Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Warning: Really long, boring and oftentimes unrealistic chapter. Errors abound (kindly note that all errors are intended even those which are not). And really, I'm so sorry that this isn't the masterpiece that was last chapter.
I know that a lot of you have been waiting so long for this. I'm sorry. Here's a long-arse chapter to (hopefully!) make up for my absence. The rest of my excuses down below.
Many hugs to my Beta, Introvert-Dragon who gave me an in-depth review even though only short comments were promised. X)
Chapter Playlist:
Nemesis of the Ruined Kingdom (Rin and Len Kagamine)
Erza's Theme (Fairy Tail OST)
This Time for Sure! (HTTYD OST)
The first time he murmured his conditions for the wager, he knew that she thought she heard it wrong.
He stiffened in anticipation at what her response would be, dreading the blankness of her stare and the silence that came with it. If he was to predict her next move, it would most likely be a punch to his gut or a kick to his shins. Or even perhaps a jab of her axe.
But then out of the blue, she did something rather unexpected.
She laughed.
Her voice was surprisingly pleasant, a mellifluous tone that was a stark contrast to the chaos and fire that surrounded them. She lifted a hand to daintily to cover her mouth, a gesture so delicate and refined and out of place in the battlefield it should be made illegal. She faced him with incredulous mirth in her eyes.
.
.
.
"Dream on, commoner. I'm not one to get married. And even if I must, be warned that I would do everything in my power to unleash hell on anyone who dares court me. Although I must admit, I am not in a position to choose my betrothed. And bear in mind that I'll not marry anyone who can't defeat me in battle.
"Does this mean that you're not accepting the wager?"
"It's not exactly that I am refusing your bet, it's just that even if I do accept it, you must know that marrying me is not something that should be taken lightly. There are certain… standards before a Hofferson like me can accept anyone's proposal of marriage."
"So it's a no."
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Her stare was carefully blank, all traces of her previous glee gone. Though her face was devoid of any emotion, he knew that she was thinking, trying to look for words that would better explain her position.
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"If you wish to be my husband, then you must know that you have to be someone capable enough to protect my Kingdom."
"You know, you could just say 'no' to the wager instead of spouting these flowery words—"
"—it's not exactly a 'no'—"
"—it's not exactly a 'yes' either. It's a 'yes, but there's a catch,' so it's eventually still a 'no,' isn't it?"
"If you put that way—"
"—It has something to do with me, isn't it? I'm too weak for you and I look like a talking fishbone. You just can't handle all of… this."
"This has nothing to do with your circumstances, commoner. I care not who you are or what you do. If you have the ability to protect my people, then I will defy my House and marry you. But you don't."
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A sigh escaped from her mouth as she paused in quiet contemplation, her beautiful eyes surveying the war around them. She continued—
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"Look, the entire Archipelago is in a mess. We're losing everyone around us. You can be losing your family, your countrymen and maybe even your best friends."
"Thank you, for summing that up."
"I'm doing my best to stop it. So you—what are you going to do about it?"
"Eh, probably something stupid."
"Good. But that's not good can do better, can you not? Neither your birth nor your circumstance will determine your ultimate station in this life. You can do something regardless of your position."
"Fine. Then maybe I'll do something crazy."
She smiled as her eyes landed on him again, and he could not help but be mesmerized when she urged her horse to move forward so that she could tower over him and further declare—
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"If you want to rise to nobility, then prove your worth to them. If you want to live alongside dragons, then unravel them. If you want to become my husband—"
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—there was fire in her eyes, a burning flame that urged him on, daring him, challenging him—
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"—then rise to the occasion and defeat me in battle."
ON RINGS AND KINGS AND FANCY HOUSE MOTTOS
Act Three
Atop the stolen land, carrying hopes, I draw my sword
and met you, from memories long ago, on the other side of my blade
I believe in the you I'd known, and move forwards,
(I'd searched for so long)
Now, you're right before my eyes ―
(for you, and now you're here; We ―)
How can we fight?
—Nemesis of the Ruined Kingdom
The afternoon sun was hot and stifling in Reiynor, though the breeze was cool enough to remind Hiccup that he was still in one of the kingdoms in the Wilderwest.
The crowd was deafening, the cheers and screams of the spectators for the incoming battle drowning out the murmurs and conversations of the Princess' suitors with their respective advisors. They were arranged on one side of the fighting pit and seated nearest to the ledge overlooking the pit for the best viewing pleasure. Tents were placed up for each party, with a champion housed underneath each tent surrounded by his most trusted entourage and advisors.
King Yngvild was most attentive of him, mortified as the King was with Princess Astrid's earlier misconduct. The King of Reiynor ensured that Hiccup was given the best view out of all the suitors and insisted that he be given the best seat available. Servants tended to his wounds swiftly, and he was assured that his friends were all taken care of in the infirmary. The King even allowed Toothless to stay with him!
On all sides, the world continued on—from the spectators screaming in the fighting pit, to his own Berkian party behind him, to his mother beside him fussing over his injuries—minimal as they were—and to his godfather on his other side, Lord Gobber of House Belch, his most trusted advisor, who was absentmindedly readjusting the hook that had replaced his severed hand. Toothless was nudging Hiccup's metal leg to snap him out of his sudden indifference to the world around him.
Because despite the ruckus around him, he remained motionless in his seat, completely consumed by her eyes that was staring him down from the center of the fighting pit.
Princess Astrid was giving him the most intense death glare he's ever had the pleasure of experiencing, and though he had been captivated by the beautiful hues of her eyes, the killing intent present in that glare was nevertheless disconcerting.
"I cannae believe you didnae withdraw your intention of courtship," Gobber murmured, snapping Hiccup out of his thoughts. He tore his gaze away from her stare, effectively extinguishing whatever onerous hypnosis was happening, to look at his mentor.
Valka glanced sideways at her son.
"I have my own reasons," Hiccup replied, instinctively reaching for the ring dangling from his neck, hidden underneath his clothes. "And while my plan did include having my ass kicked, I must admit that I was not expecting for the ass-kicking to happen so early."
"Oh puh-lease," a voice wafted from behind them, and Hiccup, Valka and Gobber looked back to see Ruffnut, Fishlegs and Tuffnut setting themselves down on the seats behind Hiccup, having moved from their original seats on the Berkian side to be closer to him. Ruffnut continued, "Come on, H. You've tamed a dragon, faced two god-tier beasts, and participated in two international wars. Not to mention your clashes with King Dagur, King Alvin and all those other fodders. There's no way you're gonna lose!"
"But he's facing the Princess Astrid of House Hofferson," Fishlegs mumbled beside her, brows furrowed. "Jewel of the Rainlands? Beloved of Tyr? She's practically a revered priestess figure for Odin and arguably the most infamous of all shieldmaidens in the entire Barbaric Archipelago. That's basically plus five charisma and plus ten times two queen potential! She's not called the fearless for nothing, you know. Even Lord Throk with his strength of five and vitality of ten would be no match for her."
