000
"What about you?"
"Huh?"
Astrid placed her now empty mug on the table by the campfire. The fire had gone out, but that was alright. Judging by the small puffs of steam escaping through the crack between the lid and the pot, the tea was still sufficiently hot. Turning around, she leaned back against the table, stretching her arms far above her head, loosening her stiff muscles from being seated for a long time. Shifting her gaze up, she was surprised to see it was only mid-morning. It was another clear, summer day. Sure, it would be chilly in the early hours of dawn, but the sun would soon heat up all of Berk the moment it reached a quarter of the way in its daily cycle. She couldn't remember a time where Berk had mild, to hot summers.
Truthfully, it felt as if they had chatted away an entire half-day. She couldn't remember a time where a night in the Great Hall ticked by so fast; surrounded by the tall tales of adventure and conquest and romance among villagers and merchants and visiting warriors. "I learned about Toothless, what about you?" She asked, folding her arms below her chest after loosening most of her muscles, a curious expression adorning her features.
"There's not much to tell." He replied, getting up and mimicking her earlier actions, raising his arms high above his head, giving himself a needed stretch after being seated for what felt like hours. He picked his mug off the ground and joined her by the table. "Another cup?" He asked, grabbing hers.
"Yes, please." She smiled.
"I had a pretty normal- well normal for a Jormung- childhood." He started, coming to stand in front of her as he lifted the lid off the pot, a puff of steam wafting into the air above.
"What is normal for a Jormung?" She asked, watching him ladle more tea into her mug first.
"Quite similar to yours, actually." He set her mug down next to her, but gestured for her to wait. He reached for a wooden jar behind her, removing the lid and taking a spare spoon on the table, dipping it in. "This will make it better." He said as she saw him take out a spoon of honey before submerging it in her tea, giving it a swirl and handing it to her.
"Thank you." She said kindly, continuing the mixing, ensuring the honey was completely broken down.
"You're welcome." He replied, taking his own mug to help himself to more tea, and continued the conversation. "We'd be taught the history and culture of the Jormung from a young age, before learning about the basics of first-aid as we got older. That'd usually involve some of the adults chaperoning us into the forests and flatlands in the valley to learn our surroundings, recognize what's edible and not, what vegetation is poisonous versus medicinal." He paused as he filled his mug with tea, before coming back to her, grabbing another spoon from the table, and helping himself to some honey.
"Sounds like your upbringing was more balanced." Astrid noted.
"In a way, it was." He agreed. "We were a people that kept to ourselves, after all. Isolated high in the mountains, in a valley that bore a variety of wildlife, flora and resources that took away the need to travel abroad for anything." They both took a sip of their tea, with Astrid letting out an appreciative moan at the sweet taste. "Almost freshly, collected honey. Got it yesterday." He informed, sensing an incoming question from her about it.
"Not on Berk, though, right? Despite what it it's like now, it's usually too cold for bees to survive here."
"You're correct. I went exploring a few islands south of here. At least a few hours flight, one way."
"Careful, I might start asking you to run errands for me. Would spare me and family from the 'special prices' the merchants oh so generously offer."
"Ugh! Merchants... don't get me started on them." They both laughed.
"Was combat training optional for you?" She asked, noticing the predictable pink tint that crawled up the back of his neck, all the way to the tips of his ears.
He cast an unamused side-eye, causing her to giggle over her mug. She didn't understand why didn't comment back at some her quips at times. Almost as if he had accepted this was his fate and that there was no use firing back. She quickly reached the conclusion that she should enjoy this as much as she can.
"I thought it best not to enroll into combat, lest I wanted to embarrass my peers with my raw Jormung-ness."
"My, aren't you a kind and noble gentleman?" Astrid matched his playfulness, tilting her head towards him, batting her eyes with her free hand above her heart. The two couldn't control their snickering, eventually bursting out into laughter at their poor performance.
"All jokes aside, I was never much of a fighter. Ripper taught me what he could here and there during our free time but it was not for me. I dedicated my time to the forge, tinkering, drawing, and dragon training."
"I was wondering when you'd bring dragon training up. What was it like? How early did a Jormung start? Were there any dragons and Jormung that didn't work well together?"
