After staring at books for the last three days, Astrid decided she needed a break. She took the time to do things that are a necessity for a millennial who works from home to do that a ghost from the 1st century wouldn't know how to do.

Set up technology. The cable went up fairly simple, considering that Finn had cable at one point. But she would have to have a man from the cable company set up the internet. The castle gravely needed wifi, an essential in this era. Especially if Astrid wanted those 5 star reviews. And she wanted them badly. More good reviews, more guests, more money. It was a healthy cycle.

She turned on the flat screen TV in the main room to a game of rugby. She didn't particularly like the sport, but it was the closest thing to American Football there was here. She supposed she'd get used to it.

When she turned around, couch was occupied by several ghosts, all entranced by the screen.

She was almost startled.

Gobber looked at her with a gleam in his eye. "Finn had a television, but not one as glorious as this."

"I wouldn't think so. This is state of the art." She patted the side of the screen. It stood on top of a wooden bureau, as wires peaked out the sides. Hopefully when the cable guy came, maybe he'd make it look nicer.

The front doorknob jiggled. The ghosts in the room turned invisible.

A tall man, with broad shoulders and an even broader chin stepped in, and suddenly made eye contact with Astrid. "You must be Finn's niece." He said with a smile.

"I am," she replied. "And you are?"

A specter rushed passed her and threw a pair of ghostly arms around him. "Eret! My love!" Cried Ruffnut.

"It's nice to see you, too." He said, somewhat resigned. He looked back at Astrid, "Eret, the groundskeeper."

Astrid grinned, "I guess you're acquainted with the…permanent guests of the house."

Ruffnut climbed over Eret and clung to his muscly back like a koala bear.

"Uh, yeah. I grew up here, with my dad and my grandfather. It wasn't until I was a teenager that I met the ghosts. The day of my 18th birthday, my dad sat me down and said, 'Son, now that you're a man, you have to know the great secret of the castle.' And before he could say anything else, Ruffnut leapt on me from out of nowhere, and has haunted me ever since. This vacation was my chance to get away."

"Why did you leave me for so long!?" Ruffnut moaned, "It wasn't the same without you!"

Eret shrugged. "I have to get out and about sometimes."

"What about me?!" She howled.

Astrid watched the exchange with a smile, glad to see that the ghosts had a little bit of human company. Hiccup appeared next to her. "The children that are raised here really have the raw end of the deal." He spoke quietly.

"Why's that?" Astrid watched as Eret fanned his arm through Ruff, like he was wafting a bad order away.

"The castle itself has an evil that persists even if the door is locked."

"You mean nightmares?" She wondered allowed.

"So you've had them too?" He sighed. "I had hoped…that being in the same room as you, that knowing I was there, if that would make them go away. But I guess not."

Eret finally walked outside, as Ruff stood with her arms reaching out for him. He was just getting another suitcase.

"There's always something about the unknown in them. Like, last nights, I was on a slide, and I could hear a buzzsaw in the distance, but I couldn't find where it was coming from."

"Finn used to have them. As well as every Hofferson before him. It appears there's no rest for the wicked."

"Good thing I have NyQuil." Astrid laughed emptily. "What's some bad nightmares, anyway?"

"There's more than just nightmares though, there's also—"

"Hey Astrid!" Eret called, "did you need to get any groceries? The Tesco's like 20 minutes from here, if you wanted to come with."

"Hold that thought, Hiccup." She smiled, "yeah! I do. My parents are coming tomorrow. They're going to help me prepare for guests. Although, they were going to help clean, but as you can see, I got plenty of help in that regard."

Eret nodded. "How do you think Finn did it without any hired help?"

Astrid raised an eyebrow. Really, besides Eret who did work outside, she couldn't remember anyone working in the castle during the several times she visited as a child. "I guess I never really thought about it."

"Well, now you know."

Astrid glanced over to the ghosts all piled up on the couch. "Alright Hiccup, you're in charge until we get back. Is there anything you want from the store? I know you can't eat or drink anything…"

Hiccup's eyes widened slightly, before he smiled. "No, thank you, Astrid. I'm fine."

Eret rested his suitcases by the East Tower entrance. "Now Ruff, don't go snooping through my stuff while I'm gone." He reprimanded, like she was a dog.

"Oh, of course not." She assured. "Why would I do that?" Her glance darted over to the suitcase and back to him with a smile.

Eret shook his head then looked at Astrid, "Ready?"

