Disclaimer: I don't own httyd

AN: Well… I could clearly say that the last chapter was a success! Time to make you scratch your heads and doubt my thinking skills

Setting: Day of the raid of Meathead Village

Days Until Wedding: 1 and a half month (40 days)

"Is This a Sign"

"Hiccup" a viking called as he approached said boy "We finally found where they held our men. They are currently held in a cave, that's where their prison is located"

"Good. It's time to free them. Let's just hope that all of them are able." The viking nodded and led Hiccup towards the forest where the cave was made. On the way there, he saw Astrid staring at her reflection on a barrel full of water. She looked so distant. She probably still felt guilt in killing that child.

Astrid looked up and saw Hiccup. He gave her a small smile and gestured her to get closer. Astrid returned the smile and walked towards him. He explained that they finally found the prison where their fellow tribesmen were held and wanted her to go with him. Astrid accepted his offer and off they went.

Hiccup noticed that Astrid was quite during the walk so he tried to engage her in a conversation. "Hey Astrid, you seem a little down… What's wrong?" he asked in concern.

Astrid looked at him and sighed sadly. "It's just… It's just that I could've spared him!" she shouted while her grip on his tightened. Too bad for Hiccup the hand she was currently holding was his right one. "I could've incapacitated him! I could've ran away!" she knelt to the ground while she grabbed a handful of her hair "I-I…" she couldn't take it anymore and she broke down in sobs.

Hiccup did what he knew best for these kinds of situations. He told the others to go on ahead while he would take care of Astrid at the moment. He held her close and whispered soothing words to her. Astrid was still crying though and Hiccup was also on the verge of tears but he had to hold it in. Someone had to be the stronger one in their relationship, it was usually Astrid but since she was at her weakest at the moment, it had to be him. He had to be strong for her.

Astrid eventually recovered so they proceeded to the prison. When they arrived there, most of the prisoners were already released. Some were still held in their cells because they were strangers to the Hairy Hooligans.

Most of the prisoners left were prisoners of war but what caught Hiccup's attention was a girl. She was alone in her cell, probably because of obvious reasons. Hiccup was not one for looks but she looked so beautiful to him. It wasn't that he liked her or anything, it was just that her beauty was different from most of the women he'd seen. But to him Astrid was still the best. Truth be told, he had a little crush on the girl.

He and Astrid approached her cell and tapped the metal to get her attention. Before she looked up she backed away from them and raised her arms as if defending herself. "Please! Don't hurt me! I'm not some princess or anything like that! I'm just a peasant!" she closed her eyes shut while begging for mercy to them.

Hiccup raised his eyebrow. This girl was definitely not from anywhere he'd visited. Her accent was different. She had black flowing hair and around her eyes were some kind of black ink on them. When he looked closer, he could see that her clothes had patches on them. She was probably from one of those poor villages. He studied her face and could see that she was bruised. She was probably beaten by the guards here.

"Don't worry. We're here to help" he said as Astrid nodded her head.

The girl looked up and Hiccup noticed that her eyes were green just like his. She eyed him curiously and she cautiously walked closer to them. "You're not from here, are you?" she cautiously asked.

Hiccup shook his head "No… We're from Berk."

"Berk? What are you guys doing in a place like this? Not that I'm not grateful or anything but still" she asked shyly.

Before Hiccup could answer, Astrid intervened "We've came here to avenge our fallen comrades from these-" Hiccup cut her off before she said something foul.

"What she's trying to say is that we came here because we wanted to seek justice."

"Oh" the girl said as she looked down and smiled sadly "Well, you're probably wondering why I'm here, right?" she looked up and when they nodded she continued "My family and I were on our way home to our island when our boat was attacked by vikings. They attacked our boat and took me with them. My parents managed to escape because I bought them time but after that I've got nothing"

Hiccup looked down in sadness. This girl needed some place to stay. He looked at Astrid and she already knew what he was thinking so she made the initiative.

"You could stay with us."

The girl's eyes lit up and looked excitedly at Astrid "Really?!"

Astrid managed to give a small smile "Yeah"

The girl hugged Astrid and to Hiccup's mild surprise they had the same height "Thanks! By the way, my name is Heather"

AN: Boom! Another surprise for you guys! Hope you like it!