"I can't find my body." After ageless centuries, everyone else was now where they were supposed to be. And yet, poor Hiccup was left behind. That was plenty of a good reason to be upset.

His mother, Valka, was immediately present. "It's alright, baby. We'll find it."

Mrs. Hofferson, also being motherly, asked the question out of habit. "Where was the last place you saw it?"

Hiccup gave her a look, and answered. "I was wearing it."

Phillis shrank a little.

"Let's go get some flashlights," suggested Astrid. "The crypt was really dark."

Hiccup nodded, optimistically. "Okay, yeah."

So Astrid had her phone, and Eret went to get some other lights and extension cords. Then the group all headed back down the tower into the crypt.

With the new light, Astrid had a new chance to look into the room. First, the stone floor stretched out in front of her, before a column met her lights. Another column was not that far away. The tops ended with an arch, which repeated on and one several times into the back of the room. A very thin layer of water covered the floor, reflecting the columns and arches and creating an odd illusion of space.

Astrid frowned. "Where are the others? There was a bunch of…long dead bodies down here…wasn't there?"

Stoick answered. "When the souls rejoined their bodies, they dissolved into dust. Time just caught up to them."

"So in theory," said Axel. "Any bones or remnants should be Hiccup."

Hiccup shuttered. He hoped there was more than just a few bones left of his body. He was really rather hoping that he would be alive.

Axel and Phillis also turned on their cellphones and the group split as light spread out over the cave.

"Bring the light over here," Astrid heard someone call.

"Did you find it?" Hiccup asked anxiously.

"…no, false alarm. It's just a rock."

Hiccup deflated.

"Well, it can't just be gone!" Boomed Stoick. "Everyone else's was here! Even if someone took it by accident, there would still be something here!"

Suddenly, the cavern filled with much brighter light from the door. Nearly everyone flinched heavily.

"Sorry," stated Eret, standing behind a flood light. "I should have prepared you for that."

With the crypt illuminated, the group spread out and scanned every inch of the floor.

After about an hour, almost everyone had given up. And yet Hiccup tried to feel along the floor for anything.

Astrid spoke from where she was leaning against a column. "Um, you said those who had left early…their bodies were decaying. Right?"

"Aye, it appears that way. Hamish, who was the first to leave after…oh, 200 years, he was just bone."

Hiccup seemed to not notice the exchange as he sifted through the water on his hands and knees.
"Hiccup?"

He paused.

"Didn't you say…you were the first one to leave?"

Valka gasped, her hands flying to her lips. "Oh Odin, I forgot about that!"

Hiccup didn't move from his spot on the floor, but asked in a very quiet voice. "How long was I gone, back then?"

"Nearly a hundred years," Answered Stoick. "It was startling when you came back."

"So if Hamish was just bone…" He began. But he didn't finish. His fingers curled into fists, his knuckles pressing against the floor. "Is there nothing left of me?" His voice was just a whisper, full of only sorrow.

"Hiccup…" Astrid reached for him, but he leapt to his feet and turned on her.

"I don't need your pity!" He screamed, his body shaking with anger and frustration. "I don't need anything! Not…not a thing…" his anger was quickly spent, and his nearly tangible form began to fade. "I don't even exist anymore…so why should I care?" He hurried from the room, and disappeared into his cell.

For a moment, no one knew what to say.

"That can't be right," said Phillis, "there's mummies that are buried in graves like this, that are older. If this room was magically sealed, like Astrid thinks, then nothing should have gotten in to harm the body."

Eret chimed in. "Even if Hamish's body was a hundred years older, in these conditions, his would be here, too."

As the adults discussed plans to search the rest of the castle inside and out, Astrid snuck back into the main tower, and knocked on Hiccup's cell.

"Hiccup? It's me, Astrid. Can I come in?"

