Chapter 8

Last chapter of the movie arc! (But not the story!)

There was a celebration on Berk that night.

Thanks to the dragons, everyone had made it home safely, some of them with only a few scrapes and light burns from the fight. Nothing the healers couldn't handle.

It hadn't been smooth sailing from the start - the storm clouds were still prevalent, and the only route to Berk was straight through them. It was a rocky journey, but in the end everyone had made it back home in one piece.

It all seemed so surreal to Hiccup. Just walking around the village was mind-blowing. Here was Snotlout riding the Monstrous Nightmare, whooping with laughter at every turn. Over there was a small flock of Deadly Nadders perched on the roof of the Hofferson house. And in the middle of it all, the central torches had been lowered to provide a massive seafood bonfire buffet for hungry dragons of all shapes and sizes.

Every person Hiccup passed gave him a pat on the back to express their thanks. He was a hero. He didn't mess everything up. He had to pinch himself several times to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Or was he in Valhalla?

It was almost too much for him to handle.

A large shadow fell over him, and he knew it was his father.

"You alright, son?"

"I'm fine, Dad," Hiccup said. "Just tired, that's all."

That wasn't technically a lie. He was feeling fairly exhausted from all the excitement that had happened that day (had it really only been one day?).

"This celebration is for you, Hiccup," Stoick said. He laid a gentle hand on his son's shoulder. "You and your Night Furies. You saved all of us. The least we owe you is our gratitude."

"I know," replied the much smaller of the two. "I'm just...I can't believe this is actually happening right now."

He spotted Toothless among the crowd, mingling with Starstreak. The lead Night Fury's eyes scanned his surroundings, and he found his beloved rider. Toothless's head perked right up at the sight, and he bounded over to greet Hiccup. About halfway there, though, he stopped and looked back at Starstreak, who hadn't moved. He called out to her, and she followed.

It was obvious that the two Night Furies liked each other very much. Hiccup couldn't help wondering if they were mates.

"They are quite magnificent," Stoick confessed in reference to the ebony dragons.

Hiccup could only nod in agreement.

Toothless approached the chief warily, his head low and his muscles tense. He wasn't sure what to think of this man who had tried to hurt him, the other Night Furies, and, most importantly, Hiccup. When Stoick reached his hand out to touch him, Toothless snarled in warning.

Not wanting to see the two get in a fight, Hiccup quickly placed himself between his father and his best friend. "It's okay, bud," he said soothingly. "He's not gonna hurt you."

Toothless calmed down a little. He knew he could trust his human.

Hiccup then addressed his father. "You gotta let him come to you, Dad. It's all about trust." He carefully sidestepped out of the way and watched anxiously.

Toothless took a long time to act. He just stared at the chief's outstretched hand, as if wondering whether or not to bite it off. Finally, he sighed and pushed his head against Stoick's hand.

"Thank you," the chief said earnestly, "for looking out for my son."

Toothless crooned, as if to say, "You're welcome."

Hiccup was practically on cloud nine at that point. Here was his father, the most stubborn Viking in Berk history, petting a Night Fury, the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. He couldn't believe it.

Neither could his father. "Odin's beard," Stoick laughed. "Never would have imagined I'd be petting a dragon."

Toothless pulled his head back and snorted at the chief.

Hiccup stumbled, feeling faint. This had to be a dream, right? If it was a dream, it was the most realistic one he'd had.

"Are you sure you're okay, Hiccup?" Stoick asked.

"Yeah, Dad," Hiccup said assuringly. Maybe a flight around the island would help clear his head a little. "I'm just gonna go get some air." He pulled himself up onto Toothless's back, and they shot up into the sky.

For once, the rest of the Night Fury pack didn't follow. Maybe they were busy with other things, or maybe they sensed that their leader and his rider needed to be alone for a little while. Whatever the reason, it was quite refreshing to not be shadowed by anyone else for a change.

Toothless's silhouette was briefly outlined in the light of the torches, and the Vikings cheered for him and Hiccup as they passed. Then, as soon as anyone could blink, they'd vanished into the dark sky.

Hiccup allowed his mind to wander, now that he and Toothless were alone. The thought of the Red Death made him feel rather queasy. He could still feel the heat from the explosion that had destroyed the queen.

The first Viking in three hundred years who wouldn't kill a dragon, and yet that was exactly what he'd just done.

It helped to think of the Red Death as a monster rather than a dragon. In his mind, that's what she'd been - a horrible, unfathomable, tyrannical beast that was far beyond the point of redemption. There was no other choice; she had to have been killed.

It was the only way he could've saved everyone.

He knew better than anyone that he could have died in that fight. He was lucky to have made it out in one piece, and he had Toothless to thank for it.

After completing a lap around the entire island, the rider-and-Night-Fury duo landed on a bluff that overlooked the village. Hiccup wasn't quite ready to head back yet. He still needed time to think.

The second Hiccup had dismounted the Night Fury, there was a squawking sound. Both he and Toothless looked up to see the Deadly Nadder from the arena flying up to join them, a familiar blonde girl on her back.

"Astrid," Hiccup greeted. "What brings you up here?"

As soon as the Nadder's talons touched down on the bluff, the shieldmaiden slid off of the bird-like dragon's back. "Getting away from it all," she replied. "Just like you are." She gave the Nadder a pat on the nose, and it cawed in response.

