Chapter Text

         For a while, things had been weird. Or at least, felt off. It wasn’t anything huge or something that called for immediate action. It was the weird that was subtle and quiet but undeniably obvious. It was the kind of weird with small yet strange changes that gradually built over time until a tension solidified in the air. It was the kind of weird that had a breaking point. 

         That breaking point changed Hiccup’s life forever.

          As usual, they were doing drills in the arena. With the rising threat of Flyers, Dragon Hunters, Viggo and Krogan, Hiccup couldn’t risk being unprepared. Today, they were doing shooting practices and weapon-throwing. Tuffnut, Ruffnut and Fishlegs blasted targets with Barf, Belch and Meatlug while Hiccup, Astrid and Snotlout threw their weapons at the target dummy as accurately as possible. 

         “Bullseye,” Astrid smirked as her axe successfully landed on the dummy head.

          Hiccup, who couldn’t help but feel a little competitive, launched a bola from his shield that also successfully wrapped around the target. He grinned. “Make that two.”

          Snotlout scoffed in dismay. “Hiccup, please. You’re obviously cheating ‘cause you’re not even throwing it! Watch how a real Viking destroys his enemies.” 

          Raising his bludgeon, Snotlout aimed for exactly half a second before chucking it into the air and, to no one’s surprise, missed the dummy.

           The twins, who now hovered right above them, howled in laughter at Snotlout’s miss. ”That makes 29 for Astrid, 25 for Hiccup and uh,” she paused. “Carry the two, then half it-“ Ruffnut muttered her calculations while counting on her fingers. 

         Hiccup figured they would’ve delighted in blasting targets and setting fire to stuff but no, even now they couldn’t focus. Typical.

          At last Ruffnut dramatically announced, “A-ha! 3 for Snotlout!”
 
           “And most of it was because he was aiming for Hookfang!” Tuffnut added as he cackled his lungs out.

           Snotlout scowled. “Shut up, twidiots,” he grumbled, averting his gaze.

           Hiccup, annoyed and irritated but doing his best to control his tone, groaned, “Oh for the love of- get back to shooting, both of you!”  Seriously, it was a miracle their infuriating qualities hadn’t killed Hiccup before the Hunters.

       “Very well, scrawny, one legged-tyrant,” Tuffnut mumbled. “Real phenomenon, don’t you think, sis? That a twig figure could have so much tyranny? He’s even missing a leg! He’s gotta be a magical being to do that.”

            “Obviously,” Ruffnut agreed.

            “Ruff, Tuff, you heard him. He said go back to training,” Astrid roared at in bewilderment, “So get to it NOW!”

            Even that simple command unsettled Hiccup. Hel, it unnerved everybody, even if the twins and Snotlout were barely able to mask their fear. Sure, the twins were annoying but Hiccup thought Astrid was overreacting, yelling at them so harshly like that. But more than that, she’d been acting weird lately. Hiccup had never seen her act so emotionally until she started doing so a few weeks ago. Could it be her lack of sleep? Or was it because she was eating less? Of course, Astrid would never admit these things but Hiccup could see it. All of them could. When Fishlegs tried to talk to her about it, she had insisted she was fine and healthy but the evidence screamed otherwise. 
     
        Ruffnut and Tuffnut, uneager to face the worst of Astrid’s wrath, ordered Barf and Belch to blast the dummy as they dove right at it. The two-headed dragon accurately shot the target and the twins triumphantly cheered in celebration. However, Hiccup was more concerned when Astrid pinched her nose and turned away when Barf gassed the dummy, as if she couldn’t stand the smell.
 
           Worried, Hiccup layer a hand on her shoulder. “Astrid, are you sure you’re good?”

             “What are you talking about? I’m fine, Hiccup,” Astrid assured him but not before hesitating. She didn’t meet his eyes either.

          “Maybe you should skip training for today,” he suggested. Now that he was looking more closely at Astrid’s face, he could see subtle dark circles under her eyes. Hiccup added, “You need to rest and-“

            “Hiccup, I’m fine.” Astrid glared at him. Her tone had a finality to it, as if she was also wordlessly saying leave it or else. To prove her point, she raised another axe and once again threw it at the target. Another perfect throw. “See? Nothing to- to… worry-“ 

             Before Astrid could finish, her eyes rolled up and her legs trembled. Her entire body went limp and Hiccup barely caught her before her head hit the floor. Astrid had fainted.

           In his peripheral vision, Meatlug fluttered to the ground and Fishlegs appeared at Hiccup’s side. Stormfly, alarmed by her rider suddenly fainting, hopped over and squawked in concern and nuzzled Astrid while Toothless trailed close behind. 

            “We need to get her to her hut,” Fishlegs said urgently with a definitive healer tone.

            Hiccup couldn’t stop the dread pooling the in his gut but he did as Fishlegs instructed and carried Astrid. “Okay, on it.”

          Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut were following not too far behind them but Hiccup didn’t have to see their face to know what it looked like — eyes wide in confusion, fear and worry, jaws tight and face tight with uncertainty.

          Please be okay, Astrid, Hiccup silently pleaded as he carried her limp body to her hut.