Chapter Text
The Night Fury crashed into the arena, capturing the Monsterous Nightmare by the throat, subduing the larger dragon with its superior speed.
Vikings rushed the arena, capturing the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself.
Young Hiccup begged them to let the dragon go, screaming and thrashing while Astrid held him back. Stoick would hear none of it.
"Hiccup Haddock stood over the Night Fury, lashed to this very pole, here in the plaza, his father's axe in his hands. 'It's him or us,' Stoick warned. As young Hiccup lifted the axe above the bound beast, he didn't slice its head off like his father and chief wanted. Oh no. He used the chief's axe to slice through the tough leather that kept the dragon trapped, and flew away on its back. Never to be seen again."
The children all gasped, some with horror, others excitement, others still looked into the sky, as if Berk's infamous dragon rider would fly by just for their viewing pleasure.
"Alright now kids, get home to your parents. It's boot night and I'm sure they all need your help." Astrid smiled, dismissing the tiny vikings.
"You left out the part where the chief declared him a traitor, and banished him from ever setting foot on Berk again. If he's not dead anyway." A familiar grating voice sounded from behind her. "You always seem to leave that part out, actually. Wonder why."
"Hello, Snotlout." She leaned against the tall wooden post that was situated in the center of the village, where Hiccup's final act of defiance as a Berk viking had taken place.
"It doesn't sound like a cautionary tale when you tell it," Snotlout said, blatant jealousy and what could almost be construed as a warning layered in his words. Astrid crossed her arms, attempting to shut him out. Snotlout didn't back down and she sighed, looking out at the sun setting over the water. "You don't believe he's dead do you?"
"Of course not," Astrid muttered. A tense moment of silence passed between them.
"Don't tell me you're still in love with him," Snotlout sneered.
"Even having this conversation is grounds for high treason. And we both know no one is untouchable in this village." Astrid left no ambiguity, this was a warning. "Go home, Snotlout."
The dark haired boy shrugged and turned to leave. "You should go home too, Astrid. It'll be dark soon."
Astrid snorted quietly. She didn't have to listen to him, she could do whatever she wanted. Her pride almost demanded she didn't listen to his advice. Another sigh and she let her arms fall loosely to her sides, fingers brushing the deep gash in the wood, the scar left by Hiccup's escape. Stoick never had it repaired, his anger too much, too raw. He left it as a reminder, had the dragon trainers tell the story to warn future generations. Snotlout was right, Astrid couldn't tell it as a cautionary tale, because she knew what happened, knew that Hiccup was right. Hiccup's flight wasn't a cautionary tale, Berk's denial was.
She let her fingers pick over the damaged wood, every bump and divot familiar. Any worry of splinters disregarded, worn down by six harsh Berk winters.
"Hiccup," Astrid whispered, eyes still fixed on the watery horizon as the sun vanished for another night, taking the warm glow with it and leaving Berk shrouded in a fuzzy darkness. "I wonder if you ever think about me." Her only answer was a frigid north wind. "Yeah, yeah, I'm going home. Stupid wind."
Safely tucked in bed with her boots outside to air out, Astrid drifted into a fitful sleep, on edge, just like the rest of Berk, worried for the next dragon attack.
She hadn't been asleep for long, drifting in and out of a hazy dream about some…creative dragon fighting methods, when the sound of beating wings pulled her into wakefulness. The only thing with wings big enough to make that much noise was a dragon.
Seizing the axe she always kept at her bedside, Astrid flew to the door and yanked it open. The scene outside her door was quiet, almost picturesque. None of the fire and growling that followed the arrival of a dragon. None of her neighbours had stirred.
"No more spiced yak milk before bed," Astrid whispered to the wind, letting the door close with a muffled thump.
-
"Astrid, heads up!" Fishlegs cried as Tuffnut's bludgeon came sailing towards her side. Astrid had brought her former classmates in to perform a combat exhibition for her students. Unfortunately, she had scheduled this weeks in advance and hadn't been able to plan around the fact she had barely slept the night before. Worries of bad dreams and phantom wing beats kept her tossing and turning until the sun rose on the opposite horizon from where she'd watched it set. She brought her shield up fast as she could, but not fast enough. The bludgeon struck the shield, but she hadn't braced it properly. The shield slammed into her body and the impact reverberated through her bones, jarring her teeth and starting a wave of dizziness.
