Author's Note: Things are moving along now!

Chapter 6

Astrid

The boat from Hysteria Island arrived late the next morning.

Astrid walked down to the docks to search the crowd for Hiccup. He and Toothless had been missing since yesterday morning. She was beginning to worry that she had somehow offended him, maybe by calling him a fishbone at the forge. She had even threatened Fishlegs with a broken leg unless he let her take Stormfly out to look for him the night before. No Hiccup was found, but at least she knew her dragon was in top shape again.

"Hey!" she called out to her friends, pushing through the throngs of vikings at the docks to get to them.

The twins both jerked to attention at the sound of her voice.

"Uh, I just remembered I gotta thing…" Tuff said, ducking away.

"Yeah, a thing about staying alive," said Ruff, following.

Astrid finally pushed aside the last grunting viking in her way to find Snotlout and Fishlegs standing alone.

"Those idiots can't avoid me forever," she said. "But more importantly, have either of you seen Hiccup?"

Fishlegs shook his head.

"If you're looking for someone to keep the chilly breeze away, I'm all yours, babe," said Snotlout.

Reflexively, Astrid's fist collided with Snot's stomach.

"Don't call me babe," she said. "I thought I beat that out of you years ago."

"Uh, Astrid?" said Fishlegs.

"What?" she snapped.

The big man pointed timidly, and Astrid followed his finger. The villagers were clearing a path for their chief, who was followed closely by his son. Astrid felt small next to Hiccup these days, but Stoick was—well—vast. He made Hiccup look tiny. It didn't help that Hiccup's shoulders were hunched over like he was eleven again and trying to escape notice.

"Welcome to Berk!" boomed Stoick as a woman stepped off the boat.

He closed the distance between the two of them, and soon Astrid couldn't hear what was being said as more Hysterics filed down the gangplank. She didn't care about them, though. Her attention was fixed on Hiccup. He hung back from the others, looking pale and ready to vomit.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Astrid.

"Probably jealous of my guns," said Snotlout, flexing.

Astrid punched him in the shoulder without looking, knowing she hit the right spot when the man howled in pain. The disruption seemed to spur Stoick into moving the visitors up into the village. Astrid almost missed it, but Hiccup slipped away as the crowd followed the procession.

"Punch him again for me, would you, Legs?" said Astrid, already moving away.

"The things I do for you losers," Snotlout wheezed.

Ignoring him, Astrid padded quietly along the dock before hopping aboard one of the village fishing boats. Behind a pile of nets, she found Hiccup with his knees wrapped next to his chest.

"You wouldn't be hiding, would you?" she asked.

Hiccup jumped at her voice.

"What? Hiding? Of course not—don't tell my father I was hiding," he stuttered.

"Your father?" Astrid asked. "You're not hiding from me?"

"You?" Hiccup laughed nervously.

It wasn't exactly a denial, but had looked mostly happy to see her. She plopped down beside him.

"So you're not hiding," she said. "What's going on, then?"

Hiccup sighed and buried his fingers in his hair.

"I have to pledge my life to a stranger," he said.

Astrid took a moment to comprehend.

"Pledging your life?" she asked. "You can't mean…"

"Betrothed to a Hysteric I've never met before," said Hiccup. "They're probably picking her out right now up in my house like you choose which shirt to wear in the morning."

"But Hiccup…" Astrid whispered. "That's horrible."

Hiccup rested his chin on his knees.

"I thought my dad and I had finally begun understanding one another, and then this happens," he said.

"You're not actually going through with it, are you?" she asked.

Hiccup shrugged. "What choice do I have?"

Astrid sprung to her feet.

"Of course you have a choice!" she shouted.

How could he not see it? Hiccup was a dragon trainer—the first dragon trainer. Her HIccup could take on any beast, even his troll of a father.

"Astrid, I can't just disobey him."

"Yes, you can!"

He shook his head and looked away.

"It's not that simple."

Fury coursed through her veins. This wasn't the time to sulk on a boat. This was the time for action, and Astrid knew how to do that.

"If you won't stand up for yourself, then I will!" Astrid said, stomping away.

"Astrid, wait!"

She didn't stop, taking the stairs two at a time.

"This isn't fair! I'm a one-legged man, remember?"

He kept shouting as she sprinted across the village green, but she didn't stop, not until she reached the ornately carved door of the chief's house.

"Astrid!" wheezed Hiccup, stumbling towards her. "Don't go in there! My dad will—"

Shooting him a glare, Astrid yanked open the door and stalked inside.

Four surprised faces looked up. Stoick, Gobber, Spitelout, and the Hysteric woman circled a table covered in maps and papers. Astrid stopped her advance suddenly.

"Oomph," Hiccup grunted, running into her back.

Astrid kept her eyes on the enemy.

"What's all this?" asked Gobber, waving his hook.

"Oh, oops!" Hiccup said, regaining his footing. He grabbed Astrid's arm and pulled her back towards the door. "Wrong house."

Astrid planted her feet and swatted Hiccup's hand away.

"No, it's not," she said, glaring at him.

The look of terror on his face almost made her back down, but then Stoick stood and slapped his hands on the table.

"You two are disrespecting our guest and your chief barging in here uninvited," Stoick roared. "Now unless you have something important to relay, leave."

Anger coursed through Astrid's veins. Hiccup may have put up with being ignored and bossed around by his father for years, but she wouldn't—not even from her chief.

"Hiccup will not be marrying some half-troll he's never met," Astrid declared.

She heard Hiccup's muffled groan behind her, and she could imagine him running his hands through his hair like he always did when he didn't know what to do.

"Oh," said Stoick in a softer, more terrifying voice. "And what business is it of yours?"

Astrid swept her axe from her back and threw it at the table in one fluid motion ending with a thwack. While the other three jumped back from the weapon as it sailed toward them, Stoick barely flinched, letting the blade fall inches from his unmoving hands. Astrid held his hard stare as she closed the distance between them.

"He's mine," she said.

Before the chief could respond, Astrid threw a foot on the table and yanked the embedded axe from the wood. Maps flew through the air as she spun away and pushed past a frozen Hiccup. She opened the door with a bang and disappeared outside.