Author's Note: I liiiiivvvveeee! *Throws hands upwards*. Heh. Sorry pups. I guess I just love leaving you with cliffhangers for ridiculous amounts of time. ;) (not really). I was extremely depressed and didn't feel like doing anything but sleeping and crying. So... Anyways. Wow, I listened to blizzard sounds as I wrote this chapter and like, whoa.

Anyways, originally, I was going to skip this part 'cause I wanted this story to be solely Hiccup/Toothless's POV's but after a little bit of debate I did Astrid's. This probably her only POV (she might have another one). But yeah. Ramble, ramble, ramble.

WARNING: Mentions of blood! (not super descriptive but, uh, pups, Hiccup was just stabbed. ;) Annd MINOR SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4!

Disclaimer: I ownith nothing!

Sorry for any spelling/grammar issues.

Song inspiration: Pirate Love Song -Black Heart by BrunuhVille


SHOUT OUTS! (I did promise. ;))

FabinaForever11: Pfft, kill him? I hate sudden character deaths in the middle of the story. It's like: Whoa! This is so cool it's so-annnd Hiccup's dead...alrighty then, what's next? At least, for me personally. ;) Thanks for your review!

MidnightForest037: First off pal, awesome username. Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and yup, people can survive stabbage. Unless it's in the liver or other important organs but liver is immediate death, I have done my research. ;)

Fanwriter02: Astrid was...busy. Thanks! I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter.

Guest #1: AH! FLEE PITCHFORKS AND TORCHES! XD Ha, ha, ha! Your review made me laugh, very hard. Thanks pal! :)

Guest #2: Yeah, Hiccup is in a loud of trouble. Updated! :)

PhAnToM: Thanks! XD

Saraj8ne: Right? People don't actually think that they'll get stabbed. Ah, cliffhangers. Thanks for your review.

Guest 3#: Pup, I appreciate your honesty with me. But, if you don't like the story, you don't have to read it, I promise. XD Thanks for your review!

SailorMew4: Ha, ha, ha! I am so evil! :) Thanks for your review.

Guest 4#: Cliffhanger! :)

Guest 5#: I don't know why your review didn't show up. :/ Thanks for your review.

Windrider340: Nah, don't be sorry I'm with you! (I still haven't figured out the most painful death for Jink yet…) XD Thanks for your review!

And to everyone else, THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT/FOR READING THIS! YOU ARE ALL AMAZING!


Chapter 7: Don't Leave Me! Don't You Dare Leave Me!

Astrid,

I've never felt more tempted to strangle something.

My fist jerks upwards punching the man across the face, he stumbles backwards as I dive backwards to avoid a lethal swing from a sword towards my chest. Dive, leap, attack, retreat, repeat. I have to get this over with. Hiccup and Toothless are still out there and Thor knows the amount of trouble they've gotten themselves into.

I swing my left leg forward and kick another attacker, a large burly, bearded man in the stomach gripping my dagger's tighter. The hilt is slick with sweat and my hands are starting to get clammy from the heavy, unreleasing, tightening grip that I have around them. I, being the amazing warrior prepared genius I am, left my axe in the ring as Hiccup and I fled into the battle. Now, I'm down to the weapons I carry solely on my person at all times and the occasional spineshot from Stormfly. She's busy.

I crisscross my daggers in an X to block an attack from a sword and push against the weapon gritting my teeth. My attacker, a large Viking shoves against his weapon both of us silently battling for the win. I will not bend, I will not break.

I shove back and kick the man away spinning around as I hear footsteps behind me. Anger slides through my emotions, tampering with my cool head. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is that's bothering me so much. Hiccup? Toothless? The attack?

Whatever it is, these men are getting a full force of it. The adrenaline pumping through my veins is starting to take hold and my muscles are getting sluggish. No taunts or quips leave my pursed mouth as I focus intently on not dying. My face is bleeding heavily and a nice gash is across my eyebrow on my right side.

I release a breath through my nose, ignoring the puff of steam it sends up towards the sky and hack at a man's weapon aggressively. This needs to end, I have to find Hiccup and Toothless. These men are good; well trained. My stamina is running short. Stormfly is taking on at least four at once and I need to ditch my attackers to go help her, then find Hiccup. Me and Stormfly had been searching for them when they jumped in front of us. I'm not entirely sure what bloody island it is that attacked us but I'm thoroughly done with them. The sail looked familiar when I saw it less than an hour ago. I'm not sure from where.

