The next few days went by in a rush. After her first encounter with Drago Astrid wasn't given even one moment to actually process what had happened and what it meant. She'd read the contract so many times that night to be able to recite every single word by heart. But the words held no meaning whatsover. They sounded to be randomly put together without any sense or connection.

Astrid entered her small cabin on her father's ship that she'd occupied for the past few months and slid down the door until her butt hit the rocking floor. The soft waves in the harbor made the big trading boat move softly from side to side. It was soothing, the stress slowly falling from her shoulders. The last merchant she'd been to to sell her fathers goods had been pulling on her nerves all morning since dawn. He hadn't understood that, even though she was a woman, she wasn't dim witted and easy to fool with too low bidding or way too high prizes for his own goods. In the very end she'd left him hanging and took her wares back to the vessel. It would be at least another few hours until her father would be back from his own trading missions in the city, so she had a little free time on her hand for the first time in days.

She closed her eyes and recalled the scene in Drago's chambers. Her father had gambled her away to keep his cargo and beloved ship. She was to marry the son of Drago Bludfist; a complete stranger who could very well be a brainless moron for all she knew. She couldn't even hunt him down since that gods-damned contract hadn't contained any names, just 'the son and heir of Drago Bludfist' and 'first daughter of Leif Hofferson'. Why hadn't they just put their troll forsaken names on that stupid piece of paper? One would think that's how these kinds of contracts were drafted. But no, not so with her father, especially not when he was drunk up to the hair on his head. Should she ever cross paths with a woman who could decipher the male species Astrid would beg on her knees for to be let in on that knowledge.

Hiccups reaction to that contract had also been more than interesting. She'd never before seen him this angry. In fact, Astrid thought she'd never once seen him really angry at all back in their childhood. Annoyed out of his mind, yes, but angry? Not so much, even with Snotloud trying his best to get a reaction out of that mild tempered boy. He'd never earned anything more than heavy sarcasm and snarky remarks.

But that night had been different. Hiccup still hadn't been raging and yelling and throwing things around like Astrid herself would have done hadn't she been held down by her fathers weight on her shoulders quite literally. Hiccups anger was boiling quietly underneath the surface, only to be recognized because of the storm raging behind his eyes and the tremble of his tightly clenched fists at his sides. It kind of made it worse than had he just let whatever temper he had been holding down out.

"Anything to say to that, boy?" Drago had dared him.

Hiccup's jaw had been hard at work, but he managed to press the words out clearly. "Nothing that could make you reconsider. And nothing polite either." For Astrid it had sounded like he'd been desperate to finde a way out for her but couldn't.

"So you refuse my offer then?" Offer, what offer? Had she missed something in her momentary stress of her unforseen engagement.

"I can hardly refuse something that has already been signed and sealed."

"Smart boy, aren't you, Horren?" Drago had laughed and dismissed them all save for Hiccup. To Eret he'd said, "Make sure they arrive at their ship unharmed. And tell the watchmen to have an eye on it. We wouldn't want the bride to leave before the wedding." The door had closed behind them, locking away her future that was now at the mercy of this strange, ruthless sovereign.

The way to the docks had been made in silence. Eret had taken to carrying her father who'd given up walking in his misery, and Astrid had held a torch to light the way, her mind completely, utterly blank and stripped from emotions. Eret had helped putting her father into his bed and had advised her to stay in the port if she wanted to avoid being hunted down by Drago's men. "When Drago wants something he'll get it. There won't be any way out." Astrid had the feeling he'd spoken from experience. Before he left her he'd given her one last piece of information that just now started to fit into the whole puzzle now that she had time to ponder over it. "You should know, Astrid, Drago doesn't have a son of his own siring." He'd been gone faster than the words could sink in.

It's been almost a week now, and that night had been the last time she'd seen Hiccup. She'd held her eyes open for him on the markets and streets, but hadn't seen him. She didn't dare approaching the town's residents to ask for his whereabouts, but whenever she spotted a mop of auburn hair she couldn't stop herself from taking a step towards them only to find out it never belonged to the face she was looking for. The dissapointment lay heavy in her gut; a feeling she wasn't used to at all, unwelcome as it was.

