The Night Rider

Chapter 16: New Memories

ASTRIDS POV.

"Hiccup! Get down!" Astrid yelled at the scrawny Viking boy. A dragon that she had never seen before, a dragon with scales as dark as night pinned Hiccup down against a rock on the edge of a small lake. The dragon emitted a roar that chilled her to her DNA.

Almost like it was protecting something that she was threatening. Astrid raised her axe above her head getting ready to hurl it at the dragon. Hiccup squirmed desperately from under the dragon, trying to push the dark beast away.

Hiccup saw her about to throw her weapon and he outstretched his arm out, like he was pleading with her to not do something. "No!" He yelled at her, but it was to late. And Astrid threw her axe. All she remembered after that was an intense heat and a blinding purple light, an explosion and then nothing, darkness accompanying a prolonged silence.

Then she saw her body, lying on the grass. On her right temple there was a deep cut with blood coming from it. Her vision blurred and when it came back into focus the dragon sitting alone by the rock liking the blood off its teeth, with Hiccups mangled shoe next to it.

"Ah Toothless, what did you do bud?" Asked a muffled but familiar voice from behind her. The voice had a certain amused and cheerful tone about it. The Night Rider passed her and then walked over to the dragon. A searing pain erupted from deep in her head and her vision became blurry again.

"Did you eat another person! You know better, we have to keep up the appearance that your harmless!" She could hear the Night Rider say through the ringing in her ears. Astrid raised her head through all the pain to look at the Night Rider. He stood next to the dragon, his dragon.

It was his dragon, his dragon killed Hiccup! "Yes he did, or course he did. Because he's a vicious monster." Said the Night Rider placing a hand on his dragons neck. It's emerald green eyes turned blood red and it gave a vicious snarl. "AAHH!"

Screamed Astrid falling to her knee's and cupping her ears as the ringing in her ears intensified. "Somebody get her!" Stoick yelled from behind her. Through the pain she looked back at the man who lumbered towards her along with other Vikings but then back to the Night Rider, but the pair was gone.

Her eyelids flashed open and she sat up with an intense wave of coughs. Somehow she was now back in her body, and no longer standing beside it. She fell back to the ground putting one of her hands over the wound on her right temple.

Stoick knelt beside her and other Vikings formed a protective circle around them with there weapons drawn and ready for anything. "What are you doing here?" Astrid asked letting out a feeble cough. "That's what we need to be asking you lassy."

He replied in a soft and caring tone. She managed to look around and saw around ten other Vikings including, Gobber, the twins, and Snotlout. There was a larger Viking to her left that could have been Fishleg's but she couldn't tell with his back turned.

Astrid looked back to the eye's of her chief, they did show genuine concern for her. Or was it for Hiccup? "Is Hiccup alright." She asked with the memory or the dragon on top of him came back to her. A look of utter confusion crossed his face. "What are you talking about?" Astrid had closed her eyes and darkness was about to overcome her.

"Astrid! What are you talking about!" He yelled shaking her shoulders harshly making her eyelids flutter back open. Astrid didn't have enough energy to speak so without even bothering to raise her hand from the ground she pointed in the general area that she had seen his son.

It was then Gobber who helped her with her explanation now. "Stoick, isn't this Hiccups?" He asked, his voice wavering with emotions. Stoick walked over to the man. She opened her left eye a crack just to see what was happening.

With his hook Gobber had picked up one of Hiccups shoe's that was mangled and coated with dragon saliva. Stoick walked up to him taking it from him and he went completely still. He dropped the shoe to the ground and turned to her. His face was void of all emotion except anger. "Astrid! What happened here!" He commanded her to say. "There...was a dragon- and Hiccup."

Her eye's flashed open as she sat up suddenly. Her body was soaked in a cold sweat and she trembled. She had to force herself to take deep breaths. Where was she? 'Am I dead?' She though but when placing her hand on the bed beneath her she remembered where she was.

'Was that real?' She wondered. It had all felt so real. Like it had actually happened. All except for when she had seen the Night Rider, everything except that had seemed real. Then it came back to her. It had happened! That's what happened when Hiccup died! She could never remember what happened and it had to be explained to her but now, she could remember it.

She could remember how Hiccup died. She could remember how she failed. A great wave of sorrow washed over her and her eyes began to water. "It's my fault." She said to herself. "Oh Hiccup I'm so sorry." Her face fell into her hands and she began to weep.

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2 and a half hours later
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Astrid wasn't sure how much time had passed before she crept out of her room but she knew it had been a great deal of time. She rose from the bed and crept out into the hall and down the stairs. There was sunlight streaming through the windows and the Night Fury still slept by the fire.

She observed it closely. She compared the dragon that laid before her to the dragon that she had seen in her new memories from all those years ago. They were identical, except it slept peacefully instead of wanting to kill her. 'If it's so peaceful like the Night Rider claimes then why had it killed Hiccup?"

She asked herself but the answer came simply. "It's because it's a monster." She said to herself a little to loud. The dragons eyes opened and landed on her causing all her instincts to run back up the stairs. She crashed into the Night Rider making him fall on his rear. "Good morning to you to." He said with a yawn rising from the ground still in all his armor.

"You ready?" He asked walking down the stairs. "For what?" She asked following close behind him but when she reached down stairs she focused more on the dragon that came over and greeted him happily. "On getting you back to your village, I swore to your father I'd get you home and I'm a man of my word."

He said walking towards the front door. This is when she noticed what was different about him. "Why do you have a sword?" She asked eyeing the weapon that was sheathed around his waist. "Last time I went to this island I was almost killed multiple times, I'm not letting that happen again."