"Keep still or I'll cut it wonky."

"Taken out of context, that is slightly worrying." Astrid muttered a curse, tugging on his hair. "Alright, alright. I will be good." She laughed through her nose in disbelief and went back to trimming his russet locks. He had a Great Gathering coming up, where all the chiefs, well, gathered to discuss chiefly things. She was going with him, as it was custom, but she doubted she would be allowed to sit with him in the meeting. Which meant she got to spend three days with the other chiefs' wives. "Astrid?"

"Yes?"

"Are we taking the horrible children with us?"

"No, we are taking my children."

"They're still horrible, whatever title you give them."

"Why are they horrible?" Astrid sighed, moving in front of him to inspect his fringe. Hiccup just smiled. "Will you keep still? Ugh, you are the horrible child, for the love of Odin's underpants."

"I don't love Odin's underpants."

"Shut up."

"Do you love Odin's underpants?"

"I will stab you with these scissors if you don't shut up right now." She snipped a little too aggressively at a bit that had been bothering her- he was forever puffing it out of his face. Astrid had literally had to tackle him and wrestle him into a chair, where she strapped him in place with Fishlegs' help and thick leather bindings.

"I'm losing feeling in my hands."

"Well, if you did as you were told, you'd still have feeling." He blew a raspberry at her and ended up spitting out hair. Astrid smirked at his misfortune and examined her work. "Nearly done. Last time I'm telling you- keep still." He spat out hair again and smiled grimly. "That's your own fault, don't give me that look."

"I' 'as'es 'orri'le."

"Yes, I completely understood that."

"Eeeeehhhhh!"

"What's wrong with him now?"

"He tried to eat his own hair. Look, my dad's here, stop messing around." Hiccup tried to say something else and then ended up waving at his father-in-law. "That doesn't look too bad, does it?" She asked him. Fenrir made a face, tilting his head and squinting. "Oh, shut up, Dad." Astrid smacked the scissors down on the table.

"Um, why is he tied up?"

"Have you ever tried giving Hiccup a haircut?" Fenrir hunched his shoulders. Astrid released her husband and he ran off to rinse his mouth of hair. Astrid started tidying up. "Everything alright, Dad?"

"Stoick sent me to tell Hiccup a message has arrived saying he needs to be there by this evening because of a storm supposedly arriving tomorrow." Hiccup spat out water and coughed, hitting himself on the chest.

"What?" He gasped. Fenrir shrugged. Hiccup scowled and stared down at his water jug. "Oh for the non-existent love of Odin's underpants, I knew something wasn't right!" He rinsed his mouth a couple more times, looking increasingly disgruntled. "Are Ingrid and Al still with Hildegard? Is that OK if we leave them there?" Fenrir dipped his head slightly. Hiccup ran a hand through his hair, mildly surprised to find it shorter than usual.

"Go and clean up." Astrid told him. "I'll make sure everything is ready."

"I would be lost without you." Hiccup kissed her cheek and disappeared out the back.

"He would." Fenrir agreed. "How that boy would get along without you, I don't know."

"He's not completely incompetent."

"Yes I am!"

"If I wanted your opinion, I'd ask!"

"You're getting it anyway!"

"Oh wow. That is a huge storm." Hiccup grinned.

"Yes and I'd rather not be in it when it starts. Look, there." She pointed at the docks, where a few ships had accumalated. "Hey, is that Erling?"

"Might be. I can't really see." Hiccup rummaged in a saddlebag and retrieved her now famous invention- dual looking glasses. Still no cool name for them. "Ah, yes." He scanned the logos on the ships. "There's Oncf... we've got the Bog-Burglars, Outcasts and... oh yay! My personal favourite- Dagur! This is going to be fun!"

"Remember, Hiccup. You're the youngest chief, so you have to prove to them that just because you're the youngest doesn't mean you're incapable of running a village." Hiccup nodded, still examining the line-up. Astrid sighed. "See anyone?"

"No. Ah, Thor's hammer, we're the last ones!"

"That doesn't matter. Down, Stormfly."

"Toothless, follow!"

A few chiefs ran out to greet them, Erling and Oncf amongst them. "Hello!" Hiccup greeted, shedding his cloak and casting it over Astrid as the first drops of rain started to fall. "Sorry we're late!"

