A/N: Wow, long chapter! Maybe because I had a lot of fun writing it. I hope you guys enjoy :)

Also, if you haven't voted yet on my profile, please do.

It's been months when Gothi started to watch her chief. She noticed him sitting down to breath, complaining about his throat being dry and sore, and he started to wake up later in the day than he usually did. She even noticed him going to bed earlier. She was defiantly concerned for her chief.

~oOo~

"Come on, Stoick. Just tell me what we're doing out here." Valka said watching her husband carrying a bag of weapons as they walked to the woods. Stoick stopped walking when he found a nice clear and level foundation. He set the bags down and turned to look at his wife sitting on a rock.

"Alright get up." He demanded. Valka glared up at him and growled "we've been walking for hours, my feet hurt!" Valka took off her boots and started to rub her feet. "Come on, Valka. Just get up"

Valka groaned then put her boots back on and got up from the stone. "Okay, now can you please tell me what you plan on doing?" She saw Stoick pulling out a sword, axe, and shields out of the bag. He handed her a shield and the sword. "Well, since you don't want to kill dragons, I still think you should learn how to defend yourself."

"And what should I be defending myself from?"

"Dragons." Stoick squeaked seeing the frown on his wife's face, "and from people." He finished quickly before he picked up the shield and his axe. "Alright, ready?"

~oOo~

Gothi started to follow The Chief around the village. She was taking mental notes while observing him. She was paying attention to how he was walking, how many times he asked for water, she even counted how many times he took a breath from walking. Once he sat on a stool, she stomped her staff to the ground several times. The Chief turned around and saw the elder behind him. "Oh, Gothi, I didn't see you. What brings you here today?"

Gothi placed her staff on the ground and started to write in the dirt. The Chief watched her staff moving; once she was done he read her writing. "I'm worried sir, you've been acting strange."

"What are you talking about? I'm fine."

Gothi wrote again "I've been watching you for months; I can tell you're not feeling well."

"What are you talking about, lady? I told you I'm fine. I don't need to be watched over. I got my son for that. Now if you excuse me, I have chiefly duties to finish." He snapped and left her alone in her spot. The elderly woman just shook her head and sighed. She wasn't so sure how to get through to him.

~oOo~

Valka covered her body with the shield when the axe came towards her. "Nice block, but I need you to swing your sword."

"I don't want to do this Stoick. I don't want to get hurt."

"I won't hurt you."

"But you might by accident!" She cried behind the shield.

"Come on Val. Okay, let's make a deal. If I hurt you, then you can punch me in the face every time you feel pain."

"Seems tempting." She said sarcastically.

"Val, can you please-" Stoick was interrupted when he felt the shield push into his face. He stumbled from the impact and saw a smug look on Valka's face. Stoick was stunned, but smiled at her. "That was pretty good, now if you can use that in combat."

"Oh please, according to you people, I'm not good enough for combat."

"Why do think we're doing this? I'm going to change that."

"Are you saying I'm weak?" Valka placed the shield on the ground and crossed her arms.

"No…I just think that-"

"That I'll be a better Viking if I know how to fight." Valka finished for him. Stoick blinked a few times, he wasn't sure how to fix this. He did trick her to come here to learn defense. "I'm sorry Val, I'm just worried that-"

"I'll stay as the village joke? Be the only Viking who can't fight because she refused to go to dragon training? Or how about-"

"Will you quit interrupting me?!" Stoick shouted out. Valka rolled her eyes and nodded at him to continue. Stoick sighed and said "I just want you to know how to fight, if it comes to that point. I just want you to be safe."

Valka sighed and thought about what he said. She wasn't sure if he was buttering her up, or he really felt like that. She rubbed her face and looked at her feet. Stoick wasn't sure what she was thinking, but he was hoping she'll do the defense practice. After a few moments, Valka looked up at him and nodded. Stoick grinned and picked up the shield off the ground.

"Great, now let's get started!"

~oOo~

Valka fell to the ground and panted. She rolled on her back and looked up to the sky; she saw little ribbons of pink and purple over her. No wonder she was tired, they've been practicing for hours!

"You okay there Val?" The young woman turned her head and saw her husband hovering over her. She took another deep breath before she sat up from the dirt ground.

"I'm tired, sweaty, thirsty, and hungry. I feel great." She said sarcastically, Stoick chuckled and helped her get up from the ground.

"Well, for what's it worth, you're a fighter."

"Oh gods, I feel like a real warrior." Stoick put his hands on his waist listening to her being cynical again.

"Alright, how about we can get a bite to eat, but you might want to wash up first."

"Is that your way of saying that I smell?"

"It's my way of saying that we don't want people to think that you're behaving like a Viking." Stoick said with a smirk, Valka gasped at his joke and playfully slaps his arms. Stoick laughed at her trying to "hurt" him. They both started to laugh when Stoick gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her arms down to her side. Valka chuckled at him and kept her smile once she calmed down. Stoick smiled back at her and started to notice how close she was. He couldn't help the fact that he stared to study her face.

