Authors note: bear with me with this chapter and I promise I'll make up for it later with action and fluff/smut.
Disclaimer: I forgot to put one in my story yet but let's settle for the obvious fact that I do not own the How To Train Your Dragon franchise. That goes throughout this story so you won't see another one.
Astrid
It had been a week since Astrid and Hiccup had had their fight and they had yet to talk again. Since Hiccup had thrown his tantrum at Luke in the cells, he and Astrid had gone out of their way to avoid each other, although she fancied she'd caught him staring at her when he thought she wasn't watching. Still she refused to balk from her resentment towards him. The way he'd treated her hurt more than anything she'd ever felt and she wasn't ready to make amends. She was Astrid Hofferson and no one was allowed to make her feel this way. This was why she found herself lifting her chin as she passed him on the way out of the Dragon Academy.
She'd just spent the last three hours of the morning teaching the Academy's younger students about the cleaning and behavioural habits of Deadly Nadders, with help from her ever willing assistant Stormfly. She'd been embracing her lessons with a ferocity that made her usual drive seem pale in comparison. Then if she wasn't teaching, she was working; either by doing household chores or by working for herself, collecting herbs and plants in the wild before selling them in the town centre. She threw herself at physical labour with reckless abandon, keeping herself busy so that she wouldn't focus on the issue at hand.
Even with her fervour to keeping busy she still found herself with plenty of free time, much to her annoyance. At those times she found herself visiting the dungeon and its newest tenant and she yet again found her feet carrying her there today. Every day this week she'd found herself in front of his cells as they talked, just talked. It sounded tedious but she really enjoyed herself; there was just something comforting about hearing about someone's life which was nothing like her own, and in return he seemed genuinely interested in her own. She found herself narrating her childhood and the events leading up to her fifteenth year, detailing her ambitions to be a fierce shield maiden and restore her family's name. In return she found out that he'd come from the lands of the Anglo-Saxons to the south-west and had been born to the lower class. She asked him about the country there and he willingly obliged, going into such detail that she could picture it in her mind.
Their conversations had swiftly moved through the various subjects of customs, laws, people, wildlife and eventually dragons. The latter came about after he expressed a deep interest into their coexistence with the draconic beasts. She was shocked to see his face swiftly take on the same curious expression that Hiccups always did when they talked about dragons. She would have been pissed off at Luke for reminding her so much of the man she was refusing to talk to except for one thing. His inquisitive expression had an almost invisible twinge of bitterness to it. She'd noticed it previously whenever talk of dragons, friends, home or family was brought up. The message that his face conveyed was clear to her though; he wanted to listen to her talk about the subject but he didn't want to share his own experience with it.
Peculiarly enough for her, she respected his wishes and continued to tell him about the actions of Hiccup that lead to the battle of the Red Death and more importantly the end of the dragon war (leaving out her interaction and attraction to the chiefs heir). He drank all the information in and was still processing it when she'd left him last night.
She was surprised when she opened the door to the prison to find that Luke already had visitors. Unfortunately for Luke, the first people from Berk to visit him (besides Hiccup and herself) were the village idiots otherwise known as the Thorston twins. In a village where intelligence was a rare commodity the brother and sister pair was still in a league of their own when it came to commonsense. That didn't mean they were completely useless for the pair had often proved themselves capable of miraculous competency, but as a general rule where disaster struck they weren't too far away. Presently however the two were taking entertainment from interrogating Luke.
"I really don't get... where you are going with this?" Luke said in that same stuttering manner that he'd first spoken with Astrid. A habit which she thought they had worked through.
"Don't you play dumb with us!" The male Thorston twin named Tuffnut growled at the prisoner.
"Yeah because my brother will win." His sister Ruffnut chirped in.
Completely ignorant of the backhanded compliment Tuffnut agreed. Luke's brow was furrowed in confusion but upon noticing Astrid's presence looked at her with a look of hopeful distress. She found it slightly amusing watching the eighteen year old look to her for help from these most harmless of Vikings, a situation reminiscent of how Hiccup looked to her to deal with his cousin Snotlout.
