First off, let me say thank you to all that have favourited and followed my story. I can't believe the positive response that I have received for my first ever fanfic! You are all absolutely amazing! Secondly, I would love to say a special thank you to all those that have taken the time to leave a review. Good or bad, it doesn't matter to me. I just appreciate the fact that you have been inspired enough by one of my chapters to type up a response.
Some of you leave longer ones that are beautiful summaries of the chapter, or of your favourite (or least favourite) moments within them. As an author, I have to admit that it is amazing to see that each one of them has been pretty much exactly the response that I was hoping for as I wrote it. If I can make my readers love or hate a character, or feel strong enough emotions about a character's actions that they feel the need to complain about it, then I am doing my job ;P Others of you have stopped by to leave a few kind words to simply state how much you are enjoying the story. I look forward to every single review that I get, big or small, and I make sure to read and respond to every one. So once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart! You all have been the best Christmas gift ever! Lol
Now to the serious stuff. We are getting closer to the end everyone. Things are going to start picking up again. So far we've had some smut and some fluff during our time back in Berk. There has been some happy moments, some humourous moments, a fair few frustrating moments, and plenty of angst (sorry DeathBerryHime :P). What has been missing for quite a while from this chaotic soup of mine, is of course the blood and the magic. Don't think that I've forgotten about them.
As the finale draws nearer, so will they, but in the meantime, here's a few more light-hearted laughs, revelations, and feels to tide you over until next Friday. Unless I get a crazy outpouring of reviews and requests, I will likely take a break over Xmas. Not because I am busy. Quite the contrary, as my husband and I are enjoying our first ever 'Lazy Christmas' this year. The short hiatus is more for you guys.
The next chapter is pretty heavy and I'm not sure you want me to spring that on you during the jolly season. If the sickly-sweet/crazy-hectic family drama is getting under your skin and you would like to take a violent little sleigh ride down dark fantasy lane for a few hours, let me know. Though you may just want to wait, as you may need New Years as an excuse to drown your nightmares... Either way, leave a review or private message and I will make sure to answer :)
This was originally two shorter chapters, but since it's the season for giving, I combined it into one long one. Hopefully it should 'yule'-tide you over... :P Thanks all and Merry Xmas! :D
Yubel578: I'm glad you enjoyed that scene with Ruffnut and the boys. I had some good laughs while writing it. The image of her chasing everyone around with a mace was one that I could vividly picture. Lol
CB73: Can I just say that I absolutely love your reviews? They are beautiful and thorough and insightful! All my favourite things. I look forward to reading them every single time I post. Now, onto the reply. Lol. Oh yes, Snotlout is definitely going to need further tutoring, though I imagine he will be able to have some positive character development now that he has been put firmly in his place. I knew right when I started this thing that Hiccup was always going to hurt Snot's pride, but not the man himself. Snotlout has always struck me as an awkward and arrogant idiot that just doesn't realize that people don't like him. He's not a monster. Just a social buffoon with an obnoxious father that didn't help matters. I'm sure he will have good reasons to keep his distance from Astrid in the coming chapters. Self-preservation being the most notable...
...and of course Cami would steal Hiccup's clothes. She is a Bog Buglar after all ;) The whole scene at the end of the duel, from the point of Snot's yield, to the moment Hiccup flew off with Astrid, has to be one of my favourites so far. It was funny, unexpected, and so very normal. In that moment, they were not mystically wonderful or heroically fictitious characters. Just a bunch of ridiculous 20-something-year-olds, which most of us can relate to from some point in our lives. Current day for some of you, past memories for me and others. Lol. You're right about Stoick though. With his track record, one out of two ain't bad :P
OechsnerC: Thank you. Glad you liked that chapter. Here, have another... ;)
Rainnnn: I love your reviews and I usually try to wait until I've gotten it before posting the next update, so thank you so much for taking the time :) It's really appreciated. As for the quartet of beautifully hilarious ladies, I know, right! I love them all! And the Bog Buglars too. A whole tribe of confident and sassy ladies. Comedy gold. I was glad to finally have Hiccup put Snotlout in his place. I bet Astrid is too. Lol. Yes, as the write-up says, this is going to be the last fun chapter before the serious stuff starts. There are only five more chapters after this, and then the epilogues. As for Gothi's prophecy, that is for me to know, and you to find out ;P
The days following the duel between Hiccup and Snotlout had a weird surreal-ness about them. Of course, it had been somewhat awkward to face her parents. Especially now that they knew the rumours were not just rumours. Their precious daughter was not an innocent maiden, and hadn't been for some time. Her father had been furious at first, but surprisingly, it was her mother that had her back. Placating his anger by reminding him that technically, Astrid was still betrothed to a future chief, and a more legitimate one at that.
Her mother, to her credit, had only been worried about the possibility of illegitimate children conceived out of wedlock. At the mention of this, Hiccup had rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly for a moment before looking over at Astrid. "I probably should have told you before now, but I just really was not sure how to start." She shot him a confused look, but he mouthed, "later" before turning back to meet her parents' scrutinizing gaze. Surely they were about to receive some very uncomfortable news...
"Due to... ahh... complicated reasons... I am actually not able to impregnate your daughter. Perhaps one day, if she decides that it is what she truly wants, but certainly not any time soon. There is honestly no guarantee that it will ever happen, and to even try would take a great deal of preparation and effort on my part." Settling his startlingly green eyes on her father, he quickly added, "and before you bludgeon me Troels, that is not the type of effort that I am talking about..." he trailed off. Glancing sideways at Astrid where she sat beside him, stunned into silence, before reaching out to take her hand in his and giving it a comforting squeeze. An irresistibly soothing warmth spreading out from his touch.
Her mother was the first one to break the sudden and suffocating tension in the room. "You cannot father children, Hiccup?" Her tone was surprised, but still gentle and sympathetic. Clearly this had not been the news she had expected to hear. Astrid suspected her parents had assumed they were about to learn that she was already pregnant, not that she never would be. Obviously her mother now felt sorry for them. Hiccup, on the other hand, simply shrugged.
