Hello, again. I thought I'd never finish this. As usual, the hardest part was just wrapping it up. I actually skipped anthropology today for the sake of finishing this. In more exact terms, I skipped anthropology so I could watch Vikings and Game of Thrones. That way I would not be watching them later when I could be working on this. Priorities.
As I mentioned before, I'm putting in my own version of the deleted scene between Hiccup and Astrid, "Axe to Grind." If you've not seen it, I suggest you do, because it adds a whole different layer to this chapter.
Chapter 2:
Grimefoot took a bite of his apple and said around a full mouth, "Ish not shentered."
Astrid glared at him over her shoulder and squinted against the noon sun. "Do it yourself, then."
He swallowed and held up the half-eaten fruit. "Busy."
"Clearly." She looked back at the log sitting on the stump. True, it was off center, but she had impeccable aim with an axe. And Grimefoot was just being difficult. "Thank you, by the way, for all your help," she said sarcastically.
"Not at all." She heard Grimefoot bite into the apple again before he continued, "Alwaysh a pleashure."
"I just love having a brother who actually does his share."
"Indeed. Encouraging you while you do all the work is a job for two people. It takes skill to be able to do it as one."
"Hm." She brought her mother's battle axe over her head and swung it downward. The small log split perfectly and the axe stuck in the stump. She let go of the handle and tossed the two halves of wood to the side. "It's funny, though. I seem to remember Mom saying something about you cutting and me handing you new logs."
"Lesh talking."
Something slammed into the small of her back and Astrid yelped before turning around. "Grimefoot!"
Her brother blinked. "I mished!"
She bent down and picked up the log with which he had nailed her. "You 'mished'?"
He swallowed and threw the apple core to the side. "I swear! I missed." He grinned. "I was aiming higher."
Astrid raised the log above her head and ran toward him, but he simply laughed and ducked out of her way.
"Are you seriously trying to..."
She slung the log at him and he pushed her head to the side, knocking her off balance.
"I am twice your size..."
Astrid regained her footing and ran toward him, and Grimefoot grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. She dropped the log and struggled to get out of his hold, but he reached around with his other hand and dug his fingers into a certain spot just under her ribs. She shrieked and her knees buckled.
"I can take you down easy, you little dwarf," he said as he continued to tickle her.
"Don't...call me..." she gasped between hysterical guffaws. She writhed in his grasp.
Grimefoot moved his hand closer to her middle, toward the small little triangle where her ribs separated just above her navel and dug his fingers in. As she cried out and doubled over, he mused, "What on earth will you do if you walk into the ring and a dragon figures out this little weakness?"
Laughter racked her body, and she could barely breathe. She felt tears prickling behind her eyes.
"Grimefoot!" her mother's voice called from the house. "Stop torturing your poor sister."
The boy released her and Astrid took a deep breath as the last few giggles left her throat.
"And come inside," Gundy Hofferson added. "Your father's back. And he's brought the whole clan."
Astrid turned to look at her mother, standing in the wooden doorway with hands on her hips and a slight smile on her face. Like every other Hofferson, she had blue eyes and blonde hair, though hers was slightly darker and streaked with grey, unlike that of the younger generation. Astrid had definitely inherited Gundy's leaner, shorter build, while al four of the boys had taken after their father. Gundy jerked her head toward the inside of the house before disappearing through the door.
Grimefoot pushed Astrid forward. "But, I'm curious, what will you do if you get into the arena and a dragon discovers your weakness?"
Astrid rolled her eyes. "No dragon is going to attempt to tickle me."
He clicked his tongue. "You sound so sure. When I fought my Monstrous Nightmare, it–"
"If I can remember, that thing barely had time to blink. You took it down in seconds. It was a family record."
"It was a Berk record," Grimefoot corrected sounding very miffed before he continued cheerfully, "Datter and Dad were so upset. They had wanted more excitement."