"Astrid!" Tuffnut's face swam in front of her vision, and behind him, a Night Fury streaked across the sky.
Astrid sat up in a panic. She had to go after Hiccup.
"You're awake! Thank goodness," Fishlegs exclaimed, holding a cup of water in front of her face. The torches were lit and outside the windows was dark. "Everyone! Astrid is awake!"
Slowly, she recognized Gobber's smithy, then heard the distinctive 'step-tap' of the old smith's wooden leg. Accompanying Gobber was the rest of the group, Tuffnut hanging back a little, almost worried. When the blond boy could see she was alright, his demeanor changed to irritatingly pompous.
"Let this be remembered as the day, I, Tuffnut LaVerne Thorston, beat Astrid," he said, pushing past all the worried vikings assembled around the injured Astrid. "I think we should declare a new annual holiday."
"If any of you ever bring this up again, I'll kill you." Astrid seethed, hauling herself up from the work bench she'd been laying on. She seen the obvious fear on all of their faces and knew she had succeeded in hiding the massive wave of nausea that standing had given her.
"Alright," Gobber piped up, "obviously Astrid is fine, you should all be going now." He made little 'shoo-ing' motions, that were rather threatening with his hook hand.
Fishlegs turned to leave after telling her to get better, Tuffnut whispered "Sorry for knocking you out" as he left with his sister, who spared her a simple nod.
Snotlout, however, didn't budge. "I can't leave you now," he declared. "If I left you while you were injured I wouldn't be a very goo—"
"Leave." Astrid glowered, putting all the venom she had into one word.
Stopping mid sentence, and showing an uncharacteristic moment of understanding, the young viking left. As soon as the door slammed shut behind him, Astrid slumped against the table, breath ragged and legs shaking.
"Here, here, sit," Gobber insisted, sliding a chair over to the struggling woman. Astrid took the chair with mumbled thanks.
"Now, Astrid, I've seen you in that arena many times, but I've never seen you take a hit or go down like that. Since old Stoick and I are getting too old to battle the dragons and the Outcasts properly, everyone recognizes you as the most promising warrior Berk has. That's why Stoick picked you as—"
"I didn't sleep well last night," she said dismissively, "I have something more important to tell you."
"I know that you've got a lot on your plate right now, and if you're trying to put on a poor show to get Stoick to change his mind, I'll tell you it's not a smart move. I know you're still upset about Hiccup—"
"Yes, Hiccup! I'm trying to tell you about Hiccup!" Astrid cried.
"—but he's not coming back and you have to accept that and do you duty to the tribe. That means going through with—"
"He's back! I saw him," Astrid said. Gobber noticed that and stopped his lecture.
"Who?"
"Hiccup," Astrid whispered.
"No..." Gobber whispered back. Astrid nodded eagerly.
"Today, when Tuffnut hit me, I saw Too—the Night Fury flying over the arena."
The interest in Gobber's face soured.
"Astrid, you were hit pretty hard, you passed out right after. You probably just imagined it." Gobber patted her on the shoulder with his good hand and stood to leave. Astrid felt her spirit crumble under the weight of every pat.
"Keep that to yourself, if you know what's good for you. Go home when you feel well enough, I'm turning in now." Gobber left with a sad shake of his head.
Astrid clenched her fist and beat it against the work table. She had seen him, it wasn't her imagination, and if she had to find Hiccup on her own, she would. Someone had been nice enough to bring her arena weapons to the smithy, so she grabbed them and made for the woods. She had no idea where to go, but she figured the cove where she had initially found the boy and his dragon would be a good idea.
Her first step into the woods went okay, well even. Her second had her bent over a log depositing her lunch in the ferns.
"Thor Almighty, how hard did Tuffnut hit me?" Astrid muttered as she trudged on. None of the trees showed any signs of distress, not that she really expected them to. Hiccup and Toothless wouldn't be crashing through the trees for fun, and she knew they were better fliers than that. The memory of her flight with Hiccup and Toothless, one she usually kept locked up tight, warmed her heart. She would find them.
With every obstacle avoided Astrid started to feel better, more solid on her feet as the dizziness left her. Another fallen tree cleared, another step closer to her goal. If Astrid Hofferson was anything, it was determined and goal oriented.
