A/N – Here we are again. Thanks for the support on this story! I know it's been a while between updates, but now that the summer is here I should have more time to write.
Enjoy!
X
Chapter 8
Astrid met Hiccup in the tower that evening. He handed her the practice sword, and they parried through the evening's fading hours. Hiccup had stopped playing it easy with her, and she found her reactions quicker, surer, and neither of them landed a blow on the other.
She told him about the visitors from the Shivering Shores while they caught their breath. She spoke the way she did around Hiccup – openly. He wouldn't reprimand her, like her mother would, for such thoughts of visiting royalty, nor would he look down on her for un-queen-like thoughts, like her father.
Hiccup kept his thoughts to himself as she spoke.
"I'm just not sure what to think about Eret," Astrid said, staring out through the thin window. Lanterns and candles dotted the kingdom below. She shifted the dull blade in her hand as she spoke. The training had taken her mind off the Duke for a while, but her mind kept returning.
Hiccup shuffled his feet and studied his blade. His green eyes wore an expression that Astrid couldn't break. He often wore that look, enigmatic and fascinating, and she wanted to know his thoughts. According to his face, he thought of something brilliant and intelligent, and she desperately wanted to know what it was.
"I know my parents are thinking about marriage for me," Astrid said. "I'd rather them not. I can take care of myself. Eret seems nice enough, but there is something about him that I don't trust completely. I'm not sure where he stands or where his moral compass points."
"A marriage isn't for certain," Hiccup said. "It might not happen."
"That is true," Astrid said. "Although, if marriage wasn't on the table, my state of being unmarried wouldn't have been mentioned, at least not in front of everyone. I suppose I understand. My father worries about my future. He worries about the kingdom. If I married, my husband's family could then try to steal power from the throne, or dethrone me and insert their will onto the land."
"Like your Great, Great Grandfather Edmond," Hiccup said.
"Yes," Astrid said, nodding. He knew that? Of course, the squires would have been given history lessons, too. "His first wife tried to assassinate him so that she and her brother could rule."
"But he caught her, and had her beheaded," Hiccup said.
"Exactly," Astrid said, pointing her sword's tip at him. "I could always have Eret beheaded, but then that would no doubt bring an uproar from the Shivering Shoes, whether he deserved it or not. Therein lies the other problem. Whomever I marry would have claim to the throne, and the people supporting my husband would have power against me should something happen between the king and I."
"Do you think Duke Eret plans unseat you?"
"I'm not sure," Astrid said. "Our families have married before. We've a strong alliance with the Shivering Shores. It wouldn't make much sense from a historical standpoint to try to seize power. However, at the same time he isn't of Berk. He might not hold Berk's interests as close as his own home."
"If he marries you, Berk will be his home," Hiccup said, a slight deflation in his voice.
"To an extent," Astrid said. If she hadn't been the first born, she might have married elsewhere, become a Queen or Princess of another land, but Berk would always remain her home. Astrid milled about the tower's room, fingering the dull edge of the blade. "I often wish that I hadn't been born into this position. There are so many things that I can't avoid or choose out of selfishness, like marriage. It's not really my choice, is it? I'm thinking about other people when I choose a husband, the people, not myself."
To this, Hiccup didn't speak.
Astrid turned to him, and asked, "What do you think of the Duke, Hiccup?"
Hiccup's unreadable gaze shifted to meet hers. He shrugged. "I don't rightly have a strong feeling for him. I haven't spoken to him personally. You've more experience with the Duke than I."
"Knights are trained for first impressions," Astrid said, the words his from another session. "What is your first impression of Duke Eret?"
Hiccup searched the dull blade for something unseen, his green eyes thinking, not telling. After a long moment, he said, "He seems like a gentleman."
She noticed the slight tense in his voice, like he had more to say. She took a step closer, and asked, "Anything else?"
Hiccup continued to search the blade. "He walks proud. He seems to value his status."
"I agree," Astrid said, nodding. "I suppose I do as well, most of the time."
"But you're different," Hiccup said. He wore a pleading expression she'd not seen before.
"How so?" she asked, barely a whisper in the quiet tower.
"You know your role," Hiccup said. "You know that you will become Queen one day, and you take this with responsibility. You're not gloating or boasting about it. It is an honor for you, a burden that you take because you know that you can handle it. You are aware that your actions will affect thousands of people. You're…Queen material."
"You think so?"
