The Aftermath

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Hiccup and Toothless were heroes again. The people had renewed respect for their heir and his dragon companion. The people of Berk swarmed him like they had when he had come out of his coma after defeating the Red Death. Toothless was the alpha dragon and he was constantly being offered regurgitated fish from the other dragons.

There had been a couple moments during the past couple days when Hiccup was sure that he was going to die, just to be saved by his friends and family, but his fear had been real and both events kept playing over and over in his mind.

There were too many things going through his head. Berk was coated in chunks of ice, and half destroyed. His mom was alive and he was part of a complete family for the first time ever. Toothless was now the alpha over a lot of dragons, not all of them from Berk. To put it simply, Hiccup was beyond overwhelmed and dealing with a lot of emotions.

Since Drago had been defeated and the other Bewilderbeast fled, and Berk reunited with their dragons, Hiccup had been going non-stop. He had been ushered from place to place, had helped clear debris, been forced to be seen by Gothi, had assisted with repairs, taken a turn serving food, and been bombarded by people who wanted to thank him or talk to him. The hustle and bustle of the day had distracted him from a lot of his thoughts.

Now that it was evening and people were settling down for the night, eating together and reminiscing on the day with camaraderie, Hiccup was forced to confront his emotions and thoughts.

The chief's house had made it through the battle unscathed, probably because of how high up and how far inland it was. However, Hiccup didn't feel like going home just yet. He would be returning to an empty house anyway, alone with his thoughts.

Stoick and Valka were in the Great Hall. Stoick helping get his people settled in and taken care of, since half the houses on Berk had been destroyed or damaged. Valka had been swarmed by old friends and distant relatives who were so happy to see her and wanted to talk. And Toothless was getting to know the new dragons.

Not all the dragons had stayed, the alpha's nest had been a home to many dragons, but it hadn't been a permanent residence for them all. Some came and went as they pleased, others dropped in before moving on, but some had lived there, so some had decided to stay on Berk with their new alpha.

Most of Drago's armored dragons stayed, having only experienced abuse for so long, that the kindness of the Berkians was very much welcome. The people had worked hard to take off the restricting metal armor throughout the day, for the dragons.

Toothless was the alpha of this group of dragons and they didn't have to stay if they didn't want to. Life on Berk, coinciding with Vikings, wasn't for everyone.

So, with everyone busy with their own things, Hiccup sat alone, up on a hill overlooking the village of Berk. He had walked there without thinking, just letting his feet take him wherever he happened to end up. The view from the hill used to be a nice one, but now it looked down on destruction and ice.

Hiccup sighed, at least the people of Berk were well practiced at rebuilding. He half wished that his own home had been destroyed, but there it stood, just down the hill from where he sat, standing tall and unblemished and currently empty. Hiccup had no idea what life with two parents was going to entail and the big, empty house begged so many questions.

Would his mother come and live with them? Would she and his father share a room? Should Hiccup offer his mother his room until she settled in? Would she ever feel at home in that house or was she too far gone? Hiccup didn't know the answer to any of those questions, but since his house was there and in one piece, he would have to confront them soon.

Hiccup wasn't sure how much he trusted his mother. He had been so happy to discover that she was alive, that he had dismissed so many things. They'd had a wonderful time together, as Valka showed him her world. However, she had wanted him to stay, she had wanted him to explore the world with her and learn about dragons, and as nice as that had sounded, she never mentioned coming back to Berk. She had still believed that Berk couldn't have changed, despite her own son telling her so. Then, when Stoick had shown up, she had done nothing. She was prepared to let her son walk back out of her life, not even knowing if he would return. She would have stayed in that dragon nest as he left with his father, her own husband.

Hiccup had told her he would give her another chance and he felt like she had already used it, right then. She had made it clear that she was willing to give him up in order to keep living with the dragons. She hadn't shown herself to Stoick when he had first arrived and probably never intended to. Then Hiccup had been shot out of the sky by an arrow and at least she was a good enough mother to save her son from serious injury. But that led to the battle with Drago at the dragon nest which had led to the good Bewilderbeast dying which led to them all returning to Berk.

Now, Hiccup sat, thinking through the events of the past couple days and wondering if his mother even wanted to be there. There wasn't much of a nest to go back to and Toothless was the new alpha and he resided on Berk.

His mother had been about to let him leave... had their day together meant nothing? It's not like her infant son had been enough to get her to come back home. Why would he be enough for her now? He was barely enough for his dad who had been there during his whole life. Although, there were times when he thought his dad wished he had been the one who had been taken. Maybe he should have been.

They were all celebrating him now. Him and Toothless. Heroes again. His dad was proud, he had said as much, but hadn't his dad dismissed everything Hiccup had been through earlier the other day? When Stoick had said that Hiccup didn't know about the harsh side of life and had treated him like some naive, stupid child. Just like he used to, as if nothing had ever changed. If anything, Hiccup had never been much of a child. He had been forced to grow up too soon, to face problems and obstacles that a child shouldn't have to deal with. He knew all too well about the harsh side of life, more than most. More than he knew about happiness. This, happiness and praise and friendship, that was what he didn't know that much about, that was what he was still learning about.

Things had been good, well, other than the impending threat of war. He had spent a wonderful day with his mother and had hope for being a part of a family. Hiccup had always wanted to know what it would be like to be part of a complete family. Then, everything went downhill.

His father had reopened a wound Hiccup had been trying to heal from for years. Hiccup had deluded himself into thinking that it was nothing more than a scar now, just an ugly reminder of the past that was over and done with. However, he was finding himself to have been wrong, the wound went deeper than he cared to admit, and although the surface had appeared healed, it was festering underneath and more painful than ever. Then his mother had gone and poured salt in the unhealed flesh and rubbed it around a bit.

Suddenly, Hiccup felt a warm hand on his shoulder and jumped. He had been so deep in thought, he hadn't noticed anyone approaching. He hadn't even been seeing what was in front of him.

"Hey." Astrid moved her hand from his shoulder so she could wrap her arm around her betrothed and lean her head against him.

"Oh, hey Astrid. Sorry, I was thinking." He leaned his head against hers.

"None of this is your fault, if that's what you were thinking." Astrid could see the destruction was very visible from this vantage point and she knew Hiccup, he had a tendency to blame himself for things and was pretty sure Stoick's words had gotten to him the other day.

"Oh." Hiccup deflated, he hadn't even gotten around to reprimanding himself for what had happened yet, he was so caught up in his thoughts about his parents. Gods, he was so selfish. Just sitting there, moping and wondering if his parents even loved him, meanwhile all of Berk was paying for his mistakes. Again. He was always making mistakes. Why exactly were they singing his praises again? But then, they didn't all know. He hadn't left in front of the whole village and his father was unlikely to have announced to everyone that his son had gone chasing after Drago, before he had left to track down his stupid son. Hiccup winced, okay maybe his dad had been right about him being stupid. But he hadn't been right about Hiccup being sheltered from the world.

Astrid pulled back from Hiccup so that she could look at him. Hiccup missed the contact as soon as it was gone. "You're blaming yourself, aren't you?"

"I chose to leave."

