Update 11/23/18: Minor typos and clunky wording fixed as part of the facelift, and another instance of a chapter title changing because I had never liked it to begin with.
Chapter 9: Reach, Learn
"Astrid? Where are you?"
"In here!" Astrid looked up from the shirt she was sewing. It was colder today, the abnormally long fall finally giving way to winter, and Hiccup's little forge was usually warmer than the rest of the mountain and less damp than the hot springs at its base. Hiccup turned the corner in to the cave and gave her a small smile, holding up a sack in each hand.
"I'm back."
Astrid raised an eyebrow. Hiccup seemed nervous for some reason. "I noticed. Given that you are, you know, here." Hiccup frowned but didn't say anything. Her mood had not been stellar the past few days and he was kind enough not to provoke her. She'd snapped at him for accidentally bumping into her while getting water and after that he'd gotten the message and avoided her almost entirely. Even Toothless seemed to understand that she needed her space. Astrid had then spent most of the following two days in the hot springs, letting the hot water soothe her cramped muscles and aching back.
Hiccup held one of the sacks forward. "This is for you. Everything you asked for. And, uh, I have some other things for you." He carried the other sack to one of his work tables and opened it. Astrid set her sewing aside and followed, curious. "I met up with an old friend today. A trader, usually trades down south. Way down south. I was surprised to see him in such northern waters, actually. He was sailing around the Mediterranean Sea when I last saw him. Anyway, he owes me a few favors and a few dragon scales can take you a long way so I managed to get some good stuff." He pulled a stack of folded fabric from the bag and Astrid gasped. Hiccup handed them to her. The first two fabrics in the pile were brightly colored with intricate patterns woven into the cloth, the threads shining like jewels. One was multicolored, while the other was a shining blue with gold, yellow, purple and orange motifs spiraling through it. The last one was a sheer, silky fabric in a soft white that fluttered and flowed through her fingers.
"Wow, Hiccup, these are stunning," Astrid said, holding up the sheer fabric to see how much of it there was. A few yards, at least.
Hiccup shrugged. "I don't know how into sewing you are, but I thought you could use them to make something cool. If not for you, then maybe you'd like to make something for your sister." He smiled briefly before reaching into the bag again. "I didn't really know what you're into so I just got you a bunch of stuff. Some perfumes," he sat several small glass bottles filled with brightly colored liquids on the table, "Some spices, because I know I'm kind of lacking in anything other than salt," small pots joined the bottles, "And finally, something I know you'll like." He glanced at her. "Or at least that I hope you'll like." Astrid looked up from sniffing one of the bottles of perfume—it was something citrusy—in time to see Hiccup pulling something metal and glimmering out of the bag.
He pulled out and unsheathed a knife.
Except it was unlike any knife Astrid had ever seen. The blade was shinier and set with three small jewels, and the hilt was a bright gold with intricate carvings and decorated with even more small gemstones. Hiccup held it out to her and Astrid picked it up carefully. It was a nice weight; light enough to be useful but heavy enough to feel solid in her hand. She tested the strength of the blade; she'd have expected something this ornate to be more decorative than practical, but the thick blade didn't bend or warp more than it needed to, and the edge was razor sharp.
"This is amazing," she said, holding the knife up and inspecting the straightness and balance of the blade. She sat the knife down with her other pile of gifts and frowned at Hiccup's smiling face. "All of this is amazing. But, Hiccup, what is all this?" she asked seriously, and Hiccup sobered.
He looked down. "A peace offering." He fidgeted under her gaze. "I'm keeping you here and you don't like it, and I can't do anything about that for the moment. But I want you to feel comfortable and I want you to feel safe. I know it'd be a stretch to ask if we could be friends, but," he peeked at her from under his bangs, "This is my way of saying that I hope we can at least get along." There it was: the downward turn of his lips, that little line between his eyebrows, that slight lowering of his eyelids. He looked genuine. He looked like Hiccup.
Astrid looked down at the knife on the table. "You're arming me?"
"Well," Hiccup cleared his throat nervously and shuffled his feet. It was perhaps the most Hiccup thing she had seen so far. "This is my way of saying I trust that you won't kill me in my sleep."
Astrid's lip quirked. "I already wasn't going to kill you in your sleep. I'd be stuck here, remember? If Toothless didn't kill me first?"