She walked toward the doorway and stepped over the high threshold and immediately met with the familiar sight of far too many people in the small main room. Her eldest brother, Datter, made wild hand gestures as he spoke animatedly to her father, Boffer, who laughed as he leaned against the hearth. Were it not for the braids Datter wore in his yellow beard and the wrinkles lining her father's face, the two men would have been almost identical. Datter's brown-haired wife, Kata, sat at the table and was bouncing the new baby girl on her hip and snapping her fingers at her two-year-old son in the corner and begging him to "please, stop eating the grain raw, Daner." Cloutbeard's own blonde wife, Waspnest sat at the table as well and rested a hand on her bulging stomach as she tried to get Kata's attention to tell her some of the latest gossip. Cloutbeard himself sat next two her and across the table from Splinter, with whom he was arm-wrestling. Splinter was winning, and Cloutbeard's face was twisted up in concentration and determination. Splinter's betrothed, Alga, cheered him on while she brushed her yellow hair out of her eyes.
Grimefoot pushed past her and walked right up to the dueling men, and before anyone could react to his presence, grabbed the linked hands and slammed them onto the wooden table. Splinter pumped his fists in the air in victory while Alga cackled and Cloutbeard leapt to his feet and screamed Grimefoot's name before punching him squarely in the jaw. Grimefoot reeled back and stepped forward to regain his balance, but Cloutbeard jumped forward and tackled him, sending them both to the floor.
Astrid's mother walked up to her daughter and brushed at her braid. "You've got chips in your hair."
"Thanks," Astrid replied before turning her attention to the wrestling match.
Alga shouted random encouragements as the two men grappled. Kata lost interest in her children and leaned over the table to get a better view of the fight, and even Waspnest for once dropped the latest news of what Racket Hoarkson had said about something positively scandalous in favour of the action. Boffer absolutely beamed at his boys and egged them on, telling them to go at it just as he had taught them. Datter grinned and made a jab at Cloutbeard, who made the mistake of turning his attention from Grimefoot in order to throw back a snide remark. Grimefoot took advantage of the situation and rolled them over so that he was on top of his older brother. He pulled back his fist and let it fly, punching Splinter on his cheek.
"Alright!" Boffer called above the din. "That's enough. Before we take down the house!"
"We couldn't take down the house, Boffer," Gundy said with a laugh.
"That a challenge, Mom?" Datter asked.
Boffer shook his head. "Seriously. We have news for those of you who weren't at the meeting."
Grimefoot stood up and held out a hand for Splinter. The older boy accepted it and the younger brother helped him to his feet. "That was a good hit," Grimefoot said. "I'll be feeling that one for a while. Might even bruise."
Splinter shrugged. "You too. That almost hurt."
The family laughed and Boffer held up his hands. "Really! We have things to discuss."
The small crowd quieted as the men sat next to their wives and the head of the family took his place at the head of the table.
Astrid leaned against the wooden wall and crossed her arms over her chest. The news from the meeting probably had nothing to do with her. It never did.
"We're setting out for Helheim's gate. Tonight."
"Tonight?" Gundy asked. "How will you sail?"
Boffer shrugged. "Stoick has this idea that we should set out at night and follow the dragon flight patterns."
Everyone around the table nodded. It was logical. Dragons hunted at night. They returned to their nest at night.
"So we should get ready?" Grimefoot asked.
"Not you," Boffer said. "Someone's got to stay with Astrid. Your mother's coming with us."
"I can come help around the house," Kata assured Grimefoot. "Give you some time off. When I'm not preoccupied with the..." She looked down at the tiny girl in her lap and then looked over at the food corner and snapped her fingers. "Daner! Stop eating that!"
"Maybe Waspnest can stay at our house," Datter suggested.
"Oh, I'm fine," Kata said quickly. "Really, I don't need any help. I can manage."
"No one said you couldn't," Datter pointed out.
Gundy nodded. "Waspnest will be the one in need of assistnce, with the baby due at any time."
Waspnest reached out and grabbed Kata's hand. "We'll have so much fun. We can talk all night."
Kata gave the other woman a very forced smile before she elbowed her own husband in the side. Datter winced.
"So...I'm staying," Grimefoot clarified. "Why does anyone need to be here for Astrid? She can handle herself."
