Chapter 7
...
Letting out a pained moan, Astrid struggled in vain to get comfortable. Every time she moved, the pain in her ribs grew increasingly sharper. Two days had passed since her accident, and it seemed that her bruises hurt more while healing than they had while fresh. Luckily, Stormfly hadn't been as affected as she had; the Nadder had managed to escape the accident with only a few scrapes.
"Astrid?" Hiccup's eyes cracked open. "You okay?"
"No." The word fell out of her mouth before she could think. "I mean, yes, I...I'm fine."
The auburn-haired Viking rested a hand on her arm. "You're in pain, aren't you?"
Astrid pursed her lips as she turned her gaze away from Hiccup.
"I'm gonna take that as a yes." Hiccup quickly fastened his metal leg, then slid off the bed and made his way outside. Walking over to Valka, who was asleep with Cloudjumper's wings wrapped protectively around her, he whispered, "Mom, wake up."
Valka opened her eyes. "What's wrong, son? Are you okay?"
"It's Astrid. She's in a lot of pain, and I don't know what to do."
In an instant, Valka was on her feet and heading inside the hut, Hiccup following close behind. "Poor dear," she murmured, sitting down beside the blonde and brushing her disheveled hair out of her eyes.
"It hurts," Astrid gasped, tears forming in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away before they could fall onto her cheeks.
"Where does it hurt?"
"My ribs, and...and I also have cramps from that time." The blonde lowered her voice at the last part so Hiccup wouldn't hear.
"Shh. It's okay, love. I'll make you some tea to help soothe the pain." Valka gave Astrid a motherly kiss on the head before moving into her little kitchen.
Hiccup took his mother's place beside Astrid. Slipping his hand around hers, he asked, "Why didn't you tell me you were getting worse?"
"I hate feeling helpless."
"Hey, sometimes you need a little help. Remember when I first lost my leg? I needed help for a good month. I didn't like it, but it was necessary."
Astrid sighed.
"Are your bruises at least looking any better?"
"Sort of. But they hurt more."
"And your ankle?"
"It's...it's okay, I guess. It doesn't hurt unless I walk on it."
"Well, just keep resting."
"But I don't want to keep resting. I'm tired of resting."
Hiccup chuckled as he shook his head. "I know, Astrid. I'm sure you are, but sometimes...sometimes you just need to rest."
The blonde responded with an eye roll.
It wasn't long before Valka was finished making the tea. "Here you go, dear," she said, holding out a cracked mug for the younger Viking to take. "Drink that. And in the morning, I'll show you where to find a warm stream. A hot bath will do you good, too. It'll take away some of the stiffness."
Astrid slowly sat up and grabbed the mug. "Thanks, Valka," she said before taking a sip of the drink. It was bitter, but she knew it would help, so she tried to ignore the bad taste.
"No problem, dear. Just come get me if you need anything else." With that, the older woman went back outside.
After forcing herself to finish the tea, Astrid trudged out of the hut to change her rags before climbing back into bed. As the tea started to work its magic and her pain slowly began to lessen, she felt one of Hiccup's arms gently wind around her. His free hand caressed her disheveled hair, a gesture that eventually lulled her to sleep.
...
A week passed. Astrid's ribs were feeling slightly better, were ultimately still in pain, and her ankle wasn't quite healed enough for riding Stormfly. She'd just finished a relaxing bath, and was now helping Valka feed the dragons while Hiccup took Toothless for a quick flight. Biting her lip, she debated whether or not she should tell the older woman what had been on her mind lately. More specifically, she wondered if she should tell her what had been on her mind regarding Hiccup. Sure, Ruffnut had illuminated some things for her, but Astrid wanted the input of someone older, someone more experienced, someone who had actually fallen in love before.
Taking a deep breath, the blonde cautiously asked, "Valka, could I...could I ask you something?"
"Of course, dear," Valka replied, caressing a Hobblegrunt's nose.
"How...how did you know when it was the right time for you to marry Stoick?"
The older woman smiled. "I can't really give you an answer, dear. It's too hard to explain. I just knew."
"So there's no way to tell?"
"Oh, there is. You'll know when you don't have to ask me about it." Valka smiled.
Astrid managed to smile back. After a pause, she said, "I'm just...I'm just torn. I wanted to be a shieldmaiden since I was little, but then Hiccup came along and I want to marry him, but I...I'm not ready. And I feel bad that I'm not ready because he seems to be. He told me he could stand to wait a little longer, but I think he's just saying that because of me. I mean, he's talked to me about marriage twice."
"Do you love him?"
The blonde's cheeks grew red as she nodded. "I do love him, but I just...well, apart from the whole shield maiden thing, I...I..." She trailed off, embarrassed.
"What is it, dear?"
"I'm not sure about having sex." Astrid's voice came out in a whisper.
"It's normal to feel that way," Valka assured. "Most young couples are nervous about their first time."
"But it's not only that I'm nervous. It's that...it's that all my life I've been told it was wrong. You know, because I was training to be a shieldmaiden...and I just...I don't know."
"It's not wrong as long as you and Hiccup both love each other and both want to do it."
"I know." Astrid sighed. "And I want to be able to do it with him. I just..." She hesitantly went on to tell Valka about the incident at the hot spring. "I guess I'm just not comfortable with myself," she finished.
"And that's okay, dear. You don't have to be completely comfortable with yourself before you have sex. I know I wasn't. And I'm sure Hiccup has some insecurities, too."
"But he doesn't have anything to be insecure about."
Valka laughed. "And I'm sure he'd say the same about you." She patted Cloudjumper. "But don't rush into it if you don't feel ready, dear. And don't feel rushed to get married, either. If Hiccup loves you - and I know that he does - he'll wait for you."
"But for how long? What if I'm not ready for another year? Or even two years?"
"Then he'll keep waiting. And if he doesn't, you'll know that he was never right for you in the first place. But I'm certain that won't be the case." Smiling, Valka laid a hand on Astrid's shoulder.
The blonde grinned before turning her attention to Stormfly. As she stroked the Nadder's nose, she hand-fed her pieces of chicken. "That's it, girl. You eat up."
