How to Train Your Dragon
Excerpts File - "The Dragon and His Boy"
Disclaimer
How to Train Your Dragon was created by Cressida Cowell and adapted for motion pictures by DreamWorks.
Author's Notes
This is a repository for my H2TYD short stories and excerpts. They are not necessarily related although most have the continuity and the fanon of my under-development full-length story 'Saga of the Ages'.
This story is set a few months after the end of How to Train Your Dragon and about the same period before the beginning of How to be a Pirate in my own personal mental hybrid of the two universes. Astrid is turning thirteen and all the other Riders are twelve or thirteen. If you think she's implausibly mature for her age, just remember that the participants in youngest recorded Viking wedding were both twelve! A Viking child had to grow up very fast.
A note on Dragonese: In the books Cressida Cowell tells us that the Dragons could talk in a specific language called Dragonese. In the films, none of the dragons are shown making any complex vocalisations that could be any kind of spoken language. I have borrowed an idea from Anne McCaffery and made Dragonese a form of telepathic communication that is only possible between the dragon and their chosen Rider. As well as allowing the author to resolve one of the many differences between the two universes, it also allows me to add some tension between the Dragon-Riders and the rest of the Vikings of Berk; if only the Riders could actually speak to the Dragons, misunderstandings can occur.
Censor: K+
Birthday Belle
"I will not panic," Hiccup assured Toothless. The Night Fury didn't roll his eyes but his general body language seemed to communicate condescending scepticism. "I won't!" the boy insisted. "I mean… it's only a birthday party for Odin's sake! As son of the Chief, I've attended dozens of them! Why should this be any different?"
Toothless shot his rider a look of disbelieving scorn. It is different because this particular party is in honour of a female that you would like as a mate, the Night Fury said in Dragonese. Hiccup couldn't help shiver slightly at the still-new sensation somewhat like ice cold water flowing over his brain as the dragon's mental focus, feelings and perceptions washed over him to communicate Toothless's thoughts. I know it is different because, ever since Astrid specifically invited you three weeks ago, you have been rehearsing and re-rehearsing every possible move and word!
"No one except Fishlegs has ever actually invited me before," Hiccup responded lamely.
A wave of love and reassurance washed over the boy. I understand. Nonetheless I do think over-preparation could be as damaging as under-preparation.
Hiccup sighed in frustration at his dragon's relentlessly rational mind-set. He ran a hand through his auburn hair and immediately started fretting that he was making it messy. That brief spike of panic made him pause. Gods! I am on edge! Since when has my hair not been messy? Toothless, well aware of his Rider's frame of mind, offered him a gummy smile of triumph. The boy tried to glare at his friend in a quelling way. "Look, she's special!"
Maybe you should tell her that.
Hiccup shot his dragon a sickly nervous grin. "Yeah, I'm planning to. That's why I'm nervous."
Toothless's only response was a strange, purring, chuffing sound that Hiccup knew was the dragon's approximate imitation of human laughter. The boy shot the dragon a dirty look which affected the big creature not in the slightest. "Come on, we'd better get going."
Hiccup walked out of the Haddock family longhouse onto the rocky platform upon which it sat, high above the village of Berk. It was evening, a time that came very, very early in the autumn of this spot, just a few degrees away from 'Freezing to Death'. Like all autumn evenings here, the sun was going down in a spectacular display of varying shades of red. Unusually, there were not thick banks of cloud, heavy with early wintery rain or even the first sleet of the inevitably long and awful Berk winter season. Instead, only light cirrus clouds scudded across the sky.
Fastening the door latch, Hiccup turned to the sunset and paused, tightening his woollen over-cloak around him. With an impatient grumble, Toothless nudged his human friend with his snout. "Hold on, pal; want to see something," Hiccup responded.
Slowly the sun edged lower and lower, flattening out against the western horizon and turning both the clouds and the ocean into sheets of blood red. It really looked as if the sky and sea together had been set alight!
You shouldn't stare at the sun… Toothless paused at Hiccup's wordless gesture, his trust in his Rider telling him that there must be a reason for his behaviour.
Hiccup kept his gaze on the sinking sun. Then, just as he had been told, just as it dropped below the horizon there was a flare of green from the very upper-most tip of light like an emerald had been held up to the light. Hiccup smiled. He didn't know if that was any kind of omen but he chose to believe that it was and that it was a good one. "What do you know," he added aloud. "Gobber was right! There is a green flash!"