Astrid smiled.
Cloutbeard waved a hand in his direction. "In case she gets hurt, or something."
Grimefoot snorted. "Hurt? But–"
"He's not finished," Datter said.
Boffer nodded. "We're pulling men from the defenses to man the ships, so they're going to start training new recruits."
Astrid could hear her heart rate accelerating. Finally.
"She's starting training in the morning."
Everyone looked at her with wide, expectant smiles.
Astrid struggled to find her breath. Finally. Finally!
"Ready to take up the family legacy?" Splinter asked.
Astrid nodded. "Absolutely." Every person in that room, with the exception of herself and the children, obviously, had been chosen his or her year to slay the Monstrous Nightmare. Every person in that room had done it, and every battle had become legend. Her father had taken down the biggest one ever captured. Datter had killed the hottest Nightmare known. Waspnest had killed hers with three quick shots with a bow. Grimefoot had set a record for the fastest kill in history.
She was ready to make her own mark.
It was her birthright.
Gundy held out her prized battle axe and held it out. "You'll need this."
Astrid reached and closed her fingers around the handle. She had practiced with it hundreds of times, and its feel was so familiar. It would help her through the ring. It would help her attain her destiny.
"Well, go on, then!" Grimefoot said. "Go get it sharpened."
Astrid nodded once and turned and pushed the door open and smiled broadly. One more night and she would be doing what she had trained for her entire life. Two weeks and she would make her own legend in the ring. She stepped outside and took a deep breath.
Finally.
She closed the door right as Kata cried, "Daner, I told you to stop eating raw grain!"
Astrid walked up to the building and heard Gobber's voice over the clanging and banging. "...makes grown men uncomfortable."
She kept walking and had almost reached the doorway. She could easily see Gobber and Hiccup conversing over an anvil with a glowing sword resting atop it.
"Speaking of 'uncomfortable,'" Hiccup replied in that sarcastic, nasal mumble, "I'd like a new conversation, please."
She placed a hand on the wooden frame of the door and opened her mouth to say something to get their attention.
"Alright," Goober shrugged before he looked at Hiccup while wagging his eyebrows in a suggestive manner. "How's it goin' with the ladies?"
Astrid closed her mouth quickly and looked away. She should not be listening...
Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah. Way to get the mood back on track..."
She should not be listening. Private conversations and all that. She did not care, of course, but the topic made her feel exceedingly uncomfortable.
She decided she could come back later.
With a quick turn before Gobber could reply in his thick drawl, she walked away.
Never before had she...She had never really thought that Hiccup was like other boys, thinking about girls and all that. In a sense, it was weird, thinking about Hiccup as a normal boy, as a normal person who thought about normal things. He had always just been this complete screw-up, existing purely for the purpose of making life more difficult. He had always been this kid that she had once known. That he even looked at girls...The thought had never even crossed her mind.
And why should it? She did not particularly care what Hiccup did or thought. In all actuality, she had merely felt awkward eavesdropping on such a personal conversation.
She frowned as she realized jut how little she knew about him. Even if it did not affect her, she should know something about Stoick's son beyond his amazing propensity for trouble.
She looked up and took a step back when she saw Snotlout walking toward her with determination.
Never mind personal conversations. She looked down at the axe in her hand and turned on her heel and headed back toward the forge. That axe needed to be sharpened as soon as possible.
Snotlout would never walk into the forge. He did not associate with Hiccup if he could help it. He did not want all the Hiccup-ness rubbing off on him.
Extending a hand of friendship and talking to Hiccup suddenly seemed like less trouble. It was definitely worth her time.
"Astrid!" Snotlout called.
Oh, gods...She picked up her pace as casually as she could. She had not heard him.
"...wouldn't come near me if she was on fire and I had the only bucket of water in town," Hiccup said as she walked up to the door.
"Hey!" she said a little too loudly, too forcefully, too desperately.
Gobber looked up with mild interest before he cracked a sly grin. Hiccup looked at her with wide eyes and pressed his lips together. He looked as if he had been caught stealing honey from her mother's special stash.
