Mishap by Mug

by EmmaLennyEddie

When Snotlout's jealousy begins to take on an obsession, he formulates a plan that was supposed to end Hiccup's newly-founded relationship with Astrid. But when things go too far, Hiccup and Astrid will now have to worry about becoming teenage parents. Now with over 181,000 views!

14. The Final Family Reunion

Author's Note: Oh boy, do I have questions upon questions to answer concerning my beloved timeline that I've already managed to screw up, with that being: Dagur's appearance. Now, a lot of you are saying that Dagur first appeared to us AFTER the events of Gift of The Nightfury, therefore neither Hiccup nor Astrid would know who he was. Well, that's not necessarily true because we know that Dagur and Hiccup had a history even before the episode came out. They mention childhood romps and such, so that would mean that they would have known each other before my awesome story.

Still, turns out I've got a long things wrong with my story that I haven't noticed before. Haha. But I suppose I couldn't pull a wall over your eyes, huh? Oh, and by the way: it's a FAN-FICTION. ...Fiction. Fiction! It's moi story, and I can write it anyway I want, so HAH! Anyway, welcome to the final installment of "Mishap by Mug", which does not include the upcoming epilogue that I promise will rock the house. I also want to apologize for the terribly long wait you've all had to endure, because I truly understand what it's like to wait for a story that the author hasn't finished. It is literally nothing but a wait filled to the brim with agony. Ceaseless agony.

Commence the Responses:

SnookStar3Hiccstrid: *serves the chapter to you on a silver platter* You're story, ma'am...or sir.

Djberneman: Dude, you really have it out for Snotlout, don't you? I-I mean, GOSH! XD I think the rest of the readers at this point have at least forgiven him, but you still have it out for him to be killed! It's flippin' hilarious, bro! And to be honest, I don't think there's ever a moment in a teenage Viking's life where he's either relaxed or content. Especially in Hiccup's case. He had a ton of responsibility to deal with before all this and he's going to have a ton of responsibility now. To put it blatantly, and in terms of responsibility, nothing has changed. Plus, it's not like the teens have never dealt with duty or responsibility before.

Rainbow Awesome Dash: I know. May your curiosity burn within a fiery pit of death.

hiccup: Oh, cool. My real name is Tinky-Winky. I know it sounds far-fetched but it's true.

MidnightPhantom84: Don't you worry about the baby. It will prosper, hopefully.

TheGameGrmupGirl: Maybe. Or-OOF! Dagur: I may or may not love to give my prisoners the Blood Eagle every once in a while. Or not. HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHHAH.

A Person Who Like Comedy: AS MUCH AS I HATE THE USE OF CAPS, THERE IS JUST SOMETHING SO CHARMING ABOUT THE WAY YOU DO IT. YOU ARE NEITHER IRRITATING NOR ANNOYING. BLESS YOU AND YOUR SUBTLE REVIEWS.

FluentFletcher2: I'm going to be completely honest. I just put Dagur in the story because I wanted to make it longer. I'm a horrible person and I'm completely lazy when it comes to my writing-PSYCH! I actually put Dagur in my story because I think he's a hilarious villain, and I wanted him to make an appearance. It may seem a little weird to some people, but for me it's completely normal. But then again, my normal is waking up at six and taking the time to run seven miles before 9:00 AM. ...I got a sweet body though.

Jo: Actually, it's me. Life is helping them along; I'm the one not giving them a break. XD

Guest (one): Thanks, boylie! (In correspondence to your term: girlie) It's such a shame that you don't have an account but that's all right because we have anonymous reviews on our side.

KingPLazma: Don't worry! Emma Harness is here to save the day!

DisneyandDreamworksfangirl: I have actually watched "Race to the Edge." It's alright... I suppose... I don't know. I guess I'm just not really into it as I am into the shorts and the movies. /:

Plzplzplzplz listen: Oh, cripes man, I have no idea what you're talking about. But the Dagur thing is an awesome idea! Totally credited to you!

Manfred 151: Those are two completely different resolutions, and honestly, I was torn between the two while writing this. But in the end I wrote the best way I know how: by doing it as I go.

Nightless Fury: Thank you so much! :D I like your name by the way!

Hypernova: Toothless wouldn't save Astrid or Hiccup because even though most say that he is an intelligent animal, there isn't a grain of sense in his mind that tells him that female humans sometimes don't operate the way female dragons do. It'd be like my dopey Golden Retriever named Ellie. I'd be caught in a trap screaming for help, and she'd just be sitting there with this idiot grin on her face like, "I'm helping! Yay!" And since his hatchlings have come into the world, I believe that Toothless will definitely rely more on instinct to keep himself, his mate, and his babies alive.

Guardian of Azarath: Oh. Really? I had no idea! I thought there'd be a timeline lying around somewhere, but apparently not. I suppose people are going to run the timeline as the order movies and TV shows came out, but I never looked at it that way. Especially since "Race to The Edge" came out after "How to Train Your Dragon 2". But if that is really how it worked then, WHOOPS! XD Thank you for the notification.

Wat: Okay, I have to admit that I'm no fashionista, so forgive me for thinking that polyester existed a thousand years ago. Haha! Idiot moment! XD

hopelessromantic4life: ó.Õ

Angryhenry: AY! *pumps shotgun* ... *Southern accent* Ah suggest you shut yer mouth en watch yer language, boy! Or girl! Henry... Dat's a boy's name! Derpidee derpidee doo!

PrincessofAtlantis101: What's the magic word? Hm? Oh, would it be please? Ha! Silly me! Nobody ever says "PLEASE update" anymore. XD

Ollie: I know, right? It turns out a lot of the where that use originate from Scotland or Norse or Latin. All European, obviously.

SharKohen: With me as the author? Heck, no!

Guest (Two): ...Why thank you for summing that up. :D

Litwick723: Of COURSE I'm joking! Dagur's not ACTUALLY going to show up! HAHAHAHAHAHA! I gots ye gooooooooooood!

Guest (Three): Wow. I'm surprised my story had that kind of effect on you! To check regularly-that's an awesome thing to hear for me!

TheForsakenTwist: Buddy, here are 17,000-something words, just for you.

Note: For the last time, there is no swearing in my world. Please keep your reviews as clean as possible! Thank you kindly.

Disclaimer: Because Santa Claus refused to abide by my Christmas Wishlist. Curses.

Chapter 14: The Final Family Reunion

The dense fog slowly but surely shrouding the area, almost entirely blocking the approaching armada from Astrid's view. The leading ship, the one decorated in fancy sails complete with a paint job that the Gods would envy, was closest. It was heading straight toward them, it's shadow looming over in the most intimidating of ways.

Of course, size was also an aggressive factor. These ships practically dwarfed Berk's own fleet by-well, a thousand. For a moment, Astrid wondered if the icebergs would stand a chance against the powerful vessels-and that included the rather thin sheet of ice she was currently resting upon.

Astrid and Snotlout glanced at each other in horror as the trademark cackle of Dagur's ominous voice dwarfed the audio of the waves in the surrounding area. Whether it be from subdued nervousness or the arcane cold, both Berkians began to quiver.

"Oh, come on! Really?" Snotlout groaned in exasperation, while Astrid observed the ships with uncertainty. The male slapped his horned helmet back upon his head with a clunk, in preparation for the battle that was sure to come. "Of ALL the nutjobs Odin had to offer, Dagur the Deranged was his first choice?"

"Apparently so," Astrid affirmed in equivocate disappointment. "But you gotta admit, he's better than Madguts and Alvin. At least we can count on receiving some sort of mercy from this guy." With a shaky grunt, she got to her feet and lifted her head high, narrowing her icy blue eyes with fortitude. The other teenager noticed her dogmatic stance and ogled her in confusion.

"What are you doing?!" He hissed totteringly. He reached up to give a sharp tug at her skirt, and earned himself a death-glare in the process. "Get down, dude! They're going to see you!"

"That's the idea, genius. We're flagging down the armada," Astrid replied as a matter-of-factly, and then once again shifted her attention back to the Berserker v-formation before shouting, "HEY! BERSERKERS! DOWN HERE!"

Snotlout let out a rather panicky, unmanly squeal before heckling, "Are you crazy?! Dagur's gonna kill us and wear our skulls as helmets if he sees us!"

"I don't doubt that," the girl admitted, gazing sorrowfully at the child in her arms, "but we have to take a chance. Even if that chance seems improbable." Astrid glanced at him skeptically. "Didn't you once say that you could take out Dagur?" The burly boy shrugged, looking thoughtful (which was a small miracle within itself).

"Yeah, like one-on-one, hand-to-hand combat," he confessed hesitantly. "I never said I could take a thousand-ship fleet with like a bazillion armed Berserkers without Hookfang. That just might dwindle my chances of winning. Just a little though," he smirked, almost disregarding his barely-conscious cousin in his arms. "After all, I was top-dog in the Thawfest wrestling match for like, years on end!"

He shook his head when Astrid stared at him with deadpanned disinterest. "Never mind," he dismissed. "Astrid, as much as I hate to be the reasonable one, that guy's nuts."

"Completely bonkers," his counterpart agreed with a nod.

"What makes you think that he'd be any bit of help? And as much as I thought it was funny, he did once stuff Fishlegs in a cage and force him to eat rotten cod heads," Snotlout reminded her with a small grin of reminiscence.

"Well, did it ever occur to you that Hiccup could die out here?!" Astrid bit.

"Did it ever occur to you that he could die in the painted hands of one of our tribe's enemy?"

For that, Astrid had no retort, because what he repudiated made sense and was equitable in every way. They could very well be put to death on that ship if they didn't die of natural causes first. But still, there was a chance. And if there was a chance, she was going to take it. If only her cousin-in-law wasn't so stubborn! The girl groaned and turned her back on the fleet to further her dispute in the face of her opponent.

"For Goddesses' sake, Hiccup needs help!" She professed, gesturing wildly to the flaccid figure in Snotlout's arms. "And if Dagur's fleet is the only safe haven we've got at the moment, then we need to flag down that opportunity while we can, and take-OW!" Snotlout took a start as Astrid's azure eyes flew open, her back arching as her knees crumpled beneath her.

"Whoa, whoa. What-What happened?" Snotlout tensely muttered, apprehension evident on his face as the girl kneeled over, her eyes going foggy as she daintily crumpled to her side, Hiccup the Fourth noisily squirming against her motionless form. Knowing not of labor pains or anything of that nature dimmed his brashness just a bit.

