Chapter 4: Learning about dragons and each other.
" Alright where did Kristan go wrong?" Gobber started and everyone except Astrid gulped at the thought of saying anything against the aspiring young man who really is a girl.
Kristan exhales in frustration of people not expressing themselves and finally says, " I appreciate the judgement of others, so I can improve my skills. Do not hesitate to correct me. It's the honesty that makes a village strong. I went wrong by throwing Snotlout under the yak cart in order to get ahead."
" Excellent use of words Kristan and he's right about honesty making us stronger." Gobber nodding approvingly and everybody's mouth drops in what she just said. Even Astrid gave her a look of respect.
The huge door opens and closes as Hiccup came in soaking wet from the rain and Kristan looks at him with skepticism. Where had he gone this whole time?
" Alright where did Astrid go wrong today?" Gobber asked continuing the lesson.
Astrid immediately answers, " I missed time my somersault dive. It was sloppy. Completely threw off my reverse tumble."
" Yeah we noticed." Ruffnut sarcastically said as she rolled her eyes.
" No you did great. You were so Astrid." Snotlout flirted. Apparently forgotten what Kristan said earlier that day.
" She wants to do everything she can to be as strong as she can be. There's nothing wrong with that." Kristan said and Astrid nodded in thanks.
" Astrid's right. You have to be tough on yourself. Now where did Hiccup go wrong?" Gobber asked. The twins and Snotlout didn't hesitate to say anything.
" Uhhh. He showed up." Ruffnut sneered.
" He didn't get eaten." Tuffnut followed up. Kristan wanted to punch them both.
Astrid said, " He's never where he should be." As Hiccup came over to the table and grabs a plate of food and a cup of water before sitting at another table next to them.
" Thank you Astrid. You guys need to learn to breathe that stuff. Here's a helpful tool." Gobber said as he brushes a plate off the table and throws a heavy book on to it. " This is the dragon manual. Everything you need to know about every dragon we heard of."
The thunder outside rumbles and Gobber concluded, " You best study up." before he leaves.
That threw the twins off, " Wait you mean read?" Tuffnut said.
" While we're still alive?" Ruffnut said as well.
" Why don't we just kill the stuff that tells the stuff about." Snotlout said.
" Because you wouldn't know how." Kristan said as she bites into her chicken leg that she's holding. She forgot how much she was hungry and didn't eat much during the day.
" Oh! Oh! I read it like seven times!" Fishlegs said enthusiastically. " There's a water dragon that sprays boiling water at your face and this other dragon that..."
Snotlout interrupts him and says, " There was a chance I was going to read that."
Ruffnut continues, " But now..." She shrugs.
" You guys read. I'll go kill." Snotlout said as he starts to leave and the twins and Fishlegs leave with him.
Hiccup comes over to his cousin and Astrid and say, " So I guess we'll share..."
Astrid said, " Read it." Before she gets up to leave and turns around to Kristan, " Aren't you coming? I know you read it too."
Hiccup looks at her in both shock and a hint of jealousy. Kristan shrugs and says, " I maybe could use a little reviewing."
" Alright." Astrid said as she leaves. " See you tomorrow." She waves.
" Alright I gu-guess I'll see you..." Hiccup tries to say but Astrid already left. " Tomorrow." He finished lamely and stares at his cousin.
" Want to get a few candles?" She asked.
" Yeah... the main fire is dying." He agreed.
Hiccup and Kristan are not that close despite being related to each other. Hiccup has constantly hostile towards Kristan since she upstages him on many things. Sword fighting, hand to hand combat, archery, and showing diplomacy to other people. Just mostly anything of what a Viking leader should. Even impressing his dad. Everyone feels that he should be chief and not Hiccup. Even Hiccup deep down agrees.
Things however were different when they were little. They were practically brothers to everybody's eyes. They would go on adventures and would constantly get into mischief. Drove Stoick crazy especially when Hiccup starting to apprenticeship at the forge and Kristan would used to help with his crazy but brilliant ideas. Nothing could stop the duo. But it never lasted forever.
The two teenagers grab a few candles and lit them before the main fire died out on them. They place the candles around where the book is and sat down in front of it.
Hiccup opens the book and reads the first page, " Dragon classifications. Strike class. Fear class. Mystery class."
Kristan the turns the page and reads, " Thunderdrum. This reclusive dragon rest in dark tide pools. When startled, the Thunderdrum can release a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range."
" Extremely dangerous. Kill on site." Hiccup said after seeing the image. Kristan does not like looking at the images and kinda cringes at the sight. But she makes sure she doesn't complain about and keeps it to her self.