"As I said, it is very complicated. There are ways, but they are all difficult and dangerous, and there is no guarantee of positive results from the risk. Still, if Astrid decides that it is what she wants, then someday we may try. For now though, you may rest assured that your daughter will not be bearing any illegitimate heirs." Troels Hofferson met Hiccup's gaze for a long moment, before finally sighing in defeat. Brenna simply moved to hug her daughter, somehow sensing the unease that was still growing in Astrid's chest, despite Hiccup's comforting magic.
Hiccup could not father children with her? At least, not without some sort of difficult and dangerous procedure. Why? What was wrong with him? Or was there something wrong with her? Did it have to do with the bonding process? Was she ruined now? All of these thoughts were swirling through her mind as they got up to leave the house. Her mother shooting one more sympathetic look at her before seeing them out the door. Making their way back through the village, Hiccup took one look at her troubled face before pulling her off in the direction of the trees. Coming to a stop when they were far enough away from the nearest lodges and facing her. She could feel the weight of his eyes on her, but she seemed only able to stare off into the surrounding shadows. Not really taking in anything that she was looking at. Her thoughts too scattered and chaotic to allow for anything else.
"Astrid, please look at me," he finally said gently, as they stood together, silent and motionless amongst the safety of the sheltering forest. Hidden from prying eyes and ears, as her world slowly fell apart around her. When she finally managed to meet his gaze, she saw that his eyes were full of a deep sadness. He took one of her hands in his and he brought his other hand up to gently cup her cheek. She leaned her face into his touch as he said, "I am so, so sorry Astrid, but the truth of the matter is that I am an elf and you are still essentially a human. Our bodies are completely incompatible to produce offspring together. Anyways, elves cannot bear children without a very complex magical ritual. Still, it is possible. Someday. Just not now. The ritual required would likely kill you right now. Humans are, truly, quite fragile creatures."
Staring into his troubled eyes, she asked desperately, "but what about Ilweran? He's an elf and he had a daughter with a human. Why can't you?"
Hiccup huffed out a sigh. "Well, there is more than one answer to that question, but I suppose the main one is that Ilweran is more human than I am. He is still half human, currently, while I am nearly completely elf. There are other reasons, but that is the most significant one. Three years ago, things may have been different, but would you have wanted children with me then Astrid? Children that would have had to grow up with an absent father? Kept in the dark as to why for their own safety and yours? Could I have even done that to you, even if you wanted me to? I do not think so..." he allowed his words to hang in the air between them. Giving her time to process everything.
Finally, she looked back into his worried emerald eyes as she let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "You're right Hiccup. I wouldn't have wanted that for our children or myself. I guess it's just a lot to take in, you know? At least I know that there is a possibility that we could, one day." Then she suddenly felt a small smile grow on her face. "I guess this means that I don't have to drink anymore 'morning tea', thank the gods. The mint does help, but it still tastes awful..." she shuddered dramatically as Hiccup laughed. Leaning down to press a soft kiss to her lips.
"You are the most amazing woman that I have ever met Astrid Hofferson. What did I ever do to deserve you," Hiccup asked softly, as he laid his forehead against hers.
"Oh, something terrible, I'm sure," she joked easily. He barked out another laugh and kissed her again, before leading her back towards the houses. Their faithful dragons waiting by the edge of the trees for them to return. Perhaps a quick flight was in order before she had to face the rest of the tribe and her friends. She now understood how Ruffnut must have felt when she received the news. Though Hiccup claimed that it was all his fault and not hers, the end result was still the same. No babies. As of right now, she would not become a mother. An eternity devoid of parenthood. Just like Ruff, now that she knew she couldn't have them, for the first time ever she suddenly longed for children of her own. Tiny boys that looked just like their father, and little girls with her blonde hair and blue eyes suddenly dancing through her mind.
As they glided through the clouds, she held her face up high. Letting the wind dry the few tears that had managed to escape her careful composure as Stormfly cooed softly at her. There was no point in being sad about it, she told herself sternly, as she scratched behind her battle sister's crest. What's done is done, and there was no changing it. She likely wouldn't have anyways. Giving up Stormfly and Hiccup were not options she would even allow herself to consider, not that she even could, really. This was her life now and she would just have to make the best of it. By the time she landed, she was able to put on a strong facade and act as though nothing had changed in front of her friends.
The rest of the village had been in an uproar since the duel. Hiccup had returned, and apparently he and Astrid were betrothed. No one mentioned the political implications of it. Her parents were handling the news about Hiccup's infertility remarkably well, all things considered. The news had remained secret, but no one else seemed overly concerned about the couple's status either. Everyone seemingly unable to find it in themselves to bring up the topic of a marriage ceremony, though it was abundantly clear that they were already intimate. It seemed that the whole village was resigned to the fact that the two warriors were not the traditional couple, and thanks to Hiccup's uncomfortably easy defeat of Snotlout, no one was about to push the issue with them.
Thankfully, the duel itself, with the unmasking of Berk's lost heir along with the commotion that had followed, had successfully distracted the villagers. Instead of questioning the two of them about their relationship, the people only wanted to know where Hiccup had been and how he had learned to fight so well. As well as how he had learned to ride a night fury. Astrid watched as he skirted those questions expertly. Refusing to tell anyone about the places he had seen or what he had been doing since he had left. Simply stating that he had been travelling and exploring.
He did convince everyone that Eret Eretson had taught him how to fight. This didn't ring entirely true with Astrid as she had sparred with Eret herself and their styles were distinctly different. Eret's denials seemed to support this suspicion. Still, the rest of the village never doubted Hiccup's claim. They knew that Eret was a skilled warrior. No matter how hard Eret tried to contradict these beliefs, it still caused the man to have many new and unwanted followers. Hiccup seemed to find it deeply amusing when Eret complained to him about this.
"Could it be that all this attention is just getting in the way of something you would rather be doing?" Hiccup would ask him innocently. Ilweran adding his own sly grin and an elbow nudge, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Eret would scoff and punch them both, hard. Then would all laugh heartily. Astrid was confused at what they meant, but men were strange creatures sometimes, so she left it alone.
When she had decided to confront him about the technical discrepancies in the fighting styles one day, Hiccup had sheepishly admitted that his story wasn't the entire truth. Yes, Eret had given him the initial lessons, and was greatly responsible for the confidence that Hiccup had gained at the beginning. Most of his current style however, was completely his own. Compiled together from skills that had been acquired through additional training in other lands and realms, further adapted with extensive field work. No matter how much she asked, he refused to elaborate.