She said a little softer, "Can I get this sharpened?"
Hiccup, still looking sheepish, scared, and oddly guilty, wiped at the corner of his mouth and flashed a very wide, very crooked smile. "Astrid!" he said a bit too brightly before he continued his nasal, mumbling, prattle. "Hi, Astrid! Hello, there. Welcome..."
She rolled her eyes and spun the axe in her hand. She welcomed the useless babble as an excuse to avoid Snotlout, but she did not have all day.
"What can I do–"
She threw the axe at a wooden block and the blade stuck firmly.
Hiccup jumped slightly and looked at the axe. "Hey..." he said, holding out the sound with a slight tremor in his voice and sounding not very unlike a frightened sheep.
Astrid stalked into the shop and stood next to the wooden block.
With that same sly look in his eyes, Gobber grinned and lifted his hammer prosthetic behind Hiccup's back. "Uh, my, uh..." He used the hammer to push Hiccup forward, and the boy stumbled before coming to a stop directly in front of Astrid. He straightened and looked at her with wide eyes.
Green.
His eyes were green.
Not that it particularly mattered. His eyes would never have an impact on her life.
"...manly apprentice here will service all of your needs," Gobber continued.
Hiccup's eyelids lowered slightly and turned around to give Gobber a lidded, sardonic glare.
A silent message seemed to pass between the two males, and Gobber looked to his right with a look of slight panic that suggested he knew he was in some sort of trouble. "I have to..." Gobber picked up a handful of nails from a barrel. "...go..." He sidestepped into the barrel and held out the hand full of nails to steady it. He dropped the nails into the barrel. "...get..." He stepped back and trailed his hand along the edge of the barrel. "...some..." He leaned forward and pointed with his hammer at Astrid and Hiccup. "...juh..."
Astrid raised an eyebrow. She had always known Gobber was a bit loose in the head, but this was unexpectedly ridiculous.
Gobber stepped to his right again and pointed a finger at them before mumbling, "I'm just going outside," and shuffling out the back door, chuckling as he went.
Hiccup turned to look back at Astrid and gave her a short laugh. He gestured in the direction the blacksmith had just gone. "Gobber." He flashed that crooked smile.
Astrid narrowed her eyes as she pulled the axe out of the wooden block. The smithy was probably the strangest place she had ever been.
Hiccup held out his arms for the axe, and she pulled it back from him. Given Hiccup's performance that morning, she was not sure she trusted him with anything sharp.
His smile fell and he stared at her with wide, innocent eyes.
Where was the harm, though? She was already planning to stay in order to avoid Snotlout. She could keep Hiccup from doing anything stupid. She held out the axe again and he reached out to grab the handle. She released her grip and he groaned as he struggled under the weight of the weapon before it pulled him down and the axe head slammed against the ground.
Astrid rolled her eyes again. Manly, indeed.
Hiccup looked up from his hunched over position. "Ok!" He sighed and started pulling the axe toward a grindstone sitting near the furnace. "Razor sharp battle axe, coming right up."
Astrid winced as the iron head scraped along the ground. "Careful! That's my mother's." She turned and saw an interesting display of swords hanging on a wooden wall and she walked toward them.
"So...I, uh, saw you guys on fire patrol this morning," Hiccup began conversationally.
Astrid reached out and ran her hand over the hilt of one of the swords. The pommel at the end was simple fan topped with a round disc. No fancy inlays. Practical.
"Looked like a good time," Hiccup added pointedly.
Astrid closed her hand around the hilt of the sword. The poor kid was starved for conversation. She could not blame him: with only Gobber for company and any other human interaction resulting in continual put-downs, Hiccup was probably going insane. She had decided to extend the hand of friendship, and extend it she would. Though, she had known everyone in the village since she was born. She had been spending time with the other kids for years. It had been so long since she had met someone and been forced to make a friend that she had forgotten how.
But how hard could it possibly be? Maybe if she spoke to him as if he were one of the other kids their age...She could just speak to him as if he were Ruffnut. That was easy.
