Chapter Thirteen: Questions over Dinner
"It...it really was you all along..." she breathed. Hiccup rubbed the back on his neck nervously, avoiding eye contact until Astrid turned his head so that their gazes locked. So she had guessed. "Hiccup..."
"Astrid..." Hiccup gulped as Astrid's hand held his cheek gently and her face came closer to his.
SMACK!
"OWW!" Hiccup cried, reeling to the side due to the sheer force of the slap. His cheek smarted, glowed bright red where Astrid's hand had come into contact with it and stung like no one's business. Hiccup was pretty sure he would be feeling that for the rest of the day, if not the following day as well. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!" he yelled.
"That's for worrying me sick for three years," Astrid replied bluntly. Hiccup glared at her.
"Of all the welcomes you could've given me, you slap me?!" he snapped. Kyra stood by, her arms crossed in an 'I told you so' fashion.
"I told you he wouldn't appreciate it," she said, aiming the statement at Astrid who simply ignored her best friend and continued glaring at Hiccup.
"Exactly!" the boy snapped, rubbing his still smarting cheek. "Do you even realise how much that hurts? Because I really..." Hiccup was cut off as Astrid suddenly pulled him into a kiss that had waited far too long to be had. Within seconds, Hiccup's mild anger at receiving a less-than-warm welcome from his fiancée vanished and he kissed Astrid back. As always, she was the one who started it and was the one to end it as well. "...really missed you," Hiccup finished instead, beaming from ear to ear.
"Why didn't you just tell me, Hatchet-Head?" Astrid scolded although even she couldn't stop a smile spreading all over her face.
"Like we said – we couldn't," Kyra repeated for what felt like the billionth time, rolling her eyes.
"Said who?" Snotlout cut in.
"Uh...Odin did...actually," Hiccup grimaced at his cousin's question. As expected, eyebrows were raised.
"You expect us to believe that?" Tuffnut asked sarcastically.
"As in, seriously expect us to believe that?" Ruffnut added.
"I mean, Gobber claims about Thor coming and helping him out was crazy enough but..." Fishlegs started until Kyra interrupted.
"Oh, it happens," she confirmed. "More than you think."
Given that Kyra was practically a demigod everyone's future arguments on the matter were made invalid.
/\
Hiccup was relieved to be sleeping elsewhere other than the Cove. As soon as they'd arrived back at the village, his father had insisted on him coming home with him and Kyra, much to Toothless' and Hiccup's delight. True, the still existing wings and tail made sleeping in the wooden bed a little awkward, especially given that Hiccup had just started to get used to sleeping on the floor with them, but Hiccup was too happy to care. One of the first things he did when he got home was get rid of his old tunic and fling on a new one as soon as he could along with a new pair of leggings and a boot.
"Never been so relieved to have a boot on, huh?" Kyra joked when she came up to see her brother later. She couldn't be happier with his sudden progress, despite the means in which it came about – now that there were only the wings, tail and a few other scales on Hiccup to worry about, he looked relatively normal. Heck, he didn't look much different to Kyra when she used to do her half-dragon transformations. Speaking of which, she missed those.
"Tell me about it," Hiccup grinned, flopping onto his bed. Even though it was made of hard wood, it felt more comfortable than anything else Hiccup had slept on in the past three years.. "Gods, though – I am gonna be stinking of seaweed for a month."
"You realise you already have for the past week?" Kyra pointed out in the same dry tone her brother often used. Despite their differing accents (Kyra spoke differently to the other teens on Berk mostly due to her living in the other world for most of her life1), anyone could tell Hiccup and Kyra were siblings just by listening to them. They both had the same sarcastic tone to their voices every now and then and both could barely stop themselves coming out with witty comments in the nervous, dry-humour tone Hiccup had always been known for. She sat down at her brother's desk as she often did when she spoke to him. "Just one more test to finish now, huh?"
"More like one and a half, I'd say," Hiccup groaned. "I mean, I've botched the Identity one a good couple of times now, haven't I?"
"Yeah, well, I'd say that one's on-going," Kyra shrugged. "It should be a bit easier now, though, shouldn't it? Given that you're...this, now," she mentioned. Hiccup glared cynically at her.
"You just gestured to all of me," he pointed out sarcastically, a slight grin creeping onto his face again. In retaliation, Kyra threw a charcoal pencil at his head. "Ow! What is it with people hurting me today?"
"You really should've expected it earlier," Kyra grinned. "It's Astrid we're talking about after all." She paused and smirked. "Not to mention we're trying to get you out of your habit of nearly dying at least once every adventure."