Astrid wanted to talk to him. Badly. Along with a good punch in the gut for staying away when she'd just found him again. Holy halls of Asgard, for five years she'd lived believing he was dead, had mourned him along with the village, and wished to turn back time so she could see that boy, who'd once been her best friend when they'd been nothing more than bairns running around without a care in the world, again and finally give him the apology he deserved so much for all those years of being ignored and left out by her. The god's had heared her prayers and sent her his way only for him to then disappear a second time without a word left. Astrid knew it probably was stupid to be mad at him for not at least leave her a message when he was too busy to come to the docks himself. She thought she'd made it pretty clear that they needed to talk more that night. But apparently he'd grown to be just as dim a man as possible. Gods have mercy on her for being a short string when it came to men and their irrational behaviour sometimes, but the emotional pressure put on her between finding a long lost ghost of her past and being engaged to a new nightmare of the future was driving her nuts. And giving her a headache.

Eret's words repeated in her head out of nowhere. 'Drago doesn't have a son of his own siring.' She stopped herself from jumping at her own thoughts. Then the contract her father had made for her came to the forefront of her mind. The contract that bound her to Drago's son in marriage. But if he didn't even have a son then how…?

Another little detail came rushing to her that her subconsciousness had tried to hide, fearing the deeper meaning behind it. When Hiccup had knocked on the door and Drago had called him in, and when they'd been talking while Astrid and Eret had waited but could hear most of their conversation through the wooden walls. In both moments Drago had called Hiccup…son. She wanted to think it didn't mean anything more than being a casual address. But too many evidences proved her wrong.

Astrid shook her head vehemently, refusing the truth with all her will. Hiccup had said Drago 'owned' him in some ways. Basil had called him Bludfist, called him prince, hinting his true position in the town should Drago be the king in this equation. Astrid stilled, disturbed by her discovery to the core. What kind of mess had that stupid boy gotten himself into?

She gulped sobs down that were sneaking up her throat on shortening intervals. If Drago didn't have a son by blood, but considered Hiccup as his own rightfully it would mean that-

Suddenly his reaction made a whole lot more sense. He hadn't been upset for her, like she'd initially thought. He'd been upset for himself. And…

And she was engaged to Hiccup, it dawned on her. A part of her whispered 'rather him whom she'd known all her life than some complete stranger'. It was the warrior in her, ready to face any challenge without blinking once. But the other side of her was more dominant in this moment; the girl with silly hopes and dreames in her that fancied pretty dresses had allied with the woman she'd become without her axe and as one they were screaming and shouting and raging silently insider of her, mourning her loss of freedom and self-determination she had kept so dear to her heart until that fucked up contract came around. A lone tear made its way down her cheek and fell unto her mother's pendant she wore day and night since her sudden death.

Oh mom, please help me through this. Please give me strength and a strong heart, she prayed, clutching the jewellery in one hand.

#

The sun hadn't yet risen to its apex when one of the workers from the docks made a rather ridiculous show of giving someone directions to her father's ship. "It's right there, third ship, left dock. You really won't miss it with its patterned sails, Horren. I'd take you there myself and introduce you to that wicked daughter of trader Hofferson, but I've already had my fair share of that lass's axe at my throat." The man laughed a tad bit too loud for Astrid's liking at that and she took a look over the railing. She wasn't surprised to see Berthold the pain in her arse talking. That man would sooner or later loose a hand or his head for bugging her whenever he opened his mouth in her direction. He was worse than Snotlout with his obnoxiousness, and that said something.

What did take her by surprise, though, was that he was talking to Hiccup. She'd completely forgotten about that other name he was wearing here. She really needed to get a hold of her memory again, or she could call herself a forgetful old lady by the end of the moon.

Hiccup nodded the worker thanks and headed straight for her ship. So he hadn't forgotten about her after all. A wave of relief washed over her but was quickly followed by the hollow throbbing of her aching heart, stinging like salt in an open wound. Seeing him was so bitter-sweet; she was happy that he was alive but confused as to what she should feel about her engagement. Should she tell him that she knew it was to him, or should she wait until he decided to aproach the topic himself? Ugh, when had she become such a silly, uncertain girl? She was Astrid Hofferson for Frigga's sake, self-assured, straightforward fearless Astrid Hofferson. Of course she would take matters into her own hand once Hiccup had set his feet on board.

