Mine or Yours – Sleeping Beauty


"Get your ass over here!"

"Language! You're still a Princess!"

"I don't give a shit! Now get here and fight me!"

"No!"

Astrid groaned and tried to reach him around the corner, but the moment she was turning, Hiccup also turned in order to stay away from her deadly grab.

"Stay still, will you?!"

"So that I can get caught and fight you one more time?"

"Yes!"

"No!"

Out of anger, Astrid grabbed a nearby wooden staff and chased him once again. Hiccup's eyes widened when he saw her extend the staff in order to reach him. He went for the door immediately but before he could reach it, Astrid had already pushed the door closed with the staff, blocking his exit. Hiccup gulped and looked around. Finding the window wide open, he dashed for it. Astrid looked into the direction and got the hint immediately. "No way I'm letting you out now!" she yelled as she tried to reach with the staff in front of the window. However, Hiccup ignored the staff and jumped. His hands reached the upper edge of the window as he pulled himself closer and up, his legs slipping through the open window first, followed by his body and lastly his arms as he let go.

Upon seeing that he escaped successfully he swung his arms into the air, "Yes!" However, what he did not expect, or rather, forgot to think of, was that Astrid could do the same. She too jumped through the window and before Hiccup could get up on time, the young Princess had already tackled him from the side. "Got you!"

"Not… yet…!" he struggled out of her grip and reached out. There was nothing in front of him, so he grabbed the grass underneath him and tried to pull himself out of her legs that locked his body. After many attempts to escape her and still finding himself underneath the Princess, he gave up and sighed. He noticed how his breathing got harder and tried to inhale deeply. But since Astrid was sitting on his back now, his belly couldn't expand to its full volume, making it harder to breathe at all. "You're heavier than you appear- Ow!" he covered the back of his head, defending it from the punches of the furious little Princess. Astrid narrowed her eyes at the young man beneath her. Did nobody teach him manners? Or rather, which topics to avoid at all costs in front of girls? She made herself heavier, pushing her weight onto his back and pining him down to the ground. Hiccup groaned in annoyance and tried to bear with it instead of giving in to her demands.

"You wouldn't be able to beat me anyway," he argued, still covering his head. Astrid's eyes widened in shock and then she punched his arm again.

"Why? Because I'm a girl?!" she accused him with a booming and angry voice.

"No, because you don't analyze your opponent!"

"… Why would that be? I analyze my enemies plenty."

"Oh now I'm your enemy? Great," he muttered silently.

"That's not what I meant. Don't get so whimsy and all emotional. I swear you're more complicated than a girl. Anyway, I analyze my opponents plenty. So get up and fight me."

"Well, actually, I would. But then there's this furious, hot-headed, impatient and small Princess sitting on my back, which, mind you, hinders me from breathing normally- Ow! Stop it!" he yelled when he felt her stab into his ribs.

"I'm talking about our agreement to fight!"

"Yeah, well about that, I still don't think that's a good idea. You know? All the sweating and running around and waiting is kind of nerve-wrecking, don't you think?"

"Nope. I definitely love that feeling," she shrugged as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. She did not understand why he was denying her that request anyway. If he was so good, then he could just beat her and get over it. But now he tried to avoid the situation at all costs. What is up with that?

"Well then, how about this. If I win, you will never ask me to fight you again. And if you win, you get to join Gobber's training. That's a perfect bet!" he suggested, excited at the idea of finally getting rid of that damn curse he put upon himself.

"Not happening. You can't make a promise to break a promise. That's not how it works." And of course the Princess had to crush his hopes with her unreasonable reasoning. "Although I like the idea of betting something on our fights. Get something else."

"Princess-free month."

"No."

"A month without you inflicting harm on me?"

"No."

"Sleep all I want without getting interrupted."

"I'm serious here!" she hit his hands that covered his head.

"Me too! You're the one who's unreasonable!" he scoffed, laying his chin on the ground.

"You're only trying to get away from our promise!"

"Oh, you noticed?"

She glared at him. Their eyes met and Hiccup could practically feel the fire she's emanating. Urgh, he really had to do it after all. He thought for a bit until an idea struck him. And it would allow him to be free of her constant demand for a fight too. It was a brilliant plan. "Alright. I'll fight you. But if I win, you have to get the painting finished," he said.

