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howtowhumpyourhiccup · 4 years ago

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Whumptober Day 12: Definitely Broken Something

Summary: Written for Whumptober Day 12. There are certain things about his time on Dragon's Edge that Hiccup doesn't want his father to know. The Dragon Riders think otherwise and what is supposed to be an effort to help their friend leads to friction instead.

NOTE: Nothing explicit happens in the fic. The non-con elements are referenced and implied, little is stated literally.

Rating: Mature

Characters: Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut

Pairing: None

Words: 3 151

Fandom: How to Train Your Dragon

Prompt: "Broken Down” + “Broken Trust”

Whumpee: Hiccup + The Gang

Author’s Notes: Kinda nervous to post this one because I don't really delve into this particular territory. That and a little nervous that Hiccup will be way too out of character.

Also had to choose between this idea and another one that also involves the Riders breaking Hiccup's trust, but I think I'll be writing that one someday in the future.

Constructive criticism is appreciated!

Enjoy!

Extra Author’s Notes: What Astrid is talking about is actually a reference to a previous fic of mine that I wrote a long time ago by now.

It talks about the event during Midnight Scrum that is brought up in this fic.

Ao3: Actual Fic

Ao3: Midnight Scrum Fic

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"So, we're really doing this?" Tuffnut's question hangs in the air as an uncomfortable silence weighs on the shoulders of ever Rider present in the clubhouse. That being every Rider except for Hiccup, who is up in his forge and not a part of this conversation.

He doesn't even know they're all gathered here, believing them to be doing their own thing.

Toothless, however, has taken a brief break from his human to be present. There are certain concerns the Dragon Riders have that they wanted to discuss. And with their close bond, it seems right to have him here as well.

The Night Fury looks almost uncannily human the way he's sitting on his hind legs, his forelegs crossed on the table between the six of them, and his head resting on top of them.

He doesn't like being here, but after the past week, he agreed to come when Astrid managed to tear him away from Hiccup.

A week ago, they'd been captured by Viggo. It was one of many times, too many times, more then they'd like to admit. And just like with every other time they've been at the hands of Viggo Grimborn nowadays, Hiccup tends to be affected for days afterward.

They all are in one way or another, of course. Being captured, having your friends captured with you, and not know what's about to happen to any of you is a terrifying thing. Despite their tendency to survive the unsurvivable and get out of every nasty situation, they get in somehow, getting captured is something that will never stop being a scary thing.

But once they get out, what they usually suffer from the most is a hurt pride, a sleepless night or two, a feeling of powerlessness that is soon overtaken by the need to do better and finally best the Dragon Hunters once and for all.

And then there is Hiccup and the way he behaves after a private audience with the Hunter Chief himself because Viggo rarely lets him stay with his friends. Whenever he gets his hands on him, he never fails to separate Hiccup from them.

Whatever goes on when the door to Viggo's cabin closes is a gap in their knowledge that only their imagination can fill. And seeing the way Hiccup acts afterward, what they imagine isn't nice.

He jumps at shadows, he's so tense you can see his muscles growing stiff from being overworked. The natural way the Dragons and Riders alike touch each other is no longer wanted. At least, no longer from the latter. One time it even got to the point that Hiccup was reluctant to let Fishlegs take a look at a rather nasty bruise on his side that worried them, not wanting to be touched by anyone. That he refuses to speak about anything that happens when it's just him and Viggo doesn't sit well with them either.

This time it's particularly bad as he's barely getting any sleep, he's not eating, he keeps looking over his shoulder, and he's well on his way to work himself to death. The worst part about this? This isn't even the worst Hiccup's been.

There is this one moment, it happened after Hiccup had been kidnapped for the bounty on his head, Astrid only knows about it because Heather told her and then she ended up telling the Riders. They don't like to even think about it.

So the Riders have decided that enough is enough and that is why they have gathered here tonight. For Hiccup's well-being, they have decided, unanimously, to tell Stoick.

Hiccup doesn't want his father to know and he's not going to be happy when they tell him, but they feel like they have little choice.

The Viggo obsession was already bad enough, but with every capture, Hiccup is worse off. It's gotten to the point that Hiccup would rather choose death than be captured again if he had been given a choice.

That is a terrifying thought. So naturally, they want any and all help they can get to keep that from happening, and who better to help than Hiccup's own father?

They've discussed this decision, quietly, they've come to an accord, and now they sit in silence while the past half an hour slowly sinks in.

Tuffnut's question; "we're really doing this?" are the first words spoken in the past five minutes. That they have been quiet for that entire time is an accomplishment for a group as talkative as theirs.

There is no answer because they all know that it remains the same. They are doing this. Stoick might not take it well, Hiccup certainly won't appreciate it, but they are still doing this. They have to. For Hiccup's sake, they have to.

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They told him. They told Stoick the Vast the one thing his son has been keeping from him. It went... better than they expected it to go.

They'd expected him to shout, to scream, go on an angry tirade about Viggo Grimborn and his son and about what he would do to the former for hurting the latter.

Instead, Stoick had sat there in his chair and listened to every word they had to tell him. He was strangely calm, more than they would ever imagine him to be. Considering his temper and his love for his son, it was truly bewildering to see him take everything so... well?

That is the only word they can use for the way their Chief reacted to the information given to him. And it wasn't even given to him by his son, but by his son's friends a little over three hours ago now. Although, it could very well be the calm before the storm that they dealt with. The shock may have even kept him from taking it all in, maybe it all still needed to sink in.

When he dismissed them, though, Astrid had taken a look back to find the mountainous man sink in his chair. The news had hit hard, despite Stoick's calm reaction, and he'd covered his face with a big hand as he seemingly and quietly collapsed.

They're all in the former Dragon Academy now.

"You know, I think he took it well." Snotlout breaks the silence as he brushes Hookfang's scales. Nightmares can set themselves on fire on command due to their flammable saliva, which coats their entire bodies. It helps to get old gel off their hides so an entirely new layer can take its place. The dragon is thoroughly enjoying this pampering.

"Yeah, I suppose. Stoick usually gets so angry so easily, I was afraid he would explode right then and there." Fishlegs responds, thinking back to how nervous he'd been before the talk. He's sitting on a stool with Meatlug's saddle on his lap as he polishes it and keeps the leather fed.

"I think what we really need to worry about is him exploding on Hiccup." Astrid joins in on the conversation as she helps Stormfly preen. It goes a little quiet again after that. For at least a good couple of moments.

"But he won't, right? Stoick knows none of that is Hiccup's fault, so he won't get angry! Right?" Tuffnut asks hopefully. His sister shares his worries.

"Well, only one way to find out," Ruffnut speaks up as well, voice going softer as her eyes fall on the gate leading out of the dragon training ring.

They all look over and see Hiccup coming down with Toothless following close behind. Just from the way he walks they can tell he's angry.

The Dragon Riders share a look and the Riders approach to meet him halfway, hearts pounding with anxiety. They've dealt with Hiccup angry before, but they can tell from his expression that this is something entirely different.

"Hey Hiccup, did you see your-"

"Oh, I saw him alright. Went in right after you guys left, which I thought was suspicious because what was your business with my father? Can't believe I was actually right to be worried, you guys... you guys... I believe any of you!" Hiccup cuts off whoever it is that attempts to talk to him, something he already doesn't do often. His voice trails off after it is already threatening to rise in volume and the pacing starts.

The Riders share another look. This already doesn't look like it's going to be pleasant, but hopefully, it won't be too bad.

"He interrogated me for the past three hours! Three hours! Asking ridiculous things like "what did he say?", "has he ever made you feel a certain way", "did he touch you?", "did he ever try to force..." Hiccup's fists tighten at the mention of the questions he needed to endure. He's angry. He's so, so angry. He throws his fists down, frustrated with the lack of relief.

"Thanks a lot for that, by the way. For not just breaking my trust, but telling my dad of all people!" He stills as he gives them his false gratitude, glaring at them. The kind of questions his father asked him over and over and over again... Sometimes he just used a different kind of wording to still trick him to get a confession out of him.

"Did he ever make you do things against your will?"

"Did he ask for certain things in trade?"

"How far did he get?"

It's all too much for him to bear. His dad was never supposed to know! His friends were never even supposed to know.

He has to pace, he's too restless to stand still.

It's humiliating, that's what it is. This is something between him and Viggo. His father has no business knowing any of this. And so it turns out, neither do his Riders.

"We're breaking your trust?" Fishlegs asks, hating the sound of that. If there is something even worse than disappointing Hiccup, it's tainting his trust in you.

Hiccup briefly looks at him, contemplating if he should answer.

This is, was, a purely private matter. There is such emotion in his eyes, tears mixed with boiling anger. The former he refuses to show. They can all see the tension in his face as he tries to hide them.

"I can't believe that you guys would conspire against me like that!" He tells them with a finger up in disbelieve, his voice unnervingly soft.

The Riders' eyes nearly bulge out of their skulls.

"Conspire?!"

"Why phrase it like that?"

"Hiccup, we aren't doing this to hurt you."

The amount of protests almost makes it impossible for anyone to hear what anyone is saying and who's saying it.

"Than tell me why it feels that way? This was private and I told you guys to leave it alone, that I would deal with this myself, that my dad never needed to know, and what did you do?!" He raises his voice, throwing a hand up.

"Hiccup, we really weren't trying to hurt you. We thought it would be for the best if your dad knew what was going on with you." Astrid comes forward, wants to place a hand on his shoulder, but Hiccup shrugs it off, and goes back to pacing.

"I worked so hard to get to where I am now. To have this relationship with him and you guys know this and you just went and-" He stops himself, fists balling in frustration. The pacing, the balling, the wild gestures, he can't stop repeating them, it's like he's stuck in a loop that he can't escape from.

They could've destroyed everything. Everything he's done the past three years, everything he's achieved, they could've ruined it all just because Viggo is a little too creepy with their leader for their liking. The good reputation he has in his father's eyes, his father's trust in him, their entire relationship! Everything that he finally has after it was denied for so many years and they don't even realize it.

How can he still trust them after this? With anything? His want to cry grows, these people are supposed to be his friends.

The Dragon Riders watch him pace, watch him have the closest thing to a mental breakdown as he walks nervous circles before them. No energy and yet at the same time too restless and angry to stand still.

Seeing that he may need to intervene, Toothless coos at him, daring a few steps forward, but Hiccup wants little to do with him at the moment, too.

"Oh, don't even try, you knew! You knew what they were planning and you let it happen!" With an upset rumble, Toothless backs away. He knew Hiccup would be angry, but that doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt.

Toothless knows Hiccup won't hate him, their bond is simply too unbreakable for that, but that look of betrayal is more than he can bear.

The Night Fury tried to keep him from going in before he managed to slip past. He knows exactly what Stoick has been told and this is how Hiccup knows he knows.

"What did you tell him?" Fishlegs asks carefully, as if any of them even want to know.

"What do you think, Fishlegs? The truth!"

"How did he take it-"

"-That you guys were seeing things and that I'm just stressed out." As Hiccup adds that before they can finish asking, the Riders are given a second surprise this late afternoon.

"You told him what?" Ruffnut asks, dumbfounded.

"Dude, did you... Did you gaslight us in front of your dad?" Snotlout has a hard time formulating his question, but he's the only one who dares ask. It seems too crazy to even think about.

No one has ever seen this side of Hiccup before, has ever even thought him capable of such a thing, but apparently, reality is indeed stranger than fiction.

"Well, what other choice did I have? Tell him that everything you told him was true? Which it isn't, by the way. Viggo's implied some things, nothing more!" There he goes with another wild gesture. They don't believe his claim that it's all just words, but they also have no prove, Hiccup hasn't told them anything, after all.

"But it's enough to hurt you! We've all seen it, Hiccup!" Astrid tries to argue, emphasis on "tries".

"No, you haven't! What you guys have been seeing is stress! Stress because I want to beat him and be rid of the Dragon Hunters! That's all! Why can you guys see that?" He asks. Why can't they?! That's all it is!

"Hiccup, you don't eat, you don't sleep, you jump at the smallest of things-"

"Stress!"

"Sometimes you can't stand being in the same room as us because you're terrified of something you don't tell us about!"

"Stress!"

"Stress doesn't make you try to jump ship when your hands are tied and kill yourself!" Astrid, having had enough, snaps back. Her eyes are watery as well, well on their way to becoming red. She's choking up.

Hiccup stares at her, this time it's his turn to be in shock again. And looking at the others, he can see that they aren't surprised to hear her say that. They know.

So that explains why his dad tried to ask him if he had any "certain bad tendencies or bad thoughts". That's the way Gobber made him word it because, oh yes, his other father figure was there, too. He'd come to welcome his student back when he caught him and Stoick in a heated talk.

This day couldn't get any worse.

"We know about it. Astrid got worried and-"

"And went behind my back apparently, I'm starting to see a pattern. Tell me, how does Heather come into all of this? Or is she the only one I can actually trust?" Hiccup cuts Snotlout off when he, for once, jumps to the shieldmaiden's defense. Nobody answers and he doesn't know if that's a yes or a no.

Astrid approaches.

"You know what, I'm done with this. We're not talking about this anymore. Not about Viggo, not about what happened on Savage's ship, we're not talking about anything." Hiccup cuts Astrid off, throwing his hands up as if in defeat. He rubs in his eyes, wiping some of the tears away.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have some damage control to do with my father. Because that is what happens when your best friends tell him something he was never meant to know." The truth is, he's ready to burst and he wants to be far away from him.

He wants to cry and shout and kick the nearest object to him, which so happens to be a barrel. And he's honestly not sure if he wants his Dragon Riders to see that after what they'd done.

They could've ruined him, could've finished digging the hole Viggo has begun to dig since the start of this war. If he doesn't fix their mess now, he might never recover.

And he doesn't want to go back to those days before Toothless, not for something as stupid as this.

With no more words needing to be said, the Riders certainly don't want to try anymore, Hiccup turns around and leaves. Toothless knows better than to follow him this time. He'll have to go to him eventually, they share a room. But for now, his human obviously needs his space.

They watch him go, hearts broken and bleeding. It is silent for a good while before someone dares to say something again.

"Well, that was...."

"Horrible? A disaster? Devastating?" Ruffnut finishes Snotlout's sentence, using all kinds of words to describe what this exchange had been like to them.

"Yeah,"

Fishlegs approaches Astrid and lays a hand on her shoulder. She's trying to suppress her tears, they all are, though Fishlegs and Tuffnut are failing to do so.

"Hey, huh, we're going to be okay, right?" He asks with genuine worry that this may cause a rift between them and Hiccup.

There was one before, they would rather not have it there again.

Astrid looks at him, but doesn't respond.

"Of course we're going to be okay! This is Hiccup we're talking about! He's the most forgiving person ever. We'll talk about it again, he'll understand our side, and then its bygones are bygones." Snotlout doesn't sound as hopeful as he's trying to make his words to sound like.

"That's not how that saying goes..." Fishlegs mutters.

It grows quiet again and the Dragons go to their respective Riders, but which side has to comfort which is up for debate.

Hiccup's words that afternoon hurt them, but then, so had their decision to go behind his back to reveal sensitive information to the center of that information's father. It was all without his consent.

Whether they are going to be okay, is something only time can tell.

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dzamie-oc · 4 years ago

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Smaugust 20 - Death

Toothless takes Hiccup to visit his parents. It's not what Hiccup expected. (1915 words)

cw: spoilers for HTTYD 2

Toothless perched on the edge of a cliff, overseeing a long fall towards the wide, open ocean. Hiccup laid on the night fury's back, staring up at the night sky. The dragon's tail swished back and forth, quietly playing a game with the viking's prosthetic leg, each catching and releasing the other in a tiny game of tag. It was a time of quiet thought. Toothless was thinking mostly about fish. Big ones, little ones, raw and cooked, wriggling in his mouth and dangling lifelessly from a human's hook. He silently wondered if whales were fish, or if they were too big. Perhaps all that differentiates a dragon from a large fish is a breath weapon. Toothless imagined fish flying through the sky, where he would dart down and snap them up.

Hiccup, on the other hand, was not thinking about fish. He was thinking about Toothless, and Stoick the Vast, and Valka. "Hey, Toothless, I just realized: you've met both of my parents now." The thin viking chuckled. "I can't say I ever expected that to happen... any time before it actually did. Do dragons keep track of their parents?"

The night fury made an inquisitive sound, then quickly bobbed his head, nodding a confirmation. He wondered if fish had parents, and if it was better to eat a parent fish or a child fish. Maybe a distraught child fish would make itself easier to catch after Toothless ate its parents. Maybe the reverse was true. Or, the night fury considered, a fish might grow angry and flop ferociously at him in the wake of his piscematricide. An imaginary fish slapped him in the face; an imaginary version of Toothless ate it for its insolence, and also because it was tasty.

Toothless realized Hiccup was talking again, and decided to stop thinking about fish. For now. Probably.

"...so, it would be cool to meet your parents. I mean, if they're not dead. That would be, uh, awkward." Toothless's rider lost confidence and spoke more quietly as he kept speaking. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen any other night furies, actually. I hope you're not the last of..."

Toothless snorted and rose to his feet, jostling his human off. He flicked his tailfin open and wiggled his body, inviting Hiccup to mount up and fly. He had something to show the human. He trusted him more than enough.

The human in question, however, kept talking, mostly stammering as he continue to try to apologize for what might have been a slight but almost certainly wasn't, and several other silly human things. Toothless rolled his eyes, growled for attention, and wiggled again. It was time for Hiccup to be quiet and get on his dragon. And fortunately, Hiccup did just that. Toothless crouched as soon as he felt Hiccup's foot and fake foot slide into place at the controls of his tailfin, then leapt into the air and plummeted off the cliff.

Hiccup couldn't see so well in the dark, so Toothless pulled up early; as he not only expected, but knew in his heart would happen, Hiccup snapped open the fake fin as soon as the black-scaled dragon began to pull up, leaving them shooting off over the water, between a sea of stars and a sea of fish.

They approached the forest of rocky pillars, and Toothless built up the fire and magic within him. The dragon pulled his teeth in to avoid them getting hit, and a ball of superheated gas shot from between his lips, a shock of lightning on its tail. It zoomed into the cluster of stone, burst in a purple, white, and blue explosion, and sent several small sparks of lightning crackling and crawling around and through the pillars. Toothless watched as the lights all but disippated, then approached and vocalized a few noises, their signal for "let me fly." The dragon felt his human's feet disengage from the tailfin mechanism, and he flew silently into the darkened maze of stone. It was a familiar, yet unused pattern. With just the moon and the stars shedding light, the night fury was nearly invisible as he banked left around a few rocks, circled one, dove and rose through an invisible pattern of flight. The dragon landed on a pillar of stone and leapt off it, then ran down another before flaring his wings and zooming through a shallow slalom.

At last, Toothless soared back up, spiraling up around a towering spire of rock to shed speed. He burbled another signal to his rider, and felt the comfort of his partner ready for backup, to once more fly WITH him rather than merely ON him. And, all set, Toothless flapped leisurely out of the maze of stone, directly towards an island that he was certain Hiccup had never seen before.

The island was lit with torches that did not burn, and the weather was pleasant, even in the cool night. Toothless landed in a run, slowing to a trot as he neared the familiar - to him, at least - stone and wood buildings. Hiccup shifted to untether himself and dismount, but Toothless raised his wings up to either side. It wouldn't physically stop Hiccup, but he hoped it would let him know to stay on the night fury. As the brown-haired viking settled back into position on his back, Toothless relaxed and gave a low, approving warble as he walked along the island, headed towards a large house partway up. As he neared it, the night fury opened his mouth and shrieked a greeting. He stopped in front of the large front doors and patiently waited until they opened. Once inside, he let his wings droop, and Hiccup slid off his back, walking side-by-side with Toothless.

From a doorway ahead, a woman peered into the hallway, then smiled warmly when she saw Toothless. "Oh, hello dear," she said, stepping out and opening her arms for a hug, "it's been so long. You should visit more often!" She wore what Toothless remembered her often wearing - a loose, elegant, black shirt with a ribcage done in faint, light blue, and a pair of pants in the same style, long enough to cover even her feet, but never seeming to trip her up. Toothless leaned his head and neck into her as they embraced, the woman's bracelets of bone a stark contrast against both her clothing and his scales. "Your father is off brewing a storm for some big contract he has, otherwise he'd be here to see you too. Oh, and who's this?"

Hiccup was still busy staring, utterly bewildered, between Toothless and this strange woman, when she turned towards him. "You didn't tell me you got a boyfriend!" she said; Toothless hissed and grumbled, and she laughed. "I'm only playing, dear. I suppose I should be thankful one of my children thinks to introduce me to his friends outside of professional matters."

Hiccup awkwardly waved his hand, then offered it out to shake. "Uh, hi. I'm Hiccup. So, you're Toothless's... mother?"

"Oh, is that what he's going by now?" She looked over at her son, who moaned and brought his wings tightly against himself, trying to shrink away from sight. "And yes, though you can just call me Death." Hiccup jolted back, though he immediately looked more sheepish over his reaction than scared of the woman. Toothless rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what joke his mom was about to make. "Oh, don't you worry, Hiccup, I'm off the clock. The only thing I'm interested in killing right now is the stew I've been heating up." Yep, there it was. "Anyway, come in, come in. I'll get some bowls out for you both; I'm sure there's nothing like some fresh mutton stew after a flight, and I always make far too much for just me."

As they made their way into the dining room and to the table, Toothless watched as his viking's gaze went from him, to his mom, then back to him, doing that little thing with his mouth whenever he thought really hard. After a few seconds, he saw him mouth a few words, then his face went slack with shock. "The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself..." he mumbled.

Death returned with three bowls of stew - Toothless's being the widest and shallowest, with a nice, big piece of meat in the middle - and quirked an eybrow at Hiccup. "What's this about my boy being unholy?" she asked.

The viking blanched. "No, not that - he's amazing, trust me, saved my life more times than I can count - it's just, there's this book of dragons we had- have, I guess, but that was only in the old version-" he rambled. Toothless watched calmly after bolting down his meat, keeping his eyes on his rider while he lapped at his stew. "-and most dragons, they had these ratings and descriptions, like 'speed four, strength two, breath seven, extremely dangerous, kill on sight.' But for night furies-" Toothless flicked his focus to his mom, catching a glimmer of satisfaction at the phrase "kill on sight."

"-almost never seen, and certainly never captured - until me - so it was just 'speed unknown, size unknown, never engage; hide and pray it doesn't find you.' And the description it gave was 'the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself,' that was all I knew on it - on him - before I started learning about him from, well, him." Hiccup finally took a break to breathe and try some stew, then finished his thought, "anyway, so that's why I said that. I certainly don't think there's anything unholy about him. In fact, he's sort of the reason Snotlout isn't chief, and I-"

Toothless and Hiccup froze as the night fury and his rider considered the unsaid word, "chief," and the weight behind how Toothless granted Hiccup that title. They and their friends - the riders, for Hiccup, and the Berkian dragons, for Toothless - had spent such a long time trying to help them work through their guilt and sorrow of that event. And, luckily, their efforts had borne fruit. They soon calmed back down, although Toothless found himself much more interested in his lamb stew.

If there could be one saving grace of that moment, it was that both boys figured that they wouldn't have to explain their silence. Death, of all people, would know. "Well," she said, to break the silence and change the topic, "I'm glad my son has found such a 'very good friend.' One he felt was important enough to convince him to visit his mother after so many years."

It worked; Toothless moaned a complaint while Hiccup chuckled awkwardly. "Ah, that's partly my fault. He hasn't exactly had a natural tailfin for a while now, it was lost when he crashed in my net." Toothless helpfully raised the tip of his tail to show off the mismatched fins.

"Ah. Well." Death took a sip from her cup. "All's well that ends well, I suppose. Perhaps it's a good thing your father isn't home; he can be very protective of our scaly son."

Hiccup took another spoonful of stew, then looked back at Death. "Wait, if you're Death, and Toothless is of... does that mean that his dad, who'd be upset at me, is-"

Death smiled. "Lightning, yes. I believe you might know him as... what's that moniker, Thor?"

The viking's eyes unfocused. "Good to know. Now, if you'll please excuse me."

Hiccup fainted.

#toothless #how to train your dragon #dragon #hicctooth #httyd #smaugust #hiccup #writing #writers on tumblr #fanfiction #smaugust 2020 #text

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shipmistress9 · 5 years ago

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FTLOAP: Chapter 45: The Time Will Come When You'll Have To Rise

Fandom: HTTYD

Theme: Hiccstrid - Medieval-style AU - Romance - Angst/Hurt/Comfort

Summary: Reduced to little more than a stable boy, Hiccup, despite his noble birth, has few prospects for more in life. But when he meets a girl who came to look at the horses, being a stable boy might not be enough anymore. Together, they have tough choices to make and great risks to navigate if they want to survive and be together.

