=Normal POV=
(Tyrsdagr, Harpa; Night)
(Berk; The Great Hall)

The Chieftains decided two weeks ago that they would no longer interfere with Drage's work. Drage said he would handle things, and proved that he could. Also, the Chieftains took into account that Drage had been flying around all night to other islands to stop their raids, so that is why he didn't always show up when the dragons did. Regardless, for the time being; they would let Drage do his thing with the dragons and hope that there would be more answers soon. During raids, the Tribe worked on keeping their weapons down and food stored. This kept the dragons from attacking most of the people, and it did allow Drage to focus on the raid instead of them. The Chieftains agreed to meet in six months, to discuss things again about pulling Drage aside and seeing if they could get more information about the situation or if it made any progress.

It had been two weeks since the wedding too, and things between Brenna and Hiccup were calm. The two of them would get along, speak, sit with one another, but nothing else. There were few moments of affection, but otherwise; the two of them appeared to be your average couple who got arranged to marry one another. Hiccup would go off to training with his father, and Brenna would handle house-related things. If Hiccup wasn't training to become the next Chief of Berk; he was in the forge with Gobber. Hiccup was typically gone all day until the late-night where he'd mosey into bed and go right to sleep. Sometimes Hiccup didn't even share the bed with her; he'd sleep in the spare room or downstairs in his office or even on the couch.

Hiccup still struggled with his feelings for Brenna. He knew he felt something for her, but he couldn't bring himself to act on it and see if he'd feel more. Hiccup and Brenna hadn't shared any kisses, or made love, not since the wedding night. The only affection showed if they were in public together; they'd hug, maybe a kiss on the hand or cheek. It's not that Hiccup wasn't happy with her; he just wasn't sure what to feel. And that got harder to figure out as Hiccup's schedule was super busy with Chieftain training, the forge, and of course, the dragon raids. Hiccup was spending as many nights as he could going out to find the source. So far, nothing at all. Hiccup even tried following the dragons, but there was nothing to go off of, so he'd give up and return to Berk to try and get some sleep. Things were easier with the Chieftains and Heirs gone; Hiccup didn't have all eyes on him anymore.

If Hiccup wasn't busy enough already; his father stated that Hiccup would be going full days in Chieftain training, and start acting like the Chief. This is where Stoick would let Hiccup take the reigns and trail him, only correcting if Hiccup did something wrong. Not that Hiccup had a problem leading people; he did it with dragons in almost the same manner. Hiccup was good at solving problems, helping, leading, commanding, and breaking up a fight or two. Hiccup had excellent organizational skills and management when it came to food and supplies. Hiccup had a lot of ideas he was able to talk to his dad about, happy that Stoick would listen too. Even Stoick thought they were good and could be easier if applied.

Hiccup was trying to bring change in more ways than one, and no one seemed to mind. Hiccup had proven he was capable of the job he'd be given soon. There was no telling when, but if things kept up this way; Hiccup would be Chief before he turned nineteen years old come the month of Goi of next year. Which meant Hiccup had about six months to locate the source of the raids and stop it. If he didn't before he became Chief; he'd never be able to stop it without telling everyone he was Drage Riddari. Of course, Hiccup planned to tell them anyway, but after he stopped the source, not before. So far, Hiccup had gotten the Chieftains to see that dragons could be trained to be docile, and also, Drage was no free to handle raids without interference from other people in the tribes. Hiccup knew they were willing to listen to Drage, but would they still listen if he revealed he had been Drage the whole time. It was small worries like that where Hiccup decided it was best to end the war first, then say something.

Currently, Harpa started yesterday, and right now, everyone was in the Great Hall for dinner. Hiccup sat with Brenna and the other teenagers that were the same age as him; Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Astrid. Brenna wasn't feeling that well, but pushing it aside to try and spend more time with Hiccup.

"So, how is Chieftain training going, Hiccup?" Brenna decided to ask.

"It's alright, I guess," Hiccup shrugged.

"Is it hard?" Fishlegs wondered.

"Not really," Hiccup replied.

"You think you'll run it as good as your dad?" Ruffnut inquired.

"No chance," Hiccup said. "I'm gonna run it way better, and dad thinks so too," he chuckled.

