Insecurities:
Astrid Hofferson picked up her cracked, handheld mirror and held it to her face. Upon seeing her reflection, she wrinkled her nose and sighed. Everyone on the island of Berk referred to her as the "prettiest girl in the village." That is, everyone except for her boyfriend, Hiccup Haddock. But she did not believe one word of what anyone said.
She knew he liked her a lot - maybe even loved her - and she always tried to convince herself that he found her at least somewhat attractive despite the fact that he had never told her so. And honestly, the absence of that reassurance was beginning to make her feel insecure. Yes, the fearless Astrid Hofferson had insecurities.
Taking up the mirror again, she examined the details of her face once more. A light sprinkling of freckles appeared over her cheeks and across the bridge of her nose. Her lips were dry, chapped, and cracked as a result of riding her dragon, Stormfly, through the chilly winds so often. Her teeth were a bit crooked, and a small gap rested between the two upper front ones. Moving her hair off of her left eye, she cringed at the sight of the scar that sliced through her dainty eyebrow, a mark left from a wound she had received as a result of falling into a sharp rock as a toddler. With a sigh, she then took one hand and unfastened her usual braid, allowing her long, blonde locks to fall across her shoulders. However, it was not a welcome sight to her. Instead, her thick waves appeared rather disheveled and damaged.
She tossed the mirror aside and glanced down at the small bumps beneath her top. As a result of intense training - which most viking girls did not dedicate as much time to as she did - and constantly binding her chest, she was, at nineteen years old, left with breasts that were barely big enough to fill the palms of her hands. In her opinion, they would never be sufficient for Hiccup. After all, he'd never even glanced at her chest. She would be mortified if they eventually married, as he would have to see her naked and likely would be disappointed with what she had.
It was the truth: she was not good-looking. Not at all. The only reason the others claimed her to be was because she was, inevitably, the most feminine young lady on the island - and all because she had a petite frame and a small waist.
Her lips set into a firm line as she snatched a pair of scissors. She was going to give herself a makeover in hopes that Hiccup would notice and tell her she was pretty. Grabbing the messy chunk of hair that lay in her face, she cut it so it was just grazing the area beneath her eyebrow scar. She then snipped a few inches off the waist-length edges and exchanged the scissors for a leather string. With some fumbling, she gathered her newly cut locks to the left side of her neck and began to fashion it into an intricate twist. It took her a few tries to get it just right, but she was satisfied with the end result.
The next thing she did was locate a small chunk of kohl and smudge it along the rims of her eyes. It was an exceptionally difficult task - perhaps even harder than the new hairstyle she'd just completed - but eventually, her blue eyes were elegantly lined with the make-up.
Biting the inside of her cheek, she studied herself in the mirror. She looked different. It was unclear to her as to whether it was a good kind of different or a bad kind, but there were definitely visible changes. After rubbing salve on her harsh lips, she selected a fur shawl from her wardrobe - something she never actually had worn before - and headed to her sitting room to wait for Hiccup to arrive for their dragon ride that evening.
...
Knock, knock.
"Come in," Astrid called upon hearing the sound at the door. Her heart beat faster as she heard creaking, signaling the arrival of Hiccup. Would he notice her new look? Would he like it? Would it be enough for him to compliment her?
"Good evening, milady," Hiccup greeted with a smile. He made his way over to where she was sitting. Just as he was about to lean in for the usual kiss they shared upon meeting, he paused. "You...uh...Astrid, you're...you're different..." he stammered.
She cast her eyes towards the ground. "Yes," she replied softly, avoiding his gaze.
"Why, though? There was nothing...nothing wrong with you." He sat down beside her.
She felt a tear threaten to drip down her cheek. "I...I did it for you, Hiccup." Pulling herself together, she looked up again, but did not turn to face him.
"For...for me? But why? There's nothing that I didn't...that I didn't like about you."
Astrid was silent. She wasn't sure if she should believe him or not, nor did she know how to respond.
"What's the matter? Talk to me, Astrid. Please." He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I...I...I just wanted you to call me beautiful," she eventually choked out, her cheeks turning a deep shade of crimson.
"Oh darling, come here." Without waiting for her to make a move, Hiccup pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed the golden locks that rested atop her head. "You didn't need to do this. You...you've always been my beautiful girl."
"Then why have you never told me?" she mumbled against his chest. Her fingers gripped his shoulders, which had grown some muscle over the years.
"Because I thought...I thought you didn't want to hear it. I mean, every time someone else would say something about your looks, you'd roll your eyes and stomp off to slice trees with your axe. I just didn't want to risk getting myself killed."
"It's true. I don't like when the others dwell on my appearance because I feel like they aren't fully recognizing who I am. But you...you know me. You know I'm more than just a pretty - or, to be honest, troll-like - face. And with you being my boyfriend, I'd be happy to hear a compliment from you every now and then." She felt the tears finally start to fall and hoped that Hiccup wouldn't take notice. However, it was too late, for he was already placing his calloused fingers beneath her chin and lifting her face to meet his emerald gaze.
"You're beautiful," he whispered, using his free hand to lovingly wipe away her tears and brush over her freckles. "You were beautiful when I first saw you, and you're still beautiful now." Leaning in, he captured her lips with his own.
"Are you...you sure?" she questioned as they pulled away from each other.
"Positive." Flashing one of his crooked smiles, he bent down to give her a small peck on the mouth. "And I'll tell you what, milady. Since I screwed up, you can have three free punches to use on me. I promise I won't complain or roll my eyes - no matter how badly it hurts."
"Well, in that case..." She stood up. "Come on, let's go outside, babe. This isn't the kind of thing that would be pretty to do indoors."
"I doubt it'll be pretty outdoors, either," muttered Hiccup.
"Hey, no complaining, mister." She crossed her arms over her chest and watched in surprise as his eyes followed hungrily.
"Of...of course." He turned towards her face again. "Let's just get this over with."
She grabbed his hand and pulled him into her front yard. After using her fist to hit him in the stomach twice, she reached up and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Hiccup. Thanks for everything."
"You still...you get one more go at me," he reminded, bewilderment written in his eyes.
"I know, babe. I'm saving it for when you do something even dumber than this." She put on a smirk before turning in the direction of his Night Fury. "Now, let's get on with this dragon ride before it's time to cook tomorrow's breakfast."
