A Son of Ice and Fire
A/N: I know there was a long delay, but this is the longest chapter to date and a major step forward in the story. I wanted to get it right. There's 3 more chapters after this one, until season 2 ends, so look forward to the big climax leading to S3 :)
Guest (x3): Eret x Ruff isn't off the cards completely, there's still plenty of time in the story for that possibility.
Odinson: No doubt Drago has made a lot of changes to House Ingerman, maybe even changed the name of the house itself ;)
Guest: House Haddock will be done first when I start writing the house histories :)
Sam Hill: Valerian steel definitely is made using dragons in the show I think. Either that or magic anyway. It may come into play later on in the story, where this becomes important.
Guest: I'm not planning on maiming Hiccup and Toothless, unless it adds to the plot, but over the next few season I'm sure there may be an opportunity where it could happen.
Guest: Not all Targaryens have brown hair, as shown by Jon Snow / Aegon Targaryen. I've given Valka the purple eyes as this is a telltale sign of the House, but her hair colour isn't that significant it breaks the story. It's mainly due to incest that the silver hair has passed on, but there is a better way to explain her hair colour, and I will explain that later in the story.
Guest: Astrid and Margaery will be re-uniting at some point, that's for sure :)
Chapter 44: I'm not going anywhere
Astrid
An ocean of snow awaited me, as I ambled out into the courtyard. Pouring down on ever inch of the castle, the bright white glistened against the black rock. Like a soft cushion glowing all around, it twinkled in the early morning light. I scampered out into the blizzard, looking up to the heavens as layers of snow were building up all around. I couldn't help the wide smile across my face, as I gazed around in awe. Snowflakes fluttered down effortlessly, melting on my skin, as I crouched down and smoothed my hand over the fine surface of the fresh powder. My boots almost fully submerged, I bounced across the courtyard. The cold zipped through my hands, but I couldn't resist delving my fingers deep into the fluffy quilt and plucking out two large handfuls. My arms flying into the air, I span around on the spot, closing my eyes as the lumps split apart in the air and a shower of fine grains rained down upon me.
I stood there for a second, before rocking back on my heels and allowing myself to drop towards the ground. The soft blanket cushioned my fall, as I melted into the landscape. A bright blue sky shone above, and the sun sat high, but there looked to be nothing that could stop the snow from falling. Cradled in my little pocket, I laid motionless, staring up as light specks kissed my cheek. I could lay here forever. My breath formed a floating cloud in front of my lips, before it vanished into nothing. But even laying here, surrounded by winter itself, not a shiver shot through my bones. Everything was just still. Weightless. Almost as if being in a dream. But as I closed my eyes and relaxed, a slight scraping sound broke me from the serenity. I instantly sat up straight, flicking my eyes all around, but I had no time to react before it hit me. It slammed straight into my stomach. My hand curled into a fist, as the snow splattered all across my red shirt. Heather's high-pitched laugh boomed from the top of the second story of the castle, as she rubbed her hands together victoriously. She'll pay for that. Hiccup was stood by her, trying to suppress a chuckle, as Heather grabbed his arm and began dragging him down towards me.
She descended the stairs, taking a huge leap off the bottom step to jump heavily into the snow. She landed with a thud, already with two hands full, as she stood up straight. She lobbed one casually my way, missing my head by an inch, before turning and aiming for her brother. He was still making his way more carefully down the slippery steps, when her throw caught him off guard. He raised both hands across his face, blocking the ball with the backs of his wrists, before he lost his balance. A moment of panic hit me for a second, and Heather's eyes widened, but thankfully the snow was thick enough, so the only result was that he slid all the way down the remaining half a dozen frozen steps.
He rubbed his back slightly, after he rose to his feet with a handful of snow in his hand, "Hey, I thought we were on the same team." He laughed, smiling menacingly at Heather. His eyes flickered to life, as he aimed true, and hit her directly in the shoulder with a powerful throw. The impact just underneath the protection of her metal shoulder guard nearly span her around, as she gave him a fake angry pout. But the second she reached back to the ground, all-out war had been declared. I quickly built myself a stockpile, as the two of them exchanged blows. Heather's brown leather vest suffered multiple direct hits, and Hiccup's hair was now coloured more chilling white than its usual deep fiery auburn. With both focused on the other, I took use of my advantage. Three successive blows hit Heather. Two to the waist clinked off of her metal skirt, whilst the third hit the base of her neck. She clutched at her throat, and I couldn't help laughing as the snow trickled underneath her shirt and brought her to the point of shivering. In the moment of joy, I didn't see it coming. I only caught a glimpse in the corner of my eye, but by the time I had turned it was too late. Like a sunset appearing over the top of a hill, the snowball grew larger and larger, until it struck me right in the nose. The raw cold spread through me, like a fire through a dry forest, numbing every part of my face, as I turned to stare down the culprit.
