I Own Nothing
All Rights Reserved
Note: Any spelling errors that occur whenever Mildew or Spitelout are speaking are intentional
Chapter 24
Astrid
"So, Milady, what can I do for you today?" It was morning. They were in the forge. Hiccup was putting the finishing touches on a section of Astrid's new riding equipment. Even in the forge they could hear Mildew screaming about the filthiness of the room he was cleaning.
"I wanted to talk to you about Stormfly's children. Where are they?"
"The other Nadders at the Sanctuary are looking after them."
"I don't like that. It's not right for a mother to abandon her children," she put her hands on her hips, "and honestly, I'm a bit surprised that you, of all people, would let such a thing happen."
"Can you help care for four infant Nadders, Astrid?"
"I believe I can."
"Alright, I'll talk to Stormfly about it. But it was her decision to leave them behind, not mine. She felt that for the sake of our cause, and for their safety, she had to do it at least temporarily."
"I don't care. She's a mother and a mother looks after her children. It's part of a parent's duty."
"I'm glad Toothless isn't here to hear that." Hiccup remarked. "I think Night Furies abandon their eggs after laying them—it's common with a lot of reptiles. At any rate that's what happened to Toothless. He never knew his parents and if he ever found a female to mate with I think it likely that instinct would have him leave and never know his children."
"That's harsh." Astrid said.
"Yes it is, but since we've never seen another Night Fury, it's probably a moot point. You know, I was always hoping while we were traveling I'd find a female for him somewhere. Nothing. Even in China nobody had ever seen or heard of his species."
"Did he ever hope he'd find you a female somewhere?" Astrid asked, hoping she sounded disinterested.
Hiccup laughed. "Oh he'd suggest it and tease me about it often, but he never pressed the issue too much. Being a dragon he sometimes doesn't understand relationships as humans do—or sometimes he pretends he doesn't. The idea of arranged marriages, for instance, just appalled him, as does the idea of, as he'd put it, mating simply for the fun of it." He went back to work and was silent for a while. To keep his sleeve out of the way he rolled it up, exposing an ugly scar on his arm. To start a new conversation, Astrid asked him what had made it.
"Changewing Acid. I was using it to etch a design into a wall. A Terror burst in and startled me. I spilled a bit."
"Ouch."
"No kidding. Changewing acid can eat through just about any kind of metal except Gronkle Iron, and as for human flesh, well, I was lucky it was only a small amount. I still couldn't use the arm for a day." He stepped back and admired his work. "Well, that should do it. Shall we test it out?"
"What is all that stuff, anyway?"
"It'll help you ride Stormfly. Saddles, straps, safety equipment, you get the picture. I'll need to make some adjustments, of course, such as the…" as they walked over to the Arena he spoke a lot of technical words that Astrid did not understand in the slightest.
The dragons had spent the night in the Arena. It had taken some pleading from Hiccup to get them to do so. They were very displeased to be in a place where so many of their kind had been killed and only agreed to it after assurances that it was temporary, that the deaths would never happen again, the promise of lots of fish was made, and the fact was pointed out that there was nowhere else on the island that could shelter so many dragons.
"The others must be sleeping in," Astrid observed, as there were no other humans around, "Typical." Likewise, the seven dragons lying in the center of the arena (they had refused point blank to sleep in the dragon pens) were also fast asleep.
"They look so peaceful," Astrid whispered to him.
"Then watch this!" Hiccup grinned. He carefully crept over to Hookfang, leaned over his ear and whispered "eeeelllllssss"
Hookfang fidgeted and kicked his legs in his sleep. "Eeeelllllsssss…mmf…eels…hmm, hmm, yesssss…lovely….EELS!" He instantly leapt up screaming and set his body on fire in a panic. His screams caused the other dragons to jump up with equal panic and collide with each other!
"AUGH!"
"EELS!"
"WHERE?"
"I DIDN'T DO IT!"
"WHAT?"
"HELP!"