The Lore-master is loved and respected by all of dragon-kind for his courage and wisdom.
Hiccup looked over at Toothless in surprise. "Really?" The Night Fury responded by grinning widely.
No, actually we all suspect that he is more than slightly crazy… but we're not going to tell him that!
Hiccup laughed and slapped his friend's flank. "Okay, pal! Come on, let's go!"
It was less than two minutes later that Toothless gently dropped to the ground outside the Hofferson family's longhouse. Astrid's Deadly Nadder, Thunder, was standing outside the house, scrutinising any visitors with a suspicious glare. As soon as she and Toothless identified each-other, the two dragons exchanged friendly head-bobs in greeting.
As Hiccup dismounted, Toothless caught him up on the latest gossip. Thunder advises that I remain outside with her. The Night Fury growled slightly in displeasure. Her Rider's parents do not want any dragons inside their home.
Hiccup reached over to give his friend a scratch on the sensitive neck scales, making him thrum happily. "It's nothing personal, buddy," he assured the Night Fury. "I doubt that there's enough room for you all to come in and join the party anyway!"
Toothless still emanated considerable annoyance but he didn't seem inclined to rebel or cause trouble. Instead, he glared up at the side of the house. Don't you two dare cause trouble, he warned fiercely.
In the deepening twilight, Hiccup blinked upward in the direction Toothless was looking in confusion. Then he saw what his dragon-friend had seen and grinned as he saw the two Terrible Terrors that, according to Astrid, had 'adopted' the Hofferson family as their own – the male was Snapjaws and the female was Bluebell, if he remembered correctly. Snapjaws glared down at Hiccup and hissed a territorial warning. Bluebell slapped the male Terror over the back of the head with her wingtip and Hiccup had to laugh at this oh-so-Astrid act.
Hiccup looked back at his friend and saw that he had settled on the grassy bank that separated the longhouse from the cliff above the sea along with Snotlout's Monstrous Nightmare, Firewyrm, and the Thorston twins' Hideous Zippleback, Snortgas and Sparkflame, whilst Thunder continued her sentinel watch. "You gonna be okay pal?"
The ground is warm. You go ahead and enjoy yourself. Be easy.
Hiccup nodded and turned back to his destination, walking over to the front door. "Hello the house!" he called out loudly.
After a moment, the door swung open to reveal Astrid's mother, Ingrid. Like many Viking women, she was quite surprisingly tall and had long, golden-blonde hair; hers was tied up in the traditional braid that identified her status as a married woman. "Hiccup! Hello!" the woman greeted him with a genuinely warm smile. She peered around, clearly trying to see if the boy was alone. "Um… Where's your… er… dragon?"
Hiccup restrained his urge to roll his eyes at both the slight but clear edge of fear in the woman's voice and the obvious subtext that she had intended to say 'monster' rather than 'dragon'. Certain wounds healed slowly, it seemed, if they ever healed at all. "He's resting with Thunder and the other dragons, Ma'am," he responded politely. "She warned us that you didn't want any of the dragons to come in."
Ingrid shot the only child of her Chieftain a strange look. "Oh? Um… how did it… she know that?"
"Well, Astrid would have told her and, as dragons are talkative, she told Toothless who naturally told me."
Ingrid frowned slightly. She still wasn't quite used to her daughter being able to have a conversation with that blue behemoth of hers without her family hearing a word. "Well, I suppose that's why Snotlout and the Thorston twins didn't raise a fuss about that rule when I told them!"
Frankly, Hiccup couldn't imagine Tuffnut and Ruffnut taking any limit on their actions calmly. That said, looking at the Hofferson home, he didn't think it was likely that Snortgas and Sparkflame would even fit inside. In any case, he bet the two of them were glad to be away from their bicephalic sky serpent's continual need to debate absolutely everything.
Meanwhile, Ingrid had stepped to one side, opening the door fully. "Welcome to my home…" she announced formally.
Out of long habit, Hiccup gave the traditional response with barely a thought. "As long as I am here, I shall treat it with the respect as if it were my own."
The young Viking entered the brightly-lit and surprisingly hot interior of the longhouse. As should be expected from a party in honour of one of the daughters of a typically large family, the main hall of the longhouse was quite crowded. Mostly it was Astrid's various relatives. Gobber was there in his role as Astrid's teacher in the war-crafts and Hiccup's father as the clan Chieftain. However, Hiccup's eyes were drawn to a cluster of four youngsters by the main table.