"And I baited Drago after disobeying my chief."

"Which wouldn't have happened if I hadn't disobeyed the chief first."

"I supported your decision and went with you."

"But I would have done it anyway, whether or not you came with me or supported me— and also, thank you for following, that was nice of you." Hiccup's increasingly heated tone was then contrasted by his gratitude. Astrid stopped arguing and smiled. He would always find a way to blame himself for anything, but he was the sweetest person she knew.

"Whatever choices we made, our intentions were good. Drago made his own choices and his intention was war and dominance. He would have gone after the nest, whether or not you were there. He would have gone after Berk eventually, probably after attacking every village and people he found along the way." Astrid ran her hand through Hiccup's hair, knowing that it was a comfort to him, but only when she did it. She could touch his hair, but if she braided it he would give her an annoyed look, yet put up with it anyway. If he wasn't feeling so down, she would have given him another braid, just so she could see him scrunch up his nose in annoyance in that cute way of his.

"Part of me knew that my dad was right, though. But I did it anyway."

"You didn't even make it to Drago. You ended up right where you needed to be, with your mom at the nest, where you were able to help protect the dragons."

"But that wasn't by choice!" Hiccup didn't want his actions justified with flimsy excuses. "I went to find Drago so I could talk to him because I didn't want war brought to Berk, but that is exactly what happened. Me being at the nest hardly made a difference anyway. The alpha still died. Drago still took all the dragons. And I disobeyed my dad because I thought I could get through to Drago.

"I befriended a Night Fury, ended the war with dragons, allied with Alvin the Treacherous, became friends with Dagur, and had my life saved by Viggo the former leader of the Dragon Hunters. So many of our enemies have become our friends... and yet, everyone keeps telling me that people can't change."

"You've done a lot of good, Hiccup, but I agree that Drago wasn't about to change, no matter what you said."

"You don't think people can change either?"

"Hiccup-"

"My mom didn't believe me. I told her Berk had changed, that dad had changed, and she said it wasn't possible." Hiccup looked a little worried. Astrid didn't respond or try to say words in comfort, she needed to know what was going on in Hiccup's head so she could better help him. "I tried, for so many years I tried. Everyone told me that I needed to change and I could never manage it. I still haven't. So what if everyone is right, then? If people can't change then when does everyone go back to hating me? When does my dad notice that I'm still me, and realize that I'm still not good enough. When do our friends decide to be our enemies again?"

"Whoa, slow down Hiccup." Astrid took Hiccup's face in her hands. "None of that is going to happen, okay? I don't know what to make of your mom, I just met her, but she is basing her opinions off of her own experiences. She didn't come back to Berk, she didn't think we could change. But you? Hiccup you didn't care whether or not Berk could change, you went charging in to save your people because it was the right thing to do, no matter the consequences. Your kind-heart and selfless actions touched the hearts of your people and made them want to be better. They chose that.

"Is Snotlout still a narcissistic dork who likes to give you a hard time? Yes, but he's still our friend and he cares about you. Did Mildew still hate your guts even after you saved the village? Yes, and he betrayed us to Alvin back when we were at war with the Outcasts. I believe people can change, Hiccup, but they have to want it. Dagur is still deranged, his personality is still the same, but he chose to make an effort to do the right thing and be a better person. The people of Berk decided to learn from their mistakes and become more accepting because of what you did for them.

"But you're not ever going to be successful at changing who you are, Hiccup, if you're going to continue to insist on trying to become a merciless, tough Viking who can kill and fight with ease. That's not you and definitely not an improvement."

Hiccup looked down, contemplating her words. Astrid was still caressing his face with her hands and it was comforting.

"Hiccup? The people whose hearts you touched and influenced, always had some good in them and they worked hard to overcome their flaws and better themselves. But Drago? He was just bad and that's what he wanted to be. Stoick was right, he was beyond saving. No one could have gotten through to him. He would have started a war whether or not you got involved, things might have even been worse if you hadn't."

Hiccup didn't answer, just simply leaned his forehead against Astrid's, seeking her touch and the comfort that came with it. He loved her so much. She always knew what he needed to hear. She always said the right things. "Thank you, Astrid."

Hiccup felt a little better. He still didn't know how things stood with his family, his dad had been angry at him and his mom had almost let him walk out of her life again. Then, after everything, they had been loving and supportive. The inconsistency was confusing and maddening, but he had one less thing weighing him down now.

Astrid closed the distance between them and gave him a soft kiss on the lips, before going back to leaning against him. Hiccup put his head back against hers and they sat in peaceful, comfortable silence as they watched over Berk.

Astrid always made him feel better. She tended to the wound in his soul and made him feel whole again. She made him feel like he was healing and that maybe, someday, he could make a full recovery.

The clear sky allowed the moon to glisten off of the aquamarine spikes of ice, the reflected light giving Berk a subtle glow. It gave the atmosphere of the village a peaceful yet melancholy feel, the visible destruction in direct contrast to the beauty.

Hiccup and Astrid walked at a leisurely pace, hand in hand, back down to the village of Berk. They had spent a couple hours together, looking down at their village and the luminescent icy crystals that would have been pretty, if not for what they were illuminating. They had talked and enjoyed each other's company, which was just what Hiccup had needed. Now, Hiccup intended on walking Astrid home and avoiding going back to his own home in the process, for just a little longer.

Once they reached the village, Hiccup made to walk along a path through the streets of Berk that seemed clear of debris and ice, when he suddenly felt his arm being pulled back as Astrid stood in place, her hand still holding his.

"Where're you going?" Astrid asked with some amusement.

"I was going to walk you home?" Hiccup said in a tone that sounded more like a question than an answer in his confusion.

"Hiccup, my house has a big hole in the side of it. My family is staying up in the Great Hall." She informed him. Hiccup looked taken aback, he hadn't known that her family's house had been damaged too. He felt like he really should have known that. "Don't worry about it, okay? It's not your fault. The important thing is that my family is all safe."

"I'm sorry that I didn't know." Hiccup felt guilty anyway, if not for the damage to the house, then for not being aware of his girlfriend's situation. He felt so selfish, having been so focused on his own problems when he should have been helping Astrid cope.

"It's okay, Hiccup. You've had quite the day. I can hardly blame you for not knowing everything." Astrid squeezed his hand in comfort, she really didn't blame him for anything. "Do you want to walk with me up to the hall?"

Hiccup followed her gaze to the long staircase that led to the Great Hall and imagined Astrid sleeping somewhere on the crowded floor, while he slept in a bed. "You shouldn't have to stay in the Great Hall, especially since I have a house and a bed. It seems unfair."

"The Great Hall isn't so bad." Astrid gave him a smile.

"You can sleep in my bed." Hiccup offered without thinking his words through. At Astrid's raised eyebrow and amused look, he continued speaking. "By yourself! Without me there."

Astrid chuckled at Hiccup's flustered explanation. She knew what he meant, it was just always so fun to watch him blush and scramble to explain after he misspoke.

"...what I mean is, you can stay in my room. I can sleep downstairs on the floor, by the fireplace with Toothless."