"Uh...Astrid?" He whispered, leaning forward to poke the top of her head. "What the heck is going o-AUGH!" This time, it was he who yelped in pain, an acute pinching sensation invading his chest. For a moment, his mind went haywire. Arrow? Spear? Dagger? With an audible gulp, he glanced downward to discover a miniature dart with a scarlet-feathered end protruding from his exposed skin in his collar region.

He instinctively removed the dart with trembling fingers and saw with ascending devastation that an identical dart pierced the center of Astrid's back, a little beneath where her spine began its curve.

Before it dawned upon him, another dart appeared out of nowhere, striking the nearly delirious male in his arms and effectively silencing him. Snotlout gasped and yanked out the offending weapon, but it was too late. A wan smile appeared on Hiccup's face and his once tense form went limp.

"Oh...Oh no..." Snotlout whispered, his lie of sight becoming quite dark as the looming Berserker ship approached. He could barely make out the silhouettes of men scrambling across the deck, peering over the rail. They were beginning to sail right through the sheet of ice that the teens had taken refuge on. Then, the dizziness began to consume him, and he lost what little train of thought he had.

...

...

...

"Zzz..."

...

...

...

Snotlout was the first to come to, awoken by the rocking of whatever his body was sprawled out across. He was expecting to perceive the usual barrage of icy air, but strangely enough, he was comforted by a familiar yet distant sensation of warmth. It confused him. Was he dead? Surely, death had taken him upon the ice. Or perhaps, Dagur had sentenced him to death after he'd passed out. Well, he'd have to give the guy some credit for killing him while he was unconscious.

With his eyes remained closed, Snotlout coaxed his fingers into flexing, expecting them to be stiff from the cold as usual, but they came into contact with something rather soft and woolen. Fabric? Ooh, killer! A woolen quilt.

"Sweet digs," Snotlout contentedly smirked to himself, clutching a fistful of the fabric that was swathed across his body. "Maybe I'm on my way to Asgard and this is the first stop to the rainbow bridge. Or...I guess it's just a dream."

The male sighed and turned himself over on his side, burying his face into some sort of furry cloak. "A pillow, too? Ha! These dreams spoil me," he snickered interiorly, wrapping his arms around the object to snuggle against it. "Well, as much as I love a good battle with some Berserkers, this is pretty cool too. It's warm. I don't want to wake up..."

"Can you please not spoon me?" An exasperated, nasally voice sighed in irritation, as well as discomfort.

Snotlout's chocolate eyes popped open, and he shrieked upon the discovery that he'd instigated a cuddle with his cousin. Male...cousin. Oh, cripes. "AUGH-AAUGH! GUH-ROSS!" The Viking squawked, frenetically wiping his face with his hands and wiping said hands on Hiccup's back. "Speak up next time!"

"I believe I did, but I offer my sincerest apologies anyway," the other boy groused, rubbing his fatigued eyes with a freckled hand. Snotlout snorted and sat up, wringing his callused hands in aversion before wiping them on the thick wool blanket that the wooden bed was sporting. Hm... Wait.

"Where are we?" The Viking respired, rubbing his head to pacify the dull thudding ache in his skull. Upon the realization that his helmet was missing, he probed about, and it wasn't long before he connected the puzzle pieces together, along with his cousin, who was trying to recollect his resolve.

They were in a small cabin, presumably a ship's cabin, due to the slow rocking movement of the area. It was rather dusky, but the few slight rays shining through the ceiling above allowed them a proper visual. It was a small room, the bed virtually taking up half the space while the other half was bare. Next to the door, there had to be pegs on the wall, with Snotlout's helmet resting upon one. "Oh...shoot..."

"How long was I out?" Hiccup sighed in exacerbation while he rested his perspiring forehead against his bunched knees. "And where did you say we were? Hopefully...our ah, our fleet?"

Snotlout snorted and quickly removed himself from the bed upon the embarrassing realization that he'd slept next to another guy. "Uh, I don't know. Why don't you ask Astrid?" He snapped mordantly, grabbing his helmet from its place on the wall to put back on his head. "Or better yet, why don't you ask good ol' Dagur how long it's been? I'm sure he'd love to fill you in once he's done torturing-"

"Dagur?" Hiccup reared back at the other male's outburst, his bloodshot eyes widening in surprise. "What-? How did-? Never mind," he dismissed, gingerly scooting himself to the edge of the bed. "Ugh... That explains why I feel like week-old cod," he moaned, rubbing the space between his eyes. "What...happened, exactly?"

Snotlout's hardened gaze softened a bit when he remembered that Hiccup had been quite out of it by the Berserker fleet had arrived, and probably had no idea where they were. But it reappeared once he remembered Hiccup's little misfortune that landed them in this particular calamity. "Um, you tripped over your clumsy feet—er, foot, and ended up in the ocean…before I courageously rescued you, of course."

"You did? Well, thank you for that," Hiccup smiled a lopsided grin.

"You're welcome," Snotlout nodded rather smugly. "All in a day's work for this hunk of awesomeness."

"Oh, please don't be so humble," came Hiccup's sarcastic reply.

"I'll spare you it," Snotlout promised, and continued, "So while you were out like Gobber on Bork Week: poof! The Berserker tribe mysteriously appeared with their armada, or some...dung like that while I was trying to keep you from freezing. Don't ask me why. Dagur's just the king of armadas, I guess."

Hiccup groaned and flung himself back on the bed, his head landing on something rather solid. "Dagur. It's just one wonderful thing after the next, isn't it? Happy Snoggletog to us!" He muttered, and then sat up with a jolt. "Wait. Oh my Gods. Where's Astrid?!" Snotlout jumped as well.

"Astrid?!" Hiccup gasped again, bringing both hands up to his mouth to subdue a cry.

"Oh, Frigg!" Snotlout squealed with freakish volume. "You think Dagur's using the rack on her?! Or the thumbscrews?! The Blood Eagle?!"

"None of those. Hiccup's sitting on her," came an annoyed, muffled reply. Hiccup yelped and nearly jumped out of his skin once again as the lump he'd been resting upon shifted.

"O-Oh! Astrid!" Hiccup squeaked, wrenching himself away from said lump. "Hi-Astrid-Hi Astrid. Did NOT see you there!"

The girl grumbled and flung the quilt off of her wearied body. She looked undeniably disheveled from this most recent event, but oddly enough, it appeared that she had been cleaned, free of dirt and the layer of grime she'd grown accustomed to, and even her clothes gave off the ambiance of cleanliness. Huh... She had been tended to. If the boys had been paying a bit more attention to themselves, they would have noticed their own cleanliness as well. But then was not a time. Hiccup watched as Astrid gingerly got to a sitting position and swung her legs off the bed.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her.

"I've been better," she replied with a grunt, stretching out her shoulder blade with a sickening crack. "More importantly: how are YOU doing?"

Hiccup gave a noncommittal shrug. "Been better," he answered truthfully, because despite the luxury, he did look under the weather. His skin had drastically paled, which brought out the dark of his freckles, his emerald eyes had notably dimmed, and his limbs themselves almost seemed detached. After experiencing what it was like to become a human ice cube, he was shaken up and admittedly distant. But... "I'll live."

Astrid gave a grin of relief and looked about while she stretched out her muscles. She perked. "Well," she said, "at least we're out of the cold-"

"-And honored guests within the vessel of a psychotic Berserker," Hiccup finished with a nonchalant gesticulation. "Not my first choice of rescue, but nonetheless."

"Pfft. I'm just shocked they haven't beaten information out of us yet about the dragons," Snotlout acknowledged, trying out the door and was largely surprised to find that it was unlocked. "Or at the very least, use your kid against you in order to... Oh."

"…HICCUP!" Both Astrid and Hiccup shouted, their fear-filled voices melding perfectly together in unison. An uncomfortable silence fell heavily around everyone present, the two youngest teens especially, while the third looked at them with sympathy.

"Ooh," Snotlout sucked in a breath through his teeth. "That's gotta be rough."

"Uh, yeah. No kidding, knucklehead!" Astrid barked, catapulting her supposedly spent body out of bed before marching towards the door. The privy knowledge of her baby's whereabouts seemed to strengthen her spirit, and the girl who had trouble walking not too long ago was up and at 'em. The advantages of motherhood, supposedly. Hiccup followed suit, wobbly hopping along on one foot due to the absence of his prosthetic. Dagur must have taken it, the crafty skunk.

"Uh, a little help, anyone?" He feebly queried, clutching the length of the doorframe in order to stay upright. He couldn't suppress the prominent blush adorning his pale, freckled face, out of the embarrassment of his handicapped appendage. Snotlout made no complaint (another miracle within itself) and hooked an arm around his cousin's waist to support his stance.

"Let's go," Astrid snarled, slamming open the door and began her stomping spree down the rather large wooden hall of the ship that was alit with torches on either side, not even checking for guards. "Dagur is gonna regret taking my son."

"Oh! Just a reminder, e-everyone," Hiccup stumbled over his wording as he was shoved along by Snotlout's uneven pace. "Dagur brought us aboard for a reason and he's ob-obviously never been known for his, ah, hospitality. If we illustrate any display of aggression, it's most likely that his response will be somewhat erratically violent. That warning goes out to everyone here, Astrid," he punctuated her name clearly so the message would successfully send across.

"Pfft. Don't worry about me," the blonde dismissed, looking over her shoulder while she rounded a tight corner-and actually crashed into a massive Berserker soldier, bouncing backward off of his round belly. "Hey!"

The soldier hardly flinched while Hiccup gasped, Snotlout blanched, and Astrid glared, staring down the guard with her most daunting stare. "You!" She snapped, shoving a finger into his face. "I've got questions, buddy, and you're going to answer them."

The boys gaped at her in disbelief. "Wow. Labor must've done a number on her," Snotlout remarked under his breath, sadly shaking his head. "Poor girl."

The guard gazed at her for a moment before letting out a low whistle and a slight chuckle soon after. "Ye must be th' mother. Ah presume yer lookin' for ye son, em ah right?" He'd successfully hit a nerve. Astrid's fists clenched. What had they done to her baby?

"Where is he?" She admonished through her gritted teeth. "Come on, spit it out! Where's my son?! Where?! You'd better tell me or I'll run you through with my bare fi-"

"Astrid," entered Hiccup's warning tone, reminding her not to strike.

Snotlout hooted in panic-stricken disbelief. "Dude, she is so dead."

