Hiccup sits at the desk in his room, resting his cheek upon his palm, mindlessly rolling his charcoal pencil back and forth with his other hand. With a troubled gaze he stares at the two letters from Astrid that are spread out across the surface of his desk. Outside the wind whips about, rattling the shutters of his window with every gust, causing the candlelight to flicker as it casts its soft light over their textured surface of her letters, sending countless tiny shadows to dance across the pieces of parchment.

He doesn't know how long he's been sitting here, worrying about what Astrid's father is doing, but he's no closer to figuring it out than he was when he started. Given everything he knows about the man, the boy is not inclined to trust him. Not only has Thorsten been actively seeking to depose Hiccup's father for longer than the boy had been been alive, but the man also abuses his daughter, the girl Hiccup is in love with.

The knowledge that Astrid's father hits her has been eating away at Hiccup for the past week. In his letter to Astrid, the lad wrote that he thought about her every night. What he didn't tell her was that he spent at least half of the time worrying that maybe her father was hurting her that very night.

More than once, he has been tempted to break his promise to her and tell his father everything. Each time, however, memory of her threat to end their relationship if he did had stopped him.

But now her father has seems to have changed his tune. Hiccup wondered if that meant he wasn't hitting her anymore, either. He wishes he could ask her, but he doesn't dare bring it up, at least, not in a letter.

Because of that, he's half tempted to tell his girlfriend they should just take the risk and see each other now that Thorsten says they can. He wants to be able to talk with her about it, but he isn't about to try broach the topic of her abuse through correspondence with her.

In the end, Hiccup is still not sure if they can trust Thorsten. He wants to believe that the man has changed, but he's done so much wrong.

With a heavy sigh, the boy sends the pencil on yet another trip across the surface of his desk when he hears the door open downstairs.

The gale force winds flush into the house, reaching all the way up to where he sits, fluttering his papers. Below, his father grumbles as he struggles with the heavy wooden portal. After another couple of moments, the boy hears the door close with a thump.

"Son?" the large viking calls out from below. "Hiccup, are y'here?"

Sighing, the boy hesitates for only a moment before he answers loudly, "I'm up here, Dad." Grasping his crutch, he uses it to push himself up off the chair as he blows out his candle. Hobbling from his room, Hiccup looks down the stairs to see Stoic tending to the fire which had nearly gone out.

Wordlessly, the lad makes his way down the stairs. Sitting, he slowly moves down one step at a time on his behind, using his hands and foot to help him. As he makes his way to the main floor, the light in the house brightens with the growing fire while he tries to figure out how to ask his Dad what he thinks about what Astrid's father has done.

Given the history those two men have, Hiccup is almost certain what his father will say about it. Still, he feels like he should talk to him anyway.

As he nears the bottom, Hiccup draws in a deep breath to prepare himself for the difficult conversation ahead. As he does, Stoic stands and walks over to where Hiccup sits on the stairs.

"Dad, I need to talk to you about Astrid's father", he says just as Stoic blurts out, "Son, we need to talk about Astrid and her father."

"What?" they both say at the same time. Hiccup frowns as this moment feels oddly familiar, while Stoic hesitates with an expression on his face that seems to indicate he has the same impression.

Determined not to make the same mistake as last time, Hiccup blurts out, "Dad, Astrid's father told her we can get married."

Clenching his jaw, Stoic nods. "I know, son," he replies grimly. The boy looks at his father with surprise, not having expected him to have heard about it already. The man takes advantage of his son's hesitation, adding, "he already asked me to draw up th'contract."

Hiccup's eyes grow wide and he smiles from ear to ear at his father's words, momentarily overcome by excitement at the news as he says eagerly, "Oh Dad, that's great, this solves everything…!"

As he speaks, the large man to grimaces.

Seeing his father's reaction, Hiccup stops talking as his own expression falls. Sighing, the boy laments, "aaand, you don't think we can trust him."

"No, I don't," the man says without hesitation while slowly shaking his head.

