A/N: First things first: I'm sorry for not updating on Tuesday. But, you know, those Tuesday-updates were kind of a bonus anyway... And I had an awesome weekend with no time to write at all. I'm just saying Dreamwork's Shop and Snow Gronkle :D Ah, but here you go, the next chapter. I hope you survived so far. ;P Technically, it was finished Tuesday night but without any proof-reading and there would have been no way for me to finish chapter 16 until today, so...

And in danger of repeating myself: THANK YOU for the awesome feedback for chapter 14! I never expected my story to have such an impact! This is crazy! :D

To Antox: You're not alone, believe me...

To snoopykid: Their karma will get them...

To PuzzledParis: Glad you like it! :D

To Guest: What can I say? Everything would be a spoiler :

To harrypanther: Thank you as always! And sorry again for making you wait even longer...

To skawjdgns: Well, thanks especially then for your first review! :)

To Katveena: Ahm... sorry to have tricked you? But yes, what would happen to Hiccup if they don't...? I don't even want to think about that...

To Guest: That's a brilliant idea! Too bad I have other plans.

To MidwestMexican: Why is it that getting threatened makes me happy? I might have a problem... xD

To Guest: ... I'm not sure I totally understand your comment but if it was meant as a reaction to MidwestMexican you can calm down again ;) If it was for Geir, go on

To Ace1137: You have no idea how much I laughed, half the plane looked at me funny. But now, what DID you tell them? xD

To Guest: Here you go...

To Guest: About Valka... It is true, I don't like her very much. She didn't even return covertly to make sure her baby boy was still alive, not even once. She has her priorities and I think it's hard for her to change after 20 years. In her defense though: She is the head of the academy in my story, the one who's responsible for everything concerning the dragons. Hiccup as Chief has other things to do and Fishlegs usually isn't on Berk anymore. And she believed she'd be back in a few minutes and believed Astrid to be safe for the moment.

To Httyd. toothless: Glad you still like it! :)

To ladyamethyst21: Don't you dare be sorry! ;P

To TheGoldenDragoness: very reasonable reaction! :D

To LexieFanatic: Yes, she has... but then, life isn't fair...

To HephaestusBuilds: Thanks, I had the best weekend in a VERY long time! :)

To Razor95: Thank you very much for your praises. Getting the emotions across the right way might be the most important point for me and I'm glad to hear it worked.

To Queen Astrid: Not quite yet...

To warzone109: That's an interesting image... O.O

To Ester Shadow: That's the point ;)

To whiskeyneat: It's always fun to get continuing reviews like yours! :D

For the first chapter: Yes, no way she would stay behind willingly. That's the point why I had to come up with a good reason and why this story came to life.

For the second: Thanks! This was an important point for me because I don't think the Astrid we get to know in RTTE or HTTYD2 would be ready to become a mother just yet.

And for the 14th: Wow! You sure read a lot faster than I could xD And yes, he should have known better...

To Somewhere-Out-Here: I hope you'll still love it when you reach this chapter as well...

. o O o .

Chapter 15: Nightmare

It is weird how one moment can change everything.

In one moment, Hiccup was quite satisfied with the world. The discussion with Dagur and the others had gone on a bit longer than he'd originally planned but it had also been more productive. When Snotlout had heard what hat happened, he'd been furious. His suggestion to simply let them have an accident was… interesting! Simply killing them and explain it away with some story or other. Surely, the other tribes wouldn't dare to call the Great Dragon Master a liar and nobody would miss Magnus and Geir anyway. It was intriguing and remembering the bruise on Astrid's breast, Hiccup even considered it for a moment. But no, he wasn't like that. He was no liar! He would do this the right way, they had enough for an official trial, no matter how long it would take.

Tuff had suggested to just keep them here and force them into a trial on Berk. It was intriguing, too, possibly even simpler. They could put them all in prison without the effort to guard a normal house and punish them like they all knew they deserved. Easy. But not the right way either. Hiccup would not bend the laws like this when there was another way. The Chiefs' tribunal was the best and cleanest solution.

