Chapter 6:
AN: Hey everyone, just popping in to let you know that life is speeding up on me quite quickly, but I'm still very interested in continuing this story! I probably won't be able to write as often / release chapters as fast as I have been, but my current goal is to still release 1 chapter a week. Thanks to all of you that are actually reading! This has been fun so far.
The first several minutes of Arkyn and Astrid's walk down the mountain was relatively quiet. Unbeknownst to the other person, both teens were deep in thought about the long day they'd just had. A lot happened in just the last couple hours alone. Hiccup and Astrid had proven themselves once again as the most capable young adult Vikings on the island, and Arkyn ended up finding the courage to spill his greatest tragedy to the both of them. The 3 involved now shared a much greater unspoken respect for one another.
However, after hearing Arkyn's story, there was still something Astrid just couldn't shake from her mind that she needed an answer to. "Arkyn? I know you put a lot out there today already, but there's one more question I have to ask."
"No problem here. My note did say whatever you wanted to know. Shoot."
"Well…a dragon…wiped out your entire island. How did you go from that experience to being so comfortable around our dragons?"
"Ah…a fine question." The boy replied. "I suppose there's a long answer and a short answer. The long one is that before everything went to hell on my island, there were a handful of smaller dragons that lived there that were able to co-exist with us. There was a bit of variety, but the majority of them were Triplestrykes. They liked to live up in the mountains while our townspeople settled on the lowlands, so natural separation was a big help. For the dragons that dwelled closer, a certain amount of taming had to be done to make sure they wouldn't bother us too much."
"Wait a minute…hold on. Did you say you were able to tame Triplestrykes? They were always the most aggressive species during Berk's dragon raid days, and even since we made peace a couple strays have flown into our area and none of us have been able to calm them down long enough to train. Our only option was to chase them away before they hurt anyone." Astrid informed him.
"Ooooh it takes a fine art to tame a Triplestryke. I was actually in training to be able to do it myself when the big attack happened. Wasn't able to master it though, and only got about 2 months of instruction before…" Arkyn trailed off, not wanting to finish his sentence.
"That's ok." Astrid reassured him, before adding: "what's the short answer?"
Arkyn perked up a little at this. "Oh, that's easy haha. I'm good at making observations and I noticed none of you were dead yet, so how dangerous could your dragons possibly be?"
They both laughed at this before Astrid suddenly stopped and turned around rather quickly to face Arkyn. "I'm still mad at you, you know." She said this as if she was serious but even in the moonlight Arkyn could see the corners of her mouth were ever so slightly curled up. "That walk up the mountain was not fun at all."
The boy smirked. "I completely agree with you, but we both walked up alone. Wouldn't you say the walk down isn't so bad now that there's two of us?" As he said this he started to walk past where she was standing, still smiling but not meeting her gaze as he went by.
Astrid was not ready for this comment. She couldn't tell what he was trying to imply because he had made it with a confidence she'd never seen before. It was slick, and for once she found herself without a snarky comeback. "Uh…yeah. I guess…if you're into small talk." Was all she could muster before continuing after him. It was then that she felt something strange happen inside her. It was a weird feeling she had only ever felt before when she was around Hiccup. He would never have said something like that, however. Astrid did her best to brush it away and keep things professional. Her only task, after all, was to deliver him back to the Haddock household. They walked in silence for a short while more before Arkyn broke it once again.
"So what do you guys do for fun around here? I suspect I'll be hanging out with everyone quite a lot from now on and that means I need to learn the social conventions if you know what I mean."
"Yeah I get what you mean, but unfortunately, most of them involve dragon riding nowadays." Astrid responded. "Most of the time we go out to some sea stacks and see who can pull off the fanciest flying."
"I see." Arkyn said, the slightest hint of disappointment in his voice. "Let me guess…the winner is usually Hiccup?"
"How'd you know?"
