7. A Day of Revelations
The Hofferson Clan was widely renowned for both their skill in battle and their unwavering courage. At least, that was before Finn Hofferson faced the Flightmare. He lost his life and, posthumously, his honor for freezing in place when confronting the dragon. Ever since that incident nine years ago, the Hofferson family name had been tarnished. It wasn't the end of the world for them, but it was still a significant change to the honor and prestige their name had represented in the past.
Astrid was raised upon the stories of her family name, as if their history was a living, breathing code of conduct. Growing up, she had witnessed the strength and courage of her uncle. It was to his standards that she lived her life.
Strength. Courage. Honor.
Those were the three ideals she held onto as she marched into the Arena in the dead of night. She would have preferred to face that draugr in the light of day, when the scales are balanced, but that held too many risks. Besides, what if this was all in her head?
"You came back for seconds." In the dark of night, the only thing that clued her to the presence of this… creature was the eyeshine. "Too bad I can't say the same for your uncle," it chuckled caustically.
"Fuck you," the blonde teen hissed. The creature disappeared from her line of sight for a second. A presence looming over her shoulder told her exactly where it went.
"That could be arranged," the lascivious entity smirked.
Her instincts kicked in, throwing a punch straight for the spirit's face. Rage turned into shock as her punch connected, breaking its nose with a solid crack. Blood coated her hand, turning her stomach from the slick coating of fluid. Guilt welled up in her chest once more as she saw the blood-stained visage of her friend.
All the while, the draugr didn't so much as flinch. It took full advantage of her hesitation, throwing her across the arena. Dark spots blotted out her vision as her head collided against the stone wall. Her assailant gave her no time to recover, wrapping its hand around her throat, holding her up against the wall. Only the tips of her toes brushed against the cold stone floor below; just enough to limit her breathing, but not enough to suffocate her.
"It hurts, doesn't it?" The monster wearing her friend's face taunted. "Of course it does. But you wouldn't know what we felt until your blood stains these walls." The jovial, yet manic tone turned cruel in an instant. "Look. At. Me!"
As hesitant as she was to lay her eyes upon the disgusting creature that stole her friend's visage, she complied. In the darkness that surrounded them, its eyes seemed particularly ominous. The red iris, surrounding a bottomless pit of a pupil, seemed to suck the very light from the stars above.
"You are afraid," it stated, as if amused, "but I can still see the defiance in your eyes. Good."
She didn't understand. Didn't it want to hurt her?
"Hurting you would achieve nothing, Astrid Hofferson." Could it read her mind? "No. You are not my target; Naruto is."
Naruto? Who the hell is Naruto? What kind of a name is 'Naruto?'
"My other half," it smirked. "Of course, you know him better as Norulf, don't you?"
"What," Astrid gasped, "what do you want with him?"
"Defiant to your very last breath. I can see why he likes you." It chuckled, a horrible sound that reminded her of her friend's, only in the most twisted way possible. "What I need is for him to wake up." The sound of footfalls drew the monster's eyes away from her. "It seems our time together is at an end, little valkyrie." He smirked at her, simultaneously taunting and teasing her. "Don't keep us waiting."
Just like that, it vanished. In the split second it took her to blink, the creature was gone, its grip on her throat relinquished. She sucked in air greedily, frantic blue eyes searching the darkness of the Arena for her assailant.
She couldn't decide if the empty Arena and her bloodless fist was a good sign or not.
x-x-x-x-x
"Norulf? May I speak with you?"
There were a lot of words one could use to describe Astrid Hofferson. Aggressive, smart, quick on her feet, strong, skilled. Meek was never one of them. Even now, tired and sleep deprived, she still did her best to present an image of infallibility.
He knew better.
"Yea. Come in."
He made no sudden moves as she came in. He didn't want her bolting away from him like she did the other day. That was a folly on his part, he knew that now. His mom tore him a new one for that. She didn't look as afraid nor as skittish as she did the other day, but he wasn't going to take any chances.
