The Breakable Child

by EverAfterWritings

Hiccup and Astrid are living on The Edge with the other Dragon Riders. One day Astrid finds out that her parents signed a marriage contract for her to marry somebody the riders have known/fought for years. How will she and Hiccup break the contract? With a Breakable Child - Rated M! Explicit sexual content. Warnings added before each section. Background for my next story

I have added warnings after each break in this one-shot so you readers can know if that section contains explicit content or not. Pay attention to the warnings! I don't want any of you to accidentally read something you don't want to read. :)

Also, there will be a summary of this one-shot in the first chapter of my next story for those of you who wish to skip the M rated stuff.

Want to find out what happens next? Read my other stories! "Descendants and Dragons" will be out soon! Until then, enjoy "How to Say Goodbye" and "Once a Berserker, Always a Berserker."

The Breakable Child

Mild

"Hiccup!"

My head jerked up at the sound of my girlfriend's voice.

I rushed to the door of my hut on The Edge and opened it just in time for Astrid to run in and practically jump into my arms. What surprised me most was that she was crying.

"Astrid, what's wrong? Are you okay?" I asked, holding her close to me.

She sniffed and shook her head, tears still streaming from her eyes.

"Okay, let me shut the door," I said. I gently set her on her feet and approached the door, firmly shutting it so we wouldn't be interrupted.

"Toothless, go sit outside with Stormfly and make sure nobody comes in, okay?" I instructed. Toothless purred in agreement and flew out his window. I heard him land in front of the door outside.

I turned back to Astrid. She was leaning back on my table, absentmindedly biting her fingernails. Her icy blue eyes were glazed over, tears still spilling out of them. My legs moved to take me to her. I stood in front of her and took her hands in mine.

"Astrid, what's wrong?" I asked.

"They signed the papers," she muttered, barely above a whisper.

"What? Who signed what papers?" I questioned further, placing my hands on her shoulders firmly, bending over slightly to look her in the eyes.

"My parents signed the marriage papers!" She cried.

I froze. What marriage papers? I hadn't had dad write any up yet.

When I spoke it, I couldn't even hear myself. "What marriage papers?"

"They did them without telling me," she said softly.

I shook my head in disbelief. "No, they can't be legal. My father would never sign off on them!" I said firmly. I pulled away from her, running my hands through my hair.

"That's what I thought, but they somehow still got it. Hiccup, he is from a different island and he is so much older than us. Apparently, his wife died and he wants another wife to raise his children and give him more children," she explained quietly.

"They can't do that," I said. I shook my head again. "Your parents know that we are together. They know we love each other. Why would they do this?"

Astrid shook her head. "I thought they knew that too. But apparently he made a dowry offer that they couldn't refuse," she said, fresh tears in her eyes.

I stepped forward and pulled her close to me. We stood there for I don't know how long. We probably would have stood there longer if Toothless hadn't growled softly and scratched at the door.

I glanced up and noticed his window had accidentally gotten shut and that it had gotten dark outside.

A sigh escaped my lips as I approached the door and opened it for my dragon. Toothless purred appreciatively and yawned as he walked over to his sleeping rock. He warmed it and curled up in the middle.

"I should probably go back to my place," Astrid said softly.

"No, you can stay here," I said.

"Hiccup…" she started. But I didn't let her finish.

"Please, stay," I whispered, taking her hands in mine.

She looked up at me with those beautiful blue eyes and nodded silently.

I climbed up into my loft and threw a spare tunic over the side.

"I like this one on you," she said softly, picking up the tunic I had given her to sleep in.

I chuckled from up in the loft and started taking off my armor. When I had removed the last piece I heard soft footsteps behind me.

"I'm not done changing yet, babe. How did you change so fast?" I asked, keeping my back to her as I took off my tunic, leaving my leggings on.

My bed creaked as she sat down on the edge. I could feel her eyes on me.

"I don't have overly complicated armor," she said simply.

I smiled and looked back at her. "That is true," I chuckled.

I heard her sigh slightly as I pulled my night tunic over my head.

"What, don't want all the raw vikingness covered up?" I teased.

"I know you are joking, but honestly, you're right," she said, a slight laugh in her voice. I turned around to respond but stopped.

She was wearing my tunic, yes, but I wasn't expecting her to look so beautiful in it. It was big on her, much too long and a bit baggy. It hung somewhat lopsided on her slim frame, exposing part of her left shoulder. She had let her hair down and was combing her fingers through the golden locks. She sat cross-legged on the mattress, revealing the soft skin of her legs all the way up to her mid-thigh.

She looked at me. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

I shut my mouth abruptly, realizing it had been hanging open.

"Uh… I… Uh," I stuttered. She laughed and shook her head at me.

When I came back to reality I quickly covered my eyes with my hand. "Astrid, I shouldn't see you like this! I'm not your husband!" I said, turning around so my back was to her again.

"And I never will be…" I thought sadly.

"Hiccup, it's fine. We only have one week left together. Can we just not worry about tradition when it comes to this?" she asked.

I turned around sharply. "One week?" I asked incredulously.

She looked down at her hands in her lap. "The wedding is next week," she said quietly.

I shook my head. "No, they just signed the papers."

"They want a quick wedding."

"No, I know your mother wouldn't want to plan a wedding this quickly. Not if she had a say in it."

Astrid sighed. "He wants a quick wedding…" she muttered.

I went over to my bed and sat down next to her, taking her in my arms. Her small form cuddled against my chest as I leaned back on the headboard.

"Have you ever even met him?" I asked.

She sat up and made herself busy by undoing the buckles on my prosthetic leg. I reached a hand out to pause her, knowing she was stalling.

She nodded softly and looked back up at me.

"So, you have met him. And?" I asked.

"There isn't much to say. He is ugly and rude and he doesn't respect women, though he pretends to in front of my parents. I think he just sees me as somebody to take care of his kids and to please him. One of the first things he asked was if I had ever been checked out by a healer to make sure I could bear many children. The man wants a boy, he has only daughters right now. He is also very wealthy. I haven't met his daughters yet, though. They just know that their daddy left to find them a new mama," Astrid told me. It almost seemed like she wasn't telling me everything, but I decided to leave it be.

My eyes looked down and away from her.

"It was supposed to be us, Astrid. Hiccup and Astrid forever, no matter what happens," I sighed.

She nodded. "It was. But now I have to marry an awful man who doesn't love me. And I certainly don't love him. Hiccup, I don't want my entire marriage to be focused on sex and bearing children," she started to cry quietly.

My arms wrapped around her and held her tightly.

"I am going to fight this. Tomorrow we will go to Berk and figure out what happened. If my father didn't sign it, then we might have a way out. Or maybe I could make a better dowry offer. I am the future chief, after all," I reasoned.

She smiled at me. "I knew you'd want to fight it. I do too. I just don't know if we can," she whispered.

I leaned my forehead against hers. "You better believe I am going to fight this all the way to the last second," I promised her.

She looked up at me, smiling at me with those beautiful blue eyes. Her hand moved up to my neck and she pulled me to her, pressing her lips to mine. I eagerly kissed her back, my lips moving in sync with hers. We stayed together all night, just holding each other and enjoying each other's company.

---

Mild

In the morning, we were quick to pack up anything we needed for our flight to Berk. I quickly told the others of our plans but didn't give them any reasons. I told them I would send them a Terror Mail every few days or so. They were all pretty confused, but Fishlegs had everybody go with it, which I was thankful for.

I decided to bring a Timberjack that I had trained. It was massive, its wingspan as big as my hut, if not bigger. It would make a nice addition to a dowry if it came to that kind of battle for Astrid's hand in marriage.

After about two hours of flying, Astrid stood up in her saddle and stretched.

"Be careful, milady. Don't want you to fall," I cautioned.

"Oh come on, Hiccup. You do this all the time," she said, waving me off with her hand.

I saw our Timberjack out of the corner of my eye.

"Astrid, I have an idea. Let's eat lunch," I said.

"Where? I don't see any sea stacks or islands that we could land on," she said.

"No, let's get on SharpWing's back," I said, motioning to the Timberjack's impressive and sturdy wingspan. She smiled and nodded excitedly. I locked Toothless's tail in place and stood up. I whistled for SharpWing to fly up closer to us and stepped off Toothless and onto the Timberjack's back.

Astrid directed Stormfly down next to me and I held my hand out to her, holding it tightly as she joined me on the back of the Timberjack.

I retrieved our lunch that we had packed from Toothless's saddle bag and handed it to Astrid, who immediately sat down and began taking everything out.

Inside the basket were two yak chops from the previous night's dinner, a small loaf of bread, a canteen of water, and two apples.

We ate in silence, both of us enjoying the feeling of the wind rushing past us.

I held my hand out to her and she took it with a smile.

"I'm not giving up on us," I told her.

"I know," she said with a nod. I squeezed her hand and released it so we could finish our food.

After we had finished I cleaned it all up and put it all back in my saddle bag. I laid down on the back of the Timberjack, breathing in the fresh air.

Astrid laid down beside me, her head resting on my shoulder.

"I wanted you to be my first," she muttered.

"First what?" I asked, moving the arm she was laying on to wrap around her shoulders.

"My first everything. I dreamed of all the "firsts" we would have one day. First kid, first house, first day as chief and chieftess…" she paused for a second then said, "first time…"

My eyes widened slightly and I glanced down at her, noticing the slight blush on her cheeks. From the way mine were burning, I knew my face was much redder than hers.

I cleared my throat. "I, uh, I wanted all of that too. With you," I stumbled over my words.

She turned to lay on her side, resting her hand on my chest and keeping her head at my shoulder. I rolled over so that I was facing her, making sure her golden locks continued to rest on my left arm while my right arm moved to her waist.

I took a deep breath and pulled her close, my lips crashing into hers, our bodies fitting together like puzzle pieces. I didn't want to think about what we would have done if we hadn't been wearing our armor.

We kissed passionately for several minutes, only pausing every few moments to catch our breath.

Eventually Toothless and Stormfly both made us aware that they were uncomfortable and I chuckled, burying my face into the side of Astrid's neck. She hummed contentedly and played with my hair as I breathed her in. She was supposed to be mine, and I was supposed to be hers. That was how it was always supposed to be.

We laid in each other's arms until Berk came into view. I helped Astrid back onto Stormfly then pulled myself onto Toothless's back. My foot clicked into place and I unlocked his tail so we could land.

As we landed I saw my father and Gobber approaching us, big smiles on their faces. Astrid and I, however, were not smiling.

As we dismounted I told Toothless to take Stormfly and SharpWing to the stables to get some fish. Toothless growled an "okay" of sorts and nodded his head towards the other two dragons.

"Hiccup! So nice to see you, son. What brings you all the way back to Berk?" my dad asked, a big smile on his face as he grabbed me and pulled me into a hug.

I didn't smile, I didn't even return the hug.

"Hiccup? What's wrong, son?" Stoick asked.

"We need to talk. Ansorf and Eshmelda need to join us," I told him.

Gobber stepped forward. "Astrid's parents? Why?" he asked.

"There has been a misunderstanding and it needs to be fixed right now," I told them seriously. I took Astrid's hand in mine and we began walking towards the Great Hall. When we got there I ordered the few vikings who were there to leave.

Soon after, Stoick, Gobber, Ansorf, and Eshmelda arrived and took seats next to me and Astrid.

I kept a steady stare at her parents, who wouldn't look me in the eye.

"I guess our daughter told you, eh?" Ansorf asked.

"She did," I responded, "and I don't know how you could ever agree to such a thing. He is an awful man! Don't you want your daughter to have more out of a marriage? With him, all he is going to do is use her for sex and to raise his children. He doesn't love her."

Stoick frowned. "I missed something," he said.

"Aye, me too, laddie. Care to explain?" Gobber asked.

I turned my gaze to Astrid's parents, but they were looking down at their laps, refusing to make eye contact.

Astrid sighed and decided to speak up. "They signed me off on a marriage contract to a man from another island. He claims that his first wife died after giving him three daughters. He wants somebody young to care for his daughters and to bear him a son," she explained.

"What?!" Stoick shouted, slamming a fist on the table, causing everyone to jump.

"This can't be right. We made an agreement long ago that your daughter would marry my son. They love each other. How could you ever sign another contract much less write one up?" Stoick questioned angrily.

