Anger, disappointment, misunderstandings, broken hearts are on the menu for today. Let the games begin.
Berkian Eddur - 2
Winter in Líf's Holt
Chapter 5 - Always
Visits always give pleasure-if not the arrival, the departure
― Proverb
Hiccup hammered away at the yak shods, stopping only to re-adjust his grip with the thongs or to take a look and make sure the angle was right. It was hard, heavy work, and it wasn't any of his favorite. Yaks needed strong steel on their hoofs or they would twist it and break it quickly, between their weight and the rocks they tended to try to climb. And now, during the sleepy Winter months, was the right time to do metal work before the Harvest re-shodding. He'd also been working on the carts and the winch-joints that the carpenters had requested, which were heavy and finicky work in turn, but at least, they kept his mind occupied.
Toothless was giving him the cold shoulder too, for some reason, and it served to put his mood in the dumps completely. The dragon was faithfully curled up beside him, but he answered any of his questions with huffs and grumbles, and after a while he'd just given up.
Gobber seemed cheerful at least, and that carried the day aloft. Hiccup had enjoyed taking his place once again beside him in the smithy - this time as more of an equal than an apprentice. It suited him well; his time had become really difficult to divide in proper portions these days, between his duties teaching all the new riders what to do, teaching them and the children together important facts about various dragon species that he had observed in order to stay safe, and attending the council meetings. Not to mention, since he was the most experienced dragon rider, and dragons really simplified such a great many problems with heavy lifting, he often flew out there to help too. The day after washday was business as usual, and it simply slowed down slightly on the council meetings - but that just meant he didn't get to nibble at things put in front of him during the talks.
Like, right now, he was really hungry because he hadn't had the time to go catch a bite to eat. Not even a kip in the Great Hall - he knew he'd get stuck there if he even peeked his nose inside - and no one had dropped by to give him any lunch.
He realised he'd stopped hammering some time ago to stretch his neck out the window. After a moment of obviously-nothing-happening, he felt pathetic and sighed, turning back to his imported anvil, which had stayed exactly where it had been placed when he'd returned to Berk under a different name. His shoulders sagged, and he tried not to admit to himself how disappointed he was that it was almost sunset, and he hadn't seen hide nor hair of a certain blonde Viking.
"Awright, lad. What is it?"
Hiccup almost hammered his thumb into the yak shod. He turned to find Gobber looking at him expectantly
"Nothing," he said in a mumble, turning back to his anvil and feeling glad that he'd positioned it so his back was to the other smith. He knew Gobber wasn't going to let this go, but at least he could continue to look away under the pretense of working.
"You've been sighin' yer lungs out like a love-sick gronkle," he went on, predictably ignoring Hiccup's statement. "Even that dragon of yours pined less when you were recovering with that leg." Toothless flared his good tailfin up over his face, in a clear 'leave me out of this' sign. Hiccup snorted at him, and got whacked in the shin with a wing-tip for his troubles.
"It's nothing, Gobber," he said again, but when he saw movement close by the window he couldn't help but glance out quickly. It was just Bucket, who waved at him. He waved back, but his shoulders sagged again.
"Astrid's not been by today," Gobber said with patently leading, false innocence. Hiccup decided not to answer that - not because his insides gave a twinge, but because it wasn't a question. "Right, lad. What'd you do to her?"
His hackles rose. "I didn't do anything!" he replied, unable to hide how upset he was anymore. "She kissed me, and I kissed her back, and she seemed fine with it. But while we ate later she sat as far away from me as she could, and yesterday she literally ran out the room the moment I was in it. And today …" He waved at the window. His stomach stopped giving hunger pains as it rolled uncomfortably, almost scared of the implications of what he'd just voiced. Was she finally realising that being engaged to him meant more than just … being buddies and mothering him?
"Ah … well, you came to the right place for woman advice," Gobber said, leaning on a piller as Hiccup looked back at him with slight incredulity. "What? You think your old Gobber's not a ladies' man? Oh, my boy, some of the stories I could tell you…"
"I'd rather you didn't," Hiccup said with a half smirk, still slightly unbelieving. Toothless beside him gave a moan of agreement.
"Make fun," Gobber said with a mock glare and a toothy smile. "But I'll tell you something about girls; just man up, and tell her what's going on in that brain of yours." Hiccup quirked a brow. "If she wants you, as I think that girl does, she'll just snap you up the moment the words are out of your mouth. If she doesn't, eh, at least you'll know." Gobber shrugged, as if the only thought didn't feel like Hiccup's world was tilting slightly sideways. "But I tell you, lad, it's not the kiss that's bothering her. There's another bee in tha' girl's bonny head."
"It can't be anything else," Hiccup said quietly, turning to give the elder smith his back again. Sunset lights began filtering through the windows, and he looked out at them accusingly. He still had a lot of work to do. "Literally nothing else happened since then because she's been … other places. All the time."
"Sure you didn't do or say something before?" Gobber asked. He nudged Hiccup and offered a rind of bread which the younger man took gratefully, and ate almost eagerly enough to be embarrassing. But he swallowed and shook his head.
"We were talking, discussing things. Sharing …" he swallowed again, pretending that some bread had become caught in his throat. "Sharing ideas like we normally do. And now …"
"You have a 'normally', that's good. And how long has this been up?" Gobber asked, still in his relaxed manner.
"Freya's day."
That got his attention. "Freya's day? But that's two days ago!" Hiccup ducked his head back to the anvil and began working even harder. Gobber's reaction wasn't encouraging, and perhaps it was for the best that he had a lot to do. Going home right now, hungry or not, simply meant facing the impossibility of watching Astrid's back flee away from him again.
"You've done it good this time, then." Gobber nodded with insufferable hubris he certainly didn't deserve to have as a confirmed bachelor.
"Well, that's all good now, then, is it!" he replied, his voice angry as he took it out on the metal. "I just won't kiss her again, won't I. It's not like I have much chance to."
"Oi, lad, it's not what I meant …"
"I don't care what you meant, Gobber," he replied savagely. He was tired of people diminishing his emotions and trivialising them as jokes. Astrid wasn't just some girl to him, she was his woman of a lifetime, like his mother had been to his father. He had long ago admitted to himself that he was fiercely in love with her, and even five years apart and the knowledge that she was probably beyond his reach hadn't made him forget her, even though he'd tried and even prayed to the gods for relief. Now, she kept dancing around him like a frightened colt, undecided whether she wanted him or not, encouraging him one moment, and when he acted on it, bolting away. After the roller coaster of coming back and finding himself tied to her, she whom he considered his beloved already, having her play this game with him felt cruel, even if she perhaps needed it to decide for herself. His heart could only take so much; if she wanted the engagement dissolved, it would be better if she'd just told him.
"Ah lad… you love her, don't ye?"
Hiccup's hammer landed on the anvil with such a clang that Toothless shot bolt upright.
"YES! I do! Are you happy now!" he yelled as he whirled on Gobber. "Is it funny? We can start making fun of the stupid boy who thought it was possible?! Three cheers for the gimp who didn't realise it was all a joke!"
Gobber just looked at him. Because it looked remarkably like pity, Hiccup turned away.
"You've got to tell her how you feel, lad."
