Run and Hide

Chapter 56: Dreams and Dilemmas

Chapter 56: Dreams and Dilemmas

Astrid

I sprung up from the surface of the water gasping for air; flicking my fringe out of my face I noticed the heads of my friends springing up from the water while all the dragons struggled amidst the netting. Immediately I travelled back below pulling the net apart the best I could but it wasn't working, with more air needing to fill my lungs I swam back up to the surface gasping for as much air as possible while looking at the panicking others "We have to help the dragons! Help me pull the net apart please!" I cried out to them while receiving a nod from each of them. As we all travelled bellowed with everyone's strength we pulled hard of the net but it was still no use, as the other travelled back up and I removed the knife from my boot pocket and started cutting areas of the net I was soon rejoined by the other who caught on to the actions I was taking and began to follow my head. We holes increased in the net we were able to tear it apart, we all travelled below the net and pulled it from underneath as hard as we possibly could removing the tangle from the dragons. Once the dragons knew they were free they sprung from the next rapidly swimming to the surface as fast as they as they could taking their riders with them. However, my weight plummeted me backwards sending me spiralling into the deep blue sea. The waves flushed against my eyes sending everything drowsy, I try to regain my sight but in doing so I find myself in replacement of the dragons with my body entangled in the net. I struggled with everything I had but it was no use as all I could feel was my body losing its conscious state sending me deeper in the blue.

My surroundings were vanishing before me until I stopped struggling completely and let myself fall, the only thing I could see next was a figure falling down in front of me as the blackness started to carve its way around my pupils until there was nothing left and I was lost. ..."Astrid...Astrid wake up," I started to hear my name echo through my darkness while I stirred. "Come on Astrid," I let my eyes flutter as the bright light from the sun pierced the room I was led in, for a moment I thought I was in heaven the pain and anger was gone and instead of darkness I was being introduced to Valhalla but that's when he appeared in my head. I couldn't be dead, I need to help the man I love...and that's when I said it for the first time. I've never said it before but it's the truth and now I know it something he needs to know before it's too late. Though he probably believes we're dead I can't let him believe that, if he's lead to believe we're all dead then his hope will be lost and he'll be broken for sure. That's when I knew it was time to wake up; I stopped stirring and let my eyes fully awaken, the light spaced out around me and I noticed Leia, Snotlout, the twins, Heather and Fishlegs sat all around me with their eyes full of worry and sorrow "Astrid?" Snotlout questioned my name while not taking his concerned eyes off me; I nodded while slowly sitting up resting my back against the wooden bed rest "I'm okay...I'm okay. What happened? Where's Hiccup?" I looked each of them just as they lowered their heads down "Did we get him back? Is he safe?" questions I shouldn't be asking because I already knew the answer but I wanted hope of my own, I was hoping maybe they were able to get him back but when watching them lower their heads the hope in my heart sank and I knew what was coming next would fill my ears with dread.

"After we all collapsed in the ocean, we saved the dragons like you ordered but then you didn't resurface until Leia saved you. When we got back up in the air all Viggo's ships were gone, Stoick and a few of us have been scouting the area and far beyond trying to find them but it appears they've vanished...Astrid...we can't find them anywhere," Heather stepped up and spoke in a hollow almost desperate voice in wanting to be wrong. It didn't matter, because I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces "He's gone?" I mumbled in a whispers but everyone in the room was still able to hear what I said but gave no reply. There was no need for a reply, how could you reply to something like that since there was nothing to say. "Wait...how long have I been out?" I asked them as we all lifted our heads something I hadn't even realised I lowered "A few days, we didn't know if you were going to wake up or not," I sighed falling my head back against the bed rest staring into nothingness. All I had was him on my mind, the flash of his emerald gaze flickering across my brain with his shaggy brown hair falling against his face while leading the best presentable image of him was his smile. The pain was evident through the glass of his eyes was over shadowed by the smile he's portray and that's what made him special and so attractive...but now he's gone. There's no way they would have killed him meaning he's still alive but where is the question. If he was dead then I would feel it, I knew from the very beginning he wasn't dead and I still have that feeling. The brightening glow inside my heart was still ignited, as long as that glow still ignites I'll know he's alive and after everything he's been through there is no way he'd give up as easily as Viggo would believe.

