Chapter 33: The Intricacies of Being Orphaned

It was late evening before Arkyn finally had the strength to wake up. Although still half asleep, the boy knew he had a responsibility to Stinger that he couldn't ignore, so he groggily exited his back door and aroused the slumbering Triplestryke before climbing aboard and heading to the arena.

Once there, he quickly entered the stable they used to store food and brought out a large basket of fish, dumping it out near the center of the structure. The poor dragon hadn't eaten since the Flightmare's attack, and even though a Triplestryke could go far longer without food than a human, this didn't change the fact that the creature was probably starving. Stinger ate the offering ravenously as Arkyn slumped against the arena's wall, one leg stretched out while the other remained bent so he could rest his right arm on his knee. It was already getting dark again, and the last rays of light were fading into dark purple and soon black as day became night once more.

Some minutes later, the telltale squawk of a Nadder could be heard coming in to land. Astrid dismounted, and seeing that Arkyn had already put plenty of food out, left Stormfly to feed before joining him where he sat against the wall.

"We need a gods damned vacation." She said after a while. The exhaustion in her voice was obvious, and Arkyn felt similar. They hadn't even greeted each other at first.

"You can say that again." Arkyn sighed. "I'd wager you didn't sleep very well either?"

Astrid blinked in a tired daze. "I couldn't."

"How are your parents?"

"They're fine. I didn't give them any details- barely told them anything at all." There was another pause. "It's better that way."

"I guess so." Arkyn mused, though he wouldn't know. "You think it ever gets any easier?"

Astrid stared at the compacted dirt. "I'd sure like to hope so."

They sat in extended silence and admired their respective dragons- the creatures that were both the catalyst for their worries as well as the reward for their lifestyle. In that moment, the two both shared an unspoken agreement that the job was worth it. Going back to the way their lives were before would never be the same.

"Astrid?" Arkyn asked finally, an inquisitive expression on his face. Something was still bothering him.

"Hmm?"

"Am I wrong for wanting a future that's not so…high-risk?"

"…no…" The girl replied in a quiet voice after some hesitation. "I've been thinking about it too. I know this is sort of our responsibility now, but fighting on the back of a dragon is a long way from being a shield maiden…"

"No one is asking us to do this."

"But you know that we have to…"

"I do." Arkyn resigned, holding one of her hands in his. "But…please don't ask me to act like things are the same as they were on day one next time? Because things aren't the same. We're a team now, Astrid, and after last night, I can't not put your safety first."

Astrid considered protesting, but the words died in her throat. "I…I understand…I just didn't want my safety to come at the expense of someone else's." And in that instant, she realized that she would do anything to protect Arkyn and quickly accepted that it was unfair of her to tell him he couldn't reciprocate.

The boy leaned over and wrapped his arms around Astrid where she sat, pulling her close in a tight embrace. "You are the most important thing in my life right now." Arkyn whispered, glancing down at the girl he was holding. She and Stinger were all he had now. Nothing could happen to them. "When we fly, we fly together."

"Always." Astrid answered, shifting in Arkyn's grasp to meet his gaze. "No matter what."

They smiled at one another for the first time that night, their pent up stress finally leaving them through each other's arms. It was fairly brisk outside and the wind was beginning to pick up, but the two teens were plenty warm in the arena and remained unbothered by the conditions.

"I wish every night were like this." Said Astrid, who was content with the peaceful atmosphere.

"Me too, Astrid…" Arkyn sighed, plans quickly forming in his mind. "One day they will be- I'll make sure of it." And as far as he was concerned, he would do so sooner rather than later.

It was just then that the two dragons finished eating. The large pile of sea creatures had been reduced to a few flaps of shredded scales and the occasional skeleton, and with nothing left to do, Stinger and Stormfly began chasing one another around the dark space, warbling as they went.

Arkyn looked down at Astrid once again, noticing her tired eyes. "We should really try getting some more sleep."

The girl nodded, moving to stand up at last. Astrid didn't say it out loud, but she wanted nothing more than to fall asleep right there in his arms. Unfortunately a combination of nervousness and the thought of her parents' reaction to such an idea dissuaded her. "I think I'll be able to put myself down until morning now." She said with a yawn, whistling to Stormfly to call the dragon over.

"Before you go, since Stormfly is here, when was the next time you were planning on cleaning her?" Arkyn changed the subject abruptly.

