Rescuing Tantrum
It was a few hours of flying in silence until the riders reached the island that was the home of the Uglithug tribe. They were expected as while circling the island they were waved down by a few of its members at the outskirts of the village. They landed one at a time with Hiccup being the one to greet their escort party.
"We're here on an urgent summons from Chief UG," Hiccup stated, producing the parchment with the tribe's symbol and the chieftain's own mark.
After a brief inspection the leader of the escort nodded and ushered them to follow. Hiccup, Astrid, and Snotlout went to meet with the chief while the others stayed behind with the dragons. They walked through the village in silence with Hiccup glancing around. He'd been to the tribe's island only once when he was younger with his father. It looked as if it'd expanded since his youth which was hardly a surprise given how much time had passed.
The village looked like a typical Viking village. Large wooden houses were dotted all around them with crude footpaths cutting through the village. At least one was partially paved with stones, likely for carts to navigate their way through. The people around them glanced curiously at their visitors, eyes lingering on Hiccup's strange armor and some on the fair shieldmaiden gracing their village.
Eventually they arrived at the largest longhouse in the village that could only belong to someone of great importance like a chieftain. The leader of the escort knocked to announce himself and the arrival of the party from Berk.
"Chief. The riders of Berk have arrived to aid in our search for the princess!" the Viking said loudly outside the door.
There was a moment of silence before a low and dreary voice responded. "Enter!" it said.
With that the Viking pushed open the door. The riders followed behind him and entered the chief's home. On the far side of the home the Vikings were greeted by the sight of a large viking sitting in an ornate chair at his kitchen table. The man was UG, chief of the Uglithug tribe. He was as massive as one would expect for a typical viking chief. He had a rather protruding stomach that was barely contained by his shirt, pants, and belt.
To Hiccup the man hadn't changed much from what he could remember from his youth. He had wild brown hair sticking out in many directions and a long scruffy beard framed by his braided mustache that fell down past his mouth. His eyes were a dark brown and beneath them were dark bags from obvious fatigue and stress.
The chief was at the table, his expression was somber as he looked at the riders approaching. But his eyes were drawn most to Hiccup who they lingered on before narrowing in scrutiny.
Hiccup stopped a few feet away before extending his greetings. "Greetings Chief Ug of the Uglithug tribe! The man who killed a dragon with his face by sneering at it. We come from Berk to lend you aid in your time of need!" Hiccup declared loudly.
The chief gave a low hum as his eyes swept Hiccup up and down, taking in his strange dressings and overall stature. All the while the young man's face scratched at something in the back of his mind.
"So you're the one Stoick sent then?" the chief asked before rising from his seat. The chair gave a creak from the shift of the man's weight as he stood up with a grunt. He took a step forward to stand before Hiccup, towering over him.
In the past a younger and even scrawnier Hiccup would have swallowed and maybe even shrank in on himself from sight of the massive Viking standing before him. But now Hiccup held his gaze, eyes never wavering.
"He sends his best and brightest. All in the efforts to return your daughter, Princess Tantrum, back where she belongs," Hiccup confirmed.
At the mention of his daughter the man's hard stare faded as his lower lip began to quiver. He turned away and went to this table to lean over it. He pressed his hands against the surface and Hiccup and the others watched uncomfortably as the big man began to quietly sob.
"Oh Tantrum," he choked out. "My little Princess. She must be so scared. She is such a delicate thing," he said as tears began to fall.
The others did their best not to fidget. It was a rare sight for any Viking, much less a chief, to show such vulnerability. Most would rather die than let anyone believe they'd gone soft.
Suddenly a growl began to rise from the chief's throat as his hands balled into fists. He squeezed his hands until his knuckles were white before letting out a thunderous shout in outrage. "How dare those bastards take my Tantrum! I'll have their heads!" he roared as he raised his hands up. A moment later he brought them down and smashed through the table with a loud crash.
Everyone flinched at the display of strength and UG's tribesman pulled at his collar nervously.
"We assure you Chief UG, we will find your daughter," Hiccup reiterated.
UG rounded on him to look him in the eyes once more. His gaze was challenging as he assessed the younger man. "And you're the one leading the search then?" he questioned.
"Yes sir," Hiccup confirmed.
The chief hummed once more before his eyes narrowed. "You, boy," he suddenly said. "You look familiar. Where have I seen your face?" Chief UG finally asked, having run out of patience in trying to figure it out himself.
