Honeymoon Viking-style

8.

Elsa was lost in thought, staring at the campfire she and the Vikings had set up on the outskirts of Arendelle. It had taken a few days before they could leave the enchanted forest, and a few more days to get there, and impatience was gnawing at her inside.

"Still up?" Astrid whispered, stepping out of her tent.

Elsa turned to answer, but the image of the Viking dressed in a nightgown and with her hair down and a little tousled, took her breath away. She looked back at the fire and took a deep breath before answering.

"Y-Yes..."

Astrid, barefoot, skipped across the snow toward her.

"C'mon, make me hollow. It's cold."

Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed one end of the blanket that Elsa had over her and snuggled inside, close to her. The Arendellian's heart was beating so hard that she, for a moment, was afraid that Astrid would notice her.

"I thought the cold had never bothered you..."

"It's an old custom..." Elsa replied. "It comforts me."

They were both quiet for a moment, staring at the fire.

"Tomorrow is the big day," the Viking said quietly.

"Yes..."

"Anxious?" Worried?"

"Not quite..."

"You're not very talkative tonight."

"Yes... It's just that I'm having a hard time concentrating," she answered honestly.

"It's normal. Tomorrow we're gonna get directly into the wolf's mouth, so the best you can do is not think too much about it and get carried away. There's no point in worrying: it doesn't make any help and it exhausts your energies before time."

Elsa was silent, meditating. Astrid, on the other hand, looked up at the sky.

"Wow..." she whispered admiringly. "I don't think I'll ever get used to the vastness of the sky. Look how many stars!"

Elsa looked up and saw the night sky that she knew so well but, for some reason, that night it was more beautiful than usual.

"My people say that when we die, a star is born in the sky," the Arendellian whispered. "I know it's silly, but when my parents died, I spent a long time looking for them in heaven and ended up convinced that they were those two over there."

He took his arm out of the blanket to point out a pair of stars that were very close together and seemed to be beating at the same time.

"It's not silly," Astrid replied. "Among our people there are those who believe that the stars are the reflection of Valhalla, showing us the shining shields of all those brave warriors who have earned their entrance into the hall of the great Odin."

"It seems like something important."

"It's what every Viking aspires to."

"Let's hope then that it takes a long time for that day to arrive for us..."

Astrid turned and read the concern in Elsa's eyes.

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine tomorrow," she whispered and then brought her forehead to Elsa's.

Seeing herself reflected in those eyes as blue as hers, Elsa understood.

She didn't know if it was due to the imminence of possible death, the emotion of understanding herself at last, or the glow of the fire on the Viking's skin, but something inside her was asking to let herself be carried away by the moment. The Arendellian, remembering Honeymaren's words, followed her instincts. He reached up a hand, placed it on Astrid's cheek, and slowly moved closer to her until kissing her lips. They were cold and cracked, but still warm, soft, and comforting. She smelled of lavender.

A change in Astrid's breathing brought her back to reality and, in a panic, she jumped to her feet.

"I think I'd better go to sleep," Elsa murmured awkwardly. "Goodnight."

And she got into her tent so fast that the Viking didn't have time to say any word.

Astrid pulled the blanket over herself, curled up, and she was silent for a long time, absorbed in the swaying of the flames.

* * *

"Elsa kissed me last night."

The Viking decided that it was best to remove the band-aid as soon as possible, so she blurted this out to Hiccup the next morning, without further ado, while he was still dressing.

"Ahm... What?"

"We were talking quietly and, suddenly, she kissed me."

"Oh, wow... I mean, I get it, you're wonderful and it's normal for you to attract so much attention, but I didn't expect Elsa to like women."

"That's all? Are you not angry?"

"No... it bothers me a little, I'm not going to deny it, but I trust you. I know you wouldn't betray me."

Astrid looked away, feeling guilty.

"Or is there something I should be concerned about?" The young man said, reading his wife's gaze.

"No... I think..."

"You think?"

"I don't know, Hiccup! I mean, I love you, I have no doubt about that, but... I also liked the kiss. I don't know what it means and right now I'm in a mess."

Hiccup sat up, processing those words.

"You know how I feel about you, Astrid," he said after a sigh, "and you know everything I can and cannot offer you. I want to be with you and spend the rest of our lives together, but this only makes sense if you want it as well. Take the time you need, think about it well, and I will accept your decision... whatever it'll be."

With that said, Hiccup left the tent, and Astrid was amazed once again at how different this man was from the rest. Any other Viking would have been in a rage and left the tent ready to gut Elsa. And that made her happy, knowing that she had the most wonderful Viking of all by her side, but at the same time, it made her feel even more guilty and miserable.

She needed to clear up as soon as possible.