Chapter 12: Trouble with Snotlout

Author's Note: Alright, after a month's break I'm pleased to announce that there will be a total of three fan-fics after "Flying High". The first one will be set 5 years after the end of "Flying High" and will be called "An Arrow to the Knee". The next one will be set 18 years after "Flying High" and will be called "Blood and Fire". The last one is set in 2013 and is called "Dragons Reborn". This one is told from Astrid's perspective. Both "An Arrow to the Knee" and "Blood and Fire" will be fairly open-ended but "Dragons Reborn" will have a fairly closed ending.

Anyway, on to the content of the chapter. Some time ago I wrote a chapter that featured a duel between Snotlout and Hiccup. The response I got from that chapter was phenomenal. As a result I came up with the idea of another basic Snotlout moment kind-of chapter. Also as I wrote this chapter I had to look back at chapter 11 and my chapter list to make sure that this chapter was congruent. So here is chapter 12.

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Arriving at the watchtower was close to horrific for Hiccup. Not only was the gang there, but his father, Stoick, Gobber, and Astrid's father, Cadman were all at the watchtower and working on it. Stoick had his Thunderdrum pulling out the large oak timbers and replacing them. Cadman was a bit buzzed but was helping Meatlug, Fishlegs' Gronckle, beat out shale floor tiles from a near by boulder. Gobber was making some mysterious stew, and Fishlegs was studying the moss.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut were fighting over who got to clean the pantries, and Snotlout was flirting with Astrid, or rather pleading. "Come on. Why don't you dump that loser and get with a real man," he said. Astrid was paying no attention to him as he continued to go about and "flirt".

Hiccup upon seeing this walked up to Snotlout and cleared his throat. When Snotlout turned around he quickly backed off, but not entirely. "We'll talk later," Snotlout said. As he walked away Hiccup pulled Astrid aside. He had enough of a grip on Astrid's arm that he left a mark. "Ow! Hiccup! What's wrong?" Astrid asked.

The look on Hiccup's face was a mix of utter annoyance and confusion. "What the hell Astrid! I can understand bringing Snotlout and the others. I can even understand bringing my dad and Gobber, but Cadman?! Really?!" Hiccup exclaimed.

Astrid could see Hiccup's point. Cadman was a bit of a problem for both of them, but the fact that he had let their relationship get this far seemed to suggest that he was getting used to the idea. In fact when Astrid told him that they were going to fix up the old watchtower he voluntarily asked to work on it. "It was his idea," she said.

Hiccup smiled and rolled his eyes. He then looked over at Cadman who was using a war hammer to break up the shale boulder. He could tell that Cadman was a little buzzed as he landed a glancing blow to the boulder. "I guess he had a few drinks," Hiccup said. Astrid smiled. "Only enough to keep his headache from getting worse," she said.

"Well... Let's start helping out," Hiccup said. Astrid nodded and quickly helped Hiccup with cleaning out the pantry (they knew that Ruffnut and Tuffnut sure as hell weren't going to do it). After cleaning out the pantry Astrid went to work cleaning the rooms upstairs. Hiccup meanwhile was helping his father replace the old oak timbers with new ones.

It was long hard work and almost everyone was pulling their weight. By dinner almost all the rotted moldy timbers on the first floor had been replace, the pantry and bathroom cleaned, and half of the floor covered with new shale tiles. Hiccup thought that it would take months to rebuild the watchtower, but at this rate he and Astrid could spend the first night in a couple of weeks.

They got ready to head to the Mead Hall to get a bite to eat and as they did this Snotlout approached Astrid and wrapped his arm around Astrid's neck. "So Astrid, you still convinced that Hiccup the Useless is the one for you? Come on let's have some fun," he said. This was enough to set Hiccup over the edge. Snotlout had been flirting with Astrid continuously the whole day and for Hiccup enough was enough.

As Snotlout tried his best to get Astrid to kiss him Hiccup grabbed him by the neck and pulled him away. Snotlout actually staggered back and fell on his ass. As he stood up Hiccup sent Snotlout back to the ground with a right hook to the jaw.

