Hello ladies and gentlemen. I have two news for you. One is good, the other one not so much. At first, the good news. I have a new chapter for you! Yay! As of this moment, many characters' lives will turn upside down, and most of the drama begins. I hope that you are ready for it. Anyway, the bad news is that I don't know if I will manage to keep a schedule, one chapter per week, from here on. As you all know, Christmas is slowly approaching, and since I have my own business, I tend to get really overextended before the holidays. What is even worse is that I got my Recurrent brief depression a few days back, and I fall behind schedule in every aspect of my life. Sadly the specialist in my country never heard (or don't want to hear) anything about that (awesome specialists, aren't they?), so I am forced to deal with it alone. Alongside work problems and family problems, it leaves me depressed more than I should be. And more than I would like. Anyway, I would like to thank you for reading my story and enjoying it. I have few pleasures in my life, and hearing you all like my story brings me tremendous joy. Hopefully, I will see you all next week with the new chapter.
Astrid sat next to her mother, while her brother sat next to their father. She managed to arrive at the banquet room right before the third horn. So luckily, her parents were not angry at her. The banquet room was huge. A mostly empty room for years was now filled with tables and chairs. Four massive fireplaces in every corner of the room kept the room warm. Astrid's family sits opposite the main door, where a court marshal is already standing to announce every guest that passes through that door. On both sides of the room was a small room with staff. Astrid knows that an army of servants is standing ready for the beginning of the banquet. Several musicians were standing at the right side of the entry door, waiting for the court marshal's signal to start playing. Dozens of tables were placed in the huge room. One table covered in cloth was a few steps from her table. The white fabric was covering gifts that were brought for her family. The cloth would be slowly unveiled when all people were seated. Only then will the court marshal slowly reveal the gifts and present them to her family, with a few words about their origin. Astrid was starting to be nervous, and her mother noticed that.
"Calm down, Astrid." Her mother softly says as she leans a little towards her daughter. "No one is expecting anything from you. Just enjoy yourself, and who knows? Maybe you will find the one you are looking for."
Astrid takes a deep breath. Her mother was right, at least partially. This banquet was only the biggest welcoming party in the realm. No big deal, right? Never in her life were so many people in the castle. Suddenly, the door opens as if by themselves, but Astrid knows that the guards at the other side of the door open them. The musicians started with loud trumpets, and Astrid could see the first royals standing behind the door. Musicians start with soft banquet music while Court Marshal announces the first people walking through the door.
"Now presenting!" The court marshal shouts, and his voice resonates in the hall. "Lord Harald, his wife Lady Revna and son Lord Fishlegs of house Ingerman!" Astrid looks at the arrivals. Lord Harald and his son were both chubby fellows. Both of them had blonde hair. Lord Harald shaved his facial hair while his son sports a braided moustache and tattoos on his upper arms. Lady Revna was like a contrast to her husband. She was slim, and her red hair reached her waist. The trio was clad in furs and golds. House Ingerman has the biggest gold mines in the whole known world. Fishlegs was, however, the only heir that was not marked by his wealth. He tried to be friendly with everyone he met and was really smart. He likes to read a lot, and most of his spending is heading towards science and books.
"Lord Spitelout, his wife Lady Sigrid of house Jorgenson," While Ingermans were somewhat humble despite their wealth, the same could not be said about Jorgensons. Spitelout was originally from the Northern tribes, and he looked like it. Spitelout is a tall, muscular man with stubble that eventually grows into a beard. He also wears a helmet decorated with yak horns and a grey tunic. His wife, Sigrid, was a tall woman, taller than even most men in the realm. She was muscular and, most of the time, quite intimidating. Sigrid, however, married Spitelout only because it caused an uproar. She always said that if the King could marry someone from the Northern Tribes, why she cannot? Sigrid, however, did not anticipate Spitelout's resolve and ego. He slowly took all the power from under her; now, she was just a pawn in his games. Because of that, she was insufferable most of the time, while Spitelout played the nice guy. Spitelout managed to increase House Jorgenson's army. They were now the third house with the strongest military. However, most of their forces were used to repeal attacks from the Free Roaming Tribes while sometimes attacking them. House Jorgenson was rich mainly because of the giant emerald mines.
Their son was, however, even worse. He flexed his muscles at every girl he met, and his weird pick-up lines and feeble attempts to gain any favour from any girls made him a total idiot in Astrid's book.
"Accompanying Lord and Lady of house Jorgenson is their son Lord Snotlout and his fiancée Lady Heather!" As she was saying...
