Astrid's Surprise Party- Without Astrid? Part 2
Hiccup sighed, finally extinguishing the forge's lit fires after scrutinizing his gift for what seemed like the tenth time. It was nighttime, and far too late to make any changes.
He brushed off a speck of dirt and allowed himself to admire it. He thought he'd done fairly well, seeing as he had had only a day to complete it. He decided against leaving it here for the night, in case Astrid found it or something happened to it. He gingerly picked it up, careful not to risk his work being ruined.
He took one last look around the forge to check for lasting flames, then carefully walked out of the building. It was already late, probably around eleven o'clock. A few lingering villagers milled around the Great Hall, where a few rays of light could still be seen through the open doors.
Toothless had already gone home. He had been trudging around the forge repeatedly, waiting for Hiccup to be done. When his head kept continually drooping, Hiccup had let him go back to their house.
He heard the thump of a prosthetic behind him, and turned to see Gobber striding toward him. "Hiccup! How's the-"
Hiccup shook his head warningly and Gobber quickly caught the message. "All right, all right. I'll whisper." Lowering his voice, he muttered, "So is it finished?"
Hiccup nodded toward his arms. "Yup. I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out."
Gobber's eyes glittered. "That's a beauty, all right. Well, Fishlegs and I have finished planning. Tomorrow morning, we'll start decorating the Great Hall. While we're doing that, her parents will distract her-"
"Why not me? I can keep her away from the Great Hall."
Raising an eyebrow, Gobber asked him, "Has anyone ever actually believed you when you lie?"
"Good point."
"Then her parents will direct her toward the Great Hall, and we surprise her once she walks in. Almost half the village is in on this. It's going to be almost as amazing as your twentieth party was!"
"Why almost?" He was confused.
"Well, seeing as you're the next Chief, you had a huge party. Remember when Stoick got so drunk he rode a yak around the hall for hours?"
They arrived at his house, and the door flew open as Toothless bounded toward them. "Hey, bud! Oh, be careful." He ducked inside the door, gingerly placing the gift on the table before rubbing Toothless's head. "Hey, someone's full of energy! Where was that when you nearly fell asleep earlier?"
Gobber grunted. "Well, see you tomorrow then. The plan'll be completely finalized and carried out by then. G'Night!"
Hiccup waved back. "Good night, see you tomorrow!" He closed the door behind Gobber and shooed Toothless away from the gift. "Hey, be careful now." He rubbed his chin. "Although I don't know why I'm being so wary. Not like it's easy to damage."
Sighing in relief, he and Toothless examined it. He chuckled when Toothless's huge green eyes took it in, almost reflecting it all.
He turned around when he heard his father's loud footsteps behind him. "Oh, hey, Dad!"
"Astrid's gift?" His father gestured toward it. "Very nice. You made it all yourself?"
Hiccup shrugged. "Gobber helped. Well, I better get to bed, I guess. Big day tomorrow!"
"Good night, then. Don't you worry, Astrid'll love it." Stoick turned back to his work, once again hunching over his desk. "Good night." Hiccup covered the present with a nearby cloth, then started to trudge up the stairs. His exhaustion set in; he had been working nonstop for the better part of a day.
Once upstairs, he took off his armor and briefly wiped the ash and dust off his clothes. Too tired to change into his nightclothes, he slumped down onto his bed and wearily watched as Toothless directed a steady flame toward his stone bed. The charred rock sizzled before dying out and being extinguished by Toothless curling up on it.
He rubbed his eyes, and then blew out his candle. The room darkened except for a sliver of moonlight from above his window, illuminating a stripe across his walls.
"Good night, bud." He heard a snort in response. He unlatched his prosthetic and swung his legs onto the bed, finally relaxing.
Finally. He smiled in the darkness. The gift was finally done.
"What?"
"You heard me. I need help with the stitches on this side. I just can't get the thread-"
"You want me to help you stitch?"
"My fingers just can't fit, and I really don't want to break this thread, I just couldn't find white anywhere-"
"Mom! You know I hate stitching! I have work today!"
She turned to see her father leaning on the doorway, watching their conversation. "Wait, aren't you supposed to be at work?"
