old-timers who keep up with this story and review it. You all remind me why I write, and it's amazing the support you have provided me.

Chapter Thirty Nine: Revealed

Astrid waited in the dreamland every night after Valka flew from the Underground three days ago. And every night, no sign of Hiccup. Either Valka hadn't made it to Berk yet, or Hiccup hadn't been able to sleep deeply enough to fully enter the cove. She wandered aimlessly under drugs Stargazer fed her each night, and tried to find Hiccup through the various bodies that appeared and disappeared.

"You're worried," her father murmured behind her on the third night. "Hiccup will come. Perhaps Valka has not arrived yet."

Astrid nodded, barely paying attention, as she watched Snowdrop run about, giggling as she chased something around the largest tree over and over again. She smiled as her heart throbbed in her chest. Snowdrop faded away almost as quickly as she had appeared, and Astrid's shoulders sank.

"What if something bad happens? What if we can't make a good enough plan? What if they can't get us out?"

"They won't get all of you out," her father admitted. "People will die. Dragons will die. How many is up to the gods."

Astrid growled and looked around the cove in frustration. She looked to the weaver, who continued to weave long blades of dragon nip with slender fingers. She looked away and, feeling lost once more, she sat down with a huff and waited for Hiccup stubbornly. She leaned back against a large rock and closed her eyes. Even in the dreamland, she felt tired. These days, spreading the word of the Saviour and spending extra time in the Hatch to stay distracted had taken a toll on her. She sat in silence, listening to the lake's tiny waves lap against the gravel shore, one after the other.

Hiccup never came, and Astrid faded from the dreamland once more. She opened her eyes slowly and focussed on the ceiling above her before she sat up painfully. She groaned and Stargazer turned her head towards her.

"You're in pain?" she asked.

Astrid struggled to sit up and put a hand over her face. "My entire body hurts."

Stargazer frowned. "I told you I don't agree with putting you under the influence of the herbs too often."

Astrid didn't reply. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and winced as her back, her chest, her gut, and her head all throbbed in pain. "It's the bed," she finally said. "Not the herbs."

"Or your moon approaches?" Stargazer asked delicately. "Maybe your body is preparing to bleed?"

Astrid looked up, a breath hinged in her throat. She clenched her jaw and looked to the floor, her eyes stinging. "I, uh… don't bleed anymore."

Ever since the loss of her child, Astrid hadn't bled. Her organs, too damaged by the bond's creation, stopped flowing altogether. She placed a hand over her belly and felt tears burn her eyes. Stargazer sighed softly, an optimistic smile on her mouth.

"You will. The stress of this place has done much to the women of the Underground. Women come to me all the time asking about their moons, wondering where they went, but… I'm sure it will come back."

Astrid shook her head, unconvinced. She knew in the darker corners of her heart her body was finished. It never bled consistently before the Underground, it was only a matter of time.

"When you were with Hiccup, did you ever try for a baby?" Stargazer suddenly asked. Astrid looked up, alarmed and offended.

"What?"

"Being the chief's wife must come with the responsibility of having an heir, yes?"

Astrid didn't say anything, too upset to reply. Stargazer waited for an answer for a moment before she stood and crossed the room to Astrid. She sat down next to her and sighed.

"When you first came here, I knew. Your belly felt different to me."

"Then why the hell would you ask?" Astrid asked angrily, a tear trickling down the side of her nose.

"I find talking helps more than not. I didn't tell Valka, I thought it would only upset her. But… you know it's common for women to go through this, right?"

Astrid sniffed and wiped her cheek with her hand.

"Valka was younger than you when she tried having her first. She lost it within the first two moons. And with Hiccup, she began bleeding after four moons, and had to remain on bed rest until he was born. I myself lost two children before my second daughter."

"Hiccup was so devastated," Astrid murmured tearfully. "The day of the battle, he asked about it and… I couldn't give him a straight answer. I was so upset, I… I…"

Stargazer wrapped her arms around Astrid and rocked her gently as Astrid stared onwards. She replayed the last conversation she'd had with him in person, how angry she got at him for asking. Stargazer sighed again and kept rocking Astrid back and forth.

"I know it's hard," she said, "and I'm sorry for bringing it up so suddenly. But maybe… maybe you lost it because the gods knew you would be here. Maybe it wasn't a good time to bring a child into the world."

"It's been almost eight moons since it was conceived," Astrid choked. "I should be huge right now, I should be building a cradle with Hiccup and making baby blankets and getting ready for my bed rest, I shouldn't be running around writing 'Saviour' in blood on the walls inside a dragon's nest wondering if I'm ever going to see him again!"

She stopped herself before she broke down. She couldn't speak anymore. She hated what the gods had chosen for her, even though she understood why they may have done it.

