Chapter 21

Freya's Blessing

Hi everyone! I hope you'll enjoy that chapter, that one was way smoother to write, but it is longer than most ^^

To Guest Calliope: Nah, don't worry, your review isn't spam, what I call spam is when someone comment on my other fic to tell me to stop those and write only that on instead. Your review was very nice! And yeah, I made Viggo grosser than in the serie, I like him too actually, but he was quite darker here ^^

Thanks to all those who reviewed! I sometimes forget to answer, but it's always nice to read comments.

Astrid held back her breath, and she looked at that face. A vertigo went through her; time stopped, becoming meaningless. She had guessed, but seeing it…Everything that happened for the past few years danced before her eyes. She had cried, mourned, defied the chief, all that for him, because she had believed him to be dead, and…Here he was.

Hiccup braced himself. When the punch came, he was hardly surprised. His head snapped to the side and he looked back at Astrid who had her fist raised before her. Taking a deep breath, he stayed where he was, without a word. This wasn't his turn to talk.

"Weird, I thought it would be more satisfying than that," she spat.

"I'm sorry…"

"I hope you are! Do you realize what you did?!"

He tried to answer but stopped himself.

"I mourned you! I stood up against Spitelout for you! I cried for you! And all that time you were alive! Did you ever care to know what we felt like? Did you even care to know whether or not we were okay?!"

"I thought of you more than you think. I was afraid you would try to hold me back or endanger yourself in some ways because of me. But, I missed you all."

Those words made her want to punch him again, but she saw him wince under the pain he was already in. He was wounded; it would have been low to hit him again.

"You missed us? Well, I guess that should forgive everything! And Gobber? Do you know how he felt? You were like a son for him! He also hated Spitelout, and it's only for us that he didn't show how he felt! But I could see it every days in his eyes! He told me once that no one could replace you!"

She felt her throat tightening. There was no way she would cry before him! So instead she stormed out. He sighed and slumped on his back. He knew it wouldn't go well, when it all started, he thought waiting would be good for both them, that there would be a good moment. But honestly, there was no right moment for that. Telling her right after getting engaged wouldn't have been good either. Sometimes, there was no easy way out.

Lately, he had prayed Thor and Odin to help in his battles, but now he felt he would have to pray to Freya. Thinking about everything that would ensue after that was giving him a headache. He didn't want Astrid to leave, he wanted her to stay, the thought of losing her was…It was almost unbearable to him! Their first days together had been difficult to him, but still, he had really enjoyed having her around. When they had gotten along, there had been something, and he didn't want to live without that.

That wasn't all, there was Rona too, if Astrid was to leave, she would stay with one of them. He didn't want to be separated of her either, and he didn't want to keep her away from Astrid. He didn't want Astrid to stay only with him only because of the child, though. He wanted her to love him, just like he loved her. She had kissed him, though…But did she know at that moment? When did she learn? Maybe Cami told her during their captivity? A move made out of fear that Astrid could die without knowing the truth? No, Cami wasn't the kind to drop every hope like this, she was an escape-artist, she would die finding her way out rather than abandon. No, it was surely not her. Drago, Viggo and Ryker didn't know. Maybe Valka? Yes, she had been there when he had shown his face and revealed his name. Valka probably didn't realize what she did. That was possible but not certain.

He heard the door open. He saw Eret, Rona and Toothless entering, and his heart clenched at the kid's sight. Both little girl and dragon went to him, his dragon licked his face joyfully while the little girl sat on the bed, looking at him happily. Eret smiled and took a chair to sit near him. Immediately, Eret noticed something wrong: Hiccup was hardly smiling. Usually, such demonstration from Toothless would make Hiccup beam, and he would return it joyfully. But right now, he was only faintly scratching the beast, looking absent-minded.

"Are you better?"

"Yes, just, some events…" He trailed off

"You heard what happened to Heather?"

"I just heard she was wounded, I got no details. How is she?"

"She will have her arm amputated, maybe it's already done. It's her right arm."

He gaped at this. They had to cut her arm off? Eret told him what happened and Hiccup closed his eyes, cursing Ryker and everything that happened. Victory came with a price, and sadly, it was Heather who had to pay for it. Gobber had a wooden leg and a hook, and he was still a great warrior. But that still wasn't enough.

