Here's chapter 12 redone. Hopefully things are a little more believable this time. But just in case, I have the burn cream ready...

This is an important chapter as it leads to a lot of other events…so it's worthwhile getting it right. And if you're still not keen on it, do me a favour and pretend it's okay so I can move on! Thanks!

Just a reminder, this is a hiccstrid story. Things get a little turbulent for a bit. If you don't want to read it, I suggest you skip to chapter 14…maybe even chapter 15.

A big thankyou to yesthenLucky9, darkmist111 and especially harrypanther for helping me with their advice on how to reconstruct this chapter.

*deep breath in* Okay….take two!

Tula and Erik were sitting in Tula's room. Both were very quiet. They had just come from speaking with Hersker and the instructions they had been given were quite disturbing.

"You like him, don't you?" Erik said suddenly.

Tula blushed a little but didn't deny it. "What's not to like? He's so...unassuming...and he has such a warm heart," she sighed dreamily. "And his hands...they feel so wonderful when he touches me."

"And he's in love with Astrid...you know, the girl who also knows how to control dragons? The one who's our friend?" Erik reminded her.

Tula snorted. "You can't talk. Don't think I haven't seen the way you look at her. And it's definitely not in a 'just friends' kind of way. You're in this as much as I am."

Erik couldn't deny it. Tula smirked in triumph.

"Okay...what are we going to do then? Astrid and Hiccup are both great. I like having them as friends," said Erik, his ebony hair swinging over his face as he leaned forward onto his knees.

"I don't know...dad gave us an order as Chief. We can't disobey the Chief. We'd end up in too much trouble," said Tula as she nervously chewed on her nails.

"How about this then," suggested Erik. "...what if we...spent more time with them? You with Hiccup, and me with Astrid. If, by the end of winter, they like us back...then we've obeyed Uncle and it all ends well. But...if Hiccup and Astrid still like each other...then we've tried our best and if we don't tell them anything, we'll keep them as friends too."

Tula frowned. It all sounded so ...devious. But she couldn't come up with a better plan. The only way she could marry Hiccup was for him to fall in love with her. But to do that, he would have to not be in love with Astrid. Besides, the two had known each other since they were kids but they hadn't even gotten engaged yet. Surely that meant they weren't that serious about each other? All she and Erik would do, would be to get to know them a little better, right? Except she would only get to know Hiccup. And Erik would get to know Astrid. Nothing wrong with that...right?

Tula thought about Hiccup. She thought about his careless auburn locks, the light smattering of freckles across his nose, those lips... She sighed wistfully. He was a very handsome man. And even though he was obviously still underweight at the moment, she could see the shape of his shoulders, and the outline of his muscles. But even more importantly than that, she could see his confident stance, the power and authority he held so evident in the way he spoke to others. Through it all, however, his kindness and gentleness shone through. He genuinely cared about people. She had noticed that straight away about him. He listened to people, then did what he could to help out.

The fact that he could also befriend the dragons, and rode a Night Fury had been simply amazing, and took his desirability up a whole new level. She thought about Twinkle, and the way Hiccup held her close when he was helping her to bond with the dragon. She could still feel his hands on her, his voice low and calm in her ear. It had been amazing, and she wanted more. She wanted him.

"Okay...that's what we'll do," she heard herself say to Erik.

-oOo-

The following day, Chief Hersker put his plan into action. First of all, he had to separate the two. He didn't want to give them any chance for confidential talk to take place between them. He needed to create as much disharmony between them as possible, to give his daughter and Erik the best chance.

Knocking on the door of the healer, he walked in. As expected, Astrid and Hiccup were already there, sitting side by side as they enjoyed a late breakfast. Yesterday had been particularly difficult for them both, and they had slept a little longer than usual.

"Good morning you two," he said cheerfully. "I trust you're feeling better now?"

They both nodded.

Brenda was there, as usual, bustling around her pot. "Aye, they are. I had to give them some recovery herbs in their tea last night to help. Chief, you shouldn't let them get so overworked," she scolded lightly.

Hersker gave her an indignant frown. "How did I have any control over yesterday's events, woman?"

Brenda retorted, "Erik and Tula had to practically carry the two of them in here, they were almost unconscious. Especially Hiccup. You have to make sure that doesn't happen again," she declared fervently.

Brenda really cared about these two, more than just patients. When she had seen them yesterday, she had been really worried. She didn't want to see either of them like that again.

Hersker brushed aside her concerns. "I'm sure they'll be fine. Besides, I have other plans right now. Hiccup and Astrid..." he turned to address the young couple. "Yesterday, I agreed that the two of you and your dragons, would be welcome to stay in Torstein for the duration of the winter. Your only demand was to allow a shelter to be built for them, which I agreed to. We'll look into that later today. Now I have a demand for you."

Hiccup and Astrid glanced at each other with an expression of worry. What was it he wanted from them?

