The following morning after Krogan's capture was riddled with chaos. The people of Berk could hardly wait for us to get any rest after our attack before demanding his head on a pike and his body fed to the very dragons he enslaved years ago, Singetails. There was little anyone could to assuage them from filling the Great Hall shoulder to shoulder as we stood at the Chief's table discussing our options amid the ranting and raving of the people behind us. On the one hand, it was awe inspiring that they wanted justice for the man who threatened their chief and their way of life. On the other, it was almost frightful how close we were to anarchy.

"Alright, alright. We've got this." Snotlout began, trying to appease the masses before losing his temper. "Shut up!" He yells out and quiets the room to a low murmur and he glances back to me as I nod.

"Thank you." I say and he shrugs. "Alright, as most of you have heard, we have indeed captured the hunter known as Krogan; the very one who laid siege to Berk, whose flyers nearly killed my father those years ago. He is a man without a single redeeming quality and as of right now, has but one goal; my death. That said, he is in our prison." I explain.

"Off with his head!" Agnar shouts out from near the front.

"Yeah, let him be judged in Valhalla!" Magnus agrees and the shouting continues as I sigh and shake my head. Snotlout grumbles and steps forward again.

"Shut. UP!" He shouts, quieting the rowdy Vikings to a low murmur again as I nod to him.

"Right now, my plan is to take Krogan to the Summit of the Chiefs between all the tribes in the Archipelago. The first such summit since they were nearly lost to Drago's forces. I've no doubt that Krogan will find his death there, and he will indeed face the judgement of Valhalla. But it is my intention to use his capture as a means to forge a lasting alliance with our fellow tribes." I explain as the murmurs continue. Glancing to Astrid, my mother and Eret, they nod, and I sigh before continuing.

"I've tasked my mother with informing the other tribes of this summit, and plan to hold it a week after Snoggletog, which as we know takes place in just a few weeks at the peak of winter. Until then, Krogan will be kept in a barricaded cell with nothing more than the barest of minimums to sustain him. We will continue to hit the Dragon Trappers wherever we find them, and we will purge them from our waters. For now, take heart in our victory amid the traditional holiday season and revel with your families. We are one step closer to peace." I finish and everyone shouts. It was somewhat reassuring to hear their shouts of support as Fishlegs stepped forward.

"Alright, nothing else to see here. Let's go!" He exclaims, pushing people out with Snotlout's help as the twins, Heather and Astrid walk over to me with the bundle of papers I had found.

"So, H. Have a chance to sort through that stuff yet?" Tuffnut asks as I shake my head.

"Honestly, no. Like everyone else, we went straight to sleep when we got back until the rabble woke us. Let's see what we got." I answer as he waves his hands.

"Woah, woah, woah. Who's this 'we'" He asks as Heather and Astrid exchange a look then glance to me with an anticipating smile.

"Uh, yeah, so papers. Look at the papers. I think I need a Thorston eye here" I ask, trying to change the topic which works like a charm as both Tuff and Ruff approach the papers and I internally sigh and glance at the girls with a glare as they snicker quietly to themselves.

"Maps. I see maps. This doesn't look like the map of an island, no surrounding ocean." Tuffnut says as Ruffnut nods in agreement

"And look at this one, doesn't seem like a map of anything but water. Charted. What is with these guys, are they trying to fall off the Earth?" Ruff exclaims as I shrug.

"Those aside, look at this. More charts around the greater Archipelago with different trapper positions." I add as Astrid walks closer to me, I feel her hand on the small of my back as she leans in and looks with a nod.

"And this looks like manifests; shipping dragons to some main base. They're trying to weaponize them like Krogan and Drago did without success. According to this, their fleet numbers between a hundred and fifty to two hundred ships strong, spread across the Archipelago" Astrid states as I nod.

"That's more ships than the Berserker's, Outcasts and Berkians can muster. They've got nearly double our max." Heather says in awe. "Where are they coming from?" She asks no one in specific as I shake my head.

"Don't worry, Heather. They have ships, we have double their number in ships in dragons, plus the ships we have, on Berk alone. They'd never outright attack us, and they are likely outfitted for capturing dragons with cages and the like; not extended combat." I explain and she nods.

