In this one, Stoick and Hiccup finally have a much needed talk... see, I know Stoick and Hiccup love each other very much, but with everything that happened between them, I feel like Hiccup forgave him a bit too easily (especially considering Stoick actually struck him in my 'verse), and that the two really need to talk and release all their bottled up hurt and anger before they can have a healthy relationship (which, I tell myself, happened offscreen), and that's what I'm hoping to accomplish in this chapter, so let me know if I did good :)
Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the slightly changed plotline.
Episode Narrator: Hiccup
Everybody needs a place in the world.
Some people are born into theirs.
Some people discover theirs.
Some people make a place for themselves.
But, then the world around them changes, and the place they made is gone.
Today was the first day of the newly opened Dragon Academy classes; the Terror farms had been moved in with Elder Gothi, who seemed to love the dragon species more than anything, and the Freeze was beginning to calm, melting the snow and allowing the Berk teens to wear their usual gear as opposed to their winter clothes. Currently, said teens and their dragons were occupying the arena, and Astrid, the co-head of the Academy, was teaching her first (official) lesson to the other five riders. Their dragons were taking this opportunity to snooze behind their respective riders as the lesson went on.
Astrid stood next to a writing board, holding up Hiccup's borrowed notebook (due to his enthusiasm, she had given control of the Book of Dragons to him, so he was the one who took most of the notes), scratching out tallies for each team with her white chalk. She had decided to give a pop quiz before officially teaching, wanting to know where her lessons should actually start, making a competition out of it. She had divided the other five riders into teams; Hiccup, the other Academy co-head, was on a team with Fishlegs, while Snotlout and the twins made up the other team. Uneven, but it was fair considering who poor Ruffnut had to work with.
"Every dragon has it's own unique abilities that gives it a special place in the world," Astrid began, "Which dragon makes the best welding torch?"
"Oh!" Hiccup spat out enthusiastically, "Deadly Nadder!" Of course, he easily knew due to both his enthusiasm with dragons, and the fact that his girlfriend owned a Deadly Nadder of her own.
"It's magnesium flame burns with the heat of the sun," Fishlegs explained, an enthusiastic smile of his own etched onto his face.
Astrid smiled, adding another set of tallies to the board behind her. "Correct. Point to Team Hiccup," She said. The other team slumped behind their desk, looking far less impressed, especially Ruffnut, who looked more annoyed than anything. "Score is now one hundred to ten," Astrid added as she set the chalk down.
Hiccup smirked. "And you started with ten." He and Fishlegs shared a snicker, casting the annoyed Ruffnut an amused glance; she promptly returned it with quite a rude gesture.
"Oh, yeah?" Tuffnut challenged, "Well, the game's not over yet!"
A small pause.
"Wait," He continued, "What team am I on?"
Ruffnut gave him an annoyed, deadpan stare, and he lifted his hands defensively. "What? We're all uneven!" He defended, "I feel like an extra or something!"
"You are an extra," Ruffnut growled, fed up.
Astrid cleared her throat, attempting to dissuade the upcoming fight by continuing the quiz. "Next question," She said, deciding the give Tuffnut an easy one; Ruffnut's team was having issues only due to the fact that the boys didn't give her a chance to answer, "What is the shot limit of a Hideous Zippleback? Team Ruffnut?"
Ruffnut gave a relieved smirk, but Hiccup simply snorted. "I don't think they can count that high," He snickered, and Astrid shot him a look that went ignored.
"Oh, really?" Ruffnut jeered, though she knew the comment was truthful when it came to her brother, "Well, let's find out. Barf!" Barf's head poked up from behind her.
"Belch!" Tuffnut called, and Belch's head rose as well, and the twins gave the dragon the signal to fire.
Fishlegs and Hiccup quickly ducked behind their desk, avoiding the shots of fire that left soot on the wall behind them.
"Looks like it's about three," Tuffnut said, and Ruffnut glared, giving him a good smack on the arm.
"It's six, you idiot!" She glowered, and Astrid sighed, her expression flat as she put ten tally marks onto their team's side of the board.
"It's six," She said, "And I'm just going to be nice and take Ruff's answer. Ten points."
"Yeah!" Tuffnut cheered, sharing a high five with Snotlout behind the annoyed Ruffnut's back, "We're up to thirty!"
Ruffnut groaned, face-planting against the desk.
Hiccup and Fishlegs rose from behind their desks, and Hiccup, his expression annoyed, pinched out a stray bang that had been singed by BarfBelch's fire.
"Alright, it's our turn," He growled, "What happens when you shoot fire at the owner of a Night Fury?" He whistled, and, on cue, Toothless rose to his feet, releasing a single roar before he charged up a blast, creating a familiar whistle, and Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snotlout were blown into the wall behind them when Toothless' plasma blast obliterated their desk. They landed haphazardly, smoking, their expressions dazed and their helmets askew.
Hiccup gave a satisfied smirk, giving Toothless a pat, who growled happily at him in return.
"Hey, no fair!" Tuffnut shouted as he sat up, "He didn't give us a chance to answer!" Ruffnut shot him an irritant glance.
Snotlout, in an attempt to one up his cousin, quickly hopped to his feet, straightened out his helmet, and walked towards Hookfang. "I got a question," He sneered, "What happens when I sick Hookfang on you?"
Astrid quickly intervened; she and Hiccup had an Academy to run, and she didn't need punches being thrown, especially by her co-head. Besides, while the twins were entertaining when punches were thrown, the same couldn't be said for Hiccup and Snotlout; when they got into it, it was never pretty, especially considering how easily Hiccup could throttle his older cousin.
"Alright!" She said quickly, "That's enough for today, guys, good job." Luckily, Hiccup didn't appear to be in the mood for a fight, either; probably because he had physical therapy later, and he limped over to her to help her pack away.
Unfortunately, Snotlout had different plans. "Prepare to face some Monstrous Nightmares!" He bellowed, settling himself onto Hookfang before giving the dragon a small pat on the jaw. Hookfang's eyes snapped open, looking quite distressed, and he roared, lighting up, burning Snotlout in the process.
Snotlout let out a few shouts as he sprinted toward a trough, Hookfang roaring a few more times before he put himself out, hobbling away with a few whimpers. Snotlout leaped into the trough, the flames dousing with a hiss. "Ahhhh," He sighed happily, "Sweet relief."
Hiccup snorted as Astrid handed him his notebook, and the two walked (or, limped in his case) over to him, glancing at Hookfang curiously; the dragon whimpered a little bit before laying down, his pupils dilating slightly, rubbing the side of his snout against the ground.
"Hookfang never flames up when you're riding him," She said, concerned, "Is he okay?" Snotlout, however, was paying little attention, more concerned with making sure his backside wasn't burning.
"Maybe he just realized who his owner is," Hiccup smirked, shifting his weight to his right foot, and Snotlout glanced up at Astrid.
"There's room in here for two," He leered, and Astrid glared at him. Hiccup suddenly clutched his shoulder, shoving him under the water before limping off, wiping his hand on the side of his shirt, and Astrid quickly followed as Snotlout surfaced, sputtering.
Astrid grumbled as she trekked through the woods, Stormfly following close behind, sniffing around. She was searching for Hiccup, who, apparently, decided it was okay to skip out on physical therapy again.
