Definitely read the notes at the bottom! :D

And, I just want to take a second of your time to say how much I love Craig Ferguson, the Scottish dude who voices Gobber (But you should know that). I watched one of his stand-ups and he is so. goddamn. funny.

Continue:

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Hands on Sunshine

Chapter Seven

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The next day after the waterhole excursion, Hiccup was surprised to get a special order from none other than Arnheim Hofferson. He came in mid-morning looking weary and tired but livid at the same time, and the harsh way he talked made Hiccup feel like he was just angry and yelling at him. He thought that maybe, on a slim chance, that Astrid got caught sneaking home last night, and Hiccup hoped it wasn't his fault. He knew how angry Arnheim could be, as well as every other villager on Berk because of his display nearly a decade ago. Arnheim was freighting, and for that he was a perfect Viking; tall, lean, huge as a bear and muscular as a horse, dark-haired, a deep and commanding voice, and with a bloody reputation of being a master at killing Nightmares. It was said he would dunk himself in water to wrestle with a flaming Nightmare just to strangle it with his own hands.

As a fact, Arnheim used to be a Berserker in his younger days, becoming the head of the Berserkers in combat, even, which helped to dub him as Arnheim the Hammer, best known for his deadly skills with the weapon. He was a monster, and Hiccup avoided him whenever possible since even his own father told him to keep away, but that would be hard to do since he was the father of the girl he's head-over-heels for.

In any case, Hiccup hoped Astrid did not bear the brunt of his legendary anger, and nervously took Arnheim's special order of nails for one of his ships. The whole time, Hiccup's hands sweated as he wrote down his requested requirements, looking at him in the face only once or twice. He was surprised to note that Astrid had his eyes. Bright and steely and icy, just like hers.

Once Arnheim left the front window, Hiccup sighed a giant relief, immediately setting to work. He melted down a few weapons that were entirely unfixable to mold and pound into Arnheim's desired shape. Storm clouds quickly rolled in and just as quick, it started to downpour, and with the cool and musty humidity the rain allowed, Hiccup worked faster than he had in days. He was able to get fifty nails out in two hours, and on the next batch, there was a knock at the window.

"Come inside!" Hiccup yelled, setting the stone bowl carved into a tall oblong shape with scraps of cut up metal inside of it on the middle of the red-hot coals to melt in the fireplace, using long pliers. Behind him, there was the opening of the door, squeak, and a shut, and Hiccup took his gloves off just as he turned around to see the guest inside.

Standing just on the threshold, immovable, was a younger boy about as tall as Hiccup's chest, skinny and feet covered in mud and dust. He took his cape hood off just as Hiccup was looked at him to reveal sandy-colored hair in waves tightly cut to his head, but he had a sheet of wet bangs over his forehead, paired with spectacular and big round ears. It was almost distracting how big his hears were. Poor kid, Hiccup thought sympathetically, waving him in with a gentle smile, but he could not rid the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach.

"You must be the new apprentice Gobber found, right?" Hiccup asked as the boy took a few steps toward him but did not come within ten feet of him. The boy simply nodded, his mouth clamped shut like a vice.

"Well…," Hiccup bit his lip, quickly coming to resent the awkward veil covering the forge. "Y-you can take your cape off. You don't have to freeze."

He did as Hiccup suggested, hanging the wet cape on a hook on the wall near the door, standing in his deep green calve-length pants and sleeveless tan shirt a bit damp from the rain. He was as stiff as a board.

Oh, Odin, Hiccup thought, exasperated. He prayed it wouldn't always be like this. At least on his first day he actually opened his mouth. "What's your name?" Hiccup asked, leaning against the counter and rubbing his temple, honestly trying to look nice but he really just wanted to be alone.

"Dagmundr, but I like to be called Dagger," he said, and thankfully, his voice wasn't as stony as he looked. He was young, that was for sure, probably about ten-years-old, the perfect time for apprenticeship. "Hoark the Haggard's youngest son," he added after Hiccup didn't say anything.

"Yeah, just… okay, Dagger. You're going to do exactly what Gobber had me do on my first day except you're not going to be handling any hot things," Hiccup said. "and especially not ovens," he mumbled, waving Dagger over again. "So what Gobber had me do for the first couple of weeks is just to watch pretty much. Easy as that. Just watch and pick up on things and remember names for tools and other terms and you'll do fine. I'll probably ask you to do little things until I think you're ready to handle the bigger stuff."

