Of all the places I could've ended up, it had to be with dragon riders. And not just any dragon riders, but THE dragon riders. The whole gang was here, plus one. Astrid and Hiccup, the twins with Tuff soothing a ruffled chicken, Fishlegs, and an uneasy looking Snotlout. And Eret. If he was with them, then this must be the cinematic universe as opposed to the book universe, right? I've been meaning to get to the books, but so far, I've just been helping my neice add them to her library. In this case, I'd prefer it to be more like the movies. I don't really want to deal with smart-ass children right now. But smart-ass adults I can handle, even in this predicament. I hope, anyway.
"Easy, girl. It's alright, you're safe now." Hiccup tried to sound soothing, but I didn't want to be soothed. I wanted to be out of this weird fever dream. "It's okay, we're not going to hurt you."
"I'm injured, not infantile." I ground out. Did I mention that I lose all manner of tact when I'm cranky or uncomfortable. It's a terrible curse. The fact that they're standing before me doesn't mean that they could be all PG like in the movies. Nobody just brandishes a blade to only use the hilt and not take off limbs.
"A little spitfire of a sprite, isn't she." Eret chuckled from somewhere off to my left. A wave of pain passing over me as I tried to sit up more but failed, slumping further against the wooden post.
Toothless came sniffing about, curiously nosing my injured arm and almost pushing me over before Hiccup gently pulled him back. As awesome as it is to be near a less hostile dragon, I need a hot minute to get a grip.
"Honestly, Hiccup. Just put it out of its misery." Snotlout groaned. "Who knows what kind of dark troll magic it has. Better safe than cursed."
"Ha, I think I'm the one who's cursed." Squeezing my eyes shut at another wave of pain. Maybe just kill me. It might wake me up from this lucid nightmare.
"We're not going to kill her, Snotlout. She needs help." Then help me already. My eyes shot open at the sensation of my side being brushed against, feeling my shirt lift slightly.
"Whoa! Whoa! Back off! No touch!" I scuttled back clumsily as Hiccup retracted his hand. He let out a long sigh as I curled into myself.
"I'm just trying to help. You said you were injured, I was just trying to see how bad it is."
"No, no. I'm fine. I appreciate the thought, but it's fine. I'll manage." My back hit against rough, worn leather. Craning my gaze upward to see Eret looking down at me, an amused look on his face. Like someone watching a child, who clearly knew their limits, try to prove they had none. I hate that look.
"Shut it." I huffed, his smirk only grew as I scowled back up at him.
"Please." Hiccup pleaded. "Trust me on this."
I don't really have a reason not to trust them, but I also don't have a reason to trust them either. Eret took a few steps back when I shuffled away, trying to put some distance between myself and them. Snotlout set the farthest distance, muttering to himself from behind Hookfang. Tuff sat on the ground, giving more of his attention to the chicks he'd corralled. Ruff was watching the scene with a curious gleam, I couldn't even begin to guess what she was thinking. Fishlegs had one of his journals out, no doubt documenting this whole thing.
Astrid's look was firm but concerned as she came alongside Hiccup, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention briefly.
"Let's all just take a step back. We are certainly not listening to Snotlout on this one, but we don't have all day to wait and see if she'll manage on her own." Hiccup seemed to relent at her words, as if accepting a hard truth. I don't blame him. If roles were switched, I'd be the same way. It wouldn't feel right to just leave someone to suffer. But right now, I just want some space and a moment to take everything in.
"Ruff, can you grab some clean water and meet us inside?" For once, Ruffnut didn't fight it. She just left to get the water, no snippy remarks or snide comments. Astrid knelt down beside Hiccup when she addressed me. "I can't even begin to image myself in your shoes right now. But we really are trying to help. You'll just have to trust us."
Before I could process that her words were more a statement than a request, I was swept off the ground. Nothing could prepare me for that feeling, like one of those drop tower rides, only I was waiting for the drop as she stood and made her way into the hall, holding me close to herself. She paused briefly to address Hiccup when he got up on his feet, making his way to follow her inside.
"Not you. Just wait outside. I'll let you know when we're done." She let out a sharp whistle as we went inside, Stormfly perked up and came trotting in behind Ruffnut.
"Stormfly, low fire." The dragon spit at the pit in the center of the table, setting the cold coals to a low flame. Astrid was fairly gentle when setting my feet on the table top.
"Can I see?" Her look softened as I hesitated. "If it's not that bad, we'll leave you to deal with it yourself, but will you let us help if it's not?"
I was too tired to fight or argue, feeling like I left my stomach outside from the ride, my head was pounding. I relented and peeled off my shirt, having her help pull it off when it got stuck on my head. That little movement sent me reeling, hunched over to empty out my gut, which was already empty. Astrid gently rubbed my back as I caught my breath again. She brushed my hair aside as she examined my ribs.
"Hey, Fishlegs?" She called out. "Do we have any clean linen scraps somewhere?"
"I think we should. I'll go check." I could hear him heading off to find the requested item from outside the building. My head lulled as I sat back on my feet.
"Hey," Astrid snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Stay awake. How are your legs?"
Shuffling my position so my legs stretched before me, I felt about from hip to toe, feeling no open cuts but some coming bruises. Luckily, she heard me when I said they were fine, my throat raw and hoarse.
"Here you go." Fishlegs hand waved through the doorway, refusing to come in to hand it to her. Ruff went to collect the linen as Astrid checked my more obvious injuries. I could vaguely hear Hiccup ask for an update, to only have Ruffnut goad him.
