Chapter 25: An Axe for Astrid
Two Years Later
Berk
June 15th
Sunlight streamed through the cracks of the window shutters in Astrid's bedroom. The girl sat up in her bed and brushed her blonde bangs out of her face. Then crawling out of bed, she walked over to the windows and opened the shutters.
As she looked at the bright blue sky and the houses surrounding her own, Astrid felt a mix of excitement and sadness. Excitement because this particular day was her tenth birthday. Yes, even action-loving tomboyish girls get excited on their birthdays. After all, it's not every day you turn ten years old or any other age. And who knows what wonderful gift she would receive – a new, shiny dagger, a pointy spear or maybe even an extra heavy hammer – perfect for crushing the toes of a component.
Sadness because two people weren't present on this special day: her uncle Finn and her father, Einar. It had been a long time ago since Finn's disastrous encounter with the Flightmare and the memory still left a deep scar in Astrid's heart. None of the villagers talked about the Finn-and-Flightmare confrontation as much as they used to but it still didn't change the fact that the Hofferson name was forever ruined and Astrid was determined to be the one to change that.
As for her dad, Einar, he was still alive but he was away. He had left to accompany Stoick and a few other Vikings on yet another expedition (probably the ten-thousandth one) to search for the Dragons' Nest. Einar felt terrible to not be present for his daughter's tenth birthday and Astrid knew he did but Stoick had insisted to her dad that the nest had to be found if Astrid was to have more birthdays and so he had to agree to go.
Astrid looked around her room and had to admit it did feel a little lonely around here. It would be nice if someone would come into her room and greet her good morning and have their face be the first thing she saw each day. Before his accident, Finn used to be the one to do that and sometimes her parents would do the same thing. But Finn was no longer around and sometimes her parents would already be awake and she would have to go downstairs to greet them herself.
In spite of her sadness and slight loneliness, Astrid decided not to let any of that spoil her tenth birthday. So she walked out through her bedroom door, down the stairs and into the kitchen where her mom was placing the breakfast dishes on the table.
Ingrid looked up and smiled at the sight of her daughter. "Good morning, Astrid. Happy birthday."
"Thank you, Mom," Astrid said proudly.
Ingrid's smile grew wider. "You seem unusually excited today for someone who likes to put on a tough face."
"I guess so," Astrid said. "But I'm mainly excited about whatever present I'm getting today."
"Well, how about we eat our breakfast first and then I'll give you your gift," Ingrid suggested.
"All right," Astrid said, giving in.
After all, you shouldn't celebrate your birthday on an empty stomach.
Astrid and Ingrid ate their breakfast and once every last crumb was finished, Astrid stood up from her chair.
"So what am I getting this year, Mom? An extra heavy ball-and-chain to prisoners from escaping? A nice, long, extra-sharp spear? Or maybe even my own personal catapult? I know we have a lot of those but I've always wanted to have one of my very own."
"I think I have something even better for you than any of those things," Ingrid said with a knowing smile.
"What could be better than any of those?"
"You'll see. Close your eyes and hold out your hands."
Astrid closed her eyes and held out her hands as she was told. While she could only see complete darkness, she could still hear her mom's footsteps as she walked off to get her present. She hoped she didn't have to keep her eyes closed any longer. Keeping them closed was almost like being blind and she didn't know what she'd do if she didn't have her sight. But she was certain that wouldn't happen until she was much, much older – maybe even older than Mildew.
Moments later, she heard her mom's footsteps approaching closer to her and she felt something being placed in her hands. She recognized the feeling as something long and wooden. It was the handle of a weapon. But what weapon?
"All right, you can open now," Ingrid said.
Astrid opened her eyes and as she looked down, her eyes widened in amazement. Resting in her hands was her mom's prized double-bladed axe!
"Mom! It's your axe!"
"It's not my axe anymore. It's yours now," Ingrid said proudly.
Astrid hadn't smiled this hard since Finn's accident but even then, she was a wee bit hesitant.
"Are you sure you don't want it anymore?"
"I'm sure," her mom replied. "I have plenty other weapons and I think you need this axe more than I do."
"Thank you, Mom! Thank you!"
Astrid placed her new axe on the table and gave her mom a big hug. Ingrid hugged her back and stroked her long, braided ponytail. Despite her mom's embrace and stroking, Astrid suddenly felt the sadness she felt earlier creep back into her heart. She tried to widen her smile to hide it and buried her face deeper into her mother's front side.
"Is something wrong, Astrid?" Ingrid asked, suddenly sounding concerned.
"Nothing's wrong," Astrid replied hastily. "What makes you think there's anything wrong?"