Damn it, she thought as her anger flared, forget that jerk. She decided to pass on her aggression onto the more deserving individuals in her presence. "What do you think you're doing?" she barked.
"Don't do that." Ruffnut retorted as the two overcame their mini-heart attacks. Her brother was a little more informative however.
"We're interrogating him to uncover his plans."
"What plans?" Luke asked not for the first time.
"Yeah what plans would that be?" Astrid questioned, her hands resting on her hips in a threatening display.
"His plans for escape." Tuffnut said before turning on the other male, "What is your plan? Were you going to ambush the guard when he comes to check on you?"
"Or maybe you were tempted to seduce a pretty young Viking into helping you?" his sister prompted as she fluttered her eyelashes and gave her hips a sway to emphasise her point. Astrid was well aware that those hips had been subjected to plenty of such seductions without objection since the girl had lost her virginity just over a year ago. Luke for his part looked disgusted and it gave Astrid slightly more confidence in the boys intelligence.
Tuffnut, used to his sisters sultry attitude ignored it and continued to prompt the brown haired boy, "Or maybe you thought you'd hijack a dragon? Maybe you wanted to use it to burn Berk to the ground. Wait... That would be pretty awesome."
Astrid felt their ranting on the boy had gone far enough. She'd learnt Luke was unconfident enough in conversation without having Berks most irritating duo getting in his face. She decided she'd give them her own interrogation; "Since when did it fall to you two to interrogate Luke?"
"Since I dibsed him yester-." Ruffnut stopped mid sentence to glare accusingly at Astrid, "His name is Luke? How do you know this?"
"Is this why Hiccup and you haven't been talking lately?" Tuffnut pondered with a sly wink.
Astrid felt her cheeks reddening, "I talked to him. That's how I know his name Ruffnut. If you tried using your lips for talking to guys rather than sucking their faces you might know that too. And the reason Hiccup and I haven't been talking, for your information Tuffnut, is because he's too busy being an ass." Both the twins and the captive stared at her in shock at the brutality of her outburst. The twins, who were used to Astrid's aggression, expected some sort of physical violence to compliment the eruption of words but she held back. She felt bad enough for the momentary lapse of self control. Luke who was probably the first person to only know her friendly side must be traumatised from the shock and likely think of her as some kind of monster. She found that thought actually depressed her, she'd been hoping to keep their friendship positive and stable.
"Looks like Hiccups not the only one being an ass around here either." Ruffnut pouted as she walked away, "Come on Tuff', we know when we're not welcome."
"We do?" Tuffnut asked but nevertheless followed her out.
Now Astrid was left in an uncomfortable silence as she waited for Luke to make some comment regarding how scary and mean she was. Well she was Astrid Hofferson and she was a Viking and Vikings don't apologise for how they are. And aggressive was how she was, in all aspects of life and especially when handling her peers. She looked up from the floor she'd been staring at in an attempt to look defiant only to find the boy sighing with relief.
"Thank the gods their gone," he said as he let out an easy chuckle, "although I think most of the credit goes to you."
Astrid was shocked. How can he be so calm, she thought, when I just scared the shit out of the twins. "You're not... scared that I'm a bully?" Damn it, now she was tripping over her words.
He cocked an eyebrow at her and released a lopsided grin, "I didn't exactly peg you for a delicate flower when I met you, Astrid. You're a Viking for one, and you always seemed more of a courageous Valkyrie than a helpless maiden anyway." And just like that he seemed to accept it as if it was no more alarming than noticing she had blond hair. It was like nothing she could do would make him think any less highly of her. He paused before adding "besides, I have a feeling that that is the only way to get the message across to those two."
It was funny she thought how much more relaxed he was with her now. Whereas a second ago he'd been muttering in front of the twins now he was joking clearly and confidently with her as if they'd been childhood friends. She had noticed with curiosity this past week how his social skills had evolved as well as his humour, tentatively presenting his attempts at jokes until he was throwing them around with reckless abandon. She smiled despite herself, "it certainly is."
There was a brief pause before she asked "How's your head doing?" It had become routine over the week for her to start their discussions like this; as if it was her personal way of greeting him.