Although she wondered why he shied away from talking about his past, she sensed that it was a delicate subject for him. She wasn't sure if he just really didn't want to talk about it, or if he was simply afraid of her reaction. Either way, instinct told her that 'field work' meant that there was some sort of violence in his past that he was uncomfortable with for whatever reason. She was smart enough to know not to push the issue. He would tell her when he was ready. She knew from speaking with her father that battles and bloodshed of any kind had a tendency to change a person, and they were often hard to talk about afterwards. Thankfully, from what she could see, it hadn't seemed to change Hiccup all that much...
Ever since revealing himself to the village (almost quite literally, Astrid thought with a giggle), Hiccup had seemed more relaxed. More confident and outgoing than the boy that had left, but closer to the man that she had given her heart to five years ago. Less secretive and mysterious. Less prone to strange mood swings and episodes of quiet withdrawal or flashes of hot temper. He and Ilweran had shed their long cloaks for good, and now Hiccup simply wore his swords strapped over his armoured tunic.
Without the mask and hooded cloak, he looked much less frightening. People began to open up to him for the first time since he had returned. They wanted to talk to him and spend time with him. Treating him as if they had always cared for him. It made Astrid want to shout curses at them.
The old group had welcomed him eagerly back into their midst. Fishlegs asking endless questions about dragons and magic. Tuffnut constantly badgering him for a "cool mask" of his own. Since he no longer had to wear said mask, Hiccup was now joining them for dinner in the mead hall. It was during these shared meals that Astrid realized she had yet to see Hiccup eat meat. When she asked why, he claimed that he simply didn't like it anymore. Everyone thought this was strange, but let it drop. Hiccup had always been different, and Ilweran and Minden never ate meat either.
Snotlout had apologized profusely to Astrid at the academy the day after the duel. Almost begging her to forgive him and not hit him for being an idiot. She had finally agreed just to shut him up. Then he had approached Hiccup and shaken his hand, apologizing as well. Thanking Hiccup for taking it easy on him and promising that he wouldn't regret it. Hiccup had just nodded and told him not to worry about it. Stating that, as long as he kept his hands off of Astrid, Hiccup had no hard feelings for him. Following that, Snot rejoined the group. He was now sporting two glorious black eyes and a heavily bandaged nose. Walking with a limp and a crutch for the first couple of days.
Tuffnut thought this was hilarious and never failed to comment on it. Snotlout would blush crimson at Tuff's teasing. Grumbling about how he could've beaten Hiccup if he had really wanted to. Stating that he let him win because he was the chief's son and all that. This just made everyone laugh harder. No one that had been there believed him for a second.
Still, Snot seemed determined to make up for his behaviour. Going out of his way to offer his assistance with the dragon training and anything else that Hiccup or Astrid might need. Honestly, Astrid couldn't really care about it now that she was free of him. She was just glad that Snot was finally keeping his godsdamn hands to himself. Though that may be mostly thanks to Hiccup's thinly veiled warning, along with the display of strength and skill that he had given at the end of the duel. The whole 'axe buried to the hilt in the bullseye' had been the perfect touch to instil a healthy amount fear in Snotlout.
Hiccup had so far avoided having the uncomfortable talk with his father about his plans for after. Choosing instead to remain camped in the cove and spend a good portion of his free time in the forge. The women of the village still milling around outside the window. Much to Hiccup's displeasure and Astrid's amusement, the ladies seemed to have gotten even more bold now that they knew it was Hiccup under the cloak. Fawning over him and trying to touch him and the others at every opportunity again. Driving Gobber crazy as the women crowded the smithy every day, and the men had to chase them back out.
Gobber, like many of the men, was fascinated with Hiccup's sword from the duel. 'Inferno' as he had called it. When Gobber had bombarded him with questions for most of the first day, Hiccup had finally laughed and told Gobber that he could keep it. Claiming that he never used it anymore now that he had his new swords. Swords which he always carried on him, slung over his back, but that no one had seen him use.
He had not drawn them since the fight with the Red Death. Not even for the duel with Snotlout. When she thought about it, she had never even seen them outside of their sheaths up close. No one had gotten up the nerve to ask about them or touch them, though. Apparently he still maintained enough of the shadowy image he had held as Scáth that people were slightly worried to anger him. Astrid sensed that he didn't mind their caution. It made it easier to keep his secrets, she supposed.
Only once did Hiccup leave Berk after she had bonded with Stormfly. He wouldn't tell her where he was going, but insisted that he would be back in a couple of days. This left Astrid and Stormfly to join in with the rest of the riders during their practices. It wasn't until this point that she realized what it was to be a bonded rider. Her and Stormfly were a perfect team right from the beginning. Seeming to sense each other's thoughts. Flying with her dragon had been as natural as breathing to Astrid.
Now, as she watched the other riders struggle to communicate with their mounts, it finally occurred to her how lucky she was. She found herself helping to train the others, instead of learning with them. She was exceptionally glad when Hiccup returned and the two of them could go back to flying together.
Work on the weapons for the battle was nearly complete. This meant that they could start assembling the final parts that they needed. Hiccup had sent Fishlegs and the other gronkle riders off to locate a strange plant. Eret and Hiccup said that it was vital to success, but only gronkles could go near it. They had referred to it as 'dragon root'. Hiccup said that it would overwhelm most other dragons' nervous systems if given in high enough doses. Gronkles were immune to it due to something in their particular diet.
The two men were sure that the queen would not be immune. She may be a boulder class dragon as well, but her diet was very different from a gronkle. Once Fishlegs returned with the roots, they would chop and stew them far from the academy. Then every weapon would be dipped in the concentration before they sailed to the island. It was a very sound plan, Astrid thought proudly. Hiccup had also ordered all of the catapults to be switched with ballista and all of the ground forces would be equipped with longbows.
They had also been building a giant bola launcher. Hiccup had shot Toothless down with the original, but this one needed to be much larger. The whole idea was to wait until she was weakened enough by the dragon root before lighting her on fire from the inside. As she was building what would be her final fire storm, they would launch a barrage of flaming nadder spikes into her maw to ignite the gases. Then seal everything in by clamping her jaws shut with a bola. In her weakened state, she would not be able to fight back.
