There seems to be a trend lately with posting incomplete or abandoned story ideas. So, here goes.

Feel free to take and run with any idea that I post here.

Standard disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD.

This was an idea that I had for an AU where Hiccup and Astrid become friends at a very young age and they never separate. Because of this Hiccup isn't shunned at the time of the first movie and thus never shoots down Toothless. I abandoned this story because I couldn't ever think of a good original or unique conclusion to the story after Hiccup meets up with Toothless much later in life.

Night Takes Queen

Chunks of red heartwood flew through the air as Astrid drove her little axe into the tree one final time and fell to her knees. Her anger finally dissolved into tears and pain. Her uncle was gone. Her beloved uncle had went out to face the Flightmare and he froze. It was just too much, and her body wracked as the heavy sobs escaped her tight hold.

She didn't know how long she had sat there in the forest and cried, but at some point she felt arms go around her. Hugging her and patting her back. The words of solace barely registered on her distraught brain, but the comfort settled in and she hugged the person back.

"I know it hurts now, but it will get better."

Astrid released her hug from the person holding her and gave one final sob. When the arms around her finally fell away she conscientiously scooted across the damp ground and pine needles and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I still miss my mom, from time to time, but it doesn't hurt as much as it used to."

Astrid finally looked at the person who had seen her so weak and vulnerable and was shocked to see Hiccup sitting in front of her. Jumping to her feet, Astrid's face burned with embarrassment that the runt heir of Berk had seen her like that.

Hiccup just gave her a tight smile and stood. "Don't worry, Astrid. I won't tell anyone about this."

Astrid's blue eyes grew in surprise. How did he know? "Why?"

"Why what?" Hiccup asked with a shrug of his tear stained shoulders. "Why did I comfort you? Because, I've been there before and there wasn't anyone to comfort me. Nobody should ever have to go through something like this alone. I didn't want you to be hurt and alone."

"Or are you wondering why I promised not to tell?" Hiccup walked over to the tree with Astrid's axe still embedded in it. "Because, it's clear that you don't want anyone to know," Hiccup said before inspecting the yellow sap that had collected on the blade and pulling the axe from the tree. "Or else you wouldn't have come all the way out here."

Astrid just looked at the five year old boy standing in front of her. She had come to the forest to be alone with her anger and pain, but realized that Hiccup had been right. His presence and words did make her feel better. But a little of the shame and anger still resided in her. "I hate them."

Hiccup sat down and leaned against the tree, twirling the axe around its shaft. "Me too. They took my mother."

Astrid wiped her face again and sat down next to the boy who seemed to be too insightful for his age. Taking a deep breath she let the sharp scents of the forest fill her lungs and settle into a sort of lethargic peace. "It isn't just that they killed my uncle. It's that they ruined his reputation and my family's name. He froze in fear of the dragon. I hate them for that."

Hiccup gave a derisive snort. "Who cares what they think. It doesn't matter that your uncle froze in the face of the Flightmare. He was a brave man, Astrid, don't ever doubt that."

"He froze in fear of a dragon, Hiccup," Astrid said flatly as she held out her hand for her axe. "How can you say that he was brave?"

"Easy," Hiccup replied as he handed her axe back to her. "All of those people calling your uncle a coward were cowering in their houses while he walked out and faced the Flightmare alone. Seems to me it takes a lot more courage to face a dragon head on than it does to hide from it."

Astrid wordlessly nodded her head as she let Hiccup's words sink in. He was right. "Thanks, Hiccup."

Hiccup stood up and brushed off his pants. "You're welcome."

Astrid smiled a little at his futile efforts to remove the numerous brown needles from his blue pants.

After figuring that his pants were as clean as they were going to get he held his hand out to Astrid. "We should probably be heading home."

Astrid stared at his eyes for a second and wondered at the shining acceptance in their green. She quickly shifted her focus to the offered hand and stood up without his help. She wasn't going to appear any weaker before the boy than she already had, even if she was grateful to him. Then she punched him in the shoulder. "That's for sneaking up on me."

"What?" Hiccup's hand shot to his bruised shoulder.

"This is for everything else," Astrid answered as she pulled the skinny boy toward her and kissed him on the cheek.

Taking his hand in hers Astrid started running back to the village pulling the smaller boy behind her. "Come on, slow poke."

The deep bass rumble of the raid horn was felt through my back as much as it was heard by my ears. I threw my head back into the rough blanket covering the loose hay below me and sucked in the earthy dust with a frustrated inhalation. "Great! Just bloody great."

Astrid gave an airy giggle as she hastily grabbed the linen breast bindings pooled around her waist and started putting them on while still straddling the young man below her. "We'll get more time later, Babe. Now hand me my shirt."

Turning to his left Hiccup picked Astrid's blue and grey shirt out of the pile with his green tunic and held it out to her while she finished her bindings. "With the twins and Snotlout always trying to catch us together it isn't that easy, and you know it."

Astrid gave a roguish grin. "You'll live," she said and swooped in for a deep kiss before she stood up and slipped on her shirt.

"You sound really sure of that, Milady." With Astrid's weight removed from him, Hiccup sat up and pulled his tunic over his head. "I have it on good authority that Ruff and Tuff's great-great uncle, Undervear, did in fact die from that very thing."

Astrid gave a deep laugh as she retrieved their armor and weapons. "Snotlout is not 'good authority'."

The deep warning horn sounded again before Hiccup could form a replay and he could hear more Vikings racing to their designated positions outside. Rushing to his feet he haphazardly folded the striped blanket, tossed it into the corner of the loft, and jogged over to the ladder where Astrid had set his stuff and was wrapping her last bracer.

Astrid finished her bracers and seated her axe on her back before looking Hiccup over as closely as she could in the dim light and brushed some loose hay off of his leather armor while he donned his bracers. "Be careful out there."

Pulling the bronze buckle closed on his old leather belt and adjusting the pair of daggers attached, Hiccup pulled the taller blonde into a tight embrace. "Right back at ya."

Then without another word the pair checked that the coast was clear, scrambled down the ladder leading out of the loft, and headed out opposite doors into the twilight.

{Gobber and Hiccup at the forge}

{Insert parts of Hiccup's intro somewhere into the scene, likely with Hiccup pretending to be a travel agent:

Hiccup gave Gobber an incredulous look. "Sure Gobber, I can see it now. Come to Berk. It's twelve days north of Hopeless and a few degrees south of Freezing to Death. It's located solidly on the Meridian of Misery. The village? In a word, sturdy. It's been here for seven generations, but every single building is brand new. We have fishing, hunting, a charming view of the sunsets, and a slight pest problem. You see, most places have mice or mosquitoes, we have dragons. Most people would leave. But not us. We're Vikings. We have stubbornness issues."}

{Astrid and the gang on fire patrol}

{Ruffnut pulls some hay from her braid and makes a snide comment about her and her betrothed}

{Hiccup goes to help the others on fire patrol}

{Stoick and Hiccup at home}

{Talk between Stoick and Hiccup about dragon training and his marriage to Astrid; mention ten years of friendship}

{Teens in training}

{Hiccup excels due to intelligence and inventions}

{Wedding after Hiccup kills the Monstrous Nightmare}

{Time skip five years to Hiccup in woods}

{Hiccup is the new chief, his dad retired; Hiccup finds an injured Toothless and a dead Whispering Death. When Hiccup prepares to kill Toothless he can't do it because Toothless' eyes remind him of Valka, his daughter}

Finish story where Hiccup befriends Toothelss, reveals him to Astrid, they find he nest, ? {need original/interesting conflict}