When he didn't answer, Astrid pushed the door open on her own and wandered in. The door closed behind her, leaving darkness in it's wake. She felt around with her hands until she felt a slab of wood, a bed, and then finally a warm wall of air.

"Hiccup…"

"Don't talk to me like that." He reprimanded.

"Like what?"

"Softly. Tenderly…It's more than I can handle."

She reached her hand up to where she assumed his head was, and felt his hair. It wasn't hair exactly, more like the seaweed at the bottom of a clean lake. Too soft to feel like anything at all.

"I just…don't know what to say. I want to help, but I don't know what to say." She sighed. "Your dad and the others are going to split up and check the rest of the castle."

"If it was anywhere else, we would have found it by now."

"You never know! The Druids hid this room away, what if there's another hidden room? Hmmm?"

He didn't respond more than a grunt, and she only continued to play with his hair.

"Astrid?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. For everything. But I need to be alone right now."

Astrid sighed, and pulled her hand away. "Okay. I get it."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Hiccup." She smiled in comfort. "I understand. I'll see you later, okay? Whenever you need to talk, you know where to find me." She rose, and moved to the door.

She'd wondered if he'd be alright.

Days passed, and they were spent trying to get the vikings acclimated to the new world as well as getting the castle ready to host guests. The vikings happily continued their jobs as hired hands within the castle for room and board, with the only condition that they could come and go as they pleased. Most were just satisfied being able to go outside and work in the garden or build things (every day a new piece of furniture entered the castle). Others jumped at the chance to ride with Eret into town, amazed by how things had changed in world. And finally, a group went on a two week hiking trip through the national park to the South. Of course, they came home early with tickets for shooting and trapping wild life, but Astrid didn't mind paying those off.

The Vikings discovered the internet, and branched out to learn new recipes to cook for the guests. Others wrote songs and practiced dances for entertainment, anything they could do to make the castle a retreat.

This was all done in motivation to thank their new boss.

However, at night, when things calmed down, everyone put in an hour or two to look for Hiccup's body.

Days turned to weeks, with no sign of even a hair from Hiccup. Many Vikings gave up the search, thinking it was a fruitless endeavor. Yet, Stoick, Valka, Gobber and Astrid faithfully spent the evenings checking the crawl spaces, attics, and wine cellar for any sign of human remains. And as diligent as they were, still there was nothing. Hiccup himself, had resigned to never regaining his body. He had sighed one day and said, "I've been a ghost this long. It's what I'm best at," and then picked himself back up by his bootstraps. "I want everyone to stop wasting their time looking for something that doesn't exist and instead live your lives. This is when you have the chance to do all the things you've always wanted to do. Don't let me hold you back."

Valka was quick to rush to him and cup his face. "We search because we love you. We want you to live too."

He smiled at her. "Well…I'm not going to stop looking. I have 8 hours a day where everyone is sleeping. I'll have to occupy myself somehow."

So, everyone left him to it, and he showed no outward signs of the melancholy that gripped him so fiercely earlier.

Halloween came and went. Hiccup being the main source of entertainment and using his skills to wow and amaze their guests. The North Tower was decorated like a haunted house with fake skeletons that jumped out and scared people. The entrance was guarded by Toothless, who had remained in his gargoyle form, since Hiccup was still cursed. Those that made it to the end got candy. It was all very fun and quaint.

Revenue came pouring in after that. Folks from all over the UK started taking holidays to come stay at Hofferson castle for the weekend. The idea of staying at a haunted castle was too fun of an opportunity to pass it seemed, as more and more reservations came calling in. Everything seemed fine…

Until one day.

"Excuse me," Astrid overheard a guest say to Stoick. "Are you the owner of the Castle?"

"No lass, that would be Ms. Hofferson." He beckoned to her.

Astrid, putting on her customer service face, smiled at the woman. "Hello, what can I help you with?"

The guest furrowed her brow. "My sons really wanted to stay here for the weekend, and of course I jumped at the chance of a fun filled family weekend…but there was an incident last night. The castle isn't really haunted…is it?"

