Chapter 2

Silence.

This is not what Hiccup wanted to hear.

He had just stuttered out words he never, ever thought he'd be able to say.

"Astrid Hofferson, will you marry me?"

In hindsight, they may have been easier than what he had originally thought, but it was still probably the hardest thing he'd ever done up until a few seconds later.

Harder than fighting the Red Death, harder than standing up to his father, harder than training Toothless.

But not as hard as the silence afterwards.

The silence dragged, felt like hours and hours. Hours of keeping his position with one knee on the houses rough wooden floor and his artificial leg digging into his bent knee, waiting for her answer. The pressure and slight pain didn't even register in his brain. He was so numb. He should have known the answer and why she was silent, but the quiet, instead of allowing him to hear clearly, drowned him and made it impossible to hear at all. It's a hard feeling to explain, the lack of sound being so deafening.

In reality, it was mere seconds.

Before any sign of affection or intimacy, Astrid would always punch him. Always.

But not this time.

Instead, Hiccup's eyes widened as she bunched her knees and sprung at him, tackling him to the oak floor. Her lips met his and the ring that Hiccup's own hands had slaved over tumbled to the ground, forgotten for the moment. Hiccups hands instead wound themselves in her blonde braid and he kissed her back passionately, his eyes closing.

And that's why his eyes were the only thing in his body that didn't feel what she said next.

"Yes." She murmured against his lips.

Hiccup's whole body rejoiced, feeling Astrid laying on top of him, his mouth tasting hers, his nose smelling her familiar scent and his ears hearing the news first.

Astrid's arms removed themselves from settled on Hiccup's chest and wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer if it was even possible.

They kissed heatedly, not going much further for a good two minutes before a loud thumping sound came from outside.

Hiccup had proposed just inside Astrids house, and so they were collapsed together on the floor right in front of the large wooden door. And from the racket outside, someone heavy was coming up the stairs and about to come in.

The couple fought desperately to untangle themselves in the few seconds they had, but were barely separate from the waist down* when the door swung open.

Their eyes shot up in terror to see Astrid's father looming above them.

"Astrid."

"Dad!" Astrid squeaked out. "It's not- we didn't-" She stammered, looking frightened.

Astrid grappled for words, trying to explain this inappropriate-looking situation to her father before he got the wrong idea or banished Hiccup or pummeled him to little bits and pieces.

Before finishing her sentence, Astrid straightened herself and stood, yanking Hiccup to his feet quickly, but not before Hiccup grabbed the ring.

"Astrid.. I take it that you said yes?"

A beat of silence came into the room.

Hiccup watched amusedly as Astrid gaped at her father, then looked at Hiccup accusingly.

"Did I.. What?"

"I asked him beforehand Astrid. You know, fathers blessing and all that." Hiccup chuckled slightly.

Astrid let out a huge breath of air and turned back to her father.

"Yeah, dad. I said yes."

"That's my girl! You know, Hiccup wasn't such a catch a couple years ago, but he's since proven himself worthy of my little Astrid-"

"Dad!" Astrid snapped, a bit of color tinting her cheeks. "C'mon Hiccup, lets go for a ride."

Hiccup was quickly pulled out of the door and towards the stables beside the Hofferson house. A grin was stretching his lips as he watched his girlfriend.. no.. Fiancee! Drag him towards her dragon.

Astrid turned to face him when they were safely inside Stormfly's stable.

The dragon was lazily picking and preening at its scales, but had perked up considerably upon seeing her rider.

Astrid punched Hiccup in the –still rather skinny- arm.

"Ow!"

"That's for not telling me you'd already asked my dad."

"Well that seems hardly fair-"

Astrid pulled him to her for a quick kiss.

"And that's for popping the question." She smiled, but Hiccup could tell, even two months from the original incident, that she was nervous.

"Don't think of this whole thing as something old and moldy villagers like Mildew are making us do. Don't think that this is some stupid tradition forcing us to get married."

"Oh wow, Hiccup. You're really wooing me with all this romantic talk."

The sarcasm from Astrid's end was unexpected, seeing as sarcasm was one of Hiccups main personality traits.

"Instead, think about how even if the Rite didn't exist, I still probably would have asked you for your hand this year or the next.

"Really?"

"You're very good at having faith in me, Astrid."

Astrid turned to her dragon, but didn't leave quite yet.

"And you love me for it."

Then, grinning, she turned around halfway and held out her left hand.

Hiccup understood almost immediately what she meant by this gesture, and fumbled slightly with his hands to produce the ring he had fashioned earlier this month.

This was the first time Astrid had actually gotten a good look at the ring. It was a silvery metal, twining around the base with a deep blue stone that stone brightly in even dim light. It was beautiful, and Astrid couldn't believe Hiccup had fashioned it with his own hands.

He slipped it onto her finger, and unexpectedly, Astrid reached inside her saddlebag on Stormfly and came out with an engagement ring for the male.

She put it on Hiccup, her fingers strong and sure.

Her voice told a different story. One of certainty, but also caution and fear.

"T-there. Now its official."

Before Hiccup could respond, a chuckle reached his ears.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, I did. Like.. a laugh, or something?"

Astrid's eyes narrowed and her gaze locked on three barrels of fish.

Upon closer inspection, the barrels seemed to be vibrating a little.

Astrid stepped closer to the barrels, creeping around silentely until she was behing them. Then she kicked them over.

Hiccup gaped as the twins and Snotlout all fell out of separate barrels.

Snotlout landed on top of Ruffnut, who landed on top of Tuffnut.

"Ohh… Hey, guys! Astrid, Hiccup.." Snotlout tried to smile sheepishly.

Astrid walked around the heap of her friends and made a noise almost like a growl.

All of them gulped.

Before Hiccup could blink, Astrid yelled "Get OUT of my stable!" And tossed them all out with strong arms and a stronger warrior yell.

Hiccup couldn't even take a breath before the twins were up and running, with Snotlout trailing behind, working his shorter legs harder just to keep up.

"Back to our conversation, I'll meet you on Mount scale at nightfall, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. Toothless will love the night time flight."

Astrid smiled, then climbed up on Stormfly.

"Bye!" Stormfly seemed overexcited to get out of the stables, and leapt into the air, eager to get into the high island skies.

Hiccup shook his head, looking at the shrinking form of a dragon carrying the girl he loved.

He started walking back to his house, allowing himself a little 'Woo hoo!'. He had just proposed. To Astrid. Then had a heated make out session. Despite the interruption by the twins and Snotlout, Hiccup couldn't really see how this day could get any better.