"Stay your dragons, Milady. One question at a time." Honestly, he was ecstatic her interest was this intense. For all her warrior exterior, he was finding out quickly she demonstrated just as much passion for learning than he initially thought. "Dragon training started whenever a young Jormung, and by young, I mean around three to five years, and a dragon hatchling developed a bond."
"That's incredibly young. We don't let the kids anywhere near a Terror until they're at least eight years old. Not including the stories of past warriors that began killing dragons when they were a babe."
Hiccup stared blankly back at her. "The more I learn about your people, the less I understand how you all survive-Ow!" He rubbed his shoulder where she sucker-punched him, but continued nonetheless. "You have to keep in mind, we grew up in a land where dragons and Jormung almost lived side-by-side. We could converse with them, build friendly and working relationships, form bonds. So just as dragons trusted us with their hatchlings, we trusted them with our children. And through their many play times and escapades, with an adult dragon or Jormung close by, a Jormung child and dragon hatchling would slowly, but surely, build a bond that's different from others."
"Then why were you the only one to interact with a dragon at such a young age?"
"Chance really. Toothless was basically the same age as me when the hunters found him, so when he was brought over to my mom, who treated him and nursed him, naturally he grew attached and stayed by her side most of the time. Which meant he had plenty of interactions with me too as she looked after the both of us."
"Your mother sounds like an amazing woman. Gods only know how much of a trouble-making baby you were."
"Pfft! Oh please! If anyone's the trouble-maker, it's that useless lump of scales." They both laughed when Toothless stuck his tongue out at him, before huffing and turning his head in the other direction, curling himself up for a nap since pets and scratches were over.
"That does explain why you two act like brothers, though. Brought up together since you were babes. Gives me a deeper understanding about the bond you two share now."
"That's right." He leaned back against the table next to her, arms almost touching. "A bond is everything to a Jormung and their dragon, and vice-versa."
"How do you describe it? How do you know that the dragon you're with is your dragon for life?"
"Huh, I've never really thought about it." He leaned back against the table next to her, shoulders nearly touching. He stared ahead, thinking deeply on her question. "It's always been second-nature to us that we never really questioned anyone on how, or why, we knew when we met the right dragon. You can almost think of it as fate. Or the moment you meet that special someone." She decided to ignore the fact that he turned to look at her when he said that. "That person you can be yourself around, whom you trust completely, and will be by your side through the worst of times. Sometimes you can tell who they are the moment you lock eyes, and sometimes it could take years to find out, but you'll have this feeling deep down, that they're the one. And to answer some of your other questions, yes, there were some Jormung and dragons that didn't get along well. In the end, they'd part ways with no ill feelings towards each other, and move on with their lives."
"Finding the 'one' huh?" Astrid stewed on that one for a bit. "Is that the same with Jormung? Do you just know when you've met your partner?" She didn't know what prompted her to ask him the question. Maybe it stemmed from the conversation she had with her parents earlier in the morning and Torsten's impending arrival, but she was genuinely curious as to how Jormung courtship worked. Were they different from the complicated, political, and social driven marriages of her world? Where few, if not a handful of Vikings ever married out of love.
Like her parents.
"If you're asking about courting, then yes, we do have our version of it."
She wasn't expecting that answer. "Your version? How is it so different?" She asked, taking another sip of tea.
He shook his head. "Everyone's free to court who they like. If it works out, great. If it doesn't, well...it's tough but everyone eventually moves on. And once a couple becomes official, it's up to them whether they would like a wedding ceremony."
"How does a Jormung couple become official? In our culture, the man always gifts the girl a gift of personal significance. What about yours?" She noticed he had turned his face away, hoping to hide whatever expression he was currently wearing, but he forgot his long hair didn't hide his ears which were now a tomato red. "Hiccup." She called, moving in front of him now but he only shifted his body, continuing to hide his face from her inevitable teasing. She huffed loudly, poking him hard in his side, finally getting a reaction out of him as he finally stared at her.
"Is it just you or do all Jormung get embarrassed easily? Aren't you supposed to be my age? I mean come on, you should hear what our pre-pubescent teens talk about everyday."
"It's not something I'm that embarrassed talking about."
"Then spill!" She slapped his shoulder.
"A Jormung couple become official when the female claims the male." He blurted out.