The girl lingered, but her glare wavered not. The Berserker guard moved forward and gripped her by the armored shoulder with his muscular digits. "All of ye ah're comin' weth me. You're all goin' to have a lettle talk with our beloved Chief, the fearless, the barbaric-"

"Dagur the Deranged, we get it," Snotlout mumbled under his breath, earning himself an annoyed glare from the guard as he shoved Astrid forward. "Just...clues to the puzzle," he defended.

"Let's go. No time t' talk," the guard ordered. "Dagur's expecting ya and he don't like t' wait." He led them around the ship a bit, entering a few more halls before reaching a ladder leading to a large trap door. The way out.

"Ladies first," he offered in a mockingly pleasant voice, gesturing toward the ladder.

"With pleasure," Astrid sneered back, scaling the ladder without a scintilla of hesitation. Although her muscular physique served her well, her holder still screamed in protest from the movement. "Uff…Let's just get this over with."

Snotlout and Hiccup both glanced at each other and winced. This was going to be a rough day.

Astrid knew no hesitance and her competence knew no bounds, a disadvantage she possessed as soon as she flung open the trapdoor. A blast of freezing cold wind blasted her face, cogently waking up her remaining drowsy nerves. What on Berk was Dagur doing up there? She quickly ducked back into the bunker and shivered.

"W-What the Frigg?!" She chattered, earning a worried gaze from her husband. "The storm's hitting us head on! You can't expect me to go to the deck and have a tea party with your lunatic ch-"

The guard ignored Astrid and gripped her boots, which were still on the ladder rings, and boosted her back through the opening in the deck. Hiccup recoiled as a thud emitted along with Astrid's shriek of pain, and he snapped at the offending guard, "What's wrong with you?! Can't you see she's in enough pain already?"

The Berserker shrugged and cracked his dry knuckles. "Not me problem, laddie. Now who's next?" Snotlout averted his eyes and the guard kept his gaze upon the auburn-haired boy. "'Ow 'bout ye? Yer a feisty one. Least that's what Dagur informed us."

"Ah yes, my non-existent muscles know no bounds," Hiccup quipped with a roll of his eyes. "Trust me. It's a verbal type of feisty."

The guard just snickered. "Ah can tell," he agreed, scooping the boy up by his underarms and flinging him up out of the bunker. Snotlout could hear the thud of his cousin landing with a groan, and he cringed, stealing a glance at the guard who was staring at him expectantly.

Snotlout weakly smiled an innocent smile. "I'll just-" He pointed to the ladder. "I got it." And he scrambled up out into the cold, unforgiving winter.

The first sensation he received from the outside was stinging barrage of icy wind. The next was the faint burning of his ears, nose, and cheeks as his body struggled to keep warm. The next was a callused hand gripping the scruff of his neck and dragging him to his feet until he came face-to-face with the culprit himself. Dagur the Deranged. Cue the crazy.

The Berserker Chief hummed, taking no notice of the younger teenager's shocked complexion and discomfort in favor of their proximity. "Hm. Snot...hat, was it?" He mused, looking particularly disinterested as his warm breath floated away in clouds.

"L-Lout!" Snotlout corrected with a shiver, avoiding eye-contact with the mentally unstable nineteen-year-old. "S-Snotlout." Instead, he took in the clothing of the other uncouth male, shocked to find that he wasn't wearing anything particularly warm-fitting. He was simply clad in the normal attire he usually wore on a daily basis. Wasn't he the least bit cold?

"Oh. Well, whatever." Dagur shrugged with a lack of refinement, letting the boy plummet to the frosty deck with a thump. "It's not you who I'm interested in, anyway. It's that Hiccup guy. Where is he?" He asked loudly over the roaring of the wind.

"R-Right here, s-sir!" A Berserker soldier answered with a chattering shout. He had a tight grip on an enraged, struggling Astrid by her braid, and Hiccup's hair, who looked rather ill while he shivered and shook. Nothing drained his energy like being forced to stand on one leg.

A wide, toothy smile spread over the young Chief's face and he laughed jovially. "Ooh, goody. It's been a while, Brother," he remarked, strolling nonchalantly across the shivering teen's path with his hands clasped behind his back. "How's Devastating Winter treating Berk, hm? You? Well enough I imagine, what with the chilling condition you were in not too long ago. Haha! See what I did there?! Of course you did. You're a smart boy, after all."

Hiccup remained quiet as his teeth chattered uncontrollably, unsure of what Dagur was planning. Although, he had a pretty strong hunch that it had something to do with Toothless. Astrid, however, held back nothing.

"L-Listen to me, you half-w-witted imbecile," she snarled over the howling wind, yanking away at the soldier's grip like a madwoman. "Enough with the games. You've got t-ten seconds to tell me what you've done with Hiccup or I swear on Snotlout's life, I will stick you like a boar!"

Dagur's eyes widened a bit at the threat but they fell back to their amusing stare. He began to chuckle, lowly at first before it became a hysterical cackle that lasted, well, a good ten seconds.

"Ohhh, ho-ho, is that what you call the whiny little cretin? Hiccup?" He inquired with a smirk before his face grew incredibly dark. "Certainly suits him. It took my female soldiers a while to shut him up."

"W-What have you done to him?!" Hiccup whispered while Astrid blanched, and Dagur rolled his eyes. "You couldn't have! D-Dagur, he's a baby!"

"Oh, relax. I didn't do anything to hurt him," he assured the stricken couple. "I would never harm a defenseless infant." He smirked and leaned forward with a leering grin adorning his painted face. "Unless I absolutely had to, ey?"

Astrid growled and struggled at the restraining soldier. This kid knew how to push her buttons, and was succeeding, evidently. "D-D-Don't you dare touch him, y-you psychotic-"

The Berserker Chief let out a very irritated groan, throwing his head back dramatically and nearly dislodging his horned helmet. "Doesn't anyone ever tell you that your voice can get extremely annoying at some points? Headaches, girl!" He scoffed, tapping against his helmet. "Must be that time of the month for you, huh?"

Astrid's azure eyes darkened while Hiccup and Snotlout winced. "Trust me, I would've have taken that over the birth any day," she promised him, causing him to shudder.

"Ew, please not in front of me," he spat, sticking his tongue out in disgust. "We're not here to talk about the birth, or your son. Though, I do have to congratulate you on the marriage, Brother. Who knew you'd be such a lady's man?" He teased, before abruptly going serious once more.

"Haha-No. What we're going to do is discuss how you got out here in the middle of the ocean." He rushed over to Hiccup and placed himself right before the younger boy, almost nose-to-nose. "I saw the boat. But what I really want to know is where you're hiding your little pets. Namely, the dragons," he hissed.

Hiccup blinked, trying to wriggle his face away from the nineteen-year-old's. His breath smelt of cabbage. "G-Good ol' Dagur," he muttered sarcastically. "Always straight t-to the point."

Dagur's stare did not waver and the younger Viking sighed. "Listen, I-I know about your ever-lasting obsession of getting your hands on Toothless and wearing his skull as a-a helmet. It's quite the Hogmanay resolution, if I do say so myself. But y-you won't be able to find him or any of the other dragons f-for that matter."

"Oh?" Dagur's brows furrowed and he smiled, which caused Hiccup's stomach to churn uneasily. "And why would that be, Brother?"

"They f-fly south for the winter, just like the birds," Astrid quickly interrupted, diverting the Berserker's attention to her. "Ever wonder why they never raid us during this time of year? T-They aren't even a hundred miles in range! We were completely caught off guard by it ourselves. O-One day they were all there and the next they were gone," she supplied with a shiver. "They could be at the shores of Rome by now, for all we know."

Her quick-witted cover impressed Hiccup up. It was a pretty convincing story to say the least, and Dagur seemed to buy it for the time being. But he wasn't finished just yet. "Then what were you doing out there all alone?" His attention was all on Astrid now, and he expected an answer.

"Well, y-you see-"

Out of the blue, Snotlout pretended to groan, attracting the unwanted attention of the deranged teenager. "F-Fishing trip g-gone wrong," he provided, earning a grateful glance from his cousin. "We weren't supposed to drift out so far, but the current was too strong, and Hiccup's got th-these little arms..." He wriggled his own arms for emphasis, causing the Hooligan heir to roll his eyes. "...O-One thing led to another and the boat tipped. And th-then that's when you found us. Th-The end!" He finished with a melodramatic flourish.

There was a primitive silence. Hiccup and Astrid glanced nervously at each other as Dagur rubbed his chin, looking quite thoughtful. There was certainly a significant amount of holes in that story. Dagur noticed this, and gave Hiccup a long, calculating look. "You were the one rowing?" He asked, and then wrinkled his nose. "Why would you be the one-? Wait. What genius decided to bring the kid along? Man, and I thought I was deranged!" He affirmed dramatically. "Well, I am, but-"

"You are," Hiccup assured him politely, and sighed tiredly. "It's just...a really long story. I'd hate to bore you."

"It'd t-take like six books t-to write," Astrid added with a humorless shiver, sneaking a smile at her partner.

Dagur shrugged, looking rather downcast about their stories and the dragons' absence. But then he grinned eerily. "I've got time," he replied. "Why don't you all hunker down in the women's quarters, and we'll chat a little later when you're feeling warmed up?"

Snotlout perked up a bit. "Women's quarters?" He repeated, arching an eyebrow with interest.

"Oh-ho, yes," Dagur replied with a smirk, his back to them as he approached the icy rail to lean against it. "Think of it as a, ah, nursery" he decided, "for your son. My female soldiers have been taking care of him, don't you worry."

"Oh...I wouldn't normally say this to you, but t-thank you," Hiccup thanked the Chief with uncertainty as the guard released him and Astrid. "I'm surprised you haven't-"

"-Used your kid against you for the sake of information?" Dagur grinned sadistically. "Believe me, I adore the Blood Eagle as much as the next Viking, but I tend to cool it down around the holidays. Heh. Literally." And he let out an obscenely loud cackle following suit of his remark before his face fell back to calm. "Alright. Get out, you three," he dismissed. "I have unfinished business to take care of."

Hiccup and Astrid glanced at each other and then at Snotlout, who looked just as, if not more, flustered. It was quite a sight to see the Berserker Chief look so serene and calm while his soldiers were shouting, shivering, and screaming orders at each other in the midst of Icelandic chaos. "O-...Kay then," Hiccup muttered slowly, turning his back on the deranged teenager to head for the trapdoor in the deck. Once they were all back inside the ship and shrouded in darkness, everyone shuddered.

"T-That went lot better than I thought it would," Astrid admitted while she furiously rubbed at her arms to get the tingly feeling back in her limbs. "W-We should hurry to the "women's quarters". Agreed?"

