Ruffnut's POV

"Now, be quiet, or else they'll spot us!" I warned the guys as we sneaked over the town square to Hiccup's house, where we crouched against the side of the house, ready to spy on Astrid.

And ready we did not remain. After sitting crouched outside the Haddock house for Loki knows how long, we eventually grew tired of it and just plopped down on the ground, impatiently waiting for some action to happen around there.

"Who knew spying could be so boring?" Snotlout complained as he laid flat against the ground, letting out a loud sigh as he grew even more impatient than before.

"Not me!" Tuffnut commented as he picked up a bug from the ground before sniffing it and throwing it away.

"If you two could just learn to shut your pie holes while we're on a stealth mission, maybe we won't scare away our target!" I hissed at them before turning back to watch the door.

The sun eventually set over the wonderful island we called home, and just as we were about to get up and leave, the front door creaked open, and out stepped Astrid, looking very suspicious.

I exchanged a look with the guys as we all agreed on one thing: to follow Astrid.

As Astrid quietly made her way through the darkened streets that webbed around Berk, we sneakily followed behind, until she reached the steps that lead up to Gothi's hut.

"What is she doing at Gothi's?" Fishlegs asked, looking a little puzzled as he stroked his chin.

I shrugged. "I have no clue, let's just follow her!"

"Wait! Let's just wait for her down here, that way there's less of a chance that she'll catch us!" Fishlegs quickly explained as he pulled us all into a large bush.

"Ugh, fine!" I rolled my eyes as I crossed my arms and plopped down on the ground, preparing myself for yet another round of endless waiting. Fortunately for us, Astrid didn't spend too much time up at Gothi's, something we were all eternally grateful for. As she reached the bottom of the steps, Astrid stopped as she began fiddling around in her little pouches, as if she was searching for something.

"Uhm ... you guys?" Tuffnut began as we were all busy focusing on Astrid's hands.

"What is it now, Tuff?" Snotlout spat in a low voice.

"Is it just me, or does Astrid look different?" Tuffnut asked, squinting at Astrid.

I glanced over at my brother, knowing that sometimes he was more perceptive than we thought he was and that he may have actually been on to something with his observation of Astrid. Curious to if my brother was right, I focused my attention on Astrid as a whole instead of just her face, and sure enough, she seemed to be morphing into something, or someone, else.

Ocean blue eyes turned a muddy brown as her face seemed to grow slimmer and sharper and her body grew noticeably smaller. I immediately recognized the person in front of us.

I was about to leap out of the bush and beat Rebekah to a bloody pulp when she pulled up a small vial from one of the pouches that sat on her hip and brought it to her lips. Slowly but surely, Rebekah morphed right back into a carbon copy of Astrid, sending a small spiral of fear down my spine.

My eyes were wide as dinner plates as I exchanged a look with the guys, who seemed to be just as shocked as I was.

Rebekah eventually strode off, but we remained in the bush to plan our next course of action.

"So ... Rebekah uses a potion to look like Astrid." Snotlout started off, sounding like he had a hard time believing his own words.

"She must've been using it for the past year ..." I continued as I furrowed my brows.

Tuffnut tapped his chin. "So if Rebekah is using a potion to look like Astrid, then where is the real Astrid?"

Fishlegs' forehead creased. "She must still be missing. I think what happened is that Astrid went missing, and Rebekah saw it as her chance to step into Astrid's role and be with Hiccup."

"Enough about Rebekah, what are the chances that Astrid, who has been missing for a year, is still alive?" Snotlout crossed his arms as he locked eyes with Fishlegs.

"No matter how high or low the chances of finding Astrid are, we're going to do it. Not only because she is our friend, who must think we don't give a yak's ass about her at this point, but because it's the right thing to do, both for the sake of our friend and for the sake of our village as a whole." I stated, relieving Fishlegs of having to defend himself against Snotlout.

The guys exchanged a look before I earned a firm nod from Snotlout. "Then What are we waiting for? Let's help save our village!"