He touched the scabbed wound tentatively through his thick hair, applying varying amounts of pressure before he was satisfied. "Besides some minor throbbing it doesn't hurt." He shrugged. She took it as a testament to her ability to perform first aid and smiled smugly.
"How is Stoick?" He asked as he had every time this week. It seemed to be his personal greeting to her.
She couldn't help but crack a smile as she replied; after all she actually had something to tell him today. "I talked with Gothi, the healer, this morning. She's positive that he's healing well. It'll be months until he's back to what he was but she said he'll be waking up any day now." As she said it his whole being seemed to relax in a way that she hadn't seen before. She finally decided to ask the question she'd been pondering for several days now; "Why does it matter so much to you anyways? He's not even your chief."
He seemed to think about it before exhaled loudly, "If he dies then any chance of freedom I had is gone with the wind."
"Is that all?" His explanation was plausible but Astrid sensed there was something else. She'd analysed him accurately enough to know he wasn't a criminal; he was morally grounded enough to feel guilt. She felt sure he was holding back some inadequacy that he wouldn't share. It was irritating, she'd come here to get away from Hiccup and yet Luke couldn't help but display some very Hiccup-like tendencies.
"Yes."
"Well now you can stop worrying about your own neck," she said gruffly, annoyed he wouldn't open up, "it should help you sleep easier."
If he noticed the annoyance in her voice he didn't let on except for the fact that he spoke more irritably now. "I don't want to sleep; I've done so much sleeping it's driving me insane." As Astrid looked at his face she realised for that part at least he was being honest. He had a raw urgency in those grey eyes, like a storm that couldn't be contained. He had to be moving, free to go where ever he wanted, or it'd eat away at him. She understood a little of that herself; she always had to be doing something. Whether it is working, training or exploring, she had to be doing something to keep herself happy.
And Luke had been kept inside a four metre by four metre chamber for the last three days. But she couldn't let him out, no matter how much she wanted too. Before she knew what she was saying she asked; "Is there anything I can do?" He looked at her quizzically, unsure where this was going, "to make it a little more bearable in here." Immediately she regretted saying it, it sounds like I'm propositioning him? She despaired; I meant can I get him something like some food or a book or something. Not do 'do' something for him.
His eyes seemed to sparkle with realisation, excitement painted brightly on his face. Shit! He's going for it. Of course he's going for it, he's a man. All they want is sex. She steeled herself though. After all, she was Astrid Hofferson; the Astrid Hofferson. The fierce maiden who sent boys like him running for the hills, if he thinks I'm just another cock-hungry slut he's got another thing coming to him-. She had worked herself up so much that when he answered with enthusiasm she was already yelling.
"No I won't have se-." She stopped mid-yell as recognition hit her. "What did you just say?"
Luke for his part looked just as confused with her sudden outburst. "My... my bag. It's in the chest." He pointed at the chest under the table on the far side of the dungeon, "Could you please grab it for me."
Oh thank Odin. How could I have been so stupid, he's not like that? But part of her was kind of irritated that he hadn't asked her for it. "I... Uh of course I can." She said as she dragged the heavy chest out of its hiding place. It wasn't locked and when she opened it she was surprised by what she saw. On the top layer was an ordinary longbow, with no insignias or markings on it. It was bare but all so different from any longbow she'd seen. The wood was sanded completely smooth with a dark tint to it. The leather around the hand grip was coated in an odd resin, making it slightly sticky to the touch and the bow string was pristine, no frays or weaknesses in the cord at all. It looked like it was well taken care of; it looked like new but you could feel from the way it sat there that it was an old friend, it looked loved.
Astrid passed a glance to Luke before placing the bow on the table. She found a dagger and leather quiver full of a dozen or so black feathered arrows. After giving them a quick inspection she also put them aside. Underneath was a new looking sword with an oddly shaped blade. It was a shorter sword then Vikings were used to and instead of having a straight blade it had an interesting leaf shape to it. And all this cast from a jet black metal she revealed as she drew it slightly out of its leather scabbard. There were no markings on this either and she put it aside with curiosity. Underneath was an oddly shaped pack that was moulded into a strange almost triangular profile with only one solid thick strap designed to loop over the shoulder like a satchel. There were an abundance of pouches, buckles and minor leather straps besides that, which only added to her confusion. She tried to vaguely check it for any weapons or contraband before handing it over to the impatient Luke, although she wasn't completely sure she'd discovered all the pockets, let alone checked them all. Luke however started searching straight through it with practiced ease.
