Author's note - Hi everyone so recently I became obsessed with the Corpse Bride movie and Emily's character in general, you're probably wondering where I've been well I've written a novel and I'm in college, now without any delay enjoy!
The carriage rode to the Hofferson estate which sat upon a hill overlooking the town of Berk. Hiccup couldn't help but sigh in defeat, tomorrow he would be wed to Astrid, the only offspring of the wealthy Hofferson family.
Both his parents, on the other hand, were overjoyed that they had found someone of equal status to marry their boy. The two babbled on about the wedding and the idea of having little Grandchild running around, it was enough to make Hiccup want to leap from the carriage.
He didn't want to settle down and get married, especially to a woman, for you see he had a secret that if discovered would ruin his family's name forever and he would be disowned, if not killed with how much religion was a part of everyday life. The thought petrified him, and he felt like he was nothing more than a prisoner in his own life.
Needless to say, he never thought he would experience love in his life but it wasn't like he could do anything about it, he would be demonised if he fell in love with another man, no doubt the church would have something to say about it.
As the carriage came to a stop, he felt a lump forming in his throat and swallowed hard. He told himself over and over again to not make a show of himself and to try and meet his family's expectations of him.
When the doorbell rang the Hofferson's butler answered it and showed them inside. The mansion was just as big, if not bigger than his family's home. Within seconds of being in the house, they were greeted by Astrid.
"Good evening Mister And Miss Haddock" she greeted.
Before anyone could reply, she informed them that her parents were waiting in the parlour and that the tea had only recently been poured. Both his parents followed the butler, but Hiccup stayed behind, not wanting to meet the people who would be his future in-laws.
It wasn't long until he noticed Astrid staring at him, her hands tracing the casing of the piano. All he could do was watch as she took a seat and just stared at the instrument. Even if he liked other men, he had to admit that the young woman was beautiful in every sense of the word.
"Do you play?" he asked her.
"No. I once tried to play it when I thought no one was around but mother scolded me when she found out" she replied sadly.
Hiccup was surprised that her parents would do such a thing, Astrid seemed like someone that he might have liked had he been interested in her. He sat down beside her and lifted the protective casing off the keys of the piano and began to play a melody that his mother had taught him when he was younger.
He could feel her eyes on him, amazed that he could play something so beautifully. His father had been against it, saying that music was more so for women and that he should learn how to behead fish so he could work in one of the family's fish shops, thankfully, his mother convinced his father otherwise.
"That was beautiful" she whispered when he'd finished playing.
"Thank you" he muttered.
Hiccup wished he could close his eyes and he would wake up back in his bed, he wanted to pretend like this entire day so far had been nothing but some kind of hellish nightmare.
"You don't want to marry me do you?" she asked him curiously, avoiding eye contact.
"No, though I don't have a say in the matter" he replied.
From the corner of his eye, he could see her cup her hands and sigh slightly. Both of them remained speechless for what felt like an eternity until eventually, she broke the silence between them.
"Nor do I" she smiled a little.
Both of them looked at each other exchanging a smile and chuckled slightly. They felt happy to know that they weren't alone in how they felt about their current circumstances. At the very least they could both be swallowed up by the thought of the wedding together.
When he heard the sound of footsteps coming in their direction and the sound of his mother's voice calling out to him, his heart began to beat faster, and he couldn't take the thought of being here anymore.
"Astrid, please do me a favour and tell my mother that I've just stepped out for air, please" he begged.
"Go, I understand, I'm nervous too" she replied smiling at him.
Before she could say another word, he was already out the front door and dashing down the laneway in the direction of the front gates. He couldn't do it, he had to run away and start a new life. Astrid wouldn't have to marry him, and he'd be free, it was the perfect situation in his eyes.
At the very least he wouldn't be tied down anymore. As he tucked his hands into his pockets, he felt it, the ring. In his haste he had forgotten all about it, the hope was that he would show it to Astrid and it would persuade her that marrying Hiccup was the right thing to do.
When he got to the gate, he saw a shadowy figure lurking in the shadows but pretended not to notice it, thinking it for the best, the last thing he wanted was to end up with a stab wound.
As he climbed over the gate and landed on his feet, he kept running as fast as he could not wanting to turn back, afraid that someone would chase after him and drag him back to the life he no longer wanted.
Everyone he ran past stopped and stared at the crying mess that was Hiccup. He was terrified of being found, he didn't want to be forced into a life he didn't want to live, he felt like a puppet, and he wasn't controlling the strings.
"Please legs don't fail me now," he said aloud.
It wasn't until he was deep into the forest that he slipped on the icy surface of the lake and spun closer to the small pile of land in the centre of the lake. The cold weather had frozen the lake over, and Hiccup was surprised by how beautiful it looked.
He curled up into a ball and sat on the small dirt surface under the shade of the old oak tree crying softly. Why couldn't he love who he wanted and be his own person? The more he thought about it, the more frustrated and upset it made him. He took out the ring and stood up and closed his eyes. He envisioned a wonderful man standing opposite him in the church and wanted ever so much for it to be real.
"With this hand, I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine. With this candle, I will light your way in darkness. With this ring I ask you to be mine!" he shouted.
When he opened his eyes and was brought back to the harsh reality of his life. In an act of frustration, he threw the ring, and it caught on a branch sticking out of the ground.
That's when he noticed the large flock of crows gathering in the old oak tree he stood under, there must have been over a hundred of the things, cawing and just staring at him as if they were waiting for him to drop dead so they could feed like a pack of vultures.
Suddenly, the ground seemed to open around the branch, and the ice cracked in two. He was frozen with fear, unable to move as he watched to pale creature crawl up out of the ground. At first, all he could see was the sapphire blue eyes of the creature, then suddenly they were standing face to face, it was a young man, maybe eighteen or nineteen at most, he had unusual snow-white hair and was dressed in a dark blue suit and a pair of brown trousers. Although the thing that confused Hiccup the most was that the boy was barefoot.
As soon as he could move, he turned to run but ended up tripping on the ice and spinning out of control hitting his head off of a nearby tree. Once everything stopped spinning, he saw the man standing over him.
"You may now kiss the groom," he said in a tone that sounded menacing to Hiccup.
The frozen groom, Hiccup thought as everything went black.
Author's Note - Hope you all enjoyed this first chapter and let me know if you want more and I'll see you all next time!