Apr 29, 2020
My heart stands in awe of Your name Your mighty love stands strong to the end You will fulfill Your purpose for me You won’t forsake me, You will be with me
Matt Redman, Gracefully Broken
seen from China
seen from Lithuania
seen from Russia
seen from Germany
seen from China
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Netherlands
seen from China
seen from China
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Greece
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Germany
seen from Australia
My heart stands in awe of Your name Your mighty love stands strong to the end You will fulfill Your purpose for me You won’t forsake me, You will be with me
Matt Redman, Gracefully Broken
I'm completely amazed how one song can be so powerful and meaningful to me so much that it brings me to my knees and makes me cry like a baby. I am gracefully broken, but still a beautiful mess.
Gracefully Broken, Part 13
Three years ago, Hiccup Haddock vanished with only a hastily scribbled note left behind. It isn’t until Astrid is swept up by a dragon and it’s rider that the mystery is finally solved.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9| Part 10 | Part 11| Part 12
My sacrifice, Oh God, is a broken spirit. A broken and contrite You, God, will not despise. ~ Psalm 51:7 ❤ Sometimes, God's way of dealing with us is so intense that we find ourselves broken. But even the most unkind situation, God made it happen for good. He may test our faith to awaken our need of Him but all these tests are according to His kind and merciful will. As we give up in worship and in truth, may we give it up to Jesus so He may be able to fix what is broken and crooked in our hearts. Maybe you and I are broken in many ways but know that in Jesus, we are always gracefully broken. x Here I am, God Arms wide open Pouring out my life Gracefully broken My heart stands in awe of Your name Your mighty love stands strong to the end You will fulfill Your purpose for me You won't forsake me, You will be with me 🎶🎵🎼
[Worship]
Matt Redman - Gracefully Broken (Audio) ft. Tasha Cobbs Leonard
Gracefully Broken, part 12
Three years ago, Hiccup Haddock vanished with only a hastily scribbled note left behind. It isn’t until Astrid is swept up by a dragon and it’s rider that the mystery is finally solved.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11
Gracefully Broken, part 11
Three years ago, Hiccup Haddock vanished with only a hastily scribbled note left behind. It isn’t until Astrid is swept up by a dragon and it’s rider that the mystery is finally solved.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10
Writer’s note: This part kicked my butt! It’s over 2500 words. It completely exhausted me. The original idea for it changed more than once and it got rewritten more than once. But this is the part that is setting the plot in motion for the next stage! Hopefully it’s how I need it to be XD
“How’s it going over there?”
“We’re good!” Soaring through the air was invigorating, and Astrid reveled in the chilled wind that rushed over her skin. Surely beat rocking sickeningly on a creaking boat with a dozen other people you couldn’t avoid. “I never knew such a feeling like this could exist!”
Hiccup chuckled. “There’s nothing like it!”
They’d been traveling for about an hour, gliding over the sooth seas, dodging sea stacks, and passing the occasional island. Hiccup showed off his and Toothless’ skills as they zoomed between sea stacks, up and over, barely missing the rock formations as they grazed by.
Astrid watched in awe at their maneuvers, itching to try her own stunts. Her and Stormfly had only trained for six days, and she knew better than to push the Nadder too far too soon. They were getting to know each other, trust each other, and that bond in working together needed strengthening before trying anything daring.
They’d traveled over open waters for a sometime, not an island or rock formation in sight. “Have you flown out this far?” she questioned Hiccup, drawing Stormfly closer to Toothless so they could hear one another better.
“The last island we passed was the last I had mapped. We’re in uncharted territory now.” Hiccup’s confidence and eagerness shone through in his reply.
The unknown was rather daunting. At the edge of the map ‘here there be monsters’ echoed. But if she could learn to trust a dragon, she could fly off the edge of the map to face whatever monsters the world beyond held. Berk seemed a thousand years from where they were, like a dream hazy in the back of the mind.
Months had passed since she’d laid eyes on her home island. There were days when she couldn’t recall what parts of Berk looked like. The thought made her insides ache and the urgency to return great, but convincing Hiccup to go back with her was of greater importance. The process was slow, and some days Astrid was distracted by the newfound interest in dragons and all the exciting things Hiccup shared with her.
“I think this is a good spot,” Hiccup said out of nowhere.
Astrid peered around at the open seas, bewildered. “For what?”
“Climb a little higher and coax Stormfly to increase her speed,” was his reply.
Astrid followed the instructions, trailing behind Hiccup and Toothless as they increased altitude. They leveled out directly under the clouds.
“You ready, bud?” Hiccup asked, patting Toothless. The dragon shook his head, warbling as Hiccup pulling a switch on the saddle.
Astrid gasped loudly as she watched Hiccup jump right off his dragon. Toothless didn’t seem alarmed, just flapped his wings harder to keep up with his hurtling rider. Astrid couldn’t believe her eyes as Hiccup suddenly sprouted wings and a back fin and was gliding.
Hiccup’s mention of her seeing his wings jumped back into her memory. This is what he meant. He could fly.
