The Four Horsemen Of Apocalypse

Chapter 7

[Astrid's P.O.V]

Gods... I want to die...

I ran as fast I could through the small town, dodging between station carts and bewildered villagers. It was night, and I could still see the burning lights from the hall. I could even hear his voice calling for me. But I kept running, not looking back. I know that he would eventually catch up, but at least I tried, right?

Gods... This is so messed up...

It all started when we had decided to take a small break in the Tajikistan, specifically in the small village, called Hijborak. Apparently, the Horsemen were familiar with the village chief because one of their ancestors was one of the readers of he scroll.

The story on how the Horsemen helped them through famine and weekly raids from mercenaries had been passed down from chief to chief, while also being told as one of their lessons in school. So once they arrived in the village, nearly everyone recognized them and celebrated the return of their saviors. The village chief, whose name is too complex to pronounce so she just opted to be called Tahmeena, threw a party in the Horsemen's behalf and their guests.

It didn't even take a second for the chief to agree to let us stay for a few hours or maybe even overnight. Hiccup thanked the chief and he ushered us to one of the inns. Thankfully, all the villagers were so helpful and welcoming. It was a strange sight but I quickly warmed up to it, and so did the rest.

Our rooms were quite homely. Hijborak is not exactly a rich village, but neither it is poor. Their houses were fairly big, but not too extravagant, and certainly not as big as mine. But I found it better than my house because it feels less lonely. After we settled in, we decided to join in with the party inside their village hall.

And that's when everything fell apart. For me, anyways...

Flashback

The music soared through the air like an eagle on an up-draft, taking with it the very souls of the listening audience. The up-beat rythm caused them to dance and sing along with the music. The villagers had brought instruments and played their traditional music throughout the party. I couldn't say I disliked it. I have a thing for old music.

I sat in one of the benches, watching my friends dancing along with music. Tucket and Racquel were doing some weird chicken dance that made the other villagers laugh. Finley was surprisingly dancing with one of the village beauties that she spotted eyeing him a while ago. Sawyer was... flexing his muscles and doing some disgusting vulgar dances. I counted that he has received fifteen slaps from the women 'wooing'. The Horsemen were around, chatting with the village elders and councils since they were probably the only ones who personally met them before.

I'm not much of a dancer or a talker so I simply watched them have fun from a distance. True, I felt a little lonely, maybe even a little empty, but it's not like I could just walk up and just start dancing, could I? Some part of me told me that I could, but I never came to a decision since someone sat right beside me.

At first, I thought it was another of those village guys trying to court me. Even if it was flattering that they complemented me in their foreign language, I still have no idea what they are saying. I turn to the person to politely tell him to fuck off, only to find a pair of emerald-green eyes shining at me, accompanied by a crooked grin.

"Not much of a party girl?" Hiccup asked me with an amused tone. He had his leg folded on his other, while his arms were spread out on the table behind us.

Glad it was someone I know, I breathed out a laugh. "Not really. I just don't get the concept of dancing publicly or talking with strangers." I replied.