"Hiccup!"
"Boss-man!"
"Oh fearless leader!"
"Cuz!"
Astrid, being Astrid, gave her guest a sober and respectful smile, nodding in greeting. Ruffnut, on the other hand, waved as if she was trying to attract his attention from a league away. Snotlout and Tuffnut swaggered over and delivered simultaneous slaps to the back that nearly sent Hiccup flying. "Guys! Dial down the physical abuse!" he snapped.
"Hey, if you can't take a friendly hand to the back, how are you gonna take a punch, Cuz?" Snotlout sneered. Tuffnut snickered sycophantically. "So, why do you think Astrid invited you anyway? Comedic potential?"
Astrid had glided over and she suddenly delivered a slap upside the head that nearly sent Snotlout sprawling, his helmet clattering across the floor. "Maybe I wanted at least one real Viking at my party, Snotlout," she hissed. "You'll be polite to my guests, if you please!"
Snotlout might make a show of being all brawn and no brain but he was no fool and only a fool would miss the warning in Astrid's voice. He waved his hands in surrender and ran off after his helmet.
"Thanks for the invite, Astrid," Hiccup told the blonde Shield Maiden with a genuine smile. "I… I… Ay-yi-yi-yi…!" Hiccup hadn't intended a sudden descent into imbecility but coherent thought (let alone speech) was impossible, given what Astrid was wearing.
Astrid in her usual day wear was an intriguing sight that hinted at her femininity but never left one in any doubt that she was a warrior. Tonight, however, she was wearing a long, sleeveless white linen dress with a plunging neckline. Although she was too young to have developed many curves, the dress hid few secrets and made it clear that she was a girl. The girl's hair was unbound from its usual braid and instead trailed down her back like a golden river. The small hair-band that marked her as unmarried looked strangely like a crown in this context. Hiccup swallowed a completely irrational desire to fall to his knees and worship this goddess and finally managed to get the speech centres of his brain working. "Um… New look?" he offered lamely. He immediately winced at how stupid that sounded.
Astrid either didn't notice or was too determined to be polite to comment on it. "Well, as this is my birthday party, I decided to make a bit of extra effort with my looks. I'm thinking that you like it?" There was mischief in Astrid's expression but also a hope that Hiccup wasn't sure that he understood. Before he could reply, Tuffnut broke in.
"Like it? Astrid, you've always been pretty but tonight you're a total pants ripper! The only thing better than that dress is the thought of it off and I…" Tuffnut's string of inappropriate comments ended when Ruffnut grabbed his head and dunked it into a bowl of some beverage that had chunks of fruit bobbing around in it.
"I'm sorry," Ruffnut said with a brutal smile as she continued to hold her struggling brother under. "I'm afraid that my idiot brother wasn't able to continue to insult you and humiliate our family because he drowned in a bowl of punch and Hel came to drag his soul away to eternal torment!"
Astrid sighed but it was Hiccup who spoke. "Ruffnut, can you not kill your brother? We don't want any deaths on the premises tonight!"
"Aw!" Ruffnut pouted.
"No, seriously, I'm pretty sure someone being murdered at a birthday party is bad luck or something."
"Really?" Astrid sounded genuinely surprised.
Hiccup turned to look at the girl of the hour. "Seriously, Astrid, knowing this bunch, just about anything can end up bringing bad luck!" Snotlout nodded in agreement with an expression of sad wisdom.
Ruffnut sighed and, with clear reluctance, dragged her now only-weakly struggling brother out of the punch and dumped him on the floor. "Good news, retard," she hissed. "You get to live another night!"
Hiccup shook his head. Surprisingly, the distraction of near-fratricide had allowed him to focus his mind. "Astrid, thank you for inviting me to your celebration. I'm honoured that you thought of me at this time and, yes, you look…" Hiccup paused and then used the word that he felt best summed up her current look. "You look beautiful." Astrid beamed in pleasure and Ruffnut rolled her eyes with a teasing but approving grin.
As the two girls walked away, Snotlout flitting around them and trying to be charming, Hiccup squatted down next to the still pathetically coughing and spluttering Tuffnut. "Tuffnut," he said in a deadly, level tone of voice. "If I ever hear you talk about Astrid as if she were a tavern serving girl again, I'll geld you, break your arms and legs and then dump you on the furthest island Toothless can reach; clear?"
Tuffnut looked up in anger at the threat but he saw something in Hiccup's eyes that he didn't like; something new and something that his instincts told him he shouldn't trifle with. "Clear, Boss-man."
