I was hoping this chapter would be up before now but life got in the way and this week turned super busy in a very short amount of time - but, I've got a break today.
This "Homecoming" chapter was originally planned as one chapter but them it turned out longer than I thought so I broke it up.
Thank you all for the reviews! I really appreciate it! Thanks for supporting this story!
X
Chapter 19: Homecoming (part 2)
Hiccup woke up that morning to the horrible sound of someone gagging and retching. It was followed by a sickening splatter. It wrenched him from his sleep and triggered his hand to fly to the other side of the bed, which to his alarm, was empty.
"What?" Hiccup asked to the empty blankets. He called, "Astrid?"
He swung his legs onto the floor and pushed the door to the main room open. His heart nearly stopped. Astrid held her head over a bucket and the old woman was kneeling beside her, one hand holding her braid to her shoulder and the other stroking her back, not unlike a mother.
"Are you okay?" Hiccup stuttered over his words as he ran to Astrid's side.
Astrid mumbled something that was drowned out but a disgusted moan, followed by dry heaving.
"What happened?" Hiccup gasped at the woman. Her lack of concern was a bit infuriating. Astrid was sick!
"Oh, it's nothing to fret over, dear," the woman said. She padded Astrid's back. "Most women spend their first months emptying their dinners in the morning. I know I did."
"What?" Hiccup asked.
"It's because I'm pregnant," Astrid spat out, sounding as miserable as she looked.
"Oh," Hiccup said, pretending to understand. She was throwing up because she was pregnant? Wasn't the point to keep the food inside for the baby? He didn't understand but he didn't want any details. The smell was already making his stomach churn unpleasantly.
Hiccup left the hearth for the fresh outside air. Leaf had found a nice bed inside a hay-filled barn but he'd forgotten to inform the farmer. It seemed that they'd both had quite the morning scare. Luckily, Hiccup was relieved to hear, Leaf hadn't instinctively set himself on fire. After greeting the still-happy dragon, Hiccup made his way back to the old woman's house.
Astrid was seating at the table sipping from a steaming mug.
"Feeling better?" Hiccup asked as he joined her.
"Not really." Astrid groaned. "I didn't think I was far enough long for the puking."
"Does that mean something?"
"I don't know. Mildred said it varied woman to woman. Her daughter apparently threw up before she even knew she was pregnant."
"Mildred?"
"The woman who lives here." Astrid turned to glare at him. "Did you honestly not know her name?"
Hiccup didn't respond at first. Astrid narrowed her glare and he shrugged. "No."
"It's fine. Now you know." Astrid said as she took another sip.
"What is that stuff?" Hiccup asked, looking at the brew between her hands. It smelled like crushed flowers and…something else he didn't know.
"It's supposed to help with the nausea."
"Has it?"
"Not really." Astrid shook her head lightly, and then laid it down on the table.
So much for flying home that day. Although, he still needed to make a saddle and there was a lot more he could teach the villagers before they left.
"Are you making your wife travel when she's with child?" Mildred came through a door at the top of the stairs and at the sight of Hiccup she rested her hands on her hips and settled into a matronly glare.
"Uh…yes, I guess, b-but it wasn't planned that way," Hiccup stammered in his defense. Technically, he'd only known about the baby for a little less than a week. It was still new and terrifying.
"Well, I would certainly hope not." Mildred said as she began to descend the stairs. She limped on her left foot but it didn't slow her down. "It's not good for a woman to be out gallivanting the world while there's a child at stake. She should stay on solid ground until she's born."
"She?" Hiccup immediately asked. "How do you know it's a girl?"
"Oh, it's just something I know." the old woman smiled.
Hiccup felt something in his chest kick as he imagined a miniature Ruffnut trying to set something on fire. Astrid, as if reading his fearful thoughts, smiled at him.
While Astrid rested, Hiccup spent the rest of the day teaching the villagers about the Monstrous Nightmare, adding notes about other common species, and making a saddle. The town's blacksmith wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of someone else using his forge but he made the exception at the interest of the villagers.
The saddle didn't take long to make. He had gotten remarkably fast compared to the first saddle that he'd made for Toothless. It wasn't overly complicated or fancy. They only needed something to get them to Berk. The bulky blacksmith didn't speak as Hiccup worked and later, a villager had told him that silence was his equivalent to a compliment.
The villagers watched as he fastened the saddle to Leaf. Whispers of disbelief followed him as he mounted. Gasps cried out as he shot into the air. By the time the sun was touching the western waters, Hiccup was sure that Leaf was ready for the journey, or at least capable of making it.