"That's sweet of you, Hiccup, but I don't want to take your bed from you. It's not your fault." Astrid tried to reassure Hiccup that it was okay and that he shouldn't feel guilty.

"Okay." Hiccup glanced down and looked a little nervous, he had hoped Astrid would accept his offer. "But, to be honest? I had ulterior motives for inviting you to sleep in my bed."

"Wow." Astrid was trying really hard not to laugh. "Someone's on a roll tonight."

"What?" Hiccup looked back up at her in surprise before realizing what he had said, his eyes grew wide. He could kick himself. "No! That's not- What I meant was- I wouldn't-"

Astrid grabbed his other, flailing hand and pulled him close so that they were both staring into each other's eyes. "Relax, Hiccup. I know you. Words sometimes fail you when you're stressed about something. So why don't you tell me what's on your mind?"

"It's just that..." Hiccup fidgeted a little. Maybe he was making something out of nothing. He shouldn't ask Astrid to get involved.

"Hiccup, you can tell me." Astrid encouraged him.

"I'm afraid to go home." Hiccup finally admitted. Astrid was surprised to hear it. "I don't know how things stand with me and my family right now. It was always just me and my dad. We live under the same roof, yet we used to ignore each other before it finally started feeling like an actual home. And now that's all going to change because my mom is alive and I don't know what she plans to do. What if she moves in with us and it goes back to being awkward and uncomfortable? Or she refuses to live with us and everything falls apart? What if my recent decisions disrupt the tentative peace that my dad and I have finally created in our home? He was so angry with me... I... I could really use an ally. I don't want to face all this alone."

Astrid stared back at him thoughtfully. She hadn't thought through all that Valka's return meant. Where would she stay? Would she resume her position as the chief's wife? They were bound in marriage, but had spent the last twenty years apart. What would it do to Hiccup's already unstable home life? It suddenly occurred to Astrid how much Hiccup was struggling with the concept of family. He had always been part of a one parent household, and even then had spent much of his life alone. Now he had two parents, one of whom had abandoned him for twenty years— even if her motives were good— and he didn't know how to cope.

"I'm sorry." Hiccup rushed to apologize, trying to extricate his hands from hers. Her silence starting to make him think the worst. "I shouldn't have asked you. It's unfair of me to ask you to get involved. Forget I said anything."

"Hiccup, no." Astrid gripped his hands tighter as he tried to get away. His instinct was always to run away and flee when he got uncomfortable, but Astrid wouldn't allow him to leave and think that she didn't want to support him. "I'll stay with you. You can always ask me for help, okay? We're engaged, Hiccup, so they're my family too. I want to be there for you."

She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Hiccup smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, Astrid. I really appreciate you."

"I love you too." Astrid correctly interpreted his words. "I just need to let my parents know where I'm staying tonight, then we can head to your house."

"Do you want me to come?"

"Sure." Astrid let go of one of his hands so she could turn and lead the way up the stairs to the Great Hall.

They were greeted by a burst of warm air as they opened one of the giant, double doors. The Great Hall was alight with the warm glow of fire, the orange and yellow colors making the atmosphere cozy and peaceful.

There were a lot of people in the Great Hall. Not all the houses had been damaged, and family and friends had invited neighbors into their homes. However, there were still quite a few people who needed a place to stay. It appeared as if the majority were starting to bunker down and settle in for the night, hushed conversations and whispers filled the Hall.

"I see my parents over there." Astrid leaned in close to Hiccup and whispered. She pointed to the opposite side of the large room. "I'll be right back." She placed another kiss on his cheek and started to make her way through the maze of sleeping bodies, tables, and chairs.

Hiccup stood there awkwardly by himself. He suddenly wished he had waited outside, he felt like he was disturbing people. He could have gone with Astrid, but felt that maybe that would have been a little awkward too. She was, after all, telling her parents that she would be staying in his room and he had completely butchered his invitation to her, to stay in his home.

A tap on his shoulder startled him and he jumped, although he managed to suppress a startled yelp.

"Someone's jumpy." Valka said quietly and with amusement, from beside him. "It's been a long day, you should be resting. What are you doing up here?"

"I, uh... I'm waiting for Astrid." Hiccup answered. He wanted to ask his mom what she was doing up there, but didn't want to be rude or forward. Perhaps she was avoiding the situation at the Haddock household that Hiccup himself was not looking forward to sorting out.

"The young, blonde woman who's always at your side and speaking up for you?" Valka smirked, she really liked this fiery, head-strong woman who seemed to be her son's partner. "The one you kissed earlier?"

Hiccup couldn't help the blush that came to his cheeks. Everyone on Berk knew about him and Astrid so it hadn't occurred to him that Valka wasn't aware of his courtship with her. He should have introduced them to each other by now. But the day had been hectic and crazy and he hadn't had the chance. The two women were never in the same place together for long.

"Yeah, that's Astrid." Hiccup responded with some embarrassment, although he wasn't sure why he felt that way. Talking about the one he loved with his mom, it was an odd experience for him.

"Did I hear your father say you were engaged earlier today? I think it was when he showed up at the nest." Valka had a thoughtful look on her face as she remembered. It had been surprising to hear that her son was engaged to be married, she still thought of him as that little, newborn baby. It would take a while before the image of grown-up Hiccup took the place of that tiny baby, when she thought about her son. Besides, Hiccup hadn't mentioned anyone while they had been spending time together. She hadn't thought to ask either. But everything had happened so fast after that, she hadn't had the chance to inquire further about it until then.

"Um, he probably did, at some point." Hiccup hadn't been focused on that part of Stoick's little lecture to him, about growing up. "He likes to bring it up when he thinks I'm acting childish."

"Hmm, well I'm not one to give advice about marriage." Valka tried to joke, but Hiccup could see the shame on her face.

"I'm engaged to Astrid." Hiccup said, somewhat abruptly. He didn't know how to comfort his mom and wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to reassure her that it was fine. So he did what he did best, made things awkward. "If you hadn't already figured that out..."

"She's beautiful." Valka gladly accepted the redirect in conversation. "How did you two get together?"

"Uh, it's kind of a long story. Well, maybe that part isn't the long part, it's all the backstory and necessary, former events that make it long." Yep, Hiccup was good at awkward. He cringed a little at his response. Why was it suddenly so hard to talk to his mom? He could talk to her about dragons, no problem, but about his complicated past and his life? That was harder.

"Oh." Valka looked a little disappointed, but she could hardly complain. She hadn't been there. Any other mom wouldn't have to ask their child how they met their future spouse, but she hadn't been there to see Hiccup grow up or experience important milestones in his life.

"I'll have to tell you sometime." Hiccup felt a little bad that his mom seemed disappointed with the lack of an answer. "But essentially, we became good friends and that led into something more."

"Oh? That's sweet." It was a very simple answer and Valka wondered what all the backstory was. "You two know each other well, then?"

"Yeah, we've been through a lot together." Hiccup said, again with an answer that begged a lot of questions and piqued Valka's curiosity. She didn't get the chance to ask any of those questions though, as they could see Astrid making her way back toward them.