He never noticed how she had strong high cheekbones, how her light aqua green eyes would squint when she smiled, how her thin nose would crinkle when she laughed. He even stated to notice her thin line of pink lips; he never really got a good look of them until now. "Stoick, is everything okay?"

"Huh, what?" Stoick's thoughts were interrupted when he heard his wife speak.

"I said is everything okay? You've been staring at me and you still have my wrists."

"Oh right, sorry." Stoick let go of her and rubbed the back of his neck. Valka bit her lip and rubbed her arm. She wasn't sure why he was staring; did she have something on her face? Valka then placed her hand on her face trying to find something unusual. "What are you doing?"

Valka stopped touching her face and felt her face burn. "I thought I had something on my face."

"Why would you think that?"

"I thought that was why you were staring."

Stoick gave out a nervous chuckle. "I was staring, because I thought that…..I thought that you were beautiful." He felt his face becoming hot and saw her turning pink as well. Valka bit her bottom lip and crossed her arms. She wasn't expecting that answer. She played with one of her braids then said "how about we go back home? I need to freshen up and get something to eat." Stoick nodded and picked up the weapons and shields.

~oOo~

Valka was alone in her room fixing her hair. She looked at herself in her hand mirror and thought back to what her husband said. She hasn't sure what he was seeing, but she did not see beauty. She saw a girl who was trapped and confused. She was always called pretty, cute, and all those things by her mother, but when Stoick said it, it was different.

"Valka, are you ready?" Stoick called out from downstairs.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!" Valka shouted and ran down the stairs. Once she reached the last step, they headed out to eat at The Great Hall. The two took their seat and were greeted by Gobber when he sat next to them. "So, what were you two doing today?" Gobber asked the couple.

"Teaching her how to fight."

"Whoa Valka! You're learning how to fight dragons?"

"No Gobber, I was learning self-defense…for five hours!" Valka cried out in Stoick's ear and saw him cringe. He rubbed his ear and stated "to be fair Valka, I just wanted to make sure you knew how to fight."

"Whatever."

"Alright, you two are strange. Anyway, so Valka, what do you have planned for tomorrow?"

"Oh I don't know; maybe spend time with my parents." Valka answered him. Gobber nodded, but then saw the confused look on Stoick's face. Gobber decided to try to help him understand by asking Valka more questions.

"Do you think you'll feel different tomorrow?"

"Oh I don't think so, it's just another birthday." Stoick's eyes widened, he couldn't believe he forgot that her 16th birthday was tomorrow. What kind of person forgets his wife's birthday? He had to figure out how to make it up, and fast!

~oOo~

Valka woke up to an empty bed the next morning. She blinked several times and looked around the room trying to find her husband. She sat up in bed and raised her arms over her head then stretched out her back. Her body was sore from the previous day. She had no idea that swinging a sword and holding a shield could make her shoulders and back ache.

She got out of bed and walked down the stairs, the living room was just as empty too. Valka opened the door to her chief's room and saw he was still in bed. She shut the door softly and went back upstairs to get dressed. She did her morning routine and left to see her parents.

The chilly air hit her face once she opened the door. She walked out of the house and saw the people around the village doing their daily routines and chores. Once she was in front of her former home, she knocked on the door. She saw her mother on the other side of the door. "Oh Valka! I wasn't expecting you today. I thought you would be with Stoick."

"I know, but I thought I would spend some time with my family." She saw her mother smile and let her in the house. Valka took a seat and watched her mother make tea that she got from Trader Johann a few months ago. She poured a cup for the both of them. Valka received her cup and saw the steam floating off of it.

"Well, before I say anything else. First off, happy birthday, and are you doing anything special today with Stoick?" Mrs. Jorgenson asked as she blew on her hot tea.

"I don't think so. I woke up today and he was gone."

"He might be out in The Forge again. I have never seen two friends hang out together as much as they do."

~oOo~

Stoick was out by the docks helping the men drag in their basket of fish. He took a basket and hung it over his back. He walked to the storage and placed the heavy basket on the floor.

"Where's your father Stoick?" The young man saw Mulch behind him dropping a basket to the floor.

"He was still asleep when I got up."

"Oh, well nothing wrong with that."

"I can't seem to blame him; I've been watching him work. I never knew chiefing would be hard."

"It must be hard on the old man." Stoick nodded in agreement and walked out of the storage. "Tell Bucket I said 'hello'" he called out leaving The Fisherman. Stoick was about to walk back to the house, but was stopped when he heard his friend calling for him. "What is it Gobber?"

"Do you have anything planned for Valka's birthday?"

"Actually I do. I thought I would do something small. Pack up some fruit, go for a little walk, I don't know." Gobber nodded and gently patted his friend's back.

"Well alright, have fun….. I guess." He grumbled before leaving to go back to work.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

~oOo~

Valka got back home and saw that it was completely empty. She guessed The Chief left to do his duties, but she wasn't sure where Stoick was. She decided to clean up the mess her father-in-law left on the table that morning. While placing the clay dishes away, she heard the door open and saw her husband walk in. "I was beginning to worry, I thought someone might have kidnapped you for ransom." Valka joked at him. Stoick laughed and said "no one could kidnap me. They have to fight over these." He playfully flexed his bicep at her.

