It had been a few days since Eret had gone undercover in Drago's army and it had been exactly a month since Bertha had been killed by Drago and his army. Camacazi still didn't speak to anyone and hardly left her house anymore. Since her mother's funeral, she had moved back to Bog Island to lead them, she had become thinner and had dark circles under her eyes, she looked pale and tired. It was no secret that the daughter and mother had a close bond, but to see her like this broke her friend's heart.
Hiccup and Astrid were now flying towards a strait where their men had spotted Drago's ships. That was when he felt it Hiccup didn't realize the arrow heading straight for him until he felt a splitting, blinding pain in his side. It was blinding; when he opened his eyes, it appeared a white, blurry landscape of nothingness.
"HICCUP!" Astrid screamed. She could not lose her new husband too not after Bertha had died only a few weeks ago. Hiccup opened his eyes again, blinking repeatedly to relieve himself of the fuzzy, spinny images that flashed before his eyes. When he finally saw what was happening, he realized that he and Toothless were plummeting straight for the ocean. It was coming up close... too close. Hiccup yanked on Toothless' saddle, practically jamming his prosthetic unceremoniously into the foot petal. It must have slipped out between the time Hiccup was shot by the arrow and now. They just barely missed the ocean. Toothless skimming the water ever so slightly. Hiccup yanked again, and Toothless got the hint. He soared upwards, back into the clouds. "HICCUP!" Astrid shouted again. "Are you okay?". "FINE!" said Hiccup. "Yeah, just an arrow in my side... I've had worse!" He cringed. "NOT funny!" said Astrid. She didn't like to be reminded of past experiences. "We have to land!". "Where!?" said Hiccup. "Oh, wait a minute, have an idea! Let's go back and see if those dragon flyers want to offer us a room! Where else do we go, Astrid!? There is nowhere else!". "Stop talking!" said Astrid. "Just stop talking! You're only making it ... Hiccup! " She was about to point out the fact that talking would just make his heart pump faster, causing him to lose more blood from the wound, but apparently, it was too late to warn him. He fell sideways over Toothless, unconscious. Toothless shrieked, not because he could no longer fly, but because his rider was free falling without consciousness. Toothless roared. "Stormfly, fetch!" said Astrid. Stormfly did as she was told, grabbing Hiccup by the ankle just before he slammed into the ocean. Toothless crashed into the sea, grabbing onto a chunk of ice to keep him afloat. Astrid felt awful for leaving the dragon, but Stormfly couldn't carry him, and Hiccup needed some sort of medical attention.
Astrid had to find a place to land. Fast. "Just... stay alive!" she shouted. "I'll be back!". Then, she turned and headed off in the opposite direction. Astrid felt horrible for leaving Toothless, but really, she didn't have much of a choice. It was to leave Toothless to find land or try to think up a plan of saving him while Hiccup bled to death in her arms. Still, though, she felt awful for leaving him. And then, out in the distance, Astrid saw something that looked almost like a lion's mane... only it was made out of ice. Sharp, solid ice shot up in every direction. The ice mountain was located solidly on an island, not looking like it would either melt or collapse at any given moment.
Astrid breathed a breath of relief. A place to land. Good. Hopefully, if anyone lived there, they wouldn't have a problem. But that was crazy. No one would live there. Or, at least Astrid hoped they wouldn't. She quickly landed Stormfly in front of the structure and then dismounted, pulling Hiccup with her. He was half-conscious, just barely aware enough to stay on his feet if Astrid supported his weight, but he didn't look good. She knew she had to do something. Fast. But what? "Help!" she shouted, hoping something or someone would hear her. Part of her was worried if dragon trappers lived there, that they would just be captured, but the other part was screaming that if she didn't try. Hiccup would die. "Anyone!" Suddenly, a dragon dropped out of the sky, landing a few feet in front of Astrid. Astrid tightened her grip around him as she watched a figure dismount . . . Wait. Dismount? Were there other dragon riders?
She watched with bated breath as the figure slowly stepped towards them. He or she was wearing a horned mask, so any facial expressions were hidden; any features were unexposed. From what Astrid saw of the clothes he or she wore in the bad lighting, she learned that it was a skirt, made from different types of animal skins, or something like that. "Who are you?" Astrid asked, not letting her voice betray any emotion.
Valka looked at the two figures in front of her, and then at the dragon behind the two young-looking people. One of them was a girl, wearing a spiked skirt with blue leggings and a red shirt. Her hair was blonde, braided to the side. The other was a boy, clad in light leather armour, with short auburn hair from what Valka could tell in the bad lighting, half-closed eyes, and nothing else distinguishable. She did notice, however, he was missing a leg, which was replaced with a metal prosthetic that sparkled slightly against the slight moonlight. She also realized that he had an arrow sticking out of his side. Her instinct would be to treat the wound, whether he was a friend or foe, but if he was working for Drago, she couldn't help either one of them. She would have to take them prisoner, or... or worse. The dragon behind them was a Light Fury, Valka noticed easily. One of the rarer dragons. But who were these two people? They certainly didn't look like trappers, but Valka wasn't taking any chances.
