A/N: You guys are amazing! Your feedback for the last chapter reminded me why I love this fandom so much, aside from the brilliant content! :D

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. o O o .

Chapter 10: Confidence

Even without turning to look, Hiccup was able to discern the exact moment when Astrid left the Great Hall. It was the moment when Geir dropped his mask of a calm face to return to his usual sneer and when his cold eyes shifted to look at him again.

"Well, well…" Geir said, his lips stretching into a perverted version of a grin. "A nice show you've given us there. But I guess it really was just that, a show"

"What do you want?" Hiccup asked cooly. He didn't want to spend more time with this man then was absolutely necessary. This man with his disgusting character who openly admitted to having raped and killed countless of innocent girls and women and who made no secret of his desire to do the same to Astrid. No, he really didn't want to spend even one second in his presence. He knew that he needed to stick to their plan until they had any solid evidence but it was hard, so unbelievably hard!

"I want to congratulate you. You've played us all for a fool. Preaching your high moral standards to us while you're not the slightest bit better."

"I am nothing like you!" Hiccup hissed. Giving in to this game Geir played was probably not the wisest decision. He should just turn and go away, take care of the last preparations for the night, make sure his honored guests made it safely to their hut and leave. But the alcohol was still running strongly through his veins and he had enough! Enough of those crude remarks and barely concealed insinuations. He would tell Geir off, once and for all!

"Oh, are you not?" Geir jeered. "How are your pants then? A little sticky, I guess? Let me tell you, so are mine. See, we are exactly the same, you and I. Spilling into our clothes over a pretty body. A divinely beautiful body in this case!"

Hiccup felt bile rising in his throat and took a labored breath to try and stay calm. To think Geir of all people had watched them just now and-

No, he didn't want to finish that thought! Instead, he tried to rectify their slightly stupid behavior, knowing full well how futile that was.

"You have no idea what you're talking about! What my wife and I do is none of your business. Even if we did what you insinuate, so what? I can't deny her anything. And there's the difference between our people by the way. Not that we're not having sex as well but how and with whom."

At this, Geir laughed almost genuinely. "Right! That's why you reprimanded us for taking our women wherever we like. You are, indeed, nothing like us. But I guess you're right. That just over there in your shadowy corner wasn't anything real anyway, or was it? No women I ever met stayed as quiet as your's just now. You two really should come over later so that I can show you how to properly make her scream"

"Enough!" Hiccup growled, his patience running out quickly now. "You'll keep your hands off of Astrid! And your eyes and thoughts as well. She's my wife! That might not mean much to a Redthorn but here on Berk, it means a lot. She's mine and mine alone!" In his thoughts, Hiccup apologized for being so possessive. First and foremost, Astrid belonged to herself after all. But in this moment and in this conversation, words like these probably were the only ones his opponent understood. Or maybe not…

"We'll see, Hiccup," Geir said eerily calmly. "We'll see…"

That was it! It was enough! Hiccup balled his hands into tight fists but for once he had no intention to stay calm. He would not let Geir hurt Astrid! A low growl vibrated through him and Geir froze.

And then Hiccup realized. It hadn't been himself who'd been growling but Toothless who'd appeared at his side. Hiccup didn't need to turn to know how the dragon watched the other man, his eyes narrowed into slits and his teeth bared. For a moment, Hiccup thought he saw a strange gleam in Geir's eyes, something like annoyance and irritation. But when he lowered his gaze toward the black dragon, that gleam was gone immediately and the blonde man backed away, arms raised as if to ward Toothless off.

It gave Hiccup a good feeling to see the other man's bravado evaporate. Enough to let him go.

. o O o .

The good feeling lasted. It took the better part of an hour to get the last people out of the Hall after their celebration. It was a funny word to describe tonight's feast. Aside from those few who had sat with him at the Chiefs' table, nobody had drunken any mead tonight. The women had been happy to just chat and talk again and the men had all been wary and cautious. Tonight, everyone had watched the Redthrons, had made sure they didn't try anything during this feast. Everyone but h those who'd sat closest to their guests that is.

Dagur, Legs, Snot, Tuff and he himself had been out of that. They'd had to keep up the charade just to keep their visitors placated and entertained. So they'd feasted like they'd been supposed to and Hiccup couldn't bring himself to regret having agreed to that. Remembering how it had been the last time, he might regret it in the morning but for now, he was genuinely pleased with how the night had turned out. His head was spinning funnily but that wasn't too bad, no reason to worry.

