Buckle-down, everyone. Shit is about to get real. The Heaviness is going to increase by a considerable margin.
Berkian Eddur - 2
Winter in Líf's Holt
Part 2 - The Thing
Chapter 6 - Natural Disasters
A tornado of thought is unleashed after each new insight. This in turn results in an earthquake of assumptions. These are natural disasters that re-shape the spirit.
― Vera Nazarian
The Great Hall was full, and the wind howling outside made everyone who was in there huddle against the open fires, while those who could avoid this and stay home were very glad for it.
Hiccup, of course, couldn't stay home and avoid this. In fact, he was front and center in the middle of it, with his father on the main seat, and Astrid beside him. They were both dressed in their best clothes, and to be honest he was glad for her presence, despite the fact that she looked so beautiful that he could scarcely look at her.
He'd gotten little sleep, and last night had been an ordeal. Tuffnut had had too much to drink already, and Hiccup was sorry to say he'd finally found out what was wrong with his friend on no uncertain terms. One of the barmaids had accused him of taking her maidenhead, and his family had landed him right in the middle of an arrangement that drove a cart and dragon through whatever it was that had been blooming with Cami. They'd spent most of the night, Snotlout, Toothless and himself, tiding Tuffnut over until he was sober enough to return to the village, providing an ear (in Hiccup's case), a bludgeon (in Snotlout's case) and some trees to duke it out against (in Toothless's case). It had been troubling to see the usually upbeat man so angry and morose, and when he wasn't drunkenly swearing up and down that the knots on his pants were more complicated than the poetry map of Hamish Haddock's treasure, he was saying things about Cami that tugged at very specific chords in Hiccup's chest.
Hiccup swallowed as he dared to take a look at Astrid. Her hair was only half braided, some of the beautiful flaxen locks curling around her shoulders as a sign of her semi-spoken-for status. There was jewellary around her neck he had given her (as well as one of her beautifully crafted Mjolnir pendants, which someday he hoped to own a specimen of), and her clothes were a mix of green coloured wools and white fur, a tan fur cloak attached by a broach he had never seen. In fact, the tunic that she was wearing was the closest thing to a dress that he had ever seen her in - or would ever, probably. She was still a warrior above all else, and he was proud of her for it - Hel, he'd hide all the apron-dresses she ever received, if he had to, and take the blame for her not wearing them.
Tuffnut's misery last night had added heaps of guilt to his already tight chest. He'd had a head fogged by the mead and ale he'd drunk, and now he couldn't be sure that she had initiated the kiss last night. However, it seemed that every time he did kiss her, something happened to drive another wedge between them. Snotlout had cuffed him on the head after they had taken Tuffnut home, angrily telling him to get his shit together with Astrid, and Toothless had even given him the silent treatment for the rest of the night while he stared at the ceiling - and, more often than not - the reed and wooden wall that now closed off what had once been the loft he'd slept in.
Just man up and tell Astrid that he liked her didn't sound like bad advice, until he thought of the possibility that she was to this contract what Tuffnut was to his own, and then a lump formed in his throat that he couldn't swallow.
He didn't want to break the contract. He didn't want her to break it either; he wanted it to work with all his heart, but he didn't know how to go about initiating anything. The only times he'd tried, it had landed him straight into the realm of awkward silences and stolen glances while his chest felt like he'd swallowed a stone. He needed to make her happy - badly. He wanted her to look at him with a smile, simply happy to be in this place with him which he had prayed for so much. Yet, how was he to do it without forcing advances on her that she obviously didn't want? How was he to speak of what he wanted from this contract without making her feel the obligation to make him happy that was required of a wife - future wife - in any marriage, arranged or love-match? He didn't feel that he could ask anything of her, he was afraid to ask for anything at all, because, what right had he? It would only make her feel more trapped, and drive her farther away. And yet, he couldn't stay where he was, either; the place-in-between he felt he was in was chaffing and suffocating.
It wasn't even just her - Berk felt like it was closing in on him sometimes. He missed the hours of flying with Toothless, the open sky and the birds. Missed the early Winter mornings and late Spring afternoons spent with his friend exploring the inhabited and uninhabited lands and visiting the different tribes with the leisure of being nobody important. Even when his help with the dragons and his smithing had given him some status that guaranteed his stay, it had never been more than that of a comrade, a friend in arms. Berk was different - the same villagers who had clamoured for him to get back inside and rolled their eyes while they huffed at him (rightfully enough - he'd probably destroyed more homes than the dragons did, sometimes), were now seeking him out constantly, leaving him with barely a minute of his time where he was free to let his thoughts roam, or give his armour and tack attention - or, heck, take his best friend out for a much deserved trip in the skies. His long-suffering dragon took the punishment along with him, refusing to fly on his own with the emergency tail, like the true Battle Brother that he was. Hiccup looked back at Toothless, who was sitting behind him looking almost regal as he observed the people milling around the hall.
Hiccup's eyes followed his; The different chief's families were sitting equidistantly around the oval table, Stoick at the head, with Dogsbreath's people, the Meatheads and the Bog Burglars then spanning the table as the sun turned. He sighed and let the matter go, for an instant, because the hall was almost at full roster; The chiefs were all here. Thuggory, Cami, Dogsbreath and some of the generals of each village were too. A crowd of women surrounded Cami and Bertha, and he understood that they represented the major clans of their island, with more of them yet to come who did not have that much of a stake in power back home. He looked around, letting his mind settle on the delicate balance he was beginning to see forming among the people in the room. He'd travelled among these tribes for months, years even, and knew what made them tick. Hopefully, he'd be helpful.
Then he groaned when he spotted Madfoot the Slippery. He was one of the UglyThug generals who had taken a dislike to him when he'd still been a humble blacksmith roaming the islands looking for work. Madfoot had slighted him very badly, almost costing him an entire week's earnings to appease what the man had felt was an unbalanced and ill-made shield, when the UglyThug had, at the last minute, given it to his son what he had originally ordered for himself, and therefore had Hiccup make it to all the wrong measurements. His nickname wasn't 'Rudefoot' for nothing. Still, what rankled Hiccup most was the man's treatment of his family; he was an oaf and an unabashed animal. Already, this was shaping out to be 'fun'.
A holler and a couple of squeaks made him look up, and then he had to bite down on the inside of his cheek not to laugh as burly men and seasoned Vikings threw themselves out of the way of their Goethi, who had arrived with a stoic face and stony expression, flying like a creature out of Hel's realm as she was carried in by her pack of terrors. They deposited her, rattling her staff as she went, in the other seat of honour beside Stoick, and the entire hall went silent as they gawped at her.