Astrid thought for a moment, squinting in the dark with mild confusion. "Well, I do it once a week, so the next time would be 4 days from now. Usually in the morning. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Arkyn smiled, walking towards Stinger. "Oh, and about that vacation?" He turned to face Astrid once again as they both mounted their dragons. "We'll figure something out."

And with that they nodded goodbye and began the flight towards their respective houses.

Perfect. Arkyn thought, things finally falling into place in his head as he made his way home. I have 4 days.

—

Four days later…

It was early. Very early. Dawn was just beginning to break as the sun rose over the cliffs. Arkyn had nearly holed himself up in the forge since his last night in the arena, and now the product of his time with Gobber rested at his feet as he stood staring out the back window of his home, an ornate trunk concealing the item itself. He'd somehow managed to convince the blacksmith to keep Hiccup out of the building during this period in order to keep his project a secret. No one could know what he was doing until it was done.

The boy was waiting for something, watching the skies over Berk with great concentration. Timing was key for this expedition. He couldn't afford to waste a single second after the window of opportunity opened.

And then it did.

A cobalt dragon shot up from the direction of Astrid's house and soared over the village towards the arena. It was cleaning time, and that also meant it was go time.

His heart pounding, Arkyn grabbed the new trunk from the floor and flung his back door open, storing the package on Stinger's saddle before climbing on.

"Today's the day." He said, patting his Triplestryke on the side. "You know where to go." The creature squawked in response and took off, arriving in front of the Hofferson household in almost no time at all.

Arkyn dismounted with the trunk and walked around to the front of his dragon, resting his forehead against its snout. "Alright Stinger, wish me luck." Stinger warbled affectionately and watched as his rider stepped up to the dwelling's front door.

Arkyn was hesitantly preparing to knock when he heard a frustrated huff from behind him, glancing over his shoulder once he'd realized what it meant. "Yeah, yeah…I got it. Stand up straighter…" The boy rolled his eyes and faced the door once more, finally knocking as confidently as he could muster.

Freya Hofferson quickly answered, her kind eyes finding the younger Viking on her doorstep. "Oh! Nice to see you again, Arkyn, though if you came here looking for Astrid, I'm afraid she's just flown off…"

"I…I actually came here hoping I could speak with you and Riftan about something? Astrid's absence may have been intentional." He rocked back and forth on his heels. There was no going back now.

"I see." Freya looked slightly puzzled. "Well in that case, do come in. Riftan is there at the table…"

Holy shit, I'm really doing this. Arkyn's mind was racing. I must be fucking *crazy*! Another comment from Freya made him blink and he became aware of his surroundings once more.

"I hope you're not here because you and Astrid are having problems." The woman said.

"Huh? Not at all!" Arkyn quickly eased her worries as he sat down at the table. Discomfort set in as he realized both Hofferson parents were now staring him down from the other side, but he had to commit. "Things are…better than ever if I'm honest. That's the reason I wanted to talk."

"And what is it you'd like to say?" Riftan asked, moving things right along in his typical 'no-nonsense' tone.

Arkyn's palms were beginning to get clammy beneath his gloves. He had to speak slowly, trying to find the right words to say. "I was in the arena with Astrid several nights ago. We'd only run the Flightmare off the night before, and if I can speak freely, it rattled me far more than I'd ever feel comfortable admitting. But when I was feeding my dragon and she flew in, something just…changed. Astrid makes me a better man than I've ever been when left alone, and so to make a long story short…I'm here this morning to request permission from you both to ask your daughter for her hand in betrothal." The boy finally laid it all out, trying to take deep breaths to calm his thumping chest once he'd finished.

A few tense moments passed as the adults across from him processed the information. "Oh…" Was all Freya could muster at first. The woman truly hadn't been expecting this, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that Arkyn was almost right on time in making his visit according to Viking tradition. "Well that's certainly something…"

"A big step for a few teenagers, no?" Riftan added, very skeptical of the situation.

"I'm not talking marriage, sir." Arkyn quickly clarified, hoping he still had a chance. "There is plenty of time needed to grow before either of us would be ready to even consider something like that. I'm simply talking about making a promise that should the day come when we are ready, the person I'll be ready for is Astrid."

The man interjected. "I know what a betrothal is, Arkyn." His face unfortunately remained unreadable and his arms were crossed.