Eret and Dagur then had brought up more details that highlighted how Geir's act must have been planned while Fishlegs and his encyclopedic mind had remembered a few technicalities of the laws they should heed. At the end of this discussion, Hiccup had no doubts anymore that this trial would turn out as they wanted it to.

Somewhere in between, there had been noises coming from the stables and for a while, he'd been worried. But nobody had come to get him so it couldn't have been anything important.

And nobody had come to inform him that Astrid had gone into labor either. She probably wasn't happy about that but at least it meant that he would be able to hold her in his arms tonight.

Gods, he was tired! Last night's alcohol was gone by now but it had left him exhausted beyond the usual and he was looking very forward to his bed now.

"Night, guys!" He called over his shoulder and waved lazily. "See you tomorrow"

And that was when everything changed.

It started with Toothless freezing in his tracks, head lifted and earflaps perked up at another dragon call. It was coming from another direction though, definitely not the stables and it sounded… familiar! Toothless suddenly darted off into the night and reflexively, Hiccup hurried to follow him through dark alleys. Then there was another sound, a pained howl by a man and a couple of seconds later, he heard it. The sound that made his mind go blank and his heart stop feeling anything. The sound that started the nightmare.

"Stormfly! Help!"

After that, he felt like a powerless bystander in his own head, only able to watch in horror.

Astrid… Without any doubt that had been Astrid's voice! Hiccup dashed forward into the direction her frantic scream had come from. Up the stairs and following the further noises, past their house and into the shadows near the cliffs. When he finally reached the small platform, the scene in front of him was chaos.

At first, he didn't understand what he was looking at. He could make out Toothless; he'd expected to see him here after all. His mouth was opened wide and still lit with the afterglow of a plasma blast. Hiccup also saw Stormfly at his side, wings outstretched in a way he knew was protective. The two dragons stood between a couple of rocks lying around and-

"Back off… Back off!"

No, those weren't rocks!

The closest one to him, the biggest, lay unmoving like one but on a second glance, Hiccup realized it was a person. And judging by the clothes… Magnus? How could he be here? He should…

Hiccup's head whipped around to where the voice just now had come from. In the faint glow coming from Toothless' mouth, he recognized Geir, also on the ground but moving quite vigorously, awkwardly trying to scramble backward but not really daring to stand up. What were these two doing here? They should be in Spite's hut and not wandering around! If they'd run into Astrid…

Hiccup's heart made a painful thud. He'd heard her voice! She'd called out for Stormfly! And if Stormfly was here… His head darted around to where the Nadder stood and, of course, those weren't rocks either. There was one person lying on the ground in a crumpled heap while another crouched at its side. Not caring about Magnus or Geir anymore, Hiccup stumbled toward the two shadows and fell to his knees at Astrid's side a moment later, a horrible suspicion dancing along the edges of his mind. Above him, Stormfly made a low, wailing noise, her anxiety obvious.

"I don't know what happened. She was okay a minute ago but I was distracted by her dragon and a moment later, she just lay there and-"

Hiccup didn't pay any attention to the man. "Astrid!" he gasped desperately and reached to lift her unmoving form. When he touched her though, she stirred and he almost sobbed in relief. Sending a small prayer of thanks to the Gods, he cradled her in his arms and pressed her to his chest. She was alive! Her dress had fallen open to reveal her nearly naked body but it hardly registered in his mind. She was alive!

A low and painful groan vibrated through her body and he drew back to examine her superficially. No bleeding wounds or broken bones as far as he could tell.

"Astrid?" he whispered urgently, brushing aside her sweaty bangs. "Oh Gods, what happened?"

At his words, Astrid finally opened her eyes and clutched at his arm when her wide eyes met his. There was a deep terror in them, just like in her voice as well.

"Hiccup…" she whimpered but convulsed with pain a moment later. Helplessly, he held her while her fingers dug deep into the fabric of his tunic and his skin below.

