Changes
It had been about 8 months since Hiccup's sudden disappearance. Nobody knew what happened or where he went but after a while most people forgot he even existed. I knew what happened, and I was the only one to actually know the truth. Hiccup had left on a dragon before the ice had set in last year and hasn't been seen since. There has been a dragon rider spotted in further to the East traveling a path heading South, but from the description of the dragon, I knew that it wasn't Hiccup.
Ever since the day she realized that Hiccup was gone and had no plans on coming back, she trained harder than she ever did before. She threw herself into her training and took on many more chores than usually. Her parents had tried talking to her about the sudden change in attitude but she just told them she felt like she needed to help more now that Hiccup was gone and the Chief kept to himself more than usual.
Today was a day she dreaded since she became a Shieldmaiden of Berk. She had finally turned 16 and was of age to be married off to whoever offered her parents the best bride price. There had been many offers leading up to this day and luckily for her, her parents had declined every single offer and had promised to wait until she turned 16 before thinking about accepting an offer.
So the first thing she did that morning was get up early and head out to train. She couldn't think about today, she needed something to get her mind off of being married off to some foreign stranger. But as she threw her axe from tree to tree with more strength and angry she never knew she had in her, she could just feel herself getting more angry about the situation.
After throwing her axe into and through trees, her arm started to become tired and decided to take a break. Without thinking twice about it, she threw her axe towards a tree and when it got stuck in the truck, it snapped, bringing the trunk down with a large thud. She was impressed with herself for what she had done and walked over to where the tree had fallen. She noticed the tree had been broken previously by something running, or a better explanation, flying into it. She found herself where Hiccup had shot down the Night Fury since it wasn't very far from her training grounds. She knew where it was as she had seen Hiccup running past her a few days before he left.
Finding herself in this spot brought back memories of the letter she had hidden in her floorboards. For weeks, she took out that letter and read it, over and over again. She regretted not talking to him for all those years, going from friends to practically strangers in their own village. She looked at the axe that she was using to train with, and more memories panged her soul. Hiccup had crafted the beautiful piece of weaponry and for years she was none the wiser about it. It had been her favourite and strongest weapon she had ever used, and even after all these years, she only had to sharpen it a handful of times.
She grabbed her axe and ripped it out of the tree and started walking towards the cove. She hadn't been back to the cove ever since she discovered that the letter that Hiccup had sent her was true. She found Night Fury scales, a Berk Shield and Hiccup's favourite dagger. She had carried Hiccup's dagger with her ever since, as well as a modified necklace to carry the Night Fury scale under her armor. She often felt the necklace poking her when she trained and that just made her train harder.
She stumbled into the cove not too long after leaving the down dragon's wreckage. The place was really beautiful, with a small pond in the center with a waterfall that connected to it. She didn't get too far into the cove before she heard a squawk. She instantly took cover behind some rocks, recognizing the Deadly Nadder's sound. She peaked around the corner of the rock with the axe still in hand and admired the dragon. The Deadly Nadder was standing in the cove close to the water while she waited for fish to swim close to her. At once, she ducked her head into the water and brought it back up with a fish in her mouth. The dragon threw the fish into the air and caught it again, eating the fish in a single bite.
The Nadder was a beautiful blue colour with yellow colouring on her wings and spikes on her crown. Even though the dragon was beautiful, I knew she was way more deadly than she was right now. Her tail was covered in spines from her lower back to the tip of her tail, each of them embedded with enough poison to kill even the largest of vikings.
Even though I was trained to kill dragons from a young age and that I have killed many dragons in the raids before the ice set in, I could not move forward and attack such a harmless looking creature. The dragon just sat there getting herself some food before preening herself in the sun that was in the cove. She eventually stretched her wings out and curled them back in before sitting on the ground and laying her head down, closing her eyes and appearing to take a nap in the warm sun.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this. This deadly creature that I had been brought up to hate and kill was sleeping not even a couple of meters away. The dragon actually looked harmless and peaceful, something I never thought I would find myself thinking. After watching the dragon for a few extra minutes to make sure she was fully asleep, I got up from my hiding place and started backing up slowly, never taking my eyes off of the dragon.
While my eyes were on the dragon, I didn't realize that there was a stick in my path and I stepped right on it, breaking it in half. The noise was enough to wake the dragon, at once her head snapped up and looked directly at me. I knew instantly that this was going to end badly for one of us if the dragon decided to attack. The dragon slowly got up without taking her eyes off me and walked slowly towards me. "That's a nice dragon…" I tried to say as I raised my hands in front of myself. I just wish my axe was in my hand instead of on my back, where I had put it earlier when I thought I was alone.