Rating: Explicit

FF-net - AO3 -

Discord-server for discussions and questions

Part 1: Prologue; Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7; Chapter 8; Chapter 9; Chapter 10; Chapter 11;

Part 2: Chapter 12; Chapter 13; Chapter 14; Interlude 1; Chapter 15; Chapter 16; Chapter 17; Chapter 18; Chapter 19; Chapter 20; Chapter 21; Chapter 22; Chapter 23; Chapter 24; Chapter 25; Chapter 26; Interlude 2; Chapter 27: Chapter 28 ; Chapter 29 ; Chapter 30; Chapter 31; Chapter 32; Interlude 3; Bonus 1; Chapter 33

Part 3: Chapter 34; Chapter 35; Chapter 36; Interlude 4; Chapter 37; Chapter 38; Chapter 39; Chapter 40; Interlude 5; Chapter 41; Chapter 42; Chapter 43; Chapter 44

Alpha/Co-author: @athingofvikings

tagging @drchee5e @hey-its-laura-again @thepixiedustfactory

. – * – _ . o O o . _ – * – .

AN: Woohoo! I actually managed another chapter, hard to believe, I know...

I think at this point, it would be more sensible to remove any scheduled updates, and I just post the next chapter when it's done. Fair warning though: November is fast approaching now and with it NaNoWriMo. I'm not going to participate in that this year, but my alpha-reader does. So I don't know how much time he'll have for editing and helping. And after NaNo, I'm very close to my delivery date already, so no promises about updates then, either. However, I solidly plan to at least post one more chapter before that! Afterwards, I don't know how quickly I will get back to writing. If you have questions though, you can always contact me through PM here or through the ATOV Discord server. And without a regular update schedule, I now have a tagging list here, so if you want to get included there, just tell me. 😊

I feel positive about this other update because a good part of it is already written as I'd originally planned to have that scene in this chapter. But as it is, the chapter got pretty long already so I split it again. This time, the ending feels much more solid than the last time I had to do that, and I hope it feels that way for you, too.

This week's title comes from the song Warriors again by Imagine Dragons. After splitting the chapter, I again had to come up with a new title, and after a bit of thinking, this one felt exceedingly fitting. 😇

. o O o .

Throughout the following few days, Astrid kept pondering over it all; Eret’s accident and everything that had happened afterwards. It wasn’t entirely by choice; she much rather would have thought about Hiccup and how they could be together instead. But she was at a loss there, only having Hiccup’s renewed optimism to hold on to, and repeatedly going through the same pointless plans wasn’t exactly productive. Thinking about other problems instead wasn’t necessarily more pleasant, but it was still… easier.

And thinking about those incidents certainly had a grounding effect. The more she mentally reviewed the attempted stab in the back against Eret, the more certain she was about one thing – from the fierceness and aim of his attack, the now-dead nobleman had intended for it to be a killing blow. It was a hot topic of gossip among the nobles, with many supporting her opinion – without her ever having stated it openly – and being outraged on her and her future husband’s behalf, aided by more witnesses speaking up about their view of the man’s dishonourable attack. Tournament or not, melee or not, stabbing a man in the back was seen as low and cowardly. Some had even called for action against the man’s family, such as fines or other punishments. But as he was already dead, the King had dismissed the idea, saying that they’d been punished enough. However, the entire topic, with the number of witnesses essentially corroborating Astrid’s opinion, was enough that even Eret and Dagur had to admit that it probably hadn’t been an accident at all.

At first, accepting that fact had made especially Dagur’s anger at Snotlout grow even hotter, though not for long. Snot hadn’t gotten through that fight unscathed either, despite initial impressions. The hit against his head had caused a mild concussion, and the kick to his side had cracked a rib. If he’d lost on purpose somehow, then he’d made an incredibly bad bargain.

Both Eret and Snot had been confined to bed rest on the healers’ orders for the following few days, making Astrid anxious for both of her brothers. No matter how irritating Snot’s behaviour lately had been, she still cared for him. But now, two days later, Master Mulch had been willing to state that he was relatively certain that both ducal heirs would fully recover. Eret had even insisted on riding out for today’s hunt again; not to actually participate, but at least to show that he was recovering, that he was still there and the place at her side not vacant again.

And no matter how much Astrid – and practically everybody else – had scolded him for this unnecessary show of bravado, she was also grateful for it. Eret could be pretty foolhardy, she knew that perfectly well. But she also knew that he wouldn’t risk his health and life for something as superficial as this. No, she trusted in him, in his assurance that he was doing fine, and let it soothe her enough not to worry about his injury too much. His safety was another matter altogether, but there was little she could do about that. Right now, he was out in the forest, accompanied by Hiccup and Dagur, and probably with a few of her father’s guards keeping a close eye on him, too. That would have to be enough.

Sighing, she turned the next corner. For once, she had nothing to do; with her suitors being out on that hunt and with her governess being done lecturing her for today, she was at loose ends, for a little while at least. But as there wasn’t enough time to go anywhere, she’d opted for a stroll through the castle instead, with Timothy walking a couple of steps behind her.

Well, there was one place she could go, and if things were different, she would have gone to visit Fishlegs as soon as her governess had let her leave. But of course, that wasn’t an option these days. Just thinking about Heather made a bunch of twisted emotions rise inside Astrid. There was the fear that she might expose them, despite her declaration that she would keep their secret. She’d made it clear, after all: she didn’t feel any fealty to them, not when their actions might threaten her own little family. And no matter how much Astrid tried to avoid that thought; she was acutely aware of the fact that, if Hiccup wasn’t a consideration, she probably would have married Eret without question – and thus make Dagur more inclined to focus on his role as ducal heir as well.

But beneath that fear, she could also relate to Heather. The threat of having the future she’d been so sure of ripped away from her, of losing those she loved, and being ready to do everything to keep them… yes, she could sympathise with that all too well. She just hoped that it wouldn’t come to that, that Heather wouldn’t feel threatened enough to take actions against her relationship with Hiccup. Because Astrid wasn’t sure what she’d do then, was even afraid of how far she might be willing to go.

If only they would be able to come up with something of a plan, some way to achieve their goal without tearing anyone else down with them. She just wanted to be with Hiccup, to be able to love him in peace and spend her life with him. Was that really too much to ask for?

To soothe her anxiety at least a little, she pressed her hand to her chest, focusing on and basking in the warm glow of Hiccup’s soul. They would find a way! Somehow… Maybe running away really wasn’t an option, but that didn’t mean that there couldn’t be other ways.

With her hand still resting over her heart, she paused at one of the high windows and gazed out over the land around the castle. It was beautiful, with the lake to her left, the edges of the forest in the distance, and grassland in-between, littered with solitary trees and shrubs here and there. It was still early in the year, but it was obvious that spring was coming quickly now, trees and bushes showing first signs of green and some early flowers growing everywhere.

Yes, it was beautiful… But that didn’t change that it was nothing but a cage, binding and suffocating her.

She was about to turn away when a bit of movement caught her eye. There, on a meadow to the right, a handful of horses pranced over the grass and chased each other around. Some grooms were there, too, watching over the animals, all clearly enjoying the sunlight.

The sight gave Astrid a painful sting. Usually, visiting the stables on a day like this would be an option too, but… but not yet. Someday, she certainly would have the strength to enter the stables again. She was even looking forward to riding and generally being around horses again. But for now, the pain of losing Markor was still too strong. It had all happened so fast. In one moment, everything had been as usual and in the next, he’d just been… gone. She missed him with a dull ache in her chest, one that only worsened when she remembered how she hadn’t even been able to say goodbye in any way and had no way of remembering or mourning him.

Except… that wasn’t really true, was it? she mused with something of a grimace. She still had the statue Hiccup had given her as a Midwinter gift. As a reminder, he’d said... Her lips twitched into a sad smile as she contemplated the irony. He’d meant that it would be a reminder of him for when he couldn’t be with her, and not of the horse it depicted. But somehow, she felt like this was the perfect way to remember Markor: frozen yet so alive in this tiny figurine – as if he was about to turn and run around at any moment. The thought made a lump rise in her throat, but she managed to keep any tears at bay. She would miss him, would always remember him. But no matter how pointless his death had been, endlessly crying over his fate wouldn’t revive him, either.

Tearing her thoughts away from that path, they inevitably landed where she hadn’t wanted them instead. It wasn’t even farfetched, her mind quickly drawing the connection between Markor and Hiccup, of him giving her that figurine, of the nights she’d spend in the stables, so comfortable and optimistic about their future. She still trusted in the Gods, or whatever force had woven their fates together, but even that didn’t really help when faced with the hopelessness brought by rejecting one impossible idea after the other.

Maybe Dagur and Eret had been right after all and approaching Daniel with a request for help might work. But even though he certainly had been fond enough of Hiccup during the winter, Astrid wasn’t sure whether she could rely on just that flimsy hope, especially as he wasn’t to return for at least another week anyway. That would be hitting awfully close to when it would be too late…

She also was aware of a certain piece of parchment that was still safely stored away in her new treasure box. She was ready to use her father’s boon for this; they would probably need every bit of help they could get. But without a plan, she was afraid of revealing her feelings to the King. She just couldn’t predict how he would react. All she knew was that simply ‘requesting to marry Hiccup’ wouldn’t work. The King had made it clear that his announcement of her marrying one of the eligible noblemen currently courting her wasn’t something he could or would take back. And ‘giving Hiccup land and title’ was equally hopeless. Because Hiccup had been right, there was no land even the King could easily give away just like that.

It all seemed overwhelmingly hopeless, but she had to have faith, had to trust that they would find a way. Eventually…

Later, Astrid would be sure that what happened next had to have been the Gods who guided her steps. Meeting the Grand Dukes Oswald and Eret II in the vast labyrinth that was the castle’s corridors couldn’t have been just a coincidence – the timing was too perfect.

At first, she only heard a familiar voice from around a corner, one that made her feel a little more at ease in an instant, thanks to her mind associating it with enjoyable vacations in the South and days spent at Southshore’s sunny beaches. The voice spoke quietly, but as soon as she focused, the words became easily understandable.

“...just received a letter from Lord Gregson. Apparently, it is as I feared.”

“That’s unfortunate,” came Eret II’s muttered reply. “What exactly did he– Oh, hello Astrid,” he interrupted himself as she stepped into view, a fond smile spreading across his weathered face at her sight. “How are you, lass? Are you bored to death by all these tournaments and suitors yet?”

Astrid’s face twisted, unsure how to react to that. Of course, Uncle Eret knew her well enough to know that she didn’t exactly enjoy all this fuss, just like she in return knew that he wasn’t any better when it came to overly formal events. But on the other hand, he’d been in on this plan, so it felt a little two-faced for him to complain about them now. Either way, she couldn’t ignore the fatherly smile on his face and not the usual sense of ease it gave her either. And it again reminded her of how, under different circumstances, she’d be about to join his House, his family, and do so happily.

“You know me too well,” she played along, plastering an indulgent smile on her lips. “I’m just glad it’ll all be over soon.”

“Aye, it certainly will be,” Oswald agreed with a light snort. Beneath his own smile, he seemed troubled though, making Astrid wonder what the men had been talking about before she’d interrupted them.

Cocking her head, she tried to look as innocent as possible. “But enough of that. What was it you were talking about just now? It seems to bother you, is anything the matter?” She wasn’t even sure what kind of answer she expected. But asking couldn’t hurt, right?

“Oh, that,” Oswald waved her off with a forced smile. “That’s just politics. Believe me, you wouldn’t be interested in this, lass. If you really think tournaments are boring, be glad that it’s not on you to deal with such things, too.”

Astrid had to bite back any comment on that. It was so typical that the men wouldn’t tell her anything.

Eret II grunted in agreement and shook his head. “Yeah, this really is nothing you need to be concerned about. But it’s good that we met here. I wanted to ask whether my son is already settled in his new rooms. I hardly get the chance to talk to him these days, he’s always so busy.” He chuckled and winked at her.

Because of… reasons, Eret had been made to relocate into other rooms, reasons that made her have to hide a smirk. “As far as I know, he’s relocating today,” she replied as calmly as she could. “A group of servants should be transferring his belongings to the new room as we speak. At least I’m supposed to meet him there for a private dinner later – with a whole entourage of chaperons, of course.” She forced something of an amused grimace onto her face, hoping that it was an appropriate reaction. Deep down, she was glad over this development, though. With having made her unofficial choice at the ball came a few privileges that certainly were to her liking. Like being allowed to spend time with her future husband in a more private setting, with only her warder or maidservant and Sir Eret’s squire as chaperons.

Apparently, her reaction had been what the men had expected from her as they both chuckled fondly at her comment. Even Timothy behind her couldn’t stay completely quiet, covering up his laughter as coughing. Of course, his amusement had an altogether different reason, but that was something the Grand Dukes didn’t need to know about.

“That sounds about right,” Eret II eventually commented, sobering up again. “Then we better not delay you, wherever you were heading to. See you soon.”

The men nodded at her with something of an insinuated bow – more of a polite nod with a bit of a bend at the waist – which Astrid dutifully returned with a curtsy of her own before she took the obvious dismissal and continued on her way. The fact that she’d again been excluded from any political knowledge bugged her though, so when she reached another junction only a few steps further down the corridor, she went there, giving the Grand Dukes a last friendly smile as she turned around the corner. As soon as she was out of sight though, she made a step to the side to hide in a doorway, indicating Tuff to be quiet and follow her lead. Maybe, just maybe, she could learn something about the political situation of the Kingdom after all.

And for once, she couldn’t believe her luck.

“So, what was it Lord Gregson wrote to you in that letter?” Eret II said, picking up their conversation.

There was a low, unamused snort from Oswald. “Basically, that he’s giving up. He used so many fancy words that I think he asked one of Frigga’s Gythias to help him compose it. All of these wonderful, florid turns-of-phrase, on and on. About how honoured he felt that we put such trust into him and how he’d wanted to give his best to live up to these expectations and so forth.”

“Aye, I know the type of report,” Eret II said. “I think I’ve even written a few in my time, back when we were younger.”

“I know. I helped, remember? But you were drunk at the time, so I’m not surprised that you don’t,” Oswald said tartly but fondly. The pair of them walked past the doorway, and Astrid gave Tuff a look of dire threat if he so much as blinked loudly. Outside, Oswald continued. “But it all boils down to the fact that he doesn’t feel up to the task of rebuilding County Ravenledge. And at this point, it doesn’t even matter whether it’s because he feels as if the people there deserve better after all they’ve been through or whether he just realised how much work that would be and is too lazy to stand his ground under such circumstances. At least he’s honest enough to admit that he doesn’t feel up to the challenge. But that means that we have to find someone else to take it on, and I fear that the reasons for Lord Gregson’s pull-out will become publicly known sooner rather than later. Which also means that in a week or two, it’ll become increasingly difficult to find a replacement. Everyone is hungry for titles, yes, but that’s because they’re all spoiled brats who want to live like, well, nobles, not have to work with me looking over their shoulder.”

"Yes, I see your problem," came Eret II’s reply, his voice getting lower and lower as the distance between Astrid and the Grand Dukes grew. "I wish we could spare Osmond this problem in addition to everything else, but he has to know about it."

"No doubts about that. But maybe, this can even come in handy." Oswald laughed harshly. "Although, while it would make for a great white elephant, it’s getting the poor sap to accept it that’ll be the tricky part. We…"

The voices grew too low for Astrid to understand more, but she felt as if she'd heard enough anyway. Stunned, she stood in her doorway and stared at Tuff, unsure whether she was ready to believe what she'd just heard. But in his eyes, she spotted the same excited gleam that was buzzing in her mind as well, and tentatively, she let hope take roots inside her.

County Ravenledge… the name alone was enough to make her cringe at the reminder of Harold, of his foul breath on her skin and his filthy hands on her body. But he was the past and that wasn't what truly was on her mind anyway.

The man her father and the Grand Dukes had instituted as new Count Ravenledge had resigned his office. And now, it was back in the hands of the Crown, free to be distributed to whoever was deemed fit or worthy of the job.

Astrid's heart was pounding rapidly against her ribs and she was incredibly glad for the hard wood in her back keeping her upright. This was it! This was what they'd been looking for, the solution to their problem, the way out. If Hiccup became the new Count Ravenledge, then he definitely would be of a high-enough rank for her to marry him. Nobody would dare to object to such a choice.

"I assume you want to meet with Eret as soon as possible?" Tuff needlessly asked, emphasising the name to let her know that he knew who she really wanted to see. Astrid could only nod, her mind whirling with countless possibilities. "Then I suggest we return to your rooms and Ruff and I see whether we can help to get his new rooms ready. The sooner you all can talk this through the better.”

. o O o .

The reason why Eret had to move into other rooms was the source of a wide range of emotions to Astrid. It had all started with some whispered mutterings on the morning after the ball, whispers Astrid herself hadn’t learned about until a day later. Apparently, some people thought it was inappropriate for Eret, the soon-to-be-but-not-yet-husband of the Princess, to spend his nights in such close proximity to her. After all, he inhabited an entire suite of rooms in the family wing of the castle, only separated from his future wife by three corridors. Why, behind two sets of thick oak doors, all sorts of... things could happen in his bedroom!

Yesterday, when Astrid finally had heard them from Eret, she’d initially laughed before another thought had struck her, making her irritation smoulder. Apparently, people were serious about the insinuations against Eret’s character. Eret had slept in that suite for months now, ever since he’d arrived in the capital last fall. And back then, people had already believed them to be a ‘couple’, and had for years. But now it was a problem? Just when things were heating up to the point that Eret was surviving attempts on his life?

It was an obvious smear campaign, and her fury had started to kindle–

–Only to vanish like smoke in a high wind when Tuff had burst out laughing at her indignation and Ruff had, after fighting her own mirth, explained that she and her brother had started the whispers. But even this confusion – and granted, Eret’s and Dagur’s as well – hadn’t lasted long.

The rumours and public demands for decency had apparently all been part of their plan; a few comments down in the kitchens and washer-rooms and elsewhere had spread like a wildfire on open grasslands. With the castle still being unusually packed from the celebrations, there weren’t exactly many other places for Eret – and Hiccup – to move to. House Jag’r’s townhouse certainly was an option, but with Eret still healing and having to participate in the events again as soon as he was recovered, it was more sensible for him to stay at the castle. So, after some discussions – discussions in which the twins were included, in their positions as Eret’s apparent-betrothed’s personal servants – it was decided that Eret would relocate to the so-called haunted rooms.

At that, Eret had merely raised an eyebrow, and Dagur had made an encouraging gesture, all of them waiting for Ruff to continue in her explanation.

“The ‘haunted rooms’ are what the staff call the Greatpine Suite,” Ruff explained. “Two floors down from Astrid’s suite and on the other end of the building. Everyone thinks that they’re haunted because there’s this eerie whistling that everyone who stays there hears.�� She met Eret’s eyes with a smirk. “So you’ll trade with the men currently barracked there; they’ll be happy to get out, even though your current suite is smaller. But surely a brave knight like Sir Eret of House Jag’r won’t mind, right?”

Laid out in his sickbed, Eret gave her a dubious look that made the twins burst out in even more laughter. Slapping her knee, Ruff gasped, “Don’t worry, there’s no draugr buried under the floorboards or anything else that people say about the rooms.”

“In fact, be honoured that we’re telling you,” Tuff snickered. “Because it’s a secret.”

“What is?” Astrid demanded.

“Why, the secret passage, of course!” Ruff said innocently.

Astrid blinked. “Secret passage?”

“Yup. The one that ends behind that particularly warty painting around the corner from your rooms, Princess,” Tuff said cheerfully. “It was probably meant to be an easy escape route in case of an attack, but hardly anyone knows about them by now.”

Astrid gave another blink as Eret protested. “But you two can’t be the only ones that know about them. Secret or no secret, it’s really hard to hide a whole passageway, even in a building this big. Someone else will make the connection and complain – and it’s too big a risk to use them, if the servants use them, too!”

“But the servants don’t use them,” Ruff emphasised.

“Present company excepted,” Tuff corrected, grinning. “They’re too small,” he mimed a space only a bit wider than his shoulders and lower than his head, “and filled with cobwebs and... gunk.”

Astrid rolled her eyes. “And you use them for prank getaways?”

“Milady!” Ruff exclaimed, faux-scandalized. “Such accusations!” She smirked and said, “Besides, even the ones that do know...” She shrugged and looked at Astrid and Eret. “They’re all caught up in the romance of it all. I know at least one cook gave me a wink when I made the suggestion.” Spreading her hands out helplessly, she looked between the two of them. “They know what’s up and are rooting for you two.”

“Greaaat,” Hiccup drawled.

“It is, because it means that we can smuggle you in without a problem,” Tuff said, crossing his arms. “So say ‘thank you.’”

They had thanked the twins for their work. And now, two days later, all Astrid felt was a deep sense of gratitude and a good amount of anticipation, giddiness, and nervousness. If everything went as planned, Hiccup would spend this night with her again, and in her bed no less! Oh, if only it was that late already! She couldn’t wait to feel his hands on her body again, to kiss him and to lose herself in his touch.

But it was only mid-afternoon, with Astrid sitting at her decorated tea table, drinking tea, and nibbling at some light pastries as she waited for the hunting parties to return and for her private dinner with Eret to begin. And before she could enjoy feeling Hiccup’s closeness again, there was something else she had to do anyway.

Aside from making sure that they’d all made it back unharmed and wanting to be close to Hiccup again, she also couldn’t wait to tell them about the conversation she’d overheard. A part of her warned her to be cautious, to not get too excited yet. The idea of Hiccup becoming a full Count in only a few days, of him legally joining those participating in the tournaments and hunts to court her… it felt too good to be true.

Nervously tapping her fingers against the porcelain cup between her hands, she tried to imagine the reactions to her officially and openly changing her mind and choosing Hiccup instead of Eret. Would it be possible for her to ask her father to excuse Hiccup from participating in any fights, just to keep him safe? After what had happened to Eret, that certainly wasn’t an unreasonable concern, right? But would the King even support such a request? Would he support her choice at all? Or would it be better if she only made her choice public at the very last moment, not giving anyone even the slightest chance to take action against Hiccup?

For hours, her mind circled around those same thoughts, over and over, until a knock on her door drew her attention. Astrid heard a servant girl delivering a message to Ruff and it made her heartbeat quicken almost unbearably.

“Are they back?” she asked as soon as Ruff approached her and got up from her seat, unable to sit still any longer.

Her maidservant smirked. “Yes, they’re all back, unharmed, and Sir Eret awaits you for your dinner in about half an hour,” she replied in a ridiculously formal voice. Astrid’s lips twitched but she didn’t say anything and simply let Ruff dress her for the occasion, waiting impatiently for her to be done.

Walking along the corridors and down the stairs to Eret’s new rooms seemed to take forever. She knew that this distance served a purpose, one she supported wholeheartedly, but right now, the prolonged walk was driving her insane in her impatience. Eventually, Tuff halted in his strides though and turned to knock on a door to their right. As Eret’s only servant, it was Hiccup who opened them, the sight of him enough to somewhat calm Astrid’s unquiet mind. He was clearly happy to see them, his eyes nearly flowing over with love as they met her own. But there also was a certain tension in them, in his every movement, and after he’d closed the door behind them again, it became clear that Eret and Dagur were just as tense as he was, the atmosphere overall enough to make her forget everything else.

“What happened?” she asked anxiously, looking around from one man to the other. In a corner, she spotted a table set for two even though it was laden with enough food to last at least twice as many people. But where before she’d been looking forward to this informal meal with her brothers and Hiccup, she now couldn’t even think about eating anything.

“Nothing, really,” Eret eventually mumbled, looking up from where he sat on his bed’s edge. Astrid wanted to scoff at this obvious lie, but he lifted his hand to directly ward off her protest. “Nothing that changes anything, at least. It’s just been… let’s say, it’s been a rough day.”

Astrid still wasn’t inclined to let the topic drop, but before she could demand a more thorough explanation, Dagur already jumped in.

He was sitting backwards on a chair, his arms crossed over the backrest, but she suspected that he was still ready to jump in case Eret needed help. “A new rumour was spreading like wildfire during the hunt,” he grumbled, shaking his head in annoyance. “The rumour that… well, that Eret and I are more than just close friends since our childhood and that the whole betrothal is nothing but a charade to cover for us.”

