The yawn of weariness escaped Hiccup's mouth, who maintained an empty gaze ahead, as the woman stood by the counter, over which the placement had a half-metal, half-wooden sign, having the sledgehammer painted in the center. Around her neck, also tied behind her back, she wore a leather, brown apron, which she would wipe her reddish, sweaty hands against occasionally, and which, with its heaviness, rather unbearably was impaling into the skin of the back of her neck.
If she'd looked around, she'd not caught anybody in the range of her sight, as at such time, when the sun was at the highest, most of the people either readied their dinners, or watched the combats in the arena - against dragons, but also, each other. At that period, she wouldn't have done that, having her job always in her way, even more, if she omitted her training like she did this morning, and as discipline, was coerced to handle the forge, single-handedly.
Although the circumstance of a low turnout of customers hadn't come off as not the most troubling, the exhaustion and fatigue had taken a toll on Hiccup the most, which was more than understandable, having in mind the latest occurrences. The poorly slept through nights, the frights, the threats, the overall attrition physical and mental - with all this she'd been struggling, while it was just a peak of the entire mountain of her concerns.
At some point, some man, having his brown eyes glared at her, his dark blond hair sticking out from underneath the metal helmet, approached and dumped the rather well-preserved axe straight at the counter, and snorted, sizing her up, before leaving without word. The woman didn't have to think the gesture through to know what the man demanded from her, and rather automatically reached for the weaponry, before rotating herself and setting it on the grindstone, sharpening it, cautiously.
In stride, she'd been eyeing the sparkles that were formed throughout the work, putting the woman in some kind of state of peace, until having heard the grunt behind herself rigidly, she dropped everything and pivoted at once. Sooner than later, the scare drained out of her face, being replaced by irritation, when glimpsing these bright, green eyes staring at her, mysteriously, with their owner having his stand behind the counter, loosely.
"Good day," he greeted, his forearms relying on the counter, as he leaned closer, over the wooden surface. "I assume that I am the first to say you that, today."
"Ye're fuckin' mad?!" she whisper-shouted, while her eyes were running, from him to the picture at the rear. "What ye're doin' here?!"
"I thought, I could stop by and say hi," he answered, straightening, his hands plastered to the counter, continuously. "Also, I wondered, since I'd shown you some of my world, I'd like to see some of your, now."
"Now?!" she rasped, making rather a steady step toward him. "Ya'd not find a worse time?!"
"What can I say," he began, the corner of his mouth raising, itself, "I like to miserable your life a lot."
Subsequently, Hiccup narrowed her eyes at him, the annoyance overtaking her face, until the same man's return, which made her slacken herself, at once. "Hey! How lon' more do I have to wait?!" he yelled, not even taking notice of the jet-haired man beside him.
"Sorry, mister Ack," she apologized, plastering rather a weak smile on her face. "I'll take care of it, now."
As she promised, she did, and putting back her attention to the axe, currently on the stone ground, she kneeled over it, and lifted it up, studying it when relying it on her bent leg, looking for any, even slight, flaws. Fortunately, it appeared that there were none of them, and standing back up, she shifted back to them, about to return the weapon back to its owner, although froze, having caught sight of a rather stiff atmosphere there.
Tensing his palms into fists, the younger man, upholding his head in the same standing, glowered with only his eyes at the unaware Viking who gazed somewhere farther inside the forge, while his clenched jaw betrayed his wrath. Saying that Hiccup was surprised by his behavior would be an understatement - genuinely, for the first time, she'd seen, how somebody could hold such a still and fierce expression, at once, and was just taken aback by that.
Eventually, spotting how Ack scowled at her, pointing with his eyes once at the axe, and once at his extended palm, she'd rushed to hand him the weapon, although didn't miss the chance to gaze at the other man warningly, what he ignored, unbothered. At last, the Viking was about to leave, however, he didn't take even one step, when he tumbled to the soil, and while Hiccup's eyes widened at the event, they also glimpsed how the young man's hips shifted, affirming her thoughts - he tripped him.
"What the hell!" Ack bellowed, veering his head at the two. "What's wron' with ya, little turd!" he exclaimed at him, although the only how he'd reacted, was by glancing at him, blankly, and returning his gaze ahead, shortly after. "And that's why I ain't have kids."
