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Chapter Text

Haakon was tidying up his workspace when he noticed most of his family and their dragons coming up the hill. Catching sight of their bulging satchels, he stepped outside and called out, “Not that I don’t like the company, but what are you all doing here?”

“Dad’s planning on having the Berkians stay at the house,” Dagur shared, “so we figured we’d come up here and give them more room.”

Haakon’s brow furrowed. “Shouldn’t you be there, too? After all, you’re Chief now.”

Dagur shrugged. “They’re Dad’s buddies, not mine. Plus, they tell the same stories every time they get together and I’ve heard them enough to last me a lifetime.” He wrapped an arm around his brother’s shoulders and said, “I’d rather stay up here with the rest of you.”

“You’re just trying to avoid the Berkian heir,” Sirena observed, her young Nadder friend scampering around her. For all that she was only eleven, she was quite observant.

“Can you blame me,” Dagur scoffed, pulling Haakon along with him as they made their way further up the hill to his house.

Heather shook her head. “You do realize that eventually he’ll be Chief and you’ll have to discuss the treaty with him?”

“You seriously think their tribe will last that long with him at the helm,” Dagur asked incredulously.

“He has a point,” Haakon admitted as he opened his front door. Myrsky and Windshear were quick to join Toothless on the roof, basking in what was left of the sun, while little Goldie trotted in after Sirena. “Well, you know you’re always welcome,” he remarked, closing the door behind him. He turned to his twin and asked, “Will Dad be coming for dinner tonight?”

“Yup,” Heather responded, setting her things down. “Do you mind if I get it started?”

“Be my guest,” he gestured toward the kitchen. “I have to check in with Fannar one last time to make sure that everything is prepared for tomorrow, but I’ll be back soon and then I can give you a hand.”

Heather nodded, and seeing that Dagur and Sirena were already raiding one of his cabinets looking for a game to keep them occupied, he went back outside. Glancing up at the three dragons on the roof, he inquired, “Toothless, are you coming with me?”

“I suppose,” he replied moodily, gliding down and landing near Haakon, though he did look back at the remaining dragons and warn them, “Don’t set the house on fire.”

Windshear completely ignored him, but the Skrill huffed and rolled his eyes. “Like I could do worse damage than your bonded.”

“Thanks, Myrsky,” Haakon piped up as he mounted Toothless. “Really feeling the love.”

“The amount of repairs made to your workshop, not to mention this house and your family’s prove my statement,” Myrsky maintained.

“Yeah, yeah,” Haakon grumbled as Toothless flung himself into the sky. He really couldn’t deny what his brother’s bonded had said. After all, there was a reason his dad had built him the workshop in the first place. And even though his house should be a sufficient distance away, it did admittedly still get damaged every once in a while.

“I hate this time of year,” Toothless complained, pulling Haakon from his thoughts.

“I know, bud. Me, too,” he confessed, reaching forward to rub the Night Fury’s head. “But we have so few allies. We need to keep the ones we have.”

“But why do they have to come here and upset everything,” Toothless whined, passing up the entrance to the underground tunnels.

Looks like they were taking a detour so his best friend could get things off his chest. “Well, tribes generally take turns visiting each other to renew their treaties,” Haakon explained. “It’s a good way for each tribe to display their strength and what they have to offer.”

“Then why are we supposed to hide away,” Toothless asked, his confusion clear. “Wouldn’t it be more impressive if we were out and about? I mean, what’s more powerful than a bunch of fire-breathing dragons?”

“Nothing, obviously, but there’s one thing you’re forgetting. They kill dragons on Berk,” he reminded him.

“But isn’t it bad to keep secrets from your allies,” Toothless pressed.

Haakon had thought the same thing himself many times, but when he finally asked his dad about it, what he had been told made sense. He shared that piece of wisdom with Toothless now. “Yes, but if it was known that we are friends with the dragons, we would have no allies and no peace. We would all be at risk. It’s a delicate balance and one that we have to help keep.”

“I suppose,” Toothless drawled as he circled the island. “But that doesn’t mean that I have to like it.”

“I know, bud. Me either.”

They were silent for a few moments, but then Toothless perked up and asked, “Is your house far enough away from the village that I can stay with you?”

Haakon shook his head. “It’s not worth the risk. Plus, you’d be stuck indoors for days,” he reasoned, emphasizing the last part.

“We could go flying at night,” Toothless suggested hopefully.

“Not from my house,” he responded. “It would be too dangerous to take off so close to the village with the Berkians here.” Sensing the drop in his friend’s mood, he added, “Doesn’t mean I won’t be sneaking off to the tunnels though. You’ll still see me every day, and we can fly at night. We just have to exit from the tunnels on the other side of the island.”

Toothless banked and started heading for the nearest tunnel entrance, seemingly giving up on trying to figure out a better way to deal with the Berkians’ visit. “Ugh, this is going to be awful,” he lamented.

“Could be worse,” Haakon pointed out.

“How,” Toothless growled grumpily.

“They could be staying for a month,” he answered. It was a good thing he knew his friend so well as if he hadn’t had a good grip on the saddle, Toothless’ sudden spin would have thrown him off. “Nice try, bud, but I’m just saying, we should be grateful that their visit will last no more than a week. They might even leave early. And then we’ll be free of them for two more years.”

Haakon could tell that Toothless still wasn’t pleased, but there was not much that either of them could do, so they would just have to make the best of it. His friend soon landed on their favorite ledge of the ice nest and Haakon was quick to dismount, approaching the great Bewilderbeast King. “Hello, Fannar. How are you today?”

“I am fine, Haakon,” he replied. “Is all ready for tomorrow?”

“I believe so,” Haakon said, running through his mental list. “All the dragons know to come to the nest tonight?”

“Yes,” Fannar confirmed. “I have reminded them of the rules when we have visitors staying and all is prepared. If I need you for any reason during their stay, I will send a Changewing.”

“Sounds good,” he nodded. “I’ll still come and check in, though the times may vary. Just depends on when I can sneak away.”

“All will work out, young Haakon. Do not worry,” Fannar encouraged him.

Haakon sighed. “I’m sure you’re right. I just wish it was over already.”

“I know that this is your first time dealing with a treaty signing as my aide,” Fannar acknowledged, “but I assure you, I have lived through enough of these that I know how to keep the nest safe.”

“I know,” Haakon blushed. He hadn’t meant that he doubted Fannar’s abilities, but rather his own. “I just don’t want to fail you.”

“And you won’t,” Fannar assured him. “Now, go and enjoy this last evening with your family and your bondeds while you have the chance.”

Chapter Text

Haakon was standing on the docks with Dagur and Heather when his twin pointed out the approaching ships. “And there’s the Berk fleet,” she remarked.

“Rather small aren’t they,” Haakon observed.

Dagur smirked. “I mean, it’s no armada.”

“I’ll go let Dad know they’ve been spotted,” Heather offered.

Once she left Haakon turned to his older brother and inquired, “You ready for this?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he muttered. 

Haakon bumped shoulders with Dagur, reminding him that he would be at his side no matter what happened. It was understandable that his brother was a little on edge as their father had just passed the reigns over to him a few months ago and this was his first treaty signing as a Chief. Haakon just wished it could have been with a different tribe. 

Out of all of their allies, tensions between the Berserkers and Berk were the most strained, partially because their ways of life were so different, not that Berk knew that, but still. It also didn’t help that Berk’s Chief was so outspoken and their heir was so stupid. Despite all this, it was still an alliance worth keeping. They would make it through this somehow, supporting one another as they had always done.

The lead ship eventually docked and Dagur stepped forward to greet the party from Berk. “Chief Stoick,” he hailed the mountain of a man. “It is a pleasure to have you here on our shores…and your party as well,” he added as an afterthought.

Haakon couldn’t exactly blame his brother for his lack of sincerity as most of the Vikings on the lead ship were ones he would rather avoid, particularly Spitelout and Snotlout. At least Gobber had joined them this time around. He had enjoyed discussing smithing techniques with him on a previous visit. Most of the other warriors in Stoick’s party were around his father’s age, as was normal, but there was also a young woman in the party this time around. Perhaps she was Snotlout’s betrothed, though Haakon wouldn’t wish that fate on his worst enemy.

“Thank you, Dagur,” Stoick replied dismissively. “Where is your father?”

Dagur clenched his fists and responded, “He is waiting at the Great Hall. He has requested to sit in on our discussion of the treaty, if that meets with your approval,” he asked, his voice tinged with derision.

“Yes, I would be pleased to have him there,” Stoick nodded in a self-satisfied way. “Make things feel a little more normal,” he added under his breath.

Haakon grabbed his brother’s arm before he could reach for his axe and hissed, “Not now, Dagur.”

“I could take him,” he insisted, glaring at Stoick’s back as he walked toward the village with his entourage.

“I know you could, but his lack of respect is not enough to start a war,” Haakon reasoned, keeping his voice low. “This situation is new to him as he is used to dealing with Chiefs who are his contemporaries. As the first Chief of the next generation, you need to keep a level head.”

“Not my strong suit,” Dagur growled.

“I know.” Haakon acknowledged, moving to stand in front of his brother. “And that’s why Dad and Heather and I are here to back you up.”

Dagur smiled and reached out to grasp his arm in the Berserker handshake. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Haakon nodded firmly and together the brothers made their way to the Great Hall, arriving just behind the Berkians. Haakon sat to Dagur’s left while Heather sat on his other side, their father sitting beside her.

As the rest of the Berkians made themselves comfortable, Stoick sneered at their seating arrangement and inquired, “Is your whole family joining you?”

“No, my youngest sister will not be here,” Dagur retorted, eyeing the other Chief and practically daring him to make one more thoughtless comment.

The Berkian grumbled, but before he could say anything, their father spoke up. “Stoick, I would have you know that Haakon and Heather serve as Dagur’s second-in-commands. They both have every right to be at this meeting.”

“Two seconds,” Stoick scoffed. “If one cannot handle all the responsibilities, then I would say that neither are suited to the position.”

Haakon was not about to take any more of this. “We each have our own areas of expertise…sir,” he said, his tone making it clear that he was only showing respect because of the man’s position and not for the man himself. “By splitting the duties, we are able to serve our people in the most efficient way,” he stated. Feeling the need to drive home the Berkian Chief’s hypocrisy, he added, “Need I remind you that regardless of your opinion of us, your whole party is here to discuss the terms of the treaty. It is only fair that Chief Dagur is allowed a group to offer him support and counsel as well,” he said, making sure to emphasize his brother’s title as Chief Stoick had yet to remember to use it.

Of course, Vikings were not known to be the smartest and his speech did not have the effect he intended, as was shown when Stoick turned to their father and remarked, “Seems you chose the wrong son to become heir.”

Their father had kept his peace until now, but the surest way to rile him up was to speak badly about his children. “My sons are perfectly suited to their duties, Stoick,” Oswald snapped, “and if you want to renew our treaty then I encourage you to have a civil tongue.”

That seemed to silence the Berkian Chief where Haakon’s speech had not. Taking advantage of what would probably be no more than a temporary cease-fire, Dagur spoke up. “Our current terms are more than sufficient for the Berserkers. Do you request any changes?”

“I do have one condition that needs to be met before I sign the treaty,” Stoick mentioned.

When the other Chief did not elaborate, Dagur said, “And that is?”

“I would like to unite our tribes further by marriage,” Stoick announced.

“What are you implying?” Dagur’s eyes narrowed and Haakon could tell that an explosion was imminent.

“I would like to arrange a marriage between my heir and your sister,” the Berkian Chief put forth.

Dagur smiled smugly and crossed his arms, leaning back as he raised one eyebrow. “Sirena is much too young.”

“Your other sister,” Stoick clarified, clearly frustrated with Dagur’s obvious misdirection.

“Not a chance,” Dagur stated firmly.

“I will not sign the treaty unless-”

“So be it,” Dagur interrupted, standing his ground. “I will not force my sister into a union with that imbecile,” he gestured wildly as his voice raised. Haakon watched his brother take a deep breath and lean back in his chair, seemingly calming himself, but Dagur couldn’t fool him. He recognized the glint in his brother’s eyes and Stoick was not going to be pleased with what he said next. “The way I see it,” Dagur continued, “the only way I would consent to such an idiotic plan is if the wedding date was set after his ascension to Chief.” Twirling a dagger between his fingers, he reasoned, “Then, Heather can marry him and once he is disposed of, we will unite the two islands under the Berserker rule.”

Haakon held back a laugh as the plan was so perfectly Dagur.

“You can’t believe I would agree to that,” Stoick roared.

Dagur drove his blade into the table. “The odds of you accepting my terms are the same as the odds of my sister marrying your heir,” he seethed.

Feeling that he better step in before his brother or Stoick took things too far, Haakon shot up from his seat. “I’m sure there must be another option.” Turning to face the Berkian Chief, he said, “Surely you can see the benefit that a continued alliance between our two tribes would bring. Our armada is unmatched in the entire archipelago.”

Stoick glared at him for a moment before coming to a decision. “I will amend my offer. I offer you our best Shield Maiden in marriage. Take it or leave it.”

“What?!”

Haakon glanced toward the assembled Berkians to see the blonde young woman from earlier being forcibly restrained, presumably the source of the outcry and the Shield Maiden in question. He didn’t have much time to think about it though as his brother was yelling at the other Chief.

“What is wrong with you?! How can you think-”

“Does it matter which one of us she marries,” Haakon broke in. He didn’t want to do this, but he had been brought up to believe that keeping the peace was of the utmost importance. If this was what it took, then so be it.

Stoick wavered before declaring, “While I would prefer her to be married to Dagur, I will accept either of you.”

“She will come to live here,” Haakon pressed as his family stared at him in shock.

“Haak, what are you doing,” his brother hissed.

Stoick narrowed his eyes before reluctantly agreeing. “I don’t see that I have much choice.”

“Then you have a deal. I will marry your Shield Maiden if you sign the treaty.” Haakon held out his hand and Stoick shook it, sealing their agreement and his future.

Chapter Text

It was times like these when Haakon found himself wishing Toothless was at his side. It would make things so much easier if he could just jump on his best friend and disappear for a few hours. Of course, that was not a possibility as the Berkians were here. The stupid Berkians who were the cause of his hastily arranged marriage and the reason he was trying to get away from his siblings and their well-intentioned arguments. 

He had managed to lose them in the forest, hoping that they would keep looking for him there, but not a minute after he stepped into his house, Heather and Dagur were storming through the front door.

“Haakon, what is wrong with you,” Dagur thundered.

“We can’t lose Berk as an ally,” he justified, waving his arms about erratically.

“But you don’t even know that girl,” Heather protested.

“It’s not like there’s anyone here that I’m interested in,” he rationalized, “and I keep busy enough that if I want to, I could go days without seeing her.”

“What’s going on,” Sirena inquired from where she had been sitting at the table, all of her siblings turning to look at her as they hadn’t even realized she was there.

Heather was the first to speak, jabbing her finger at Haakon and announcing, “This muttonhead agreed to marry someone from Berk as part of the treaty.”

“Don’t you think Rayna will take it hard,” Sirena asked with a smirk.

Haakon scoffed. “I couldn’t care less what she thinks. Plus, she’d rather have Dagur,” he remarked, jerking his thumb toward his brother. “He’s a better catch.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Unfortunately, it was not enough of a distraction to keep Dagur from the subject Haakon was trying to avoid. “Seriously, Haak, you don’t have to do this. I don’t care what Dad says. We’ll be fine without Berk’s alliance. I don’t want to see you miserable.”

“Or murdered in your bed,” Heather chimed in. “Did you see the way she was glaring at you?”

“Did you see her reaction in the first place,” Haakon countered. “I have a feeling the Chief brought her along knowing he might need to use her as a bargaining chip. Too bad he didn’t tell her that.”

“I don’t like this at all,” Dagur declared, turning on his heel to head back out the door. “I’m telling Stoick the deal is off.”

Haakon shook his head and grabbed his brother’s arm. “We may not be officially signing the treaty until tomorrow, but an agreement has already been made. If we back out now, they will declare war.” He met his brother’s gaze and held it, saying, “I know what I’m doing. Trust me.”

“And if she attacks you,” Heather pressed.

“I will have you know I can defend myself,” Haakon rolled his eyes.

“She is the best Shield Maiden on Berk,” his twin put forth.

“And I’m the second best warrior on Berserker Island,” he proclaimed. “I’d be first, but my brother refuses to teach me all his secrets,” he grumbled good-naturedly, resulting in Dagur giving him a playful shove. “Worst case scenario, I can have Toothless sit on her,” he shrugged nonchalantly.

“And that’s another problem,” Heather pointed out. “Accepting a dragon killer into our tribe. How is that going to work?”

“We’ll just have to make sure that the elder includes a few extra clauses into the marriage vows, like agreeing to follow our laws and traditions,” Haakon explained. “And if she disobeys and suffers the consequences, well, then there’s nothing Stoick can say. After all, we’ll have upheld our end of the bargain. If she wants to live or not, that’s up to her.”

Dagur eyed him, trying to gauge how determined he was. “You’re sure about this?”

“I am,” he confirmed. “I’ve thought through it all and it’s the best option for our tribe.”

“I still don’t like this,” Dagur reiterated.

Haakon threw his arm around his brother’s shoulders. “And that’s why it’s a good thing I’m the one marrying her and not you,” he noted. “Now that the air has been cleared amongst us, I need to go inform Fannar of all that had happened.”

“Another reason that this is a horrible idea,” Heather grumbled.

“Can I come with you and visit Goldie,” Sirena piped up.

“Of course,” Haakon replied. “Wait for me outside, okay, little shadow?” Once Sirena was out the door, he turned to his twin and took both her hands in his. “Trust me, Heather, I’ve already compiled a list of all the issues I’m going to face. Please, just let me deal with it in my own way.”

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, not meeting his eyes. “You know I just want the best for you.”

“As do I for you,” he affirmed. “You know, we could always go back to Dagur’s plans of you marrying Snotlout and then-” He drew his thumb across his neck dramatically. 

Heather just rolled her eyes and shoved him toward the door. “Don’t keep the munchkin waiting. And be back in time for dinner!”

He gave her a quick salute before stepping out the door and walking toward his workshop with Sirena trailing behind him.

“I thought we were going to the tunnels.” She tilted her head and scrunched up her face. “So, why are you grabbing weapons?”

“Because if any of the Berkians see us, we can say that we’re going to train in the forest,” he shared, tapping her nose before passing her the sword he had used when he was younger. 

She eyed the sword disdainfully, saying, “I’d rather carry my sword.”

“I know you would,” Haakon observed, “but we can’t risk the Berkians seeing Dragon Iron. I have no idea how we’d explain that to them,” he admitted. “While we Berserkers are known for our superior workmanship, the tinted metal of our weapons would soon be envied by all the tribes and we can’t give away all our secrets, now can we,” he queried, scooping his sister up and carrying her under his arm, much to her distaste.

“Okay, okay,” she capitulated. “I’ll use your old Gronckle Iron sword. Just put me down.”

Haakon laughed as he complied, though he couldn’t resist giving his sister’s braid a quick tug once he set her down. She sighed long-sufferingly, but it was all a facade as she smiled up at him immediately after.

They made their way into the forest, talking about everything under the sun, except for dragons, that is, as they couldn’t be sure if any Berkians were nearby. It was a good thing too, as the next thing he knew, he saw a movement among the trees. He pushed his sister behind him and swung his sword, blocking the axe that had been hurtling toward them. 

He turned to see the same blonde he had noticed with the Berkian party earlier. If looks could kill, he would be dead right now, but he wasn’t too worried as he could take care of himself. The fact that she could have hit Sirena with her axe, now that had his blood boiling. “How dare you try and hurt my sister?!”

“She wasn’t the one I was aiming at,” the Shield Maiden glowered.

He grabbed the axe from where it had landed before she could reach it, hefting it a few times to get a feel for it. “Then you clearly need all the practice you can get,” he retorted. Glancing at Sirena, he told her to get clear and then gestured to a distinctive pine in the clearing they had been crossing through. “That tree, fourth branch,” he declared, hurling the axe so it embedded itself in the tree exactly where he said it would…a good fifteen feet off the ground. He smirked at the fuming blonde and said, “We’ll leave you to it,” before grabbing his sister’s hand and encouraging her to run.

Once they had put sufficient distance between themselves and the clearing, they slowed to a walk and Sirena asked, “Who was that?”

“My future bride,” he answered wryly.

Chapter Text

Haakon and his siblings were just finishing breakfast when their father walked in the front door. “Dad,” Haakon exclaimed, rushing over to guide his father to a seat. “You didn’t have to come all the way up here. We would’ve been down soon enough.”

“I know,” he replied as he eased himself down, slightly out of breath from the climb, “but there are some things we need to discuss. Like how quickly you took off yesterday.”

At his father’s questioning glance, Haakon shrugged and jerked his thumb toward his siblings. “Had to get these two out of the hall before they blew,” he remarked, though it was not without objections from Heather and Dagur. “How did things go after we left?”

“Tolerably well,” their dad revealed. “While Stoick would have preferred Heather or Dagur, he’s satisfied enough with you.”

As Haakon sat back down, he couldn’t help but inquire, “Did he say what his reasoning behind the whole ‘marriage between tribes’ thing was?”

Their father sighed and said, “Apparently, he’s concerned about us breaking the treaty now that Dagur’s Chief”

“A Berserker always keeps his word,” Dagur declared, slightly offended.

“I know, son, but your reputation as Dagur the Deranged has put him on edge,” he disclosed. “I think his original reasoning was that if Heather was on Berk, we wouldn’t attack for fear of them harming her in retaliation.”

Heather snorted. “He doesn’t know us well, does he? If I had been pushed into that, I would have helped you take down Berk from the inside.”

Their father tried to hold back a smile, though he was not very successful. “Yes, well, I think Dagur’s counteroffer disabused him of the wisdom of that course. As it is, he’s hoping that having one of his own here will serve as a check. Since she will be married into the Chief’s family, the Chief will hopefully refrain from attacking her birth tribe.”

“Did you see her reaction,” Heather asked incredulously. “If I was in her shoes, I would have no loyalty to them anymore. Quite the opposite. I’d be pushing my new brother-in-law to attack them.”

“Or trying to dispose of the unwanted betrothed,” Sirena piped up.

Haakon facepalmed as all eyes turned on his youngest sister. 

Dagur’s eyes narrowed as he glanced between his siblings. “Why would you say that, Sirena?”

“Because she threw her axe at us in the woods,” she answered like it was no big deal.

And now everyone was looking at him. Just great. “Look, I was going to tell you, not for my sake, but for Sirena’s. Yes, my future bride was aiming for me, but she very well could have hurt Sirena. That is not something that I take lightly,” he emphasized. “I can take care of myself and handle any attacks she throws at me, but if she tries to hurt one of you, then I will not be responsible for my actions.”

“I’m sure she was just acting out in anger and will eventually come around,” their father observed, “but we’ll keep an eye on her just in case.” After everyone agreed to be careful, he turned back to Haakon. “I’m assuming you spoke with Fannar? How did he take the news?”

“He understood why I did it. Said he’d help in any way he could. He actually seemed rather calm about the whole thing,” he reported before mumbling, “Wish I could say the same about Toothless.”

“What happened,” his dad inquired.

“A very long argument about how I get myself into awful situations when he’s not around to stop me.” Haakon rolled his eyes. “Oh, and an offer to stage a dragon attack to get rid of her, though he would prefer that to happen before the wedding.”

“Can you imagine how many of the dragons would get injured with the Berkians here,” Heather pointed out.

“Exactly what I had to explain to him,” he shared. “Fannar was eventually able to talk him down, but I have a feeling that I’ll be dealing with an extremely moody Night Fury for quite a while.”

