Chapter 5: My Special Person

Age: 10 years old.

Just weeks before Hiccup's tenth birthday, they received a letter, one that was so unexpected that Hiccup had a hard time believing it.

After the longest two years away from her, Astrid and her family were… this time, they were coming to Berk!

After a few years of relatively fewer incidents related to dragons, and of course the incessant demands of the princess, the royal family was willing to take their first trip to the faraway isle of Berk.

Hiccup read and re-read the letter on his father's desk, laughing out loud in delight.

It was an official letter written in cursive words with the embossed seal of Romsdal, but near the bottom-right corner, hastily scribbled in pencil, was clearly Astrid's handwriting:

I miss you so much Hiccup, and I can't wait to see you again. I hope you'll show me all around Berk and tell me all the dragon facts you've learnt since the last time we met.

Yours, Astrid

Blushing furiously at her words while grinning like an idiot, he got to work writing down all the dragon facts he was gonna tell her. He also drew diagrams of the different species he'd seen recently.

Unable to keep still, he even made a few sketches of the girl he was so excited to meet. All that was left to do now, was wait!

The ornate Romsdal state ship slowly manoeuvred into port, looking strikingly out of place amidst all the weathered and rugged-looking Viking ships. This didn't concern the young blonde girl leaning over the railing though, her vision had already tunneled.

It seemed to take an eternity for the deck hands to secure the ship and open the gate, but the second they did, she was rushing forward, ignoring her parents' cries to step carefully.

Her feet had barely stepped off the boat, and her arms were already around the boy she'd longed to see for months upon months.

"Can't- b-breathe-" Hiccup wheezed and she released him, smiling apologetically at him.

She stepped back and Hiccup finally got a good look at her. To say that she looked pretty was… a big understatement.

She was still a bit taller than him, and her hair was even longer, but the best thing about her was the wide smile on her face, the sparkle in her eye as she looked at him.

Then, without warning, she was stepping towards him again, turning her head to give him a kiss right on his blushing cheek. In front of her parents, no less! Hiccup was equal parts elated and mortified.

Evan was stepping off the boat too, and whistled appreciatively, earning an annoyed glare from his sister.

She finally let Hiccup go long enough for him to bow to the King and Queen respectfully.

"No need for that my dear" said Queen Ingrid, ruffling his hair in a motherly way. "You're already a part of our family"

Hiccup started by showing Astrid all around Berk. Their parents were talking back at their guest house, and Evan decided to stay behind too, giving Hiccup a wink and a thumbs up that he didn't quite understand.

They'd been walking for two minutes before Astrid commented, "Since I've never been here, you should hold my hand… I m-mean- to make sure I don't get lost or something"

Hiccup was a bit confused by her reasoning at first before managing to take the hint, and took her hand in his.

They walked slower after that, relishing the feeling of finally being reunited. It seemed that every time they were apart, the longing to meet again grew stronger each time.

Hiccup thought that at this rate, it'll be impossible to keep saying goodbye each time. He just had to bide his time until the day came that he won't have to.

Hiccup showed her around the woods first, his favourite place to be on the island. It was a place where he could be alone, away from anyone who would tease him or make fun of him for being so un-viking like.

As an added bonus, he had many different views to draw in his sketchbook.

"I'm amazed you can find your way around here" Astrid commented. "All these trees look the same to me"

"Trust me, I've spend a lot of time here"

Astrid paused to look at him thoughtfully then. "All alone? Aren't there other kids here to spend time with you?"

Hiccup looked downwards. "I don't think anyone even wants to, so I stopped needing it long ago"

He felt her squeeze his hand that she was still holding. "I want to"

He gave her a small smile. "Then you'd be the first"

They came upon a secluded cove deep within the forest. The water was way too cold to swim, but that didn't stop them from wading in knee-deep and splashing water on each other until they both were out of breath from laughing.

Hiccup always remembered the sound of his own laughter whenever she was with him. And to his fiancé, it was the sweetest sound in the world.

They were now laying side by side in the sand now, staring up at the clouds. The minuscule shape of a large gliding dragon was visible, miles up above.

"That one's called a Timberjack"

Astrid turned her head to look at him. His tone wherever he talked about dragons didn't seem hateful like the other Vikings. She liked it that way. She didn't want her Hiccup to be bitter and hateful about anything.

"What's your favorite dragon?"

The question took him by surprise. No one on Berk ever talked about dragons in positive terms, but she probably knew him well enough to guess that he would have a favourite one. And she was right.