Hiccup sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and then something in his expression shifted. His eyebrows drew together, his eyes narrowed and there was a firm set to his lips. When he looked at her there was such a…such a determination there. "I want you to feel safe," he said. "And I thought you might feel safer if you had a way to defend yourself. I know you prefer an axe, but this is easier to carry around with you. You'd be able to fight back if you were attacked. I thought this would make you feel safer than just hearing me say I won't hurt you. But even so, I promise, Astrid, that I'm never going to lay a hand on you."
Maybe it was the blade resting under her fingers, or maybe it was the determination blazing in Hiccup's eyes, but for the first time, she actually believed him.
Xx
Astrid had never been much for domestics.
Growing up she'd been more concerned with being a warrior than a housewife, even after Brenna was born and she was forced to do more around the house to help out. Around age sixteen, once Brenna was sleeping through the night and her mother was slightly less exhausted all the time, Astrid had found herself being put through what she and Ruffnut had started calling 'Housewife Training'. It was a lot harder than dragon training, not nearly as enjoyable, and Astrid had not done nearly so well at it.
If only her mother could see her now.
Tending a garden, sewing her own clothes (and occasionally Hiccup's, for lack of anything else to do), and now cooking dinner for the man in her life. Even if he wasn't in her life that way. Astrid tasted the stew that was currently bubbling over the fire. Well, maybe not as good as her mother's but still not too bad right? She'd even tried throwing in some of the spices Hiccup had brought her. She wasn't sure if they had helped or hurt, but she sprinkled in some more just in case.
The knife at her hip made her feel more like herself than she had in a long time. She felt stronger and more confident. Less the scared captive and more the equal occupant Hiccup kept claiming she was supposed to be. And things had been better between the two of them as well. They weren't getting on each other's nerves all the time, and they'd had conversations that one could actually deem enjoyable. If she weren't still essentially being held captive with no concrete answer as to when she'd get to go home Astrid might even dare to say they were becoming friends. Hiccup was better about his temper, though he still tended to get short with her when he'd been drinking, which wasn't as much as it had been, she'd noticed. He was still hungover the morning after raids, but he wasn't taking a swig after every conversation anymore. She wasn't sure if that was progress on the drinking problem or if it just meant she was no longer a leading cause of the drinking problem.
More importantly though, she was no longer afraid of him when he did get short with her. She still wasn't certain if she could go so far as to say she trusted him, not when there was his allegiance to the dragons hanging over their heads, but she at least could trust that he meant her no harm. She could easily overpower a man three times her size with a blade the size of the one Hiccup had given her, and Hiccup would know that. He trusted her, even if she didn't completely trust him.
He'd given her a gift that went beyond the weight on her waistband, and she didn't know how to thank him. She'd been wracking her brain all week. Her resources were admittedly extremely limited, and it wasn't as if there was a lot Hiccup needed. (Although she had finally gotten a 'thank you' for all the work she'd done to his garden.) Finally she'd decided on cooking dinner after noticing that Hiccup's cooking skills were on par with his gardening skills—enough to keep him alive but not much interest beyond that. (Maybe that's why he was so skinny?)
She walked to the mouth of the tunnel and cupped her hands around her mouth. "HICCUP!" She shouted, and then went back to her stew. As large as the mountain was she doubted he'd be able to hear her, but if they weren't out flying then Toothless would, and maybe he'd drag his master to her. It had worked once before, and she didn't want to go traipsing around the caverns looking for him and leave her stew unattended.
Sure enough, a couple of minutes later Hiccup came sprinting into the room, out of breath and looking almost frantic. "Are you okay? What's happening?"
Astrid shrugged, frowning. "I just needed to get your attention, you didn't have to get all freaked out."
Hiccup's shoulders fell and he glared at her. "Right. Well, what do you want?"
She'd caught him in a bad mood, it seemed, or else put him in one. Astrid turned her attention to her stew. "I made you dinner," she said, trying for cheery. She glanced at Hiccup in time to see his eyebrow rise.
"You…you made dinner for me? Did I hear that right?"
Astrid nodded, feeling her cheeks turn pink. "As a peace offering. And a thank you. For the knife." She turned her hip towards him so he could see the knife hanging on the waistband of her skirt. She gave him a small smile. "I wanted to do something in return. To show my appreciation for everything you've done for me lately."
Hiccup studied his feet. "I owed it to you. I told you not to act like a hostage, but…I was still kind of treating you like one."
Astrid didn't really have a response to that so she brushed past him to grab a bowl from the table. "Well, I don't feel so much like a hostage anymore, so, you get stew. And also…" she trailed off, sighing. "You've been different lately. More like you. Or at least, more like the you I remember." She glanced at Hiccup to see him blinking at her in surprise.
"I have?"