"What is it, love, what happened? Are you injured?" Hiccup asked frantically but she just shook her head, unable to speak. He pulled her closer into his lap and tried to get a better idea of what happened. She wasn't injured, that was something at least. He had to concentrate on that fact. Breathing in the mayweed scent of her hair, he tried to calm down enough to get his mind to work again.

Her being here with Magnus and Geir and her torn dress told him enough to get sick but there was more. Astrid still wore her undergarments and both men were fully dressed as far he could tell, so they hadn't gotten the chance to actually rape her. Magnus still wasn't moving and now that he thought about it… was that smoke rising from his body? Suddenly, he had an inkling of what might have happened and nausea of another kind rose inside him.

Later! He berated himself. His eyes moved on to Geir who was still trying to shy away from Toothless, cradling his arm in a weird way. Geir wouldn't go anywhere… Hiccup suddenly turned his head around and he stared at the man crouching a few steps away from him, for the first time actually taking note of his presence. It was one of the Redthorn guards and Hiccup's face darkened before he noticed something else. Stormfly didn't seem to mind his presence so close to Astrid.

But Hiccup got no chance to further think about this. Eret and the others suddenly appeared around him and for a moment, the chaos became even worse.

"Oh, shit!" came Tuff's very accurate remark while Fishlegs kneeled down beside him and out of the corner of his eye, Hiccup saw Eret stomping over to where Geir had gotten cornered by Toothless.

"This one is done" Dagur stated matter-of-factly but Hiccup didn't pay attention to him. Legs' schooled eyes had examined Astrid as well and now the plump man was giving him a meaningful glance.

"Hiccup…" He began but Hiccup interrupted him with a curt nod.

"I know" He replied tersely and his arms tightened around Astrid when another pained whimper escaped her.

"Hic- uh… It's my… nggaa! It's-"

"Shh," Hiccup interrupted her in a low whisper. "I know, love. Don't worry"

"Hiccup?" This time it was Dagur's voice and slowly, Hiccup's head began to spin. "I don't think, Magnus-"

"I know!" Hiccup barked annoyed. As if Magnus mattered right now. He shifted Astrid's weight in his arms and hastily tried to lift her up. He slipped on the wet ground however and just managed to let her land on him instead of the stony ground below. Her pained cry almost tore him apart. Cursing, he accepted Fishlegs help when Eret returned, leading Geir in front of him, just like he'd done before with his sword at the other man's throat.

"Hiccup?" Eret's voice sounded weird, pleased and concerned at the same time somehow.

"What?" Hiccup replied unnerved this time. Whatever it was, couldn't Eret see that he had more important things to deal with?

"He got injured," Eret said as if Geir wasn't standing right there. "This gash here on his arm-"

"So what?" Hiccup interjected angrily. "I don't care! Let him stitch it up himself!" With Fishlegs' help, he managed to get on his feet this time, a trembling Astrid in his arms. He wanted to get her away from here but the way she shook and clung to him made walking difficult.

"It's a Nadder cut" Eret added simply and Hiccup closed his eyes, unable to suppress the low curse that escaped him. He'd sworn an oath…

In his arms, Astrid's body became tight and her low keening against his shoulder tore at his already strained mind. It was all too much. Too much to do and to take care of.

"Hiccup?" When he opened his eyes again, Snotlout stood in front of him, arms crossed and a determined expression on his face. "Tell us what to do!"

For a moment, Hiccup just looked at his cousin but then nodded and inhaled deeply. Right, he didn't need to do everything himself. He had people around him, people he trusted!

Suddenly eerily detached somehow, he said: "Snot, Dagur. Make sure the Redthorns get back to Spite's hut and that they stay there this time! Get as many men as needed. Legs, I need you to go and fetch the Nadder antidote from Gothi. Show Laif or the guards how to apply it. And while you're there tell Gothi I need her at my house. Tuff, run over to the Hoffersons, Brenna and Helka are to come as well. Eret, I need your help with Astrid. You're stronger than I am, you can carry her without too much jostling" Astrid's hands clung tighter to his tunic at these words but he carefully pried them loose. "It'll hurt less if he carries you" he whispered urgently and when Eret carefully lifted her out of Hiccup's arms, she let it happen. She just kept Hiccup's hand in her as they hurried away.

