I wanted to give this chapter to you earlier, but it just didn't work out that way. I want to tell you what happened, so if you are interested, please check after the story to hear what I have to say. So, to keep you from waiting even longer, please enjoy this chapter.
The funeral started with a sudden quietness that even the dragons seemed to understand. Astrid stood alone at the boat that her father would be using to reach Valhalla. She flinched a little as the doors opened with a creak at Gothi's hall. In a slow march, Angnir was carried upon a wooden stretcher by Gobber, Stoick, Spitelout, and finally Hiccup. She cringed as she saw him struggle without his crutch.
When the topic had come up on who should carry Angnir, Hiccup was adamant that he help. He was not present when Astrid had went through her father's belongings and sent them to the boat earlier. Instead, he was at the forge helping Gobber collect shields and weapons. Hiccup had stood and told his father that he was going to at least carry Angnir as far as was needed. She had told him that he still had to use his crutch in order to walk, but that only made it worse. He grit his teeth and dropped the crutch in front of her. "If all it takes is a little pain to pay my respects to him, then I will walk without it. Now, does anyone else have any other reasons why I shouldn't honor my father in law?"
It was so unlike Hiccup to reprimand anyone that it literally kept everyone from speaking. Shock had settled over the group around him and he just nodded and then limped away. Stoic stood completely still and then nodded as if accepting his son's words. Astrid had made to follow him, but as soon as she had left to find him, she was spirited away by the women of the village who were helping decorate the ship. She had spent the rest of her time perfecting everything on board and wondering where Hiccup had run off to.
Seeing him now made her both proud and worried about him. He was in front of Gobber and across from Stoick. His limp was still noticeable, but he never let it jar the stretcher that carried her father. It was a short walk from the elder's house to the docks, but by the time that Angnir had been placed on the ship by the Vikings, Hiccup's leg was covered in blood and he moved slower returning to her side. She felt his hand shakily find hers and then squeeze it as they both stood perfectly still to listen to Stoick.
"May the Valkyries welcome you and lead you through Odin's great battlefield. May they sing your name with love and fury, so that we might hear it rise from the depths of Valhalla and know that you've taken your rightful place at the table of kings. For a great man has fallen: A warrior. A father. A friend." Stoick shifted from one foot to another, pain lacing his eyes as he slowly took in a couple deep breaths.
He motioned at the boat for the sail to be lowered. Slowly, the wind carried Angnir out toward the ocean. A small fire was started at the dock when Astrid felt her breath catch in her throat. Hiccup must have heard her because his hand tightened around hers. A wave of relief swelled from her hand and soothed her mind. She wasn't alone in this. Hiccup was right next to her. A small part of her felt guilty for thinking more about Hiccup than her father right now, but it was easier for her to accept her father's death with the comfort of knowing that Hiccup was there with her.
With a slow and measured breath, Astrid gathered her courage and set her jaw. She slowly released Hiccup's hand and strode forward to where the bows were placed next to the small fire. Lowering the arrow that was with the bow, she let the tip catch fire before she turned to the ship that was easily within range. The bow and arrow rested heavily in her hands. After standing still for a few moments, she heard others line up next to her, their own bows at the ready. She was tempted to look at Hiccup again, but resolutely set her eyes on the boat that was slowly becoming harder and harder to hit. It was up to her to release the first shot and it would be the fire that she started that would take her father to Valhalla. Pulling the bow taught and taking precise aim, she felt the unfamiliar weight of a silver ring hanging from her neck. It reminded her of her father's last wish and it steadied her hands as she aimed her own farewell.
The arrow was released from the bow as it sailed over the water and lit the way with the burning tip. Other arrows were released after hers and the stream of fire that sped toward Angnir lit up the night. Finally, her arrow hit the boat and the others did as well. Flames started to lick the wood and spread into a roaring fire. Astrid put down her bow and watched everything. She felt Hiccup standing to her right, so she moved closer to him and grasped his hand in hers. Feeling strength flood her again, Astrid waited until most of the village had left for the great hall. There, stories of Angnir and his exploits would be told until the mead overtook tongues and rendered them incapable of speech. Still, she did not move. Even after the boat sank and the fire went out, Astrid stood and looked out across the sea.