Hiccup didn't love the idea, since it was not a clean and efficient death. Unfortunately there was just no real easy or safe way to get close enough to kill her quickly. Eret had suggested shooting the ballista bolts through the soft spot in her skull in hopes of piercing her brain. Hiccup countered that they could not guarantee that they would be able to get deep enough to do much damage and may just make her more angry.
The timing would need to be perfect for this plan, but Hiccup was confident that between the riders and the troops, they could pull it off. He said that once she was blinded, weakened, and distracted enough, it would be easy to get her into position. He also said that he had a back-up plan for if this one failed, but he wouldn't tell anyone what it was. Astrid just assumed that it was something reckless and dangerous based on his previous history.
All the new riders were now comfortable enough with their dragons to start learning basic battle formations. As Toothless tended to make the other dragons nervous, Hiccup had left this to Ilweran and Minden. Fishlegs had been assisting them, as the blonde man had a definite affinity with the dragons. Surprisingly, Snotlout had actually started to take on some of the leadership as well, now that he had gotten some of his arrogance knocked back to a more manageable level. Hiccup and Toothless had instead been using any free time to train Astrid and Stormfly. Hiccup had built her (and everyone else too, somehow) a saddle, as he had promised, and she had to admit that it made flying much more comfortable.
He had begun to teach her to speak elvish. Claiming that he would show her how to read and write it later on, when they had more time. It was a complicated and musical language, different from anything she had ever encountered. She was pleased to find that she had a definite aptitude for it though, picking it up extremely quickly. Even managing to impress Hiccup. Soon he, Ilweran, and Minden were communicating with her in elvish as much as possible to get her more comfortable with it.
Hiccup also taught her how to communicate with Stormfly, which was amazing. The nadder was so much more intelligent than she had ever imagined. Mothering and vain, but also sweet and wise. Constantly preening her; overly concerned with her Rider's appearance and well-being. Stormfly always referred to her as 'hatchling' and she found the sentiment unreasonably endearing. Unfortunately today they were using the afternoon for a much less enjoyable type of training. Mind training.
It was exhausting, and incredibly tricky. It was like building a fortified wall around your mind. Unfortunately, you couldn't simply visualize a wall and be done with it. You actually had to build up the defences, layer by layer and stone by stone. Not just seeing them, but making them real through shear power of will. It was unreasonably difficult to build a physical barrier that could not be touched. Only sensed.
Hiccup was a patient teacher, thorough and instructive. Entering her mind with a gentle brush of his own and assisting her as much as he was able. At least she had convinced him to remove his ring again. Stating that she needed something pretty to distract herself with every time it felt like her head was about to explode. He had laughed at her, but given in. Now he was busy lecturing her in his musical voice as she tried to focus on his words instead of losing herself in his beauty.
"The queen will try to use her mind to take control of the dragons. You need to know how to protect yourself and Stormfly. Ilweran and I will be doing all we can, but I would hate for you to be unprepared if she slips through our defences." They had been at this mental sparring and shielding all day and she still didn't feel any better at it. The whole process just serving to make her brain hurt. She kept at it though, remembering how Tintallë and Toothless had screamed in agony and almost fallen from the sky. Still she doubted that she would be much help. Hiccup was extremely good at this and if he had struggled to block the queen...
After a few more hours her head was throbbing. Hiccup took pity on her and finally called the lesson for the day. Relieved, Astrid allowed herself to flop back in the grass and massage her temples. Hiccup chuckled as he sat down across from her and said, "Yes, it does take some getting used to. I think I had a headache for a whole month back when I was first learning."
Astrid perked up at this. He never spoke of his training or really any of the past ten years in any detail. He had briefly mentioned a group of people called druids and studying with them. He had never explained what he had been studying though. Astrid now knew that this was because he couldn't tell her about magic. It was different now. She was a Rider just like him.
"Did you learn this from the druids? Or did you learn it from the Order?" She waited anxiously to see if he would answer her this time.
Plucking a grass blade and rolling it between his fingers, he began slowly, "I learned many things from the druids. One in particular. A priestess named Bríghid who was well versed in magic and the mental arts. After I left for Rome, I continued my studies on my own with scrolls that I had found in a library there. I was already proficient enough in all magic to skip that part of the Order's training by the time I arrived in Asgard. Of course, I have continued to build my skills on my own while on Alfheim."
Astrid pondered his words for a moment. "So, does that mean that you could train me to use magic? I don't have to wait until I get to Asgard?" This thought excited her greatly. Magic seemed way more useful than this mind fortification nonsense.
Hiccup just laughed. "I could start teaching you to meditate and sense the energies around you, also known as essence. It would still be some time before you were able to direct your magic properly though. It would be unsafe for me to teach you to unlock your magic before you were able to control it. So no, you will have to wait." Then seeing her disappointment he added, "You will receive training from some of the most skilled magicians in all the realms. It will be worth the wait Astrid. I promise."
Sighing resignedly, she looked around at the glade they were sitting in with Stormfly and Toothless. Her eyes fell on Hiccup's twin swords which were resting on the grass beside him. She decided now would be an alright time to ask about them. No one else was around to hear his answer.
"Ah, yes. I was wondering how long it would take you to get to that. They are very special blades that I forged on Alfheim and they are the only ones of their kind." With that he reached out to grab one and passed it to her. The sheath was made of the same strange black leather as the rest of his armour. The hilt was midnight black with beautiful silver scroll swirling delicately around it. Set into the end was what looked to be a large emerald. It must have cost a fortune and the swords both had one!
Wrapping her hand around the hilt she noticed that the sword seemed to carry its own warmth. As if it had just been held in a warm hand or lain in direct sunlight. Casting a quick, curious glance at Hiccup, she pulled the blade from the sheath. Then let out an audible gasp. If she had thought the hilt was beautiful, it was nothing compared to the blade.
Long, slim, and elegantly curved. The entirety of the blade was deep black. Throughout it ran blues and greys in the same swirling patterns as Toothless' scales. At first she thought that it was dyed or painted that way. When she brought it up to her face she saw that the colours were actually part of the blade itself, as if it had been forged from the night sky. Along the length ran a thin strip of blue with some sort of script and a strange symbol engraved alongside it.
