"Ta-da!" Hiccup stuck his left leg out from behind the counter, brandishing his newly completed prosthetic. "I just finished it this morning. No more hand-me-down leg for me."
"Good," Astrid reached over the counter to give her betrothed a kiss, "I'm not dancing with a gimpy husband."
"I hate to break it to you milady but you're always going to have a gimpy husband."
She hummed, planting another kiss on his nose. Hiccup caught a glimpse of her ring on her left hand, glistening in the afternoon sunlight. It had taken Astrid several hours before she finally realized what made her ring so unique, which then released a cascade of shimmering tears. Hiccup had forged his ring in the same manner, using the black Night Fury scales instead of the Nadder scales. It was tucked away for safekeeping with Eret…the most responsible of the gang.
"One week to go," Hiccup ran his fingers over her ring. The past few months had been a whirlwind. Summer had changed to winter, and with it the island had gone from a smattering of a few houses to a sprawling village that rivaled Old Berk. Their house, Astrid's brainchild, was nearly completed on her selected hill. Hiccup had carpenters working on their marriage bed, and the masons were there now fitting in the hearth. Valka had assisted in overseeing the construction in Hiccup's absence. Turns out she had an eye for design…another trait of hers that Hiccup was pleased to discover he had inherited.
"I can't wait to see the house," Astrid exhaled dreamily.
"It follows your design-"
"But I mean to really see it, to step inside of it. Plus, you know, I couldn't do the upstairs…"
"A-ha," Hiccup felt his face begin to burn scarlet.
Astrid smirked, "I'm sure it's perfect."
"Yeah, it better be-"
Hiccup and Astrid jumped, startled at the third voice in the forge. Ruffnut stood against one of the shop's poles, her arms crossed, and an all-knowing grin on her face.
"Because you know, you're going to be spending lots of time there-" she began to shimmy provocatively, her hips swaying. Hiccup felt his jaw become unhinged as Astrid turned his face away from Ruffnut's innuendos. She stomped over to the interloper and whacked her on her shoulder.
"Ow!"
"Seriously Ruffnut!?"
"I'm just saying!"
Hiccup, still not recovered from Ruffnut's performance, found some bolts and nuts to distract him.
"Uh so, Ruff…what brings you here…unannounced…unwanted…?"
"I'm here for your wifey," Ruffnut slung an arm around Astrid's shoulder, "It's torture time!"
"Wait, what?"
Astrid rolled her eyes, shrugging off Ruffnut's grasp. "Ignore her. It's just a dress fitting Hiccup."
"Ehh…" Ruffnut waved her hand, "Gothi motioned to bring you too-"
"Oh Frigg," Astrid swore, her cheeks suddenly darkening.
"Um, should I be worried?" Hiccup felt completely out of the loop…a rarity for a chief.
"No, but Astrid should be."
"What-"
"It's better if you don't ask Hiccup," Astrid insisted, inching back up to him. She looked nervous, something alien for Astrid. "Or at least wait until after the wedding."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"Not until the wedding night!" Ruffnut screeched.
"DAMN IT RUFF!"
Hiccup's favorite place within the perimeter of New Berk was the Great Hall. It was larger than the centuries old one, and echoed all of the changes that their people had endured. The pillars inside were practically elegant in comparison, stretching up into the rafters with twisted designs like vines. Where ornate molding would have been in previous designs, the space beneath the vaulted ceiling was bordered with windows that sent natural light weaving through the rafters. Up on the ceiling, dozens of dragons danced their way across the hall, with the form of Toothless soaring overhead of Hiccup's high table.
He smiled up fondly at the familiar green eyes that permanently stared down at him. He willed them to blink, to become sentient, but with no luck. Though he had sat beneath this part of the mural for months now, done the same wistful glance every night with the same disappointing results, he suspected that he would continue to do the same routine for a lifetime.
