Chapter Fifteen

A/N: Yeah, I'm fully aware that Stoick is being slightly OOC in this chapter and more than a little unfair toward Astrid. But then again, he almost lost his son...again. A bit of pointless anger is to be expected...

Grey light filters through the shutters over Hiccup's window. The young viking is laying in his bed, once more oblivious to the world. This time, however, his unconsciousness is intentional. Gothi gave him some kind of medicine to kill his pain and knock him out so he can rest while he heals. But while Hiccup sleeps, his home is anything but peaceful.

"Such blatant disobedience!" Stoick barks. "I thought I could trust you to watch over him, Astrid! I thought you had better judgement than that!"

"He wasn't going to back down!" She retorts. "Either I went with him, or he went alone! And we both know how that would have turned out! Besides," She jabs a finger to the staircase, indicating her friend. "He was right! We got the Book of Dragons back! Now Dagur will back down and there will be no war!"

"And at what cost?!" Stoick hisses. "Hiccup, your friend and my son, nearly died! He still could if that wound gets infected!"

"He only did it to protect his people!"

"And what will his people do if they lose him?!" Stoick shouts, furiously. "What will you do, Astrid?!"

But Astrid doesn't answer that. How dare he even ask her such a question! It's not her fault that Hiccup was nearly killed! All she did was back him up and keep him safe! She saved his life! And this is how Stoick repays her?! What would she do if Hiccup dies?! He's got to be joking!

Obviously, Stoick sees the unbridled fury in her eyes because he suddenly goes quiet as well. Casting a look at the staircase, he sighs. "I have to conference with the others...Dagur isn't one back down easily. Especially if he's holding a grudge..."

"I guess smacking him over the head and possibly giving him a concussion didn't exactly help to soothe his anger..." She mutters, sarcastically, remembering the satisfying sound it had made when it broke over his big, thick skull. If she could go back in time, she would have hit him even harder...

Stoick nods, a shadow of dark humor crossing his face. "I would have done the same thing..." He tells her. "Except maybe with something slightly...sharper."

Astrid smirks, despite herself. She's still mad at Stoick for being so unfair...but at least they share the same mutual hatred for Dagur. Somehow, their violent wishes for him has served to lighten the black mood of the room, just a tad.

"Can I count of you to watch over him while I'm gone?" Stoick asks her, folding his arms. "Without going on another suicide mission?"

She steals a look at the stairs, her mood deflating again. "Yes sir."

"Good." Stoick tugs on his cape and heads for the door. "I won't be gone long." He assures her. "If something happens, Gobber should be in the Forge for a while." The door slams shut behind him as he heads for the Great Hall.

Astrid remains there in the front room for a moment. This is one of those rare moments when the Hofferson girl feels less than confident in herself. She shifts her weight, uneasily before looking back at the steps again. It's not that she doesn't want to see Hiccup... It's just that she's afraid of what she'll see...

Since arriving back on Berk, she's been separated from him while Gothi worked on him. She has no idea what condition he's in.

She can't help but remember those long days after Hiccup's battle with the Red Death...how she craved to know if he was alright, if he was in pain... She would have done anything to see him. Hiccup. The boy who took her flying for the first time, who showed her it's okay to be weak sometimes, that physical strength isn't always the most important kind of strength... She missed him. And when she walked outside that day...saw all those people by his house...she knew. He was awake. She ran all the way there...only to stop when she saw his leg. Oh gods...he'd lost his leg. But...he hadn't seemed too upset about it. In fact, he looked almost...happy. All those people-people who had never even offered him a passing glance before all of this-were cheering for him. Happy for him. She was happy for him. He was a hero. The Dragon Conqueror!

But today doesn't feel like that day. There's no anticipation thrumming in her chest, no butterflies in her stomach at the thought of seeing him. Just dread. And fear. This isn't over. Not by a long shot. What if Stoick was right? What if Hiccup really does die? What if Dagur returns and finishes the job? What if she's not able to stop him?