No, he didn't regret anything that had happened this night. Fooling around with Astrid in the shadows had been... woah! Maybe not the wisest thing they'd ever done but, damn, it had been hot. He needed to get out of his ruined clothes but that was a small price to pay. Just remembering how she'd shaken in his arms during her orgasm, desperately keeping in any sounds was enough to make him hard again already.

And he surely didn't regret telling Geir off! If felt good to finally have those words off his chest and Geir's reaction to Toothless had been priceless on its own. Surely, the Redthorn heir would heed his warning. He was the great dragon master after all and Geir's fear of Toothless had been evident whenever the dragon had accompanied Hiccup during the last days. No, all in all, he had every reason to be satisfied with this day.

His gaze wandered through the almost empty Hall and he had to reach out for the nearby wall as the room around him began to spin. Okay, maybe it had been a little too much mead but that still was no problem. Magnus, Geir, and their guards had drunk much more, surely they'd be completely out tomorrow and then they would set sail the morning after and would finally be gone. A genuine smile spread across his face and he even waved lazily as the Redthorn delegation was led outside by Sven and a few other guards Spitelout had assigned to them for tonight.

"Nooo, let goooff mee," waved Snotlout's howl through the Hall and Hiccup grinned. He turned to look at the table where some of his friends still sat and, apparently, still drank and celebrated.

"Jus' let me cuddle you, you're so small and cuddly" came Dagur's slurred reply and Hiccup slowly wandered over toward them. The scenery in front of him was hilarious and he couldn't help but grin wider.

"So, you guys are the last," He said, stepping closer to the table

"Yeah, and I guess we'll just stay here," Ruff stated drily. "Because I will carry neither my husband nor my brother anywhere and I doubt anyone of them is still able to walk on his own."

Hiccup eyed his friends and chuckled lightly.

Fishlegs lay draped over the table, snoring heavily and Hiccup suspected his friend would indeed have to spend the night in the Great Hall instead of at his parents' house. Nobody would be able to carry him and nobody would be able to wake him when thoroughly drunken either. Although Tuff seemed to try. The male twin also lay halfway across the table but his eyes were open and in his hand, he held a fork and was repeatedly poking Fishlegs' nose with it. Lia and Ruffnut, the only sober people sitting there, were watching the scenery giggling and suggested alternative spots for Tuff to torment.

Snotlout was in a situation Hiccup himself knew all too well, trapped in a kind-of-embrace between Dagur's strong arms and unable to free himself. It brought another grin to his face. His friends were clearly still enjoying themselves.

"Well, I'm heading home now. I'll send Eret up again to help you. And give him a blanket for Legs…" Hiccup scratched his neck. "See you guys tomorrow, I guess" He waved one last time and turned to leave the Great Hall.

The fresh air outside helped to clear his head a bit and further lightened his mood. Finally, this dreaded feast was over and everything had gone according to plan. No member of the Redthorn tribe had misbehaved, nothing had happened. Tomorrow, they would ready their ship, pack provisions and after one last night's rest, they would finally be gone. All his worries and anxiety over the months had been for nothing.

Smiling, he went downstairs to their home, only occasionally leaning on Toothless for balance. He couldn't wait to take Astrid in his arm and maybe celebrate a little further, just the two of them. Before he reached the door though, he noticed a figure sneaking around in the shadows behind their house. Suddenly, every nerve in his body was on high alert. Had Geir finally managed to sneak away from his guards after all? Slowly, as not to make any noise, he reached for Inferno which was attached to his belt. Just as a precaution, he hadn't thought he would actually need the sword but now he was glad to have it.

"Are you trying to be stealthy?" echoed an amused and very familiar voice toward him and Hiccup let the sword drop again, a rueful grimace on his face.

"Mom," he exhaled, relieved that it was only her lurching in the shadows around his house. "What are you doing here? I thought you left like… ages ago. Shouldn't you be long asleep by now?"

Valka stepped out of the shadows, an empty basket under her arm. "You know, son, I could ask you the same. You look like you might keel over any moment and your sneaking skills have been known to be better, too." She threw him a teasing look, eyebrows raised and Hiccup flinched. He'd thought he'd been stealthy… "But I would never dare to say such things to my Chief…" she added playfully and Hiccup was glad for the darkness that surely would conceal his blush. He was a grown man, being told off by his mother was not something he enjoyed. Even though she had a point.