When she finally reached the cove it was peaceful, quiet, empty, and undisturbed. With a wordless yell of frustration Astrid pitched the shield down the hill and listened with a small satisfaction as the metal edged disk bounced off the rocks while it careened toward the ground. When the shield landed at the bottom, she groaned, wishing she'd thought about having to retrieve her equipment before throwing it.
With a grumble she began the descent, careful not to let her axe bang against the rocks or get trapped in any tight crevices. Once she dusted the shield off and had it secured on her arm, Astrid looked to the sky. Based on the position of the stars it was rather late, the urge to lay down and sleep was immense.
Then she seen it. A smudge in the sky. A long tendril of smoke. The caves on the beach!
Of course! Astrid thought, running back out of the cove and towards the smoke. The caves were a brilliant place to hide. No one went to that side of the island, the seastacks were too dense to navigate around, and the cliffs tall and craggy.
Astrid skid to a stop. The cliffs. The beach was a good place for Hiccup and Toothless, but she couldn't fly. Peering over the edge, she could see it, a small campfire that had just been put out. Someone was down there, and she would bet her battle axe that it was Hiccup.
With a deep breath, she steadied herself, strapped the axe and shield to her back and started the treacherous climb down to the beach. The cold northern wind buffeted against the unrelenting cliff, Astrid caught between them, her hair tossed wildly, and a loud whistling in her ears.
Careful of where she placed her hands, and ensuring that her chosen footholds were strong enough to support her, she climbed blindly downward. Adrenaline fought with exhaustion in her bones and muscles. Gravity pulled her down faster than she was willing to go; she should have left the shield up on the ledge, but she was a viking, and despite its earlier betrayal, she had learned the value of her shield.
Despite nearly impossible odds, Astrid had made it nearly to the ground. Her arms burned and sweat beaded down her face, and in small rivulets down her back. Just a few more steps down and she'd be able to jump. The rock she tried to grab was sharper than she anticipated, and a small cut opened on her palm. Astrid hissed and retracted her hand, scarlet welling up, heady and slick. With a grunt, she wiped her hand on her shirt and continued her descent.
When she decided she could handle the drop, she took another deep, steadying, breath and let herself fall. She could sense the ground coming and at the right moment, got herself ready and rolled, using the shield on her back to alter her centre of gravity and landed firmly on one knee.
The campfire smouldered lightly and the mouth of the cave yawned ominously, and suddenly, for the first time, Astrid questioned her plan.
She had been so sure she'd find Hiccup on the beach, she hadn't considered what she would do if she encountered anyone else. She had her weapons, but what if they outnumbered her? She was alone, no one would hear of she called for help, and there was no way she would make it back up the cliff—even if she tried she'd be a sitting duck for an archer, or even a viking with a halfway decent throwing arm.
A low growl echoed from the cave, and in a flash Astrid was armed. Slowly the growl moved toward her and became less hollow sounding as it grew closer. Shadows danced in front of the cave's maw, but no solid shapes could be seen. Astrid ground her teeth and tried to get firmer footing in the fine sand.
Two slitted green orbs floated in front of her face and the growling stopped.
"Toothless…" Astrid whispered in awe. Her weapons plopped down into the sand, and she soon followed as the excited dragon took her down.
The Night Fury licked her face and Astrid shrieked.
Hiccup awoke in a panic, someone screamed. He was supposed to be the only person on this side of the island, and someone had just screamed. Toothless wasn't in the cave with him. He must be outside playing guard, probably scaring the wits out of whoever had wandered too close to his hideout. Who had been able to wander this close to his hideout? He'd chosen the area since it was nearly unreachable, except by air. Fastening his sword to his side Hiccup hurried out of the cave. His sword wasn’t a sharp bladed weapon, used more for communicating with dragons than fighting, but it did light on fire and could be pretty intimidating.
"Okay, Toothless, okay you can stop scaring them now," Hiccup called, running a hand through his hair, and trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. Hard to be intimidating with bedhead and eye crusties. He saw Toothless, standing on top of someone, discarded weapons in the sand, feet thrashing uselessly under the Night Fury's assault. "Not scaring. Attacking, definitely attacking." Hiccup gulped. "No, no Toothless no. Bad dragon!" He admonished, running towards the scuffle. "Oh gods, Toothless stop!" he yelled, giving the dragon a good shove with his shoulder. While he didn't have enough strength to actually move the Night Fury, Toothless understood his intention and the large purple dragon stepped over his prey in a way that could only be called 'polite'.