"How do you plan to run it better?" Snotlout questioned now.

"I just have…Different ideas that dad already does now; things that can make the village run smoother, easier…I've talked to dad about them; he loves it and honestly can't wait to see what I do with this place," Hiccup stated.

"I'm sure it will be great," Brenna smiled, a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "If there's anything I can do to help, let me know," she offered.

Hiccup nodded. "I will, thanks," he replied with a small smile; he leaned over and kissed her forehead. Brenna smiled more, blushing a bit as she laid her head on his shoulder before yawning. "Tired?"

"A little bit," Brenna admitted.

"Shall I take you home to rest then? You feel warm, are you getting sick?" Hiccup asked.

"Maybe, I've been tired the last few days even though I get plenty of sleep," Brenna said.

"You barely touched your food," Ruffnut pointed out.

"Guess I wasn't feeling chicken tonight," Brenna shrugged her shoulders.

"Would you like something else? I think we have some simple foods at home I can cook up. Stew with some bread? Sandwich?" Hiccup offered. Despite their awkward situation; he wasn't going to be a jerk to her. And it certainly wouldn't help him any if she began to hate him for being so distant. He still had to be a good husband in public, and he probably should do more at the house too. Hiccup knew he'd been distant from her; he just wasn't sure what to make of everything. How to feel, or what to do about it.

Hiccup knew he was married to Brenna; he knew he had been arranged to marry her at the age of twelve and learned of such betrothal just six weeks ago when his banishment ended after two long years. Not that Hiccup could complain; he learned valuable skills outside of the Archipelago while traveling with Johann, and getting to train below the ship with Krogan. Hiccup also met a bunch of others too; he made friends that he wanted to see again. Hiccup did tell them where to find him with a map, so who knows? Maybe he'd see them soon. Hiccup struggled with his feelings, though. He spent a lot of time trying to figure it out and came up blank each time.

However, a suggestion Gobber gave him was to spend more time with Brenna. Learn her likes and dislikes, hobbies, favorite foods, etc. Gobber said they could bond more, learn to like, or even love one another. Hiccup knew Gobber was right, but Hiccup had so much hesitation on the matter because of his big secret life of being Drage Riddari. It would come out. Eventually, Hiccup knew he shouldn't be letting that hold him back. He needed to be a better husband to Brenna, and that was something he was deciding to do right now. Maybe it wouldn't be perfect, but it was worth a shot in trying to make things work regardless.

"No, I'm alright, Hiccup. Thank you, though. But I will take you up on that offer to get back to the house and rest a bit," Brenna said.

"Sure. Let me go tell dad we're leaving," Hiccup nodded as he rose from the bench and made it over to his father. "Hey, dad," he mentioned. Stoick turned around from his spot, facing his only son.

"Yes, son?" Stoick asked.

"Brenna and I are, uh, heading out for the night," Hiccup informed.

"Oh, are ya now? Gonna show the wife a little lo-," Stoick started.

"DAD! Oh, my Gods! No!" Hiccup shushed him quickly. "For Odin's sake…I'm just taking her home because she's tired…" he remarked.

"You know you're married and can do that kind of stuff, don't you?" Gobber asked.

"Have ya done anything since…You know, the weddin?" Stoick wondered. Hiccup shot him an unamused look now.

"Yes, I know. And no we haven't. It's none of your business anyway. Now good night," Hiccup moved away from both of them, shaking his head while approaching Brenna. "Ready, Milady?"

"What was all that about?" Brenna inquired as Hiccup helped her up.

"Nothing. Don't even worry about it," Hiccup smiled. "Come on," he stated. Brenna steadied herself or tried to. "You alright?" he inquired.

"Yeah, just feeling a bit dizzy and maybe nauseated…" Brenna admitted. Hiccup slipped his arm around her back, then bent a little to get his other arm under the bend of her knees. Hiccup carefully lifted Brenna into his arms; she eeped a little and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's alright, I'm not gonna drop you," he assured gently. "Relax. Go ahead; you can lay on me," he said. Brenna smiled lightly, laying her head on his shoulder. Hiccup headed for the Great Hall doors, someone sitting near them opened it for Hiccup. "Thank you," Hiccup said, walking out and heading over to his and Brenna's house.