Once the dragon had finally reached me, I was all but frozen in place. Dammit, I was a Hofferson, I was supposed to be fearless but yet here I was, scared for my life for the first time in a long time. The dragon looked at me in the eyes a bit before sniffing around my face and proceeded to sniff a trail from my head to my toe. The dragons stopped near her right foot, smelling a bit and nudging her foot a time or two before making her way back up. On her way back up, she stopped right on my chest and nudged the necklace through my armor, as if knowing the necklace was there. The dragon suddenly backed up a step and squawked happily, as if confirming my theory. The dragon turned around, spread her wings, and launched into the air, taking off like an arrow and disappearing completely from view.
I had finally released the breath that I didn't know I was holding. I pulled out the necklace that was hidden against my chest and held it in my hand. As I held the necklace containing the Night Fury scale, I prayed to Odin for giving me another chance to live but even as I did so, I had a strange feeling that the necklace had saved my life, that Hiccup had saved my life, but that was crazy, wasn't it? It was almost if the Deadly Nadder had recognized the smell of the Night Fury scale, but that wasn't everything. I reached down to my right leg and pulled Hiccup's dagger out of the inside of my boot.
I held the dagger and scale in my hands a few seconds longer, just thinking about Hiccup and his Night Fury. What had he done to these dragons for them to recognize his smell and seem happy about it? The dragon did look oddly familiar but they all looked familiar when you fought them in raids. But this dragon wasn't like any other dragon she had encountered before. Instead of going directly for the kill like she had been taught as she was growing up, the dragon had been curious and sniffed her. I put the dagger back into its hiding spot in my right boot and placed the necklace back against my chest, hidden from view. As if suddenly the thought hit her at once. The Deadly Nadder that she encountered in the cove was familiar because she fought against her in the Dragon Arena before Hiccup had left, the same dragon that was released the day of the disappearance. The dragon had recognized the smell of the person who had saved her from getting killed by vikings.
She made a promise to herself that she would return to the cove in the future, hoping to find the Deadly Nadder again before she climbed up out of the cove and headed back to the village. Even though the encounter with the Deadly Nadder had made her thoughts all jumbled up, as she walked back to the village, one thing was clear. Hiccup had been right, dragons aren't what we think they are, they are not just some mindless killing creatures, they are beautiful intelligent creatures.
It wasn't long before I broke through the edge of the forest. From this angle, I could see the whole village, from the Great Hall at the top, to the docks at the bottom. I stood there watching the village, wondering why it seemed more empty than usual. I started to walk towards the village with this thought in mind before I rounded the corner to where the Hofferson's house stood. Around the entrance of my home stood men from all over Berk and even some from neighbouring tribes. Ever since the encounter with the Deadly Nadder earlier, I had completely forgot why I was out there training in the first place.
I quickly ducked back around the corner and snuck behind the houses, finally reaching mine and sneaking in the backdoor. As I closed the door behind me, I turned around and started walking towards the front room. I don't know what surprised me more, to find the Jorgenson's inside our living room, or to find my Father sitting beside them laughing.
"Oh, there you are Astrid! Out training again this morning?" Hoark Hofferson, my Father, said as he noticed me come through the back door. I glanced over towards Spitelout and Snotlout who turned their heads to look in my direction while my Mother stood behind them all cleaning up after what seemed to be a meal had between them all.
"Dad, what are they doing here?" I asked my Father in return, completely avoiding his question. I knew exactly why they were here but I wanted to hear him say it.
"Why Sweetheart, they are here offering us a bride price for you. As of today, you are now of age to get married. Have you noticed all the people outside the house, waiting for their turn?" My Father said to me before turning back to our guest. "But I have a feeling nobody would even come close to your offer Spitelout, but I do have to entertain them all before deciding."
"I understand completely Hoark. I will give you some time to think over our offer before you accept it, but please don't waste too much time. You know my Son is going to be the next Chief and it is only right to have a good Chieftess beside him." Spitelout said as he stood up, with Snotlout following his lead not even seconds later.
"Yes yes, I will let you know by sundown tomorrow." My Father also stood up and stuck out his hand, which was firmly grasped by Spitelout and shooken before they were lead to the door. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, and all I could do was give them both the death stare before the door was finally closed.
