The Morning After (part 2):

"HE'S WHAT?!"

Astrid closed her eyes for a second as she realized what she'd done. But her shoulders and jaw set in determination within moments and she spun around and pointed her axe at her father. "Don't you start on me! Hiccup asked me before you said I could never see him again and I said yes. He's my intended whether you like it or not!"

"And I still forbid it!" Hector snarled, stomping off the trading post deck, and shoving his way through the crowd. He snatched Hiccup up by the back of his tunic on the way by and stomped into the circle of confrontation. Hiccup grunted as he was dropped in front of Astrid and Stoick. "This," Hector waved his hand over the approximate entirety of Hiccup, "is not marriage material. How can you not see that?"

Elof tried to take the opportunity to slip away while the important players were distracted, but his father caught him by the tunic and forced him to stay with a glare that clearly said, 'You're going to take your punishment like a man, or else.'

Astrid pushed the head of her axe into her father's chest. "And how can you not see past the obvious?!" she all but screeched. "Hiccup is so much more than an average idiotic Viking boy. He's smart and respectful and talented at his craft." She glanced at the almost new, beautifully made axe in her hand as an example. "Would you rather I marry Elof, the epitome of what all Vikings should be? Strong, tough, fearless, virile?"

Hector grimaced and shook his head.

"Or Snotlout? A little short perhaps, but still falling under the above definitions?"

"Certainly not! He's a Jorgenson," Hector spit out.

Astrid smirked at Snotlout's and Spitelout's matching sputters of, "What's wrong with a Jorgenson?"

"I rest my case," Astrid said smugly.

"There are other boys on the island," Hector grumbled. "And for that matter, I can take you off this island to meet a whole new crop of boys and you can forget Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third."

Astrid crossed her arms over her chest, axe resting across one, glaring down her much taller father. "Not going to happen. I'll run away and sail back all by myself if you drag me away. And you'd have to knock me out to get my feet off Berk."

Hector's head fell, many-braided platinum hair falling forward, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Thank Thor I only have one daughter to deal with. I can't imagine trying to barter with a whole passel of them and their teenage female dramatics.

While the Hofferson's bickered, Stoick studied the people around him; seeing the boy who deserved a beating and the boy who easily held a sword in his hand with a fierce grip that turned his knuckles white, his feet unconsciously braced as if prepared to fight to defend his girl as he looked between father and daughter with concern etched all over his face. Stoick stroked his beard thoughtfully. What are the odds that my wee Hiccup actually knows how to use that sword despite the fact that he's never had any training from an adult? His best friend just happens to be the best and most dedicated young warrior on the island; is it perhaps safe to assume that she's been training him on the sly just because it was against the rules and she lives to fight?

He glanced over to Alga, who, like all females with their uncanny senses, seemed to know what he was thinking as she nodded once with an approving smile. His eyebrow rose. Hmmmm. If anyone knew if Astrid had been training Hiccup, it would be her mother. That woman is Berk's best female warrior and a fiercely protective mother. It is undoubtable that she probably knows exactly what her daughter is up to more often than not.

Stoick cleared his throat loudly to interject into the father / daughter battle of words. When they looked at him with matching glares from identical eyes for interrupting, he almost laughed. Instead, he schooled his face to remain serious. "Might I suggest a compromise?"

"You might," Hector conceded.

"I'm listening," Astrid added.

Hiccup stared at his father with a new sense of dread, shaking his head slowly. He automatically didn't like any idea that might take Astrid away from him, even though he hadn't heard it yet. There was an obstruction in his throat that prevented him from saying, 'Dad, please don't make this worse', like he wanted to.

Stoick smirked at all of the people in his little group. "I suggest that Hiccup fight Elof to prove he's a worthy Viking for Astrid to marry…"

"That's not a fair fight! Elof's twice as big as Hiccup and has years more experience with fighting." Astrid immediately spit out.

Stoick hid his relieved grin as he noticed that she didn't say that Hiccup had zero experience with fighting. "You didn't let me finish," Stoick scolded lightly. "But Elof has to fight with his earlier boasts. His dominant hand will be tied behind his back to his belt, and his feet will be tied together so he has only a foot of leeway. And to make things just a little more interesting, they'll fight on top of the head table in the Great Hall. First one to bleed, lose their weapon, or fall off the table loses."