"Oh, come on! How many times has that even happened?"
"Fourteen."
"You've counted?!"
/\
Astrid and the teens were already in the Great Hall by the time Kyra and Hiccup showed up. All of them were keen to catch up with Hiccup on where he'd been for the past three years and why he hadn't returned until now. In addition to this, the Meatheads were joining the Hooligans for dinner so that Mugdug and Stoick could discuss the arranged marriage between Kyra and Artair, which meant Artair would be joining the Defenders of Berk on their table.
"So...you and Kyra sure seem to be getting along, huh?" Fishlegs noted to Artair.
"Uh...yeah," the guy replied. "I guess...might be a rare case of a marriage like this working out."
"She did tell you about what happens when she goes crazy, right?" Ruffnut asked, leaning in flirtatiously. Artair was grateful that Tuffnut and Astrid stepped in to give the girl a clonk on the head with the nearest plate.
"Yes, she did," Artair replied calmly. "I think most people know about the legendary Dragon Shifter being the daughter of Stoick the Vast this time." Astrid wondered if Kyra had shown him her eye yet but decided not to mention it in case she hadn't. "Say, Astrid – you're engaged to Hiccup, right?"
"It's been a long engagement – Hiccup's lucky she's still willing to...OW" Snotlout yelped – Astrid punched him.
"You shut it," she glared before facing Artair. "Yeah – it's been a while since we were hand-fasted and he officially proposed but...I don't think I'd be happier," she smiled. Artair grinned.
"Well, then – here's to us," he toasted. All the teens joined in the toast when Kyra and Hiccup finally showed up. "What took you guys so long?"
"It's been a long day," Hiccup shrugged as Astrid scooted along the bench to give him room. Kyra sat down opposite him next to Artair.
"Yeah – I don't think I've seen you nap that long," she grinned. Hiccup made a face at her – Kyra was one to talk given her tendency to lie in past midday when it suited her.
"So, when's it all gonna happen?" Ruffnut cut across, having recovered from her brief concussion.
"What?" Hiccup asked, his eyes narrowing.
"What else would she be talking about, idiot?" Tuffnut scoffed. "You guys?"
"I still don't follow."
"You see? You never make anything clear!" Tuffnut scolded his sister.
"Well, you didn't do any better, did ya?"
"You saying that I can't explain things?"
"You saying that I can't explain things?"
"Maybe I am!"
"At least I can..."
"SHUT UP!" the other teens chorused. Honest to the gods – the twins picked the most inconvenient times to argue. Once it had gotten so bad Hiccup had actually rammed a plate onto Tuffnut's head and thrown his drink at him (Kyra couldn't help but smile at the memory). Fishlegs turned back to the two couples.
"I think they were trying to ask when you guys were gonna actually get married," he put simply. "I mean, do you think it could be a double wedding or something?"
"Fishlegs, I'm still not entirely decided," Kyra muttered. Hiccup could see that she'd flushed even in the orange light of the fire. It seemed that despite indications that she clearly liked Artair, marriage was still something she had mixed feelings about. Artair glanced at her with a look of confusion. "Artair – I just want to be sure it's going to work out, if that's okay," she explained. "I don't want to marry someone who's like a stranger."
"I'm not like that, am I?" Artair asked nervously.
"Of course not!" Kyra protested. "I just...wanted to be sure we would get along." Artair nodded his understanding – he'd had similar feelings before he met Kyra officially for the first time. "At any rate, I think it would be best for these two lovebirds to get married first," Kyra added teasingly (there was still a nervous tone to her voice which didn't go unnoticed), indicating Hiccup and Astrid who both blushed furiously even in the orange light of the fire in the Great Hall. "They've waited long enough." Hiccup swore to the gods...
"Well...uh..." he stammered, glancing at Astrid. "Astrid – you...uh...always said you...wanted a Spring wedding, didn't you?" he asked worriedly, his voice rising to the slightly higher pitch it normally went to when he was nervous or was trying to sound normal but completely failed.
"Umm...did I?" Astrid frowned. Hiccup kicked her under the table. "OW...oh, right. Yeah, I...guess I might've mentioned it," she grimaced, giving Hiccup a 'You are dead meat' look. Kyra's face lit up.
"Perfect!" she smiled. "I'll let Dad know later."
"What about you two?" Snotlout asked, pointing at Kyra and Artair with his spoon. "I mean, this is an arranged marriage after all. It's not like you've actually got a...OW!" he cried when Kyra landed a well-aimed kick on him under the table. Gods, he was tactless.
