Duplicity || HICCUP

CHAPTER FIVE

Hiccup was avoiding her, he had to have been. It seemed everytime Aja finally spotted him, he disappeared immediately once she looked back, and she was becoming frustrated. It was midday, the sun high in the sky. The chilly air pricked the exposed skin of her face and biceps as she maneuvered between bustling burly Vikings and dragons, beginning to become accustomed to the chaotic rhythm of Berk, but she found it perfectly suited for its people. She thought again of where she could find Hiccup, remembering the other night when Toothless had dragged her to the forge.

She stood in front of the oddly flat wooden structure, now seeing better what it looked like in the daylight. She stepped inside, eyes sweeping over the cluttered space. Tools lay scattered, abandoned in the midst of projects, a smell that mixed of coal, iron, and smoke filling the space.

She approached a small wooden desk pressed into a corner, eyeing pieces of parchment that were partially hidden beneath a leather apron. Aja curiously lifted the apron, revealing a series of sketches. Her eyes widened—they were of her, well, dragon her. As she shuffled through the pages, each sketch became more detailed than the last. It was strange seeing herself through someone else's eyes, Hiccup having drawn details she hadn't even noticed herself. Her fingers traced over the meticulous lines, loose charcoal transferring onto her skin off the parchment.

Lost in her thoughts, she barely noticed the soft creak of the door behind her, hearing the unmistakable squeak of metal against the ground. She quickly turned, the sketches still held in her hands, coming face to face with Hiccup. He froze, green eyes widening.

"I, uh, um..." he stuttered, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, clearly caught off guard.

Aja decided she needed to divert him first if she was going to ask him again about the scouts, so that he wouldn't disappear before she could. She placed the pages in her hand back on the desk. "I saw your sketches," she said, "of the dragon. They're quite good."

Hiccup's eyes flickered over to his desk, shoulders deflating. "I think my mind made it up," he sighed.

Aja watched him, recognizing his desire for something—anything—to go right, and she really felt for him. In that moment, she did something she never thought she'd ever do.

"It's a Sand Wraith," she said.

Hiccup's eyes widened. He blinked, as if trying to process her words. "What?" He asked.

"Sand Wraith," she repeated. "You saw a Sand Wraith."

Hiccup's demeanor shifted immediately, growing excited and childlike, a side of him she didn't recognize, and Aja's heart panged as she was reminded that this man in front of her, he was still a boy, still so young to be burdened as chief.

"You know the dragon?" He asked, leaning forward, his interest piqued.

"They're native back home," she explained. "They don't really bother us, mainly keep to the beach. Unintentional guards for us though, because they're pretty easy to step on if you don't look where you walk."

Hiccup's brow furrowed as he took in her words, confused. "Step on...?" He echoed.

"They bury under the sand," Aja clarified, bringing her hands up to mimic the motion of a creature sliding beneath a surface. She could see the gears turning in his head, his eyes sparkling.

Without thinking, he blurted out, "Can you show me?"

Aja was taken aback by the sudden request. "Show you?" She repeated, her brows creasing together.

Realizing his enthusiasm had carried him away, Hiccup clarified, "Like with Toothless. If I had him, ya know, bury himself, could you direct him? So I can see how it looks?"

Aja tilted her head at the unusual request, but then again, she couldn't really be surprised, as Hiccup was the dragon master.

That is how they ended up on one of Berk's beaches, sand golden and occasionally dotted with a smooth stone, glistening under the sun. Toothless was sprawled in the sand, ebony scales shimmering as he blew small puffs of sand with each of his breaths. He was far less graceful than an actual Sand Wraith, but he did surprisingly well listening to Aja. Hiccup circled them, his sketchbook held open with his right hand as he scribbled away, eyes focused on Toothless's movements.

"Like sliding beneath a blanket," Aja instructed while crouched beside the half-submerged dragon, gesturing with her hands, painting a picture for him. He shimmied beneath the warm grains of sand, his body moving in mimicry to Aja's description.

The sound of waves crashed in the background, punctuated by the occasional cry of seabird overhead. Toothless cooed beneath the sand, as if to ask "Like this?"

Aja laughed, "Yes, exactly," she said, and Toothless wriggled, sand flying in all directions as she covered her face. She found herself enjoying her time with Hiccup and Toothless, almost forgetting why she was there to begin with.

Hiccup continued to sketch, Aja's lingering gaze on him going unnoticed, as his pencil glided smoothly across the page while he occasionally glanced up.

"I've been meaning to ask you about the scouts again," Aja ventured. Hiccup's pencil stilled in his hand, but he didn't look up, eyes glued to his book in front of him.

"I'm just getting worried," she continued, the word pouring out. "I don't know if I even should be, but no one's told me much, and I don't know how much longer I can stay away from my people." The carefree atmosphere of the beach was now far in the distance as she spoke. "They need me, especially if my father is gone." Aja did her best to keep her voice steady.

Hiccup sighed, "You're right," he admitted, finally looking up to meet her eyes, his expression serious. "The scouts aren't back yet, but you're right, it's taken too long." He paused, running a hand through his hair. "Astrid's supposed to go out there tomorrow, Stormfly's the best tracker we've got."

She nodded, absorbing his words, still not entirely happy with the answer, but understood there wasn't much else Hiccup himself could do besides what he was already doing. She sat down in the sand, staring out at the water, as Toothless rolled over, sand cascading from his back and wings. Aja forced a smile, determined to hold on to the moment of happiness instead.

"Did you get what you needed?" She asked, looking up at Hiccup, gesturing to his sketchbook.

An array of emotions crossed his face as he blinked. "Oh! Yeah, I think so," Hiccup replied, settling beside her, the sand shifting as handed his sketchbook to her.

She took in the intricate lines of varying angles he had captured, skimming the many notes he had written. "Wow, you did incredible," she breathed, genuinely impressed. "I can't believe you were able to get that from Toothless's acting."

Hiccup chuckled softly, his gaze flickering between her and the book in her hand. "Well, I seem to know what he's actually trying to say. We've done this enough times."

Aja returned the sketchbook, her fingers brushing against his with a jolt, a foreign feeling to her, but one ignored. She drew her knees up to her chest, resting her head against them. "Your bond is incredible," she said, her eyes reflecting the admiration she felt.

Hiccup's expression turned completative. "Would you get your own dragon? After being here?" He asked, genuinely curious.

She looked out over the horizon, pondering his question. "I think it'd be harder to have one than to be without one," she finally replied, her voice softer, tinged with melancholy as she thought of living in a world she didn't have to hide herself from. "I don't think my people would be willing to let them mingle among us like they do here."

Hiccup nodded slowly as Aja took a deep breath, the wind blowing through her long brown hair. She continued, "But I think I like what you have here better," she whispered, her heart swelling with desire and longing. Her gaze drifted back to Hiccup; it wasn't just his bond with his dragon that captivated her, it was the entire new world he had created, one that seemed entirely impossible just a month ago, one where acceptance and understanding reigned over fear and division.

The sun began to dip, painting orange streaks across the sky, casting a golden color on their skins. She wished she could hold onto this moment of calm as they sat there, wishing she could stretch it into eternity.