She prepared the affirmative, but then stopped with realization. "The internet guy!" She almost shouted.

"What about him?"

"He's coming in like an hour, I have to be here for him…can you wait to go? Oh, what time does the store close?" Looking at her phone, she found it was 3 o'clock.

"It closes at 6." Provided Eret.

"Crap…"

Hiccup came up beside her. "Don't worry about it, we'll take care of him. Go get the groceries."

"What do you mean, you'll take care of him…?"

"I'll make sure he gets let in and finds everything he needs."

Astrid looked at him skeptically. "Fine, but don't do anything that would put my business in jeopardy before it even opens."

"Oh of course, Milady."

—

The ride into town was pleasant and quiet. Navigating the winding roads of the town was still new to Astrid, and she allowed her new friend to drive.

"So, how do you like the castle?" He asked, as they headed into town.

"It's nice," she said amicably, "big. Very fancy. Mysterious."

"Yep, I've lived there my whole life, and there's just so much I don't understand myself."

"Have you ever been to the North Tower?" It was a stupid question.

"I met Toothless once in my life, if that's what you meant. He was waiting for me as soon as I opened the door."

"And you didn't run screaming?"

"I never said that," he laughed. "That was…terrifying. To be sure. What about you? I'm assuming you did, since the gang was out and about. Last I knew, Finn had locked them all away."

"The first night I was here, I saw a light on in the tower, and wondered if it was an intruder. Turns out it was just a bunch of really really old men playing Rummy."

Eret snorted. "Must have been scary."

"I…don't know. I don't remember that night all that well. It was only a few days ago, but some of details were fuzzy."

"Probably from shock."

"Probably." She agreed. "I didn't really accept that the castle was haunted until the next day…I still don't know. Like, Hiccup and Gobber and the others…they act so normal. They just look…transparent. In every ghost movie I've seen, the ghosts are invisible and they're stacking chairs and stuff. Not…helping you clean to make room for guests."

"What did you think of Stoick?"

"Never met him. Hiccup said he left a few days ago."

Eret was quiet before uttering a gentle, "oh."

"Yeah."

"How many are left? Do you know?"

"Um…I think I met most of them. So, Hiccup and Gobber, Fishlegs, Ruff and Tuff and Snotlout. That's six." She counted on her hand. "Gothi, Agnar, uh…Gust, Cleftjaw, Gunnar, Silent Sven…that's 12."

"Spitelout?"

"Nope, he's gone."

"Uh…Jorgen? Lars?"

"That's 14."

"Oh, Bucket and Mulch!"

"Both gone."

Eret gave her sad sideways glance. "Really?"

"Hmm…" She hummed. "And Magnus. I think that's it."

"Only 15 left?"

"Well, there was 19 when I moved in." She winced, "to be fair, I'm mixing a lot of them up in my head."

"It's okay. You'll figure it out eventually."

Astrid shifted in his truck uncomfortably. He was still a stranger, and a man at that. This situation should rightfully make her squirm, just a little.

"What's it like?" He finally asked.

"What?"

"The North Tower. Finn…never talked to me about it. No matter how much I asked. He just said I was a child and what was in there was not for children. You don't need to tell me every detail…I'm just curious."

"I'm sure you would be…" She assessed. "Well, it's kind of like…if you took the West or East Towers, and stripped them bare and let them stagnate for a thousand years."

Eret huffed. "That's a vivid picture."

"But the bottom level goes really…really far down."

He looked sideways at her. "What's down there?"

"No idea. I went down a few floors with Hiccup, when Bucket left…but that's as far as I got. Honestly, I never want to go anywhere near there again."

"Why? Was it just sad?"

"Sad and…I don't know. I felt like I was being watched." She carefully left out the part about the figure with the long bony fingers.

Eret made a sound like 'yech' deep in his throat. "Well, that solves my curiosity."

"Really? Just a few words from me, and that's it?"

"I mean, I still wonder what's deep deep down…but if the water level from the lake is anything to go by, it's probably like the Berkley Pit down there."

"The what?"

"You know, The Berkley Pit? The armpit of America?"

"The armpit of America is New Jersey." She corrected.

"I guess you would know," he chuckled. "You're from the US, right? Or is that not an American accent?"

"I'm from Michigan, by Chicago. What's this pit?"

"Oh, it's a pit. In Butte Montana. It used to be an old copper mine, but it flooded and now the water is black and so toxic that anything that touches it instantly dies."

