It's here! The special (and canon!) Snoggletog chapter! I even managed to get it up early for all of you! Although, it would've been up even earlier if my freaking Microsoft Word wouldn't have kept freezing. I seriously typed this introduction up three times because I lost it each time the program crashed. This time I actually remembered "the golden rule of MS Word" (Save often!). Anyway, I hope that this chapter gets you all feeling festive and cheerful for the holiday season!

Review Replies:

Toothless is best: Yes, it's amazing that Hiccup managed to mess that up so badly. Poor Hiccup. Haha.

Guest (anonymous): Thanks! Yes, very awkward for Hiccup. Good thing Stoick did not make him explain why Astrid was bound in those bola weapons. Haha.

randomreader WITH a profile: That dragon? It was some just random dragon that they don't really know much about…yeah, it may have been…Haha.

BestFrEnemies: Thanks!

Ferdoos: Thanks!

Guest (anonymous): Ah yes, what will they do for Snoggletog? Let's find out!

Next chapter starts…now!

Chapter 10: Snoggletog

Snoggletog is a day that all Vikings on Berk looked forward to each year. It was the one day when they could take a break from all normal daily functions and just relax. It was the only holiday that Berkians celebrated. Birthdays were important too, but getting older was no excuse to just drop everything and slack off for a day. Of course, the Vikings had no control over the dragon raids; these were the only things that could ever disturb this holiday. All Vikings, regardless of age, were expected to partake in the festivities on Snoggletog which, to Astrid Hofferson's dismay, always included drinking. There was always an abundance of mead and ale on that night each year.

When Astrid was younger, she had made excuses as to why she could not partake in the drink-fest. Of course, as she grew older, expectations changed. Her excuses began to fall on deaf ears. To not drink the mead and ale was cowardly. Astrid refused to accept that label; she still had her pride. Instead she found creative ways to dispose of the nasty drinks. Last year had been a close call; she'd almost gotten caught. Because of that, Astrid knew that everyone would be more likely to watch her closer this year. She could not chance it this year; she would have to drink the mead and ale.

The first was not quite as bad as she'd remembered. Astrid's parents had told her that mead and ale were two drinks that you just learned to like over time. They called them "acquired tastes". Maybe if she kept drinking, Astrid figured, she would finally learn to like these drinks.

Two drinks later, Astrid could not remember why she'd ever thought mead and ale tasted bad. She couldn't remember a lot of things, actually. Was her memory always this bad? It didn't matter. All that mattered was drinking.

Two more drinks...or was it three more? It was more than one, but Astrid had started to lose track. She now knew why everyone loved mead and ale so much. How could she hate something that made her feel so good? She felt more social than usual and found herself randomly joining groups of Vikings that she'd only ever seen in passing. Despite not knowing them all that well, Astrid found that she could talk to them as easily as she could to her friends. They seemed to be the same way to her.

Eventually, though, she knew that she should be heading home. It was getting to be late and, even though it was a holiday, she did not want her parents to be upset; today was supposed to be joyous, after all. On the way out of the hall, Astrid's still-blurry vision caught sight of movement in the shadows. Her reflexes kicked in (though definitely not as well as usual) and she slowly stumbled toward the shadows near the door.

When she made it to the shadows, she saw that she had arrived too late. The person had moved on, probably left the hall. Forgetting about the near-encounter, Astrid, with a little difficulty, pulled open the heavy front door and trudged out into the thick snow.

She made to walk down the steps on the high hill, but she was stopped when she found her path blocked by a small obstacle. Hiccup. He must've been the person she had seen stalking in the shadows of the hall. Why is he not inside, out of this cold, and enjoying the party?

As carefully as she could (considering that she could not even walk in a straight line at the moment), Astrid walked down to where the boy sat and took a seat beside him.

Her distracted eyes caught the glint of snowflakes that had fallen and become stuck in Hiccup's auburn hair. Could he be any cuter?

Somehow, he had not yet noticed her presence. His eyes were focused, instead, out over the village.

"Hiccup?" Astrid addressed him, causing him to start slightly. He did not return the greeting and Astrid took a seat beside him. "Why are you out here alone? You could be in the warm mead hall with everyone else."

Looking away, Hiccup mumbled, "I'd rather be out here."

"Why?" Astrid wondered, truly curious.

"Why is this so important to you? I mean, I don't even really know you!"

Though Astrid was still not quite thinking clearly, she could sense some anger present in the boy's voice. Why did that simple question anger him so much? "Astrid Hofferson. Now will you answer my question?" Her words came out very slurred and Astrid was certain that Hiccup could tell that she was not quite in her right mind.

"Well, I don't want to," Hiccup began, his voice distant as if he was just speaking his thoughts aloud to no one, "because...well, I guess because I just wouldn't belong there. Why pretend to celebrate today with the very same Vikings who will ignore me and berate me tomorrow? It's just...not worth it."

Astrid was saddened to finally hear these intimate thoughts. Of course Hiccup would know how the Berk Vikings feel about him, but...still... If he would just speak up and tell them, maybe there will be change. Maybe not, but there's always a chance. Her thoughts were so jumbled and she knew it was from all that she had just drunk. The mead and ale clouded her thoughts and loosened her lips. Before she could stop herself, Astrid was speaking her own innermost thoughts aloud. "Ya know...I like you, Hiccup. I mean, I...like that you're different. We need more...unique Vikings here on Berk." The slurring and fast pace (with the occasional short pause) of her speech did little to hinder Astrid from telling Hiccup exactly how she felt. "I just want to see you be brave! The rest of the villagers do too. You have so much to offer and think of what you could do if you just speak up and say what's on your mind!"

The air between them fell silent. For moments, the only sounds were the hoots and hollers and cheers from the mead hall as the party within continued. When it became clear that Hiccup would not be offering a suitable answer, Astrid excused herself and headed for home, stumbling around Hiccup's still and silent form on the way down the steps. At home, Astrid went right to bed that night, finally feeling run-down and sluggish (probably from all those drinks).

Waking up the next morning, the first thing Astrid noticed was the massive headache. It felt as though the mighty Thor was pounding his hammer Mjölnir against the inside of her head. Memories from last night were scattered and very fuzzy. However, the longer she lay, staring at the ceiling, the more that came back to her. That was right. She had downed much more ale and mead than she would've like. It had messed with her mind. Strangely, while trying to recall her memory of the night before, there came a point, after she had downed quite a few mugs, when she could no longer remember and no amount of time spent pondering it would help. Oh, Odin, I really hope that I didn't say or do anything that I'll regret later!

I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. It was actually entirely written on my iPhone and I didn't have a word counter. It looked long on there, but I guess it really wasn't. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed!

Next chapter: Right now, I'm thinking that chapter 11 won't be posted until after Christmas. Maybe Thursday night after 10PM US East Coast time.

Thank you all for reading and supporting Try To Be Brave!

Posted: December 23, 2013