"Sure," he replied in a shaking voice, unable to mask his feelings now that his anger was abated. "If kissing her makes her run for the hills, telling her I've loved her for years will definitely glue her to my side. They'll invent a new name for clinging once they see her with me!"
Gobber was quiet for a while, and Hiccup merely returned to work, emotions shaky and spent.
"Sorry," he finally said. "I shouldn't have yelled."
"'s alright, lad." A meaty hand landed on his shoulders. "I'll be headed in. You should, too."
"Are you going to the Hall?" he asked. Gobber gave a nod. "I think I'll stay here a while longer. Can you get one of the maids to bring me something?"
"You sure?" Gobber asked gently. "If it gets tardy, she still might … visit."
Hiccup didn't bother to hide his pained look this time. He'd forgotten that he didn't have to hide anything from Gobber.
"I'll ask one of the girls."
"Thanks."
Hiccup drowned in his work for a few more hours, his mind going around in circles as he tried, and failed, to analyse the situation rationally. He tried to apply Gobber's logic, tried to see if he'd done something previously that had somehow offended her, but they had been so close, with her holding him and then kissing him. He could think of nothing else, and it simply seemed to be nothing else that was the problem. She'd rushed out the room as soon as his father had come home - embarrassment he'd thought at first - but her skittish behaviour since had strongly indicated that she'd regretted letting him kiss her.
His chest gave a pinch and a twist every time he thought that.
"Still hard at work, handsome?"
A desperate, pathetic part of him was so foolish that he looked up with blind hope, before his brain could register that this wasn't Astrid's voice. Ginna, one of the girls at the Hall, was holding a cloth bundle in her hands, obviously containing his food. He nodded his thanks and turned back to his work, eager to get this task done so he could at least sit to a warm meal, rather than a cold one.
"Getting food from the Hall?" Ginna went on as if he hadn't been silent. She smiled at him in a way that made him feel on edge, because it reminded him of some of the women he'd met in his travels. "What's that woman of yours doing, letting you go hungry."
Despite the havoc in his chest, his hackles bristled instantly. "She has been busy. She works as hard for Berk as any one of us, probably more."
Ginna shrugged. "I don't know," she replied carelessly, seemingly unaware that she'd kindled his anger and protective instincts. "But if I had a man like you, I'd certainly take better care of him."
"My betrothed takes as much care as any loving woman would," he replied, his mouth seemingly adding the second to last word just to torture his chest. Ginna looked peeved for a moment, and then her eyes sharpened.
"Does she, now? My my, wouldn't have put it among Astrid's many talents, to keep a man happy."
The implication was evident. And infuriating. He kept his calm by a hair's breadth, but instantly draw a sword from the stack and walked towards her. He felt some satisfaction in watching her back away, and simply proceeded to the sharpening wheel behind her when she'd almost stumbled her way away.
"I would appreciate if you would keep from making those insinuations," he said to her coldly, looking her in the eye instead of the spinning, sharpening wheel. "They damage Astrid's honour, and I will not have it."
Ginna huffed, obviously intimidated by his scare tactics if her eyes shifting constantly to the sword in his hand was any indication. Smoulder had not yet come out to play, and he doubted she would for a little trollop like this one. But he would break her out if it meant shutting Ginna up.
"Well then, here's your meal. What do you have for a bargain?" Hiccup glared at her and she stepped back. He knew she was lying, because Gobber would most certainly have bargained for his meal already; he knew the old smith well enough. Toothless seemed finally fed up with the standoff and began growling, looking at the barmaid beadily. Without hesitation, Hiccup opened a drawer and withdrew one of the tiny steel trinkets he sometimes made for the children and threw it at her.
"There. You are upsetting my dragon. Please leave."
She scoffed. "Not much of the famous kind man they say you are, aren't you?"
"I don't see anyone worth being kind to. My food has gone cold because of you."
She finally left, leaving a sour taste in his mouth as he watched her go. He'd seen so many women like her, out there; ruthless hunters, who stopped at nothing to obtain their means. While he was at the Eastern capital, before the bloodiest battle of his life, he'd had to fight one off with actual steel. He was used to dealing with them; at least Ginna didn't brandish a knife if she didn't get what she wanted. It just made him miss honest, beautiful Astrid more.
He took his wrapped pot by the glowing embers of the forge, stoking them slightly to get some warmth and light going. His food, thankfully, wasn't as cold as he'd feared, and he ate quickly, eager to get the night's job done so he could go to bed. The drawer he'd taken the trinket from was next to him, still open wide, and he reached into it for something to do while he ate, sneaking Toothless morsels with his other hand.
A tiny straw doll, with leather clothing made out of scraps and pretty straw hair in two braids, tiny, thumb-sized helmed smithed on purpose and glued to her head with sap, caught his eyes right away and he winced. He'd forgotten that he'd made this for little Ætta, and he'd meant to give it to Astrid to pass it on.
He closed the drawer, thumbing the doll pensively. Perhaps it could be a conversation opener. He could give her the doll, gauge her reaction, try to see if she would loosen up slightly and talk to him again.
Or she could take it, look away and dart off with some excuse or other, as she'd been doing. The hand squeezing his gut gave a sadistic twist, and he put the doll down, giving the rest of his meal to his dragon, who looked at him worriedly.
No, he'd go himself. See how Ætta was doing with the supplies he'd brought. Astrid hadn't come to him feeling sad anymore (he ignored the part of him saying she hadn't come to him at all), so he was hopeful that the tiny one had recovered. If nothing else, he would give her the doll, and try to give Brunhilda back the silver he'd been given to repair Astrid's axe. As her promised, at least, he refused to take payment for what he could just give her. The gifts he gave her would never have a price.
"Come on, bud," he said, suddenly exhausted. The rest of his work would have to wait for tomorrow. He doused the fires and shut the forge, Toothless still nudging his hand and looking at him worriedly. "I'll be alright, my friend. It's just our stupid human mating rituals." And eye-roll indicated that he understood completely. "I'll be fine after a good sleep."
He wasn't sure of that, and judging by Toothless' unimpressed expression, neither was his dragon. But at least he had things to do, food to eat, and a home to return to. Things could be worse; they had been. Fingering the doll, he decided to think no more of it that night.
=0=
Goethi sat quietly on a stool, sipping at the warmed up, watered mead that Brunhilda had given her. Her visit here had been two-fold - and she was happy that all had gone well on both fronts.
Little Ætta was snoozing happily, her wheezing finally abated, on the tiny cot that had been built for her while she convalesced. The child's illness had been caught early thanks to Astrid's prompt request for help, and she would be alright now, with some rest. Brunhilda had also accepted her offer. It gladdened the Goethi's mind to know that someone would follow in her steps. She knew that Brunhilda wouldn't be a Goethi long enough to lose her birth name as she had; Brunhilda had a family, and was much older than she had been, orphaned and widowed as she was, when the then Goethi Ingunn had taken her in and taught her the art. And hopefully, if Goethi counted her gods done right by, the art would then be passed down in the family, and would return to chief's clan as was right.
Brunhilda was just returning to her own stool beside hers when there was a soft knock on the door. They exchanged a puzzled look; nobody had been told that the quarantine had been lifted yet. She went to the there, and they were both surprised to see Hiccup, smiling hesitantly.