Hiccup reached for Astrid's hand as she got closer, helping her to sidestep a few things on the ground that had been shoved out of the way to make space for sleeping bodies. She smiled at him warmly as she accepted his help.

"Well, my parents don't mind. There's not much room for just them over there anyway." Astrid answered before Hiccup could ask about what they had said.

"Oh, maybe I should've offered them a place to stay too." Hiccup looked down in regret. How could he have been so inconsiderate?

"You would house all of Berk in your home if you could." Astrid laughed lightly. "Don't worry about them. They're just here for tonight. We have some family who are going to clear a space for them tomorrow. Besides, my mom plans to be up early to help in the kitchens. So, this way she is right where she is needed."

"Right, okay." Hiccup felt a little better, but still felt bad for all the people cramped in the hall.

"Astrid, right?" Valka joined the conversation before Hiccup could really start to mentally reprimand himself.

"Oh, yes. Sorry, I should have properly introduced myself." Astrid turned her attention to Hiccup's mom. "I'm Astrid, Hiccup's girlfriend."

"Yes, we were just talking about that. I'm so happy for you two." Valka said with a smile. "I'm Valka."

"Well, it's nice to officially meet you. We've all been running around all day. I would have liked to have said hi, earlier."

"Me too, but I'm happy to meet you now." Valka said politely. It had been a while since she had been around so many people and she thought that it would be hard, but she found that her natural talent for talking to people was coming back to her easily, even if she was being a little overly polite to compensate. She used to have a reputation for being very friendly, even if she was a little opinionated. "I look forward to getting to know you better." She winced a little as those words left her mouth. She needed to get to know her son, too.

"We should probably go, I think we're disturbing people." Hiccup interrupted.

"You are." A lump of blankets commented sleepily from not too far away. Hiccup made an apologetic face that the person couldn't see, and winced.

"Sorry." Astrid apologized for their group. She squeezed Hiccup's hand and gestured for him to lead the way out since he was closest to the door. Hiccup obliged and opened the door as quietly as he could before leading Astrid out. Once they were both outside on the top step of the long staircase, they both looked back for Valka.

After a long moment, Valka slipped outside too.

She had been debating with herself. Should she just stay and leave them hanging? They would eventually leave and assume she decided to stay, but Valka didn't want to be rude. She also didn't want to go back to her former home and have to decide what to do there, either. Hiccup had obviously offered Astrid his room and Valka was sure that she and Stoick both weren't ready to share a room again. She didn't know what to do, so she had followed them outside.

Valka stood just outside the door, feeling rather awkward and unsure of herself. She closed the door quietly. Going slow, as to extend the amount of time she had before having to make a decision.

Hiccup didn't know what to do either. He supposed that offering Astrid his room had taken an option away from his mom. He should have thought about that, but the idea of having Astrid nearby had been a comfort.

Astrid looked at Valka and Hiccup, both of them seemed so lost in this situation. It made her kind of sad. Astrid loved her mom and couldn't imagine having such a fragile relationship with her. She could see why Hiccup had asked for her help and support. He had no idea what to do and didn't even know what having a loving mother was supposed to be like, or even what sharing a home with a woman was like. Astrid was suddenly determined. She decided that she was going to step up, she was going to do her best to help Hiccup and his broken family. They would, after all, be her family soon too.

"Valka?" Astrid addressed Hiccup's mom. Valka turned to her, eager for something to break the tension. "Hiccup offered me a place to stay in his room. He's going to stay downstairs with Toothless. I was thinking, maybe you would like to share the upstairs with me? Hiccup's room is pretty big, I don't need the whole space to myself. It will give you a chance to... uh, adjust. And, we can get to know each other better."

Valka was so relieved, she wanted to wrap Astrid in a big hug and thank her for her wonderful solution, but she refrained. "Yes, thank you. I, I would really like that."

"Great.'' Astrid gave Valka a friendly smile and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Then she leaned in conspiratorially. "Besides, I have a lot of Hiccup stories you'll want to hear."

Valka laughed, the tension leaving her body, as Astrid left Hiccup's side. Astrid threw him a mischievous look over her shoulder, just for the sake of messing with him, and threaded her arm through Valka's.

"Wait. What?" Hiccup had been relieved by the solution too. Astrid was truly amazing, but that last part had taken him by surprise and he rolled his eyes as he followed his future wife and his mom toward his home. Astrid was amazing, but he knew how much she loved to mess with him. At least Astrid and his mom were getting along well and seemed to be off to a good start with their relationship.

Astrid had, at some point, gotten into the habit of just letting herself into the Haddock home. Hiccup didn't seem to care since he was usually too distracted to even notice someone knocking at the door. Stoick would just greet her as if her presence there was completely normal and expected. Which it was. So, as Astrid and Valka approached the door, Astrid just let herself inside, although she could sense the slightest hesitation in Valka.

Stoick looked up from his place at the table. He had been picking at a bowl of stew, his mind elsewhere. Hiccup hadn't been home when he had arrived and he had no idea what to make of Valka. She had been talking to an old, childhood friend when he had left the Great Hall, so he had left without saying anything.

He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep until Hiccup had at least arrived back home. He wanted to talk to him. Stoick knew Hiccup would be blaming himself for things because of him, and was likely just as confused as he was about what the future held for their family.

The last thing Stoick had been expecting was for Astrid to enter their home, arm in arm with Valka, Hiccup trailing behind.

"Hey, chief." Astrid greeted. She released Valka from her hold and took initiative. Astrid knew the Haddock home well, she knew where everything was located. She walked over to a cupboard she knew was filled with extra linens and blankets and piled some into her arms. "Valka and I will be staying upstairs for now."

"Astrid's house was damaged." Hiccup explained. He was impressed, Astrid was taking control of the situation. If things had been left to him, he would be a pile of insecurities and indecision. His father likely wouldn't have faired much better and Valka might have felt unwelcome.

"Come on, Valka. Hiccup's room is the loft." Astrid gestured to the stairs with her pile of blankets as she headed upstairs. She had decided, upon entering the house, that taking charge was in everyone's best interest. Better to just tell Stoick of the situation and lead Valka upstairs, before the Haddocks could make things awkward. It was best not to let them linger on how things might play out. How Stoick's wife wanted to stay apart from him for now. How their relationship would work out. How Hiccup was trying to grasp the idea of having a complete family.

Besides all that, if Astrid was to be completely honest, she was also not too happy with Stoick right now either, and she knew he and Hiccup needed to have a talk. "Goodnight Hiccup, chief."

Hiccup and Stoick watched as the women retreated to the privacy of the upstairs. Valka managed to give a little wave before being ushered into the loft. Astrid had left no room for discussion.

"Astrid knows what she's doing and what she wants." Stoick said after a moment of silence. He was amused by how she had dominated the situation. Then, he couldn't help but tease Hiccup. "I hope you're prepared."

Hiccup gave Stoick a look. "Well, I'm indecisive and have no idea what I'm doing. So, yeah."

