Heir and Pride

Chapter Fifty-Three

Fifty-Three.

By the time they got back to the island, the weather had determinedly closed in and there was a more or less constant blizzard. Snow was piling up on the decks and the three passengers had to shovel it off-or get the dragons to scoop it off-in case it destabilised the overladen boat. Stormfly and Toothless had taken it in turns to pull the ship forward, shortening the journey, though it was still a horribly long way. The only positive side was that there was no way at all that anyone could track them in the miserable visibility.

When they had finally arrived at their home, the peak was hidden amid the low clouds and they could barely see the entrance to the caves. The dragons had to pull the boat high up on the rocky beach and the teens wearily tied it up, then stared at the snowy route to the caves. Sneezing, Hiccup pointed up the hill.

"Get Henryk up to the caves!" he ordered Astrid. "Grab one of the barrels of fish on the way!" She stared at him. "GO!" he urged her, seeing the younger boy shivering. He felt chilled to the bone but he threw his leg over Toothless's neck and urged the Night Fury into the air, blinking snow out of his eyes. "Sorry, bud, but we need these provisions into the caves..." Toothless gave a small bark of annoyance. "Yes, I know you've been doing all the hard work but once this is done, I promise you can lie by the fire for the rest of the week and I won't ask you to anything. Deal, bud?"

Grumpily, the dragon grabbed two barrels of salted fish and flapped up through the blizzard, struggling into the wind and finally reaching the mouth of the caves with a huff of relief. Astrid and Stormfly were lighting a fire so Hiccup dumped the provisions in the nearest cave then set out into the storm. Back and forth they went, ferrying food, drink, wood, cloth and leather...and finally metal and the forge equipment. It was almost dark when they finally finished, collapsing in the mouth of the caves that were lit by Stormfly, who had figured how to keep a flame burning in her throat to act as a living torch. Astrid had nagged to help but Hiccup had insisted that she remain on standby, so if he faltered, she was ready to rescue him. But they finished alone and Hiccup was numb as he collapsed off the saddle-into her arms.

"You're frozen!" she scolded him and he peered fuzzily up at her, so cold he had stopped shivering and unable to feel his hands or foot.

"R-r-r-really?" he managed, his teeth chattering. "I-I thought it was j-j-just a n-n-normal B-B-Berkian d-d-day..."

"Toothless?" The Night Fury reluctantly clambered up and helped her carry Hiccup back to their cave, laying the soaked and frozen boy down by the fire and stripping his tunic and cloak off. Then she paused, searching through his meagre pile of belongings and fetching clean leggings and tunic and bringing them to the frozen boy. "Hiccup-you need to change into these dry clothes. I've warmed furs by the fire so we can wrap you up in them. There's some yak jerky soup as well."

"Oh Th-Thor," Hiccup managed through his chattering teeth. "I-I'm b-being p-p-poisoned..." She cast him a sideways glance: she could cook-just not very well.

"Get changed," she ordered him firmly and turned away to the pot as he shimmied out of his soaking leggings and pulled the fresh pair on, then curled up in the toasty warm furs by the fire. Toothless was already asleep, having fired up a generous patch of rock and curled up on the red-hot stone. Astrid stared at the shivering shape of her friend and brought a warm bowl of yak jerky broth, dropping to her knees by him and gently spoon-feeding the shivering boy. Teeth still chattering, Hiccup glanced up into her stern face and managed a small smile.

"Wow," he mumbled, swallowing. "This is actually...nice..." Her brows furrowed as she stirred the soup.

"I would have helped you," she told him stiffly but he shook his head.