"Yeah, I didn't get burned, though," she replied. She lifted the sword from its hook on the wall. It was balanced enough, not perfect, but it was extremely heavy. She tossed the sword to her other hand and spun the blade. It was made for someone stronger, someone who fought with momentum, someone who valued force over precision. "It's only fun if you get a scar out of it," she said, quoting her eldest bother, Datter. She had never actually received a scar from fire patrol, but Hiccup did not need to know that.
"Yeah, no kidding, right?" Hiccup said, though his voice lacked enthusiasm and sincerity. It was not sarcastic, but strangely forced, as if he were trying to adapt to the topic but could not relate. "Pain...Love it."
Astrid bit her lip as she pretended to examine the sword. She was trying, he was trying...They were both forcing the conversation, and it was beyond awkward.
Hiccup grunted and then released a huge gasp of air as the grindstone started turning, the wheel squeaking in the wooden support. Was he too weak to even turn the stone? No, the wheel had to have been stuck. Astrid decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. That was what one did when making friends, right?
"Yeah, I would have been there, too," Hiccup continued, his voice strained as he exerted effort into the task of turning the grindstone. "But I was out, downing a Night Fury..." He gasped for air.
Astrid put the sword back in its place and reached for a higher one that caught her eye. How long was Hiccup going to drag this tale out? Usually he would stop pretending after one word from Stoick, but if he was still talking about it several hours later...
Did one humour others when trying to make friends?
Astrid decided she would. "Really?" she asked with feigned interest. She jumped slightly when she heard the iron head of her mother's axe slam against the grindstone. "Well, where...Where is–"
"Ah, uh...I-it got away," Hiccup said quickly with a twinge of disappointment in his voice. "Um..."
Astrid plucked the sword off the wall. This one was so different. The hilt was lovely, with the angled pommel and delicately curved crossguard were decorated with little designs laid with copper. The tang was narrow and long, allowing for maneuverability and quick changes in hand position.
"But it won't be back anytime soon," Hiccup said with a false sort of confidence, as if he were trying to show off. "Believe you me." He laughed quietly.
Astrid held up the sword and peered down the blade. The distal taper was almost perfect, placing the balance beautifully and comfortably close to the grip, and the end of the blade narrowed into a rounded point. This was a sword for delicate maneuvers, for dances between opponents. It would be a useless blade during a dragon battle, but it would be perfect for raids against the well-armed and well-trained Anglo-Saxons.
She was suddenly overcome with the unusual feeling of being watched, though it was not that creepy, annoying feeling she got when she knew Snotlout was following her. It was a curious sensation, one of interest, as if someone were merely observing her actions and waiting to see what she would do next. She turned around, but Hiccup was bent over the grindstone, focused on the axe. She shrugged and turned back toward the wall and put the sword back in its place. She spotted another similar blade higher up and reached for the hilt.
"Yeah, you know," Hiccup said casually, "this apprentice thing is just my sort of, on the side, uh..."
She felt those eyes on her again, and a nagging thought that maybe the gaze was not so innocent that time pulled at her mind, but she brushed it off. She could hear the grindstone whirring, indicating that Hiccup was still working, and she knew there was no one else in the smithy. She was just imagining things.
Her fingers grazed the pommel of the sword, but it was too far out of her grasp. Still, the craftsmanship was beautiful. She could not imagine Gobber creating anything so delicate and fine.
"I'm mostly here to bulk up, with some iron and stuff...Become one with the steel–" There was a loud scrape as Hiccup let out a sudden yelp. The sound of the axe against the grindstone stopped.
Had he hurt himself? Idiot.
Astrid turned away from the wall and noticed a barrel of swords in a corner next to a curtain. She walked over to the barrel and picked up one of the swords by the hilt. The blade was unsharpened and beaten badly and had a huge dent in the middle. These swords needed repairing. She dropped the weapon and it rattled int he barrel with the others. She then grabbed the curtain.
"Ah–dah–no!" Hiccup cried. "You're not actually supposed to–uh..."