Hiccup fell over laughing. Once the dragons realized what had happened they roared and charged at him, pinning him to the ground and kicking him. For a horrible moment Astrid instinctively thought they were attacking him but she then saw they were wrestling with him for the fun of it and she saw he was still laughing.
"No fair! This is seven to one and you guys are all at least three times stronger than me!" he shouted as Meatlug sat on him so Midnight could mess up his hair.
"Surrender!" Hookfang ordered.
Toothless came bursting onto the scene. "Hey, what are you doing to my human here? Nobody beats up my human but me!" And he give Hiccup a lick before whomping him with his tail.
Astrid watched in amusement. She could not help but notice how happy Hiccup looked. At the dinner last night he had, for the most part, looked uncomfortable. Even when he was with other humans she felt he had been a bit reserved. She might have just imagined it of course, or maybe she saw only what she expected to see. But aside from the pepper cake incident last night she had only seen him so happy and relaxed when he was around dragons. Then again, she sadly acknowledged, how many times had she seen him happy to begin with?
At last Hiccup was allowed to stand up.
"And that joke was not funny!" Hookfang shouted at him. "So where's breakfast?"
Hiccup assured him the fish barrels would be arriving in a few minutes. He then went to work putting the riding gear on Stormfly, making adjustments, and showing Astrid how to do it.
"You know, you could have helped me out when those salamanders were squashing me,"
She grinned, "Oh of course I could have, but I figured you should be punished for keeping a secret harem!"
"Oh don't tell me you believed that bunch of nonsense! I do not keep a harem!"
"Of course not. I might not know you as well as these dragons, but you don't strike me as that kind of guy."
"Oh is that so? And what kind of guy do I strike you as? A permanent bachelor, perhaps?"
"From what I heard last night, if I were you I'd watch out or you won't stay that way for very long."
"Oh?"
"Yep. I heard a lot of girls giggling over your looks last night. Evidently living with dragons and having some scars is irresistible to girls like Ruffnut. And don't forget, the Bog Burglars are arriving tomorrow: a tribe that's almost entirely made up of women. I hear Camicazi is particularly gorgeous. You'd better be careful or she might kidnap you!"
Hiccup groaned. "Great. That's just what I need." He noticed the dragons laughing at him and wondered if he'd ever hear the end of it.
It was astonishing how quickly the weather on Berk changed. For hour after hour yesterday it had been dreary and wet, then clear, then dreary and wet again, turning the paths into quagmire. Had a dragon raid come yesterday the dragons would have found the houses impossible to burn! But today was the complete opposite. That short period of clear blue skies yesterday was increased a hundredfold today. Today the only things that were wet were the ocean and their legs when they flew in too close to it.
Astrid imagined flying would never get old. Already she felt skilled enough to try out some tricks with Stormfly. They did some loop-de-loops, spins, and she even started giving the Nadder commands. As fun as it was, she found the views even more amazing.
Hiccup, having the faster dragon, occasionally flew laps around them, as if daring her to try and catch him, a challenge Astrid always readily accepted.
"You just wait!" Astrid yelled after him. She could see him laughing as he let her catch up. "Just wait until we get really good at this! We'll have dragon races all around these islands!"
"Oh racing is fun and all that, but it's nothing compared to this!" He quickly pulled a leaver on Toothless's tail contraption and threw himself off the dragon. Astrid gaped in horror. Then she saw him gliding below them, his flight suit wings extended. He had a huge grin on his face that Astrid could not help but find adorable.
"Yeah, can your human do that?" Toothless asked smugly as he dove down to reunite with his rider. Once Hiccup was back on Toothless they flew up to rejoin Astrid.
"Whew! You don't know what it really means to have a pounding heart until you've tried that!" Hiccup laughed.
"You're going to get yourself killed one of these days!" she scolded him.
"Tell me about it."
"Well, at least I'll die happy!" He took a deep breath. "This is freedom, Astrid! I feel like I've left my problems behind on the ground, like there's nothing to stop me from doing anything I want, or going anywhere I choose. It's just us, our dragons, and the horizon! Part of me wants to just fly west forever and see what we come across!"