This surprised the others and as Snotlout got up he was in the mood to take Hiccup on. "Oh, so that's the way you want to play! Come on! You and me you runt!" Snotlout exclaimed. Hiccup didn't say word as he lobbed haymaker after haymaker at Snotlout. Snotlout in return threw everything from right hooks to head-buts at Hiccup.

Astrid knew Hiccup could handle himself in a fight, but as she watched she had this gut that this wasn't going to be the last fight. "Yeah! Go Hiccup!" Astrid cheered.

Snotlout looked over at her disapprovingly and yelled, "Aw! Come on! You're rooting for this loser!" The moment Snotlout said that Hiccup landed a very powerful punch to Snotlout's gut, knocking the wind clean out of him. Hiccup then landed a another powerful blow to the face, exploding Snotlout's nose. The final blow was a left hook then right hook knocking Snotlout out cold.

With blood coming out of his nose and a black-eye Hiccup looked down on the broken teen and sighed. "If you so much as lay a finger on Astrid I won't hesitate to beat the crap out of you again," he said.

Astrid couldn't help but smile at this. Just the other day she had shown Snotlout that she meant business when it came to Hiccup and now Hiccup was showing that he meant business when it came to her.

"Man... I didn't think you could beat him," Tuffnut said. He and Ruffnut were both quite impressed with Hiccup's ability to withstand punches. "Outstanding! For a hiccup ya can fight like a true Viking," Cadman said.

Hiccup was still trying to catch his breath as Astrid walked up to him. "You sure you're okay?" she asked. Hiccup's nose was bleeding and he had gained a black eye. He had several bruises and lumps from Snotlout, but it was not as bad as Snotlout's injuries. "I'm fine. He had it coming," Hiccup said.

Astrid couldn't help but smile as Hiccup started to wipe the blood from his nose. She pulled a rag from her bag and helped him clean up his face. As soon as she did that she noticed that Hiccup had begun to blush slightly. She could also tell that Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs were staring and she didn't care, at least not yet.

"Man... Aren't you lucky," Ruffnut said. "You've got the girl of your dreams cleaning you up." At this point Hiccup pushed Astrid aside and stormed up to Ruffnut and her brother. "You've got a problem with that, because if you do I'll have no trouble beating the crap out of you two as well," Hiccup said.

Astrid was now concerned that Hiccup's adrenaline was still pumping after the fight with Snotlout. "Hiccup, calm down. You don't needed to go and pick a fight with everyone," she said. She pulled on Hiccup's arm and tried to get his attention, but so far he was not responding. "Calm down Hiccup. I didn't mean it in a bad way," Ruffnut said. Astrid again began to pull Hiccup's arm and talk him down. "Hiccup please! You're going a little overboard," she said.

Hiccup looked over to Astrid then back a Ruffnut. He noticed that the look on Astrid's face was a mix of terror and annoyance. There was a lone tear just about to stream down her face. "I'm sorry Astrid. I guess I got a little carried away," Hiccup said. He then took a deep breath and turned to Snotlout, who was still out cold.

"Tuffnut can you and Fishlegs get Snotlout back to his house?" Hiccup asked. He then turned to Astrid and apologized again. "I'm sorry Astrid. I just couldn't take it anymore," he said. Astrid smiled and gave Hiccup a small peck. "It's okay. He had it coming," she said.

Ruffnut just scoffed and rolled her eyes at Astrid's displays of affection. She looked over to Cadman, expecting him to scold his daughter but instead was looking off in the distance, deep in thought. "Aren't you going to talk to your own daughter?" Ruffnut asked. Cadman blinked a couple of times then looked over at Astrid who was holding hands with Hiccup and laying her head on his shoulder.

Other than yell at his daughter Cadman put his hand to his face and gave a frustrated sigh. He had noticed how his tough as nails daughter was becoming a normal everyday girl from the mainland. It was starting to get to him that he was never in control of his own family. His wife, Hilda, was always defending Astrid and Astrid herself barely listened to him. Ever since they made peace with the dragons things all around Cadman had started to change. It was starting to get on his nerves.

