Chapter Eight: A Dark Secret

Hiccup and Astrid stared at each other, identical expressions of abject terror on their faces. Dagur had been right. The Berserkers were framed and the real kidnapper had started her sick little game while they had been distracted. And what was this about their little girl in the note, obviously proving that she had, in fact, been the intended target after all? Was all of it a plan?

Quite suddenly, Hiccup felt a surge of rage build up inside his chest, and it was all he could do to not start throwing things. While he was off trying to convict Dagur of a heinous crime, this psychopath had a complete run of the village. She could have walked his baby right through Berk and no one would have noticed because the only people who stayed on the island were in the Great Hall watching Finn. He was a fool. He had been played. And there was no other way around it.

"She's clever." he muttered, his hand gripping the note more tightly than necessary to keep from shaking. "Very good plan, distracts everyone while she plays a sick and twisted game... she's insane and she's clever."

"Who?"

The young couple turned around to face Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut, who seemed to have walked up while they were distracted.

"Whoever wrote this note. Whoever took Adrianna." Astrid said in monotone, taking the note from Hiccup's hand and giving it to the other couple.

"Well that's a terrible poem. Heroic doesn't rhyme with bit!" Tuffnut exclaimed, smacking the paper with the back of his hand.

"I think the ellipsis means we have to fill the rest of the poem in ourselves." Fishlegs said, his brow furrowed.

"Wait, we have to wait until night? Or did she draw the eclipses on the paper?" Tuffnut asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Not eclipses, ellipsis! It means the... here!" Fishlegs pointed to the incomplete sentence. "See how there are three periods? It trails off! I think we have to fill it in with a rhyme."

Ruffnut's mouth opened a bit as she read the paper. "What rhymes with heroic?"

"Bloic? Toic?" Tuffnut piped up.

"Actually I'm pretty sure it's..."

"Throic?" Ruffnut added, grabbing a rock on the ground and pitching it at her brother. "If that's the answer, I already like this game."

"This is not a game!" Hiccup bellowed, making everyone jump. "Adrianna's life is at stake!"

"Right, right, sorry." Ruffnut looked properly chastised. She then turned to Tuffnut, an expression of inspiration dawning on her face. "Maybe we should ask Stoick. He probably knows more words than we do."

"That's what I was trying to say!" Fishlegs said, sounding quite irritated. "The answer is obviously Stoick! Seek out one who is wise if not just a little bit stoic! It's a play on words!"

It should have been very easy to figure out but in their panic, neither Hiccup nor Astrid had been able to come up with the answer. Now that it was given to them, they wondered how they had managed to miss it.

"Brilliant, Fishlegs!" Hiccup exclaimed, patting his friend on the back. "We've got to find my dad!"

They tried to pick up the hourglass to show the chief but it was stuck to the ground. No amount of pulling could loosen it. Abandoning that task, they sprinted off to find the chief, looking in various places he frequented. They finally found him in Gobber's workshop, several weapons already attached to his belt. He looked up as they approached.

"Did you find her?" he asked, looking very hopeful.

"We found something." Hiccup said, slamming the note down on the table.

Stoick took one look at it and visibly paled. "Ah. Yes, that makes sense..." he muttered as he read the words on the back. "I should have seen this coming..."

Hiccup's patience was very nearly gone. "Should have seen what coming? You know who..."

"I know who took Adrianna, yes." Stoick looked up at them. Something in his eyes told everyone that knowing the identity of the abductor wasn't as comforting as they might have thought. "You think Dagur is deranged... we haven't seen anything yet..."

"Who has her?" Astrid pleaded, her stomach churning.

There was a long pause filled with very oppressive silence. Stoick and Gobber exchanged grim looks, almost as if they were having a silent conversation about whether or not to divulge the information. Stoick gave his friend a small nod before turning back to them.

"Dad... who has my daughter?" Hiccup asked, his green eyes boring into his father's blue ones.

"My sister." Stoick told them, his voice shaking the tiniest bit.

"You don't have a sister." Hiccup said, his brows furrowed in confusion. "You were an only child."

"I told you that to keep you safe."

"Oh really?" Hiccup bellowed very suddenly, startling everyone for the second time that day. "Yeah that worked out real well! Why would you lie about something like that?"

"You don't know what happened!" Stoick shouted back. "She was banished decades ago! Never to come back! I put her on the ship myself. Both times."

"What do you mean both times..."

"There's a time limit, Hiccup! This note mentions an hourglass and I don't know how much sand is left but I do know that we need to act fast!" Stoick interrupted. "Let's decipher the clue. Adrianna might be hidden in the location it mentions. I think this part is meant for me."

Hiccup placed both of his hands in his hair and gripped fistfuls of it, barely registering the discomfort. "No, I'm not playing her sick little game! We need to get a bunch of people together and..."