"Agreed," Hiccup complied, putting a trembling hand on her armored shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll find him. T-Then we have t-to find a way out of here and somehow get back to Berk. Okay, Snotlout? Snotlout? Snotlout?" He turned to find within the dim torchlight that his cousin was still furiously rubbing at the seat of his pants.

"Sorry. Cold," the burly boy apologized, itching frantically while the other two grimaced. "I gotta get the feeling back-"

"Come on," Astrid interrupted impatiently, stealing a grab at the boy's horn and dragging down the hall, her other arm supporting Hiccup as he hopped along as best he could.

It didn't take long for them to find the room they were seeking, upon observing the metallic sign above the door labeled, Konur Herbergi.

It was at the very end of the long hallway they had been traveling down, past the room they had woken up in. "Women's Quarters," Hiccup read, while Astrid moved to barge her way in. "Hm. For once, Dagur was being specifically-"

"YAHHH!" The blonde screeched, literally kicking down the door so that they could enter. There was a collective gasp from within the room, and a soft whine, followed by comforting soothes.

"Whoa, Astrid," Snotlout grinned. "Still feisty, even after all this. I like it." The other two teenagers paid no attention to him and instead gazed into the rosy glow of a room that was lit by candles. It was a room of several females ranging from the ages of seventeen to thirty, all Berserkers, all in their armor, and all staring upon the three intruders in shock.

"Hiccup?" Astrid whispered, an expression of relief alighting her once angry, dark features. She quickly stole into the room, Hiccup and Snotlout following close behind. The women within the room relaxed a bit as they noticed Hiccup and his unfortunate situation with the leg. Astrid scanned the room, taking note of the furs covering the floor and the absence of furniture. "W-Where's my son?"

One of the women, a young girl about the age of seventeen, was siting cross-legged on the floor, cradling a familiar bundle of fur. She smiled at the young mother and answered, "He's present, Lady Astrid." Her voice was soft, as if quiet to not awaken the infant in her muscular arms. "Dagur insisted we take care of him for you while you were in you're past condition."

Astrid placed a hand over her heart and gasped out in relief, gliding over to the young woman on the floor, who handed her the child without hesitation. He was cocooned in some sort of papoose that they'd seen mothers of the village use with their own children. The woman nodded in satisfaction as the young mother cradled her child and she turned to her counterparts to say, "We'll vacate the premises if you wish."

"Please, thank you," Hiccup smiled weakly, stumbling over to his wife and son while Snotlout pouted as the women left the room and softly shut the door.

"Aw, I was looking forward to enjoying their company," Snotlout complained, plopping down to the floor, cross-armed. Despite his annoyance, he couldn't help but let his wavering gaze wander to the little family that had taken refuge in the little pile of furs in the center of the room. The change in Astrid was prominent as irregular. She was practically glowing now that she had her child safe in her arms, a competently changed girl, once a raving nightmare softened to a loving guardian.

"I'm so sorry I left you," she murmured softly, gently nuzzling the infant's forehead as he slept away. Although she had spent so little time with her baby to bond, she felt an unquenchable love for the bundle of human life. Hiccup happily yet tiredly leaned against Astrid, gently resting his cheek against the crook of her neck, his shaking fingers gently sifting through the baby's auburn locks.

"I missed you, bud," he murmured. "We aren't gonna leave you again."

Snotlout watched in curiosity. He hadn't the time to actually meet his cousin's baby yet, having been far too preoccupied with the rescue and the fact that the Berserkers had captured them. It was interesting to see the children he'd grown up with adopt this new lifestyle and maternal image. An endearing smile began to tug at his lips and his eyes fell half-lidded.

"Well, just look at that. Something good came outta yer little mistake, ey?" The voice commented, snickering a bit as Snotlout's expression grew goofily soft. He gave a slight smile and shrugged. What he did certainly wasn't angelic, but observing at the person his cousin and ex-crush had created and loved, no doubt, made him feel peculiarly warm. He knew at that moment that he would never regret the child.

"Gonna apologize yet, ya limpet? Or are you just gonna keep making goo-goo eyes?"

"Seriously?" Snotlout whispered in annoyance, rolling his chocolate eyes. "Now? For the Gods' sake, let me watch them have their moment in peace!"

The boy's expertise caught the attention of the female Viking and she glanced at him, causing him to freeze. "What was that, Snotlout?" Astrid asked, smirking a bit at the now flustered Viking as he realized his mistake.

"Oh-OH! It's nothing, it's nothing," he dismissed with a offhand wave. "Just talking to myself. Really. What were you saying again? How you won't ever leave your kid? Yeah..." He trailed off into the awkward depths of silence. "It's so...squishy lookin'," he commented after a bit, cocking his head in curiosity and slight caution.

Astrid huffed and choked back a laugh at the absurdity yet innocent curiosity of his statement. "Can't you just say he's a beautiful baby like any other normal person?"

"I could, I could. But where's the fun in that?" Snotlout asked, earnestly. "I mean, I could make comments about how titchy-small the little guy is, but-" Astrid stared impassively. "Fine," he grumbled. "Even though the runtiness is technically Mister Fishbone's fault over here. Runs in the family, right Hiccup?"

All eyes swiveled to the heir of Berk, who since the conversation started had been absently observing his son, now seemed a bit more vague than usual. "Mm-hmm," he murmured distantly, closing his emerald eyes as his hand fell away from the spot on the baby's head. Was it just him or did the room feel hotter? And...ooh...spinning. Everything was spinning. Man the hoses, he was spinning. "Genetics...are mean to me."

Astrid gaped and took in his rapidly deflating state. "Are-Are you alright?" She asked in concern as her husband wrapped his arms around his waist and shivered. She removed one hand out from under her child and placed it against his perspiring forehead. Well, he wasn't burning, but even so; he was perceptibly unwell.

"Snotlout, he doesn't look good," Astrid reported solemnly, though her mind was overflowing with unease. She had to remain tranquil. "Well, I guess that's what happens when you fall into a freezing ocean. Here, just lay back," she ordered, gently easing the boy onto his back so that he was resting against the furs. "That's it. Easy does it." And to Snotlout, she swallowed and said, "We have to get him back to Berk. Soon."

Snotlout blinked and then sneered in disbelief. "Yyyyeah. Uh... And how do you expect us to get there, exactly?" He asked, wondering if they were actually going to consider iceberg hopping. "In case you haven't noticed: Hiccup's leg is gone, you can't walk without collapsing, and we have a baby with us, for Goddesses's sake!" He listed these disadvantages off of his fingers.

Something in Astrid's chest clenched. As much as she hated to admit it, he did have a point. Three very good points, and that thoroughly bothered her to no end. "True... Which is why you've got to be the one to get us back!" Astrid declared.

Her proposal-nay, demand, gave him a start. "What?!" Snotlout shouted, trying to keep his balance as the room tilted. The swaying of the ship only added to the commotion. The dark rumbling of thunder crashed in the distance. The storm was getting worse. "Me?! I can't get you-How in Odin's name am I supposed to get you back to Berk?!"

"I don't know!" The female Viking cried, her platinum brows furrowing in hysterical frustration. "But we need to figure out something! We can't stay here with Dagur! Like you said earlier, he'll turn our skulls to...to-to-"

"Helmets?"

"Yes!"

"You're the one who wanted to get on Dagur's ship in the first place!" Snotlout pointed out. "And now you want me to get you home?! What the actual heck?!"

"It was a mistake, alright?! But we have to think about the future right now, and dwelling on my admittedly bad mistake isn't going to solve anything. We have to get a healer for three of us, and guess what? I don't trust Dagur one bit," Astrid shot back. "I don't know how we're going to do it, but...but we have to try."

Oh, this was perfectly ridiculous. Going after them earlier had been easier for Snotlout since the storm hadn't reached its peak. Now that the climax had arrived, what did she honestly expect of him? Snotlout was about to retort that she was probably going deranged as Dagur at that point, but Hiccup weakly cut in before he could. "S-Spare...boats."

Astrid whipped her head around, her long braid nearly catching Snotlout in the eye. He had spoken so softly that she had barely grasped it. "Could you repeat?"

Hiccup didn't open his eyes again, but he hoarsely repeated, "T-There're spare boats o-on the side of the...ship. To use in c...case the ship sinks...you know?" Spare boats? Astrid and Snotlout looked up at the same time and caught each other's stares.

Valhalla help them if they were seriously going to go through with the same crazy idea.

...

Up on deck, Dagur was immensely enjoying the abundant chaos that was overtaking his ship. And why not? Discord was a vocation, and what Viking didn't enjoy the savage seas every once in awhile? It's what they were born to do! But of course, all adrenaline rushes must come to an end at some point. Preferably, by bad news.

"Sir!" An older soldier of great height speedily approached the Chief, understanding with dismay that the news would probably activate Dagur's bipolar tendencies. "News, from th' Portside, a-and it's urgent!"

"Oh, comrade," Dagur chuckled, swinging from the edge of the rail to stand before the soldier. "How urgent could it be at a time like this?" Whilst he said this, lightning flashed in the distance, creating a terrifying silhouette.

"Urgent e-enough, uh, sir." The man scratched the space beneath his helmet with his fingers. "Th' fugitives ah're takin' our spare rowboats!"

That snapped Dagur out of his psychotic frenzy quicker than a mace blown to the head. "What?!" He yelled, causing the offending reporter before him to flinch. "What do mean they're taking our spares?! Didn't I order someone to keep an eye on them?!"

The reporter opened his mouth to answer but another call distracted Dagur. "Th' prisoners ah're gettin' away, Chief!" One of the men called from the distant side of the ship.

"Well shoot them d-! UGH! Hiccup!" Dagur snarled and sprinted over to the guardrail just in time to see a very flustered Astrid, Hiccup, and Snotlout all sitting in one of his very own dihingies. Snotlout had both oars in his thick hands and was frantically rowing through the uncontrollable waters, despite the free-for-all on board.

Dagur was shocked to his very core. Of all the plans ever conjured and ever executed, this was too crazy even for him. How did they manage to sneak past the guards with Hiccup's missing leg? How could they just leave in the middle of a storm during Devastating Winter?! ...Though, that was exactly what he was doing-but that was beside the point! Better yet, what to do in such a situation? Should he order his soldiers to shoot the darts? Spear the boat and reel it back in? In the heat of the moment, he did neither. All he could do was gape.

"W-What?!" He gasped. "What are you doing?!"

