I think this is going to be an interesting chapter…especially since Hiccup and Astrid are at least back on friendly terms. Let's see now if she can figure out what Hiccup's little riddle means. Haha.

Review Replies:

Angel-the-hedge: Thanks! I hope your New Year has been going well so far!

Noctus Fury (anonymous): Yes, he did make a good choice…this time. I think she'll figure it out soon. As Hiccup said, she's smart.

Chapter 10: Bake Him Something Special

Astrid was up early again the next day. Last night, when Hiccup had come home from his chief tasks, he had sat down with Astrid and they had mended the rift that had started to divide their relationship. Now that Hiccup was at least speaking with her again, Astrid was determined to figure out what he meant. "Show him that I'm sorry," Astrid repeated as she made her way downstairs quietly so as not to wake Hiccup. Gods knew that he needed all the sleep that he could get.

Making her way to the cooking area of the house, Astrid found the list the Ruffnut had written and looked over it again. As she scanned it again, Astrid found that her reaction was much the same as it had been yesterday. None of these ideas seem like they'd be Hiccup's desired answer. Still, I guess it's worth a try.

The first point on the list was to "bake him something special". Seriously, Ruffnut? Baking? Has she forgotten that "Astrid" and "food preparation" do NOT go together? I mean…that yak nog incident years ago should be enough evidence of that!

Regardless, Astrid found herself in the cooking area early that morning. She had gathered some wheat, some spices and herbs, and some fresh water. I'll surprise Hiccup with some fresh bread. He'd like that before he leaves to tend to his daily duties.

Smiling, Astrid remembered back to some of her younger days. She would watch her mother prepare freshly baked bread for the family. Astrid could almost smell the perfect scent of freshly-cooked bread as it spread throughout the house. Anytime young Astrid would catch wind of that wonderful smell, she would always flock to her mother's side and beg to test the bread when it was finished. Now, Astrid was confident that she could successfully replicate her mother's amazing recipe.

Mixing the ingredients together in a bowl, Astrid added the ingredients by memory. When the ingredients were mixed, Astrid set the bowl aside to go start a fire. As the fire warmed the room, Astrid found an iron mold and poured the mixture in before setting it atop the rack above the fire. If all works out, the bread should be ready by the time Hiccup wakes.

As the scent of the breaking bread began to fill the lower level of the house, Astrid retreated to the sitting area to wait for the bread to cook. Taking a seat, Astrid tried to preoccupy herself with anything other than counting seconds until the bread was finished. Without really thinking about it, Astrid placed her hands on the small bump where she knew her and Hiccup's child was growing. She could feel the baby moving around excitedly within her. Ever since she had first felt the movement a few days ago, the baby had continued to move around more with each passing day. It was still a wonder and a joy for Astrid to feel this new life within her. "You're excited for this bread too, huh?" Astrid whispered, laughing at the movements. "It'll be ready soon," she spoke to the baby. It felt weird to talk with someone who could not respond back, but Astrid's mother had told her that it was a good thing to take time to make conversation with the growing baby. Astrid still didn't understand it, but her mother was always right…well, most of the time. "I can't wait either."

888

Hiccup was just waking up and walking down the stairs when Astrid pulled the bread off the fire. He entered the kitchen and watched as Astrid sliced the loaf. "Something smells good," he began, starting the morning off with small talk.

"Fresh bread," Astrid informed him. "It's my mother's recipe. Want to try a piece?"

Astrid passed a piece to Hiccup and turned back to get him a glass of yak milk to go with it. She was just about to hand him the milk when she noticed him struggling to bite off a piece of the bread.

"Uh…Astrid, this bread is hard as a rock." Hiccup laid down the piece of bread and took a drink of the glass from yak milk that Astrid had passed to him.

"That can't be right," Astrid commented back. "It was soft when I sliced it." She moved over to snatch up a slice from the plate on which the loaf sat. Taking a seat beside Hiccup at the table, Astrid gripped the bread and tried to pull it apart into smaller pieces. The task was impossible. As Hiccup had said, the bread was as hard as a rock. "I don't understand. It must've hardened as it cooled. It doesn't make any sense. I was certain that I followed my mother's recipe."

Standing up, Hiccup made his way toward the front door. "It smelled good too. Oh well, I'll just stop and grab some breakfast at the Great Hall before beginning my duties for today. Thanks anyway, Astrid."

Astrid watched as Hiccup left. Once he was gone, she took one last glance at the rock-hard loaf of bread before pulling Ruffnut's list from a pocket in her skirt. "As expected," she muttered to herself, "'bake him something special' was a failure." Picking up a nearby charcoal pencil, Astrid scratched off the first suggestion. "Okay, what's the next suggestion on Ruffnut's not-so-helpful list?" Astrid asked herself, looking down to read what Ruffnut had written under the baking suggestion.

Slowly reading the next suggestion, Astrid thought it over. "Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to try," she decided aloud. "It can't go any worse than the baking suggestion. This suggestion I may actually be able to complete. Only question is…will this suggestion be the answer to Hiccup's mysterious riddle?"

Well, this chapter is about forty words short of my target minimum, but it says all I wanted it to say. I want to save the next of Ruffnut's suggestions for the next chapter. Any ideas what suggestion two might be? Y'know…considering that the infamous "baking suggestion" was a complete failure.

This chapter was actually pretty fun to write and I'm thinking the next chapter will be fun too.

Thank you all for reading and supporting More Than Words!

Posted: April 11, 2016