I really appreciate the patience you guys gave me on the last chapter! Finals hit me hard and took away all my time. I'm an art student, so all my finals were projects instead of exams. :/ Either way, I only have a few days before winter break, so I'm back!

Also, I wanted to make this chapter longer, but you've all waited long enough. Please enjoy and know that I love you from the depths of my heart.

"BARNSTAT!"

This meeting was not going as planned.

Granted, he had called it first thing in the morning, with no notice before hand. Then he went as far as to claim that his son, who was condemned to death by the tribe and then pronounced dead for the last ten years, was actually, in fact, alive, and was going to take up the roll of heir once again.

For all intensive purposes, he supposed that these kinds of things shouldn't have be sprung on a group of hostile vikings.

And also, he should have told Hiccup he made this decision first.

"You can't be serious, Stoick!"

"What were you thinking!? Have you lost your mind?!"

"I can understand wanting to make him part of our tribe, but making him heir?" Spitelout argued. "That's not fair!"

"Not fair? He's my son!"

"How do you know? What proof do you have?!"

"I don't need to prove anything to you!" The chief snarled.

Gobber intervened. "I think what Spitelout is trying to ask, is what prove did the boy give you that he's Hiccup? The real Hiccup?"

Stoick sighed aloud. "The boy knew me, he had memories of his mother. We talked last night, and back when he left. He is Hiccup, I don't know how to make you believe me." He wrung his hands together and knit his brow. "I knew from the moment he was caught. When I saw his eyes, heard his voice…I knew it was him. I don't know how or why he was…what he was, but that doesn't matter any longer."

Hoark spoke up. "What does Astrid think about all this? Does she feel slighted since she's not heir anymore?"

"I haven't told her." Stoick confessed. "I know she doesn't want it though. I see it on her face every time I mention 'becoming chief.' She had this thrust upon her, and she never cared about it. She only went along with my wishes because I was taking care of her."

"So then what about Snotlout?" Spitelout raised.

"What about Snotlout?"

"He's next in line. I understand you wanted to help the Hofferson lass out, but my son is the rightful heir! If she didn't want it, then you should have passed it onto him!"

Stoick shook his head. "It takes more than blood ties to be chief. It takes strength."

"Snotlout is stronger then that Fishboy, have you seen them together?!"

"That is not what I meant. Hiccup has strength of heart. Courage, honor. He also has the brains of a leader and is willing to sacrifice for the good of the tribe."

"Snotlout is too!"

"I doubt that."

"You can't do it, chief. He's been a monster all his life, and now you want him to be chief? Do you even hear how ludicrous that sounds!?"

"I want my son to be my legacy. I want the Haddock line to continue to guide this tribe! Is that so wrong?!" Stoick had to take another calming breath. "Hiccup never did anything wrong. It was our fault that this happened to him. The least I can do…for my son, is to give him back what is rightfully his. Do you see?"

Spitelout folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, I see. But I don't like it."

"You don't have to like it, but it's my decision."

"Well, at least Snotlout will have Astrid."

The chief sputtered. "Excuse me?"

"Snotlout proposed to the girl. Hiccup hasn't even shown interest in her!"

"Are you blind, man?! Astrid is the reason Hiccup came back! The reason he's human!" The chief placed his hands on the table. "Or did you not realize that Astrid jumped off a cliff when Snotlout proposed."

"So what? He got there first!"

"As Astrid's guardian, I refuse any type of contract to be made between her and Snotlout, unless she wants it. And I highly doubt she does."

"Then what is he supposed to do?"

"Try for someone else, I suppose. Ruffnut is available."

"The Thorenson girl! Absolutely not!"

"And why?"

"She's barbaric!"

"Spitelout, if you haven't noticed, your son isn't exactly civilized."

"I've had enough of this!" The general stood. "If you want to run our tribe into the sea, then you be my guest!" Spitelout stood and went to the door, which slammed hard behind him.

"Ah, he'll get over it." Gobber spoke.

The chief seemed to be considering the man's words though. "Do you think I did the right thing?"

"Now, don't let him get to you Stoick."

"No…I just mean…I so badly want Hiccup to be chief…but what if he can't?"

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Because…because he hasn't been human? What if that changes things?"

"I highly doubt it will make a difference."

"Really?"