"Not to worry." Oncf smiled. "Come in, come in. Yes, hello, Toothless. I missed you too." Oncf laughed, placing his palm against the Night Fury's nose. "In you go." Oncf waved them in, dragons included. They had just closed the door when the downpour started. Astrid shook out Hiccup's cloak and passed it back to him, smiling her thanks. "The other wives have already gone off to the central building, so you'll have to stay here for now. I suggest you sit in the hall; it gets quite chilly in these corridors."

"Thank you." Astrid's smile warmed. Hiccup tutted and she smacked his hands away and fastened his cloak for him. Erling chuckled.

"Yes, I suppose if someone is going to keep this young man in check, it would be you." He clapped Hiccup on the shoulder, grinning. "This way then." Hiccup offerd Astrid his arm and they followed the other chiefs to the main hall. Everyone else was already seated; Astrid was the only woman, but she didn't care. It was lovely and warm in here. The dragons loved it instantly, scurrying to the hearth and settling down before the flames. Hiccup beamed and waved at them all, pointing at a few excitedly and greeting them by name.

"Here we are." Oncf took his seat. "You sit there, Hiccup." Erling and the others had already sat. Hiccup gave Astrid his seat and sat on the arm, propping his feet up on the end. No-one said anything- they had been warned about Hiccup's eccentricity.

Astrid found the meeting tedious. Hiccup clearly did too and it was taking everything he could muster to stay awake and mostly focused. A number of times, Astrid had to pinch his leg or nudge him into paying attention. She shifted over so they were sharing a chair- these seats were designed for great big Vikings and could easily fit them both rather comfortably. Hiccup took her hand, running his thumb across her knuckles. They shared sneaky whispers when they could and cheeky, muffled giggles, but they really had to focus. Dagur declared war about eighteen times in the first twenty minutes, going for a sword that wasn't there. All weapons had been confiscated upon entry.

"War! Down with Berk!"

"No, I like Berk!" Hiccup insisted, sitting forward slightly. "Down with Dagur!"

"Stop it." Astrid hissed, tugging on his arm.

"No, no war. Not between us." Oncf waved irritably at Dagur to sit down. Hiccup sat back, chewing on his thumbnail. "We are here to organise trades and I believe Jedrzej has a pact to make with, um..."

"Me." A dark haired Viking raised his hand.

"Ah, yes. Eadric. So sorry. Jed, Eadric." Oncf gestured for them to talk amongst themselves. Jedrzej's daughter, Gabriela, was fit to be wed, hopefully to Eadric's eldest son, Padraig, aged fifteen and seventeen respectively. Astrid tittered, annoyed. Hiccup tightened his hold on her hand.

"See, this is why women aren't allowed in Gatherings." Ichabod protested midway through Eadric and Jedrzej's conversation. "It is for us to decide what happens between the tribes-"

"WAR!"

"Shut up, Dagur!" Ichabod snapped. "And if we are to marry off our daughters, then so be it."

"Doesn't your daughter get an opinion then?" Astrid growled, glowering at Jedrzej's.

"She knows what is best for the tribe." Jedrzej's said stiffly. "Hiccup, calm your wife." Hiccup started.

"Uh..." He said brilliantly. Astrid turned her glare on him.

"What if that was Ingrid when she was fifteen? How would you feel giving her away to a complete stranger and sending her off to a foreign place?"

"Well-"

"Woman," Another chief, one Hiccup couldn't remember the name to as he didn't always talk, sat forward, "I understand your concern, but these are our ways."

"Well, man, maybe we should change our ways. Maybe our sons and daughters should marry if, when and who they want to."

"But these marriages can form unities between the tribes."

"Why can't you do that yourself? You're all grown men, I'm sure you're capable of talking out problems rather than taking axes to each other's skulls." This conjured very mixed responses. Hiccup should say something, he knew he should, but if he said something, he would defend Astrid, not a doubt in his mind. But he also didn't want to cause problems. He quite liked being the eccentric, but mostly laid back chief that didn't really cause that much trouble.

Summoning his nerve, he stood. Silence fell.

"Eadric." He said. "What would you do if Gabriela didn't marry Padraig? Declare war?"