Hiccup gave the dragon a very deep scowl, and swore to deal with him later. One crisis at a time, he turned back to the fallen intruder.
"Oh gods are you...Astrid?" he asked. He wasn't sure, it had been so long, but she looked like Astrid—under all the dragon slobber—round face, those big blue eyes, blonde hair falling out of thick braids.
"Hiccup!" she exclaimed, leaping up and launching herself into his arms. "Oh Hiccup, I knew I'd find you," she whispered, squeezing him tight.
Hiccup stood stunned, arms outstretched, unsure of what to do. He had to be dreaming.
"Astrid. Astrid." He repeated before slowly wrapping his arms around her. "Freyja, you brought her back to me," he whispered into her hair.
The invocation of the goddess of love was a surprise, though not unwelcome.
"I've missed you," Astrid said quietly.
"I've missed you too. So much," Hiccup answered, emotion thick in his voice. He nuzzled his nose into her hair and breathed in her smell. "You've been bleeding."
"No big deal." Astrid mumbled, resting her head on his chest. His bare chest. He was taller than her now, and still gangly, but in possession of some undeniable muscles. "I cut my hand climbing down the cliff."
"Well that answers the question of how you got here," Hiccup mused. "C'mon, let's get that bandaged before we have to take the whole arm off." Astrid couldn't help but smile as they disentangled themselves and he led her to the shore line. She'd missed his particular brand of dry humour. "Toothless, can you bring me the saddle, Bud?" The dragon—who had been unsubtly lurking—nodded excitedly and bounded back into the cave. "He's in an abnormally good mood," Hiccup mumbled, sitting down and taking Astrid's injured hand into his own, washing it gently in the cold sea water.
Astrid studied the man in front of her, and he was a man, Snotlout had never been anything but a boy in her mind, but not Hiccup. Hiccup was a man now.
"You've grown up," she stated, studying the defined planes of his face, the strong jaw covered in a fine dusting of russet stubble. His hair was longer, and thicker as well, her fingers itched to braid it.
"Six years in self-imposed exile will do that to you," he said drily. Toothless arrived with the saddle and Hiccup dug into one of the attached bags until he found a roll of bandage and a pot of weird yellow goop. Goop was slathered onto Astrid's palm and covered quickly with a bandage. "It's an herbal mixture, helps the healing and keeps the pain away," he explained. His eyes softened, trailing up her arm. "You've grown too," he said, suddenly comprehending what time had meant for the people he left behind. His hands followed his eyes and brushed against the oath ring adorning her arm.
Her own hand flew to the ring, caressing the cold metal gently.
"I'm one of only a few women to get one. True men of Berk," she explained, proudly. As soon as the words left her mouth she wanted to take them back.
Hiccup set his face in a stony mask, but he was sure he hadn't done it quick enough, sure that Astrid had seen the hurt in his eyes. He moved to stand.
"Hiccup, I'm sorry," she said, making to follow him. Hiccup hoisted the saddle over his shoulder and headed back to the cave.
"No, no, it's fine, life had to go on without me, I get it. I was only ever Hiccup the Useless after all," he ranted angrily, tossing the saddle against the cave wall. Toothless shrank back, on edge with Hiccup's sudden anger.
"It's okay," Astrid whispered, placing a reassuring hand on the dragon's back. “Just stupid viking stuff. I’ll talk to him.” Toothless nudged against her before turning and wandering the other way down the beach.
"Hiccup, it's not like that," she pleaded.
"Let me guess, you killed a dragon for that, right? Nadder probably, knowing you." Hiccup sneered, wheeling around and pointing accusingly.
"No," Astrid countered, swatting his hand away. "Outcasts. They raided us just after you left. They thought we would be vulnerable. I saved lives that night." She put on her best 'I dare you' face and stuck her nose right against his. "I mourned you, but I still had to do my duties to my tribe, because I had nowhere else to go."
"I couldn't have taken you with me," he said softly.
"I know." She felt her anger melting away and she slowly brought her hand up to cup his cheek. He sighed and leaned into her touch. "But I wanted you to," she whispered, using her other hand to bring his face down to hers.