While Elof sputtered protestations at how unfair that was, Stoick glanced between Astrid and Hiccup for approval. Astrid had a slow grin spreading across her face, further cementing his theory that she'd been training Hiccup whenever she could get away with it. And Hiccup looked… Actually, he wasn't sure how his son looked. There was relief there. Fear. Resignation. But the longer he watched emotions flicker across that little face, the more determination took precedence.

Stoick was proud of his son.

"And what if Hiccup loses?" Hector said, deflating Stoick's puffed up chest a little.

"Then the engagement is broken and Astrid will agree to keeping an open mind about other boys, but they can still be friends. To tear them apart permanently is just cruel." Stoick said this with his 'And that's my final word on the subject' voice that brooked no argument.

"Fine." Hector conceded.

"Fine," Astrid echoed, after looking at Hiccup for a moment, their eyes meeting as they silently agreed that staying friends was better than nothing. It still wasn't great, considering how much she liked kissing him, but still, something she could live with. But she was fairly confident that Hiccup could beat Elof with the handicaps. Hiccup was by far more agile and swift footed than Elof and should have no problem staying on the table while dodging Elof's swings.

Stoick turned to the muttering crowd and said in a booming voice so even the furthest could hear, "All right, everyone who wants to watch, to the Great Hall!"

This prompted a marginally orderly stampede towards the Great Hall perched high on the hill overlooking the village.

"Olaf, take your son and prepare him for the battle."

The brown haired man nodded and pushed a very reluctant Elof away by the scruff of his neck.

Stoick held Hiccup back by putting a huge hand on his narrow shoulder. He sent Astrid and her parents ahead, since they had been hanging back as well. He watched with amusement as the girl dragged her feet and looked back at Hiccup every other step and his son stared right back at her with his heart in his eyes.

Once he was sure they were out of earshot, Stoick made Hiccup face him by grabbing his other shoulder as well, feeling a lot of bone, but there was a lean layer of muscle on top of it, indicating at least some sort of strength and, please Thor, training.

Who would have guessed that I'd be happy that Hiccup disobeyed my orders?

Hiccup didn't know what to make of his father right now. Yesterday he was all snarling bear who'd been woken up from hibernation too early and today he was like a dog crawling on his stomach, trying to make amends. Not that he was complaining, but this was a side of his father that he'd never seen before and was wondering if it came with a catch.

"I think it's safe to say she loves you," Stoick started with as a way to break the ice after Hiccup stared up at him with an inscrutable expression for what felt like a solid minute of awkward silence.

Hiccup felt his face heating instantly. He darted his eyes down, sure his boots were fascinating. And suddenly they were. One thing was for sure; his boots were maybe half the size of his father's. Will there ever come a day when I'm capable of filling my father's boots, both figuratively and literally? I very much doubt it. I'll never grow as big as Dad. Will never be half the warrior he is. Will probably never earn even half the respect he does. Will probably never be able to lead and command our people the way does.

My future is really depressing.

But I do have one thing going for me, and that's Astrid.

And that is enough.

Glancing up at the mountain of a man waiting patiently for him to respond, Hiccup had another epiphany.

Actually, I have two things. I have a suddenly supportive father too.

So what if I never fill Dad's boots? Who says I have to? I can be my own person, do my own thing. And if Dad still wants me to take over as Chief one day, then I'll deal with that when it happens.

Finally responding to his father's teasing, Hiccup nodded, looking up the pathway at a perfect blonde goddess' retreating form once again. "Yeah. She loves me. Don't know why, but she does."

Stoick chuckled, putting a heavy arm across Hiccup's shoulders and starting a stroll up the path. "I know why. She loves you for the same reasons that I do, Son; she knows just how incredible you are."

Hiccup gawked up at his father, the heavy sword in his hand all but dragging on the ground now as he carried it half-heartedly. "Wow, Dad. I think that was an actual declaration of affection. I might die of shock."

Stoick snorted at the teasing tone, a weight lifting from his extremely broad shoulders as they settled back into their normal relationship that didn't include yelling at each other and saying cruel things they didn't mean. "Hiccup, without any fear of my being angry, please tell me you know how to use that sword you're holding."

