Hello! This is a pretty short chapter with around 2k words, it is just a little chapter for the introduction of all the characters. Just for ease of understanding, this chapter takes place the day after the meeting in the last chapter. Astrid's father made 'the decision' a week ago but told her just this morning. The same goes for Hiccup.
Today was a cloudy day, you could hear the trees groan as the winds from Valhalla pushed them about. The dark clouds had not let even a single ray of sunlight pass its dark barriers. It was a complete contrast to the weather just the day before, but we were used to these sudden changes in weather. It was so unpredictable that it would not surprise me if it started raining on a completely sunny day.
The day reflected my mood, anger coursed through my veins just as the lightning cut through the dark clouds at a distance. I had finished training and had flown to nearby islands with Stormfly. My Deadly Nadder might not be the fastest dragon in the Order but we were great at manoeuvres, thus the thickly forested islands surrounding Frejya Island were perfect for our training.
Training, was my way of blowing off steam, it felt calming, and a sense of peace and satisfaction washes over you every time you feel the vibrations as your axe cuts through the trees. And flying was no exception, the adrenaline as you try to dodge upcoming obstacles at high speeds keeps your mind sharp and alert. Training did the same thing for me as forging did for Hiccup or… beating up Tuffnut did for Ruffnut.
As I entered the Great Hall for the midday meal I immediately gravitated to the distinctive shout, "Give it back! It's mine!" The short outburst from Ruffnut was quickly followed by a strong punch to Tuffnut's face effectively knocking him out cold. Ruffnut then took what Tuffnut was holding… a rock. I rolled my eyes as I walked over to my best friend. You would think it is crazy that two twins had a complete hand-to-hand duel over a rock and no one stopped them, but over the years the village had gotten used to the constant fights and bickering between the two.
Ruffnut was a few inches taller than me but thinner. She had long blond hair, tied into three braids. Ruff almost always wore an olive and purple dress and a fur vest. She had a twin brother Tuffnut and together they caused havoc and chaos around the village. They both knew how to fight, and fought well, but preferred to fight with each other. Ruffnut was the only other girl in the tribe my age and so we naturally became best friends from a very young age. She was the only friend I had for a long time till I met Hiccup.
"Bestie! Look at you, all sweaty from training, guess you had time to cool down… so I'm guessing you aren't mad about the news anymore are you?" Ruffnut asked. Everyone looked at us, suddenly the Great Hall which was filled with shouting Vikings eating their meals where now just a sea of eyes staring at us, waiting to see my reaction.
"Nope… If my father wants me to get married to some spoilt knucklehead heir of some faraway tribe just so we have more allies, how could I blame him? After all, I am just his bargaining chip." I responded sarcastically, trying to show my calm attitude with no temper left.
As the Chief's daughter, I was always very much aware of the possibility of an arranged marriage. It was very common among the tribes after all. That, however, did not mean I was pleased about it, when my father, Havlor Hofferson, announced that to rebuild the alliance between a tribe, I was to wed their Chief's son.
My father had always looked at me with pride, with my long blond hair and ocean-blue eyes, I was the spitting image of my father both in looks and attitude. I wanted to become the perfect Shieldmaiden and spend my life protecting my home, bringing peace to the islands with dragons.
I couldn't possibly imagine myself in the role of some housewife; cooking, sewing and cleaning after my 'husband'. Not to mention bearing him children. I just turned twenty for Thor's sake! Besides, I was a warrior. A Dragon Rider for Thor's sake. What would happen to my secret life if my husband found out? Thor! How was I going to tell Hiccup?
And if I was to marry someone it wouldn't be a stuck-up stranger but a kind-hearted person like Hiccup. Hiccup, the person I truly love, the only person except my parents who helps me in my lowest points or makes me laugh on a gloomy day. We have spent five years together, protecting each other against enemies, keeping secrets, and supporting each other. Most of all we had trust, something very important in relationships, which was impossible to have with a stranger.
"Yeah. That sucks." Ruffnut replied. "Yeah, it sucks!" I yelled back. Okay, so maybe I still had a bit of a temper. So what?! I was a Viking! And also I had the right to be mad. "So… who's the unlucky guy?" My blonde counterpart asked, "I have no idea, I know they are an old enemy of our tribe and this marriage is supposed to unite our two tribes and stop the rivalry. But except for that, I have no idea who they are, my father won't tell me, for some reason, so I really don't know." I looked down at my feet. All I knew about my intended was that he was a dead man alive.
I had tried to find out who it could be, Thuggary was getting married to Camicazi the following year, Olaf was the only other option and he was courting a girl from his village. I had not asked Hiccup for obvious reasons, and I knew if it was him he would have told me, we trust each other. And I know not telling him goes against the trust and relationship we had with each other, but I just couldn't find the right words to tell him. And thus it meant it was an heir from a Viking tribe not part of the Order like the Uglithugs, and so it would be someone I didn't know at all. Uhh!