"I wouldn't mind a Summer wedding, personally," Artair muttered next to Kyra. "Break from the usual Fall wedding. What do you think?" Kyra's face softened as she thought about it.
"Sounds okay to me...if it happened," she admitted, adding the last bit in an undertone that only Hiccup could hear. Hiccup smiled – summer, with its never-ending sunlight and dragons as far as the eye could see on Berk, was Kyra's favourite season. A summer wedding would be perfect for her. He noticed that the left side of her face was still purposefully covered by her dark auburn hair which seemed to shine bright red in the firelight. He decided to break one of his rules for a second to ask her about it.
"Are you ever gonna show him?" he asked. Kyra's face fell when she heard the question.
"You try finding a way to show someone your dragon eye without it coming across as weird or scary," she groaned.
"He's gonna see it sooner or later. You might as well tell him about it at least – it takes a while for people to get used to it."
"Thanks for the encouragement," Kyra huffed sarcastically. "You're coming up with the conversation starter." Well, bugger it all.
"Well..." Hiccup started talking, absent-mindedly prodding his roast chicken. It was nice to have something other than fish for a change. "We've come...a long way from when Kyra first got back, haven't we?" he grimaced. Kyra gave him a look that said 'That's the best you could come up with?'. Thankfully the others bought it.
"You're right," Astrid admitted. "I mean, it's good to see some things haven't changed," she added, casting a cynical glance at the twins and Snotlout. "But, still – three and a half years is a long time."
"Remember when Kyra first used her Dragon Shifter powers? As in her Shifter State ones?" Fishlegs added excitedly. Kyra slumped.
"Thanks, Fishlegs – I'd almost forgotten that," she groaned, burying her head in her arms.
"What? What happened the first time?" Artair asked, his interest now piqued.
"Long story short – middle of a battle with the Outcasts, we were having trouble, Kyra lets loose this song or whatever..." Snotlout rambled.
"It's the Song of the Adriatic," Kyra subconsciously corrected her cousin.
"Like I said, whatever...then she comes in as a Night Fury before going completely Berserker style on the Outcasts with her marks all glowing and stuff," Snotlout finished. Kyra glared at him.
"When I get my powers back you are going to be on the receiving end of a fireball, you know that?" she hissed. To make her job a little easier, Hiccup placed a finger on either side of his lips and let out a shrill whistle. Snotlout recognised the signal and tried to run but a green and red Terrible Terror crashed into his face before he had time to react. Hiccup chuckled – he'd missed Camicaze more than he'd realised. "Cheers, Hiccup," Kyra winked, a smile returning to her face. Hiccup winked back.
"Wow...you never told me about that," Artair breathed in amazement. Kyra's face fell again.
"Mostly because it's not something I want to remember," she sighed. "What happened afterwards wasn't exactly the best of events." Hiccup sighed in sadness at the memory as Kyra explained that Stoick had handed her over to the Outcasts, not knowing she was his daughter at the time, for fear that she could turn against the whole village if she went into that state again. Hiccup and the teens had gone to rescue her and had succeeded – that had been the first time she'd flown without her staff when she learnt she could sprout wings – but the Outcasts had gone back to Berk in retaliation.
"But you guys came back and fended them off, right? Artair pointed out. "The Meatheads haven't heard a word from Alvin and the Outcasts since then – we heard everything." Kyra's hand rose to her face.
"Not everything," she muttered. Hiccup felt slightly relieved but at the same time sorry – Kyra knew she would have to tell Artair about her eye and how it came to be like that sooner or later but he knew how hard it was to explain an injury like that. Artair asked what happened. Astrid stepped in.
"Well, it was during the battle that Hiccup admitted his feelings," she smirked (Hiccup blushed again – him and his big mouth. He was starting to see why people kept calling him a useless romantic). "Stoick hand-fasted us...but then Alvin tried taking Kyra."
"You went after her, though?" Artair noted.
"No, duh!" one of the twins scoffed. A yelp of pain could have been heard outside as Kyra asked Barf-Belch to whip both twins on the back of the head with their tails.
"Yeah, we went after her and...well, I fell off the rope bridge over Loki's Gorge," Hiccup admitted, rubbing the back of his neck again.
"Idiot..." Astrid muttered. Hiccup mentioned for Kyra to continue.
"I leapt down after him – that was my first complete controlled transformation," she explained. "I managed to catch Hiccup but then..." she paused. Artair pressed her gently. "Hiccup tried to warn me but...I didn't react in time."
