Chapter 2: The First Encounter

Astrid Hofferson knew something was off the moment she saw Hicca by herself within the forge. Norulf was nowhere to be found, not a strand of blond hair in sight. Not her own blonde hair anyways.

"Hicca," she calmly called out, "could you sharpen my axe?"

She could see the veil of thoughts and distractions lift from the brunette's eyes. Chances are, her thoughts were of and about her fellow blond. The strangely quiet girl took the axe without a word, an anomaly if there ever was one. Normally, you couldn't get the girl to stop talking, not the other way around.

"Where's Norulf?" she asked, searching around the forge for her fellow blond. When Hicca answered, her voice was soft, almost shamed.

"At home," she murmured, "injured."

Ah. That explains a lot. She was probably worried about their only mutual friend.

"Oh." There was an awkward beat, filled in by the sound of the grindstone as it sharpened the blades of her axe. "Is… is he alright?"

"He'll be up before the week is done." Once again, Hicca's voice was quiet, barely heard over the hissing and ringing of her axe.

It was a new experience for the normally serious blonde. She had never seen nor heard Hicca so subdued. Not even when she'd been yelled at by her father in front of the whole tribe had the girl been this withdrawn. If there was one thing that Astrid could say she was impressed by about the brunette, it was her thick skin and the strength of her will. Yet here she was, drawn into herself and barely holding a conversation.

Something happened that night, there was no doubt about it.

She'll have to pay Norulf and his mom a visit. Hopefully, she'll be able to learn about what happened that night. She doubted Hicca would be forthcoming with the information. They might share a mutual friend, the only decent boy in the entire village, but that didn't mean they themselves were friends. More like, passing acquaintances.

"Here." So lost in thought, Astrid had almost missed the quiet voice that addressed her.

"Uh, thanks." She dropped a few coins into the girl's palm, payment for the axe sharpening before walking away, towards the forest of evergreens that decorated the Isle of Berk.

Thinking of their friend made her frown. Looks like she'll be out of a sparring partner for a while.

Passing her time in the forest, amongst the trees with her axe, Astrid allowed her mind to wander. Normally, Norulf would be present to train with her, practicing with their respective weapons: her axe and his sword. Missing a decent sparring partner, she could do nothing but practice her throwing accuracy and axe swings, but even they could only do so much to occupy her mind. Her body moved without conscious thought, following the same patterns and movements she had spent her entire life learning, perfecting.

Something drastic must have happened to the energetic blond for Hicca to have become so subdued. Something… that Hicca must have felt guilty over. She didn't know the girl all that well, but she had almost never seen her so… defeated.

Now, worry came to her heart as her mind wandered through her memories. She remembered a time when Norulf had caught the brunette when she'd fallen out of a tree, breaking his arm in the process, but managed to keep the girl safe. For a week afterwards, Hicca wouldn't leave his side, doing everything she could for him, excessively guilty over his broken arm. The one time she'd brought it up, about a week after the incident and Norulf's arm practically healed, though still tender, Hicca had looked so ashamed of herself.

For something to have depressed the optimistic girl, it must have been bad.

Her body and mind no longer focused on her actions, her arms slowed, dropping to her side as she held her axe in hand. Her feet moved towards the home of the blond, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Time to visit one stubborn idiot.

When she was younger, she had wondered why the mother and son pair had lived separated from the village. Now, she knew they simply valued their privacy, which came at the cost of communal connection with the rest of the village. Of course, that didn't stop Norulf's ability to get along with practically everyone in the village.

Except Mildew. Not even Norulf, the sunny, helpful blond, could get along with that old bastard.

Knock knock knock!

Her petite fist made itself known against the wooden door. With no streets and nearby houses for the sound to echo against, it was surprisingly quiet, something she wasn't used to given her home's location within the village.

"Ah. Astrid." The voice of Norulf's mother came from behind the door as it opened. "How can I help you, dear?"

"Hi, Rohanna." She glanced into the home, expecting for the head of blond hair to peek around from behind the woman at any moment. "Is he alright?"

"Resting."