The two had gone to the plaza after they left the Academy, only to witness Gobber's spectacle. Astrid wasn't sure if she should cringe at the man's bad luck or cringe at the fact that she inadvertently caused it. Gobber didn't have to stop working at the forge; Vikings were always going to need new weapons and weapon care, but, with the Raids over with, business was much, much slower than it used to be, and the man needed something to live on. Gobber's no fool; just a bit silly, and he couldn't help it if he couldn't find a secondary use for the weapons he was so used to creating, nor could he help the fact that Bertha had chose that moment to malfunction. And poor Grump didn't help matters when he sneezed, obliterating what was left of Gobber's already destroyed table.
After listening to Mildew's sneering, Hiccup took off (or, so she thought) to his great-grandmother's for physical therapy, but, she had just found out from Stoick, who was looking for him, that he had skipped out.
Again.
"Stupid, stubborn-Ah!" Astrid grumbled under her breath, cutting herself off with a surprised shout when her foot got caught in a tree root, and Stormfly quickly caught her before her face became friends with the dirt.
"Thanks, girl," Astrid muttered, shaking off her leg in an annoyed manner. She and Stormfly glanced over at the sound of grunting, and Astrid pursed her lips, figuring Hiccup was overworking himself on his leg again, before following the sound. She had tripped right at the entrance to the Cove, and Astrid figured Hiccup chose to go down there to train.
And she was right. She watched as she made her way into the Cove, noticing Toothless keeping a close eye on him, as well as his trademark axe leaning against a large rock, as Hiccup planted his foot and peg firmly into the ground, testing the balance of each foot before tensing up and jumping. She saw Toothless tense up, preparing to help if he needed to, as Hiccup managed to do a perfect back flip, without using his hands. He landed on his right foot first, stumbling as his left leg came down, making Toothless tense up further, before he shakily balanced himself again.
He caught his breath before he gave Toothless a satisfied grin, and the dragon returned it with a gummy smile, trilling.
"Hiccup," Astrid said, and he glanced up at her, his eyes exhilarated, elated that he would be able to do all the things he loved (aside from swim; that metal leg wouldn't catch the water properly, and it would rust up terribly), even with an improper leg.
"Hey," He answered, hobbling over to her clumsily, his leg completely overworked.
"Hey," She said back, her tone annoyed, "You skipped physical therapy. Again."
"This is physical therapy," He grumbled, letting Toothless help him lower to the ground next to the large pond. Astrid rolled her eyes, taking a seat next to him as he unhooked his leg, setting the metal pieces, the peg aside, and rope aside, and pulling off the wraps he began wearing around the stump to ease the friction. She shooed Stormfly away when the dragoness began sniffing at the prosthetics before scooting over to check his leg for herself.
The stump ended below the knee, with just enough leg left to allow him to bend his leg when walking, and the skin rippled where it had been folded over the leg bone and cauterized. The scar tissue was incredibly thick, Astrid felt as she checked it over. His leg was red with soreness and swollen from overexertion, but it was not blistered or bleeding, so that was good.
"It could be considered physical therapy," She said as she took out the white salve from her medical pouch, scooping some up onto her fingers before she began spreading it along his stump, "But it's not the kind of physical therapy you need right now. Your leg has to heal a little more before you start training like this."
Hiccup simply tilted his head back in annoyed exasperation, sick of being treated like glass, especially by her.
She ignored his movement. "You need your grandma's physical therapy. You can't just skip out all the time," She said, wiping the salve off and putting the cup back inside her pouch.
"I can't go to physical therapy," He grumbled, "Not when I'm trying to get out of chiefing."
Astrid squinted as she found a place beside him. "What?"
"My dad makes me take chief lessons," He said slowly, "And I don't want to go. I can't avoid him when I go to therapy because he shows up right after to take me chiefing with him."
"Oh..." Astrid mumbled, pursing her lips nervously. Stoick and Hiccup have never really had a good conversation before, and it was nearly impossible now due to the guilt and anger between them. Hiccup was angry that his father completely shut him out after his mother was carried off, not to mention the disowning incident and the strike that came with it, and Stoick was filled with guilt after the Red Death gave him a wake up call. It was guilt and anger that broke some of the barriers between them, but, now they had to face that guilt and anger, and they've been putting it off for months now, which only led to horribly awkward, forced, and short conversations. Hiccup, it seems, had taken to trying to avoid his father in an attempt to get away from these conversations.
But, they needed to talk. They needed to get it all out, or they'd never have a good relationship.
"Well, maybe you could try talking to him...?" She suggested hesitantly, but Hiccup simply gave her a blank look, a tiny bit of annoyance behind it. Astrid glanced around nervously in the sudden silence before she spoke loudly, attempting to break it by changing the subject.
"So!" She said, "What're we going to do about Gobber?"
Hiccup shook his head before gesturing to his forgotten prosthetic. "You know Gobber made this for me?"
"Yeah," She noted, "He taught you everything you needed to know in order to make Toothless' tail fin, too, right?"
"Not that he knew, for quite a long time," He smirked halfheartedly before his face fell again, "We need to find some way to help him..."
"It'll be okay," She encouraged, "We'll find something for him soon." She gave him a tiny smile before giving him a small peck on the lips, which he returned before letting his head fall against her shoulder, and she rested her head against his, running her fingers through his hair comfortingly. [1]
Astrid motioned for Stormfly to go home once they returned to the village after the sun went down, knowing the Nadder would want to check on her mate and young. Speaking of the babies; they were getting bigger, and Astrid was sure that they would be able to leave to make their own nests somewhere on the island soon, or maybe even find their own human companions.
She watched Hiccup, a bit concerned at how heavily he was limping and leaning against Toothless as they made their way to his house. His leg wasn't bleeding, and she didn't see any blisters, but with the way he was hobbling, she was afraid she might've just missed something in her inspection. Although, he could just be more overworked than normal with all the running, jumping, flipping, and somersaulting he did in the Cove today; stubborn idiot.
Which was why she was relieved when they made it to his front door. She was a bit confused, though, when he used Toothless to limp to the side of the house, but understood when he reached Tonna's pen and opened it. He did tell her that they were starting to let Tonna inside a lot more than they used to, saying she enjoyed being inside with him and Toothless. Besides, Hiccup said, Why should Tonna, a tiny little sheep, have to stay outside if Toothless, a big fire-breathing dragon, was allowed inside?
Toothless crooned when Tonna bleated and nudged him a little before following her, Hiccup, and the dragon inside. Astrid helped Hiccup take a seat on the third to last step on his staircase before removing his prosthetic, rope, and wrappings for him and setting them on their food table. Toothless trilled quietly, nuzzling his snout against Hiccup's neck affectionately, the boy returning the sentiment with a soft head rub, before following Tonna to the end of the main room, where small troughs of fish, water, and cut grass and hay were set up for them.
Astrid weaved her way around them, a wooden cup in her hands, ducking under the sausages and smoked meats tied to the rafters where they stayed safe and continued to get seasoned by cooking smoke until it was time to eat them. She stopped at the barrel they stored their ale in, holding the cup under the nozzle before turning the nob, allowing some ale to be poured in. "Have you salted these yet?" Astrid asked absentmindedly, gesturing to the smoked meats as best as she could.
"Not yet," Hiccup answered, leaning back against the steps, his eyes closed and his tone tired, "We usually don't do that until it's time to cook and eat them."
