A world without you

Chapter 44 ~ Astrid's POV

Valka had given me the best wedding gift of all. She had given me a honeymoon. After the wedding, at the feast, she had given me a hug and whispered in my ear not to tell Hiccup yet. Instead she had made plans. The day after the wedding we went to Gothi secretly and had her examine the wound and guess what poison was running through my veins. She said that she needed a few days before she could be certain but we were leaving for our honeymoon the day after. So Valka decided that I and Hiccup were going on our honeymoon, meanwhile she and those at home would try to find the cure. We would tell Hiccup when we got back.
We had spent the honeymoon on the same island that we had spent our first anniversary. It was a beautiful couple of weeks. I had never felt better. Yet at the same time I felt how the long flight took a toll on me that it never had done before. I hid it from Hiccup as well as I could but was not sure that he didn't notice. Especially when I had to sleep for almost half a day when we got there.
Now we were on our way back and almost there. I felt weak and the wound on my stomach hurt. I kept pressure on it with my hand and it helped a bit. Still I kept a smile on my lips so Hiccup wouldn't worry. The thought that I soon would have to tell him didn't escape my mind. But if this had been our last months away from worry and fear then they had been the best months in my life. Now we would face the future together like we always had.

Our friends and family walked out to greet us when they saw our dragons approaching. We landed and they gave us both big hugs. Suddenly I felt dizzy. I put my hand to my forehead and bent down a little bit but the world spun eitherway.
"Astrid?" Hiccup's voice was filled with worry as he laid a hand on my back. For once he actually had reason to worry. I almost laughed at the thought.
"Come, lets get her inside." Mom said and Hiccup lead me into our house and laid me down on the bed. Beads of sweat were forming on my face. I was shaking like if I had a fever.
"Valka..." I mumbled. I felt someone take my hand and squeezing it comfortingly.
"Don't worry, Astrid. I'll talk to him. Sleep." She told me and then left. I think she took the others with her but I don't really know because the sleep claimed me only seconds later.

I woke up in the dead of the night. The stars shone outside the window. Hiccup slept in a chair beside me. I wondered why he hadn't slept beside me in the bed but then I noticed that I laid sprawled all over it. I sat up and felt that both the dizziness and the feverish feeling was gone. I felt fine. I shook Hiccup slightly to wake him up. When he groggily sat up and looked at me I saw that his eyes were red and puffy. Valka must have told him.
"Hi." I said. He woke up entirely and looked at me with such sadness in his eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked hurt
"I wanted to spend our wedding and honeymoon without having this ruining it." I explained but I didn't think it sufficed.
"All this time, we could've spent it searching for a cure. Instead we've been swimming and dancing on that island." He sighed exasperated.
"Every second of it was worth it." I told him and took his hand. He looked up at me again with tears in his eyes.
"I can't lose you again." He said hopelessly
"You won't." I told him determined as I'd ever been. "We're going to find that cure. Do you really think that I'm going to let Viggo win? I don't think so."
He smiled and bent over to kiss my forehead.
"I love you." I smiled
"I love you too."