Her hand never left Hiccup's, but she didn't cry. No, she was beyond that. Finally, she tore her stare away from the sea and looked at Hiccup. He was already looking at her, his eyes meeting hers as if trying to comfort her with just a look. His green eyes filled her vision and made her stop for a second. Whatever she was thinking, it took a back seat to his eyes. The pain, guilt and longing that she saw there mirrored her own. After staring for a bit, she realized what she was doing and immediately looked away. Vikings don't get to be nice and gentle or sad and depressed. They got angry. Astrid felt like she was betraying everything that her father taught her because she just couldn't muster up the anger she knew she was supposed to feel.
Standing there with Hiccup and holding his hand was the thing that kept her from crying. Of course she was sad, but the pain seemed to be a bit more bearable as long as she held his hand. She was snapped out of her reverie through Hiccup's voice. "Come on, let's go to the great hall. I think if anyone should be telling stories about your dad, it would be you." His hand clenched around hers and he started to hobble a little as he pulled her along.
Astrid saw that he was still in pain and his pants had been soaked through with his blood. He wasn't seriously thinking about going to the great hall like that, was he? Deciding that she would rather not find out, she moved forward and then swung underneath his arm, helping him walk. Hiccup stopped in surprise at first, but he slumped into her a little more after she started to walk them away from the great hall and toward their new house.
"Storytelling can wait. I don't think that anyone would appreciate cleaning up all the blood that you'd tread all over the place." She jostled him a bit more when he went to make a remark, eliciting a yelp out of him instead of speech. Then, she looked pointedly at him as if challenging him to say something. Luckily for him, he chose to keep his mouth shut instead.
The rest of the trip back to their house was quiet. Astrid opened the door and sat Hiccup down at the table. Toothless had not moved from his napping place and continued to snore heavily. "Stay here, I'll go get some more bandages." Astrid reluctantly let go of him as she made to leave him.
"What? Why would I do that? I really wanted to go running around the village as fast as I could. Party pooper." Hiccup fake pouted and then nervously smirked at her.
Astrid stopped moving to turn and look at his nervous smirk. He had absolutely no idea what he looked like right now. Still, something about his nervous smile made her feel… happy. Something about him just being there made her happy. It shocked her that she could muster up the feelings to be happy, especially at a time like this. So, she just shook her head and went into the living area where she kept her own bandages.
As she bent over to pick them up, her necklace with the silver ring fell into her vision. It brought Hiccup's earlier statement come to mind. "This ring will be your choice." His serious expression and his words had lifted her spirits and made her realize how good he was trying to be to her. This was her choice, no matter what the world threw at her, she had at least one choice. She shook her head and picked up the bandages. No, she had more than one choice. She could be sad and cry or she could accept what had happened and live her life to honor her father.
Granted, it wasn't a sudden epiphany. The entire afternoon while she was picking through her father's prized possessions, she had remembered all the things that they had done together. Those memories made her sad at first, but with each new prized axe or blade, she relived all the happy times she spent with him and the lessons he tried to teach her. He had said that he never wanted to see her cry, so she resolved herself to keep from doing so, at least for him. She made that choice. Only realizing that now, she went back into the kitchen and saw Hiccup with his legging rolled up and undoing the soiled bandage. Yes, it was her choice to be happy and although it might have been the last lesson her father would inadvertently teach her, she learned from him and Hiccup both.
Hiccup turned his attention to her as he finished. It was a small wound, but deep. It was bleeding, but not excessively. Astrid knelt down and started to wrap it again. "This is what you've been whining about this whole time? It doesn't even look like it will scar." She playfully taunted him.
"Hey, that's all Gothi's fault! I can't help it if she sowed it up so well!" He indignantly winced.
"Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it, right?" Astrid continued to try and distract him while she started to tie the bandage.
Hiccup lifted his other leg up and wiggled it next to her. "I already got one awesome battle scar. I think I've had enough fun for a while." He chuckled a bit and then got quiet as she stood up, finally finished.
Hiccup was a little dazed, but a constant throbbing in his leg continued to keep him convinced that this wasn't some crazy dream. It was funny how his entire plan had been reduced to trying to put one foot in front of the other. Astrid had taken top priority for the time being . It wasn't really surprising how much he wanted to spend with her, but it was a bit unexpected how easy it was now. He was a walking mess of nerves and accident, but now it seemed like they were starting to fall back into the friendship they had before.