Astrid ignored him and turned towards the last items in the trunk, his clothing. She recalled the strange attire that Luke had been wearing when he'd been dragged onto Berk. It had been odd, streamlined and clinching to his body with a series of buckles and leathers attached to it. But looking at it dismantled, it made her shake her head as she attempted to work out how it went together. It seemed impossible, maybe Hiccup would understand it with his technical mind but she couldn't make heads or tails of it.
"It's not much, I know." She turned to see him watching her go through his things, "but it's mine." He said with defiant satisfaction.
"A lot of it seems peculiar," she replied, now conscious of the fact she had been rifling through his stuff. She gestured towards his things, "I hope it's okay if I look? It just all seems so interesting, so unusual." 'So you' She didn't add.
He chuckled lightly to himself, "Of course you can I have nothing to hide, none of it is stolen goods." He finally found what he was looking for and picked it out of the bag. Astrid meanwhile had unsheathed his sword and was testing the balance, fascinated by the interesting weapon. She hefted it to and fro, feeling the way it went through the air, powerful like her trusty war axe but agile and swift at the same time. But it didn't look like it had seen a lot of use.
It was then she noticed the dagger, the whole time she'd been studying the weapons she'd been looking for some sort of coat of arms or clue as to who his family was but there had been nothing. The knife resembled a dirk except with a thinner but longer blade, cast in steel. Astrid had heard of weapons like this, stronger than iron but just as light and she marvelled at the workmanship. It had a plain leather wrapped hilt, with that same faint layer of resin covering it, but where the cross-guard extended she could see silver etched into it. Looking closer she had to admire a scene where a man, obviously a hunter by the bow on his back, walked with a woman though the midst of a group of animals. The herd consisted of boars, deer, wolves and even a bear but yet the couple seemed unharmed. It was engraved and inset with a vein of silver that glowed in stark contrast to the dull metal and brown leather of the rest of the weapon.
"What's this?" Astrid asked as she gestured to the engraving on the dagger. Luke had found a large leather bound notebook and had been scribbling without much attention to her before he looked up. Instantly his expression changed to one of sombre longing as he beheld the weapon that was in all honesty, the least significant of all the items she'd seen, save for the small bit of artwork in the hilt.
"This was my father's." He began and her ears instantly perked up, he'd avoided mentioning his family and home until now. She had to admit she was curious. "He passed it onto me when I turned thirteen, but before he'd give it to me he told me I needed to know the story of the blade." He reached out to take it from her and she knew she'd have to hand it to him to hear the rest of the story. For a second she was unsure, the knife was a weapon after all and Astrid had the feeling that Luke knew how to use it. The fearless Viking part of her told her to refuse but curiosity and... compassion (compassion? She was shocked at the revelation) told her to hand it over. She tensed slightly as she placed the dagger hilt first into his hand, but he didn't lash out as she feared. Instead he held it tenderly as his fingers ran over it as delicately as if he was reading brail. This went on for a while. He took a deep breath just as Astrid thought she'd never get to hear his story. Still looking down at his dagger, his voice sounded gravelly as he spoke:
"Long ago when the cities of man were young and the Gods paid more attention to us mortals, the goddess of the hunt walked the land. Some say she was the most ruthless and unmerciful of the gods but in truth she merely understood the rules of the chase. The weak were eaten by the strong so that life might continue. It was her who gave all the creatures of the earth their defence mechanisms and natural instincts to ensure none but the weakest or dumbest of any species were killed off, thus avoiding extinction. She was beautiful beyond compare but also intelligent beyond belief and soon men and gods flocked to her with the desire of courting her.
