I sat rigidly in the seat, making a conscious effort not to fidget as Chief Stoick casually sipped his mug. He had been strangely calm, almost serene, the entire time. It was unnerving, especially considering the hard set to his jaw when he'd first grabbed me off the street and practically dragged me into his home. Hiccup had gone with Toothless to collect materials for her perfume-making, declining my offer to join her with a firm declaration that she was fine and didn't need to be looked after at all hours of the day.
It had only been two weeks since she'd woken from her brush with death and I made a point of being with her as often as I could, concerned that her new leg would trouble her. At first it had, but now she could walk with barely a limp. That didn't stop me from worrying.
Honestly I'd been so preoccupied with Hiccup, my work for Bucket and Mulch, and Stormfly – my Nadder, who finally taken to one of my suggested names, apparently Spike and Shredder are too masculine – that I'd forgotten all about the talk that the Chief had promised me. It probably wouldn't have helped had I been prepared for it and it does no good to speculate on that now, but I can't help but give myself a mental clubbing anyway.
Chief Stoick finished slurping with a satisfied gasp and lowered the cup from his lips with all the ease of a man at peace. His green eyes – so like those of his daughter – met my own and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.
"Aren't ye gonna' have any?" he asked, gesturing to the untouched mug in front of me.
Not wanting to offend I grabbed the cup and took a quick swig before placing it back down. My stomach was too full of nerves to handle the whole tankard. The Chief nodded in approval, then rested his elbows on the table, adopting a more serious expression. "I suppose yer wonderin' why I brought ye here."
My throat felt dry, my hands clammy. I can't remember ever being this nervous before, not even when I used to try and talk to Hiccup before we got to know each other. Maybe because this is her father and the Chief of our tribe, the one man that could actually prevent me from seeing her and possibly banish me from the island for good measure. The heavy tone that he was using wasn't encouraging either.
"Yer a smart lad Aster and one of the most able of yer generation, I've heard good things from Bucket and Mulch about ye." The pride that I felt at being praised by the Chief was quickly swallowed by a wave of other emotions, namely dread. There had to be a 'but' in here somewhere right?
"Hiccup is my only daughter and after yer little…display a few days ago I need to ask…what are yer intentions toward her?"
The Chief's tone dropped a note at the end, becoming borderline threatening. That, combined with the steely glare he sent me over his folded hands, made my heartbeat speed up. I suddenly noticed that the Chief is much, much larger than I am, not to mention a more experienced warrior. There's also the plethora of weaponry adorning the walls behind him. Some of those blades look sharp enough to slice through oak like butter…
Quickly shoving those unhelpful thoughts aside I took a deep breath through my nose, "I'd like to marry her, Sir."
His bushy eyebrows rose and I barely kept from slapping myself. I'd been so preoccupied with keeping myself calm that I hadn't thought about what to say! "I mean-not right away of course" I stuttered, "I still need to work to earn a proper bride price, and build a house, and establish myself in a trade. It'll take a few years but I won't make her wait forever and I'll make sure to take good care of her-"
The Chief's loud guffaw cut off my babbling and I looked up from the tabletop, startled.
"Well I certainly wasn't expecting that!" he chuckled, the smile still on his lips as he met my gaze once more. "Tell me Aster, how is it that yer plannin' to meet all those goals?"
"I'm already working at Bucket and Mulches, but I'm also planning to search for more part-time work" I began tentatively, "anything I can get my hands on. I'll cut wood with the timberer's, help haul catch at the docks, enter all the strength and fighting competitions that I can find, possibly go out on an expedition if I'm not turning a profit fast enough. Once I get close I'll look for a space to build the house. It'll have stables for the dragons and a drawing room for Hiccup in addition to all the other necessities. Then I'll settle into a suitable trade…" I had gotten lost in my plans, the one's I had been turning over and over again in my head for nearly two weeks, but now looked straight at the Chief, suddenly devoid of the nerves that had been jumping around my insides only moments ago.
"…and I'll return and ask you for your daughter's hand in marriage."
