Somewhere in the Barbaric Archipelago
"You were thinking that I was going to kill that man, weren't you?" Apart from Cutter flapping his wings occasionally, and the sound of the wind whistling as they flew, the majority of their flight was done in silence. Until Ripper decided to break the tension with his question. Heather wasn't sure how to approach the topic, because she did think, no believed, that he was going to murder that poor man. He wasn't afraid to kill. In fact, it seemed killing came as second nature to him. "Well, I'll take your silence as confirmation." He answered. "I don't kill without reason. He was only trying to stop us from leaving with the villages' clothes. I wasn't going to kill him for that."
"What about my brother's fleets? And on Berserker Isle?"
"They made it clear that they weren't going to let me go quietly unless I sent a strong message. Besides they were soldiers. Dying is part of the job. If they weren't prepared to die, then they were in the wrong line of work."
"You say it so easily." She shook her head, with a disbelieving laugh. "As if dying comes so readily to people. You know, I believed you're just some cold-blooded monster that doesn't give a yak's ass about the lives he takes, the families he ruins. And then you go and do something like leave that man money, as an apology for stealing from him and the people who come to him to wash their clothes."
She heard him let out a long, tired sigh. "I wasn't always like this you know." He said without facing her, so she couldn't gauge what he was actually feeling.
"And why won't you even tell me? Try and reach some common ground here?"
"To use your own words, would it even be possible to understand a monster?" She didn't answer him. And the silence settled in between them once again.
Berk - 1 Week Since Training Was Cut Short
Astrid stirred at the usual crack of dawn, pulling back the covers on her side, careful not to disturb Brenna who was fast asleep beside her, bundled up in a thick, woolen blanket, with only her and her doll's head sticking out of it. She was adamant on spending the night with her again after a week. She gazed down, a warm smile gracing her face as she carefully cupper Brenna's cheek, stroking it with her thumb, her heart almost exploding into a million pieces at the way she snuggled into her hand. She carefully withdrew her hand, lest she wanted to wake her sister or stay in place until she awoke. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, stretching her arms above her head, loosening all the tense muscles and little cricks anywhere in her for the day ahead. Once up, she grabbed her clothes that she had left folded over a chair and proceeded to change into them. Stripping herself of her nightgown, she tugged on her leggings and tunic, before clipping her spiked skirt into place and fastening her fur hood on her shoulders. As she went through her morning routine, she reflected over her past week.
She spent a couple of days training Asta and Bjorn at their spot in the forest during her free time. She was proud at far Asta had come along. It wouldn't be long until she could enroll into combat classes. Bjorn, on the other hand, still needed some work. The boy couldn't pin down what weapon he wanted to specialize in. She recommended the ax but he spewed something about individuality and breaking away from her shadow. Where the heck did a boy his age learn words like individuality? And break free from her shadow? Okay. She thought it best to just leave him to his own experimentation, with supervision, until he settled on a weapon he felt comfortable with. The rest of her week consisted of attending a few council meetings that involved the standard checklist of day-to-day tasks around the village, as well as progress on the preparations for Torsten's visit. And of course how could she forget training the new recruits in the Dragon Ring. Except this go-around, she didn't bring out any of the dragons. She was going to do her best to limit her dragon fighting classes with dragons as best she could until she learned more about them. It was all thanks to Hiccup slowly changing her perceptions of dragons. Being around him and Toothless were slowly chiseling away at her belief that dragons were mindless killing beasts. Slowly. Not like she would admit it openly in front of him.
Brenna never brought up Hiccup again after their little chat. Not even when the of them retired together last night in her room. She told her that she'd ask Hiccup first and then come tell her. Properly this time. With no fires and life-threatening danger. Although, she had a gut feeling Hiccup wouldn't object to the idea of meeting her sister.
After changing into her usual attire, she gave her face a quick splash in the washing bowl she kept on a table by the window. She breezed through brushing and braiding her hair, before grabbing her trusted ax, and placing it across her back. With delicate movements, she opened her door, careful to not wake her sister, and closed it behind her, proceeding downstairs to grab a quick bite from their pantry before heading out to meet Hiccup. What she was not expecting was to be met with the delicious aroma of breakfast as she descended the last steps. With the kitchen finally in sight, she saw her mother busying over a pot of porridge stewing over the kitchen firepit, with bowls of bread, yak sausage and hardboiled eggs on the table near her.
"Morning, Astrid." Her mother smiled when she turned to see who had come down.
"Morning mom." She came over and planted a kiss on her cheek. "What are you doing up so early?"
"I have a few errands to run this morning and thought I'd get an early start on breakfast. Would you like any? The smell's bound to wake up the rest of the house so best help yourself before there's nothing left."
Astrid chuckled. "Yeah, I will. Gods know I'll need it." She grabbed a bowl and spoon, filling it up with a couple ladles of porridge, setting it at the table, before going back with a plate now to load herself with eggs, yak sausage and bread that her mother had left on bigger plates on the main table. She was soon joined by her mother after she put the fire out, and placed a lid over the porridge, letting it retain its heat for a while until the rest of her family woke up.
"Another day out in the forest, dear?" Her mother asked, while breaking off a piece of bread and dipping it into her bowl of porridge.
"Yeah. I don't have anything on my schedule today, so of course I'm not going to waste the time doing nothing. I have to do whatever it takes to prepare for my Hunt."
Her mom chuckled at her tenacity. "Just don't go overboard, Astrid."