Snotlout somehow overheard his call over the rumbling of thunder in addition to the crashing of waves and looked up at the Berserker, answering candidly just for the sake of it.

"JUST HAVING A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN!" He screamed, his face white with terror and adrenaline as he rowed further into the storm. Within seconds, the group of Berkians had easily disappeared into the mist and rain, leaving a very disgruntled crew, disheartened, and fearful of their Chief's reaction.

Dagur blankly stared after them for a moment before his face fell darker than Helheim itself. He growled uncontrollably, his prey having once again escaped his clutches. "I cannot believe they got away again!" He shrieked, his jaw tight and strained. "After them!" He ordered with a shout, to which the crew looked at each other with worry, and then at the icebergs.

"S-Sir, Ah'm afraid we can't go after them," one of the poor souls primed with a small waver to his hoarse voice. "Th' storm will only worsen and we have the disadvantage in numbers! Ah advise we anchor here fer th' time being!"

"Nobody asked you!" Dagur screeched, taking hold of the whimpering soldier by the scruff of the neck and tossing him into the freezing ocean without a second thought.

He watched the soldier plummet into the waves that effectively cut off the scream before his own face returned nonchalant. "But you do have a point," he casually admitted before turning back to his crew. "We anchor tonight, men!" He commanded, causing the multitude of sailors to grin and inwardly sigh with relief. "But first, sail to the eye of the storm. We will then return home first thing in the morning and conquer the Hooligans another day!"

He didn't question whether or not Hiccup and his little clan would survive the night, but he did turn out to sea with a deviant little grin and snicker, "Nighty-nighty, Hiccup. Hope you sink and you're little family lose your way in the waves. And one day, your little Night Fury will be all mine."

"S-Sir! Igor's unconscious!" The smile dropped from Dagur's face and he huffed. Way to kill the moment.

Submersion. Drowning. Death of cold.

Those fatalities may very well have been the case for the small, runaway crew. The young teenagers were doing all that they possibly could to struggle for their survival as Mother Nature pummeled them obstinately. Raindrops incessantly splattered upon the already soaked deck of their small rowboat while the waves pitilessly tossed them to and fro, making it extremely difficult to stay upright at all.

Hiccup the Fourth had officially awakened and was sobbing, eyes squeezed shut, his little form shivering in the cold despite his father's bear-fur vest. The immense, endless thunderclaps and howling winds dwarfed his baby squeals by thousands.

Astrid clutched him tightly to her chest, understanding with a heavy heart that there was little she could do to soothe the poor baby's anxieties, as well as shake the idea out of her mind that it might be the last night she would ever experience with her family. What a feeling. Her husband lay shivering under the seat from which she sat, his fears leaving him stricken to the core as the night raged on. He couldn't think straight. He couldn't see straight. He couldn't hear. The sounds were all melding together into a loud, low drone that deafened his ears. They needed to make it home.

To Snotlout's credit, he rowed with all his might, never stopping once. Even when the calluses of his hands tore open and bled, he never complained once. Or...maybe he did, but the thunder was drowning him out.

"Geez, Thor! Give it a rest, already!" He protested after a deafening "boom" shook the world, causing his heart to pound. Habitually, he wouldn't be afraid of such things, mostly because the Vikings were in Thor's good graces. It also helped that he usually had a blanket and a cup of yak milk on standby. But out here, anything was possible, and there were no stand-in mugs this time. "We even built you a statue that one time," he muttered with a pout. Another thunderclap trailed his complaint.

Astrid tried to lend a hand, or rather a voice, by acting as Snotlout's lookout since there was little she could do anyway. "Iceberg, dead ahead!" She would holler, and Snotlout would oblige her warning, pushing off and away the ice blocks with his feet and occasionally, one of the oars. It was arduous, tireless work, but he pressed forward as the night wore on. The last thing he wanted was to become a relic of Atlantis.

*BOOM*

"H-Hey Snotlout!" Astrid shouted after a few hours of being soaked to the bone by the rainwater. "W-We're going to sail t-to the end of the world s-s-sometime; don't you know w-where you're going!?"

"Well," Snotlout shouted back, "I would use the stars to navigate my way through this Helheim hole, but as you can see: there are WAY too many clouds!"

"How in the name of Æir did you find us then?!" She screamed, everlasting dread poisoning her mind.

"Oh that was easy!" He yelled. "Meatlug apparently ate too much quartz and left a trail of evidence! I just followed that!" Astrid kept silent after that, other than to comfort her confused and terrified baby.

After a long while of waiting, rowing, and yes, shivering, a scattered lightning bolt in the distance electrified the night sky with a brilliant white, silhouetting against the clouds...and a large mass out over the horizon.

Wait, what?!

Astrid blinked rainwater and saltwater out of her eyes as best as she could and shielded them with a hand. Had she been hallucinating? Surely that mass had been an illusion of the mind, or even the clouds? Her uncertain qualms were put to rest, for Snotlout mentioned it as well.

"I-Is that *inhale* what I *inhale* think it is?!" He gasped with a heave as he continued to row, peering over his shoulder. Hiccup the Fourth squealed as another thunderclap shook the area.

Another lightning bolt flashed across the sky, once again lighting the area in the distance. And then another. And another! Astrid's azure eyes grew wide, and she could have cheered to Valhalla if not for the state and environment she was in. "It is! It is, Snotlout! We're gonna make it!"

Dagur had been closer to Berk than she had predicted. "We're going to make it! Come on, Odin! Take us back to Berk!"

"You-You guys see l-land?!" Hiccup stuttered quietly, hope flickering in his lidded emerald irises, to which Astrid grinned elatedly in reply.

"Valhalla, YEAH we do!" She cheered with euphoria, pumping a fist in the air in celebration. Thor graciously provided the girl her chorus, booming loudly to back up her cries. "Yeah! Land ho!"

Snotlout was grinning. The thought of successfully completing his mission, the thought of his family safe at home, encouraged him like nothing had ever had before, and he rowed with all his might. His arms burned, his jaw tightened, his muscles cramped from all the physical exertion, yet nothing stopped him. Nothing could stop him now.

"That's it!" The voice shouted. It was the only thing he could hear over all the thunder and crashing waves against ice. "You've got this in the satchel, you son of Spitelout! Now row! Row! Row!"

Snotlout gasped for air, throwing back his head to adjust his helmet before preceding forward. "I got this," he heaved, straining with all his might. He gritted his teeth and regrouped the oars as they slipped from his grasp. "I got this! I got this!" He repeated. "Yeah! C'mon, Mother Nature! Take me back to Berk! Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi, oi-!"

A huge wave splashed against his face, almost indignantly. "...Oi."

...

Things were not much enhanced for even the sturdiest of Vikings back on Berk. The wind had become too resilient for even the houses to safely withstand, so Stoick ordered everyone to barricade himself or herself together in the Great Hall. In addition, everyone was to gather as much supplies as they could and stow it all away within said hall.

Stoick was no doubt a devastated man. Not only did he have no idea where the long-lost teenagers were, but there also was literally nothing he could do about it. Most of his family had been swiped away in a matter of days. What had he done for the Gods to destine him such a horrendous fate? First his wife, then son, daughter-in-law, grandchild, and nephew. How could he lead while a village in such a world of hurt?

"Oh Gobber," he sighed heavily as his best friend packed up his tools to take to the Great Hall. They were the first to start packing as the rest of the villagers scuttled about, heaving boxes and chests of who-knows-what. "This holiday has been a complete disaster."

Gobber gazed sympathetically at the Chief. He couldn't have imagined the sheer amount of sadness he was experiencing, and how Stoick managed to hold onto an iron fist of leadership to keep his tribe together, creditable to his name. It was surely a devastating winter, to say the least. But despite all the cruel and the cold, he still attempted at lightening the mood. "Ech, et's...et's not so bad." He consoled with a shrug, trying his best to speak with tact and sensitivity as he swung a leather bag of parchments and tools over his shoulders.

"Not so bad? Not so bad?!" Stoick repeated, a hint of irritation layering his gruff bark. He stalked out of the Smithy with Gobber in tow as he continued to rant. "This is as bad as it can get, Gobber!" He ranted, shoving past a crowd that seemed to have stilled despite the howling wind.

"The town is completely iced over," he continued, "mah beard is frozen solid, the dragons have up and left us, my son, daughter-in-law, grandchild, and nephew are probably dead as far as I know, so I could use a bit of diplomacy now and-What are these people looking at?!"

He and Gobber followed the transfixed gazes of the onlookers upfront and stared out into the opaque ocean of misery. At first, he saw nothing out of the ordinary-as far as storms went-but then he too caught sight of the tiny little dot that everyone seemed to be so mesmerized by. It was headed straight for the docks and was swerving crazily. Whoever was rowing had to be an amateur, but he admired the brute stre- Wait.

"Who is that?" He asked to nobody in particular, shifting closer to the edge of the cliff. That person-no-people, looked slightly familiar...if not...very familiar. His forest-green eyes widened in realization and he gasped. Could it be? "Snotlout!"

The villagers around his gasped through their constant shivering and stared at each other in disbelief. Spitelout in particular as he shoved past the crowd to get a better look at the approaching dihingy. A small but ecstatic grin engulfed his face as he recognized his son as the boy in the boat, rowing like his life depended on it. Because it did.

"Ha!" He shook a fist and cheered, for what father wouldn't if his lost son had returned? "That's mah boy! Takin' on Æir like the man he- Wait...Do me eyes deceive me!? No! There's Astrid; she's alright!"

"Astrid?!" This time, it was Egil and his wife, Helga who rushed forward to observe and confirm what Spitelout had seen. They too had been preparing themselves for the relocation at the Mead Hall, quite solemnly, I might add.

"Oh, A-Astrid," Egil stuttered, clutching his tunic collar with both hands. He was overjoyed, like the two other fathers who'd lost their children as well. His little girl had returned! Helga covered her mouth with both hands and sucked in a breath as hot, irrepressible tears burned her eyes. The few short days when Astrid was missing were undoubtedly the worst days of her life. Any mother would grieve. Albeit she was outwardly stalwart around the villagers, she was truly worried sick about her only child. The only comforter in her life was Egil, the man she could trust to express her sadness to.

"Mah girl..." She whispered, clutching her husband by the shoulders in relief. "Ah," she smiled and shook her head in amusement. "And there's th' Haddock boy." To herself, she quietly added, "Ah knew he could do et."