"Hello, Mother Hofferson," he said, sounding just as nervous as he looked. Goethi eyed him with a smirk and sat silently. She could imagine what - who - the boy had come for. In fact; "Is … er, Astrid, here?"
"No, dear," Brunhilda said with a smile, though Goethi noticed she was giving him a very thorough look. "I'm really sorry you took the trip for nothing."
"Oh, that's alright," he shrugged. "It's actually you I wanted. But she probably wouldn't approve either, and I wanted to know how fast I'd have to run." He gave her a cheeky grin which made the woman look at him suspiciously. "Well, you see, remember before we got the Red Death out of the way, your husband paid me to repair Astrid's axe? Well, seeing as I'm her promised, there is no way I'm charging her for that, and …"
"You'll have to take that up with my husband, dear," Brunhilda said with a laugh. "I'm not about to step on that man's betting agreements. He'd be in a dander for weeks! With me, and with you, mind!"
"Ah, I was afraid you'd say that." His grin hadn't faded, and Goethi sipped quietly as she watched with interest. Hiccup reached behind him, and quickly produced a full sack of flour, a bag of what sounded like steel nails, and a cage with a disgruntled chicken in it. "You can't refuse gifts from someone who's practically family now, can you?"
Ah, the cheeky devil. Brunhilda looked flustered, and could think of nothing to reply, obviously, so she just shook her head and slapped him fondly.
"I'll go put these in the shed. Now don't you go anywhere. Drop in, will you? I'd like to spend some time with you - you're like a ghost these days, always busy and never still. Sit down and wait for me; I'll give you something good to eat to put some meat on those bones."
Hiccup entered the room sheepishly as Brunhilda left, and Goethi sat still and quiet on her stool, shrinking into the background as she had learned to do when she wanted to observe. Her physiology was on her side as her small body took up little space and she was sitting in a corner, in the shadow of an urn.
Hiccup would have spotted her quickly however, close to the fire as she was, had a distraction not presented itself right away.
"Nana?" asked a sleep-slurred voice. Ætta sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking around the dark-ish room. Hiccup immediately moved towards her so that she could see him, and the child's eyes brightened. "Uncle Hiccup! Is Toothless here, too?"
"Nope, sorry about that," the young man replied, sitting down on the stool beside her bed. "But he'll definitely be with me next time we come, and if you're recovered enough, and promise to keep the secret, I'll take you on a short flight. But only if the weather's nice."
"It's been nice while I was here, no rain at all," she said with a pout, eyes already beginning to brim. Hiccup shushed her quietly, cupping her tiny head with his large hand to stroke her hair, and instigating her involuntarily to climb into his lap. He looked at her worriedly for a second, until she grabbed onto his tunic, and then he just held her.
"Hey … you're going to be alright, little shieldmaiden. They'll let you out to play soon, you'll see," he soothed, rubbing her back. Goethi sipped her mead, watching with interest. The way that boy was looking at the precocious child … well, if there ever was an interesting look.
"How'd you know?" she asked in a whimper. "I wasn't naughty, but they wouldn't let me out, then my chest hurt!"
"But now it doesn't hurt, does it?" he asked, still in his gentle voice. "And they let me in to visit you! They weren't letting any visitors in, where they? So you must be all better!"
Ætta gave him a considering look, eyes bright and intelligent for a babe of merely three. She truly did look like her namesake. Then she nodded and gave him a smile.
"So you'll take me on Toothless?" she asked eagerly. Goethi only just managed to stop herself from snorting. That boy had gotten himself into trouble.
He held a finger in front of his mouth. "But that's our little secret. If you tell someone, I can't take you!"
Ætta's eyes rounded and she seemed to consider it; Goethi could almost see the cogs working in her tiny brain, weighing the loss of bragging rights with the actual thing, and then she nodded.
"Meanwhile, I have something to keep you company. Or someone, maybe?"
Hiccup reached into the bag he had on his shoulder and pulled out a doll. Its body was made of cloth, the clothing was stitched leather. The hair was carefully braided straw, and there was actually a tiny metal helmet. Goethi stared; there was mastery and detail even in a tiny doll made for a sick child. Thank Odin the Wise that they had gotten him back. What a mind Berk would have lost.
Ætta's eyes had gone so large that Goethi could see it at her distance. The child's arms shot out to the doll and took it up, holding it at arm's length to stare slack-jawed.
"It's Aunty Astrid!" she whispered in awe. Goethi could only guess that a face had been painted onto the cloth face, and this had apparently held some resemblance to her aunt. Again, Goethi had to stop herself from snickering. "Oh, she's so pretty! Thank you so much Uncle Hiccup!"
"You're welcome, Ætta," he said with a hummed laugh, hugging the child who had embraced the doll and burrowed herself into his chest. "You take good care of her now, right?"
"Yes! And then you'll make me an Uncle Hiccup doll too!"
"What?" He blinked at her. "An Uncle Hiccup doll would be ugly."
"No it wouldn't," Ætta insisted. Hiccup chuckled.
"It would be long, long, and thin," he said with a laugh, pulling some straw out of the bedding and weaving it deftly into a long cord, knotting four ends off to make loops for arms and legs, and then finishing it off with a large knot for a head. Ætta looked at it sceptically, but then she snatched it up and put it next to her prettier doll. Hiccup shook his head. "Why would you want a Hiccup doll?" he asked, utterly perplexed.
"Because then, Aunty Astrid Doll would be lonely," the child replied as if Hiccup were a rather dull terror. "She needs her husband Uncle Hiccup Doll, like the real Aunty Astrid."
Goethi had to pinch her nose not to make a noise this time. A mere child could reduce the future chief of Berk, rider of the night fury and conqueror of the Red Death, to red-faced stuttering. She was glad she'd stayed hidden, she'd known this would be priceless.
"I, um. You see, well … You see, Ætta, Aunty Astrid and I aren't married," he finally managed to say, voice a shade more twitchy than the calm tone he'd used till now. Ætta gave him a confused look.
"But you are! Aunty Astrid lives with you, and mama said that is when a mama marries a papa. So Aunty Astrid's married to you." She seemed to consider for a moment, and then said, in Hiccup's own patient tone. "Did they forget to tell you? I can tell you what my mama told me, if you want."
Goethi was lucky that Hiccup burst out laughing when he did, because it covered the sound of her snort.
"No, they didn't forget to tell me." He looked down at her even more fondly. "See, Aunty Astrid and I aren't married, but we're … er, going to be married." Goethi's eyes sharpened. Why had there been a note of longing there? Their contract was signed and settled, so he didn't have any reason to sound as though he were speaking of lost love.
Meanwhile, Ætta was still obviously confused, and obviously didn't like being so at all. Transferring both of her dolls to one hand, she gave the young man a punch in the ribs. He looked at her open-mouthed for a moment,and then trying not to smile, attempted a stern look.
"What do you mean by that, now?" he said, and she looked appropriately sheepish. "Go on, answer me."
"I don't understand," she lamented. "Uncle Hiccup's being mean and making fun of me. Mama says you only go to live with someone when you marry them, to make babies." She looked teary eyed, and Hiccup looked guilty.