"Come on mom, since when have I ever gone overboard?" They both laughed.
"A mother can't help but worry can she? No matter how capable a fighter her daughter is now, just remember to never overdo it."
"Yes mom." Astrid said with a playful roll of her eyes at her concern. "Ahh!" Her mom reached across the small distance and smacked the top of her hand with a clean spoon, clearly telling her not to get smart with her.
"I say not to overwork yourself because you'll need all your patience and energy for when Torsten arrives."
"Ugh." Astrid threw her head back in annoyance. "Not you too, mom." She frowned. "I've got everyone and their forefathers warning me about him."
"As they should be, Astrid. Everyone knows that he's coming all this way to see you. Establishing diplomatic relations with Berk is second to him."
"So why is he the only heir slated to see me ever since I captured that Jormung? Honestly I'm a bit hurt that all the suitors gave up."
"Come on, dear. You've been to one too many council meetings to know that Berk itself could not refuse the heir of one of the most successful Viking houses, haven't you? And diplomatic relations may not be as important to him as it is to Berk, but its diplomatic relations with Helgafell. If worse comes to worst, it'll be comforting to know that Berk will have Helgafell's backing in future endeavors." She couldn't argue with her mom there. "Besides, none of the other heirs who sent requests to meet with you, or gave up trying to meet you for that matter, have the same standing as Torsten."
"Let's just say I entertain him when he arrives. Smile when I need to, laugh at his witty comments, hang on his every word, showing I'm interested, but not that interested. What happens if he offers a marriage proposal?" She asked. Now that would be a huge problem if he did.
"The decision will lie with you, Astrid." Her mother said sadly. "If you feel he seems like a great man, a person you can see yourself spending the rest of your life with, I don't see why you'd deny yourself that opportunity."
"Because you've heard all the rumours surrounding him, mom. The things he's done to girls of villages Helgafell has conquered. Hel, even the sisters of minor heirs."
"I have. Which is why I hate this all the more." Her mother sighed. She rarely saw her mom angry, and this one of those few instances. "A monster like him coming all this way to see my girl. His father and inner circle may try and cover up his activities, but that many rumours around one man can only mean that at least half of them are true. And it just frustrates me that your father can't do anything about it until a marriage contract is offered." The cracking of the wooden spoon in her mother's hand was the only thing that brought Astrid's attention away from the somber topic.
"Geez mom, someone would think you're crushing Torsten in your hand." She gestured to said spoon with her eyes. Her mother didn't seem to notice until she released her grasp and blushed in embarrassment when she saw cracks in it.
"Sorry, Astrid. You shouldn't have to see me like that." But her daughter waved off her apology.
"At least now I know where I get my sense of justice from." She laughed.
"And then some." Her mom winked as she finished the last scraps and spoonful's of her breakfast. "Your temper though, that's all your father."
"But dad's always seemed so calm...most of the time, anyway." She couldn't even remember a time when she saw her dad completely lose his head.
"He's mellowed out a lot since you were born. It was when your first birthday came around that he realized one Hofferson who lost their temper was more than enough for the village."
"Really mom?" Astrid groaned in embarrassment, slightly annoyed at her mother's laughter. It couldn't be that embarrassing, could it? None of the other villagers ever recalled her behaviour when she was a toddler. Well, when she thinks about it now, that could be because no one would want to be on the receiving end of an angry Hofferson.
"Whenever your father or I took you out with us, we learned early on that you had no tolerance of bullying or misjustice of any kind. At one! Whenever you were displeased about something you'd take your toy ax and start hacking away at someone's ankles with this adorable, little frown." Astrid groaned into her hands, wishing the gods would strike her down now to save her from more embarrassing baby stories. Now she understood why the villagers never talked about her baby antics. She would have taken an actual ax to their necks. "But all stories aside, your father became a completely different man from the one I married."
"You never did tell me how you fell for dad." Astrid said, actually curious about how her parents met. All this talk of potential marriages ahead of Torsten's visit had her wondering how her mom knew her dad was the one. Would she ever find herself in a situation like that? How would she know whether she's found her 'one'?
"Oh Astrid, he's the one who fell for me." She replied with a smirk as she stood up, done with her breakfast.
"Really?" Astrid asked skeptically.
"I wish I could say otherwise." She heard her father's, turning to see him descending the stairs. Guess their new house didn't have any squeaky floorboards. Something they had grown used to in their old house before it was burned down. "At first I never dreamed of marrying your mother."
"He was your typical muscle-bound oaf who loved to get into trouble; stirring up fights, playing pranks, creating headache after headache for Stoick's father, and chased the latest skirt whenever he could. All the rules we have about treating visiting Chiefs' daughters, nieces, any woman in fact, you can bet your father had a role to play in that."
"No way. We are still talking about the same dad, right?" Astrid asked, mouth agape, constantly looking back between her mom and dad. "Because you just described Snotlout right there."
"Ouch. You didn't have to go that far." Her father feigned being wounded by hunching over a table chair, hand on his chest, getting playful eyerolls from the two women.
"Oh he was. Never paid me any attention until I was about your age. Probably a few years younger."
"What changed?" She asked.
"Your mother was the only woman who didn't put up with my shenanigans. Always made her opinion about them well known, was never afraid to, literally, twist my arm whenever I did something to anger her, and always called me out on my...stories."
They heard a disbelieving laugh from the kitchen, "Stories? That's what you called them?" she asked.
