Anger Aftermath
'Astrid Hofferson, the unpredictable tempest who conquered the heart of the Dragon Conquer' – that was how the flurry of legends that grew about Hiccup Haddock outside of Berk described her.
Hiccup supposed one reason he might be marrying Astrid was for her temper. It translated to passion in many ways and gave her a strategic edge in battel. Long ago he decided not to give in to anger or violence, a trait which kept him from stoking the embers of her hostility. However, he reasoned with himself that sometimes people had to be fierce like dragons. Therefore, he could value hostility - some of the time.
And she had a softer side. But, not many saw it. Especially not now. Although, given that Gunnar had ice and bloody cloths wrapped around his nose, people probably failed to see the usually prevailing peaceful, compassionate side of Chief Haddock.
After the of the morning's hostility, Gunnar demanded a meeting in the Great Hall - in the open. He claimed he feared Hiccup might pull something, but Hiccup knew Gunnar wanted to escalate this into a greater spectacle. Fortunately, the time of day fell early enough before lunch few people strolled in, plus most folks went to the docks to unload the morning's catch. The occasional stragglers who wandered through seemed to be lured in by the aroma of fresh baked bread and appeared uninterested in the meeting.
On one end of the long oak table, Gunnar sat with his people, maybe some advisor or just guys who could fight. Their faces and exposed skin were tattooed with more battle scars than the Hooligans and some looked like a few too many hits to the head caused permanent mental scarring. Hiccup knew a leader like Gunnar filled his ranks with brutality and not brains, and the shrewder members of his tribe probably kept their heads by keeping them down. Oppressors only valued their own intelligence and could not risk anyone with an ounce of smarts challenge their power.
Opposite them, Hiccup sat with his counsel. And Dagur and Eret, because he thought he should have some extra intimidating guys. If anything, they looked more intimidating than him and Astrid, who contributed to this whole mess.
Also on his side, Toothless curled next to the fire a few feet away, his sleeping breath making his torso rise and fall rhythmically. Above him the moon-like eyes of Cloudjumper glowed as he hung from the rafters wrapped in leathery wings. Other dragons hid around them in the nooks of the Great Hall, sleeping, watching, and just being. Hiccup could have Toothless summon any of those dragons at a moment to create a defensive force, but the last thing Berk needed were dragon attacks or intimidations. That would crush the ideas Hiccup tried to spread about peaceful co-existence.
Hiccup placed his folded his hands on the table before making the most insincere apology of his life. "Cousin Gunnar, we're family, our blood ties mean strength, and I want us to be stronger together. You pulled a prank on me, I acted out and I apologize. As for Ingrid and Astrid, well the Hofferson bravery runs deep in their veins and that causes strong wills, which makes them great fighters. And great fighters sometimes use actions over words. Let's leave this as a family dispute and not a tribal one. I want to put this behind us and be civil for the rest of this union celebration."
Gunnar stretched a smile on his face then spoke with his own fake sincerity, "Cousin Hiccup, my love for you and our family will let me put out brotherly skirmish behind us. But, as for the Hofferson sisters, I can't let that go. True there are brave warriors in the Hofferson family, but let us not forget – Fearful Fin Hofferson –"
"That was changed back to 'Fearless'." Astrid interjected.
"My point," Gunnar continued, "is you can't claim blood makes us the same. You and I - not the same. And Astrid and Ingrid – not the same. Ingrid is a simple soft creature, like a kitten, adorable to have lounging around the home, useful, loving – the sort of wife a Viking man should protect. One that keeps the home and children."
Hiccup heard Astrid's breath deepen like a dragon ready to exhale flames. He thought he felt her heavy pulse racing in the seat next to him.
Valka, who had been standing behind Hiccup, moved closer to Astrid, putting her hand on the younger woman's shoulder. Astrid relaxed - it seemed his mom had a calming effect on all spirited creatures.
"Your Astrid," Gunnar continued, "is like one of your dragons - they seem nice and tame somedays, but they are war machines. One day they'll snap and cause irreversible damage. Not sure why you keep them in your homes."
Hiccup clenched so hard he felt his teeth would skink deeper into his jaw. His folded hands tightened to the point his fingers felt numb. The joints in his chair creaked beneath the shift of his tense body.
Gunnar continued, taking the ice and bloody cloth from his nose and putting them on the table, "Maybe you're right. We should keep this between families. Join me by the fire and we'll leave our people while we talk."