It didn't resemble any language she had ever seen and she only suspected that it was a word based on the structure of the design. She looked up to see Hiccup watching her closely. Pointing to the word, she asked "what language is this? What does it say?"
"That is what elvish script looks like and that is the sword's name. All proper weapons must have a name after all." When she kept looking at him expectantly, he continued with a smile. "Their names are Calmacil and Guruthos, which are elvish words from an ancient, and mostly forgotten, dialect. Though for the sake of ease, I will often use shortened, and more modern, names for them. I call the one that you are holding Cala, which means light. Her brother is Mordo, which means shadow."
Strange names for swords, she thought. Out loud she said, "why those names?"
He laughed, understanding her hidden question. "Calmacil is primitive elvish for 'Sword of Light', while Guruthos translates to 'Shadow of Death'." Then he chuckled at her look of confusion. "I know. Usually weapons have names like Blood-Reaper or Gut-Spiller. I feel these particular blades are a little too elegant for such Viking tradition. Besides, those names pertain to a certain aspect of their personalities."
Their personalities, she wondered in surprise. Hiccup chuckled at the look on her face. "Yes Astrid; their personalities. They are the embodiment of the duality that exists in nature. Good and evil; light and dark, hence their nicknames. Cala can sense a heart that is light, meaning that someone has a pure soul that is unmarred by darkness. Mordo is her mirror image, or evil twin as it were. Though that is not all they can do of course, it is the basis behind their existence."
Understanding lit in Astrid's mind. "Oh! You used Mordo to assess the recruits! So, when it was glowing by Stormheart..." she trailed off, wanting him to confirm it.
"Yes. He sensed the evil in the man's heart. A quick scan of his mind confirmed this, so I notified Ilweran. It is much faster and less invasive than rooting through every individual mind." He smiled at her before saying softly, "and just checking someone's mind for misdeeds is not necessarily accurate for finding true evil."
"If you knew that Stormheart was evil, why didn't you do anything about it?" Astrid demanded. The man in question was currently still waltzing freely around Berk and assisting in battle preparations. Staring at her constantly, and making her uncomfortable at every opportunity. If she had known that he was actually evil and not just creepy, she would have done something about it already!
Hiccup cut across her thoughts, his hands clenching involuntarily into tight fists. "What would you have had me do? I cannot very well walk up to the council of chiefs and report that my sword told me Stormheart is a bad person. We denied him training and a dragon, and we have been watching him closely. That is unfortunately the best that I can do unless he commits a crime in front of one of us. My position in the Order gives me the authority to punish convicted criminals in all the realms, but not to kill people just because they might do something bad. If only his people had not pardoned him the first time..."
A slight, but still incredibly menacing snarl curled his flawless lips. Exposing a glint of glistening white fangs as he slammed one of his fists into the ground, plunging it deep into the soil. Clods of dirt and grass flying up from the impact as a fine spray of rock dust floated around them. Hiccup took a deep breath to steady himself, before slowly bringing his arm back to rest it on his knee. Unclenching his fists with what looked like an impressive amount of effort and folding his hands together pointedly.
Staring in surprise for a moment at the depth of the hole he had made, she then allowed her gaze to meet his. She could tell that this was a very sore topic for him. He had not explained what he had found in Stormheart's mind, but he didn't really need to. It would drive her mad to know that she had to let a person walk free with the knowledge that they may very well hurt others when given the chance. Especially his words about Stormheart being pardoned. That meant that it likely wouldn't be the first time.
Though it pained her to admit it, Hiccup had a point too. Stormheart was arrogant, brutal and a dog around women. Unfortunately so were many Viking men. That did not mean they had committed a truly punishable offence and should be imprisoned. He may have just caused extensive damage to someone during a brawl. Debilitating injuries given to a fellow tribe member were cause for investigation and possible punishment or retribution. She would definitely make an effort to keep an eye on the man from this point on though.
Hoping to lighten the mood, she looked back at the sword in her hand. Raising to her feet, she flicked her wrist to hold the blade jokingly at Hiccup's throat. Suddenly a sharp, hot pain shot through her hand and up her arm. She dropped the hilt with a gasp and clutched at her hand. It was red and blistered as if she had just held it in a fire. Hiccup was already on his feet and at her side before she could even shoot him a confused glare.
"Oh my gods Astrid! I am so sorry! I should have warned you about my sword before I passed it to you. Look at your skin!" He took her hand in his and sent a healing wave of his green magic over her burning palm. As she watched the angry red sores disappear, leaving her hand completely unmarked, a thought occurred to her.
"You left those scratches on your back on purpose! Didn't you?!" she demanded.
"Guilty as charged" he replied with a grin. "Though in my defence, I did not expect to be showing them to the whole village. They were strictly trophies for me." He barked a laugh at her astonished expression before adding, "I was going to heal them before the duel, but then when I learned that Snot planned to accuse me of rape, it may have pushed me to be a bit of an arrogant ass. I am sorry about that. Unfortunately, even us magical monsters are not immune to some degree of sexual hubris."
He shrugged sheepishly as she couldn't stop a giggle bubbling out. Gods he was an adorable idiot sometimes. Placing a gentle kiss on her palm, he met her gaze and asked, "how does your hand feel?"
"It feels perfectly fine of course. What happened? One minute I was holding the sword and the next it felt as if my hand was wrapped around a hot ember."
"Cala was simply protecting me." Hiccup said this as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. When Astrid just stared at him as if he had spoken in Greek, he decided to explain further. "My swords are extremely powerful weapons created with ancient magic. One of the side effects of the process is that they are bonded to me. You were able to hold and draw one because I allowed you to, but they will never let themselves be wielded by another. Especially not against me."
His expression grew serious for a moment. "I probably do not really need to now, but I will still ask that you refrain from touching them without my express permission. Especially Guruthos, as he is the least forgiving of my blades. You will know which one he is long before you get too close as instead of giving off warmth, his hilt is indescribably cold." He held his palm out towards the other blade and it flew into his hand, seemingly of its own accord.
Holding it out towards her slightly, he met her gaze with a nod. With a nervous gulp, Astrid reached out a tentative hand. He was right. Before her hand got even remotely close to the hilt, she cold feel an intense cold radiating off of the thing. As if it was trying to absorb all of the life from the air and bodies around it. The feeling was distinctly sinister and she shuddered involuntarily.
