Chapter 24: "There's a boy…"
Astrid stood on the stoop in front of the door to her house, hesitating with her hand over the handle, not yet going inside. She'd just arrived after her visit to Trader Johann's ship, and remembering the conversation she'd had with Arkyn the day before, Astrid knew she had to stop stalling. Delaying telling her parents about him wouldn't benefit anyone. If anything it was already dampening the mood, which became especially apparent after Arkyn voiced his unfortunate insecurities…
Taking a deep breath and putting on her game face, Astrid slowly pushed the door open and entered her house, unsurprisingly finding her parents already home- business in the market was typically slow on days Johann was around. They had been talking with each other about something as her father whittled, but she didn't catch what it was as they paused their activities upon her return, looking up when Astrid opened the door.
"Back from Johann's?" Her father asked, setting his knife down on the small table in the center of the sitting room.
"Yep. I didn't buy anything though. Thor knows what I would need with 'Southern Jungleberries'." Astrid repeated Arkyn's earlier find in a sarcastic tone, leaning her axe against the wall by the door as she sat down.
Riftan chuckled, nodding in understanding. "Sometimes the things on that man's boat just leave me speechless…and not the good kind."
"Can we get you some tea, darling?" Her mother asked, moving to stand up.
"Oh, no!" Astrid said quite abruptly, almost too forcefully, causing Freya to wear a perplexed look. Astrid realized her mistake and quickly offered an explanation. "I'm ok, really, but I actually…I actually have something to talk to you two about that you might want to stay seated for."
Freya relaxed in her chair once again, but her confused look remained. Astrid's father now also sat up straighter, ready to pay his full attention to what his daughter had to say. "Everything alright?" He asked, concern in his voice.
Astrid's nerves kicked in and she hesitated again before proceeding. "It's uh, it's actually a little better than alright." She found herself having a hard time meeting her parents' gaze.
Riftan pressed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Astrid, still worried about how her parents might react, switched gears a little and ignored her dad's question, instead turning to Freya. "Mom, do you remember when you told me the story of how you and dad met? And how you said that sometimes, things just happen and you have to decide if you're going to let them happen or not?"
Her mother nodded, listening intently, and Astrid continued. "Well um…something happened a few days ago and…I'm really happy about it but I wanted you to hear it from me and not anyone else so you know what's going on."
"Astrid, where are you going with this?" Freya asked, furrowing her brow.
Just spit it out. Astrid thought to herself, and after a quick breath she did just that. "There's a boy…" She trailed off, waiting to see what her parents would do with this statement.
Her father pursed his lips and sat back in his chair, processing what his daughter had just said, but before he could share his opinions on the matter Freya put a hand on his leg and squeezed it slightly, silently telling him to stay calm while she figured things out. "And who is this boy, my dear?" Astrid's mother asked, secretly hoping for anyone other than Snotlout.
"Arkyn Stryerson…" the girl admitted, looking down once more.
"I had a feeling…" Freya mused, mulling it over. She smiled faintly before speaking again. "Well I've not had the pleasure of meeting this lad yet, although I did see him briefly at the party. From what I've heard, though, he sounds like quite the interesting young Viking."
Astrid was about to confirm this for her mother until Riftan spoke, interrupting her. "I've met him…"
The girl held her breath as her father paused, knowing this could make or break the chance she had with Arkyn.
"You know I've taught you to be a very capable girl- more capable than most of your friends, and certainly capable enough to handle yourself in even the more difficult of situations, but you're still my little girl and there's something I need to hear from you personally, and before you answer, don't just think about Arkyn or the relationship, but think about yourself, think about us, and think about all you might do in the future."
"What is it?" Astrid asked, her face becoming pale. She hoped it wasn't one of her father's impossible questions with no right answer. That wasn't what she needed right now.
