Heather Together Chapter 14
Today was the day she was coming back.
Stoick left word with the men who worked the harbor; he wanted to be notified as soon as the Ketilssons' ship came into view. He meant to be there at the dock to greet his soon-to-be in-laws. But he couldn't spend the whole day waiting for them. Sailing ships couldn't move to a fixed schedule; they were too dependent on the strength and direction of the wind, which were unpredictable and changeable. A ship that arrived within a day of its due date was doing well. He had too many other things to do, especially with his son's wedding coming right up; he couldn't drop everything just to wait on the docks for a ship that might not even arrive today.
Hiccup also had plenty of things to do. He just found ways to delay doing them, or hand them off to someone else, or otherwise free up his time so he could spend the day watching and waiting for her ship to arrive. He didn't actually wait in the harbor; he staked out a place on the cliffs above, so he could see further away. As soon as an unfamiliar sail appeared over the horizon, he meant to dash down the ramps to the docks and be the first to greet them and welcome his wife-to-be to her new home.
The other teens noticed him standing on the cliffs, staring out to sea. They knew what he was doing there, and they all had their own ideas about it.
"He's got it bad," Ruff said with a shake of her head. She'd gotten over her disappointment at not being chosen for him. It's not like she really wanted to get married, or be married to him in particular; he had just represented a deal too good not to try for. It was nothing personal. The guy was obviously lovestruck over this other girl, which was unusual for a couple who weren't married yet. She kind of hoped it worked out well for them.
"It's kind of sad," her brother agreed. They were all the same age, but only one of them was on the verge of getting married. Tuff knew that this would be the beginning of the break-up of their group of friends. They'd probably all be married within two years, with homes and jobs and (probably) children of their own, and their days of hanging out together would be over. At least Hiccup wasn't marrying Ruffnut. That would have been too weird.
"I bet he's glad," Fishlegs decided. He knew nothing first-hand about girls and being in love, but he'd heard the same fairy stories as everyone else in town. They all knew that, in real life, people had to marry whoever their parents chose, and then learn to deal with that person, for better or for worse. Somehow, Hiccup had worked around that tradition and gotten his father to choose someone he really liked. Fishlegs had to ask him how he'd done it; maybe his own parents could do something similar for him when the time came.
"No, he's been had," Astrid announced. She still couldn't believe that a girl who had lied, deceived, and collaborated with the Outcasts could possibly turn out to be a good wife for their future chief. She'd done her best to talk him out of it, and for the first time in her life, she'd failed at something. She knew she had no one to blame but herself – it was her own fault for rejecting him when he was willing – but that didn't make her defeat any less galling.
"Hey, don't get mad!" Snotlout exclaimed. He was still insufferably pleased with this turn of events – Hiccup, his only competition for Astrid's hand, was about to marry somebody else, which left Astrid no choice except himself (he thought). How things went between his cousin and that other girl didn't really matter, as long as Astrid remained available until her parents decided that he, Snotlout, was the boy of her dreams after all. If she disagreed for some reason, she'd have to learn to adjust her dreams.
Hiccup was pretty well oblivious to them all. His eyes were on the horizon. Toothless joined him now and then, but couldn't figure out what Hiccup was staring at, so he got bored and wandered away. They went for a late-afternoon flight, in hopes that he could find them from the air, but there were no ships within five miles of Berk.
Daylight faded, the moon began to rise, and still there was no sign of the Ketilssons. The men who were to notify Stoick of the ship's arrival went off duty. The last of the fishing-fleet sailors finished their shipboard chores and went home, leaving only the night harbor-master and Hiccup, maintaining his vigil. He alternated between pacing back and forth, and sitting to rest his leg. It was nearly midnight when the harbor-master shouted, "Sail ho!" Hiccup could just make out a shadow, darker than the darkness, passing between the two lighthouse rocks. He ran down the ramps as fast as his metal leg would let him.
The last time I was on the docks, he thought, it was one of the worst days of my life. But it also was the turning point that made this day possible.
Once he was closer to sea level, it was easier to see the approaching ship's silhouette. They were making for the outer docks, which was sensible, considering they could barely see where they were going. The outer docks were narrower than the others, making them a poor choice for freight handling, but easier to dock at. He ran out to meet them, and caught the line that the sailor in the bow threw to him. In a few moments, the ship was made fast.
Hiccup now took the role of official greeter, in his father's absence. He helped each passenger off the ship and onto the dock. "Mrs. Ketilsson, it's good to see you again. Mr. Ketilsson, welcome back to Berk. I hope this visit will be more pleasant than the last one."
"Heather." He felt a big grin creeping across his face, and didn't try to fight it.
"Hiccup," she smiled. She tried to stay calm and composed, she really did, but she couldn't make it last. "HICCUP!" She threw herself at him, he caught her, they embraced...
...his heel caught on a cleat in the dock...
...and, as if in slow motion, they toppled off the dock together and plunged into the Arctic waters of the harbor.