"And what am I to tell the Hoffersons?" Tuff sounded a bit unsure. Helka had given him quite a piece of her mind when he'd ordered her to come to the Hall without any further information earlier but this time, Fishlegs was able to provide enough information.

"Astrid's water broke"

. o O o .

An hour later, Hiccup got thrown out of his own house for the second time in one day. This time though, he was considerably more anxious!

Eret had helped him carry Astrid to their home but had left them soon afterward to go and check if his help was needed elsewhere. Astrid had mumbled something about Valka being at the stables and there still seemed to be some riot over there. Only a few minutes later, Brenna and Helka had arrived and probably would have thrown him out directly if Astrid hadn't refused to let go of his hand. And Hiccup shared her reluctance to part. Two times he'd left her here today and two times something horrible had happened to her. He didn't want to let it become three times. So Hiccup had been allowed to stay a bit longer, to reassure himself that Astrid was as alright as was possible aside from her broken water. Reassure was a heavy word though.

Astrid had assured him that Magnus and Geir hadn't injured her. She'd assured him, that they hadn't done anything, just groped and talked and threatened. She assured him that she was okay and even elated, now that the contractions came more frequently. Hiccup heard her words and knew that she wasn't lying. But he also knew that it wasn't the whole truth either.

He'd seen the terror in her eyes, had felt her tremble with fear and relief. And the way she'd clung to his hand, still somewhat terrified… No, she was not alright. How could she be?

But then Gothi had finally arrived as well and the village's Elder had kindly but determinedly thrown him out. Now, Hiccup stood outside his house, one hand still resting on the wooden door, his only connection to the woman inside that he loved so much. There was nothing left he could do for her and yet he refused to simply leave and distract himself.

Not that those distractions necessarily would have been pleasant. He should go and look what had happened in the stables as well or should check on the Redthorns and decide what to do with them. He was the Chief, after all. It was his duty to take care of matters like these. And yet he couldn't bring himself to leave.

Hiccup flinched when some of the noises from inside sounded through the wooden walls. There was a pained groan which he recognized as Astrid's, far more urgent than the noises she'd made before and he gritted his teeth. He hated that she was in pain! Of course, it was inevitable but he still didn't need to like it.

"Don't hold back, lass," Helka's voice waved through the walls and to his ears. "Give in, it'll be easier if you do" A moment later Astrid's groan turned into a pained cry that threatened to tear him apart. Gods, how was he supposed to spend hours like this, listening to Astrid being so obviously in agonizing pain? He would go insane! But then, he just heard her pain while she felt it. He could endure this for her, share her burden even if she wasn't aware of it. For her, he could do that.

Half an hour later, his resolve began to waver. Another piercing scream echoed out of his home and cut right through him. Was this normal? Had Ruff sounded equally dreadful? How was one supposed to live through pain like this? But the other voices from inside didn't sound alarmed or agitated. That would change if something went wrong, right? Surely, there would be other reactions…

"Hey, Hiccup?"

Hiccup turned to see Snotlout and Tuffnut climbing up the stairs. They looked beaten and tired somehow which reminded him that Astrid's pain wasn't the only thing that was going on this night.

"So?" he asked but got no answer until both men had sat down on some rocks nearby and he'd followed their invitation to sit down as well.

"All five Redthorns are back in their hut," declared Snot tiredly. "We found the other guard at the stables and Laif seemed to be asleep the whole time. Fishlegs' said Gothi thinks he got drugged or something. I don't know, might be the truth. Maybe Magnus was afraid the boy might raise the alarm instead of helping them. It wouldn't have surprised me" Hiccup nodded. It made sense he supposed and for a few minutes, they all were quiet.