The kiss was sweet, full of innocence, and the love they'd shared as children. Hiccup groaned against her lips and Astrid pulled back, unsure. Her eyes flew open and she was greeted by the green of Hiccup's eyes, alive with fire, even in the dark cave.
"I have waited so many years for this," he whispered, his voice rasping with a deepness she had never heard, a deepness that made her knees weak. "To hold you in my arms, and kiss you. All these years, Astrid, I've thought of you so many nights." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body flush against his. "Just tell me that you've thought of me, even just once," he pleaded, his eyes searching her face.
"I've never stopped thinking about you," she whispered in return.
With that his mouth crashed onto hers, a kiss filled with fire, and passion, longing and desire that Hiccup hadn't even known he'd possessed until that very moment, with Astrid in his arms.
Suddenly her hands weren't on his face anymore, but tangled in his hair. The simple action sent lightning through his body. He broke from her lips violently, panting with effort. A cruel smile overtook Astrid's face when she realised what she was doing to him. Hiccup threw his head back and Astrid took the opening, planting soft kisses down his jawline, and on the tense muscles in his neck.
"Astrid, if you don't stop that" he panted "it will be my undoing." Not that he really wanted her to stop. How many times had he dreamed of this?
"You could do with a little undoing, I think." She teased, giving a light tug at his hair.
Resigned to his wonderful, wonderful fate, Hiccup threw himself onto his sleeping furs, taking Astrid with him.
Late morning light streamed in through the cave mouth and Hiccup groaned, Astrid had kept him up long past what was reasonable. He rolled over lazily, expecting to find the woman sharing his bed, but instead he found…nothing. He knew it, he had been dreaming the whole time. She had never been here, she was never coming back, and he would never get to kiss her. Hiccup rolled over and groaned dejectedly into the furs. He'd have to wash them. Again. At least he was camped on a beach. ‘do with a little undoing’ what a cheesy line, Astrid would never. Then again, she did have her own flair for the dramatic. He remembered clearly, and with a fond fear, her standing over him, waving an axe in his face declaring ‘Our parents’ war is about to become ours’. Freyja's cats, she was one of a kind.
"C'mon Toothless," he mumbled "big day ahead of us."
It was the lack of the usual rustling and quiet purring rumble that caused him to panic. Where was Toothless? Sitting bolt upright, he was briefly blinded by the light from the cave mouth. When he was done flinching and squinting, he heard the uneven flapping of wings. Toothless was out on the beach, probably trying to catch small creatures in the surf. Hiccup relaxed back into the furs, trying to cling to the details of his dream about Astrid. Staying on the island of Berk was a bad idea, he’d known that, just knowing she was so close shook loose the longing in him. It would be easy to steal into her house at night, to see her, and that knowledge made him restless. So close, but so far. So very far. He had disappeared from her life, been absent for years. His exile wouldn’t be ending anytime soon, either. He could never give her the kind of life she expected, wanted, or deserved. It was better not to see her. The was the conclusion he always came to. It was better to let her go.
It was foolish, to still hold onto a silly crush from when he was 15, but Astrid was the first person—the only person—on Berk to ever really know who he was. And for those brief, fleeting hours, she had liked him, too. She had probably forgotten all about him, redeemed her family's honour and ascended to high vikinghood, married the strongest warrior in the village, and mounted a dragon skull above the threshold of her home. He would lie and tell himself he could be happy for her. Not that it would ever matter, he'd never see her again.
From outside, a scream pierced the still air of the cave. Hiccup was on the beach before he even registered what was happening.
Astrid stood in the shallows—morning sun sparkling on the water around her—the shield balanced against her hip holding small piles of clams. Her hair and clothes were drenched, and she glared at Toothless who was bounding away from her, mischief shining in his eyes.
Astrid. She was really real, really there. And apparently she wanted clams for breakfast.
“Good morning,” she called, waving when she noticed him. He raised a hand in a feeble wave, still scared to believe she was real. Astrid cocked her hip out in the way she did when she was feeling sardonic, and gestured up and down her body, her smirk entirely unrestrained.
Hiccup looked down at his own body and realised he was naked as the day he was born. He usually didn’t sleep naked. But he usually didn’t sleep with Astrid. Toothless bounded to the mouth of the cave, turning his back on Hiccup and flaring his wings wide for privacy. Face hot, Hiccup rushed back into the cave.