"Ah, wait, let me see…" he tried, biting his lip. "Aunty Astrid and I are … special. You see, before you get married, there is a time when you are … um … you make a promise." Ætta blinked up at him. "Like you promised now, not to tell anyone about your ride with me and Toothless, remember?"
With a brighter look, the little girl nodded.
"Right, so Aunty Astrid and I, we made a promise." He hooked his pinky with hers, dwarfing the tiny appendage but clasping it gently. "We promised that I would marry Aunty Astrid, and that Aunty Astrid would marry me. And I hold her here." He took their linked hands up to his chest, hunching over so her tiny arm would reach. "In my heart." Again, that note of longing in his voice. There was something that was not right, there. "But me and my dad didn't have anyone to take care of us, so Aunty Astrid came to live with us early; after the promise, not after we got married. Because otherwise no one would cook for us, and Uncle Hiccup's food tastes like gronkle poop!"
Ætta giggled an 'EW!' and seemed to consider it for a moment, staring intently at her finger still linked with Hiccup's and pressed over his heart.
"Well, that's silly," she said at last. "You should be married." She nodded to herself, as if it were the most logical statement ever uttered. "Aunty Astrid Doll and Uncle Hiccup Doll will be married, too." With tiny, fast hands she grabbed a piece more straw from beneath the bed linens and tied one end around the cloth doll's sewn wrist, while she passed the other through the loop of the woven one, then tied a knot. "There, see, they're married now." Hiccup could only stare at her with a half smile on his face, while Ætta looked at him and the dolls some more, seeming to consider something.
"And when I grow up, I'll marry Uncle Hiccup, too," she said. Hiccup's eyebrows shot up, and Goethi's joined the party. The child's father, one of Astrid's brothers, had been recently lost to a sea storm, and the family still grieved. The child, however, had taken to clinging to the many other male figures in the family, and Hiccup, apparently, had suddenly taken the top seat. Goethi so, so wished she could snicker at his expense.
Ætta seemed happy with her own conclusion, a smile on her face as she hugged the dolls to her and rested her head against Hiccup's chest, for all intents and purposes hunkering down for a cuddly nap.
"Er… Ætta, little one, … why do you want to marry Uncle Hiccup?" he asked in a voice that was trying to choke down laughter.
"Well, my name is Astrid, too, but everyone calls me Ætta because Aunty Astrid came first. So if you marry Aunty Astrid, you marry me, too, because we have the same name!" There was a solemn seriousness in her voice, as if she were imparting the gravest secret. Hiccup bit his lips to keep from laughing. Hard.
"Ah, I see, that makes sense," he said, clearing his voice. "But maybe, we should ask Aunty Astrid if she's alright with it, too."
Ætta nodded, still with a very serious, business-like expression. "Because she came first."
Hiccup laughed quietly, giving the child a hug and kissing her crown. "I'm afraid Aunty Astrid will always come first," he said, and the child nodded, only understanding the surface meaning. A glimpse at his eyes told Goethi all she needed to know about what that statement really meant.
The front door rattled and creaked, and Brunhilda came back in, closing the door on a sudden gale that had picked up outside. It was enough to let a gust of freezing wind inside the hall and make them all shudder, the light from the fire turning everything grotesque as the fire faltered frantically. Ætta whimpered and burrowed more deeply into Hiccup's chest.
"What's this now, young lady?" Brunhilda said sternly, arms akimbo. "How are you out of bed? I don't recall giving you permission."
"But nana," the child whined in protest, curling herself further in Hiccup's lap. "Uncle Hiccup's here! And I haven't seen anyone in so long! Please, nana. And look!" She uncurled herself from Hiccup's lap, hopping down onto her bare feet to hold up the pretty cloth doll, the straw one hanging off the other doll's tied wrist. "Uncle Hiccup brought me some dolls! This is Aunty Astrid Doll, and this is Uncle Hiccup Doll! Aren't they pretty?"
Brunhilda blinked down at the two toys the child was holding as far up as she could with open eagerness, then looked at Hiccup, who rubbed his head sheepishly.
"Don't look at me," he chuckled. "The Hiccup doll wasn't my idea." Brunhilda gave a bark of laughter and turned to the child again, who was looking up at her hopefully. Goethi was sure she would still get a scolding later, but Hiccup was also looking at Brunhilda with half-hopeful eyes; it was rather disgusting, how adorable that was.
"Oh, alright then. But you will be quiet and not interrupt while we adults speak, are we clear?"
Ætta gave a cheer and ran headlong at Hiccup, throwing herself into his lap, and he put a quick arm around her when she looked like she was going to topple over. She scrambled up like a tiny terrible terror and curled up in his lap again, head against his chest as she began to play with her new dolls.
"Look at you, already with bairn in your lap," Brunhilda said with a laugh as she brought a stool beside him. She too seemed to have forgotten Goethi was there, because her back was the to the fire, and she partially obscured Hiccup from the healer's view. It annoyed Goethi - but it was a small price to pay in order to gauge what was going on in that head of his. Hiccup shrugged, a half smile on his face - which was thankfully clearly visible over Brunhilda's shoulder. "And I have to thank you; what you did for her meant a lot to us, Hiccup."
"I don't mind. Astrid's been really upset about her, and I wanted to see how she was." He smiled down at Ætta when she looked up at him with a beaming grin, laughing lightly as he soothed her hair. "I've never been one for sickness, at least. Never had much for muscle on me, but I've never once been down with a Winter sickness, or a Summer one, so I thought I'd wiggle in to see her. But you let me in, so she's all better, right?"
Brunhilda smiled at him. "Yes, she's out of that wood, thank the Great Mother. It really is all thanks to you and your Astrid; she went to tell Goethi right away, when I was too busy to go. And you went and took that trip to get us those herbs ..." Hiccup seemed uncomfortable with the statement, and Brunhilda latched onto it right away; Goethi had no doubt that the purpose of the comment had been bait in the first place. "Though I have to say, Ætta is not the only one Astrid's been worried about. What have you been doing to her, then, to upset her?"
Hiccup winced visibly, eyes dropping right away. "So she was upset?"
"Of course she was upset, lad," Brunhilda said, sternly but not unkindly. "What did you think would happen? It really is no way to treat a woman, dear, especially the only one in your household."
"I … er…"
"You should let her take care of you, lad. If she wants to do it, you know there's no stopping her." She gave a chuckle, but Hiccup didn't follow save with a weak smile.
"Well, she hasn't been coming around with … I mean, she's been keeping away, since I … upset her." He looked down at the dirt floor between them again, his hand soothing over Ætta's hair almost as if to calm himself.
"Oh, don't mind that dear. She's a bit like her old dad in that way. They get into a bit of a tizzy, they do, and you let them stew over it for a while until one morning everything's fine and dandy as if nothing's ever happened."
Hiccup looked at her with a mixture of hope and horror on his face. Then his expression turned sad, and Goethi could not understand it. "I suppose if that is the way she wants it," he said quietly.
Brunhilda huffed. "Son - and I will call you that, my boy, so no need to blush. I know you care about our Astrid. Very much so - you cared before you left, and I've seen you with her. There's no denying it, so don't you try." Hiccup shrugged, colour tinging his face visible despite how far away from the fire he was.
