Wow…. It's the last chapter….. I can't believe it…. It's done….

When I started this in April of 2013, I honestly didn't think I'd pass the stats of my first fanfiction and that it'd maybe get just over a hundred reviews. Look where it is now. More than 500 reviews, over 270 followers and over 100,000 views. And I have all of you guys to thank for that. Thank you for everything from the endless love to the crying to the screaming angrily at Artair and William. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Enjoy the last chapter. *wipes away happy tear*

Epilogue

Astrid stood waist deep in the waters that surrounded DunBroch and its forests as the sun began to dip below the mountains. Her eyes were red and swollen but no tears were visible for she had run out of tears to cry. The death of her friends and her allies had taken a hard blow on the woman. She had spent the three days after Snotlout's death locked in her room, eating nothing and barely drinking anything. She had often fallen asleep wearing his cloak, taking in the scent before it would disappear for good. They had forced her out of her solitude because the rituals and preparations of the body for a funeral were complete.

They had stolen a boat from a harbor and had brought it to a bay in the forest that led into the ocean. Snotlout's body was lain on his black cloak, his hands clasped over his heart, his trusty morning star and dagger lying adjacent to him. In Viking culture, a funeral boat was laden with gifts for the deceased to take with them into Valhalla but, their lives had been so humble, they had to steal the goods. A belt, some jewelry, and a brightly colored tunic were among the items they had stolen in order to fill the boat. After the few items were placed, the empty spots were donned with branches of evergreen.

When the boat was ready, Astrid had walked into the water, pushing the vessel with her. She was just able to reach into the boat to lay her hands on top of his cold ones.

"May the Valkyries guide you." She whispered and pushed the boat gently into the bay. She waded back to the shore, her eyes never losing sight of the boat as it slowly floated away. She picked up the bow lying in the grass and lit the arrow on the torch held by Spitelout.

The arrow flew through the air and hit the boat perfect in the bunch of evergreen. Within minutes, a fire was blazing on the boat. The group was completely silent, minus Heather who was saying prayers through her tears, Fionntan's - Fishlegs' arm around her in an awkward attempt of comfort. Astrid looked at him but his face was still hidden underneath the cloak, so it was impossible to tell how he was feeling. She then turned to Spitelout, the old man clearly shattering on the inside while the outside stood tall, proud, and stoic.

They continued to watch the boat, the smoke rising well above the forest canopy. Astrid knew it was dangerous to do but she cared very little for it.

An hour must've passed when the drones of hoof beats were heard behind them. Upon turning, Astrid watched DunBroch soldiers come towards them, a melancholy expression on their faces

"Aileen Fletcher," The leader spoke, "His Majesty wishes to speak with you." The group exchanged looks of confusion. It couldn't be anything good; Astrid was an outlaw, a highwayman, an enemy. She would be killed on the spot. However, these men had come and found her. They hadn't attacked or even made threats, just a request. That already made it seem less threatening.

To make sure it truly wouldn't be a trick, Astrid walked towards them, purposely moving in a way so that the soldiers could see that she had an axe on her hip and a dagger in her boot. To her surprise, they said nothing. The soldiers offered her a horse to ride on but she politely declined because 1) she'd much rather walk and 2) she didn't know how to ride a horse and her pride wanted her to keep her dignity.

Astrid has half expected to hear music and cheers and shouting when they reached the border of the forest but the silence was the same as any other day. As she walked through DunBroch, she was even more stunned to see sadness. Nobody was laughing or even smiling and the wails of crying could be heard in all directions.

"Their princess is got married," She thought, "They should be celebrating. Not mourning." She didn't ponder on it too long and she quietly continued with the soldiers to the castle.

The air in the castle was even less cheerful than in the town. Everywhere Astrid looked she saw weeping maid and moping lords. If she ever made eye contact with any of them, she didn't receive looks of disgust like she usually does; they just gave her the same moping look.

The soldiers continued to lead her until they reached the throne room, which was only occupied my members of the clans MacIntosh, Dingwall, and MacGuffin and the King and Queen sitting in their thrones, both donned completely in black.

The soldiers closed the door behind Astrid, leaving the woman alone in a room filled with her enemies. Never a follower of decorum, Astrid walked with her head held high towards the king. She stopped by the small set of stairs that led up to the thrones but she didn't bow, whispers rising from the women present in the room. Fergus seemed indifferent to Astrid's display of disrespect and he made no comment about it either.

"My daughter is dead." Fergus suddenly spoke, casting his eyes back to the ground in order to not let Astrid see the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes. The Queen however let out a small sob and dapped her tears away with a handkerchief. Astrid raised an eyebrow in confusion; if had expected him to say anything, it hadn't been that.

"Then what am I doing here?" She asked bluntly. After a moment, the King stood up and grabbed a letter from a pouch on his belt and held it up for all to see.

