Well guys, you know what time it is. Time for some more Hiccstrid this chapter! Like the first chapter (chapter 37) where our two Vikings became a couple through comfort, this chapter will have Astrid once again comforting Hiccup - and hopefully it will make sense to you guys on why Hiccup acted the way he did near the end of the last chapter, and he will give an explanation.
Aside that, I'd also like to thank KorrieChan for the review last chapter: though I will say that Dagur probably wouldn't have taken the review as lightly as I did! :P
Regardless of that however, I hope you guys like this chapter. Now let's get right into it!
The next day came like a flash for Hiccup, just like how the week had gone by for him. Yesterday he and the others were making plans on where to strike first, and now the lad found himself working in the corner of the Blacksmith with Magnus minding his own work.
However, his posture and suspicious look did not go unnoticed to the Warsung Chieftain. After all, Hiccup was acting more aggressive and rushed in the things he was doing.
The older Viking sighed, laying the hammer down. "Right, what's wrong?" he asked, rotating his head to the scrawny lad.
Hiccup looked up at Magnus, but shook his head as if he tried to shrug it off. "Nothing's wrong, Magnus. I'm just being myself as usual. You know, regular old Hiccup."
"Not this time." he replied back. "You've been acting more strange, hasty, and aggressive this morning, along with the fact that you hardly showed your face after the meeting yesterday. Please, speak your mind. I won't go offensive on you."
Hiccup quickly caved in after hearing his tone, knowing that the older lad knew what was going on. He sighed as he then looked up at Magnus and began to explain to him.
"Magnus." he began. "I feel… too overwhelmed. All of this- everything that has so far happened, is making my brain go in circles. I can't control myself on who I should or shouldn't focus on. I have tried keeping up my patience and priority as you advised me to in order to help me focus, but…"
His words immediately came to a stop as he shook his head, once again letting out a sigh - though this time lighter. His eyes then focused back on the anvil he had his work on.
Magnus arched a brow. "Hiccup?" he asked the scrawny Viking.
But before he could continue on, the sound of nearby footsteps grabbed his attention along with a pair of Dragon paws hitting the dirt, and soon the wooden floor of the Smithy as Astrid came walking in with Toothless and Stormfly beside her; though the two Dragons waited outside.
"Hey Magnus." she spoke up, receiving a wave from the Warsung Chieftain.
"Greetings Astrid. I assume you are looking for Hiccup?"
She nodded. "I am. I was wondering you knew where-"
"Over here." Hiccup said, still laying his eyes on the anvil, but it wouldn't take too long for Astrid to also notice Hiccup's odd and unusual behavior.
"Hiccup, is everything alright?" she asked, hoping to get a reply from him. But he said nothing to her and still kept a stressed-like expression on his face.
"Well, he's just feeling a bit down right now - or at least that's what I can assume just by looking at him." replied Magnus as he removed his Blacksmith kilt. "He's been like that since this morning, and I am surprised that he didn't take the time to approach Toothless. I was wondering where he was."
Astrid fell her eyes onto the Chieftain. "Toothless was just playing around with Stormfly and the other Dragons." she said to him. "We were expecting him to come by this morning, but he never came. So I went out to look for him and, well, here he is."
Magnus only replied with a "hm" coming from his mouth, only to tell Astrid; "Then perhaps you should speak to him alone."
"Me?" she asked, crossing her arms. "But wouldn't he be more comfortable with the both of us around? I mean, aren't you Hiccup's closest friend aside from Toothless?"
"And aren't you his girlfriend?"
The sound of his words immediately caused Astrid to somewhat widen her eyes. He did have a point after all. She and Hiccup were a couple. He was hers as she was his, and Astrid knew that if there was anyone that could help him in this case - it would be her.
She sighed, sounding a little irritated at first until she began to get along.
"Fine." she replied to him. "But I'll need to be alone. If you would please-"
"As you wish."
Magnus was quick to respond before she could finish as he bowed his head at her, making his way out of the Smithy which left Astrid alone with Hiccup who was still hammering away at a metal rod of some sorts.
Upon the older lad's departure, Astrid quickly shut the door tight before gazing back at Hiccup with a further concerned expression. She then approached him lightly, stopping on the other side of the anvil he hammered upon.