He nodded. "Yes, I do."
"Thank you," she said, unsure of what else to say. He'd not spoken so favorably of her before, at least not aloud and in her presence.
She felt her face redden. Hiccup had gone a bright shade, too.
She lurched forward in good humor, striking Hiccup's sword, and he jumped back. His surprise did not last not, for he jumped at her, and they were at war again, clinking and clanking back and forth, until they were both breathless. At last, Astrid swatted his shoulder.
"That blow would have taken off your head," Astrid said proudly.
"Or at least maimed me for life," he said. He tried to smile, but it faltered into a straight line.
"Hiccup? Are you alright?" Astrid asked. Had she hit him that hard?
"Yes, I'm tired from the day," he said. "It's getting late. We should head back."
"Of course," Astrid said, although they'd stayed up later before.
She handed him her sword, and he shut them into the servant's passage. That way, he didn't need to carry them back and forth from the squire's training hall to the tower. Stoick had found two extra swords for them so that two would not be missed on the rack. The servants rarely used this passage, so Astrid deemed them safe.
With the swords safety tucked away, Hiccup held the door to the passage open for Astrid. She stepped through first with a curt thank you, as due him. They walked together back to Astrid's room, with only the candle to part the silence.
They arrived in the corridor outside Astrid's bedchamber, and she hesitated to enter. She wanted to kiss him again, but he wore such a sullen expression she didn't feel the timing right.
"Are you certain you're alright, Hiccup?" Astrid asked softly. She set a hand against his chest.
"Yes, Princess," Hiccup said.
"Princess?" Astrid repeated. She liked the sound of her real name on his lips better.
Hiccup stepped back and took her hand from his chest. He held it in his hand, and brought her hand up to his lips as he gave a curt bow.
She had kissed him on the lips, why did he not kiss her? A kiss on the hand felt so impersonal after such personal kissing.
"You are sure you're alright?"
"Yes," he said, eyes elsewhere.
"Squire Haddock," Astrid said, straightening her shoulders. "You're lying to me. I demand that you speak the truth."
Hiccup sighed, and released her hand. "I am alright, my lady. Duke Eret doesn't seem like a bad man. If he was, the Knight Commander would have been talking about him, but he hadn't mentioned him once."
Oh. Of course, she'd spoken about Eret most of the evening, and her supposed marriage to him, all in front of a man she had kissed.
"It's about Eret?"
Hiccup's frown deepened and he looked away from her.
Astrid said lowly, "He's nothing like you."
"Of course, he's not," Hiccup whispered. "He's royal, big, strong, and everything a man should be. Trust me, my father's spent years listing manly qualities to me."
What should a young woman do? Astrid had been trained on diplomacy, history, and arithmetic, but she'd never been taught what to do in the face of two men, both of which seemed to teeter into her life as more than friends.
"Hiccup," Astrid started to say, to explain herself, but footsteps sounded in the hallway. Before the two of them could part ways and avoid the walker, Duke Eret came into the corridor.
"Ah, there you are, Astrid," Eret said loudly. His voice echoed down the corridor. "I've been looking for you. This castle gets bigger in the dark."
"You shouldn't wander alone," Astrid said. "You might get lost."
"Then next time you'll accompany me," Eret said, gesturing toward her with this thick arm. Eret turned to Hiccup, who looked as though he'd been caught sneaking cookies from the kitchen. "Thank you, Squire, for bringing her majesty safety to her chambers."
Hiccup shrugged, and said, "I couldn't let her walk alone with all those robbers and trolls and gnomes that come out at night."
Eret frowned, brow furled, but Astrid let out a girlish giggle. She laughed at Hiccup's remark, but she laughed at Eret's confused face. She caught Hiccup's eye, and smiled at him. He gave a weak smile in return.
"Well, if you two will excuse me for the night, I must retire," Astrid said, and bid them both a farewell nod.
She opened and closed her bedchamber door, and pressed her ear to the seam.
"What are you doing, Squire?" Eret asked in a tone that was not unfriendly, but curious.
"I walked the Princess to her room, as you suspected," Hiccup answered.
"From where?"
Astrid held her breath; they hadn't prepared a lie in case they were found.
"I ran an errand for the Knight Commander, and I saw her walking alone from the library, I accompanied her," Hiccup said without pause.
"Such the gentlemen," Eret said.
The two men began to walk away from her door.
"I hear that's a necessity for the best knights," Hiccup said.
