AN: And we're back! Sorry for the delay. Between finals and other priorities, writing had to take a backseat. Today's chapter is long though so hopefully that makes up for the wait.

As a heads up, I will be going on vacation starting next week, so probably wont be able to update until the week of May 23rd. But the first half of the next chapter is finished so hopefully I can get it up soon after I get home.

As always, thank you for the awesome reviews and PMs. You all are the best!


As the sun rose, golden light slowly brightened the dim interior of the cavern. Astrid was the first to wake, eyes fluttering open as a sunbeam swept across her face. As her eyes adjusted, the first thing she saw were the rough and uneven crags above her. A few stalactites adorned the ceiling, making the jagged canopy seem lower than it really was. Moisture from the evening rain still clung to some of the points, creating little drops of dew that fell to the ground below. Listening to the soft sounds of breathing around her, Astrid's eyes focused on one bead of water as it barely clung to the mineral's surface, slowly stretching to form a droplet before finally tumbling down. Based on the irritated grumble from the dragon curled up at her left, the young woman had to imagine it fell right on-top of Stormfly's head.

The rigid ground beneath them was relatively smooth compared to the rest of the cave, but obviously offered no comfort to Astrid's aching torso. Her muscles now felt extremely stiff, and she was overcome with a strong desire to stretch. Pulling her arms and legs away from her core, she deeply exhaled through gritted teeth as the pain in her side shot across her chest. Her groggy mind was filled with brief memories of interrupted sleep, mostly too dark to see anything but with vivid sensations of constantly moving and adjusting throughout the night. She recalled grunts and grumbles, from human and dragon, as one or more parties struggled to find a comfortable position. It was far from the best quality of sleep she had ever experienced, but she would live.

Pressing her palms into the ground at her sides, Astrid tensed her arms to slowly prop herself up. Only two inches off the floor, her eyes began to water as the ache became sharper. Biting back the pain, she continued to push and curved her back to sit-up. But half-way up, she realized something was blocking her path. Braced by her arms, Astrid looked down to find an unruly mop of auburn hair resting on her stomach. The weight on her abdomen shifted slightly as she moved, and the hair fell to reveal Hiccup's sleeping face. With eyes closed and a slacked jaw, his lips parted slightly and she could hear each steady breath. Blinking in surprise, she followed the rest of his limp form that splayed perpendicular to her own body, his legs resting on top of a slumbering Toothless. Though irritated by the additional strain on her rib, she couldn't help but be amused by the unusual sight.

"Hiccup…", Astrid called softly. No response. "Hiccup", she repeated, this time a little louder. When he still didn't move a muscle, she resorted to balancing her weight on one hand while using the other to poke his nose again and again. At first, the young man only twitched his face, eyes staying stubbornly shut. Finally, he groaned and cracked open a single eyelid. With an unfocused gaze, he lazily looked up towards Astrid's face.

"Morning, sunshine", she mumbled.

Hiccup said nothing, only grunting in response as he closed his eye again.

Biting her lip to conceal a smirk, Astrid quirked an eyebrow. "How'd you wind up there?"

After a brief pause, Hiccup finally muttered, eyes still closed. "You kept moving, then I'd have to move." He yawned as he spoke, as if proving his point. "Then I'd wake up and you'd move."

If the stiffness of her back was any indication, he wasn't kidding. Astrid gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry".

"S'kay" he mumbled, rolling his face down into her stomach.

Astrid snorted at his attempt to end the conversation and go back to sleep. "Well, I need you to get up."

She could feel his head shake slightly, the tip of his nose prodding the flesh of her abdomen. "No thanks", Hiccup replied flatly, his voice muffled by her shirt.

With a shallow sigh, Astrid leaned back slightly to take the strain off her back. She pursed her lips, trying to think of another angle. "I have to pee."

"Sorry to hear it", he replied, unmoved.

About to shoot back a smart retort, Astrid suddenly became aware of a strange, cold sensation on her stomach. Lifting her head a bit higher, she saw a small trail of drool leading to his mouth, forming a dark spot on the fabric of her shirt. Blowing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes, she stared down with mild discontent. "Hiccup, you're drooling on me".

He rolled his face away from her stomach just enough to be heard, although his hair still covered his eyes. "And you're about to pee on me", he muttered, "I think we're more than even".

That did it. Settling back on one elbow, Astrid used her other hand to repeatedly flick his ear. This quickly earned an annoyed groan as Hiccup finally rolled off of her, moving to place his head on Toothless' flank with his back facing her. "You're mean", he groaned.

As she carefully stood, Astrid quietly huffed in response. "And you revert to a seven year old when you're tired."

Hiccup was silent for a moment, leaving her unsure of whether he fell back asleep or was working on a comeback. "I know you are but what am I?"

Holding back a laugh, Astrid scoffed. "Okay, wow. Now you're trying to annoy me."

Though she couldn't see it, she heard a smile in Hiccup's weary voice. "Yeah…", he admitted.

