A/N: Beware – some cursing down there!
Her last word
Astrid did not sleep well. Not at all.
Still in her quarters on their ship she turned from one side to the other, not feeling tired at all.
She could hear their screeches and howling, the flapping of their wings and their loud noises when they landed on the ground or on the roof of a hut. These Dragons! And yet she could do nothing against it. No – these people here were living in peace with these monsters, seeing them as their pet and worse as their friends. Part of their family! But she did not want to be part of theirs.
No Haddock!
It was already shortly after sunrise – she still hadn't been able to close her eyes – when a soft knock surprised her.
She sat up in her bed, covering herself with the blanket, shortly before the door opened with a soft creak.
"Mother...", she whispered, seeing that Ljóda had entered and closed the door just as softly behind her, before the older woman walked to her bed, sitting by her feet.
"Why are you up so early?"
Ljóda sighed, patting the knee of her only daughter under the blanket.
"I just wanted to tell you, that I was not able to convince your father otherwise. He still wants your wedding. I tried everything a woman could do..."
First Astrid blinked at her mother, but suddenly blushed and looked away, when she understood, what Ljóda was implying. She did not want to talk about this, nor even think about it. It was not her business to ask about her parents love life after all!
"But...", Ljóda started again, going with her hands through her long, blonde hair in desperation. "Hakon is just too stubborn. He is constantly repeating the things, that we would benefit from, if we go through with this pact. And that you eventually will fall in love with Hiccup – because he is 'a really good chief and a nice guy'."
Her mother snarled the last words with much hate and discuss.
Astrid only nodded, understanding the way that her mother felt for this man that would take away her only daughter – her only child.
Ljóda looked back up again, sadly smiling, before she reached out for the young woman, stroking away a strand of her long blonde hair from her face.
"You look tiered... Good. Maybe Hiccup won't find you attractive with your eye bags." She said, acknowledging the deep dark circles under her eyes. But then Ljóda sighed: "Haven't you slept well?"
"No..." Astrid murmured, swinging her legs out of the bed, walking over to her cloths she had prepared the night before. "The dragons outside were far too loud and annoying. I would have loved to take my axe to get some quietness out of them, but I don't think that I should do that, as long as father wants his peace with Berk and these creatures..."
"Don't worry about them..." Ljóda mumbled after some time, walking over to her daughter to help her with her braid, when Astrid had finished her dressing up. "Today we will convince everybody that this Hiccup is not worth enough to be your husband..."
"How? He is probably all to happy to marry me and already drooling all over the thought to have me on our wedding night!" Her stomach tightened at that thought, a feeling of nausea returning to her, just like all the times, when she was thinking about it.
"Don't worry about. I will convince everybody otherwise!"
"Apart from dad..."
"Well, if he sees, that the Hooligan tribe is not interested in fulfilling this pact, then he might be able to get rid of this damned thought! He only needs to see that!"
Astrid nodded slowly, remembering that there was still some time left – ten days to be exactly, until her doom would arrived, to give her no chance of turning back. Then she turned towards her mother, who has finally finished the braid for her.
"Remember – I will get you out of here, no matter the cost!"
"Thanks..." was all Astrid could say, hoping that her mother's words would keep their truth.
Before they have left the room, Astrid took her axe – just in case she would be able to get a use out of it. Or at least, when she needed to defeat herself.
Chief Hakon was already waiting at the docks, talking with a few Berkians about their dragons. Astrid rolled her eyes when she saw that.
"Now, father is now turning in one of these philanthropic dragon-lovers, too." She mumbled under her breath for only her mother to hear it as well. Ljóda agreed with a short nod of her head, before they approached the big man.
"Ah – there you are! Glad to see you happy and awake. Well – at least you are awake! Now come on you two, lets head to chief Hiccup's house. They are already waiting for us."
"They?" Ljóda asked, rising one of her thin eyebrows.
"Yes. Chief Hiccup, Gobber and Valka. We need to discuss the wedding, so everything will be perfect for my little warrior princess!"
"Perfect would be no wedding at all!", Astrid sarcastically said under her breath, eyeing evilly the Hideous Zippleback, that was standing by one of the Berkians, which hissed aggressively with his two heads in reply.
"Oh come on! You can't be all to grumpy about it. And you will surely look lovely in your wedding dress."
"Wedding dress...", Astrid mumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose, to reduce the headache that her father was giving her. "I hate dresses! Why do I need to wear one, anyway!"
Her father shrugged.
"It's tradition!"
Oh by Odin, Thor and all the gods above – if only Astrid could go back in time to kick her ancestors asses for inventing those damned traditions, then she would even give her axe for it!
"Don't make this situation worse than it already is, Hakon!", Ljóda dangerously mouthed.
In silence the three of them walked now to the hut which sat on top of a big slope, Hakon knocking at the door, when they arrived.
But nobody answered for some time, letting a bit of hope rise inside of Astrid's heart – until Gobber opened the door to let them inside.
He tried to smile warmely at them, gesturing for them to come inside.
"He did not sleep well. Don't expect much out of this conversation!" She heard him whisper nonetheless.