Her father sighed, finishing his query. "Not that you should need it very often, but do you truly believe that in the darkest of times, in the most dire of battles, in the most treacherous environments, and under the most stressful circumstances that Arkyn can protect you? Make sure you're safe? Ensure that at the end of the day, you'll be able to make it home, no matter where that may be?" Riftan surprised not only himself but also his daughter as his eyes began to grow damp after he'd finished speaking. Astrid, an only child, had always been the most important thing to him. The thought of her being with someone inadequate to look after her safety was unimaginable.
The girl considered a moment, then looked her father in the eyes and answered. "He already has." She said simply. "I'm home right now because he faced the most terrifying dragon I've ever seen and won, and so are you."
"The Red Death was a terrifying dragon." Her father countered, not believing anything could top it after his experience at Helheim's gate.
"You weren't there, dad. The Red Death was scary, but it couldn't eat islands. You have no idea how easily we could've all died…"
The man nodded and after a pause, spoke again. "Well we've discussed this before, but you know I'm certainly glad you didn't. And this…this boy makes you happy? At least, happy enough that you don't find the thought of having a partner repulsive, as you once did?" Riftan winked as he teased her, feeling reassured in Astrid's confidence that she felt safe with the other Viking.
Astrid now wore a smile, remembering the night she'd danced with Arkyn. She held onto that feeling as she answered her dad's question, this time speaking to both of her parents at once. "He really does. I know this is a new thing for me, but I'd like to try it out if you're ok with it, of course. Arkyn is…hard to figure out sometimes, but we took the time to get to know each other. I like him for who he is and I know he likes me for who I am."
Freya smiled back, a glint in her eye. She'd waited a long time for her daughter to finally find out what it meant to be young and in love- even if the L word was a little too soon at the present time. "I've heard enough, dear. Just make sure Arkyn knows you're worth it. I won't have him sending you home in tears- ever."
Riftan was quick to agree. "I'll let you 'try it out', as you say, but the moment I get the feeling he isn't enough I won't hesitate to break it off myself. Thor forbid that should happen though."
Astrid was equal parts excited and put off by their words. She knew they cared about her a lot, but to hear her father use the exact words Arkyn had feared did not sit well with her. Was her father still worried even after all she'd said? Was it bad she wasn't as worried as them? The girl silently decided that their apprehension stemmed from a lack of first hand contact with the boy she'd now come to warm up to, and over time they'd see what she saw. For now, though, she decided to take the win that was presented to her, one Astrid felt was well deserved.
The young Hofferson stood up and was about to ascend the stairs to her bedroom for some alone time when she flinched at the sound of her father's voice, who apparently wasn't done with her yet. "Hold on a minute, Astrid."
She turned to face him, a hand on the stair railing, and he continued. "I know it's been more than a month now, but I distinctly remember you…sharing a moment with Hiccup…in front of the whole town. You know, after his amputation…"
"Of course I know, dad. Everyone remembers…" Astrid said, annoyed. She was slightly amused at how he'd phrased his comment though. 'sharing a moment' That's all it was, really. The girl decided to put that excuse away for her own use later in case it came up again, which it probably would.
Riftan continued, one last thing on his mind. "That was…quite the gesture. Some of my friends, including those involved with me in council with the Chief, have commented on it from time to time. I guess what I'm trying to say is that most everyone, including myself, expected that when an announcement like this eventually came from you, it would be between you and Hiccup… Is there a reason he's not part of the picture anymore?"
Well shit. Astrid thought. My kiss with Hiccup has been talked about in the Chief's council? Her mind became a blaze thinking about what could've been said and who'd been gossiping about it. Then again, it was her life and she could do as she pleased, expectations of others be damned.
She began to stammer as this new information overtook her. "Of- of course he's still a part of the picture. He's still the leader of the dragon riders, which includes me, I still see him everyday, and he'll always be a good friend of mine, but that's all we are right now…Hiccup and I are just friends." Astrid made this very clear. "Arkyn just makes me feel…different. Like when he leaves a room, I start wondering when I'll be back with him again. It's…I don't know, I can't explain it."