"Men would take to the forests, hunting and killing everything they saw for no other purpose than to win her favour. It made sense since she was the goddess of hunting. To their surprise the senseless slaughter did not woo her. When a prince came forward, tall and strong, he boasted greatly of the many animals he had killed, as hunters often do. But when she realised that he had killed, not for meat or need, for no other reason to prove his dominance as a human being she warned him. She told him that she forbade him from killing another wild animal and that if he did not heed her, he would suffer a most pitiful fate but he scoffed at her; how could someone as strong and manly as him be brought down so low.
"Of course he disobeyed anyway, but the next time he went hunting he saw a bush rustle from movement. He believed it was some prey stalking unseen behind it. Instinctively he threw his spear and whooped with satisfaction as it struck true. To his distress he heard the creature groan, a human groan and when he checked he realised it was none other than his best friend and hunting companion. As he clutched his dying friend's body, he howled into the night cursing the fate that been placed on both of them. As his friend died in his arms, the goddess materialised in front of him and transformed him as a permanent reminder of his folly. And with that he turned into the first wolf. They say that is why wolves howl, in reminder of the friend that they once lost."
There was a touch of bitterness in his story that made her fear he had finished. she was relieved when he continued, "She began to despair of men in general over the decades as more and more men arrived and exactly like the prince they boasted about the animals they had killed like it was a sport. When she finally gave up all hope of finding a decent man she swore against them, promising never to marry and to always remain a maiden. Men realised not long afterwards that she was more dangerous than she was worth. Which suited her fine, she hated men, they were disgusting selfish pigs who killed arrogantly without reason. Now without their advances she could finally return to her life as in immortal maiden, wandering through the wilderness that she loved so much.
"It was one of these days when she stumbled upon something she'd never seen before. It was a man stalking through the forest armed with nothing more than a bow and dagger. What she found unique about him was that he didn't seem proud when he returned home with his catch. She'd seen men walk through their village with more meat than they could possibly use in a month as they boasted proudly of their accomplishment but not this man. He allowed himself a polite greeting towards his town folk but didn't draw attention to the small game he carried.
"She then realised another thing that impressed her. As she watched him over several days he didn't go out for another hunt to catch larger prizes, instead he continued to feed off what he'd already caught until it had all been used in some way or another. Only then did he set out again, not for glory or to prove himself strong, he did it for food. This had always been the overriding principle of the hunt and delighted she followed him. Her pleasure soon turned to despair once again as the fellow, during his hunt, happened on a bear and her cub. She was filled with angst, for surely a man as noble as he, could not withstand such prizes, the adult bears pelt alone would sell for a fortune while its cub would yield twice that. He continued to please her as he backed off, attempting to leave the bears to their peace. But the mother would not have it, and infinitely protective of her child's safety, charged at him. The goddess' feared that was the end of that but the hunter with a practiced skill retreated.
"He almost made it too until the bear chased him into a natural cove at which point the man defended himself. It was not said how it happened next but soon the bear was dead, and the hunter exhausted on his knees. It wasn't until the cub arrived to check on his mother that the man's relief turned to anguish. It would not survive on its own, that was for certain but even still the man was loathing killing it. Instead he did something that the goddess was finding hard to find in its sincerity; he prayed to her. It was the final straw that completed her affection for him when he prayed to the goddess for guidance. She willed herself to appear before him and within seconds she materialised. She took the cub from the man and cradled it gently as she promised him that she would take care of it. He was so shocked by her presence that he instantly fell to his knee before her. She made him rise and spoke to him as an equal. She loved him but alas she could not act upon it for she had given her oath to forsake all men, even one so kind. Instead she gave him her blessing, informing him that he and his descendants would forever be successful in nature so long as they practiced his restraint and mercy."
Luke looked at her sheepishly, "At least that's what my father said. He told me that the hunter, intending to make a reminder of the promise he'd received from a goddess, decorated his dagger in commemoration of it. Henceforth the dagger was passed down through his bloodline until it made its way to me. I think he just told me that to enforce his morals on me though. It sounds stupid I know but it's all I have left of him."
When he was done Astrid looked at the blade with a new fervour. This dagger had a history, assuming everything he'd told her was true. It was a lot more plausible that someone had made a knockoff inspired by the story but she didn't want to voice her thoughts.