"Stoick, friend, he made us a substantial offer in terms of the dowry. He is very wealthy and would provide well for our daughter," Ansorf protested.

"What, and my son wouldn't? My son is going to be chief! We could probably top whatever offer this other man made! And don't for a second think that because my son is small means he is weak. He has been hammering metals in the forge since he was only eight winters old! He would be able to provide and care for Astrid in ways the other man never could!" Stoick yelled.

"Oh? Name one way your son would provide a better marriage for my daughter!" Ansorf yelled in response. Both of the men were on their feet now, glaring at each other across the table. I felt Astrid slide her hand into mine, squeezing it tightly.

"I can give you two reasons! One, my son truly loves your daughter and would give her the world if he could. And two, your daughter loves my son," Stoick claimed through gritted teeth.

Ansorf kept his mouth shut in an angered grimace.

"Well, you are too late anyway," he said unapologetically, "the papers have already been signed! The wedding is next week," Ansorf exclaimed.

"How in Thor's name are the papers legal if my father didn't sign them?!" I shouted, standing with the men.

"Hiccup," Astrid said softly.

I looked back at her and shook my head. This was my fight too, not just theirs. I needed to be part of it.

"Viggo's chief signed the papers. There only needs to be one chief's signature on a marriage contract," Ansorf reminded us.

Astrid covered her face in her hands as my mouth dropped open.

"Viggo?" I asked, my voice cracking.

"Yes, lad, what about it?" Ansorf asked.

I turned to look at the young shieldmaiden sitting at the table.

"Astrid?" I said, barely above a whisper.

She looked up at me, tears on her face. "Hiccup, I was going to tell you. My parents didn't know and signed before I say anything," she sobbed.

Stoick growled. "You signed your daughter away to the leader of the dragon hunters! The same man who has been trying to kill my son and his dragon riders, including your daughter, since they first left Berk!" he shouted.

Ansorf and Eshmelda went pale. "What? Dragon hunter? No, Viggo is a blacksmith," they said.

"No, he is captain of a dragon hunting armada. He is doing this to get at me. He lied to all of you about everything!" I told them, sitting down next to Astrid and taking her shaking figure into my arms. She hid her face against my chest, my tunic getting splashed with the wet from her crying.

"Oh, no," Eshmelda whispered.

"Stoick, we already signed it. The only way out of it is if one of the two dies," Ansorf stated sorrowfully.

Stoick shook with rage. He picked up his hammer and yelled as he threw it across the hall, breaking one of the floor stones where it landed.

"Bring the contract here. We will find a way out of it," he ordered.

Astrid's parents quickly rose to get the contract.

When they returned everyone carefully read each word.

"It's a solid contract," I said. My heart dropped every time Astrid's name appeared on the contract next to Viggo's.

"Aye, that it is," Stoick sighed.

"So, a better dowry offer wouldn't work?" I asked.

The older vikings shook their heads sadly.

"Well, Ansorf I have a Timberjack that is all yours if we can find a way out of this," I said.

Ansorf chuckled and nodded to me.

Silence fell over the table once more.

"I need a drink," Stoick muttered under his breath.

Gobber, who had been silent through the whole argument, nodded and said, "I think I will join you, chief."

Ansorf and Eshmelda followed them as well.

This left me alone at the table with Astrid.

I sniffed and wiped at the tears that were forming in my eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me it was Viggo? Why did you just go along with the lies he told?" I asked.

"I didn't know how to tell you. How do you tell your boyfriend that your parents signed a marriage contract that forces you to marry said boyfriend's greatest enemy?" she said against my tunic.

I placed a kiss on the golden hair on top of her head.

"I understand that, but I still would have liked to know before all this," I told her.

"I know, I'm sorry," she said sincerely.

I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her firmly. Astrid melted into my arms, allowing me to pull her closer.

"Hiccup? Oh, uh, sorry…" Gobber said awkwardly as he approached the table.

I sighed and pulled back, making room for Astrid to remain in my arms.

"It's okay, Gobber. What is it?" I asked.

He dropped his voice to a whisper before saying, "Now, I know your father will not like this, but I remembered something that can cause any marriage contract to become invalid."

Astrid turned to face him and we both leaned forward.

"We're listening," she said.

"A marriage contract is completely unbreakable, unless one of two things occur, the first being one of the people in the relationship dies," Gobber explained.

"And the second?" I questioned.

"It's called The Breakable Child," he said, "If the woman in the contract were to become pregnant by another man, the man she was betrothed to would then be able to decide if he wants to marry her or not. Even if he still wants to marry her, a new contract has to be written to include the child. If that were to happen, your parents could refuse to sign, lass."

Both of our faces were red in color. Gobber was suggesting that I get Astrid pregnant?

"But, in this case, there would be a catch," Gobber warned.

"What about this situation is different?" I asked.

"You are the future chief. Berk law states that the future or current, chief of Berk can only have those kinds of relations with his wife or future wife. If Astrid does not become pregnant, you would be shamed and would not be allowed to marry, lad," Gobber said seriously.

I put my head in my hands and sighed. So my options were either to do nothing and let Astrid marry my enemy, or attempt to have a baby with her and potentially lose my village's respect. It was an obvious choice to me, but I wasn't sure how Astrid felt about it.

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were focused on the table. She was obviously thinking through the options.

"Okay, thanks Gobber," I said, nodding at my friend and mentor.

"Why are we thanking Gobber?" my father asked curiously as he sat down at the table, a mug of mead in hand.

"He told us about the Breakable Child," Astrid muttered.

Gobber winced. He hadn't wanted Stoick to find out.

Stoick laughed and looked at us. He stopped laughing when he saw our serious expressions.

"Son, you two aren't actually thinking of doing this, are you?" he asked.

"I am," I muttered.

"Hiccup, your respect as chief would be on the line!" Stoick protested.

"I understand that, dad. But if we don't try I will never forgive myself for losing her to the man I have been battling for years now! There is no other option besides this! Dad, there is nobody else I would want to marry! Astrid is the only woman I have ever and will ever love," I saw Astrid smile at those words.

"But son, if this fails, you will never have an heir. The title of "chief" would fall into the Jorgenson name!" Stoick bellowed.

"Dad, you of all people should understand this!" I yelled back. "You never remarried when we lost mom! I even asked if we would get a new mom when I was little and do you remember what you told me? You told me that my mother was the only woman for you. You have to understand this!"

Stoick sighed and looked down at the mention of his wife.

"Aye, son. I do understand. And I know I can't change your mind, but when I lost your mother I still had you. I had an heir to the throne of Berk. You don't have that. And if this fails, you never will. I just want you to be happy, Hiccup," Stoick said, his voice had softened.

"And I can't be happy. Not without Astrid," I told him, my tone matching his.

Astrid's parents knew they would have no say in the matter so they kept quiet. They were the reason we were in the situation to begin with.

"Well, lad, we know your opinion on the matter. We just need to hear from Astrid," Gobber said gently.

All eyes turned towards the young girl. She looked up at us and bit her lip nervously. I knew how hard this was for her.

"It is like Hiccup said," she whispered. She took a deep breath and then her voice became stronger. "There is no other option."

---

Strong sexual content

When we finished at the Great Hall, I took Astrid outside with me. We found Toothless and Stormfly and flew to the hidden cove where I had found Toothless. We were silent after we landed. The only sounds were the sound of the fish in the lake and of our dragons playing together.

My girlfriend (could I even call her that anymore?) and I were seated on a rock at the edge of the lake, letting our feet dangle in the water.

"Hiccup, I…"

"Astrid,"

We both started and chuckled.

"You go first," I said.

She nodded and said, "Hiccup, I don't want you to do this unless you are one-hundred percent sure. You are putting your entire life as chief on the line for something that could potentially not happen."

"I understand that," I said.

"I mean, we don't even know if our bodies would work together to make a baby," she reminded me.

"That is a possibility as well," I responded.

"Hiccup, this is a huge risk for you. And you still want to do it?" Astrid asked.

"Yes," I responded curtly.

Astrid's gaze softened. "Okay," she said softly.

We sat in silence for a few minutes more. Toothless and Stormfly had fallen asleep soon after the sun had set, enveloping the cove in darkness. The stars appeared in the dark sheet of the sky, twinkling down on us.

"Astrid, I know you are concerned," I said, breaking the silence.

I felt her gaze upon me.

"But you and Toothless are the two best parts of my life. If I lose you, I don't know what I will do. And I know this is a lot to ask of you as well. I mean, you're going to be the one to carry the child and then give birth a few months later. We are both still so young, but this is the only chance we have at being able to spend the rest of our lives together," I spoke the words sincerely.

She sighed and wiped her eyes. "If it means I can be with you, I would put my body through anything," she responded.

The corners of my mouth turned up slightly and my hands found their way to her waist.

"I love you," I whispered, my lips not even centimeters from hers.

"I love you too," she breathed.

We kissed with more love and passion than we ever had before. I pulled her as close to me as I could, one hand moving to her lower back and the other at the nape of her neck, drawing her in.

"Hiccup…" she whispered as we broke the kiss to catch our breaths.

I jumped down from the rock and helped her down as well.

"Toothless, come here," I said.

Toothless opened one eye to look at me then groaned and turned away to go back to sleep.

"Oh, come on, bud. I need you to do something," I said.

Toothless grumbled as he got up, growling a bunch of complaints before sitting down heavily in front of me.

"Thanks, bud," I said, scratching his chin. I pulled a couple of blankets out of my saddle bag. Astrid retrieved hers from her saddlebag as well.

"Okay, Toothless," I whispered, "Can you and Stormfly go somewhere else tonight? Astrid and I need to be alone."

Toothless narrowed his eyes at me in annoyance before sighing and groggily walking over to Stormfly. He growled in the back of his throat a couple of times and Stormfly stood up, squawking in protest. Toothless led her to a cave on the other side of the lake, warming the ground inside to make a nice bed for him and his friend.

I smiled at them.

"Where are they going?" Astrid asked.

I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. "I, uh, asked him to let us be alone tonight," I answered.

Astrid blushed and looked down at the blankets in her hands. "Oh," she muttered.

I stepped forward and took the blankets from her hands, setting them down on the ground next to the ones I had gotten. My hands held both of hers and I rested my forehead against hers.

"Astrid, if you are nervous or worried about this, we can try another night," I whispered.

She shook her head decisively. "No, if we are going to create a Breakable Child in one week, we need as many nights as we can get," she said firmly.

I smiled and kissed her forehead gently, pulling her into a hug.

She was the first to pull away, picking up the blankets and laying them out on the large flat rock we had been sitting on before. She stacked three of the four blankets on top of each other so we would have a softer bed, leaving one for us to use if we got cold.

We climbed up and sat down on the blankets. Both of us were nervous. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest.

Our eyes locked, emerald green meeting icy blue. I couldn't hold back a second longer and leaned forward to kiss her.

It was slow and shy at first, but soon had heated up to what the kiss we had shared earlier had been. I moved closer to her and she moved closer too, practically sitting in my lap. We never broke the kiss once.

"Oh, Astrid…" I muttered against her lips. I made a trail of kisses down to her neck, just under her jaw, where I gently bit and kissed the sensitive skin, causing the woman in my arms to gasp. She rested her hands on my shoulders and moved so that she was sitting fully on my lap, her legs straddling my hips.

My lips left kisses and small bite marks down to where her shirt started at her shoulder. I gently pushed the fabric aside and kissed her shoulder. Small sweet moans escaped her lips as I showered her soft pale skin.

"Hiccup, hold on," she said, causing me to pull back. Was she having second thoughts? Did I do something wrong? Was she not enjoying this as much as I thought?

She kept her eyes on mine as she nervously reached for the hem of her shirt. As she slowly and cautiously pulled it up, my eyes devoured the skin beneath. Once the shirt was completely off and tossed to the side my hands gently caressed the newly exposed skin of her back and hips.

"Gods, Astrid, you are so beautiful, like the goddess Freya herself," I said sincerely. Astrid blushed, a small smile across her lips.

I felt her hands gently tug at my tunic and I complied to her wish, the tunic soon discarded next to her shirt. Her fingers left trails of fire across my chest, making me moan slightly. I pulled her close to me once more, our lips meeting again. The skin on our middles brushed together and I had never felt so close to somebody.

