Chapter 23: The Sanctuary

Astrid stared with disbelief in her eyes as Hiccup was embraced his... mother? He stood stiffly and uncomfortably, not returning the hug but not finding it in himself to push her away either.

She saw Hiccup's mouth moving as he presumably explained their situation and why they were here, but any words that hit Astrid's ears didn't really register in her brain. She just stood there, frozen to the spot.

She was almost expecting this to be some sort of an elaborate joke, but the likeness between Hiccup and the woman was uncanny. Not to mention Hiccup's dead serious face. It clearly looked like he was holding some sort of anger or resentment back, and forcing himself to converse in a peaceful and practical way.

After a short while, the woman finally stopped fussing over Hiccup enough to notice a wide eyed Astrid standing slight ways behind, beside Toothless. She stared at Astrid for a long moment before her face lit up with a smile.

"Is this... is this her?" She asked Hiccup.

Hiccup turned back to glance at her once before nodding. He walked over and took Astrid's hand in his. "This is Astrid... my wife"

"Oh my- Astrid, such a beautiful young woman!" she gushed, embracing her as well. Astrid awkwardly returned the hug, just now realising that this was her... mother-in-law? How on earth was that possible?

Astrid looked over to Hiccup for help but he simply gave her a sheepish smile. Which, to her annoyance, wasn't helpful at all.

"Alright alright" Hiccup said, stepping in between them. "Astrid, this is Valka... your mother-in-law"

"But... you died" Astrid said bluntly.

"Not quite" replied Valka with a small smile before she turned to Hiccup, looking surprised. "You really didn't tell her?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I promised, right? It wasn't my secret to give"

Valka nodded. "I'm grateful. Now I'm sure Astrid will have loads of questions and I have loads of em' myself, but we can all catch up once we're out of this dreadful cold"

She led the way down the massive crevasse in the mountain and gestured for them to follow before disappearing into the darkness. Astrid marveled at her almost dragon-like movements, and her strange accent that sounded she hardly ever spoke to other humans.

She looked warily at Hiccup and he gave her a small smile, took her hand and encouraged her to follow. "It'll be okay" he said, leading his wife into the sanctuary.

The steaming cup of tea in Astrid's hands went largely ignored as she gawked at the impossibly large insides of the ice mountain, the flocks of dragons circling overhead, more colors and species she'd ever imagined there could be.

The dragon manual back on Berk didn't have half as many dragon types as there were in this place.

The walls were lined with waterfalls and dragons, and the whole place felt like something from a wild dream, impossibly existing in real life.

It had been a morning of shocking realisations, the first and foremost being that Hiccup's mother Valka, who'd been presumed dead for the last sixteen years, had in fact been alive all this time.

"I found out last year" Hiccup had told her when they got inside. "It was a few days before our wedding, and I was a bit of a mess mentally during that time, the nervous guilt and the excitement had thrown me for a loop. One morning, I just flew with Toothless as far as I could just to get away from it all, when Toothless sensed something nearby. I thought he was just reacting to the small island down below with a bunch of dragons milling about, but that was when a huge four winged dragon -a stormcutter- emerged from the clouds right above us, a single figure standing atop it."

Hiccup smiled forlornly. "After we landed and the initial shock wore off, I was happy. I really was. It was like my mother, who had just been an abstract concept my whole life, had somehow come back from the dead. But as we talked and she explained more and more, the whole situation fell under a different light in my brain. I realised what had really happened. She had assumed that the people on Berk were incapable of change, thought we were safer without her pacifist self, and had just decided to leave it all behind. To leave me behind. Her infant son! My whole life I grew up without a mother's care, not because of some tragedy, but because she decided it that way!"

Hiccup sighed deeply. "I told her about you of course. About our upcoming marriage. She was overjoyed to hear that as Ingrid had been her friend back in the day, and that fateful raid had happened just a couple of weeks after you were born. She offered for me to take you and come live with her. She told me she had found a grand sanctuary up north, where the great Bewilderbeast sheltered thousands of dragons under his reign. It wasn't a tough decision for me. I simply told her how I wasn't gonna give up like she did, how I wasn't gonna take the easy way out. I was gonna free both Berk and the dragons from suffering, I was gonna change the minds of everyone, and I was gonna do it alone if I had to. Luckily..." he said, smiling at her, "I'm not alone"

Astrid absorbed his story as they watched a group of baby dragons playing in the sand, and she finally replied, "I'm sorry you had to go through that... that you had to keep it in all this time..."