Riftan nodded. "No desire to be Chieftess one day then, eh? I bet you've got the means…"
He said this rather lightheartedly, but it still caused Freya to finally flare up again in her daughter's defense. "Riftan! There is clearly more to this than that." She scolded, swatting him on the arm.
Astrid looked hurt but said nothing, instead rolling her eyes and finally disappearing upstairs before either of her parents changed their minds or had something more to say to her. She closed the door to her room and collapsed on her bed, shutting her eyes to the noise of her parents having a spat with each other in the room below. All things considered, that could've gone much, much worse…
—
Neither Arkyn nor Stinger were anywhere to be found the next morning. Astrid had gone to his house only to discover it deserted and the Triplestryke absent. She supposed Gothi had finally cleared him for flight again and he'd taken the first opportunity to do so, but it still would've been nice to know where he had planned on going.
Astrid now sat atop Stormfly in the arena surrounded by the other dragon riders who'd also recently arrived, all trying to figure out what to do with their time. She was near the edge of the structure and suddenly became startled when Ruffnut snaked Barf's head away from her brother's and sidled up next to her best friend.
"Psssst. Hey, Astrid!" She got the other girl's attention in a small voice.
"Hey, Ruff. Why are you whispering?" Astrid asked, confused.
"So my idiot brother won't hear what we're saying…duh." Ruffnut said this in a bored tone, but luckily for the pair of girls Tuffnut was quite far away on his own dragon head talking loudly with Snotlout, who was trying to get his own Monstrous Nightmare under control.
"What secret is so important that it can't wait until later?"
"You never told me why you left the party the other day. You said we'd talk 'later', and 'later' is now. It isn't allowed to become any 'later' than this."
"Gods, Ruff. What's there to say? I was tired as hell, can't you just understand something like that?" Astrid was still apprehensive to tell the others about her new relationship with Arkyn, fearing it would make everything weird and ruin the tranquility it still somehow possessed.
"That's yak shit and you know it. You left right after I saw Arkyn for the last time. I know you two were doing something, now spill."
Astrid silently cursed her best friend for knowing her too well, and continued in an even more urgent tone. "You must know now that if I tell you this and another soul finds out before I'm ready, then I'll kill you myself. You know I can."
Ruffnut nodded profusely and gestured with her hands the throwing away of a key, indicating her lips were indeed sealed.
"Good. Don't ever say I didn't warn you." Astrid took a breath and then confessed. "I followed him to his house without him knowing, he asked me to dance, and we did. That's all we did. We danced."
"And then…?" The Thorsten pushed further, not believing in the slightest that was the whole story. "C'mon, Astrid. I'm not stupid. I've seen that guy. You cannot tell me you just left it at that given an opportunity of such magnitude…"
"You asshole, Ruff."
"Aha, I was right! So what happened next?"
"We…we were holding each other and then…and then we kissed a little. Is that what you wanted to hear?! Happy?"
Ruffnut held her hands up in defense. "All I needed to know. Thanks. And also…I totally called that."
"Alright fine, you totally called that. Whatever…" Astrid was not nearly as amused as her friend. "It's not like I see you getting any action with Fishface, though. If you want drama so badly go make it yourself…"
"He doesn't even know I like him, and don't call him Fishface! You're supposed to be better than Snotlout…" Ruff replied, now equally unamused.
Before Astrid had time to gag in disgust, Hiccup called for everyone's attention and the riders formed a tighter group, prepared to listen. Astrid shifted uncomfortably in her saddle, remembering what her father had told her yesterday. She wondered if Hiccup ever talked about it with Stoick.
Hiccup surveyed the group before him, opening his mouth to speak and then hesitating. "Does anyone know where Arkyn is?" He asked, furrowing his brow.
Everyone shook their heads, blank looks on their faces. Turns out nobody had seen him all day.
