Enjoy guys! Well it's the start of the week after I promised to have it out. But it's Monday so it's not too bad... Sorry! Last chapter is next though so I won't stall with that, I promise.

Chapter 17:

"Don't forget to pack the rest of your underwear, Hiccup! Odin forbid you forget." Astrid yelled from her upstairs bedroom as she began to make her decent.
"It's the first thing I packed, honey. Plus, even if I did forget to pack them, I can buy some new silk ones in China!" He replied, putting Erika's infamous gold nuggets in a safe compartment in his bag.
"No, no, no. Silk underwear? Absolutely not. Silk is far too expensive!"
"Shouldn't the good 'ol family jewels be cradled by only the most expensive fabric?"
"Eww, you did not just say that!"
"I did and I'm proud of it." At this point, Astrid had made her way downstairs and stood next to Hiccup. He noticed her and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her into a passionate kiss. She let herself go and succumb to the sweetness of his touch as she did many times before. Moments like this are what she has waited for her whole life. Many months ago, she never even imagined Hiccup would even give her the time of day. Then Erika came along and Astrid thought she had totally blown her change at getting the only man she ever truly loved. But all those prayers worked and she had him in her arms. Her dream of falling asleep beside him every night had finally came true. It took a while, but it came true. Astrid wasn't usually a dreamer or someone who admits that she has positive feelings for people, but Hiccup changed all that. The day she realized she loved him was the day her life truly began.

After he pulled out from the kiss, Hiccup continued to hold her and smile at her. He was, finally, a little taller then she was so he needed to look down to see her. The way she leaned against his chest made Hiccup the happiest man alive. After all he has been through, he was so glad that he had someone who cared for him and truly loved him. He was so glad that he could call Astrid his wife. Erika may have blinded him, but she really did open his eyes to the obvious. Without her, Hiccup probably wouldn't be holding Astrid in his arms right now, kissing her, and falling asleep next to her every night. As much as he hated Erika's guts, he did thank her for pointing him in the right direction.

"You're going to have to tell him now, Hiccup. He's the only one on the Island that doesn't know." Astrid said, breaking the silence.
"Now? Way to ruin a moment." He let her go and continued to pack his bag. At that point, Toothless came in, saddle and all, ready to leave right that second. Tuna followed him in with there children sound asleep in the little knapsack that hung off her saddle.
"Yes, now. We can't just up and leave without so much as telling him! You should have done it yesterday. We're leaving in, what, ten minutes," She proceeded to mimic Hiccup's nasally voice and little idiosyncrasies like she always did. "Hey, dad, the old ball and chain and I, and the dragons, are going on a year long trip around the world. See you when we see you."
"I don't talk like that!"
"Yes you do! I listen to it every day!"
"Humph."
"Look, you're getting me off topic now. I'll finish the packing and you go tell him that we're leaving. And we better leave soon because someone's getting a little antsy." She gestured to Toothless who was siting next to the door, panting like a dog, patiently waiting to go outside. Hiccup hadn't rode Toothless all day that day, so he was really itching to get out there. He slowly made his way to his best friend and patted him on the head.
"Just a few more minutes, bud. I promise." Toothless understood, but still sulked away. Tuna saw his sadness and coughed up a fish for him, which he gladly ate.
"By the way, wake Stormfly up when you can. Odin knows she likes her beauty sleep." Hiccup nodded in acknowledgment at the command and walked out the door. Soon after closing it, he leaned against it and sighed. Nearby, he saw the smoke rising from his father's chimney, letting Hiccup know that he was awake. He mentally prepared himself to tell his father the earthshattering news that he did not want to hear. Slowly, he got up from the door and made the short trek down to his father's house.

Stoick sat by the fire and worked on his daily whittling. Ever since Hiccup moved out, he'd taken up whittling as a hobby. Since the wedding, he's already made three sheep, two yaks, a few dragons, and carved Gobber's likeness in a piece of driftwood. He was now making yet another dragon, finishing up some of the finer details. He planned to give all his carvings to his future grandchild, or grandchildren, once they came into the world. He had been bothering Hiccup about having kids and producing a successful heir since the day he was married. Stoick wanted grandchildren more then anything, mostly to reassure him that someone respectable and in his immediate bloodline was going to take over the throne should anything happen to his son. Plus, Stoick loved children and wanted to redeem himself since he was such a jerk in Hiccup's younger years.

