The orange sun shone down on Astrid, brighter than ever, so she had to squint her eyes when she aimed at the target. After hitting it accurately, she rubbed her hand across her face before walking towards the mark to retrieve her stabbed axe from it.
Afterward, she was about to return to her throwing spot, but just then, she glimpsed Heather standing mere inches behind the wooden line. Noticing the axe in her grasp, Astrid stepped away and watched as Heather's perfect throw soared through the air, while Astrid snorted, amused.
"That's very well," she began, coming towards her as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Such a shame these abilities are used for the wron' things."
"Best of five?" Heather proposed, passing her to get her axe from the tree, while Astrid grinned, shaking her head.
"Do ya really have time for this? What with, well, ya know, recent occurrences?" Astrid inquired and pursed her lips together when Heather glared at her, sharply pulling her axe from the wood. "Alright, alright, don't get yer panties in a twist. Let's play."
Nodding, Heather walked back to Astrid's side, and after shooting their axes, the same flawless score, Astrid smiled and joked, "I guess it's a tie." Afterward, they moved together for the weapons, and there, Astrid studied Heather for a moment, noticing her rather closed-off expression. "I'm sorry for my earlier reaction. I shouldn't have said that I didn't care," she apologized, rubbing her teeth against each other. "What did Dagur do-?"
"He took everything from me," Heather answered, snapping her brows together. "Everything," she repeated, leaning her head against the chopped up mark, while recalling her past. "When I was a child, I used to sneak out of my house and go into the woods."
"Oh, so ya were a naughty girl?" Astrid jested, and Heather snickered, lifting the corner of her mouth.
"Yeah, I escaped to meet with kids from the lower classes; my parents were part of some kind of village's elite back then," she recalled, and then, drew back her lips into a snarl. "One of these times, after returning from one of my escapades, I was met with the sight of burning houses belonging to friends of my family, my uncles and aunts', and even my own. Instantly, scared, I ran away, and only a day later I found out my parents were dead, killed by Dagur, who murdered everyone to steal their valuables."
"Fuckin' bastard," Astrid muttered, slumping back against the same tree Heather was leaning against, gaping at her in compassion.
"Mhm," Heather mumbled, sighing while straightening. "After that, when I turned sixteen, I ran away, hoping to get revenge, and in the meantime, I met Windshear, who is like a sister to me, now," she recalled, beaming, while pointing upwards at the two dragons, the mentioned one and Stormfly, as they raced each other, with sticks in their mouths.
"Well, now I see where that urge for vengeance comes from," Astrid remarked, moving back to the throwing line. "However, ya could've thought about some other, better way of handlin' it."
At first, Heather just stood there, staring at her retreating body, wide-eyed, before wrinkling her forehead and rushing after her. "Seriously, Astrid?! You have to?!" she yelled, as she caught up to her and scowled at her from the side.
"Yes, I do have to," Astrid added, stopping suddenly and shrugging. "I'll do anythin' to lead ya away from this decision."
"Why are you so against it?!" Heather grumbled, glaring at Astrid. "I understand Hiccup, because she has some history with her freaking partner, that I don't care about, but you?" she gestured towards Astrid and narrowed her eyes. "You have your own story too, don't you?"
Consequently, Astrid flung the axe, and both of them, despite the distance, could've noticed how it landed slightly under the mark and she heaved a sigh. "Time ago, I wasn't practicin' this for fun," Astrid confessed, while Heather cheered, after hitting accurately, gaining a clear point finally, and Astrid sniggered, amused, before continuing, "but for payback," and moving forward to get back her weapon. "First, it was payback on the dragon, who killed my uncle, dishonorin' my family," she unfolded, sharply pulling out the axe, "and then, on Hiccup, who even so accidentally took away my chance to regain my family's glory."
"How is it," she asked, walking beside Astrid, who had her axe leaning on her shoulder, "that each of you, in the past, hated Hiccup? She seems so innocent."
"She is innocent but also clumsy, and with that clumsiness, she created enemies for herself, by mistake, of course," Astrid commented, halting herself yet again at the line. "The truth is, back then, Hiccup was for me like Dagur is for ya, and that's why I don't want ya to-."
"Dagur is a murderer!" Heather shouted, gnashing her teeth. "He's not like you guys, who have been nice to me throughout my entire stay here! I have no idea what Hiccup did, but I'm sure that whatever that was, it wasn't as bad as-,"
"Losin' my family's honor was for me like killin' my mother and father, before my very eyes!" Astrid yelled and cast off her axe, unconcerned with its success, before turning away, running her hand through her hair. "I hated Hiccup for robbin' me from the chance to change that, and I wished somethin' bad happened to her, very often. If it wasn't for the fact that she was the chief's daughter," she paused and gazed at Heather, guilty, "I don't know what would have happened, for sure nothin' good."
"If that is so, why did you forgive her? What changed your mind?" Heather asked, before casting her axe, but same as Astrid, she didn't concern her with the outcome, gawking at her.
