So this is my FORTH update today. I'm really liking the direction this story's taking. There will be some really sweet moments in future chapters, so for those of you who like stuff like that, don't worry. :) Shout-outs:
QueenAurora: Um...the answer to the first riddle is Lunch and Dinner, of course, but I have no idea about the other two. Hmm...Queen Cliffy is Clueless. :)
xFaerieValkyriex: Dagur's WAY WAY WAY WAY WWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY too crazy, insane, demented, delusional, maniacal, deranged, and just plain old nuts for his own good, and the good of those around him. He couldn't act sane to save his life.
silverwolvesarecool: Love soup! :D Honey and lemon is also good, in my case, anyway. :) And yes, Dagur SHALL pay GREATLY!
Wanli8970: Umm...why do you ask?
Jesusfreak: I have a rare disease, too! Only mine is called Cantgetenoughofthecliffhangersitis. :) Good luck on your rare disease! I think we all have one when it comes to our fandoms, in all honesty. :) *grabs bow and pulls arrow out of quiver* BUT I REALLY WOULDN'T MIND TEACHING DAGUR A LESSON. *drops bow* (talking to myself) Okay...okay, calm down, Hannah, stop freaking out...AAAH FORGET IT! CALM DOESN'T WORK! AAAGH!
AnimeAngel: Me too. When the bad guys are smart it just makes me like "Ugh" or "Uhh" or "JUST DO SOMETHING IGNORANT!" XD!
Needless to say, we were mad.
Dagur lead Astrid and me to the beach, where a small Berserker boat was docked. It was still a large ship, though, complete with bola shooters, cannons, a below deck area, about ten occupants...one of his smaller ships, though.
I had seen some of his larger ships in the past. They're...well...larger. Huge, really. Never mind. I'm rambling.
[Okay, Astrid, you didn't have to agree. Stop laughing, I am serious]
Dagur walked behind us with his crossbow ready. I looked at Astrid and she looked back at me, her icy blue eyes filled with rage. I gestured down at my hands and clapped just barely loud enough for her to hear and for Dagur to not.
We had been working on Morse Code quite a bit to the point where we could both use it fluently without too many mistakes. So, I said to Astrid in Morse Code: We need a plan.
She clapped her hands back and said, But what?
I'm working on it, I said in Morse Code. If we survive Freezing To Death, we'll take it from there.
What do you mean 'if' we survive Freezing To Death?
I locked eyes with her, and I knew she knew what I meant. Freezing To Death was literally...well...freezing to death. It's even worse than Berk, which is really saying a whole bunch.
We'll talk later, I decided in Morse Code. Right now, just focus on not dying.
When we reached the ship, Dagur instantly shoved us below deck, not even bothering to bind us or anything. There was nothing we could do anyway, weaponless and defenseless in an empty room. It was literally an empty room. There wasn't anything below the deck besides a wooden bench.
After forcing us inside, Dagur laughed, shut the latch, and barred it closed so we wouldn't even think about escaping. As soon as his footsteps indicated that he had walked away, Astrid pushed on the latch, trying desperately to get it to open, but with no luck.
"Cowards!" shouted Astrid. "Fight me like a man!"
"Astrid," I said.
"WHAT!?" She turned to me.
I stepped back, putting my hands out in front of me as if attempting to keep her away. Instantly, her expression softened.
"Hiccup, I'm sorry," she said.
"No, you're not the one who should be sorry," I said. "I'm really the one who should be apologizing."
"What makes you think that?" she asked.
"I guess just the fact that it's my fault," I said. "How I was shot, got amnesia, and then come back only to put you in danger while you were trying to keep me out of it...I'm useless."
"You're not useless," said Astrid.
"How do I know that?" I said. "I can't even remember my birthday!"
"February twenty ninth," said Astrid. "There. Now you know."
"Well, I only know because you told me," I said.
"And you only forgot because of amnesia," Astrid came back. She sighed. "For now, Hiccup, you just have to trust me."
I sighed heavily and nodded, my head bowed, not trusting myself to meet her gaze. I moved over to the bench and sat down, folding my hands loosely, resting my elbows on my legs. Astrid moved over and sat next to me with a sigh before taking up the same position I had.
"So...what's the plan?" she offered, not even moving from her position or turning to look at me.
"I don't have one yet," I said, also not bothering to look at her while I spoke. "But I'll think of one."
"You always do," said Astrid.
"Did," I corrected. "I don't know if I can think of plans anymore."
"You will, though," said Astrid. "I trust that you will."
"Maybe that wasn't a very good decision," I said.
"I don't care," said Astrid. "What other decision did I have?"
I shrugged. "No idea," I admitted. I paused. "Look, this might be a bad time right now, but how did I lose my leg?"
She turned to me so suddenly I was tempted to jump backwards.
"I guess," she said. "It was...quite a while back. You...we didn't know the truth about dragons, how they weren't what we thought they were. You were the first one to actually figure it out, though. You shot Toothless out of the sky-"
"How he lost his tailfin," I remembered suddenly.
"Yes," said Astrid. "You remember?"
I nodded. "I shot him down, and then set him free," I said.
"Right," said Astrid. "It's good you're remembering a little more, Hiccup. Anyways...no one believed that you shot down a Night Fury. It sounded crazy, but you did. And then you realized that it couldn't fly. Do you remember what happened after that?"
"I...I think I built it a tailfin," I said. The memory was distant; like an image I had seen in a dream, but at least it was there. I had found it at least. Luckily.
"Yes!" said Astrid excitedly. "Exactly! You built it and flew with him, but one day we found you out. And then, your Dad took a bunch of vikings to find the dragon's nest and destroy it. And you trained the dragons for our training, and we flew over and saved their skins." She put a hand on my shoulder. "You saved their skins and lost part of yours in the process." She smiled. "Don't call yourself useless again, okay?"
"Okay," I said, nodding. All the memories of that day suddenly came back; I remembered shouting commands to my classmates, freeing Toothless from the bond he had been trapped in, and then killing the Red Death. But that was all I remembered. I didn't remember anything else.
"Hiccup," said Astrid, "you know I don't care if you're amnesic or not, right?"
"I don't really understand what you mean," I said.
"You'll always be my best friend," said Astrid. She put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "I don't care if you never remember anything else ever again as long as you always remember that you're my bestest, bestest friend. Even that term is an underestimate."
I smiled and exhaled through my nose sharply. "Thanks," I said. "You know it means a lot to me."
Astrid nodded. "I know," she said. She sighed and sat back. "So...Freezing To Death. Remember it?"
"Vaguely," I said. "I know I've heard about it. I just don't remember if I've ever been there before or not."
"I don't think you have," said Astrid. "Not unless you snuck out sometime without us knowing and sailed there. Which, I really don't think anyone in a right state of mind would do."
I nodded. "So is Freezing To Death...freezing to death?" I asked. "Hence the name?"
Astrid nodded. "Yeah," she said. "I've only heard stories about it, but it's freezing. The water freezes the ocean half-way there, so there's a strong chance we'll be walking for a lot of the time."
"Fun," I said sarcastically. "'Cause there's nothing I love more than walking for miles on solid ice with the temperature below zero."
"I'm sure," Astrid chimed in with her own sarcasm. "But we'll get through it."
"How?" I asked.
She grabbed my hand and looked me straight in the eyes. "Together."