"Claims?"
He nodded.
"The female...claims the male." She stated.
He nodded again.
"And what exactly does this claim look like?"
"I-It's...It's a bite mark on the male's throat, on the front right here." Hiccup pointed to an area above his Adam's apple.
"Now why was that so hard? You almost made it sound as if they branded them like they were cattle."
"I mean, that's not the analogy I'd use, but at the same time...that's what the claim meant. Whoever the male was, he belonged to the female who claimed him, and vice-versa. They became mates for life."
"So the male doesn't have a say when it does happen?"
"I mean, she probably wouldn't claim him if he wasn't serious about being her mate for life. And if she did claim him, it always happens in an intimate setting where...inevitable mating would happen soon after, and that'd be where the male left his mark on her, almost always on the back of her neck, here." He pointed to a spot in the middle on the back of his neck.
"So why were you so hesitant to talk about this? It's something significant to your people and way of life. You shouldn't be embarrassed to talk about it."
"I mean, it's not something a Viking can relate to, can they?"
"It's not, but that doesn't mean I didn't want to hear about it. In fact, it's amazing to learn about the Jormung from an actual Jormung, not some drunk, wanna-be warrior spinning a tall-tale in a seedy tavern a thousand leagues from here. And I'm actually wishing us Vikings had the same social norms when it came to choosing a life partner."
"How different is it in your culture? And I thought you said the man always gifts the girl a gift to show their interest?"
"Very rarely is it because two people like each other. A lot of our marriages are either to climb the social status ladder, or political reasons...both pretty much even in terms of numbers. At least the Jormung didn't have to worry about unhappy marriages."
"So does that mean Vikings aren't free to experiment when courting?"
"If you mean sex, then yes, it is generally frowned upon to have sex outside of marriage, especially for the girl. A girl's purity plays a big factor in establishing the mundr, as well as the dowry the girl's family pays to the man's side."
"Wait, you have to pay each other's family's to marry each other? That's messed up. And why would a girl's purity have any weight in the matter?"
"The girl's purity condition is messed up, I agree, but the family's payments are done as a sign of good faith. In fact, the bride is the only one who can decide what to do with the dowry, that is paid by her family to the groom's. And the bride, or would-be-bride, in most cases has the final say in whether she wants to marry a man or not."
"Well, when you put it like that, it doesn't sound so bad. But why add the 'most cases' part?"
"Because not all men see women as equals. Some fathers and husbands think they know what's best for their wives and daughters and make marital decisions that inevitably turn messy down the road."
"So it all comes down to what family you're born into?" He asked.
"That'd be the simplest way of putting it. Case in point, my family for example. I'm extremely fortunate to be born into a family with loving and understanding parents, a father who always puts the best interests of his children and wife above his own, especially when in a family six, four of us are women."
"Oh Gods, one of you is plenty enough as it- Ow!"
"As I was saying," she continued after giving Hiccup a swift slap to the back of the head, "he's been in my corner, and my sisters' corners, for as long as I can remember; encouraging us to pursue our dreams, helping us challenge social barriers if need be, and really, really, helping me stave off marriage offers."
"What?" Hiccup asked a little too quickly. "Marriage offers?" Thankfully, it seemed she missed the anxiousness in his voice.
"Oh yeah...I don't really like talking about it outside my family, but I've been getting marriage offers for a while now. Mostly from visiting heirs' and merchants sons, but my dad's been turning them down on my behalf." Hiccup didn't know why he felt a hit of both unease and satisfaction at her marriage offer revelation. The thought of her getting married...to someone else...did not sit right with him. Because deep down, he knew he wanted to be by her side, even if she didn't know it yet.
'Gods.' He groaned on the inside. 'I've only known her for, what, a month? What is wrong with me?' He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Something wrong?" She called out, unaware of his inner turmoil.
"Yeah. Just trying to wrap my head around your customs and processes when it comes to marriage."
"Better not. Can't have you neglecting your training over the shortcomings of Vikings when it comes to love."
"Do you think you'll ever find someone?" He blurted out. Any sign of shyness or embarrassment at his question was not present on his face. He was serious. She raised an eyebrow at him, wondering why he, of all people, would ask her that.
"What's got you so interested in that?"