"Maybe not exactly forgave, but convinced that my worldview was a wron' one," Astrid answered, while the both of them walked for their axes, again, and Astrid snickered, pulling out her weapon. "Ya have no idea how near-death experience can change the bein'," she tackled, and the two of them were back by the line. "Finally, Hiccup rehabilitated herself, because as it turned out, there was no bigger honor than killin' the Red Death, even if as a midfielder. I like to think that Hiccup did what she did, because she knew that there would be a better chance to show myself, to regain my family's credit, and there was."
"So, what are you trying to say?" Heather queried, hurling her axe, grounding her jaw. "That Dagur will magically bring back my family from the dead?"
"I'm not comparin' my relation with Hiccup to yers, I'm just sayin' there might be another part of the story ya don't know about," Astrid contended and was about to throw, but then Heather grasped her arm, and yanked it, rapidly.
"Don't bullshit me, Astrid! There is no other story," she barked and glimpsing how anger transformed Astrid's face, she let go of her, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth. "I'm sorry, but that's the truth."
"Certainly," Astrid murmured, and after tossing her weapon smirked, at the realization. "Seems that ya have won. It's five to four," she pointed out and noticing Heather's unfazed reaction, sighed. "Why are you here exactly for, Heather? Ya know that-,"
"I need you, Astrid."
"Ya don't need me," Astrid ensured, glancing to the side. "From what I heard, everybody agreed to help."
"Maybe, maybe, although don't get me wrong, their assistance won't be much of help," Heather admitted, burying her hands in her hair. "These twins are doing it for fun, Snotlout doesn't seem sure, because of some villages' union, Fishlegs is afraid to kill, and Toothless-," she stopped hiding her face in her hands.
"He's wrecked," Astrid finished for her, gazing at her, biting on her hand.
"Yeah, but I'm not surprised," Heather acknowledged, furrowing her brows. "After all, she compared him to Dagur."
"She did?" Astrid hummed and then grinned, teasingly. "I would name him worst, for sure."
"You two just hate each other, aren't you?"
"Hate is a bad word," Astrid pressed, scratching her nose, "well-fittin', but I would prefer to say that we just enjoy teasin' each other."
"That's right for sure," Heather sighed, straightening. "So, you won't change your mind?"
"Ya have to cope with that on yer own," Astrid responded, and studying nodding, distancing Heather, added, "Heather, just so ya know, I would love to get a rematch, so if ya ever would like as well, ya know where to find me."
The mentioned woman beamed at her, replied, "Bye, Astrid," and disappeared behind the trees.
Afterward, Astrid gawked in the direction of her disappearance, before exhaling sadly and moving to the targets, for her axe. To her surprise, through her walk, she glimpsed Heather's axe and got to the conclusion that she simply forgot about it.
Immediately, she changed her direction and moved toward it, and stopped once her eyes were nearly on the weapon's handle. Analyzing it, the metal, and its sharp decoration of it, Astrid's eyes caught sight of the letters drawn on it and froze.
These must be the initials of her parents, she understood and ran her finger across them. Only after a moment, she stepped away from the axe, deciding to leave it be, before moving to her own one, snatching it out, with a few, wooden shards she ignored.
Eventually, by her side appeared Stromfly, who landed next to her, instantly turning her head somewhere farther, pointing at something while whining, as Astrid guessed, at leaving Windshear with Heather. Subsequently, Astrid inhaled, stroking her snout.
"I know, they must have gone," Astrid explained, at which Stormfly shoved her head under her arm, surprising her rider. "Ya like her, aren't ya?" she inquired, and then stank out her chest, proudly. "Ya know what, girl? We'll figure out somethin', to keep them, I swear," she promised, and Stormfly licked her, suddenly. "Alright, alright! Let's get to it, then," she chuckled, sat on Stormfly, whispering, "Ya know where," and dragonness shot into the air, instantly.
It wasn't long before they appeared in front of Toothless and Hiccup's hut, and Astrid didn't bother herself with knocking, and burst inside, just to find out that the building was empty. With Hiccup nowhere in sight, Astrid growled to herself, and suddenly, she realized in what state her home was.
Papers were lying everywhere; on the table, invisible under them, floor, and even some on the stairs, creating a rather blanched view of the surroundings.
So, that's Hiccup's definition of going through papers, Astrid sniggered, and then, her eyes landed on the only paper on the wall, toward which she walked. Instantly, she recognized Hiccup's handwriting, and while reading the message almost gasped.
Whoever reads it, stop Heather!
I find out something big, and I went to confirm that. If I am right, Dagur's death might result in Berk's giant trouble.
Hiccup
Rereading it for the fifth time, Astrid was interrupted when Stormfly nudged her head into her side. Consequently, the woman gazed at her and snorted, glimpsing how dragonness shifted from one foot to another, with papers glued to them.
Afterward, Astird helped her out, and both of them left the hut, just to be met with a rather unfortunate picture. The advance of Hiccup's home was the fact that everything was visible from there, the same as nearly finished training arena, on which familiar people started gathering.
They were about to go, Astrid realized and looked heavenward, pursing her lips together, wishing to get sight of black dragonness, now. When she didn't, Astrid inhaled soundly, rubbing Stormfly's side, who shifted next to her, and gawking forward, stressed.