Afterward, he'd managed to gather himself from the ground, and when he disappeared from Hiccup's sight, she muttered, "What a fuckin' imbecile," boring her eyes into the man.
"Why are you letting them treat yourself like that, so easily?" he asked, his eyes following her as she went out from being counter, straight to stand by his side. "Why am I the only one that has it the hard way?"
The woman didn't reply, just drilled her eyes into him, as he bestowed her with the lift of his eyebrow, before grasping his forearm, she attempted to make him move, although ineffectively, when he remained on his spot. Consequently, the two had been staring at each other - Hiccup in annoyance whereas the man in rather an amusement - however, at last, he surrendered and allowed the woman to lead himself, wherever she'd liked to.
The route didn't appear the lengthiest, as it contained only crossing the entrance of the forge, sneaking through the passage of it, and passing over the doorframe, alas, was still longer than necessary - throughout its duration, she must have held that loathsome, hard arm, after all. As they entered the room, Hiccup shut the door behind them directly, sinking them in the darkness, which she prevented by inflaming the candles, whose placements she'd known by heart.
Whilst Hiccup had been centered on acquiring light, the man took in sight of the entire space - the table with the scattered papers, the spears leaned by the wall, the maces hanging by the ceiling, the stands for the swords and axes. Ultimately, his eyes stopped at the sight mattress at the farthest corner, which caught most of his attention, and approaching which he laid himself onto, bending his legs as these wouldn't fit in.
Glancing at him with the side of her eye, Hiccup inquired, "Ye're not gettin' too comfortable?" as she lightened the last candle.
"Why do you think so?" he responded, leaning his head at the knotted hands, before adding, "It would be much more comfortable if it wasn't for that miniature bed sizing."
"Oh, I'm sorry that oversized body of yers can't stand perfectly fine proportions of my bed," she replied, crossing the arms over her chest, and sighed, the seriousness overtaking her face. "I'm happy that ye're comfortable, because ye're stayin' here."
"Staying here?" he quoted her, his eyes squinted, questioningly. "What do you mean by staying here?"
"What I mean, by stayin' here, is not goin' anywhere else, sittin' yer ass down, and not movin' an inch," she answered, narrowing her eyes when he rolled his. "Also, not drawin' any attention to yerself, gods forbid, talkin' to anyone."
"And I should listen to you, because?"
"Because, otherwise, I swear that I'll fuckin' grab that fat neck of yers, and choke ya to the death!" she threatened, afterward rather grinned adorably, while the man stared at her, his eyebrows cocked in shock. "Understood?"
Twice, maybe thrice more he'd blinked at her, before getting himself together, and agreeing, "Alright," gazing at the ceiling, blankly.
"Great," she cheered, backward walking to the entrance, and remarked, "So, do as I said, and have a nice time, I guess," before vanishing behind the door.
Sooner than later, Hiccup went back to her duties, went back to peeling her skin, shattering her nails, and reddening her face, as the symphony of the groaning, crackling of sparkles, and striking metal against the metal sounded in her ears. The sun, with each moment passing, was decreasing nearer the edge of the horizon, at some point halfway sinking into the serene ocean, which, reflecting the sky above, shimmered with various shades of orange, red, and purple.
It was then, that the woman came to be curious over the actuality of what was happening to the man, who throughout the entire period, would be more than quiet, although giving attention to some snoring, she snorted at the realization. At once, she'd wished to grasp him by that freaking neck of his, drag him to her stand, and take his current spot in exchange, and while she exactly knew why was that unattainable, who could've forbidden one to dream?
"Hey, quit the dreamin'! I'm still waitin'!" the woman, having her face twisted by loathing, yapped, who Hiccup passed the repaired spear, afterward. "Next time, hurry up, useless."
"Sure," she agreed, although watching the older woman leave, narrowing her eyes at her, she muttered, "Bitch."
A sigh escaped her lips when leaning her hands on the counter, drained, before at some point, she heard the voice, "Thunderdrum," although didn't have to ponder over to whom it belonged.
Knitting her eyebrows, she pivoted and gazed inside the gap in the door at the rear, and asked, "What do ya mean?" leaning her hips at the counter.