The mother stepped aside, letting Astrid into the house. It was a simple place, though that didn't make it any less homely than her family's. A table sat in front of the fireplace. Wolves' pelts lined the wooden chairs and floor, giving it a softer look than barren wood. Strewn across the wooden couch, cushioned with furs and thick sheets, was the source of her concern. With the right side of his head shaved and bandaged, Norulf looked abnormally still.

"Broken arm, a gash across his right shoulder and clavicle, and that head wound. Nothing too serious, but he won't be sparring for the week."

Astrid smiled at the older woman. "Nothing too serious," she says. If it was anyone else, they'd be out of action for at least a month with that broken arm alone. But this was Norulf, so she knew these injuries, as debilitating as they were, wouldn't put him out of commission for long.

Still, that left her without a sparring partner.

"Do you know how he got them?"

"Protecting Hicca." Of course. Stubborn boy wouldn't let someone else get hurt if he could help it. "I don't know the full story, but when I got to them, he had his sword drawn and staring down a flaming Nightmare."

"He survived against a Nightmare?!"

"The head wound came from debris, something made of wood judging from the splinters Hicca was pulling out of it. The gash on his shoulder came from the Nightmare's claws. The broken arm came from getting thrown by the same slash that tore his shoulder open." The woman sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, looking down at the ground. "Which might've been my fault. I shouldn't have shot the dragon. It targeted Norulf instead of running away. I should have known better."

"You were just trying to protect him." Astrid placed a hand on the woman's arm. "Norulf wouldn't blame you anyways."

"Ha!" Rohanna smirked. "Like he would blame anyone for anything."

"He's far too stubborn to even ask for help, let alone blame anyone," Astrid laughed.

"Don't remind me. I swear, it's like he only listens to half of the things I say and tunes out the other half."

"I wonder who he got that from?" Astrid snarked.

"Hicca," the mother deadpanned.

"I was gonna say you, but that works too."

"Oh hush." The mother sat down at the wooden table, giving the girl a playful scowl. "I'm not that stubborn." Astrid said nothing, instead raising an eyebrow and looking purposefully at her unconscious friend. "I'm more stubborn."

The two shared a quiet laugh. If there was one thing Rohanna had to be to deal with Norulf, it was stubborn. Well, it was either stubbornness or patience. She could clearly see which one the mother had opted for.

"Would you like to stay for lunch, Astrid? Hicca's going to drop by in a bit to check up on Norulf. You two should talk more."

"No thanks, I'm good. I just came to check up on the stubborn idiot. At least I know he'll be fine now." Astrid made for the door, waving back at the older woman. "I'll drop by again sometime to check up on him."

"Wait." Just as Astrid crossed the threshold, Rohanna laid a hand on her shoulder. "Give these to your mom, will you?"

Astrid's eyes widened as Rohanna handed her a bundle of furs. Wolf pelts.

"W-We can't accept these, Rohanna!" Astrid hissed.

"Nonsense." Rohanna waved the girl's words aside. "Take them."

"But-!" Whatever argument she was going to give died in her throat at the way the older woman's eyebrow was raised, as if daring her to speak further. "T-Thank you?"

"You're very welcome." the woman smiled. "Have a good day, Astrid."

"Y-You too."

When the door closed, Astrid glanced back down at the bundle of furs in her hands. At least their family won't have to spend money on pelts this winter.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"The gods have to hate me. They just have to."

To any would be bystander, the petite brunette who was muttering angrily to herself as she trudged through the woods of Raven Point would appear to be a few slices short of a loaf. Her long brunette hair was frazzled and adorned with a few sticks and leaves. Her manic appearance was only made worse as she muttered to herself, wandering through the forest in search of her prey.

"Some people lose tiny things. A knife. A lucky trinket. Maybe a helmet. No, no. Not me. I had to lose an. Entire. Dragon!"

Her words ended with a frustrated yell of anger and a slump of defeat. Though she wanted - nay, needed - to find that downed Night Fury, her heart wasn't in it. All she wanted to do was run back to the village and stay by Norulf's side, taking care of him. But if she did, he would have been injured for nothing.