Stoick stood and cleared his voice. Hiccup found himself reaching for Astrid's hand under the table without realising it, and then winced when she stiffened, and pulled away. He didn't dare look at her, and sat on his hands before they could do something stupid again.
"I welcome you all to these early talks before the Thing officially starts. We of the Hooligan, UglyThug, Bog Burglar and Meathead tribes have agreed to meet before the other clans in order to discuss a matter of great importance. And great pride to me personally; My son, and dragons."
There was a holler around the hall in answer to his introduction. Hiccup politely nodded to several calls in his direction from several different tribes, feeling slightly out of place for having taken his father's spotlight; The beaming smile hidden under the beard meant he didn't seem to mind too much, at least.
"Now, I will not mince words. We are glad to have my son back after his journey, and not a little surprised by what he discovered and shared during that time. However, there are certain things that we need to agree upon, before we speak to anyone else of the allied tribes. And of course, there are things Berk needs to tell you all."
There was a murmur at this statement, as it was a rather bold one that heralded a part of his speech that they evidently weren't going to like. Stoick went on, however, with the same half-hidden beaming smile on his face.
"I just wanted to start by making it very clear…" His face had gone stern, but he couldn't manage to keep it that way as his eyes squeezed to show he was grinning again. "That you all need to get your grubby hands off my son, because he's gone and done his journey, and now he's staying right put here!"
A chorus of laughter lightened the mood slightly.
"Ah, unfair, that Stoick!" Brawlknife said with a guffaw, "What's the lad's opinion, maybe he wants to stay away from your stinking beard as much as possible, and prefers our fresher air!"
"You're one to talk about fresh air," Bertha said, her deep voice resonating above the laughs. "With all your farts Freezing to Death is probably a misnomer! I'm certain Gobber's skivvies smell better!"
"And don't you know it," the blacksmith answered, doing that wiggle-brow thing that … uck, it made him shudder, but Bertha just laughed heartily at it, and Cami did it right back, making Gobber wink. Urk, he needed a word with Cami.
"But what is the lad's opinion, really," Woolftooth said, and Hiccup suddenly went rigid. Trust Dogsbreath's father to put him on the spot with education and tact. All the eyes in the room turned to him, and a part of him dearly wished he could reach for Astrid's hand again. But no; he was his own man, had been for a long time. He wasn't Hiccup the Useless anymore, and it was about time he demonstrated it.
"All I can say is, it's good to be home, and I don't feel like leaving again any time soon." He gave them what he hoped was a polite, apologetic, but assured grin, and some of the Bog women actually sighed at him.
Which made him feel really, really uncomfortable. Ung.
"Well then, it seems we have come at an impasse," Wolftooth said curtly. "Because I am certainly happy that you have found your home again, and that they have deemed you worthy to keep." Ow. Ow, ow, what? Wolftooth knew everything, didn't he? He spared Dogsbreath a glare, and instantly regretted taking the UglyThug heir into his confidence just before he and his party had left Berk after the Red Death's demise. Evidently, the less he told the other heir, the better. "But we would also like to keep having our dragon trainer about. The dragons have become an intrinsic part of our lives, and we would not like to see them go. However, they are also creatures that can do, perhaps, more harm than others if mishandled."
Hiccup swallowed. He did have a point, and Hiccup had foreseen a part of this. He hadn't thought anyone would challenge his presence on Berk for it, but …. well. "To be honest, I do not see that there is that much of a problem," he started carefully. "I've left behind dragon riders who know what to do as much as I do. Dogsbreath, in your tribe and family, for example. Cami and Thuggory in the others. They all helped me defeat the Red Death, their bond with their dragons is the strongest."
"Oh come on, boy, don't dissimulate," Bertha said in her sonorous voice. "We can all admit that our children are good heirs, but none of them can do what you do with the beasts." Toothless, behind him, gave a growl and Hiccup quickly looked back at him and smiled. The night fury didn't look satisfied at being called 'beast', but he knew the look Hiccup gave him meant 'They're Vikings, they can't help it', and he gave the hall a half-lidded look before subsiding with a chuff. "See?"
"Toothless is as intelligent as I am. It's less training and more … friendship," Hiccup shrugged. Toothless behind him warbled an accord, and Hiccup knew without looking that the dragon was giving the room a 'shut up' look. "Do you all feel this way?" Smug nods greeted him from around the room and he folded his arms, huffing. "Well … then we really have reached a bridge. Because I have duties to Berk that I have put off for long enough. I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate if dad asked Thuggory, Dogsbreath or Cami to give up their own duties."
And suddenly, it was all he could do not to blush and wish he could evaporate. He knew these people, he'd spoken to them - respectfully, but eventually as a humble equal - for long enough for it to become natural, and it was coming out now. But right now, this was his father's meeting in his father's village, and he'd just sort of taken over without realising. He turned to the chief woodenly, expecting a look that would set him on fine.
Stoick, on the other hand, was looking at him with …
"What do you think, Sir," he blurted, arms still folded in a pretense to look like he still knew what he was doing. Stoick clapped him on the shoulder (ow, did he wish he had his armour on) and turned to address the Hall.
"My son is right; I won't be around forever - especially with you lot nagging like old ladies," he said, getting the desired effect of playful jeers, "and he needs to learn the ropes. I tol' ye all before to get yer hands off him." More jeers and laughs, and one catcall stating he knew the work better than Stoick did from Bertha. "Well, more of the ropes; he's handling you all like pussies." More jeers. Someone actually threw a mutton leg at him, which he picked from the air and took a bite out of.
"So you are saying that we are on our own with our dragons, now?" Cami said in a bored voice. She turned to look at Gobber, who scratched his bald head. "That sucks. Who's going to teach the little sisters? I certainly wont. I'll blow them up first."
"And I have a child on the way," Thuggory said apologetically, looking at Hiccup with a grimace. Hiccup frowned, rubbing his face. Thuggory was right, and so was Cami to an extent. Still …
"I think you'll all understand that I've neglected my duties to Berk long enough. Our villages have an alliance, and you all know that if one of us has a flaw, all of us have a flaw. I will not be a flawed leader for Berk because I took too much time away from it," he said, as carefully as possible. "I have been helping my father, as it should be, since I have returned, but-"
"Literally from the bed," Gobber said. "We'd 'ave 'ad to tie him up, next, if Toothless didn't do the guarding for us." Hiccup snorted with a slight glare at being interrupted, his dragon giving a rumble, but went on regardless.
"It benefits none of us. I've left you all the things that I've learned, and all that I know." He rolled his shoulders tensely, knowing from their faces that he wasn't selling his point enough, and decided to take on another strategy. "Dad," he said in a low voice before the muttering died down, "I have an idea … may I?"