Hiccup placed the sword back on the ground before rubbing her back in comforting circles. Taking her now freezing hand and placing it against his warm chest. "Yes, he does have a tendency to make people feel rather uncomfortable. It takes a great deal of shielding just to be able to hold him, even for me. Still, the sheaths are fine, just not the swords themselves. Though they can sense your intentions, even through the protective leather, and they are perfectly capable of defending themselves in the sheaths if necessary."
Astrid was stunned. Magic could make objects think for themselves! Could allow them to defend themselves and their master? It was hard to process. She wondered what other strange magic items he had with him. "Are all of your other weapons magic too?" She asked excitedly, looking for all the concealed blades he carried. Following her gaze, he chuckled.
"No, my knives are just knives. Though they are made out of an eleven steel that has special traits of its own. My bow, however, was made by a magical process known as 'singing'. It will not break, nor will it easily miss its target, and its arrows will always return to the quiver. Not the most elaborate of enchantments, but they do come in handy." He chuckled again and reached up to run his hand through his messy mane. Confusing her thoughts with the ease of his casual beauty.
Just then, Tintallë and Bori landed in the clearing. Ilweran and Minden jumping down and coming over to join them, further distracting Astrid from her questioning. "What are you guys doing here," she asked them, confused. "Aren't you supposed to be training vikings and dragons to cooperate with each other?"
Minden laughed at her. "Yes, but after guiding them through a few drills, we left Heather, Cami, and Snotlout to continue the lesson. They are taking to it exceptionally well, and they need to learn how to work without us eventually." Hiccup rolled his eyes, before kneeling down to sheath Cala. Standing up with both swords in hand and gazing skeptically at his friends.
Ilweran smirked at him. "She's right. I am most surprised by Snotlout. I thought Hookfang was going to eat him for being a pain in the ass, but he's getting better. Still, they do need to learn to work as a team on their own. Figuring they had it under control, we came to pester you two instead." Minden shot her father a glance and elbowed him in the ribs. Chuckling, he smiled wider. "Okay, fine. We came to challenge you to a race, Hiccup. Since you and I have had to keep up this painful human pace for months..."
Minden cut across him. "Ya, I just got here and I'm already bored with this," she joked.
Ilweran rolled his eyes dramatically. "Exactly. It is boring. She figured that you might not complain about the chance to let loose for a bit."
Hiccup seemed to contemplate his answer for a moment. Then he grinned widely, "count me in. It has been a while since I made you two eat my dust." He turned to look at her, a bright spark of excitement burning in his beautiful eyes.
"You guys are going to race on foot," Astrid asked in shock. "Well, I guess that is my cue to head back to the village then. I could never keep up."
"Actually," Hiccup started with a sly smirk. "I was going to ask you if you would like to come. I can carry you and still beat these two," he added with a laugh while Minden scoffed and crossed her arms. Astrid started to protest, but Minden simply smiled at her.
"That sounds like a great plan! It may just give us the opportunity to finally beat the smug bastard." Astrid started to shake her head again, but Minden turned her potent elven charms up to full blast. "Please, Astrid! It would be so much fun! You're one of us now, after all! Please, please, please..." she begged. Her amber eyes positively luminous in her inhumanly beautiful face as her full lower lip pouted delicately.
"Fine! You win," she found herself grumbling. Stupid elves, she thought with a scowl. How did anyone ever resist these ridiculous creatures? She heard Ilweran's soft chuckle as Minden's pout immediately flipped to a disorienting grin of joy. Astrid's heart warming at the knowledge that she could make this beautiful creature so happy. Then she wondered where the heck that thought had even come from. Stupid elves, she grumbled again, turning her gaze back to Hiccup.
His answering smile lit up his whole face, stealing her breath away. The subtle backlight to his features seeming to brighten with his mood. He dragged her towards him and kissed her, before pulling back to place one finger on her forehead, just between her eyebrows. "Eldalasta," he said in his musical voice and she recognized the words for elf and sight inside the incantation. A warmth flared from where his finger touched as a flash of emerald green temporarily blinded her.
When her eyes cleared, she let out a gasp of surprise. What had he done to her? She could see everything! The scene in front of her was exactly the same, but everything had changed. Looking around in awe, she noticed each individual leaf on the trees circling the glade and beyond. Easily making out the delicate veins running through them as they shivered in the almost non-existent breeze. See the flutter of wings or the flash of small furry bodies scurrying amongst the myriad of branches.
Peering through the forest, she was able to pick out the texture of the bark on even the farthest trees. The patches of sunlight or shadow seeming to make no real difference to her vision as she watched the small insects crawling determinedly through the wood. Could actually see them gnawing away at the fibres. The bright rainbows of their hard bodies shining in the dappled light, swirled with other colours that she never even knew existed. When she gazed skyward, she could see birds soaring through the clouds that she knew would have been invisible to her before.
She looked at the others again, and her breath caught in her throat. Gods they were beautiful! This strange new eyesight could see every absurdly lovely detail in their faces. Could pick out every single strand of the mind blowing array of colours in their exquisite eyes. The warm, luminous amber of Ilweran and Minden's looking like liquid sunlight. It was mesmerizing against the deep golden brown tones of their completely flawless skin. Not a single pore or blemish to mar their perfect features. Their matching white blonde hair seeming to glisten like delicate strands of the finest silver silk. Shining and sparkling in the afternoon light.
When her eyes landed on Hiccup, she lost all coherent thought. He was absolutely perfect. His similarly tanned and flawless skin made the bright emerald of his eyes jump out at her. As brightly green as the most precious of gems and glowing with their own hidden fire. His angled features were even more breathtaking than the other two. He was more achingly, wonderfully, impossibly glorious than she had ever realized, and she had been sure that she knew his face better than anything. She allowed her eyes to trace from his angled brows to his high cheekbones, then over his strong jaw, and on down his neck. Noticing ripples of muscle under the golden skin that she couldn't remember seeing before.
