Yggdrasil
the tree has many branches

I know I should have updated Tipping the Scales first, but I was having too much fun with these AUs...

Warnings: it's an AU, that is a warning of its own; language; some gory themes; Hiccup is a mummy in this one; also, there's a touch of dark!Hiccup hiding somewhere there...

Disclaimer: How to Train Your Dragon series belongs to Dreamworks and Cressida Cowell. Also, Astrid's modern name was inspired by a Doctor Who character, Astrid Peth, who was played by Kylie Minogue.

…&…

world 00

the mummy

...&...

Anais Peth had never felt so helpless before in her life.

Winter break had come early this year, so she decided to go home for the holidays earlier than usual. She wanted to surprise her family, you see. How could she know she'd have a flat tire on the way? That she'd spend hours on that lonely highway in the forest trying desperately to flag down someone to give her a ride to the nearest gas station? And then when someone did stop, she'd be shoved in the back of the van kicking and screaming by a bunch of weirdoes?

So naturally, she was pissed; she had planned on binge watching Doctor Who, not spent her holidays tied up in a dingy and moldy basement that smelled like piss.

"Just what do you want with me?"

Surprise, she was ignored. They were more focused on that stupid book and that stupid bundle. The book looked like a journal and its pages were ready to fall off; the bundle on old burlap they had placed on a table. They were mumbling and murmuring and it was getting on her nerves. Anais gritted her teeth and tried for the restrains; she huffed when they held firm.

"Can I at least have some water?"

Surprise, she was ignored again. But hey, at least someone glared at her! At least she thought it was a glare; it was kind of hard to see their faces with those weird-ass masks. Then they moved to open the bundle and she sighed in boredom. Then immediately paled when they pulled out the contents.

Bones.

Those where human bones. One by one they placed the decaying bones on their respective place on the table. Her mind did the math and her breath hitched; oh shit, she was going to die. She had seen enough horror films to see where this was going.

"Oh no, no, nonononononono–" she almost screamed when she was dragged to the table, "–I am not going to be sacrificed for whoever you morons worship! Let me go!" she fought with everything she had; she kicked, she bit, she screamed… She's pretty sure she got one on the balls when she swung her legs around.

But alas it was in vain; she was face to face with a rotting skull.

She recoiled when the putrid smell reached her nose. The masked weirdoes took it as their chance to immobilize her by tying her legs and one hand on the shackles by the table, while they stretched her other hand over the skeleton. When they brought the curved dagger into play, she began fighting again.

"No! I said let me go!"

They held her down as they cut into her wrist. It stung and she bit her lip as they stretched her arm further. The blood fell on the bones and it was then she heard the chanting. The asshole with the knife made another cut along her palm and placed her hand on the skull. She almost fainted when the smell grew worse. The feeling of the rot wasn't helping, neither was the blood loss.

Then everything stopped.

They had stopped their chanting and were eagerly looking at the skeleton. Whatever they were looking for wasn't there as she saw the weirdo with the book sigh. Dread welled in her stomach; it didn't work. She wasn't an idiot to think they'll let her go. Maybe she could make one of them pity her and let her go?

"Maybe it needs more?"

Eager eyes turned to her; yep, she was going to die.

"Hold her down."

She fought again as they reached for her neck. They bent her over the bones and reeled her head back. She threw her pride away and pleaded, a few tears fell from her eyes, but it was all in naught; the blade was tipped and ready to cut into her throat.

"Wait. Look."

She wanted to thank whoever had spoken up as the knife-wielding asshole had stood still and hadn't killed her. She sent a prayer to whoever was listening. The weirdoes around her were curiously watching the skeleton. Breathing heavily she looked down as well and froze.

The bones… were moving.

Oh shit.

Anais gasped when a force sent everyone stumbling backward. She had lost her balance and fell on the floor. She tried to crawl back but the shackles held her close. She stopped when a boney hand curled over the edge. She stared as the weirdoes around her rejoiced and lunged forward helping that thing sit up.

Or tried to…

It shrugged them off and pushed them away. Some fell on their asses and crawled back; it would have been hilarious if there wasn't an animated skeleton moving in the room. She stared as the skeleton took form, muscles started slowly building up and soon skin started showing.

It was a man; his skin pale and freckled. Tall and lean with muscled shoulders and arms. His hair that slowly started growing again was auburn and shaggy, and when he swung around Anais saw the most peculiar green eyes looking back at her. Then she glanced down at his chest. His naked chest.

Oh God, he was pale, freckled, and naked.

She slammed her hand over her eyes as her face burst into flames. Mummy or not, it didn't mean she was comfortable with so much skin on display.

Oh God, she was in the same room with a living breathing mummy.

She was feeling a bit faint.

