AUTHOR'S NOTE: I CLAIM NO RIGHTS TO THE CHARACTERS, PEOPLE OR DRAGONS, AND PLACES MENTIONED! THEY BELONG TO CRESSIDA COWELL AND DREAMWORKS!
Hiccup's point of view
It was a peaceful and exceptionally beautiful winter afternoon before Snoggletog here on Berk. It had been over two years since Astrid and I got engaged, and we would get married next summer. Our mothers were eagerly finishing the planning of the event which was why they had lately been of a little less help than usually. It seemed that they found it more important to have everything planned and ready half a year in advance than to help us with slightly more acute duties. Of course we would surely thank them when it was time for Astrid and me to get married. Ruffnut had finally given up on hitting on Eret and had got together with Snotlout. It didn't surprise me that I was the one who supported the upset Fishlegs whenever I could, and listened to Snotlout's victorious boasting.
Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, the twins and I were patrolling the island after a great dragon racing day. Astrid had won once (when I couldn't be there because I had to take care of chiefing duties on land) and I had won the four times I could actually participate in the racing. My suggestion to patrol the island like back in the good old Outcast and Berserker days was rather well-received. We joked and laughed a lot and enjoyed a cool breeze. Everything seemed almost too normal when we flew from behind the peak back to the village side and Toothless started snarling slightly at something he'd seen.
"What is it, bud? Everything okay?" I touched Toothless' cheek and leaned slightly forward. He seemed to be looking at the docks, and I turned my head to look the same way. I spotted a small, somewhat familiar ship approaching the docks.
"Hiccup?" Astrid said with a questioning face.
"Toothless has spotted a strange ship that actually looks a bit familiar! Bud, lead us closer!"
"Guys, Toothless just spotted a strange ship. Let's follow him and Hiccup!" Astrid told the others, and we all flew towards the docks. As we got closer, I had to squint to make out who the people on the ship were. I then recognised the girl with black hair, forget-me-not blue tunic and beige trousers.
"Heather...?" I wondered quietly, and a wide smile lit my face when I was sure about it. "Guys, looks like we're gonna get a visit from an old friend! Come on!"
"An old friend? Do we have old friends? You don't mean Alvin... or Dagur... do you? Cause if you do..." Tuff babbled.
"No, not them! These are pleasant and most welcome guests!" I laughed as we raced to the docks. We landed when some Berkians were fastening the ship to the dock. Heather was the first one to get off board.
"Heather!" I exclaimed, and smiled widely as I dismounted Toothless.
"Hiccup? Is that you?" the young woman asked me with a distantly familiar but somehow different voice. The girl from approximately five or six years ago had barely changed. The only notable thing was that she was taller and more woman-like; she had her black, thick hair on a ponytail instead of a sidebraid and she was wearing black boots.
"Yes, it is me indeed! You must remember Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff?" I gestured at my now dismounted friends beside me. Heather jogged towards us and threw her arms around me first.
"Hiccup! It's so good to see you!"
"It's good to see you, too! What are you guys doing here on Berk? Not that there's anything bad about it!" I said as I squeezed her lightly and then let go. I saw Heather's smiling parents coming towards us.
"We're on a long sailing trip and thought we'd pay you guys a visit," Heather explained cheerily, "look at you, you were just a boy when we met and now you're a man!"
"You have clearly grown up yourself," I replied, taking one look at her from head to toe. Then she hugged the others and I greeted her parents.
"It's a pleasure to see you, Hiccup", Heather's father said and shook my hand, "we still remember how you and your friends saved us from the Savages."
"I trust you've been safe and sound ever since?" I smiled as I shook her mother's hand.
"Yes indeed, kind Hiccup", her mother said. They both hugged Astrid who had played a special part in saving them from the Savages.
I crossed my hands over my chest and couldn't help smiling widely as I saw Heather greeting our dragons. Toothless and Stormfly cooed happily. From the corner of my eye, I noticed that Astrid frowned slightly as she watched Heather stroking Stormfly's snout and musing. I walked to Astrid and tried to get everyone's attention.
"Okay, you all must be hungry! Let's go to the Great Hall to get some dinner!" I said and started leading everyone up the docks to the village and the Great Hall. Astrid was remarkably quiet as we walked.
"It's nice to see some old friends, isn't it?" I said cheerily.
"Yeah, sure," Astrid gave me a half-hearted smile. I decided I would have to talk to her once we got alone again.
Almost the whole village was in the Great Hall when we got in. Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff, me and Heather sat down by an empty table and started to chatter eagerly.
"So Heather, how have you been?" Fishlegs asked.
"Oh, I've been great! Nothing special really, some voyages with my mum and dad... and nothing exciting really, either", she said and tucked in.
"You never wrote me," Snotlout pointed out, earning an elbow to the side from Ruff. Heather was perfectly still for a couple of seconds as she glanced at Snotlout, and then she kept eating without commenting on that.
"What about you guys, how has Berk been? Any Outcast visits?"