Gritting his teeth as he pushes himself up onto his crutch, Hiccup hesitates before he looks up at his father. "I guess you think this is some sort of a trick?" he asks as a sinking feeling knots up in his stomach.

Nodding, Stoic replies, "Yes, I do."

Pausing for a moment to think, Hiccup then asks, "What do you think he's up to, Dad?"

Frowning all the more, Stoic hesitates before he answers, "I wish I knew, son."

Hiccup watches his father anxiously, pausing to stand. After swallowing with difficulty, he asks, "So…ah…what're you…what're you going to do?" Stoic hesitates, causing his son to get all the more nervous. "You, uh…you are going to write up a contract, aren't you…Dad?"

Sighing, the large man watches his son fidget with worry. Stoic had been considering this question nonstop since Thorsten approached him earlier today. Nothing about the situation felt right. There was little doubt in the chief's mind that this was a trick, but he couldn't see what his rival had to gain from doing this.

He wants nothing more than to give his son and Astrid the wedding they both so desperately desire, but this new situation just doesn't sit right with him.

Still, he's not sure that he can say no to his son if he can't even explain what Thorsten's plan might be.

Stoic nods reluctantly. "Aye. I'll write up a contract t'night an'take it t'Thorsten tomorrow," he tells the boy, who's face lights up at the news. Overcome with excitement, Hiccup quickly hobbles forward to hug his father. The large man is surprised, but soon smiles tightly as he hugs his boy. He allows himself a few moments of enjoying his son's gratitude and affection.

"BUT," he then says in a stern voice, his tone enough to make Hiccup pull back with worry written upon his face as he looks up at him. "Thorsten is up t'something here, make no mistake about it." The boy swallows anxiously. "I'll pursue th'contract fer you an' Astrid with him, but only on one condition."

Furrowing his brow in concern, Hiccup asks hesitantly, "What's that?"

Gripping Hiccup by the shoulders, he leans in and looks deeply into his son's eyes. "Under no circumstances are you t'go see Astrid," he says firmly. The lad purses his lips in disappointed frustration. As he opens his mouth, Stoic cuts him off before he can respond with what the chief assumes will be an argument.

"Son, whatever game Thorsten is playin', you can be sure t'is no good." His son closes his mouth again as he listens with a frown. "Negotiatin' a wedding can take time. If you an'Astrid continue to stay apart while I discuss th'terms with 'er father, then there should be no danger."

Furrowing his brow, Hiccup asks, "but what if that's just what he wants?"

Shrugging, Stoic answers, "Yer right, we might be playing right inta his hands." Hiccup scowls all the more as his father goes on, "but we have t'do something, an' this seems like th'safest choice."

Nodding, Hiccup pauses as he thinks for a moment before asking, "what about the plan you had with Astrid's mother?"

The chief furrows his brow in thought as he nods sagely. "We can still go through w'that if we have to," he answers. Both of them feel better at that prospect. "I'll pursue th'contract with Thorsten, but if that doesn't work out, then Freja and I can handle matters in a week."

Lifting an eyebrow, Hiccup asks, "So is that part of your plan?" Stoic frowns as he realizes he may have let something slip. "Are you and Freja going to sign a contract at the Harvest's End Festival for Astrid and me to get married?" The man opens his mouth to answer as Hiccup presses further, asking in a confused voice, "but…what about Astrid's father?"

"Never you mind that," his father answers sharply, causing Hiccup to flinch slightly. Sighing in frustration at himself, Stoic goes on to say, "you jes'tay away from Astrid as before, an' I'll negotiate th'contract w'Thorsten. Worst case, you two will be betrothed at the Festival. Don't you worry how."

He stands up straight and looks at Hiccup sternly, frowning as he sees the analytical stare his son gives him. That look always left Stoic unsettled. He felt like his boy saw more than he ever could.

"Do we have a deal?" he asks, and again the two again have the an unsettling feeling of deja vu as they each remember a similar conversation from several months ago.

"Deal," Hiccup says, though with a measure of less reluctance than the last time.

Smiling grimly, Stoic nods. "Good," he says as his son starts to smile as well now that the reality of his father's side of the deal starts to dawn upon him. "Now, start making dinner, an'I'll start writing th'contract."