Eret laughed, and said, "I suppose it is. Well, I know the way back to my chambers. Goodnight, Squire."
"And to you, Duke," Hiccup said.
Astrid changed, washed her hands and face, and crawled into her bed.
X
After breakfast and a short lesson on inter-kingdom manners, Astrid joined her family and their guests from the Shivering Shores at a show arranged by the knights and squires. The squires dressed in full armor. They carried shields and swords, although they were not as sharp as real swords.
The event had all the looks of a tournament, without any of the risk of bloodshed or death. Astrid sat beside Eret, but not of her choice. Her father had chosen her seat.
The match began with the armored squires marching onto the courtyard. They marched mostly in unison; a few were off. Astrid had seen the Order march in parades. They marched in perfect rhythm with each other.
"You know the Berkian Knights are legend," Eret said, mostly to Astrid, but he spoke loud enough that everyone in the royal box could hear him. "Every knows about Knight Commander Haddock. He's a fierce force."
"That he is," King Arvid agreed. "The best Knight Commander we've had in hundreds of years."
The squires stood at attention in two lines, facing each other, and upon Knight Commander Haddock's command, positioned their shields. Upon his second command, they drew their swords.
"Their timing is a bit off," Queen Lenora said.
"Typical for the squires," King Arvid said. "It takes months of practice with the knights to be in step with the rest."
The squires ended the opening ceremony, and the combat began. With the full armor, the rounds lasted longer.
"I can't tell them apart," Eret said, complaint on his tongue.
"The purpose of the armor is to protect their faces," Astrid told him. "Not so you can see their eyes."
Eret laughed, and said, "Thinking about eyes? I must admit, Squire Haddock does have a lovely set of green eyes."
Queen Lenora made the slightest of noises. "I didn't think men noticed such things, Duke Eret."
"I normally don't," Eret said. "But we shared a few words last night, and I happened to notice."
"You visited the squires?" King Arvid asked.
Astrid's entire body froze. She turned to Eret, and time seemed to slow. Eret turned toward her father, and she grabbed onto his arm to silence him, but he'd already opened his mouth to speak.
"I met him in the corridor outside your daughter's bedchamber," Eret said casually.
The air in the box stiffened.
Eret continued in the same casual manner, "It seems he couldn't let a lady walk from the library to her bedchamber in fear of trolls."
No one laughed.
Astrid focused on the wood of the box. She felt her parents' eyes shift to her. she couldn't breathe.
"You were in the library last night, Astrid?" King Arvid asked.
She knew that tone. It didn't matter if she lied or not. He knew the answer. She nodded, and without looking at him, she said, "Yes. Squire Haddock walked me back to my room."
"Strange thing, considering the squires spend their free evenings on the other side of the castle. I don't recall seeing you or Squire Haddock near the library."
Astrid's bones turned to ice. Eret shifted his gaze to her, seemingly aware that he had stirred that which did not need to be touched. He looked at her apologetically, but his feelings felt false. He was not in trouble, after all, or being scolded in front of guests.
"Nothing immoral happened between us," Astrid said, knowing that it would suggest that something had. "Squire Haddock is a knight if I've met one."
King Arvid's fury stayed behind his eyes. The first match in the courtyard had ended, and the crowd cheered. King Arvid clapped his hands twice, then settled them on either side of his chair. Without looking, he said to Astrid, "Young lady, apparently, these squires are causing you too much distraction. You're to be escorted back to you chambers until the match is over."
"Father," Astrid tried to argue.
"I will not hear another word about this," King Arvid said, calmly as he could while seething each word with venom.
Astrid felt tears sting the corners of her eyes.
"Please, let me walk with you," Eret said. He started to stand, but Astrid held up her hand.
"I'd rather go alone," Astrid said, and Eret plopped back down into his seat.
Astrid forced herself to leave the royal box with as much grace as she could, but once past the view of anyone, she ducked into an empty lounge. She pressed her palms to her eyes to keep the tears at bay, but it didn't work. They ran down her cheeks.
Her father knew. Or he suspected. He'd find out.
She wouldn't let them hurt Hiccup. He'd done nothing. She would protect him in any way she could, even if she had to hide him in her closet.
After the tears ended, she wiped her eyes and started toward her room for a wash. She made it halfway there when she reconsidered.
No. She would not give in. She would not be pushed around. She turned around, and started back toward the courtyard.