My mouth parted and I cautiously brushed my tongue across her soft lips. She hesitated but let me in to explore her. I wanted to know every last inch of her beautiful body. I suddenly moved us into a new position. Gently laying her back on the blankets, I sat between her legs, trailing kisses down to her breast bindings and then below them to her stomach. She shivered under my touch and I took that as a sign that I was doing something right.

It was time for more of the bothersome clothes to come off.

"Astrid, can I, uh…" I stuttered, my fingers tracing the edge of her breast bindings.

She bit her lip and nodded nervously.

"I don't have to if you aren't comfortable with it," I quickly reminded her.

"I am all yours tonight, Hiccup. And you are all mine. I may be nervous, but I am fully comfortable with you. And I trust you more than any other person I know," she reassured me. I smiled and kissed her before sliding my hands up from her waist to the knot on the back of her breast bindings. I fumbled with it for a few moments before it came loose. My hands gently unwrapped the fabric, my lips kissing every inch of skin as it became exposed. Soon it was down to the last wrap. One more and her breasts would be fully exposed to me. I could tell she was thinking the same thing by the blush on her cheeks.

"Go ahead, dork," she muttered teasingly.

I chuckled and took the last bit of her breast bindings off, letting them fall to the ground where the small pile of clothes was forming.

She shivered when the cool air hit her exposed skin. I couldn't pull my eyes away. Her breasts were smaller than the other viking women's, but for me, they were perfect. They looked so soft in the moonlight, her nipples hardening from the cold night air.

I looked up at her, questioning her with my eyes. She nodded ever so slightly and my hand moved to cup her right breast. My thumb brushed over the nipple and I moaned when a soft gasp escaped her lips and a shiver racked her body.

I gently massaged them for a few minutes, the urge to take one in my mouth becoming stronger by the second. Eventually, I couldn't hold back any longer and leaned down. I flicked my tongue over one of her nipples, causing her to moan louder than she had been.

My mouth closed around the hardened nipple, one of my hands playing with her other breast.

"Hiccup!" she gasped, arching her back slightly.

"God's Astrid," I muttered against her skin. She moaned and ran her fingers through my mess of auburn hair.

I sat up and started unbuckling my belt and untied my pants. Astrid bit her lip, watching as I did so. My pants had gotten tighter and tighter as the night went on. Taking them off felt nice. I turned my back to her as I took them the rest of the way off, leaving myself naked and vulnerable under her gaze. I took a deep breath as I turned around and resumed the position I had been in before, my newly exposed manhood hard against her thigh. I felt my cheeks heat up from the contact.

Astrid inhaled sharply and blushed when she felt it. She let her eyes stare at mine then slowly work down my body, pausing at my chest for a few moments, until she saw the sensitive area between my legs. She looked more curious than embarrassed now. Her eyes flew back up to mine and she kissed me gently.

"How did I get so lucky?" Astrid whispered, a smile on her lips.

"Oh, come on, Astrid. I'm not that nice to look at," I said, motioning to my prosthetic.

"Oh, you're right. That has to come off," she said.

"What? No, that's not what I meant," I quickly stated.

But she was already sitting up and reaching for the buckles on it. I moved out of her way and sat down next to her. My eyes couldn't help but wonder over her half naked body as she bent over my leg, making quick work of the prosthetic.

Soon she was pulling it off, leaving the sheepskin sock behind over what was left of my leg. I had never let anybody see it, not since Gothi and Gobber had fixed it up when it first happened.

My heart raced as Astrid's fingers gently pulled on the sock.

"Astrid, no," I said quickly, reaching out to stop her hands.

She looked up at me questioningly.

"It's not pretty," I explained.

"Hiccup, what would you tell me if I was insecure about any part of my body?" she asked.

"I would tell you that you never have to be insecure. You are so beautiful," I replied sincerely, my eyes flicking down her body before resting on her icy blue gaze.

"And I am going to tell you the same thing. Hiccup, you're beautiful too. You have no idea how many times my heart has skipped a beat when I see you training with one of the dragons back on the Edge or when you are working in the forge. You may not have been much to look at when you were younger, but really none of us were. Puberty was good to all of us, especially you," she said, planting a kiss on my nose.

I sighed, my lips forming a smile as I listened to her.

"You are amazing, you know that?" I asked.

She grinned and nodded. "I know. And you are too. Can I take this off now?" she asked.

I shut my eyes and bit my lip, nodding shakily.

The soft wool lining of the sock was lifted off my skin. I knew what she was seeing. Bright white scars were on either side of the stump where Toothless had had to bite me to catch me. He never meant to hurt me, that was the only way he could save my life. A thin white line traced right down the middle where Gothi and Gobber had stitched me up. It was lumpy and disgusting.

"Hiccup…" Astrid said softly. I opened my eyes, expecting her to say something about how awful it was.

"Hiccup, it's beautiful," she whispered.

"What?" I asked. I had not expected that answer.

"You know I like scars, but this one, with the thick white marks, it's beautiful," she said softly.

Her fingers traced the bite marks. "Are these from Toothless?" she asked.

"It was the only way he could catch me. He saved my life," I stated.

"And I will forever be grateful that he did. If he hadn't I would have lost the love of my life, my soul mate, and we wouldn't be having this night, this moment, together," she said, her voice clear and strong.

"I love you," I told her once again.

"I love you too," she replied, giving me a quick kiss on my lips.

She stood up suddenly.

"What are you doing?" I asked curiously.

"Making us even," she commented simply.

I am pretty sure my mouth was hanging open as she unbuttoned her skirt and tossed it down to the ever growing pile. Her leggings and undershorts were next. My breath caught in my throat and my heart felt like it had stopped.

Astrid Hofferson was standing in front of me without a stitch of clothing on her body. The moonlight fell across her like a waterfall, outlining every curve and making her pale skin appear to be glowing. She reached up and started combing her braid out of her hair.

My emerald eyes stared at her hair, soft and golden, resting across her shoulders in soft curls. Then came her face, my favorite part of her. Her face could be fierce and determined when she was training or in battle, but soft and kind at home. Her eyes showed nothing but love in the dim light. After that my eyes slid down her neck and shoulders and paused at her breasts. I caught my breath when I saw them once again. Both of them were small, but perfectly fit in my hands. Her perfect pink nipples were hard in the center of the soft mounds. The muscles in her arms, legs, and abdomen were defined and extremely sexy. It was definitely from all the years of training and dragon riding. I started breathing heavily as my eyes moved lower to the short blonde curls between her legs. I visibly swallowed at the sight. My hands wanted to explore every inch of her, wanted to make her feel good.

I opened my mouth to say something but words were failing me.

Astrid lowered herself down on the blankets once again. I held her hand as she laid back, lowering myself on her left. I rested on my side, propped up on my elbow, running my fingers across her abdomen and her breasts. We were both breathing heavily now and my manhood needed attention soon. But that wasn't going to stop me from showing the beautiful woman in front of me how much I love her.

I leaned down and took her left nipple into my mouth, sucking and very gently biting the small nub. My work was rewarded with several small moans from the goddess below me. I smiled against her skin and started trailing my fingers down lower than I had dared go before. When they reached the course curls, I looked up at Astrid for approval. She nodded encouragingly, but swallowed in nervousness. I quickly pressed my lips to hers, letting her know I loved her. My hand gently pressed at her inner thighs and she spread them a little so I could have better access to the sensitive area. After that I slid my hand back up her leg and cupped it over her womanhood, causing her to gasp. My finger found the little nub and gently stroked it. This drove Astrid crazy. She was panting now, her hands gripping the blankets beneath her. Her mouth was open as several gasps of pleasure left her lips.

My fingers slid lower, my thumb now resting against the little bundle of nerves, my fingers gently testing out her wetness. I was surprised how wet she was there, but it only made my manhood throb even more. When I gently slid one finger inside her we both moaned from the sensation. She was so warm and her walls were tight around my finger. I pushed in as far as I dared, before slowly pulling my finger out, eliciting several more moans from the beautiful warrior.

"H-hiccup…" she stuttered. I slowly moved my finger inside her, studying her face to see what I was doing right.

Suddenly I felt her tighten and spasm around my finger, a quick scream escaped her throat as more of her wetness escaped her. While she was still gasping for air I leaned down and kissed her firmly. I moved to hover over her, my hands on either side of her head. She looked up at me with so much love in her eyes it took my breath away. I hoped she could see how much I loved her too.

I readjusted how my weight was being held up and my erection brush against her. I groaned loudly as she moaned and bit her lip.

"Hiccup?" she whispered.

"Yes?" I asked, looking down at her.

"Are you nervous?" she asked.

"There are so many Terrors running around in my stomach right now," I chuckled.

She hummed in amusement. "I'm nervous too…" she confessed.

I kissed her gently. "Well, then it's a good thing we are doing this together. Neither of us has any idea what we are doing, but that's not going to stop me from this," I said, meaning every word.

She moved her hands up to my back. "Oh, one more thing," she said.

"Yes?" I questioned.

"My mother told me it would probably hurt a little for me at first because it will break my maidenhead. Just don't stop and go slow, okay?" she said shyly.

I nodded my head. "Astrid, you are going to be setting the pace for this. However fast or slow you want me to go, you tell me. If you ever need to stop, let me know," I said.

"I love you, Hiccup," she whispered.

"I love you so much, Astrid," I responded.

Then I looked down and slowly pressed against her. She shut her eyes and held onto me, her hands gripping my back.

I slowly pushed further as gently as I could, pausing whenever she groaned. Then I felt something stop me.

"Astrid, I'm about to break it," I warned.

"Just do it fast and get it over with," she pleaded.

I pulled back slightly and without warning, I pushed all the way inside her quickly. I felt her maidenhead break and she cried out. Her eyes were shut tight and she bit her lip once more.

"Astrid, I love you. You are so amazing," I whispered in her ear, gently leaving kisses all over her face. I wasn't going to move until she told me it was okay.

After a few minutes of adjusting to the intrusion, she looked into my eyes and firmly nodded her head.

I pulled back about halfway before thrusting back into her. Both of us moaned loudly at the sensation. I repeated the action once, twice, three times more. Then I gently started speeding up.

"Oh, Hiccup…" she moaned, her fingers holding tightly to my back as I groaned with each thrust.

We were both panting, moans escaping our throats with each gasp for air.

It wasn't long before I felt my climax building up. My thrusts became quick and sloppy.

"A-astrid, I'm going to…" I couldn't finish as I moaned loudly.

She lifted her legs up to wrap them around my waist, allowing me to go deeper.

It didn't take but two more thrusts for me to be pushed over the edge, climaxing deep inside her.

I moaned, nearly yelled, her name as the euphoria swept over me.

She was peppering my warm skin with kisses, telling me how much she loved me.

When I finished I groaned and moved to lay beside her, slipping out of her in the process.

We were both gasping for air. Astrid moaned a few more times before rolling over towards me, cuddling as close as she could. She rested her head on my shoulder and her hand traced shapes on my chest. I reached over and pulled the spare blanket over our naked bodies.

She hummed contentedly and I kissed her forehead.

"Astrid…" I whispered, kissing her lips over and over again.

She smiled and moved back after several kisses, gently placing one last kiss against my shoulder.

We were both content to remain silent and just listen to each other's breathing, knowing we were still together.

It was one of the most amazing nights of my life.

---

Mild

The first rays of sunlight woke us up… Along with two very annoyed dragons.

Toothless sniffed at my face and licked me.

"Auggh! Toothless!" I groaned, pushing him away and wiping the dragon spit off my face. Toothless just grinned that toothless grin and let his tongue hang out like a dog.

"Good morning, girl," Astrid said sweetly, reaching up to scratch Stormfly's chin.

Toothless was about to lick me again when I held my arms up and exclaimed, "No! Why don't you two go catch some fish or something?"

Toothless growled in the back of his throat but stomped over to the lake anyway, Stormfly following close behind him.

I sighed and laid back down. Suddenly I got the breath knocked out of me because of a weight on my chest. I opened my eyes and saw Astrid had climbed on top of me.

"Good morning, handsome," she said, beaming down at me.

My smile matched hers as I leaned up to capture her lips with mine. "Good morning, beautiful," I responded.

"See, I told you they'd be here! There's Toothless and Stormfly," a voice that was unmistakably my father's announced.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath.

I pulled the blanket up over us just in time. My father appeared out of the entrance from the cove and froze when he saw us. I gave him a "sorry" look as he realized we were both naked under the blanket.