“Well, maybe it’s a good thing the Berkians will be here for a few more days,” Dagur commented. “It will give him some time to calm down.”

Haakon looked heavenward and muttered, “I can only hope.”

Their father clasped his hands and said, “Well, if you are all ready, we’d best be making our way down to the training arena for the exhibition matches.”

“Are you sure you’re up to heading back down already,” Haakon questioned his father. He worried about him as his health wasn’t nearly as good as it had been before he got sick last winter. With Dagur taking over the tribe, their dad had less to worry about, but they could all see that this visit was already taking a lot out of him.

His dad waved off his son’s concern. “Going downhill is much easier. I’ll be fine.”

As they left the house, Haakon found another reason to wish the Berkians gone. Not only was this whole situation taking a toll on his dad, but he didn’t have the support of Bliksem to help him through. If the Skrill had been here, at least his father could have saved his strength by riding him instead of walking. But as they didn’t have that option, the siblings made sure to set an easy pace, frequently pausing as they discussed something or other so that their dad would not be tired when they arrived at the arena.

By the time they got there, the stands were full and the arena had already been set up for the first match, just as Dagur had requested. Haakon grinned as he saw the assortment of barrels, crates, and dividers placed haphazardly around the arena. This was going to be fun.

As sons of the previous Chief, there was no need to announce who was dueling first as everyone knew them, even the Berkians. After double-checking their gear, Haakon and Dagur stepped into the ring and prepared themselves, rushing at each other as soon as the horn was blown.

The Berkians probably thought they were crazy, fighting in such a cluttered space, but this was one of Haakon and Dagur’s favorite ways to train. The setup was always different and helped them to learn to adapt to their circumstance. It had gotten to the point that it wasn’t even much of a challenge anymore. In fact, they normally had a few Terrors flying around the course and throwing things at them, so this was pretty tame, but at least the crowds seemed to enjoy the show. 

Dagur eventually won, but Haakon didn’t mind. In a course like this, they were fairly evenly matched. His brother just got the upper hand this time, and, all in all, it was for the best as it showed the strength of their new Chief.

As they stepped out of the ring, several Berserkers rushed to clear the arena of the aftermath of their match. Afterward, several of their best warriors displayed their talents. With the planned matches out of the way, Dagur announced that if anyone was interested, challengers were welcome to step forward. 

Their family had gotten a big kick out watching Heather defeat Snotlout in less than a minute, though Stoick didn’t seem too pleased. The stupid heir was thoroughly embarrassed, and all Haakon could do was shake his head. It was obvious that Snotlout had thought he’d be able to impress his twin with his fighting skills, though why he thought challenging her was a good idea he’d never know as it was a lose-lose situation. 

He was drawn from his thoughts by a tap on his shoulder and he turned around to see the Shield Maiden he was supposed to marry. In that moment, he realized that he still didn’t know her name.

“I challenge you to a match,” she proclaimed, her eyes boring into him. “If I win, you have to release me from this farce of an arrangement.”

Haakon rolled his eyes and said, “Look, I’m sure that past all your very obvious anger issues, you might be a nice person, but, in case you were wondering, I don’t particularly want to marry you either. The only reason I’m doing it is for peace between our tribes. If you can convince Stoick to agree to your stakes, then fine. But just know that I’m not going to hold back to let you win as that would make our tribe appear weak.”

“You just don’t want to be beaten by a girl,” she sneered.

“More like I refuse to be less than I am,” he stated boldly. “Take it or leave it.”

She huffed and turned on her heel, making her way straight to Stoick. Haakon watched as there seemed to be quite an argument, but eventually, the Shield Maiden seemed to get her way if the satisfied smirk on her face was anything to go by. She brushed past him and walked up to Dagur, formally issuing her challenge.

When his brother glanced at him, he nodded, assuring him that he knew what he was doing. With a responding nod, Dagur stepped forward and announced, “Our next challenger is Astrid Hofferson against my brother, Haakon. The fight will end when one of the combatants has been disarmed. Any attempts to seriously injure your opponent will result in immediate disqualification.”

Haakon was pleased that Dagur had added those restrictions as they already knew that Astrid was out for blood, though whether or not she would try anything with so many witnesses was debatable. 

As he walked into the arena at her side, she glared at him and declared, “You’re going down.”

Haakon snorted, amused that she thought it would be that easy. “You sure about that?”

“Your earlier fight was clearly nothing more than a carefully rehearsed routine,” she said dismissively.

“Or it was the result of hours upon hours of training and learning how to react in the most difficult of situations,” he countered, getting into a defensive stance. 

As soon as the horn blew, she was coming at him, raining down blow after blow which he deftly parried. Feeling rather bored as her attacks were quite predictable, he asked, “So, how long did it take for you to get your axe out of the tree?”

While his question did make her angry, it didn’t drive her to focus on defeating him as he had hoped. Instead, it seemed to make her attacks even sloppier. He didn’t want to humiliate her by ending the fight too soon, but this was a waste of his time. “You know, as fun as this is, I do have other things I need to be doing.”

“Like what,” she spat, clearly not appreciating his comments.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he smirked. “Since you don’t seem able to speed things up, I’ll save you the bother.” And just like that, he switched to the offensive, taking her by surprise. While he had told her that he wouldn’t hold back, he found himself only doing what he needed to do to win. After all, she was already in a tough position and there was no need to embarrass her. 

Having gotten her right where he wanted her, he slipped his sword around her axe and swiftly pulled it from her grip, catching it with his other hand. “I’ll take care of this for you,” he said smugly, “just to ensure it’s not thrown at me again.” Taking a better look at the axe, he casually commented, “It could use a sharpen anyway,” before walking away from the fuming blonde and back toward his family.

Chapter Text

Haakon glanced around the Great Hall as he finished his lunch. Sirena had run off to sit with some of the other children as soon as they had gotten here and Heather had just left him, apparently intent on dragging Astrid off somewhere. From the looks of things, Astrid wasn’t too pleased with the whole situation, but he trusted Heather to keep the other girl in line. Plus, he still had her axe, so there wasn’t much damage she could do. His gaze swung to the other end of the Hall where his dad and Dagur were sitting with the rest of the Berkians, being good hosts, though Dagur looked like he was about to die from boredom. Of course, not all the Berkians had remained there and Haakon couldn’t help but smile at the one who was hobbling his way.

“Hey Gobber,” he greeted.

“Hello, lad,” the blacksmith replied, slapping him on the back. “I see yer still managing to get yerself into trouble.”

“Can’t seem to avoid it,” he shrugged, then gestured to the bench opposite him. “Have a seat. How have you been?”

“Eh, surviving,” Gobber said as he sat down. “Wishing I had an apprentice like ye back on Berk. I’d try to steal ye away, but I know yer family won’t go fer that.”

“And neither would I,” Haakon pointed out.

“Aye, I know. Doesn’t mean a man can’t dream,” Gobber commented. “Ye been working on any of yer contraptions lately? I dinna see any sitting around when I stopped by the blacksmith’s yesterday.” 

Haakon rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, Gunnar kind of got tired of the explosions. So did my dad,” he grimaced. “On the bright side, I have my own workshop now.”

“Do ye now?”

“Yeah. A lot has changed since the last time you came for a treaty signing,” he admitted.

“It has been a while,” Gobber remarked. “Ye’ve all grown quite a bit, haven’t ye? And now yer getting married.”

“It would appear so,” he responded ruefully.

“Dinna worry, lad. It could be a lot worse. At least ye got a looker,” Gobber reasoned, clearly trying to cheer him up.

Haakon rolled his eyes. “The only look I get from her is one that tells me she wishes I was dead.” 

Gobber waved his hook prosthetic dismissively. “Eh, I’m sure she’ll get over it eventually.” At Haakon’s incredulous glare, he added, “I mean it. She’s been caught rather unaware.” After glancing around to make sure no one was near, he loudly whispered, “Stoick didn’t give her any warning.”

“I had a feeling that was what happened,” Haakon confessed before sighing. “It’s not like I want this any more than she does. I’m just trying to keep the peace between our tribes.”

“Following in your father’s footsteps, eh?” Gobber smiled and reassured him, “She’ll come around. Just give her a chance.”

“I will if she’s willing to give me one,” he conceded, “but until that day arrives I’m keeping her axe hidden.”

Gobber roared with laughter at that and they soon moved on to other, more mutually fascinating topics.

-o0o-

Heather had watched as Astrid chose an empty table in the Great Hall to seemingly stew in her own juices. While she didn’t particularly care for the girl and the situation she represented, she knew that it wasn’t technically her fault. Deciding that she would be the bigger person even if it killed her, Heather left her twin behind and marched over to Astrid, grabbing her arm and dragging her out of the Great Hall. She had moved so quickly that it wasn’t until they reached the doors of the Hall that Astrid demanded to know what she was doing.

“I’m taking you back to the house,” she revealed, continuing to tug on the blonde’s arm. “Even if this situation is not ideal, I’m not letting my brother’s wedding be some thrown together affair.” Wanting to get this taken care of as soon as possible, she asked, “Do you have anything appropriate to wear?”

Astrid looked at her skeptically before gesturing to the clothes she was wearing. “Would this do?”

Heather stopped short outside her house and looked at the other girl like she had lost her mind. She knew things were tough on Berk, but she couldn’t imagine not having at least one set of nicer clothes for special occasions. Of course, Astrid hadn’t been told to pack for these circumstances, so maybe that had more to do with it than anything. “No,” she shook her head decisively. “Berserkers wear ceremonial garments for weddings, generally with the couple wearing matching accessories. Fortunately for you, Haakon and I like to match. Normally, that’s only something that married couples do, but since we’re twins, it’s been allowed.” 

With that explanation out of the way, she opened the front door and led the way up the stairs, ignoring the mess the Berkians had made downstairs. “You’re in this room,” she inquired, gesturing to the room she shared with Sirena. At Astrid’s nod, Heather walked in and straight to her trunk, pulling out the key from a pouch on her belt. “I figured. At least now I don’t have to have nightmares about Snotlout having been in here,” she shuddered. 

Opening her trunk, she said, “Getting back on topic, with you and Haakon getting married, we won’t be able to match anymore. There’s no need for these to just sit here and gather dust, so you may as well have them,” she observed practically, pulling out her formal sashes, removing the black and grey one before passing the others to Astrid. “Just not this one,” she held up the one she removed, explaining, “These are the colors of the Chief’s family and we’ll have to get one made for you eventually, but that can wait.” Gesturing to the other three sashes that the blonde was now holding, she informed her, “You can pick which one you like best and we’ll get a dress made to go with it. I’ll make sure Haakon knows what to wear.”

“These are much fancier than what we wear on Berk,” Astrid commented as she laid the three sashes on the bed before taking a closer look at each one.

“Well, we only wear them for special occasions,” Heather shared. “Weddings, anniversaries, annual celebrations, that kind of thing. Is there a particular color that you like?”

Astrid reached out and touched the deep blue sash. “This one.”

“That works out,” Heather remarked as she locked her trunk. Turning back around, she caught the tail end of Astrid’s questioning glance. “This one is new,” she disclosed, carefully folding the blue sash to take with them. “Haakon and I haven’t had a chance to wear it yet, so no one will know that this wasn’t planned for the wedding.” 

Heading back out of the house with Astrid reluctantly following her, she announced, “Next stop is the seamstress. Haak generally wears more jewel tones and darker colors, but…” She trailed off, taking a longer look at the blonde trudging beside her. “I think you could get away with anything. Perhaps white and we can dye it later,” she suggested.

Astrid made no effort to give her opinion, so Heather resolved to discuss it with the seamstress. Moving on to other matters, she asked, “Do you have any marriage customs on Berk that we need to be aware of?”

The blonde shrugged halfheartedly. “Just the removal of my kransen and the bridal crown.”

The first was easy. The second…Heather would need to discuss it with Haakon. “I’ll have to see what I can do,” she responded. “Nothing else?”

“Not that I’m aware of. What about Berserker traditions,” Astrid inquired warily. “Is there anything I should know?”

“Nothing too crazy,” Heather replied. “Most of the traditions are completed separately for the bride and groom, but as you’re not from here, you don’t have to worry about that. Haakon has more to do than you, what with the rings and the morning gift and such.” Heather noticed at the mention of the morning gift, Astrid tensed. Knowing where the blonde's thoughts must have gone, she said, “You know, you don’t have to worry.”

“What do you mean,” Astrid snapped.

Heather rolled her eyes. She was trying to be nice and reassure her future sister-in-law, but if this was the way she was going to react, she wasn’t sure if it was worth it. Deciding to press on as it was the right thing to do, she said, “For all that Haak doesn’t want this marriage, he won’t treat you badly. He won’t push you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, if you know what I mean.”

Astrid blushed, but quickly replaced her mask of haughty indifference. “And how would you know that?”

“Because he’s my brother and you would be hard-pressed to find a gentler soul,” Heather proclaimed.

“I find that hard to believe,” Astrid huffed.

Heather took a deep breath before turning to face the blonde. “If you fight him, he will fight back. He’s not one to be walked all over. None of us are.” Astrid’s gaze dropped, but Heather continued, “He keeps very busy, between his responsibilities and his hobbies, so it’s quite possible for him to avoid you for days. He’s already prepared to do that if necessary. All I’m trying to say is he can’t do anything to you if he’s not even around.” 

They walked the rest of the way to the seamstress’ in silence but before they went in, Heather paused. “Oh, and one other thing you should be aware of.” She glared at the other girl as she said, “Killing your husband is not something we take lightly. You harm Haakon and I will end you.”

Chapter Text

Haakon was leaning over his workbench, absorbed in the detail work on his wedding band when he heard approaching footsteps. He glanced up to see his twin walking in and decided to take a small break. 

She took one glance at his bench and asked, “You working on the wedding rings?”

“Yeah.” He picked up the one he had been engraving and passed it to her. “Can you tell it’s not gold?”

She held it up to the light and took a good look. “Nope, you got the blend just right. You used Goldie’s scales?”

“Mm-hmm,” he nodded. “I would have preferred to use Toothless’ but that would raise too many questions.”

“You could always make a second set,” Heather suggested.

“True, but it will have to wait until after the wedding.” He stretched his back and said, “I’m barely going to have enough time as it is.”

“What do you mean,” she queried, setting the ring back down.

“With the treaty now signed, a wedding date has been set,” Haakon shared unenthusiastically. “The day after tomorrow.”

“What?!”

“I know,” he agreed, “but Stoick wants the marriage to take place before they leave. On the bright side, they’ll be gone sooner, but…” He trailed off, thinking of all the things that had to be accomplished in a day and a half. “Please tell me when you dragged Astrid off, it had something to do with possible wedding preparations?” He glanced at his twin hopefully, but the look on her face did not fill him with confidence.

“Yeah,” Heather said, “but I don’t know if her dress will be done in time. I’ll need to speak with Ingrid.”

“She didn’t have anything suitable?”

Heather shook her head. “She has the clothes she’s wearing and maybe an alternate pair, but I think that’s it. I don’t know if she has more on Berk, but from the way she talked I don’t think so,” she revealed. “And definitely nothing like our ceremonial clothes. By the way, you’re wearing your new deep blue vest for the wedding.”

Haakon’s brow furrowed, “But-”

“I gave my sashes to Astrid,” Heather spoke over him. “I won’t be able to match you now that you’re going to be married.”

“I’m so sorry, Heather. I didn’t even think of that.” He pulled his sister in for a hug, knowing how much they would both miss that tradition.

“It’s fine,” she shrugged halfheartedly once he let her go. “And there’s no reason for the sashes to go unused. Anyway, Astrid liked the blue best and we’re having a dress made to go with it. I also requested a matching shirt for you, but…”

“There’s not much time,” he finished.

“Exactly.”

Haakon let out a deep breath. “Is there anything else needed for the wedding? I’ll help where I can once I get the rings and my morning gift finished.”

His twin looked at him hesitantly and said, “You wouldn’t by any chance have time to make a bridal crown, would you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe…?” It would be tight but he might be able to fit it in…if he didn’t sleep that is. Of course, there was one other option. “I-” He stopped short and shook his head, not wanting to pressure his sister.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t going to let him get away with it. “What?”

“I was wondering if maybe you might be willing to let her use Mom’s,” he asked softly, not meeting her eyes. He hastily added, “I know it’s been saved for your wedding and if Astrid wearing it will somehow taint it for you, then I’ll figure something out. It’s just…It would be nice to have a bit of Mom there,” he admitted, hesitantly glancing at his twin to see her reaction.

She was clearly thrown off by his request, but she nodded understandingly and agreed to let Astrid use it.

“Are you sure,” he pressed. “Because I don’t want-”

“It’s fine, Haak,” she reassured him, setting a hand on his arm. “I hadn’t thought about it like that, but you’re right. It would be nice to include something of Mom’s.”

“If only we could include the dragons, too,” he lamented. “They’ve been part of every major event in our lives and for them to not be there…” He sighed. “I’ve been wracking my brains for a way to make it work, but…” 

“I know.” Heather leaned into his side and he wrapped an arm around her. “I’ll see if I can figure something out, okay?”

He laid his head on top of hers and said, “Thanks, sis.”

“No problem,” she replied as she pulled away and began to walk out of the workshop. “I need to go make arrangements for the feast and then I’ll see about lending Ingrid a hand with the sewing.”

“Dagur’s already spoken with the cooks at the Great Hall, so that’s one less thing for you to take care of,” he noted, though he felt like there was something else he had wanted to say. Remembering what it was, he asked, “Do you think you could see if Sirena would be willing to help, too? Then perhaps you might have the time to make an extra set of everyday clothes for Astrid? If it’s too much, I understand, I just thought it would be a nice gesture.”

Heather nodded hesitantly. “I think we could manage.”

“And order whatever else you think she may need from Ingrid,” he requested. “Tell her I’ll come by in a few days to pay whatever I owe her.”

“Are you sure, Haak?”

He shrugged. “She needs to have sufficient clothes, and probably some new boots as well. I may not be thrilled about this marriage, but I’m still going to provide for her.”

Heather gave him a small smile and nodded once more. “I’ll tell Ingrid. See you at dinner?”

“Maybe,” he hedged. “Depends how much I get done here and then I still have to check in with Fannar. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night.”

-o0o-

Heather wasn’t sure how they had managed, but they had done it. Everything was ready and now they just had to get through the wedding itself. 

Fortunately, the weather had been nice, so they were planning on holding the ceremony in the forest before heading to the Great Hall for the feast. This way, the dragons in their family could still be there for at least the ceremony by arriving early and perching in the trees, hiding in the thick canopy. The Berkians were not the smartest Vikings around and the chances of them looking up and spotting the dragons were incredibly low. It may not have been ideal, but it was the best they could do. 

Heather was planning on getting ready with Astrid, mostly because all her nicer clothes were still in her room, as were Sirena’s, but before they left Haakon’s house, there was one thing she had to do.

She walked over to the table flinging her arms around her brother as he pushed around what was left of his breakfast. “You’ll need to start getting ready soon,” she stated as she stepped back and began to braid a small section of hair behind his ear. It was a Berserker tradition, normally done by a groom’s mother on the day of the wedding, to help him remember the family he came from and the family he was starting. With their mom gone, Heather stepped up to carry on the tradition, wanting to share this last quiet moment with her twin.

Haakon mumbled noncommittally before asking. “Are you going back to the house?”

“Just to change,” she responded.

“What about tonight?”

“I refuse to sleep under the same roof as Snotlout,” she proclaimed, tying off the braid with a small strip of leather. “Dagur, Sirena, and I are going to camp out in the ice nest with our dragons.” 

Haakon smiled wistfully, probably wishing he could do the same. “Give Toothless an extra scratch for me. There’s no way I’m going to make it out there today.”

“You could just head out to the forest early,” she suggested. “I’m sure he’s eager to see you.”

Her brother snorted. “More like eager to lick me to death. You know he’s not pleased about all of this and that would be the perfect way for him to ruin everything since he’s been forbidden from starting a ‘raid’,” he rolled his eyes. “No, I’ll have to wait to see him until after the Berkians leave.”

“Suit yourself,” she responded as she gathered the flowers she had picked for the bridal crown. “Dagur, make sure Haak’s presentable,” she ordered as she walked out the door with Sirena at her side.

“Yes, sister dearest,” her oldest brother replied long-sufferingly, just before she shut the door.

The sisters were relatively quiet as they walked to their house, though as they got nearer, Sirena asked, “What about all the Berkians?”

“Dad promised to get them out of the house,” she shared. “It should just be us and Astrid.”

Her little sister nodded and when they arrived, they found Astrid all alone, sullenly sitting on the stairs.

“What are you doing down here,” Heather exclaimed. “You should be getting ready.”

“It won’t take me that long,” Astrid shrugged.

Heather took a deep breath to try and calm herself before grabbing the blonde’s arm and dragging her upstairs. “We don’t have time to waste,” she declared, laying out Astrid’s clothes, before going to rummage in her own trunk. “Get changed and then we’ll work on your hair.” When the other girl made no move to do anything, Heather glanced her way and found herself being stared at. “What?”

“A little privacy might be nice,” Astrid said snippily. 

Heather stared at this girl incredulously, but she was clearly serious. “Fine, but hurry up. We have to get ready, too.” As she was turning to step into the hallway, she noticed a small trunk by the door. “What’s this?”

“Turns out Stoick had someone pack up the rest of my belongings before we left Berk,” she answered scornfully. “Seems he had this planned all along.”

“I mean, at least you’re not marrying Snotlout,” Heather reasoned, trying to make the other girl feel a little better.

“I suppose,” Astrid murmured, just before Heather shut the door.

Thankfully, she was quick about changing into her new dress and the sisters were soon able to come back into their room. Heather sat Astrid down on one of the beds and asked Sirena to start braiding while she got changed. 

Once she had her dress on, and her sash set aside, Heather reverently removed her mother’s bridal crown from her chest, carefully weaving in the flowers that Sirena had not already used on Astrid’s hair. The two sisters finished around the same time and Heather told Sirena to get changed before stepping around to face her future sister-in-law. Holding up the bridal crown, she explained, “This was our mother’s.”

Astrid’s eyes widened. “And you’re letting me wear it?” At Heather’s solemn nod, the other girl hesitantly said, “I know you’re not pleased with this marriage, none of us are, but thank you for letting me wear something that I am sure has a lot of meaning to you.”

“Thank Haakon,” Heather clarified, carefully placing the crown atop the intricate braid her sister had created. “He requested it. Said it would be like having a piece of her here.” She had Astrid stand and showed her the proper way to tie her sash, then took one last look at the blonde, making sure everything was as it should be. “I think you’re ready. I forgot to ask, do you have family here or-”

“I have no family,” Astrid stated baldly. “They’re all dead.”

“I’m sorry,” Heather apologized sincerely. Losing her mom had been hard, but she couldn’t imagine what it must be like losing your whole family. “Would you like our father to escort you or Stoick-”

“I don’t need an escort,” Astrid broke in, her tone brooking no disagreement.

And there went the tentative peace they had managed to form. “In other circumstances, I would respect your wishes, but I can’t have you running off and ruining the peace that we’re trying to preserve.”

“Fine, but I don’t want Stoick,” Astrid stipulated.

Well, that answered that. Glad that they had done their hair before coming over, Heather turned to her younger sister. “Sirena, could you go find Dad?”

Chapter Text

Astrid couldn’t help but feel a sense of impending doom as she walked toward her wedding on the arm of her future father-in-law. 

She didn’t want to be married or have to live in a place so far from everything she had ever known, though at this point, there wasn’t anything left for her back on Berk. Her uncle had died when she was just a little girl, her mother passing away not long after, and her father had been lost in a search for the dragon nest a couple of years ago. And now that Berk had betrayed her trust by marrying her off to a complete stranger for their own gain, she really didn’t want anything to do with them. That didn’t exactly mean she wanted to become part of the Berserker tribe either, but it’s not like she had any other options.