"Well… it's one I haven't actually seen"

Astrid scrunched her brow. "What do you mean?"

"It's called… the Night Fury. I've seen flashing glimpses during raids, the vague shape of it as it blurred past an explosion, nothing more. No one has, in fact"

"And why did you pick that dragon, out of all?"She asked curiously.

"Because… well, I was gonna say that because it's presumably one of the most powerful dragons… but it's not that. The other dragons seem to be found in pairs or groups, but no one's ever seen two Night furies at the same time. There might even just be the one out there"

"Oh really?"

"Yep. And if that is the case, then I get the feeling that this dragon is… a bit like me" Hiccup added bashfully. "I mean, this dragon seems very different from all others, not many understand it, like it's meant to be something different…"

"If it's anything like you, then I suppose it's my favorite dragon as well" Astrid said in a matter-of-fact way, and continued to stare at the sky, unaware of the effect her words had on the sputtering embarrassed boy beside her.

"And this is the forge. Gobber lets me play with his tools sometimes, and says that I might actually be of some use in here in the future"

"Oh wow" Astrid said, looking around at all the tools and weapons. She personally wasn't that enchanted by all this tinkering and stuff, but just seeing the contagious excitement in Hiccup's face was enough for her to hold on to his every word as he explained everything to her.

She also made a mental note to try to get some gift for him next time that would help him with his mechanical interests.

As they left the small cabin, they crossed path with two burly boys who clearly knew Hiccup. Astrid thought for half a second that they might be his friends but then-

"Hey runt, who's the new girl?"

Hiccup stopped dead in his tracks. "T-This is-"

"Stop yapping and tell us, useless"

"Ast-"

"How dare you speak to him like that?!" Astrid's fiery voice cut in, dripping with disgust.

The boys were taken aback but the big one continued, "I'll talk to him however I want. I might even have to teach him a lesson. Why's a girl like you hanging around such a loser anyway? Did you lose your way from some nearby island? Who are you to boss us around, huh?"

Astrid stepped in front of Hiccup and her expression was good enough to kill, but her voice remained dead calm as she said, "You want to know who I am? I am… your future Chieftess"

Three pairs of eyes widened in unison, but Astrid was already swinging, her fist sending the first guy sprawling to the ground. The other one tried to turn away but got the same treatment and a face full of dirt.

"If you ever come near Hiccup again, I'm going to make sure you get thrown off this island in a tiny boat with no food" She took one more step forward and the bullies were already scrambling to their feet and running away. One of them even appeared to be crying.

They were out of sight and Astrid took a deep, calming breath until her heart rate returned to normal. She'd never ever felt this angry before. She was a princess, and had been taught to reign in her emotions since birth.

Even so, when they'd talked like that to Hiccup… like it was normal for them… and she realised it probably was… the way Hiccup had even flinched on seeing them… they'd hurt him in the past, she was sure of it.

Princess or not, there was no way she could have let them go unscathed.

She whipped around, red staining her cheeks from the anger and now from embarrassment too. She'd punched two kids in front of Hiccup! Now he'd think she was some unrefined brutish-

But Hiccup was looking at her with something in his eyes that was more akin to amazement than fear. "That was… freaking awesome."

That unexpected reaction got a laugh out of her, and then Hiccup joined her too. "Future Chieftess, huh?" he teased.

"It's not- I didn't- shut up!" she squeaked and spun on her toes, leading the way down the path and wondering why those two words made her stomach flutter.

It's not that she wanted the power of a Chieftess or anything, she was already a princess. The reason- she realised, was that the boy walking behind her, the one whose mood seemed considerably brighter now- was the boy who'd be her future Chief.

As they got near the end of the little tour, Astrid asked to see Hiccup's house. Instead of agreeing immediately like she'd expected, he hesitated.

"Umm… it's kind of out of the way… maybe next time?"

Astrid tilted her head. "I want to see your house" she repeated.

Hiccup's shoulders fell the slightest bit, and he looked away in embarrassment. "I- well I…"

"What is it Hiccup? You don't want to show me?" she asked, face falling. It made no sense to her. He was her best friend, and they'd spent so many days playing at her palace back home. And now, he wasn't even gonna let her-

"It-Its not that I don't want to, I swear- Astrid- it's just… compared to your amazing and huge palace… it's nothing special. It's not worth your time…"

"Nothing special?" Astrid asked, staring at him for a long moment before laughing. "Gosh you worried me for no reason, doofus."