"It's like the eggs," Stargazer whispered into Astrid's ear comfortingly. Astrid leaned away and wiped her cheeks dry.

"What do mean?"

Stargazer cleared her throat and twisted her mouth. "It's hard to explain, but… babies have this very magical way of emerging when they're supposed to. They may be born earlier than usual, or later. But if it's not safe, those dragons won't hatch. I've been thinking about it since you came here, and it's the only explanation that makes sense. My second daughter, for example, refused to come out. I wondered for days, weeks, why she wouldn't drop."

Stargazer smiled, recalling the memory fondly. "Dragons were getting increasingly problematic. Raids every night, preparing for winter when food was scarce. My husband, Valhalla protect him, was out every night fighting them, worried sick about whether or not I'd give birth in the middle of a raid. But, fortunately, as soon as the first blizzard arrived, my daughter slipped out without a problem. The storm protected us for weeks. My eldest daughter, she was almost seventeen by then, she told me she wanted to name her after the first snow and said 'Mum, after all this trouble, I want to name her –'"

"– Snowdrop," Astrid breathed. Her eyes were wide, her face pale, her body leaning away from Stargazer in disbelief. She remained frozen in Stargazer's arms, her eyes fixed on Stargazer's bandages that tangled around her head, her mouth dry.

"…Yes. Snowdrop. How did you know that?" Stargazer asked innocently. Astrid tore away from Stargazer's grip, staring at her, murmuring nonsense and wavering dizzily. Fat tears filled her eyes and she stumbled back, her hand up in front of her.

"Wildling?" Stargazer asked.

"That's not my name," Astrid choked, her voice breaking.

"It's what I've been calling you, child," Stargazer frowned.

"No, I – you – your name isn't Stargazer, is it?"

"Well, it's what I am called. For my own protection, for the protection of my children."

Astrid grew ill once more. She grabbed her gut and spun around, hurling into a bucket by the fire. Stargazer stood quickly, confused.

That was her mother, Astrid screamed in her mind as her body shivered over the bucket. Her mother Sigourney, who had been taken three years ago, was Stargazer. She never recognized her under her bandages.

"Wildling? Have I upset you?"

Astrid stood shakily and ran to the door. She opened it and ran down the hallway. Why was she running? She didn't know, but she half-ran, half-walked back into the heart of the Hatch. She threw herself into one of the fire chambers. She stared at the eggs without expression as the fire licked the shells of the various eggs. Sometimes, if the light was at the right angle, she could see through the shell and see the silhouette of a dragonling, a tiny creature that didn't move or grow or… anything. She berated herself for leaving her mother, confused. She didn't know her daughter was in the hatchery with her. She had no idea.

Shocked, Astrid stayed in the fire chamber until her cheeks burned and her eyes grew too dry to see. She gave her head a shake and she struggled to her feet. Her whole body, stiff and exhausted, strained to stand upright, but she pushed forward. She had to go back. She had to tell Stargazer – Sigourney – the truth. She wanted to hug her mother, she wanted to be reunited with her. Why the hell did she run?

She left the fire chamber after a while and slowly began the short walk back towards her room. The thought of her mother finding out both her children were alive made Astrid smile as she moved on, her cheeks healing. As she was about to enter the hallway, however, a man stepped in her way. A Berserker with a shaved head and a fire-scarred face barred her way. Astrid slowed and stopped nervously. She stared at the man, an odd familiarity creeping into her skin, raising her hair.

She had seen this man before, in the dreamland, when she first travelled there. He had waded into the pond, floated on his back.

"Astrid," the man growled. "My leader has requested an audience with you."

Astrid swallowed nervously, flashes of the Saviour written in bloody runes tickling her mind. "Why?"

The man grabbed her roughly. Astrid gasped and another wave of nausea shot up her body. A pain burrowed into her lower back, a kink or a pull, and she tried to pull away.

"Wait, no!"

The man wrenched her over roughly. "If you come quietly, there won't a problem. Now come along."

Without any real choice in the matter, Astrid went with the man, looking over her shoulder towards the hall where Stargazer was. Her heart began racing as she left the safety of the Hatch.

The soldier took Astrid to the throne room, where she had been sorted into the hatchery by Birdsong moons beforehand. The guards opened the doors and the soldier pushed Astrid in, following her closely. When the doors shut, Astrid slowly looked up to Dagur, who was sitting in Alvin's throne.

"Nice to see you again, Astrid," he sneered. Astrid felt rage burble within her gut. "It's been a while."

"You wanted to see me?"

Dagur sighed theatrically and stood from his throne. He descended the steps slowly, one by one.

"How are you?" he asked with a laugh. Astrid bit her cheek, her mouth pursed so hard, she thought it would break.

"Fine."

Dagur smiled and leaned back, impressed and surprised. "You mean to tell me that after your short time being here, you're gonna be civil towards me? Have you actually learned respect?"

