Chapter 20: In which Hiccup has a crazy idea...

She knew.

Astrid knew probably the greatest secret to ever slip onto Berk. A Berkian befriending the enemy.

She knew, and somehow, they were still okay.

Nothing could shake the smile off Hiccup's face as he and Astrid made their way to the cove. Three days had passed since Astrid discovered his secret friendship. He'd worked on helping Astrid and Toothless bonding, which was easier than Hiccup had expected. Both were willing to adjust to each other, and it especially helped that Astrid trusted him enough to let herself be vulnerable around the enemy.

Toothless bounded up to them with an excited gummy smile splitting his wide face. For the first time in years, Hiccup felt wanted. He'd been shunned for so long, people groaning when he walked up or skittering away whenever he strolled by. Even though Gobber treated him like a friend (or maybe more like a son), the blacksmith was technically his boss and needed him for other reasons besides companionship.

Unconditional friendship was different. Toothless' happy greetings of slobbery licks and nose nudging for scratches made Hiccup's day. They wrestled and played chase. They were a team in the air, learning to work together as if they were two broken pieces becoming whole when they were fitted together.

On the other side of Hiccup was his young bride. She was more than he could ever dream of asking for. Her unexpected (and miraculous) acceptance of Toothless made his heart soar higher than he'd ever flown on the back of his dragon. He wanted to show her everything. To give Astrid the most amazing experiences a Viking had ever lived to witness.

Hiccup stepped onto the pedal and rounded over Toothless' back, settling into the saddle. Excitement teemed through him as Astrid took his hand and hopped in behind him. She immediately wrapped around him, and Hiccup glanced down at the lovely arms that adorned his middle.

There was one particular destination Hiccup had in mind, but it could wait. Right now, they were living in the moment.

Toothless launched into the air, hanging low above the spiky tops of the trees. The echo of the sea drew closer and suddenly, Toothless dipped below the trees flying over the sandy shoreline until they were over the choppy waves of the sea. The sea spray coated their faces and exposed skin.

Toothless glided low until they reached a sea stack. He climbed the length of it, landing with a soft thud atop. The light in Astrid's blue gaze told Hiccup exactly what she thought about the endless seascape.

"Great view, huh?"

"It's amazing."

After a minute of watching the glistening, rippling water, Toothless peeled away from the sea stack and glided onward onto the open waters. Astrid's arms tightened around Hiccup's waist at the sight of a pod of Thunderdrums leaping in and out of the sea. He patted her elbow reassuringly.

"They won't bother us."

It was jarring the first time him and Toothless flew over the pod of Thunderdrums a few days prior. Toothless didn't seem worried, as if him and the pod were familiar with each other and knew both weren't a threat. After the initial concern wore off, Hiccup found delight in watching the wide-bodied dragons leaping happily along the surface. They didn't seem so fearsome in their natural environment, minding their own business.

"How do you feel about a campfire dinner tonight?"

"Sure."

Hiccup leaned down and whispered in Toothless' ear. The dragon warbled in reply and began a diving decent. A gasp followed by laughter reverberated on Hiccup's back and in his ear, leaving his insides vibrating. Just a few days Astrid hid her face into his back when Toothless made a dive. How things had changed since that first ride.

Toothless skimmed the surface and pulled back up with a pile of fish between his jaws. The island of destination materialized on the horizon. In a minute's time, they were landing on a rocky shore. The rock formations created stacks and plateaus all around the edge of the island.

Toothless dropped his catch onto the ground and dashed off passed the formations.

"Where's he going?" Astrid wondered, watching the dragon leave with mild trepidation.

"Gather the firewood closer inland," Hiccup replied, busying himself with sorting through the pile of fish.

A rounded firepit lined with stones sat close by, and Astrid wandered over to examine it. "I take it you two have been here before."

"Yep." Hiccup threw two pollacks over by the firepit before standing and wiping his hands on his vest. "Hope you don't mind some dinner guests."

Astrid narrowed her eyes at him as she folded her arms to cup her elbows. "What kind of guest?" she asked, carefully.

Hiccup grinned at his secret. "You'll see."

Toothless returned with firewood and soon a roaring fire was ready to cook their meal. It hadn't been more than a couple minutes since they began cooking that the fast shutter of wings was heard headed their way.

"Terrible Terrors!" Astrid announced. She jumped to her feet and brandished the dagger from her belt.

"It's okay!" Hiccup moved to stop her before the quickly approaching Terrors made their way up to them. "They're friends."

At the growl from Toothless, Astrid held tight to her dagger. "Toothless thinks otherwise."

Hiccup chuckled at the irony of how quickly Astrid was placing her trust in Toothless. "He's just a big greedy grump. He only shares food with me. And you now, I guess." He bent to one knee, grabbing up a fish. "Hey, you hungry, little guys?" Ignoring Toothless' apprehension, he tossed a fish to each Terror. The little dragons gulped down their dinner, squeaking in satisfaction and licking their chops.