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Down at the Mead Hall Hiccup, Astrid, Stoick, Cadman, and Gobber were eating dinner and having a few drinks. By now Snotlout had recovered from the fight and was at the other end of the table drinking some mead. "I can't believe I lost to that little runt," Snotlout mumbled. He just continued to drink mug after mug of mead as Hiccup and Astrid had the time of their lives.

"How 'bout I buy ya a round of mead," Cadman suggested. Hiccup looked over at his father then back at Cadman. "I don't think so. I want to make sure that I only get drunk after the wedding," he said. Both Cadman and Stoick let out a hearty laugh, but Astrid just rolled her eyes and punched Hiccup in the shoulder. This action led to Stoick and Cadman to let out another hearty laugh. "Well... Then ya better be careful. My daughter is one hell of a fighter," Cadman said.

"I'm very well aware of that," Hiccup said. He then to Astrid and saw that she was smiling. She was glad her father was starting to except the fact that she and Hiccup were getting married, but she couldn't shake the feeling of worry that something was going to happen to her father before the wedding.

"Well... Ah guess that'll do it fer me," Gobber said as he got up from the table. Stoick and Cadman both said that they would see him in the morning and went back to chowing down on their food. Hiccup and Astrid said goodbye to Gobber then turned their attention to Snotlout. He was drunk to the point to where he was picking a fight with Tuffnut.

Tuffnut, Hiccup, and Astrid were the only sober teens in the mead hall. Ruffnut couldn't bear to be around the happy couple. Fishlegs went home early and Alexandria was still at Hiccup's house taking care of Star.

Hiccup and Astrid watched as a drunken Snotlout tried to land a punch on Tuffnut. He was holding a mug of mead in his right hand and was punching with his left hand. "Come on! I got nothing to lose!" Snotlout drunkenly said. This got the attention of Cadman and Stoick who were also fairly drunk. As they turned to face him Snotlout swung wildly and managed to hit Astrid square in the face.

Though the punch didn't break her jaw it gave her a bloody lip. She held her face and started cussing out Snotlout. "Snotlout! You son of a bitch!" she yelled. Snotlout, still drunk, blurted out, "My mom is not a bitch!" Hiccup began to laugh as Snotlout tried defending his mother for no reason.

"Oh Thor! I think I'm bleeding," Astrid said. Hiccup took Astrid's hand then inspected Astrid's lip. He determined that it wasn't serious. "It's just a busted lip. You'll be okay," he said. Hiccup then turned his attention back to Snotlout. He looked over at Astrid and figured she would be okay to head home. "I'm going to help get Snotlout back home," he said.

Astrid rolled her eyes as she began to try and stop the bleeding. She knew Snotlout was going to need some help, but she wondered why Hiccup wanted to help in the first place. Even though she hated Snotlout she knew that he couldn't be left out there on his own. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow," she said.

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Walking Snotlout to his house and inevitably to Hiccup's uncle Spitelout was a bit difficult. Tuffnut was barely doing anything to help the drunken muscle head stay on his feet. "Hey! Can I ask you guys something?" Snotlout said. Hiccup looked over at Tuffnut who was already starting to laugh. They both figured Snotlout was about to as a completely idiotic question. "Do you guys think I'll ever get the perfect girl?" Snotlout asked.

The question was completely out of left field for Hiccup, but for Tuffnut he began to laugh even more. "She would have to be a completely idiot to fall for you," Tuffnut laughed. Hiccup shot an uncharacteristic glare at Tuffnut and looked back at Snotlout. He thought about the question and figured that Snotlout was truly worried that he wasn't going to find that special someone.

Hiccup decided that his beat bet was to be truthful with the drunken Viking and hope that he remembered. "Well... For one, no one will want to be with you if you keep acting like a jackass," Hiccup explained. Snotlout stumbled away from Hiccup slightly angered by the accusation. "I am not a jackass!" he said as he threw his arms in the air. The gesture was quick enough to throw Snotlout to the ground. "Second... You are a bit of a show-off," Hiccup added.