"You're stalling."
"Shut up!" Kyra snapped at Hiccup quickly. Slowly, she brushed the auburn hair covering the left side of her face away but avoided eye contact with Artair. "Alvin had a crossbow or something..."
"It was a crossbow," Astrid confirmed. Kyra hissed at her to shut up as well.
"And...well..." she muttered. Dammit, what was it with her and Hiccup always making things sound forced? It wasn't as if what she was about to say was easy. Thankfully Artair caught what was going on.
"You got hit, didn't you?" he asked quietly. The explanation had caused all of the teens to fall silent – even the twins had ceased to argue! Kyra nodded, still avoiding eye contact. "Where did it hit?" Artair asked. It was then that Kyra turned to face him and he saw it – the circle of bright green with a slit of black for a pupil. No scar remained from the arrow that had hit her there three and a half years ago, her dragon healing made sure of that, but the eye was reminder enough of what had happened.. Artair couldn't speak – it was Kyra who broke the silence.
"I..I didn't want to show you before," she sighed. "It's not really something you show to a..." she cut herself off but Artair finished the sentence.
"A total stranger," he understood. He'd tried t sound neutral but the hurt he had felt was clear as crystal in his voice. "Why didn't you show me the time after?" Kyra stayed silent and looked at her brother who indicated for the pair to leave the Hall if they wished. Kyra stood up and left, closely followed by Artair. Once outside, he repeated the question.
"I just...I...urgh! How do I say this?" Kyra struggled to put what she wanted to say into words. She was on an emotional rollercoaster – she had only known Artair for a week at most, why should her heart be skipping beats every time she heard his name? Why should she want the next time she saw him to be closer every time? Why should her face feel warm every time someone asked her how she felt about him? Why should her breathing quicken every time she thought of him?
"Kyra, I know you want to know who I am before we get married but how can I know who you are if you won't let me?" Artair cut across when Kyra didn't answer.
"How do we know if we're even going to get married?" Kyra hissed, the words clearly struggling to come out.
"I hate to say it, Kyra, but Snotlout's right," Artair retorted. "When it comes to arranged marriages, the people involved don't really have a choice. I know Hiccup and Astrid were able to choose and I understand this wasn't normal in your other world..."
"It wasn't my world," Kyra growled distastefully.
"It doesn't matter!" Artair snapped. "What I'm saying is that one way or another, you're gonna get married off to someone who you wouldn't have known as long as your friends here. Now I'll ask again: if you don't want me to be a stranger to you then why did you keep something I'll see anyway from me?" Kyra couldn't keep it in anymore.
"I didn't want to frighten you away, alright?!" she squeaked before clasping her hands over her mouth. Artair's eyes narrowed in a questioning manner. "I'm sorry, Artair...I just..." Kyra sighed. "I wanted to see you again. I was scared that...if you knew I had this," she grimaced, indicating her eye. "You'd be scared of me," she finished. Artair came close and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Kyra, you told me everything about your life in that other world and what happens to you when you get angry," he pointed out. "If anything, your stories about your Shifter State should've frightened me more than that," he noted, nodding at Kyra's eye. "Yet I listened and I wanted to see you again. Kyra, I want this to work as much as you do – my whole family's pretty much grown from arranged marriages and I don't want mine to end up like some of my sisters."
"I'm sorry..." Kyra sniffed. Thor, dammit. Why do I have to get like this around him? "I really am...I just...I don't know what to do anymore." She was cut off as Artair pulled her into a hug. For comforts' sake, she hugged him back. Artair then broke the hug and his hazel eyes locked gazes with Kyra's.
"If you're not gonna let me in, how do I know I can trust you?" he whispered. Kyra broke eye contact and gently pushed Artair away. Maybe she wasn't ready for this...maybe this wasn't right.
"You don't," she replied simply.
Without another word, she turned away from him and headed towards Thor's Beach to be alone.
AN: Yes, I actually counted how many near-death experiences Hiccup has had – the number I've got down in this story includes the one he had in the prequel to this story, How to Speak Dragonese as well as his 'almost-being-executed-stint' from the previous chapter. Not including those two, I've counted twelve although I'm pretty sure I've missed some, knowing Hiccup. Also, as far as I can tell, he's been captured / almost captured a total of three times so far.
1 Whereas the teens of Berk speak with an American accent like they do in the film, Kyra speaks with a British accent as she spent twelve years of her life living in 21st century England (see How to Speak Dragonese for more details) so it kind of rubbed off on her.