úlfheðnar, httyd

xv. Forbidden Friendship II

𖣯 ✹ 🌷(úlfheðnar) ꏍ ！┈─❟
╰───►chapter fifteen; yrsa
❝ forbidden friendship, part two! ❞

    YRSA had a weak excuse as to where she disappeared off to that night, but she promised Hiccup she wouldn't tell anyone what they had seen━and that included her mother. She tried to tell her how proud she was of Yrsa's attempt at the exam, but she wasn't listening. Her mind was full of worries for tomorrow; for Hiccup. Whatever plan he had, it was going to have to be extraordinary to fix the hole he has dug himself into. As she tried to sleep that night, all she could do was stare up at the ceiling in worry over what could happen. She might've gone through every possibility that could go wrong when the sun finally rose through her window.

    Walking to the arena with her mother, she could hear shouts for Hiccup's name miles away. Her stomach churned; her shoulders weighed down with heavy tensions━she knew that the Hiccup she had seen in the woods last night could handle himself (better than anyone of them had realised), but that didn't change how much the fact that so much could go wrong gnawed as Yrsa's insides.

    The arena was decorated with traditional Berk tapestries, showcasing gruesome pictures of mighty Vikings slaughtering dragons on red fabric. Her mother started to the crowd, but Yrsa hung back, her eyes flickering down to the entrance to the arena where a small boy stared awkwardly through the barred gate.

    Yrsa hadn't realised Astrid was next to her until she gave her a shove on the shoulder. She stumbled, sending her friend a glare. "Hey."

    Astrid smirked, crossing her arms. She jutted her hip out, quite proud of herself for catching her best friend off guard. "Are you going to come and watch with us? Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins are already there."

    Yrsa knew that already, considering she could hear their screams and cheers louder than anyone else's. Tuffnut had taken to standing on the iron bars like a monkey, shaking his head and hair with a cry. Snotlout was pumping his fists, shoving Fishlegs out of the way as he and Ruffnut continued his cheer for Hiccup. Yrsa found it ironic, considering Snotlout would have never cheered for his cousin before all of this happened.

    But despite the situation, the sight amused her, and she scoffed a little smile. Astrid was taken back by it. Yrsa turned to her. "No, not yet," she said. "I━uh━I gotta do something ... first ... Go on without me."

    She didn't wait for an answer. Spinning on her heel, she rushed down the stone pathway towards the entrance of the arena where a very nervous Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III stood waiting.

    He hadn't noticed her at first, which Yrsa was okay with. The last time they saw each other, she had kissed him on the cheek, which made her tense up and play with her hair as she tried to think of something to say. It had been a very brave, spontaneous and very un-Yrsa thing for her to do. But that was what Hiccup had done to her this past month, and she didn't hate it. Rather, she started to crave that feeling.

    He glanced back. He held his far-too-big helmet loosely from his fingers, fiddling with the loose horn. She sent him a small smile, coming to stand next to him as his father stepped up onto the stage to silence the crowd.

    "Well, I can show my face in public again!" He bellowed, and Yrsa winced. She glanced at Hiccup to see him unfazed, just watching his father with the same pale and sickly tone as he had been before.