Astrid could do little more than gape, her eyes wandering from Dagur to Eret and back again. They both looked heartbroken, hunched over and with their arms defensively crossed in front of them.

“Okay, but why’s that a problem?” Tuff commented after a few more uncomfortable seconds had passed. “I mean… it’s true? And it’s not as if that’s unheard-of; we have Freyr’s male Ástir for a reason, after all.”

With a heavy sigh, Eret raised his head to look at Tuff. “You’re right, it shouldn’t be much of a problem. But that didn’t make this day any easier. Every time we encountered some of the other men in the woods, they made comments about how I should be ashamed of myself for leading the Princess on like that. That I should openly stand to my preferences and tell her the truth, decline her choice, and leave her to someone who can truly satisfy her.”

“That’s a nice way to describe their insults,” Dagur scoffed angrily, but Eret just shrugged.

“It’s what it all boiled down to,” he replied, sounding tired. “And they’re right. I mean... Aside from Hiccup and this charade of a betrothal not being real anyway… It could have become real. And they would’ve been right; you’d deserve better than that, Swanja. Better than me.”

With the lump forming in her throat making it hard to say anything, Astrid made the few steps to cross the distance between them and sat down next to Eret on his bed. She wasn’t sure whether she was even capable of comforting him right now, but she at least had to try.

“Hey, don’t say that,” she said softly, reaching to squeeze his hand. “I… When I agreed to marry you, I knew about all this, remember? So whatever they said, it’s nothing but bullshit. And no matter how things are now… I rather would have spent my life with you, as my partner and best friend, than with any of those idiots who only see me as a trophy to be added to their glory.” Imagining a life where Hiccup didn’t exist felt weird. Wrong! But she also knew that what she’d just said was true. If it wasn’t for Hiccup, she would have gladly married Eret.

She wasn’t sure whether her words were able to help him though, or whether they would only make it worse instead. But after a short pause, Eret squeezed her back. “Thanks,” he muttered with a weak smile. “I just… well, I just hope that whoever Father might eventually pick as my wife will think the same. So maybe it’s even good that this cat is out of the bag now. It means whoever it might be will know what to expect right from the beginning.”

To that, Astrid wasn’t able to say anything. It was because of her that this was something to worry about again, and there was nothing she could do to help him there. But instead of letting the awkward silence linger, Eret shook his head and put on an almost scarily dark expression.

“But that’s not really the problem here,” he went on in a far graver voice than before. “The question is who started this ‘rumour’. And why now?” He motioned for her to sit down at the set table, gladly accepting her help to get up himself without straining his bound chest too much.

“Could it have been Heather?” she asked as she sat down on her seat, her worries over the other woman and how much harm she could do resurfacing again.

But Dagur vehemently shook his head. “That wouldn’t make any sense. That was a secret she would have wanted to keep, in her own interest. With everyone now knowing that I’m not interested in women, me producing an heir to get her and her child off the hook became just that much more complicated.” He sighed. “And I have no idea who else could be behind this, either. I mean… we tried to not let anyone know but it certainly wasn’t an ironclad secret either. Everyone could’ve found out.”

Astrid wasn’t entirely convinced though. “Are you sure? There were quite a few people who knew, after all. Could anyone–”

“Maybe,” Eret interrupted her, though directly contradicted himself by shaking his head. “But I don’t think anyone here started that rumour, and I can’t see why Cami would do so, either.” He paused, taking a deep breath, before he continued in a darker tone. “And I don’t want to suspect Snot. He’s acting weird, but… we still know him, right? And I don’t see why he’d do it anyway. Certainly not to separate us; he knows that you know, after all. No, I don’t think he would go behind our backs like that. Especially not with him still being not allowed to get up anyway. He didn’t even have the chance to spread such a rumour without it being too easy to trace it back to him. Anyway,” he went on, noticeably aiming to change the topic and mood to something more cheerful. “People know, and we’ll have to deal with it from now on. Which doesn’t really change anything; it’s just annoying.”

Dagur huffed. “Yeah. Just as annoying as your grandfather making the effort to come and meet you this morning only to yell at you two. I’m just glad this circulating rumour hadn’t reached him yet. But who knows? Maybe he’ll have a heart attack once they do. That would make so many lives easier.”

At the mentioning of his grandfather, Eret winced and threw an apprehensive and apologetic look to the side – or, more precisely, to where Hiccup was leaning against the wall next to her. Astrid turned too, and easily spotted the pained grimace that crossed Hiccup’s face. Their grandfather… As far as Astrid knew, this had to have been the first time Hiccup even met the old goat with the old man also knowing who Hiccup was. And judging by his reaction, it hadn’t been a pleasant meeting.

Without even thinking about it, she reached for his hand, letting her thumb glide across his knuckles in a way to comfort him. “What did he want?”

Hiccup seemed to appreciate the gesture, squeezed her hand in his and even let something of a weak smile tug at his lips before he said anything. “He scolded Eret for choosing what had to be the worst squire in history,” he said in a low, but clear and almost emotionless voice. “‘It obviously was the fault of that failure that your armour wasn’t in a good-enough state to deflect the blow like good chainmail should. That idiot might as well have tried to kill you himself and he should get executed for his sloppy mistakes.’” he quoted, and let out a harsh laugh. “He didn’t even deign to look at me or to talk to me directly.”

“And just like the old pigheaded asshole he’s always been, he didn’t even listen when I explained that that had only been my decorative armour anyway,” Eret grunted bitterly. “In opposition to all these noblemen who came here because your Father invited them and who knew about the upcoming tournaments, I didn’t bring my heavy battle armour from Eastervale when we came here last fall. That piece of ceremonial chainmail I was wearing was never meant to withstand such a blow, and we didn’t expect… Oh, whatever. He didn’t even want to listen to any of that anyway.”

“Yeah. You said that it wasn’t your good chainmail, and his response was ‘And whose fault is that!?’” Hiccup added, sounding pained.

“My father’s,” Astrid murmured.

Eret shrugged. “Yes and no. It’s not like we should have expected the armoury here to have chain in my size.” He flexed sarcastically, showing off his physique, and Astrid had to agree with the point; Eret was taller and broader in the chest than most men. “But let’s be honest here. This wasn’t about me,” he continued. “This was about him being upset that all of his dynastic game moves almost got wasted because his last playing piece got a dent. He wasn’t doing it to listen to anybody, just to vent his frustration that we’re not doing what he wants us to do, like good pawns.”

“Well, he never listens, does he?” Tuff threw in, mirth saturating his voice. “Although I’d love to make him listen, especially if someone told him about you and Dagur. Loki, I’d love to see his face.” He shared a dark grin with his sister, but quickly turned serious again, his gaze shifting to Astrid again.

“Anyway,” he went on, the changed tone of his voice and expression on his face showing that he was about to start an entirely different topic. “Wasn’t there something you wanted to tell the others, Astrid?”

For a heartbeat or three, she just blinked at him in puzzlement. But then, her mood brightened. “Right! There’s something I have to tell you,” she exclaimed at the reminder. The dark atmosphere had distracted her when she’d arrived, had made her focus on her friends’ – no, her family’s – problems instead of what lay ahead of them. But now, it was all back at the forefront of her mind.

Eagerly, she turned to look at the others again, her hand still holding Hiccup’s squeezing him. “I was lucky this morning,” she began, cheeks heating with excitement. “Tuff and I overheard a conversation between your fathers,” she nodded at Eret and Dagur. “Something about Ravenledge – the county, not the man. Apparently, the man who was supposed to become the new Count resigned – because it was too difficult a job for him, or something – and now, it’s back in the hands of Uncle Oswald and my father. If we can convince them to install Hiccup in that position, then that would be the solution, wouldn’t it?”

At first, all three men just gaped at her. They seemed to need a few moments to wrap their heads around this news, but Astrid couldn’t blame them; she was hardly able to believe in this simple solution either. And that was after she’d already had hours to think about it all.

“That… that could actually work,” Eret eventually muttered after a seemingly endless pause, something like cautious optimism swinging in his voice. “If Hiccup becomes a count, he automatically should become eligible for you, too. The only question is how we can convince them to–”

“I can use my boon for that,” Astrid interrupted him. Her gaze darted up to Hiccup, eyes filled with excitement. He knew that she was more than willing to use her father's promise in his favour. This was the solution they’d been searching for!

Hiccup was looking at her in return as well, but with a somewhat wavering expression instead of the hope she’d expected to see. As if he wanted to let that hope take over but didn’t quite dare to accept it.

Dagur seemed more confused though. “Uh, what boon?”

It took her some effort to tear her eyes away from Hiccup, from assuring him that this could work, and look at Dagur instead. “After… after Harold’s execution, my father granted me a wish,” she explained, grimacing at the renewed reminder. “A royal boon. He said I just need to name what I want and as long as it’s within his power, he’ll grant it to me. And I don’t see why naming Hiccup the new Count Ravenledge would not be in his power. Odin, from how it sounded, they even expected to have trouble finding someone who’d be willing to take this position.”

Eret nodded at her explanation, thoughtfully turning his attention to Hiccup. “What do you think?”

Hiccup’s eyes wandered from one waiting face to the other across the room. He still seemed hesitant though, reluctant even, and Astrid could read his thoughts as if he was saying them out loud. This is too good to be true!

She got up from her chair and turned toward him, heart singing when his hands glided around her waist practically on reflex. Capturing and holding his gaze, she tried to assure him that this was real. There wasn’t much to be misunderstood from the conversation she’d overheard, after all.

For an endless moment, they gazed at each other, silently communicating. Astrid didn’t need words to know what Hiccup was thinking and feeling, his love for her and the growing hope crystal clear in his eyes. He nodded ever so slightly, probably only visible to her, and his expression softened, his lips stretching into a cautious smile. “There was a time where I wouldn’t have felt comfortable with this solution,” he murmured, voice rough with emotions. Swallowing, he glanced past her to where Eret and Dagur had to be watching them. “I openly admit that I’d hoped to gain this title back when it was vacant a few months back. If… if things had been different that night, if I’d known you’d distribute the county right away, then I’d probably come up with some reason to stay. I would have tried to recommend myself as best I could, hoping…” He trailed off, his eyes gliding back to Astrid as he lifted one hand to caress her cheek.

She remembered that night, the first night she’d sneaked out to meet him at the stables. Missing out on those hours they’d spent together that night would have felt devastating back then… but if it had meant that he’d had that title already, it would have been worth it.

“But unrelated to that, I also wanted to gain this title, or any other, with my own means,” he continued in a low voice, his eyes back on her now. “ I wanted to prove myself worthy of you. But now, I know how stupid that was. Now, I won’t turn down such an opportunity. So yes, I’m okay with this idea. More than okay. I’d do anything to be with you, no matter whether it includes gaining a title without my doing or accepting any difficult circumstances that might follow.” He gave her a loving smile. “Because it will be worth it.”

From one moment to the other, Astrid felt as if every bit of space between them was too much, every thought about decency unimportant. Before she could think about it, she’d stretched, her mouth pressed to his and her hands on his back and in his hair pulling him even closer. This was it! They’d found their solution, the way to be together. This was really happening.

And it seemed as if Hiccup had accepted this truth now, too. He was kissing her back with equal eagerness, holding her close with one arm around her back and the free hand at the nape of her neck – still reflexively mindful of her hair as it seemed, but also unwilling to part from her anytime soon. From behind her, Astrid thought she could hear noises of amusement, chuckling and low voices talking, but she wasn’t in the mood to pay the others any mind. All she wanted to focus on was Hiccup, his body pressed so tightly against hers and his tongue dancing along her own, playful, teasing, joyous.

But it seemed as if at least one of those assembled in this room wasn’t quite as optimistic as the rest.

“When you listened in on my father and Uncle Eret,” Dagur asked, apprehensively but in a voice loud enough that it drew even her and Hiccup’s attention, “did they say anything about why exactly Lord Gregson resigned?”

Reluctantly, Astrid parted from Hiccup, though just enough to turn in his arms and give Dagur a thoughtful look. “I… don’t think so,” she said, her forehead wrinkled as she scoured her memories. “Just that there apparently were some reasons to it, but not what those were. Oh, and they said something about an… an elephant, but I don’t know what that was supposed to mean. Elephants are these weird animals in the Southlands, right? Big, with ridiculously large ears and noses?” She threw Hiccup a look and spotted his lips twitching. Clearly, he remembered how they’d looked at that book together, too. Especially the last pages.

“An elephant?” Dagur inquired, his brows furrowed. “That... Was that all they said?”

Astrid shrugged. “I… think so?”

But Tuff shook his head, drawing everyone’s attention when he pushed himself off the wall he’d been leaning against. “No, that wasn’t all,” he said with a thoughtful expression. “I remember because it sounded so odd, as if it meant something completely different. So I memorised it to find out later. Lord Berserker said that ‘while it would make for a great white elephant, it’s getting the poor sap to accept it that’ll be the tricky part’.”

Dagur’s face darkened. “That’s what I feared,” he grumbled.

Eret cocked his head, clearly intrigued by his lover’s reaction. “What is it, Dag? Does that mean anything to you?”

Dagur nodded, lips pressed into a thin line. “A ‘White Elephant’ is something of an idiom we took over from the people of the Southlands,” he explained in a pressed voice. “It means it’s a… a trap, you can say. As in, they give the county to some rival they want to get rid off, knowing that the effort of rebuilding it will ruin them.”

From one moment to the other, Astrid’s good mood fell, her stomach feeling as if it was dropping down to her knees, not helped by Tuff nodding and mumbling something like, “When something looks too perfect, it probably sucks."

“So… so it’s not a sensible solution after all?” she asked meekly. All this had sounded too good to be true… did that mean it had been nothing but wishful thinking after all?

But Dagur shook his head, albeit reluctantly. “I… didn’t say that. I mean, let’s be honest, it’s not as if you have much to lose anyway. It’s not as if Hiccup would put some major fortune into this county or risk his high reputation if he wasn’t able to succeed.” He gave a harsh snort. “But I’ve read a few of the reports that came in from Ravenledge over the past weeks. The county really is in a horrible state. You’d have to rebuild the entire main city, along with some smaller ones, and that’s not even counting the long-term damage from the old count’s rule.” He started ticking off on his fingers. “You’d have to do all that without having the craftsmen nearby because they have no place to live or to work yet. And without being able to organise the work, because you don’t have any administration. Not even the Orders can be of any help with organising or manpower, because there are no central temples anymore. And in addition to all that, the people won’t easily trust yet another nobleman who comes to rule over them, especially not after Lord Gregson now gave up.” He shook his head. “I’m not saying it’s impossible, but...” He shrugged, looking grim.

Astrid felt the weight of Dagur’s words pressing down on them, noticeably dampening the good mood from only moments before. But before she could work through them and try to come up with reasonable objections, Ruff beat her to it. “Not trying to downplay the problems you just mentioned,” she said dryly. “But I think Hiccup and Astrid have an advantage your Lord Gregson didn’t have.”

Dagur cocked his head at her, puzzled. “And that would be what exactly?”

Ruff gave a snort. “Astrid is the Princess! It’s not just any other nobleman who comes to these people but the daughter of the King herself. That alone should give the people there a little hope, the trust that, this time, their problems get taken seriously. And I’d be surprised if the King wouldn’t send some more serious help in the form of goods and men and money when it comes down to ensuring his daughter’s future.”

“She’s right,” Eret threw in before anyone else could say anything, a grin on his face now as his eyes met Astrid’s. “And that’s not the only advantage you might have.” He took a moment to look from one to the other, his grin widening. “Remember what we talked about the other night? We might not be able to get Hiccup a title… But once he has one, we’re definitely in a position to support him. We’d still have to talk to our fathers, but I don’t think they’d be against drawing up trade contracts and assurances of support in advance. Hiccup might not have much to offer all on his own, but he sure as Hel has friends in powerful positions.”

Slowly, Dagur nodded. “That would make a difference, indeed,” he agreed, his face brightening. “It still won’t be easy, though. It’ll probably take years before something like normalcy or routine would come back to your life. Are you sure you’re feeling up to such a task and the responsibility?” he asked, his eyes firmly on Hiccup.

Hiccup nodded, though a little tense. “I’m prepared to take that kind of responsibility.” His eyes dropped to her, his lips forming a soft smile. “So yes. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

. o O o .

Oh, wow! Looks like there's an easy solution after all. 😇

Or... is there? *evil laughter in Author*

Next chapter

#FTLOAP #For The Love Of A Princess #Hiccstrid #hiccstrid fanfiction #fanfiction #httyd #httyd fanfiction #medieval au #Hiccstrid Medieval AU #royalty au #hiccstrid royal au #fluff #romance

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wilderwestqueen · 7 years ago

Text

A Pinch of Sugar and a Dash of Spite - Chapter One

“Astrid Hofferson has better things to do than ruin your life.”

“Yeah? You could’ve fooled me.”

Hiccup Haddock’s just trying to sell coffee and stumble through presentations about Shakespeare, but one persistent rude customer keeps ruining his day. Astrid Hofferson would be the top of her class if it weren’t for one golden boy barista that needs to be taken down a notch.

[Coffee Shop AU] [Enemies-To-Lovers]

IN THIS CHAPTER: A new customer at the Bean & Gone seems to have it out for Hiccup.

[AO3] [FF.NET]

High Maintenance Sickly Sweet Mess

The late shift at Bean & Gone was the worst.

The little coffee shop was tucked into one of the streets just off campus, and although it was tiny - barely enough room for the counter and few sets of tables and chairs - it was beloved by all. As part of the university, Bean & Gone always stayed open late for the students that wanted to stay on campus after lecture hours were over, but in Hiccup’s experience, no sane person wanted coffee late at night, unless they were pulling an all-nighter. All the serious deadlines were a good few weeks off yet, so the shift was rarely busy.

Tonight though, business was slower than sludge, and it took all of Hiccup’s effort to keep his head from slumping across the counter as he watched their one elderly patron - an old History professor, who may well have been alive in the dark ages he droned on about in lectures- as he sipped at the cup of coffee he’d been nursing for the past hour and a half.

“It’s got to be cold by now,” Hiccup muttered, his cheek slumped onto his fist. “There’s no way it’s still pleasant to drink.”

His co-worker, Scott Jorgenson, whose laddish tendencies and rotten manners had earned him the nickname Snotlout, was similarly slumped next to him. “Dude’s like eighty. His taste buds are all shrivelled up and dead.”

“Maybe he likes it cold.” This came from the third employee, Philip, who looked up from one of the coffee machines to give them both a blank stare.

Philip was the larger of the three, with a gentle smile but skittish limbs. His hands and legs always seemed to have a bit of a quiver to them, no matter what he did. He’d been christened Fishlegs by bullies in high school, but he’d taken it graciously in his stride, just as Hiccup and Snotlout had with theirs.

“Maybe he likes it cold because it reminds him of his own impending death,” Hiccup said, groaning and finally giving in to the urge to drop his face across the desk, his arms dangling off the counter.

“You’re more morose than usual,” Fishlegs observed.

“He’s pissing his pants thinking about tomorrow,” said Snotlout.

“Eff off,” Hiccup grumbled, his voice muffled in the counter.

Hiccup had another mock presentation in the morning, in preparation for his final, graded show. He liked presentations about as much as a splinter in the eyeball.

The evening crawled onwards, Hiccup spending most of his time slumped across the countertop, while Snotlout headed back to mess with their stock. Fishlegs hovered behind Hiccup, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

“Hiccup…” he began.

Hiccup shifted his head to the side and cast one eye up at him. “I know that voice,” he said. “What do you want?”

“I couldn’t find anyone to check in on Meatlug, and I was wondering if—”

“—You were wondering if you could go home early to check on her,” Hiccup sighed.

Meatlug was Fishlegs’ old, lethargic dog with a lazy eye, a sweet little thing, if a bit ugly by most people’s standards. Fishlegs adored her and doted on her like nothing else.

“For the last time—” There was a clatter in the back room as Snotlout dropped a bowl and kicked it out of his way, letting it skitter across the tiled floor before he bounded back up to the counter— “Meatlug can look after herself. It’s not fair that you keep leaving us to deal with—” There was loud ping from Snotlout’s phone, and he stopped in his tracks to pull it from his pocket, taking one look at the screen and letting out a long whistle as his eyes bugged out. “Wow, never mind, I need to leave too. You don’t mind, do you, Hiccup?”

Fishlegs gave Snotlout an incredulous stare, before letting out a long sigh and turning back to Hiccup.

“Sorry, Hiccup, it’s just that after her operation, she hasn’t been the same, I just want to make sure that she’s—”

Hiccup tipped his head back and raised his eyes to the heavens. “Just go. Both of you. I’ll lock up tonight.”

Fishlegs had the grace to look apologetic as he gathered his coat and bag from the staff room, but Snotlout barely spared Hiccup a glance, leaping over the counter and heading out the door. Fishlegs hovered between the two.

“Sorry,” he said again, “I’ll—”

“—I’ll see you tomorrow, Fishlegs,” Hiccup said.

Fishlegs gave him one last grateful smile, before he too headed out the door, leaving Hiccup alone, with only the gentle hum of the fluorescent lighting, and the steady slurps of the History professor in the corner, still making steady work on his coffee. After a few minutes of doing nothing but drumming his fingertips on the countertop, he headed back into the staff room and grabbed an old battered copy of Romeo and Juliet from his bag. If nothing interesting was going to happen this evening, he might as well use his time wisely. He perched himself on an upturned crate behind the counter and lost himself in the play, scrawling notes in the margin, and sticking post-it notes on important scenes.

He poked his head up over the top of the counter when the history professor rose from his seat, to give him a nod and a polite thank you, before ducking his head back down and getting right back to Shakespeare. When the last minutes of his shift rolled around, he stood, stretched, and left the star-crossed lovers on the counter, to start closing the shop up.

Just as he was flicking off the last appliance, there was a jingle behind him, and there was a gust of wind as the door opened. Hiccup’s jaw clicked.

“We’re closed,” he said, without turning around.

“The sign says you close at ten.”

Hiccup scowled. “It’s nine fifty-five.”

“Exactly. Not closed.”

“Sorry, it’s policy that we stop serving ten minutes before closing.”

“It takes two minutes.”

Hiccup gave a long sigh and turned around. He was rather surprised to find someone he recognised on the other side of the counter; Astrid Hofferson, a fellow English student, looked rather frazzled. Her jacket was half-slung off her shoulder, her hair was a mess, and she was rocking back and forward on her toes, like she was desperate to leave the building.

“I’ve already switched everything off.”

She gave him a look, like she thought he was the stupidest man on Earth. “So, switch it back on.”

“Astrid—”

“—How do you know my name?”

She froze, her eyes narrowed to slits.

“We’re on the same course,” Hiccup said. Her face was blank. “We share all of the same classes. I introduced myself to you on the first day, do you not remember?”

She eyed his name tag and raised an eyebrow. “I’d remember a guy named Hiccup.”

“It’s a nickname,” he said, hotly.

Indignation was burning in the back of his throat, first that she was being the textbook rude customer, and second, that in two years of sharing the same classes, this girl didn’t seem to have any idea who he was.

She hadn’t made any sign of movement, and Hiccup realised, with a sinking heart, that she wasn’t going to budge.

“What do you want then?” he said, the last shreds of his customer service manners vanishing along with his goodwill.

Astrid didn’t seem to care about his manners, she just listed her order, counting her money out on the counter, while Hiccup began to flick appliances back on to start them up again. As her coffee brewed, Astrid hopped from foot to foot, her fingers drumming on her arms. Hiccup glowered at her from over the counter, and once the drink was ready, he screwed on a lid and slammed it onto the countertop so hard that liquid began to slosh out. Astrid gave him a filthy look, but took the drink anyway, turning on her heel without so much of a thank you.

“Keep the change!” she yelled, before disappearing into the night.

The door slammed behind her, letting in a big gust of wind before nothing but the sound of the coffee machine behind him and the lights above him filled the air.

“You’re welcome,” Hiccup said to the empty room.

Professor Vaughn-Stretton was actually clicking at her.

“Miss Hofferson? Over here, please!”

Astrid clenched her jaw and sucked in a breath. The professor wasn’t even looking at her. His nose was in his books, one hand flourishing in the air as he snapped his fingers, like she was a dog and he was calling her to his heel. If he’d whistled, she’d have dumped his coffee right over his head.

She put on her best saccharine smile and headed to his desk. “How can I help you?”

“I left my briefcase in the lecture theatre, be a dear and go pick it up for me, would you?”

In her mind’s eye, Astrid punched him. She curled her hand into a fist, and socked him right in his stupid mouth, knocking that self-assured, patronising expression right off his face and into next week.