"So I just watch?" Dagger asked, his face finally thawing and changing into curiosity.

Hiccup nodded. "And get things when I need them, yes. But the rule," he said seriously. "don't touch the fire doors. I'm much more cautious than Gobber will ever be and I'm not going to have you burn your eyebrows off like mine did, okay?"

Dagger's face somewhat cracked into amusement, his mouth slightly smiling. "Okay."

"Alright," That was easier than expected. Hiccup was expecting to have to explain the reasons why to Dagger but he seemed to get it. "So, for now, I'll have you pump the bellows. You'll get strong from doing that. I didn't, though, so maybe you'll be lucky."

"Okay," And Dagger went over to the bellows and took the handle like Hiccup showed him and lifted it up and down constantly to heat the swords lying on the bed of coals. Hiccup took these swords with pliers and pounded their red forms into shape as Dagger watched simultaneously. Meanwhile, Hiccup showed him some tools and what they were used for as he showed him their purposes on his current subject. Dagger watched him as he poured the molten liquid from the stone bowl into molds for Arnheim's nails, pluck them out and make them sharp on the anvil once they were solid, dunking them, red hot, into the basin of water and to put them on the table to cool, finished. Hiccup cut up more hopeless weapons and put them in the stone bowl to be put back into the midst of the fire to melt again.

Hiccup finished more weapons as the rain cleared up, the clouds rolling past to reveal a rather beautiful view of the sunset. Berk was the prime place for sunsets, and one of the things Hiccup appreciated about the forge was the views it offered, being situated on the cliff. Dagger chuckled a bit form his position on a stool a few feet away when Hiccup got distracted by the view. He blushed and replied, "It's beautiful."

Dagger left not soon after to go home for supper and Hiccup followed suit an hour or two after the sun set. Walking home, he couldn't help but wonder how Astrid's day went and what she did, and was curious to know if she thought as much about him today as he thought of her.

The next day went much the same but Dagger arrived earlier so Hiccup had him set on mostly cleaning the nails. Neither of them spoke through out the day except for very small conversation, mostly just Dagger asking him questions. All Dagger asked was questions, it seemed. Hiccup didn't mind and at first he welcomed it, answering entirely too in depth for a ten-year-old, and once the questions kept coming, Hiccup narrowed his answers down to simple replies in context that a child could understand. Hiccup had not had much exposure to children in all his short years, and this was quickly becoming evident to him. Often times, Hiccup could not answer a question because the only way he could explain was a bit complex for Dagger to understand, and for anyone else, for that matter, even on simple questions. Hiccup learned almost everything he knew by himself at the forge, and that knowledge was almost exclusively his on the entirety of the island.

Within the next two days, however, Dagger's curiosity grew and he asked question after question, seeming to absorb Hiccup responses quite well, to his utter surprise. On Dagger's third day as a blacksmith's apprentice, he began asking questions about math and physics and angles and measurements and a ton of other things.

"How do you know… those things?" Hiccup paused on his last bunch of nails toward the end of the day, holding his hammer in mid air, looking at Dagger across the forge sitting on a stool with a crate of cleaned nails in his lap.

"Well, you talked about them…," he replied a bit quietly, his dark blue eyes twitching left and right nervously.

"When?" Hiccup asked, starting to pick up on Dagger's averted-ness, becoming curiously suspicious.

"On some sheets in your work room," Dagger let his hands fall into the crate, embarrassed. "I'm sorry I looked, I shouldn't have, but I was wondering yesterday when you left quickly to feed Toothless," Dagger said honestly, keeping his eyes from Hiccup in shame.

"It's okay," Hiccup replied softly, feeling bad that he was so beat up about looking at some of his plans. He felt invaded and disrespected, of course, as a master to an apprentice normally would, but Dagger looked genuinely apologetic. The poor kid looked even cute. "If you're so curious, you had to have only asked and I would've been glad to teach you," Hiccup was honestly delighted Dagger was so interested. Finally, he could teach someone the more important things needed in life rather than grunting and chugging down ale and bumping chests.

"You will?" Dagger sat bolt upright like something had prodded him in the back with a hot iron, his voice exceeding excitement standards.