"Huh…" Hiccup remarked, not feeling particularly worried by the other boy's absence. There was almost no question he'd make it home at some point. "We'll just have to catch him up later, I guess."
"Ahem." Snotlout interjected. "Catch him up on what exactly? You haven't even told us why you called us here."
"I was just getting to that Snotlout, but thank you. Your impatience is always a highlight of my day." Hiccup replied, sarcastically. "I've noticed things have become a little repetitive lately, you know, aside from almost dying, so I came up with an idea I'd like everyone's opinion on. Knowing how competitive everyone is, this might be a good activity to exercise some of that."
"Oh?" Astrid poked, now listening much more intently.
Hiccup nodded. "Dragon racing." He stated, letting silence fall as the idea sunk in.
Tuffnut was the first to speak up. "But we already race our dragons- like, everywhere…"
"I know that, but I want to provide more structure to it. Add some rules, some sort of point system, and try to make it like a sport." He explained further.
This was indeed very interesting, and Astrid caught herself leaning forward in her saddle, keen on hearing more.
Hiccup continued. "I'm thinking we can define a circuit around the arena, and every lap there should be something that earns a rider points, like an objective."
"We could grab sheep." Ruffnut suggested.
"Like- whole sheep?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "What happens if we drop one?"
"Then it's mutton chops for dinner." She laughed.
"What about something less…fragile. Like a sack of flour. If I modify a ballista, one bag can be launched at the start of each lap, and whichever rider puts it in their basket at the end of the lap scores the point." The boy was now thinking out loud.
"But how many laps would there be? When would it end?" Astrid asked.
Hiccup considered for a moment. "What if it was different each time? Someone- like a game master- who wasn't riding could sound a horn or something, and that would mean there was 1 lap to go. On the last lap, the final bag of flour should be worth more points to give the most riders a chance at winning."
Astrid nodded. "The current scores would have to be kept hidden from the game master so they're not biased about when the race ends, like if a rider they're partial to has the current advantage. What if the last bag was worth 5 points? It should probably be a different color as well."
The Haddock's face lit up at the girl's ideas as he processed them, enjoying the cleverness. "There should be limits as well, like, the race can be no shorter than 10 laps, but no longer than 25. That would give everyone ample opportunity to score enough points to win."
"This sounds too repetitive." Snotlout interrupted once again. "Where's the fun in watching a bunch of dragons flying around in a circle if only one of them can be in possession of a flour bag at a time? You should be allowed to steal it mid lap. That way it's not speed that matters, it's being able to defend."
Everyone stared at the Jörgensen in silence. It wasn't rare he shared ideas or plans of his, but it was extremely rare that they turned out to be good, or even cohesive…
"Whoah…" Ruff exclaimed. "Who knew he had it in him?"
"Not me." Astrid laughed, turning to her best friend. Nothing could wipe the proud grin off of Snotlout's face, however.
Even Hiccup nodded in approval of his cousin. "I do think there should be a penalty for breaking one, though. If a rider is going to steal a bag and they do it too roughly-" he accusingly glanced at the twins. "they should have a point deducted from their score if it causes the bag to tear."
The twins looked annoyed but everyone soon agreed that this was a fair rule.
"And one more thing." Hiccup finally added. "Riders are free to get creative with how they steal a point, but under no circumstances is it allowed to cause any injuries to any other riders. Anything more than an accidental scratch means immediate cancellation of the race. This is supposed to be clean entertainment."
Tuffnut groaned. "Ugh. Where's the fun in that?"
He was quickly silenced by a glare from Astrid. "So is that it then?" She asked, trying to think of loose ends they'd forgotten to tie up.
