Chapter 3.
Astrid took tight hold of the rope and tugged sharply in attempts to secure the boat firmly to the dock. Once done she looked up towards the far off sea stack, giving a little wave of her hand to let them know they'd arrived safely.
Ruffnut was having more trouble then her, unfortunately, stumbling about uselessly in the dress like it was a sack without a bottom.
With a tap of her hands Astrid moaned and bent down to drag Ruffnut out of the vessel. "You good now?" She asked impatiently.
"Good is a strong word, young lass. Use it sparingly!" Ruffnut chortled with another stumble. She straightened up and smoothed the folds of her skirt, looking sloppy but prim. She turned her nose up and began walking down the dock towards the gate. Astrid grabbing the satchel from the boat before taking after her.
Just as Snotlout had said, there was a giant man standing at the gate.
"Oi, what're you two pretty ladies doing out here without an escort?" He asked suggestively in a heavy accent, wiggling his eyebrows.
Astrid huffed and tilted her chin up, hand itching for her axe. Thankfully Hiccup had agreed that precautions should be made, so had given her her daggers, safely hidden under the multiple layers of dress.
"We're here on a spree, to see some friends of ours." Astrid answered hotly. "Let us through or we'll-"
Ruffnut coughed innocently with a jab to Astrid's ribs, causing her sentence to sputter to an unfinished close. Ruff stepped forward slowly and daintily, batting her eyelashes.
"Dear sir, would you let us through? Our grandmother is very ill." She asked so quietly and innocently, Astrid was stunned speechless.
The guard nodded and moved to the side, letting them slide through. "Your grandmother? What's her name, lasses, and I might make a stop later."
Ruffnut's jaw cranked up and down wordlessly, but before the guard grew too suspicious Astrid grabbed her arm and dragged her away hurriedly, cursing her skirts for slowing them down dramatically.
"Hey!" Ruffnut pulled away with an irritated roll of her eyes. "What was that for?"
"You're gonna get us arrested." Astrid hissed.
Ruffnut stared at her before placing her hands on her hips, disbelieving. "We're ladies, Astrid. They won't arrest us."
"How do we know that?" Astrid grunted in return. She slowed her gait once they reached a small staircase, bringing them to a higher level of the village. They easily trotted up it while avoiding the others that were going down the steps on the other side. Astrid was truly amazed by how many people were up and about, it was almost crazy. This place was definitely bigger then Berk, more populated but definitely not any more organized. The thing that annoyed her was their defenses. Sure, they had a stone castle and wall, but they had no weapons or catapults to be seen. That, and they had a crappy guard at the entrance. Had this been Berk, since they rarely got visitors, Stoick himself would've been down to meet anyone new to the village.
Astrid eyed the buildings in wonder. If Hiccup was there he'd be calculating exactly how they built them or how they were formed, but she took them in for what they were. She'd let the nerd take care of the difficult calculating all he wanted when he dared to enter the grounds in his skirt.
She snorted again, the image of Hiccup doing some silly jig in that odd piece of clothing an amusing- and somewhat terrifying- image.
"So what's the point of us being here again? To snoop?" Ruffnut spoke up, appearing bored with her arms crossed and gaze straight ahead. "If that's all, leave me and do it yourself. I want to try some of their food."
"Hush." Astrid ordered quietly. "Hiccup just said to get to know the culture a bit, I'm guessing he means an hour or two wandering about. Then we're to get dressed back in our old clothes and go see the chief." She jiggled the satchel for emphasis.
"I'm confused. Then what's the point of dressing in disguise?" Ruffnut sniffed at her clothes disdainfully.
"Ask my diluted boyfriend." Astrid mumbled "Personally, I think he just wanted to see us in dresses."
"Well, not to brag but-" Ruffnut wiggled her butt. "I think I pull off the look quite well!" She grinned and crossed her arms, slouching in her normal posture.
"I hate these." Astrid repeated for the utmost time. She paused by a bench and plopped into it in exhaustion. The tight waist was cutting off her air supply dramatically, not to mention the strange hard contraption constricting her breasts and chest. She was surprised she could breathe at all. "There's no way women can get anything done in these darned things."
"We can con." Ruffnut cackled.
"Excuse me."
Astrid looked up quickly at the sound of the lighter tone belonging to a young man, gaze locking with a brown eyed stranger. His hair was tied back in a sloppy bun at the nape of his neck, an odd hat on his head and a clean shaven face. He looked young, perhaps a bit older then Hiccup by a few years. Astrid would've been able to take him seriously, if he'd not been wearing a ridiculously short kilt to reveal not only his knees, but some of his legs as well.
It was a struggling battle not to burst out laughing.
Ruffnut didn't seem deterred, eyelids falling as she stared lustfully at his muscular shape. "Mm, excused." She purred.
The man flashed a charming smile that looked routine and forced, not light and happy like any others. Astrid eyed him suspiciously, not certain he could be trusted.
"Are you young ladies new to Glas? I don't believe I've seen you on these streets before."
Before Ruff could open her big blabbery and love sick mouth, Astrid hurried to reply. "We're visitors, not staying long."
"Oh? Visitors from where?"
Crap, crap. Crap crap crap crapcrapcrap.
Astrid blinked rapidly, unsure of how to answer. This wasn't in the plan!
"B-Ber…Berv..?" She stuttered. Frustrated with herself, she hurried to correct. "We're from Berv, a ways from here."
"Berv…" The man eyed them down suspiciously, quite obviously disbelieving. "I don't think I've ever heard of such a place."
"You haven't." Ruffnut snorted. "Berv, seriously?"
Astrid growled a warning under her breath, hoping Ruffnut would shut up- and fast.
