Well here's chapter 4 up, kind of an odd idea in this one, but hopefully makes sense. enjoy

Chapter 4 Because I want to remember what you say right now

Normal POV

Feeling a mixed sense of relief, joy, sadness, anger and guilt at spotting the thin auburn haired teen she realises that in all that time she stood there watching him, he never looked her way, he didn't leave his eye's from the small leather book in his hands while adding something to it with his charcoaled pencil "what is he doing in that book I wonder?" Astrid said quietly to herself, she had to find out, even if it meant sneaking up on Hiccup to find out. Slowly she crept round to the rocks she saw him near, she looks at him, making sure he hasn't spotted her, thinking that he hasn't, she presses on until she's right behind him, she slowly tiptoes over to him, getting closer to what he was putting into that book of his, closer she's getting, can feel the curiosity building up inside of her 'nearly there' she thought to herself 'just . ...' "you know it's rude to sneak up on people, even a shield maiden should know that one" Hiccup said to her. Frozen at being caught she thinks to herself 'damn, how in the nine realms did he know?'

Hiccup POV

Does she think I'm stupid? wait scratch that yes I am and the reasons why, I knew she was here the second she entered the cove, all this time I've come here hoping some glimmer of hope that Astrid would remember that this is where our special place was and hoping she would remember me, not as a screwup like everyone thought I was, but as a friend, I waited seven years, seven gods damned years waiting all this time, and nothing, and the one time I didn't want her to be here and surprise surprise, she turns up, like Gobber told me once 'It's sods law that one is, the thing you want never happens until the day you don't want it and it happens' how bloody true that was too. *sigh* well better get this over with. with a bit of luck she might beat me up so hard it'll numb the pain in my heart.

I close my book shut and lay it on the rock next to me but I don't turn around to her, if I see her it'll only hurt more. Instead I look towards the water of the lake noticing how calm it feels to be around "what do you want Astrid?" I say to her in a harsh tone, what? I don't feel in a up-beat cheery mood today. I wait for her to reply back to my question, nothing, not a sound so I decide to press on "look I know you're going say that was 'unviking' of me to just run away like a coward, not tell anyone where I went, but the truth being even if I told anyone and I mean anyone, well apart from Gobber of course, they wouldn't of bothered to come find me anyway, hell they'd throw a party to celebrate I was out of the village, Odin knows what would happen if really did never come back, probably declare this national Hiccup's-Gone-For-Good day and even sacrifice something to the god's to make sure I never come back" wow, Gobber was right, I do have low self confidence, but who cares, only him that's for sure. Still silence, did she leave? I slightly turn my head around to see her boots but not her face, yep still there. "so if you want, you can beat me to a pulp, I'll not say a word" I snort "like anyone would care if I did anyway". Still nothing, what does this girl want? A big sign on my back saying 'hit here and win a prize'? I decide to give her an easier target and stand up, still with my back to her "okay, make it quick" I close my eye's waiting for the first contact of pain, but again still nothing, this girl is getting on my nerves, and this damn heart of mine won't stop hurting, finally I lose patience "ARE YOU DEAF?! JUST DO SOMET..." suddenly she does make contact, but it wasn't pain I was feeling more of a, comfort feeling, I look down to see two arms, her arms, Astrid's arms around my body, wait what else was there?, my back feels wet, but what could be?...suddenly I hear sobbing behind me, that can't be right, no Viking ever cries. So why was she?

Astrid POV

I can't believe what I just heard, did we really make him feel like that? Did we hurt him to an extent that he would rather accept be beaten to a pulp then defend himself? These thing never happened to me, but why do I feel hurt too? and Crying? why am I crying viking don't cry! do they? but hearing those words come from him, each one like a dagger going through my heart,I don't want to feel hurt, I don't want him to feel hurt, the next thing I knew my arms are around Hiccup, my Hiccup, wait what? Did I really say that? And then it hit me like a Gronkle, we were friends years ago, we promised this place would be our special place, a place where we can enjoy each others company...and I betrayed him, I never came back, how many time has he been here, by himself? I know I saw him a couple of times heading into the forest but thought nothing of it, but he went to the forest everyday, oh gods what have we done, what have I done, I lean my head onto his back and start to cry again.

"I'm s-sorry" I say to Hiccup, still crying into his vest "I'm so so sorry Hiccup, I know we can't ask for you to forgive us or even forgive me, I never wanted you make you feel worthless, I never wanted to stop being your friend" that last part stung me, how could I be so stupid as to lose my friend like that.