"Short story is I was a complete menace when I was your age, until I began seeing your mother in a different light. To be honest, I'm not sure when it started. All I remember was that I was going to make her my wife one day. Which was going to take quite a bit of work, mind you, given my reputation as a skirt-chaser. She made it clear she wasn't going to give me any thought unless I matured. And much to the horror of my friends, I did."
"So the only girl who didn't so much as bat an eye in your direction ended up being the one you fell for?" Astrid surmised.
Bran chuckled as he sauntered up to his wife and hugged her from behind. "And I'm all the better for it." He said, planting a kiss on the top of her head.
"What made you change your mind, mom?"
"It turned out that deep down in that reckless, idiotic, grandstanding teen-"
"Harsh."
"-there was a kind, loving, loyal man that could behave in a civil way. I noticed the effort he was putting in to court me so I decided to humour him. A few dates here, conversations there, and fighting together during dragon raids, slowly but surely, your father chiseled his way through the walls I had put up for him in the first place. And before I knew it, I was in falling in love." Her mom replied while gazing up at her husband. Astrid couldn't say she knew the look her parents were sharing. But it something that couldn't be put into words. She hoped she could be as lucky as her parents were.
"Why are you asking about that anyway, Astrid? That's strange for yah. Although, it is nice to see my daughter thinking about things that don't have to do with battles, weapons, or the Hunt."
"We were talking about Torsten before you came down. In the event he does offer a marriage contract, I began wondering what would it be like to be with a man you truly care about."
"Well I can say this for certain, dear. If you ever come across a man who catches your eye, is he someone that you get along with? Is he someone you'll look forward to seeing? Is he someone you feel comfortable around? Where you can let all your walls down, talk to him about your day, good things, bad things. Someone you can turn to, knowing he'll always be there for you, and most importantly, you want to be there for him. That is when you'll know."
The funny thing was there was a man who made her feel at least a quarter, if not half, of the descriptions that her mom listed. The only problem? He was a Jormung.
"Don't tell me you're actually thinking of giving Torsten a chance?" Her father asked, completely misinterpreting her choice of man which was understandable as she never gave an in inkling of being interested in anyone from the village, or of those who visited.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, dad." There was no chance in Hel she'd give Torsten a chance. But her parents always trusted her character judgment. Giving him that answer would leave the possibility that on the slight, but highly improbable, chance that Torsten was a decent human, she'd entertain the thought of marriage, which would take a massive weight off her father's shoulders if Torsten really did propose a marriage contract with her.
"Switching the topic to less troublesome matters, do you think you'd be able to look after Brenna next week, Astrid? Your dad and I will be on the fishing boats, and many of the baby-sitters won't be free then either." Her mom asked, grabbing a large bucket, clearly heading out to fill it from their well in order to wash the plates and bowls.
'Next week?' Astrid thought. Actually, that could work perfectly. With Bjorn and Asta at their classes, and her parents away, taking Brenna to meet Hiccup was definitely doable. "Yeah, I'll make sure to keep that day free. I'll probably even take her with me into the forests when I train."
"Atta girl. Get them started young. Oh, and leave your plate right there when you're done. I'll wash it when I return." Said her mom, noticing that her daughter was almost done, before she stepped outside. Astrid finished up the last few bites of her sausage and bread, her porridge long finished, before grabbing her ax, and giving her dad goodbye kiss.
"Bye dad." She said rushing out the back. She heard her dad yell a 'Goodbye, Astrid' behind her, and gave her mom a quick peck on the cheek as well, before vaulting over the fence and heading into the forest.
000
Astrid kept herself preoccupied with her thoughts as she hiked through the forest to the Cove, specifically on the conversation with her parents. She never gave the subject of marriage, much less finding 'the one', much thought before. But that started to change ever since Torsten's imminent visit as it made her realize that she had grown closer to Hiccup. More than she cared to admit. Did she look forward to their meetings? Yes. Was she starting to be at ease around him? She was well past that. Did she want to learn even more about him? The answer was another resounding yes. But she couldn't identify what about him intrigued her. Was it because he was a Jormung? Or was it that he was a breath of fresh air compared to her everyday life on Berk? Not really. She was training him. Something she did with the rest of Berk's youth on a weekly basis. She was educating him on Berk's history. Something she did with her siblings before. Did she owe him for saving Brenna's life? Yes, but he downplayed the rescue as if he saved a child from a burning building every other day and he wasn't going to hold it over her. Was it because of Toothless? Being around one of the most deadliest dragons known to Vikings did have its hard-to-believe moments. And having being accepted by that dragon? She couldn't lie, it was amazing, out of this world even.
Was that it? Was it because if it wasn't for him, she wouldn't be experiencing these new situations? Training a Jormung? The thought never crossed her mind. Having a Night Fury behave like a common house pet and lounge around her, much less touching one? Never in a million years. And last but not least - she felt she could be herself around him and not the pride of Berk. Hel, he probably wouldn't care about that to begin with. But just as that realization dawned on her, she knew that she had to be careful going forward; lest she start developing feelings for him.
Being lost in thoughts was a great time passer as she reached the Cove, bathed in the early morning sunlight. She half expected to see Hiccup up and about, but was surprised to see Toothless fast asleep next to the his tent with said man not in sight. Thinking nothing of it, she slid down the smooth slope, the sound of her skirt and shoes scraping against the stone waking up the Night Fury. It was comical seeing the dragon roll off of its back and immediately sitting up on its haunches, ears alert, twitching in the direction of the disturbance. However, he immediately relaxed when their eyes met. She gave a wave and smile as she approached him and the campsite. To her mild surprise, Toothless gave himself a big stretch, akin to that of a cat that just woke up from a long nap, before walking towards her.