Stoick looked down at the paper again. "Don't try to fool her, she won't hesitate to..."

"What am I supposed to do?" Hiccup cried, his voice cracking uncomfortably. "I can't just sit here and let her walk all over us!"

Stoick looked up at him patiently. "You have to follow her instructions."

"Her instructions have given us NOTHING so far. How far does she expect us to go?"

"If you want Adrianna back, then Trista knows you'll go as far as it takes." Stoick sighed. "She wants you and Astrid to give up and leave that baby in the cold, alone. She wants to prove that Adrianna will be treated no different than she was. Once you start giving up, she starts winning. Don't you let her win."

"But why? Why would she want that? How could she expect that?" Hiccup punched a wall in frustration and several people flinched, surprised at his strength. Knuckles throbbing, he turned back to his father. "I'd go to hell and back to make sure she's..."

"In case you haven't noticed, she's not exactly mentally stable!" Stoick bellowed, taking them all by surprise.

There was a long pause. "She'll be dragging me down with her if we don't get Addie back." Hiccup breathed, his heart racing in his throat.

Stoick shook his head. "No. You will never be like her."

"I'm not saying that. I'm saying I'm going to go crazy if we just sit here talking!" Hiccup shouted the last word, startling the group yet again.

"ENOUGH!" Astrid roared. "We don't have all day! She's obviously giving us a fighting chance and if we waste our time arguing, what will that accomplish?"

Everyone turned to look at her. She glared at them all and suddenly they realized she was right. Stoick turned back to the note.

"The last part of the clue is meant for me." he said quietly.

"What part? The ending bit? That's just gibberish. What place is she talking about?" Gobber asked, jabbing the note with his finger.

"I'm trying to figure that out, Gobber." Stoick took a deep breath, calming himself so that he didn't take out his frustration on his friend. "I have to remember a place, a place from my past. And the only clue is about what Vikings can do... split things in two... log... rock... boulder..."

He muttered to himself as he read the note. What in the world was it talking about? Gobber read over his shoulder for a few seconds before making an odd humming noise.

"You used to tell this story about when you were a boy." Gobber said quietly. "How your father had you bash your head against a rock and it split in two..."

"Of course..." Stoick exhaled slowly. "That's... that's it. She wants me to go to the place where it happened... but that was decades ago. How in the world could I possibly..."

"Well you better think about it because if that hourglass runs out..."

"Shut up, Hiccup, you're not helping." Stoick snapped, oblivious to the looks of shock he received for that statement.

Hiccup felt the back of his neck redden at that and thought of a few choice responses, but Astrid's hand on his arm made him bite them down.

Stoick shut his eyes, thinking as hard as he could about that day. He remembered his father giving him the order, how he'd been convinced the man had gone mad but had obeyed. How the rock had split in two and he'd been surprised at his own strength, glad that his father had taught him such a valuable lesson. That was what he remembered about that day. Not where it had happened. The only mental picture he could conjure was that it had happened in a clearing in the woods. The trees had been awfully tall but he wasn't full grown yet either so that might not have been the most accurate mental picture. What else had been there, distinguishing landmarks, anything to tell him where it had happened...

"It was a clearing." he said out loud. "A clearing in the woods. I remember that much."

"Well that narrows it down." Hiccup spat sarcastically. "We've only got about a hundred of those."

"I'm doing this for your daughter so don't you talk to me that way." Stoick hissed, his eyes not leaving the note for a second.

Hiccup had the sudden urge to punch his father for that comment. He kept his arms at this sides, fists balled and ready to retaliate if provoked again. Gobber, however, stepped between the two.

"All right, simmer down. Never thought I'd hear myself saying this but let the man think! Hiccup, maybe you should step outside." he said gravely, pointing to the door of his workshop.

Hiccup exhaled very slowly through his teeth before turning around and stomping out of the workshop, waves of rage practically emanating from him.

"Gobber, if we don't solve this soon, I do not want to think about what's going to happen." Stoick admitted in a low tone so the others who remained couldn't hear him. "Hiccup already looks like he's going to snap."

"Hiccup? Nah, he doesn't snap, he's as easygoing as a..."

"He's got a limit. You don't want to push it. Trust me. He's close and if we don't find her soon... you don't want to see him snap. It's not an experience anyone should have." Stoick muttered. "Right... to work then."

Xxx

Hiccup sat down on a bench outside of Gobber's workshop and took several deep breaths. Astrid followed him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You aren't doing anyone any favors by panicking." she said as quietly as she could. "Your dad is probably worried enough as it is."

"And how do you know? He looks like he's doing a puzzle with a couple of people at the Great Hall, not deciphering a riddle that could result in his granddaughter's death." he spat back, trembling with rage.

"And is blowing up at anyone going to bring her back?" Astrid countered. "You have got to calm down!"

"Calm down? How the Hel am I supposed to..."

