A/N: Sorry for the wait and the quality. This chapter is rushed. ;)
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
I apologize for any grammar/spelling errors.
Chapter 9: Awake
Hiccup,
"...You're always getting in my way..."
"...Checkmate."
"Don't leave me! Don't you dare leave me!"
"...Please be okay…"
"...shh, you need to stay with us,"
"H-help…"
Pain. Cold. Voice. Stumbling. Pain. Ache. Worry. Death. Stab. Cold. Pain.
Disconnected.
Everything is sluggish. I can't seem to grasp any power over my body, just awkwardly slipping in and out of consciousness. The state between is one I often remain in. It's one of the first times I can properly declare that my eyelashes hurt. I let out a soft groan slowly regaining life over my body.
It's like it fell asleep and now pins and needles are ripping over my muscles. Another small moan escapes my lips. Something is nagging at the back of my head, screaming at me that I need to focus on it.
As a sharp pain smacks through my chest and my memories break through the flood gates. The stab, Toothless's capture, Jink, snow, Astrid, freezing,...oh Thor, Astrid! I rip my eyes open and jerk into a sitting position gasping in the pain at my chest. It's a dull ache but still stings. "Easy, son," A strong thickly accented voice commands. A hand presses against my shoulder pushing me back towards the bed and I struggle. Astrid. Toothless. Berk. Thor what happened?
"N-n-Ast-d." I protest the words mixing together in an odd way. Frustration pulses through me quickly drowned out by panic. Astrid. Where is she? I wasn't totally awake when she found me but I was awake enough when she got there. Did she freeze to death trying to get me to Berk, Great Odin's Ghost if she's dead I will drag her back from Valhalla to kill her myself.
My dad lets out a heavy sigh and I look at him. Is he okay? Hitisha is a skilled warrior. I scan him for injuries but don't spot anything. No bandages just a few scabbed over cuts here and there. "Please just sit still, Hiccup." He pleads and I shake my head propping myself up on an elbow trying to sit up.
"No," I protest quietly. He looks down at me, the same stubbornness in his eyes as mine.
Is Berk okay? Did the battle completely destroy it? Toothless? Is he okay? Astrid said he was fine, so he must be around here somewhere.
"Hiccup," My dad protests gently, and firmly, shoving me back down on the bed again. "Astrid's downstairs, I will go get her if you do not move." He gives me a stern look at the last few words and the relief that floods through me overshadows it. Astrid's downstairs. She must be okay-wait, downstairs?
My dad stands from the chair he's on and walks towards the stairs slipping down them. I scan around myself. I'm...in my house in my room. I scan around it for a moment for Toothless. Where is he? Astrid said that he was fine. But...I saw him get carted off by the Tijike's. How could he be fine? Did she rescue him? I...don't understand.
Sudden feet pound up the stairs and I lift my head upwards slightly as Astrid, followed by the other riders burst into the room. Astrid's expression floods in so many small gestures I can't catch them all, the most prominent is relief. "Hiccup!" She exclaims and moves forward laughing slightly.
The other riders gather around the edges of the bed and I stare at them for several seconds. Tuffnut has a thick bandage running across his upper left arm and Ruffnut's knee is wrapped in a similar way. Fishlegs has an impressively sized cut across his forehead and Snotlout's wrist is wrapped. I turn my gaze to Astrid. Her eyes are red but she seems relatively alright, no white cloth is wrapped around her, just exhaustion clinging to her figure.
Relief flutters through me. "Are you guys okay?" I croak softly.
"Are we-?" Astrid stops mid echo and shakes her head, "we're fine, Hiccup. We've been worried about you." She corrects and I pause my eyebrows meeting in confusion. Me. They were worried about me. Of course they were you idiot, no one can just take a blade to the chest and come out unharmed.
"Right," I say after a moment of silence wrapping a hand around my stomach. I can feel the bulky bandages through the clothing. "How's the village?" I ask.
Fishlegs taps his fingers together. "Well, it's going to need repairs for sure. The fire didn't reach it too badly it was mostly their boulders and arrows that did the most damage." Fishlegs answers. I nod. Good, it's not beyond repair. I can't believe Jink would touch Berk. It's an unnecessary evil.
I glance at Astrid again, "Please be okay, I love you."
"Can I talk to you?" I pause then glance at the other riders, "Alone?"
She nods and looks at them. "I'll be downstairs in a few minutes." She says and they nod walking off. As Fishlegs passes her, she grabs his arm, "Will you grab some chicken for Stormfly?" He nods and offers me a small wave before walking down the stairs.