That evening Hiccup returned to the old woman's house to the delicious smell of roasting boar. Astrid was sitting at the table, fresh tea in her hands, talking with Mildred. The trader sat with them looking board, and as hiccup entered the house, he understood why. Mildred and Astrid were talking about pregnancy. Thankfully, they stopped at the sight of Hiccup.
"How'd it go?" Astrid asked.
"Good. I think. How did what go?" Hiccup asked as he sat down beside her.
"Today, the teaching, Leaf, you know." Astrid said. The spirit had returned somewhat to her voice and her face was less of a green color.
"Oh, right," Hiccup said. As the Mildred served the food, Hiccup told Astrid about the day's events. "And I think he'll be ready to go by tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Astrid asked. "That's soon."
"Yes, the sooner the better." Hiccup nodded. He noted the hint of discomfort. "Why?"
"That's just really soon. I mean, our dragons took a couple weeks to get rid of the wild side." Astrid said. "I don't want to get to some island and then Leaf wander off during the night and leave us stranded."
"That's a good point," Mildred added.
"But," Hiccup said, "We need to get home."
"It doesn't matter how soon we leave if our ride decides to fly away," Astrid smiled.
"Fine," Hiccup nodded. "We'll stay another day to train. But then we'll go, the next day after."
Astrid nodded. "Okay. Besides, we need time to gather supplies."
X
That next morning brought a light fog to the village. The sky was clear and the wind was low. It would have been a perfect day to fly home. But according to the village elder a storm was fast approaching. Hiccup was doubtful and after a few laps around the island he decided that Astrid had been right about Leaf. Although, he knew that part of it was the inherent Monstrous Nightmare stubbornness.
Hiccup was forced to land when a sudden storm hammered the island, wind and rain battering his as he retired to Mildred's home. Leaf ran back to the farmer's barn. Thick dark clouds were rolling overhead and lightning was flashing dangerously close. He went into the bedroom he and Astrid were sharing to find her already curled in the blanket. She'd left the candle burning on the beside table.
He washed up and took off his soaked shirt. He laid it on the floor to dry. He tiptoed to the bed and blew out the candle before lying down.
"What's wrong?" Astrid asked.
"Nothing," Hiccup said. He thought she'd been asleep. "It was just a long day. And I'd hoped to be closer to home by now."
"We'll get there, Hiccup. Don't worry." Astrid said as thunder shook the house.
"Yeah, and what if by the time we get there you look like you're hiding a dragon egg under your shirt?"
Astrid sighed, "Then everyone will know. Don't worry about it, Hiccup. Everything will be fine."
"How do you know?"
"I don't."
"But you said-"
"I know, Hiccup. But whatever happens is going to happen. There's nothing we can accomplish by worrying over it." Astrid said, resting a hand on his chest. "Where's your shirt?"
"It got rained on." Hiccup said. It didn't make him worry any less. "How did the supply-gathering go?"
"Really good, actually. Apparently being pregnant has its advantages." Astrid said. "We've got enough food for four people and enough of Mildred's tea to last a month."
"That's good." Hiccup sighed. "We'll be prepared to leave as soon as the soon lets up."
"Yeah," Astrid said. She scooted closer to him.
X
The storm had blown over by morning and left the village with still puddles that reflected the brilliant blue sky. Leaf was used to the saddle and eager to get into the skies with his new riders. He was a little disinterested with the mildly heavy saddlebags but he didn't resist them.
It seemed that most of the village had turned up to wave their farewells to Hiccup and Astrid. The dragon raced toward the sky and Hiccup had to hold on with both hands. Astrid was clinging to his waist. Once the ocean was far below Leaf leveled out and they were able to relax. Hiccup released his white-knuckled grip and Astrid rested her chin on his shoulder.
"We haven't flown like this in awhile," Astrid said.
"Like what?"
"Together." Astrid said. "I kind of miss it."
"Yeah, me too." Hiccup said. "Although, we might have to upgrade to a family-sized saddle once there's three of us."
Astrid laughed against his shoulder.
X
The first night, Hiccup hadn't been able to sleep. They'd stumbled upon a small grouping of islands and found a bluff. They made camp underneath it and Leaf ran about, exploring the new land, and against Hiccup's fear, he returned to them hourly, as if checking to make sure they were still there.
