Egil landed on the only beach the island held. The island was not big, but held a compact forest and a woodland lake that was surrounded with flat rocks and bushes. The weather wasn't the warmest but they had to deal with it in this time of year.

Ingrid went of Egil's back and walked up to where the beach ended and the grass started before it disappeared into the forest.

"You wanna have the camp here or by the woodland lake?" Stoick asked Ingrid.

Ingrid turned to him and looked to the right, where the pond was a few meters into the forest east side. "The woodland lake would be warmer as the sea will give us more cold winds."

"The woodland lake it is." Stoick approved and walked up to her.

Ingrid grabbed the bag strap tighter with her right hand and gave Stoick a tight smile. "Why don't you set the tent up on a the perfect spot while I get wood to start a fire."

Stoick raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you sure you want to be in the woods alone? Egil can come with you if you want or me." Egil lifted his head at the mention of his name.

She shook her head. "I'll be fine. I won't go far and besides, Egil won't fit between the trees of this forest. And if anything happens, you'll hear me scream."

Stoick tilted his head and frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." she gave him a kiss on the cheek and backed away from him. "Promise me you come for me if I scream?"

"Promise!"

He watched her disappear into the woods and felt the urge to run after her, but he didn't. He trusted her and even if he never wanted to leave her alone, especially after now after she got captured by Grimmel, he let her go. He trusted her. At least now he knew where she was and if he heard her scream for help, he would come straight to her and rescue her, like he did before but now he would be on time to save her from evil.

The tent was up on a flat stone right beside the woodland lake, the food they had brought with them was ready to be cooked, but the campfire was still missing it's wood and of course fire.

Now Stoick was getting worried about Ingrid. "You think she's alright?" he asked his scaly friend.

Egil rumbled softly and looked into the woods, trying hear if something was off.

"I shouldn't have left her wander off alone."

"I'm fine!"

Stoick felt the worry wash off him when he saw Ingrid come walking out of the forest with wood in her arms. She looked unhurt and she was smiling, which was rare nowadays.

"It was quite hard to find dry wood, I guess it has rained here yesterday but after some searching I found some dry wood and now I'm ready to eat some lunch."

They started building the campfire and when the fire was lit and the fish was cooking nicely over it, Stoick became hungry as well.

He sat with his back against Egil and had Ingrid sitting between his legs. His arms was circled around her waist and her head was placed right under his chin as she leaned back to his chest.

Having Ingrid this close to him was something he always wanted to keep. Feeling her warmth and seeing her safe, made Stoick feel safe and calm.

He wanted her to stay by his side forever and that feeling grew bigger when Ingrid didn't come home after leaving Berk and didn't come home for days. He hadn't been so worried in his whole life and those hours of searching after her, flying from island to island, looking down from Egils back to the ocean surface and prayed she wasn't under water, was horrible. And finding her laying bloody and unconscious, was relieving and horrible.

Relief because they find her alive. Horrible because she was hurt and bloody.

Stoick hugged Ingrid tighter to his chest and was just enjoying the warmth. She was his rock and love of his life. The way her eyes shined when she smiled and laughed. The way her body smiled when she found something interesting or read or heard something that fascinated her so she was focused on just that. Her hair shined in the sun and her skin was soft. She was beautiful, smart, kind and the pout she made when she disagreed or didn't get what she wanted, was just adorable.

"Stoick!" Ingrid gave him a light stab in his side with her elbow and Stoick went out of his gaze, "I've been calling your name three times now. What are you even thinking about?"

He looked at her and saw that she had turned around so she was facing him. He hadn't even noticed he wasn't holding her anymore."You."

She raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Why think of me when I'm right in your hands?" she leaned slowly forward to him and Stoick couldn't stop himself to smirk back to her.

"I don't know, because you're always on my mind?" he purred and slowly closed his eyes as he was close to kissing her, until he got a fish in his mouth out of nowhere.

Stoick open his eyes and took the cooked fish out of his mouth while Ingrid laughed so much her eyes started to tear up and she was clutching her stomach.

Stoick grinned at the sight of Ingrid laughing so hard she fell over his right leg and started to snort like a pig. He found those snorts cute and a sign that she really thought it was funny and he hadn't seen her laugh or being this happy since Grimmel destroyed her.

"I hate you." he chuckled.

Ingrid was still laying over his leg but was now laying on her back and still clutched her stomach. "Love you too." she chortled in joy.