The shock of hitting the frigid water was like a stunning blow to his entire body. "Get them out of there!" "Help them, quickly!" the sailors shouted. Heather's father was the first to extend a hand to him. "Her first," he sputtered, and pushed Heather toward her father. His metal leg was weighing him down! He thrashed over to the dock and held onto a piling until a sailor grabbed his wrist and pulled him up with one heave.
Both of them were shivering violently in the chill northern air. "They need to get warm and dry, fast," Mrs. Ketilsson exclaimed. "Where's the nearest fire pit?"
"G-g-guest home," Hiccup said through chattering teeth.
"We know the way – let's go!" her father said. "The last thing you two need is to catch pneumonia right before your wedding!" The Ketilssons hustled the two dripping-wet young people up the ramps and into the guest home, where the fire pit was burning low.
Heather's mother took charge. "Dear, stoke the fire. I'll find the blankets and furs. You two, just sit as close to the fire as you can." Mr. Ketilsson ran out to find the wood pile. Hiccup and Heather sat by the dimly-glowing coals, about two feet apart, still shivering hard.
Mrs. Ketilsson glanced at them. "Well, go on, you two! You got each other cold, so keep each other warm! I'll –" They were instantly side by side with their arms around each other. "...keep an eye on you," she finished. When her father came in with his first armful of firewood, he gave them a sharp glance and started to say something, but his wife cleared her throat and shook her head. Like any wise husband, he kept his mouth shut and did what he was told.
As soon as Hiccup thought he could speak without his teeth chattering, he turned to his fiancée. "You sure know how to make an entrance," he smiled.
"I thought the ritual washing happened on the wedding day," she smiled back.
"Heather, I've found you some dry clothes," Mrs. Ketilsson announced after a few moments. "As soon as I finish hanging this drapery across the room, you can get changed behind it. Hiccup, just to be safe, please turn and face the door."
"Got it, ma'am," he said, and did exactly as he was instructed.
A few minutes later, Heather sat down near him. "No more sharing body heat, you two," her mother warned them as she removed the drapery. "You're dry and he's still all wet. Hiccup, you should stay here until you're warm enough, and then get yourself home and change into something dry." She was running all around the guest home, unpacking her family's belongings and glancing at her daughter and future son-in-law every few seconds.
Heather held his hands in hers. He still felt cold to the touch. "Hiccup, are you going to be okay?" she asked anxiously.
"I'm starting to feel better," he nodded. "Thanks for keeping me warm."
"It won't be the last time," she whispered with a mischievous smile. He quivered, and it wasn't from the cold.
"Now I'm feeling warm!" he grinned.
"Okay, that's enough, you two," Mrs, Ketilsson decided, although she didn't look unhappy. "Hiccup, if we wrap an extra-large fur around you, do you think you can get home without freezing to death?"
"I think so, ma'am," he nodded.
"Is this kind of thing going to happen often?" Mr. Ketilsson asked as he came in with another load of wood.
"Sir, my father once told me that every time I step outside, disaster falls," Hiccup explained. "I've been trying to cut down, though. This is the first disaster that's fallen on me in almost a year."
"Hmmm," her father thought. "Compared to our family history of disasters, that's not too bad. Heather, please see your young man to the door."
Heather adjusted the fur around Hiccup's shoulders as he opened the door. To his surprise, she slipped out the door with him and eased it shut.
She rested her hands on his shoulders. "When we fell in the water, you put my life ahead of your own," she whispered. "I wanted to show you I noticed that, and I love you for it." She kissed him quickly on the lips and watched his face light up.
He looked in her eyes, and saw more love than he'd ever imagined possible. His hands found their way around her waist, she closed her eyes, and...
Years from now, a famous book would consider this as one of the five kisses that were rated the most passionate and pure, ever. All they knew was that they were completely lost in the feelings they were sharing. When their lips finally parted, he nearly lost his balance for the second time that night. All he could do was whisper, "Wow."
"I think I'm going to like being married to you," she smiled. "Now get yourself home before you freeze." He ran home, or maybe he flew home; he wasn't sure which. She slipped back inside, wearing a smile that she couldn't erase...
...and was confronted by both her parents, with their arms folded, scowling.
"What?" she said.
"You know 'what'," her father retorted. "Your mother and I weren't born yesterday, you know."
"And I suppose you never laid a finger on each other before you got married?" she challenged them.
"Well... that has nothing to do with it," her mother answered. "He's the chief's son; everybody in town is going to be watching the two of you."
"After midnight? Probably not," she replied. "Besides, I had to do something to help him stay warm."
"You're not even a little bit sorry?" her father demanded.
"Nope. Not even a little."
Her parents looked at each other and sighed. Finally, her mother looked back at her. "The wedding is in three days. For the sake of both our families, can you please behave yourselves that long?"
"I'll try. I promise," she said.
"I really hope so," her father nodded. "I didn't travel all this way just to get caught in the middle of a scandal." He yawned deeply. "Well, it's been a long day. Let's get some sleep."
They all retired for the night. Heather could still feel the tingle of his lips on hers. Oddly, she didn't feel sleepy at all.
o
A/N
The "famous book" is, of course, The Princess Bride.