"I'm sorry," he blurted. "About the other day. I didn't mean to - ow!" Norulf rubbed his upper arm, right where the blonde had punched. "Okay, okay. I deserve that one."
She graced him with a slight smile, strained, but honest. Sitting down beside her on the couch, he waited for her to talk. It took far longer than he expected.
"Norulf?" Astrid started, wringing her hands together, something he's never seen her do before. "I… I… I need… I need your… help."
Norulf knew better than most the pride most Hoffersons held, he smiled. He owed her for pulling that stunt the other day, but, more than that, he was her friend. He was going to help her regardless.
"Okay. What do you need help with?"
"I mean, I know you're probably rea-"
"Astrid."
"-lly busy planning for the wedding and I kn-"
"Astrid?"
"-ow you'll want to spend time with Hicca, but-"
"Astrid!"
He would never admit it out loud in fear for his very life, but the way Astrid stared up at him, wide eyed, confused and hopeful, was very cute.
"I said I would help you."
"But… you haven't even heard what I need help with yet."
"Does it matter?" His hand settled upon hers, gripping it as their eyes locked. "You're my friend, Astrid. I'll help you however I can."
The relief in her eyes was palpable. Her shoulders relaxed, as if a literal weight had been taken off of them.
"Thank you," she sighed.
"So… what do you need help with?"
Norulf didn't know what he was getting himself into, but he knew better to ask now than find himself caught flat footed later on. Halfway through her explanation, he suddenly found himself wishing he'd just stayed in bed the day they had to face the Nadder.
"So… this other me wants to see... me?" Just saying it out loud must have caused something to snap in his mind. "Are you sure?" Maybe he wasn't the only one who suffered some head trauma that day.
"I know how crazy it sounds, but that thing doesn't appear anywhere else! I only see it in the Arena." There was a desperation in her voice that was so out of character, he had to actively not pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "It… it called you 'Naruto.'"
It was that moment that he knew she wasn't lying. His throat tightened, suddenly drier than a Berkian summer. There was no other way for Astrid to know that name.
"I," Norulf paused, "I believe you."
"You do?" Astrid blinked. "Shouldn't you at least wait until you see the thing for yourself?"
"Only one other person knows that name and I know for a fact she hasn't told anyone else." Norulf shook his head. Whatever that thing was, it was real. That much he knew. How he was going to deal with it, that was another matter.
"Okay." Astrid nodded, curious. "Is it Hicca?"
"Huh?"
"The one who knows about your other name."
"Oh! No no no. She's… someone else."
"Oh."
"Yea."
The house fell silent a few moments later. While Norulf was lost in his own thoughts and concerns for this potential threat, Astrid was smiling to herself. Having swallowed her pride to ask him for help, she found herself thankful for Norulf's trust and understanding - or Naruto's. She still hadn't figured out the specifics of his name yet.
"So… tomorrow night?" Astrid asked, eager to see this dilemma put behind her.
"Can't." Norulf shook his head. "Hicca has… a problem that I have to help her with."
"Next week then?"
"Yea. Next week."
"Great!" The shieldmaiden stood up, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "Lots to do, trees to kill."
"Oh yea, definitely. What would we ever do without our resident lumberjack?"
Norulf's smile only widened when the blonde punched his shoulder. Seeing his friend out the door, the two stopped in the doorway. He nearly gawked when Astrid stopped, wringing her hands together as she stared at the ground.
"What in the-"
His brain stopped working when Berk's favorite shieldmaiden hugged him.
"Thank you."
With that, she was off, running back towards the village with a brief glance back at him. Robotically, the teen closed the door and sat himself back on the couch, sipping away at the cold tea he'd made for the girl.
"I've never seen her hug anyone before…"
SLAM!
"Norulf Berkstormur! Why did I see Astrid Hofferson running from our house?!"
"Wait! Mom! It's not- Ow! Ow! Ow! Not the ear, not the ear!"
x-x-x-x-x
"Norulf? Can I talk with you?" Her eyes darted over to Rohanna. "Alone?"