She pulled aside the curtain to reveal a small room with an angled writing desk pushed against the wall next to the doorway and a small set of shelves on the adjacent wall. Every inch of the room was blanketed in parchment covered in lines and drawings made in charcoal.
"What...is all of this?"
She heard footsteps scuttle behind her before Hiccup eloquently blurted, "Uh...oh...uh, those? Nothing..."
Astrid rolled her eyes and stepped into the small room and leaned forward to get a closer look at one sketch. The parchment was not tacked to the wall but was held up due to the fact that the page was wedged under a splinter of wood. Carefully she pulled the parchment out and held it up. It looked like a crossbow, an Anglo-Saxon weapon, but she could not be sure. It was drawn at several angles, each one showing a different component. After a moment she concluded that it held at least fifteen arrows at once, that they would automatically click into place, and that a person could load another arrow while one was being fired. It was clever, she decided. Very clever. There were messy notes scrawled around the diagrams with arrows pointing to certain parts. Notes like "clogging" and "draw-back efficiency" and things she could not decipher.
"Just some stuff I'm working on..."
She tried to wedge the page back under the splinter, but the parchment crumpled and tore a bit. Astrid winced and tried again, gently. When she finally got it to stay, she turned around and almost ran into the writing desk.
Juh-just, uh..." There was a loud chorus of clattering and clanging. "...Confidential..." Hiccup groaned loudly and Astrid wondered for a moment what in Midgard was happening out there. "...Upper level development."
She leaned over the desk, her fascination caught by yet another sketch, this one of a long sort of wheel-barrow. Or it would have been a wheelbarrow were it not for two very long strips jutting from either side like oars or wings. More scratchy notes said things like "canvas or leather" and "two levels with support" and "tapered edges." A smaller piece of parchment was tacked to the bottom corner with a nail. That parchment displayed a detailed diagram of a bird in flight with arrows pushing up and down against the feathered wings. "Maybe like wind pushes a sail," one note said. She fought the urge to scoff. It was as if he were implying that wind blew up and down at the same time, that air weighed something, and that was why birds could fly. It was a stupid theory.
"I-I can't really...talk about it, so..."
She could understand why. If the bird thing was any indication, his ideas were weird and dumb. She looked down and saw a leather bound book sitting on a stack of parchment on the desk. She picked up the book and examined the cover. She had seen it before. Hiccup always had it with him. Snotlout had always theorized that Hiccup had been writing poetry like the "pansy" he was. Astrid had never really cared. If Hiccup wanted to write in his book, he could write in his book. At that moment, however, the book was a source of great curiosity. Maybe it held more of his weird and dumb ideas. She brushed her left hand over the cover and almost opened it, but something caught her eye. It was the page on the top of the stack that had been sitting under the book. She dropped the little book and picked up the parchment instead. The charcoal sketch looked something like a small four-armed catapult with little dotted lines leading to some teethed triangles. At the bottom was written a word in huge letters.
"'The Mutilator'..." she read aloud. It sounded cool, unlike everything else in the tiny room.
"Yes, yes...uh..." Hiccup sighed heavily. "Basically it used twin-weighted counter-levers to launch crisscrossing blades in four different directions," he clarified in a bored, hopeless voice, as if he had completely given up on the project and found it incredibly dull and simplistic.
Twin-weighted-what-now? Astrid had barely understood the explanation, which annoyed her enough. And Hiccup's weary tone did not help. "How do you hold it?"
"Well, you don't," he replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You shoot it." Something started squeaking outside the room.
"Oh." Astrid raised one eyebrow and dropped the page on top of the book. He may not have meant to offend, but she did not like his tone or the conversation. It was as if he were trying to make her feel stupid by using big words and displaying these nonsensical drawings. And she was not stupid. She was definitely smart, smarter than any other kid her age, with the exception of Fishlegs...maybe. She had always been smarter. It was what gave her the edge, what made her better in a battle. She could think on her feet better than anyone else her age. It was why she was often put in charge. It was why she was respected by her peers. And Hiccup was not smarter than she was. He simply could not be. "Eh, well..." she said in the most disparaging voice she could muster. She noticed a...thing leaning against the desk and she picked it up. It was strange object, like a stick with an adjacent handle with a ball on the end. "I'm more of an old-fashioned take it down with an axe and then lop its head off kind of girl," she said, punctuating her sentence by flicking the ball. It spun forward and back with a satisfying boing. She set it down hard. "It's kinda the Viking way, right?" she added, intentionally bringing up something she knew he could not relate to. In all things Viking, she was unquestionably his superior.
