A Dragon Rider's Heart
Chapter 4
A/N: Here's chappy four! Longer note at the end. Read on!
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Astrid felt like she was in Valhalla already as she and Heather kissed one more time, before the ebony rider lifted her head and smiled down at her. Her heart was so full it felt it might break. Heather finally released her hands and Astrid immediately reached for her, cupping Heather's cheek and brushing a strand of hair from her face while the other went to play with the soft hair on the back of Heather's neck. Heather leaned into her touch for a moment and Astrid pulled her back down. Their lips brushed once more, before Heather pulled away suddenly.
"What's wrong?"
Heather blushed. "As much as I want to lie here and do this all night… I'm getting hungry and I didn't want to pull a you."
Astrid chuckled, glad it wasn't anything serious. "Then let's get you fed. I'm hungry too. We've been filling up on mostly mead the last two days."
Heather laughed as she crawled off of the bed and reached out a hand to pull Astrid to her feet. "Yeah, I think I'll stick to tea today."
"Same. I think my body will rebel if I drink anymore." She said lightly, patting her tummy.
The girls headed up the stairs and into the storage area. "So. What are you feeling like today? We have eggs and sausages if you want breakfast. There's some bread here that isn't too hard and we have some cheese and things for sandwiches. Or we could go big and have a roast. It's up to you." She said, lifting the insulating drape that separated the colder part of the storage area and showing off the wares there.
Heather contemplated for a moment. "How about the sandwiches for now and we can put a roast on later if we feel like it? I kind've want something quick and simple."
Astrid smiled. "I like the way you think, my dear. Would chicken work?" She asked, smirking as she thought about their history with chicken.
Heather caught her look and giggled. "Sure."
They quickly gathered the ingredients and made a few thick sandwiches each, using some thin slices of cheese and meat. Heather quickly heated some water for tea and they settled down to eat.
"Much better." Heather sighed happily.
Astrid grinned at her. "I think I may be rubbing off on you."
Heather grinned wickedly and opened her mouth to comment, when they heard a plasma blast from outside. They both jumped up and Astrid scrambled to get her spyglass. Her heart was in her throat as she and Heather dashed up the stairs to the tower window. She tore open the shutter and looked through the spyglass.
It was almost night and the rain, ice and wind were still swirling madly, but she could make out the tower. As she watched, the green flag dropped and the yellow flag took its place. Trouble, nothing serious if it was the yellow flag, but still. She nearly cried out, before a purple flag joined it. Strangers. Toothless blasted again, but no new flags went up.
"Something's up at the compound. Strangers. They must have been caught out in the storm. He didn't fly the red or orange so I don't think there's danger and no one but our team knows the flags so Hiccup, at least, is ok."
"What about the dragons?" Heather asked worriedly.
"No teal, so they must be ok. It has to be something serious though, or he wouldn't have signaled."
"If they were sailing in this storm, it's likely they wrecked onto the beach. If they were out, they've probably been sailing since before it started and have been in it since. They're probably not in very good shape."
As she spoke, Toothless blasted again and Astrid looked to see the yellow flag drop and the blue flag take its place. The purple stayed up.
"You're right." She sighed, turning back to Heather. "He just signaled injuries, but left up the stranger flag, so it must be them." She growled in frustration. "I hate not being able to help." Then she sighed. "We need to signal back that we heard."
"Need me to come up with you?"
Astrid shook her head. "No use in both of us getting drenched. Would you hang on to this for me?" She asked, handing her the spyglass. Heather took it and nodded, staying by the window.
Astrid climbed up the last few stairs and opened the trap door much more carefully than she had before. As soon as it opened she dashed out into the freezing rain and sleet. She slipped on an icy patch of stone and she barely managed to grab on to one of the flagpole's supports to save herself from a nasty fall. Shivering, she carefully made her way to the anchored flag cords and released one. The pink flag shot up, taking its place slightly under the green flag and she quickly made her way back into the safety of the tower and struggled to shut the trap door. Heather wasn't on the stairs as she made her way back down and she found out why as her friend met her with a towel and a blanket.
"Come on! Out of those before you catch your death." She commanded, reaching for the tie of Astrid's pants.
Too cold to be embarrassed, she let Heather help her undress and dry off, before wrapping herself in the blanket. Heather pushed her into a padded chair near the fire, pushing her so close, Astrid feared the blanket would singe, before fixing her another cup of tea, before going back towards the kitchen area. Astrid chuckled at her doting.
"I was only out there for a minute. We were out there longer the first day we were here."
Heather scoffed from where she was tidying up their mess. "It wasn't nearly as cold then. And besides, you were out there long enough to get soaked. That's more than long enough to get sick."