Hiccup raised a hand to place on himself while nodding. "We have met before Chief UG. It was a long time ago. I am Hiccup. Son of Stoick," Hiccup revealed.
UG's eyes widened in realization. "Stoick's fishbone?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes Chief."
UG's eyes swept up and down the man once again as his mind tried to reconcile that the young man before him was actually the small weedy thin boy from years ago. The man before him he would dare say looked like he could possibly, maybe, sort of, kind of be a threat. But that boy from years ago who could barely lift a practice sword…
"I heard you were dead," UG finally got out after a few beats of silence.
"The rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated, I can assure you," Hiccup said with a chuckle as he gestured to all of himself.
"Eggs-what?" UG said as he raised a hand up to scratch his head in confusion. What did eggs have to do with anything?
"Never mind," Hiccup quickly muttered.
"I see," UG said as he raised a hand up and scratched his beard. But then a smile began to alight his face. "I see. Stoick knows the importance of this matter. So he sent his son to personally oversee the search," he reasoned.
"Something like that," Hiccup said, seeing no reason to contradict his reasoning.
"Good. Good," UG said in satisfaction. "So how do you intend to find her boy?"
As Hiccup opened his mouth to answer, Astrid interjected. "We've already thought of that Chief UG." The Chief and Hiccup looked back at her questioningly. "All we'll need is an article of clothing. Something with Tantrum's scent. Something she's worn recently would be best," she explained.
UG glanced away in thought before his eyes widened in realization. He quickly turned and quickly made his way up the stairs. They heard a rustle of commotion from the floor above before heavy footsteps signaled his return. In his hands was a horned helmet.
"This is Tantrum's. It was the only thing found of her after…" he trailed off as his eyes became wet with tears.
Hiccup gently took it from his hands before placing one on his shoulder for comfort. "We'll bring her back Chief UG," he assured the big man. "But can you tell us who you believe is responsible for her abduction?"
At that the chief face twisted into a snarl. He bared his teeth angrily and clenched his fists in rage. "Oh I know who it was," he said with a growl.
"It was that bastard, Ulrik."
A few minutes later they were back at the dragons. Astrid had the helmet in hand as she came up to her dragon. "Alright Stormfly, take a sniff of this girl," she said to the Nadder as she held the helmet up to the dragon's nostrils. The Nadder began to curiously sniff at it as ordered.
"You think Stormfly can track Tantrum from smell then, Astrid?" Hiccup asked.
Astrid kept her back to him as she worked with her dragon. "Over the years we learned that some dragons have a particularly acute sense of smell. Nadders included."
"We call them Tracker class," Fishlegs chimed in.
"Wow," Hiccup said in amazement. He hadn't given his comrades their due credit for their work and study of the archipelago's dragon species.
"It's how I found you after our confrontation," Astrid added.
Hiccup gave a thoughtful hum. So that was how she'd done it.
After taking in the scent of the helmet for a few moments Stormfly began to squawk excitedly. She spread her wings and began bobbing up and down in anticipation to fly. Astrid smiled and glanced back at the group. "She's got it."
"Let's mount up," Hiccup said. With that everyone leapt into their saddles. Astrid placed the helmet into her saddlebags in case they needed to refresh the scent before mounting Stormfly. She looked toward Hiccup, waiting for him to give the signal.
"You're on point Astrid," Hiccup said to her.
She gave a nod before signaling Stormfly to take to the air. With a running start the Nadder took to the air with the other riders in tow. Stormfly sniffed at the air before setting a course away from the island.
"So hey!" Ruffnut suddenly chimed in. When everyone looked at her she continued. "Do they know who took the chief's daughter?" she asked.
"Oh yeah, get this. Apparently it was Ulrik," Snotlout revealed.
"Astrid's former beau?" Tuffnut asked in surprise. Then he started laughing aloud. "Well, looks like he got over you pretty quick, huh Astrid?" Snotlout and Ruffnut chuckled with him as they looked at their comrade.
Astrid threw them all a dirty look over her shoulders, not amused at Tuffnut's joke.
"Let's focus guys," Hiccup interjected to steer everyone back on task. The chuckles died down before all the riders turned their focus on the direction Stormfly and Astrid were leading them.
After a few hours of flying and being led by Stormfly the group came upon an island right as night fell. From the sky they could make out a ship anchored on the shore and a camp a little ways away from it. They circled above as Stormfly squawked excitedly, confirming Tantrum was somewhere below.