She closed the notebook set infront of her on a barrel and put it away. She would continue the inventory later, it wasn't even due tomorrow evening, so it could wait. The wood of the loading ramp thumped with every step taken onto the ship.

"Hello?" Hiccup asked loudly, looking about but not being able to see her from his current location. But she could see him just fine. "Astrid?" He walked to the center of the sun deck. "I could have sworn..."

Astrid stepped forward and into his range of vision. Much to her delight he jumped and yelped. "Gods above, Astrid!" Despite herself she smirked, satisfied that he was still as easy to startle as she remembered. He rubbed his chest as if it was hurting from being taken by surprise and he was pouting slightly. For a short moment he looked so innocent and vulnerable, but he quickly put himself back together.

"What are you doing here?" She asked and approached him, arms akimbo once she stood in front of him.

He sighed and and pulled a parchment out of his vest and gave it to her. "You remember that, don't you?" It was a slightly different copy of that gods forsaken contract; also signed and sealed like the original one.

"I do." She stared at her fathers signature at the bottom of the document and wished it weren't written in ink so she could just wipe the coal off and go on with her life like she'd planned it. "Did Drago send you to get me?"

"No. I came here on my own accord." Hiccup looked down at her and raised a hand to his neck. There was an expression on his face Astrid couldn't classify. Maybe worry, maybe caution,maybe she was seeing things that weren't there and he didn't mean anything by it. "There are…quite a few things we need to talk about."

She couldn't agree more with him. The moment he'd helped her getting rid of Basil and his bunch of morons he'd left more questions in her head than he answered. It was about time he showed up and delivered her some explanations. Preferably right along with some solutions. But her hopes weren't too high for that one. "Right, like maybe about just how much Drago really 'owns' you? "

"That…would be one thing. Yeah." He quickly checked the position of the sun. It still would take another hour or half for it to reach its highest point. "Listen, Astrid, the thing is, Drago-"

"I know that you're his son," Astrid blurted out. She didn't want to hear any unnecessary talking around the matter when she already knew the truth. "Well… at least kind of."

Surprise showed on his face and he took a step back, for whatever reason. His mouth opened and closed a few times without any words making it out. He reminded her of a fish out of water. He swallowed and found his voice again. "How do you…?"

"Figured. Eret gave me the final clue, though." He nodded and wouldn't meet her eyes for quite some time. His eyebrows were furrowed.

"So you know that contract is meant for me as well as it is for you," he said more to himself than to her.

"Yeah, but what I don't get is how that is even possible." Her voice gained a bit volume but stayed just under what could be considered yelling in frustration. "Did he adopt you or what?"

Hiccup laughed somberly. "Right after he brought me to this hel damned town." At first she thought he'd used his trademark sarcasm again, but then he shook his head and she noticed that it actually was bitterness dripping thickly from his mouth. "That man took my freedom from me and now he's taking yours too. And I don't even know what good it'll do him." He flung up his hands and ran them through his hair, making it stick up in all directions.

Astrid, contract still in hand, felt the need to go and kill some trees lest she did something stupid and accidentally killed her spouse to be. Yeesh, she hadn't really just thought that, had she? She really was a mess. Her hand clenched and crumpled the parchment. At least she could do some damage, whethe it carried any consequences or not. And in this case it sadly didn't.

There were still things that didn't add up at all. And it was bothering her a big deal. "Hiccup, you need to tell me everything, not just bits and pieces like you do right now."

"It's not that easy, Astrid."

"I swear, if you don't start talking already I'm going to get my axe and gut you!" Her patience was wearing thin by every second he kept on confusing her more.

"You'll probably want to gut me either way." He mumbled and crossed his arm ower his chest.

Astrid moved to the main mast of the ship where she'd left her precious weapon and picked it up. Striding up to him she angled her axe so its blade faced Hiccup. He went pale as snow. "A-a-ah, l-lets lets not get t-too ra-rash, shall we?" He held up his hands in defence. She snorted. Like that his hand would be the first thing chopped of. Apparently he hadn't learned as much about fighting as he'd pretended with his sword.