"I mean, you did ask me what it's like for Jormung to meet their partner. What about you? Are you seriously looking for one? Or from what you've just told me, is it something you're not considering yet?"
She stewed on his question for a few seconds, tongue pressing against the inside of her cheek. Hiccup committed that image of her to his ever-growing thought-cage chest of what he likes about her. "I have thought about it. A lot, actually. But there hasn't been anyone who I can see myself with settling down, starting a family. So I've thrown myself into my training into becoming Berk's best warrior, and training the next generation. And when news of my beauty makes it farther than my accomplishments... Well. Let's just say it sucks to be recognized for the completely wrong reasons. Even among my own village."
"You'd think your own village would recognize you for who you really are." He commented.
"Oh they do, don't get me wrong. It's just I believe the men who want to marry me are, once again, placing my looks above what I can do on the battlefield. Even if it's to a smaller extent compared to every other man who visits. I mean, what do you think?" She asked, turning to face him.
"About what?"
"Me." She stood in front him, hands on her hips, and looking him straight in the eyes. "All men see 'this' and immediately want to sleep with me, thinking I'm as shallow and easy as a brothel prostitute."
"If you're referring to your beauty, then yes I can see where they're coming from. And since I'm a guy, I can't begin to imagine how annoying and tiring it must be for you personally to keep running into men like that."
She chuckled. "You have no idea." She agreed.
"But that's not what stood out to me when we first met."
"What did?" She asked, genuinely curious. She didn't think their first encounter would be something he wanted to remember. She captured and upended his life - forever how long it had been on that island.
"Your curiosity." She wasn't expecting that answer. He smiled, one part due to her reaction, and the other part from the memory. He didn't think it'd be one he'd look back with fondness. "When you found me, crouched down, tending my garden without a care in the world, unaware of your presence, you had every opportunity to haul your ax my way...and from what I've seen, you would have had no trouble hitting my head if you aimed for it. Instead, you called out to me not to make any sudden moves." He waited to see if she'd interject; make a witty remark or some other comment. She didn't. So he continued. "Even though deep down I was scared at the thought of getting captured, I was wondering 'Why did she call out? Why did she give up the element of surprise and risk losing me?' Even after you captured me, you had no reason to entertain conversation with me, but you did. Even if it was under the threat of death, you released me when Dagur was against it."
"That last part is really because I didn't want to die at the hands of your friend or the Screaming Death."
"Be that as it may, from my experience, a Viking's pride would usually get in the way there. But you didn't let it." He still gave her the benefit of the doubt. "And after I followed you to Berk, from my observations of your interactions with everyone-"
She smirked. "You mean stalking?"
"Eh, I had a lot of time on my hands." He shrugged sheepishly. "You're a compassionate, independent, dependable person who cares for each and every person in your village. And above all, you have absolutely no reason to interact with me, but you do." She had never seen that smile on his face before. It was different from all his other ones. Mainly because of the admiration he had in his eyes. It was a look, a sentiment, she rarely saw towards her outside of battle. The only times she'd seen it were from her parents whenever she reached a milestone that neither her father, nor uncle, reached, regardless of battle or everyday life. "I'd go so far as to say that...you're a friend I'd never thought I'd have in this world given my...background. So while you have gratitude towards me for saving your sister, I can't even begin to express how thankful, and lucky, I am to know you and enjoy all of...this." He gestured to the space between them. She knew what he meant though. "So thank you, truly-Ow! Seriously?! What is with you and violence?!"
He was rubbing his left shoulder. Her prior hits weren't as hard or as painful as the one she just landed.
"You were getting too sentimental for my liking." She played it off. She didn't want to admit what he was saying was doing things to her. Things she didn't quite understand. Or didn't want to. At least...not right now. Not when she was unsure of what the future had in store for them.
"Note to self - don't show emotions when around you. And just when I thought we hit another milestone in our friendship." He smiled.
That was another she liked about him. He immediately picked up when she was feeling uncomfortable, or wasn't as forthcoming. He didn't press the issue. That might be due to them still figuring out where they stood with each other, but she was thankful nonetheless.
"Switching back to our original topic, the female marks the male, huh?"
"You're not going to drop that, are you?"