"Aside from keeping your dragons under control, which I'm assuming I don't have to tell you...I want Hiccup to move in with me." At the gasp of concern, he hastily explained himself. "It's not proper for two unwedded people to be living together, and seeing as you are now officially part of the town and no longer here for only recuperation, you will need to be separated."

Brenda immediately protested, racing to place a protective hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "But Chief! He's not well enough to leave my care yet! Didn't yesterday mean anything to you?" she cried indignantly.

"He's fine," Hersker said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You can check on him at my lodge if you like. We'll make sure he's well rested and well fed, you don't have to worry about that."

"But..." Brenda continued to protest.

"No buts. Hiccup will be moved to my house by this evening. That's an order," he declared before standing up and leaving.

Once the door had closed, Astrid hugged Hiccup tightly. "What are we going to do? I don't want to be separated from you again! I just got you back."

"I know. But it will be different this time, we can come and go as we please...and we've got the dragons with us. It will be okay. We'll still spend as much time together during the day as possible. It won't be like we'll never see each other," he replied in a resigned tone.

"No, this is not right," said Benda furiously. She marched straight out the door, aiming to find the Chief and give him a piece of her mind about the situation.

Hiccup kissed Astrid briefly, pushing a strand of loose hair behind her ear. "It's only for the winter. Then we can go home and spend as much time together as possible. Okay?" he told her softly.

Astrid couldn't help the single tear that ran down her cheek. She nodded miserably, and pushed herself into his warmth, his arms warm around her.

"Okay."

-oOo-

The next morning, Hiccup stepped out from the Chief's house. The cool morning air was chilly, and a light cloud of condensation blew from Hiccup's lips as he contemplated the snow covered village around him. It had been a restless night getting used to his new surrounds in the Chief's spare room, and he had felt a little empty without Astrid close beside him. He glanced over towards Brenda's house. He could only partially see one corner of the building from here…not enough to know if anyone was up or not.

Erik and Tula had their own rooms in the Chief's house, and they had welcomed him into their fold last night with a small party. Hiccup had felt a little odd that Astrid wasn't there with them, but he guessed it would be that way most days. Because of the cold and the heavy snow drifts during winter, it was usual for the townsfolk to retire to their separate abodes early to enjoy the rest of the evening with those they lived with. Not that he disliked it. He enjoyed Erik and Tula's company. But it would have been more pleasant with the blonde warrior there as well.

Rubbing his hands together to warm them up, Hiccup sighed. This was to be their life for the next few months of winter. With the fresh sprinkling of soft snow on the ground this morning, the weather showed it was now too late for them to contemplate going anywhere, except here.

Hiccup frowned. He hoped the dragons had weathered the cold last night. He was sure they could. They were dragons, for goodness sake. Complete with their own inbuilt fire system. Didn't mean he wasn't going to worry, though. Getting a shelter for all four dragons was on the top of his priority listing today. Even with dragon power, it was still going to take some time to build it. His and Astrid's strength and endurance was still minimal, so they would have to pace themselves.

A large shape loomed out of the frosty early morning mist.

"Ah….good to see you are up. Sleep well?" Hersker asked briskly.

Hiccup shrugged. "Well enough. I can't complain."

Hersker nodded with a knowing frown. "Hmm. New place. Takes a while to settle in. I'm sure you'll be fine in no time."

"Thank you sir. I'm sure you're right."

There was a pause. "So…are you planning on building that shelter for your dragons today?" Hersker asked.

Hiccup nodded. "Yes sir. I have the plans drawn up already."

"Good lad. Come back inside and show me what you've got while we have breakfast. I'll see what I can do to help you with supplies." Hersker directed Hiccup back inside the house.

Hiccup glanced briefly towards Brenda's house, then obediently walked back inside the Chief's warm dwelling. Erik and Tula had arisen and were shuffling around the kitchen, preparing breakfast for them all. Tula smiled shyly at Hiccup. He gave her a small nod in return.

The three men sat at the table to discuss building plans while Tula finished breakfast and brought it over for them all. Hiccup gave her a grateful smile which made her blush a little. Hiccup was taken aback by her reaction, but was pulled back into the conversation before he had time to think about it.

Once the chief had approved the supplies they would need, and they had discussed the way Hiccup wanted to build the shelter, it wasn't long before the three young people plus Astrid were working together to construct a snug house for their winged friends. Timid Tula stuck close to Hiccup, so that he could patiently teach her how to fly and strengthen her bond with Twinkle. Astrid was sometimes inclined to be a little impatient, so she was going to teach the much bolder Erik how to fly Ruby.

Each day of the build, the convalescing Hiccup and Astrid found they would become quite exhausted fairly quickly. Because of this and their circumstances, it was difficult to and find time to talk together. So during their treks back to the village, the faster Eric and Tula would pace out front while Hiccup and Astrid would hang back and talk quietly to each other. They each worried over the other, but there wasn't much either could do except eat well and rest often…in different houses.

