The Eternal Valkyrie: War of the Realms (HTTYD fic)

Part 8

AN: Hi all. I was feeling under the weather yesterday so I couldn't finish this chapter on time.  

Chapter 7

Hiccup let out a groan as he walked through the majestic gilded palace halls. Ve and Vili's arrival had sent other Asgardians into a tizzy and Hiccup had been dragged along in the process. As Heimdal had to stay on guard duty Hiccup was asked to accompany Odin's brothers to the palace. Their arrival sparked the gossip mill and both brothers had taken a liking to Hiccup, asking him to regale them with tales of Midgard. It was already night when Hiccup was finally able to excuse himself.

"Hiccup we aren't going to your room?" Toothless asked as his little body was sitting atop Hiccup's head.

"I thought I'd pay Astrid a visit." Hiccup told the Nightfury as his plans to ask Astrid to dinner had been put on hold slightly when the old princes arrived. "Why?"

"I'm just a bit tired." Toothless yawned. "Stormfly and I ended up spending most of the day wandering the city. There's even this blacksmith named Brokkr that became giddy and started asking us to try and melt different metals." Toothless chuckled at the memory. "Stormfly preened at each metal she managed to melt with her dragonfire."

"Brokkr?" Hiccup thought aloud for a moment. That name sounded familiar to him but he couldn't quite place it within the Norse mythology.

"You'd like him Hiccup! You really would." Toothless continued, pawing at Hiccup's nose for the fun of it. "I'd bet you'd end up in the forge all day tinkering too."

Hiccup nodded as he tried to swat Toothless' paw away. "Why do you insist on riding on my head?" Hiccup asked as he approached Astrid's room.

"I told you already." Toothless took flight and hovered at Hiccup's shoulder level now. "You ride me when I'm big, then I get to do the same thing to you when you're the bigger one." The small chubby Nightfury stated his reasoning with a yawn. "I'm going back into the tattoo now. You two lovebirds don't do anything I wouldn't do." The little dragon playfully winked at his host before disappearing, leaving a flustered and blushing Hiccup behind.

Hiccup knocked on Astrid's door and waited patiently, unconsciously rocking on the balls of his heels. The door opened not thirty seconds later revealing a worn out Astrid.

"Hey Astrid... Hi Astrid!" Hiccup spoke quickly. "How was you-" Hiccup stopped for a moment when he noticed something on her shoulder "is that a bruise?" Hiccup saw Astrid's eyes widened before she yanked up her collar a bit.

"Hey Hiccup, eh.... Yeah, training was rough." Astrid told him but Hiccup sensed that there might have been more to it. However, looking at her he knew she could handle whatever the problem was. Astrid was a very strong woman after all and he meant that in both the physical and mental sense. Her strength was one of the things that drew him to her.

'Ask her already you dork!' Toothless mentally growled to his host. Hiccup gave Toothless a mental eyeroll causing the dragon to huff.

"So Astrid, Thor told me about this wonderful restaurant in the city. Would you be willing to accompany me tomorrow night?"

"Hiccup..." A sly smile appeared on Astrid's face. "Are you asking me on a date?" Hiccup quickly nodded and even though they had kissed a couple of times he still didn't quite trust his mouth not to blurt out something embarrassing. He did wonder if Astrid picked up the word date from the twins, she normally would have used courting.

"I would love to have dinner with you." Astrid smiled warmly. "Say, shall we meet at the palace gate at..... Sunset?" She asked.

"Yes... yes... I can meet you there." Hiccup said. "I'll make a reservation at the restaurant then." Astrid nodded before leaning in and initiating a kiss. "I'll look forward to it." She smiled before a flustered Hiccup bid her goodnight.