First Date
The next morning Astrid woke up with a smile on her face. She was excited for today. She and Hiccup were going on their date today. Their first date. She excitedly got ready. She brushed her hair to a glossy sheen and plaited it as deftly as she could. Then she got dressed before checking her appearance. With a smile she grabbed her axe before heading downstairs and grabbed a small bag of food for the day.
Coming out of her home she smiled at the beauty of the morning. She couldn't remember ever looking forward to something so much. Going to Stormfly's stable she saddled her dragon before leading her to a feeding station so she could eat breakfast. As her dragon ate Astrid pulled out an apple to munch on.
"Good morning milady," came a familiar voice. Glancing over her shoulder she saw Hiccup. He was dressed in his samurai armor and Toothless was beside him.
"Don't call me that," Astrid said with a frown. Hiccup just gave her his crooked grin.
"Whatever you say…Astrid-chan," he said with a cheeky smile.
Astrid wasn't sure what that meant but she was sure it was to the same effect as what he'd addressed her as before. She brushed a few strands of hair out of her face shyly and hid a small smile. She kind of liked him giving her a pet name.
"So are you ready to go?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said as she held up a bag of food and patted Stormfly on the leg. The dragon lifted her head up from the feeding station before squawking that she was ready. Hiccup nodded. Then he put on his riding helmet before mounting Toothless. Astrid mounted Stormfly and then looked to him when she was situated. With a nod they gave their dragons the single to go and in a few moments they were both in the air and headed away from Berk.
Astrid and Stormfly flew just a behind Toothless and Hiccup. Hiccup had led them southward saying that he hadn't explored much in that direction. Astrid simply followed his lead as they flew at an even pace over the vast expanse of ocean.
As they flew Astrid looked at Hiccup's back. She still couldn't believe how much Hiccup had grown. She wondered when he'd hit his growth spurt. And did he grow all at once or did it take a while? Then there were his shoulders. They were so broad, so manly. And though she'd never say it to anybody she really liked the way he looked in his armor. He just filled it out so well. It made him look so powerful, so imposing, and always ready for anything.
Astrid really hoped she could get closer to him. She wanted to know about all the things he'd done in the six years he'd been gone. She wanted to know if there had been someone in Japan that'd made a place in his heart that she so desperately wanted to occupy.
Then suddenly Toothless spread his wings to slow down. Astrid coked an eyebrow as Hiccup suddenly and Toothless suddenly dropped back and flew along their right side. Hiccup looked at her and his eyes showed the traces of a smile.
"I see some sea stacks up ahead, how about we have a little race through them?" he said in challenge. Astrid squinted her eyes and looked ahead. And sure enough there were some sea stacks that could be seen in the distance.
With a smile she looked back to Hiccup. "So you think you can beat the dragon racing champion do you?" she asked confidently.
Hiccup chuckled underneath his helmet. "You may be the dragon racing champion of Berk. But you're looking at the dragon racing champion of Japan," he said as he jerked a thumb at himself.
"Oh so a little East meets West competition is that it?" she asked with grin.
"Looks like it," he said just as he directed Toothless into a dive.
"Hey!" Astrid said indignantly before directing Stormfly to follow. Her Nadder obliged and went into a nose dive. She could see her rivals ahead of them and smiled at the challenge. Astrid had always loved competition. In any form. It was one of the reasons she liked fighting Hiccup so much.
Hiccup glanced over his shoulder and smiled. Leaning over he patted Toothless on the head before whispering in his ear. The dragon huffed in reply before spreading his wings. They slowed down until they were even with Astrid and Stormfly. Hiccup and Astrid locked eyes and an excited smile formed on their faces.
Then facing forward they both pulled up on their dragons to get them out of the dive just a few feet above the water. Now skimming the surface their dragon pumped their wings to gain speed as they approached the stacks in the distance.
Astrid's adrenaline was rushing through her veins as she urged Stormfly on. But Toothless was faster. Hiccup and him pulled ahead of her and reached the archway of the first stacks. They flew through it with Astrid and Stormfly on their tail.
All through the maze of stacks there were jagged rocks jutting out of the ocean. Each one capable of seriously maiming and even killing the dragons and their humans. But that didn't worry them at all. They trusted in each other. In the power and strength of their bonds. And together both teams wove though the maze effortlessly.