Both felt frustrated at their own weaknesses. Not being close to each other was also another disturbing stumbling block. They each felt the urgent desire to be together, but bided their time instead. Surely they wouldn't always be apart? Especially once they had regained their health and had more energy to search each other out. Surely it wouldn't always be like this?

-oOo-

After that first week when the shelter was completed, Hiccup and Astrid had found themselves with some extra free time. Finding each other, they headed straight for the dragon shelter, holding hands as they went.

"Finally!" said Astrid. "I thought that week would never end!"

Hiccup grinned at her. "Brenda's herbs seem to be helping you," he said happily, noticing the colour returning to her cheeks.

"And you," she said in response. "I'm not up to full speed yet, but I'm getting there. I want to start training again…properly. I'm sure another week or two will be all I need. Unfortunately, it will be too late to go home, so we'll have to wait it out till spring comes."

He nodded agreeably. "Can't be helped. I wish we had some way to contact dad. I don't like making him worry."

She sighed, "All we can do is think how excited they will be when we fly back home and tell them where we've been."

"That's true… Hey guys! Ready for a spin in the clouds?" said Hiccup, greeting Toothless and Stormfly.

The dragons nudged into their riders, crooning and squawking excitedly. "I guess that's a yes, then!" Hiccup laughed. It didn't take any further prompting before all four were in the cool air, flying as far as they could in the icy conditions. And even though they had to cut their flight very short, it was still exhilarating to have that time together…just the two of them.

-oOo-

The very next morning, the Chief invited Astrid over to his house so that he could talk to all four youngsters. Once they were all together, he abruptly set upon his business.

"Hiccup, Astrid…it's good to see you've recovered quite a bit now."

Hiccup smiled, "Thank you Chief. We're feeling much better and more energetic."

Hersker nodded. "Seeing as that's done, it's time to set up your workloads for the winter months. Astrid, I want to formalize your training with our youngsters each morning. They will do well learning from your experience and abilities."

Astrid gave a formal nod.

"Erik will be your co-trainer," he added. Erik turned to Astrid and smiled brightly, and she grinned in return.

Hiccup couldn't help feel a twinge of jealousy at the idea that Astrid would be spending most of her day with the muscular Erik, even though he knew she wasn't the kind of girl who cared about such things.

"Hiccup…"

He snapped to attention at the Chief's words. "You will be continuing your work with Vard. He's going to need a lot of help to catch up with his workload, to be ready in time for spring."

Hiccup nodded in acceptance, but inside he was groaning with exasperation. He'd seen how much the Torstein blacksmith had fallen behind. The pile of broken weapons and farming tools was huge! Plus, he'd already been pulled aside by a few villagers and told quietly that the cantankerous old man's skill set had slipped in his aging years. What work he did do, was not that great anymore. Hiccup knew he was in for some very long hours at the forge.

Erik cleared his throat, drawing Hersker's attention.

"Yes Erik?"

"Hiccup and Astrid have been telling us about their training with the dragons…learning how to fight by dragon back. I was wondering…seeing as Astrid and I will already be in the training ring, if she could teach me how to fight with Ruby," Erik suggested.

Astrid's eyes opened wide and she shook her head. "That's normally Hiccup's role," she told him.

Hiccup was going to say something but Erik jumped in first. "From what you guys have told us, you're just as accomplished. Plus, with the work load that Hiccup will be under, he might not be able to spend that kind of time training me."

Hiccup tried to speak again, but this time Hersker spoke up. "Hmm….good idea. That's settled then…Astrid, after your lessons with the young ones, you can train with Erik."

Tula tried to protest about being left out, but Hersker shot a warning glare in her direction. "Tula, I don't want you learning to fight. You already know how I feel about that."

Tula frowned and crossed her arms in a sulk. "Can I at least keep learning how to ride with Hiccup?" she asked petulantly.

Hersker hesitated. He wanted Tula to focus on learning how to be a dutiful wife, and riding dragons was not a part of that. But he couldn't deny that it was too late to prevent it. If Hiccup taught his daughter how to ride, it would serve two purposes….one, to keep Tula safe on a dragon, and two…encourage Hiccup to spend more time with his daughter and hopefully learn to love her. The benefits were laid out in front of him. He agreed.

"Good idea. You do that," he said in such a way that Hiccup felt he wouldn't be able to argue with any of it. One of the things that was plain to him, was the lack of opportunities he had to be with Astrid.

"What about saddles?" asked Erik, turning to Hiccup. "I noticed you were working on some in the forge."

All eyes turned to Hiccup, and he stammered, "Uh, yeah. Saddles make flying much more comfortable for both rider and dragon. I can probably make one for you and Tula," he told them.

Tula's face lit up. "Great! I can help you," she said eagerly.