Seated against the base of a tree and hugging her knees to her chest, Hicca trembled as her heart and mind fought. Find the dragon. Take care of Norulf. Kill the dragon. Apologize to Norulf.

In the end, she was left feeling empty, like her indecision had torn her soul in twain, leaving an empty husk behind. Thankfully, the decision was made for her as her eyes wandered through the landscape, finally settling on a tree.

A tree… whose branch was torn and splintered, barely hanging on by a few wood fibers. Her eyes followed the branch's orientation, falling upon a trench of upturned earth.

"This… this is it!"

Her pulse picked up as she stumbled forward, hiding behind the boulders that dotted the ground. Her hands fumbled through the insides of her vest, bringing her dagger to bear. It was a tiny thing, a little longer than the full length of her hand, but it was the only weapon she had on her person. Clumsily picking her way over the hill with her dagger in hand, her heart practically jumped out of her chest when she peeked over the crest and caught sight of the downed dragon. A gasp left her lips, her instincts forcing her to duck behind a boulder.

Thank Thor for Berk's rocky terrain.

She peeked back over the top of the boulder, trying to calm her heart from the scare she had just experienced. She took in every detail of the drowned dragon, burning the image into her mind. Large, leathery wings, bound by the rope of the bolas, lay half extended behind its back. Jet black scales seemed to absorb all light around it, leaving a dark smudge upon a landscape.

"I did it! I did it! I really fucking did it!" She stepped upon the dragon's flank, her arms raised as if egging on a cheering crowd. "I have done it!"

Whatever fantasy she was in ended when the dragon she thought was dead shifted its weight, letting out a hissing groan. Pushed onto her back, she nearly dropped her dagger, staring at the downed creature. Trailing her eyes along its flank and short forelimbs, she felt her heart sink as she locked eyes with the creature. Her emerald eyes met with toxic green, slitted and focused solely on her.

Attempting to muster up her courage, she swallowed the lump in her throat. Shaky hands white knuckled upon her dagger, she approached it.

"Listen, dragon: I am going to kill you." Though her words were tough, she felt anything but. "I am going to end you. I will finally make my father proud. I. Am. A. Viking!"

She stood over the Night Fury, her dagger raised. With one last look, she closed her eyes, rearing back, hoping that it will be enough for her to pierce the hide of the dragon.

"I can do this. For my father. For Norulf."

Her repeated mantra of self-assurance was interrupted by a wailing moan from the dragon. Her eyes cracked open, watching as it's head flopped onto the ground, limp, its breathing steady.

She tried again, forcing her eyes shut and raising the dagger up once more. Only… she couldn't bring herself to do it. Her arms felt heavy, weighed down by the gravity of her choice.

Her station in life… or the life of a living creature?

"I am a viking…"

As her voice trailed off, her strength failed. Her legs collapsed from underneath her, leaving her kneeling before the dragon. Tears came, yet she remained silent, her arms lay limply at her side.

Minutes passed by as she stayed there, dagger in hand. Her tears never stopped, her mind focused on only one thing:

"I… am… a failure," Hicca whispered.

"No matter who you are, Hicca, I'll always be your friend, ya know."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"How could you ever be friends with a coward like me?"

Now, more than ever before, she hated herself for being weak. It was her fault that Norulf had gotten injured so severely. The very thing that Norulf had been injured for lay at her feet, yet she was too weak - too cowardly! - to finish the job. She really is pathetic…

Feeling someone watching her, Hicca looked up, only to be met with the toxic green eyes of her captive audience. For a brief second, she swore she could see something flicker across its eyes, something so human that she'd nearly dropped her dagger in surprise.

"Could it… feel?"

She has to be going insane! She just has to be! Weak, cowardly, and now, losing her fucking mind!

"Can… can you understand me?" she whispered.

Though the dragon still stared at her with slitted eyes and tensed muscles, it moved its head ever so slightly. A nod.

"It's official: I'm losing my mind."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Baka."

He didn't know how he knew, he just did. She just called him an idiot.

