AN: Hey-Ho. Thanks for your reviews! They encourage me to continue writing even though I'm a bit stuck at the moment. But no worries, it will continue.

As you will see, the lives on both sides will continue. And, very important, in the upcoming chapters, the story will fully start. Important characters will come up, together with some not so important ones.

And yes I have, according to a good friend of mine, to put a live-story inside. I'm going to do that, but not only and not straight away. So patience.

Thanks love you all.

Now enjoy this short chapter.

Chapter Fifteen: Dull

Snoggeltog was tomorrow and the villager had started weeks earlier already to make preparations. Houses and streets were decorated, the Mead Hall too and a cheery mood spread over the village. Songs were sung and presents were bought and families planned the holidays.

Little children were impatient and the older ones wondered what they would get.

In his house on the highest hill in the village with the back to the forest, Stoick sat in his armchair and thought about his past Snoggeltogs. The ones as a boy with his father and his mother and is brother, his first one with Val as a couple, the first one with Val as a married couple, the first one with baby-Hiccup. And the first one without Val.

And now he was facing the first one without Hiccup.

Stoick didn't want to mourn so much about his son's death. By the gods, he was a Viking! But it hurt so much.

Because the boy had always been there. Even though he had never acknowledged it, Stoick could always rely on Hiccup to be there, to be with him.

Stoick didn't say that he was the perfect parent. He was the chief. And that made certain things difficult. Like showing emotions.

Hiccup had always been the only family he had. All he had left of his wife.

Of course, he had his brother and his family; he had Gobber and so on. But they weren't his family.

And suddenly Stoick was afraid. Afraid of Snoggeltog to come and him being alone for the first time.

This is ridicules, I'm a Viking. I'm not afraid!

But something else couldn't explain the feeling in his belly.

And at the same time he couldn't show his sorrow to his people. They needed himn strong and happy. But he couldn't be any of it.

Stoick had tried to tell himself to carry on, like after Val had died.

But that time he had have Hiccup. The boy had been so small, Stoick had to care for him, which had given him a reason to go on, to live and gave him the structure back into his life.

Now there was no one.

Someone knocked at the door. Stoick got up and opened the door. Outside on the porch stood his brother's wife. Phlegma the Fierce was an impressive Viking woman. She was tall and had muscular arms, long black hair, piercing blue eyes and a pretty face.

She was scary in battle but also a pretty good wife and caring mother.

She usually was a bit ruff and sometime grumpy or harsh but now she eyed Stoick with soft eyes and said in a nice tone.

"Hello Stoick. I was just wondering if you would like four or five steaks. And how you would like them. Rare, medium or bloody?"

Stoick was irritated. "Steaks? What are you talking about?" "Our Family-Snoggeltog-Dinner. Did you forget?" she said and furrowed her eyebrows. "I was just organizing everything and wondered if you want your meat as every year or not." "Oh…ah…I…as always?" Stoick had no idea what to say.

"Okay. Thanks that was all I wanted to ask. Oh, and don't forget, tomorrow right after the official dinner, so don't eat too much there." With that she turned around and walked through the snow back to her house.

Stoick closed the door and though he still felt sad, a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. They were yet his family too.

And he was relieved that he wasn't completely alone.