Hiccup glanced up at his father's serious tone, the underlying pleading almost easy to miss, but he knew the man well enough to catch it. Hiccup hefted the sword properly again and twirled it around his hand in a show of practiced control. "Yeah. I know how to use it. Not the best, but sufficient enough to defend myself from one Elof the Lucky. I'm assuming you already guessed that Astrid taught me or you wouldn't have offered me up like a lamb to slaughter?"

Stoick nodded, further relieved. "That's good. I'm sorry I didn't teach you myself. I should have. Can you forgive your father his yakheadedness?"

"Sure, Dad." Hiccup paused as they approached the set of steps that led up to the monster sized doors that enclosed the Great Hall carved out of a small mountain of rock, Astrid waiting for them just outside. The giant statues on either side of the door made her look like a child's doll. "You know, I wouldn't mind if you wanted to teach me more. Like sailing and dragon hunting and more combat. I like training with Astrid but I'm sure there's more that I could learn. And just between you and me, my ability to concentrate is about zilch when she's sparring with me," he whispered.

Stoick guffawed for a minute, bringing tears of laughter to his eyes. "Oh, Son. I could never spar properly with your mother either," he said through his retreating chuckles, wiping his eyes. He smiled down at the boy conspiratorially. "There's nothing like a beautiful female to turn us into hopeless dolts, eh Hiccup?"

Hiccup found himself flushing again, peeking up at his own beautiful female. "I've come to the conclusion that they are the real leaders of the tribe. Just look at who every single person in the tribe will bend over backwards for; a wrinkled, hunchbacked, little old lady that doesn't even speak real words. If that's not an unspoken leader of the tribe than I don't know what is."

Stoick clapped Hiccup's shoulder, nearly sending the auburn haired boy to his knees. "Your mother would be proud of you for figuring that little secret of life out so early. Most men never understand it until they've been married for years."

"Including you?"

"Including me."

Hiccup grinned up at his dad, his chest filling with pride at the approving look he was being given. "All right. Let's get this over with. I have a future father-in-law to impress."

"That's my boy." Stoick followed his son up the steps.

Astrid held out her sword as they approached, eyes drinking in the sight of the two Haddocks getting along eagerly. "Here, Hiccup. Use my sword. It's a better length and weight for you than…" she took in the design on the hilt of the sword Hiccup was carrying, "Spitelout's sword."

Hiccup was quick to thrust the bigger sword into his father's hand and take Astrid's. "Thank you, my goddess. I actually have a chance now. My arm would have been screaming with the other in no time."

She smiled at him softly, a hint of a blush rising in her cheeks at the endearment, and brightening further as she leaned over quickly and kissed his cheek in front of the smirking Chief of Berk. "Good luck, babe."

Gods, I love her. Hiccup gave her a genuine smile that reflected that thought before the reality of what he was walking into settled on him again. Breathing deeply, he pushed open one of the doors to find a packed hall filled with close to a couple hundred Vikings of all ages, their voices rumbling over him in a wave.

That wave of noise quieted in degrees as he was spotted. Squaring his shoulders, Hiccup walked through the silent and staring people, clutching Astrid's sword for courage, and pretending this was just another day in his usually monotonous life. It only took what felt like a year to reach the raised platform that housed the head table of the hall. Unlike most of the others that had been pushed off to the side until needed for a tribe feast, the head table never moved. This one was nearly as heavy as your average ship and made of incredibly thick Blackwood imported from someplace called Africa where the people were rumoured to have skin just as dark as the wood and it was so far south that it never snowed except for a few mountain peaks. (The concept of no snow to deal with ten months of the year was mind boggling.) The table had stood in this spot since the first generation of Hooligans had settled on the island, brought by the first Hamish, and it was likely to never move again.

And standing on top of that table was a very pissed off looking Elof, tied as he bragged he could be, and wielding a broadsword in his left hand that was easily twice the length and weight of Astrid's. "Just frigging fantastic," Hiccup muttered under his breath. But he hadn't really been expecting anything less, despite his hopes to the contrary. He'd be lucky to survive one blow from that sword. Only thing to do is to avoid it as much as possible, Hiccup thought to himself grimly.