"Of course," Hiccup smiled, chuckling when Dagger did a quiet victory 'yess!' "But not until the day after tomorrow. I'm taking a day off, but Gobber will be here so you can still come at the same time,"

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Dagger's voice was more uplifted than usual, cleaning the remaining few of the nails.

Hiccup smirked. "None of your business," he closed the doors to the fire and pulled off his gloves. "Now, get out of here, your mother doesn't want you home late again because you're so busy asking questions."

"Did she scare you into saying that?" Dagger asked with a wide smile, setting the crate full of nails on the counter and collecting his cape by the door.

Hiccup snorted. "She's frightening, I'll give her that. I'm too Viking to be scared by women," he said offhandedly as he reached for the broom to sweep some metal scraps off the floor.

Dagger burst out laughing. "Bye, Hiccup," he said as he tossed his cape over his shoulders and left into the light drizzle of the night.

The next day, Hiccup arrived early at the forge to clean off the remaining nails of dust and debris, and then dumped them all into a crate to carry over to the Hofferson's house. He was quiet excited because he hoped he would see Astrid since he hadn't seen her in nearly three days, keeping her only in his most vivid memories, especially feeling her most tender parts in his hand and kissing her so fully he felt like he could have melted into her. She was so raw in his mind she felt tangible and real like he just saw her today.

At the doorstep, Hiccup adjusted the crate of nails on his hip and quickly knocked on the door twice because the crate was quite heavy and slipping from his tunic.

"Just a second!" he heard within, but the voice was indistinguishable because all the Hofferson women pretty much sounded the same to him. He waited a maximum of three seconds while trying to adjust the crate suitably in his arms, but when the door swung open so quickly with Auda standing in the doorway, he spilled almost half the nails onto the front porch.

"Hiccup!" Auda said in surprise, eyes wide at the sudden waterfall of tinkling metal nails.

"Ohh, Gods, oh, no, I'm so sorry, so, so, so, so sorry. Oh, man," Hiccup fumbled nervously, becoming so overwhelmed so quickly he felt that his heart was going to fail. Auda quickly got on her hands and knees and picked up the nails that didn't fall through the floorboards, laughing heartily, which only made Hiccup feel more like an idiot.

Ingrid appeared inside and stood to stare at the sight, laughing with flour on her apron and a spot on her cheek. "Hiccup, spilling the order of nails?" she said jovially as she walked to the open door, crouching to pick up some nails that fell on the threshold.

"I—I—I guess. I'm so sorry, I—I—," he felt like a total fool just standing there with the crate in his arms while Auda scooped up nails into her apron so he set the crate down and hurriedly picked up nails with shaking hands. Oh, Gods, his face was so hot, he must be really red. Oh, Gods, oh, Gods, right in front of her mother and Auda. Odin's eye, he thought, cursing his stupendously pathetic life.

"It's okay, no problem at all," Ingrid said as she walked between them and stepped off the porch, lowering herself carefully onto her knees to crawl underneath the porch to get the nails that fell.

"Here, I'll do that, mom. You're too old," Auda said jokingly, pouring the nails form her apron into the crate and going to kneel next to her mother.

"Thank you, dear. My knees aren't as good as they used to be," Ingrid stood up and dusted off her apron and wiped her cheek with the inside of her arm.

"Oh, Gods, it's so gross under here!" Auda said with disgust, and through the floorboards, Hiccup could see her blonde hair and the back of her blue dress, crawling. Hiccup picked up the crate again, seriously considering just leaving it here without waiting for the payment, but thought that Gobber would impale him and cart him around the village as the Biggest Idiot Alive. It seemed highly plausible to him at this point.

"U-uhm," Hiccup sputtered, finally finding a secure hold on the crate because he practically held onto it for dear life.

"Oh! Of course. Come inside, Hiccup," Ingrid jumped into action, walking up the porch and gesturing him inside on the threshold.

"Wait! I got some more nails," Auda shouted as she backed up from underneath the porch and stood up, holding the group of five or so nails like a torch in the air. She went to Hiccup and set them in the crate, pushing him inside. "It feels like I haven't seen you in forever, Hiccup! How have you been?" Auda shut the door behind him and continued pushing him to the kitchen. "Psst, don't mention that one night where I got super drunk at the waterhole," she whispered into his ear over his shoulder.

"O-okay," Hiccup whispered back and walked into the kitchen after Ingrid.