She must not have been concealing her feelings as well as she had thought as the next thing she knew, Oswald was patting her hand. “Don’t worry, lass. Everything will work out,” he reassured her. “I know Haakon is my son and therefore I’m prejudiced, but he’s a good boy. Loyal and kind and incredibly intelligent. You could do worse.”

“So I’ve been told,” she commented ruefully.

Oswald was silent for a moment before remarking, “You know, visiting another tribe with preconceived notions can lead to many misunderstandings, making negotiations hard. I dare say the same could be said about an arranged marriage.”

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “You’re telling me to go into this with an open mind,” she claimed stoically.

He shrugged. “Unless you have a better idea. One that does not involve murder.”

Astrid spun to face him, shocked that he knew what she had done and that he was taking it so calmly.

“Oh, yes,” he nodded. “My children tell me everything.” She blushed, embarrassed that he could read her expression so easily, but before she could defend herself, he continued. “I know that none of us have been pleased with how this visit turned out, but I’ve been watching you, and beneath all the anger about the situation you’ve found yourself in, I see someone who needs love and a family. Haakon and the rest of us can supply that, if you give us a chance.” He patted her hand once more and resumed walking.

She could see the gathering of Vikings in front of them, and while she wasn’t sure she was ready to commit to anything yet, she did tell her future father-in-law that she would think about what he had said.

He smiled at her indulgently and she couldn’t help but think how different he was compared to her own father. Oswald’s health didn’t seem to be the best which was the biggest difference, but more than that, he was kind. Not that her father had been mean, but he had focused on her training more than anything else. They definitely didn’t have the relationship that Oswald seemed to have with his children. Just one more unfamiliar aspect of this situation that she had to navigate.

As she was deposited next to Haakon, she hazarded a peek at him and saw that he was just as resigned as she was. This was not how she had ever thought she would be entering the state of matrimony, but then again, she had never truly had plans to marry in the first place.

Her attention was pulled forward as the elder began the ceremony, much to her dismay. “We are gathered here today to join in matrimony Fearless Astrid Hofferson and Haakon the Hazardous-”

She did her best to keep her expression from showing her racing thoughts, but with a name like that, she couldn’t help but wonder exactly what kind of man she was marrying.

-o0o-

The ceremony had fortunately gone without a hitch, especially since the dragons had stayed hidden, though Haakon could tell Toothless was barely restraining himself. Stupid Night Fury had to pick a spot where he would be right in Haakon’s line of sight so he could make faces at him the whole ceremony. Once he realized what his best friend was up to, he quickly focused his attention on the elder, trying to block out the black dragon and his attempts to throw everything off.

At least Astrid was going along with everything and not making a fuss. The way she was holding herself, he could tell that she was displeased, but that wasn’t anything he wasn’t already aware of.

With the ceremony complete, they led the way to the Great Hall, their silence only broken as they halfheartedly accepted everyone’s well wishes. Haakon had thought that the silence would continue throughout their meal, but they had barely sat down when Astrid turned to glare at him. 

“Haakon the Hazardous? You couldn’t have warned me about that beforehand?!”

He couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped his mouth, causing Astrid’s expression to darken. With all that was changing in their lives, that was what she chose to focus on? “You didn’t give me a chance,” he shrugged. “The few times I did see you were spent in combat.” He gave her a lopsided smile before explaining. “What can I say? I may have, quite accidentally, caused a lot of damage in my youth. Though in my defense, there haven’t been any explosions for the last few months.”

Heather and Dagur paused as they were walking by, and Haakon groaned to himself, knowing they wouldn’t be able to resist jumping in on this discussion. “Yeah, because he broke his arm and had it in a sling for two months,” Heather chimed in. “Kind of limited what he could do.”

Dagur was not one to be left out and gave him a knowing look before adding, “How did he break it, you may wonder? Because one of his creations malfunctioned.” 

So there had been a few issues with his flight suit. Big deal. “I worked out the bugs, though, didn’t I,” he pointed out.

Dagur rolled his eyes. “Only time will tell.”

With that, his siblings moved on, leaving him alone with his unwanted bride. He picked at his food, not really hungry, but knowing that he had to eat something. His gaze wandered over to Astrid to find that she was doing the same thing. The musicians had started playing while everyone was eating and a few couples were now gracing the dance floor. Feeling that he should try and make a bit of an effort, he asked, “Do you want to dance?”

“I’m good,” she replied indifferently. She was quiet for a few minutes, though eventually she observed, “This celebration is pretty tame. I had thought…never mind.”

“That we would live up to our Berserker name,” Haakon supplied, smiling wryly. “We do, on occasion. But everyone here knows that this marriage was forced upon us. Why would they be celebrating?”

She looked at him incredulously. “Because there’s a feast.”

Now that had him confused. Wanting to understand how she had grown up, he said, “You mean to say that people on Berk celebrate each other’s misfortunes?”

And there was that death glare again. “Are you calling me a-”

“Are you happy,” he spoke over her, not having meant to offend her with his choice of words, but trying his best to help her to see what he had meant.

Her glare softened into a pout as she responded, “No.”

“Are you celebrating,” he inquired.

“No.”

“And if this whole hall was filled with Berkians, how would they be behaving?”

“Drinking and partying like there was no tomorrow,” she stated like it was the obvious course of action.

“Why,” he pressed.

“Because there’s a feast.”

Were Berkians really that calloused and self-centered? Shaking that thought from his head, he asked his final question. “And how would that make you feel, right now, if everyone was having a great time while you were miserable?” That seemed to drive his point home, as her brow furrowed and she quickly looked down at her plate. “Exactly,” he said softly.

“So basically they all hate me,” she muttered.

“What?! No,” he declared, rapidly shaking his head. “If they hate anyone right now, it would probably be Stoick. They know you had no say in this and won’t hold it against you.”

She nodded glumly, not seeming to fully believe what he had said. He didn’t know how else to convince her, but time would show the Berserkers’ true colors. 

He stifled a yawn and let his gaze sweep over the room. It wasn’t that late, but he was running decidedly low on sleep. Peeking at Astrid, he noticed that she seemed rather worn down too, but that could just be because she found herself married to him. What a happy thought. Trying to be considerate, he informed her, “We can leave any time you want. Just let me know.”

She glanced at him, her brows drawn together. “We don’t have to be escorted…?”

Realizing that she was referring to part of the marriage ceremony, he shook his head and responded, “No. We’re much more relaxed here.”

She seemed to have an internal debate with herself, before asking, “Could we go now?”

“Sure,” he nodded, relieved that she was ready to leave. “Just let me inform my family.”

Chapter Text

Haakon led Astrid out of the Great Hall and through the village. When they were halfway up the hill, Astrid broke her silence. “Why is your house so far away?”

“Well, it was deemed safer to have my workshop outside the village, and building my house nearby just made sense,” he explained, leaving out the part that it was also more convenient for his responsibilities as Fannar’s aide.

Reaching his house, he opened the front door and let her walk in ahead of him. She stopped just over the threshold and turned to face him, asking, “Why are the houses here so big?”

He nudged her slightly so that he could step in and closed the door behind him. “What do you mean?”

“Your dad’s house is big, but I thought it was just because he was Chief. This is, like, three times the size of a normal house on Berk,” she commented, gesturing toward his main living area.

Haakon shrugged. “This is pretty standard size here. I mean it has to be big enough to fit my entire family when they visit, so…”

Astrid’s jaw dropped and she was quick to inquire, “Just how big is your family?”

He turned toward the stairs to hide his smile. He knew she was asking for numbers, but his mind couldn’t help but think more about the size of the members she had yet to meet. “They were all at the ceremony, but some of them couldn’t attend the feast. You’ll meet them soon enough,” he replied vaguely as he made his way up to the second floor, noting that she was trailing behind him. “Anyway, I’ll give you a full tour in the morning, but make yourself at home.”

He noticed a small trunk in one corner which must belong to Astrid who was wandering around his room, randomly picking things up and putting them back down. As long as she wasn't throwing them at him or breaking them, he didn't really care what she did. He made his way to the built-in cupboards and hung up his vest before loosening the laces on his shirt and reaching to pull it off. He didn’t even have it fully over his head when he heard a shriek. Letting go of his shirt, he turned to see Astrid staring at him in…dread?

“What are you doing,” she demanded, a wary look in her eyes.

He quirked an eyebrow. “Uh, changing.”

“Couldn’t you do that somewhere else?”

He tilted his head and took a better look at her. He could tell she was uncomfortable, but why? Had she never shared a room with someone before? He was used to changing in front of his siblings or Toothless, so he didn’t think anything of it. Trying to be patient, he said, “Look, Astrid. This is my house. It’s yours now too, but I’m not going to go out of my way to change my routine or do things that just don’t make sense. My clothes are up here, so this is where I change,” he shared. “I get that you’re not ready to consummate our marriage, and quite frankly, neither am I. We hardly know one another. But the fact of the matter is we are married. If I was going to change my skivvies or something, then yeah, I’d go into another room, but I’m just changing my shirt and pants,” he explained, noting that her face had progressively gotten redder as he spoke. It was interesting, that the girl who had been ready to chop him in two was completely undone by a conversation about changing clothes. 

Taking pity on her, he made her an offer. “Okay, how about this? I have a screen downstairs. I can bring it up and set it in a corner of the room. Will that work?”

She nodded and tried to hide her embarrassment by grumpily saying, “It would be better than nothing.”

Haakon refrained from sighing and went back downstairs to retrieve the screen, setting it up as he had promised before retrieving his sleeping clothes and going to change. He heard Astrid continue to prowl around his room and was not terribly surprised when she asked why he hadn’t broken the space up into several rooms, seeing as it was so big. 

“Didn’t see the need to at the time,” he commented, hoping she wouldn’t ask the other obvious question.

“What’s with the rock slab?”

So much for that. He stepped out from behind the screen and went to put the rest of his ceremonial clothes away. “That is an explanation for another day,” he stated simply. He wasn’t about to attempt to explain Toothless’ bed before she had met the dragon himself.

He closed the cupboard and turned around to find her staring at him. He glanced down at his sleeping clothes, then back at her. “What?”

“Those are different to what you normally wear, aren’t they,” she queried.

“Well, yeah. I would rather be comfortable when I sleep,” he responded, gesturing to his loose pants and baggy shirt.

“But what if there’s a raid?”

“What do you mean,” he inquired, wondering where she was going with this line of thought.

“You’re going to run out of the house to fight dragons in that,” she gestured to his current attire, an incredulous look on her face.

Now he understood. “Ah, well, that won’t be an issue as we don’t have raids here.”

“So, you don’t sleep mostly dressed for battle,” she pressed, still seeming a bit confused.

“No,” he answered softly, shaking his head. Realizing that must be how they live on Berk, he reached back into the cupboard and grabbed an extra set of sleeping clothes, and passed them to her. “Here.”

She looked at them cautiously, before raising her eyes to meet his. “What’s this for?”

“Well, from what you said, I’m assuming you don’t have sleeping clothes,” he reasoned, causing her to blush again. “You can use these for now. I’m not that much bigger than you, so they should fit okay until we can get you something else.”

“Oh, uh, thanks,” she muttered hesitantly before walking over to the screen.

Haakon sat on the edge of the bed and shook his head. What had he gotten himself into? His wife was apparently violent when angry but practically skittish when she was embarrassed and he had no idea what to do with her. He laid down, thinking that maybe he was just too tired and things would make more sense in the morning.

He was just drifting off when he was jolted from his half-asleep state by Astrid asking, “Where am I supposed to sleep?”

“The bed’s plenty big,” he mumbled, turning onto his side and trying to get comfortable again.

“If you think-”

He rolled onto his back and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to keep his temper. “Astrid, it’s been a long day for both of us. I’ve hardly gotten any sleep the last few nights trying to get everything done in time and I’ve got a lot to do tomorrow with the Berkians leaving. I promise I’m not trying to take advantage of you. I just want to go to sleep,” he proclaimed.

“You’ll stay on your side of the bed,” she requested, though her voice betrayed her nerves.

“Yup.”

There was a pause before she nodded slowly. “Okay.”

Glad that the issue had been resolved, Haakon closed his eyes and shifted onto his side with his back toward her. He eventually felt the bed shift, but for some reason, Astrid was not staying still. Stifling a sigh, he looked over his shoulder to find her laying a rolled-up fur down the middle of the bed. “What’s that for?”

“Insurance,” she declared boldly.

“Whatever,” he muttered before promptly falling asleep.

-o0o-

Astrid woke the next morning to find herself in an unfamiliar place in strange clothes. Then everything came crashing down as she recalled that she was now a married woman living in her husband’s house. She glanced at the other side of the bed to find that Haakon was already gone and from the sound of things, he appeared to be downstairs. 

She hastily got out of bed and grabbed her clothes from her trunk, rushing to get changed as she didn’t know how late she had slept. As she got ready for the day, she thought about her new husband. For all that he had been rather grumpy last night, he had also been nice, letting her borrow his clothes and setting up the screen. And so far as she was aware, he had stayed on his side of the bed as he had promised. At least he respected her space and her privacy, she thought, trying to be grateful for the little things.

She cautiously made her way downstairs, feeling out of place in her husband’s home.

Haakon looked up from the pot he was stirring when he heard her footsteps, and said, “I don’t know what you like to eat, but hopefully, this will be okay.” He scooped out two portions of porridge and sat them on the table.

“It’s fine,” she replied, taking a seat across from him. They ate in silence, not quite comfortable, but she didn’t know if she would go quite so far as to label it as awkward. They finished eating and Haakon took her bowl for her, setting it in the basin, before telling her to wait there for a moment.

He went upstairs and she could hear him rummaging around, presumably in one of those cupboards. He came back down shortly carrying an ornate shield that he passed to her. “This is for you.”

She took it from him, admiring the carving and detail work on the front, but she couldn’t help but notice how thin it was. “It’s pretty,” she said hesitantly, “but it doesn’t seem very useful.”

“It’s decorative,” he explained. “It’s a common morning gift here. The grooms generally carve it themselves, including things that are special to the couple. I didn’t really have a chance to get to know you, so the design is fairly generic,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Wait, you mean you did this yourself,” she asked, taking a better look at the shield when he nodded. The overall design was that of a Skrill, which made sense as it was the symbol of the Berserkers, but there seemed to be other dragons worked into the design as well, though she could not recognize half of them. There was even an axe and sword crossed over one another in the very center, and looking closer she could see that it wasn’t just any axe, but hers. She was about to comment on that fact when Haakon passed her a bundle of fabric.

“I also got you these.”

She looked at him curiously before carefully setting the shield down and opening up the bundle to reveal a set of everyday clothes similar to her own but in more of a Berserker style. It was nice of him, but she couldn't help but wonder... “Why?”

“Well, you weren’t exactly expecting to move here, so I didn’t know how much you had with you,” he shared. “Thought they might come in handy.”

She blinked a few times before responding. “They will. Thank you,” She carefully folded them back up, thinking that there seemed to be truth in what Heather and Oswald had told her. Perhaps, all things considered, this marriage may not be as horrible as she had feared.

Haakon cleared his throat, pulling her from her thoughts, and said, “Anyway, I think most everything here is self-explanatory. Kitchen, living area,” he waved his hand toward each spot as he spoke. “There’s a tub tucked under the stairs. That’s what the screen is usually used for,” he revealed. “Just a friendly warning, my family doesn’t always knock.” He glanced at her before adding, “There are plenty of empty cupboards upstairs to store your belongings and we can discuss chores and responsibilities later, whether we’ll each take care of our own needs or split tasks down the middle. You can think about what you’d prefer.” 

He walked out the front door and gestured for her to follow. “Moving outside, that barn is off limits,” he declared, gesturing to a smallish building set a little ways back from the house. “And this is my workshop,” he said, leading her toward a building covered in shutters, presumably to let the breeze in on pleasant days. It was fairly large inside, though not as big as the main floor of the house. She reached out to touch something on one of the tables, but Haakon was quick to grab her wrist and pull her away. “I’ll give you the same conditions I give my little sister. If you don’t know what it is or how it works, don’t touch it. Otherwise, you’re welcome to come in.”

She huffed, not appreciating that he was treating her like a child. Walking through the space, she noticed an anvil and some tools that she would recognize anywhere. “You do forge work?”

“Sometimes,” he replied.

“Is my axe somewhere around here then?”

“Perhaps,” he hedged, though she had a feeling if she looked hard enough she would find it.

“Could I have it back?” She held out her hand and when he just stared at her she reluctantly added, “Please?”

“I will return it to you once you’ve gained my trust,” he informed her, his gaze piercing. “Now come on, we need to be at the docks to see the Berkians off.”

Chapter Text

Astrid followed Haakon down to the docks. She really didn’t care if she ever saw most of the Berkians again, but he was clearly expecting her to accompany him and it wasn’t like she had anything better to do.

She lingered closer to the shore, wanting to stay as far from Stoick as possible. Needing something to keep her occupied, she observed her new husband from a distance. He was very assured of himself, walking with confidence and greeting the Berserker sailors like he’d known them his whole life, which he probably had. It was faint, but as he neared the Berkian party, she noticed he seemed to shut off that friendliness she had just observed, becoming more serious and holding himself as if he were ready for battle. Apparently, he was just as eager for Berk to leave as she was.

She was pulled from her thoughts by a clap on her back and she turned to see Gobber standing by her side. “Don’t worry, lassie. He’s a good lad.”

Though it seemed to be true, she was still hesitant to agree. “How can you know that, Gobber?”

“Do ye have reason to doubt it,” he asked skeptically.

“Well, not exactly,” she hedged.

Gobber looked at her knowingly and revealed, “I’ve come to the treaty signings here more than once. I’ve seen the lad grow. Whip smart that one, and a hard worker. Respectful, too. Just give him a chance,” he suggested. He took a step toward the ship, but turned back and added, “And maybe let him see the real you that I know is hiding away deep down in there.” Gobber winked and continued on his way, leaving her standing there, thoroughly confused.

She was never less than her full self. A warrior through and through. She never hid anything. Well, hardly anything, she amended, thinking back to last night and how flustered she had been. Her first instinct had been to try and hide it, but Haakon hadn’t seemed to mind and he didn’t mock her, either last night or this morning. Maybe her walls didn’t have to be quite so high here. After all, this wasn’t Berk where if you went soft, you’d wind up dead. She would have to think about it. Take one step at a time.

She had been so lost in her thoughts, that she didn’t even realize that the Berkian ships had departed until Haakon was standing right in front of her.

“I’ve got to make a stop in the village before heading to my family’s house. Then I have some responsibilities I have to take care of,” he shared. “Did you want to come with me or…?”

“I’ll be fine,” she replied, having too much on her mind and needing some time to herself to sort things out. 

“You sure?”

She glanced up at him to see a strange look on his face. Part relief and part disappointment? What a weird combination. Resolved on her course, she nodded and he bid her farewell, heading into the village as he had planned. She watched him for a moment, before beginning the trek back to her new home. 

She was almost through the village when she heard a nearby voice say, “So, he’s already ditched you?”

Seeing as there weren’t many people around, Astrid looked to her right to find a striking redhead staring at her. Assuming that this other girl was talking to her, she said, “I beg your pardon?”

“Haakon,” the redhead clarified, her gaze sweeping over Astrid dismissively as she walked closer. “He’s already left you to your own devices? I’m not surprised.”

“Why would you say that,” Astrid accused, feeling highly offended. So what if neither of them wanted this marriage? It wasn’t like he was trying to get rid of her. He had even asked her if she wanted to accompany him today.

“He’s been chasing after me for years,” the other girl replied airily and Astrid’s heart dropped. “I’m sure having to marry you was quite a blow for him.”

Astrid’s eyes narrowed, taking in the redhead’s nonchalant attitude. “You don’t seem very upset.”

“Haakon’s nice in small doses, I suppose, but I prefer someone who’s a little more of a man,” she revealed, glancing down the street.

Astrid followed her gaze and saw who she must be referring to. “Chief Dagur?”

“Shhh,” the other girl hushed her. “He’s madly in love with me. He just doesn’t know it yet. A woman’s job is never ending, isn’t it?” Her gaze swung back over to Astrid, and she said derisively, “Then again, you’re more of a warrior, so I suppose you wouldn’t understand.”

With that, the redhead flounced off and Astrid was left feeling rather insecure and realizing just how little she knew about Haakon. Most of what she knew was based on what other people had said, but Gobber would only have seen him very briefly on visits and, of course, his family would want to paint him in the best light. 

Not wanting to make a spectacle of herself, she made it through the rest of the village with her head held high, though she slowed down once she was walking up the hill to Haakon’s house, caught up in her thoughts. 

The redhead was admittedly very pretty and Astrid could see that many men would be attracted by her beauty. It would explain in part why Haakon was so reluctant to marry her if he cared for someone else. Even though the other girl seemed to prefer Dagur, the way she spoke made it seem that she had still spent a fair amount of time with Haakon, which brought up the question of just how close they had been. She didn’t care for Haakon in that way, still, it left her unsettled thinking that he was in love with another girl. 

As she neared the house, the little barn in the back caught her attention and she couldn’t help but wonder just what else her husband was trying to hide from her. Despite the fact that he had told her it was off limits, she found herself walking that way, curious to see what it contained. She glanced around, making sure that no one was nearby, even though it was unlikely. Finding that the coast was clear, she approached the door, carefully pulling on the rope that seemed to function as a handle. She cautiously peeked her head in, only to freeze in shock. The barn was completely empty! 

Jerking the door open fully, she stepped inside, thinking she must be missing something, but there was nothing there. Absolutely nothing! Feeling like a complete fool, she slammed the door shut behind her and stomped back to the house. 

She wished she had her axe as a trip to the forest was just what she needed right now, but without that option available to her, she settled for putting her things away and snooping around Haakon’s house. 

There were plenty of strange contraptions scattered about as well as imagery depicting dragons, but she couldn’t find anything that told her more about her husband as a person. There was one cabinet downstairs that refused to open and she had a feeling that whatever she was looking for was inside. It had to have some kind of latch somewhere, but after trying for over an hour to find it, she finally gave up and went to look through the kitchen hoping that there was something there she could eat. She had been so preoccupied that she had forgotten to eat lunch and she really didn’t feel like heading all the way to the Great Hall. She also didn’t feel like dealing with the people who were sure to be there. One Berserker interaction a day was proving to be more than enough if the way her thoughts had been turned on their head were any indication.

Settling for some bread and dried meat, she took her meager fare outside and sat on the front steps watching the sunset. She had thought that Haakon would be back by now, but he hadn’t exactly given her a time to expect him. Then again, maybe he was more happily engaged with his family…or that redhead. 

The very thought made her blood boil. Deciding that there was no point in waiting for him, she went back inside and slowly got ready for bed. She really didn’t want to wear the clothes he had lent her, but she couldn’t exactly sleep in her studded skirt and her leggings were rather formfitting. She didn’t particularly want Haakon to see her dressed that way, so she moodily grabbed his sleeping clothes and got changed. She lay in bed for quite a while, waiting to hear him come in, but as the night wore on, she eventually fell asleep.

She wasn’t sure how long she had been sleeping when she felt a warm puff of air in her face. She tried to ignore it, but then another one came. If Haakon thought this was cute or something, he had another thing coming to him. She reluctantly opened her eyes, prepared to give him a piece of her mind, but instead found herself face to face with a black dragon that looked like it wanted her dead.

Chapter Text

It had been a long day, and Haakon was more than ready to fall into bed. Between helping his family clean up the mess the Berkians had made to checking in with all the dragons, he was beat. 

