Baby Girl

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I got a request a while ago for a piece about Hiccup seeing his first newborn daughter for the first time, so here! Also, the fifth episode of the new RTTE season is freaking adorable. I won't post any spoilers here (and don't post any spoilers for me beyond episode 7. I haven't finished yet!) but just go watch. Hiccstrid are adorable and Hiccup's so kind/caring, which is what inspired his attitude here while Astrid's giving birth.

...

"It's okay. It's okay, milady." Hiccup gave his wife's sweaty hand a comforting squeeze.

"Where..where are the boys?" gasped Astrid. Her words were followed by a moan as yet another contraction cut through her body.

"I took them to Fishlegs. He and Ruff are gonna watch them until the baby gets here." He leaned over to kiss her forehead before grabbing a chip of ice from the cup on the bedside table and placing it in between her lips.

"You're getting there, dear," Valka assured as she peeked under the furs. "Just a little longer and you'll be ready to start pushing."

Astrid sighed. "You've been saying that for the past three hours."

"Do you want me to get you anything?" asked Hiccup.

"Give me my hand." Pulling her fingers out of her husband's grasp, the blonde quickly undid the buttons on her nightgown and tossed the garment aside, leaving her in only her breast bindings.

"Feel better?" he asked.

Astrid nodded. However, the sense of relief was only temporary, as another contraction caused her to let out a pained groan.

Motioning for her to slide over, the young chief sat on the edge of the bed and pushed her bangs out of her eyes.

"Just think, soon you'll be able to meet your new baby," Valka said.

"I...I..." Astrid tried to speak, but broke off with a scream at the feeling of intense pain surging through her stomach and lower back. "Hiccup, I swear, if you ever try to touch me again, I'll -"

"Try pushing, dear," Valka interrupted.

"But I...I don't feel ready," Astrid insisted.

"Just try."

Moaning, the blonde did as she was told. "I...I..." She grasped Hiccup's hand.

"Push again," instructed Valka.

Astrid pushed a second time, then a third, then a fourth, then a fifth. Her husband fed her ice chips in between each attempt. "I...I can't do this. I can't do it." She shook her head.

"Shhh," Hiccup soothed. "You did it twice before. You're gonna be okay. You're doing a great job." He pecked her lips.

"Easy for you to say. You -" She pushed again. This time, her body shook with relief, and the sound of wailing echoed throughout the room.

"She's here," Valka announced, moving the furs aside to place the child on Astrid's stomach.

"She?" Hiccup peeked at the baby.

"Yes, you have a little girl. Come here and cut the cord, son."

Rising from his seat, the young chief grabbed a knife and sliced the baby's umbilical cord. He then helped his mother wipe her down with damp towels. "She...she's beautiful," he said, looking into his newborn's blue eyes - eyes that matched Astrid's.

"Here." Valka swaddled the child in a blanket. "Who wants to hold her first?"

"Let Hiccup," replied Astrid. "He's been waiting for a baby girl."

"There you are, dear." Smiling, Valka handed the sobbing child to Hiccup.

"Hey. Hey there, princess. Don't cry. I'm your daddy," Hiccup soothed, taking his place beside Astrid again.

The newborn grew quiet.

"Oh, Thor." Before the young chief could say anything more, tears of happiness began to flow down his cheeks. "She...she's amazing." He bent down to kiss the top of her head, on which thin strands of strawberry blonde hair were visible.

Resting her chin on Hiccup's shoulder, Astrid gazed at her little girl. She felt her eyes start to grow watery as she ran her thumb along the baby's cheek. "Can I hold her now?"

Hiccup hesitated. He wasn't quite ready to hand over the newborn.

"Hey, I'm the one who did all the work."

"Fair point." He carefully passed his daughter to Astrid.

"She is beautiful," the blonde said, agreeing with Hiccup's earlier statement.

"Alright, I'll leave you two alone with the little one," Valka announced. "I'll be in the living room if you need anything."

The couple simply nodded in acknowledgement, barely taking their eyes off of the baby.

"You hungry, sweetie?" Astrid cooed. Then, turning to Hiccup, she asked, "Could you untie my bindings for me?"

"Of course." The young chief did as he was asked, then wrapped an arm around Astrid's shoulders and watched as the newborn began her first meal. "She needs a name," he mumbled, half to himself.

"Yeah, she does."

"What about we name her after you?"

"No, I don't want another me around." The blonde shook her head.

"Okay, then what about something similar to Astrid? Like Sigrid or Ingrid or something?" suggested Hiccup.

"Hmm...not a bad idea. I like Ingrid. Ingrid Emmaline."

"Perfect." He leaned down to kiss Ingrid's head. "What do you think, tiny one? You like that?"

The baby ignored him, and instead continued to happily suckle.

"You're a little newborn, aren't you?" Hiccup went on. "Well, I can deal with that." He then turned to Astrid and pressed a sloppy kiss onto her lips. "Thank you. Thank you so much for giving me a little girl."

Astrid smiled. "I'm free to carry babies anytime. Just so long as they're your babies."

"Hey, if you were having another man's babies, we'd have a problem."

"No way." She shook her head. "I only gave up becoming a shieldmaiden for one man, and that's you."

"And I'm glad about that." He ran his fingers through her disheveled hair, which had come out of its braid sometime during the birthing process. "By the way, do you want me to start getting a bath ready for you?"

The blonde nodded. "That would be great, babe."

"Okay. I'll go do that. While you're cleaning up, then, I'll hold little Ingrid. My mom can go get the boys from the Ingermans'."

"Or you can put her in the cradle and go get the boys yourself." She paused as Ingrid pulled away from her breast. "Can you grab me some clothes before you go to the washroom? One of your tunics would work. Or one of my nightgowns."

"Not a problem. And I want is to stay here and cuddle my daughter. Is that too much to ask?"

"I suppose not."

Hiccup found a tunic from his dresser drawer and handed it to Astrid. "There you go. Do you need anything else?"

She shook her head and, after handing Ingrid over to him, slipped the garment over her head. "No, I'm okay for now. We just need to get the birthing rags out of here, but your mom will take care of that."

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired, and sore between the legs, but you don't need to worry. Just remember - sex is off-limits for a couple weeks." Astrid slipped off of the bed and pecked her husband on the lips.

"Of course, bedhead. Now, go get your bath, then come back in here and get some rest. I'll look after the kids for the rest of the day. You just worry about lying down. I'll wake you up when Ingrid gets hungry."

"Sounds good. Thanks, babe."

"No, thank you. For the little one, I mean. For all three of our little ones."

The blonde smiled. "It's not a problem. Like I said, I'll carry however many babies I need to - just so long as they belong to you."