Astrid didn't reply. One wrong move and she was dead, she knew it. She stood there with her hands behind her back and her eyes forward.

"I have taken responsibility of the hatchery in Birdsong's absence, so I will have to return shortly. Please," she struggled to say without emotion, "tell me what it is you want."

Dagur took another step down the stairs, his tongue in his cheek. "Oh, the list is endless. What does Dagur want? Well, I already have an armada. My father's assets. The Underground. You."

Astrid stared at him as calmly as she could.

"I had your friend. What was her name? Muttruff? Ruffnut? Doesn't matter, I had her. Shame she ended up being Hiccup's wife, when Birdsong killed her my heart truly sank."

A cold shock entered her stomach, frigid and sinister. It wasn't true, she told herself. Valka knew Astrid was Hiccup's wife. She wouldn't have killed Ruffnut. She composed her mind and gave a little shrug towards Dagur.

"You probably had your reasons."

Something flickered behind Dagur's eyes as he took another step down the throne steps. He gnashed his teeth and wrinkled his nose. He motioned to the soldier with the scarred face to leave. He lingered for a moment, looking at Astrid, before turning on his heel and leaving Astrid alone.

"I don't think you understand. Your friend? She was rotting away –"

"Dagur, you had your reasons. Now please tell me yours in relation to why I'm here."

Dagur growled, frustrated. "One of your leaders, Barb, was captured three days ago. She had these ramblings of a bond you have, some sort of strange magical tether you have with your dragon."

"Sounds wonderful," Astrid replied, disinterested. "Barb was always the crazy one. You should have seen what she was wearing at Hiccup's engagement ceremony."

Astrid's heart flipped as Dagur reached the final step. He slowly walked towards Astrid, who began to feel sick again. "It does sound crazy. Almost impossible. But you know what else is impossible? Surviving Outcast Orchid."

A breath caught in Astrid's throat, her eyes unwavering from Dagur's. The burn of the poison that had killed her, killed her child, lingered in her veins. Her jaw was clenched so hard, she thought her teeth would shatter.

"You know what it does?" he asked quietly, his tongue trailing across his lips pervertedly. "It reacts to the fluid inside of your stomach. It turns it into jelly, forcing your insides to bleed. Foam comes out of your mouth, like a rabid dog. Your eyes, your ears, your mouth overflows with blood as you slowly turn into nothing but a husk."

He circled around Astrid. He lifted a hand and trailed a single finger over her shoulders. She forced herself to remain still.

"Barb told us Hiccup was alive," he continued through a raspy whisper as he lifted Astrid's braid, feeling it with his fingertips. "I wouldn't have believed her… if her dragon wasn't wearing a saddle. You Berkians are so simple, I wouldn't be surprised if he was the only one who made them."

He trailed his hand up Astrid's braid towards her head. Her chin trembled slightly, but she clamped her jaw even tighter.

"But a funeral… that size… would have been reserved for nobility, or the wife of nobility. And let's be honest with each other, we both know Ruffnut would have never been allowed to marry Hiccup."

Tears prickled Astrid's eyes as she stared ahead. "Hiccup was allowed to choose his bride."

"And you're trying to tell me he would have picked her?" Dagur asked through a hoarse chuckle. "Come now, Astrid. We've met in the battlefield before… you and your friends and I. Did he ever risk his life to save her? No…"

He put a cold hand on the back of her neck and he grinned, his tongue on his lip again.

"Besides, Ruffnut told us he didn't choose. So one of you is lying."

"And if we were? What then?" Astrid asked hoarsely.

"We're alone," Dagur replied, pressing his mouth against her cheek. "What do you think?"

Astrid grabbed Dagur's hand and twisted his wrist around, her scream filling the hall's every nook and cranny. He cried out as Astrid shoved him down, punching him the face with a closed fist once, twice, three times before he pulled his wrist back. He backhanded her and sent her spinning around. He kicked her in the lower back and she slammed into the floor, banging her head against the floor. She groaned, blood flowing from her eyebrow which had split open on the stone. Dagur laughed and walked up to her as she tried to crawl away.

He grabbed her braid and lifted her up, laughing hysterically. Astrid kicked her feet, but her back screamed in pain and every part of her body was shaking. Her stomach was hot, as she were being poisoned all over.

"Birdsong isn't here to protect you anymore," he chuckled in her ear. He threw her to the side and she hit the ground, rolling once and landing on her belly.

"Where's your Saviour now, Astrid?!" he shrieked. She rolled over onto her back as Dagur stalked over slowly. "I should have broke your fucking neck in front of the Great Hall that night," he tittered with another grin. "I would have done it, just a few more seconds and snap!"