Astrid stopped in front of him and just looked at him. She seemed to be waiting for something and when Hiccup's mind finally decided to find its way back to the present, he nearly jumped at seeing her in front of him. Realizing that she was probably waiting on him to stand up, he nervously chuckled and used the table to help him up. When he finally got completely vertical, Astrid seemed to nod to herself. "Well, let's get going to the great hall!" He started to turn and get his crutch, which he had left back with Toothless, when he felt Astrid slip underneath his arm and grasp him around his waist. "Uhh… ahh…A-Astrid?" His stutter came back. Didn't she say that she would take his hand off if he touched her?
"Leave it. It's my job to look after you, not some stick's." She didn't look at him, but he could see the faintest hue of red spread across her cheeks.
"O-Okay. If that's what you want." He leaned on her a little and she helped him through the door. She seemed determined to keep her eyes forward and move at a crawling pace. He was grateful for the slow pace, but he realized that it was nothing compared to their trek back to the Hofferson hall. Something must be on her mind.
It must have been the pain that was racing up his leg that loosened his lips. "Astrid, do you want to go to the great hall?" She stopped walking and they both stood still just a few steps away from the cobblestone that led the way up toward the celebrating Vikings in the great hall. She didn't look at him and when she tried to speak, she stopped before her voice reached her lips. She seemed to be debating something inside herself, so Hiccup tried to help her along a bit more. "What is it, Astrid?"
Astrid's body seemed to deflate a little before she spoke. "It's expected of us to be there. He was my father." Her voice was strained and a little forced. Hiccup felt like she wasn't telling him something, something important, so he pushed just a tad more.
"Yeah, but that's not what I asked. So let me try again. Astrid, do you want to go to the great hall?" He watched as she resolutely turned to him.
"I-I… no. It's just… everybody will talk about my father as if they all knew him as well as I did. All the adventures he went on and all that he accomplished. They will say of how brave or how great a warrior he was. It's nothing that I haven't heard before, but they won't tell it like he did. They won't say the important things that he felt or his reasons. And I- I don't want to just sit there and listen to them because… because I don't want to share him with them!" She was getting angry, Hiccup could tell.
"But if I don't go, it will look bad upon him. His own daughter doesn't even show up to tell everyone his story." She finally finished. Her rage had built and Hiccup had seen enough of it to know that somebody was going to be hit… most likely him.
Then, an idea dawned on him. He smiled a bit, then looked back at her, watching as her anger turned to confusion at his smile. "Then let's not go." He tugged at her shoulders a bit, trying to lead her toward the woods, taking a small and painful step in its direction. "Don't share him with them, don't listen to their stories."
Astrid looked absolutely confused and caught off guard. "Hiccup, I can't. It's tradition." She was barely making an effort to stop him, though.
"Yeah, because we know how great I am with tradition. We were just married and I'm injured. I'm sure they'll understand." He pulled a little more on her shoulders and she took a hesitant step with him, looking back at the great hall. He waited for her to look back at him before he spoke, making sure that she heard everything he had to say next. "I don't know any of the stories. I know you don't want to share your dad, but I'd like to try anyway. If you don't mind, that is."
A small smile started to grow in size on her face after he spoke. She quietly nodded and helped him walk further towards the woods. "What are we waiting for, then?"
Stoick was sitting at the head of the table while everyone was talking and drinking mead all around. He would listen in when it fancied him, but he kept his eyes on the door, waiting on Hiccup and Astrid. Gobber was already laughing and singing with all the Vikings around him. Most of the Vikings had already drank too much to really be aware of what was happening, but Stoick kept from going that far. He wanted to share his stories with his son and his new daughter.
When Hiccup and Astrid hadn't shown up halfway into the regaling of tales, he thought that they were tending to Hiccup's leg. He had argued with Hiccup back at the forge when they were gathering shields for the boat and that had ended… badly. Hiccup threw his crutch away and said that he would help carry Angnir, no matter the cost. Stoick understood why. When Hiccup had told him and Gobber what had happened out there on the ocean, it had caused him to feel sad for his son. The worst part of it was that he just didn't know what to say!
