When I Come Back

Past pt 3

Astrid

   After watching Hiccup's reaction to the paper, I was for sure he would go off on a flight for a couple of hours. He always cleared his mind with a nice long flight.

   So as he rushed out of the Great Hall and mounted his dragon, I followed suit. But then he lands in front of the chief's house.

   The Hiccup I knew would have been long gone by now. He was never the one to confront anyone on anything, especially his father.

Is he really going to talk to his father about this??

   I watched as he dismounted Toothless and ran his hand across the top of his dragon's head.

He doesn't want to go in...

   Yet, he did it anyway. He took a deep breath, straightened himself, and walked through the door. He did it, with every chance to chicken out and take off, but he didn't. With his head held high, he did it. There was no turning back.

   I figured since this crazy situation involved the both of us, it wasn't fair to let him deal with it alone. So, I flew over and decided to head in.

"Son, one day you will have to take the reins on Berk-" the cheif starts.

    I hear Hiccup huff in frusteration, just as I open the door. As soon as I come into eyesight of everyone, they all freeze.

   The fact that Hiccup couldn't make eye contact with me earlier explains why he flinched at the sound of me closing the door behind me before slowly turning around.

   We made eye contact as soon as he faced me. His eyes are a mesmerising emerald green outside in the light and a rich forest green when the light was gone.

It's crazy how his eyes can change like that.

"Astrid! What brought you here?" my mother asks.

"I was the one who saw the paper in the first place. It would be bad if I didn't come to talk about it." I responded.

"Well if you young'ins were here when the conversation started, then you would know that it was only just a thought. It was something that we were considering as something that would be good for the future of Berk." Spitelout interjects.

"Weather it was just a possibility or not, it still has to do with the two of us. I think that when topics like marriage come up, you usually talk to the two people who are getting married..." Hiccup responds.

"Uuhh..." I couldn't stop my self, the situation was already awkward.

The topic off me getting married never came to mind.

I was suprised that my mom even thought about it.

"....oooh, uh, who are supposedly getting married...?" Hiccup tried to fix.

I still don't like 'supposedly getting married'.

All I could do was shift from leaning on one leg to the other.

Now I feel like flying away from all this.

"...uhh....two main people of the topic...??" Hiccup was trying to make it better, he really was, so I flashed a quick smile of thanks.

"Alright fine Hiccup, do you want to marry Astrid, Ruffnut, or marry through an alliance?" Stoick challenges.

   I shift back over to my other leg.

I have to admit that the idea of Hiccup marrying Ruff makes me want to gag and the idea of him merely marrying someone he doesn't know just to strengthen an alliance made me anxious; because if Berk truly needed it, then he would, without doubt.

Why does it bother me this much though?

I think all this marriage talk is getting to me.

"Why does it always have to go straight to marriage? Whatever happened to starting out as friends?" Hiccup asks.

"Hiccup," the cheif sighs and Hiccup automatically throws his head back and arms flop defeatedly to his side, "Son, you are 20 now and your time as cheif is approaching. It's in Berk's and your best interest that you find someone who can lead along side you and help bring reason to that stubborn head of yours."

   He let's out an exasperated laugh, " If I do, will you finally stop telling me all of that."

   All at once the tension is all but forgotten about and replaced with laughter.

He's gotten a lot better with his timing of that dry humor of his.

***

Hiccup

"Wait for it...wait for it..." The platinum blond sitting next to me excitedly builds up to the big moment.

"Jackson Overland-Frost!!!" Ms. Black exclaims, "Headmaster's! NOW!"

   My, now, long-term friend snickers as he walks past our trade, treaties, and alliances teacher, covered in snow.

   Tricks and pranks were his thing. He would prank the teachers to get out of class and trick the other kids to get reactions and get out of doing after class work. He could take a completely serious situation and make it funny with one word, one phrase, or one move.

   I started to pick up a few things from him, so the last three years, him and I together were a total nightmare for anyone, but us. It was our thing, it helped with our problem solving, stealth, and battle planing. Yet we were total pains.

   When we started pranking everyone, we also grew closer to Lance. He always seemed to know what to do and say at exactly the right times. He was also a way better leader than he gave himself credit for, but Keith always seemed to be able to bring his spirits up and believe in himself better.

***

"So that's why you thought it was so funny what the twins did the other day." Astrid realized.

"Yeah, they reminded me of Jack, Lance, and what it was like to be  with little to no responsibility." I responded.

"It was just a reminder of your past?" she asks.

"Not just my past Astrid. It reminded me that we don't need to be serious every second of every day or you'll drive yourself insane in doing so."

"When did you suddenly become so wise?" she asks, sitting down in the Toothless inspired throne in the middle of my hut.

   I chuckle, "I went to a school where all they did was teach you how to grow up."

"Was it really worth it?" she suddenly asks.