Hiccup's POV

"Don't you think the girls should've been back by now?" I ask. Our party ended long ago and the sun has started to set, and yet there's no sign of our female friends.

"Chill out. They're probably off giggling about the wedding," Snotlout says.

I let out a long breath, glancing towards Toothless. My dragon paces, looking to the sky every moment or so. Dark Moon and Emerald watch him, their pupils moving with their father. I know that Toothless is just worried for his mate. I reach out and pat his back comfortingly, hoping that Thora, Astrid, and Ruffnut are alright.

"Knowing my sister, even if they got held up, they're fine," Tuffnut says confidently. "Ruff's tough. Thora and Astrid too."

Toothless perks up as frantic wingbeats assault the silence of the evening. Everyone else looks up towards the noise, shielding their eyes from the sun. Stormfly and Nightstar fly towards us, going incredibly fast. As they get closer, I feel my stomach twist.

Ruffnut rides Stormfly, while Astrid sits on Nightstar holding an unconscious Thora. The two dragons land and the riders climb off. Astrid holds Thora, but her legs are shaking so much that she looks like she's about to fall over.

Ruffnut rushes forwards and hugs her brother, burying her face against his shoulder. He hugs her back, no doubt surprised by the gesture. The twins aren't much for affection.

Astrid's face is tear streaked and I walk towards her, my feet heavy. Toothless, Dark Moon, and Emerald follow, waiting for me to tell them what's going on.

"Hiccup...something happened. Thora...she's..." Astrid chokes, her chest heaving with held back sobs. "We found...oh my Odin..."

I take Thora from her, feeling a lot less shaken up, but even as I take the auburn-haired Viking from my friend, I feel my calm shattering. Her face is pale and her heartbeat is faint. A Deadly Nadder spike is embedded in her torso, close to her left hip, and blood stains her tunic. A few more inches to the right and she would be dead, but right now she's just clinging to life and she needs help urgently.

"She needs medical help, now!" I shout. "Go get help!"

Snotlout and Eret rush off to get a doctor. Tuffnut places a comforting arm around Astrid's shoulders as I take off towards my house, holding Thora tightly as I beg her to hold on.

I rush into my hut and my mom looks up from her work. "Hiccup? What's going-" She stops at the sight of Thora.

"Snotlout and Eret have gone for a doctor. I don't know what happened," I say, panic obvious in my voice.

"Get her on a bed," she says, getting to her feet. "Hurry, Hiccup."

I move up the stairs as fast as I possibly and go into my room. I lay Thora on the bed, propping her head up on the pillows. I grab her hand, noticing just how cold it feels. I press my face into the mattress, taking a few shaky breaths.

I hear loud thumping before Nightstar and Toothless appear at the door. Emerald and Dark Moon bound inside, taking a spot in the spacious area of the room. Nightstar drops a bag at my feet as her and Toothless shuffle in, glancing at Thora as they curl up on the rug near their children.

I reach down, grabbing the bag with my free hand. I pull the top open, peering inside. There's two scrolls and a beat up stuffed sheep within, nothing that looks super interesting. I pick up the scrolls, hesitating as I look back at Thora. Would she want me to see these?

I put the scrolls down and pick up the sheep. It doesn't look like anything special, and I once again gaze at my fiancée. Only then do I notice that she's wearing a new belt, a long sheathe hanging by her side with the jewelled hilt of a weapon on the top. I reach over and release the weapon from its hold, taking in the sight of the sword that I unearthed. It's absolutely beautiful.

"Hiccup! We've got Fiske!" I hear Eret call.

"He's up there," mom responds to them from below.

I hear their footsteps coming up the stairs. Fiske, our village medical man, walks inside with my friends trailing behind him. Like most Vikings, he's a rather bulky man with a thick black beard and grey eyes that seem to be as weathered as the storms that come around here.

"What happened?" he asks, moving to Thora's side.

"Nadder attack," Astrid answers, her voice thick. "It wasn't a regular Nadder though. This one was hostile and...ghostlike."

Fiske purses his lips as he scratches his beard. He looks up at me. "Chief, I'm gonna have to ask that you hold her down. I have to pull this spine out and I could hurt her if she thrashes too much."

I nod and place my arms across Thora's shoulders and around her hips. Fiske firmly grasps the spine, counting down under his breath.

On three, he yanks the spine out. It doesn't come out in one jerk, still half-embedded. Thora lets out a strangled scream, jerking away. I hold her down, gritting my teeth as Nightstar makes a distressed noise. Fiske takes one more deep breath as he pulls the rest of it out. She flails against me once more, but then falls limp again in an instant. I reach over and check her pulse.

"I've got a Nadder poison antidote, let's pray to Odin that it works," Fiske says. He lifts her shirt just enough that we get a clear view of the wound. He cleans off the area, applying the antidote and bandaging her up. "I'll leave some more of the antidote with you. Apply it again if she gets worse." He sighs, scratching his beard. "I'm sorry, this is all I can do."

"No, this is good. Thank you," I say, standing up. I grasp his hand and shake it firmly.

"I hope she gets well soon," he says. "What with the wedding happening and all."

He turns and heads out. I turn to Astrid and Ruffnut, both of whom still look shocked. Astrid has stopped crying, although she still clings to Tuffnut with a white-knuckled grip.

"Can you tell us exactly what happened?" I ask.