"You know what? I don't care," the girl said. "You could be a flyer, you could be a no one ... someone just marooned here for some odd reason... but my friend needs help. We were ambushed by Drago's flyers," the blonde girl continued. "And. . .my friend here was shot." For some reason, she wasn't using names. Probably because she didn't want to give away information.
"Astrid..." Hiccup whispered, "I might pass out."
So that was the girl's name? Astrid. For some reason, that name sounded slightly familiar to Valka, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "I know. Hiccup" said the girl. "Hiccup?" Valka repeated, almost in awe. Was this him? Hiccup? "No. It's not possible." "What's not possible?" Astrid snapped, clearly irritated. And the lighting changed just enough for Valka to see a small scar on his chin. That was it. This was Hiccup. That scar Cloudjumper had given Hiccup on accident, the day Valka had been abducted by dragons. She was awed but didn't have much time to be amazed. That was enough for Valka. This was Hiccup. This was her son, whom she had not seen for twenty years. Valka took off her helmet, tossed it to the ground and ran forward instantly, falling to her knees in front of Astrid and Hiccup. Astrid shot her a glare, hugging Hiccup tighter. Valka didn't blame her, it was obvious she and Hiccup were close by the way Astrid had been being so protective over him. "I want to help," said Valka, sounding probably more pathetic than she had intended to. Astrid was unbelievably gentle as she laid Hiccup down on the ground in front of her, making sure her axe was close enough to Valka so it reminded her of the constant threat. Valka paid no heed to it, though, at that time.
"We have to take him in if I'm going to remove the arrow," said Valka. Astrid looked at her, hesitantly nodding."Come, " said Valka, rising to a stand. Her son wouldn't be alive for much longer unless she did something about that arrow wound. "I can take him on my dragon ...". "No way, " said Astrid. "Follow me," Valka quickly ordered. Without waiting for a response, she turned Cloud Jumper and then headed for the entrance to the ice cave. Astrid had no choice but to follow, keeping one arm around Hiccup, making sure she didn't touch anywhere near the narrowed area, her other hand wrapped firmly around her axe handle. Cloud Jumper turned and headed inside Valka's cave, where they landed and allowed her to dismount. "Come on, bring him over here, " said Valka as if reading her thoughts, gesturing to her makeshift bed. Astrid stumbled over, clutching Hiccup as tight as she dared, not wanting to hurt him further. She put him down carefully on his back, making sure he didn't lie in a way that would cause him more pain. Valka quickly ran to the back of the cave, gathering herbs and long, slightly thick fabrics that would work as bandages. Years of dragon attacks had taught her what to do should an accident occur.
After removing the arrow, Valka herself was bandaging the wound. She had about a million questions. And then there was that Night Fury the dragons brought back sitting at the back of her mind. Astrid had her dragon. Did that mean that Berk had changed? Or had Hiccup and Astrid left without anyone knowing? And then the shoulder pad on Hiccup's armour was the same that matched the prosthetic on the Night Fury's tail. Was that his dragon? Valka had never actually seen one up close before, and when her dragons brought that last one back, she wasn't able to examine it very much. It was snarling, and she wasn't able to train it. If Hiccup was its master, then that would explain why. And how did Hiccup lose his leg? That was one of the biggest questions Valka had.
Soon she revealed who she truly was to the couple after she explained why she never had come back to Berk. Hiccup was in a state of complete shock for the first few minutes. He then explained what had happened to Berk over the last nineteen years, how he had trained dragons and married the love of his life to even told her how he was constantly bullied. She in turn showed them the nest, the Bewilderbeast. She was angry at how Stoick had taken care of her son and proud of the man her son had become. After a few hours, Hiccup invited her to come back with him to Dragon's Edge. She gladly accepted wanting to never leave her son's side ever again...
XXXX
Hiccup woke up slowly adjusting his eyes to the sudden bright light dancing in front of his eyes. As he adjusted to the light he saw a black blur jump on his stomach which made him roar in pain as the midnight black dragon covered its rider with his saliva.
"Thanks a lot, you useless reptile." He said while smiling and scratching his best friend's neck.
That was when he heard the knocking on the door and he felt nervous, it felt like his stomach tied itself into knots. Today was the big day today was the day he was going to finally marry the love of his life, a Valkyrie who looked as beautiful as Frejya herself. He felt like the luckiest man in Midgard being able to marry Astrid Hofferson soon to be Haddock. To say he dreamed of this day was an understatement, he had imagined this day would never be possible as he developed feelings for her at the ripe old age of thirteen after all he was nothing but a fishbone back then. But things had changed and over the years they had revealed to each other that they loved the other and had gotten betrothed. Astrid herself had told him she had a crush on him when they were little but she couldn't get herself to tell him as she wanted to prove to her tribe that she was a warrior and she would have not been able to do that if she had revealed to everyone her biggest secret.
