Another oneshot for you guys. Thank you to those of you who read "Well Met by Moonlight" over the past few days! I'm hoping to have more over the next few weeks before class starts again in September. This story was written for e-wills, an avid Tumblr Hiccstrid community member and HTTYD fanfiction writer. Her husband was just deployed to Korea for a year, and she recently found out she's pregnant with their child. She asked the community if anyone wanted to write her something to make her feel better, and I hope this does justice. Hopefully you all like it too! Much love!
Promise to be Patient, Wee One
"Are you sure you'll be alright if I do this?"
Astrid rolled her eyes, a smile plastered over her face as the cold air chilled her cheeks. Standing at the edge of Berk, their boots covered in snow, Hiccup held her arms and gave them a rub, staring into her eyes, searching for any sort of interjection.
"I told you, I'll be just fine," she repeated for the umpteenth time, giving a small laugh. She placed her hands on his chest, then adjusted his furs, covering the skin of his neck. "You'll only be gone for three or four days."
Hiccup didn't look entirely convinced. He had that wrinkle in his brow, and his lips were pursed yet again. He looked to the village; the Snoggletog tree was built and decorated, and garlands of lanterns and frosty plants strung the snow-covered buildings together like a massive web. The dragons were all itching to leave, males and female ready to fly for the breeding grounds. Most of the villagers were out to say goodbye to their pets, eager to see their babies and bustling about trying to find supplies to take care of them in the coming months. The Hangar was stocked with enough resources to feed them for the remainder of the winter, and the dragon riders were excited to train them.
Every year since the first, Hiccup and Toothless ventured with the migration to the breeding grounds with a ceremonial ship to carry the hatchlings back to Berk. And they stayed, hoping another Night Fury would show. But over the past six Snoggletogs, no Night Furies had emerged. And every year, they would return slightly disheartened, but overwhelmed with the joy the villagers expressed upon their return.
Astrid went with Hiccup on the third year, and accompanied him every year after that. They married just before last Snoggletog and spent an extra few days exploring the breeding grounds. But this year, Astrid couldn't go with him, and Hiccup didn't want to leave her be.
He looked back to her and sighed again, knowing he had to go, and convincing himself he had no reason to worry. So he enveloped Astrid in an embrace and smelled her hair, kissing her cheek and her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and the two of them rocked back and forth.
"I'll come home as soon as I can," he shakily promised, his voice catching. He pulled away, excitement gleaming out of every pore upon his skin. And when a tear prickled Astrid's eye, she willed it away as fast as she could. Of course, with her husband staring so wistfully into her eyes, it was difficult to hide.
Astrid nodded and smiled again, her short laugh framed with a small plume of steam in the frosty air. Hiccup kissed her again and looked down, looking between them. He knelt and placed his hands on Astrid's abdomen. Astrid smiled again, the tears harder to hide as Hiccup kissed her round belly, kissing the child just beneath the skin.
"Now listen here, you," he told it. He pointed a finger at Astrid's belly, eyes glaring and lips pouting. Astrid gleamed down at him, tangling her fingers through his hair as he wrapped his arm around her hips, pulling her close. "Don't get any ideas while I'm gone. Don't kick your mother's ribs too hard, and be patient for the next couple of days. Okay?"
He kissed her belly again and rose to his feet, brushing his pants of snow. Toothless chortled behind him, impatient to fly. Astrid and Hiccup looked at him for a moment before they hugged once more.
"Fly safe," she whispered. "I love you."
Hiccup smiled against her cheek. "I love you more."
He kissed her lips before he painfully pulled away, taking in her body once more as he climbed into Toothless' saddle. She stared after him, her hands resting upon her protruding figure. It had taken weeks of insistent arguing and bargaining before Astrid convinced him to go. She had a couple weeks to go in her pregnancy according to the healers, and she didn't want Hiccup to miss a chance at possibly finding another Night Fury. Her heart ached as Toothless jumped into the air, hovering over the snow. White powder flew up around his wings, and the other dragons followed suit.
"Don't blow anything up while I'm gone!" he called to her over the noise. Astrid scoffed and rolled her eyes again. He never let her live that down.
"Just go already!" she quipped back, laughing.
Astrid felt a hand upon her shoulder, and turned to see Valka smiling at her. Her wise eyes framed in delicate wrinkles, she gave Astrid a reassuring nod before they both looked to Hiccup as he led the migration from Berk. The two women watched the crowd of dragons disappear into the clouds as everyone cheered after them. And once the excitement boiled down to a simmer, Valka walked with Astrid back to her home.