Wait... WHAT? Astrid's thoughts halt. Fiancée? She sees Snotlout. He has grown some facial hair since their last meeting and wears his favourite helmet with spiral sheep horns, a leather green-blue tunic and bearskin vest over it, spike-emblazoned brown bracers and boots. Snotlout was walking hand in hand with a raven-haired girl. She was Astrid's age, but she never saw her before. The girl's lithe form swayed gracefully with every move. Her white skin shinned in the light of the fires, and her raven hair was like the deepest night. She was dressed in a dark red dress with a v-neckline. Astrid had absolutely no idea how Snotlout could, of all people, manage to get a fiancée like her.
Astrid noticed, however, that Snotlout did not have the same egoistic smile he always had. He looked... different. She did not have an idea if it was for better or worse. Well, she would soon figure it out. Astrid also felt something different. She felt... relieved. The thought that she would be forced to marry Snotlout always haunted her, and seeing him with a different fiancée brought happiness into her heart.
"Hiccup for the love of Thor and every single god I know!" Axelia shouted at her brother, who was still trying to get dressed. He knew he was late and did not need to remind him.
"Hiccup, are you ready?" His father barraged into his room, and when he saw that Hiccup was only halfway there, he frowned and facepalmed. "Son, ya will bring me to my grave!"
"Yeah, yeah..." Hiccup says as he puts the finishing touches on his outfit.
"You look more like you are going to fight off a dragon attack rather than going to the banquet," Axelia says and Hiccup groans. "I would rather face a horde of angered dragons than face those people. Thank you very much."
The door heading into his room suddenly shoots open, and his mother makes her way through them. "Hiccup, we are expected!
"What are you everyone doing in my room, by the way?! I know how to dress!" Hiccup says, and his sister makes his way towards him and smacks him upside the head.
"And now presenting!" The court marshal shouts again, and Astrid facepalms. Her mother quickly reprimanded her, but Astrid could see that she could barely hide her amusement.
"Lord Torsten and his wife Lady Thurid of house Thorstons alongside with their children Lady Ruffnut, Lord Tuffnut and his... escort." Astrid wanted to laugh at loud at the sight of the court marshall. There was nothing wrong with them except the chicken sitting on top of Tuffnut's head. Despite Tuffnut's antics, House Thorstons was deeply respected. Their house had the strongest and best-trained army on the Mainland. House Hofferson was second, while House Jorgenson the third. Lord Thorsten was a feared adversary for anyone who tried to challenge him. As for Lady Thurid, there was a rumour that she was the spymaster of the Thorstons network. Nothing official was ever mentioned in the upper circles, but Astrid was sure that the rumours were true because that woman had an aura of mystery around her. Lord Thurid was a quite normal-looking man, with brown hair and without any facial hair. He was dressed in ceremonial leather armour with golden strapping here and there. His wife was a short blonde woman wearing a green dress covered with pearls and crystal.
"Now presenting," The court marshal shouts again, and Astrid's fist clench. She knew who was next. "Lord Ryker and Lord Viggo of House Hunters." Two smug-looking men walk through the door, and Astrid clenches her hands even tighter. If Snoutlout was a bad dream, these two were nightmares. Viggo has short black hair, large brown eyes and a French-cut beard. He has three scars on the left side of his neck, supposedly from a dragon. Viggo wears a black leather tunic with red scales on his shoulders and around his waist. He also has spiked shoulder pads, a black cloak, a silver belt buckle with Hunters' house crest, and black wrist guards.
Ryker is slightly taller compared to Viggo. He has a small, light scar on the left side of his face. Ryker wears a silvery leather tunic, spiky shoulder guard and arm guard on one arm, and one regular arm guard on the other, a studded belt with a giant skull buckle. As his brother, he, too, had a long black cloak.
Viggo was the brain of the House Hunters, while his brother was muscles. Their loyalty to the throne was dubious, and most of the land looked at them with distrust. It has a valid reason because their father supported Drago Bludvist. Brothers were really secretive with their ways, and when they could, they fabricated problems even where there were none. The finances of the House Hunters were also questionable. They did not have any mines worth mentioning, and their primary source of profit was the trophies of wild animals. Despite their lack of income, they were getting more and more wealthy with each passing month. The last thing Astrid heard was that they were building up their army, and she did not need to mention that it left a lot of lords nervous.
Soon a lot more people arrive, which Astrid doesn't know personally. A lot of minor Lords and Ladies, and she was surprised to see several people from the Northern tribes too. But she still wonders where father's VIP guests are. As soon as she thinks about it, the court marshal shouts again.