“No problem!” she said instead, in that fake falsetto polite voice she’d been using all day. Then she turned on her heel and high-tailed it out of there, doing her best not to slam the door on the way out.

Assault, while satisfying, would look terrible on her transcript.

She marched down the hall, not paying attention to where she was going - and slammed right into another student, knocking them both to the ground. The stack of paper the other person was holding went flying, scattering across the floor.

“Sorry!” Astrid gasped, crawling across the floor and scrambling to help pick them up.

“You look like you want to hurt somebody.” Astrid looked up to see Heather Whitman gathering pages onto her lap, looking at Astrid with an amused smile. “Bad day?”

“Don’t ask,” Astrid groaned, gathering up the last of Heather’s things and pulling herself to her feet. “If I told you I was going to murder someone you’d stop me, right? Like, you wouldn’t let me go through with it, would you?”

Heather tilted her head to the side. “Vaughn-Stretton.”

“Vaughn-Stretton,” Astrid sighed, handing Heather the rest of her things. “I’m this close to jumping out of one of the top floor windows and taking him with me. Hey, did I tell you about last night?”

The previous night, after finishing her studies for the day, she’d headed to Professor Vaughn-Stretton’s office, and found him mid-workflow. He’d apparently hit a breakthrough on his research project and had to simply drop everything in order to work on it. All evening, Astrid had been running around at his beck and call, filling every demand.

At nine forty-five, he threw his arms up in the air and groaned. “I need coffee.”

Astrid blinked. “Coffee, sir?”

“Coffee. Go get me some,” he said, opening his wallet and throwing a fiver at her. “Coffee shop closest to campus does the best.”

“It’s nearly ten, sir, it’ll be closing,” Astrid protested.

“Go quickly then.”

“They stop serving after—”

“Miss Hofferson,” he interrupted her, stopping her in her tracks. He finally looked up at her with a beady stare. “You know how lucky you are to be my assistant?”

“Yes, but—”

“Few people are given the opportunity to work with me directly. It’s a coveted position.”

“I know, but—”

“So, when I ask for coffee,” he said, his voice darkening, “you get me coffee. I don’t care what you have to do to get it, just go get it.”

Astrid relayed the whole conversation from the previous night to Heather, who by the end, had her hand clasped over her open mouth.

“He must be getting worse with age,” she said. “Not even Eret’s stories are that bad.”

“He’s matured like sour milk,” Astrid said, flicking through Heather’s papers before handing them back to her. “I had it in my head last night that I was going to ask him about my final essay. I was going to show him, and make him read it for me, and instead, I was running around, abusing the poor guy behind the counter just so that his royal highness could get some fucking coffee at ten o’clock at night.”

“He hasn’t even looked at your term paper?” Heather said, arching an eyebrow. “Come on, girl, you’ve been working for him for what, three weeks, now?”

“Close to a month and a half, actually,” Astrid said, dryly.

“A month and a half, and he hasn’t even looked at any of your work? Wasn’t that part of the deal of working for him?”

Astrid clenched her teeth. “It was supposed to be,” she said. “But I don’t want to bug him, or sound demanding, or petulant, or anything.”

“Astrid, no. You can’t let him walk all over you like this,” Heather said sharply, hastily stuffing her things into her bag so that her hands were free to press firmly on Astrid’s shoulders. “If you don’t hold him to his promises he’s going to keep getting away with treating you like a servant.”

“He has seniority!” Astrid said. “If I rock the boat, I might lose all hope of getting his approval and his reference.”

“No. You’re not letting him do this to you,” Heather said, turning Astrid on her heel and marching her back towards Vaughn-Stretton’s offices. “You’re going to go in there, and you’re going to ask him to look at your work, and you’re going to make him give you feedback.”

“But I was supposed to get his—”

“No. No excuses. Get in there and make him listen to you.”

Astrid had no choice. Once they’d reached the offices, Heather pressed a hand firmly behind Astrid’s back and pushed her through Vaughn-Stretton’s door. She stumbled over the threshold, blinking owlishly up at the professor, who was staring at her with an unimpressed look.

“Well?” he said, pushing his glasses up on the ridge of his nose. “Do you have it?”

Astrid frowned, silently cursing Heather in her head. “Actually, sir,” she began, brushing herself down. “I was wondering if I could ask something of you.”

Vaughn-Stretton gave a long sigh, like she was the biggest nuisance he had ever come across. “And what is that?”

“Well, uh,” Astrid said, rummaging around in her bag and pulling out the most recent draft of her final essay. “I’ve been working with you for a while now, and I was wondering if you could possibly take some time to give me some feedback on my term paper?”

She held out her paper and cringed at how crumpled and folded it was from having been shoved in her bag.

So much for looking professional.

The professor eyed her paper with disdain, and they stood in silence for a few long seconds before he let out another sigh. “Fine, give it here,” he said. “It’s not like I can do anything without my briefcase, anyway.”

Astrid stood in awkward silence, her right hand clutching on to her left arm, while she waited for him to read over her paper. It was an agonising few minutes, and aside from a few stray sighs and one or two tuts, she couldn’t decipher what the professor was thinking.

She was put out of her misery when, finally, he wrinkled his nose and looked back up at her.

“You’ve got a lot of work to do on this, Miss Hofferson,” he said, sternly. “Your writing is sloppy. Your main argument is weak. Are you sure that gender is really the avenue that you want to go down?”

“My whole thesis is about the author’s treatment of women and how that reflects on both the time period his works are set in and the period he was writing from,” Astrid stammered. “I thought there was plenty of stuff I could talk about, like—”

“—Yes, well, I’m not convinced that this a strong enough argument,” Vaughn-Stretton said, “I mean, can you really call Hemingway sexist?”

“…Are we talking about the same guy?”

Vaughn-Stretton ignored her. “Listen, if you really want a good example of how to talk about gender,” he said, opening up his desk drawer and pulling out a piece of paper, “you should really read Henry Haddock’s work.”

Astrid’s jaw clicked.

Henry Haddock.

“He really has a wonderful grasp on feminist theory, he has a true understanding of gender politics, his work is wonderful, really…”

Oh, what Astrid would give to go a day without hearing about Henry Haddock.

Professor Vaughn-Stretton’s personal favourite, Henry had been the bane of Astrid’s existence since their first year, and she didn’t even know what he looked like.

Always the top of every test, always the highest mark on every paper, Vaughn-Stretton brought him up almost every seminar, showering him in glowing praise in almost every class, and no matter how much Astrid had tried - and oh, had she tried - she couldn’t get a look-in. Not her polished papers, nor her perfect presentations served to impress the professor, and though she spent all of her free time doing nothing but running around at his beck and call, serving every demand, even the ridiculous ones - like buying him coffee at ten o’clock at night - and yet somehow, Henry Haddock didn’t have to say a word in class and he was still Vaughn-Stretton’s favourite.

Astrid took the paper from Vaughn-Stretton rather more forcefully than she meant to and scanned the page with her eyes. “Okay,” she said, a few minutes later, “but he’s basically making the same points as I am.”

The professor gave a derisive snort. “Mr. Haddock is remarkably skilled at presenting a nuanced point of view…”

He kept talking, but at this point Astrid was tuning him out, focusing on her breathing so that she didn’t strike Vaughn-Shithead right between the eyes and knock his stupid glasses right off his face.

When Astrid looked up a few moments later, he was still talking. “I can set up a meeting between the two of you, if you like,” he said. “I’m sure he’d be happy to tutor you.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Astrid said, curtly. She slipped Henry’s essay back onto the desk.

“Suit yourself,” Vaughn-Stretton said. “Now, I believe I asked you to get me my briefcase?”

Astrid didn’t dignify that with a response, she just turned on her heel and marched out of the room.

On her way out, she stormed straight into Heather, who looked up at her with hopeful eyes. “So, how did it go?” she asked, her voice two notches brighter than usual.

Astrid didn’t answer. She kept walking.

“That bad, huh?” Heather said as she stumbled forward to match Astrid’s stride.

Astrid stopped short. “Heather, when they find him dead, his stupid old man glasses stuffed down his throat and a knife sticking out of his back, you’ll testify on my behalf, won’t you?”

“Of course,” Heather said. “Providing alibis for your friends’ homicidal tendencies is basically rule one of girl code.”

The corner of Astrid’s mouth twitched.

“C’mon,” Heather said, her hand brushing against Astrid’s shoulder. “It can’t have been that bad, right?”

Astrid let out a long sigh and let herself drop onto a bench nearby. “I can take criticism. I can take negative feedback. I can’t take him babbling on about another student who’s apparently better than me in every single way.”

Heather sucked in a breath. “He didn’t.”

“Oh, he did,” Astrid said. “My writing stinks, apparently. Henry Haddock’s writing is a gift from the gods, though. Henry Haddock, by the way, who I only know because Vaughn-Shithead brings him up in every other breath. I’ve never even met him.”

“Henry?” Heather said, her eyebrows raised. “He’s not that bad of a guy, actually.”

“Wait, you know him?”

“Yeah,” Heather said, “except he doesn’t like being called Henry. He goes by Hiccup—”

“—he WHAT?”

The morning shifts at Bean & Gone were just as bad as the late ones.

There were a steady stream of students coming in and out of the shop, all of them stocking up on caffeine for the day ahead. They all looked about as awake as Hiccup felt, and he found that, for the first half hour of his shift, he worked on autopilot, letting his muscle memory take orders and make drinks, while his brain took the time to catch up to his body.

He was quickly brought back to reality though, when one customer marched up to the counter and slammed her hands down onto the countertop.

“Henry Haddock,” she said, her voice spitting venom.

Hiccup almost took a step back from the counter when he was met with the furious face of Astrid Hofferson, who was leaning so far across the counter that they were almost nose-to-nose.

“What can I do for you, Astrid?”

“You’re Henry Haddock.”

Hiccup blinked, his eyes shifting away for a second and then back at her. “I know I am.”

“You’re the Henry Haddock that’s been beating me to the top spot in every single class,” she said.

Hiccup couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up from the back of his throat and came sputtering out. It was definitely a mistake. She looked affronted, her hands twisting into fists on the table top.

“So…” Hiccup said, his laughter falling to an awkward chuckle when Astrid didn’t budge from her spot. “You gonna order, or…?”

There was a long pause, and Hiccup watched as Astrid’s expression changed. Her shoulders and hands relaxed, and though her face was still red, she offered him a smile. Not a nice smile, Hiccup noted to himself. A dangerous smile.

Then, without taking a breath, Astrid said, “A venti salted caramel mocha frappucino with five pumps of frap roast, four pumps of caramel sauce, four pumps of caramel syrup, three pumps of mocha, three pumps of toffee nut syrup, double blended with extra whipped cream.”

Another pause. Astrid did nothing but glare.

“You’re serious?” Hiccup said, his mouth gaping open.

Astrid kept staring at him.

“Who would even drink that—”

“—are you going to make me it or not?”

Hiccup waited another breath, and wondered for a moment if this was some kind of elaborate prank, before stammering, “Can you repeat that?”

Astrid rolled her eyes and repeated the order again, without taking a breath, again.

His fingers couldn’t get to the screen quick enough to punch in her order. It took him another three tries to get it right, and by the time he’d finally managed to do it, there was a queue forming behind Astrid, a long line of people growing steadily more impatient.

Making the drink took even longer, not helped by the fact that he had to check and recheck the order to make sure he’d made it exactly right. Hiccup had a feeling that Astrid wouldn’t except any mistakes. Once it was made, Hiccup handed it over and fought the urge not to make a face. Who in their right minds could drink this high maintenance sickly-sweet mess?

But Astrid took it, gave him a similarly sickly-sweet smile and headed to one of the tables, drinking the whole thing in about two minutes. He couldn’t appreciate the train-wreck in action, as he turned back to face a huge line of people clicking their teeth in impatience.

Astrid watched him from her corner, a satisfied smirk on her face, and Hiccup was sure that she’d done it on purpose.

Astrid showed up at Bean & Gone every day that week.

It was like clockwork; she’d figured out the exact times that the shop was at its busiest - and Hiccup was pretty sure that she’d memorised his entire shift schedule too - and she would stride up to the counter and order the most complicated and disgusting sounding drink that she could. She’d watch him struggle with it, make him repeat the order over and over again, and then she’d sit and drink the whole thing, keeping her eyes on him the whole time.

He didn’t know what he’d done to piss her off, but he did know, with all certainty, that Astrid Hofferson was going to be a problem.

Next Chapter

#hiccstrid #httyd #how to train your dragon #httyd2 #hiccup x astrid #look i did it #i have never drank a cup of coffee in my life #i hope you like it!#fanfiction

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astridthevalkyrie · 7 years ago

Text

I Knew You Were Trouble: Chapter 19

Modern AU. Jerkcup/Nerdstrid. After getting knocked out, Astrid could only hope that she was beginning to imagine things. Because being stuck with Hiccup Haddock for a week HAS to be a delusion...right? Rated T for language and sexual references.

Chapter 18

There was nothing else going through his mind, just that Dagur had hurt Astrid while trying to hurt Toothless and that Dagur was going to stop hurting people because Hiccup was going to hurt him instead.

He shouted for Snotlout to help Astrid and ran towards Dagur.

Really, he would much rather have stayed with Astrid, to make sure she was okay. But if he wasted time then Dagur would just hurt more people and Heather was already hurt and now Astrid was hurt and he wanted to hurt Dagur for being the cause of all of it.

Dagur saw him coming, and grabbed the hand the knife was in before twisting his arm back. Hiccup hissed in pain as the knife fell, but he wasn’t done. He raised a fist and punched the red haired boy, snarling even as his fist protested.

It brought a split lip in Dagur’s case. But it also brought back a fist for Hiccup, and a much harder one at that. He stumbled back, with a broken nose most likely, as Dagur punched him again, this time in the stomach.

Hiccup wouldn’t fall, even if he could taste blood.

So he didn’t crumble, his resolve wouldn’t let him crumble. But the floor did.

It started under Dagur’s feet and began to spread, and Hiccup was falling - falling until someone grabbed both his hands and screamed in pain.

It was Astrid - and - and he could see the blood on her shoulder and with a groan he pulled himself up, trying to get it through to her that she wasn’t supposed to come after him, that she was supposed to be out of this damned building and the chaos it was bringing. The chaos that Dagur was bringing.

But something in him softened at seeing her - that she stayed. For him. Even though she had just been stabbed. She cared about him enough to stay. She really did.

It was as he was wrapping cloth around her shoulder that her eyes widened in terror and it took him half a second to realize that the sky was falling on them.

So Hiccup dived over her without really thinking, and he let out a pained yelp as he felt a horribly hard piece pierce his leg. The weight of everything on him crushed Astrid as well, and she passed out.

There were sirens outside. Someone was here, than Thor, they would help her, they would -

Suddenly his leg was on fire, and he knew no more.

Hiccup had lost his leg.

Astrid had been told this information about ten minutes after waking up in the hospital. It was early morning, and apparently, some time throughout the night, there had been a decision to amputate Hiccup’s leg.

So it infuriated her to no end that the whole family was there when she woke up. Coddling her. All she had were a few stitches. She’d had to wrestle the information out of her mother - as well as learn that the others, including Heather, were unscatched and Toothless was back at the orphanage.

When she was finally allowed to walk around, some of her aunts cheered, and Astrid rolled her eyes. This was ridiculous. She wanted to see him, needed to see him -

To thank him, and to apologize.

Hiccup had taken the hit for her. And just a few hours before, she had accused him of helping a kidnapper. Astrid had a headache.

“I guess now we know that I have the better taste in boys,” Rosie said, grinning, once everyone was eating the horrible hospital food that Astrid couldn’t stomach at the moment.

Astrid froze, turning to face her cousin with a look of disbelief. “What did you just say?”

“You know where my boyfriend took me last night?” she asked with a smirk. “To a romantic dinner date. Meanwhile, you went to...what? A criminal. Nice standards, Astrid.”

“We went,” she growled with gritted teeth, “to get back a ten year old. An orphan.”

“Mmhm. And the best part is, along the way, your boyfriend becomes a cripple!” Rosie snorted, and the sudden anger the flooded through Astrid made its way into words.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Astrid hissed, taking a step forward. “He lost his leg, and you’re making jokes about him? The least you all could do it let me see him. And the best you personally can do, Rosie, is never talk about him again with your filthy mouth.” Then, as an afterthought, she added, “Bitch.”

With that, she brushed past her, ignoring her mother’s calls to come back. She was so sick of this. So sick of her family. She wanted to see her Hiccup, and neither the Hofferson clan nor the weak-willed woman who said only family was allowed to see Hiccup Haddock was going to stop her.

He had a private room, and Astrid, barging in, halted when she saw the towering figure of Stoick Haddock standing there.

They blinked at each other, until the man said quietly, “Hiccup is still asleep. He woke up very early, but was only awake for an hour.”

“Oh.” Astrid ran a hand through her hair. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to -”

“No harm done,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Here, you can come sit.”

So she did.

Hiccup looked...okay. He looked calm. She could imagine he hadn’t been so calm when he first woke up, but right now, he did. Small brown tufts of hair fell on his fair, with a few going to his eyes. She reached out and pushed the hair back, for a moment not caring that his father was watching. It would be a little too much if she kissed his forehead, though.

“Are you alright, Astrid?” Stoick asked quietly.

“I’m fine, sir.” She took a deep breath and leaned back. “I just got a few stitches on my shoulder. Dagur - he threw a knife at me.”

“Thor,” he breathed, “he really is a madman, isn’t he?”

“Oh, I think stabbing me is the least offensive crime he’s committed.”

They were silent for a few minutes. Her gaze fell back on Hiccup, how peaceful he looked, how brave he’d been - all of them had been brave yesterday, if nothing else.

All these feelings because of one basketball. Yeesh.

“He really looks up to you,” Astrid said suddenly to Stoick, who raised a brow. “He acts out so you notice him. He doesn’t think you approve of him.”

“He...of course I approve of him -” Stoick began, leaning forward, but Astrid shook her head and interrupted.

“Sir, you - if you measure someone by accomplishments, I wish you were my dad. Hiccup, though? He...he…” Astrid took a deep breath, trying to find the words. “I don’t think he thinks he’s good enough to be your son.”

When Stoick didn’t say anything, she kept going. “But he is. Gods, I - I didn’t like him at all a week ago. But, once I went past seeing him as a...jerk…” She cringed, but Stoick waved his hand to indicate it was fine and to keep going. “And once he stopped seeing me as, I don’t know, some robot, I...really liked who I saw.”

“Clearly he did too,” Stoick said wryly, gesturing to his son with a nod.

Astrid blushed fiercely, but nodded. “I’m not telling you how to parent or anything, I wouldn’t know the first thing, but I...really really like your son and his friends. I think they’re a lot more than what people like me or you could see them as.”

Stoick studied her for a few seconds before saying, “I think you’re right, Miss Astrid Hofferson.” His lips quirked in a smile and his eyes shone with amusement the same way Hiccup’s did. “I think you’re very right.”

So they sat there, not saying much after that, but Astrid had a feeling that they didn’t need to.

When Hiccup woke up again, Astrid Hofferson was sitting next to him, leaning back with her arms crossed and her eyes closed. She looked to be resting her eyes, but not sleeping. No one else was in the room.

He didn’t know what to do or why she was there.

“Astrid?”

Her eyes flew open and a relieved smile graced her lips. “Hiccup! You’re awake!”

“Is that what you call having your eyes open and being alert? I had no idea,” he teased, trying to sit up.

“Whoa, whoa. I don’t think you’re supposed to do that just yet.”

It did sting, just a little, so he lay back down. Astrid looked comfortable where she was, but she leaned forward and asked gently, “How do you feel?”

“Like a million bucks, milady.”

“Alright, that’s enough sarcasm out of you today.” Astrid rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling at seeing him awake. It made him giddy, and almost made him forget that he no longer had a leg.

“Your dad just left to get something to eat. He should be back soon.”

“Right.”

Hiccup didn’t break his gaze from her. There was still no explanation for why Astrid was there (wasn’t she missing school? Would she have missed school anyway? Did Astrid like anyone enough to miss school?) but he didn’t want to ask. He wanted her to stay.

After a few awkward seconds, they both spoke the same thing at the same time.

“So-”

“-rry.”

“Sorry?” Astrid asked, astonished. “For what?”

He wanted to laugh. Didn’t she know? There was so much to be sorry for on his part.

“For...for making this all happen. This stuff with Dagur. For getting Toothless kidnapped. For - oh, I know, for being a dick to you. For slapping you. For throwing a basketball at you. For - mmf.”

He was cut off as she pressed her lips against his, although he wasn't complaining. A pleasant wave of - of Astrid - rode into his senses. What was it about this girl that made kissing her so amazing?

She had moved from the chair to the bed and was letting their lips meld in unison. Hiccup slid an arm around her waist, because gods, she was kissing him she was kissing him she was actually kissing him -

“Stop…” Astrid murmured, finally pulling back. “Blaming yourself. Please. There’s…there’s enough dramatic things about this situation without you taking all this bullshit on yourself.”

So he did. She was staring at him like that so of course he did as she said.

Then she took a deep breath. “I'm sorry too. I called you names, I twisted your arm. I insulted your friends. I...I accused you of aiding a criminal.” She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on his. “I did all that and...I’m sorry.”

Maybe a week ago, Hiccup would have wanted to make a video of somehow getting Hotshot Hofferson to apologize. But a week ago he’d been stupid, no? This kind of moment wasn't something you shared, it was one you kept close and remembered and appreciated.

He didn't want him and Astrid to fight. He wanted them to be together. To - at the least - get through high school together. All of them hanging out out with their friends and helping the kids and having fun…

Hiccup tried to lean up to kiss her but couldn't quite manage it. Astrid grinned, the twinkle in her eye telling him that she knew he was attempting to mimic her smooth move.

Hiccup pouted, and so she leaned in, and soon there were no more words. Everything was Astrid. Astrid. Her lips, her hands, her cheeks, her freckles.

Hiccup didn’t want the moment to end.

It was only when Stoick came into the room with a tray in his hand that the two teens pulled apart, blushing and stuttering and avoiding his dad’s amused glances.

But the taste of her lips was finally etched into his memory, and, judging by her smiles and hand holding and general behavior, it seemed he’d have a lot more similar memories soon.

Hopefully.

Next chapter is the last chapter! ^_^ Thanks for reading!

#httyd #hiccstrid #hiccup #astrid #stoick #valkyrie stories

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theuntamedthorston · 5 years ago

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Tuff didn’t know what the dream was about but he had a feeling it was something that had happened to him. After he ran out of songs, he got his book of tales that he usually read to Chicken down from the shelf and started to read the story to Dagur, about a luck child, blessed by the gods but born to a poor family, and a king who felt threatened by the prophecy that said the peasant boy would one day be king. It was a good story - the king ended up getting his just desserts for trying to kill the boy, and boy marrying the princess. He’d read it again when Dagur woke up, if that was what he wanted. The guy seemed like he needed something more pleasant to think about as he navigated the murky waters of an unpleasant sounding dream.

Stories and fantastic ideas was how Tuff coped to his own father calling him stupid, imbecilic, moronic, inept, disastrous. Telling him he wished he’d abandoned Tuff in the woods for all the trouble he was, that at least a girl like Ruff could fetch a bride price and be useful, that he had singlehandedly driven the family to poverty - not because Hardsell squandered what little gold the family had on cheap mead and gambling, oh no - because everything wrong with the Thorston clan was all Tuff’s fault for being an unwanted, unplanned burden. Loki had cursed the entire family, and Tuffnut was the proof. Hardsell had of course been drunk when he said all this and quite possibly remembered none of it but he’d been saying more or less the same things with his actions over the years - a beating, a cuff to the ear, locking Tuff in a dark closet until he begged and bawled to be let out and mocking him cruelly for being a coward who was scared of the dark.

Ruff was the only one in his family who had ever stood up to Hardsell for him, saying that if he thought Tuff was worthless then he should just wait and see - she would be twice as worthless. She had shared everything of hers with Tuff - even her meals - and though they bickered constantly it was more the stress of their living situation than any real animosity toward each other. When the Twins had moved to the Edge it had been a world of difference. Tuff honestly couldn’t remember a time when they’d gotten along better, and they had learned so much. Not all of it was entirely useful - like how mushrooms spored or that there were different types of mold in the world. But in some cases it was, and Tuff was glad he’d been able to help Dagur.