"It sounds wonderful Hiccup, but what about home? We've got duties here and need I remind you we're at war?"
"Astrid, just for once, can you forget about duties and responsibilities? In a few days at most we're going off to battle, and, much as I hate to say it, some of us won't be coming back. I know I for one would rather remember today as one last day of happiness before the crisis." Indeed, on such a lovely day as this, it was hard to believe there was anything wrong with the world.
Astrid had no idea of where they were or how far they were from Berk when they came to a small green island. Hiccup announced that they would stop there for lunch before heading back. The very first thing he did when they landed was flop off of Toothless into a bush and stare at the sky.
"If people could only have days like this and be satisfied with it, the world would be a better place," he said wistfully.
"Well, sadly, some people can't." Astrid replied as she dismounted, "Sometimes we've got to get our hands dirty because if we just sit around cloud gazing nothing would get accomplished."
"True. So, milady, what would you like for lunch?" He went to reach for his bag, but Astrid got there first and unceremoniously dumped the contents onto the ground. Wrapped up in cloth were some fish, bread and cheese, raw pea pods, and bananas in addition to a canteen of apple cider. Astrid looked up at him curiously.
"Isn't this what we had for dinner that night at the Sanctuary?"
"Um…well, yes. I'm sorry if it sounds awkward or something, but I kinda wanted to try a repeat of that dinner under better circumstances."
"I told him it was a stupid idea!" Toothless told Stormfly.
Astrid just shrugged dismissively at Hiccup's attempted symbolism. He could see it however he wanted to, but food was food and she was hungry.
"So, Hiccup, could I ask you something?" she asked as she took a bite of bread. "Who's the next Chief now?"
Out of all the things she could have asked about this was what Hiccup had wanted to avoid the most.
"Can't we discuss this later? It's not like it has to be decided today, right?"
"I'd still like to know."
"All right then. You are. The Chiefdom is yours by rights, you've earned it. I didn't come to Berk to take it away from you."
"I'm—conflicted about this. I want to be the Chief of course; I've worked hard for years for it but…no, no Hiccup, the Chiefdom is rightfully yours. It would be dishonorable for me to take it from you."
He shook his head. "Astrid, I've done nothing for it except be born. You're the better choice and that's that. Besides, I don't want it."
"Hiccup, we can't turn from responsibilities just like that! We owe it to Berk!"
"Maybe you do, but I'm not so sure about me." He fought to keep his voice steady. "I've never wanted that position, Astrid. Nobody has ever wanted me to have it until now! Why should I give up everything I've got elsewhere because, once again, people won't listen to me?"
"Then why'd you come back?" Astrid nearly yelled, "If you think so badly of us why'd you return? You must have known Stoick would want to name you Chief if you came, and he already has. He mentioned it at the meeting yesterday."
Hiccup groaned. "Already? He couldn't even ask me about it first before announcing it?"
"Yeah." She sighed. "He said his mind was firmly made up. My father came within an inch of blowing up at him—and you."
"So that's why he glared at me last night. See what I mean? Making me the Chief will just cause more problems! I don't want it and you do, so why are we having a discussion about it?"
"Because the Chief doesn't agree with us." She eyed him thoughtfully. "You really don't want to be Chief. Why not? I mean, you're already Chief of a tribe of dragons—and don't start telling me that stuff about how you only lead because they let you! I think you just don't want to lead Berk because of all the bad memories, which is understandable, but as you've said, it's past history."
"So I should just abandon the Sanctuary? Isn't that avoiding responsibility of another kind?" He looked at her wearily. "I get the feeling we're going to go in circles with this argument."
"Well what can we do about it?" Astrid asked in exasperation. "Just pretend for the time being that we agree with Stoick and then make me Chief once he's dead? That's just sick and dishonorable and I won't do it!"
Hiccup looked at Toothless. "Why is it every time I want to have a nice pleasant talk with her something comes up that sets us bickering?"
"There is one option, you know, that would make both of you Chiefs of Berk!" Toothless said brightly.
