It was a celebration, for you see, in the Viking Culture we do not mourn the death of a friend, or a family member, or even a Chief. We celebrate their life, their accomplishments, and their death as they rest in Halls of Valhalla for Eternity and watch over us. We may mourn in private, shed a tear when we're alone or with those whom we trust. On this night in the Great Hall, there are no tears being shed. Just lively chatter and a joyful chorus of mead-soaked voices reverberating off the halls. For the Mead is strong and the food is good; and by the Great Gods, we were going to celebrate my father.
The Great Hall was bustling with various chatter as I sit at the Chieftains table, my mother to my left and Astrid to my right. Eret, Fishlegs, even the twins and Snotlout had a place at this table with me. I would never have been able to accomplish the things I did without them. It was something else to witness, to look down from the Chieftain's table at the ramble and sea of hearty Vikings bustling in their seats and telling more stories than I could ever repeat about my father. The food was ready, and the mead reserves were full.
Taking a nervous gulp as I think on what I'm about to do, I take a deep breath and nod to myself. I feel the comforting feeling of Astrid's hand cup my own. With my other hand, and tapping a loud glass, a silence falls over the Hall as I look to Astrid who only smiles and nods. Standing, I do the one thing I was never cut out to do, speak to the masses.
"People of Berk. It is my honor and my privilege to be your Chief, we've had our share of troubles over the past years, but we've always come out of them stronger for it. Now it is through the utmost respect of my father, Chief Stoick Haddock the Vast, that I name this day Stoick Commemoration Day. As all of you know, a month ago, our way of life was attacked, and our home nearly destroyed. We nearly lost everything from our island to our dragons, to each other. Our Chief was taken from us by a madman who knew not what peace is, but only war. He knew only how to bring pain and suffering to those were around him. On this day, we remember that it was our way of life that defeated his; a way of life our late Chief helped us refine. That was through the acts of Stoick the Vast that brought us here, that united us against this aggressor! And we prevailed!" I say, hefting my cup of mead to the air and hearing a thundering cheer from below.
"It is on this day, that we remember him, that we celebrate him. We may face aggressors in the future, those who would still see our way of life destroyed. Those who will challenge our resolve. We will meet the future as we met it in the past. United with our dragons, and with each other!" I continue, earning another thundering cheer that echoes off the halls.
"And I say this to you now. Mourn our late chief, honor him, but most importantly, CELEBRATE HIM! TO THE GREAT CHIEF STOICK HADDOCK THE VAST!" I shout, raising my mug.
"TO STOICK!" They echo.
"TO THE PEOPLE OF BERK!" I continue.
"TO BERK!" They echo.
"TO OUR DRAGONS!" I finish.
"TO OUR DRAGONS!" They echo and erupt in cheers
"TO CHIEF HICCUP HADDOCK THE THIRD!" I suddenly hear besides me as Astrid stands, raising her own cup next to mine.
"TO CHIEF HICCUP!" They all echo and applaud before the Hall erupts in lively chatter as the dig in to their food and their mead.
"I can't say this enough, Hiccup. Your father would've been proud." I hear my mother say besides me.
"I know I am." Astrid echoes with a smile.
"Oh, Okay. Gods, can't you guys like, ever, stop?" The voice of Snotlout groans from the wayside
"Oh, I don't know, do you think we can, Astrid?" I joke, teasing as I glance at Snotlout but feel a peck on my lips as Astrid leaned in.
"Nope!" Astrid chirps with a smug grin.
"UGH!" Snotlout exclaims, kicking his chair back before tipping it and falling, earning a laugh from all of us.
"Yeah, no kidding!" Ruffnut agrees
"You two could at least, try, to not to do. It'd be better for all of us" Tuffnut adds before looking at his sister. "Right?"
"Uh, yes." She sighs and they both dig into their food.
"Wasn't expecting that" I lean back into my chair and say softly to Astrid.
"What part?" She questions.
"The toast."
"Yeah, well, I didn't expect that." She answers, opening her arms and gesturing to me.
"What, you just gestured to all of me? Is this going to be a thing with everyone now?"
"It's true. That was an impressive speech, Hiccup." I hear Eret from the other side of the table.
"Ah, yeah, thanks. I, uh, I don't like speeches." I stumble
"Could've fooled us!" Tuffnut added
"Yeah, you talked for like, a long time." Ruffnut continued.
"Of course, he did. It was in honor of the Great Stoick!" Fishlegs scolds them before turning to me. "I thought it was great, Hiccup!"
"And every second of it was worth it." Astrid finished, shooting her infamous death glare at the twins who promptly looked away and dug back into their own food. I feel her hand snake into mine under the table, our fingers interlocked as she glances towards me and smiles. I clench her hand and squeeze, returning the smile. There is no where I'd rather be at this moment, well, that's not entirely true…
Hearing them cheer his name after his fathers was palpable, and honestly made me happy. Staring down a dragon, that is hard. Staring down your tribe on the one-month anniversary of the former Chief's death, as a hiccup, and making them cheer, that's almost impossible.
The scent of honey permeates the room as the mead is thrown down like water and the food is scarfed down. Other than a few side comments that were quickly silenced, this night was working out pretty good. Now I just had to find the right time and place to give him his gift.
