Chapter Three

A/N: By the way (and I really should have mentioned this earlier) this is my first time writing horror so...be nice. XD

Aragwen the Terrifying? Hiccup chuckles quietly to himself as he munches on some kind of sweet roll his father insisted he try. Why would someone as nice as her be named 'the Terrifying'? The teen shakes his head, marveling at how some people must think. He curiously glances down at the pendant she gave him. His hand is still wrapped around it, unconsciously twisting it back and forth where it falls just above his heart. There's a sweet smell coming from the herbs inside it, a pleasant smell. Although, admittedly, it is a little strong...

At this moment, Hiccup is tucked away in a secluded corner of the palace-like meeting hall, resting on glossy wooden seat. His notebook is out in his lap, his charcoal pencil in his hand but, for some reason, he simply doesn't feel like drawing. His gaze is distant, as if his thoughts are a million miles away.

Somewhere in the building, a clock chimes midnight and, at that moment, Hiccup lets out a huge yawn. He's exhausted from their voyage and is usually asleep by now. However, by the looks of things, this little party won't be winding down for quite a while. In fact, Stoick has just started telling a story about how once took down four Monstrous Nightmares at one. Of course, no one else in this meeting hall knows that Berk is training dragons so Stoick has to pretend they kill them. But as soon as that conversation started up, Hiccup totally zoned out. He's not particularly fond of listening to how every viking in the room claims to have 'spilled the guts of at least four hundred Gronckles in their time' or how 'satisfying it is to skin a Deady Nadder'...He actually shivers at the thought.

I hope Toothless is okay and he isn't giving Astrid a hard time... Suddenly, another deep yawn escapes him and his eyelids begin to feel heavy. Hiccup finds his gaze being drawn toward the doors. Hmm...maybe some fresh air will wake me up. He scoots out of his chair and wanders toward the exit, stealing one last glance at his father. Then, he opens the door just wide enough that he can slip through and disappears out into the cool, night air.

Hiccup drifts around the tiny island for nearly an hour, his eyes focused on nothing, his legs moving as if they have a mind of their own. He doesn't know where he's going and he really doesn't care. This place is so small that, no matter where you are, you can always see the light from the hall in the distance. And, frankly, it's nice to get away from the loud shouting and laughter of the other vikings. Plus, the smell of alcohol was beginning to get to Hiccup's head.

Now, alone in moonlit night with nothing but his thoughts and the sweet-smelling pendant, Hiccup feels much more relaxed than before. It hadn't been his aim to fall asleep, it just sort of happened. One minute, he was wandering around the hillside and the next, he was laying down in the grass and closing his eyes.

He can hear his heart beating in his chest, gradually slowing down to very relaxed pace. His arms and legs feel heavy and he finds it impossible to keep his eyes open any longer. A content sigh escapes him and accepts his drowsiness, giving into the sleep that prods the edges of his mind.

The last thought he tells himself before entirely drifting away is, Dad will notice I'm gone and come looking for me...I won't sleep long.

"Just let it happen, Hiccup..." A soft voice whispers in his ear. "Don't fight it...that will only makes things harder for everyone and we don't want that, do we?" The voice laughs gently and, at the sound of it, a warmth blossoms in his chest. He had missed the sound of it. A soft, pale hand reaches forth from the darkness around him and caresses his cheek. "I'll see you soon, my darling." It echos through his mind, sending chills down his back. It isn't talking to him anymore...

Hiccup wakes with a start. Jolting upright in bed, he finds his heart pounding, sweat tricking down his forehead. His hands are shaking when he reaches up to touch the pendant around his throat. Its presence comforts him again, like before. Although he doesn't know why.

It's only then that he realizes he's no longer in the grassy fields outside the meeting hall. He is, in fact, in a bed. And not just any bed...his bed. Well, his bed on the ship, that is. Only question now is...how did he get here?

With a confused look on his face, Hiccup kicks off his blanket and swings his legs around, noticing that he's still in his clothes from last night. He stands up, intent of finding his father and figuring out what happened...but immediately his knees buckle. He gasps in surprise at the horrible, aching weakness in his legs, as if he walked for miles and miles. That's weird... He notes as he straightens himself, using the night stand as support. I didn't walk that far yesterday... But his legs say otherwise.

Just then, the door creaks open. Stoick peers in, sheepishly, wondering if his son is still asleep. His eyes brighten when he notices him awake. "Ah, I was just about to wake you." He says. "Come say goodbye to everyone. Our ship will be leaving soon."

Easier said than done. He grumbles to himself. "Alright, I'll be out in a second." He says instead as he finally manages to stand upright.

Stoick begins to disappear back out the door when Hiccup stops him again.

"Hang on a second, Dad..."

"Yes?"

"Um..." Hiccup avoids his eyes when he-in a sheepish voice-asks, "How did I get here...?" The answer is obvious but, for some reason, he's still got a creepy feeling in his gut. It will make him feel better to hear his father say it himself.

Stoick arcs an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?" He wonders. "You came up to me last night, said you were tired, then walked out. I assumed you came right here and went to bed...you looked dead-tired."

Hiccup stares at him, dumbfounded by the answer he was given. No...that's not right. I didn't speak to him since he went off with Grizzly...right? So what makes him think that I...?

"Hiccup?" Stoick asks as he slowly enters the room. "Are you feeling alright? You look pale, son."

Hiccup hesitates for a moment before nodding, jerkily. "Yeah...I guess I just had a bad dream last night. I'm fine."

With that, Stoick nods and reminds him to hurry up and come say goodbye before going back out onto the deck of the ship and closing the door behind him.

Maybe...maybe I fell asleep in my chair or something...I could have been so groggy I forgot I talked to him... He finds himself rationalizing. Yeah, that's probably all it was.

But something, deep inside him is telling him he's wrong.

A/N: Yay! My first attempt at legit creepiness! XD I hope it didn't suck, LOL!

Also, HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY! 2013 was the year I started writing fanfics so...wow. A whole year of stories under my belt! Thanks for all your support and I'll see you in 2014!