Astrid crossed her arms. "What kind of incident?"

"My son Jacob heard weeping and moaning coming from our tower. It got louder and louder until…this thing came into our room. It was…hideous and gruesome."

"What did it look like?"

"I think it was a man, but it was emaciated and the skin was just hanging on it. My older son Harry said it was just a hologram, but it responded to him."

"What did it say?"

"It asked if it could have his body."

Astrid winced and pinched the bridge of her nose. It was a busy Sunday, plenty of guests were checking in, while many more were checking out. She hadn't even thought to check on Hiccup.

Stoick seemed to have the same idea. "I haven't seen Hiccup all day. I'll go see if I can find him."

"Alright," Astrid agreed. Then she returned to the woman, "How can I best make this up to you?"

"I would like a refund, please. My husband has a heart condition and that…thing didn't bode well for him. We weren't expecting to be scared in our own room."

"I understand." Astrid said with a disarming smile. "I can refund you, no problem."

After that was taken care of, Stoick returned, not looking optimistic.

"Well, what is it?"

"No one has seen him. I checked his room, but nothing. I have the twins, Snotlout, and Fishlegs searching for him now."

"It's weird. He was fine not too long ago. I wonder what changed?"

"Maybe he didn't want to act anymore."

That was a heartbreaking thought.

Astrid had a thought, "what about Viggo?"

Stoick sneered. "What about him?"

"Is it possible that he did something with Hiccup's body?"

Stoick grew silent and thoughtful. "I haven't the slightest. But there is a way to find out."

The next day, Astrid called the prison that Viggo had been sentenced too, while Stoick and Gobber listened over the speaker.

A woman answered, "Berwyn Men's Prison."

"Hello, my name is Astrid Hofferson. Is there a way to get in contact with a Prisoner just to ask them a question? We need his help locating something."

"We offer a voicemail service. You can leave a message on a private line and the inmate will return your call."

"That would be amazing!"

"Do you have the inmate ID number?"

Astrid blanched. "No, actually, I don't."

"Then the name?"

"Viggo Ryker."

"Alright, may I put you on hold as I look that up?"

"Of course."

Soothing music came over the speaker.

"What if Viggo doesn't answer us back?" Asked Gobber, with good reason.

"Well, he did want the curse to be lifted. He might be more cooperative now." Said Astrid.

"And if he puts up a fight, I'll go down to the prison and knock some sense into him!" Threatened Stoick.

"Let's not do that one."

The line picked up and a man was on the line. "Are you still there Miss Hofferson?"

"Uh, yes!"

"My name is Dr. Jeffery Van Ravensway. I'm the director of this facility. Can I ask what your relationship with Viggo Ryker was?"

"Uh, acquaintance, I guess?"

"Do you know if he had any living relatives? Next of kin? Spouse?"

She glanced to Stoick, who shrugged. "Uh, not that we know of. Why?"

"Well, Mr. Ryker died last week. He listed no emergency contact information, so we didn't know who to tell."

"He died?" Astrid asked, surprised. "How? If you don't mind me asking…"
"It's…very odd. We didn't even get the chance to get an autopsy before the body dissolved."

"What…?"

"He just….aged rapidly all of a sudden. We had him for mere months, but he went from looking in his late 20's to ancient!"

"Did he say anything? Before he…?"

"Once he started aging, he started being really nice to everyone. When his psychiatrists asked him what was going on, he just said that someone had lifted his curse." The man cleared his throat. "I don't know if I believe in magic and curses, but that…I might just have to change my mind." The man laughed a little over the line. "I'm sorry, this is incredibly unprofessional. Normally we don't disclose this sort of information like this, but like I said, we have no contact for him. At least someone knows now."

"Alright, if I find any family, I'll be sure to pass on the information."

"Thank you, Miss Hofferson. If they would like to call us here, we can explain everything."

