So, someone in the last chapter hasked a few question. Here are the answers.
Mark Andrew: "Mates" is understood as "followers", not from a loving point of view. The "mates" in this case are Astrid and Thootless because they were with him in front of the Norns.
Guest: No, the giants were intended as a breed, not in the true sense of the word. So Hiccup is higher, but just a little beyond the average.
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Four years. Astrid had grown up by now, although she had remained almost the same if it weren't for the more pronounced feminine curves. Four years and still no news from Hiccup. She missed him more than she admitted to herself. Over time, the hope of his return had begun to waver and today she has had confirmation. A ship of dragon hunters had come to bring the new cargo to train the recruits and they talked of a boy riding a black dragon.
"We hurled a spear at that demon's friend and he won't live long." the sailor chuckled.
She felt like her chest was ripping apart. She held the play with the hunters for a while and then, walking away, she gave in to tears. She didn't have the strength to tell Stoik or Gobber, and she let the sailor tell them. That day the chief shut himself up in the house and the blacksmith didn't open the forge; so it was for many days.
A year from that day Astrid still hadn't smiled.
She felt empty and had also neglected her duties as assistant to the chief. Not that he did so much to point it out to her.
It would have been easier if a dragon had burned her down in a raid, but something inside made her want to survive.
By now the dragons gave no respite, they attacked almost every week, and she had done everything she could not to kill them, succeeding; the same could not be said for the villagers.
She woke up in her bed and went down the stairs. When she saw her, her mother, who was preparing breakfast, said to her:
"Astrid, another marriage request has arrived, from Snotlout."
She made a face of disgust and began to eat in silence.
"Astrid, you can't put it off forever. It is clear that Hiccup will not return. You have to find a husband and settle down. "
Astrid dropped the spoon and said with tears in her eyes,
"How did you find out ...?"
The mother sighed and took a piece of paper out of her pocket and read it aloud:
'I leave you my heart. I entrust it to you until I get back. There are three Hs so I assume they stand for Hiccup Horrendous Haddock. "
Astrid lowered her head. She didn't want to remember the words that had deceived her about the return. She didn't want to remember that note. She should have burned it a long time ago.
"It doesn't matter anymore. He's dead."
Her mother frowned.
"Dead? How can you say that? "
She had betrayed herself. She had said too much. Damn her big mouth.
"Yes, he's... he's dead to me. Yes, it is so. He's dead to me now and I don't want to know anymore about him. "
She hoped to be convincing. she couldn't tell the truth.
"Astrid, I'd believe it if you weren't crying."
She realized it only then, tears were pouring profusely from her eyes.
"Astrid. I've never tried to extort anything from you, but now I need to know. Tell me everything. The truth."
Keeping the secret no longer mattered.
Resigned, Astrid told her about Hiccup and Toothless, how they had left and their flight. With each word she uttered a painful wound opened in her heart and the pain was excruciating. She had left out the parts about the Green Death and the dream. She didn't want to worry everyone anymore.
When she finished, her mother looked at her indifferently. Then she said:
"Here's what I saw that day. I saw a black dragon with two people on its back. I assumed one was Hiccup since the dark fury hasn't been seen since. "
Astrid jerked her head up.
"And I'm not the only one who noticed it. As dull as we Vikings may be, we realize when our structures and homes are not being destroyed by either purple lightning or crazy inventions."
Her mother chuckled a little and added:
"I didn't think you, the girl who hates dragons the most, would ever ride one."
Astrid jerked her head up. She couldn't say anything. She was amazed.
" The rest of the village ... they know." She thinks.
"At first we were angry; we pointed to him as a traitor and lover of demons. But then an angry Stoik argued with his tribe for the first time and read us some passages from Hiccup's diary. "
Astrid took a deep breath as tears formed in her eyes at the mere memory of what was written in that pad.