The scraping of chairs against floor reverberated through the high rafters of the hall as they rose then stood next to the blazing hearth. The vicious heat put out by the flames that lapped blackened wood expelling any lingering chill Hiccup felt from his earlier ocean dive.
Gunnar leaned in, the orange light from the fire menacingly dancing across his face, especially on his swelling nose. "Let's not lie. It's just us."
Hiccup folded his arms. "Do you even care about your wife? Because I haven't seen you show much respect for women. And we both know you don't get tender lovey feelings. What do you want?"
"How you know this isn't what I want? Quality alone time - with the most powerful chief in the region."
Hiccup laughed once, making him feel crazy, he liked to think it was because Gunnar's words were ridiculous, but he realized they might be true.
"OK? You've got me here. Now what do you really want? I hate games."
Gunnar shifted closer into Hiccup's personal space, "Yes, your dislike of Maces and Talons is well known. As is your distaste for the fun you once had with the Grimborn brothers. And I know you hate competition, but love teamwork. Thus, I come to you with a proposition of teamwork."
"If you wanted teamwork, you should have asked nicely," Hiccup hissed.
"I don't do nice and you would have say 'no'."
Hiccup looked back at Astrid, his mother, Toothless, and his people. The things he cared about. It did not matter what Gunnar wanted. The jerk would probably make some lunatic request Hiccup would reject. He had overcome so much. He had Berk and his peace with the dragons. He wanted nothing else.
He met Gunnar's eyes, "All true. So - no. We're done. Let's keep out of each other's way for the rest of this visit."
"You didn't hear my offer."
"I don't want to. I'm done wasting time with people who want to burn the world down to Hel. I just want to protect Berk, spread peace with the dragons, and start a family."
Gunnar through his head back with deep laughter. Hiccup scowled as he turned to walk away, but Gunner grabbed his cloak, pulling him back. "I can't give you that. However, I can take it away. Join me. We can be partners. I'll let you keep what you have and give you more."
Hiccup wondered if Gunnar was bluffing. He danced with worse people. Therefore, when he brazenly invaded Gunnar's space and laid down his own threat, it was not a bluff, "So help me Thor, don't threaten me – EVER. Toothless is the Alpha Dragon and I am the Alpha of Berk. You will never attack us. You don't have the armada. The men. Or the stupidity. So here is my offer – you stay quiet for the rest of this visit. You stay away from me. Astrid. My people. And any dragon you see. If for some reason, you come back here, you will not bring a single slave. Furthermore, no matter how much it sickens me, I won't stop you from enslaving people, but I'll never condone it. So, you will stop trying to convince others to trade slaves with you. I won't attack, but I won't stand down to threats."
Gunnar absorbed the warning without a flinch. Instead he acted as though Hiccup had wished him a merry Snoggletog and good luck in the New Year.
As if causally musing about the weather, Gunnar inquired, "How do you feel about Ingrid, Hiccup?"
The question caught him off-guard. He wanted to make leaving Ingrid behind part of the threat, but he wanted to smooth out the other troubles first. And he worried knowing about Hiccup's intentions to lure her away would make Gunnar hurt her more. Plus, he wanted her to want to stay - unsure how much she would want that after her sisterly hit earlier.
Screw it. If that negotiation needed to start now. It would start now.
"She's going to be my family. And will always be one of my people," Hiccup lowered his voice, "and I've made it clear how I feel about my people."
"Oh yes, she is yours. So, you'll miss her."
"Alright. I know you don't treat her well and yes, that makes me angry. And so, she's not going back with you."
Gunnar pressed his lips together as he pondered. He let the words swirl around in his head longer than Hiccup liked. But, Hiccup wanted this conversation to end, so he pent up his words and his anger. Letting it all simmer beneath the crust like lava in a sleeping volcano.
"We'll see how that works out."
"You won't lay a hand on her again," Hiccup ordered.
Gunnar clapped him on the shoulder like an old buddy then walked over to the table.
Hiccup noticed more people had filled the hall, the catch from the morning must be unloaded. The movements and humming of lunch seekers absorbed the words and actions of their little meeting. Still, when Gunnar approached Astrid he spoke such that his voice carried further into the hall than Hiccup liked, "My dear sister, I'm not happy that you punched my wife, but family squabbles and women's petty disputes are not worthy of an important chief's concern." He kept his predatory eyes on Hiccup, "Your betrothed will be the one to deal with your issues. Not I. Good day."
With a flick of his head Gunner summoned his men to rise and follow him to the food line.