Once the sun had set, it was deemed safe for all the dragons to leave the ice nest and he had gone on a leisurely midnight flight with Toothless before heading home. Astrid was already asleep, so he didn’t bother using the screen to change, though he did warn Toothless to behave himself before crawling into bed. The look on the Night Fury’s face should have been warning enough, but he was too tired to pay much attention. 

And that was how he found himself woken up to a bloodcurdling scream the next morning.

“What the-” He jolted upright, only to find his best friend snarling at Astrid. “Toothless! Stop that, you useless reptile.” He reached over Astrid and shoved the Night Fury’s snout away from the bed. “You promised,” he glared at the headstrong dragon.

“I promised no such thing,” Toothless declared as he stalked around the bed, his gaze never leaving Astrid’s face.

Astrid seemed to have gotten over her fear now that Toothless wasn’t quite so close to her and started yelling in his ear. “Why are you talking to that dragon as if he were some sort of pet?! Where’s your sword?!”

He turned to look at her, his gaze hard as Toothless growled behind him. “I’d choose your words very carefully if I was you. Toothless does not take kindly to insults,” he warned, gesturing to the Night Fury watching over his shoulder. “And he’s not a pet or some mindless creature. He’s my best friend.”

“What are you talking about,” Astrid demanded, her voice dangerously low.

“Look, I had to wait until the Berkians left before I could say anything,” he explained. “If you had agreed to accompany me yesterday, I would have told you then, but-”

“You didn’t want me to come with you,” she spoke over him. “I saw that look on your face. You were relieved,” she accused. “What were you doing anyway? Meeting that girl you like? That’s what that barn in the back is for, isn’t it?”

While most of what she said was pure hogwash, it revealed at least part of what she had done while he was busy and firmed his resolve that she could not be left to wander around Berserker Island on her own. “Did you go into the barn,” he inquired coldly, deciding to focus on what could have been a most dangerous encounter before settling other matters.

“So, what if I did,” she shrugged nonchalantly, daring him to make something of it.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can you not follow basic instructions,” he muttered. “At least you went yesterday when it was empty.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’ll show you in a little bit.”

She sat up primly and stared across the room. “I’m perfectly fine not seeing that.”

Haakon growled in frustration. “If you are referring to some supposed tryst, I will disabuse you of that notion right now,” he proclaimed, thoroughly insulted that she would think that of him. “I have never shown interest in any of the girls here and, even if I had, I’m married now. A Berserker always keeps his word, and even though neither of us wanted this marriage, I will be loyal to my vow,” he emphasized. Wanting to get to the bottom of her reasoning, he said, “Now tell me, was it Rayna who put these poisoned thoughts in your head?”

Astrid stared at him wide-eyed, taken aback by his outburst. “I didn’t catch her name,” she reluctantly admitted.

“Red hair, two braids, thinks she’s absolutely irresistible,” he said, listing Rayna’s most defining characteristics.

She nodded slowly. “That sounds like her.”

“Yup, that’s Rayna,” he confirmed with a roll of his eyes, Toothless huffing behind him. “Don’t listen to anything she has to say. She’s been a thorn in my side as long as I’ve known her.”

“But she said…”

“Let me guess,” he interjected drily. “Dagur and I have been fighting over her,” he said dramatically, “and though she loved me, she’ll accept Dagur since I’m now taken.”

Astrid blinked a few times, then replied, “Not quite, but something along those lines.”

He nodded. At least Rayna was easy to predict. “No one in my family can stand her. Even the dragons don’t like her.” He heard Toothless make a gagging sound and couldn’t help but smile. “There’s a reason it took her three years to find a bonded.”

Astrid’s eyes had darted to Toothless as the dragon responded to their conversation. “Did he just-” She stopped short, having caught onto the other part of what he said. “Wait, dragons? As in more than…?”

“More than Toothless? Yes,” he confirmed, before looking over his shoulder at his best friend. “Bud, can you give us a minute?”

Toothless was clearly not planning on going anywhere, but Astrid was already on edge and this conversation was going to be hard enough without a Night Fury glaring at her over his shoulder. “Yeah, I know,” he said, trying to push the dragon away from the bed. “Go get your breakfast or something.”

Toothless snorted and stayed right where he was, refusing to move.

“Stupid dragon,” Haakon muttered under his breath, only to have Toothless whack him with his tail. He glared at the Night Fury as he rubbed his head, eventually turning back to face Astrid who looked like she was about ready to bolt from the room, if not for the fact that the stairs were blocked by a temperamental dragon. 

“As for the look on my face yesterday,” he said, returning to the accusation she had made earlier, “I might have been just a little relieved, but only because it was an excuse to put off this whole conversation which, clearly, I had reason to want to postpone.” He shook his head and tried to gather his thoughts. “So, you know how the symbol of the Berserker tribe is the Skrill.”

“Yes,” she responded warily.

“Well, our connections with the dragons goes a little deeper than that,” he explained. “I’m assuming you’ve heard the tales about harnessed Skrills leading our ships into battle?”

“Those are just stories,” she waved her hand dismissively.

“In a way they are,” he shrugged. “Most people assume that we have some way to control the Skrills. Like anyone can control a dragon,” he scoffed. “No, the dragons help us because we are their friends. We live in peace alongside them, protecting them as they protect us.” He could tell that she was skeptical, but he pressed on. “Obviously, other tribes don’t quite agree with our way of life which is why it is a well-kept secret that Berserkers take to their death. As part of the marriage vows, you agreed to follow our laws and traditions, meaning that you will not harm any dragons or tell others about our connection to them.”

“And if I don’t follow those laws,” she queried, one eyebrow raised.

“The penalty is death.”

Astrid paled and he realized that maybe he should have worded it a little differently, but she needed to understand how serious this was. 

Trying to reassure her, he said, “Look, I’m not telling you this to frighten you. I just want you to know that the consequences are real. The dragons here are friendly and we don’t have visitors often, so you should have no problem following our laws.” He could tell that she was reeling from all that he had told her, so he decided to stop there for now. After all, she now knew most of the needed details. Feeling the need to apologize for her rude awakening, he added, “I’m sorry about Toothless scaring you this-”

“I wasn’t scared,” she insisted, though the blush on her cheeks said otherwise.

Not wanting to embarrass her further, he revised what he was saying. “Then I’m sorry for him waking you up like that. He’s not exactly pleased with the fact that I agreed to go through with this marriage and he’s apparently intent on showing his displeasure.” He looked over his shoulder to see that Toothless was still giving Astrid the stink eye. “Would you stop that,” he berated the stubborn dragon.

Toothless didn’t even so much as blink.

Sighing in exasperation, he looked back at Astrid and suggested, “How about we eat and then there’s one more part of the Berserker wedding tradition we have to fulfill. I’ll explain some more about our history and traditions along the way, if that’s alright?”

She eyed him guardedly, eventually replying, “I suppose that will have to do, but I’m not going anywhere until that dragon stops staring at me like he’s ready to pounce!”

Haakon’s eyes widened at her choice of words and he quickly threw himself off the bed and in front of his best friend, knowing that with a statement like that, the Night Fury would do exactly what he was not supposed to do. “Toothless, don’t you dare! We need her to like you and if you resort to petty fighting, I will not allow you in the house.”

The dragon glared at him for a second before pouncing, but at least it was on him and not Astrid. He sighed and called out, “You can go change if you want, Astrid. I have a feeling I’m going to be here for a while.”

He couldn’t see much from this angle, but after a moment he heard the bed squeak and footsteps walking toward the cabinets. Resting one hand on Toothless’ neck, he softly warned the Night Fury, “I know where to scratch to knock you out, so no funny business.”

“I still say she deserved it.”

“It wasn’t her choice, bud,” he reasoned. “I’m not asking you to be all buddy buddy, just to not be mean, okay?”

“Fine,” Toothless grumbled, eventually letting him up.

Chapter Text

Once they had eaten, Haakon led Astrid around back to the barn, warning her to be quiet. He carefully cracked open the door and gestured for her to peek in. She sidled past him, eyeing him warily, but when she turned to look in the barn, she froze.

He could only imagine how different the barn looked compared to yesterday as it was now full of sleeping Speed Stingers, with some of them curled up in piles on the floor while others were hanging from the rafters. Seeing that Astrid was making no effort to move, he gently wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her away so he could shut the door.

That seemed to shake her from her stupor, but before she could say anything, Haakon brought his finger to his lips, reminding her to be quiet before leading her back toward the house. When they were far enough to not disturb the Stingers he explained, “This is why I was relieved that you had come yesterday, before they returned. With the Berkians here, they’d been staying elsewhere and just came back this morning. If you had stormed in and woken them up, there’s no telling what they would have done.”

She glared at him accusingly. “I thought you said all the dragons here are friendly?”

“Well, yeah,” he confirmed, “but if you weren’t expecting to see them, you might have tried to attack and they would have defended themselves. They probably would have just stung you though and waited for me to get back, but still, I would rather you not have to go through that. Thus the warning to stay away,” he glanced at her meaningfully.

It was lost on her though as she was looking back toward the barn. “What do you mean ‘sting me’?”

“Those are Speed Stingers,” he revealed as they reached the front of the house where Toothless was waiting for them. “I found them on a neighboring island and they followed me back. They’re nocturnal scavengers whose tails contain a paralyzing venom. They keep the rodent population down and make an excellent night patrol. Don’t worry though, they’re pretty friendly once they get to know you.” He mounted Toothless and said, “Now, we need to head to the nest so you can meet Fannar.”

Astrid’s eyes narrowed. “Who is Fannar?”

“It’s probably best if I just show you,” Haakon admitted, gesturing for her to join him. “Hop on.”

“I’m not getting on that thing,” she proclaimed, turning away and crossing her arms.

Haakon refrained from sighing, but just barely. “I suppose we could walk, but-” He didn’t make it any further before Toothless ran toward Astrid, clamping his jaw around her waist and launching himself into the sky. “Toothless,” Haakon yelled over his wife’s screams. “This is no way to carry her!” 

Toothless must have agreed, for as soon as they were high enough, he let her go before diving to grab hold of her arms with his paws. “Useless reptile,” Haakon muttered, sliding off the Night Fury and opening up his flight suit so he could glide next to Astrid. “I did warn you not to insult him,” he pointed out. “He’s already not pleased about this marriage and you’re only making things worse for yourself.”

She stared at him in shock. “How are you-”

“Flight suit,” he supplied, “aka the creation that malfunctioned causing me to break my arm a few months back.” He let the currents take him a little higher so he was level with Toothless. “Flip her up, bud.”

The Night Fury grumbled but did as he was asked without using any further scare tactics. Now that Astrid was where she was supposed to be, Haakon angled himself to land behind her as she was trying to scrape Toothless’ saliva from around her middle.

“Ugh, this is disgusting,” she declared.

Despite the fact that she was soaked in Night Fury saliva, Haakon wrapped his arms around her to grab onto the handholds on the front of the saddle, ensuring that she didn’t fall off. With the way Toothless was acting, he wasn’t sure how catching her again would go and he did not want to find out. “We’ll keep our visit brief so you can go home and get changed. Once his saliva dries, it can be hard to get things off.”

“Does he do this frequently,” she inquired grumpily.

“Eh, depends on his mood,” he replied, to which Toothless laughed merrily.

“Great,” Astrid grumbled, as they entered the tunnels. 

The deeper they got, the more she seemed to tense. Wanting to offer some kind of reassurance, he whispered in her ear. “Hey, everything’s fine. I would never put you in a dangerous situation.”

“Says the man who’s friends with dragons,” she muttered.

Toothless landed on a ledge of the ice nest and Haakon dismounted, holding his hand out for Astrid, though she swatted it away irritably. He couldn’t deny that he was close with the dragons, but he hoped she understood that he had meant what he said. 

“Speaking of dragons,” he remarked, gesturing to the mammoth Bewilderbeast who was rising to meet them, “this is Fannar, the true King of Berserker Island. He oversees all the dragons in the nest and helps our tribe to thrive.” 

He knelt and bowed his head, requesting her to do the same. She was reluctant, but eventually joined him, allowing Fannar to blow his icy breath over them. Haakon grinned at her, noticing the bewildered expression on her face.

“Every couple comes to him after their marriage to receive his blessing,” he shared, brushing the ice particles out of his hair.

“She will be a good addition to our tribe,” the Bewilderbeast observed.

“If you say so, Fannar,” Haakon responded, only for Astrid to stare at him in a mixture of shock and fear.

“What was that?”

He smiled awkwardly. “The dragons have their own language. All Berserkers learn to understand it, though generally, only the Chief’s family learn to speak it. My mom learned when she married my dad, but it’s not expected,” he informed her.

“I married a dragon,” she stated impassively.

“I promise, I’m all human,” he reassured her, adding, “though Fannar does say that I have a dragon soul.”

“You do,” Toothless agreed, nuzzling him.

Astrid seemed to slowly be coming back to her senses. “But if this is the nest, then Berk has been looking in the wrong place this whole time,” she said with sudden realization.

“Our dragons do not raid other islands,” Fannar growled, “and you would do well to remember that.” Haakon translated, though the fact that a dragon the size of the mountain was growling at her seemed to have been enough to frighten her into submission.

Her eyes darted back and forth between Haakon and the Bewilderbeast before she stammered out, “Yes, sir.”

Haakon couldn’t help but feel bad for her as she had been thrown into this life with no warning. Taking pity on her, he guided her back to Toothless and said, “Come on. Let’s get you home so you can get cleaned up.” Looking down at the saliva that had rubbed off on him, he amended his statement. “Well, so we both can.”

Chapter Text

Haakon had Astrid sit in front of him on Toothless’ saddle so he would have fewer places to clean Night Fury spit off of and explained, “Fannar has excused me from my duties today so I’m at your disposal, if there’s something you want to do or…”

“Your duties,” Astrid queried, her brow furrowed.

“While we present it to other tribes that Heather and I split the role of second in command, it’s a little more complicated than that,” he shared as Toothless navigated through the tunnels. “Technically, Heather is Dagur’s second and I am Fannar’s aide, which is basically the same thing, just she helps with the people and I help with the dragons. That’s what I was busy with yesterday. Couldn’t do much while the Berkians were here.”

“This is too much to take in,” Astrid shook her head. They exited the tunnels and once they were over the forest, she stiffened, whispering under her breath, “There are dragons everywhere.”

Haakon was a little thrown off by her reaction. After all that he had explained, what else did she expect? Then again, hearing about something and seeing it were two different things. “The nest is fairly large,” he observed. “Most of the unattached dragons stay in the mountain or the forest. As for those who have bonded with a human, they generally prefer to be close to each other.” He reached over and scratched Toothless’ side. “Isn’t that right, bud?”

Toothless warbled in response, performing a quick barrel roll, causing Astrid to shriek. Haakon was glad he had a firm hold of her, otherwise she would have been freefalling once again.

She was silent for a moment before inquiring, “So how long have you and…Toothless been friends?”

“Since I was five,” he answered, “but we were a bit of an unusual circumstance. Normally, children and their bondeds meet when they are ten.”

“So your entire family has…dragon friends?”

“Mm-hmm,” he nodded. “Dad and Dagur are bonded with Skrills, as is traditional for the Chief. Heather’s friend is a Razorwhip and Sirena bonded with a Nadder last year.” At every dragon he named, she seemed to get even more tense. “I’m sorry that all this got thrown on you,” he apologized, “but like I said, we had to wait until Berk was gone. The way we live is too big of a secret to risk.”

“I guess I can understand that,” she reluctantly admitted, “but it doesn’t mean I’m comfortable with it.”

“Well, Toothless did agree not to be mean. Not that he’s holding up his end that well,” he muttered, “but hopefully, he’ll be nicer from now on and that will help some.”

Astrid remained silent as the Night Fury landed in front of their house. They dismounted and made their way inside though Astrid stopped just over the threshold, seeming to have put two and two together. “That stone slab…?”

“Yeah, that’s Toothless’ bed,” Haakon confirmed.

Hands firmly planted on her hips, she screeched, ”I have to share a room with a dragon?” 

“Well, you did say I was a dragon and you’ve done fine sharing with me, so what’s one more,” he put forth, hoping to lighten the mood as he began to remove the armor attached to his flight suit.

That did not seem to be the answer Astrid had been hoping for, though, and she looked like she desperately wanted to throw something at his head, but the warning growl from Toothless seemed to distract her, much to Haakon’s relief.

Deciding that a change in subject might be for the best, he said, “I gather that you were fairly distracted yesterday and this morning’s been a bit overwhelming, but have you thought about how you want to split the chores?” He glanced her way and noticed she was blushing slightly, probably because of his reference to the accusations she had made this morning.

She was quick to pull herself together though, and asked, “What chores are there exactly?”

“Cooking, cleaning, mending, washing, fetching firewood and water,” he listed off, using a rag to try and scrub his armor, “though Toothless normally does the last one. There might be a little Night Fury saliva in there, but you get used to it,” he remarked offhandedly.

If the look on her face was anything to go by, she didn’t like the idea of dealing with more dragon spit. “Uhh, I can fetch the water,” she offered, “and the firewood if you give me back my axe.”

Well, he had to admit that was a nice try. “Yeah, not just yet,” he responded. “I don’t think you’ll try to attack me or the dragons, but I’m not taking any chances. What about cooking? Did you want to each take a meal or take turns or…?”

She was quick to suggest, “If you cook, I can clean up after. Would that work?

“I suppose,” he replied, thinking that there was something off about her offer and the way she made it, but he wasn’t sure what it was. “And mending and washing the clothes?”

“I can take care of mine,” she insisted, her blush returning.

“Ok, that works for me,” he shrugged. Considering how she reacted to them changing in front of each other, he could see that she would be uncomfortable with handling his clothes. Or him handling hers. “So, what would you like to do for the rest of today?”

“I’m kind of soaked through, maybe a bath,” she glanced nervously at the tub tucked under the stairs, “but…”

“Would you be more comfortable if I left,” he proposed.

She nodded hesitantly, not able to meet his eyes.

“Okay, lemme just change my shirt, since someone’s saliva managed to work its way through my armor and then I’ll bring the screen down,” he said as he made his way up the stairs. “Toothless,” he called over his shoulder, “go fetch some water for Astrid. It’s the least you can do since this is all your fault,” he paused at the top of the stairs to turn around and shake his finger at the Night Fury. “And no drooling in the bucket on purpose. I’ll be checking and you know I can tell.”

He watched as Toothless slunk toward the door, eyeing him balefully despite the bucket hanging from his mouth.

Haakon just shook his head and went to grab a clean shirt. It didn’t take him but a moment to change and as he was coming back downstairs with the screen, he said, “I was thinking maybe we could join my family for dinner tonight and I can introduce you to everyone else. Would that be okay?”

“Everyone as in people or dragons,” Astrid asked warily.

“Dragons.”

She sighed. “I guess I may as well get it over with.”

“You know, it may not be as bad as you think,” he put forth.

Astrid paused halfway up the stairs and looked down at him haughtily. “Considering the amount of revelations I’ve already faced today, I don’t think I could be shocked any further.”

Chapter Text

Haakon had been rather nice, having Toothless fill the tub and checking to make sure the Night Fury hadn’t caused any further issues, even having the dragon heat the water for her, a luxury she didn’t often indulge in as it took too much time. He left her to clean up in peace, telling her to let him know when she was done and taking his dragon with him. 

Astrid took her sweet time, deciding to wash her hair, as well as attempting to remove the Night Fury saliva from her clothes, though that seemed to be a losing battle. She eventually gave up, thinking she would have to ask Haakon what to do about that later.

She left her soiled clothes lying over the edge of the tub and dressed in the new clothes her husband had given her before settling in front of the fire to dry her hair. It was approaching afternoon, and she supposed she should inform Haakon that it was okay for him to come back in, but after everything that had been explained to her this morning, she needed just a bit of alone time to come to terms with it all. 

She hated to admit it, but she felt bad for jumping to conclusions about her new husband. She may not know him well at all, but as of yet, he had given her no reason to doubt him. It was a valuable lesson for her, though: Ask instead of assuming. Like with the barn. She felt a shiver run down her spine and tried to determine how she was going to manage living in a place that was full of dragons. 

The more she thought about it, she realized that even though Toothless may not like her, his personality and reactions were very…human, for lack of a better word. Perhaps if she tried not to think about them as dragons… Who was she kidding? One look at them and she’d go back to thinking about them as the enemy she’s fought her whole life.

Her gaze wandered to the decorative shield her husband had gifted her, still leaning against the wall. Having a sneaking suspicion, she retrieved it and took a closer look. Sure enough, one of the dragons she hadn’t recognized was a Night Fury. She tried to recall what he had said about the dragons in his family and managed to spot a Nadder on the shield, as well as two smaller Skrills. There were still two dragons she didn’t recognize, but all that was left was Heather’s dragon, a Razorwhip if she remembered correctly. One dragon did seem spikier than the other, but she would have to wait until tonight and see what she could glean.

She set the shield back down, thinking that she would need to ask Haakon where he wanted it mounted, and, deeming her hair dry enough, she braided it before stepping outside. She walked over to her husband’s workshop, assuming that’s where he would be. She found him hunched over a sword, though he was quick to set it aside as soon as he heard her coming.

“The new clothes suit you,” he said by way of greeting.

“Oh, uh, thanks,” she stammered, for some reason feeling extra self-conscious about the fact that she was wearing something he had gifted her. It’s not like she had much of a choice with her only other decent set of clothes soiled, but still.

She was pulled from her thoughts by Haakon asking, “So, what should we do? Walk through the forest? Explore the village? Go for a flight, though maybe not with Toothless after what happened this morning… I have some games, if that’s more your speed,” he offered hesitantly.

Not sure why he was so insistent on spending time with her, she diverted his attention by inquiring, “What are you working on?”

“Just some engraving work,” he waved his hand dismissively. “Gunnar, our blacksmith, doesn’t have the patience for it so he sends everyone my way. The extra money’s always nice.”

“It’s very beautiful,” she commented, admiring the intricate design that was only half complete.

“Thanks. This isn’t a rush order or anything,” he put forth. “I was just filling my time while you bathed. So, what should we do,” he asked again, seemingly not willing to drop it. 

“You don’t have to keep me company,” she contended.

“I know I don’t have to,” he shrugged, “but I don’t always have a lot of spare time and I would like to get to know the woman I married at least a little bit.”

That was…kind of sweet. And she supposed it made sense, but as for what to do… “I’m guessing a sparring match is off the tables?”

He eyed her with a tinge of suspicion, but she noticed that the corner of his mouth was twitching as he tried to hold back a smile. “Give it a day or two more,” he maintained. 

“Fine,” she sighed.

Haakon tilted his head and asked, “What did you use to do for fun back on Berk?”

“Train,” she replied.

“I mean other than that?” 

“Train,” she repeated. What else was there to do?

“Okay…Didn’t you ever take time to just relax,” Haakon pressed.

Her brow furrowed. “What for?”

“Even the strongest soldier needs a chance to recharge,” he reasoned.

“Rest is for the weak,” she responded and then bit her tongue, unable to believe she had just quoted Spitelout Jorgenson. Once she had shaken that horrible thought from her head, she noticed that Haakon was looking at her with a puzzled expression on his face.

After a moment, he suggested, “How about target practice?”

“I thought I wasn’t allowed weapons,” she remarked sulkily.

“Have you used a bow and arrow,” he queried.

She shook her head. “Not really. I much prefer close combat.”

“Perfect. Then I’ll teach you how if you promise not to aim your arrows at me,” he proposed.

“I suppose I could manage that,” she conceded, shocked to see the grin that spread over her husband’s face.

“Good,” he nodded firmly, gathering what they would need and leading her out to the forest. 