"Not helping, Bud!" He turned back to Astrid. "All right Astrid, look: we go to war in a few days. Can't we settle this question when it's over?"
"You're stalling, Hiccup. We oughta settle this now."
"How? By single combat?"
"No, you'd just let me win." She looked frustrated but determined to convince him. "Hiccup, think of the honor you'd receive! You'd have gone from the Village screw up to the most powerful man on the island! Your word would be law! Think of what you could accomplish in such a position! Why, you could go down in history as one of the greatest and most influential leaders ever! It's all yours; all you have to do is take it!"
"Yes I could and take it away from you! Everything you're saying can apply to you! Think of what you could accomplish in such a position! Think of the honor you'd receive! How can I take that from you when you've been working for it for nearly 8 years and I haven't done a thing?"
"'Haven't done a thing?' You only befriended a Night Fury, killed a mountain sized monster, founded a tribe of Dragons, and destroyed an entire armada of Berserker ships."
"I didn't really do that part."
"You still planned it. And even so, you've been in charge of a tribe lot longer than I have!"
"So let me look after that tribe and I'll let you look after yours."
"You're right; this is just going in circles."
"There is another option," Toothless repeated in annoyance.
"What's he saying?"
"He suggested another option. He's suggesting we…co-rule."
"What?" Toothless exclaimed.
"You know, the Emperor Diocletian decided Rome was too much for one man to rule, so he appointed several co-rulers to rule with him. Granted Berk is a lot smaller than the Roman Empire, but couldn't we run Berk together? I mean, of course we'd have to establish guidelines of who would take care of what and all that, but…well, think about it, ok? Because it's the only way I can think of that would satisfy everybody."
"The option that I actually meant would satisfy everybody too, I imagine!"
Something in his words made Astrid's temper flare up. "Or do you want to please my family by keeping me as a figurehead while you secretly run everything?"
"Whatever gave you that idea?"
"Snotlout, among other people, who all seem convinced that as a woman I'm incapable of managing an island myself!"
"Don't you dare compare my rider to that Snot-faced bully!" Toothless growled.
"Don't you turn on my rider like that!" Stormfly snapped back at him.
Toothless was impressed. "You're already taking her side?" Hiccup raised a hand for silence.
"Astrid, I promise you I would never do that."
"You'd treat me as an equal?"
"Or a superior in some matters since you know Berk better than I do. I'd expect you to treat me as a superior in matters concerning dragons at first, but in time you'd know enough to be able to handle them yourself." He knew deep down this division of authority would lead to more trouble but he did not say so in case it did not appeal to her.
"Is that the truth or are you just saying this to please me?"
Hiccup raised his eyebrows. "There would be only one way to find out, wouldn't there?" He walked away and sat down on the edge of the cliff. Astrid uncertainly went over to him.
"Hiccup, why must we fight over this?"
"I've been fighting over it with myself ever since I first understood I was next in line," he mumbled. "It's just…I don't want to control this place. I never did. And especially now that I've seen some of the world, the idea of being stuck on this island with all the bad memories and people who still probably see me as a traitor, it doesn't appeal to me one bit, whereas you—"
"Whereas I feel just as disgusted as you by all that's happened," she replied, "If I had been Chief I promise you I would never have set that trap."
"Thank you. But unlike me, you've always know who you are."
Astrid carefully put her arm on his shoulder. "Not true, actually. When I found out who you were and started to agree with you about dragons I was horribly confused for a while. I knew that to side with dragons at the time could seriously hurt my chances of becoming chief, yet after that first flight I wanted more experiences like that. I wanted more of something that everybody else said I couldn't have. Nobody knew about it, but there was a war raging in my head."
"What did you decide on?"
"I got lucky this time. You got Stoick to change his mind, so siding with dragons was suddenly no longer heresy. Nobody really forced me to choose this time around. And that scares me, Hiccup. Yes, I can be scared too. I'm scared that one day I might come upon a situation where what I want to do won't agree with what honor dictates and it will be for something serious."
"For example?"