At this stage of their relationship, she was relatively comfortable the dragon's presence that she no longer felt the old habit of reaching for her ax when approaching a dragon. However, she still remained wary. She didn't want to give the impression of any ill-intention towards him; more so since Hiccup was not present to clear up any misunderstandings on her part. Toothless though, sensed her uneasiness. So he made his approach as non-threatening as it could be - flattening his ears against his head, his pupils growing in size and tilting his head side-to-side. And when they were finally face to hip, he nudged her hand with his snout, glancing up at her. When Astrid wasn't sure of what he wanted, he nudged it again, this time letting her hand glide along more of it.
"Do you want me to pet you?" She asked, unsure of his actions. He gave a soft croon in response, staring up at her with big, beady eyes. She started off tiny pats on his snout. She didn't know what the standard pets were for a dragon. But judging from Toothless' unimpressed look, it clearly wasn't that. So he nudged her hand again, this time running his own head along it; from the top of his snout to his eyes in an attempt to show her what kind of petting he wanted. "Okay, so that's how you want it." She responded to his actions by giving him long strokes, making sure to run her fingers harder into his scales, on the verge of giving him scratches, but judging from his thumping back leg, it looked like he preferred this to what she was doing earlier. So she applied even more force and began using her nails to get in between his scales. She could tell he liked that from eyes almost rolling into the back of his head and his tail beginning to thump with his leg.
It was also starting to have an effect on her. Seeing this big, fire-breathing dragon behaving like a faithful hound in her hands was making her feel...happy? Awestruck? Calm even? "Is Hiccup not here, Toothless?" She found herself speaking in a baby voice to the dragon. He crooned in reply, and she wasn't sure if that was a 'No' or a 'Who cares where he is'. "Why would he leave you all alone here? He's a big meanie, isn't he?"
"Yes he is." He crooned back, closing his eyes and letting her scratches take him to a higher place. Luckily they had made their way to the campfire where sat down on one of the logs and Toothless rested his head in her lap, allowing his whole body to go slack as he enjoyed her attention.
"I don't know about being a meanie-" She ceased her scratches, much to Toothless' dismay, and slowly turned her head in the direction of the voice, "-but I have been called worse." Oh his smug smile was infuriating.
"How long?" She asked.
"Long enough." He shifted the basket at his hip that she just noticed was filled with a variety of berries and other plants she couldn't quite make out.
"Foraging for food I see." She commented as he walked past her, giving Toothless' head a quick rub, who growled a reply she couldn't understand. Although, she, and to a lesser extent Hiccup, was surprised that Toothless seemed content with his head on her lap and not following after him. He looked up at her again, giving a soft croon and nudging her gently.
"He loves your scratches and would love if you continued." Hiccup said. Well, since it seemed Toothless was asking so kindly, she resumed her scratches and enjoyed seeing Toothless slip back into a relaxed state.
"What kind of Jormung ignores his dragon's needs?" She teased.
"The kind who knows his dragon is a master manipulator. Don't let those puppy eyes fool you, no matter how big they get." Hiccup warned her as he reached the prep table by his tent. Astrid looked down and immediately saw what he meant. With Toothless' head across her lap, she could only see his left eye and a massive dilated pupil, followed by some of the flaps of his crown perking up and tail wagging expectantly. Hiccup was right. He was a master manipulator. "Bud, give her a rest already." Toothless ignored him, staring at Astrid intently. Under his begging gaze, she relented and resumed her scratches; much to the happy croons of the Night Fury. She saw Hiccup shake his head out of the corner of her eye. "You shouldn't indulge him."
"That's easy to say when he's not laying his head in your lap. I can't just shove him off."
"You have my permission to shove, swat, snap, and glare at him going forward." He spoke as he picked up a pot and strode off towards the pond to fill it.
"That still doesn't instill me with confidence."
"Don't worry. If he's being stubborn, I'll come over and force him off you." He said as he returned to her and the campfire. He knelt down, unlatched his flame-sword from his belt, ignited it and lit the fire with it.
"That instills me with even less confidence, and isn't that a waste of that sword's uses?"
"An unintentional use-case. I mean he rarely lights the fire when I ask him nicely." Hiccup gestured to the relaxed dragon in her lap. "Always ready to drag me out of bed for our fishing, but will let the seasons come and go if it means helping me in anything."
"Aww, you wouldn't do that. Would you Toothless?" Astrid baby-talked to the dragon once again, scratching a particularly hard-to-get crown flap. Toothless let out a soft croon, as if saying 'Of course I wouldn't' and turned his head into her stomach. Hiccup's look of utter disgust at his dragon's betrayal was one Astrid decided she wouldn't get enough of. She should try babying Toothless more often.
"That reminds me, how are you feeling?"
"Me? I'm feeling great. Why you ask?"
"You seemed out of it during our spar last week." She didn't miss the pause he took placing the lid on the pot that was now over a burning fire.
"Hah ha. Yeah. Turns out it was something I ate the night before our sparring lesson. For some reason it only hit once we started training. I've already made sure to avoid it going forward." Her sigh caught his attention.
"You know, if you're going to lie, you should try a bit harder than that." Why did she have to look like a disappointed mom scolding her son? Toothless' side-eye wasn't helping either as he actually knew the truth behind his rider's discomfort the previous week. "What really happened last week?"