Astrid gave a whoop of celebration as she managed to take the lead. Ahead she saw the end of the stacks that lead directly into the ocean. She deemed that to be the finish line and with a smile she urged Stormfly to fly faster. Her dragon obliged and pumped her wings harder.
Just as it looked like she was going to win a black blur that was Toothless shot ahead of them. Astrid's jaw dropped as she saw Toothless shoot past them. She couldn't believe how fast he truly was. With a small curse she tried to get Stormfly to catch up but her dragon wasn't fast enough. So Hiccup and Toothless gave a celebratory cheer as they flew out of the maze of stacks and won the race.
Astrid frowned at having lost. She'd never liked losing. Something that hadn't changed about her since childhood. As she and Stormfly came out of the stacks she pulled up beside Hiccup and Toothless. She looked over at him and saw his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm and pride. Her disappointment evaporated. It didn't feel too bad to lose to Hiccup. She just couldn't feel too upset about it.
So with a smile she faced forward as Hiccup pulled ahead. In the distance they could see an island. Toothless sped toward it. Obviously excited. Astrid wondered if this was a new uncharted island.
Together both pairs headed for it. Eager to rest and explore.
"Found another one," Hiccup said to himself as he began sketching the island they'd found onto his map. The group had flown over the island and decided to take a break.
"What should we call it bud?" he asked looking to his dragon. The dragon cocked his head to the side and gave a draconic shrug. "'Shrug Island'?" he asked jokingly. "Nah," he said with a shake of his head. He looked over to Astrid who was petting Stormfly. "Hey Astrid, any ideas for a name for this place?"
Astrid turned to look at him. Then she brought a hand up to tap her chin in thought. "How about…Squawk Island," she said. Getting inspiration from her dragon's cries for attention.
Hiccup mulled it over in his mind. "Squawk Island it is," he said before turning back to draw the island on his map. Astrid smiled and shook her head. She couldn't believe he really went for that. She knew he named all his islands strange names. Like Achoo for instance.
"So you hungry?" Hiccup asked not looking up.
Astrid thought about it before giving a light shrug. "I guess I could eat," she said casually.
Hiccup smiled before putting his map away. Then he went over to Toothless and reached into his saddle bad and pulled out a large woolen blanket. Then he spread it out over a patch of softer ground overlooking the ocean. With a bow he gestured for Astrid to have a seat. After grabbing her sack of food from Stormfly she did.
She watched as Hiccup pulled out a small basket from Toothless' saddle before taking a seat next to her. He reached for his sash and pulled out both of his swords before placing them at his side. Astrid reached into her sack and pulled out a piece of bread before munching on it. Behind them their dragons began to play a game of chase.
Astrid watched as Hiccup reached into his basket and pulled out ac canteen, a couple of strange ball, and some other things she had no idea what they were. As she continued to eat her bread she watched Hiccup bring one of the white balls up to his mouth before taking a bite. She watched as his face had a happy expression, obviously enjoying his meal.
"What's that Hiccup?" Astrid asked curiously.
Hiccup paused as he was about to take another bite and turned to answer her. "It's called O-nigiri. A rice ball," he explained. Astrid cocked her head to the side. What was rice? "Rice is a kind of grain they grow in the east. Johan stopped by with some a few days ago so I got some," he explained further.
Astrid 'hmmed' thoughtfully at this new bit of information. Then Hiccup reached down and picked up another one before extending it out for her to take.
"Try one."
Astrid stared at the strange ball before slowly reaching out and accepting it. She examined it for a moment before bringing it to her mouth a taking a bite. It was strange. The texture of the grains were new to her. But it was actually very good.
"Mmmmm."
"Good right?" Astrid turned to look at Hiccup and nodded. Finishing her first rice ball she reached out and took another without even asking. "Hey, that was rude you know," Hiccup said to chastise her. Astrid only smiled proudly and stuck her tongue out at him. Hiccup just chuckled and shook his head.
Done with the rice ball Hiccup moved on to his other dish. Astrid watched him pick up the strange food with two finger before bringing it to his mouth and eating it.
"This is sushi, try one," he said holding one out for her.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Well its rice and raw fish," he explained.
Astrid flinched in surprise. Raw fish? Gross! "Ewww. No way am I eating raw f—," he protest was cut off as Hiccup quickly popped a piece of sushi into her mouth. Astrid's eyes widened in surprise before she instinctually gave the food an experimental chew. And to her surprise it was actually very good. "Oh wow! That is delicious," she said in surprise.