Astrid glared at him and was about to deny his suggestion again when he cut in, "If you're not able to sit still for at least a few hours, you won't even be able to analyze your opponent. That's what I think."

She bit her lip. That smartass. She really could not deny him that request now, could she? And she did not accept that he thought about her as some hot-headed Princess who could not see straight when necessary. She knew that sometimes she would probably destroy everything near her when she was angry. But she wanted to prove him wrong. Because he was wrong. She just had to prove it. She just had to win, prove him that she was capable of beating him and get rid of that stupid idea of finishing the painting. She had better things to do instead of sitting in one chair for hours while the painter would criticize her. Definitely. Not. Happening.

"Deal," she huffed and pulled herself up while releasing him at the same time. She watched as he turned from his belly on his back, sighing happily as he could breathe again. He took a short rest before he pulled himself up again, getting ready for their fight. Astrid already got her axe and stood with her legs spread and steady on the ground in front of him. Hiccup scratched his head lazily as he went back to the forge in order to retrieve a sword. Really, what in god's name did he think when he agreed on this. Sighing as he took the handle into his hand, he swung the sword with its blade on his shoulder. Really, that was such a bad idea.

Astrid already waited outside, the fire in her eyes burning so brightly that he really began to question if he should just run away. Why was she so fixated on fighting him anyway? She could just ask Gobber or that black-haired brawn who also attended Gobber's training. He stepped closer and halted when he was several feet away from her. Astrid burned with anticipation. She thirsted for this fight, for having an equal fight. He was her age and did not care that she was the Princess, well, mostly. She watched him position himself, getting ready for the fight as well. Tightening her grip on the handle, she braced herself for his attack. What she noticed first was that he stared at her in an uncomfortable way. They were piercing, calculating… analyzing. A cold shiver ran down her spine at the realization and it just fueled her enthusiasm even more. That was the feeling she had yearned for. She gulped and waited. She too needed to stay calm if she wanted to have any chance in this match.

Hiccup watched her feature and noticed that she did not attack immediately as always. She was serious. Well, if she went out of her way to treat this fight seriously, then he too should do her the same favor. He waited, patiently and the moment she blinked her eyes for a second, he rushed forward, swinging his sword towards her neck. The moment Astrid had opened her eyes, he was already in her reach. She lifted her axe impulsively and blocked the heavy clash that emitted from his sword. Astrid did not expect him to attack first. She grinned, knowing that he was finally taking her seriously. Hiccup continued to attack, always aiming for her neck, her hand or her eyes. She had a hard time getting her turn to attack, staying in her defense unwillingly. Somewhere along the way she came to know what fear means, whenever his blade was just a few inches away from blinding her permanently. Everytime their eyes met, she could feel the cruel cold that lingered behind his eyes.

Having enough of blocking, she looked for an opening to strike. It was hard, but there certainly were openings, even if only just for a split of a second. The moment he took another swing, she dodged it instead of parrying it. Taking a side step as she bent her body away from the blade, she used more force in order to stay on her feet as she tried to initiate a swing from her bent form. Putting all her weight on her front foot, she swung her axe towards his hand. However, before she could reach him, he had already stepped away, looking at her with surprise in his eyes before he steeled himself again.

Hiccup was getting impatient. He wanted to finish that fight as soon as possible since he hated fighting. He hated the feeling he got during a fight. All that excitement and caution made him dizzy and he hated how those feelings manipulated his control. He had to end it. Now. He took the sword into his left hand and rushed towards her again. Seeing as he switched the sword into his dominant hand, Astrid knew that he wanted to end it. Like hell she would let him. She too rushed towards him. If he was going for an one-hit-win then she too would go for it. They both were merely a few feet away from each other when both lifted their weapon and swung. At the sound of iron clashing at iron, the birds flew to the sky, the sound resonating amidst the trees. And then silence returned, the clashing sound vanishing entirely.