"When I lost my leg, I just couldn't comfort myself thinking that other had been through that and managed to live. Losing a limb is horribly frustrating, you're suddenly weaker and all of that because of a bad fate…She is strong, but she will be angry and hate that weakness. Whatever we do, we'll have to help without making her feel like she is a weakling."

"You never showed anything about how you felt back then," Eret pointed out. They had met a few times after Hiccup had lost his leg, when he was still nothing but a scrawny kid. Eret had seen how Hiccup had a hard time adjusting to it physically, but he seemed to hold on very well emotionally.

"I didn't want to appear weak…You know, I was scared to disappoint you, even if you had accepted me as your chief, I couldn't believe that a twig like me could gain your respect."

"I felt it. Sometimes I wondered if we really could do it, but I never doubted that you could be a good chief, and you're a good friend. Heather will need all of us, and she'll need both her chief and her friend."

He nodded thoughtfully. Rona, who had remained silent all the time, hugged him; she didn't understand everything, but she knew the girl named Heather was wounded and her dad was sad. He returned the hug gently. When he thought she could have ended in Drago's hands, and be a slave again…His hold on her tightened.

"I'm so happy you're fine," he told her softly.

Before she could answer, the door opened. It was surprising to see the next visitor.

"Valka?"

The woman stood in the doorframe and rubbed her neck nervously. "I just came to see how you were doing."

Hiccup nodded and asked her to come in. She stood near him, smiling but also shaking a bit.

"That's good. There is something I wanted to talk to you about," Hiccup declared.

She gaped and looked completely nervous, but she nodded. Eret took Rona in his arms and they left the two alone with Toothless. He didn't know Valka much, but as long as the Night Fury was here, he had no fear for the young man. She slowly sat where Eret had been, her back straight and her posture tense.

"What is it?"

"Did you tell Astrid about me? Did you tell her my name?"

Her expression changed to a total surprise, she wasn't expecting this, and she also looked relieved. Why?

"Of course not, I didn't even think about it. After everything that happened, I hardly spoke to her."

Hiccup hesitated.

"I believe that. You're hiding something, though."

She stilled and looked mortified and nervous once more. She just nodded.

"It's nothing your tribe has to be afraid of. I won't do anything against you, if that's what you're worried about. On contrary, I…" She stopped herself. "Let's say that what is tormenting me is more personal."

"Is it about Drago?"

"No. Maybe this time isn't the right one for you or me. I will tell you one day, maybe soon. But I want to assure you, I'm not an enemy."

This situation reminded him of himself and Astrid. Now he could understand how she had felt when he refused to tell her his name: frustration and perplexity, questions ran through his head. Yet he also knew how Valka felt: she didn't know if she should reveal her secret, and she probably didn't know how to reveal it properly. Anyway, he had more important matter, his fiancée, his daughter, Heather and Drago.

"Okay. I believe you, I will give you time."

She took his hand, her eyes wet. "Thank you."

He squeezed her hand as well. "You were prisoner for a long time. It must have been really hard for you."

"Were you taken prisoner as well?"

"Not really. But after my father's death, I lived with my uncle. Let's say I felt like a prisoner with them. Then, I got captured a handful of times, but I always managed to escape shortly."

She released a shaky sigh, and lowered her eyes. She shook her head and left, telling him to rest. Hiccup was baffled. She looked like she was about to cry. He laid down again and sighed. He needed to get up and soon. Toothless cooed gently and Hiccup petted him with more warmth.

"We did it"

He remembered the day he left with Toothless. The sensation of freedom but also the grief to leave the ones who loved him on Berk…That was still vivid in his memory. Anyway, Toothless had always been here, and even if he couldn't solve all his problems, he knew he could rely on him. In a flash, he saw Drago riding him.

"I will never let anyone enslave you, bud. You are no slave, you'll never be."

His dragon cooed again before licking his face.

O o O

After leaving Hiccup, Astrid had jumped on Stormfly and flew away to a more isolated part of the island and hugged her. It helped her to hold back the tears. The Nadder gently licked her face, sensing her rider's sadness. A sound and a move from Stormfly took her away from her thoughts. She saw Belda on her dragon, landing near them. The tall redhead jumped back on the ground, smiling at her. Astrid remembered sighting her in the battle, she had fought fiercely.