"He's alive, I know it we have to keep looking for him," a sigh escaped Tuff and Ruff, when looking at them this time you know they weren't messing around with their feelings especially with what Tuff said next "Look A, I know you want to find him but..." he trailed off leading into Ruff finishing for him placing her hand on his shoulder while locking eye contact with me "But we've searched everywhere, there's no sign of him or Viggo," their words didn't make me feel defeated especially when the spark inside Leia's eye lit up catching my gaze followed by everyone else but her words whispered "Unless we're looking in the wrong place," she twisted her head to look round at me after looking into nothingness "The other day you told me something seemed odd with Hiccup when he woke up," I nodded at her cautiously "Was it a dream?" I nodded again "But he wouldn't tell me what it was, but it wasn't frightening this time in fact he seemed quite curious about it," a whistled escaped Leia introducing the bounding black figure of Toothless into the room who sat right next to Leia her attention paid fully on him. "Toothless show me what Hiccup did before he went to sleep the night before we went in search of Astrid," Toothless looked confused for a moment resembling the look of the rest of us in the room. It was strange to suddenly see Toothless bound out the window running to the top of the village to the Chief's hut. Exchanging looks with one another we all zoomed after the black figure; as we were halfway up the hill the dragon had already sprinted through the hut unleashing a loud scowl of Stoick. Each of us sprinted further running into the home to see Toothless tearing books of the shelf throwing them everywhere leaving me to raise an eyebrow at his actions.

That's when he chucked a book at Leia who caught it in a blink "What is going on here?!" Stoick barged past his wife who followed his lead while glaring at each of us especially Leia who was holding the book his eyes seemed engaged on "Sorry to barge in sir, but Leia has a feeling where Hiccup may be," his eyes widened at the news as did Valka leading everyone to gather round Leia who placed the book on the ground "But what does it have to do with my research?" Stoick wondered while the book was opened revealing tracks and myths of a legend it seemed. I looked down at the title and read aloud "The Hidden World," as my eyes started trailing through all the notes my curiosity kept increasing but my understanding was dwindling. "When Hiccup was a child, Alastair took him somewhere but no one knew where except me. Since we snuck secret messages to each other he told me all about his experience; he and Alastair went in search of another species of Fury and they stumbled across a female Light Fury. She was an adolescent but her kind is the protectors of a place called the Hidden World. The information was kept away from Viggo and Ryker as Alastair was afraid of what they would do if they found out, so my theory is-," but I cut Leia off because it all made sense now "Viggo knew about what Hiccup and Alastair did and they've gone in search of the Light Fury," all the dreams Hiccup had was about the dragon, that's why he wasn't afraid while waking up but much more curious. He was trying to remember what he did with Alastair and the story his father told him the night before he came and rescued me brought it all back and now Viggo was going to force him in kidnapping the dragon.

"That doesn't answer the question about where he is," Valka spoke up out of the scene but before anyone could answer any questions a sudden interruption from one of the guards entered the home "What do you think you're doing?!" Stoick's voice boomed throughout the home "I'm sorry sir but I think there is something you need to see, it's down on Thor's beach," everyone sprung up from their seats and ran down to the beach just as the guard instructed and right before my eyes I would never have believed what I was seeing. The glistening, silvery white scales glowed against the sun warm sand, it's cradled body wrapped up together with its wings enclosed around something holding it tight. The small delicate whimpers it cried holding whatever it held close to its body; step by step I moved an inch closer to what lay before my eyes and through the sand a twig was broke from one of the twins behind me catching the dragon's eye, it's head spinning round flushing it's big icy blue eyes at us in slits growling at us before settling down not moving from her position "I can't believe what I'm seeing..." Leia spoke exasperated just as Toothless moved forwards little by little his mouth drooling as he gaped at the dragon before him "Is that a...?" I stopped what I was saying looking over at the Chief and then at Leia "A Light Fury, that's a Light Fury," we all stayed in one position looking at the dragon as it growled at us and from Toothless' reaction we know it was a female especially due to the pink sparkle around her eyes. "How did she get all the way here?" Fishlegs wondered to the group stepping forwards frightening the dragon further, in doing so she lifted her head igniting a plasma inside her mouth ready to fire.

Automatically it fired sending us all tumbling to the ground in search of protection while behind us the rocks shattered to pieces sending an almighty explosion up in the air. Though that wasn't what caught my attention but instead it was seeing what laid delicately in her arms; I knew I wasn't the only one who saw because Valka's voice cleared everything up "Hiccup?"