"I have one too, but … you go first," Stoick conceded. And Hiccup suddenly felt most of the tension leave his shoulders; his dad didn't look nervous at all to leave the floor to him. His dad was looking at him with pride.
He'd arrived. He'd finally arrived. Stoick the Vast was speaking and looking at Hiccup the Useless with open pride, in front of most of the allied clan leaders. A part of him he hadn't realised was still jittery inside him settled.
"I would like to discuss something related with you all," he went on, and his voice quieted down the rest of the underlying talk's hum. "We have been spotting a number of water dragons moving to the south. Not just one or two either, but entire schools of them." He turned to the other heirs, who also looked at one another.
Bertha's eyes widened suddenly. "Oh, yeah! We had a colony of sharks close to Frigga's reef, but they've all suddenly started coming inland. Not attacking, or anything, but … they seem really reluctant to go anywhere too far from the sandy shallows, and we've had one or two shark corpses float in from the stragglers. You think it's related?"
Hiccup nodded pensively. "It could be; most sea dragons are herbivores, but some others are carnivorous, and a shark's a good meal to keep them going." He turned to Thuggory. "How about Fanghorn, Thug. He's been doing ok? Normal?"
Thuggory shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, he's been … willful. But that's not unusual for him, so I didn't take too much notice of it."
"Restless?" Hiccup asked, sharply. He gave Toothless a sidelong glance, and his friend also seemed to be seeing a pattern, because he nodded.
"I … yeah," Thuggory said. The dragon in question was sitting just behind him, and the Meathead heir turned to give him a look, which led everyone else who could to do the same. Even though he appeared to be snoozing, the dragon seemed to give the odd twitch now and then that made Thuggory frown,
"And that is not behaviour you noticed before," Hiccup asked leadingly again. Thuggory shook his head.
"See, this is why we need you, boy," Madfoot said, slyly, and Hiccup did his best to ignore the way his hackles rose simply at hearing his voice; the man could always, effortlessly, get under his skin. "You know what you're talking about, and …"
"I think," Hiccup interrupted him purposefully, shooting Wolftooth a meaningful look. Till now, only the chiefs and their heirs had spoken, and it was tradition that the generals only spoke up when their chiefs addressed one of them. Putting Madfoot back in line was an inordinary satisfaction that he enjoyed - perhaps a little bit too much. When Wolftooth gave the large man a baleful, if calm, look, watching the man turn puce was more than a little vindicating. "That there may be a migration of sea dragons going on. I'm not certain; this is all speculation here, and anyone's opinion is as good as mine." Yes, perhaps he was enjoying Madfoot's humiliation a little bit too much, nullifying his words like this. Back on track. "I've never seen it happen before; but then, I'm usually inside during the Winter, where all the sane people are."
"Then we should have seen something like that before," Cami quipped. "We're all mad on Bog."
Some of the tension dissipated, and he laughed along with them. With a shake of the head, he went on. "But the thing is this; they were migrating south across the gulf lines. That's more or less where the ships from Hopeless will be coming from. If what you say about the sharks is true, at least a few of them are going to be hungry, and now that we know of this, the sensible thing would be to go with a number of mixed riders from the different villages to lend our allies a hand. But of course …" He waved a hand at the table. "First, we have to decide whether the dragon training is a secret that should be shared with our other allied tribes. After all, that is why you have come early, isn't it?"
There was a ringing silence. Hiccup was playing a rather dangerous game, here, but he looked around the hall, and finally at his father, making sure that he was schooling his features. Gosh, this was so much easier when he had the helmet on here on Berk; but he'd done it before, in the other villages, while he negotiated his stay and his trade. He would have been an idiot not to learn to haggle like a fiend, and play a good gambit.
Bertha was the first to break the silence with a good guffaw, her laugh resonating around the hall as her belly bounced behind her breastplate.
"And you got us right where you wanted us!" Bertha said, still laughing. "None of us can refute that; it is no use, it is why we are here early. Stoick," she turned to her fellow chief, eyes twinkling. "No need to worry about this one. The village is in good hands."
Hiccup felt his cheeks redden slightly as Bertha's eyes returned to him, sizing him up. He had been certain, for the longest time, that Bertha had known who was the one making chainmail and other metal contraptions for her and the sisters of her tribe, but had kept her peace about it. He hadn't been sure whether it was for his own good, or because she didn't want to lose his value as a smith and dragon trainer. Now he was utterly sure that he had, at least, one very powerful ally among the dragon-initiated tribes. He nodded in thanks, and when she nodded back, his certainty was confirmed.
"Very well then," Stoick said, sitting up straighter and chest puffing out. "I suppose my son makes a valid point. As allied tribes, we do not have the obligation to give each others all our weapons and techniques. However, we do give each other protection. In this case, as my son has eloquently put, we would be exposing the dragon training - and this would then mean that, potentially, that the Trollguts and Snailsnots tribes would also like to partake in the benefits of having tamed dragons."
"I think it is a moot point," Madfoot grumbled testily, and this time Wolftooth glared at him openly. Then he turned to Hiccup consideringly.
"Well, I do understand what he means. If you will no longer train outsiders to Berk, then the other tribes would still not be able to join our ranks, because there would be no one to teach them, nor any new interests from Trollguts and SnailSnots."
Hiccup began to tap his left foot impatiently, ignoring the wooden cup chafing against the woolen sock. His first response was to lose his temper, but he couldn't afford that.
"I am firm on that point," Hiccup replied, "I'm sorry." His foot jiggled restlessly. "I owe some time to my own tribe now. It is only fair." He longed for the open skies and thirsted for adventure; but he was the heir of Berk. He would not let them down this time.
"There may be another solution to that," Stoick said, stroking his beard. "With the dragons, now, travelling has become a … joy, almost. Certainly shorter and more convenient to travel between our tribes in one day …"
"What are you suggesting?" Brawlknife said, looking at Stoick like a nadder, through a tilted head with one eye trained on him.
"My son has been training our own young ones, when his health allows it," Stoick went on, reaching out with his massive arm and curling a palm around Hiccup's shoulder. He tensed, making sure not to show anything on his face, but letting his leg giggle to release the tension. "I was about to give him something I knew he'd enjoy," Stoick turned a warm look at him that made Hiccup stop moving. He smiled back tentatively, the look on his dad's face something he wished he could enjoy more privately. He'd worn it a few times, recently, by the fire, when he and Stoick shared a chat after the food, the chief and Astrid tending their weapons, and Hiccup usually designing something that needed to be done at the forge. Between the pride, their frequent talks and the open affection that he hadn't bothered to mask since Hiccup had returned, his chest warmed.