"Hiccup." she said to him calmly, only to receive no response from him.
But still she continued. Once again, Astrid spoke his name, "Hiccup." though still not expecting to get a response from him. After that however, she proceeded to go along with speaking to him.
"Look." she began. "I know that you are stressed over all that has happened, and many times you have gotten over it, but I have not seen you this stressed before. It looks to me as if something- or someone, is on your mind. If you could just talk to me and speak to me, I'd be able to help you."
She sighed. "Please, Hiccup. Tell me what's wrong."
Hiccup slowed his smithing hammering to halt, tilting his gaze upwards to look at Astrid with raised brows and tiresome bags under his eyes. He then slowly placed the tool down on the anvil and made his towards the work desk where he sat in the nearby chair.
As he lifted his head to face Astrid, he replied with a light shake of his head along with thet mix of a nod.
"Astrid." he finally said. "I feel torn apart from the inside. You are right that this is the most amount of stress that I've shown throughout this whole journey, but I just can't take it anymore..."
The shield maiden knelt down to his level. "What's gotten into you?" she asked, still keeping her light tone.
"...It's my father." he said. "The night I pondered that about Ivar and what he was doing caused the thought about my dad to quickly come up, and I began asking myself; why did he leave me?"
Astrid's eyes instantly shifted to express a small surprising reaction from her boyfriend's words. "What are you talking about? Why in the name of Thor would you think like that? Dagur specifically said that he was looking for you-"
"And yet he chose to go after the Dark Eye Clan alone with the rest of the Hooligan army." he replied, turning his eyes to look down.
"Astrid, I just feel so lonely and abandoned without him. When I mentioned to you that Dragon's Wake felt it was one Viking short, I was referring to him. I mean, just consider it: what kind of father would go after an overpowering enemy rather than to be with his family- his son. I-"
Astrid was quick to interrupt Hiccup, but not in a rude manner as her hand fell on his shoulder. She then shook her head with a small smile.
"You're missing the whole point, Hiccup." she said to him. "Stoick only wants to do what is best for you, our Tribe, and the Archipelago. He would never in a million years want to abandon you over fighting some wretch that wants to take everything over and end our lives. If he ever did, he would have never asked Dagur about you. But ask yourself this; after all that we've gone through together, would your father ever leave you, or would he fight on for you to ensure your survival?"
To Hiccup, Astrid's speech felt powerful… and by Odin was she right. Her words as a whole began to bring back memories of the events that had only taken place a mere month ago back on Berk.
He remembered how his father held him tightly in his arms when he recovered. He remembered the stories told by the denizens of Berk of when Stoick the Vast embraced his son after an honorable fight against a false foe who sought only to take the Hooligan Tribe for himself. But most of all, he remembered when Stoick first called him the name; son.
The overwhelming nostalgia made Hiccup's stomach from inside of him fill up with an emotional feeling he couldn't describe. Deep down, he knew Astrid was right as a single tear shed down his face.
To this, the blonde lass lightly grabbed ahold of Hiccup's chin and held it up, now staring at him directly in the eyes. "But know that you are not alone. Remember that you still also have Toothless, Magnus and Eira, your friends, and- well, you have me."
Hiccup smiled, wiping off the single tear. "You're right." he said. "We still have each other, and I won't ever forget that."
"And nor will I, babe." she replied back as they both stood to their feet, and without wasting a moment too soon, Hiccup and Astrid closed in on each other with a warm embrace like never before. Their lips then met, and they kissed as if they were in Valhalla...
The warmth of Astrid's arms also made Hiccup feel like his heart immediately began to heal by itself, and soon after, he felt much of his negative emotion evaporate like rain as even the slightest of smiles began to form on him.
After a few seconds passed by, the two separated their kiss, and both of their foreheads now touched one another with wide grins on the front of their faces. But the moment would cease as a familiar warble and squawk caught Hiccup's attention.
The two turned their heads towards the door of the Blacksmith, and outside was Toothless and Stormfly who watched the whole thing go down - and yet Toothless was gazing at Hiccup with a happy and relieved expression. His tail wagged like a hound, and to this the young Viking chuckled.