Hakon nodded at that and then they entered, and she looked around in this big house she would probably need to call 'home' in the future, if things turned out the bad way.
There was a fire pit with a few chairs standing by, a pair of stairs that led to rooms upstairs and a big table in the middle of the house. Chairs were around it, a big arm chair resting on the other end. It was empty, although Astrid felt, that normally a chief should take a seat in it.
But no, Hiccup sat on a chair next to this one, arms crossed and eyes fixed on Toothless, who was sitting next to him, while his mother Valka sat on the other side of this big chair.
This had probably been Stoick's chair and out of respect for him and his death, it stayed empty.
"Well, sit. We have enough chairs for you three.", Gobber said, taking his seat next to Valka, leaving the Hoffersons to sit across from them.
"So, you are all here!" Hakon said, trying to sound cheerful, when they have sat down.
"I-it's my son's wedding after all!" Valka answered, when the other two Viking's stayed quiet. She tried to smile, but she couldn't.
And yet again there was some painful silence.
Hakon cleared his throat.
"Well... as your guests we have gifts for you and Berk. I will tell my men later to bring them to the Great Hall. After all – it is an honor to share our possessions with such a formidable tribe! "
Gobber nodded, then eyed Hiccup and Valka, who stayed silent.
"Yeah... we are looking foreward to the connection of your tribes, too! …, an' we will have the big wedding in ten days already! The preparations have started already."
"Sounds great!"
Why in hell was her father all too excited about it?! If he really wanted this marriage, why couldn't he just marry Hiccup on his own and leave her alone with it!
"So, Hakon – do you have any conditions under which this marriage should take place?" Gobber asked in a proper manner, to further follow the traditions. Astrid very well knew about this.
The big man nodded, leaned forward, eyeing Hiccup, until the young chief finally looked up.
'Sure', Astrid thought, knowing, that all her father wanted, was to learn how to train dragons and befriend with them. But she suspected, that Hiccup would know that already.
"Hiccup...", he yet said, putting his hands together as if he was pleading the young man, "...all I want from you is to take good care of my Astrid."
Her mother blinked, when she heard these words, while Valka gasped silently. Hiccup's eyebrows rose until they vanished in his bangs, while – on the other hand – the young woman herself widened her eyes in shock.
Why would her father want that?! Did he forget, that she was a great fighter and that she could handle herself better, than any other person did in her age?!
She clenched her hands into fists under the table and – when her shock had settled and had turned into anger – she cast her father a angry look.
"I have high hopes for this marriage. Not only in a political way, but also in what it would mean as a connection between the two of you. I know that Astrid can fight and can take care of herself – but... I want a worthy husband for her and you, Hiccup, you are in my eyes very worthy of it. I have heard many stories of you and your deeds. Of the way that you have changed Berk and this archipelago in a way that no fighting can do it. Make her happy. That is my topmost condition – it is even more important than to fulfill this alliance."
"Hakon...", Valka said with a soft voice, after she had looked at Hiccup in sorrow. "It is not as easy, as you think. The past has shown, that a political wedding is mostly a challenge for both – the couple, as it is for the tribes. I-I am not sure if Hiccup and Astrid are really meant for each other..."
The young woman was suddenly all too keen of hearing. So... Hiccup's mother was also against this bond, as was hers. Shouldn't that help her father to change his mind?!
"Oh nonsense! The past has also shown, that many couples were capable to find love in each other! And for them it is possible, too! Am I right, my dear?"
Lovingly Hakon smiled at Ljóda, reaching for her hand, but she pulled away before he could even touch her.
Then he sighed.
"The pact can only be broken by the two chiefs, who made it, Valka...", he mumbled in defense, somehow sensing that there was nobody else on his side. "And I don't want our tribes to think of us as weaklings. If we now break the pact, it will set our political decisiveness in doubt. I don't want an uproar – neither for your Tribe, as I want it for the Hunter's. And – after all – Berk needs an heir, if something happens to Hiccup. You know that. And you know that I am right about that..."
It was Hiccup, who now pleadingly looked at his mother, but she turned away from him, showing, that Hakon was all too right about this. And that she had known it for longer, then she would have shown.
"We can't force them to have intercourse!", Ljóda suddenly voiced bitterly. But she was far too calm, sounding dangerous, as if she was ready to jump right into Hakon's face, to hit him with a sharp weapon.
"Oh...no, no! That is not what I want!" He defeated himself. "It's just for precaution!"
"Precaution...", both Hiccup and Astrid murmured to themselves, not sure what to think of this word.
And yet again there was this treated silence and not even Gobber knew, how to get rid of it.
Astrid looked around between them: Gobber, who was nervously playing with his lost hand, Valka, who was now resting her head in her hands in desperation. Her father, who was sadly looking between her, Hiccup and his mother and Ljóda, who glared daggers into Hiccup. And he – her groom – who was just doing the same like Astrid did, looking away, when their eyes locked for a moment. And she didn't dare to look at Toothless, because she was already feeling his uneasiness and his rejection against her.
That was, when a knock ended this difficult situation and Gobber hurried towards the door.