"Alright, thank you."

"Good day."

After she hung up, the small group sat in silence for a few minutes before Gobber declared, "well, that was a bust!"

Stoick scrunched up his mouth in thought. "Ya know, I don't think Viggo did have anything to do with it. There wasn't any time for him to get all the way down in the tower past all the guards…and for what? Just to steal one body? It doesn't make sense anymore."

"Yeah, now that you say it." Astrid shrugged.

"It was a good thought." Gobber offered, "a better lead then anyone else had."

Yet, Astrid felt like it was a waste of time and hope.

As time passed, Hiccup remained missing, no matter how much begging and pleading his family did. Even in the middle of the night, when his moans echoed through the halls, Astrid would awake and call out to him. He would not respond.

It was one week after that, Fishlegs had a sudden realization. Everyone seemed to notice, as he let out a loud 'oh!' and banged the table as he stood suddenly.

"What is it Fishlegs?"

"I just had an idea where Hiccup's body might be!"

Stoick stood suddenly as well. "What?! Where?!"

"The boat!"

It seemed like no one else followed. "What boat?"

"The boat! Our boat! The one we came on!"

Stoick frowned. "That boat probably sunk centuries ago. Who knows if there's anything even left of it."

"But what if that's where Hiccup's body is?!"

Stoick sighed, "Well, it is worth a dive, I suppose."

"At this time of year?" Gobber finally spoke up. He stood and went to the window, pulling up the curtain and gesturing to the lake that surrounded the back half of the castle. Ice formed around the edges while chunks floated in the center. "Because I certainly don't want to swim in that."

Astrid thought a moment. "I might have an idea. Give me a minute." And she took out her phone and flipped through her contacts.

The phone rang a few times before it connected.

"Hey Dale! How are you?"

The voice on the other line was unintelligible to the others siting in the library.

"Great! I'm calling because I remembered during dinner when you visited you spoke of a new hobby in scuba diving…would you be willing to get some practice over here at the castle lake? We're looking for something…I mean, I suppose we could wait until summer, but we were hoping for as soon as possible…Oh I wouldn't mind compensating you for it then. It looks kind of frigid out there. You have a wet suit, right?…Awesome! When are you free?…Friday afternoon. Awesome, we'll see you then! Thanks so much!"

Friday afternoon rolled around, and Astrid waited anxiously for her cousin. She wandered over to the North Tower, pausing in the stairwell to stare at the statue.

"You've been here all this time. Watching. What do you know that we don't?"

But being a statue, the man said nothing.

The heavy doorbell rang, and Astrid hurried from the tower.

In the lobby, Eret opened the door and let Dale in.

"Hey Astrid," he greeted casually.

"Hey! Thanks for coming."

"No problem," he smiled, "as long as you got your ghost problem solved."

Astrid laughed sheepishly. "That's the thing. It's almost solved."

Dale raised a single eyebrow. "What do you mean 'almost'?"

"Well…there's one we're working on. That's why I asked you here, actually."

Dale crossed his arms, listening.

"In order for the ghost to move on, he has to get his body back. We've looked everywhere for it. The only place left is the lake. Specifically the wreckage of a viking ship right outside the North Tower."

"Are you certain it'll be there?"

Astrid could only shrug. "If it's not, then…we have no idea where else it could be. This is literally our last resort."

"That's a lot of responsibility to put on a new character."

"Yeah, I know, but we needed someone to go down there, and I don't really want to trust a stranger with this…delicate situation."

He nodded. "Ah, gotcha. Well, I brought up my fishing boat, too. Didn't know if you had one. You're welcome to come sit on the boat if you want. Don't know how much fun it'll be."

"I was hoping I could sit on the boat. I'm kinda anxious."

"Anxious it'll be there? Or anxious that it won't?"

Dale always had a way of pointing out things she hadn't wanted to think about. "I…I don't know."

He simply nodded in understanding.