"Here, just a second, Hiccup, let me get your payment…," Ingrid said as she pulled up a chair from the table across the floor toward the wall of cupboards. She stood on the chair and reached for a box that she pulled down and stepped down from the chair, setting the box on the table and pulling off the lid. "I think Arnheim said they would be about fifty pennings. Is that right?" Ingrid asked, looking to Hiccup. (4)

He shrugged. "Sounds right," he replied meekly, amazed he was in Astrid's house. He looked up at the rafters where spices and herbs hung in neat rows, clumped together and tied, and he spotted some lavender and dried roses on one end. The kitchen was small and a bit crowded but it was comfortable, every surface available used to it's potential, even to the point where the stone around the grate in the hearth had something on it. Pots and pans hung on iron hooks next to oven mitts, and a furry hat next to the outside door was one of the few things left over from winter. The Hofferson's were not wealthy by any means, in fact, they were middle class and being so, it wasn't recommended that Hiccup should even consider courting their youngest daughter. If it could even be considered that, Hiccup thought, looking around the kitchen while Ingrid counted out the money. It isn't even official. I'm not supposed to even be courting her. Parents don't like courting. Duh.

"Okay, Hiccup, I think that's about right," Ingrid counted the coins on the counter a third time, forgetting her numbers once before. Another thing about Hiccup being chief's son was that he was completely literate and even some middle class people were not. He knew from past experiences that Tuffnut had trouble reading and could only write his name in the cryptic Runes that were quickly becoming outdated. He wasn't sure about Astrid's literacy, but if he were to marry her someday, she would have to learn to read and write.

Wait. Marry? WHOA, Hiccup! Too, too far. Not even close, he thought, feeling a familiar floppy feeling in his stomach. Marry Astrid? It did sound incredibly appealing, waking up to her every day, being the only man on Berk with the privilege of seeing her beautiful hair down, seeing her with and without her nightgown on… maybe he was being too wishful.

Ingrid slid the money off the counter into her hand and handed it to Hiccup. He knew she was two pennings short but he wasn't going to say anything. "Thank you," he said with a clumsy smile, feeling rather uplifted from five minutes ago when he was falling all over himself.

"No, thank you. I'm sure Arnheim will be very pleased," she replied. Hiccup thought it was a bit strange how she talked about her husband the way she did, like he wasn't even her husband but something more of a roommate.

"Good. I'm glad," he turned to show himself out, but then remembered why he was so excited to come here in the first place. "Is Astrid home?"

Auda was the first to speak. "Nope, she's at Hallbera's. Working on dresses," she said, ripping off a chunk of sweetbread from the counter. "Didn't she tell you?" Auda eyed him like he was supposed to know, but seemed to know something she wasn't supposed to. Hiccup felt a bit nervous, hating the way how Auda made him feel anxious just by looking at him.

"No…," he replied, blinking.

"She's an apprentice to Hallbera now, making dresses and other things," Ingrid said as she opened a cupboard and took down a jar of strawberry jam. "She's been gone from dawn until dusk these last three days so I've had to feed her dragon. I never knew dragons ate so much," she cut off a piece of sweetbread and offered it to Hiccup but he declined, so instead she put some jam on it for herself and ate it.

"Actually, Spike probably needs to be fed about now," Auda wiped her hands on her apron and walked around the counter to take Hiccup's sleeve and drag him to door. "Can you help me carry a fish basket? They're so heavy."

"Can't you—," Hiccup started but Auda cut him off.

"No," and she pulled him out the door and brought him to the cellar. "I need to talk to you," she said as soon as the door slammed shut behind them leading inside, looking at him seriously with her bright green eyes.

Oh, this can't be good, Hiccup thought and Auda pulled the doors to cellar open. Hiccup was impervious to the smell of fish now after feeding Toothless and so many other dragons about a thousand times, walking down the steps to haul a fish basket onto his back like it was nothing. Auda waited for him just outside the cellar, covering her nose, and once Hiccup was out, she used her foot to slam the doors shut.

"This way," she said over her shoulder and led him to the barn fifty yards behind the house through a field of grass meant for the pigs the Hoffersons used to own, passing huddles of chicken coops as well.

Inside the barn, Spike was just waking up from an early morning nap, and when Hiccup and Auda came in, she seemed to sigh in disappointment even with Hiccup carrying a fish basket. Hiccup set it down and knocked it over with his foot to have the fish spill out. He looked to Auda, who had her face scrunched up from the sick noise the fish made as they spilled out. He looked at her expectantly, wringing his hands together nervously.