"You can't be serious Daddy. I will NOT marry Snotlout!" I raised my voice at him, something I barely ever dared to.. I knew that I was still his little girl and when I used Daddy while referencing him, he almost always couldn't resist.
"Now Sweetie, think this over. Snotlout is going to be the next Chief and Spitelout has offered a brand new ship for us to use, a plot of land that is in the perfect place for farming, and multiple animals." my Father told me with an excited glint in his eyes. "Imagine the honor that would be restored to our family if you were to rule along Snotlout!"
"Daddy, I said I WILL NOT MARRY SNOTLOUT!" I yelled at him this time.
"ASTRID HOFFERSON! You will NOT raise your voice at me while you are still living under MY roof!" My Father had raised his voice, which very rarely happened and he seemed to grow in size as he yelled. If there was anything I was scared of in this world, it was my Father when he was angry. I took a step back from him with tears in my eyes. I couldn't believe he was considering this, and had yelled at me when I said I wouldn't do it.
"I will not marry him Daddy. I won't." I said in the smallest pleading voice I could before I turned around on my heel and bolted.
"I'm sorry Astrid…" but I didn't hear the rest of what he had to say, because I was out of the house and gone before he could finish.
I didn't know where I was going but I just ran. Even on my weakest of days, many vikings had trouble keeping up with me, but on days like today, nobody would be able to catch me. I ran back towards the forest and followed a path I knew off by heart since I have been traveling it since I was a little girl.
Once I reached my training grounds, I started hurling my axe into trees, over and over again before I just couldn't stand it anymore. I slumped down against a tree and pulled my legs towards me. This was the worst day of my life, even worse than when I realized Hiccup was really gone. I sat there for a while, sobbing quietly to myself. My own Father, who hated the Jorgenson's, had basically said I was going to marry Snotlout in so many words. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't hear anybody approach.
"So this is where you train everyday?" the person asked curiously, standing over me.
I wiped away the tears that I had been shedding before looking up to the familiar voice. The person in question that was standing over me was Fishlegs.
"What do you want Fishlegs?" I asked in a slightly annoyed voice. I put my head back down against my arms that were covering my legs. "I don't want to talk to anybody right now."
"I… Uhh… saw you run from the village." Fishlegs stuttered in response. "You looked pretty upset and I felt the need to make sure you were… uhh… okay?" he said with a slight question at the end. Typical Fishlegs, wanting to help where he can, but still nervous to talk to anybody.
"It's nothing Fishlegs. Just leave me alone." I said in response without looking up. I expected him to just walk away like he had done in the past, but he never did. Actually, he walked a few paces away and sat against the tree directly in front of me. He didn't say anything more, but took out his journal that he kept on him at all times and started taking notes.
"Fishlegs?" I asked suddenly, startling him and making him drop his writing stick.
"Y-Y-Yes Astrid?" Fishlegs responded, stuttering with a little fear in his voice. For such a big viking, he was scared of everything.
"Why are you still here?" I asked in annoyance again.
"B-Because I was…Uhhh… asked to make sure you are okay." Fishlegs responded.
"By who?" I asked, with anger creeping by into my voice. I swear, if my Father asked Fishlegs, of all people, to make sure I was okay, I would never forgive him.
"Your Mother actually." Fishlegs responded. All anger vanished in an instant. My Mother knew what I was going through. She told me many times that she was in an arranged marriage with her Father and that they both promised to never let that happen to their baby girl. My Mother wasn't happy at the beginning of her relationship with her Father but when I had finally been born, everything changed for them.
Fishlegs didn't make another sound, he instead picked up his writing stick and started taking notes again. I wiped away the reminding tears but never lifted my head up. It felt like hours that they sat there in silence, with nothing more than the scratching of the writing stick on the journal.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Fishlegs finally stated, making me jump slightly because of the sudden outburst. Luckily, he didn't seem to see me as he was reaching around for something in his pocket. "Your Mother handed me these before she told me where to find you. She mentioned that they had come for you from one of the traders today while you had been training. Your Father had discarded them without sparing a second glance at them." In Fishleg's hands were two identical daggers with engravings on the blades and designs on the handles.
I slowly got up from where I was sitting and walked over to where Fishlegs was sitting and reached out my hands before he handed the daggers over. I looked at the blades closely, recognizing the craftsmanship and designs almost instantly. I flipped them over and over again in my hands, feeling how they weighed and swapping hands with the blades before something caught my eye on one of the blades. "One is to Protect, while One is to Guide. Let these blades guide you through your darkest of nights and protect you through the brightest of days." I couldn't believe what I was reading and the blades I was holding. I looked at the bottom of the daggers and noticed a very faint, almost unreadable, H3 carved into the bottom of the handle.