"Mm," Astrid mumbled, holding the cup of ale close and weaving around the feeding animals again, "I could stay over and make some stew with the smoked beef if you want." Normally, it was the wife or mother that did the house chores, including the cooking; but, with Valka gone, Stoick and Hiccup had to do the chores themselves, and they relied on Snotlout's mother, Hiccup's aunt Ingrid, for the sewing and mending of their clothes. The two normally ate at the Great Hall, their cooking mediocre at best, but, sometimes, they managed to make their own meals with their smoked meats. But, after that Snoggletog disaster and her now infamous yaknog, her mother had decided to get a lot more strict when it came to her cooking lessons, and, now, Astrid was able to make very decent meals without having to worry about giving anyone food poisoning; she wouldn't mind making Stoick and Hiccup a nice home-cooked meal, something they had probably not had since Valka's disappearance.
She handed Hiccup his cup of ale and took a seat beside him as he took a sip. "I wouldn't mind that," He mumbled into his drink, and she gave a small smile before leaning her head on his shoulder.
The two started, however, quickly separating when the front door suddenly slammed open, and Stoick walked in, looking completely exhausted, grumbling and groaning as he took his seat by the hearth.
There was an awkward silence, and Astrid glanced between father and son nervously as Hiccup continued to silently sip his ale, and as Stoick silently rubbed his temples.
"So!" She burst out, making Hiccup start lightly at the sudden shout beside him, "Tough day of chiefing, Stoick?" Hiccup sent her a look, and she sent him one back, jerking her head between him and Stoick, and he quickly shook his head.
"I was all over the island," Stoick groaned, "I married the Svenson girl to the Odegard boy at dawn," which would explain the footrace Astrid witnessed on her morning flight with Stormfly; that would also explain why Elder Gothi was very late to tell Stoick that Hiccup didn't show up for therapy, "Then went to the fields where some kids were tippin' over some yaks," the twins; again, "Then went back to the newlyweds to settle a domestic dispute." [2]
Astrid furrowed her brows a little, confused; Viking weddings typically lasted a week... did that mean they were fighting during the ceremony? Gods, did they even get to the bridal ale?
Astrid couldn't help but pray for Hiccup's sanity when he finally became chief... though, by the looks of things, he didn't even want to be chief...
"I thought Viking weddings were a bit abysmal if they lasted less than a week," Hiccup smirked dryly, taking another sip of ale, and Astrid stood, deciding to get Stoick a cup as well.
"Well, it was a quiet affair," Stoick sighed, "Until now..." Which would also explain why no one else knew about the wedding until the footrace this morning.
Astrid handed Stoick his ale, which he gratefully took, and Hiccup whistled for Toothless, who took one glance at him before lighting the hearth fire. Stoick stared at the fire for a moment before groaning again, rubbing his temples. "Sometimes I wish there were two of me..."
Hiccup's eyes suddenly lit up, and he sat up as straight as he could without his leg. "Dad, there are two of you!"
"Is that another crack about my weight?" Stoick snapped, smacking his ale on the table.
"No, I mean Gobber," Hiccup said, his tone lightly irked, "He can be the other you."
"Gobber?" Stoick frowned, "He's way too busy making all those dragon killing," he stopped when Hiccup made a face, "Well, used to be, until you," he stopped again when Hiccup's cynical glare deepened, "Which is great! Except for Gobber..."
"Exactly my point," Hiccup said as Astrid re-took her seat next to him, her eyes lighting up when she caught onto Hiccup's plan; Gobber acted as Stoick's adviser at the Thing, so she saw no reason for him to not be able to help out with chiefly duties. [3]
"You know, that's actually not such a bad idea," Stoick said as he stood, heading toward the other end of the main room where his bedding was kept, "I could use a right hand."
"Which works out great, cuz that's kind of the only one he has," Hiccup grinned lightly to Astrid, and she snickered a little before standing, heading over to the smoked meats to get started on her stew.
"Here you go, Dad," Hiccup mumbled the next night, wincing when Stoick snatched the cup of mead from him before taking a big gulp. Astrid winced as well, but kept her eyes on the fish she was salting. Hiccup had scaled it for her when he saw her having trouble with it, taking chunks away instead of just the scales; he also had to help her remove the head. She had decided to stay over to cook again when Hiccup told her that her stew was very good, wanting to keep giving him and Stoick the home-cooking they had been deprived of for such a long time.
"Wow, two block headache..." Hiccup muttered when he saw Stoick hold up two ice blocks from their cold house to his aching head before trying to diffuse the situation, "But, I mean, it was only Gobber's first day. I'm sure it'll be better tomorrow."
"Oh, it'll be fine for me," Stoick grumbled, taking another sip of mead, "Because it won't involve Gobber."
"What'd you mean?" Astrid stuttered, glancing up at him as she placed the now seasoned fish in the cooking pan that was hanging over the hearth, hearing it sizzle a little as it began to cook.
"I tried to fit a square peg in a round hole, and its dragon sneezed and sunk a ship, and named a baby girl Magnus," Stoick grunted, "Now, I'm not sayin' she didn't look like a Magnus, but you try tellin' that to her parents!" [4]
"I can't believe you let 'em go!" Hiccup snapped, and Astrid winced again, glancing between him and Stoick nervously; they still haven't let anything out, and the tension had been getting worse and worse lately, "We need to help him!"
Stoick gave him a halfhearted glare. "We don't have to do anything. You, on the other hand, are going to have a very busy day finding a job for Gobber tomorrow."
Hiccup watched his father walk toward his bedding with a glare before sighing irritably, and Astrid pursed her lips nervously, patting his arm lightly in an attempt to calm him.
"You're bringing Gobber... here?" Fishlegs questioned incredulously the following morning. Everyone and their dragons were gathered at the Academy for the third official time, hoping to finally get started on some actual training. Hiccup had decided to bring Gobber to... give him something to do; he really had no other alternative for the man.
"He's gonna be great," Astrid smiled nervously, "I mean, nobody knows dragons like him. He's spent a lifetime... studying them. If we can tap into that, we'll all be better dragon trainers."
Suddenly, the Academy gate burst open, and Gobber and Grump hobbled in, and cart of weapons tied to Grump so the dragon could pull it inside. "I'm back!" Gobber announced as he entered, "Did ya miss me?" The dragons instantly sat up straighter, releasing alarmed sounds.
"First of all, welcome," Hiccup greeted calmly, "Second of all, why did you bring your...?"
"Killing things?" Gobber finished for him, grabbing a large axe out of the cart, and Hiccup instantly backed away before he ended up losing anymore limbs - one was enough, thank you.
"I thought we could teach them some battle skills," Gobber said cheerfully, "By threatening to kill them." Well, learning battle tactics wasn't a bad idea, but, the killing thing...
"That's how my daddy taught me to swim," Gobber continued before he swung the axe a little, "School's in session!"
Meatlug, BarfBelch, and Hookfang, the dragons who had previously been a part of the Kill Ring, widened their eyes before quickly scrambling through the open door and taking off.
Hiccup and Astrid quickly ducked as the dragon flew past them before exciting the arena, and the twins and Snotlout quickly sprinted after them, shouting for their dragons.
"Eh, I didn't like school, either," Gobber shrugged, and Hiccup and Astrid shot him a look.
A few hours later, Astrid sat next to Hiccup on the arena floor, watching over his shoulder as he made updates to the Night Fury section in the Book of Dragons while Toothless and Stormfly purred happily beside them. Gobber had left with Grump after the dragons had scarpered off, and Astrid and Hiccup hadn't seen Snotlout or the twins since.