Hiccup nodded, rose to his feet and then, with a prodigy of strength that surprised even him, dragged Tuffnut to his feet. "Right, now remember this is Astrid's party so pull yourself together, smile and mingle like a good guest."
"Fishlegs!" Astrid hugged the heavy-set boy in a way that was very obviously the hug of a sister to a much-loved brother. Hiccup thought that no-one could mistake it for anything else. However, given Ruffnut's quickly-hidden scowl, not everyone was entirely happy with it. "I thought that you wouldn't make it!" Astrid continued.
"I nearly didn't," Fishlegs admitted. "Horrorcow decided that he wanted to come too! Ever tried to manoeuvre a Gronkle through the centre of the village? It isn't easy, I tell you!"
"Why didn't you just fly him here?" Hiccup asked, genuinely confused.
Fishlegs smile was slightly abashed. "Horrorcow invited himself and caught me up half-way here!"
That earned several snickers. "Face it, big guy!" Ruffnut said, slapping the large boy on the shoulder. "Dragons are just not the stay-at-home types! Now we've got 'em, they'll always be part of our lives! No leaving them behind ever!"
Hiccup shrugged. "I can't imagine going anywhere without Toothless!"
"That's because you can't go anywhere without him, Hiccup of the Peg Le…! OW! Loki's nuts, Hofferson, are you trying to cripple me?" Snotlout was now hopping on one foot, clutching his Astrid-kicked shin.
"Maybe I should," Astrid growled, drawing her knife. "It would be interesting to see how you handle having only one foot!" Fortunately, Hiccup and Fishlegs were able to disarm Astrid before she could perform the said ad-hoc surgery but Snotlout saw death in the girl's cornflower-blue eyes and went as white as fresh-spun linen.
As Ruffnut dragged Astrid away from one of her guests for the second time that evening, it was left to Hiccup to deal with his cousin. "Look, Snotlout," he said quietly, "say what you like about me. Truth be told, your opinion of me has always been worth less to me than gull scat but ruin Astrid's party with your loud mouth and I swear that I will spend the rest of my life making the rest of your life seem like Hel has already claimed you!"
Snotlout tried to summon up a sneer. "W… What are you going to do? Tell on me to your Daddy?"
Hiccup got into his genuinely surprised cousin's face, his eyes hard. "Oh no; that's just what you'll wish that I did!" There was something about Hiccup's smile that reminded Snotlout that this was the son of Stoic the Vast and Valhallarama the Great Thighed. It suddenly occurred to the dark-haired Viking that pushing the child of such blood to the point where he might get violent was an incredibly bad idea, assuming one had plans to live more than a few minutes.
"Yeah! That's right! Watch your mouth around me in future!" Snotlout squeaked over his shoulder at Hiccup as he made a rapid and panicked retreat.
Firewyrm apologises for his Rider's actions, Toothless remarked from his nest outside, his voice meek as he sensed his Rider's anger.
Hiccup shook his head. Tell Firewyrm that Snotlout makes his own choices and that he isn't responsible for them. The boy walked over to Astrid, who was standing by one of the food tables, glaring angrily into a goblet full of the fruit punch that she clearly liked (maybe her mother's recipe or something). "Astrid?"
The girl sighed and managed to summon up a polite smile for her guest. "Yes, Hiccup?"
"Look, I'm sorry!"
"For what? Tuffnut being an animalistic troll? Snotlout being an obnoxious little creep because he thinks that makes him look manly? That isn't your fault!"
"Yeah, but…" The boy sighed. "I guess that as the first Dragon-rider, I feel responsible for all of you and that includes keeping those two in line! I mean, I am the son of the Chief and that means I've got to take the lead!"
"Hiccup, I hate to break this to you but it isn't all about you. Tuffnut and Snotlout would have been their usual rotten selves whether or not you came tonight."
Hiccup was amazed that Astrid had figured that he was regretting attending the party, blaming Snotlout and Tuffnut's behaviour on his presence. Damn! How is it that she can read me so easily? "Anyway," he said aloud, "I've warned them both off and told them to shape up."