"Tula," warned the Chief.

"What? Saddles are made from leather. Leather has to be sewed. I can sew. Plus it will give me something to do over winter. Hiccup can teach me. It's not like I have to do any blacksmithing. Hiccup can do that part," she told her father briskly.

Hersker couldn't argue with that logic, so he agreed.

"Yay!" said Tula happily. She grabbed hold of Hiccup's arm. "We'll be working together! And you can teach me all about dragons while we sew. Won't that be great?" she said enthusiastically.

Hiccup smiled uncertainly, Tula's arm around his a little disconcerting. He flicked his gaze towards Astrid and saw a flash of something unpleasant there, as she stared pointedly at their connecting arms. Hiccup hastily disconnected himself away from Tula.

He turned to the Chief and gave a falsely bright smile. "Well, that seems all settled then. There will be plenty of things to do this winter. At least we won't get bored," he quipped, making them all chuckle. His own smile faded, as he thought to himself how few chances there were for him and Astrid to have time alone.

-oOo-

The four young people took about a week to establish a new routine with their respective workloads, but by the end of it, they were working well in their assigned roles; Astrid with Erik, and Hiccup with Tula. At the evening meal, they would end up sitting together in the Great Hall and catch up on all they had done. Hiccup would try to sit beside Astrid, but would sometimes find Erik already there. He would frown, but say nothing, sitting beside Tula instead. It hadn't really mattered, as the two of them had worked out they could have a late afternoon flight session on their dragons, before they had to be shut in for the night.

Till the night Chief Hersker saw them flying overhead….

That evening, Hersker sat brooding, only partially taking interest in the conversation between Erik and Hiccup in his house.

Erik was enthusiastic. "I can see why you guys are so excited about using dragons for defence. Ruby is amazing!"

Hiccup had to smile. "Yeah…dragons changed everything for us. We had to invent new equipment to take advantage of that." A memory came to him, and he chuckled. "Some ended up with a different role than what I had originally intended," he added.

"Can you tell us about one?" asked Tula.

"Um…how about the thunder ear?"

"A thunder ear?" Erik leaned forward in his curiosity. "What's that? It sounds interesting."

Hiccup paused to consider the other man. Erik was handsome, no doubt about that. But he was also charming, likeable, and keen on what Hiccup had to say. Hiccup didn't really have anything he could say against the guy…except that he spent far more time with Astrid than Hiccup could. Which made Hiccup a tiny bit jealous of him.

Realising that the others were waiting for an answer, Hiccup started. "I um…made it when I was about sixteen…as a way to listen out for a Screaming Death."

"Screaming Death?" asked Tula, just the name alone making her shudder. "What's that?"

Hiccup glanced over at her and smiled kindly. "A very big and nasty dragon that you want to keep right away from… unless you know it's mother."

He turned back to Erik. "Anyway, it was meant to magnify sounds so we would know if any dangerous dragons were approaching…till dad found another use for it. He overheard his best friend Gobber saying some interesting things that Gobber hadn't intended for him to hear, while he was down at the docks."

Hersker perked up at this. "Sounds intriguing. Er…what does it look like?"

Hiccup quickly found a piece of parchment and drew a rough sketch of the thunder ear for his audience. "The sound is funnelled in this end, and you listen at this end," he explained.

"Hmm…" said Hersker, eyeing off the drawing while an idea formed in his head. "Do you have other inventions that would also be useful here?" he asked.

Hiccup shrugged. "Sure. There's a few. Plus I've already thought of a few things that might be helpful for your village."

"Good, good," the Chief murmured, a little distracted. "I've got an idea, Hiccup. Why don't you spend some time with me early each morning before you head over to the blacksmith…and show me those ideas of yours? Then we'll see if we have the resources to make them," he suggested.

Hiccup hesitated. He didn't think he had that much to offer the chief... though from what he already knew of the town, it was still a little backward, even in relation to other non-dragon friendly towns. But with Torstein having gained two new scaly residents, Hiccup guessed he did have a head start on what improvements would be needed to care for them….like a feeding station.

"Sure…I guess I could do that," Hiccup told the Chief uncertainly.

"Wonderful! We'll start tomorrow," said Hersker. Turning to Tula, the Chief asked her, "How are you doing with the saddles?"

Tula gave a disgruntled frown. "They're almost finished." She was disappointed about that, as she was running out of reasons to be in the forge close to Hiccup.

Hiccup beamed. "Another week, and they'll be done. Then we can test them out. I've never made one for a Hobblegrunt before, so I'm hoping we've got it right. I'm curious to see how Twinkle will react to the new position."

Hersker nodded and spoke to Tula. "I was thinking about how you want to 'do something'. How about you spend time with Brenda and Astrid in the evenings to study healing?"

Tula's smile was broad at the news that she was actually allowed to learn something other than household duties. She jumped at the chance to get out of the boring house.