Astrid looks at me again her expression growing soft. She sits on the edge of the bed fiddling with her skirt. I bite my inner lip trying to figure out how to phrase this best. Now that I'm more awake, the snowstorm is blurring through my mind. Astrid's strong arms wrapped around me, and her quiet whispers. The horror in her eyes as she stares down at me…
"Astrid?" I question softly and she looks up at me. "Thanks. For...everything." I say softly. "I've been a jerk recently." I admit. Astrid raises an eyebrow, I shrug, "Beyond that, then. I just... when I got back from Tijike I didn't realize that you guys were still...well you. Hitisha's a mind game player. She warps everything until you can't see straight. I'm sorry, for everything." I say quietly. My voice is slightly hoarse and I imagine if I attempted to raise my voice loudly it would be painful.
Astrid sighs and rests her hands on her legs. "It's alright. I may not understand what happened completely but you don't always have to be the strong one, Hiccup. At least, not around me."
"I know that. I just…" I look up at her, "Can I ask you something?" She nods. "In the blizzard and you found me and you well...you know. Did you mean it?" I ask. "I love you." After all the crap I've put her through she still loves me?
Astrid bites her lip, "I do. Hiccup, you're my best friend. I meant every word." She assures and I smile slightly.
I give a tight smile, "Me tooo." I say. A silence settles over us, not uncomfortable just quiet. "How's Toothless?" I ask and Astrid stills her eyes widening with panic. Uneasiness flutters across my ribcage and I clench my fists. Is he dead? What happened. "Astrid?" I prod.
Her mouth opens and closes a few times before she hangs her head in defeat. "He was taken by the island. We searched but couldn't find anything, the twins followed a drag line to the beach, he's not here."
"But you said-" I start to argue. Astrid turns towards me.
"I lied! I had too, I couldn't lose you, Hiccup." Astrid says a panicking tone fluttering across her words. But-!?
"Toothless is-"
"Hiccup, please, listen, I didn't want to leave him behind. I didn't know where he was and if I'd waited any longer you'd be dead. It's a miracle you survived anyway." Astrid says and her gaze flickers to the bandages.
I shake my head, "We have to go get him!"
"Hiccup, you were just stabbed. You're not going anywhere, I will get Meatlug to sit on you."
"If the storm has stopped we have to go get him, I can make it," I argue and force myself into a sitting position, it aches like a dull bruise but not the stab of pain I was expecting.
"Hiccup-" Astrid starts.
"Astrid-"
"No." We both jerk our heads up in surprise at my dad's voice. He steps into the room and I deflate slightly but hold the sitting position. Astrid's hands fiddle with her skirt. "I won't let you go, Hiccup."
Frustration flutters through me, "But-"
"Your body is still weak."
"Toothless has already been missing for a few hours, we could intercept them if we tried hard enough!" I argue. Astrid and my father share a small look before Astrid sighs and turns to face me.
"Hiccup, it's been eight days."
My jaw falls. "What?"
"Your body could take the strain, you were already trying to heal from your other injuries and nearly freezing to death then it had a stab wound to deal with you slipped into a coma. We almost lost you over a dozen times." My dad answers.
"But Toothless-"
"For the love of Thor! Hiccup, that dragon isn't what the world revolves around!" Dad exclaims throwing his hands up in frustration, "He's just a blasted animal!"
I narrow my eyes and Astrid's hands fly up to her mouth.
No he's not.
"He's my kin." I say quietly. My soulmate.
My dad shakes his head slightly taking in several deep breaths, "You're not going anywhere. Astrid, go downstairs."
Astrid looks on the brink of leaping and running down the stairs but she galnces at me and resolve settles in her eyes, "No, I think I'll stay."
My dad shoots her his infamous glare. "Doesn't your dragon need you?"
"Fishlegs's is taking care of her." Astrid says lifting her chin in a slight show of rebellion.
My dad stares at her for another moment before realizing that unless he physically picks her up and throws her down the stairs that Astrid Hofferson isn't moving he turns back to look at me. "We'll get your dragon back, Hiccup. I've declared war on Tijike."
All my thoughts skid to a halt.
"You what?"
"We had to, Son. Jink stabbed you," My dad says looking back at me with a calculating gaze. "We're going after Toothless and wiping out his island. He declared war on Berk and I plan to give it to him."
"But-"
"No arguments. I've wanted to slide a sword through Jink since you escaped." My dad assures with a deep, darker tone. Astrid's eyes agree.
"What if Toothless was here, would you attack then?" I demand a panicking tone singing through my voice.
"Not as quickly, no." My dad says and my thoughts halt.
"You don't even know where Tijike is, do you?" I challenge. My dad turns back to me.