"For example, suppose I have Drago Bludvist at my mercy. Suppose we fought and I won and I had him lying disarmed and bloody at my feet. Honor would say I should not kill a fallen enemy, yes? But what harm would he do if I allowed him to live?" She eyed him. "What would you do, Hiccup?"
"That's another thing I've wondered about for a long time now and I don't know. I've always hoped if I just talked to him, maybe I could say the right words that could get him to change and abandon his schemes, but it's never happened. Not that I've had many conversations with him," He said. "Or maybe if I could defeat him soundly enough he'd just give up. I really thought he would after the last time. Of course, none of this gets us any closer to working things out. I think I was born with a talent for complicating things. Or maybe the Gods just hate me."
Astrid chuckled. "It's never easy, is it? But that's what happens to people like us, Hiccup. That's what happens to people in authority during times of change."
"And what do we do about it?" He looked out to the horizon.
They were silent for a while as they thought. At last she turned his head so he was making eye contact with her. "The answers aren't out in the wild, Hiccup. If you flew to every corner of the earth, you'd never find what you're looking for. The answer you're looking for is in here," she put a hand against his chest, "and in here," now against his head, "only you just haven't found it yet. Do you know how I know this? Because my father told me the same thing when I was figuring out who I was, just like his father told him when he was figuring out who he was."
Hiccup smiled slightly. He did not really doubt that he could run Berk if he wanted to, the question for him was did he really want to? Astrid and Toothless could give him all the advice and encouragement they wanted but it did not change the fact that it was a question only he could answer. But he now found it was very hard to consider an answer when there was a beautiful woman standing so close to him and looking into his eyes. For her part, having made her statement, Astrid was realizing that she was looking into the lovely eyes of a handsome man and her heart began racing.
Hiccup swallowed. Astrid swallowed. Toothless and Stormfly were nodding enthusiastically. In doing so the movement was enough to catch the attention of their humans and the spell was broken.
"We should be getting back," Hiccup said in a dry voice.
"Yeah…duties and responsibilities and all that..."
"Yeah, yeah…"
"Are you KIDDING me?" Toothless roared. "You're brave enough to take blows for her and risk death for her but you're afraid to let her know it?"
Astrid just packed up her gear and prepared to climb onto Stormfly. But Hiccup suddenly pulled on her arm.
"What?"
"I just wanted to say thanks for listening to me. Not just here, but about dragons too. I—you were the first person here whose mind I managed to change, and if I hadn't I wouldn't be here now, so I just wanted to say…well, thanks. And I know I'm making this Chiefdom question a bigger mess than it already has been and I'm sorry about that but—I think with your help we will get it sorted out."
"That's better," Toothless nodded approvingly.
"And Astrid, if I do become Chief…well, I'd feel a lot better about it if I knew I had your support and guidance." He looked at her and Toothless imploringly. "You said what I'm looking for is inside me, and I just haven't found it yet. Then please, help me to find it somehow."
Astrid raised her eyebrows. Then she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.
Hiccup was so surprised he could have been knocked over with a feather. Astrid just blushed, climbed onto Stormfly, and flew away.
Toothless looked at with a sly smile. Hiccup did not notice. Instead he noticed his face felt very hot. He then noticed it was a very lovely afternoon. He also noticed that he must be coming down with something because he was feeling a bit light headed and dizzy. Too bad he did not notice the rock in front of him until he tripped over it.
"Nice going, lover boy."
"Oh shut up!"
Back on Berk, Olaf Hofferson had been in a foul mood ever since the meeting with Stoick. He was not happy about Astrid being bumped down from her position so casually by Hiccup. While Olaf had been grateful to Hiccup for his help his gratitude did not extend this far. And now Hiccup and Astrid had vanished to Thor knows where and doing Freya knows what. Olaf never doubted Astrid could take care of herself and would watch over her honor and virtue, but as for Hiccup, Olaf had no idea. True, Hiccup had behaved himself when he had been with Astrid for that week at the Sanctuary, but he was still suspicious of the dragon man.
Mildew was outside taking a break from his cleaning. He had noticed Olaf's foul mood (it takes one to know one, as the saying goes) and approached Hofferson to have a little chat with him.
