Here's the next chapter. I've actually had most of the chapter done for ages but I had a lot of trouble with the ending, so I would really appreciate your views on it.
Enjoy.
The four Vikings managed to make it to the edge of the village before they realised that Astrid was no longer with them. But if they waited much longer for her then the village would start to wake and they would be put in the awkward situation of having to explain to Stoick where they had been all night, when in fact all they wanted to do was fall on their beds and ignore the world until they were fully rested.
"Bloody Astrid, she went looking for Hiccup, didn't she?" Tuffnut exclaimed in an annoyed tone.
"Probably, you saw how upset she was when he disappeared." Ruffnut signed.
"UGH! Fishlegs this is your fault! You should have made sure she was behind you." Snotlout shouted, he was clearly frustrated and didn't really believe that it was Fishlegs fault, but was annoyed that Astrid had run off, putting the rest of them in a frustrating situation and he still felt guilty about what he said to Hiccup.
Fishlegs wisely kept quiet and accepted responsibility, knowing that Snotlout just needed someone to vent at. The four of them fell into silence trying to figure out a way out of their situation. Luckily for them they were saved from having to use their brains when the sound of wings flapping was heard in the distance. Each Viking looked in the direction of the noise as it grew louder. They could just make out the dark shape speeding in and out of the trees, before slowing down and then coming to a halt, a couple feet in front of them. They immediately recognised that it was Toothless and the hooded figure on his back was Hiccup, they also unfortunately recognised the small shape trying to slide off Toothless unnoticed.
"Astridddd..." The four Vikings moaned in unison.
"What I'm here aren't I, and we still have time to sneak back into our houses." She huffed, trying to defend her actions, even though she knew that her friends were right, she shouldn't have just run off.
"You guys should hurry up; you don't want to be spotted." Hiccup spoke up. He jumped off Toothless' back and embraced Astrid before reluctantly letting her go. Astrid pulled Hiccups ear down to her lips and whispered, "I promise I will stay with you, no matter what it costs." She kissed him before walking towards the village, not giving Hiccup a chance to respond. Fishlegs and Tuffnut both gave Hiccup 'manly' hugs before following Astrid, and Ruffnut leant forward giving Hiccup a kiss on the cheek before disappearing. Snotlout though lagged behind waiting for the others to leave and be out of ear shot before turning to Hiccup.
"I'm sorry." Snotlout said.
"For what?" Hiccup asked genuinely not knowing.
"For just blurting out that I was replacing you as Stoic's successor and future chief."
"Don't worry about it. I knew what I was giving up when I left, I knew you were next in line and I was happy I was leaving Berk in capable hands. I would have made a terrible chief anyway." Hiccup laughed.
"No, you wouldn't have. Look at you now, look at the man you've become. You would make a great chief."
"But if I hadn't left then I wouldn't be the man I am today; I would still be the same scrawny little boy that everyone thought was helpless." There was an awkward silence between the two, until the guilt Snotlout felt became unbearable.
"Listen cousin, I'm sor-"
"You called me cousin." Hiccup interrupted.
"Yeah I guess I did, didn't I?" Snotlout laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. The two of them stood awkwardly for a moment, both feeling a bit uncomfortable.
"I always wanted you to call me that when I was younger; I was always trying to seek your approval, well everyone's approval really. Seems like such a silly thing to want now, after all I've seen." Hiccup mused.
"Listen, I want you to know that no matter what the rest of the Village will say about you in the days to come, I'm proud to call you my cousin." Snotlout said reaching out and resting his hand on Hiccup's shoulder.
"Thanks." Hiccup nodded, "now if I can get the rest of the village to say the same, then that will be one thing off the to-do list." Hiccup joked.
"Yeah, somehow I think persuading them won't be as easy as persuading me." Snotlout laughed.
"Well I've got to try. Anyway you should get going."
"Wait before I go, I want you to know that if the village accepts you back I will gladly step down as future chief."
"No you won't, because even if everyone does accept me back I can't be chief even if I wanted to. I have other duties now that I cannot abandon. I knew that if I joined the Creed that I could never become chief and now I have to live with that decision."
"Why would you do that?" Snotlout questioned.
"I knew that the price the Creed demands was high, but I joined anyway and do you want to know why?" Snotlout remained silent, knowing that the question was rhetorical. "Because the rewards it brings are worth any price to me."
"Hiccup, what is this Creed you speak of?"
"I cannot tell you so please don't ask, just know that one day soon I will leave and you will probably never see me again. But know that I trust you to look after and protect this village. Now go before the village wakes." Tears threatened to leak from Snotlout's eyes, but he refused to let them fall, he would not show weakness in front of Hiccup, not when he had just placed the future of Berk onto his shoulders.
"Yeah, I'll see you soon." Snotlout turned and was about to walk away before turning back to Hiccup. "We're all really glad your back."