At least, not until they flew inside and landed at once, and Astrid winced at how tired they looked.
"What's wrong with you guys?" She asked as she stood, helping Hiccup up as well.
"We've been riding dragons for four hours," Snotlout groaned, using his hands to push his lower back in place, which cracked loudly, "It took us forever to chase them down after Gobber scared them away."
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," Hiccup said as Toothless and Stormfly walked over to stand by their respective riders, "I don't know what to do with him."
His musings were interrupted by a grunt, and everyone glanced over to see Ruffnut give Tuffnut a good kick in the rear, the girl twin looking quite amused.
"Do you two always have to fight?" Astrid huffed.
"It's okay," Tuffnut said, "I asked her to do that. Just trying to get the feeling back."
"Good for him," Ruffnut smirked as she gave another kick, "Fun for me."
"Huh," Hiccup mumbled, "I've flown on Toothless for hours and I've never had that problem."
"You have a saddle," Snotlout grunted, kicking his leg out, causing another crack to resound.
"Hey," Hiccup grinned, "Saddles!"
The next afternoon, after the Academy had been made a mess of with Gobber's saddle ideas, Hiccup leaned against Toothless, his prosthetic removed, rubbing at the aching stump and wincing, and Astrid tried to sweep away the soot that was piled around the arena floor.
Gobber's ideas had been okay; they would've worked had they been lighter and what they actually needed. The horn on Stormfly's saddle could've been used for a signaler had it not been so big and loud, scaring Stormfly into pinning Snotlout to the wall with her tail spikes. The catapults could've been useful had they not been too short, smacking BarfBelch right in the back of the heads, scaring the Hel out of Ruffnut. The flamethrower might've been useful for the dragons once they ran out of shots, but it didn't shoot far enough for that. She wasn't too sure about what Fishlegs' saddle could've done, especially considering it was much too heavy for Meatlug to even lift.
Poor Gobber was too used to the Viking way, and, now that everything has changed, he wasn't sure what to do anymore.
And poor Hiccup was so stressed out from trying to train on that leg, the tension between him and his father, and trying to keep his mentor, his second father, happy.
And, she was worried for Hookfang, too, and so was Snotlout by the looks of things. When the boy had placed the saddle on the Nightmare, the dragon had suddenly roared, his eyes distressed, and flung the saddle off of him. Snotlout had asked what was wrong, his voice very concerned, but Hookfang simply grunted and turned away from him, frustrating the boy. She was afraid Hookfang was getting sick or was in pain or something; sure, he was aggressive, but he normally didn't act like that.
She glanced up at the sound of footsteps, watching as Stoick walked in, glancing around in disbelief.
"What in Odin's name happened here?" He exclaimed, "It looked better when we were killing dragons!"
"Yeah, well, we sort of got Gobbered," Hiccup muttered, replacing his prosthetic before using Toothless as a prop to stand.
"Well, you know Gobber," Stoick shrugged, "He means well; he just doesn't always do well."
"You think I don't know that?" Hiccup grumbled as he regained his balance, "That's what I was trying to tell you with the let-Gobber-help-you-chief thing."
Stoick shot him a look at his attitude, but simply continued the conversation. "So, what're you gonna do about it?"
"I'm gonna clean up his messes and re-do his work," Hiccup muttered.
"Look, Hiccup, I know Gobber's like family to us-"
"Yeah!" Hiccup interrupted, "That's why I can't say anything to him!"
"No, lad, that's why you have to," Stoick said, and Hiccup stared at him with a stunned expression, "It's not fair to you and it's not fair to Gobber."
"I know it's not, but why do I have to say something to him?" Hiccup argued, "You didn't! You just past him off to me!"
"That's what a chief does," Stoick replied, "He delegates."
Hiccup glared. "So, a chief can hide behind his delegation instead of facing things head on?"
"Hiccup," Stoick tried, but Hiccup shook his head, attempting to limp off. He reached a good distance before Astrid stopped him, and she gave him a meaningful look.
"Hiccup," She said quietly so Stoick wouldn't hear, "You two need to talk."
"I don't want to talk," Hiccup muttered, trying to shake her off, "I just want to go home, get off this leg, and go to bed."
"No, Hiccup," She protested, "You can't keep it in forever; it'll just break you. Both of you."
Hiccup sighed through his nose, pursing his lips. "I'm going to go home with Stormfly," She said, "And you two are going to talk." She whistled, and Stormfly immediately followed her out of the arena.
Stoick waited until their footsteps could no longer be heard before speaking. "Is this anger even about Gobber?" He asked quietly.
"No," Hiccup mumbled, facing him, keeping his eyes lowered, "It's about everything. It's about being ignored. It's about being unnoticed. It's about being delegated onto Gobber when I was a nuisance. It's about being disowned. It's about being hit. It's about me having to lose a leg just get to my father's attention."
"Ah, Hiccup," Stoick sighed helplessly, running a hand over his face, "I don't know what I can say to you. I was wrong, and I know it. I should've been there, and I wasn't. I was blinded by how you were so much like your mother; it was hard for me."
"It was hard for you?" Hiccup breathed out, an Stoick knew he said the wrong thing.
"Hiccup-"
"No, you know what?" Hiccup snapped, "I'm sorry. Okay, I'm sorry your wife got carried off by a dragon, I'm sorry your son looks so much like her it hurts, I'm sorry you buried yourself in your work and shut out the thing that reminded you too much of her, I'm sorry your son had to lose a leg for you to finally get a wake up call."
"I am very sorry that, that was so hard for you," He finished vehemently. "Did ever take the time to consider that, maybe, I was hurting too?" He continued, "Cuz I don't think you did. Every time I tried to get your attention, you brushed me off, and, when you got fed up, you pushed me onto Gobber."
Stoick released a shaky sigh, his eyes burning, and he noticed Hiccup's face getting a bit pink, his eyes glassy. "I wanted so badly to be the Viking you wanted me to be," Hiccup continued, "I made that axe, and I trained and trained and trained until my hands were covered in scars," he held up his hands to prove his point, showing off the many pale scars webbing across his hands and palms, "And you still didn't notice," He finished fiercely.
"Hiccup," Stoick said emotionally, placing his hands on Hiccup's shoulders, holding the boy still when he tried to shake him off, "I'm sorry. I was wrong to do that to you, I should never have done that to you. If Valka were here, she'd club me on the head, I can tell you that much."
Hiccup snorted halfheartedly, his brows furrowed, swallowing back the tears that had yet to fall. "I know you must've been hurting, too, and that I was no help," he brushed a thumb over Hiccup's cheek, making the boy look up at him, "You know, I didn't want to admit it, but you scared me. In the arena, when Toothless showed up, you tried to protect him; you said we were only making things worse. Your mother said the same thing the night she was carried off; she kept protecting the dragons, and I was afraid that the same thing would've happened to you."
"And then the Red Death appeared," Stoick continued, "And I could only watch as you were crushed by its tail and thrown into the fire. And when we found Toothless, you weren't there; his saddle was burned away and empty, and I was so scared that I lost my boy. And it would've been all my fault; because I didn't want to hear what you and Astrid had to say."
Hiccup remained quiet, his breath calming, and Stoick released another sigh. "I'm so sorry, Hiccup. Can you ever forgive me? I don't know what I was thinkin', ignoring you like that, sayin' things like that..."