"And what toothpick cannot match the wrath of the Princess who threatened to emasculate him?" Hiccup murmured in mock confidence, peering down to scratch his dragon's head which was now sprawled upon his lap. Toothless nudged his hand with his snout and gave a groan of gratitude. Hiccup managed to form a small smile and paused, eyes traveling back to the center of the fighting pit where the Princess was now facing Lord Throk. The fight had not yet started due to a short orientation that was still being given to the two participants, and the Princess' impatience was showing, with the tension in her grip and the hardness of her jaw.
He wondered if she was all right.
Hiccup shook his head. "My situation matters not at the moment. I just hope that the disposition of the Princess has improved and that whatever has happened will not affect her performance."
"The Princess almost… murdered you," Fishlegs drawled out almost disbelievingly. "And yet the only thing you can think of is her welfare? You're more foolish than the Twins give you credit for!"
Hiccup turned his head slightly and opened his mouth, about to answer Fishlegs, but his mother interrupted as well—
"If I may be so bold to ask, Son," the Queen Dowager said pensively, turning to him, "why did you not withdraw the courtship? Surely with your influence in the Barbaric Archipelago, there would be a maiden more inclined to be your bride."
Hiccup looked towards Princess Astrid again, immobile but clearly displeased when the presenter further recapped the rules of the Ceremony for a second time. He thought of the time when they first met, of her tenacity and her fearlessness, of their bet and her challenge. "I know that the Princess is brazen and violent at times—"
"—an understatement, surely, H," Tuffnut commented from above, to which Ruffnut added "—more like always violent—"
"—but she is extremely loyal to her people and exceptionally fearless in battle," Hiccup continued, ignoring his friends. "She is also assertive in her beliefs and firm in her decisions, all characteristics which I believe are important for a Queen who is to rule by my side."
"Certainly, there must be more?" the Queen Dowager prodded. "Loyalty and valiance, confidence and devotion—Hiccup, both Princess Heather and Princess Camicazi, two of your closest friends who are both eligible to be your queen, possess these values. What makes Princess Astrid stand out?"
Hiccup blinked, the words of Lord Throk in the background—"I am here to lift you off your feet"—distracting him. His mother's point, though, urged the gears in his head to turn.
"Um"—the presenter continued on in the middle of the pit in reply to Lord Throk—"don't you mean, sweep her off her feet?"
"Uh… He has been in love with her for ten years," Fishlegs muttered matter-of-factly, shrugging. "Everyone knows that."
"Yeah, wouldn't stop talking about her when he's drunk," Tuffnut added, joining in Fishleg's taunting. "Do you remember that time when you drank mead instead of that healing tonic?"
"And do you remember that cabinet of unsent letters you wrote for her in one sitting?" Ruffnut jeered.
"Away wit' ye, ye muttonheads!" Lord Gobber admonished the three of them, ignoring the spectacle in the fighting pit. "'Tis the King of Berk yer all talking to!"
"I do not have a cabinet full of letters for her!" Hiccup cried in embarrassment.
"No"—Lord Throk's reply echoed in the backdrop of their conversation—"I will lift her from her feet, put her over my shoulder"—
"Of course not!" Tuffnut confirmed and loudly whispered for everyone to hear, "It was a small shrine!"
"Ye! How many times do I have to tell ye that ye should treat Hiccup with respect?" Gobber admonished Tuffnut once again, though Tuffnut didn't seemed to be discouraged in the least, snickering with his sister.
—"and return with her to my island where she will live out her days as my trustworthy wife"—
Gobber turned to Hiccup. "And ye! Hiccup! Yer mother has a point, ye know. Ye can have any girl in the Barbaric archipelago—except for that Bogwater girl, too sneaky for yer liking—but ye just have to take on Princess Astrid? The most ferocious of 'em all?"
Hiccup could barely make out the cheers of the crowd when the presenter announced the start of the fight, and could hardly hear Lord Throk's declaration of "—losing the dukedom has made the retrieval of the bride much more of a struggle but I will still carry you—" since he was too distracted with defending his affections for the Princess.
"She's cold and abrasive most of the time, but if you just look, underneath her cold and warrior persona, she's vulnerable and soft—"
"—Princess Astrid has just knocked out Lord Throk in just one punch!"
Silence.
Hiccup whipped his head towards the arena in the next heartbeat—almost gaping—just in time for the crowd to roar in delight at the sight of Lord Throk now on the ground, limp and immobile, the consciousness of him knocked out from his body. Princess Astrid stood triumphantly above him, unscathed and smug.
His mother and his uncle chuckled slightly on either side of him. Even Toothless looked on in amusement.
"… Ye were saying, laddie?"
Hiccup found himself struggling for words to answer him, his throat suddenly growing dry. "Th—That was just her… being a warrior." That was an understatement. That was her being a savage warrior.
"That was a plus five attack and a minus ten charisma," Fishlegs elaborated.
"Uh—we're Vikings," Ruffnut pointed out. "That knockout makes a plus fifteen queen potential—"
"—but minus fifteen feminine vulnerability because if that wasn't the opposite of soft and vulnerable, I don't know what is," Tuffnut supplied matter-of-factly."And that's a lot, coming from me."
"Well, she just has a different way of expressing her vulnerability," Hiccup managed to say while Lord Throk was being carried out of the arena and the next suitor was ushered in. He was not sure if he was trying to convince them or he was trying to convince himself. "Besides, you can't expect her to be soft and vulnerable at a time like this. She's supposed to be fighting for her future!"
"The next match is against Prince Thuggory of Meathead Islands!" The presenter announced just as the Prince ambled in and Fishlegs whispered an "arm strength: eight; speed: five."
"Would you please stop that?" Hiccup whispered in protest back at Fishlegs. He cast his eyes to his mother.
"Give her a bit of time, and you'll see that she'll be more forgiving on her next op—"
"—another knockout from the princess!"
"—ponent."
Damn it.
He didn't even get to finish his sentence, and she had proven him wrong once again.
The crowd went crazy around him, standing up from their seats to cheer the Princess on, chanting her name and seemingly forgetting her earlier impropriety. The Princess' spirits seemed to have lifted somewhat; there was gratification and pride on her visage, but there was still a hint of anger and vexation underneath her display of fierceness. It seemed that whatever bothered the Princess, she took it out on the nearest person available.
Alarm gripped Hiccup's chest—two knockouts from the warrior was surely enough validation of her prowess. And yet she looked dissatisfied—thirsty for more and unstoppable in her conquest.
She looked up towards the crowds, waving her axe and coaxing them to chant for her more, a pleased smile on her lips. Beautiful yet brutal, wild yet still breathtaking, she leisurely walked around the fighting pit like the champion that she was. Perhaps she was some Valkyrie indeed; if someone told him that she was the flesh of Frejya on Midgard, he'd had believed them, too.
"Listen, Hiccup," Gobber murmured beside him, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "I was overhearing some of the men just now and, well, some of them are wondering what it is yer up to here—not me of course, I know yer always the man with the plan—but some, not me, are wondering if you have in fact a plan at all, and… what it might be?"
"Get in the ring and get killed," Hiccup answered truthfully.
"Right."
"Oh, c'mon, H," Ruffnut tried. "Don't lose hope yet! What does the Beloved of Tyr have against the Pride of Berk, the Dragon Conqueror and the Baby Daddy of the Isle of the Edge?"