" Timberjack. This dragon has razor sharp wings that could slice through full grown trees. Extremely dangerous. Kill on site." Hiccup flips through the pages. He clearly looks like he searching for something, but also disturbed by the images on the pages.
" What are you looking for cousin?" She finally asked.
" It's nothing and none of your business Kristan. Clearly you don't look like the one who needs to 'review.'" He scoffed.
" I'm just trying to make sure that whatever idea you get in your head doesn't involve you winding up dead." Kristan said as she stands up and pushes his head a bit.
" Well that would just make your goal a heck of a lot easier." He grumbles.
She scoffs, " If only you actually knew my goals."
" Look I know you're better at everything that has to do with being a viking and I also know that you are trying to get on my dad's good side in order to get ahead." He said.
" I'm only trying to be on his good side because he's my uncle. Not because he's chief. Because both he and you are family. Your father put me in charge of protecting you. Do you know what happened if I let you get killed? I get blamed for what happened and I would have to bear this guilt for the rest my life." She tried to get him listen.
" So this is now the keeping me alive tactic." He said.
She grunts lowly in frustration. " He's clearly taking this the wrong way!" She thought.
She wanted to talk back to him, but knew this was going nowhere and says, " I'm going back to the house. This is pointless with you."
She heads toward the door leaving her cousin behind. She stops at the door and says " Hiccup. I want you to know that in all of the fifteen years we've been alive, you barely know me."
Hiccup doesn't respond as he continues to look through the manual. She goes outside and braves the storm outside. Luckily her uncle's house is not that far.
She came in the house soaking wet and starts a fire in the center fireplace to warm the house up.
Luckily because no is here so that she can pull her shirt off and hang it by the fire to dry.
Under her shirt are these binders that look like her chest is bandaged heavily from some injury when really it's her breasts. Lately though she has been getting pains there after all these years of being strapped down. It's not they're a big rack. In fact they're about Astrid's size but they look smaller because of her taller and broader frame. But they are still breasts that need to be supported properly and the binders are not helping.
She loosens the binders a bit and she immediately breathes a sigh of relief as her chest looks more prominent under them.
She immediately rubs the sensitive part of her back right shoulder where major scarring has existed since that fateful day. The day she turned eleven.
" Kristan!" Hiccup giving her a crooked grinned as he look up from his desk in the forge.
" Hey Hiccup. How's my favorite cousin? What do you have in store for us today?" She grinned. This was before she was forced to really deepen her voice to keep her father happy.
" Well I have big plans for your birthday. I was thinking of testing the canon off the edge of the docks we made together." He said as he held the huge object in his weak arms unsteadily.
" Why don't I carry it and leave the planning to you?" She smiled ready for this amazing day. He shyly smiles back knowing that lifting heavy objects isn't his strong suit.
" Kristan!" Her father yelled as he stormed in the forge.
" Father! What are you doing here!?" Kristan said in surprise.
" Coming to get you away from this poor excuse of an heir! I told you many times you are not to be around him unless during official meetings!" He said as he yanked her by the arm and drags her out of the forge.
He drags her by the arm through the village all the way back to their house.
" But he's my best friend! You can't do this!" She shouted in objection as they reach the door.
" You won't even think about being around him when I'm through with you." He sneered as he tossed her into the house. With intentions to put her in her place for good.
Kristan shudder at the memory of what he did. Her father ripped of her shirt and pinned her to the floor. He then took a pair of fire tongs with a hot piece of coal and pressed it on to her back and held it there for several long minutes. Leaving a major scare on her back shoulder for the rest of her life. He forced her to stay in her room until she healed enough to walk around and doing everyday tasks unnoticed.
Since the burning, he gave her the full responsibility of handling the family farm crops to make sure she was kept busy and was building muscle. Any free time she had was dedicated to weapons training and started training with Astrid who was at the time already ahead of the curb.
Her cousin was tossed to the side like he was nothing even though Kristan never meant to leave him. She just had no choice.
Kristan puts her head in her hand as she realizes why her cousin was acting hostile to her. It wasn't jealousy at all over her position or relationship with Astrid. It was about their relationship. He wanted her to know that she abandoned him when he needed her the most.
Finished another chapter and we see a bit of a past between the two cousins. Too bad things were never the same thanks to her father. I hate abusive parents. They don't even deserve to have children.
I am trying not to make this too much exposure for it to be considered a rated M fanfiction. It's not like I won't talk about or go into mature details. I'm just talking about Kristan's body mostly. That's really it. Nothing else that is really considered naughty.
Please review. I didn't get any for my last chapter and that's what's keeping me going is those couple of words of advice and appreciation.
I will see you guys next time.