I'm sorry that this chapter is very late. I usually update Try To Be Brave first (because it appears to be more popular among the readers in the fandom) and I had the hardest time starting the chapter. Anyway, I hope that everyone has been having a wonderful holiday season and now it's time for the next chapter of Wheel in the Sky!

Oh, and I forgot to mention. In my absence, I have added several more arcs to this story. I'm certain that it's bordering on 100 chapters now, but I have to formally add the arcs to the plans before I know for sure.

Review Replies:

Ferdoos: Thanks! Yes, the offer does seem quite suspicious. We'll just have to see what comes out of it.

DragonSoul12: Thanks! Here's the next installment and it's Astrid's turn again.

Guest (anonymous): Hmm…maybe. Of course, I'm not like many other writers, so we'll have to just wait and see what I have planned.

Next chapter starts…now!


Chapter 4: Conversation in the Cove

"Class dismissed!"

Astrid blinked as Hiccup entered the academy and abruptly ended the lesson that she had been trying to teach. It was not like Hiccup to end the day early and everyone knew that. At first no one moved, but when Snotlout and the twins realized that Hiccup was serious, they cheered and raced out to, undoubtedly, cause some sort of disruption or disaster in the village. Fishlegs, who actually enjoyed lessons at the Berk Dragon Academy, was more hesitant to leave.

"Hiccup, you're really dismissing class early?" he asked, clearly wanting extra clarification.

"Yeah, Fishlegs. That is what I said. Sorry."

When Fishlegs had left, Astrid turned to Hiccup. "What is up, Hiccup? I know that you enjoy leading this academy and you rarely ever end the day this early. Please tell me what your father wanted to talk to you about. Remember, I asked you to do that when you were finished."

She could see that he seemed to be fighting himself a bit about this, but eventually he did consent. "Okay, but not here. Let's go to the cove."

Together, they mounted their dragons. Hiccup and Toothless took off without a word and Astrid followed on Stormfly. Astrid could see that Toothless seemed to sense the seriousness of the matter because the two flew straight to the cove without doing any tricks or stunts on the way.

Landing, Astrid took a seat beside Hiccup as their dragons walked to the lake to get a drink. There was a light breeze and it tousled their hairs while a silence fell between them. Whatever Stoick had told his son, Hiccup was taking it very hard.

"Hiccup, please tell me what your father said. If you talk about it, you'll feel better."

"Well, I don't think that will help in this case," he sighed, "but I'll tell you, Astrid." There was a pause and Astrid waited to hear what her best friend had to say. "My father received word that one of our neighboring islands would like to make peace with their dragons, but they're having trouble doing it on their own. They've requested our trainer…me."

Whatever Astrid had been expecting, this had not been it. She had definitely been thinking that the talk would be more along the lines of something relating to Hiccup's being Berk's heir. "That's…great, Hiccup. You know that we'll all help you. It'll be…"

"No!"

Hiccup's answer was so abrupt and full of hurt that Astrid couldn't help but stop and look at him. No? Since when does Hiccup turn down offers of help from the rest of us? "No?"

With a sigh, he continued, "That's…the catch. They only want one trainer and my father says it has to be me because I'm 'the best'."

"One trainer?" Astrid could not believe what she was hearing. "But, Hiccup, is that safe? I mean, you are the son of the chief. This could turn out badly. Please tell me that your father…"

"No, my father wants me to go. He says it will 'reestablish the peace between our islands and be sure our alliances remain intact'," he told her, imitating his father with vibrant arm motions and gestures.

"Oh…" Astrid wished she could hide her disappointment. She did not want Hiccup to leave. It wasn't that she did not want to run the academy (cause she knew that would be what Hiccup would want her to do while he was gone). Astrid just knew that she would miss him in his absence. "How long will you be gone, then? Do you know?" she asked, looking down at the ground. If she looked to him, she knew, her tough demeanor might just come crashing down.