It had been an enjoyable afternoon and she had to admit that Haakon was a good teacher. His explanations were very precise and he was incredibly patient, even when she began to get frustrated with her lack of progress. He gently explained that she was making more progress than she thought and that it wasn’t fair to compare their skills as he had a lot more practice than her. 

While he didn’t trust her with her axe just yet, this had been something else to do, a different form of training, if you will, and she was surprised to find that she hadn’t minded the change of pace. As they were nearing his family’s house, Astrid couldn’t help but think that it was nice that he had tried to find something to do that she would enjoy. She would have pondered that thought further, but no sooner had she thought it than he was ushering her inside, Toothless squeezing in behind them.

“Hey, everyone,” he greeted his family as Astrid tried very hard not to stare at the assortment of dragons who were casually spread throughout the room.

“Haak,” Sirena squealed as she barreled into him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“Hey, little shadow,” he said as he hugged her back. “What have you been up to today?”

“Explored the forest with Goldie,” she shared, a big smile on her face.

“Find anything interesting?”

“No, but it was still fun,” she replied.

“Good,” Haakon grinned as he tugged her braid. “Why don’t you help Heather finish dinner while I introduce Astrid to the dragons?”

Sirena started to bounce around as she requested, “Can we introduce Goldie first?”

Haakon chuckled at his sister’s enthusiasm. “I don’t see why not.”

Sirena grabbed Astrid’s hand and pulled her toward a golden-colored Nadder, “This is Goldie,” she declared proudly. “Goldie, this is Haak’s mate, Astrid.”

Unsure of what she was supposed to do, Astrid nodded at the Nadder awkwardly, before observing, “She’s rather small, isn’t she?”

The Nadder squawked in what she would assume was offense as Haakon stepped to her side, saying, “She’s still a fledgling, but already one of the most beautiful Nadders around.” Goldie preened and Haakon reached out to scratch her jaw, resulting in a contented trill from the dragon. With the Nadder mollified, he lightly placed a hand on Astrid’s back and guided her toward where Oswald was sitting, a Skrill wrapped around his chair, while whispering, “Nadders are incredibly vain. Flattery will get you anywhere.” Reaching his father, he leaned down to hug him and said, “Hey, Dad.”

“Good to see you, son,” Oswald greeted him, before turning his gaze to her. “You as well, Astrid. How are you settling in?”

“It’s been a day full of revelations,” she hedged.

“I can only imagine,” Oswald observed. Gesturing for her to step closer, he said, “Come, meet Bliksem.” At her hesitation, he added, “Don’t worry, he won’t bite.”

“I’ve never seen a Skrill before,” she admitted as she cautiously stepped forward.

“They are magnificent creatures,” Oswald revealed, laying his hand casually on the Skrill’s head in much the same way that Haakon seemed to interact with Toothless. “They are incredibly loyal and trustworthy. This fellow has helped me through many difficulties.”

Astrid was about to respond when her husband suddenly disappeared from her side, causing her to turn and find a purple dragon circling him and smelling him thoroughly.

“Meda! Would you stop that,” he exclaimed. “You checked me over yesterday and I was just fine.”

Meda made a series of grunts and growls to which Haakon replied, leaving Astrid feeling even more out of her depth. Once her husband had apparently satisfied the dragon, he turned to her and said, “Astrid, this is Meda. She was my mother’s bonded and has helped to raise us all.”

“Uh, hello,” she waved awkwardly and remarked, “I don’t think you mentioned her earlier. What kind of dragon is-” She stopped short and froze as Meda began to circle her in much the same fashion as she had just done to Haakon.

“She’s a Hobblegrunt,” he disclosed, a smile appearing on his face as he added, “and I don’t think I need to say this, but, as you can see, she’ll mother you too if you give her a chance.”

Astrid was about to ask him to get this dragon away from her when the front door swung open and Dagur walked in, followed by another Skrill.

“Is dinner almost-” Dagur cut himself off at the sight of his brother and rushed forward to engulf him in a bear hug. “Haak!”

“Why is everyone making such a big fuss,” her husband grumbled upon finally extricating himself.

“We always do,” Heather commented as she set two large bowls on the table. “And yes, Dagur, dinner’s ready.” She must have noticed how uncomfortable Astrid was, as the next thing she said was, “Meda, leave Astrid alone. Let her at least meet the rest of our family before you give her the full once over.”

While Astrid was relieved to be able to move away from the growing number of dragons in the house, she was dreading when dinner was over and she would be expected to spend more time around them. This was going to be a long night.

Chapter Text

Haakon smiled to himself as he walked home next to Astrid. So far as he could tell, despite the rough beginning, the day had gone well.

He had been at a loss for what to do to keep his wife entertained but teaching her how to use a bow and arrow had been a stroke of genius. It was as close to weaponry as he was going to let her, but it seemed to serve the purpose. She caught on quite quickly, and he soon discovered just how competitive she could be. He could tell that she would have preferred to be training with her axe, but by the time they called it a day, she seemed to be somewhat pleased with the progress she had made. 

Considering all she did back home was train, he wasn’t sure how she was going to manage to fill her days without her precious axe. For all that he knew she was anxious to have it back, he didn’t trust her enough quite yet. He had spoken with Heather after dinner and she had offered to try and help out. Haakon was thankful as he had a feeling that being idle would drive Astrid crazy…or give her too much time to think and come up with other accusations to hurl at him. Something he would prefer to avoid if at all possible.

They left his family’s house shortly after he had spoken with Heather as he could tell that Astrid was rather overwhelmed and on edge with all the dragons there, especially as they all wanted to get to know her and were not giving her much space. He couldn’t fully understand how she felt as this life was all he’d ever known, but he was trying to make this adjustment as easy for her as he could. The only problem was he hadn’t considered just how hard it would be for her to sleep in the same room as Toothless.

“Why won’t he stop staring at me,” she demanded, refusing to blow out the candle or lie down.

Haakon held back a sigh and replied, “Maybe because you’re staring at him.” 

“But how can I know he won’t do…something,” she pressed, waving her arms about.

Seeing that he was never going to get to sleep until this was resolved, he sat up and glared at his best friend. “Toothless, would you please just go to sleep and stop tormenting Astrid?”

“She doesn’t belong here,” the Night Fury growled.

“Yes, she does,” Haakon responded, letting his frustration leak through. “She’s my mate, whether you like it or not, so you’re going to have to deal with it. If you don’t like it, then go find somewhere else to sleep and make it easier on all of us.”

“And if she attacks you in your sleep,” Toothless queried distrustfully.

“She already spent one night without you here and did not attempt anything,” he pointed out, glad that Astrid couldn’t understand what they were discussing. “I highly doubt she’s going to try her hand now.”

“I don’t like this,” Toothless maintained.

“Of course you don’t,” Haakon sighed, reluctantly getting out of bed and making his way over to his best friend.

“Where are you going,” Astrid asked apprehensively.

“To sleep with Toothless,” he answered wearily, hoping that this solution would work for everyone. “He won’t be able to get up without waking me, allowing me to prevent him from doing something stupid. That should hopefully help you feel a bit safer and give you peace of mind so you can sleep.” It would also allow Toothless to feel that he was protecting him, but he was not about to tell his wife that. 

He noticed a hint of relief pass over Astrid’s face, though whether it was from not having to share the bed with him or the fact that he would protect her from the big bad Night Fury, he wasn’t sure. 

“I guess that might help some,” she hesitantly admitted. “You’re sure you’ll wake up?”

“Trust me,” he said, sitting on the Night Fury’s slab and scooting back enough to let Toothless enfold him in his wings. “Good night, Astrid,” he called out as he got comfortable. 

He was met with silence and at first, he thought that she was not going to respond, but then he heard a very quiet, “Night, Haakon.”

He knew that this wasn’t easy for her and that it would take time to adapt, but he hoped that she would become comfortable with this way of life. Especially since he was hoping that once she accepted things, so would Toothless. 

Yeah, that was probably nothing more than wishful thinking, but he could hope.

-o0o-

Haakon checked in with Fannar the next morning, but as there wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait until later, he decided to meet up with Dagur early for their weekly sparring session. They had just finished setting everything up when he noticed Heather and Astrid coming their way with Sirena and Goldie trailing behind them. This hadn’t been quite what he had in mind when he had requested his twin’s help, but he supposed it would work. 

He told Toothless to go have fun and once the Night Fury was occupied ‘fixing’ their course, he turned to greet his wife and sisters. “Hello, ladies. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Heather smacked his arm, but what caught his eye was the puzzled expression on Astrid’s face. “Is there going to be another exhibition,” she asked, gesturing to the arena.

“Nah,” he waved his hand dismissively. “This is just our weekly match.”

“Uh, your dragons are messing it up.”

Haakon looked over his shoulder to see Toothless and Myrsky moving things around and creating even more chaos in the ring. “Nah, they generally set the final layout for us. They tend to make things a lot harder than we do,” he smirked.

Astrid seemed to grow even more confused before realization dawned. “But- You mean-?”

“I did tell you that this was just how we trained,” Haakon remarked before stepping into the arena. The dragons seemed to have finished and the Terrors were sitting in a corner, waiting for their turn to add to the chaos. 

“You ready, brother,” Dagur inquired, hefting his axe and giving it a spin for good measure.

“Most definitely,” he replied with a grin, withdrawing his sword and rushing forward.

The two of them traded blows steadily, working around the mayhem of the ring and dodging the Terrors’ flames as well as the stones and dirt bombs they were dropping, all while sportively baiting one another. Haakon didn’t think anything of it as they did this every week, but when he finally managed to disarm Dagur, he looked up to see his sisters cheering and Astrid glaring at him.

“Your wife appears to be jealous,” Dagur remarked quietly as Haakon handed him back his weapon. 

“She’s probably just missing her axe about now,” he replied, knowing that his wife would rather be training than watching others.

“I think it’s more than that,” Dagur observed. “You’re a better fighter than her.”

“I would like to believe so,” Haakon confessed, continuing to keep his voice low, “but I also think she was blinded by anger the last time we sparred, so it’s hard to say what her true skill level is.”

“Being blinded by anger is a handicap in a fight,” his brother commented. “Your level head makes you the superior warrior.” Dagur took one more look at the stands before asking, “Do you trust her?”

“Not that much,” Haakon mumbled.

Dagur glanced at his brother out of the corner of his eye. “What about for one match?”

“I guess there’d be no harm in that,” he admitted, knowing that Astrid would jump at the chance.

His brother grinned and called out, “Hey, blondie, want a rematch against Haakon?”

“I thought I wasn’t allowed,” she glowered.

“Not allowed to have your axe back on a permanent basis,” Haakon clarified. “But it seems like Dagur’s willing to lend you his axe if you want to blow off some steam. I can see how much you want to try out the course,” he taunted her playfully. “I even promise not to let the Terrors interfere as that would be more than you’re used to.”

“I can handle anything they can throw at me,” she declared haughtily before making her way down. 

His playful teasing seemed to have hit the wrong nerve as when Astrid entered the arena she was clearly fuming. He hadn’t meant it as a slight, only that it was an unusual way to train and one that she was unaccustomed to. 

Dagur promptly passed her his axe and made a hasty retreat. 

She looked at it for a moment before taking a few practice swings and inquiring, “Why is it so light?”

“Special iron blend,” he explained. “Berserker secret. These weapons go into hiding when we have visitors.”

She looked at him like he was crazy. “Then what’s the point of having them?”

“Well, if we ever go into battle you can bet that we’ll be taking our best,” he disclosed.

“Revealing your precious secret,” she mocked.

He shrugged. “When the time comes, then I guess we’ll find out.”

Astrid tilted her head. “So this blend hasn’t been around for long then?”

“A few years,” he told her, not mentioning how that was when he had created it. It didn’t do much good though as Sirena said it for him.

His wife looked at him curiously. “Really?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, but it’s not that big of a deal.”

“Right,” Astrid rolled her eyes. “A strong and lightweight weapon isn’t that big of a deal. Do you realize how much you could make trading these?”

“And that is another reason it will remain a secret as that’s never going to happen,” he proclaimed. Glancing at the Terrors, he requested, “Take it easy on her, guys,” before moving into a defensive stance. 

Astrid quickly realized that topic was off-limits and swiftly switched gears, raising Dagur’s axe high and charging at him. She was a much better fighter than he had thought, but the unusual layout of the ring was most decidedly throwing her off. The Terrors did as asked and put most of their focus on him, though they refrained from using their fire this time around and kept a bit more distance than normal, which was for the best. Even with all the distractions, Haakon was not having a hard time fending her off. He held back a bit, wanting to give her time to get used to the exercise. Of course, it didn’t work as he had expected it to.

“Why aren’t you fighting back,” she growled.

“Thought I’d let you have a chance-”

“This is pointless if you’re not giving me your best,” she interrupted him, not giving him a chance to fully explain.

Well, if that was the way she wanted it. “Suit yourself,” he retorted, switching to more offensive tactics. He was used to maneuvering around whatever detritus was behind him, but Astrid wasn’t and soon found herself backed against a rather large pile of barrels. She fought valiantly to try and break through, but it wasn’t enough, and less than a minute later Haakon had disarmed her. 

“You’re not bad,” he acknowledged, holding onto Dagur’s axe for now just in case she decided that she wanted vengeance. “You’re just unused to distractions. And you could probably use a bit of fine-tuning, though having an unfamiliar weapon and a cluttered arena would have thrown you off your normal rhythm. But for your first time in a course like this, you did pretty well.” 

He gestured for her to lead the way out of the ring, but he could see that despite his trying to compliment her, she did not believe him. Either that or she was being too hard on herself. Either were likely possibilities. Knowing that due to her competitive nature, she would probably like another chance, he said, “I have a few things I have to do before I head home, but if Dagur’s willing to let you continue to use his axe, perhaps Heather could give you some pointers?”

They had reached his family and Heather was quick to agree, while Dagur said, “That’s fine, just lend me your sword so I can work with the munchkin.”

“No problem,” he responded, passing his sword to his brother before waving farewell to his family and heading into town to make one stop before he was off to take care of his duties for Fannar.

Chapter Text

Astrid had been surprised when Heather showed up and asked if she wanted to spend the day with her. She had a sneaking suspicion that Haakon and his family were trying to keep her busy, but seeing as she had absolutely nothing to do, she was okay with it…for now at least.

Heather collected Sirena and the little Nadder she was friends with on their way back into town and led her toward the arena, which was honestly the last place she expected to go. It looked completely trashed, but it seemed that what Haakon had told her about training in difficult situations was true, though she thought that adding the Terrors to the mix seemed a little much. 

Watching her husband and brother-in-law spar, she had to admit that they were both incredibly skilled, even appearing to keep up a conversation as they went. For all that she had been the best shield maiden on Berk, she was beginning to realize that her skill was nowhere near the level her new family maintained and it made her rather sour, feeling like all the hard work and training she had done was useless.

She was surprised when Dagur offered to let her borrow his axe to spar with Haakon, but then her husband had to mock her, and she had to open her big mouth, dooming herself to compete in this mess of a course, claiming that she could handle anything. That was quickly proved false as, even with the Terrors putting most of their focus on Haakon, he still had no trouble holding her off. And then he had the temerity to not even fight full out! Of course, when he finally did, she realized how superior he truly was and just how much he had held back during their previous match, which begged the question, why? 

She ignored him as they walked out of the arena, offended that he felt the need to try and placate her. Like she couldn’t handle losing a bout…not that she could remember the last time that had happened, but still, she was made of stronger stuff than that. 

She spent the rest of the morning training with Heather and though she generally preferred to train on her own, it was nice learning some of the techniques the Berserkers favored. They eventually decided to break for lunch, and Heather managed to drag her to the Great Hall to eat with them. 

Once they were settled at one of the tables, Astrid glanced around and asked, “Any tips for navigating the sea of Berserkers?”

Heather shrugged and took a bite of her food. “Most everyone’s friendly,” she observed, but it wasn't long before she groaned, and then muttered, “Except for Rayna. Brace yourself.”

No sooner had she spoken than the attractive redhead was standing next to their table. “Hello, everyone. Isn’t it just a marvelous day,” she gushed, fluttering her eyelashes toward Dagur.

Heather rolled her eyes and said, “What do you want, Rayna?”

“I was just coming to say hi,” the redhead replied innocently, though now that Astrid knew better, she could see that it was all an act.

“Yak dung,” Dagur coughed into his hand, before hastily shoveling the rest of his food in his mouth.

“What was that,” Rayna asked sweetly, sidling up to Dagur like she hadn’t just heard what he had not so subtly said.

“Nothing,” he answered, rising to his feet. “I’ve got to get going.”

“What a shame,” Rayna pouted, laying a hand on Dagur’s arm which he quickly removed. “I was hoping maybe we could go for a flight together. Just the two of us.”

An evil grin spread across Dagur’s face as he replied, “Sounds great. I hope you and Sunset have a wonderful time, just the two of you.” He quickly turned and walked toward the doors of the Great Hall, leaving a frustrated redhead in his wake. 

“You do realize that it’s never going to work,” Heather chimed in.

Rayna sneered in response. “You don’t know anything, Heather.”

“I know my brothers,” Heather maintained, “and you’ve never had a chance with either of them. Maybe one day that will finally get through your thick skull and you’ll give up.”

Astrid watched as the redhead huffed and flounced off.

Heather leaned over and warned, “Stay clear of her. She’s nothing but trouble.”

“Already found that one out,” Astrid muttered wryly.

“Oh really?”

“Yeah.” She would have left it there, but she could see that her sister-in-law was more than ready to dig for more information. “Haakon explained things to me,” she offered, hoping that would be enough.

“Did he now,” Heather queried curiously.

Astrid tried to remain calm, not wanting to discuss the major miscalculation she had made about her husband’s character. She casually took a bite of food, even though her appetite seemed to have disappeared, and mumbled, “Mm-hmm.”

“That must have been interesting,” Heather commented.

Before her sister-in-law could say anything more, Astrid stood and declared, “I better get going. I have to…” She trailed off, realizing that she had absolutely nothing to use as an excuse.

Fortunately, Heather took pity on her. “At loose ends?”

Astrid plopped back into her seat and groaned. “Is it that obvious?”

“A bit,” Heather admitted with a smile. “What would you normally spend your day doing?”

“Training,” she automatically replied.

“And…?”

“That’s it,” Astrid shrugged. Why did everyone seem to think that there had to be more? Wasn’t training to be the best warrior you could possibly be enough? And after moving here and observing how her new family trained, she realized that she had a lot more work to do. But without her axe…

Heather’s brow furrowed as she thought. “Hmm. What did you do yesterday?”

“Haakon took me to meet-” she paused, trying to remember what her husband had called the massive dragon hidden in the depths of the island. “-Fannar? And then he showed me how to use a bow and arrow.”

Heather’s eyes lit up. “Did you want to take another crack at that? I’m a little rusty and could use the practice myself,” she confessed. “I know where Haak keeps everything and it wouldn’t take long to set up.”

“I suppose,” Astrid reluctantly agreed. “It’s better than twiddling my thumbs all afternoon.”

“We need to find you a hobby,” Heather proclaimed. “Other than combat, that is. Do you like sewing or cooking?”

“Not particularly,” she hedged, not wanting to admit that she had hardly any experience with either.

“What about drawing, knitting, or whittling,” Heather suggested.

“I’ve never tried any of them, but they seem rather…boring,” Astrid settled with saying, not understanding why having a hobby was so important.

“Well, our tribe is fairly peaceful, despite the name, so you better get used to it,” Heather said, answering her unspoken question. “Maybe knitting… It’s not too hard and it’s kind of stabby which might be up your alley. We can grab a few things on our way through the village.”

Seeing that Heather was not going to stop until she agreed to try something, she eventually gave in and they collected enough supplies to get her started before dropping them off at the house and gathering the archery equipment. 

The afternoon passed swiftly and by the time Astrid made it back home, Haakon was already there cooking dinner with Toothless curled up in one corner of the room.

“Did you have a good day,” he greeted her affably.

“It was alright,” she shrugged, not knowing what else he expected her to say. Belatedly, she realized that she should probably return the question and asked, “And you?”

“It was good,” he replied. “Got a lot done.” He stirred the pot he was hovering over before nodding to the supplies she had left on the table. “You like to knit?”

“Never tried it before in my life, but for some reason, your sister seems to think I need a hobby,” she responded, rolling her eyes.

Haakon laughed. “It’s nice to have something to do in the evenings, and knitting can be pretty relaxing.”

Astrid looked at him questioningly. “You know this how?”

“I can do the basics,” Haakon admitted, “but if you want to talk about expert knitting, then Dagur’s your guy.”

“Dagur,” she exclaimed incredulously.

“Mm-hmm,” was her husband’s calm reaction as he ladled soup into two bowls. “Dinner’s ready.”

She sat down at the table across from him and, deciding to try and get to know him a bit more, she asked, “What are your hobbies, then?”

Haakon took a bite before replying. “Well, besides inventing and smithing, I like to draw and will sometimes carve figurines as well.”

She nodded, and let her gaze drift across the room as she ate, wondering just how her husband seemed to be so good at everything. Even dinner was amazing, and here she was unable to so much as roast a fish over the fire without burning it. Eventually, her eyes landed on a shelf full of carvings. “Are those yours?”

Haakon followed her gaze and said, “Yeah. We had a lot of bad weather last year and we were cooped up inside so much I decided to carve all the dragons in our family. It took a while, but it’s nice having miniature versions of them here with me.”

Astrid had gotten up to examine them further as he talked and she was amazed by the detail she saw, each dragon’s likeness captured perfectly. And what was she good for, she grumpily thought as she returned to the table and finished her dinner in silence. 

Haakon seemed to realize that something was off, but he didn’t press her to explain, for which she was grateful. The silence hung heavy as she washed the dishes and without anything to do afterward, she decided to head upstairs and turn in early.

When she got there though, she noticed something lying on her side of the bed. Not wanting to mess with it if her husband had accidentally set it there, she called out, “Haakon, what’s this on the bed?”

He was already coming up the stairs, apparently ready to head to bed as well seeing as he went to retrieve his things from the cupboard. “Some sleeping clothes I had made for you,” he explained. “I wasn’t sure if you’d prefer a nightgown or a shirt and pants, so I had them both made and you can try them out. Let me know which you like best and I’ll get you a spare set.”

Fortunately, by the time he finished speaking, he was already behind the screen and could not see the blush that was creeping over her face. While it was nice of him, it felt like a rather personal gift and left her feeling uncomfortable. She hesitantly reached out and unfolded the clothes, relieved that the nightgown did not have a low neckline and it was relatively long, but she decided to stick with the shirt and pants for now as she wasn’t about to give her unwanted husband any ideas.

As she folded up the nightgown to put it away, she realized that she never had asked Haakon for his advice yesterday. Taking advantage of the fact that he was still behind the screen and couldn’t see her embarrassment, she said “Haakon, do you have any tips for cleaning out Night Fury saliva? I tried to wash my shirt yesterday, but…” She trailed off as her husband stepped out in his sleeping clothes.

“Yeah, it’s pretty tenacious stuff,” he grimaced. “There are a few things you can try. I can give it a shot…or I can write out a list for you?”

“The list would be fine,” she spoke hastily, grabbing her new sleeping clothes and scurrying behind the screen. It may just be a shirt, but she’d prefer to do it herself. 

As she was changing she heard heavy footsteps come up the stairs and froze as they came closer to where she was. She had just removed her shirt but was quick to hold it up over her bindings right before Toothless peeked around the screen. He looked innocent enough, but she felt more vulnerable than normal, being in a state of partial undress.

Thankfully, Haakon was quick to notice and scold the Night Fury. “Toothless! Get over here and leave her alone.” She heard him grunting and from the way the dragon was looking unamusedly behind him, she could only imagine he was doing something stupid like tugging on the Night Fury’s tail. A fact that was further proved when she heard a loud thump across the room before her husband muttered, “Thanks, bud. Really feeling the love.”