"You're still sacrificing yourself for others."

He laid there, head within her lap, smiling as she gently stroked his hair. Well, what was left of his hair anyways. Her words were stern, yet they were laden with affection, almost like a lover berating their idiotic partner.

"Stubborn boy."

He winced as she placed her hand against the bandaged wound on his head. Soon enough, the pain was gone, replaced by a pleasant heat.

"Don't you dare smile at me like that, mister. What would you do if I wasn't here to heal you?"

His smile widened, quirking an eyebrow like his brown-haired bestie.

"You would still do it," she sighed, exasperated. She flicked her finger across his nose. "You're lucky I like you so much."

He pointed at himself, formed a heart with his crossed thumb and index fingers, then pointed at her, before holding up two fingers: "I love you, too."

"Hm! You'd better." She smiled at him, a beautiful sight to be sure. If this is what it's like to enter Valhalla, her smile alone is worth the death in battle. "Flattery will get you everywhere, my dear."

Her smile brightened as she placed her hand against his collarbone, pouring what felt like liquid heat into the wound. From the corner of his eye, he could make out a glowing orange light followed by hisses of steam as he felt the wound seal itself shut.

"Jokes aside, you have to be more careful, you know." She turned her ruby red eyes to him. "If not for your own sake, then for the sake of those girls who are so fond of you. No need to make them sick with worry."

For the first time since he'd entered this state of half-dreams, he frowned. He didn't want to worry them, truly. Yet, he would rather worry them and bear the burden of injuries than to see them hurt. He knew that this valkyrie, whoever she is, will be here to protect him. He didn't know if the girls had someone like that.

"Oh, so you're just taking advantage of me, huh?"

No! He shook his head vigorously, willing the frown on her lips to disappear. He held onto her hand, smiling as he placed it against his cheek. Never.

"You're lucky I know you so well."

Her hand settled against his broken forearm after unraveling the layers of bandages, allowing him to see the procedure that had captivated his attention so many times before. Her hand glowed with an orange light, sealing the open wound shut before his very eyes.

"There," she declared, satisfied with her work. "You know, I should start charging you for these sessions."

He quirked an eyebrow. What the hell was he going to pay her with?

"Oh, I have a few ideas," she whispered, leaning down and gazing at him with lidded eyes and an emotion he couldn't quite identify.

His cheeks burned, his heart raced. He didn't know what he was doing, but, luckily for him, his body seemed to. He tilted his head back, meeting her the rest of the way as their lips brushed against one another.

Huh. So this is why his mother warned him to stay away from seductive women and feminine wiles.

Dream women and valkyries don't count, right?

...

Eh. It's not like his mom will know.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Hicca."

"Dad! I uhh… I was just looking for you."

For once in her life, she actually meant it. For all the vibrato and optimism that she felt when boasting oh so confidently about how she was going to kill a dragon, the moment had come. And she found herself wanting in both strength and resolve.

"Dad. I uhh… I don't want to fight dragons anymore."

The Haddock household became eerily quiet, leaving only the sound of the crackling fire to fill in the awkward silence. Until the massive man's body began shaking with raucous laughter.

"Dad?" Her voice was so soft compared to the thunderous sound of guffaws.

"Oh come on! You do want to fight dragons!" Oh no. "Your whole life, it's always been about fighting dragons! Even the machines you've been making are for fighting dragons. Granted, they don't really work, but…" The man trailed off, still smiling in amusement.

"Rephrase: Dad, I can't fight dragons."

"Oh, but you will! That's why…" he paused, arms spread as if waiting for her to hug him for what he was about to say, "you'll be in dragon training!"

She could only stare at him, her face an unusual blank mask, stoic to the nth degree. It was what she's always wanted, what she has been yearning for her whole life. It would be that chance for her to prove herself, make her dreams come true and dig herself out of her social pothole.

Then her mind flashed back towards the scene in the woods. Of losing her strength in front of the dragon before she could deliver the killing blow. She remembered how it'd pinned her beneath its claws and screamed in righteous fury after she'd cut it loose. She thought she was dead. Then… it'd spared her. When she'd looked into its eyes, she could see everything it felt. Anger. Hate.