"Well... It was my own decision really... when she asked me not to tell anyone back on Berk about this as I was leaving, I... I swore to her that I wouldn't tell anyone even if she wanted me to... I didn't want to ruin the memory my father had of her... I was just angry, I guess..."

They both stayed silent for a while before Astrid spoke.

"If you put the past aside for a minute and just look..." Astrid said, gazing upwards with wonder, "this place is pretty incredible"

That finally got a smile out of Hiccup, and he replied, "That, it sure is"

Astrid found Valka... (thinking of her as Hiccup's mom still seemed weird) by her little open air kitchen, and she got to work helping her clean some pots and pans.

Hiccup was still stubbornly refusing to talk to his mom, and after a while, even Valka had stopped trying in a huff. Astrid still knew they cared about each other though, even if their behavior didn't outwardly suggest so.

Valka had made sure to pick out a good spot to act as a makeshift bedroom for them, a small and cozy cave that was reached by a narrow passageway off to one side of the tide pools. Hiccup had just shrugged and gotten to work unloading and carrying all their stuff over there.

Toothless and Stormfly had immediately made themselves at home, spending their time running around and playing with the other dragons, even daring to approach the Great Bewilderbeast slumbering at the center of it all.

Astrid had smiled sheepishly at the woman, not having any personal reason to be angry with her. Although she had hurt her husband, and she felt a little miffed about that, she couldn't help but feel grateful to her in the immediate present for being so accommodating and gracious in their time of need.

Even if her ideals differed from Hiccup in some particular instances, there was no denying that they ultimately wished for the same thing: peace between dragons and humans. They'd chosen different paths though, and only time would tell who was right.

It was still surreal though, realising that she was standing next to the Chieftess of Berk- a mantle that would one day be hers. Although now that Hiccup and her were both wanted on Berk, who knew how things would turn out that far into the future. All that mattered now was the present.

"Where is he?" Valka asked Astrid.

"Hiccup? he's out flying on toothless... exploring the island. Said he needed some fresh air"

"It's hard to believe nearly a year has gone since we first met" Valka mused. "Hiccup looks so different now. He's taller yes, but the bigger change has been his way of carrying himself. His confidence, and his sense of responsibility is shining through. He has grown in more ways than one, and I think I know why" she said, glancing sideways at Astrid with a smile.

"I don't know about that..." Astrid mumbled, blushing. "Even if I've changed him, he's changed me far more. You don't know this, but I was quite a different person before marrying him"

"Oh believe me, I know" Valka replied making Astrid tilt her head in confusion. "Before we parted ways the last time we met, I did manage to get some questions in about his bride-to-be. He told me how she was the fiercest warrior in a generation, and how he was quite hopelessly in love with her"

Astrid smiled, remembering those weeks before their wedding when she'd been avoiding Hiccup like the plague, not having the faintest clue of what she was about to get herself into.

"He also said that the girl wasn't thrilled to be marrying him to say the least, but I did assure him that everything will turn out fine"

"My mum told him the same thing" Astrid replied.

"She did, did she?" Valka smiled to herself. "Ingrid always knew the right things to say. After Hiccup and Stoick, she was the one who I missed the most all these years"

"She still speaks fondly of you whenever it comes up, even sometimes getting teary eyed about it"

Valka's face fell slightly in guilt. The thought of her old friend mourning her all these years made her feel regretful, even now.

Not wanting to look dejected in front of her new daughter-in-law through, she shook her head and smiled. "At the time, I wanted nothing more than to witness my son's wedding, if only from afar, but it wasn't possible. To make up for it in some small way, I did give him a small gift, the only appropriate thing I had on me that time, to pass on to you"

Valka's gaze fell to the sparkling necklace around Astrid's neck that Hiccup had gifted her months ago before Ruffnut's wedding, making her gasp in surprise. "This was from you?"

"Aye. I know it's nothing really, and you probably think of me as a horrible mother-in-law but-"

"I don't think that" Astrid interrupted. "What's done is done, and only the gods know how everything would have turned out had you not left. What matters is the present, and how you've been kind enough to let me and Hiccup stay here"

"Kind?" Valka laughed quietly, shaking her head. "It's the least I could do. I just hope I won't fail a second time at getting Hiccup to forgive me"

"He will. I know him, and he isn't one to hold onto anger for too long"

Valka smiled, affectionately brushing Astrid's hair. She had taken a liking to this girl instantly, and now she knew why Hiccup had been so lovesick back then.

