Astrid sat and watched the whetstone wheel grind against her axe, making sure to keep the edge smooth and curved. Its cheek gleamed with a large inset ruby, and inscriptions were written over the mirrored surface that reflected her face. The large room around her was warmly lit by a flickering fire, which roared in the hearth, and the windows showed the quiet darkness of night outside. Around her, paintings and tapestries covered the walls, scarcely leaving room to see the wood underneath.
She was just finishing when the door opened, and a familiar voice called out. "Good evening, milady!"
"Hey!" Astrid lifted the axe from the wheel and set it on her lap, tilting her head to the side a bit. The warm touch of gentle lips on her cheek brought out a smile, and she held Hiccup's head close to her own.
"I'm home."
"I can see that." With a chuckle, she let his head go, and took her axe to lean it against the wall. Toothless, meanwhile, curled up by the fireplace and watched the two humans talk.
"So, other than sharpening your favorite axe," Hiccup sprawled on the couch, leaving a space which Astrid filled beside him, "what else did you have going on today?"
"Ah, you know, nothing much. I was thinking, actually, of taking a boat to the far side of the island, camping for a few days." She started to tie a small braid in his hair, right by two others she had done before, which he allowed. "Maybe, if you want to come, we could go together?"
"Hmm, tomorrow…" He leaned his head back as he thought. "Can you wait until about noon?"
"I suppose, why?"
"Fishlegs gave me the trade report this morning, one of the islands hasn't paid its levy this month. I'm gonna take Toothless over, figure it out." He turned to look at her. "I should be back by noon, though, if I leave at sunrise. Then I think I'd love to join you." He took her hand and gave it a squeeze, smiling.
"Alright." Astrid grinned back, but Hiccup's mention of the levy unsettled her. "I'll wait for you then, and don't give the island too much trouble!" She gave a slight chuckle, even though it had not really been a joke.
Hiccup shook his head. "Nah, they're usually good with it. The local governor, he's never given me any trouble before, always willing to cooperate. More than likely, something's gone wrong, so like I said, I'll just see what I can work out."
"Good, that's good." Astrid felt relieved inside, and she began twirling the braids in his hair. "So, your turn. What did you do today?"
"Eh, it was much of the usual. Like I said, Fishlegs gave me the trade report, and everything else is running well. I spent some time transcribing stuff. But a little before noon, Skyscorch flew in, with an arrow sticking from his leg!"
A pang of fear gripped Astrid. She stopped playing with his hair. "What happened?"
"Well, after I bandaged him up – it wasn't too bad, thank the gods – I took most of the dragons out, and Skyscorch led us to this ship that was sailing from the east. And on top of shooting a dragon, they weren't flying the Berk crest."
Astrid knew where this was heading, but she still asked. "What did you do?"
"Well, you know the drill. Running a vessel without paying the duty is a week, along with the destruction of the actual vessel. As for the guy who shot Skyscorch…" He threw his hands up in mock surrender. "You know how dragons are when you attack them."
Astrid looked away, bit her lip. Then she turned back. "Are you sure they need a whole week though? I mean, have they done this before?"
"No. In fact, they're not even from the archipelago."
"Well, there you go then! They probably didn't even know about the levy, there's no need to punish them more."
But he shook his head. "No. No, if they're going to be around here, they need to learn to respect the law." He gazed ahead, at nothing in particular. "They need to learn to respect me."
Astrid hated to see Hiccup like this; it chilled her to hear him condemning people so easily. For a brief moment, the small scrawny boy from years ago reappeared in front of her. The boy who fought the worst but tried the most out of everyone. He was constantly scribbling away in his notebook, cooking up fantastic plots and devices. Now he sat sullen at the far table, staring into his cup as everyone jeered at him. There he was, trying to persuade Gobber to let him fight the dragon raid, pleading for his chance to prove his worth. Now he walked by, subjected to an onslaught of ridicule. And now he evaporated, leaving only the man who sat beside her. He was taller, leaner, stronger, and acted with an authority he had never dreamed of having for the first fifteen years of his life. Gods, why didn't I reach out to him sooner?
All this ran through her head in seconds.
"Well…" She snapped him out of his stony gaze. "If you're looking for respect, I'm sure you put it into them. Maybe you can go back, lighten up a little bit on them for not being aware? I'm sure they'd be very grateful for it."
Hiccup took a deep breath, the air wheezing through his nose. "I guess, since they didn't know…I'll swing by tomorrow on my way back, let them off the hook. Don't see how I'll get them back home, but at least they can start their new lives on Ganz Island."
Astrid breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, at least they'll be free again." Seeking to change the subject, she looked up a bit, and over the fireplace spotted a portrait. It showed herself and Hiccup embracing each other, with Toothless standing right behind them. "Heh, remember when we got that painted for us?"
Hiccup turned to see. "Oh yeah! Darned thing took hours, thought we were going to have to spend the night standing there." He chuckled, and Astrid was thankful to see warmth return to his eyes.
"Yeah, and then a few hours in, you suddenly sneezed, with me right in the way."
"Hey, it was an accident, alright? You know how sneezes are." Both laughed at the memory.
"Oh, and Toothless just jumped five feet straight into the air. You almost gave your dragon a heart attack!"
Toothless perked up at his name. When he saw they were laughing at his expense, he dropped his eyelids in insult and turned away.
"Oh boy…" Hiccup shook his head at the painting. "After that, if I so much as sniffed you would jerk away."
"Did you expect me to trust you again so quickly?"
"Man, that was a fun day."
"I don't remember you complaining, though. Maybe it had something to do with being in my arms…" And she put her arms around Hiccup, grateful to have the peaceable and joyful version of him back. She felt him return the gesture, and she relaxed a bit. They stayed that way for a long time together.
"Hey Astrid?"
"Yeah?" She could sense concern in his voice.
"I'm…I'm doing the right thing, aren't I?"
Astrid was surprised, but also grateful for the potential opportunity that presented itself. "Well…what do you mean by that?"
"I mean…" He struggled for words. "I know a lot of people don't like me. I'm not blind, I can see it, even if they don't say it. But I've done a lot for Berk. The Outcasts are gone, and the Berserkers are part of the empire now. I stopped the raids. Plus, you look around the village, everything is better. All the buildings are sturdier, trade keeps people busy and living well. And, with the dragons fishing, there's more food than we can eat."
"Yeah, it seems pretty great…then what's troubling you?"
Hiccup didn't answer at first. His gaze was cast down. "I don't know, maybe I'm just being stupid right now."
"Well maybe," She lifted his chin so that he looked her in the eyes. "Maybe if you loosen up a bit, you'll feel a little better. You don't have to be in charge of everything, you know."
She watched his face, gauged his reaction. For a while he just kept staring at her. Then he put his hand on the back of her neck, and gave a quiet, passionate kiss on her lips. Astrid returned it, putting her own arms around him again. After a few seconds he broke, and rested his forehead against hers.
"I don't know what I'd do without you." He caressed her cheek, and gave a demure smile. "You're always here to keep me grounded."
And there he was again, the boy from the past, alive and well again, holding her. Astrid drank in the illusion for as long as she could, not wanting it to vanish again.
After a long silence, Hiccup got up. "Well..." He sighed. "If I'm going to be back in time to join you tomorrow, I'm going to have to get up early, which means I got to get to bed early. C'mon Toothless."
Astrid watched the two go up the stairs, then through the door on the left - her own room was right next door. As she was left to ponder her thoughts, she didn't see Hiccup remove his prosthetic before sitting on the edge of his bed. She did not see him bury his head in his hands, and give a shuddering sigh.
