Symphony of Shadows HTTYD Hiccstrid

78. Always

A/N: Phew, what a ride. I grappled with this ending for so long because I wanted it to be perfect. In the end, I couldn't be happier. Thank you for reading. Seriously, if you've been here since the beginning you know how sporadic I've been with finishing this story so thank you for your patience. Thank you to Blood6842 for fine tuning most of the story! Also thanks if you came from TikTok that's my main source of communicating the story to new readers☺️. Enough said, enjoy the end of Symphony of Shadows🥹.

The only wedding Astrid had been to was her cousin Solvieg's. It had been a practical exchange of "I do"s and a small feast afterwards. Astrid didn't want such a momentous occasion to be treated with such unimportance. As she dipped her toes into the hot bath, she threw in some more juniper to add to the array of herbs already in the bath. She hadn't been to a funeral or festival in moons so the pleasant aroma of the water reminded her of her mother. Her mom always insist on Astrid scrubbing with lye soap twice since she'd get so dirty from training. Ceremonial baths were a part of Viking culture and she hadn't realized how much she'd missed the small ritual.

This time, she didn't mind the extra time in the warm water. Her breasts had been aching the past few days and nothing she did seemed to alleviate it. She figured her monthly blood flow was due at any moment. There were few things worse than a bloody ceremonial dress. She might as well have Stormfly torch it. Enough said.

Still, Astrid's heart was filled with joy at the thought of her family and friends landing at any time.

"They should be here by now."

Astrid murmured as she soaked her hair in the tub. Her blonde mane had grown unmanageable and she couldn't wait for her mom to trim it. Hopefully, her mother hadn't forgotten the shears.

Her attention shifted away from her hair when a branch snapped in the distance. The hairs on the back of Astrid's neck raised and she reached for her knife. She would jump out of the tub and reach for her axe that she never left too far away. Fighting naked would be a nightmare but so was being ambushed the day of her wedding.

"Hello? Did anyone order Ruffnut with a side of sexy?"

Her beloved friend came dashing in, giggling and holding a large basket with an array of furs and skins. Of course Ruffnut didn't care that Astrid was naked in the tub but even though she was living in the 'wild', it didn't mean Astrid had lost her dignity.

"Hey! Naked person over here! A little privacy would be nice."

Ruffnut rolled her eyes and snorted.

"I thought you'd be happier to see me, your amazing, beautiful, fierce, best friend?"

Astrid couldn't hide her smile and tugged a towel to wrap around herself.

"Yeah, yeah. How was your journey?"

" Tuffnut almost fell asleep halfway and I had to smack him awake..."

Ruffnut continued to babble on but Astrid's mind was someplace else. She was getting married.
Married.
Seriously.

Astrid always thought she'd live and die fighting and if love found her then, she'd count herself lucky.

"It would have to be a foreigner."

She'd tell herself. Odin knew she'd rather spend her days celibate than with any of the muttonheads on Berk. It wasn't like anyone (other than Snotlout, but he didn't count) was looking to court her. Astrid was intimidated and she knew it. By twelve, she could outperform any boy her age at sparring—hand to hand and armed. That's why it was practically a sick joke when Hiccup had miraculously managed to best her in dragon training. It was like all the sacrifice and hard work had amounted to nothin. Any respectable warrior could see that she'd been beaten by the chief's son.