"It was… it was horrible and heartbreaking. We never imagined that Hiccup would feel such pain. At that moment it no longer seemed so strange that he had befriended a dragon. If only we had been more understanding. Anger at Hiccup turned into anger at ourselves, at how we treated and labeled him, how we isolated him. "
After inhaling once more, the mother continued:
"Some, despite everything, rejoiced in his passing."
It was all too obvious that she was giving her information.
Astrid looked at her with questioning, angry eyes. If she had caught them, she would have skinned alive those bastards.
As if her mother had read her mind, she said;
"Snot and his new gang. They were happy with Hiccup's death. They said he was the personification of Loki and that by dying he had done a favor to all of Midgard."
She was furious. If they could, her ears would now be smoking. She left the house without looking at her mother who now had a pleased smile on her face.
She crossed the village and found Snot with his band.
"Oh, Astrid. You finally came to accept my proposal. Don't worry, you'll always be the second warrior of- "
He didn't have time to finish the sentence when he got a punch straight in the teeth. Blood exploded from his mouth and he had to spit out several broken teeth.
"HEY! BUT WHAT GETS YOU- "
Another punch, then another and another, still on his face.
"THIS IS FOR HICCUP!" Astrid screamed furiously.
She took his head in her hands and slammed it against the wall.
"THIS IS FOR ALL MARRIAGE REQUESTS IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS!"
She then gave him another punch on the already broken nose, to make sure it could never go back to normal again.
"AND THIS IS FOR EVERYTHING ELSE !"
She had vented. She needed it. She looked around and saw many people from the village watching her.
Some with amusement, some with indifference, a tiny fraction with anger.
Regardless of those looks, she walked away towards the bay, the only place besides her house where she allowed herself to cry.
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When he opened the door, Stoik found himself in front of Fishlegs looking at him with a euphoric look in his eyes.
"What's up, Fishlegs?" said the chief.
"Chief, I've found a way to get to the Nest."
Stoik rolled his eyes and said:
"You're not drunk, boy, are you?"
"No, well, not me at least. The idea came to Tuffnut while he was drunk and I realized it can work. "
Sighing Stoik said:
"Okay, go ahead"
"After the dragons have raided, where do they go?"
"Well, they go back to the Nest," Stoik said.
Then the realization touched Stoik's mind and he beamed at Fishlegs:
"Well done, boy."
They left the house and went to prepare to set sail
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Sitting at the bay, Astrid thought of Hiccup with tear-streaked cheeks.
This was the place where she had discovered the truth about dragons, where Hiccup had made her open her eyes and ... where he had abandoned her, to protect her.
"Hey, Hiccup. Can you hear me?"
She didn't expect an answer, she never did.
"How is Valhalla? O Folkvangr. I hope everything goes well. I don't have much to tell you, only that I love you and miss you so much. "
She liked to think that Hiccup's answers were in the wind and her mind turned it into the sarcastic jokes and laughs that the boy always did with a smile on his face.
She took a deep breath and said in a broken voice:
"You know Hiccup, I have decided to become a Shieldmaiden. I don't want to be with anyone but you and, who knows, maybe we will meet in Valhalla when I die. "
Tears now flowed like rivers and wet the grass at her feet.
"I cannot wait to see you again. I hope that moment will come soon."
A rustle woke her from the trance. Maybe it was a dragon sent by the gods to end her life. What a bizarre world huh?
"Lass."
Obviously it was not going as she wanted. She turned and saw Gobber at the entrance to the bay.
"Here again, I see."
She wiped away her tears as best she could and turned to answer.
"You don't need to wipe your tears here. This is your place and I'm the intruder. "
She felt the tears gather in her eyes again. At least Gobber was good at keeping secrets.
"I came to tell you that we are setting sail. Fishlegs has found a way to reach the Nest. "
Astrid looked at the blacksmith, astonished, and said only:
"How?"
"It seems he had the idea of tying a Terrible Terror to the ship and following the direction his head goes. That lad is a genius. " Gobber said, giggling.
They would have met their death. All of Berk.
