The Lost Pride of Berk (How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction)

Part Seven

Hiccup watched the horizon until he couldn't see Toothless anymore, but sat there staring into the distance for a longer time. By now Bel was asleep on his shoulder, apparently not too shook up by what happened. But he couldn't think of anything besides how numb he was.

He wondered if he felt guilty for killing that man. With what he was doing to Astrid he deserved to die, but would anybody agree with him? He was prepared to fight it if not.

He wasn't sure how long he just stood on the roof top, but he rushed inside after a while. He was blind sided on the stairs. He'd barely gotten inside when he met Rose halfway down the case leading back into the stables.

She stared at him. "You killed somebody?" She asked nonchalantly. She must have heard everything. Hiccup opened his mouth, prepared to explain but Rose held her hand up to keep him from it. "Don't. I already know. You did the right thing, you're not in trouble." She assured him right away. Hiccup finally let out his breath.

Rose nodded and turned to walk down the stairs. Hiccup followed. "I can also guarantee she's completely fine. She isn't pregnant or anything." She assured him again. Hiccup looked at her with wide, angry eyes. "What?" He needed an explanation. Rose stopped halfway through the stables and faced him, her lips pressed.

"Do you know where Astrid was for the whole week I was asleep?" She asked. "She said the town." He informed her. Now he had even more questions. Rose knew she was asleep for so long? What else did she know about that?

She shook her head at him. "No. She was with me. And she talked to me. She was so desperate to talk to someone she opened up to a dead body. Things she'd never told you, want to know what one of those things was?"

"You were still aware of everything this week? So you know what's going on with you then?" Hiccup demanded. Rose raised her voice. "This isn't about me, Hiccup, this is about Astrid. She's fine and do you want to know how I know that or not?" She crossed her arms. "Yes, tell me!" He yelled, startling Bel awake. She reached out for Rose so he handed her off.

Rose took a second to speak again because she was calming Bel back to sleep. "She can't have children, Hiccup." She told him, her tone soft and sorry now. Hiccup stared at her, wondering if she was telling the truth. He said nothing.

"I guess I could have told you all this earlier; that you're not in trouble, that Astrid's fine, but...I do really rather she wasn't here for everything that's about to happen..." Rose sighed. Hiccup got frustrated again. "Okay, that's just- how do you know?! How do you know about everything that's about to happen?!'"

"I've always known what's coming to me, Hiccup. It's not my fault the word got out and everyone is making a scene of it." Her tone stayed quiet, but she was clearly frustrated too. "Because you're dying! You don't deserve to die, Rose! We're making a scene because we love you and we want to save you!" He retaliated.

Rose had tears in her eyes. "I know you do, and I love you all too. But it's not your will." Her voice never shook. Hiccup argued once more, "It's your will to live."

"Not to die!" She shouted involuntarily, but quieted down right away. "That's not my will. Not mine, not yours, not my mother's, not the shaman's; there is no changing it." She enforced. Hiccup raised the heels of his hands to his eyes to relieve the stinging of the tears.

"But it is my will to...warn you." Hiccup finally looked at her again. Her eyes were red and lined with tears, but none fell onto her face. "I don't want you here when it happens." She said simply. "After I'm gone my mother is going to self destruct, it won't be safe here."

"And how do you know that?" Hiccup asked, crossing his arms. Rose glared at him for a moment. He was making it sound as if he didn't believe her. "My mother has lost much; everyone she's loved. She's in so much pain already, the only thing keeping her alive is me, and once I'm dead..." She paused and shook her head. "My birthday is in three days, you have to leave before then."

"Okay, fine, I'll leave tomorrow." Hiccup was just saying what she wanted to hear. "Will you now?" Rose retaliated sarcastically. "Because I don't recall you telling your dragon when to come back for you." She pointed out. Hiccup just remembered he never did say anything about that to Toothless.

"A ship will take you. You'll be plenty far away from here in three days then. But...I also want you to take something with you when you leave..." She mentioned. Hiccup was about to say he wasn't going to leave until everything was over, but he waited to hear what she had to say.

Rose finally broke down, and tears rolled from her eyes. "I want you and Astrid to have Bel." Hiccup glanced at the sleeping baby, then back to Rose. "She'll actually have a chance with you, it won't be safe here...and she's for Astrid because I know she wants a baby. She'll grow up good on Berk, I know it." She looked at Bel asleep on her shoulder and kissed her cheek.

Hiccup was both heartbroken and honored by this. Rose was being so humble about everything, she wasn't concerned about herself at all, she was concerned about everyone else. As sad as it made Hiccup to know Rose would die so young, he was happier that this is the way she grew up...like Stoick, really.

And she was still crying. It seemed the worst part of all this for her was letting Bel go. Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck. "Rose...I'll do everything else you want, but please...don't send me away. You don't know the queen is really going to self destruct. Please, I want to be here for you."

Rose sighed tolerantly. As she thought, she looked out the window onto the city. "If you're wrong," she finally started, "You need to get as far away from the city as possible. On my birthday. Run and hide in the woods. You need to trust me on this Hiccup, I just know." She warned.

Hiccup agreed to that much...with his fingers crossed.