We decided to give our dragons time to stretch their wings before setting down, both Toothless and Stormfly had seen little personal attention from us in the past week. I could personally see how happy Toothless was to be flying again with Hiccup. Tongue flapping out against the wind like an excited puppy, Hiccup was no different. Climbing higher and higher with Toothless to a point it was a challenge for Stormfly and I to keep up. We ended up racing to Dragon's Island while scouting the waters and islands along the way. Fortunately, we didn't see any trapper boats that would derail our day, they must be staying south.
On our way back, we stopped out on one of the tall standing rock formations, not really an island perse but it was a couple hundred feet above the ocean and had a beautiful little plateau. A perfect place for a secluded picnic with nothing but the ocean, or dragons and each other. The cold air was even more cutting above the waters, but all that did was prompt us to sit hip to hip as our dragons made a fire out of some kindling we had brought. Hiccup started roasting some fish, chicken, and mutton as I laid out the blanket removed my boots and kicked one of the several blankets, that I had packed over both of our legs.
"You mind?" I ask softly as I reach towards his single boot and he shakes his head.
"I can get it." He answers but I'm already unlacing it.
"You worry about the food; I'll make sure we're comfortable." I answer, placing a hand on his thigh as he smiles. I had brought a couple pillows and that, coupled with the saddlebags and some rocks nearby made for a near perfect back rest for us to lean against.
It didn't take him long to roast the food, and we watched our dragons play for a good time while eating, just taking in the air, the sights and each other. Letting loose a deep sigh, I lean my head on his shoulder and feel his arm wrap around me.
"This is good" I whisper softly and feel him nod.
"Yes, it is." He answers, running his hand up and down the side of my arm softly. He lets out a long sigh as we gaze over the horizon. By now, the sun had begun its descent but we still had hours before the dinner at my parents house, and his sigh was less than a happy one.
"What's wrong?" I ask, turning to look at him, he just shakes his head.
"I don't understand; we've been fighting for all these years. First we were fighting the dragons cause we didn't understand them. Then we were fighting people because we did understand them." He shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders as I place my hand on his cheek.
"What do you mean?" I ask. I mean, I understand but what brought this on; his mind always wandered when it shouldn't. He always thought so long and hard.
"Back when Dagur or Alvin were our enemies, they wanted to use dragons as weapons. Viggo and Ryker were worse; weaponizing them into real platforms of attack and selling them. Dragon fights for profit. Johann, Krogan and the Flyers. Taking normally peaceful, if not territorial, dragons and turning them into killers. For what? Money? Wealth? Power? Fleeting material things." Hiccup continues and I can't help but smile softly. Not at what he's reminding me of, but of watching his mind and his heart try to make sense of it all.
"There is no excuse." I say softly, my finger tracing his cheekbone and his hand clasps mine.
"And then Drago and the Tidal Leviathan. He ordered, tortured that behemoth into submission and used it to murder the Dragon King's heir from the egg that we saved from Johann. He used his dragon, to order Toothless to kill my father. And for what? I don't get it, what is so important that so much death has to be brought upon the world." Hiccup exclaims as his eyes never leave the horizon. I could see the speckle of a tear form in his eye and it made my own eyes water as I listened. He needed to vent, he needed this.
"Power? Fear? Thinking that you alone should lead, so you kill those who get in your way? How is that leadership? How is inspiring fear in the masses, causing death and turmoil and unhappiness, how is that what makes someone think they are a leader? Did Drago think we'd all bend to his whim cause we were afraid, that he could bend the world?" He continues; this must've been burning inside him. Eating him away, it's a wonder I never noticed it. He usually laid his emotions out open with me, but he must've been working through this for a while. Maybe he is still struggling with the loss of his father…
"Evil people do evil things and say it is for the greater good, but what they really mean is that its for their own good." I answer softly and he nods.
"And now, Drago gone. I thought we'd finally be able to have some degree of peace. Can our kind, can humans, ever know peace?" He questions, finally looking at me and the look in his eyes made me want to close mine. It was filled with fear, with concern and disbelief.
"We know peace, right now." I answer softly, placing my hand from his face and bringing it down to his chest. He closes his eye and I see the tear trail down his face. He's fighting it so hard when he doesn't need too.
"I wish I had the answers, that there was some way to create peace. Not just between humans but between humans and dragons. We war with each other; we war with these magnificent creatures. Even now, right now, those Trappers are probably enslaving some dragon or killing a person who got in their way." Hiccup says, his eyes still closed as he grits his teeth. "What am I doing wrong?" He finally asks, his voice broken as I shake my head softly, leaning in and placing a long, tender kiss on his lips.
"Nothing." I answer softly against his lips. "Absolutely nothing, Hiccup." I say, kissing him again and I see him squint his eyes closed, fighting back more. "Hiccup, look at me." I nearly command and he sighs, slowly opening his eyes I can see the redness in them as his face softens.
"Hiccup, if you have one flaw, it's that you want to help everyone, everything you see, so badly. And it eats you from the inside when you can't." I explain softly. "But, it's not because you are unwilling or incapable." I add, looking down at his chest where his wound was before glancing back at him. "You are the kindest, and the bravest." I finish softly.
"You are the bravest, Astrid. I remember what you did when we thought you were blinded. No one can be more brave, or strong. Fearless Astrid Hofferson." He answers with a smile and I shake my head.
"Don't you make this about me." I say with a light laugh. "Hiccup, there is no good reason. Evil people exist in our world and we just find ways to either change them, or live without them." I finish and he sighs.
"I can't do that. Not knowing all the evil they are doing to others or to dragons." He answers and I smile.
"And there's that flaw I mentioned. Though, it's not really a flaw." I admit. "More like an admirable trait or a conscious dream; one that can never be fully realized." I continue and he sighs.