"Berv, interesting. Well, I am Prince Ruari," He took a quick bow, then waved his hand to the landscape behind him, including the large towering stone structure. "welcome to Gras!"
"Thanks." Astrid said guardedly. "Prince, did you say?"
"Yes, my father is King Oisin and my mother Princess Claire." He said the names proudly with a boastful puff of his chest.
He seemed so proud, while all Astrid could wonder was "Such odd names."
Then again, to them, Snotlout and Fishlegs were probably pretty strange as well.
"It was nice to meet you, Ruari-"
Ruari frowned. "Prince." He corrected stiffly.
Astrid puckered her brow crossly, but obliged, "Prince, Ruari, for the introduction. But we must be going."
Ruffnut stuttered in protest, but Astrid just smiled awkwardly at the Prince while dragging her friend off the bench and shoving her forward on past. "Eh, bye!"
He didn't bother to make a returning farewell, which bothered Astrid but she didn't make anything of it. She turned around, yet she could still feel his gaze burning into her back.
"I don't like that man." Astrid whispered quietly.
Ruffnut shook her head. "Why not? He was hot…"
"He was not." Astrid snapped, having found nothing at all attractive about the man. He seemed arrogant, like he was above her in some way. He wasn't. They were equal; she was in no way lower in skill.
She bet her bits she could beat him in any weaponry match, the pampered scoundrel.
"You didn't see those muscles? Or his hair or-"
"No, I didn't." Astrid replied, hoping that would end the conversation. "I'm ready to leave, how about you?"
"Ready? Not after that I'm not-"
Astrid grunted upon impact, bumping into something big and solid. She looked up into the terrifying face of an over sized woman who was glaring back down at her through tiny black eyes. Astrid smiled cheekily, hoping for forgiveness.
"Sorry." She murmured as she stepped aside. "Wasn't watching where I was going."
The lady just glared at them as she walked by, making Astrid ten times as nervous. She'd never admit it, but that women made her fear she'd come after her in her sleep to kill her- silently, of course.
"Should we go see the king? If you'd let me seduce that Prince back there it would've been a lot easier." Ruffnut grumbled.
Astrid had to admit to that one, she'd probably made a bit of a mistake ending their conversation with Ruari so soon.
"You're right." She sighed, glancing back. The Prince was no where in sight.
"Well miss I'm-never-impressed." Ruffnut guffawed with a cross of her arms. "What are we going to do now?"
"Go and find that Prince, I guess." Astrid sighed and rubbed her eyes, not at all wanting to speak to that man again. "Let's go…"
"Isn't this the point where we signal the guys?"
Astrid paused, glaring back at the grinning Ruffnut. She lifted a finger in the air, smiling proudly. "I actually remembered!"
"Congrats, and you're right." Astrid turned back towards the sea, but she knew they probably couldn't see her from behind the wall. So she walked a bit further on until she reached a small space between a thatched roofed hut (which seemed ridiculous to her, how on earth did they survive fires?) and the wall. Ruffnut boosted her up until she landed clumsily on the top of the wall, once again cursing her dress.
She looked up and finally found the sea stack off in the distance, hoping the guys saw her, and if not, they'd just have to introduce themselves on their own.
"Do we get dressed now?"
"No, we'll wait." Astrid replied, even though it pained her. She wanted to get out of the dratted skirt and boned breast cage as fast as possible, but knew if they wanted to convince the Prince to take them to the King she'd have to appear like the women they knew and understood.
Which seemed absolutely stupid, but whatever.
Ruffnut was ahead of her by a few good paces, eager to find prince charming while Astrid was everything but. She lugged their satchel instead, keeping a sharp look out for trouble.
Ruffnut waved a hand and pointed ahead, directing her towards a wooden stand of what appeared to be a drink of some kind. There Ruari stood, holding three of the drinks in his hands while setting a pile of coins on the counter.
"Ruari!" Ruffnut called, waving her hand dramatically. He spun around and grinned brightly, stepping their way.
"We meet again, so soon?"
"Yes, we were wondering if you could tell us the way to the castle." Astrid said carefully and slowly, nudging Ruffnut's shoe with hers to tell her to just stay quiet.
Ruari narrowed his eyes. "To the castle?" He asked cautiously. "Now why would you want to go there?"
"We need to speak to the King- your Dad." Ruffnut piped up, which earned her another sharp jab from Astrid.
"My father? Why?"
"We have some… official business from… Berk to discuss."
"Berk? But I thought you were from a place…"
Astrid hurried to interrupt. "Berv is another name to call it, but it's namely known as Berk. We're from a ways North."
"Ah, and that's for the odd accents." Ruari chuckled and nodded. "So what are you? Princesses?"
"Shield maidens." Astrid said boldly, feeling confident. "Well, I am. Ruffnut here is questionable."
"Ruffnut!?" The man choked on his drink, liquid sputtering out and drenching his shirt and chin. He wiped a cloth across his mouth, staring at them in laughing disbelief.
"Yes, Ruffnut." Astrid replied firmly with a clench of her fists. "What's it to you?"
"What sort of name is that for a woman?"
"You can call me whatever you want…" Ruffnut whispered with a little wiggle of her eyebrows.
Astrid looked first at Ruffnut in horror, next to the still giggling Ruari. With an exasperated shrug, she said, "Yes, and I'm Astrid Hofferson. Care to take us to the King?"
"What business did you need to discuss?"
"Friendly, we've never been here before and we just wanted to introduce ourselves." Astrid replied honestly. She glanced back down at the gate and dock below, smiling when she saw the overloaded boat slowly making its way towards port. She glanced at the sky, high above able to spot what looked like a large eagle with a long tail, but she knew better.
"Our other friends should be here shortly."