Her mother, her father and everyone she knew. They would all be dead. But what a choice they had. Hiccup was gone. The alternative was to starve or die in battle, and the choice was obvious.
She sighed and said:
"I'm coming."
Maybe she would meet Hiccup right away. She only prayed to the gods to send her in the righteous afterlife.
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They had sailed for two days until they reached Helheim's Gate. The little dragon had begun to move his head compulsively as if attracted to something in the fog. As they followed the direction given by the little dragon, they encountered huge and threatening stacks that rose from the gray waters.
Even the islet where the ships arrived after a few hours consisted solely of the beach and a huge mountain. With a leap, Stoik got off the ship and under his feet the sand of the beach, gray and pebbly, made a disturbing sound in the silence, giving a sense of bewilderment.
"We're here," he said.
Preparations for the siege began, catapults and palisades were raised and the most diverse weapons were prepared. The war was finally about to end.
At the signal, the catapults threw the boulders and made a hole in the surface of the mountain. At that point, flocks of dragons came out of the cavity and other parts of the mountain.
The Vikings attacked the flying reptiles by any means, but to no avail: they just avoided the blows by abandoning the island; they seemed almost anxious to leave their home.
"Is that it?" Gobber asked confused. He shrugged as he prepared to return to the ships.
The Vikings cheered. Stoik was also relieved. The dragons had left the archipelago and would no longer raid the inhabited islands.
Then his gaze fell on Astrid. She was the only one in the crowd who didn't cheer, on the contrary she seemed almost resigned.
At that moment a deafening roar thundered from the mountain roots. An entire facade crumbled and the real ruler of the island appeared.
«Beard of Thor… what is that?!" said Gobber.
The dragon was huge, dozens of times bigger than the whole village of Berk. His head was surrounded by a crown of thorns, his nostrils were huge and he had six eyes. The powerful jaws would easily have crushed any rock or metal.
The body was covered with red spines on gray scales, it had four legs with huge claws and a bristling tail that ended in a heavy lump.
"Odin, help us." Stoik said.
As if the gods had heard his prayer, a mighty purple explosion knocked the monster to the ground.
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Astrid felt nothing. The monster hiding in the mountain had come out and her people would be slaughtered. But death didn't scare her: she would see Hiccup again in the afterlife. With a scream she threw herself into battle, trying to appear convincing to the eyes of a possible Valkyrie and found herself immediately under the foot of the monster. It was over for her.
Then she heard a familiar scream.
"A Night Fury."
She whirled around and saw a black flicker in the sky.
At that moment a purple explosion hit the head of the gigantic creature and it fell on its side, stunned by the impact. It would crush her anyway, only now she didn't want to die anymore, now she just wanted to understand what was happening, while a spark of hope and happiness danced in her heart. But it was too late now, she would not be able to dodge in time. She closed her eyes waiting for the imminent death, then... she felt a strong wind and felt herself lifted off the ground.
"Did you get her? "
That voice, that beautiful voice she had been hoping to hear for so long.
Toothless lowered his head towards the passenger and said with a smile.
"Yes, brother, I have her between my paws."
Toothless, he had spoken!
"Toothless but you TALK !" Astrid said almost screaming.
Toothless looked at her as if she were a weird animal then smiled and said:
"Oh oh oh, listen to this…"
"What's going on?"Said Hiccup.
"I'll tell you after Hiccup. We have to punch the bastard over there,"and he placed Astrid gently on the ground.
Then she saw him.
On Toothless's back there he was, the person she had waited for for five long years, the person she loved and would love forever. Hiccup was on the black dragon.
"Hiccup!" she said.
He turned and smiled at her. Gods of Valhalla,he had become handsome! His shoulders were now broad and his face was sharp with high cheekbones. The green eyes glowed with a cheerful light as if battle were a game like any other. His hair had stretched to the shoulders and had been tied in small braids at the nape of the neck.