Stoick just smiled like he never had before, and it lit up his face like Arvindal's Fire. After a quick adjustment to his horned helmet, the Chief galloped over to the stretched deck alongside the cliff that lead down to the harbor. "Henceforth Spitelout! Hoffersons!" He called to the ecstatic parents. "We'll meet the young ones at the docks. As for the rest of you," he shouted back at the remained crowd as he scrambled down the deck, "get to the Hall and ready the healer!"

"Right, Chief!" A random bystander shouted back, and rushed away to find Gothi, who was the best for the job.

...

Snotlout was panting from exhaustion by the time he reached the docks and to the awaiting familiar faces. Nobody hesitated. Egil kneeled down and took hold of the stern to steady it. His gaze met his daughter's, and she weakly grinned at him in reassurance.

All of his energy abandoning him, Snotlout threw down the oars with a groan and nearly collapsed. His adrenaline rush was long-gone, leaving him a tired, sopping and sweaty mess as Spitelout hauled him out of the rowboat by his arms. "Oof... H-Hey Dad," he greeted wearily, a tiny smile adorning his sweaty face. "Sorry about the whole curfew...lateness thing. Whooh... I can't feel my arms."

Spitelout smiled and Snotlout a rough slap on the back, which was his equivalence to a really big hug. "Welcome back, 'Lout," his father proudly replied, allowing his son to lean against him as they trudged back toward the cliff. "C'mon. Easy does et."

Snotlout paused for a moment though, to look back over his shoulder as Helga gently assisted Astrid from her spot on the boat, and Stoick carefully lifted his own son who'd passed out at that point from shock.

"C'mon, lad," Spitelout ordered, gently easing the boy away from the other Vikings. "Everyone es gathering at th' Great Hall. Weth this lousy storm overtakin' the village, et's th' safest place ta take."

"But... What about Hiccup a-...and Astrid?" Snotlout tried, glancing worriedly at his friends. "They're both hurt!"

"And they will be healed," Spitelout assured his son, giving him a shake of comfort. "Ah're ye injured? Scaling th' millennium of misery herself must've been strainer, ey?"

"Well, no," Snotlout admitted as they began the long walk up the ridge. "I'm just really, really, really, really exhausted. I'm gonna take the longest nap ever..."

"Good," his father firmly nodded, his tone growing serious and. "Then ye can tell me all about yer little adventures." As an afterthought, he added, "And secondly, why ye decided to set sail wethout informing me first."

Snotlout inwardly and outwardly froze, letting out quite a sheepish grin. "I...never told you I'd be leaving?"

...

The Great Hall was completely packed from corner to corner, every inch of the place occupied by a Viking or barn animal they had brought in for the sake of it. Sven the Silent's herd of sheep caused little disturbance however, and only to the ones' nearest. If anything, they made quite the fluffy headrest.

Families of great numbers adopted corners for their children and spread soft furs upon the floor for sleeping arrangements. Those lucky enough to be closest to the central fire took to the benches to rest their weary bodies, among the others who roasted their rationed dinners on spits.

The entire Great Hall was grandiose, more than it had ever been in all the years since it had been built since the decorations had been moved to keep from frosting. It was alit with festive lanterns of every kind that were held on string-like streamers that stretched to the opposite ends of the room. The lights created a soft, rosy glow that reflected off of the stone to appear cozy and warm. Like the amazing tree altar offering to Odin, Bucket and Mulch had clearly outdone themselves.

Those were the first thoughts that registered into Hiccup's mind as he was hauled into the gargantuan, temporary living space. Then it was the blurry faces of cheering, excited Vikings as they celebrated his return in merriment. It turns out, they were all very worried and sad over he and Astrid's disappearance. A good fraction of them were convinced that the girl's well-being would deplete as the sun set on the first day of her absence. Without the popular dragon riders to lighten the cloudy sky, things had become rather sullen.

"Hey... That you, Dad?" Hiccup murmured sleepily as he rested his head at the crook of his father's elbow. "I think... I think the whole village showed up in our house..."

Stoick answered not, but instead handed him over to Gothi before shooing away an abundance of Vikings who were curious about the heir's condition. And even more so for the little newborn that Astrid had carried in her arms. A special corner near the back of the Great Hall had been specially cleared for the returning injured, namely Hiccup, Astrid and their son.

Thankfully, Gothi reported no fatal or long lasting injuries after a thorough inspection, to Stoick's great relief. Astrid's diagnosis was the simple "she needs rest" and Hiccup was simply cold, so they stripped him of his soaking wet tunic and leggings to replace them with...dryer choices. Soon he was clad in a much dryer navy blue tunic and dark leggings. His vest was graciously returned, to which he immediately put back on after a thorough scrubbing. After that, they were ordered to rest their exhausted bodies, in hopes that over time, health would make a rebound.

And if worked! Things especially got a lot better after proper medical attention, food, and water provided by the villagers. Albeit there was the matter of Hiccup's leg...

"Lost et, didja lad?" Gobber sighed, tapping the stump of Hiccup's leg with his hook hand. They were at the assigned corner with Gobber and the rest of the crew (namely Stoick and Gothi) taking refuge on the nearest wooden bench. Astrid lay back against the walls, sitting quite comfortably on top of the furs. Her golden braid, which had come undone on the journey back, had been re-braided and combed until it shone like the sun. She looked beautiful, even for a girl who'd been tossed around and given birth surrounded by reptiles. The auburn-haired male gave a noncommittal shrug and leaned his head back against the furs, exhausted.

"At this point, I'm just happy I didn't lose my other leg," he moaned. "I don't want to walk or eat or do anything ever again... And my face hurts from doing this all day." He pointed to his pale face and imitated an expression of true horror.

"Pfft. Drama Chief," Astrid teased.

"Aw, don't ye worry. Ol' Gobber es goin' to forge you a new one, free of charge if ye like," the man offered with a genuine smile on his face. "Consider et a Snoggletog gift, from me t' you."

Hiccup smiled. "Thanks, Gobber. Couldn't ask for anything better." This was a direct tease to Astrid as he scooted over to put his arm around her temporarily unarmored shoulders.

"Yep," Astrid agreed with a slight roll of her eyes. "Nothing better. Oh, except for our escape, survival-"

"You," he cut in with a goofy little smile, gently poking her nose with a forefinger.

Astrid wrinkled her nose and pondered over his statement for a moment. "Yeah, sure. Sure." She shrugged, and grinned when he faltered just the slightest. That's when she leaned in close, for just a fraction of a second, and whispered in his ear, "Welcome to fatherhood, you dork."

Hiccup's usually pale complexion grew incredibly pink at that remark and Gobber let out a small chuckle of understanding. Stoick smiled proudly and shouted with glee, "Ah'm a grandfather! How about that, everyone?!" His words brought a bashful smile to both Hiccup and Astrid's faces, he in particular as the fuzzy feeling in his heart grew warmer. The Vikings that were closest in range made sure to give their hearty congratulations to the Chief and his family with pats on the back and cheery laughter.

After confirming that neither Astrid nor Hiccup would meet their untimely demise... Well, with all Viking lore comes festivals of the brave. Everyone merrily celebrated of the return of the missing dragon riders, and the young man who had instigated that rescue, which was Snotlout. He graciously accepted the praise and recited (bragged) his part in the rescue.

Even Helga, who approached her daughter and son-in-law, beamed with newfound endearment. Upon said approach, she attempted to maintain a stalwart air for the sake of her dignity, but she broke down incredibly fast as soon as she saw her daughter lying beautifully in the soft furs, and the tiny bundle in her arms. "Oh... A-Astrid!" She choked out with a hush, clamping a hand over her mouth as she neared. "Mah girl!"

"Hey, Mom." The girl smiled kindly as her mother kneeled down to give her a gentle hug. Hiccup watched the two females embrace with a smile. It was great to see that even after the hostile barrier had been erected between the two, they could still envelop. "Good to see you again."

Helga had no words; she just beamed a tearful beam and stroked her daughter's hair. "Heh. You're a grandmother now," Astrid informed her with relish, pulling away to meet the older Viking's bloodshot gaze.

"Am Ah now?" Helga sniffed, wiping away whatever was leaking from her eyes. The spectacle amused Astrid, and she refrained from pointing it out. "Never mind th' waterworks. Ah'm just sweating out of mah eyes," the woman excused. "May Ah see him?"

"Sure you can!" Hiccup interjected, meeting his own father's excited gaze. "And Dad, I'm sure you'd like to hold your grandson too?" Before Stoick could answer, the other teenagers arrived, pushing and shoving their way past the crowd of people to gather.

"Hiccup! Astrid! Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh, omigosh!" Fishlegs was the first to greet them, nearly crushing Hiccup in a great Gronkle-hug, earning a laugh from Astrid. Helga leapt back to avoid being crushed by the hefty teenager, who was oblivious to the hazardous proximity. "You're back! You're back! You're actually back! Oh, this is the best holiday ever! Ooooooh!" He squealed excitedly, twisting from side to side while Hiccup choked and gasped for air, his arms helplessly pinned to his side.

"Hold on!" Tuffnut cackled, rearing up to take the leap. "I wanna "boar pile" too!" And with that, he thrust himself at the two other males and joined the hug from the back, effectively squeezing Hiccup in between he and Fishlegs. "Thank Thor you guys decided to come back," the blonde sighed with relief, unaware that his helmet horns were jabbing sharply into Hiccup's shoulder blade.

The auburn-haired male gasped out, straining for air. "Ow!" Everyone else looked on in amusement. "T-Thanks, Tuff!"

"No problem," the boy replied with a smug smile, graciously detaching himself from the hug. "It was getting so lame and boring around here without the dragons and junk. And when you're stuck with someone who smells like Ruffnut, you'll know what I mean," he added, jabbing a thumb at his twin sister. She merely rolled her eyes, too intrigued by the new member of the crew to take true offense.

"I know, right?! Wow, I can't believe you guys made it back alive!" Fishlegs enthused with a huge sigh of relief. "How did you ever...? Wait. Hold the launcher!" He stared wide-eyed at the bundle in Astrid's arms. "Is...Is that who I think it is?" He giggled erratically before letting go of his friend, who fortunately hadn't suffocated during the over-enthusiastic greeting.

"This must be the new member of the Haddock family!" The stocky Viking cooed, approaching a proud Astrid, who grinned happily as he fawned over the child in her arms. "Ooh! C'mon, gimme a better look!" Everyone else murmured in excitement and peered close as Astrid carefully shifted a bit of the blanket aside to reveal her son's face. As soon as it was revealed, the little boy whined in discomfort, squeezing his eyes shut and waving his little arms in an attempt to shield them from the light.

