Hiccup's mind was a flurry of thoughts. Thinking of the best way to explain himself to Astrid. His mind went blank, however, upon seeing her hunched over the table.
There was absolutely nothing he could say that could save him from her coming fury.
She'd forgive him eventually. Being Berks general and a brilliant strategist and having experience facing against the hunter before, she knew just as well that it was better to have the lens in their hands than to leave it where it was. It was the method in which he regained it she would blast him for.
Landing a ways off, Hiccup thought it best to hand Millie over to Fishlegs before he was confronted. Safer that way, he reasoned. In trade, Fishlegs gave his friend the lens should Astrid demand to see it, and he was not about to get caught in the middle of this one.
The group showcased a mix of emotions from hard scowls to curious glints as the two approached. What put Hiccup more on edge was how Astrid kept her back to them, even as he came beside her.
"He-hey-hngh!" A strangled sputtering gag was the only sound he made having the wind knocked clean out of him. Astrid had wheeled about to deliver a hefty blow to his diaphragm, one of the few areas not protected by heavy armor. His knees buckled, hitting the ground, resting his head against the table as he heaved a gargled breath, coughing furiously.
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!" Nobody said a word.
Fishlegs had scuttled out of her view, finding refuge beside Heather whose angered brows knitted in concern when she saw small form resting in his hands, settling at the far end of the table to tend to her.
"She spent the last three days fighting for her life, and you knowingly put her in danger!" A few of the passing defenders slowed their pace to watch the scene. Of the petite blonde warrior bringing the Chief of Berk to his knees with one blow.
"In my defense," Hiccuped heaved. His voice was harsh and grated, struggling against the growing urge to vomit. "She did offer."
"That's what she said!" Astrid gestured to Mala, who sat beside her husband, his one arm draped lazily around her, watching the two with tempered amusement. "Hiccup, she was in no condition to go out there and do something that reckless. She could have died!"
Hearing her own words, she blinked rapidly, realizing that Millie wasn't with him. Fearing the worst she scanned about frantically, pausing only when Heather called out to her.
"She's right here, Astrid. Unconscious and pale and a bit cold but still with us." She and Fishlegs continued to dote on their fragile guest. Astrid was relieved to hear that she would be okay, but that feeling turned sour when she faced Hiccup again as he shakily stood up straight. Well, as best he could manage.
"Astrid–" She held up a hand. Backing away, shaking her head as she mounted Stormfly and took off.
"Well," Dagur scratched at the stubbly patchwork on his chin. "That could have gone better."
"I was hoping for worse." Moaned Tuff, quite disappointed with the outcome.
"You know nothing of women." Ruff patted his shoulder before shoving her open hand in front of his face. "Pay up, bro." He begrudgingly passed two gold peices off to his sister who pocketed them with a cheeky 'thank you'.
"I know as well as anyone here that we can't let the hunters get their hands on the lens." Snotlout puffed up a bit, a boastful scowl on his face. "But even I wouldn't have done something so stupid."
"This coming from the one who said we should 'put her out of her misery' this morning." His cheeks dusted lightly at Ruffnuts sniggering. Crossing his arms over his chest, he huffed and pouted, choosing to remain silent for the rest of this conversation.
"You have the lens then, yes?" Mala's curious gaze flickered as she passed the item in question, admiring the milky white stone in the sunlight as it sparkled with an array of colours.
"So, what's next? We have it, but without the Dragon Eye, it's useless." Dagur focused long enough to ask before his attention returned to the mesmerizing stone.
"You've been awfully quiet." Hiccup glanced over to Eret, the foe turned friend. "What do you think about all of this?"
The trapper had only been with them a few months, but Hiccup found him a wealth of knowledge not only on dragons but on leadership, too. With being a new and fairly young chief, not too many took Hiccup seriously at the start, and though he wished his father was there to help, he often found Eret there instead to give advice. And so he kept him in his counsel and looked to him in turn.