Even in my absence, I'm glad Hiccup finally found someone he could lean on. And there couldn't have been a better person than Astrid.

It was their first night here at the sanctuary, and Astrid was resting her head against Hiccup's arm, her eyes open and staring at the translucent ceiling that let in the slightest bit of moonlight, projecting an ethereal atmosphere throughout the dark room.

She didn't know what was up with her these days. Yesterday night she'd been half asleep before they'd even landed to rest, and tonight she was still wide awake long after it had gotten dark. Her sleep had been coming in sporadic bursts lately, which she assumed was due to all the change going on around her. At least Hiccup was as Hiccup as ever, sleeping like a log beside her on the straw mattress on the floor that was their makeshift bed.

Suddenly, some chittering sounds coming from down the tunnel made her jump.

"Hmm?" Hiccup mumbled sleepily. "Something wrong?"

"Hiccup, s-something's coming" she said wide eyed, feeling seriously spooked. She pointed down the tunnel with a nervous finger, and Hiccup rubbed his eyes, peering into the darkness.

The scampering noises came again, even closer, and Hiccup suddenly laughed brightly, the sound jarring to her in her alarmed state. "Why are you-"

"I don't think Berk's toughest warrior has got anything to worry about, milady" Hiccup said chuckling, lying back down and burying his face into the pillow. Astrid's jaw fell open in disbelief, and she was just about to reach for her axe when a bunch of baby dragons burst in, squawking and scampering in circles around the small room.

Astrid breathed a sigh of relief, embarrassed at herself for not realising what those sounds were, even though she'd heard them earlier in the evening when Toothless and Stormfly had been playing with the tiny dragons.

The fledglings finally seemed to notice her sitting upright in bed and approached slowly, their curiosity getting the better of their wariness. "Hey there" she cooed. "Why are you guys up so late?"

As if in answer, the green dragon in front with big eyes flapped its tiny wings and jumped on top of her. She laughed brightly and laid back, grinning to herself when each of them curled up at different spots around the sleeping couple. She laid back down against a snoring Hiccup and felt a yawn coming, finally feeling drowsy enough to join her husband and their winged roommates in peaceful slumber.

Hiccup was still half asleep as he mumbled, "Mmm... stop teasing me Astrid", dreaming her peppering kisses over his face. Then he actually heard her bright laugh, and snapped his eyes open to realise that the baby dragons which had sneaked into their cave last night were licking him awake, and he sat up with a "gah!", furiously wiping dragon saliva off his face with his sleeves.

His wife was watching this whole scene play out as she brushed her hair, trying and failing to suppress her giggles before doubling over in laughter, gasping for breath.

Hiccup pouted in mock anger, but still failed to guilt trip her. The dragons still clung to him, and for all his mastery over training dragons, he couldn't control these hatchlings one tiny bit.

"C'mere guys" she said to the dragons, who instantly and obediently climbed off Hiccup and jumped into her arms. "I think he's properly woken up now, our job here is done"

Hiccup crossed his arms and huffed dramatically, trying his best not to look childishly jealous at her clearly superior ability to communicate with the innocent creatures.

They all scampered out the cave one by one but a smaller green one was left behind, still cradled in her arms. Astrid tickled its belly like it was a human infant, and for some strange reason, Hiccup's heart went ba-bump at the sight.

It was as if they were finally able to take a breath for the first time in months, not needing to worry about hiding Toothless from Berk anymore, and his brain was at peace enough to be digging up a most cherished dream that he'd kept safe in his heart all this time, the thought of starting a family, with her.

"You're staring" Astrid said, making him snap back to reality.

"I am" he replied simply. He was thankful to be long past the stage of feeling embarrassed to be caught staring at his beautiful wife. He was just waiting for the day when she would get past teasing him about it.

The dragon flapped its little wings and ran off in search of his buddies, and Astrid poked Hiccup with her hairbrush. "Stop staring and help me brush my hair" she said, her cheeks glowing the slightest bit of red.

She turned around and Hiccup did as asked, gently running the brush through her long blonde locks. Hiccup knew that letting him do this was her way of paying him back for teasing him earlier, as she knew how much he liked her hair, touching it and playing with it.

She sighed quietly in satisfaction as Hiccup steadily brushed the rest of her hair until it was tangle free, and then helped her braid it too. "Thanks babe" she said, pecking his cheek and getting up, grabbing some fresh clothes. "I think I'll go check out those hot springs near the interior of the mountain that we saw yesterday"

"Oh?" That got Hiccup's attention alright. "Is it ok if I... I mean would you mind if... I come too?"