Hiccup almost blanched at the absurdity of the title, momentarily forgetting the task at hand. "Who—What—" he sputtered. He turned to berate Ruffnut, scandalized that someone should ever call him that, but his actions were cut short when the presenter continued with the lineup.
"Princess Astrid won this round of the Ceremony! We shall now send in the next one—"
"—Five," the Princess cut off the announcer.
The presenter looked confused, gesturing for the crowd to lessen the noise so that he can hear better and ensure that he was hearing right. "… Your Highness?"
"Send in the next five," Princess Astrid repeated nonchalantly, raising her palm to confirm her desired number of opponents. "I want to get this over with."
The announcer froze in stunned silence, as did the entire crowd. Questioning looks were exchanged as whispers of disbelief bloomed among the spectators. Hiccup shifted in his chair to take a glance at King Yngvild, who did not seem surprised at his daughter's request. The announcer turned to the King as well, waiting for his approval. Surely the King would rethink his daughter's bidding!
When the King finally nodded his head, there were gasps of surprise and shouts of excitement. A five-versus-one battle? A victor would be decided soon, truly—for what chances did a lone Princess have against five Vikings? And while she was indeed a formidable opponent, her opponents were ferocious warriors as well, and it would need more than a fist to knock them out.
Hiccup wasn't sure if he was nervous for the Princess or for himself when the Viking warriors, all dressed in daunting armor and sporting determined faces, came out and almost immediately surrounded the Princess. Some of the warriors were people he knew: King Dagur whose fighting style was both crazed and unpredictable, and Lord Savage who was tricky and whose forte were sneak attacks.
Hiccup breathed out audibly. How on Midgard was she supposed to face all of them at once?
The Princess seemed to be unbothered by their number, though, blue eyes narrowing to inspect each of them. She grabbed a nearby shield that was mounted on one of the pillars and twirled her axe around to test them in her hand. Once she was satisfied, she positioned her stance into a fighting position.
As soon as the announcer signaled the start of the fight, her suitors wasted no time in attacking her at the same time, brandishing swords and spears. She immediately reacted, moving out of their way and raising her shield to block their weapons. Surprisingly, she was able to fend them off at the same time.
Her skills were evident in her movement; every swing of her axe was a testament to her physical power. However, her footwork was less graceful than he had expected, and her attacks were sloppy now when she was emotionally distracted—a fierce display of combat stemming from raw rage, albeit less controlled and more reckless. Her wrath was evident in every overpowering strike that she made, designed to topple her opponents in as few blows as possible with the ferocity of her assaults. In addition, the spacing between her opponents was to her advantage: it made her easily take out opponents as Lord Savage and Dagur couldn't freely attack. Not that Vikings like them helped each other out often.
When it was down to only Lord Savage and King Dagur, her movements became less ferocious. She was on the defensive now, and Hiccup could see that she was using the opportunity to study their strengths, speed and attack patterns. After a few moments, she shifted on one foot, breaking the pattern and using that instance to focus her attacks on Lord Savage: she was going to finish Lord Savage first, most likely to prevent an ambush attack.
Her attacks increased in speed and power, both to drive Lord Savage to one corner and to leave behind King Dagur. With a quick strike, Princess Astrid sent Lord Savage's sword twirling from his hand and drove his body to the corner with her shield without giving him a time to react. The impact rendered the noble weak, but still conscious. She slammed down his body for good measure, making sure that he was already unconscious before turning to King Dagur.
In typical Dagur fashion, the Berserker king charged with brute force and harsh attacks to take down the Princess. Learning from her display earlier, he drove her to the wall of the arena, earning encouraging shouts from the rest of the Berserkers. The Princess tried to catch all of his strikes with her shield, every impact rattling her stance. This was not surprising, considering that the King was a bit more than twice her size. In a particularly strong blow, Princess Astrid grit her teeth and let herself fall back; due to the strength of his strike, the King fell forward as well, falling with her in the process. As soon as the King fell, the Princess reacted swiftly, regaining her standing position even before the King could react. She kicked his sword from his hand and hammered down her shield to his head, knocking him out.
And with that, the third round of the Ceremony was over.
A profusion of rowdy roars erupted from the entire arena, praising the Princess and her abilities. While almost everyone cheered on for the Princess' victory—except for the tribes of the defeated nobles—everyone on their side of the crowd, too, were silent at the Princess' show of fighting abilities. While it was entertaining and jaw-dropping, it was also a rather clear indicator of the gap of the combat skills between Hiccup and the Princess.
"Chances of survival are dwindling into single digits now..." Fishlegs muttered quietly when their camp continued to stay silent.
"Naw," Ruffnut snapped out of her stupor to support her king. "I'm still betting on H to win."
Everyone didn't seem to share her sentiment, though. Even Toothless who was usually supportive of him was startled to see the Princess' capabilities.
The cheers continued for a few minutes until the announcer calmed down the crowd to focus on the next people in the line up. "The Princess has once again proven her might on the battlefield," he murmured as soon as the unconscious bodies were dragged out of the arena. "We will now be sending in the next five!"
"Ten!" Princess Astrid announced, contradicting him. That stunned the crowd again, judging from the immediate silence of the audience. "Send in the next ten," the Princess repeated.
Applause and cheers greeted the King as soon as he nodded his head in approval.
"Da-da-da. I'm dead," Hiccup announced in defeat, to which Toothless rolled his eyes.
"I'm going to prepare your funeral pyre," Ruffnut offered, all thoughts of positivity earlier gone.
"Thank you so much for the thoughtfulness, Ruff," Hiccup sighed. "So, I'm going to end up skewered and murdered—On my own volition—in front of the entire Barbaric Archipelago. By the greatest living Valkyrie imaginable. Pain. Love it."
"Intelligence just went up five points," Fishlegs mumbled.
"All right, so I might need some help," Hiccup declared in exasperation. "Any thoughts?"
"You were wise to seek help from the world's deadliest weapon," Tuffnut declared, placing his hands on either of Hiccup's shoulders, "me."
"Some help that does not involve blowing things up," Hiccup replied, unable to hide his suspicion.
Ruffnut reminded him, "I'm already preparing your funeral pyre–"
"—I said no blowing up!"
"Setting your body on fire isn't blowing up—"
"—you are so much help, guys," Hiccup groaned in frustration, deflating in his seat while Toothless laughed at him. "Thank you very much."
"Son," Valka murmured, grabbing his hand to comfort him. Hiccup turned to her, seeing the confidence in her eyes that somehow lightened his feelings. "You've faced the Red Death and Drago Bludvist. You're more capable of great things than you think you are."
"Thanks mom," Hiccup replied and smiled weakly. "But Toothless was with me during all those times, if you haven't remembered."
"In a society where Vikings were honored when killing a dragon, you were the one who went through impossible odds. Not slaughtering a dragon? Even befriending one? Who would have thought? By the grace of Odin, you did something that even I couldn't do: you somehow reconciled two opposing factions that have been at war for over a hundred years. If you have done that, I doubt even Loki can thwart the endeavors you so passionately pursue."
Valka cradled his face between her hands, urging him to look at her. "You can defeat the Princess. You can do this."
Gobber slapped him on the back in jest, loosening him up. "You've survived many wars; what's one girl got on ye, laddie?"