Astrid urged Stormfly in for a closer look to sail beside Toothless. Hiccup rolled onto his back, catching her eye and grinning like the dork he was. He rolled back over a moment later. He was beginning to lose altitude and called out for Toothless. The dragon spud up, diving under Hiccup as he grabbed the saddle and locked back into place.
“So, you do have wings,” Astrid remarked, gliding beside them.
“I told you I did,” Hiccup said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“You make flying look easy.”
“You should have seen me and Toothless when we first started.” Hiccup began to tuck his wings back and fiddled with a contraption on his flight suit to fold up his back fin. Astrid had been curious about the flight suit. It was an intricate piece of work, more detailed an any normal armor would be. He hadn’t worn it every day she’d been there, most days choosing to wear casual attire. But ever since they’d started training, Hiccup had worn the suit every day.
“We crashed a few times,” Hiccup continued. Toothless warbled loudly in protest, giving his rider a side-eyed glare. “Okay, more than a few times.” Hiccup patted Toothless. “But we finally got the hang of it.”
“Do you see that?” Hiccup said a few minutes later. He pointed out into the distance.
Astrid squinted. A shadow resided far off in the water, much larger than a glare from the sun.
Hiccup looked through his spyglass. “A new island! Looks like we found our stopping point.”
They circled the island, scanning for any forms of life. No civilization was found, nor any sign of dragons from the air. They touched down on the sandy shore. They munched on apples and bread for lunch as Toothless and Stormfly fished for what appeared to be some sort of mackerel off in the sea.
“This brings me back,” Hiccup remarked as the group of humans and dragons began their trek across a grassy plain leading to the hilly forest that covered the island. The dragons were fed and rested, and everyone was anxious to explore. Hiccup wagged a finger at Astrid. “The only thing missing is you’re not carrying an ax.”
“That is actually your fault.”
“How?”
“When you nabbed me off the dragon trapper ship, my ax was knocked off my back.” Astrid had inwardly lamented the loss of her ax. The weapon of chose had been her tried and true companion for half her life. On the Trapper ship, she’d kept it on her person at all times, more for protection from the other trappers on board than the dragons they hauled in.
Hiccup scratched the back of his head, sheepishly. “Sorry about that. You should have told me. I would have crafted you a weapon.”
Astrid elbowed him. “Get to work on it when we get back to the safe haven.”
“Will do, milady.” The epithet caught Astrid off guard. Hiccup had never used any name save her own when speaking to her. She let the thought go, passing it off as just the slip of the tongue.
The island was empty besides some forms of wildlife. No new dragons or people, just trees and beachy shores and hilly land. It was a nice, calm trek. Toothless and Stormfly frolicked, and the occasional game of fetch was started by the Nadder.
Everything felt uncensored out there without the watchful eye of Hiccup’s mother and the hundreds of dragons teeming about. Astrid was thankful that her and Valka had come to an understanding, and though she felt fairly comfortable around the older woman now, the way Valka crept along walls of the safe haven like she was part of the rock face unnerved Astrid at times.
The forest resembled Berk, and Astrid was reminded of the need to convince Hiccup to go back. She set the thought aside one more time. She needed the freedom to just be for a little longer before her new fight began – a fight she may ultimately face alone.
Though the day had brought warmth as they explored the island, the night brought a biting chill remedied by the fire Hiccup had build for cooking their supper. With riders and dragons satisfied from their fish dinner, they settled around the fire.
Astrid noticed how close Hiccup was sitting beside her. The name he called her earlier had lingered on her mind, and she began to take note of Hiccup’s actions toward her throughout the day. There was a certain gleam in his eyes when he looked at her. She recognized that gleam. It was as if he was looking at her like he was that scrawny 12-year-old boy again. The shy grins; the fidgeting fingers through his hair. It all started back then after she’d-
Astrid laughed softly to herself at the memory that resurfaced. Nighttime in the woods. Sitting around a campfire. Just them.
“What?” Hiccup inquired, noticing her amusement.
“I remember another time when we were huddled together around a fire in the forest.”
Their 12-year old selves had stayed out far too late one day exploring the other side of Berk. It’d grown into the night. Without adequate light, they were immobile, unless they wanted to risk falling off cliffs or tumbling down embankments. Astrid had built a fire, and the tweens huddled together for warmth.
Hiccup laughed as well. “I remember shivering, but it wasn’t from the freezing cold.”
Astrid’s cheeks heated as she recalled what happened. She was brazen when she leaned in and smashed her lips to Hiccup’s. The poor boy nearly fell over at the sneak attack and couldn’t stop stumbling over his words afterwards. Young Astrid had been mighty pleased with herself. It was their little secret. “I stole a kiss.”
“You did,” Hiccup said matter-of-factly with a nod. He rubbed the back of his neck, and even in the firelight, Astrid caught a glimpse of the flare that crept up to his ears. “If I remember correctly, you stole two more from me after that,” he grinned mischievously, “during Snoggletug and the Midsummer Festival that year.”
Astrid’s mouth hung open as she recalled both. “That’s right! I did! Feels like a lifetime has passed since then.” She scooted a little closer to Hiccup, bumping his shoulder with hers playfully. He was so close. The fire danced in his eyes.