"This reclusive dragon inhabits sea caves and dark tidepools," he exclaimed, and soon after, the realization dawned on her face. "When startled, the Thunderdrum produces a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range."
"Oh no, ye're not," she mumbled and hustled to the room, where at the view of his, the irritation crossed her face. "I told ya to not touch anythin'!"
"Correction - you've told me to not move an inch, and so happens, the book was in my reach," he rectified, the cited leather book resting in his grasp, as he read further. "Extremely dangerous, kill on sight."
"Okay, that's it," she warned, her eyes drilling into his unaware of that self. "Put it back, now."
"Timberjack - This gigantic creature has razor-sharp wings that can slice through full-grown trees," he read out, ignoring each of her vexed reactions, such as a simple hold of her nose. "These claws are very powerful, one claw can easily support the creature's weight. They have been known to rip through old Norse maple bark, not a small task to put it lightly. Of course, extremely dangerous, kill on sight.
"Haven't read enough?" she inquired, taking a step toward him, to which he, at once, reacted by standing up, readied to uphold the desired possession. "Really?"
"Farther - burns its victim, buries its victim, chokes its victim, turns its victim inside-out," he browsed through until the grin betrayed his excitement as he cited, "Night Fury."
"Oh no. No, no, no, no!" she exclaimed, instantly bolting to him, attempting to fetch the book from him, alas fruitlessly, when he held it up, just above her head. "Do not even dare!"
"Speed unknown, size unknown," he proceeded, unbothered when having his hands extended, Hiccup made an effort to receive the manual. "The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Never engage this dragon," he paused, just so as to glance at the woman and smirk, catching the sight of her reddish cheeks. "Your only chance, hide and pray it does not find you - and that's something, I can agree with."
"Fuckin' hell, give it, now!" she screamed, and whilst, at last, having him finish, the man tumbled the weight of the book on her head, to which she held her head, wrinkling her nose. "Asshole."
"You've earned it, cretin," he pointed out, settling himself back on the bed, allowing the woman to attain the altitude advantage. "To be honest, the book wasn't the worst. I enjoyed it far better than expected - the chapter about myself the most."
"Ha, ha," the woman droned, her eyes narrowed at him continually, as she moved to the exit, once more. "Now seriously, do not touch anythin' of mine. Got it?"
"I am not making any promises," he noted, only making himself more comfortable on the mattress when being bestowed with the fierce glare. "What? Not my fault, I am not as submissive and peaceable as you are."
Subsequently, the woman didn't reply much, only tensed at her body and boiled, upon watching the man shrug, not minding her reaction much, before she exhaled, won against, and went for the door, although froze in the frame of it. Somewhere, about a few meters from her, she'd detected not only the flawless, resting at the counter, axe but also the blond, thick braid of the owner, whose dark blue eyes glistened into the forge, viciously - Astrid.
At once, she took a step back, averse to any sort of exposure to the woman, although the alternative of staying indoors, with the man, who had his eyebrow raised at her, even currently, seemed to be even worse, that's why she'd dared herself to come out. When having approached the young woman, Hiccup observed, how she gazed at her, wearing a condescending expression, while her eyes pointed at the axe, and when being back at her, phrasing the simplest revulsion.
"Sharpen," Astrid ordered, and once Hiccup reached for the weapon, she grasped her forearm, tugging the woman tighter to herself. "Leave, at least, one scratch and ye're dead."
Upon muttering that, she released her, the complacency seeable on her face, continually, whilst Hiccup glowered at her, although with much less certainty, hence Astrid snickered at her, amused with her vain effort. Afterward, having the urge to dispose of the woman, Hiccup, rather at once, rotated to the grindstone, and sharpened the axe at the top of her speed, inevitably obtaining the pair of bluish eyes drilled into her back.
"Just so ya know, that axe is worth more than yer entire existence itself," Astrid stated, her hard voice echoing in Hiccup's ears, unpleasantly. "It's done much more than ya'd ever done, and will, so far," she continued, each word being like knives stabbed into Hiccup's skin. "In comparison to it, ya'd end up bein' the actual object, most likely."