"I guess so." Hiccup replied, smiling. "Now I'm sure all of you want to try this out as much as me, but we have some things to set up first. I'll need to get approval from my dad to borrow a ballista. I'm sure it won't take much tweaking to get it to fire flour bags instead of bolts…of course I'd need a wider basket in place of the string…"
"Oh my gods, please stop nerding out." Snotlout rolled his eyes. "I'm going home until someone tells me it's time to race. See you later, cuz." And with that, he and Hookfang leaped from the arena into the air, flapping away towards the village.
Hiccup watched Snotlout leave and the other riders soon began to follow suit, but he saw an opportunity to catch Astrid on her way out and decided to take it, realizing they were past due for a chance to hang out.
"Hey Astrid?" He called to her before she could take off. "I took a rain check on lunch with you the other day, but if people are leaving anyway, would you like to come with me to go eat? It's already afternoon…"
Astrid took a second to think about it. She remembered what happened the last time the two of them had sat at a table together and got slightly apprehensive, but how much harm could it do? If the same topic came up, the girl at least had and answer now…
"Sure, I got time." She said in a friendly tone, and Hiccup smiled.
"Looks like this time Arkyn's the one who can't make it." The boy laughed, but before Astrid had a chance to process what he'd said Toothless had already shot skyward, and she had to command Stormfly to do the same if she had any hope of keeping up.
—
Astrid sat across from Hiccup in the hall, eating nervously as she identified all the other Vikings in the space. Unfortunately for her, she'd caught the lunch rush along with everyone else and found herself sitting amongst many familiar faces who Astrid had only recently learned seemed too involved with her business. Included in the bunch were certain members of the Chief's council such as Spitelout, Hoark, her own father, and (of course) Gods Damned Stoick The Vast himself. What could be worse than this?Astrid thought, realizing she'd landed right in the middle of likely mass speculation given her current situation- sitting alone at a table with Hiccup Haddock, no other friends to be seen to dampen the awkwardness.
It wasn't the poor boy's fault, really. Unless of course he'd also talked about it with his own father, which would make the scene just peachy. Riftan had not specifically mentioned if Stoick was involved in the internal conversations regarding her kiss or not, but he'd been right there when it happened. She was pretty certain it'd been talked about at least once in the Haddock household, but to what extent there was no way of knowing.
"A- Astrid? Are you ok?" Hiccup's voice snapped her out of her deliberations and she looked up to find him staring at her inquisitively.
"Oh, yeah. I'm alright." She lied, noticing the council members were obviously stealing glances in their direction and subsequently failing to be subtle about it. Astrid decided to change the subject to take her mind off things. "Have you read any of those books you bought from Johann yet?"
Hiccup smiled, glad she seemed interested. "Only the one on Speed Stingers. I picked it first because we've never seen one before, and after reading I kind of hope we don't…"
"Oh really?" Astrid questioned. "How come? I thought you loved meeting new species."
"I do! But Speed Stingers are some of the most aggressive dragons out there, and they always hunt in packs. There would be no chance to try and tame one before you got paralyzed."
"Well luckily they can't fly. I don't think we'll have to worry about them any time soon."
"Thank Thor for that…" Hiccup sighed, preparing to change the subject himself. "How's Stormfly been?"
"Never better." Astrid smiled. "You'll see just how good she is when I beat you in the first dragon race."
"Ooooh confident, are we? The Night Fury is still the fastest dragon on this island."
"For now." The girl winked.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means your boy Toothless better stay sharp if he wants to rule the ring. I've been practicing a lot, you know, and Stinger isn't exactly slow either in case you haven't noticed."
"Oh trust me I've noticed. I didn't think Triplestrykes were supposed to move that fast but I guess I can't argue with the real world."
"Stinger is a few years older than Toothless, at least according to Arkyn. That might have something to do with it."
"But Hookfang is 22, making him older than both of them. By that logic he should be the fastest."
"Do you really trust Snotlout to fly a dragon at its best though? Have you ever ridden Hookfang?"
"Well, no and no. I suppose you have a point. We'll just have to wait and see. I'm sure my dad will agree the village needs some entertainment, though. The races should hopefully be going in no time."