"Well from what I hear he's been flying the longest, and although I never laid eyes on the Red Death, the way people describe it makes it sound as though it was no easy task fighting it in the air. It's not hard to see how both those things may give him a slight edge." Arkyn made the connections in his mind out loud.
"Damn you're good…" was all he was able to hear behind him. Astrid was starting to get annoyed with how good Arkyn's deduction skills were. He was figuring out way more about their group than they had told him just by paying attention to certain mannerisms they let off and remembering every detail from any conversation. It would be hard to slip anything by him.
It wasn't too much longer before the pair exited the woods and reached Hiccup's house to find him waiting at the front door with Toothless at his side. They both looked quite drowsy and for good reason…it was now very, very late at night. Astrid noticed this and made sure she kept things short, handing Arkyn over to his temporary house mate and saying goodbye to Hiccup for the night. Before she could leave however, Hiccup wrapped her in a quick yet tight hug. Astrid briefly reciprocated before pulling away, and then off she went into the night in the direction of her own home where luckily, Stormfly could now meet her.
The two remaining boys (and one scaly dragon) entered the house and walked upstairs quietly, being careful not to wake the Chief. One inside Hiccup's room with the door shut, Arkyn turned to his host as there were several things he felt he needed to say. "Hey Hiccup…I just wanted to say that I'm sorry if I worried anyone today. It wasn't my intention, I just didn't have a great idea of who you all were yet. I'm very grateful you're giving me the opportunity to live in Berk though."
"Oh, that's ok. We- Astrid and I at least, know now what all you've been through so it's clear to see why you'd be so apprehensive about a new environment. Next time though, just say exactly where you're going in your note if you leave one," the auburn haired boy responded.
A bit of laughter was shared before Arkyn spoke again. "And speaking of living on Berk…tomorrow I'd like you to introduce me to your town builders. I've got nowhere else to go, so I figure I should use some of my families savings to get my own place over here if that's ok. That way I'm out of your hair as quick as possible. No need for me to be living off of you if I have the means to live for myself."
Hiccup gave a nod of understanding in response. "I'd be happy to. Trying to move on this quickly is a brave thing to do. I'll take you to meet with them in the afternoon after I'm done with my work in the forge for Gobber. I don't know what the others are doing, but you're welcome to join me in the forge if you'd like. Maybe I can teach you a few things!"
Hiccup sounded too enthusiastic with his last sentence for Arkyn to turn him down. "Sounds like a plan! My dad taught me some basic forge skills back home, but I'm definitely not an expert. It would probably be helpful to learn a thing or two."
Conversation died down after that as the pair got ready for bed, content with their plans for the next morning. It would be a good opportunity to get to know the other person on both sides. Arkyn in particular was looking forward to his lesson in the forge. There had been some impressive weapon smiths back on Nomanisan Island, and Arkyn fell asleep to dreams of one day being able to forge pieces that matched the quality of theirs. Swords and axes fit for the toughest of warriors. It was wishful thinking at this point, but a chance to improve was always welcome. These thoughts kept him slumbering all the way through till morning.
—
Sunrise came soon enough and it wasn't long before the two boys were off to light the forge. Toothless offered his services with a slow flame to get it going and a short while later it was burning brightly and ready to be worked on. Hiccup took Arkyn into his workshop at the back of the small building and showed him some of the inventions he had made over the years, ending the tour with the very bola launcher he had used to shoot down Toothless all those months ago. Arkyn was amazed at both Hiccup's creativity and workmanship. Some of his ideas were next level in the Viking world, but only time would tell if the majority of them caught on.
Hiccup returned to the main room where the fire was lit and picked up a long iron bar that was resting against the wall. "This is going to be the handle to the new mace Gobber wants me to make." He explained. "First I have to add some details and a grip to it, and then once that's finished I can start to shape the head." Hiccup went slowly about his work, walking Arkyn through all of the processes along the way. More went into weapons like this than Arkyn had realized, but he was eager to learn the skills so he paid close attention to what the other boy was doing.