The second night, Hiccup had been sure he would sleep like a rock. He was exhausted from two straight days of flying and lack of sleep. Instead, he stared up at the night sky as Astrid slumbered next to him. Leaf snored on his back and twisted in his sleep. The following morning Hiccup was shaken from his light sleep by the horrid sounds of retching.
Sitting up quickly he saw Astrid, doubled over, kneeling several feet away from him. She was holding her hair with one hand and her stomach with the other. He scrambled through their supplies to make her some tea. It took some time, but within an hour they were up in the air. Astrid slumped against him and laced her arms around him loosely.
Their journey was spent like this, flying during the day and taking refuge on sparse islands. Astrid's temperament came and went with her stomach's fluctuations. By the time they were a week's worth away from Leaf's village she was throwing up her dinner every morning.
"You know, even when we get home, this throwing up thing is going to be really obvious." Hiccup said that night as they camped.
"Yeah," Astrid nodded. "But my mom will be the only one who sees me throwing up and she already knows. So unless she or you tell someone, it'll stay a secret."
"I won't say anything," Hiccup said. "Unless it's to my dad. We're still telling him, aren't we?"
"We have to." Astrid nodded. "If we didn't and then we want to get married as soon as possible, he'd figure it out."
Hiccup nodded. She was right.
In the morning they were off again, after Astrid's daily stomach-emptying and cup of tea.
X
Astrid finally talked Hiccup into letting her fly while he slept. It wasn't but a few minutes before he was snoring against her shoulder. She knew he hadn't been sleeping well. He was more irritable and his breaths at night were shallow and uneven.
She hadn't gotten the chance to talk to him about his experience with death. It was strange to think that they'd both been dead and brought back. What were the odds? Extremely high, for sure, maybe even impossible. Of course, it wasn't impossible. They'd proven that.
Hiccup let out a groan and she felt his hands twitch. Sighing, she thought of the little spirit in her stomach. She was hoping for a hiccup, just like his father. Well, maybe not exactly like him, but similar. Mildred had told her about childbirth. Her son had been a nine pound baby. Her daughter had been eight. Her grandson had been eleven pounds.
The prospect of pushing an eleven pound wad of flesh and bone out of her body was terrifying. Her knees winced just thinking about it. Mildred had also said that big babies run in families. Astrid's first though had been of Stoick, who must much have been a large baby. But Astrid comforted herself in knowing that Hiccup hadn't been. He'd been small.
Astrid breathed in the cold air. How long had they been flying? At least a week. She'd stopped counting. She'd slept through most of the journey with Johan. She kept her eyes on the horizon, looking for anything familiar, anxiously waiting for the spec that she knew as Berk to crop up on along the water's edge. She didn't want to spend another night sleeping on the ground.
The sun was on its downward descent and Astrid was on the lookout for a place to make camp. Hiccup had slept on and off throughout the day and she knew he wouldn't sleep that night. But they couldn't just keep flying. Leaf needed rest, too.
At last a piece of land jutted up along the horizon. The sun was falling fast and would meet the water before they could get there. The sky was golden and bright but fading into blue and purples and sparking stars. Astrid pushed Leaf to fly faster but he gave a tired snort.
"Wait," Astrid said as the island came into a better view. The light was nearly gone but she knew that island. "Hiccup!"
"What?" Hiccup's voice trailed as his head shot up from her shoulder.
"It's Dragon Island!" Astrid said, pointing below.
"What?" Hiccup said in disbelief, and as he looked over her shoulder he gasped. "Is it."
"Should we land?" Astrid asked more to Leaf than to Hiccup.
"No, we're close. We should keep going." Hiccup, now fully awake, pointed toward Berk.
"Leaf is tired, Hiccup." Astrid said. She was too.
"I know, but it's not that far. We can make it." Hiccup said, hands on her shoulders. "Please, Astrid."
"Don't ask me, I'm not hauling us around." Astrid said.
Hiccup leaned over the saddle and patted Leaf's side. "What do you say, Leaf? Just a while more? Then you can sleep for a week if you want."
Leaf gave a reassuring grunt.
"Alright," Astrid nodded. She steered Leaf toward Berk.
X
Stoick had just laid down for the night when he heard the unceremonious thud of a dragon landing right outside of his house. He groaned, and threw his feet back onto the floor to reprimand whoever disturbed his evening. The village should be asleep by now. He thundered to the door and threw it open, only to find that the someone on the other side had reached out to do the same.
Hiccup.
Hiccup.