"And miss seeing you turn a shade of Monstrous Nightmare? Where'd the fun be in that?"
"Why can't I make you uncomfortable?" She raised a fist and gestured to it, smile and all. "Of course." He rolled his eyes. She stepped right up to him, only a finger's length separating them, and placed her hands on either side of him against the table, effectively trapping him.
"Are you uncomfortable?" She asked.
"Considering most men would die to be in a situation like this with you...yes, I am slightly uncomfortable."
She laughed. "Enough about my love life. What about yours?"
"Ah yes. Because a Jormung, of all things, is a hot commodity these days."
"Well you are on a most wanted list."
"For all the wrong reasons."
"Come on!" She pouted. "I told you something about my love status when you asked me about it. It's only fair you share something about yours."
He gave a tiny shrug. "There's nothing to tell. I said before, all my attention was either on books or the forge. Never really paid attention to girls my age."
"What about the other way around?"
"We've been around each other long enough for you to know how dense I can be sometimes. If there was any flirting, it would have been one sided at best." She giggled at his straightforwardness. That was another thing she liked about him. He never attempted to put up a false face around her, even if he was a terrible liar and couldn't hide his emotions around her.
"Are there any instances where the female just decided to claim a male she wanted?"
"What?" It was one of the few times where she saw a look of confusion on his face.
"Like, there's never been an instance of a female just staring down a male, walking up to him, and marking her man? Like..." She looked at the exact area Hiccup had showed her a few minutes prior. She wasn't serious, of course. She only wanted to see how far she could tease him. She lowered her neck, as if preparing to do what she just asked to him. But-
"Don't think about it." She stopped. Immediately. That was a tone she never heard before. There was no hint of nervousness, embarrassment, or play. It was a tone she never heard before; quieter, serious, and admonishing. She straightened up, all playfulness gone when she saw the look on his face. It wasn't disappointment. It was something worse. It was somewhere between sadness, indifference, and...
Hurt.
She felt a heaviness make its way in her chest.
"I'm sorry." She took a step back, creating a rift between them. She realized she pushed too far. She clearly underestimated the significance of what the mark truly meant. It was clearly on the same level of receiving a betrothal gift. Maybe even greater. And she just teased him by pretending to go for his neck. Like how a female Jormung would have done to tell him that she wanted him for life. "I didn't mean- I overstepped where I shouldn't have, and I'm really sorry, Hiccup."
He waved off her apology. "Don't worry about it. I know you're just teasing, but...let's just say the act of claiming a mate is extremely significant to the Jormung. You're choosing a life-mate."
"Life-mate? As in 'tell death do you part' kind of life-mate?"
"I mean, isn't it the same with Vikings when you marry another person? To spend the rest of your life with"
"It is, but it's not limited to it. Some men - mainly chiefs, heirs, jarls, wealthy merchants - take on multiple wives, or slaves/concubines. And it's not uncommon for marriages to fall apart because either the man or woman look elsewhere and get roped up in some affair. But I take it from your reaction, that's never happened among the Jormung?"
"No, can't say I can relate to that, or seen it happen among my people."
She knew he was trying to downplay her regrettable overstep with the neck mark by trying to understand what it meant to find a partner on the Vikings' side. That didn't distract her from the fact that she did insult him in a way. Insult his way of life. And she's learned too many times, from history records and diplomacy, that many feuds and wars were started over a tribe's differences. Albeit intentional or not. Regardless of whether she'd like to admit it, they've grown close over the last month or so. She looks forward to seeing him at the end of her busy weeks. She enjoys learning more about him, about the Jormung, about Toothless. She wouldn't want to let her mishap ruin what they've built.
"I am sorry Hiccup. I didn't realize the action meant - means - the world to you and the Jormung. My teasing went a bit too far and I'm really sorry about it." She said, looking at him, eyes sincere and awaiting his response.
It was clearly eating at her. He was, honestly, pretty touched she felt bad. It showed she cared. A lot. "Since you're clearly not going to to let this go unless I accept your apology, okay - I accept your apology." He finally conceded. "You really don't know when to give up, do you?" He smiled.
"I thought you already knew that about me? And it's only right of me to. I clearly offended you when I didn't mean to, and I wanted to clear up any misunderstanding now, before it can become a touchy subject going forward."
