Hiccup stormed into his room with the shoulder armor clanking and Toothless fluttering anxiously behind him. "I can't believe this! Is he looking for ways to humiliate me?!" She cooed soothingly, but her husband didn't notice. "It's always like this! He sets up tasks for the three of us that Hubert and Hamish can do just fine but I can't possibly complete. And then when I fail, he gives me that disappointed scowl, like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich."
He threw his shoulders back and deepened his voice mockingly. "Excuse me cook, I'm afraid you brought me the wrong son. I ordered an extra-large prince with archery skills, a pretty wife and leadership skills on the side. This here, this isn't fit to be a stable boy!" He collapsed out of the persona and into one of the chairs sitting at the table, still pulled out from breakfast this morning, unmoving and exhausted.
She hopped from floor to chair to table until she was sitting on one of his knees. She warbled plaintively at him and he moved his hand away from his face so she could see those pretty green eyes of his. He sighed and reached out to stroke her gently. "I'm sorry, I'm just…frustrated. I mean, what can you possibly cook? You're a dragon!"
To his surprise, Toothless growled at him and bit him softly on the unprotected hand. "Ow! What was that for?"
In answer, she flew over to his writing desk and grabbed a blank piece of paper with her gums, pulling it out to where she could draw on it. Hiccup sighed, got up from his chair and walked over to help her. Once he removed the inkwell from its place inside one of the cabinets and opened it for her, Milady dipped a claw in and began to draw.
If there was one thing Hiccup absolutely loved about his wife, it was her drawing ability. He watched as a fish dinner with wild greens, seasonal fruit, and goblets of what he guessed was water decorated the paper. Once the picture was finished, Toothless took a wing tip and gently turned his head towards the window with a view of the forest. Smiling, he scratched her under the chin in just the right spot, making her arch her back in pleasure. "Well, then let's go get some ingredients."
But before he could leave, Toothless chirped at him and flicked her tail in the direction of the wardrobe where various capes designed for her by the seamstresses were stowed away for further use. He opened the doors and she flew in, coming out with what looked like a piece of netting with two strings at the top, which Hiccup guessed were supposed to be tied around her neck. She flew back out and dumped it in his hands, trilling happily. He shrugged. Okay, I guess we're taking this with us." He then borrowed several baskets from the kitchens, a wheelbarrow from the toolshed, and wheeled it all into the woods with Toothless riding in front.
Sophia and Clarice watched them leave with a smirk. Whatever those two came up with couldn't possibly compete with the creations of two highly educated ladies. They flounced down to the kitchens and began to issue orders to the already harried serving maids and cooks.
In the forest, Toothless led Hiccup to where a stream temporarily split around an island that grew several small bushes, which also covered the closest bank. She then pulled the piece of fabric out of one of the baskets and trilled at him expectantly. He looked from the river to the fabric, then back at the river, and exclaimed, "Aha!" He tied a few rocks in the bottom of the piece and fastened one end of the string at the top to a bush growing on the very edge of the shore. With a loop securely tied in the other end, Toothless flew over the river with the string in her mouth and looped it over one of the bushes. An impromptu fishing net in less than five minutes.
Toothless flew back and landed on his still armored shoulder and he smiled at her. "Not bad, Milady." She nipped his ear playfully and flew off again, chirping. He grabbed the handles of the barrow and followed the streak of dull green. When he finally caught up with her, he was standing in the middle of a meadow. Greener than the forest, he looked down and spotted a leaf that looked exactly like…" Dandelion greens," he commented to his wife who'd landed beside him. He laughed. "You know the best spots for everything, don't you?" She warbled and bobbed her head in answer. He laughed at her attempt at nodding and started to pick the greens.
They spent most of the afternoon wheeling their load through the forest while Toothless led him to different meadows, glades, fruit trees and berry bushes. Picking, gathering, and in some cases climbing, Hiccup soon filled all but the biggest basket with the fruits of the forest, with Toothless helping where she could. The best part of the day was when they found a wild strawberry patch, although getting there was a bit painful. It started when Hiccup reached into a blackberry bush for a huge cluster of black fruits when a thorn caught him on the tender underside of his upper arm. "Ow." He carefully slid the appendage out of the bush and brought up the arm for inspection. A shallow cut crossed his forearm, long enough to be troublesome.
The minute he stepped back from the offending plant, Toothless started fluttering around him, warbling and whistling in concern. He showed her his arm. "Don't worry, it's fairly shallow." But she still dragged him back to a portion of the river upstream from where they'd planted the net and watched him to make sure he washed the wound clean. He finished and held it up for her opinion. "Clean enough, Milady?" She scowled, quite a feat for a dragon, and took his tunic between her gums. Pulling suddenly, she tore off a strip. He looked at her crossly. "Toothless, you can't just..oh," he finished when she offered the strip to him.
He bound it around the cut and she trilled happily, making him smile. She took such good care of him, a welcome change from the tough love of his brothers and father. Was this what it was like to have a woman in your life? He looked back down at her and noticed a spot of red at her feet. "Toothless, look! Strawberries!" They spent the next ten minutes plundering the patch and the ones nearby on the bank.
When the sun stood at half mast, marking the time they needed to start heading back to the castle to finish the preparations, the duo returned to the river to find their net filled with fish of different sizes. He looked at the fish caught in the netting. "Now how do we get the big ones out of the water and still let the little ones live?" In answer, Toothless dived down into the stream. Thinking she might hurt herself, Hiccup rushed to the edge of the bank and, to his slight astonishment, saw Toothless help several smaller fish through the net where they were tangled until only the ones big enough to eat were left. She emerged and Hiccup pulled the net out of the water, all the while heaping praise on his "Resourceful, smart, amazing" bride. A good thwack to the head and cut to a major artery later for each, the fish were thrown into the largest basket to be taken home with the rest of their goods.
What did you think of the detail on this chapter? In the original story, the frog princess did everything herself, but I didn't want these two to be like that, at least not the first time. What did you think? If you get the reference from the title, I'll give you an internet cookie ;).
I saw Winter Soldier yesterday and thanks for some fantastic fanart on Deviantart, am already writing another crossover for Httyd and Rotg with that storyline. Would anyone be interested in reading it?
Please review.