He gave Sleuther a pat and smiled reassuringly. He’d get to see everyone soon. Ruff and Hiccup came in when he was still reading to Dagur, and they compared stories about all that happened to them. Snotlout had done a whole circuit of the island that morning and so happened to see ships approaching a seldom used part of the island. They had found ancient Whispering Death tunnels and that was how they had almost crept up on the Riders. They were going to seal the tunnels later, which would require explosions, which the Twins would probably be helping with (whether Hiccup wanted them to or not.)

Tuff looked at Dagur, actually for once in his life less excited at the prospect of blowing things up if it meant he left Dagur alone.

They took a seat next to him, Hiccup patting Dagur’s hand occasionally. Hiccup and Ruff talked to Dagur for an hour - Hiccup urging Dagur to recover and keep fighting and Ruff giving him tourist tips for what he could do in Valhalla if he didn’t pull through. Always helpful, his sister.

It allowed Tuff to finally rest - he was honestly exhausted. After they left to go make some mutton stew for dinner, promising to bring them food, Tuff tried to read to him again but wound up falling hard asleep mid sentence. He dropped forward in the chair, head landing on the pillow, forehead against Dagur’s temple.

(Cont. from thread: https://derangeddagur.tumblr.com/post/620578277979979776/sleuther-laid-his-large-head-down-on-the-foot-of)

Tuff gave the dragon a pat but mostly paid attention to Dagur. Oh man, the poor guy was really not having good dreams and Tuff doubted it was solely because of the dragon root. Dagur had spent three years in a dark nasty Outcast prison and while it had seemed logical at the time - more merciful than killing him anyway - he wished they hadn’t just left him with Alvin, the man he’d almost killed. Staying in prison on Berk might have helped Dagur far more in terms of getting his act together - he certainly wouldn’t have been whipped. He and Ruff might have pranked him mercilessly in the beginning at worst, but once they were bored they probably would have all gotten along great.

The maybe game was cruel, especially when one considered the long term effects. If he had been treated with kindness instead of relentless punishment, maybe Dagur would never have attacked Heather’s village. Maybe they could have found Oswald while he was alive. Maybe Dagur and Heather and Oswald would have gotten to be a family again and rebuild the Berserker tribe even better than before.

All that had happened was truthfully at least partly on them - it most assuredly wasn’t all Dagur’s fault - and Tuff knew deep down that he would always feel guilty for not knowing then what he knew now.

He smiled in relief when Dagur relaxed at his humming and kept it up, stroking his face and hair and chest, trying to lure him to better dreams. He heard the sound of wings and his sister loudly complaining that she hadn’t been able to blow nearly enough stuff up without him there. The others knew he was in the hut and would have to either fly over or reconnect the bridge to get there. Well, either way it was their problem - he wasn’t about to leave poor Dagur alone to his undeserved nightmares.

#dagur the deranged #tuffnut #httyd rtte #he a sleepy boi

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astrxd · 8 years ago

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hey! so I guess you're pretty busy and i hope things are going find and wish you nothing but good luck ☺️☺️. I have a prompt! Im watching s3 of rtte and an idea just came to my brain. When Heather arrives in ep 7 of s3 Fishlegs says that she's staying with Astrid, what if at night Hiccup is like overwhelmed by thoughts, totally forgets abt that and decides to go to Astrid's hut and the two of them have to make a silly excuse or you know

A/N: Hello! (*Note: Takes place during 03x07. Not S4 compliant.)

Emergency (Alternatively titled ‘Future’)

Hiccupwas seated at his desk with several pieces of parchment spread outbefore him: one depicted the immediate waters surrounding the Edge,while another was a census of Nadders, organized by time, flocknumber, altitude, and direction. The third, however…

Thethird was simply a myriad of scribbles and doodles and scribbled-outdoodles, all completed while he made fruitless attempts to connectdisparate dots and mismatching puzzle pieces. Hiccup stared down atthe map and furrowed his brow, glancing between two documents, tryingto make sense of the numbers--

(He tapped the metal of hisprosthesis against the wooden floorboards of his hut. He drummed hisfingers on the surface of the table. He cast his gaze toward thecorner of the room, momentarily letting it linger on a slumberingToothless… Before scrubbing a hand down his face as he rose fromhis seat.)

--Even after half an hour of trying to analyze thedata, the figures glaring up at him still didn’tmake sense.

When the Nadders passed through the area earlierin the year to make their return, there had been many, many moreofthem. Granted, it was entirely possible that he may have justmiscounted the populations of the herds, or the other groups tookalternate routes, or simply were just delayed,but Hiccup was still worried -- reasonably so, too, what with thepotential things that may have caused the discrepancies between thedata he and the other riders collected.

Maybe they weren’teven delayed. Maybe some of the Nadders ended up--No. No,he refused to believe it, for the sake of his own sanity. Regardlessof how plausible it was. The thought of an entire group -- or evenmultiple flocks -- of Deadly Nadders in the Hunters’ clutches broughta sick, twisting feeling to his stomach. Frustrated, Hiccupdismissed the prospect with a huff and started to roll up the sheetsof parchment, if only to pry his eyes away from the numbers. He knew,deep down, that he was being just a littlebitparanoid, but no matter how many times he tried to reassure himselfthat things would be okay… The safety (and frightening, heartbreaking lack thereof) of every dragon out there stillmanaged to fray his nerves. They all knew what Hunters put DeadlyNadders through -- Stormfly especially -- so with all of the quills anentire flock or two would provide for them… It wasn’t themost pleasant thought, and he was basically powerless. Basically -- butnot entirely. And that’s what hurt the most.Hiccup knewthat he could do somethingtohelp; he just… Didn’t know what.Hislegs moved on their own volition. Before he could truly register it,he found himself beneath a canopy of stars and walking the pathtoward Astrid’s hut -- a walk he’s completed many a times. It’sonly when he stands outside of the side door that leads directly intoher room that he processes where he is, but at that point, he doesn’tfeel like staying in his hut -- a place where he knew that he’d becompelled to lash out. At himself, no less. Toothless didn’tneed to be woken -- not after the long day they both had.Aheavy sigh was drawn from his lips and his shoulders sagged, allwhile a sudden wave of fatigue that he wasn’t initially aware ofweighed down on him. In the midst of everything happening, Hiccup hadneglected to catch up on lost hours of sleep spent trying to figureout their next move, and a shorter temper and an inability to thinkvery rationally were both results of his carelessness.(Thatwas the ironic part. He cared so much, he’d become careless.Whenwould it end? All of the crippling irony and the mind games and thereverse psychology?)The prospect of Astrid’s company becamemuch more appealing by the moment. At least with her, he could placehis trust in her straightforwardness -- in how direct she was with him.Hiccup resigned himself to dropping his forehead against the woodendoor in surrender to his sudden wave of tiredness, and if it hadn’t been for thecool breeze sweeping across the nape of his neck, he certainly couldhave fallen asleep right then and there. A dry thought of howhilariously compromisingsucha position would be if he slept through the morning crossed his mind,but like the wind, it was gone in an instant. Withoutconsideration of how late it was, Hiccup rapped his knuckles againstthe door in a rhythm that was engraved into his heart. Sure, it waspossible that Astrid was asleep -- but it’d be fine. He just… Hejust needed to know that he wasn’tcompletelylosing his mind.That, and, with everything that happenedearlier that day, it almost felt as if he hadn’t exchanged anythingmore than a few words with Astrid. That simply wouldn’t do.Hedidn’t wait for a response -- neither of them ever did, not when itcame to their evening rendezvous, both impromptu or planned. “Hey,”he greeted, having only cracked the door open the slightest bit tofurther announce his arrival. “I really needed to--”Hisactions didn’t strike him as dire mistakes until he fully slippedinside… Because that was when he found that Astrid wasn’t in herhut alone. Sitting with her on her bed was Heather. Heather.Odin’sbeard,how did he forget?“Hiccup,”Astrid announced, blinking blankly. “Astrid,” Hiccup managed, clearly a little stunned. “He-e-ey,Heather -- hi. Aha. Hey. You’re -- hi. Heather.” “Hiccup?”Heather repeated, leaning forward a little. In the light of the room,he could see the incredulity on her face (squinted eyes and knitted brows) -- as if the pitch of hervoice wasn’t enough. Hiccup flinched at the accusatory tone andoffered a nervous laugh… And an even more nervous wave. Then, afrantic glance in Astrid’s direction revealed her half-amused,half-mortified expression to him, but quite frankly, he didn’t knowwhich side he agreed with more. Before he could stammer out anexplanation or an apology, Heather turned back toward Astrid. “That’sa door?”Hiccupmuttered a swear under his breath. He couldhavejust taken the opportunity to dip out of the hut and leave the twogirls to themselves again, but that would most likely raise morequestions. Instead, he stood his ground -- if “standing his ground”roughly translated to clearing his throat and casting his gazeelsewhere.

“It’san emergency exit,” Astrid replied -- rather smoothly, too. He was proud of her for how nonchalant she sounded, seeing as he was standing at the “emergency exit” with flushed cheeks and fidgety fingers. “Yousound surprised, Heather. Why wouldn’tIhave one of those? There’s are hatches and ladders above and beneath my bed,too. Who do you think I am?” It was as if she werecompletely nonplussed by the fact that he justwalkedinto her hut in the middle of the night with a set of quiet knocks ashis only preamble. When worded like that, it didn’t sound that bad…But when Heather sent him a wolfish smirk, Hiccup’s spine wentrigid.“Sothis must be an emergency,”Heather drawled, already about to stand up. Astrid beat her toit -- she set a hand on Heather’s shoulder and stood up first, thoughHeather rose to her feet anyway. After that, it was almost as if hedidn’t exist for a couple of exchanges.“Heprobably just needs to talk. Not an emergency.”“Oh, please, Astrid. Why else would he use your emergencydoor?”“Because,well… Well, I don’t know. He’s Hiccup. He does whatever hewants,” Astrid shrugs, her response sounding a the tiniest bit curtunder Heather’s rapid-fire retort. He would have butted in at that, and he was prepared to, but a moment of contemplation brought clarity to her statement -- it was kind of true, actually.“Validpoint,” Heather laughs. “Still, your front door was working justfine when Iusedit.”“LikeI said -- he’s Hiccup.”“ImplyingHiccupgetsto use your emergency door whenever he wants, even in the middle ofthe night?”“Well,yes -- I mean, no. Ijust, I guess I forgot to tell you? That we… Do this.These -- evening debriefs, and -- and reports! About what’s happeningon the Edge, and such. Just so we’re all on the same page, should acrisis arise.”Heather arches a brow at her.“Pardonmy asking, but I guess I should just know for future reference, ifI’ll be here a while -- are these debriefings,” Heather seems to snicker at the word, and Hiccup reddens a little when he connects the dots, “with Hiccup private, or does Snotlout or the twins of Fishlegs sit in on them?Because, you know, I can give you two your privacy--”Okay. He’dbeen a little amused by the back-and-forth taking place before him,mostly because his presence had gone momentarily forgotten, but thatcomment was a little too close to comfort -- what with the chance for Heather to make assumptions thatHiccup would rather not give the potential to start tocirculate.“Aha,haha, ha -- um, no, nothing like that, I just needed to tell Astrid… Something?” Hiccup finally interjected, lifting one hand, eventhough he already spoke out of turn. Heather snorted and set eitherof her hands on her hips; Astrid sighed and folded her arms, allowinga brief moment of silence to wash over the three of them. It’sthen, and only then, that Hiccup really notices the fact that Astridlacked both her usual braid and her armor, leaving her in but woolleggings and a lengthy tunic he’s seen her uses as night clothes -- while it’s not as if seeing her in such astate was foreign, it still felt a little… Strange. What with thecompany of a third party who was making rather suggestive comments, alongside the fact that he’s only everbeen able to see Astrid Hofferson in such a state when they werealone....Nonetheless,the wavy cascade of pale gold framing her face created an image thatwas nothing short of mesmerizing. He would have continued to stare,if not for her speaking up and slicing through the quiet.“…It’sthe Nadders, isn’t it?” Astrid guessed gently; softly -- correctly, too. Thecurious gleam in her eyes seemed to fade when he nodded, even thoughhe had confirmed her suspicions a little hesitantly. Granted, Hiccupshould have known that his worry would be painfully obvious toAstrid,of all people, but even so, he deflated upon seeing concern flood herexpression. Ah, yes. The pros and cons of being like an openbook in Astrid Hofferson’s eyes -- a pro being she could figure outwhat he was feeling or thinking with just a single glance, and a conbeing exactly that, too. While it wasn’t as if there was anythinghe needed to keep from her, nor was it as if he didn’t trust herwith his life, sometimes… Sometimes, Hiccup would feel morecomfortable knowing that it wasn’t thateasyfor her to start worrying about him. She had her own problems -- thoughmany overlapped with his own, it still didn’t always feel like thegreatest thing in the world to throw his baggage onto her shoulders,too.Then again, he also supposed that that was why theyjustworked so well: every burden was, in essence, a burden shared.Andthis was just one of them, then.“Thenumbers are concerning,” he finally states, filling the gap ofsilence that had settled between all three of them before casting abrief, apologetic glance in Heather’s direction. The slightsmugness in her expression hadn’t fully dissipated in the presence of her own tinge of worry, but she was alreadystepping away to… Give them that privacy, maybe? Her next words hadthat sort of implication, at least.“That…Sounds like an emergency. So, I’m gonna go check on Windshear,”she announced, before pausing in her steps to look over her shoulderat the two of them. “Using the frontdoor.”“Youcan stay,” Astrid assured her instead, rather quickly. She seemedto have caught herself there, and elected to then clear her throatand step forward to stand beside him, pivoting on her heels to do so.“I’ll head to Hiccup’s hut so you can get some rest.”Theentire time, Astrid hadn’t dropped her gaze from Hiccup. On onehand, the concern swimming in her eyes was maddening, but her eyesthemselves were also… Maddening.It was a little strange, since Heather was still in the room, thoughHiccup didn’t look away either.“…No,no -- if, if anything, we can just -- talk in the morning and--”Beforehe could finish, the sound of a door thudding shut had cut him off.All that remained of Heather was a memory of an impish upturn of herlips and her belongings amongst Astrid’s.“--Aaandshe’s already gone. Great,” Hiccup sighed, shaking his head. Theurge to drag his hand down his face was strong, but he opted for justrubbing his temples instead. “Now -- now, Heather thinks I just,barge into your hut in the evening using some secret side door toavoid being spotted by the gang. That’s definitely notgoingto be seen as an, an invitation, of sorts, for them to question ourprivacy.”“Yousay that as if it’s nottrue,Hiccup. If you haven’t noticed, that’s kind of exactly what youdo.” She smiled gently and took his hand, and a smile in return wasimpossible for him to deny her. “Besides, it’s only Heather. And, well, hey -- if it makes you feel any better, your expression was kind of priceless.”She laced her fingers with his, her eyes brieflyrevealing her concerns as she tugged him toward her bed. The bedframe creaked quietly as they sat down, hip to hip, shoulder toshoulder, hands still joined. Hiccup wouldn’t have wanted it anyother way.

“Ha,ha. I’m glad oneofus is getting some amusement out of this,” he drawls, causingAstrid to nudge her elbow into his side. “Me,too, babe,” she quips, laughter still in her voice -- but only for amoment. There’s a significant shift in the mood of the room, andher fingers tighten around his. “So… The Nadders?”Hiccup’sexpression falls. For a moment -- just a few -- the situation at hand hadleft the forefront of his mind. He could feel his heart race withworry, and a knot form in the base of his throat, rising and risinguntil he could hardly get out a single word without his voicesounding strained. Astrid had taken to tracing idle circles on hisknee with her free hand, which was slightly distracting… But onlyslightly.“There’sless,”hefinally manages, expression steely. “A lot less. And I don’t likethinking that--”“Iknow,” she says hurriedly, saving him from having to even utterthewords. Furrowed brows and all, he gives her an appreciative littlesmile, but it’s quick to fade.“--becauseit makes me feel like--”“Youand I both know that--”“--likeI, somehow, failedtokeep all of those--”“--noneof this--”“--Nadderssafe from--”Hiccup faltered there, so Astrid’s words wereall he heard. She lets go of her hand to wrap her arm around hisshoulders. He lets her, and conforms to the way she tugs him in,eventually leaning his head against hers. He finds unwavering comfortin the position; in her presence. “--Noneof this is your fault.”The tone of her voice was gentle andfirm; reassuring but resolute. It’s terribly Astrid,and he knows that there’s truth to her words, but he’s stillhesitant to believe her. Not when Viggo has potentially gotten hishands on innocent dragons, and not when it’s possible that Hiccupcould have probably done moretoprevent such an outcome. “…Butit feels like it is.”“It’snot,” she repeats. At this point, she’s gotten up from her seatbeside him to stand in front of him, and she’s placed her hands oneither side of his neck. Instead of remaining standing, however, shecups his chin and stoops toward the ground, making it so that she’sthe one looking up at him.

Adeliberate move. A tactic she’s employed time and time again overthe years. Hiccup knows what it means -- it means she’s serious, andhe’s being unreasonable. …As per usual, anyway. Astridangles his chin toward her, offering him the slightest of smiles whenhis eyes find hers. There’s a kiss somewhere there, and while hewas a little too lost in his thoughts to actively return it, Astridisn’t deterred by any means. When they part, her fingers arecarding through the hair at the nape of his neck and he’s hunchingover a little more, if only to be closer.“Iwasgoingto drop by yourhuttonight,” she confesses, “but I don’t think Heather would sleepthrough even mesneakingout. So maybe we both get up early instead? See if there’s anystraggling Nadders, patrol the island, keep an eye out forships? It would help to have Stormfly out there with you.”It’s a proposition he can’t refuse, so he smilesin confirmation and brushes his nose against her own before the bothof them stand up. By now, he’s comfortably settled either of hishands on her waist, and she’s got her arms looped around his neck.Hiccup boldly presses the slant of his lips to her own, kissing herquite thoroughly, before laughing a little -- for the first time thatevening, no less.“Or,”he starts, grinning, “you could just say it’s anemergency.”“Hardy-har-har,”Astrid sneers, not mean-spiritedly, as she gives him a peck on thecheek then a gentle shove toward the door. “I love you, too,” she adds, knowingly. “Nowget out and get some sleep, Haddock. Before Heather really gets an idea of what we get up to at night.”

“Edge defense fortification plans?”“Get out of my hut.”

He complied with a broad grin, butwhen he looked back… He wasn’t looking ‘back’atall.Lookingbehind him -- at Astrid -- was the equivalent of looking at his future.

#requests #ok i think i strayed from the prompt the teeniest bit by focusing on outside elements #but i hope this suffices!! tysm again for the prompt #it's nice 2 b writing again goshdang #hiccstrid #rtte #my writing #man i still think that theyd be established during this time #but it's gucci :')#Anonymous

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shipmistress9 · 6 years ago

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FTLOAP: Chapter 35: I Will Be Right Here Waiting For You

Fandom: HTTYD

Theme: Hiccstrid - Medieval-style AU - Romance - Angst/Hurt/Comfort

Rating: Explicit

FF-net - AO3 -

Discord-server for discussions and questions

Part 1: Prologue; Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7; Chapter 8; Chapter 9; Chapter 10; Chapter 11;

Part 3:

Chapter 34

Alpha/Co-author: @athingofvikings

. – * – _ . o O o . _ – * – .

I again want to invite everyone who is interested to athingofviking's Discord server. It's growing constantly and slowly turning into a general HTTYD fan server. You can find the invite like above.

This week's title comes from the song 'Right Here Waiting' by Richard Marx. For this chapter, I was actually looking for an extremely cheesy title (because... reasons) and listened through a playlist of rock ballads. Let's just say... I cried a lot! xD In the end, I choose this title then. It's probably not quite as dramatic as the song, but I thought the line fit nicely anyway. ^^

. o O o .

Absentmindedly, Hiccup brushed over the spot on his arm where he could still feel Astrid’s touch. Last night, she’d gripped him so tightly that her fingers had left bruises. Smiling to himself as he groomed Chomp, he mused about how it must have hurt at the time, at least a little, but he couldn’t remember the pain by any stretch of the imagination. As always, being with her had been perfect, and those bruises were nothing but sweet reminders of their time together.

Although, if he wanted to avoid other bruises of a less pleasant nature, he’d better focus on the big horse in front of him. Of all his charges, Chomp was the most aggressive, and it was probably only thanks to the months they’d spent in close proximity that the stallion hadn’t used Hiccup’s distracted state for his own advantage.

With a hint of nervousness, Hiccup thought about why he had to groom Chomp to perfection today. Any minute now, Eret and Dagur would arrive, and bringing with them Snotlout of House Jorgenson, Chomp’s new owner. Hiccup couldn’t help but wonder what kind of person he was. He’d heard lots of stories about him by now, back during his time on Berk from the occasional merchant and during his years searching for information from the talkative men in the taverns, and then more funny and personal ones from Eret, Dagur, and Astrid over the last few months. All those stories had painted a certain picture of the man, whom Hiccup had never met despite their connection.

He didn’t need to wait long before the men arrived, Dagur’s booming laughter giving Hiccup warning of their approach.

"Morning, Hiccup," Eret greeted him with a tired smile as they came into view.

"Good morning, my lords," he replied, bowing. He was holding formal behaviour with a bit more enthusiasm than usual, and more earnestly. Carefully, he glanced at the new man following Dagur into the stables. He was short, certainly the shortest of them all, but far more bulky than Hiccup at least. He clearly was a trained warrior, muscles shaped by fights and practice. His black hair was relatively short, even though Hiccup still noticed that it had a familiar unruly streak to it. His face was neutral, polite but not really interested, as the man's eyes glided over him, noticing and dismissing him at the same moment. To Snotlout, Hiccup was nothing more than a lowly servant.

Hiccup glanced at Eret. So they hadn't told Snotlout anything yet. That was good, Hiccup supposed, but it certainly couldn't stay that way. Sooner or later, he would notice something anyway, so they had better tell him directly before he drew his own conclusions. He gave Eret a small nod, which he returned after a moment's hesitation.

With a bit of a smirk, Eret gestured from one of them to the other. "May I introduce? Sir Snotlout, ducal heir of House Jorgenson. And this is my squire, Hiccup..."

Hiccup could practically feel the tension hanging between them, how not only he but Dagur and Eret as well had their eyes on Snotlout, gauging his reaction.

At first, the expression on Snotlout's face barely changed. "Nice to meet you. Hiccup, eh? With that name, I guess you're from the North?"

"I am, Sir," Hiccup replied, directly meeting the other man's gaze. He could see the moment Snotlout noticed that something was off. Hiccup didn't know whether it was because Eret and Dagur were still staring at them or because Hiccup met his eyes without the usual deference of a servant, but it was as if something in Snotlout's eyes changed, something shifted, clicked into place.

"Hiccup you said?"

Hiccup nodded, still not taking his eyes off of Snotlout's. The other man frowned. "Are you..." he trailed off, glancing at Eret. "Is he... who I think he is?"

Eret took a deep breath and nodded. "I guess so?"

Anxiously, Hiccup waited for the reaction. What would it be? Surprise, certainly. Disbelief. Maybe anger? A certain hostility? There was a reason why they'd never met before, after all... But when the reaction came, it was nothing like Hiccup had expected.

“I can’t believe it!” he exclaimed, a wide grin on his face. “Ayye! Cousin!” He held out his hand toward Hiccup which he took more out of reflex than anything else, and was pulled into a friendly but bone-crushing hug. Snotlout pounded him fondly on the back and said, “I never thought us meeting at last would happen in a stable, of all places!”

Out of all the possible reactions Hiccup had contemplated, this was pretty far off the track. And apparently, Dagur and Eret were just as surprised as Hiccup was. They stood to the side and stared at Snotlout with clear bewilderment on their faces, and it didn’t take long before Snotlout noticed.

“What?” he asked with a huge grin. “Didn’t you know that we’re related?” He gestured between himself and Hiccup. “His father was my mother’s brother, may she have a good spot at Freya’s tables.”

Eret and Dagur shared a look, and Hiccup couldn’t help but feel the same confusion. “As a matter of fact,” Eret eventually answered. “We did know that. But…” he paused, licking his lips. He threw a quick glance at Hiccup, clearly asking a question, and Hiccup nodded. It wouldn’t be feasible to keep this secret from Snotlout anyway. “Is… is that all you’re surprised about? To see Hiccup here?”

Snotlout frowned, quickly glanced at Hiccup as if hoping for an explanation from his cousin, but then shrugged. “Yes? Despite our relation, we’ve never met before. I know you always were close to that part of your family, Eret, but for me it’s been different. We were always busy enough with our problems in Westhill, so visiting family never was a high priority. And it’s not as if his family ever made much effort to stay in contact either…” he added, his tone slightly grumbling.

