THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER, GUYS! Ah, we've come a long way. Well, not that much but it has been a few weeks (instead of years, you know :))) Alright, see you at the bottom!
Enjoy!
Morning yawned on Berk, dragging with it the singing of a few annoying Terrible Terrors. One was probably perched on the roof of the Haddock House, screeching out its lungs.
Astrid jerked awake at the sound and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She sighed and rolled over to face Hiccup, only to blink her eyes at an empty half of a bed. She didn't take long to notice him standing in front of the wide-opened window. Strange, she could've sworn she'd locked it shut the night they'd arrived. Hiccup had his back to hers, staring out the pale morning sky with his red tunic hanging loosely from his shoulders. The rays of the sun poured inside the room, snitching on the dust casually floating around like tiny fragments of crystal.
Astrid frowned in confusion and quietly sat on the edge of the bed, almost as if she was skeptical this was reality. Maybe she was dreaming. She wouldn't be too surprised if that was the case.
"Hiccup?" she said, and Hiccup turned around to face her. He approached her, walking confidently and with much ease. She stood up to help him in case he lost balance, grabbing him by the shoulders. She stared into his eyes, trying to understand what was happening. But then she noticed he was staring right back, shifting from one eye to the other. A smile stretched on his face as he pushed the bangs out of her face with a delicate and precise stroke of his hand like one of a brush on a canvas.
"Hiccup? Are-are you-?"
"Yeah," he answered before she could even finish. "I am. And let me just say. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes upon."
Astrid felt like melting and locked her lips with his, wrapping her arms around his neck. She'd missed the spark in him. That bright light that made his eyes shine and made her feel alive. Bathing in the sunlight, she felt like all darkness in the world could never even dream to touch them. She didn't want to step out of the light. The warmth of the sun on her skin, knowing that Hiccup could see the gold floating around them, made her want to stay here in this moment, till the end of time.
…
Even if Hiccup was slowly recovering his vision didn't mean he was completely healed yet. Hiccup had described his sight to be as if he was looking through Death Song amber. Everything was still blurry, which was understandable. Astrid remembered when Gothi removed the cloth from her eyes when she'd gone blind. Her sight had taken some time to fully return.
The only difference between her accident and Hiccup's was that he'd had a concussion which meant he still couldn't resume with his everyday activities like she had. While she only had her eyes affected by the close-up lightning strike, his story was much more complex. Astrid would make sure he wouldn't be tempted to take Toothless on a midnight flight any time soon.
They'd spent part of the morning walking around town. The great news had sparked some relief around Berk. Knowing that their heir wasn't going to remain blind reassured a lot of Vikings. A lot of the fuss had revolved around this. But now busy minds could get some rest. The council was especially pleased with the news. Knowing Hiccup would be alright took the edge off the elders of the tribe. Spitelout was still grumpy as usual and Astrid would never come to understand why.
Their friends had been very happy to see Hiccup back his feet. Snotlout hadn't shown too much concern, babbling on about how he knew he'd be alright in the end even though everybody knew he'd been as worried as Astrid. Fishlegs hadn't been able to contain his excitement. He'd wanted to hug his best friend so much. But he also knew it would be best if Hiccup wasn't being shoved around too much. He'd promised a bone-crushing hug for later, once he'd be completely healed. The twins, well... They'd brought a mace to celebrate. Astrid hadn't cared what kind of tradition this one was about but she turned them around immediately. Astrid had wished Heather had stayed longer on Berk. But her friend had duties to attend to back on Berserker Island. She couldn't allow herself to be off somewhere else for too long, not after what her people had just been through. She needed to be there for them just as Astrid needed to be here for Berk.
"So now, if my dad can't lead Berk and I'm in no shape to replace him as acting-chief," had asked Hiccup, daring some thinking even when he wasn't supposed to. "Who's taking care of Berk?"
"Oh, don't worry," said Astrid, throwing in a little bit of sing-song in her answer. "I got it under control."
"Wait," said Hiccup, stopping mid-track. "The council voted you as acting-chief?"
"What can I say," she simply replied.
Hiccup's grin stretched wide to both corners of his mouth, still eyeing her in disbelief. "Astrid, that's incredible," he said. "I didn't even know that was possible. Still, I'm proud of you."
"No need," she said, brushing it off. "I only offered myself to keep the order until you or your dad takes the title back. It's no big deal."
"I'm sure you'll do a finer job than I ever will," said Hiccup, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as they kept walking. "You always have."
It was night time again. The afternoon of that day had been dedicated to some more rest which Hiccup needed plenty. Gothi had come to pay a visit, instructing the same as the Healer on Berserker Island. Lots of rest. No physical activities and to try not to think too much.
But by the time the sun had set, Hiccup was desperate to go see the stars. Astrid linked her arm with his, leading him around. They walked around the plaza, nodding to patrols they came across.
"What would I do without your exquisite guidance?" said Hiccup, tilting his head at her. He sounded and looked already much better than the night before. Everything he looked at seemed to fascinate him so much, making Astrid giggle from time to time.
Astrid smiled. "Well, you'd probably fall off a cliff, that's for sure," she said, looking up at him. He cocked an eyebrow at her joke, knowing exactly what she was referring to. Astrid winced. "Too soon?"
They reached the edge of town and were greeted by a charming view of the ocean. The powerful waves of the sea crashed against the bones of the island. They sat down, staring up at the calmness from above while listening to the roaring from below.
"Can you see the stars?" asked Astrid, turning to face him. She brought her knees up to her chest, shielding herself from the cool night breeze.
"Yeah," replied Hiccup, looking up, beaming. "They look even brighter now." A shooting star flew right by, reflecting in his eyes. There was a moment of quiet. Just the waves and the wind to fill in the silence.