***

I exchanged looks with the guys, followed by sharp nods and some pointing to different directions as we set up to execute our plan. Hiccup and Rebekah had just taken their leave from the Meade Hall, which meant it was officially our time to strike.

The plan was a simple one, jump Rebekah and get Hiccup away from her.

I winked at Fishlegs, signaling that it was time for him to do his part. Fishlegs immediately complied as he began running towards the couple ahead of us and wrapped his arms around Hiccup, carrying him away from Rebekah as Hiccup struggled in his arms, confusion written all over his face. And just as Fishlegs was carrying Hiccup away, Snotlout and Tuffnut jumped Rebekah, pinning her to the ground so I could just swoop in and swipe the vial.

"What do you think you're doing? Give that back!" Rebekah sneered as she struggled under the grip of Snotlout and Tuffnut.

I twirled the vial around my fingers before storing it in my braid. "How 'bout, no?"

"Fishlegs, put me down! What his happening with you guys?" Hiccup growled as he struggled to get out of Fishlegs grasp, thrashing violently in his arms.

"Don't worry about it, dear Hiccup, you may not understand it now, but we are doing you a huge favor. You can thank us later, by the way." I explained to our Chief and friend with a satisfactory grin.

"Then please," Hiccup thrashed some more in Fishlegs' arms. "Enlighten me."

"Well, you see, Rebekah here has been using a special potion the past year to look and sound exactly like your dear wife, Astrid." I told Hiccup as I pulled the vial out of my hair and waved it in front of his face.

"Don't listen to them, babe, they're all playing a joke on us!" Rebekah replied hurriedly as she locked eyes with Hiccup, trying desperately to get him over to her side.

"Snotlout, Tuffnut, let Astrid go." Hiccup commanded, his voice so strict we could've sworn we'd heard the late Stoick the Vast shine through.

I shook my head as I slipped the vial back into my braid. "Not gonna happen, pal. Tuff, Snot, to the Hall!"

The guys jumped up, arms locked around Rebekah as they dragged her up the stairs to the Meade Hall, leaving a fiery red Hiccup in the quivering arms of Fishlegs, who seemed to be struggling to keep the fuming Chief at bay.

By the time Hiccup had managed to wrangle himself out of Fishlegs' grasp and stormed into the Meade Hall, we had already managed to tie Rebekah to one of the pillars as we patiently waited for her to transform back into her old self.

Steam seemed to be pouring out of Hiccup's ears as he stomped over to us. "Untie her now, or you'll suffer the consequences."

"No, can do, Hic. You need to see this." Tuffnut told him as he pushed him down into a chair, and to our great surprise, he didn't resist.

We all sat down beside Hiccup as we waited for Rebekah to transform back.

"What is this?" Hiccup asked us, brows furrowed as he hid his lower face behind his hands.

I crossed my arms and nodded towards Rebekah. "Watch."

As Rebekah was struggling against her restraints, Hiccup's eyes remained on her as she slowly transformed back into her self. I glanced over at Hiccup only to find that he no longer seemed furious, just ... very sad.

"Where is she? Where is Astrid?" He asked her softly, as if he was still not sure if it was really Rebekah.

"I-I don't know, but with her out of the picture, we can finally be together Hiccup! Just think about all the good times we've had this past year, and imagine how the rest of our lives will be!" Rebekah pleaded with Hiccup, who seemed to not care for a word she said.

Disgust colored Hiccup's face. "You ... you vile woman, my WIFE is somewhere out there, probably thinking that I no longer love her and couldn't care less about her while you've been here trying to take her place! You disgust me, Rebekah."

"Hiccup, please—"

"Come on, gang, it's time for us to find the real Astrid." Hiccup's voice was cold as ice as he calmly made his way out of the Meade Hall.

The guys trailed behind Hiccup, but I decided to hang back for a second, just to bask in the glory of my victory.

"This is for Astrid." I shot Rebekah a sweet smile as I pulled the vial out of my braid and threw it into the hearth, lightning it up in a thousand colors as Rebekah screamed at the top of her lungs.