Fear.

That dragon was afraid of her. It was sentient enough to fear her, to fear death. In that moment, she knew how it had felt beneath her blade. It made her fear for her life, just like she did to it. With those thoughts, those memories at the front of her mind, she couldn't bring herself to glorify the slaughter of the sentient creatures, assuming that all dragons were as sentient as the Night Fury.

Her father's lips soon pressed themselves into a thin line as he lowered his arms. He didn't understand. He thought she would be ecstatic, happier than ever before. Yet, here she stood, silent and stone-faced.

Huh. So that's what it's like to see The Stoick Face.

She said nothing, standing there for another minute, letting the silence drag on until she finally moved, running up the stairs without even looking back. When she reached her bed, she collapsed into it, letting the weight of the day crush her into a dreamless slumber.

x-x-x-x-x

"Hicca! You didn't drop by yesterday, sweetheart."

"I'm sorry. I had a lot on my mind yesterday."

Hicca tried to smile at her mother-figure, even though she knew that it looked more like a grimace than a reassuring smile. She turned back to Norulf, who still laid on the couch, unconscious. Somehow, someway, when she had changed his bandages earlier, his wounds had completely sealed themselves shut. At first, she had thought it was a trick caused by the scabs, but when she'd wiped away the excess blood, there was nothing but skin. Healthy, tanned skin.

Rohanna was slightly surprised though the mother seemed to just accept it.

"He's always healed quickly. I just don't understand how. Doesn't change the fact that he's my son."

Rohanna herself has never shown any sort of enhanced healing capabilities, so she didn't know where Norulf could have gotten these abilities from. Whatever they were, they appeared to be getting stronger. When he was a child, they were never this pronounced. Cuts would seal in minutes instead of hours, heal in hours instead of days. Broken bones would have healed in a week, two tops.

Now, broken bones healed in a matter of hours.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Yea. I know."

This time, she gave the older woman a real smile. With no mother at her side, Rohanna had filled in the role of a mother-figure for Hicca. She was practically the only parent Hicca had when she was growing up.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Leave it up to Rohanna to see right through her.

"I…" She paused. What was she going to say? "Oh yea, I just let a Night Fury go, almost died, and now believe that dragons, Night Furies at the very least, are sentient and can understand human speech, upturning my entire worldview. Just peachy."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to but I'm here if you ever need to say anything."

She only had time to give Rohanna a grateful smile before a loud groan drew their attention to the only other occupant in the room. Norulf's eyelids moved and flexed as he woke, slowly opening to reveal bright blue eyes, slightly dazed from the remnants of sleep.

"Did anyone see the wagon that hit me?"

His voice was deep and rough from lack of use, but she couldn't care less, merely happy to hear him speak again. A quiet Norulf felt… wrong.

"Whoa!" His eyes were barely open when he felt a weight smash against his chest. The sound of sniffles reached his ears next as his arms settled around the familiar weight of his best friend. "Hey, Hicca. Shh."

Rohanna said nothing, smiling at her son and his friend before silently stalking out of the room. She'll have her turn to berate him later. Hicca needed her time with Norulf more than she did right now. Of course, she'll be nearby. She's not leaving those two alone in a room together for too long. She wasn't ready to be a grandmother just yet.

The two teens laid upon the wolf fur couch, filling the room with the soft sniffles of the relieved girl.

"What was that?" Norulf had missed Hicca's mumbled words, muffled by his chest, the furs, and her tears.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "It was my fault you got injured." Norulf said nothing, listening to the petite girl as she poured her heart out to him. "It wouldn't have happened if I'd just stayed in the forge like Gobber said. I'm the one who wanted to go out there and you were the one who got hurt."

His hand found itself buried in the tangles of her hair, massaging her scalp with tender fingers and boundless affection.

"I would do it all over again in a heartbeat, ya know."

"No! I don't want you to. I don't want you to get hurt anymore, not for me." She looked up at him, eyes red and puffy, cheeks stained by tear tracks.