The whole time I was looking at these blades, I had gone completely still. "...ASTRID!" I was suddenly startled out of the trance I was in, flipped around and held up one of the daggers to Fishleg's throat. I realized what I had just done and lowered my dagger. The poor boy looked like he had just seen a ghost.
"Sorry Fishlegs. What is it you said?" I tried to ask in a calm tone. I took a few deep breaths afterwards while I waited for Fishlegs to stop hyperventilating.
"I… said… this… note… also… came… for… you…" Fishleg's finally managed to get out between breaths. He had both hands on his legs before he lifted up a note in front of my face. I quickly grabbed it out of his hands and turned around again to face the other way.
Astrid,
I hope these reach you in time for your birthday. I have wanted to make you a set of daggers ever since I heard you mentioned that you would love a set for training. I hope these will be put to good use as it took many hours to make these perfect.
Our paths will cross again soon.
H3
"Hiccup…" I said quietly to myself.
"What was that Astrid? It sounded almost like you said… Nevermind." Fishlegs started to ask and quickly retracted his statement when I turned around and glared at him. "I really should be getting back, it's already dark and I think my parents will be worrying about me." and at that, Fishlegs turned around and started to head back towards the village. I watched him go until he was completely out of sight before I turned around again.
"Our paths will cross again soon." I whispered to myself once again. Was this a promise that Hiccup was planning on coming back soon? I couldn't force myself to believe this even though I knew the writing was his and the craftsmanship of the daggers was his. It had been months since Hiccup had left and had mentioned in his letter that he wasn't planning on coming back.
These thoughts jumbled my mind more than usually. Today was officially the worst day of my life. First the realization of what dragons really are and the Deadly Nadder scaring me. Then the bride price offering that the Jorgenson's had offered to my Father, and now these daggers from someone who is believed to be dead and gone.
I didn't know what I was going to do about the dragon that I had met in the cove, or what I would do in the next raid when I was expected to kill dragons again. I didn't know what Hiccup was planning or where he was, but I knew exactly what I had to do with the Jorgensons. I made up my mind then and there and started walking back towards the village. It had already gotten dark and was way beyond the time of when people were still awake when I arrived back in the village. Tomorrow was a new day, and everyone is in for a surprise.
I was awake before anybody else in the Hofferson household and started putting my plan into action. I was dressed and downstairs in the main room within a few minutes. I had walked over to where our fireplace was and took a shield off the wall, one that matched my axe perfectly.
At the age of 10, when I had pledged myself shieldmaiden of Berk, I was given my axe and matching shield. The matching items were only given to Shieldmaidens of tribes, while most warriors were only given a weapon. Following tradition, the shield was supposed to be given to their betrothed following the marriage agreement, earning the name "The Marriage Shield." On a very rare occasion, the shield was handed over to the tribe's Chief as a symbol that they were married to the tribe and were unavailable to any advances.
After I had grabbed my shield and attached it to my back right behind my axe, I slipped quietly out the front door of the Hofferson household. The sun was just breaking the horizon when I stepped outside, a clear indicator that the day had started. Even though the sun had begun the day, I knew that the Chief was already hard at work from before the sun rose.
After peering around the village outside our house and finding no one, I started making the short walk towards the Haddock residence. The Hofferson's were one of the founding families when Berk was founded almost 300 years ago and even though the name had lost respect when Uncle Finn had been killed, we never lost our status. This meant that we were one of the 5 families to live near the top of the village, closest to the Great Hall.
After reaching the Haddock residence, I turned around and peered over the whole village. It wasn't often that I had the chance to see this view. Back when Hiccup and I were kids, I found myself at his doorstep more than anywhere else in the village, but ever since I became a shieldmaiden, I was never back to the Haddock's house. I stood there for a few seconds longer before I heard the door behind me open.
"Astrid? Is everything alright?" Stoick had said when he noticed me standing on the other side of the door. I turned around to face him at that moment and put my serious face on.
"Yes Chief." I responded the way a warrior would. "I have actually come to talk to you personally Chief."
"Is that so? What can I do for you today lass?" the Chief responded in a more friendly tone when he noticed that everything was alright. At that moment, he eyed the shield on my back before returning the gaze back to me.