"Are you courting my sister?" Auda asked abruptly, catching Hiccup only slightly off-guard for he was only thinking that question hardly five minutes ago.

"I don't know. Maybe. I know I shouldn't, but…," Hiccup replied with a ball in his throat.

"I could honestly give two shits whether you're courting her or not. It's traditional everywhere else, but not here for some reason. Brandan courted me, but of course he never asked Arnheim, so it wasn't entirely official, but he didn't seem to notice. You're supposed to just marry right on the dot here, and I don't get it. But I don't care. Do you like her?" she asked, her eyes sparkling as she set her elbow on her windowsill, holding her chin in her palm, watching Hiccup from one of the empty pig pens now mostly used for storage.

"Yes. A lot," he avoided looking at her, and instead reached out to scratch behind Spike's crown of spikes. Why was she asking him this? It really wasn't any of her business… but then again, he knew Auda to be a bit interrogative since she found him bleeding from a sword gash after being caught in the midst of a classic Irish pub fight.

"Have you talked to Arnheim about it yet?" Auda asked, and Hiccup had to remind himself that Arnheim wasn't her father, even though she was expected to call him so.

"No," Hiccup chuckled and Auda joined in.

"Good. You probably don't want to. If anyone mentions Astrid he'll probably explode in flames," Auda said as she kicked a rock out of the barn.

"Why? Were they in a fight?" Hiccup asked, now completely full of concern, which caught Auda's attention effectively.

"Kind of. Astrid stepped out of line a few nights ago and ran out of the house before he could get her. He still hasn't forgotten," she answered with her eyes lowered. "I didn't see her until supper the next night."

"When was this?" Hiccup paused from scratching Spike, walking toward Auda now with a hundred scenarios racing through his head. 'Before he could get her'? What's that supposed to mean? What did Astrid say that was 'out of line'?

"About four nights ago, or three. Why?" She furrowed her brows and crossed her arms. Posing like that, it was no wonder she and Astrid were sisters.

"Because I think that was the night she was with me," he replied with a voice that sounded more or less like he was questioning her. He watched as Auda's eyes and mouth flew open like Hiccup just admitted they had done something quite illicit. Not that illicit…, he thought. "No, no, no! Nothing like that! Not before we were married, never, never, never. Never once has it crossed my mind, nope," he shook his head, blushing, and scratched his jaw nervously. He pretended with all his might that he didn't lie, because of course it has crossed his mind, only about a thousand times. He would not be a boy at eighteen if the act hadn't crossed his mind.

Auda looked at him inquisitively, a sentence clearly forming in her head. "Wait… so do you want to marry her?" a devious grin formed on her face as she took a step toward Hiccup and he got impossibly more red.

"U-uh… marry? What? Noo, I don't want to marry Astrid," he said and waved her off, then realized what he said. "Oh, man, I mean—maybe?—not? In the future? That isn't any where close to—to now? I—I mean, s-she's very… marry-able? Sometimes, when she isn't uh-uhm… beating me up. Yeah," he gave up, realizing he was rambling completely when Auda burst out laughing in the middle of his tirade.

"Don't worry about it, I was only asking to make you uncomfortable," she punched his shoulder, and Hiccup definitely believed they were sisters by the bruise he would find tomorrow. "No guy wants to be asked that. It's funny though."

"Thanks. I appreciate it," Hiccup replied with all the dry sarcasm he could muster within himself.

"Anyway, if you want to find Astrid, she's at Hallbera's. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you," Auda said with a wave as she backed out of the barn door. Hiccup watched her go, running back to the house, dumbfounded.

"Okay," he said quietly. Just then, Spike, behind him, squawked at him as if saying 'get out of here, you fool'. "Don't have to tell me twice," her replied with a laugh and left the barn, on his way to see Astrid, finally.

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In three days, Astrid was a little more than halfway done with her first dress. It was a significant feat considering it took her nearly three months to finish Auda's dress in time for her wedding. She spent all possible hours of the day into sewing in the backroom at Hallbera's Clothing Shop, so much so that even Stinkeye and Ranka were amazed. Astrid hadn't even got to the full construction of the emerald green dress yet, pinning sections together to get the embroidery and designs done to save the week-long sewing development of the dress for last. Her fingers had become deft and nimble, impervious to small needle pricks so she didn't need the extra covering of a thimble. Though the tips of her fingers became rough and sore, Astrid was consumed entirely by her thoughts wither her head bowed over her work on her lap. She was unusually quiet while the three other women passed gossip, and sometimes Astrid would listen, but she was thinking about Hiccup most of the time.