"The Arena, as it is now, can no longer serve it's proper use, as it was designed to do in the years passed. Now that my son has freed us all of the Red Death-"
"Hear hear!" Bertha said, banging the bottom of her keg on the table in salute, which was echoed by the other two chiefs, Dogsbreath, Thuggory and Cami. Hiccup nodded, feeling rather flustered at being the reason why his father's speech was interrupted.
"The area is being turned into a dragon training arena. A dragon training academy." Hiccup blinked and turned to Stoick again, finding his father beaming at the room. His large, warm hand was still curled around Hiccup's shoulder, and even through the fur and his clothes, Hiccup could feel its weight like an embrace. "So, while my son is correct in saying that he will not be able to attend to the teaching all the time and leave Berk for long stretches of time, it would be easier for him if instead of travelling to the villages, the students could travel to him."
"Hmm," Wolftooth said. "Could Berk take the strain of all those extra mouths to feed?"
"I'm sure we can work something out between the tribes. There will be logistics of numbers, and how many students will be allowed per year. And of course, all of the ones who have already been taught by my son can come lend a hand in the teaching themselves." Stoick nodded towards the heirs and the other dragon riders present. "This can be Berk's payment for your parts and help in our defeat of the Red Death."
Bertha snorted, and other two chiefs laughed. A few of the generals and clan heads present looked either surly, or gave Stoick a complacent smirk. Hiccup couldn't help giving his dad a congratulatory side-long look, which made Stoick sit up straighter and look at the hall with half-lidded eyes. He had managed to hit two pigeons with one stone, and something which was worrying him - the revision of the treaty and the various possibilities for payment that the other tribes were going to ask for after they had sent help. And to do it on Berk's terms.
"Hang on," Brawlknife said, scratching his beard. "If the Trollguts and Hopeless want in on it, how will it be fair when they sent no help, aye?" A few dissenting comments were murmured, and then quite a few in agreement with it. Stoick frowned slightly, which meant that he was more than a little annoyed that someone wasn't supporting his ingenious plan.
"Um…" Astrid, beside him, said in a low voice. Hiccup turned to her, lowering his head so that she could speak with him without being heard; there were precise rules to speaking turns at the Thing - legend had it that before the rules were put down, every single Thing was nothing more than a yelling fest that persisted until someone threw the first bench or chicken leg, and that many a war had been declared and resolved with who yelled the worst. Now, instead, it was only the chiefs present who could speak first; Hiccup had been able to address everyone because Wolftooth had called him to speak, and then he in turn had called the other heirs. Another twinge of satisfaction pinched his chest: Madfoot had walked right into it. Astrid, however, could not address the room yet, and was smartly doing it through him.
"Couldn't we fix that with the numbers?" Astrid whispered to him. He did his best to ignore the dangling hair tickling his neck and cheek.
"What do you mean?"
"The clans who helped out get more recruits than the ones who didn't. Stoick already said the numbers will be limited, so it's only fair that the privileged ones get more recruits in."
"That really makes sense," he grinned back. "Do you want-"
"No, no," she said, slightly nervously. She gave him one of her cheeky smiles. "Besides, you're good at it." She looked away quickly, flicking her hair away from her eyes.
"Something to say, son?" Stoick asked. Hiccup almost jumped, still slightly staring at Astrid to try to see if she meant that.
"Oh, yes." He cleared his voice. "Astrid had a suggestion." He looked at her for the last time but she just nodded at him and looked away. "Anyway, I think it's a great idea," He ignored Cami's jeering 'you would', and Thug's wolf-whistle. "If we are only going to have a limited number of places in the Dragon Academy, it makes sense that the tribes who helped in the defeat of the Red Death get the dragon's share. We could distribute the amount so that there are two student for every one of the other two tribes. Of course, I have to leave space for the Berk students, too."
"Hmm. Numbers," Brawlknife said with a sneer. He nudged his son, and Thuggory shrugged.
"We can always talk about the exact numbers when everyone's here," he suggested. He gave a slight frown and gave Hiccup one of their looks; Hiccup knew right away he'd just realised there may be a logistical snag in their plans. "After all, we can't do all the plans without them. It may cause an uproar."
Hiccup grimaced and nodded back, as did a good portion of the people in the hall. His left leg began to jiggle nervously again.
"We have to wait for the other two tribes, that is true," Stoick replied. Hiccup blinked at that statement. Only two? Wasn't there… he shook the thought off and wrenched his thoughts back on track.
"True, but we can at least decide whether we are going to help the Hopeless boats," he sighed. "If we decide to leave it up to the gods, we'll have to hide all of our dragons. There is no way we could justify leaving them to the sea-dragon's mercy and explain the docile reptiles roaming around Berk." His jiggety foot started bouncing up and down more vigorously. "If I am allowed to express a personal opinion, I am not comfortable with the second option. They are our allies, and it would be … immoral for us not to help when we can."
He tightened his crossed arms, aware that he had said, perhaps, more than he should have. However, the answering grimace on Thuggory's face told him he wasn't the only one. His friend looked up at Brawlknife, who was sneering uncomfortably but shrugged. Hiccup exchanged a look with his father, who also shifted slightly uncomfortably.
"If we're to be truthful, this early meeting is already a violation of that treaty." Wolftooth said casually.
"But a necessity," Bertha shrugged. "And if we let them in on it, and do what Stoick is proposing, I don't see how they can complain. Especially if we save their bottoms. And unless anyone here is a traitor, there is no reason for them to even know we came to this early meeting."
"How would we explain the rescue mission?" Brawlknife asked.
"What's there to explain? We came by dragon, so we were here a bit early because we miscalculated. Then Hiccup here mentioned that he saw that migration on their course, and we decided that we couldn't, in good faith, leave them to it. Simple enough," Cami said, with a shrug much like her mother's. Ever the evil genius, that girl, and he sent a congratulatory smile her way. There was some general muttering, and the feeling of the room as a positive one as heads began to nod more frequently than shake, and raised brows were in greater attendance than frowns.
"Are we in agreement on this, then?" Stoick asked, also being more than versed in reading the mood of the gathered people. The other chiefs gave tacit nods, and he nodded back "Let's cast a vote, then. Those in favour of helping the Hopeless ships, say 'aye'." A vast majority answered strongly. The chiefs nodded to one another. "Then it is decided. The help shall arrive by dragon?" More nods. "How shall we proceed?"
"I like Hiccup's idea to make a mixed group from all the tribes. Like that we can all rake up some gratitude. And I think he should lead us out." Thuggory gave a grin and a rakish wink towards Hiccup as he said that. "He's good at it, or the Red Death's my aunt."