I grunt in shock as a leg smacks against my distracted ribs and I tumble backwards the gronckle iron daggers slipping from my hands. A man moves forward lifting his sword over his head with a grunt, I narrow my eyes and bring my hands forward grabbing the man's forearm and twisting it slightly. The sword slips from his grip and clatters at our feet.

Smoke is rising heavily into the air and I keep my breaths short and as possible. The smoke is messing with my senses. The man swings his fist forward and I catch it with one palm looking towards my attacker's face. It's covered mostly with a thick cloth, probably to block out the smoke, and I can't read his expression very well but from his eyes I can take that he's frustrated.

They may be well trained, but so am I.

The man draws his hand back and I tense, letting my muscles brace for another attack. The man looks prepared to do just that but stops when a horn screeches through the silence of the air. It has a faint musical tone to it but for the most part is a faint screech echoing around us and drowned by the roar of the fire.

Not Berk's.

The man's gaze flickers towards me for a moment before he turns and takes off into the woods quickly followed by his masked comrades. A horn of retreat then. A relieved breath escapes my tired muscles and I turn looking back at Stormfly as she moves towards me. I smile faintly and a gust of wind smacks against my back. A shiver slithers down my spine and I grab the edges of my hood pulling it up. I wipe the cut across my cheek and let out a breath.

A light snowfall is beginning to fall, not annoying but this is Berk, in a few minutes it's going to be a full on out blizzard of death and destruction. I lean down and grab my discarded daggers sliding them onto their holders at my waist. I turn to Stormfly resting a hand on her nose. She's bleeding in a few places but nothing that shouldn't go away in a few days. We're both going to be fine.

Hiccup and Toothless. We need to find them. Now.

"C'mon Stormfly, let's go find Hiccup and Toothless, see what trouble they've gotten themselves into this time." I say with a sigh and a shake of my head. Trouble. So much trouble. My heart gives a painful twist at the thought of a few weeks ago when Stoick had to publicly declare them dead and ended the search. I refused to give up and kept on silently searching anyway.

Stormfly coos in agreement and I grab her saddle swinging onto her back with ease. I tug my hood over my face before grabbing the handles. Stormfly looks back at me and I give a nod of confirmation, with a powerful leap Stormfly jumps into the air and higher into the snowfall. Hiccup. I close my eyes slightly.

I never hated him, exactly, I'm just a sore loser. And a spit fire. I really wish things had gone differently when I snuck into his room a few days ago. He needed someone he could lean on, but all I did was yell at him. Trust. He does trust me. I can see it in his stance, the look in his eyes, the problem is, he doesn't trust himself. I refuse to give up on him, I'll pick up the pieces of the man that I love and put him back together, no matter how long it takes.

A heavy gust of wind smacks against my face and I'm torn from my thoughts as the weather decides it's time for me to leave them. I scan around us for Hiccup and Toothless but this is quickly becoming an issue as the storm, true to Berk nature, picks up speed. I grit my teeth in frustration. The snow is blowing into every part of my face it can reach. I'm beyond sure that my fingers went numb a good ten maybe twenty minutes ago. I tug on my hood to keep it over my face and grip Stormfly's saddle tighter, "Do you see them!?" I yell towards her. Stormfly shakes her head and continues searching below us.

The smoke has cleared, that I suppose, is a good thing but I can't seem to muster up the proper bout of happiness with freezing flakes blowing in my face every second. My grip tightens before through the heavy snow I spot a clearing. The wind is bitter and cold but the snow isn't falling heavily enough to make visibility impossible, but it's getting there.

The clearing is dirty and the still burning trees are smoking but there's a lingering sense of wrongness about it. I bite my lip before lifting my hand out for Stormfly to see, "Land there, girl." I request and she squawks leaping forward in a dive. My heart hammers inside my chest.

Hiccup and Toothless weren't in the air. Are they injured? What happened? Did they get free of the net?

I bite my lip before Stormfly lands. I leap off her back and scan around myself, there's a heavy set of footprints everywhere and a drag line leading into the forest followed by footprints. Odd. Arrowheads are scattered, a crossbow laying here and there and a broken net is laying towards the center with a small cylinder next to it.

Gnawing on my inner lip I move forward toward the net and finger the twine before looking at the cylinder. I brush a layer of snow off of it and dread sweeps through me. It's the updated Inferno. Hiccup and Toothless were here. I sit up clutching the weapon before attaching it to my belt.
If they're not here, where are they?