Slowly, the door crept open. Stoick turned his head to face his son's. Hiccup walked in and shut the door behind him. He once again sighed to began to walk toward his farther.
"Hiccup! Shouldn't you be out watching to sunrise?"Stoick asked, putting his work down.
"Yea, but, um... I have to talk to you, dad."
"Is Astrid finally pregnant?"
"No..."
"Have you even tried?"
"Dad!"
"Well have you?"
"No! No, we haven't. And for good reason too. Look, oh Gods, okay. I know you're not going to like this news at all." In the past few years, Hiccup had visually matured, but he was still the frail, nervous little man he always was when he delivered bad news to his dad. Every time he has done so, Stoick has always yelled at him, cursed him, or forced him to do something he didn't want to do. The bombshell that Hiccup was about to drop would most likely make Stoick do all three. He would yell, curse at him, and force him to stay. He was so afraid to tell his dad, but he knew he had to. It was now or never. Astrid was right, you can't just leave for a year without even telling the man who raised you.

"You're having kids, Hiccup." He said, derailing Hiccup's train of thoughts.
"I know, I will, I promise. But this doesn't have anything to do with kids. Actually, dad, what I'm trying to tell you is... Astrid, the dragons, and I are all leaving today to go on a yearlong trip around the world." Hiccup cringed and prepared himself for a whirlwind of yelling or cussing but, thankfully, it never came. Instead, Stoick just sat there with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"What?"
"Well, you remember that trading ship that came by a while back?"
"Yes. And I also remember how you were sparing with one of the owners and got the awful gash on your neck. You need to be careful, son."
"She slipped, it was her fault! But that's not the point. The point is I loved what I saw on that ship. All the pottery and fabric and jewels and everything! I not only need to know where it came from, I need to see for myself. I need to go there, to where it was made, and see it in person. I'm fascinated with it, dad, I really am. And on the backs of dragons, who knows what we might discover! Astrid and I talked it over and we both want to do this. And whether you like it or not, we're going. We're leaving in about ten minutes." A long, awkward silence ensued. Hiccup looked at Stoick, expecting him to say things like "how could you?" or "don't you dare!". But he never said anything like that. He simply sat there, letting the information sink in. Stoick didn't want Hiccup doing this. He was breaking with tradition and pulling a risky move. Had he said he was doing this five years ago, Stoick would say no in a heartbeat. But this is different. Hiccup is a man now and able to make his own choices. Stoick learned recently that he needs to let Hiccup go at some point. He needs to let him be his own man because Stoick won't be there forever. His job as a father was over and he had succeeded. It was Hiccup's time to live the life he wanted to, not the life Stoick had planned for him. Sure, it would be nice to stick with tradition, but this was going to make Hiccup happy, and all Stoick wanted to do was make his son happy.
"I don't want you doing this, son..." He said, breaking the silence.
"I'm still going to."
"I know you are. So I'm not going to try to stop you. It's your life, you can live it how you want. I no longer control you. Go be happy on your own, I'll be okay. I mean, it's only a year."
"Give or take."
"It's not that long. I'll manage. It'll sure be quiet without you or the babies around! I'll be sure to get a whole lot of whittling done. Maybe I can sell some of my figurines and turn a profit. That'll be fun!"
"Thanks for understanding, dad. I expect you to yell."
"Those days are over now. You're a free man, do as you please. I appreciate you telling me though. So I guess this is goodbye?"
"Goodbye for now, yes." Stoick stood up from his chair and embraced his son in a long, warm hug. It was the last time they'd see each other for about a year, so it had to be the best most sweetest goodbye. Not only was this goodbye for a year, it was goodbye forever. Hiccup was no longer a child and Stoick had to let him go. This was goodbye to his childhood, to his old life. But it was so hello to a brand new life full of adventures and stories and wonderful, exciting action. Stoick was so confident that Hiccup had what it takes to survive on his own out there. He trusted his son now, and finally let him go.