"Hey, Astrid. I saw your dragon from afar."

"Yeah, I needed some time alone, after all this."

"I can understand. You want me to leave?"

"No! I'm glad to see you, and to see you're alright."

"Yeah, I was also worried for you. Heather is awake by the way."

Heather! With everything that happened, she didn't think much of her. Not that she hadn't been worried, and she couldn't have helped her, but still…She blushed and asked: "How is she?"

"She should heal well, I heard the healer say she has no infection. It's terrible for her, but at least she is alive. Some dragons had to be killed, and some soldiers were devoured by their own dragons. I can't even imagine what it's like to die because of your own dragon when you trusted them with your life."

Astrid nodded thoughtfully. "I can't imagine either. That plan was really horrible, efficient but horrible. I guess they enjoyed the irony of getting the dragons to turn against us."

It had been luck that she could get Stormfly back quickly. Between Heather and the dead, her own problems didn't seem that bad anymore. Belda approached and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm really happy you made it out alive. I was worried about you when you got captured. Is your little girl alright?"

"Yes, she is. She had been shocked, you should have seen her, she was so scared! At least she didn't lose her voice again." She hesitated. "Do you think I can visit Heather now?"

"You can, the healers are letting her rest, as long as she isn't crowded, it will be alright."

"Thanks…And thanks for caring."

The tall redhead nodded, Astrid was clearly upset, and she could understand why. Being captured wasn't a fun ride to begin with, but having your child captured along was even worse.

"I know being captured with your daughter must have been hard. But, try to rejoice in spite of everything. We won."

"I'll try to remember that. I'll see you soon, I'll visit Heather and Fishlegs."

When she left her, it was to fly toward the boat. When she found Heather, her heart clenched. The young woman was pale as death, and most of her right arm was missing, only a short stump was attached to the shoulder. She had already seen amputated members, but seeing on someone close to her would always be upsetting. Fishlegs was at her side, speaking to her and they both turned to Astrid as she stepped in. Heather gave her a ghost of a smile as she sat at her side.

"I'm so sorry for your arm."

"I guess it could have been worse."

Fishlegs softly stroked her dark hair. "You will get used to it. Our friend Gobber lost a hand and a leg back on Berk. He told us it took him time but in the end, he could do wonder."

"I know I'm not the only one," she sighed. "Doesn't make it right."

"No one said it does," Astrid reminded. "We just say you can make it. Even Drago had a fake arm, if that old bastard could do everything he did with one arm, anyone can, especially you."

Heather didn't smile but she seemed to relax a bit. "I wish I could have him under my hands to kill him again."

"He died horrifically. The fishes are feasting on his corpse by now," Fishlegs reminded her.

"You don't understand. Men like Ryker made me feel weak more than once…" She winced as she remembered that time of her life, when she had been captured as a slave and noticed for being pretty. "I did everything so no one would make me feel weak again. And now Ryker took my arm, the one I used to fight!"

She clenched her jaw, fighting not to cry, but she failed. Fishlegs leaned to her, putting a hand on her cheek. "I promise I'll be here. It's not easy, but you won't be alone, I promise!"

She cried and turned her back to them. Understanding she wanted to be alone, they both stood up. "We'll let you sleep," Astrid murmured. "We'll visit you again."

As soon as they were out, Fishlegs rubbed his face, angry and sad. "I hate to see her like that! I don't know what to do!"

"We'll have to wait, I'm not usually patient, but for that kind of matter, there aren't many solutions."

"Yeah, I know you're right, but it's still infuriating!" He sighed and smiled sadly. "At your future husband didn't lose any limb, you're lucky."

Future husband…Seeing Heather like that had made her forget Hiccup for a moment. Thor, Fishlegs didn't know…Should she tell him now? It would be a shock, but he would be mad at her if she was to hide the truth from him. He had the right to know.

"Fishlegs? There is something we need to talk about too."

A few moments later, Hiccup was still with Toothless, his bandages had been changed, and he had been told he would be able to get up soon. He saw the door open again, Toothless released an annoyed sound as Hiccup stopped scratching the back of his ears. He first saw Astrid, and then, he saw Fishlegs who was gaping. He understood immediately.