"Ah sym-pea-thighs with ya, Olaf. It ain't easy ta know yer daughter's bin cast aside fer a demon lover, an' ah totally sym-pea-thighs with ya."
"Oh really?" Olaf was not in the mood for sympathy from Mildew, of all people.
"Yes, really. So Ah got a notion in me old numbskull. 'Ow 'bout ya come over ta my place and we kin sort this out?"
"Sort what out, Mildew?" Olaf snapped.
"'Ow ta git rid of that demon lover and put yer daughter in charge!" Mildew said with a sly grin.
"Go away."
"Are ya tellin' me you'd rather 'ave a demon lovin' traiter fer a chief than yer own daughter?" Olaf turned away but Mildew grabbed his arm. "Don't tell me 'ees won you over too!"
"Mildew, nobody has won me over, least of all you! I am not going to get involved in some conspiracy against the Chief. And as I recall, you've always been saying a woman can't be Chief of Berk. How stupid do you think I am to believe you'd now help a woman become exactly that?" He walked away for real, his foul mood not placated. Mildew looked taken aback, but then he spotted Spitelout Jorgenson and went up to him.
"Ah sym-pea-thighs wid ya, Spitelout. It ain't easy ta know yer son's bin cast aside fer some demon lovin' traitor! Now ah 'ave got a notion in me old numbskull 'ere. Let's go to my place and talk this problem over!"
"And 'ow much will you want in return for yer services?" Spitelout said crossly.
"Me only reward would be ta see yer son as Chief! Ah have bin on 'is side ever since the beginnin'!"
"Yes and thanks to yer support he's now about as likely ta become Chief as you are! Sorry, Mildew, but the Jorgenson's don't need yer help anymore."
Mildew was astonished. "You too, Spitelout? You tellin' me the Fishbone Traitor 'as won you over too?"
"No, he has not. But you aren't gonna win me over either. Ah suggest ya go back to werk!" As he walked away Mildew sent a string of profanities and curses after him, so loudly people stopped and stared at him.
"I jest don't get what the Gods are up to here. My brother and ah both lose our wives when they're young, yet that old goat lives longer than both wives put together?" Spitelout grumbled to some of them, and for a change they nodded sympathetically.
"I wanna talk to you, son!"
It was the evening. Hiccup and Toothless had spent the afternoon trying to get the dragons situated and dealing with Vikings who were still uneasy about dragons being in such close proximity. Now they were in the forge going through a pile of weapons that needed sharpening. Gobber had gone to get some dinner. Hiccup had not wanted any visitors but when the visitor in question is the Chief and your father you don't get much say in the matter.
"Yes?"
"What's going on with you and Astrid?"
Hiccup had not seen Astrid since they returned but she had never been out of his thoughts. He replayed the moment she had kissed him over and over again in his head and was all the happier for it. He did not know where this was going (though he had an idea of where he wanted it to go) but he had her reputation to think of, so he decided to downplay things.
"We went out flying. We stopped on an island for lunch and talked a bit, and then we came back. She's getting really good riding Stormfly already; just wait until you see the two of them in action."
"And what did you talk about?"
"The Chiefdom." He looked at his father coldly, "And while we're on the subject, is there something you want to tell me that I should know about?"
"Ah, yes…that."
"Yes that. Dad, I'd appreciate it if the next time you announce something important about me you, oh I don't know, let me know about it first!"
"Well, I just thought that since you were back and already clearly a leader and ready to be my successor, I thought I'd settle the question then for everyone else."
"Dad, this kind of thing is exactly one of the reasons we grew apart for so long. You can't just make assumptions about me on such a big matter as this!"
Stoick looked hurt. "Oh. Do you want me to retract it?"
Hiccup suddenly regretted speaking so harshly. "No, it's…we'll sort it out once and for all when this Drago business is finished, all right? In the meantime…for 'ceremonial' purposes I'll play the heir if you want." Astrid had persuaded him to agree to that on their return trip.