There were a lot of times in Hicca's relatively short life that left her nervous and afraid. The first time she entered the Arena. The first time she was openly berated in front of the village. The moment she saw Norulf stare down that Nightmare. The moment she saw Norulf stop breathing.
This easily topped all of those. Except for those last two.
"Of course!" She didn't wait for him to get up, heading directly up into his bedroom.
She sat on his bed, wringing her hands together. She couldn't even bring herself to look at him as he entered the room.
"Hicca? What's wrong?"
"Everything," she thought, but she refrained from openly speaking, only shaking her head.
Even when he sat down beside her on the bed, she found her resolve crumbling. It had only been earlier in the day when she thought herself strong enough, resilient enough, to tell him everything.
Now…
"Hicca…"
She thought the warmth and weight of his hand against her own would strengthen her resolve. Oh how wrong she'd been. He must have noticed it too. The clammy sweat of her palms, the coldness of her fingers.
What was she going to say? How was she going to say it? How would she tell her husband-to-be that her best friend, aside from him, was a dragon? In a village of dragon killers, she might as well blood eagle herself.
A warm, calloused hand cupped her cheek. She tried to turn her head away, but a firm pressure on her cheek forced their eyes to meet. Love and concern were clearly visible in his eyes. She could only imagine what she conveyed through her own.
Love? Fear? Concern? Desperation?
Regardless of what she conveyed, Norulf seemed to sense her distress. He moved closer to her side, opting to say nothing. Her head rested against his shoulder a second later. They sat like that for what felt like hours, neither saying anything.
Her mind brought her back to that fateful morning. Her fear, her cowardice, suddenly felt all too familiar. Fearful toxic green eyes overlapped with concerned blue. The situations were different, but her strength of will remained the same: lacking.
She had to do this and not just for Norulf; he deserved better than to be kept in the dark. No. She had to do this for herself. This would be proof of her strength.
She could do this.
"Norulf?"
She had to.
x-x-x-x-x
"You must be proud of her," his vixen smiled, raking her fingers through his blond hair as he lay in her lap.
"I am."
The smile faded almost as quickly as it came. The meadow was silent save for the wind.
"I know of the one you speak," her voice was resolute. "That 'draugr,' as your shieldmaiden had dubbed it, is you." She elaborated upon seeing his confusion. "He is another part of you, a fragment of your soul."
Before them, the air swirled itself into a small whirlwind. What looked to be a mirage appeared, depicting two separate images of Norulf. The one he recognized as himself stood proudly, smiling with bright blue eyes. The other…
Norulf held back a flinch beneath the red-eyed gaze of his other half. Crouched at the knees of what he assumed to be his good half, his darkness smiled with a snarl. In both his hands, he wielded small, identical blades, each of their pommels ending in a circular ring.
A lilting giggle brought his attention back to the vixen whose lap he laid in.
"Don't be afraid," she gestured at the mirage. "While his appearance is somewhat dark, he protects you. After all, he is you." Her mirth faded a second later. "But something is wrong," she admitted. "Your other half had never acted like this before. Whatever you do, you cannot take the situation lightly."
"That bastard's been taunting Astrid! I'm not letting the asshole get away with it."
"And what are you going to do about it, dear?"
"I-I don't know! That's why I came to you looking for help, remember?" The vixen sighed, pulling him back into her chest. "Umm... this is nice, but..."
"You're not ready yet, dear." She looped her arms over his shoulders, keeping him pressed up against her. "I had forgotten how absolutely scrumptious you are while you are young."
"I-Y-Huh?!"
"Do not confront your inner darkness, Naruto." Her stern voice snapped him out of his embarrassment. "Something is wrong with it. Your inner darkness has always been defensive, but never outright hostile." Her tails wrapped protectively around him. "Do not let your guard down."
x-x-x-x-x
The trip to Hicca's secret little cove had been far too quiet and uncomfortable. His bride-to-be was uncomfortable. She fidgeted the entire way there. All jitters.
