Mine or Yours – My Little One
He was just 5 years old when he realized his position as a Prince. People treated him like a kid but in reality, he understood more than they noticed. He also knew that for some reason he was not the like other children, that he was special. Sometimes he would catch his father speaking to his mother about responsibilities and how much expectations he had for him. That time he was too young to fully understand the weight behind those words. It was also that same time he began to draw. His parents did not spend as much time with him as before anymore and the maids were just supposed to look after him. They were in charge of dressing him up and bathing him, all the domestic work. However, he was still too young to know what loneliness was. He just told himself that his parents were busy and will spend much time with him again soon.
Later more strangers began to approach him, telling him that he had to study. Whenever his father accompanied them, he would lighten up and listen without a word. First, they gave him simple tasks such as reading, writing, calculating. It was fun, and whenever his father proudly patted his head, his chest would fill itself with pride and joy.
He was 8 years old when he understood that it would never be the same anymore. His father would have less and less time for him. His mother had already passed away, leaving him with a big scar inside his heart to heal by itself. The teachers still tried to stuff all the knowledge into his head and at some point, he broke. He snuck out more often, going off on his own. He wanted to see the world outside but for some reason his father forbid him from doing so. Of course, that only encouraged him more to go against him. That was also the reason why he got kidnapped so often, causing his father more trouble than necessary. One time he was locked away for a whole day, not able to go outside at all because of his acts. Sometimes he would overhear the guard talking about him. They all said the same things.
"It's a pity he won't listen."
"He has so much potential."
"He's a genius."
"He's wasting his talent."
"It's troublesome that he always runs away."
Hiccup began to shut himself off from the guards, the maids, everyone. He did as he was told - learned, studied, kept silent.
He was 13 years old when he stopped doing anything. Everything seemed to have no meaning. Why he was studying, why he was sitting in a library when all the other kids got to play outside and why he felt so empty. That was when he first met her. A small brunette girl. She had crystal clear blue eyes that shone with so much desire for life. She wore her hair in a ponytail and some ripped clothes. He did not know how she did it, but she somehow snuck into the castle without being spotted. The first time he saw her was when she climbed on the window he was sitting next to. His pen fell off his hand as his jaw dropped when he saw her. For the first time he felt alive.
Somehow, that girl made such a huge impression on him that he went to the library with anticipation every day. And every time, at the same time, she would climb on his window and hide underneath his desk when the guards passed his window. He would cover for her every time and talk to her afterwards. One day the girl decided to take him to the outside world and just like that, his eyes brimmed with excitement and fire. However, when he returned to the castle at last, he overheard a bunch of men talking in hushed voices in the library. His curiosity getting ahead of him, he snuck silently behind the bookshelves and listened to them. It was by pure coincidence, but it was that time that he overheard them planning to get rid of the girl who had now taken a bad influence on him.
When he heard that, his heart stopped for a moment. He liked that girl, whoever she was. She was the first one to see him as… him. He did not want to lose another dear person so he acted. He left the library silently and ran towards his chamber, getting his sword and dagger as he went off again. Gobber had always told him that he was talented, that he was better than the rest of the students. That the only thing he did not have was courage to kill people in order to protect. He would protect that girl. Whatever the cost. When he was heading toward the library again, he saw the men leaving, walking towards his direction. He hid himself behind the next door he had within his reach. When they passed, he waited for several moments before he came out.
He had never done something of the sort. He just wanted to save his first ever friend. When he followed them, he made sure that the distance was long enough so that they would not notice him but short enough to still keep an eye on them. However, at some point, he lost sight of them when someone pushed him over. Since he did not leave the castle often, people did not recognize him and treated him as any other kid. He looked around frequently, trying to track them down again. Suddenly he heard a muffled scream. The people around him were chatting noisily which made it harder to search for the direction where the scream came from. But then he moved based alone on his instincts. He did not care if he might get lost or whatsoever, he just wanted to find and save her. He searched everywhere, for the whole day. When he happened to take a glance at someone, he heard them talking about her. After he followed them for a good while, they vanished into the woods and he was about to wonder what they were up to until he heard another scream, crying and sobbing. He rushed into the direction where the sound came from and did not notice some branches that lay on the way. He tripped, stood up and ran even faster. At some point, he began to see some shadows and when he was close enough, he saw some older men surrounding something, or rather, someone.
