Six: Decisions

Berk rose ahead, jagged and familiar, the flames in the mouths of the giant stone Harbour Guards bright against the dusk. Stormfly gave a roar and it was answered by the A-Team Rider on patrol as she skimmed the waves and them began to rise up to fly over the cliffs and up the village to land outside the Chief's House. Not stopping to do anything except thank her dragon and hug her warmly, Astrid carefully turned and walked into the House.

The Chief and Gobber were sitting bowed by Hiccup's bed, both looking broken, though they glanced up as she entered. Stoick forced a small smile onto his weary face and beckoned her close. Carefully, she walked forward, the flask balanced gently in her hands.

"I'm sorry it took so long, sir," she said as her eyes trailed over the limp shape. Hiccup's face was flushed, his brow furrowed and his eyes closed. His dishevelled auburn hair was plastered over his forehead in sweaty tendrils, his eyes deeply shadowed so they almost appeared bruised. He looked thinner-though he hadn't been the most substantial Viking to start with and Astrid felt her heart shudder at the sight. He looked sick and weak, so unlike the stubborn, wiry, determined man she knew. Stoick gave a sigh.

"Aye-well he's been getting worse, lass," he murmured, a broken edge to his words. Hiccup was his only son, a young man the Chief still felt he had misvalued and ill-treated until the boy had proved himself spectacularly. Of course, Hiccup had never been big and buff, never been the mini-Stoick that the Chief had probably envisaged but he had grown to respect and honour his son as a leader, a warrior, an innovator and an Heir...but most of all, as a person. Astrid guessed that the Chief had been looking forward to the day he could hand over the reins of the Tribe, which he himself had held for over three decades, and watch with confidence that his people would be safe and cared for.

Watching his son dying must break his heart.

Resting the flask on the table, Astrid knelt by the side of the bed and gently stroked the scorching forehead, her expression gentle as she watched his brow furrow slightly.

"Hey, babe-it's me," she said softly, leaning closer. "I'm here." His eyes opened but they were unfocussed, the emerald depths looking lost and a little scared. His mouth worked and he managed a small mumble. "It's okay, Hiccup," she whispered. "I know. I know. But I love you, babe and nothing will make me love you less." His head tilted toward the sound of her voice and his lips moved in the flicker of a smile.

"I went to see Viggo," she revealed, keeping her voice calm, though there was an edge of anger. "The man is an absolute monster. He blames you for his injuries-even though he betrayed you, tried to kill me and wanted to steal the DragonEye. You did what you had to and you still tried to help him when he was on the edge...but he fell. It was his fault."

He shook his head slightly and she leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"Babe, I know you blame yourself-because you are a good man," she told him. "A decent man. And only Hiccup would try to save a visceral enemy when he had just betrayed him."

"Only Hiccup," Stoick murmured quietly.

"But I got the antidote from him," she said quietly. "He tried to double cross me and smashed the flask on the ground...but I gathered up as much as I could...I just pray it is enough..." His hand moved, rising slightly off the bed and slowly, haltingly reaching for her. She gently lifted his hand to her face, allowing his fingers to lightly feel her features before resting against her cheek.

"It's okay," she repeated as his face looked relieved. "I need to give you the antidote, babe. And I don't know what will happen, how much will reverse...but we will manage. Somehow, we'll manage...because there will always be a Hiccup and Astrid. Whatever it means, what ever you need-I am here for you."

Toothless warbled, inching forward to manage to get his head round the side of Stoick and nudge against the patient's hip. Hiccup's lips lifted in a smile.

"T'l'..." he managed and Astrid gave a small smile.

"Trust you to be able to say his name at the last," she murmured, reaching for the flask and gently swirling it, hoping and praying there was enough. Tenderly she lifted Hiccup's head and moved the flask to his lips. "Okay, babe-here we go," she murmured. The greenish fluid just reached his lips-and then his eyes snapped wide open and he pressed his lips closed, trying to pull away.

"Now now, son," Stoick said reassuringly. "I know most of these potions taste pretty foul! I remember one that Gothi once gave me...I thought my lips would fall off, it was so foul..." Astrid tried to feed him the potion but he kept his lips closed, his breathing accelerating. He was trying to shake his head.

"It's okay, Hiccup," Astrid encouraged him as Toothless sniffed-and then began to growl.

"I'll open his mouth for you," Stoick volunteered as Hiccup's face looked terrified and Astrid shook her head, pulling the flask back.

"No," she murmured. "No-they forced the poison down him, forced him to drink it..." And then she looked at the flask. "Hiccup-have you tasted this before?"

There was a tiny nod.

"But that's impossible," Stoick said briskly, leaning forward. "I'll open his mouth..."

