Six: Consequences

It was a relief to leave Berk as Astrid got on the early flight back to Archi, the main island, to connect with her flight to Vilnius. Hiccup had stayed overnight in the guest room at her parents's house after they had escaped from the Great Hall and was still asleep when she left, taking her bags and allowing her father to drive her to the airport. Ivar had been quiet but as they pulled up, he looked over to his daughter.

"It has been so lovely to have you back home, lass," he commented, a smile plastered over his tired features. "And I am so happy you have someone in your life. I have never regretted a moment with your mother and I hope you are as happy with Hiccup as I have been with your mother." She smiled and leaned over to kiss him.

"Love you too, Dad," she smiled. "Give my love to Mom. I'll call when I get to Lithuania!"

He waved her as he drove away and she passed quietly through customs. Unsurprisingly, the pictures of her and Hiccup were front page news on all the main papers under the banner headline BERK'S DREAM COUPLE and she glanced, seeing the dress looking spectacular and Hiccup leaning towards her, his expression shy but also…happy. It was happier than he looked with Arabella-though it could just have been her imagination. He'd been with her for three years, after all-all couples had to have their ups and downs. So she took a copy of the paper with the best picture and headed through security and into her gate. There were a few interested looks but by and large, the people of Berk were polite enough to afford her some privacy while travelling. So she boarded the flight and closed her eyes after take-off, dozing until they landed back on the main island.

As before, she was up first and first out of the plane, her brisk walk taking her to the baggage reclaim and collecting her case among the first. And then she was away to the check in area, finding the familiar shape of Heather waiting for her. Heather was Astrid's height and slender but lithe build, but her hair was raven black, braided over her left shoulder as Astrid wore it. Her green eyes widened as she saw her friend arrive and waved, then waited until Astrid arrived, accepting her bag of worn clothes and handing over her much larger suitcase for her international trip.

"Morning," Heather said, cheerful despite the early hour. "Here's your suitcase with all your kit, here's your travel bag and here are your passport and tickets and itinerary." Astrid accepted them and then looked over at her friend, for Heather was looking and sounding especially smug.

"Morning-why are you so pleased?" she asked as Heather grinned broadly.

"You know the gorgeous turquoise dress you wore in the restaurant with Hiccup-and the red one-strapped frock you had on last night?" she asked. Astrid nodded-they were her favourites from her collection. "Sold out. Every single one. And a ton of pre-orders for when they come back in. Your shoes and purse from last night have also sold out. 'Team Astrid' orders have gone up by two hundred and ninety-two percent since the news broke."

"What?" the soccer player gaped, staring at her friend.

"To put it simply, even more people want anything of yours, now you're engaged," Heather aid excitedly. "Thor, that was the most amazing piece of business! I-I can't even say how many enquiries there are for interviews, photoshoots, lifestyle pieces…and not just in the Archipelago. Across Europe and even the US! It's sensational publicity!"

"And it isn't true," Astrid reminded her wryly, tucking away her passport and tickets. "Anything else?"

"Well-can't you get him to stick around a bit longer?" Heather asked her. "I mean, he always stared at you like a puppy at its master and he looked really happy to be with you…"

"And he never asked to be thrust into the spotlight!" Astrid retorted. "I only held off because I didn't want to cause some sort of media frenzy if I announced we weren't engaged at Mom's party! He's got a home and a job and has…or maybe had…a girlfriend…"

"No girlfriend," Heather said. firmly. "He has to be faithful…"

"Heather-this is insane!" Astrid said.

"Just think on it!" Heather begged her. "Your career won't go on forever and this is seriously supercharging your 'Team Astrid' line! Don't say anything irreversible and blow it…pleease!" Astrid sighed.

"I'll be effectively sequestered while on international duty so we can decide when I get back," the blonde sighed and her head snapped up as they called her flight. "Gotta go, bestie. Try not to get too excited while I'm away…"

"Go kill 'em, Valkyrie!" Heather called as the girl ran to the check-in and was swiftly ushered through. Heather stared after her as she vanished through to the security check, heading for the 'Priority' lane. "And don't worry…I'll make sure everything is ready for when you come back…"

oOo

It was strange and unsettling to wake in a strange bed, collapsed in his dress suit with the tux draped over the bedside table but when memory returned, Hiccup groaned. He rolled over and stared at the ceiling. The room was pale cream with bright apple green and yellow drapes, a deeper green carpet and green and yellow comforter. Aching and head spinning, Hiccup levered his lanky shape up and slowly stood up, running his hands through his wild hair and staring down at his crumpled shirt. Shaking his head, he went to the bathroom, managed to wash his face and then went downstairs, finding Ivar Hofferson sitting at the limed pine table.

