From Ceremonies to Dragons to All in Between

Chapter 5 - Who Could It Be?

With the agreement Astrid and her father had made, the castle immediately sent to work. Letters were sent to places everywhere around the kingdom and to other kingdoms as well, and Astrid made sure to train every day to prepare. The event would take place one day after her Coming of Age Ceremony, which barely left any room for rest. When she wasn't doing lessons, eating or sleeping, she was training. She was determined to not get married at all. 

Two days before her birthday, she was practicing in a clearing in the forest near the castle. This clearing was special, and she had spent a lot of her time here since she was little. It held so many memories to Astrid. She wondered what happened to . . . She shook her head. It doesn't matter.

 She threw her ax into the target, over and over again, always hitting the bullseye. She's done this so many times that she could probably throw the ax with her eyes closed. About an hour in, she stopped to take a break. She went to the river near the clearing and rinsed her face, then took a seat. She could remember the days when she was a child playing out here. A small smile landed on her face. Those were the best days. She sighed then stood up.

Later that evening, Astrid was going up to her room when she heard some voices. 

"He has accepted the invitation!" 

"Really?! Rumors say that he never leaves his castle."

"Yes, he will arrive on the day of the event! It is not surprising though to think of it. Astrid is a lovely young woman, and of course every man in this world would want the chance to be with her."

As Astrid stepped closer and closer to the room, she recognized the voices as her father and one of his advisors. She wondered who this man could be for her father to be excited or surprised. It must be someone of high regard and good reputation. She briefly wondered if this man might be strong enough to beat her. Astrid shook her head. She needed to stay strong. She wasn't going to get married anytime soon, that's for sure. She quickly left before her father or anyone else found her eavesdropping and went to her room. 

When Astrid arrived in her room, she went and laid down on the bed. She felt exhausted mentally and physically from the preparations. But, if this meant no husband, she would gladly go through it. Astrid finally took a deep breath and sighed. 

I smell. She wrinkled her nose. She finally stood up from her bed and headed to her bathroom. Right now, she wanted to have a long, relaxing bath to take her thoughts off everything. 

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Astrid quickly ran towards the clearing, gripping her ax in her hand.

"Hiccup! Hiccup!" She finally spotted the boy sitting down next to a tree, sketching. The boy looked up from his notebook to see Astrid standing in her armor with a fire in her eyes.

"Yes?" he asked, a little afraid of what she wanted.

"Let's fight." The tone in her voice was clear. No arguments whatsoever. He groaned.

"Didn't we already do this enough times this week? You're a fighter, Astrid. I'm not. Go practice with someone more skilled than me."

"Well then ,how do you beat me every single time!" she groaned raising her hands up. 

Hiccup put his face in his hands, sighed, then stood up. 

"Alright," he called out. Astrid perked up.

He picked up the sword lying on the ground some feet away and stood in front of Astrid.

Something that would have surprised anyone in the kingdom was, despite her strength, Princess Astrid lost all her battles with Hiccup. Every battle, no matter how hard she fought, she could never beat him. And it was never due to his skill. Thor knows Hiccup was no fighter. No, Hiccup knew her only weakness. A weakness he has learned from knowing her so well. And he used that weakness to beat her every battle. And though Astrid acted mad over it every single time, she actually didn't mind. 

Now, you may be wondering what this secret of Astrid is. After all, Astrid never has the pride to admit it and Hiccup would never betray her secret. And I also cannot say what this secret is. For that secret is something between the two of them. One of their many connections that will never be broken. I have no right to assume their secret now, as that is one of the many bonds of trust they hold between each other.

But, if you think you can tell, what do you believe is this supposed weakness?