"NO!" Astrid tone was suddenly urgent. "Hiccup? Was this the same potion they forced you to drink?"

There was another tiny nod.

"His mind must be befuddled by the fever," Stoick told her. "Of course it's the antidote..."

"Viggo is without honour and delights in playing games, in manipulating people," Astrid said slowly, staring at the flask and very carefully corking it again. "He is cruel and wants Hiccup dead. He tried double-crossing me with an empty flask...but what if he never gave me the antidote, knowing that by the time I got back to Berk and went looking for him again, it was too late?" And then her brows furrowed. "This isn't the antidote-this is the poison. The Wine of Hela. Viggo wants us to well-meaningly force yet more poison down Hiccup's throat and kill him all the sooner. And he made sure he told me the symptoms before he left. And I know Hiccup cannot see or speak, that he is very weak...but he made sure I knew he could have 'fits and delusions'. So I would ignore Hiccup's protests and kill him in my desperation to save him."

Slowly, Hiccup nodded once more.

"Oh Gods," Stoick murmured. "Odin-I never realised any man could be that callous..."

"I am so sorry, my love," Astrid said softly. "I am so sorry that I have failed you." He beckoned faintly with his hand and she leaned close until he leaned forward an inch and gently kissed her, his lips dry and cracked.

"So...there is no hope?" the Chief said slowly and Astrid sighed.

"We just have to rely on Gothi and the others to bring the antidote back and save him," she sighed. "But I trust them to do everything possible to save him." And then she smiled. "I'm here with you, babe," she sighed, feeling his hand tightened around hers. "I'm not going anywhere." She pulled back for a second, shucking off her hooded jacket and laying down her axe, knives , pauldrons and belt. "Sir-could you arrange for Stormfly to have some fish please? She'll probably be asleep but she'll be hungry when she wakes-and I want to spend some time with Hiccup."

He gave a small smile.

"M'l'..." he managed.

"That's my babe," she said and she gently laid down on the bed beside him, wrapping her arms around his hot shape and feeling him fidget a little so he was lying against her, his head resting against her. Quietly, he kissed her cheek, his hand gripped tightly around hers. " I love you too. Whatever happens, Hiccup-I will always love you. And no one else."

oOo

Fishlegs was overwhelmed by despair as he stared at the burning bushes, seeing the entire area ablaze. He knew the Hunters had destroyed every bush and that there wouldn't be any more bushes anywhere.

He had failed Hiccup.

Sighing, he glanced over and saw the bushes, with a few intact Bruise Fruit among the squashed ones, their purplish colour looking very much like a fresh bruise. And as he glanced at the them, he saw a stray twig and he frowned.

"Hmm....compound serrate leaf with elongated apex and a characteristic grey-green colour," he murmured. "I know this leaf..." And he peered more closely at the fruit. "And I know that smell..." He shuffled forward and dipped his fingers into the crushed smushed-up fruit and tasted it. "Hmm...I know that taste as well..." he breathed and his face lit with hope. Swiftly, he collected the couple of undamaged fruit and stowed them in his bag and then he stood up. He would need to give Meatlug some of his special treat-gold-laced marble and hematite-because they had a long flight to go. And Fishlegs was banking on the fact that he was sure he knew where there were more of these bushes that the Hunters had no knowledge of.

He sprinted down the hill to the Gronckle, fired with new purpose.

"Come on, Meatlug," he said urgently. "We're going to Vanaheim!"

oOo

Astrid awoke, feeling something move beside her. Her eyes snapped open, her head swinging to see Hiccup jerking, his face tight and eyes fixed open. Suddenly, his entire body was jolting, his limbs stiff and she gasped, instinctively throwing herself across him, holding him still so he didn't fall from the bed and harm himself further. With a croon, Toothless was alert, scrambling from his spot and moving over to nuzzle against Hiccup's side, cradling him from falling as well.

"Thanks, Toothless," Astrid said breathlessly as Hiccup suddenly went limp. Tenderly, she leaned over the young man, seeing his pale face slack and tracing her fingers along the scruffy line of his jaw, gently brushing the bangs off his face and feeling the heat radiating from him. With a sigh, she leaned forward and pressed a small kiss to his forehead. "Hiccup?"

There was no answer, no response at all. Stroking his face softly once mean, she leaned closer.

"Hiccup?"

He remained still and unresponsive, his breathing shallow and uneven. Toothless nudged him hard and nuzzled, distressed but the auburn-haired Rider remained unresponsive.