Suddenly I feel him turn around and my head isn't on his back anymore, but his chest, I decide to look up to him and the first thing I see is his eye's, his forest green eye's looking at my blue one's, his eye's are glossy too just like mine are, he's been crying too, I can see the beauty behind them, I hear him sigh as he starts to speak "then why did you stop?" he said to me in a soft but strict tone of voice. I down at his chest again and pondered on that question to figure it out for myself, why did I stop being his friend? I start recounting when, I was six I just came back from the forest and it was, oh "Arvin Dale's Fire" I whisper to myself, but Hiccup heard it "what?" I hear him ask, I look up to him, and his beautiful forest green eye's again, no focus Astrid focus. "d-do you remember the night of Arvin Dale's Fire seven years ago?" I ask him, thinking to himself he then replies with a nod "and my uncle Finn fighting the FlightMare?" again he nods "after he...err...well after he..." gods I really don't want to say it "you don't need to say it Astrid" he say's in a soothing voice, god's how can he be angry one minute then calm the next, it take me hours to calm down, anyway to carry on "well after that and he left the Island, I made a vow Hiccup, that I'll train as hard as my uncle Finn did so that when it came to my turn I would take on the Flightmare myself and restore the Hofferson name" I said said with a determined voice, but then guilt hit me again "but it meant I needed people to see me as a mighty warrior and not a weakling, unfortunately that meant I couldn't hang around with you out of *gulp* fear" that last word really hurt, I didn't want to be scared of anything but I was scared of saying that, "fear? fear of what Astrid?" I hear Hiccup say, oh gods please don't let him hate after this, sighing hard I finally answer him "fear of being called a weakling like you" I said it but I'm not proud of it, I knew at the time it was wrong but pride got in my head and because of that I lost a very close friend "but I was wrong Hiccup, dead wrong I just never realised till now how bad a consequence it was" I realise that maybe the damage was already done and it didn't matter how sweet he was everyone has a limit of forgiveness, hell with even half of that, any Viking would of chopped my head off by now.

Thinking that he needed to be alone, I slowly remove my arms from around his back, lifting my head off his chest I start to turn around and walk away, this isn't going as I planned.

Then I feel something grab hold of my left arm, stopping me in my tracks all of a sudden I'm pulled back covered in a pair of arms in a sort of, hug? wait was someone hugging me? looking down and what I see is a vest, a green vest, Hiccup's vest, so Hiccup's hugging me? I look up to see his face, freckles on each cheek, his messy auburn hair and those eye's, I never knew how cute he really looked till now, but I knew from the genuine smile that he gave me meant one thing...Hiccup forgave me... I start to cry again.

"t-thank you, thank y-you" was all the words I could say, I was emotionally and mentally drained, I just wanted to lie down and as if he knew how I was feeling, Hiccup started laying us down onto the soft grass, still holding on to me, he starts gently cradling me back and forth until I can't keep my eye's open, how does he do that? no one has ever soothed me like this no matter how much they tried, and all of a sudden he does it once in so many years and I feel relaxed, I feel calm, I feel...safe...

One Hour Later Normal POV

Both Hiccup and Astrid stayed in each others arms all the time they were asleep, no one else around, just them in their special place, the way it used to be. Hiccup was the first to wake up, smiling at his crush in his arms, then started to frown remembering her words he told her an hour ago "being called a weakling like you" he realised she had her life ahead of her, he couldn't take that away from her, what she wants to do with her life should be her choice and no one else, no matter how much he loved her he wanted her to be happy, and if being happy meant he'd live with a broken heart for the rest of his life, then so be it.

Little does he know that Astrid was thinking the exact same thing as she woke up, but what plagued her the most was the axe Hiccup made, it was magnificent, only someone who truly put their heart into it had a lot to say about it, but why did Snotface have it? surely if Hiccup made it why didn't he give it to her? she had to ask.

"um, Hiccup.." she said to him as turned to face her "I-I was wondering, about that axe you made me" she continued 'wait how did she kn...Gobber!' Hiccup thought to himself, shaking his thoughts he continues to listen to Astrid as she carries on "w-what I wanted to ask was, gods how to put this, why did Snotlout hand the it to me instead of you?" she finished waiting for a reply.

