After httyd 2

It was just before dawn, the rays just starting to beak over the edge, when Astrid made her way to her fiance's house. In the week since Hiccup became chief, she had been coming to make sure he was awake. Hiccup, unlike her, wasn't a morning person. Letting herself in she went to the stove and lit it. Putting on the kettle for Hiccup's morning tea, she then went to the loft calling Toothless down to eat the basket of fish she had brought for his breakfast. Hiccup was laying on his bed, hand over his eyes and lightly snoring. She walked over and gently shook his shoulder, "Babe. You need to get up soon." Hiccup groaned. She kissed his lips. "I'm going to get breakfast ready. You need to be up by the time I'm done."

She went to get up when he grabbed her arm. "Come here."

"Hiccup."

"Please just for a minute. I wanna pretend we are back on the Edge. It's a quiet day and we can just relax the two of us." She nodded, laying down. His arm wrapped around her waist, hand on her hip, while she cuddled into his chest. "How're you milady?"

" I'm ok. How are you?"

"Dealing. This helps." That was when the kettle started screeching.

"That means it's time to get up." Astrid extracted herself from his arms and went downstairs to take the kettle off. She then took a frying pan as she started cooking some eggs. That's when Valka came in. "Good morning."

"Good morning. He still asleep?"

"He's in the wake up process." Astrid laughed a little. "Morning's don't agree with him."

"He was like that as a babe. Always wanted to stay away longer in the evening. Your mother always talked about seeing the sunrise everyday, waking up with you. We'd take about the differences in sunrise and set."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. Best thing for first time mothers, is talking to others. The week of the midnight sun both of you were inconsolable. We put you both in a crib and stepped outside to breathe. We panicked when there wasn't any noise after a minute. You both were asleep, so we took turns watching over you, while the other slept."

"Wow. My mom never told me that."

"She probably was saving some for when you had children."

Astrid blushed, as she placed the cooked eggs on to a plate and began working on some toast. "Hiccup! Two minutes or I'm coming up there!" She heard grumbling and the creak of his bed.

When she turned around Valka was watching her with an amused smile. "What?"

"You know him so well."

"Well we have known each other our whole lives, been close for five years. Plus the time on the Edge helped."

"The Edge?"

"We had an outpost called Dragon's Edge. It was just the six Riders. We explored, learned about new dragons, made new allies and took on the hunters."

"Hunters?"

"Ryker and Viggo Grimborn, Krogan and Johan. Well Dagur too but he's our ally now."

"That was you all?"

"Yeah. You knew about that?"

"Of course. I have been rescuing dragons for 20 years. Krogan worked for Drago."

Astrid paused from making Hiccup's tea.

"He what?" Hiccup's voice made both woman jump.

"Krogan was working for Drago….wait was it you who saved the bewilderbeast egg?"

"Yeah."

"So I was closer than I thought to you." Valka hung her head and had a sad look.

"Babe, you need to eat."

"Thanks Astrid." He kissed her forehead before sitting down to breakfast. He looked over at his mom. "Mom there has been several times that we could have meet previous to when we did. But the fact is that it happened and we have to get to know each other again."

"Are you hungry Valka? I can make some more eggs and I can tell some funny stories about Hiccup."

"Astrid." Hiccup gave her a look that said, 'Have mercy.'

"Thank you Astrid but I ate. Perhaps for tea?"

"Sure. So what do you want to know?"

"Well how did you two become a couple."

Hiccup nearly choked on his food. Astrid laughed as she gave him a good thump on the back.

"About two and a half years ago, he finally got up the nerve to kiss me. I'd kissed him a few times but nothing really happened after."

"His father took awhile to work to ask me on a proper date." She turned to Hiccup, "Your grandfather Squidface would always team us up to do some kind of work for the village and your grandmother Bertha was always telling me what a great Chieftess I'd be. I didn't believe her."

"Stoik only really jumped in after Hiccup kissed me."

"She wasn't there for all the looks and not so subtle hints to," He slipped into his Stoik impersonation, "Get on with it and ask her out already so I can officially call her my daughter-in-law."

Astrid laughed, "It was pretty funny watching your face when our parents told us they had settled the contract."

"I had a plan and they totally blindsided me."

Valka laughed.

"They did make it very fair though. Besides you know I'm not that big on surprises. "

"Still."

"Your pout hasn't changed much." Valka commented, earning a laugh from Astrid and a disapproving look from Hiccup. "So when is the wedding?"

"We haven't set a date." Hiccup looked at Astrid, who was studiously avoiding his eye. That's when the front door opened to reveal Gobber.

"Let's go chief. Things to do."

Standing up Hiccup hugged his mother and kissed Astrid. "Have a good day ladies. Love you both."

Once he was gone Valka turned to Astrid. "May I ask about the wedding date?"

"Well…. It's my choice. I haven't…."

"You don't have to tell me. Just know I've been there before. Deciding if you love the man enough to deal with everything that goes with the job."

"I do love him. More than I ever thought I could and I can handle the chief stuff. I have been his second since we started dragon riding. It'll obviously be different than the Edge but I've lived here all my life. I just …. Hiccup won't give up protecting dragons. If we get married then then I'll never be allowed to leave the island."

"How long do you think you'll wait?"

"I don't know."

"Well I'd tell him. That look he had."

"I know."

"How about we get to know each other a little? I can show you a few things I learned about Nadders."

"That would be great."

Walking out from a rebuilding meeting Hiccup saw Astrid and his mother walking to the stables talking. He watched as Astrid said something that made Valka laugh and was glad he didn't know what it was.