Nina was very hesitant to go home that night. Her fear was that the silence that awaited her would become the norm, and she dreaded it. Hiccup walked her home and noticed that she seemed scared of her own house.
"Would you like me to come in for a bit?" he asked her. She gave him a grateful look, and nodded.
"I think that'd be a good idea for both of us," she said. Then she stepped up on a stool and got down two bowls and dished out some stew that her mother had made. Rieta had a particular method of cooking that made it so that it would stay good for a couple weeks. The key was in heating it up super hot and adding cold water to it to make it palatable.
After supper, Nina felt a bit more comfortable with the relative silence the house had to it. So when Hiccup yawned, and tried to hide it, she put a hand on his shoulder.
"You should go home, get some sleep. I'm sure everything will be fine," she said to him. They shared another hug and then he left, walking home in the dim light.
Nina, meanwhile, went upstairs, tucking herself in and trying to sleep. She tossed and turned and finally fell into an uneasy sleep, broken by terrible nightmares.
This went on for about a month, during which time Nina spent most of her day in the woods, while Hiccup divided his time between hanging out with her and trying to get Astrid's attention. Most of the time, the feisty blond wanted nothing to do with him, ignoring him. Other times she yelled at him. But every day, without fail, Hiccup and Nina had supper together, whether in the Great Hall or at each other's houses. Occasionally Fishlegs joined them. The only times he was nice to Hiccup was when he had no one else to sit with.
Then the ships returned. Hiccup stood with Nina on the top of the cliffs, watching the boats return. The numbers were noticeably depleted, down by two ships of Vikings. They went down to the docks to await the returning Vikings.
Stoick was very obviously distressed about something, not looking at Nina for long. That's when she knew. The Vikings that were with him all gave her sympathetic looks. Her mind went blank and she raced through the village toward the glade. She tripped when she arrived, sprawling face first in the middle of the clearing. Hiccup wasn't far behind her. He put a hand on her back and let her crawl up beside him as she silently sobbed. He hugged her tightly, feeling horribly useless and wishing he could do more. After a while the chief joined them. He sat down with a heavy sigh, guilt eating at him.
Why do I feel so bad about her parents when there are plenty of other kids who are growing up without a mum or dad? he thought. The answer, when it came, was like winters on Berk, cold, harsh, and bitter. "Because she was the happiest kid on Berk, and now the perfect family she had is gone. And it's all my fault.
"I'm sorry," he said at length. "If you want, you can choose who you want to live with, or you can choose to live alone. It's up to you."
She looked up tearfully. "I'd rather live alone," she said quietly. "I wish this war was over. It's been going on for too long."
He snorted quietly, almost bemused. "You remind me a bit of Valka," he commented. After a while, he stood, brushed off his pants, and headed back to the village.