"Ok, ok." Astrid held up her free hand in a placating gesture. She took a sip of her tea and set it on the tiny table beside her. "Happy?"
Heather grinned in a predatory way and Astrid gulped at the intense look in her eyes. She suddenly felt very much like running, thought she wasn't sure why as Heather slowly stalked closer, hips swaying, shoulders back. Astrid felt her mouth go dry as Heather finally reached her and slowly climbed onto the chair, straddling the flustered blonde and wrapping her arms around her neck. She leaned forward slowly and Astrid was suddenly acutely aware of her nakedness beneath the blanket.
"Now I am." Heather whispered, just a second before their lips touched.
The kiss was soft and tender and Astrid's tension melted away as their lips moved together, parting as the kiss grew stronger. Astrid brought her arms up, forgetting to cover herself as she wrapped her arms around Heather and pulled her closer. As the moments passed, the once soft kiss grew more passionate and they clung tightly to each other as their lips parted and their tongue met. Astrid tilted her head and opened her mouth wider to coax Heather's lips further apart and then her tongue darted inside to take a deeper taste of her best friend. Heather let her explore, before pushing back and it became a fight for control of the kiss. Neither gave in, until lack of air forced them apart. Both were breathing heavily and they smiled softly at each other. Astrid kissed her nose lightly and Heather giggled softly, bumping their foreheads together.
After a moment, Heather smirked. "So. Feeling all warmed up now, love?"
Astrid blushed but couldn't help but to chuckle. "Toasty."
Then she swallowed as Heather's eyes grew darker and the ebony haired rider licked her lips. Astrid suddenly realized Heather was looking a bit further down than her face and glanced down to see that the blanket had fallen to her waist. She shivered at the hungry look on her best friend's face, and it seemed to snap the other rider out of her haze.
Heather blinked suddenly, looking away with a fierce blush. "You should… um… probably put on some clothes."
Astrid smirked at the sudden change in demeanor. This was the first time she'd seen Heather truly flustered in a long time and she found she rather enjoyed it. "Oh? But why?"
Heather's blush grew stronger. "I … um… well-"
"What's wrong, babe? Terrible Terror got your tongue?" She teased.
Heather looked back at her and the look on her face sent a chill up Astrid's spine and she felt herself blush. She didn't have time to think before Heather's lips were on hers and her gasp opened the way for the other girl's tongue. She mewled into ebony rider's mouth as Heather plundered her mouth, giving no quarter. The blonde couldn't fight the intensity of the kiss and honestly didn't want to, submitting like she never had before. When the other rider pulled away, Astrid could only sit there and pant, her mouth open in a little 'o' of surprise and her eyes wide. Her body felt hot and her skin ran in goosebumps as Heather looked her over hungrily.
Heather smirked. "What's wrong, babe?" She asked in a triumphant manner. Astrid's blush intensified and she struggled to find a response. "I thought so. Now, put on some clothes before I ravish you silly." Heather nearly growled as she moved to stand.
Astrid covered herself, trying to remember why that would be a bad thing. She meekly put on her underwear as Heather handed it to her and her blush seemed permanent. When Heather didn't hand her any more of her clothes, she finally looked at the other girl and froze when she realized Heather was stripping down into her own underwear.
Heather noticed her look and shrugged. "I just kind've want to hold you like this for a little while." She looked away to toss her clothes in the small basket they'd been throwing their dirty clothes in, blushing. "I mean, if that's ok?" She grinned sheepishly as she looked back.
In answer, Astrid took the few steps to her and took the other rider into her arms. Heather sighed happily and Astrid smiled as she snuggled closer, wrapping her arms around the blonde rider's waist. It was just as nice as she remembered, holding her best friend close with so little on. Not as nice as holding her in bed, but a different nice. It reminded her of the times they'd gone swimming during Heather's infrequent visits, or when they met up on a scouting mission and had time to spare.
"We should definitely go swimming again on the trip."
"Definitely." The ebony rider murmured. "I'll get to ogle you when you're all wet and not have to try and hide how attracted I am to you."
Astrid chuckled. "I only wish I'd figured all this out sooner. When I think of all the time we could have had together like this…" She paused to kiss Heather's neck.
Heather responded by turning her head and giving the blonde a soft kiss. "It just makes the time we get in the future more special."
Astrid smiled brightly at her. "That's a nice way to think about it." Then she pulled away. "Come on. Let's light a fire downstairs and lie in bed and hold each other for a little while."
"Let's."
A few minutes and a fire later found them back in bed and in each other's arms. "So." Astrid started as she braided with Heather's dark hair. "What are we going to do? About us, I mean." She rushed to add, suddenly feeling flustered. "I mean. Are we… dating now? Or…?"