"Even when they're looking away, a mother can still sense her child's sadness. You can always tell me, you know."
Astrid pulled away and with a wistful sigh, looked up at her mother.
"I guess I wish that Dad and Uncle Finn were here," she admitted.
Ingrid's face softened into sadness. "So do I, sweetheart."
"If not for the Flightmare, Finn would still be here and our family's name would still be honored."
"I know, dear."
"And as for Dad, I wish Stoick hadn't recruited him to help him to find the nest," Astrid added.
"Your father wished the same thing but as Stoick said, he wants the nest found and destroyed as soon as possible if you are to have more birthdays to come," Ingrid said.
"I know that," Astrid said. "But they've been looking for that stupid nest for Thor knows how long. You'd think they would've found it by now."
"I agree," Ingrid nodded. "Well, let's hope that this time for sure they locate the nest without a problem."
"Well, if they don't find the nest, maybe I will once I'm old enough," Astrid declared.
"You?" Ingrid asked, lighting up.
"Yes, me," Astrid said matter-of-factly. "I'll find that nest myself and I will become the top student of dragon training and win the right to be the one to kill one of those ferocious monsters!"
Ingrid chuckled, lighting up even more. "Well, if you're going to do any of those things, you'd better start practicing right away."
"That's exactly what I'm going to do," Astrid said importantly. "But first I need to give this axe a good polishing."
She walked over to a basket full of rags and looked at every one of them. But each rag was very dirty and none of them suited her.
"Not one of these rags is clean enough to keep my new axe clean!" Astrid complained.
"That's because we've used them to clean other things, Astrid," Ingrid said, shrugging. "But I could go next door and borrow one if you want."
"No thank you," Astrid said. "I'll get my own rag and I know just where to find one."
Astrid picked up her axe from the table, hung it over her shoulder and walked out the door. Just as she closed the door behind her, she put on a surprised face to find standing right in front of her…
"Snotlout!" Astrid exclaimed.
Yes, it was indeed Snotlout Jorgenson and for some reason, he had his left arm behind his back.
"In the flesh," Snoutlout said proudly, removing his ram-horned helmet and bowing like a gentleman. Suddenly his eyes popped open and he stood up straight. "Oops. I shouldn't bow to low or I'll spoil the surprise before I present it to you."
"A surprise? For me?" Astrid asked, surprised.
It wasn't like Snotlout to offer someone a gift. If he was looking for gifts, it was usually for himself and only himself.
"Oh, yes, Astrid," Snotlout said politely. "When I woke up this morning, you were the first thing that came to my mind."
"I was?" Astrid asked, suddenly growing suspicious.
"Indeed," Snotlout continued. "And I wanted to do something to prove it to you."
Now Astrid was really suspicious. "All right, Snotlout, what's going on?"
Suddenly, Ruffnut and Tuffnut arrived.
"Hey, Snotlout, since when did you like flowers?" Tuffnut piped up.
"Flowers?" Astrid echoed, surprised again.
"Flowers?" Snotlout also said, suddenly nervous. "Heh heh. What gives you two the ridiculous idea that I like flowers?"
"Duh, because you got a whole bouquet of them behind your back," Ruffnut said, pointing and not bothering to keep the "t" silent in the word "bouquet".
"Behind your back?" Astrid said.
Still keeping her axe hung over her shoulder, Astrid walked around Snotlout and sure enough, clutched in his left hand was a bouquet of bright pink flowers leaning against his back.
"Thanks a lot, muttonheads!" Snotlout said angrily. "Now you've spoiled the surprise! I wanted to show these flowers to Astrid myself but you had to come along and blabbermouth about flowers behind my back before I could have the chance to surprise her!"
"Well, even if you have surprised me, Snotlout, I wouldn't accept them anyway," Astrid said.
Snotlout and even Ruff and Tuff looked stunned to hear this.
"But why, Astrid?" Snotlout asked.
"Because if you really have thought of me, you would've remembered that I'm not into flowers or the color pink."
Snotlout's shocked expression contorted into a furious one. "Why you ungrateful little…little…UGH! I was quite proud of you when you rejected Hiccup's flower crown all those years ago but I would've thought you'd appreciate it that I got you flowers not to wear on your head but to put in a vase on your table for decoration!"
"I don't even like flowers as a decoration in my own house, Snotlout!" Astrid snapped. "If there's one thing I like as a decoration on my table, it's a barrel full of weapons!"
She held up her axe and she was glad to see the nervous look upon boastful, brash Snotlout.