"Talk, Hiccup." She backed him up against the wall. Oh boy, he was squirming to get away. It was hilarious. She fought against the amusement slowly spreading over her face and when he still didn't do anything else than stutter nonsense she brought the dull side of her axe up to his throat, pinning him against the wall like she'd done over a hundred times with various people. It never lost the thrill of seeing even the burliest of viking men getting compliant as a lap dog with her lovely weapon threatening them. They almost never got a clue that it was all mostly charade on her behalf. But she knew just how intimidating she could be if she let her axe play a bit. And Hiccup was no disappointment.

He looked with horror at the blade trapping him and shut his stuttering almost imediately. He was gulping hard. "Ahh, your n-not really going to behead me now, are you?" If Astrid had thought he'd looked like a deer watching the huntsman aim for the kill before now she was almost certain he must share some lineage with the animals. Huge, innocent eyes pleading her silently to have mercy. Their forest green daring to calm her temper… Stop thinking about his eyes, Astrid, she chastised herself.

"Naaaw, the mess wouldn't be worth it."

It was the first time, the damn first time that someone, anyone, managed to slip another expression on while having her axe literally at their throat. "Yeah, wouldn't want to have you clean up all that blood, right?" he deadpanned and waved his hands around aimlessly. "Just think of all the gore! And then there would be my dead body you'd have to let disappear before the guards wonder where I had gone. That sounds just like a new leisure time activity."

Astrid rolled her eyes at him and set him free by taking a good step backwards. She hadn't even realized how close she'd been standing to him. "Hiccup…"

"Alright, alright. Geee, your temper surely hasn't leveled over the years." He massaged his throat carefully even though her axe hadn't really touched him at all. Wuss. "You know, before you started threatening to kill me I was thinking about the best way to explain everything to you without sounding like an absolute lunatic." He shot her weapon a glance an seized it up. Astrid didn't like the scrutinizing he was putting it under so she angled it away from him. "When was the last time that saw propper sharpening?"

"Stop changing topics," she growled. Maybe she would behead him. It at least would get her out of that arrangement. No groom, no wedding, no contract. If it only were that easy.

His head whipped back to her and now he was seizing her up. Astrid swore his eyes were lingering a tad too long on her chest. So she punched his, not particularly hard, just snapping his attention back to her face where it belonged. To say he had a short attention span would be an understatement. "You can ride a horse, don't you?" And again, completely out of topic. He just proved her point without knowing it. No wonder his father used to be upset with him all the time the moment he stepped out of the chief's hall. A walking disaster with the a focusing difficulties. And yet, the moment he was gone the village had felt bizarrely empty. No sudden explosions to interrupt the afternoons, no failable, silly inventions to mess up the raids, and no busy chattering in the forge anymore. With Hiccup gone a little light had been extinguished in their lives she hadn't known even existed. In that moment she felt incredibly stupid and sorry for taking her frustration out on him when he mustn't be feeling any better than her. Stupid empathetic heart of hers.

But that didn't mean he didn't confuse her. Astrid shook her head incredulously. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"So you can't?" He raised an eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest.

"Of course I can!" Astrid put a hand on her hip. "What kind of traders would we be if we didn't travel to the settlements farther inside the country? And that is best done on horseback."

"Good." He walked around her towards the loading ramp. She reluctantly followed him without needing to be told to. As if she would let him get away this quickly now that she could finally get some fucking answers. On the presumption that he would stop avoiding the matter, of course. Astrid wished she could see into that thick head of his, but alas, she wasn't a mind reader.

"Good because…?" Perhaps she needed a different tactic with him. She wasn't going to let those missing pieces of the puzzle be left missing for much longer.

"Good because we're gonna go for a ride now." If that wasn't a smirk playing on his lips when he halfway looked over his shoulder at her then she'd be damned. That little shit was doing it on purpose! He was confusing and bewildering her on purpose. And was enjoying it as well if that dumb smirk was any indication.

