Ruffnut's Wish Chapter 6
It was Laugardagr (we would call it Saturday), and Hiccup was confused. Heather was pursuing him as eagerly as she was pursuing a trade agreement for her home village, and she wasn't being a bit shy about either one. He had no feelings for her at all, but he couldn't deny that she had many attributes of a good wife, especially the no-hitting part. Ruffnut's wish was preying on his mind as well. Could Heather be the one?
He took a long ride on Toothless, and used the time to think it over. He didn't find any answers in the clouds for his problems, but he was a lot less stressed about them... until the moment he landed again, and found the problems still waiting for him.
He needed to talk to Astrid about this, even though he had a feeling she didn't want to talk about it. He found her sitting alone in the Mead Hall, poking at her lunch.
"What do you want me to say?" she said miserably, refusing to make eye contact. "If she's the perfect girl for you, then go after her. I can't compete with perfection."
"Since when did you give up competing at all?" he demanded. "Who are you, and what have you done with the Astrid I know?"
"Hiccup, I can't fight Ruffnut's wish! My axe won't do me any good against it."
"Astrid, do you remember what a fool I made of myself the first time Heather came to this island?"
That got her attention. "I still don't understand why you listened to a stranger and not to me."
"Well, I'm listening to you now," he said. "Give me a good reason why she's bad for me. I want you to talk me out of following where she's leading."
"Fine," she said. "Don't go after her. How's that?"
"It's kind of tame, coming from you," he observed. "I was expecting something more along the lines of 'Don't go after her or I'll beat you senseless'."
"Somehow, I don't think getting violent is going to help me in this situation," she sighed.
"You've got to do something!" he exclaimed. "Don't make me fight this battle alone! She's right about how chief's sons usually get married off to girls from other tribes. I've heard that she told my dad he needs to match me up with her as a condition for the trade agreement!"
"I wouldn't put that past her," Astrid nodded glumly. "She has a history of being manipulative and ruthless when she wants something."
Hiccup was about to answer when Heather stuck her head into the Mead Hall doorway. "Oh, Hiccup, dearest! Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Dearest?" Astrid grimaced.
"It's not my idea, believe me," he scowled. "This won't take long, I promise."
"It doesn't really matter," she sighed. "I can fight dragons, I can fight Viking warriors, but I can't fight a chicken's breastbone."
Hiccup joined Heather outside. He was surprised to find his father waiting there as well.
"Let's all go for a little walk, son," his father said. Under the circumstances, Hiccup would rather be flogged with eels, but he couldn't say 'no' to his dad.
"I've been negotiating with Heather on several subjects," he began. "It looks like Fedje will make a good trading partner for us."
"That's good news," Hiccup said.
"It also looks like Heather would make a good partner for you, don't you think?"
"I... uhh... I don't know, Dad. I mean, she's pretty and she's nice, but... I don't know her that well."
"You could get to know her after the wedding, like most Vikings do," his father said. "I won't force you against your will, but what do you think?"
"Well..." Hiccup tried to think of some way to stall for time. "What do her parents think of this?"
"They don't know, of course. I thought I'd send you back to Fedje with Heather. She's leaving this afternoon. You can spend the time at sea getting to know each other, you can serve as my envoy to sign the trade agreement with Fedje, and you can sound out her parents about the match. Of course, I've never heard of any parents who would refuse a future chief, but you never know." Heather smiled as though she'd already triumphed.
"Well, Dad, if you really think I should, then I guess I have to pack my bags," he said, with absolutely zero enthusiasm.
"Pack for a week," she suggested. "That's how long it takes to get from here to there."
"I'm used to getting anywhere in a couple of hours on Toothless. A week is a long time to be cooped up on a ship," he sighed.
"The time might fly by if we're together," she grinned.
"I suppose it... wait a minute! You said it takes a week to get from Fedje to here?"
"Yes, unless the winds are just right, which almost never happens," she said, puzzled at his sudden enthusiasm.
"Heather, I'm sorry, but you're sailing home without me," he burst out. "Dad... no match. She's not the one." He turned and ran back to the Mead Hall, screaming, "ASTRI-I-I-ID!" at the top of his lungs.
He expected her to still be at the back of the Hall. When she suddenly stepped into the doorway, he plowed right into her, sending both of them to the floor in a tangled heap.
Anitra, sitting at a nearby table, nearly jumped up. "Are they okay?" she asked Fishlegs.
"They're fine, probably," nodded Snotlout. He couldn't actually see them because Misti was sitting in his lap, and her hair was blocking his view. "He's her boyfriend."
"You never greeted me that way!" Ferncookie complained to Tuffnut.
Tuff rose from his bench with a grin. "Go stand in the doorway, and brace yourself."
At the next table, Ruffnut turned to Flinrider. "Take notes. I want to be next!"
Hiccup was the first to regain his senses. "Astrid, go ahead and hit me. You'll feel better, and I have it coming, because I'm the biggest idiot who ever lived."
"Aside from the fact that it's no fun hitting you if you want it, what in the world are you talking about?" she wondered.
"It takes a week to sail from Heather's village to here," he explained.
"Thank you for the geography lesson," she snapped. "Now start talking sense!"
"Astrid, don't you get it?" He helped her to her feet. "Heather got here yesterday, after a seven-day voyage; that means she started her trip eight days ago. Ruff pulled her wishbone six days ago. That means Heather had already been at sea for two days before Ruff made her wish!"
"You mean... the wish isn't what brought her here this week?" she exclaimed, with the first signs of life she'd shown all day.
"Exactly!" he agreed, holding both her hands in his. "She would have come here yesterday even if Ruff had wished for a... a pet troll or something. It was just chance! Coincidence! Luck! Bad luck, in our case.
"She's not perfect for me anyway – she's too manipulative and conniving! I could never totally trust her, and trust is a lot more important to me than a few bruises on my arm. I had the perfect girl all along, and I let that stupid wish take my eyes off of you. That makes me pretty stupid, too.
"So go ahead and hit me for everything I've put you through; I know I deserve it. Just promise me one thing. If Heather ever comes back to Berk, promise me you'll drag me off into the woods and tie me to a tree until she's gone. I don't ever want to go through this, or do this to you, again!"
She siezed him by his shirt, then relaxed her grip, wrapped her arms around him, and pulled him in for a kiss that left him dizzy. Anitra nudged Fishlegs and murmured, "Take notes. I want to be next!" Fishlegs gulped.
"No punch in the arm?" Hiccup asked weakly when Astrid released him.
"I don't want to be too predictable," she purred. "But don't get used to it. I have my ways of keeping you from looking at other girls, and it's time I started using them!"
"I can live with that," he smiled. "But I can't live without you."
"Good," she smiled, and whacked him in the arm. "That's for not figuring all of this out yesterday!"
To her astonishment, he gathered her in his arms and hugged her. "I love you, Astrid," he murmured. "Just the way you are."
"I know," she whispered back. But she couldn't hide her smile.