"Yeah! The lad is a natural born leader! He was only with us a few months, and he helped us train the dragons that raided us. He ended the war! That has to count for something!"

"You're right. Yeah, you're right Gobber! What was I thinking?"

"Yeah, you agreeing with Spitelout? Ridiculous!"

The chief laughed. "Of course. Now, we have the tricky part."

"What?"

"Telling Hiccup."

—

A click of a foot indicated progress. "That's it, now lean onto it."

Astrid held Hiccup by his wrists and guided him to walk across the forge. It was slow, but he was willing. He tottered, and brought down his good leg quickly to catch himself.

"Good, now do another step."

"I haven't walked in years…" He marveled.

"And you're doing fine." Astrid assured, squeezing his arm.

He nodded once and took another step. Not quite stable, his knee shook and he stumbled against her.

"Whoop! I gotcha!" She hooked a strong arm around his waist. He braced against her shoulders and stood balanced. Standing was the easy part.

"Sorry…" He blushed.

"It's alright." She smiled. "Let's try again, until I don't have to hold you."

He nodded. "Okay."

The blonde took his wrists again and gently pulled him forward. One foot in front of the other, right left, right left, just like she had instructed.

"Good…" She whispered, as he began to pick up the pace. "Don't look at your feet, look at me." She instructed.

He almost tripped when he couldn't look down, but instinct took over.

"That's it!" She smiled brighter. Her hands moved down to his finger tips. "You got it! You—…" Since she was walking backwards, she hadn't seen the foot stool the was in her way and tripped over it. She reached out and grabbed Hiccup in an effort to keep from falling, but he was unbalanced and toppled down with her.

On the floor, the couple looked at each other, their noses touching. Hiccup grinned. "Careful."

Astrid smacked his shoulder, but pecked him sweetly on the lips.

Hiccup knelt and allowed her to get up.

"Think you can get up on your own?" She asked, standing.

He watched her, and then copied her actions, unfolding his legs from underneath him. He swayed slightly once he stood, but recovered. "Nailed it." He grinned.

Astrid grinned back.

"Ah, I thought I might find you two here." A deep voice called. The teens turned to find Stoick at the entrance of the forge. "Getting used to your new feet?"

"Uh…more or less." Hiccup shrugged.

"Glad to hear it." He smirked. "Now, something I wanted to talk to you two about." He leaned against the frame.

Astrid hopped up to counter to sit.

"Hiccup, well…now that you're back…you are my son."

"Yes?"

"I want to claim you as my heir again."

Astrid beamed. "He would love to!"

"Wait, what am I doing?" Hiccup furrowed his brow.

"He wants to train you to be chief!"

"You're birthright." Stoick clarified.

"Uh…" Hiccup swallowed. "Um, when are we taking about?"

"Not for a few years still." Stoick simpered, to put him at ease.

"Oh. Okay then…I guess." He smiled.

"Excellent! Astrid will help you at anytime, since you're marrying her and all."

That statement drew silence from both of the teens. Astrid was the one to break it. "What?"

"Marriage! I mean, it's perfect!"

Astrid nodded slowly, agreeing with the chief.

"Um, aren't we thinking about this too soon?"

Both chief and Astrid looked at the boy.

"After all, I just turned human last night."

"Of course, that wouldn't be for a few years either, but we can start making arrangements. Never too early for that." Stoick supplied.

"But I mean…" Hiccup swallowed. "What if I don't want to marry her?"

"Hiccup…?" Astrid looked breathless.

"Don't get me wrong, I do love you, I just…I don't know…" Once upon a time, he had dreamt of marrying her, but that was when he was sure she couldn't feel the same way about him. But now, with everything they had gone through.

In short, he was confused, if not a little scared.

"I don't ever want to make you do anything you aren't comfortable with…" Astrid whispered.

"Nonsense!" Stoick bellowed. "You said it yourself! You love her, isn't that good enough?"

"I want to be chief, isn't that good enough?" Hiccup countered back.

"Hiccup!" Stoick shouted, sharply.

The boy winced, but used the counter to move toward the door. "I need some time alone." He offered.

Stoick moved out of the way, keeping his eyes locked with Hiccup's.

The boy whistled sharply and Toothless perked up from where he was napping on the forge floor. A wave of his hand, and the duo was gone, off into the sky.

Astrid watched their ascent, longing scrawled over her face. "What has he done to me?" She whispered.

