I was walking through the town with Astrid, Snotlout, Ruffnut & Tuffnut and Fishlegs. We just had dinner at the great hall and were on our ways home. We were about to split up when…
"Psst. Hiccup!" I heard a voice quietly call me. Everyone, including me, looked around for the source. I finally found it to be Gobber between two houses near the Cliffside. Confused, we all walked over.
"Gobber? What's wrong?" I asked.
"Hiccup, it's your mother… She's missing Stoick again." He sighed, looking at me sadly.
It had only been two months since dad died and I became Chief of Berk. I missed my father as well, but no one took his death harder than her… I frowned.
"Where is she?" I asked, and Gobber lead us between the houses and we saw her sitting on the Cliffside looking up at the stars with tears running down her face.
"Oh Stoick… I miss you so much…" She said quietly, but still loud enough for us to hear. A star shot across the sky, almost as if it were dad saying he was there, and I was about to go over to her when I heard her begin to whistle…
It was the tune of their song…
"Oh, mom…" I whispered.
"What's that she's whistling?" Tuffnut asked.
"It's her and dad's song." I said with a tight throat. They all looked at her sadly. All of a sudden I got an idea. I cleared my throat with a smile on my face, and loosened up the armour around my neck slightly, earning everyone's questioning glance.
"Hiccup? What are you…" Astrid went to ask me, but I cut her short.
"I'm going to ask her to dance." I said, and stepped out into the open.
"What?!" They all asked. I ignored them, and my mother didn't appear to have heard them. She stopped whistling though, because she ended up choking on a sob. Still walking over to her, I began to sing in place of my father.
"I'll swim and sail on savage seas,
With ne'er fear of drowning…
And gladly ride the waves of life,
If you will marry me…
No scorching sun nor freezing cold,
Will stop me on my journey…
If you promise me your heart,
And love me for eternity…" I sang, imitating my father, as I came to stand next to me father and offered her my hand. My mother and everyone else froze at how much I sounded like him. My mother turned around to see it was me and I waited only a moment before a small appreciative smile appeared even though she was still crying… Although I got the feeling the tears were now happy ones. She played along, though, and took my hand.
"My dearest one, my darling dear,
Your mighty words astound me…
But I've no need for mighty deeds,
When I feel your arms around me…" She sang beautifully, causing everyone but Gobber to stare in surprise at her since rarely anyone on Berk is a good singer, and I wrapped my arms around her and danced with her in attempt to cheer her up. She stopped crying at this point.
"But I would bring you rings of gold,
And even sing your poetry!
And I would keep you from all harm,
If you would stay beside me." I continued, making my singing more rowdy and the dance more upbeat. My mother let out a pearly laugh and seemed to smile brightly. Everyone else then caught on to what I was doing – cheering my mother up by showing her that she still has me even though dad is gone.
"I have no use for rings of gold,
I care not for your poetry,
I only want you hand to hold,
I only want you near me!" She sang loudly and happily, which caused me to smile at her briefly before we both sang the next part and our voices harmonized.
"To love and kiss, to sweetly hold!
For the dancing and the dreaming!
Through all life's sorrows and delights,
I'll keep your love beside me!" We sang together, and Gobber even decided to join in the next part in an attempt to keep the happy mood I got my mother in.
"I'll swim and sail on savage seas
With ne'er a fear of drowning!
And gladly ride the waves of life,
If you will marry me!" My mother and I finished, and I bowed before my mother as we stopped dancing and kissed her hand sweetly before looking up at her with the kind of love a child would give a mother through my eyes. Gobber seeming to keep going though, just like two months ago…
"Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee – I'm still gooiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing…" He then got cut off from a smack to the back of the head from Astrid. "I'm done." He said. We all laughed and I stood up straight as my mother then came up and hugged me tightly. I hugged her back. When we parted she put a hand on my cheek and I leaned into it briefly.
"I'm sorry, Hiccup… I just miss him so much… I was taken from him once, and now he was taken from me… Only this time, permanently… We only just got each other back and now…" She stopped short, tears falling from her eyes again. My hands went up and wiped them away.
"I know, mom… I miss him, too… But you'll always have me. When you a hug, I'll be there with arms wide open and waiting. When you need to cry, I'll be your shoulder to cry on. I'm your son, I'll always be there when you need me…" I told her, smiling. She smiled back and wrapped me up in one last hug. When she let me go this time she went home. Everyone else was still there, though, and they all smiled at me. Astrid, though, looked to be in tears almost as she ran up to me and hugged me. I hugged her back, even though I was surprised at the sudden PDA. "A-Astrid?" I asked.
"That was so sweet!" She cried. I sighed in relief and rolled my eyes as I hugged her to me tightly with a smile on my face.
"Oh, okay… You scared me for a minute there… I thought you got upset at something…" I said. I felt Astrid shake her head.
"No… I'm not upset… You're just a good person, you know that?" She whimpered. I chuckled lowly.
"Yeah, I know… You've told me." I said.
"Oh, Hiccup…" She said, pulling back and showing me her crying face. "This is one of the reasons why I love you, you know that?" She asked. My eyes widened. That was the first time she's even implied that she loves me. Sure we're boyfriend and girlfriend, but we've never said that 'l' word… At most we'd say 'you're the one I like very much' or something… This was a first.
"You… Love me?" I asked, my heart swelling. Astrid seemed to freeze, as if realising what she said. She didn't speak, but nodded instead, for a moment.
"Yeah… I love you, Hiccup… I can feel it… I love you…" She said, bringing her hands from around my neck to cup my cheeks as she smiled and blushed through her tears. I felt my shock melt into a loving expression.