Following the intriguingly luscious wing of his collarbone towards the centre, she realized that she could even detect the tiny flutter of his heartbeat at the base of his throat. Allowing her gaze to continue its path down over his chest and abdomen. The sculpted ridges of muscle plainly visible through the thin armour, causing the all-too-familiar heat to kindle in her belly. She had always assumed that his armour was black, but now that she could actually see it, she realized that it carried that same faint swirling smoke pattern of Toothless' scales. Ilweran's and Minden's bearing the same subtle designs as their own dragons' hides.
Somehow, impossibly, their incredibly thin and flexible clothing appeared to be made out of dragon scales. It had no visible texture or seams though, even with this ridiculously enhanced eyesight. How was that even possible? Setting this riddle aside, she forced her eyes away from his gorgeous body to look back at his face. Losing herself in his unnatural allure again, she was irresistibly drawn forward by her own unrelenting desire. Reaching up to gently run her hands over his painfully glorious face. Her fingers tracing the delicate curves of his shapely lips, causing the same bright spark of hunger to flare in his disorienting eyes.
He leaned down to kiss her softly, sending jolts of fire and lightening through her veins. Her hands sliding around to twine into his hair as her heart nearly fluttered to a stop in her chest. When he pulled back to let her catch her breath, she gazed sheepishly at the other two. Before she could apologize for her seemingly undeniable urges, she was struck dumb again by their similarly lithe and unnatural beauty. Seeming fluid and graceful even in stillness. Was this what the three of them really looked like? Was this how they saw the world all the time? It was breathtaking. Her mind could barely make sense of it all.
Then an unsettling thought occurred to her. Gods, what must she look like with this eyesight? All plain and human, with all the blemishes and imperfections that were inherent to her race. Suddenly feeling slightly self conscious and increasingly insignificant, she met Hiccup's gaze. At her shocked expression, he simply grinned at her, his glistening teeth looking incredibly white against his dark skin. If she was not mistaken, they now also looked ridiculously sharp. All of them, not just his fangs...
"Yes, it does take some getting used to," he chuckled at her. "At least now you will be able to see where we are going. I would hate for you to spend the whole adventure with your eyes closed in terror." Ilweran and Minden laughed as Astrid shook her head in wonder. Trying to clear her thoughts. The mixture of elven eyesight and human mind was a bit disorienting.
"You guys are the most beautiful creatures that I have ever seen," she couldn't stop herself from muttering. Watching as three inhumanly glorious smiles graced their absolutely perfect faces. It was enough to rob her of her sanity. Naturally, it was Minden that answered her as she stood there gawking at them like a fool.
"I know, right," she offered with a wink. "Only on the outside though. Inside we are all wicked, filthy, and ugly as they come." The two men smirked in agreement at that, causing Astrid to laugh despite herself. Minden grinned at her again. "Now, climb on Hiccup's back and join us beautiful monsters on the wild side." Laughing with them this time, she did just that. Hiccup bending down to make it easier for her, before standing straight and telling her to hold on. Wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders, she gripped as tightly as she dared.
"So, what do you think? Last one to the lake has to kiss Snotlout," Hiccup grinned at Minden as he put his swords into one of Toothless' saddle bags. The willowy blonde smirked at him.
"You're on! I'm sure he's just going to love sucking face with his hot cousin. Pucker up handsome," she added with a wink as Ilweran reached out to high-five her. Puckering his lips up and making lewd smacking sounds in Hiccup's direction. All of them laughing loudly, before Ilweran arranged his breathtaking face into a fantastically stern expression.
"Okay, rules," he started in a tone of mock authority. "Runners must circle the village twice before making for the lake at the top of the mountain. You must be far enough from the village to, hopefully, avoid being seen, but close enough to keep it a dangerous possibility. If one of the humans actually spots you, you are disqualified. First one to reach the lake wins, last one there has to kiss Snotface on the lips. The dragons will be the, mostly, impartial judges." Then he grinned at Hiccup and Minden, "and no cheating you two!"
"Fine," Minden grumbled as Hiccup laughed.
"You ready," Hiccup asked, looking over his shoulder at Astrid. In response, she simply placed a kiss against his neck and tightened her hold on him. Another easy grin lit up his startlingly perfect face before he hunkered down, as if starting a proper race. The other two doing the same. Toothless peered at them for a moment, then he loosed a small ball of fire that blew up in front of them. Clearly this was the signal, as they all started running. Hiccup shooting forward so fast that it felt as if Astrid had left all of her insides back in the clearing.
Now she knew why Hiccup had enhanced her eyesight for this. Right now, she was able to see every single tree and branch that was flying past them. Allowing her to easily move her head out of the way of any that she thought might hit her, well before they reached them. Her human eyes would have seen nothing other than a disorienting blur of colour, if she had even been able to keep them open at all. The wind on her face was intense, but these crazy eyes didn't seem to be affected by it in the slightest. They were moving so fast that she knew they would be nearly invisible to the humans. It was exciting and crazy and impossible, but it felt almost like flying.
The three of them were laughing as they cut each other off and tried to make the others trip or stumble, but they never did. Somehow finding perfect footing and a clear path despite the speed they were moving at. Astrid found herself simply clinging to Hiccup and trying to make sense of it all. Gasping and gripping tighter when Ilweran rammed himself into a sapling ahead of them. Pushing it over in front of Hiccup and trying to slow him up, but Hiccup simply leapt over it like it was a small stick instead of an entire tree. They passed within a few feet of some villagers, but they were already gone by the time the humans could look around. Astrid grinning at the confused expressions on their faces as an unexplainable gust of wind whipped at their hair and clothes.
As they completed the second loop through the trees around the village, the trio turned and made for the mountain. Taking the now familiar path towards the practice lake. Ilweran was out front with Minden just behind him. Hiccup hot on her heels. Astrid couldn't help but comment on this fact to Hiccup as she chuckled, "I wonder how Snot is going to react when you try to kiss him. Make it a juicy one babe." She hadn't been sure if he would be able to hear her, but assuming that his hearing was at least as impressive as his eyesight, she figured he would.
His answering chuckle confirmed this thought and he hoisted her more securely onto his back. Lifting one of her hands to his lips and seeming to inhale the scent of her as he pressed a gentle kiss to her palm. Her heart stuttered, but his run never faltered. His breathing never increasing, as the tiny flutter of his heartbeat in his throat stayed at a slow and steady pace. Somehow, he was completely unaffected by this physical exertion. Releasing her hand so that she could grip onto him again, she watched a grin spread on his face.
