"Hang in there, Astrid. Just a little longer. Please." My eyes sting with unshed tears as I pick up her hand gently, as if she would break if I held it too forcefully. "For me."

For a minute I think she is going to make it. That she is strong enough. She can make it through this. I know she can.

Her hand goes limp. She exhales. I wait for her to breathe in, but nothing happens.

No, no, no, no. Astrid, wake up.

I let go of her hand and grab her shoulders, shaking her slightly. When I get no reaction, I let go and place my head on her chest, silently praying that she's still alive. No heartbeat. A sob breaks through my throat, I can't breathe. Tears run freely down my face as I hug her cold lifeless body.

She can't be gone. She just can't.

"You should have saved her while you had the chance, Hiccup." Viggo.

It's his fault.

I glare up at him. He's wearing the most smug triumphant grin ever. My lips curl back in a snarl as I charge towards him with all intentions of spilling blood.

Just before I come close enough to take him on, Toothless roars. It's not a threatening sound. In fact, he sounds almost worried. He roars louder as if telling me something. I pause in my tracks. What in the name of Thor-

I wake up to a huge paw on my chest preventing me from breathing. I shove it away and gasp for breath. I realize tears are running down my face.

It was a dream. It wasn't real. Astrid is fine.

Toothless croons worriedly at me. I rub his scaly head and reassure him that I'm alright. I wipe the tears away and lie back down, staring up at the ceiling.

It's been weeks since Astrid got the Scourge of Odin and recovered. We got the antidote, and she's fine now.

We were so close to losing her. I'd never been so terrified in my life. Not when we took on the Red Death or the Screaming Death. Not even on the numerous times I'd been captured by Alvin or Dagur had I been so afraid. I stared death in the face countless times, yet I had never been so scared. I almost lost one of the most important people in my life.

I never told anyone, or showed it, but I suspected something was off when she came back from patrol that day. Being the stubborn Viking she is, she shrugged it off as if it were nothing. So I didn't push the subject, fearing it would irritate her, but I kept my eye on her nonetheless.

She had been fine for the rest of the day, albeit still upset. We all assumed that the bodies she had seen on the boat were to blame. Seeing people who had died from such a deadly disease would put anybody on edge. Even the strongest of warriors.

But when Stormfly barged into my hut, Astrid had tried to hide it, but it was plain as day. She was sick. Everyone was worried. But I refused to leave her side.

She insisted that she was alright, but none of us believed her. She would've hit the ground if I hadn't caught her in time. No, she wasn't fine at all.

The others headed to the Clubhouse to find any clues from our Dragon Eye notes that would lead us to the Buffalord. I stayed with her. Assured her we would do everything we could to find the Buffalord.

Her coughing fits kept her awake that night, so we spent most of the time talking. Most of it was me telling her it would be okay. But she told me something else that I never would have expected from her.

She was scared.

The fearless Viking warrior Astrid Hofferson was afraid. That was what terrified me.

After she fell into a restless sleep, we spent the time searching for the antidote, and we did find it. But we faced difficulties getting the Buffalord back to the Edge. So we brought her to the island.

She looked awful by then, for lack of better words. She couldn't even balance herself on Stormfly. I caught her before she fell, and I looked at her. Her skin had taken on a pale shade of green, and she had dark circles under her eyes, a clear indication that she hadn't been able to rest well. She was in pain, and that was my motivation. I couldn't bear to see her like that. I would've gone through it for her if I could spare her the pain. But I couldn't, so the next best thing would have been to give her the antidote, and rid her of the Scourge.

When Viggo showed up, I felt a rage unlike anything I thought I was capable of. Because of him, I might not have been able to save my best friend. And to think that he was the one who caused it in the first place. It made my blood boil.

Fortunately, we outsmarted him that time, for he knew nothing about the Buffalord. Astrid was safe.

But nightmares still plague me every night about what could have happened had we not saved her in time. Even though I know she's fine, I'm always terrified for her safety.

She reassures me constantly that she will be fine, that she's a warrior, that she can take care of herself. Of course I believe her. She's perfectly capable.

But why do I feel this overwhelming need to protect her?

I sigh heavily, and sit up, knowing I won't be getting any more sleep for a while. I put on my prosthetic and walk out of my hut, Toothless grunting questioningly.