With that the two exchanged another 'manly' hug and Snotlout ran to catch up with the others. Hiccup smiled and turned back to Toothless, who had sat a bit away to give them privacy even though he could hear them anyway because of his super hearing, but it was polite never the less.
"Well, today is turning into a really good day." Hiccup laughed to Toothless. Toothless smiled, but remained silent, not wanting to upset Hiccup's mood with his doubts. "Come let's go for a ride, get to know the island again." Hiccup and Toothless went for a quick flight around the Berk before returning to the gorge where Matt, Jack and Lizzy waited for them. As they drew closer Hiccup's happy mood started to fade, the reality of what Astrid had promised began to set in, everyone's reactions when they find out, the fact that his old friends thought he was back for good and he still had to end the century old war between the Vikings and dragons, and the longer he stayed the longer he put everyone at risk.
Toothless touched down in the gorge but Hiccup made no attempt to get off his back. Hiccup tilted his head and saw that everyone was still sat around the fire; they knew he was there but they wisely let him take his time, they all had a pretty good idea of what Hiccup was going to tell them. Hiccup couldn't put off the inevitable any longer and dismounted Toothless. He gave Toothless an affectionate pat on the nose before walking over to where his friends sat. He took his seat opposite Matt and removed his hood.
"Astrid wants to be initiated." Hiccup stated.
"No she doesn't." Matt replied, not taking his eyes off the fire he was poking at with a stick.
"Yes she does." Hiccup insisted.
"No, she wants to be with you. There is a difference." Jack said.
"She does not believe in our cause, so she cannot live by the creed." Matt said finally taking his eyes of the fire to look into Hiccup's.
"Hiccup you've got to understand; she's not like us." Lizzy said reaching out to grab Hiccup's hand. Hiccup sat dazed for a moment staring into the fire, before finally speaking up.
"That's not fair, she-"
"NO! Hiccup your right it's not fair, but it's the truth." Matt shouted. "You know how much dedication is needed for this; she can't be in it half hearted."
"She knows-" Hiccup began.
"But does she really? Or does she just know that she will get to be with you. Does she know that she will have to leave everything behind, probably never see her friends or family again, and risk her life everyday or probably never bare children? Are you really going to ask that of her?" Jack asked.
"She knows and says she's ready." Hiccup quickly said so that he wouldn't have time to take in what his friends were telling him otherwise he would lose his nerve. Hiccup stood up to walk away, but what Matt said next stopped him in his tracks.
"But are you ready? Are you ready to watch me carve the tenants into her chest? Can you bear to watch her rive in agony as she approaches the brink of death? Are you prepared to stand over her corpse if she fails? Can you bring yourself to end her life if she refuses? Are you sure this is what you want?"
"Believe me Hiccup you don't want to watch someone you love go through this." Jack said, unshed tears in his eyes.
"But she's not Sarah..." Hiccup pleaded.
"Listen to us Hiccup," Lizzy screamed. "This life isn't for her, she is a Viking. She will never see things the way we do."
"But you forget, I used to be a Viking!" Hiccup shouted.
"It's not the same!" Jack shouted. By this point everyone was stood up in each other's faces, even the dragons had come over towards their riders in case a fight broke out.
"She is bonded; she has the right to decide for herself." Etana let out a squawk of agreement.
"But she doesn't know of the legends like me, she hasn't met one of our elders like Lizzy had, she is not dying like Jack was, she has a choice unlike you did." Hiccup's expression faltered just for a second at the mention of his joining, but he quickly recovered, putting on a mask of defiance and locked eyes with Matt. There was a moment of silence as the four friends looked at each other.
"Fine!" Matt said, "But you will be the one to perform the ceremony and you shall be the one to do your duty is she refuses."
"Very well." Hiccup said, he turned to Etana and stared into her eyes, in some ways she looked a bit like Astrid they both wore the same confident expression when faced with a challenge.
"Call her." Etana let out a loud roar that would be meaningless to anyone but her rider.
Then suddenly the weight of what was about to happen fell on to his shoulders and nearly caused him to fall to his knees.
"What have I done?"
xXx
Astrid lived the closest forests edge and so was the first to get home after bidding Hiccup goodbye. She crept towards her front door, all the time staying alert for any Vikings that may have been walking around. She got to her house with no interferences and managed to get to her room without waking her mother. When she got to her room she casually looked out her window to see Snotlout only just then leaving the forest. She was curious as to what had made him stay behind and decided to ask Hiccup when she saw him that night. A smile unconsciously spread across her face at just the thought of Hiccup. Astrid scolded herself for being so sentimental. She was just about to get undressed when a distinctive roar rattled through her head. Alarmed that village would think that it was under attack she ran to the window to see if they burst from their houses, weapons raised. But the village remained silent. She heard the roar again, but this time felt this odd tugging sensation as if an invisible rope was tied around her waist pulling her back towards the forest. The roar sounded again but when she listened closely Astrid could almost make out a word, 'come.'