"H-Hey!" Hiccup protested with red cheeks as Astrid pulled him by the hand along the path. "You better tell me the way or I'm just going to drag you all over the island till we find it"

"Fine fine I'll tell you!" Hiccup grumbled, earning a bright laugh from her.

"Good. And for the record, I think it's the most special place in the world, cause it's the place where… where my special person lives."

Before long, they had reached their destination, and Hiccup awed at the energetic princess running around his modestly sized wooden house, and wondered what she saw in him, to think of him as anything special.

Right now she was in his room, leaning so far out of his window that he had to pull her back by her dress. "Be careful!"

"Hey, I was admiring the view!"

"It's just the sea, right?"

"Yeah, but it's so stormy here, which looks so cool! Back in Romsdal the waters are calm and boring"

Hiccup chuckled. "Try telling that to the sailors around here. They'd probably give up their right leg for some smoother seas"

Astrid humphed. "Maybe I will" she said with a wink. Knowing her, she might actually do it.

"Shouldn't we be getting back?" Hiccup asked. It was getting darker, and he didn't want to worry her parents.

Astrid pouted. "A bit longer? Pleaseeeee"

Hiccup blushed and averted her gaze. She could really go from scary to adorable at the flip of a switch.

"Okay okay fine" Hiccup replied, secretly glad she also didn't want to part ways.

Astrid smiled. "I just… I can just be myself around you. It's… it's kind of refreshing"

"Yourself? what do you mean?"

"My parents expect me to be the prim and proper princess all the time, and I don't mind it usually, but I do get sick of it sometimes. Sometimes I just want to punch and run and get my hands dirty without fear of scolding, and without a dozen handmaids following me around"

"Ohh" Hiccup replied, just now realising that for a girl as independent as her, that sort of life could feel stifling.

"You don't mind though, right?" Astrid asked, looking into his eyes. "That I'm the least regal one of my family, and that I hardly ever act as a proper princess should?"

Her face had a smidge of nervousness as she asked the question, and he realised with a sting in his heart how much his opinion meant to her.

"Of course not! You're perfect just as you are!" he blurted out loud, wanting to immediately remedy her doubts.

She smiled wide with relief, and he didn't miss the dark red tinge on her cheeks an instant before she tackled him in another big hug.

"I was so happy to see you again today" she murmured against his hair. "It had been so long."

"It had been." He agreed quietly. "I still can't believe you're actually here."

She held the flustered boy close for a long minute before finally letting him go.

It was dark outside by the time he walked her back to the guest house, but she grabbed his hand before he could open the door for her.

"W-wait a second Hiccup. I don't really want an audience for this" she whispered quickly, turning to face him.

For a split second he wondered if she was gonna punch him in the shoulder again or something, even though that made no sense. "Audience for what?" he asked, having the feeling he was missing something obvious.

She said nothing for a long moment, and It was dark enough that he couldn't properly make out the expression on her face.

This situation had him slightly on edge, and he moved to take a step back when a pair of hands on his cheeks stopped him in his tracks.

"For this"

His heartbeat quickened at the touch and he still couldn't see much, but there was no mistaking what was happening when he felt soft lips press against his, light as a feather and quick as lightning, and then she was pushing him away and disappearing inside the house in a flash, without sparing him a single additional word.

He immediately turned and starting walking back home, making it a full five feet before collapsing to the ground in a daze.

Hiccup let his worries go and enjoyed the rest of Astrid's time on Berk to the fullest. Even though he'd been hesitant about her roaming around a bunch of rowdy Vikings at first, she'd proven than she wasn't some scared little girl, often being the dominant one even in this unfamiliar place.

The kiss she'd given him on her first night here crossed his mind multiple times a day, and made him feel light headed each time. He still couldn't fathom why someone like her had done that, with him of all people.

On the last day, standing at the docks, she wrapped him in a hug and this time, he hugged her back without getting flustered at all.

"Write to me, Hiccup" she whispered in his ear.

"I will" he promised.

They'd said goodbye a number of times over the years but this time, it felt even more painful that usual. He knew that he couldn't let her go without promising to keep in touch, as there was no way on Midgard he'd last another two years without hearing from her at all.

The family boarded the ship and the two siblings waved to Hiccup as it left the harbour.

Hiccup waved back enthusiastically, before reddening when he glimpsed Astrid discreetly blow him a kiss from her fingers.

Even after she was long gone, he couldn't stop smiling for days.

A/N: The cuteness is escalating. Let me know what you thought of the chapter in the reviews :)

-Gravitybeam