"And now presenting, significant guests of our King!" Everyone turns towards the door since no one probably knows who those guests are.
"High Chief of Northern tribes, glorious leader of the Island of Berk, Stoick the Vast of House Haddock! Along with his wife and Chieftess, Valka the Brave of House Haddock!"
Since Astrid was in the opposite direction of the door, she could see them first. Stoick, the Vast, was indeed vast. She doubts she has ever seen a bigger and more muscular human than the High Chief. She bets that many people who would be forced to fight him would run away as soon as they saw him. He also had green eyes and red hair, braided at the back, and the braiding trend carried on his beard. His attire consists of a giant bear cloak fastened over his shoulder with several jewels, a golden chainmail tunic with jewelled pants and fur boots. He also wears war spikes bracelets over his wrists. His wife has auburn hair which she kept in three separate braids behind her back. She has blue eyes and a slim figure with pale skin. She wears a long, very ornamented royal dress with a v-neckline and a split on her right leg.
"Accompanying them are their children, Hiccup the Cunning and Axelia the Merciful!" Astrid's sight first fell at Axelia. She looks exactly the same as she did when Gustav was harassing her in the gardens. Her green dress was shining in the light of the fires, and a split at her right leg kept exposing her milk-white skin. Then her sight fell on Hiccup. At that moment, her breath caught up in her throat. It was the same man she bumped into in the gardens! Even from this far away, his forest-green eyes bore straight into her soul. She didn't even have the slightest idea what was happing right now. She could see only Hiccup now at this moment. His outfit consists of tanned leather chest armour, tanned leather pants, and leather armour plating along his shoulders with arm brackets. The whole outfit was deep black, and it seemed as if his outfit was eating the light away. Slowly getting out of her trance, she noticed that the siblings looked like two different forces of nature. Astrid could even say that one looked like water while the other looked like fire.
The Court marshal closed the door after them, which meant everyone was already there. Everyone was seated at their designed table, and Astrid's father stood up. The musicians immediatelly stop, and everyone looks at the High King.
"Hello, my friends. Let me be the first one to officially welcome you into my home." Her father speaks with a smile on his face, but Astrid could see cracks in his façade. A lot of things can go wrong from this moment.
"Today is a great day. Our friend Stoick arrived along with his family, which we all know is a rare opportunity for a lot of us. We all know the Mainland would not be the same without the Northern tribes, and we are grateful for their friendship. At first, it will be our great pleasure to unveil the gifts you all brought for my family, and after that, I hope you will enjoy yourself. This banquet and ball are for all of you."
The court marshal arrives at the table where the gifts are from every house. He unveils the first part of the table, and Astrid sees four small chests of gold coins there.
"This gift is from house Ingerman. They wish your family good health, and they gift a small chest of golden coins for every member of the royal family." The court marshal says, and the members of house Ingerman stand up and bow. When the High King nods, they sit back down. Astrid mentally groans. Of course that they are giving her even more gold. She was so fed up with these kinds of gifts, but she will at least use them for a good cause. She is gathering enough money to build a school for every child in the realm. Her people were terribly uneducated, and she wants to change that.
The court marshal unveils another part of the table, and Astrid sees a small chest of emeralds and many pieces of jewellery made from emeralds and gold. The emeralds quickly remind her of the eyes of a particular individual in the room.
"This gift is from House Jorgenson. They wish your family a strong army that will make anyone think twice about attacking the kingdom's heart. They gift you this chest of emeralds, along with various jewellery made out of emeralds. The royal family can redistribute this gift between their members as they see fit." The court marshal finishes, and house Jorgenson does the same as house Ingerman. They stand up, bow to the royal family and as soon as her father nods, they sit down.
The court marshal unveils another gift, now from house Thorston. Everyone gasps at sight. On the table, there was only one thing. And that thing was one bag of chicken feed. Astrid chuckles, and she is not the only one. Her parents and brother chuckle too. Everyone else was looking at the Thorston family in shock and disgust. Well, almost everyone. She was surprised to see Lord Hiccup and Lady Axelia laugh between themselves while their parents were smiling.
