Symphony of Shadows

30. Moment

Hiccup was handing over the dragon scales to the farmer when he noticed that Astrid had disappeared into the forest. He'd been watching her in his periphery just in case but was distracted by his purchase. When he looked back at where he last saw her, she was gone. His heart thrummed loudly in his chest as he whipped his head around to look for her black hood or signature blue eyes. Nothing.

He asked the farmer to hold his purchase along with his basket and set off for the tree line. Worried thoughts clouded his mind as he made his way through the busy square. They were in the section closest to the eastern side of the island. What if she had encountered a pack of Changewings? But Astrid would never be careless enough to wander into the woods without a plan. Or a reason. Hiccup could only guess why the hotheaded Viking had abandoned him. The thought that she had left him on purpose made his stomach twist as he made it to the edge of the dense forest.

He peered through the thick pine trees in search of any sign of Astrid, and when his gaze fell on something on the ground, his breathing became erratic. Slightly covered in leaves was her knife, a beautifully engraved Nadder that he had seen tucked in her belt. Picking up the knife, Hiccup scanned the ground for any sign of where she went or who had taken her and found a trail of broken branches and scuffed leaves.

"Astrid?"

He called out hesitantly, not knowing if she was alone or in bad company. His ears strained for any response when he heard a familiar grunt not too far from him, followed by the clanging of iron. As fast as his legs would take him, Hiccup ran in the direction of the sound. He hoped with all of his might that Astrid was safe and sound. Yet he knew he was not being realistic. She would never leave a weapon behind, especially not one as ornate as the throwing knife.

A flurry of movement caught his eye, and he whirled around to see Astrid surrounded by unconscious Vikings littered around the forest floor. They weren't all unconscious, however, and Hiccup felt his stomach drop when he saw the son of Oswald the Agreeable and heir to the Berserker Tribe, Dagur the Deranged, locked in a fierce battle with Astrid. He had the same wild eyes from when he tortured Hiccup as young boys.

Astrid was clearly wounded, as her arm was clutched close to her chest as if her shoulder was injured, but her grip on her axe never faltered. The Berserker was also injured with a deep slash to his middle and a couple of smaller cuts to his arms. Hiccup couldn't help but feel a strong admiration for the warrior Viking in front of him. She had been able to take out four or five strong Vikings on her own whilst being incapacitated by her leg injury. Sweet Freya, she was the strongest person he had ever met.

Snapping out of his trance, he quickly concocted a plan to save Astrid and avoid being seen. He didn't need the news of his survival traveling back to Berk and to his father. Odin help them all if he ever found out. Hiccup had kept a low profile on purpose, making sure never to be identified by anyone he knew would recognize him. It also helped that he never went unmasked except for in the Eastern Market, and no Berkian ever bothered to set foot here.

He quickly weighed the risks of his plan in his mind, making sure that there was no outcome in which Astrid would become collateral damage. Once he was satisfied that she would end up safe, he cupped his hands around his mouth and made a high-pitched whine that set his plan in motion.

In the meanwhile, Dagur was getting closer and closer to Astrid, deflecting her blows with his pure rage, and Hiccup couldn't breathe when the psychopath swiped a leg at her injured thigh. She cried out in agony and winced just long enough for Dagur to seize the opportunity and shove her to the ground.

Hiccup took a step towards them, ready to join the fray to keep Astrid safe. In that moment he didn't care about concealing his identity and didn't care about the consequences. She needed him, and he would be damned if he let her down. He picked up one of the Viking's abandoned swords and charged. Dagur would be lucky if Hiccup didn't get his hands around his neck, and right now the dragon rider wasn't feeling very merciful.