It seemed he was furious with him too, however, as Eret massaged the space between his brows as he spoke.
"What's done is done," He said evenly. "I don't agree with how you got it, but there's no point in fussing over it now. What is important is how we move forward. What do we do with the lens? I've honestly never heard of such a thing as your Dragon's Eye, but you make it's sound impressive."
"I can explain it more later, Eret." Fishlegs called. He was doing his best to coax Millie awake enough for Heather to try and spoon feed her. Since she probably wouldn't fully wake for a long while, it was best to try and have some food in her belly, they reasoned.
"Well, Dagur is right." Hiccups shoulders sank, choosing his words carefully. "Without the Eye, the lens is useless, but it is far better in our hands. I might still have the schematics back home, but I'm not sure. Fishlegs, did you take any notes or details in regards to the Dragon Eye?"
"I did. I loaned them to Skaulder not long after we abandoned the Edge, though, so I'm not too sure if he still has them."
Skaulder was Berks source of knowledge, a self-proclaimed archeologist, and history buff.
"Then we head back to Berk, for now. See if we can even find those old notes first. We'll take the lens with us, in case the hunters try to 'search' for it, again." Heather opened her mouth to speak, but Hiccup cut her off as if reading her thoughts. "Millie will stay here. She should rest anyway, and she's far better off in your hands." He wouldn't even look at her, Heather found no words but agreed with him.
He tiredly pushed off the table, coming alongside his dragon who crooned softly, sensing his riders disheartened mood.
"I'll go tell Astrid the plan." With that, Hiccup mounted Toothless and took off for the axe-maiden, the nightfury following her scent.
The mood was somber as the group soaked everything in, taking a moment before starting the task of preparing for the flight back to Berk.
"Do you think she'll be okay?" Fishlegs watched the small being suck in a sharp, ragged breath before shakily releasing it. Heather placed a gentle hand atop his, offering him a tender smile.
"I'm sure she'll be fine, Fishlegs. She's made it this far."
"I know, I know. I guess I can't stand waiting. Waiting to see if this works. If what we did was enough. If she'll actually wake up again." He was fighting off the urge to adjust Millie's position again. Just wanting her to be comfortable.
"You have a good heart, Fishlegs." She leaned on his shoulder, giving him a lopsided embrace.
"How's she doing?" Heather's attention turned over to Eret, his eyes never leaving the small form resting on top of a woven grass mat, of sorts.
"She's fine." Bitting her tongue, she tried to be civil. It was true, the dragons seemed to like him, Stormfly especially for some reason, so she could try. He surprised her as he shrugged of the heavy furs he wore, placing them in such a way on the table that Fishlegs caught on and moved Millie over to them. "I thought you were taking your furs back?"
"She's earned them." He made sure Millie was situated without disturbing her too much, Heather watching his movements with interest.
"How thoughtful, trapper. Giving up your furs for a bed." His lips twitching, catching her playful tone in the jab.
"You'll find no better furs than my bed."
"Easy." Dagur warned across the table. He knew his sister wasn't defenseless, but the protective instinct only grew stronger over the years. He was more entertained with how she's seemed to have met her match in wit, which only frustrated her more as she rolled her eyes at them.
"Cheeky." Crossing her arms over her chest, Heather quirked a brow at the taller man. "Tell me, does that bit actually work?"
"You tell me, kid."
"Kid? Just how old do you think I am?"
"Do you know how old I am?." Heather stumbled over her words for a minute, his nonchalant reply throwing her off her game.
"No." Came her sputtered response, made to sound more confident than she felt.
"Then we're even." He smiled down at her, patting her shoulder before going about his own preparations.
Heather said nothing, her mouth flapping like a gasping fish, knitting her brow further as she struggled to process the conversation she'd just been a part of. She turned to face the King and Queen of the island, still flabbergasted while they chuckled wryly.
"What just happened?"