Astrid smirked at his adorably shy tone. "You just want to see me bathing, don't you?"

Hiccup turned even redder and nodded, raising his palms. "Guilty as charged"

Astrid narrowed her eyes at him but failed to suppress her own smile. "Okay fine" she said, rolling her eyes at his eagerness to get to his feet. "Follow me"

"Where do you get all this stuff?" Astrid commented as they ate at the table, gesturing to the utensils, fruits, and other nicknacks.

"There is a town towards the east, not too far from here ", Valka replied. "I take weekly trips there for supplies. A couple of hours on Cloud jumper, though I reckon Hiccup's night fury could do it in much less"

Astrid glanced at her husband who was pointedly focusing on his food, still stubbornly refusing to talk to his mother beyond what was absolutely necessary.

"That town isn't raided by dragons?"

Valka shook her head. "This whole area is under the Bewilderbeast's rule. Even the other queens understand that"

That piqued Hiccup's interest. "Other queens?"

"Only the alpha species can control other dragons... that control can be both companionate, and malevolent"

"And this queen... will be at the nest? You know where it is?"

"I do not, and going out in an attempt to find it isn't a good idea either. The queen can influence your dragon from miles away. By the time you get close enough to realise your mistake, there's no turning back"

Hiccup frowned. "Like you didn't turn back, after you left us on Berk?"

Valka and Astrid said at the same time, "Hiccup..."

He stood up abruptly and went to put away his plates.

"Let me talk to him, he just needs some time" Astrid said, and Valka nodded, wanting nothing more than to bridge the rift between her and her son, no matter what it took.

Astrid went over to Hiccup and put a hand on his shoulder. "Your mother has information that we need Hiccup. She's telling us things that could have taken months or even years to find out on our own"

Hiccup scoffed. "Nearly seventeen years of absence, she'd better have something to show for it"

Astrid grimaced at his disdainful tone. "Where's that Hiccup I married? the boy whose eyes shined with boundless curiosity and eagerness to discover new knowledge? This place has more dragons than I could even count. There is a whole world to explore out here! If only you'd look up instead of gazing at your feet, you'd actually be able to see it!"

Hiccup lifted his head to look at her, a strange sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry my love, it's just... it's tough" he said, his voice vulnerable. "I thought I could steel myself and come here, not let it get to me, but all I've done is rip open old wounds"

Astrid's eyes softened and she pulled him into a tight hug, burying her face against his shoulder. "I know it's tough babe, but you're not alone. You have me. You have a mother. She isn't perfect I know, but I do think she's trying. Maybe if you try too, you could meet her halfway..."

Hiccup inhaled deeply and let out a long breath that she felt against her chest. "I can't make any promises. And I don't know if I'll ever be able to move on... but... If you want me to, I can try at least... for you"

Astrid smiled. "I love you" she whispered, kissing his shoulder. Then she pulled away and turned to see Valka glance sideways at the young couple and stifle a pleased smile.

Blushing furiously, she quickly let Hiccup go. Hiccup chuckled at her bashfulness before slowly walking to his mother and asking for directions to the town. "I need some metalworking supplies... will I be able to find those there?"

Valka smiled inwardly, knowing that even if Hiccup was still keeping the talk very practical, he was at least making an effort, rather than just getting Astrid to ask for him. It wasn't a lot, but it was a start.

"I think you'll be able to" Valka replied, and roughly sketched out a map for him to follow on some parchment. "Just avoid the trappers in the northern seas" she said, chuckling to herself. "That's one mistake I only made once"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "I'm sure that's a fascinating tale, for another time"

Astrid just stood to the side watched the mother and son's awkward interactions with barely suppressed amusement.

"Oh Hiccup!" she called as Hiccup was making the final preparations to leave. "Before I forget, could you maybe get sweets for me too? If there is a bakery over there?"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Sure, although I never took you for having a sweet tooth"

Astrid shrugged. "I don't know, just feel like it I guess. It'll remind me of Berk"

Hiccup nodded, and gave Astrid a quick kiss before climbing on Toothless's saddle. He called an "I love you" to his wife and gave the slightest nod of acknowledgment to Valka, and then he was off, disappearing out the crevasse and into the grey mid-morning sky.

Astrid gazed longingly at his receding figure until it was just a black dot in the sky. She'd have preferred to go with him, but she just wasn't feeling like sitting in the freezing wind for the journey, today. Even with her shawl wrapped around her, she was feeling strangely cold.