"I know right," he said with a smile. Together they hungrily dug into their meal. With Astrid continuing to swipe food off Hiccup's side despite his gentle protests. When they finally finished their meal and washed it down Astrid produced some small pies for dessert.
"So I was thinking," Astrid said aloud. Hiccup turned his attention to her, pie in hand. "You'd make an excellent wife," Astrid said with a playful smile. "You're such a great cook after all."
"Oh ha ha. Very funny Astrid," Hiccup said with sarcasm.
Astrid sniggered to herself. "So who taught you how to make this stuff," she inquired.
"Yoko-san," he said before taking a bite from his pie.
"Was she the wife of the guy who trained you?"
"Yes. Daichi's wife," Hiccup said with a fond smile. He missed his Japanese family very much. Yoko-san, the woman who'd been the mother he'd never had. Daichi, the man who'd been the father he'd needed. And then Kyoshi, the man he'd grown up besides as if they were brothers.
Astrid nodded. Hiccup had told her bits about his life in Japan and his surrogate family. He spoke very fondly of them.
"So when did you become a samurai?" she asked next.
"Right before I left. It was a final gift from the Shogun for all I'd done for his people."
"And what was that code you were telling me about? The one the samurai live by?"
"Bushido, the way of the warrior. They're the eight principles samurai try to live their life by. They are rectitude, courage, honesty, honor, politeness, loyalty, self-control, and mercy," he explained.
Astrid couldn't help but think that was pretty cool. To follow a code with such principles. To hold yourself to such standards. Astrid flushed slightly and brushed some hair out of her face before getting ready to ask her next question.
"So…was there someone special you left behind in Japan?" she muttered lowly.
"Special how?" Hiccup said staring out over the horizon.
Astrid felt the heat grow in her cheeks. "You know…like a girl who was more than a friend," she said lowly.
"Oh that kind of special. Nah," he said. He turned to look at her. "No Japanese girl could handle all of this raw Vikingness," he said before striking a pose. Astrid laughed at him. And hid her relief that there'd been no one else in Hiccup's life. She wasn't sure why that was so good to know.
For a few more hours they talked casually. Astrid asked questions about his training and Hiccup asked her about the village and what she'd done all these years. And as they spoke Astrid was pleased to see that while Hiccup had grown up and changed, there was still traces of the young boy he once was. Astrid was so glad to see that she still had a chance to get to know him. That a small part of them could pick up where they left off all those years ago.
The pair were having such a good time that Astrid didn't even feel the desire to challenge Hiccup to a duel. She was content on just sitting back and enjoying their date.
After a few hours of enjoying each other's company the pair hunted for fish for their dragons before taking off and flying some more. The sun was beginning to set as they flew side by side. Astrid knew any minute now that they would have to head back to Berk. She was slightly disheartened by this fact and wished she could have more time alone with Hiccup.
They continued to fly until the sun fully set. Above them the skies was illuminated by the stars. Both of them gazed in wonder and Hiccup released a sigh. There was just something about looking at the stars from your own land that made them seem all the more beautiful. He glanced behind him at Astrid who was staring at the same stars and he smiled to himself. He had really wanted to go exploring so he could get some time alone with her. And he'd felt he'd accomplished that.
He could feel that they were steadily growing closer. Soon, who knew where their relationship could go? Maybe they could become more than just friends.
But he still didn't know exactly what Astrid felt for him. At the very least he guessed she didn't hate him. But with the way she always challenged him to duel he was beginning to think that maybe she just saw him as a new opponent to increase her own battle prowess. Well maybe he could change that.
Looking ahead he spotted an island covered in orange lights. He assumed it must have been a village. He pursed his lips in thought as he tried to think of what tribe's territory they were in. He didn't remember at the moment. As they flew closer Toothless perked his ears up and growled.
"What is it bud?" Hiccup asked his dragon in concern. Toothless growled some more before motioning with his head toward the island. Taking a closer look, Hiccup could see that some of the houses were on fire. He was about to assume that it was a simple village fire when he heard screams of panic and cries of battle. Scanning the waters he saw ships docked at the island.
And their sails were purple.
"Vandals," Hiccup spat with hate. Seemed like these guys were popping up everywhere. "Astrid!" Hiccup called out to get her attention. When she pulled up beside him he continued. "That village is being attacked. I say we help them," he called out.
