Chapter 4
The Great Hall doors slammed shut. Something in Stoick's mind reeled back to a day not so long ago. He could see himself peering down to a young boy; a thin, scrawny kid sprawled across the floor after being rudely shoved to the ground. He then heard a voice, "You're not my son." Instantly laughter and mockery filled the room as he watched the same boy be rejected by the rest of the tribe, even a as a small child. He seemed to grow up with only these experiences of misanthropy. The next moment he saw him on top of the most coveted dragon known. Both became a tiny speck as they were chased by a monstrous dragon in which the term 'fire-breathing devil' actually fit. It suddenly clicked with him that that underestimated human was his son; not a boy but a young man defeating the monumental Red Death. Pride swelled within him but it suddenly faded as the next image flashed before his eyes: that same guy, his son, sitting on the floor at the foot of his bed next to his beloved companion staring off into the darkness with large cloudy green eyes full of fear and panic. Blind; never to see again and the only thing he would remember of his sight was the faces of those who rejected him, pushed him away, made him an outcast. Stoick wondered if his son would remember one kind face of those he knew, besides the dark scaly best friend of his. Movement next to him caught his attention and pulled him from his thoughts.
"Stoick?" Gobber whispered.
"Is this everybody?" the chief asked as he scanned across the crowd before him trying to mentally complete a roll call.
"Eh, I don't know. You don't normally call an emergency meeting. Hard to get this many this many people as it was."
"Well, I guess it's enough. Word spreads around fast enough anyway." He said with one last look amongst the collection of Vikings in front of him. He made his way to the center and stepped up on top the wooden plank encompassing the oval fire pit. Instantly the audience hushed. "Some of you have heard rumors of my son being injured; they're true." Gasps spread like wild fire across the crowd. How should I tell them? How it happened? No, that wouldn't be good; I don't really know about that anyway. Blatantly then? He took a deep breath, "He's blind. I know you have a bunch of questions. Frankly, so do I."
Four teens stood in the back corner each having different reactions to the chief's announcement. Ruffnut was smiling wide and nodding, anxious to see the mentioned victim. Her brother was chucking. Fishlegs had his hands covering his mouth and his eyes wide with shock collaborated to his solemn and horrified facial expression. Snotlout simply let a small smirk grow.
"But we all have to help him," the chief continued, "in any way possible."
oOo
Astrid stared at the now soaked Hiccup; Toothless was licking him. He was gonna need a bath. She went over to the back of the house and dragged out the bath tub. She then put a pot of water over the fire.
Hiccup heard the movement of metal things. "What are you doing?"
"Hiccup, you have to take a bath." She had to make that part clear. She really didn't want to bathe him and figured he didn't want that either so in the meantime she was trying to figure out another way.
Hiccup was silent for a moment before he responded. "Okay but what are you doing?"
The room fell silent as awkward comprehension swirled through the air. Two teens, each of the opposite gender and the blind one needed a bath. Tension rose as time slowed with neither teen talking. Finally Astrid spoke.
"What do you suggest I do?
"Uh, well…." Could he just blatantly tell her that he didn't want her to wash him?
"Do you want me to get Fishlegs or….." She thought about the other male teens, "Fishlegs or maybe your dad or Gobber?"
"No."
"Well, you can't just change your clothes 'cause you got soup all over you so how will you get clean?"
The anger and irritation that had been slowly rising within Hiccup now began to double its rate of escalation. "I don't know but I'm not about to let someone wash me."
"Well-" Astrid was interrupted.
"Just because I'm blind doesn't me I don't know how to do things."
"I know, it just means you need help. Now I don't want to have to wash you either but please make this easier on me by letting me help you somehow." She was frustrated but could sense tears welt up in her eyes, she felt like crying. This wasn't fair for Hiccup. The temples in her head began to throb; she was getting a headache-maybe from all the emotional chemicals flooding her body.
Hiccup's anger was suddenly slowly diminishing. He was still irritated but something in him became rather curious. "This isn't easy for you?" Why shouldn't it be? She could see!
"No, but I know it would be a lot easier if we were already married."
The world seemed to stop. What did she just say?
Hiccup's anger and irritation immediately fled; he was stunned. Astrid wanted to marry him; did she love him? Still experiencing shock, a giddy emotion was being aroused inside him.
Astrid did not mean to say that, it just slipped out. However, she was thinking about it the whole time in the back of her head. Oh, she felt sick. This was a nightmare; a horrible, horrible nightmare. Hiccup was hurt, blind, helpless and now she just spilled her guts. She wanted to wake up, wanted everything to be back to the way it was. But no, this wasn't a dream or a figment of her imagination; it was reality. She took a deep breath; her mind was going numb. The thoughts that had gripped and sped through her mind faded and she became aware of her surroundings. She stared at Hiccup; he was frozen, a blank expression on his face, still wet from the soup. Astrid went over to the pot of now warm water and poured it into the tub. She then scooted a side table next to the tub and put needed utensils on it. "Everything's there for you to take your bath. I'll be outside." With that she rushed out the door and sat on the step staring out and the unusually quiet village.
oOo
Hiccup laid in bed that night thinking about what occurred earlier that evening. It wasn't until Astrid shut the door did he really come out of his daze. What a fool he must have been! She must have stood there awhile waiting for him and he did nothing; just stood there while his heart soared and his mind tried to comprehend her statement. He quickly tried to take a bath but found it rather difficult when you couldn't see what tool you grabbed to scrub. He knew it must have been awhile 'cause just after he got dressed his dad came home talkin' about supper. Astrid had left and honestly, he didn't blame her.
oOo
Two men sat at a table in a hut high atop Berk. The room was an eerie dark; the fire on the otherside of the room created a red-orange illumination adding to the heinous atmosphere.
"Why shouldn't I kill ya?" the larger of the two asked. His round rugged beard was ebony, skin a deathly gray and blue eyes that were merciless as the stared down to a raggedy elderly man with aqua eyes ready to deceive.
"You're after the dragon conqueror and I want Berk rid of dragons." He was determined to get what he wanted.
The preponderant man eyed the baaing sheep at the feet of the kooky old man. "Why? You're of Berk!"
"Yes, but it has changed ever since that boy brought the blasted beasts to live among us. I see it that if we work together, we can both get what we want."
"I know how to get that boy," the domineering man stood, "why, get 'im alone. Bork week is next week. They'll be too busy to miss 'im." He turned to leave.
"No!" the wrinkly elderly man with a long scratchy beard and a peculiar gap in the middle stood up after him "He's too precious for 'em. They'll go after him whether it's Bork week or not! You have to use a discording method."
The physically sturdy and sound man walked back over to the table and sat down. "Okay…."
Believe it or not, I originally did not have this chapter as long as it is now. A few of your reviews started the clogs to reel in my head with ideas of additions to it and so, ta-dah! I'm glad I was able to complete this in time for my update and not make you have to wait. Again, thank you for your reviews!