Forever After, Chapter 2
When Hiccup awoke he was still dressed in the clothes he wore the day before. He remembered limping into the house with Toothless following close behind and just making it to the bed before his leg gave out and he sat down hard on the edge of the mattress. He was able to unfasten the artificial leg before sleep overcame him. Obviously, someone, his dad in all likelihood, had gotten him arranged and pulled the bed fur over him.
Now, it looked like it was midmorning as he rubbed the sleep out his eyes. He looked around the big room and saw that Toothless was nowhere to be seen but his father was sitting by the fire, staring into the flames.
"Morning, Dad."
"Ah, good mornin', son. How are you feelin'?" Stoick asked.
"Pretty good. The leg is still a little sore."
"I'm afraid that's likely to go on for some time. Especially if you don't slow down a little. I know Gobber had problems for almost a year after he lost his. Let's not forget you've only been up and around for a short time. You need time to recover," Hiccup's father said.
"You look like you could use some sleep yourself. What time did you get in last night?" Hiccup asked.
"Was more like this mornin'. It wasn't all that far from dawn when I came in. There was a lot to talk about."
After a pause Hiccup asked,
"And what happened?"
"I'm still the chief of the tribe, if that's what you're askin'. Seems that after what you said they weren't all that sure it was time for a new leader," Stoick said with a bit of a smile. "A lot of 'em thought it was a good idea if I listened to what you say a bit more than in the past."
Hiccup had the decency to look thoroughly embarrassed, which he was. He assumed that his father had a sense of humor, although he could never remember ever seeing it, mostly because whenever he was around his father the man was either angry at him, angry at dragons or just plain angry. At the moment he couldn't tell what he might be thinking or feeling. He spotted a crutch by the side of the bed and looked questioningly at his father.
"Gobber thought you should have one for getting around the house when that thing he made gets to be too much for you while you're healing up. Oh and make sure you keep it clean. I'll make you some breakfast while you get yourself pulled together."
"Thanks, Dad. Oh, where's Toothless?"
"Him? He's up on the roof gettin' some sun."
Hiccup looked up at the hole in the roof where the smoke from the fire escaped and thought he saw the tip of his friend's tail twitching back and forth. Using the crutch, Hiccup hobbled over to where they kept the wash water. By the time he was finished his breakfast was laid out on the table. His father resumed his seat by the fire.
"So, son, you were serious about what you said last night, weren't you?"
"Yes, sir. We talked about it last night on the way home. I think we need to take a close look at that island come spring and see what's there. And I wouldn't be too quick to dismantle our defenses against dragons, either," Hiccup replied.
"You sure you want to do that, son?"
"Want to? No. Need to, yes."
Stoick just nodded. Hiccup was nearly through with his food when there was a pounding on the door. Stoick heaved himself out of his chair and went to see who it was. Hiccup heard the door swing open.
"Some visitors for you, son. Looks to be trouble. I'll leave you to it. I need to talk to Gobber."
Stoick pulled on his hat and fur cloak and went out. In trooped Astrid, Snoutlout, Ruff and Tuff, and Fishlegs. Astrid came over and sat next to him with Snoutlout on the other side and the rest across from him.
"How are you feeling this morning, Hiccup?" Astrid asked.
"Not bad. Leg's a little sore."
"We thought so. You looked pretty bad last night. You need more rest. So we thought we'd come here to talk about what you said last night instead of you having to come out," Astrid said.
"And to find out what happened with your dad. No one will tell us anything," Tuffnut said.
"Shut up," Ruffnut barked and elbowed her brother in the ribs. "Maybe he doesn't want to talk about it."
"It's okay. He told me. His still the chief because things may not have changed all that much," Hiccup said.
His companions all nodded but Astrid squinted at him a bit but said nothing further. Among the other dragon flyers, as they called themselves, Astrid was most likely the smartest. Hiccup was quite likely the smartest in all of Berk and was considered the first among the first, since he was the one to first fly a dragon and learn about their true nature. However, Astrid was certainly the most perceptive of the little group. Call it woman's intuition, call it what you like, but she could sense things about people and situations and she knew Hiccup wasn't telling everything. She thought he would likely tell her when the others weren't around. At least she hoped he had come to trust her enough to do so.
"Hey, Hiccup, we all decided on names for the dragons we ride," Snoutlout offered. "I call mine 'Rumbles' 'cause of the noise he makes when he's happy."