After the two broke the embrace, there was another frantic knock on the door. Hiccup, assuming it was Astrid coming to get him, sighed and walked toward to door. He was about to say something witty to Astrid but he was met with the face of Fishlegs instead. He looked frantic and hot, almost like he'd actually been running around the village.
"Fishlegs, what a pleasant surprise?" Hiccup questioned when we saw him.
"I wanted to catch you before you left! I ran to your house but Astrid said you were here and..."
"Whoa, there buddy, slow down. Come on in, have a seat. You look really tired." Hiccup led Fishlegs in and gave him a seat. What could he possibly want to know? If it made him wake up this early and run, it must have been very important.
"Well, you see. You're leaving for a year right? Well, Snotlout, the twins, and myself were wondering... What's going to become of the academy now that you and Astrid are leaving?" The academy! Hiccup hadn't even thought about that! He had recently gone back to teaching dragon training classes there but he'd have to stop now. Plus, he was married and starting a family soon. He didn't think that he would ever be able to go back.
"Well, I haven't thought about that." He replied.
"Everyone doesn't want the classes to end. Even the twins! As much as they hated admitting it, they loved classes. While you were... incapacitated, and no one was teaching, we had nothing to do with our time. Dragon racing was fun and all, but it got boring after a while because Snotlout kept winning. What are you going to do now that you're leaving? Are you going to come back at all?"
"Yeah, I'm coming back home, but I don't think I can teach again. I'm a married man now. I have to seriously start thinking about starting a family. And this trip is going to take a lot out of me. I'll need to rest up a lot after it's over. And I'm going to be chief one day. I can't keep teaching forever," A brilliant idea popped into Hiccup 's head. He knew exactly what he was going to do. "Well, there is only one thing I can do now I guess..." He said it like he was sad, but he was just faking it. Fishlegs believed it though and a wave of sadness came over him. This was the end of the academy for sure. The only thing that got him though the day was over. He was devastated. He got up from his chair and began to walk away.
"I'll go tell the other guys." He said, sulking.
"Fishlegs! Wait. I was going to say that the only thing left to do is to hand down the academy to you."
"What!" He asked, shocked and surprised. Did Hiccup just say what he thought he said?
"It's all yours, bud." Hiccup said, resting a hand on Fishlegs' shoulder. Fishlegs was absolutely paralyzed with shock. He couldn't believe what he just heard. His dream was coming true right before his eyes. For the longest time, he's dreamed about at least teaching a class at the academy. But now, he was getting the whole thing. This had to be some sort of joke.
"Are you serious? No, I can't take it. You're the dragon master, Hiccup! You've always been. For forever, it's always been you who's dealt with the dragons, not me."
"Well, now it's you. Like I said, I have to start a family, be chief, and so much more. I don't have time to run it anymore. But you can! I know you can. I believe in you. You are smart enough and brave enough. Plus, who else was it going to give it to, Snotlout?" Everyone in the room, even Stoick, who had been listening in from afar, laughed. Hiccup and Fishlegs looked at each other with a look of understanding. They smiled at each other and Hiccup offered his hand for a handshake. Fishlegs grabbed Hiccup's hand and shook it up and down crazily.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you Hiccup! You won't regret this, I promise!"
"I know I won't! You'll do great things with the academy, Fishlegs. I expect to see great things done when I get back."
"You will! I swear!" With that, he ran out of the door and down the steps happily. Hiccup signed and smiled as he watched him go. He felt a stiff hand on his shoulder and turned to face his father.
"You did the right thing, son. Very chiefly." He smiled and Hiccup smiled back. This was the last time he was going to see his father for at least a year. It was a very bittersweet moment. This man has raised him for the past seventeen years. He was with him trough good times and bad. Sure, they had their differences, but they loved each other in the way that only a father and son can. They had a mutual understanding of things and an unbreakable bond. No matter how old Hiccup got, Stoick would always be his dad and Hiccup would always be his son.

After the moment between father and son had passed, Hiccup turned around to see Astrid at the door with the dragons, including Stormfly.
"We're ready to go. She... got up on her own anyway." She said, smiling.
"I got caught up giving the academy to Fishlegs, sorry." He replied.
"That's okay. At least someone reasonable took it over... C'mon, we got to go. Toothless can't wait another second." At the word "go" Toothless perked up and started panting again.
"Okay, okay. I'm leaving," He walked to the door and pecked Astrid on the lips. Then he turned around to face Stoick, who had already sat down and continued his whittling. "Goodbye, dad."
"Goodbye, son." He locked eyes with Hiccup and Astrid, his family, and held back a tear from his eye. He watched the two until the door was fully closed and listened to them until he couldn't hear them anymore. For the first time in a long time, it was truly quiet.

"You ready?" Astrid asked Hiccup when they reached the bottom of the steps.
"I've been ready." She handed him his bag, which he slung across his shoulder. The two shared one last kiss before they boarded their dragons. Before they took off, they took one last look at the town. Berk looked so peaceful that morning. People were just starting to wake up and go about their lives as usual. It was a pretty sight and Hiccup enjoyed it. All the people he would have control over one day were happy and content. That already made his job as a chief easier. He looked at Astrid and she looked at him. They both nodded and commanded their dragons to take off. Toothless and Stormfly happily obliged and Tuna followed them, carrying the rest of the trips luggage and her offspring. Once in the sky, Hiccup and Astrid flew next to each other and toward the sun. The sun's warm embrace accepted them and took them in, engulfing them with promises of warmth, hope, and adventure. They rode toward the sun, hand in hand, sharing a quick peck on the lips as the rode into the blinding glow of daylight.

Again, sorry for the wait! Don't hate me! It's summer for me now, so I have more time to write. This was technically the last chapter of the story but there is an epilogue chapter next. You guys rock and thanks for the content support and 10,000+ reads! That makes me happy. :D