"All you've wanted from me was to be the son you wanted, not who I was because I was too much like her," Hiccup started quietly, and Stoick closed his eyes at the cold tone, waiting for the rejection, "You've yelled at me at home, in front of the entire village, you never listened to anything I had to say, and then you did the same thing to Astrid. When the village turned their backs on us, calling us traitors, I needed you, but you weren't there."
Stoick couldn't respond, knowing Hiccup was in the right.
"But you're still my dad," Hiccup said softly, "And I know, some of those things, you only did for my sake. And I know you're trying now, so thank you for apologizing, and I'm sorry, too."
"Thank you, son," Stoick replied, his voice heavy with emotion, and the two shared a comfortable silence for a moment before Stoick allowed Hiccup to use him as a prop as they walked and limped toward the Academy gates, Toothless following close behind.
"I'll talk to Gobber," Hiccup mumbled, "I'll see if I can find him a job that suits the old Viking fallback."
"Good," Stoick mumbled before glancing over at the sound of a snore, catching sight of a snoozing Snotlout, hanging on the wall with Stormfly's tail spikes. He narrowed his eyes, muttering, "What about him?"
"He's fine," Hiccup said flippantly, "He's goin' for a record. Enough said."
Stoick snorted, giving his nephew one final look before leading Hiccup out of the arena.
"Oh, man, that was terrible," Hiccup groaned as he and Toothless hobbled over to an awaiting Astrid and Stormfly, leaving the forge and an upset Gobber behind.
"It'll be okay," Astrid tried, "Once it all wears off, I'm sure he'll understand why you did it."
"Whatever," Hiccup grunted, "I'm not sure what was worse; the talk with my dad or that."
Suddenly, screams and shouts were heard from the plaza, and they looked over in time to see a group of fleeing Vikings and a large blast of fire illuminate the area in the darkness of the night.
Astrid groaned. "I think we're about to find something that tops both."
The roars of a dragon could be heard, and they immediately pelted into the plaza, crashing headfirst into a panicking Snotlout.
"Snotlout, what's going on?" Astrid asked.
"I'd never thought I'd say this," Snotlout said, his eyes filled with worry and fear, "But, Hiccup, Astrid... HELP!"
Astrid glanced over to where he gestured, her eyes widening at the sight of a rampaging Hookfang. She's never seen him like this before, not even when he lost his temper during her Final Exam and nearly roasted Hiccup.
"Everyone, back away!" Stoick shouted, "The dragon's out of control! It's not safe here!"
"I don't know what happened!" Snotlout shouted as he, Hiccup, and Astrid joined the twins and Fishlegs on the sidelines, "I was just rubbing his head; he usually loves that! But this time he went crazy! My dragon hates me..."
Astrid and Hiccup edged forward a little, watching as Hookfang scratched the side of his head against the ground, moaning and whimpering.
"They do say a pet starts to take on the characteristics of its owner," Fishlegs said, "I think that's what's happening here."
"Hey!" Snotlout grunted indignantly before elbowing him in the gut, making Fishlegs belt forward, holding his stomach.
"Yep," He said hoarsely, "I rest my case."
"When was the last time he ate?" Astrid asked when she and Hiccup stopped next to one of the many feeding baskets kept throughout the village.
"Not for days," Snotlout answered, and Astrid grabbed a fish from the basket, holding it out to Hookfang.
"You hungry, boy?" She said soothingly, and Hookfang seemed to calm slightly, sniffing at the fish, though some growls still echoed through the plaza. She tossed the fish, and Hookfang caught it, but, when he bit down, his eyes widened, and he roared, spitting out the fish. The half-eaten fish landed directly on Stoick's beard, but he didn't react; he simply grabbed the fish and tossed it to the side, only for it to be caught by Toothless.
"We've got to bring this dragon under control," Stoick said, and Astrid nudged Hiccup a little.
"You want to try?" Astrid asked quietly; his interest in dragons had always gone beyond hers, even before they met Toothless and Stormfly, and she knew he would want to learn to tame a wild dragon.
Hiccup edged forward, fiddling on his leg, holding out his arms cautiously. Hookfang breathed heavily through his nose, staring at him, and Hiccup gently placed his hand on the end of his snout. Hookfang seemed to calm slightly, moaning, and Hiccup smiled a little. "There, it's gonna be okay," He said, using his other hand to pat the side of his face.
Hookfang's eyes suddenly widened, and he reared his head back, roaring and flaming up. Hiccup quickly ducked, scrambling back toward the group.
Toothless roared, and Hiccup quickly pushed his snout, not wanting another incident similar to what happened during the Final Exam to reoccur.
"I've seen enough, Astrid," Stoick said, pulling Hiccup back, and the two looked up at him with widened eyes, "I'm sorry. We tried it your way."
"Okay, c'mon, think," Astrid said in a panicked manner, wanting to calm Hookfang down before Stoick returned with Gobber, "What haven't we tried yet?"
Snotlout turned his head slightly, and his eyes widened. "Snotlout," Astrid said, "You have an idea?"
"Gobber," Snotlout exclaimed, pointing toward the direction he was facing, and the group's eyes widened at the sight of Gobber, weapons in hand and strapped to him, Grump grunting next to him.
"Stand back," Gobber ordered, walking past them, "I came here to do what I do best."
"He's gonna kill my dragon," Snotlout breathed out in horror.
"No, he's not," Astrid said determinedly, glaring at Stoick and Gobber.
"Uh," Tuffnut cut in, "Yeah he is. You don't use that stuff to butter toast."
Ruffnut grunted, thwacking him on the arm, and he released an "Ow!", holding the now sore area before giving Ruffnut a glare.
"Dad, you can't be serious!" Hiccup shouted, "Hookfang is Snotlout's dragon!"
"I'm sorry, Hiccup," Gobber said, Stoick giving the boy an apologetic look, their conversation much too recent to have something like this happen, "But, sometimes you have to fall back on the old ways."
"But he's a good dragon!" Astrid protested.
"He's a good dragon!" Snotlout defended feverishly.
"There's probably just something wrong with him!" Astrid added.
"There's definitely something wrong with him!" Snotlout added desperately, his attention on Gobber as the man began battling with Hookfang.
"We have to try to help him," Hiccup said, "We can't just get rid of him because he's having a bad day! He's not just a pet!"
"He's not a pet!" Snotlout yelled as Gobber seized Hookfang's wings and feet with bolas, "He's a friend!"
Hookfang roared, attempting to shoot at them, but only a few embers came forward. Gobber raised his sword and edged forward, and Hiccup scrambled as fast as he could on his leg, grabbing Gobber's arm, the man raising him up off the ground with his strength.
"I can't let you do this," Hiccup grunted, attempting to pull Gobber's arm down.
Suddenly, Hookfang roared, his open mouth pushing directly in their faces, and Hiccup and Gobber blinked in surprise at what they saw.
"Did you see that?" Gobber asked in astonishment.
"I did," Hiccup said, letting go of Gobber, and the man hooked his sword into his belt, giving Hookfang a determined look.
"Time to put this beast out of its misery," He grunted, running forward and tackling Hookfang, removing the tangled bolas in all the struggling.
"Hiccup, what're you doing?" Astrid whispered loudly, but Hiccup simply held up a hand, silencing the group, and everyone watched in worry as Gobber and Hookfang struggle, Gobber hanging onto the dragon's mouth, before the man was suddenly tossed off.