She nodded, ladling stew into the bowl. "I'll admit I didn't know you very well, but…you still weren't acting like you." She kept her eyes on the ties of his shirt (Green today, instead of black. He must not have been anticipating an attack tonight.) as she handed him the wooden bowl and spoon. "It's nothing special, just a stew my mother tried to teach me to make. If it's terrible I promise it's not because I'm trying to poison you."
Hiccup's fingers brushed hers as he took the bowl from her hands. She took a step back and watched him as he filled his spoon. "You didn't have to do this, you know." There it was. That crooked, kind Hiccup smile. Astrid couldn't help the smile that came to her own face.
"Don't thank me until you've tasted it."
He grinned at her before sticking the spoon in his mouth. He froze, his eyes bulging. Hiccup pulled the spoon from his mouth and gave her a pained smile. "Mmm." He nodded, the hand holding the spoon giving her a thumbs up.
"It's terrible, isn't it?"
Hiccup shook his head, grunting. He swallowed with some difficulty, his eye twitching. "No, it's good, it's good!" He assured her, his voice an octave higher than normal. "It's really good." He continued smiling. He dipped the spoon back into his stew and took another bite, the tension evident on his face as he chewed and swallowed. He gagged and coughed and Astrid gave him a pitying smile.
"You don't have to eat it, Hiccup."
"No, I'm fine, I just—" he coughed again. "Some went down the wrong way. That's all." He coughed again, then took another bite.
Astrid watched him, her heart in her throat. There was no way he was enjoying it. No possible way.
But bless him if he didn't eat every bite anyway.
(She was pretty sure she heard him throw it all back up awhile later, but still. It was the thought that counted, and all that.)
Xx
Astrid was bored. Winter was beginning in earnest and there was less to do in her garden now. She'd harvested what was less to be harvested and the remaining plants had either been prepared to weather the snow or else transplanted into warmer soil inside a cave. (It was a genius bit of gardening, she thought. They'd still get plenty of sun but less of the freezing weather that would kill them off. If she cared for them correctly she should be able to get a few more harvests out of those plants.) Her stolen clothes had all been altered to fit her and she'd repaired every article of clothing Hiccup had begrudgingly thrown at her.
She meandered aimlessly through the tunnels that ran through her temporary home. She'd memorized the passageways by now; they weren't so difficult to learn after a while. She spun a little circle as she walked through the archway into the large cavern she'd been in the first night Hiccup brought her here.
She pulled up short.
There was a dragon in the cave.
A dragon other than Toothless.
There was a large blue Deadly Nadder standing in the room, facing away from her and preening the long deadly spines on its tail. Very slowly Astrid reached for her knife. She wasn't sure if she should approach the beast while it had its back turned or if she should use its distraction to turn tail and run. If she ran now she might be able to get away before it noticed her, but the tunnel behind her was big enough for it to fit through, and if it gave chase there was no way she'd have enough room to fight it in the small space. The tunnel to her right was a bit smaller. Large enough for Toothless but in theory not quite big enough for the Nadder to comfortably fit through. Astrid very carefully took a step to her right, her knife gripped in her hand. The dragon didn't notice.
She kept her eyes locked on the dragon while she crept closer to the other tunnel. Her boot kicked a rock and it skittered off, alerting the dragon to her presence. Its head snapped up and its yellow eyes narrowed when it saw her. Astrid abandoned stealth and lunged for the mouth of the tunnel, the creature's squawks following her. It reached the tunnel before she did and Astrid turned, her feet skidding on the cave floor. The dragon was right behind her, and Astrid knew she wouldn't reach the tunnel in time. She turned and ran towards the dragon, right into its blind spot. The huge head twisted and turned, trying to find where she'd gone but Astrid stayed with it, dodging back and forth to stay out of sight.
Her knife was still in her hand and the dragon's neck was right there. She could slit its throat. Or lunge forward and stab it in the heart. But instead she thought of Toothless, of everything Hiccup said about dragons, and her raised hand faltered.
In the split second she was staring at the blade in her hand the Nadder shifted enough to see her, and its huge snout knocked her to the ground. Her knife went flying out of her hand and slid across the floor, far out of reach. Astrid stared up at the dragon, at the razor sharp teeth and the yellow eyes. It leaned down, sniffing at her. Astrid screamed.
The Nadder pulled back and cocked his head. It trilled, a strange little whine, and took a step back from her. Astrid was still staring up at it and panting a moment later when Hiccup sprinted into the room. "Astrid!"
She looked at him. "Help!"