"I have a uhh…" I stuttered and caught myself quickly before the Chief had noticed. "I have a request to make of you, Sir." I had finally got out. I couldn't tell the reaction behind his massive beard and his eyes didn't show any reaction to what I had just said, but he nodded to show that he was listening. I turned around and stared out over the village of Berk again, noticing more and more people waking up and making their way out of their houses.
"You see Sir, I have been thinking over the past few months of what I could do to help the tribe in the future." I started off my speech, not even glancing over towards Stoick to see if he was listening. I knew deep down that he was slightly behind me and listening contently. "Being a Shieldmaiden of Berk, I am always trying to think of ways to protect our people for now and for the future." I stopped to take a breath before continuing. "And since yesterday, with myself turning 16, I decided to take it a step further."
I had finally turned towards the Chief and looked at him and continued. "Which is why I am here today." I reached behind me and took my shield off my back, holding it in front of me before presenting it to the Chief. "I am here to pledge myself to Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, the lost Heir of Berk." I held the shield up between us as an offering, keeping my gaze on the shield instead of on the Chief.
It had felt like hours that I was holding the shield between us before the weight was finally taken from my arms and I let my arms drop to my sides. Finally, I looked up towards the Chief and he was staring down at me with an unreadable expression. He lowered the shield down to his side and looked over the village below and I followed his gaze. It was a few seconds before either of us did anything.
"You do know that my Son might never come back?" The Chief said in a hard tone. I looked towards Stoick, his gaze never weavering once over the village and waited for him to continue. "By pledging yourself as betrothal to my Son, you are also pledging yourself to whoever might be the next Heir that I choose. Not only are you pledging yourself to the Heir of Berk, but you are also pledging yourself to Berk herself. As betrothal to my Son, the Lost Heir of Berk, you have a duty to come to every chiefdom meeting and help make decisions on difficult matters." Stoick paused and continued to look over the village before turning towards me. "Are you sure this is what you want Astrid? By giving me this shield, you are sealing your future away."
I looked out over the village once more and grabbed the two daggers that Hiccup had given me and were hidden on my back. I held them in my hands while glancing over the village before finally looked down towards the daggers in my hands. I could almost hear Hiccup's voice when I held them. "One is to Protect, while One is to Guide. Let these blades guide you through your darkest of nights and protect you through the brightest of days." I wrapped my fingers around the handles until my knuckles turned white before turning back to the Chief.
"I'm sure." Was all I had said before I sheathed the blades on my back once more, turned around and started walking towards the village. I passed the founding families homes, the village center, and the forge, walking almost aimlessly through the village before I found myself on the cliff overlooking the docks. I looked towards the horizon and watched the sun rise from where it was hidden below the deep blue of the sea to the middle of the sky.
I thought of everything that had happened yesterday and today, with the Deadly Nadder, with the Jorgensons, with the daggers from Hiccup, and with myself pledging myself to the Lost Heir of Berk. Was it the right thing to do? Did I do it because I selflessly wanted to get out of marrying Snotlout? Did I do it to spite my Father's decision over the bridal price? Did I do it because of Hiccup? I couldn't answer these questions and I don't think I ever could.
I glanced over the deep blue sea once more before turning around and walking through and past the village and into the forest. I needed to clear my head and I didn't want to hear the reaction of my Father when he finally woke up to see my shield missing. It was going to be a long and hard training session.
The sun was approaching the midpoint in the sky and I was still training with not only my axe, but the daggers Hiccup had given me as well. The daggers were a real challenge to practice with, as they were small and light, flew through the air fast, and I could never predict when the best time to let go of them was. The daggers were the main point of the training today and by the time the sun reach the midpoint, I was hitting my targets over and over again.
I had just ripped the pair of daggers out of a tree when I spun around and threw them at two different targets quite a bit of distance away. I didn't notice someone had come up behind me and was standing between the two trees. Both daggers met their mark, maybe not dead center in the target but they were closer than they were the last few throws. Fishlegs looked from one dagger to the next and back towards me, before fainting and falling backwards.
"Fishlegs!" I yelled and ran over to where he was and knelt down beside him. The husky boy was out cold from what he had just witnessed, as if life had just flashed before his eyes. "Fishlegs, you've got to wake up!" I yelled at him before slapping his face a few times.