Finally, after Hiccup and Toothless had disappeared into the distance, she turned around, seeing her mother-in-law looking thoughtfully at her. "Something wrong?"

"What? No no! It's just... I was wondering... can you come sit with me? I wanted to ask you something" Valka said in her motherly tone. Astrid was slightly confused, but she followed her anyways.

Astrid stared unblinkingly at her hands resting in her lap. The last thing she'd expected when Valka had asked her to talk was... this.

"Are you... are you sure?" she asked timidly.

Valka smiled and put a motherly hand on her shoulder. "I'm no healer, but all signs point in this direction... I'm pretty sure"

"How could you tell?" Astrid asked.

"Well... I had my suspicions when you first came here, and said how you'd been feeling unwell, having erratic sleep, and of course I saw how close you were to Hiccup. But when I saw you craving sweets this morning, that's when I knew... the same thing had happened to me back on Berk, when I had just found out I was expecting little Hiccup... and when I asked you about your cycle just now, that pretty much confirmed it"

Astrid squirmed in her seat, unsure how to react. The whole notion fell surreal, abstract. She had no doubt in her mind that she wanted to have a family with Hiccup, to bear his children, and her head spun with the realisation that there was another heart beating inside her now.

Even if the time wasn't ideal, even if they were fugitives from Berk, she knew that she wanted nothing more than to be able to hold this child in her arms, her child.

"Do you think... Hiccup will be happy?" Astrid asked nervously.

Valka smiled. "I admit I haven't even spent enough time with Hiccup to deserve to call him my son... but from how much I know him... I know he'll be over the moon. He loves you to the ends of the earth, you know"

Astrid blushed, and nodded. "I know"

"I'm going to be a grandmother!" Valka exclaimed like she was just realising it, and the childish joy in her voice reminded Astrid so much of Hiccup that she couldn't help grin wide. Now all she wanted was for Hiccup to come home.

It was evening by the time Toothless swooped into the mountain with a woosh, and Hiccup hopped off, brushing snow from his hair.

"You're back!"

He saw Astrid jog up to greet him, and he grinned at her. "You won't believe the stuff I found out here!" he said excitedly, unloading the sack of his purchases and undoing the straps of the saddle.

"Mmhmm" Astrid replied distractedly, biting her bottom lip.

"There was this type of dragon I spotted with a gigantic wingspan that flew so high it was a mere speck in the clouds! I think it was gliding on thermals to save energy while flying, but I'll have to look more into that. And there was this other-"

"I'm pregnant"

Astrid fidgeted with her hands, looking down as she anxiously waited for his reaction.

After a long moment of silence that felt deafening to her ears, she felt two hands grab her own and looked up to see her husband looking wide eyed at her. "You're... you are?"

Astrid held his gaze and nodded. "I am"

The next thing she knew was being lifted off her feet by strong arms into the air, holding on for dear life as Hiccup spun her around, laughing the most joyous laugh that she'd ever had the privilege of hearing.

"Hiccup!" she squealed with red cheeks, hair a mess as he spun her in circles, before finally putting her down and proceeded to shower her in a chorus of 'I love you's", each one punctuated by a kiss.

"You're having a baby!" He exclaimed when he finally pulled away to catch his breath, and Astrid giggled at the childish wonder in his voice. After one more hearty kiss, he knelt down on one knee and inspected her still flat belly critically.

"I think I feel something!" he said, holding his palm against her shirt as if he could already sense the kicking.

"gods Hiccup, you're a total dork, you know that?" Astrid said, feeling his infectious excitement making her giddy as well.

"I call dibs on the name!" He announced suddenly, loud enough to even make some of the dragons turn their heads.

Oh no he doesn't. Astrid put her hands on her hips, standing tall and giving him her best death glare.

"In your dreams, dragon boy"

To all who asked for Hiccstrid babies in this story... I've got good news for you :p

But seriously, I hope you didn't mind Valka's character here... In the movies the whole thing of Valka leaving Hiccup was kinda glossed over and I didn't want that, but I also didn't want to make it that realistic to have her be some terrible/evil person for leaving her family.

I tried to find a middle ground, where she might not have made the best decisions but she thought it was for the greater good, and it's something that you can't reasonably expect Hiccup to immediately forgive and forget. It's a start in the right direction though, and that's something.

I also enjoyed writing Valka and Astrid's interactions here, and I just had to include the adorable baby dragons in there somewhere from Httyd 2 :p

Hope you enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to review! We're nearly at 300 reviews! :D

Until next time,

Gravitybeam