Astrid looked ahead and saw what he had. She narrowed her eyes in determination. "Agreed," she responded.
Hiccup nodded before training his eyes ahead. With a pat on the side he urged Toothless to increase speed. The dragon growled and complied. They were going to help these people.
The Vandals were winning this battle. They'd found this small village while the sailed through the waters and decided to do a raid. They came ashore and were met with the village's defenders. But the village was small and the raider's numbers were over 100. They would win. And when they did they would have their way with this place and its inhabitants.
But the village's defenders weren't going down without a fight. The men and women grabbed their weapons and charged to meet the raiders. They may have been small in number but they were big in heart. Though they cursed themselves at letting themselves get so lax on security. It had been decades since they'd been attacked by anything.
The elderly and children were being evacuated as best they could. They were being moved out of the village and away from the fighting.
Amma, a village elder was leading the groups of children out of the village. Old though she was she led them quite quickly for a woman her age. She walked between houses and alleys to stay out of sight. Just as they came to the edge of the village that led to the forests where they would hide a large Vandal stepped into their path.
"Going somewhere ya old biddie?" he asked evilly. The children behind Amma all trembled and paled at the large man in front of them. But Amma narrowed her eyes at the man and held her walking stick at the ready, prepared to give her life for the children if she had to. The man cackled before drawing his sword. Then he swung it at her. Amma's stick was knocked out of her hands and she fell due to her lack of balance.
The man sneered as he watched the old woman fall to the ground and attempt to get up. As he raised a sword to finish her a young boy stood in front of her with a dagger pointed at him.
"Oh, so we have a hero among us?" he said mockingly to the young boy. The boy put on a brave face but his trembling betrayed his bravado. "What a noble lad you are lad. Too bad heroes don't live long," the man said as he raised his sword to cut down the child.
Amma attempted to stand up and get the boy behind her as she watched the man prepare to finish him. But she was helpless as she saw him bring his sword down. The children all closed their eyes and screamed in terror. The boy stood his ground. Just as it seemed like the boy would be cut down the man's sword was stopped as a black blur suddenly put itself between the man and the boy.
The man's eyes went wide as he saw his sword had been stopped by two other swords. Crossed above a man covered in black armor he only got a glimpse of burning green eyes before his sword arm was shoved back and in a flash he was cut down.
Amma and the children all stood there in shock as they saw this armored man suddenly cut down one of the raiders. He'd come out of nowhere. Amma remained on the ground until a pair of strong hands grabbed her gently by the shoulders and lifted her to her feet. She glanced behind her to see a young blonde woman she'd never seen. The young woman handed her walking stick which she accepted.
"Elder, you must get the children to safety," the woman said. Amma stared at the woman for a moment before nodding and gesturing for the children to follow her as she continued to lead them to safety.
"Hiccup we need to join the fighting," Astrid called out. Hiccup turned around and nodded. Together they charged toward the center of the village, weapons at the ready and adrenaline surging through them. When they reached the village center they paused as they saw the villagers and the raiders engaging in combat. Picking out opponents they both gave a war cry before rushing into the fray.
The Vandals and villagers were surprised by the new additions to the battle but the villager quickly assessed them as friends while the Vandals immediately recognized them as foes. But some of the Vandals recognized Hiccup as something else.
"The Dark Demon," some of them would whisper as they watched him cut their forces down. Some of them tried to retreat. They'd heard the stories of the monster who'd killed their comrades so easily. But their escape was cut off when their ships would suddenly go up in a blue flash of flames and a wall of fire stopped them in their tracks.
With a war cry Astrid swung the flat of her axe across a Vandal's head with enough force to knock him out. Another charging at her was downed by a vicious slash across the lower torso. A cry behind her alerted her to a charging Vandal and reaching for her hatchet at her belt she gave a toss. It flew true and buried itself into his shoulder. The man fell to the ground with a pained cry only to be finished off by the villagers.
With some breathing room Astrid scanned the area for Hiccup. She wanted to make sure he was ok. But darting her head back and forth she could not make him out. She began to grow worried when a Vandal was thrown out of the lower window of a home. She looked at the home curiously before a few moments later another man came flying out of the window on the second floor. Then another came out of the window on the side of the house. A few moments later Hiccup walked out with a little girl in his arms. He'd run into the house to rescue the girl after hearing her frightened screams.