As he opened his door he saw four men waiting for him with smiles on their faces, his closest friends even though few started as foes they had changed and now were the closest and most trusted members of his Empire. Alvin chuckled as he laid eyes on the now muscular, tall handsome young man with his sharp jawline he could make any girl faint. Dagur hugged the breath out of Hiccup saying something like, 'brother' or 'crazy' not listening to the crazy man and trying to get his lungs to relax. Once Dagur let him go mumbling an apology Viggo and Eret gladly led him to the bathhouse where they gave him the traditional bath before the wedding.
Astrid was excited, she tuned out her friends as they kept making jokes about how Hiccup would be in bed. Astrid and Hiccup had never engaged in illicit activities outside of wedlock. So that night was going to be a new thing for them but she was excited nonetheless. Astrid listened to Bertha's advice and as she was being dressed she wondered if she would have ever been able to marry Hiccup back on Berk if they had never left.
As the couple saw each other in their clothes for marriage both of them blushed. They walked up to the altar in front of all the six tribes that had arrived a few days ago luckily the Edge was big enough to house most of them while the rest slept on the ships. As they both said their vows both of the lovebirds never blinked and stared deeply into one another's eyes. As the elder finally declared them as a married couple they kissed deeply as the crowd erupted in applause, Camacazi and Heather squealed and Dagur shouted 'That's my brother!'
As the celebration ended and they were led from the Great Hall after the feast to celebrate their wedding the two couples looked at each other with burning lust as the witnesses left their home. 'Their', one of the many things they would share together, Astrid smiled as she closed the gap between them.
Hiccup simply chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He'd done it. He'd married his best friend, the girl he'd fallen in love with, the girl who used to have her heart set on being a shieldmaiden. He prayed to Thor that he'd do a good job of making her happy. If he messed up, and she ended up regretting her decision to marry, he'd never forgive himself.
He walked to the bed and, sitting on the edge of the mattress, pulled off his boot. "Well, what are you waiting for, milady?" Astrid made her way over to join her husband. "Are...are you nervous?" she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. "No, I'm...well, okay," he sighed. "I am a little nervous." She smiled. "Good. That makes us even."
After exchanging loving glances with one another, Astrid leaned in to kiss Hiccup's lips. The kiss led to another, then another, then another, each one more passionate than the last. Eventually, she dared to slip her hands beneath his top, running her fingers along his stomach and chest while their tongues explored each other's mouths. Breaking away from her, he lifted his tunic over his head. "Oh, gods," she said, taking a deep breath as she took in the sight of his lightly defined abs and freckled shoulders. A light blush covered her face. Astrid placed a palm on his chest, while the other hand travelled down to unfasten his metal leg. Smirking, Hiccup motioned for his wife to turn around. Once she did so, he gently gathered her hair and draped it over her left shoulder before struggling to unbutton her dress. He then slipped the material off of her shoulders but stopped when he felt her trembling.
"What's wrong, Ast?"
"It's...it's nothing."
"You're shaking. Are you...are you still nervous?"
"A little," she admitted, looking into her lap.
Hiccup leaned over her shoulder to kiss her cheek. "Do you wanna stop?" The blonde shook her head. "No. I...I want this." She twisted around to look him in the eye. Nodding in acknowledgement, he continued to slide the sleeves of the dress off of her arms, then proceeded to unknot her breast bindings with uncertain fingers. "So uh...can I...erm...could I unwind them?" Astrid smiled and guided his hand to one of the loose ends of the fabric.
"Oh, Thor," Hiccup remarked as he began to undo the bindings. "How many of these are there?"
"Enough," she shrugged.
When the last of the cloth was finally removed from her body, Hiccup stared at his wife's chest with wide eyes and a pounding heart. Bending down, he briefly brushed his lips against each of her rosy nipples. In between kisses and gentle caresses, the two fumbled to finish undressing each other. Once that task was complete, they finished off the consummation with red cheeks and awkward stammers. It wasn't the wonderful thing that everyone had claimed it to be. It was painful for Astrid - who bled - and Hiccup finished too soon. However, knowing that they had the rest of their lives to perfect the act, they didn't dwell too much on the less-than-amazing first time they'd just experienced. "Come here," Hiccup murmured, crawling beneath the furs and wrapping his arms around Astrid's bare middle from behind. After kissing the space beneath her ear, he rested his chin on her shoulder. "You sure you're okay?" The blonde nodded. "I'm fine. Are...are you okay?"
"I'm not the one who was bleeding," he responded.
"It was nothing. All women bleed their first time." She twisted around to face him. Running her fingers through his hair, she kissed his jaw. "Stop worrying." "I'll stop worrying when you're in Valhalla," Hiccup grinned.
"Be quiet, babe." Flashing him a playful glance, she gave him a gentle slap on the chest. Slowly the newlyweds gave in to their tiredness and slept holding each other with smiles on their faces.