She shook her head. "Well, are you ready now then?"

"Yeah, I just need to get my suit on, and we can go out. You might want to get a jacket, it's a bit chilly."

And so the two motored out to the North Tower, where the wall showed where the castle had been breached. The bricks were patchy and mismatched the rest of the Tower.

"This should be the spot." Astrid announced, peering in the water. "I have no idea how deep it is. Just be careful."

Dale grinned, preparing his mask. "Oh, it'll be fine. I'm just stoked to dive by a Viking shipwreck." He checked his watch. "Alright. It's 2 now. I have about enough air for an hour, but I like to come up at the 45 minute mark. I have this mesh bag to put any bones or treasure I might find."

"I don't think you'll find any treasure after all these years."

"Let me live a little," He scolded. Carefully, he positioned himself on the edge of the boat. "Wish me luck." And he dove in with a splash.

Once he disappeared, it became eerily silent. Only a faint rolling of waves on shore could be heard. A gust cold air rushed at her, chilling her right down to the bone, even with the coat, boats, hat, and gloves.

This was going to be a long hour.

Some 10 minutes later, Dale returned briefly. He said nothing, only heaved a ancient viking shield over the edge of the boat, and then dove right back down into the water.

The shield was rusty, and some of the wood had rotted, but most of it was still intact. Whatever it had been painted had faded with the salt.

Again, he returned long enough to surface and drop a sword on deck, then he disappeared. It was obvious he had found the wreck, now it was just a matter of him finding Hiccup's remains.

Another 10 minutes passed, and then another. Then the 45 minute mark came, but he didn't surface. Then close to an hour went by. Astrid swallowed nervously. What was taking him? Did he get stuck? Should she try to go in after him?

But only a minute later, Dale surfaced and grabbed onto the edge of the boat. He dropped his bag onto the deck, and then frantically tried to pull himself up, kicking and shaking the whole time.

Astrid acted immediately and yanked him up into the boat, while Dale removed his mask and goggles. He panted heavily and coughed.

"You okay?" Astrid asked.

He didn't answer for a while, just threw his head back and sucked in several deep breaths. "I'm…I'm fine." His tone conveyed otherwise. "Here, this is all I found." He gestured to the mesh bag on the floor.

Carefully, Astrid opened it, only to reveal a skull.

"It's all I could find."

Astrid nodded. "But it is what we're looking for. I think this will be enough. Thank you." She smiled.

"Promise me…you won't go down there by yourself." He replied.

This confused Astrid. Didn't he say it was going to be fine? "What?"

"I found the ship fine. It's right down there. After I found the sword and shield, I travelled out a bit, and found a bunch of…statues."

"Statues? What did they look like?"

He furrowed his brow. "It was kind of hard to tell, since they were worn, but they looked like…hooded people?"

Astrid's eyes widened.

"They were really big. And…" He shivered as he reached for the towel. "Look, let's go back to the castle, I don't want to be anywhere near that…thing."

"The statues?"

"No…those are the least of my concerns." He crawled over and started the engine, then sped away from the Tower as soon as possible.

Not a word was spoken when they returned. Dale took off his wet suit and donated the sword and shield to the castle, and then prepared to leave.

"Wait? That's it?" She asked. "You don't want to stay for a bit? Gobber's making a nice big dinner, and it's at least an hour back to Manchester."

Dale was quiet, then replied. "I'll come again some day, when this ghost problem is solved." And he headed to toward the door.

"Wait!" She begged. "Before you go…will you come look at something?"

He was skeptical, but followed her to the North Tower.

"Isn't this the forbidden tower?" He asked, before daring to step foot into the hall.

"It was, but the curse is…mostly lifted." At the other end of the hall, Astrid opened the door, showing the statue in all it's splendor. "So…did the statues look like this?"

Dale nodded. "Yeah, for the most part. Maybe a little smaller. There was several, and they were laid out in a grid." He glanced down to see that she had brought the skull with her down here. "You gonna see if that works?"