"Alright, I'm not as stealthy as usual today," he sighed, trying to regain some dignity. "But you still haven't told me what you were doing there, creeping around in the middle of the night." Changing the topic was always a good move…

Hiccup caught the grin that tugged at his mother's lips but when she answered, she was as businesslike as always. "I was looking after Stormfly. For two days now, she's refused to leave her stable, insisted to stay close to Astrid I guess. That's a good sign, might mean she's close to delivering. Dragons have a good sense for things like that. And an additional guard surely won't hurt. But she hasn't gone hunting so I brought her some fish. Although it looks like Toothless already took care of that" Valka chuckles lightly, scratching Toothless' neck as he scuttled past her and Hiccup smiled as well.

Stormfly and Toothless had become very close friends during the years. They weren't mates, that wouldn't work with their differing species anyway but they surely behaved like a long-married couple sometimes. Having Stormfly always around though… His mother was right, that was a good thing! He trusted all his friends but when it came to defending Astrid, nobody would fight as fiercely as the Nadder. Well, nobody except himself. That thought triggered another one and Hiccup frowned for a moment, rapidly thinking it through.

"Mom?" He asked as she was about to walk past him. "Do you think we could use some of the dragons as guards, too? These days have been hard for our men, do you think we could replace some of them with your dragons? Just for the nights so the men can rest? I mean, up until now the Redthorns made no problems but as long as they are here they are a threat. And they are afraid of the dragons, they wouldn't dare to confront them"

Valka paused for a moment and Hiccup could see her mind working quickly. Then she nodded. "Yes, I can arrange that. There are a few Hobblegrunts and Snifflehunches that would be perfect for a job like this."She made a waving gesture toward the house. "I'll take care of that. And you go to bed before you actually topple over and Toothless has to carry you to bed again. How much mead did you have anyway?"

There is was again. His mother taking care of her son… "Not that much, I'm fine!" He insisted. "But you're right, I'll go inside now. See you tomorrow"

Valka waved once again and a moment later he was at the door, knocking in the way that signaled it was him waiting to be allowed in. Only seconds later, he heard the bold being pushed aside before Eret opened the door and let him in.

"There you are" Eret greeted him with a grin. "Astrid is already waiting for you. In your bed. Guess, you don't need me anymore?" His grin widened and Hiccup swallowed. His mind wanted to drift off immediately, through the door in the back and into the other room but he caught himself.

"Thanks," he said hoarsely. "And I think, Ruff and Lia need your help to get the others to bed as well. And…" Hiccup's gaze wandered searchingly through the room until he spotted what he'd been looking for. "Here. Could you bring this blanket up to the Great Hall as well? For Legs?"

"Sure, I can do that" The ex-trapper nodded and turned to leave. "I'd say sleep well but… Have a good night seems more appropriate!"

Hiccup could still hear the laughter even after he'd closed the door and if it hadn't been Eret he might have blushed again. But it had been Eret and he'd been right, Hiccup didn't intend to sleep all that soon. He got rid of his coat and belt and only seconds later entered their bedroom.

The room was lit by the flickering light of a single candle. Astrid lay on their bed, partially covered by a thin blanket that revealed just enough to let him know that she wasn't wearing anything at all. Not that that surprised him. She'd been horny and wanting all day and had already said she wasn't yet through with him tonight. Well, he wasn't through with her either!

Her eyes met his and the way her face lit up was just amazing. "Hey, you" she greeted him as if it hadn't been just an hour since they'd last seen each other.

"Hey, yourself" he replied and walked over to the bed while loosing the cords that held his waistcoat. He pulled the piece of clothing over his head and then leaned down to place a kiss on his wife's lips. Her response was cautious though and when he retreated, she gave him a wary look.

"Is everything alright?" She asked carefully and Hiccup frowned. Why wouldn't it?

"Sure," he answered and took off his tunic as well.

"What about Geir?"

That question made Hiccup grin as he remembered the earlier conversation. He stood up to get rid of his trousers, too and spotted the bucket full of warm soapy water near the low stool in a corner of the room. Astrid really was incredible.

"Oh, I don't think we need to worry about Geir anymore." He said while carefully pulling his trousers over his metal leg and taking off his coverings. "He's so afraid of our dragons, he won't try anything as long as they are close. And it looks like Stormfly won't leave your side anyway so you should be fine. He can talk all he wants as long as that's all he does."