Hiccup was about to call out to them, when he stepped on a branch, alarming everyone who was present. When a certain man moved to turn around and looked at him, he saw the girl naked between two other men. One of them stood pressed tightly against her butt while the other one was filling her mouth with his manhood. The girl made sobbing noises, the organ inside her mouth muffling her scream. One of her arms seemed broken while there were blue and purple spots on several places of her body. One of the men covered the sight again, stepping in front of him.
"Your highness, that girl is a criminal and we're currently punishing her. It would be best if you went home. We want to spare you the sight," he explained with a calm but slightly nervous voice. Hiccup however just stood there, not moving away an inch.
"What… are you doing to her?" he asked slowly, terrified… mortified. He knew exactly what they were doing to her. "What are you doing to her?!" he was now screaming, his pitched voice making all the present men flinch. The brute that stood in front of him noticed that any more talking would not reach him so he decided to just take him out as well. He was about to swing at him but before the blade could reach Hiccup, something dark had wrapped itself around his body. Too confused and panicked, the man tried to hit at him several more times, just to have the dark cloak prevent his blade from reaching the young prince. The dark cloak then turned into mist, enveloping everything in darkness in a radius of 30 or more feet. Everything except Hiccup and the little girl. Hiccup was at the edge of freaking out. His eyes were wide and filled with horror. He was terrified. When the mist was approaching him a little bit, Hiccup took a step back, afraid that he was the next victim. But when the mist came in contact with his skin, the only thing he felt was warmth and strength. Hiccup relaxed and his shoulder fell with a relieved sigh. Something about the mist calmed him down, calmed his senses and before he knew it, all the mist gathered in one small black flame in his hand.
Before Hiccup could ask anything, the flame then spread and enveloped his whole body as if a shadow was about to swallow him. He did not feel like he was about to suffocate though. It was warm and caring. And a few seconds afterwards, it vanished. Hiccup then felt a stabbing pain in his heart. His blood was rushing through his veins so fast he could not comprehend what was going on. He felt like he was on fire, felt like his whole body was burning before it subsided again. When only a little sting was perceivable, he then heard something in the back of his mind.
"Don't forget who you are. Don't turn into a spawn of Váli. Live," a soothing and womanly voice reminded him with such a caring undertone that Hiccup did not even think about questioning her demands.
When he came back to his senses, he barely witnessed how the men vanished into thin air like black mist. The girl he had been searching lay crouched under a tree, her eyes terrified as she looked at him. Hiccup was worried. Just what had those men done to her? He took a few steps towards her, his concern for her encouraging him to walk. "Are you o-?"
"You monster!" she spat, trying to push herself as close to the tree as possible, afraid she might also turn to mist like those men. She watched as Hiccup's feature turned from concern to hurt. She thought that playing with him and becoming his friend would be beneficial for her. She did not have to steal to eat anymore, did not have to search for shelter somewhere anymore. Because he gave her everything. But that was an utterly huge mistake. She had befriended a demon! And the demon was the Prince nonetheless. This could not be true. She did not know that the royal family bore such a huge secret.
Hiccup was still hurt, he did not intend to kill those men and he did not call for the black mist to come to his rescue. "I'm no monster! I- I am normal! Look-" he tried to convince her but she only shook her head bewildered.
"You aren't normal!" she shouted, afraid… mortified.
Hiccup realized that his words would not reach her anymore and decided to close the gap between them in order to make her understand that he did not mean any harm.
"Stay away from me!" she yelled again, her voice cracking.
"Please, just let me- You're wounded! I can ask the-"
"I hate you!"
Hiccup fell silent. What was that supposed to mean, she hated him. He looked at her and tried to ease the pain in his chest. It was burning. He was betrayed. He was hated. He was…
"I just wanted to be one of you!"