Hookfang suddenly grunted, leaning back on his hind legs and holding up his winged forelimbs, clutching at his jaw with his claws, blinking in surprised, trilling.
"Ah," Snotlout sighed in relief, "You didn't kill 'em!"
"For a toothache?" Gobber chuckled, holding up a large, rotted tooth with a large cavity in it, "What kind of lunatic are you?"
"So he wasn't angry," Astrid said, "Just in pain."
Hookfang suddenly grunted happily, running over to Snotlout and nuzzling him with purring grumbles, and the boy laughed a little until Hookfang lifted him bodily with his snout. "Stop it, stop it," Snotlout whispered, glancing back at the smirking group, and Hookfang frowned in confusion, setting him back down.
"Heh," Snotlout shrugged nervously as the group began walking off, "I don't know where that came from. Say, Astrid," he continued, leaning against Hookfang in what was supposed to be a casual, attractive manner, "You think you can train that out of him? You know, maybe you could even give me some pointers in one-to-one-"
THWACK!
"OW!" Snotlout shouted, clutching his forehead where a large rock had smacked into it, and Hookfang grunted in surprise, nudging him. Astrid blinked in surprise before glancing over at Hiccup, watching as he set Gobber's saddle with the small catapults back into the disposing cart casually, and she chortled a little before walking over to Gobber.
"Thank you, Gobber," She said, "A bad tooth; I can't believe I didn't think of that."
"That's because you're not Gobber," He grinned, setting his weapons back into his cart, "I've forgotten more about dragons that most people will never know."
"Welp," He muttered, pushing at the cart, "Better go put the girls away."
Astrid blinked before she grinned, an idea striking her. "Wait, Gobber," She said, and he turned to face her, "You don't have to."
Astrid smiled, her head on Hiccup's shoulder, the two sitting on the roof of the forge, listening Gobber sing his happy tunes as he worked on a few dragons' teeth; the forge was still a forge, but now Gobber could make income faster than usual, working as a dentist for dragons.
"He really is the best man for the job," Hiccup mumbled with a small grin as Toothless grunted, nudging at him.
"Of course," Astrid smiled, watching as Gobber worked on Snaptrap below them, "After all, no one knows more about dragons than Gobber."
He snorted, nearly falling over when Toothless nudged him too hard, and she laughed in surprise, quickly tightening her grip on his arm to steady him as Stormfly grunted in annoyance when they pushed into her.
When the world around you changes, the good men find a way to change with it.
And Gobber is one of those good men.
In fact, he's one of the best.
Okay, here's a review response I meant to put up last chapter, but ended up forgetting:
Grizzly09kilo - Thank you :) That's actually the reason I decided to write this story; the first time I saw a role-reversal, I said, "Oh, this could be interesting," but all they did was switch Astrid and Hiccup's names, and that was totally boring. Plus, my favorite thing about the series, Hiccup and Toothless' friendship, is totally gone; I also feel that Astrid and Stormfly shouldn't be separated, either (I also have a hard time imagining anyone other than Hiccup with the fake leg). And I'm glad you decided to give my story a chance; I kept it out of the summary because I wanted to surprise people when they realized that Astrid shot down Stormfly instead of Toothless :)
1) Now, you might see this and say, "Oh, her hand's in his hair; cute," but it's actually a huge deal. Hair is a very intimate part of you, and Vikings took that to the extreme. Hair is sacred in their culture, and that's why married women were usually only allowed to wear their hair down in front of their husbands. Braiding or cutting or washing the hair of someone of the opposite gender is an even bigger deal than just running your hands through it; braiding it usually symbolizes your close relationship with that person (Astrid braiding Hiccup's hair in the second movie? Huge ass deal), and letting someone cut your hair was a sign of extreme trust. Washing speaks for itself considering you were normally only allowed in the wash room with your husband.
3) The Thing was the governing assembly in Germanic societies and introduced into some Celtic societies, made up of the free people of the community and presided by lawspeakers, meeting in a place called a thingstead.
4) Okay, I didn't like how dumbed down Gobber was in this episode, so, some of those accidents during his day of 'chiefing' were caused by Grump in my version.
2) This one, I saved for last because it's the longest; I am going to walk you through a Viking wedding so you can get any references I make to it, so (be prepared; this is long as hell):
Let's use Hiccup and Astrid as an example. It's time for Hiccup and Astrid to get married. It really doesn't come as a surprise to anyone because they have been courting for five years, which was actually a normal part of the system. Courting typically lasted from six months to two years, so they've been at this for way too long. It was totally normal for a Viking girl to marry a guy she knew and liked. Her opinion mattered far more than we usually think. So, they've been courting for a long time, and it's about time, right?
Now, under normal circumstances, Hiccup himself would go to her father to make the initial declaration. But, if Hiccup showed absolutely no initiative, Stoick would probably make the first move, which gets Hiccup in the door. The next step following declaration would be negotiation, but I think it's important that we discuss the protocol of declaration.
A lot of people don't understand that it was actually considered pretty rude to go straight to the family of the woman in question without consulting her first. This is particularly true if the man were making the declaration himself. If his father were making the declaration, there would be a bit more leeway and understanding, but as long as the groom was making a declaration, he was expected to at least tell the girl a few days beforehand; this expectation existed because she did not always have a formal say in the negotiation or acceptance process, but she did have one through her father/brother/uncle/closest male relative/representative. A woman needed ample warning so she could let her male relative, the one who would be making all negotiations on her behalf, know that she was most certainly interested in marrying said man or if she wanted her male representative to kick him to the curb. On rare occasions, should she not have a male family member (no brothers, father's dead, no uncles or grandparents, etc.), her mother would make these negotiations.
Some women in sagas did have their own say, but legal records show that this was far from usual. A man could present his suit no more than three times, and it was also fairly common for a suitor to be refused once or twice; this was a tactic used to drive the bride-price higher. If a man were refused a third time, however, it was most likely because the woman was fighting against marrying him and her male relative was listening. The suitor would never be allowed to present his suit again. If the woman changed her mind, her family would then have to go to the man to present their own suit, by which time the man would have probably moved on.
In short, if Stoick is making the first move, Astrid isn't consulted until after the fact, and her father will likely refuse the suit to give her time to think it over. If Hiccup is making the first move, he tells Astrid about it probably a couple days in advance.
Once this is accomplished, Hiccup's declaration is made, but he would have to make all the negotiations himself, and he would be negotiating the bride-price. These negotiations could last from a day to several months, the length of time depending on how many goats, gold pieces, or whatever Astrid's father wanted in return for his daughter, and how long it took for Hiccup and Astrid's father to compromise on the number of those items. Usually, these negotiations would be carried out in the evening, and there would most likely be alcohol involved. Hiccup would not go into these negotiations alone; he would bring trusted friends and people of some power in the community. He's the chief's son, so he honestly has more power than anyone else, except his father; thus, he could bring Stoick if he liked. It's his choice, but he could bring anyone, provided the person was male and an adult. And he absolutely had to bring people. Sources indicate that there were never less than six of these witnesses, though there could be more. But these men would go with Hiccup to negotiate the bride-price, which consisted of three parts: the mundr and the morgengifu, which he would pay, and the heimen fylgia, half of which was Astrid's and half of which would serve as her dowry. He didn't really have much say in her half of the heimen fylgia, but the dowry portion was expected to be equal to the mundr.