Hiccup began giving orders. "Twins, Fishlegs, you take the ship. See if they're holding Tantrum there. If you find her, get her out of there. If she's not there, burn it," he ordered.
"Oh sounds like a plan to me Hiccup," Tuffnut said with a grin.
"Make sure you actually check to see if Tantrum is there first guys," Astrid chimed in, knowing how the twins could be. They loved any excuse to cause destruction and mayhem.
"Right...gotcha," Ruffnut said with a click of her tongue, a wink, and a finger gun. That did little to ease anyone's concerns.
"I'll make sure," Fishlegs piped up to assuage everyone's worries.
"Everyone else, we take the camp. Try to limit the use of fire. We don't want Tantrum to take any collateral damage," Hiccup said next. Astrid and Snotlout nodded in understanding.
With one last look to everyone he gave a smile. This was the first time they'd all flown together since before he disappeared. The last time was when they went to fight the Red Death. The situation made him nostalgic and gave him an immense feeling of satisfaction.
"Let's go riders."
On the ground Ulrik and his men were lounging around, eating, drinking, and fighting to pass the time. In their company was a rustling burlap sack that contained the Uglithug heiress. The burlap sack was producing muffled noises that grated on the ears of the leader. The heiress had a mouth on her.
And that was an understatement.
The heiress had whined and harangued them for hours straight after her kidnapping. Shouting at all of them and shrieking vile obscenities until they'd all had enough and gagged her. Still, that wasn't enough so they'd thrown her in a burlap sack. And still the heiress would not relent with her verbal assault.
Ulrik did his best to drown her out as he sharpened his sword. But his nerves were wearing thin, her noises like an insect buzzing around his head. He was considering throwing her into a chest, maybe that would finally give him some goddamn peace.
"In the name of Odin will you SHUT UUUUUUUP!" Ulrik finally yelled toward the sack. The noise stopped momentarily, giving them all a moment of silent respite. But a moment later the muffled whining protests resumed and he growled before getting to his feet.
He began to tromp his way over, planning on giving the sack a few good kicks to perhaps finally silence the heiress inside. He stopped just before it and raised a foot to begin kicking. When a sound began to fill the air. A soft whistling that began to get higher and higher.
Everyone stopped as they heard it before it finally clicked.
"Night Fury!" someone shouted.
Ulrik looked to the sky before shouting a warning. "Get down!" He then dove to the floor beside the sack.
On the opposite side of the campfire a blast of fire from the sky hit the ground and exploded in a bright flash. Everyone near was sent flying by the explosion. Everyone else was either blinded or rendered deaf, mostly both.
In the next moment several figures were among them. One was enormous and immediately set ablaze. A Monstrous Nightmare let out a fierce roar as it swept its tail around in one wide movement that knocked several men off their feet.
Several large spines from a Nadder riddled a few more. They cried out, spines piercing skin and limbs and injecting their poison. Along with its volley of spines it rammed the men with its head and attacked them with swipes from its tail.
A Night Fury joined the assault. Attacking with wings, tail, claws, and well-aimed plasma blasts that reduced weapons and shields to useless pieces of metal and wood.
Alongside the dragons their riders joined the fray. Astrid with her axe. Hiccup with his sword. Snotlout with a stone war hammer. The men barely had a chance to fight back.
"Snotlout, get Tantrum and get in the air," Hiccup ordered in the midst of battle.
Snotlout swung his hammer into the side of a man's head and sent him to dreamland before setting his eyes on the sack. They'd seen it from the air and presumed it was holding the heiress.
"On it," he said in compliance. He rushed toward it, dashing right by the downed Ulrik and snatching up the sack. He hefted it over his shoulder before rushing to Hookfang and leaping onto his saddle. He gave his dragon the signal to fly and a moment later he was safely in the air.
"Tantrum is secure," Astrid said as she watched her comrade fly off.
"Alright, we're free to use dragon fire," Hiccup said with a grin.
With no danger of collateral damage their dragons let loose their fires. The men were set ablaze and frantically patted themselves or threw themselves to the ground to roll it out.
"To the ship!" Ulrik shouted to his men. As they all began running in the direction of their ship there was an explosion in the distance where it'd anchored. A large plume of fire and smoke lit up the sky and the men halted in their tracks as they broke the tree line to see their vessel in flames and quickly sinking.