"Gladly we have heard from neither the Outcasts nor the Berserkers. A couple of years ago though we faced a madman who had a Bewilderbeast... He tried to conquer Berk and all our dragons but fortunately Toothless and the rest of the dragons made sure he wouldn't come back!" Fishlegs explained enthusiastically. Heather listened to him attentively.
"Toothless actually managed to blast off one of the Bewilderbeast's two massive tusks!" Astrid exclaimed.
"My bud's one marvellous dragon," I said affectionately and gave Toothless a gentle smile. He replied with his toothless signature smile.
"He sure is," Heather agreed smiling affectionately.
We all finished dinner with laughter and funny stories from past years. Once we were done, Mulch suddenly called me.
"Chief! Chief Hiccup!"
"Chief...?" Heather asked slowly and looked at me in awe.
"Ehh... I'll explain in a minute. Yes, Mulch?"
"I have lost a map! I have no idea where it could be!"
"Did I hide it somewhere?" Bucket wondered.
"Okay Mulch, I'll tell everyone to keep their eyes open and bring it to you if they find it."
"Thank you, Chief Hiccup," Mulch said. I nodded at him, and he left with Bucket.
I stood up and took a look around. Then I cupped my hands around my mouth.
"Silence, please!" I boomed.
It was surprisingly effective. Seemed like I had got everyone's attention at first try!
"Mulch just told me that he has lost a map. Should any of you come across a lost-looking map, please contact Mulch directly. Thank you for your attention, you may now continue... whatever you were doing."
Everyone at my table stood up with me, and I took a deep breath as the loud chattering continued.
"I'll go grab us all beer," Astrid said and left.
"So, chief?"
"Yeah... this will really take getting used to," I sighed. Heather kept looking at me with a questioning face. "Oh, yeah... I succeeded my dad as the chief of Berk two years ago."
"Wow, he retired early... I mean, you must have been only..."
"Twenty years old, yes... I succeeded him early because he... because he passed," I said quietly, closed my eyes and sighed deeply. The pain of the loss still hadn't become bearable. Heather gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.
"I'm so sorry, Hiccup," she said quietly and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, "what happened?"
Oh great, I have to tell the details for, what, like the 85,747th time? I took a deep breath and let it out.
"Drago Bludvist, this madman we mentioned, made his Bewilderbeast get Toothless under the beast's control... His intention was to make Toothless kill me but dad... dad just ran out of nowhere and... he took the blast," I finished breathlessly. I felt the bridge of my nose tingling the way it did when tears were on their way.
"That's horrible, Hiccup... I really am sorry," she whispered and threw her arms around my neck all of a sudden. I returned the hug, and when I pulled back, she pressed her lips on mine without a warning. My eyes widened. It was impossible to pull back without moving my lips on hers very slightly. To my utter horror, the next thing I heard was several wooden beer pints falling hard to the floor and then people squealing as the beers splashed on them. I turned my head immediately and saw the now shaking Astrid staring at me and Heather with outrage. Tears had filled her eyes, and she shook her head at me in disbelief.
"No... Astrid!" was all I could say before she ran out of the Great Hall and slammed the huge doors. I buried my face in my hands, listing every last swear word I could think of in my mind.
"Hiccup-" Heather's voice started. I put my hands down and scowled her.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?!" I spit out venomously.
"Hiccup, I'm sorry-!"
"Come on bud, we have to try and find Astrid!" I hopped on Toothless and zoomed out of the Great Hall with him.
Astrid's point of view
I was thinking about Heather's sudden visit to myself when I had gone to get all of the others beers. I myself didn't feel like drinking beer because I was carrying a secret I'd need to share with Hiccup soon.
Of course it's nice to see her for the first time in a long time, we said goodbye in good terms, but she seems a little bit too interested in Hiccup for my taste, just like the last time... I mean, she eagerly fingered the braids I made! Last time she got immediately to Hiccup's good graces just to get her hands on the Book of Dragons. I wonder what she has in mind this-
My thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Heather and Hiccup hugging for the second time today. I felt my blood heating slightly. However, what happened next caused me to lose my hold of the tray. The beers splashed all over the people standing closest to me but I couldn't care at that moment.
What the hell is this? I thought, and I couldn't get one single word out as I looked at Hiccup and Heather kissing. Unbelievable! How can he DO this to me? How can THEY do this to me...!
Suddenly Hiccup was looking at me but I still couldn't say anything, I just wanted to get far away from him and Heather. I turned around, ran out of the Great Hall, and the first tears streamed down as I slammed the doors behind me and hopped on Stormfly to take off.
"Girl... I need my axe," I said with a shaking voice and started sobbing.
Stormfly flew me home and I ran to my room to get my axe. I grabbed it and ran back out of the house.
"Don't worry about the axe, girl, you know I would never use it on you! Just get me away from here!" I exclaimed to Stormfly when she squeeked seeing my axe.
We took off, and at that point I couldn't have cared less where we were going. I just wanted to get to a forest where I could throw my axe at the trees so I wouldn't murder any people.
Those stinking little piles of... I cursed both Hiccup and Heather in my mind before I started sobbing uncontrollably and buried my face behind Stormfly's spike crown.