"Dad, I would really love that!" she said excitedly, jumping up and giving her father a huge hug. He grinned.

"That's settled then. I'll talk to Brenda tomorrow." He stood up, stifling a yawn. "Now if you will all excuse me, I'm off to bed."

The others didn't stay up for much longer either, but Hiccup's heart was heavy as he laid down on his bed. If Astrid was going to study healing in the evening with Tula, that meant they would not be able to go on their evening flights. And if he was working with Hersker in the mornings, Hiccup would likely miss out on that time to fly with Astrid too.

He was beginning to feel stifled, between working full time in the forge with Tula as his most constant companion, and now having to forfeit flight time with Astrid too….he didn't know how he was going to get around all this.

-oOo-

A few evenings later, Astrid heard the familiar whistle of the night fury overhead and sighed. Brenda paused in her speech and gave Astrid a sympathetic smile. She knew where the girl wanted to be, and it certainly wasn't here, locked away even earlier in her evening, taking part in some dry learning about the healing properties of plants.

Astrid tried to keep her focus on what Brenda was saying, but it was difficult considering the amount of distraction she had at the moment. Helping Brenda out had been something Astrid had enjoyed, especially when she realised she could learn to take better care of Hiccup. He seemed to manage to injure himself on a regular basis, thanks to his crazy inventions and fearless attitude.

When they had been at the Edge…it seemed like such a long time ago now…and one or the other of their small crew had fallen ill, they had been forced to either fly many hours back to Berk or retrieve Gothi to them. Luckily they hadn't any serious injuries so far, but Astrid shuddered to think what would happen if they had ever needed a healer quickly. So learning about the art of healing seemed to be a practical way to create a solution to that problem.

Still, she hadn't expected to be locked in with Tula to do it, and away from Hiccup on one of the few times in the day that they could be together. Tula was a nice girl, there wasn't really anything she could say bad about her. Except that she loved to prattle on about how Hiccup helped her do this, and Hiccup taught her that and how close they were. It was really beginning to grate on Astrid's nerves. She didn't want to hear about Hiccup spending time with another girl.

She breathed in, then out, focussing on keeping her attention where it was supposed to be. Brenda was giving her a concerned look and Astrid forced herself to smile back.

She really appreciated the older woman, who fussed over the young couple like a mother hen. It amazed her how Brenda stayed so calm and patient each day when Astrid was already keen to pull her axe out and threaten people into NOT moaning and complaining about their hangnails and blisters.

Hiccup also knew how to keep his cool when under pressure, so Astrid figured she had better learn patience too. Although, she had surprised herself when she had realised that without the twins and Snotlout's constant badgering and bickering and total annoyance to keep her aggravated, she was naturally a slightly calmer person anyway. But Tula's constant fawning over Hiccup was bringing out her inner dragon just as effectively as the twins did. She snapped.

"I already know what he's like. You forget…I've known him since we were kids. He's my best friend."

Tula gasped and sat back, a little fearful of the angry blonde.

"I'm s-sorry, Astrid. I wasn't thinking. Just that it's been so thrilling to learn so much. I…I've never had that chance before," she apologized, her dark eyes wide and pleading.

Astrid felt a charge of guilt. She had no reason to snap like that and she was aware of the confined role the girl had previously. Taking in a deep breath, she tried to quiet her restless mind. Offering the other girl a stiff smile, she accepted the apology.

"I'm sorry too. How about we keep learning about…whatever we were up to," she finished, glancing up at Brenda guiltily for not paying attention.

Brenda only laughed and pointed it out in her book. The lesson continued from there.

-oOo-

Astrid and Erik were walking over to the forge after their afternoon workout. He had caught her one day, practising with her axe on her own. Erik had offered to spar with her, to help her increase her fitness and improve her skills which had become a little rusty. Astrid had hesitated, preferring to spar instead with a certain auburn haired man. She and Hiccup had tried, but it seemed every time they started a session, Hiccup would be called away for something urgent. He would apologetically leave, and Astrid would be left feeling frustrated and angry.

In the end she had decided to accept Erik's offer of help, and found him to be quite good with the sword. Not quite as good as Hiccup, but she wasn't about to tell him that. It already felt odd mentally comparing the two men, and even though Hiccup always won in her mind, Erik was still enjoyable company and a fast learner. He was great with the kids they were teaching, often making them laugh and relax where she was inclined to snarl and snap. As a teaching duo, Astrid and Erik worked well together.

The two were now laughing as they approached the forge. Astrid saw Hiccup working over something on the bench and her heart soared…till she noticed Tula sitting on the bench beside him. The two were working on something together and Tula was leaning in closely to Hiccup, their heads practically touching. They were so focused, they didn't even notice Erik and Astrid approaching.

