"Sixteen Winters old." She started, turning back to her soup when she noticed Hiccup do the same. "Who would've thought."
Hiccup could wave his hand all he wished, trying to brush the subject away as if he were swatting at a fly, but it wouldn't stop Astrid from keeping her focus. The fact that any of them had lived as long as they had was clear as any sign that they'd had the luck of the gods at their backs. Growing up in a Viking village meant that the average life expectancy of an individual usually wasn't very high. When it came to their own little village on Berk, not only were numbers depleted by the usual expeditions to various other lands, but the number of people who had found themselves dinner to dragons had been rather large. It was short of a miracle, at least in Astrid's opinion, that Hiccup had even survived infancy. Sure, she'd never seen him as a baby but judging by how scrawny he was now after sixteen Winters had past, he must have been an awfully small thing when he'd been born.
"Whether it passed or not, that still doesn't make it not matter."
Vikings liked to celebrate, and even though birthdays weren't huge celebrations compared to others, they were still an important time to reflect and thank the gods for keeping one's health for another whole year. They were a time to appreciate the life of that person with words or tokens of gratitude, to show thanks to that individual's existence.
It didn't seem right that Hiccup had missed his birthday. They really needed a calendar; that was definitely clear now, more so than it had been before. She would rectify this. Somehow.
"If you're sixteen Winters old, then that will make me seventeen in turn soon."
Now that was a heavy thought to hold. Not that there was anything wrong with growing older - growing older meant that she was maturing and would only grow smarter and more talented as the years went by. What it also would have meant back home on Berk was that soon her mother and father would have started having awkward talks about marriage. It was common for teens to marry young, at least in other settlements - that's what she'd heard - but on Berk people usually tended to wait a little longer. There were dragons to kill and slaughter, or there had been. That and rebuilding houses that had been burnt to the ground were the main issues usually at the forefront of everyone's mind. There wasn't time to think about planning weddings, at least not very often, which in all honesty, was more than fine in Astrid's opinion.
Sure, she'd been taught the basics that every lady had to learn to take care of their husband - cooking, cleaning, sewing and the like - and while she wasn't terrible at those things, she still wasn't the most adept at them either, certainly not wife material yet. Her stitch was sloppy and sometimes she burnt what she cooked over the hearth. She'd been still learning (when she hadn't been training to kill dragons or honing her skills as a warrior) but being tossed a thousand years or more into the future only made developing those skills even more difficult. Astrid always loved a challenge, but nothing could match with what she faced here in Siren's Port. For someone who strove for perfection not being able to pass as mediocre in most things was infuriating. That didn't mean with practice she wouldn't reach a level of skill that she could be satisfied with. It could take some time though, all considered.
But, she was getting ahead of herself. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third was sixteen Winters old and she, Astrid Hofferson, would be seventeen soon enough. Unless Stoick the Vast suddenly appeared on the island (or her parents) there'd be no talk of marriage or anything of that sort - a fact she'd covet as a blessing. Someday, it would happen, but not for at least a few more passing of winters.
She caught herself staring then, having zoned out for a moment, cheeks pink with her thoughts as she refocused, clinking her spoon against the edge of her bowl somewhat harshly without meaning to.
"We'll celebrate it. Mine too. I wonder how they celebrate birthdays in this day and age?"
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Hiccup could wave his hand all he wished, trying to brush the subject away as if he were swatting at a fly, but it wouldn't stop Astrid from keeping her focus. The fact that any of them had lived as long as they had was clear as any sign that they'd had the luck of the gods at their backs. Growing up in a Viking village meant that the average life expectancy of an individual usually wasn't very high. When it came to their own little village on Berk, not only were numbers depleted by the usual expeditions to various other lands, but the number of people who had found themselves dinner to dragons had been rather large. It was short of a miracle, at least in Astrid's opinion, that Hiccup had even survived infancy. Sure, she'd never seen him as a baby but judging by how scrawny he was now after sixteen Winters had past, he must have been an awfully small thing when he'd been born.
"Whether it passed or not, that still doesn't make it not matter."
Vikings liked to celebrate, and even though birthdays weren't huge celebrations compared to others, they were still an important time to reflect and thank the gods for keeping one's health for another whole year. They were a time to appreciate the life of that person with words or tokens of gratitude, to show thanks to that individual's existence.
It didn't seem right that Hiccup had missed his birthday. They really needed a calendar; that was definitely clear now, more so than it had been before. She would rectify this. Somehow.
"If you're sixteen Winters old, then that will make me seventeen in turn soon."
Now that was a heavy thought to hold. Not that there was anything wrong with growing older - growing older meant that she was maturing and would only grow smarter and more talented as the years went by. What it also would have meant back home on Berk was that soon her mother and father would have started having awkward talks about marriage. It was common for teens to marry young, at least in other settlements - that's what she'd heard - but on Berk people usually tended to wait a little longer. There were dragons to kill and slaughter, or there had been. That and rebuilding houses that had been burnt to the ground were the main issues usually at the forefront of everyone's mind. There wasn't time to think about planning weddings, at least not very often, which in all honesty, was more than fine in Astrid's opinion.
Sure, she'd been taught the basics that every lady had to learn to take care of their husband - cooking, cleaning, sewing and the like - and while she wasn't terrible at those things, she still wasn't the most adept at them either, certainly not wife material yet. Her stitch was sloppy and sometimes she burnt what she cooked over the hearth. She'd been still learning (when she hadn't been training to kill dragons or honing her skills as a warrior) but being tossed a thousand years or more into the future only made developing those skills even more difficult. Astrid always loved a challenge, but nothing could match with what she faced here in Siren's Port. For someone who strove for perfection not being able to pass as mediocre in most things was infuriating. That didn't mean with practice she wouldn't reach a level of skill that she could be satisfied with. It could take some time though, all considered.
But, she was getting ahead of herself. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third was sixteen Winters old and she, Astrid Hofferson, would be seventeen soon enough. Unless Stoick the Vast suddenly appeared on the island (or her parents) there'd be no talk of marriage or anything of that sort - a fact she'd covet as a blessing. Someday, it would happen, but not for at least a few more passing of winters.
She caught herself staring then, having zoned out for a moment, cheeks pink with her thoughts as she refocused, clinking her spoon against the edge of her bowl somewhat harshly without meaning to.
"We'll celebrate it. Mine too. I wonder how they celebrate birthdays in this day and age?"
It'd be interesting to find out.