His son was standing on the other side of the door. No, that wasn't right. Hiccup was dead. He had been killed during the Berserker attack. This imposter on his doorstep was looking back at him, with the same large and expectant green eyes, the same scruffy hair, and woman that looked identical to Astrid.
"H-" Stoick was cut off by a bounding Night Fury that had thundered down the stairs to tackle this imposter.
Toothless jumped and warbled and smiled and couldn't be still. He was dancing between the imposter and the woman and the light green dragon that lie behind them.
"I'm glad to see you, too, Bud. But stop it! You know that doesn't wash out!
"Hiccup?" Stoick stammered. Could it be true?
The imposter looked from the dragon to Stoick, a seriousness and a nod returning his question. "Sorry if we woke you up, Dad. We wanted to get home."
Dad. Stoick laughed, he couldn't stop from smiling. He reached out and grasped his son and pulled him into a tight embrace. He sobbed onto his son's hair.
"Dad! Dad!" Hiccup said, his voice muffled.
Feeling a tiny bit foolish, Stoick released his son. He couldn't believe it. His son, Hiccup, who he'd believed dead, was standing in his doorway. Of course, he had thought the same of Astrid and she, too, returned one day.
"I'm sorry, Son, I just didn't think I'd see you again." Stoick sniffed, refusing to cry even though he knew that he could. He ushered Hiccup and Astrid into the house, "Come in, tell me everything had happened."
X
Toothless had restarted the hearth fire as the three of them sat around the table. Hiccup told the story of his crash landing, his possession by Richard, and explained the abnormal Berserker fleet.
"I knew there was something off about it." Stoick had slammed his fist in to the table.
From this point Hiccup and Astrid took turns adding to the story. Stoick sat in silence, mostly, listening to their adventure. Toothless sat protectively close to Hiccup, looking up at him occasionally, refusing to let him out of his sight. As their story came to a close nearly an hour had passed.
"And you are back?" Stoick asked.
"Yes." Hiccup nodded.
"This is wonderful news." Stoick said, leaning back and clapping his hands together. He jumped up and paced between the stairs and the door. "Tomorrow we'll throw the biggest celebration that Berk has ever seen! I can't wait to announce your homecoming!"
"Wait, Stoick," Astrid said, halting him in his excitement. She had stood up, holding her hand out as if to stop him.
"What is it, Astrid? What could be more important that celebrating my son's return?" Stoick asked. He was answered with an apprehensive glance shared between Astrid and Hiccup. It raised a flag of caution and he stepped closer to the table. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
"No, no, not really." Hiccup said quickly. "It's not…wrong…but it's just something that you need to know."
Stoick came back to the table. He sat down and looked between them. His nerves tightened as Hiccup reached for Astrid's hand. He sighed, "What is it?"
"Stoick," Astrid said, calm but nervous.
"Dad," Hiccup added, "Astrid's pregnant."
Astrid inhaled, keeping her eyes on Stoick. He passed his glare between them. This wasn't a joke. Pregnancy wasn't a light subject, especially when the girl is unmarried and the boy is the Chief's son. He sighed. His eyes settled on Astrid.
"You're with child?" Stoick asked.
"Yes, Chief."
Stoick sighed, "Might as well start calling me 'dad,' Astrid. Does Ingrid know?"
"Yes." Astrid nodded.
"Well, this does change things. We'll announce your engagement in the morning, and give the village another reason to celebrate. We'll start planning the wedding immediately."
"We've actually been engaged for about a year." Hiccup added in, quick.
"What?" Stoick snapped.
Hiccup jumped, "We didn't want to be pressure into marriage so…we kind of kept it a secret."
Stoick glared at his son. He was right, though. If he had known that the two of them had been that close, he would have forced them into a marriage. In part, he understood, but he was still frustrated. If they would have been honest from the beginning a rushed wedding would have be avoided.
"Nevertheless, tomorrow will be filled with celebrating. Starting first thing in the morning. I'm going to bed and I suggest the two of you do the same. Ingrid will be thrilled to know that you've come home." Stoick stood, aiming this last comment at Astrid.
She nodded. "Yes, Chief."
"Dad, Astrid."
"Yes…Dad."
X
Astrid tiptoed home after ensuring Hiccup that she was quite capable. Besides, Toothless had been eager to fly with his rider. He'd been grounded since the Berserker attack. The two of them took off into the night while Astrid felt a surge of joy when he came upon Stormfly resting in her stable.