He fumbled with his supper, stirring the lamb stew while keeping his eyes peeled on the populace before him. His mother was nowhere to be found, and Astrid had not returned from her fitting. He suspected that somehow the two of them ended up together, but it did not explain the absences of his gang of miscreants. Gobber usually sat beside him, three tankards of ale in while Eret would make polite chatter with Hiccup. Normally by now Snotlout would have meandered up to the high table to try to smooth-talk Hiccup into allowing him some privilege, Fishlegs would be surrounded by papers and books, and Tuffnut would have caused some disruption that required Hiccup's interference. Stranger still, his Uncle Spitelout was missing too.
Hiccup's brow furrowed, though he couldn't say he was disappointed. For once he could enjoy a meal in its entirety without having to stop to fix a fight or to fight for a fix. The night was calm…
Until a rooster landed on his head.
Hiccup didn't even put down his spoon. He stopped, mid slurp, and glanced up to see tail feathers.
"Uh…"
"HUZZAH!"
Hiccup felt himself flying backwards, the rooster frantically flapping its wings to escape the tumble. With his chair on the floor, Hiccup looked skyward to see Tuffnut, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Eret surrounding him, each wearing a red cloth cloak.
"Do I even have to ask?" Hiccup muttered, his fingers rubbing his temple, though not nearly with enough force to crack his skull.
"BROTHERS!" Tuffnut bellowed, "TONIGHT WE STEAL AWAY OUR CHIEF AND BRING HIM INTO A SECRET SOCIETY WHERE ONLY THE-"
"Uh, it's not really a secret anymore Tuffnut?" FIshlegs stammered.
"Seriously Legs?" Tuffnut groaned, "Ruining the mood here."
"Sorry! I just meant that-"
"Ugh, are we going to drag him out or not?" Snotlout rolled his eyes.
"Drag me? What the-"
"Sorry Chief," Eret shrugged, "Not my idea, they're just making me do it."
With Fishlegs and Eret each grabbing and arm, and Snotlout and Tuffnut at the legs, the four young men carried Hiccup out the front door. Hiccup saw everyone watching the bizarre parade, and even heard someone hooting and whistling. Eventually, all he could see was the night sky.
"Geez Hiccup," Snotlout whined, "Why does your leg feel so heavy?"
"Huh, I don't know Snot, probably because it's made out of metal!?"
"Ooh is that the new leg Hiccup? The one you showed me the designs for?" Fishlegs raved.
"Uh, yeah."
"What did you do with the extra compartment space since you don't need the flying-"
"UGH YOU'RE RUINING THE MOMENT!" Tuffnut nearly dropped Hiccup's leg in outrage.
"You know, it's kind of hard for me to ruin anything when I have no idea why you knuckleheads dragged me out from dinner!"
"Ohh trust me my dear, sweet Hikke, you will be amazed."
"It's about time you lot got here!"
"Oh dear Thor why?"
They deposited Hiccup unceremoniously at the bank of one of the island's thermal springs where, already waist deep in the water, sat Spitelout and Gobber. As Hiccup stumbled to his feet, Tuffnut approached him, having raised the hood of his cloak so that it covered the top half of his face.
"Hiccup Haddock…on this night we, your brothers, have brought you to this sacred space to indulge you with the intimate knowledge of manhood."
"Uh, what?"
"What Bragi-brain here means," Gobber gestured to Tuffnut, "is that we're here to talk about marriage life."
Hiccup blinked, taking in the group of men before him before he snorted out a rib bursting laugh.
"That's great guys!" He panted in between breaths, "That's, whoo, that's a good one. Oh, I needed that laugh. Oh Loki, okay well if that's all, I'll be getting back to my dinner now-"
Somehow Tuffnut materialized in front of him again, his face inches from his.
"Strip."
"What the Hel?"
"Remove the shackles of bachelorhood and dip into the pool of husbandry."
"Um, you do realize that literally the only one here who has been married is Spitelout right?"
Three splashes sounded behind him. The only two not in the water were Hiccup and Tuffnut.
"Strip."