Hiccup grimaced, but didn’t know what to say. It was true that they hadn’t stayed in contact with House Jorgenson, especially after Snotlout’s mother, his father’s sister, had died and Grand Duke Spitelout had remarried. But they had always been somewhat reclusive, from the mainland branches of the family as well as pretty much from everyone outside of the Tribes; it hadn’t been personal. But Snotlout seemed to take it that way, and Hiccup couldn’t really blame him for that. However, this wasn’t what was odd about Snotlout’s reaction anyway.

“He doesn't know,” Dagur stated flatly, something like hysterical laughter bursting from his chest. Not even he was able to fully make fun of a situation like this.

“‘Doesn’t know’ what?” Snot inquired, clearly getting a little irked now. “Are you making fun of me?”

Again, Dagur and Eret shared a glance, clearly uncomfortable now, but Hiccup felt weirdly detached. “I shouldn’t be here,” he said in a monotone voice. “Because I’m supposed to be dead. My whole family is dead, and I should have died with them.” The truth of these words burned with a sudden flare in his chest, and only the glow of his connection with Astrid was able to soothe the guilt. Yes, he should be dead too… But what would that have done to her?

Snotlout’s eyes widened in shock. “Dead?” he whispered, then turned to look at Eret and Dagur as if seeking confirmation. “They’re dead? All of them? When? How?”

“Nobody really knows how,” Eret sighed. “But it’s already been two years... And you really never heard about it? I know the tribes aren’t exactly forthcoming with any information, but…”

Snotlout shook his head, troubled. “No… I mean, we really have enough problems of our own, but I would have thought…” He glanced at Hiccup again. “I’m sorry to hear that, for your loss and… and for not knowing. I still can’t believe…”

Hiccup took the words with a silent nod. He’d know that meeting Snotlout would probably bring this topic up, had been prepared. But it was still jarring.

“Nobody knows that Hiccup is still alive though,” Eret eventually said. “Hence the squire charade. That way, nobody will look too closely at him. So I hope you understand that you can’t tell anyone.”

Snotlout frowned, but then nodded. “Of course,” he agreed. “I trust that you have your reasons, so I won’t say anything.”

An uncomfortable silence overcame them. Hiccup couldn't tell whether his secret would be safe with Snotlout; he didn’t know his cousin at all, after all. But Eret and Dagur had assured him that he was trustworthy, and it wasn’t as if he had a choice anyway. He just hoped that Snotlout wouldn’t tell the wrong person after all, ending in Hiccup waking up one day to… well, to not wake up at all.

“All right,” Eret eventually broke the silence, clapping his hands. “We came here for a reason, didn’t we? Snot? This here is your new stallion: Firewind Hookfang–”

“Or Chomp, as everyone calls him,” Dagur threw in.

“He’s got a bit of a temper, but since you’re used to our horses already, I don’t think you’ll have... many problems with him.”

Snotlout took the hint to change the topic, and joined Eret at Chomp’s stall. “I might be used to having them around, but I’m not really used to riding one,” he corrected airily. “But I’ve got to say, I’m looking forward to it. Thor, he looks impressive! Just what I’d hoped for.”

A short while later, all traces of awe or smugness had left Snotlout. Instead, he was cursing all of Eret’s and Dagur’s ancestors as he once more got up from the paddock’s floor, rubbing his backside, while Eret was trying to recapture Chomp and Dagur was laughing cordially.

“Yeah, that’s how I imagined this,” the redhead burst out, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. “Beautiful. Ah, that makes up for all the boring training with the recruits and formal dinners. Seeing the fine Lord Snotlout covered in dust and dirt, and for once it’s not even my fault.”

“Nor mine,” came another voice from behind them. “Loki, that almost makes up for having to walk the whole way out here again.”

All four men looked up, and Hiccup felt as if the sun was rising once more when his eyes fell on Timothy – with Astrid two steps behind him.

“Swanja!” Eret greeted her enthusiastically as he led an intractable Chomp at his side. “Now, that’s a surprise. I didn’t expect you to show up here today.”

“And neither did I,” Astrid agreed. “But I certainly didn’t say no when Father suggested I ought to… to enjoy this last day with you.” There was a slight trembling in her voice that certainly nobody missed, but also nobody reacted to – even though Hiccup felt the strong urge to go to her and take her in his arms.

“Plus, there’s not much she can do in the castle anyway,” Timothy added. He leaned down to fish an apple out of the basket he’d been carrying. “The castle is a nightmare, everyone buzzing about preparing for tomorrow. Honestly, I can’t remember things ever being this crazy.”

“It’s been pretty busy,” Eret agreed, frowning. “But I assume that’s because of the accolades? I mean, three high noble accolades in two seasons... well, that’s special, so more people than usual decided to make the journey here and get all three of them done. And they take the royal birthday as a bonus.”

“Aye, that’s probably it.” Timothy took a hearty bite from his apple. “Either way, I’ve got to go back and help too.” He grimaced. “Astrid’s governess was in a bit of a panic just now, something about a missing tax collector, and Ruff threatened to read Chicken scary bedtime stories for a month straight if I don’t return as soon as possible and help her deal with the madwoman. So, as much as I’d like to laze around for a while, I’ve got to go. Eret, she’s your responsibility now.”

“As always,” Eret replied, and shook his head at how quickly Astrid’s warder retreated. Chuckling, he turned his attention toward Astrid. “But since when does your governess care for any belated tax collectors?”

Astrid snorted. “I have no idea,” she emphasised. “I mean, she’s been acting weird for a couple of weeks now, being even stiffer and stricter when it comes to my manners than usual but also being surprisingly supportive whenever I was to spend the day with you guys.” She shrugged. “I gave up on trying to make sense of her.”

Everyone agreed, chuckling, then they all turned their attention back on Snotlout and his new stallion. Hiccup and Astrid shared a quick, longing glance, but with so many people around, they didn’t dare to hold eye contact or, Freya forbid, even move closer. Hiccup had to admit though, just being near her was enough to soothe his anxiety from before. It was enough to hear her laughter when Snotlout landed in the dust again with a vile curse, enough to see her from the corner of his eyes.

All in all, it was a relaxed day. In-between Snotlout’s rather painful-looking attempts to befriend Chomp, they made an extended break, ate the bread and fruits from the basket Timothy had brought, talked and laughed, and generally enjoyed the day.

When the sun was a good bit past its zenith, Astrid yawned, drawing everyone's attention.

"I think I'd like to go for a walk," she declared, and stretched. “As much fun as all this is, just sitting around here makes me tired.”

"Really?" Dagur asked in a playfully exaggerated tone. "How can you get tired of watching Snot land in the dirt?"

"Haha, very funny," Snotlout grumbled.

Astrid chuckled, such a wonderful and light sound that made Hiccup smile despite himself.

"Where would you want to go?" Eret asked, frowning. "Just up and down here along the paddock?"

Astrid shook her head. "No... I don't know. Just walking around a bit; maybe over to the pond and watch the swans." She shrugged.

"I'm not..." Eret muttered, grimacing. "Dagur? Would you want to accompany her?"

"And miss the show here?" he asked, gesturing to where Snot was about to mount Chomp once more. "I don't think so."

Astrid, however, rolled her eyes. "You do know that I can walk that bit on my own, right?" she said sourly.

"I do," Eret assured her. "But I officially took over the responsibility for you. And if anyone was to spot you wandering around unsupervised, your governess will want my head. And I can't leave Snot alone here."

Astrid grimaced, but didn't say anything, and Hiccup had the feeling that she wasn’t really annoyed or even surprised by this anyway. Nobody, surely not Eret, doubted her capability. As always, it was all just about appearances.

Or maybe, it was all part of a plan. She threw him a quick glance when nobody was looking, and Hiccup spoke without thinking much about it. "How about I go with her?"

Two or three months ago, such a suggestion would have been dangerous. But after the past weeks, the only one looking surprised or worried by those words was Snotlout.

"That would be an option. Is that all right for you, Swanja?" Eret asked.

Astrid snorted, playing her role well. "If it makes you feel better," she said, a mixture of amusement and light annoyance in her voice.

With that matter settled, Hiccup and Astrid headed off in the general direction of the little swan lake. It was broad daylight, and being outside where they could get seen by any random by-passer made them cautious enough not to even walk too closely to each other. But Hiccup had to admit that just this, walking side by side through the sunlight, felt good. Another memory he would treasure.

"This is nice," Astrid eventually commented, apparently thinking the same as him. She threw him a warm smile, and her hand twitched as if she wanted to take his but caught herself in the last moment.

"It is," he agreed, returning her smile. And it was. It was good to do something so ordinary as taking a walk together. In a couple of days, he'd dearly miss this.

When they reached the pond, however, Astrid's mood visibly fell.

"They aren't here," she muttered. "Again."

Hiccup let his eyes wander over the water and the high grass around it, but couldn't spot the swans either. "Maybe they're looking elsewhere for food? Or are breeding?"

"Maybe," Astrid nodded, sighing. “But coming here was more of a pretence anyway,” she added, a small smirk tugging at her lips. She glanced around, then looked at him again and gave a nod toward the forest. “Let’s go that way.”

Once they were relatively well hidden between the trees and bushed, Astrid weaved her finger through his as they walked on through the forest. Hiccup mused how different this was from how scared she’d been of getting caught in the beginning, and it made him smile. She’d come so far. Oh, he knew that part of this new-found confidence was due to the desperation of getting separated. But he was also sure that another not quite irrelevant part was due to her being less afraid in general, and he just loved to see this side of her. Confident. Happy. Free.

Hiccup didn’t keep track of where they were going, only followed Astrid’s lead. They only talked occasionally, quietly, and otherwise enjoyed the comfortable silence and the touch of their hands, listening to the singing birds and to the wind rustling through the leaves and branches. It was a wonderful day for a walk like this, warm enough so that even here between the trees where it was a little cooler, it was still warm enough, the sun painting small specks of light onto the ground and their skin.

Hiccup could have walked on endlessly like this, so he was quite surprised when, after only half an hour, the stables came back into view. He threw Astrid a puzzled look, but she just winked and pulled him on. Apparently, their walk had led them around the stables in a wide loop, because they were nearing the building from the backside, invisible to the others who could still be heard at the paddock. Hiccup’s heartbeat quickened when he realised what Astrid’s goal was: a small niche between two parts of the building that wouldn't be visible to anyone unless they came close enough to peer around a nearby shrub.

Astrid didn’t waste time. Her lips tasted of apple and honey from their earlier meal when he returned her kiss, backing her up against the wooden wall as he knew she liked. With her hands in his hair, tugging and pulling, it quickly became difficult to think about anything. In his head, there was only her, only this wonderful and amazing person that owned his heart and soul, and who was so easily able to drive him crazy with her teeth nipping at his lips.

Hiccup lost all sense of time as they kissed, and they only paused when the noises coming from those on the other side of the building changed. There was a shift in voices and tones, then very audibly the opening of the front door and the sound of hooves on stone as Chomp was led inside.

“It’s time to go back,” Astrid murmured. She pushed him back a little until their eyes met. “You’re having a date today, after all. And an important question to ask,” she added cheekily.

“Right,” Hiccup muttered, grimacing. He still wasn’t so sure about her suggestion to try anal sex. Not that he didn’t want to; the idea was lurking in the back of his mind ever since she’d come up with it last night and refused to leave. But still, it felt like cheating, like skirting the rules in a not-quite-acceptable manner.

“I haven’t forgotten, don’t worry,” he assured her. “But remember, I can’t promise anything. Besides, I don’t know how tonight will turn out anyway. With Snotlout being there too, I don’t know if I’ll even get the chance to ask Cami in private or will be able to sneak away at all. It… It’s…”

“It’s okay,” Astrid interrupted him gently. She reached for his hand and started playing with his fingers, averting her eyes. But when she continued speaking, she sounded sincere. “If you can’t get away, I mean. There’s no need for you to feel… bad or anything. And the same is true for when you’re back in Eastervale, or in Westhill come summer. I don’t mind if you sleep with an Ástir, you hear me? You don’t need to hold back because of me.”

Warmth spread through Hiccup’s chest, and he let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. How was it possible that she kept saying or doing things that made him fall in love with her over and over again?

“I know,” he breathed, placing a hand beneath her chin to lift her head and look at her again. “But you don’t understand. I don’t want to. I only want you; every other woman lost her appeal to me. You have bewitched me in the most wonderful way, and I love you, so much, more than words can say.”

Astrid’s eyes grew softer, and nuzzling into his hand she placed a soft kiss to his palm. “It’s the same for me too,” she murmured. “But still…”

But still…

Hiccup grimaced. But still there was the problem that he didn’t even know what to expect from tonight. Sighing, he nodded, then leaned in to bury his face in her hair. The all-too-familiar scent of mayweed immediately made him dizzy and at the same time comforted him, and he idly contemplated whether to buy a bottle of scented oil to take with him to Eastervale. The noises from the other side grew louder, more active, and Hiccup pressed himself closer against her. “I don’t want to go,” he groaned. He was aware of how often he’d said those words lately and the different circumstances were amusing to a degree, so he couldn’t really begrudge Astrid chuckling shakily.

“Yeah, I’d rather stay here with you all night too,” she whispered. She tilted her head to nuzzle against his neck, and a light shudder ran down his spine. “But we both know that won’t happen. Besides, I really want to know what Cami is going to say, so…”

Hiccup couldn’t help but chuckle as she trailed off suggestively. Her eagerness was amazing. “I promise that I’ll do whatever I can to be here with you tonight!”

Astrid's face turned into a soft smile. “I know. And I’ll be right here, waiting for you,” she breathed.

“Swanja? Swanja, we’re heading back. Where are you? Hiccup?”

They both winced as Eret’s voice echoed toward them, and reluctantly, they parted. “Time to go,” Astrid stated, but Hiccup didn’t feel like doing so just yet.

Once again, he leaned down to kiss her, one hand softly cupping her cheek. He was careful not to lose control again though, and pulled back when he felt that the urge to just continue regardless of any consequences grew.

When they finally parted, Astrid’s cheek had turned a lovely shade of pink, her eyes hazy, and the smile she gave him was dazzling. Gods, how was he supposed to live even one day without her?

. o O o .

“You haven’t told him?” Hiccup looked incredulously from Eret to Dagur and back again.

Eret just shrugged. “It didn’t really come up so far,” he muttered.

Dagur, however, wore an obscenely huge grin. “And I’m dying to see his face!”

Hiccup shook his head in disbelief, but didn’t say any more when Snotlout returned from the outhouse to where they’d been waiting for him in the entrance hall of Freya’s temple. Despite their closer relation, Hiccup didn’t feel like it was his responsibility to inform Snotlout about possibly important details, even though he still thought it would have been better if they’d told him about Cami before.

But as it was, they hadn’t, and if Hiccup was honest to himself then that wasn’t what really bothered him anyway. Far more pressing to him was the question of what would happen after he’d seen her. Would Hiccup be able to sneak away and back to Astrid like he usually did? How would Snotlout react if they told him he would spend the night with his secret girlfriend instead? Was that something he dared to reveal to his cousin? And what was the alternative? Snotlout knew about Eret and Dagur, so they wouldn’t need to keep that facade at least. But the idea of having sex with Cami tonight, of possibly even sharing her with Snotlout, just to keep his secret hidden didn’t sit well with him. He hoped there would be another way out.

But when Cami finally joined them, everything went differently than he’d thought it would.

“What in all Gods’ names is this?” Snotlout exclaimed as Cami appeared between him and Eret.

She was dressed in a pretty gown in varying shades of blue and her golden mane artfully arranged in intricate braids all around her head, as usual for her role. As expected, Dagur burst out laughing and Cami joined in with a low chuckle, but to Hiccup it was clear that neither Snotlout nor Eret found the situation even remotely funny.

“This is Cami, an old friend of mine. She’s our date for tonight,” Eret tried to explain. “And Cami, this is Snot. We told you about him, right? Sir Snotlout of House Jorgenson.”

Cami threw Snotlout a cheeky grin and curtseyed elegantly. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Sir Snotlout. I’ve already heard a lot about you.”

Snotlout didn’t seem to be in the mood for pleasantries though. “Is this supposed to be a joke?” he asked, turning his attention back to Eret. He looked angry, but Eret shook his head.

“No, believe me, we were just as surprised as you are the first time we saw Cami like this,” he replied quietly, his body language reserved, as if trying to keep the other people in the atrium from looking in their direction more than they already were.

“And still you…” Snot began, but broke off directly. He threw measuring glances from Eret to Dagur, then one at Hiccup, and eventually nodded. “I see,” he murmured, grimacing, and Hiccup got the impression that Snot’s thoughts probably weren’t so far off the truth.

“Is there a problem here?” Cami asked cheerfully, and linked her arm with Snotlout. “Shall we go upstairs and talk there?”

Snotlout nodded mutely, but pulled his arm back from her, and with a stony expression followed the others to Cami’s room. Once the door closed behind them, however, he didn’t hold back any longer.

“Are you insane?” he hissed, gesturing at Cami without looking at her. “She looks just like Swanja!”

Dagur snorted from where he’d let himself fall into one of Cami’s cushioned chairs. “Believe us, we noticed,” he said dryly, and reached for a cookie on a tray – another visitor must have brought them before.

Snotlout threw him an irritated look. “And still you meet with her? Repeatedly, if I understand correctly? All of you? I mean, I get that this is ‘not what it looks like’ –” he gestured elaborately at Eret and Dagur, “–but still. What are you thinking? What are the people supposed to think?”

Eret closed his eyes and gave a heavy sigh. “The people,” he emphasised, “already think that Swanja and I are a couple. And that she’s supposed to marry one of us one day anyway. So whatever rumours there might be, they won’t say anything new.”

“And what about Swanja?” Snotlout threw back harshly. “What if she hears about this? That we, who should know better, meet with an Ástir who looks like her and indulge in the fantasy of banging her all at once?”

“She already knows,” Hiccup interjected despite himself, but Eret spoke over him.

“Swanja knows better than to believe that,” he replied, equally harshly now. “She knows about Cami, they’ve met–”

“–and became friends,” Cami threw in, but Eret didn’t stop.

“–and she knows why we meet with her. Not because she looks like her, but because we knew her before. Because she’s our friend and covers for us. And even Hiccup knows her from Eastervale and doesn’t see Cami as Swanja.”

Snotlout threw him another calculating look, grimaced, and shook his head. “I still don’t like this. If this works for you and Swanja doesn’t mind, then... whatever. But I can’t do this, not with her!” Again, he gestured toward Cami who at least didn’t seem to be offended.

“And that’s all right,” she said, calmly and in a much more natural tone than before. She even moved differently, much more like Hiccup remembered her from Eastervale. More like herself and not her role. “I understand and respect your reasons, Sir Snotlout. If you prefer, I can see which of my sisters would be available for you?”

Snotlout hesitated, once more throwing glances at those around him. He looked uncomfortable, torn between leaving and staying with his friends.

“Hey, it’s okay. We understand,” Eret said with a slight smile. “We’ll catch up again tomorrow.”

Snotlout nodded, then turned toward Cami and finally looked at her directly again. “Thank you for your offer. And I take it gladly. Please know that I didn’t mean to be offensive, but–”

“Don’t worry, I understand,” Cami interrupted him, smiling genuinely. “In fact, I see it as a compliment that my role is good enough so that it even convinces those who know the Princess in person. Now, if you’d follow me?” She left, and after one last glance around, Snotlout followed her, leaving the other three men in silence.

“Yep,” Hiccup eventually commented dryly, “that went just as brilliantly as I’d thought. Maybe you should have told him earlier after all.”

Eret gave a non-committal grunt, and even Dagur looked a little remorseful. But deep down, Hiccup was actually glad how things had turned out.

Even as the prospect of asking Astrid’s question was a little daunting.

. o O o .

“So, what are we going to do today?” Cami asked once the door to her bedroom had closed behind Eret and Dagur. She sauntered over to her table, sank down into a chair, and reached for a cookie. “Do you want to play cards or just chat a little?” She smirked as his face scrunched up. “Oh, is there something you want to talk about? How do you feel about leaving?”

Hiccup grimaced even more. He tried not to think about leaving, or else he might go crazy. But then, with Cami he at least could talk about it. He followed her to the table and took one of the cookies as well, mainly to distract himself. “What do you think how I feel?” he eventually muttered, and slumped down into another chair, the cookie forgotten in his hand.

Cami cocked her head, her blue eyes never leaving him. But she didn't say a word, and after another minute Hiccup sighed.

“I feel horrible, okay? I've gotten so used to her presence, to talking to her, to feeling her warmth at my side when I wake up. It feels so right, so wonderful, and the idea of going without that for w-… for months is driving me insane.” He averted his eyes, hoping that Cami hadn't noticed his slip up. It would probably only be weeks until Astrid came to Eastervale if everything with the wedding worked out as they hoped. But he couldn't tell Cami that – it might give away too much about his lady love's identity. Although, his worries seemed to have been for nothing.

“Yeah, that's what I thought,” she sighed, shaking her head. “How often have you been meeting lately?”

Hiccup swallowed, and nibbled at his cookie after all. “Every night?” he admitted a little sheepishly. “And we've at least seen each other nearly every day, too. She's become such a big part of my life that I can barely imagine spending just one day without her.”

“Have you exchanged some tokens, something to remind you of the other? I've heard that helps, at least a little.”

Cami sounded truly concerned, and that actually made Hiccup smile. Not because the situation was funny in any way, but because he was grateful to Cami for her genuine interest. That she cared enough about him.

“We have,” he replied with a light nod, his hand wandering to his chest where he carried Astrid’s little key. “Remember the horse statue? Apparently, she placed it next to her bed.”

That made Cami chuckle. “Oh, so that's the perfect place for her to remember you?” she asked, mirth glinting in her eyes. “I really wish you'd tell me who she is so that I can show her how to pleasure herself once you're gone. I'm beginning to think that it actually was rather unfair to introduce her to sex, only to withhold it from her after all. And for so long. I think I'd go insane.”

At that, Hiccup grimaced again, for more than just one reason. “You know I can't tell you who she is,” he muttered, but he knew that wasn't really an issue for Cami and he’d only brought it up to buy time. Because the other thing he needed to talk about with Cami was back at the front of his mind from what she’d said, and he honestly wasn't sure how to begin. He ate the cookie, then a second one and drank a glass of the light wine before he felt ready to start. “But… but on that matter… there's something I wanted to ask you.”

“Oh?” Cami’s head perked up in amused – and predatory – curiosity. “What about?”

Hiccup swallowed at the look; she had far too much fun in getting as many details about his and Astrid’s relationship out of him as she could, for Hiccup’s taste at least.

“Yeah,” he went on, hesitantly. “It’s… I need your advice on a certain practice. You know, how to go about it, what to heed. I mean, I do have some experience, but she doesn’t, and I don’t know what to do to make it easier. I want it to be as pleasant as possible for her. And I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt her because I did something wrong.”

Cami nodded, a tiny smirk playing around her lips. “I didn’t expect any less of you. But if you want me to give you any advice then you actually have to tell me what ‘practice’ you’re talking about.”

He gulped. “I... uh... you see... there was this book, and we were reading it, and...”

She snickered. “Last I checked, reading a book to your beloved worked better with less stammering.” He gave her a light glare, which made her break out into giggles. “So, what was this book?”

“The Exotics of the Southlands,” he said, looking down. Cami made a noise of surprise, and he continued, “And, well...” he swallowed and blurted in a rush, “I need advice on anal sex.”

There was a very long pause, so he hesitantly looked up at Cami, and then flinched. She was giving him a cool – no, make that frigid – look, and then fluidly rose out of the chair where she’d been casually sprawled only moments before.

“That book. Oh, yes. I know it. And did you pick it out of the royal library ‘accidentally’, Hiccup?” Her tone was acidic and accusatory. “I know you’re quite the scholar. Did you see it and figure you could convince your lady love to–”

“She’s the one that brought it to me! And she asked me when we found those pages! I had no idea!” he protested in a rush.

Cami blinked and then gave a small harsh chuckle. “Well.” She continued pacing around him.

Hiccup tracked her motions around the chair. “Well... what?”

“If it were anyone else, I’d call bullshit,” Cami said bluntly. “I know men. Hel, my entire profession is about giving men a warm place to shove their cocks, when you get down to it. And while I enjoy what you’re asking for, the thought of having that be the first thing you give your girl as a way to loophole through the rules... well, you’re not the first to come up with that idea, and normally I’d be reporting you to the Fyrir for censure and fining. Possibly some public shaming.”

Hiccup swallowed.

