Symphony of Shadows

38. Island

Delicious warmth crept into her bones, a deep satisfaction given the last thing she'd felt was ice. Astrid must be in Valhalla, after all, she had gone down fighting that demon. She couldn't wait for her feast and her stomach growled in agreement. Yak chops, yak stew, yak skewers, and lamb. Oh, how she'd missed lamb. Any moment now she'd see the great golden hall and eat as much as her heart desired. Astrid opened her eyes and screamed. She was in Niflheim, not Valhalla.

A blue Deadly Nadder snapped open its eyes and squawked at the frantic viking. What was she making such a fuss about? At least she wasn't dead but still, didn't she know not to disturb a Nadder's nap?

Astrid was terrified. It seemed that a dragon had laid down beside her, explaining the heat she felt. She searched her waist for her knives but couldn't find the familiar grooves. She was completely helpless. Not completely, normally she would be able to take the dragon with her bare hands, but her limbs felt like boulders so she'd be dragon food before she even lifted an arm. Sitting up soon took its own toll and she was forced to lean back down on the Nadder's side and realized that she was also laying down on some kind of fur. This was pure torture. So, she screamed.
"HELP! Someone help me!"
The dragon must've thought Astrid's attempts at saving herself were ridiculous because she swore it chortled and moved its wing to cover their head. She was going mad.

Her screams did call to someone, though, as she saw a figure approaching quickly in the distance. Thank Odin.
"Please help me! I'm-"
She could now make out the face of the man and she shut the hells up. This was not Niflheim, she was back on Midgard being held captive by this fucker. Just her luck.
"What is it? Are you alright?"
Hiccup approached her and placed a cool hand on her forehead, worry in his eyes as he let out a sigh of relief. No, he didn't get to act like he was someone who cared about her. She was not going to fall for his act this time, she knew better than that. So, she bit him. Hard. He reeled back and clutched his bleeding wrist as he swore.
"Fuck! Astrid! For Thor's sake could you just sit still? I need to check your temperature."
She hissed, "Get away from me. Lay a finger on me and you'll wish you would've left me to drown."
It was the truth. She could already feel the strength coming back into her body as the effects of the hypothermia slowly dissipated. Gently, so as not to rouse the Nadder, she sat up and tried to stand. When her knees buckled, Hiccup dashed to her side but she blocked him from doing so.
"Don't."
She could walk on her own damn it.

Astrid regained her balance and just started walking. Maybe she didn't know where she was going but she would find a way off this island. Wherever she was. She didn't recognize the landscape but knew they were still somewhere in the archipelago. Eh, she'd figure it out. Footsteps followed behind her. Thor, couldn't he take a hint?
"Where are you going?"
He had the gall to sound annoyed.
She mumbled, "Anywhere but here."
"Good luck with that."
That smug asshole. Still, he followed her. They walked in silence until she saw what appeared to be the edge of the island. It must not have been a very big place. However, the closer she was, the more she realized that it was a literal edge. A cliff. In fact, the whole island, for as far she could see, was surrounded by cliffs. She wanted to scream. The cliffs wouldn't have been such an aggravating obstacle if it wasn't for the jagged rocks that violent waves crashed into at the very bottom, making escape impossible. This was a prison. A hellscape.

Astrid whirled around and confronted her jailer.
"Take me back to Berk."
Hiccup crossed his arms and stood firm like she was a petulant child. How insufferable.
"No."
If he thought she was a child, she might as well act like one. She stalked towards him and jabbed her finger at his chest.
"Take. Me. Back."
He shook his head.
"No."
"Hiccup, I swear on the Hofferson name that if you don't take me back to Berk, I won't stop until you're rotting six feet underground. I swear it."
The hurt and distrust from their confrontation at the Drenchwood Forest was back in an instant.
He ran his hand through his hair in frustration, clearly irritated.
"Astrid, I can't. Not only does my life depend on you staying, but so do the lives of all the dragons on this island. If I take you back and you tell them about me or this island, we'd be butchered in a matter of days. I can't let that happen. You can hate me, but I can't let you go back. Not until I can figure something out."