The Other Side Of Me

Chapter 6: In a Moment

Once everyone had gathered by the dragon stables, Hiccup arrived quietly. He looked the same as he always had, but everyone couldn't help but look at him with worry. Hiccup did his best to ignore their glances and lead them as he would on any other day. Soon, everything was in order and they all took to the sky. Though the flight was quite awkward, and no one dared break the silence, Hiccup had to admit he felt better once he was in the air.

Ever since he had found Toothless flying became its own little safe space to him. He could use it whenever he was stressed, or if he just needed a place to think. Now, the air rushing around him made it easier to forget about the group of concerned Vikings flying behind him. He was able to focus on what he loved doing, and why they had chosen to travel so far away from their home in the first place. But, almost like a sixth sense, he could feel them all watching him. Treating him as if they expected him to do something drastic. At least he knew they cared.

He forced his attention back to the task at hand, watching the seas below him for any unwanted activity. He hoped they wouldn't find anything, but knowing how the day had been going, he knew he was pushing his luck to ask for such a thing.

He had been right, of course.

About an hour into their flight, the riders came across a small fleet of hunter ships. Five ships, four smaller ones on the outside and one larger ship in the center, each accompanied by a handful of flyers. Hiccup signaled to the riders as he prepared to give them the plan. "Ruff, Tuff, and Snotlout, you take the ships on the right. Heather and Fishlegs, you guys take the left. Astrid, you and I will take out the one in the center. It looks like that's the one with most of the archers so we'll draw their fire and take them out one by one. Everyone else, watch for the flyers and take them out as quickly as possible. Remember, get the flyer off the Singetail, but don't harm the dragon." With the final order given, everyone heads down to complete their given task.

The twins and Snotlout fly down on the right. Their dragons rattle the ships, causing the hunters aboard to lose their balance and precision. Fishlegs and Heather work together to bait the flyers on the left. When the flyers dare to pursue they are quickly out-maneuvered, being thrown from their dragons. Each of the freed Singetails shakes off their chains and flies off.

Astrid and Hiccup easily work on the largest ship. Although the ship appears to be heavily stocked with archers and dragon root arrows, the pair is experienced enough the handle them. For a moment, everything felt normal. He was leading the riders, taking out hunters alongside his friends and his betrothed. For just a moment, everything was normal.

But, it couldn't last.

In the depths of his mind, Hiccup could feel the thundering echoes rising to the surface. He suddenly felt lost, not quite sure how he got where he was. The pain hit hard, causing him to lose focus on the task at hand. He tried to clear his head, to reorient himself. Nothing worked. He wasn't sure he was moving anymore. Everything felt like it was getting closer, the world itself closing in on him.

He began to panic when the edges of his vision began to darken, further exemplifying the feeling of being trapped. He was in such a frazzled state that he didn't notice when one of the hunter's well-aimed arrows hit him.

Wait... an arrow?

Hiccup's vision cleared just long enough for him to look down at his right leg. There, he saw the laced arrow that found its mark a couple of inches below his knee.

There was a single moment of peace before everything fell apart. Hiccup immediately felt dizzy, and his vision faded fast. He thought he heard someone screaming his name as he felt himself drift away.

Everything around her seemed to stop as Astrid watched Hiccup's limp form hurdle towards the vast ocean. The downfall of having a dragon reliant on its rider is that Toothless, too, begins to fall, unable to control himself. For a moment, Astrid did nothing, unsure if what she was seeing was actually real, or just some awful nightmare. When she discerned that it was indeed real, she jumped into action. "Snotlout!" The Viking turned around, immediately shocked at what was playing out in front of him. "Grab Toothless." Without another word, she urged Stormfly forward, and the two were suddenly diving towards the ocean. Hiccup had just gone under, close enough that she could still him beneath the waves.

She did not instruct Stormfly to stop as the two plunged in after him.

Astrid reached out toward Hiccup, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards her in a swift motion. She then patted Stormfly on the neck, the dragon responding by rising to the surface and breaking through the water back into the air. Astrid held the young heir close to her chest. As they flew higher she shifted his body to get a better assessment. She listened closely with her head against his chest, relieved to hear a heartbeat and feel the steady up and down of his breathing. She turned around to see Hookfang rising from the water with the Night Fury in his talons, the dragon protesting, clearly trying in vain to reach his rider. She looks to the others, knowing she has to make a decision. Looking at the damage they had already done to the fleet of ships, she decided it was enough. They have more pressing matters to deal with.

"Fall back, guys! We've gotta get Hiccup back to the edge." The ones unaware exchange a quick glance before retreating, wondering what could have happened to their leader.

As they fly away, Snotlout flies closer to the Deadly Nadder and her rider. "Astrid, is he alright?" she can't help but notice he sounds genuinely concerned. "I don't know. He's breathing, but he's out cold."

Fishlegs flies up to her other side. "What happened?" he asks, the distress apparent in his voice. It is then Astrid is reminded of the arrow still lodged in her betroth's leg. "He got hit with an arrow, but I don't know why he passed out. Let's just get back to the edge so we can treat it and figure this out." Astrid urges Stormfly to fly faster.

Astrid can't help but glance down at the boy in her arms throughout the flight. She finds herself unnerved by his unwavering unconsciousness. His features are lax the whole way. No matter how the arrow itself is moved by the air he never flinchs or reacts. At one point Astrid holds him tight, laying a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Hold on, Hiccup. We'll figure this out," she assures him, even though she is unsure if he can hear her.

Upon arriving at the edge, Hiccup is immediately taken to his hut, Fishlegs following behind to provide his medical knowledge.

Astrid gently lays him on his bed so that Fishlegs can begin his work. The larger Viking quickly, yet carefully, removes the arrow in his leader's leg. Said Viking hardly flinches at the action, leaving Astrid more unsure of what was going on. She watches as Fishlegs cleans and dresses the wound. After he has finished, he begins to try and understand what happened. He softly paces the room, leaving Astrid feeling more nervous. "What do you think this could be?" she asks, desperate to break the silence.

"I'm not sure," he states, quickly looking through one of his journals. "Hardly anything about this makes any sense. He hasn't lost that much blood and I don't think it could be a result of shock." Clearly this was nagging him as much as it was nagging her. "Do you think the arrow could have been poisoned?" She does he best to offer potential solutions.

"I mean, it's not necessarily impossible, but the hunters have never used poison arrows, it wouldn't make sense for them to start now. And the arrow didn't seem to have any new substance on it. The only thing they commonly use on their arrows is dragon root. But, that doesn't give us an answer, dragon root doesn't affect humans. The only thing I can think to do is let him rest until whatever this is wears off. Other than being unconscious there doesn't seem to be anything wrong. He isn't showing symptoms of anything else, so maybe we're overthinking it. Let's just give him time." Fishlegs reassures her with a hand on her shoulder.

Astrid nods her head, hesitantly, in agreement.

As Fishlegs departs, Astrid looks down at her sleeping friend. She holds his hand tight in hers, whispering reassurances, though she is not entirely sure who they're for.