“Nothing I haven’t already seen!” Astrid laughed. Seen, and plenty else besides.
Appropriately dressed, he returned. Astrid was sat at the reignited fire, setting the clams to soak in a bowl of water. Toothless lay curled next to her, tail flapping lazily against her leg.
“I see you helped yourself to the kitchenware.” Hiccup kept all manner of tools in the saddle bags. Berk wasn’t a luxurious upbringing, even for the son of the chief, but he was used to having the necessities. When he started living on the run he found ways to keep the creature comforts with him.
“Hope you don’t mind.” Astrid smiled, reaching a hand out to him. “We decided it was best to let you sleep. Big night.” The twinkle in her eye sparked a rush of memories that sent a shiver through him.
“Of course, you’re welcome to anything. Take me. I mean, I’m yours—I mean take what’s mine. What’s mine is yours.” He took her outstretched hand and flopped down in the sand next to her, face burning with shame.
Astrid huffed a small laugh. She had missed him. Missed his awkward rambling, the way his ears turned pink when he blushed, how easy it was to rattle him. She tugged on his hand sharply, bringing him closer. He started to say something, but she cut him off with a kiss. He melted into her, all other concerns forgotten.
“I missed you so much," he said, when she’d pulled away. He tucked an errant piece of hair behind her ear.
“Me too.” She smiled. Toothless snorted as he dozed next to her.
“So what have you been up to since your grand flight from Berk?” She rested her head against his shoulder, keeping her tone light, but they knew this wasn't a casual conversation.
“Oh you know, just being a nomadic dragon rider, travelling around doing good deeds for vikings in need, hoping they don’t try to kill me and will maybe give me dinner for my trouble.” He shrugged. “As long as I keep Toothless out of the radius of the nest we’re okay.”
“Sounds exciting. I still haven’t really left Berk.” Astrid sighed.
“Haven’t really?”
“Well, there’s the journeys to hunt for the dragon nest. I’ve been on a few of those, but they’re not really for sightseeing. They never even get close, and we lose ships every time. But at least a few of us make it back.”
“You haven’t given up the location?” That surprised him, it would do a lot for her standing in the village.
“It’s a losing battle. I haven’t been able to come up with a strategy that would give us anything close to a fighting chance, so it’s best to keep them away. We can handle the incursions, we have for generations, but we can’t handle that monster. I won't send my people to certain death.” Astrid spoke calmly, stirring the bowl of clams with her hand.
As much as Berk betrayed him, Hiccup knew they weren’t bad people, just ignorant to the source of their problems and reacting the way they’d been taught. Hearing Astrid talk about them as her people, he knew that no matter what responsibilities he left behind, the village would be okay with people like her, who cared so deeply, to lead them.
“What’s it like out there?”
“You know, mixed bag. Some places very similar, some very different, all with their own problems. We tend to stick to the islands, there’s thousands of them scattered around, the mainland is generally less accepting of outsiders, but there’s a few coastal villages that have welcomed us.”
“I can't wait to see it,” Astrid said, deciding the clams were clean enough and transferring them to a pot to boil, “the world outside Berk.”
“The world is so much bigger than I expected. We can fly for weeks and there’s still more.”
"That sounds wonderful. Berk is stifling, we don't even have access to our whole island." She gestured to the cliffs.
"To be fair, this beach isn't exactly prime pastures," he said. Astrid didn't say anything, busying herself with the clams. “If you want to be dropped off at the edge of the village you’ll have to wait until dark. If you want to go back earlier, we can fly you up to the top of the cliffs whenever.”
“I’m not going back." she said simply, she didn’t look up from her task.
“What?” Surely she wasn't thinking she could go with him. His life, it wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t one he knew how to share with anyone but Toothless.
“I can’t go back.” Her tone sounded like she was clarifying, but really she gave no additional information.
“Why not?”
“I…just can't, okay? I don't belong there.” She finally looked at him, eyes wide and imploring.
“You seem to be doing just fine.” Hiccup felt the bitterness in the back of his throat as his eyes raked over her oath ring again.
“Hiccup, please.” Her hand came up to cover the ring, and her head sunk to hide her eyes again. Hiccup had never seen Astrid cry. Not since that one time when they were children, so young they were barely people, barely past the threshold of child mortality—and if Hiccup was honest with himself, he knew the tribe hadn’t been sure he’d survive for a good number of years after that. There had been a dragon attack three nights prior, no one had seen Sven since, assuming he’d been carried off, a common tragedy.