"No, she's your mother in law," Brawlknife said with a snort, throwing the hall into another flurry of laughter and insults. "I've no objection to that, as long as we get equal numbers of riders."
"Same here," Bertha replied.
"I think our children can go, and chose one other with them. Eight riders should be enough. Do you agree, Hiccup?" Wolftooth concluded. Hiccup nodded, wondering at the rapidity of the decisions taken that day; he could only hope that the Thing would go this smoothly, but there was little chance of that, between two other tribal leaders added to the mix, and the generals probably gaining permission to speak, soon.
Hiccup chanced a look at Madfoot. Yup, he still looked green and seething.
"Let's get started, then," Stoick said, standing and signalling the end of the meeting. "Hiccup, gather your riders and some supplies. The Hopeless ships may be on the way already, and we don't have a moment to lose if that's the case."
Hiccup nodded and rose, exchanging a quick look with the rest of the heirs, who turned to start selecting their own additional rider. Hiccup turned at once to his right.
"How soon can you get Stormfly up?" he asked Astrid, who had already risen and was waiting for him and Stoick. She blinked at him.
"What?" she asked, sounding surprised. He shifted, and his stump gave an annoying throb, but he ignored it.
"Stormfly. I need another rider from Berk, and I'd like you to come with me." He gave her a hopeful smile.
"Oh, I thought you'd take Hoark, or Tuff with Snotlout…" she bit her lip, looking unsure.
"Nah, we have more then enough firepower with Thuggory and Cami, and we have Dogsbreath's Gronkle so I don't have to take Fishlegs away from his family. But … we need speed." He smiled wider, trying to win her over. "We both know that after Toothless, Stormfly's the she can never top a night fury."
She snorted and smiled for a moment, but then she frowned again.
"I'm responsible for preparing the houses for the tribes," she said with a short huff. "I won't have time, if I come, so …"
"Come on, Astrid. You, um, still have to break that axe in," he tried again. His hand reached out for hers, but he remembered her previous reaction at the last minute and let it drop listlessly to his side. She looked unconvinced. "I need your backup. And like I said, tit-for-tat. I haven't yet paid you back for that afternoon with Baldr, either."
"The heir of Berk can't be seen handling blankets and linens," she said, folding her arms, and he just laughed.
"Why not? I've been handling them since mum's left us." He dared to take a step closer when she stopped evading his eyes. "Please, Astrid. I need your backup out there to balance the team." He didn't dare touch her, though he wanted to cup her shoulder rather badly. She huffed again, but this time she smiled.
And punched his arm. Oh, ow, he'd forgotten how much that hurt without the riding leathers on. He rubbed his shoulder and smiled back at her.
"I'll go get Stormfly ready. She'll like to stretch her wings a little, too." With a final smile, she sauntered out, and to his shame, he found his eyes trained to her swaying bottom, the long tunic showing off her shape far better than the armoured skirt she usually wore. Odin be praised…
"So, cuz!" Hiccup jumped as Snotlout threw his arm around his shoulders. "When do we … oooh." As he spoke, Snotlout followed where Hiccup's eyes had been, and he gave his cousin a leer. "I see, I see. Can't say I don't approve. So, how's things going with pretty cheeks?"
Hiccup instantly elbowed him in the stomach out of pure principle. Snotlout kept cackling.
"Snotlout," he hissed, trying to look as stern as possible while his cheeks burned. It only made his cousin laugh harder.
"No, really, how's it going?" Snotlout asked. Hiccup shifted uncomfortably.
"At the moment it's … a bit on pause," he tried to shrug casually, which wasn't easy with his cousin's meaty arm still weighing him down heavily. "We're just too busy, and …"
"Not good, man, not good." Snotlout said. Toothless snorted in apparent approval, and Hiccup looked at him in flabbergasted betrayal. His dragon gave him a half-lidded look in return that oozed 'What? He's right' as surely as if he'd said it in norse. "You have to find time to give her some attention, you know. Ladies like to feel special. Leave her some flowers on her bed, or get her some apple-pie from the baker. Her mother loves apple, she must like them too. Maybe. I don't know!" He shrugged. Hiccup blinked at him.
"You know we're talking about Astrid, right? If I get her flowers, I think she'll make me eat them," he said with incredulity. "In any case, I'll"-
"Hiccup, man, just pay her attention. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about with the ladies." He buffed his nails against his new vest, and Hiccup clamped down on the urge to remind him the one and only time that he'd actually been tempted to kill Snotlout - the hair-drag down the hill. Still…
"Snotlout, you do the rounds of the barmaids. Astrid is … not a barmaid." He sighed. "I want her to be happy. I'm not sure I can give her that." Not with marriage, and domestic duties, and everything that was tying her down right now so that she almost refused to go out into battle with him. When had Astrid ever turned down a good fight?
"Not if you don't try, you won't," Snotlout said with an annoyed grunt, and Toothless chuffed in agreement again.
"Yo, what, it's give-girl-advice day? In that case, you can go help Mildew get his fourth wife," he replied in annoyance, shrugging Snotlout's arm off.
"Did I hear 'girl advice?'" Thuggory said, and once again, a large, beefy arm was thrown over his shoulder. His stump gave another twinge, this time sharper, as he stumbled slightly, and Hiccup sighed impatiently. Thuggory ignored it completely, and Snotlout folded his arms and leaned on the table beside them. "I can give the professional, experienced opinion."
"Ung," Snotlout said, and Hiccup huffed and pushed Thuggory off too.
"Look, we have to change and get out there," he said, finally losing his patience when he saw the other two men glaring at each other. He un-slung his friend's stubborn arm and walked determinedly towards the door, ignoring their protests. "Thug, you have half an hour! If you're not next to the chief's hall by that time, I'm leaving you behind!"
He ignored the other heir's whining in favour of walking towards his hall, Toothless following behind. But by the time he had arrived at the bottom of the stairs, he was doing everything he could not to limp, and Toothless began nosing his leg and crooning.
"It's nothing, bud. Give me a lift, ok?" Sitting on Toothless's saddle was a relief, and he prepared to fly off before he spotted Brunhilda. He called her to him with an ahoy. "Hi! Listen, I've asked Astrid to come with me on a rescue mission - can you do her a favour and start on the remaining preparations for the guests' halls? I'll give her a hand when she comes back, too, but I really need a nadder on the team, and …" he shrugged. "I think she'll enjoy it."
"That she will," Brunhilda laughed. "Strange ideas for a date you have, between dragon races and rescue missions." Hiccup shifted uncomfortably at her assumption. Why was everyone so insistent on interpreting everything he did for Astrid romantically? Sure, it was true, but … oh Asgard, was it that obvious?