"Awww..." Both Ruffnut and Tuffnut sighed, while Fishlegs bunched up his arms and nearly squealed. "OMT, so cute, so cute!" Ruffnut complimented. "Lucky you, Astrid. I kinda want one of those!" Astrid and Hiccup both shot each other a look of amusement, unsure of how to respond to that. But before either of them really had the chance, there was a small batch of tension within the group.

"'E's a rather titchy one, doncha think?" Someone quietly remarked, and boggled eyes grew narrow with concern as they observed the baby. Upon hearing that comment, Astrid's lips pressed together in a firm line and Hiccup merely gazed at his son. While what the villager said was true-Hiccup WAS a small infant-a pang of worry struck his heart. How could he have forgotten? Fishlegs was all-too clear those many months ago:

"Um, hello?" Fishlegs asked in a panicked voice, troubled that no one seemed to care, "Devastating winter?" He hinted. "A few months? Your kid might be born on Snoggletog? Which, by the way, is in the coldest and stormiest month of the year? That time of year when most babies die?!"

Not only was illness a huge issue, especially of his son's stature, he still had to worry about the frigidness of the season to maintain the health of his baby. "Oh, Hiccup," he thought sadly, wishing with all his heart that his son had been born to suit more of Astrid's physique. That he had been built a little hardier. Then he would have more of a chance to beat the winter.

Stoick was one of the few that noticed Hiccup sitting quite glumly while he observed his son and quietly confronted him about it. "Ah're you alright, son?" He whispered softly, as to not let the others drop no eaves. "You look disappointed, if I'm not mistaken."

Hiccup shrugged and avoided his gaze. "I don't know," he answered truthfully, uneasily fiddling with his fingers. "I mean, I love him the way he is, but..." He trailed off and blushed with shame. Honestly, this was silly. How could he have such expectations for his own child to be the normal size, when it wasn't even his fault? "I want him to live, Dad. That's all." His voice cracked a bit at the end and he swallowed. "I don't want him to waste away because he's too small..."

Stoick sighed and nodded in understanding. "Aye," he murmured, gazing at the tiny newborn along with his son. "Ah felt the same way about you when you were born. You were so small and frail; your mother was afraid you would not make it."

Hiccup blinked thoughtfully and turned his head to face his father, who smiled warmly. "But Ah believed you would live, that you'd surpass the winter. And you did it. I thought it was crazy, but you did it. Don't lose hope in your boy because he may be the runt of the litter. They surprise you."

Hiccup grinned at that and turned back to the crowd. "I suppose they do, don't they?" Stoick chuckled as the heftier of the teens crouched down to Astrid's level, careful to avoid stepping on her legs, which were blanketed by the furs.

"Oooh, hiiii!" Fishlegs cooed once he had gotten into a more comfortable position, gently taking the baby's tiny hand in his own. The infant squirmed around a bit before wrapping his little fingers around Fishlegs's rather large one, tightly. "Oh, hello, hello, hello, it's Uncle Fishlegs. Yes it is!" He cooed in a humorous baby voice. Hiccup the Fourth stared at him with wide, innocent emerald eyes as he observed the world around him and at the endearing faces of his new family. "Oh, he's so handsome; he looks just like his daddy!"

This particular compliment drew out an amused chuckle from Stoick as Hiccup shrugged and blushed with a sense of fatherly pride, and a loud sneer from one of the Thorston twins.

"Haha, yeah. Thank Gods," Tuffnut snickered sarcastically before earning a deadpanned expression from the Chief, and pretty much everybody else in range. "What?" He asked in genuine confusion.

Fishlegs rolled his eyes and Ruffnut sought out the perfect opportunity to give her brother a well-earned sock on the shoulder for good measure. "Ow!" He helped in protest, shooting a glare at his smug twin whilst he held his now bruised stomach. "Hey, no fair! I didn't even get a straight answer!"

"Why don't you ask the scary man behind you?" Ruffnut teased with a chortle, placing her hands upon her hips. Tuffnut's eyes widened in realization and peered at the much taller Viking. "Uh, er-No offense Chief Stoick," he quickly amended. "Your son's handsome on the inside. Yep." He clasped his hands behind his back and added for good measure, "...So are you."

Stoick rose his eyebrows in amusement. "Uh-huh."

Hiccup slapped his forehead in irritation, Gobber nearly choked on his mead in order to hold back a guffaw, and Helga grinned. Astrid made a rather unladylike sound that was extremely like a snort. It was hard to tell, what with one of her hands covering her mouth. "M-Man, it sure is good to be back on Berk, right Hiccup?" This was said with a bit of sarcasm, but extreme sincerity as well.

"Good to be back."

It took quite a while after that for everyone to be filled in on what exactly had happened to the young teenagers and each person had different reactions. Fishlegs, of course was intrigued beyond belief about the island of dragons that had laid their eggs and asked many a question while the twins were interested in the storm they sailed through. Stoick the Vast was in deep thought by the time the story steered towards Dagur the Deranged, but he was oddly calm and quiet about it. Hiccup supposed they'd deal with that issue sometime later.

Helga was quite triumphant, as was Egil, and they both got the honor of holding their grandson. At one point, Helga had turned to Hiccup and whispered, "Ah told ya that ye could do et, boy. Now let's a better look at th' little laddie, yah?"

And from there, it was gaiety. Everyone laughed, beamed, ate rationed mutton, and distributed many stories. But even as Hiccup hooted along with his friends and family, he felt as though something-or someone, was missing. He was puzzled about this new concept until he at last noticed a lonely Snotlout hanging back from the group, chewing on a fishbone.

He smiled benevolently at his cousin and excused himself from the scene, much to the confusion of the others, and audibly approached by hopping on one foot and using the tables as balance beams. Once he was a good two feet away from his destination, he stopped and leaned against a table with his hands clasped behind his back. Both he and Snotlout were quiet for a while, and he was beginning to wonder if he should speak up.

Hiccup cleared his throat. "Hi, Snotlout."

Hiccup's voice brought the other Viking out of his thoughtful stupor. "Oh hey. Wassup?" He greeted, spitting the fishbone expertly from his lips. "What's uh, goin' on with my favorite cousin?"

The auburn-haired male smirked good-naturedly. "Yeah, right," he chuckled. "I'm your only cousin."

"Heheh. Yeah..."

"You know, technically, Hiccup's your second cousin now... No, wait. It'd be your... Nephew? No... You'd be an uncle... Whatever." He paused and then asked, "Are you up for babysitting?"

"Pfft. Right," Snotlout scoffed at the thought of looking after a baby. His cousin's baby, no less.

"C'mon, I pay the minimum wages in silver!" Hiccup urged.

"Hm. I'll think about it. Anyway, how's it feel to be a father? A dad! I mean, that's huge, man. You have a kid now! That's gotta be-" he paused, and his slight smile fell as he once again recounted about the position his actions had placed Hiccup into. "Um...all the more why I need to apologize...t-to you about the um... You know..." Shifts uncomfortably from side to side. "As much as it kills me to say it: you didn't deserve what I did. So, I'm sorry."

Hiccup was thoughtful. Snotlout must have been a lot guiltier than he had assumed since he was still reminiscing in his mistake. "Snotlout?"

"I mean," he went on, "I could have told you how I felt, but that's such a girly thing to do-"

"Snotlout."

"I guess I coulda put airmail to the test-"

"Snotlout!"

"I coul-"

"SNOTLOUT!"

"WHAT?!" The boy in question snapped, and then shrunk back a bit at the tone of his own voice. He was surprised to see that a look of endearment and understanding had overtaken Hiccup's freckled complexion, rather than of anger or irritation.

"I forgive you, you know."

"..."

"..."

"...I swear I didn't poison your mug this time," Snotlout fortified, holding up his arms as if to rebuild his mental bulwark.

Hiccup took a start at the absurdity of his cousin's statement. "Wh-? No! I'm not..." He flipped his hand, searching for emphasis. "...I'm not incoherent. I meant what I said."

"...Oh?" Snotlout perked a bit before catching himself and falling back into his nonchalant, chill stance. "I mean, that's cool. Good for you."

He expected that to be the end of it, if he were honest. He did NOT expect, however, for Hiccup to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, causing his body to instinctually stiffen. "Listen, what you did was cunning and-and selfish, without a scintilla of doubt." Snotlout glumly stared down at the floor. "It's a big deal. I actually have to give up my childhood for this. ...I'll never regret my son, but..."

"I know," the other Viking muttered, crossing his thick arms. "If you wanna report me to Stoick so he can work out an exiling ceremony, or Astrid so she can neuter me, I get it. Please don't, but I get it. It's nothing I don't deserve, and if the tables were turned, I'd be mega-furious. 'Specially after me keepin' it for a secret for like...ever." He shuddered, recalling those many months of stress and anguish.

Hiccup smiled understandingly at the other's crestfallen face. It was very challenging to be entirely upset with the other male; particularly since he was upfront about it of the topmost sincerity. "I know it must have been really hard for you. To... To live with the guilt you've had for so long, and all because of a simple mistake: letting jealousy get in the way. You got jealous and you made a mistake. And you know, jealousy has gotten the best of all us Vikings at a time. You're not alone in that."

"...Well...I mean..."

"And trust me, I know what it's like to keep secrets, and to want to be forgiven." Snotlout's guilt-ebbed gaze drifted downward and Hiccup leaned over slightly to meet it. "But you need to stop beating down on yourself. That's not going to help you get over it."

There was a slight pause as Snotlout absorbed Hiccup's instruction.

"I appreciate that you regret your actions. I do. But what you can't do is dwell. You're never going to change the past, but you can learn from what you've done to shape yourself a better future." True. Snotlout grinned a tiny grin and looked at the floor. Hiccup leaned over to meet his gaze once again, careful not to topple over as he extended his hand and gripped his cousin's own.

"And on top of that, you really did a wonderful thing!" Hiccup reminded him. "To put your own life at risk to rescue Astrid, my son, and I... It was huge, so...thank you."

Snotlout stared for a moment before exhaling. He hadn't realized he'd been holding it in. "...Y-You're w-Oof!" Snotlout expected that to be the end of it. Being forgiven alone caused butterflies to flutter along his insides, which was why he hardly had time to register his cousin's arms wrapping around his broad neck for an unexpected hug. Snotlout reared back at the unexpected contact but hesitantly returned it, none so gracefully.