She didn't need to wake her. Stormfly lazily opened one eye and at the sight of her rider, her spiked crown perked and her eyes snapped open, a warble escaping.
"Hi, girl!" Astrid came into the stable to prevent Stormfly from making any unnecessary noise. She wrapped her arms around her nose and Stormfly nuzzled her torso. "I missed you, too!"
She sat in the stable until she convinced Stormfly to go back to sleep. She promised they'd go flying that morning. She tiptoed to the front door of her house and took a breath before she entered. The hearth was dark and the house was quiet.
She took a few steps inside when Ingrid's voice startled her, "I thought I heard someone." Ingrid stood in the doorway to her room. "I bet that dragon was glad to see you. She's been moping around since you left. Speaking of, are you feeling better?"
Astrid smiled, "Yes, I am. And she was. And I will tell you all about it in the morning, I promise."
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll be retelling it enough times tomorrow as it is." Ingrid said. "Did you fix whatever it was that was broken?"
"Yes."
"Are you better?"
"Yes."
"Good. That's all the matters." Ingrid nodded. She turned to go back into her room.
"Wait, you should know that Hiccup's alive." Astrid said.
Ingrid paused and turned back to her. "He's alive? Surely there's something unnatural about the both of you. All thing coming back from the dead business."
"And, we're announcing our engagement tomorrow." Astrid said.
"Good, the sooner the better. Does Stoick know?"
"Yes. We told him first thing.' Astrid nodded. Then she furrowed brow at her aunt, "You didn't tell me that I'd be throwing up every day."
Ingrid smiled. "So the baby's fine?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"
"Well, most babies are lost before then. It's just a risk of life. I'm glad for you. And Hiccup." Ingrid nodded. "But we both need sleep. Goodnight, Astrid."
"Goodnight."
X
Berk woke to the great news, sending cheers from household to household, to let everyone know that Hiccup had come home. The Great Hall was packed with curious Vikings as food and drink was passed around. The tale was retold, leaving out a few need-to-know facts and events, to a story-hungry crowd.
Stoick hushed the hall and in his booming voice that shook the heavy doors, announced the engagement of his son and Astrid. The response was cheerful, aided with ale and mead, but it was no surprise. A few in the crowd even shouted, "About time!"
The day wound down and a few Vikings were already laying about the Great Hall's floor. Hiccup's hand and shoulder hurt from shaking hands with every Viking and getting a congratulatory slap on the shoulder. He made his way back to the house that night feeling more exhausted than he had in weeks. He collapsed in to his bed with his father's voice trailing up the stairs behind him, "We start planning first thing in the morning!"
Hiccup laughed into his pillow. He rolled onto his back as Toothless nosed his side.
"Yeah, I know, Bud." Hiccup patted his nose. "I'm tired, we can fly tomorrow. It sounds like I'll be hiding from Dad most of the day."
Toothless warbled in response. He padded over to his rock-bed and curled into a circle.
Hiccup sighed. A wedding. A baby. Everything was going be different. But was that a bad thing? He didn't know. He wouldn't mind Astrid living with him. It would be nice to fall asleep next to her and wake up beside her. But beyond that he wasn't sure what to do.
He'd figure it out, he could hear Astrid say. Everything would work out.
He tried to believe those words. He wanted to. But he knew something about marriage. He'd never seen his parents together. It had always just been his father. Snotlout's parents fought all the time. The twins' parents were half insane. The entire prospect was intimidating.
He fell asleep to worried thoughts, of mixed dreams of whimsical weddings in the sky and arguing parents, and he was half glad when his father's voice thundered through them to wake him. He rolled over in his bed to find Toothless looking expectantly at him while his father's heavy footsteps creaked up the stairs.
"Come on, Bud," Hiccup said.
Toothless rushed to the bedside and Hiccup jumped onto the saddle. He clicked his foot into the foot pedal as soon as Stoick appeared at the top of the stairs. He was yelling his son's name as the dragon shot through the window.
X - The End - X
That's it! I've got an epilogue planned and since this chapter ended up being longer than I thought I'll update it on its own. And don't worry, I won't require a certain number of reviews to do so.
And I hope no one is expecting a wedding chapter…that would require some research into Viking weddings. And…I'm not going to lie, that sounds like a lot of extra work. I know, I'm taking the lazy route.
Thank you all so much for supporting this story! I greatly appreciate your reviews and your comments! It means a ton! Thanks again! You guys are awesome! Really - seeing new reviews reinforced that the story is liked and read. Thank you!