Hiccup was stood still, hunched over slightly, his hand covering his mouth. His cheeks were puffed out, as he tried to stop himself from laughing, but I saw a layer of fear cloud his eyes. "You are so dead Haddock!" I yelled, as I reached down for the rest of my arsenal. Hiccup dodged, weaved, ducked, and jumped to evade me, as a bombardment of snowballs were let loose in his direction. To his credit, he did well, fending off the onslaught with nothing more than a couple of hits sustained. Unfortunately, his efforts had left him trapped between me and Heather, with no where left to run.
Each of us stood there, facing off in a triangle, as Heather turned to me, "Girls versus boys. We can take him Sister. We can take him." She laughed triumphantly.
Hiccup eyed us both for a second, before putting his arms up in the air, "I yield. I yield." Heather's smile widened, as she reached down to build more, but Hiccup just looked at me and winked. He subtly inched his head an inch or two in Heather's direction, a smile crossing his lips, as he stared at me. I grinned back, nodding swiftly, as Heather rose her gaze back towards her brother. This is going to be fun.
"Prepare to suffer!" Heather cheered, but as her arm rose and she aimed for him, she had no defense. Without hesitation, she was besieged by a blitz of snowballs, barreling towards her. Multiple throws struck her upper body, Hiccup's last two hit her neck and chin, and my final throw arrowed perfectly, striking her directly between the eyes. BOOM. She definitely paid for starting this. A circle of snow remained on her forehead, branding her for her defeat, as she fell backwards comically. She laid motionless, eyes closed, and tongue stuck out to one side. "You stabbed me in the back. How could you? You're my sister." She said grievously, holding a hand over her heart.
"All's fair in love and war, Sister." I chuckled, as me and Hiccup strolled over to her. Seconds later, the two of us were laid next to her, sat staring up at the sky, and relishing in the tranquility of it all.
Hiccup
Just laying there, staring into the sky, everything was at peace. At times like this, it's so hard to even think of the horrors that my father and everyone else is going through. Why couldn't he just stay here? He could've finally seen Mum again. Met my sister. Dad, please come home soon. Whiteclouds swirled above, as the heaviest snowfall since last Winter continued to patter down. I looked to my left, the smiles on their faces warming me faster than the cold could ever keep up with. If only this moment could last. I closed my eyes, with the only noise being soft breaths at my side. Ten to fifteen minutes we must have been laying there in total quiet, the cold embrace lulling us with its soothing breeze. The sound of hammering shattered the silence, as the castle began to awaken. Gobber always starts work at precisely seven, and the rhythmic beating soon dragged me to my feet. I walked over, stepping between them and reaching my arms down. In perfect synchronization, they both grasped one arm, as I pulled them up.
"So, why are you up so early, Astrid?" I asked, as I led them over to the forge.
"Didn't have a good night's sleep." She responded bluntly. "You?"
I turned and glared at Heather, as she gave a defensive smile, shrugging her shoulders. "Ask her," I stated. "She woke me up. I think it was just so I could witness her getting one over on you, if I'm honest."
Astrid looked across, chuckling, as a few flakes of snow trickled from Heather's forehead down the curve of her nose, "And how'd that work out for you?" Heather narrowed her eyes at her, crossing her arms sulkily.
"If my brother was more loyal, I might have stood a chance." She snickered, smiling widely. I suppressed a laugh, but as I continued walking, I felt a cold slap to the back of my head. I turned instantly, glaring at Heather, who hid her hands behind her back. The snow squirmed its way down my neck, and I scrunched my shoulders up to my ears as the freezing water cascaded down my back. I was tempted to retaliate, to reach into the deep snow and strike back, but something better came to mind. I stormed up to her, as she shrunk down, giggling nervously. Without warning, I hooked an arm under her legs, lifting her off the ground as my other held her back. She wriggled and fought, but couldn't escape, as I lifted her higher. "NO. HICCUP. NO. I'M SORRY!" She pleaded, as a large mattress of untouched snow awaited her. Her pleas went unanswered, as she was dropped face first to meet her fate. Astrid had already burst into laughter, before the impact, but as Heather emerged from the pile with a front painted entirely white, she doubled over, eyes almost watering. "No fair." Heather finally spoke out, as she trudged towards us.