"Uh, actually, let's not be here right this moment," he said to whoever was following him, his face red.

"What? Why? They are there, aren't they?" we heard Ansorf question.

"Oh, gods," Astrid muttered under her breath. Her hands brought the blanket up higher. She was still resting on top of me.

But my father managed to keep them from coming into the cove, thank Thor. Soon we could no longer hear them, but then my Terror, Sharpshot, crawled under the shield blocking the entrance. He held a note in his mouth.

"Hey Sharpshot, whatcha got there?" I asked, reaching out. The small dragon dropped the note in my hands.

"You could have at least told me where you and your lass were going! Come back home in an hour. We need to have a conversation with Astrid's parents," I read the quickly written note aloud using my best impersonation of my dad's accent.

"From your dad?" Astrid asked, laughing at my impersonation. She climbed off me and picked up our clothes, throwing mine to me.

"Yeah," I said as I watched her naked figure. I still couldn't believe I had actually made love to Astrid Hofferson the previous evening.

"Why are you staring? Did you not see enough last night?" she asked as she tied the string on her leggings.

I quickly started putting my prosthetic on. "I don't think I could ever see enough of you, milady," I said.

She rolled her eyes but smiled just the same. "You are so cheesy, and on top of that you are hopelessly romantic," she said, shaking her head.

"You love it," I said as finished putting my pants on and started tugging my tunic over my head.

She sighed and tied her breast bindings on. I secretly prayed to the gods that I would be able to see all of her again tonight.

I watched, mesmerized as she braided her soft golden locks.

"Done?" I asked when she tied off the braid.

"Done," she stated.

I whistled for Toothless and he and Stormfly came running.

"Okay, bud, let's go home," I said as I climbed onto the saddle.

Toothless purred happily and took off into the sky, Astrid and Stormfly following closely behind us.

We landed in front of my old house where my father now lived alone. I reached out for Astrid's hand as we walked inside together. My father and her parents were already seated at the table.

"What did you need to talk about, dad?" I asked, Astrid and I taking the two empty seats at the table.

"Well, first we were going to make sure you guys were sure about the idea, but after this morning we got our answer," Eshmelda commented.

Astrid and I blushed bright red. It was one thing for one parent to catch you having sex, but to know that both sets of parents were talking about their children having sex made me really uncomfortable.

"You will need to try as often as you can," Stoick said awkwardly.

"We already figured that, dad," I said, slightly annoyed.

"I know you have, I just needed to make sure. Now that you've started, you need to have this baby in order to keep the village's respect," he explained sternly.

I nodded. "Already knew that too, dad," I commented, wondering if there was anything else they needed.

"Is that all?" Astrid asked, wanting this conversation to be over just as much as I did.

Stoick pursued his lips and nodded. "Uh, yes. And we just wanted to let you know that a letter came from you fellow dragon riders. They sound worried about you both. You should probably write to them soon," the chief suggested.

"Okay, I'll get right on that," I said, taking the letter from him.

"Good. Then I guess I'll be on my way. Lots of things to check up on today," Stoick groaned as he stood up. He fastened his cloak across his shoulders.

"Yes, we should be going too," Ansorf agreed.

"Bye, love," Eshmelda said to Astrid, placing a kiss on her forehead.

Then they were gone too.

I sighed and stood up. I hadn't been home in a while and wanted to see my loft.

"Want to join me, milady?" I asked from the bottom of the stairs. I held my hand out towards the girl in front of me.

She smiled and placed her hand in mine.

"Of course," she replied.

---

Explicit content

We walked up the narrow steps together and opened the door to my loft room. It was all exactly how I'd left it. Sketches and invention blueprints on the walls and scattered across the desk. A jar of homemade pencils on my nightstand. Several of Toothless's first tails were on the walls or folded neatly in a corner.

"You are so adorable," Astrid commented as she looked at some of the invention blueprints.

I blushed slightly. "Uh, thanks," I replied.

I quietly approached her from behind and snaked my arms around her waist, resting my chin on her shoulder. She sighed and reached her hand up to hold the side of my face.

"Last night was nice," I whispered, turning my face into her neck.

"Just nice?" She teased.

I stood up straighter and turned her around to face me, my hands still at her waist. Her arms wrapped around my neck as she looked up at me.

"More than nice. It was amazing," I whispered, leaning down to kiss her neck.

She hummed as she sighed, relaxing in my arms.

"I thought it was amazing too," she whispered in response.

I continued to kiss her neck, leaving a few love marks behind.

"What are my parents going to say when they see those?" Astrid questioned.

"Well, I'm pretty sure they know what we've been doing anyway," I chuckled.

She laughed. "That's so awkward," she groaned.

"I mean it would be different if we were married, but yeah right now it's a little weird," I agreed. I stood back again, using my fingers to comb my hair out of my eyes.

Astrid giggled and started combing my hair with her fingers as well.

"You need a haircut," she commented.

"Oh? You don't like the whole 'just rolled out of bed' look?" I questioned playfully.

"I don't mind that look. You, however, are sporting a 'just got in a fight with a pack of Terrors' look," she laughed.

"Gee, thanks," I muttered, feign hurt on my face.

"You poor thing," she teased, kissing my nose and moving closer to me.

I buried my face in her hair, breathing in the scent. "You smell good," I mumbled.

Astrid laughed again. Her laugh is one of my favorite sounds.

"Doesn't smell like the cove?" She asked. The cove always smelled strongly of dragons and fish.

"Not one bit," I reassured her.

She looked up at me and leaned closer.

I slid one hand to the back of her neck and pulled her up, our lips meeting in the middle.

Astrid moaned into the kiss, pushing me back towards my bed. I complied and sat down on the edge, allowing her to climb onto my lap and straddle my waist.

Her hands reached to unbuckle my armor, quickly throwing it to the floor. Next, she tugged on my tunic and we broke the kiss momentarily to get the fabric over my head.

Now that there was more light, she could actually see me. Last night in the cove had been covered with darkness, only the moon to light us up.

Her fingers traced over the many scars I had on my chest and upper arms. Most of them were from working in the forge.

"How'd you get this one?" She asked, gently brushing her thumb over a curved scar on my left shoulder.

"That was a burn from Gobber's hook. He forgets that the metal of his hook heats up and he placed it on my shoulder to lean over and see what I was working on," I chuckled from the memory. At the time it wasn't funny, but it was now.

Astrid giggled, a smile on her lips. She leaned down and left a kiss on the old scar. Her hands pushed me back on the bed and she moved over my body, kissing every scar she saw. Some of the skin around the more recent scars was still sensitive and when she kissed the areas it made me shiver.

We moved so that I was laying down on the bed, after taking my prosthetic off so it wouldn't get in the way. She straddled my hips and sat up. Her fingers found the buckles on her armor and she removed each piece slowly. It was mesmerizing. When she pulled her shirt off next I silently marveled at the beautiful body beneath it. My eyes widened as she immediately started removing her breast bindings.

"Not wasting any time today?" I teased.

"No, it's just that they are so uncomfortable. Now that I can take them off around you, I'm going to be getting them off as quickly as I can as often as I can," she explained as she dropped the bindings to the floor.

She grasped my hands and pulled them up to her breasts. I gently held them and massaged the soft skin. Astrid bit her lip and moaned softly. Her hips began slowly grinding against my lap, making my manhood grow firm much quicker than it had the night before.

One particular move of her hips made me moan loudly and she smiled. I knew she loved seeing, and hearing, what she did to me.

My hands held her hips firmly, guiding her as she moved against me. One of my hands slid down to gently rub her through her pants. When my hand brushed against the area I realized there was a small wet spot in the fabric.

"You might want to take those off," I suggested.

"Oh?" she questioned.

I smiled at her. "They're wet, milady," I told her.

She blushed and stood up.

"You have to take yours off too," she instructed as she slid the pants and skirt down her legs.

I immediately complied, pushing the pants down my legs and dropping them to the floor.

Astrid's eyes landed on my firm erection. I wasn't huge, definitely just an average length. Course Auburn hair covered the base.

"Astrid, you okay?" I asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable under her stare.

"I didn't see it very well last night," she said.

"Oh…" I replied. Did she not like what she saw anymore? Was she repulsed?

"How did that fit inside me?" She asked as she climbed back onto the bed.

I laughed. "That's what you were thinking about? I thought you found it disgusting or something," I said.

"What? No, Hiccup. You are seriously the most handsome viking I have ever met," she said reassuringly. She leaned down to kiss my lips, her hand sliding down my chest and toward the sensitive area between my legs. I groaned and my head fell back when her fingers grasped it. She slowly started moving her hand up and down along the shaft, eliciting many groans and moans from me.

"Astrid, if you keep that up, I won't be able to last much longer," I reminded her.

"Well, we have all day, babe," she said, quickening her pace with her hand.

I let out a deep moan and held tightly to the blanket beneath me on the bed.

"Astrid, god's, I'm going to…" I couldn't finish as streams of the creamy white substance shot out of the appendage between my legs. I groaned loudly, my body shaking from the pleasure coursing through it.

She watched in fascination. My erection soon went down under her touch.

"Gods, Astrid…" I groaned.

She leaned over and kissed my parted lips.

"Was that okay? I wasn't really sure what I was doing," she said shyly.

"Are you kidding, Astrid? Did you not see me or something?" I asked, running my fingers through my hair.

She smiled at me. "Good?" She asked.

"Very," I replied, pulling her back down to kiss her again.

She kissed me back. Just as the kiss started heating up she pulled back and got off the bed.

"Hey, I was enjoying that kiss," I protested, my mouth forming a pout.

"Fine, then I won't take these off," she said, motioning to her leggings. She threw a rag at me. "And clean up," she instructed.

"Was I upset about you stopping the kiss? I don't think I was. You should go ahead and do what you were going to do, milady," I said quickly as I cleaned the left over from my climax up. She laughed and shook her head at me as she untied her leggings and pushed them down her legs.

I inhaled sharply at the sight before me.

I reached my arm out and took her hand, pulling her back towards the bed.

She giggled in a very un-Astrid-like way and my lips curled to form a smile.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you too," she responded. I pulled her down into a kiss, and this time she didn't break it.

She slid on top of me and straddled my waist once more, lowering herself onto me. We both moaned loudly at the sensation.

"You okay?" I groaned, remembering how it hurt her last night.

She nodded. "Hiccup, it's even better," she moaned.

I gripped her hips and started guiding her on me. She used her legs to push up and down, making me thrust into her.

We enjoyed the next few hours together, eventually falling asleep in each other's arms.

---

Mild

Toothless burst into the loft, surprising both me and Astrid.

"What the heck, bud?" I yelled in surprise. Astrid started laughing as Toothless licked my face.

I groaned and pushed him away, picking up a towel and wiping the dragon spit off my face.

"Toothless, what are you doing? I asked you to leave us alone for a few hours," I reminded him.

"Hiccup, look outside. It has been a few hours," Astrid said. The sun had moved from the east to the west. It was probably some time in the afternoon now.

I rolled over and rested my arm across Astrid's waist. My eyes shut as I sighed. "Do we have to get up?" I asked quietly.

Astrid gave me a quick kiss and rolled over, holding the blanket around her naked figure.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" I asked.

"You have, but it is still nice to hear," she said as she pulled her leggings and skirt on.

"You're the most beautiful woman in the whole archipelago, Astrid," I said. I sat up on the edge of the bed and watched her.

She stepped over to me and kissed me. When she pulled back she threw my pants at me.

"Get dressed. I'm hungry," she said.

"Yes ma'am," I responded.

Toothless groaned and rolled his eyes at us.

"Fine, bud," I laughed. I stood up and knotted the ties on my pants.

Astrid sat down at my desk, reaching up to braid her hair.

She wasn't wearing her shirt, just her breast bindings.

"I could get used to this view," I said.

"You probably shouldn't. And as much as I would love to see that," she gestured over my entire body, "every day. But this can only stay this way if I manage to get pregnant, remember?" she reminded me, tying off her braid.

I pulled my tunic over my head and looked over at my dragon.

"Okay, Toothless, let's go," I said.

Astrid slipped her hand in mine and we made our way to the Great Hall, our dragons trailing behind us.

"Oh! Almost forgot," I said quickly. "Sharpshot, take this to Fishlegs."

"When did you write that?" Astrid asked.