"I see" came her calm answer and nothing more. Hiccup took a few minutes to clean himself of the mess he'd made earlier and waited for another reaction. He thought she would ask further questions about what exactly had transpired between him and Geir, what they'd said or how Geir's fear had shown. But all he got was an absentminded "Mmmmh" and when he turned to look at her he understood why. Her mind had wandered on to the next topic already.

Astrid had turned to keep looking at him, the blanket now completely disposed of. Her dazed gaze seemed to be glued to his body, raking every inch of uncovered skin while her hand was moving leisurely between her thighs. The blatant desire he saw in her eyes made his heart beat faster and his cock twitch in anticipating. Her eyes followed the movement and he saw her biting her lips as another moan escaped her.

With a low chuckle, Hiccup sauntered over and crawled onto the bed beside her. He wanted to cover her with his body and to watch her face while he sank into her but knew that wasn't feasible. Maybe in a couple of months when her body had recovered from bearing a child. He was looking forward to it, for many reasons, but for now, they had to find other ways. He leaned over her to kiss her and found himself in a tight embrace almost in an instant. Her one hand was clutching his back while the other was buried in his hair and the way she tore at and dug into him should have been painful. Except it wasn't. It was exhilarating! With a groan, he shifted his weight to reach up and cup her enlarged breast and play with her sensitive nipple. It made her shake and tremble, arching into his touch with a small cry that sent his head spinning. So much for showing him how to make her scream!

Astrid pulled away and gave him a baffled look and only then did he realize that he was laughing giddily. "What's so funny?" She asked and let her fingers glide over his face, his lips and his jaw in particular and it tickled.

Shaking with laughter, he nuzzled into her hand and hummed. "Oh, it's just something Geir said earlier" he mumbled. Huh, weird. When had Geir's comments started to become funny instead of irritating? Astrid had become still at his words but Hiccup smiled appeasingly. "He said," Hiccup whispered and massaged her breast a little more. "that he wants us to come over to their hut so that he can show me how to make you scream." He pinched her nipple again and the most beautiful cry escaped her. "But I think I don't need his help." He pinched her again and her renewed, louder cry turned into giggling a moment later.

"Mmmmhh, no, I don't think you do," she hummed in agreement. Then she became still, thoughtful and then nodded once. She pushed him back a little to look down their bodies and grinned. "You're still wearing your leg, good. Could you go and open the window shutters?" She asked, and Hiccup caught the impish gleam radiating from her eyes.

"Sure!" He had no idea what she was up to and that gleam only told him that her idea was probably a little crazy. But he trusted her judgment and after what had happened earlier at the Great Hall he knew that a little crazy wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He crawled off the bed, missing her heat already despite the warm summer night and went over to the window to push the wooden shutters open. In that moment, the room turned dark as Astrid blew out the candle and it took his eyes a few moments before they adjusted to the moonlight pouring into the room being the only source of light. Slowly, he walked back to the bed and sat down on it, hearing the rustling of the sheets and Astrid's groans as she moved.

"What are you up to?" He asked a few moments later, reaching out to feel her soft skin and maybe help her with whatever she was doing.

"Let's show him!" came her confusing answer and he felt her hands on his arm, tugging him back onto the bed.

"What?" The darkness wasn't good. Without the light, the entire room seemed to wave and spin and he needed to take a deep breath to calm it down again.

"Let's show him how good you are at making me scream!" Astrid explained and he smirked. Of course! Through the open window, her screams and cries would carry unhindered through the night and surely would be well audible for the Redthorns in Spitelout's hut that was the closest to theirs.

"You know that they're going to use that as inspiration to jerk off, right?" He pointed out, letting his hands glide over her heated skin but Astrid just shrugged.

"They're going to do that anyway." She scoffed. "If not to our screams than to other images, what does it matter? But this way we can remind them of what they don't have."

"Of what we have…" Hiccup whispered and wound his arms around her again, pulling her closer to kiss her. It wasn't a calm kiss by any means. This short interruption hadn't lessened their desire and after a short while, they were panting and fumbling, eager to touch and to feel each other again.

Soon, they became too busy gasping for air to maintain their liplock and Hiccup let his mouth wander over her body instead. Astrid's louder than usual moan when he latched onto her breast startled him for a moment though. Had he hurt her? Had she become too sensitive there for a rough treatment like this? But no, her pulling hands in his hair indicated that she like it, wanted more and he remembered what his hazy mind had already forgotten. She was loud on purpose. With a pleased growl, he went on to torment her other nipple and this time she outright howled as he licked and sucked and lightly bit onto the hardened bud.