Hicca had always been an animate person. She moved about as if every limb had a mind of their own, but were somehow all moving in conjunction with one another. This time, however, they seemed to be at war with themselves. She looked like she wanted to run and stay at the exact same time.
"So… a dragon, huh?"
She jolted in response. At least she didn't run away, he supposed. It was difficult approaching her. Always has been. She would hide behind her snark, her sarcasm. It was a damn miracle she'd approached him at all.
"Uh, yeah."
He kept the sigh to himself. The thought had floored him, but he'd done his best to keep the kibosh on that particular reaction. Wouldn't want to scare her off and have her do something dumb.
Like, dumber than going by herself to observe, study, and befriend a dragon.
Upon reaching this sloping wall of dirt and stone, Hicca stopped him. Her fidgeting continued, pushing his concern for the girl through the roof. She couldn't very well just back out now given she'd already told him everything.
"I… damn it." She reached up, grabbing fistfuls of her hair. "I- You- This-" She sobbed. "I can't-"
"Hicca?"
"You're here and Toothless is down there and I'm trying to not run back home and hide under my blanket and and and-"
"Hicca!" She froze, jaws flapping soundlessly. "I'm here. You're here." He stepped closer and grabbed onto her. "I'm not leaving my wife."
"W-Wife?! We're not m-married yet!"
He could see the gears turning in her head. The blush on her cheek was quite endearing.
"Doesn't stop me from doing this." He kissed her with all the passion he could muster. When he pulled away, the dazed look on her face was a point of pride. "Now, are you going to introduce me to your friend?"
"Uh… r-right."
She was so cute when she was blushing. Walking just a little bit faster, he snuck a kiss onto her cheek. To his satisfaction, she squeaked and walked just a little bit faster.
"Toothless!" she called out.
A spot of darkness moved along the corner of his vision. What he thought was a blemish in his field of view turned out to be a shifting mass. Large, bat-like wings partially unfurled.
"Oh... my… gods..."
"Night Fury," he whispered. Instinctively, he reached for his sword. Unfortunately, his crazy, adorable wife-to-be forced him to drop everything, and he meant everything, back at home. "Is that… a saddle?"
"Toothless, come over, bud! I have someone important for you to meet!"
"Did the thing just croon?!"
He watched the creature shuffle forward, shocked and more than a little afraid. Almost as shocking as the hesitant, but compliant dragon was the smile on Hicca's face. She was happy.
"Norulf? This is Toothless. Toothless? Norulf. He's… he's my… m-mate."
She was blushing like crazy, but Naruto couldn't take the time to admire her red face. He was too busy reigning in his instincts to run and drag his crazy fiancé with him.
"What are you doing?!" he hissed as she pulled his hand up, spreading out the fingers against his wishes.
"Trust me," Hicca pushed.
Taking deep breaths, he tried to calm his heart. His hands shook, but still, he soldiered on. Slowly, the dragon approached. At this distance, he could see the individual scales on its head. Those toxic green eyes were focused solely on him, the pupils narrowed, but weren't slitted.
"Just… relax…"
"Oh yea, 'Just relax.' Let me not shit my breeches in front of the deadliest predator known to vikings. And now it's baring its teeth at me! What kinda name is TOOTHLESS?!"
"Good, good."
"NO! THIS IS NOT GOOD!"
"Shh shh shh. It's okay, bud. He won't hurt you."
"Me?! Hurt him?!"
Closer and closer, the dragon came until he could feel the heat rolling off its scales. Warm, pleasant. For a split second, its eyes switched over to Hicca. Unnoticed by Norulf, she nodded.
With her approval, Toothless lurched forward, pressing his snout against Norulf's hand. A rush unlike any other flowed through him.
"Holy shit… holy shit!"
"It's a rush, isn't it?" Laughter echoed from the walls of the cove. Disbelief. Shock. Relief. "He loves it when you give him scratches."
He didn't question her. His fingernails found purchase against the matrix of scales. Slowly, he worked his hands back and forth. The Night Fury - Toothless - crooning and shuffling its wings, pushing its head deeper against his hand.
