AN: This chapter is dedicated to Midoriko-sama (because long awaited SITS!) and Foxy'sGirl for convincing me to write a chapter of Seize and not something completely random.

She was twenty-four and he was twenty-four. War was coming. It had been for months now, systematically and deliberately heading toward Berk. Every island in the archipelago had been hit; no tribe had been spared. Every time Hiccup and Toothless flew out to help, Astrid laid awake at night waiting. Waiting for his return. Waiting for news. Waiting for that one fateful day when waiting would no longer be an option for her. But now – now, war was coming to Berk.

Tomorrow, everything would change. They had spent weeks making modifications to homes, to the Great Hall. Women and children were huddled in the Great Hall now, safely tucked away in the tunnels and caverns that Hiccup had been digging with Whispering Deaths. There were so many under Berk now that even if enemy forces managed to find their way into the tunnels, they'd be hard pressed to find their way out again.

Hic was down there, safe with the other children. Astrid should be down there, too, but she wasn't. She wouldn't be for she was going to war as well. Hiccup didn't like it. They'd argued for weeks, months even.

"I don't want you out there, Astrid," he'd finally yelled at her. Hiccup had yelled at her, arms flailing in emphasis. His face had been so haggard and it was breaking her heart.

"You need me out there."

"I need you with our son," he'd said, his voice quieter, "I need you safe."

"What about what I need?"

He'd rolled his eyes at her. "Not this again."

"I was a shieldmaiden, Hiccup!" Astrid had growled.

"And now you're a wife! And a mother! You're staying here," he'd spat back, green eyes blazing, "You don't get to fight me on this."

Shaking his head, he'd turned his back on her and that had been his first mistake because he hadn't seen Astrid launch herself at him. If he had, he would have been able to duck out of the way with ease, but he hadn't and so Hiccup had found himself uncomfortably pinned in a choke hold on the floor, Astrid's knee digging into his spine.

"Listen," she'd hissed into his ear, as if he'd had a choice in the matter, "I'm going with you, Hiccup."

Hiccup jammed his hand into her locked grip and shrugged his shoulder, pushing her elbow up and over his head, effectively escaping the hold. Astrid hadn't been finished with him though and she knocked out his bad leg, pinned his arms to his hips with her legs, and jammed her forearm into his throat. His eyes burned with silent indignation. It had been low, she knew it had been, but it had also been necessary. If he wouldn't listen to her, then she'd make him listen.

"If we die," she said, her voice high and clear, "We die together."

Hiccup had finally, finally relaxed underneath of her and Astrid had pulled her arm from his throat and released his arms. Absently, he'd rubbed at his throat.

"And Hic grows up alone?" he'd said, his voice soft and sad.

Astrid released a small sigh. "If we lose, he might not grow up at all."

So, it had been decided that she was going into battle with him. That Hic would be safely kept with Gothi and the other women and children. That he would be heir if something happened to the Haddocks; that Gothi would name an interim chief, if necessary. Astrid was hoping that none of this would be necessary.

Drago Bludvist had not died four years ago. He also had not given up his dream. He may have lost the bulk of his dragon army, but he had not lost his influence nor his allies. He came at the islands of the archipelago with a formidable army of men and dragons. Berk had been taking in refugees for months. Berk was the last stronghold. Berk was their last chance.

Astrid hadn't seen Hiccup since midday. He'd been holed up in the forge with Gobber making new weapons, a task that neither of them had done in years. Gobber had come into the Great Hall and dropped his heavy hand on Astrid's shoulder. His big blue eyes locked on her sadly and he sighed.

"You best go to him, lass."

The roads of Berk were silent, the ominous dread of war hung thick in the air. Astrid could smell the fires that hadn't yet been started. She could taste blood on the air. Tomorrow was the judgement day, the day that Valhalla is in reach or isn't. Tomorrow she might die. Tomorrow Hiccup might die. Astrid's stomach lurched at the thought. Her own death was nothing compared to losing Hiccup. She didn't think she'd be able to go on if he died. She would, of course, for Hic but it would be complete truth to say that if Hiccup died, a fundamental piece of Astrid would die, too.

