From Ceremonies to Dragons to All in Between

Chapter 10: Can We Start Over?

A weapon dropped on the ground, and the entire arena fell into silence.

It has ended.

A horn blasted, announcing the end of the tournament and the final fate of Princess Astrid Hofferson. The last competitor had come up, and the match had ended.

Astrid stood straight, heaving deep breaths. Hiccup followed after, and both walked out of the arena through the opposite exits. As they left, the crowd cheered once more, and the two were left with the crowd drowning out the noise of their thoughts. They bother returned to their seats, and once both were seated, King Hofferson stood up to announce the results officially, despite the answer being clear for all to see.

Astrid was miles away though, lost in her thoughts and wondering what would've happened if things ended differently.

---

The battle had been intense, with both Hiccup and Astrid going for the offensive first, their weapons clashing and ringing out in the arena. The crowd cheered, obviously excited and in awe of this battle.

Most opponents against Astrid hadn't lasted a minute. Those that had lasted over that only lasted five minutes at most.

Hiccup and Astrid's fight lasted over an hour.

Even the crowd could see that they were evenly matched and that both were quite a match. The fight was certainly exciting enough for a battle enthusiast, as both opponents clearly had skill and expertise in their fighting. It was with much impatience and anticipation that the crowd watched, and no one could quite predict who would win.

---

Astrid stood along with her father at the end of his speech, along with her mother. They all walked off from their perch above the arena, preparing to head off to the banquet hall for the feast that followed this competition.

Astrid received many congratulations as she walked behind her father, and she smiled and thanked them, as was appropriate.

She felt anything but happy.

She wished they would all shut up.

---

A weapon dropped. It had been well over an hour since they started, and both Hiccup and Astrid were very tired at this point. Astrid was sure that they were evenly matched, and in any normal situation, this fight would've ended in a draw. But considering the nature of the fight, the fight had to go on, and considering how long they had been clashing, one of them would slip up soon and create their downfall.

Astrid will not be the one to slip up. She will make sure of it.

---

Astrid entered the banquet beside her mother, her comforting hand on her back. It calmed her racing thoughts and helped her compose herself.

Her father stood at center stage, announcing the beginning of the banquet, and all eyes were on him, even if only for the moment.

Something moves in the corner of her eye, and she turns to find Hiccup staring straight at her, besides his . . . crew? She's not exactly sure who they are, but they are with him. And apparently creating a lot more noise and commotion than Hiccup himself.

He startles when she turns to him but motions outside. A silent invitation to go outside. She turns her head and focuses on her father. She's not ready to face him, and she'd like this day to be over with before she even considers speaking with him.