“You’re beautiful,” the words tumbled from Hiccup before he realized what he’d said. Startled green eyes met hers. “Did I just say that out loud?”
Astrid hid half her face behind her hand, her cheeks hotter than the campfire. A wonderful stirring warmed her belly. “You sure did.”
Hiccup sucked in a deep breath, and she could see the gears working in his head. “Did you ever wonder if we wouldn’t have grown apart when we turned 13, if maybe something would of come about…with us?”
“I don’t know,” Astrid breathed softly. Her younger self hadn’t thought that far ahead when it came to matters of the heart. Her future revolved around becoming a shieldmaiden. Stealing kisses from the scrawny heir of Berk was just her way of living in the moment. The future was more complicated and unpredictable these days. Living for the moment – savoring today - was the only guarantee they had, because tomorrow may not come.
Hiccup cleared his throat, his nerves visibly getting the best of him as he fidgeted with a strap on his arm guard. “Maybe we could start over. Get to know each other again. Learn to trust each other further.”
Astrid sat there, stunned by his request. What had brought this on? Hiccup was laying his heart out to her, and she needed to decide if this was the path she wished to follow him down.
“May I kiss you this time?” Hiccup asked uncertain, his bashful demeanor enduring.
Astrid lightly punched his shoulder. “Whose brazen now?” His freckles dotted strokes of red across his cheeks at her words. Hiccup’s were the only lips that had ever grazed hers, and in a secret chamber of her heart, she hoped that’s how it would always be. It was there that she knew she could never deny him. “Yes.”
Hiccup froze for a second as if surprised that Astrid would permit him to kiss her. A small smile broke out, and he twisted to face her better. He dipped down for her lips as Astrid met him. This wasn’t a quick smooch like they had shared when they were kids. This was slower, gentler, enjoyed to the fullest.
Hiccup laid a hand over hers on the fallen log, but he dared not touch her anywhere else. He’d barely touched her the entire time she’d stayed at the safe haven, his hands coming in contact with her mostly during dragon training. Astrid was feeling emboldened by the intimacy and rested a hand on Hiccup’s chest, his heart beating rapidly against her palm.
After a significant among of time, Hiccup broke the kiss and leaned back, both wearing shy but pleased smiles as they caught their breath.
“Come back to Berk with me,” Astrid murmured.
Hiccup’s face dropped as soon as the words left her mouth, his hand leaving hers. “I’m not sure I’m ready, Astrid.”
“Why are you reluctant to go home? To see your dad?”
He stared into the fire for a beat before answering, “I don’t know.”
Astrid crossed her arms, frustration and empathy towards her friend vying for her mood. Firelight reflecting off the metal of Hiccup’s prosthetic caught her attention. She asked the one thing she hadn’t inquired about since he ferried her to the dragon sanctuary. She hoped she’d earned this story by now. “Hiccup, how did you lose your leg?”
Any trace of the light mood that had encompassed their campsite completely disintegrated. Hiccup rubbed the heels of his hands down his face. “You’ve earned that story,” he said, his voice void of emotion. He shallowed hard and began, “There was a dragon, just as large as the Bewilderbeast, called the Red Death. It was holed up in a mountain on an island, controlling hordes of dragons, forcing them to bring it food every day. I had to help these dragons. They were being eaten if they didn’t bring enough food to that monster. I couldn’t live with that, and neither could my mother. While Mom led the dragons to safety, me and Toothless distracted the Red Death. Needless to say, I didn’t come out of the rescue mission unscathed.”
Astrid eyed the metal leg that replaced his lost limb, imagining the horror he must of went through. As if he sensed his friend’s distress, Toothless nudged Hiccup’s arm. Hiccup petted the dragon’s head, receiving a comforting lick on his other hand.
“Toothless saved my life. He got me through that dark time. There were days when I didn’t think I could make it because of the pain and nightmares. He stuck with me through it all. But as time went on and I figured out how to live like this, it became easier and I knew losing a part of me was a small price to pay to free those dragons.”
Astrid couldn’t fathom taking on a dragon as big as the Bewilderbeast, but Hiccup had singlehandedly did just that. His bravery astounded her in the face of battling for dragons’ freedom, and yet, he couldn’t muster up the courage to face his own father.
A part of his story leap out to her like a spark from a fire. The dragons were bringing food to this Red Death. Food they most likely raid from civilized places. “Where did you find the Red Death?”
“On an island, due west of the safe haven. It was actually the closest to Berk I had traveled since finding my mother.”
The pieces were fitting together in Astrid’s mind. Could it have been Hiccup setting the dragons free that set things in motion? “Hiccup, when did this happen?” she asked rather urgently.
“Roughly a year after I left Berk.” He looked concerned by her tone. “Why, Astrid?”
Astrid held her answer while she prepared herself for what she was about to say. “I need to tell you the whole story.”
@howtodrawyourdragon @ashleybenlove
Gracefully Broken, part 10
Three years ago, Hiccup Haddock vanished with only a hastily scribbled note left behind. It isn’t until Astrid is swept up by a dragon and it’s rider that the mystery is finally solved.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9
Writer’s note: This fic is chugging along, but there’s so much more to go! Lots of action to come!