Chapter 9

Somehow, I ended up in a bed. I groaned, wincing at the pain in my side.

"Ah! He's awake!" "Prince Horrendous!" "Oh I'm just so happy I could cry!" "Are you in pain?!"

I don't think I'd ever been happier to hear those voices. "Ah… Hello, girls." They all had huge (be they concerned) grins on their faces. Rushing up all at once, they began barraging me with the news that I was absolutely not to stand up. "What happened?" I asked them. Their faces turned sour in an instant. "Duke… well I suppose he's no longer a Duke now… but Duke Pitch slit you through the side with a knife!" "We were so worried!" "What if... you had…" At this point Juliara burst into tears. I fidgeted, unsure of what to do. "T-there, there now… I'm fine, see? Nothing more to worry about." I gave her an encouraging smile. Juliara wiped the tears from her face. "We are… very, very glad you're home again." She said, giving a small smile. I took a deep breath. That was right, I was home…

So why did I feel so anxious?

I was left in the bed from dawn 'til dusk. My side hurt. I was so bored. I didn't get to see my uncle's execution (not that I would've wanted to anyways, but it was just the fact that I wasn't allowed). Which reminded me, I had missed my own mother's funeral. I dragged a hand down my face, "And I can't even go to see her grave…" I lamented, sinking further into the mattress.

*Tap Tap*

*Tap Ta-Tap Tap*

I flipped over, hissing as I was reminded of the cut in my side. Outside my window, Jack peered through the glass doors. I waved him in, running a hand through my hair as I tried to smooth it down. Jack entered as silent as a mouse, crossing over the room like a shadow before coming to my side. I found arms wrapped tight around my shoulders. "J-Jack? Are you alright?" I asked, hugging him back. "I was so nervous… all day…" He said, nuzzling my neck. I rubbed my hand in a small circle around his back "I'm fine. I'm sorry you were worried... So how did it go?" I asked him, pulling back and looking into his eyes. Jack shrugged, "They were too preoccupied with Pitch to take much notice of me." He said, lifting himself up onto the side of the bed and leaning his back against the headboard. He softly stroked my hair as I asked, "So… was it…?" Jack nodded, "It was pretty brutal… I'm glad you didn't have to see that." He said, looking down into my eyes.

"…Jack?" I asked. He tilted his head to the side, "Hmm?"

"I… It doesn't feel quite right. Being back here, I mean. Is that how you've felt this whole time?" I asked, grabbing onto his hand. Jack seemed to pause for a moment. "It's not as bad as the first time I came here. There's still the longing, yes, but… I have something more important here now. And so, I don't want to leave as much if he's not coming with me." He said, bending down to put his forehead on mine. "I don't know what I'd have done if that blade…" Jack's hand squeezed tighter around mine, and he pressed a small kiss to my temple. "I'm so glad you weren't hurt too badly." He said. I blushed a deep red. "M-me too…" I told him, tangling our fingers together. He smiled before leaning in to kiss me gently on the lips. "Get some sleep for me, yes?" He instructed, giving my hand another small squeeze before slipping off the bed. "Goodnight, Jack." I said, curling back into the blankets. "Night, love."

When he was gone, I sank into a deep sleep, not quite as restless as before. Two more days passed, and finally I was allowed out of bed. I couldn't do much apart from walk to the dining room and back, therefore I had Jack ride Toothless so he wouldn't be too bored. After a week, the pain lessened more and more until I was back to normal. One day I was called to the throne room for no apparent reason. The things that went on in there almost never had anything to do with me. Confused, I silently entered the long chamber. My father was sitting upon the piece of furniture for which the room was named, his scepter and sword at his side. "Come here, Horrendous." He ordered, clearing his throat loudly. I did as instructed, walking the length of the room to stand in front of him.

"Yes, Father?" I asked, placing my hands behind my back. The king had on a conspiratorial grin, as if he was waiting to tell me the most perfect of jokes. "I'd like you to sit beside me. We have something important to discuss before-" He was interrupted by the signature knock of Earl Sand. "Enter!" My Father bellowed. Into the throne room poured many aristocrats and a few high nights.

The last one to enter the room was Jack.

