Hello, people! This little piece has been floating around my head for a while, under the premise that Astrid does not like Hiccup's prosthetic leg. And then the images for the season finale were posted on the Grapevine and (spoiler) one pic shows Hiccup without his prosthetic. So I figured, hey, I'll write this. 'Tis a oneshot. I own nothing but this interpretation of Astrid's thoughts. Enjoy.
Astrid doesn't like it. She knows that this is silly of her, and she hates feeling silly, but she can't help it. "Part of life," she tells herself, time and time again, indeed, at least once every time she sees him. But the fact remains. It makes her cringe. Inwardly, of course.
It's not like he's the only one. They're vikings. It's an occupational hazard. Missing digits, missing limbs, they're nothing out of the ordinary. You learn to deal with it, you modify your lifestyle if necessary, and you keep on. He's no exception in that regard. She admires him for that. But she can't get over it.
For instance, it can be a huge weakness. Take away the prosthetic, and he's going nowhere fast. Almost completely incapacitated. No one can get around properly by hopping on one foot. She shudders to think of what would happen if he lost it while running from a deranged dragon, or if it malfunctioned during a flight. She mentioned it to him once, but he just shrugged. "Let's hope it doesn't happen" was his reply. But still... she worries.
Other times, it just makes things irritating. Like the other day, when she was mad at him, and tried to stomp on his foot, forgetting for a minute that it wasn't there. Note to self: stomping down hard on a piece of metal hurts. And, on top of that, it hadn't even had the desired effect, seeing as how he hadn't even noticed.
But maybe the worst part about it is that it serves as a constant reminder that they're not indestructible. Though they've made peace with the dragons, their troubles are far from over. She doesn't know what she'll do if she ends up losing even more of him. A leg is bad enough. She wants him to be safe, but for some reason, he keeps insisting on putting himself in reckless situations. And that's why she doesn't like the fake leg. Because she can't rely on it properly. She can trust the dragon. She can trust the boy. But she can't trust the leg to bring the boy and the dragon back safe.
And so, there's only one thing to do. Watch the boy. Keep him safe, when he can't do it himself. And love every bit of him that's still intact. Tiresome sometimes? Yes. But she loves it.
Well, I hope you liked it! You should go check out the Grapevine. Over there I'm Katniss Daywalker. It's great for updates on all things HTTYD. Review and/or favorite! Queen out!