Shaking her head, Astrid looked out of the cavern's mouth at the rising sun. Taking a few steps closer, she took in the mountainous landscape as she carefully stretched her back. Her stomach had been gnawing all night, and had finally passed the point of discomfort to aching. Food would have to be top priority, as she didn't recall seeing Hiccup or the dragons eat the night before either. Looking at their surroundings, it seemed that there weren't a lot of trees or grassy fields that would attract wild game, but being so close to the shore, she reasoned that they would find something edible.

"We should probably get up", she called back to Hiccup. "It could take a few hours to gather enough for everyone to eat breakfast."

Waiting for a response, she was not surprised to only be met with silence. Turning back towards him, Astrid slowly walked closer. "Hiccup?"

As she approached, Toothless opened his eyes, blinking several times before looking towards Hiccup's still form. His head tilted slightly, watching the young man expectantly. Astrid was now only feet away, hands on her hips. "Hiccup?", she called sharply.

"Whaaaat?", he groaned.

Folding her arms in front of her, the young woman frowned. "I said: we need to get up and find food."

"No", he countered bluntly, curling up tighter.

Astrid sighed loudly, dropping her arms to her side. "What do you mean, "no"? We have to eat."

"We will", he grumbled, "when I say so."

"Excuse me?", she huffed, hands returning to her hips.

Hiccup's huddled form turned, allowing him to crane his neck to face her. His expression showed no levity, and instead displayed an annoyance she hadn't seen since the first night she woke up in his cabin. "Look, sweetheart", he growled sardonically, "I get that we're supposed to be married and all...but I still do what I want, when I want. And right now, I want to sleep." With that he quickly turned away, leaning back against Toothless. The dragon quietly warbled with concern as he looked at Astrid, but lowered his head back to the ground.

The young woman blinked rapidly in surprise, her eyes wide as she registered his tone. She was completely taken aback by the sudden heat in his voice. Lately, their squabbles had been playful and well-meaning. Just moments ago they were joking and smiling. Her shock soon gave way to the familiar feeling of anger. Fighting back the urge to one-up him, she reminded herself that she was more mature than that and didn't need to resort to petty insults.

Especially when she could do something far more satisfying.

"Oh. Well, okay…", she sighed, turning around to hide her smirk. "I just figured Toothless must be really hungry. But, if he doesn't want fish….", she trailed off, allowing the last word to hang in the air.

The dragon's head immediately popped up from the ground, eyes wide with excitement. He stood up, unceremoniously dropping his rider onto the ground, and padded towards Astrid. Stormfly also eagerly stood, quickly preening herself as Hiccup rolled over with a groan. The young man sat up on the floor, glaring at Astrid who pointedly ignored him as she scratched the side of Toothless' face.

"You did that on purpose", Hiccup grumbled accusingly.

Astrid turned to look at him, acting as if she had only just noticed him. She smiled charmingly while looking him up and down. "I don't know what you're talking about", she replied brightly, her voice dripping with feigned innocence. "Toothless just does what he wants, when he wants. And right now, I guess he wants breakfast."

Hiccup's mouth hung open as his brow wrinkled in confusion. After replaying her words, recognition set in as he scowled. "And I'm the one who acts like they're seven?"

As the two dragons exited the cavern, Astrid shrugged casually as she followed close behind.

Shaking his head with a groan, the young man lowered himself back the floor, resting his head on his folded arms.

Just as he began to settle, Hiccup was startled by the sudden return of Astrid's unnecessarily loud voice as it echoed through the cavern. "Oh, and honey", she added with sickening sweetness. "If I were you, and expected to eat anything that we catch, I'd want to get a fire started before we get back."

Opening his eyes in resignation, Hiccup released a long, sustained sigh as he listened to her retreating footsteps. "Yes, dear", he grumbled.


The cool morning air chilled Hiccup's fingers as he lugged a log towards the campfire. Tossing the wood into the growing pile, he rubbed his hands together as sensation slowly returned to his numb digits. Crouched to the ground, he grabbed a nearby stick. Hiccup absently prodded the crackling embers, causing a small burst of smoke as a chunk of charred wood collapsed. As he stared at the spreading flames, he couldn't help but reflect on his own ire. After Astrid and the dragons departed, he spent a few minutes sitting alone in the cavern, replaying their earlier exchange. Once his frustration began to subside, it was quickly replaced with guilt and embarrassment. He didn't understand why he was so frustrated. In that moment he was undeniably angry, but not at Astrid. Unfortunately for her, she chose the wrong time to insist on his attention. It hadn't occurred to him how difficult it was now to regulate his emotions, especially for the benefit of those around him. After years of consciously biting his tongue in social settings, he relished in the freedom to react as he pleased. Still, he realized this was actively working at cross-purposes to his personal goal. He wasn't sure exactly when it began, but he had started to construct a rough image of a possible future, where he managed to convince Astrid to stay. At first he brushed the idea off as pure fantasy, but as their relationship became more comfortable, there was enough justification for him to cling to its feasibility. Inciting arguments was not going to help bring that plan to fruition.