"What that man did at the stables was brilliant by the way!" Tuff finally said with a hint of awe in his voice but got punched by Snot immediately. "Ouch! Hey, it's true! Throwing bags of powdered Dragon Nip and Dragon Root into a cavern filled to the brim with dragons? I mean, come on! That's the best prank ever! Depending on which powder they inhaled they got passive or aggressive and it could change with every breath anew. Ingenious! I wish I would have thought of something like that!"

"Yeah, great! And it almost drove the dragons insane in case you haven't noticed!" Snot scoffed. "Did you see the one that kept running against a wall? Not funny!"

Hiccup listened, aghast by this act. It probably had just been meant as a diversion but surely was bad enough on its own. "Did anyone got hurt?" He asked quietly. This night – no, this nightmare – was far from over as it seemed. And he still felt like he could do nothing but watch, like he was powerless to do anything.

Snot shrugged. "Not badly. Some scrapes and scratches, maybe some crushed toes. Apparently, this dried powder is far less potent so the dragons were still able to hold back before they actually hurt themselves or anyone else. Otherwise, it would have been much worse."

"True," Tuff nodded. "That's why it was still fun, sort of. Nobody got injured or died. Or… well…" He trailed off and scratched his neck uncomfortably. "Except…"

What followed was an uncomfortable silence. There was something they hadn't told him yet, Hiccup could feel it. And yet he didn't care. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered except Astrid and her muffled cries, which he could hear even here.

"Magnus is dead" Snot finally said in an emotionless voice. It was probably meant to be big news but Hiccup just nodded.

"I know," he said and swallowed. "I know what a man looks like who got hit by a Night Fury's plasma blast. And it's not something one survives" He closed his eye while his friends shared a meaningful glance. He didn't want to see their pity.

"So, what's the plan now?" Snot asked a few minutes later but Hiccup didn't answer right away. How could he?

"I don't care…" he finally whispered. "I just want them gone! Let them set sail in the morning and I'll think about it when I have the time" he paused, then shook his head and added: "They won't get far with just three men handling the ship, it'll be easy to reach them again. I just can't think about it right now!" It was the simple truth. Right now, all he could think about was Astrid. How was she and would she and the baby be okay? What exactly had happened? There were too many open questions and he just couldn't think as long as he didn't know whether Astrid and the baby would be alright!

"So far, nothing has changed," He added after a pause. "We'll get Geir for his attack on Astrid and he'll die, one way or the other. Magnus is obviously not an issue anymore, that makes it easier. Laif is probably going to become their new Chief and we'll deal with him when it's time. So far, he did nothing to earn our distrust. And their guards…" He trailed off, the memory of that man peacefully kneeling beside Stormfly flickering up in his mind.

"They claim to have been threatened," Tuff said in a low voice, almost a whisper. "Said they had to obey orders or their daughters or sisters wouldn't be safe - until they came of age at least. The one who was with Magnus and Geir even said he covertly tried to help Astrid. Woke Stormfly or something"

Hiccup's mind registered these words and filed them away for later but couldn't deal with them now. In fact, he didn't want to deal with anything that was related to the Redthorns ever again! He would have to, but not right now. Right now all that mattered was Astrid.

. o O o .

The hours went slowly.

Hiccup sat on the steps in front of his house, waited and listened. Every now and then, another painful cry echoed through the night and cut right into his heart. It was awful! By now, there was barely anything left in his mind except Astrid's cries. All thoughts of their captives had fled his head along with all worries for the dragons in the stables.

They were alright anyway. Valka had appeared a while ago, hair astray and clothes singed, had told him the stables had calmed down, had begged his forgiveness for leaving Astrid after she heard what had happened and had walked inside the house to do whatever she could to help. It wasn't in him to blame his mother. Yes, she should have stayed with Astrid but… She'd thought Geir and Magnus were locked away and, of course, she had to check if something was up with the dragons. Astrid hadn't been supposed to be in any danger anymore after all. He could just as well blame the two men who'd been on watch around Spite's hut. Or Snot for not leaving enough men there to watch over every inch of the house. Or himself for ordering to replace the guards with dragons…

Hiccup was beyond blaming anyone else. What did it matter? In the end, he was the Chief. He had given the orders and he was responsible.