This got to Snotlout. He felt as if his pride had taken a hit as he struggled to get back on his feet. Hiccup held out his hand to help him up but Snotlout wasn't having any of it. "I can get on my own!" Snotlout shouted. He then fell face first into the dirt. As he tried once again to get back on his feet and once again fell flat on his face.

After about two minutes of trying to get up and walk it off Snotlout finally got to his feet and started to stumble home. "Snotlout. Wait. If you be true to yourself and try not to be a jackass or show-off you'll get the girl of your dreams," Hiccup said. Snotlout stop for a second and turned to face Hiccup. The look on his face suggested that he had no idea how to respond to that. "I know. I just don't know how to act," he said.

Snotlout then continued on his way back to his house. Hiccup ran up to Snotlout's side and tried to help him stay on his feet. It took some time but after a few minutes of arguing Snotlout agreed to have Hiccup help him home.

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Instead of heading back to her house Astrid headed straight for Hiccup's house. She wasn't about to spend the night with her drunk father. Cadman wasn't a very polite drunk and at times he was just evil. Even though he looked calm back at the mead hall Astrid knew he could turn at any minute.

Approaching the door to Hiccup's house she could see that Alexandria and Star were out on the porch and looking at the night sky. "Hey, what are you two doing?" Astrid asked. Alexandria looked over and was a little surprised to see Astrid walking up to her. "Oh! Astrid! I didn't see you there," she said. Astrid sat down next to Alexandria. She then gave a frustrated sigh and looked over the village with a look of skepticism.

Alexandria could tell that barely anything was wrong but the fact that Astrid seemed a bit annoyed by something had gotten her attention. "Are you spending the night?" she asked. Astrid looked of at Alexandria and smiled. She looked out over the village again and said, "My dad is drunk and I don't want to be in the same house as him."

Alexandria got up and started walking around. "I guess you haven't told Hiccup that you are staying," she said. Astrid shook her head. She had told Hiccup she was heading home and that she would see him in the morning. "I guess I'll be a burden if I stay without telling him," she said.

Alexandria put her slender hand on Astrid's shoulder. "I'm sure Hiccup wouldn't mind," she said. Astrid got up and shook her head. "No. I have to go home. Even if it means arguing with my dad," she said. Astrid then started walking down the hill and toward the village. Alexandria looked on with envy as the young Viking went to face her father.

It wasn't long before Alexandria noticed that Hiccup was coming up the hill with Astrid. "Why didn't you tell me your dad is a complete ass when he is drunk?" Hiccup asked. The look on Astrid's face made it look as if she didn't want to be there. "I was going home. I just don't to be a burden," she said. Hiccup sighed and looked directly into Astrid's eyes. There was no way in his mind that she was going to be a burden. He brushed the hair out of Astrid's eye and smiled. "You would never be a burden to me," he said.

Astrid smiled and kissed Hiccup on the lip. "Thanks but I'll take my chances with my dad," she said. Hiccup looked a little depressed that Astrid wasn't staying at his house. The look on his face was a little ridiculous. He was pouting and looking away from Astrid. "Alright, then I'll walk you home," he said. Astrid began to chuckle and took Hiccup by the hand. "You just want a reason to be with me," she said.

This got Hiccup a little flustered and once again looked away from Astrid's face. Astrid smiled and started to pull Hiccup's arm. "Well... Come on. Aren't you going to take me home?" Astrid asked. Hiccup looked over at Astrid, surprised that she was willing to let him take her home. He began to smile as he walked with her to her house.

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The next morning was a little more crazy than the previous. Cadman had gone to the mead hall that morning and gotten drunk. Stoick and Snotlout had a bit of a hangover, and Astrid had gotten very little sleep the previous night.