"Cool," Hiccup said, "what about you guys?" he directed to Ruff and Tuff.
"We call 'em Ratntat," Ruff said.
"Yes, my sides 'Tat' and hers is 'Rat'. She's got the gassy side. Which makes perfect sense to me," Tuff said.
This comment, and it was not the first, or last, time it was made, earned Tuff a punch to the upper arm. It should be noted that he would carry bruises almost continuously for the next year and more, because he couldn't resist making the same observation, long after the humor had been worn off the joke.
Poor Fishlegs looked a little embarrassed. While he would go down in the Viking sagas as the first true dragonologist, it was safe to say he didn't have much of an imagination, so when it came time to name the Gronckle the best he could come up with was,
"Gronck," he offered when Hiccup looked at him.
Hiccup nodded and said,
"Good one. Simple and straight to the point."
He turned and looked at Astrid who was giving him a penetrating look in return but she said,
"I call him 'Spikes' for obvious reasons. Of course, I say him, but I don't really know for sure."
The all turned to Fishlegs.
"Um, I didn't think to look," he said, which made everyone laugh, since he turned bright red as he said it.
The conversation turned to the possibilities of an expedition to the volcanic island come spring and it consumed what remained of the morning. As lunch approached there was a knock on the door. Astrid jumped up and ran to see who it was. The others heard her talking with someone and then she came back carrying two large pies.
"What's with those," Hiccup asked.
"I guess your dad mentioned we were all up here together and they didn't want you walking around looking for something to eat," Astrid said.
"Wow, that was nice of them," he replied but his eyes suggested something else.
The others went to the shelves were the bowls and cups were kept and soon they were all digging in. One was a mutton pie, the other seafood. Hiccup ate but he did so slowly and without any talking. The others could see he was distracted or upset but they tried to keep the conversation going. When they were finished with lunch the others cleared the table while Astrid sat next to Hiccup, taking hold of his hand. When he looked questioningly at her she just smiled at him. Ruff took one look at the young couple and knew what had to happen.
"Ok, I think we need to go check on the dragons. You guys will be ok without us for a while?"
"Sure," Astrid said with a nod.
When Tuff looked like he was going to object, Astrid glared at him so hard he almost fell over as he backed away. As the others left, Hiccup simply stared at the table in front of him. When the door closed with a thud Astrid slid a bit closer and put one arm around Hiccup's shoulder and asked,
"What's wrong, Hiccup? What is it about the pies that has you so upset?"
"I'm still the same person, aren't I? Well, minus a little bit, but I'm still me. Before, they didn't even want me out of the house or the blacksmith shop. Now they're making me pies for lunch. Why not before?" he asked.
At first Astrid didn't know what to say because she was one of the ones that used to cringe when she saw him outside, wondering what catastrophe he was going to cause. She pulled him closer and kissed the side of his face and then took a breath and began.
"Hiccup, it should be pretty easy to understand. Before, you hadn't done the most incredibly brave thing anyone around here has ever seen and before, they didn't feel so bad about how they had treated you and now need to find ways to do things for you as a way to make amends. And I think I'll tell you that you aren't the same person, missing foot or no."
"What do you mean," Hiccup asked, looking over at her.
"Toothless changed you, Hiccup. He opened you up to a different world. A world where you could do incredible things that no one else would think to do. I saw it. I wasn't sure what I was seeing at first but all during dragon training I could see you changing, and I knew it had nothing to do with what you were doing in that ring. They all see that now, too."
He gave her that quirky little flat smile she had come to find so endearing and she leaned in to kiss him. When she pulled away, his smile was a bit happier. From overhead came the sound of a happy warble. The two looked up to see the dark black head and bright green eyes of Toothless staring down at them from the smoke hole in the roof.
"Hey there, bud. Sorry I haven't gotten you out to fly today."
Toothless just sort of snorted and shook his head.
"He could use some rest, too, Hiccup. He wasn't in very good shape either. It was almost a week before he could eat more than a mouthful of fish. You both need, and deserve, all the rest you can get. But it would be good for you to get some sun while it's still out there. Come on, I'll help you," she said.
Between the crutch and Astrid Hiccup made it outside and they were soon joined by Toothless who was happy to see his friend but was careful to just rub his nose against Hiccup's face. Hiccup reached past the neck frill to scratch the back of the dragon's neck. Toothless stretched his neck and leaned into Hiccup's hand while he warbled happily. The young couple sat side by side on the bench beside the door and Toothless lay down in front of them.
