"...Do those two even know how to fight?" questioned Arn, crossing his arms in disappointment. "Their posture is horrible."
Hiccup, Fishlegs and Arn stood together in the arena with their dragons, all watching the Twins attempt to take on Astrid in a practice duel in the center, yet it seemed like Astrid was easily winning.
Her attacks were not only quicker, but they were well timed. She countered their attacks without problem and was able to eventually get both Ruffnut and Tuffnut flat on their backs.
She pointed her axe down at them. "Yield," she spoke in a commanding voice.
The Twins looked at each other and groaned, irritated in their defeat.
Ruffnut stood to her feet, dropping her sword in front of Astrid's feet. "Fine! You win, Astrid! But don't expect mercy from me next time. I will ram you like a raging boar mixed with a wolf and then I'll-"
"Okay, I get it," she sighed softly. "But maybe if you trained a bit more you'd be able to defeat me."
Arn arched a brow, looking back at Hiccup while leaning against the stone wall. "Are you guys not able to beat her either?"
Fishlegs shook his head. "Hiccup's beaten her a couple of times, but she's won more," he stated as he observed the victorious shieldmaiden. "Plus, the Twins are quite inefficient when it comes to hand to hand combat."
"Don't forget Astrid has also had more experience as a warrior," Hiccup pointed out, grinning at the sight of her. "If anything, I'd make her the general of Berk in a heartbeat… when I'm chief that is."
"Hm… maybe I could try and fight her?"
Both their eyes widened. Hiccup and Fishlegs looked at Arn with an expression that told him that his attempt would most definitely be ridiculous, and they merely began to laugh.
"Guys! I'm not joking…"
Toothless who stood nearby rolled his eyes in a dragonly manner, letting out a warble as if he said, "What's so funny about that?"
"I don't know. It's even not funny at all," shrugged Arn.
Toothless stood still for a moment, almost frozen with his eyes widened, and to that, Hiccup and Fishlegs quickly ceased their laughter and stared at Arn with confusion.
The dragons looked at each other, giving off questioning croons and warbles.
To Toothless, he could have just sworn Arn had just replied to what he said, and to Hiccup and Fishlegs, they wondered as to who he was talking to.
"Were you just talking to someone?"
Arn raised his shoulders in an uncomfortable manner. "Oh, uh- I was just talking to myself. I have a habit of doing that sometimes."
"If you say so," said Fishlegs. "So, are you going to challenge her or-"
"Is there anyone else that wants to duel me?"
Astrid came forward towards the three vikings with a smirk on her face, leaning her axe over her shoulder. "That was my one hundreth and sixty fourth victory so far."
They rose their brows in amusement. Astrid kept track of her victories? To Hiccup, it was a little bit surprising.
Both he and Fishlegs looked back Arn, slyly smirking as they motioned with their hands towards Astrid, who waited eagerly for another challenge. "I think Arn said he wanted to duel," chuckled Fishlegs.
The blonde-headed viking sighed, shaking his head. He then leaned away from the wall as he grabbed ahold of his blade and unsheathed it, before tossing the sheath aside in front of Hiccup and Fishlegs.
Compared to Astrid's axe, Arn's sword was slightly unusual. The blade was a little wider than most swords, yet it had a sharp point. Along with that, it had runes carved into it from top to bottom, as was with many viking weapons.
The base and hilt however was of curious design, especially since it looked like it was made of silver. The cross guard looked like two dragon wings spreading outwards, and in between them was a blue gem.
Astrid did not know what to make of the blade. She watched as Arn paced into position, spinning his sword in circles to adjust his grip.
"Are you sure it won't break?" she asked. "I mean- we Berkians do tend to make strong weapons around here."
Arn gave a sly grin. "Oh it won't break. I promise you."
"Alright. I'll try not to go too easy on you then," replied Astrid, to which Arn replied, "Neither will I."
The two vikings then positioned themselves in combat-ready stances. Arn rose his blade up near his right shoulder, gripping the hilt with both hands as he pointed the sword towards his opponent.
Astrid held her axe out in front of her, with her hands holding on tightly as both she and Arn began to pace in circles across from each other.
They were ready.
Arn gave a nod. "Your move, Astrid."
Without another word, Astrid stormed at Arn with her weapon raised, all while Hiccup, Fishlegs and the Twins watched with anticipation, for they had no idea as to what the result would be.
The moment Astrid clashed with Arn, she attempted to bring her axe down on top of him and expected him to block. Instead, the lad quickly spun out of the way and dodged to the side, and with the flat part of his blade he tapped it against Astrid's back, pushing her forward.
The lass grunted. Looking back, she saw Arn spinning his sword in a mocking manner whilst smirking. He crossed his arms.
"Want to try that again?" he said as he chuckled heartily.
Astrid's brows lowered with focus and anger. She spun back to face him and again tried to strike him, bringing her axe around in a whirlwind, expecting him to either block or dodge so that she could knock him down, but once again, something else happened.
Arn responded with a firm strike to Astrid's axe, which was enough to send her back a bit from the force it gave, yet it also struck him back as well. For a moment, her footing was unbalanced, and that was when Arn struck.
He leaped forward at her, bringing his sword down from his right shoulder, yet in the nick of time, Astrid managed to block his weapon. Even then howevsr, was merely the start of his assault.
Their weapons intertwined into a weapon lock, and the two blonde vikings pressed their weapons hard against one another.
Astrid gritted her teeth, staring back at him with surprised eyes. "Where did you even learn to fight like that?"
Arn lightly chuckled. "I've been practicing ever since I was a boy, not to mention all the battles I've fought over the years!"
