O-o-O
It was cold and breezy outside. She hugged herself while she waited for the door to open.
The forge was always warm and welcoming to her. For one fleeting moment, she forgot her worries and distress, embracing the serene atmosphere with a light exhale as a fur cloak was draped around her shoulders.
"You looked cold."
"Thanks," she mumbled, brushing loose tendrils away from her eyes. They always got in the way, blocking her vision to the point it sometimes affected her perception. She briefly considered cutting them so she could always stay clear-sighted.
He regarded her carefully, even after all that had transpired between them he never expected or assumed anything. It used to not bother her but today it did.
"Why are you standing so far away?" she asked softly, trying to mask the annoyance she felt.
He shrugged, taking a few steps closer upon her request. The fire from the forge illuminated the whole room and even though their shadows appeared to be touching, reality gave a whole different impression.
Astrid decided to change that.
Strange unfamiliar nervousness welled up inside her as she reached for his calloused hands. It was rare for her to appear this vulnerable but then again, she had never expected to end up in her current predicament. A predicament of her own choosing nonetheless.
"Will you hold me?" she whispered in a small voice, so very unlike her usual self.
Lanky, thin arms wrapped around her, pulling her into warmth and safety. She closed her eyes, melting against him.
He may not be like other Vikings; branded the runt of the village, disowned by his own father and shunned out by his tribe. But in moments like these, away from everyone else, he was none of the above. He was her escape from the madness and the only boy she could ever tolerate touching her.
Astrid sometimes wondered how it came down to this, getting herself entangled with the most disgraced Viking in all of the Archipelago.
He never made it in dragon training, bested out by his own cousin, while she was at top of the game and had earned the title of the most promising Viking of her generation.
Looking back, she recalled how much his presence used to annoy her but not nearly as much as his sudden absence did. Because, how dare he! How dare he just give in to defeat like that. While at the same time, an inner voice reminded her; hadn't this been exactly what she had wanted? To him to get out of her way?
These conflicting emotions had been the source of many sleepless nights. She started to resent him for occupying her every thought. And why him of all people, especially him?
She had never cared what other people did but unfortunately for her, Hiccup Haddock was not like other people. He was a league of his own.
He was the outcast in his own tribe despite being the son of the Chief. He was an immensely skilled and inventive blacksmith but lacked the skills to use the weapons he spent so much time and effort on. He was fairly intelligent, she even heard he could read and speak foreign languages, but his opinions held no value within their tribe. Most of all, he was kind-hearted, humble and unassuming despite being a recipient of prejudice, injustice and negligence. He didn't even have a real family save for Gobber.
Gobber who had been like family to herself as well when she had no one else to turn to... until.. until him.
This realization did not come overnight but somewhere down the road, she became.. tired. Of all the guilt looming inside her, the lack of hope for a better tomorrow but most of all.. the endless expectations placed upon her shoulders. And everything she had learned and been taught just didn't make sense anymore.
What did it matter that she was a Shieldmaiden when she couldn't stand up for the injustice happening before her own eyes? How could she make the tribe realize their wrongdoings? The Chief, his hypocrisy? He always said a Chief protects his own, but wasn't Hiccup his own?
Maybe she had only sought out an escape from all the chaos around her or it was merely a consequence of a head-injury. Or even, as fearful she was to admit it out loud, by her own sober decision. Her own choice.
All that mattered in the end was one thing. Somewhere, somehow.. she had warmed up to the misunderstood Hiccup Haddock.
And now here she was.. pregnant with his child, at only eighteen.
Her fingers curled over the back of his tunic as she squeezed her eyes shut to keep tears at bay. She knew she couldn't hide this for long.
O-o-O
A/N: 3-4 chapters at most. Don't worry Toothless lovers, he will join in later on. There will always be a Hiccup and Toothless.