At least that was enough to get the dragon to move on and Astrid rushed to finish changing, afraid that Toothless may return just to torment her. She let out a sigh of relief when she finished, and put her things away before climbing into bed. 

Her husband was already sitting on that stupid rock slab, scratching his Night Fury and Astrid assumed he would be sleeping over there again. She had to admit. She did feel safer this way, both from the dragon and her husband, even though she didn’t think either of them would truly do anything. Still, this situation was too new for her to be comfortable with a complete stranger and a supposedly tame dragon.

As she blew out the candle on her side of the room and lay down, she couldn’t help but think back over the day. Mustering up her courage, she determined to ask her husband the question that had been bothering her since their sparring match this morning. “Haakon?”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you hold back the first time we…sparred,” she asked curiously. “You said you weren’t going to, but after today, it’s clear that you did.” She heard him sigh and she shifted slightly so that she could see him on the other side of the room. 

“You were in a tough position that you had no say over,” he spoke slowly, seeming to be trying to find the right words. “If I had gone full out, the fight would have been over much too quickly and I didn’t want you to lose face in front of your old tribe.”

“I still did,” she said softly, trying to hold back her tears as she realized her husband thought so little of her. That she was such a poor warrior with fragile emotions, though the tears she was fighting were not helping disprove that last point. “You won after toying with me. No one could have doubted that.”

She heard him get up and the next thing she knew, he was kneeling at the head of the bed, right next to her, the concern evident on his face. Not wanting to see it, she abruptly turned over.

“I wasn’t trying to make things worse for you, I swear,” Haakon stated simply, his sincerity more than evident. 

“And yet, you still did,” she whispered, unable to understand why she was on the verge of tears.

“I’m sorry, Astrid. I truly am.” She felt his hand hover over her shoulder for a minute before he withdrew it. She refused to respond and soon enough, she heard him make his way back over to the Night Fury who seemed to be crooning in an effort to comfort his friend.

Chapter Text

Having cried herself to sleep, Astrid woke up with a monstrous headache and a desire to avoid her husband for the foreseeable future. Noticing that the house was exceptionally quiet, she assumed that Haakon had already left for the day, but upon descending the stairs, she found him sitting at the table, sketching in a journal. 

He was quick to glance up upon hearing her footsteps and shut his journal before scurrying around. “Astrid! Uh, good morning. Here,” he said, placing a bowl on the table. “I’ve been keeping this warm for you.”

She eyed him warily as she came over and reluctantly sat down across from him. She ate slowly, not feeling very hungry, and kept her gaze on the table.

“Do-do you have any plans for today,” Haakon hesitantly asked, seemingly wanting to try and bridge the gap between them.

“Yes,” she answered shortly.

The was a moment of silence before he burst out, “Astrid, I really am sorry. I never meant to hurt you. Truly, I didn’t.” 

She hazarded a glance at him and could see that his apology was genuine, but it didn’t change what he had done. 

“I don’t know how I can prove that to you, but-” He broke off before suddenly proclaiming, “I’ll be right back.”

Surprised by his abrupt declaration, she watched him run out the front door. What could he be doing? She looked around and, noticing that Toothless did not seem to be in the house, she allowed herself to relax a bit, though it didn’t last long as Haakon was soon running back inside holding something behind his back. She glared at him suspiciously as he came to stand in front of her.

“Here,” he said softly, holding out her most prized possession.

“My axe,” she whispered as he placed it in her hand. Her brow furrowed as she couldn’t understand why he was returning it to her already when yesterday he had said…

“I know how much you’ve missed it,” he explained earnestly from where he had knelt in front of her. “I hope this can in some slight way make up for the hurt that I unknowingly inflicted. I just ask that you don’t use it to spar with anyone. It’s not that I don’t trust you,” he hastened to add, holding out his hands defensively, “but the metal we use here is much stronger and your axe would quickly be shattered. Considering how much you treasure it, I wouldn’t want any harm to come to it if I can help it,” he revealed.

“I-” Astrid had never thought she would find herself at a loss for words, but here she was. She had kept her gaze on her axe the whole time Haakon had been speaking, but she now glanced up to see him looking at her beseechingly. “Thank you,” she said simply.

“Is there anything else I can do to make things up to you,” he entreated.

Trying to hide how much his intense gaze was affecting her, she glanced back down at her axe and grumbled, “Don’t go easy on me again.”

She peeked through her bangs to see him nodding, a slight smile creeping onto his face. “Yes, ma’am. Anything else?”

“Why do you want my forgiveness anyway,” she blurted out, unable to understand why he was so insistent on making things up to her.

“We’re married,” he stated, like that answered everything.

“So?”

“Even if we don’t come to love one another, we are going to be together for the rest of our lives,” he replied unreservedly. “I would like there to be peace between us. To be comfortable with each other. To be friends.”

It sounded so easy when he put it that way, but if the first few days of their marriage had been any indication, it was anything but. She had to admit, what he described sounded nice, but she wasn’t sure how they were supposed to get to that point. 

Feeling a need to change the subject and make up just a little for her curt attitude from earlier, she shared, “Heather invited me to go swimming with her and Sirena this afternoon but I think she’s going to try and teach me how to knit first.”

Haakon grinned, but she couldn’t help but think that his heart wasn’t fully in it. “Well, I wish you well on your new endeavor,” he said cheerfully, though it felt a bit forced. “I have some work to do, but if I finish quickly enough, then perhaps I’ll see you at the beach. If that’s okay,” he asked hesitantly, quickly adding, “If you'd rather I didn't...if you want more space-”

“It’s fine,” she interrupted him. “I-I don’t mind if you come.”

“Thank you,” he responded, and this time, his smile met his eyes. “I’ll be in the workshop if you need me. See you later?”

Astrid nodded and watched him leave, feeling very confused. Not wanting to dwell on it when Heather could walk in at any moment, she pushed her jumbled thoughts aside and finished eating before going to do the dishes, only to discover that they had already been done. Another gesture from Haakon to try to earn her forgiveness, she supposed as she washed her bowl and spoon. 

She had just finished when Heather barged in without knocking, much as her husband had warned her, and she soon found herself being taught the basics of knitting. It wasn’t hard, per se, but it was tedious and clearly took a fair amount of practice to make something that was not horribly uneven and lumpy.

Astrid let out a sigh of relief when Oswald poked his head in, saying that he just wanted to check on his girls. It threw her off at first, but then she figured that it must have just been a slip of the tongue as he would probably be used to referring to his daughters that way. 

Heather ushered him over to a chair and, as conversation progressed, she paid less and less attention to how much progress Astrid was making, allowing her to eventually let her knitting sit in her lap, unattended, as she watched her husband’s dad and sister interact with each other. She hoped that by watching them, she could figure out what exactly he was used to and therefore, what he expected from her.

After half an hour, she finally gave up and returned to her aborted attempt at knitting. She could see that they were close and they loved each other, but she wasn’t quite sure how that was going to help her. As she was trying to figure it out, Oswald spoke up and reminded Heather that it was probably about time for her to go and collect Sirena.

“Meda can only keep her focused on her lessons for so long,” he observed, “and I have a feeling that she’s reaching the end of her patience about now.”

“At least Sirena is easier to teach than Haak was, according to Meda anyways,” Heather remarked as she got up and walked toward the door. “I won’t be long.”

“Take your time, dear,” Oswald called after her. Astrid was so caught up in her thoughts that she missed the meaningful glance that went along with it.

Once Heather was gone, she turned to Oswald and tried to feign disinterest as she said, “Haakon was difficult as a child?”

Oswald laughed. “Yes, but probably not in the way you’re thinking,” he replied. “He’s incredibly smart and has kept us all on our toes since before he could talk. The questions that boy could ask,” he shook his head. “Even my wife struggled to answer him sometimes.” She must not have been guarding her expression as much as she had thought as a moment later he commented, “You seem thoughtful.”

Keeping her eyes on her tangle of yarn and needles, Astrid muttered, “I’m not sure why Heather thought this was a good idea.”

“I think it’s something more than that,” he said, reaching over and gently removing her project from her hands. “What’s wrong?”

Her eyes darted around the room before finally settling on her father-in-law, his concerned expression breaking through the walls she had built. “I never planned on marrying and I have no idea how all this is supposed to work,” she blurted out in one breath, afraid that if she didn’t get it out now it would stay locked inside her forever.

Oswald’s eyes softened and he inquired, “Is everything alright between you and Haakon?”

Thinking back to how they had sort of made up this morning, she shrugged halfheartedly. “I suppose, but we’ve already had several misunderstandings…on both sides.”

“That’s only natural when neither of you were given a chance to get to know one another,” he reassured her.

“Was-” She broke off and glanced down as she blushed, feeling that perhaps the question she wanted to ask was too personal.

Oswald reached over and patted her hand. “Go on, dear. What is it you’d like to know?”

“Was your marriage arranged,” she asked in a small voice.

“No, it was not,” he smiled wistfully, clearly thinking of his late wife. “Sira and I were deeply in love. That didn’t mean we were without our disagreements though. She was definitely the smarter of the two of us, so I mostly deferred to her, but there were times…” He trailed off and shook his head, a slight smile on his face. “Let’s just say that sometimes our dragons had to knock some sense into us,” he remarked with a twinkle in his eye. He looked at her for a moment before asking, “Do you want your marriage to succeed?”

“I guess,” she shrugged again. “I mean, the only alternative is failure.”

“That’s not the right way to look at it,” he put forth.

Astrid tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“Marriage isn’t a firm set of rules and tactics that if you follow them lead to success,” he explained. “You have to truly be there for one another, in the big things and the little things. And it takes both parties making an effort.”

She sighed. “I suppose Haakon’s been trying more than I have…”

“And that’s only natural.” At her questioning glance, Oswald continued, “While you were both thrown into this situation with little time to prepare, this is his home, his culture. Everything here is familiar to him, while you’ve just had your whole way of life upended. It’s going to take time, but that doesn’t mean that making a success of your marriage is impossible. I know that he’s trying to be there for you. Try to be there for him, too. And try not to fight without having a very good reason,” he suggested.

What he said made sense, but there were a few things in this conversation that hit just a little too close to home that she couldn’t help but wonder… “How do you-”

He held up a hand, effectively cutting her off mid-sentence, and looked at her knowingly. “I’m sure I told you this already, my dear, but my children tell me everything.”

Astrid buried her face in her hands, completely mortified. It seemed that Haakon was an expert in embarrassing her, and he probably didn’t even know it. When she saw him next, he was going to feel her wrath.

“Well, perhaps not everything,” Oswald admitted, gently pulling her hands away and forcing her to look at him. “I can reassure you that he had not said anything about you that would put you in a bad light or that would embarrass you if you found out. He’s always been sensitive to the needs and feelings of others. Now, that doesn’t mean he’s perfect, but he tries his best.”

Her blush only intensified, if that was even possible, as she had been caught jumping to conclusions once again. Wanting to turn the subject slightly, she murmured, “I just don’t know what he expects of me.”

“I don’t think that he expects anything,” Oswald disclosed.

Her brow furrowed, “But…”

“He would like to try and get to know you and to be friends,” he shared, “but he would never force you to do anything. You are your own person and he will always respect that.”

“But surely he expects something from me,” she insisted, trying to wrap her mind around what her father-in-law was saying.

“I think he would like it if you try,” he supplied.

“Try what,” she asked warily.

“To make this work,” he clarified. “To understand each other.”

She had to admit, that sounded a lot like what Haakon had said this morning. “That’s really all he wants?”

Oswald nodded and reached out to squeeze her hand. “I can assure you, my dear, if you make an effort, things will get much easier.”

Astrid didn’t have much time to think over what he said as Heather and Sirena took that moment to burst into the house with Goldie trailing after them. For some reason, she didn’t seem to mind the Nadder’s presence as much as the other dragons. Maybe because she was still rather small…and she had been friendly, unlike Toothless.

Heather went straight to the kitchen and began preparing lunch, though she froze midway through to apologize to Astrid. “I’m so sorry. I’m used to just treating my brother’s house as my own. We can go back to our house or-”

“No, It’s fine,” Astrid interjected, relieved that her lack of cooking skills could continue to remain a secret a little longer. “Don’t worry about it.”

Heather smiled at her. “Thanks,” she responded, before finishing up and calling them all to the table. “So, Dad, are you coming swimming with us?”

“No. Not today,” he replied. “I’ll take some lunch to Haak on my way back home, though.”

Heather agreed that was probably a good idea and then Sirena took over the conversation, clearly excited about their trip to the beach and talking about all the games that they could play.

Eventually, Sirena looked up at her with the same brilliant green eyes that her whole family had and asked, “What’s your favorite water game, Astrid?”

“Oh, uh, I don’t know any,” she stammered, having been caught unawares.

Sirena looked at her incredulously. “Did you never play at the beach when you were younger?”

“Not really,” she admitted, thinking that there was never time as she had always been training.

“Then we have to make up for lost time,” the little girl declared, hastily shoving her last bite into her mouth. “Come on!” She grabbed Astrid’s arm and began to tug her out the door, the little Nadder trotting after them.

“Sirena, wait up,” Heather called, running out behind them. “You know you can’t ride Goldie yet and our favorite spot is quite a walk from here.”

“Bliksem could drop us off and be back before Dad’s ready to go home,” she said innocently. Astrid heard a series of growls and looked up to find three dragons sunning themself on the roof of her house. From what she could tell, the Skrill who was friends with her father-in-law was not supportive of Sirena’s plan as the young girl soon said, “Don’t be such a spoilsport, Bliksem.”

By this time, Oswald had made it outside, a small bundle in his hand. “You’ll ride with your sister on Windshear,” he told his youngest. “You know you’re not allowed to fly without an experienced rider.” Glancing at her, he added, “Perhaps Astrid will get there one day, but that’s up to her.”

“Fine,” Sirena mumbled before dragging Astrid over to the Razorwhip that had just landed on the side of the house. She happened to glance back and noticed Heather rolling her eyes at her younger sister’s antics. She was quick to join them though, and they were soon situated on Windshear’s neck and leaving on a leisurely flight to the beach. All Astrid could think was that this was so much better than her first flight with Toothless.

Upon landing, Sirena was instantly off and running into the water while Heather and Astrid removed their armor. Sirena was apparently determined to teach Astrid all her favorite water games and they spent a pleasant hour thus engaged before Haakon and Toothless showed up.

“Haak,” Sirena screamed as she ran up the beach to tackle him in a hug.

Astrid watched as he intercepted her and threw her right back into the waves, laughing the entire time. Once she surfaced, he said, “Let me get my armor off, little shadow, then I’ll join you.” 

She couldn’t help but continue to watch him, that big grin on his face completely mesmerizing her and distracting her enough that she didn’t even realize he was taking off his shirt until it covered his face, and she caught a glimpse of his chiseled abs, causing her to swiftly plunge into the water to cool her flaming cheeks. She knew her husband was strong and fit, but she hadn’t thought about how that would evidence itself and it was leaving her rather flustered.

She finally surfaced, hoping that the color in her cheeks wasn’t quite as strong, though she may as well have not bothered, for all that she was thoroughly splashed as Toothless dove into the water right next to her. The Night Fury was soon at her side, tilting his head and giving her an inquisitive croon.

Her eyes narrowed as she took in the seemingly innocent expression on the dragon’s face. “Why are you acting nice all of a sudden,” she queried, though it was rather pointless as she couldn’t understand whatever answer he gave her. “I don’t trust you,” she declared, but before she could move away, her face was assaulted by a big pink tongue. “Ugh!”

Toothless was quick to swim away, but before she could sluice off all his saliva, Haakon popped up next to her. “Having fun?”

She glanced his way awkwardly, relieved that his shirtless torso was mostly submerged. “Um, yeah. Well, I was,” she amended, glaring at Toothless who was making his way back over.

“Sorry about that,” Haakon apologized. “If it’s any consolation, he only licks people he likes, so that means that you’ve won him over. And at least he missed your clothes.”

She rolled her eyes. “I guess I can be thankful for that.”

Haakon smiled at her and started swimming back toward his sisters. “Come on. Now that there’s an even number of people, Sirena wants to play as teams.”

Astrid reluctantly followed, wishing that she had thought about the complication of a shirtless husband when he had asked about joining them.

Chapter Text

Haakon sat at the table drawing in his sketchbook and trying to figure out how he could have done things differently so as not to have hurt Astrid. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that as soon as she had challenged him, he had been bound to hurt her. He couldn’t throw the match as that would call into question their tribe’s strength, and whether he had held back or ended the fight as soon as it started, Astrid would have been embarrassed.

This was all so messed up, he thought as he added the last few stokes, completing the sketch of his wife and the way she had looked at him last night, on the edge of tears and completely bereft. He had listened to her cry herself to sleep, wishing there was some kind of comfort he could offer, but she had made clear how much he hurt her and that she wanted nothing to do with him. 

Even Toothless had been concerned about her. Haakon sighed, thinking that at least there was one benefit from this whole mess, but despite how pleased he was that Toothless seemed to lose his animosity toward his wife, he wanted to do something more…he just wasn’t sure what.

Toothless had offered a few ideas this morning, but the Night Fury was even more out of his depth than Haakon was. He had eventually left to get his own breakfast, telling his friend that he would stay outside for a while so that Astrid would maybe feel a little more comfortable.

He appreciated Toothless’ thoughtfulness, but it didn’t make things any less tense when Astrid finally came down. His apology seemed to go tolerably well, especially since he finally realized at least one thing that would make her happy. Returning her axe was a good start and she seemed to have relaxed a bit but she had been thoroughly confused when he shared that he would like them to be happy together and he couldn’t understand why. At least she had agreed to let him join them at the beach. That was an inkling of progress, wasn’t it?

With these thoughts swirling in his head, he left for the workshop to try and get some work done, hoping he could focus enough to finish in time to join them.

He had made steady progress and was moving on to his next project when he saw his father and Bliksem coming up the hill. The Skrill dropped off his dad before heading over to Haakon’s house to join Toothless and Windshear on the roof.

“Hiding away out here,” his dad asked playfully as he stepped into the workshop and took a seat on a conveniently placed stool.

“It’s not a bad idea,” Haakon remarked, “but I actually have a few things I need to get done today.”

His father looked at him in concern. “Is everything alright, son?”

He sighed and quietly said, “I hurt her, Dad. I didn’t mean to but…” He trailed off and ran his hand through his hair. “It’s such a mess.” He paused before saying, “I gave her back her axe to try and make amends and I think she’s forgiven me…I mean, she didn’t exactly say it, but she’s not pushing me away…I just don’t know what else I can do to make it up to her.”

“Flowers always worked wonders when your mom was mad at me,” his dad suggested.

“I had toyed with that idea,” he admitted, “but she doesn’t strike me as a…girly type.”

His dad nodded understandingly. “From what little I’ve talked with her, I don’t think she’s had a chance to truly know herself.” 

Haakon thought about it and said, “No, that sounds about right. You think flowers might help?”

“They couldn’t hurt,” his dad responded with a smile.

“True,” he acknowledged. “I do want to make her a new axe out of Dragon Iron, but I’ve got some commissions I have to get through first so it’s going to take a while. I’ll try the flowers for now,” he shared. “Thanks, Dad.” 

“Anytime, Haak,” his father replied, slowly getting to his feet. “I’m going to go peek in on the girls.”

Haakon knew that if his dad needed help, he would ask, but he still kept his eye on him to make sure that he made it up to his house alright before getting back to work. At the rate he was going, he should be able to finish in time, if not early. He kept at it, waving to his sisters as they walked by and only being slightly distracted when Sirena ran out of his house dragging Astrid behind her. His father joined him shortly afterward, passing him a small parcel.

“I brought you lunch.”

“Thanks, Dad,” he said, setting it on his workbench and unwrapping it before hastily taking a bite, not having realized how hungry he was. Seeing that his father had settled back on the stool, he couldn’t help but ask, “Did you talk with Astrid while Heather was fetching Sirena?”

“You know I don’t share things that were told to me in confidence,” his dad proclaimed.

“I wasn’t trying to extract any information,” he hasten to say, much to his father’s amusement. He groaned as he should have known he was being baited. “I-I just wanted to know if you think she’ll be okay?”

“She’s been on your mind a lot,” his dad observed.

Haakon shrugged. “Well, I mean, she is my wife and I know all this is new to her. I want her to feel like she belongs and that this is her home. That’s only natural, isn’t it?”

“It is.” His dad smiled, reassuring him, “She’s still getting used to things. Just continue to be patient.”

“I’m trying, Dad, I really am,” he declared. “It’s just…the longer things are…left like this,” he waved his hands awkwardly, “I worry that it will become harder for us to overcome it later.”

His father eyed him thoughtfully and said, “Maybe you’re looking at this the wrong way.”

“What do you mean,” Haakon asked, his lunch completely forgotten.

“If this marriage hadn’t been arranged, how would you have gotten to know one another,” his dad inquired.

“Well, I guess we would’ve hung around each other a bit and then courted,” he answered hesitantly.

“So, court her,” his dad proposed.

“I guess that makes sense, in a strange sort of way,” he admitted, thinking about ways he could go about it.

“Just take it slow,” his dad recommended, breaking his train of thought.

Haakon snorted. “Trust me, with certain things that have happened, I wouldn’t dare move too fast,” he confessed, thinking of all the misunderstandings and his wife’s occasional skittishness.

“You’ll do fine,” his dad encouraged him, coming to stand beside him and resting a hand on his shoulder. “Now, I’m assuming the goal is to finish in time to join the girls at the beach?”

“Yeah,” he admitted with a lopsided smile.

“Then you better get to it,” his dad pointed out as he walked out of the workshop and mounted Bliksem. “But finish eating your lunch first.”

Haakon blushed having already forgotten about his food. “Will do. Thanks, Dad. See you later.”

He watched Bliksem leisurely fly down the hill before eating his lunch and finishing up the last few things he needed to work on today. Toothless bounded over as he was shutting up his workshop and they were soon in the air and heading toward the beach. As his best friend came in to land he couldn’t help but smile as it seemed that Astrid was having a good time with his sisters and he hastened to join them.

It was a most enjoyable afternoon, though he could tell that his wife was still holding herself back a bit. Hopefully, in time, she would become more comfortable with them, but it would have to wait as Heather announced that they would need to leave.

“I have to get dinner started,” she explained, starting to swim back to shore. “Come on, Sirena,” she shouted over her shoulder.

“See you two later,” Haakon called after them. Toothless was still paddling around them, while his wife was treading water nearby. He swam over to her and asked, “Did you want to stay here for a bit, or…” He trailed off, noticing that she was refusing to look at him. “Astrid, is something wrong?” He wracked his brain, trying to think of what he could possibly have done. “If I said something or-” She shook her head and he stopped short, waiting for her to tell him what the problem was. 

“I- Well, being in the water is one thing, but…” Her eye darted toward him before she blushed and looked away and then it dawned on him.

“I’m so sorry, Astrid,” he apologized, hoping that she could see that he meant it with his whole heart. “I clearly wasn’t thinking. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. This is just habit. One less thing to have to dry off.”

“No, it’s okay,” she responded. “I didn’t think of it either until…” She glanced at him and awkwardly waved toward the beach.

“Let me go put my shirt on,” he offered, “and then did you want to dry off here or go home?” He noticed her blush was returning and after a moment he put two and two together. She would be dripping wet and she probably didn’t want him to see her with her clothes clinging to her like that. “If you want, you can just get on Toothless behind me. I promise I won’t look and I don’t think Toothless will be giving you any more trouble.”

The Night Fury popped up next to them and warbled in agreement, causing Astrid to tentatively smile. “I- Yes, please,” she stammered.