Hiccup had brought Alexandria, Star, and Stormfly to help with the metal work. He had also brought Toothless, Blackhawk, and Tornado for the heavy lifting. Meatlug was there to help finish break up the shale boulder. They were the only dragons working on the watchtower, but as Toothless caught sight of the damage on the upper portion of the watchtower he immediately became tense.

The sudden change in Toothless's behavior was a surprise to everyone. Toothless began to growl and his ears were folded back flush against his scales. "Toothless! What's wrong?" Hiccup asked. Alexandria looked over at the damage and noticed the tell tale signs of a Night Fury. "Hiccup. Did you know that a Night Fury attacked this watchtower?" she asked. Hiccup looked over at Alexandria. He had forgotten that there was damage on the top of the tower and that it may have been caused by a Night Fury. "Maybe Toothless knows something about this watchtower that we don't," Alexandria said.

Hiccup looked over at Toothless who was still very agitated. He had now gotten Blackhawk and Stormfly agitated as well. Hiccup knew that if this continued there would be trouble. "Alright Alexandria, try and find out what's wrong," Hiccup said.

Snotlout was the first to object. "How can a half-blood like her find out what a Night Fury is thinking?" he asked. Alexandria glared at Snotlout then turned her attention to Toothless. She prepared to speak dragonese, a language that dragon spoke and that Alexandria had learned over the years. The language was once forbidden but since the Hairy Hooligans made peace with the dragons the language was coveted by some of the Vikings.

Alexandria took a deep breath then began to talk to Toothless. "Toothless. What's wrong? Does something about this watchtower bother you?" Alexandria hissed. Dragonese was the type of language that would sound like the person was making hissing noises. "Amazing!" Gobber exclaimed. "She can speak dragonese." Toothless didn't take his eyes off the watchtower when he responded to Alexandria. "I'd had run-ins with this tower before. I didn't realize that this tower was the one that master and his mate wanted to live in," Toothless hissed back.

Hiccup started to worry when he saw that Toothless began to growl more viscously. He looked over at Alexandria with concern in his eyes. Alexandria knew that Hiccup was worried and wasn't about to give up. "Don't worry Hiccup. I've got this under control," she said. Snotlout scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. Night Furies are the toughest to deal with. You have no chance of calming him down," he said.

Alexandria paid no attention to Snotlout as she continued to ask Toothless why he was so up tight. "Toothless." she hissed. "There is nothing in there that's going to hurt you. The tower has been abandoned for a year." Upon hearing that Toothless began to calm down and in turn the other dragons started to calm down.

"Oh come on!" Snotlout blurted out. "First I was knocked out by a runt and now I'm being proven wrong by a half-blood!" Hiccup and Alexandria paid no attention to Snotlout as he began to rant about how he had gone through so many hardships in the past few days. It was now typical of Snotlout to blame others for his troubles. "And now because of you, Hiccup, I have a hangover," Snotlout complained. Hiccup just rolled his eyes and pointed toward the watchtower. "Just shut up and start cleaning up the rest of the house," Hiccup said

Snotlout started to cruse Hiccup under his breath as he went into the watchtower. "Hey Snotlout!" Hiccup called out. "Don't worry. You're luck will change." Snotlout looked back and for once a warm inviting smile crept across his face. "I know! Just try not to push me," he said.

Astrid seemed surprised by the sudden change in Snotlout's behavior. Just the other day he was acting like a jackass and now he was a completely different person. "What the hell happened last night Hiccup?" she asked. Hiccup looked over at Astrid, confused on why she was so concerned. "He asked me if he was going to get the girl of his dreams and I told him the truth," he said. Astrid gave Hiccup a look of complete skepticism as she knew that Hiccup wouldn't tell Snotlout the complete truth. "What exactly did you tell him?" she asked.

Hiccup seemed a bit nervous as he began to explain what he had said to Snotlout. "I just told him that no girl would want to be with him if he keeps acting like a total jackass," he said. He was beginning to pull some blacksmithing tools from a cart that Toothless had pulled from the workshop in the village. He was trying multitask as he helped Alexandria work some iron into some new door hinges and talked to Astrid. "Really... That's all you said to him," she said. Hiccup shook his head. "No. Not really. I also told him that he should be himself," he said.