"So long as they don't figure out how to weaponize dragons, if we can finish them off, they'll be unable to recover. I can't imagine making that many ships an easy thing." Astrid adds

"No, maybe they have a dry-dock somewhere, or several, we can hit. But what island could actually house that many ships?" I ask, glancing to Eret who shrugs.

"I've spent many days at sea and can speak of no island that can make such, my only thought would be the mainland but I've only ventured there once and those lands are treacherous with war-drawn men who know nothing about dragons nor the sea." Eret answers.

"That's one area I'd rather stay clear of, to be honest. Though if that's where the dry-docks are, hitting them may be prudent but could open an entirely new jar of worms to contend with. If we can unite the Chiefs of the varying tribes, it may open other avenues." I add and everyone nods slowly. We were walking in uncharted territory, practically declaring war over the safety of our waters and those that inhabit them. Closing my eyes, I sigh with my hands on the table, gazing over the various papers. As I look back up I notice everyone looking at me for the answers and I wince internally. I'm still not accustomed to this, I had been leading the Riders for years, and this felt not unlike a mission before attacking Viggo out on the Edge. But the stakes had changed and now it was the people of Berk whom I lead. Astrid felt my apprehension as I felt her hand rest on top of mine as I stood.

"Alright, grandiose potential plans aside, here's the immediate future. Snotlout, get with Agnar, Magnus and Bjorne, organize a watch on Krogan with the standing militia. I'll keep his key, and he's only fed a potato a day with a small cup of water. Enough to keep him alive, but not enough for him to use to his advantage." I state and he nods. "Mom, Eret, head out for your visits but try to be back by Snoggletog. Send a terror mail if you need anything. Heather, head back to Berserker Island and fill Dagur and Mala in. I'll send a mail to the Wingmaidens. You're welcome to come back to Berk as you want, our door is always open. Everyone else, we're taking a couple days off." I state and everyone else nods and slowly disperses. Gathering up the papers, I tie them to my satchel and leave the Great Hall with Astrid in hand as we head back to the house.

It had been a long few weeks, and it felt like those years at the Edge never ended when Krogan returned. I only wish my father could be here, I could use his guidance right now. He may be a vengeful sort, but he had the wisdom of a warrior and battle-hardened Chief. I just hope I could fill those shoes and lead the people to peace. It seems like that was my destiny, to either lead them to peace or destruction, as all of this was happening on my watch and I could either act or not on it. I just hope I was making the right decisions; having Astrid by my side did a lot to boost my confidence.


He had grown so much in the time since he was that little kid who could barely hold a shield, now the Chief of Berk and capturer of Krogan. Hiccup had become a force to be feared, even if he didn't know it. He was a warrior with the heart of a healer; it was he who bested Viggo, Ryker, Johann, Krogan (twice) and Drago. He often had help, by his friends, his dragon, or any other varying number of things but ultimately it came down to him and the decisions he made. He may not have confidence in himself but everyone else does. Even the naysayers have grown to respect him.

A few days off with just Hiccup was like a dream come true, to be honest. It had felt like ages since we had time to ourselves where we weren't worrying about the future. Granted, evil deeds were likely taking place beyond our waters as we walked, but we couldn't hope to stop all of them. Armed with more information, armed with a plan and a goal, armed with confidence over our success. We were poised to continue our strikes against the trappers with a fury and beat them into submission. That would be how we spent the next several months, freeing their dragons, decimating their ridiculous fleet. We'd win, it was just the way of things. We had a reason to win, a cause, a purpose. No enemy, no matter how insurmountable they seemed at the time would best us. Not while we had each other.

Our house was close to the Great Hall, fortunately, and the walk was quick. Stormfly had found a home in the corner on the ground floor while Toothless returned to his rock; Hiccup and I finding a place to rest near the firepit. Resuming our sitting position, we hadn't shared for days, with his arms around me as I sat partially on his lap and just gazing into the firelight. I feel his lips kiss my neck and I smile.

"Am I making the right call here, Astrid?" He asks and I can sense the uncertainty in his voice. He acted like every decision he made was being judged by the gods and like he had to be perfect.