"And since when can you go around telling me what to do?" Astrid lowered her eyebrows and rotated the axe, which she still had in her hand, with a flick of her wrist.

"I could bring up that contract again, but I'm rather fond of my life. So let's just say I need you to meet someone to understand the mess you got into. And also," he turned to walk backwards a few paces, "I got the order to get you for some pretentious dinner this evening anyway. Might as well combine both things."

"I thought you came on your own accord?"

"I did. I didn't need to come this early. Though it benefited my own mission, so yeah." On purpose, he was so doing it on purpose. And he knew she didn't like it. She could smell it.

They walked down the docks, now side by side. Some of the workers shot strange glances in their direction, but no one said anything. At the gate into town stood a boy who couln't be older than twelve. He was holding two big horses, either looking like it could stomp the poor kid down, at their holsters and fed them carrots. When he saw them approaching he led the animals towards them, meeting up halfway. He exchanged a few words with Hiccup in this different language she didn't understood and was given a few coins for his troubles. He was gone faster once the money was in his hands than she could have said one word. He did shouted something that couldn't be mistaken as anything else than a 'thank you' back to Hiccup, though.

Hiccup pressed the holster of the brown one into her hand. "This would be your mount then."

Astrid looked sceptical at the animal. It was bigger than the ones she was used to and the saddle was much higher, almost in line with her eyes. And she was wearing a dress… "I think I have to first get some other clothes on. There is no way I can get up there with this darn dress." Oh how she missed her spiked skirt and comfortable leggins right then and there. She should have gotten changed when she had the opportunity to do so. She strapped her axe to her back with the leather string she'd secured at the hilt for that exact reason and made an attempt at giving the holster back to Hiccup, but he just shook his head and pressed both holsters into the hands of a nearby worker who then stared at him dumbfound but didn't protest. "What are you doing?" Hiccup stood next to her and something about his expression made her warriness return with full force. There was this sparkle in his eyes that was- "Hiccup!" she exclaimed. He had grabbed her waist and lifted her, actually lifted her, in the saddle before she had time to process what was happening. Thankfully her body remembered to stay balanced and she stabilized herself with her hands on his shoulders. The she was on top of the horse. Flabbergasted she gaped at him. There was a sense of smugness coming from him and a self-satisfied grin on his face that, for whatever reason, made her cheeks go up in flames.

Astrid covered her embarrassment by sitting up stright in the saddle, admittedly with her feet dangling from one and the same side, and giving his shoulder a good blow. Since when could he lift things heavier than fifty pounds? And with such ease? Who was this young man now getting onto his own mount next to her, and what had he done to awkward, weak, innocent Hiccup?

She got into a proper riding position, as far as that was possible with an inconvenient dress gathering up at her knees, and took the holster back in hand. Her mount, a mare like Hiccup told her then, stepped delicately from hoof to hoof, but soon fell into a relaxed trot with the other horse.

Sorry I'm so late with updating, but school was just crazy with all the exams happening right now. But at least it turned out to be a longish chapter. And I think I have to apologize for Astrid and her axe… I don't know what happened but the girl just wanted to threaten Hiccup a lil bit, no matter what I tried she always ended up having her axe at his throat, so in the end I just went with it and let her have some fun. Poor girls needs some outlet for all her confusing emotions and stress and just life itself, and since there aren't any trees she could kill nearby…

Anyways, let's get to your sweet reviews! Thanks so much, you guys, you are warming my heart!

Fabian: Aww thank you!

Felix: The arrangements between Drago and Hiccup will soon be revealed! But I think they could be summarized as 'You do what I want and I won't kill you' ;) Eret is great. I love that guy and he'll show up more often in future chapters since he's become an integral part of Hiccups everyday life. Our poor bby needs his friend to stay sane. Drago can do anything he want! Think of him as some evil maniac who wants to own the whole world! :D

Angryhenry: You are giving me ideas for an AU for this AU ;)

Khizar: The gods actually love him, or rather the good reality TV show he's making for them if they already had TV at this timeperiod!

LunnaValley23: Internally he's just as much of a mess as our dear confused Astrid. But yes, he's quite pleased he gets to marry the girl he's had a crush on for an eternity.