He wore a tunic the same color as Toothless's scales as well as pants, boots, and gloves. On his back he carried a long sword in a dragon skin sheath, the hilt adorned with an amber gem and the handle with grooves where the fingers would be received to give resistance and strength to the grip. At his side he carried another sword forged in what appeared to be lighter-than-normal iron.
For the first time in a year, Astrid Hofferson was smiling again.
"I hope I'm not too late for the show, milady."
Yes, he was definitely Hiccup, only he would have joked in a situation like this.
Before she answered, a male voice rang out behind her.
"HICCUP!"
Stoik screamed his son's name, and Hiccup turned around to face him. The playful light in his eyes had given way to a cold, reproachful look.
"Oh. Hello, father."
He spat this last word out as if it was poison. He was angry.
"Hiccup, son. Oh, how I missed you! "
"Of course, you remember your son when it suits you and comes to save your skin, right?"
"No Hiccup, I ..."
"Shut up."
Hiccup's voice was piercing and peremptory, like thunder crashing on the mountain.
Stoik didn't know why, but at that moment, he felt the obligation to remain silent, like all the Vikings who surrounded the huge black dragon and its rider.
"Go to the ships. Valka and the dragons will take them away from here. "
At the name of his wife Stoik roused himself.
"Valka?! Hiccup but what ... "
"The three of us will talk later. "
As if his courage had suddenly abandoned him, Stoik shivered and began to head for the ships with the Vikings in tow.
Only Astrid and Gobber remained on the beach, astonished.
"What are you waiting for? You go too."
After a brief moment of amazement, Gobber said with a chuckle:
"Are you kidding? I see my boy again after a long time, see him run towards death again, and I have to abandon him? I want at least to take a good look at him before it's too late."
Hiccup chuckled and said:
"Trust me Gobber, that's a small fish compared to other horrors of this world."
Small. Small. Hiccup had just said this was a small fish.
"What do you mean by small ...?" Gobber asked, scandalized.
"I'll explain later, now I need you to go."
"Hiccup ..."
Hiccup turned and saw Astrid. She had tears in her eyes like that day when they parted.
"Gobber, leave us alone for a moment," the boy said, and as the old blacksmith nodded to the group of Vikings on their way to the ships, Hiccup turned back to Astrid, but before he knew it, a strong punch hit him in the stomach.
"Ouch! What was this for!"
"THIS WAS FOR BEING AWAY FOR FIVE YEARS!"
Then she took him by the tunic and pulled him to herself giving him a passionate kiss. Hiccup, bewildered, at first let himself be kissed, but then returned the gesture by embracing Astrid with passion.
It was magical! The moment they had both waited for and dreamed of for so many years had finally come! Getting lost in each other's lips, the time around them seemed to have stopped.
When they parted, they were both breathless and blushing.
They stared at each other for a moment and, finally, Astrid remembered that she could speak:
"This is... for keeping your word."
Then she turned to the ships and began to catch up with the other Vikings.
Hiccup recovered from his surprise. Immortal gods, how happy he was! Now he felt he could beat even the most terrible of monsters with just a look. Not that he couldn't.
"You didn't want to mate with her, huh? "
Of course. There was also Toothless, the troublemaker, who invariably ruined the moment.
Hiccup chuckled and said:
"Shut up, you wicked lizard."
So saying, he mounted his brother and they flew to the Daughter of Jöm.
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" Hiccup's brain is undoubtedly gone." Stoik found himself thinking.
Valka had been kidnapped by a dragon many years ago.
Or, at least, that was what he knew.
A female chant reached his ears: it was like a farewell song but at the same time comforting and sounded like a low howl.
Everyone turned and saw a figure of a woman on a four-winged dragon, illuminated by a ray of sunlight that cut through the clouds at the very point in the sky where she had appeared. Her hair was gathered in multiple braids that reached down to her feet.
An entire, huge flock of dragons flanked her and swirled around her as if addicted by the soft song.
Even the Vikings were enchanted by the vision of the Valkyrie, but continued towards the ships, moved by a strange force, oblivious to everything around them. They all boarded the remaining three ships and in that instant, the dragons swooped down on the ships and clung to the figureheads, with the image of the same creatures, and began to tow them away from the island.