"Hiccup?" said Astrid while he lowered his gaze to look at the horizon.
"Yeah?"
"Do you remember what you told me when I lost my sight?" she asked and Hiccup reacted like he'd been caught off guard, immediately blushing.
"Well, I said a lot of things," he said, suddenly seeming nervous. He pressed his hands in the grass behind him, uncomfortable.
Astrid expressed amusement with a burst of laughter. "You said that just because I couldn't see, didn't mean I was helpless," she continued, meeting his eyes that seemed to want to flee her gaze every time. Astrid knew why. It was because she knew that had been exactly how he'd felt. "Knowing you, I want you to know that you weren't. Hiccup, you have me, no matter what."
"I know," he said and Astrid moved closer, resting her head against his shoulder. "I probably wouldn't have pulled through any of this without you."
"Probably not," she agreed, smirking.
"Alright, no need to get so cocky," said Hiccup, rolling his eyes smiling.
"What do you mean?" she said before Hiccup wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in, trapping her in an attempt to tickle her. But Astrid only let him win for so long before twisting his wrist as gently as she could in order to avoid any more injuries.
"Alright, alright, you win," he said, giggling despite the frail pain, tapping out. "You always win."
Astrid laughed, edging closer to him to give him a peck on the cheek.
"You knew exactly what you were getting into," she said, flirting playfully.
"Yeah, uhhuh," he said, rolling his eyes before pulling her in close again. "So now."
"So now what?" asked Astrid, looking up at him. She was leaning against his chest with his arms holding her tight, chin resting on top of her head.
Hiccup sighed. "Johann's gone. Krogan too. What now?" he said and Astrid felt like he was more likely speaking to himself.
"Now we rest," she replied, returning her attention on the horizon. "We've been fighting for years to protect dragons from bad people like Johann and Krogan. And we won, Hiccup."
Hiccup looked down at her, pensive.
"It's time for us to come back home. To forget about being soldiers and just be people again," she continued, pulling away from him to meet his gaze. "We've all worked hard to keep the dragons safe. It's time to withdraw."
"Yeah, you're right," agreed Hiccup, looking down. She could sense some tension leave.
"Of course, I'm not saying it'll always be this way," added Astrid, shouldering him lovingly, knowing that a world without adventure would have her betrothed run into the ground. "After all, it's not everyone who appreciates this way of life. I'm sure if we explore the map a little further, we can find some no-good-doers and put them in their rightful place."
Hiccup laughed lightly. "That sounds fun," he said, returning his gaze on the stars above.
"Of course," continued Astrid. "We'll be pretty busy till then."
"How so?"
"Oh, I don't know. Dagur and Mala are getting married. Heather's being made chieftess of the Berserker tribe. Oh, and did I mention we'll have to decide what to do with Dragon's Edge?"
"No. No, you didn't. But thanks for mentioning it. I forgot," he said, pretending to be completely oblivious of their to-do list.
"If you're curious about the King of Dragons' egg," informed Astrid. "I received news that Atali and the Wingmaidens knew someone who knew someone who has a safe place to keep it. And, with Johann out of the picture, I'm pretty confident it will remain safe."
"And the Dragon Eyes?" asked Hiccup, wondering what had become of his tools he'd spent so much time examining and exploring to the point he'd been able to make a working replica.
"The original Dragon Eye was retrieved by Dagur's men," she said. "Yours is where you left it. They're safe."
"Good," he said, thoughtful for a moment. "But I think it would be better for everyone if we destroyed them."
"Why?" She wasn't surprised by his decision but wondered what his motivation was.
"They're amazing tools for dragon knowledge," admitted Hiccup, widening his eyes at the memories of the times when he was just uncovering the possibilities of the artifact. Then his spark faded. "But in the wrong hands, they're just too dangerous."
"I agree," said Astrid. He was right. And she knew it was hard for him to let go of them, especially after working so hard on his own prototype. "It's a wise decision from a future chief."
"Don't say that," said Hiccup, rolling his eyes. "It won't be long before my dad gets better and decides to hand the reins over to me."
"Well," said Astrid, gazing up at the stars one more time, enjoying the gleam they brought to the dark background. She thought of all the times they'd flown these skies. "We sure found that adventure."
"Yeah. I'm just sad it's over," said Hiccup, shrugging. "But I guess there's no reason for us to stay on Dragon's Edge either."
"If stopping bad guys and saving dragons is what you have in mind, I wouldn't worry too much about it," said Astrid, gravity sliding on her face. "There'll always be someone out there seeking to hurt dragons and bring the world to war. Always. It's only a matter of time before they get here. And when they do, we'll be ready. We'll be ready for anything, ready for anyone."
They both looked up at the stars just in time to catch a shooting star. Astrid wished that no matter what the universe threw at them, they'd be able the handle it. As long as she had Hiccup and he had her, they'd make it through. Just as they've made it through so much together already. So long as there was a 'Hiccup and Astrid', there would be light to spark up the darkness.
Always.
The end.
Yasssssss. I guess I was hungry for some Hiccstrid. Man, I kid you not, I've spent a whole hour scrolling through the cutest pics of Hiccup and Astrid I could find, never able to get enough. I would squirm like a squid making inhuman noises.
I would like to thank coffee and you guys for supporting me with all your kind reviews! You have no idea how happy it makes me.
Now... When I finished writing this, I realized that it wasn't the kind of Hiccup!whump I'd been looking for (even though there was plenty). Yes, there are different kinds, ok. So... I wrote another story :) It's all ready and fresh from the oven. I'll be publishing "Blind Man's Buff" tomorrow and updating it every day as I've done with this one.
Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this story and I'll see you next time!
- Rain