The Princess stomped through the hall while a flustered lanky young man chased her with heavy breaths. "Astrid, wait!" he begged, walking faster in order to stand beside her. Astrid ignored him and stomped with a frown upstairs. The guards all got stiff and hoped that the fuming Princess would spare their lives. At the same time, Adrian turned around the corner and saw his sister approaching him. He was about to greet her when suddenly Astrid grabbed the collar of that new guy and pressed him against the wall.

"You broke my axe!" she yelled, hitting him into his abdomen before she let him go again. Hiccup coughed desperately, trying to breathe. Adrian was terrified as he watched his sister. However, what terrified him more was the fact that someone was able to best his sister. Nobody bested her. Not to mention breaking her axe while doing so. Oh, he really should warn his parents that Astrid might be upset for the next few days. And just like that, he turned around and ran towards the throne room. When the guards opened the giant gate for the little Prince, Adrian rushed inside. His father seemed to be discussing something with Uncle Gobber but he did not care. He tugged at the sleeve of his father until the King turned to look at his son.

"What is it, Adrian? I'm a little busy right now," he asked.

"Dad! We are all going to die! Astrid is angry!" the little one yelled hysterically, afraid that he would have to see his parents arguing with his beloved sister again.

Gobber burst out in laughter as he patted the little one's head. "Adrian, we won't die just because Astrid is angry-"

"No, we are going to die! That new guy broke her axe!" Adrian shouted, looking at the two adults with horrified eyes. Both stopped laughing and looked at each other. They knew how precious that axe was to Astrid, since it was Finn who gave her that axe before he died on the battlefield. The King gulped and was about to say something when the gate burst open again. Astrid stomped inside, dragging a half-to-death beaten up Hiccup with her. Gobber smirked amused at the sight, though he felt sorry for the young lad. Really, he never knew how to keep his profile low.

"Where's Fre- Fron- where's the painter?!" Astrid yelled. She finally let go of poor Hiccup and crossed her arms in front of her chest. The King mentally feared that she might finally kill that annoying painter after all and hesitated. "You mean Francois?"

"Whatever! Where is he?"

"First I have to confirm that you are not going to kill him," he said with raised eyebrows. Although he really wanted to get rid of him. That painter always complained about anything and everything. On top of that, his skills as a painter are not even that good. But it was hard to find someone who could paint accurately at all so the King had little choice. Still, since Adrian wanted to get it over quickly, he was more than willing to sacrifice their painter, "He's painting the courtyard right now." The King turned around to glare at him. Adrian flinched and took a step back, fearing that he might have done a mistake. However, Astrid took long strides towards him and when she stood in front of him, she crouched down and patted his head. After giving him a short peck on his cheek, she said, "Thank you. I love you, Adrian. You're the best!" She gave him a huge grin before she stood up and ran out of the room. Adrian smiled widely and looked at his father expectantly. The King just sighed and smirked. Really, he had such troublesome kids. But at least, it never got boring with them around.

Gobber went up to stand next to Hiccup who still lay on the ground. "How long do you intend to pretend that you're dead?" the old man asked, nudging his sides with his leg. Hiccup opened his eyes and mumbled, "Until I'm safe."

"Well guess what, you're safe. She just went out to kill the painter." Gobber scratched his head, not knowing what to think about the whole situation. Somehow he already got used to it. Hiccup sat up and dusted his clothes. He arched his back while he held his arms straight over his head. Really, he had to learn how to not annoy her every single time they met. The King approached them with his son right behind him, eyeing the young lad who just somehow survived his daughter's wrath. He was about to say something but Hiccup beat him to it, "Well I don't know what you're talking about. She went to get the painter in order to finish the painting on the wall."

Both Gobber and the King looked at him with a stunned expression. "No no no, she surely is going to behead him. She would never ask him to paint her willingly. She's too proud for that, much to her demise," the King argued, waving his hand in the air to emphasize his point. Hiccup rubbed his temple.

"And that was her downfall. We made a bet and she lost. Part of our agreement was that should I win, then she would have to finish the painting. I didn't intend to break her axe though," he let out a long sigh, "So troublesome…" And just like that he picked up the broken axe that Astrid left next to the gate and headed towards the courtyard. As he left, the King turned to look at Gobber.

"Is he good?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is he good with the sword?"

Gobber grinned, "He's my best student, and my disciple."