A shrill squawk pulled Hiccup's attention, signaling him to approaching footsteps.

Stormfly was the first to appear, still limping slightly but content as she ravenously chewed a mouthful of fish. Just behind her, Hiccup could see Astrid trudging up the hill, cheeks red from exertion. "Hey", he called out.

"Hey" she echoed, flatly. Her leggings were drenched from the knees down, and in each hand she carried two large fish by their tails. As Stormfly huddled near the fire, Astrid dropped the fish on the ground and sat next to them. Hiccup couldn't help but notice that she made a point to situate herself a ways away from him. He watched her as she ignored his gaze, grabbing a small knife and using it to clean the fish. Now that she was closer, he could see that part of her hair was dripping wet, and raised goosebumps formed on her bare arms.

"You're freezing", he commented.

"I'm fine", she replied curtly.

Hiccup sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Look, Astrid, I'm...sorry about earlier. When I'm tired I can be a bit of a, well…"

"Jerk?", she offered dryly, keeping her eyes on her blade as it scraped across glittering scales. "Jackass? Or a piece of - "

"Okay, okay", he cut her off, looking ashamed. "You obviously get the idea. Point is, I'm really sorry. Normally I don't have anyone to growl at other than this guy", he motioned towards the approaching Night Fury, "and well, I only push him so far since he could rip off my head if he wanted to."

"So could I", Astrid muttered under her breath. Hiccup chuckled lowly, and though she didn't meet his gaze he could see her cheeks round as she held back a smile.

Returning his attention to the fire, the young man's expression grew somber as he pulled his legs closer into his body. "Last night was a bit, um...difficult."

After slicing off the tail, Astrid paused, nodding shallowly as she thought about the night before. She vaguely remembered him thrashing in his sleep a few times, once waking up in a cold sweat. The few times she tried to talk to him, he would quickly insist he was fine, urging her to go back to sleep.

Unsure of what to say, she simply hummed in sympathy, reaching for a nearby stick and using it to pierce the fish in her hand. Her scattered dreams had also been disturbed, and she could still see the twisted body of the young hunter sprawled among the chaos. "Do you regret what happened?"

Hiccup didn't respond at first. The crackle of the fire punctuated the passing seconds, and she watched him as he stared into the flame. Slowly, he shook his head. "No. I don't", he admitted. He turned his head and met her gaze, his expression blank. "And that's what bothers me."

Releasing a sigh, Astrid held the pierced fish over the fire. "I should have listened", she murmured. Hiccup raised a brow, confused by her statement. "You told me to stay inside", she reminded. "If I had, maybe you wouldn't have had to do...that." It was odd for her, suddenly feeling uncomfortable to talk about bloodshed, given that it was such a normal part of their culture. But his obvious discomfort made her feel awkward, and then guilty for not having the same reaction.

"Maybe", he conceded. "Or, something a lot worse could have happened." His darkened toned prompted Astrid to look back at him, watching as he used the stick to agitate the flame. As she took in the haunted look in his eyes, it was then that she realized he had not been ruminating about what happened, but what could have been if he hadn't intervened. Looking out the corner of his eye, he met her gaze. "That's what kept me up."

Blissfully unaware of the grim atmosphere, Toothless waddled up to them, wagging his tail happily as two fish tails poked out of his gummy smile. Looking at both humans with pride, he lowered his head and spit out the contents of his mouth. Seven large silver fish spilled onto the ground, several flopping and wriggling about.

Astrid scooted away several inches, moving closer to Hiccup. "Uh, thank you...Toothless", she said with a cringe.

Noting her disgust, and relieved by the change in topic, Hiccup smirked as he reached over to grab one of the fish that had stopped moving. He held it by the tail and dangled it over the fire for a moment. To Astrid's horror, the flame accentuated the dragon's viscous saliva that covered its scales, giving it a revolting sheen. Unfazed by the aesthetic, Hiccup removed the fish from the fire, grasped the head in his other hand and took a big bite right out of its side. He turned to look at the young woman as he chewed; her eyes were now wide and complexion sickly. He held out the fish to her, offering a taste.

"Oh, no. I'm good", she replied weakly. He shrugged, bringing the fish to his mouth and taking another bite. Curling her lip, she watched him with morbid fascination as he ate. "D-do you usually eat like this?", she managed to croak, swallowing down her growing nausea.

"No", Hiccup replied casually, still chewing as he fought back a smile. "But it was worth it to see the mighty Astrid Hofferson turn that green."

Realizing she was again the butt of one of his jokes, her disgust abated and was replaced with irritation. As her eyes narrowed, Astrid used her stick to give him a light jab in the belly, causing him to cough and spit out his food. Both of them looked down at the lump of masticated meat that lay on the ground, noses wrinkled in repulsion. "You are so gross", she grumbled at Hiccup.