I took a seat in the throne that used to belong to Mother, "Your Highness," The High Knight, Dour, began. "I present to you Jackson Overland Frost, liberator of the prince, and the man who single-handedly found and rescued him." He introduced Jack, pushing the white haired boy forward. "Ahem." My father stood up and waved a hand to signal Jack forward. "Come here, my boy, come." He told him. Jack walked forward with wide eyes. I assumed he knew just as little about was he was doing there as I did. "Jackson Frost. You have done the kingdom… and I… a great service, which must have come with its sacrifices." My father pulled his sword from its sheath. "In light of this, I have called you here to give you a reward for your valor and fortitude. Please, kneel." My eyes popped open. Jack got shakily to his knees, just as surprised as I was. "Jackson Overland Frost. Honesty, loyalty, and bravery. Do you swear to uphold these virtues of the Kingdom of Berk?"

Jack swallowed and looked up, "I do." My father gave a small smile, before placing the tip of his sword lightly to his right shoulder, then his left. "I dub thee honorary knight of Berk. Rise, Sir Frost." Jack straightened himself back up again as a soft applause echoed around the room. I clapped loudly (but not obnoxiously) with the largest grin on my face. After it had finally registered to Jack what had just happened, one of the most beautiful smiles broke out on his face. He looked at me where I sat and gave me a quick wink. I tried desperately not to blush. Dour pulled Jack back into the crowd as my father coughed to silence their applause.

"Now, there is one more thing I would like to announce. Horrendous, would you stand?" He asked me, turning around. I nodded slightly before moving up to his side. My father coughed some more, only this time it didn't sound as if it were meant to simply clear his throat. "I have some most excellent news. As you all know, within a week's time my son shall turn nineteen. There will be a ball to celebrate, and many of you have already expressed your need to extend your stay until then. This however, is not the good news. One of the last decisions the late queen (Gods rest her soul) and I made was an agreement involving our son. On the night of the ball, a special young woman from the kingdom of Kerk will be visiting. King Fergus and Queen Elinor have offered up their eldest daughter, Princess Merida, to be the wife of our own High Prince Horrendous III!"

My smile dropped like a rock into the floor, dragging my stomach along.

The applause around me was muffled and my vision blurred. "…What?" I breathed, before everything turned upside-down.

Hiccup collapsed in a heap on the floor. "Hic!" I reached out and took a step forward to help, but the Head Knight blocked my way. "Everyone stay back!" He cried, rushing over to Hiccup's side. He felt for a pulse as the King began his ritual of yelling at everything again. My fists shook at my side. No, no, NO! We had already executed the bastard! This couldn't be happening… he just got back… I hated standing there, being forced to wait as I wondered what had become of the boy I loved. Why was it taking him so damn long to find a heartbeat?! I knew that sound better than anyone else in the world. I would be able to find it without even trying. "Hiccup…" I took another step forward, but found my arm pulled back. I flipped my head around to see Aster's face. "Come with me." He said, his voice strained and his eyes tense.

He dragged me out of the room by the wrist until we reached a door outside into one of the gated gardens. "Nobody will be out here." He told me. I looked at him in awe. "How are you so calm?!" I almost yelled at him, tears stinging at the edges of my eyes. Aster narrowed his already dark eyes "What do you mean?" He asked. I ruffled an angry hand through my hair, "You know exactly what I mean! You're his father!" I said, immediately wishing I could retract the words. Asters body went slack as he collapsed backwards onto a bench. "You… How do ya know about that? How did Horrendous know?" He asked, his breathing uneven. I shook my head. "Hiccup doesn't know anything… as far as I know, anyway. I think I'm the only one… except for maybe one or two of the maids who have only guessed." I said, leaning against a shade tree.

Aster rubbed circles into his temples. "Alright… alright. How did you find out?" He asked, glaring up at me. I rolled my eyes. "You should learn not to spill your deep dark secrets without checking to make sure the garden you're in is empty." I said, pushing my side into the tree. Aster dragged his hands across his face, "You can't tell anyone." He told me, his eyes pleading. "Hiccup's world would flip upside down. He'd no longer be the Crown Prince. His mother… Val… would be disgraced. I'd be executed. The kingdom would have no heir. We'd be invaded and without someone to take over the throne…" Aster's face was sad and heavy. The burden he'd had to carry alone through all of the years visibly weighed him down. It was obvious he wanted to be Hiccup's father, but that could never be. I pushed myself away from the tree, sitting beside him on the bench. "I never would." I assured him, twirling my fingers around themselves. "You know…" I turned to him, leaning my elbows on my knees. "Hiccup sees you as his father, not the king." I told him, trying to cheer him up. "Aster… What if he's…?" Aster shook his head. "Don't."