Hiccup dashed forward and stepped between her and the dragon. "Hey, it's okay," he said, reaching up and stroking the Nadder's chin. "It's okay, you're fine, it's okay." The Nadder squawked and stamped its feet, then to Astrid's surprise its pupils rounded and it nuzzled Hiccup, who laughed.
Astrid dazedly pushed herself onto her elbows. The dragon. Hiccup was worried about the dragon.
Of course.
She pulled herself up on trembling legs and backed away from Hiccup and the dragon who was now cooing happily as Hiccup scratched behind its crown of spikes. "Oh, I haven't seen you in a while," Hiccup was saying. "Where have you been, girl? Huh? Whatcha been up to?"
Astrid kept her eyes on the pair as she retrieved her knife. As soon as the blade was back in her hands the dragon shrieked, her pupils narrowing and her tail spines lifting.
"No!" Astrid barely had time to blink before Hiccup was throwing himself at her, yanking the knife out of her hand and flinging it away.
"Hey, what are you doing?!"
"You're scaring her!"
Astrid's eyes widened. "I'm scaring her? She attacked me!"
Hiccup matched her glare. "She wasn't attacking you, she was just trying to say hello!"
"She came right at me, Hiccup, that wasn't a greeting, that was a—AAAAHH!" Astrid screamed again as huge pair of nostrils suddenly breathed down on her shoulder as the mouth they were attached to picked up the end of her braid.
"It's okay, Astrid, it's okay!" Hiccup grabbed her shoulders, his chest warm and oddly comforting against her back. "She won't hurt you." Astrid wasn't sure if that was directed at her or the dragon, but either way it was somewhat reassuring. If she was going to be face to face with a strange dragon at least she was doing it with a dragon expert by her side. "She's just trying to say hello, like I said." Astrid looked at Hiccup like he was crazy—which he probably was, really. Toothless was one thing. This was a wild dragon. Slight difference.
Hiccup gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze and laughed. "She recognizes you, Astrid. That's why she's trying to say hello."
"Recognizes me?" Astrid looked up at the dragon, whose mouth was quirked upwards at the corners, almost like she was smiling.
"From Berk."
Astrid quirked an eyebrow and subconsciously pressed closer to Hiccup. "How would she know me from Berk? What, does she remember me from the raids or something?"
Hiccup chuckled and stepped around Astrid to scratch the dragon's chin. The Nadder trilled happily and leaned into his touch, her back leg lifting and kicking the air like a dog. "No, from the arena." He looked at her. "She was the Nadder in Dragon Training." Astrid's eyes widened as she stared at the dragon. That was the same one? The same dragon that had very nearly killed them both all those years ago because Hiccup couldn't stay out of the way? She became aware that Hiccup was staring at her expectantly. "Well come on," he was saying, "Aren't you gonna say hi?" He was smiling at her, and dimly it occurred to her that his eyes were brighter and he was altogether happier around dragons than at any other time.
Astrid took a step back, then another. Hiccup's smile faltered. "Astrid?"
She kept stepping backwards, and shook her head slightly, her eyes still on the dragon. On its teeth and the poisonous spines on its tail.
Hiccup was frowning at her. "Astrid? What's wrong?"
Astrid shook her head. "It's a dragon."
Hiccup nodded. "Yes, yes it is. And?"
Astrid just shook her head, still stepping away. "It's a dragon."
She watched Hiccup's expression harden. His eyebrows drew together and his mouth turned into a thin line. "And why is that problem?" When she didn't answer he shook his head. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?" he spat.
At that moment Toothless bounded into the room and warbled happily upon seeing the Nadder. She squawked in reply and soon the two of them were bobbing their heads at each other and cackling some strange dragon hello. While the two dragons were greeting each other Hiccup was glaring at her.
"You've seen Toothless. You've seen that dragons aren't all bad and you still can't accept it. You're just like the rest of them." He crossed his arms over his chest as he turned to watch the two dragons chattering with each other. He scoffed. "And here I thought maybe you had actually changed."
For some reason that struck something deep inside her and Astrid's hands closed into fists. She took a deep breath and approached him. She swallowed. "Then prove me wrong." Hiccup looked at her, one eyebrow rising. Astrid nodded at the Nadder. "Toothless is one thing. Show me it's not all dragons. Prove me wrong."
Hiccup's expression softened and his eyebrows rose. He blinked at her for a moment, looking somewhere between surprised and perhaps even impressed. "Okay," he said. His hand landed on her back and he pushed her forward gently, towards the two dragons. He whistled, and they both looked at him. He made a strange clicking noise and the Nadder stepped forwards. Astrid's footsteps faltered. But Hiccup's hand was warm between her shoulder blades and she took a deep breath.