He scoffed. "Hey, you stabbed me."

"Because you deserved it", she shot back.

As the pair argued, neither noticed as Toothless eagerly bounded over. It wasn't until he craned his neck around Astrid that they looked over just in time to see him lick up the discarded food.

"Ugh, Toothless!", Hiccup admonished in disgust.

Astrid's nose wrinkled, her tongue sticking slightly out. "So, can we both agree that he's gross?"

Hiccup nodded fervently, his hand over his mouth as he swallowed thickly. "Oh, definitely."

The Night Fury looked at both humans, smacking his lips without shame. Astrid glanced at the speared fish in her hands with distaste, but reluctantly held it over the flames. As Hiccup glared at Toothless, Astrid turned her body to face the young man. "You eat a lot of fish, I take it?"

Hiccup puffed as he smiled, subtly scooting a few inches closer to her. "Only for breakfast, lunch, and dinner." He glanced conspiratorially at the dragon behind him before leaning towards Astrid. "Don't tell him", he said in a stage whisper, jerking a thumb towards Toothless, "but I am so sick of eating fish all day."

She snickered as Toothless replied with a disgruntled growl. "I can imagine". Rotating her fish, Astrid smiled warmly. "Remember having only salted yak during the last weeks of Devastating Winter?"

Hiccup shuddered at the sickening memory. He could almost still taste the dry, pungent strips of meat. "Gods that was awful. Even Fishlegs couldn't stomach it during the last days. He would sit on the floor bellyaching about his gut eating itself away."

Astrid grinned, adjusting herself to lean towards him. "Oh Thor, you should hear him now. Everything is about his precious Meatlug. "She needs variety in her diet"", she mimicked, making her voice crack. ""If she doesn't eat every four hours she gets faint…""

Hiccup raised an eyebrow with an amused smile. "Meatlug? Please tell me that's a dragon and not a girlfriend."

She snorted, causing Hiccup's grin to widen. "Gronkle" she confirmed.

"Good", he sighed with relief. "I know the names on Berk are bizarre, but eesh…"

Pulling her stick away from the flame, Astrid inspected the cook before holding it back out. She chuckled quietly to herself, lost in nostalgia. "When I was little, just before winter came, I used to stash food in my room. I didn't understand why rationing was important, I just knew I would go crazy eating the same thing everyday. So, in the Fall, I would pocket extra nuts, cheese, bread. I didn't even care that they would go stale, I just had to taste anything else besides yak. There was almost never anything left by the end of winter, but if I was really lucky, I would still have a few of my favorites."

"Dried cherries[1]", Hiccup finished with a smile.

She looked at him, taken aback. "Yeah, that's right. How did you..?"

Hiccup turned to look at her, his cheeks slightly reddened. "At the summer festival. You, uh, always used to make a beeline for the cherries." He chuckled softly. "I remember the serving ladies would try to shoo you away, but you always found a way to sneak back for more."

Astrid smiled at the memory, recalling the measures she went to just to get an extra handful. "I always was good at stealth missions", she mused. She watched him carefully, noting his discomfort. "You used to watch a lot, didn't you? All of us."

With a shrug, Hiccup grabbed the other fish Astrid caught, taking the knife by the handle. "Well, when you aren't spending your days talking to people, you have a lot of time on your hands". His voice didn't carry the same heat that it did days ago. It was somewhat sad, but mostly factual.

Biting her lip, Astrid pulled her blackened fish from the fire. She lay the stick on the ground, and with one hand, pulled her opposite arm into her body. "Hiccup…", she sighed, looking down at the ground. "I...I've had a lot of time to think about, well, everything." The young man looked at her curiously. "Whenever I read your journals", she continued, "and saw anything about how you were treated, I'd think "where was I"? Sometimes, I think I was just in my own little world, not really paying attention to anyone else. Including you."

Cutting into the fish, Hiccup frowned, remembering several instances when Snotlout and the twins would pick on him.

As she shook her head sadly, Astrid ripped a small chunk of fish with her fingers, popping it into her mouth. "Some of the things the other kids did probably happened right in front of me and, I don't know. It's like it didn't register." She looked ashamed as she swallowed, suddenly losing her appetite. "I didn't make the connection that it was wrong. There were other times that I know I saw it happen. I could remember it, though not in as much detail." Gazing up at him through her bangs, her eyes began to water. "As awful as it sounds, it was normal, you know? There was nothing unusual about people insulting you, or pushing you around. I can't remember a time when it didn't happen and, as self-involved as I was, even when it did bother me, I wouldn't have said anything."

