-Hiccup-

Everything was a blur.

Someone heard my screams and it didn't take long for my dad, Gothi, Gobber, the gang and the rest of the village to come to the cove.

I was angry.

Everyone looked at us like we were a freak show. Gasping and placing their hands in front of their mouths.

I wanted to get up and yell at them, tell them that they should do something instead of just watching.

Gothi was the only one who did something.

She ran up to us and sat down on her knees in front of Astrid.

She placed her small and pale hand on Astrid's forehead.

How the hell is this going to help? I thought to myself. How can a hand on a forehead cure a slit throat?

Gothi furrowed her brows, grabbed her stick and got back up.

She started writing things on the ground, and when Gobber didn't notice, she hit him over the head.

"Aye! Calm down, Gothi! My focus was elsewhere!" He scolded her as he rubbed his head and read what she had written.

He sighed and nodded.

Gobber came over to us and looked me straight in the eye.

"Can you give her to me?" He asked carefully, clearly understanding that I was very fragile right now.

I looked down at Astrid.

Her beautiful ocean blue eyes were still open, but they were missing their light.

Her hair and clothes were also drenched in blood, but to me, she was still as beautiful as ever.

I stroked her blonde hair that shimmered in the midday sun.

I let another tear roll down my cheek.

I got up and carried Astrid bridal style.

We left a puddle of blood where we had been sitting.

I handed her over to Gobber and he shot me a quick smile and a nod.

Gothi whistled and her purple gronckle and Grump, Gobber's dragon, landed in front of her.

She patted her gronckle's head and pointed at Gobber and Astrid. The gronckle and Grump waddled over to them with Gothi.

Gothi mounted the purple dragon first and then Gobber handed Astrid over to Gothi.

Gobber mounted Grump, and not long after they all flew away.

I took a deep breath, furrowed my brows, closed my eyes and but my lip. I crossed my arms.

Dad came over to me and grabbed my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, son" He told me.

"Don't say you're sorry, this is all my fault! I was stupid enough to be tricked by Viggo" I spat.

"Viggo!?" Dad asked me in shock. I nodded.

"The lava didn't kill him, he managed to escape by Whispering Death tunnels"

I heard gasps from the villagers.

"Where is he now?" Fishlegs wondered. I didn't even bother to look at him.

"He ran away with Stormfly the second he ..." I tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to flow down my cheeks.

"And Toothless?" I heard Ruffnut ask, sadness filling her voice.

"He... he ran after them"

My dad turned me to him and made me look him straight in the eye.

"Listen now Hiccup, you're going to go to Gothi and stay there, while the rest of us are going to go out and search for Viggo, Stormfly and Toothless. Am I clear?" Dad asked me. I nodded.

"Good. Now go!" Dad said as he patted my back and pushed me the right direction.

*****

I sat outside of Gothi's hut. I sat with my back leaning against the wall, and my butt on the platform.

I watched the ocean.

I saw the waves smashing against the small islands that surrounded Berk.

I had been sitting out here for a couple of hours, but I stopped counting after 2 so it didn't really matter to me right now. All that mattered was Astrid, and that she would survive. But I was beginning to lose hope.

I hadn't changed my clothes, so I was still wearing my blood soaked clothes, making me look like I had slaughtered an entire village.

Well, hours turned into days.

Gobber came out every once in a while to go get food and water.

I wasn't hungry, I wasn't tired and I didn't have to pee.

I just wanted Astrid. I wanted her beautiful blonde hair to shimmer in the sun, I wanted to see her amazing ocean blue eyes reflect the sun and I wanted to see her flash me that beautiful smile of hers.

I sat outside of Gothi's hut for three days.

I moved to very once in a while around the platform, and when I did that, Gobber forced me to eat at least a little bit of food.

My dad and the rest of the adult villagers were still looking for Viggo, Stormfly and Toothless. At least that's what the gang told me when they came to visit.

Heather came the second day. She told me that I looked terrible, tried to comfort me, sat with me for a while and then left.

Today was the third day, and my hope was at its lowest yet.

And then Gothi and Gobber came out of the hut simultaneously.

I looked up at them and prepared myself for bad news.

Gobber looked down at Gothi. She nodded at him and he turned his focus back to me.

"What is it? What happened?" I asked as my voice cracked.

"Hiccup, we aren't sure Astrid is going to make it"