The Arcane Evil (httyd-fic)

Chapter 13

Things were quiet for a while after Astrid had hugged Hiccup. Toothless had even gotten up and gave Hiccup a big slobbery lick which resulted in Hiccup wiping the slobber off and flicking it back at the dragon.

Both Hiccup and Astrid lay quietly side by side while gazing up at the sky. Astrid then turned to Hiccup and said "I think it is best if you know my story as well. I think it is about time you knew."

Astrid sat up a little more and looked towards the lake. "I was born in Ledon, one of the smaller rural villages in Forline. My parents were farmers and they loved me, at least I thought they did. It all changed when I was six, almost seven. My magic had started manifesting and my parents became fearful. They would not let me go outside anymore, fearing that I would hurt someone. They instead kept me locked up in my room. I begged them to let me out but they said it was for the best that I stayed hidden, for my own safety."

Astrid pursed her lips as she said this. "I had managed once to use my magic to open the door, which for me was an accomplishment at that age as I usually had no control over it. Sometimes I still wish I hadn't snuck out. I was hiding on the stairs when I heard my parents ranting. My father was shouting about why they should keep an abomination like me. Mother was muttering about why she should keep feeding me." Astrid explained with a far off look in her eye.

"I had let out a gasp, not believing that these were my parents. They heard me and caught me listening on the stairs. I was shoved back into my room and after that night they did not hide their disgust. Father got violent, while mother would only give me enough food every two days to stay alive. This went on for a few months before I was dragged out of the room and handed over to some soldiers who had come to the village. They paid my parents in gold as I was ushered into a carriage."

At this point Hiccup pulled Astrid closer and she let her head rest on his shoulder. "I was taken to the palace in Gimor where I was presented to the King of Forline at the time. It was then that I learned that my parents had sold me to the king for a pouch of gold. The king then ordered the maids to take good care of me and he had me study various spells. I got to spend time with the children in the castle but most would leave after they found out that I had magic or they would ask me to conjure something up for them and then they would ignore me. The only friend I had for years who had not abandoned me was the cook's son. It was not until eight years later that I learned what the king's true objective had been. By that time I was already proficient in many spells and he demanded I come to the throne room."

"I did not know what he wanted. I entered the throne room hesitantly. I had not been allowed near that part of the castle for years and had mostly slept in the servant's area, so I was nervous. It was then that he motioned to one of the guards who brought in a squirming man. He asked me to use my powers on him to make him reveal the locations of his comrades. I was naive and did as the king commanded." Astrid explained as she hung her head down. "After that he would use me as a weapon against those who rose up against him. I refused one time and..... and he punished me badly."

Astrid pulled down the left part of her gown slightly revealing her shoulder and part of her back. Hiccup sucked in a breath as he saw the faint whip marks. "It was my friend who found me limping through the hallway and dressed my wounds."

Astrid was breathing hard at this point and Hiccup could see some green sparks fly from her fingers. "This went on for a year before I had the courage to refuse the king again. I was as usual called into the throne room and I dreaded it now. The guards stood over the prisoners this time and when I got closer I saw prostrated before the king the cook and his family. The king had accused them of stealing food from the castle. The cook did not deny it. He spat in the king's direction and called him a greedy fool who let his people starve. The king then beckoned me forward and I saw the shock on my friend's face when I was ordered to make an example of them."

"I was ordered me to kill the mother and the son to teach his servant what happens to those who disobey him. I could not do it and turned on the king. My fury was evident and my magic acted out slamming him into the wall. The king did not let this action slide and he ordered his guards to attack me. I let my magic loose and the result was witnessed all throughout Gimor. The palace was partially destroyed but I had placed a shield over my friend and his family. The king and some of his court did not survive, while the rest became fearful of me. It was then that I decided to forcefully take the throne, using my powers to instill fear into the masses. They began calling me the Dark Queen who ruled Forline with an iron fist."

Astrid signed but didn't move from her position against Hiccup. "I did not stop them calling me that. It kept the people in order but it did hurt that they thought the same thing as my parents. After I became queen I returned to Ledon only to find that my parents had moved away shortly after they sold me."

"What would you have done had you found your parents?" Hiccup asked quietly.

"I don't know. Probably more than giving them a piece of my mind."

"Astrid you know that you aren't anything like a monster right." Hiccup said as he pulled Astrid a little closer. "No one had a right to call you that and I understand how much such name calling can hurt."

"Thank you Hiccup."

That night Hiccup and Astrid stayed snuggled like that under the stars. The following morning they would start their journey once again.