"I'll train you. I'll teach you how to protect yourself."

"You can't!" The desperation in her voice was heartbreaking. "We've tried. You told me, remember? You told me that my heart wasn't in it! I can't kill a dragon, Norulf. I can't do it."

There was a finality to her voice that made him suspect something big had happened, yet there was nothing he could think of that could have made her so convinced.

"The Night Fury."

She'd shot it down, if that screech was anything to go by. He didn't know where it went down, too busy trying to reach her and keep her from getting killed by that Nightmare. Everything after that was a little bit blurry, but he didn't have to remember anything more than that screech to know what his friend had done.

"You idiot," he whispered. "You went after it, didn't you. You went after it alone? What if you got hurt?"

"Better than seeing you get hurt!"

"No it's not!" he retorted. "I can heal. You can't!"

"It doesn't make it any better!" she hissed, surprising the blond teen. There was sorrow in her voice and fear in her eyes. "Do you know how much it hurts seeing you like this? I thought I'd lost you when that Nightmare struck."

Norulf held her, her head resting against his chest. He shifted himself, letting Hicca's legs rest between his own.

"I would rather have every bone in my body broken than see you hurt."

She wanted to argue against it, but held her tongue. It wouldn't change his mind. He was just as stubborn as her father. Stupid stubborn idiot.

So, she just laid there, holding him close and basking in his comforting presence. The rest of the world could wait. Her best friend had just woken up and she'll be damned if she didn't hog as much of his time as she could.

x-x-x-x-x

Astrid Hofferson found herself walking the same path as the day before, one she had only ever sporadically used. There was an exuberance in her movements, a stark contrast to the normally serious blonde who moved with purpose, but not energy. The reason for the spring in her step?

Dragon training.

All her life, she had wanted to become a dragon slayer. She didn't want to slay dragons for the fun or, as Snotlout would suggest, for the glory. For her, dragon slaying, specifically the slaying of a single, unique dragon, was a matter of honor. Her family lost everything to that beast. She will be the one to return the honor to her family.

That was a promise.

Now, she got the chance to prove herself within the Arena, the chance to go out during raids as a dragon fighter rather than a firefighter, working her way up to kill that thrice-damned dragon. Her fists clenched as her thoughts strayed to the creature, before she banished them with haste. It would do no good to work herself up over it right now. She had a friend to visit.

Her knuckles rapped upon the wooden door, knowing that Rohanna was home from the smoke that billowed from the house's chimney. The door opened just like the day before, with one exception: the smile on Rohanna's face.

"Come to check on him again?"

"Yea. How is he?"

"Why don't you see for yourself?"

Astrid adopted a look of confusion. See for herself? What is there for her to see if-

"Astrid! Hey!"

She whirled around, surprise evident on her face as she laid her eyes upon the blond she was here to visit.

"Norulf? How are you up?!"

Unlike the day before, where he was bandaged and looked pale enough to be a draugr, her fellow blond was up and about, smiling like he hadn't survived a brush with death not twenty four hours ago.

"Odin sent his valkyrie and fixed me up. What do you think?" Ugh. He was picking up Hicca's snark.

"I think that you shouldn't be out of bed yet, buster." She crossed her arms, leveling a cool gaze of disappointment at the male.

"Oh, don't try that with him, Astrid," Norulf's mother intervened, passing by towards the table, going to back removing the three nicks on Norulf's blade with a whetstone. "If he's not going to listen to me, he's not going to listen to you."

Astrid sighed. She didn't have to look up to know that the idiot was grinning up a storm.

"I'm telling you, mom: I'm fine!"

"And I'm telling you: you're not!"

"But you checked my injuries! You said they were gone!"

"Doesn't mean you should be up and prancing about!"

Astrid tuned out the rest of the mother-son bickering, paying more attention to what she had just heard. His injuries were gone?

She said nothing and approached the teen who was currently arguing with his mother - a fruitless endeavor if she had ever seen one. She snatched his flailing hand out of the air, pointedly ignoring the pleasant feeling of having his warm hand within hers, and pulled up his sleeve, revealing the unblemished length of his arm.