It was about an hour later that the two of them had finally finished the handle for the mace. Right as they did, Gobber waddled into the forge for the first time that morning. Spotting the spare in his shop, he greeted Arkyn once more. "Oy! Nice teh see ye again, lad! Hiccup di'nt tell me anythin' abou' ye joining us today."
Arkyn looked up at the large presence in the room. "Nice to see you too, Gobber. It sure is an interesting place in here."
"Aye…it keeps me busy. Say, I wou'nt 'ave told ye the story of how I lost ma leg, would I?"
Hiccup rolled his eyes and grumbled to himself as he went back to looking for materials for the rest of the mace. Gobber had told this story more than a thousand times over the years he'd been the man's apprentice, and he was well tired of hearing it.
Arkyn noticed Hiccup's odd behavior and guessed this was something the old smithy did quite often, but he had never heard it from Gobber before so he obliged without much further prompting. This started a tangent from the two-limbed man that went on for far longer than Arkyn had ever imagined, and he found himself mentally kicking his own acceptance of the story for some time after it had begun.
—
Astrid dismounted Stormfly after touching down in the middle of the arena. The four who had not managed to find Arkyn the previous evening bugged the girl to meet up with them to see if she knew anything they didn't, finding it suspicious she was nowhere to be seen after leaving Hiccup's house in such a rush after the note was read. They hadn't seen Hiccup either, but alas, he was working today, so dragging Astrid out to the arena was their only other option. Ruffnut jogged up to her with an equally curious posse in tow and spoke in an anxious tone. "Finally! There you are… So? What happened last night? Did you end up finding Arkyn?"
Astrid shot her an awkward smile before responding. "Ruff! There's no need to speak so loud, and yes. I did end up finding him last night, although it wasn't easy."
"Where was he? We looked all over town for him. We thought he would hide there since that's all we showed him on the tour of the village." Fishlegs spoke up this time, his tone suggesting that he had thought long and hard about the game yesterday and was truly seeking answers.
Astrid wasn't sure she wanted to provide these answers, however, and hesitated before her next response. The spot Arkyn had dragged her and Hiccup to was rather remote, and after the experience they had all shared there yesterday it became sort of…special. Choosing her next words carefully, she continued. "Oh…I found him behind the tanner's shop in the market." She lied. "I had barely any time left though. It was almost dark, and the sun was almost below the sea."
"Well…?" An intrigued Tuffnut prodded. "Did he say anything? Do you know his story?"
Astrid thought for another brief moment before replying. "Well, yeah. I do. But guys…it's complicated. It's definitely not my story to tell, and if you see him again you cannot be annoying about it. When he's ready to tell you, he'll tell you. All I feel ok saying is that he's from an island far outside the archipelago. That's why none of us recognized his clothing or tribe. Oh…and he's also 15."
The group's faces all fell simultaneously. They were really hoping to get more out of Astrid. She had completed Arkyn's game, after all.
Suddenly Ruff smirked widely at the blonde Viking. "15 you say? That's perfect for you, you know."
Astrid felt her face go red as she blushed and quickly went to defend herself. "Shut UP, Ruff! No one was thinking about that until you brought it up."
"Hey now, I'm not blind for your information. Hiccup is super cool and all, but damn. Just sayin, girl to girl. That outfit is tight."
Tuffnut and Fishlegs proceeded to laugh their asses off behind Ruff as Astrid could do nothing to hide how red her face was at this point. She only stood there looking embarrassed with her arms crossed, looking like she wanted to smite the girl before her despite their best friend status.
Snotlout, however, was not amused. "What's all the fuss about, anyway? He wears a bunch of black leather. Booooring. WE still know nothing about him, so unless he's some secret famous person, I think you'd both be better off hanging out with a real man, like me." He ended his sentence with a thumb pointed at his large chest.
However mad Astrid was before, this doubled it. She picked her axe up off the ground and charged the big Viking. He saw what was coming and tried to run away, but Astrid was faster. She tripped him with the handle of her axe and proceeded to stomp the shit out of him right on the arena's hard dirt, only aiding the bystander's entertainment. Astrid eventually got all of her frustrations out and left the boy with a final "See what happens?" before storming away. It was going to be a long day.