Parenting wasn't something he was good at, he could admit. How Hiccup still turned out the way he did was thanks to all the gods in Valhalla alone. Still, it was never made as apparent to him until he saw his son sitting there in the forge, suffering under all the guilt that he put on himself. He blamed himself for the death of Angnir and Stoick couldn't bring himself to say anything! It was Gobber that finally spoke and convinced the guilt ridden Hiccup that he didn't kill Angnir, the berserkers did. He explained to Hiccup that Angnir was one of the last true berserkers that lived on Berk. That his rage made it impossible for him to determine friend from foe and if Hiccup had not have acted, then there would have been two funerals today instead of one.
Gobber had always understood Hiccup and Stoick was both happy that Hiccup had someone to talk to and angry that it couldn't be him. So, when Hiccup came to the great hall tonight, he was going to make his son feel better. Gobber was right. The berserkers killed Angnir. They attacked Berk, on Hiccup's wedding day no less. They would pay. As his father before him taught him, you strike the iron while it is still hot. However, after waiting so long, he decided that he could wait no longer, so he stood and yelled at those in the great hall. "Everyone! Today, we celebrate the worth and mettle of Angnir! He was a great Viking that honors his house and hall! He was a true Viking of Berk! We can tell stories all night long of him, but is that all we are going to do?" The Vikings assembled seemed to lurch a little and some shook their heads from side to side. "We look after our own! They attacked our home! Destroyed our homes! Stopped my son's wedding! They killed one of our own! Are we going to just sit here and rebuild? Let them get away and have them laugh at how weak we are?"
The assembled Vikings yelled a very loud and collective "NO!"
Stoick raised his right hand and gripped it tight into a fist. "Then how about we go and show them what it means to attack our home! Let's show them what it's like to lose their houses! Let them cower in fear, knowing that we are Vikings! And we are ANGRY!" Stoick's speech roused a drunken roar from the great hall that shook the tables and mugs started to beat against the wood.
"Tomorrow, we sail after their broken ships! We will meet them at their home! We will show them what a Viking does to those that wrong him! I need volunteers! Who wants to come?" Hands flew in the air, all their shouts roaring in a unanimous roar of approval and willingness.
Yes, Stoick wasn't a good parent. But he was a great chief. Nobody hurt his family. He looked out for his own. Astrid would get her vengeance and Hiccup would be happy to pay the berserkers back for taking Angnir from him. It was their fault, after all.
Still, something nagged him. Hiccup and Astrid didn't show up for the funeral feast. He was worried and he went over to Gobber to see if he couldn't talk to him and get someone to find the two. He found his battle brother drinking another mug from a passed out Viking next to him. "Gobber, have you seen Hiccup or Astrid?"
Gobber looked around for a bit before turning to Stoick. "No, I haven't. Huh. Well, I guess I can understand why." He shrugged and continued to swig down more mead.
"What do you mean, Gobber? I thought they'd be late because of Hiccup's leg, but they didn't even show up!" Gobber lowered the mug and wiped the foam off of his mustache before he looked at Stoick with a smile.
"Alright, Stoick. Let's think about this for a second. Hiccup and Astrid are both missing. He doesn't really want to move around much because his leg is hurting him. And they were just married today. So, let me ask you this one thing. What were you doing the night you and Valka were married?" He wiggled his eyebrows meaningfully.
"Well, me and Val were at the house consu-" He stopped. His speech just cut off all of a sudden before he turned back to a smiling Gobber. His face slowly split into a massive smile and he jumped up from the bench. "This is cause for a celebration! I need a drink! I'm going to be a grandfather!" He jumped over to the mead barrel and poured himself another mug, draining it almost immediately before refilling it. His entire body was thrumming with giddiness. He wouldn't remember much after this, but he would definitely remember what Gobber said. "AHAHAHAHAHA!" With one last joyful laugh, Stoick jumped up and started to drink with his fellow Vikings with renewed vigor.
It had been quite a while since Hiccup and Astrid had finally made it back to the cove where he shot down Toothless. It was quiet there and it felt more special to him now that he shared this important place with Astrid. She seemed radiant when she talked about the times she spent with Angnir. She laughed when she told him about their sparring matches and she was really excited when she told him how he had taught her to fish and hunt.
He just sat next to her on a stone, listening attentively. It was rather easy to listen to, actually. Seeing her this happy had somehow let him ignore the pain that was annoying him. When she smiled, his heart clenched just a bit more than it should, his mind a jumble of warmth and joy.