Before Astrid even realised what she was doing she was already running out of her house back into the forest. Not paying attention to where she was going she let the invisible rope guide her. She realised that she was heading back to the gorge and her heart skipped a beat at the thought of seeing Hiccup again, she briefly thought if she would ever get over the excitement of seeing Hiccup, she doubted it. Astrid began to grow worried, a thousand thoughts ran through her head as to why Etana was calling to her, very few of them good. Astrid pushed herself to run even faster and she realised she was running at an inhumane speed and a smirk spread across her face, 'one of the perks of being bonded to a dragon' she thought. The sky grew darker and darker as heavy storm clouds gather over head so that it looked almost like night. As she got closer to the gorge and an ominous feeling settled in her stomach.
She ran into the clearing and then abruptly halted at the scene in front of her. Matt and Hiccup stood either side of a large fire in the middle of the clearing. Etana sat off to the side of the fire staring intensely at a box that sat on a log in front of the fire and the other dragons sat behind her. All was silent except for the crackling of the fire. Tension was thick in the air and Astrid felt fear begin to claw at her senses.
"Hiccup what's going on?" She asked, unable to walk any closer. It was Matt not Hiccup that answered.
"Hiccup has promised us that you wish to join the Creed. Is this what you truly want?" Matt lifted his eyes from the fire and stared straight into her eyes. Before she could reply he spoke again. "Think hard about your choice, for once it is made there is no going back." Astrid didn't know what she was promising if she said yes and she assumed it was a lot if they weren't telling her before hand, but she knew what she was losing if she said no and it was something she couldn't afford to lose. Her eyes drifted to Hiccup but he had yet to remove his gaze from the fire. Astrid knew the answer she was going to make but still felt the need to ask, "Can I still be with Hiccup if I say no?"
"I will not lie, if you walk away now you and Hiccup will never be together. But if you stay, you will be together but it will not be easy and you would be leaving a lot more than you'd gain." Matt said, he too knew what my choice was but he was going to force her to say it out loud. Astrid refused to let her mind linger on the words Matt had said and so gave her answer and in doing so, sealed her fate.
"Yes I wish to join the Creed." Astrid kept her eyes on Hiccup as the words fell from her mouth; she saw his whole body tense. Matt spoke again, "Very well. But know that from this moment on if you go back on your word you must face the consequences."
Everyone went silent, Astrid didn't know what was happening, was she supposed to say something or do something? Was all that about consequences just to try scare her and that she had passed some kind of test? Where were Jack and Lizzy? Hiccup had yet to meet her gaze and that told her that this whole initiation thing wasn't over yet.
Just as she was about to voice her questions she felt the familiar weight of her axe disappear from her back. Panicked she began to turn around but sharp blade that she recognised as Jacks that was pressed against her neck preventing her from doing so. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lizzy walk towards the fire, her axe in her hands. She was about to start shouting abuse but a nudge from behind her stopped her.
Jack nudged the back of her legs to make her start walking forward. He did feel guilty about doing this, it was probably unnecessary because they all knew that Astrid wouldn't run, but it was tradition. Thunder began to clap above them and heavy rain quickly began to fall. They stopped in front of the fire. Before Astrid could ask what happened next, Jack had kicked Astrid in the back of her knees causing her to fall to the ground. Jack's presence disappeared from behind her and she saw him go stand beside Lizzy.
Etana lifted her gaze from the box and walked to stand beside Astrid and then kneeled down. Astrid looked at Etana and saw that she was trying to comfort her with her eyes. A voice in the very back of her mind spoke up, "I'm here with you." Before Astrid could understand what had just transpired Matt spoke up.
"Hiccup, proceed." Hiccup for the first time since she had arrived looked up from the fire. He and Matt stared at each other for a while, before Matt spoke again. "If you don't begin, you know what will happen."
Hiccup seemed to be having an internal struggle, but after a couple seconds he approached Astrid and Etana, his hood preventing Astrid from seeing his face. He finally spoke.
"From the heavens above, to the lands below, we are charged with the duty to keep the balance. To speak the tongue of man and understand the way of beast, to bring peace. We are to walk among the ground and fly through the sky, to protect. We are man. We are beast."
"We are man. We are beast." Matt, Jack and Lizzy repeated. There was a moment of silence as Astrid tried to understand what Hiccup had just said.
"Our Creed demands sacrifice. Will you forsake all titles and riches? Will you forsake you home? Will for forsake a family? Will you leave your life behind and be born again?"