"Heh... Okay. We got a hugger!" He chortled awkwardly, his callused hands fumbling about the furry vest. The horns of his helmet were knocking into Hiccup's temple, causing the stockier male to lean forward and jut out his chin. Peering over Hiccup's lanky shoulder, he discovered that an audience-including his father and all his friends-were smirking knowingly and giggling from the corner. Curse Hiccup and his endearing touch. Well, at least there wasn't any kissing involved.

"That's, heh, thanks but-no-no touchy... Hel-LO? Hello?! Hello! Dude, people are watching!" The burly teen hissed in embarrassment, despite the fact that his heart was overflowing with joy and relief. Although it had been verbally stated, he still couldn't believe that his cousin had forgiven him and all was well. Hiccup smirked at Snotlout's melodrama but succumbed to his wishes and pulled away. "Odin, I'll confess my feelings, but I'm not gonna get into all that physical yak dung."

"Sure. Guess we're even then. Though, I do offer my sincerest apologies," Hiccup laughed, giving the other Viking one last pat on the shoulder. "Besides, I only have one functioning leg at the moment and you make a fine kickstand," he joked.

"Oh. Haha, very-...Wait. What about Astrid?" He blurted as she came to mind.

Hiccup blinked and raised an eyebrow. "About her?" He asked carefully, captivating his cousin's panicky expression, and how he was trying to subjugate it.

"Will she...you know...?" Snotlout crossed his arms and hummed in frustration. Why was it so difficult to say? "Will she forgive me?"

"Oh, I don't doubt it. Over time, she will. Believe me," Hiccup smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. "She loves our baby." The two locked eye for a moment, enduring a new sense of respect for one another. It was new. Strange. But hey, they were practically born to changing the world. When Snotlout wronged his cousin, he sought for forgiveness in order for the relationship to be restored. And he had succeeded, in a way. It did feel amazing to say the least. It was like this annoying Terrible Terror being pulled away from his chest and shot into an oblivion. Awesome. And that was good enough for him! But not enough, apparently, to the voice.

"Hey, before you get all peaceful and go back to your old snarky self," the voice cut in, "it might be important to remember that forgiveness isn't granted because a person deserves it. It's 'cause of mercy 'n grace.

"Duh! I know the definition of forgiveness, limpet," Snotlout thought exasperatedly. "Wait, didn't you say you were done with me?"

"Irrelevant. Anyway, you're so lucky he forgave ya at all! Remember, it's easier to act our way into feeling, than to feel our way into acting."

"...What up with the riddles?"

"It's simple. He could've brushed you off like bad goat cheese and gone about his merry way." There was a subtle pause to let that sink in. "But he didn't."

"Yeah... Point being?"

"You have a pretty cool cousin, dude. In all seriousness, show some respect for the guy, because you gotta admit, he shows plenty for you."

"Now." The Viking briskly dusted off his cousin's shoulders, which snapped him out of his thoughts. "I don't believe you've formally met my son yet. Care to join us?"

"The squishy ru-er... Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Fourth?" Snotlout emphasized slowly with a tiny smirk on his face. "Lemme guess: you let Astrid name him."

The younger boy shrugged, innocently rocking back and forth on his heels. "What makes you say that?"

"Now this I have to see." His family was awaiting him. "Lead the way."

"That's the way, Snotlout. That's the way."

...

...

...

"Zzz..."

A distant snore here. A gruff cough there. A tiny whine from the newest member of the Hooligan tribe that echoed off the torchlit walls. A single couple awake in the furthest corner of the hall. The festival was long over, its participants exhausted in its wake. The wind on the premise's exterior wailed and howled and flung at the doors, but they held firm the stubbornness of their ancient constructors. The last flicker of a torchlight extinguished into a dying ember, and lit the nearest with its rosy glow.

Hiccup smiled goofily and wrapped his lanky arms around the shoulders of his partner and held her close. There was nothing more he wanted to do, honestly, than to get as close as humanely possible with the girl he shared his life with. The girl who'd been convinced she was going to die not so long ago. This was his first night with his family without the constant peril and danger, and he wanted to make the most of it. Even if they were surrounded by about four hundred sweaty bodies. And about half of those people had serious snoring issues. At some points, a random villager would get annoyed, shout angrily, and then there'd be an airborne sheep traveling through the air at said snorer.

Astrid smiled sleepily as her husband hummed softly and buried his face in the crook of her neck. "Is this a position I'll have to get used to?" She joked, whispering softly as her son drifted softly to sleep. Not that she was complaining or anything. She rather liked the way he pressed up against her and held her body within his possessive arms. It felt...nice.

"Yes," he answered without missing a beat. "But don't worry about the living space. We'll be back to our own house soon enough."

Astrid closed her eyes and smiled at the prospect of finally returning to her home. "Yeah, I can't believe I'd ever miss that bed of yours, especially since it was so small. Hm... I guess this means you have to finish that cradle you started another time."

Hiccup shrugged. "At least I have a reason to finish at all. You just have no idea how happy I am that you two made it out alive. We came so close to..." He shut his eyes and shuddered. "I don't want to leave you alone, if ah, that doesn't sound crazy or anything." In response, Astrid turned over a bit so that she could meet eye contact with the other Viking. "Does it?"

Astrid would have shrugged if she had the energy. "Hm... I don't think so. I mean, we just had a baby, Hiccup. And I gave birth to him on an island with nothing but you and a bunch of dragons. That was crazy."

Hiccup winced at that. "Hope that didn't shake the poor guy up too badly," he sighed, moving over the girl so he could get a better look at his son. It was incredible. To know that he and Astrid had somehow gotten together and created this little miracle was astounding.

"Yeah, with that traumatic experience in his head, he'll end up acting like you too," Astrid groaned, pretending to be annoyed by how her baby might end up adopting her husband's personality along with his features. "Spare me the sassiness," she moaned dramatically, earning herself a playful glare and a light shove to her face. She giggled, because she knew that he was too afraid to cause any real damage to her. But even so, he pounced, nearly straddling her waist and adjusting himself so he wouldn't accidentally bump into his slumbering son. He wouldn't want to awaken him now and have him screaming for all of the Archipelago to hear.

Now in her face, he teased, "You're a real riot, Astrid. You know that?"

Trapped beneath his weight, (what little he had, anyway) she responded wryly and gave him a little kiss to the nose. "Thank you," she smiled devilishly. "I try. And be careful, okay? I don't want you to roll over on your son."

"I won't," he promised, grasping around with his hand until he found hers. "How is he?"

"Well enough, actually," Astrid whispered, reaching out a hand to brush the baby's fuzzy auburn locks out of his face. "Considering the circumstances, I mean." For a while, they just stayed like that, watching their baby gently breathe and sleep away, completely unaware of the impending danger of winter that would decide the fate of his own life. It was a troubling thought that such an outcome could very well be palpable for the child, and that terrified the new parents beyond belief.

"Do... Do you think we'll be okay with him?" Astrid wondered aloud, shifting her spent self a bit closer to her son. "As a mother and father, do you think we'll be good enough for him?"

"Well," Hiccup began, thoughtfully pondering over her question, "I...I ah, suppose it depends on how far we're willing to go and sacrifice for him. So I guess the question should be about how willing we are."

"And are you willing?" Astrid asked straightforwardly, turning her head to face her husband, her eyes piercingly blue in the hazy dark. Hiccup gave her hand a gentle squeeze of assurance.

"I am, without a doubt," he answered hastily. "I'm gonna try my hardest for the both of you. No matter what happens."

"Hey, c'mon," Astrid chuckled, punching lightly at his shoulder. "We're Vikings. Toughest of the tough and bravest of the brave. What could happen?" Hiccup gave her a blank look, as if to question her sanity. "It was a joke, honey. Don't be so uptight," she teased.

Hiccup rolled his eyes but chuckled along with her anyway. "Oh, har har, laugh it up," he sarcastically replied with a smile before placing a hand at the half of her head to tug her closer. "C'mere you!"

"Wait." She realized his intentions, and had no trouble with them, really. But she had something to say before they did. "I just wanted to say that I wouldn't have wanted our son with anybody else. Oh, and by the way-" she whispered the rest in his ear that left him a swooning melted dollop of butter in her arms, his insides of a fuzzy white slurry of ecstatic, yet incomprehensible emotions.

She sort of yelped as he grabbed at her, his short but sharp little fingernails clamping into her arm, as if to clutch her words physically, to hold onto them and to never let go. "Oh! Hiccup!" But then she was laughing and trying to stifle it as well so wouldn't wake the over villagers. And whatever she said to him next couldn't possibly shake the weight of her previous words, so why try?

She honestly didn't expect his reaction to be so...intense. But from Hiccup, she could expect this much from the great father he was going to be. She could feel it. After all, how much of a reaction can you expect from someone who's just been told the three big words?

He whispered them back excitedly, with additional stuttering here and there, but she didn't mind because he was her's, and he made sure to seal them with a deep, passionate kiss to the lips.

"I love you too."

...

The End

Author's Note: ...Until the second arc, of course! *cough* And an epilogue. Well, the second arc is basically and idea, but not a full-out official thing or anything. It's a possibility, but I have to get the feedback I need to make a decision. The epilogue is a definite yes, so don't you worry your ratty little selves about that.

So... All is well. Well...not all is well. Snotlout as a person has a lot of ground to recover before he can regain Hiccup's trust, and then there's the matter of telling Astrid. Oh, boy. And Hiccup Horrendous the Fourth... Well... He's an oddball. A very VIOLENT oddball, may I add. And his presence will drastically affect the future of our favorite teens, leading up all the way to the second movie. So hold onto your caps, you awesome Fanrats, and await the beauty approaching. And while you're at it, please check out my new story that I'm probably going to continue called, "Roman Artifacts". I am going to make a few big changes to the story which is going to affect the plot so good thing I've only posted one chapter that's only an introduction. So check out that story if you can, because I simply adore the feedback you Fanrats have given me. The support has been immense, and I probably owe you a second arc for that alone.

Ugh... I've typed fifty pages. Fifty pages for ONE chapter. *looks at my fingers* Well, would you look at that. All of my fingers have snapped in half and are now angled irregularly. OWWWWWWWWWW! Okay, I was being a little too generous with the length, wasn't I? But... I had to make it long. After all, I'm wrapping up the arc of a very big story here. I'm happy I didn't rush it, and you know what? I'm proud of myself. Even if it did take longer than usual. Especially when I technically should be studying SAT's right now, but no worries! I'll get to that, no problem. But in the meantime, I have to go plan an epilogue. And then maybe, just maybe, I'll think about a second arc.