Astrid walked up to her, carefully brushing up some of the excess snow, "You did totally deserve that." Heather didn't respond verbally, instead just jabbing the blonde lightly on her arm. "Don't blame me, you asked for it." Astrid sniggered, as we reached the entrance to the forge.
The warmth of the smithy struck us like a shockwave, instantly pouring colour back into our frozen faces. Gobber was working away, but raised a hand to welcome us in, before he continued on with his work. A mountain of snow dribbled from us, forming piles at our feet as we shook it off at the entrance. Heather rushed further inside to sit on the edge on the edge of a bench, and she began to start unbraiding her hair. The shaking in her hands failed subside, and after a few failed attempts, she eventually turned to Astrid, "Can you?" Astrid nodded, sliding across behind Heather, and beginning to disentangle her soaked raven hair. I chatted to Gobber for a minute or two, but when I returned, she was done. Heather brushed her bangs to one side, and shook her head side to side, allowing her hair to flow freely down to her waist.
"Your turn." Heather prompted, walking up to Astrid and wiggling her hands.
Astrid put her hands in front of her chest and shook her head, "No thanks. I'm good. I don't need…"
"You need to let it dry. It's wet through from lying in the snow. It'll be a mess if you keep it tied like this. Come on, it'll only take a minute. The heat in this place should only mean you have to have it down for half an hour or so." Heather persisted, inching closer. Astrid shook her head again, but moved towards Heather, whispering something into her ear. My sister gave her a weird look, before starting to giggle. Astrid gave her a deadly stare, causing Heather to blink a few times, before nodding. Am I missing something here? What is going on? Slowly turning to me, Heather pointed to the back room, "Can you just wait for us here few minutes, we'll be back soon." Her eyes were pleading with me to just agree, so without any objection I nodded. The two of them made their way to the back room, leaving me stood there in complete confusion. The day gets weirder and weirder.
A good five minutes later, only Heather re-emerged. She approached me slowly, and I just waited for her to start the explanation. "You'll need to talk to her." She stated firmly. "Either that, or she's staying in there for a while." I looked at her for more, but she didn't respond. Instead she sat down on the bench, running her hands through her hair.
"Heather, what is going on?" I asked quietly, as I took a seat opposite her.
She just shrugged her shoulders, "You'll need to ask her, I'm afraid."
"Heather, what is it?" I asked again.
"It's not up to me to say, I promised her I wouldn't." She replied coldly, crossing arms over her chest.
"Say what?"
"Hiccup. I won't tell, so stop asking me!" She replied more angrily, gritting her teeth. This must be serious.
I got up from my seat, stepping around to the other side of the bench and sitting by her side, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push. But is she all right?" I asked gingerly. Don't bite my head off again please.
"She's fine," Heather smiled, gesturing to the back room, "You just need to talk to her." I didn't move, so she squinted at me, pointing again in the same direction, "She's over there, y'know."
"I know," I chuckled, "But I need to speak to you first."
"To me?" She replied with an arched brow.
"Yes. To you." I laughed. "There's a few things I need to say, and I'd rather do it before I lose the chance to."
"Lose the chance?" She replied softly. "I'm not going anywhere. Not yet." I smiled at her, but I couldn't hide the pain. They've already stayed longer than they planned to. It won't be long before they do have to go.
I reached for her hand, "This is not your home Heather. You are always welcome here, and I will never want you to go, but your place is with your husband." I stated firmly. Still sounds weird. I nearly spat my drink out when she told me about it last month.
She gave me a skeptical look, "But what about my family? I can't just leave. I won't leave you alone here!" She argued.
"Heather, you can be a pain in my arse at times, and you do have a temper matching my father," I grinned, as she smiled shyly. "But I have treasured every minute I've had you in my life. I always knew something was missing. Having you, Mum, and Astrid here has made me so happy. The happiest I've ever been. Even when you go, I'll never be alone, because you're all in here." I declared joyfully, holding her hand to my heart.
A tear trickled down her cheek, as she turned and hugged me, wrapping her arms around my back, "I don't want to have to leave," she sobbed. "I wanted to wait until Dad came home." I embraced her back, the curly ends of her hair running through my fingers.
"Dragon's edge will always be here for you. You can always visit." I reassured. "There's no chance Dad will miss the opportunity to meet you. My life will never be the same again, just knowing you're out there. I love you, Sister, I just wanted you to know that."
"I love you too, Brother," she beamed back, releasing her hold from me "Now you go get her." She chuckled, with her eyes shining a devious green.
"Go get her? Really, Heather? She's not a coat." I scoffed, swiveling my legs around to stand up. I shuffled through the tight space, inching past Heather. But as I passed her, she gripped my arm, a serious look on her face.