Suddenly a ball of magma hit the ground in front of them, sending out fragments of molten rock. They looked up to see a Zippleback and a Gronckle above them with Vikings on their back. The men scattered while Ulrik tried shouting orders. He wanted them to rally together. But they were in too much of a panic to listen as they sought to run as far and fast from the dragons as they could.
Soon enough he found himself alone. With all his men fleeing to whatever corners of the island they could in hopes the dragons wouldn't follow. He had a longsword in hand as he gripped it firmly in preparation to fight.
"Just give up Ulrik," someone said from behind. He turned to find a familiarly armored figure approaching him with a Night Fury at his side. Joining them were a Nadder and a shieldmaiden he knew all too well.
"I'll never surrender to the likes of you! Runt!" he spat at Hiccup.
"You should do what he says Ulrik," Astrid said as she moved to surround him. "The odds aren't looking good for you, and you're not exactly 'unbeatable' anymore," she said. She added the last bit as a personal jab to his ego.
He gave a growl as he took one last look around. He calculated the odds. But Vikings weren't known for their skills in math. He set his sights on the cause of all his problems. He glared maliciously at Hiccup, looking into his helmeted eyes and snarling before tensing to charge.
Hiccup could sense his intent as he adjusted the grip on his katana in preparation to meet him. But before Ulrik could start rushing him Astrid stepped in front of him. Ulrik paused and Hiccup lowered his weapon curiously.
Astrid glanced over her shoulder and at him. "He's mine," Astrid said to him.
"By all means," Hiccup said as gestured toward Ulrik and took a step back.
Ulrik in turn arched a brow as the shieldmaiden stepped forward. He relaxed slightly and gave a smirk. "Come now Astrid, I don't want to fight you. How about you step aside and let us men settle things," he said to her in a condescending tone.
The riders all collectively sucked in air through their teeth and grimaced. Astrid's eyes went ice cold as she felt a white hot surge of anger rushed through her. But with a breath she quelled it. She wasn't going to let her anger get the better of her. She was going to use it. Aim it like dragon's fire right at Ulrik and his smug face.
Astrid threw down her axe, embedding the blade into the earth. Everyone was momentarily confused before she bent down, scooping up an abandoned sword dropped by one of Ulrik's men who'd fled in panic. She gave it a swing to familiarize herself with its weight. Then, satisfied, she stepped forward before wrapping both hands around the hilt and lowering herself into a battle stance.
Ulrik stared, almost in disbelief that Astrid was challenging him. He knew she was feisty but he didn't think she was foolish. He still had an infamous reputation for having never been beaten. Well…until recently anyway.
His knuckles tightened around the hilt of his own sword as he glanced behind Astrid and at Hiccup in his full armor set. He felt an ember of rage that had been smoldering inside of him since his defeat by the samurai.
As Astrid came within striking range she let out a war cry and raised her sword to attack. She poised the blade above her head and swung downward. But Ulrik quickly raised his sword up, holding it up horizontally to intercept her attack. The clang of metal resounded through the air before Ulrik pushed her blade back with a grunt.
Annoyed, he fully turned his attention to Astrid as she was already preparing for a second strike. She went for a diagonal swing that Ulrik parried. He followed up with a stab but Astrid twisted away to avoid the strike. Ulrik went on the attack and pressed the shieldmaiden with a series of powerful attacks. But Astrid kept her cool, backing away as she parried and deflected his strikes.
As he went for an overhead attack she raised her blade up to block. Then she quickly pushed her blade to force his down to the ground. Before Ulrik could make his next move Astrid drove her elbow across his face, hitting Ulrik right at his brow.
Ulrik hissed in pain and staggered away. His brow throbbed and he felt blood begin to seep from a reopened wound. It had been the place where Hiccup had cut him days before. With a growl he raised a hand and gingerly touched the spot. He pulled his hand back to find it sticky and red with blood.
Astrid pressed the attack once more. She attacked with a rush of strikes. Ulrik backed away as he defended. All the while he was gritting his teeth and feeling a throbbing pain at his right shoulder. It was yet another area Hiccup had wounded him during their duel and he had not yet had the chance to fully heal.
A fact Astrid was counting on. She remembered the more serious injuries he'd taken from Hiccup and was exploiting them. She kept attacking, going for Ulrik's right shoulder. She could tell his guard was beginning to falter. She pressed her assault further, forcing Ulrik to repeatedly raise his shoulder more and more to guard.