"I can't believe you tried to take off her shirt." She snickered as he fumbled with his words. The smirk on her face only proved she held nothing to the statement. She just enjoyed giving him a hard time.
"That's not what I was doing!" His outcries were acknowledged with sniggering from the others outside. Even Astrid chuckled lightly as she cut a few small strips from the cloth. The rest she dipped in the water, washing around the abrasions.
"Well, they're not as bad as they look." I glanced at the cut on my side as I felt new blood begun to trail down from it. "But they will need to be cauterized." There was a shuffling of coals behind me. Bring it on.
"This is gunna hurt, isn't it."
"Oh yeah."
She gave me no time to prepare as she pressed the hot dagger against my side. A vicious cry ripped from my throat at the sensation, a form of pain I'd never known before. It was too much and everything went dark.
It was painful to listen to from outside the doorway, Hiccup let out a long sigh when Astrid gave the all clear.
"How's she doing?" Hiccup came up beside Astrid as she set the small shirt near the dying coals to dry.
"She passed out when I cauterized the wounds." They watched the small form laying under a scrap of dry, clean linen. "Her breathing is shallow, from what I can tell. We'll just have to wait and see." Hiccup knelt to be eye level with the tabletop, looking closely at her sleeping face. He gently pressed his fingers across her back, letting out a sigh of relief as he felt the subtle rise and fall of her breathing. Astrid watched his actions with a soft smile, his brow furrowing with worry when he caught her stare. He quickly removed his hand as he stood.
She gave me no time to prepare as she pressed the hot dagger against my side. A vicious cry ripped from my throat at the sensation, a form of pain I'd never known before. It was too much and everything went dark.
"I know." She chuckled, shaking her head at him. "I don't think it would have mattered who it was. She probably would have fought off anyone. I know I would have. I only thought it would be better if just Ruffnut and I helped her. That one gash was pretty close to her chest, just missing the bindings she wore. So it just seemed more appropriate, given the option."
"Well, thank you for that then." He sat down on the bench, pulling out the book he'd found on the floor earlier as everyone else seemed to slowly make their way into the meeting hall, enquiring of the outcome. He looked curiously at the first page, noting the small footprint smudging up the writing, then back at small being.
"This whole thing is so strange. Where did she even come from?" Astrid took the small bowl of water and tossed its contents on the grass outside.
"I remember, as a kid, I would go out looking for gnomes and trolls and the likes. Always a little disappointed when I never did. There's certainly something different about her, but I dont think she's one of them." Hiccup sat there, wracking his mind for any old tales he'd heard about such creatures. But the twins seemed to have their own method of deduction.
"She not ugly enough to be a troll." Ruffnut scratched at her chin thoughtfully.
"And not hairy enough to be a gnome." Tuffnut continued the thought process while cradling several baby chicks in his arms, all sound asleep.
"She could be one of Loki's." Ruffnut suggested.
"An interesting theory, sister, but I doubt he would leave her on Midgard to suffer." Tuffnut thought hard as he glanced over the small form. "Jotunns are known size-shifters, ranging from heights taller than mountains to smaller than mice. She could be one of them."
"I doubt that." Eret mused, Tuff turning a quizzical eye towards him.
"You seem so sure. How would you know?"
"He's probably one of them." Snotlout brushed passed, keeping a cautious eye on their guest. The others may not heed him, but he'd be damned if he was the one targeted by its dark magic.
"I was lost in the woods once, when I was a boy. I was guided out by one of the spirits of the forest, riding on the back of a sparrow. She scared off the dragon whose nest I stumbled upon and led me back to my Da's hunting group. He was glad I was safe, but I earned a lot of hard chores for running off in the first place. If she was truly a spirit or creature of nature, that dragon would have run from her, not at her."
"That still leaves the question as to who or what she is." Hiccup felt a pull at his heart as the sleeping human-like being cringed a moment, letting out an almost inaudible moan before settling again. No matter what it was, he wanted to be sure she was well before they left her on her own again. It brought back an old memory of his father. They'd gone walking in the woods together when Hiccup was a small boy, and they came across an injured baby bird. He's your responsibility now, son, Stoic told him as he splint the birds wing. You must feed him and care for him, until he's able to fly free and return to the wild.
"As long as she's unconscious, we won't find out anything." Astrid stole the book from Hiccup's hands, flipping through it. "Did you find those notes we came here for in the first place?"
"Uh," Hiccup stammered. "Well, I've been a little distracted." He ducked as Astrid smacked his arm with the book. She set the book down as she went to the shelves.
"Well, get searching. We won't get any answers out of her until she wakes up, and we have until about mid-day when we need to leave, should Dagur send out a search party when his brother didn't show up when he said he would. So come on, get moving."
"Okay, okay." Hiccup came up along-side her and draped an arm over her shoulder as she scanned over one the scrolls. "I will never understand your motivation methods."
She gave him a cheeky grin, leaning in for a quick peck on the lips before returning to the task at hand.
"We'll look about here. You and Fishlegs can continue to search through his stuff. And maybe take Snotlout with you, so he doesn't end up cursing us all."
"You know we'll never live it down if he's actually right."
"That's a very big if." She tossed the scroll aside, moving on to the next book she could find. Hiccup chuckled at her annoyance from the idea that Snotlout's superstitions could be proven right. But the truth of the matter was, they really didn't know, so a little caution wouldn't hurt.
"Come on, Fishlegs. Let's go see what we can find. Snotlout can come give us a hand." Snotlout was about to protest when the twins pulled a face, making him leap to his feet and rush out the door as they laughed.
Hiccup gave one more look at the table before following the two out the doorway to search for the missing dragon notes.