There was clearly a small battle fought but there's no sign that anyone is still here. Were they captured again? Panic sputters across every available nerve at the thought. I wasn't here to defend them, to give the well deserved punch in the face to Jink and his happy band of psychos. Please no.

I turn my gaze sweeping more carefully across the trees hoping I missed something. A clue, a sign, something to let me know they're still on Berk. They couldn't have disappeared again. Hiccup is the only one who knows where Jink's island is.

Snow, snow, snow, ashen trees, snow, broken tre-no. Oh, Thor, NO!

No, no, no, no!

No!

NO!

Hiccup. His body is limp and laying in the snow, defeated and broken but I can't tell if he's breathing. "Hiccup!" I breathe and tear across the snow kicking the power up racing towards him. No, no, no, no, no! I scramble towards the heir slipping slightly but manage to regain my balance. I skid to my knees and my hands fly over my mouth my breath hitching.

Oh, no!

"Hiccup!" I shout, again, but he doesn't do anything. He's pale, his lips a faint shade of blue, the snow around him a deep shade of crimson but the thing that grasps my attention the most is the deep stain of red spreading across his chest below his ribs. Oh Thor. It's a stab wound.

He was stabbed.

"No! No, no, no, no!" I beg and grab the edge of his coat peeling it away from his chest trying to get a better look. The green fabric underneath is a deeper shade and vomit builds at the back of my throat. What do I do?! I can't leave him here, he'll either bleed out or freeze to death. I'm not a healer! Oh Thor, no, no, no, no! Why?

A childish part me wants to scream out that it's not fair.

"You stay with me!" I command my vision blurry with tears as I smash my hands down on his chest adding pressure to the bleeding wounds. His back arches slightly with pain and a breath of air escapes his frozen lips. "Don't leave me! Don't you dare leave me!" I scream. Not again. No. It was agony thinking that he was dead, I went to the cove the night I found him to finally accept his death, but this time...it's real. And there's nothing I can do.

I've never felt so helpless.

He. Can't. Die! No! Please no!

A soft, barely noticeable groan escapes the Haddock's lips and I snap my gaze down towards him but his eyes don't open and he remains semi-conscious. I need him to be awake! I can't lose him! I refuse to lose him.

I can't!

I pull my hands back and rip his jacket apart staring at the wound wiping my hands on the snow disgust fluttering through me. Hiccup moans again and I roll my sleeves upwards grabbing my arm wraps and quickly undoing them. I have no other fabric except my coat and we'll both die if I freeze to death.

I gently lift Hiccup up slightly and look towards Stormfly helplessly. She moves forward and swipes her tail under his upper back lifting him. I grab the strip of fabric and quickly work it across his chest flinching as he groans. No, no, no, no, no.

I tie off the bandage and catch his upper back as Stormfly lets him go.

Realization smacks me in the face, my childish denial finally swept away.

Hiccup is going to die.

And there's nothing I can do about it.

"Oh Thor! Hiccup, no!" Tears run down my cheeks, as I grab his hand and squeeze it tightly. I pinch my eyes shut and lean forward gently pressing our foreheads together, "I can't lose you again."

I pull my head back and tighten my hold under his shoulders, grabbing him and pull him away from the crimson snow lifting him with ease, "You're going to be okay, you're going to be okay!" I shout gripping him tighter before my floodgates break and the tears fall. My shoulders shake with the sobs and I struggle to breathe properly everything blurry as I lament.

My breaths come out as strangled gasps and my voice is barely above a whisper, "Please be okay," I tighten my grip and stare at his pale, pained face three small words slipping from my lips, "I love you."

He doesn't awaken, open his eyes or do anything but remain unnervingly like a frozen corpse. I grab his shoulders and under his knees lifting up bridal style. He groans and I feel tears slip from my cheeks looking down at him, this could be his death. I can't lose him! I won't, I refuse to let him die.

"Shh, you need to stay with us." I murmur, echoing the words he whispered gently to me when I had Odin's Scourge a few months ago. You need to stay with me! I move towards Stormfly and she squawks sorrowfully as she see's Hiccup's state. Hiccup's breathing picks up the pace and I grip him tighter before I look at Stormfly. The wind is howling angrily and it's bitter, Stormfly would be jerked from the sky, the only dragon who could fight it might be Toothless but he's absent. I can't risk it, we'll have to walk back.