Astrid opened her mouth and then closed it again. Her first instinct had been to be angry that Hiccup, the long-despised 'runt' thought that she needed his protection. Then her brain caught up with her warrior instincts and she admitted to herself that Hiccup's only motivation was friendship. He wanted her to have a good time tonight and was trying to make that happen, even if that meant attracting Tuffnut and Snotlout's wrath. The blonde sighed and, without any discernable change of expression, punched her companion on the shoulder. "That's for trying to fight my battles for me!" she declared before seizing Hiccup by the shirt and dragging him close. She touched her lips to his and both felt the tingle. "That… That is for being an honourable and noble friend," she concluded, her voice suddenly slightly husky.
Both barely-teen Vikings blushed and separated only slowly, acting as if they were in a trance. Neither noticed Snotlout's furious scowl as he observed this display.
"This is beautiful, Chief Stoic," Astrid said as she cradled the throwing axe that her Chieftain had just given her. "Thank you for your gift and thanks to you too, Hiccup!"
Stoic smirked. "Oh no, girl, that gift's just from me! Hiccup has something of his own for you!"
Astrid frowned. Berk was hardly a rich village and her gifts so far had all been from entire families pooling their resources. Even then, they had been decidedly modest, although they all were accepted in the friendship that they were intended. The thought that Hiccup had somehow got her a gift himself disturbed and yet intrigued her in ways she didn't really understand.
Hiccup grinned in a slightly sickly way. "Yeah… uh… I guess that's me busted!" he said with a nervous chuckle, running his hand through his hair. He stepped forward, his limp made more pronounced by his nervous state. "Um… yeah, so I thought: Everyone's going to get Astrid something practical. So, why not do something different and give her something symbolic and decorative? Something made for her that really reflects Astrid?"
Intrigued, Astrid took the fine folded cloth from Hiccup's hands and opened it to reveal something quite unexpected. "Oh, Hiccup!" she gasped. "It's…!"
"I know it's not much," Hiccup babbled. "I mean, I'm hardly a master-smith or engraver and…" He was silenced by Astrid's hug.
"It's beautiful," she whispered into his ear. She stepped back and looked down.
"I designed it as a brooch," Hiccup explained. "I know you don't normally wear them, so I redesigned the eyes for the securing pin to double as fastening points for a cord so you can wear it as a necklace if you want."
Astrid nodded and put it back into Hiccup's hands, making the boy frown in confusion. "Could you put it on for me please?" she asked. With a nervous nod, Hiccup complied, tying the azure-tinted leather cord behind the girl's neck as she held her hair out of the way. She turned around and everyone agreed that the bronze circlet was a wonderful piece of workmanship. Around an eight-pointed star, clearly representing Astrid's given name, a Deadly Nadder, shaped in incredible detail, flew around the circumference of the outer ring past painstakingly-glazed blue sky and white clouds
"For the Heavenly Rider of the Deadly Nadder," Hiccup said quietly, using the title that the Saga-tellers had been using for her. "I noticed, you know, how you love to touch the clouds when you ride on Thunder." Astrid smiled and nodded in thanks, her eyes suspiciously bright.
"What are you doing 'Lout?" Tuffnut asked as he sidled up to his long-time partner-in-crime as he loitered by one of the food tables.
"That Hofferson is too up-tight for her own good!" Snotlout growled. "She needs to learn to let her hair down and see the world without her stupid daydreams about nobility getting in the way!" The boy's grin turned nasty. "That girl needs to loosen up and I'm just the Viking to do it!"
"Really?" Tuffnut wasn't sure if he was impressed or horrified. "Well, been nice knowing you buddy. Can I have your favourite axe after she kills you?"
Snotlout rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, my plan's fool-proof!" He drew a pewter bottle out of his inside pocket and showed it to Tuffnut, who was instantly in awe.
"Woah! Is that…?"
"Pure Old Gobber's Reserve!" Snotlout confirmed. "Premium stuff from my dad's personal supply! Now, I've noticed that a certain blonde novice warrior happens to like this here fruit drink, so let's give it a little more kick! After she's loosened up, I'll turn on the ol' Jorgensen charm and that runt Hiccup will realise that she belongs to a real Viking!" Snotlout pulled the stopper out of the lethal spirit and began to pour it into the punch, Tuffnut's malicious but idiotic laughter as a counterpoint to the sound of flowing liquid.
After hiding the 'evidence', Snotlout and Tuffnut began to swagger across the room towards the barrels of the watered-down mead that had been set aside for the younger guests. They had got maybe half-way there when a large, strong hand dropped onto Snotlout's shoulder and Tuffnut was suddenly hoisted into the air by a hand that snatched his collar.
