The Arcane Evil (httyd-fic)

Chapter 24

Astrid, to say the least had not been happy with the sergeant when she heard Hiccup's side of what had happened. She had however already doubted the truth of the sergeant's tale when he described a ruffian and a dragon with a bad temper setting fire to his pants for doing his job. The sergeant turned paler when she asked him if she would hear a different story from Hiccup's when she brought the boy and his father here. It took all of her self control not to set the sergeant's pants on fire again. In the end she ended up demoting him back to the very bottom of the soldier ranks for his behavior. His men were given a month of stable cleaning duty and lessons in etiquette.

Astrid had also stated that the extra taxes taken from the citizens would be given back. She would be giving her advisor a stern talking to for his apparent greed tomorrow.

Afterwards Astrid had given Hiccup an official tour of the castle and shown him where he would be staying. They headed for the dining area next. Eret joined them at the table and introduced his father, who happened to be the royal cook, to Hiccup.

"You can have the sergeant's job if you want." Astrid said casually just as Hiccup took a sip from the goblet causing him to nearly choke.

"What!!" Hiccup exclaimed after he recovered.

"You can have the sergeant's job if you want." Astrid repeated but Hiccup quickly shook his head.

"Thanks Astrid, but I will have to decline." Hiccup said. "I'm a blacksmith and I rather like being one."

Astrid nodded at Hiccup's decision. She would respect it and then something occurred to her. "Oh yes. I nearly forgot. I was going to give you the recipe for Gronckle iron."

Hiccup nodded. "I still can't believe that such a light and strong metal exists."

Dinner passed amicably and afterwards Astrid showed Hiccup the gardens. They were taking a stroll under the moonlight when Astrid dared to ask "Hiccup, I wasn't joking when I asked you to stay."

Hiccup paused to look at her. "I know you weren't. I just don't get why. I mean, I'm practically useless."

Astrid upon Hiccup's statement proceeded to slap him. "Never call yourself that!" She shouted but then calmed down when she saw Hiccup hold his cheek as he looked at her in bewilderment. "Hiccup you aren't useless. I don't know what those damn Vikings did to your self-esteem over the years, but You. Are. Not. Useless." Astrid stated while punctuating each word with finality. "The Hiccup that I have come to know through my journey, has never been useless. A smartass maybe, but never useless." Astrid grumbled and then proceeded to kiss Hiccup passionately. "I like you Hiccup. I like you a lot." Astrid finally admitted as her face grew hot. "I might even have fallen in love with you."

"Astrid I-" Hiccup started to say but was surprised when Astrid hugged him.

"You know, you don't have to keep running anymore." She whispered softly. "Think of this as your home." Her words were right next to his ear, and he took them to heart. She brought down her right arm, resting her palm on his chest. She looked up at him, her gut wrenching with the possibility of rejection.

A lump formed in Hiccup's throat, and he couldn't talk, he looked at Astrid, meeting her brilliant blue eyes; It was then that Hiccup finally broke down. Tears streamed down his face as he proceeded to embrace her. "Astrid...... I....... I" Hiccup started to say but Astrid shushed him.

"Hiccup your highly emotional right now." She said while tugging his hand, guiding him to a gazebo. "Say what you wish to say to me once you are in a better state of mind."

Hiccup nodded as he and Astrid sat down to watch the stars. "You know," Hiccup spoke up after a while. "I've never met a girl like you before."

Hiccup's statement caused Astrid to blush. "Oh hush you." She said swatting him lightly on his arm before leaning on Hiccup's shoulder. They stayed simply watching the stars for some time before heading back inside. Neither one talked but the silence wasn't awkward.

Unbeknownst to the pair, two sets of eyes had been watching over them. Eret quietly grumbled as he swatted a stray rose away. He then turned to the Night Fury who was crouched low, watching Astrid and Hiccup heading back inside.

"I hope they get together soon." Eret whispered. Toothless huffed as if to say 'They better'.

"I can't believe I'm talking to a dragon." Eret mumbled which earned him a tail slap.

Hiccup woke up the following morning when the sunlight hit him in the face. He tried to move but found that something was laying on his legs. Sitting up sleepily he saw that Toothless was curled up at the foot of the mattress, sleeping soundly with his tongue hanging out.

Hiccup had finally managed to get his feet free. Much to his dismay Toothless actually managed to grab one of Hiccup's feet with his paws and began cuddling it.

"Crazy reptile" Hiccup muttered when he eventually managed to get Toothless to let go. Hiccup got off the bed and gazed at the room. It was beautifully furnished, not in the sense that it showed off a lavish lifestyle, but more in the sense that it felt homey. Toothless was still sleeping on the mattress, now with paws up in the air. Hiccup could only chuckle at the antics of the dragon.

He walked to the large bay windows which overlooked the back courtyard and could not help but think back about what happened yesterday. He hadn't meant to break down like that but Astrid's offer really got to him. He did miss having a home even if he did not show it much.

'There was never any reason to stay in one place for so long.' Hiccup thought as he watched the courtyard. Thoughts were churning around in Hiccup's head. Astrid had admitted that she liked him, probably loved him. Hiccup thought back at how he had been betrayed, he never really got over Froda. He could not forget the time they had spent together, but she had betrayed him, only to marry his younger brother.

'He did not believe in love anymore' he reasoned, yet Astrid had slammed right through that belief and climbed into his heart. "Love has a funny way of knocking you off your feet and hitting you over the head." Hiccup chuckled to himself as he came to the realization.

Hiccup quickly put on his tunic and proceeded to race out the door and down the hall to where Astrid said that her chambers were.

From upon Hiccup's bed, Toothless watched as his rider ran through the door. With a snort of bemusement the dragon laid back down again while rolling his eyes at the antics of those two humans. How could they not realize something so simple. Toothless realized it when they first met.