"Trust me mi'lady, I have no intention of kissing Snotlout. Not today or ever." With that he put on a burst of speed that she didn't think was possible. Springing up onto a rock ledge and leaping down the far side to land in front of the others, before taking off like an arrow shot from a bow. Overtaking the two blondes as if they were standing still. Even her elven eyesight had a hard time picking out much detail at this new speed. How was he still able to see the route? As he tore up the mountainside, she couldn't help turning around and looking back towards the other two. Minden was laughing and shaking her fist at Hiccup as they trailed farther and farther behind.
Apparently he had been holding himself back to let them think they were winning. How he was moving so quickly, she had no idea, but it was now obvious that he was much, much faster than the other two. Unbelievably so. They reached the lake and Hiccup dug in his heels. Kicking up a cloud of dust as he skidded to a stop near their waiting dragons. Toothless lifting a scaly forepaw to bump fists with his rider as both of them rasped identical chuckles. Barely a heartbeat later, Ilweran arrived beside them, a wide grin on his face. Minden bounding to a stop just afterwards with a scowl on her face. "Damn you Haddock," she grumbled while Hiccup laughed.
"Pucker up princess," he joked as he released his hold on Astrid's legs. It took a moment, but she finally convinced her body to let go of him. Dropping back to the ground and shaking out her stiff limbs, she gaped at the three of them. The daily hikes up this mountain had taken hours with the recruits. These monsters had just covered triple that distance in a matter of minutes. They weren't even out of breath. Not a drop of sweat on them, and they all still smelled and looked delicious. Gods, she was going to get a complex from hanging out around this lot.
"You guys are seriously scary, you know that, right? Beautiful monsters seems like a pretty accurate description after all..." she trailed off, allowing the words to hang in the air. Still, she couldn't help laughing at the wicked grin on Hiccup's face.
Minden put an arm around her shoulders, smirking as she said, "careful who you call scary, my dear. You're one of us beautiful monsters now, remember." Then she sighed dramatically as she added, "well, guess we'd better go find loverboy so I can give him a big ol' smooch. He's going to be so confused. Though not nearly as confused as he would've been if it was one of you." They all laughed again as Hiccup removed the sight spell from Astrid. Her vision returning to normal with another brilliant flash of green. She looked back up into his face, almost sad to have her human sight back. Seeing the flash of disappointment in her eyes, he chuckled and kissed her before sliding his ring back on.
Still laughing, they all hopped on their dragons and headed back to the village. Astrid couldn't help but wonder what it was going to be like when she was skilled enough to keep up with them. Well, at least keep up with Ilweran and Minden. Hiccup had told her that she would be able to achieve much the same speed and strength through spells. Although she doubted that any amount of arcane skills would let her keep up to Hiccup if the other two couldn't even come close.
Still, Minden's comments did bring up a new and intriguing thought. Minden had warned Astrid to be careful what she said because she was one of the 'beautiful monsters' now. She had only met two bonded dragon riders, but neither of them were completely human. She wasn't sure about Ilweran's heritage, but Hiccup had been human before and now he certainly wasn't. Was Minden actually telling her that she was going to eventually turn into a half-breed too? Could it possibly be true?
Arriving in the square, they all dismounted before making their way towards the academy to see how the lesson was going. Astrid still in awe of what she had seen. She knew that Hiccup was fast, but that had been ridiculous. No wonder he actually disappeared when he wanted to. His quick movements were often completely invisible to her weak human eyes. She had a strange feeling that, despite the impressive display, he still hadn't actually been running flat out during that race. Still, the speed of the other two was nearly as impressive, and she couldn't wait to try it! Her head was swimming with the possibilities of Minden's words. A sense of anticipation growing in her chest.
She was completely lost in her new daydreams of running with him through the trees some day. Tall, strong, and beautiful as any of them. The thought made her unreasonably happy as she pictured herself. Angular features, flawless golden skin, and gloriously proportioned body dressed in skin tight dragon-scale armour in the sky blues of her nadder. Accentuating the luminous ocean blue sapphires that would be her eyes. Standing beside Hiccup and looking like she truly belonged there. Fast enough to run with him and perfect enough to keep him. Powerful enough to fight off any competitor for his attentions.
Watching women fawn over him as the men fawned over her in a similar fashion. Knowing that they would still only have eyes for each other. The human women feeling the same way about her, as she had felt at first seeing him embracing Minden. Their jealous glares as they realized that they could never hope to compete with her for this glorious man. They would be a perfectly matched pair of heart-stoppingly beautiful warrior gods. Commanding respect everywhere they went. Right then she resolved that somehow, one day, she would be his equal. Astrid Hofferson did not settle for second best, after all.
She pulled herself out of these pleasant fantasies in time to watch Minden walk straight up to Snotlout, grab him by the front of his tunic, and lift him off the ground. Kissing him vigorously as everyone gaped at them. Without a word, she set him back on his feet and sauntered back to their group amid a chorus of wolf whistles from Cami, Heather, and Ruff. All of them laughing themselves silly at the look of dazed shock on Snot's face.
So, Astrid is starting to figure some things out on her own. She knows about his swords, she knows about HIS infertility at least, though he opted to not tell her about her own eventual sterility for now. I assume that will come back to haunt him some day... Still, she dealt with it better than anyone can be expected to. Astrid is a warrior though, and one of the strongest characters in the entire franchise. She deals with everything in the best possible way that she can manage. Rarely letting others, aside from Hiccup of course, witness her pain. RTTE 'Buffalord Soldier' and 'Blindsided' anybody... "I'm fine guys!" says Astrid, when she is very clearly NOT fine...
I should warn you all again that since we are ramping up to the finale now, this is pretty much the end of the light-hearted chapters. As I am sure you all figured that it might be. This story is not a comedy, after all. The next ones will be pretty damn intense. So buckle up my pretties. You're in for one hell of a ride...
A reminder that if you really really want an update on Tuesday the 24th, you just have to make yourselves loud enough to be heard over the jingle bells of Santa's reindeer. Otherwise, I will be too busy rocking around the Christmas tree to be able to hear you ;) lol
Happy HoHo everybody! :D