"But if she is this easily upset, I …"
"Well now, I didn't take you for someone who let things drop that easily." Brunhilda said, and her provocation seemed to work, as his eyebrows came together into a frown.
"I'm not one to press a woman into something she doesn't want, either," he replied, and Goethi blinked, along with her new apprentice.
"Oh, my dear boy, Astrid is just confused by you, that is all." Brunhilda said with a shake of the head. "And she does want to take care of you, of that I'm sure."
"Take care of me," Hiccup repeated, almost bitterly. "There is more to marriage than that, Mother Hofferson. And I'm sorry, but …" He stopped himself, biting his lip and looking down at the dust floor again.
"Hiccup, you have to try to show her more of what you feel," Brunhilda tried in a gentle tone, and this seemed to anger him even more.
"I've tried," he said, his voice now hard, and almost the voice Cattongue used to address Stoick with when he had first landed on Berk. "And her response was … not encouraging." He looked at Brunhilda suspiciously, then. "I shouldn't take up anymore of your time. And Toothless and I are expected in the Hall for a meeting very soon."
Ætta had fallen asleep in his lap, thumb in her mouth and dolls clutched to her belly. With all the care in the world, he put her into her cot gently and then covered her, standing and turning to give Brunhilda a nod before exiting the hall without another word.
Brunhilda was left looking obviously upset, and Goethi gave a sigh, which seemed to startle her.
"Oh Goethi! I thought you had left!" The old healer slipped off her stool, moving out of the fire's circle and sitting on the seat Hiccup had just vacated. "What did you think of that, Mother Goethi?"
The elder woman shook her head, scribbling a few things in the dirt. It took Brunhilda a while, but she finally deciphered it. Hopefully, she would get used to her scrawls quickly - and more efficiently than Gobber. "Yes, I agree. He's not the trusting, open child he used to be, isn't he?"
Goethi nodded with a sigh, and both women looked at the door he'd just left through. There had been a gleam of suspicion and guardedness in his eyes before he'd excused himself of the conversation completely. There had never been such a shadow in Hiccup's eyes before he'd returned from his five years of absence; many a prank had been played upon him because he'd innocently followed one of his peers into a place where he could be tricked. The moment he had felt Brunhilda pressuring him into speaking, however, he had bowed out elegantly and with little chance for argument.
"And there's something there, too, isn't there?" Brunhilda turned to her again, a mother's worry clearly in her eyes. "He does still care for my Astrid, doesn't he?"
Goethi nodded without hesitation and scribbled some more. After a lag, Brunhilda bit her lip. "Oh no, mother Goethi, you really think so?" Goethi nodded again. "But he can't really be doubting my Astrid. She's never even looked at another man … no, that's not what you mean? Then … oh, you think he doubts she wants him?" Goethi gave a sad sigh and a nod. "Pretty pair they are, one doubting the other in this way. None of us had this nonsense about our heads when we were youths in our marriage."
Goethi gave her a sharp look and scribbled, then waited. "Yes… I suppose you are right. It is born of the uncertainty in their unusual situation. I can understand why Stoick hasn't married them off yet, with the Thing to take care of, and Hiccup all but just out of bed … still, if they keep doubting one another like this…"
Goethi nodded with conviction. Brunhilda bit her lip in a near frantic worry.
"Oh, my poor children. I will talk to Astrid, tell her to be more clear with him, and -" she stopped when Goethi shook her head, the elder woman looking at her with no space for argument. She scribbled one last thing. "They need to talk to one another? Yes, I agree, but perhaps, if I could facilitate it?" Goethi shook her head firmly. From what she'd seen, Brunhilda trying to intervene had only hardened Hiccup, making him feel cornered instead of giving him an outlet to open up. He obviously didn't trust others as easily as he used to, and though that hadn't diminished his natural kindness, it had the effect of making him rather reluctant to let others direct him into a course of action.
It was not surprising, seeing that the child had been on his own for so long, fending for himself and getting by with people outside of Berk, who were none-too-gentle with strangers and, possibly, innocent children. He'd probably been led into a trap at least once; and this time it had not been a childish prank played by his peers. If it had been what left those scars on his face, and if there were more of the like on other places on his body, then it was no wonder that he let no one lead him into corners, in conversation or in life.
Goethi slipped off her stool again, reaching over to pat a still-anxious Brunhilda before moving towards the door. And while she meant exactly what she said regarding Brunhilda meddling with this affair, she also knew that she, herself, needed to follow it carefully. And perhaps, if she could help, she would.
=0=
Thuggury was practically standing on top of his dragon, using the reigns to try not to slip off and fall to his untimely death. Dusk had long ago given way to the first strains of the night, and poor Fanghorn would probably flop down and fall asleep the moment they landed, but Thuggory himself was too excited to feel any of the fatigue, at least not yet.
As soon as the rocks of Berk began to appear, the natural ramparts of it's cliff-formations appearing welcoming despite their raggedness, Thuggory gave an elated yell which seemed to give some energy back to his poor thunderdrum. The land was quiet and silent up ahead, but suddenly they spotted two rows of flickering lights that made a pathway in the darkness.
"Thinks of everything, doesn't he?" Thuggory snickered. Fanghorn circled once, and the Meathead heir had time to see how far behind he'd left the rest of his party; well, they were visible in the moonlight. As distant twinkles. It wasn't too late that all the good people of Berk would be in bed, so he gently nudged the dragon beneath him. Who gave him a grumble and a glare.
"Go on, my friend, you wouldn't disappoint your loyal rider, now, would you? After all, I know you want to come in with style, even if you're tired. Go on…"
Fanghorn gave him a look that clearly told the heir he knew he was being manipulated, but complied anyway as he gave a sonorous roar intending to alert the populace of their arrival, as well as let the rest of their flying Meatheads know that they had arrived, in case they had not spotted Berk in the moonlight yet.
Fanghorn didn't wait for Thuggory to be ready, and simply directed his wide blue body towards the two rows of light, landing on the smooth grass that had been marked evidently for the occasion.
Other shining dots of flickering gleam began to move towards them, and a night guard spotted them first. giving a 'hulla' and then turning to holler at the rest of the village to announce their arrival officially. Fanghorn gave a groan as Thuggory descended, and the man was instantly by the great toothed head of his friend.
"Hey, big man. I'm sure they're going to have fresh fish and warm hay for you, you'll see. You can rest the night and be good as new tomorrow morning," he whispered, giving the dragon a head-scratch, and the wetting his hand with his drinking water to splash some onto him. Fanghorn closed his eyes and gave a grateful groan, leaning into the liquid with evident rapture.
"Thuggory!"
He rose with one last pat, craning his head expectantly as a group of people began approaching. But he'd never mistake that voice-
"My brother!" he roared, launching forward the moment he spied Hiccup's lithe body leading the group. He had been worried sick with fear that the poison blood and fever of his wounds would take him from them, and even though he'd stayed long enough to see him recovering, his father hadn't let him stay as long as he'd preferred. Letters had been sent through the dragons and through Trader Johann, but they were so long in coming, and often got either blown off-course or arrived wet and partly illegible. "Let me look at you!" He went on, stepping back to slap Hiccup's shoulders. He seemed to have put on some more weight since they'd last seen him, but that may have been because bedsheets and sallow cheeks make everyone look thin. Hiccup was standing straight though, shoulders wide under the fur vest, suede trousers showing off the gleaming metal of his new foot as embroidered wool and sheepskin tunic finally made him look like a man of his proper station.
