Searching For You

Chapter 3: Among the Market Crowds

The two young women dashed through the woods, the wind blowing through their hair, enjoying every second of it.

When the cove finally came into view they both took a minute to take in its natural beauty. With that out of the way, they jumped down. They walked over to the small pond that sat in the center.

Heather looked around before noticing something she hadn't done before.

"What's that?" She asked while she gestured to an old-looking shield wedged between the rocks. It looked as if it had been sitting there for centuries and over time had been covered in moss and developed a few small cracks.

"Oh, I'm not exactly sure how it got there but I always assumed that Hiccup got it stuck there since this is where he first bonded with Toothless," Astrid explained.

Heather's lips formed an 'O' shape, understanding what Astrid meant.

"So are you gonna tell me what's been going on?"

Astrid gave a heavy sigh, preparing to dump her emotions onto the Chieftess.

"Well, recently I've been thinking..... about Hiccup."

Astrid paused, taking a moment to look at Heather's face.

"It's okay Astrid. Just tell me what about him that's been bothering you."

"That's just it Heather! I don't know why it's bothering me so much. Why can't I just get over him? Any other girl on Berk would've, and yet I can't! He's probably already gotten over me and found some Hybrid girl to love!"

Astrid took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm sorry..... it's just... why can't I just find another guy? I've dated two already and neither one worked out all because I couldn't stop thinking about Hiccup. But now he's gone so you would think it would be easy but it's not." Astrid finished with tears falling from her eyes.

Heather quickly pulled her friend into a hug which caught Astrid by surprise. "Astrid. Listen to me. I completely understand that it's hard for you to move on. You miss him. You and Hiccup were nearly inseparable and I am almost positive that he misses you too."

Astrid gave her a doubtful look.

"Astrid, think about everything you two have been through together. Did he ever consider leaving you?"

"Well no, but that was different. He's not here anymore."

"The way I see it's no different. If anything this separation between you too will only make him miss you more. Maybe he is feeling the same way you do right now."

Astrid smiles and wipes away her tears thanking Heather for the pep talk.

"Maybe you should try talking to people about how you feel more often," Heather suggested.

Astrid looked away for a moment before once again meeting her friend's green eyes.

"I just wish I could." Astrid states simply. Heather frowned. "The rest of the gang is usually too busy with their other responsibilities. The twins are always helping Gobber test new weapons to see how well they work and to test the limit of their use. Snotlout is always busy with Chief training since he's Berk's heir. Everyone else around the village hates talking about Hiccup. If anyone brings up what happened they have a sudden foul mood that you do not want to be around to see."

"What about Stoick?"

"Well, Stoick doesn't like it either. Hiccup was his only child and the last member of his family. I guess he doesn't want to think about the fact that he lost him. I have tried but every time he would get a little agitated and change the subject."