"What am I looking at?" Valka smirked while squinting at his arms. Stoick's mouth fell open then smiled at her. "I have to admit, that was pretty good. I have to give you a point for that one."

"Thank you, now can you tell me where you've been all day?"

"Okay first off, it's not noon yet, and I was out by the docks. The Fishermen needed help." Valka nodded and went back to putting the dishes away.

"You know what. It's your birthday, let's do something."

"Like what? There's not a lot to do."

"I packed some food and I thought we could go a walk or something."

"So we're going on a picnic?"

"No we're…oh I guess it is."

Valka snorted and nodded. "Okay, just let me change my boots."

~oOo~

"Wow, it's gotten chilly." Valka said wrapping her arms around herself. The two had been out for a few hours and the sun was about to set. "Yeah, maybe we should head back before it gets dark." Stoick suggested as he put the leftovers back in the bag. They got off of the ground and walked the way home. Stoick saw how Valka was holding herself. He wasn't sure if he should wrap her up in his arms, or let her be. He decided to test the waters and put his hand on her shoulder. Valka jumped a little when she felt his touch, she smiled and leaned into him. Stoick breathed through his nose in relief. He wasn't sure how comfortable she was with his action.

When they got close to the village, Stoick felt his beard move under his skin. "You need to do something with your beard." Valka mumbled trying to brush his red bread away from her face when the wind blew.

"Well, what am I supposed to do?"

"How about you shave?"

"I am not going to shave!"

"Then braid it, it's starting to get really long. You might as well do something with it." Stoick thought about what she said, a lot of men in the village braided their beards, and he might as well fit in with the other villagers. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt his wife leave his presence. "Come on, let's get inside. I'm freezing out here!" she cried running to the front door. He didn't even realize how close they were to home; he was too busy thinking about his wife's suggestion. He got inside and saw her standing by the fire pit trying to defrost.

Stoick went upstairs and got dressed for bed. He sat on the bed and took his wife's hand mirror and looked at the length of his beard. It wasn't as long as the other men, but it was long enough to braid. He heard footsteps behind him and saw Valka walking in the room. He watched her every move and saw her pulling out a leather band from her dresser. She sat by him on the bed and took the ends of his beard. She moved the hair in a different pattern and tied the band on it. "There, now your beard can look good." She said with a smile.

He smiled back at her and studied her face again like he did yesterday. After that was a blur until he felt something on his lips. With eyes still open, he saw Valka's face on his. Trying to figure out what was going on; he suddenly figured out that she was kissing him. He didn't know what to do; they haven't kissed sense their wedding. They only kissed a few times on the cheek or forehead, but this was completely different. He wasn't sure what to do, but it felt like his body took over. He kissed her back and felt something running throughout his body. He didn't know how to describe it, but it felt good.

The feeling stopped when he felt his lips become empty. He opened his eyes and saw Valka blushing red and rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm sorry; I don't know why I did that."

"You're-you're fine. To make you feel better, I found it quite enjoyable."

The both of them sat in silence until Valka spoke out "well, I guess I'll get ready for bed."

"Yeah, you do that." Stoick quickly said getting under the covers while trying to recover from what had just happened.

~oOo~

A week later, The Chief heard a knock at the door. He got out of bed and saw the elderly lady on the other side. "Oh, you again I told you I'm fine! There is nothing wrong with me." He said and slammed the door shut, but it was stopped when Gothi blocked the door with her staff. She frowned at him and pulled him out side with the hook of her staff on his shirt. She walked to the dirt ground and wrote. "I need you to stay with me for a few days. I want to see your daily habits."

The Chief groaned "fine, but you won't find anything wrong." She nodded and left him. The Chief walked back to the house and saw his groggily son and daughter-in-law walking down the stairs.

"What's going on dad?"

"Oh that crazy old bat wants me to stay with her for a few days. She thinks I'm sick and needs to watch over me or something."

The couple's eyes widen with two different reasons. One was that they were worried for him, but the other was they could finally be alone.

"When are you leaving?" Valka asked him.

"Oh I don't know, now I guess. Help me pack up; I don't know how long she wants me to stay." After a few minutes, the two helped him pack and walked with him to Gothi's house. Once that was done, the two walked back to the house. "I can't believe what's going on. It must be serious; Gothi never does something like that." Valka said as she shut the door.

"I know I'm worried for him." Valka nodded in agreement and they just started to stare at each other.

"This might sound weird, but do you think we should take advantage of the fact that dad is out?"

"Please tell me you're talking about what I think you're talking about."

"I think so."

"Great, come on!" Valka cried running up the stairs.

"Wait now? I thought these things go slow."

"We've been married for two years. How slow can it get?" she finished and ran up to their room.

"Good point." He stated seeing her go up to the room. He went to the front door and locked it. He went up to his bedroom to finally be with his wife.

A/N: Well, I hope you guys enjoyed reading just as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Again, if you haven't voted on what story you want me to write after this one, please do. I'll see you guys next week!