"You could never be one of us!"
… hurt. Before he could try anymore, Gobber came out of the bush. He looked at the scene with focused eyes and turned his attention to Hiccup who seemed just as confused and somehow hurt as the naked girl that sat crouched at the tree. Then several guards arrived and pulled Hiccup away, distancing him from the girl. Hiccup could hear the girl shout at him, accusing him of the dead men, trying to warn everyone present of his unnatural power. As the girl went on yelling and shouting in despair, the black mist covered his ears and made him deaf for the moment, preventing him from hearing any more harmful words. That was the last time Hiccup trusted somebody, and the first time he was not afraid of the dark.
…
Hiccup shot up as he tried to focus his eyes on anything. He was breathing hard, sweat coating his skin with shiny drops. He realized that everything had just been a dream. He let his hand fall against his face as he squinted his eyes. It had been a while since he had that dream, or rather, memory. He stood up and went towards the mirror, looking at his wasted self. He slowly evened his breathing before he whispered, "Why did you show me that memory again?"
Slowly the image in the mirror changed. What he saw was not himself anymore, but a tall and beautiful woman with a skin as dark as the midnight and her hair as silver as the moon. A dark cloak surrounded her and the background was again just foggy and unclear as always.
"I was worried that you might lose yourself again, little one," the woman said with a concerned voice.
"I have everything under control."
"You nearly killed her," she reminded him again, something he did not want to remember.
"But I didn't."
"Because Gobber intervened," she shot back. She watched as his face fell and sighed. "Don't turn into a-"
"Spawn of Váli. Yes, I know, I know."
"Revenge is not a solution, little one."
"I know that, Nótt, I know!"
"And yet you're tempted. Is it because of that girl? How was her name again? Astrid. Yes, Astrid it was. Was it because of her?"
"No… Yes… I don't know!" Hiccup groaned as he tangled his hand in his hair. "She is just so- I don't know how to explain this feeling!"
"You like her," the woman said amused.
"What? No! I mean, she's beautiful and she's so intriguing. But that doesn't mean that I like her!"
"You dreamed of her, little one. And those dreams were definitely not innocent, by all means."
Hiccup groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. The woman chuckled at his nervous and shy behavior.
"I'm a man," he began slowly, "It's normal to react that way. I'm pretty sure that it's only my body reacting to this... environment. That's it. I'm only physically attracted to her. That's all."
The woman looked at him with a blank face. She knew that whatever he just said was not the case. He liked her, and he knew that too. He just did not want to admit that. She watched his demeaning feature as he tried to avoid her gaze. Hiccup knew that she knew what he was hiding. She was a godess after all. It would be a wonder if he could fool her. She was the one who gave him that strange power and she was the reason he could still be himself. Nótt watched him patiently, waiting for his response but after a long while she glanced at the door. She felt the girl who was responsible for Hiccup's behavior approaching the room.
"Your little girlfriend is nearing. It's time for me to go," the godess said and vanished without waiting for his reply. Just when the mirror was showing the image of himself again, the door opened, revealing the feature of an enthusiastic girl. Hiccup did not realize his appearance until he saw the Princess blush and look away instantly. He smirked a little, amused to see how he affected her. He pulled the shirt off the chair and pulled it over. After he tugged it into his pants and adjusted everything, he looked at her.
"You can look," Hiccup said and went towards her, "Why are you here?"
Astrid then turned her eyes reluctantly towards him and sighed out in relief when she found him dressed up. Then she looked up to his face and halted her breath. "I wanted to pick you up to finish the painting. The sooner we have that out of our way, the sooner I get to have another spar with you... And you look horrible. Did something happen?" She sounded softer than she actually wanted to let it be, surprising her for a moment before she composed herself again. Hiccup's eyes widened for a moment before he looked back into the mirror. He did indeed look worse than he thought. He remembered his dream again and began to glare at himself. It still haunted him, the sheer memory causing his breathing to grow ragged and uneven. He did not feel the Princess closing in to him until she put a hand on his shoulder. His head whipped around and when his eyes met hers, he got pulled back to reality.