"Babe?" Her voice was sounding more worried and she took his hand, giving a gentle squeeze and finding...nothing. His calloused hand remained limp in hers, not even replying to another gentle squeeze. Unaccountably, her eyes pricked with tears and she blinked then away fiercely. When he woke, he wouldn't want to see her crying! She was Astrid-his Astrid-and she was a warrior, a ferocious Valkyrie and Dragon Rider who was fearless and loyal. Except she was terrified now that she was losing him and as she continued to give him gentle shakes and soft, increasingly desperate entreaties, she feared he would never wake again.

oOo

Stoick the Vast was patrolling the village when Gothi returned, her Gronckle buzzing low over the houses as she sped through and head directly for her crooked little hut perched high above the harbour on a sea-stack. Stoick glanced over at her and then turned back to his house, determined to check on his son before the Elder came by.

Astrid was sitting by his bed, trickling a little water into his mouth but he remained unconscious. He was pale though his cheeks were flushed and he was looking thinner than ever, tendrils of auburn hair stuck to his feverish brow. She looked up as Stoick entered-followed closely by Gobber. The men looked at Hiccup and then at the young woman, seeing the almost-despair in her eyes.

"I can't wake him," she said tonelessly. "He had some sort of a seizure this morning. And his fever is back." She gently combed her fingers through his wild hair and carefully made the two braids she always put in there. She leaned forward, gently brushing a hair off his forehead. "Babe-your Dad and Gobber are here. I'm going to freshen up a little. Love you." The words were without shame or any self consciousness because all those present knew they were true because they all felt the same. Tenderly, she kissed him, his lips not moving at the gentle pressure and when she pulled back, there were tears in her eyes. "Love you," she repeated and pulled back. Gobber sympathetically patted her arm.

"He's a stubborn laddie," the old blacksmith said and she nodded but she paused, staring at the door.

"But he's not, is he?" she said quietly. "He's an amazing, brave, inventive man, a warrior and champion of dragons. If he was just a laddie, Viggo and Krogan wouldn't have gone to the lengths they have to destroy him. And I love him and fear I'm going to lose him."

"Gothi's back," Stoick told her, his face sympathetic. "Go do what you have to, Astrid. We'll be waiting..."

But as she walked down the village, she glanced over at Gothi's hut. Smoke was coming from the smoke-hole and she wondered why the Elder hadn't headed straight for the Chief's Hut...but she knew that the woman was Hiccup's best-only-chance, so she had to trust her. And their friends. Head down, she heard Stormfly walking behind her and she diverted to the central store, making sure her dragon was given all the fish she needed and then she headed for the Great Hall, grabbing some food she had no appetite for and some chicken that she knew the Nadder would inhale probably without even chewing.

But when Stormfly was curled up by the Hofferson family home, she found her feet taking her to the forge, now quiet because Gobber was up with Hiccup. She lifted the shutter and slid in, the entry familiar from stolen hours with her best friend. She may not have been a proper friend to Hiccup before she realised who he was, seeing the clumsy facade and not the brave, smart, compassionate, determined young Viking he was. And since he had recovered from the battle and losing his leg, she had visited him most evenings here, catching up with him as he stole precious moments to tinker and create, allowing his exceptional imagination to run free and his mind to see himself flying with Toothless, his own wings filled with the wind. He had made his armour, the DragonFly, Toothless's saddle and various tails, weapons and many more things. And she knew that on his occasional trips, he was working on something special for her, because he had teased her, knowing her impatience.

But now he would never get to give her the surprise, never see the joy and astonishment in her eyes as she marvelled at his precise craftsmanship. So she ducked into his workshop, the tiny room behind the forge, and lit the candle, then peered into the wooden box he was using to hide the items.

Inside, there was a black leather panelled skirt, studded with iron and black metal pauldrons. A black suede and wolf fur hooded jacket were folded over a pair of black leather arm binders and as she lifted them, she noticed they were very heavy. Inspecting them, she found there were knives sheathed in both and both also contained a concealed blade that sprang out when she pressed a hidden catch. She smiled and shook her head at her boyfriend's consideration and concern for his ferocious Valkyrie girlfriend. She raised one of the binders to her nose, sniffing the fresh leather and the dye and she closed her eyes.

"Hiccup," she whispered. "You deserve to see me in this. You deserve...everything. And I just hope our friends are up to the job."

oOo

The Riders returned as the sun set and were welcomed like heroes. Gothi flew down on her Gronckle, a flask of spring water inscribed with auspicious runes and a copper cauldron strapped to the saddle as she circled, noting that Fishlegs was still missing. Snotlout and the twins were boasting of their adventures in destroying the Hunters who had killed two of the Buffalords...though the last one seemed happy. Heather had collected her assigned ingredients but she was worried that the husky rider was still on his mission-until Iggy arrived.