"Whaaa… what happened…?" Fishlegs begun to say as he came back to Midgard. He opened one eye and then the other, blinking a few times, he finally said "Astrid?" before looking around once more. Before I could even answer him, he rolled over onto his stomach, pushed himself up to a standing position, and turned back towards me. "Astrid! The Chief has requested your presence in the Great Hall at once!" the husky boy had finally managed to get out. "He sent me off to get you as I am the only one who knows where you train." He looked towards the daggers in the targets and shivered once more.
"Understood Fishlegs." I walked over to the first dagger and yanked it out of the target before walking over to the other and doing the same. Once both daggers were in my hand, I shethened them on my back once more before turning to Fishlegs who was watching me. Once I had turned towards him, he quickly looked away, avoiding my gaze. "Well? Shall we?" I asked him nicely, ignoring his look.
"Uhh… Yeah… Okay… Let's get going then, I wouldn't want to make the Chief wait longer than he has too." Fishlegs replied to me, stuttering once again. I rolled my eyes at him and started walking, with Fishlegs walking beside me in silence. I knew from the conversation I had this morning with the Chief what this meeting was about but didn't know how many other people knew about it.
"So Fishlegs, how is Gobber treating you at the forge?" I asked, deciding to make small talk to help pass the time and to keep my mind off what lies ahead.
"Oh! The forge…" Fishlegs sounded startled when I spoke to him and then fell deep into thought before answering. "Honestly, I don't know how Hiccup did it all those years. The forge work is hard and tiring, and don't even get me started on how Gobber is." As Fishlegs finished, I thought back to before Hiccup had left.
When I first became Shieldmaiden and Hiccup had been tasked with helping Gobber in the forge instead of training with all the other kids our age, we had tried to meet up after our long days were over but as time went on, our short time that we saw each other became shorter and shorter until it disappeared completely. I was training to protect Berk and Hiccup was training and helping Gobber with the forge, and when he wasn't helping Gobber, he was trying to create a new project of his.
Thinking back, I should have trained less and tried to spend more time with Hiccup, but no, I had wanted to become the best warrior this village had ever seen. We were best friends at one point and then we were barely people who lived in the same village. Even when Hiccup was bullied by Snotlout and the twins, I had tried to stop them until they turned on me. When that happened, I stopped trying to stop Snotlout and started just ignoring what was going on, knowing very well what was actually happening. A part of me was hoping that Hiccup would toughen up over time but another part of me regretted not helping. The regret part had increased since his disappearance.
I didn't realize how far we had walked before I was grabbed on the shoulder by Fishlegs and was jolted back to Midgard.
"Astrid? Are you alright? You seem to be lost in Valhalla the whole way back." Fishlegs asked worriedly. I looked around a bit before I realized we were at the treeline to the forest. I shook my head a few times, trying to clear my thoughts before turning towards Fishlegs.
"Sorry Fishlegs. I have a lot on my mind right now." I told him before turning around and heading into the village and towards the Great Hall. "It was nice talking to you!" I yelled over my shoulder after noticing he wasn't following me. I got a wave in return before I continued making my way towards the Great Hall.
It didn't take me long to reach the Great Hall's stairs, taking two at a time, I swung open the doors a few seconds later, entered, and closed the doors behind me. The Chief was sitting on one side of the Chief's table and my parents sat on the other. The shield that I have given Stoick earlier was laying in the center of the table.
As I walked closer to the Chief's table, I started to notice how red my Father was. He hadn't said a word since I walked it, but it looked like he was yelling for some time before I joined them. I walked to one side of the table, in the middle of my parents and the Chief before anything was actually said.
"Thank you for joining us Astrid," Stoick said in a calm and professional manner. Turning back towards my parents, the Chief said "You both know why I have called this meeting. Astrid has delivered her Marriage Shield to me this morning, before anybody in the town has awoken yet." I noticed the Chief glance in my direction but never moved my eyes off the shield that laid in front of us.
"What in Thor's name were you thinking Astrid?" my Father angrily said before the Chief could continue. "After running off last night and not returning, and then pulling this stunt this morning." I could almost hear the level of anger increasing as he spoke. "Did you forget you live under MY ROOF still? You are to do as you are told!" I never responded to him as he stood up, not moving my eyes off the shield on the table. "I could have married you off to anybody, even outside the tribe, and this is the thanks I get?"
"Sit down." Hilde Hofferson, my Mother had said while keeping her eyes on the shield, making me glance up towards her.. She barely ever spoke while in a serious meeting like this, but when she did, you knew better to listen. Almost instantly, my Father quieted right up and sat down, never taking his eyes off me. Even the Chief, who had stood up to try and calm my Father down, sat down instantly. She looked at me once everything was quiet again, and instead of seeing angry in her eyes, I saw understanding. She didn't even have to say anything and I already knew what she was thinking.