She told him! Oh Thor, she told him!

The young man entered the house slowly and Hiccup found himself unable to say anything. He didn't know what to expect from him, he had always been nice and shy, but sometimes, nice and shy people could be surprising. Fishlegs released a shaky sigh and for a moment, he stood still and said nothing. Hiccup just died to say something but he still couldn't utter a word. He knew Fishlegs would probably be angry, just like Astrid had been.

Come on, bring it on!

As if he had read his thoughts, the young man advanced toward him and Hiccup breathed in deeply, bracing himself for another punch. Fishlegs almost pushed Toothless out of the way and his big arms encircled him tightly. He was hugging him…Hiccup slowly hugged him back, relief washing over him at this. For a moment, Fishlegs could only do that, could only hug his friend while taking it in. Toothless was observing the two, sensing something was happening, even though he didn't know what.

"I can't believe it!" He lessened his hold to look at Hiccup's face. "It's just incredible! You…" He whipped away a tear and couldn't say any other words. In fact, Hiccup didn't know what to say either.

"I can't believe it," Fishlegs repeated. "To think it was you all along. What happened?"

"Well…It's a long story, but it all started when I met Toothless."

Astrid stood by while Hiccup explained how he wounded Toothless to try to impress the tribe, and how he couldn't actually finish the dragon when he found him. He briefly explained how he had then taken care of the dragon and learned how to ride with Toothless.

"Wow, I can't believe you did of all it!"

"Neither can I," Astrid declared on a darker tone before leaving the house, frustrated that Fishlegs didn't seem angry at all. The two watched her leave.

"I'll talk to her later."

"You aren't angry at me?"

"I'm just happy you're alive. Can you tell me more?"

The chief nodded, and explained Fishlegs more on how he killed the Red Death before starting his tribe, how he met Heather and then Eret, and how he started saving slaves and dragons. Hope bloomed at his friend's joyful reaction.

O o O

Today would be a big day. Hiccup could finally get up and his first action would stay in the memories. Today was the day Drago Bludvist would be executed.

Although Hiccup was still feeling a bit weak, he took upon himself to go to the prison. His own soldiers were guarding it now, and he was aware they wouldn't be tender toward Drago. Of course, they would still keep him alive, as their chief ordered. When Hiccup stepped in, one of them lead him toward Drago's cell.

"He tried to escape. We broke one of his legs to make sure he wouldn't do it again, and to teach him a lesson, chief."

"Good."

They opened the door for him. Drago was on the ground, his metal arm had been taken off of him. With his broken leg, and stump, he strangely looked more human than ever. A part of Hiccup somehow pitied Drago when he learned a dragon had devoured his arm. Yet now that Heather lost her own arm because of this war, that pity didn't mean much anymore. Hiccup walked slowly toward him, making the man look up at him and smirk joylessly.

"Do you think I'll be intimidated because your men break one of my legs? I got worse than that, and you still saved me, boy…Are you that soft? Don't you have the guts to kill your enemy?"

"Soft? Drago…I didn't take you for a stupid man. Really, Drago, do you imagine death is the worst thing that can happen? You're no true Viking."

"No true Viking!"

"A true Viking would have given a lot to be granted to die in a fight. True Vikings don't fear death, and they don't fear dragons. But you seem to be terrified by both. Death isn't the worst thing that can happen to someone. But humiliation…Pain…Loss…"

The man was now looking at him strangely. The young man concluded: "I'm not giving you the chance to go to Valhalla. You won't die in a fight, you'll be executed."

A joyless laugh followed: "And here, I thought you were a naïve idealist! Now I see, you're pretty much like me in the end. I didn't intend to give you a glorious death either, I would have let Viggo take you for himself."

Those words made him shiver but he did his best to keep countenance. No, he couldn't be like that man!

"That just show how bad you are to judge people. I'm a dragon. And dragons will be your doom." He turned to the soldiers. "Drag him out."