Haakon nodded and began to swim back to the shore, warning her when he was getting out and letting her know when he had his shirt back on. He gathered up his armor and began loading it into one of his saddlebags when he noticed Astrid’s things lying a short distance away. “Are all your things here in this pile,” he asked.

“Oh, yes, but-”

Hoping to lessen her embarrassment, he said, “I’m just putting my armor and boots in Toothless’ saddle bags. I can add your things there too, if that’s okay?”

“Um, yeah, that’s fine,” she responded. “I’m sorry. I should have thought this out better.”

He turned around to smile at her. “Don’t worry about it, Astrid. It’s no bother. Now, just let me get Toothless’ saddle on and we’ll be ready to go.” 

Thankfully, Toothless held still while he got everything reattached and once he had mounted, he closed his eyes and told Astrid that everything was ready. It was only a moment before he felt her get on behind him. “All good,” he inquired.

“Yeah,” she said softly and he opened his eyes.

“You might want to hold on,” he warned. “Toothless’ take-offs are rather strong.”

She loosely rested her hands on his waist, but as soon as Toothless leaped into the air, she wrapped her arms around him fully, holding on tight. Once Toothless evened out his flight, her grip relaxed and she whispered, “Thank you, Haakon.”

“For what,” he asked, not sure why his wife was thanking him so sweetly.

“For being so nice,” she replied and Haakon couldn’t help but smile. 

“Anytime.”

Chapter Text

Toothless landed in front of their house and Haakon was quick to shut his eyes, assuring Astrid that she could head on in. Once the front door had closed, he opened his eyes and took his time removing Toothless’ saddle, allowing Astrid a chance to get upstairs. When he was sure enough time had elapsed, he went inside and hung Toothless’ saddle by the door. 

He was about to set the saddlebags down when Astrid called out, “Um, Haakon. Do you have the rest of my things?”

“Yeah,” he replied. “Did you want me to bring them up?”

There was a pause as he heard Astrid moving around upstairs, presumably getting behind the screen before she said, “Yes, please.”

He headed up and was about to pull her things out for her, but she asked that he just set the bag down and leave, so he did. It wasn’t long before she came down, her wet clothes bundled up in her hands, and told him he could go ahead and change. As he made his way up though, he couldn’t help but notice that the clothes she was wearing looked like they had seen better days. Heather must have been right in her assumption that Astrid really didn’t have much. As he got changed, he determined to stop by the seamstress’ tomorrow and see if Ingrid had finished the rest of his order.

He laid his wet things out across Toothless’ slab, before heading downstairs to find Astrid holding up the shirt Toothless’ had gotten his slobber all over. 

“I’m so sorry, Astrid,” he apologized. “With all that happened last night, I forgot to write that list for you. I don’t know if it can be saved, though, considering how long it’s set. May I,” he asked, holding out his hand, not entirely sure if she would pass it to him or not. 

She hesitated but did reluctantly hand it to him and it was as he had feared. Even though she had tried to rinse the saliva out there was just too much and when it dried it left her shirt incredibly stiff, to the point that he was afraid if he tried to bend it, it would break. He’d had this happen plenty of times himself, but when it was this bad, there was nothing to do but replace it.

“I’m sorry, Astrid, but it’s completely ruined,” he confirmed. “I’ll get a new one for you. It’s the least I can do.”

“It’s okay,” she hastened to say. “You don’t have to.”

“I’m your husband, Astrid. It’s my responsibility to provide for you and I’m not going to slack off on my duties,” he explained. “Speaking of, I’m going to get dinner started.” As he moved toward the kitchen, he noticed Toothless making his way over to Astrid, brushing up against her and rumbling his apologies. Haakon smiled to himself before saying. “I don’t think that needs a translation, but just to clarify matters, he says he’s sorry.”

He watched from the corner of his eye as Astrid hesitantly reached out and stroked the Night Fury’s head. It seemed that there would finally be peace in his house and he couldn’t be more relieved.

-o0o-

Haakon woke up early the next morning, wanting to sneak out of the house to make a small bouquet for his wife before he got started on breakfast. He had no idea what kind of flowers she might like, but he did his best to put together an attractive little posy.

He sat it on the table at the place she had claimed as her own before getting the porridge going and tidied up a few things while it cooked. He was getting a bit worried though when breakfast was ready and Astrid was still not down yet. 

He crept up the stairs and found her still lying in bed, though she seemed to be awake. “Astrid, breakfast is ready.” When he received nothing more than a grunt in response, he walked around to the other side of the bed and knelt beside her. “Astrid?”

“Just leave me alone,” she grumbled.

“What’s wrong,” he asked, thoroughly confused.

“Nothing! Just let me be,” she declared as she turned away from him.

Haakon slowly got to his feet, not understanding what could have happened. He had thought that things were finally good between them. They had even spent a pleasant evening together as he taught her a die game that he and his family frequently played. As he made to go back downstairs, though, he noticed how she was clutching her stomach and then it clicked. He’d seen Heather this way more than enough times to know what was going on.

With a sigh of relief that he wasn’t the cause of the problem, he hastened downstairs to get the kettle on. While he waited for it to come to a boil, he stepped outside and whistled for Sharpshot, hopeful that the Terrible Terror was nearby. He must have been as in a matter of seconds, he was perched on Haakon’s shoulders and nuzzling his head.

“Thanks, buddy.” He reached up to scratch the Terror’s chin. “Do you think you can be nice and help my mate like you sometimes help Heather?”

Sharpshot was quick to agree and once Haakon had finished making the tea, he ventured back upstairs. “Astrid?”

“I told you-”

“I know,” Haakon interjected, holding out one hand defensively, “but I brought you something.” He held out the mug and she eyed it warily before sitting up and accepting it.

“What is this,” she inquired skeptically.

“It’s a special tea blend that Heather drinks during her blood moon,” he shared as he sat down on the edge of the bed. “I don’t know the specifics, but she said it helps.”

A look of horror crossed over Astrid’s face as she yelled, “You told her-”

“No,” he hastened to reassure her, waving his hands frantically. “I keep some on hand in case she needs it when she’s over.” He could tell she was still uncomfortable, but at least that seemed to mollify her a little bit. “I also brought Sharpshot up with me,” he gestured to the Terror on his shoulder that she seemed to have missed, explaining, “He’s been keeping himself scarce so as not to bother you, but dragons are quite warm and, if you let him, he can curl up on you or next to you to help with your cramps.” He realized he might have said a bit too much when her face turned bright red and she refused to look at him, staring straight ahead. Trying to fix his mistake, he softly said, “Astrid, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s just a part of life.” Unfortunately, that only seemed to make things worse. 

“You wouldn’t understand,” she shrieked, completely mortified. “You’re a guy!”

“While that is true, it doesn’t mean that I don’t want to help,” he reasoned. “I can only offer what I know helps my sister, but is there something else that helps you? I can go get it,” he offered.

She finally looked at him and he saw that her eyes her swimming with tears. “I-I-”

“Oh, no. Please don’t cry,” he begged, unsure of what he should do.

“It’s just…” She took a shaky breath and whispered, “No one’s ever been this nice to me,” before bursting into tears.

Haakon took the mug from her and set it on the floor, as he tried to determine the best course of action. He wasn’t sure how Astrid would react if he tried to comfort her, but he couldn’t just leave her here crying her eyes out. 

Asking Sharpshot to go perch somewhere else, he wrapped his arms around his wife and drew her close, which only seemed to make her cry harder, though seeing as she was clinging to him, he must be doing something right. “Shh, it’s okay,” he murmured as he began to rock back and forth. It always seemed to help Sirena calm down, and fortunately, it was working on Astrid as well.

“You really should try and drink the tea before it gets cold,” he encouraged her once her tears had mostly stopped.

She nodded against his chest and reluctantly pulled herself away so he could retrieve the mug. After passing it to her, he gestured to the Terror who had perched on the headboard and asked, “Would you like Sharpshot to stay?”

She took a sip of the tea and glanced at the little dragon. “He won’t behave like Toothless did,” she inquired dubiously.

“Nah, he’s just a little cuddle bug,” he remarked, Sharpshot proving his statement by crawling onto the bed and rubbing affectionately against Astrid.

She cautiously reached out and stroked the Terror’s head, a hint of a smile making its way onto her face. “Okay.”

Glad that she seemed to be accepting his help, he decided to press a bit further. “Is there anything you want me to bring you?”

“No, this is more than enough,” she replied as Sharpshot crawled onto her lap and curled up in a ball. She glanced at Haakon shyly and quietly said, “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem,” he smiled and resisted the urge to reach out and push that stray piece of hair behind her ear. “I’ll just be downstairs. If you need anything, you can call out or ask Sharpshot to come and get me.”

She nodded and as he went to fetch his breakfast which was probably cold by now, he couldn’t exactly find it in himself to care as he had managed to help his wife, and that was much more important.

Chapter Text

It was after noon by the time Astrid decided to venture downstairs. Sharpshot was sound asleep and she did her best not to disturb him as she got up. She had to admit, his warmth along with the tea had definitely helped and she didn’t feel nearly as bad as she normally did.

She quickly changed and as she came down the stairs, she noticed that Haakon was still here, as he had promised, lounging against Toothless as he worked on something in his journal. Upon hearing her footsteps, he looked up and sweetly inquired if she was feeling better.

She nodded and stammered, “It-it’s much more tolerable now. Thank you.” As she went to set the mug in the basin, she noticed a rather large bundle sitting on the table with a handful of flowers in a cup right next to it. “What’s this,” she asked curiously.

Haakon rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Oh, uh, I picked the flowers for you and most of the clothes I ordered were finished, so Toothless picked them up for me after checking in with Fannar.”

She turned to face him, feeling rather guilty. “You didn’t have to stay here, Haakon. I would have been fine. I didn’t mean to keep you from your duties.”

He smiled and shrugged. “There was nothing pressing that needed to be done. It’s all good.” He gestured toward the bundle and told her to go ahead and take a look.

She admired the flowers for a moment before carefully untying the string and unwrapping the package, surprised by how much was inside. There were two more sets of everyday clothes and a long black dress with thick socks, underwear, and extra bindings tucked in between them. The thought of Haakon ordering those last items made her blush and it didn’t go unnoticed.

“Heather helped with the ordering,” her husband spoke up from where he sat. “I don’t know what all is there, but if there’s anything else you need, let me know.” He paused and then said, “Or you can speak with Ingrid yourself, if you’re more comfortable. Just tell me, so I can settle whatever it is we owe her.”

Astrid shook her head, overwhelmed by her husband’s generosity. “Haakon, this is too much.”

“Well, I’m still waiting on the boots,” he admitted, “and I did send a note requesting a few more things this morning, so there’s still more coming, but you need to have at least a few changes of clothes.”

As Astrid looked at her husband who was smiling softly at her, she couldn’t help but think that she was quite fortunate. Haakon was so sweet and kind and thoughtful and she had done absolutely nothing to deserve it. She glanced down and murmured, “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” he responded, coming to stand next to her. “Did you want me to get you something to eat?”

“No, I’m just going to get some bread and maybe a little bit of cheese,” she replied, wrapping her new clothes back up to make it easier to move them later, before going to rummage through the kitchen.

“I was wondering if there was something particular you want to eat tonight,” Haakon inquired from where he was leaning against the table. “Does anything sound particularly good?”

She shook her head. “Anything is fine.”

“Well, yeah, but you’re not feeling good. Do you have a favorite dish,” he pressed.

“Not particularly,” she shrugged before setting a loaf of bread on the counter and grabbing a knife.

“What about your favorite thing to cook?”

Her grip on the knife slipped and it clattered to the floor, thankfully missing her feet.

Haakon was at her side in a moment. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” she said breezily, trying to slow her breaths and not show just how nervous she was.

“Astrid? What’s wrong?” 

She remained silent, not meeting his eyes.

“I can tell there’s something,” he observed, “but I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what it is.”

She finally glanced up at him and the concern on his face made her feel that maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing for him to know. After all, he was bound to find out eventually. “Well…promise you won’t tell anyone,” she asked apprehensively. “Not even your family?”

“I promise,” he swore solemnly before turning to his dragon. “Toothless?” The Night Fury warbled at him and he said, “He promises, too.”

That threw her off, but she was grateful that Haakon was taking this seriously as she didn’t want anyone to judge her. Taking a deep breath, she mumbled under her breath, “I can’t cook.”

She must not have spoken clearly enough though as Haakon didn’t catch it and asked her to say it again.

Feeling even more embarrassed, she braced her hands on the counter and blurted out, “I don’t know how to cook! Or sew or any of those other womanly chores. I was so focused on my training that I never learned.”

“That’s nothing to be ashamed of,” he reassured her, resting his hand on top of hers.

“But you and your family are all so good at everything,” she commented disgruntledly.

Haakon snorted. “No, we’re not.” He laid his hand on her shoulder and turned her so she was facing him. “You’ve only known us for a little over a week, but we all have things we struggle with and even the skills we do have took time to learn. All it takes is practice and I can help you learn how to cook if you want,” he offered.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he grinned at her and she found herself liking this happy and helpful side of her husband very much. “We can start today or whenever you’re feeling ready. Totally up to you.”

“Thanks, Haakon,” she smiled in return. “Could we maybe start tonight, but with something simple?”

“Sure,” he responded.

They spent a rather lazy day at home, with Haakon teaching her another game that he grew up playing with his family before they headed into the kitchen for her cooking lesson. She had never thought she would say this, but it was kind of fun. It probably helped that Haakon kept things light, joking around between patiently explaining things to her, but she had to admit, she was looking forward to her future lessons. And it wasn’t necessarily because she was enjoying cooking.

They chatted comfortably while they ate and he made her another mug of tea, showing her where it was kept in case she needed it again. Eventually, they made their way upstairs and Haakon let her change first. 

As she was getting settled in bed, she glanced over at Toothless who was heating up his rock slab and realized that she wasn’t on edge around him anymore. When her husband stepped out from behind the screen and made his way over to his dragon after putting his clothes away, she realized that she needed to say something. “Haakon?”

“Hmm?”

“I- You don’t have to sleep with Toothless anymore if you don’t want to,” she remarked hesitantly.

He tilted his head. “Are you sure?”

She nodded slowly. “I think we’ve made our peace with each other. And I’m sure you’d find the bed more comfortable.”

“It’s not as uncomfortable as you might think,” he grinned, jerking his thumb toward the Night Fury who seemed to be grumbling good-naturedly, “but I will admit that I much prefer the bed. Thank you, milady.”

Astrid quickly turned and blew out the candle on her side of the bed, hoping that it would help hide her rising blush. “Good night, Haakon.”

She felt the bed shift as he laid down and replied, “Good night, Astrid.”

Chapter Text

Astrid felt much better the next day, but she still drank the tea Haakon had so kindly made for her. As she looked at the flowers that were still in their cup on the table, she couldn’t help but think about how sweet and caring he was.

Once he and Toothless left to take care of their duties, she determined to make another attempt at knitting, but she only got herself into a worse tangle than she had started with and quickly gave up, deciding to go and train instead. She retrieved her axe, glad to have it back, and headed out into the forest, soon falling into her normal regimen.

She trained well into the afternoon and when she was heading back home, she noticed that Haakon was in his workshop, though Toothless was nowhere to be seen. Making a slight detour she called out a greeting. “Hey!”

“Hey, yourself,” Haakon replied, glancing her way with a smile on his face. He nodded toward her axe and inquired, “Have a good time?”

“Yeah, it felt good to fall back into old habits,” she admitted. Holding up her axe, she added, “Thank you for this.”

“Well, it was the least I could do,” he shrugged awkwardly, before looking at her hopefully. “Maybe we could train together sometime?”

Her brow furrowed. “I thought you said-”

“Yes, but I can grab my old sword, the one I used when the Berkians were here,” he shared somewhat awkwardly and she realized he must be referring to the one he used the first time they dueled. “Really, it’s just a matter of your partner knowing they can’t use Dragon Iron weapons against you.”

She supposed that made sense. “Oh, okay. Yeah, I guess that would be nice. To spar together, I mean. You know, without all the crazy distractions.”

Haakon broke out into a grin. “Great! Lemme just close up here and I’ll walk with you back to the house.”

“You don’t have to-”

“It’s fine,” he waved his hand dismissively. “I was just finishing up anyway.” He hastily put up the tools he had been using and after securing the shutters, they walked back home.

Upon opening the front door, though, they both froze. At least Astrid now knew where Toothless had been, assuming he was the one who made this mess.

Before she could say anything, Haakon was quick to exclaim, “I’m so sorry, Astrid! I didn’t think anything of it when Toothless wandered back home.” He glanced around the main floor at the tangle of yarn strung all around their furniture. “I should have warned you not to leave your knitting out, though even that doesn’t always work. I can’t tell you how many times Dagur’s chased Toothless with his axe because of this very problem.”

She was shocked to find herself giggling as she stepped inside, being careful not to trip as she searched for an end. “I highly doubt he did much damage to my first attempt considering the state I left it in. And as for the rest, we should be able to untangle it, eventually,” she observed, wondering how Toothless had managed to get it in some of these spots in the first place.

“Trust me, it’s not as easy as it looks,” Haakon grumbled under his breath as he tried to make it through the obstacle course that had become their house.

“You’ve had practice,” she queried lightly.

“More than enough,” he declared unenthusiastically, removing the yarn from the locations he could.

Astrid began doing the same as she searched, making it much less hazardous as if a piece of yarn did get pulled or stepped on, there were fewer chances of something getting damaged. Haakon found her poor attempt at knitting on the other side of the hut from where she had left it and not too long afterward, she found the other end. Her husband showed her how to get the ball started and once it was big enough it wasn’t going to fall apart, she took it from him, insisting that she would take care of it.

As she continued to wind the yarn, working her way around their furnishings, she asked, “Are you going to teach me how to make something else tonight?”

“Actually, I was wondering if maybe you’d like to have a picnic,” he offered. “Toothless can take us up the mountain, providing we can find him after all this, and we can have dinner with a view.”

“I’ve never done anything like that, but it sounds like fun,” she replied. “Does Toothless normally go into hiding after doing…this?” She waved her hand vaguely around their house, though it didn’t look nearly as bad now.

Haakon rolled his eyes. “You mean after he does something he knows he’s not supposed to? Yeah, pretty much. He’s normally not too far though. Odds are…” He trailed off as he stepped over to the staircase, only going about halfway up. “Yup.” The next thing she knew her husband had begun speaking like a dragon again, and if the responding warbles were anything to go by, Toothless wasn’t too pleased with his scolding.

At length, her husband shook his head and came back downstairs, a sulking Night Fury slinking down after him. Toothless came straight to her, carefully stepping over the few strands of yarn that remained, and rubbed up against her side, crooning pitifully.

She held back a laugh and turned to look at Haakon. “I’m assuming that’s an apology,” she said, quirking one eyebrow.

Haakon laughed and nodded his head. “He says he’s sorry, but it was just too tempting.”

She looked back at the Night Fury who was staring beseechingly up at her with his big green eyes and shook her head. “I never thought I’d be saying this, but I don’t think I can stay mad at you.”

“He has that effect on people,” Haakon remarked. “Don’t worry, though. In time, you’ll become immune to it.”

Toothless huffed before warbling something and brushing up against her once again.

“What did he say,” she asked curiously.

Her husband rolled his eyes. “That only people with no heart can resist his charm. Thanks, bud. I really appreciate your implications,” he added sarcastically.

Toothless quickly deserted her and bounded toward his favorite human, pouncing on him and pinning him down playfully.

“Ugh, get off of me, you overgrown reptile,” Haakon complained, but she could tell that it was all an act. “And no licking,” he yelled, suddenly serious as Toothless’ tongue dangled dangerously close to him. “You’re already in enough trouble,” he shook his finger at the recalcitrant Night Fury. “Don’t add to it!”

Toothless grumbled before finally releasing Haakon, though he didn’t go far, nuzzling his friend as soon as he was on his feet.

Astrid noticed a small smile on her husband’s face as he muttered, “Yeah, yeah. You know I can’t stay mad at you for long.”

“Some immunity you have there,” she commented, trying to hold back her smile.

“What can I say? I’m weak,” he shrugged before moving toward the kitchen. “Let me just pack a few things for our picnic and then we can be off.”

She finished with the yarn just as he was packing the last item and they were soon airborne, with Toothless flying calmly to make up for what he had done. He landed near the top of the mountain and Astrid gasped as she took it the view.

“It’s beautiful,” she proclaimed.

Haakon smiled as he dismounted and held out a hand to assist her. “This is one of my favorite spots on the island.” He told Toothless to go catch his own dinner and the Night Fury was soon off, leaving just the two of them in the isolated spot.

It didn’t take long for him to spread the blanket and set everything out. Once they had settled and began eating, Astrid mustered her courage and broke the silence, asking, “So, what was it like growing up here?”

Her husband took a bite of his food and shrugged. “It was good. I mean, I never lacked company, whether it was my siblings or the dragons, and there was always something to do or learn.” He stretched out his legs and continued, “My dad let me apprentice when I was six so I could learn how to smith, which was admittedly a little young, but I think he needed to find something to keep me busy and I loved it,” he grinned her way. “Toothless and I got to start flying together when I was ten and by the time I was fifteen, Dad let me go explore the neighboring islands as long as I was back before dark. We had a lot of adventures, maybe one or two close calls, but, yeah, it was good,” he finished. “What about you?”

“Oh, uh, it was okay, I guess,” she stammered as she set her food aside, not having thought about the fact that her question would probably be turned back on her. “I started training when I was five and a couple of years later I fully threw myself into it…for…reasons,” she hedged, not wanting to go into the details. “That’s just how life was,” she shrugged.

“Did you have family or friends you were close to? We could plan a trip if you wanted to visit,” he offered earnestly.

She shook her head, “My family’s all dead.”

“I’m so sorry, Astrid,” he hastened to apologize. “I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine,” she reached out to touch his arm, but quickly drew her hand back. “I said something briefly to Heather, but I didn’t expect you to know. That’s part of the reason I trained so hard.” She took a deep breath as this was the topic that she was trying so hard to avoid, but she was finding that her husband was much like his dragon: impossible to stay mad at or withhold information from.

“I saw my uncle killed by a Flightmare when I was seven,” she said softly, noticing that Haakon was scooting closer to her. “It stained the family name. I was very close to him and wanted to avenge him, bring back the family honor. I guess I managed in a small way, but…” she trailed off, thinking of how far from her goal her life had become as she looked at the distant horizon.

Her gaze was soon brought back to the man sitting next to her, though, as he cautiously slid an arm around her. She took a shaky breath, being affected by relating her history and the nearness of her husband, and continued, “My mom passed away that same year and my dad encouraged me to train even harder, not that I needed the push. I didn’t really have time for friends and my dad wasn’t around much, always going on hunts for the nest with the Chief until one day he didn’t come back.”

Haakon pulled her closer and she found herself leaning into him. “I’m sorry, Astrid,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to dredge up bad memories.”

“We’re Vikings. Death is an occupational hazard,” she shrugged halfheartedly. That was life as she knew it. “But I guess I don’t have to worry about things here so much, huh?”

“No. Fannar keeps us safe,” Haakon acknowledged. “I did ask him if he knew about the other nest after you brought it up, though.”

She glanced up at her husband, curious about what he had found out. “What did he say?”

“He ordered me to drop the subject,” he responded, a thoughtful look on his face. “Said he’d take care of it when the time was right.”

“So, you know nothing more about it than I do,” she concluded.

“Pretty much,” he grimaced, letting silence fall between them.

She didn’t mind as she was finding comfort in his embrace, much as she had the day before. She blushed thinking back to how she had completely embarrassed herself, but, once again, Haakon didn’t seem to mind, simply being there for her when she needed him and not bringing it up afterward.

