Artemis || OUAT

9. The Accused

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Astrid slept in the spare bedroom upstairs at the Blanchard apartment, tossing and turning in her sleep; Sweat beaded on her forehead and dropped down her spine coldly.

The teenager whimpered some and gripped the sheets in her fist tightly; She murmured out desperately, "It wasn't me..."

The noises were quiet at first, the stopping of conversations, the swish of swords and crossbows, bolts and thuds of impacts, but they were enough to wake Astrid as she lay sprawled on her bed.

She always woke up early because of Stormfly, her faithful dragon and protector. She sighed and listened.

Another noise sounded closer as Stormfly lifted her head, growling lowly; Astrid sat up in alert, her blue eyes focused on the door and then she was up, her lean and athletic figure moving with purpose, almost silent as she leaned against the door and listened.

People were closing in as Astrid gestured to Stormfly to guard the door while Astrid frantically slid on her boots and buckled her belt to her waist, her twin swords on both of her sides.

The teenager then slid her quiver of arrows over her shoulders and onto her back as she did the same with her bow.

It had been two months since Hiccup had died. She was still grieving over her betrothed, but she couldn't think about that now.

Astrid grabbed her thirteen daggers and hid them everywhere on her attire just as the handle of her door began to turn.

Astrid calmed her breathing and began thinking of a plan of escape; She slid on her knees and crouched inside of the fireplace while nodding for Stormfly to hide also.

The door bolted open then as four crossbow arrows thudded into the dent on the mattress; The intruders stepped more into the room and saw that they had missed.

Astrid unsheathed a dagger and twirled it in her fingers once before throwing it accurately at a man's neck, successfully slicing it deeply as he fell to the floor with a loud thud.

The three other guards turned and looked over at the dark fireplace and noticed the teenager who smirked and spoke up, "Hello boys."

"There she is! Get her!"

Astrid withdrew the knife out of the dead man's throat after quickly rolling out of the fireplace; She ducked from one of the men's punch and tackled him, stabbing him in his heart.

Astrid turned her head, her blonde curls flying and rested on her back now, as she blocked the last guard's fist with her arm and kicked him in his gut hard. He fell to his knees on the floor as Astrid swiftly moved behind him and pulled his head back, the knife against his neck. "You know who I am?" She started.

"A girl who we were sent to kill after she killed the Chief's son and now Snotlout." The man spoke up, his voice wavering a tad bit.

"A girl is Astrid Hofferson. Do you know who you are? You're no one." Astrid commented, "You're nothing." She looked up and closed her eyes as she slit his throat deeply and pushed him to the floor, now dead.