"I've finished," Hiccup exclaimed, at once swinging back to the woman, and delivering her the axe, plastering the fake smile on her face. "Ya may go, now."
As Hiccup mentioned this, the grin debuted on Astrid's face, while she inquired, "Ye're tryin' to gotten rid of me?" to which Hiccup tensed at the back, uncomfortable.
"No, I'm just sayin', ye're free to go," Hiccup brought up, avoiding gazing into her eyes by locking them on the counter, and muttered, "Ye're free to leave me alone."
"If I were ya, I'd be glad that anybody has spoken to me," Astrid pointed out, her bruised hands leaning themselves on the wooden surface, with that acquiring Hiccup's attention. "That's rather better than talkin' to the wall, although ya'd preferred that, assumably."
"Astrid, please, be done."
"Or so what?" Astrid questioned, her lifted chin betraying the pride, flooding out of her, "Ye're goin' to complain to yer father, or maybe the Gobber himself?" she suggested, and as the woman didn't answer, scoffed, "Ye're pathetic, just pathetic."
"For sake, shut the fuck up," the third voice, from behind Hiccup's back, groaned, and at the very sound of it, the shiver run down the woman's spine. "You're just as pathetic, if not more, as she is."
At once, the women glanced at each other - Astrid cocking her brows, Hiccup grinning, innocently and anxiously - before the blond one flew inside the forge, toward the source of the noise, much to the other's objections. "Astrid, ya know the rules! Ya can't come in here!" Hiccup shouted at her, although her yelling was in vain, and Astrid managed to burst into the room.
Rather in an instant, she captured the sight of the man, who having his one leg bent, the other leaned on the knee of it, laid on the mattress outright cozily, also, only after the pass of the few seconds coerced to gaze at them, blankly. His eyes locked on Astrid mainly, although much certainly was in a position to glimpse Hiccup behind her very back, who plugged her eyes into him, furiously, to which he nohow reacted, solely stood up, and crossing his arms over his chest, started.
"So, you are the one, guilty of the whole fuss?"
Taken aback, by the very presence, but also the incredibly enormous ego of the fellow, Astrid questioned, fiercely, "Who, the hell, do ya think ya are?!" her face wearing the shades of wrath and shock.
"Actually, I should be the one asking that," he replied, sending a rather smirk toward Hiccup, presenting her his amusment over the situation. "Unlike you, I was allowed here, and you've burst inside, in spite of very much known rules," he continued, tapping his fingers into his arm, cocking his brows at the woman, ridiculing. "Thus, who's full of herself, in that matter?"
Afterward, the silence fell around, the weight under which, although nonexistent, Hiccup's shoulders shivered, before, at last, the woman stepped in between them and spoke out, "Okay, I see the atmosphere is tight, so maybe, just maybe, let's not battle much, alright?" glancing from between one and another.
Her words weren't much for Astrid, who, continually glaring at the nonconcerned man, furrowed her long eyebrows, and inquired, "Who is he?" to which the man hurried with his own question.
"Rather who is she?"
"Right, well," Hiccup started, firstly pointing to the woman, "That is Astrid, and this is," she paused, once she was about to point to the man, at whom her eyes locked, stumped by the answer, "This is-,"
"I ain't fuckin' care, much," Astird interrupted, and whilst Hiccup exhaled after holding her breath, the woman walked up to the man, hence facing him, "rather want to know, why he thinks that he's got anythin' in say."
"Look, you may not know me, you may not care about me," the man began, his hand gesturing to each of his words, "however, I do know you."
"Ya do know me," Astrid snorted, corners of her mouth turning up in entertainment. "Enlight me, esteemed bastard, who am I then?"
"You want the honest truth? You got it," he retorted, his expression hardened as it never was. "From your same utterances, I may say you're a primitive, much plain woman, who has a high notion about herself, believing that she's perfect, but the rotten truth is she's not," he explained, remaining straightforward as the woman widened her eyes at him, vexed. "She makes mistakes, many of them, thousands of may say, although no one notices them, as each time making them, she's blaming others, because how could she even be at the blame since she's flawless?"
Left speechless, at the very first, Astrid stared at the man, her lips departed, before she rasped, "How dare ya, call me any of that!" her eyes burning with rage.