Heather laughed. "Don't get so tied up in it, Astrid. But … I wouldn't mind being able to tell everyone I've got a hot girlfriend stashed away on a remote island somewhere." She quipped with a cocky grin over her shoulder.
Astrid flooded with relief and grinned to hide it. "Girlfriend, huh? I rather like the sound of that, my dear." Then she frowned. "What do we tell the others? I mean Hiccup and the rest."
Heather was quiet for a moment. "I'd like to tell Hiccup, but I'd actually like to keep it kind of secret from the others for a little while, if that's ok? I mean, Hiccup is your best friend besides me and I trust him more than anyone but you. He'll keep it a secret if we ask."
"He will. He's good like that. I'm actually kind of glad we aren't telling the others. Especially with strangers on the island." She added, suddenly remembering them. She shook off thoughts about them. It would only drive her crazy to speculate. "I mean, Fishlegs would keep it a secret too, but I wouldn't trust the twins as far as I could throw Barf and Belch and Snotlout…" She trailed off with a shudder. "Well, until he finds a boyfriend I don't want to put any ideas in his head."
"Eeeeeew! Astrid!" Heather wined, pulling away to look at her in disgust. "That is so not anything I wanted to think about!"
Astrid laughed. "Well I thought it so I had to share my mental trauma with you. Sharing is caring!" She chimed with an exaggerated smile.
"Harpy." Heather snapped playfully as she snatched up a pillow and smacked the surprised blonde upside the head.
Astrid gasped. "You did not just hit me."
Heather stuck out her tongue and nearly bit it off by accident as Astrid retaliated with her own pillow. Heather glared at her and Astrid sent her a cocky grin. "Oh, it is on!"
They started smacking each other with the pillows in earnest, both of them getting some pretty good hits, until, with a loud ripping noise, Astrid's pillow burst open in a rain of feathers. She looked at the now empty piece of cloth in her hand and both of them burst out laughing, rolling around in their mirth. They finally calmed down enough to look at each other and both of them looked so ridiculous with feathers sticking to their skin and out of their hair that both of them started laughing again.
"Oh my god, what a mess!" Heather commented when they finally calmed down enough to assess the damage.
"This is going to take forever to clean up." Astrid agreed, reaching over to start pulling feathers out of Heather's hair. Heather returned the gesture and soon they were both feather free. Astrid started to put the loose feathers back in the pillow, but Heather stopped her.
"Leave them for now. Let's just use another bed and pick them up in the morning. That wore me out."
Astrid was tired herself so she let her girlfriend pull her to one of the other, smaller beds. Her girlfriend. It was the first time she'd actually used the word in her head. She smiled and couldn't resist pulling Heather into a kiss, before climbing onto the bed and under the covers.
Heather blinked and joined her. "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that about?"
Astrid smiled. "I just realized I could call you my girlfriend and couldn't resist."
Heather smiled back and climbed on top of the blonde. "Yes. I'm your girlfriend and you're mine." She leaned down and kissed her soundly. "And now I can kiss you anytime I want."
Astrid reached up and grasped the back of Heather's head, pulling her down into another kiss. "Yes you can."
Heather let herself fall on top of her and laid there for a moment, before shifting to the side and pillowing her head on Astrid's shoulder. Astrid pulled her close and Heather snuggled into her usual sleeping position when they were together. Astrid linked their fingers together as Heather snaked an arm around her waist and both of them sighed contentedly.
Astrid felt happier than she had in a long time. Her heart was full to bursting with love for Heather. As soon as the weather cleared enough for her to see her dragon, life would be perfect. After she'd done her duty to her team and their island and home on Berk and took care of the mysterious strangers, she'd be going on a trip with her girlfriend and their dragons. The sky was the limit and she couldn't be happier.
She kissed the top of Heather's head softly. "I love you."
Heather looked up at her and smiled sleepily. "I love you, too. I'm so glad I can say that as more than a friend now."
Astrid leaned down and kissed her softly. "Me too."
They kissed once more and Heather snuggled back into her shoulder. Astrid squeezed her tight. Yes, her life was great right now. She drifted to sleep with a smile on her face.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Just wanted to say I'm going to a convention out of town this weekend and the next few days are going to be kind of hectic as I finish my costume, (Gender-bent Nicolas from Gangsta! If you haven't seen it, I'd suggest it even if it isn't finished!) and get the house in order before the trip. I will try to get the next chapter edited and posted before I leave, but if I don't manage to find the time, it will be up no later than Monday night. Just stick with me, we've got a long way to go! Ja ne! :D