He grabbed her by the throat again, just as he had done the night of the battle, and lifted her up. She grabbed his wrist, trying to pull his fingers away from her throat. But she felt the skin around her eyebrow move, and Dagur's eyes flicked up to it. His eyes widened as the gash closed slowly. He dropped Astrid to the ground again, and she gasped for a breath. Dagur crouched in front of her face and lifted her chin roughly.

"The crazy bitch was right," he spat through his teeth, his eyes searching Astrid's pale face for any sign of wounds. "You… you healed. Right in front of my face!"

He lifted Astrid by the chin and called to the guards, who opened the doors again. The soldier with the scarred face ran in and stopped, staring between Dagur and Astrid.

"Dagur… Alvin told you not to harm the girl," the soldier said angrily.

"I am not Alvin, do not confuse that oaf for me. He may care about the slaves he calls his people, but I don't. I am not here to rebuild a civilization, I am here to rule."

He smiled again before scowling in disgust towards Astrid. He threw her into the soldier's arms. "Take her to one of the Pit cells. She's going to give you a list of everything she'll need for tomorrow."

The soldier furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to keep a grip on Astrid, who could hardly stay upright. "What's tomorrow?"

"Astrid here is convinced that her beloved Hiccup, the Saviour, possesses great strength, the strength of a dragon. Let's see how he fares once I've levelled out the battlefield."

The soldier carried Astrid, cradling her with a stern look upon his mangled face. Dagur waved, blood trickling down his nose and his hair falling in front of his face. "And once you bond me to my Skrill, I'll be able to pluck Hiccup out of the sky and crush him to nothing but dust."

The man with the mangled face carried Astrid out of the main hall, leaving behind a brooding and giggling Dagur. Astrid felt like her body was nothing but a rock – stiff, hard, and solid – as the man carried her to the Pit.

"This is bad," the soldier whispered as he marched down the hallway. He found an empty cell and opened the door with one of his hands. He entered and rested her in the corner. Astrid squeaked in pain as he gently placed her on the floor. He leaned back and grabbed his waterskin and a handkerchief. He wetted it and dabbed the blood away from her skin. Astrid's face contorted into sorrow, and tears rolled over her twisted face as the man wiped her face clean.

"Don't cry," the man whispered as he wetted his handkerchief again. He looked up, pleading, as Astrid stared at the wall. "Just… just tell me what you need."

"I don't know," Astrid sobbed, "I never did the bond. I've only seen it done once, I –"

"Maybe you don't have to be successful," the soldier muttered. Astrid sucked in a breath and looked over to the soldier, alarmed. The soldier looked up, his face hard.

"I heard him yelling at you. I heard him mention the Saviour. The men are all talking about it in the shadows."

"Are you suggesting I murder him in front of his entire army?"

"No, I'm suggesting you try your best with this thing he's going to get you to do, and forget a step."

Astrid stared at the Berserker, dumbfounded. This was one of the unfamiliar faces in her dreamland, but a man loyal to Dagur. And he was obviously suggesting foul play.

"When he forced us to move here, he tore us away from our own families. Our homes. And anyone who crossed him…" He motioned to his face, and Astrid stared at the uneven skin that made half his face droop. "Let's just say there are a few people in his precious army that wouldn't mind a funeral some time soon. So. What will you need?"

"A knife," she replied sharply. "I'll need a knife, and I need you to spread a message to everyone."

"Anything, tell me."

"You tell everyone you can that Dagur is planning to murder Alvin, and you tell everyone that the Underground is a dragon's nest."

The soldier coughed, stunned, and he leaned in. "What?!"

"And get me a handful of sleeping herbs," she continued. "Do these things for me, and spread the Saviour's name. Get as many people as you can to talk about him, to write his name on the walls. Tell Stargazer where I am, and you tell every Berkian your men have captured that I have been taken and I am the heir to Berk. After Dagur's dead, we'll swarm the ships and get the hell out of here."

The soldier left quickly, and Astrid's shoulder sunk, exhaustion and pain overcoming her.

"It won't work," a raspy voice murmured in the corner. Astrid didn't have to look. She scoffed as rage overflowed within her. Barb sat in the corner, pale and sick and close to death.

"If I had my strength," Astrid seethed as she leered at Barb, "and an axe, I would kill you for what you've done."

"I was only trying to protect myself."

"You ruined everything. Every chance we had of ever seeing our husbands again."

Barb laughed darklky and shook her head. "As if Netmug would ever miss me…"

The two women sat far apart from each other, waiting until the soldier returned with the herbs. He reached through the bars and watched Astrid eat them as fast as she could. She entered the dreamland and spun around this way and that, trying to find Hiccup or Rose. No one was there. She grabbed a rock from the shoreline and used it to carve into the bark:

They have me. Dagur wants the bond. No access to sleep. Hurry.