"Think, Hiccup!" Tuffnut chimed in. "Use the brains Thor gave you and disregard how he gave you puny stick-like biceps."
Everyone's mood lightened immediately, the teasing and joking coming back. In his mind, though, the cogs were turning.
"There must be something," Hiccup muttered, mostly to himself. "Everyone has a weakness. Even the strongest of beasts has a weak spot." He'd need a game plan. Not that it would serve him much; he was good with plans, but the cosmos had ways of destroying them. He usually would just wing it when faced with trouble, but it didn't hurt if he knew what his available options were.
What would the others do, though?
The Twins would definitely use explosives, but anything exploding would be too dangerous. Though he was not discounting it should push came to shove…
He didn't even know what Eret would do. Snotlout would only most likely show off was biceps. Or write a book. But during the battle with the Red Death—analyzing—Fishlegs!
"Legs, break it down," Hiccup piped up.
"What?" Fishlegs gasped, scandalized. "As in check her out?"
"Wha—no!" Hiccup sputtered in equal shock. "How dare you! No! I just wanted a breakdown of her strengths and weaknesses!"
"All right, all right, sheesh," Fishlegs calmed. Everyone turned towards the fighting pit where the next fight was about to start. The Princess' opponents surrounded her just as the others did in the earlier round, readying to attack.
"Well, there are her obvious strengths," Fishlegs started as they concentrated on the fight. "She has been trained since she was a small child to handle close-range combat and how to use different weapons."
The Princess ducked an incoming punch that was aimed at her, swerving to avoid the fist and get closer to the first attacker. She hit him with the handle of her axe and hammered him down with her shield, ensuring that her opponent stayed down. "She has a small frame, so pinning her down while she's moving would be more difficult," Fishlegs further noted as she rolled away when another opponent struck his sword. "And since she's small, flexible and wears light armor, she can be fast and nimble on the ground."
The Princess managed to bring down two more opponents with her axe, leaving six more surrounding her. Her movements seemed a bit slower, though, something that didn't escape either Fishlegs or Hiccup. "One of her weaknesses may be that she has fought longer than you for today; that's definitely taking a toll on her physique. And even if she has remarkable endurance, we can't expect her to last too long when she's fighting too many opponents at once."
Fishlegs paused when Princess Astrid somehow took down two opponents at the same time, but at the risk of giving another attacker the chance to hit her; and when his mace hit her armor and she doubled over, the crowd gasped at the first major blow to the Princess thus far. "Another flaw," Fishlegs muttered, though Hiccup was too distracted as he stood up in alarm. "The armor is light but at the cost of being thinner. The structural integrity of the armor may be compromised and may not be good enough of a defense system."
Princess Astrid struck his jaw with her infamous Death Punch in retaliation, the anger and irritation in her eyes blazing. That seemed to have pissed her off, and in the strength of her uppercut, her opponent fell to the ground in a knockout.
"And before I forgot," Fishlegs added when Hiccup sat back down in relief, "Her fists are made for punching. Steer clear of both. Not that you didn't know that already."
The remaining four opponents attacked the Princess at the same time, their physiques almost covering the Princess' frame from view. Everyone stood up to get a better view of the situation, murmurs of varying reactions erupting everywhere. Hiccup looked on in concern at the development, ignoring Fishlegs' analysis for a moment, and even Toothless almost hovered to see the ongoing fight.
It seemed as if at least two of them were overpowering her, and the Princess was struggling to fight them off. Dirt and filth covered them as the Princess dove into the ground to evade their attacks, and the contenders followed suit to keep up with their movements. One of them was able to pin her ankle to the ground as she tried to tumble away, and another delivered a blow which she staved off with her shield. The other two joined in, and the Princess strained to defend herself from their attacks. Her figure succumbed to the onslaught, slowly disappearing from view.
Hiccup's heart sank in his chest as he saw the brawl, transfixed on the fight.
This was it. This was going to be the end of the Ceremony.
Just when the crowd thought that the Princess would be overpowered and finally defeated, one of the attackers was thrown off from the pile with the Princess' fist emerging from the combat puddle, an uppercut delivered. She drove the rest of them with the help of her shield, the speed and intensity of her drive sending the dust and soil of the ground to dance around them. The others fought back, some of them using the soil in an attempt to block her vision, resulting to a screen of filth and soil to cover their fight.
The Princess was undeterred, however, sending her shield flying to the opponent that she had given an undercut earlier; the contender plopped to the ground, knocked out. She immediately retrieved her shield to throw it again to the next nearest foe, knocking him out again. The last two she defeated with several swings of her axe, drawing some blood and bones in the process. Both of them fell to the ground after she delivered the final blow.
Princess Astrid stood tall against the receding dust, bruised and bloodied with dirt and filth all over her armor, but victorious all the same. The crowd had completely fallen for her as soon as they saw her emerge from the dirt, chanting her name like a revered goddess.
Which she maybe was.
The presenter announced a short break in which the Princess could rest and wash up while a few exhibition fights between different kingdoms would commence. Hiccup's eyes followed her figure from the stands, watching as she glided from the arena to a resting place below the fighting pits. Just as she was about to disappear, she caught him staring, and his breath hitched. She appropriately responded with another death glare, and even in her soiled condition—and even in her obvious displeasure of him—she looked so heavenly.
So much so that he could not find it in his heart to overlook the chance to win her.
(He wondered if she has already figured out who he was.)
One of her attendants broke the spell as she urged the Princess on to her resting area, inquiring as to the Princess' injuries. "They merit no anxiety, truly," Princess Astrid assured her attendant, tearing her eyes away from him and moving away from the view of the crowd. "Besides, it's only fun when you get a scar out of it. I just mistimed my somersault dive. It was sloppy and it threw off my reverse tumble."
Hiccup watched as she disappeared, suddenly realizing a potentially alarming situation which he should have discerned sooner.
"Hiccup," Fishlegs breathed behind him as they sat down, and he knew exactly what Fishlegs was going to say. "Princess Astrid has twenty-eight suitors. If she asks for the next ten contenders and she wins, you're going to be left as the last person to fight her. Alone."
And when the Princess shouted right after reappearing in the arena clothed like brand new like the fighting before didn't happen—"Send in the next ten!"—he knew that he was doomed.
"Well, then," Hiccup started as the fifth round began, "what do you think my strengths and weaknesses are, Legs?"
"I can think of a lot of weaknesses," Fishlegs offered. "You're a fishbone with noodle arms for one." Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. "You also tend to negotiate first before fighting, which would definitely not work with the Princess. You're sometimes insecure and desperate, so there are times when you let your own insecurities cloud your judgment which eventually leads to chaos and disaster. Not to mention that you are an awful winner, letting the glory get to your heads so you become as arrogant and unpleasant as Snotlout."
"Thank you for summing that up," Hiccup disrupted in irritation, closing his mouth to recover from his initial shock. "Also, I said, 'tell me my weaknesses' not 'roast me'."
"Fish was right, though," Tuffnut nodded.
"Not helping," Hiccup deadpanned.
"Fine, I'll do a shorter version," Fishlegs offered. "Arm strength: three, speed: five, chances of surviving an angry princess: roughly eight percent. Chances of surviving the scorn of a goddess: below two percent."