"You stay here, Bud," I say. "I'm just going for a walk. I'll be back."

I walk around the Edge. It's not the first time. This calms me when I feel upset.

When we first welcomed dragons on Berk and started the Berk Dragon Academy, Astrid had been my right hand, second in command, and most of all, my best friend. But she still confused me every now and then. When I woke up after the Red Death, she kissed me. What did that mean?

Sure, after that we kissed a few more times, but then the novelty of it all died down. I still don't know if it meant anything. Was it all just me being hopeful? What if it wasn't real? It felt like it meant something to me, but did she feel the same way?

I kick a few stray pebbles on the ground absentmindedly, not really looking where I was going. I sigh.

She's the most important person in my life. I can't imagine a life without her. But if she doesn't feel the same way, how do I solve this? I know we are best friends. She'd never let me down, and I'd never do anything to disappoint her. I need to do something. I can't live like this for the rest of my life.

Before I know it, I'm walking on sand. I've arrived at the beach. I decide to sit down and clear my head before I go back to my hut.

No chance of that. Thoughts are flying around in my head like a flock of Terrible Terrors out of control.

I look up at the sky, where the moon is shining big and bright. What do I do?

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Astrid sit down on the beach a short distance away. She doesn't seem to have noticed me. She looks up at the navy sky.

I stand up and walk over to her. She sobs, almost unnoticeably. I pretend I didn't hear it. If she didn't want me to hear it, she wouldn't be too happy to know that I did.

"Astrid? You okay?" I ask.

She looks up and wipes her face. "Yeah, I'm fine." She's clearly lying. "I didn't hear you coming."

"I'm sorry," I apologize for startling her. I gesture to the ground beside her. "May I?"

She nods and makes space for me to sit beside her. I turn to her. She hides her face in her arms.

"Are you sure everything's okay?" I ask, placing a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. She stays like that for a minute. When I get no reply I prompt again. "Astrid?"

Finally she looks up and looks at me with her sapphire eyes.

"Hiccup, I need to talk to you."

Oh, Thor. What did I do?

"About what?" I ask nervously.

She avoids eye contact with me. I raise my eyebrows expectantly, encouraging her to continue. She sighs.

"Is Dagur really coming for Heather?" She asks hesitantly, still avoiding my gaze. Instead, she stares straight ahead at the horizon.

"Seems like it," I reply, unsure of where this conversation is going. She pauses for a while, thinking about how to continue.

"Why would he want our help?" Now she looks at me, confused. "What makes him think we'll be willing to help him?"

I should've expected this. I know why. He saved Toothless and I when we were shot down all those weeks ago. We owe him one. He's asking for a favor from us. There's just one problem.

I haven't told the others yet.

"Maybe he thinks we know where she is," I answer slowly, choosing my words carefully.

"But he knows she's our friend," she countered, slowly getting more agitated. "Why would he think we would betray her by giving away her location to our enemy?"

I don't know how to answer that.

"Whatever happens, we promised Heather we would keep Dagur away," I assure her. "And that's exactly what we're going to do."

Astrid hums in reply. We sit in silence for a few minutes. Well, at least I do.

I feel her lean against me and I look down. She's breathing deeply, fast asleep. She looks so peaceful, I can't find it in me to wake her. So I sit there for a while, until I feel my own eyelids grow heavy. I shrug my shoulder gently, forcing her to move.

"What?" She mumbles sleepily. I chuckle. She attempts to glare at me, but she's so tired that she can't pull off anything more than a small frown.

"Nothing," I reply. "You should go back to your hut, get a good sleep."

"I should," she says, standing up. She offers me her hand. "Walk back with me?"

I get up with her help and bow mockingly. "It would be my pleasure, Milady."

I stand straight and she swats my shoulder lightly, laughing as she turns back to the huts. I follow behind her. Once we reach the bridge separating our huts, we face each other awkwardly. Why is it even awkward though. We're best friends. Why is she staring at me like that?

"Thanks, Hiccup." I raise an eyebrow questioningly. She doesn't answer my silent question. Instead she turns around to her hut. I shrug and do the same.

"Hiccup!" I turn around. "Good night!" She shuts her side door. I shake my head and smile.

A/N: You didn't think she'd say it that easily, did you? Don't worry. Lots more opportunities for them to say something. Whether they take the chances or not, we shall find out. :)