No broken skin.

Daring to risk it, she wrapped her hand around his forearm and squeezed.

No broken bone.

"Astrid?" She looked up, gazing into those bright blue eyes. "See? I'm perfectly fine!"

"How?! I saw your bandages! There's not even a scar left!"

"Odin and his valkyrie, I'm telling you!" She rewarded him with a punch to the shoulder for his snark. "Ow! I just healed, Astrid! Are you trying to put me back in critical condition?!"

"She has my permission to." Rohanna's voiced her opinion.

"Mom! Whose side are you on?!"

"The one that keeps you from injuring yourself with your heroics."

"But short-tempered blondes with a battleaxe get a pass?" She stomped down on his foot. "Ow! Astrid!"

"Don't break too many bones, Astrid. You want to beat him in dragon training, don't you?"

She smiled at the mention of the Hairy Hooligan's rite of passage. At least with Norulf participating, there would be some competition. The rest of their generation is… less than impressive.

"Dragon training?" Norulf's eyes widened. "We're going into dragon training?"

"You didn't know? The chief wanted to train up some new recruits." This was surprising. Normally, Norulf would be on the up and up when it comes to any news regarding the village. Being best friends with the daughter of the chief does have its perks. "That means I finally get to show. You. Up."

She poked his chest with every word, smirking at her fellow blond. Norulf wasn't one to back down, however, standing up to his full height and smiling back at the competitive girl.

"We'll see about that."

Neither of them backed down. Until Rohanna decided to speak up.

"If you two are done with your staring contest, you should probably go find Hicca."

"Hicca? Why? What's wrong?" Norulf, at the mention of his best friend, instantly broke off the staring contest with Astrid and focused on his mother.

"She hasn't been herself. There's something on her mind, something she's not willing to share." She slightly glared at her son. "And that doesn't mean you should force it out of her."

"Alright. We both know she's too stubborn to say anything if she doesn't want to, mom."

"Still. I'd rather you didn't piss her off. Be there for her, but don't be too dense." Rohanna's eyes flickered to the other blonde in the room, something both teens managed to miss. She pulled Norulf in, smiling as she kissed him on the forehead. "Love you."

"Love you, too, mom."

Astrid smiled at the two. Unlike the rest of the tribe, Norulf and his mother never had any qualms with communicating their love for one another. The blond, unlike most other teens his age, isn't squeamish about telling his mom that he loves her. It was strange, to be sure, but not unwelcome given the emotionally stunted vikings they share a tribe with.

Anger? They're vikings. It comes with the job.

Frustration? Ever seen vikings swinging at flying dragons with swords?

But anything like love and affection? Might as well get the chief to stop killing dragons.

"Come on, Astrid. Let's go find ourselves a brunette." Norulf broke off the hug with his mom before it could get awkward for the watching blonde. "We'll be back in time for dinner, mom!"

"Do be careful out there. If I have to bandage you up again, I'm keeping you on house arrest for the rest of the year."

"Yes, ma'am!" Norulf saluted her - Astrid couldn't decide if it was sarcastic or not - and grabbed a spare sword from the table before booking it out the front door.

"Keep him alive," Rohanna told Astrid, half serious, half exasperated.

"I'll try," she responded, following the idiotic blond in hopes of keeping him out of trouble.

x-x-x-x-x

"Where is she?"

Surprisingly, it was Astrid who had growled in exasperation. The pair had been searching for the missing brunette for the better part of the afternoon. She wasn't on the cliffs. She wasn't at the forge. She wasn't even in her private room at the back of the forge.

"Home?"

"Hicca. Home." Astrid stared at her friend. "Hicca and Stoick don't exactly get along, Norulf."

"But what if she is though? It wouldn't hurt to check. Maybe she told Stoick where she went."

"This is Hicca and Stoick we're talking about, Norulf. Besides, the Chief wouldn't be home at this hour. He's probably in the Great Hall or helping with the reconstruction."