They walked slowly. Astrid's pregnancy had been low-risk for the most part; she had been able to continue her work as a dragon rider until riding made her uncomfortable, and even then, she didn't miss an opportunity to mingle with the rest of the villagers. The heir to Berk, currently sleeping within her, was the only other thing that got Berk's residents excited as much as Snoggletog.
She only hoped their child would be able to remain patient over the coming days. The only thing she was scared of was Hiccup missing the birth of his son or daughter. So, she went home where a small band of healers awaited. The first thing she saw when she crossed the threshold into the warmth of the house were two beds set up against the far wall for the healers to sleep. They had all their supplies ready in the corner upon a dresser, and a birthing stool nest to it. Just the sight of it made Astrid's heart flutter.
Two healers were making her food and changing her bed clothes. Amma, an elder of the village, revered as Berk's grandmother, hailed Astrid and Valka with a respectful bow of the head. Her silver hair was concealed by a green headscarf, and her broad figure took up most of the stove front she worked upon, stirring a ladle in a pot of stew. Placing Astrid's bedclothes in the dresser near the hearth was Ranæigh, a younger mother of two whom Gothi had specially selected for this birth. Her brown hair was tied in a tight braided bun at the back of her head, and small curls framed her face. Her skirt and tunic were pinched at the waist by an apron. She left her task at the dresser to help Astrid out of her furs while Valka crossed the room to Amma.
Much like Hiccup's riding suit, Astrid had been tied into her furs with what seemed like hundreds of straps and buttons to keep her oddly-shaped body cozy and warm. An oldwives' tale Ranæigh believed in was to keep knots out of a mother's personal area, so Astrid had no benefit of ties to keep her clothes secure and closed. Even her hair was an issue for Ranæigh; Astrid had to wear it twisted in a bun like she had, secured with a hairpin made of whalebone. Astrid didn't like the way the hard piece dug into her skull, but she wasn't willing to take any chances.
She looked up at Valka, who stirred the pot for Amma while she rested her hands. She had told Astrid about Hiccup's birth, since her own mother was no longer alive to relay her own. He had arrived early – too early – and the healers had told her he wouldn't make it after he had been born. When Valka told her this months ago, her eyes welled with tears and her throat constricted. Valka attributed Hiccup's survival to Stoick, who took Hiccup in his arms and placed him beneath his shirt against the bare skin of his chest while Valka struggled away from the gates of Valhalla herself. When she came to, Hiccup was able to suckle off a wet nurse, who told her everything Stoick had done. "It was the first time I fell in love with him all over," she had said, thinking of Stoick and missing his presence.
There were reassurances that Astrid's pregnancy was by far much smoother than what Valka experienced, but Stoick's dedication only made her yearn for Hiccup to come back even more. She wanted to cry and she wanted to be fine at the same time.
"Only a few days, miss," Ranæigh murmured, pulling her furred trousers down to, leaving Astrid in her leggings. Astrid stepped away from the door, one hand propping her up and the other holding her belly.
She stepped into a pair of dry boots and sat by the hearth. She stared into the fire, wishing she could do something more to pass the time, but refusing to lest her child try to make an early appearance into this world without a father to greet them.
Astrid stirred on the morning of the forth day, her hand resting upon the spot where Hiccup's body should have been. Sleep was next to impossible with the baby; back pain kept her up at night, along with frequent trips to the chamber pot. Yet again, she groaned and sat up in her bed, wincing as her muscles moved beneath her taught skin. She carefully swung her legs over the bed and made it to her feet. Her hair, free from its bun, cascaded over her shoulders and breasts, tickling her warm back.
Amma was already awake, and was by Astrid's side as soon as she saw her rise. She guided her to the chamber pot and helped her as she had countless times over the past half-week. When she stood up from her careful squat, she grimaced and reached behind her to rub her back.
"Is Hiccup back yet?" she asked as she pulled on a robe. She knew in the back of her mind that she had asked this question already. But Amma shook her head and sighed as she grabbed the chamber pot.
"I haven't heard anything yet. Possibly later in the day," Amma replied quietly. She scuttled across the room, past the sleeping Ranæigh, and opened the door while Astrid leaned against the hearth. She opened the door to pour out the chamber pot, but a gust of frigid wind carrying fat snowflakes howled through the door. Amma shut it immediately and shook her head. She placed the chamber pot down where she had retrieved it and placed her hands on her hips. Astrid, a worried look upon her tired face, bit her lip and groaned again.