Hiccup was happy that his sister was laughing with him. He was unsure how their relationship changed due to past events, and he will need to ask her that. Hiccup looks around, his gaze judging the main powerhouses. House Jorgenson had no reason to betray the High King nor The Northern tribes. Uncle Spitelout may be an ambitious and egoistic man, but he wouldn't betray his family. Also, Heather would report to Hiccup if she found anything suspicious in House Jorgenson. Hiccup still could not believe that Heather, of all people, would fall in love with someone like Snotlout Jorgenson. Hiccup did not know the man personally, but he learned he was a womanizer from his spies. Hiccup is afraid for Heather's safety, but he cannot report anything to her brother. She would never forgive him if he did it. And also, he trusts her. He believed her if she said that she was happy with him and that he was happy with her. But he will test his cousin, just in case.
As for house Ingerman, Hiccup didn't think they would betray anyone. They were friendly people despite their wealth, and his spies always said they could vouch for that house. House Thorston was a different tale. He didn't have close information about their operations, which made Hiccup nervous. But that nervousness was somewhat dispersed by Lady Thurid. Lady Thurid's and Hiccup's spies had a lot of close encounters, and after the last such encounter, lady Thurid contacted him. They didn't meet personally. Instead, both of them used their spy cell to contact each other. Hiccup's spies were, however, lucky enough to reveal her true identity. But maybe they were not fortunate alone. She met his gaze as soon as his sight fell on Lady Thurid. She faintly smiled and nodded. While it was a familiar gesture, Hiccup saw everything he needed to know in her face. She knew that he was the spymaster. This changed everything for Hiccup. Until now, he believed he got rid of every spy in their tribes. And that was a mistake. If lady Thurid knows about him being the spymaster, there is no telling how much everyone else knows. How much their enemies knew. That would also explain how free-roaming tribes could kidnap Taramis so easily.
Hiccup felt a burning gaze on him, so he turns to the last powerhouse. Lord Viggo looked at him while his finger circled the top of his glass. Hiccup knew that House Hunters would pose problems, as everyone else knew that, too. While Viggo and Ryker differ, Hiccup thinks Viggo is not as bad as his brother. From what Hiccup learned, Viggo is a good manipulator, so he needs to be ready for him.
Astrid was looking at Lord Hiccup, and she noticed a lot. How he scanned every member of the powerhouses, how he didn't even look at Snotlout's fiance. Yes, it could be a common courtesy, but she thinks there is more behind it. As if he did not want to draw attention to him and Lady Heather. Also, there was that weird thing with Lady Thurid. Most of the time, she didn't smile like that at anyone. There was definitely something going on. Also, she doesn't like how Lord Viggo looks at Lord Hiccup. In that gaze, Astrid could almost feel hatred.
Astrid wanted to share her findings with her mother, but she thought twice about it. First of all, they were in the eyes of every important person in their lands and secondly, her mother already had a lot on her plate. It would be wrong to stress her even more. No, if she is thinking about getting her father's throne, she must do many things alone. She decided that her first move would be to get closer to Lord Hiccup and Lady Axelia. She knew other heirs enough for her to know that she would never marry any of them. Lord Hiccup was the only remaining viable option right now, but she needed to know what kind of man he was. She will not be satisfied with only second-hand information. Suddenly, Lord Hiccup's sight fell on her, and she suddenly reminded herself how she met him in the gardens. She blushes and averts her gaze, but before that, she sees he does the same. She spied him from the corner of her eye. What the hell was going on with her? She never behaves like this. This man made her feel different, and she was determined to know why.
She was interrupted from her thoughts by a court marshal who unveiled another gift. It seemed that the chicken feed was already forgotten and what was even more, Tuffnut's parents were not even mad at their son. What the hell was happening here?
She looks at the table with gifts to see new additions. There she saw different kinds of furs, leather and everything else that could be taken from killed animals. She even sees dragon hide and scales. She was not surprised. House Hunters' pride were in hunting all kinds of animals. What was, however, interesting was that as big a problem as dragons were in the northern tribes, she never saw even one merchant with dragon hides. She saw scales here and there, but that was all.
"House Hunters wish the royal family all the best in the world. They are gifting you the furs and leather, which creation was personally led by Lord Viggo." Viggo and Ryker both stand up, and with a devious smirk, both of them bow. Astrid looks at her father, and his face betrays no emotion. He just nods, and the duo sits down.