"You asked her to stay with us, didn't you?" Stoick may have been teasing Hiccup, but he knew that the two made a good team. Hiccup and Astrid leaned on each other and built each other up. It was a joy to watch the two become so bonded, and that was before they had finally given in to their feelings for each other. Stoick could see that Astrid was going to be very helpful in their current circumstances, as they rebuilt their family and, he was pretty sure he owed her an apology too.

"Yeah, I did." Hiccup admitted, but in a way that seemed like he thought he had shown a weakness. "I didn't want to deal with..." He gestured helplessly. "Everything, alone."

"You wouldn't have been alone." Stoick was quick to reassure Hiccup. "But I get it. I'm a little out of my depth too. I love your mother, I never stopped loving her, but, this is a tricky situation. I don't want to mess it up. I'm glad you invited Astrid here. She seems to know what she's doing."

"She's the one who proposed the idea of them sharing the upstairs." Hiccup praised Astrid's quick thinking but didn't correct his father about the other reason she was there, to support him while he dealt with his confusing feelings and doubts regarding his father. "And um... mom? Uh, Valka?" Hiccup was not used to saying the word 'mom' and it showed. It made Stoick a little sad. "She was quick to accept. I think she wanted to be with us, but also, wasn't quite ready. Astrid's a good mediator."

"Astrid's good at a lot of things. I'm grateful for her." Stoick agreed. Astrid was going to make a great addition to the family. "And you'll be okay out here?"

"What?" Hiccup took a second to realize that Stoick and changed the subject. "Oh, yeah. I'll be fine. I'm used to sleeping on the ground."

"Hmm." Stoick gave Hiccup a look. "Because you're always out and about, and rarely ever home?"

"I come home." Hiccup scrounged for a defense. "Every... once in a while."

Stoick held his stern look for as long as he could, before giving in and chuckling. Hiccup had some shared mannerisms with his mother. He suddenly recalled a memory where Valka had tried to defend her actions in vain, for some silly little disagreement that had been more amusing that serious, just for the sake of being stubborn. "You're a lot like your mother."

Hiccup looked down. He wasn't sure he believed that anymore, now that he had met her. Sure, they both shared a love of dragons, but he saw them as being very different. For one, at least Hiccup always had the intention of coming home whenever he took off to explore or left Berk for any reason. He felt a sudden pang of guilt at holding that against his mother, but Valka had been able to let go of her past and do what she wanted. She had let go of the idea of returning. Hiccup, although he sometimes entertained the thought of having absolute freedom, would never be able to bring himself to do such a thing. He thought of himself, despite all the many flaws he knew he had, as at least being loyal. He had never stopped caring about his people, no matter how tough and challenging things got. He had never stopped wanting to help his people to have better, safer lives. Hiccup may not see himself as a chief, he may not even want to be chief, but he would never abandon his people or his family.

On top of all that, his closeness to Astrid made it even harder to relate to his mother. He would never leave Astrid. She was his other half, a part of his soul. A part of him would die if he couldn't be with her. He would also never abandon her to raise a child on her own. If they had one, he couldn't ever imagine leaving them with no intention of returning. Granted, his mother hadn't left by choice, although she'd had the option to return.

"Are you okay?" Hiccup changed the subject. It had been a rough day physically and emotionally. He hadn't had the chance to see how his father was doing.

"You're asking me?" Stoick raised an eyebrow, of course Hiccup was more concerned about his father than he was about himself. Stoick felt like an even worse father at that, completely unworthy of his kind-hearted and compassionate son, who really did only have the safety of Berk and his people as motivation for all of his actions the past two days. "I've been waiting up for you to return home, so I could ask you how you're doing, and apologize."

"I'm f-" Hiccup stopped himself before he could say his usual response. It wouldn't have been believable if he had said he was fine. Instead, he awkwardly looked away from his father as he failed to respond. There was no assuring his father now, that he was okay.

"That bad, huh?" Stoick inquired. He couldn't help but be amused my Hiccup's flustered response, or lack thereof. Hiccup just looked back at the ground. "Come and sit."

Hiccup moved slowly, to the seat across the table from his dad, that Stoick gestured to, and sat down. He still didn't look back up and meet his father's eyes.

"I know you, Hiccup. You took what I said to heart, and you're blaming yourself." Stoick had indeed gotten to know his son better over the past five years. He knew Hiccup had a tendency to blame himself when things went wrong, and Stoick felt responsible for that. He, along with many others, had blamed Hiccup for a lot of things that had gone wrong in the past—and Stoick had fallen right back into it during the past few days. He felt like he was still hurting his son, and it made him feel ashamed.

Hiccup also didn't think very highly of himself and Stoick bore the blame for that as well. Even if Hiccup didn't confide in him about things, Stoick was getting very good at reading him. He could see that a lot of things from the past still affected his son. Sometimes, Hiccup would disassociate himself from the world around him, and retreat into himself as a defense mechanism. Stoick didn't like seeing it.

It saddened Stoick, to see the remnants of Hiccup's former depressed and lonely self seeping into his current life, but although his son was much happier now, he had his off days too. Stoick had vowed that he would change, that he would be there for his son, no matter what. He would support Hiccup and make sure that he knew he was loved, and he had done a good job of that until now.

Stoick and his own father had loved each other, but they had also had the "Viking" state of mind. They hadn't expressed their love in words, they weren't overly emotional. However, Hiccup was different and Stoick found that his father's parenting technique had only created a divide between him and his own son. Hiccup required a different approach and so Stoick had done his best to find the right parenting technique for him. And... they were doing better. Hiccup and Stoick had a better relationship than they ever had before. Stoick needed to make amends, so that he wouldn't be risking all of their progress.

"I should have listened to you. I'm sorry, dad." Hiccup looked thoroughly ashamed.

"I won't say that you were in the right, running off like that." Stoick lightly reprimanded. "But you didn't cause this and a lot of good things came of your actions as well. I'm sorry I blamed you for everything, that was wrong of me."

"Astrid said something similar." Hiccup ignored the apology. It felt like he had already had this talk, and to be honest, it wasn't the main thing bothering him right now. Astrid had already made him feel better about his actions. Hiccup had learned his lesson and would heed his father's words more carefully next time.

What was bothering him the most, in regards to his dad, was how he seemed to think of him. Stoick had been somewhat dismissive of Hiccup's past hardships. Being told that he didn't know about the hard side of life and stricken Hiccup. He had thought that his father was beginning to understand what he had been through, but apparently he didn't. Stoick had made him feel like he was still Hiccup the Useless, when he had talked down to him.

"Astrid knows what she's talking about." Stoick chuckled again as the conversation went back to how helpful Astrid had been that day.

"Yeah." Hiccup agreed. "She already talked to me about all this. Things may have worked out this time, but I'm still sorry. I should have listened to you."

"And maybe I should have been less rash with you, and explained my reasoning. You're a planner, you think ahead. I react to a situation to the best of my ability, on the spot. It's worked for me all these years, but perhaps we need to find a way to work together despite our different approaches."

"Huh. Yeah, I guess." That hadn't occurred to Hiccup either. "Persisting and talking to my enemies has worked for me fairly often. We're allies with Alvin. Dagur is a good friend. Even Viggo gave his life to save mine and became a friend to dragons."