"Son, I don't get why you don't wanna be Chief! You're ready for it! I can tell! I saw how you were during the escape, I've seen how you've been with those dragons and if you can manage them you can manage Vikings!"
"No offense, but I haven't even been back on Berk for two full days."
Stoick slapped Hiccup on the back, sending him face first into the workbench. "Well, just wait, son! It's in battle that we discover who we truly are and what we can do! Don't worry, you'll come back with a much higher opinion of your ability to lead, I promise you! And then you'll have no problem with being Berk's Chief!" He walked out of the forge happy.
"He barely even asked you about Astrid!" Toothless remarked.
"Well, he's the Chief. I imagine the succession is higher on his priority list than my new love life." He snorted. Ability to lead. He did not doubt that much. What he did doubt was if he wanted to lead Berk.
Within minutes of Stoick leaving, Astrid's mother entered the forge.
"I'd like a word with you, Hiccup."
"Please come in, Mrs. Hofferson! Excuse the mess but we're a bit busy here!"
"I can see that. My daughter has been acting rather strange ever since she came back from your flight today. Would you happen to know why?"
Hiccup prayed he would not blush. "S-strange? In what way?"
"She keeps going off into daydreams, keeps looking at herself in the looking glass, blushing without any provocation, and has been humming a song I taught her when she was four. And the class she's training was dismissed an hour early." She eyed Hiccup knowingly, but not sternly. "My lad, do you think I don't know my own daughter enough to know what's going on here?"
"Mrs. Hofferson, I swear, all that happened was she…" well so much for not blushing, "well, um, she kissed me on the cheek."
"That's it?" She looked a little disappointed, which left Hiccup confused.
"Um…yes? Were you expecting more? I promise I'm not out to steal her virtue!"
"That's not what I meant." She moved to sit down but all the chairs were covered. "I just thought for the first time she's kissed a man she might have at least gone for the lips!"
Toothless looked confused. "What's that got to do with anything?"
Mrs. Hofferson turned serious. "But at the same time, Hiccup, I barely know you. I know you, like many others, have had a crush on her since you could walk and while I'm glad she's taking an interest in someone finally, if I get the slightest hint of any wrongdoing—" she did not finish her statement. Instead she ran her finger along the blade of a sword in the sharpen pile.
"Point taken." Hiccup said. "And no pun intended!"
Greta Hofferson smiled. "Then I hope this works out well for her—and for you too." She then bade them goodnight. She had barely been gone a minute when her husband stormed in.
"I want a word with you, young man!"
Hiccup had a number of comments he could have made, but seeing the look on Olaf Hofferson's face he held his tongue.
"What are you doing here?" Hofferson demanded.
"I'm sorry, sir?"
"What is your plan? You show up, take my daughter's title away from her, and then try to stain her reputation by pursuing her? I'll have you know that I—"
"Now wait just a minute, Mr. Hofferson! First of all, I never came here intending to become Chief! That was my father's announcement, not mine! In fact, I completely agree with you that Astrid is the better choice for it!"
Hofferson looked surprised and became uncertain how to continue. "Oh…you, you do?"
"Yes sir, I do, and Astrid and I discussed it very thoroughly today. While I would gladly step aside for her, she feels honor bound to let me have the position."
"Oh. Well, if she decided…and if she thought it was the honorable thing to do…" Olaf said to himself.
"As for staining her reputation, Mr. Hofferson, I'd rather be in the cells on Berserk again than do such a thing!"
"What's all this stuff and scales about honor? She's the one who did that kissing thing, not you!"
"Sir, I understand your concerns entirely, but I promise you, nothing happened between us beyond a lot of talking and a chaste kiss."
"Your word of honor on that?"
"Yes sir."
"Will you swear on your dragon's life that it will not go any further than that?"
"Isn't that Astrid's decision too, sir?"
Olaf looked surprised and a little embarrassed. "Good point. All right then, assuming this relationship goes further: will you swear on your dragon's life that you will treat my daughter with the utmost respect and care?"