Quickly a woman detached herself form the fight to retrieve her from his arms and with a quick thanks rushed out of the village to get her to safety. Astrid smiled to herself. Hiccup was such a good man. But her admiration of him cut off as she heard the familiar sound of an arrow being drawn back.
In front of her several Vandals had arrow aimed right at her. Astrid stood frozen, unsure of what to do. Then the Vandals fired. Astrid thought for sure she'd be riddled with arrows before Hiccup suddenly dashed in front of her.
Having pulled out his staff he spun it in front of him and deflected all the arrows. Much to the Vandal's and Astrid's amazement.
"You're on offense," Hiccup said looking over his shoulder at her.
"Right," Astrid replied getting her head back in the game. Hiccup started advancing on the Vandals as they reached for more arrows. But when they fired Hiccup would spin his staff, creating an impenetrable barrier that kept the arrows from getting to either him or Astrid. Finally within swinging distance he ducked to allow Astrid to lash out at a Vandal. The man raised his bow in defense but Astrid cut though it with one swing before slashing him open.
If Astrid thought fighting against Hiccup was a rush fighting alongside him was a thrilling experience in itself. As they fought side by side she couldn't help but notice how in synch they seemed to be. It's like they'd been doing it for years. One by one they took down the invaders, never getting in each other's way and covering each other's back if they were being outflanked. Eventually Toothless and Stormfly landed and battled alongside their rider, spitting fire and swatting the invaders away.
Finally standing back to back Hiccup and Astrid noticed that there were no other enemies around them. Or none standing at least. All around their feet were either unconscious or dead Vandals. They smiled proudly as the villagers gave a cheer of victory.
"Who are you then?" a man said as he came over to the pair.
"I'm Astrid Hofferson of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe of Berk. This is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the III," she stated, gesturing a hand to Hiccup who kneeled down to interrogate a semi-conscious Vandal.
"Who is your leader?" Hiccup demanded harshly as he held a Vandal up by his tunic. The man glared and remained silent. "Fine," Hiccup said dropping the man and standing up. He turned to look at the villager addressing them. "They're all yours. Do with them what you will. I suggest you increase your defenses and keep an eye on your waters."
The villager nodded in thanks before more of his people came forward to apprehend the raiders. With the crisis averted Hiccup and Astrid mounted their dragons and flew home.
"OH MAN THAT WAS SO AWESOME!" Astrid cried excitedly as Hiccup walked her to her front door. It was fully nighttime by the time they arrived with only a few villager bustling about. Their dragons followed behind them as the pair recounted the day.
"When you used you staff to block all those arrows," Astrid remembered in amazement.
"How about when you knocked that guy out with your axe? In ONE swing mind you," Hiccup said praising her.
"Man there must have been like a hundred of those guys. And we totally kicked their butts," Astrid said with no small amount of pride. Going to Stormfly's stable she unsaddled her dragon before walking to her front door. Walking up the steps she paused and turned around to face Hiccup.
"I bet you probably took out fifty of those guys. At the minimum," Hiccup said impressed. Astrid smiled and blushed.
"You really know how to show a girl a good time," she said with a genuine smile.
"I try," Hiccup responded with his crooked grin. Astrid chuckled.
"I had a really good time today Hiccup," she said honestly. She blushed slightly at her blatant admission and brushed some hair out of her face.
"So did I," Hiccup said earnestly. Then he flushed a little before bring a hand up to rub the back of his head. "Maybe we can do this again sometime. Might fight a whole armada as a second date," he joked.
"You promise?" Astrid asked playfully.
Hiccup chuckled and shook his head. Astrid chuckled back. And with a goodnight she entered her home. But not before casting last glance at Hiccup and giving him a warm smile before she shut the door.
Hiccup smiled to himself. Today had gone good. He'd even say he considered their date to be a success. Hiccup walked to his home proudly. He really had changed. He wasn't that little kid anymore who was too afraid and awkward to chase after what he wanted.
And he wanted Astrid.
And now, he felt he had an honest to goodness chance of winning her heart. It wouldn't be easy. She was still Astrid Hofferson after all. But in time he was sure she could get him to see him as something more than a worthy opponent.
Unbeknownst to him he already had.
New chapter. Hope you like. And to answe some question. No, Valka will not be in this story, so stop asking. The Vandals do have a leader and he;d a bad dude and the antagonist of the stroy who will be revealed at a later time.