I swallowed, and wiped hard at my eyes. I hid my face with my hands. What was I going to do if…?

"…Hi~~…"

"….Hic~~ C~~~~?"

…

Huh?

"Hiccup~~~Ca~~~ear~e?"

What…?

"Hiccup… Please… Can you hear me?"

My eyes fluttered open, leaving me with a blurred vision of my chamber. I was instantly wrapped in familiar arms. "Oh Gods, Hic… Pease tell me you're alright… Please…" Jack hugged me uncomfortably tight, but I reached an arm up around his middle and tried to pull myself up. He helped me into a sitting position, all the while never letting his grip lessen. I felt numb. A tear rolled down my cheek. "No…" I gripped at his robes, pressing my face into his shoulder. Jack wrapped his warm hand around the back of my head. "What are we going to do?" I asked, my voice cracking as sobs escaped my lips. Wedding? Since when had they been planning such a thing? I'd never even met the girl and- "Shhh…" Jack said, stroking my hair. "We don't have to think about that right now. Just… calm down…" Jack sat there and held me while I continued to wet the fabric on his shoulder. Eventually my sobs softened and we just sat there in each other's arms. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, it was more like the calm before the storm. I knew, but I didn't want to admit it.

Jack soon eased his hold around my waist and looked down at me with sad eyes. I didn't want those eyes. I wanted the eyes right after he'd tripped and fallen on me. I wanted the eyes when he'd fooled me in the forest. I wanted the eyes as we were pursued by two redheaded ruffians. That wasn't like him. That wasn't the boy I loved, and that made it harder. I put my hands on the sides of his face. "I only just got you back…" He said, leaning into one of my palms, holding it there with his own hand. "D-don't talk as if it's already over…" I stuttered, wincing at the words. Jack pulled my hands down from his face, cradling them in his own. "Hiccup… you're getting married…" He said, defeated. "But… That's… It's not my choice!" I argued, close to tears. Jack nodded. "I know, Hiccup… I know." He said, standing up at the side of the bed. "Jack?!" I threw the covers off of my legs, scrambling out from under them. Jack placed a small kiss to the top of my head.

"This is the last time you'll see me." He said, his face rigid and resolute.

I sat speechless for a moment as he turned away and walked towards the glass doors. By the time it finally registered to me what he had meant, he was already out on the balcony. I threw myself out of bed faster than ever before, sprinting across the floor and out onto the balcony where Jack prepared to climb down. I caught him across the middle. "No! Please… Please don't go…" I begged him. He didn't turn around. "I have to, Horrendous." He said, his voice shaking. I held him there for a moment, trying to think of anything to make him stay.

"…Hold me." I said, nuzzling my face into his back. "If it's the last time… then please..." I couldn't finish out the rest of the sentence, but it got him to turn around. He sighed, "H-Hiccup I-" "Shhh..." I interrupted him, grabbing one of the hands at his side and kissing him on the neck. "Please?" I whispered, my voice pleading. "Please please please…" I wrapped my arms tight around his neck. He gave a shaky breath, but finally enveloped me lightly his arms. "…Alright." He said, taking another deep breath. "Alright." He kissed along my cheek and up to my lips. The first few kisses were light, tender, and careful. It was as if he was still leaving himself room to run if he had any second thoughts. I grabbed onto his collar, trying desperately to deepen the kiss. Jack shifted, like he'd been startled by the advance. He must've accepted it, however, because our lips soon started to move together like they had in the inn. Releasing a large unsteady breath, he pulled away and looked at my eyes for a moment.

His thumb brushed across my cheek as he pressed his forehead to mine. "…You're making me want to stay." He said, the same sadness in his eyes. I caught his hand, holding it with mine. "Then stay." I told him. My reflection was caught in his eyes for another moment before he closed them.