"Stoick gave me the day off, because it's your birthday. Now, if I remember right, you have the day off for precisely the same reason."
"Yeah, but I need to finish the defensive wall on Raven's Point. I'm almost done with it. And I don't want to stitch, it's my birthday!" The latter was directed at her mother.
Mrs. Hofferson leaned back in her chair, regarding her daughter. "How about instead of stitching, you and your father have some bonding time working together on the wall?"
Astrid was confused. The last time her mother had asked her to stitch something was three years ago and it had resulted in a literal search for a needle in a haystack. Mrs. Hofferson had since learned her lesson, and had never asked Astrid to stitch again.
And what was this with bonding time with her dad? She spent a lot of time with her father, as they were constantly assigned the same shifts for patrol and construction.
Her confusion only grew as her mother directed a meaningful glare at Mr. Hofferson after her question. Then Mr. Hofferson shrugged and nodded, mouthing something Astrid couldn't catch.
But she could use the help. The wall would be built a lot faster if she had another pair of hands and wings. "I mean, sure. I could use the help."
"All right then. I'll go get my axe and then we'll walk there." He turned and let the door swing shut.
Astrid's eyebrows knit together. "Walk? Hey, we have dragons!" She called after him, but he was out of earshot already.
Her mother shrugged, her eyes focused on her needle. "You'd better get going, dear. And stop by here as you're coming back, alright? There are a few things I need you to take care of."
For once, her mother's true intentions slipped past Astrid. She had to do chores all the time for her parents, she'd probably just have to lug the laundry back down from the hot springs. "Okay. See you later, mom."
She hurried out the door to grab her borrowed axe and whistle for Stormfly. "Come on, girl!" She opened the door in time to see Stormfly bound toward her. She laughed, stumbling back as Stormfly nudged her with her nose. "Hey, how are you doing today?" She scratched Stormfly's nose. "Ready to get to work?"
Stormfly chirped cheerily, and Astrid was about to clamber onto her back when she heard her father call, "Astrid! Not on Stormfly!"
Confused yet again, she and Stormfly turned toward her father. "What? Why not?"
"We're going to walk. I- my legs are feeling a bit stiff, I'd like to warm them up." He swung his axe from his shoulder to the ground. "Well then, let's get going!"
Astrid watched him start off towards Raven Point. It wasn't unusual for her father's legs to be sore and tired, but the whole morning had been strange.
She briefly glanced back before trotting to catch up to her father, then she did a double take and stared at the Great Hall behind her. She could only see the upper half of the doors from here, but even so, she could see the doors constantly swinging in and out. There were never that many people going in and out of the Great Hall, and usually the doors were kept open and stayed open.
What was going on today?
Food was piled onto a table, a cheerful assortment of baked goods and savory treats. The village bakers had agreed to give a few rolls, yet they had contributed to more than half of the food covering the table.
Presents covered another table, some large and some minuscule. Hiccup could see boxes and bags and letters and he suddenly felt self-conscious about his gift. He'd planned to give it to her alone, because if he put it on the table it would be obvious who gave it to her, and no longer a surprise. It wasn't even wrapped.
Fishlegs and Gobber raced around, trying to get all the decorations in place. They carefully pinned and prodded and placed and measured until the room was festively and appropriately decorated for a lavish birthday party. To top it all of, a banner hung from the ceiling, proclaiming, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASTRID!"
Hiccup and the others stood awkwardly off to the side, watching Gobber and Fishlegs do their thing. Tuff, Ruff, Hiccup, and Snotlout had decided to come early as Astrid's best friends, as the rest of the village would come when the party actually started.
"Is there anything you need us to do?" He called out to them.
Fishlegs feverishly shook his head. "Just don't touch anything!"
Tuffnut and Ruffnut rolled their eyes. They had already been ordered not to touch anything upon pain of death. It was a miracle the twins could stand still for so long.
Hiccup stretched his aching legs. "Hey, uh, can I sit here?"
Gobber looked over, and after a moment of contemplation, nodded. "That's alright."
He was about to sit down when he heard Fishlegs shriek, "DON'T SIT ON THE FOOD AND GIFT TABLES!"