"She'll stay if you ask her to." She said softly. "She wants to. I know it." I sighed, shaking my head. "What? Don't you want her to stay?"
"Of course I want her to stay. Of course I do. But I can't ask her to just leave her whole family." I replied sincerely. "Maybe…" I tried to add, but couldn't finish the sentence.
"Maybe?" She asked
"Maybe," I sighed again, "Maybe when the war is over, we have a chance. But until then…"
She abruptly rose to her feet, standing in front of me, and speaking firmly, "Hiccup, listen to me. From what I've been told, it hasn't been easy for you growing up here. You've had to fight your own battles. Build what you've got from scratch." She smiled at me, lowering her tone to one much softer, "This isn't one of those times. We should have left over a month ago, but we didn't. We couldn't. She's fighting to stay here, Hiccup." With one last smile, she patted my shoulder, before pulling her hood up over her head. "Will you fight for her?" In a flash, she sprinted away. I watch her rush out the door, venturing out in the snowstorm for less than a minute before she reached the archway at the far end of the courtyard and headed into the heart of the castle. I breathed heavily, as I turned towards the back door. Hiccup you can do this. You can do this.
Astrid
"She'll stay if you ask her to". Reminder to self: don't entrust Heather with any secret of value. I sat with my back to the door, the slight holes in the wood allowing me to hear everything. I rustled the strands behind my neck, as my hair fanned out loosely down my back. Holding the ends in my fingertips, I scooped as much as I could with one hand, dragging it over my shoulder so it hugged the left hand side of my neck. I looked forward staring at the single solitary candle brightening the darkened room. The wax was burning low, but the flame flickered strong, unaware of its fate. The soft pattering of footsteps sounded in the distance, before a few seconds later, the inevitable knock sounded on the door behind me.
"Astrid, are you okay?" Came Hiccup's concerned voice.
"I'm fine," I replied sharply. "Just look a mess, so don't come in."
"Astrid…"
"Please, Hiccup, you don't want to see me like this." I argued.
I felt the vibration through the wood, as he placed a palm on the door, "You've seen me with my chest nearly split in two. If you think I would think any less of you, you're wrong."
"Just leave it an hour, okay, I'll be out and then we can talk." I whimpered, running my hand across the hair on my neck.
"I can say what I need to say out here," he chuckled. "It might be easier." I felt the weight through the door, as he leant himself back against the door, sitting directly on the opposite side of it to me. The silence between us lasted only moments, before he started humming softly. The melodic tune had me subconsciously swaying my head, and in the background hammering had stopped completely. Gobber's voice echoed around, with him commenting how 'this one' is the favourite one Hiccup does. Whatever that means. Before I could question any further, Hiccup began to sing softly. I could do nothing but close my eyes and listen, as the sound trickled slowly through to me.
"Once I was seven years old, my father told me, 'I'll make you strong, my boy, and you'll be better than me.' Once I was seven years old.
It was a big, big world, but I thought I was bigger. Pushing myself to every limit, so I learned them quicker. By eleven, crafting swords, I wouldn't be called a quitter. Working hard, I'd always try to deliver.
Once I was eleven years old, my father told me, 'Get yourself a wife, and build that love up slowly.' Once I was eleven years old.
I've always had my dreams, far from my father's before me. So I started writing songs, I started drawing pictures. Somewhere I lost my grip, like someone had tripped me, and even though I tried so hard, he always tried to fix me.
Once I was eighteen years old. Before the morning sun, when I was lonely. Once I was eighteen years old.
I only knew my past, so I believed in failure. 'Cause I know the largest voices, they make everything major. I accepted my fate, I did not see a savior. 'Til you came back in my life, all of these years later.
Now I'm twenty years old, and I have to be bold. I can't lose all of the things I see before me. Now I'm twenty years old.
I'm still learning about life, the things still waiting for me. But I don't want to be alone, in all those future stories. I want you by my side, I won't run off seeking glory. I won't leave you again, my lady, I'm still sorry.
One day I'll be thrity years old, singing to my son. About the future, and how he'll make a better one. How he'll find himself a wife, and make her so, so happy. He'll turn to you and say, 'Just like you and daddy.'
One day I'll be fifty years old. Will I think the world is cold, or will I have a wife and children that will warm me? When I'm fifty years old.
Once I was seven years old, my father told me, 'You are strong, my boy, you will be better than me.' Once I was seven years old.
Once I was seven years old."