As Astrid prepared for another attack she feinted. Ulrik, who'd been expecting another overhand strike, was too slow to react as Astrid delivered a horizontal slash across his torso. He cried out and staggered away. He placed a hand over the wound as blood seeped through his clothes and coated his fingers.
Astrid followed up as she turned her sword and slammed the pommel against his shoulder. Ulrik cried out again as his arm began feeling numb. As he looked toward Astrid to strike back and prepared his attack blood seeped into his right eye, blinding him. His wound had started bleeding just then.
He threw a wild swing that Astrid was easily able to deflect. Then he threw the pommel against his head, aiming for the spot between his eyes. Ulrik's entire world spun and his vision blurred. Everything began to lose focus before finally Astrid took her right hand off the hilt and threw a hard punch across the face.
Ulrik went crumpling to the floor from the blow, weapon clattering away before hitting the ground on his front and going limp.
Astrid took steadying breaths as she eyed her downed opponent. She took a few slow steps toward him before coming up to his feet. She nudged a foot with her own and watched for any reaction. Then she delivered a soft kick to the side of his leg, and still Ulrik did not stir.
Satisfied, she dropped her guard and smiled.
"Whoo yeah! You the Viking girl!" Ruffnut hollered as she came up to her friend.
"Yeah, good job Astrid," Fishlegs said in agreement.
"Yeah Astrid, you were all like 'yah!', and he was all like 'ugh!', and then you just," Tuffnut chattered theatrically as he acted out her battle before throwing a punch at the air in reference to her final attack.
Astrid beamed proudly at her friends before glancing back toward Hiccup. He was standing in silence, eyes watching her from beneath his helmet, making his expression unreadable.
"What?! Surprised I could take him?" Astrid demanded.
Hiccup flinched, snapping back to reality. He chuckled and sheathed his katana before approaching her. "Not really," he answered. "If he couldn't take me he definitely couldn't take you," he complimented with a nod.
Astrid smiled at the praise and blushed lightly. "Thanks," she said softly. Stormfly strode over and prodded her rider in concern. Astrid dropped her sword and turned her attention to her dragon to reassure her she was fine.
They then proceeded to bind Ulrik's hands and feet, intent on taking him back to the Uglithugs before making their way back to the camp. They all looked to the sky before Astrid raised a finger to her lips and whistled to signal to Snotlout that it was safe to land.
A few moments later they spied the form of Hookfang descending toward them. As the dragon drew closer they could make out the yells and protests of Snotlout. When the dragon had landed they saw the bulky boy struggling with the wildly squirming and wiggling sack in his arms, doing his best not to drop her as the captive inside flailed about.
"Hey easy, we're on your side Princess-ow!" he cried as he was struck in the nose. He dismounted before placing the sack on the ground and backing away. "Someone else wanna deal with this?" he said in frustration as he rubbed his throbbing nose.
The others exchanged a glance before Astrid and Ruffnut stepped forward. Astrid produced a dagger and with her fellow viking managed to cut into and then tear the sack open to free the trapped heir. They ripped it away and backed up a step as the bound heiress of the Uglithug tribe immediately glared at them whilst producing muffled protests through her gag.
The heiress of the Uglithug tribe was a young viking near in age to the riders with dark brown hair and brown eyes. She had her hair braided on either side of her head. The rest of it was plaited into two long braids that fell down the center of her back. She was dressed in dark furs typical of viking attire and kept shifting her gaze to all of them, throwing dirty looks before looking straight at Astrid.
She met the shieldmaiden's eye and began to make muffled demands. "Alright, one sec Princess," Astrid said respectfully. She kneeled down and extended a hand to remove the gag from her mouth.
No sooner was the heiress' mouth free when she immediately shouted, "You #$ &%*!-ing muttonhead! Untie me this instant!" she demanded.
Astrid and everyone else was taken aback. All except Hiccup that is. He took a breath through the nose as he mentally prepared himself for the verbal assault and torrent of vile obscenities about to come flooding out of the Uglithug heiress. He was accustomed to her outbursts as he'd been forced to endure them in his youth.
Astrid complied and cut her bindings. The heiress leapt to her feet with bared teeth as she looked at all of them. "You #$ &%*!-ing muttonheads. Do you know who my father is?! Do you know who the #$ &%*! I am?!" she shouted at them vehemently.
The riders blinked in shock. They'd been expecting a show of gratitude in some way. Not...this?