They found his remains hidden in a thicket, the axe wounds in his skull weren’t made by a dragon. What started as a game of hide and seek had become a confrontation with the inevitability of death, and the truth of human brutality. In the face of that, Astrid cried.
Now again, he heard the strain in her voice. Back then, she begged him not to look too closely. Hiccup was small and sensitive and fragile. Hiccup was also too curious for his own good. Just like last time, when she begged him not to look, he drew closer.
“Astrid, what is this about?” It wasn’t about a silly dream, a passing wanderlust—it wasn’t even about him, he wasn’t foolish enough to believe that, that sort of naive egocentrism had been beaten out of him a long time ago. He took her hand, gently running his thumb over her knuckles. This was something much deeper. Something he knew all too well—the fear of having your life taken from you. The need to survive.
He thought again about her possible husband. Sleeping with another man's wife was hardly the worst crime he'd committed on Berk, but for her…to send her back to a man she didn't love (because how could she love this hypothetical husband if she never stopped thinking about Hiccup?) with the possible consequences of their night together, that would be a reason to fear.
"It's your husband isn't it?" He tried to keep his tone soft. He didn't have any right to be bitter, he made his choices and left her behind. Her knew that, and he was only asking to try and get an idea of why she was so upset. He was trying to help! But that didn't stop the jealousy that burned through him, thinking about another man holding her.
"He's not my husband, yet." There was more to it than that. Her voice shook, “Your father is forcing me to marry Snotlout.” Hiccup felt an icicle of dread run him through, petty jealousy forgotten.
“What?” he whispered. Stoick was unquestioning of tradition, immovable in his dedication to Berk, and obstinate about many things—but one of those things was love matches. Marriages based on any sort of political, material, or status gain were anathema to any self respecting Berk viking. Stoick had married for love, and vehemently refused to marry again. Even when his only heir proved a failure, he refused offers to try again. He'd even rejected offers of political marriage for his son, so the legacy could be passed to a prepared warrior bride, when his untimely demise inevitably came. In truth, a backup plan would have been wise, but Stoick would never consider it, stubborn as he was. “Why?”
Astrid sniffled, still refusing to look at him. “Stoick decided, in the absence of an heir, the strongest warrior in the village—”
“Snotlout?” he scoffed.
“Me,” she snapped, looking up, her eyes shining with both tears and annoyance.
“Right, right, sorry.” Hiccup couldn’t help the fond smile that pulled at his lips. He always admired her fire. He pulled her close, letting her hide her tears in his shirt while he caressed her back. He was happy to be holding her again, but she picked up her story again forcing him to set aside his peaceful fantasy.
“The strongest warrior of the upcoming generation should marry a close relative." Apparently Snotlout being his third cousin was good enough.
“Spitelout campaigned pretty hard for dad to see that point of view, I bet,” Hiccup muttered. Astrid nodded.
"You know Hoffersons and Jorgensons get along about as well as a dragon and dry timber. My parents have been resistant, but this whole situation is basically holding any other marriage offers hostage. He's going to be the next chief, on paper, it's a great match."
“When is this supposed to happen? Surely my dad will realise it’s a bad idea and call it off. Not to mention, Snotlout would be a terrible chief.” Her hands gripped his shirt tightly, her subtle shake belaying the severity of the situation.
“A fortnight," she whispered. “I can’t go back. I just can’t.”
“Astrid…"
“Especially not now.” Her knuckles were white, clutching at his shirt so tightly he worried she might tear it.
Hooligan brides were not expected to be untouched for their wedding, like some further islands required—and took alarmingly seriously—he’d seen a similar fear in those women when they begged him to take them away from dangerous homes, but the fear of acute repercussions was different from the dread of shackles after tasting freedom.
"You know what it's like to not fit in here, Hiccup," she said.
"Astrid, you were always the best of us." She had always been the smartest, the fastest, the most battle ready. She earned an oath ring. Hel, she was the strongest warrior of the next generation. She was a pinnacle of Berk excellence.