Now more than ever, she needed to see him. She needed to touch him, hold him, feel him. She stood outside the window to the forge and felt a wave of nostalgia as she watched him working metal through the opening in the wall. Strong shoulders worked under his light, loose tunic. She remembered a time when his shoulders were smaller, but she'd been no less fascinated with watching them work. Long before she'd even known just how much Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third had meant to her, long before he'd stolen her heart.

He'd grown larger over the last few years, his muscles building a bulk that she would never have associated with Hiccup previously. When she saw that thick, muscular forearm in the orange glow of the forge, sweat glistening on his skin, she was reminded of who his father had been. Hiccup had always had the potential to be great. He was great. Astrid's eyes lingered on his profile – strong jaw lined with reddish stubble, a prominent nose and a mop of unruly auburn hair. Gods, she loved him.

He didn't look up when she walked through the door. He was so intent on completing whatever detail it was that he was working on. Astrid wanted to reach out to him and remind him that he needed to sleep, that no matter what, the detail he was working on now probably wouldn't matter in the morning. Weapons needed no adornment.

"Hey," she said quietly, her words lost in the roar of the forge.

His shoulders jumped and she knew he'd heard her. Hiccup glanced over his shoulder, tired eyes glowing with the light of the still-burning forge.

"Astrid," he said softly, "What are you doing here?"

Astrid gave him a barely-there grin. "What are you doing here?"

She moved toward him with deliberate steps, hips swinging and tiny smile on her lips. It could have been years ago; it could have been miles away. Hiccup's eyes focused on her, but only for a distracted second. Then he snapped them back to his work.

"I rebalanced this for you," he said, turning around with her axe in hand.

Astrid's eyes widened in surprise. She reached out automatically, her hand closing around the handle of her axe, instantly shocked by how right it felt in her palm.

"I didn't even know you'd taken it."

Hiccup shrugged. "You've been busy."

With a smirk on her lips, Astrid swung the axe experimentally, testing out the new weight of it. Hiccup watched her with a satisfied grin.

"Your body's changed since Hic was born. Your hips are wider, your centre of gravity has changed," he explained.

Astrid glanced at him and smiled. "Only you would think of this," she sighed.

His smile died. "I want you to be as protected as possible."

Astrid felt the threads of what could become a fight weaving between them. She could tell him off for not trusting her skills. Or, she could accept the thoughtful gift he'd given her. She could have fought with her axe as it had been, but it wouldn't have been nearly as efficient as a well-balanced weapon in her hands. She looked at the axe – the blade polished and gleaming, the metal counterweight catching the light. It was a work of art. Her eyes found Hiccup's.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Hiccup's smile was relieved. She hadn't picked a fight on their last night together. Astrid found she was relieved, too. She didn't want to fight with him. It was the absolute last thing she wanted. She set her axe down on Gobber's workbench and closed the distance between her and Hiccup. Her eyes met his again and she grinned easily. Astrid's hands skimmed the sides of his waist and reached around to untie his apron.

"You're done here, right?" she asked.

Hiccup nodded, watching her.

"Good."

They didn't need to speak the words that they were both thinking. Tonight could be their last night together. Tonight could be all they had left.

Hiccup's eyes broke away from hers when he ducked out of the apron, Astrid tossing it behind her on the table.

"I haven't seen you in that in a while," he said lightly, his fingers skimming the armoured leather strips of her skirt.

Astrid huffed in amusement. "I haven't needed to wear it," she replied, her hands sliding up the front of his tunic, catching the loose ties in her fingers.

They were silent while his hands moved up to her waist, a finger slipping under the hem of her shirt. Her hands explored his shoulders, his neck. He was so real; his skin slick with sweat, his hair damp. Astrid wanted to kiss him. Taste him. Know him. Hiccup's head dropped down as hers reached up, their breaths colliding, hot and moist against her skin. His lips hovered above hers and he closed his eyes with an exhale. When their lips touched, the contact was fleeting and precious, his fingers curving into her back and pulling her against his body. The heat was unbearably arousing and Astrid bit back a whimper. Their lips were barely touching when he spoke.

"I don't want to lose you," he breathed against her lips.