"Morning, son," he said cheerfully, lifting his mug of coffee in greeting. Coffee's brewed."

"Thanks," Hiccup managed gruffly. "I need some…" He fumbled a mug out, juggled it as he nearly dropped it and sloshed the hot, aromatic liquid in, then slowly dragged his shape to the table and sat opposite Ivar. The older man inspected the jaded-looking man and chuckled.

"Not a morning person?" he enquired. Hiccup nodded.

"Optimised for afternoons and evenings," he admitted. "Much of my best work is done in the evening, especially design work."

"Astrid is very much a morning person," Ivar commented. "So what is it you do?"

"Staff designer for Berk Aero," he admitted. "I've updated the Jotun III Island-Hopper engine to reduce emissions and improve efficiency by 29.6% and am the primary designer for the new medium range single aisle jet from Berk Aero…" A reluctant eyebrow raised at the news.

"So at least you have a proper job and some qualifications," Ivar admitted, draining his cup. He got up and refilled it. "I needed to check because Astrid is very much a prize now-wealthy, beautiful, intelligent…and I don't want her disappointed."

"Oh, I am disappointing in every way, shape and form," Hiccup muttered, as Ivar scowled. "I mean, I'm a fishbone, not a bulky buff Viking. I'm sarcastic. I'm not a sportsman, but an engineer. And I'm auburn and freckly. I mean-in what way aren't I disappointing?"

"I think, Hiccup, that my daughter feels you're worth the effort-so these things don't matter to her," Ivar commented, realising he had misinterpreted the other man's words. "I take it you are aware of her previous relationship." He nodded and sipped his coffee.

"Um…unfortunately, yes," he admitted. "That guy was dishonest and used her-and she was very unhappy about it. Really upset. But I won't hurt her-I promise."

"You know-she hasn't mentioned you for ages, Hiccup-so I am surprised at the speed this happened," Ivar commented suspiciously and Hiccup fished out his phone.

"I have her number," he said and demonstrated the contact. Ivar's eyes widened-almost no one had her number-not even her other former friends on Berk and certainly most of the family didn't have her number. He nodded in acceptance.

"Okay-so she has friends she doesn't discuss with me," he admitted. "I will be watching you-but as long as my daughter is happy and you treat her decently-I will give you my blessing." Hiccup took another sip and looked up.

"Look-I had a huge crush on Astrid in school and when she moved away before Graduation, I was gutted. Because I had planned to ask her out then…and when she vanished, I was heartbroken. So when I saw her again, it was like a dream. I would never do anything to hurt her, Mr Hofferson. I promise." Ivar smiled and put some bagels in the toaster.

"I presume you need some breakfast before you head home, son," he said with a grin. "And maybe you want to tell me how you two got together…" With a groan, Hiccup face-palmed loudly.

"Thor-I thought fatal embarrassment by older people was a disease you only got in your teens but nope…here I am…" he commented as Ivar Hofferson laughed.

"I think I'm going to like you as a potential son-in-law," he said.

oOo

Joining the National Team on international duty was a relief-because the players were protected from intrusive comments, aggressive journalists and paparazzi…though not from ribbing by the other team members. Astrid, as Captain, bore the teasing with as much patience as she could manage, because she knew the girls were a good bunch and it was tradition when anyone had a new boyfriend. And she felt rather self-conscious that there were so many genuinely warm wishes for her and her new fiancé when she knew it was all a mistake. So she smiled and nodded and told them a little about Hiccup-which had eyebrows raising because he was the polar opposite to her previous 'boyfriend'.

But the social media frenzy hadn't calmed down at all and she smiled as she thumbed down the headlines as she waited for the others to change for training.

CAPTAIN ASTRID'S NEW TEAM MATE

WHO IS HOTTY McHOTTY FROM BERK?

GOLDEN (AND AUBURN) COUPLE

SWEETHEARTS!

NO PLACE LIKE HOME-FOR BOYFRIENDS

HICCSTRID!

She smiled at the last one and with a thoughtful look, she pulled the stylus out and began to sketch on her phone, storing the image she had designed for a 'Hiccstrid' branch of 'Team Astrid'-and then she shook her head. She guessed Hiccup must be hating this and wondered if he had spoken to Bella yet…and a nagging doubt raised its head. The way the girl had verbally laid into him had been especially unedifying to observe and his response had worried her. Hiccup was a sassy guy with a quick wit and a kind heart-but somehow that woman had persuaded him that she was the best he could hope to date and had rent him to shreds in the space of second-in front of everyone he knew. And then she sighed. It really was none of her business, though she made a silent promise to check he was okay because the happiest she had seen him look was standing at her side in the glare of the world's media

The pre-match press conference was a nightmare because Astrid, as Captain, was expected to talk to the press and she had prepared for enquiries about the team, the selection-which had omitted their most-capped player from midfield-and the opposition. So it was made clear at the start that she wouldn't be talking about her personal life and just about the match. Four journalists had left the Press Conference at that point and she had professionally and calmly dealt with all enquiries…until the last question.