"To be honest, it's not something I feel comfortable talking about with you right now." It wasn't a total lie this time. He really didn't feel ready discussing it with her at this stage of their relationship. Although he wondered if there'd ever come a time when they'd both be comfortable around each other for him to explain.
"Right now? What about in the future?" She asked.
"I'll definitely tell you about it. But only when I feel ready." She gave him a long, hard look, judging whether to take his words at face-value.
"Okay." She finally answered. "Just know that whatever it is, you can talk to me about it. Even if it's a Jormung thing and I can't help, I've heard it helps to talk about your problems. You might come across the answer yourself."
"You know, I never expected you have to a sweet and understanding side."
"You're lucky Toothless has his head on my lap. Otherwise I'd have smacked your head into the ground by now."
"There's the Astrid I know and love." He remarked. He turned his attention back to the campfire, seeing traces of steam escaping through the tiny gaps of the pot and lid. He went back to the table, picked up and began rummaging through a little pouch. Astrid watched him pull out a tiny cloth bag, walked back to the pot, lifted the lid and tossed it in before closing it up again. "I'm making tea if you're wondering. Would you like a cup?"
"I would. Thank you." Hiccup smiled and retreated into his tent before coming out with two mugs before taking a seat right beside her, giving his dragon a brief scratch on his snout. "If I remember correctly, you won't be taking it easy on me today."
"Actually, I decided we could use this day to learn more about each other." Hiccup glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and stopped breathing. She looked breathtaking. The morning sun casting an almost heavenly glow on her blonde hair, her relaxed but flawless posture - back straight, shoulders back, a slight tilt in her head as if she were in thought - all the while she was rubbing Toothless' snout with her left and running tiny circles with her right index finger on a spot right above Toothless' eye that he knew loved being scratched with a soft smile on her face. His ancestors wouldn't blame him if, in this snapshot of time, he thought she was a Jormung Goddess who had descended from the heavens to grace him and Toothless with her presence.
He cleared his throat, snapping himself out of his trance before she had a chance to notice his staring. "What brought this on all of a sudden? Not that I'm not ready to be thrown on my ass hundreds of times today."
"Don't tell me you've already forgotten our deal? I train you how to fight and you teach me about you and your people."
"Believe me, I do remember. I guess I got too excited about our sparring lessons that me teaching you completely slipped my mind."
"And look at me being the good student reminding her teacher of his shortcomings."
"Ah, I see. You were probably the kid in class who always reminded the teacher about the day's homework."
"Really? Me? Didn't know self-projection was another one of your traits. Besides, it's not like the other kids could intimidate me."
"Don't we know it. Not even the legendary Night Fury could make you shiver in your boots." Hiccup said, recalling their first encounter on that island about two to three months ago.
"I don't know about that. I wouldn't call it fear; more like jitters. It was a good kind of excitement going up against Toothless." Said dragon crooned underneath her palm.
"He says he was taking it easy on you. Spoiler alert, he's lying." Hiccup fake whispered to her, having full intention on Toothless hearing it. The Night Fury slapped him with his right ear flap, getting a laugh out of Astrid. Hiccup then caught a whiff of the brewing tea, indicating it was ready. He got up, grabbed the rope that was suspending the pot over the fire, and placed it on his table. Removing the lid, he dunked both mugs in to fill them and returned to their spot. "Careful, it's still pretty hot."
"Thanks." She accepted it, her fur vambraces acting as temporary insulators while she kept a fine hold with her fingers around the mug. She took a deep breath breath, all the herbs and spices Hiccup placed in the pot along with whatever was in the cloth bag bringing a relaxed, comfortable state of mind.
"Toothless, mind giving her some space bud?" The dragon grumbled something unintelligible and made to move, but she interjected.
"No! It's okay, Toothless can stay as he is. He's not being a bother." Before Hiccup could say something, the dragon quickly returned his head to her lap, leaving Hiccup no opportunity to get Astrid to reconsider. Hiccup simply shook his head, but took his place next to her.
"Do you get tea up here?" He asked.
"We do, but most Vikings lean towards mead and wine to warm them up." She took a small sip. "Mhm, this is good. Really good" She said before taking a bigger swig of her mug, heat be damned.
"Glad you like it. I actually made that blend of tea herbs and spices. During my time on the run I scavenged various goods. Tea was one of them, and I was quite surprised at the different varieties. So I began mixing them in different quantities to find something that I would love. I'm glad I can share that with you."
She smiled. "So, you're a Jormung, a blacksmith, and a tea connoisseur. Anything else you're not telling me?"
"Don't forget wanted fugitive and warrior in training." They both laughed. "Why did you cancel today's sparring lesson? I'd have figured you were going to enjoy pushing me around all day."
"It's because we just trained last week. And I'm going to take your word that you're training every day in between. So I figured today can be dedicated to learning more about each other."
"Who are you and what have you done with Astrid?" Hiccup asked after a few seconds of silence. He had mentally prepared for a retaliatory hit and had braced his entire body, but when she continued her stoic stare, he really became concerned. "Okay, it's not like you to not hit me for a smartass comment. What's going on?"
"The reason you're still seated on this log is because I need a favour. Actually, no, not a favour. Your permission."
"Permission? For what?"
"To have my baby sister with us next week." Of all the favors he could have dreamt her asking him, he wasn't expecting that.
"What?" He asked, not sure if he heard right the first time.