"Ew gross. I think that's more like the butthole of America."

"Butthole in Butte." He chuckled.

"How do you know about that? Since, well I wouldn't take you for an American tourist."

He grinned at her. "I'm a landscaper. I study the pH balance of soil for fun."

"Weird."

"And you rent out your Uncle's haunted castle for fun. We all have our kicks."

"I don't do it for fun!" Astrid argued back. "It's my lively hood!" She crossed her arms. "I study the history of the ghosts for fun."

"I rest my case."

—

Back at the castle, a rotund man in a large white van pulled up the drive. He looked at the castle in excitement. Rumors were that the building was haunted, and he had never serviced a haunted house before. He knocked on the door, "Spectrum Internet!" he called.

It was a moment before the big door unlatched and creaked open. No one was there.

"Hello…?" He called out. "My name's Ioan, I'm here to set up your box?" He took a few steps inside. "Astrid Hofferson? You called this morning?"

The door suddenly slammed shut and locked behind him.

He gulped heavily, definitely considering the possibility of these so called ghosts.

A clanking sound made it's way to him from under the stairs in front of him. It got louder and louder until a suit of armor was marching towards him.

Poor Ioan dropped his toolbox in fear, and stood frozen in place, his knees knocking together.

"You're the internet guy?" The armor spoke, his voice echoing with a hallow ring.

"Uh yes, sir." Ioan nodded.

"Great!" The armor clapped with a clink. "What do you need from me?"

"Uh…there should be a place where the cable connects to the outside, it's called a drop spot. Do you know where it is?"

"It's probably in the library, come with me."

So poor, terrified, confused Ioan followed the suit of armor into the East Tower and down the stairs. In the south corner, there was a cable line hooked up to a splitter.

"Uh, thanks…" said Ioan, as he got to work. "Where do you want the modem? In here?"

"The closer we can get to the South Tower would be the most beneficial, I think."

Ioan scratched his head. "Well, I could do that, but these walls are solid stone. You'd have to get a contractor in here to drill a hole to run the line."

"If I got someone to drill the hole right now, could you run it?"

Ioan looked at him like he was crazy. "I…guess."

"Okay, give me just a second. You do what you can right now."

And the suit of armor left the room, clanking all the way.

"I need a vacation…" Ioan whispered to himself.

—

The shopping trip had proved to be a good bonding experience for Astrid and Eret, and she was now relaxed at the prospect of sharing a tower with him.

Astrid quietly shamed herself. Here, she was nervous around a young professional male, while she had willingly fallen asleep twice in front of a male ghost. She should have been more comfortable around Eret, since he had skin.

But there was just something about Hiccup that set her mind at ease. His voice, maybe the way he spoke? Maybe the wisdom of a thousand years? Or maybe it simply was shock.

Either way, she now had two guys she could depend on in this strange new life. Not that she really needed them, but it was a nice idea.

When she and Eret returned, a police car, as well as an internet van, were sitting in the driveway.

"Oh no…" Astrid muttered to herself.

"Did you lock the door?" Eret whispered.

"I think so…I'm pretty sure…" Astrid jumped out of the truck quickly and hurried up to the door. Pulling on the handle, she found that it was still locked.

"Good afternoon." A deep voice spoke from around the corner. A familiar face came around.

"You're…the officer from the other night."

"Viggo Ryker," the man held out his hand. "Sorry for startling you."

"Is everything alright?" She asked, nervously.

Eret, not bothered, had began bringing bags of groceries over and setting them by the door.

"Yes, I think so," responded the policeman. "I was just coming to check on things. I wanted to make sure that home invader situation was handled."

All her life, Astrid had trusted the police. Her uncle was a policeman back home, as well. But this man…he was not to be trusted. There was something about him…that just didn't sit right in her gut.

"Oh yeah. My Uncle had a generator to that part of the castle. It's a storage unit. There was a motion detector light up there. There must have been a mouse or something. It turned off not long after you left."

The Officer Ryker didn't look convinced. But he chose not to say anything. "Well, that's good to know." He took a notebook out of his pocket and started jotting down some information. "If there's ever any sort of problem that requires someone to be escorted off the premises, please don't hesitate to call this non-emergency number." He handed her the piece of paper. "But of course, 999 is still appropriate for life threatening situations."

"I—uh, thank you." She responded.