"You don't think I'm scared?" her voice broke on the last syllable and she had to grip his shoulder so she wouldn't suddenly fall over. "I'm scared. Terrified. More than I've ever been in my life." she slowly sat down next to him. "But I am pushing down those emotions so my daughter has a fighting chance."

"You know I've never been as good as you at doing that." he muttered, staring at his hands on his lap.

"That's because you feel everything strongly. It's one of the reasons I love you." she placed a hand on his back. "But it's also a weakness. It's too easy to get under your skin. Your aunt probably knows that. Don't let her get to you. It's what she wants."

"I know." Hiccup whispered. "I know it's all just a game to her. I know that being emotional isn't doing any good. I can't help it, Astrid. She's my baby girl. I'm her hero. What's it going to look like to her when I don't show up and save her right away?"

"That's another reason this is going be so difficult. Trista knows that Anna's going to be more crushed the longer it takes. She knows it's going to tear you apart. So do something she's not expecting." Astrid stared him dead in the eye when he finally looked up. "Don't be predictable."

"How can I not be predictable? Astrid, we don't what's coming next or how long it's going to take!" Hiccup frowned at her. "You're not making sense."

"I'm making perfect sense, you're just being too blasted stubborn to see it."

Hiccup sighed, wiping a bead of sweat off his eyebrow. "I'm not trying to be."

"Then relax." Hiccup scowled deeply at her, and she met his gaze. "Don't make me use the hair."

Hiccup huffed and lightly rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't at a time like this."

Astrid reached up and tugged one thick strand of hair behind his ear. He raised an eyebrow at her and she gave him a straight face. "Relax." she patted him on the back. "Get off the bench and sit on the ground in front of me."

"What? Why..."

"Just do it!"

Hiccup reluctantly complied, sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of his wife. The moment he settled down, she placed her hands on his shoulders and began to squeeze. He recoiled slightly before realizing that it actually did make him feel a bit better. He let a soft moan escape his lips before he could stop himself and the corners of Astrid's mouth raised for a second in triumph.

"Gods, you're tense." Astrid muttered, beginning to need her muscles to dig into his shoulders.

Hiccup felt a sarcastic comeback bubble within him but he choked it down. He took a nearby stick and began to occupy himself by tearing off strips of its bark. Too many children were walking home from the Great Hall with their parents. He couldn't stand to watch them hug and fuss over their children, all secretly thanking the gods that it wasn't their child who was taken. Astrid caught sight of them as well and felt like her heart was being squeezed in a vice. But to allow these feelings to overwhelm her would be succumbing to weakness, to the trap this Trista person had so expertly crafted.

She reached her hand around her husband's neck and pulled his chin up to look in his eyes. He relaxed his shoulders, which is probably why she did it; but he was annoyed. This was no time for googly eyes or kissing.

"Not here." he whispered with a light shake of his head. "Not now."

Astrid gently kissed his lips anyway. "It's going to be okay. I promise."

Just behind them, the door to the workshop opened up and the rest of their friends emerged. Stoick was nearly crumpling the note in his hand but otherwise didn't look as emotional as all of them felt.

Hiccup sighed heavily and stood up. "Well what's the plan?"

The group was glad he looked a lot more calm than before. His skin tone had returned to its normal color, he wasn't shaking and he seemed more relaxed.

"We're looking for a clearing on the north side of the island. I remembered the poison berry bushes and there are only two clearings that have them. And the other is almost inaccessible without dragons." Stoick explained, calling Thornado to him.

"So why would we go there?" Hiccup asked. The others turned to him in confusion and he shrugged. "If it was inaccessible without dragons back then, how would you have gotten there without them?"

Stoick almost smiled. This is why he knew they had a chance against Trista. Trista was smart, but Hiccup was smarter.

Hiccup continued, "I mean let's check it for sure. Just thinking, I guess."

"Hiccup's right. We check the accessible one first." Stoick said to the rest of the group, all of whom nodded.

Hiccup's hunch had proven to be correct. The moment they arrived in that clearing, they found a split rock with a sheet of parchment placed on top. There was another hourglass sitting there, its sand running dangerously low.

"We've found it!" Fishlegs cried, racing forward and snatching the note from the ground.

The others crowded around but Fishlegs waved them away, preferring to read the clue aloud.

Look to the left and you will be right
A friendship was formed, almost love at first sight
A kinship, a bond that at first was forbidden
Go to the place where you once kept it hidden

Hiccup snatched the note from his friend and, after reading it over again, nearly crumpled it in his hand; he gritted his teeth and tried not to let his emotions take over.

"She's not here." he said in a low voice. "And wherever we have to go is probably just another distraction."

"Maybe." Astrid said, placing a hand on his shoulder. It was remarkable how tense it had gotten in such a short time. "But we're one step closer to finding her."

Hiccup turned to look at her, his bright eyes flashing. "We'd better be."