"Go Vikings," he said dryly.
She grinned as her mind trailed to the wonderful news she had heard earlier that day. She strolled out of the room. Hiccup was still bent over the grindstone, and she wondered for a moment what all the noise was about. But it meant nothing in the light of the news. "Gosh, I can't wait to get started tomorrow! We finally get a chance to show them what we've got! I am so excited!" She walked past him toward the exit and saw that Snotlout was still hanging aroung the square, though he was now accompanied by Fishlegs and the twins. Right. She had made a commitment.
"Ye-yeah!" The grinding stopped and Hiccup grunted before continuing uncertainly, "I-I am so excited...for...you..."
She turned around and looked at him. Hiccup looked back at her and held her mother's axe in both of his hands. "What, you didn't hear?" she asked. Of all people, he would know. He was the chief's son.
Hiccup shrugged.
Maybe he had not seen his father since the fiasco that morning. Maybe he did not know yet. But if he had not been home, where had he been the whole day? She narrowed her eyes. "They're pulling men to crew the ships," she offered as an explanation.
HIccup nodded. "And you're happy because you..." He gestured to her with one hand and raised an eyebrow. "...like to wave goodbye?"
He did not know. She knew something he did not know. It felt like such sweet justice for earlier, when he had rubbed those weird terms in her face. She picked up a dagger lying on a nearby crate and flicked the point. "No, stupid," she said, driving the word as much as she could without being obnoxious. "They need replacements to defend the town." She walked up to him and grabbed his shoulders as excitement overtook her desire to...do whatever she was doing. Because she certainly did not have anything to prove. "We start training in the morning! We'll be fighting dragons!" She grinned and looked into his big eyes.
Green eyes. How had she forgotten what colour his eyes were? She suddenly realized that she was taller than he was, and she had to look down to see those big, green eyes. And he had so many freckles, more than she had. She had never noticed.
She felt awful, like she had been negligent in a duty. Like she had cruelly abandoned someone. It was a stupid feeling.
She wondered what girl Hiccup and Gobber had been talking about before she walked in. She and Ruffnut were the only girls his age, but neither of them ever spoke to him, so it did not seem likely that either girl had been the subject. Maybe a girl a year or two older? Like Racket Abbisson or Rasp Hraniman? Hiccup often went to visit other tribes and take part in Things. Maybe a girl from another village? Maybe–
"Astrid!" Snotlout shouted, yanking her from her thoughts. "You coming to practice with us or what?"
She quickly stepped back and removed her hands from Hiccup's shoulders. After a moment, she held out her left hand.
Hiccup took a deep breath and grunted as he hefted the axe in both his hands and she grabbed it from him and opened her mouth to thank him then closed it again.
Odd. She passed the axe to her right hand and waved it up and down. It felt...strange. She passed it back to her left hand. "This feels different," she stated as she held it up to examine it. It looked fine. She could not quite put her finger on it, but something...
"Oh!" Hiccup said quickly. He sounded almost panicked, as if he knew he had done something wrong. "Yeah! I rebalanced it. Tightened it up," he continued casually as he mimed tightening something. "Uh...Finessed it." He held out his arms as if making a presentation. "We're a full-service outfit here." He pointed at her and smiled that crooked grin.
"Huh." That was it. The balance was better. Right around the head, allowing for more control. She had not asked him to do it, but it was a nice gesture. Why was he so nervous about it? She was not going to yell at him for improving a weapon that desperately needed it. She looked at him and opened her mouth to thank him again but stopped.
Gods, his eyes were green. Green like leaves in summer. She had no idea eyes could ever be that green.
