They stepped off the ship, Viveka nestled within one of his arms as he held tight to Astrid's hand. She was nervous, he knew; and he opted to be understanding of how she had to be feeling. She's never had a family, after all. This would all be new to her, and she worried how they would take to meeting her, despite his many attempts to assure her that most of the group would be very welcoming.

She did know about Heather, as he refused to have any secrets between them in this marriage. He told her everything that transpired between him and Heather four years ago, and she was understanding. For that he was grateful.

Her acceptance to his life before her weakened him in the knees. It made him realize just how close to perfect she really was. What better woman could you ask for, than one who will know you love them despite occurrences of the past.

So now, he would be there for her. He would support her as any good and loving husband would. And as he made that wonderful choice, the past four years started coming to memory. He thought of when they first met, up until this very moment.

Four years ago...

He took a deep breath as he looked around the land that was to be his home for the next four years. It was dull, in comparison to the bright and cheerful tones of Berk. Beside him, Toothless gave a snort, as if reading his thoughts and agreeing with him that this place was not to enthralling.

He chuckled, giving his dragon a pat on the head. "Come on, it could be worse." He told the Night Fury. When said dragon gave him a 'how?' look, he laughed again. "Well they could have denied allowing you to come with me." He reasoned with a pointed smile.

Toothless rolled his eyes and bopped his rider on the head with one of his paws. Not to hard, but enough to send Hiccup back a bit, laughing out loud.

"Hiccup!" A strong, thickly-accented voice called out suddenly. A big man appeared, bulky as Hiccup's father. But unlike Stoick, this man had blonde hair and blue eyes. He smiled as he stalked toward Hiccup.

Hiccup smiled back to the middle aged man. "Siegfried!" He called jubilee. The two shared a handshake, and Siegfried gave Toothless a generous pat on the head.

"It's good to see you, lad. My, you have grown. Not the scrawny boy you once were eh!" He bellowed out. "How's your father?"

The young heir shared in a small laugh and gave a shrug. "Bull-headed, as always." He replied. "And how are things here?" He asked then.

On the rare occasion that Siegfried laughed, it was a time people wouldn't soon forget. Loud and boisterous, his laugh sounded more like that of a horn than of rough air coming from the lungs and voice box.

"Ah, the people here are a bunch of mambering, pampering bitches. You're in for a next four years, boy." He said with a heavy hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "But no more of that now. Allow me to show you to the forge. I'm sure your eager to try it out and see it suits all your needs?" He said knowingly.

The two parted ways at the forge and Hiccup began looking around. It was decently sized, though not as big as the one back on Berk. They had an excellent furnace, plenty of rods and grinds; it was as close to a perfect forge as one could really get.

He spent the next few hours there, working on some testing projects to get the hand of the new environment and surroundings. After a while, he grew hot and lifted his shirt off of his frame.

His muscles flexed, and skin soaked with sweat as the heat melted into him. With every beat of his hammer, he could feel and hear the roll of his shoulders as they danced in his expertise.

"M-Mr. Haddock." A soft voice cut through the otherwise silence that filled the space.

He turned to meet the call, surprised to be met by a young girl, not much younger than himself she appeared. He studied her for a moment, noting her silky blonde hair and shear blue eyes that were so beautiful, yet appeared so timid, as if afraid he would hurt her. He could immediately sense a mysterious air about her, something that left him in wonder.

Sensing her slight fear, he gave a kind smile and waved for her to come in. "Can I help you, milady?" He asked gently.

She bowed her head, hiding her beautiful face behind her waterfall of hair. Then she held out a goblet that was filled to the brim with sweet honey mead. "My father asked me to give this to you as a welcoming gift, sir." She told him in a whisper.

He looked down at the mead filled goblet in his hands, then looked back to the girl. "Who's your father?" He asked her curiously.

"Siegfried." She replied.

He was shocked, to say the least. Well, that did explain the hair and eyes. While the genetic traits for the two were not uncommon, he found hers to be strikingly familiar as soon as he saw her. Now he knew why. "What's your name?" He asked then, setting the mead aside on one of the tables.

"Astrid Hofferson."

"Divine beauty. Fitting; you are very beautiful." It wasn't his charm or flattery, he truly found this Astrid woman delightfully beautiful. His brows furrowed though, when he saw she looked hurt by his comment. "I-I apologize. I-I didn't mean to offen-,"

"You didn't offend me." She said quickly. "It's just...my father has never told I'm... beautiful." She said while rubbing her arm self-conscientiously.