Now you must know that Hiccup is a bad liar and lying to someone as tough as Astrid, well since he's already said quite a lot today about his pain, one more won't hurt him, right? "*sigh* if you want to know the truth Astrid, I was going to give it to you myself, but Snotlout beat me and took to the axe from me" he replies back to her question, she looked a little surprised 'so he was going to give it to me' she thought to herself but pressed on with the questions "then why didn't you stop him? most of use would have". He looks away from her and looks down to his shoes "because I couldn't fight back" he replied in a low tone of voice to her, she wasn't convinced "that's not an answer" he looks up at her at what she just said "why is it so important to you all or a sudden?" he ask her questionably, she smiles as she replies back "because I want to remember what you say right now", he starts feeling frustrated all of a sudden "oh for the love of... okay I was coward! I wouldn't fight back!" now she got him "you said wouldn't that time" she says back to him, he sighs in defeat "whatever...I wouldn't fight back because...because..." she looks puzzled at what he was trying to say "because of what Hiccup" she ask him, racking his brain to get the words out "becauseIdidntwanttofindout youdidntlovemelikeIloveyou" she heard the last part but wanted to be sure "what?" she asks him again, sighing he repeats himself at a normal pace "because I didn't want to find you didn't love me like I love you" 'oh great' he thought 'I'm going to die right here, the gods must hate me'. Closing his eye's he wait's for the moment when the gods can tell him in his face they hate him, but what comes is sort of close, a punch to his right shoulder "ow! what the h..." he shouts rubbing it with his good arm "that was for thinking I hate you!" Astrid sternly tells him followed by another punch to his left shoulder "ow! really? another one!?" he asks her again "that was for scaring me thinking you ran off for good!" again Astrid remarks this girl loves violence "and this..." she follows with, Hiccup thinking he's going to get another punch closes his eye's and waits for the pain but what he didn't expect was warm lips, her lips, oh his lips!? 'she's kissing me!' he thinks to himself.

It could of been only for a few seconds, but who's counting? oh yeah Hiccup.

After those few seconds of lip to lip combat the two owner split them apart, both smiling...well one was smile, the other was giving a dumbstruck goofy grin, want to guess which one? Astrid finally broke the silence and finished of the sentence that started that kiss "...is because I love you too you big dork" she says in a soft tone of voice.

Hiccup POV

I can't believe what just happened Astrid not only kissed me but said she loves me too, ok this has to be the most weirdest day of my life but wow what an ending to it. But what does this mean for us, I have to ask, I don't want to get the wrong idea again "er A-Astrid, can I ask what this means for us? A-are was i-in a r-r-relation*gulp*ship or not" wow way to be confident Mr Haddock, that'll really impress her, but she starts to laugh, no wait, giggle was it that funny? but she does have a cute laugh and...what!? she's picking up her axe!...well that's it, goodbye manhood, closing my eye's again waiting for the impact "hold out your arms" she says to me, hesitating I hold them out, I don't know which is worse? losing my arms or my manhood? but what I didn't expect was the weight of the axe handle in my hands, being brave I open my eye's and look up to see Astrid standing there, hand on one hip and smiling "now it all depend's on whether I receive this gift from Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third like it was suppose to or not" she says to me, this girl is wierd...but I like it, no, love it.

Smiling back I stand up straight, holding my arms out with the axe in my hands and I kneel down I put on my most non-viking voice I know of, in other words, gentleman "for this I present to you milady for such a beautiful and powerful woman deserves an equal and powerful weapon" I say to her, blushing like mad, but funny enough so is she as she takes the axe from my hands and pretends to examine the axe and smiles at me "this is a mighty fine weapon you have given me good sir, but I have no gold to exchange for it but I can give you one thing if you'd accept it..." she says to me as she looks up to my eye, blue on green, ocean meets forest, she then softly finishes of her sentence "..my heart". I look up at her, surprised and happy at the same time, I don't realise my head is moving by itself as it nod, next thing I know, astrid gently lays the axe on the floor, runs up to me and crashes into my lips again, wow twice in one day, I am a lucky guy, this kiss feels longer though, not I'm complaining or anything just that it feel's...amazing! truly amazing.

Finally after minutes of that lovely kiss, our lips depart, more of to catch our breaths, we both look exhausted, well it has been a trying day today, can't really blame.

"does that answer your question babe?" she ask me as I start to wrap my arms around her just to feel her close to me, I finally decide to answer her "it sure does milady, but there's one thing we need to do" I look into her eye's as I say with a straight face "we need to keep this a secret from the rest of the village, for now anyway until I can prove to them I'm worthy of you, in their eye's of course" she seemed at first surprised but she stopped to think what I just said until she realised what I meant and smiled back at me "okay babe, but on one condition" she says to me, I wonder what the condition is? "that I help you make people think you're worthy of me" she finishes off with as she turns around to pick up her axe, I look a little puzzled "how?" I ask her, she turns round and smiles again "I want you to gather each different sort of weapon in the forge by tomorrow, I'm going to teach you how to fight" she says as she comes closer to me smiles and kisses me one more time before whispering in my ear

"I'm going to train my boyfriend"