"Interesting," the King said with an amused smirk, "I have a suggestion."

"Oh, I'm all ears."

Both men grinned at each other.

"You have to smile naturally! This is too fake! How am I supposed to paint you if you can't even sit straight for several hours at once!" Francois complained, pointing his brush at her accusingly. Astrid was about to snap. She lost the bet and as much as she hated it, that was the bet. She even had to get inside one of these useless, flashy dresses. All in all, she was about to kill the painter. Literally. However, Hiccup was standing behind the painter, keeping his eyes on her and making sure that she kept her promise. Astrid bit her lip. How in the world could she lose? He just had a sword. She had an axe. There was no way that he could best her with just that, so how? Unconsciously, she began to frown, pursing her lips as she tried to find out why she had lost in the first place. She was not a sore loser. If she lost, she could accept it. But that does not mean that she will just sit there idly, not trying to figure out how she could win next time.

And that was it. Francois dropped everything and yelled, "I quit! This is unbearable! Finito! Pinna! Alla fin fine!" The plump man left the gallery with heavy steps, slamming the door shut right behind him. Astrid and Hiccup flinched at the sound and their eyes lingered on the door for a little while until Astrid finally relaxed. She let out a sigh, "You really calculated that nicely. Now you won't have to fight me. As long as nobody finishes the painting, you will have a lot of Princess-free duty." Hiccup just gave her a wry smile as he picked up the brush and looked at the painting. It did not resemble her the least. And anyway, the way the painter positioned her on the chair did not match her personality. Not to mention that it did not show her beautiful face from a better angle. He smirked. What a sorry excuse of a painter.

"I'll finish the painting," he said in a low voice, still eyeing the painting, surprising the Princess in more than one way. Astrid looked at him bewildered.

"Do you even know how to paint?" she scoffed, raising an eyebrow at him questioningly. Hiccup just smirked and went towards her. Each step that took him closer to her, filled her chest with excitement and worry at the same time.

"I do know how to paint," he stated, taking her hand gently in his. She wanted to punch him, however, something stopped her from doing so. The urge was there but when she looked at him, his eyes so focused on her, she just could not push him away. Maybe all this painting thing had something good after all.

"And why would you want to finish the painting yourself? I thought you did not want to fight me," she asked, trying to distract herself from this uncomfortable closeness. Hiccup took her other hand and positioned and held them midair. "That's true," he replied, "But…" He put a hand on her knee and tapped on them. "Cross your legs."

"What?"

"I said, cross your legs. It will be more comfortable that way and it fits your personality," he explained shortly, his eyes fixated on her legs. She really should just lift them and kick him in his face- his face… She crossed her legs slowly while she lifted her face to look at him. He was not that bad looking. He was just so annoying that she never paid much attention on his looks. He had a well-defined jaw, thick eyebrows yet not so much that it drew more attention than his eyes. His freckles were faint but visible. Her gaze wandered down to his mouth. He had thin lips, yet they were big enough that she wanted to taste them. Taste- what? What was she thinking? There was no way that she would think like that. Impossible. But…

Her eyes lingered on his lips, her thoughts lost somewhere that she did not even notice that Hiccup was now staring back at her. Hiccup seemed to be the only one who noticed how close their faces were. It was a bit awkward but when he noticed that Astrid was not even paying attention, he too looked at her face, her eyes. Without realizing it, the distance between them shrunk, Hiccup holding her hands tightly as he closed in. Astrid was lost in thoughts until she felt his nose brush against hers. Suddenly, she was aware of how close they both actually were, but before she could protest any further, she felt something warm on her lips. Her eyes widened at the touch. She saw how he had his eyes closed and wanted to push him away. Then she realized that he held her hands tightly beside her, trapping her. The more time passed, the more she felt herself losing control. Unconsciously, she closed her eyes and focused all her senses on that connection on her lips.