Seeing them so close and so familiar with each other, made Astrid pause. It was if they were much more than friends. A sharp pain hit in the chest, and she almost felt the urge to search for the arrow that pierced her. But it wasn't an arrow, it was the sense of betrayal. Astrid felt jealous of the amount of time Tula spent with Hiccup while she could barely get any time with him.

Every time she saw Hiccup, he would be laughing with the other girl over something they had done together. And even though he would smile at her too, she couldn't help but wonder if Hiccup had found someone else to love. And why wouldn't he? Tula was beautiful. She was clearly the most suitable of the two girls to be wife material. Tula had been trained to take care of a household, and wasn't tainted with the scars of battle. She would be a caring and supportive wife, something which Astrid knew she herself would struggle with.

She knew that Tula was smart…she'd been learning beside her every night at Brenda's house. Astrid ticked off in her mind the qualities that the brunette held. Smart, house proud, supportive and patient, a quick learner fascinated by Hiccup's dragon knowledge and inventions…she knew this because she'd had to listen to the girl prattle on about it every chance she got… not to mention beautiful.

All these were qualities that Hiccup as Chief would need in his future wife. Qualities that Astrid felt she couldn't meet. But Tula could.

Astrid didn't want to go into the forge and pretend everything was alright when it clearly wasn't, but before she had a chance to veer away, Hiccup looked up and saw her.

"Astrid! Erik! How was training today?" he asked, although she thought his voice was a little strained.

"Great!" said Erik enthusiastically, taking Astrid's weapon from her hands and placing it along with his on the counter. Astrid thought she saw Hiccup frown at Erik momentarily, before he replaced it with a stiff smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "We've been training so hard that our weapons need some attention…isn't that right, Astrid?" said Erik, turning to her.

Astrid had been standing backwards, unwilling to be noticed. Just seeing him there, so close, made even breathing hurt. Watching how fond he was of the other girl, she knew she wouldn't be able to hide her pain and the last thing she needed was Hiccup's pity.

Everyone's attention was on her, and she jumped, "Uh…yeah. Great to workout…little bit harsh on the blade edge, there," she said overly cheerful. Astrid wanted the ground to swallow her up and hide her from the raised eyebrows the others gave to her uncharacteristic response.

Hiccup was eyeing her in concern and it was all Astrid could do not to run away as fast as possible. Erik took the weapons over to the bench that Tula indicated to him, and while the others were distracted, Hiccup took the chance to approach the blonde warrior.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

Astrid stiffened. No, she wasn't okay, but the stubborn warrior in her didn't want to admit she was a molten mess inside. "Everything's peachy," she told him with an overly bright smile.

He drew a little closer. "I might be able to go for a flight later. Will you come with me? I have something to tell you," he said, his green eyes watching her intently.

It took all of Astrid's will power not to crumble right there. She felt sure he was going to tell her that he loved Tula now… that he'd made a mistake thinking he was in love with Astrid. Her heart strings were pulled taunt and they suddenly snapped.

"Why don't you take Miss Perfect over there," she hissed at him. "I'm sure she would love to fly with you."

With that, she turned and stormed out.

Erik shrugged at Astrid's strange behaviour, and left to follow after her.

Hiccup was bewildered. He turned to Tula. "What was that all about?" he asked, completely baffled. He'd only wanted to tell Astrid about some changes he was planning for her saddle, and couldn't understand why she had reacted like that.

Tula came over and placed a comforting hand on his. "It's okay. She's probably hormonal right now. She'll be okay in a day or three. It's probably best to leave her for a little while."

Hiccup was dubious. "Are you sure about that?" he asked with a worried frown.

"Of course I am. Astrid told me she gets a little snappy sometimes," was Tula's response. "You wait, she'll be back to normal by tomorrow."

Hiccup wasn't sure, but decided he would take Tula's advice. Who knew a girl better than another girl, right?

Casting one last glance towards Astrid, he turned back to the work he had been doing with Tula.

-oOo-

Walking towards the Great Hall, Erik soon caught up with Astrid. "What was that all about?" he asked.

"Nothing. He was a little busy …so I didn't want to interrupt," was Astrid's brisk reply.

Erik raised his brows and cast his eye back towards the forge where the other two were once again engrossed in their task. Placing an arm around her shoulder, he teased her, "Come on...I'll shout you to a bowl of stew. Gotta keep your strength up so I can challenge you again tomorrow."

Refusing to look backwards, Astrid grinned. "Told you I could beat you." She glanced at the muscular arm around her shoulder, and decided to leave it there. Hiccup wasn't available...but Erik was. And she needed a distraction right now to stop the pain in her heart from taking over.

Hiccup paused in his work when he heard the laughter coming from the direction of the Great Hall. Looking over he could see Erik walking with his arm around Astrid...and she was clearly enjoying it. Hiccup felt his heart grow heavy in his chest, the weight inside seeming to make it difficult to breathe. In his mind, that simple act confirmed his worst dreams. Astrid was losing interest in him, and turning to another man more qualified to win her affections than him.