The world seemed to slow as everyone waited Astrid's answer. A million things were going through Astrid's head. The questions ran through her mind over and over again, could she do it? She now understood the need for secrecy; no one would join the Creed if they knew exactly what they were giving up. Could the end justify what she had to give up? Doubt suddenly filled her mind. Could she do this? Would it be worth it? Was it too late to change her mind? Astrid then felt something entirely foreign to her, an extremely unpleasant feeling settled in her stomach. When she recognised it she was happy she was already kneeling as the shock would have caused her to collapse. Fear.
For the first time in Astrid's life she was terrified. She had never been so scared of something in her life and she began to panic. Her eyes darted around franticly but their hoods covered her friends faces. Eventually Hiccup tilted his head up and Astrid could finally see him, he too was scared. But was Astrid gazed deeper in to his eyes and she saw something else. She saw his dedication to the Creed, his love for the happiness he brought, his love for her and most importantly the faith he had in her. He truly believed that she would make it through this and Astrid could never bring herself to disappoint him.
Astrid spoke clearly and confidently and never looked away from Hiccups eyes.
"I will."
Hiccup refused to let any emotion appear on his face as Astrid spoke those words. The words that for years he wanted her to say, but hated to hear her say them. Hiccup opened the lid of the box in front of him, the box that Astrid now noticed was covered in jagged scars. Hiccup reached into the box and pulled out a large dagger, the head of which was carved as a dragon. He gripped the handle tightly as he closed the boxes lid and rested the daggers point on the smooth top of the box.
"Our Creed has three tenants, by which you must live the rest of your life by. They will not be easy but you will never suffer alone, we your brothers and sisters will forever be by your side and Etana will forever be a part of you. We are man. We are beast."
Matt, Jack and Lizzy all repeated the phrase.
"Prepare yourself." I heard Jack whisper to me.
"Do you swear to never harm a dragon?" Hiccup asked me.
"I do." Hiccup seemed to brace himself before he carved a diagonal line across the top of the box. As the metal sliced through the wood a massive wave of pain came over Astrid. She screamed in pain as she clutched her chest. She pulled down the collar of her shirt to see a deep red gash had appeared above her heart. She heard Etana howl in pain as the same scar appeared above her own heart.
"Do you swear to spend the rest of your life to aid of bringing peace between dragons and man?"
The pain of the cut began to increase until she thought that she would pass out. A thick beat seemed to pulse through the air. Loud thunder repeatedly clapped in the sky and the heat of the fire intensified until it felt like it would melt her flesh.
"Do you swear?" Hiccup shouted.
"...I swear." Astrid cried out as Hiccup carved another line into the box and an identical one appeared on her chest. The blood from the two cuts leaked down her chest and through her fingers as she held her hand to the scars.
"Do you swear to protect the brotherhood and keep its secrets with your life?" Hiccup shouted.
The pain kept building and building until she could feel nothing. Astrid silently nodded the pain rendering her speechless.
"Swear it!" Hiccup again shouted, he knew he could not carve the last tenant until she had sworn to uphold it. Astrid could do nothing but gasp for air as her very life force flowed from her body. Tears leaked from her eyes as she tried to open them. Her eyes searched for Hiccups, his eyes showed the fear he felt and the guilt for putting her through this. She would not let him blame himself for this, she was the one who wanted it and she would see it until the end.
"...I...swear-ar-ar-ar." She cried, and with that Hiccup thrust the final tenant into box and the last scar appeared above her heart. Everything stopped in that moment for Astrid. The pain in her chest ceased, the thunder stopped mid clap and the fire fell cold and silent. For that one moment, all was still.
"Now we'll see if she survives." Astrid heard Matt say. Before Astrid could question, she noticed a dark liquid start to fall from the dragons mouth at the hilt of the dagger, which Hiccup how held above the carvings. The liquid which Astrid recognised as blood, slowly leaked down the handle onto the metal surface and slowly fell down onto the carving. The moment the blood touch the wood pain exploded in Astrid's heart. She felt as every unfamiliar drop spread though out her whole body.
As the pain slowly faded, images started to flash through her mind. Hazy ones at first that didn't make sense, then they slowly became clearer. Lives of people who she didn't know flashed in her mind, their family and friends, their joining, their death. This happened for multiple different people, some showing more memories than others until she got to the people she recognised. She saw Lizzy stood beside an unknown man, her first meeting with Precious, when she met Hiccup, Jake and Matt and her joining. Other memories followed until they turned into Jacks. Jack with a young girl, him running away, him meeting Whiplash, him watching a girl die during the joining. Then Matt appeared in her mind, him learning about dragons, him meeting and training Hiccup, his happiness that Chaka had bonded with him and a strong feeling of guilt during his joining. Finally Hiccup appeared, she saw memoires of his time on Berk, his memories of her, when he first met Toothless and when he met Matt. Astrid tried to see his joining but the memory was fuzzy. Then suddenly everything started to build up in her mind all the memories and the pain, everything kept building and building on her until she collapsed.
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