Something had possessed him. She was sure of it. One of Loki's lustful demons or Freyr's companions—something had made Hiccup do wonders on her that she couldn't even think of. From bawdy tales during Auda's bath, the women said orgasms were the "greatest thing ever to happen to a woman" but were unfortunately hard to come by sometimes, especially for first-timers. But, they did say one would "die a million little deaths" and that was certainly what Astrid felt. Well… it was pretty great, but we didn't even have sex. Do fingers count? Oh, Gods, why am I thinking this…. She squeezed her eyes shut and grimaced, shaking her head with a blush as if to shake the thought loose from her head. But… it can still happen, can't it? The women didn't mention anything about using fingers, except she believed she remembered hearing about how mouths felt particularly pleasant. But that was gross. Why would anybody want to do that?

She sighed, stretching her legs and arching against the chair she was sitting in, falling slack like she was a blanket tossed. Thinking was too wearisome. Outside, it was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky, and it was hot. What I wouldn't give to go swimming. Naked. Again, she thought, looking out the wide open window to where she could see a tiny blue sliver of ocean where powerful gusts came, and thank the Gods. Astrid had to shake the neckline of her dress once or twice to cool herself down. The wind that came in from the windows was highly welcomed in the cramped backroom, throwing design papers and shaking the cloth hanging off chairs.

Astrid looked back down at the sad-looking sheet of green cloth sitting in her lap and draping over her sweaty legs, not quite finished, and immediately thought of Hiccup again. The way he looked at me in the pond… it made me feel uncomfortable, but… it was like he already knew me, she thought idly, fingering the faux gold-lacquered string she was using to embroider intricate knots along the skirt's hem. And... when he looked at me briefly after streaking before kissing me… Gods, I swear, he wanted me. The same look, but still so different. Hiccup… what are you doing to me? She craned her neck backwards to rest her head against the back of the chair, now entirely encompassed to concentrate now.

His soft brown hair in her hands, the subtle scratch of his stubble as he kissed her hard and deep; she could still feel his passion leaking through every pore of his body, transferring and soaking into every fiber of her own; just thinking about it all made her want to do it all over again. I think I'm starting to want him too. The annoying, scrawny kid he used to be had changed—but has also not changed—into something I want. She didn't even want his body, just simply his presence. His smile that could put all the most beautiful and loveliest things to shame, the stupid twinkle in his eyes, and the simple essence of Hiccup made Astrid's head spin.

She looked back down to her work, and just then, there was a knock from somewhere up at the front of the store, followed by a familiar voice. "Hello?"

Hiccup.

"Hey, uhm…. Hello? H-Hallbera? Excuse me?"

Astrid smiled. Leave it to Hiccup to be polite.

Hallbera sighed and set down her work, wiping her hands off and walking to the front of the backroom and around the corner to the door. She couldn't hear what they were saying, being all the way on the other end near her set up, but her heart raced excitedly, hoping to hear what she wanted to hear.

Hallbera was back around the corner in two seconds flat, however, she looked oddly white. "Astrid," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Hiccup's here to see you."

The way Hallbera said his name was strange in the least; it was like she choked it out, about to start crying. Astrid cautiously stood up and set the cloth on the table she claimed as hers, and walked toward the front. She was thankful Hallbera gave her a pair of leather flats to wear to avoid the pins, but she didn't fail to notice how the whole room fell silent. Just twenty seconds ago, the women were all laughing, Hallbera especially, but now it suddenly flipped around like a coin.

Astrid shrugged it off for now and went to see Hiccup. He was standing behind the front desk with his back to the curtained-off door when Astrid stepped through, his head raised high to see all the colorful garments hanging around. Astrid stood in the doorway for a moment, admiring just the sight of him. She let go of the curtain behind her and from the swish noise it made, Hiccup turned around and looked at her for a second as if he had been pulled from a dream, and then his mouth stretched into the widest of smiles Astrid could ever hope to see on him.