"WELL! DO YOU!?" she demanded. "Or are you all a bunch of mother#$ &%*!-ing louts with shit for brains?!"
"Actually Princess, we were sent by your father to-" Fishlegs began, believing that perhaps the princess was confused as to why they were there.
"Shut the #$ &%*! up you #$ &%*!-ing peasant!" Tantrum immediately interjected as she pointed at Fishlegs. "Did I ask for your #$ &%*!-ing-" she started before stopping and finally taking note of the dragons around them.
She blinked before paling in fear at the sight of the Nadder, Zippleback, Gronckle, Nightmare, and mysterious black dragon she had never seen but was sure to be dangerous.
She let out a shriek in terror. "Oh Odin's raven! Dragons!" she shouted before pointing them out to the riders. When they didn't react she looked toward all of them incredulously. "What the #$ &%*! is wrong with all of you? Don't you see the mother#$ &%*!-ing dragons surrounding us?! Protect me!" she demanded.
Tuffnut walked toward her to try and ease her mind. "Easy there your highness, the dragons are with-" he started as he placed a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. But the heiress let out a snarl and whipped around to punch the Thorston boy square in the nose for his troubles.
He fell to the ground, rolling away and clutching his face in pain. "Oh, I am hurt! I am very much hurt!" he cried in agony. Ruffnut chuckled at the state of her twin as she raised a hand to calm their shared dragon whose heads were hissing and growling at the heiress for hurting one of their riders.
"Who said you could touch me you #$ &%*!-ing muttonhead?!" Tantrum cried in outrage at the Thorston boy. "I'm a #$ &%*!-ing princess!"
"What is wrong with all of you?! Why is it dark out?! I'm hungry!" she shouted in complaint as she looked up to the sky in frustration.
Deciding it was finally time to speak up Hiccup removed his helmet before placing it under his arm. "Tantrum," he said to get her attention.
The heiress looked at him. She was silent for a moment. A blissful moment. Then her eyes narrowed in scrutiny. She turned and began to walk toward him. She was perplexed at his face, and it annoyed her, as he seemed familiar.
She stopped when she was right before him, face a few inches from his and eyes still narrowed. "Who are you? Answer me! Why do you look familiar? Hurry up!" she demanded.
"It's me Tantrum. Hiccup, from Berk," he answered.
Tantrum cocked her head at his response as she searched her memory for vestiges of a person by that name from that island. She remembered it was home to one of her father's fellow chieftains to which her tribe was fairly friendly. She remembered he had a son. A scrawny and pathetic fishbone of a boy named-
Her eyes widened as she remembered the young child from all those years ago. She looked the man before her up and down, and she could scarcely believe they were the same person. But something in his voice and face resonated in her mind with her memories of the boy, allowing her to reconcile the truth. No matter how baffling.
She blinked before looking back to his face. "Hiccup?" she asked.
"It's been a while Tantrum," Hiccup confirmed with a nod.
Tantrum blinked as she kept staring at Hiccup's face. And the longer she did the more she began to notice that this new, older, taller, and undoubtedly better version of Hiccup was actually kind of...good looking. She might dare even say he was handsome even. His strange armor also gave him an air of mystery that made him all the more intriguing.
Hiccup began to get nervous as Tantrum remained very much in his personal space. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a spot of red. He glanced to the side to see Astrid staring intently at him with a clouded expression. He swallowed nervously, something in her eye unsettling him greatly.
He looked back to the heiress and shuddered as her quizzical look morphed into an unnerving smile. Tantrum never smiled. It was almost always a sneer or smirk, especially when it had come to him. She, like most Vikings in his childhood, had done little to hide her dislike and contempt of his strange ways and sarcastic humor when they were children.
"Oh wow Hiccup, it's been so long. You look so different," Tantrum gushed. She then batted her eyes at him and reached a hand up to begin twirling a lock of hair around a finger.
"Uh, yeah. Got a little taller. Time will do that to you," Hiccup said back with a weak chuckle.
Tantrum began to laugh and giggle the way women do in the presence of a man whose favor they were seeking. To Hiccup however it just sounded wrong. Her laugh had always been mocking and full of scorn. Usually reserved for the moments he failed and made a fool of himself.
"Anyway, we should probably get you back to your dad. He's really worried about you," Hiccup chimed in. He motioned to Toothless waiting behind him and watching their interactions curiously, all while sensing the nervousness of his rider. "So how about we hop on Toothless here and we get you back home."