"And in case you hadn't noticed, I have a weapon and not just any weapon but the very axe my mom carried with her ever since she was my age! Unlike someone like you, at least she knows what to get me for my birthday!"
Ruffnut gasped. "Today's your birthday, Astrid?" she asked, pretending to be shocked.
Tuff clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Tch, tch, tch. I'm very disappointed in you, Snotlout. Not only do you not remember what the girl of your dreams likes and dislikes, but you forget her own birthday as well."
"Hey, you didn't remember it was her birthday either!" Snotlout pointed out.
"All I'm saying is that if Astrid is ever going to get married someday, it would have to be someone who admires her for who she is and not by how she looks and remembers her birthday and what she loves and/or hates."
"Hold on!" Astrid interrupted, holding up her hand. "You didn't say "get married someday", did you?"
"Uh, maybe?" Tuffnut said, smiling nervously.
"Why, the very thought of it!" Astrid snapped.
"It was just a thought," Tuff insisted, still smiling nervously.
"I'll show you what I think of your thoughts!" Astrid shouted.
Astrid snatched the pink flowers from Snotlout's hands and stuffed them into Tuff's face. Tuff's face jerked forward as he let out a big, loud sneeze. Ruff and Snotlout burst into laughter.
Tuff glared at his sister and Snotlout and taking the bouquet from Astrid, he split the whole big bouquet into two small bouquets in each hand. He shoved a few flowers into Ruff's face and the rest into Snotlout's face. Both Ruff and Snotlout let out big sneezes as well and Tuff laughed loudly.
Ruff and Snotlout glared at Tuff and proceeded to the flowers from him and shove it in his face to make him sneeze again. Soon, Tuff, Ruff and Snotlout where shoving the flowers in each other's faces and sneezing.
Astrid shook her head. She had better things to do than to stand around and watch three muttonheads fool around. So hanging her axe over her shoulder again, she walked away, across town and all the way to Gobber's forge. Inside, Hiccup and Gobber were carving wooden handles for new weapons.
"Good morning, Astrid, happy birthday!" Gobber greeted.
"Uh, yeah, happy, uh, very happy birthday," Hiccup said quietly, blushing and scooting behind a barrel of weapons as though to hide behind it.
Well, at least other people remembered it was her birthday.
"Thanks," Astrid replied.
"I'm surprised to see you in my forge, lass," Gobber commented.
"Yeah, you, uh, ahem, hardly ever come here," Hiccup added, half of his face peeking out from behind the barrel.
"What can we do for you?" Gobber offered.
"I was just wondering if you've got any clean rags around here," Astrid replied. "I need one to polish my new axe." She showed her axe.
"Well, well, inherited your mom's old axe I see," Gobber said, impressed.
"That was awfully nice of her," Hiccup added.
"Yeah, yeah, the rag, please?" Astrid said impatiently.
"I have one!" Hiccup piped up, raising his hand.
Astrid furrowed her brow suspiciously. "Is it a clean one?"
"Oh, very clean indeed," Hiccup said, fumbling in his vest pocket. "Why it's so clean I haven't even used it yet."
Hiccup pulled out a rag and it really did look clean like he said.
"I'll take it," Astrid said.
Hiccup held out the rag to her and Astrid enclosed her fingers around one side of it. But instead of letting go of the rag, Hiccup kept his fingers tightly against it. Astrid tried to pull it from his grasp but Hiccup kept his fingers firmly around it. Finally, Astrid had to yank it out of his hand and he finally let go.
"I'll just give this a little polishing and then I'm off to the woods to practice a few throws," Astrid announced.
"Good for you, lass," Gobber said proudly.
"Yeah, good for you," Hiccup murmured.
Nodding, Astrid turned and walked out of the forge with her axe on her shoulder and Hiccup's rag in her hand.
"She's quite an independent young lady, eh, Hiccup?" Gobber asked just moments after Astrid left.
"Yeah, she sure is," Hiccup said as he resumed carving axe handles.
Then suddenly an idea came to him.
"Hey, Gobber, can I be excused for a minute?" Hiccup asked.
"Whatever for, lad?"
"I…uh…need to…use the restroom!" Hiccup answered, quickly thinking of an answer.
"The restroom? Is that all?" Gobber asked, surprised.
"Oh, yeah," Hiccup replied. "Can't be a good thing to hold it in forever, can it?"
"I suppose not," Gobber admitted. "Well, then, by all means, go use the restroom. But hurry back!"
"I will, Gobber!" Hiccup promised.
And off Hiccup went into the direction that Astrid just took.
I'll just watch her polish her axe and then I'll head back to work, Hiccup told himself firmly.