The two boys' eyes widened in horror and instinctive guilt and Spitelout Jorgensen and Ulric Thorston glared at their sons angrily. "Uh… Hi Dad!" Snotlout squeaked, attempting to look innocent and failing.
"What have you been up to boy?" Spitelout snarled. "You are invited to a party and then spend the evening insulting the other guests! Are you trying to dishonour our family?"
Snotlout spluttered for a moment before anger won out. "That little rat Hiccup said…"
"NOTHING!" Spitelout's roar cut off his oldest son's angry diatribe before it had even begun. "If I was deaf, I might have missed your bull's bellowing voice hurling insults at my nephew and propositioning your host but to have my brother, the Chieftain of our Clan ask me if you were drunk…? You've humiliated me enough for one night, boy! Get your worthless hide back home and we'll talk about your punishment in the morning!"
Snotlout panicked when he realised that he was about to be absent when Astrid was… er… relaxed. "Dad! Can't I stay a little longer?" he pleaded, not caring that it made him seem like a petulant child. "I've kind of got something going on right now and…"
Spitelout's hand tightened on Snotlout's shoulder, making the bones grind together in interesting and painful ways. "Don't push me, Snotlout. Get out of here right now and I'll try to figure out a way to apologise to Siegfried Hofferson for your disgraceful conduct."
Tuffnut's attention was drawn to his scowling father by a firm shake that rattled his brain in his skull. "As for you, boy, I'm still wondering if it would have been better if Ruffnut had drowned you to save our family from embarrassment after your disgusting words to the girl who invited you to this celebration! You need to learn to think and control your tongue before someone decides to cut it out for you!"
Released and thoroughly chastened, both Viking boys fled the Hofferson longhouse at once. Embarrassed fathers were angry fathers and, right now, neither one was willing to risk provoking their sires any further. Of course, they had left behind a potentially dangerous legacy.
Hiccup wasn't into fruit punch. He might have been if his mother had not died half a dozen years ago but, as it was, his father started him on watered-down mead early and he'd never developed a taste for fruit juices. On the other hand, the punch that Astrid clearly liked obviously had some hidden qualities given its affect on her. As time went by, the girl was relaxing more and more, smiling far more easily, laughing happily and being very charming, walking around with an odd swish to her hips. Ruffnut clearly had been drinking the punch too, given the way she was practically hanging off Fishlegs, whose smile had an edge of total panic to it. Ruffnut's raucous laughter in response to some comment from the heavy-set boy cut through the general hum of conversation.
Suddenly a gentle hand touched Hiccup's shoulder. "Why, Hiccup Horrible Haddock III! What are you doing standing over here by yourself?" He turned to see Astrid, smiling gently, standing behind him. His eyes immediately fell to the brooch/necklace that sat at the meeting spot of her collarbones and it seemed to only make her more beautiful. "Why don't you come and join the party?" she asked, her voice deeper than normal and sounding slightly breathy.
Hiccup shrugged. "I've always been a bit of a wall-flower Astrid. I guess I'm just more of an observer than a participant!"
Astrid chuckled and then, much to Hiccup's shock, pouted cutely, shooting him a soulful gaze that communicated a silent, deep plea. "Be a participant tonight; for me."
Hiccup realised at that moment that he was doomed. He'd do anything for this girl. "Okay," he sighed.
Astrid just held off skipping up and down in excitement. "Oh thank you!" The young Viking offered the girl the loop of his arm and she immediately slid her arm into the proffered space. "Come on, I want you to meet my brothers and sisters!"
Astrid snuggled closer to Hiccup's side under his arm and under his thick, warm cloak as the two sat on a dry-stone wall outside her family home, looking up at the icily clear night sky. She was only half-listening to Hiccup's voice as she felt warm, comfortable and sleepy. "Is there a dragon constellation?" she asked suddenly.
Hiccup, who had been explaining the rudiments of navigating by the stars, blinked at her in some surprise. He looked up at the sky again. "I don't know," he admitted. He looked down at the dark shapes of the sleeping Toothless and Thunder and smiled. "If there isn't, there should be!" He pointed up. "There!" he announced, pointing to a crescent-shaped arc of stars centred on a particularly bright star that covered the span of a hand against the sky. "Krona Nord! Gobber says that the legend is that Odin took the brightest stars of heaven and had the finest Dwarf artisans forge them into a crown for his wife Freyja; a beautiful and eternal decoration for an eternal beauty!"
"That's nice," Astrid's hand caressed her necklace.