Suddenly, the door behind him opened and he was on his feet in an instant. Was there any news? Did something happen? But it was just Ruffnut who left the house, pale and tired. Hiccup opened his mouth to ask her for any information but she silenced him with a quick gesture.

"Reff needs to eat," she said tiredly. "And I don't want to say everything twice" With these words she walked past him to where the others sat around an improvised campfire and Hiccup scrambled to his feet to follow her.

When he reached his assembled friends, he was greeted by concerned and worried glances and a profound silence that only got interrupted by Refflout's happy gurgling and contented suckling. He sat down hesitantly, waited until the baby was cared for but even then didn't dare to ask anything. What should he ask anyway? He felt drained and empty, all coherent words and thoughts gone.

"So," Eret finally broke the silence -to Hiccup's utmost relief- and handed Ruff a piece of bread. "How are things in there? It's been a couple hours already..."He trailed off, leaving the question hanging in the hair.

Ruffnut took the bread but didn't begin to eat right away. "A couple of hours, yes… But not much to tell so far. It'll take several more hours still, that's for sure." The men exchanged worried glances and Ruff went on without more prompting. "Her body wasn't ready yet. It's still working to catch up to the broken water, or so Helka said at least. It might well be dawn before there's any real progress"

"Dawn…" Hiccup gasped almost inaudibly. That was still several hours and it would only start then! He slumped down and buried his face in his hands. What a nightmare!

"But I thought when the water breaks it's a sure signal that it starts?" Fishlegs asked now and a few of the others hummed in agreement.

Ruff nodded but shook her head directly afterward. "Usually, yes. But hers didn't break naturally if you want to call it that. Helka said she was lucky that the punch only broke her water and not the afterbirth as well. Or something like that. Anyway, there's no blood, so-"

"Punch?" Hiccup asked, head raised now. "What punch? How…"

"Apparently, Geir punched her," Ruff said quietly. "There's a mean bruise showing on the side of her belly" She made a vague gesture around her stomach. "Aside from the ones on her breasts… I really hope the Gods let Magnus suffer, his death was too quick!"

Hiccup's gaze dropped to the ground, unseeingly just staring into nothing. Geir had punched her? Gods, this got worse with every bit of information he got! What else had happened that he didn't know of? And maybe never would know. But Geir was a dead man, that was for sure. If only he wouldn't have gotten poisoned! Hiccup had sworn that he wouldn't use the dragons as a weapon, that he wouldn't let anyone die by a dragon's attack if he could help it. Even now, he felt obliged to provide the Nadder antidote, if only so no one would call Geir's death a cowardly dragon attack. Maybe it was hypocritical to cure him of the poison just to get him executed, especially after Magnus died by Toothless' blast anyway. But that had been sort of self-defense and he couldn't have prevented it while he was well able to cure the poisoning.

Suddenly, another thought occurred to him and he sat upright a moment later, his panicky gaze on Ruff again. "The baby…" was all he was able to get out but it seemed to be enough.

Ruff gave him a long look before she lifted her shoulders, once. "We don't know. It's not moving but that's not unusual with all those contractions. It doesn't mean anything"

Another pained cry sounded through the night and found it's echo inside him. Hiccup felt as if his heart was screaming, too. He still remembered their perfect moment. When had that been, really just this morning? How had everything gone so wrong so quickly?

. o O o .

Hiccup sat on the ground beside his home, head leaning against the wooden wall. His eyes were closed but he wasn't sleeping. How could he? One after another, his friends had fallen asleep and woken up again by now but not Hiccup. Hiccup had been awake all night, eaten alive by his fears for Astrid and their child alike and being reminded of them with every single one of her screams. Now, the sun was up already, taunting him with its light and promise of new life. If only…

"Chief?" Groggily, Hiccup pried his eyes open and rolled his head in the general direction of Eret's voice. The tattooed man was talking but the words didn't reach his mind, only sounded like an incoherent jumble. He jerked upright as two hands grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

"Hiccup!" Eret called this time and he put in some effort to get a clear mind for a while.