The next round had already started before they realized it, Hiccup pondering on his chances. Toothless, sensing his uneasiness, nudged his arm to comfort him. "Thanks, bud," he said sincerely, giving his best friend a small smile.
"If we talk about the two percent, though," Fishlegs said thoughtfully, "you might just have a chance at this. Physically speaking, apart from your noodle arms, the rest of your body is lean—"
"—I thought the roast fest was over?" Hiccup muttered miserably.
"—Which isn't a bad thing," Fishlegs continued. "I mean, the smaller the impact area, the lesser chances of being hit. It also makes you light and quick on your feet—or foot, rather—much like what Gobber taught us in dragon training against the Nadders. Also, you have an Intelligence of nine, so you have great problem-solving skills. Not to mention that you have a lot of things the rest of the Archipelago doesn't have."
Hiccup listened to him intently, ignoring the fight in front of them and the loud cheers from the crowd. At this moment, only Fishlegs' analysis mattered.
"For one, you have weapons that you made yourself," Fishlegs supplied.
"Which I wouldn't have made if not for Gobber's help," Hiccup said. "Though, I may also have asked for help from High King Nicholas for the newer weapons." Turning to Gobber, he added, "He looks forward to seeing you again, by the way."
"Still tinkering on his little toys, eh?"
"He says that your engineering skills have greatly helped in inspiring wonders in his young subjects," Hiccup mentioned. He'll have to arrange for a meeting with the leader of the Alliance of the Moon Kingdoms after this. If he'd survive this.
"Moving on," Fishlegs continued, "You also have experience with battling people from the Mainlands. That's gotta count for something."
Hiccup snorted. "Why of course," he breathed, trying not to laugh. "Jack's 'Just Have Fun with This' technique and Rapunzel's Art of the Frying Pan will greatly help me in my battle with a goddess."
"You don't give your experience and instincts enough credit," Fishlegs thought out loud. "I mean, you have great plans and all, but based on my observation, you perform better when you're at the height of your emotions. When you let your principles lead your action, that's when you truly become a force to be reckoned with."
The fight lasted shorter than they had expected, with three of the participants yielding to the Princess' prowess. The attendant called for Hiccup from below, and he readied himself to stand up from his chair while his camp wished him luck.
Not one to be left behind when it came to grabbing attention, Toothless swiftly rose from the floor to spread his wings and gloat, resulting in a clearing in front of the Berkian Camp.
"No, no, Toothless," Hiccup whined, knowing what his dragon was implying. "You're not going out there with me. It's my fight, all right?"
Toothless shrunk, pouting at his words like a dejected puppy.
"No, not gonna work on me," Hiccup scowled, arms crossed. The more he ignored him, though, the more Toothless wailed, and the more the crowd grew impatient.
"Fine," Hiccup finally snapped, and the dragon immediately stretched to accommodate him, all traces of previous moping gone. He sealed Inferno into his suit and ascended, settling himself on the saddle.
"Don't forget your shield!" Gobber called out hastily, offering the round shield with a dragon furnishing.
"Thanks, Gobber," Hiccup said as the shield was mounted on his arm.
Toothless spread his wings and flew, taking Hiccup with him to the skies as more than a hundred pairs of eyes looked on in awe. The dragon circled the arena once and lowered himself to hover on the ground so that Hiccup could somersault from his seat. Hiccup landed gracefully on the ground in front of the Princess before Toothless left to return to the Berkian side, earning claps from the audience. Princess Astrid was not impressed, though.
"From House Hofferson, presenting the Fearless, the Jewel of the Rainlands and Beloved of Tyr, Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Reiynor," the presenter announced as the crowd cheered, the Reiynor side chanting her name.
"And from House Haddock, presenting the Lord Protector and King of the Berkian Isles, the Pride of Berk, the Dragon Conqueror, the Master of Dragons and the Champion of the Kingdom of Berk, His Majesty King Hiccup of Berk!"
The Berkian camp erupted in shrieks and Toothless roared, though their efforts could not thwart Ruffnut's screams of "―you forgot that he's a Drama King, too, muttonhead!"
He would have slapped his palm to his face out of embarrassment, but he could not even move under the intense scrutiny of the Princess, who was lifting her chin and glaring daggers at him. An excited but inhibited murmur spread throughout the spectators as Hiccup faced the Princess, the duel of the year about to begin.
Hiccup released a breath when his eyes connected with hers, trying to compel his heart to pound more steadily. He was transfixed with her gaze, bound to the unbridled wrath of her glower. He had no plans of letting her overwhelm him, though, matching the fever of her glare with the unabashed resolution of his own. Pulling his retractable sword from its holster without igniting the flames, he twisted it once in his hand and set himself in an attacking stance while he held his shield up.
The crowd silenced just as they settled into their positions.
"Ready, your Majesty? Your Royal Highness?" the presenter asked. They both nodded without disconnecting eye contact, grips on their respective weapons ever tighter. "Duel commence!"
She advanced in on him in an instant, eyes blazing and axe aiming for his head. Hiccup dodged her blade and stepped away from her immediate proximity as she swung on him. She was determined not to lose him, though, blocking off his exit points with her blade, which Hiccup tried to block with his shield. As the Princess aimed her axe at him again, Hiccup ignited Inferno in his hand, brandishing flame and steel against her blade and wrath.
The Princess stepped back in alarm at the sight of a flaming sword, halting her offensive actions in favor of a defensive stance; she immediately covered her form with her shield and slowly circled Hiccup. Even some spectators gasped in awe at Hiccup's weapon, and a chatter of excitement flourished from the stands.
Hiccup caught a breather, though Princess Astrid's move to twirl her axe was a good indicator that the fight was far from over.
"It will take more than cheap tricks to bring me down," Princess Astrid gritted, her eyes glaring daggers at him while she cautiously circled his figure.
"I may have made them for free, but they're not cheap," he retaliated, moving his feet—foot—to match the Princess' footwork. "And it's not a trick either."
"As if I'd believe that someone like you can make something like that," the Princess spat. "I know not what sorcery you brought from the Mainlands with you, but such will not work on me."
"Blood Magic is no sorcery," Hiccup laughed, increasing the speed of his footwork when the Princess did the same. "It's a form of ritual magic, or so I'm told."
What would Fishlegs do in a situation like this? Something smart, he'd say. Think.
The Princess tested the waters as she advanced in on him; when he hesitated to attack her, she moved to the offensive and raised her axe, at the same time, revealing her body to a window of opportunity. That was when he swiftly moved in and aimed—not for her axe—but at the handgrip of her shield. Catching her off guard, he aimed for the domed iron boss that protected her hand on the back of her shield. He missed, but the heat of the sword compelled her to release her grip on it—which was good enough for him.
If he was Fishlegs, he'd do the most logical thing to do: separate the shield and the maiden.
Her shield fell to the ground abruptly, and the Princess had no time to fetch it again, what with the heat of his sword still pierced on her flesh. This only served to increase her anger, though, and the loss of her defense was compensated by the increased strength in her offense.
He was now open to attack as well, and the blade that sliced the skin of his arm proved this. Steer clear of her fists, Fishlegs' voice resounded in his head. And her axe, by extension, he added mentally.
Right.