"Glad to hear it." Astrid smiled, thinking back to simpler times. Despite the stares there was something comforting about having lunch with Hiccup. He was just so carefree lately, like there hadn't been a rainy day in his life for weeks. Of course this wasn't true with the Screaming Death encounter and all, but his positivity seemed to be well maintained all the same.
It reminded Astrid of the days long, long ago when they used to play together as toddlers. It'd been long before all the training from her father as well as the point where Hiccup was found to be different. She hadn't even held her first axe yet. Astrid realized that if she'd always been as care free as Hiccup was now then maybe they never would have grown apart in the first place. The things she was taught- the things all Vikings were supposed to be taught- had clouded her vision, but luckily all that was in the past. In this moment they were friends again, just like they had been 12 years ago. It may have been childish to think about, but Astrid smiled with nostalgia. Better this than an ongoing war with wild dragons.
The door to the hall suddenly flew open, causing Astrid to whip her head towards the entrance in case Arkyn had finally showed up, but alas, it was only Fishlegs. Along with the open door came a chilling breeze that swirled around Astrid's legs under the table, and she shivered at the unexpected temperature. The air strangely felt much colder than it had when she'd entered the hall as it had been a rather nice day out that morning.
The large teen joined the pair at their table with his own plate of food, smiling cordially at them as he sat down. They greeted him in return with an equally friendly 'hello'.
"It's dropping fast out there." Fishlegs reported. "Better go home and put on a coat after this before you two do anything else."
"Thanks for the tip, Legs." Hiccup told his friend. "By the way, what do you guys want to do after this?"
Fishlegs gave a response but Astrid blanked out for a moment and didn't hear what it was, a new worry crossing her mind. Without warning she stood up and sprinted for the door.
"Oh c'mon, not again." Hiccup complained. He got up to run after her. "What did I do this time?"
Astrid flung the massive door open once more and stopped dead in the entryway, allowing her friends to catch up with her.
"Astrid! What is wrong?" Hiccup practically yelled this time, trying to get her out of her trancelike state.
The girl pointed far out towards the ocean, the outside air now stinging her underdressed figure. "Look. At the horizon."
Hiccup and Fishlegs had to squint to see what she meant, but luckily they figured it out rather quickly.
"Clouds." Fishlegs pointed out.
"Storm." Hiccup corrected.
"Blizzard." Astrid specified, and in an instant a dark realization hit her like a Gronckle's tail. She whispered her next words, not daring to accept them.
"Arkyn's fucked."
AN: Sorry guys for the long wait, everyone. I'm pretty sure it's been well over 2 weeks at this point and I came down with another case of writer's block combined with an ever busy schedule in light of the new year. By the way, Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday.
Anyway, this chapter ended up being a little longer than I would have liked, which is why it took a little longer than expected, but I'd rather release a long chapter with lots going on than a burst of short ones for each event that don't provide much substance. Speaking of substance, there are several parts to this story coming up soon that I'm looking forward to writing, and they're actually getting close (at last). Recently though I've had to spend some time figuring out believable ways to set them up and then actually write them out, which has been…well, a slog to say the least. Trying not to get discouraged though. I know for all the exciting parts of this story there's gotta be downtime in some places.
All this is to say that I think I'm finally over the hump, so it'll be easy downhill from here for at least a little while. This chapter was probably a little boring to read, however, and for that I apologize. Thanks to everyone who has been sticking around for the ride regardless. There's more of you than I expected and I'm grateful.
As always, be sure to review if you feel so inclined. Feedback is always appreciated. This has turned into kind of a long Author's Note and uh…oops, but if you made it this far you deserve a cookie. Felt I needed to say these few things, or at least type them down to the void of this document just to get them off my chest to someone. As long as the thoughts are finally out of my head and I can focus on something else. Take care, everyone. -Triplestryke1