As soon as the court marshal unveils the last part of the table, many people gasp and murmur. Despite herself, Astrid immediatelly smiles. She could see a slim curved sword on the table with a round, deeply engraved hilt and a diamond as the pommel. Next to it was a bow. Astrid never saw such a bow, as it had carved beautiful ornaments, and the grip was made from a shining red material. Astrid had absolutely no idea what was used on the grip. Next to the bow was a sword somewhat similar to the first one but also smaller. But that was due to the fact that a shield accompanied the sword. The shield looked like it was made from the same material as the bow's grip. Also, on the top of the shield was painted their family emblem. At the end of the table were two beautiful daggers with a necklace. On the blade near the hilt was a craftsman's signature, a curled-up dragon with the letter 'H' on each side of the dragon, and the hilt covered by material which Astrid also didn't recognize. The material was a combination of black and violet colour, and the strange material reflected the surrounding flames of the fires. Violet colour mixing with orange was just enchanting to watch. On the hilt was the engraved head of a deer. The deer was an emblem of her house. Between the daggers was a necklace made from the same material as the hilt of the daggers. The necklace was in the shape of the deer's head, while in the eye sockets were placed two bright sapphires.
"The last gifts are from the High Chief and his family. They wish you health and pledge their loyalty and friendship to the royal family. They will stand by you against your enemies anytime you ask of them. They were all made in Berkian Royal Forge, personally by Lord and Master Hiccup, the Cunning of House Haddock. The sword and the bow are for King and Queen, while the sword and shield are for your son, and the daggers and necklace are for your daughter."
Astrid was ecstatic beyond reason. She was in love with this gift and shot the sweetest smile she could make towards the one man who deserved it. Lord Hiccup was smiling at her and she mouths a 'thank you'. His smile widens after that.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Lord Ryker shouts as he stands up. "Since when are weapons allowed as a gift?!"
Everyone fell silent after that, and Astrid's smile faded. Yes, it was against proper decorum to gift weapons to the royal family, but it was hardly forbidden. She looked at her father, who was again quite angry. Before he can stand up and say something, Astrid's mother stops him and stands up herself.
"I don't know why you are shouting in our palace, Lord Ryker." She says with a calm but somewhat terrifying voice. "If you have any objection, it could be said quite normally. But anyway, since you brought this up, there is no law about gifting weapons to anyone. So what that it is against our decorum? As you all know, it is the custom of the Northern tribes to gift weapons. So why should we be rude about it, hmm?"
Lord Ryker was gaping at her words, and his brother quickly dragged him down to his seat. Astrid could see that Viggo was quite displeased with his brother.
"I am sorry, my queen, but Lord Ryker is quite right." Lady Sigrid speaks as she stands up. "The weapons are hardly any worth to the people like you, my lady."
"What do you mean by saying people like me?!" Astrid's mother growls, and Astrid can almost smirk. Poor Sigrid hits her mother where she should have never hit.
"I mean nothing in disrespect, but the weapons held no financial value." Lady Sigrid says, and Astrid can see that Lord Hiccup holds his temples. Astrid figured out that he probably knew how other houses would accept his gifts. But that was a huge plus in her book. He didn't care for proper decorum, which was a pretty welcome change.
"No value?! You can be serious!" Lord Harald speaks up. "You have no idea what you are talking about, woman!"
"How dare you!" Lady Sigrid says while her husband leans back and tries to hide his smirk behind his goblet. "You will never say that..."
"Enough!" A deep resonating voice of Astrid's father sounds across the room. His voice cut deep into everyone's bones, and no one dares to look him in the eyes.
"Lord Harald! You should apologize to the lady Sigrid!" Asmund says and Harald nods. "I apologize for my behaviour, lady Sigrid. It will not happen again."
Astrid looks at lady Sigrid, and she seems too smug for her own good.
"And you, lady Sigrid!" Asmund continues, and Sigrid looks in shock at the King. Not so smug now, eh? Astrid thoughts. "Do you even know what you have called worthless?" Sigrid was opening and closing her mouth as if she was fish without water. She had absolutely no idea. In the past, Astrid thought that weapons and armour from Berkian Royal Forge were overpriced, but since she was able to test that one dagger in Cami's shop, she no longer held that thought.
"Court Marshall!" Asmund says, and the court Marshall looks at him. "Can you tell me the approximate price of those weapons if we take standard prices from the Berkian Royal Forge?"
"That is hard to say, my king, but if I should guess that gifts from every other house combined might have the same value as the gift from the High Chief." Many people gasped, and Astrid could see Lord Hiccup was getting restless. She understood him. Her father was raising ire against his family in every lord in the room.
"Enough of this!" Queen Ansfrida says she also saw that the situation was getting out of hand. "Let this banquet begin!" As she says that, the musicians start to play again, and the army of servants rushes into the room. Astrid, however, noticed she could cut the atmosphere with a knife. And it would only get worse.