She was Astrid Hofferson. She was the niece of Fearless Finn Hofferson. The daughter of Berk's longest-running Axe-Throwing Champion. She could be brave.
The Nadder was looking at her out of big yellow eyes, unfolding and refolding her wings. When Astrid got closer the dragon moved back, the spines on her head lowering. Astrid took a step back, but Hiccup pushed her closer, holding a hand out to the dragon at the same time. "Hey, it's fine, it's fine. You're both fine." The dragon came a little closer and nuzzled into Hiccup's hand. He pulled Astrid closer, his arm curling around her back. "Go on," he said, his mouth just a few inches from Astrid's ear. "Reach out."
She looked at him. There was a wonder and an excitement in his eyes. Astrid managed a nod, but as soon as she was looking at the dragon again she couldn't quite bring herself to move. Hiccup sighed through his nose and she felt the air against her neck and shivered. The arm around her back moved down and he took her free hand in his. He lifted her hand towards the dragon, who shifted uneasily on her feet. Hiccup squeezed her hand a little tighter. "She can sense you're nervous," he said, his voice soft in her ear. "Just relax. She won't hurt you."
Her fingers widened, her palm outstretched. The dragon looked at her hand for a moment, then closed its eyes and pressed it's snout into her hand. Astrid felt a smile stealing over her lips. Hiccup removed his hand and let Astrid stroke the dragon's horn. The dragon cooed and leaned into her touch.
"See?" Hiccup's voice was a low whisper right next to her ear. "I think she likes you." Astrid turned to look at him, beaming. He was watching her intently, a smile teasing at the corners of his parted lips. His eyes were alight with a fire Astrid had not seen before.
It occurred to her suddenly just how close together they were standing. Her shoulder was pressed into his chest and his hand had returned to rest on her back. And for some reason it didn't bother her. They stared at each other for a moment, and Astrid saw Hiccup's eyes flicker down to her lips, and just for a second thought he might kiss her, but then he was clearing his throat and stepping away.
"So," he said, as the dragon pushed past Astrid's hand to nuzzle her whole head against her. "You wanna try flying her?" Astrid laughed, both from the dragon nudging playfully against her and Hiccup's incredulous suggestion.
"Uh, I think I'll pass on that, thanks." She giggled and scratched under the Nadder's chin and behind her spikes while she tittered in appreciation.
"Probably for the best, there's a storm coming in." Astrid extracted herself from the dragon long enough to follow Hiccup to the opening of the cave. The sky was gray and there were huge black clouds rolling in from the west. The Nadder squeezed between the two of them and nuzzled them both before spreading her wings and taking off into the sky.
"Where's she going? She shouldn't be out flying in this weather, should she?"
Hiccup laughed. "I've seen her fly through bad storms before. She'll be fine. I think she actually likes it."
Astrid smiled, watching the brightly colored dragon winging her way off into the distance. "A storm flier, huh?"
Hiccup nodded. "Yeah." There was a grumble behind him and he turned to scratch at the ears of Toothless, who was nudging him in the back. "Oh, are you feeling left out, buddy? Huh?"
"What was she doing here?" Astrid asked, watching Hiccup scratch Toothless's ears.
Hiccup looked out at the distant speck. "She stops by every now and then. Comes by to check on me. She and Toothless get along." He shrugged. "Actually, this time of year she might be on her way to the nesting grounds."
Astrid cocked an eyebrow. "Nesting grounds?"
Hiccup nodded. "We're getting close to the dragon's mating season. Midwinter, they migrate south, lay their eggs, hatch and raise their young. Right around Snoggletog, usually. That's why it's so peaceful around the holidays. The dragons are off celebrating their own sort of holiday."
Astrid frowned. "Is it getting close to Snoggletog already?"
Hiccup mirrored her frown, thinking. "Yeah, a couple weeks away, I guess."
"Oh."
Astrid thought back, trying to think when it had been that she'd left Berk.
A month. A month?
Yes, a month.
…had it really been that long? Nearly that long, at least.
There was a rumble of thunder and Hiccup rose to his feet and pulled lightly at Toothless's saddle. "Come on bud," he said, "We need to pull the flap over the top of the kitchen before the rain starts."
Long after they left Astrid was still standing by the opening, staring out across the sea at the brave little speck flying through the storm.
She decided she liked that dragon.
She was fearless.