"Yeah," she stated, setting the bone on the ground. She took several steps back, and then called out. "Hiccup! Hiccup, we think we found your remains! Come out!"

It was quiet for a moment, before Stoick, Valka, and Gobber came rushing down the hall. "We heard ya shouting lass! Did ya really find es bones?!"

"A skull, at least. But it should be enough."

A glowing vapor appeared, rolling in like a cloud, until it took a visible form of a boy. Of Hiccup. He said nothing.

"Look," Astrid pointed. "Is that your skull? Is that you?"

Hiccup reached down and grasped the skull in his wispy hands. He stared into the sockets, like he was trying to remember an old friend. Then, he dropped it, letting it crack upon the cement.

"I don't know those eyes." He said, before disappearing.

Dale huffed, and turned on his heel. "Well, I got nothing. And I'm not going back in that Bay. Good luck Astrid." And he hurriedly left before she could stop him.

Astrid just continued to stare at the skull with a shattered dome. Of course it seemed too good to be true. She shook her head and retreated herself.

Who was she kidding? It was hopeless.

That night, Astrid laid awake in bed, staring at the fire. It was back to day one, with more questions without answers. And this time, her Hiccup was suffering alone.

Her Hiccup? Where had that come from?

She rolled over to stare at the ceiling.

Her feelings for Hiccup had been in a delicate state. She knew what the answer was, ever since he told her that he loved her, they had only ground stronger, even though she tried to stomp them into the dust. Hiccup was just too good of a match for her. It seemed that she was destined to fall in love with him, but never be with him.

Talk about Star-crossed lovers.

She didn't matter anymore. The wasn't about getting her happily ever after. This was about Hiccup being about to move on. And once he did, she would too.

So putting her fickle heart to the side, she contemplated what had happened this afternoon with Dale. Especially those damn hooded statues.

Why have so many in the Bay, and only one in the tower?

At this rate, she wouldn't get any sleep, and so she kicked off her covers and wandered down to the Library. Her phone read 4am, which was a good thing if she wanted to think alone.

But she wasn't alone, because shortly after she arrived, a wisp billowed in through the wall.

"Oh! Hiccup! Sorry, you startled me."

The vapor just floated around the room, lacking the strength or focus to take a more finite form.

"I'm sorry about this afternoon, I really thought we had found your body."

The wisp came closer, circling her.

"Won't you say something? I haven't gotten to speak with you for so long…I really miss you, you know?" She reached her hands out, feeling the warmth he left in her skin as he passed by. She let out a sigh, and then made a risky move. "If you want…you can use my body." Then she immediately blushed after it was said.

Hiccup disappeared from her sight, and convulsion racked her body. Her toes curled as a pleasant heat settled in her chest. Her arms raised, not on her own command, and wrapped around her in a hug. She collapsed onto the settee feeling weak and confused.

Then overwhelming pain took her. A pain of loss and heartbreak, of hopelessness and despair. She knew they were from Hiccup, and she gladly shouldered them, if only to ease his mind.

"You're safe with me." She whispered. "I promise, I'll set you free."

Then all of a sudden, all the foreign feelings within her disappeared. As she opened her eyes, she found Hiccup, in a more recognizable form, looking at her with something akin to adoration.

"Thank you…I think I can last a little bit longer now."

Astrid answered breathlessly. "What…did you do?"

"You let me use your body, just for a moment. And that was all I needed to ground myself. It was like…waking up, and now I've gone back to sleep again. I was able to breathe and I felt your heart beat. And there's no one I would have rather shared that moment with….than you." He leaned and left a whisper of a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you."

Astrid smiled at him, embarrassed and flattered. "Of course, I'm glad it helped…In all honesty, I'm really glad you're here. I've been thinking…"

"Is that why you're up so late?"