Tears were freely streaming down my cheeks, and I didn't even realise until the song had finished. Hiccup wrote that? That was beautiful. Gods. How has it come to this? Blubbering like a child. What have I become? I shook my head, shredding all negative thoughts, as I smiled so widely my cheeks bulged. I've become better. That's what. I don't ever want to be that same cold, angry statue anymore. And that's fine with me! I quickly pulled the rest of my hair across to one side, so it practically kissed my cheek, then with a deep breath I pushed myself to my feet. Drying my face with my hand, I wiped the tears onto my shirt, composing myself before opening the door.
"Hiccup, I don't know what to say. That was beautiful!" I grinned, gesturing to come inside as I shut the door behind him. The gentle breeze as it closed pulsed through the room, causing the candlelight to dim to its dying embers, saying its final words.
"Not as beautiful as you," He complimented, as I blushed and dipped my head shyly. "What were you so afraid of?"
I looked up at him tentatively, his green eyes shining with an intensity, an honesty, a gentleness. I nodded to myself internally. I just have to show him. I can't hide it anymore. With a deep breath, I tilted my head to the side and flicked my hair out of the way. As it all rested at my back once more, the hideous birthmark printed against the side of my neck was revealed. It wasn't that large at all, but it was enough to raise my shoulder instinctively to try to cover it. Just revealing it instantly left me feeling totally exposed. Bare. Almost naked. As if that were the case, shivers shot down my spine, as I brought my hand instinctively up to cover it completely. "Sorry, this was a mistake," I panicked.
Before I could stop him, he removed my hand, tilting his own head to look at it. He's going to be repulsed. It's something I've always been stuck with. A vulgar brown blob plastered there for life. I've covered it with my hair ever since it was long enough to do the job, and only family had seen it before today. "This? This is what you were so worried about?" He asked, and I nodded shyly. "This is nothing to be ashamed of."
"If you say so." I replied unconvincingly. "It's just a stain I can't get rid of."
"I quite like it," he chuckled, as I just looked at him skeptically.
"I just see an ugly stamp." I snapped.
"It's what you see it to be," he said softly, "You know what I see?" I just shook my head. "This larger bit..." He started, lightly touching the part on my neck. "This is the dragon's head. And this thin part…" He added, running a finger along the curve of my skin, "This is the dragon's fire." A heart-melting smile crossed his lips, "The Gods couldn't fit anymore fire inside of you, this is just a bit that slipped out."
I couldn't help laughing at the ridiculousness of the words, but he wasn't wrong. My skin felt as if the slightest spark would set it ablaze. A deep crimson exploded across my cheeks, as if I was being burned by a summer sun. Either the heat of the forge, or the close proximity, dissolved every last barrier I had. Without warning, I lunged towards him. The sudden move finally extinguished the candle, leaving the room with the slightest golden tint peeking through small holes in the wall. Not that we needed it, as everything else seemed to disappear, to fade into darkness around us. As our lips locked, the surge of warmth shot through every bone in my body. Slow and gentle at first, I cupped his cheek, savouring the moment. One hand on my back, and the other running through my hair, he pressed forward. I wrapped my other hand around his waist, holding tightly, as it the kiss only grew deeper and deeper. What started out soft and tame, very quickly became a fight for supremacy. Passionate and unrelenting, even breathing wasn't an option. The small room soon became nothing more than a cage, wooden bars constantly being slammed against as we tried to break free. Time itself seemed to stop, as what felt like hours passed. Papers scattered freely from the desk, as I was pushed back to sit on it, the distance between us never increasing. I could feel the beating of his heart against my chest, as finally we had to break apart.
Within the space of minutes, it was as if my entire world had been blown apart. I'd read the stories, heard the tales, but I never thought it could actually be real. What in seven hells just happened to me? Still locked eye to eye, we were both panting heavily, his breaths warm on my skin. Our foreheads pressed together, my entire body felt weak. Defenceless. I don't even think I could raise my arm if I wanted to. Yet, in the moment, I never felt stronger. And I could never go back. Not now. His emerald eyes shone, and the goofy smile that always tickled my heart was plastered on his face. He placed a soft hand under my chin, "Astrid, I can't live without you here, will you stay with me?"
"YES!" I squealed excitedly. I was considering it before, but now, there's no way I can leave. Not a chance. "I'm not going anywhere." I added with a whisper. He didn't even pause to give a relieved sigh, instead just tilting his head, as our lips locked again. This was new to both of us, and one thing's for sure, it was going to be a long morning…
A/N: I don't own the original song used for this chapter. I did try and change it a lot, so it fit better with the story, and I hope you liked that. This is a very all-round happy chapter, so I'll let you enjoy that. For now…