The Blacksmith's Apprentice

Twenty-One: Fear or Hope?

"I recognise her," Astrid said in a furious voice. "That's the dragon that took me!" Her hand closed on the haft of her axe and slowly drew it.

"So do I," Hiccup said, inching forward. "Keep still, Astrid. Toothless will protect you..." Her head snapped round, eyes flashing with rage.

"I don't need protecting!" she yelled. "I am a Viking of Berk! A Hofferson! I fear nothing!"

"Astrid...it isn't attacking you..." he tried to reason but she turned on him, her face locked in a scowl of rage.

"It took me to my death!" she shouted. "I'm not giving it another chance to try again...!"

"It's not aggressive," he tried to reason with her, his eyes filled with concern. "Astrid-look at her. She's wounded, uncertain, frightened...but she came here. She escaped from the Chief."

"She's not welcome!" Astrid growled, her hands tight on the axe. He jumped forward and grabbed the weapon, holding it still.

"Please," he begged her, staring at her furious face. "Don't do this. You know they aren't what we thought! She was under the control of her Chief-and she couldn't resist..."

"I...don't...care..." Astrid snarled, fighting to wrench the axe from his hands and he hung on with all his might. Her fury gave her strength and he knew she was normally as strong as he was.

"Please...Toothless saved your life," he argued, his voice passionate and eyes begging for her to listen. "What will he feel if he sees you slaughter a wounded dragon that has come here? She didn't have to come here. If she was hostile, she would avoid us. But she didn't."

"She almost killed me!" Astrid yelled in his face. "I have wounds in my shoulder from where her damned claws bit into my body as she hauled me away to drop in that pit! Hiccup-get out of my way! I won't hesitate to go through you..."

"Then you'll have to," he told her calmly. "I can't let you do this, Astrid! This isn't you!"

"What are you talking about?" she snapped. "Of course this is me! I..."

"You're smarter and braver and cleverer than this," he told her urgently. "You know they aren't mindless. You are the only person who knows what happened. Just...look at her!"

"Hiccup, I am looking at her!" Astrid raged at him.

"No you're seeing a mindless beast," he scolded her and her eyes flared with more anger which made him cringe inwardly. But he persisted. "Look at the animal facing you..."

"You really are..." she growled. "I see an enemy!" His face fell and his eyes looked defeated at the cold tone, the brutal words that he had hoped they had gotten past.

"If I can't even get you to listen, then there is no hope," he told her and the sudden change in tone made her pause, just for a second. And in that moment, he moved himself between her and the dragon, his tall form standing facing the furious Viking, his exposed back to the dragon. "Then look at me, Astrid. Look at Hiccup the Useless, who can't kill a dragon and wants you to spare this one-even though she took you under the control of the Chief of the Nest-because she is wounded and afraid and not an enemy. So if she attacks, she will kill me and you will be rid of me. If not, you can go through me and you will be rid of me. But either way, I won't have to see you kill a defenceless beast that came to us wounded and scared."

Breathing hard, she stared up into his face: pale and defeated, knowing he was risking everything with her for a dragon that had tried to kill Astrid. And a tiny curl of guilt at his unhappiness broke through the veil of anger that was swathed around her because she did care for him, more than she could admit to herself. But more...he was Hiccup-he saw things differently...even to the point where he was risking his life and his relationship with her.