Hiccup jumped back and breathed heavily. "I wasn't going to!"
Fishlegs clutched his heart. "Hiccup! You almost gave me a heart attack."
Hiccup spread his arms in exasperation. "What?" He turned around to see Snotlout and the twins shrugging.
Snotlout plopped onto the bench Hiccup was going to sit on. "It's Fishface, what do you expect?"
They waited for the rest of the decorations, and as the last few were being pinned up, the villagers began to arrive. The children eagerly ran around looking until Fishlegs gently shooed them off to play with the dragons outside. The parents stood around talking, and a few dropped off presents and food.
Everyone turned towards Gobber when he yelled, "All right! When the sun is directly over us, Astrid should come in. Then we jump up, the dragons will light up the room, and we'll yell 'Surprise!' Not before, not after, not anything other than surprise." He glared at them.
Fishlegs continued, "But while we're waiting, you need to crouch underneath the table. Five under a table at a time! And no sounds, no laughing! Only fifteen minutes left!"
There was a massive movement as everyone scrambled to get under a table. The twins, Snotlout, and Hiccup each scooted under a table, then scooted even further when Fishlegs joined them. The room was plunged into semi-darkness as Gobber blew out the candles and extinguished the torches.
Hiccup watched the sun meticulously, keeping track of the time. He got increasingly nervous as the minutes ticked by, the anticipation building fast in the quiet.
His palms were sweaty by thirteen.
His heart was pounding louder by fourteen.
He turned his gaze to the doors on fifteen.
He shared confused glances at sixteen.
And muttering and hushed talk spread around the room by twenty.
The sun burned above her and droplets of sweat beaded her face, but she welcomed the heat. On Berk, because the cold days far outnumbered the hot ones, she would jump at any chance to enjoy the sun.
Her arms were sore from the continuous chopping motion of raising her axe and bringing it down again on the tree trunk. Finally, after chopping all the way through the sturdy, hard wood, she felled the tree. Instinctively standing back, she watched as the tree fell, branches broke, and leaves flew everywhere.
Her father looked over from his own tree with pride on his face. "That's your third one today, isn't it?"
She took a moment to catch her breath. "Yeah. I'll get this wall done by today, for sure. Can you bring your logs to the wall to combine them with mine?"
"Sure. But remember, you and I have to go back to the house to help your mother. She's helping in the Great Hall for someone's naming ceremony." Mr. Hofferson began lugging his logs closer to the wall. "Once I get these logs over there, we'll have to go back."
Astrid groaned in exasperation. "What part of 'I'll get this wall done by today' did you not hear?" She set her borrowed axe aside and started to lug her own logs to the wall. "It's just a naming ceremony. How much preparation does that really take?"
Mr. Hofferson returned for another log. "More than you'd expect. How about I go now, to tell your mother you'll be a little late, while you're getting these logs to the wall? You have to promise to get to the Great Hall as soon as you finish. Got it?"
She tossed her log onto the growing stack of wood. "Got it. I'll be there as soon as I finish."
Mr. Hofferson smiled. "I'll see you there, then. Make sure to be there." He put a strange emphasis on his last sentence.
"Okay, okay! I got it. Bye!" She waved her hands in more exasperation as her father climbed onto his dragon, and took off into the sky.
She shook her head at Stormfly. "Can you believe it? They're coddling me so much today. Of course I'll remember to go to the Great Hall on time."
Stormfly cocked her head, and trotted up to help Astrid with the last log. She clutched it in her talons and easily transported it to the stack. "Thanks, girl."
"Now, we need to lodge the logs in with each other to build on top of the first layer. Hmm." She took a look at the wall, judging how many logs she would need. Behind her, Stormfly whipped her head around to the Great Hall, then back to Astrid, who had promptly forgotten to return to the Hall.
Stormfly trotted forward and squawked in her ear, causing Astrid to jump. Stormfly exaggeratedly gestured toward the Great Hall, but Astrid replied, "Okay, okay. Just lemme figure this out, then we can get back to work."
Stormfly covered her eyes in her own exasperation.