The Princess looked at him worriedly, but did not dare ask him about whatever it was that unsettled him. She somehow felt that he might reject her once again if she were to dig too deep. "Are you okay?" she simply asked instead, her hand still carefully placed on his shoulder. Hiccup's face eased up a bit before his shoulders slumped. He gave her a weak smile and nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay. Let's go work on the painting," he stated, waiting for her to take back her hand. Astrid did not buy his lie but knew better than to make a drama out of it. She looked at him calmly, taking his feature in as she held up his gaze. Her eyes wandered down to his lips and the memories of the day before began to rush through her mind, setting her whole body on fire once again. Realizing that she was now staring at him, she shook her head and was about to turn around and leave for the reason she was actually picking him up. However, when she removed her hand from his shoulder, Hiccup grabbed her wrist and spun her around, pressing his lips against hers. Of course he noticed the way she stared at him. He would be a fool to let that chance pass.
Startled at his action, it took her a while until she responded to him. She did not want to admit it, but she craved his lips. She still did not know what that feeling inside her chest was and why it was only reacting to him, but as long as she could kiss him and not question it any further, she would be a happy woman. Hiccup smirked against her lips when he noticed that she was returning the kiss and decided to take it to the next level. When both had opened their mouth slightly, he pushed his tongue inside and licked along her bottom lip, biting it softly as he pulled at it. He heard her sigh against him and grinned. He liked the way she responded to him and his touch. Astrid felt how her head got dizzy and forgot about the painting and the spar altogether. As time passed, she slowly got used to this new way of kissing and tried to do the same to him. But when she decided to try the same thing he did to her, Hiccup pulled away a bit and gave her a smug grin. He then let her go and passed her, leaving her in the room as he went towards the room where they had to continue the painting.
Now a very strong frustration spreading through her chest, she cursed herself for letting him beyond her guard. She did not like it one bit that he could make her knees shake so easily. It did not make any sense. She hated guys, and she knew that every guy she had met until now just digusted the hell out of her. But he was different. Hiccup was different. He was not as big as the others. He was not as arrogant as the others but still held a modest confidence to himself. There were many handsome men out there that she had already met, and many were probably more handsome than him. But for some reason she could not explain why he looked so... attractive. She also saw his naked torso, on a coincidence though, and that too lit a fire inside her that she did not know existed.
Gods, what was wrong with her? She felt as if all control over herself slipped away and all she could do was to follow him obediently. She watched his back as they walked steadily. No one spoke up until they stood in front of the door. Hiccup was about to enter when Gobber called out to him, "Hiccup! Come 'ere for a bit." Wondering who just interupted their alone time, Astrid looked over Hiccup's shoulder, just to find Gobber standing there and waving at them. When the old man saw Astrid standing behind him, he grinned to himself. Maybe this task would be a chance for them, for Hiccup. "And bring the Princess with you. The King is awaiting you two," Gobber simply said as he turned away and went ahead.
Both Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other, confusing reflecting in both eyes. Hiccup knew by now that whenever Gobber was involving another person of authority, it would be something that he did not like. Yet, what could the old man be possibly plotting which involved the Princess?
When they arrived at the throne room, Gobber already stood nest to the King, his arms behind his back. Out of formality, Hiccup bowed and looked at his feet that seemed so interesting in that very moment. Astrid did not do the same since it still was her father and she never bowed. Even out of formality or politeness, she never bowed. Not even if they had guests from other countries, Astrid never bowed. Both lost some tension as the silence did not seem to go away. While they waited for the King's decision or task... or whatever he had in store for them, Hiccup noticed that the black-haired underling was present too. As well as the other people who seemed to take part in Gobber's training. He was about to ponder, why that was the case, but then the King spoke up.
"Astrid. Are you content with Snotlout as your personal guard?"
Snotlout and Astrid looked up, surprise evident in their eyes. Then the Princess scoffed and laughed nervously before she answered, "You're still asking? Of course I'm not."