"Yes. Everyone needs a break, like I said before, they are your soldiers but even soldiers need a break to be people sometimes. This is good for them. About everything else, yes." I answer simply and feel him shift.

"Yes? Just, yes?" He repeats and I nod.

"Hiccup, you're making decisions that affect everyone here as a whole. And you're trying to do what's best for everyone as a whole. I have your back, one hundred percent, and I always will. You need to make these choices, and you need to be supported by those around you." I answer and his grip around my waist tightens as he rests his chin on my shoulder.

"It does help knowing you have my back, Astrid, tremendously." He answers and I smile.

"Always." I return and he kisses my neck again, causing me to release a deep breath and a smile.

"So, I was thinking. Want to get away for a couple days, maybe head to the spring? Just us? Some good old rest and relaxation?" He asks and my smile widens.

"I'd love that, but what if something happens while we're gone…" I ask softly and I can feel him sigh lightly.

"Sometimes I hate being Chief." He says softly and I nod. Life was simpler before he had been made chief for sure, and the circumstances behind his ascension were harrowing ones.

"Stoick would be proud of you, Hiccup." I say softly. "You've not given up yet, you've persevered, you've won." I add and I rotate slightly to look at him and cup his cheek in my hand, bringing his face closer to mine so I can brush my lips against his against the fire light. "And I couldn't be prouder."

"You always know just what to say." He whispers and kisses me passionately, soon I feel his tongue trace my lips, requesting access to dance with mine. Granting it, our lips press further together as our tongues weave around each other, my position slowly moving from sitting partially on his lap to fully on his lap, facing him as our lips never part.

Our dragons had fortunately become accustomed to our displays of affection and deigned not to care when we showed such in front of them. Even through our cloths, my hips practically, involuntarily, grinding against his while our lips remained locked. Foregoing breath in favor of each other, we both pushed until our kiss was broken by our sheer need to breath properly. Leaving both of us panting and gazing into each other's eyes as I smile, kissing him again mid pant. Lungs be damned, I wasn't done yet and neither was he. When we finally parted the second time, we were both out of breath and left breathing heavily trying to recover it, our eyes still locked as our lips still curved into a smile.

"I could. Do that. Just that. All night." He says softly between breaths as I bite my lip and nod.

"Me too. And more." I answer breathlessly, leaning in and biting his lower lip lightly before pulling back.

"So, we stay in town but stay here. Just in case something happens but otherwise, just with each other." He suggests and I nod with a smile.

"That sounds like a plan to me. Day is still young too, a whole lot of opportunities for us to explore, don't you think?" I ask teasingly as I feel his hands drift from my hips to my rear and tighten their grip as I grind down lower, biting his neck as he lets loose a shuddered sigh.

"So. Many. Opportunities." He repeats as I pull back, he scowls playfully. "You're horrible." He retorts and I shrug.

"Maybe, but you love me." I answer with a smile and he nods, leaning up and kissing me, bringing my down to him as he smiles.

"With everything I have." He finishes and our lips lock once again.

I had no idea what the future may hold, what even tomorrow may hold but I knew what today was going to hold. It was going to hold Hiccup and I entwined in each other's arms, exploring each other's bodies and celebrating our victory. I could honestly, happily live naked in his arms for days on end, just exploring each other together. The sheer experience of giving myself, body and soul, to Hiccup and him doing the same to me was euphoric and unquestionable. I never once doubted my decision to encourage us deflowering before our wedding. I never doubted what we did together, what we were going to continue doing together. No, I encouraged it. I wanted it, because I wanted him; I wanted to feel him inside me, I wanted to taste him like he wanted to taste me. It was an intimate relationship built on friendship but transcended with intimacy. I'd never know this feeling with another person, nor would I want too.

And honestly, all I could think of in these very moments of heat and passion was taking him up the stairs or leaving him on this chair before the firepit. Shredding our clothing and letting him take me then me taking him, taking each other. Pleasing each other. I couldn't hardly think of anything else and luckily for me; for at least the next few days, I wouldn't have to think of anything else but that. Even a two-day vacation in this manner was a vacation none the less, and I wouldn't waste a second of it.