A/N: Thank you everyone for the wonderful response to the first chapter! enjoy :)

Chapter 2: Healing

Age: 4 years old.

Hiccup was perched up on the railing of the longship, feeling the spray of water wet his face.

"Hiccup, get down from there, you'll fall" chided Stoick.

The small boy didn't reply, just silently came down and stood by his father's side as the port came into view.

Talking wasn't something Hiccup had done very often, not since it happened.

He did reply when spoken to directly, but as Stoick observed, the joy, the spark in his eyes was nowhere to be found.

Dealing with his grief hadn't been easy for the Chief, and he'd chosen to bury himself in his duties more and more, but had consequently found himself having less and less time for his son.

He wasn't sure what to do to lift his son's spirits, given the special bond Valka and Hiccup had shared. Hiccup didn't even want to play with the other kids in the village anymore, neither did he want to leave the house if he could avoid it.

Stoick was a dutiful Viking to his core, and he couldn't let this terrible tragedy stop him from carrying out his duties as a chief, one of which was honoring the agreement with Romsdal.

It had been one of Valka's last wishes for Hiccup to visit his betrothed here, and he was going to do his best to fulfill it no matter what.

Their reception was much the same as last time, except there was an air of seriousness sympathy around, as the officials in Romsdal had been made aware of Chieftess Valka's passing months back.

The castle stood as proud as ever, and he noticed Hiccup looking up at it with awed eyes. "I remember this" he spoke. "Big castle."

Stoick had a sharp intake of breath at hearing his son talk on his own after so long. He had been too little, and words like Romsdal hadn't meant anything to him on the journey here, but now that he was gazing at the familiar sights, old memories were undoubtedly being stirred up.

"Yes Hiccup, we came here two years back"

Hiccup frowned in concentration. It felt like a memory at the edge of his consciousness, some scattered images of playing with... a girl? and a boy? A lake and green gardens, more flat area than the widest field on Berk.

They disembarked from the carriage and were greeted by the King and queen, surrounded by guards in silver armour.

Hiccup looked up at the serious and sad way the grown-ups were talking, while he peered inside the long hallway, trying to spot something that might jog his memory further.

"You are Hiccup, right?"

Hiccup looked up at the queen's kind face smiling down at him. He gave a small nod.

"You sure have grown from the last time I saw you. Come here, I know two kids who would be delighted to see you"

She took his hand, and Hiccup followed her down long hallways until they reached a large room with open windows, with walls painted so colourful, it looked like a rainbow had formed indoors.

"Evan, Astrid, look who's here"

The two children playing on the floor looked up at Hiccup who was pretty much hiding behind the Queen.

"Go on" she coaxed with a gentle hand on his back. "This is Hiccup, from Berk. You three spent lots of time playing together the last time he visited"

Hiccup looked at the vaguely familiar-looking girl with blonde curls, and her taller brother who ran over to him excitedly. "Yeah, I remember Hiccup"

Astrid walked up too, also feeling that she had some blurry memories of the brown-haired boy. "I'm Astrid" she said, offering a hand. Hiccup looked at her wide-eyed, his green eyes scanning her face. "Hiccup," he said quietly, not shaking her hand.

She wasn't sure why Hiccup seemed different... from the little she remembered, he had been shy but had still played with them normally.

"I'll leave Hiccup here, you two make sure he's comfortable, okay?" Queen Ingrid said to her children who nodded. "Play nicely with him and make him feel at home. He'll be staying with us for a few weeks."

The siblings were a little confused by Hiccup's extra wariness, but as a few hours went by, he seemed to come out of his shell, slowly but steadily.

Astrid showed him her paintings, and then they made one together on a large canvas, dipping their fingers into paints and making colourful shapes. Their hands and faces were a colourful mess by the time they were done but Hiccup actually laughed towards the end, looking surprised at himself for having made that sound. The young princess grinned and punched his shoulder. "So you can smile!"

It was like the wounds on his heart were finally starting to heal.

"Terrible what happened to Hiccup's mother" Ingrid said to her husband. "Berk's infamous reputation with dragons isn't without reason"

"I agree dear. I never expected this to happen either" the King replied.

"Are you sure we did the right thing by agreeing to the marriage contract? I know it will be beneficial in a political sense, but aren't we gambling with our sole daughter's safety?"

Arvid shook his head. "Berk might be plagued by dragons, but they've still got the toughest warriors in the whole archipelago. Not to mention their mountain of a Chief. Hiccup is his son after all, and I'm sure he'll take after him and become a strong and fierce warrior in his own right, in due time"

Ingrid frowned. To her, Hiccup had seemed a complete opposite of his father. His eyes just radiated kindness and compassion like his mother, not the ruthless drive needed to become a dragon-killing warrior. But maybe that was due to his tender age. Maybe in due time, he would prove himself.

But did she really want him to change? A small part of her was somehow glad for this. The kind boy was the one she wanted for her daughter. She couldn't be sure what destiny had in store for the two kids. All she could do was try to guide them both towards the right road, and let them find their own way forward.

The castle was filled with much laughter in the days and weeks that followed, the three kids spending the days exploring the vast castle and grounds, playing tag in the green grass till their legs ached, and sleeping soundly at night after all the exhaustion.

Astrid and Hiccup even managed to build a huge pillow fort in her and Evan's room, and spent many a nights playing with Astrid's vast collection of stuffed toys by the lantern light.

Astrid understood enough now to know that Hiccup wasn't gonna stay for much longer, and on his last day, she cried and cried and pleaded with her parents to let him stay a little bit longer.

They tried to console her the best they could, but ended up giving in to her insistent demands and requested Stoick to kindly extend his stay by a couple more days.

Astrid's smile could have lit up the sky, but inevitably, the two short days passed and once again it was a teary farewell.

"I'll miss you Hiccup" Astrid whispered in his ear while crushing the boy in a tight hug. Hiccup nodded and assured her, "I'll miss you too Astrid. Daddy said I will come here again in two years"

Astrid pulled away and nodded, wiping her wet eyes. "Two years" she confirmed, not really having a concept of how much time that was, but 'two' didn't seem like that big a number did it? "Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise" Hiccup replied, locking their tiny fingers together and returning her teary smile.

Shaking Evan's hand as the older boy grinned at him, he turned and went to stand by his father's side.

"I hope to see both of our peoples be blessed with peace and prosperity the next time we visit" Stoick said.

"We wish for the same" replied King Arvid. "And we pray for your family to achieve the strength needed to overcome all your hardships"

"Thank you"

Boarding the carriage, Hiccup snuck his head out the window and waved at the family until they disappeared out of sight.

And when they finally reached Berk one week later, he suddenly felt like playing outside again. Everything would be okay.

He didn't need to hide inside his house anymore.

It would all be okay.

A/N: Hope you liked the chapter! Please review! :D

-Gravitybeam