Hiccup smiles all the more, nodding. "Sounds good, Dad."

THWACK!

The double-headed axe hits the tree with considerable force, burying its one blade deeply into the wood. The sun from high overhead shines down through the trees in patches, causing the sharp edges to gleam brightly.

Astrid frowns at the sight of it. The axe had missed the mark that she had intended. Walking over, she mutters to herself in dissatisfaction. The blade had struck within an inch of her target. Most would be satisfied with that, but the girl had been taught to never settle for anything less than perfection.

She takes hold of the handle with both hands and puts her one foot against the trunk. Giving it a good tug, she stumbles back a few steps when the blade pops free of its wooden prison.

Swinging the axe two and fro, Astrid feels the weight of it as she thinks about what made her miss her mark. She considers how she gripped the handle, at what point in her throwing motion she released the weapon, how her elbow had been bent during the throw relative to the posture of her body, and other such things.

In truth, however, she already knows why her aim is off.

She can't stop thinking about Hiccup and her father's decision to let them see each other and marry.

After her brief talk with her father yesterday, Astrid had spent more time wondering about what he was doing. She now has questions to ask him, but the man has vanished since yesterday. He was usually home for dinner, but not last night. It was almost as if he was avoiding her. Whether or not that was the case, being unable to speak to him further has left the girl consumed by her doubts about what it all meant.

She still felt uncertain about everything, but the more she considered it, the more she was worried that they would be making a big mistake by not to taking advantage of the apparent change in her father. Maybe he sincerely realized his mistake and wanted to do what was right.

Or, maybe this was just another game.

Frustrated, the girl swings the axe more firmly, then charges forward with a cry and does a tumble, springing up and hurling the weapon viciously. Just as she does, Ruffnutt emerges from some bushes. When the flying axe loudly strikes the tree not two feet from where she stands, she jumps back in shock.

Astrid and Ruffnutt both look at the axe and then each other in shock before the twin scowls and complains, "Hey, watch it…!"

Blushing, Astird runs up and grabs her weapon, yanking it from the tree. "Sorry, Ruff," she says in an apologetic tone, looking thoroughly chagrined. "I didn't realize you were there."

Smirking slightly, Ruffnutt shrugs and answers, "That's okay, it's not like you actually hit me or anything."

Astrid grins along with her, idly playing with the axe handle, her attention focused on it as she steps over to stand in front of her friend. Her smile fades as she ponders what she's about to say.

"So, uhm…what brings you out here?" she asks after a few moments of hesitation, attempting to sound as nonchalant as possible. As she finishes talking, she glances up at her friend. Ruffnutt only smirks at first, which makes Astrid start to blush more deeply.

Both of them know what she really wants to hear.

Her grin twisting further, the twin meets the other girl's gaze. "What, you think I came out here for something special?" she asks with an amused voice. "Can't I just want to spend time with my friend?"

Gritting her teeth as she realizes that she's being toyed with, Astrid answers, "Well, if you want to spend time together, we could just spar again." Ruffnutt lifts an eyebrow as her friend goes on to say, "after all, it's been a few days since I last beat your ass."

The twin meets Astrid's gaze intently as she replies indignantly, "hey, you got lucky that time. I've bested you plenty."

Setting the head of her axe on the ground and leaning on it's handle as she peers at her friend, Astrid says with an amused voice, "well, why don't we just settle this right here and now?"

Smiling devilishly, Ruffnutt answers, "Good idea." She watches as Astrid nods then walks off to put her axe to the side, against the closest tree. As the girl returns, the twin crouches down into a wrestling stance.

Just when Astrid starts to do the same, Ruffnutt suddenly stands up and says, "Oh, you know what? I should put this letter from Hiccup over to the side," as she speaks, she produces a folded piece of paper from her pocket, smiling all the more when Astrid's eyes grow wide as saucers at the sight of it and her jaw goes slack. "After all, we don't want it to get crumpled up when I whup you…"

Astrid cries out incoherently in uncontrolled excitement as she sees the paper and then lunges for it. Ruffnutt laughs at her friend's display and holds the letter high to try and play keep away, but the other girl half tackles her in her eagerness to get the precious note. After a brief struggle and Ruffnutt crying in pain when her friend punches her in the ribs, Astrid steps away with the letter held triumphantly in her hands, smiling from ear to ear as she looks at the slightly crumpled parchment.