"Now lass, I'm sure he'll get over it. He's just a bit overwhelmed. You can't blame him."

"I hope that's all it is." She rubbed her eye. "I don't want him to regret coming to shore."

—

He had spent his whole life in the ocean. He knew how deep and vast it was, but there was nor vaster than the sky. On his dragon's back, he knew just how far eternity went on for. The endless romance between clouds and stars, the unfeasible distance of forever, all waiting to be explore.

And it was his for the taking.

Dancing in the clouds, the boy felt the calming embrace of the wind whipping through his ears, and damp coolness of the clouds clinging to his form. Flying was second nature, despite legs or tail.

"Bud, am I losing my mind?"

He was talking to a reptile, that could raise a few eyebrows.

"I mean, I wanted so badly to get back what I lost. I just wanted my dad to love me, and want me. I wanted to be with Astrid, see her smiling face. To make her happy." He sighed. "Now that I have it, it scares me. I didn't know what they wanted from me. I can't-I can't do this!" The merman flopped unhappily on his companion's back. He scratched behind his ears and kissed his nubs. "I don't know how you do it." He commented. "Though, I guess dragons are not as dramatic as humans."

Toothless warbled in agreement.

"Do you suppose that's what it is? That I'm just being dramatic?"

Toothless barked.

"Oh sure. I suppose next you're going to say that running away was stupid and pointless."

The dragon purred.

"Well, what was I supposed to do?! Just stay there and let them push me around?"

He rumbled back.

Hiccup slapped himself in the head. "Of course! What am I doing!? I've got a long time before any of this comes to pass. Plenty of time to prepare myself and slip right into normal human life. They were looking out for me."

He rubbed Toothless' head affectionately. "What would I do without you bud?"

He purred again.

"Before we go back though...what do say we go for a nice long flight? It seems like we haven't done that in ages!"

Toothless bleated out a laugh before turning into a nosedive.

Hiccup returned at night. The forge light was the only still lit, and Hiccup knew it was because Gobber was waiting for him. Both dragon and rider stealthily swooped through the village and landed outside the forge. Hiccup used Toothless as a crutch as they slipped inside the building.

"Cutting it kind of late, don'tcha think lad?"

Hiccup chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah...I was a bit overwhelmed..."

"Understandable." The man nodded. "The leg working alright?"

"Well enough." He admitted. "I'm not used to legs in general."

"Well, as time goes on, I can make adjustments as needed."

"Thank you Gobber." He nodded. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed." The dragon followed him to the back, but got wedged in the doorway. Resigned, he curled up in front of the fire.

"Well Toothless," said Gobber. "Keep an eye on the shop, would ye? I'm going to bed."

Only a cloth blocked the door to Hiccup's room, and when he pushed it aside, he jumped at the sight in front of him.

Astrid was in her night clothes. Nothing immodest, but she was missing her armor and her hair was down. She flicked her ever-blue eyes to him, and they looked dark in the candle light.

"Astrid!" He exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I went to bed over an hour ago, but my mind was uneasy with what you said this morning. I won't sleep until we talk." She stated firmly.

"Oh, my dear Astrid…" He whispered, limping towards her.

"So where did you go? I almost wondered if you'd jump back into the sea."

"No, no reason to make such drastic measures." He sat beside her on the hammock and delicately brushed the hair from her face. "I was just…overwhelmed. Becoming a human was a whirlpool by itself, but the news of being heir and getting married…it was all a bit sudden. I needed some air."

Astrid nodded softly. "When you put it like that, it does make sense."

Tenderly, he caressed her cheek and leaned his head upon hers, breathing in her spicy sweet smell. "Astrid, don't ever be afraid. I became human for you, after all."

She closed her eyes and let the warmth spread over her body. Her fingers splayed over his stomach, each touch sending a tingle of electricity through his bones. A kiss danced between the two lovers, before he evaluated her with a single downcast glance.

"Can I stay?" She whispered.

His smile was like a vapor.

"I just need to make sure you don't leave again."

"Fair enough." He chuckled. Then he laid back on the hammock, holding his arms out for her. Gingerly, Astrid swept her bangs from her face, then straddled his waist. She looked down on him.

"Do you sleep sitting up?" He chuckled.