"Thuggory!" he said with a smile and just as much enthusiasm. "Welcome to Berk! You're early! Did you just hop on 'Horn and scream here when you got bored on that good-for-nothing island of yours?" They laughed as Hiccup clapped his shoulder. "Where's Heather now? Clover's more than fast enough to keep up with 'Horn…"
As Hiccup was craning his neck to look around him for the wayward wife, Thuggory couldn't help his grin getting wider - his cheeks were honestly hurting, because he'd been smiling like an idiot all week. This, though, was better than usual.
"She isn't coming by dragon," he replied slyly, making Hiccup look at him in askance. "The healer wouldn't have it. She's coming on the boats with the rest of the women."
"How did she not kill you for … wait, the healer? Is she alright?"
"Nothing seven more months of rest and no flying won't take care of!" he dropped, leadingly, waiting for his friend to catch on. Hiccup blinked at him, looking blank as a rock slate after the sea's had its way with it, and Thuggory exchanged a look with his tired dragon. Well, now …
"Oh!"
Thuggory blinked, having momentarily forgotten that there had been other people with his best friend to greet him. The girl he was engaged to - ah, Astrid! - was standing there, eyes wide and golden hair shining in the torchlight as her lips formed a tentative smile. "Seven months … have two passed already, then?"
"Aha!" he elbowed Hiccup, making Toothless grumble and swat him with a tail - how had Thuggory missed the dragon? Black hide or not, those luminous eyes were pointed straight at him, even if they were behind the girl, rather than in their usual place beside Hiccup. "This one's sharper than you! Be careful, or you'll find yourself wearing the skirts while she sports the britches!"
"You mean I'll be following your example?" he replied innocently, and Toothless, Fanghorn and Astrid laughed. He huffed in mock annoyance, slapping his front and pushing it at him. "Oh, ew, Thug, please; I'm not interested…"
"Ha!" He grabbed the taller man's head, rubbing his hair furiously, "I'll tell you who wears the skirts!" Hiccup laughed breathlessly, trying to push him off. "You're about to be an uncle, and all you can do is rebuff my flirtations? I'll show you what happens when you hurt my feelings!"
"You become Thughilda the hideous and everyone runs for the hills?" Hiccup replied, grabbing him in a choke-hold himself and making them both laugh as they struggled together.
"Oi!" Thuggory found himself tossed backwards, and suddenly he was looking at Snotlout. His eyes narrowed.
"What do you want, Snotface the 'don't-do-what-you're-told'?" he replied with a hiss, standing straighter and stepping forward so his own barrel chest was only inches from the other man's. Hiccup quickly got between them.
"Peace, peace. We were only fooling around, 'Lout, don't worry. Thug," Thuggory was very surprised to see stern displeasure in his little brother's eyes. "Snotlout's made amends, ok? So I don't want to hear that again. Please," one corner of his mouth lifted in that typical way of his, and Thuggory found himself answering the smile without even trying. "We don't need to kick off the Thing talks with a fist fight, do we?"
"I think that's an excellent idea!" Thuggory almost winced. The other dragons of their party had begun to land, and his dad slid off Clover's back. It had been murder to convince the dragon to leave Heather behind, but while there were more than enough terrors on the ships to deal with any rats and any problems, there was little chance of a goodly sized dragon fitting on one. And since Clover would not be left behind either, his dad had agreed to ride him to Berk. It had been … an interesting flight. Never to be repeated again.
"Look what the grey sea washed up!"
They were saved from further exposure to his dad's opinions by Stoick, now came up to the party and knocked chests with the Meathead chief. Within moments, insults began to fly, and both big men had each other in a headlock that knocked their helmets off.
"I can see the resemblance," Astrid said wryly, and Hiccup gave her a sheepish smile that she held for a few moments. Then they both … did they blush and look away? Aww, that was adorable. And also stupid; they were to be married and almost in their twentieth summer, for Frigga's sake! He rolled his eyes, and was amazed to see that both Toothless and Snotlout had done the same. Hmm… so this wasn't something new. It warranted investigation. Ignoring the noise and bluster of the two men, now rolling around in the dew-wet grass in an impromptu wrestling match, he slung his arm around Hiccup again.
"So, my brother, have you forgotten your manners or has the pretty lady taken up too much of your brain," he said with a sly look. He got an elbow to his belly and a fist to his arm for his trouble. Hiccup and Astrid looked at one another in askance for a moment. "Ow! What? Abuse of a guest!" He gave Hiccup a wide smirk. "She's been teaching you Viking manners well! Now, how about some food and shelter for the tired travellers?" More of their dragon party began to land, and the torch-dotted clearing began to feel crowded. Hiccup slapped his back and began leading them all up towards the Great Hall, dragons and all.
Thuggory, however, had a moment to exchange an asking glance with Snotlout, who had also been eyeing Hiccup and Astrid with a belligerent look. He didn't trust the man; he knew that he'd had his eyes on Hiccup's woman before his little brother had returned to reclaim his rights, and no matter what Hiccup said, once an asshole, always an asshole. Toothless, however, was giving those two the same glance… and Snotlout was the only one of the two who spoke his language. Maybe if he could somehow get the both of them together and alone from anyone else, he would be able to get to the bottom of that tingling sensation at the back of his neck.
And of course, Cami should be here soon, and Dogsbreath. And his beloved, manipulative wife. They'd have it all sorted in no time.
=0=
Tuffnut stood at the entrance of the hall, polished and clean, actually washed for once even though it wasn't washday, debating whether or not he should go in.
On the one hand, he was hungry. Very hungry. Hungry enough to climb the steps up here and then stare at the big wooden doors for almost half an hour.
On the other hand, the hall was the last place he wanted to be. The really, really, last place. He'd take Mildew's house over the Hall right now, it was so the lastest place he wanted to be. He knew who was in there, and he also knew who else was in there, and right now, he didn't want to see either one of them.
Well, no, he wanted to see one of them very much. Very, very much. But he couldn't go blow things up with her the way they had planned, and he didn't know how to say they couldn't because he didn't want to say they couldn't, so he hadn't bothered to try to think how to say they couldn't.
There was also the other one. Now, the other one he really didn't want to see. The lying cheat. And no one would believe him when he said she was lying, either! He hadn't been drunk that night, he knew exactly what he'd said, knew what he'd done, and he certainly hadn't said that and hadn't done that. He'd remember if he'd done it. Right?
No, yes, definitely; he'd remember. And the knots on his trousers were too complicated for anyone but him to remove - and his sister, but that was only because she had learned the knots he used in order to de-pant him in front of as many people possible And little girls - the little girls squealed loudly and hid their faces like wusses. It was funny. And that was before. they were more complicated now.
And the old ladies too... though he didn't want to think of old ladies right now, not with how much he didn't like his mum. Or ladies; ladies right now sucked. Sucked and lied and got men into trouble they hadn't even enjoyed no matter what they said.