"Hey, don't you want to wrestle?" the twin asks with an amused look on her face as her friend walks off towards a nearby tree. Without looking back, Astrid makes a rather rude gesture at her friend with her hand, causing Ruffnutt to laugh heartily. She then seats herself with her back to the tree while her friend does likewise a few paces off. Ruffnutt smiles as she watches the girl pop the wax and reverently open the letter, looking inside.

Astrid smiles happily as she starts to read her boyfriend's writing.

My dearest Astrid, I'm just as shocked as you are by your father's change. I sat for a long time after I read your letter, thinking about what you told me, wondering why he might be doing this while trying to figure out what we should do. The truth is, I'm just as confused as you are.

Astrid sighs wearily at the answer she was expecting but had hoped not to get. Not noticing as Ruffnutt watches in concern, she reads on.

I talked with my dad about what happened.

The girl's eyes grow wide as she keeps reading.

He's convinced that your father is up to no good, but doesn't know what he might be planning.

Astrid frowns, growing all the more concerned.

In spite of that, Dad did agree to write the contract. I imagine that by the time you read this tomorrow, our fathers might already be reviewing the terms together.

As she reads, the girl sits up while she starts to get excited. Maybe everything would be okay after all, and they were worrying over nothing.

My Dad did have a condition, though.

The girl raises an eyebrow at his words.

He only agreed to write the contract if I stay away from you, as we had agreed before.

Another heavy sigh escapes her lips as she leans back against the tree again, causing Ruffnutt to glance at her again with concern.

Although I'm as frustrated as you are at being apart, I made the deal with him.

Astrid frowns slightly, looking saddened as she keeps reading.

I know you're probably disappointed by that, but it was the only way Dad would go ahead with the contract. Besides, I'm not sure I trust your father, either. Honestly, I think it's for the best. Who knows what your father is plotting?

With a dejected look, Astrid reads on.

I hope you're not mad at me for doing this. As much as I want to see you right now, there's nothing I want more than to marry you. I'm afraid that if we aren't careful, that won't happen. With only eight days until the Harvest's End Festival, it's just not worth it.

Astrid smiles slightly, in spite of feeling frustrated.

However it happens, Astrid, all I want right now is to be your husband. Let's just hope for the best and wait to see what happens. In the meanwhile, I'll be thinking about you every day and night. I hope you'll be thinking of me, too. Love, Hiccup

Sighing heavily, Astrid drops her head back against the tree, closing her eyes. She sits in silence for a moment, thinking about her boyfriend's letter until the sound of Ruffnutt's voice snaps her out of her reverie.

"Is everything okay?" she asks with a concerned tone.

Glancing over at her friend with a look of gratitude for her concern, Astrid smiles slightly. "I guess?" she replies wearily. She sighs, adding, "I don't even know anymore."

Looking worried, Ruffnutt asks, "What's wrong?"

Frowning, the other girl answers with a sullen voice, "My Dad said Hiccup and I could see each other now. He asked Stoic to write up a contract for us."

The twin furrows her brow in confusion. "Oh, he's letting you be with your boyfriend and get married to him. Wow, what an asshole," she says with a sarcastic tone.

Scowling all the more at her friend's reaction, Astrid answers, "No, you don't understand. We think he's doing it to…to hurt us, somehow."

Ruffnutt looks all the more befuddled. "Wait…what?" Astrid purses her lips in frustration as her friend asks further, "You think your father is trying to hurt you and Hiccup by…letting you get married?"

Sighing, Astrid struggles to find the words. Since Ruffnutt doesn't know about how her father hits them, she finds it hard to convey the reason they can't trust him. "It…," she hesitates. "It's hard to explain…"

The twin hesitates, then asks tentatively, "Astrid…is there something you're not telling me?"