"That is a story I feel like I should have been told about." Stoick was startled to hear that Hiccup's life had been on the line at some point, and he hadn't been aware of it. "But I see your point. You've had a lot of success in the past convincing people about dragons and befriending your enemies, and I'm proud of you for it. I can see why you persisted with Drago."

"But, even though I saw success." Hiccup continued. "I also failed a lot too. I couldn't get through to Ryker. He died trying to attack us. Krogan used the dragons and I was never able to get through to him either. Their whole lives were dragon hunting. And then there was also Trader Johann."

"Traitor Johann had been at it for years. There was no getting through to him either. He was sneaky and conniving." Stoick pointed out.

"And that alone should have been enough experience for me to see what you were saying about Drago, but I didn't listen. You said he couldn't change and I didn't like the idea of someone being unable to change... because it would mean that all our progress was for nothing." Hiccup admitted to his inner fears and motivation for disobeying his father and chief.

"I'm so sorry, Hiccup." Stoick hadn't known that Hiccup's insecurities had been a driving force in his decision making in regards to Drago. "I should have made it more clear. I should have taken the time to explain my reasoning behind my decisions and told you more about him. People can change, Hiccup. I believe that. You've proved it. All of Berk changed, I changed— for you, because of you. You've influenced change in the hearts of your enemies. None of that was for nothing. We're not about to revert back to our past selves. Drago, he could change, I suppose. But he was evil, he didn't want to change, he had no desire to. He was what he wanted to be and no one could have gotten though to him. There was no goodness in his heart."

"Mom... uh, yeah mom." It felt odd to Hiccup how much he'd been using that word lately, having rarely used it for most of his life. He shook his head and continued. "She also told me that people couldn't change. She didn't believe me, at first, when I told her that Berk really had changed." Hiccup didn't mention how she didn't believe that Stoick could change either, he didn't want to hurt his father. "Then when you showed up, I guess that was... that was what really sent me spiraling. It sounded as if maybe, maybe you didn't think much of my past actions and didn't think me capable of doing anything right. It felt like how things used to be, when all I could do was mess up. Then I started to believe that everyone was right, that change wasn't possible, and that I would end up being the village outcast again."

"Hiccup." Stoick didn't know where to begin. He was very grateful that Hiccup had decided to confide in him so that he could better help his son. However, so much of what Hiccup said spoke to how much Hiccup was still suffering. Hiccup didn't seem to realize how big of an impact his past actions had had on everyone. How his kind heart and love of his people had made them want to change for the better. He still didn't think his actions and who he was as a person, was enough for them. That they had all taken a look at themselves and at their hero, and realized their wrongdoings. Hiccup still thought that they had it in them to turn on him, despite everything he had done for them, if he made a big enough mistake.

"I can't apologize enough for leading you to believe those things. For the doubt that is still in your mind. Hiccup, I love you. Your people love you, admire you, and look up to you. I know that, I witnessed as they remained loyal to you when Drago was trying to take control. None of us are questioning your actions or blaming you. I'm sorry if I made light of your past hardships, that was never my intention. I may not know the depth of everything you have gone through, but I'm trying... It would seem that we could both work on our communication skills."

Hiccup gave his dad a small smile at that, although his eyes were a little watery. He was also curious about what his dad meant about their people remaining loyal to him, but didn't pursue that topic of conversation. "Maybe things would have gone a little smoother if we had talked to each other more about the situation."

"I agree. We both had good intentions and some good ideas, but we both went about it in the wrong way. Trying to prevent war is a noble idea, but doing so alone against someone you don't know, isn't the way to go about it. I knew Drago and could have informed you better. I wanted to fortify Berk and keep everyone together, but that would have brought the war here, where there are children and elderly people. Perhaps we should have worked together to prevent war from coming to Berk. You could have come up with a plan, and I could have provided the numbers we needed. Berk could have been fortified as a precaution."

"Well there's a plan." Hiccup commented with a more upbeat attitude, a great weight lifted from his shoulders. "But a little too late."

"We should put our heads together more often." Stoick laughed quietly, so as to not disturb the sleeping women upstairs.

"We make a good team when we put some effort into it." Hiccup agreed.

"That's true. I promise to be more understanding and less dismissive. I'm so sorry I blamed you in my frustration. I was worried and stressed, but that doesn't excuse my actions. I'm going to try harder, to be there for you and support you."

"And I promise to listen and think things through before acting."

"I also want you to promise me that if you ever have anymore doubts about yourself or about how you're being treated, you'll tell me." Stoick was firm on this. He was able to help Hiccup just now, because he had known how he was feeling. "I don't want you to be suffering alone, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Hiccup could sense how serious his father was about this and agreed. "Thanks, dad."

They were both startled when they heard a scratching at the door. They stared at the front door for a few seconds when the sound came again, followed by a soft cooing.

"Toothless." Hiccup shook his head and smiled as he got up to let the Night Fury inside. "Hey, Toothless. How are the dragons doing?"

'They're settling in for the night.' Toothless gave another cooing sound and licked Hiccup's chest. Hiccup startled, which wasn't the response Toothless had expected. Usually he would tease him about his dragon saliva and give him an affectionate head scratch.

Hiccup had always been good at interpreting Toothless' meaning. The Night Fury's incredible ability to express emotions with his face helped a lot, and even Stoick could figure out what Toothless was saying sometimes. Though, Hiccup specifically, had always had a talent for understanding his dragon. But just now, when Toothless had answered him, Hiccup hadn't just gotten the general sense that the other dragons were doing well, he could have sworn that he had sensed...? He had sensed an actual response— The dragons were settled in for the night.

Hiccup was struck by his sudden knowledge of how the other dragons were doing, how could he know that? He met Toothless' eyes that were currently filled with confusion and concern.

'Are you okay?' Toothless was saying with his compassionate eyes and concerned expression, which Hiccup would normally see and use to help him interpret his dragon friend's meaning, but could now somehow sense the question in his mind too. Hiccup tilted his head in wonder. He was just tired. Toothless couldn't speak, and his father hadn't made any indication that he had heard anything.

"Hiccup? Everything alright?" Stoick had watched the interaction with confusion. Hiccup was acting oddly. He was always so friendly with the Night Fury, yet he hadn't even given him head scratches or a hug.

"Yeah..." Hiccup responded distractedly, then shook his head. "I'm just tired. I think it's about time I went to sleep."

Toothless trotted for the stairs. He agreed, Hiccup needed to sleep, he was acting weird. The dragon also wanted to get some rest himself.

"We're sleeping down here, Toothless." Hiccup stopped the dragon with his words. At Toothless' questioning look— and it was the look on his face and not words in his head— Hiccup gave him an answer. "Astrid and my mom are sleeping upstairs."

Toothless looked at the ceiling and twitched his ears. He could make out the sound of even breathing coming from upstairs. He was okay with that, he liked Astrid and mom. 'We're sleeping down here.'

Hiccup startled again. No, no no no. He was just assuming what Toothless was saying, and hearing it in his mind. This was completely normal. "Yeah, we're sleeping down here."

Toothless tilted his head as Hiccup responded. Hiccup spoke to him a lot, and although he was very good at figuring out his meaning, his answers were rarely so spot on.