Hiccup noticed. "I wish that I could give you the stars, Astrid."
Astrid smiled. "You've given me the sky, Hiccup! That's a start!" She laughed happily as she remembered all the times, on Toothless or on Thunder, when she had looked upon the clouds from above or had touched the clouds or had come close to touching the Northern Lights and the Moon. She was no fool; she knew that someone had spiked the punch and she was now quite drunk. Right now, though, she was enjoying the weakening of her usual inhibitions and fears too much to worry about it. Her laughter was a sound to which Hiccup found that he was fast becoming addicted. He knew too that Astrid was not entirely in her right mind and felt more than a little guilty about enjoying her in this state. "You're a lot of fun, Hiccup, son of Stoic," Astrid announced. "I wish I knew that a long time ago!"
There was a pause before the girl looked up at the boy and continued in a serious tone of voice. "Ruffnut fancies you, you know! She always has! She once told me that she loves the idea of a man with brain as well as brawn!"
"Well, I've got one of the two," Hiccup said, chuckling self-deprecatingly.
"That's what you think!" Astrid shot back, squeezing one the biceps toned by long hours working at the smithy.
Hiccup blushed at this new version of Astrid who was actually initiating contact! He smiled before continuing. "So, Ruffnut likes a guy with brains as well as brawn, huh?" Hiccup remarked. Thinking of the way the warrior girl had been acting around Fishlegs, he smiled. "I did wonder what was going on there!" He looked down at Astrid, noting the dizzy look in her eyes and, with a sudden reckless courage, asked a question the answer to which he had long pondered. "What about you? What do you look for in a man?"
Astrid smiled and, for the first time spoke her heart, words she had not even silently spoken to herself. "More than anything a man who would value and love me as I am and not want some perfect ideal that no mortal woman could be!"
Hiccup blinked. "But… you are perfect!" he blurted out before his brain could step in and shut him up.
Astrid hugged Hiccup's arm a little in gratitude. "Thanks, oh Hero of Berk; I'm not sure I agree but I'll take the compliment in the spirit it was intended!" Astrid continued in a more serious tone. "I made that mistake about you, you know. I saw someone so different from the ideals we hear in the Sagas and I assumed that you were no Viking. The fact is though, that you're not some dumb legend, you're Hiccup! The crazy ideas, the machines, the dragons, the honour, the courage despite your fears… They make you what you are… and that is perfection all of your own, in my eyes." Suddenly, the girl shifted under Hiccup's cloak, moving to sit in his lap. She extracted her arms to wrap them around his neck. "I'm only thirteen but I look ahead and, the truth is that, whatever my future is, I know that you'll be a part of it."
Hiccup sighed and, feeling incredibly brave, caressed Astrid's cheek. "Do you know what I wish?" he asked rhetorically. Astrid's eyes bid him to continue. "I wish that you were a bit more sober and I was entirely sure that you were fully aware of what you're saying or that you'd even remember it in the morning!"
Astrid giggled a little. "That's your job, Hiccup Horrible Haddock III," she announced seriously. "You've got to gently pull back down the walls that I've put up and have been temporarily knocked down by whatever it was someone put in the punch tonight! You've got to release me from my prison, oh my hero!" The girl emphasised her point by poking Hiccup hard in the chest, knocking the boy off balance. Hiccup fell backwards into the small grassy verge behind the wall, carrying a laughing Astrid with him. The girl landed atop and astride him, supported by knees and elbows.
Hiccup looked up at the girl's face, partly illuminated by sun and moon and just inches away and he was entranced. The stroked her soft cheek again and pushed some of the rebellious bangs aside to he could look into her eyes. "Wow…! Oh…! A man could die happy having seen that sight."
Astrid grinned and mock-thumped Hiccup on the shoulder. "That's for not having the guts to say so before now," she said. "This is for saying it…!" Then their lips met and it was so different from every kiss that went before; prolonged, passionate and warm. Hiccup's hand travelled up to cup Astrid's head so that he could hold her in the kiss, her youthful but subtly curved body warm and perfect as it pressed into him… Then there was a definite, noticeable thump as Astrid's head fell limply against Hiccup's chest.