"Hey Tuffnut!" He jumped and swerved, turning to see Gustav staring up at him with a broad grin while his nadder Baldr rubbed his head against the smaller boy's shoulder. To think, Gustav had once idolised Snotlout - he was growing to be a lot more like Hiccup; a surprisingly stubborn beanpole.
"Oi, Gustav. How's it ...er… going?" The doors to the Hall had opened and closed to let one of the Svens out. By the way he greeted the boy and his nadder, it was probably Sven 'Fleetfoot'; Tuff knew that this Sven's little girl was in the same class as Gustav for dragon training. But that hadn't been what had distracted Tuffnut. Oh no, it had been the high, loud laugh, the rocus going on inside, and the unmistakable drawling voice of one lady in particular.
All was not ok in his world - not ok at all - when just the echo of a laugh and a drawl could make his chest feel like Flat-Fart was sitting on him again, and he couldn't get his feet to move from that spot, either into the Hall, or away from it.
He could still hear his sister, swearing she'd get him out of this mess, somehow. Lucky her - she'd escaped to Fishlegs' family, and could safely disown their mother. Tuffnut had been left with a sobbing mess of a woman clinging to him while he wished he could have nothing to do with her. And also, Flat-Fart sitting-on-his-chest feelings every time he heard that voice.
Ung, he should go. But he was hungry!
"Tuffnut, sir," Huh, that puffed his chest out a little. Since Hiccup had taken charge of the young ones, they'd started learning some serious respect. Hiccup had been drumming it into them as he taught them about flying reptiles, and it was working like a charm. Sven had obviously moved on from talking with Gustav, and the young boy's attention had returned to Tuffnut. The young teen's tall, stringy body was rife with hesitation as he looked at Tuffnut like he was thick in the head- oi!
"What?" he replied with asperity. Gustav gave him a look that said he wasn't taking it - apparently, 'sir' with respect was only reserved to Hiccup. Phaw, some fairness to the heroes of the village!
"You've been standing here for a long time, sir. Do you need anything?"
There, a spark of sunlight in the clouds! "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do! See, I would like to eat, but since I'm so popular with the ladies and there are a few of my uglier conquests in there-" No, no, what was he saying? This kind of talk got him into trouble in the first place! And at least one of his conquests in there was most certainly not ugly at all! No, no talk of conquests! "and, erm, ah-hem, get me a plate of mutton, cadet Gustav Larson!"
"Of course!" The boy replied, moving towards the large wooden double doors. He was almost thrown on his back when they were opened, however, and the object - very, very not-ugly not-object - of his consternation was standing there, arms akimbo, blonde hair wild and scowl on her face.
"You! I thought I heard you!" She took two strides forward till she was snarling in his face. Then she reared back and slapped him. "That's for not answer my last two letters!" She scowled at him some more, then looked him up and down. A smirk bloomed on her face, she stepped forward again and kissed him.
They'd only kissed once - before she had left back for Bog - and he'd been in happy-land for days after. Even his sister almost twisting his arm off couldn't get the smile of his face - which pissed her off, he he he. But now, oooh boy, she wasn't holding back, and -ow, that was his back against the wall, and man, that was Gustav running away like a ninny because this woman was crazy, and he was totally right, but - WHOA! He squeaked; no, uttered a high-pitched utterance in a totally manly way! - as she tried to stick her hand down his trousers.
Yeah, yeah, damn it all to the Jotun, he'd missed her. Missed her and missed her and he'd keep missing her because it was all messed up worse than his cousin Larse's bed head.
"That's for looking good enough to eat," she said, finally moving away, then giving him another appraising look and a smirk. Asgard, her lips were swollen. "Astrid's right, it works." Oh no, the ladies were giving each other tips. He was doomed. They were all doomed. "Now get in here and have a keg with us! We're celebrating! Thuggory is going to have a daughter!"
"A SON!" came the answering roar from inside the hall. Cami cackled in that evil, terrible way he loved so much - no, nope, liked. Liked, that's all - and grabbed his hair and dragged him into the hall. And whoa her ass swinging on those tight, tight britches were the best thing he'd seen in a long, long, long while. Since she'd last been here, in fact.
Yeah, he was sure, he would remember it. Lying whore. she wouldn't even have gotten him 'up' - not when this was what worked, and she paled in comparison. He raised his eyes, and found Cami giving him a catty look over her shoulder, hand still tangled in his hair. Feeling prickles at the back of his head, he also know that at least one member of his family was also in the hall. Or that possibly that lying, deceitful barmaid was here, glaring at him like she could make him even more unhappy than she already had.
Cami looked at him again as they approached the table, and her smirk got predatory - oh boy, and her lips were still swollen from before.
He was doomed. He was very, very doomed.
=0=
Dogsbreath knew he wasn't known for expressing much of what was going on in his head - it was a trait his father had hammered into him since he'd been a boy. It was a disadvantage in politics to wear your heart like your face, and he had always had a natural affinity with silence.
He was, in his defense, slightly sloshed. And it was a happy occasion. Thuggory's party had arrived first, and the Bog's group had met Dogbreath's own as they flew towards Berk. Once their tired dragons had been settled, and once Dogsbreath himself was sure that Farthog was snoring contentedly he followed his father and his friends to the Hall, where a number of warming and very welcome dishes were put in front of them all.
And the mead. And ale and cider.
Right now, Thuggory and Cami were engaged in a drinking contest while all the table banged on the wood of their kegs and the table-top at the rhythm of chug-a-chug-chug. When Cami put the keg down first, colour high on her face and eyes shining bright in challenge, the table roared, and Thuggory slammed his own down demanding a rematch.
Dogsbreath laughed along with his fellow heirs, as this was the third or fourth time that this happened. The Hall around them was alive with noise as the other members of their flying parties chatted loudly and merrily, being fed and watered, or else surrounded their table to join the merriment, banging noises and placing bets on the drinking that had started small and were now escalating to full chickens.
He spotted his own father, two tables down, having a boisterous conversation with Stoick, Bertha and Brawlknife. Or, rather, the other two were Boisterous - his father was drinking with them and smiling, but letting them all talk. Much like he liked to do it himself.
And there was a lot to observe. The UglyThugs weren't bringing anyone by boat - they'd decided to bring all the family of the chief by dragon as a tribute to Hiccup. It had taken twelve dragons, ten for the family, two to carry the necessary luggage and gifts. Apart from Dogsbreath's immediate family, Four generals and one of their daughters had come along. Why his father had allowed that, he had no idea. Their offerings were generous, however, and he knew that Hiccup would appreciate some of the books they'd brought along.
The two other dragon-initiated tribes hadn't taken the same route - and of course, with Thuggory there was no way that they could, seeing his wife's gravid condition. The Bog women also had a different system which forced ships to be involved; The Chief's family - basically, Bertha and Cami - had come by dragon. But there was to be a representative of each clan from Bog at every Thing, so that decisions could be discussed uniformly. Dogsbreath took a sip of his ale. His father had been right when he'd said the Things were not as boring as they looked; they were, in fact, extremely instructive.
Like; Stoick was on good terms with all the other chiefs who had arrived till now, even his own father; all of their body language - and all the mead - spoke volumes of a long-standing friendship as well as a steady alliance. There was something worrying them all, however, and he was sure that he wasn't going to be privy to it. Had his father wanted to tell him, he would already have.