"Mmmh what?"

"You need to sleep! Go over to our house and I promise I'll get you if anything changes"

"Can't" Hiccup mumbled. "Astrid… I..."

"You won't be of any use to her if you drop dead from exhaustion!" Eret scoffed. "Besides, she wouldn't want you to sit here, you know that, right? If she knew, she'd only be even more anxious"

Hiccup turned away, grimacing. Eret was right but that didn't change anything. He wouldn't leave her. "Is that why you're here?" He slurredly asked to change the subject. "To tell me I'm a godsdammed fool?" He knew that already…

But Eret just gave him a sad look and shook his head. "No. I'm here to tell you that the ship's taken off" Sighing, Hiccup nodded. At least they were gone now! "Magnus is going to get a sailor's funeral out at sea since they don't fancy burning their only ship" He nodded again. That made sense, he supposed. "I think Geir wasn't happy but Laif's taken command and the guards follow him gladly as it seems. Like, literally. They are happy, even smug to ignore Geir's complaining" More nodding in acknowledgment and this time, Eret stayed silent.

. o O o .

Hiccup drifted in and out of consciousness for what felt like hours. Maybe he actually slept for a few minutes occasionally, cuddled against Toothless' flank at his side. But Astrid's pained cries left him whimpering every time again, his fingers digging desperately into his arms. When would this nightmare end?

Dulled voices reached his ears but only partially made any sense. His friends sat around the remains of the campfire again and ate a simple meal. They were talking but their words made barely any sense to him. Or maybe he just refused to understand them.

"I swear to Loki and all the other Gods, Astrid sounds like she's getting impaled alive!" Tuff mumbled, followed by a surprised "Ouch!"

"That's not helping, Tuff!" Fishlegs said urgently, throwing a warning glance in Hiccup's direction.

Tuff just shrugged, however. "But it's true, you all know it. I've never heard a woman giving birth sound so dreadful" He kept on, careless as ever. "And we've all been there before, either with our wives or our sisters," He pointed around at Fishleg, Dagur, Snotlout, and Eret. "It's not like we don't have any references. It's not just that she's a friend. This seems to be a lot worse than the usual!"

"Still not helpful…" Eret mumbled, frowning but not contradicting Tuff's words either.

"And yet, he's right," Lia confirmed as she and Ruff appeared behind the men. They sat down between them and Ruff took her waiting son out of Snotlout's arms while Lia continued. "Astrid's contractions seem to affect her much more than the average. Even Helka said so!"

Dagur grimaced and shook his head at her. "You two really are made for each other…" He sighed. "But are there any other news? Any progress?"

Ruff nodded hesitantly. "Progress yes, but very slowly. She's exhausted! Understandable but not exactly helpful. It's…" She trailed off, biting her lip and subconsciously tightening her grip on Reffloud. "It's unclear whether she'll make it," She finally whispered. "Or if it's still worth the effort anymore at all…"

Shocked silence spread across the group and it took several minutes and Tuffnut's bravery to break it. "What do you mean?" he asked, even though his suddenly grave voice and hollow expression betrayed him. He knew what his sister had meant.

But she raised her head anyway and looked at her brother, eyes glistening but not yet crying. "Geir is strong and he must have hit her hard… That bruise is practically black by now. Nobody knows how much damage he really afflicted. All we can do is hope…"

Caught in the bubble of this nightmare, Hiccup sobbed and shook. Why was this happening? What had he done that the Gods hated him so much, that they threatened to take everything from him?

Oh, but he knew what he'd done. Or rather, what he hadn't done! He should have locked Geir and Magnus away as soon as he could, should have put them on trial right away and execute them as they'd deserved. He should not have shown them any mercy by granting them a trial at the Chiefs' tribunal. If Ruff was right and either Astrid or their child or both wouldn't make it through this then it would be his fault and his alone.