"So-" Ruffnut tried to ask slowly, "when is the wedding?" I thought for a second before responding, "We are leaving for their island tomorrow to sign the treaty. The wedding is in about a month, at their island." Astrid sighed and looked at the sky. It was getting dark. "Come on. Let's head back. It's getting late." When we returned to the village, we quickly said our goodbyes and parted. I was about to enter my house when I heard someone calling my name.
"I heard you're getting married, Hofferson." said the over-sweet voice of Helga. I didn't like the girl. Helga was half a year younger than me, but she was known to flirt with any boy in the village just to get their attention. She had long, raven hair, tied into a complicated braid that cascaded down her back. Her brown eyes and full lips made her very attractive. The girl was a bit short for her age, but she was also lean. She seemed to be sweet and nice, but she was Hel's apprentice.
"Yeah, so what?" I snapped. "Nothing." Helga shrugged off-handedly. "I'm just surprised. They say you're going to marry the heir of an enemy tribe." Helga said while tilting her head to act innocent. I narrowed my icy blue eyes. "Mind your own business, Helga." I didn't wait for her response. I entered my house, to see a brown-haired middle-aged woman who looked up at me, "Honey, you're back. I was starting to get worried." My mother, Ingrid Hofferson said. I felt kind of bad for making my mother concerned, but then I remembered the reason I left the house earlier that day. I ignored her and quickly climbed the stairs and went to my room, purposely slamming the door in the process. I had argued with them about the marriage for an hour, but the discussion was fruitless.
As I lay down in bed, without the burden of my armour, I looked outside my window, I could see the moon slowly reaching its peak in the sky. Hiccup was an adventurer, he loved to explore and thus was always interested in the patterns made by stars. The moon always reminded me of him, his laughter and kindness would always lighten my mood. And now my life with him was gone, my life with the person I loved would stay nothing but a fantasy. I couldn't run away because if I did I would abandon my tribe ultimately starting a war with the unknown tribe. I couldn't tell them about my love for Hiccup because if I did it might expose our identities. The only good thing out of this entire situation was that Eret would now maybe stop flirting with me… I had to ask Hiccup for advice, only he could help me…
Ingrid looked at her husband with concern. He shrugged trying to keep a straight face, though inside he too was worried for his daughter. He was reluctant to accept Berk's Chief proposal. He knew how it would affect Astrid and knew that she definitely wouldn't be happy with it. But from his point of view, it made a lot of sense – for tribal politics and economy. Arranged marriages were very common and it was the most logical solution and would end the years of feuds between the tribes. His own marriage was arranged, but he and his wife learned to love each other. He just hoped that she would forgive him.
BANG! BANG! BANG! The sound of the hammer, as it moulded the hot iron sword into shape, echoed through the village. Hiccup was furious, no he was pissed. Arranged marriage! ARRANGED MARRIAGE! The galls his father had. He knew his father didn't like him but not letting him decide his own partner was the limit.
His only friend had always been Fishlegs, he was smart and loved to learn new things about dragons and that was why he showed him his secret. His cousin, Snotlout and his lackeys, Dogsbreath and Tilda were his constant bullies. He used to end up in bed with bruises after a long day at the forge thanks to them. Snotlout was a short man with bulky muscles and an ego bigger than Berk. Hiccup didn't allow Fishlegs to help him as he didn't want him to get bullied either.
The elders never bothered that the heir of their tribe was being abused. To them, he was nothing but a thrall and a bad omen. Even his father was ashamed of him and wouldn't stop the fights, with the excuse that 'he had to grow up'. And he grew up! Hiccup was as tall as his father and had solid muscles, he had trained with both Dagur and Astrid and could now easily take down many of the seasoned warriors of the tribe. Hel, he probably had a chance against his father, Stoick the Vast.
But his tribe did not know this, he always wore baggy clothes to hide his physique from others and would take the daily beatings and abuse from his peers without any resistance. But if he wanted, he could kill them all. The people who treated him like a thrall were his OWN tribe for Odin's sake! He had the strength and means to bring harm upon them. But Hiccup was better than that, all he wanted was his father's approval for the longest time but that was until he met Astrid…
Astrid had been his escape, she removed the stress from his heart, and she made his days better. Toothless and her might be the only reason he had not run away or killed himself. He had thought about running away to Frejya Island and living with Astrid but her father would sooner or later learn about his true identity as Berk's heir and the heir of Fearless Tribe's sworn enemy.
And now that choice was definitely off the table too. He now had to get married to some stranger from another island. He needed Astrid, Hiccup would lose it if it was some heir who was spoilt and wanted everything her way. A person who would take him for granted, the way his own people treated him. That would totally break him, he would tip over his breaking point and the horrors he might commit had only been seen by Drago…
He needed to speak with the person he loved the most. He had to tell her the situation, how he felt, what he would do, everything. Only she could help him, she had always been his backbone and he needed her advice.
They both needed each other, each other's support. Tomorrow both of them will meet their intended, both will meet the one they truly want to be with. Mostly, both needed each other's advice.