She smirked, trailing her hands up his sides. She enjoyed the embarrassed blush that kissed his cheeks as she whispered, "No, just enjoying the view."

He reached up and tugged on her arm. "Come here."

She obliged, laying on her side, snuggled into his. Not much different from two nights ago. This was nice, this was peaceful, this was simple bliss.

What he had been missing out on all these years.

His fingers easily tangled in her golden hair, as he dropped a kiss to the top of her head. Astrid sighed contentedly into his neck, her legs tangling with his.

"Are you going to get in trouble?" He asked.

"No, why would I?"

"Well, the chief- Dad, well. What if he caught us? We're in the same bed, alone."

"He trusts you."

"True."

"Nothing is going to happen."

"Okay, if you say so."

"Besides, you can't say this is worse then the nights in the grotto."

"Also true."

Astrid reached up and tilted his head towards her. "Just let me rest without worrying."

He kissed her softly. "I can do that."

The next few weeks were much more pleasant. The stress of his new found role in the village started to diminish as he came to learn more about his duties. Settling domestic disputes, problem solving, preparing for seasons. These were all things he knew how to do.

Mermaids were very provocative creatures. They often fought and caused needless drama within the school. Since Hiccup was the only male, and tended not to get involved in the lives of his fellow merfolk, the elders often called on him for unbiased judgement. Sometimes it was a difficult task, but he was able to keep a level head in the face of disaster.

Along with his chiefing lessons, he also got back into the swing of Dragon training, in which Fishlegs and Astrid were thankful for. The teens were the only ones that were willing to train them, everyone else was content to feed and play with them like overgrown puppies.

The last thing was that Stoick wanted his son to have a trade skill. So, he'd work for his room at the forge. Gobber taught him metallurgy, and for a boy like Hiccup, it went along swimmingly (No pun intended). Finally he was able to make adjustments to his leg, corrupting the height and making it easier to use. He even adjusted Astrid's axe while he was there.

—

Devastating winter turned into calm winter. Hiccup wandered down to the docks to sit for a while. His days had taken up a calm routine, one he could handle. Early morning, before breakfast, he would gaze out at the sea in appreciation.

It startled Astrid and Stoick at first. They feared he was longing for the ocean, and that he might return. But then the day progressed and he showed no evidence of being homesick. Finally, when Astrid asked him about it, he said, "I just like it. Why would I be homesick? I am home!"

So they let him be, and even in the frigid temperatures, he sat at the docks, swaddled in furs.

It was a gray morning, the water still, the sun not yet risen. With his rusty wheelchair frozen in place, he was content to sit and enjoy the lightly falling snow.

Then he saw a tail flick out of the water in the distance. In mere seconds, the creature was upon him, long brunette hair hanging limply over her face.

"Heather," he greeted. "It's been awhile." He knelt and held out his hand.

She gripped it warmly and smiled. "So, you are a human."

"Yeah, didn't Bertha tell you what was happening?"

"She did…but It was hard to believe, honestly."

"I can understand." He sat at the edge and let his prosthetic dangle.

She surveyed it in mild curiosity. "So this is what became of your ripped fin? They gave you a piece of metal?"

"The humans, er— Gobber, the Blacksmith, made this fake leg so I could walk." He stood and showed her.

"Fascinating!" She whispered in awe. "For being so dim, the humans sure are clever."

"That, you are right about."

"It's a good thing you're there then, keeping them in line."

"They'd be helpless without me."

"More then you think." The suddenly said, starkly serious.

"What do you mean?"

"Does the village have visitors coming?"

His brow furrowed. "What visitors? Did you see something?"

"Ships coming in from the north. They bore sails with the image of a Skrill."

Hiccup stared off to the distance, looking in vain to see them. "Dagur…"

"So you know who they are?"

"Yes, but they aren't friendly. That's what I'm afraid of." He stood, but then stopped. "How far off are they?"

"Selena saw them, she said they were about a day away."

"Alright. Tonight at midnight, I'll meet you and Camicazi at my grotto. We'll think of a plan of attack by then. For now, I have to go tell Stoick, er—my father."

Heather scrunched her eyebrows. "You found your father?"

"Yes. I'll…I'll tell you more about it later. You and Cami."

"Promise?"

He held his hand out to her. "Promise."

The mermaid rose from the water and kissed his cheek. "Just…don't do anything rash."

"I'll try."