Chapter 10

Astrid stood on the cliff watching the sky as light started to creep into the horizon. Stormfly was curled next to her, out cold. The poor Nadder had been flying for hours that night assisting in the search, but eventually just like everyone else exhaustion had won out. Astrid, though, stood watch on the cliff, watching over Hiccup.

The sun was starting to rise and Hiccup and Toothless hadn't touched down since...well, since Keila. They were obviously tired, every wingbeat came with extreme effort for Toothless and Hiccup's head kept bobbing.

At first everyone who could ride was out searching the shore and water for any sign of Keila, and others took out the ships to help look, but they found nothing. Eventually everyone slowly gave in to exhaustion. The only ones left now were Hiccup on Toothless and the chief in a boat, as Thornado had given in to exhaustion as well.

Astrid had a feeling the chief had given up hope, and was only staying out, like Astrid, to watch over Hiccup.

She couldn't be gone, any moment now she'd pop out from somewhere laughing, I can't believe you fell for it! Hiccup searched the water for what seemed like the billionth time.

It was his fault. If she was gone it was all his fault. If he had...done something.

Toothless lurched in the air again as exhaustion tried to take control again. "Come on, bud a little longer..."

Astrid gasped as Toothless almost fell out of the sky again. She looked down at Stoick who was tense at the ship's helm. He looked like he wanted to yell at Hiccup to come down, but he knew as well as Astrid did that wouldn't do any good, although that usually didn't stop the chief. Astrid turned and rubbed Stormfly's face to wake her up. "Come on girl, just for a minute."

She took off into the sky towards Hiccup and Toothless.

"Hiccup!"

Her exhausted boy looked up at her and the low sun reflected on his wet face. "Hiccup, you've got to land. Toothless can barely even stay awake."

"I can't Astrid, I can't..." he turned and looked back at the water. Astrid sighed and urged Stormfly to fly so she was just above Toothless. She slid off of Stormfly to sit behind Hiccup. He looked back at her, surprised, "Ah! Astrid..."

Astrid glared at him, and he looked like he was afraid she would hit him, but she didn't. She reached down and pushed Hiccup's prosthetic foot out of the stirrup and the other, and replaced them with her own. She put her arms around Hiccup and put her hands on his to steer Toothless.

Hiccup didn't want to give in but his body obviously couldn't take much more, and Toothless seemed grateful to be headed for the ground.

They landed and Toothless just sprawled out and let his wings flop on the ground. Astrid pat the dragon's neck as she dismounted. Hiccup seemed frozen.

"Hiccup?" Astrid tried to see his face. She had never seen him this way, the most distressed she had ever seen him was when he thought he was going to lose Toothless, but even then there was anger, a glimmer of hope that something could be done, but now he just looked like everything in the world had come caving in on him. He looked like he would crumble to pieces if she so much as touched him, but even so she embraced him tightly.

Usually when Hiccup was acting mopey she would punch him on the shoulder and make a joke to try and cheer him up, but she knew at this time he wouldn't come back with a snark comment like usual.

She had only known Keila for a little over a week, but she could tell she had meant a lot to Hiccup. They were family after all, and as far as Astrid knew, before the whole thing with the dragons she had been his only friend. They were so similar, Astrid somehow felt like in losing Keila, they had lost a little of Hiccup as well.

Hiccup woke up in his bed, Toothless resting next to him. The sun was setting. The last thing he remembered was Astrid helping him from Toothless's back and his dad coming up from the docks to meet them.

Astrid had stayed awake all night the same as him, he had no idea how she had still been able to stand, when he couldn't.

She had hugged him when they landed. "Hiccup you have to rest." Astrid had said.

"I killed her."

"What?"

"It's my fault." Astrid slapped him when he said that. She never slapped him. "It's not your fault Hiccup! You idiot!"

Hiccup was too tired to argue with her, but she was wrong. His cousin was gone, because of him. His best friend drowned because he was a terrible leader, because if he could have kept everyone in line that dragon wouldn't have fallen. Because if he was actually any good with dragons like claimed to be, maybe she would have had her own dragon to protect her, or he would've been able to control the wild dragon.

Maybe if he was any good at all...she would be alive.