"I pledged myself to Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third this morning." I said very quietly, explaining mostly to my Mother instead of everyone at the table. "I understand that Hiccup may never come back and that I am pledging myself to whoever is appointed as next Heir. I know that I am pledging myself to take care of Berk herself and I also know that I will have to attend every Chiefdom meeting, make difficult decisions, and learn how to support and take care of the Chief." I finally finished while never taking my eyes off my Mother. I thought for sure that I would see anger or disappointment in her eyes, but I saw nothing but loving and understanding.
"Then it is settled." my Mother finally said, taking her eyes off me and looking towards Stoick, she continued "We will accept whatever bride price you offer." I almost couldn't believe what I was hearing. My Father still hadn't said a word since my Mother told him to sit down, and I could see that his head was almost ready to explode. My Mother didn't even spare him a second glance before standing up, mirroring the Chief, and shaking his hand.
"Hoark dear, shake the Chief's hand." Hilde said as she finished shaking the Chief's hand. Hoark stood quickly, still never saying a word, before grabbing Stoick's hand, shaking very quickly, and storming off outside the Great Hall once he was done. My Mother turned towards me and slung her arm around my shoulders, turning me towards the door and walking beside me.
We had walked outside of the Great Hall and stood atop the stairs and looked down towards the village. I could see my Father storming through the village, not acknowledging anybody, before he ended up at the docks. We both knew where he was going. Whenever my Father got angry, he would go to his boat and go fishing to get his anger out. We stood there for a while just watching him work and finally set sail before I turned to my Mother.
"Mama, why did you agree so quickly?" I asked out of curiosity. I was very close with my Mother and knew that she was once a Shieldmaiden like me but had been married off to Hoark once she became of age.
"When I was your age, I thought of nothing but being a shieldmaiden. When I was approached by my Father and was told that I was going to be married off to Hoark, someone of high ranking in our tribe, I was devastated, but I never argued." my Mother explained. "Hoark couldn't take his eyes off me when I was your age, and once I turned age, he approached my Father and offered him a bride price and peace between the households." My Mother was still watching my Father while talking and finally turned towards me. "I eventually fell in love with your Father and we had a beautiful baby girl not too long after," she finished, giving me a smile that was rarely seen on her face.
"What I want to know is what changed your mind?" My Mother finally asked.
"I…" I started to say before I stopped myself. I looked away from my Mother and out to the horizon once more before I could continue. "Ever since Hiccup left, I felt that I was the cause of it all. After I became a shieldmaiden of Berk, we tried to keep in touch but never seem to have time for each other. Eventually we stopped trying altogether and the distance between us grew larger and larger. I watched him getting bullied by Snotlout and the Twins day in and day out and did nothing to help. I saw how he looked at us from the forge window once we grew older, wishing he could be a viking but never quite living up to our standards." I said honestly. My Mother never said a word as I looked at the horizon. "I remember the exact words I last said to him in the ring before he left. After everything he has done for me and I never realized until it was too late. I feel as if I was the reason he left…" I was engulfed in a hug from my Mother. We stood like that for a few moments before any of us said anything.
"You know, that boy loved you ever since you were kids. I remember watching you go to the Chief's house by yourself, asking if Hiccup could come out and play with you. I remember the adventure you two used to pretend to go on. I remember the trouble you both got in when we caught you trying to escape the village to hunt for trolls." My Mother finally said, giving a chuckle at the end. "I remember when the treaty signing was held on Berk and you fought off Camicazi from going anywhere close to him, saying that Hiccup was yours."
My eyes had left the horizon and looked up at my Mother while she was talking. The smile that could almost be heard in her worlds as she explained Hiccup's and my childhood. I couldn't help but smile with her as she explained.
"Mama?" she turned to look at me with a smile on her face. "Did you know that Hiccup created my axe?" I asked curiosity. We had started walking back towards the Hofferson household by now.
"Why honey, I was the one who asked him to make it!" She gave a little laugh before continuing. "I watched how that boy would gawk over you anytime you were in sight, and when I asked him to make your axe, he said he would gladly do it and make sure it was perfect." She explained. "Your Father said that Gobber had made your axe but that wasn't entirely true. While Gobber did help, he wouldn't have been able to engrave your axe the way it is."
