Wincing from pain by rolling over in the middle of the night wasn't something I was accustomed too. It's as though I couldn't find a comfortable position to sleep in, and poor Astrid was just there trying to help me. No care for her own rest, all she did was try to comfort me. I felt most at rest when her body was pressed to mine and helped support my ribs; I could only lay on my left side but having her there with me made all the difference.
It seemed like no time at all before she rolled over and looked at me; I had trouble sleeping the whole night and she knew it. Pressing her lips lightly against mine, I couldn't help but smile.
"Did you sleep at all?" She asks softly and I shake my head.
"No, not really." I answer with a light smile and shrug. Her lips curl into a soft frown as she looks down towards my bandaged abdomen. After several seconds of silence, I nudge her nose with mine, drawing her attention back to me. "What?" I ask
"I'm sorry. I keep redoing what happened over and over in my head, thinking about ways I could've changed it or helped. I don't like seeing you like this." She answers with a sigh and I press my forehead to hers.
"Like what?"
"In pain. Struggling to sleep even with me here. Makes me feel powerless, I guess." She admits and I smile, pressing my lips strongly to hers. She reciprocates in kind and soon our tongues meet as our eyes lightly close. Biting her lower lip, I hear her giggle softly as our lips finally part. "What was that for?"
"Do we need a reason?" I answer with a smile and her face softens with a smile as she shakes her head.
"No, we certainly don't." She says and kisses me again. It was a good thing both her and I were accustomed to waking early. Even if I usually woke up before her, she still woke up well before dawn which gives us several minutes to enjoy each other's presence. On the plus side, while I couldn't sleep much, Gothi's herbs have helped me be able to move around without aggravating it.
Unfortunately, soon it was time for our lips to part and her to take point on training the riders back up to our time on the Edge. We couldn't afford another mishap, and while I feel it was mostly my own fault, we were still underprepared for what we faced, and we can't have that happen again. We need to treat these guys as though they were Hunters, as though they had dragon-proofed ships and were here to kill. Plus, we had to start considering what we were going to do with the dragons we saved. Berk could certain be a home for them, but it'd need a lot of renovation to accommodate a growing horde of dragons and the people.
Some things for me to consider on my forced days of recovery, Astrid begins to climb out of bed, but I grip her hand and pull her back and she giggles.
"Hiccup, I have to beat them there, ya know." She teasingly scolds me, and I just laugh and shrug as she looks at me, I steal the moment for one last kiss.
"Just wanted one more." I say softly against her lips and she smiles, nodding.
"Good enough. I'll see you tonight, babe. Try to rest." She says and I nod as she climbs out and gets dressed, heading out. As she leaves, Toothless crawls in through the roof opening and lays down on his slab of rock.
"Hey bud, I'm sorry that you're grounded with me" I say, looking over to the Night Fury that coos in acknowledgement before shaking his head and laying down. This time would be rough for Toothless, as well. I keep meaning to revisit giving him a permanent tail he can use by himself; like the one I made during our first Snoggletog together, but he aptly rejects the idea every time.
The day passed without much of an issue, though it was agonizingly slow for me. I heard no uproar within the town as Gobber manages without me and I hear the rush of wind as the Riders race around the island doing one of Astrid's many drills. Gothi had come by once to swap out my bandages but beyond that, the day was spent alone with not but my thoughts. Luckily, I'm usually good with those and spend most of it thinking on design plans for how to improve Berk and make it livable for a Dragon community and human community. Sure, we had dragons all over the place and stables, but if we were going to take on the trappers more aggressively, then their victims would need a home too.
I had images in my head of a large pillar with rotating perches that spiraled downward, a landing pad type thing to stop them from landing on the rooftops and to help them to the ground without crashing. Lanes in the streets that the dragons could use with higher ones that the people could cross and tall standing roosts for them to sleep in. My mind was flowing with ideas and while I couldn't put any of them to practice, I know what I'd be tasking Gobber and some of the other smithies around with when I recovered. I just needed to iron out the details. It was good having this to work on, cause while the day dragged on, it turned to dusk and soon after I heard the front door open to the house and in walks the light of my life.