They roughly grabbed Drago and dragged him with no consideration for his broken leg. Outside, the Endrisians yelled insults at Drago, their rage rising at the sight of the man who enslaved so many of them. Hiccup advanced without his mask, and in the crowd, Astrid and Fishlegs were both stunned. It was so strange to see Hiccup, their childhood friend, looking so solemn, threatening and ruthless. Heather was at Fishlegs' side, leaning against him while his arm was around her back. She was still weak, but she had insisted that she wanted to see Drago executed. Eret and Camicazi were also here at their side. They ha dmade sure everyone would know this was the day.

Dragons growled, Lady and Toothless looked ready to lunge at the man when he was thrown on the ground. He was thrown on the ground, and even though he caught himself back on his arm, he was unable to stand. Astrid could have felt pity if this wasn't the man who had threatened her, her daughter and her future husband! Hiccup started to walk around him, slowly, threateningly. He raised his hand to stop the yells and the crowd grew quiet.

"You know, Drago, I revealed my identity to Alvin the Outcast when I executed him. He murdered my father you know, it's somehow because of him that I became Fury. You will thank him when you'll met him in Hellheim. Do you know who I am?"

"A twig who hid under a mask for years!"

"That twig beat you. What does that make you, then? But I'll tell you my name, because as despicable as you are, you fought fiercely. So if you won't be granted death by combat, you will at least know that you fought against Hiccup Haddock, son of Stoick the Vast."

There were some murmurs, and Fishlegs couldn't help but feel his heart tighten at the mention of Stoick's name, because he could hear a twinge of bitterness in his friend's voice. Eret looked at Hiccup proudly while Cami was smirking at Drago, enjoying the stunned look on his face.

"The son of Stoick…"

"My father died fighting. You will not see him where you're going, I told you wouldn't grant you Valhalla. Your worst fear was to die devoured by dragons, I bet? I saw how you looked at Toothless's fangs more than once. You didn't want to show your fear, but a dragon like me can smell it…"

At those words, Toothless and Lady growled and Drago's defying look started to fade away. Hiccup stood before him.

"Today, Drago Bludvist, you're dying!"

A wave of acclaim followed that. Hiccup turned to the couple of dragons.

"Toothless, Lady! Dinner time!"

At those words, the two dragons threw themselves on Drago. The yells of pure pain which echoed were covered by the furious acclaims and animalistic growls. Valka turned her eyes away and left hurriedly. Yes, her enemy was dying and she wouldn't cry over Drago. But that violence in the crowds, those screams of pain…It awoke again the most painful memories of her time in prison. She didn't want to relive that now that she was free.

Hiccup watched, it was horrible to see someone being torn apart, but he hated Drago, and his people wouldn't want him to get a quick death. For a moment, he didn't even see Drago, but Alvin, the one who killed his father, the only man he had enjoyed seeing suffer and die. He was watching, still, as if to convince himself that finally, it was over. As the body contorted and soon stopped any move, he repeated himself that it was over, that war was finally over. Anyway, Drago was soon nothing but fleshy leftovers. Two other night Furies came to feast on the remains. Hiccup knew perfectly that only blood stains would remain, the dragons would eat even his bones.

Finally allowing himself to look away, he turned round to join his friend. Before he could reach them, Astrid turned to Heather. "I'll go back to Rona, I left her on the boats. Rest well, alright?"

"I will, don't worry."

She left, not wanting to face Hiccup now. The Endrisians and former slaves celebrated Drago's death, and Camicazi was ready to join them. She gave him an enthusiastic and brief hug.

"We finally got to see him pay!"

"I know, I can hardly believe he is finally dead…" He realized that Astrid wasn't here anymore and felt a churn in his stomach.

"I swear everyone in the Archipelago will hear about it, even if it means I'll have to tell each Viking myself," Camicazi declared, beaming.

"I don't think you'll need to do that," Eret replied. "I'm pretty sure everyone will happily talk about it as soon as we return home. My wife will have thousands of questions for me!"

"Of course she will, she misses you I'm sure," Heather reminded him.

"And I miss her too! I will be happy to get back to her, plus I got a nice bounty, she will love it!"

Hiccup smiled and it warmed to know that both Eret and Kalisha were that happy. He wished he could have such happiness with Astrid. He turned to him: "Take times for the two of you, you and your wife deserves it."

"Thank you!"

"I guess you won't mind if I stay a bit more on your island?" Asked Fishlegs. "I have still a lot to learn there, and I want to stay with Heather."