"No." He said, pulling his hand away. "…No." My breath caught, "J-Jack…" I tried to reach for him, but he only pushed my hand away. "I love you, Hiccup. But..." Jack leaned on the edge of the banister. "If we go any further, things will only get harder." He said, and even though it killed me to think so, he was right. "J-just promise me one thing." I said, in a last effort. Jack turned to me, "Anything."

I clung onto the material of my nightshirt, "Then, promise me you'll stay until my birthday… just until my birthday and then… please." I tried to hold back my tears as his jaw set into a tight line. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. "…Why? It's only going to make it more difficult, Horrendous…" He said. I shook my head. "We've barely had any time to think this through, Jack. Perhaps… perhaps there's something to be done after all and we just haven't thought of it yet." I tried to convince him, taking two tentative steps towards him. Jack sighed. "…Fine, until your birthday, but after that…" He turned away, "After that, you have to let me go." Before I had to time to say anything else, he flipped himself over the banister, climbing the wall to the garden down below.

I felt as if the floor beneath me were a ghost. I couldn't feel it as I stumbled back towards my bed. I sat in the same position for what felt like eternities on end trying to think through my situation. Without my noticing it, Isanna had entered the room. She walked in and told me breakfast was ready. I dressed and combed myself into what I believed a person must look like. Downstairs, my father was already eating. The girls looked to be in no better disposition than myself, their cheeks lacking their usual rosy glow and their smiles nowhere to be seen. I didn't take my seat. I waited for him to notice my presence before speaking. "Father, I do not wish to be married." Everyone's breath stilled as I stood, waiting for a reaction. The king finally tilted his head a bit to the right. "You what?" He asked, his eyes narrowing. I gulped, "…I have no desire to marry this princess you've found."

My father slowly stood up from the table, "…And what, exactly, makes you think you have a choice in the matter?" He growled, watching me as my hands curled into fists at my side. "I should be able to at least choose my own… bride." I said, immediately wishing for a change of words. My father straightened his back, wiped his mouth, and pushed in his chair. "You're exactly lie your mother." He said, yet not a hint of affection was tied to the sentence. "I didn't want to marry her either, you know." My eyes widened in surprise. Stoick walked slowly, menacingly towards me. "The reason I took your mother's hand was solely to produce an heir… and even at that she failed me. She gave me this instead." He gestured at me with something close to disgust in his eyes. All of the assistants took a step back in fear. The words fell hot on my ears. I pulled my lips into a tight line. "She didn't deserve someone like you." I spat out, the words cutting like a knife through the small room.

It felt as if the air were breaking when my father took a brisk, powerful step in my direction. I felt his large palm collide with my chest, forcing the air out of my lungs as I fell to the ground. I attempted to scramble up, but his foot reversed my action, pinning me down. Looking to my left, I noticed for the first time a head of white hair clothed in armor next to the head knight. My father looked upon me from above. "You're right." He said, pushing down so that I couldn't breathe. "She deserved that bastard of a gardener which produced the likes of you."

His foot left my chest. Coughing, my mind was awash with confusion. I rolled myself back up into a kneeling position as the king turned away from me. "The kingdom will fall under your reign…" He said, walking out of the room without another glance in my direction. No one said a word as I sat idle for a moment, taking it all in. I stood up, brushed myself off, and turned away from the assistants. "…Girls..." I breathed. They stood up a little taller, "Yes?" They replied in unison. "Don't bother fetching me for lunch today." I told them, turning on my heel and exiting the room through a door that led to the ballroom. My steps echoed off the cold marble as I made my escape through the door to the lily garden.

Aster turned around a few minutes after my silent arrival. "Hiccup? What's wrong?" he asked, concern blanketing his features. I set my head high. "Aster…" I began. My eyebrows pushed together, "You've been hiding something from me." It was not so much a statement as it was a question. Aster's face blanched, "What…?" He asked, trying to feign nonchalance. I took a few steps forward as I readied myself and took a deep breath.

"You're my father… aren't you?"

Ok don't kill me just yet for the month-long late update. Computers hate me, alright?

Good to be back, though, even if it's only to crush your feels.