Suddenly Astrid feels nervous as her friend starts to probe a little too closely. "No…!" she says a little too hastily as her cheeks color red. "Why would you think that?" she asks anxiously.

Frowning slightly, Ruffnutt pauses before she answers, "because it doesn't make any sense. Your father went from not letting you see Hiccup to saying you could, and even asking Stoic for a contract so you two could marry. You should be jumping for joy, but you seem to think this is his way of hurting you, somehow."

She pauses to let her words sink in, then adds, "Maybe he's just trying to give you what you want, Astrid."

Sighing, Astrid slumps back against the tree again and looks at her boyfriend's letter in her hand. Hearing everything laid out that way makes it hard to argue with.

"Maybe you're right, Ruff," she finally says after a long stretch of silence, looking back at her friend with a slight smile. "Maybe that's all it really is…"

Hesitating for a moment, Ruffnutt asks, "Is Stoic going ahead with the contact your Dad asked for?"

Nodding, Astrid answers, "Well…yeah…"

Chuckling, Ruffnutt tells her, "So, I don't know a lot about how wedding contracts work, but I think typically when the girl's father asks the boy's father for one, then it's pretty much a done deal…" Astrid blinks at her friends words, looking down in thought.

Grinning, the twin adds, "I gotta say, Astrid…I think you and Hiccup are gonna get married…"

The other girl looks at her with a small smile, starting to feel better about it than she has since the night when her father told her what he'd decided. "Yeah," she says. "Maybe you're right…"

Smiling from ear to ear, Ruffnutt asks, "So, let me ask you this…" Astrid lifts an eyebrow as her friend pauses. "Why are you sitting here with me and not Hiccup, if your father said you can see him now?"

Hesitating as she looks down again, Astrid hesitates before she answers, "You know what?" Looking up at her friend, she says with a wide smile. "I have no idea." The twin beams back at her, the looking at each other happily.

Hopping up, Astrid runs over to Ruffnutt and leans in to give her a big hug, saying, "Thank you!"

The other girl returns the hug only for a moment or two before pushing her friend away. "Okay, enough already," she complains. "Get going…"

Astrid smirks at her friend's tart response, meeting her gaze for a moment before grabbing her axe and dashing off into the woods, back towards town.

As Ruffnutt watches her leave, she swears it looks like Astrid is skipping.

Stoic makes his way through town with a rolled up parchment held tightly in his grasp. He had worked hard on this first draft of the contract that Thorsten had asked for, giving every little detail as much attention as he could. The true intentions of his rival worried him greatly, and he had been concerned with every little clause that maybe there was some way Thorsten could use it against him.

Finally, he got sick of worrying about it and went to bed, deciding the contract was as tightly drawn as he could possibly make it.

Besides, this was only a starting point. After today's meeting, Stoic knew he'd walk away with many changes requested as the other man bargained for his angle.

The chief hopes that through their negotiations today, he would figure out what the man was up to.

Sighing, he pauses when he reaches the Hofferson household. Looking at the door with grim determination, he knocks firmly. After a few moments, Freja opens the door and smiles at him, and the man can't help but smile back.

"Welcome, Stoic," she says in her usually cheerful voice. "We've been expecting you, won't you please come in?" As he meets her gaze, the chief sees concern and even fear in her eyes. Furrowing his brow, Stoic gives her the slightest of nods, to which she nods back just as lightly.

"Thank you," the large man answers, stepping inside as Freja moves backwards to allow him in. He squints as his vision adjusts to the lower light levels, looking about for Thorsten.

He quickly finds him as the man stands up from the table near the fire. "Hello there, Stoic," the other greets him as he steps forward, extending his hand.

Hesitating for only a moment, the chief strides over and grasps his rival's hand firmly, shaking it briefly. "Hello, Thorsten," he answers in a business like tone. Holding up the rolled parchment, he adds, "I have the contract. Shall we get to it, then?"