The mundr was quite literally the price Hiccup would pay to Astrid's family. It was not an ownership thing. Viking husbands did not own their wives like Anglo-Saxon husbands did. The mundr was not paid to buy Astrid, which is a common misconception, it was paid to cover the cost of losing a working member of the household, and it also served to prove that the man making the offer had enough money to support a large family. Thus, the mundr had to come from a man's personal wealth and property. To understand this, one has to understand how Vikings conceived property; property was anything fully owned and used by a person. The same basic concept is used in modern-day indigenous land right disputes. Basically, the mundr had to come from a man's personal flock of goats or his personal gold pile or his personal stock of yadayada.
Crafted items (if the man were a craftsman, which is what Hiccup is) were not considered property (meaning Hiccup can't pay the mundr with something made in the forge; sorry to kill any ideas), as he had not made his items to be used by himself and they, therefore, were not within his property rights. All crafted items existed as his conditional property – he could claim repayment if items were stolen, but they were ultimately not his own as they had been made to be used for others. So, a crafted item in the mundr would not have been included in the actual show of wealth; it was a nice gesture, but it held no property value and was honestly a waste of time for everyone involved. The mundr had to be a personal wealth sacrifice. The mundr did not have to be paid until the actual wedding, but there was usually a sort of down payment made by the groom.
So they agree on Astrid's net worth, and, at the earliest, a few days following the final agreement (about a week, maybe), make the handsal, which was a ceremony observed by the six or more witnesses in which Hiccup would take Astrid's hands in a literal hand clasp and shake…they would literally shake on it, dudes. A handsal was any agreement made with a handshake, but this one was special because the man would actually say a set piece that would seal the engagement. The time between the agreement and the handsal was to allow either party the chance to rethink the decision. Once the handsal was made, there was no going back. The words were:
"We declare ourselves witnesses that thou, (insert bride's full name here), bondest me in lawful betrothal, and with taking hold of hands thou promisest me the dowry and engagest to fulfill and observe the whole of the compact between us, which has been notified in the hearing of witnesses without duplicity or cunning, as a real and authorized compact."
After this, the marriage went underway. Now, Hiccup is the chief's son, so this would be lavish. They'll be importing all sorts of food; citrus fruits from the Mediterranean and Moorish and Berber Africa, spices from as far as India, the best wines, and there would be beef and lamb and all sorts of fowl. This wedding would be huge; typical weddings would last about a week, but this one could last for two. Guests would include the whole village and a ton of important persons from nearby tribes, maybe even the whole archipelago (you know, not counting the islands you're at war with).
So, of course they would be separated before the actual ceremony, which would happen on Friday and most likely just after the harvest to make sure that there was a ton of food and ideal travel conditions.
Astrid would be with her mother, other women who were married and the vǫlva. Not a gyðja. Berk does not have a gyðja. (Gothi is not a goði, as the TV series would have you believe. She is a vǫlva. Stoick, the chief, is actually the goði; the gyðja is the female version of that)
They would get rid of the fillet she wears, her kransen, and she would not see it until she had her own daughter and would pass it on. Then she would go to the bath house. Vikings bathed quite frequently; they were actually the Mr. Clean of their time period, but this would be far more ritualistic. How was this ritual different from any other bathing ceremony? No one actually knows; maybe herbs and oils were added to increase fertility, maybe not, but we do know that it symbolized washing away maidenhood. Or, maybe just unmarried life because women who had been previously married went through the same process.
During this period, she would also be given the final sex talk (She's already had the sex talk and knows how everything is supposed to go down. She understands the basic process and quite a lot about the activities associated with foreplay; in a Viking village, you're gonna know every single detail about sex, from foreplay to anal work, by the time you're fourteen), when the women attending her really get into it and tell her all their little secrets for getting their husbands off to the point of intense discomfort.
Now, the final part is highly debated; the bride would be dressed. How? Don't know. Post-Christianization records (not post-Christian period; there's a huge difference. Post-Christian period refers to the period after which the Swedes and Danes converted. Post-Christianization refers to the population of the place in question being Christianized) indicate that a bridal crown was worn. There is no evidence supporting this pre-Christianization.
Please note that HTTYD does take place in the post-Christian period; they've adopted the architecture of post-Christian settlements, so they may have adopted some traditions as well; it's hard to say. So, would Astrid have worn a bridal crown? Don't know. What would it have looked like? Maybe straw, maybe rope, maybe flowers, maybe all three. I can't tell you. One thing is for sure, though: she would not have worn the suspended dress with oval brooches. Why? Because that has been out of style for at least a century by the time HTTYD takes place. The Vikings have moved on to other styles. Honestly, at this point in time, it's beneficial to look at English fashion (it was then a Viking-controlled country, just heavily populated by Anglo-Saxons) and Norman fashion (also Viking-controlled). What those cultures wore, everyone else in Western Europe wore. Archaeologists have garments from Viking-age Greenland, and those definitely follow the contemporary trends in England far more than they follow trends in Scandinavia.
Hiccup would go through a similar process. He would be attended by his father (who happens to be the goði) and other married men. Rather than remove any symbols of unmarried life, though, he would be required to obtain an ancestral sword. Sometimes, he had to break into a grave to get it, sometimes the family just kept it in the home. If the family had it at home (and, considering Berk is too small for burial grounds, that's most likely the case), then the relatives would hide it from him and he'd have to go find it. So they would go crazy hiding it, and Hiccup would be chasing them all over the island.
Another of his family members would dress as a ghost, and Hiccup would have to confront him. Or, Hiccup could just go to Stoick and ask for the sword, and Stoick would give it to him, but only after boring him with a recitation of their family history. Then, he would visit the bath house, wash away his bachelor status, and then be sat down and have the Hávamál spelled out for him (it can be found in the Elder Edda, and is basically the authoritative guide to women). He would also be brought through a more detailed version of the sex talk in which all the men would give him extensive descriptions of how they pleasured their wives; again, this would be to the point of intense discomfort, because he as well knows how things are supposed to go and does not need to know exactly what his neighbors do every night down to the most minute detail. Then, he would get dressed and go to the ceremony with the sword, and, maybe, a hammer as a symbol of fertility (Mjolnir is a phallic symbol on this day, not a power symbol).
The ceremony was presided over by the chief, called the goði. Stoick (if Stoick were dead, it could be done Hiccup himself, but he could also grab the hofgoði (a priest) or the vǫlva). The first part included the exchange of the mundr and the bride, who was accompanied by her heimen fylgia. Then they somehow got the gods' attention (not sure how); maybe they sacrificed an animal, maybe not. But, if they did, they would sacrifice a goat for Thor, a sow for Freyja, or a horse for Freyr; these were the gods of fertility. But, considering Hiccup is the chief's kid, they might sacrifice all three. Then, the person presiding would dip a bundle of firs into a bowl of something; the words used in all accounts are super vague and can mean anything from wine to mead to blood to water to semen. Don't know; can't tell you. Then, the presiding person would sprinkle the bride and groom (or just the bride, if Hiccup were handling everything); the sprinkling was very ritualistic and performed with specific movement: gently down, and sharply from left to right in the sign of a hammer, like Mjolnir.
Then Hiccup and Astrid would present their family swords with the wedding rings presented. No one actually knows where the rings were; maybe the pommel, maybe the tip. Astrid would take his sword to hang on to for their own son; Hiccup would take her family's sword as it symbolized that her father was entrusting her protection to his care. And then the rings happened, placed on the third finger of the left hand; not much has changed in that respect.