I kick my feet through the tall snow, the thick, freezing powdery flakes, bouncing up around me wishing I could run back. Berk is a good two hours from here and who knows how long he was laying in the snow before hand, it was very red. Too red. Hiccup's eyelids open heavily and he looks up at me, a glazed look through them as if he can't actually see me.

"Too..th...less." He breathes.

"Hiccup," I choke keeping a firm hold on him as he starts to struggle weakly. Why! Why are you doing this!? Please just stay still, "...h-he's fine." I lie the words coming off as broken to me. Hiccup, however, seems satisfied with this answer. I don't know what happened, I can only assume that whoever stabbed Hiccup took his dragon after plunging the blade through his chest.

"I'm...sorry...Astrid..." He murmurs softly before his eyes close, his head rolling back and his body goes limp in my arms.

"No! No! No! Hiccup!" I plead, "Stay awake! Please stay awake!" I beg. He doesn't, shakey, broken breathes leaving his chest. Oh Thor, we have to move. I will my feet forward and keep Hiccup tucked close to my chest lowering my head so my hood falls in front of my eyes, my upper body shielding hiccup from the storm some. Stormfly stays next to my side, being my eyes.

Whoever did this is going to pay. I'm going to wring their necks then toss them into a volcano, sweep up the ashes and feed it to Stormfly. People overstep a line when they hurt Hiccup but stabbing him? That's something else entirely.

I grit my teeth and focus on forward instead of the despair that's grasped onto my heart. He's not going to make it. There's no way he could. He's bleeding out. I'm not a healer, sure, I know the basics but not this. THERE'S NOTHING I CAN DO! He's going to die and it's going to be MY FAULT!

I should've looked harder, I should've taken out the men faster, I should've been here quicker, I should've stopped it from happening. But I didn't.

My eyes are blurry from the tears falling down my face but I press on. MInutes pass by slowly, every wind gust is agonizing. My feet are growing distant. Stormfly's wings lift above me and Hiccup trying to block some of the wind and snow as we walk.

Berk isn't getting closer.

No light, no warmth, no hope.

Step after step.

Left, right.

Cold.

Tired.

Eyes aching.

Numb feet.

No direction.

Breathing hard.

Lungs ache.

Tired muscles.

Frozen fingers.

Cold.

I want to fall down and have a good hearty cry; but I won't give up. I refuse to give up. I stop moving and it's death for both me and Hiccup. I won't let that happen. No.

Keep. Moving.

Time moves forward slowly, the wind doesn't let up-it's gets worse-and the blizzard is making sight impossible. I give my full trust to Stormfly, she's the only one who knows where we're going; Hiccup's breaths are getting weaker but I can tell that some part of him is conscious, his eyelids keep fluttering.

He's not dead yet. Neither am I.

Cold. Cold. Oh, I am so cold and tired. Maybe I can rest for a second…My feet give out suddenly and I collapse Hiccup still clutched in my arms. I cry out but my voice sounds distant. Get up, get up, get up, get up! Get up or you're both going to freeze Astrid Camicazi Hofferson!

Stormfly sqwuaks and neals shoving her head against my back trying to get me to move. "I can't." I whisper, my voice ghostly. Hiccup gives a strangled breath and his eyes squeeze shut. I tighten my hold on him tears of frustration mixing with the grief. I can't move. I'm going to freeze to death. My limbs are frozen.

Stormfly presses harder against my back and a sob escapes my lips, "I CAN'T!" I scream looking back at her in frustration. Her blurry blue form is blocked by the snow but I can still see the concerned look she sends me. I can't, I can't, I can't! No one is coming for us, we're on our own. We're going to die. There's nothing I can do except wait for Berk to find our frozen corpses. There's no hope, my legs are frozen. Hiccup. My heart twists as I look down at his pale form, I want to protect him, keep anyone from so much as looking at him funny but I can't. I took on my Uncle's title of "fearless" but I'm terrified.

"So what are you going to do?" My voice echoes in my head and I squeeze my eyes shut. Nothing. I can't do anything. It's helpless. "There will always be a Hiccup and Astrid, always."

Always.

The word rattles around my brain and another sob escapes my lips.

"Don't you trust me, Hiccup?"

"...No one was coming..."

"Why won't you talk to me!?"

"...I didn't think you were coming-any of you!"

"Why are you incapable of seeing that I'm trying to help you?"

"There was no hope!"

"...be a Hiccup and Astrid..."