. . .

(Berk; Haddock Hut)

Reaching the house, Hiccup brought Brenna right upstairs and to their bedroom. Hiccup saw that Brenna looked exhausted, so Hiccup set her down on the edge of the bed and removed her boots for her.

"Thank you," Brenna said lightly.

"No problem," Hiccup smiled at her. Brenna got up, kissing his cheek before venturing over to the restroom; a new thing Hiccup set up in the house. A room off of their bedroom to relieve themselves without the use of a bucket in the corner. Hiccup was having more placed around the village, calling them outhouses. Hiccup also had two more restrooms in their home. Another one upstairs down the hall, and one downstairs. After doing her business; she got back to the bed, which Hiccup had drawn the covers back on.

"Are you…Coming to join me?" Brenna inquired.

"I, uh, got a little work to get done first, but I'll come in a bit, alright? If you need anything, call for me," Hiccup smiled.

"Okay. Night, Hiccup," Brenna said. Hiccup kissed her forehead lightly.

"Night, Brenna," Hiccup smiled as he exited the room. Hiccup went downstairs and relaxed in his home office, organizing some things. After a little bit; he snuck out the back and went to the cove to meet Toothless. "Come on, bud…I need to fly and clear my head," he sighed softly.

"What's up?" Toothless inquired.

"These feelings for my wife…"Hiccup mumbled as he changed into his all-black outfit, but not the Drage Riddari one, and slipped on his simpler mask. With all this on; he almost entirely blended in with his best friend.

"You love her?" Toothless asked.

"I don't…Know…" Hiccup admitted, climbing on Toothless's back, and then the Night Fury shooting into the darkened sky above. "I feel something for her, but I don't wanna call it like, or love. The situation is still awkward because were arranged to be married when we were twelve, weren't supposed to meet until the wedding day, but because of everything we at least got a month to semi-hang out I guess…" he continued.

"Hiccup, Hiccup…Breathe. You're getting all worked up. Stop thinking so much about things. Alright, us dragons don't take time to get to know one another. We do that nonsense in a day. We meet, do a little dance to see if a potential mate is interested. If they are, we mate. If not, we move on," Toothless stated.

"It's not like that for us, pal…" Hiccup sighed heavily.

"Hiccup, yes, it is," Toothless rolled his eyes. "You were arranged to marry this girl some years ago, and of course, it's not expected that the union would be out of any mutual feelings between you two. It's the same with our dragons. Once we mate, that's it. We're mated, and nothing breaks that except one of us dying. Same as you humans, alright? You humans have the same general process; you're gonna be together, making babies, having a family, and that's that. Over time, you learn to love who you're with. You'll bond as time passes, okay? Stop forcing yourself to figure it out, just let things go as they are," he explained.

Hiccup thought a lot about Toothless's words. It wasn't far from the truth. Hiccup and Brenna were married; they would end up having kids, and be together until one of them died. Well, that wasn't true; there could be a divorce, but neither of them would do that to their family name. Arranged marriages weren't great, but typically, the couple stayed together despite personal feelings. And there were some out there who ended up enjoying their marriage and coming to love one another over time. And then there were some couples who right out hated one another, but acted accordingly in public. Hiccup would not be one of those husbands; he did feel something for Brenna, and maybe he needed to stop overthinking the situation and let things play out.

"I guess you're right, bud. Sorry, I'm just stressing out over things. It's not easy living a double life," Hiccup informed.

"I know, but until we stop the source of the raids; you only have two options. Tell them who you are, or keep hiding for the time being," Toothless reminded. "Things will work out, Hiccup. We'll find who is behind all this, stop it, and then you're free to put it all behind you and live the one life as a married father and Chief. Or tell them it was you the entire time. You know I will support any choice you make, and if they riot; you still have the power as the Dragon Master to scare them with the dragons," he chuckled.

Hiccup laughed a bit. "Yeah, that's true. Alright, sorry. Come on, let's do some fast flying and tricks," Hiccup said.

"You got it," Toothless stated as they headed higher up to enjoy their night.