Chapter 24

It was the third day when Lady Hofferson and her entourage managed to make it to the fiefdom. They had done so in record time yet there was a sense of unease around the convoy. Mainly because Lady Hofferson and Sir Haddock had gotten into.... Something. The knights didn't know precisely what it was but after the second night the Lady and her guest had been.... Tip-toeing around each other so to speak. Lady Hofferson had been somewhat frosty to Sir Haddock once they set about their journey again and the tension was felt by everyone else.

The escort knights knew precisely what their mistress was capable of for she had trained with them from a young age, forgoing some of the more... 'womanly' hobbies Noble ladies tended to have. Everyone in the convoy was happy that Lady Hofferson had left her favorite axe at the training grounds back home yet they still felt like they were walking on pins and needles around her. Whatever that rogue of a man had told her.... Well.... This mood was entirely his fault in their eyes.

The third day's journey only lasted five hours as they came to the borders of the Hofferson fief. The roads had seemed clear and they would have been able to make it to the first village within the hour if not for the barricade up ahead.

"Your Ladyship. Please stay in the carriage," The knight Captain asked of his mistress as he and his horse rode forward as they neared the barricade. Astrid had been peering out the window of the carriage slightly. She noted that there were at least three men with weapons blocking their path. The knights all had their hands on their swordsheets as they formed a defense around the convoy. No one knew if more were laying in wait for them afterall.

"Clear the way!" Astrid could hear her knight command. She couldn't hear what was being said in return though as the men blocking them were out of earshot. But the indigent noise the knight commander made as well as the sudden increase of tension....

"How dare you demand a travel tax!"

"You scoundrels! Keep your filthy eyes off her Ladyship!" Was shouted which was followed along by shouts of discontent from the other nearby knights. Astrid now had a fair guess of what had been said. She knocked on the carriage window to get the attention of one of the knights protecting that side. Once she had it she ordered "There is no need for pleasantries with these brigands. Deal with them but leave at least one alive. I want to question him,"

The knight saluted before he went to relay the order to his Captain.

"Was that wise miss?" Atali questioned with a frown.

"Judging by their responses they were never going to listen to reason anyways. By making the first move we catch them by surprise."Astrid answered while pointedly not looking in Hiccup's direction as he sat next to Atali this time.

The clang of swords could be heard but Astrid wasn't too worried. The Hofferson Knight Order was one of the best in the Capital. It would take more than just some brigands to beat them.

"Oh my Thor I can't stand this!" Miss Atali uttered as she looked from Astrid to Hiccup and back again. "Just what happened yesterday?"

"It's best not discussed," Astrid muttered.

"I think we do need to discuss this," Hiccup said however.

"I will not have Atali subjected to your delusions Sir Hiccup," Astrid warned.

"They are not delusions, damn it," Hiccup stressed. "Everything I told you last night was the truth."

"And I should take your word for it without any proof?" Astrid questioned. "Quite frankly you sounded like a madman,"

"I can prove it to you! But not here......" He said, though he added the last part while rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"I would have accepted the information you knew about my grandmother with ease but the rest.... The rest just seems so farfetched." Astrid crossed her arms. "Honestly... flying fire-breathing reptiles?!"

"I swear to you on my honor mi'lady. I have spoken no lies," Hiccup stated.

Astrid was quiet for a moment, thinking things over while tapping her finger against her upper arm. "I can't believe I'm entertaining this notion at all but.....and this is a big but.... If you can prove your claims... then..."

'Oh Thor, what was she even supposed to say to Hiccup now,' Astrid suddenly thought. Dragons were considered myths in her Kingdom. They haven't been seen for neigh.... Several centuries. And suddenly a guy she really really liked was telling her he was the Chief of a tribe that had an island full of them. Before she could say anything else there was a knock on the carriage door. Astrid turned to see one of the knights telling her that it was now safe to come out.

"We are not done talking about this," Astrid whispered towards Hiccup as she descended the vehicle to take a look at the situation. Atali followed her mistress and Hiccup decided he would take a look as well.

On the side of the road five men lay. Three looked to be quite seriously wounded while two others had bled out. One of the wounded men spat in Astrid's direction as she approached.

"They seem to be too well-clothed to be mere highwaymen." Astrid observed.

"Miss, their weapons are also well taken care of," One of the knights remarked. "They might be mercenaries working under a wealthy Lord or merchant,"

"Who's your boss?" Astrid asked but all she got in return was silence. "Look, there is an easy way and there is a hard way. It would be in your best interest to tell us what you know,"

"Why don't ye shut yer trap ya wench!" One of the men shouted while the others nodded.

"Why must they always choose the hard way," Astrid groaned to no one in particular. She extended her hand and the knight next to her offered his sword.

"I have to admit, you got some balls talking to me like that when you're injured and outnumbered," She mused before plunging the sword into the ground just inches from one of the men's crotches. "Unfortunatly you won't have them for long,"

Hiccup who was standing with Atali, behind some knights, whispered to her as they observed Astrid threatening the men. "I have to confess miss but... your mistress, when she gets like this. For some reason I find it highly alluring." Atali just smirked at the comment.

Hiccup, like any other Berkian, admired strong women. Seeing Astrid handle a weapon was...... RAWR. Hiccup ended up mentally smacking his brain to calm down. The mercenaries had shouted for Astrid to cease approaching them with the sword and they were ready to talk.

"A man named Julius hired us!" The man that had spat at Astrid proclaimed. "All we were ordered to do was to collect a toll from the people that passed into the territory,"

"And if they didn't pay you made them pay huh?" Astrid questioned. "Tell me more about this Julius,"

Meanwhile, back at Hofferson Hall, Rosalinda returned home. This time through the front gate. Edwin had rushed to meet her in the foyer and he looked like he hadn't been sleeping much. She'd been cooped up with those dastardly twins for nearly three days now and was in no mood for conversation. Though Edwin didn't know that.

"What happened to you?!" He asked worriedly though Rose didn't answer. She just hung up her travel cloak and made her way past her brother and up the stairs.

"Rose! What the heck happened to you? Do you even know how worried I was?!" Edwin continued as he followed after her. "You had the whole mansion in an uproar. You weren't supposed to leave your room. What do you think will happen once Astrid finds out?"

"Oh my god, don't you ever shut up?!" Rose stopped at the top of the grand staircase and turned to her brother. "For years it's been Astrid this, and Astrid that! You've been clinging to her skirts since we moved in! If you haven't noticed, you're not her brother! You're mine!"

"Well you've never acted like a sister!" Edwin shot back. His mouth moved before his brain caught up.

"JUST SHUT UP!" Rose didn't want to hear anything anymore and angrily pushed Edwin. Only the young man was still standing on the marble staircase. The push caused him to fall backwards. Rosalinda screamed as she realized what she did. There, at the bottom of the stairs lay Edwin... bleeding.

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AN:

Dear readers, I must bring you news that plagiarism is afoot.

Many of you know and love the author Nightstar_Fury. They are a good friend of mine. Recently one of their works was blatantly plagiarized.

The story in question is from 2016 and can be found at FFN as Hold On By: Nightstar Fury

It has been re-uploaded to AO3 in 2021.

The PLAGIARIZED version of the story can be found on AO3 as Hang On by Lizardamethyst38

Check it out for yourselves.

(The Porg is very saddened by this)