"Hiccup?" I hear her call out and I almost jump out of my chair to go down to greet her, though I move a little slower.
"Astrid!" I call out and as I look down, I see her lips curl into a smile as she moves over to meet me at the bottom of the stairs in a soft embrace.
"You're moving." She says softly into my neck and I nod.
"Gothi was by earlier and changed the bandages. Says I'm healing well, so maybe it wasn't cracked, just bruised or something." I answer, holding her tightly she doesn't even try to break the embrace as we stand there. Feeling her laugh lightly, she pulls back just enough to look at me.
"I take it you missed me." She says with a light smile and kisses me on the lips. I only nod, returning her kiss.
"Ah, well you know me. Busy bee" I jest, and she rolls her eyes as I shrug. "Yeah, I did. A lot." I admit and she smiles as we walk to the table and she sets her pack down, we sit next to the fireplace and rekindle the fire. "So, tell me about your day?" I ask and she glances at me.
"You want to hear about the horrors I put them through?" She teases and I shake my head, looking into her eyes I take her hand and smile.
"Honestly, I just want to hear you talk. So, yes. Share. I'll share what I've been working on too. I've got a few ideas you might like." I add and she leans in, kissing me again and smiles.
"Deal." She says and leans softly back into me so my arms can wrap around her waist and her head can rest on my shoulder. It made me happy just to hear her talk about her day, and it sounded like a fun one for her to be sure.
Both the Jorgensen's were late, which gave me the pleasure of making them drop and do pushups. Spitelout had grown accustomed to it but Snotlout was unfamiliar with it and complained, so he got to do 100, which made his father laugh. Nothing quite like watching those two compete, it was entertaining to say the least.
Everyone else had arrived just as I was flying in, I'm glad Hiccup let me go when he did or one or two of them might've actually beaten me here. Not that it wasn't for a good reason. Smiling inwardly as I greet them all, I lay out the plan.
Starting the morning off with a race around the island to warm up our dragons. I won, but Spitelout got close on his Nadder, not close enough to worry me but enough to impress me. Maybe he was actually training with his dragon in his off time. Following that, we did target practice in the academy and then some aerial engagements. Hiccup's riders acted as the bad dragons for the Aux riders, and experience aside, it was even for the most part. Eret and Skullcrusher along with Valka and Cloudjumper really evened the odds dramatically in the Aux rider's favor that I ended up putting Valka on Hiccup's team to make up for it. Then it was back to them having the advantage which was fine.
Using a few damaged ships that were beyond repair, we practiced attack runs and dodging maneuvers as though we were being shot at. While it was a far cry from the real thing, it was good to see how they reacted when I called things out and made points to work on it later. This was only day one, and we'd be training like this for at least a couple weeks before Hiccup felt comfortable with us going back out there.
My mind drifted during the training, I've no shame in admitting it. I constantly thought back to Hiccup and how he's grounded for the first time in years; how he almost was killed by a lunatic. Gritting my teeth, I push the riders harder, if I ever ran into that Ragnar again, I'd see him pay for that. It was like Viggo and Ryker all over again, always aiming for the kill. Even if they missed, they still got too close for comfort and now. Now there was too much on the line. We had built a small utopia on Berk with our Dragons and humans living peacefully; Hiccup and I had become one in heart, body and soul more than once. I had even more to fight for now and I would fight for it to my last breath.
Dusk approached quickly as the dragons and their riders were equally exhausted, even Valka looked winded.
"Alright, Riders. That's it for today. Rest and feed your dragons and yourselves. Bring lunch tomorrow, I've got a couple nighttime drills planned for tomorrow." I ordered and I heard a collective groan from most of them but no challenges. Valka walked up closer to me as everyone else was filtering away.
"You lead them well, Astrid. Hiccup was right to place his faith in you. You two believe in each other and it shows." She says and I smile.
"I do believe in him, and I know he believes in me. I just wish he didn't have such a hard time believing in himself. He always takes the blame when something goes wrong, never tries leveling it at anyone else. I just don't want it to sour him inside. He strong, he's brilliant." I explain, maybe to myself more than to his mother but she just nods in agreement.