"Astrid…," he breathed out, his eyes glittering as she walked around the counter. It was like they hadn't seen each other in months, and though it's only been three days, it felt just the same.

"Hiccup!" Astrid threw her arms around his neck, effectively catching him off-guard. He wound his arms around her back, holding her two or three inches off the ground with the strength of it, and buried his nose in the crook between her ear and shoulder. She smelled like the sea wind and sun on flowers, entirely and totally Astrid. He hugged her close and even twisted side to side, keeping her slender form strongly in his arms. He couldn't have been any happier to see her and to have her excited to see him too made his heart soar like a swallow's.

He let her go at long last, sliding down his front until she stood on her feet. Her hands were on his shoulders and his hand ended at her arms, and they just smiled at each other for the briefest and longest of moments before Astrid attacked him again, except with her mouth this time. She pulled his head down to her by his hair, and though it hurt at first because Astrid had always been brash, Hiccup welcomed her and didn't object. Her lips curled against his and he repeated the motion, opening his mouth in tune with hers and tilting his head ever so slightly so he could close his mouth to cup hers. He loved kissing her, probably because she taught him so damn well, but maybe also because she liked it, too.

Just as they were getting started, there was the sound of someone's voice clearing. The two broke apart but Hiccup still kept his head bowed and Astrid kept her body flush against his, and they both turned their heads to face the intruder. It was a mother with a child on her hip looking rather disdainful and her slit eyes pierced holes through them with her mouth in a disapproving line. She looked at them as if they were the scum of the earth, and neither Hiccup nor Astrid could help the embarrassing blush from spilling onto their faces. Hiccup let his arms slip from where they unknowingly wrapped around her shoulders and stood up straight. He tried taking a step away from Astrid but she pulled him to her by the collar of his tunic and remained, and she even had the audacity to smile at the woman. The mother rolled her eyes and scoffed, walking to the other end of the store with her oblivious child still on her hip, sucking his thumb.

"You're crazy," Hiccup said after watching the woman go.

"Sometimes," she smiled proudly up at Hiccup and he soared even higher knowing she was smiling for him. "So? You came to see me?" Hiccup didn't fail to notice the slight bragging tone in her voice, becoming increasingly more confident as his eyes lingered across her face.

"Yeah, I, uh, have a question… to ask… you," he chuckled, scratching the back of his head. Hiccup could quite possibly never lose his awkwardness, but Astrid was finding it to be cute, so she could get used to it.

"Aaand?" her fist unwound from his tunic and her fingers began tickling the hollow of his throat and upwards on his neck where the russet-colored whiskers began to grow.

"And, I was wondering if you'd like to go for a ride?"

Astrid nodded, biting her lip. "Can I bring Spike, though? She's been practically begging me to take her for a flight."

"Of course, I can't see why not," His hands moved to rest on her hips where his own fingers started to stroke the soft light blue fabric without really thinking about it.

"Great," she beamed at him. "I have to talk to Hallbera, so I'll meet you at Oddr's Rock."

"Okay," Hiccup said softly and reluctantly let her go, waiting until the she disappeared behind the deep red curtain.

On his way home, Hiccup found Toothless sprawled out on a hill in front of the chief's house, snoozing away and looking awfully comfy. "Tooothless," Hiccup spoke quietly as he walked up to his happily napping friend. "Hey, buddy, wake up," he crouched and scratched behind Toothless' ear plate.

Toothless grumbled deep in his throat and turned away from him, still moody from Hiccup's lack of attention these last few days. "We're going for a ride. With Astrid," Toothless awoke immediately after than, sitting on his hind legs. "Great! Are you ready?" Toothless nodded his head. "No, are you, ready?" Hiccup spoke like he was giving a pep talk at a rally, getting into a low fighting stance as if to tackle Toothless. The Night Fury wagged his tail, smiling, and nodded his head faster. "Let's go!" and Hiccup turned swiftly on his heel and ran up the hill to the house, Toothless bounding after him.

"I'm gonna win!" Hiccup cheered in their race to the front door. Unfortunately, Toothless used his tail to knock Hiccup's feet from under him, getting a mouthful of dirt and grass just as he was about to race up the steps. He got on all fours and spit out the earthy mixture and wiped his mouth. "That was a dirty move," he said, glowering at Toothless sitting rather pompously on the doorstep. The dragon tilted his head and eyed him as if to say 'I don't care you jerk, but you look awfully funny'.