He met the vigorous thrusts of her axe with his sword with great difficulty. Her strikes were weightier now that her anger had increased, and he was sure that she would not rest until he was defeated.
When the chance presented itself, he placed as much distance between him and the Princess, running away as far as he can from her. The crowd jeered at his act; what sort of Viking ran away from his enemy? But he was not the conventional Viking; his mind told him that he could not defeat the Princess on hand-to-hand combat. That means he'd have to look for a way to defeat her from a long distance.
She was on his heels in no time, though, almost covering the gap between them with her speed. She tried to reach him with her blade, but he dodged every strike with a technique he learned from Jack—combining free-running with self defense, feinting when she was about to strike and evading her attacks by rolling and jumping when she least expected it.
When she managed to pull one of his straps to force him back, he whirled around to brandish his shield at her, pushing a button so that the shield collapsed to its crossbow form. Taken aback, she released him immediately, and he took this opportunity to release the grappling line from the shield. The hook embedded itself on a column far from them, and when the cable retracted, it dragged Hiccup along with it, widening the gap between him and the Princess.
Hiccup landed ungracefully on the ground when his shield closed itself, and he promptly sheathed Inferno upon spotting a set of bow and arrows hung on one of the columns; that seemed to be the solution to his short-range problem. Looking back, he saw that she had thrown her axe away and was now reaching for a bow and arrow as well on the other end of the fighting pit, figuring out what he had intended to do.
Hiccup grabbed the set of arrows hurriedly, weaving a piece into his transformed crossbow-shield as fast as he can. He adjusted himself into a stance at the same time that the Princess drew an arrow from the other side of the arena. Ramblings and cheers erupted from the audience at the new development, though he did not pay them mind as he focused on perfecting his aim.
He'd have to hit her where it was critical, but not fatal. Better yet, he'd have to hit her where it mattered.
On the other side, the Princess did the same, aiming for him just as he was aiming for her. The crowd went wild, screaming and jeering and throwing Odin-knows-what. But as he hooked his fingers to draw his bowstring, it seemed as if the world went silent around them. Princess Astrid was directly in line with his vision, the tip of the arrow aimed directly at her figure. He released a breath and willed himself to remember Merida's trainings.
Mind your stance and your anchoring. Keep both of your eyes open. Aim directly at the target.
As if in slow motion, the Princess released her arrow.
Focus, Hiccup!
In a split second, Hiccup swerved to the side and released his own arrow while still aimed at her just like how Merida taught him before. In the next second, Hiccup caught the arrow whizzing near him with his free hand, whirling around to lessen the momentum of the arrow. He placed the arrow that he caught on the crossbow and released just as the Princess staved off the first arrow.
The second arrow flew. The Princess was caught off-guard with the simultaneous onslaught, frozen in place as the arrow pierced through her bowstring, severing the fiber. A smattering of gasps and claps erupted throughout the arena, and even the Princess looked flabbergasted at his display of skill.
Hiccup couldn't help but smirk at his accomplishment, which didn't go unnoticed by the Princess.
Princess Astrid's visage turned from focused rage to strained admiration as her narrowed eyes drifted back and forth from the severed bowstring to Hiccup. In a split second, however, the Princess recovered, running straight towards him.
"Fuck," Hiccup breathed, drawing another arrow in panic. He released the arrow in a hurry, pointing toward her legs and hoping to inflict a non-fatal flesh wound to slow her down. Nevertheless, she was able to knock out the arrow with her broken bow, still sprinting towards him. The next two arrows ended up the same and before he knew it, she was in front of him, brandishing her broken bow which he caught with his hybrid shield which was still in its crossbow form.
"Impressive," Princess Astrid seethed, her rage laced with strained praise. Her face was only a few inches from his, with only her bow and his shield in between them to keep their faces apart. He had to step back due to her force, and to keep a safe distance between them.
"I learned it from Merida," Hiccup replied distractedly, trying his best not to get lost in her eyes.
"So, it wasn't your own move, then," she sighed, somewhat in relief.
All of a sudden, she locked her bow in between the parting of his crossbow-shield to prevent it from closing. To Hiccup's horror, she grabbed the bowstring of his converted shield, yanking it away with one hand to destroy its crossbow functionality. Unsatisfied, she proceeded to grab one side of the crossbow, heaving it away. He tried to stop her by grabbing it back, but the strain was too much for the pivot of the shield, which received the brunt of the force. The shield broke before he knew it, the pieces falling to the ground with unceremonious thuds.
The Princess aimed for his head again, hoping to knock him out, but he was able to fend it off by swiftly releasing his flaming sword.
"You have to meet her," Hiccup told her, trying to get over his broken shield and using all his might to handle her force. The flames on his sword were burning the wood of her bow, but it did not deter her power one bit. "You'd have fun skewering suitors together."
"Not when all of mine have been defeated," the Princess ranted, trying to twist her bow to disarm him. Hiccup would not be fooled, though, and she found herself struggling to deprive him of his weapon. "I see that you learn fast."
"Yeah, I learned blocking from Eret," he replied in confidence. "And the running part from Jack."
"You should not address royalty so lightly!" she berated him, trying to place more force unto her weapon to overpower him. "They should always be addressed with proper honorifics. I'm sure Crown Princess Merida and Crown Prince Jackson will not tolerate such behavior."
Hiccup laughed gleefully before he could stop himself. "Crown Prince and Prin—both of them are going to have a field day!"
Princess Astrid kicked him on the shin, earning growls of pain from Hiccup. He was still able to hold on against her, though. "What about the sword and the shield, then?" she pressed.
"I told you, I made it," Hiccup said rather sharply. "Though I admit I've added a bit of a Gobber and High King Nicholas flair into it."
Princess Astrid smirked. "The arrow technique was more impressive."
"Just wait 'til you see this."
A kind of green gas suddenly erupted from the hilt of Hiccup's sword, resulting to the Princess freezing at the sight, surprised. "Hideous Zippleback gas," she muttered in a startle, realizing what the emerging smokescreen was made of. She retreated from his immediate vicinity, and Hiccup took advantage of her shock to collapse his flaming blade and prevent an inopportune blast. The crowd's curious whispers turned to full-blown gasps of wonder and cheers of admiration as Hiccup waved his pommel, the gaseous substance growing and covering a significant portion of the arena.
"Just what every barbaric princess needs," Hiccup announced behind his arm as the Princess coughed from somewhere in front of him. "One end coats the blade in Monstrous Nightmare saliva, and the other end sprays Hideous Zippleback gas. I use this to get the attention of hostile dragons, see. But another thing that it's good at is stupefying the enemy."
Hiccup carefully stalked the shadow of the retreating Princess, taking note of the sound of her coughs to follow her. A blast fueled by Hideous Zippleback gas was not particularly fatal in his experience, but he was not willing to test it on someone so important. He'd have to knock her out with the flash and without inflicting any major damage, including burns. Definitely not burns.
"As you know, Hiddeous Zippleback gas is highly flammable and very explosive," he explained when he pushed her to the ground; she gave an indignant cry and thrashed around, but with the smokescreen blocking her view and her breathing, she was not able to do much. Hideous zippleback gas would usually rise given a minute or two, though given the hotter climate in Reiynor, it would most likely take them a lesser time to rise. The Princess should be forced to stay on the ground should she receive the most minimal of damage.