The young woman smiled for the first time once she heard this and tightened her grip on his arm. Hiccup nodded. "Of course you can."

"You should sacrifice to the Gods," Heather reminded him. "They granted us victory, even if it came with a price."

He nodded and gave her a gentle, brotherly hug. She leaned against him, feeling a wave of tenderness toward him. He released her and she went back to Fishlegs.

"Take a good care of her."

"I will…And good luck to you with Astrid. She didn't change that much you know, if she hated you, she would have been way scarier."

He huffed in amusement, it was probably true. Cami put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, I spotted some cattle, we should be able to choose a good sacrifice among those."

The two sacrificed the yak to Odin and Thor and thanked them for his victory. When he thought of the gigantic Alpha, tormented and wounded, his heart clenched. That beast had suffered so much…But he probably got the god at his side, when he thought of how powerful that dragon was. He could have really destroyed them all. As horrifying as Drago's death had been, he had no regrets. That man had been a monster.

Once he was done thanking them, he also sacrificed a pig to Freya, the Goddess of love, thanking her for protecting his love and his new daughter, sure that the fair Goddess had something to do with that. He also prayed to her so she would be at this side when he would try to obtain Astrid's forgiveness and to give him the right words to reach her out.

"You know, Eret and Kalisha are happy, and I bet Heather and Fishlegs will be happy as well," Cami told him once they were done with the usual ritual. "Since Freya seems in a good mood, take advantage of it. After finally taking down your enemy, you'd be a total fool if you didn't try everything you can to get her back."

"I don't intend to lose her. Wish me luck."

"Stop loosing time and go!" She teased.

Smiling, he jumped on Toothless and flew away. As he expected, she wasn't very far, she was sitting under an oak tree at the border of the village, watching as the sun was setting down. The soft evening light was enhancing her beauty. He saw Rona nearby, who was playing with Stormfly and young dragons. Toothless happily joined them. He bit his lip and sat at her side, knowing he would probably get another blow, but he didn't care.

"You should be celebrating," she pointed out simply. "You finally killed your enemy."

"So should you. He had you kidnapped."

"I wanted some times alone with Rona and the dragons. Anyway, it was enough to see the execution. He deserved that death, honestly. That makes me think I didn't get Viggo's head back. I didn't tell you that I killed him. I wish I had put it on a spike."

"No, but I was told by Camicazi. You really did great, you know. If he had escaped, he could have rose again and be even worse than Drago."

"Thanks."

They stopped talking for a short moment, both searching for their words. Hiccup finally found something: "How did you know about me?"

She took a big breath and explained. He was pretty amazed once he heard this: she was smart, no one ever guessed before her.

"So when you kissed me, you knew?"

"I suspected it, but I still needed a confirmation."

"Are you mad we kissed?"

She lowered her eyes and thought before replying: "I'm the one who kissed you. I take on what I do. When you asked me to marry you as Fury, I thought of you. I thought of how I couldn't marry someone who rides dragons when one of them killed my friend."

"I thought you would forget me."

"I'm not that kind of person! Yes, I went on living, but that didn't mean I forgot!"

"And I didn't forget about you either! Whenever I heard a story about you, I would always try to know more. Astrid, back then on Berk, you were my friend, but when I got Toothless, I didn't want to disappoint any of you. You all wanted to kill dragons, I was certain you would have never accepted him. I thought you would have been mad at me for having a dragon."

That was the truth. Thinking of disappointing her had been incredibly painful to him. Also, he hadn't been willing to endanger them anymore. She sighed at this and he feared her next answer. Honestly, the idea of being rejected by her was even scarier than another fight with Drago. She didn't look angry however, just thoughtful

"Maybe I would have been mad, I admit it. But I wouldn't have been mad forever. I wouldn't have escaped with you because of my family, but…At least I would have known you were alive. And why didn't you tell me who you were right away?"

"Well, you were upset enough already, I didn't want to add any other big news. And…I feared that in your anger, you might tell Berk, and that the word would spread. And if it had came into Drago's ears, he would have used my past against me. Fury has no past, though."