"Until you showed me we were wrong." She knew the vikings were too reckless, too driven by vengeance, so she kept Hiccup's secrets. Stoick had been so suspicious of her after Hiccup left, sure she knew more about the dragons than she claimed. She'd been so close with his traitor son, she had to know something. It hadn't helped that even months after training, she hadn't killed a dragons in battle, and had suddenly become so clumsy she hindered other vikings from fighting effectively, as well. The Outcasts had been a convenient crisis that let her show her dedication to Berk, letting everyone brush the Hiccup incident off as the mistakes of a teenage girl. She'd become a woman when she severed a man's head from his shoulders, and her chief finally trusted her again. She'd used that trust to spare as many dragons as she could, always fearing the tide would turn against her again, but knowing what she did was right.
“Whatever you need, I’ll help you however I can." Hiccup acquiesced. "There’s lots of far flung islands that could use a warrior of your calibre. Plenty of them owe me favours, we can get you set up.”
“Why won’t you take me with you?” She suddenly shoved him back.
“I’m a dragon rider, I live in the sky and sleep in caves.” He flung an arm toward the cave he had spent the night in. “It’s not an easy life. And you can't fly."
"So I’ll learn, I’m a fast learner." She jumped up, pacing in the sand. Toothless tracked her lazily with half open eyes.
"It’s not that simple," Hiccup begged her to see reason.
"You think I’m not good enough," she accused.
"That’s not true." She was amazing, they both knew that.
"Why are you even here?" she spat. If he wasn't here for her, then why?
"I need to steal an artefact, well, steal back an artefact, a scroll. It was stolen decades ago and ended up in Johann's hands before being traded here. It's important and the original owners want it back. I know Berk, and I owe them a favour."
Astrid watched him carefully. "Do you just trade favours out there?"
"More or less. Favours don't add any weight to my pack." He shrugged.
"Let me help you, let me prove that I can handle it. Then you'll owe me a favour."
"And your favour will be coming with us." Hiccup's shoulders slumped, he could spend forever arguing with her, but she would win. Toothless perked up at that, looking excitedly between Hiccup and Astrid. "Oh great, you're on her side too, Bud?" The dragon nodded. Hiccup groaned, laying back in the sand.
"We have to get Stormfly," Astrid declared.
"Stormfly? What's a stormfly?" Hiccup propped himself up on his elbows.
"Not what, who. The Nadder, in the arena. She's the same one from…back then. I've been working as a trainer—trying to, I don't know, keep dragons humanely? Anyway, I've kept her alive this whole time and I can't just leave her behind."
"Okay," Hiccup nodded "we'll get her."
"So, tell me about this scroll," Astrid said, sitting down again. Hiccup pulled his journal out, flipping through the pages.
"It's kept in a sealed iron cylinder." He showed her the sketch he'd made based on the descriptions from the chief on Shimmer Stone Island.
"I've seen this before," Astrid said, surprised.
"Where? In the treasure vault? My father's house?"
"The smithy. Forged into the handle of a sword." Gobber wasn't one for vanity pieces, but she'd definitely seen that sword on display.
"You're sure?"
"Absolutely. Which means it’s probably been destroyed by the heat."
"It should be okay. I don’t know how but they assured me the scroll can withstand even dragon fire. That's actually a lot easier than I expected. We'll wait until nightfall and sneak into the smithy." Thankfully the winter chill was sneaking up on them, and the sun went down early. “As long as we don’t wake Gobber, it’s an easy retrieval.” Gobber had always been a terrible workaholic, despite having a house, he often slept in a room adjoining his workspace.
“He doesn’t sleep in the smithy anymore.” Astrid said.
“Really? Why not? Did something happen?”
Astrid paused, and then decided to just avoid the question. "The smithy's been rebuilt a few times since you left, but it's still pretty much the same." Astrid started drawing a map in the sand. Hiccup copied her drawing on a fresh page in his notebook. "If we come in from the east, we can use the darkness to our advantage, and slip in, hopefully, undetected. The wind should carry sound and the fish smell away from the nearest houses. Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what?" Hiccup asked, schooling his expression.
"With that dopey smile on your face."
"You're just amazing, so smart, and all tactical and stuff." He let himself put the 'dopey smile' on again, and she laughed and playfully shoved at his shoulder.
"Pay attention, this is important."
"Of course, of course." He caught her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to her fingers. She scoffed at his big, adoring, eyes, but leaned over to kiss him all the same. Then she shoved him away abruptly. "Oh fuck, the clams!"