"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" he noticed when leaning closer to her, his eyes narrowed, resentful. "Besides, you called me bastard, so we're even."
The stillness, that filled the room, rather froze each of the nerves up Hiccup's body, until having glimpsed how the blond woman fisted her palms, she, once again, stood in between them, "That's enough. I was serious when sayin' no battles, these verbal and not," and remarked, making an effort to depart the two.
"You know what's the best? The actuality that, no matter what, you believe that you're the victim, by accusing someone like her," he proceeded, and pointed with his chin to Hiccup. "Someone, who's the complete opposite of you, who takes the blame every time, even if it's not her fault. It's easier that way, easier to denounce the naive, clumsy, and worthless freak, who'll always be the cause of trouble, and will never talk back to you."
His words, even so being referred to Astrid, Hiccup took as insulting, humiliating to the core, as if he wanted to ridicule her only, and whilst he did, whilst the hot blood ran through her veins, whilst Astrid droned, "Fuckin' prick," the woman snapped, at last.
"Astrid leave, now," she rasped, her eyes drilling into the skull of the man glancing at her, and once Astrid was about to reply, she shouted, "Astrid get out of here, or I swear, the next time I see yer freakin' axe, not even Gobber'll be able to remedy it for ya!"
Without any care, without any bother, Hiccup glistened at the man, his focus being likewise centered on her, although his expression was not betraying anything other, rather than serenity also pleasure. At that point, none of the two had even spotted when at once, inflamed Astrid walked out, each her heavy steps dispersing around the room, although realized it, when hearing rather a loud slam of the door at the rear.
Ultimately, being face-to-face with the man, having to lift her chin as to even glimpse into his eyes, she yapped, "Do not ever, again, address me a freak, nor worthless, 'cause I'd like to remind, ya'd be dead, if it wasn't for my goodwill," and haven't had to wait much long for the reply.
"Okay."
"Okay?" she snorted, her jaw tensed with how she'd gnashed her teeth. "That's all ye've got to say? Plain okay?"
"Yes," he affirmed and tilted his head at her. "What else would you like me to say?"
"I guess, that'll be enough," she remarked, although her eyes were narrowed with bitterness, continually. "I asked not to speak, so why did ya? Ain't ya even acknowledge, how many troubles ya'd brought on me?"
"I wouldn't be much worried if I were you," he stated, while his eyes peeked at the door, shortly. "That woman won't speak a word to anyone, about what happened here."
"Why ye're so sure of that?"
"About minutes ago, she was not only ridiculed by the stranger, who read her entire life from one glance, but also by the woman, who fought for herself, at last," he elucidated, the certainty overtaking his face. "She's ashamed, and she'll only humiliate herself more by venting."
"Alright, since ye're sayin' so," she sighed, her eyes traveling from the ground to the door, at which his stare was. "I should get back to work-,"
"I don't understand you, you know?" he cut in, stopping her in half step. "You're a rather mystery for me."
"Me?" she inquired, the surprise clouding her features. "Why so?"
"Around five years ago, notwithstanding your hatred towards that, you'd become the most potent creature there exists, yet you're tolerating others treat you like shit," he concluded and went on more when gazing at her attempt to respond. "Okay, I guess you couldn't just charge at them - it's nevertheless your family, however, why won't you put an end to that, why won't you escape?"
Rather at an instant, somewhere in the middle of his statement, Hiccup hugged her forearms, although her eyes were locked on him, rather doubtless, and replied, "Bold of ya, to assume I'd never tried that," albeit her answer came upon his snicker.
"If you'd really wanted to flee, you'd do that, already. You'd had years for that, you'd found a way," he pointed out, whilst his eyes scrutinized her. "What was preventing you, then? What was the reason you hadn't done that, already?"
The answer never arrived from the woman, who gaped at him, speechlessly, and the man could've only wondered, if the explanation wasn't valid, or didn't exist, until being broken in by the knock of the door. "Hey lad, ye're there?" the mannish, rather tenor voice spoke from behind the wood, much to their confusion.
"I'm here, Gobber," Hiccup answered him, at once bestowing the man with one of her famous, warning glares, who only shook his head, but obeyed. "Ye're in need of anythin'?"