"Will it be alright if my baby sister came with me next week? You remember? The one you saved from the burning building."
"Oh...Oh! You mean Brenna? Yeah, yeah, I don't mind at all! But...why? If you don't me asking. I thought it was just going to be the two of us?"
"Is that disappointment I'm hearing?" She smirked. "Sad that someone else will be crashing in on your time with me?"
"On the contrary. I get to start teaching them young. Couldn't have asked for a better situation if I do say so myself." Astrid immediately realized what he was getting at.
"No way in Hel are you letting Brenna anywhere near Toothless." The dragon in her lap let out a huff of protest, as if he were implying that he'd never do anything to her little sister. Which she knew he wouldn't. "It's not that I don't trust you, Toothless." She tried to appease him by resuming her pets.
"If it helps put your mind at ease, Toothless is great with kids. He knows how to keep them entertained and is extremely gentle with them. He'll be even more-so since Brenna's not a Jormung." When he still saw the skepticism on her face, he tried a different tactic. "I don't know what you're so worried about. Do you not want her seeing you like this?" He gestured to her being seated with Toothless' head in her lap. He watched her skepticism give way to uncertainty then. "Or is it because you don't want her seeing a possibility that you're still unsure of." He meant to phrase it more as a question, but he felt hit the nail on the head.
"Interacting with Toothless like this is amazing, don't get me wrong. But right now, it's just me who's experiencing this. And, yes, you have this vision of Vikings and dragons co-existing, but that's much, much easier said than done. And please don't bring up myself as an example." She raised a finger to silence him before he could interject. "Just as you don't know why you chose me, I have no idea why I let you rope me into all of this."
"You just gestured to all of me."
She smirked. "I just have a hard time picturing the whole of Berk accepting this 'docile' side of dragons. There's too much bad blood in our history with them."
"But there's none here." He gestured between them.
"We're a special case. And besides, I'd say you're partially right about my concerns with introducing Brenna to Toothless. Let's say they hit it off, and it's everything you wanted to see when you show kids what a dragon is truly like. What do you think Brenna will start doing when she comes of age to enter dragon training? Or before then, in classes where you learn the basics of how to maim and kill a dragon? While everyone else yells swords, axes, fists, Brenna will raise her hand and answer 'Dragons are friendly.' I don't want her to grow up being bullied by her classmates-"
"You think she'll be bullied with you as her sister?"
"A family name can only do so much. Besides, she won't need me to beat those future, snot-faced brats up. She'll be able to do that on her own. But that's not my main concern. It's how the village will treat her if they find out she's against killing dragons."
"Ah. You think she'll be treated as an outcast if it ever comes to that. But aren't you projecting a tiny bit too far into the future?" And by tiny, he meant a lot. Was Brenna really that impressionable?
"It'd be easier if I wasn't her role model."
"Ah, I see. Seeing her big sister be friendly with a dragon, a Night Fury at that, would definitely leave an impression on her."
"Exactly. While all this is amazing, she's too young to learn about any of it yet. Besides, a four-year old can only keep so many secrets."
"Wait, I'm a secret?" He received a swift thwack to the back of his head for that, along with an unnecessary chortle from Toothless.
"Why is it always violence with you?!"
"It's physical communication for when words aren't enough to get through to someone." She glanced down to Toothless. "How have you put up with him for so long?" She suspected the croon he gave her translated to 'You have no idea' given the annoyed look Hiccup shot him.
"So Brenna doesn't talk about me with anyone apart from you. Great! Why don't you think she could keep Toothless a secret?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head.
"You really think my sister would be able to keep a Jormung and a Night Fury a secret?"
"I don't see why not? She was able to keep a secret about her big sister and a Jormung. Why wouldn't she be able to keep Toothless a secret?" When he still saw her hesitancy, realization began to dawn on him. "I think I see what this is all about. You want her to have as little exposure to all of this in case we're discovered. Am I close?"
Astrid let out a breath she didn't realize she was keeping in. "You're on the right track. I'm prepared to deal with the consequences. But Brenna, she's just a child who wants to be like her big sister without knowing any better because in her eyes, I can't do no wrong."
"What you're doing isn't wrong though."
"From your perspective, Hiccup. Berk will see it much, much differently." The hesitancy was plain on her features now. He didn't want to push any further, less it caused a rift between them. And he didn't want that at this stage.
"What if I convince Toothless to hide for that day?" He suggested. Both Astrid and Toothless looked at him immediately.
"If it'll put her at ease, I'm okay with that."
"I can't do that to Toothless." They both spoke at once, although Astrid's face bore a look of concern and quite apologetic. Almost as if she felt she was overstepping more than she was welcomed. Her look of concern quickly gave way to annoyance at Hiccup's laughter. "What are you laughing about?"
"If you could see the look on your face right now, one wouldn't think you'd be capable of feeling sorry for pushing a dragon out of his home." He wiped a tear from his eye. "All jokes aside, Toothless doesn't mind leaving for the day. He'll probably use the chance to scout a few of the islands more thoroughly."
"Are you really sure he's okay with kids?"
"He's the best. And, of course, we'll introduce Brenna to him properly so she won't be on edge the entire day."
"Okay." She said, after a few tense seconds, mulling it over in her mind.
"Didn't think you'd change your mind so quickly."
"Well, she'd probably bug me and you about Toothless if she didn't see him here. After all, the whole village knows you fly a Night Fury."