Grinning, the other man glances at the parchment and nods. "Excellent, excellent," he says with a wide smile. Motioning to the table, he glances back at Stoic and says, "please…"

Nodding once, Stoic steps forward and unrolls the document, spreading it out on the table. Using a nearby unlit candle and a mug, he pins the top of the parchment to the table and does likewise with a plate on the other side to keep it from rolling back up. Stepping back, he watches as Thorsten sits at the table and starts reading.

Out of the corner of his eye, Stoic sees movement and glances over to see Freja sitting down by the fire to tend to a hanging pot as it burbles. The woman looks over at him and their gazes meet, each looking concerned.

Stoic quickly looks back at Thorsten, waiting patiently while the man finishes reading.

"Very well," he finally says, picking up a piece of charcoal. "Let's get to it, shall we?" he asks, glancing back at Stoic with a smile. The chief meets his gaze and nods silently, quietly drawing in a deep breath as the other man moves to start marking up the document and talking about his thoughts of each point.

Hiccup better be keeping to his part of the bargain. This is going to be a huge pain in the ass.

Hiccup sits at his bench in the forge, stitching up the latest dragon saddle that he's been working on. The boy fidgets in his seat, feeling frustrated. Not only has the question of Astrid's father been circling around in his mind, but after more than a week of not having his fake leg, he's going a little stir crazy. He's tired of only doing leather work and helping Gobber at the forge. He wants to make something again, to pound pieces of metal into their needed shapes and create something cool.

Unfortunately, he's not due to visit the healer again for a couple of days. He's fairly confident that he'll be told his leg is healthy enough then, but in the meanwhile, the wait is killing him.

Annoyed, he tosses the leather pieces down on the table and reaches for his crutch and hefts himself up. Since Gobber stepped away for lunch, he figures that he might as well do the same and get his mind off of it.

"Excuse me, sir," the boy's eyes open wide as he hears Astrid's unmistakable voice, "but could you help me find a new saddle for my dragon?"

Hiccup spins around and looks at her in shock as she leans into the shop window, smiling devilishly at him with a look of happiness in her eyes that gets his heart beating faster, in spite of how upset seeing her makes him.

"Astrid, what're you doing here?!" he asks harshly in a hushed whisper, looking around in concern as he hobbles over to her, worried suddenly that his father or Gobber might show up out of the blue.

"I wanted to see you," she says in a disappointed, somewhat annoyed voice at his reaction. "Try not to act so happy about it," she adds with a slight pout.

Sighing, Hiccup looks at her with equal measures of frustration and apology. "Astrid, I want to see you too, but we're not supposed to be together right now…"

Frowning, the girl rebuttles, "Hiccup, in case you forgot, my Dad doesn't care anymore if we see each other…"

Furrowing his brow as he meets her gaze, her boyfriend answers, "Yeah, but my Dad does, and so does your mother, as I recall…" Astrid crosses her arms in frustration at his reminder. "Didn't you get my letter for today?" he asks, annoyed that maybe the twins didn't deliver it as soon as they said they would.

Scowling at him, Astrid answers, "Yes, I did." She hesitates before stating, "and I read that you promised your Dad you'd stay away from me." He looks at her incredulously as she adds, "but I never promised that I'd stay away from you."

"Astrid," he says in disbelief, "you did do that. Remember last Saturday morning?"

She shifts uncomfortably at his reminder, but then replies, "Well, yeah, I did, but…that was before my Dad said we could see each other again."

Lifting an eyebrow, the boy asks in a sharp whisper, "and you trust him?"

Sighing, Astrid rolls her eyes. "Hiccup, he said we can see each other. How can he get mad if we then go ahead and see each other?" She glares at him intently. "What's he going to do, yell at me for doing what he said I could do?"

The lad pauses, then sputters incoherently as he tries to find a response. "Well, I mean…yeah, but…"

"What's all this, then?"

The sound of Gobber's voice makes the two jump away guiltily, both looking at the smith with abashed faces as he hobbles up to Astrid's side of the door from the street.

"Hiccup," he says in a chastising tone, shaking his claw at the two "you know yer supposed ta stay away from Astrid while yer father settles th'contract wit'her father!"