"So, is it hopeless? Is our fight against the trappers meaningless? More evil people will fill the gaps, more suffering." He says and I shake my head.
"No, it is not hopeless. You inspire hope, your actions inspire others to be better. Don't lose heart in that, babe. I will never lose faith in you." I finish, leaning in and placing a kiss on his lips.
"I don't know where I'd be without you" He says softly against my lips and I smile.
"You'll never need to, I'm here to stay, Hiccup." I answer and he smiles, pressing his lips more tightly against mine. I may not have absolved all his inner turmoil, but together, we'd get through it; As One.
We stayed on that rock formation for several hours after my breakdown. I couldn't stop it, seeing the serene view around me. The peaceful feeling of sitting with Astrid and watching our dragons play. My mind flooded with thoughts I had thought I buried. Why did my father have to die, why does this evil exist? What are the gods trying to show us, is it trials and tests? Is it a game to them?
The thoughts riddled my mind, but I had to suppress them; I didn't want my time with Astrid to be spent wallowing in self-pity or grief. I wanted to enjoy my time with her, and I do. Her voice, her words; the look in her eyes as she smiles and speaks to me, it has a way of diffusing me, of comforting and mending me. She knew it, she had too; I imagine she relished in it.
It was almost time to head back for the dinner, and we had hardly moved since finishing our lunch. Laying on this rock formation under a blanket, gazing at the sea or into each other's eyes when our lips locked. I can hardly imagine a better way to spend any day. Such as now, I feel her tongue trace my lip and soon our tongues meet, and our lips press fully together as I feel her arms tighten around my neck and mine tighten around her waist.
If it was cold, we had forgotten about it in our own heat from under the blankets. The thought crossed my mind more than once on this formation, I imagine it did hers as well judging solely by how her hips moved while we kissed. Our dragon's obvious presence made such events awkward, to say the least, so for now, we were more than content in each other's embrace.
Soon though, the sun started to touch the horizon and it was nearing the time of supper, with only an hour or so to go before we were expected at her parents' house. Reluctantly, we released each other from our embrace and packed up our things. We knew we'd find each other's arms again tonight, and more. So, patience was the way of our days now, and we had grown accustomed to it.
The flight back was quick with the lighter load as all the food was gone and we arrived at the house with still plenty of light in the sky. Moving inside, we dropped our gear and stripped out of our riding suits. Using herbs and a couple warm buckets of water, we helped wash each other down before reclothing. We had also grown accustomed to washing with each other, helping clean each other. If for no other reason than it gave us an excuse to explore each other. There were certainly lingering moments while we cleaned that did not go unnoticed by either of us.
Still though, no time for our passion to take hold of us as we were expected. And we soon found ourselves walking to her parents' house, leaving both Stormfly and Toothless at ours. I move to knock and we are greeted almost immediately by her mother who quickly embraces us both.
"Astrid, Chief! Glad you could join us. Valka is already here and we've been enjoying stories!" She exclaims with a smile and Astrid and I both groan softly, which then makes us both laugh as we enter.
"Stories, you say?" I ask, semi-rhetorically and semi-curiously.
"Aye, Hiccup. I've got a few from when you were a babe! And even some from recent times." I hear my mother answer from across the room as I glance to Astrid who laughs.
"I'd love to hear those." Astrid chirps as I nudge her and she shrugs with a smile.
"Oh, you will deary! Your parents have also been telling me some things about you." She adds to Astrid and I laugh.
"Oh, I'd love to hear those, too" I add with a grin as I feel Astrid nudge me in return and scoff. We take our seats at the table and her mother serves some delicious yak meat with mead around the table.
I'll be honest, it isn't what I at all was expecting. I expected some awkwardly quiet dinner where we struggled to fill the silence. Instead it was filled with laughter and stories about our respective families and childhoods. Even Astrid was laughing, genuinely laughing. I found my eyes tracing to her and smiling.
Though, Astrid was doing me no favors, filling in the gaps of my childhood that my mother missed. Explaining the awkward times at Dragon Training or when I nearly caused the village to burn down with one of my contraptions. Any awkwardness I may have felt though evaporated when she snaked her hand with mine under the table and our fingers interlocked. She made no notion that she had done so, just sort of did.
The dinner went well into the night, and started winding down near midnight with many stories having passed our lips.
"It is getting late, thank you for hosting us." Valka says, offering a nod of her head to the Hoffersons who both smile and nod.
"It was our pleasure. I hope this is the first of many such suppers in the future." Astrid's mother replied with a smile.
"Indeed. After our talk today, Chief, I feel at ease knowing my daughter is with you." Her father says and I can see a look of pride stem from my mother as I shake my head.
"Please, just Hiccup. We are in your home, and this is a family gathering. I see no need for formalities." I request. I'm still not entirely accustomed to being called Chief.
"You got it, Hiccup. You're a good man." He answers and I smile. I feel Astrid's grip in my hand tighten as I glance to her and she smiles.
"Yes, he is." She reaffirms.
"And you, dear, are an exceptional young woman." Valka adds, placing a hand on Astrid's shoulder.
"This dinner was more for us, to see you two." Her mother adds. "We're glad to welcome the Haddocks as apart of our family." She finishes and I nod.
"And I'm proud to welcome the Hoffersons into mine." I add, glancing at my mother who nods with a smile.
Standing, we all part ways after a round of hugs all around. Cloudjumper carries my mother off as Astrid and I start making our way through the darkened and quiet village. We were the last ones awake besides the sentries that walked the docks and streets every so often.
We enjoyed a nice long walk back, our arms entwined and our bodies close. The cold air meaningless compared to the glow radiating off both of us. It was a good way to end the night.