Astrid soon joined Hiccup outside in trying to show Stoick how to behave around dragons. Alana, of course, was beside them. She knew a lot about dragons too. She loved them as much as her parents and Toothless and Stormfly just loved her as well.

Stoick visibly cringed when Toothless barreled towards the door towards Alana when she and Astrid came out of the house. The dragon stopped just before careening into the little girl for scratches and licks and nuzzles and pets and Alana only giggled and greeted the dragon with a hug.

"I still cannot believe you let these… creatures around your child." Stoick hissed to Hiccup. The dragons had been getting fidgety and Alana had been so patient but was looking antsy, so Astrid and Hiccup had called a break for them to burn off some energy. Toothless and Stormfly were playing with Alana in some game of chase they had made up, and all three parties were looking very happy.

"They wouldn't hurt her," Hiccup explained. "There's mutual trust. The dragons know Alana would never harm them and Alana knows the dragons would never harm her."

"How can you be sure they won't attack?"

"Stormfly and Toothless have known Alana since she was born. She's been raised around dragons all her life. She knows how to treat them and they know how to treat her." Astrid added.

"These beasts, maybe. What about others?"

Hiccup shrugged. "We treat new dragons like new people,"

"Meaning?" asked the chief with a raise of a brow.

"We have to get to know each other before we do anything else. You can't get along with everyone, but we have to test the waters first. And if we don't get along, we can still respect each other."

Stoick grumbled.

Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other. It seemed as though Stoick was torn between wanting to believe them and hating dragons. Most people were weary at first, but Stoick would be a tough nut to crack. Hiccup's mother had been taken by dragons when he was only a baby and in loosing her, Stoick had lost the love of his life. The village said she was killed, but there was no proof of her actually being dead. Even Hiccup, ever the optimist, was sure she was dead. The dragons that raided Berk when he was a baby were a particularly aggressive generation, and just like people had to learn how to act around dragons, dragons had to learn how to act around people and since those dragons had not, they were ruthless pillagers and killers. Toothless and Stormfly were trained and socialized around people.

"Mama?"

Astrid looked to Alana, who was running over to her. Astrid crouched in front of her daughter. "What's up?"

Stormfly had stretched out in the sun after Alana walked away. Toothless was looking after Alana curiously, flicking his tail.

Alana opened her arms for a hug, which Astrid returned. Alana was a very affectionate little girl and Astrid loved that about her.

"I love you," Alana said.

"I love you too," Astrid replied. "Are you having fun with Toothless and Stormfly?"

"Uh-huh," Alana replied with a smile, before letting go of her mother and hugging Hiccup's legs (he ruffled her hair). She turned on her heel and went running back to the dragons. Toothless crouched down playfully and Alana squealed and hid behind Stormfly. Toothless bounded after her. Stormfly clucked disdainfully as she was sandwiched between the playfully dragon and excited little girl.

Hiccup chuckled as Astrid stood up. "Gods, I love her."

"Me too," Astrid replied. "She's perfect."

Hiccup wrapped his arm around Astrid's waist and she leaned against him. "As are you,"

Astrid stretched up to kiss him.

Stoick frowned as he watched the scene unfold before him. This wasn't supposed to happen. Hiccup and Astrid weren't married. They weren't supposed to have a child, weren't supposed to be this open with a relationship. They weren't married! They weren't supposed to be like this. This was not right.

Stoick was full of all sorts of emotions. His son was alive and happy, so certainly that was good. He had a grandchild, which was as much of a pleasant surprise as it was a shock. But his son had run away, taking Astrid with him, leading everyone to think they had been killed. Hiccup had a child before marriage. Hiccup was training dragons! The very same creatures that took his mother! But his boy was home and safe and so was the Hofferson girl and they had a beautiful, healthy daughter.

Stoick, overwhelmed with conflicting feelings, sighed loudly and headed back into his house without a word.

Hiccup groaned into Astrid's hair. "And he chooses to start being difficult,"

Astrid laughed a bit at that and curled her fingers into his hair. "Now I know where you get it from, babe."

"Hey!" came the protest.

Astrid silenced him with a peck on the lips.

Hiccup was looking over everything in the room they were staying in. They were sleeping in the king's castle and everything about it was ornate and beautiful and much more adorned than anything the two young Vikings had ever seen. Hiccup could not stop admiring the craftsmanship of everything he saw.

Astrid also thought it was beautiful, but she was exhausted and was curled up on the very plush mattress in the middle of the large room. She anxiously twisted her hands in front of her. She had been worried all day.

"Gold coin for your thoughts?" Hiccup offered from the other side of the room. He had turned to ask her something and had seen her looking deep in thought. She had been stewing over something all day and it was very unlike her to be so reserved.

Astrid heaved a sigh and looked over at him, her golden hair standing out amongst the rich, deep purples and blues the room was decorated with. Toothless would've looked like a regal statue in that room had the dragons been allowed in. They were being housed in the stables for the night.

Hiccup frowned and approached the bed. He sat beside her. "You know you can tell me anything."

"I know,"

They had been together two years. They knew so much about each other. Astrid told Hiccup everything. He had seen her at her best and worst and she, him. They knew each other better than they knew themselves in some ways. Hiccup was the least judgmental person Astrid had ever met and she was grateful for that.

"If you'd rather not tell me, I understand. You don't have to." Hiccup's eyes were full of concern, of love.

He had grown and matured so much since they left Berk. He was practically a man now, so close to his eighteenth birthday, he could practically reach out and touch it. He had a calm and rational mind most of the time and he acted in the best interest of others before himself. He was quirky, sweet, gentle, kind, funny... Astrid often wondered why she had treated him the way she used to back home. He was truly wonderful. How she missed that, she didn't know.

Astrid pushed herself into a sitting position. "No. You should know."

Hiccup watched her closely, but soundlessly. He nodded, a sign to continue.

"I… I think I'm pregnant." She said. The word felt strange on her tongue.

His expression was unreadable. "You do?"

She nodded. She had wanted this. He had agreed to it. Why did she feel so scared?

"I don't know for sure, but based on what I do know, I think…" her hand drifted to her abdomen and she looked down.

Hiccup was still silent. Astrid felt tears prick her eyes. She had wanted a baby, asked for it, and still this felt wrong.

Suddenly, a pair of lips crashed into hers and the surprise took her breath away.

"Hiccup?" she asked quietly after they parted. She was confused.

"You might be getting your baby." He said as an answer, a smile painted across his face. He was genuinely happy for this, for her. A weight felt like it was lifted off her shoulders.

"It's, it'll be your baby too."

He kissed her again and rested his forehead against hers. "Even better."

And for the first time all day, Astrid smiled.