Hiccup was used to her being quite vocal about her pleasure but this brought it to a new level and even knowing that they probably had an audience, he couldn't bring himself to bother. She was just so mesmerizing, so beautiful and perfect. He could play her all night, explore her body with his hands and his tongue and listen to her wailing and moaning until the sun came up again. But Astrid seemed to think differently.

"Hic…" came her torn cry some while later and he felt her pulling on one of his little braids to get him to listen. "Stop teasi-nggaahh! Need you!" Regretfully, Hiccup hummed against her skin but complied. What he'd said earlier to Geir was true after all. He couldn't deny her anything!

"Turn around?" He suggested and helped her move as she did so. Kneeling on all four in front of him, her almost white skin practically glowed in the dim moonlight. She looked ethereal, like a dream and Hiccup's still muzzy head surely added to that impression. Nothing seemed real except her noises of pleasure and in a way, that made it even more exciting. He let his hands glide over her skin, her back and waist and hips, felt her tremble, heard her panting in frustration and decided it was enough.

One hand on her hip to hold her in place – and to have something to hold on to for himself – he grabbed his cock with his other hand and brought himself into position behind her. He'd already made sure she was ready during his foreplay, no need to torment her further. Groaning and almost sobbing, he slowly buried himself in her hot body and all but chocked on the intense sensation. "Gods, Astrid, you feel so good!" he gasped out when her cute little ass was flush against his stomach while her reaction was a wanton cry that sounded through the night and clearly held nothing but joy and pleasure.

. o O o .

Astrid wanted to reply, to return the compliment or as whatever his gasped remark counted but couldn't. She couldn't speak as he finally filled her and all air left her lungs in a desperate cry. But, Gods, he felt good, too! She liked every way he used to get her off but this was still special. Having her tight muscles stretched open by his hot and pulsing cock was a sensation that compared to nothing else. It felt so good!

She felt him shift and heard him groan behind her before he began to move in and out, rubbing her back appreciatively. This was not the frenzied pounding they often turned to lately, their little fun encounter in the Great Hall had taken the worst brunt off their desire already. No, this was slower, more fun than need and it seemed to last endlessly. His slow strokes send wave after wave of hot pleasure through her and she moaned, howled or cried at every single one of them.

She wasn't doing it on purpose or even exaggerated her noises for their purpose to annoy the Redthorns. She didn't need to! She just didn't hold herself back. Their love life was hardly a secret and she'd never hidden the fact that Hiccup wasn't just an exceptional Chief and dragon rider but also an incredibly good lover by now. But lately, she'd caught herself keeping quite more often. Maybe she was subconsciously getting used to being more subtle for when they weren't just two anymore or maybe it was something else, she didn't know. All she knew was that today was the first time in weeks that the urge to keep quieter was gone and after how silent she'd been in the Great Hall, crying out her pleasure now was especially liberating.

At some point, she began to move with him, pushing herself back onto his cock with every motion and it made Hiccup grip her hips tighter. Some small and quiet part of her was worried about how much he'd drunken tonight as he seemed to hold on to her to not lose his balance but the by far bigger part simply enjoyed his eagerness. She enjoyed how he leaned over her to kiss her bare back, how he whispered praises against her skin and how his hands roamed over her body, kneaded her breasts and pinched her clit occasionally. It was wonderfully maddening.

Soon, it wasn't enough anymore though. Hiccups movements sped up and Astrid reacted in kind, rocking herself onto him with blatant hunger, her arms trembling under the strain of holding up her weight.

"Hah! Yes! Hic- ah! Harder!" she begged a little later, not ashamed to do so. Hiccup followed instantly, moving with even more force, growling and cursing and moaning as he pounded into her. Freya, he felt so incredibly good! She wanted him to never stop, never ever-

A particularly hard thrust finally made her arms give way beneath her and she found herself with a face full of cushions while Hiccup resumed his pace. She usually didn't mind this as long as there was still enough space for her bump to not get squished but today, she didn't want to muffle her cries into the cushions. She wanted to be loud, no hiding tonight. She struggled to push herself back up on her arms and almost sobbed when Hiccup suddenly stopped moving behind her.

"Wait!" he grunted breathlessly and she heard him shift his legs before he helped her, pulled her up and against him. "C'mere" He guided her backward until she was kneeling over his lap, his cock still firmly inside her. The new angle hit her even deeper and she cried out as the intense sensation burned through her and pushed her higher up to her personal Valhalla.