A blizzard. Just what they needed. Hiccup wouldn't be able to fly through that storm, she knew. Not if he was going to be smart about his travels. Astrid returned to her room, her hand still upon her back, and crawled back into bed. Amma checked Astrid's belly with her hands before she pulled the blankets over it. Astrid rolled to her side and sighed painfully.
"How are you feeling?" Amma asked, her hand rubbing Astrid's back.
"I'm okay," Astrid replied groggily. "I just want Hiccup."
"If I could bring him to you at this moment, I would," the elder said. "What about food?"
Astrid nodded meekly. "That would be nice. Thank you, Amma."
As Amma left the room, Astrid called after her. "And Valka, if you can?"
Amma lingered for a moment, looking to the window that had already been boarded up from the last snowfall, and gave a small nod.
Valka arrived later on in the day, long after Astrid broke her fast. She stumbled in, holding herself, her braids and her eyelashes coated in snow and frost. She shut the door behind her and shook off the snow as Astrid sat on the edge of her bed. Valka removed the rest of her outer clothing before Astrid met her in the main area of the house.
"I may have lived in the presence of a Bewilderbeast," Valka gasped, "but I have never experienced an ice-storm like that!"
"Is it really that bad?" Astrid asked as Ranæigh guided her to sit in a chair.
"The villagers are in their homes, and any Snoggletog plans have been put on hold till tomorrow," Valka said as Amma offered her a dry blanket. "No sign of the dragons, yet. It would be foolish to fly in this weather."
Astrid's heart sank slightly, but she knew she would rather Hiccup be safer than hurt. "Would you like to stay awhile?"
"I certainly wouldn't want to go back out there, not that that's why I want to stay." Valka took off her boots and sat in the chair next to Astrid, who let Ranæigh tie her hair back into a bun. She closed her eyes and sighed again, wrinkling her brow from the back pain. She tried to sit comfortably, but couldn't. When she opened her eyes, she saw Valka watching her like a hawk, her head cocked to the side.
"Your back, it aches?" she asked.
Astrid closed her eyes again and nodded, grimacing as she tried to rub her back. Ranæigh's hands slowed and Amma crossed the room. Astrid opened her eyes to all three women peering at her with intent gazes.
"What?" Astrid asked slowly, suddenly worried.
Valka licked her lips and placed her hand on Astrid's knee as Ranæigh moved behind Astrid.
"Here, we may be able to alleviate the pain," the healer said soothingly. Gently, she guided Astrid to a kneeling position on the floor, cushioned by a fur throw upon the wood. Astrid knelt into Valka's lap as Ranæigh rubbed Astrid's lower back with ginger fingers. Astrid buried her face in Valka's lap and sighed, eager to get some relief.
By the time night fell, Astrid was back in bed on her side, pain slowly ebbing in and out of her. Ranæigh had soothed her back, to a point, but as the hours progressed, and the pain had not disappeared, Astrid internally battled with a realization she didn't want to acknowledge.
The healers were boiling water, often bringing hot cloths to Astrid to sooth the achy parts of her body, while she tried to relax. Valka sat by her side to keep her company as Astrid stared at the wall.
"Are you trying to avoid having this baby?" Valka asked, a wry smile tugging at her mouth. Astrid huffed and wriggled her shoulders.
"Hiccup promised he'd be back by now," she simply replied.
"Hiccup may be the Chief, but he cannot choose the weather," Valka said. "If this is labour, which we all think it is, you will have to go on without him. Babies have this funny way of showing up when they deem it is the right time."
"Then this baby has awful timing," Astrid groaned, rubbing her belly again. "He needs to be here, he'll be heartbroken if he isn't."
"If he can't make it, then he will return to his child delivered safely into this world."
It didn't make Astrid feel much better. "I need him. I need him to be here with me. It feels like he's been gone for years, and I just want him back."
Valka didn't have much to say to that. Instead, she rubbed Astrid's back and hummed a tune in her bird-like voice, filling the silence with a song from long ago.
Astrid wasn't able to get much sleep that night. The pains had blossomed from manageable cramps to pains that took her breath away at times. Though she wanted to be as stubborn as a yak, she yielded to the healers and Valka after her water left her. They moved her from the bed to the main room. Back upon the carpet, Astrid knelt on all fours, breathing deeply as her belly almost touched the floor.