"Definitely wouldn't want that. A pissed off Astrid with an ax at my neck? No thank you. If anything I'd prefer your mouth there infinitely more."
...
...
"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find a cliff to jump off of." Even the sound of her laughter couldn't distract him from the depths of embarrassment he had just fallen into.
"Now I'm sure your blood's gone nowhere else!" She she said in between her spurts of laughter. "You'd make a tomato jealous!" After a further five minutes, she was finally able to calm down, aided by the extra blood finally draining from his face, returning him to a normal colour. "Ah, I haven't laughed like that nor been out of breath in ages." She said, wiping a tear from her eyes, catching her breath.
"I'm glad to be of service." Hiccup pouted, very unhappy that the fact that he was still very awkward around her.
She laid a hand on his shoulder, hoping he'd look at her. When he didn't, she placed her other hand on his other shoulder and turned him to face her. He was expecting to see an annoyed, frustrated look in response to his stubbornness, but he was caught off guard with the happy, earnest look she had. "I like you like this. Don't ever get rid of the bumbling, awkward, honest side of you."
"I feel you could've worded that a bit differently."
"In all our meetings together, when did I not give it to you straight?"
"Okay, point taken." They let a comfortable silence settle in, taking in the quiet, serene late morning. "But what's with all the questions on our courting traditions specifically?"
"I have a potential suitor coming to visit Berk. In fact, he'll be here in the next couple of weeks. Probably why I focused in on that subject."
Hiccup's mind blanked for a quick second. "Suitor? But why?" Thankfully his question didn't sound desperate. Internally, however, was an entirely different matter.
"Why do you think?" She asked, doing a fool lookover of him. "Words of your initial capture have reached the Viking mainland, and the heir of one of the most brutal, bloodthirsty, battle-hardened Chiefs is on his way to meet me under the guise of trade talks and diplomacy."
"You can't be completely sure of that."
"It's a two week journey by ship, Hiccup. Berk may be strong within the confines of the Archipelago, but outside, we're just tiny fish in someone else's pond. If any of the larger, mainland clans and their island proxies decided to wage war against us, or any other island, we'd be massacred. If we're lucky."
"Why do you say that?"
"What do you think they'd do to me if they captured me alive?" He really didn't want to think about that. "Exactly. They'd kill all the men, enslave all the women and children, and wipe Berk off the map, because it holds little strategic value and no major resources."
"You say that, but if they wanted to enslave your people, they would've done so already, wouldn't they?"
She chuckled. "That's because of our Chief, Stoick the Vast. One of the greatest Chiefs Berk has ever had. A man with an indomitable spirit no foe would ever wish going up against. Him, along with my father and a handful of other men, are the reason why none of the larger clans have attempted to mess with Berk."
"All that being said, are you going to entertain this visiting suitor?"
"I'll have to. It's a given he's going to want to meet the person who captured you. Even more so since he knows I'm a woman."
"That really doesn't sit right with me." He lamented. Although, he couldn't say much on the situation either. He could have gone anywhere after Ripper freed him, but he chose to follow her to Berk, and fortunately, it's worked out for the best so far.
"You're concerned about me?" She really didn't think he'd be. Why would he?
He scoffed. "Concerned? About you? I know first hand just how capable you are. I'm the last person who has to be concerned about you. Is this suitor someone you need to be on guard around?"
She smiled on the inside at the confidence he had in her. It felt soothing to have someone not concerned for her about Torsten's impending visit. "He is. There are many unsavory rumors floating around him. But I don't think he's stupid enough to try something while he's here, not with Stoick around."
"But what about when he tries to get you away from everyone?"
"Because this will be our first interaction, I don't think he'd try anything. Now if he decides to come back and continue to pursue me, then I'll be on high alert. But as of now, the council, Chief, and my dad are going to be around him twenty-four/seven - from the moment he steps off that boat, to the moment he gets back on it. But don't you worry, I'll be on my guard. If you ever heard the rumors surrounding him, there's no way I can't not be on high alert around him. Although, it is nice to see you concerned for my well-being."
"We're friends aren't we? Have to look out for each other. And if he does try anything, feel free to lead him here. Toothless and I would be more than happy to show him some Jormung hospitality."
She laughed. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."