"I don't know yet," Hiccup replied, looking down as well. "Hopefully not too long. If I can show them my methods and they can replicate them on their own, then I'll be done and I can come back to Berk. Who knows how long that will take, though."

Astrid played with the grass under her fingertips. How would she cope without Hiccup around? Yes, at one time, she would've been happy if he would just leave the village for an indefinite amount of time, but those days were past. If he was gone, who would she race? Who would she spend the majority of her days with? Who would she love with a secret love so deeply locked within her heart that no one could ever possibly hope to find the key? It was safe to say that Berk would definitely be less interesting without Hiccup while he was gone. "I…I don't know how I never saw it, Hiccup." Astrid was so lost in thought that she did not know she had spoken this thought aloud until she heard Hiccup start and ask her about it. She had said it, so she had no other choice but to continue. "You're so…brave, Hiccup. If you weren't, you'd never be able to do what you have done. We'd still be at war with the dragons. We'd still never know of Toothless's existence. You changed everyone's minds. Even now, you're so brave as you plan to set out on this mission all alone." She looked up and was met with his waiting green eyes. "I wish I could be half as brave as you, Hiccup."

She never saw Hiccup move, but she felt his hands clasp hers. "You are brave, Astrid. You're the bravest Viking I've ever known. If only you knew how many times back then…I only wanted to be just like you…and the others, but mainly you. Even as you looked disaster in the eye, no matter the threat, you never backed down. You faced everything head-on with no doubts. That is one of the many things I love about you."

"Love?" Astrid perked up at the mention of this four-letter word. Sure, Hiccup was her best friend, but Astrid was not afraid to admit that she always hoped for something deeper and more serious.

"Yeah. I mean…actually…I should tell you, since I'm leaving soon for who knows how long." Hiccup cleared his throat and continued. "Astrid…I think I love you. I've always felt this way since I met you and even before. In fact, I'm certain that as long as I've known you as a person, I have felt something more for you and always hoped something could develop between us. Strange, as brave as you claim me to be, I've always been scared to say this to you, but, you know, I'm not scared anymore. Must be because of this impending journey."

Astrid never thought she'd see this day. As long as she had known Hiccup, he'd always had a timid side to him; it always seemed that he was hesitant to share some of his inner-most secrets. Not that she was complaining; she had been waiting a while for this day to come. Giving Hiccup's hand in hers a gentle squeeze, Astrid replied, telling him, "Hiccup, I think I love you too. Ever since you've changed and accomplished so much, I've taken notice. I see you now for who you really are and I was foolish to ever think otherwise. You are a wonderful person, Hiccup, and I know that now."

The sun shined down on them, reflecting off the water of the lake. It was one of those rare days where Berk experienced pleasant weather, as if the weather itself beamed with pride for the two lovers in this cove.

"So…if I ask you to be my girlfriend, you'd…" Hiccup started, but there was no way that Astrid was going to let him finish that thought.

"…say 'absolutely' without any second thoughts." Astrid's smile sealed the deal and the two shared a kiss.

Toothless and Stormfly looked over briefly, but when they saw the situation in which their riders had found themselves, the two dragons walked, as quietly as they possibly could, to a far corner of the cove to wait until Hiccup and Astrid chose to fly back to the village.

"We should get back to the village," Astrid whispered, breaking the kiss but not moving away from Hiccup.

She could feel the comfort of his warm breath as he told her. "No, let's stay here for just a bit longer."

So stay is what they did. They held each other and gazed out across the lake in the beautiful cove where Hiccup had bonded with Toothless, where Astrid had caught them both, and where the new couple had once shared their first kiss. Reality would sink in later, but for now, Astrid and Hiccup opted to just forget it for a little while longer.


Bit of a longer chapter for you all. Hope you all enjoyed! Yeah…I don't really have much to say this time.

Next chapter: Currently, I'm going to aim for Monday after 10PM. One more chapter before the New Year!

Thank you all for reading and supporting Wheel in the Sky!

Posted: December 28, 2013