"Yes, bud." he chuckled as the two Vikings finally separated from one another. "It's good to see you too."
With the thought of stress now quickly deteriorating from Hiccup, Astrid quickly switched the topic seeing as it was now appropriate and of vital importance.
"I also forgot to tell you..." she said to him. "All of our warriors had been accounted for yesterday and are ready to prepare for the march against the Dark Eye Clan as you wanted. Once you give the call, we shall march to the Grey Plains whenever you are prepared... and I know that perhaps this isn't the right time to mention it, but we-"
"Then we shall march tomorrow, starting at sunrise." he replied, removing his smithing kilt before grabbing his cloak and blade, making his way out of the Smithy towards Toothless with Astrid following.
"Tell the Riders that at the crack of dawn, I want all of them to rally up for a quick meeting on where to begin the search for my father. Afterwards, we will begin the march across the Grey Plains, and we will take the fight to the enemy. Make sure to remind them that no one is to sleep in, and everyone is to get a good night's rest. Understood, milady?"
"Understood." she said grinning, mounting atop Stormfly before flying off with haste across Dragon's Wake - after all, the base was indeed extending significantly.
Hiccup smirked, gazing up at the sky with confident ideas and thoughts running through his mind.
"No more running. No more hiding." he said to himself, speaking up. "Tomorrow, we will continue our fight, and we shall battle out the enemy like never before. Count your days, Ivar - because they are now about to become numbered…"
...
Stoick hurled his axe into the head of the last Viking that laid on the field. By now the smoke of battle began to clear from the camp where he and Hooligan warriors stood as they were positioned on the outskirts of the woods near the Grey Plains.
That day they had once again been pulled into another skirmish as the Dark Eye Clan and their allies attacked Stoick and his warriors with a wave larger than the last one. Though they had outnumbered the enemy and won, things by then were not starting to go well.
The Chieftain of Berk let out an exhale as he sheathed his axe, turning to his captain who stood near him.
"Captain!" Stoick called out. "What's the situation? How many did we lose?"
"Well what's for certain is that this was a clear victory. The enemy has been massacred entirely!" he replied, now standing at attention to his Chief. "We've also suffered no casualties on our side, but the men are starting to look weary…"
Stoick rose a brow. "Weary?" he asked.
"Aye sir. The exhaustion from all of these battles is beginning to affect our men's morale and health. These fights are bearing us down, and we can't hold on for much longer. We have to-"
Suddenly a nearby voice interrupted the captain as a shield maiden from Stoick's side approached him, calling out "Sir!"
Stoick sighed, raising his hand up to the captain to hold him off for a moment. "What is it, warrior?"
"...Chief, I bring a status report on the camp. It isn't looking good at all." she said, giving off a worrisome look.
Stoick nodded. "Very well, then. What report do you bring?"
"Our camp has suffered quite a bit of damage from this attack." she began. "This wave has caused much more than the last as a couple dozen of our tents were burnt, and part of our spike-wall has been shattered and burned down to a crisp. At this rate, the enemy will make us waste our resources if we continue to rebuild, and we will be left with nothing if we don't put a stop to it."
The captain next to Stoick nodded in agreement. "She's right... If we don't come up with a plan soon, our people will soon meet its end, and Berk will not have a Chief to lead them. They will-"
"They will have Hiccup." he interrupted, giving a small glare at the captain. "Hiccup is the one who brought us and led us here, and he will be the one to end this war and bring us back home - one way or another. He is my son and I will never forget him for who he is."
"He is the true Heir to Berk."
"Well, I agree with you Chieftain... But are you sure that he will come?" the captain asked.
Stoick gave no reply to the warrior's question. Instead, his head and body turned to face the other direction - out towards the hilly and flat terrain of the Grey Plains. Though the distance was covered with fog, his mind and brain became somewhat lost to it as he began thinking deeply. At first, he still gave no response…
But then he spoke up.
"I am certain that Hiccup will come." he answered the captain. "He has never let us down in the past. He has saved Berk from near moments of death; and he won't let us down this time either. I know deep down that he will find us…"
He then sighed, tilting his head up to face the sky. "...I know he will."