About half an hour passed as Astrid continued to build. She was on the final log, getting ready to lodge it in with the others, then Stormfly knocked her off of the wall where she had been sitting. She fell down and hit her head, hard. "Stormfly! What was that for?!"
Stormfly scooped her up on a wing, and managed to get Astrid on her saddle. "Whoa, what is it?"
She yelled in surprise when Stormfly immediately shot up to the sky, almost knocking Astrid off. "What-"
A feeling of dread filled her. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no. How long as it been?"
Stormfly rolled her eyes, then shot off toward the Great Hall. Astrid squeezed her eyes shut to avoid the wind in her eyes, ducking down in her saddle. "Okay, okay! Just drop me off and I'll explain to mom and dad."
Stormfly landed abruptly, and Astrid immediately jumped off. She hesitated, with her hand on the door. Stormfly gave a nod, and Astrid pushed the door open.
She saw darkness, only a strip of moonlight illuminating the room. She felt Stormfly coming in behind her, too. She could barely see anything, yet she heard muttering and talking and suddenly, a huge collective gasp.
Confused, she took another step into the dark room, then stumbled back against Stormfly as a huge "SURPRISE!" came from... beneath the tables?
And then the lights came on and allowed her to see people popping up from beneath the tables, with gifts and food everywhere, numerous decorations littered the room, and a huge banner that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASTRID!
She gaped, sure that her eyes were wide as saucers and her jaw had dropped to the floor. She could only stare in shock as people came barreling toward her, with all kinds of messages, from "Happy Birthday!" to "You're half an hour late!" to "You had us worried!" to "I'm only here for the food."
Her father and mother came toward her then, and enveloped her in a hug. "Happy Birthday." They both told her warmly.
Trying but failing to regain her senses, she stuttered, "It's my birthday?"
Her father threw back his head and laughed his loud, rollicking laugh. "Don't tell us you forgot!"
Astrid laughed then, and couldn't stop laughing for a very long time. "I'm sorry I was late."
Her mother smacked her father's head playfully. "It's this man's fault. I shouldn't have trusted him."
They laughed even more, as her parents stepped away to let Gobber, Fishlegs, the twins, Snotlout and Hiccup walk through.
Gobber cheered and raised her arm. "Happy Birthday, Astrid! You left us hanging for a while, though."
She chuckled. "I'm sorry, but thank you."
Fishlegs piped up, "Gobber and I did all the decorations, and the planning, and-"
Snotlout snorted. "I mean, you know that I did, like, 99% of the work, right? I did everything."
Astrid rolled her eyes. "Sure. Sure you did."
They surrounded her in a happy semicircle of happy birthday wishes, jokes and laughter, and she thanked each of them repeatedly for their contribution.
Then she came to Hiccup, and her grin spread across her face. He slung his arms around her, enveloping her in a embrace.
She returned it, pecking his lips in return, then laughed when he grew a warm red. "What is it?"
"Uh, I, I have your gift. It, uh," She laughed at his stuttering. "It's not on the gift table, it would be too obvious, and I wanted it to be a surprise. Could you come over here?"
She let him pull her along, and her anticipation grew. She loved how his ears had grown red, yet he was so excited about showing her his gift for her.
He pulled her to a corner, shyly taking a large object from a crate that had been placed there. Then he showed it to her, and her breath caught.
It was an axe. But not just an axe. It was beautiful, with Viking runes carefully inscribed in the handle. It had a leather grip, and the wood was shiny and new. The metal was so smooth and clean she could see her reflection in it, however distorted. She could tell it was made of the strongest Gronckle Iron. It was unlike any axe she'd ever seen.
"I know you lost your axe in the battle against Johann, and I thought you needed a new special one, instead of you borro-" Happy tears had spilled down her eyes, and she carefully took the axe and laid it on the table next to them. Then, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and they stood there, softly swaying.
She heard loud, raucous cheering behind them, and knew that people were watching them and that their faces must have been bright red, but she didn't care. She kissed Hiccup even more deeply, smiling against his lips.
She had been late to her own birthday party, and had completely forgotten it was her birthday in the first place, but oh well. What else could you expect from Astrid Hofferson?
Thanks for reading! I hope you all are holding up alright in times like these. ~ScribeOfTheLegends