AHHHH! I'm totally in love with how adorable this chapter is.
Inspired by astridvh
Set on the night Astrid lost her uncle Finn to the Flightmare. Astrid is 5. Hiccup is 6.
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Thunder roared like an adolescent Thunderdrum over the Isle of Berk. Lightning flashed across the sky, mere minutes from the village.
"EVERYONE INSIDE!" The chief bellowed as everybody scrambled into the great hall, shoving their way through the crowd of panicked Vikings. "LOWER THE STORM DOORS!"
Gobber and Spitelout did as asked, closing the large doors of the great hall, protecting them from the ghastly weather.
"DAD?!" The chief heard the unmistakable sound of his son's voice. He forced his way through the crowded room in search of the young boy.
"Hiccup?" He called as he noticed his son knelt on the ground beside the table he usually sat at with the other Berkian children. "Son. Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine. But something's wrong with Astrid!" Young Hiccup pointed to the small blonde figure huddled under the table. Her hands were covering her ears and her eyes were closed tight. Her knees were tucked up to her chest as she rocked back and forth.
"La La La La La La La La." She hummed to herself in order to drown out the commotion around her. Stoick let out a sigh. He crouched beside the table and placed a gentle hand on the young girl's shoulder.
"It's alright, Lass..." He said as softly as he could possibly muster. She flinched and gasped at the sudden contact. Her eyes flung open as she looked up at the stocky chief, then to his son. She brought her hands away from her ears, slowly, before hastily crawling out from the other side of the table and running away to the very back corner of the great hall.
"Chief..." Hiccup heard Spitelout call from behind them, though he was too focused on Astrid to care about what he was saying. He only spun around when his father stood up off the ground.
"Hiccup, stay put!" He ordered, knowing Hiccup never did as he was told anyway. The young auburn-haired boy jumped up and grabbed his father's wrist, pulling back with as much strength as his scrawny little body could muster.
"But Dad, we have to help Astrid." He cried. Stoick looked down at his son. He grabbed him by the arms and sat him down at the table.
"Hiccup, the first rule to being chief. The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few." Stoick taught. Hiccup let out a little sigh and nodded in agreement, though he disagreed emphatically. "I'll be right back."
The moment Hiccup saw his father disappear into the crowd, he bolted out of his seat and raced to the young blonde, who was now sitting in her original position, in the darkest, furthest corner of the hall. She was humming in an attempt to calm herself.
"La La La La La La." Her gaze was focused on one very particular spot on the ground before her. Hiccup sat beside her, rather nervously, not saying a word.
Now, it was no question that Hiccup wasn't Astrid's favorite person. In fact, Astrid was never really a people person at all. She was so focused on becoming the greatest warrior Berk had ever know that she didn't have time for friends. She was fearless, that's why she and her uncle Finn always had such an unbreakable bond. Though even he understood that a five-year-old girl can only be fearless to a certain point before she breaks. He was always there to reassure her that there was nothing in the world that could harm her as long as he was around. But now he wasn't. And Astrid had nobody left to protect her.
Astrid slowly stopped humming and removed her hands from her ears.
"It's okay." Hiccup said softly, in that petite feminine voice he had, tucking his knees to his chest, holding his backpack closely. "I don't like storms either."
"I-I'm not s-scared, Hiccup." Astrid stuttered.
"I know." Hiccup fibbed. He knew she was scared. Though nobody knew Astrid was capable of being afraid of anything. But Hiccup knew. He could see the fear in her eyes. Even at the age of six, he was very observant. "But, if you were... I wouldn't tell anyone." The young blonde look up at the chief's son and smiled.
The storm raged with fury. A bolt of lightning tore across the sky and a great clap of thunder followed almost immediately. Astrid threw her hands back over her ears, curling up as tight as she could, burying herself deeper and deeper into the shadows that surrounded that corner of the hall.
"LALALALALALALALA! HICCUP, MAKE IT STOP!!!" She cried. Hiccup flinched at the sounds of the storm but was determined not to cry. He opened his backpack and reached inside, pulling out a small stuffed Nadder. He placed his hand on Astrid's knee, and to his surprise, she didn't back away. She stopped screaming and looked towards the stuffed toy in confusion.
"I call him ThunderStrike." Hiccup stated. "My mom made him."
"W-Why 'ThunderStrike'?" She asked, wiping a tear she hadn't noticed was falling.
"Gobber said that if something scares you, you should try to make it positive." The young boy explained. "When I get scared, I hold him and I'm not so scared anymore." He smiled down at his toy. He thought hard for a few seconds before handing him to the frightened blonde. "Here... you need him more than I do." Astrid froze.
"Hiccup, I can't-"
"Please, Astrid." He interrupted. "I promise, he will make you feel better." The blonde smiled up at him as he placed the Nadder in her lap. She grasped it tightly to her chest as another lighting strike echoed across the village. This time instead of screaming, she threw her arms around her new friend, burying her face into his shoulder. When the hug broke a few moments later, Astrid noticed the panic on Hiccup's face.
"Hiccup..." He relaxed at the sound of her voice.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you." Astrid grabbed his hand, still clutching the Nadder in the other.
"You're welcome." He replied, smiling that goofy smile he would have for years to come. "So, what are you gonna call him... or her. It can be a her if you want." He added. Astrid thought for a moment, staring at the toy in her hand.
"Stormfly." She whispered.
Hiccup smiled. He liked that name. It fitted much better than 'Thunderstrike' ever did.
"Hiccup..." Astrid whispered, subconsciously gripping his hand tighter.
"Yeah?" He said, apprehensively.
"Promise me you won't let go." She begged, letting a lone tear slip down her cheek. Hiccup wiped it away with the sleeve of his green tunic.
"Never." Before he could blink she wrapped her arms around him, the Nadder never once leaving her hand.
"Tell anyone I cried..." She whispered in his ear. "... And I will send you to Valhalla myself." She chuckled, squeezing him tighter.
"Your secret's safe with me." He rasped out. Astrid loosened her grip slightly but refused to let him go. But Hiccup didn't mind. In fact, he could get used to it. For, that was the day he fell in love with Astrid Hofferson.
***
