*Creeps slowly into the room hoping not to get hit with a chair*

Hello, yes I am alive and I bring a chapter! Sorry it's been so long, my life has just been super busy lately. My friend and I are also planning a really big trip, as in another continent kind of trip, which has been taking up a lot of time to organise.

But I bring a chapter! Hooray!

I do not own How to Train Your Dragon.

Read on!

Astrid stood outside the little hut on the edge of the village, leaning on the wooden railing that prevented her from falling into the sea and the rocks that lay below. The tiny hut sat right on the edge of a cliff propped up on sturdy stilts looking out over the whole of the village letting it's equally tiny inhabitant see all the goings on in Berk if she wished.

It had been three weeks and Astrid felt like she was really starting to fit in. Hiccup had been teaching her something new everyday. Changing forms was starting to feel normal. She was learning more and more about Berk and it was starting to feel like home.

She felt someone beside her and looked up to see her mother lean on the railing to her right. She had noticed a difference in her parents since they had been in Berk. They were much more relaxed and she had never seen them so happy. Back home, they didn't have many friends. But here, they seemed to be friends with everyone.

"You know you don't have to do this," Ingrid said as she stared out across the sea.

"I know," Astrid replied.

"Getting your dragon mark isn't something insignificant, Astrid," Ingrid carried on. "Everyone else in this village got their mark when they were born. But you, you weren't born here. Getting your Dragon Mark is a choice. If you decide you don't want to stay here any more, your abandonment will be a big deal."

Astrid thought about her mother's words. Once she got her mark, leaving would be like betrayal to the people of the village. She thought about her old home. She didn't miss it. She barely thought about it. Life in Berk was amazing. She knew that her parents didn't want to leave. And neither did she.

The door to the little hut opened and the elder stepped out. The woman's name was Gothi. She was a strange old woman who never spoke and who's height equalled that of Astrid's waist. She looked pointedly at Astrid and then retreated back into her hut.

"It's ok, mom," she said with a smile, taking a step back from the railing. "I'm not going anywhere." And with that she pushed open the door and stepped through.

The inside of the hut was something to marvel at. It consisted of one small room. To the right of the door a cauldron hung over a fire, its contents bubbling and spitting. To her left sat a small pile of twigs, leaves grass and straw that looked almost like a nest. Opposite the door was a small bench, which was where the little woman was ushering her to sit.

And although each item was curious enough to capture anyone's attention, Astrid's eyes were drawn to the shelves that lined the walls of the hut. They rose up the walls all the way to the ceiling, each shelf covered in bottles and jars and boxes and pots of all shapes and sizes and colours. It was so mesmerising she forgot to sit, and soon she felt a sharp tug on her sleeve and came face to face with a scowling old lady.

Once she was sat down, Gothi seemed satisfied and turned towards a table in the corner that Astrid hadn't noticed. On top of the table she could see a couple of vials, some brushes and a small bowl with an odd looking substance inside. The elder picked up one of the brushes and used the wooden tip to poke at Astrid's top.

"Do you want me to take it off?" Astrid asked confused. The old woman shook her head before poking her side, just above her stomach. She then made a pulling motion. "Do you want me to pull it up?" Gothi nodded and turned back to the table, picking up one of the vials.

Astrid pulled up her top and the next few minutes were spent watching the elder skilfully draw her Dragon Mark on her side. Once she was done, she picked up the small bowl and dipped two fingers inside. She used her fingers to smooth the substance over the mark on Astrid's skin. It felt odd, like jelly, and she wondered what it was.

She then moved over to one of the shelves where what resembled an hourglass sat. She picked it up off the shelf and placed it on the table. They waited for the sand to fall from one side to the other and then Gothi headed over to a bucket of water that sat under the table. She pulled out a cloth and wrung it out before dabbing it across the Dragon Mark. After wiping off the goop smeared across Astrid's skin, the old lady stepped back with a small smile on her face. She nodded kindly before gesturing to the door.

"Thank you," Astrid replied, nodding back respectfully. She walked over to the door and stepped out.

The sun was bright and it took her eyes a while to adjust to the light. Once they had adjusted she saw her parents standing to the left looking out over the sea, talking. She cleared her throat, gaining their attention. They looked up and grinned walking towards her.

"Well then, let's see it," Sigurd said, excitement clear in his voice. She lifted up her top to show them her side. She saw the proud look on their faces and she knew that she had made the right decision. She felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Tracker Class," Ingrid smiled. "Just like your father."

