Omphalos (Hiccelsa)

Chapter 14

And he and Camacazi both agreed the sooner they got the young future or current leaders of their tribes to accept her, the sooner everyone would. Their engagement dinner was long overdue anyway, and Hiccup began to draw up plans for such an event (because it was only second in his string of islands to the actual wedding). It was the time where if you were friends with the newly engaged chief, and you were a slight nobody, you got to dress up all nice, have mouth-watering delicious foods, and invest in quite a deal of tomfoolery all under the ruse of a diplomatic announcement.

All these thoughts were put on an immediate halt though, three dawns after Elsa's reveal, exactly one month before the wedding.

Ophelia had been on edge, lately. For a five-year-old, Hiccup couldn't even imagine what sorts of troubles she had, but it seemed she had them. And being only five-years-old, these worries wore her out before she was long due for her nap that colder day. Perhaps it was the strong and harsh winter winds blowing in long before they were due, but there was a certain hesitance in the air.

Elsa was visiting with Camcazi, and no doubt the two were giggling and discussing female-type things that Hiccup had little interest (for his self-esteem and poor virgin ears both) in hearing, yet was glad that Elsa had one trusted friend. He put Ophelia down for a nap early in the day, and she lulled right to sleep. His mother was sewing Ophelia a dress for the wedding in their sitting room, and Hiccup asked her to stay while he went to work on his and Elsa's house. It was still so very far from being done, and it seemed that no one in the village wanted him to actually finish, because they seemed to wait to seek him out until he was getting into the vibe of working.

Today was no such day. He got a good couple hours of work in, and was surprised that no one had bothered him. It was very unusual to go four hours uninterrupted (and he had to admit he lost track of time, but his mother wouldn't mind feeding Ophelia and occupying her) and that was what set him off. It wasn't any sort of premonition, yet it was still a tinge in the back of his mind that told him something was not right.

"Any idea Toothless?" He asked his dragon, who was around to occasionally bring large trees and cut them down to size, but more often to distract and set things on fire 'accidentally'. From the look he gave his brother, it clearly stated that he liked his house where he was now and had no intention of moving just because some blonde girl was going to marry him. Or that's what Hiccup interpreted.

Either way the large reptile gave a sniff of the air, and seeing little amiss, gave a small, unconcerned shrug. When Hiccup re-entered town on the edge, people were running around, looking for something. Although before he could tell what that something was, people noticed him and stiffened immediately.

"What exactly is going on?" He questioned a guy trying to sneak around him, and the man's eyes budged.

"N…nothing Hiccup. Just doing my daily work!" He stuttered. Hiccup glanced over at the notebook he held. Curiously, he took it from the man's hands, who flinched and began to glance through it.

"You know, I'm pretty sure you're a fisherman. Far from the banks are w-," He began, but broke off when he saw a chart with spaces hastily marked off. Places where whatever they were looking for was not.

"What is it you are looking for? What have you misplaced?" he stood as tall as he was, still shorter than the man he questioned, but the man quivered all the same.

"Well it's not a misplacement…Hiccup, sir…" He said softly, and Hiccup was very aware of the eyes of the whole village on him at once, "It's…well…Opelia…"

Hiccup blinked, clutching the notebook tightly. "What?" He asked.

"Ophelia…she seems to have…" He opened his jaw cautiously, "Gone missing…"