He took off, his chest in turmoil. So Astrid saw it too and … well, obviously, she must know. He'd never been very subtle about his stuttering and blushing and acting like a fool. It left his chest roiling uncomfortably to think that she knew of his feelings for her, but was behaving so undecided. It didn't bode well at all.
He escaped behind his curtain as soon as he entered the hall, because the noises upstairs indicated that she was still in her room. Toothless followed him in, tail swishing.
"Yes, that really helps give me privacy," he said sarcastically as the dragon's big body lifted the curtain where his hindfin and tail exited the small area completely. Toothless gave him a nonplussed look that clearly said he didn't care, then pointedly glanced down at his prosthetic, shifting his eyes back to nail him with a meaningful look. "Yeah, yeah, I'm on it…"
He sat on the bed, first throwing off his fur cape and tunic just to annoy his friend, who gave a growl. Then he raised the rolled up trouser pant and undid the knots holding his prosthetic to his upper calf. It was always sweet relief, but this time, as he massaged the slightly red skin, he bit his lip when the woollen sock shifted, and he realised there was a damp spot.
The sock came off tentatively, and he winced when he saw that he'd managed to give himself a blister on the side of his stump, and then proceeded to also burst it.
"Aw, just great," he huffed, pushing Toothless's snout away as the dragon tried to sniff it. "It's ok, bud, nothing big. My fault for jittering about in the Hall." he undid his trousers and pushed them off, his under-linen hanging on by a hair as he reached over to the shelving that had been installed by his bed, pulling his riding clothes and leather armour down onto the bed by scooting sideways on his bum.
"Hiccup?" came Astrid's tentative voice outside his curtain. He yelped and lost his precarious perch on the edge of the bed as he reached for the last, elusive shoulder plate, falling to the ground with a curse and a laughing dragon. "Hiccup!"
Before he could stop her, Astrid walked in, and he blinked up at her from the ground. She froze when she saw his stated of undress, then folded her arms and snorted.
"You fell off your bed, didn't you?" she said with an amused smirk. She was back in her armour, knee-caps on her leggings, high boots and furs. He blinked up at her as she stood over him, smirking, seemingly completely unaffected by the fact that he was practically naked. He felt like a child amusing a parent, prone on the floor. A child, looking up at Freya.
His chest gave a heave and a twist. Ever since he'd woken, Astrid had been tending to his wounds, his clothing, his food, as if he were an invalid or … a child, who needed taking care of. Even her mother had said as much; Astrid enjoyed taking care of him. A new feeling bloomed in his chest; anger. Anger and pain and a little bit of resentment.
She knew he loved her. She knew; she must know. Everyone seemed to know, everyone seemed to think it was so bloody obvious that a half-wit terror would see it right away. Astrid was smart, so obviously, obviously, she knew. And yet she never expressed interest, or embarrassment, or anything that would indicate…
"I'm fine," he said, looking away, grabbing a shelf and heaving himself all the way to his feet. She reached for him, but he manoeuvred away using his arm, then reached for Toothless, who also lent himself as an impromptu crutch. "Thanks, Astrid. Listen, can you see that the others are meeting outside our Hall? I've told Thuggory, but the others left before I could get the word out. We're leaving in half an hour, can you please let the others know?"
"I will but, will you be-"
"Fine, I'll be perfectly fine." He couldn't seem to get himself to look at her, and instead sat down, pulled the wool over his head, tying the neck laces shut and busying himself with his trousers. "I've been dressing myself on my own since I was three, so this shouldn't be too hard."
He hated the bitterness in his voice. He hated how now she must know that he felt like a tiny, invalid child. So he rolled his shoulders and made himself look at her with as strong an expression as he could manage. The amusement had vanished from her face and she blinked at him. At least, she didn't find him ridiculous anymore.
"Will you inform the others? Please," he said, straight-backed. Astrid's mouth twitched into a tentative, confused smile. Brunhilda had also said that Astrid was confused with him; of course she'd be confused. She saw Hiccup, who she was supposed to marry - accident prone, silly-boy Hiccup who falls off his bed when reaching for something. Someone cute, like … Ætta, to be smiled at indulgently when he made a mess; and she was supposed to marry him.
Well, it was quite enough of that. With some help from Toothless, he stood up and drew his leather trousers up quickly, feeling slightly self-conscious with the feeling of her eyes on him. He swallowed and looked up at her expectantly. The fact that it took her a moment to stop looking at his behind worriedly made his cheek twitch and colour, and when she realised he was looking at her, she ducked her head and accepted his task, leaving the hall quickly. Too quickly.
He rolled his shoulders, his heart beating wildly as he sat down again, the feeling of humiliation and disappointment pulsing through him. Dipping two fingers in the honey ointment he still used for the stitches on his stump and rubbing them onto the blister with a wince. He didn't have time to go to Goethi with this, and he sure wasn't going to give Astrid something else to 'take care of him' with. He'd go to the healer later. With a sigh, he turned to the sure-fire way he'd learned from experience to keep wounds clean.
Toothless scrunched his nose and growled at the bottle of vinegar, knowing what it meant.
"Hey, it's ok bud. It's only a scratch, but we have to keeping it from becoming something worse. Look." he propped his stump on his knee. The blister was on the in-step, so it showed up, shiny and pink as it flared up towards his knee. It wasn't too big, but it was definitely inconvenient. "It'll go in a bit."
With a resigned sigh, he threw the soiled sock he'd been wearing into his shelf, where he planned to wash it himself. He took a new one up, dribbled the transparent liquid into the edge of the whole sock, and then hesitated for a moment. This was not going to be pleasant. With a clench of his jaw, he wrenched the sock on, and then he threw his head back with a closed-mouthed groan. The blister flared for a moment like a hot coal had been pressed to his skin, then it fell into a dull throb. It stole his breath away, and it took him a moment to get his gasps under control. Toothless whined in sympathy, glaring at the bottle of vinegar like it had killed his parents.
"It's alright, bud, it's necessary, you know that. I don't have strong, tough skin like you," he chuckled, earning a grumbling agreement. He quickly finished putting his armour on, tying his prosthetic on last and standing, ignoring the dull throbbing through habit - it wasn't too long ago that the whole stitched wound throbbed in the same way. And he had things to do and a mission to accomplish.
He stretched, gathering some supplies for what was probably a journey that would last a whole day, and then added some more, in case they got stuck somewhere, or Astrid needed some more supplies. Then he added a whole extra ration of supplies, in case she didn't have time to gather her own.