He didn't want to believe it, but the evidence was right in front of him. A peal of feminine laughter rolled towards him. For many years he had hoped she would be his, that they would eventually marry. Although they'd never really spoken about it, he had always thought the two of them had an understanding. Maybe he'd put too much into it, and now the truth was finally being revealed. Well...if that's how it was meant to be, he wouldn't stop it. He would support her choices in any way she wanted, even if his own heart was being torn apart. He only wanted her to be happy, even if it was with somebody else.

-oOo-

The next day, Hiccup was feeling grumpy and disgruntled. He'd had a poor night's sleep, his dreams filled with nightmares about his dad and Berk, and losing Toothless and Astrid. That morning, the Chief had argued with him about his idea for putting in internal pipes to bring water into the house, and as a result, it had taken him longer than usual to hurry over to the welcome warmth of the forge.

When Hiccup had rushed in, Vard had shot him down in flames for being so late and Hiccup didn't have enough good humor to deflect the sting. With his temper already beginning to build, he'd slammed into the first item of the day so hard that it had broken completely. As a result, he'd had to spend longer than normal to fix it. This meant he had been late heading to the Great Hall for lunch, a schedule he tried very hard to keep. The midday meal was fast becoming Hiccup's only chance to see Astrid each day and he didn't like missing it.

To top it all off, Brenda had come in to gently berate him for not taking enough care of himself and missing out on his meal…something he hadn't done voluntarily…and he had snapped at her. Hiccup had immediately felt guilty when he saw the hurt look on Brenda's face, and had stayed even longer to apologize and assure her he was under a little pressure today and he hadn't meant it.

So by the time Hiccup had finally arrived at the Great Hall, only to see the other three seemingly chatting happily and laughing together without him, his mood had darkened considerably. He had petulantly stomped over to grab a bowl of stew and sit at the table, but of course, Erik was already sitting beside Astrid.

He sat beside Tula instead.

Astrid flashed her blue eyes towards him. "Hey Hiccup, glad you could join us. We were beginning to think you had forgotten us," she said lightly, trying to tease him a little. She had felt bad about her jealous comment yesterday and wanted to apologize to him. She'd been keenly waiting for him all lunch break, but only Tula and Erik had arrived.

Hiccup's gaze turned towards Erik for a moment, before focusing again on Astrid. His patience had been spread a little thin already, and now here she was chiding him for not turning up on time? It was obvious that she had been enjoying herself while he had been working.

"Seems you had plenty to keep yourself occupied with. I'm sure you didn't miss me," was his snarky response.

Astrid's smile dropped noticeably, his words stinging. Hiccup saw the hurt in her eyes, before her guard came up and she gave him a cool glare.

"You're right…I barely noticed," she retorted, before rising from the table and leaving.

Hiccup went to chase after her, but Erik and Tula shook their heads at him.

"I need to apologize," he told them and turned to leave, but Tula grabbed his arm. "It's okay, Hiccup," she told him. "She'll be fine. You need to eat, you're about to pass out."

Hiccup felt torn, watching her go. He felt even more miserable at the mess he had created. He wondered how he was going to fix this. Everything seemed to be falling apart. And he couldn't understand why.

Erik stood up. "I'll make sure she's okay. Have some food, Hiccup." He stood up to leave.

Hiccup hesitated, and Tula reached over to grab his hand. "Come on…sit down and eat," she said quietly. "Erik will look after her."

Hiccup's heart squeezed tight at her words. He didn't want Erik to be the one who 'looked after' Astrid. It was another sharp reminder that he no longer held any importance in her life. Hiccup sank back down into his seat beside Tula. She gave him a quick one armed hug around his shoulders, and he shot her a small smile. He was grateful for Tula's company and her confident advice. She always seemed to know what to do, something that Hiccup sometimes faltered on. Especially when it involved a certain hot headed blonde woman.

Tula tickled his side and Hiccup gave her a thankful smile. There was something about Tula that made him feel he could trust her. She had fast proved to him her ability and determination to get the job done while working alongside him in the forge. They worked well together, even managing to have a little fun while they labored. He really appreciated her friendship, especially as the strain between him and Astrid had become so much more noticeable in recent weeks.

He gave a quiet sigh and turned his attention back to his food. He really did need to eat. His heavy workload was still waiting for him back at the forge.

-oOo-

Over the course of the next few weeks, Astrid trained harder, pushing herself to her limits. Every time she saw Hiccup and the brunette teenager together, she became more and more jealous. She hated the feeling and tried to drive it out with physical activity, her Viking pride not allowing herself to dwell on her weakness. Erik was with her most of the day, so she found herself drawing closer and closer to him instead, looking for a distraction from her confused feelings. She found him easy to chat with and he often made her laugh.