A number of passers-by looked up and waved as they walked by. The two waved back. Hiccup looked out over the village, at least what could be seen from where they sat and he noticed that all the damage from the last raid had been repaired and it looked like shelter from the worst of the winter wouldn't be an issue. He'd meant to ask his father about the food situation, but he'd forgotten. He also wondered if the presence of the dragons in the village would add to the problem or they would be self sufficient. One problem solved but many more to consider, he thought.
He tilted his head back and let the weakening sun warm his face. The feel of Astrid's hand warmed his heart. After a few moments he tilted his head to the side and opened his eyes. He saw Astrid looking at him, a small smile on her face.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing really, you just looked so relaxed there for a few moments. It made me glad to see that."
He looked at her again, really looked at her. The blond hair pulled back in a braid and the headband she always wore, the bright blue eyes regarding him so intently. As he looked at her he was struck by a sudden realization. This girl, the girl he had dreamed and fantasized about for as long as he could remember really cared for him. Truly cared about him. The result was his thin frame was wracked by several shudders followed by a bout of shivers. Astrid's eyes spread wide in alarm.
"Hiccup, are you okay? Are you getting feverish again?" she asked, placing her hand on his forehead.
"I'm fine, Astrid. In fact, I don't think I've ever felt better," he said, his face brightening.
"Then why the shaking?"
"I guess I was just getting a chill or something. I should have put on a coat," he replied.
"Hang on a bit," Astrid said, and then she dashed into the house and quickly returned with a short fur jacket. "Here, put this on."
Hiccup wasn't really all that chilly but he appreciated the gesture and it did feel more comfortable with it on. Astrid sat back down and took hold of his hand again and said,
"So, are you going to tell me the rest of it or not?"
"The rest of what?" he asked.
"About your dad, that's what."
"Oh, that," he replied, looking out toward the sea. "He told me it was suggested he should pay a little more attention to what I have to say. Can you imagine how humiliating that must have been for him?"
"I can imagine it must have been difficult, but I don't know that it had to be all that bad."
"C'mon, Astrid. The chief of the whole tribe told he messed up so bad that he should listen to his scrawny undersized kid to keep him from making any more mistakes. I'd have to think it didn't go down so well."
When he didn't get a response, he looked over at Astrid and saw her glaring back at him in much the same way that she did when he had been selected as first in their dragon training class. She stood up, turned to face him and pointed a finger in his face.
"Now you listen to me. You may not have the size that Snout or Legs do, but inside you have a bigger heart than any Viking I've ever seen, maybe ever. And a brain to match. But you better start using them both, Hiccup, if you want to be a real Viking. Accept the responsibility that goes with being a Viking and the biggest part of that is looking out for the tribe. So, grow up, Hiccup, and stop the whining and feeling sorry for yourself. It makes you a lot less lovable."
Hiccup looked up at the blonde fireball that was standing inches from him as best he could with that finger wavering in front of his face. His first reaction was shock, his second was anger and the last was amazement at how beautiful she was when she was glaring at him like that. He quickly suppressed that idea for the moment. He maintained eye contact with her and said,
"Wow, ouch," he began. "But I guess you're right, but it's a big adjustment to make, you know. Village idiot to village hero. I'm just trying to figure it out," he said.
Astrid laughed a bit.
"You were never the village idiot. Clown, maybe, but not an idiot. And don't worry," she added as she sat down next to him again. "We'll help you through it. But you have to be the one to start it, ok?"
"Ok."
They sat there for a few moments longer and then he looked over at her and said,
"You know, I'm going to have to find things to do or say every once and a while to get you really angry like that."
"Why would you want to do that?" she asked in surprise.
"Because you are really beautiful when you're mad," he said evenly.
This got him a poke in the ribs, then a hug and kiss. By mid afternoon, the rest of the crew had returned and they sat around the front door talking more about the idea of venturing to the volcanic island and exploring the now, hopefully, empty lair.
"I'm just wondering if it wouldn't be a good idea to take a quick flight out there before winter sets in to just look around from the air. I know the cloud cover makes it difficult but it might be worthwhile in helping with the planning," Hiccup said.
"Yeah, and it would give us something to do," Tuff said.
"Are you up to that kind of flight, Hiccup?" Astrid asked.
"I think so. We'll take it easy, nothing fancy, right, bud?" Hiccup directed the last to Toothless.
In the fading sunlight, the dragon's green eyes glowed in anticipation.