"No thanks-"
"Oh come on lad, just appease the numbskull so we can go home!" Spitelout shouted.
With an agitated and defeated sigh, Hiccup rolled up the hem of his tunic before settling on the ground to remove his leg. With a face burner brighter than Nadder fire, he removed the rest of his clothes and joined the remaining men in the pool.
Seconds later, Tuffnut leapt into the pool, drenching all of them.
"Alright now that he's here," he resurfaced, "Give him some wisdom."
"What? This was all your idea," Spitelout said.
"Yeah well you're the only one here who's been married-"
"Literally what I just said-"
"So pass down what you have learned about being a husband to your wife-"
"Hey whoa, time out!" Snotlout splashed Tuffnut, "That is my mother-"
"But she was his wife first," Fishlegs replied.
"Yeah, how do you think she became your mom?" Tuffnut smirked. "Enlighten us Spitelout!"
"Nope, nope, I'm out of here, see ya."
"Oh Snotlout sit your naked arse down, I'm not going to share dirty tales about your mum."
Even Hiccup had to chuckle at Spitelout's quip. From the bushes, Eret retrieved a large flask and passed it to Hiccup for the first swig. It was a gods-awful drink whose heat rivaled the water they bathed in, but he obliged and quickly passed it on to Fishlegs.
"So, Hikke," Tuffnut began, "Tell us of your experiences with the fair Astrid."
The drink almost made an appearance.
"What? Seriously?"
"Well it's so we can help you-"
"I don't need help-"
"So you admit that you have escorted Astrid to a bedchamber and-"
"No! What the-!"
Snoutlout interrupted, "All in favor of drowning Tuffnut say aye."
"AYE!"
Hiccup nearly voluntarily drowned himself. He lowered himself into the water up to his ears, muffling the crude sounds that surrounded him. He raised a brow at Gobber as if daring him to admit that he had a part in all of this. Gobber frowned, glancing at the group around them, and sighed.
"Alright look…this isn't your typical pre-wedding festivity. After all Stoick-"
Hiccup understood.
"My dad was supposed to be here."
A solemnity settled among the group. Spitelout glanced away with a scowl while Eret stared into the steaming water.
"Aye, he was. It's a father's job to tell his son what to expect as a married man…and it's a father's friend's job to help his son when the father is no longer with us."
"My grandfather died before my dad was married…both of my grandfathers did," Hiccup glanced at his uncle, who nodded stiffly, sadly.
"Your father had the strength of many friends behind him Hiccup, which is why we are here…even if only one of us has ever been married."
"Yet!" Snoutlout chimed in, only to receive a splash from his father.
"Even if it's not all manly, marital advice, we can at least all have a good time celebrating together. After all," Gobber sniffed, "you're getting married in a week, to Astrid! Oh if my younger self could see you now-" he elbowed Eret in the side, "he used to stare at her for hours on end when he was a lad-"
"Gobber!"
"Besides, we're not going to see you for a month," Fishlegs added, "We wanted to spend some time with you."
"Yeah and I'll know what not to do when you come back," Snotlout grinned, resulting in another splash from Spitelout. Hiccup couldn't help it, he laughed.
"Thanks guys, it means a lot, even if it was a bit…misguided…" he nodded at Tuffnutt, who seemed on the edge of tears.
"Hikke, Hikke, Hikke, anything for you. Be it advice or annoyance, Brother Tuffnut is always here."
"I'll take that into consideration," he reached for the flask again but paused. "So, what was with the rooster landing on my head?"
"Oh! That's easy. You see girls have what's called a 'hen party,' but I thought for us guys we could have a c-"
Eret dunked Tuffnut underwater with a wily smirk. The rest of the evening slipped into a steady pattern of laughter, drinks, and fond memories. Hiccup found himself able to relax, able to glance up at the stars and for the first time in months not wish that he was up soaring amongst them. Life was moving on, as it had after his mother's disappearance, as it had after his father's death...but this time he greeted it not with uncertainty, but with anticipation for the unknown.