. o O o .

By the time the sun was about to set once more, Hiccup could hear Astrid almost constantly. Either she was screaming in pain or, in the few breaks in between, was sobbing and wailing pitifully. He couldn't even hear anything else anymore. Not the voices of his friends somewhere behind him, not the hectic mumbling and muttering of the other women inside, not even Toothless' low warble beside him or the crashing waves down below. There were only Astrid and her pain and he couldn't bear it any longer.

"Let me in!" He yelled and slammed his fist against the front door. "For Thor's sake, let me in! Let me see her! Let me help!" His throat felt sore and raspy after this day of crying and silence but it didn't matter. He couldn't feel the pain, just as he couldn't feel the hunger or the exhaustion anymore. Maybe, he had eaten something at some point today and maybe he'd even rested a bit but he couldn't remember either. All he remembered was Astrid's pain and the possibility of her not surviving the night. His fist met the wood again. "Open up!"

"Hiccup?" He could hear Astrid's weak whimpering and it tore him apart.

"I'm here!" He called back. "Just let me in, please. Please!" Once more, his fist landed on the wooden door but this time it just made a weak thud. Suddenly, he had no strength left to fight anymore. He just wanted to be with Astrid, to hold her hand or brush aside her hair or whatever he could do. Everything would be better than just waiting here!

Then the door opened and for a moment, Hiccup hoped.

"Stop it, you fool!" Valka was out of the house in a second and behind her, the door closed instantly again. "What are you thinking? Do you honestly believe this will help? Odin, she's upset enough already, she doesn't need to hear your anxiety, too" With the way she glared at him she might as well have been a dragon herself…

Hiccup let his gaze drop to the ground and bit his lip. "I just-" He muttered but got cut off with a curt gesture.

"You're just not thinking, I know," she said harshly. "But maybe you can still listen. Astrid is probably fighting the hardest fight of her life just now, she doesn't need any distraction. It tears her apart to hear you yelling here so stop it!"

"Just let me in," Hiccup pleaded, begged even. "Let me be with her. Maybe I can help, just hold her hand, support her…" His voice failed him and he swallowed. His mother's face softened and she reached to cup his face.

"Maybe that actually would help. She's certainly asked for you more than once already," She said in a lower voice. But then her eyes became harder again as she added: "But if there's one thing she doesn't need right now than it's even the tiniest bit of ill luck!"

. o O o .

Everything was dark.

Night had fallen but that was not all of it. Hiccup was still leaning against the front door where his mother had left him standing some time ago, eyes closed and forehead resting against the wood. His head was blank, empty, dark as well. No thoughts or feelings had any space in there anymore. He was beyond feeling anything.

For almost an hour now, Astrid was screaming practically constantly. Some buried part of him recognized this as the last part, knew that it was almost done, almost over. He should be happy, excited, glad. Instead, he felt nothing but the pain in Astrid's voice. It was horrible!

Gods, please, if you can hear me. Let it end! Hiccup prayed with all he had. She'd suffered enough, really and truly enough. And she'd almost done it judging by the encouraging cheers from inside.

"Once more, Astrid!"

"Come one!"

"I can see the head!"

Hiccup trembled violently and only Toothless supporting him held him upright. It was almost over, Astrid had done it! Something like insane laughter weakly bubbled up inside him. It was almost done.

Astrid's cries became even more frantic for a minute, the constant babbling of the other women even more hectic. Everything became louder and fiercer until Hiccup thought he might just burst inside from all the pain and hope and fear. And then it was over.

From one moment to the other, Astrid's raw scream had stopped abruptly and the mutual sigh of relief from inside carried like a tangible wave outside. It found its echo in everyone who was close enough to hear it. It was followed by a brief second of joy before everyone became silent again, keenly waiting for the next sound from inside, the announcement of a new life, the baby's first cry.

But there was nothing but silence.

. o O o .

Erm... yes...

Is it always darkest before the dawn?

And also a small warning: We're close to the end now...