Duplicity || HICCUP

CHAPTER THREE

The Great Hall was alive with almost the entire clan for the evening meal, the warm glow of fire pits cast flickering shadows across the long wooden tables laden with food and drunk Vikings. There was a scent of roasted fish and lamb that filled the air. Hiccup sat at the head of one table, surrounded by his friends—Fishlegs, Snotlout, and Astrid—while Valka and Eret shared a quieter corner, punctuated by the occasional clink of metal on wood.

Gobber, bustling about with his usual vigor, moved to pour Fishlegs' food into a large bowl. A furrow of worry had settled on Hiccup's brow, contrasting Gobber's jovial demeanor, unease gnawing at him as he thought of the stranger in his home being watched by Toothless, the need to rebuild Berk, and the growing present threat of dragon hunters.

"I don't mean to be an alarmist," Gobber spoke, pulling Hiccup out of his thoughts, "but one day you're going to run out of room for strays."

Hiccup, already overwhelmed, waved a dismissive hand. "The stables have plenty of space. We can expand further into the mountain if we need to." He did his best to keep his voice steady, but he was stressed and it did not go unnoticed.

Gobber and Valka, having paused her discussion with Eret, shared a knowing look, the kind that spoke volumes without the need for words. "And what if trappers show up here?" Gobber pressed, his voice rising slightly.

Hiccup straightened, meeting Gobber's gaze. "We'll do what we've always done," he replied, "protect our home, and our dragons."

Gobber scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. "I think you've taken up too much too soon." His tone was gruff, accent heavy, but there was underlying affection in his reprimand. The flames from the fires cast dancing shadows across Gobber's weathered face, highlighting the deep lines etched by years of worry and care.

Valka's voice cut through the clamor of the Great Hall, "He's right, you know, about carrying too much." Her tone was laced with maternal concern, empathy that wrapped around him like a warm blanket, but Hiccup remained silent. He could feel the tension in his muscles, the tightness in his chest.

"You can ask for help," she urged, her eyes searching his face for some flicker of acknowledgement.

Hiccup's mind spun, a battle of doubts and responsibilities within him, the desire to be strong, to shoulder the burden of their clan's safety and the well-being of the dragons, but there was a growing whisper of exhaustion, one that seemed to especially creep in during the hours of the night, when the world would go still. He opened his mouth to respond, but the words eluded him.

Valka noticed his hesitance. "Your father was chief for a long time, most of it without the unification of dragons and Vikings," she tried to ease his mind, to remind him that he existed with entirely different circumstances. She decided to shift the direction of their conversation when Hiccup still didn't reply. "I'll bring the girl some dinner," she said, referring to Aja.

Hiccup sighed as she left, returning his attention to his friends who were deep in discussion about their next rescue mission.

Astrid settled into the wooden bench across from Hiccup, ignoring the curious glances from Snotlout and Fishlegs, their eyebrows raised in amusement at her sudden decision to sit with Hiccup.

"So," she said, "she's staying with you?"

Hiccup looked up from his thoughts, a flicker of surprise crossing his features. "What?" He asked.

"The girl," Astrid clarified.

"I, uh," he stumbled over his words, awkwardly clearing his throat. "Until the scouts get back," he answered, watching Astrid's face, then added, "We don't have stables for humans."

He did his best to alleviate the tension between them, charged with their shared history and the promise of a future that would no longer happen. He was still learning how to navigate this new dynamic, despite it being a year since they split.

Astrid slowly nodded. Her own feelings were complicated too—layers of friendship and a bond forged through shared battles and adventures. "Did you find out where she was sailing to?" She asked.

Hiccup internally winced, knowing she would be less trusting than him, but answered. "She said they were actually coming here, to establish trade with Berk." The admission hung in the air, Astrid's eyes widened slightly in surprise before she masked it with a practiced calmness. It was a little too coincidental, a little too neat.

She leaned forward. "Do you trust her?" She echoed the question he had posed to her just days prior. Hiccup hesitated, thinking of the pieces of Aja's story, about what he could be missing from it. But her arrival had stirred something that was long dormant, his curiosity for new things, his desire for adventure.

Against his better judgment, Hiccup found himself saying, "I think so." It was a leap into the unknown, a step into murky waters, the depths still uncharted.

Astrid knew he struggled with the balance of his instincts and desire to see good in people, but she also knew he wouldn't listen to her, so she would just have to watch his back for him. "Just be careful," she warned, her voice low enough to ensure their conversation remained private. "We both know how quickly things can change." She left him alone again, returning back to sit with the other riders.

Aja stood in the dim light of Hiccup's home, illuminated by the crackling fireplace. Her fingers gently traced the glued together edges of a massive map unfurled before her. It was originally folded up into a book, Toothless had brought it to her, drool from his mouth making the leather cover slimy. The plate of food Valka had brought for her sat untouched on the wooden table, and Toothless eyed it longingly as the aroma of meats filled the air, but Aja's attention was consumed entirely by the map. It stretched across the floor like a painted canvas. The details were astonishing; each island, each bay, each forest, were drawn with a meticulous attention to detail that spoke of countless hours spent observing and recording, a labor poured into every inch. She assumed Hiccup had created it, and she felt as if she were peering into his mind, seeing the world through his eyes.

Valka had left Aja to go on a night patrol with her dragon, so the creaking of the front door startled her as she turned to see Hiccup stepping inside.

His eyes went wide at the sight of his map sprawled across the flood, and Aja felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her. "I'm sorry!" She exclaimed. "Toothless brought it to me, I didn't know what it was—"

"It's okay," he reassured her, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes as he approached. Toothless, now perched directly beside Aja's plate of food, let out a soft, affirming noise. Hiccup pulled the plate away, giving his dragon a stern look.

He knelt beside her, his eyes falling upon the map with nostalgia, reminding him of his days exploring the world, days that were barely that long ago. He pointed to a dense cluster of trees that marked the backside of Berk. "That's where we found you," he said.

Aja leaned closer, watching as he dragged his finger along the paper, moving towards the edge of Berk where the ocean began. "You probably shipwrecked here," he continued, his voice dropping to a softer note.

Aja yearned to be out there, to search for answers herself, but she couldn't just yet, not when her body still felt like a fragile vessel. She thought of the things that could've happened to her had she not been found, imagining her corpse being left to rot on the forest floor.

"Thank you for what you're doing, for saving me, letting me stay here," she said, her voice quiet, laced with sincerity.

Hiccup blinked, unprepared for the gratitude from her. The logical part of him, the part honed by countless encounters with danger and betrayal, reminded him to stay wary, to keep his guard up even if he did begin to trust her. Trust was a fragile thing, easily broken and hard to rebuild. Yet, as he looked into her blue eyes, he saw a flicker of himself, something that mirrored his own internal struggle, a shared understanding.

"You're welcome."