"You fell asleep before me," I explained.

"Well what did you say?" she questioned further as we continued our walk to the Great Hall.

"I told them we were going to stay here for a week because of some trouble with your family. I told them we would let them know when they can join us," I answered, opening the massive doors and finding a table for us.

"Wait, why would we ask them to join us in a week?" she asked.

I reached across the table and grasped her hand.

"Well, I was thinking, if there is going to be a wedding planned either way, maybe we could use it to our advantage?" I suggested shakily.

"Hiccup, what are you saying?" she asked nervously.

"I'm saying, why don't we use that wedding? After all, we have been through and the new levels our relationship has taken, I just don't want to go back to how things were. I want to be more than just your boyfriend. I love you, so much. Astrid, if this works and we do create a Breakable Child, I want you to be my wife. What do you think?" I asked, my voice choking on nerves.

"Hiccup…" she whispered.

"It's okay if you aren't ready. I know you are a bit wary of marriage because of this whole thing with Viggo and your parents, but would you just think about it?" I asked gently.

"Hiccup, I don't have to think about it. Of course, I'll marry you!" Astrid said excitedly. She leaned across the table and kissed me.

"Oi! Not in the middle of the Great Hall!" Gobber exclaimed as he brought us some plates of food. He sat down with us.

"Don't worry, Gobber. It was just a kiss," I reassured him.

"It was just because he finally asked me to marry him," Astrid said teasingly.

"It's about time!" Gobber laughed, clapping me on the back.

"Yeah, just keep this quiet, okay? I don't want to get our parents involved yet," I explained.

"Yeah, please keep this to yourself," Astrid said.

"Don't worry, lass, I won't tell a soul," Gobber said, pretending to stitch up his mouth.

I chuckled. "Thanks, Gobber," I said.

"Son! About time you showed up," Stoick bellowed.

"Hey, dad," I commented.

"How goes the, uh, fun?" Stoick asked, obviously enjoying the blush that came to my face.

"Gods, dad," I muttered, putting my face in my hands.

Stoick bellowed out a loud laugh and clapped my back.

"I take it is going good, then!" He continued to laugh.

"Dad, I think you've had one too many drinks already," I chuckled.

"Eh? Nonsense, Hiccup. I can hold my mead!" The chief proclaimed.

I shook my head and glanced to Astrid. She had a smile on her face and she was laughing along with my father's antics.

While my father and Gobber talked, I started eating my dinner, which consisted of bread, mutton, and some potatoes.

My right hand reached across the table to hold hers while I used my left hand to eat. One thing we liked about my being left-handed was that she could sit across the table from me and we could hold hands with our nondominant hands and still be able to eat. I silently brought her hand up to my lips. She blushed when she looked up at me.

I beamed at her. She was perfect, so intelligent and brave and fierce and beautiful. I certainly was a very lucky viking.

We remained in the hall even after we were done eating, just enjoying spending time together.

"All right, kids. I'm going to get your father home, Hiccup. He is a wee bit tipsy," Gobber laughed as Stoick attempted to protest but just groaned.

"Thanks, Gobber. I'm not sure where we will be tonight, but I'll send Sharpshot to let you know when we do pick a place," I promised.

"Good, lad. You two be good tonight," he said, pointing his hook at us.

"Define good," I laughed.

"Because you know exactly what we are doing tonight," Astrid laughed.

"Oi! I don't need details, just don't get yourselves in trouble or anything," Gobber said, rolling his eyes and steering Stoick away from the mead barrels.

Astrid and I laughed as Gobber took my tipsy father home.

I sighed and turned back to finish my dinner.

"Hiccup! Astrid! There you two are!"

We both turned to find Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruff, and Tuff all standing a few feet away.

"Oh, gods," Astrid muttered.

"We just couldn't wait! We were getting worried about you guys!" Fishlegs exclaimed.

"Guys, did you not get my Terror Mail?" I asked, rubbing my hand on the back of my neck.

"Oh we did, we just thought it was stupid that you wouldn't tell us what was going on," Snotlout retorted.

I glanced at Astrid and she shrugged. "Okay, let's go to the cove and we'll explain everything there," I promised.

The others looked at each other nervously but agreed.

We all finished up dinner then mounted our dragons and began flying towards the cove.

---

Clean

"So is somebody going to explain what's going on here?" Fishlegs asked as we all sat around a campfire, courtesy of Hookfang.

"Don't make us read your minds!" Ruffnut warned.

"Oh! I'm getting something… Astrid is dying!" Tuff exclaimed.

"Gods, why is it always somebody dying with you two?" Snotlout complained.

"Okay! Let's tell them so we can get going," I said to Astrid, holding my hands up to silence the others.

"Wait, where do you have to be this late at night?" Fishlegs asked.

"I'm not dying," Astrid said, ignoring the previous question.

"Then what's going on?" Snot asked.

"I'm getting married next week," she said, looking down at her lap.

"Well, it's about time! I mean I think you two are a bit young, but who cares in the name of love?" Tuffnut said, waving his arms to dramatize his little speech.

"Not to me, Tuff," I said quietly.

"What? I don't understand," Fishlegs said, a look of confusion on his face.

"My parents received a substantial offer from a man from another island. They signed the papers without my knowing. Stoick also didn't know because the papers only needed one chief signature so they got his chief to do it. He lost his first wife and pretty much only wants me to take care of the daughters he supposedly has and to bear him a son," Astrid explained. I reached out and squeezed her hand supportively. She glanced up at me and smiled.

"What? Who is the guy?" Snotlout asked, standing up angrily.

"Sit down and I will tell you," I said.

Snotlout grumbled as he sat back down.

I held Astrid's hand tightly when I said, "It's Viggo."

The others all exclaimed loudly, jumping to their feet and asking hundreds of questions all at once.

"How did they not know he was bad news?" Ruff asked.

"Viggo was married?" Snotlout questioned.

"Viggo has daughters?" Tuff asked.

I held my hands up again. "Apparently he does. Ansorf and Eshmelda are insisting that part was true. Sit down and we will keep explaining!"

They sat down.

"Hiccup, a marriage contract can't be broken unless one of the betrothed dies. What are we going to do?" Fishlegs asked.

"Okay first, we aren't doing anything. Astrid and I are. You guys have to just sit back and accept what we are doing," I said.

"And what exactly is it you are doing, young Haddock?" Ruff asked.

"Trying to have a Breakable Child," Astrid muttered, leaning forward to put her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands.

Fishlegs gasped. "Hiccup, you could lose the respect of the entire village!" He exclaimed nervously.

"Wait, what is a Breakable Child?" Snotlout asked.

"The only other thing that can break a marriage contract. If the woman on the contract becomes pregnant by another man, her betrothed can choose if he still wants to marry her or not. Either way, a new contract that includes the child has to be written up and signed. Astrid's parents said they wouldn't sign another once we told them who Viggo is," I explained.

"Wait, so you two have been doing the dirty?" Ruff asked, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Gods, Ruff," Astrid muttered, shaking her head.

"So that's why you two need to leave, you're ditching us to go have sex? Really?" Snotlout complained.

"Snotlout, I have one week to get pregnant. If I don't, I'll be Viggo's wife! We've been trying as often as we can," Astrid said frustratedly, her cheeks red from the conversation. This wasn't exactly a conversation you'd expect to have with your friends.

It was silent for a few moments, everyone processing the conversation that had just taken place.

"I guess we better get home then," Fishlegs said.

The others nodded in agreement and we all stood.

"Guys, I just want to let you know that we all support you, no matter where this ends up," Fishlegs said sincerely. The others nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, Fishlegs. That means a lot to us," I said. He smiled at me then approached Meatlug.

Snotlout nodded to us as he mounted Hookfang. I know it was probably hard to hear that your cousin and your old crush were sleeping together. I was really proud of him for handling it so well.

The twins were already talking about something else by the time they reached Barf and Belch.

Once Astrid and I were alone I groaned and ran my hand through my hair. I sat down by Toothless, bending one leg so I could lean forward and rest my head on it.

"You okay?" Astrid asked, sitting down beside me. She rested her head on my shoulder and gently rubbed her hand over my arm.

"Yeah, just thinking about how crazy all of this is," I muttered.

"Me too. I mean, Hiccup, for all we know I could be pregnant right now," she said.

"Wow," I whispered, "that is so insane to think. Astrid if this works, we will come out of it as parents. We are only seventeen."

"We would be eighteen by the time the baby is born, though," she reminded me.

"That's true. And there are plenty of vikings younger than us who get married and have children," I reasoned quietly.

"You have a 'but' don't you?" she whispered.

"Well, yes, but it isn't that big a deal. I want to do this. I can't lose you, not to him… not to anyone," I said firmly.

"That doesn't mean you can't have hesitations. I have hesitations too, Hiccup," she said, sitting up to look at me.

"You do?" I asked.

"Of course I do! Hiccup, if this works, I will be pregnant. I will also be a wife! Now, don't take that the wrong way. I said yes and I meant it. I want to marry you. I just always thought I would wait a few more years. But then this happened… And the changes my body will go through if I do become pregnant. And the idea of labor terrifies me. I don't usually admit when I am scared, but for some reason that scares me," she confessed quickly.

"Astrid, I always thought we would have more years to explore together. I didn't want to settle down just yet, but here we are. If this works, and I pray it does, my father will probably jump at the chance to make me chief. And I know I wouldn't be the one experiencing it, but the whole labor thing scares me too. The chief is usually present at births, not like in the room, but nearby. When I was little he would take me with him and the things I would hear terrified me. Granted, I was very young, but still. If the woman experiencing that was you…" I didn't finish as Astrid wrapped her arms around my chest and hugged me tightly. I sighed and buried my face in her hair, holding her close to me.

"We both have hesitations and worries… but I still want this to work. I don't know what I would do if I had to be Viggo's wife. I think it would kill me," She whispered against my chest.

"It would kill me too. You are the love of my life. I wouldn't be able to function without you. I mean, how many times have you saved my life?" I chuckled.

She laughed. "Pretty sure I save your butt at least twice a day," she said thoughtfully and teasingly.

I smiled at her. "Oh, twice a day, huh?" I asked.

She smiled and nodded.

I shook my head at her, my eyes studying her face.

"You're so beautiful," I whispered, reaching a hand up to brush against her cheek. She leaned into my hand and kissed my palm.

"As sweet as this moment is, babe," she whispered, "I think it is about to rain, so we should probably go."

I looked up and saw dark clouds covering the sky.

"Yeah, you're right," I said. I stood up and held my hand out for her.

"Toothless!" I called. He and Stormfly came running. I laughed when I saw how excited they were to get attention.

"I'm sorry, bud. I know we have been ignoring you two lately. It is just for a few days," I promised, scratching his neck as I climbed into my saddle.

Astrid was already on Stormfly's back and was scratching her dragon's shoulder.

"You're such a good girl," I heard her say.

Then I came up with an idea.

"Last one to my house has to stable the dragons!" I shouted.

Toothless jumped in excitement as I urged him into the air.

"Oh, you are on!" Astrid shouted, telling Stormfly to speed up.

The wind rushed through my hair and Toothless let his tongue hang out of his mouth.

It was the most fun I had had in a while.

---

Mild

Astrid won, of course. She flew beside me and acted like she was going to lean in to kiss me. And, like an idiot, I fell for it.

"Haha! Men…" Astrid shouted as she sped ahead and landed at the house before me.

"No fair!" I yelled.

I landed beside her and jumped off Toothless. I ran and grabbed her from behind, my arms wrapping tightly around her waist.

"Hiccup, let me go!" she laughed.

"Not until I get my kiss," I teased.

"You realize you are ridiculous, right?" she asked as she struggled in my arms.

I raised my eyebrows expectantly.

She shook her head at me.

"Fine," she said in defeat. She stood on her toes and pressed a kiss to my lips.

"Okay, now let me go," she said as she pulled away.

"Of course, milady," I said, releasing her from my grasp.

"I can help you if you want," she offered.

"No, babe. You won the race. Go ahead and go up to the loft. I've got them," I reassured her.

She smiled and said goodnight to our dragons.

"Don't be too long," she instructed as she walked away.

I watched as she approached the house, her hips swaying with each step.

Toothless cooed and pushed against my arm.

"Sorry, bud. I just can't keep my eyes off her," I whispered.

