Chapter 10

...

The first thing Hiccup noticed when he opened his eyes was a throbbing pain in his side. The second thing he noticed was that Astrid was snuggled against his bare chest, her hand resting over his heart.

But where were they?

He stared into the darkness for a few moments, alert. Once his eyes adjusted to the dimness, he realized that they were in a cave. It wasn't long after that when he noticed they was lying in a makeshift bed created from furs, which immediately alerted him that he was safe, as no enemy would bother fixing a bed for them.

Letting his guard down, he turned towards Astrid. It was then that he noticed her torso was covered only by her breast bindings, and that the warm skin of her stomach was pressed against his shivering, bandaged middle.

"Astrid?" he whispered.

The blonde's eyes cracked open. "Hiccup? Are you...are you awake?"

"Yeah, I'm awake. What...what's happening?"

"You got shot by an arrow when we were leaving the dragon hunters' ship. Stoick, Ruff, Tuff, and Fishlegs are looking for a nearby healer. Your mom, Snotlout, and Dagur are with Toothless in another cave. His tail is broken."

"What?" Hiccup sat straight up in bed. "Ow! Oh my Thor, what -" He clutched his side.

"Shh. He's fine. His good tail is still intact. It's just his prosthetic that doesn't work. I mean, he might have another couple scrapes from falling, but he's definitely in better shape than you are."

The auburn-haired Viking relaxed. "Where's your tunic?"

"You broke out into a fever last night, and I thought some skin contact might help." Astrid paused. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I...I don't care whether or not you're wearing it. But a fever? I'm freezing."

"You've been switching between burning up and shivering all night." Astrid reached up to brush his disheveled hair away from his forehead. "I've been worried sick. That's why I wanted to sleep with you. I mean...not sleep with you like that...but you know...just uh...just be here in case anything happened." She blushed.

"But Toothless...how is his tail broken?"

"You got shot in the side and were knocked out. Stoick put you on Skullcrusher, and Valka tried to ride Toothless. But you know, the control for his tail is meant for your metal leg, so while she was on him, it snapped."

"Oh, gods. And the others? Everyone else is okay, right?" Hiccup paused. "Wait, are you okay? I mean, Drago did hit you."

"I'm fine, Hiccup. I've dealt with more than just a slap on the cheek before. But you, on the other hand -"

"Stop worrying about me. I'll be fine. I just need to rest." The auburn-haired Viking groaned. "What time is it?"

"I'm guessing very early morning." Astrid turned to Stormfly, who was curled up against the wall. "Do you mind giving us some light, girl?"

Rising to her feet, the Nadder let out a slow stream of fire while her rider checked Hiccup's bandages. To Astrid's relief, the only blood on them was dried. "Thank Thor," she murmured before signaling Stormfly to stop firing.

"You know, that fire felt good," Hiccup remarked.

"I'm sure it did. But you know she can't keep it up for too long. It'll wear her out." Astrid settled back beneath the furs and tucked them snugly around herself and Hiccup. "Now try and get some more rest."

...

When Hiccup opened his eyes again, Astrid was gone, and a cold cloth was resting on his forehead. After a few moments, he noticed that Valka and Toothless were beside him.

"Toothless? Are you okay, bud?" Hiccup rasped, reaching out to touch the Night Fury's nose with one hand while tugging the covers over his chest with the other. While Valka was his mother, it still felt awkward to be shirtless in front of her.

"He's fine," Valka replied, placing a comforting hand on top of her son's.

"Where's...where's Astrid?"

"Astrid is eating and washing up. She hasn't left you since the accident happened, so I told her to go take care of herself."

"Thanks." Hiccup managed a small smile. "Are Dad and the other riders back?"

"Not yet, dear. But how are you feeling?" Valka brushed Hiccup's hair out of his face and kissed his forehead. "Oh Thor, you're still warm," she murmured before he had time to answer the question himself. "And I'm sure your bandages need to be changed, but I'll leave that to Astrid when she gets back. Right now, I need you to drink some water." She held out a flask.

After slowly easing himself into a sitting position, Hiccup took the object with a shaking hand and held it to his lips. At first, he took tiny sips, but the more he drank, the more he realized how thirsty he was, and switched to larger gulps. It wasn't long before the flask was empty.

"Better?" asked Valka.

Hiccup nodded. "Much better."

"You're up!" Astrid exclaimed as she entered the cave.

"Yes, he's up. I thought that maybe you could help him change his bandages," said Valka, offering Astrid a fresh piece of cloth and a bowl of salve.

"Of course." Astrid grabbed the items and knelt beside the auburn-haired Viking.

Valka rose to her feet. "Alright. I'll leave you two be, then. Do you want Toothless with you, or -"

"Yeah. Leave him with me, Mom." Hiccup scratched his dragon behind the ears, earning a deep purr.

"Alright. I'll leave him. Call me if either of you need anything." After leaning down to give her son another kiss on the forehead, Valka made her way out of the cave.

"Okay, Hiccup. Sit up so we can get this done." As Hiccup pushed himself up, Astrid quickly untied his bandages and began unwinding them from around his torso.

"How are you so good with knots?" asked Hiccup, amazed at how fast the blonde was moving.

"It's just like unknotting my bindings," shrugged Astrid. "And I do that every day. It's just as easy as braiding my hair."

"I don't understand how you do that, either." He winced as Astrid fingered his wound.

"It's looking better," she announced. "You should've probably had it stitched up, though. I mean, since you're letting it heal like this, you're gonna have one big scar."

"Like I don't already have a giant scar from my leg. Three, actually. And lots of little ones. And then there's the one on my chin." He sighed. "I think I'm just meant to be one big canvas for scars."

"Don't worry. I have my share of scars, too, and I'm sure I'm not done with them. I mean -"

"Ouch! Astrid!" Hiccup interrupted as his friend began spreading the salve onto his injury. "A little warning would've been nice!"

"Don't be a baby," teased Astrid.

"But it burns!" The auburn-haired Viking rubbed his smarting eyes.

"I'm almost done." After smearing on the remainder of the salve, Astrid expertly wound the clean bandages around the wound. Once finished, she wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Now, you'd better be careful to keep it clean. I'd hate to lose you to an infection." She pecked Hiccup's cheek before springing to her feet. "Alright, well, I'm gonna leave you to rest now. Remember, be careful."

And with that, the blonde was gone.