Hiccup hurriedly sprinted away as soon as he saw the gas slowly lift, grabbing his sword and announcing―"All it takes is a spark and―"
He clicked the lighter on the pommel and threw it on to the rising Hideous Zippleback gas, igniting it. Hiccup ducked as the explosion swept that area of the arena, flames quickly consuming the gas and disappearing just as quickly as it had ignited. Smoke and dust replaced the flames, covering the entire arena underneath a screen of viridescent fumes.
"And that I learned from Ruff and Tuff!" Hiccup screamed when he was sure he was out of range of the blast radius, looking back to check on blow's destruction. Heaving long and hard, Hiccup collapsed on one corner of the fighting pit, surveying his laborious damage.
One column had been slightly destroyed, debris and chunks of concrete littered below it. One part of the arena was covered in pale, greenish smoke, obstructing any view they might have of the Princess.
His breathing began to stabilize, his heart slowly easing from the adrenaline. The audience seemed to share his stillness as silence dominated the crowds.
The smoke had started to settle down, but even then, the crowds seemed to be frozen in time, unmoving. It took the Vikings a few minutes to fully register what had just transpired, until they slowly realized the outcome of the battle.
A smattering of applause from the Berkian side started, led by the distinguished howls of Ruff and Tuff, then further developing into a full-fledged chanting of his name by the entire arena. Shouts and screams covered the entire fighting pit until he was sure that their cheering could be heard until the next island.
Hiccup breathed, smiling to himself as relief washed over him.
It was over now.
Just when he was about to lie on the ground, he was caught off guard when his very own sword came flying to him from the smoke, almost slashing him. The flames on the blade burned bright, alerting everyone that the fight was not yet done. The crowd immediately paused in the cheering at the sight of the blade, and cheers from the Reiynor side of the arena quickly overwhelmed the audience.
"You forget," Princess Astrid called out from the slowly dissipating smoke, "I am the Princess Astrid of House Hofferson."
Hiccup's jaw dropped as the figure of the Princess emerged, bloodied and bruised with soil all over but still capable and― surprisingly―functioning. Her steps were heavy but purposeful, her figure frigid. She had somehow managed to retrieve her axe in the middle of that rubble, sporting the slightly burned weapon in her right hand.
Her eyes burned, however―blazing blue sapphires set against the soot and alabaster of her face. A new spirit seemed to be reignited in her now that she had survived all that explosion.
"We are nothing less than perfection," she reminded him gravely, raising her chin. "And I refuse to taint my House with any sort of failure. No matter what cheap tricks you have up your sleeve, King Hiccup, I shall not be defeated!"
Hiccup immediately scrambled back up to retrieve his sword, raising the weapon just in time to catch the blade of her axe with the steel and fire of his sword.
"How—How did you survive that?" he choked out once the shock had dissolved somewhat.
"Dragon training basics," the Princess leered. "The first thing you must know when fighting dragons is how to fend off fire. And in the absence of water? Earth is the next element you'd cover yourself with."
Well, Loki's son of a half-troll.
That explained the dirt and earth on her figure, then; she must have rolled in the soil as soon as she figured out what was going on. And in the rubble and smoke, she sought for her axe and his sword so that she could continue on with the fight.
She must truly be a goddess indeed.
"It was so much simpler in my head," Hiccup muttered to himself absentmindedly.
The Princess scoffed.
"If you think I'll go easy on you just because you're the great Dragon Master, then you are gravely mistaken," Princess Astrid hissed as her eyes burned in anger and defiance. She was so much stronger than Fishlegs had given her credit for, the strength in her assault enough to slowly drive him back.
She continued with her rant even when they were both struggling in the middle of their encounter, "All of you are the same to me: noblemen who want nothing more but strengthen their kingdoms and rise above everyone else. You're foolish if you think that you can be someone special to me."
"I care not," Hiccup shot back, trying to throw off her force by twisting her weapon just as she had earlier. "All I want to do is to be someone who is strong enough to protect everyone that I love."
With her grip on the axe destabilizing, he hastened to kick the handle of her weapon so that it would fly away from her hands. "And that encompasses everyone under my care: dragons and men alike, from edge to edge of the Archipelago," he continued, just as her axe was sent flying to the ground a few feet away from them, "and that includes you."
She faltered for a second in her steps—a moment's hesitation caused by his conviction—but she quickly regained her determination, charging at him in the next second with her fists and managing to evade his strikes at her. In a swift move, she kicked his sword away from his hand in return, disarming him in the same fashion that he had disarmed her earlier. Her boot propelled Inferno to the dust, and they were both left weaponless for the duration of the event. She proceeded to punch him, aiming for his chest and the rest of his upper body.
He noticed that something was rather unusual, though; although her jabs were still precise and violent, there seemed to be a reservation in her actions. Her movements were slower, her eyes less intense. Indeed, she seemed to be distracted, missing opportunities when she could have landed a solid fist on him that could have knocked him out.
He did not entirely comprehend her hesitation, but he did not question it either.
"Why?" she finally spat out as she managed to move past his defenses, landing a punch to his face that was surprisingly weak. "Why do you do it?"
"Why what?" Hiccup asked, blocking the next blow that she threw.
"Why do you endeavor yourself so?"
Her question took him aback; he didn't think she'd be so concerned of his reasons.
She was still throwing her fists and they were only getting stronger every second he didn't answer her. "We don't know each other, we've never even met. So why? Why are you pursuing me? Why—do—you—endeavor—to marry—me?!"
He held a fist that was thrown his way, the vigor in his grip enough to freeze her in surprise. Her words from ten years ago resounded in his head, the memories distant but resolutely enduring.
(Good. But that's not good enough. You can do better, can you not? Neither your birth nor your circumstance will determine your ultimate position in this life.)
"Because—"
With great effort, he twisted her arms to prevent her from attacking again. This did not dissuade her in the least, recovering her energy. She jabbed her other fist at him, which he also caught.
(You can do something regardless of your condition.)
"Because I'm stupid. And crazy. And you—and you—"
Gobber's words earlier also echoed in his head, forcing him to rethink his position on the matter while he was in the middle of the battlefield. Ye can have any girl in the Barbaric archipelago—but ye just have to take on Princess Astrid? The most ferocious of 'em all?
(If you want to rise to nobility, then prove your worth to them.)
Princess Astrid prepared to attack despite her hands being locked in his iron grip. She leapt into the air to meet their difference in height, and using her cranium as the area of impact, she struck his head.
He immediately let go of her, clutching the part of his head where she had struck.
Why did you not withdraw the courtship?
(If you want to live alongside dragons, then unravel them.)
Her headbutt seemed to knock Hiccup out of his stupor, though he could neither stop the memories from replaying in his head nor the inquiry of his mother from intertwining with his thought process. But he seemed to think clearer now, her words of conviction when they first met silencing the questions and doubts and reinforcing his decision to pursue his courtship of her.
"Because you inspire me to be better than I am and prove to everyone that they were wrong about dragons, about me—" He met her fist punch with his own with his new-found fire, and she was sent falling back to the ground. She immediately retaliated though, blocking his hands as she stood up from the dirt, taking the defensive.
He found his words.