He became sympathetic then, understanding. Reaching out, he softly brushed her hair back from her face and tilted her head up so that she was no longer hidden from view. "What kind of father doesn't tell his own daughter that she's beautiful?" It honestly left him stumped. If he ever had a daughter, he wouldn't treat her the way this girl was obviously being treated.

"Astrid!" Siegfried's voice rumbled. He stomped into the forge, looking to be furious. "You bitch!" He spat in Astrid's face. "I told you to never enter my study!" He shouted angrily.

Astrid's eyes showed Hiccup how terrified she truly was. "I'm sorry, father. I-,"

"Shut the fuck up!" He said with a backhand, which sent her straight to the ground at his feet. "If you go in there again, I swear to Odin I will send you to Rome." And with a sharp jab of his foot to her ribs, he turned and left without another word.

Hiccup stood wide-eyed. Kneeling, he eased toward Astrid, who backed up in fear while sobbing quietly. "Sh. Sh. It's ok. I'm not going to hurt you." He assured her softly. Sliding his arms under her knees and back, he lifted her with ease and carried her to a table in the corner. "Does this happen often?" He asked as he tended to the small cut left on her cheek by the impact of her father's hand.

She nodded. "I'm lucky that's all he did." She admitted.

His heart ached for the poor girl. No wonder she showed nothing but fear when facing him. An abusive father was bound to cause damage to the point of not trusting men very well.

In the next few months, things began to escalate quickly. Though it took time, Hiccup broke through the walls of the divine beauty with an abusive father. They transitioned into best friends rather quickly, but that's all everyone thought they were for a long time. Unbeknownst though, in just a period of six months, Hiccup and Astrid became a couple.

For a time, Hiccup did feel a stab of guilt. How could he do this to Heather? It was insensitive of him, especially since he had gone as far as to promise her that he would marry her when he returned in four years. But at the same time, he couldn't deny his own heart. His heart told him it was Astrid. She was the one.

He loved her. He truly loved her, as he'd loved no one else. With her he was never bored. She had this captivating aura about her that seemed to just draw him in deeper. It was a glorious feeling, one of which he knew he would never forget while with her.

At the moment, they were in his hut, making out. Things had started to get rather steamy, within the last month. A simple kiss or a peck on the cheek could lead to a five minute make out, but neither of them were complaining. Quite the contrary, in fact.

With a groan from the back of his throat, he slid his hands over the curve of her hips and lifted her up to set he on the counter. Stepping between her legs, he rested his hands on her thighs while running his tongue along her bottom lip. He was surprised though, when she slipped from the counter and wrapped her legs around his waist completely.

"Milady." He mumbled against her lips, smiling wide.

Settling into the position, he began losing control of his thoughts and proceeded to carry her up the stairs, toward his bedroom. He stumbled into the spacious room, kicking the door closed behind him. Steadying her again, he turned to lean her up against the wall and worked at the strings of her bodice.

That's when he moved quickly, stumbling to his bed. He tumbled down on top of her and his hands dove under her shirt, while he worked his lips down the gentle curve of her neck.

And then she moaned.

As soon as the erotic sound fell into his ear, his eyes darted open. His brain snapped. He pulled away from her neck and shook his head. "No." He whispered. "No, this is wrong." He told her, hating the crushed look that made its way to her beautiful face.

Hurt flashed in her eyes and she settled down more on the face of the bed. "D-did I read the signs wrong?" She asked. "Do...you not want t-,"

"Of course I want to." He said with a smile as he began to stroke her cheek. "I do want it. Milady, there's nothing I'd love more than to go all the way and love you in full measure. What I meant was, we can't." He brushed her bangs out of her eyes and slid his thumb across her high cheekbone. "I'm not a very traditional man, Astrid; I have a dragon, for Thor's sake! But this one...- Listen, I love you. So much. With all my heart. To love you in bed right now would be amazing. But to love you in bed, as my wife...I don't know...What I'm saying is, as much as I want it with my girlfriend, saving it for when said girlfriend is my wife is something I would treasure, forever." His voice grew quieter as he continued. He spoke the honest truth, straight from his heart.

The corners of her mouth tugged upwards, as she listened to his careful wording. "Hiccup, are you...?"

He smiled right back, sweet and loving. "I am." And reaching down, he slipped his hand into his pocket and brought out a sapphire gemstone ring. "Astrid Hofferson, will you be my wife? Will you spend the rest of your life with this stubborn knucklehead? Will you allow me to wake up beside you every morning and go to sleep with you every night? Will you be the mother of my children?"