Hiccup, realizing that she did not stop him but did not return the kiss either, was about to draw back. Yet, when he removed his lips from hers just an inch, she had pushed her lips against his again. And just like that, his mind went blank. All he wanted and could think about were her lips. A comfortable warmth emitted from their skin, sending both of them into a state of calm and excitement. Astrid had never experienced something like this. She heard stories from her parents, heard stories from the guards and the maids, but never experienced for herself. She was absolutely sure that she did not want to do something as disgusting as kissing, yet here she was, kissing some guy she does not even know that well. Both knew they had to stop, that it was not right. But they could not think. All that existed was the desire for more. It was strange to yearn for something like this, but it was nice. Kissing was actually nice. Really nice.

Screw self-control, Hiccup felt like he could die any moment. Was that how dying felt like? So peaceful and comfortable. After what felt like an eternity, they both moved away for a few inches. They had not realized how out of breath they actually were. Astrid especially felt like she had just run around the castle. She could feel his warm breath on her lips, soothing yet exhilarating. And then reality struck her again. They had kissed. She, the Princess, had just kissed him, a mere commoner. This was bad. This was really, really bad. If her father were to find out about it, he might banish him from the castle, or worse, from the country. And that right after she thought that she had finally found a true friend. Now, somehow angry with him, she grabbed his collar again and glared into his eyes.

"This will remain a secret between us."

Hiccup snapped out of his trance and blinked several times. "Uh, sure. I-I did not intend to do… brag about it." He gulped and shut his mouth, afraid he might utter more nonsense if he went on.

"Good." She let him go and cleared her throat. "So? What position do you need?"

"Erm… Just cross your legs and put your hands… uhm. Here…" he guided her hands and put them discretely on her lap. While he did that, his thoughts went back to what happened just a few seconds ago. He had kissed her. What in god almighty's name was he thinking? He pulled back and went back to the unfinished painting. He looked over it and thought for a bit how he could correct the painting. In the end, he put the painting aside and got himself a new canvas.

"Are you sure you can paint?" Astrid asked him again. It was not the fact that she did not believe him, but that she did not know how to fill this awkward silence with words. Suddenly, every word that got into her mind sounded wrong or accusing. Maybe flattered? In the first place, the whole situation was weird.

"Yeah. I'm pretty confident in myself."

"You still didn't tell me why you wanted to finish the painting yourself."

Hiccup glanced at her before he mixed some colors with the brush. "If I had to say what I wanted more… not fighting you or having the painting finished… then I'd want the painting," he answered calmly, putting the first strokes on the canvas.

"Why?" Oddly enough, she sat calmly on the chair. It was not uncomfortable and she felt relaxed compared to Fre- … Fro- the foreign man.

"Because it would be a shame to not have your beauty engraved on that wall." And because people will still be able to look at you when you pass away. Of course, he could not tell her that. Astrid blushed at the indirect compliment and remained silent. Really, she never met someone like him before. She looked around, taking in where she actually was. It was a modest room – not too big, not too small. She sat in front of a window with a table next to her. Except that, the room was actually quite empty. The only things that were stored at the walls were empty canvases and unfinished paintings. She lifted her face and looked out of the window. Stormfly was sleeping soundly on the grass. The weather was nice and the way it harmonized with her horse and everything made her smile. Even though Stormfly did not do much, it calmed her down to look at her.

Hiccup glanced back at her and caught her smiling as she looked out of the window. Unconsciously, he too smiled. He liked this, whatever this was. The atmosphere was nice. It was peaceful and all he wanted was for the time to stop. He added another color, sketching out the environment that surrounded the Princess. Astrid had closed her eyes now and smiled nonetheless. Hiccup stared at her, the painting forgotten for a moment. Really, what did he do to deserve such a sight?

Then he resumed painting again. Maybe he should fight her more and demand to allow him painting her in return. That way both of them would get something out of it. He wanted to paint her. To manifest her beauty with his skill on a canvas and on paper. He liked it to paint her, especially when she was sleeping. She would not move so much and relax her whole body. He looked at her again. His hand moved on its own and chose the colors before he added another few strokes. His eyes were glued on her, then back on the canvas, then back on her. Maybe he should try kissing her again. Maybe she would not mind. And just maybe… maybe he could forget all his worries and problems again, just like a few moments ago. Maybe time would slow down and maybe he could have more time to take in her beauty. When he looked up again, her eyes still remained closed. The Princess really was… a sleeping beauty.


Date of Update: 5th April 2016

~ KeGzZ