Astrid awoke when a droplet of water hit her on the cheek. Her head hurt and she reached up to her face only to see flecks of dried blood. Astrid, still groggy, felt something warm under her and when she slightly looked up she noticed that she was laying on Hiccup's chest. He was asleep with his back pressed against the small cave's wall while one of his hands was placed upon the hilt of his sword and the other was encircled around her waist.

There were flashes of last night coming back to her. The men who had barged into her room wanting to kill her. Jumping from the second storey window onto Hiccup when she had heard him shout. She had honestly never felt so relieved. Astrid remembered fleeing as the men rushed out of the tavern. One of those men had picked up a stone and hurled it at her. She guessed that it had hit her on the head because everything after that was a bit of a blur. She could however still remember Hiccup and her fleeing out of the town as angry villagers chased after them.

Astrid squirmed a bit to try to get some feeling back into her legs. This caused Hiccup to crack open an eye and yawn. "Morning your Highness." Hiccup said sleepily.

"You saved my life again." Astrid mumbled. "You might as well call me by my given name. You did last night."

"Alright...... Astrid." Hiccup said as he brought up his hand to inspect her head wound, causing her to flinch.

"What exactly happened last night?" Astrid asked as she rolled off of Hiccup who peeked out of the cave to see if the coast was clear.

"How much do you remember?" Hiccup asked as he then proceeded to help Astrid out of their hiding place and down the small hill.

"Honestly Hiccup, everything after fleeing an angry mob out for my blood is a bit of a blur. I think I remember a little about us finding this place to hide but not much else."

Hiccup nodded and it looked like he was internally debating on whether or not to tell Astrid. "You were rambling a bit and were fainting in and out of consciousness last night." Hiccup ultimately said.

"Hiccup what are you not telling me?" Astrid asked but then hissed a bit as she stepped on a jagged pebble. Astrid looked down to see that her shoes were missing and that her gown was torn in various places.

"Those Sons of half-trolls!!" Astrid mumbled as she took in the damage. She remembered some of the men managing to grab her or a piece of her clothing before she blasted them into the hall or ceiling. They had surprised her as she lay in her bed. Astrid then looked at Hiccup who was also sporting some scratches. "Hiccup where is your pack?"

"I had to leave it behind as we escaped." Hiccup told Astrid.

"I'm so sorry!" Astrid gasped. 'That was all of Hiccup's possessions' she thought and mentally blamed herself for getting him caught up in her mess. "I promise that I'll reimburse you. I owe you at least that for sticking your neck out for me."

"It's alright Astrid. It's not the first time that I had to part with my possessions. Now let's find some water to get you cleaned up." Hiccup said as he began to lead Astrid in a particular direction. "There should be a small stream nearby.

"You know this area well?" Astrid asked as she followed Hiccup.

"I usually travel between the northern Kingdoms searching for work. The last few years I ventured a little further southwards but never all the way to Forline."

"That is too bad." Astrid said sadly. "I'm sure you would love Forline. The southern Kingdoms have far more sights to see. The entire regions consist of tropical jungles which cover large mountains where dragons dwell."

"Dragons?" Hiccup asked Astrid as his brow rose.

"Yes, they like the warmth and make the mountains there their home." Astrid explained as they walked through the forest.

"Hiccup." Astrid said getting his attention as they came to the small stream which collected water into some small pools. She gave him a serious look and then asked "What are you hiding from me."

Hiccup sighed knowing that he would have to tell Astrid eventually. He watched Astrid put her hand in the pool and let her magic loose. "You were crying last night." Hiccup stated. "You kept saying between sobs that you 'didn't mean it' and 'not to hurt you'." Hiccup saw Astrid stiffen as he told her this. "You were also crying about 'everyone going away'."

At this point Astrid had hung her head and was simply looking into the water. "Astrid" Hiccup said as he approached her. Bending down he saw tears along Astrid's face.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." Hiccup said taking Astrid into a hug. "You probably don't want anyone knowing much about your past."

Astrid wiped the tears away and then looked Hiccup in the eye. "It is..... just a part that... I find difficult to talk about." Astrid mumbled.

"Astrid, I'm not going to force you to talk about it." Hiccup said wiping away a stray tear. "We all have our secrets. Whether we choose to tell someone is up to us."

Astrid nodded then silently turned to the pool where she had poured some magic into. She then scooped up some water and poured it over her head. The wound that she had sustained began to glow and then slowly close. Astrid then took some more water and poured it over her feet and any other cuts she had. Hiccup all the while was watching openmouthed.

"How?" Hiccup asked gesturing to the now closed wounds. "I thought only clerics could heal and their spells never worked this fast."

"All magic users can heal." Astrid explained. "The spell I used works faster than those from the clerics because I poured my very magic into a medium. Something that they frown upon."

Astrid looked to Hiccup and saw that he didn't really understand it. "There are many types of healing spells, however the clerics only use spells which do not require them to expend much magical energy. Hence why their spells heal wounds slower. Putting magic into a medium, like the water here, expends a lot more energy. I could have easily wanted my magic to do something else, like maim a person or briefly control one. Sielihah's doctrine expressly forbids such spells and classifies them as dark magic. It is the same with purging rituals. Many require the use of a medium or blood from a person."

Hiccup scoffed. "It sounds pretty stupid. There are spells to help people but the clerics refuse to use them."

Astrid nodded. "Yes it is, but those who become clerics are bound. They cannot use these spells without suffering a sharp pain."

"Bound?" Hiccup asked perplexed.

"When young those wanting to become clerics undergo a ritual designed by Sielihah herself. It binds their magic to a certain set of principles. If they break any of these principles then they feel pain."

"Why would anyone subject themselves to that?" Hiccup now asked.

"Fear." Astrid simply said. "Now turn around and take off your tunic."

"What?"

"Turn around and take off your tunic." Astrid repeated and Hiccup did as told. "I do remember me landing on top of you and your back is beginning to bruise."

Astrid then picked up some more water and let it fall over Hiccup's shoulders before continuing to explain. "As I was saying, they most likely joined because of fear. Before Sielihah, the magic wielders were feared and despised. Sickness, death and other cruel things were blamed on them. Sielihah came when the panic was high and she became their savior, showing that magic could be used to heal. Those who began following her became revered and her teachings were passed on. The magic practitioners who did not want to feel the people's scorn and protect their families chose to abide by Sielihah's doctrine."

"I have a feeling that there is more to this story then you are telling me." Hiccup said as he felt the ache from his back disappear.

"I doubt you would believe me." Astrid muttered. "All I can tell you is that history is written by the victors."

Astrid stood up after healing Hiccup and cancelled her spell on the water. "Where do we go now?" She watched from the corner of her eye as Hiccup donned his tunic once more before quickly looking away.

"We have to stay off the main road as much as possible." Hiccup answered. "They had wanted posters made with your face on them."

"They must be desperate to open my Grimoire." Astrid muttered to which Hiccup quirked an eyebrow. "It contains high level spells and if it is the spell that I think they want to reverse then this world shall suffer."

Astrid didn't feel like elaborating on her suspicions just yet and they continued to trudge silently through the forest.

"We can search for rumors on the whereabouts of your knights as we travel and we need to get you some new clothing." Hiccup said after a while.