Then came the feast, which was preceded by a race. If the groom won, the bride's party would serve the mead. If the bride won, the groom's party would serve the mead.
In all actuality, though, Hiccup would have to win because he would have to prevent Astrid from entering the Hall (this usually happened in the home of the bride or groom, but, considering Hiccup is the chief's son, this wedding is going to be huge, so the Great Hall). He would have to take her hand and lead her inside and pray to all the gods she did not trip; tripping is a bad sign. Then Hiccup would have to drive his sword into one of the supporting beams (some people claim throw, but this is incredibly unlikely; the various terms used can translate to throw, but they more commonly translate as plunge or drive); he would drive it in and pray that it stuck. If it didn't stick, the marriage was probably going to fail.
Basically, if anything bad happened, the marriage was going to fail. But, if the gods smiled on the union, nothing bad would happen.
Next, Astrid would officially assume her duties as a wife and serve Hiccup the bridal ale (which was actually mead; usually). He would, maybe, consecrate the drink to Thor by drawing that hammer symbol over the cup, and then he would definitely toast Odin. Then Hiccup and Astrid would drink together, and they were finally legally married. Some people have proposed that blood from the sacrifice would be mixed into the mead (not a lot; just a few drops), but no one really knows.
The hammer that Hiccup may or may not have brought to the ceremony would then be laid in Astrid's lap (Stoick could do it, but it would most likely be Hiccup), and, maybe he'd also trace the hammer sign over it; this would be to bless Astrid herself and pray for her own fertility.
After that, the formalities ended and everyone stuffed their faces and got smashed. Some guests would tell embellished stories about famous people or the groom. Some of these stories were extremely popular and would be recorded, in embellished form, by the Icelandic Vikings; we call them sagas. But, considering the fact that this whole day revolves around Hiccup (chief's son; sorry, Astrid), guess who the main character in the majority of those stories be? That's right; it's Hiccup (they might not even be embellished considering all the crap he went through with the dragons). There would be dancing and games and all sorts of fun times.
After that, Hiccup and Astrid would be led to their wedding night with light. What does this mean? I have no idea; maybe it was still daylight, maybe there were torches involved; whatever happened, there was a source of light involved.
Astrid would bring her heimen fylgia with her, and she would probably get there before Hiccup did, and she and her party put the bedclothes on the bed (part of her heimen fylgia), and her attendants would dress her in some very special night clothes (which I'm not going to get into as it would take a while; Viking clothing in general takes a while) with the bridal crown and her hair around her face like a veil. Then, Hiccup would be led in. The exact same six or more men who observed the handsal would be in attendance.
Now, this is also a common misconception.
THEY DID NOT WATCH THE CONSUMMATION.
I cannot exaggerate the amount of people that think public consummation means the witnesses stayed and watched the deed. NO. NO ONE WATCHED. EVER. THAT'S NOT WHAT A PUBLIC CONSUMMATION IS.
Their purpose would not be to ensure that Hiccup and Astrid did the do; their purpose was to ensure that, yes, that was definitely Hiccup and Astrid in the room, then they would observe Hiccup removing the bridal crown, which was symbolic deflowering. After that, everyone would get the hell out and let Hiccup and Astrid do their thing. ALONE. There would be no one making sure they knew what to do. They've known what to do since they were fourteen and were fully admitted into society (and I don't just mean actual penetrative sex; they would be aware of all manner of exciting bedtime activities).
Their wedding night would be spent in solitude and they would most definitely have at least an idea of how things were supposed to go down.
As to Astrid's chastity…Yes, she would be expected to remain chaste until her wedding day. It was law. Did women actually obey this law? Um, no, not really. Astrid and Hiccup have been courting for five years; they're freaking twenty years old. Even if she's not a virgin on her wedding night and there wasn't any blood on the sheets in the morning (which was actually only checked on occasion; not every wedding), everyone would know that Hiccup was the one who broke her in. And sense they ended up married anyway, with no illegitimate pregnancies along the way (all of which could have actually been legitimized post-marriage), it would not be that big of an issue for them.
Women and men were not exactly held to the same standard of chastity. The birth control they did have was, while effective by standards of the day, not too effective by today's standards. In fact, to be blunt about it, it downright sucked; did not work too often.
In the morning, they would be separated again. Hiccup would just get dressed, but Astrid would get dressed and have her hair bound up. Post-Christianization, there would be a head covering involved, but Berkians aren't really Christianized, so her hair would probably be up and uncovered with, maybe, a veil, since it is the post-Christian period.
In recent years, cultural studies have found veils that date to pre-Christian periods, but these are rare. If Astrid were to wear one, though, it would be small and would be clasped to another fillet; not her maiden fillet, a different one, but her hair would most definitely be visible. This hairstyle (and possible head covering) was a mark of honor; a mark of status.
After that, they would meet up in the Great Hall again. Astrid's heimen fylgia was something she had brought with her from home, of course. This is very comparable to the trousseau. It held things she had probably made, clothing, bed clothes, household objects, and whatnot. And it was hers. Hiccup would have absolutely no rights to it. He could not touch it or use the contents for his own purposes. It would be Astrid's property and would remain so if they were to get divorced; the same goes for the morgengifu (morning-gift; basically, "a thank you for giving me your virginity, it was quite nice"); this would be Hiccup's gift to her, paid before every guest at the wedding in the Great Hall, and it was her property over which she had sole control, even if they were ever to divorce. Considering Hiccup's status, there would be a good deal of wealth involved; like, actual gold among other priceless treasures, anything he would think she might like, and, quite possibly, land. As the chief's son (or the chief), Hiccup literally owns the entirety of Berk (except the plots of land that other families live and farm on), and he can give it to whomever he chooses.
Chiefs often gave land to their brides as part of the morning gift; it's also a common misconception that men in general gave land to their brides. But, really, only men of high status actually had land to give. Basically, if Hiccup and Astrid were to ever get a divorce, she would bet set for life; she'd have land and masses of wealth and an achieved status that would entice any man into a second marriage.
After the gift exchange, the feast and merriment would begin again, and it would last until the 1-2 weeks were up. Then, everyone would finally go home, and Astrid and Hiccup would lock themselves up for four weeks. There's a common belief that they would have mead brought to them every day with food so that they would not run out for those four weeks, but that's not true. Yes, food was brought, but they had a limited supply of mead; if they ran out, it would bode very badly for the marriage.
After the four weeks of sexy time were over, they would finally emerge from hiding and…go about their daily lives. Astrid now has the new responsibility of managing and maintaining a household, and, when she finally had children, she would have to manage them too. But would she be in the house all day? No. She would be Hiccup's wife, and he's the son of the chief, so that means something; even before he became or becomes chief, she would be invited to counsel meetings and would actively participate in political decisions; after he became chief, the same would happen, and it would be understood that if Hiccup were ever absent or sick, responsibility over Berk would fall to her.
And that is a complete breakdown of the Viking wedding, exampled through Astrid and Hiccup. I wanted to put this in here because, as a history and culture nut, misconceptions can get quite annoying (not being hostile; they just bug me a little bit).
I hope you enjoyed this cultural lesson :)
Wow, that was a lot of writing; hope you enjoyed the chapter and the education that came with it :)