At least, that made sense. The strategist she was could understand that decision. And maybe it was better that they handled Drago before dealing with those emotions. She rolled her eyes, she was still mad, but not as much as before. She looked at him and was pretty amazed at how handsome he grew. When they were younger, he wasn't ugly, but he wasn't really attractive either. Now…Even if he was very lean, he was a man, and a handsome one! His messy hair gave him a wild look; his jaw was stronger, even if his traits were fine, and his eyes…His eyes had always been fine and now those had a gripping expression. And in general manner, his stance and his new way of moving, without clumsiness anymore. In fact, even when she had met him as Fury, she thought that his lean and tall frame didn't appear weak, it was more like a reptilian kind of vibe.

Yes, Freya had been quite generous toward him. The dying sunlight enhanced his sad and melancholic expression. He looked at her right in the eyes and she couldn't but feel the ghost of a shiver in her spine.

"What are you gonna do? Go back on Berk?" Asked he

"We still have to get married because of the deal…"

"Screw the deal, you and Fishlegs played a key part in taking down Drago, you can largely consider that it make it up for what happened in the past. Whatever you choose, there will be no consequences for you or Berk."

She hesitated. That's what she wanted in the beginning: call off this engagement. And yet…She wasn't sure at all now. She was still mad at him, but leaving him didn't feel right. When she thought of their kiss, she felt no regret at all, it warmed her inside.

In fact, even returning to live on Berk wasn't as appealing as she first thought, marriage or not. She wanted to see her mother and sister again, and she promised herself she would visit them. Sometimes, she also missed the twins and Gobber. But going back there didn't feel really right. She wouldn't any of the other friends she made there, and Stormfly! Her dragon wouldn't be accepted on Berk, and she couldn't go back to a killing-dragons life after everything she learned. Heather would also need her; she had to be here for her after what happened. The girl had supported her when she had left Berk, she owed her that. And Rona…What about her? She didn't want to take her away from the island she had started to love. Plus, she knew Berk wouldn't be the best place for her, people on Endris could understand why she was scared and could barely speak, most of them went through slavery; it wouldn't be the same on Berk. And she didn't want to take her away from Hiccup; the little girl was starting to like him, just as she liked the dragons.

Even the island had grown on her, it was beautiful, full of beauty and unusual things. The people and dragons were all coming from different places, it was a strange but beautiful mix. Yes, she wanted to stay on Endris.

"I'll go back on the island with you. I don't know about the marriage, though. I need some time to think. But, I enjoy my life there."

That was a relief, if she stayed on Endris, he would have his chances with her, and he wouldn't be separated from Rona. He smiled at this. She should have smacked him and tell him to whip off that smile away because she was still angry. Instead, she smiled along. Thor, was he making her soft?

"At least, it proves I was right."

"About what?"

"Many times, I yelled at Spitelout and claimed you would have been a much better chief. Now, it's proven."

"You really said that?" His heart warmed up at this. To imagine that she would think such a thing about the scrawny and clumsy kid he once was...He could hardly believe it!

"You were smart at least. You wouldn't have taken decisions as stupid as attacking a powerful dragon-riding tribe when you hardly could handle wild dragon attacks."

"It was indeed stupid. I must admit I would like to see Spitelout's face when he'll see me."

"Yeah, but the twins and Gobber will be upset. And they might not be the only one," she replied with more coldness, reminding him he shouldn't joke about this. Though she was pretty impatient to see Spitelout's face indeed, but she wouldn't admit that to him, not right now. She looked at him again and realized there was another problem. She had seen that he had a thing for her, but it wasn't the same thing as love.

"I don't know what I feel about you, and I don't know how you feel about me. Do you…" She hesitated, "want this wedding?"

He looked surprised at that question and smiled: "Do you really need to ask?" He breathed in deeply, he was nervous, but he found the courage to speak to her. "Astrid, I really want you to stay with me. I want to make you happy, I want to do that every day. You're everything I could want and I…I love you."

The way he looked at her, she felt warmth and a vertigo, and her body seemed to become weaker. She didn't know what to say, not at all. She looked down and at him again.

"I will think…I need some times."

"Mom! Dad!"