Astrid replaced her dagger and sat back against Toothless' belly. "I'm guessing you've met these dragons before?"

"A little over a week ago." Hiccup joined her, settling in on the warm belly of his dragon and sticking his fish over the fire. "I wasn't sure how they'd react to me at first, but then something unexpected happened."

Astrid looked expectantly at him. "What happened?"

Hiccup grinned. "You'll see."

Not even a minute later, one of the green Terrors came scuttling over. He eyed them curiously, sniffing toward Astrid's way. It gave a little squawk and skittered into the small space between him and Astrid. Astrid shrank away at first, gripping her stick, ready to use it as a weapon if need be. Hiccup raised his hand to calm her. The little dragon curled up into a ball, it's body cozy touching both their hips.

Hiccup smiled over at Astrid, her astonished expression sending a wave of contentment through him. She hesitantly lowered her free hand, fingertips brushing the Terror's head between its horns. The little dragon purred happily at the touch.

"First a Night Fury. Now Terrible Terrors." Astrid let out a breathy, unbelieving laugh. "What are you, Hiccup, some sort of dragon whisperer?"

"No," Hiccup replied, flat out. This was his chance to voice his opinion to someone who was willing to listen. "I just think everything we know about dragons is wrong."

There had to be a way to show all of Berk that dragons weren't the ruthless, food-stealing, fire-destroying monsters everyone thought they were. There had to be a way to stop the war and bring peace. These thoughts had been on Hiccup's mind ever since Astrid discovered Toothless and accepted the dragon in peace. 300 years of war could come to a halt if only he could formulate a plan.

Hiccup sat with his back to the headboard, staring at the wall ahead in the dim light of the bedroom. His mind ablaze with thoughts. He felt Astrid roll over and cup his knee underneath their fur blanket. "What's on your mind and why aren't you over there not scratching it out on paper?"

Hiccup chuckled softly. She knew him too well nowadays. "This is something I can't draw out."

Astrid propped up on an elbow. "Then what is it?"

Hiccup let out a deep sigh then gestured out toward the window. "If we can show everyone on Berk how dragons really are—"

"What do you plan to do?" A smirk crossed Astrid's face. "Give everyone on Berk a ride on Toothless like you did for me?"

Hiccup looked at her with indignation, but there was a gleam in his eye. "What if we train the arena dragons? Like I did with Toothless! We can train them and show Berk that dragons aren't what we thought they were for all these years!"

Doubt crept in Astrid's voice. "I don't know, Hiccup. What if Toothless and the Terrible Terrors are just wildcards out of 100,000?"

"I don't believe they are. I think all dragons can be peaceful if they're given a chance. We can show Berk that dragons aren't what they seem then we can stop the war. For good."

"We'd be taking a huge risk. One that can lead to imprisonment or exile," Astrid paused, and her next words hung in the air, "or even death. Are you sure you want to take that risk?"

There was no wavering in his mind. The killing needed to end. Peace needed to be an option. Something had to be done and someone had to do it.

Hiccup turned to face her, his jaw set, more serious than he'd ever felt in his life. "Yes."

Astrid looked taken aback by his tone. "Okay."

"Do you trust me, Astrid?"

"I do." She laced her fingers with his, their bond secured like a cord binding them. "I'm with you, Hiccup. Where you go, I go."

Even in the dim candlelight, his smile shone bright. He wanted to hold her close and show her how much he appreciated her, how much he was truly grateful to have someone on his side and by his side.

"We can't train any dragons tonight," Astrid released his hand and Hiccup felt a loss, "let's get some sleep."

"We could do something else besides sleep," he mumbled under his breath. His suggestiveness was not lost on his wife.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III," she recited his entire name, making Hiccup cringe at the reminder, "are you suggesting what I think you are?"

Hiccup had never felt such a mix of hope and modification all at once. "Oh, you're taking me seriously?" Panic flared up inside him, his suggestion implying more than he had in mind. "I meant, kissing." He averted his gaze, wishing the furs atop his legs could make him invisible. "I like kissing you."

Astrid shifted closer to him, tucked her bangs behind her ear, and reverberated softly, "I like kissing you too."

His heart throbbed and breath shallowed as Astrid connected their lips in a soft kiss. Hiccup's previous thought of becoming invisible completely vanished. This wasn't just a quick smooch like they'd shared before. Astrid tucked her legs under her as Hiccup twisted to a better angle, their lips never parting.

Heat crept up Hiccup's entire body at the touch of Astrid's palm sliding along the back of his neck and into his hair, her slight pull deepening the kiss. Hiccup hadn't realized his hands had cupped her biceps until she disconnected from him for breath.

"I really like kissing you," he admitted without thinking, their heavy breathing huffing on each other's faces.

"Then don't stop," Astrid murmured onto his lips and dipped back in for more.