—
Back in the forge, Arkyn had finally heard the last of Gobber's tale of woe and he and Hiccup went back to work shaping the head of their mace. The morning hours ticked away as the sun came out and made the interior of the little forge quite warm, despite the general temperature being cold this close to the beginning of winter. The two boys were just finishing up banging the metal into a sphere when they heard shuffling feet come through the door.
Through the door walked Ruff, Tuff, Fishlegs, Snotlout (looking a little disheveled after his beat down), and Astrid. They had all come from the arena to spring Hiccup from his job a couple minutes early in order for them to all eat lunch in the great hall together. Noticing Arkyn was there too, Snotlout and Legs exchanged anxious glances and decided silently that if they wanted to know more about Arkyn, they'd have to invite him as well. It took some convincing, but after some grumbling from Gobber he let Hiccup and Arkyn go with their friends. They walked up to street towards the large building as a group.
Still not confident on his place among the dragon riders, Arkyn naturally fell to the back of the convoy as they went. Astrid noticed this and, feeling bad about the conversation she had earlier in the arena, slowed down to match his pace. It was only fair to let him know what was inevitably going to brought up around the lunch table.
"Morning, Arkyn."
"Morning." He matched, looking at her inquisitively.
"While you were in the forge with Hiccup, everyone else dragged me to the arena and tried to ask me things about you. I didn't tell them much, but I know they're eager to know, so if they bug you about it while we're eating, that's why."
"Eh…that's alright. They need to find out sooner or later. Withholding it much longer won't do anyone any good."
Astrid was surprised at his passiveness. "You're sure you're ok? If you need more time, Hiccup and I would be fine stalling them a little longer."
"Don't bother. It would turn into wasted energy at that point. I'll be fine." Arkyn reassured her.
The group of teens soon reached the great hall and stepped inside. It was bustling with loads of busy Vikings on their lunch hour, all trying to scramble for more food while it was hot. Arkyn felt the hall itself was alive, and the atmosphere definitely backed that up. Everything seemed to be happening all at once.
After going through the line, everyone settled at one of the few empty tables near the back of the hall and began to eat. As Astrid had predicted, the conversation was almost immediately driven in the direction of Arkyn's backstory by the clueless 4. Not seeing a smooth way out of it, Arkyn had no choice but to fill them in on all the events he had been through leading up to his arrival on Berk. The mood among their group rang heavy as he finished. What was supposed to be a fun gathering had turned into a gut punch as everyone was now fully aware of why the newcomer was so closed off. Staring at plates that still had some food on them, everyone put their forks down except for Arkyn himself, somehow being the only one to not lose their appetite during the ordeal.
After cleaning up, everyone stepped outside the main hall doors in an effort to find out what to do next. Snotlout began to bring up another flight to the sea stacks, but Hiccup remembered Arkyn's wish from the night before and spoke up instead. "Actually…Arkyn asked me to take him to Berk's builders after lunch."
"Yep." The boy confirmed. "Obviously I can't exactly go back home…so if this is to be my new one I figured a place of my own was in order. Better to be independent than wear out the Haddock's for longer than is necessary." He said, explaining his thinking.
The rest of the group nodded their heads slowly, but all seemed mildly confused. Fishlegs was the first to put it into words. "That's all well and good, but…you don't have any…parents. Will you be fine all by yourself? Also, how are you going to pay for a new house?" He asked curiously.
Arkyn gave a half smile along with his reply. "My parents taught me more than enough things to be able to support myself. The second thing is something you shouldn't worry about." After saying this he gave a quick wink to the large boy, just to throw him off slightly more.