Astrid did not want to turn around, but when the door closed again, the old Viking came back to the table with something in his arms. And by the look of it she knew exactly what it was, staring at it, when he laid it on the table.
"Just got finished. Hope you like it, but we have excellent tailors on Berk. If she tries it on, then we might be able to change it 'til the big day!"
"Looks good", Hakon said in glee, while he started to feel the cloth. "Good quality."
"No." Astrid merely said, eyeing in discuss the dress that laid before her.
"Oh Astrid, but you will-"
"I said no! I don't want that dress! I don't want that wedding! I don't want-" She pointed at Hiccup, while standing up from her chair "Him!"
He looked back at her.
"I am sorry, but I had no choice in this, either! And who said, that I would want to marry some crazy, axe swinging-"
"Contain yourself, Hiccup!", Gobber warned.
"Oh, don't worry! I will find a way out of this pact and a way away from this dragon filled, shitty-"
"Astrid, hold your tongue!" Hakon spit.
"Oh yeah?! Better to live with dragons, than to fight them! You know – these reptiles have more sensitivity in their left wing, than you in your whole body!"
"Hiccup!", Valka shouted.
"Oh, are we getting personal now?!"
Toothless hissed.
"You started it! Who would want to marry you anyway?!", Hiccup yelled.
Fury was burning inside of her and she clenched her hands into fists, until her knuckles turned white.
"Fuck this! I am out of here!", she screamed, turning and leaving, before anybody could hold her back, banging the door, when she left. This was her last word, after all!
"At least one good thing, that you can do!", Hiccup shouted, before, he too, stood up, leaving towards the other direction, with Toothless on his heels and left the four Vikings behind.
"Well...our Astrid did not seem to be the only one, that hasn't slept well...", Hakon mumbled, while Gobber nodded at that.
"Yeah...and they are already fighting like an old couple..."
A/N: So, hi there, again and thank you all for reading, commenting and favoring! It really means a lot to me :D
So, just like the last time, here are the answers to your comments:
hateme101: Thanks, again! :D
FixAstridFFS: Ah, don't worry, I would never be rude or something, unless somebody would insuld me on a personal level and a good portion of criticizm is always good for both – writer and the story.
And don't worry, I really like Astrid and her OOCness her is only for, lets say, an artistic porpous. I am glad, that she is not portrayed like that in the movies and the series, since she, as a stronge female character, is one of the reasons why I fell in love with HTTYD in the first place!
CajunBear73: Yeah, for now it seems like a glimmer of hope, but let's see, what the future holds for both of them. I will get down to many things you thought about in later chapters. (I don't want to spoil too much, so I can't so too much).
But for now it's only some direct confrontation between those two. And I guess, that Hiccup can really be happy to have friends like that and they will probably stay together for everything to come!
Grima: Yes, you are right – he absolutely does not want to marry Astrid! But with a mother like Ljóda, who could blame him?
Guest: Thank you very much! I hope you will come back in future chapters!
SMr. Freeze: Thank you for your kind words! :D
Justin Hsu: Oh don't worry! I am not mad. I just hope that I can keep up this upload schedchule. But at least I have already written until the eleventh chapter (which is quite big) and I hope you will also enjoy this fic in the future! :D
Guest: At first I am sorry, for the wrong marking! I will double check it in the chapters! (That's the problem with this program – it's always changing to German grammar and with the marks starting a dialogue in the bottom and ending in the top, I sometimes forget to change it).
And I agree totally with you – right now Astrid is absolutely no good chieftess for Berk!
Crimson Dragon VIRUS: I am sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but this one got quite long (also a few of the future chapter I plan to be quite huge). Well, let's see what the way out for Hiccup offers, which will displaied in another chapter, since here I only wanted this confrontation between those two...lovebirds!
And yeah, I am somewhat sorry for my portrayal of Astrid, since I like her very much on my own, but as I already stated it – it's for the sake of this story.
Once again – thank you for your very authentic comment and hope, that you liked this chapter, too.
supersandman86: Yes, right now Astrid is quite blind for all that makes Hiccups. But we will see what their future holds.
Curinturie: Now, how happy it makes me, that you are so glad about this chapter! But to spoil not too much, I need to stay quiet here. Therefore let's be sorry for Hiccup together. ;D
aaquater: For now, I don't think, that Astrid wants to start a war, only escape this wedding, this marriage and all her responspilities. And her little talent with Ruffnut – let's say that won't be their last interaction.
And at least Hiccup keeps mind...for now. He is the thinker here, after all, Astrid the fighter and with this threat he should keep watchful.
For Hakon's and Ljódas reasons will be more time in following chapters. But I promise that both of them have a few!
Astrid's deal with Toothless is merely that she wants him as a trophy. Who wouldn't want to hunt down such a rare species if you have the chance, right? It would highen her value amongst her people even more, I guess. Also, why not to put some extra drama into it? ;D
I thank you very much for your comment and I hope that I can keep up this 'smooth flow'. And don't worry about commenting different chapters – I enjoyed really to read your comment! :D
Mariah: Shit will probably go down for everyone involved... And thanks for commenting ;D
: Thank you, that you enjoyed this, although it is different :D