Hiccup nodded seriously. "I'll swear on my life and on the life of Toothless, Mr. Hofferson. If any harm ever comes to Astrid, it will not be because of me."
Hofferson turned to leave, but then turned back, as if something had occurred to him. "Not to rush things, of course, but if you two were to get married—"
Hiccup's eyebrows nearly shot up into his hair.
"Finally somebody else mentioned it!" Toothless cried with relief.
"What's he doing?" Olaf asked.
Hiccup smacked Toothless on the head. "He's glad somebody else says what he's been saying all day."
"A dragon has been playing matchmaker?"
Hiccup laughed. "Oh, sir, you have no idea!"
"Well, as I was saying, if you two were to get married, it would settle this who Chiefdom business in a way that would please both our families."
"Excluding the Jorgenson relatives,"
"It's their own fault they blew their chance. But if you and Astrid were to—"
"Um, Sir? So far Astrid has done nothing but kiss me on the cheek. I might be wrong, but I think it's a little premature to start discussing marrying her."
Embarrassed, Olaf Hofferson apologized and made his way to the door again. And again, he turned back as if something else had occurred to him. "By the way, lad, I want to thank you." He spoke sincerely. "You saved my daughter, you cleared my brother's name, and you've done your best to make her the Heir. And while I'm aware I don't know you very well, if you continue as well as you've begun, I think you'd make an honorable son-in-law."
Hiccup looked down at the sword he was supposed to be sharpening. Marry Astrid? He'd dreamed of that when he was a boy, but then again most of the boys had at that age—once they started realizing girls were attractive and not diseased creatures to avoid at all costs. As he grew older, just succeeding in getting her to talk with him would have made him the happiest person alive. And now, here they were, back after just a few days and already her father was suggesting marriage! Good grief!
Then again, it was not too surprising Astrid's father had already brought marriage up, for there was generally little courtship among Vikings. Normally a suitor made his offer of marriage to a woman's family, contracts and dowries were worked out, the consent of both sides was obtained, and soon the marriage took place. Love and affection typically waited until after the couple was married, though since both sides had to consent to it most Viking marriages did not turn out too badly. Still, Hiccup was convinced it was a bit early to propose marriage at the moment. It was not Viking tradition, but since when had tradition had any impact on him?
Toothless eyed him mischievously. "I know what you're thinking about."
"Oh, you can read minds now?"
"Yes, and I'm happy you've finally gotten something you wanted."
"I haven't 'gotten' her, Bud. I have no idea how things are going to go. Honestly, I don't even know if I'm in a relationship with her! I don't even know how she feels about this!" He picked up the sword and went over to the wheel. "But I'm glad you approve."
The door opened again. This time it was Snotlout.
"I want to talk to you, Hiccup!"
"You and the rest of Berk, it seems."
Ruffnut then burst in.
"Hiccup, sweetie, we need to talk!"
"'Sweetie?'" Toothless exclaimed.
Fishlegs followed her in. "Hiccup, we need to talk! You are not going to believe what I've just heard!"
Hiccup put down the sword. "Sorry, guys, we're closed until further notice!"
"But I—"
"Closed! Toothless, help me!"
The dragon began to carefully but firmly push the visitors out the door.
"But Hiccup, I just heard—!"
"But sweetie, I thought you and I were—!"
"Look here cousin, I thought I made it clear to you—!"
Hiccup shoved the door shut. "Closed!"
He took a deep breath and ignored the pounding on the door. "Now perhaps I can make some progress, huh, Bud?" He picked up a sword and began to sharpen it, and as he did so he began to sing the song he had started the day before.
"My ancestor was a renowned jester
Who sang for a Chola Princess one day
My ancestor found that it distressed her
If, afterwards, she did not hear him say:
'I'd place a garland of star jasmine
White as alabaster
Upon your shoulders and make you mine
And as smiles crept onto your face
My heart would beat faster
And I'd place a ruby red sindoor
Upon your noble brow
With this and the jasmine garland
It would then be clear to all the world
We will never part now…'"
"I hope so, Astrid," Hiccup grinned.