There were other things to see, too; Thuggory seemed to be undecided whether to approach or reject the Jorgensen member of their table. Dogsbreath himself wasn't feeling much sympathy towards him, but there was a certain new air around the man - much less bluster in the direction of himself, and more of a steadfast presence at Hiccup's side - which made him reserve his judgement. He needed to sit out some more time before he formed a steady head on that one. Cami was not difficult; she was openly flirting with the Thorston man, who seemed more than a little flattered with her attention, but also reticent. It was very strange; Dogsbreath had thought there was an arrangement in place before she left.
"Astrid!"
With mounting interest, especially since Hiccup had had at least three kegs, and from what he'd heard that tended to loosen up his inhibitions without putting him in the dangerously blabbery zone. He was right now looking bright eyed and rosy-cheeked at the doors, hand raised as far as it would go as he called to his betrothed. Astrid came up to the table with a quick step, and Dogsbreath was pleased to note that her eyes were still as sharp as the last time he'd seen her, though tired, and that they were trained exclusively to his friend's face.
Taking a discreet sip of his own drink, Dogsbreath edged slightly closer to hear their murmurs over the din of the hall. Astrid sat beside Hiccup, and his arm was instantly around her in a way, judging by her eyes and her blush, that was unusually forward for him. The mead in his head however seemed to have made unable to pick that up, and Astrid herself seemed to settle into his touch quickly enough, and reciprocate it with a hand cupping his waist.
"... never thank you enough," he finally caught her saying earnestly, looking up at him with an emotion in her eyes he wasn't familiar with. It was warm and solid, and there was a shine to it that made her face bright.
"It wasn't anything, really. The least I could do," Hiccup replied with a wide grin. Astrid bit her lip and let her eyes roam his face with a smile.
"You always say that when you've done something beautiful and important," she said fondly, and Dogsbreath had to stop himself from snickering at how accurately she had his measure. "Whatever you think of it, Hiccup, I think it's the most beautiful thing you've ever done. Even more than all the fanfare of the Red Death. You saved little Ætta with those herbs, and I know I'll never forget it."
She kissed him gently, and Dogsbreath's eyebrows moved up to his hairline as he could swear his usually shy and modest friend moved to deepen it - how much mead had he really had? - before wolf-whistles from the fairly drunk Cami and Thuggory.
"That's my brother!" he said in a slur. "Already moving in to try to catch up with me! But it's all for nothing! My wife and I got there first and we'll have the eldest heir of all the archi-arcti- islands!"
Whatever amorous haze had come over Hiccup snapped off him in an instant as he moved away from Astrid quickly, bumping into Dogsbreath's side in the process and looking like someone lit his face on fire.
"Shut up, Thug," he said with some actual annoyance in his voice; a far cry from the usual teasing insults and banter that often flew between the two men. "Astrid and I aren't married yet, so don't … shut up."
The anger in his friend's voice went unnoticed by the drunk Meathead heir, but luckily, Cami came in with some of her patent teasing that the baby was destined to run away and become an Irish farmer with Thuggory as a father, and it quickly diverted the drunk Meathead's attention from further pressing the unwanted teasing. Dogsbreath took another sip, letting his eyes slip to the side under the cover of his keg and watching the two supposed lovers.
Lovers they were not, he concluded. If their sudden rigid posture said anything, it was that one or both of them was uncomfortable with insinuation. By the way Hiccup had reacted, he had seemed to be the one the this insinuation annoyed initially. However, Astrid now seemed completely unable to sit still, or even look at him, and Hiccup's miserable glances towards her spoke volumes on their own.
Dogsbreath took another long sip as a cover to turn away from the two. It was interesting, and slightly sad, as he remembered the night in the lighthouse months ago, where Hiccup had finally pried open his Cattongue persona, and Cami had revealed his long-suffering emotions for the girl. But it was also very strange; why was she open and affectionate towards him one moment, and cold and distant the next?
He'd have to ask his mother about it. His father and himself always consulted her in matters of female hearts and emotions; they were as impenetrable as the quicksand of a bog, and no easy feat to decipher. He was glad that, for the moment, he wasn't yet to worry about surviving the quagmire.
"There were all sorts of them!" the Thorston was saying excitedly. "Hiccup knew all their names, but I can't be arsed to remember … some of them were like yours, Thuggory, and there were these utterly massive ones that could swallow you whole! Then there was this two-headed sea dragon like my Flat-Fart, and Hiccup bailed us out of there faster than you can say night fury!"
"Ever the cautious man," Cami said with a chuckle. "I prefer mine cocked and dangerous." Dogsbreath almost spit the ale from his mouth; Asgard, he'd heard that Bog women were forward, but this was…. well. The Thorston certainly looked flattered now. A barmaid slammed two mugs in front of them roughly, however, interrupting their rather steamy looks at one another with a thunderous scowl.
"Don't you go forgetting yourself now, Tuffnut. No need for that to happen more than once, is there?" she said, purposefully handing the kegs to Thuggory and Cami and taking the half finished one in front of the male twin.
"Shut up Ingrid, no one asked you!" he replied furiously, red in the face with more than mead and flirtation now. With a growl, he got up, taking up the helmet he'd dropped earlier and slamming it down onto his head. "I'm going … I'm going. See you tomorrow."
And with that he turned and left, leaving a seething, open-mouthed Cami and a rather startled table. The din in the rest of the hall prevented anyone else from noticing, though she was sure that Bertha would hear about it later - he would also take care to inform his father. Anything concerning the Bog women was important to know, and the now-fuming one in front of him was a dangerous and utterly unpredictable loose arrow.
Hiccup got up with a sigh, then looked at Astrid. "Um, I should probably… you mind?" he said, obviously quite a bit more sober than he'd let on earlier, his tone kind and polite, but lacking most of the overt hesitation and warmth of before. Astrid immediately shot to her feet, bumping the table in her haste and moving out, saying something about having more to do before she darted out. Hiccup looked after her for a moment before he sighed and nodded to Snotlout, who was instantly on his feet and following the thinner man out.
With all of Berk leaving the table, Dogsbreath was left blinking at his two remaining companions, one frowning horrifyingly into her alcohol while the other …
"One! Mead keg on the Mead Hall wall! ONE! Mead keg on the wall!" Oh. Oh no. It had taken them hours to get him to stop that last time at his engagement, and then the rest of them had been humming it or cursing the others for humming it for the rest of the week. Dogsbreath groaned, flagging down another barmaid - NOT Ingrid, because he didn't think she would survive being at least fifteen feet from Cami right now - for some more cider. He'd need it if he was going to survive the rest of the night. He counted his stars, again, that UglyThugs were allowed to marry a lot later than the other tribes, and that any designs he'd had had come to nothing. Women, ung.
=0=
Misunderstandings, misunderstandings and more misunderstandings. I hope it is quite clear right now that the major problem these two have is that they do not know how to talk to one another. At least, not yet. The reasons for that are going to be explored soon.
Of course, now, the volatile chemistry of Tuffnut and Cami, and their own situation, has been added to the mix. Not to mention that there is going to be the Thing coming up soon, so of course: Politics.
And, internet, meet Ætta; Ætta, meet the internet. She is going to be the flag bearer of the babies theme.