Toothless sat down and looked at me, his eyes wide and gentle.

"Okay, let's get you two in the stable. There isn't room for the both of you in the house and it is about to rain," I told him.

Toothless grumbled at the mention of the stable, but walked into his stall anyway. Stormfly took the one next to him. I filled their troughs with water and fish.

"Okay, goodnight, guys. Astrid and I will come get you in the morning," I promised, giving both of them one last pet.

It started raining as I walked to the house, so by the time I got to the door, I was soaked.

I groaned as I left puddles of water on the stairs to the loft.

When I opened the door, I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Astrid?" I said, my jaw dropped.

Her hair was down and she was reclining on my bed. She wore a form-fitting, almost translucent, nightgown. With the moonlight shining on her, I could see the outline of her breasts and her hips through the thin fabric.

"Hiccup, you're getting water everywhere," she said.

I looked down and saw that a puddle of rainwater had appeared at my feet.

"Y-yeah," I stuttered.

"You might want to take those wet clothes off or you'll catch a cold," she said, her voice smooth like silk.

Gods she was amazing.

I quickly threw my boot to the side and took my vest and tunic off. I worked my soaked pants off as I walked towards the bed.

Astrid giggled as I jumped onto the bed once I had discarded every item of wet clothing.

"Your hair is dripping on me," she laughed, reaching up to run her fingers through it.

"Hand me that fur hanging behind you and I will dry it off," I said.

She reached up and grabbed the beaver fur that I used after a bath. But she didn't hand it to me. Instead, she sat up behind me and began drying my hair herself.

"I think it is mostly dry now," I whispered after a few minutes.

"Hmmm… not quite yet," she said. I sighed as she rubbed the towel over my mess of auburn hair.

Then I felt her lips on the back of my neck. It was like electricity was coursing through me. A shiver went up my spine as I inhaled sharply from the kiss.

"You like that?" she asked, her hot breath hitting my ear.

"Yes, milady," I whispered.

I couldn't see her behind me, but I knew she was smiling.

I felt her lips against my neck again, only this time she didn't leave them there. This time she started making a trail of kisses down my neck and across both of my shoulders.

I moaned quietly. "Astrid…" I whispered.

She continued to kiss and gently nip at the bare skin over my shoulder blades. Her hands gently rubbed my shoulders, easing my sore muscles.

"You're tense, babe," she commented.

"Well, my girlfriend and soulmate might be getting married in a week to the man who has been trying to kill all of us for a few years now. And now I need to get the aforementioned girlfriend pregnant before the wedding so that we could actually be together. I guess it is all a little stressful," I admitted.

"The baby part is stressful?" she asked.

"Okay, well, not the getting to make love to the most beautiful woman in the world part. More the only having a week part," I said thoughtfully.

"Oh… yeah, that's kind of the same with me," she said.

"How will we know if it works?" I asked.

"I'll go see Gothi in two days, which would be two days before the wedding," she said softly.

"How does she even check for this? I thought you could only tell if you miss a cycle," I commented.

"Don't make me explain it," she pleaded.

"Why? Is it that bad?" I questioned further.

"It's just a little invasive I guess. Nothing I can't handle, I just don't want to talk about it," she replied. She stopped massaging my shoulders and kissed the back of my head.

I turned around to face her and she climbed onto my lap, our naked bodies brushing against each other.

"Want to stop talking and do this instead?" she asked, her breathing already picking up.

"How could I say no to that?" I asked and then began devouring her lips with mine.

That was one of the best nights yet, except it ended with my drunk father waking up and noisily walking around downstairs. I had to quickly put some pants on and go down to get him back in bed.

"You want me to help?" Astrid asked groggily. She sat up, the blanket slipping down to her waist.

"No, babe, I can handle this. It isn't the first time," I said, pulling the blanket up to cover her chest in case my father decided to make an appearance upstairs.

I took the steps three at a time as I rushed down.

My father was slurring his words as he sang a random tune, I couldn't tell what it was.

"Dad, let's get you back to bed, okay?" I said calmly, resting one hand on his back and firmly grabbing his upper arm with the other.

Stoick pulled away. "Son! What are you doing here? You should be with Astrid," the large man slurred.

"She is upstairs, dad. We are staying in the loft tonight because of the rain," I reminded him.

"Eh? Loft? Oh," he belched loudly and I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"Bed, dad. Now!" I said firmly, pointing towards his bedroom door.

"Nah, son. I want to say hello to that lass of yours," Stoick stumbled towards the steps.

"Dad, no! Don't go up there! You need to go to bed. You can say hello in the morning!" I shouted, grabbing his arm again.

I may have gotten stronger as I had grown up, but Stoick was still the strongest viking in the village. He pulled away with ease and began ascending the stairs.

"Astrid, he is coming up!" I shouted, hoping she would have enough time to at least put a tunic on.

Stoick slammed open the door to my room.
"Hello, Astrid!" He bellowed, resting his hand on the wall.

I hurried in behind him, standing between him and the bed. I didn't think he would do anything, I just felt protective.

"Uh, hi chief. You should probably listen to your son and go to bed," Astrid suggested soothingly. She had pulled my tunic on and was now standing beside me.

"You look like you're wearing Hiccup's clothes, lass," Stoick slurred.

"She is, dad. You need to go to bed," I said once more.

"Oh! You were busssyyyy," he started drawing out his words. I shook my head.

"Dad, go downstairs, now!" I shouted, pointing towards the door.

For some reason, that got Stoick's attention and he said a quick goodnight and trudged down the stairs. It was a miracle he didn't fall.

I groaned and sat on my bed, my head in my hands.

"Well, that was embarrassing," I muttered.

Astrid chuckled and sat beside me, resting her head on my shoulder.

"That is why I do not like drinking," she said through a yawn.

I smiled. "Me too," I agreed.

I looked down at her. Her eyes were closed, her hair a bit of a mess.

"You always look good in my tunics," I whispered, planting a kiss on top of her head.

She hummed quietly. "Thanks, babe," she whispered.

I laid back on the bed and pulled her down next to me.

"Goodnight, milady," I whispered.

I didn't get a response. She had already fallen back asleep.

---

Clean

The sun woke us up the next morning as it peaked above the horizon.

"Astrid, wake up," I whispered.

She groaned and rolled over.

I hugged her from behind, my head resting in the crook of her neck and my arms around her waist.

"It's morning, milady," I whispered, kissing her cheek.

She slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Good morning," she groaned.

"So, I was thinking, maybe today we could take a break and hang out with our friends. I think they probably need it," I was cut off mid-sentence by Astrid holding a hand over her mouth and running down the stairs.

"Astrid? Astrid, what's wrong?" I asked, jumping up and following her.

She ran out the back door and knelt by some bushes in the backyard. I realized what was about to happen and quickly pulled her hair out of her face.

She emptied the contents of her stomach into the bush. I gently rubbed her back.

"It's okay, babe," I whispered.

When she was done she leaned back on me weakly.

"I hate getting sick," she muttered.

I handed her a cloth to clean her face off. "I hate it too, milady," I agreed.

We sat in silence, processing what had just happened.

"Astrid, isn't that a sign of…"

"Yeah," she whispered.

"Should we go to…"

"Yes," she answered again.

I helped her up and we went back inside to change.

It was time to visit Gothi.

Astrid didn't get sick on the way to Gothi's hut, but she sure was pale. I had my arm around her while we walked in case she felt weak again.

Why does Gothi insist on living on top of a hill?

Climbing up was difficult, but we made it.

"Gothi? Are you here?" I called out.

Gothi appeared almost out of nowhere and startled us.

"Gods, Gothi," I muttered. This earned me a hit on the head with that staff of hers.

"Okay, okay! Gothi, Astrid isn't feeling well," I told her.

Gothi's eyes went to Astrid.

"Gothi I think I might be pregnant," she explained.

Gothi raised her eyebrows in surprise. She started writing on the ground.

I read what she had written. "Yes, she is betrothed to another man," I said.

Gothi frowned and began writing frantically.

"Gothi, I understand that. We are trying to make the contract void. Astrid and I want to be together. She never agreed to this contract," I explained for the umpteenth time since I had gotten on the island.

Gothi finally nodded in understanding and took Astrid into the hut. I tried to follow, but Gothi blocked me with her staff.

"Hey, I should be in there," I said.

Gothi shook her finger at me and pointed to a stool outside the hut.

"But," I started but Astrid interrupted.

"It's fine, Hiccup. I'll be out in a minute," she said reassuringly. She gave me a quick kiss then disappeared in the hut.

I sighed and sat down on the stool.

"I can't believe you two actually thought that was a good idea."

"That is how we always do it!"

"Yes, but look at you two. We need to get you to Gothi."

I recognized those voices anywhere. Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins all appeared over the side of the hill.

"Oh, Hiccup! I didn't know you worked here. As you can see my dumb brother hit his head a little too hard," Ruffnut said, pulling Tuffnut in front of her. The poor viking was in a daze.

"Hiccup, pretty pretty, Hiccup," Tuff said, reaching his hand out to touch my cheek. I pushed him away.

"Yeah, I do not work here. I am waiting on Astrid. You'll just have to wait your turn," I said.

"Why is Astrid here? Oh did it work?!" Fishlegs squealed excitedly.

"That's what we are seeing. What happened to Tuff?" I asked.

"These muttonheads were testing out weapons," Snotlout said, rolling his eyes.

I groaned, remembering how the twins insisted on testing weapons.

"Ten Ruffnuts," Tuff muttered.

I shook my head.

"Fishlegs, just keep an eye on them," I said.

"Of course, Hiccup," Fish replied.

Astrid stepped out of the hut and I jumped to my feet. I rushed over to her and took her hands in mine.

"Well?" I asked nervously.

She shook her head sadly. "Just some kind of stomach bug. Apparently, it has been going around," she said.

I hugged her close to me. "Hey, don't worry. We still have three days," I reminded her.

She nodded silently, her left hand on her right forearm, her eyes averted to the ground.

"You aren't pregnant yet?" Ruffnut asked. Astrid shook her head.

"I'm sorry, guys," Fishlegs said sincerely.

"You've still got a few more days, though, right?" Snotlout asked.

I nodded in response, still holding Astrid close.

"Hey, let's go for a flight," I suggested.

"Okay," she agreed.

I whistled loudly and saw Toothless moving through the crowds below us.

I chuckled slightly when I saw him look up at us.

"Come on, bud. Bring Stormfly!" I yelled down.

Toothless jumped excitedly and roared for Stormfly. Soon they were at the bottom of the hill waiting for us. We said goodbye to our friends and started hiking down to our dragons.

Astrid silently climbed onto Stormfly's back and took off. I was a few seconds behind her, but it didn't take long for me to catch up. That is one of the perks of having the fastest dragon

We landed on a sea stack not too far from the main island. Astrid landed and quickly jumped off, pulling her ax off her back and threw it at a tree with a loud battle cry.

My eyes widened and I stayed back, standing next to Toothless. When she was like this, all you could do is let her blow off some steam and then go comfort her when she was done.

She continued to yell and chop at the tree, her sharp ax scarring the thick trunk.

After several minutes she started to slow down and her battle cries slowly turned into sobs. She threw her ax one last time and it stuck in the tree. The warrior slowly fell to her knees, her body shaking.

That was my cue to approach. I rushed over to her and knelt behind her, holding her in my arms. She turned around to face me and cried into my tunic.

"Astrid, we still have three days. It'll be okay," I soothed her.

"Hiccup, I can't marry him," she cried.

I slowly rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head, feeling tears of my own start filling my eyes.

"I know, and you won't. We will get out of this. It's Hiccup and Astrid forever, no matter what! Remember that?" I asked, gently pulling her head from my chest so I could see her face. I brushed her hair out of her eyes and tilted her chin up so I could see her eyes.

"No matter what," she whispered.

"Always," I agreed, kissing her forehead.

She leaned up to kiss me and I eagerly obliged. Something about kissing her made everything else go away.

Toothless growled behind us.

I sighed and pulled away. "What is it, bud?" I asked, standing up.

There was a ship approaching Berk. It flew a flag that was all too familiar.

"It's Viggo," I said.

Astrid's face went pale. "Why is he here? He isn't supposed to be here until the day before the wedding!" She said. She started breathing heavily.

"Hey, babe, it's okay. I won't let him near you. Breathe, relax, you're safe," I reassured her.