"Are you ready to die, Sheep Fart?" Elof taunted as Hiccup used a chair to jump up onto the table with something resembling grace.

Hiccup summoned every ounce of false bravado he had within him and dug out a comeback from who-knew-where that he was incredibly pleased with. He raised his borrowed sword in a mocking salute. "Are you ready to be shown up by a wisp of a sheep fart, Elof-Who-Doesn't-Understand-The-Word-No? Or is it only GIRLS half your weight that can best you?"

A murmur of interest went through the crowd at the implication that there might be more to the story of yesterday's events than most knew.

The bigger boy snarled and surged forward, already forgetting the limited range of his feet. He stumbled badly and cursed foully before righting himself and shuffling towards Hiccup. "You'll pay for that, Haddock."

Hiccup neatly sidestepped the first swing of the broadsword, smirking, wishing he was even half as brave as he pretended to be. "You can try, Olafson."

Up in the treetops, Toothless' ears twitched as he heard the humans below start to move en masse, surprising him enough to draw away from the very satisfying pastime of making his intended mate purr with pleasure as he licked her head and neck all over.

"What's going on?" she asked as they both sat up and looked down at the village below where all of the humans were hiking up to their gathering place in a big cave.

"No idea, but I'm curious enough to want to know."

"Perhaps we can see something through the small openings in the top that the smoke comes out of?" Luna suggested. She'd never admit it, but the humans were suddenly a lot more interesting than she'd thought they could be. Especially the girl with wheat coloured hair that had defended her young mate so ferociously. That was an attitude that Luna could respect.

"Worth a try."

After listening very carefully and scanning the entire area for any stray humans, the dragons flew down the hill and landed lightly on the natural rock roof. Their idea of looking through the holes was swiftly shot down as the smoke stung their eyes.

Wrinkling her snout in disgust, Luna shook her head. "It's no good. This isn't worth it."

Hiccup paced in annoyance for a minute before coming to a sudden stop. "Luna, has any dragon ever tried to connect to a human's mind? Hear their thoughts and see through their eyes like dragons can with each other?"

Luna stared at her pitch black companion with wide sky blue eyes. Just when I think I know him, he comes up with another outlandish idea. "I have never heard of such a thing, no, but there are no humans where I come from. Are you saying you want to try it? Connect to a human?"

"Yes. I think I am."

"Oh dear." Now it was Luna's turn to pace. "What if it doesn't work? What if they sense you? And who would you pick? The big one, their alpha?"

Toothless was nowhere near as worried as his girlfriend. He shrugged negligently. "I doubt their brains are advanced enough to sense telepathy. And I'll try and connect to the young male, of course. He and the girl are the only ones I'm really interested in keeping track of because they know about me."

"Right." Luna said skeptically as she finished another circuit of her chosen path, paws silent like a cat's, and narrowed her eyes at the intrepid male dragon. But it was too late, for he already had his eyes closed and a faint wrinkle of concentration between his eyes. She sighed, sat on her haunches in front of him, and waited, her tail twitching with agitation and worry.

Toothless sent his consciousness into the mass of humanity below his feet, searching for the vaguely familiar feel of a human boy that he felt drawn to in some strange way.

Maybe it's because we're both young males in love with dominant females.

He gave a mental snort at that very true thought and continued to skim over the dozens of thought patterns that felt wrong, skipping the female ones automatically, until he finally landed in the mind of the boy known as Hiccup.

And was immediately assaulted with the image of a sword swinging right at his head.

Toothless scrambled out of the boy's mind and back into his own faster than a blink. "By the Great Dragon!" Toothless sputtered. "Humans are just as awful to each other as they are to us!"

"What? Why? What did you see?"

"Sharp thing! About to cut off Hiccup's head! It was terrible!"

"Is he dead then?"

"How would I know? I left," Toothless whined, pacing once again, and wondering why the thought of the young male human dying disturbed him so.

Uncomfortable with the sight of Toothless in distress, Luna focused her hearing and actually concentrated on the muffled mess of noise coming from the space below her. Breathing. Lots of breathing. A fart. A sneeze. The sound of metal clashing against metal. A mass inhale as a crowd of humans held their breath all at the same time. And then a soft female voice barely vocalizing the words, "Come on, Hiccup. You can do this."