Hiccup took a deep breath before addressing his people, who remained apprehensively gathered around his seat at the table. "Things have been tense. And they are going to stay that way. We all need to keep calm. No hothead moves, and especially keep the dragons in check. If you see one acting the least bit funny, get it off the island. There's still some safe housing in the sanctuary."
"You think he'll cause more trouble with the dragons?" Eret asked.
Hiccup glanced over at Toothless who now sat alert with head raised.
"Gunnar is trying to agitate me, what better way than to discredit the thing that makes me most feared and loved. He probably hoped for a bigger reaction from Toothless this moring."
Hiccup gave out orders, "Fishlegs, keep working on the project we talked about, Mom and Gobber, you guys stay close while I talk to Astrid, since our aloneness seems to bother you two the most. The rest of you – get lunch, then do whatever else it is you're supposed to be doing."
Everyone dismissed trickled away.
"Just so you know other people care about what ya been doing…" Gobber flippantly talked like he did when they were kids.
Astrid turned to Gobber, her tone empty, "You're not Hiccup's father, and I'm not a little girl, you don't have to walk us through our lives."
Hiccup took her arm and pulled her over to the fireplace. He leaned in and joked, "Are you cranky? Did you not get enough sleepies? Maybe you should try going to bed on time, young lady. I'll make that a top priority after this week."
Their eyes met, her's looked as bloodshot and tired as his probably did.
She gave him a light smile, "I'm sorry."
He shook his head, "I get it. I practically did the same thing."
"Except, I was going to take out a crooked old lady and ended up slugging a pregnant girl."
Hiccup laughed, his tired mind trying to deal with the absurdity of the situation. "I'm sorry that's really terrible…It is. Oh, gods…I must be losing it from loss of sleep."
He rubbed his eyes, "How did an old lady even move that fast?"
Astrid smiled back, content he also recognizing the lunacy of it all, "She is related to your mother, you must get your lanky quickness from that side of the family. And she's spryer than she looks - her skin must be more weathered than her bones…Look, the situation is bad, but I'd never hurt my sister—"
"No, you wouldn't." Hiccup wanted to reach out and hug her, but thought better of it out in public like this. He wanted them both to appear controlled after what happened. "However, Astrid, you have a temper. Maybe we should work on that."
"Hiccup, you don't understand, I found out Gunnar has been abusing my sister. And she stays with him. Then your aunt, stood up for that creep. It makes me so mad. Not just that their way of thinking is backwards, but that someone so like me and so close to me once has been brainwashed into it. And why didn't you tell me you knew about the abuse?"
"Look, maybe she has to go along to survive. I didn't tell you because I know you're on edge and I felt it was my problem. And well, I have a million other things we've been talking about or need to talk about. Last night we were just in such a bad place and I wanted to work through that and sleep, then you told me how Gunnar cornered you and how you're feeling jealous and it was just another thing to get into that adds to more than we can handle right now, and honestly – with Fishlegs's help and your parents talking to Ingrid, I sort of thought it was being handled."
"What did Gunnar say to you when you two were alone?" Astrid asked.
"Ugh – he wants some partnership, I didn't even want to know. I don't care. He's been trying to mess with me this whole visit to unnerve me, so not sure why he thinks I'd partner with him."
"Messing with you how?"
"The slave, weird innuendos, personal cut downs…nothing I care about or care to repeat. Astrid, men who want power, attack people who have power in the hopes of filling their bottomless hunger for control. As long as I have the alliance with the dragons and Berk stays stable and wealthy, people will attack me to satiate their ambitions."
He noticed her brow furrowed as tense as a pulled bow string. "Are you sure he won't hurt you or Berk?"
"Astrid, I'm not stupid. Remember I had Fishlegs run reconnaissance on the visiting tribes' assets. Gunnar might be rich, but his tribe is smaller, their assists are fewer, and because they use slave labor they don't have the same quality or quantity in fleets and weapons. Not to mention, we're smarter – his people don't value books or the intellectual luxuries Burk can indulge in because we have peace. We can fight smarter than any of the other tribes. Let's focus on that."
She indulged him with a faint smile, "Ok, Chief."
He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease the tension in his fatigued body.
"You're doing a good job, Hiccup. Your dad would be proud."
"I hate this job somedays," He muttered. Even the compliment he needed to hear failed to lift his tired heart.
"You could appoint someone else chief," She put her hand on her hips.
"Nah, I took this job to impress a girl."