He tied to lot to Toothless's saddle and smiled at him. "You know, this is actually great. It's been a while since we had time to fly for more than a half-hour, isn't it?"
Toothless gave a smirk and shook himself excitedly with a grunt of agreement, crest flaps rising in sheer elation. Hiccup laughed.
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it too, bud. And there's going be all the other dragons. But," he sighed. "We're heading out on a mission. We have be at least a little responsible." Toothless looked incredulous for a second. "No, I'm serious, Hel, I have to give the good example, seeing as I'm leading this mission, and … hey, that's it!" He looked at Toothless excitedly, grinning. "I just have to remind her that even without a leg, I'm still a kick-ass dragon rider, and that I can fight when I'm with you, at least. And that I'm not bad at giving instructions." Toothless blinked at him before narrowing his pupils. "Come on, bud, I have to make her stop thinking of me like some sort of … idiot." Toothless's lids came down half-way to say 'good luck with that'. "Thank you, for the vote of confidence, but I'm at least going to try. I'll show her that I'm a great dragon rider, and I'm ok at leading. And maybe she'll stop looking at me like that idiot kid who falls on his face all the time, and start looking at me like … husband material."
Toothless gave him a gummy smile of shining support. Hiccup chuckled and gave him a brief hug before moving out.
"Thanks, bud."
=0=
Cami whooped, pulling on the reins and making Sting do loop-de-loops in the sky. The day was a beautiful, clear one, blue sky peeking through fluffy white clouds. The air was freezing just the way she liked it, and it filled her lungs and tasted like fresh water from a spring. Her loose hair trailed behind her, whipping about into untamable knots she would enjoy displaying in the hall later.
Hopefully, someone would offer to comb it out for her. Or explode the knots out of her hair with the gunpowder1. She'd be interested in either one, as long as she could get to do the same to him.
"Are we on course, Dogsbreath?" Hiccup called out, twisting in his saddle. Cami smirked at him when she noticed - even with the helmet on - that his eyes were caught by Astrid riding her nadder. He was going to be soooo much fun to tease later.
"Dead on," Dogsbreath replied, consulting his map and compass before giving his reply. Ung, that guy had a stick so far up his ass that he was going to start choking on it soon, though if she was going to be honest, at least if was good to have one reliably boring person. And she was also glad that Hiccup was mad at him; in fact, she was mad at him. What did he mean by telling his dad the secrets Hiccup had shared with them! She wasn't stupid: she knew that she should have old her mother who Cattongue was, but fuck that! If her mother wasn't smart enough to know, it was her fault. And there was no other way that the UglyThug chief could have made all those sleazy little insinuations without Dogsbreath spilling the eggs. And he deserved a kick in the balls for it. They were friends first, heirs second. Until the day they were chiefs, their friends could afford to come first, and he was a dick-hole for having forgotten that.
She gave the gronkle rider a smirk. Retribution; no time like the present.
"What you say, girl," she whispered to her changewing, who recognised the tone and shuddered excitedly. Oooh, yeah. Her dragon was awesome and knew exactly how to piss people off. "Up for some mischief?" Sting gave a cackle of agreement. Cami just nodded towards Dogsbreath, and Sting gave a throaty laugh, lifted her tail and peed all over him.
"Ock!" the UglyThug and the gronkle veered out of the way, shouting expletives her way - the dragon too, if that growling meant anything - that would make her grandmother's hair turn green in its grave. She just laughed uproariously.
"What, you have a leaky mouth, and my dragon has a leaky hind!" she said, not bothering to hide the reason behind his cruel and unusual washing. "I'd say it's equal enough!"
"Stuff it, Bogger!" he replied, shaking a fist at her and holding up his dripping map, which just made her laugh, because now that piece of parchment was going to smell for days and make whatever he kept it in smell for months, and maps were too valuable to throw away. Aaah, her dragon was a genius, and she petted Sting fondly.
"Maaake me! It's not like you can, on that slow-ass dragon!" Cami replied with a taunt, directing Sting to fly around the gronkle in quick loops just to make a point, and the changewing dangled a tongue at the rock dragon, earning an annoyed growl. "You couldn't catch me in a million years, not unless you move on fart propulsion!"
Gasda, her companion from Bog and her mother's top general, snickered from her nightmare. Astrid was biting her lip, and Thuggory was laughing his ass off, while his cousin on the young timberjack tried to keep a straight face out of politeness - bah, screw politeness. She was sure Toothless was laughing his head off- wait, where was ….
A shadow loomed over them, and suddenly Cami winced as she looked back, and found Toothless, wings outstretched to their full length and looking as threatening as he could get. But he was nothing in comparison to how intimidating the ticked-off Hiccup looked on his back, arms folded and eyes calm and solid.
Sometimes she could swear they were related; hell, Hiccup was giving her the look, and he looked just like her mother right now. Ung.
Not that she was intimidated. She was a Bog Burglar.
"What, think you can beat me, little man?" she asked, drawling tauntingly. "Maybe you could outrun me when we were kids, but not anymore! Sting will beat you and your tooth-pick any day!"
Toothless gave an indignant screech.
"Not much fun when you're the one being teased, eh night bird!" Thuggory called. Toothless lowered his eyelids, and ignoring Hiccup's 'ooooh, boy', spat a very tiny fireball at Thuggory. Fanghorn, of course, did not appreciate this and growled.
"Everyone!" Hiccup said, exasperation in his tone. "Can we please concentrate. The ships from Hopeless may already be in danger; we don't have time to fool around!"
"All the more reason to hurry it up!" Cami crowed triumphantly, and Sting didn't wait an instant to shoot ahead.
"Oh for the love of … Astrid!"
Cami heard vague snatches asking about direction, and then suddenly, the race was on. Sting soon lost her advantage, because Toothless was simply too fast. However, there was one other surprise Cami certainly wasn't expecting, but who she very much didn't mind.
"Cami! Cut it out!" Astrid called, flanking her right side when Hiccup took her left.
"Don't think you can beat me, axe-girl?" she called out, and she was thrilled to see the other girl's eyes sharpen.
"Stormfly and I can beat you in our sleep! But we're on a mission, and -"
"Prove it!" Cami said, laughing hoarsely from the wind. "See that sea-stack over there? It's on the way. Last one there has to wash Gobber's skivvies!" Sting roared as she urged her forward and the dragon complied right away, twirling upside-down for a thrill. She spotted Toothless giving Hiccup a pleading look, and knew right away she'd won that argument. Hiccup would never be able to say no to that look.
"You're damn on!" Astrid's fierce voice followed her, and Cami felt her grin stretch her face painfully. She laughed as evilly as she could as she swerved and evaded, Sting disappearing and reappearing around the other two dragons and riders just at the right moment to make them yelp or curse her. She kept herself flattened against the saddle, and the rest of her dragon's body covered her to make her invisible as well.