"He's still alive," Luna reassured Toothless. "Which you would know if you would bother to settle down and concentrate with your senses as opposed to acting like an impulsive hatchling."

Toothless snorted at the dragoness but calmed down enough to sit beside her, curling his tail around his paws. He listened to the sounds from below for a minute before he again grew impatient with the lack of knowledge. "I'm going back in to Hiccup's mind. I want to see!"

Luna rolled her eyes at him, but he never saw it.

He was confronted by swinging metal once again, but this time Toothless stuck with it, breathing at the same time as Hiccup did as the boy raised his own sharp metal sword to block it and braced his feet to avoid being pushed backward by the greater strength of the other human.

It didn't take long for Luna to give in to her curiosity as well. Caving in, she went searching for the Astrid girl's thoughts and joined her mind.

Now she could hear every thought and worry the girl had about her young mate. And see the battle first hand. The boy named Hiccup was half the size of his opponent, but not tied down and more agile by far. But even with his advantages, he was still having to work to keep his limbs attached to his body as the bigger boy did his best to hack Hiccup to pieces.

Luna found Astrid's worry contagious and was soon wincing right along with the girl as the human boys fought, knowing that Toothless was experiencing the fight first hand.

Hiccup's heart sounded like thunder in his ears and his entire world was focused on the sword in Elof's hand and the boundaries of the table he was trapped on. Not even Astrid and his father standing just behind the ornately carved chairs could distract him right now.

He'd quickly come to the conclusion that despite his father's good intentions, the table was a bad idea. Elof couldn't take big steps, but he didn't need to once he had Hiccup trapped at an end of their insane fighting arena. What did Dad think I was going to do? Flip above Elof's head like a fucking acrobat? Hiccup thought in disgust and alarm as he felt the back of one heel slide past the edge.

Since acrobatics he'd never even attempted in a stress free environment wasn't an option, Hiccup had been forced to actually use his own sword defensively, and his arms were growing numb from the constant pounding of the bigger sword against his. Even tied up, the older boy was too bloody graceful and aware of his surroundings to actually step off the table by accident. (He wasn't called the Lucky for nothing; Elof actually was a very good warrior.) And despite his haphazard and random training with Astrid, there was no way Hiccup was skilled enough with a sword to disarm Elof.

Astrid could have done it in her sleep, probably.

If Hiccup wanted to come out of this the victor, then he had only one option left; make Elof bleed. And that meant going on the offensive, but Hiccup couldn't actually picture himself swinging his sword hard enough to make Elof back up. Or maybe… it didn't. I need to remember what I do have going for me, and that's my intellect. Perhaps it's time to fight smarter, not harder.

Elof wasn't exactly being creative with his swings, but they came fast and furious. The only reason Hiccup was still standing was because Elof was using the same pattern of attack of overhand and side to side. At the next overhead blow, Hiccup saw his chance and let the momentum of Elof's sword on his own take him down to his knees, which put Elof off balance slightly because he wasn't expecting it.

In that brief moment of time, Hiccup dove right through the small gap between Elof's braced legs, thanking Thor that he as small enough to do so, and let his sword drag across Elof's calf as he did so. The recently sharpened sword sliced easily through the yak leather boot, his trousers, and just into the muscle.

Hiccup slid along the table on his stomach for a moment, and then twisted so he was on his back, quickly bringing his sword up, just in case he needed to take another swipe or protect himself.

Elof howled, hopping on one foot as he turned around and looked down at Hiccup with an incredulous look on his face.

There was utter silence and many dropped jaws in the hall for ten seconds and then, "HICCUP WINS!" Stoick crowed loud enough for even neighbouring islands to hear, his voice echoing around the stone walls and decorated pillars. "He's drawn blood!"

The hall erupted in cheers for their Chief's son, most of the tribe having found themselves coming to root for him throughout the course of the battle even if they hadn't started that way.

They'd all seen a boy who clearly knew more about fighting than anyone thought, and who possessed a determination and willpower to succeed that far exceeded his physical limitations. No one would ever say that Hiccup had it easy, either, despite his opponent's handicaps; Elof had nearly knocked him off the table or severed a limb at least a dozen times. If the undersized boy hadn't been so quick at dodging and literally jumping out of the way, he would have lost. Hiccup Haddock deserved their cheers and had won a lot of respect that day that he'd never previously been given.