The brawn frowned at her response but thought nothing of it since he knew there was nobody who was better than him, leaving the King no choice but to give him that role. However, Hiccup began to put together the puzzle and gritted his teeth. He desperately hoped that they were not about to do what he feared they would. Of course, the gods had to dissapoint them. Of course, Nótt could not help him out. The King and Gobber held a satisfying grin on their face to Astrid's answer. That was what they needed to put their plan into action. The King then looked at Hiccup and told, "Lift your face, Henry." Shit. They were really going to do that, weren't they? Hiccup lifted his face slowly, meeting the King's eyes cautiously.
"Henry, Snotlout, I order you to hold a duel before my eyes. Right here and right now," he commanded. Snotlout, now not believing what was happening, froze and tried to process what the King had just said. Hiccup in comparison already expected it and let out a long but silent sigh. As uncomfortable as he felt about this course of events, he was still in the presence of his highness. He was not allowed to show him his rebellious side. The King then gave Gobber the signal. Gobber nodded and went towards the lad, giving him a simple one-handed sword before he flashed him his grin. Hiccup just glared at Gobber before he took the sword, reluctantly.
Snotlout snapped out as well, now drawing the sword that lay on his waist. He walked towards Hiccup and halted in front of him. He took a good look at him and came to the conclusion that this was just a joke. Looking at his body and form, Snotlout was confident that he would win. He could break that guy like a twig if he wanted to. At least, that is what he thought. Then the King spoke up again, "You will not hold back. Once I find out that one of you lost on purpose, I will have this duel replay again until each of you gives his best. Begin."
Hiccup took a short glance to Gobber to confirm his thoughts. The old man gave him a serious look and nodded slightly. That was all Hiccup needed. Permission. He did not know what Gobber was planning, or what the King was planning. But he sure hoped that nothing would change after the duel. He dearly hoped so. Snotlout was already charging at him, his sword high and ready to strike. However before he could reach him, Hiccup turned to a black mist for a split second and then back to human afterwards. The difference however was that distance that Hiccup managed to cross so fast. He was now beside him, his sword now so black that nobody could see it shining anymore, and let his sword clash at Snotlout's. He let the blade glide against the other one until he reached the hilt, forcing the sword out of Snotlout's hands. Before Snotlout could reach out for the sword, Hiccup pointed his sword against his throat.
The room went silent. Everyone had watched the fight, and everyone saw the mysterious mist enveloping him as well as his sword. Just what was going on? The King did not seem surprised at all. As did not Gobber. Hiccup calmed his breathing and then the mist vanished slowly. The King, now sure about this plan as well as Hiccup's ability, stood up and looked down on them.
"I will hereby dismiss Snotlout Jorgenson from his task to guard my daughter, Princess Astrid Hofferson," the King said with a steady voice. He saw the disbelief in the brawn's eyes as well as content and sheer joy in his daughter's eyes. Astrid grinned hugely and it made the King more than happy to see that being the case. Yet, he knew that he would vipe that grin off her face too once he makes his announcement. He just hoped that maybe... just maybe, this decision would change something. Anything. The King looked at Henry and went on, "And taking his place will be Henry Borgenson."
Astrid's face fell. No, that was not what she wanted. She was just beginning to get closer to him, as a person. They could not do that to her. If he was now her personal guard, there was no chance in hell they could be just normal friends. The task will be in her way again.
The King watched his daughter intently and realized his fears proved to be right. There was something going on between them. Between the Borgenson boy and his daughter. He hoped that they did not go too far yet and maybe this decision will put them both back into their places again. He was very happy to see that a boy could finally affect her in some way, but why did it have to be a commoner? The most he could become was a knight and nothing more. There were no chances for them in the future. The King had already silently given up on the ideal to marry his daughter off to some blond, blue-eyes brat. He just did not say it out loud in order to protect his daughter from all the dirty men. He would watch over her, as he would over Henry. He would watch silently and put his faith in Gobber's plan. After witnessing everything with his own eyes, he found this plan to be very promising.
~ KeGzZ
Date of Update: 15th May 2016