I throw back my head and let a scream of fury escape my lips. I'm doing everything I can to make amends and help him trust himself again but I'm failing. The moment I make progress, when I finally break through his mental barriers, this happens.

He promised me and in the most horribly ironic way he's right. We're both going to die here. In the snow, frozen, but together. Bitterness sweeps through me. Stormfly nudges against my back again and I look back at her. She coos trying to get me to move forward and a small pang battles through my heart.

She, Stormfly, the other half of the sword that makes up me trusts me because of Hiccup. All of this, new Berk, Dragon's Edge, everything is because of him.

I blink my frozen eyelashes before looking back down at Hiccup. My resolve settles.

I have to get him help.

He's still alive. I grasp the small thin strand of hope and cling to it with my whole being.

I lift my head up determination running through me. My muscles groan in protest as I get to my feet slowly and stumble slightly but manage to regain my shaky balance. Stormfly coos encouragingly and I take a step forward only to ram into something. I gasp and my hands curl around Hiccup as I lean back to regain my footing.

A step.

It's a stair. I squint before looking back at Stormfly. She moves forward bobbing her head encouragingly. The Great Hall. That's why she was so persistent on trying to get me up. We're so close to help. Gritting my teeth and clenching my jaw I move forward and grab Hiccup tighter and force my beyond exhausted muscles to work.

Right left, right left…

I move forward and stumble when I reach the end of the stairs who knows how long later. I move forward and spot the Great Hall's doors. Everyone has to be in here, Stormfly wouldn't lead me astray. I shove my right shoulder against the doors and they let out a long groan as I stumble inside.

I blink rapidly as the light smacks into my eyes momentarily blinding me. I stumble forward gasping at the sudden heat. My voice is small and quiet but I open my eyes, "H-h-help." I rasp moving forward, "Help...please...Hiccup.." I murmur my voice growing quieter. My hands are shaking. I can't hold him for much longer.

"ASTRID!?" My mother's voice shrieks. I look up as the heads snap around to look at us.

"Hiccup?" Stoick breathes somewhere behind her.

Four figures leap in front of me and I moan leaning away clutching Hiccup tighter. "Oh Thor, oh Thor!" Fishlegs squeaks on my left. The twins suck in sharp breaths in sync and through my hazy vision I can spot Snotlout's face paling.

"OUT OF MY WAY!" Stoick roars and shoves the riders and the gathered crowd away from me. He pales, "Hiccup." He murmurs sorrowfully. He gently moves his hands forward and takes his son from my grip. I want to protest, scream in frustration, make him let me keep him close, away from harm.

But my hands raise as he's taken away trying to go after him and I can't muster up any protests. "Astrid!" My mother's voice squeaks and there's a moment before her strong arms wrap around my shoulders in a tight hug, "Oh Thor, I'd thought I'd lost you." She whispers.

"GOTHI!" Stoick screams somewhere ahead of me. Hiccup! I have to see if he's okay! He has to be!

"Hi...Hiccup." I gasp and she shakes her head, wrapping a blanket around my shoulders.

"No, sweetheart, not now, please." My mother begs and wraps an arm around my shoulders leading me forward. She forces me next to the roaring fire in the center and my tired legs collapse. "I'm going to go grab something warm for you to eat. Do. Not. Move." She commands and walks off her stride purposeful.

The heat is oddly painful as it hits my frozen skin. I groan and curl in on myself wrapping my hands around my legs. I want to cry. I want to shout, I want to scream. I want Hiccup to be okay.

A hand wraps around my shoulder suddenly and I lift my head tiredly in surprise as Ruffnut sits down next to me, her hand around my shoulders in a tight sisterly way. Tuffnut sits down next to her and Fishlegs and Snotlout on my right.

I imagine they already tried and failed to get to Hiccup. I lift my hands over the fire my eyebrows meeting. Heat. It's foreign. But sweet. Ruffnut tightens her grip on my shoulders an unusually serious aurora around the twins, Fishlegs and Snotlout.

They don't speak.

Don't pry.

Or question.

Laugh, make jokes, argue, just sit there. Letting me know that they are there for me no matter what happens. My mother puts a hand on my right shoulder before she gently hands me the cup of...whatever it is. "I'll be around if you need me." She whispers before walking off who knows where.

I hold the steaming mug of...whatever and look forward dully.

Hiccup is dying.

There's nothing I can do-nothing anyone can do but wait.