Eret had finished bring the collection of food over, and waited to unlock the door.

"Have a nice day, Miss Hofferson." He nodded with a tip of his cap. Then he wandered back to his squad car.

"Hmm…" she pulled out her phone as Eret watched him leave. "This number he gave me…"

"Yeah?"

"It's not the emergency number that Mala gave me."

Eret was quiet a moment. "Does it matter?"

Astrid considered, "It probably doesn't. But, he rubbed me the wrong way."

"Ditto, that's why I didn't unlock the door."

"You are one smart cookie."

Eret unlocked the door and stared ahead at the strangest sight he'd ever seen.

One normal portly man was poised on a latter, and screwed fasteners into the wooden molding around the ceiling. He was surrounded by three suits of armor, all helping him in various positions, either holding up the cable or the ladder.

"Oh, Astrid, Eret, you're home!" Hiccup spoke from one of the suits. "Internet is almost up. We're going to put a modem on the table right beneath the stairs."

Eret covered his mouth with a fist, trying in vain to hold in his laughter. Astrid smiled, and shook her head. "I should have never doubted you when you said you had this covered."

"Are you Miss Hofferson?" Ioan asked, coming down the ladder.

"Yep," she smiled. "Thanks for coming on such short notice."

"Oh it was no trouble at all! You're staff here is so helpful! I wish I had help like this at all my jobs!"

"Well, we're vacant right now, so they have nothing better to do." Astrid laughed.

Ioan came a little closer. "You can be honest, are there actual people in the suits?"

Astrid laughed. "If you want to think so, go ahead."

"Are you going to fasten this line or not? I'm not going to stand here all day!" Called Gobber, from another ladder.

—

At night, Astrid curled up in bed with her laptop, and made sure the Castle had a Facebook page. Tomorrow, she'd take pictures and make sure everything was ready to start taking reservations.

Hiccup floated in, and sat cross-legged by her feet. "Was that okay?"

"Hmmm?" She looked up at him.

"What we did with the armor? I know you don't want us to be known to everyone…"

"I think it was fine. What do you think? Do you want people to know you?"

He was quiet for a while. "Hiding for a thousand years can make you want a lot of things."

Astrid closed her computer and set it aside. "How old were you when you were cursed?"

"20." He answered simply. "How old are you?"

"21. I was only asking because you look about my age. Well, when you're in the North Tower, you do."

He hummed slightly. "I'm glad I look human at least a little."

"Yeah, now that I think about it, but is it that you have a body there, but not out in the castle?"

"I don't," he said simply. "The form I take in the tower is tangible, but it's still not whole. If you wanted to, you could walk through me even in there."

"Oh…I just assumed…"

"It's alright. Looks can be deceiving." He shrugged.

"Are you always this chummy with the Hofferson's, or am I special?"

He leaned back on his arms, considering. "At first, when this whole thing happened, I was pretty upset. I spent that first lifetime by myself…really, I was the first one to leave."

Her eyes widened.

"My whole outlook on life was my freedom. Growing up, I was the smallest in the tribe and I would do anything to belong. After I lost my leg, I came to realize that I would always be different, and there was nothing I could do about it. So I embraced it. Then I came to realize that I had a chiefly duty to my people, so I tried to balance my solitary life and helping the tribe."

"It must have been suffocating." She sighed.

"It still is. There's days where I wander through the North Tower just to get away. But it's never enough." He met her eyes and then blushed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to just unload that on you."

"It's alright," she assured. "But the question still stands, do you treat all the Castle Masters like this?"

He smirked. "Not usually this close. I just think you're cute."

Astrid burned red. "I—I that is, I'm flattered…"

He chuckled. "Sorry, we are kind of blunt. Viking trait."

She shook her head. "I'm just not used to be called cute."

He leaned forward, toward her. "What? Do you not have a boyfriend?"

"Nah, I had a few dates in college, but no one I really connected with."

"Oh." He bored his big green eyes into hers. "Do you connect with me?"

She smirked back. "Sure. But don't get too used to the idea. We walk very different paths of lives."

"You mean I'm dead and you aren't?" The way he said it held much contempt, and lacked his usual teasing tone.

"Yeah, that." She simpered. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't." He assured. "It's just something I've had to come to terms with." Then he smiled, genuinely. "I do like you though. I'd like to get to know you more. Maybe you are the one that'll break the curse."

Astrid reached out, and overlapped his hand with hers. "I certainly hope so."