The Treasure of Eyja Nott

Friends and Family

Nineteen: Friends and Family

Facing Astrid in the confined space had Hiccup's pulse accelerating, seeing the glitter in her beautiful blue eyes and the spirited plant of her fists on his hip. She looked so much like the woman he had known that he had to remind himself that she had married Eret a few days after he had been declared dead, that she had thrown her lot in with the man who had framed him without hesitation. He shrugged.

"I needed a moment away from the constant interrogation," he told her honestly. "Not used to crowds."

"And yet you put yourself out here," she told him bluntly. "You didn't have to announce you had moved here."

That's the Astrid I know, he thought, inspecting her face. Go straight for the kill.

"That is true," he admitted. "But with the mandatory publication of property ownership in First Minister Grimborn's latest bill, my secret would have been out soon enough. I just chose to control the release of information." He gestured to the walls. "I take it these aren't meant for public consumption?"

"No one ever comes here," she explained, her voice calmer.

"So why hang them at all?" he asked. She walked to the image of younger Astrid and Hiccup and stared, her eyes unfocussing.

"Because my husband won't permit me to hang them in any room he uses," she conceded reluctantly. He frowned.

"Why?" he asked and then looked at the image of the woman with his younger self. "Old boyfriend?"

"My first love," she admitted softly.

"You dumped him for Eret-or did he dump you?" he asked callously. Her head snapped round angrily and her fists bunched.

"Neither," she breathed, visibly controlling her temper. Then just as suddenly as her anger flared, it was gone, leaving her looking unutterably sad. "He was the kindest, sweetest most decent person I ever knew-and he was wrongfully convicted and sent to prison. His father and I were working on his appeal, contacting everyone we could...but while we were still working, we heard he had committed suicide. It just got too much for him...and I felt my heart had been ripped out. I keep these because they are all I have left of him..." And her thumb unconsciously rubbed the back of the little silver ring.

"And that," he said, realising that it was the little Promise ring he had given her at Graduation.

"It never leaves my hand," she sighed. "Eret hates that as well. But Hi...my boyfriend...was my best friend as well. We had been friends most of my life. And I wish he had written that he was feeling like that..because I would have found a way to smuggle myself to Jotunheim to see him, no matter if I ended up in prison for doing it."

"I can see why your husband wouldn't want to compete with a dead man," he commented, sipping the last of his champagne. "A dead man can never make a mistake or sully his memory...which grows more and more glowing as time passes...while the living never fail to disappoint."

"You sound as if you speak from experience," Astrid noted and he gave a fake smile.

"I've had my share of disappointments," he revealed calmly. "But I have learned to live with the fact." She wrapped her arms around her body, staring at the image of the couple in the embrace.

"So have I,' she breathed but he walked to the last picture.

"This intrigues me," he said evenly. "It's very good. That's you and your son?" She nodded.

"Fink," she murmured.

"Odd name," he commented. She looked up with an arched brow.

"This is Berk, a land of ridiculous names and even worse traditions," she commented. "Mr Fury." He chuckled.