"No, I just," Gobber grunted, his wooden leg tapping the footing, audibly, before he asked, "Could I come in?" as the doorknob moved.
"No, no! Ain't come in!" she yelled, in an instant hurrying to the door, upholding it by leaning her body against it. "I'm not very," she paused, just so as to peek at the puzzled man, having stood in the center of the room, and finished, "decent."
"Oh, that's okay," he noted, the tapping gaining on velocity. "I've just wished to talk."
"Alright," she permitted, her back being plastered to the dusty wood, constantly. "Carry on, then."
"Well, I saw Astrid comin' out of here, and I wondered if ya'd been talkin', or somethin'?" Gobber inquired, although the lack of a reply from the woman didn't stop him from continuing, "Would like to talk about that?"
"There is nothin' to talk about," she muttered, her fingers brushing against the knuckles of her fist, what the man in front observed, much cautiously. "I'm fine."
"For sure?" Gobber inquired, the apprehension apparent in his voice. "Ya can come to me, always, if ya'd only like to."
"I know Gobber, I know. Everythin' is okay, I swear," she pledged, although having heard that anxious exhale of his, also feeling the guilt, she sneaked outside, through the gap of the door, covering any sight of the inside of the room by that. "See?" she beamed at him, her fingers twisting behind her back. "I'm alright."
"Good, good," he returned the smile, his fingers shortly brushing along his mustache. "Also, ya'd not had to serve Astrid, ya know? I won't force that on ya, never."
"Stop worryin' so much, Gobber. In actuality, I'd be more concerned about Astrid," Hiccup insisted, her grin only brightening, as she snorted, "She'd kept on complainin' about her axe, so I told her to leave."
"So, that's why she's been that ticked off," he remarked, and Hiccup couldn't hold the giggle escaping from her. "Well, alright. Good job then, and I'll be leavin' ya, now."
"Of course," she agreed, her eyes following his posture as he walked away, and exclaimed after him, "Thanks for comin' by, Gobber."
"Right, right," he replied, faking an affront on his face. "Get back to work, ya sloth."
At that point, Hiccup had only rolled her eyes, the grin never quitting her face, until it slipped, having been met with the reality of having to return to the room, much against her will, and ultimately, she did that. Wasn't that much of a surprise, when firstly, she'd glimpsed these narrowed eyes, in the exact location she left them previously, as the man didn't move an inch, his arms continually crossed on his chest, and his posture straightened, as if he was a statue.
His face didn't betray anything, neither surprise, neither vexation, nor even satisfaction, only indifference, and although having gotten used to such a sight, at a current, it appeared rather more cruel, than if it was mirth. Ultimately, without any chance of reading him, furthermore, witnessing him about to speak out, the woman overtook him, each of her words bringing her closer to his figure, as with each, she'd made a step forward closer.
"Ya'd asked, what did prevent me from runnin' away, and although myself I'm not even confident of that, ya may know, now. That's because, in contrast to ya, I have what to lose, I have who to lose," she illustrated, resumed only when facing him. "There are people, that after me bein' gone, would be sorry, would be hurt, and even if 's merely a handful of 'em," she hesitated, when her eyes glistened, however in a matter of a second, she wiped them. "Even if that man's the only one, I'll withstand everythin', any insult, any abuse, anythin' for him only."
Soon after, the silence came upon them, throughout during which, they'd stared at one another, and whilst Hiccup's damage was rather noticeable at one glance, the woman must have focused, so as to glimpse the sheer sympathy of his. Eventually, the man believed, he'd anything to say, as though his words were about to change the one's mind, the one's entire existence itself, however, Hiccup wouldn't allow him for even one sentence.
"Leave," she ordered, turning her head to the side, her face betraying nothing. "Ya'd been the pain in the ass for enough."
The man didn't make any reply, nor any nasty comment, just nodded his head and gazed into her eyes at the last juncture, before leading himself toward the entrance, in a matter of beat being absent. The woman didn't glimpse him, nor peek at him, just stood at her previous stand and inhaled rather greatly, before leading herself toward the mattress, in a matter of beat laying on top of it, feeling each of her limb ache.