Threading a stick through a fish filet, Hiccup opened his mouth. But before he could say anything, Astrid continued. "I feel like it's worse, in some ways, than being the one who actually bullied you. Snotlout was a thug because that's all he knew. He really did, and still does, believe in his warped little mind that he is better than everyone else. And in order for him to prove that, he had to push you down." Looking at the ground, she pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "But I don't have that excuse. I knew that it was wrong, or at least I should have, but was too much of…", her voice shook as she forced out the last few words, "of a coward to put my neck out for you."

The young man looked up, surprised. "Astrid…"

"Please, Hiccup", she begged, "I've had to wait a very long time to say this."

Reluctantly, he closed his mouth and waited.

Keeping her eyes fixed to the floor, she released a shuddered sigh as she wrung her hands. "I am so, so sorry for everything that happened to you. And I am incredibly sorry for every time I could have tried to stop it but didn't. I-I don't expect you to forgive me. Hel, I don't forgive me…"

"Hey, hey…", Hiccup soothed, reaching a hand under her chin to gently tilt her head to look at him. To her surprise, he did not appear sullen but instead was smiling. She could have sworn there was a slight shine to his eyes.

"Don't do that to yourself. I forgive you", he assured her. "Astrid, I forgave you a long time ago."

She looked confused. "Why would you...?"

"After I, uh", Hiccup laughed nervously, "encouraged you to fly on Toothless."

This only left her more perplexed. "Not really sure why I get points because I went along with what was more or less a kidnapping."

"No, not because of that", he explained. "Afterwards, in the cove. When you wanted to tell my dad about the nest, and I refused because it would put Toothless in danger...you agreed. You trusted me, even though everything, everyone, taught you that you shouldn't. And you kept your word. You risked your life to save mine when the Monstrous Nightmare attacked." A puff of astonished laughter escaped his mouth. "You followed my crazy ass to battle a dragon the size of a mountain! You saw how big it was and how dangerous it would be…the others didn't. But you still went."

Feeling her lips begin to quiver, Astrid clamped her mouth shut. She forced herself to swallow, hoping to push down the choking sobs she could feel building in her throat.

Reaching over to grab her hands, Hiccup's mouth relaxed into a quirked smile. "We're good, Astrid. I won't lie, there are a lot of people on that island I still resent. But you were never one of them."

In that moment, Astrid couldn't feel the weight of her body against the ground. Though she prayed that Hiccup was somehow still alive, she expected to have to wait until she was admitted through the doors of Valhalla before she had any hope of receiving redemption. To be absolved in life, by him, was more than she could fully grasp.

Licking her lips, Astrid tried to say something, anything. Silence felt cheap in response to his leniency. But beyond the undignified shake of her breath, she was acutely aware of the tears that threatened to fall. Blinking rapidly, Astrid looked down out of habit, allowing her bangs to form a curtain in an effort to maintain her self-respect. To Hiccup's credit, he quickly moved his gaze to her hands.

Through her blurred vision, she could still see his thumb as it brushed over the golden ring on her hand. He then used his thumb and index finger to carefully spin the band, inspecting it with a critical eye. "Who made it?"

She smiled down at the delicate ring. "Gobber."

Hiccup nodded. "Figured. Good material but the man never had a use for flair."

Astrid snorted, relieved to be regaining her composure. "I don't need flair. Besides, I like my ring."

Shrugging, Hiccup continued to appraise the piece. "It's fine, it's just so, simple."

"Well", she reasoned, "so am I."

His head still tilted down, Hiccup looked up to meet her gaze, staring at her incredulously. "You are not simple."

Unsure of whether or not to be offended, Astrid knit her brow. "Yes I am."

"No", he countered, "you just want people to think you are."

"Well, then", she challenged, "what am I really, Mr. Know-It-All?" Despite her better judgement, she had to admit that she was curious about what he really thought.

Undeterred, Hiccup lifted his chin to fully face her. "You are confounding", he stated without hesitation. "Stubborn. Proud. Moody. Infuriating."

Narrowing her eyes, Astrid pursed her lips. "Wait, when did we start talking about you?"

"Hush", he playfully chided. "You are clever. You care too much, about everything. And despite that, you are fearless." He tightened his grip on her hands. "You are, without a doubt, the most complex person I've ever known."

For a moment, Astrid's cool demeanor slipped. She breathed through her mouth with parted lips, a blush rising to her cheeks as her heartbeat quickened. Suddenly, she had a cheeky thought. "You forgot beautiful."

He looked her up and down, appearing underwhelmed. "Says who?"

"Please", she scoffed. "I've read your journals, Hiccup."

"Yeah, but, that was then." He gave a sympathetic wince. "Not everyone ages well."

"Oh, come on", she groaned in disbelief, removing her hands from his and using them to accentuate her form.

Hiccup looked at her blankly, then snapped his fingers. "Vain! I knew I was forgetting something."

With a loud, dramatic gasp, Astrid quickly stood. "I don't have to sit here and take this abuse", she huffed, acting indignant.

As she stormed by, Hiccup playfully grabbed for her legs, hooking his elbow behind her knees. Though she fell forward as expected, he was surprised how quickly she rotated and grabbed his shoulder. In a matter of seconds, he was flat on his back, her hands gripping his biceps and pinning them to the floor.