She took several deep breaths.

"Okay, we should probably be over there," she said.

"Yeah, probably," I responded.

We both climbed onto our dragons and took off back towards the main island.

We landed just as Viggo's ship came into port. My father and Astrid's parents were already there.

I held Astrid's hand as we watched the hunter walk down the gangplank. Toothless growled in the back of his throat. I held my hand out in front of him. "Stand down, bud," I whispered.

"Ah! There's my beautiful bride," Viggo said, taking long strides towards Astrid.

Her parents, Stoick, and Gobber, all stepped in front of him. He frowned. "What is this?" he asked.

"You lied to us. We never would have signed those papers if we had known who you really were," Ansorf said angrily.

"Well, you signed them, and that makes her legally mine," Viggo said firmly.

"Not until the wedding is she yours," Stoick said. He stood up straighter and crossed his arms over his chest to intimidate Viggo. Skullcrusher walked up behind him and growled at Viggo.

"If that's the way you want to do this, fine," Viggo said, throwing his hands up.

"You will stay on your ship until the wedding day," Gobber instructed.

"Can I at least have a word with my betrothed?" Viggo asked.

"Absolutely not!" Eshmelda yelled.

"Mom, it's okay," Astrid said quietly.

"Astrid, dear, you sure?" Ansorf asked.

Astrid took a deep breath and nodded.

Viggo smiled and pushed past the four vikings in front of him. Astrid's grip on my hand tightened.

"Hello, my love. Hiccup, how nice to see you," Viggo said almost pleasantly.

"I agreed to talk to you. What do you need?" Astrid asked curtly.

"Oh, right to the point, eh? Well, I just wanted to discuss some of the wedding plans with you, if that's okay," Viggo spoke the words smoothly.

"My mother is taking care of it," Astrid responded.

"Oh, well in that case, will you be joining me on my ship this evening? I would love to have dinner with my bride to be," Viggo questioned.

"I am not going anywhere with you until we are married," Astrid said.

"If you get married," I muttered under my breath.

"As you wish, love. I will see you tomorrow, then?" Viggo asked. He almost sounded hopeful, as if he genuinely wanted to see her.

"We'll see," Astrid said. She turned around and climbed onto Stormfly's back and took off into the sky. I knew where she was going.

"I know why you are really doing this," I told him.

"Oh? Do enlighten me, Hiccup," Viggo commented.

"You want to get at me. Well, it isn't going to work. The wedding won't happen. The only person Astrid is ever going to be with is me," I said firmly.

"Oh, Hiccup. Believe what you want, but in just four short days, the beautiful shieldmaiden and I will be married. The contract is signed. You cannot stop it this time," Viggo then turned on his heels and disappeared onto his ship.

As soon as he was out of sight I raced for Toothless.

"Wait, son!" Stoick shouted.

I sighed. "Yes, dad?" I asked.

"How goes the uh… Has it worked yet?" Stoick asked awkwardly.

I shook my head. "Not yet dad. We went to see Gothi this morning, but so far there is no baby," I replied.

Stoick nodded solemnly. "Okay, son. Don't put too much pressure on yourself for this. I am sure it will all work out in the end. Gobber and I have been sending Terror Mail back and forth to the chief who signed it. We are trying to find a way to render the contract void without having to use a Breakable Child," he explained.

"That's good. Astrid and I don't even know if we could have a baby together. It's nice to know you are working on a backup plan in case this doesn't work," I thanked him.

"Do you know where she went?" Eshmelda asked.

"Yes, Mrs. Hofferson. I know exactly where she went. We will be back sometime before tomorrow morning," I reassured them. Then I pulled myself onto Toothless's back, hooked my prosthetic in place, and took off into the sky.

"Let's go to the cove, bud," I said, patting my dragon's neck. Toothless purred in excitement as he sped towards the hidden place. It was one of his favorite places. It was my favorite place too. And whenever Astrid was upset, that is always where she went. She would be there.

"There she is, bud," I said when the cove came into view. I saw Stormfly chasing something in the tall grass. Astrid was sitting by the lake, throwing rocks as far as she could and watching them splash into the water.

We landed and I jumped off my dragon.

"Astrid?" I tried cautiously.

She didn't respond, just continued to throw the rocks. I approached her.

"Astrid you'll scare all the fish away," I reminded her.

"They'll come back," she said curtly.

"Well yes but I think our dragons are hungry."

"Well, they can go to the other side of the lake. It isn't like the fish have anywhere to go. They are trapped in this tiny lake. They didn't get the ocean. Maybe some of them got carried over her and had the ocean at some point but now they don't. All they have is this gods damn tiny lake and no other options!" She yelled.

"Astrid," I started, but she stood up and interrupted me.

"And it isn't their fault! They didn't trap themselves in here. It's just the lot they were given. The fish didn't get to pick if they would be put in the lake or in the ocean. I'm sure they'd much rather be in the ocean," she muttered the last part.

"Astrid, I don't think that was about the fish," I said.

She sat down and hugged her knees to her chest, hiding her face. I sat down beside her.

"You're feeling trapped," I commented.

She nodded against her knees.

"I can't imagine how scary all this is for you. I mean, I don't want to lose you, but at least I wouldn't have to marry my enemy. And this plan to render the contract void is not ideal, I know that. I'm not ready to give up exploring. Settling down and having a kid was something I was planning on doing much later on. I hate that Viggo is doing this to us," I sighed.

"But it's happening. There is nothing we can do about it… except have a baby," Astrid said.

I nodded. "Exactly. Astrid, if you need a break, we don't have to try tonight," I said softly.

She shook her head. "We don't have time for a break. We have to keep trying," she said with newfound determination.

I nodded. She was right. We would keep trying until the very last minute if we needed to. I sent a prayer up to the gods.

We need this to work.

---

Clean

*Two days later*

Just two days and Astrid will have to marry Viggo.

We were running out of time.

After our talk at the Cove, Astrid and I had flown back to my house and had stayed the night in my loft. The next day had consisted entirely of trying to make this baby.

This may sound crazy, especially coming from a guy, but I was getting tired of all the sex.

It wasn't as romantic anymore. It was more a task, something we had to do.

But I did like getting to cuddle afterward and getting to wake up to her every morning.

I rolled over in my bed and pressed against the back of my beautiful girlfriend. My arm slid around her bare waist and I softly kissed the back of her neck.

"We need to go see Gothi again today," I whispered.

Astrid groaned and rolled over to face me. "Okay," she whispered sleepily.

I smiled and kissed her nose. "Have I ever told you how breathtakingly beautiful you are?" I asked, tucking a strand of golden hair behind her ear.

A soft smile spread across her lips. "I few times," she said playfully.

"Oh, okay. Then I only have to tell you a few times more," I said.

She giggled and shook her head at me. She slowly sat up and stretched before getting up to get dressed.

"Come on, babe. We need to go to Gothi's," she said as she tied the knot on her breast bindings.

I got up and started getting ready as well.

The trek to Gothi's hut was a short one, we decided to fly this time. Since there was only room for one dragon on Gothi's porch, we both rode Toothless.

"Gothi!" I called out as I knocked on the door of the small hut.

The little elderly woman opened the door and motioned for Astrid to come in.

I quickly sat down on the stool outside before she had a chance to hit me with her staff.

I sighed as I waited. Toothless growled in a friendly manner and nudged me with his head. I smiled at him. "Hopefully it worked this time, bud," I said as I scratched under his chin.

About ten minutes later, Astrid came out of the hut.

I jumped to my feet and reached for her hands.

"Well?" I asked nervously.

"We did it," she muttered quietly.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm pregnant," she said, almost as if she couldn't believe it.

Before she could say anything else I moved my arms to her waist and hugged her tightly, lifting her off the ground slightly. She laughed and kissed me.

"Now it can be you and me for the rest of our lives, Astrid," I said happily.

She sighed in relief and kissed me again. "I love you so much," she said.

"I love you too," I replied as I moved my lips against hers.

Gothi hit her staff on the ground, effectively getting our attention. The old woman scribbled in the dirt and then pointed her staff towards the docks.

"Yes! Thank you, Gothi. Let's go tell dad so we can get rid of the marriage contract," I said.

Astrid nodded enthusiastically and we both quickly climbed onto Toothless and shot into the sky.

We landed right outside the forge, where both my father and Gobber were talking.

"Son! How is everything?" Stoick asked as he held gently pet Toothless.

"It worked," I said happily.

"What?" Gobber asked.

"I'm pregnant," Astrid said, a smile beaming on her face.

Stoick laughed and hugged Astrid.

"This is wonderful!" he said excitedly.

"Aye, good job laddie," Gobber said, clapping his hand on my back.

"Well, it wasn't just me," I reminded him.

It was so weird hearing them congratulate us for this. Getting pregnant outside of marriage was frowned upon, and that was an understatement. But this is a different situation, I guess.

"Okay, how do we get rid of this contract?" Astrid asked.

"Well, first we need to get Viggo," Stoick said.

"I'll go get the mongrel," Gobber said. He switched his hammer hand out for his hook hand and left for the docks.

"I'll go get Eshmelda and Ansorf," Stoick said, "You two stay here."

I watched my dad leave then walked back to my old desk. There were still old invention designs scattered across it. I leaned back on it and Astrid stepped over to me. My right hand rested at her hip and my left hand over her lower abdomen.

"We're going to have a baby," I said happily.

"We are."

"I'm going to be a dad and you are going to be a mom…Can you believe it?"

"It's hard to believe. I thought I would be terrified, but right now I am just relieved that I don't have to marry that horrible man."

I hummed in agreement and tilted her chin up, my lips finding hers.

"Ahem…" Gobber cleared his throat behind us. Viggo stood beside him.

"Oh, sorry, Gobber," I said. I stood up straight and put my arm around Astrid protectively.

"I hear you have found a way around the contract," Viggo said.

"The Breakable Child," I commented.

"Hmm… Well, then I guess congratulations are in order. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was disappointed," Viggo said, his eyes drifting over Astrid.

Stoick came back with Ansorf and Eshmelda, contract in hand.

He saw the situation and positioned himself between me and Viggo, crossing his arms and glaring at the dragon hunter.

Viggo stepped back, intimidated by the larger man.

"The contract is void now, Viggo. There will not be a new one written up," Stoick said.

"Such a shame, really. Astrid, I would have taken really good care of you, given you whatever your heart desired," Viggo said, looking past the chief to see the young woman.

"The only thing my heart desires is to be with the man I love, which you never would have been able to give me," Astrid said sincerely.

Viggo sighed. "This isn't over, Hiccup. I have a mind to come back for the child," he said.

"Try, and I can promise that you will be killed," I growled through gritted teeth.

"We shall see. I will be leaving now. Farewell, Hiccup. I do so enjoy our talks," Viggo said as he turned to leave.

Stoick followed to make sure he actually left.

When he was out of sight Astrid let out a deep breath.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Didn't realize I was holding my breath. Hiccup, he said he would come back for it," she said quietly, her eyes on the spot where the hunter had stood.

I stepped in front of her and looked into her icy blue eyes. "I won't let that happen. Nothing is going to happen to our baby. Don't worry," I promised.

She just leaned into me, burying her face against my chest. I gently held her close to me.

"Astrid, you're actually pregnant?" Eshmelda asked.

Astrid chuckled quietly and turned to her mom. She smiled from ear to ear and nodded.

Eshmelda laughed and hugged her daughter. "Oh, I'm so happy! Ansorf, we are going to be grandparents!" she said excitedly. Ansorf walked over to his wife and daughter and wrapped his arms around both of them. Gobber put his hand on my shoulder as we watched the happy scene. Everything was working out.

---

Graphic birth

Eight months had passed since the contract had been torn up. We hadn't seen Viggo since. Sure there was an occasional trapper ship, but aside from that, it had been pretty quiet.

We had all moved back to The Edge so that Astrid could go through the pregnancy without the eyes of the entire village on her. She and I had decided to wait on the whole marriage thing. At least until after the baby was born. That way it wouldn't be so rushed.

But today was a special day. Today was our annual alliance party. Everyone was gathered at the edge to catch up and enjoy some time together. My father, Gobber, Heather, Dagur, Mala, Throk, Atali, Minden, and Nadia were all in the clubhouse with the rest of us Dragon Riders.

"Great party, brother!" Dagur shouted, holding up the chicken leg he was eating.

