Chp. 3

Marriage and Shadow

A man with a long, brown beard wearing a flowing purple robe with gold embroidery sat upon a large, marble throne. The hall was filled with marble pillars and gold statues. The marble floor looked like the night sky, giving one the sense of walking through space. There was a long, red and gold carpet that led from the throne on its raised pedestal to two large, wooden doors. A young man entered the room and knelt before the King.

"Ah, General Aries," the King said, "Have your Dragon Knights been successful in finding these Shadow traitors?"

General Aries Shadowfang was in his early 20's, or so he looked. He wore a black tunic under black plate armor with a black cape fastened to it. He had short, black hair and cold, gray eyes. "No my liege. The Shadow Knights continue to elude us. We have received reports of plots to take your life though. I humbly request that you allow a few of my men to be added to your honor guard."

The King thought for a moment before speaking, "Very well, you may do so. However, I want you two double your searches for these miscreants."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," Aries turned and left, a wicked grin spreading across his face. Things were going exactly as he had planned.

*

There was only a week left, and all anyone in the village could talk about was the wedding. It was to be a tremendous occasion for sure. It was the marriage of the Chief's son, the hero of Berk, the one person no one would have ever dreamed of making it so far. Hiccup would have been giddy with excitement, if it hadn't been for the fact that Astrid had suddenly taken a liking to wearing him out in training for the past month. She was doing a good job of keeping her excitement contained herself.

The village was alive and buzzing with the preparations for the wedding. Food for the feast was gathered, events were planned, it was like a semi-carnival. Much to their disappointment, the soon-to-be bride and groom were often whisked away from each other to help in the preparations. Pretty much the only time they had together was when they were training, or flying their dragons.

Speaking of which, Toothless and Prince did not like the large amount of separation time from their masters. They knew something important was happening, (dragons are very intelligent), but they were both very annoyed by Hiccup and Astrid's persistent absence.

Finally the day arrived. The excitement in the town was so thick and intense you could practically cut it with a knife. Hiccup and Astrid had retired early the night before, because they knew that final preparations would begin at the crack of dawn. The Vikings of Berk had very odd traditions, this being one of them.

Hiccup's day began even earlier than the crack of dawn, however. He hadn't been able to sleep well anyway, but that didn't make Toothless' early morning wake up call any better. The Night Fury was super-charged by the energy that seemed to have infected the residents of Berk. He leapt on top of the surprised Viking, purring and whining.

"Hey! Toothless! Why are you up so early buddy?" Hiccup yawned. "Well, since I'm up, do want to go flying for a bit?"

The dragon hummed before turning around and bounding out the door, obviously ecstatic at the chance to fly. Hiccup yawned again before getting up and getting dressed. Once he had his flying gear on, the young man joined his dragon outside.

Hiccup mounted Toothless and patted his neck, "Alright Toothless, let's go."

The black dragon spread his wings and shot into the sky. The cool wind was refreshing for them both and chased any weariness Hiccup still had away. Toothless dived until he was a few feet above the surface of the sea. The dragon weaved in and out, below and above the rocks and small islands surrounding the Berk. After about an hour of flying, Hiccup and Toothless touched down by their home as the first rays of sunlight peaked over the horizon. Stoic and a small band of male Vikings were waiting just outside the house.

"Well Hiccup, you're up bright and early," the Viking Chief said as he unfolded his arms and strode forward. He put a huge hand on his son's shoulder as he led him to the other Vikings. "Today is a very important day, possibly the most important of your life. There are still some last minute preparations to be done, and I've chosen these men to prep you." He pushed hiccup towards Gobber the Belch, who stood at the front of the group. "I would help, but there are some last minute things I must take care of myself." He winked at Hiccup before turning and leaving.

Gobber watched Stoic walk away for a moment before he turned to Hiccup, "Well, c'mon Hiccup, we have some… things that need to be taken care of."

As they turned to leave, Toothless began to follow. At first, Gobber protested. However, after growling and singeing the Viking's hair, he gave in. The troop then proceeded to the crypt of Hiccup's ancestors, where he would retrieve his ceremonial "gift" for Astrid. This "gift" was an ancestral sword, which would one day be given to their own child.

Astrid's mother woke her just as the first rays of light were peeping over the horizon. She led a group of Viking wives, who took Astrid to choose her gift to Hiccup. It ended up being a shield lined with polished steel and several steel studs on a plate in the center. It wasn't even really Astrid's choice, Prince just picked it up and set it at her feet. Every time someone would put it back, the dragon would squawk, pick it up, and put down in front of her again.