"How have you managed to survive out here so long with such weak lil' arms?" she teased. "Guessing that didn't go how you'd planned?"

As confident as she was in the moment, Astrid was thrown by how uneasy she suddenly felt when he responded with a devious smirk.

Before she could react, Hiccup quickly rolled up to a standing position. His shoulder firmly pressed into her stomach, and she folded over as he found his footing. Next thing she knew, she was upside-down and staring at the ground, her bust against his back with the tops of her thighs pressed into his chest, and his arm hooked under her knees again. Astrid couldn't see his cocky smile, yet could practically feel him radiating smug.

"Put me down, Haddock!", she growled, hoping it covered the embarrassment in her voice.

"You know, I'd love to, Mrs. Haddock, but I don't know if I can with these weak little arms." He carefully walked around the campfire, grinning as he noticed the dragons looking on at the spectacle with interest.

Sighing in defeat, she relaxed for a moment, lifting her head. Glancing at Stormfly, she scoffed at the Nadder's curious expression, completely unconcerned with her rider's predicament.

"For the record", she called out, "if my rib was still wrapped, you would be face-down in the dirt right now."

The ground suddenly stopped moving as Hiccup came to a halt. She heard him curse under his breath, then crouch down. He leaned forward so that the balls of her feet met the earth, and he used his hands to carefully stand her up. As she opened her mouth, prepared to begrudgingly admit defeat, she stopped when she saw the regret in his eyes.

"Gods, I completely forgot, Astrid. Are you okay?"

"What? Because of this?", she scoffed dismissively as she looked down at her side. "This is nothing. You should have seen my knee after the last raid. You wouldn't think legs could bend that way."

He frowned at her, then looked down as he grasped the edge of his tunic, examining the seam. "That's not funny."

"Okay, now who's too serious?" She watched him, eyebrow raised as he grabbed the knife from the ground, using it to rip the stitching of the fabric up several inches to the bottom of his leather armor. "And what are you doing?"

The young man didn't answer, concentrating as he carefully cut across his tunic from his right side to his left. With each slice, a strip of fabric grew in length and dangled from his hand.

Astrid crossed her arms, concerned about the sudden shift in his mood. "Hiccup, we're Vikings. If we're lucky, we only get hurt."

"And for what?" he muttered, gripping the band of fabric and repeatedly stretching it. "Every time we encounter a problem, we just keep throwing Vikings at it until it finally dies."

Hiccup approached Astrid, nodding his head towards her side. Realizing his meaning, she pulled the hem of her shirt up to expose her bruised rib. She watched his face as he grimaced at the discoloration across her torso. "Until the next threat, of course", he continued sardonically, "but hey, that's why you keep making new Vikings."

Sucking in sharply as Hiccup pulled the makeshift bandage tighter, Astrid grit her teeth as she tried to ignore the pain. "So what do you propose?", she asked. "Giving up and running away?"

He shrugged, beginning to wrap the next layer. "It's an option."

As she adjusted to the pressure, Astrid released a relieved sigh. "No, it usually isn't", she replied, her voice softer than intended. Looking down at his face, she examined his expression. "You risked your life for me just yesterday. You could have saved Toothless and flown off, but you didn't."

His features hardened, and she could see the muscles around his jaw tense. "That was different."

"How was that any different?", she argued.

"It just was", he grumbled evasively, moving his head to check the bruising on her back.

"That's not an answer", she pressed, growing inpatient.

"Because it was you!", Hiccup blurted. Stunned, Astrid stared at him as he quickly looked away. "I get choosing to take a chance to protect a specific person", he explained, selecting his words carefully. "But you're risking your life, everyday, for Berk." As he tugged one of the layers of fabric lower down her back, he met her gaze again. "Why? There isn't anything on that damp rock worth your life."

Astrid struggled to explain, unable to understand what part he was missing. "It's our tribe, Hiccup. They're...our neighbors, friends…"

"They're not worth your life", he repeated, unmoved.

She shook her head, desperate to win this argument. "What about your dad?"

Though he paused for a moment, Hiccup sighed as he redid a layer of the bandage. "He's a grown man, Astrid. He'll be fine. He's been fighting longer than we've been alive."

"And he isn't getting any younger. Same goes for Gobber." The young woman looked at him earnestly, trying unsuccessfully to get him to look at her. "I couldn't live with myself if something happened to them."

"I don't want anything to happen to them either. But you don't owe them anything." Drawing his lips together tightly, Hiccup shook his head. "They're not your responsibility."

And there it was. Astrid's expression softened.

"Hiccup", she breathed, placing one hand over his to still it. "Stop, look at me." She waited for him to oblige. "When I agreed to the contract, it wasn't just to save my own skin. I wanted to join your family. You started something amazing, and I couldn't let that die."