"Oh. Oh! You're just like a big old dog ain'tcha?"
"He's more like a cat," Hicca corrected. "Stupid, lazy reptile."
Whack!
"Ow!" Norulf snickered while Hicca rubbed the back of her head. "You stupid jerk! You got a new head scratcher and now you're trading me out, huh?"
He fucking laughed at her.
"Oh, fuck you too!" She turned on Norulf. "And you! He attacked your fiancé! Shouldn't you be protecting me?!"
x-x-x-x-x
"Thank you for believing in me."
"When have I not?"
She snuggled against him as the two of them leaned back against Toothless. The intimacy made her quite happy given the stress she had been under for the last week or so.
"You're the best." He pressed a kiss to her head and she tried not to preen beneath his affections. "It feels like I just got this giant weight off my back." She snuggled into him. "I don't have to keep lying to you about Toothless."
"Hicca… I have something to tell you, too."
Thus, she stayed silent. She listened and listened as Norulf confided in her. Everything about his vixen guardian, about what she'd told him and about what has been haunting Astrid. And the hug they shared.
She tried to keep her jealousy on hold, but she'd be lying if she said she was successful. It sucked knowing that there were girls out there who had captured his attention
Astrid was definitely one of them. She could see it now. Both were protective, headstrong, fit and skilled in their own rights. It was just a matter of time before Astrid pulled her head out of her ass and came after him. Same thing with Naruto, except she doubted he would do anything to hurt her.
"I… I just wanna say I'm sorry," Naruto stammered out. "I didn't mean to hurt you. She's just… in my head and she's been with me for as long as I can remember." There it was.
"Hush." She pressed a finger to his lips. "I knew something like this would happen." Norulf blinked, wide eyed. "Not the… many lives thing, but the girls thing." He squinted his eyes and tilted his head, staring at her quizzically. "Cami, Astrid, this vixen of yours."
"Wait, what? Astrid? Cami?"
"Yes, you idiot." She bopped him on his shoulder. "They like you."
"What, like a friend?"
"Argh!" Hicca was ready to start pulling her hair out. "No, like this."
She grabbed his head and pulled him down for a kiss. The elation of telling him everything hadn't quite worn off yet. Her tongue was down his throat, pulling a groan from her future husband.
Unfortunately for her first properly initiated make-out, Toothless doesn't particularly care for being used as a loveseat. Growling and groaning, the grumbling lizard stood up and waddled away.
"Ah!"
"Ow!
Their teeth clacked together when they fell, quickly followed by their foreheads.
"Damn it!"
"Ow."
"Stupid fucking lizard!" She got a sassy huff in return.
"Yea, I don't like him as much anymore," Naruto groaned.
"Yea, you get that feeling after being around him for a bit."
They just laid there in the grass, ignoring the giant warbling dragon who was now hanging upside down like a giant fire-breathing bat.
"So… Cami… and... Astrid… wanna…"
"Yup."
"And you're… okay... with it?
"No!" She held onto him even tighter. "But what else am I going to do?" Her voice had gone quiet, the possessive, prideful streak in her heart thrumming angrily at the thought of seeing him with someone else. "There's nothing I can do about it. I can't tell you to stay away from them. I know you'd never turn your back on a friend, no matter what."
She sucked in a shuddering breath, confronting emotions she didn't think she would have to deal with that day. "I can't tell you to stay away from them. I can't tell them that you're off-limits. So the best I can do… is tolerate it and just value my time with you."
"Just… don't forget about me." She stared up at him, emerald eyes glistening in the light of the setting sun. "Please."
He held her. She closed her eyes and nestled her face into the crook of his neck.
"I can never forget you, Hicca." Their lips met. Much like their first kiss, it was soft, gentle, passionate.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"..."
"..."
"Your dad is going to kill me when he finds out."
"He already knows."
"WHAT?!"
"Oh yea. The whole island already knows."
"Someone kill me, please."