He stared at me, unblinking. I suddenly remembered who I was talking to and felt the confidence recede, though it didn't completely dissipate. Yes this man could kill me with a single swing and I wouldn't be able to do a thing about it, he could forbid me to see his daughter and do any number of things to enforce his word, but damn it to Helheim and back if I was going to sit there like a coward and let him. That isn't the Viking way. That isn't my way.
"Ye seem pretty serious about this" The Chief finally spoke.
I almost bristled but forced the heated words back down my throat. He's Hiccup's father, it's his job to evaluate his daughter's potential suitors. Considering my position in the village I should see it as a miracle that he's giving me any consideration at all. Or at least that's what I told myself anyway.
Chief Stoick sighs and leans back in his chair, expression wistful. "Y'know lad I find myself in a predicament here" he says, "I was sorta' hopin' that ye'd be after my girl for selfish reasons…least then I could chase ye away with no remorse."
I felt my stomach drop at those words. So he was going to forbid me from seeing Hiccup?
One meaty palm came up to run through a russet beard and over wrinkled eyes. Despite the anxious turmoil that was rolling around inside my gut I was curious. In all the years I'd lived in the village Chief Stoick had always seemed like the epitome of a strong Viking warrior. I hadn't seen him look this vulnerable since the aftermath of the battle with the Red Death, though now it wasn't so much vulnerable as…wistful.
"But I can see that ye genuinely care about her" he continued, dropping his hand back to the tabletop and looking me in the eye. There was a strange sadness there, an almost bittersweet glint that I couldn't quite understand. "The look in yer eye reminds me of myself when I first asked for my Val's hand…"
I…don't know exactly how to react to that. It's common knowledge around the village that Valhallarama is a sensitive topic for the Chief and I've only heard as much as the others have said behind closed doors and in hushed tones, clearly not wanting the Chief to overhear. Seeing the look on his face I understand why.
Luckily Chief Stoick only remained that way for a moment before he was sitting straight again, the perfect image of a Viking Chief. "I give ye permission to court my daughter" he said, "but if I hear that ye've done anything…inappropriate then I'll use ye for battle training and string you to the mast of the closest ship. Either the Sea Serpents will eat ye within the first week or ye'll waste away from sun, cold, and starvation."
He punctuated the threat with a glare much worse than the one Gobber had given me. "Am I understood?"
"Yes, Sir" I answered, a bit quieter than I usually would have but at least my voice didn't tremble.
"Good" he replied.
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Okay I felt like writing something and decided, hell, why not a Bonus chapter for The Village Prodigy? To be honest I had planned to write a few bonus's for this story and maybe a few for its companion as well. But I never had the motivation. Which is why this is short and a bit lackluster.
To answer a few questions that I think may come up as a result of this story:
Yes I know that I've established Aster as a level headed guy who is usually pretty calm and good at controlling his emotions (except where Hiccup is concerned) but he's still a teenager and a guy. No matter what teenagers will always have insecurities and, as far as I know, there isn't much more intimidating than meeting your girlfriend's father, face-to-face, and alone.
That's why I made this a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for him. This chapter also focuses solely on what Aster is feeling, which is why I didn't get too in depth with what Stoick was feeling. Aster is extremely nervous because he's stuck in this sudden, unexpected situation that may or may not turn out catastrophically for him. I mean it's not like there's a shortage of girls on Berk but he clearly only has eyes for Hiccup so he probably won't get married or will end up in a loveless union if the Chief turns him away now. That's a lot of pressure.
He's also not the type to marry someone just because. So there's also that.
As you can tell the Chief is also struggling. I mean his daughter just almost died and now, while he's all protective and 'where did my little girl go?' there's a guy asking to marry her. If I was Stoick I would be like: "When did this happen?" and "Dammit he's one of the best in the village, why can't he be a scumbag that I can just kick out the door?"
So yeah, how was it? Too rushed? Not enough detail? Too much emotion from Aster?
THECASTORBEAN
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