The red and brown Terrible Terror landed on Heather's arm obediently and stuck his leg out. Astrid looked on in mild surprise though she knew Fishlegs and Heather had been corresponding when she left after escaping the Grimborns. Iggy was exceptionally well-trained. The raven-haired Rider unrolled the scroll and frowned.

"The Hunters got to the Bruise Fruit and destroyed it," she read in horror. "But he realised it was a fruit we knew. He's gone to get some from Vanaheim."

"Vanaheim?" Snotlout moaned. "You mean the fruit we want is that mushy horrible-smelling stuff we smeared over ourselves to escape there? And he's gone back?"

"It's Hiccup's only hope," Astrid said quietly.

"How is he?" Ruff asked and she stilled.

"Unrousable now," she said. "He needs that cure-and for that he needs the fruit."

"Can't we just give him the rest?" Snotlout moaned. Gothi buzzed by and whacked him across the back of the head with her staff. Then she landed and began to scratch on the ground.

"She says...that you will waste the ingredients and kill him," Tuff read. There was a pause and all the riders stared at the male twin. "What? Is it supposed to be difficult?" he added.

"He's just made that up," Snotlout said.

"Well, Gothi hasn't hit him yet so he must have got it right," Heather pointed out.

"The fruit is essential?" Astrid checked and Gothi nodded. Then she looked up. "Snot, twins-got help him. Please?"

"I'll go," Heather volunteered.

"You don't know the way," Ruff pointed out. "We'll go with her."

"And me," Snotlout sighed. "I just wish I could have had a small meal and a rest before we set out..."

"There isn't the time," Astrid said angrily. "Alright, I'll go..." But Heather and Ruff stared at her.

"Stay here," Heather told her, grasping her friend's arms. "We'll help Fishlegs. We promise we'll make it." And she smiled. "We all owe him so much. We won't fail."

And just like that, the Riders handed all their hard-won ingredients over to Gothi and set out straight away as Stoick emerged. Gothi and Astrid headed up to the house and Astrid busied herself by feeding Toothless and collecting a flask full of his sticky saliva.

Night Fury saliva has amazing healing properties.

She glanced up, almost hearing his bright, optimistic voice saying the words as he gently soothed a little of the sticky liquid over a raw burn she had acquired during training. She recalled being seriously sceptical...until she had seen how well her arm had healed by the next day. And then she and the Chief and Blacksmith watched as Gothi examined Hiccup, seeing his fever, his unresponsiveness and the limpness in his limbs. And then she had scraped a few symbols into the ground.

"She says...he is nearing the end," Gobber read, his voice thick with grief. "If the Riders are not back by the sunrise, it is unlikely he will respond to the antidote. The damage will be too great."

At the words, Stoick looked broken, his head bowed and face etched with grief. Gobber wrapped an arm around his friend and the two huge men took station beside the dying young man with his dragon pressed against his other side. Astrid stood at the end of the bed, her eyes burning with tears. She ended up scooching to the head of the bed, sitting with Hiccup's hand in hers. But as the long night passed and he remained deeply unconscious, Astrid knew they would miss the deadline. And as the warm orange light of dawn leaked through the shutters, She knew hope was gone. So quietly, she rose.

"You stay, Hiccup Haddock," she told him in a firm voice. "You stay, my love." She rested her hand flat over her Betrothal gift before she rested it over his heart, beating away fast in his scorching hot chest. "I am here with you. And you are always with me. But I cannot wait, I cannot watch as the man I love above everything becomes just a pyre. I have to make sure they cannot do this to anyone else. That they understand-that everyone understands-that this act carries a price so dear that they will speak of it in a hundred, a thousand years." She leaned forward and kissed him tenderly. "So stay and wait for me, my love, my Hiccup...my Babe." She turned to the Night Fury. "Stay with him," she said. "Look after the Chief and Gobber."

And then she turned.

"Lass," the Chief said but she blinked back the tears.

"I can't stay," she said. "I can't watch him die. Not like this. I am so...so angry. And filled with rage and hate. I want to remember him as he is, as he was-warm, vital, alive...not as a corpse consumed by fires."

The Chief hugged her firmly and then Gobber followed suit.

"I understand, Astrid," he said. "And I know Hiccup knows who you are as well. He loves you-and if you need any help, any back-up...you call, okay? I owe him that and more." She nodded and turned to the door, fixing in her memory the last view of the man she loved, the desolate black Dragon curled around his bed. And then she walked out into the cold, bright morning, heading down the village with a purpose. Gathering her packs, her weapons and her dragon, she headed for the forge.

Before the sun was fully risen over the quiet and grieving village of Berk, laden with weapons and clothed in black, Astrid Hofferson left Berk, sworn to revenge.