Norulf couldn't help but shake his head. He couldn't understand the daughter-father pair. It was obvious how much they loved each other. Well, it was obvious to everyone, but the pair in question.

He knew Stoick loved Hicca. Practically every week, he would come by the house and visit Rohanna, trading for berries or the preserves that could be made from the island's few native plants. All Hicca's favorites.

Hicca, likewise, loved her father above all else. She would always sharpen her father's weapons, keeping them either honed to a razor's edge or well-maintained. She kept his favorite ale stocked up. Ice could always be found in their home, deep under the cellar frozen, either to cool down the ale or for Stoick to use as headache relief.

And yet, both are either too stuck in their ways (Stoick) or too caught up in their own image - or lack thereof - (Hicca), to properly communicate and bond over their love for one another.

Thank the Norns for Gobber. That blundering meathead somehow gets more through both of their skulls than anyone else ever could hope to.

Miracles come in the strangest forms.

Trekking towards the massive beer hall built directly into the side of a mountain, Norulf greeted the many vikings that saw him. Many of them didn't care too much about his friendship with the village pariah. Some actually encouraged it, seeing him as a way for the awkward teen to grow out of her shell.

"Good to see ya back on your feet, boy!"

"Thanks, Burnthair."

"Glad you're alright, laddie."

"I'm glad I'm alright too, Phlegma!"

Everyone else was content to smile at the blond, nodding to him and Astrid as they made their way up the massive stone steps. Astrid knew without a doubt that her friend was popular with the Hairy Hooligans. He was always around the village, either lending a hand or working odd jobs and talking with others. He was friendly, funny, and a load of other adjectives that don't start with "f."

She followed him inside the massive meade hall as he pushed the massive wooden doors open. The sweet smell of burning tree sap and the warmth of the hall's central fire was as welcoming as the people within. Apparently, someone had seen Norulf's stand against the Nightmare last night and word had spread that the boy had somehow fought against the beast single-handedly. Without any weapons!

Vikings, Astrid concluded, were a gossipy bunch. And not very accurate story tellers.

"Hey, Chief!" If Astrid wasn't used to Norulf's supposed lack of respect for the massive man, she would have tripped over her own feet in surprise.

"Good afternoon, Chief."

Seated at one of the dining tables was Stoick, standing hunched over the table with his second-in-command and brother, Spitelout, a serious man with a serious face and short, jaw-length black locks of hair, looking over two maps of the village. The man looked up from his work, pausing in his discussion with his brother. Stoick smiled as he saw the blond boy, a familiar face and a friend of his daughter. Even Spitelout cracked a smile at the blond.

"Astrid! Norulf! Good to see you on your feet again, lad. I came by to visit earlier."

"Thanks, Chief." Astrid smiled as her friend scratched his head in the familiar habit, showing his embarrassment. "You wouldn't happen to know where Hicca is, would you?"

"Hicca? Is she not at the forge?"

"No. Checked basically everywhere in town where she might be. Not a single sign of her."

"Hm," the big man hummed, visibly frowning. "Check the forests. She… was acting weird last night." At Norulf and Astrid's raised eyebrows, he amended himself. "Well, weirder. When I told her she was going to be in dragon training, she just stood there." He shook his head, his full beard swaying with the motion before pointing a meaty finger at Norulf. "Take care of her in dragon training, Norulf."

"You didn't even have to ask, Chief."

The two shared a mutual nod of understanding. For Norulf, Hicca was one of his closest. He would do anything for her. For Stoick, she is his daughter. Enough said. But more than that, she was the only thing he had to remind himself of his wife.

"We'll go look for Hicca now, chief. If we don't find her by dinner or if she doesn't come back, we'll get the twins to help us look for her."

"Right. You do that."

Stoick truly hoped they could find his daughter before night fell. Or have Hicca herself come back before such a time. He really didn't want the twins going in the forest. Alone. Unsupervised.

The thought alone sent a shiver of fear down his spine, something not even the largest Nightmares could ever hope to do.

"We're not seriously going to ask the twins for help are we?"

Apparently, Astrid shared his fears.