She watched as his eyes tracked around her face, analyzing her expression. "And if I was there?"

"What?"

"If you were in the exact same situation but I was there, would you still have agreed to be the wife of Hiccup the Useless?"

Without hesitation, she replied, "No."

Hiccup froze, looking like he had been slapped. As he started to pull away, she again grabbed his jaw and turned his head to meet her gaze. "Let me finish", she added firmly. "No, because I wouldn't be married to Hiccup the Useless. I'd still be married to you. That's not who you are, Hiccup. It never has been."

As he stood there, looking away uncomfortably as he absorbed her words, Astrid took the opportunity to straighten her top back into place. "I get that this whole marriage thing must be weird for you. You didn't get a say in it. You didn't choose me and I don't expect you to think of me as your wife. That wouldn't be fair." She smiled warmly as Hiccup looked back at her. "But I do think of you as my husband. Your family is my family. And I would happily die for them."

He frowned deeper at her words. Though he wholeheartedly disagreed, he nodded in acknowledgment. "Well, then you're a better Haddock than I ever was." Sitting back down on the floor, Hiccup looked at his hands. "I just hate that, yet again, you are having to clean up my mess.[2]"

Gingerly sitting down next to him, arms brushing together, Astrid smiled coyly. "That just comes with being a wife." She felt his shoulders jostle as he huffed, hearing a chuckle deep in his throat.

The campfire continued to burn, though its intensity waned. Toothless and Stormfly lounged on the opposite side, the Nadder asleep as Toothless rested his head on the stone floor, lazily watching the two riders.

Relieved by the dissipating tension, Astrid felt another nudge from Hiccup's elbow as he quietly snickered. Amused, the young woman turned to look at him. "What?"

With a shake of his head, he smirked as he shifted his body to face her, his legs crossed with the prosthetic laying over his foreleg. "I'm sorry, I have to ask…was there an actual wedding? They didn't actually make you go through a ceremony, did they?"

She bit her lip as her smile widened, shifting her weight to one hip. "Oh, sweet Frigga. Yes, they did." Hiccup tried to force back a snicker, causing Astrid to laugh as well. "I'm not joking!", she insisted while reaching for her leftover fish. "They absolutely did. Dress, prayers, blood splattering[3]. The elders insisted, because, you know, tradition."

Covering his mouth with his fist, Hiccup snorted. "Wait, back up. So, if I'm not there, did you, what, have to say your vows to the air? Like I'm standing there but no one can see me?" A grin revealed his crooked teeth as his eyes suddenly brightened. "Did someone do my voice? Oh, please tell me they did."

The thought of someone poorly impersonating Hiccup's nasally timbre was too much, causing Astrid to nearly choke with laughter as she swallowed a bite of fish. She pressed her arm into her body to protect her rib. "You are having way too much fun with this. No, no voices. I did have to talk to an empty space though. I felt like a lunatic."

Setting her food aside, Astrid smiled fondly as recalled the eventful afternoon. "But your dad spoke on your behalf for the oaths. "My son, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the III, would swear" this and that. No one really knew how the few ceremonies without the groom had been done in the past; it was long enough ago that anyone who would have seen then was long gone. So the elders fought for days about what would be acceptable to the gods." She shrugged, as she dusted off her leggings. "That's what they decided, so that's what we did."

Hiccup glanced up at her hairline. "After putting you through all that, I'm surprised they let you keep your kransen[4]."

"Oh, they didn't", she said, smiling impishly. "The old bats and I argued for hours about it. They kept saying it had never been done and would somehow void the union. I thought it was stupid, since I was still a maiden in that respect. That's all it means. So I snuck it under the bridal crown[5]. They had no idea until they saw me wearing it the next day." Her smile loosened slightly as her eyes grew somber. "Mom's crown was lost in the fire, but Stoick let me use your mother's. It's really pretty."

Having seen it before, Hiccup nodded in agreement with a wistful smile. "I'm sure you looked great."

Astrid scoffed. "Hardly. Scrawny little girl wearing a dress two sizes too big and struggling to balance a heavy crown on her head. Definitely didn't look like the brides I've seen before." Her smile returned. "I was almost glad you weren't there to see me. That alone would have made you run off!"

Although he smiled in response, Hiccup shook his head, making brief eye contact before looking away. "Not a chance."

Pushing her bangs behind her ear, Astrid smiled shyly as she lowered her gaze.

"Besides", he added matter-of-factly with a sigh, "I would have been too busy to notice, what with being crushed under the weight of that mangy bear cloak Dad always tried to dress me in."

Astrid dropped her head and laughed, recalling a past ceremony with a sweaty, sullen face sticking out of a heap of fur. "That ugly thing is still taking up space in your dresser."

Hiccup scowled in disdain. "I give you full permission to burn it. No", he amended, pointing his finger at her for emphasis. "I demand you burn it. Just give it to the twins, I'm sure they'll find some spectacular way to destroy it."

