So here is the sequel to SECOND CHANCE. It is going to be mostly Hiccup and Astrid plus a small bit of Fishlegs and Heather (Just because I think that pairing is cute)

I do not own any of the How to Train Your Dragon characters. But I do own mine.

Enjoy the story and don't forget to leave me a review on what you thought. Enjoy!

Snowbeam12

Next Chapter in Life

Two Years After Asa's Death

Hiccup was silent as he sat in the forge, humming. He brought his hammer down on a piece of metal, not hearing the door open. He had just stood up when he heard his name being called, causing him to turn around. He smiled when he saw Sylvia standing the door way with Shimmer and Toothless. The two night furies were still protective of the five-year-old.

"The Berkians are back." She stated softly. Hiccup nodded and grabbed his shirt from the back of the chair, pulling it on. He sighed a tiny bit before he followed his daughter and the two dragons. His father and their tribe had left shortly after Asa had died when he had told them he didn't want them around. He felt like it had been a mistake but was hurting too much to want anyone around.

"Do you think Astrid and Fishlegs are gonna be here?" Sylvia questioned, looking up at her father. He glanced at her and smiled. He knew his daughter had grown close to them during his time of mourning.

"I'm sure they will. You've been getting terror mail from both for nearly a month saying they were. They aren't going to change their mind at the last minute." He teased, easily picking her up. She giggled and hugged her arms around his neck as they walked. Stoick and the others were just climbed off their boats when Hiccup walked up. He greeted his father with a simple nod of his head. Sylvia looked around for any signs of Astrid. The blonde-haired Viking was helping a couple of the other men around the second ship.

Astrid had barley taken a step back when she felt a head rub against her back, nearly sending her forward. She turned around and started to scratch Stormfly under the neck smiling. Stoick had refused to let any dragons stay on his island, not trusting the beast.

"She missed you. Caught her a couple of times trying to fly off. Probably to find you." Hiccup stated, walking over. She smiled when she saw him but couldn't help but glance down at his leg. He noticed and shifted, uncomfortable. Sylvia stood beside her father, practically bouncing with excitement. Astrid laughed before she hugged the small child tight. Hiccup stood back watching with a sad look. Sylvia didn't remember much about her mother and it pained him that she wouldn't be there to see their daughter grow up.

"Daddy is letting me pick a dragon tomorrow!" she squealed happily. Astrid faltered and looked up at him.

"Hiccup are you sure that's a good idea? She's only five. She could get hurt." She questioned softly only to get an annoyed look from him.

"All of the children pick their dragons at that age if they choose to be a rider." He stated, crossing his arms. Astrid frowned before she leaned down to the small girl again, whispering something in her ear. Hiccup watched as she ran off in search of Fishlegs. A sharp pain went through his arm when Astrid punched him. He jerked, glaring at her as he rubbed his arm.

"What was that for?!" he demanded.

"Are you crazy!? She's a kid! She shouldn't be around those…those…those untrained dragons!" Astrid snapped, glaring at him. He returned the glare, still rubbing his arm.

"I trust those dragons more than I trust most people." He muttered. He turned to walk back to the forge but stopped just after a few paces.

"And it was Asa's wish for her to become a dragon rider when she was old enough." He added. Astrid watched the young chief walk back towards the village and frowned. She glanced up when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Stoick stood there, watching his son's retreating form.

"He's still hurting Astrid. A broken heart doesn't heal overnight. He has to let himself move on and let go of the pain." The older chief explained, before he turned and walked over towards some of his villagers. Astrid debated going after him but understood that he needed time alone.

It was nearly nightfall before Astrid got up the nerve to walk to the forge. She could easily hear someone working with a hammer inside as she moved to push the door open. Hiccup stood over the fire, the small flame flickering as he worked. She stood back, watching him as he dropped the hot metal into a bucket of water. As he stepped into the light of the candles she realized he wasn't wear a shirt. She gulped a tiny bit as she looked over his muscles, tracing each mark with her eyes.

"Are you going to just stand there and stare at me all night?" He questioned without looking at her. She jumped and looked at him wide eyed.

"I didn't think you'd heard me come in." she replied, crossing her arms. She leaned against the counter as he finally turned to look at her. He couldn't help but glance her over. He wouldn't deny that she had grown into a beautiful woman and had things been different just might have married her. He quickly shook that thought from his head. Astrid stood back watching him silently.

"Do you always work with your shirt off?" she questioned.

"You should know the answer to that from your last visit. It gets too hot in here so yes. I usually work with my shirt off." He stated calmly, grabbing a cloth from the chair. Astrid watched him whip the sweat from his face and covered her mouth when he whipped soot down his cheek. She was trying not to laugh at the sight. Hiccup frowned and watched her, confused.

"You have something on your cheek." She stated smiling. Hiccup watched as she stepped closer to him, taking the cloth from his hands. He sucked in a deep breath as she reached up to whip it away. Her small body pressed against him a tiny bit.

"There." She whispered, looking up at her. Her eyes flickered to his lips as she stood there. Hiccup quickly backed away, grabbing his shirt.

"It's late. I should be getting home." He whispered, backing away. He ended up backing right into his work table, knocking over several things. Astrid watched as he made a mad dash to get away from her.

"Well I haven't see him run that fast from a woman since Asa threatened to kill him if he didn't stop working just months after they'd gotten together." Heather stated, standing outside the door. Astrid glanced at her and frowned.

"I should be heading back." Astrid whispered, going to walk past the black-haired woman. Heather nodded, leaned against the wall,

"Yeah. Big day tomorrow." She stated with a glare. Astrid stopped and looked at her.

"What's happening tomorrow?" she questioned confused. Heather gave a dry laugh before she stood up straight.

"Like you didn't know. As soon as your lot got here Snotlout tracked Hiccup down and challenged him for his birth right." She snapped. Astrid frowned, crossing her arms. Stoick still refused to give anyone else the title of next chief, holding onto that hope that Hiccup would one day take it.

"I don't understand why Hiccup didn't just turn him down." Heather mused as they walked back to the camp. Astrid sighed and hung her head.

"Because he's getting that relationship back with his father. Slowly but they're working on it. If he turns down a challenge he would be banished, never allowed to step foot on Berk soil again. If he accepts and loses it's not nearly as bad. He just loses his title, his family name and his honor." She explained softly. Heather stopped walking and stared at her. She growled and kicked the dirt angered.

"Tomorrow was supposed to be a happy day. Sylvia and a couple other children picking their dragons. Now it's been moved because that Snotlout is so desperate." She grumbled. Astrid sighed and nodded, knowing when Sylvia found out she would be unhappy. They stopped when they got to the clearing, Heather watched as Vikings stood around, talking amongst themselves.

"Well see you tomorrow. Let's hope this doesn't blow up in our faces." Heather muttered before she turned and walked away. Astrid sighed and glanced up at the moon before she walked to her tent.

"I hope so." She whispered to herself before she laid down to get comfortable.

Well there is the first chapter of the Sequel: Next Chapter in Life. Hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to leave a review on what you thought. Until Next time,

SNOWBEAM12