Astrid burst out into laughter and shook her head. "There is no way that he is acting like himself," she said. "He is a complete asshole and there is no way that this is his true self." Snotlout ended up hearing this and sighed. "Well at least that better than acting like a complete whore," he said.

Astrid immediately became flustered as she became at a loss for words. She couldn't believe that her sexual adventures with Hiccup had gotten out. Hiccup on the other hand became very defensive. "What do you mean by that?" Hiccup asked.

Snotlout knew this could go bad at any moment but he had to voice his opinions. He stepped closer to Hiccup and wrapped his arm around his neck. "Come on Hiccup. You know girls are only there to satisfy us," he said. Hiccup looked over to Astrid who was now being quiet and had started to play with her ring. It was a sign to Hiccup that Astrid was uncomfortable.

"Just what exactly did you hear about Astrid?" Hiccup asked. Snotlout could tell just by the tone of Hiccup's voice that he wasn't playing. He decided that he try and tease him just a little bit. It was a big mistake once again. "Oh... I've just heard some very juicy rumors about you two," he said. Hiccup started to shoot daggers from his eyes as he continued to press for what Snotlout had heard. "Just what did you hear?" he asked again.

By now any normal person would back off and tell the truth, but Snotlout continued to tease Hiccup. "I've heard that you two have had a very fun life in the pass several days," he said. By now Hiccup had enough of Snotlout's bullshit. He threw Snotlout's arm off his neck and grabbed the collar of his tunic. "JUST WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU HEAR ALREADY!" he shouted.

The sudden outburst got the attention of Cadman, Stoick, and Gobber. They dropped what they were doing and ran over to see if they could help. "Oi!" Cadman yelled. "What the hell is going on!" Cadman didn't get a response from Hiccup. Instead he was too focused on Snotlout to notice the burly Viking standing six feet behind him.

"TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU HEAR!" Hiccup yelled. By now Snotlout was terrified. Hiccup's adrenaline was once again pumping. he wanted to know if he had watched he and Astrid have one of their fantasies. "I just heard that you two had sex at that cove you always go to. I never saw anything. I just heard the rumors," Snotlout said. Hiccup let go of Snotlout's tunic and walked off.

Since Cadman, Stoick, and Gobber were six feet behind Hiccup they heard every word of what Snotlout had said. Stoick knew Cadman was all about honor and the fact that his only daughter had sex with his son before they were married was one thing that could get under the man's skin. "Ya gonna do okay?" Stoick asked. "After all it sounds like yer daughter has had some fun." Cadman didn't miss a beat as he walked away and poured some mead into his mug. "As long as he doesn't go too far I'll be fine with him," he said.

"What do ya mean by going to far?" Gobber asked as he also poured some mead into his mug. Cadman gulped down the mead and went back to work destroying the shale boulder. "That's for me to determine and for ya to stay out of," he said.

Stoick wasn't happy with this setup. There were too many variable for his son to cross before Cadman went mental. Hiccup was a true Viking by far but went it came to defending Astrid both he and Cadman could possibly go as far as to kill. It was something Stoick wanted to avoid.

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By now most of the light work had been finished. The new shale floor had been placed on the first floor. The pantries and bathroom had been cleaned out. All of the door and window hinges had been replaced. All that they needed to do next was redo the entire second floor and replace the heavy wooded timbers that helped support the roof. They even needed to fix a gaping hole in the celling. Hiccup knew those would take some time and the fact that a family of terrible Terrors had made their home upstairs was going to make things even more difficult.

As the sun once again began to set everyone began to head to the mead hall for a drink. Hiccup and Astrid on the other hand decided to head home early and have some time alone. They walked a bit with their dragons by their sides and admired the sunset. "I still can't believe this is happening," Hiccup said. Astrid giggled and took Hiccup by the hand. "And it all began from that kiss at the docks," she said.