As Elof scowled and hacked through the rope tying his feet together, Astrid leapt up onto the table and nearly knocked Hiccup back down as he was sitting up. "You were brilliant, Hiccup!" she gushed as she threw her arms around his neck and beamed at him, eyes shining brightly in the torch light that lit the glorified cave.

Hiccup dropped her sword and hugged her back. "Thanks to you. I'd be dead if you hadn't trained me," he said, pushing her long bangs behind her ear so he could see her eyes better.

Astrid immediately shook them back, smirking. "Nah, you would have ended up on the floor in about five seconds flat, but not dead."

"Thanks," he said dryly. His lips twitched up into a matching smirk. "Guess what?" he whispered conspiratorially.

"What?" she whispered back, beautiful blue eyes twinkling.

"I get to keep you now."

Her eyes turned soft. "I know."

And then their mouths were exchanging tender demonstrations of love in a mutual fashion that left the men in the crowd grinning and the women sighing at the romantic picture.

Elof vaulted off the table in disgust, cursed as he landed on his bleeding leg, then glared at the couple while his father untied his right hand from his belt.

Olaf couldn't help himself. "I don't see anything frigid about that," he teased his surly son. He grinned as Elof stomped three steps, swore, then limped away, favouring his left leg, pushing his way through the crowd rudely. Olaf couldn't think of a more fitting punishment for his son than to be beaten by Hiccup, but they were going to have to work on that attitude.

When Stoick looked over at his friend, Hector was growling and making a face at the public display of affection his daughter was currently engaged in. He figured the only reason that Hiccup was still breathing right now was because Alga was literally holding her husband back, and the boy was keeping his hands very properly on the girl's upper back. And it was clearly Astrid who was clinging to Hiccup. And they were very wisely keeping their tongues inside their own mouths. But the sweet kisses just kept going as if they could happily sit on the table and make out all day. Lucky boy.

Gods, I miss doing that with Valka.

To dispel the gloomy thought, he sidled over to Hector's free side and nudged him with an elbow. "Did you really think you could ever break those two up?"

Hector sighed, ripping his fierce gaze away from the teenagers and giving Stoick a look that more or less said 'drop dead'. But he shook his head. "I should have known that forbidding Astrid to do something would just make her want it more. Not sure how I missed the fact that she's been training Hiccup behind our backs, though. At least they're too young to get married yet. I don't even want to think about what all of that entails."

Stoick and Alga laughed at Hector's woebegone expression. He clapped his friend on the back and, smirking said, "But just think of the beautiful grandbabies they'll make together!"

Hector shuddered visibly. "Oh Gods."

Toothless and Luna were pulled from their voyeuristic spying on the teens when the sound of the front door crashing open jolted them back into awareness of the real world. They quickly flew off the back of the Great Hall and towards the nearest cover in the trees, then turned around and made sure they hadn't been spotted.

All they saw was the one called Elof limping down the path with a few other similarly aged boys following behind, doing their best to tell him how magnificent he'd been even while tied down, and the only reason he'd lost was because Hiccup was a sneaky little bastard who'd cheated the rules of normal combat.

Toothless and Luna scoffed at that, having experienced the thoughts of two other teenagers who'd seen nothing wrong with Hiccup's clever move.

As they padded quietly through the forest to stay out of sight, Toothless asked, "So… What do you think of the humans now?"

"I suppose spying on them is a better pastime than we first thought," Luna admitted. "Especially if they're kissing," she added cheekily, inspiring Toothless to give her a knowing grin. (She'd learnt the proper name for tongue licking while in Astrid's mind.) "Oh, and I found out what fiancé means."

"Yeah?"

"It means what we are; promised to mate when we're old enough."

"And how soon is that?" Toothless asked in what he hoped was a casual manner, holding his breath until he heard the answer.

Luna looked at him through her lashes and smirked. She made him wait for a dozen, ear pounding heartbeats before she said, "When spring comes again, most likely."

If Toothless' steps were a little bouncier after that, would you blame him?

A/N: Did any of you see that coming? I doubt it, because even I didn't know that Hiccup was going to fight Elof until Stoick randomly suggested it while I was typing. :D