"That's how you want to play, huh!" Astrd called, "Fine! Stormfly, let's show her what we're made of!"
The blue nadder squaked, and suddenly shot out in front.
"Not a chance!" Hiccup laughed, and he quickly lay down on Toothless' back completely, pulled his levers up and they shot off like a bat out of helheim.
"Oi!" Cami screamed after them, and Sting flapped her wings in one big gast and off they went, zigging and zagging across the water top, taking a bite out of the air next to Toothless's tail and laughing wickedly when he tried to slap her in the face with it, and then turning on the nadder.
Who was ready for her with a purposefully ill-aimed shot of spines that made her go wide, and fall behind.
"You are so on woman!" she called to the laughing girl, who gave a mock apology that was obviously meant to rile her up. "Forget the man, it's me and you!"
"Hey!"
Cami ignored him and shot off after Astrid, who looped Stormfly in the sky in a show of flying strength and agility, making a rude gesture with her hand as a 'bring it on!"
With a shout, Cami urged Sting on, and the changewing was soon neck-to-neck with the nadder, both girls standing in their saddles and shouting encouragements to their dragons as they headed for the row of free-standing rocks that were coming closer and closer at alarming speed. She glanced to the side, and Astrid gave her a competitive grin, which she returned. "Nice axe, by the way," she said leadingly, trying to distract her opponent. "That's totally Brisinga2. Saw it in his sketchbook once, all drawn out and measured, it was supposed to go to this one girl from his island … oh yeaaah, to you. He had such a crush on you it was pathetic!"
Astrid's grip on Stormfly faltered and she fell back an inch, but then she gave a shout and shot forward even more strongly,
"Look at the back of my dragon! It's less full of shit than your mouth!" she laughed back, her voice carrying on the wind. Cami answered with various opinions on shit and Astrid's bloodline, and then had to duck more spine-shots as a result. Sting liked it none-too-much and spat a gob of acid to the nadder's right, causing Astrid to loop upwards and come back down at her in the opposite direction to their finish line.
"Haha!" Cami crowed at her, and Stormfly chomped at the air under Sting's wing in bluster as she caught up.
"Don't call Hiccup pathetic!" Astrid called at her angrily.
"That's what you got from all that?" she laughed. "Girl, you are lost! If you want him, go get him! He's right there waiting for you, but he won't wait forever!"
"Put your wings where your mouth is!" Astrid answered, looked fiery as her eyes shone and she flattened herself against Stormfly. The nadder tucked her feet in, and they were off again, Cami giving merry chase.
The nadder still touched down onto the sea-stack first, and Cami landed awaiting jeers and goodnatured insults, which she returned full force, laughing and grinning for all she was worth.
"Nice of you both to show up."
Both girls jumped and turned around in their saddles to find Hiccup and Toothless on a higher portion of the sea-stack, buffing his nails and looking non-plussed. Fuck that man, he was spending too much time with Toothless because he was wearing his dragon's smug expression.
"You rotten sea-slug!" Cami laughed up at him. "Damn you and your night fury!"
Toothless landed beside them, and Hiccup, who had partially removed his mask and was resting it on the top of his head as a viser, give them both a smug grin.
"I think you'll find that Toothless and I are certainly no kind of slugs in this situation, slow pokes."
"Did you hear that!" Cami said to Astrid in mock outrage. "I'm not letting this slide, are you?"
"Certainly not!" Astrid laughed, standing on Stormfly's saddle and throwing herself down onto the ground. After a few good chin-scratches, Toothless was a kicking puddle in her hands, Hiccup thrown clean off onto the ground, and Cami laughed, lording it over him with Astrid. "Try to outfly us now on blubber-legs here!"
"She totally has you tied around her little finger," Cami jeered, and it was a pleasure to see his already flushed face light up with more colour. The race had been as exhilarating for him too, and his hair was sticking around his face with sweat, the ends looking a shade red darker than the rest of his shaggy mop. And boy, the way he was looking at Astrid play with his dragon was smoking hot. She could bet he wished Astrid were playing with his other dragon. "Yup, you're a done man," she said in a lower voice, urging Sting's long neck forward so she was hovering next to his shoulder. "You may as well throw the towel and join Thuggory in the old men category."
"Huh," he replied. "You'll get there yourself." And she grinned evilly that he didn't deny anything. "But maybe once you're done playing on Berk, you can finally do your duty as future Bog chief and go find someone to make daughters with."
"Oi!" she said, feeling slightly offended. "Who said I'm playing on Berk?" He ignored her, signalling to the other riders who were approaching. Her chest grew heavy as she bit her lip. What? Was that why her last two letters went unanswered? Did Tuff think that? She was a Bog woman, sure, but she didn't play around with things like this. Bog heirs only got one chance.
The other riders finally caught up with them, landing on their sea-stack or another nearby. Hiccup hopped with a few agile leaps, never mind his leg, onto a higher rock and whipped out his spy glass, declaring that he could see the ships, that they should approach cautiously and attack the sea dragons ("They are definitely giving them problems- damn, there goes the mast!") so as not to incur in friendly fire, and then escort the ships back, by towing them if necessary.
"Everyone clear?" he asked, and he got a chorus of 'ayes'. Cami noticed Astrid's eyes shining up at him, and the Bog heir scowled at them all, flying off in formation to do her duty.
The rest went well; they got rid of the sea dragons - though to be honest, there was one hilarious moment when Fanghorn decided he like dragons more than humans and almost hightailed it after the other Thunderdrums, and Cami got to tell him that it was probably his stink that did it. It was hilarious to watch the flabbergasted expressions of the people on the ships too - they should do this whole 'not tell people about dragons and then ride in to save them' thing more often.
Though last time with the Red Death was more fun. She got to make things explode with Tuffnut last time.
Her mood fouled again. What did Hiccup mean, 'done playing'?
=0=
1 As I said in the AN of my preview chapter, the Vikings have anachronism gunpowder here because Mildew blew the armoury up with it in 'In dragons we trust'. And after all, if you've looked up pinky swearing ...
2 Brisinga, the name of Astrid's axe, is the name of the beautiful necklace Freya wore. This is another play on Astrid's name, and a hint to a future nickname she will gain, soon. No, not 'milady', another one.
=0=
Just to make it very clear here; Hiccup was actually joking. Or maybe he was hoping Cami wasn't serious about Tuffnut after all … for her sake. And Hiccup's image of himself here is not the only thing getting in his and Astrid's way. There are some cultural issues that are going to be exposed and dealt with.