"Wow, you have some stupid crazy ideas of what you think girls like – how's that working out for you?" She grinned at their playful banter.
"Ask me again this time next week."
They exchanged goofy smiles and for a moment the rest of the world fell away and they felt like carless teens again.
"What do you need me to do now?" She asked, becoming sober again.
"You could be nicer to your sister. You know, so she'll feel loved and want to stay."
"I'm nice."
"Maybe nicer publicly, so people can see you have good intentions toward her. Apologize. Like give her a hug. Maybe pet her hair, give her a kiss." Hiccup looked a bit dreaming as he spoke.
"Are you imagining me kissing my sister?"
"Like two Astrids...I want to be clear, I'm not imagining me kissing your sister. I'd be much happier if you kissed her. Consider it a wedding gift...I am joking, you know."
She rolled her eyes.
"I can tell you want to punch me right now, but aren't. Look at you, toning back that temper." He turned to lean his back against the fireplace's stone pillar. "In all serious, I love that you're fierce and strong, and I might even find it attractive, but maybe we're at a point and in a position where it should be harnessed."
"Hiccup, your father had a reputation for his temper and people feared him. Maybe you need that behind you."
"He didn't have a reputation for an irrational temper - usually. Think, Astrid, how many times did I send Snotlout out because he feared for his life because of your anger? You once threw Fishlegs onto his back then put him in hold that almost dislocated his shoulder – Fishlegs! His mom still kills spiders for him. And there was the time you tried to murder Throk because of something sexist he once said-"
"I'm seeing nothing wrong with any of those examples. Should I just let people push me or females around?"
"No, Astrid, you should calm down and use your words."
She glared at him, "I've got some words I could use now."
Hiccup crossed his arms and looked down. "There's another reason - you are like my dad, and I'm like my mom, and I don't want us to end up like them. I don't want us to have arguments that cause us to go separate ways for 20 years. I don't want out kids to grow up afraid of you because of your temper or look forward to the times when you are out of the house. I don't want to live with a person who can be so hostile they drive people away."
"Oh…" Astrid watched the fire for a moment.
Hiccup watched her, admiring how the dancing lights of the flame highlighted the soft details of her pensive face.
"I never thought about how your dad's temper might have affected you."
"I mean he wasn't horrible, but when you're a child and the person you live with isn't happy, it's hard."
Astrid moved toward him and reached for his hand. "I'll work on it. And I'll be so sweet to my sister, you'll be jealous."
He released a light laugh at the last part.
"My dad turned out OK in the end. And we were close, after he softened up. I just wish it hadn't been so long."
"Life's too short to be angry or unhappy." Astrid moved to nestle under the arm he reached out to her.
However, a throat being cleared behind them urged her away.
"Oh, Gobber, don't you have better things to do than watch our every move. It's getting a bit pervy." Hiccup deadpanned.
Valka tisked and waved a finger.
Hiccup turned back his betrothed. "I'm happy you're gonna work on this Astrid. If there is one thing I've learned, it's people don't respond well to a leader's anger. And that was a hard lesson."
A/N:
Thank you to all those who Followed, Faved, and Reviewed.
Special thanks to Lizby, who I know is busy, so taking the time to read AND review means a lot to me. Lizby is doing a great RTTE AU called "The Grimborn Sister" that I highly recommend.
In response to Guest Reviews:
There is a tamer quazi – prequal to this called "The Path I Must Take". I recommend that to those who don't like the conflict in this story, but like my writing style. I also put out a pretty tame fluffy AU. This story will keep getting darker, but will end happy.
Hopefully this chapter addresses Astrid's anger issues. Anger and a short fuse don't make her a bad person. All people have things they need to work on.
More about Brie will be revealed later. Gunnar has something over her. And Brie suspects if she fails, Gunnar has something worse planned for the Haddocks. I don't know that she was so deeply religious that she was willing to die for her religion, more so, her community revolved around the church, often the case in the Middle Ages. Plus seeing everyone she knew die, makes her question religion.
Hiccup's reaction of punching Gunnar was different from Astrid's (which is why the chapters were so close in time, I wanted to show a contrast)– Gunnar physically attacked Toothless (even if he didn't physically touch him) and Hiccup physically retaliated, then stopped himself from going further and stopped the situation from escalating, and his reaction met the level of the conflict. Astrid took a verbal fight and made it physical and she could not calm the aftermath on her own, Heather and Ruffnut had to get involved.
John: Good point about the old woman's reflexes. I added a line in the chapter above to address that.