After Ingrid had calmed down from laughing, they ate their lunch or they tried. Every bite Stoick took, Ingrid couldn't stop giggling. Stoick told her to stop and even turned away from her, but she giggled even harder and even if Stoick loved to hear her being so joyful and having so much fun, it got kinda annoying at last. So when Ingrid was way too busy laughing to eat, he lifted her up in bridestyle. She tried to break free and asked him what he was doing, but Stoick didn't answer because he threw her into the wooden lake.

She emerged spitting up water and completely soaked. "Stoick Haddock!" she tried to sound angry, but he could hear her voice crack.

He was now laughing at her and Ingrid smirked and splashed water at him.

"No!" he said and jumped back, but the water hit his boots and trousers.

"Pay back!" Ingrid yelled and climbed up from the water.

She ran towards him, thinking of pushing him down into the water, but Stoick stopped her by holding his hands forward so now they stood hands to hands and both pushed forwards.

"A little help, buddy?" Stoick asked his dragon.

Egil rolled his eyes and walked to them, but instead of helping he pushed them towards the stone edge.

"What are you-" Stoick didn't have time to finish asking him until both Stoick and Ingrid was in the water and had a laughing dragon on the dry land.

Both humans stood up in the water, the water reaching Stoick's chest and Ingrid's collarbones.

"Thanks for nothing." Stoick said to Egil who was roaring with laughter.

They played in the water until their skins was wrinkled. They dried themselves and changed to clean, dry clothes. The wet clothes was laid down in the sun to dry.

Before Stoick closed his bag, he grabbed something he had dreamed of giving Ingrid but now he felt a lump of nervosity in his stomach to ask and give it to her. But he felt it was better to do it now than wait and see what the future held after the war.

They sat again like they did while waiting for their lunch to be cooked, Ingrid between Stoick's legs and Stoick's back against Egil.

"Can we have a outdoor wedding?" Ingrids eyes widened at that question and bite her lip, thanked the gods he couldn't see her face. Stoick hit himself mentally, this was not how he had planned this to go. Where did that even come from?

"Why are you asking that?" She wondered and made her voice sound as normal as possible.

Stoick snuggle his head in her shoulder and tried to find an answer to that. In the end he said the truth."Because I want to live the rest of my life with you and I think Berk will need some light after the war."

Ingrid tensed and pressed her lips together. Her eyes moving everywhere but not at Stoicks way. Stoick could feel that something was off and quickly shook his head.

"I mean, if you want. The wedding can be two or three years from now, not right after the war. I mean... if you even want to marry me." Ingrid could hear his voice go lower at the last words and she turned around and took his face him her hands.

"A outdoor wedding it is." He smiled and so did she. "Even if we aren't betrothed yet, my answer is yes. I want to spent the rest of my life with you."

Stoick kissed her and she kissed him back.

He pulled back so they could see eye to eye. "I actually… well me and my parents talked and my mum told me to have this," he took out a brown and round pended. It was rusted and had a female and a dragon facing each other on it and it hanged from a bronze chain. "It's a betrothal necklaces my father gave to my mother and my grandfather gave it to my grandmother, and now my mum has giving it to me for me to give to you. I know we haven't officially been together for long, but after everything you've been through, I thought you needed to know that you will always have me and I will always protect you. Every since you asked me if I still loved you that day after... You woke up at Gothi's, I just wanna tell you that; I'm not going anywhere and I wanna make sure you know that."

Ingrid had tears running down her cheeks and she grabbed his cheeks gently. "I-I don't really know what to say. I mean I've already said yes, didn't I?"

Stoick grabbed her right hand and gently stroke it's back with his thumb. "You don't-"

"Yes, I do." She took a deep breath, her smile never fell down. "I would be the happiest woman to share my future with you, so of course my yes still stands. I love you, more than anything and I am sure you're gonna protect me from anything and I promise I will do the same, as long as my heart beats I'll protect you. But-"

Stoick raised his eyebrows. "There's a but?"

Ingrid bit her lip. "Will Berk accept me as their future chieftess or are they gonna hate me because I'm not good enough…"

Stoick giggled and hugged her. "Berk doesn't decide their chieftess, the chief does and my parents wants me to be happy and I'm happy with you by my side. So if Berk don't like you, they have to speak to my parents about it or me and I'll defend you until my last breath."

Ingrid snuggled closer into his embrace and felt safe and happy in his arms, but a lump of dread builded in her stomach and she shedded a few tears of both joy and sorrow.