Hiccup couldn't help but smile as he began to tease her. "You know it was way before that," he said. Astrid blushed, the setting sun deepening the red. "That night at the cove, you know, our first flight together, didn't you kiss me then?" he said. Astrid punched him in the arm, something Hiccup was starting to miss. As soon as Hiccup had mention the first flight they had taken together Astrid had begun to blush even more.

"So there was something there," Hiccup said. Astrid turned her head away from Hiccup. She was so red with embarrassment that she couldn't bear it. "S-Shut up," she said. Hiccup came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "Then why did you kiss me?" he asked.

Astrid was now silent. Her eyes were now gazing lovingly at Hiccup's hands wrapped around her waist. "It wasn't just back at the cove. I... I've always sort of admired you in some way," she said. For once Hiccup didn't know whether to believe her or not. "You're determined, smart, funny, and modest. You've always have treated me differently than the others. You've always have cared for me, and it all came together back at the cove," she said.

Hiccup couldn't help but question Astrid's reasons for being with him. She never openly admitted that she admired him and for good reason. Astrid was still considered a tough as nails Viking with a cold heart while Hiccup was considered a screwup and all around useless. When Astrid caught sight of Hiccup's face she knew she had to reassure him.

"I'm telling the truth Hiccup," she said sweetly. Hiccup kept his arms around Astrid's waist as he lowered his head next to Astrid's. "It just... You know..." Hiccup tried to get himself to tell Astrid how he felt about this but it was just not coming out. Astrid on the other hand knew that Hiccup was struggling. She put her hands on top of Hiccup's and put her head back.

She was now making eye contact with Hiccup. she could see the disbelief in his eye as well as the surprise. "I guess it does sound a little odd coming from me. I haven't actually been open with this admiration have I?" she said. Hiccup smiled and began to chuckle a bit. Astrid couldn't help but smile as she too began to chuckle. "No. You haven't been too open with it," Hiccup said.

Hiccup then let go of Astrid's waist and spun her around to face him. "But I wouldn't have had it any other way," he said. This earned him another punch in the arm. "Again, cheesy, but I loved it," Astrid said. She then kissed Hiccup tenderly on the lips. As she parted she laid her head on Hiccup's shoulder and wrapped her hands around Hiccup's waist. "It's been awhile since we've had one of our fantasies," she said.

Hiccup rolled his eyes as he draped his arms over Astrid's shoulders. He was sort of in the mood already but with the way Astrid had said that made it seem like she was a little horny. "Not now Astrid. I mean I would love to... You know... That, but not now," he said. Astrid smiled and took Hiccup's arms off her shoulders. She started to walk off toward the village. "Come on. Let's go home," she said.

Hiccup smiled back at Astrid and started to head back to the village. He knew that they would have one of there fantasies but they would have to wait for the right moment. "You know Snotlout may actually get a girl someday," Hiccup said. He was trying to strike up a conversation with Astrid and the idea of Snotlout getting a girlfriend and possibly a wife was sort of farfetched.

Astrid seemed to think that Snotlout had as much of a chance of getting a girlfriend as Toothless had laying an egg. When she said this aloud Hiccup thought it was a little cynical of Astrid. "What about Ruffnut? Do you think she going to have a husband?" Hiccup asked. Astrid rolled her eyes and laughed. "She a bit of a slut don't you think? I mean she only after men for their bodies," she said.

It was a this point that they noticed Snotlout running toward them. "What do you want?" Astrid asked. Snotlout seemed more worked up than usual as he tried to catch his breath. "You guys have to come over to the Great Hall. There's something going on," Snotlout said. Both Astrid and Hiccup could tell that Snotlout was telling the truth which was rare. At times if it didn't benefit him Snotlout wouldn't talk about it but this seem different. "Alright. Alright. We'll head over there," Hiccup said.

"Good. I don't what's going on but it's big," Snotlout said. He then ran back to the Great Hall. Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other with general confusion as they too headed for the Great Hall.

End of Chapter 12