"We need to celebrate!" Sigurd exclaimed, wrapping his arm around Astrid's shoulders. "I'll go and talk to Stoic." With that the man rushed off towards the large Chief who stood talking to the fishermen at the docks. Astrid and her mother chuckled and slowly made their way back to the town.

As they walked, the passed the small forge that sat on the outskirts of the village, not far from the elder's hut. Astrid briefly wondered if Hiccup was there and looked toward her mother who held a knowing smile on her face. She nodded and Astrid quickly turned off the path and headed towards the forge.

Her frequent visits to see Hiccup had helped her to get used to the feeling of the blast of heat every time she opened the door. It was still shockingly hot and she always felt sweat appear on her forehead as soon as she walked in the door, but somehow it no longer felt quite as bad as the first few times she had entered the building.

As soon as the door was open, the sound of Gobber's terrible singing filled the air. She smiled to herself. She had become quite fond of the man. She peered inside to see him hammering away at an out-of-shape sword. She looked around to see if Hiccup was there but she couldn't see any sign of him. Although if he was here, he would be yelling at Gobber to shut up.

"Hi Gobber!" Astrid called out, trying to be heard over the sound of the man's singing.

"Astrid!" Gobber exclaimed, looking to see who had called him. He put down his tools and wiped his hands on a rag so dirty that his hands were more black than they were before he wiped them. "What can I do for you?"

"I was actually looking for Hiccup," Astrid replied. Gobber grinned.

"Oh you were, huh? Well, he's not here. He left a while ago. But if I were you, I'd check the cliffs. He was mumbling about needing inspiration for something. He tends to sit by the cliffs when he needs inspiration."

"Ok," Astrid replied taking a step back. "Thanks Gobber! See you later!" She stepped out of the forge and turned towards the cliffs. She heard Gobber chuckle as she left, shortly followed by his loud voice continuing it's out of tune song. She laughed quietly to herself as she walked away.

Astrid understood why Hiccup liked the cliffs. The village was built closer to the mountain, the closest buildings to the cliffs being odd houses here and there that villagers who wanted quiet had built. The town was built away from the cliffs so that in the event of a heavy downpour, nothing would be swept away into the sea. It meant that while the village was small and sometimes felt cramped, the cliffs were open and peaceful. She liked that. And she knew Hiccup did too. Which is how she knew the exact spot to find him, sitting on the edge, sketchbook resting beside him, staring out into the sea.

"Hey," she said quietly as she sat beside him. The far away look on his face vanished as soon as she spoke, replaced with a soft smile. "Enjoying the view?"

"Just trying to clear my mind to make room for inspiration," he replied shifting his position so that he could face her.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" she asked.

"No," he said. "I was actually about to head back to the forge. Did you need something?"

"Why do you assume I need something?" Astrid laughed. His smile grew and he poked her in the arm.

"Because I know you." She just rolled her eyes at his comment.

"Well you're wrong," she replied. "Actually I have something to show you that I thought you might want to see." He raised an eyebrow, his curiosity peaked. She slowly lifted up the edge of her shirt to show him her Dragon Mark. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped slightly.

"You got your Dragon Mark," he muttered, more to himself than to her. Then recognition flashed across his features. "You're not leaving?" She slowly shook her head. His grin grew even bigger. "Well then, I have a question for you."

"And what would that be?" she laughed pulling her top back down.

"Astrid Hofferson," Hiccup began seriously. Something about his tone made her heartbeat quicken. "Will you be my girlfriend? As in, officially. I mean, you kind of already are and I know people have kind of guessed that something is going on and-"

"Hiccup," she said to stop his waffling.

"Sorry," he replied, scratching the back of his head. "I get nervous and then I can't stop talking and I ramble and I-"

"Just shut up," Astrid said taking his face in her hands and kissing his stupid, rambling mouth. She pulled back to see a smirk on his face.

"I'll take that as a yes then," he said. She rolled her eyes and punched him in the arm. "Violence!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "You really do belong here."

Astrid shook her head and stood up. She needed to get back to her mom. Hiccup stood up with her.

"Well, I have to go," she said gesturing to the village over her shoulder. "See you later?"

"See you later," he nodded with a smile. The shared one last kiss before pulling apart and going their separate ways.

Astrid managed to find Ingrid and soon they were joined by Sigurd. The man was almost jumping up and down in excitement. Stoic had agreed that a celebration was in order and was already organising the Great Hall for that evening.