"Will your fiancé be watching your match?" the journalist asked and she smiled.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "He's seen me play a lot in the past and I don't know if he'd find it stressful watching me do my thing." And then she smiled. "All I care about is that he's there when I get home."

There was a chorus of 'awws' and she smiled at the smiles from normally stone-faced sports writers at her answer as the team Press Officer called the encounter to a close. But as she sat back and exhaled while the journalists filed out, she reran the words in her head and groaned. All she had done was make things worse.

oOo

It was with a lot of trepidation that Hiccup returned to the apartment he shared with Arabella. He knew she should be at work so he should be safe to go in and gather some things. But he knew that she would be furious and he wondered what she had done in her anger.

When he opened the door, he listened carefully and only when he was certain the place was empty did he slide in. Every sense was on edge because he knew Arabella was furious-and he wasn't really joking when he had spoken to Astrid after his actual girlfriend had stormed out. Arabella had a violent temper and Hiccup had been brought up not to strike a woman, leaving him vulnerable to the vagaries of her temper. He knew that she had primed him over the early months of their relationship, pecking away at his confidence and making him dependent enough that he wouldn't consider anyone else would want him. At the start, she had been sweet and he had been far more sassy…but as she had started to grind him down, her temper had shortened and he had found himself shouted down when he tried to stand up for himself. He was still able to resurrect a facade of who he had been while he was out but inside…he wasn't the boy Astrid had known. Bella had subjugated him, punishing him when he dared to rail against her commands. He had already found out just how hot hair straighteners were when pressed against his arm, how sharp various kitchen implements were and how strong such a small woman could be. He shuddered: it had only happened once but he had felt so ashamed as a grown man at being beaten up by a woman that he had made up a story about being mugged to explain the obvious bruises.

Moving into the main living/kitchen area, he saw Toothless's bowls were empty. He knew he had left water and food for the little cat and instantly, he was concerned. He knew who had got rid of his food to deliberately leave the pet hungry and thirsty but he was worried for the little black cat's safety. Panicking, he called for the creature.

"Toothless-are you there, bud?" And he was immensely relieved to hear a little trill from the feline, whose head popped over the top of the kitchen cupboards, where Hiccup knew he hid from Arabella. Giving a shaky sigh of relief, Hiccup reached up and grasped the warm, fluffy body, feeling rather than hearing the purr rubbing through the little cat. Drawing the cat against his chest, Hiccup quirked a small smile and stroked him in relief, big green eyes staring adoringly up at his master.

"Oh, thank Thor," he murmured. "I was worried Bella would be mad at you, since I wasn't here." He chewed his lip. "Shall we check what's happened in the bedroom? I guess she's done some damage…" And he quietly walked to the bedroom, pushed the door open…and then paused, breathing hard, his chest tight with shock.

The first thing he noticed were his precious dragon statuettes, small but perfect representations of ancient dragons that he had obsessively collected over the years. For a long time, he had left them safely at his father's home-but Bella had taunted and challenged him that he didn't trust her and wasn't committed to the relationship. And now he bitterly regretted his weakness in being played by her and finally bringing them to the apartment they shared-because it gave her another stick to punish him with. Every single one was smashed on the floor, stamped to oblivion in a fit of absolute rage by his scorned girlfriend. His computer was also smashed on the floor, though he guessed he could repair it. And the precious photo of his parents had been ripped up-though he had scanned and backed it up, not trusting her with such a personal and irreplaceable memory.

Crouching down, he sadly brushed his fingers over the wreckage of his dragons, before scooping them up and dropping them in his computer bag, along with his damaged laptop, his meagre few possessions in the bedside table and the remains of his photo. Then he opened the wardrobe and grimaced-for Bella had torn up most of his shirts and dumped ink and ketchup on his other clothes. Swiftly dumping the wrecked garments in the bin, he grabbed what was left, found his wash-bag and collected Toothless's things-and then, still in his Tux and with the rest of his possessions in a computer bag and one small duffle bag, the cat following him like a dog, he left his home.

In the car, he stroked the cat and stared at his wretched collection of possessions. There really was only one option-so, his cheeks burning with shame, he headed back towards his father's house.

He just hoped Bella would cool down and not try to hurt Astrid.