"How do they...?" Hiccup ceased his question both Astrid and Toothless bore deadpan stares at him. "Point taken. Well-" He clapped his hands, "-now that that's taken care of, what do you want to learn today? More about Toothless? Or you fancy a little Jormung history?"
"Hmm...Let's start off with Toothless." She rubbed his snout and he purred again, making sure to soak up her affection while she was still here. Gods knew he didn't get this kind of affection, or to be more accurate, a woman's affection, from Hiccup.
"Keep this up and he'll follow you home like some lost puppy. Torches and Axes be damned." Hiccup pointed out, seeing his best friend turn to putty in her hands and lap.
She giggled, shaking her head. "Hard to believe that the most feared dragon known to Vikings is really a big ole' softy. Isn't that right Toothless?" Said dragon responded by nuzzling his head even further into her abdomen, causing her to laugh even harder, unaware of the soft smile that Hiccup currently had at the sight of her having fun with his best friend. He didn't think she'd be this comfortable around Toothless, even after a few months. It did help that Toothless was open to the idea, and it was great to see him be incredibly accepting of her. But what he was silently, overwhelmingly thankful for was the sight and sound of her laughing. He didn't think he'd ever see this side of her, much less so when interacting with dragons. And he had feeling that not many others saw her like this either.
"You're staring again."
He returned from his thoughts to see her and Toothless both staring at him. He coughed, quickly clearing the awkwardness he created, ruining their little bonding moment. "So, what would you like to know about the very fearsome, very dangerous, Night Fury?"
"How did you and Toothless meet?"
"Ah, that's a bit of sad story, actually. I was just a few months old at the time, but from what I've heard, a few of our hunters found him about an hour hike from our village. He was all curled up underneath some thick underbrush, bruised and malnourished."
"How'd they know he was there?"
"Oh, sorry. I started off with Toothless but it'd make more sense if I painted you a picture of where we used to live. You see, our home was located in the basin of a huge valley. And by huge, I mean massive." Hiccup brought his arms out, trying to emphasize the point he was making. "Surrounded on all sides by peaks that even the Jormung would have difficulty breathing at if they ever flew that high, with crystal clear, icy rivers cascading down from those peaks, carving their way through the ancient rock over a millennia, nourishing the valley floor and creating a vibrant tapestry of lush greenery and thriving wildlife. Wildlife including dragons, mind you." He said with a wink, to which he received a playful eye-roll. "Every single body of water congregated to the center of the valley, depositing their waters in a lake that would have no trouble hosting many of Berk's islands with room to spare. And we Jormung made its banks, near the mouth of the largest river, our home."
"That sounds beautiful."
"It was." He let out a sigh, with a look of longing and sadness plastered on his face. She almost questioned him on it but he continued the story before she had the chance. "Living in the valley with dragons, most if not all Jormung became familiar with every single dragon that called the valley home." He paused, laughing slightly. "You should have seen our streets. Dragons were your everyday horse and buffalo there. But I'm getting off topic again. So, because our hunters knew the dragons that lived in the area they used to hunt, one day, while out hunting and foraging in the forests of the valley, they caught a scent that they were unfamiliar with. Both curious and cautious, they tracked the scent to a clump of bushes where they found an year old Toothless cowering underneath."
"I was not cowering." Toothless grumbled.
"Could have fooled them, bud." Hiccup said, patting his friend's head. "As a baby, Toothless couldn't talk yet, but they eventually coaxed him out with some of their dried meats they carried for food. And that's when they saw how exhausted and malnourished he was, not to mention injured. After he grew comfortable around them, enough to let them pick him up, they immediately brought him back to the village and brought him to my mom."
"Was your mom the healer of your village?"
"No. She did have healing expertise, but it was because the head healer and her apprentices were out in the valley with a different group collecting herbs and other remedies. So, my mom jumped into action and began treating his injuries."
"How do you play into all this?"
He smiled. "Because Toothless was such a good patient when she was taking care of him, my mom took my six month old butt to introduce him to me, and from what she described, we immediately hit it off. Toothless was a bit wary of first, always moving away if I ever crawled towards him, but he slowly started accepting my presence. Especially when my mom put fish in my hand and helped me 'feed' him. Although she was really doing all the feeding, but I think that helped build our friendship. Hard to believe that little hatchling grew up into this massive lump of useless lizard." He gestured to said dragon who was more than comfortable receiving pets from Astrid with his head in her lap.
"So how did he end up in that valley?"
"That's the sad part. We don't know but our best guess is he and his family were attacked by dragon hunters."
"In the valley?"
Hiccup shook his head. "No. There are a very few trails that people can take. And they're not without risks. Easiest way to travel in and out of the valley is on dragon-back. But that's not the important part. There were no Night Furies in the valley, otherwise the Jormung would have known about them. Toothless must have flown there on his own when he was fleeing his attackers. And it looked like he was in the air for a long time, judging from how exhausted he was. The most concerning part though, was that his parents and siblings were nowhere in sight."
"Is that strange for Night Furies?"
Hi nodded. "Very. Night Furies mate for life and are incredibly protective of their young. For him to be on his own, with his parents nowhere in sight? And some of the Jormung searched the valley for them, because it was so strange to see an abandoned Night Fury hatchling."
"So you think..."
"Based on the injuries he had, his parents and sibling, or siblings, were most likely captured or killed by dragon hunters. And he was the only one who got away."
"Why do you say siblings?"
"Because female Night Furies always lay a minimum of two eggs." He didn't have to continue for Astrid to understand what happened.