"Well, I guess I deserved it…," he sighed and stood up, dusting his front off. "That was still cheap, though," he nudged Toothless while opening the door.

Hiccup dressed his dragon in the complex metal rings and cords and leather, and he couldn't help but feel that same, familiar feeling run through him like static. You are going to fly, the tack seemed to tell him, so quietly it was only a whisper in his veins. He tightened the leather straps around Toothless' torso, and he went to stand up in front of his friend, both hands on either side of his jaw.

"We're finally going," he said quietly, and Toothless smiled, his eyes bright from the mid-morning sunlight pouring in through the windows. "Hey, bud, I just wanted to say I'm really, really sorry. I feel horrible. I do," as he spoke, Hiccup gently stroked his scales, genuinely apologetic. "I've been a bad friend to you, and I'm sorry."

Toothless looked at him for a moment, then happily jumped on his fuzzy-faced human boy, sloshing his tongue all around his face in his way of accepting Hiccup's apology. His giant paws on Hiccup's shoulder, Toothless reeled his tongue back in and left Hiccup's face wet and glimmering with his slobber, grinning. Hiccup let out a mighty "Uuuuhck!" and used his arm to wipe off the slobber after Toothless let him go and sat with a wagging tail.

As Hiccup sat up, he couldn't help but grin also, even as the smell of dragon breath and fish filled his nose. "Thank you, Toothless," he said softly, looking way up at his best friend who looked entirely too excited, and he seemed so say, 'you're welcome, now let's go'.

"Okay, okay, let's go!" Hiccup hopped up with astounding agility and pulled his vest off the hook on the wall and slid it on, and together boy and dragon raced out the door. Toothless ran down the hill, Hiccup next to him. Hiccup reached over and grabbed the strap of leather behind Toothless' head and pulled himself up onto the saddle. He latched his prosthetic into the stirrup and clicked it just so that the tail fin opened and, just as quick, Toothless flew into the air and in a vertical line, straight up into the sky.

00

(4) From my research on Viking-age culture, I didn't find too much on currency. However, after a bit more digging, I found that, I think most of the time, Vikings just cut up what they thought was enough to buy this or that, and these were called 'hacksilver' because they cut it (lol, ironic, huh). They didn't go on face value but went more on weight so there were lots of scales around. Then, I read about penningar and stuff, and though I'm not quite sure, I do believe Vikings used these penningar before the krone or cnut was invented. But, I also read that during the Viking conquest of England, the Mercians and Anglo-Saxons used these things called 'sceattas', which is what I originally used at first but realized it was incorrect, so the Vikings most likely came into contact with these sceattas, but of course, I can't be quite sure. But, the sceattas were around 800-900 AD, and that's about 100-200 years before I set this story in.

I'm a history freak, so pardon the excessive facts, but I wanted to share my findings :) Correct me if I am wrong and I will adjust whatever things I have listed. It's quite confusing, but I'm growing more and more interested in this kind of history. whoop!

A tad bit more info on Arnheim this time, but not enough to really show what I think his character truly is, but just enough for now :) He's definitely one of the more complex characters I have. On that note, I take OC's very seriously, and I rarely like to make them big characters, but for HTTYD, it was necessary because we don't meet the parents, and my story revolves around family as well. Families are important to character development, so take Astrid for example in this context. She's grown to be who she is from her family, just like you and me. Very importante! (Thank you, Psychology class! but I've always believed that) In the case of Auda and Ingrid... they take bigger roles in Astrid's life, and eventually Hiccup's as well (especially Auda and the scene at the Irish pub), so naturally, I had to develop them, but just a heads-up, I don't normally endorse OC's. I don't read fics on here with OC's, and when I do, it's incredibly rare. OC's just make me uncomfortable; it's hard for me to believe them unless the author truly makes me believe them and made them real to me, and that goes with any other story as well. Same thing with Hallbera and Stinkeye and Ranka; I don't want to involve them too much in Astrid's or Hiccup's life, but Hallbera makes a bigger impact later. She's not there to simply be a seamstress master, there's a purpose to her character being. And Dagger. Dagger is important to Hiccup in his development as well. I won't say how.

That's enough foreshadowing for now, I think. Just wanted to get that out of the way! Thanks for reading, and don't be afraid to review! And don't be afraid to leave a long review, either! ;)