"Well, you know what they say," said Astrid as a clever grin formed at the corner of her mouth. "Expect the unexpected!"
"Huh-?"
Astrid suddenly broke the weapon-lock, and with a strong and quick sweep she swung her leg at Arn's ankles, knocking him to the ground and onto his back. To that, the shieldmaiden pointed her axe towards his neck.
"Yield!"
Astrid grinned as he laid there, believing she had won as she stood over him in a towering manner. But then Arn replied, "You're right! Expect the unexpected!"
In that moment, he pulled Astrid's own trick against her. In a quick move he rolled to his left and swiftly sat up, swinging his sword up at her which caused her to jump back and dodge. At the same time, this gave him more ground.
Arn immediately stood to his feet and wasted no time in rushing towards Astrid, and this time, he did not hesitate to strike with a full on assault.
He struck swiftly and roughly, making horizontal, diagonal, and vertical attacks; left and right, and up and down. With every slice and dice he made, Astrid found it more difficult to block. She tried to strike back at him, but he was blocking her attacks as well.
For a time, the two continued back and forth, attacking and blocking each other's moves.
One moment would pass where Arn would be the one backing up from her rough and heavy attacks, and then another would pass where it would be Astrid who was stepping back from his overwhelming assault.
As a whole, the two vikings were even. To Hiccup, it seemed as if the two blonde-headed vikings, Arn and Astrid, were almost like the same exact person - staring back at each other in a mirror as they continued their duel, and for a time, it almost seemed like an everlasting fight...
Until Astrid felt her feet back up one too many steps back, and as such, her back was suddenly pressed up against the stone wall. Gazing forward, she saw Arn's blade raised to her neck.
The blonde-haired lad glared. "Yield."
There was no way out of it. She groaned in irritation as she said, "Fine. You win this one."
Immediately Arn backed up from her, spinning his sword as he saluted her in respect. "Good duel, friend."
What followed was a short pause of silence, before loud cheers erupted from the Twins as they clapped for Arn, all whilst Hiccup and Fishlegs stood there with crossed arms.
"Huh, I guess he really did win," shrugged the Ingerman,
The auburn-haired lad nodded in agreement. "Well- that was unexpecting if you ask me."
Despite the applause the Twins gave though, Hiccup noticed that Astrid did not have a pleasant look about her face. It seemed she was not at all satisfied with the outcome; however, it was not a look of anger that she expressed, but a glance of disappointment.
...
The evening hours had once again fallen upon Berk. By then, most of the townsfolk had silently retreated back into the comfort of their homes, likely for food or sleep, and such the same went for Hiccup. The lad sat with his parents at their dimly lit long-table enjoying their late dinner meal, with only Toothless remaining absent, for he resided upstairs in his rider's room, fast asleep.
"So... you've made a new friend today, Hiccup?"
"Hm?" asked the lad.
In that moment, the voice of Stoick immediately diverted Hiccup's attention from his meal, and as he looked back at his curious father, he merely replied with a shrug. "Not sure. I mean, I'm starting to get along with him, but- he's only a guest. Right?"
Valka gave a nod. "That's if you wish see that way. But either way, it's good to see that you're getting along with him. He seems like a nice lad… though, where exactly is he sleeping?"
"Arn said he'd reside in the great hall tonight. I offered him to sleep with Toothless and I, but he declined. I guess he's still adjusting."
"Eh, he'll get around to it eventually," said Stoick, who munched like a wolf on his leg of chicken. "Still, I have to agree with Valka. It's good you two are getting along, and quite quickly as a matter of fact."
Hiccup sighed as he lightly shrugged. "I wish I could say the same for Astrid. As of now, she isn't really pleased with what happened today."
"Why? What exactly happened today?" asked Stoick.
"...Arn defeated her in a duel."
The large chieftain nearly choked on his mug of mead in laughter while sipping from it, thinking it was a joke. He gagged for a moment, and then, began laughing so loudly, that any nocturnal folk who wandered by their hut would no doubt be able hear him. He howled like a wolf.
After half a minute or so, he had finally finished laughing, but Hiccup was not amused. When Stoick looked down at his son, his grin disappeared.
"You're serious?" he asked.
Hiccup gave a firm nod. "She wasn't angry at him, but she was definitely disappointed. Dad, you well know Astrid's barely lost a fight."
"Well I am sure she will get over it," Valka assured him. "You and your friends may've not known Arn for a day, but remember that you are all still adjusting to him being among us, just like how he is still adjusting to Berk. Patience is key to making good acquaintances... and even friends."
"She has a point," said Stoick, tossing a smile to Valka. "After all, your mother and I didn't immediately fall in love at first sight, even though I would've wished it to be so. But either way, it eventually happened, and we settled down and became what we are now. As my grandfather once said; wishes are neither wheel nor arrow. You cannot make them happen just like that- whether they come as fast as an arrow shot from a bow, or as swift as a wheel rolling down a hill to who knows where."
"Hm… I guess you are right," nodded Hiccup, before letting out a sudden yawn as he stretched out his arms. "Well, if you guys don't mind, I am off to bed. We have a long day tomorrow, and I feel tired as it is..."
Without another word, Hiccup stood from his seat and went for the stairs, with his parents calmly replying, "Good night," as he tiredly made his way up to his room.
As soon as he was out of sight, the look upon Stoick's face immediately changed as he let out a stress-induced sigh, of which Valka was quick to notice. To her, his expression seemed dreadful.
"What's wrong?" she asked him, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"Valka," he began. "You know well that the exchange with Dogsbreath tomorrow cannot be avoided… can it?"