"Oh Hiccup," Tantrum countered with a smile and playful swat on the arm. "What's the rush? It's been so long since we've seen each other. How about we catch up a little?" she offered. She then raised her hand to wave behind her toward the other riders. "And you tell these guys to get lost," she added rudely.
Astrid's eyes flashed angrily, and her eyes went cold. She shifted on her feet and crossed her arms over her chest while looking at Hiccup to see how he'd respond. Maybe he'd want to spend time with the heiress of the Uglithug tribe. Maybe she was more suited to his tastes. She was after all above Astrid herself in social standing.
Hiccup's glance shifted to Astrid once again. He felt his face getting warm under her intense gaze. She seemed to be assessing him, gauging his reaction. The only times she'd stared so intently at him was during their sparring sessions. But this felt different.
Tantrum suddenly shuffled forward and turned to lean against him. All the while she looked up bashfully. Hiccup had to resist the urge to reel back. She suddenly lifted a hand and placed two fingers against Hiccup's torso armor. She then began to walk her fingers upwards.
"What do you say Hiccup?" she whispered sultrily.
Hiccup regained his wits as he grabbed the heiress by the shoulders and gently moved her back. "I'd love to Tantrum. We should probably get you back to your dad," said in rejection as gently as he could, trying to emphasize that it was because of her dad that he was eager to be on their way.
And not because she made his skin crawl.
Tantrum on her part was wide eyed and slack jawed at his rejection of her proposal. She stared in disbelief, hardly comprehending that Hiccup the Useless was actually turning her down. HER! Princess of the Uglithug tribe. The most beautiful Viking girl to ever grace the archipelago's waters. (By what her father had always told her)
"Are you saying no to me?" she asked slowly, tone and expression clouding over.
Hiccup cursed in his mind. This was bad. Tantrum had never taken rejection well. It didn't help that her father spoiled her rotten and never denied her wants and desires. It was why she was referred to as her tribe's "Princess" even though Vikings didn't use those terms for themselves.
"Nonononono," Hiccup said quickly as he raised a hand, trying to placate her. "You dad is just really worried and-"
But it was too late. Tantrum's body began to tremble in rage and her breathing began to grow ragged. Her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides and he could see a storm brewing in her eyes.
"Oh Thor," said with a sigh. He dropped his helmet and raised both hands up to cover his ears. The riders furrowed their brows in confusion until they saw Tantrum's chest expand as she took in a large breath. Then they all followed Hiccup's lead.
A moment later Tantrum threw her head back and let out a shrill shriek that could be heard for miles. The very volume of her shout could even impress a Thunderdrum. The dragon's all growled and groaned in pain, backing away to try to get away from the heiress.
After a few moments of shouting Tantrum sunk to her knees before throwing themselves on the ground. Then she began to roll around while shouting and cursing and flailing her limbs. Hiccup and the riders just watched. All save Hiccup were shocked by the girl's reactions, having never seen anyone act like this. Even the children on Berk never threw fits like this.
But Hiccup had seen this side of his fellow heir many times. She always devolved into hysterical fits whenever she didn't get her way and the other heirs didn't want to do what she wanted. Living up to her namesake.
Tantrum meanwhile rolled around while flailing in outrage. Did Hiccup not know who she was? How many suitors she had? How many would kill to spend any alone time with her? Yet he actually had the audacity, the gall, the impudence to reject her like she was some common villager and not the Princess she was?
"Tantrum please," Hiccup said loudly to try and calm her down.
The heiress stopped before sitting up to glare daggers at him. "YOU!" she spat as if fire were coming out of her mouth. She leapt to her feet. "Who the #$ &%*! do you think you are, Useless?!" she shouted vehemently at him.
"You piece of dragon shit! How dare you! You goddamn fish bone! You should thank the gods that any girl, especially one like me, would even think to-" she began to spew with venom, before a fist to the side of the face knocked her out cold.
Tantrum fell to the ground in a heap. The riders gaped as Astrid stood above her, fist clenched and arm raised. She'd had enough of her insults directed at Hiccup and was more than eager to silence her. She looked at Hiccup who was staring wide eyed at her.
She held his gaze and put her hands on her hips. "She was hysterical," she stated simply.
Hiccup blinked as his mind began to catch up. "She was obviously traumatized by her experience," Hiccup added in agreement.
"It would've been dangerous to try and fly her home in her state," Fishlegs chimed in.
