The trader and the rider

Chapter 10

-Tuffnut's pov-

I felt the ray of sunshine coming from the window, and I yawned loudly. I rolled over, wanting to see Alex before waking up, but I found that she wasn't on the bed. Well, maybe she had gone to training. She was doing that almost every morning of every day this past week. But I couldn't ignore a feeling I had... something was wrong. I got dressed quickly and went to check outside, but the dragon wasn't there. Okay, she could very much be training. Then I checked if her weapons were around, and they weren't.

-Relax Tuff. She's fine. She's just punching the hell out of some trees -I told myself.

But the feeling wouldn't go away. I did her bed and changed the sheets, and I checked I wasn't leaving anything behind. Clothes, check. Sheets changed, check. Helmet, check. Note on the table, check-

Wait, that wasn't mine. Maybe she left a note saying where she was. I went to the table and saw there were two stones next to each other. A larimar and black amber. "Heh, cute", I thought, and I read the note.

"I will never abandon you. I'll be back. I love you, and I'm sorry for being a selfish coward. Please, be careful.

-Yours forever, Crow."

My heart dropped and I lost balance for a second. What was that? What did she mean? What did she mean by "I'll be back"? I felt tears about to fall from my eyes. No, she couldn't... She promised me she wouldn't leave me. That note wasn't real. It couldn't be. No, no, no, no. Suddenly someone knocked at the door, and I ran to get it, expecting her. Maybe it was all a joke. Maybe she regretted leaving. Maybe she-

-Tuff, we need you and Alex, we think someone has entered the base tonight and there's a lot of work to do, we-

It was Heather. My smile disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. I stopped listening to Heather. I felt like at least twenty people were talking inside my head, all saying different things, yet the same. "Why?". Was I destined to be alone? To get abandoned by everyone I loved? Did I make her leave by doing something wrong? Was this all my fault, again? I just broke down. I started crying, so many emotions making a hurricane inside of me, I almost couldn't think. The girl shut up and looked at me, surprised, and she put a hand on my shoulder.

-Tuff, what's wrong?

-She's gone -I said.

-What?

-She left. She left me.

-Tuff, what in Odin's name are you-

I showed her the note, and her face changed as she read it. It was now full of dread.

-Tuffnut, are you sure she-

-Yes, I'm sure! -I snapped- She isn't here, Boreas isn't here, and she left a piece of paper and two fuckin rocks in her place!

-Tuff...

-She promised she wouldn't leave me, she promised me. -tears fell down my face, and I couldn't stop them- She promised me...

Heather hugged me, and I cried until I felt, well, not good, but less bad. I still felt awful, worse than in all my life. Worse than when dad left us. But no, there had to be an explanation. She didn't leave me. She left because she had to. Not because she hated me. The note said she loved me, after all.

-We... We should tell Hiccup -I said, taking a deep breath.

-Yes. I'll fly you down with Windshear, Hiccup is at the clubhouse.

I mounted on the dragon and we flew down quietly. I held the note to my chest. Now everything made sense, it was clear why she was acting like that yesterday. The slow dance, the kiss, the... stuff, we did at night. She hadn't been kidnapped and it wasn't an idea she just had at night. She had been planning on doing this. And that meant she had a plan, right...? A plan and a motive. She had to.