Amma and Ranæigh had checked her over the past few hours, the sun already kissing the mountains in the morning. Hiccup was a day late, and the baby was not being as patient as he told it to be. Her face in her hands, Astrid concentrated on her breathing, praying to the gods Hiccup would somehow best the storm. It billowed on outside, stopping for no one, much like her son or daughter.
"You'll have to push soon," Amma stated. Astrid looked up at the birthing stool for a split second before dropping her face into her hands again.
"No," she groaned.
Another large wave hit her as it had only a few moments ago. She sucked in a breath and groaned an elongated hum, vocalizing her pain as it gripped her, pushing the baby down into her pelvis even deeper. Gods, she wanted to push. More than anything in the world.
When the pain finally released her, Amma and Ranæigh checked her again as Valka pulled Astrid onto her lap. One look between the three women sent them on different tasks. Ranæigh retrieved a clean blanket and hot water while Amma pulled the birthing stool closer to Astrid. Valka pulled Astrid up carefully, guiding her to the stool. Astrid was in little position to refuse any longer. She sat upon the stool and opened her legs, her brow still furrowed and sweat beading upon it. Her legs shook as she sat. Valka stepped behind her and wrapped her arms around her, holding her upright like Hiccup had been taught to do weeks beforehand. She was almost shaking from excitement, her grandchild only a few moments from life.
"When Amma tells you to push, push," Ranæigh said as she patted Astrid's brow clean. "When she tells you to stop, stop."
Astrid nodded, her hair falling out of its bun and over her belly. Her bare skin in the heat of the firelight remained warm and free, but she looked to the door, a feeling building in her gut unlike the contractions. She suddenly wanted to open it.
She thought she heard the thump of a body hitting the snow outside, the unfurling of wings and the chortle of a dragon.
She gasped as another contraction hit her. She rose onto her toes on the birthing stool as if she could flee the pain below. She barely heard Amma tell her to push, but as her body was built for it, she bore down with the pain. When she was told to stop, she released her breath and let her head fall back onto Valka's shoulder.
"You can push again in a few seconds –"
Something banged against the door. Amma and Ranæigh jumped. Astrid's head snapped over. She almost left the birthing stool to open it, but Amma pushed her thighs down.
"Push!"
Torn, Astrid let her body take over again. She pushed again through gritted teeth as Ranæigh ran to the door. She pulled it open, letting the howling wind in for one moment.
Hiccup staggered into the room, shaken by the wind. He froze at the spectacle of Astrid upon the birthing stool, blonde hair sticking to the sweat upon her skin. She stopped pushing, gasping for air. Valka ran over to him and brushed his hair free of snow.
"You're late," she said breathlessly, helping Hiccup out of his snow-covered cloak.
"Got held up," Hiccup quickly replied, ducking out of his wet cloak. He ran across the room, ignoring the snow covering his boots and pants.
"Get in here!" Astrid cried, desperate for his support. Valka threw a dry blanket over Hiccup before he rushed behind her, dropping to his knees. He scooped Astrid's arms into his and squeezed his fingers into hers. He kissed her neck and wrapped his fingers into hers.
"You're cold!" she gasped, laughing slightly. "Where in Helheim's name have you been?!"
"I need you to push again, when the next cramp hits," Amma said. "One more big push."
"I tried to wait –" Astrid said, panting.
Hiccup hushed her and kissed her face over and over.
"We tried to fly through the storm, but we had to go around. I'm sorry I'm late –"
"I thought you wouldn't make it!"
Astrid felt the next wave, one final constriction. She gripped Hiccup's hands, bearing down with all her might, almost unable not to. Amma reached down as Hiccup held her tightly. Valka was at their side, joining the words of encouragement from everyone in the room. She felt something slip past, and the young couple leaned forward. Grunts and groans turned into elated gasps and cries as Amma pulled their child into the world. Hiccup, stunned at the sudden milestone, couldn't form words as Astrid dropped her head back again, laughing through her exhaustion.
When they heard it's shrill cry pierce the excited energy of the room, everyone reacted; Valka's eyes filled with tears of pride, Amma laughed as the baby wriggled in her hands, and Ranæigh gave Astrid praise. But the most important sound in the room was when their child gave its first cry, hearkening the beginning of the day, and what would become the best Snoggletog of all.