"She might've fallen off," Snotlout agreed.
"Yes," Hiccup concluded. "Alright. Someone get Tantrum and Ulrik. We're heading back," Hiccup ordered.
Everyone nodded as they began getting ready to fly. Snotlout grabbed Ulrik while Fishlegs grabbed the unconscious heiress and soon enough they were in the air.
Hours later the riders were back on Berk after having dropped off the heiress and the kidnapper, Ulrik. They decided to let the Uglithugs deal with the criminal. Chief UG was eager to have a talk with the young man.
Hiccup gave the riders praise, commending them on their teamwork and successful return of Tantrum. They all smile proudly at having impressed Berk's first rider before he dismissed them. The riders split off to go to their respective homes after saying their goodbyes.
Astrid took Stormfly to her stable and unsaddled her, working in comfortable silence when Hiccup appeared. She was surprised by his presence and froze for a moment. They stared at each other awkwardly for a few moments before Astrid broke the silence.
"Hey," she greeted with a small smile.
"Hey," he greeted back as he raised a hand in greeting. They shifted back into silence. Astrid looked away and brushed some hair out of her face while Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck. "Good-good job with the mission," he said to her personally.
"Thanks," she said as she continued tending to her dragon.
"So...Tracker class huh?" Hiccup inquired curiously.
This made Astrid laugh and shake her head in amusement. "Of course you came to talk about dragons," she chuckled.
"What? I'm genuinely curious," Hiccup said with a shrug.
"It's like dragons are all you think about," Astrid quipped as she ran a hand over her dragon's head.
Hiccup's smile faltered a little. He looked down shyly before looking back to meet her eyes. "You know Astrid, dragons aren't the only things I think about," he said, all while holding her gaze.
Her cheeks pinked and she glanced away to finish her task. All the while she could feel Hiccup's eyes on her. With her dragon tended she expressed that she was going to head home. Hiccup offered to walk her back. She accepted as they walked together.
"Your fight with Ulrik was amazing," he complimented.
"Thanks. Not sure I could've taken him at his best though," Astrid admitted honestly.
"Nah. You would've wiped the floor with him. Like I said. If he couldn't beat me, there's no way he could beat you," he reiterated.
She smiled bashfully as they reached her front door. She paused to turn and look at him. They lapsed back into silence, wanting to say more, but unsure as to what should be said.
"Well...goodnight Hiccup," Astrid said with one last smile before turning and entering her home.
The door closed before Hiccup responded with a quiet, "Goodnight Astrid." He looked down with a frown. Things felt heavy and awkward between them still. He turned and began to walk away.
But then he stopped. He clenched his fists as he began to sharpen his resolve. He was being too passive. He could feel it. He didn't want things to remain like they were with Astrid. He had to do something.
He turned and marched back up to her door. He took a breath and steadied his nerves before raising a hand and knocking on the door. He took a small step back and waited. He heard movement inside before the door opened and he was greeted by Astrid's father.
"Hiccup?" the man questioned. Behind him Hiccup could spy Astrid's mother and Astrid herself, all looking toward the door curiously.
Hiccup took another breath. "Mr. Hofferson," he greeted with a small bow. Then he looked to Astrid's mother. "Mrs. Hofferson," he said with another bow. "I apologize for the late hour of my visit. But I'd like to discuss something with you," he said.
Astrid looked on inquisitively. She wondered what Hiccup wanted so late at night. She wanted to walk up to him and ask, but he seemed intent on speaking with her parents directly.
"What is it lad?" Astrid's father grunted.
"Mr. and Mrs. Hofferson, I know I'm still not technically a member of the tribe yet. And I perhaps don't have much to offer as someone else might," Hiccup began. He paused as he exchanged a glance with Astrid. He smiled at her warmly as the sight of her gave him courage.
"But I would like a chance to prove myself. And with your blessings, and I hope permission, I'd like to begin courting Astrid. If she is willing that is," he finished.
Astrid's parents were frozen in shock. They hadn't been expecting this in the least. The older Vikings exchanged a glance, a silent conversation happening between the married pair.
"She is," Astrid said loudly. Everyone looked at her and she smiled brightly at Hiccup. "She-I, am willing," she said happily as she looked directly at him.
Hiccup smiled back while Astrid's parents debated internally over the merits and faults of allowing their daughter to be courted by the samurai.
But at that moment neither cared. The world faded around them while the only thing they could see was each other.