The atmosphere was cheerful and festive in the great hall. Mead was distributed and a great feast ranging from mutton, to beans, to chicken, and various stews lined the great tables. Much of the hall was feasting and drinking happily as the gang danced away their troubles and woes of the week.
At least until one of Berk's newcomers drank a little too much mead for his own good. The six friends glared threateningly at the man. Snotlout let his hand fall, his drink spilling to the floor. Fishlegs whined, knowing this would not go well. The twins gasped at the drunken man. Astrid snarled viciously and wound back her arm to promptly remove a few of the mans teeth from his jaw. Hiccup, ah Hiccup. Hiccup was furious. In hindsight, all of them were sure he could've transformed into a night fury and promptly dispatch the man with a plasma blast of rage.
The mans hand rested upon Astrid's breast, laughing drunkenly and playfully squeezing her.
The twins, Snotlout, and Fishlegs all stepped forward, dropping everything at the will to defend their friend, all with rather nasty, unforgiving looks worn on their faces. But before anyone else had the time to take another step, or Astrid to rocket her arm forward and knock his lights out, the man no longer was within reach.
Hiccup was already dragging the man across the cold stone floor of the great hall towards the doors, his fist clenched tightly at his waist as he walked and a menacing look greeting his face. The hall had fallen dead silent. The only noise was the clank of Hiccups prosthetic on the stone floor as he made his way to the double doors.
Still snarling, Astrid glared at the man from across the hall, the look of willful dismemberment stricken across her face- ready to remove the mans arm with the swipe of her axe without a moments notice. All the friends fists were balled tightly at their sides, ready to get some sweet revenge on the man's stupidly drunken move.
Gradually, the talking in the hall resumed and the atmosphere returned to a cheerful celebrating, undertoned with gossip of the mans fate.
"You alright A?" Tuff was the first to ask.
"Yes, I'm fine," Astrid answered pointedly, "Let's just go back to the party." She tried to push the man to the back of her mind; upset that she couldn't wind up and remove an arm from the man, or at least a few teeth. But it did not fade so easily, her mind loitered over the situation. She grew more furious, not just at the man, but at Hiccup too.
I am perfectly capable of fending for myself! She snapped at Hiccup mentally.
The man hiccuped and sputtered as Hiccup began trudging down the steps with him in tow. Hiccup pushed open the door to the mans home without so much as a knock or a 'hello.'
"Oh, hello Chief! What can I do for ya'?" The mans wife was sweet and charming. She looked behind Hiccup, observing her drunken husband being dragged across the floor. She frowned, "Why are ye' draggin' my husband like tha'?"
Hiccup stopped, turned, and lifted the man to his feed with both hands to his tunic. He walked him over to the closest chair and, rather forcefully, shoved him into it.
The mans wife frown deepened, "Chief!"
"Your husband thought it was a superb and hilarious idea to grope my wife!" Hiccup fumed.
The wife's whole face flushed red in anger almost instantly, then dulled to a deep embarrassment.
"Oh my, Chief. I am so sorry!" She glared at her husband angrily.
Hiccup straightened himself, "I'll be back when he's sober." Hiccup added bluntly, then turned for the door, only just catching the nod from the mans wife.
Hiccup closed the door with difficulty, trying not to be too harsh, and headed back to the hall. The hall's dull roar turned to a hushed silence a moment after the chief re-entered the extravagant room. Everyone turned to look at the chief in silence. Hiccup had not dropped the angered look on his face yet. His shoulders swung broadly as he walked over to the group and addressed his wife, "Are you okay, milady?" His tone was tender and caring.
"Yes, Hiccup, I'm fine." She answered rather shortly.
Hiccup caught onto her disdain right away. He motioned for them to meet outside. She obliged, gently nodding and starting towards the door.
"I could've handled it myself, Hiccup!" Astrid blurted as soon as they were outside.
Hiccup stopped cold, "Of course you could have, I have certainty in that. You're Astrid. Not even I can stop you when you set your mind to it. But I am also your husband, and I'll be dammed if I let another man touch you without your permission." Hiccup ground his leg in the dirt, emphasizing his last sentence.
Astrid huffed loudly. "You should've let me handle it!"
"By doing what? Punching him? What would that accomplish beside knocking out a few teeth? He's drunk, Astrid. He may or may not remember what he did, but regardless now is not the time to punish him. He has to be sober. He has to know what he did and why it was wrong. There is almost no hope of that with him in this state." Hiccup tried reasoning with her.
Astrid didn't say anything, her face growing redder in anger.
"Astrid, we will deal with him. But not now." He started, "We will find an appropriate punishment that will deter him from doing it again, drunken or not."
Astrid puffed again, realizing he was right… again, "Fine." Her fists clenched at her side, "What do you have in mind." She raised her arms to her chest, crossing them impatiently.
Hiccup looked up at the grey sky then back down at her, "Frankly, I don't know yet. It has to be something that will stick with him. Something he has a great disdain for and will avoid at all costs."
"Why don't I just knock a few teeth out." Astrid bumbled.
"A little bit of pain and a few missing teeth wont do much to persuade him not to do it again, I fear. He has more teeth and, like many Vikings, he has a high pain tolerance." Hiccup figured, his tone evening out. "Though, I think I may have an idea."
"He's sober now. He's out back right now, fixing a few broken boards at the back of the house." The mans wife advised Hiccup.
Hiccup motioned for the wife to follow him, "Conts!" Hiccup called the man.
Conts appeared in the doorway, "Hello chief, what can I do for ya'?"
"You can start by apologizing to my wife." Hiccup started, sternly.
Conts scratched his head, "Uh, for what sir?"
Hiccup looked at the mans wife, then back to Conts. "You don't remember do you?"
"Remember what, Chief?"
"You got drunk last night. Very drunk. Drunk enough to the point you thought it was a good idea to feel up my wife at the Great Hall while we were dancing." Hiccup advised.
Conts face turned to shock. I did what? Ah, shit…
"My wife is at the stables. If she doesn't hear an honest apology from you by the end of the hour, you are no longer welcome on Berk." Hiccup added bluntly.
The wife turned to Hiccup, then back to her husband. "And you'll be doing Astrid's chores for the next month, as well as mine. That includes the cooking, the cleaning, the knitting, the babysitting… all of it!" She added, matter of factly.
Conts head drooped.
"Aye, Chief. I will apologize. And I will do the chores as instructed." He turned back to the bedroom peering over his shoulder in disdain, "And, I am sorry Chief. It wont happen again."
"It better not." Hiccup said plainly.
He turned for the door, and walked out. After the door closed behind him, the wife's yelling erupted from the home, scolding her husband fiercely, almost violently.