When they stopped at sea the fog had dissipated and the clash was clearly visible from a distance; all the Vikings saw the scene: the boy they had always insulted, mocked and beaten, was fighting against the very embodiment of terror.
"He's really grown up, huh?"
That voice. The voice that comforted Stoik after the raids, the voice that made him feel like he was flying, the voice that scolded him for his mistakes.
Stoik turned and met Valka's gaze as she landed on the ship's deck with her dragon.
"Valka ..."
"Save your breath Stoik. You'll need it for later. Now look at the fight that will mark Berk's fate. "
Unable to think straight or say anything, Stoik turned to face the fight.
Behind him Snotty said:
""Useless" can never beat that dragon. It's still Hiccup."
Back to reality Stoik realized that Snot was right. Hiccup could never have defeated such a monster if he, Stoik the Vast, had not been able to do so either.
But Valka thought otherwise.
The words that followed she almost spat out at her nephew.
"If you don't want to trust Hiccup, at least trust what he has become to protect you all," she said with a furious look.
Everyone on the ship jumped.
A scream tore through the skies, a guttural scream that seemed to come from the depths of the earth and shook the oceans.
Though it was hard for them to admit it, the people of Berk were terrified by the roars of the terrifying dragon and the Night Fury who responded in defiance.
But Astrid felt it differently. Instead of Toothless's roars (or voice), she heard Hiccup's powerful voice say:
"REMEMBER YOUR PLACE, DAUGHTER OF MIÐGARÐSORMR! BACK TO HEL FROM WHICH YOU COME OR THE FÆRGHRÍMÞURSAR WILL LEAD YOU THERE!"
Astrid was amazed. What Hiccup was facing was not just any dragon, it was Jörmungandr's daughter. And what was the Færghrímþursar? If anyone knew, this was Valka. But before she could make any movement, a more menacing and furious cry thundered from the giant dragon.
"YOU UNDERVALUED ME, GIANT. YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE DANGER YOU RUN AT THIS MOMENT. I WILL DEVOUR YOU AND SO YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHERE YOUR PLACE IS: YOU WILL REGENERATE AND I WILL DIGEST YOU FOREVER. THIS WILL BE YOUR PUNISHMENT! "
It was menacing and terrible, but Astrid resisted the terror and approached an unusually quiet Valka.
"Madam."
"Call me Valka. You must be Astrid, right? "
"How do you know my name?"
"Oh, Hiccy did nothing but talk about you."
Well, that explains a few things. But then... Hiccy? Recovering, she said, "Madam, uhm, Valka. I heard Hiccup say ... "
A look of great surprise appeared on Valka's face.
She lowered her voice and whispered:
"Can you really hear them?"
Astrid didn't understand. Of course she could hear them, they were screaming!
«Yes ma'am, why this question? They are screaming at the dragon! "
Valka took a deep breath and walked away from the rest of the Vikings, pulling Astrid after her.
"Astrid, I know what I'm about to tell you may sound unbelievable or crazy, but what Hiccup, Toothless and that monster are talking about is the Jötun language."
Now it was Astrid who was surprised and... amazed. How could Hiccup speak the language of myths and legends?
"Now Astrid don't be frightened by what I'm about to tell you", Valka sighed and then said with a hint of melancholy in her eyes:
"Hiccup is no longer human."
It was as if a Gronckle had hit her on the head with his tail.
"What do you mean... how is he no longer human?"
Astrid felt she was short of breath. How could Hiccup no longer be human? it was too surreal.
"I'll tell you Astrid, everything will be explained to you later. What you need to know now is that ... only a Giant can understand the Jötun language.
The whole world revolved around Astrid.
She couldn't take it anymore. It was too much to deal with at once and the new and terrifying thought that had formed in her mind with Valka's last statement gave her the coup de grace: suddenly everything went black as she fell into a dreamless sleep... almost.