"I have a general idea." he answers. He looks at me, "Do you?"
I open my mouth to respond but stop. No, I don't. I too, have a general idea but no distinct location. I snap my jaw shut. "But if Toothless was here, you would wait until the repairs were made, wouldn't you?" I say and he nods.
"I would. But I saw the way they acted. Your dragon won't last very long." My dad says and a looming pit sinks into my stomach. Yeah. "My resolve is final. Our warships leave in two days. You, are staying here with Gothi. I'm not going to let you get killed in battle." He says and turns storming down the stairs.
Frustration pulses through me and I stare at my room for a moment.
I have to protect Berk, Toothless and Astrid. The only way I'm going to do that is by getting there first. I hear the door to downstairs slam with a heavy bang. Astrid glances over at me, "Tijike?" she murmurs then her expression darkens and she grabs a dagger from her boot and throws it across the room. It embeds itself on the wall.
"THE LYING, CHEATING, SON OF A HALF TROLL MUTTON-" She chants.
"What on Thor's name are you talking about!?" I interrupt. She turns to look back at me.
"That's why it looked so familiar. Me and the twins landed on Tijike, we searched the island, we were there." Astrid growls under her breath, "JInk said he had no idea who you were. I'M GOING TO WRING HIS NECK THEN FEED HIM TO-"
"ASTRID!" I yell and she pauses looking over at me. "Calm down, okay? Where is it?"
"A little past Breakneck Bog, why?" Astrid asks and I close my eyes my hasty plan already mapping itself out in my head.
"I just wanted to know." I say quietly.
Astrid sighs still looking frustrated but manages to hold her temper, "I can't believe we walked past it." Astrid growls and gets to her feet beginning to pace. I lean against the bed frame watching her pace back and forth again.
"Astrid," I say and she looks back at me, "do you think you can go grab some food from the Great Hall?" I ask and she pauses then nods.
"Yeah, I'll be right back." She says and glances at me, "You try and move from that bed and I'll show how good I am with knots." She threatens and I laugh uneasily.
"Yeah," I agree. She quickly scampers down the stairs and as soon as the door closes I swing my feet over the side of the bed and stand. I gasp slightly wrapping a hand around my middle before scanning around myself. I grab my coat from off a chair next to my desk and a satchel, filled with usual survival equipment. A trick I learned a few years ago and pause as I see Inferno.
This isn't going to be an easy battle. I need a weapon.
I grab the hilt and attach it to my leg before slowly working my way across the room. The stab, is a numb ache but it's still an ache. By the time I make it down the stairs I'm read to give up and collapse into a tiny ball and cry.
I shove open the door to the house and breathe a sigh of relief at my usual stroke of good luck. The village for the most part is void of people. I duck my head and stumble towards the docks. The blizzard was so bad that the ocean is frozen over.
My hasty plan: I can't sail a boat by myself and I don't have a dragon so, walking. I'm going to walk to Tijike. It's absolutely brilliant. Covered in sarcasm.
When I reach the docks, more than ten minutes later I stare at the ocean.
It looks uninviting and cold.
I hate cold.
I murmur something under my breath before stepping forward, the ice creaks as my weight is placed on it but holds otherwise. I take another step, and another and another and another.
Hours pass and I don't see any sign of the dragon riders or land.
Berk is good and well behind me.
It's just me, the cold ocean and my thoughts.
The sun sets in the horizon eventually ending the murky day.
I shiver as the temperature drops but keep pushing forward.
For Toothless. My dad, Astrid, Berk, the riders.
The ice creaks and cracks suddenly and I stop my hands flying outwards in surprise. But it was fine before! What happened.
The cracking grows worse and a panicked breath escapes my lips.
Wingbeats catch my attention and I look up slightly spotting the distant forms of Barf, Belch, Hookfang, Meatlug and Stormfly. I barely have time to process it before with a final groan the ice gives out under my feet and I'm pulled into the ocean below.
The water is freezing!
I struggle against the sea but my muscles don't fight. It's as if everything has frozen, I'm drifting aimlessly across the ocean, my feet trembling, fingers frozen, heart aching. My lips are blue, everywhere is numb, there's no part left of me unfrozen, cold, or dying of frostbite.
The water ripples through my clothing, biting into my skin and forcing me to wish I'd brought more layers.
Cold.
Tired.
I am so tired.
I lay my head down, my fingers feeling worse than before my lips frozen shut.
Frozen.
Toothless. He isn't here, he isn't safe, I want him to be here, but he's not. I don't want him anymore, I need him.
I'm sorry, bud, Astrid, the other riders and Berk.
I close my eyes.