A hand was pressed to her mouth and her tears caught in her fingers. A sob echoed through her hand. "Yes." She whispered hoarsely. "Yes I will, Hiccup."

...

They were married a matter of weeks later. Nothing to splendorous, but still a grand affair. Both were a smiling, teary-eyed mess as the ceremony unfolded.

The reception followed quickly afterward. Five hours was spent on drinking and dancing and singing traditional Viking marriage songs. By the end of it all, bride and groom were both on the edge of being drunk as well, as was customary.

The couple was, to say the least, nervous as they were escorted to their marital bed by the marriage party. The group consisted of six others, who would witness them seal the marriage. It had been one issue the two had wanted to bypass. They wanted the first time they made love to be more memorable than having six others watching them.

When they arrived in the dimly lit room, there was a bed, which was to be theirs for as long as they were married, and a tapestry which hung over to cover the sides. They found it ridiculously large, but the villagers had insisted they keep it.

Nervousness seeped from their auras, and they tried to block it out. Yes, there were six people in their room with them, but they would at least have the cover of the tapestry to afford them some privacy.

A single kiss to her forehead, then he turned her around with gentle ease. Clumsy hands worked at the laces of her silky dress. A knot worked its way in his throat as more and more of her skin became exposed. His shaky hand skated lightly over her bare back, relishing how soft and light it felt. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to the crook of her shoulder.

"You ok?" He whispered against her skin.

She nodded mutely, enjoying the feel of his warm hands on her cool back. "Hiccup." She purred.

Turning her around again, he slid the arms of her dress down and pulled her in for a slow kiss. And when her dress fell from her body, leaving her in just her undergarments, he swore he would lose all sense of control. But he kept it, allowing for her to lift his shirt off of him, and work his pants down his hips.

That's when he lifted her. Hands snaking around her slim frame, hands holding her thighs, he carried her over to their bed, opened the tapestry and rested her down. He took a moment to close the curtains to the bed, making sure the council could not see them. Then he eased himself down on top of her.

It was a slow and awkward process of undressing each other. Red cheeks and lidded eyes filled the moments between. But when they were both left bare to one another, no awkwardness showed on either of their faces.

He trapped her between himself and the bed and stared her up and down. "You are so beautiful, my love. So beautiful."

...

The topic of children wasn't a major one between Hiccup and Astrid. They knew they wanted children, just not right after marriage. They wanted time to just enjoy each other and fill their time with bliss before they brought the children along.

Two years, they were married; two years and then Astrid conceived. To say they had been trying would be a lie. They really weren't. But they were no less overjoyed at the idea that they had created a baby and that they were going to be parents. It was a thrilling thought to each of them.

Hiccup was proud to have a baby on the way, anyone could see that. Even early on, he was highly protective of his carrying wife. No chances, he would tell her. He was like a child on snoggletog, waiting eagerly for what he knew was to be the best present in the world.

And he wasn't too far off either.

It was nearing snoggletog, and the time had finally come where Hiccup completed his training and could return to Berk. Astrid, who was six months pregnant, would obviously be going with him.

Things had been going smoothly, planning the return trip and how to get Astrid and the baby adjusted when they arrived on Berk. All was going well; and then baby Haddock decided to make a surprise entry.

Little Haddock came into the world three months before she was supposed to, and the day before they were set to head out for Berk. Her delivery had been a long and strenuous one, taking quite the toll on her parents. Hiccup was especially worried, not wanting to lose either his wife or his baby or both. But when Astrid had placed their daughter in his arms he felt an overwhelming sense of love. The greatest feeling in the world.

Better than when he'd been married.

Better than when he was flying.

Viveka Carin Lajla Haddock was what they had decided to name her. It was going to be Cornilia Ellinor Haddock, had been their first option, but she was their miracle baby. Her name gave her the meaning of miracle. No name could have been more suiting.

Things had to keep on track though, and Hiccup had to have help in moving a still weak Astrid onto the ship they would be taking. Meanwhile, he spent most of his own time either by her bedside or with Viveka on the deck of the ship.

Going home, he knew, would be tough. He'd left four years ago, telling Heather he loved her and that he would return to marry her. Now he was coming home with a wife and a daughter, and it was bound to break the heart of the girl he'd once loved.

He bounced Viveka in the crook of his elbow and held her up to kiss her tiny forehead. "What is wrong with me, Vivi?" He said more to himself, though speaking his daughter's name. When she gave a gurgled response and shook his fist, he took her hand in his. "I can't wait for everyone to meet you, Viveka; you and your mother."