The boy blushes deeply and cowers a little, opening his mouth to reply when Astrid beats him to it. "It's my fault, Gobber," she says quickly, stepping a little in front of her boyfriend, as if she had to protect him from the smith. Hiccup grabs her arm as she does, opening his mouth to protest but she continues to talk, not letting him get a word in edgewise. "I came to see him. He was actually just telling me that I shouldn't have done it."

The older man looks from his apprentice to the girl, lifting an eyebrow as he notices the boy's hand upon her arm. Narrowing his gaze at the two, he considers them silently for a few moments.

"Well, no harm done, I suppose," he says with a slight smile as the two visibly breathe a sigh of relief. "But you'd best be on yer way, lass," he admonishes Astrid. "Stoic is doin' all he can fer ya both, so don' be foulin' up his efferts cuz you two can't control yerselves…"

Both nod sheepishly at his words, Astrid blushing deeply as she feels chagrined for her role in the business.

"Alright then," Gobber goes on to say, "be off with ya, Astrid…"

The girl nods sheepishly at the smith, glancing at Hiccup sadly. His heart tightens at the sight of it. He opens his mouth to say something, but before he can, the girl smiles slightly at him and says, "I'll write to you later today."

She then turns and leaves in a hurry.

The boy sighs in frustration, suddenly now feeling absolutely horrid at how he treated her. His thoughts are disrupted as Gobber opens the door, forcing Hiccup to step away.

The smith glares at his apprentice, who frowns at him and quickly says with an irritable voice, "You don't have to say anything, Gobber…" The boy turns and goes back to his bench, saying nothing more as he sullenly starts to work on his saddle again.

The large man considers Hiccup quietly for a moment before he goes back to work without another word.

"So do you think she believes you?"

Thorsten furrows his brow at Halvar's question, looking thoughtfully into his mug.

"I think she's on her way," he says with a slight smile upon his lips.

The Great Hall is fairly empty, given it's the middle of the afternoon between lunch and dinner. Those that are around sit many tables away from the two, typical of the deference given these two men. Still, they talk with low voices lest they be overheard.

"The problem is," Thorsten comments, "the negotiations are moving much faster than I expected." He pauses to take a drink as Halvar waits for his friend to continue. "Stoic's opening position was very generous by any standard. He didn't give me much room to ask for more without appearing unreasonable."

Halvar nods with a shrug, "Well, his son desperately wants to marry your daughter."

Snorting, Thorsten replies with a shrug, "What boy wouldn't?" Halvar smirks in response, taking a drink as his friend continues, "but I expect Stoic will return tomorrow with everything I've asked for…"

"If he does that," Halvar says with concern, "you'll have no choice but to sign the damned thing, else you show your hand."

Nodding, Astrid's father answers, "exactly."

The two are silent for a moment before Halvar says, "you need to buy time."

Grinning knowingly, his friend nods, "Indeed."

Another pause and Halvar says, "a distraction, then."

"Aye," Thorsten replies. "That's what I need."

His friend furrows his brow. "But how to do it?" he asks.

Smiling all the more wickedly, Astrid's father asks, "are the Holgersons still mad at the Bodilsens?"

Snorting in derision, Halvar answers, "Do those families ever stop feuding?"

Nodding knowingly, Thorsten says, "Tell Rangvald Holgerson to press his claim on the land they're fighting over. Be sure he understands that he won't get it this time, but when I'm made chief, I won't forget this favor…"

His friend nods, "I'll do it first thing in the morning." Thorsten nods appreciatively then takes a pull from his flagon. "I'll also see what else can be done to keep Stoic busy…"

Astrid's father smiles as he puts down his mug, nodding. "Good. Just be sure whatever you do can't be traced back to us…"

Nodding, Halvar answers, "of course."

Smiling, Thorsten whispers, "I'll catch those two yet…the more time they have to squirm, the better a chance they'll slip up. When they do, I'll take care of the Haddock boy, once and for all…"

Halvar nods with a wicked grin. "We'll see it done."

Thorsten nods back at his friend as both take another pull of their drinks.