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Hiccup had defied the Green Death.
He had to admit, he underestimated her, her flame still had magic even though it hadn't been used for a long time.
The sky was gray and bleak due to the pressure caused by the collision between the three entities. Thunder began to crash on the beach and in the sea, as if Thor himself was watching the fight.
They flew around the beast for hours, shooting Toothless's fire at it.
Meanwhile Hiccup, with Caertas, severed the Beast's tendons and ligaments. The black sword was always sharp as if it had just been forged, since the scales of Toothless meant that it did not scratch or deteriorate over time, as well as making it much sharper than normal swords; therefore it was easy to penetrate the scales of the gigantic monster.
But it was useless, the Beast continued to regenerate its flesh, making it difficult to inflict significant wounds.
He had to change his strategy and with a whistle he ordered Toothless to retreat into the skies.
"YOU CAN'T SCRATCH ME FÆRGHRÍMÞURSAR! WE WILL BE FIGHTING FOREVER. YOU AND I, TWO IMMORTAL BEINGS COMPETING UNTIL THE END OF TIME!! "
The creature was right. There was no way to defeat it without manifesting himself. He didn't want the whole village to see what he had become. Or at least not yet.
" Hiccup! We need to disable his senses. "
Hiccup nodded, and if the beast's eyes weren't as small a problem as they were, hearing and smell had to be hit.
"Toothless, leave me at nose level; I have a plan. "
Toothless looked at his brother in confusion and then sighed and said:
"I trust you, brother."
As they reached the beast's nasal passages, their right flank was struck by a powerful blaze. A scream came from the two brothers' throats as the trace of magic contained in the flame penetrated their flesh. The damage was not visible but present, if not treated soon his right leg would turn gangrene. It would not come off, but as the damage was caused by magic, it would never be fully compensated.
"Let's go forward. We can't stop now."
The two came close to the nostrils and Hiccup dived into them.
He cut the skin inside the dragon's nasal passages.
The howl of pain penetrated Hiccup's ears. He was almost certain that the eardrums had been perforated, but they would regenerate; that was the sign of his success. As he continued to cut and stab, the smell of blood in the giant's nose drowned out the odor of the hrímþursar.
Meanwhile Hiccup had risen through the nostrils to descend to the entrance of the esophagus.
" Well, this is disgusting," he thought.
The nauseating smell that rose from the Dragon's stomach was a stench compared to Toothless's fish breath. Chuckling at the thought, he jumped and clung to the monster's uvula. His right side throbbed and sent bursts of dull pain to his brain.
From the outside, meanwhile, there were strong jolts, which meant that between the Green Death and Toothless the battle continued to rage. The Monster had to be truly blind not to notice that it was only Toothless fighting. And his biggest drawback was his great stature, which had prevented him from realizing that Hiccup was now inside his mouth.
But now came the hard part. Focusing on the magic Seiðr, Hiccup summoned the cold and the ice and focused his thoughts on the creature's head, especially its brain.
" Jotunheim ís, frosinn tími í skítakulda þínum. (Jötunheim ice, freeze time in your cold embrace.) "
His right side now burned as if in flames; Hiccup had to use much of his mental energy to freeze the monster instead of blocking the gangrene.
Finally the cold gripped the monster's brain, which barely had time to howl in the terrible pain that invaded it:
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING FÆRGHRÍMÞURSAR? CURSED!
I WILL DRAG YOU INTO THE HEL! REMEMBER MY WORDS, PRIMORDIAL GIANT: ON YOUR ROAD YOU WILL MEET ONLY PAIN AND REGRET AND... "
Suddenly he stopped, helpless. The creature was alive, but it would never think or move a muscle again.
oOo
Everyone has reunited and are happy, some more, some less. The Hiccstrid moment has finally arrived (YES !).
Thor (ᚦᛟᚱ): Do I really need to tell you? In mythology he had a chariot pulled by two immortal goats that reset themselves. He can eat indefinitely, in practice.