Bond of Two Lands

12. Supper Siren

"Hiccup, I shouldn't be here. Maybe I'll just stay at the room and you tell them that I got ill." 
The girl was standing at the window, overlooking the pitch-black harbour, and had her arms tensely crossed. The boy noticed this and went over to her from his place by the fire. "I won't tell them anything. I need you there, Astrid."

"But I don't like the way they're looking at me, as if they recognised me somehow. And I still think that at least one of us should know how to get out of this castle."
"Astrid..."
A subtle knock on the door broke his words. "Master Hiccup? His Majesty wishes to have ya down for supper now."
Hiccup opened the door while at supper to discover the short, curvy woman who had showed them their rooms standing outside. The servant stared at him with her eyes round as Groncle eggs.
"No master, please, I'm just Hiccup. What's your name?" he asked.
The woman respectfully lowered her glance. "Maudie, milord."
"Milord?" Astrid put a hand on Hiccup's shoulder, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "Well, I've heard Princess Outpost and Dragon Boy, but that's bound to be a new one."
"Just Hiccup", he insisted.
"Milord? I'm afraid Their Majesties are expecting ya downstairs. Right now."

The table was made with the finest food the kitchen could serve; haggis, goat eyes, meat of all kinds, fried fish and plenty of more. Queen Eleanore viewed it all with some anxiety.
"What wrong, Eleanore?" Fergus asked, taking his place at the top of the table. "Ya look as distressed as a McGuffin facing a speech."
She waved his words away. "I'm alright, it's just... it's a wee bit peculiar, don't ya think? This boy turning up in his father's place, unannounced, after so many years of silence? I can't say that I'm in a lack of worry."
"They're just after some troops to save their skins. I'm certain there's nothing more to it, dear, and even if so, it's nice to see that Stoik's lad has come along so well after all."
His wife crossed her arms over her shiny gown. "After all...?"
"After his mother's disappearance. Haven't been easy on any of them, I reckon. Stoik was a mess the first years, and having to raise a boy while feeding a village..." Fergus shook his head. "I really wish to help them. And however the matter, I respect a man with a peg leg."
Eleanore nodded while deep in thoughts. Her cloudy eyes weren't even cleared by the sudden noise of her triplet sons chasing the dogs through the doors, nor by her daughter following them. Merida stopped near her father and panted from the run. She was no longer obliged to always wear appropriate, skintight dresses at such occasions as this, but had actually made an effort through choosing her least dirty dress. "Dad, the boys've switched the dogs' food for the horses' again!  Ya've got to tell them off this time, or Angus'll surely starve!"
Fergus chuckled. "I'll see to it, lass."
The royal family gathered around the table, all waiting with their eyes on the empty chairs. It didn't take long before a knock on the door presented the guests' presence.
"Boys", Eleanore said, "ya will behave, or I'll cut in on yer desserts for a month, understood?"
"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, future Chief and Heir to the land of Berk, in company with Astrid Hofferson", Maudie presented in a weak voice, as she lead the strangers into the room. Once that was done, she left the room again with steps faster than the movement of a hummingbird's wings.
Hiccup and Astrid sat down on their places. The blonde tried by all means not to cross her arms in a defence gesture when she noticed the impressive collection of swords hanging on the opposite wall.
"Friends!" Fergus exclaimed. "I can't tell ya how happy it makes me to once again see Berkians at mi table. We're all very delighted, right, dear?"
"Quite right", Eleanore politely agreed.
"And I think that this makes for a drink. A toast... to Vikings and Scots!"
"To Vikings and Scots", the others murmured, sipping from their glasses of mead. The triplets amused themselves with spilling it on one another's wests instead. Fergus drank longest of them all.
When he was finally finished and declared the dinner served, Hiccup leaned forward over the table. "I'm sorry, eh... Your Majesty, but we have a rather urgent matter to discuss."
"Fergus, mi lad, Fergus", the king said. "Or Uncle Fergus if ya prefer it, although it makes me feel auld."
"We know what ya've come for", the queen filled in. "And the king and I have decided..."
"Harris!" Merida had jumped onto her feet and started pulling at something beneath the table, while keeping one hand glued to her head in order to keep her flaming curls from falling into her sight. "Hubert, ya better be letting go of it or I'll tell mum exactly what it was ya added to the horses' food... thank ya very much." She pulled out a wooden weapon and put it habitably around her shoulders.
"Merida, sit down!" Eleanore hissed, while Hamish pulled at the cloth until his food fell into the gap of the hungriest of Fergus' dogs.
The Vikings looked around, somewhat confused to see so much trouble caused by so young boys. But, then again, they did know the Thorston twins and were therefore never entirely surprised by anything anymore. Astrid's eyes quickly moved on to admire the weapon around the spiteful princess' shoulders.
"What a magnificent bow."
Both mother and daughter broke their glare to turn to her. 

"Thank ya", Merida smirked. "It's not exactly new, but as good as if."
"Do you shoot?"
"More than she sleeps", Fergus said.
Hiccup, who had tried to figure out a way to bring the preferable subject back up, laughed silently and glanced at his fellow dragon rider. "Sounds like someone I know." His warm smile didn't fade away even when she punched him.

The mess cleared up nice and efficiently. Eleanore sent the boys away to dine in the kitchen ("Odin help the cooks", Hiccup thought) and made her daughter put away the bow in a corner. This caused her to be grumpy throughout the whole first course. Otherwise the conversation floated frictionless; Merida and Astrid discussed shooting techniques with increasing intensity, while Fergus and Eleanore took turns in telling Hiccup the story of the four sons.
Hiccup had in fact such a pleasant time that he couldn't find a reason to bring up the troops until the end of the evening. "Eh, Fergus?" The king stopped cleansing his teeth with a bone. "I was wondering... about the troops... how will it be?"
"They're yers, mi friend, alongside weapon and boats", Fergus simply said, as if there was no more to the request than a toothpick. "That's the least I can do for the son of mi brother in arms, Stoik the Va..."
Suddenly a roar bounced through the corridor and into the room, where it echoed ghostlike until it disappeared at the height of the ceiling. All voices died out. A chill went down Hiccup's spine, for he realised in a second what was going on.
He met Astrid's eyes as they heard the words exclaimed all over the castle: "Night Fury at the main gate!"

Thanks for reading!
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Thanks in advance// Fish-out-of-Water-5