"I know. I heard some stories from…" she pauses and looks away before continuing. "… from Stoick when he found us. How Hiccup had changed Berk for the better. Being here for this past month, I've seen it. It's only getting better, maybe a little crowded with all the dragons but that's workable." She laughs lightly and I nod.
"Even the people of Berk have grown to accept him for the most part." I add. "There's been a few naysayers but they are quickly squelched by the others. It makes me glad to see. Hiccup may be no Stoick, but they know he has their best interests at heart." I finish softly, grasping one of my arms and looking away.
"He's your interests at heart too, ya know." She says, as though she's trying to reassure me and I look back at her and smile.
"I know. I'll never leave his side for long, and I trust him to stay by mine." I answer and she nods. "What… about you, if you don't mind my asking?" I say sheepishly and her shoulders drop softly.
"Stoick was the only man for me. I shall not take another." She admits and I nod.
"You two were both so dramatically different though, Stoick was a warrior who battle dragons to the death, and you were always advocating for peace. A lot like how Hiccup and I started…" I admit, not sure where I was going with this train of thought. It certainly wasn't doubt but it could have been fear. Her light laugh made them vanish.
"We were different, and we accepted that we made each other stronger for it. Much like you and Hiccup. You're both so different in many ways, but you two are like puzzle pieces that line up perfectly, I'd daresay more so than even Stoick and I." She admits, making me smile as she approaches closer, placing a palm on my cheek. "We may have been different, but we've both always had the highest of respect for you, Astrid. He was not wrong then, and he is not wrong now. You are the daughter we've wanted, and I am proud to see you with my son. Don't ever doubt that; doubt can lead to dangerous places. Regret; Disdain; Anger. None of those have a place in a relationship, my dear." She says and I nod.
"I do not doubt that Hiccup and I should be together, nor do I doubt my love for him; and I do not doubt his love for me. We, uh, shared a dance recently. And wrote our own song, like the one you had." I admit and I see her face light up with a smile.
"Oh, my dear! You must tell me it! No, wait. I want to be surprised when I see it at yer wedding! Have you picked a date for that yet?" She asks, now suddenly hyper and I laugh and shake my head.
"No. We've both agreed that while there are still trappers and dragons in danger, its better to deal with the threat now and marry later. We're still too young." I admit and she scoffs.
"Nonsense. I was barely twenty when I married Stoick. But I understand. We weren't fighting with humans at that time, just dragons." She says and pauses with a light sigh. "I expect that question to come up a lot in coming months. Don't let it stress you out."
"Gobber asks almost daily. Makes it really awkward sometimes." I admit with a sigh and she laughs.
"Yes, he is not known for his tact, to be sure. Either way. I think I've kept you long enough, Hiccup will be glad to see you tonight." She says and I smile. Taking off, she heads to her hut with Cloudjumper as I take Stormfly to Hiccups.
Toothless isn't outside which means he is likely inside. Escorting Stormfly to the small overhang, I give her some chicken then head to the door. Opening it, and calling out to Hiccup, I am greeted almost immediately by the sight of a smile that honestly warms my heart as he makes his way downstairs to greet me.
Now to wrestle with telling him about the talk with Valka or not, but that could wait. For now, he was happy to hear me talk about the training regime I put them through which made me smile. Settling down before a nice fire, his arms wrap around me as I place my hands on his, leaning back into his left side away from the injury and letting loose a soft sigh.
"Honestly, I just want to hear you talk. So, yes. Share. I'll share what I've been working on too. I've got a few ideas you might like." He admits softly and I look over, kissing him with a smile.
"Deal." I answer and then sit in a silence a moment, just watching the fire as I feel his warm embrace wash away the day. I start to feel his lips trace my shoulder and neck causing my eyes to close and my smile to widen.
"So?" He asks quietly in anticipation and I let out a long, content sigh.
"In a minute, I'm just enjoying this for a moment" I admit softly with my eyes closed. His lips still tracing my neck and his warm breath giving me goosebumps I hear him chuckle.
"Enjoying what." He teases and I laugh lightly.
"This, right here. Just us, right now." I say, squeezing his hand as he resumes his tender appreciation.
I'd tell him of my day, and he'd tell me of his but for now, I was content like this.