"Yeah, I can't sleep. See, earlier, my cousin Dale dove in the bay to see if he could find your body. He found that skull, and along with it, there were a bunch of statues, like the one in the North Tower."

"Oh really?"

"He said they're laid out in a grid. What do you think it means?"

He settled on the settee next to her, crossing his legs. "Well…it kind of sounds like a cemetery. But it was a bay when we came here. So there's no way to know."

"I thought about it being a cemetery too. Maybe those statues are grave markers."

"Makes sense." He nodded. "There were a lot of dead bodies in the Tower. Maybe the druids were just showing respect."

"To intruders?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Why else?"

Astrid was quiet for a moment, before she jerked upright suddenly. "We're all idiots!"

Hiccup stared at her, "umm?"

"How do you show where a body has been put away?"

"By…a…grave…marker?" He answered carefully.

Astrid leapt to her feet, and ran from the room. Hiccup, curious and concerned was hot on her tail. She threw open the door to the hall, then to the Tower.

The statue stood before her. Taunting her.

Hiccup caught up to her. "Was I right?"

Astrid studied the highly detailed stone man in front of her. There had to be a trick to it. A handle or a switch…something. "Come on, where is it?"

"What?"

Astrid didn't answer. She only walked quick steps down to the armory.

"Astrid, what are you doing?"

"It was right in front of us the whole time!" She pulled open the door and scanned the shelves. The axe she used that night trapped in the tower laid on the floor, a thin layer of dust taking root. She took it, not even slowing down, and turned back to the stairs.

"Wait!" Hiccup called. "Don't do anything brash!"

But Astrid ignored him, as she hurried to the back of the hall. "I'm ending this now! Stay out of my way!" Then she bolted into a sprint, running full speed at the rusty bars.

"Astrid!"

She leapt, pushing off of the railing with one foot, and became airborne. A shout ripped from her throat as her stomach fell to the bottom of the Tower. The face of the statue rapidly approached her, and she buried her axe in the stone.

Immediately, the stone started to crumble under her blade. She began to slip, and found purchase with her feet in the arms. Once she was stable, she ripped the axe out of it's place and hacked at it again. A chunk of stone fell and she halted.

A new face, one of flesh and bone, laid before her. A familiar, handsome face, that she often fell asleep looking at above her mantle.

Astrid turned and looked over her shoulder where Hiccup's ghost stood, frozen. She smiled at him and turned back around. Careful not to fall, she touched his cold, solid skin carefully.

"I'm sorry it took so long," she whispered. "But I finally found you. And I know now…" She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his frozen lips, savoring the feeling.

Before she even pulled away, there was a long cracking sound and the pillar began to quake. Unable to do anything else, Astrid clung to Hiccup.

"Hiccup!" She screamed for help, but his spirit was no where to be found.

The pillar shook violently as the foundation crumbled and together they fell.

"I've got you!"

But when they hit the ground, it was a lot less painful than she had expected. The ruble of the statue had returned to what it once was, gold, silver, and precious gems. The treasure the vikings were after when they raided. But she didn't care much about it, as Hiccup's motionless body laid within her arms, just barely breathing. "Hiccup? Are you still…?"

He opened his eyes faintly. "Astrid…?"

"Yes! Yes Hiccup! I'm here!" She hugged him fiercely. "I'm with you…"

His hands wrapped around her, and hugged her as well. "I'm sorry, I'm really weak…"

She kissed his forehead, "I don't care…I thought I'd have to say goodbye…" She absently wiped her wet cheek. "Or maybe I wouldn't even get the chance to do that."

"I would have said goodbye, don't worry." He brushed her hair away from her cheek. "But I don't have to. I'd love to stay with you, if you'll let me."

"Of course!" she choked. "I love you."

Hiccup smiled warmly in adoration. "You do? Really?"

She kissed him again, letting her lips linger against his just because she could. "I do. And nothing in 18 lifetimes could make me stop."