Erik was no Hiccup though, and that was part of the appeal. He was the complete opposite and Astrid thought that was what she needed…to not be reminded of the auburn haired man who had so captivated her heart. For it was blindingly obvious that Hiccup and Tula were now an item in the way they were so close to each other. Hiccup had sometimes tried to talk with her, but the look in his eyes made her want to do everything she could to avoid the conversation she knew was coming.

To Astrid, it seemed that Hiccup and Astrid's friendship had been only that…a friendship. Being away from each other hadn't made 'the heart grow fonder'…instead it had shown what had really existed. All those kisses and hugs they had shared…thinking of them made her thoughts spin uncontrollably, so she tried not to… had faded away when Hiccup had found another female that was more suitable to be a wife than she was.

She knew Hiccup as the Chief-in-waiting was going to need a bride to carry a son, and she was starting to feel that was the reason why Hiccup had kissed her, and not because of true love. She had no doubt that he had cared for her in his own way, but it was obviously not enough. Unfortunately for Astrid, she had painfully discovered just how much she truly loved him. But she had never expected things to end up like this.

-oOo-

Hiccup was becoming progressively more and more distressed. Every time he saw Astrid with Erik, his confidence would sink even lower. His skinny physique could never hope to match up to Erik's buff Viking shape, and Hiccup's ego was copping a huge bruising. He had wanted to talk with Astrid, but every time he tried she would brush him off, becoming increasingly distant with him.

Even though he knew he loved her with all his heart, he became painfully aware that Astrid had never told him that she loved him. He began to suspect that the kisses they had shared were more a reaction of wanting to find solace in a difficult situation, rather than true love.

But Tula never ignored him, so Hiccup found himself drawing closer to her. They worked together so well, and Tula was always patient and kind. She was intrigued with learning about the dragons, and loved to discuss his inventions with him. Sometimes she would covertly help him out while her father wasn't looking.

Hiccup appreciated everything she did for him…from getting up early to make them all breakfast, to keeping the forge clean and tidy. They even giggled over Vard's antics when the old man was having a particularly bad day. Tula could always make him laugh, even on his darkest days. And for that, he was grateful.

She wasn't Astrid….but she was available.

Hiccup found himself staying later at work, deliberately avoiding the lunch break so he didn't have to see Erik and Astrid laughing together, or the way Erik would place his hand protectively in the small of Astrid's back. He especially didn't like to see the raven haired man hugging her, or the way the two of them would talk together like old friends.

A strong stab of pain pierced through Hiccup's gut as he thought about it all. Not even the intense action of belting his blacksmith's hammer over the anvil could ease the hurt. He wondered how he was going to survive the rest of the winter season.

-oOo-

Day after day, week after week, it slowly became worse and worse. The more time they spent apart from each other, the more miserable they became. The more miserable they were, the more they tried to make themselves feel better by drawing comfort from their Torstein Village friends. When they were all together, Hiccup and Astrid remained cordial to each other, but neither saw the look of longing each held.

Tula was feeling triumphant. She could see the distance being created between the two long-time friends…and felt she had been successful. Marrying Hiccup was no longer a goal of her father's, but hers also. Her conscience would give a twinge every now and again, but she would push it down by telling herself that if Hiccup and Astrid were truly in love, they would have found a way to still be together. She ignored the little voice that reminded her of her part in keeping them separated. As it was, the two almost seemed to be avoiding each other now.

Plus, she felt that Hiccup genuinely enjoyed her company. He always smiled when he saw her, a sight that made her heart soar with joy. They fitted together so well. The only time they didn't, was when Hiccup took her flying. Try as she might, she found she wasn't so comfortable being in the air. Twinkle took great care to fly smoothly with her, but the more complicated maneuvers were beyond her. Tula had watched both Astrid and Hiccup fly, and they did it so effortlessly. It took her breath away to watch them.

Erik would stare longingly at Astrid so many times throughout each day. He couldn't believe his luck to have such a beautiful and talented woman by his side. Even if he had to push back the thought that she was supposed to have been Hiccup's. It didn't matter now. Those two had drifted apart, and Erik was keen to fill the void left behind. He still really admired Hiccup and his sharp mind. The other man had come up with inventions that already were helping the village. In fact, Erik was a little jealous of the man's ability to look at any problem, and come up with the right solution. Erik himself was being groomed by the Chief to take over the village when Hersker retired, and he could only hope to have such a man like Hiccup on his team.

But Astrid... Erik had fallen hard for her. She didn't seem to mind being with him. They would often laugh and joke together, then turn serious to test each other's physical limits. When they sparred, her toned body would often end up against his. Erik would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy those moments. Each day, his thoughts turned more and more to what it would be like to be married to Astrid. He knew the Chief already approved. Having her as Chieftess to support him would be a wise move. And his heart agreed. All that was needed now, was a proposal.