"Hiccup, think we could go somewhere private for a while?" I say softly, glancing up at him as he takes another swig of his own mead. He smiles and nods at me.
"Hey, mom. Can you cover for me for a bit?" He asks and I see Valka offer a knowing grin towards me as she nods.
"Of course, son. Go on." She shoos us away, luckily without anyone else noticing. Everyone was too engulfed in their food or mead to notice the Chief and his girlfriend slip out.
Escaping the Great Hall, we move around the side of it in the large field, on the other side of Stoick's statue.
"So?" Hiccup questions and I stumble as I pull out a small box.
"I wanted to get you something. Sit." I command and he listens, sitting with me as I unfurrow the cloth wrappings inside the box to reveal two expertly crafted daggers of Gronkle-iron. I'd need to pay Gobber for this, these were exceptional even by my standards. I sigh and glance up at Hiccup who looks over them with a soft smile.
"Now, before you say anything. I know you're not really a weapons guy, but these are a pair. Inscribed on the hilt is the Vegvisir, the way-finder wheel. Each dagger points to the other, so if you hold them, like this, they point to each other. I have one and you have one. Even if we are separated or lost, even if we do not know our destination or course, we will always be able to find each other." I explain softly, my fingers dancing the daggers together until his hands cover mind.
Glancing up, I meet his eyes and the smile on his face is intoxicating. "They're perfect, Astrid. I know just where I'll put this." He takes one and places the other in my hand and I smile. This had worked out exactly as I had hoped.
He pulls out a small cloth from underneath his suit and sort of shrugs as he glances at me. "Turns out, I, uh, I got something for you too. Though it's probably not as cool as these daggers." He says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with a half-smile as I smile and roll my eyes.
"Letting the suspense build, babe?" I ask, teasingly with a grin. A grin that nearly evaporates as he unfurrows the cloth revealing a carved emblem of a Deadly Nadder with the Haddock and Hofferson family crests merged on the Nadder's forehead. Pulling it up, it's linked with a long chain, like a necklace.
"I've been working for a while. I made it so it could fit around your armor. It's uh, well, it's a betrothal gift. I know we're not ready for that, not by a long shot. We've still got so much to do, so much to see and understand. But, I, this, this is for you. I never want to be without you, Astrid. And we will marry, someday. When the time is right." Hiccup says softly as he hands me the emblem.
True to his design, it fits perfectly between my shoulder pads. Clutching it, I glance up at him with a smile. He's such an unassuming, charismatic, romantic man. He never thinks of himself first, but he wouldn't have too. I would. My face softens as I gaze into his eyes and then, suddenly, abruptly? I feel his hands on my waist as he pulls me closer to him and leans back against one of the stone feet of Stoick, me now sitting comfortably in his arms.
"He's watching over us, Hiccup." I say softly into his chest as he nods.
"I could stay like this for hours and not need a thing."
"Not even Toothless?" I question, teasingly, knowing the answer. I'd never make him answer that in truth, but now, maybe, I'm a tad curious.
"Toothless is my best bud, my friend. I'll never leave him behind." He says softly before adding "And you're my future Chieftess; my love." He says softly and I feel warmer. I hear him start to hum a tune.
"I'd swim and sail on savage seas, with never a fear of drowning." He hums softly and I nestle into him. This is the song Valka and Stoick shared before he died. It wasn't our song, but maybe it could show us how to make one of our own. One that defines our lives more, that tells us what we mean to each other, and what we'd do for each other. My mind races, his mind must be too.
It isn't long after until people start filtering out the Great Hall, holding each other up and singing various songs, making their ways back to their huts. I glance up to Hiccup and see his eyes gently closed.
"Hiccup" I say softly, prompting a soft grunt of acknowledgement from him.
He slowly opens his eyes and sees me looking up at him and nestles me closer to him and nods with a content look on his face.
"Can I spend the night tonight?" I ask sheepishly, softly in a voice barely above a whisper. He must've heard me, as I feel his heartbeat increase and a smile crease his lips.
"I'd love that." He says softly.
We slowly rise and make our way to his hut. There, we find Toothless already sleeping outside, hanging from a beam. A soft chuckle later and we make it inside. His house had become cluttered with various chiefly or dragon notes, and Stoick's chair sits in the corner by the fire pit completely untouched. Even his mug is set on the floor besides the chair. Hiccup would probably leave them both there.
Our hard wood beds a thing of the past as fur lines the bedding and the simple cloth blankets replaced by much warmer fur ones. Berk was progressing into the future, and it was mostly thanks to Hiccup.
Shredding down to not but my chest sash and under garments, Chief Hiccup Haddock the Third is already laying in bed with not but his trousers, with him making obvious room for me to join him. I can't help but smile as I climb in next to him and face him in the bed.
I feel his arms snake around me and pull me closer, our faces mere inches apart as I smile. The look in his eyes are something I'll never forget. Like, he hadn't a care in the world; like there was nowhere else he'd rather be. A soft, pure feeling of content washes over us both as our lips gently brush and our eyes close. I'm sleeping in his arms tonight, and if I have it my way, every night from now on.