I stifled a yawn, trying to maintain my level of stealth as I hid in the bushes, waiting for my prey. Why might you ask was the great Astrid Hofferson waiting in the bushes outside of her home in the middle of Berk? The answer is quite simple. Some low life had stolen flowers from her mother's garden two weeks ago. The flowers had bloomed just enough to replace the ones that had been stolen and Astrid was sure that the culprit would return for seconds. Suddenly, she heard the unmistakable sound of snapping stems and sprung into action. In one fluid motion, she swept the legs out from under the intruder's feet and pinned both of his hands to the ground with her own while digging her knee into his chest for support.

"Um… Hey Astrid." Now that I had a good look at the intruder, I realized it was none other than Hiccup Haddock, the son of Stoic the Vast, chief of Berk.

"Don't you 'Hey' me." I snapped. "I was wondering what low life was stealing flowers from my mom's garden. " I grabbed the collar of his shirt to lift his head so that I could glare into his scared eyes, digging my knee further into his chest. "And it turns out it's you!" I narrowed my gaze before releasing my grip, making his head fall back to the ground.

I moved back to a standing position, but before Hiccup could sit up, I planted my leather boot firmly on his chest pressing him back to the ground. "Hiccup, the only reason I haven't killed you yet is because you're the chief's son. Now you get one chance to explain why I shouldn't use this axe to cut your hands off for stealing my mother's flowers." I lowered my axe head towards him so he could see his reflection in the polished steel.

"Um…well you see…"

"Out with it Haddock!"

"It's for someone special!" he squeaked, moving his hands to cover his face. I was furious. This moron thought he could steal from MY family just to impress some GIRL! I would expect a move this bone headed from Snotlout but not from Hiccup. I grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him to a standing position before grabbing his arm and twisting it at an awkward angle. "Alright I'm sorry! Can you just kill me and get this over with!" he cried in pain.

"Oh no Haddock! You're going to show me who this special person is that makes an idiot like you think it was smart to steal from MY family!" Unfortunately, I can't hurt him as much as I would like, what with Hiccup being the chief's son, but that doesn't mean I can't embarrass him in front of the girl he tried to steal flowers for.

"Um.. Ow! Astrid… The thing is-" He started

"Less talking, more walking!"

"But Astrid I-"

"I swear to Thor, if you say one more word, I will break both of your legs and make you crawl to this woman!" That threat seamed to have worked as I herd him dryly swallow before shutting his mouth.

We walked in silence as we passed through town and crested the hill. All the wile I was thinking of how to best break every bone in his hands for his thievery. We walked into the field before approaching the cliff's edge where three stones overlooked the horizon. I didn't see a soul out here except for Hiccup and me.

"Hiccup, I swear if this is some kind of prank, I-"

"Hi mom." Hiccup interrupted. "Sorry I'm late. I meant to stop and get you flowers, but Astrid kind of caught me stealing from her garden and demanded to see who they were for. " I released my grip on Hiccup's arm in horror at the realization of what I had just done. The "someone special" was his mother. Hiccups mother has been dead for over a decade. I just made Hiccup Haddock escort me to his mother's grave.

"I know this isn't what you probably expected for the first time I brought a girl to meet you but hey, Dad always said you loved surprises. Everyone in the village really misses you. Especially Dad, he'll never admit it but I see it whenever he looks at your journals on the bookshelf. I have to go now because I think Astrid is going to kill me. If not, I'll be here next week. Either way, I'll talk to you soon. I love you Mom." Hiccup turned to face me, bracing himself for something.

I wanted to give him a hug and apologize for my overreaction. I settled for a quick punch to his arm. "That's for stealing my mom's flowers." As he rubbed his arm, I quickly leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek. "That's for um… me intruding on you and your mother." I said, finding the bottom of my boots really interesting.

"It's fine. You had a right to know where the flowers were going. I'm sorry for stealing from you Astrid, I should have asked permission first, and for that I have no excuse."

I looked up from the ground before stroking my braid. An old habit I fall back on when I'm nervous "Um Hiccup, do you mind if I ask…How did your mother die?" A look of thoughtfulness crossed his face as his brows furrowed. After a moment of silence, he looked up at me.

"Contrary to what you might think. I never really met my mother. According to my Dad, I was about one at the time. During a dragon raid, a stormcutter broke into my house and tried to attack me. My father kicked the door down just in time to watch it grab my mother and fly away. No one ever saw her again after that."

A hand shot up to my mouth to hide my gasp. "That sounds awful. I'm so sorry." I had herd through family and friends that Hiccups mom had died in a raid, but I never realized just how tragic her death truly was.

"Thank you but don't worry about it." he smiled. "She died protecting me, and for that, I think a weekly visit and the occasional stolen flowers is worth it."

A small smile broke out on my face at the stolen flowers comment before the dinner horn from the great hall made both of us jump. Had that much time passed from when Hiccup had passed my house? "I have to meet my parents for dinner. I'll see you later." I called before sprinting over the hill. I made my way back towards the village and found my parents waiting for me at the base of the great hall stairs.

"Good evening Astrid, where have you been all day?" Asked my father.

"Did you find the scum stealing from my garden?" chimed my mother as we began ascending the stairs.

"Well, I couldn't find the one who did it, but I can promise you that they won't be stealing from us again." I lied, thinking back to the grave on the cliff.

"Well, so long as my flowers remain intact, I'm happy. Thank you for your help Astrid." Beamed my mother.

A small blush rose to my cheeks at the praise before an idea came to mind. "Hey mom, would it be ok if I was to pick some flowers next week?"

"I suppose, but whatever for?"

"Just a small gift for a friend." I said, holding the door open for my parents.

"Then yes, they're all yours."

ONE WEEK LATER…

I sat at the window of my room waiting for a certain someone to make his weekly trip. "Hiccup!" I yelled before sprinting to the door. Carrying my bouquet of flowers with me.

"Astrid, I know this looks bad, but I swear, I didn't pick any more of your flowers." I chuckled to myself as her recoiled in fear, putting his arms up in a poor defense. I placed the bouquet in his arms as a blush crept across my face.

"These are for your mother." I watched him turn the flowers in his hand, looking awestricken at my handiwork. "Tell her I said hi for me."

A smile spread across his face as he further admired the arrangement. "Thank you. I will."