"Good night, you two. I'll see you in the morning." Stoick smiled at them before retreating to his room at the back of the house. He was unaware of Hiccup and Toothless' confusion. Hiccup didn't respond, barely registering that his father had left, he was so focused on Toothless.

"Where's Cloudjumper?" Hiccup decided to ask a random question to see what happened.

'In the underground stables with the others. The nest dragons were comforted by his familiar presence and I wanted to come home to you.' Toothless looked Hiccup in the eye and gave a couple grunts. He didn't expect Hiccup to understand him completely, but to maybe respond with the deduction that Cloudjumper had remained with the others.

"Right, I guess he would be able to comfort the others, since they know him." Hiccup's response showed that he understood a lot of what Toothless had said. Hiccup didn't know what was going on, but he was understanding Toothless on a much higher level than before. "You wanted to come home to me?"

'Home is where ever you are.' Toothless responded sincerely, but he also wanted to see if Hiccup responded accurately to that too.

"Wow, that's so nice. It's not home without you here." Hiccup was touched by Toothless' words, or... thoughts? "What is happening?"

Toothless cooed. So Hiccup was understanding him better. 'I don't know.'

"I've never been able to understand you like this before." Hiccup said, he was racking his brain for an answer, but didn't have one. "Are you doing this? Is this some kind of special Night Fury ability? Like the blue glow?"

Toothless tilted his head again. He would shrug if he could. 'I didn't do anything, I don't think. I could suddenly sense your distress from across the island. I wanted to come sooner, but couldn't. By the time I got here, I sensed your heart was at peace.'

"You could sense me from the underground stables?" Hiccup was awed. What was this newfound connection? Toothless nodded. "Could you do that before?"

'No, not unless I was close enough to catch the scent of your fear or happiness or read your emotions. But never to the extent of just now.'

"You can smell fear?" Hiccup hadn't known that. "Never mind." He moved on. "Can you sense how other people are feeling, right now? Like you did with me?"

Toothless remained still for a moment, like he was concentrating. 'I can't. Not like with you.'

"I don't even know what to say." Hiccup was beyond surprised by what was happening. Hiccup and Toothless both looked at each other at the same time. They didn't need this new, special connection to know what the other was thinking right now. "Let's do an experiment."

'It's like you can read my mind.' Toothless thought, he opened his mouth in an approximation of a slight smile at his own joke.

"Wow. I had no idea how funny you really were, all this time." Hiccup responded sarcastically, but he honestly did find the joke hilarious. "Come on."

Toothless followed Hiccup out the front door and back into the chilly night, made a little colder by the presence of the chunks of ice. All thoughts of getting some sleep were gone at their new excitement.

Astrid set the blankets on Hiccup's bed and looked back at Valka as she entered the room and closed the door behind her. It was dim inside the room, the only light coming in from the window. Astrid knew exactly where all the candles were placed and moved to light a few of them.

Valka was very curious about seeing her son's room, his personal space would say a lot about him. As the candlelight illuminated the room, she was able to finally get a good look.

"Hiccup is an artist, and he likes to invent things." Astrid explained as Valka took in her surroundings. There was a desk, covered in papers and various charcoal pencils. A rare inkwell and quill. Stacks of sketchbooks. Drawings of Toothless and various other dragons decorated the walls along with sketches of his map and places he had been. There was a shelf full of books in various languages and covering all sorts of different subjects. A couple of odd contraptions were on the floor or any other flat surface Hiccup had deemed a good place to set something down in his scatter-brained, artistic flurries. There were tools of all sorts, also scattered around the room. "He gets into this state of mind when he's working on something, then he just makes a mess, but when I try to help him tidy things, he says everything is where he expects them to be."

"Sounds like a true artist to me." Valka laughed as she walked around the room, taking it all in. "He has a talent for drawing."

"I tell him that too, but he always has something to criticize about his own work."

"Hmm." Valka acknowledged that she heard Astrid, but didn't respond otherwise. She continued to look around the room, curious about her son and his interests. Astrid didn't object or stop her, so Valka felt like she could keep looking. If Hiccup had been concerned about privacy, he would have come upstairs and put things away or asked them to stay out of certain things. Astrid likely, as Hiccup's girlfriend, would have told her to stay away too.

As Valka continued to look, a familiar item caught her eye, and she paused. She couldn't believe he still had it. Reaching out, she lightly brushed her fingers over the somewhat worn fabric of the dragon doll she had sewn for her baby boy, almost twenty years ago. It sat on a shelf, next to various other items, as if it were something special.

"So." Astrid spoke up after a few minutes of letting Valka explore, causing her to draw her hand back in and shake her head from her thoughts of the past. "Do you want the bed? I can take the floor."

"Oh, no. You go ahead and sleep on the bed." Valka turned her attention to her future daughter-in-law. "Hiccup offered it to you, after all. Besides, I haven't slept in a real bed in... I don't know how long. I'm used to sleeping on the ground, so the floor will be fine."

"If you're sure." Astrid continued talking after receiving a nod from Valka. "Let me at least help you get set up."

Astrid unfolded some of the blankets and started to set them on the floor, a few feet from the bed and near a wall. "Is this a good spot?"

"Yes, that will do just fine. Thank you." Valka took the other end of the blanket that Astrid was holding and helped her spread it out. They worked together in silence to create a comfortable place for Valka to sleep.

They could hear muffled voices coming from downstairs as they finished their task in silence. Valka vaguely wondered what they were talking about and almost felt like she should be down there too, having late night chats with her family, probably something she should have been doing all these years, as a part of the family she had left behind.

When they were done laying out the blankets, Astrid walked over to the bed and pulled open a drawer to the side table. She knew there was a hairbrush inside— rarely used. Hiccup's hair did what it wanted, and he let it. Astrid unbraided her hair, which was difficult since some of it had come loose and escaped the braid, and some of it was tangled after their long day. She realized that she hadn't had the chance to brush it in over three days.

Astrid sat on the bed and took the time to brush through her hair, and when she put the brush back, she placed her shoulder armor inside the drawer as well. Then she undid the clasp on her spiked skirt and slid it off. She folded it and placed it inside with the other items, before closing it again.

Valka had moved to sit on her makeshift bed. The covers were over her lap as she sat, watching as Astrid moved around the room with such familiarity. She could have lived there, for all Valka knew, but she knew that she didn't. Astrid knew where everything went, she knew where to find a brush. She had invited herself to make use of the drawer for her stuff. She was completely comfortable and at home in Hiccup's room.

"I suppose I should have asked if you wanted to use the brush." Astrid interrupted Valka's thoughts. She had settled into the bed and sat comfortably. "But I guess I figured that your hair isn't easy to brush through."

Valka fingered the long braid-like bundles that her hair had been in for such a long time. "It's easier to leave my hair as it is. I don't think I could take them out of their braids very easily. It would take hours to sort out my hair."

"I think your hair is very pretty." Astrid complimented, and she meant it. She liked Valka's style.

"Thank you. So is yours." Valka meant it too. Then she changed the subject from their small talk. "Have you... stayed here before?"