"Because you pushed me to do the impossible. You pushed me to reconcile both dragons and Vikings—"
With a show of strength that only the Princess could do, she maneuvered their positions so that she could grab the leather strapped to his shoulder pad, and threw him over her shoulder so that Hiccup lay with his back on the ground. Swiftly, she settled on top of his abdomen, much like her assault on him earlier on stage. Both of her hands returned to his neck to strangle him. He would have been thankful that she was on top had it been in another situation, but he was too busy Trying Not To Die and Convincing Her That He Was Serious.
Surely with your influence in the Barbaric Archipelago, there would be a maiden more inclined to be your bride.
He managed to pry her fingers away from his throat when her endurance slowly began to fade, her exhaustion in the preceding battles beginning to show. He pushed her to the side to reverse their positions, climbing on top of her torso and pinning her fists above her head. She gave him a heated glare, but he couldn't bring himself to conclude the fight, not when her pink lips looked so soft, so pink, so inviting.
(If you want to become my husband—)
Her eyes darted to his lips for a fraction of a second as well, the curiosity and confusion mingling with the anger in her eyes as she looked back up at him.
He lowered his head in reflex, confessing, "You were an important reason why I succeeded, even if you were just a memory. And for that I—I want to return the favor and protect the ones you love—
Confusion flashed in her eyes at his words, puzzled at what he was talking about.
"—by becoming your husband."
She snapped back to her warrior persona in the next instant, though, headbutting him as soon as his head got close enough. He released his grip on her, and she immediately pushed him back given the opportunity. Their limbs were intertwined in the struggle somehow, locking them both to the ground. They both wrestled, trying to overcome the other with what's left of their strength.
(—then rise to the occasion and—)
"So you should know," Hiccup persisted as they continued to battle for dominance, her fists banging on his chest, his right hand trying to lessen the damage inflicted by her jabs and his left reaching for Toothless' favorite chew toy, "that I am willing to rise to the occasion and—"
Due to her fervor and persistence in bringing Hiccup down, the Princess somehow tore right through the leather and the fabric of his outfit, fisting what's left of the hide and the thread and the metal and the ring—
The ring.
Princess Astrid froze at the sight of the small band of gold and mithril dangling from his neck, encrusted with small diamonds and decorated with a sparkling sapphire as its main stone. She yanked it as hard as she can from its chain, inspecting the object.
The ring that looked all too familiar.
She gasped as realization dawned on her—this was her father's betrothal gift to her mother. The same ring that her mother once gave to her. The same ring that she had given away.
She looked up at him gravely, her blue, blue, blue eyes stupefied and disbelieving, shining in abject horror and cognizance.
The same ring that she had given away to that commoner ten years ago.
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"Should you be successful in your endeavors, come to the Kingdom of Reiynor and call for Princess Astrid of House Hofferson. If anyone doubts your intentions, show the ring and tell them that you've come to collect what is due to you."
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"So that's a promise then?"
"A promise?"
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"Promise me you'll marry me if—"
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(—defeat me in battle.)
With the opportunity provided by her distraction, Hiccup thus declared "—I'll defeat you in battle."
And with the wisdom and skills bestowed unto him by Rapunzel, Lady of the Light and Maiden of Mood Swings, he used the last ounce of his strength to drive his arm and strike the side of her head with such a blow that would rival Rapunzel's Bang of the Frying Pan—with his very own prosthetic peg leg.
His metal foot instantly connected with her head, knocking her out of her consciousness.
Princess Astrid collapsed to the ground as soon as the blow struck her, letting go of the ring and falling to the ground with a soft thud of her frame.
Silence reigned the fighting pit once again, everybody cautious and guarded with the premature celebrations. The Princess remained still on the ground, however, even with Hiccup's prodding of her skin. It took more than a minute for everyone to realize what had just happened.
It wasn't until Toothless roared beside him, and the crowd went wild in the fighting pit, and the Princess' body was retrieved with a stretcher with the Royal Family of Reiynor surrounding her, and the announcer grabbed his hand and presented him that he had realized—
Odin's beard. He had won.
END OF ACT THREE
Notes about the chapter:
[1] When I conceptualized this in my mind, it was from Astrid's POV, and shifting it to Hiccup's POV was one of the reasons why it took so long. Furthermore, I have been writing in the present tense recently, and I was having difficulty using the past tense in writing this. Kudos to Introvert-Dragon for identifying the present tense stuff.
[2] I suck at fighting scenes. Like, really. I've never written any fighting scene ever, so I'd like to apologize for the chapter and I feel so bad for making you read all that. T_T
[3] I initially had 3 different endings in mind: (1) Astrid wins, (2) Hiccup wins but he forfeits a la Shikamaru (from Naruto) and (3) Hiccup saves Astrid from his own blast and Astrid forfeits. I had to redo much of the chapter until I felt comfortable enough with the outcome.
[4] Credits to Introvert-Dragon for the battle intro. I forgot that this was a thing. X)
[5] Viking Shield Anatomy 101: Viking shields wre typically large, round, wooden shields gripped in the center from behind with an iron boss. The boss must be large enough to comfortably admit the hand and allow the shield to shift freely around the hand as the combatant moves the shield from one side to the other. The shield was gripped from the inside of the boss and the arm did not slip through any straps. (source: history/articles/manufacturing/text/viking_ )
Hiccup's shield seems to be different, though, since he could wear it like a backpack, which implied that the straps were big enough for his arms to slip. Also, the boss does not protect the hand, but instead houses the grappling hook and line.
[6] Separating the shield and the maiden was based on a documentary I saw on the History Channel. It talked about the role of women in Viking society, though I unfortunately forgot what the title was.
[7] I was unaware that Hiccup had a crossbow-shield in the series (haven't watched them, sorry) until Twin pointed it out to me. Had to incorporate it in the last minute. X)
[8] Hiccup's fighting style here is an amalgamation of all the learning that he's had, from his encounters with dragons (Inferno), with other people in the Archipelago (the crossbow-shield), with the people from the Mainland (the frying pan technique).
[9] Jack (Frost)'s fighting style is based on his character entry on the Guardians Wiki (source: wiki/Jack_Frost)
[10] Inferno's description here is based on Hiccup's description on HTTYD2's extra (Source: /111564543)
[11] the arrow trick: based on Ep 13 of the C-Drama Princess Agents.
Now, to more personal matters:
I deeply apologize for leaving the fandom for so long. 2018 has been such a roller coaster for me: battling depression, resigning from my job as an external auditor, adjusting to a new job, a break-up, a family tragedy. So much has happened that I couldn't focus on writing, so I'm so so sorry for leaving you hanging since that last chapter.
Although I want to update as soon as I can, it's tax season where I'm from, so it might take a few months before I post anything again. I don't want to promise anything, but the one thing I can say is that I am not giving up on this fanfiction. Please just bear with me and my irregular update schedule. If you want to annoy me, though, you can ask anything on my tumblr, I'm usually more active there.
I also want to thank everyone who has favorited, followed and reviewed this story. You were the sunshine in my world when it was dark. :) I honestly don't mind if you don't review for this since it's been so long and I suppose you may have forgotten this. X) I just hope you enjoyed the chapter and that it made you look forward to HTTYD3!
Please have a great day ahead! :)