“But... this isn’t normal. And you’ve been honest with me from the beginning – except about who in Freya’s name your girl is – so I’ll buy it for the moment, that she’s as keen as you are, if not more.”

Hiccup relaxed slightly. “Thank you, Cami. And it’s more, I swear.”

She leaned down in front of him and gave him a flat look. “Don’t thank me yet. Before I say anything, do you swear to me before Frigga that this truly was her idea?”

Swallowing again, he nodded and said, “I swear on Frigga, Freya, and Odin that what I told you was true.”

She looked him in the face, sighed, straightened and rubbed her temples. “Great. So, two things before I tell you anything.”

“Yeah?”

“First, I really wish you could tell me who it is,” she said. “She’s in the palace, I’ve figured that much...” she said leadingly.

Hiccup shook his head. “I can’t. I promised.”

“Even if that means I won’t tell you anything?” Cami pressed.

He nodded. “I’d rather go without sex with her than betray my word to her. Like I said, it was her idea, she was very insistent, and I promised I’d ask you. If you say no, then that’s that.”

She smirked. “That was the right answer. Fine.” She eyed him. “But I will find out one day, just so you know.”

“Cami, once everything is settled, you might even be one of the bridesmaids,” he said earnestly.

She laughed. “I’ll hold you to that, then!”

They fell silent for a moment, and then Hiccup asked, “And the second thing?”

“The second thing I’d like to know is… why do you want to try that.” Hiccup wanted to reply what he’d said before, but she waved him off with a quick gesture. “So let’s say I believe you and your oath that it’s not about you just getting it in,” she commented. “And I actually don’t expect you to give me a detailed answer. But I’m going to ask you two to talk about it. If she’s as eager as you said, then what’s her reason? Because if it’s just about getting it over with for her, just about doing it, then that’s not a good enough reason either. Don’t allow that she pressures herself into anything because of this upcoming separation, okay?”

Hiccup nodded mutely, but it wouldn’t have needed her warning; he would never want Astrid to feel pressured into something either.

“Good. And now that that’s settled,” Cami went on, turning away from the chair and walking over to one of her decorated shelves, “let's talk about the technicalities. If I remember correctly you already know about the necessary rules of hygiene, right?”

“I do,” Hiccup murmured.

“Right. No need to go into the details there then.” She reached for a small object on one of the upper shelves. “So we can focus on the preparation. Because that's the key, especially for someone who's never done this before. First point: you need good lubrication.”

She came back to him and handed him the small object. On closer examination, it turned out to be a ceramic pot in the form of a swan, delicately sculpted and painted in white with blue-ish shadows. “What is this?” he asked hesitantly.

“It’s a scented oil. You can keep it and use it as lubrication; don’t worry, I have enough. And be sure to use enough. Go slowly. And by that, I mean really slowly. Take the usual time for foreplay and preparation and at least double it. Actually…” She paused for a moment, then nodded. “You have two nights left, is that right? Good. Then my advice would be to only prep her tonight. Let her get used to the feeling, see if she likes it at all, and let her body get accustomed to it. Play around a bit, but leave the main event for tomorrow night.”

Hiccup nodded to show that he’d understood. “That is a good idea. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. And Hiccup?”

“Yes?”

“When I’m your beloved’s bridesmaid...”

“Yes?” he repeated as she trailed off significantly.

“I’m going to ask her about what we just talked about. And if you did just lie to me about whose idea this was, and took the gods’ names in vain for that oath...” she smiled at him with all her teeth. “I won’t deprive the poor girl of her wedding night. But once you’re done, I’ll serve you your dick, fried and with onions. Got it?”

He winced. “You don’t need to worry.”

“All right.” She nodded, still smiling eerily, before glancing at a candle clock hanging near the wall to her bedroom. “Your usual half hour isn't quite up yet. So, is there anything else you'd like to talk about?”

Chuckling, Hiccup shook his head. “No, not really.” After this talk just now, he was pretty much done with talking for tonight. To her at least.

They spent a couple of minutes in companionable silence, and Hiccup's attention turned back to the small pot she'd given him. Carefully, he opened it, and an all-too-familiar scent rose from the oil, making his heart flutter and his head spin. “Mayweed?” he asked, glancing up at Cami still standing over him.

She grinned. “Yeah. Originally I used rose oil, but after your suggestion, I pretty much changed everything to mayweed. You don’t like it?”

Chuckling, Hiccup shook his head as he put the lid back onto the swan-shaped pot, caressing it gently. “It’s perfect.”

. o O o .

And finally... all domino pieces are in place...

Next chapter

#Aaahhh #I'm so excited!!#FTLOAP #for the love of a princess #Hiccstrid #fanfiction #Hiccup and Astrid #httyd #medieval au #royalty au #fluff

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shipmistress9 · 7 years ago

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FTLOAP: Chapter 3: Or If By Love’s Blind Chance We’ve Been Bound

Prologue; Chapter 1; Chapter 2

Co-author: @athingofvikings

Before we get started, I want to address a topic that came up multiple times in the latest reviews and comments (and that even my mum keeps asking... xD). The question whether I could update more frequently. The answer is no. I mean, it is kind of flattering so far. I'm happy that you already seem so interested in this story. But this is the most complicated story I've written so far. There goes a HEL lot of work into it, with two people working on it for some hours every day. Two people who also have something of a real-life beside writing. And I/we want to get it all right. So, again, no, I can't/won't update more frequently. I'm happy if I'm able to keep up this rate until the end ;)

That being said, I won't say that I'll never put up some early in-between updates, like when there are shorter interludes or something. But those would be rare.

. o O o .

“You should come, too.”

Hiccup looked up from his work – rubbing down Hunter, the Grand Duke’s stallion – and gave Eret a confused look. “Where to?” he asked; he hadn’t been paying much attention to what Eret had been saying until just now, and had no idea what he’d meant. His thoughts were still whirling around what had happened before, unable to fully grasp what it meant.

The Princess. She was the Princess. The very Princess Astrid of whom Eret had told him so much about.

Of course, Hiccup had heard about the beautiful Princess before, but not in the way Eret talked about her. She was his childhood friend, the only girl he’d ever met who could beat him in an archery challenge – or in throwing knives. The girl who cared more about horses and her freedom than dresses and dancing lessons. It had amused Hiccup to hear all these stories about their ‘fair Princess’, stories that stood in direct contrast to what people told each other in the taverns. He had been interested in her, had been looking forward to maybe meeting her once or twice during his time at the castle.

He had not expected her to steal his heart within just a couple of hours.

But that seemed to be what had happened. Hiccup couldn’t get her out of his head, not her witty remarks, and not her unaffected laughter. Not the way she’d moved with and cared for the horses, and definitely not how she’d tasted and how she’d seemed to meld with him for that moment.

But she was the Princess!

“Where do you think?” came Eret’s cheerful answer, and his voice effectively tore him out of his daydreams. “To my accolade, of course.”

With a thumping heart, Hiccup reached for the horse brush, a fantastic excuse to avert his face. “W-Why?” he sputtered. Did Eret know? That he would give anything to see her again? But no, how should he know? And it wasn’t a good idea anyway. It wasn’t like he could talk to her, not like they’d talked earlier. But… he had to talk to her. He had to know whether what he’d felt had been true, whether she really had felt the same. Whether it made sense to keep thinking and pondering. Gods, what was he supposed to do?

Only an hour ago, he’d been ready to visit her father and ask his permission to court her. He’d been ready to leave his past behind him, to accept the lot fate had given him, and to start anew. With her. It had seemed so easy, so simple. She’d been the answer, the sign he’d asked for. But now?

“Well, you are my cousin,” Eret interrupted his thoughts again.

Hiccup snorted. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean much,” he said bitterly.

“Maybe not,” Eret replied with a frown. “But we are family. And you are my friend. I want you to be there. It’s my grand day, after all. And it also would be a great opportunity to introduce you as my squire, in case you’ve decided yet. The King would approve, by the way. Father and I already talked to him. Besides, there will be tons of the best food you’ve ever tasted. You can’t turn that down, can you?”

Hiccup inhaled sharply. He hadn’t decided yet what to do with his future. He’d thought meeting Astrid had been a sign sent by Odin, the Foreseer, himself. At first, he’d thought that it meant he should go on and accept the simple life of the Grand Duke’s stable master, and fulfil that image of the peaceful, rustic home. But, obviously, that wasn’t true. If he became simply Hiccup the stable master and, once and for all times, renounced his birthright, then he would never… never be allowed to be with her.

And if he became Eret’s squire instead? He would at least acknowledge his noble blood by doing so. He could travel with Eret, follow wherever his duties would lead him. Maybe he could even gain something of a name for himself, enough to earn himself something of a title again. Or, he could even keep his eyes and ears open, and, maybe, someday, he might hear or see something, anything that told him what had happened. And if he could reclaim his birthright…

He’d been wrong. Astrid hadn’t been the sign for him to forget his past after all. But maybe she was the sign, the answer he'd asked for anyway. Because if he ever wanted to be deemed worthy of her, then there was only one way.

“You’re right, I can’t turn down such an opportunity,” he heard himself mutter. “I’ll come with you to your accolade. And I will become your squire.”

. o O o .

Hiccup was nervous. For the umpteenth time, he tugged at the unfamiliar sleeves of his new shirt - House Jag’r’s deep red to indicate in whose court he served now - beneath his old leather tunic. This tunic was one of the only items he still owned from his former life. It was sturdy and functional, with leather pauldrons attached to it by belts and buckles, and a pattern of dragon scales embossed into it. Scaring off your enemies was always a good tactic.

This tunic was the fanciest piece of clothing he owned, and it also was the only indication that he wasn’t actually a part of House Jag’r. It had felt weird to put it on again after so long, exaggerated and a bit ridiculous. But now, standing behind Eret in his elegant outfit and between the Grand Duke's vassals in their expensive robes, he felt small and unimportant - which he was. Of course, the silk sashes and finely tooled leather belt and boots that he’d been lent for the accolade helped offset its battered functional dignity, but the loans were that he wouldn’t embarrass Eret by looking like a crow among swans.

In another life, he might have stood beside his cousin right now, proudly wearing similarly elegant clothes in deep green and with his father's crest, a dragon curled in on itself, embroidered into his chainmail. But that life didn't exist anymore, and he had to accept that.

When the doors opened and he followed Eret into the elaborate throne room, the noises from inside were deafening. The room was brimming with people, everybody talking, and, for a moment, he lost all sense of direction. His head began to spin as hundreds of voices rolled over him, and he barely even noticed as he followed Eret and the Grand Duke’s party practically unbidden, his feet working to keep him within the safe group of familiar figures.

And the knowledge that she was in this room as well didn't help to calm him, either.

She had to be here, right? Eret was the heir to one of the three most powerful noble Houses, and, next to the other heirs – Dagur of House Berserker and Snotlout of House Jorgenson – the first of these three to become a knight today. It was one of the biggest social events the capital had seen since Prince Daniel’s accolade two years ago. And Eret was her friend, right? Surely, she would be here?

Hiccup’s nervousness grew nearly unbearable as he followed Eret down the long aisle, limping slightly as his leg began to sting. Gods, why did it always start to act stupid at the worst moments possible? He couldn’t see much past the endless rows of people, only that there was a raised platform at the other end of the room, and that there were people standing on it. As they came closer he could see the high-backed throne of King Osmond, even recognized the tall man from when he’d met him many years ago. Then he saw the High Priests, standing to the sides as was customary. He saw Prince Daniel, recognized him just as he’d recognised the King. Now that he knew who she was, Hiccup saw a certain resemblance between the siblings. The Prince had the same bright hair and blue eyes like his sister. And then, when their small group reached the steps that led up to the throne and Eret made a step to the side, he finally saw her.

The Princess had a warm smile on her face, even though she seemed tenser than he remembered her from their shared afternoon. She also looked even more sublime than before in this equally ornate dress – deep red this time – and a delicate golden coronet depicting a swan on her head. He felt even smaller and more insignificant than before.

And then she saw him.

For a moment, for the fraction of a second, she lit up. Her eyes gleamed brighter, her smile becoming radiant, and Hiccup could feel the mutual joy and longing rising in their hearts. It hadn’t been just his imagination, of course, it hadn’t been. She’d felt the same, must have felt the same, or nothing made sense anymore.

And then the moment ended. Her face fell, and her joy turned into panic and fear. Her gaze flickered to the side, to where the Priestesses of Freya and Frigga stood, but before she actually turned her head in their direction, she caught herself again.

It had passed in the blink of an eye, and before Hiccup could react in any way, it was already over. Her gaze was back on Eret and the Grand Duke, her smile faultless and warm.

What in Thor’s name had just happened?

. o O o .

The pleasant smile felt like someone had used a knife to cut it into her face. Astrid had to maintain it at all costs, but it was hard. So unbelievably hard!

What was he doing here?

He shouldn’t be here.

What if anyone had noticed their shared look just now? Or worse, what if he approached her, tried to talk to her?

She couldn’t let that happen.

Keeping her gaze on Eret and the Grand Duke – away from him so as not to encourage him in any way – took all her concentration and focus. But she had to do it. She just had to. Everything else was unacceptable. And keeping her eyes on them, away from him, was all she could manage. She wasn’t able to listen, didn’t register the words her father said. But then, it probably wasn’t that much of a speech anyway. All Eret had done to be granted the honour of getting knighted was being born into the right family and reaching the required age of twenty-one, after all.

She saw how Eret kneeled down in front of her father and rose again as Sir Eret III. She saw how Eret received the traditional helmet of the castle’s guard and an ornate sword and scabbard, but it barely registered in her mind. For such a long time, she’d been looking forward to this special moment for her best friend, but now that it was here, she hardly noticed any of it.

Because all she noticed was how Hiccup’s eyes rested on her at every single moment.

Belatedly, she joined in into the general applause, and sighed in relief when her father declared this part of the night to be over. The vast crowd turned and filed out of the throne room to go to the great hall for the banquet, and now that there were no longer hundreds of eyes on her, she dared to let her guard down a bit.

Without intending to do so, her gaze flickered toward Hiccup for an instant, and their eyes met. He was watching her with an expression of confusion and longing – the same emotions that had ruled her every thought since he’d kissed her. And it didn’t help to see them so blatantly and obviously mirrored on his face, not one bit. He made an attempt to take a step in her direction, but she shook her head, once, and turned away again. Not here, not now.

It was a good thing that Eret was just done accepting her father’s personal congratulations, and now turned toward her and Daniel. He was a welcome distraction, and she forced herself to turn all her attention to him.

Before he could say anything though, Daniel smirked and nodded towards their father’s private office. “Let’s go over there. It’s still a little too crowded here for my taste.” And he was right. There were still people lingering, obviously hoping to speak with the King or Grand Duke, and it wasn’t an audience either of them liked.

As the three of them entered the office, Daniel immediately lounged down on a couch standing in the more informal corner of the room, while Eret walked past her and stiffly sat down on a chair. Astrid was about to follow them, not really caring about whether her wide skirts would fit into the armchair, when she noticed that they weren’t alone.

Hiccup had followed them, and now stood timidly by the door.

. o O o .

Hiccup wasn’t able to tear his eyes away from her. Yes, this was Eret’s accolade, one of the most important moments in his friend's life, but Hiccup simply couldn’t concentrate on anything but her. It helped that he probably wasn’t the only one, that there surely were dozens of people in this room who covertly had their eyes on her. It wasn’t like he stood out.

At some point, Eret kneeled down and stood up again, received the symbols of his new status, and then there was a bit of a commotion as everyone turned to leave the room. Hiccup made attempts to leave as well, but Eret held him back.

“Stay with me,” he whispered, but then left him standing.

Unsure what to do, Hiccup stayed where he was, awkwardly singled out. His gaze shifted through the room, as he tried hard to not look at the Princess. He watched Eret getting congratulated by the King, and noticed another older men standing to the side, scrutinising him dismissively. From his look, he had to be Lord Eret I, and Hiccup quickly looked away, hoping the man wouldn’t recognise him. Gods, this room was a political battlefield. Why had he agreed to come here?

The answer was easy, though. Without being able to keep himself from doing so, he looked back at where Astrid stood, just as she looked at him for a brief instant, too. When their eyes met, he unconsciously stepped towards her – but froze again as she shook her head at him and then turned away.

He swallowed at the motion, and somehow found the strength to likewise look away. Firmly keeping his eyes on Eret, he saw how his cousin bobbed his head in agreement at the Prince’s comment, and, without another word, the royal siblings went for the indicated door. Eret let them walk past him, and then beckoned him to follow.

Hiccup hesitated, not sure whether doing so really was a wise idea. The Princess hadn’t wanted him to approach her, hadn’t wanted him to get closer. But Eret repeated his order to follow him, more urgent this time, and Hiccup couldn’t defy him. He was his master for real now, no pretending anymore. With a sinking heart, he limped toward the door that Eret still held open for him.

Beyond the door turned out to be an L-shaped sitting room, cosily appointed and well-lit from fine glass windows. Straight ahead stood an impressive writing desk with an ornate chair behind and two simpler ones in front of it, but they were all empty. To the side, however, was a more comfortable and informal looking suite where the Prince and Eret just sat down. Not knowing what to do with himself, Hiccup jerkily stood by the door at attention, shifting his weight to relieve the pain in his leg. The two royals and Eret, however, all visibly relaxed, as if some invisible weight was lifted off their shoulders.

Hiccup did his best to ignore them, to not listen in on their probably private conversation, and to not stare at her like the pathetic failure he was.

. o O o .

Her first reaction was panic. But he wasn’t looking at her, didn’t make any approach to talk to her. He just stood there, looking at no-one in particular, and seemed to wait for something.

Astrid forced herself to calm down. Neither Daniel nor Eret seemed to notice or worry about his presence, so making a scene now by sending him away would only attract too much attention.

With deliberate calmness, she sat down as well, trying to ignore his presence, just as Daniel leaned over toward Eret, and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Ah, look at you! You’re more dressed up than a prized goose for the high table!” he snickered, and then ran his fingers down through the hem of the embroidered tabard.

Eret groaned. “Don’t remind me. I’m walking this stiffly in self-defence, mind you. The leather is so new that I dare not move too quickly for fear of my blisters having blisters.”

Astrid forced herself to join in on the laughter at that comment, even though her mind was fully occupied by the silent figure standing by the doorway. Only a couple of hours ago, she’d been sure that she would never see him again. But now, here he was, standing only a few steps away from her, and all she could think about was how she wanted for Eret and Daniel to… to not be here so that she could walk over and cuddle into his warm embrace again. But to do so would...

Her thoughts were interrupted by Eret turning to her.

“Hey, Swanja,” he greeted her, calling her by the playful nickname he’d used for her ever since she remembered. Everyone thought he was referring to House Hofferson’s heraldic animal, and only she, Eret, and few others knew better. “You know, I’m a little hurt you weren’t there to greet me earlier. I was so looking forward to seeing you again.”

It took her distracted mind a bit longer than usual to notice the mockingly reproachful look he gave her. But then she remembered how to appropriately react, rolled her eyes at him, and they both laughed. “If you wanted to see me, you should have come to the stables.” she replied. Yes, he should have been there. And she still couldn’t decide whether she was grateful for his absence or not.

“Just wait, by the end of your visit in three months, you’ll be fed up with her again,” Daniel commented dryly. “And you’ll need the nine months of summer before you can endure her again next winter, just like every year.” The fond smile with the impish gleam in his eyes served well to take the edge out of his words, but she knew her brother well enough anyway. They adored each other, even though that didn’t keep her from throwing him a deadly glare.

Daniel grinned, before turning back to Eret. “But in earnest now. Congratulations. You already look more respectable with that sword and helmet under your arm. And with that cloth confection.”

“Thanks,” Eret said with a dry smile, placed the mentioned sword and helmet onto the low table between them, and then nodded in her direction. “But I’m not so sure about her. Is she really still as annoying as she used to be?”

As so often, they made a show of talking about her as if she wasn’t there. In their case, it was a game and only meant to tease her. Usually, she didn’t mind that as much since she knew they weren’t serious. Not like so many others were. But today, getting left out of the conversation only served to let her concentration waver. And that could become dangerous today.

“I mean, look at her,” Eret continued, winking. “She’s all grown up. My little Swanja almost looks like a real lady. I might even fall for her.”

“Right…” Astrid rolled her eyes at him. She knew very well that Eret wouldn’t fall for her, but she couldn’t exactly say so. Not with Daniel right there, and their fathers right on the other side of the door.

“Oho! Now there’s a joyous event looming on the horizon,” her brother exclaimed, grinning. “I wish you good luck with her, but at least you already know what you’re bargaining for. Better you than some other poor fellow. But maybe you’re right,” he added after a short pause, throwing her a playful smirk. “She certainly has some new more ladylike hobbies. Ask her about her flower garden if you have an hour to kill.”

Eret looked at her questioningly, and Astrid sighed.

“It is not so much my garden as it is Master Mulch’s,” she explained, grateful for finally being able to participate in the conversation. She still could feel Hiccup’s presence in the room, and ignoring him was becoming harder with every second. “And it’s not a flower garden, either. It’s his physic garden. You know, where he grows all his herbs and healing plants. Fishlegs taught me their purpose, and I sometimes help him to tend and treat them. It’s really fascinating.”

At that, Eret nodded. “That makes more sense. I was worried there for a moment, you know.” He smirked. “Feared you might turn into a Princess after all. But learning to become a healer of some sort instead? Yeah, that sounds more like you.”

Astrid poked her tongue out at him, and then they all began to laugh. This playful banter with Eret and her brother, it was so easy, so liberating. With them, she didn’t need to wear this mask, and at least now, for this short moment, she could be herself.

“But tell me, Astrid,” Daniel said, changing the topic. “Since you’ve certainly seen the horses already, do you think there’s a suitable replacement for Bento among them?”

. o O o .

She hadn’t even reacted.

Biting his lip, Hiccup stared at the plush carpet beneath his feet, woven with a vivid pattern of a woodland meadow and lake filled with swans, and tried to ignore the growing desperation in his heart. She’d seen him standing here, in this secluded room and with only her brother and his cousin being here, too. He didn’t know what he had expected, maybe a nod or even a silent word. Or, if she thought him impertinent for showing up, then she could have sent him away.

But she didn’t react in any way. As if he wasn’t important enough to even think twice about.

Instead, Astrid laughed and smiled, and Hiccup’s heart ached at seeing the familiarity between the three of them. Rather than listen and intrude on their cheerful reunion, obvious in the playful banter and teasing, he tuned them out completely as Eret greeted her in a familiar tone.

Seeing her like this, carefree laughing and smiling… It served to raise a painful uncertainty in his heart. If this was how she behaved naturally, who she was when she didn’t need to be the Princess… Did that mean that he'd interpreted too much into those hours they’d spend together? Was it possible that this behaviour, lighthearted and open, was how she always was? It certainly fit with how Eret had described her. That she'd just been friendly to him because that was how she always was. She surely hadn't encouraged him when he'd wanted to approach her.

Was he making a fool of himself? What had he expected anyway? He'd accompanied Eret without the slightest bit of a plan. All he knew was that he'd wanted to see her again, and that he hoped that... that...

...that what?

That she felt the same for him as he felt for her, this strange longing that seemed to pull him toward her, unexplainable yet unavoidable? That they could talk somehow, solve this confusion, and continue where her warder had interrupted them earlier? That they could make this work, whatever this might be, despite the difference in their status?

All these wishes were absurd. And they had been so right from the beginning, even before he'd formulated them in his mind just now. But now that he saw her with her friends and family, saw how he hadn't been anything special to her...

No, he'd been a fool. He shouldn't be here. It had all just been a pipe dream, conjured up by his mind as a reason to keep fighting against forgetting his past, a reason why he should keep pursuing his search.

Biting his lip, Hiccup partially tore himself out of his thoughts to look at her one last time. The idea that he might have been wrong after all hurt. But in a way, it hurt even more to see her laughing so freely again. He yearned to be the one who made her laugh like this, who made her happy. But he was fooling himself, and the sooner he accepted that the better.

The Prince said something, words he didn’t quite take in, but they had quite an effect on her. She sobered up in an instant, paled slightly, and he thought her eyes flickered in his direction. But just like before, she put back on her warm smile in an instant, and it confused him even more.

Before he could think about this, however, Eret turned and beckoned him over.

"Right, good thing you remind me," Eret said, his words directed at the royal siblings. "Daniel, you were asking whom I trusted enough to take care of our horses. Well, this is a cousin of mine. He's also going to be my squire; his name is Hiccup..." Eret trailed off at the end, apparently uncertain whether or what to add. But there was nothing to add.