Astrid gave her a startled look at the question, not expecting it. "Well, I spend a lot of time with Hiccup, so I've spent a lot of time here. I know this house very well. I suppose Hiccup and I have spent a lot of late nights in here together, or I keep him company all night while he works on projects. But, we've never-"

"No, no. I wasn't implying anything." Valka rushed to assure her. "You're just so at home in this place. And I... I used to be."

"Hiccup and I didn't used to be close. We weren't even friends as kids, not until about five years ago. I've failed Hiccup in a lot of ways." Astrid looked remorseful. "But Hiccup is the most forgiving person I've ever met and I did everything I could to prove to him that he could trust me and rely on me. He'll forgive you too, I'm sure."

"You weren't friends before? Hiccup said that you two started out as friends and then became closer. I assumed that you'd been friends your whole lives."

"No. I was a, um, grumpy kid. I wasn't always so approachable. I was kind of mean and I was very focused on my training to become a warrior. I spent my childhood determined to protect my people some day, but lost myself in the process. I never stood up for Hiccup, even when I disagreed with how he was being treated. But it was Hiccup who got through to me in the end. He opened my eyes and softened my heart. I'm my best self when I'm with him."

Astrid's explanation brought more questions than answers to Valka. Why did Hiccup need someone to stand up for him? How exactly had he been treated? How had Hiccup gotten through to Astrid? Valka felt like she had a few pieces to a giant puzzle and she didn't know where the pieces she had were meant to go. However, she also didn't think it was her place to pry, even if her intentions were to get to know Hiccup better and understand what he had been through.

They could hear the muffled voices again, in the silence that proceeded Astrid's vague story. Stoick and Hiccup were talking, but they couldn't hear exactly what was being said.

"Hiccup and Stoick are close, then? They've been talking for a while now." Valka changed the subject again. She didn't want to seem nosy, although her curiosity was eating at her.

"Uh, well, that's a complicated subject." Astrid answered, unsure of what to say. She wanted to talk to Valka, but didn't know what Hiccup would be okay with her sharing.

"Complicated?" Valka was taken aback, more random pieces to the puzzle, that didn't seem to fit in anywhere. She had been observing the two. Sure, when Stoick had first shown up at the nest, he had seemed strict and a bit angry, but Valka had known Stoick very well at a point in her life, she had married him after all. She could see the worry in his eyes. The stress of not knowing where his only son was and if he was okay. Stoick's concern for his loved ones was often expressed in frustration and anger, but it was from a place of deep love. Stoick loved his son, Valka knew that much.

Their interactions since then had been interesting. They had all been stressed out and scared after Drago took the dragons. They had seen the damage he could do, and knew he was headed for their home and loved ones. Stoick had been trying his best to focus on solving the next problem and taking care of his people. However, his son had nearly died and his wife was suddenly alive. The interactions between Hiccup and Stoick during that time couldn't possibly be an accurate portrayal of their relationship, not in such an intense and unique situation.

Once they had returned to Berk, Stoick had told Hiccup how proud he was. What were his exact words— the pride of berk. Valka had watched as Stoick praised their son, expressing his love in a way Valka had never seen from him. Stoick didn't show his love so verbally and outright. He showed it more subtly, in his actions and gruff comments that Valka could always interpret for the declarations of love that they were. Though, with Hiccup, apparently he was different. He showed emotion, he spoke of his love very obviously and directly. He expressed his feelings, quite unlike a Viking. If Stoick had been willing to change for the sake of expressing love to their son, surely they had a good relationship.

"It's a long story." Astrid repeated Hiccup's earlier words, she wasn't sure if she should say much more. "Hiccup and Stoick didn't used to get along that well. I think, they just didn't understand each other. But, things changed. They're doing a lot better than before." Valka was unable to say anything more as Astrid abruptly changed the subject. "I'm getting kind of tired. I think I'm going to try and get some sleep."

Astrid leaned over and blew out the candles on either side of the bed, on the night stands. Then she pulled the covers over herself and settled into the bed. "Goodnight, Valka."

Valka moved so she could blow out the candle on the desk, then settled into her bed as well. "Good night, Astrid. Thank you, for being so helpful and kind."

Once again, Valka was left wondering. All the pieces she had were part of this bigger picture. They were meant to fit together, but were affected by one important part that Valka didn't have. That important part, some kind of life-changing event, would help her put it all together. What exactly had happened during the twenty years that she had been away? What had happened to Hiccup?

Valka recalled, as she lay there in the dark, the brief and hurried explanation Hiccup had provided her with about how he and Toothless had met. Hiccup had shot Toothless down, most likely because that was what he had been taught to do his whole life. Though, instead of killing the Night Fury, Hiccup had shown it mercy. Hiccup couldn't kill Toothless, he befriended him instead. He had helped the dragon regain his flight. After that, all Valka knew was that Toothless had "gotten Hiccup back," resulting in Hiccup losing a limb and gaining a prosthetic. Somehow, whatever happened had also resulted in all of Berk, including Stoick, changing and accepting dragons. Hiccup ended the dragon war. Then, perhaps that was when Hiccup and Stoick's relationship changed for the better? Had that been when he had gotten through to Astrid?

Valka rolled over in her sleep, suddenly a little frustrated. She couldn't piece anymore of it together. She needed more information. She truly wanted to understand what had happened while she was gone, so that she could better understand her family and make proper amends.

She finally accepted that she wouldn't be able to work any more of it out that night. She would have asked Astrid more questions, but she had seemed unwilling to tell her much more. Maybe it wasn't Astrid's place to tell her. Maybe only Hiccup and Stoick could help her solve the puzzle. Valka tried to clear her mind of everything, so she could sleep. She would learn about the past, eventually, as she got to know her son better and repaired her relationship with her husband.

A/N: Thanks for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting!

Review Responses:

R37uy: I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I'm excited to get into some new stuff, and have lots of ideas for where the story can go from here.

Animation Adventures: Thanks, I'm glad you like the story! I agree that it didn't seem necessary for Stoick to die, especially since he still has his mom. I suppose the writers wanted Hiccup to become the chief, but I think the story would have been just as good if Hiccup learned how to be a good chief by resolving things with his dad instead. Ah, yes. Hiccup says "bud" a lot. A little too much in my opinion. But I could add it in a little more often than I have. I think I will have some fun writing some other, little plot lines before tackling all the changes I think there should be to the third movie. I do want the Light Fury to make an appearance, although I will probably give her a different name, haha. I feel like her character development was cut short in the movie. As soon as she accepts Hiccup, the dragons leave, and Toothless didn't do a good job of showing her that he and Hiccup are a package deal.

SunhatLlama16: I hope you liked Stoick and Hiccup resolving things. Stoick realized his mistakes, at least. I agree, Hiccup and Stoick needed closure and didn't get it in the movie. Part of me wonders if Hiccup moved on so quickly and "forgave" everyone because he was so excited by the idea of being accepted for once. If they weren't children's movies maybe his insecurities would have shown back up later. I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

Silver Sentinel: How did you like the much awaited conversation between Hiccup and Stoick?