Astrid and Ingrid spent the rest of their day deciding what Astrid would wear. According to Ingrid, although her first village celebration was important because it was Berk's first impression of her, this time, when people looked at her, they were looking at the newest addition to their village. It was an important impression.

"Everyone in Berk has a trade," Ingrid continued her explanation. "Now that you're an official member of the tribe, you will have to pick your trade."

"How do I decide my trade?" Astrid asked feeling confused. How was she supposed to just pick what she would work at for the rest of her life? What if she was no good?

"Most follow in the path of their parents but some choose to do something different."

"What did you choose," Astrid asked curiously.

"I followed in my mothers footsteps. She was an excellent seamstress. I was always amazed at the creations her fingers could forge with a needle and thread. But you don't have to do the same as me. You could do anything. Fisher, forester, baker, anything you choose."

Astrid really didn't know what to think. She wasn't sure about any of those options. Especially following in her mothers footsteps. Ingrid had once tried to show her how to sew a button onto a shirt. They had had to scrap the shirt all together by the time she was done. Being a seamstress was just a bad idea.

"What about Dad?" she asked quietly. Her mother seemed to have been expecting the question and smiled.

"Your father is a warrior. He was a part if Stoick's council before we left. He's always been the first one to run into battle to save his home."

"Are there ever female warriors?" Astrid asked, the idea growing on her. Her mother nodded.

"We call them shield maidens. Strong women who use their strength the help the village. I think it would suit you quite well." Astrid looked up surprised by her mother's words. "Although," the woman carried on, "If you want to be a shield maiden, you need to have the perfect look tonight."

A few hours later, Hiccup sat next to his father at the head table. Nearly all of the village was here already. They were all eating and drinking and shouting to one another as usual, but his eyes were constantly scanning for Astrid. He vaguely noticed Toothless and Stormfly seemed to be a little closer and more awkward around each other and filed that away to look into later.

"I'm sure you all remember-" Hiccup looked up to see his father had stood up and begun his speech. He didn't even need to hush the crowd first. His voice was loud enough to quiet the crowd without any effort. Stoick spoke a little of when they were sent away, and when they came back so did the Hoffersons. He spoke of how much they had missed the Hoffersons and how glad they were that they had returned. But it wasn't just the two of them. Now they had a daughter. And their daughter had made a very big decision. Then Astrid was called out.

Hiccup felt like his heart was going to explode. Astrid had her hair in the side braid that had become a signature look for her but braided into her hair was a thin strip of leather. She also had a thin red headband across the top of her head. She wore a red top with a fur hood sitting on her shoulders to keep her warm. Looking closer he saw that the hood doubled a shoulder guards. A leather strap was delicately wrapped around her right arm, intertwining around her fingers.

Astrid also wore red leggings underneath a brown skirt with a few spikes around the bottom and her thick brown boots. On her back sat one of her father's axes, the helm in the perfect position to be pulled off her back should she need it. All in all, she looked both beautiful and absolutely terrifying.

Before he knew it, the entire hall was filled with cheering villagers as Stoick raised Astrid's hand for everyone to see, the grin on her face huge and the smiles on her parent's faces proud.

He was eventually able to speak to her, once he was finally dismissed from the dreaded head table. By that time music was playing and people were dancing. He held out his hand and she took it. They danced together ignoring the stares from others, or the glances that Valka and Ingrid shared between them. In that moment it was just the two of them, and now that he knew that Astrid was here to stay, Hiccup couldn't be happier.

Okay so, I apologise for the delay…again… But at least you have a chapter! That's something, right? No? Okay I'll stop now.

For those of you wondering if this story is going anywhere, the next chapter should be a bit more interesting, whenever I manage to get around to it. I'll try to make it sooner than the last one but after the last few chapters, I make no promises.

OechsnerC: I updated! Sorry it took so long!

Hopeismythingwithfeathers: You'll have to wait and see.

Miti-sweets: Thank you, thank you *bows to an empty room* I try.

FirstBookworm: Thanks!

Poksie: Really?! Oh my gosh thank you!

CartoonPonyDrawing: Thanks!

ToxicGirlfriend: Yaaaaay!

The SkrillRider: Don't worry, I wont quit this one. And I'll be sure to have a look at those stories!

Twilight sparkle: I updated! I updated! Please calm with the spamming! I'm glad you like the story though!

Haddockclan819: But I thought they were really long… I guess I'll try to work on it.

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Until next time!