"Don't be so short with him, dear." Freya whispered in her husband's ear, softly enough so that Arkyn couldn't pick up on it. "You had to do this with my parents once, too…and it was a lot sooner after we'd met than this if I recall." She was again the voice of reason.

Riftan turned back towards Arkyn and tried again. "I've known my daughter for almost 16 years, and during the course of this, not a single time did I ever hear her say she wanted to be betrothed. In fact, she despised the notion entirely. What makes you so sure you've changed her mind?" His tone had grown a little lighter, but the change was minute.

"I- I can't know for sure, but there's one way to find out. I'd just like the opportunity."

Mrs. Hofferson took over after this comment, changing the subject. "If we were to say yes, how would you do it?" She couldn't bear the thought of Astrid having a mediocre betrothal experience, especially when there were so many mediocre suitors on Berk… This was her way of making sure Arkyn knew she was worth it.

Arkyn felt slight relief. Luckily he had an answer ready for this question as he'd been planning this very thing for the past 4 days. "I would do it tomorrow morning on the hidden cliffs, just as the sun rose. When the time is right, I'll give her the gift I prepared, and hopefully…things fall into place?" He said this last part hesitantly, not wanting to seem like he was too overzealous.

Freya smiled at this. It had evidently been the right thing to say, because what the Hoffersons knew but Arkyn did not was that the hidden cliffs had been a special place for them far longer than both teens in question had been alive. It was only a happy accident that their daughter would get to make similar fond memories there.

"Does that…sound okay?" Arkyn asked, trying to get a second opinion. He wasn't confident in his abilities to perform grand romantic gestures. They weren't really his thing.

"It sounds just fine." The woman replied, and Riftan nodded subtly. He was certainly displaying his tendency to be a man of few words.

There was a long pause as the adults thought some more, and Riftan ended it just as it became awkward. "I just don't know, lad." He'd never admit it to anyone, but in the back of his mind the man still subconsciously wished that someone else had been sitting across from him that day. Particularly someone with more of a name…

Arkyn's heart sank. He cared too much and had worked too hard to give up so easily. The boy quickly made up his mind that he was not leaving the house with a no for an answer, and his voice quickly changed from one with respect to a voice of challenge. He was ready and willing to fight for this girl in any way he had to, and they were about to know it.

"Mr. Hofferson? I'm sure you're aware of your daughter's particular desirability when it comes to Vikings on this island, so I'll ask you: how many betrothal certificates have you received for Astrid so far?"

"3, but-"

"And who delivered them for your consideration?"

Riftan was taken aback when Arkyn cut him off. His position of control was slipping. "Th- the parents of the potential suitors."

"And everyone on this island knows you must have turned them all down."

"Of course I did. One was given to me when Astrid was only 12, and the other two were on behalf of muttonheads so dull that they couldn't tell yak shit from a well baked loaf. I can assure you that I received all of them before your arrival, however."

"Well Mr. Hofferson-"

"Stop calling me that. I told you Riftan was fine." The older man was now the one beginning to seem uncomfortable, and although his wife did not feel she was part of this exchange, Freya still giggled to herself when she noticed him shifting in his chair.

"Riftan." Arkyn drew out the name and rolled his eyes, fear leaving him as Astrid's father suddenly became an equal in his mind rather than an authority figure. "I have no parents to deliver a betrothal certificate on my behalf. The difference between those fools and myself is that I don't view Astrid as a prize to be bought in the first place. Notice I've shown up not with a piece of paper but with Astrid's gift, which you haven't even cared to look at yet. I am the first person in Astrid's life in almost 16 years who has had the courtesy and the respect to approach you face to face asking for a chance rather than your signature. If you had any ounce of trust in your daughter's judgment whatsoever, you wouldn't deny her the freedom of choice to make this decision on her own- and if it's not meant to be me, then after tomorrow it won't be me, but don't be the thing that stands in our way." Arkyn wanted to go about this meeting the right way, but that didn't stop him from getting manipulative with his last few remarks. His plan was to use Riftan's own pride against him, and surprisingly, it worked…

The man held up a hand to silence Arkyn, a resigned expression coming across his face. "F- fine, you're right. I haven't even asked to see your gift yet. And…I suppose it should mean something that you're coming to us like this. Would you mind if I took a look at what you've brought?"