"You, dear sister, have officially met your match." Heather's lips thinned to an annoyed pout. Not pleased with idea at all.
Eret gave one last look at Millie before hoisting himself into the saddle as they waited for their chief to return, wondering again what she'd done to invoke such a punishment. He was amazed at how she'd managed to grow on everyone in the span of a day. He wasn't sure if it was because of her size that affected her appeal or if it was her quick wit and charm. Whatever it was, they all had a soft spot for her.
Hiccup found Astrid not too far from the islands coast, pacing a rouge sandbar that had taken one ship to the grave. He could have groveled and begged. He could have pleaded his case with all the excuses he could imagine, but it wouldn't be what she'd want to hear. It would probably end up with his lights being knocked out if he did.
No, there was only one approach that she would accept.
"You probably would have asked a few more times than I did if she really wanted to go through with it, but you know would have taken her offe–"
"I know! I know. That's what's pissing me off." She kicked a peice of debris, causing the two dragons to play a little game of fetch with each other, leaving their riders out of the fun.
"She reminds me a lot of you." Hiccup had to force back a grin as she spun about, giving him a firm scowl before he continued. "Stubborn, determined, and a lot stronger than she looks. Even if I refused, she probably would have found a way."
Her shoulders sagged, heaving a sigh as she relaxed somewhat, still a bit perturbed by the situation. His silver tongue truly his saving grace, despite his fumbling at times.
"How are you so calm about all of this?" He's been asked that a lot lately.
"I think you're making me bolder. And I've learned the hard way that I can't solve everything simply by asking for permission." She hummed knowingly at that. He has certainly come out of his shell more. "You've definitely become a bit more patient over the years."
"Really?"
"It certainly feels that way." Hiccup felt over his abdomen, feeling a bruise forming.
"It's just–what if she was one of us?"
"She is."
"It's only been a day. And she's been unconscious for half of it."
"Oh come on, you can't tell me she hasn't grown on you?" He grinned this time, knowing full well it was a terrible pun. But it worked. He watched Astrid's lips thin from a scowl, trying hard not to even chuckle and succeeding.
"I guess." She finally admitted. Hiccup held out a hand to her, pulling her close when she accepted. "It still seems so weird to me, though."
"Maybe snotlouts right, it's some sort of magic charm she's cast on us." He mocked.
"That's not even funny." Astrid buried her face into the crook of his neck. Taking everything in and allowing herself a moment of peace before returning to the issue at hand. "What's the plan?"
"Take the lens back to Berk for safe keeping while we try to find the Dragon Eye notes Fishlegs loaned to Skaulder. If we can't find them, then we'll have to figure out a way to make the lens work without the Eye."
"Sounds like a solid start." Sighing as she pushed off his chest, looking him in the eyes. "I think I'll stay here for now. In case the hunters try to attack again. I could really use a good raid bashing. Plus, I wouldn't mind catching up with Heather, if that's okay?"
"Why wouldn't it be? I was going to leave it up to you anyway because I wasn't sure how close you'd let me get right now." A light chuckle escaped her lips as she shook her head, wondering how she fell for this goon, wrapping her arms around him again. Hiccup rested his chin atop her head, not wanting this moment to end. "Millie is also going to stay behind. She should rest anyway, and trying to transfer her would be too stressful for her right now. It's better she stays."
"I still think it could have been thought out better, but you're right. She is a lot stronger than she looks." He pulled back, gazing into her eyes before dipping his head to place a tender kiss on her lips. Astrid broke it off a little sooner than he'd like, her nosed scrunching in distaste.
"Did you drink ale?"
"Maybe, why?"
"I don't mind wine on occasion, but I really don't like the taste of ale. I mean, if you like it, that's fine. Just dont kiss me afterward for a while. " He pulled her closer, laughing at the irony.
Everything seemed to be turning around, and soon, this whole mess would be sorted out.
Right?