"This was found in my daughter's room." He explained in his booming voice, opening the letter, "In it she offers her reasons for killing Lord William," A gasp came from the room and Astrid's eyes widened. William was dead too? "And the reason she took her own life." He continued to explain all the other contents in her letter, including her secret love affair. "In the last paragraph, she asked me to fulfill one wish so that she may rest in peace." Fergus looked at Astrid, "Her wish was for all the Vikings to go free. And so I decree," His voice boomed so that it could be heard in the farthest corners, "That the search and killing of Vikings ends today. They're all free. If they choose to remain in DunBroch, I guarantee their safety. If they choose to leave, they can do so in peace but the killing ends now!"

Astrid gasped lightly and her knees felt weak as the king spoke. Never had she thought she would see this day, never had she dreamed that she would even live to see it.

They were free. They were all free.

DunBroch was a sight to behold. As Astrid walked around the village, she watched as Vikings were helped out of their shelter and walked in the remaining sunlight, for some for the first time in years. The aura of the village was both of happiness and sadness as either reunited or mourned.

She had only seen a few familiar faces like that of Camicazi and Bertha but the one she had been most happy to see was that of Gobber. He was overjoyed to see that Astrid, Spitelout and Fishlegs were all still alive but was deeply saddened to know that Hiccup and Stoick were dead too; they had been like family to him.

Astrid was still strolling through the village, smiling at anyone that would smile at her. She stopped in her tracks when she spotted Fishlegs embracing someone, a friend Astrid guessed, but she was surprised to see that he had finally take off his cloak. The man looked back at her, revealing what he had been hiding underneath the cloak. Astrid was unfazed to see the burn scars on his left cheek and part of his throat; she had been there to witness him getting them. They exchanged smiles and Astrid continued her stroll until she reached Spitelout.

He was overlooking all the reunions with a small smile on his face, wishing that Snotlout had been here to witness it all. The two Vikings stood silently, sometimes exchanging glances before turning their gaze back to the spectacle in front of them.

"What do we do now?" He asked out of nowhere. Astrid knew what he meant. For years they had been hiding and sneaking Vikings out of DunBroch but now there was no more need for it. Astrid and her companions had all been pardoned for their crimes, the killings had stopped and all Vikings were free to go. Astrid contemplated the question before looking up at the elder man.

"Let's go home."

Scots and Vikings went their separate paths from that day on.

DunBroch mourned for weeks but eventually found a means to restore and move on. With the loss of Merida, the Fergus decreed that DunBroch would be split equally between the triplets in order to prevent chaos and ruin upon his death. Elinor mourned the longest of all her subjects for she only wore black for the rest of her life. Wanting the world to not forget how much she loved her daughter, she had many tapestries commissioned to portray Merida and her ever wild spirit. After a while, she commissioned even more tapestries but these ones were with the man she loved. Together in death and together in history, she stated.

All the lands that had previously belonged to William came under Christine's possession. With her in power, Artair and Cináed went into hiding but within days of their disappearance, they were found dead. Cináed had fallen from a staircase and had broken his neck and Artair was found dead in the slums, his guts wrapped around his throat and crows feasting on his rotting flesh.

Astrid's curse had been fulfilled.

Astrid sailed back to the Archipelagoes with all the survivors in an attempt to start anew. Instead of splitting up into the eight original tribes, Astrid unified them into one large tribe and, because of her bravery and show of leadership, the Vikings simultaneously selected her to become the chief of the new tribe, a role she humbly accepted.

Under her leadership, the Vikings entered a period of prosperity often referred to as "The Viking's Golden Age". During this period, Astrid ensured that the story of the blacksmith, the maid, the stable man, and the princess would not be forgotten. Poems were written in their multitude, each telling the story in unique ways. Songs were composed and parents thought of ways to tell the story to their children at night. In secret, Astrid, with the help of Fishlegs, Heather and Spitelout, wrote the events down in a journal in order to ensure that the truth would remain, so that it would not be destroyed for the sake of entertainment. While it wasn't true to the letter, it was the most accurate telling of the story.

Astrid was an old woman when she finished the last pages of the story. It is said that she stared blankly at the pages for two days, reflecting on her life, everything she had seen, she had felt, what she had lost and what she had found. On the third day, she wrote the final paragraph, thinking of the friend she had lost so long ago, the man that would live on as the Blacksmith, and the woman he loved, the Princess:

The love of two souls is far greater than any kind of love. Having loved and lost and still loving until the end of time is the greatest love.

It's true love.

And that's it folks. The last chapter of Until the End. However, I have a little surprise for you. Seeing that I'm pretty attached to this AU, I'm proud to announce a little something called After the End,which will contain the alternate ending and one-shots from this AU. The one shots can be anything from before, during, or after the events of UTE. If you guys have any requests, don't hesitate to tell me. *whispers* please request some North and Paro…. love those two together….

Also, that last little bit in the normal font is not mine. That is from the Bollywood movie Kisna: the Warrior Poet

Onto the alternate ending and one-shots. See ya guys soon!