With nothing more to be said, the group prepared to part ways, with Snotlout going to see Hookfang, Legs walking off to the market, and the twins claiming they had to be back home to do chores. Astrid, too, began to take steps towards her own house, but once the rest were out of site she doubled back and caught up with Hiccup and Arkyn on their way to the builder's shop. She fell in line on the left side of Hiccup, with Arkyn walking on his right. Her braid bounced behind her with each step. "Mind if I tag along?" The girl asked expectantly.
"No problem! You know you're always welcome." Hiccup told her, smiling both outwardly and inwardly. Before his first ride with her on Toothless, Astrid would never have willing hung out with him, but things were finally looking up it seemed. He had almost 16 years of lost time to make up for, after all. It used to only be wishful thinking that one day they'd become friends…or maybe more. Hiccup still wasn't sure about that topic.
The trip to the builder's shop wasn't a long one as it was relatively close by to the forge. "Welp! Here we are." Explained Hiccup, gesturing to the building in front of the 3. Arkyn thanked him and walked inside to talk about a potential new house while Hiccup and Astrid remained in the street, feeling it wasn't their place to say something under these circumstances. Arkyn seemed mature enough to make these kinds of decisions for himself.
Not wanting to get bored, the pair struck up a conversation reasonably quickly. It was the first time they'd been able to talk just between themselves since the night they met on the cliff side. "Quite the life that one's had, isn't it?" Hiccup thought out loud, referring to Arkyn.
"Yeah…" came Astrid's quiet voice. "I can't even imagine…" The whole story had her nearly speechless. It was hard for her mind to comprehend such a tragedy happening to her. She realized the closest anything had come to that feeling was when Hiccup fell from Toothless in the final moments of the battle with the Red Death. All she could see from the ground was his figure falling down…down into the flaming mess below. It was an excruciatingly scary 10 minutes between when that happened and the moment his body was discovered, thankfully alive. "Do you really think he can just rebuild a life for himself on Berk? His world got completely turned upside down…and sunk to the bottom of the sea…" she finished solemnly.
Hiccup grimaced at this. "I just don't know, Astrid. He's not stupid, but we haven't seen how he handles his emotions yet. They might be as stable as we've seen, or a different thing could be happening underneath. So far I think he's handling himself very well though, considering."
Astrid tentatively smiled before grabbing Hiccup's collar and giving him the slightest peck on the cheek, much to his delight. The small boy's face instantly lit up with a beet red color. "I've always loved how you see the best in people." Astrid whispered.
It was then that Arkyn came strolling out of the shop, apparently done with his meeting. Astrid quickly let go of Hiccup's collar and pulled away, hoping Arkyn hadn't noticed. It was an abrupt move, but not even Astrid herself was sure about her feelings for Hiccup yet, and so until she was, she didn't want anyone getting any ideas. Even if he had noticed however, Arkyn didn't say anything and simply joined the two where they stood. "What's the verdict?" Hiccup prompted.
"I decided to get a small house just for myself. Combined kitchen and table room up front with a bedroom in the back. Nothing fancy. There will be a loft above the bedroom for some simple storage, or, who knows…someone might need to crash there one day." He sounded excited about the prospect of having his own living space. "The next piece of land they had available was up the street from the forge actually…in the direction of Hiccup's house. They're not super far from each other, but it won't be as if I'm living on your front lawn, either. I hope that's not a problem."
"It's not to me if it isn't to you." Came Hiccup's reply, and so it was settled. It was said the build would take around 5 days. (Good ol' Viking efficiency at work.) Arkyn would remain at Hiccup's house in the meantime.
It was here that Astrid really did say goodbye, giving a quick wave and jaunting off into the slowly darkening evening skies. Arkyn and Hiccup turned towards the chief's house now and began moseying home themselves. Arkyn smiled to himself as he walked, feeling satisfied with his productive day. It was time to rest. Time to calm down. A new place of his own is exactly what he needed to move on. Maybe for once…just for once…his life was getting back on track again.
Secondary AN: Sorry this chapter is kind of long. I started writing it and couldn't find a good break point so I just kept going lol. At least it will tie you over until the next one. I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Definitely more interesting things to come.