After breakfast, the festivities began. There were ax throwing competitions, roasted lamb eating competitions, a combative tournament (which Hiccup actually did decent in, thanks to Astrid), dragon races and acrobatics (which Hiccup and Toothless blew everyone out of the water), even a Viking form of capture the flag (except, with dragons).

After lunch, the bride and groom were taken to get changed. Hiccup would be wearing a green tunic with a fur cape. The sword given to him from the Magus would be hanging from his belt. Astrid was going to wear a blue… vikingish wedding gown. Her normal headgear was replaced by a crown of twigs, clover, and, wouldn't you know, astrids.

The ceremony was to be held in front of a small grove of trees just beyond the village. The whole village and all of their dragons were there. Hiccup stood next to Stoic, who was going to marry them. When Ruffnut appeared wearing a maid's gown, the crowd all turned their attention to the young woman behind her. When Ruffnut moved out of the way, Hiccup was stunned. It was a good thing Astrid and her father were taking their time making their way up there, because Hiccup's brain was experiencing a temporary shutdown. She not only looked beautiful, but in Hiccup's opinion, she literally glowed. When she saw him and smiled, his heart was reduced to putty.

Finally, the two reached Hiccup and his father. Hiccup presented the sword of his ancestor's to Astrid as she gave him the shield she/Prince had chosen. After the exchange, the two held hands and turned to the Chief. With tears in his eyes, Stoic the Vast began the ceremony. After exchanging vows, it finally came to the deciding moment.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III," Stoic said happily, "do you take Astrid Hofferson to be your wife, to care for her in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

Hiccup turned to look at Astrid. Both of their eyes shone, their immense love for each other no longer hidden. He picked up Astrid's ring from a pillow held by Gobber and slipped on Astrid's petite hand. Hiccup took a deep breath and smiled, "I do."

"And do you, Astrid Hofferson, take Hiccup to be your husband, to care for him in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

Hiccup could have sworn that he glimpsed a tear in Astrid's eye as she looked at him and placed his ring on his finger. "I do."

"Then I hereby pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Stoic said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

The two stood there, staring at each other, in their own little world. Obviously having an idea what was supposed to happen, Toothless and Prince, who were standing behind their respective owners, looked at each other. As if on cue, they nudged their masters from behind, pushing them into each other. Hiccup's and Astrid's lips met, and the crowd erupted into a roar of congratulations and laughter.

That night, there was a huge feast. All of the Vikings sat at long tables set outside, while the dragons feasted nearby. As the feast ended, Stoic; who sat at the head table with Gobber, Hiccup and Astrid, and Astrid's parents; stood and turned to the newly weds.

"Well Hiccup, Astrid, today is the start of you life together. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say, may it be long and happy. Now, before we all hit the sack, I have one last surprise for you two."

Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other as they and the rest of the Vikings arose from their seats to follow Stoic. He led them to a large object covered by an even larger piece of cloth and rope. At Stoic's command, several Vikings untied the rope, allowing the cloth to fall. Everyone gasped. The Viking chief turned to his son and daughter-in-law.

"Hiccup, Astrid, welcome to your new home."

*

While the Vikings were being merry and celebrating however, chaos had erupted in every Magus village, fortress, and ship in existence. Soldiers, who had long considered each other brothers-in-arms, fought and killed one another. The Magus palace, situated in the most unlikely of places, echoed with the sounds of battle. The throne room was safely secured against attack, with the Dragon Knights guarding the King on the outside, and the rest of his guard on the inside. The doors opened and a black clad figure, sword in hand, entered the room.

"Aries! What is going on? Why have our men turned on us?" The King demanded.

The doors shut tight behind Aries as he spoke, readying his weapon, "That's because this kingdom no longer belongs to you, old fool. It now belongs to me, and my Shadow Knights."

"No!" the King said in disbelief. Then, turning to his guards he commanded, "Kill that traitor!"

As the honor guard charged forward, only one thought went through Aries' mind: Poor fools. The never stood a chance.

Well, that's done. I thought that Viking weddings were a bit boring and… weird, so I added a little bit of a modern wedding. I couldn't quite remember everything that is said, so I apologize for any missing words from the ceremony. How did I do? I've never written about a wedding before, so I'm curious as to how I did. I'm also thinking of having the next chapter be about Hiccup's and Astrid's new wedded life; or just skipping right ahead with the story. What do you guys think? Please review!

Dark Guymelef