"Who could take a Night Fury? Parents at that?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." Hiccup shrugged his shoulders. "They were probably killed by whoever attacked them considering none of the Jormung and their dragons, as well as the dragons in the valley, heard of a pair of Night Furies looking for their hatchling. But hey, fate works in cold, mysterious ways, huh? If none of that happened, we wouldn't be here, with you learning and bonding with him."
"Good thing I took it easy on you back on that island, right Toothless?" She rubbed his head, enjoying the sound his croons as if he was replying.
"He's saying he took it easy on you." Hiccup translated.
Astrid made a scoff, as if hurt by his comment. "You want a round two, Toothless?" She asked, looking him in the eye. He crooned again.
"He's saying 'ready whenever you are.'" The two of them laughed while Toothless thumped his tail, seeing how happy the two of them were.
"And that's how your friendship started, huh?"
"On no. He was quite evasive of my advances. Every time I crawled over to him, or when my mom brought me to him, he'd find a way to put as much distance as he could. But with time, he gradually started accepting me and even began playing with me, always under the watchful eye of my mom. And days, turned into months, turned into years and we've been inseparable ever since. Just finally glad we're able to share that with someone else now." He said, looking at her.
"Like I said before, don't get too used to this."
"I don't know why you continue to fight your growing attachment to us. Just accept your fate and admit you're loving this."
"Love is a strong word."
"But you're enjoying this."
"Well I-Woah!" Astrid blurted out in surprise when Toothless lifted his head off her lap to her free side and nudged her into Hiccup's chest, causing the Jormung to blush a deep shade of pink.
"Toothless!" He scolded the dragon, which earned an amusing chortle from him as he sat up on his haunches, taking pleasure in his rider's uneasiness at having the girl so close to him.
"Guess Toothless was taking your side there, huh?" Astrid mentioned, pulling away from Hiccup, and completely unaware of his semi-discomfort. And though he was thankful he no longer had a beautiful, blonde girl on him, he was slightly disappointed at the same time for the exact same reason, but did make note of how sweet she smelled. A touch of lavender with a few other scents mixed in with hers. Like that was not creepy at all.
"Hardly." He spat out, still staring down his dragon, incredibly annoyed at what he tried to pull knowing his developing feelings for Astrid. "What else would like to know about him?" He asked, getting back on topic.
"Oh right, this is more of a question from my siblings and Fishlegs, but Toothless doesn't breathe fire like most dragons, does he? What was that purple blast he fired at me when we first met?"
"It's a plasma blast. It's not fire, but it's incredibly hot and painful to get hit by."
"But those dragon trappers weren't by them when they were hit. Clothes were a bit singed, but nothing more."
"Toothless can control the heat level of his attacks. If he really wanted to kill someone, he could." Astrid stared at Toothless with a little more respect than she initially walked in with. She thought she handled herself pretty well against him when they first fought, but he really was holding back against her. "But despite how dangerous your books make him out to be, he really is just a big ole' softy who loves to sleep receive pats from beautiful women." He regretted his last sentence as soon as he said it. He prayed to Jormungandr that his words went over her head but her...Gods. Jormungandr didn't hear him considering he was knocked sideways by that extremely seductive smirk she was giving him.
"Beautiful women, huh? Is that yours' or Toothless' thoughts?" If her smirk wasn't enough, Toothless' smirk downright was.
"You probably get that a lot, I'm assuming." He attempted to shift the attention to her since trying to change the subject would've only prolonged his embarrassment and she'd have caught onto it immediately.
"More than you think. But I'm pretty sure that's the first time I've heard you call me beautiful."
"Eh...w-well...y-you are. W-What else do you want me to say?"
"How beautiful?" She asked, sitting up straighter and tilting her head in a curious, yet cute manner, batting her eyes for added emphasis. She never had this kind of banter with any guy within her age group. For the very reason that they'd consider it her flirting with them. But with Hiccup, seeing him flustered and struggling to form coherent sentences, it was fun. She could show him a side of her that she very rarely displayed to anyone. She locked eyes with him, leaning her face closer to his, to enjoy more of his discomfort. However, that changed when he looked away for a second, before turning back to her and leaning his face closer to hers, staring deep into her azure blue eyes while she watched his eyes turn from slits into circular irises, almost akin to a regular human. Eyes that had the deepest shade of forest green she ever saw.
"If I had the option between you, and the waking up to see the morning dawn on dragon-back, I'd choose you. Every single day."
"You don't mean that." She couldn't stop looking away from his eyes.
"You want to find out?" When did they start speaking in whispers?
The moment was broken when Toothless placed his head on both their laps, which was possible given they were now seated shoulder-to-shoulder with each other. They both looked down at the dragon, then back up to each other, before chuckling.
"I hope that answered your question." Hiccup smiled at her.
"Partially. I've never seen what a sunrise looks like on dragon-back." She patted Toothless' snout as she spoke.
"Would you like to?" He was dead serious when she looked at him.
She laid her hand on his upper chest, tapping it slightly as if she were denying a child sweets from a market stall. "Baby steps first." She said, gently nudging Toothless off her lap, getting up and giving herself a good stretch.
"I'll get you eventually. You're just denying yourself unimaginable joy by prolonging the inevitable." He teased.
"Some of us like to hold off before getting what we want. Makes the moment that much more amazing."
A little observation that had gone unnoticed between the two, but not Toothless, was that his best friend and the human girl were looking right at each other, eye contact and all, when she said those words.