Astrid responded by crashing her lips into his, viciously and without remorse. She pressed her body into his, drank in his heat and the firmness of all those new muscles. Hiccup kissed her back with equal parts desperation and need, his arms curving around her possessively. Their kisses were hard and sloppy, as though something might swoop down at any moment and tear them from each other. With his hands on her hips, Hiccup spun them, lifting Astrid up onto his workbench. Her hands reached behind her, shoving at his tools while she wrapped her thighs around his hips, pressing her heat into his arousal. Groaning at the contact, Astrid reached up and fisted the hair at the back of his head, shoving him into her more tightly. Something metallic clattered to the floor, but the sound was lost in their recklessness.

Hiccup reached down and tugged her left boot off and then her right. Astrid gripped the hem of his tunic and tore it upward, her lips slamming into the hot skin of his collarbone, her fingers gripping the sweat-drenched skin of his neck. Hiccup groaned and reached up her skirt ruthlessly, finding the top of her leggings and wrenching them from her body. His teeth caught her earlobe and pulled, hot lips closing around her skin, causing her fingernails to dig into his shoulders. A noise escaped her lips, urgent and salient, and his mouth was on hers again, his hand snaking up her inner thigh. Astrid's hands struggled with the ties of his pants as Hiccups thumb, rough and unrefined, brushed against the sensitive bud between her legs. She bucked into his hand and shoved his pants down over his hips, gripping the length of him in her hand, pumping with brutish force. Hiccup arched into her, exhaling loudly and breaking their frantic kiss to bite his bottom lip.

The look in his eye was warning and Astrid beamed unconsciously. It hadn't been like this in a long, long time. They hadn't been this savage with one another since before they were married, when things had hung in the balance, when there had been uncertainty and insecurity between them. His hands moved to the bottom of her shirt and she stretched her arms over her head in anticipation. When he pulled her shirt over her head, he stopped at her wrists and wound the fabric around them crudely, pushing her body back against the table by leaning into her. Astrid gasped when their skin touched and she laid back willingly, letting him wrap an arm around her hips and drag her to the edge of the table.

There was a moment, a perfect pause when emerald crashed with cerulean and their own heavy breathing filled their ears, and then he leaned forward and kissed her, pressing his hips forward to meet hers. He rubbed and teased, on but not inside her, and she cried out in frustration. Hiccup laughed, lightly and truly, and the sound made Astrid want him even more. Because she loved him. Because that sound meant everything to her. Because it could be the last time she heard it.

She struggled with her shirt, still wrapped around her outstretched hands, and flung it to the ground. As soon has her fingers were hers again, she gripped his shoulders and pulled her body even tighter to his. Hiccup looked at her, his pupils massive with desire, a ring of brazen green barely visible around them. Astrid didn't have to say a word – he immediately stopped teasing her and adjusted to sink into her body.

Only the initial entry was gentle and slow, every single movement that followed was hard, deliberate, and frantic. Her nails scratched down his back and she was sure she had splinters in the skin of her own back, but what did that matter when death was on the line? Weren't these small prices to pay when the uncertainty of dawn loomed ahead of them?

Astrid gripped the edge of the table in an attempt to feel the full extent of Hiccup's thrusts, her hips responding with their own involuntary bucking. She was close, so close, and her eyes fell shut as she rode the waves of sheer euphoria. Her legs were locked around his hips and every movement brought the rapturous conclusion closer and closer. A final, fervent push into her brought the world crashing down until all she knew was Hiccup and his breathing and the relief.

Hiccup's forehead rested on her shoulder and his breaths came in heavy pants against her sticky skin. Her knees shook when he pulled himself out of her and she suspected that his weren't doing much better given the way he still leaned into her.

Astrid wanted to tell him that everything would be alright. She combed her fingers through his hair, rubbed circles into his back, and stared at the wooden beams that ran across the ceiling of the smithy. She couldn't tell him that everything would be alright. She had no idea. No one could have any idea. This wasn't a predictable war. This wasn't a battle to be scoffed at, or to enter cockily. Death hung in the clouds; Valkyries circled Berk hungrily.

Hiccup rose up on his elbows and regarded her with an impassive face.

"We could die tomorrow," he said. His voice didn't shake with fear; there was no worry.

Astrid nodded her head.

Hiccup nodded and dropped his eyes, but only for a moment. They rose again. "At least if I die, I will have no regrets."

Astrid smiled, just slightly, ignoring the prickle of tears in the corners of her eyes.

"No regrets," she whispered.