For a moment, they stayed still, both panting and gasping. She heard Hiccup mumble nonsense against her back as his fingers dug deep into her hips, holding on to her. When he began to move again it wasn't the heedless pounding from before but more of a slow grinding that made Astrid whimper and reach back to clutch at his hips in return. Of course, he had no leverage to thrust into her in this position. Carefully, she lifted herself up a bit, guided by Hiccup's hands and sank back down onto him a moment later. The moan they shared at this powerful friction sent her head spinning dangerously. She pushed herself up again and dropped back with more force that made her cry out and Hiccup moan against the bare skin of her back. Then she did it again. And again. Gods, it had been a while since she'd ridden him! Too long, if she thought about it now. Being in control again was amazing.

Astrid kept moving up and down his shaft, guided by his one hand on her hip while the other reached around her to knead her breast and roll and pinch her nipple. Soon, her head was an empty mess of pleasure and sensation and Hiccup and more. She could feel her orgasm closing in, felt the tendrils of heat reaching through her body to concentrate in her guts just shy of where she could feel Hiccup insider her.

"Gods, Astrid," came Hiccup's deep grunt. "Tell me you're close! I- ah! I can't- nggh" All Astrid could bring forth was a desperate whimper but it seemed to be enough. His hand reached down to her clit, rubbing it vigorously and, God, yes, she was close. So close! Just-

Suddenly, Hiccup howled and shook beneath her as he spilled into her and that was it. His heat flooding her was all she'd needed, the last spark to set her ablaze with all-consuming pleasure. Her scream that echoed off the walls almost tore her throat apart with its force as she came hard, shaking, trembling, still riding him until they both collapsed onto the bed.

For a minute, they just lay there, panting, gasping for air and entangled in each other's limbs. Then Hiccup began to chuckle lazily and pulled her closer to nuzzle into her hair. It tickled and Astrid giggled as well.

"Gods, you're crazy!" He mumbled. "You're completely and utterly and totally crazy! And I love you! All Gods above, I love you so much!"

With a happy sigh, Astrid cuddled closer into his embrace and turned her head to kiss him. "I love you, too!" she whispered, hand cupping his face. "More than words can say"

"Mmmhh.." was all that came from Hiccup, his eyes already closed as he leaned into her touch and a moment later, he was gone entirely. Astrid felt his arm around her waist becoming heavier and his warm body behind her becoming softer until his low breathing was the only sound left. Smiling, she made herself comfortable in his embrace, reached for the cushion to support her bump and a blanket to cover them both.

It was warm and cozy, the way she lay there and yet she couldn't find any sleep. She was restless somehow, her body unable to fully relax and it drove her crazy. It wasn't like the night before though, she didn't need any more sex tonight. That thirst was thoroughly squelched! No, it was different from that but Astrid wasn't able to put a finger on it.

Aimlessly, she let her thoughts wander for what felt like hours. Should she get up and close the window again? Leaving it open like this was almost an invitation for someone to climb in. And there was a reason why she'd kept all windows closed during the last days after all. Arg, to Hel with that reason! The Redthorns were safely guarded, how should they be able to sneak away? And even if someone was to come here, that window led directly to where Stormfly and Toothless lay outside. Nobody would be able to sneak past them. There was no reason to be so overly cautious all the time!

And she didn't want to leave Hiccup's comfortable embrace anyway. He was so warm and she never felt as safe as when here in his arms. The mead on his breath was a bit unpleasant but she couldn't bring herself to be annoyed over that. She doubted that Hiccup would have been as daring as he'd been tonight if he'd been completely sober. All in all, the slight discomfort now was a small price to pay!

Although, Hiccup probably would have to pay a higher price in the morning. She wasn't sure how much he'd drunken tonight but it sure was a Hel lot more than usual. Even more important that he got a good night's rest! She would not wiggle out of his embrace and risk waking him up and the fresh air would probably help him anyway.

It was a long night for Astrid though. Whenever she thought she might fall asleep, the baby inside her began to kick or another painful contraction bit into her. And when she finally did fall asleep, she was haunted by the weirdest dreams of being helpless and being watched by a creepy pair of icy blue eyes.

. o O o .

So, this was a lighter chapter, fitting for Hiccup's state of mind...But how long will that last? As always, feedback is very welcome!

And I know some of you already read it but for those who didn't: I highly recommend reading Take Him Down by ladyamethyst21 (You can find it in my Favorites if you don't want to look for it) and leave some feedback for her awesome work as well! :D