"Not at all." Arkyn answered, a hint of cynicism still in his voice. "As a fellow warrior I think you'll find it more than appropriate." He leaned over and picked up the trunk, laying it out on the table before undoing the two latches either side of the lock and opening the lid.

Astrid's parents stared at the object that lay inside, raising their brows as they took it in. Arkyn lifted it out of its case so they could get a better view, and nothing was said for a while until Freya made a remark.

"Arkyn…it's beautiful. You made this?"

The boy nodded. "I've learned a lot from Gobber. He still had to help me polish it up though." He tried to sound as modest as possible.

Riftan looked up at the mention of the older smithy's name. "And was Hiccup involved at all?"

Arkyn squinted. "Why do you ask? Did you want him to be?" This left his mouth before he realized how aggressive it sounded in its double meaning, but it wouldn't have bothered him to say anyway.

Riftan pursed his lips, slightly annoyed, but did eventually back pedal. "I was just wondering. I've heard good things about his work is all…"

"He doesn't know a thing." Arkyn informed him. "And I'd like to keep it that way."

Astrid's father gave a small nod, receding. Freya deescalated the situation, trying her best to reduce the tension. "Well it's very nice, young man. No one has brought us anything like this before." The two were genuinely impressed despite the uncertain mood of the room.

"I appreciate it, Mrs. Hofferson. That's why I put in the necessary time these past few days." Arkyn made this sound friendly enough, but the truth was that he was pressed for a quick conclusion to this conversation. Astrid would be back from cleaning her dragon any minute now, and the stand-off had to come to an end at some point. "So…did that change anyone's mind?" He finally said, placing the object back in its trunk and closing the lid.

Astrid's parents looked at one another, having an entire exchange in facial expressions that could only be shared by two people who had been in love for a long time, and after what appeared to be much deliberation, they finally nodded. Riftan spoke. "Alright, lad. You've earned our permission. You may ask Astrid for her hand in betrothal as you said, but I'm not signing any certificates until I hear from her mouth that she's said yes." Freya nodded in agreement with this decision. The choice to let a child choose their partner freely was rare on Berk, but both of Astrid's parents had been granted that privilege, and they wanted their daughter to have the same.

Relieved, Arkyn let out a deep breath he'd been holding in, but before he turned to leave, there was one more thing he needed to discuss. "Actually, sir, about that betrothal certificate?"

The man furrowed his brow. "What about it?"

"The reason I haven't already prepared one for tomorrow is because I couldn't."

"And why's that? You could have just had one drawn up by the village notary if you don't know how to write one yourself."

Arkyn's face fell slightly. "No, I couldn't have. Berkian law says that all certificates of betrothal must be signed by at least one guardian from both sides of the agreement unless that villager is of 18 years of age or older. I- I can't make that happen…not even if I wrote my own…" It was an unbelievably frustrating rule, but it couldn't be undone. He supposed it was just another one of the intricacies of being an orphan.

Freya felt a pang of empathy for the teenager, but she didn't have the first idea of how to fix it. Her husband spoke once more, but slowly this time. "Well…I'm sorry, Arkyn." It was the first time he had used the boy's first name all morning. "I suppose it…can't be legal, if it is to happen."

"And that's why I need your word, Riftan." Arkyn said this in a pleading tone, now speaking man to man. "I need your word that if this is to happen, you won't put Astrid in a legal bind with someone else out from under me. I need your word that we will have as much time as we need exclusively with each other until I am old enough to sign that certificate myself. I need the fact that our potential betrothal isn't legal to remain as hush-hush as possible, because if people know, then the older Astrid gets, the more proposals you will receive, and I worry that someday, one will be too good to pass up."

"I'm insulted you would suggest that I'd do such a thing." Riftan said coldly. No one questioned his character.

Arkyn put his hands up. "I wasn't, I'm just aware that there will always be those with more to offer you than myself, and the bar isn't exactly high at the moment. I just…need to know that if she says yes, I won't wake up one morning in the future to find out I've lost her simply because my signature isn't sufficient enough to compete." He felt embarrassed even saying this. It was like the law explicitly stated that he wasn't worth a damn.

"That won't happen." Riftan asserted. "You have my word."

And so it was done.

Arkyn gave a final nod of respect to both of Astrid's parents, picked up his gift, and started heading towards the door.

