The Dragon Master

Chapter 9 - 10 years later at Berk

Astrid slowly walked to her wardrobe to put on her clothes, then braided her hair, all the while contemplating. A loud voice from below snapped her out of her thoughts.

"ASTRID! BREAKFAST IS READY!"

"YES, MOM!" Astrd replied, shouting, for her mother to hear her response from upstairs.

Astrid with quickly walked out of her room, picked up her favorite ax that was lying on the table. She quickly stepped down from the stairs, then walked towards their dining room. Her mother was putting soup on the table while her father was sitting quietly at the dinner table.

"Morning dad, morning mom," Astrid greeted her parents, while sitting in one of the chairs at the dining table.

"Morning Astrid," her mother answered with a gentle smile. "How was your sleep?"

"That, uh," Astrid said hesitantly, rubbing one arm. "It is good."

Ingrid Hofferson looked sadly at her only daughter. Astrid was sleepless after Hiccup Haddock's banishment. Ingrid doesn't really understand why her daughter is so affected mentally by what happened to their former chief's son. However, one thing he does know is that her daughter has personal issues with Hiccup. If one thing was visible on Astrid's face, it was regret. She always saw that her daughter didn't have the spirit she used to have. Ingrid always felt that Astrid had a crush on Hiccup. But now that doesn't matter anymore, because Hiccup has been banished from the tribe. Ingrid often regrets agreeing to her husband's plan to separate Astrid and Hiccup's friendship to preserve her reputation.

Astrid took the soup prepared by her mother. As she sipped the broth slowly, she felt warmth coursing through her body. The cold weather outside can be overcome by eating warm soup in the morning. While taking his soup, Harold said to Astrid.

"Ah Astrid, Stoick wants you to meet him at his house," said Harold. "He wants to talk about something important."

"Okay." Astrid answered, looking up slightly at her father.

Astrid wondered what the chief wanted to talk about. It had been 10 years that she had received training with Chief Stoick about being chief. The learning is very heavy. Have to listen to lectures for hours, listen to complaints from residents, arrange various things and many other things.

Astrid came under pressure from the high expectations of the Berkians who said that Astrid would make an extraordinary leader. She often feels anxious, afraid that she will fail to be someone the Berkians expect. What would people say if she messed up? What would people say if she wasn't good enough to lead? What would people say if she accidentally started a war? What would people say if she destroyed Berk's future? She was never free from that thought. The pressure, the demands, the high expectations of the residents of Berk overwhelmed her. Astrid never knew how Hiccup would deal with demands from the residents. Often imagined by Astrid, when she made a mess that was exactly like Hiccup, which in the end made her bullied and ridiculed. Astrid never thought that she would be strong enough to take all of that.

After finishing her soup, Astrid got up from her chair, picked up her ax and said goodbye to her parents. Her parents haven't changed much after 10 years, apart from increasing age and clothing. Harold Hofferson, is still a Berkian warrior who is respected by all. He becomes a board member of Berk who is always on Stoick's side. There was not a day for him without making Astrid proud of others. Like anyone else, Astrid's father had high expectations of Astrid. Ingrid Hofferson, still a cook in the Great Hall, came up with new recipes that everyone thought were extraordinary. Ingrid didn't demand much from Astrid in becoming an heir to Berk, but she was very proud of what Astrid had achieved.

Astrid opened the door of her house, feeling the cold air on the island of Berk. Several people passed by from the Hofferson residence, greeting the young heir. Astrid returned the greeting as she walked towards the Haddock house. It couldn't be called a family home, considering that only Stoick Haddock lived in the house. Valka Haddock who was kidnapped by a dragon, and Hiccup Haddock who was banished from the tribe, leaving the head of the family.