Rona came back to them and jumped on Astrid's laps, telling her she was hungry. Astrid took her in her arms, and mumbled she would head home. As she was walking away, Hiccup smiled. She didn't reject him, after all, he still had his hopes. He knew this wasn't much, but he was still happy that he got the courage to tell her, and that she seemed less angry. He hugged Toothless joyfully. Maybe he should go back with them, even if Astrid and he were in an awkward position, Rona would want both of them. He was about to do so when a voice called him.

"Fury?"

He looked back to see Valka who seemed very nervous. Considering what happened, he had forgotten her completely.

"You can call me Hiccup now. Fury is going to be a simple nickname from now on."

"Hum, yes…Listen, I need to talk to you."

Astrid cooked for the three of them that evening, but Hiccup didn't come back. Maybe he was embarrassed? She focused on Rona as much as she could, talking to her to make her speak more. Even though she wasn't mute anymore, she would scarcely talk, except when it was needed. The little girl babbled a bit with her, happy to listen to her mom's stories. Even if she was happy to share that moment with her, the conversation and Hiccup's declaration kept coming back to her. I love you…He had told her that…

As she put Rona in bed, she exited the house to look at the stars, hoping he would be around but she saw no one. She remembered that night when Hiccup and shown her the Typhoomerang and the Timberjack. He had told her the story of Barral the warrior and the feather. That wounded warrior in a field, praying the feather to become his wings, and how the gods granted that wish. She remembered Hiccup telling her that he felt like that at a point of his life. She guessed now that he had been talking about his time with his uncle. Her heart clenched thinking how miserable he had been. Somehow, she could understand why he had been so scared to tell her about it. Feeling incredibly tired, she went back inside and slept in Rona's bed, in case the child would be scared. She didn't hear Hiccup coming back.

O o O

The next morning, she saw Hiccup was still not here, and it was nagging her. He told her he loved her, and now he was nowhere to be seen? Really, he would have to stop that kind of shit! Rona asked about him, and Astrid was even more annoyed with him. When she got out to take care of Stormfly, she saw Fishlegs nearby. He was with Meatlug and she went to him, his happy expression was enough to tell her Heather was fine.

"Hey, you look alright."

"I am! Heather was much better yesterday. She is still sleeping now, but I think she will get back on her feet finely. I won't return to Berk soon, I want to stay with her."

"I'm not surprised! I decided the same. I want to stay, at least for a while."

"And what are you gonna do, about the marriage?"

"I don't know. Hiccup told me I could refuse, but he would like to marry me."

"No surprise. Even with his mask, it was obvious he was falling for you."

"I don't know what to do. It's already hard to believe that it's real, that it's him, that it wa shim all that time!"

"I know…I'm so happy!" Just thinking of it, Fishlegs whipped a tear away. Astrid was amazed.

"Aren't you mad at him?"

"Well, maybe a bit, but…All that matter in the end is that he is alive. I don't know, he'll explain to me later why he did that. Hiccup was our friend, he probably didn't do that to hurt us."

"…Yeah, it was still stupid."

"I can forgive stupid decisions, as long as there are no wicked intentions. I almost lost Heather, I won't be mad for getting a friend back."

Maybe Fishlegs was right. She thought of her conversation with Belda, of Heather's state and knew that even if she was angry, it was still a big luck that Hiccup was alive and well, instead of dead. She would rather be angry than have him really in the grave. She didn't have to forgive him right away, but she would do it eventually. Once again, she felt the need to speak to him, and she wanted to know where he had been all that time.

She flew with Stormfly around the island and found him on the cliff, sitting on a rock. He looked tormented, he was hugging and petting Toothless. Was he like that because of her? Their last conversation hadn't been that bad! She couldn't help but feel concerned. He stood up as a way to greet her while she advanced toward him.

"Hey."

He smiled to her as she sat at his side. He petted Toothless gently.

"What's wrong? Your face is so long it could touch the ground. And where have you been? Rona was worrying too."

He didn't answer immediately, and she felt anxiety growing. "Bad News? Is it Heather?"

"No, she is okay, well as much as one can be in her state. No, it's Valka."

"What about her?"

His eyes seemed lost in the sea. The wind blew and he shivered. "…She is my mother."

We'll see Valka's reveal in the next chapter through a flashback, promise! But I didn't want to make the chapter longer than this.

Don't hesitate to review!