Suddenly, Astrid feels sick. All this stress is starting to get to her. And the thought of Hiccup...dead? It's too much. Way too much. Besides, it'll probably never happen! She finds herself rationalizing. Everything is going to be fine. We're home now. Hiccup is going to be fine! She takes a breath and starts for Hiccup's bedroom. I promised him he'd be fine. I'll keep him safe. No matter what. With that resolve in mind, she climbs upstairs.

As soon as Astrid steps into Hiccup's room, she remembers one more thing that will ensure Hiccup's safety. And that thing is the five hundred pound, fire-breathing lizard that is currently crouched in the rafters, stalking her from the highest point in the house. She smirks.

"Morning, Toothless."

The Night Fury grumbles and wiggles his butt a little, his tail sweeping the floor as it twitches back and forth. His pupils are narrow as he watches her.

Just like an overgrown cat. She remarks with a roll of her eyes. "Relax. Hiccup's not going anywhere this time. I'm just here to watch over him while Stoick is away."

Toothless's ears twitch and his pupils widen a little. He jumps down from the rafters, landing with a thump. Slinking over to Astrid, he sniffs her and coos.

She pats his head and he nuzzles her hand. "I'm sorry, Toothless. I know you must be worried about him. I am too."

He purrs and stands up again, looking at Hiccup with big, green eyes. The dragon moves a little closer to the boy, sniffing his cheek. He exhales, the breath that blows across Hiccup's face tussles his hair. Toothless nudges his shoulder, jolting his entire body.

"No, Toothless!" Astrid protests, ushering him away from Hiccup. "He's asleep for a reason. If we wake him up, he'll be in a lot of pain."

Toothless's eyes go wide in understanding and he whimpers, lowering his head and backing away from the sleeping teen.

She smiles, apologetically. "Don't worry, Toothless." She says in the most comforting voice she can manage. "Hiccup is going to be okay. You'll see."

Stoick returns home about an hour later. He calls for Astrid and she immediately rushes down to meet him, eager to hear what the village has decided to do. However, as much as she wants to believe the war has been called off, she is sadly disappointed when she hears what has just happened...

"Berserker ships have been seen in our waters." He reports, grimly. "Dagur has refused to back down. We're still at war."

"No..." She breathes, horrified. All of this...everthing we've done...Hiccup's injuries..they were all for nothing...! She shakes her head. "M-maybe they're not going to-"

"Astrid." He interrupts her. "We both know why they're here."

She closes her eyes, trying to shut out the panic she's feeling. "Well...what're we going to do? Should we ready the dragons?"

"No."

She opens her eyes again, eyeing him strangely. "But Sir...dragons are our best chance against-"

"I know that, Astrid." He assures her. "And if comes down to it, we'll use them. But for now, we're taking ships out to meet them halfway. I want to talk with Dagur and his men, assure them they won't win. Especially now that they don't have the Book. A war with us would mean senseless slaughter on their part. I don't want to have to kill them just because Dagur is a proud fool!"

Astrid stares at him for a moment, silently shocked at what he said. After a moment, she bows her head. And smirks. "Now I see where Hiccup gets it." She chuckles. "When are you leaving?" She asks.

"As soon as possible." He says, still trying to figure out what she'd meant by 'that's where Hiccup gets it'. "I just came to ask if you'd stay with until Gobber gets here."

"Of course, Sir." She says, nodding.

"Thank you." He says as he turns away. But before he reaches the door, he pauses. "Astrid."

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry." He mumbles. "It wasn't your fault...I was just angry."

She smiles. "I know. And it's okay. I totally understand..."

"You're a good girl, Astrid. I can't thank you enough for saving him." With that, he disappears once again, quietly closing the door behind him and leaving Astrid alone.

Hiccup won't be very happy to hear that he got stabbed for nothing...but who knows. Maybe Stoick will be able to talk the Berserkers out of fighting Dagur's pointless war. He might still come through for us in the end...