"Astrid?" Her reply was a long, resonant snore. Hiccup couldn't help but chuckle. "Yep, you might be a talkative drunk but when the booze really kicks in, it takes you out with one blow!" Having no desire to remain out here all night, the young Viking considered his situation for a moment. Finally, he rolled slightly so Astrid was lying on the ground, swaddled with his cloak, rather than on him. Carefully bracing himself on his remaining foot, he pushed himself upright, drawing his artificial foot under him only at the last moment. Once in an upright crouch, he was able to get his arms underneath the sleeping girl and lifted her up. "Time for you to go home, my little Warrior Maiden," he murmured.
"Hiccup warm…" the snoozing girl muttered in her dreams. She snuggled closer into his chest, making the boy's face flush.
Ingrid fussed over her daughter but, with some reluctance, allowed Hiccup to carry her all the way to her sleeping room. From the scowl Sigmund Hofferson gave his daughter's ad-hoc escort, Hiccup decided that the Viking warrior wanted to accuse the boy of being responsible for his daughter's condition but knew it was an accusation that he could not support. However, the warmth of the words that the Astrid behind the wall of her insecurities had spoken gave Hiccup the courage to face the man's disapproval.
After laying the girl on her bed-furs, he dared to place a tiny kiss on her forehead. "Pleasant dreams and I hope it doesn't hurt too much in the morning," he murmured.
"So, heard the latest?" Fishlegs asked Hiccup as he loitered at the serving window of Gobber's smithy, watching his childhood friend working on casting some tool heads.
Hiccup made sure that the pot of molten iron was securely returned to the furnace before turning to his oldest friend. "What?"
"Astrid has at least as bad a hangover as Ruffnut this morning!"
Hiccup winced. Given that Ruffnut was wearing a blindfold to mitigate her headache, on a scale of 1 to 10, Astrid was probably suffering from a 12½. He'd been a witness as a scowling Ulric Thorston had his middle son apologise to Astrid's dad for his conduct and had wondered whether the reason Astrid was absent was a side-affect of whatever it was that had been dropped in the punch.
"Word in the market is that Snotlout won't be sitting down for a week, his dad whipped him so long and hard." Fishlegs continued. "Turns out that the stuff in the punch was a bottle from Spitelout's personal stash of that Celtic rotgut Gobber makes in his hut; Cost Old Man Jorgensen a pretty tidy packet to buy and he isn't happy with Snotty taking it."
Hiccup nodded. "Maybe my cousin will learn something from this!"
"Do you really think so?" Fishlegs was sceptical. "Well, I figure it's even money whether he'll live long enough to learn any lessons once Astrid hears of it!"
Speaking of Hiccup's mental image of a Valkyrie… "Hiccup," Astrid announced levelly as she walked over, shading her eyes; even the dull autumn day was too bright for her right now. "We need to talk."
"Yes Astrid?" Hiccup asked as he dropped a box of assorted nails on the counter. The girl winced in agony from the sound. "Sorry," he said more quietly. "What can I do for you?"
"Fishlegs, go find somewhere else to be," Astrid snapped. Fishlegs had already encountered Ruffnut and didn't want to have to deal with two badly-hung-over warrior girls in one day. He nodded at Hiccup and left in some haste. Astrid watched him go and, drawing in a deep breath, she braced herself as if preparing for a hard battle ahead and turned back to Hiccup.
"Hiccup, Dad says that you kept an eye on me last night after that rat in human form Snotlout spiked the punch at my party. I… I just wanted to thank you." Hiccup's eyes opened wider as the girl pulled out her knife and waved it at him threateningly. "I also want you to swear that you'll never tell anyone if I embarrassed myself last night!"
Hiccup waved his arms placatingly. "Astrid! I'd never do that!"
"You'd…!" Astrid winced at the sound of her own voice and continued more quietly. "You'd better not," she hissed. There was a long pause before the girl continued, even more quietly and even slightly timidly. "What… what did we do?"
"We talked about the stars, the sky and our ideas of perfection," Hiccup replied truthfully.
"Just that?" Astrid wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed.
"Do you really want to know?" Hiccup asked.
Astrid blushed and suddenly shook her head. "Just… don't spread it about. I have a reputation to think about!" Hiccup noticed the desperate plea in the girl's voice and nodded at once, more affected by her fear than her anger. Astrid nodded in thanks. "Um… Thank you. For keeping an eye on me, I mean… and for agreeing to keep this secret." Then the girl walked off, still shading her eyes.
What did Astrid want? Toothless asked from his grassy bed on the terrace above the smithy.
Hiccup considered that question for a moment. "She wanted to talk about demolishing some walls. I just wonder if I know how to do it in a way that won't hurt her."