"How'd you know that's what I was doing?" he asked.

"Because that's exactly what I would do," Astrid said, smiling.

Hiccup opened his mouth to retort, but came up empty. After a minute of thinking, he finally conceded, "Yeah, okay, fair enough."

He sat down, legs dangling over the edge of the bluff, and Astrid joined him without any prompting whatsoever. They both gazed out at the village, where Vikings and dragons were mingling together like old friends. Behind them, Toothless and the Nadder curled up next to each other, both of them watching their riders curiously.

"Look at all of that," Astrid breathed in amused disbelief. "I barely recognize the village."

"Me neither," Hiccup admitted. He slid the tiniest bit closer to her, not caring whether or not she noticed.

It seemed she had, because she copied his action. "And we have you to thank for it," she said.

"It wasn't just me," said Hiccup. "I couldn't have done any of this without you, Astrid. So..." - he blushed - "thank you." He braved a glance at her, and his heart leapt when he saw her smiling at him.

Her smile quickly faded, however, and she averted her eyes, looking everywhere but at him. "I've actually been meaning to talk to you," she confessed.

"What about?" he asked.

"Well," Astrid started, sounding nervous, which was quite unlike her. "I've been thinking about what you said. Back in the arena, before the fight at the dragons' nest."

"Oh," Hiccup chuckled nervously. "Yeah, uh, about that, I...I'm sorry if I came on too strong or anything. It's just...well...we could've died today, and I just couldn't stand the thought of either of us...if you..."

If she'd died without knowing how he felt. He didn't have to say that; she already knew.

Astrid moved a little closer and gently grasped his hand, willing herself to look at him. "It's okay, Hiccup. I know."

Hiccup could only stare at her in shock.

She took it as a cue to keep talking. "Last night, when you took me flying on Toothless, you showed me something I never would have imagined. And in the arena, earlier today, you were just so kind and thoughtful, the way you helped me with Stormfly -"

"Stormfly?" he echoed.

"That's what I named her," Astrid said, gesturing to the Nadder. "She flew right through that storm like it was nothing. It seemed fitting to me."

"Brave and fierce," Hiccup said. "Just like you." He smiled. "I like it. I like - love that you're brave and fierce."

Now it was her turn to blush. No one had ever complimented her personality before; the only acclaims she ever got from the opposite gender were appearance-related.

Hiccup was different. In a good way, of course. There was no point in denying that.

"Thanks," she said earnestly. "Anyway, I..." She stuttered again, just like the other night, in the cove, when she'd kissed his cheek. "Ever since last night, I've seen a whole new side of you. I realized I'd been wrong about you, in more ways than one, and I'm really sorry for that. During your final exam this morning, you had the chance to gain everything you dreamed of having, and to see you give it all up for Toothless and the Night Furies...that was the bravest thing I've ever seen you do. And at the dragons' nest, you risked your life to save all of us, Vikings and dragons. After everything we did and said to you, you still fought for us. That whole time you were fighting the dragon queen, I...I was terrified for you. Because I -"

"Astrid," Hiccup cut in, knowing full well where she was trying to go with this. "I told you that I love you because that's how I feel. You don't have to say it if you don't mean it."

Astrid stared, dumbstruck, for about a minute. Even now, after everything Hiccup had been through - after everything they had all been through - he was still thinking of her feelings before his own. If she didn't feel for him the way he felt for her, then he wasn't going to force her to say it. Even if it meant he'd never hear her say it at all.

"Well," she said, leaning in until their faces were inches apart, "what if I do mean it?"

Her question knocked poor Hiccup for a loop. If he was being honest, he never would have thought that Astrid Hofferson, the strongest and most talented shieldmaiden in possibly the entire history of Berk, would ever love him back.

"D-do you?" he managed to choke out.

His stuttering made Astrid smile. She was pretty sure he already knew what her answer would be.

Neither was sure who initiated it this time - him or her, or maybe both - but they weren't complaining. Their second kiss was more fulfilling than the first - tender yet heartfelt, soft yet passionate, and, perhaps most importantly, it was loving. It lasted longer than either of them had intended; they were both reluctant to pull away. Eventually, though, the need for air became too great for them to ignore, and they parted with a light smacking sound.

Hiccup was so overwhelmed with emotion, the only thing he could say was a heartfelt, "I love you."

This time, Astrid smiled at his confession. "I love you, too," she said, softly.

They stayed there for a long while, reveling in each other's proximity, and the whole time their dragons watched the two with a combination of tenderness and amusement.

When they finally returned to the village, walking hand in hand, the Vikings of Berk had another reason to celebrate.

This is Berk.

It snows nine months of the year, and hails the other three. The food that grows here is tough and tasteless. The people that grow here are even more so.

The only upsides are the pets.

While other places have ponies, or parrots, we have...

...Dragons.

Video game arc, here we come!

Regarding Hiccup and Astrid's relationship, Dean DeBlois has stated that they had been romantically involved since the ending of the first film (reinforced by their interactions in Gift of the Night Fury and the Art Book for the sequel), but, for some reason, their relationship "officially" started in Race to the Edge's Season 4 episode "Blindsided".

If dogs are man's best friend and diamonds are a girl's best friend, then I say "consistency is a writer's best friend". Anyone who agrees is free to drop a review at any time.