Once he was a little ways from Gobber's workshop, Hiccup stopped running and looked all around hoping to catch a glimpse of her.
There she was! She was sitting on a boulder with her back turned to him. Hiccup dove for cover behind a boulder right beside him, peeking his head very slightly so as to watch her without her noticing him.
The girl was running the rag he had loaned her against the axe's blade. Although it was indeed an old axe, the blade still sparkled brightly and the handle still seemed strong enough to hold the heavy metal.
Even from afar, Hiccup could see Astrid's beautiful face reflected in the axe blade. He had to admit she was unusually beautiful for a girl who had just turned ten. She was probably the most beautiful girl in all of Berk! From her heart-shaped face, her crystal-blue eyes, her golden hair, her long, slender arms…
There's more to people than just appearances, Hiccup told himself firmly.
And there certainly was more to Astrid than just her looks. Although the two of them had never spent any time together, Hiccup got to know Astrid well enough to see that she was independent, strong, determined, a wee bit brash as well but most importantly, caring.
Yes, caring.
Although she hardly ever showed it, somehow Hiccup could sense how caring Astrid was deep down. This was evidenced by how much time she had spent with her Uncle Finn, how she looked up to him and how devastated she was after his encounter with the Flightmare.
Poor Fearless Finn. If not for the Flightmare, Astrid would show her caring side more often.
Astrid, then, tucked the rag into her spiked skirt, stood up from the boulder and headed for the woods.
Hiccup knew he should be heading back to the forge like he told himself to or else Gobber would worry.
But for whatever reasons, his feet was carrying him down the path that Astrid was taking instead of back to the forge.
Maybe it was because he was so impressed by her beauty and independence that both those traits were luring him towards her like how sirens would lure sailors to their deaths with their melodious voices.
Or maybe he was worried that she was carrying such a sharp and dangerous weapon and might hurt herself if she didn't use it properly and so he decided to keep an eye on her in case something does happen.
Whatever the reason was, he was following Astrid from a safe distance.
…..
Astrid walked through the woods for about ten minutes looking for a good spot to practice her axe throws. Finally, she decided where she was standing looked good enough for her.
Astrid narrowed her eyes at the tall tree in front of her.
"All right, you hooligan, you don't scare me," she said, "but maybe I can scare you!"
She thrust her axe which cartwheeled through the air before its blade latched onto the tree trunk.
Astrid grinned proudly.
Then she approached the tree and pressed her foot against the trunk as she pulled the axe out of the bark. Then she turned to glare at the tree opposite of her.
"Take that, you scoundrel!" she shounted.
WHACK!
WHACK!
WHACK!
WHACK!
With each throw, Astrid successfully got her axe to strike a tree.
After her ninth throw, she was just pulling her axe out of the tree when she heard a twig snap nearby.
Gasping she grasped the axe handle tightly and looked around suspiciously.
"Who's there?" she demanded. "I'll use this on you! I mean it!"
"Relax, Astrid," came a familiar voice. "It's just me."
Hiccup emerged from behind a tree and began to step towards her.
"Hiccup? What are you doing here?" Astrid asked, half surprised, half annoyed.
"I was just out here…uh…" Hiccup replied shyly, "…looking for berries to bring back for Gobber! Yeah!"
Astrid tilted her head, not sure whether to believe Hiccup or not.
"And then I heard you throwing your new axe so I decided to look after you instead," Hiccup continued.
"Look after me? Why?"
"Well, just in case you made a mistake and you ended up hurting yourself," Hiccup said, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead. "Axes can be quite dangerous if not handled properly. You could end up cutting your finger or chopping your own hand off or…"
"Are you saying that you think I don't know how to use an axe?!" Astrid asked, suddenly getting angry.
"I didn't say that!" Hiccup insisted.
"But you were thinking it!" Astrid accused.
Hiccup kept his mouth open agape, clearly lost for words.
"I'll have you know that I've had tons of practice handling axes with Uncle Finn," Astrid said, poking her finger against Hiccup's chest. "And even after our humiliation, I still practiced. Now I'm practically a pro and I don't need anyone to supervise me!"
"But suppose you do get hurt, what would you do?" Hiccup pointed out.
"Then I'll get my own help!" said Astrid matter-of-factly. "Now go find berries somewhere else and leave me alone! I've been around enough muttonheads for one day."
Hiccup hung his head disappointedly, nodded and walked away. As soon as he was far enough away from her, he heard her throwing her axe at the trees again.
Hiccup didn't know why he had bothered following her in the first place. It was like she said, she was practically a pro with axes and could help herself if something happened.