Tuffnut gasped. "Have you no respect, Dagur the Deranged?" he shouted as he covered Chicken's eyes.

"No respect at all," Ruffnut agreed.

Fishlegs and Heather were talking at one end of the table. It looked like they might have been flirting, but it was hard to tell with them.

Snotlout was without a doubt flirting with Minden, who was being polite and not punching him in the face, though Nadia looked as though she might punch him for her fellow Wingmaiden. Atali and Mala were having a conversation about how great it was to meet another female leader. I always knew if they met they would be instant friends.

Atali had also agreed to be Astrid's midwife. The Wingmaidens' island was a bit closer than Berk, so it was easier for them to get here faster than for Berk's midwife, Olga.

"Tell me, son," Stoick said, "Where is your lovely lady?"

"Oh, she's back at my hut. She was having some strange back pains and Atali said she should rest. Actually, I should probably go check on her," I said.

"Aye, you probably should. Knowing her, she isn't doing much resting," Stoick said.

I smiled at him and left the clubhouse.

I walked into my hut to find my very pregnant girlfriend scrubbing the hearth of the fireplace.

"Hello, milady. What are you doing?" I asked.

"Cleaning," Astrid responded curtly.

"I can see that, but why? I thought your back was hurting," I commented, kneeling beside her and stopping her hands.

"Because I am so bored, Hiccup! Atali won't let me leave the house and I can't ride Stormfly and you have to keep an eye on all our friends. So, I clean," she said. She was about to start scrubbing the stones again, but I took the brush from her.

"Well, I am home now. Will you come sit with me? Take a break for a few minutes?" I asked, taking her hands in mine.

She sighed. "I guess I am a little tired," she confessed.

I brought one of her hands up to my lips and kissed knuckles. "Come sit with me," I said.

I helped her up and we sat down on the couch together, my arm around her shoulders.

"Oh, gods," she groaned.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Just more back pains. These are getting really annoying," she commented.

"Here, I'll help," I suggested. I had her turn so her back was to me and I started kneading my fingers along her lower back.

"That feels so nice, Hiccup. Thor has blessed your fingers," she sighed.

I chuckled and continued massaging her back.

"I'm going to get some water," she said, slowly standing up.

"No, Astrid, let me get it for you," I said. I walked over to the kitchen and picked up a cup and filled it with water from the pitcher we had.

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted from the other room.

I dropped the cup, causing water to splash everywhere, and ran back into the front room.

When I got there I saw my wife still standing in front of the couch. She had her hands on her round belly and was looking down at her feet. My eyes went to where she was looking and widened at the sight of a large puddle of water around her feet.

"Astrid?" I said nervously.

She looked up at me. "Go get Atali. My water broke," she said. She suddenly groaned and reached her hand out. I quickly took it in mine and moved closer to her, supporting her.

"Hello, anyone home?" We heard a loud voice say outside.

"It's my dad. Perfect!" I said quickly. "Dad, come in!" I shouted.

Stoick walked into the house and froze when he saw us.

"Son, what's going on?" he asked.

"Dad, I need you to go get Atali. Tell her Astrid's water broke," I instructed.

Stoick nodded and turned around. I saw him climb onto Skullcrusher and urge the dragon to run toward the clubhouse.

"Hiccup…" Astrid groaned and squeezed my hand tightly.

"Okay, let's get you up to bed," I said.

It was a struggle getting up the stairs. Every four steps a contraction would hit and we'd have to stop until it passed. When we finally got to our room I helped her on our bed.

"It's okay, milady. Atali is coming," I reassured her.

She grit her teeth and groaned loudly as the muscles in her abdomen constricted once more.

"That's it, Astrid. Breathe through it. Remember what Atali said," I reminded her.

Astrid gasped when the contraction passed, panting to try and catch her breath.

"Son?"

"Up here, dad!" I shouted down the stairs.

I heard heavy footsteps on the stairs and then Atali and my father walked into the room.

"Anything yet?" Stoick asked.

"Dad it hasn't even been an hour yet," I sighed.

"Oh, right, well I will just go wait outside with Gobber," he said awkwardly. He shut the door and I heard his steps quicken as he went down the stairs.

"Okay, Astrid, when did your waters break?" Atali asked. She laid a cloth across the end of the bed.

"Twenty minutes ago," Astrid said between groans of pain.

"Good! That's good. Were you experiencing any pain before that?" the Wingmaiden asked.

"Just lower back pain. But that was going on yesterday," she said.

"Those pains were probably the early stages of labor," Atali commented.

"What? How could she have been in labor yesterday and today and not realize it?" I asked.

"It isn't that uncommon for a woman to be in the early stages of labor and not realize it," Atali explained.

"Okay, well it isn't the early stages now!" Astrid shouted.

"Sorry, love," I said.

"Okay, Hiccup, I need you to help me move her to the edge of the bed," Atali said.

Astrid sat up and leaned against me as we moved her over. Atali gently removed Astrid's skirt and pushed her legs up so that her knees were up to the same level as her chest.

"It helps when it is time to push," she explained, "which, from the looks of it, won't be in too long."

"Good, I just want this baby out of me!" Astrid groaned.

"Hiccup, sit behind her. Let her lean on you," Atali instructed.

I immediately moved to sit on the bed behind my wife. I held her hands tightly.

"Hiccup! Hiccup, Viggo's ships are in our waters!" Snotlout shouted as he barged into the room. He stopped dead in his tracks.

"Oh, gods. Now? Really?" he said when he saw Astrid.

"Snotlout, get out!" Astrid yelled.

"Fight back! Keep him as far from shore as you can!" I instructed as Astrid cried out in pain again.

"Okay. Okay. Okay." Snotlout muttered over and over as he ran back outside.

"Okay, you're about halfway there, Astrid," Atali said happily.

"Halfway done?" Astrid asked.

"No, sorry, just halfway to being able to push. You've still got a while yet, I'm afraid," the Wingmaiden said.

"Here comes another one," Astrid sighed.

I held her hand and let her squeeze mine as hard as she needed. She screamed in pain.

"You're doing great, milady," I told her.

"Hiccup, I am never letting you touch me again!" she groaned.

"If that's what you want…" I said quietly.

Atali laughed. "You should see your face, young Haddock," she chuckled.

Astrid yelled as another wave of pain fell over her.

"Breathe, Astrid," Atali reminded her. Astrid gasped, panting as she rested between contractions.

I glanced down and paled at the sight. "Atali, is there supposed to be that much blood?" I choked out.

"Hiccup, don't you faint on me…" she responded.

"I won't, I promise," I said.

"Okay… Yes, all this blood is normal. There will be more before all this is over," she warned me.

Minutes turned into hours. Hearing Astrid scream in pain was killing me.

"Okay, Astrid. It's time to start pushing. With the next contraction, I want you to push as hard as you can," Atali instructed.

"Come on, babe. You can do this," I encouraged her.

With the next contraction, Astrid tilted her chin to her chest and shut her eyes tight. She groaned and eventually it turned into a scream.

"Yes! That was good, Astrid!" the Atali said excitedly.

I glanced down, expecting to see the top of the baby's head, but instead, it was a tiny foot.

"Atali..." I said worriedly.

"I know. Astrid, this is going to be a lot harder than we thought. The baby is breech," she explained.

"W-what?" Astrid gasped.

"It didn't turn the way it should have. It is coming feet first. This just means you'll have to push harder. I will help you when I can," Atali explained further.

Another contraction hit and Astrid screamed once again as she pushed as hard as she could.

"You can do this, Astrid," I whispered.

"Hiccup, I don't know if I can," she said weakly.

"Almost there Astrid, just a few more strong pushes!" Atali encouraged

"You can do this, babe. Push hard!" I said.

Astrid pushed once more and the legs emerged. Atali gently reached for the baby.

"Astrid, I am going to help you. It's going to hurt, but this will be the last push," Atali assured her.

"Okay. Okay. Hiccup?" Astrid panted.

"I'm right here, milady," I said soothingly.

I frowned when I saw tears on her face. She had to be in extreme pain if it was making her cry. Astrid never cried and she had a crazy high pain tolerance.

"Ready… and push! Push hard, Astrid!" Atali instructed

Astrid screamed loudly as she pushed and Atali helped by carefully pulling on the baby's legs.

In a matter of seconds, the baby was in Atali's arms.

It took a deep breath and started crying.

"Congratulations, you two. You have a baby boy!" Atali said excitedly.

She quickly wrapped the baby in a cloth and handed him to Astrid.

Astrid and I both had tears streaming down our faces now.

"Astrid, he is perfect," I whispered.

"He is," Astrid agreed, holding the baby closer to her.

"Have you got a name yet?" Ataliasked.

"Well, he is our Breakable Child," I said.

Astrid nodded. "He is. But he isn't fragile. He is strong, the opposite of breakable," she said.

"Sounds like you have something in mind?" I asked.

"Brandt," Astrid said.

I hummed thoughtfully. "I like it," I said quietly.

"Brandt Hiccup Haddock?" Astrid suggested.

"Oh Thor no! Don't curse the poor kid with a name as awful as Hiccup," I said quickly.

Astrid looked down at the tiny baby in her arms. "I like the name Hiccup," she said softly.

"I don't. Brandt Stoick Haddock?" I suggested.

"Perfect," Astrid said quietly. She leaned down to kiss the baby's forehead.

I looked down at my son. He was so small, so helpless. "Astrid, Viggo is coming for him," I said, my voice heavy.

"What?" Astrid said in surprise.

"He isn't safe here," I told her, tears forming in my eyes.

"What do we do?" she asked, even though she already had an idea of what I was going to say.

"Astrid, he has to go. He can't stay with us," I choked out, my voice catching in my throat.

"Hiccup, no," Astrid said quietly. Tears fell from her eyes as she looked back down at our child.

A sob escaped my lips and I wrapped my arms around her and our son.

"Astrid, I don't like it any more than you do. I really don't. But he can't stay on the edge. He can't stay on Berk either," I said.

"Then where do we go?" Astrid asked.

"Astrid, if we go with him it will be easier for him to be found. These are dragon hunters, they will track us and Toothless and Stormfly easily," I reasoned.

"No, Hiccup. We can't just send him away!" she exclaimed, holding Brandt closer to her.

"Astrid, this is killing me too, but you know I'm right!" I said. I looked up at Atali.

"I know a place. There is a family that would be more than happy to look after him," she said.

Astrid sobbed and held Brandt close to her.

"They have to tell him who he really is when he is old enough," she said.

"Of course," Atali reassured her.

"A-and I want him to grow up knowing about us. He doesn't have to know we are his parents right away, to protect him, but I want him to know about us. And I want him to know dragons are good too," she said.

"I can make that happen. The family actually has several dragon companions, much like you and the other Dragon Riders," Atali said.

Astrid cried harder as she looked up at Atali. "I want him to be loved and cared for. Please make sure he is loved," she sobbed.

Atali wiped at some of the tears in her eyes. "Of course, Astrid. This family will love him and care for him like he was their own," the Wingmaiden promised.

Astrid hugged Brandt and kissed his cheek one last time. "I love you so much, baby," she whispered. She handed him to me.

I looked down at Brandt through my tears. "Hey, bud. Atali will make sure you are safe. And I'll send a dragon with you to keep an eye on you. Your mother and I love you so much, Brandt," I whispered to the baby. I pressed a kiss to his forehead before handing him to Atali.

"T-there is a dark purple Nadder in the stable. His name is Starblaze. Take him with you and leave him with the family," I instructed.

Atali gently took my son in her arms and nodded. "You guys are doing the right thing," she said softly.

I sniffed and nodded. "Go," I said.

Atali nodded to both of us then left. Astrid cried out from the bed. I rushed to her and held her in my arms as we wept.

"He'll come back to us someday. He will," I said between sobs.

I don't know how long we stayed there. It felt like forever. We cried until we couldn't cry anymore.

Once Viggo heard that our baby had escaped, he left The Edge, but I knew he wouldn't find him. Brandt was safe.

Our friends brought us dinner, but it remained untouched. We were numb. Eventually, we fell asleep in each other's arms.

Viggo would pay for what he had done to my family.

And I knew we had done the right thing.

Our Breakable Child had saved me and Astrid, and now it was our turn to save him.

He would come back to us one day. But until then, all we could do was carry on with our lives and wait.