"I love you, too." I told her, and she gasped. I pulled her tight to me once more, leaning down and kissing her. This was one of those extremely rare times where I would kiss her instead of it be the other way around, so Astrid had made a muffled grunt of surprise when I placed my lips on hers.
"Oh, ew!" I heard Tuffnut gag.
"Get a room!" Ruffnut called out.
"We don't need to see this! Let's go!" Snotlout snorted.
"Don't get carried away – you still need to marry before that stuff." Gobber commented as he and the others began to leave.
"You guys are adorable!" Fishlegs called out. Shortly after that, we heard their footsteps vanish. I didn't stop kissing Astrid, though, until we were both out of breath.
"That… Has got to be a record for you…" Astrid panted. I chuckled airily.
"Yeah, probably." I said.
"Hiccup?" Astrid asked
"Yeah?" I replied.
"Do you think we'll ever get married one day?" She asked. I hesitated for a moment, but then cracked a grin.
"Why, you in a hurry?" I asked.
"What? No, I'm not… Just… Growing up I always thought that I'd end up a shield maiden, but now… Hiccup, you make me rethink that thought every time we kiss." She admitted, blushing. My eyes widened for a moment, before a loving smile took over my features.
Every time we kiss, I make her feel like she'll one day marry, eh? Well, why wait? I thought to myself.
"Well, I guess it's depend on you." I said.
"On me?" She asked, her face scrunching up in confusion.
"Yup." I said.
"How?" She asked.
"Astrid, I've been head over heels for you since I was 10… Only in the last, almost, five years have we been a couple but that doesn't matter… If I were to promise you forever with me, would you take it?" I asked. Astrid smiled sweetly at me.
"I would, but what's that got to do with why the decision of our future marriage would depend on me?" She asked. I let her go and reached inside my breast plate armour to grab a ring I'd spent two weeks in the forge last month to make for her.
It was made of gold and had intricate carvings all around it. On the centre of it it had a tiny scale from Stormfly, her Deadly Nadder, and on the inside I had engraved Together Until The End Of Time.
I got down on one knee and presented her the ring. Astrid gasped at the beauty of the ring.
"Astrid Hofferson, will you marry me?" I asked her. Astrid's hand went to her mouth and she choked back a sob. After looking back and forth between the ring and I, she finally removed her hand from her mouth and smiled brightly at me through her tears.
"Yes, yes! A thousand times, yes!" She screamed, and tackled me to the ground in a hug. We laughed lovingly at each other until she shut me up by kissing me. Whilst we were kissing, I felt for her left hand and put the ring on her fourth finger. We parted briefly and stared in slight awe at the sight – it fit perfectly.
"I love you, so much." I told her.
"I love you, too!" She said, and joined our lips once more. Abruptly, though, she pulled back with a pale face. I looked at her in concern.
"Are you alright?" I asked.
"The bride price… Did you ask my father first?!" She asked, in panic. I sighed in relief again and rolled my eyes, smiling lovingly at her.
"I already got your father's blessing a month ago, before I made the ring." I told her. Astrid gasped.
"You made this ring?! And why didn't you tell me you spoke to me father?!" She asked, stunned. I nodded.
"I didn't tell you because I didn't think I'd be proposing so soon… I was going to pop the question on your birthday in two months, but considering what's happened tonight, I don't really care that things didn't go as I'd planned… Because I love you." I told her, and she gave me a chaste kiss.
"I'll say it once more; you're so sweet." She said. I smiled and then stood us up.
"I'll announce our engagement tomorrow morning, as for now I will walk you home." I told her and she nodded. We linked hands and I walked her to her house. We parted with another chaste kiss, and I left for home.
When I got there, I saw my mother was wrapped up in my dad's old bear fur cape. She was staring into the fire in the pit she must've made earlier.
"Hey mom." I greeted, and she looked up to see me. She smiled.
"Hello, Hiccup." She greeted back. I walked over to her and hugged her cuddled up frame to me briefly and she gave me a tender smile.
"Want some good news?" I asked.
"I could use some right about now." She replied cheekily. I chuckled.
"I proposed to Astrid just before." I told her, and her eyes lit up as her face became over-joyous. She deeply approved of Astrid, that I know from when properly introduced them two months ago after the battler was over with.
"Oh, Hiccup! That's excellent news! Oh my, your father would be so proud!" She gushed, getting up out of the chair and giving me a hug. I hugged her back and when we parted she gushed some more. "When did you want the wedding? Have you talked about where your new house will be? Oh, that's viking tradition and you've never been one for traditions have you so maybe you'd want this house instead? I can always build another to live in, no big deal. Oh, how many children are you two going to have? Should I be expecting grandbabies within the year or will I be waiting another year or two? Just don't leave it too late, or her fertility will waste away. Oh and who will marry you? You're the chief now so you have to choose someone who trust to marry you with Astrid." She rambled on and on and on.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on there, mom! Astrid and I haven't discussed anything yet! We were going to wait until tomorrow to announce it to everyone and then after that we'd go and discuss it more." I told her. My mother calmed down and nodded, sitting back in the chair.
"I see. Well, the best of luck tomorrow, eh? I give you my blessing, since Stoick can't give it. I hope you two will have a glorious marriage – I'm sure it's happiness and love will last until the end of your days. Haddock men always know how to pick the women." She winked. I blushed and laughed and she joined in.
"Thanks, mom. I'm going to bed now. See you in the morning, if you're not flying Cloudjumper before dawn again." I chortled, making my way upstairs.
"Fat chance of that, but I'll see you tomorrow at the announcement." She said. "Good night, dear."
"Good night." I returned, going into my room and switching out of my armour to a tunic and pants. I noticed that Toothless was already here and on his slab asleep. I smiled at his sleeping form and went to bed, falling asleep with a smile on my face.