Still, she didn't have to lash out at him like that. She could've at least showed some appreciation that he cared enough to make sure she didn't get hurt. And maybe she was secretly appreciative but it was hard to tell behind her toughness and brashness.
Now he wished more than ever that Finn hadn't confronted the Flightmare.
Then he realized that he'd been gone longer than usual! Now Gobber must really be worried!
Hiccup broke into a run through the trees, past the houses and didn't stop until the forge was coming into view.
Just as he had predicted, Gobber was standing outside with his good hand shielding the top of his eyes as if her were searching for something. And Hiccup knew very well that it was he himself that his mentor was searching for.
"It's okay, Gobber, I'm back now!" Hiccup called, pausing to catch his breath.
"There you are lad!" Gobber said, in a voice that was mixed with relief, worry and annoyance. "I was beginning to think a dragon had carried you off just like your poor mother! If I wasn't so happy to see you, I'd smash your head open with my club but I won't 'cause if I did, I'd be one apprentice short."
"I'm sorry, Gobber," Hiccup said, regretful for lying to and worrying his mentor.
"You sure been gone for a long time for someone who just went to the restroom," Gobber grumbled.
"Well…that's because I didn't," Hiccup admitted, twirling his booted toe shyly.
"Then where did you really go?" Gobber asked, softening up a bit. "Come on. You can tell old Gobber."
"I…uh…followed Astrid," Hiccup replied shyly. "I just wanted to watch her clean her axe ad come right back but for whatever reasons, my legs carried me into the forest after her instead of back to the forge. And I don't even know why. Maybe I was just worried that she might hurt herself with the axe if something went wrong or maybe I was so impressed by her independence and her…and her…
"And her beauty," Gobber concluded. "So much so that her independence and beauty was luring you towards her like a siren luring sailors to their deaths with their melodious voices."
"But how do you know?" asked Hiccup, surprised.
"Because your father was just the same way when he and your mom were dating," Gobber answered. "He was so impressed by her beauty and independence that he just couldn't stop following her no matter where he went. And now the same thing is happening to you with Astrid."
"It's kinda hard to think of my dad as a romantic kind of guy," Hiccup said. "Guess he and Astrid have one thing in common: they show their tough side more than they show their soft side."
"Oh, you'd be surprised," Gobber said. "Once in a while I still see that old twinkle in his eye whenever he brings up the subject on your dear old mom. And maybe even Astrid secretly hides a twinkle in her eye when someone shows her they care for her."
"Well, I certainly didn't see a twinkle in her eye when she caught me," Hiccup said gloomily as he returned to the business of carving handles for weapons. "She insisted she was practically a pro with axes and that she didn't need anyone looking after her."
"Well, she does have a point you know" Gobber said, also going back to carving. "Her old uncle Finn taught her everything she needed to know about handling a big, sharp axe and I've yet to see her cut herself by accident."
"She could've at least showed some appreciation that someone at least cared about her enough to make sure she didn't get hurt," Hiccup said.
"I'm sure she secretly appreciated it," Gobber said. "Just try not to follow her the next time you get worried about her or she might think you're another Snotlout."
And at that remark, Hiccup and Gobber both burst out laughing.
…
As evening began to settle over the island, Astrid decided it was time to head home before it got too dark. So she slung her axe over her shoulder and headed back down the path to the village.
She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she couldn't stop thinking about earlier today with Hiccup watching her practice her throws.
Maybe she shouldn't have been too hard on him. After all, it wasn't like he was watching her seductively the way Snotlout would. He was only making sure she didn't get hurt.
Astrid had to admit, Hiccup certainly was different from the other males on Berk – besides from being scrawny, frail and shy while full-grown men were burly, strong and fearless, he was also polite, thoughtful, intelligent for his age but most importantly, caring.
Yes, caring.
Well, almost everyone on the island was caring (except maybe Mildew) but next to Fishlegs, Hiccup seemed to be the most caring of them all as evidenced by his concern with her handling her axe.
This got her thinking to what Tuffnut said earlier that morning: "If Astrid is ever going to get married someday, it would have to be someone who admires her for who she is and not by how she looks and remembers her birthday and what she loves and/or hates."
And Hiccup certainly did seem like that someone Tuffnut described.
Wait a minute!
Her eyes widened in surprise at her own thoughts.
"Me, Astrid Hofferson, get married?" she asked herself out loud. She shook her head. "No way, Jose! I am a soldier, not a housekeeper! I am destined to follow in my uncle's footsteps and that's exactly what I'm going to do!"
And so she continued walking back to her house with her new axe.