She heard rustling and she hoped one of those masked idiots had the decency to bring the mummy something to wear. Then hands were pulling her hand away and fingers touching her face. For being dead for probably a thousand years, his skin felt nice. She gave herself a mental slap that brought her down to earth.

She opened her eyes to see him inches from her face, looking at her with his bright green eyes full of hope and her mind reeled when he started to smile? Why was he smiling at her? It was a nice smile too, all crooked and lopsided, and adorably gap-toothed. She gave herself another mental slap and focused on the naked mummy holding her face.

She made the mistake of glancing down–…

… –aaaand yep, still naked.

Anais closed her eyes again and prayed that someone would give him pants or at least a jacket. He must have noticed because next thing she was hearing someone speaking a language she was vaguely familiar, and someone squealed before the mummy was touching her face again. He was talking, whispering at her while his hands rubbed circles on her cheeks. She made the brave choice to open her eyes and found him again all bright-eyed and smiling at her –with pants, thank God!

He was mumbling and speaking softly at her, but she didn't understand what he was saying. What she only caught was a name.

"Astrid?" He lighted up like a Christmas tree. Whoever that was she meant a lot to him. Anais almost felt bad she had to tell him she wasn't his Astrid.

"No, I-I'm not Astrid." She said shaking her head. He frowned and she hoped he wasn't offended; she had survived so far, she wouldn't die because of a mistaken identity. "I'm n-not Astrid. My name is Anais."

He frowned yet again; could he even understand her?

He opened his mouth to speak again but one of the idiots that resurrected him cut in. He was speaking in that weird language again, his hands doing grand gestures and bowing slightly. He was sucking up gloriously at the mummy who wasn't buying any of the shit he was saying. In fact, he looked a bit peeved with his clenched jaw, moving nostrils, and twitching eyebrow. Anais raised a brow when the mummy rolled his eyes and sarcastically answered the masked idiot.

Then he turned back to her, ignoring the pleads that were thrown his way. He smiled at her again and leaned back as if to look her over. It made her stomach clench at the attention, she wasn't anything special anyway with wheaty colored hair and rimmed glasses that made her eyes bigger than normal. Yet, the mummy was looking at her like she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid his eyes on.

She startled when he snapped something in his foreign language and an idiot scrambled to translate.

"Uh, he said you look beautiful."

Anais ignored her flaming cheeks and the mummy's cocky smirk, "T-Thank you."

He started speaking again, "You look no older than the day I lost you."

"Lost?" she asked, looking to the translator and back at the mummy when he started to speak.

"They took you from me and, uh, cursed my name to never see Valhalla." The mummy mumbled something and the translator scrambled to hear it, "Never see you."

Anais looked curiously at the sad man holding her face, "Why would they curse your name?"

He faltered and almost looked guilty at her, "When they killed you, I lost it. I took Toothless and conquered their islands."

"Toothless?"

He grinned and said something. Anais waited for the translation and when there was none, the mummy turned and glared at the group behind them. They were impossibly giddy and looking as if Christmas had come early. Another jab from the mummy brought them back to reality.

"Uh, Toothless. His dragon."

Seeing as she was talking to a resurrected mummy, Anais didn't press further.

"The tribes didn't like that and they banded against me. Uh… I killed a lot of them before they caught me." If he had a dragon she didn't doubt that. "Please forgive me. I lost myself with you and didn't know what I was doing. Forgive me, milady."

The translator's flat tone didn't do justice to the words or the mummy's expression. Anais grimaced as she gently grabbed his arms, the cuts were stinging and she could feel the effects of the blood loss. She ignored it and pressed on.

"It's okay. I forgive you. I'm sure Astrid forgives you too." She waited for an answer but he wasn't looking at her. He was frowning at her hands. She looked over her kidnappers and asked, "By the way, who am I forgiving?"

One of the idiots moved forward and grumbled, "He's the Chief of the Hairy Hooligans, a noble Viking tribe. The great Dragon Master, Conqueror of Dragons and Men, Slayer of the Great Red Death, and Vanquisher of Drago Bludvist."

Right. She still needed a name. She couldn't call him mummy forever.

She looked over the so-called Dragon Master; he was examining her hands. He was tense and his face scowling in anger? Why was he angry?

Anais yelped when he yanked her forward, her eyes glazed over and she wanted to puke. The Dragon Master had his arms around her and was now yelling at the group of idiots. They were scrambling and seemingly making excuses to pacify him. Whatever they told him only made him angrier. Gently, he let her lean on the table as he stood up, towering over everyone in the room, and he snarled in his weird language.

The debate went on for too long. Anais' head was killing her and she felt faint. The blood loss was catching up and kept making her eyes dropping. Right before she lost consciousness, she felt gentle fingers touching her face and warm green eyes watching over her.

…&…

I regret nothing.