"Wait, you knew about the engravings?" I asked again, almost stunned that she had noticed them.
"Yes, I knew about them when I first picked up the axe. It took you long enough to see them. You were always so focused on being the best you could be that you couldn't see them right in front of your eyes." she explained. We had finally reached the house and stepped inside, my Mother had started to prepare something for us to eat almost instantly, grabbing some fresh bread that was sitting on the table as well as some salty meat that was hanging near the fireplace.
While Mother was preparing some food for us, I decided to run up to my room and grab the handle and the hidden letter that was inside. I was downstairs at the same time Mother placed the food on the table. I walked towards the same and sat down, placing the handle between us as she took a seat on the other side.
My Mother eyed the handle before looking up to me once again. I nodded my head to her once before she picked it up and inspected it.
"This is… Hiccup's handwork?" she asked after inspecting it a few moments. I nodded my head once more. "I knew your handle was different after he left but never understood why, and then your old handle was back. Why is that?" My Mother asked curiosity. I held my hand up for the handle and she handed it back.
"Hiccup changed the handle before he left to get a message to me." I said before twisting the end of the handle off and pulling out the letter slightly. "I never knew about it until I was out training. I threw my axe at a tree and almost missed it." My Mother knew how hard I trained and knew I never missed my targets. "I realized then that the axe was different somehow, and when I inspected it closer, I noticed that the end came off." I explained to her. Her eyes were lit up like the night sky, amazement on her face.
"You mean to tell me that Hiccup crafted a handle to hide a message in, knowing you would find it the next day you trained?" I nodded my head at my Mother before pulling the letter out completely and unrolling it in front of her. My Mother gasped and put a hand to her mouth when she saw the image. "That's…" she said slowly behind her hands before looking up at me once again, nodding once again.
"That's not all. Flip it around." I told her and she did. I saw her eyes going back and forth over the page again and again. She was reading the letter that only I knew about and having a very similar reaction to what I had.
"Oh Hiccup…" my Mother had finally said when she finished reading. "That boy was always different." From the sound of her voice, I could tell that my Mother didn't believe most of the letter, so I pulled Hiccup's dagger out of my boot and placed it on the table. I also took out the Night Fury scale that I had found and placed it beside the dagger. She looked at both of the items that were discarded on the table and then back up to me. "That boy managed to train a dragon?" she asked and I nodded in response without saying anything. "No wonder we never found him…"
We sat in silence for a bit while my Mother read the letter over again. Once she was done and shaker her head slightly, she flipped it back over and placed it on the table, looking at how detailed the sketch was. When she was finally done looking over the immense detail of the drawing, she carefully picked it off the table, rolling it carefully and tucking it back inside the handle before handing the handle itself back to me.
"Those daggers you received…" my Mother slowly said which made me pause suddenly. I looked up at her carefully and saw that she was staring back at me. "They were made by him." The way she said it clarified that it wasn't a question.
"Yes…" I said slowly before finishing putting the handle's cap back on. "There was a letter that was attached to them." My Mother didn't move or flinch, instead waiting for me to continue. I placed the handle back on the table and reached behind me to take out the daggers and hold them. We sat in silence as my eyes darted from dagger to dagger before finally speaking. "He said our paths will cross again…"
It was at that moment that my Father decided to enter the front door of our household. I quickly sheathed the daggers on my back before grabbing the handle and trying my best to hide it. My Mother was up on her feet the instant the door opened and walked over to my Father. Without saying a word, he handed the net of fish over to her and walked past her, completely ignoring that I was present, and sat down in his chair in front of the fireplace.
I looked towards my Mother who had just dropped the net near the cellar and turned back towards us. She gave me a quick glance that darted from me to the dagger and scale on the table and back up to me. I recognized the signal and I quickly grabbed the items and walked upstairs.
I had the items hidden back under the floorboard in the corner of my room in mere moments before walking over to my bed and sitting on it. The sun had already set for the day and I watched the colours of the sky change from orange and pink to the deep blue of the night sky. Stars started to appear quickly and the moon was visible in the clear sky that we had tonight.
It had finally clicked in when I saw a black shape move across the moon at a speed that would have been missed if I blinked. I was now officially bethoralled to the Lost Heir, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, the "worst" viking that Berk has ever seen, and my best friend from the past. Tomorrow, I will keep to his request to protect his Dad, Chief Stoick, as well as the village of Berk as I wait for his return.
I can only pray to the Gods that he makes a safe return…