"Oh, and Arkyn? One more thing?" A final word from Riftan made the younger Viking stop and look back just as he'd reached the doorway. "If you do this as you described and present her with that?" He pointed to the trunk. "She will say yes."

Arkyn smiled, both humbled and reassured by the parting remark. "Thank you." He finally said, giving one last nod and descending the stairs towards his waiting dragon. The door clicked closed just as Astrid came in to land behind the house after Stormfly's cleaning, and Arkyn took the opportunity to quietly slip away before he was noticed. He headed home to try and catch up on the few hours of sleep that he'd missed waking up so early, making a quick plan to catch Astrid sometime around the dinner hour later that day.

He'd gotten the last thing he needed to set himself up for success.

Mission accomplished.

—

Dinner was over.

Almost every teen had met up at their usual table and the various topics of conversation included things such as what kind of weapon was best for different situations and who would win the newly announced upcoming revival of the dragon races. Only Fishlegs had been absent, for what reason nobody knew, but by now only Arkyn and Astrid remained at the bottom of the staircase that led into the Great Hall. Arkyn had asked her to stick around after the others made their way home, a request to which she readily obliged.

"So what did you want to talk about?" The girl asked cheerily. "Did you come up with some last minute plans for tonight?"

"Not exactly…" Arkyn replied, feeling rather sheepish. He hoped she hadn't been expecting a thing like that from him, although in hindsight maybe he should have thought of something. He'd made himself rather scarce the past few days due to his covert visits to the forge and their time together had been admittedly limited. "I actually made plans for tomorrow morning."

Astrid tilted her head, very intrigued. "Well then. Do tell."

"Look, I know I haven't been around a lot lately, and this proposition is going to seem bothersome at first, but just listen for a second…"

"Oh my gods. Just spit it out, you dork." She flicked him on the arm.

He took a breath. "Alright, so tomorrow morning, would you like to take a walk up to the cliffs with me?" There was some hesitation. "Um…before the sun comes up…?"

"Yes." Astrid answered quickly.

"Really? That's it? No questions or complaints about getting up early or having to walk instead of fly…? It's…that easy?" Arkyn was genuinely surprised. He thought he'd at least have to do a little more work for something like this. "Remember how pissed off you were when I made you walk up the first time?" He added with a nervous chuckle.

The girl shrugged. "You made the plans…I'm sure the conditions are no accident. Did you seriously think I'd say no after barely seeing you for 4 days?"

"I just figured…" he trailed off, looking at her and then crossing his arms, smiling faintly. "You're quite something, Hoff."

"So are you."

The boy blushed, but it was getting too dark to see. "And that's where you're wrong." Arkyn joked. "I'm just one lucky fool."

"Yeah, and don't you forget it!" Astrid quipped, smiling back. "Though obviously I don't see anything wrong with that." She said in a whisper, giving Arkyn a quick peck before she turned to leave. "So tomorrow morning, then?"

Arkyn nodded, moving to mount his own dragon. "Meet me at the beginning of the forest path just before dawn." He confirmed, and soon after the pair said goodbye and left for the night.

Arkyn made it home just as he began to sweat. Plans were in place and moving fast, and tomorrow they'd come to an inevitable conclusion, either good or bad. Unless he chickened out, of course… Between the Flightmare fight and now the potential betrothal, Arkyn had been living his life with no brakes for the past week and all he had to do was this final leap before he could slow down again, and boy did he need it.

He collapsed in a heap on his bed after removing his gloves and boots, praying to every god he could name that things would work out the next day as he tried to fall asleep. The boy needed Astrid more than he realized, and definitely more than he'd ever care to admit to even himself, because deep down, the truth was that Arkyn was tired of feeling alone- more than just tired of it, really, but afraid of it.

Sure, he had other friends, but they could only do so much- they only let him feel so much… Astrid was different though. Arkyn's feelings for her were becoming so strong they hurt. He just…wanted her to know exactly how much she mattered. That was all. To hide this from her would be a disservice…or at least, more of a disservice than he'd already been doing. He still hadn't exactly been completely open about his emotions towards a lot of things. The promise of betrothal would fix this, however, or so he hoped…

And so Arkyn finally ended up in a slumber, not knowing anything about what to expect when he woke up the next morning. One thing was for sure though: it was time to make a high stakes bet, and the chips were already down.