Not that it particularly mattered.
Hiccup had rebalanced her axe without her asking. He did not have to, even if Gobber's stall was a "full-service outfit." It was sweet. Maybe she had misjudged him. He was certainly weird, but maybe he had not meant to insult her earlier. Maybe he had been giving her credit for being intelligent. Maybe he had taken for granted that she would understand. Maybe it was a compliment. Maybe he just needed someone intelligent to talk to. She was familiar with the feeling.
She tore her gaze away from those big green eyes and reached into the pouch at her hip for a spare coin or something to trade. She bit her lip as she realized that she had nothing of value.
"Ah..."
She looked up and met those big green eyes again.
Hiccup shook his head with a soft smile and waved a hand.
"Thanks." Feeling a bit embarrassed by her horrible blunder, she pushed her bangs back behind her ear.
"Sure." He smiled that crooked grin and she found that she wanted to smile back.
So she did. For a second she considered inviting him along. He could escape the forge for once, and maybe make a few much-needed friends.
"Astrid!" Ruffnut called.
Hiccup pressed his lips together and looked at her expectantly, waiting for her next move.
He would probably turn down the invitation, anyway. He was awkward like that.
With one last smile, she turned and jogged out of the shop. She slowed to a walk when she reached the group of kids.
Tuffnut grinned and put his hands behind his head. "Oh, I hope I get some serious scars out of this!" He did not say, but his excitement betrayed that he knew as well: they were all headed to dragon training in the morning.
"Oh, I know!" Astrid agreed with equal enthusiasm. "Like a jagged one right across your cheek!"
"Or right through my eye!"
She smiled and turned back around. Maybe she should invite Hiccup along, even if he were certain to turn down the offer. It was just the nice thing to do. But the boy had already disappeared back into the shop.
"What?" Snotlout asked.
Astrid shook her head and turned back and continued walking. "Nothing."
"What was going on back there?" he asked forcefully.
She raised an eyebrow. Snotlout could not think that...No. "Hiccup was sharpening this axe." She held the weapon up as some sort of proof. "We were just talking."
"T-talking?" Snotlout sputtered. "But...he's so weird!"
"Yeah," Astrid agreed with a nod. "Yeah, he really is."
Snotlout smiled, seemingly satisfied with her answer, and went on, "Like, super weird. Did I ever tell you? This one time, he..."
Astrid looked at the axe and spun it in her hand. Hiccup was definitely weird. He was probably the weirdest person with whom she had ever spoken. But he was nice. Nicer than his cousin, and probably ten times as smart.
And maybe, just maybe, he would be a good friend. A strange friend, but a good one.
And there you have it. The first chapter of the sequel story is up, if you're interested. It's entitled Here Be Dragons. So check it out if you're willing.
I'm very amazed that my roommate is still sleeping as I type this...On my way from the door to my bed and computer, I'm fairly certain I successfully managed to step on every noisy object in the dark dorm room. A plastic bag full of plastic Easter eggs, a couple of plastic bags of candy, a box of something like candies or mints...I also face-planted at one point and slammed into the floor with all the force of a falling giant. All of this within fifteen steps. I think I deserve some sort of award for being so incredibly uncoordinated.
Also, I'm looking for a Beta for this one and HereBeDragons, so if anyone out there is interested in either or both, shoot me a PM.
And, for anyone still reading this author's note, I want you to know that you're awesome. And beautiful/handsome/whatever-you-prefer. Someone just stopped me on our quad today and told me that, and it got me thinking...We don't give compliments nearly enough. We love to get them, but we don't give them as much. And I was thinking, the world would be a much happier place if we'd all take the time to tell our friends and families and even random strangers just how fucking cool they are.
In case anyone was interested, I wrote this whole chapter while listening to Abney Park's newest album, Ancient World. So relatable to the chapter content, I know.
Leave a review if it suits your fancy. Don't if it doesn't. I'm not big on demanding them. They don't feel earned that way, you know?
Happy Belated Easter and Return of DoctorWho and Game of Thrones!