Astrid didn't really talk about the battles that Angnir won or the amazing feats he was famous for. Instead, she told him of the times she spent with him and how he acted when they were alone at home together. It was a much more personal look at the man behind the large axe.
"You should have seen the look on his face! He was so surprised that I could throw my axe and cut down that tree!" She was smiling warmly at him, seemingly lost in the good memory.
"Did it look like this?" Hiccup made his jaw go slack and hang open, his eyes bugging out.
"Ahahahaha! Yeah! Almost like that!" Astrid laughed at him wholeheartedly. Yeah, he was being an idiot, but if it made her laugh like that, he'd do it in a heartbeat. The night had started to grow colder and he shivered a little bit, much to his chagrin.
Astrid seemed to have caught the small shudder and stood up, helping Hiccup to his feet along the way. "It's getting a bit cold. Let's go back." He slowly nodded. She started to help him shuffle his way up the walls of the cove, giving him a strong hand to help lift him up along the way.
They were silent most of the way, but it felt good. Astrid was smiling most all of the way, no doubt remembering the good times with her father. Hiccup was just happy that she was happy. He certainly wouldn't tell her right now, but she looked even more attractive when she smiled than when she was angry.
He shivered again, trying to keep it from alerting Astrid, but that didn't seem to work. She tightened her hold around his waist and grabbed his other hand with hers, rubbing it a little to keep it warm.
When they reached the Hofferson Hall, Astrid opened the door and walked in with him. She set him down at the same kitchen chair and went into the living area to start a fire. Hiccup heard her striking flint and iron before a small glow started to fill the room. He looked over at Toothless and saw that he was chewing on Hiccup's crutch.
"Great. Well, guess I can go and get another stick." He admitted to himself that he liked the feel of having Astrid underneath one of his arms, but he knew that it would be more than a little selfish to wish for that all the time. Maybe if he made something…
His thoughts were interrupted by Astrid coming back and helping him stand again, moving them both to sit in front of the fireplace. When they had finally gotten comfortable, Astrid sat to his left, away from his injured leg. Still, it made him feel a little uncomfortable. His prosthetic leg wasn't exactly… pretty. He secretly tried to hide the mechanical part under his other leg, but the cold metal made him regret it.
Astrid was looking into the fire, but she turned to look back at him. Dang, he was staring again. Seriously, Hiccup berated himself for still doing that when she was literally right next to him. She cleared her throat a little.
"Hiccup. I…" She paused and then leaned in and kissed his cheek. His entire face instantly started to heat up and his cheek felt like it was touching lightning. Too soon, it ended and all he heard was Astrid's small voice next to his left ear. "Thank you, for everything." Then, she got up and left. Hiccup watched her with a face similar to the one he had made earlier for her in the cove. She stopped just as she reached the bottom of the stairs and looked at him one last time. He could see her send him a quick, but sincere smile before she made her way up to her room and her door closed behind her.
He brought his hand up to his face and felt the warm spot that she had touched. Sure, they had kissed before, but this one… this one seemed different. She hadn't punched him or anything. That was new. But above that, it had a different feel about it altogether. Her face afterward didn't register embarrassment or relief. It was just… happy. Hiccup grinned a huge toothy smile and looked back into the fire.
"How peculiar."
Alright! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! You have all been extremely kind and truthful with me concerning the story, so please let me repay the favor. The reason you didn't see this story for so long was because I have been severely depressed. I was worried that my depression would leak into my story and you all did not deserve to see that mess here. My motivation for everything seemed to have drained out of me and I was just a walking shadow of myself. I was extremely worried that I wouldn't get a job and I had to rely on my younger brother to keep me afloat. It was a severely humbling experience and I often revisited this story to see your reviews. They really did help me get past the worst of it. Needless to say, I have got a job now and I am finally able to support myself. I know it seems sort of like a formality for authors here to thank those that reviewed their story, but it is different this time. It is thanks to you all that I was able to have that light that kept me from going deeper into sadness. So from the bottom of my heart, I thank each and every one of you. I hope that I can repay you for the kindness and enormous generosity you have all given to me. Thank you once again, everyone. A quick FYI, the story isn't over yet, either. Just letting you know that right now.