"No..."

"Cancel trades? You know how well Jedrzej's clan produce carpentry and metalwork."

"I know."

"Jed, what would you do if Gabriela didn;t marry Padraig?"

"I'd still have my daughter at home."

"You're not keen on letting her go?" Jedrzej hesitated.

"Not really." He eventually admitted. "But for the good of the tribes-"

"Why can't you just come up with a pact anyway? Why don't we all come up with a pact and stop fighting between ourselves?"

"Oh no you don't!" Dagur shot up. "Don't you think for a second I'm going to let this slide Hic-cup." Astrid saw Hiccup's shoulders slouch a fraction. She pressed her fingers to the small of his back and he steeled his resolve. "Don't think your aggressions against the Berserkers will be so easily forgotten!"

"And you're completely innocent?" Hiccup asked, his tone almost bored. Dagur scoffed in disbelief. Astrid rose too, anger swelling through her. Hiccup's fingers closed around her wrist, but that didn't stop her.

"You kidnapped our daughter! And you keep trying! You tried to kill Hiccup and his second in command! You've been trying to get control of Berk for years, don't act all coy!" Toothless snarled, pupils dangerous slits. The majority of the assembled men shifted uncomfortably in their seats. They knew of Toothless; they didn't know him. It didn't take a genius to figure out that an angry Night Fury, however, was a dangerous on.

"Toothless. Down, bud. Dagur, you're an idiot. We hate you. Not going to hide that, simple as." Hiccup shrugged carelessly. "But we don't want war. You go back to your desolate, deranged hovel and we'll stay on Berk. No need to bother each other." Dagur made to grab his weapon again, scowling and stomping his feet when he found it wasn't there.

"No! No, no, no!" He snatched up a standing lamp, swinging the flames at any who got too close. "Get back!" He ordered, eyes alive with madness. Hiccup moved in front of Astrid, both of them signalling to their dragons, pointing at the ceiling with two fingers and then dropping them sharply in Dagur's direction. Toothless shot forward and disarmed Dagur while spines whistled over his head and shot through Dagur's clothing, nailing him to a column. "Get me down!" He shrieked.

"No." Astrid defied instantly.

"GET! ME! DOWN!"

"Another word out of you and we'll see how deranged you look with a Nadder spine in your face." Dagur fumed. He would have said something, but Stormfly had curled around her rider, glaring at him. "Good girl." Astrid smiled, stroking her dragon's scales. Thunder boomed outside and the doors slammed open.

"I think that will be all for tonight." Oncf said quietly. Murmurs ran through the chiefs. "We'll sleep in here until the storm lets up."

"Toothless, Stormfly. The fire." The dragons stoked the flames. Stormfly found more kindling and scooped up logs in her claws, clumsily throwing them onto the embers. "Astrid. Are you OK?"

"I'm fine. Sorry if I get you in trouble." Hiccup waved it aside.

"I'm always in trouble." He removed his cloak and wrapped it around her. "We'll sort it tomorrow."

"What about Dagur? He's bent on this war."

"Let's just leave him on the fence for now." Hiccup glanced over at his pinned advesary and smirked. "Well, on the wall. If he didn't look so ugly, he'd be quite a good decoration. Here, we'll sleep over here." Toothless and Stormfly returned and made a cocoon around their riders when they pair had settled for the night, lying on Hiccup's cloak for a little extra comfort. "See, this isn't so bad, right?" More thunder boomed and several Vikings rushed to bar the doors shut. "A big room full of men and I am the most Viking-like of them all."

"Oh please. There was a guy over there that had more hair in one eyebrow than you do beard. Or should I say stubble?" Hiccup ran a hand over his jaw.

"He did have really bushy eyebrows though, that's... that's an unfair comparison."

"You'd look weird with a beard."

"Thanks."

"But..." Astrid traced a finger over his cheek, planting a quick kiss on his lips. "Stubble isn't too bad." He smiled, drawing her to him. Astrid curled up against him, resting her head on his shoulder and holding onto his arm. Toothless spread a wing over them and it was surprisingly nice.

"I'm wide awake."

"Me too."

"Want to run in the rain?"

"Yes."

Sorry if it's poo! I'm trying to get to my idea! POLL IS CLOSED!