Both, the Prince and the Princess rose and turned toward him, but he fought to not look at Astrid. It wasn't customary, he reminded himself. She was a woman, and therefore, in opposition to the customs he was raised to, not as important. So he kept his eyes on the Prince, bowing appropriately, and somehow he was glad to avoid the direct contact with her. "Your Royal Highness," he murmured. "It is an honour."

The Prince hesitated, but then reached out his hand toward him. "Hiccup," he said slowly, eyeing him thoughtfully as they shook hands. He shared a brief glance with Eret, and Hiccup could practically hear the silent communication between them. Then the Prince nodded briefly, and threw him a weird look, just as if he knew... "I'm glad Eret already found a squire in you. It's good..." he trailed off, not spelling out what Hiccup could clearly see in the Prince's eyes. Yes, he definitely knew who Hiccup was. And accepted the fact that Eret didn't say any more.

"Thank you, Highness," he said, trying to keep the uncertainty from showing on his face as he smiled. "I'm grateful to House Jag'r for taking me in, and to E – to Sir Eret for offering me this position."

Talking to this man who would be his King one day felt weird. It should be a formal setting, but the atmosphere in this little office was too familiar for that, and it affected him, too. He felt himself relax, and it became increasingly harder to maintain formal behaviour. And thinking about how things could have – no, should have been made this conversation even more awkward.

He also was painfully aware of the Princess standing beside them, listening but not saying a single word. She seemed distant and aloof again, not at all the witty girl he'd met in the stables or who he'd watched just now, laughing with her brother and friend. He should turn and greet her now, knew it was what was expected of him, but he couldn't do it. He didn't know how or what to say.

There was a moment of awkward silence, before the Princess interrupted it, ignoring him completely. "To answer your question," she said, directed at her brother. "Yes, there are suitable replacements for Bento, I'd say. But I'd like to ask you to take better care of them. These animals are incredible, it's such a waste to lose them at the rate you do." It sounded playful, but Hiccup thought he detected a slightly bitter tone in her voice. However, neither of the other men reacted to that, so he'd probably just imagined it. They knew her far better, after all.

"Hey, it's not my fault if those malarian cowards keep attacking our horses instead of fighting fair, man against man," the Prince exclaimed. "I'd happily settle those disputes in a fair duel, but no, they keep ambushing us in the strangest places. I honestly have no idea how they are able to guess where we will be."

The Princess frowned, and was about to reply when Eret forestalled her possible tirade.

"Wait, wait, you've seen the war stallions already?" he asked disbelievingly. "But..." he trailed off, looking perplexedly at Hiccup who shrugged and nodded, and then groaned. "So you've seen Markor, too? Odin, and here I thought I could surprise you only once. But I should have known you would go straight to those stables."

A sly smile crossed the Princess' face. "Yes, I've seen him. And thank you so much. He's magnificent!"

Grumbling, Eret accepted her thanks, but then blinked and perked his head up again. "But… then you already met Hiccup here, right? You could have mentioned that, you know?"

Those last words were directed at Hiccup, and he nervously scratched his neck. What should he say now? What could he have said earlier? That the Princess had been there, that she’d already seen her gift, that Eret’s surprise was spoiled, and – oh, he’d kissed her, by the way, was in the process of falling for her, and falling hard… No, he hadn’t been able to tell Eret anything of that. But before he could come up with a believable excuse, the Princess spoke up again.

"Don't be angry at him," she pleaded. "I... I asked him not to tell you. I didn't want to spoil the surprise."

Hiccup looked up in astonishment, finally, actually looked at her, and saw the hidden plea in her eyes to play along. Perplexedly, he nodded when Eret looked at him questioningly, but couldn't bring himself to say anything. What game was she playing?

"Well, if it was on your order, I can't blame him, I guess," Eret mumbled.

"Thank you," the Princess said, beaming. Then she turned toward Hiccup again. "And thank you, too, Master Hiccup," she said, holding out her hand toward him, just like she'd done at the stables already. "For showing me the horses."

Those were the same words she'd said before, and they gave him a painful sting. Was that all she'd cared about? The horses?

Dutifully, he bent to breathe another kiss over the back of her hand, and repeated his answer, "It was a pleasure, milady." The words left a bittersweet aftertaste on his tongue. They were still true, but now thinking about this fact just hurt.

He straightened, and planned to bid his farewell and flee her presence, when she added: "And for everything else."

The words came out as barely more than a whisper, and he wasn't even entirely sure whether he'd heard them correctly. They had sounded heavy and meaningful, calling to him and trying to emit more than could be said with those few words. Hiccup dared to look up at her once more, to look her in the eyes and search for a sign, any hint as to what was happening inside her head right now. And for a brief moment, he saw it. The confusion, the fear, and the desire. He saw this unexplainable longing that seemed to pull him toward her in her eyes as well. He saw it all, clear and undilated, before she closed up again, smiled, and turned her attention back to her brother again.

And left his head spinning and his heart racing once again.

Next Chapter

#For The Love Of A Princess #hiccstrid fanfiction #hiccstrid #httyd #httyd fanfiction #httyd fandom #hiccstrid otp #shipmistress9

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astridthevalkyrie · 7 years ago

Text

Axe to the Heart: Chapter 18

Astrid Hofferson/Steve Harrington. “Maybe I hate a lot of things here in Hawkins but I suppose you’re not one of them.”

Chapter 17: Friends and More

The Camping Trip Part 1

Requested by @thewarriorofberk on Tumblr.

On the last day of school before Spring Break, it wasn’t Steve who was at her locker, but Nancy.

Astrid smiled at the girl as she closed her locker. Even though she definitely needed a larger filter with Nancy than she did with Steve, she was definitely likeable. And about as passionate about literature as Astrid was. So was Jonathan. They were both really pleasant company.

“Is Steve still sick?”

Astrid nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear as they walked out. “Yeah, although he’s getting better. He was definitely well enough to come through my window last night.”

“He climbs through your window now?” Nancy asked, an amused look on her face. “He didn’t do that until we had…well, uh…”

Astrid wanted to ask if she was trying to say they had sex, but, remembering her filter, kept quiet and let her continue.

“Well, we made out a couple times.” Nancy blushed and avoided Astrid’s eyes for a few seconds, as though the blonde would be jealous that Steve had - surprise, surprise - kissed people before her.

“He’s been climbing through my windows for a long time, Nance.” Astrid shrugged as they walked to the Wheelers’ house. Thanks to Hopper, she knew most of the area really well now, and wouldn’t get lost. She could easily walk back to her own house from the Wheelers’. Since it was Spring Break and Hopper wanted to spend more time with El while he wasn’t at the station, she was free for the week.

“I thought you said you two weren’t dating?”

“Friends can be really close too,” she hummed with a fond smile. If she could have been given a dollar everytime someone asked if she was dating one of her Berk friends, she’d be rich enough to buy the Great Hall.

“Astrid, you guys kiss. And he looks at you -”

“The way he used to look at you?”

“No,” Nancy insisted, “a different way. And I don’t know if you know, but you look at him in a different way too.”

Astrid gave her an odd look. She didn’t look at Steve any differently than anyone else. She wasn’t so obvious. But apparently, she was, because Steve’s ex out of all people claimed she was.

“When he laughs, you get this look on your face, as though nothing makes you happier than hearing it.”

“Okay, Wheeler, I know we both love Shakespeare, but we don’t need to be overdramatic.”

“I’m not being overdramatic.” Nancy nudged her arm. “I’m just saying that maybe you guys should try dating. You’ll see that things won’t really change that much.”

“Maybe,” she muttered, shoving her hands in her pockets.

Even after they arrived and Nancy went inside, she was pondering the question.

Were they already dating? Did they have to say it out loud for it to be considered official? Steve definitely made her feel things, and he said he loved her, and she had kissed him multiple times…

And if that was all as friends, they would probably get into a lot more romantic situations if they put a label on their relationship.

And why were they holding back anyway?

Oh, right, because they weren’t over their exes. Or he wasn’t. She hadn’t really been paying attention to how Steve looked at Nancy (as opposed to Nancy herself, who was apparently very studious about all this), but that didn’t mean he wanted to start dating again.

Astrid groaned lightly. Boys were confusing.

She took her time trudging back to her house, only to be surprised when she saw her parents’ car parked in the driveway. Her parents home this early? That seemed unreal.

Even with the confusion, there was still a sinking feeling that she wouldn’t be able to see Steve today. Why did the world hate her on her free days?

But then Astrid opened the door, and all thoughts of Steve flew from her head.

Right there, by the table, was the gang.

“Happy Early Birthday!”

“Holy Freya!”

Tuffnut came to her first, his face breaking out into a grin as he ran over and hugged her tightly, scooping her in his arms and spinning her around the best he could.

And reminding her that her birthday, was in fact, tomorrow. And she had completely forgotten.

“Hoff! What took you so long?”

Astrid barely had time to answer as she was smothered by warm bodies, with Fishlegs planting a kiss on her cheek. She was gaping, a little breathless.

“How…how are you guys here?”

“Well,” Hiccup began, in that face where he knew he was going to regret saying something, but planned on saying it anyway. “There’s this thing called a car.”

Astrid punched his shoulder and tugged him close, closing her eyes as the gang surrounded her.

It took her awhile to notice not only her parents standing to the side, but Hiccup’s father, Stoick Haddock.

“Chief.” She smiled, looking at the man who had been more of a father to her than her own parents. He was one of the reasons she wanted to be a cop - because Chief Haddock was legendary in Berk.

He was also a big man, and she felt it as he crushed her ribs in a hug.

“Happy birthday, lass. How have you been?”

“I’ve been…good…” She looked at her parents, who were standing uncomfortably against the wall, and then Astrid understood.

They were just intimidated by Stoick. But what was the intimidation for? She was elated, on cloud nine.

But why were they here?

They were all going to go camping. Somehow, in some way, Stoick had managed to convince her parents to let her come with him and the gang for three wonderful days in the woods. It sounded like heaven, although it was definitely ironic that she was going the same days her parents would be staying at home.

It was in an area that was about a four hour ride from Hawkins. Apparently, there were mountains, rivers, animals, and a whole lot more to see.

Or at least Hiccup told her as much as they both drove to the store so that Astrid could get some boots for hiking. She was holding Hiccup’s cat, Toothless, in her lap as he drove, laughing and catching up with him in person.

“So, the only thing you need is boots, right?” Hiccup gave her a glance as she stroked Toothless’s fur.

“Yeah.” She smiled at him, her heart warming at the familiar sight. “I have my tent at home, I just need to pack, and we can leave tomorrow morning. And…”

There was something nagging at the back of her head, something she had to do…but whatever it was, it wasn’t coming to her. Maybe just something she had to pack, in which case she’d remember it when she actually got to it.

“We’re not gonna get a lot of quiet time,” Hiccup mumbled, grinning to himself (which meant he wouldn’t want it any other way). “So I thought I’d ask now. Have you been doing okay? I know you haven’t had another panic attack since that night, but still.”

Astrid nodded, humming as she scratched Toothless’s neck and watched as the cat fell limp in her hands. “I’ve been doing okay. It’s not that bad here.”

For some reason, that brought her back to the thing she was forgetting to do, but it still wasn’t coming up.

At the store, they ran into Jonathan, Nancy, and Will, who were there to get Will some new shoes, and Astrid made introductions. Will had a knowing look - he probably recognized the “friend” she referenced so often.

“You made Astrid’s axe, didn’t you?” he asked, grinning.

“Yeah, I did.” Hiccup grinned back, and Astrid exchanged a fleeting smile with Jonathan. “Oh, Nancy, I know you said you were almost done with that book, but I won’t be at my house for the next three days. I’m going camping with the gang. My parents will be, but you know…”

“Thanks for telling me.” Nancy smiled as she ruffled Will’s hair. “I’ll give it back after you come back. And get you a proper birthday gift, now that I know it’s your birthday tomorrow. Better late than never, right?”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to.”

Nancy Wheeler could be awfully nice. Jonathan and Hiccup got to talk to each other while her and Nancy helped Will find shoes, before moving on to Astrid. It was a quick process; all hiking boots looked the same, really.

The nagging feeling didn’t leave her the whole rest of the day. The gang hadn’t bothered bringing their bags out since they were leaving the next day and with no help whatsoever from her parents, Astrid set out sheets and blankets on the floor so everyone could crash before their trip.

Ruffnut was in her room, and the two girls stayed up the latest, talking into the night. It was strange. She felt like a teenage girl (although all the things they discussed were beyond the usual teenage girl scope).

“You are such a dork, Astrid.”

“You’re crazy, Ruffnut.”

“Don’t wear out my name, pretty lady.”

Astrid snorted, but by this point she was dozing off, her hand finding Ruff’s and squeezing it gently.

That was the last thing she remembered doing before falling asleep. Early in the morning, before the sun was up, she was being poked awake by Snotlout, who made sure to do it in the most ticklish places.

Stoick said there was no need to wake up her parents (who couldn’t be bothered to say goodbye anyway) and that he would get them all breakfast on the road, so they piled into the car, Astrid squeezing between Fishlegs and Tuffnut and resting her head against Fishlegs’ shoulder, ready to sleep the whole ride.

This was going to be great. She was going to have the time of her life. It was the gang. How could she not have a great time? The only bad thing was that she wouldn’t get to see Steve for a few days -

Astrid shot up, startling the boys on either side of her.

Steve.

She hadn’t told Steve she was leaving.

So that was what she had forgotten to do.

Well, fuck.

There’ll be more of the gang in the chapter after the next one. :D

Next chapter: Steve doesn’t know whether it’s just post-sickness, but he can’t find Astrid anywhere and so much alone time forces him to do some heavy thinking.

#httyd #stranger things #astrid hofferson #steve harrington #stevestrid #valkyrie stories

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astridthevalkyrie · 7 years ago

Text

Axe to the Heart: Chapter 12

Astrid Hofferson/Steve Harrington. “Maybe I hate a lot of things here in Hawkins but I suppose you’re not one of them.”

Chapter 11: Talking and Coping

Our Very Own Babysitters’ Club

Requested by @naadestiel on Tumblr and ChrisFlannery on Fanfiction.Net. I hope you guys like it!

The snow wasn’t all gone yet, but it was getting there. Astrid’s shoes made small prints as she walked to the Wheelers’ door, shivering with her arms around herself.

And the main thing on her mind was that she was definitely not the babysitter type.

She was more responsible and more forward thinking than most people her age, but that just meant that she stopped them from doing stupid things (especially when it came to Snotlout and the twins), not that she was ready for kids to count on her.

Then again, it wasn’t five year olds. She was watching over kids who would be in high school next year. But after meeting Jane, she was still wary. These children had clearly gone through hell and back. Maybe not as bad as Jane, but still. Did she really have the capacity to deal with that?

And...Steve really liked these kids. If they didn’t like her...

Karen Wheeler answered the door and smiled widely. “Hi! You must be Astrid!”

She shook the woman’s hand and nodded, plastering on a pleasant smile as though she wasn’t nervous. “I am. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Wheeler.”

Her hand must have been freezing, because Mrs. Wheeler ushered her inside and closed the door. Astrid walked in and saw the stairs first, and the kitchen to the left.

It was a normal house with normal parents and not so normal kids.

“So, the kids are in the basement. Nancy is upstairs, she’s leaving in a few minutes. My husband should be back in about two hours. I’m going out for some me time.” Astrid laughed politely as Mrs. Wheeler winked. “Help yourself to anything in the fridge, and please ask Mike if you don’t know where something is. I trust them to behave.” She straightened and called out, “Mike! Babysitter’s here!”

“Alright!” came a boy’s voice from the basement. It was definitely a middle schooler. Astrid ran a hand through her hair and smiled encouragingly at Mrs. Wheeler.

“I’m sure we’ll be fine. Thank you, Mrs. Wheeler.” She waved goodbye to the woman, who smiled before leaving and closing the door behind her.

Astrid took a deep breath. Alright. She just had to go downstairs and hang out with them. They already knew she knew about the Upside Down, so they wouldn’t feel like they had to hide something from her. It would be natural. It would be cool.

She was about to go when Nancy came down the stairs, with her jacket on and her hair over her shoulder. She paused when she saw Astrid.

“Oh. Hey.”

“Hey,” she offered awkwardly, “um...I’m here to -”

“Babysit. Yeah. I know, Mom said Steve couldn’t make it.” She came downstairs and the two girls looked at each other before Astrid spoke up.

“You look nice.”

Nancy smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Damn, if it got any more awkward, people would think there was some sexual tension going on. “Thanks.”

There was a honk outside and Nancy straightened. “There’s Ally. Thanks for doing this, I know my mom really appreciates it.”

She turned towards the door and was reaching out for the knob when Astrid blurted, “Hey, Nancy?”

Nancy looked at her, blinking in surprise. “Yeah?”

“I never thanked you for saving my ass a month ago.” Astrid swallowed, taking a deep breath. “So thanks. Um...I’m pretty sure I would have died if not for you and Byers. Tell him I said thanks too. Of course, I’ll say it if I see him, but I mean, you’ll probably see him first. Not that I won’t still say it to him -”

“I’ll tell him,” Nancy cut her off with a laugh, and a smile that reached her eyes. “And thank you, too.”

She frowned slightly, racking her head. She didn’t remember doing anything for Nancy, but the girl had opened the door and left before she could ask.

So, anxiously, Astrid made her way downstairs.

There were five kids. Trying to piece together the information from Hopper and Steve together, she tried to identify them.

By their hair.

The boy with the shortest hair was Lucas, the boy with the curly hair was Dustin, and the redheaded girl was Max. She was fairly sure that Will was the one with the...mushroom haircut, for lack of better words, and Mike had curly-but-not-as-curly-as-Dustin hair.

Max was the one who greeted her first. She was sitting back with her arms crossed as she nodded to their babysiiter.

“Hey. Are you Astrid?”

“That’s me,” she answered, slinging off her bag, “hey, if I mix you guys up, correct me, okay? Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Max?” she tried, pointing to all of them.

“You got us all right. Congratulations.” Dustin smiled widely at her, and then looked down at the monopoly board in front of him. “I own that already, Mike. Hey, is it true you hit a demogorgon with an axe?”

Astrid felt a smile grow on her face as she leaned against the wall. “I did. Is it true that you guys name all these monsters after Dungeons and Dragons terminology?”

Max and Will laughed, and the boy said with a smile, “Not me and Max. When these guys named the demogorgon, I wasn’t...there.”

There was a thick silence in the air after that, probably because everyone’s minds had jumped to where Will had actually been. Astrid saw Mike’s brows furrow in concern, and then he frowned.

“So…” Astrid began, trying to break the silence. “Where’s Jane?”

That was the wrong thing to say, apparently.

All the kids looked at Mike, who was now scowling. “Jane isn’t allowed out of her house unless it’s a special occasion. Monopoly isn’t special.”

Astrid opened her mouth to say that she had seen Jane the night she went to the hospital, but then closed it, realizing that Hopper had only brought her out because it was really late at night and he didn’t want her to be alone. And she didn’t want to make the kid upset.

So she sat down and watched them play.

After a few minutes, Lucas turned to her and said, “You wanna join in, Astrid?”

“Oh, no, I’m no good at monopoly.” That was true. That had definitely been Fishlegs’ and Snotlout’s game. She was more of a Sorry! girl, or even Candyland (even if it was entirely based on luck, yadda yadda yadda). Dungeons and Dragons was great too, but that was only because that was what she had grown up with, being friends with the nerdiest people on the planet. Steve had said the kids played it a lot. Was it because of her that they weren’t playing it now?

Another few minutes of just the kids talking, and then Dustin stood up with a bored look. “Guys, this is never gonna end. Let’s just do something else.”

“Like what?” Mike said, giving him a deadpanned look. “Seven up? There’s nothing to do.”

“Let’s talk to Steve’s girlfriend, then,” Max suggested with a shrug, and before Astrid could speak that she was in no world Steve’s girlfriend, Mike snapped back.

“You just wanna talk to her cause she can use an axe!”

“I mean, is that not cool? How many people do you know that know how to use axes?”

“I’m sure there’s plenty of people!”

“You’re just mad that she brought up El -”

And they kept shouting at each other, back and forth. Astrid exchanged a bewildered look with Will, who grimaced and gave her an apologetic look. Dustin started shouting, trying to get them to calm down, and Lucas was pinching the bridge of his nose.

Despite the fact that it was kids arguing - and that she might have a part in it - it reminded her so much of home that she smiled, ducking her head. Hiccup would be nursing a headache while Fishlegs tried to break up a fight between her and Snotlout, with the twins chanted on for them to let go of their words and fight with their fists instead.

“Alright, hey, stop it!” She stood up and clapped a few times until they looked at her. “You guys realize you don’t need to do everything as a group? This is a group gathering, yeah, but even best friends -”

“She is not my best friend,” Mike cut in, crossing his arms.

She went on as though she hadn’t heard him. “Even best friends need some time apart sometimes. So if you’re getting sick of each other, do your own things. I’d love to talk about my axe,” she said to Max with a small smile, “but, to set the record straight, I’m not dating your adopted big brother, guys. We’re just friends.”

She was grateful that they all took seemed to take it to heart. Dustin, Mike, and Lucas went upstairs, while Max and surprisingly, Will, plopped down in front of her, joining her on the floor.

“So, an axe? That’s so cool!” Max grinned, biting her lip, and Astrid smiled at her.

“Yeah. I got it back when I was living in Berk.” She sat back and leaned against the wall. “We were given weapon training there, we’re really...into Norse mythology and vikings, y’know?” She leaned forward. “One of my friends, he was never good at any fighting when he was younger. But he was really good at making the weapons, even if he couldn’t use them. He made me this.”

Will’s brows furrowed. “If....everyone learned how to fight...and your friend couldn’t...didn’t people make fun of him? Because he was different?”

He was speaking from full personal experience. Poor boy. She wasn’t the babysitting type, but even she was ready to pull Will Byers into a hug if he needed it. “Well, yeah, they did. A lot, actually.” She hummed softly, thinking of the small brunette eagerly telling her about his day before being shoved against the wall by some brute. “But he stuck with what he could do, what he was a natural at, and he got some recognition eventually. Lost a leg on the way...but that’s a story for another time.” She grinned, seeing both kids’ eyes widen in astonishment. “It’s alright, we make...we used to make fun of him a lot over it. Heck, he joked about it too. It was a running joke between all of us.”

Will smiled, sitting back with his hands supporting himself. “So he...he got to be someone, finally.”

Astrid nodded. “Yeah. But don’t think it has to happen. Sometimes it’s okay if you’re not someone. My friend, he became someone by being himself. Be yourself before anything else.” She let out a small laugh. “I know that sounds ridiculously cheesy, but it worked for him.”

And Will reminded her a lot of her Hiccup in his younger, awkward years.

While Max reminded her a lot of herself.

Damn, was she getting old?

“Thanks, Astrid.” Will grinned at her and she grinned back, crossing her arms.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“You’re so cool,” Max breathed, leaning forward, “can you...teach me? How to use the axe?”

“Me too!”

Astrid smirked, resting her head in her hands. She was bonding with them! Well, not all of them, but two fifths of them! That was real progress! She was definitely going to proclaim this proudly to Steve. “If you can teach me to skateboard and you can take over my drawing lessons, sure.”

They both laughed - and she was really thankful that she had asked for the lowdown on them before coming here.

The rest of the time passed, for the most part, uneventfully. They all got together to watch Star Wars - which Astrid had zero interest in, but that was when she took the time to relax, so it was okay - and there was no arguing.

Mike still had yet to warm up to her, but Dustin and Lucas were trying their best (which she was grateful for). And Max and Will had seemed to have accepted her, which made her beyond elated.

By the time Ted Wheeler came back, Astrid was really looking forward to seeing these guys again. Maybe she could get on Mike’s good side by convince Hopper to let him and Jane see each other…

“Thanks again, Astoria,” Mr. Wheeler said, taking out his wallet.

She bit her tongue - that was the third time he’d gotten her name wrong - and then raised a hand. “Steve said he didn’t take any money.”

“Yes, you’re not Steve, though, are you?” he asked, chuckling at his own joke.

He didn’t take no for an answer (he’d probably been put up to it by his wife) so Astrid took the five dollars and left the house after saying goodbye to the kids.

They liked her, for the most part. It was a victory.

It felt significantly less colder, now that she was walking home.

Next chapter: Astrid just wants to focus on what the teacher is saying, but that’s difficult when Steve Harrington is pressing a note into her hand every minute.

Please send in requests!

#httyd #stranger things #astrid hofferson #steve harrington #stevestrid #valkyrie stories

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