The Night Rider

Chapter 24: Could it be love

ASTRIDS POV.

"Astrid. Astrid wake up." Said a deep and gruff voice as a large hand shook her by the shoulder. Astrid's eyelids slowly peeled open and she let out a big yawn stretching her arms as she pulled herself up from the wooden table where she had been leaned against sleeping. "Sorry I must have fallen asleep." She said to the man she now recognized as Stoick.

"It's alright lassie." He said moving away from her and move towards the still unconscious Hiccup. Astrid knew that Goathy had said that his chances of survival where slim and Astrid knew that healing takes time but for some reason she felt that if Hiccup didn't wake up soon that he never was going to.

Astrid noticed the amount of light that shinned through the thin fabric of the tent. "What time is it?" She asked with a final yawn. "Early, the sun has only been up for a few moments." Astrid rose from the stool and offered it to Stoick so he could sit after she noticed the dark circles beneath his eyes. Stoick had probably been up the entire night talking with the Vikings who had seen Hiccups face and trying to calm other furious Vikings about the fact that they were caring for the Night Rider.

Astrid on the other hand guessed that she had only slept for about four maybe five hours because of how long she had sat with Hiccups dragon. She stretched both her legs. From sitting with Hiccups dragon for hours on the arenas stone floor and then sleeping in such an uncomfortable position it felt as if her legs and back where more stone now then muscle and bone.

"Has there been any change?" Asked the chief as he plucked his sons hand from the table and grasped it in his own. "No." She said diverting her eyes towards the floor as she couldn't bare to see the sadness of her answer in his eyes. Astrids stomach growled from hunger and she finally noticed how hungry she was. When was the last time she had eaten?

I must have been days, it was the day she had shot down Hiccup and his dragon because after that she and Goathy mended to his wound, and then she had to go find the twins and that took the whole day, then the raid where she was taken. And at Hiccups house she haven't eaten either.

Days, she hadn't eaten for days. It was weird for her to think about, that all that had happened to her recently, shooting down The Night Rider, being taken, finding out who was beneath the dragon scale mask. It was weird to think that all of that had transpired in a few days. "You should go to the Great Hall, I'm sure there's still some food there from last nights feast." He said taking a seat in the stool.

"Feast?" Astrid asked. "Yes, last night there was a feast held in celebration of our capture of the Night Rider." He rubbed his eyes and Astrid could see that the events of the past few days had been very taxing on him. "Go Astrid." He said looking up to her. "I'll keep an eye on him." Astrid thought it unwise to disagree with him plus why would she, she was starving.

As Astrid walked out of the tent she immediately felt uncomfortable as all the surrounding eyes from the Vikings where on her. Outside of the tent there where around three dozen Vikings who looked at her angry and displeased that the Night Rider was still alive. The cocky Viking that had threatened to behead Toothless also stood among the crowd.

Judging by the fact that the village still didn't know about the Night Riders identity she assumed that the speech Stoick had given him and the others about Hiccups identity had compelled him not to tell anyone but by his presence among the mob of angry Vikings made it fairly clear that it didn't matter to him that the Night Rider was the heir to Berk he wasn't happy with him still breathing.

Astrid walked through the streets that was packed with Vikings fixing a variety of things but after a few minuets she noticed that they were all having almost identical conversations. Each conversation she listened into was about the Night Riders capture. "Why is he still alive?" Or "Why are we helping him?" Where general statements that she could hear from most of them.