When he was done Astrid looked at the blade with a new fervour. This dagger had a history, assuming everything he'd told her was true. It was a lot more plausible that someone had made a knockoff inspired by the story but she didn't want to voice her thoughts.
"What goddess was he speaking of?" she said instead. "I can't think of which deity that is. "
He gave an amused shake of the head, "I don't believe it is one of your Norse ones Astrid, so I'm not surprised. My father said she's much more ancient then our current ones but I believe the Romans named her Diana. My father always honoured the old gods before the new."
"So what happened?" she asked tentatively.
"What do you mean what happened?"
She steadied her breathing as she tried to frame the question in her head, hoping she didn't sound too intrusive. She was a stranger to tact but when she thought she had the best wording she asked politely. "I mean what happened to your dad? Luke why aren't you still with him? "
She fancied she already knew what had happened but she needed to be sure. She didn't want to see him break down but if he needed to mourn at least he'd have a shoulder to lean on.
She was surprised when he finally answered, his voice was hollow and he wouldn't meet her gaze, but she'd not expected his explanation; "I was chased out of the village, I'd always been different and I guess it was only a matter of time before i was kicked out. My father tried to stop it but there was nothing he could do. I was exiled, I left home with this knife and the clothes on my back and picked up everything else on the way." he pointed to the rest of his gear but she wasn't listening.
It was like someone had held up a torch and she could finally see for all of the dense fog that had clouded her mind. She knew how to solve both their problems now.
"Astrid?" he asked cautiously.
She jumped upright and was already sprinting out of the room when she replied, "Sorry, I've got to go."
He just stared after her in exasperation.
She found Hiccup at the forge mercilessly beating away at the piece of metal in front of him. It was late, with the glow of the embers the only source of light besides the moon. Gone were the days when he was too small and skinny to wield a hammer. He'd grown taller, nowhere near as tall as Fishlegs, and his arms and shoulders had strengthened in definition. She quickly shook away the thoughts that had sprung up at the mere mention of Hiccup's muscles.
"Hey Hiccup," she said politely but he didn't respond. "Hey Hiccup!" she repeated in a louder tone. It had its intended effect and the boy stopped what he was doing to spin around, his eye going wide as he registered her presence. Now that she had his attention she resumed her cordial volume, "Do you have a minute?"
He glanced at her warily, likely expecting another argument, but nevertheless nodded, "have you come to apologise?"
Astrid blanched. Apologise, she thought angrily, for what? "I came to tell you are wrong about Luke." She said defiantly.
"Luke?" Hiccup asked harshly, the thought that he was wrong clearly did not sit well with him, "who is Luke?"
"The prisoner you so rudely humiliated last week! Do you mean to tell me you don't remember how much of an ass you were?" She spat. This was not going the way she intended.
"You mean the guy who put my dad in the sick bed?! Of course I remember. I also remember you siding with him over Me." Hiccup said furiously as he turned away from her.
"It was an accident. He didn't mean to. I thought if anyone could understand that it would be you." Why couldn't Hiccup see how similar he and Luke were? They'd both been alienated as children, and they had both been labelled accident prone. Neither of them was considered strong by your typical Viking standard as well, causing them both to rely on their wits. Surely if Hiccup realised all the similarities they shared he'd be ready to forgiv-.
Before she could finish her thought she heard a distant sound coming from the shore. It was the sound of metal on metal and it made her heart fill with dread. Sure enough the clanging was followed by a distant scream and her blood froze. They weren't the only one to hear it and before they'd even called their dragon, the alarm bells were ringing.
Berk was under attack.
Author's note: I'm sorry for this chapter, it was long and hard to write and I suffered serious writers block on it. It may seem like filler and some of you may think that the story that was told was meaningless (believe me I second guessed adding it myself and I'm not 100% satisfied with how it was presented) but it is important for one of the sub stories. Either way I hope you can forgive me for how boring it is but I assure you that the story will kick in soon. Expect some action and plenty of Hiccstrid. I'd love to see some more reviews, even if they are just to say how much this chapter sucked.