Chuckling at the image of Barf and Belch somehow being used to disintegrate the fur cloak, she thought back to the few times the poor boy had to wear it. "I'll be real honest", she admitted, "most of the time, I didn't even know you were in the room until you clawed out at the end."

With a low groan, Hiccup rubbed his eyes with his hand. "That's because I pulled my head inside and stayed there until I thought everyone left. The smell was awful but I was too embarrassed to face anyone."

Biting her lip, Astrid struggled to muffle a laughing fit. The result was a loud snort from her nose, causing Hiccup and both dragons to look up at her in surprise. As she looked around at the group with a sheepish expression, Hiccup burst into laughter. Flushed but still smiling, Astrid extended her leg and used it to kick at his knee. As this was the leg supporting his prosthetic, the sudden shift threw off the young man's balance, tipping him over to his side.

Watching him blink in surprise, she grinned as she stood and offered him a hand up. "I'm sorry", she muttered.

Accepting her help, he clasped Astrid's wrist and smiled back as he got back on his feet. "No you're not."

She shrugged, affirming his statement.

Brushing off his side, Hiccup glanced over at Toothless and Stormfly, who watched them expectantly. "So, what now?"

Face scrunched in thought, Astrid crossed her arms over her chest. "Personally, I need a bath. After three days, I'm starting to stink".

Hiccup didn't bother trying to conceal his smirk. "Well, I didn't want to say anything, but since you brought it up…"

With an outraged scoff, she poked him in the chest. "You are not one to talk! You reek like a wet boar wrapped in leather." She leaned in and sniffed before adding, "that died in the men's sweat lodge."

"It's called musk", he informed her in mock offense, "and it's not that bad. Right, Toothless?"

The dragon in question groaned, wrinkling his nose and blowing air out his nostrils. Astrid clapped her hands, howling with laughter.

Hiccup stuck his bottom lip out in a pout, brow furrowed. "Traitor...", he grumbled, though he discretely tucked his chin to his shoulder to take a whiff. He tried to hide his cringe, but based on Astrid's self-satisfied smile, she obviously saw.

"Anyway", she continued, "I saw a stream feeding into the ocean while we fished. I'm going to get cleaned up and then you should do the same."

As Astrid began to walk away, Hiccup frowned. "I don't think it's a good idea to go alone."

Stopping mid-stride, Astrid looked at him over her shoulder, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Are you fishing for an invitation?" she teased.

"What? No! No...", he insisted, blushing. The young woman smiled as she pretended to look at him dubiously. "I'm not", he repeated dryly. "But if you're going to be that close to the shore you should take Toothless with you."

Astrid rolled her eyes, blowing air between her lips dismissively. "Pfft, I've got Stormfly."

"Well, yeah, I mean, a Deadly Nadder is great and all, but she's injured", Hiccup reminded her, trying to draw her a picture. "An injured dragon. And these are dragon hunters. Remember them?"

With a neutral expression, Astrid pointed at Hiccup. "Stormfly, defend."

The Nadder suddenly spread her wings as she shrieked, tail lifted in a defensive pose. She shot three spines towards Hiccup, striking the ground on both sides and right in front of him.

Reflexively lifting his hands in surrender, Hiccup's wide eyes stayed locked on Stormfly. "Nope, you're good. Have a nice bath."

With a parting wave, Astrid sauntered off. Lowering her wings, Stormfly gave Hiccup a final squawk before limping after her rider.

Staring at the spines, and suddenly appreciating just how close they were, he cast a glare at Toothless. "Really? You weren't going to do anything to help me?"

Returning an uninterested gaze, the Night Fury yawned and smacked his lips.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Typical."


NOTE: Links aren't working so I just note where to look for sources.

[1] Vikings apparently grew cherries, as well as many other kinds of fruit. See more details at Hurstwic's webpage on Food, Diet, and Nutrition in the Viking Age.

[2] This is purely headcannon, but I often wondered if some of the irritation that the other teens felt for Hiccup was because when he messed up, they were usually roped into fixing it. With all of his disasters, I can't imagine he hasn't caused at least a few fires. As the bucket brigade, Astrid and the others may have even had to put out a few of them. When he made mistakes in dragon training, they had to keep the dragon from attacking them and save him. And of course, Astrid helps him in the kill ring and threatens her own reputation to help him get out of a tight spot.

[3] This was just so Viking I couldn't stop myself from throwing it in there. See The Viking Answer Lady's page on marriage for more details.

[4] I think most people know this, but Astrid's kransen is the leather circlet around her head, a symbol of her status as a maiden. See The Viking Answer Lady's page on marriage for more details.

[5] There seems to be some uncertainty of whether the bridal crowns were worn during the time of pagan Vikings, but bridal crowns have been a historically used in their region. It was often an heirloom passed down to women within the same family. It fit the purpose of this story, so, there you go. See The Viking Answer Lady's page on marriage for more details.