She was pulled from her thoughts when he pointed his free hand at the horizon and told her to take a look.

Her breath caught as she watched the sun begin to sink into the sea. She had never taken time for such simple pleasures and she was only now realizing how much she had missed out on. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” she murmured.

“It is nice, but there’s a better way to experience it,” Haakon smiled down at her with a twinkle in his eye. “Let’s finish eating, and by then Toothless should be back. Seeing this from dragonback is ten times better. You’ll love it.”

If anything, he had completely undersold it. Flying through the sunset tinted clouds was nothing less than magical. And as the sky turned dark and they were surrounded by stars, Astrid came to the conclusion that this was a moment she would never forget.

She wrapped her arms tighter around her husband and rested her chin on his shoulder, whispering, “Thank you, Haakon. This is amazing.”

He turned slightly so he could see her face and smiled. “You’re more than welcome, Astrid.

Caught up in the moment, she pecked his cheek. Almost immediately, she realized what she had done and buried her face in his back as she felt the heat flooding her cheeks. Before she could process the implications of what she had just done, she felt Haakon remove one of her hands from around his waist and bring it up to kiss her palm.

“Thank you, milady,” he said softly, making her feel warm all over.

Chapter Text

They were almost done with breakfast the next morning when Haakon spoke up. “Do you want to join me today? Toothless and I will be going around the island and it would give you a chance to see the lay of the land, maybe meet a few dragons…” he trailed off, unsure if that would tempt his wife to join him or put her off.

“I mean, I don’t exactly have anything planned for today,” she admitted, “so, sure.”

“Great,” he grinned, happy that Astrid had agreed to accompany him and that she was smiling back at him. “Let me help you with the dishes and then we can get going.”

It didn’t take long and he was soon getting Toothless’ saddle on him while Astrid wandered aimlessly around the main floor.

“These weren’t here before,” she observed and he looked over his shoulder to find her looking at his journals that he had just returned to their proper shelf this morning.

“Oh, well, yeah,” he acknowledged, rubbing the back of his neck. “I had them tucked away. Feel free to look through them if you like.”

Astrid pulled one off the shelf and began to flip through it. “Why were they hidden?”

He turned back to the fidgeting Night Fury and fastened the last two buckles as he said, “Well, there’s a lot of notes about dragons in them, and if you had found them before I explained everything-”

“Ahh, I understand,” she nodded. “They were in that strange cabinet weren’t they?”

“What strange-” he broke off as he saw her gesturing to the cabinet with the hidden latch. “Oh, I guess it could be strange if you’re not aware of how it works,” He walked over to the cabinet and gestured for her to join him. “Come here. I’ll show you how to open it.”

“You don’t have to-”

He waved off her justification. “There’s no reason to keep it a secret from you, so why wouldn’t I show you,” he asked, puzzled by her reaction. “I would have shown you a few days ago if I had thought about it.”

He reached out and lay his palm flat against the front panel. “Okay, so, this front panel slides up and these two pieces come out to keep it from sliding back down. Then this piece here rotates a quarter turn exactly. Any more or less and it won’t work. And once you pull it out, you have to feel on the bottom of the hole for the pin.” He stuck his hand into the cylindrical opening and felt around, pulling out a small, but sturdy, metal pin. “Once that’s out, you can open the door,” he demonstrated, only to look over and find Astrid’s jaw hanging open.

She finally managed to find her voice and asked, “Where did you even-”

“Came up with the idea myself,” he shrugged. “It’s reinforced with Dragon Iron, so it can’t be broken into and it can withstand a fire long enough to keep its contents safe. I don’t generally keep much in here. Some spare coins or things that need to be hidden when there are guests on the island, but that’s about it,” he shared as he replaced all the pieces, relocking the cabinet. “I’ve made a few of them for storing treaties and other important documents for the tribe, but each one has a different locking mechanism,” he explained, adding, “If you have anything that you want to keep safe though, you can feel free to put it in here.”

“I don’t think I own anything that would need that level of protection,” she confessed, following him outside and mounting Toothless behind him. “So what exactly are you doing today?”

“Just checking in on all the dragons,” he replied as Toothless launched himself into the air. “Making sure there are no issues that need to be resolved. That kind of thing. We generally do this about once a week.”

“Why,” she inquired, her confusion clear. “I mean, can’t they take care of things on their own?”

“Well, most dragons prefer to take matters into their own claws. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes it gets out of hand and then Fannar has to step in,” he explained. “Us checking in generally helps prevent things from reaching that point and helps keep the peace. Not to mention the fact that the dragons love to visit and tell us of interesting things they’ve found or warn us about areas that may be dangerous, so it’s to everyone’s benefit.”

She wrapped her arms around him a little tighter as Toothless climbed a bit higher and it left Haakon distracted enough that he almost missed her next question. “What kind of things do they tell you about?”

“If a wreck has washed up on the shore or perhaps some new dragons have integrated into the flock,” he related. “They also warn us of areas that might be more prone to avalanches or if we get a lot of rain, they tell us which areas are bogged down with mud.” He directed Toothless to head to the same area of the forest they always started in before continuing. “Anytime the weather has been bad, we’ll check in with everyone, make sure no one is missing or trapped somewhere.”

“That’s…really nice,” Astrid remarked.

“We take care of each other,” he stated simply, realizing that things must have been different on Berk, even among the human inhabitants. “That’s just the way it works around here. Everyone looks out for everyone else. You’re included in that, you know?” He glanced over his shoulder to find his wife looking at him in wonder before she slowly nodded.

Before he could say anything else, Toothless was landing and the first group of dragons approached. Needless to say, there was much excitement among them all that Haakon had found a mate and he wished he had thought of this complication sooner, as all the dragons kept creeping closer, wanting to learn more about Astrid. Fortunately, Toothless managed to warn them off and they were able to move on to their normal topics of conversation.

This scenario repeated itself several times, each group of dragons more curious than the last. They finally found an empty clearing and took a break to stretch their legs and eat the lunch that Haakon had brought with them. They were almost finished when Astrid suddenly scooted closer to him.

“Umm, Haakon?”

He glanced over at her to find her staring off into the forest. Following the direction of her gaze, he noticed a Deadly Nadder peeking out from behind a grouping of trees. Astrid had done relatively well that morning, but he noticed that she was still unsure around most dragons. He knew that it would take time, but since there was only one dragon this time instead of a whole group, he beckoned the Nadder closer. “Hello there, Stormfly,” he called out as he stood. “How are you doing, girl?”

“Who’s this,” Stormfly asked as she approached, tilting her head curiously.

“This is my mate, Astrid,” he responded.

“You got a mate?!”

“Yeah, I did.” He smiled at the Nadder’s enthusiasm. Unlike most of the other dragons who were more curious than anything, he could tell that Stormfly was truly happy for him.

“I like her,” she trilled as she circled around Astrid, twisting and turning her head, trying to take in every detail of the newest member of their tribe.

“I’m glad,” he replied, trying to hold back a laugh at her antics.

“Haakon,” Astrid whispered apprehensively, just before Stormfly leaned forward and nuzzled her.

“Don’t worry,” he reassured her. “She likes you and is just getting to know you.”

“Uh, Haak. It’s more than that,” Toothless spoke up from his side.

He turned to look at the Night Fury and noticed him sniffing the air. “What do you mean,” he asked warily, having a feeling he knew what Toothless was hinting at.

“She’s picked her,” he stated, confirming Haakon’s suspicions. “Their scents are already intertwined.”

“I thought it only worked with hatchlings,” he murmured, glancing back at his wife who was trying to keep Stormfly from preening her.

“Apparently not,” Toothless observed.

“I guess we’ve never had an opportunity to test it,” Haakon reasoned before calling the Nadder over. “Stormfly, can I speak with you for a moment?”

The dragon bounded over, exclaiming, “I finally found her, Haak! She’s the one!”

“Yes, I know and I’m very happy for you,” he said as he reached up to scratch her jaw, “but you’re going to have to take things slow. Astrid’s not used to dragons and she doesn’t understand your language. She’s adapting to our way of life tolerably well, but I don’t think she’s prepared for this kind of connection yet, okay?”

Stormfly leaned into his touch. “But she will be? Eventually?”

“I think so, but you need to give her time,” he emphasized, knowing that dragons tended to push things. “You can spend small increments of time with her, but try not to overwhelm her.”

“I’ll be good, Haak,” she squawked, bobbing her head. “I don’t want to spook her.”

“I know you don’t,” he replied, giving her one last scratch. “It will all work out in the end. Just be patient.”

He wasn’t quite sure how he was going to explain all this to Astrid, but he thought it might be best to allow her a little bit of time to get used to her new friend before he said anything. On the bright side, at least she had bonded with a dragon before he started working on her new axe as now he could use Stormfly’s scales in the Dragon Iron. Hopefully, by the time he finished it, their bond would be openly acknowledged and maybe the axe might have more meaning for her.

Chapter Text

Astrid was startled from her sleep by a long and deep dragon roar, but at least she fared better than Haakon who fell out of bed. He groggily got to his feet, but instead of getting back into bed like she expected, he headed toward his clothes cupboard.

“Haakon,” she called softly, getting his attention even as Toothless was padding downstairs. “What’s going on?”

“A boat has been sighted off the eastern shores, a few hours out.” He yawned before adding, “It’s one of the traders.”

Maybe Astrid wasn’t awake enough yet, but this wasn’t making any sense. “And you’re getting up now because…?”

“Fannar is sending out the call for all the dragons to retreat to the mountain,” he explained as he stepped behind the screen to get changed, “but Toothless and I have to make sure there are no stragglers.” He paused then said, “You can go back to sleep, Astrid. We probably won’t be back until sunrise.”

A minute later, he emerged fully dressed and nodded toward her before hurrying down the stairs. She heard an assortment of growling and the jingle of the buckles on Toothless’ saddle before the front door shut.

Seeing as there was nothing she could do, she did as her husband advised, and went back to sleep. She woke at her normal hour to the sounds of Haakon fixing breakfast and hastened to get ready before making her way down.

Her husband seemed as alert as always and she couldn’t help but ask, “Did you get any more sleep?”

He shook his head. “I’ll be fine, though. Come on,” he gestured for her to come and eat her breakfast. “We need to get going, so we can get down to the docks.”

“What’s the big rush,” she asked as she sat down.

Haakon grinned at her. “The first ones there always get the best selection,” he winked.

She couldn’t help but laugh. She would never have taken her husband for an avid shopper, but then again, even the most hardened Vikings got excited when traders arrived on their shores.

She ate as fast as she dared, Haakon grabbing her dishes as soon as she finished and throwing them in the basin, saying that he would get them later before dragging her over to his workshop.

She watched as he raced around, collecting an assortment of weapons, and observed, “I thought you didn’t trade your weapons?”

“I don’t trade Dragon Iron weapons,” he clarified, seeming satisfied with what he had piled in his arms as he led the way out of the workshop and down the hill. “These are something a little different. It’s a mixture of normal iron and the iron that this sword is made from.” He nodded toward the sword he had stuck in his belt and she realized it wasn’t the black one he normally carried with him, but the one he had used the first time they sparred. “It’s better than a standard weapon, but not as good as ours,” he shared. “The traders are always eager to accept them, so it’s an easy way to make some coins.”

They traveled the rest of the way in a comfortable silence, meeting Dagur along the way and approaching the docks together. As they got closer, Astrid heard a familiar voice call out, “Ah, Berserker Island. My favorite of all the islands I travel to. Chief Dagur! It’s a pleasure to see you as always.”

“And you as well Johann,” Dagur replied, stepping onto the boat and giving the trader a firm handshake.

“And Master Haakon,” Johann exclaimed turning to face them. She noticed the shock on his face as he said, “Do my eyes deceive me or is that-”

“Hi, Johann,” Astrid waved.

“Why, Miss Astrid, what are you doing here?”

“Berk sold me off in marriage as part of their treaty,” she declared, trying to keep her voice light. She glanced toward Haakon who had stiffened beside her and added, “It’s not so bad, though,” relieved when he relaxed just a fraction. She was still mad at Berk, but that didn’t mean she was mad at him. They had been getting along quite well with each other lately and she didn’t want to ruin that.

“You and Master Haakon, then,” Johann reasoned. At her nod, he observed, “You could do much worse, lass. Quite a catch, this one is,” he gestured to Haakon, whose blush she was sure matched her own. “And I see you have more of your special Berserker Blend weapons for me?”

“That I do, Johann,” Haakon replied, stepping onto the boat, though he looked back at her in an invitation to join him. Before he moved to the side to come to an agreement with Johann, he told her. “Go ahead and take a look around and see if there’s anything you want.”

She watched him walk to an empty section of the boat and barter over the worth of the weapons before turning her attention to the trader’s selection. It wasn’t long before she noticed that Haakon was doing the same, eventually making his way back to Johann, though she hadn’t seen what it was he had found. He was soon back at her side, satchel bulging, and informing her, “I’ve got to run into town real quick, but the weapons brought in plenty of money. Johann says to select what you’d like and he’ll give you the gold for whatever else he owes us.”

Astrid shook her head and said, “I don’t think there’s anything I need…”

“It could just be something you want,” he offered with a smile. “Treat yourself. Except for weapons, but only because I’ll make those for you myself.” He squeezed her hand. “They’re coming, I promise. Just give me a bit more time. I’ll see you back at the house?”

She nodded dazedly, continuously amazed at her husband’s generosity. She continued to browse through Johann’s wares, but nothing was catching her eye. She felt that if she didn’t get anything, Haakon would be disappointed, and she didn’t want that, but she wasn’t sure what to do.

She glanced around the boat once more and noticed that while she had been so occupied, Heather had arrived. She maneuvered through all manner of items, making her way toward her sister-in-law. She was just a few steps away when the other girl looked up.

“Hey, Astrid,” she greeted her. “Find anything good?”

“Not exactly, but…” she trailed off, unsure of how to word her request for help.

“What is it,” Heather asked kindly.

Astrid twisted her hands, before quickly dropping them, embarrassed by her uncertainty. “Well, Haakon told me to get something for myself, but I’m at a loss.”

Heather’s face lit up. “I know just the thing,” she declared, grabbing Astrid’s arm and dragging her over to a corner that she had somehow missed, pulling out the most beautiful cloak Astrid had ever seen.

“How did I miss this,” she asked in wonder, running her hands over the soft red fabric and marveling at the thickness of it. “It’s beautiful, but I’m sure the price is much too dear.”

“How much did Haak leave you,” Heather inquired.

“He didn’t say,” she responded, unable to take her eyes off the cloak. “Just what was left over from the weapons he traded.”

“Then you could probably afford two of these,” Heather remarked, causing Astrid’s head to snap up.

“What?!”

Heather shrugged. “Haak’s weapons are in high demand.” She turned away and called out, “Johann, Astrid will take this cloak.”

Astrid was quick to protest. “Heather, I couldn’t-”

“Too late,” she grinned. “You already did.”

She felt that this was too much, but Heather had already committed her to purchasing it. She couldn’t find it in herself to be mad though, as she truly did adore the cloak and if Heather said it would be okay, then it must be…right? Still, she felt like she needed to do something to thank Haakon for all that he had done for her. She hesitantly said, “I know Haakon already looked around, but maybe there’s a book or journal or something I could get as a thank you for him.”

“What a great idea,” Heather commented. “I’ll look through the books to see if I can find something he would like while you ask Johann if he has any journals.”

Astrid wound up settling on a large, leather-bound journal, as well as an adventure book that Heather had assured her Haakon had not read before but would enjoy. Even with her purchases, Johann still gave her a decent-sized pouch of gold which she made sure to tuck into the pocket on her belt so she wouldn’t lose it.

As she was making her way back through the village, she decided to make a slight detour, stopping to see if her father-in-law was home. She knocked on the door to Haakon’s ancestral home and soon found herself being ushered inside.

“Hello there, lass,” Oswald greeted her, gesturing for her to take a seat. “How are you doing?”

“Good,” she replied shyly as she took a seat at the table, keeping her eyes on her purchases as she sat them down. Mustering up her courage, she looked up at her father-in-law and said, “I just wanted to thank you and tell you that you were right.”

“About what,” Oswald asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Trying,” she revealed. “Things have been a lot easier.”

“I’m glad.” He smiled softly and reached out to pat her hand. “You’re my daughter now too and I want both you and Haakon to be happy. You’re getting there, I think?”

“I think so,” she nodded slowly.

“Good,” he declared. “Why don’t you and Haakon join us for dinner tonight? I promise the dragons won’t be so pushy this time.”

“But Johann-” she began, confused as to how the dragons would be out and about with the trader here.

Oswald waved his hand dismissively. “He rarely stays overnight, preferring to press on to his next stop, which is generally Berk. As soon as the sun sets, the dragons will be back out.”

“Oh, I’ll speak with Haakon, then,” she responded, gathering her things to head home, “though I don’t think he’ll mind.”

“Good,” Oswald said as he walked her to the door. “I’ll see you tonight, then.”

Chapter Text

Haakon had been quite pleased with the selection Johann had brought this visit and he hoped that Astrid would have as much success in finding something as he did. He left her to look around, thinking that she may prefer not to have him hovering over her shoulder. Plus, he had an errand he would rather accomplish without her presence.

Fortunately, he caught Ingrid before she left to browse through Johann’s wares herself. Astrid’s boots were ready, so he was able to pick those up, along with the extra set of sleeping clothes he had requested for her. Since Ingrid had not yet started on the new set of ceremonial clothes he had ordered, he was able to show her the gems he had just gotten from Johann and she promised she would do her best to match their color before hurrying off.

With that taken care of, he headed home, stopping briefly at his workshop to stow the gems and the fur he had gotten in his locked cabinet there. He didn’t want Astrid to see them just yet, not until he had finished the pieces he had in mind.

He managed to make it home before Astrid did, so he took care of the dishes, thinking it was only fair since he had rushed her out of the house this morning. He was just finishing up, when she came in the front door, a large red bundle in her arms.

He smiled and nodded toward what she was carrying. “You found something?”

“Yeah,” she responded hesitantly, setting her bundle on the table. “I wasn’t going to get it, but Heather kind of overrode me.”

He stepped closer and inquired, “What is it?”

“A cloak.”

“May I?” He gestured to the bundle and she nodded, removing two books so he could pick it up. He didn’t often trade for clothing, but this garment was beautifully made and promised to be quite warm. “This is quite nice and it will definitely come in handy once winter comes. We’re further north than Berk so it can be a bit colder,” he observed as he began to fold it back up. “Why weren’t you going to get it?”

“I was afraid it would be too expensive,” she replied, refusing to meet his eyes.

“Don’t worry about it, Astrid,” he reassured her, resting one hand on her arm, causing her to look at him. “With all my commissions and the occasional weapons traded, I do pretty well. We can more than afford it.” She still seemed to be unsure and since she had mentioned that Heather pushed her into getting it, he asked, “You do like it, don’t you?”

“I do,” she hastened to assure him. “I’m just not used to all…this,” she waved her hand awkwardly before suddenly remembering the books she was holding. She held them out and shyly said, “I-I got these for you.”

“For me?” He tilted his head, surprised that she had thought of him, and as he accepted them, he couldn’t help but admire her selection. The journal was beautifully made and something he would definitely use, while the book looked quite intriguing.

“It’s just something to say thank you for all you’ve done for me,” she explained, a slight blush on her cheeks. “Heather helped pick out the book,” she admitted, “so if you don’t like it you can blame her.”

He laughed at that. “I’m sure I’ll like it. Thank you, Astrid,” he said, wrapping one arm around her and pulling her in for a side hug. “I actually have something for you as well.” He set the books down on the table and walked over to the stairs, pulling the boots out from where he had stashed them. He passed them to her, pleased by the delighted look on her face. “They’re lined with fur, so they may be a little warm to wear now, but I wanted to make sure you were ready for winter.”

She ran her hands over them appreciatively, a smile on her face. “They’re lovely,” she remarked, pausing her admiration to pull a small pouch from the pocket on her belt. “Before I forget, here’s the money Trader Johann owed you.”

“Keep it,” he replied, closing her fingers around it.

“But Haakon-”

“This way, if there’s something that you need or want to get, you won’t have to worry about asking me for money,” he rationalized. “I don’t want you to feel that you have to get my permission for everything you buy. Just let me know when you run out.”

“I- Thank you, Haakon,” she said softly, glancing up at him through her bangs. “For everything.” She gathered up her new belongings and was halfway up the stairs when she stopped and said, “By the way, I stopped to say hi to your father and he invited us for dinner tonight.”

Haakon couldn’t tell how she felt about the invitation, so he asked her if she wanted to go.

Astrid nodded hesitantly. “I think it would be nice. And he promised the dragons wouldn’t be so pushy this time.”

“Yeah,” he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “Generally, first meetings are the worst. Dragons don’t really understand the concept of personal space.” He shrugged and grinned lopsidedly. “You’re sure, though? About going tonight, I mean?”

“I am,” she confirmed, making his heart soar.

Things were so much better between them and she seemed to like his family. She was even becoming more comfortable around some of the dragons. Things were most decidedly looking up.

-o0o-

“And then Johann screeched like a little girl,” Dagur finished his story, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

“If he’s that bad with a mouse, then it’s a good thing he’s never seen our dragons,” Heather declared, fanning herself with her hand as she tried to catch her breath.

“Isn’t that the truth,” Haakon commented, before turning to face his youngest sister. “So, what did you do today, Sirena?” When he didn’t get a response, he said her name again, this time a little louder.

“Huh,” she jolted in her seat, looking around the table in confusion.

“I think it’s time you went to bed,” their dad observed.

“But it’s not that late,” Sirena complained.

“And you’re falling asleep at the table,” Dagur pointed out.

“It’s not my fault Meda woke me up really early to go to the ice caves with her,” Sirena grumbled. “Something about not missing my lessons, but it would’ve just been one day.”

“And you’ve already slacked off enough due to the Berkians‘ visit,” Meda chimed in, using her wing to shepherd the little girl out of her seat and up the stairs. “Your father is right. It’s time for bed. Off you go.”

“Night, little shadow,” Haakon called after her before turning to his brother. “So, how are the storehouses looking? Are we in good shape for winter?”

“They’re already full and the harvest isn’t even over,” Dagur shared. “It’s a good problem to have, but I think we may need to expand our storage. I wanted to get your opinions, though.”

“It wouldn’t hurt,” Haakon remarked, his father and twin nodding their agreement while Astrid remained silent. “I can ask Fannar to lend a few claws to help with the building.”

“Thanks, brother,” Dagur slapped him on the back. “It would be appreciated.”

“No problem,” he replied. “And how about the Festival? Do you need any help?”

“Festival?”

Haakon glanced at his wife to see her looking at him curiously. “At the end of the harvest, we always have a celebration,” he explained. “One last chance for us to all come together before winter hits. There are competitions and dancing and a big feast. It’s generally the biggest event of the year.”

“It sounds fun,” she noted.

“It is,” he grinned. “I’m sure you’ll love it.” Turning back to his siblings, he asked, “So, how are the preparations going?”

“I’ve got everything in hand,” Heather assured him, “though I will happily accept some extra help for setting everything up once we get a bit closer.”

“You’ve got it,” he nodded at his twin. “Just let me know when you need me.”

“I can help, too,” his wife offered.

Heather smiled at her. “Thanks, Astrid. I’d appreciate it. Now, who’s up for a game?”

They finished the evening by playing one of the games Haakon had already taught Astrid and so far as he could tell, she had a good time. It probably helped that Meda and Bliksem were the only dragons to stay downstairs, Goldie having gone straight upstairs while Toothless, Myrsky, and Windshear had only stopped by briefly before going on a sunset flight to stretch their wings after being cooped up all day.

What he was not expecting, though, was to step outside and find Stormfly perched on the roof of his family’s home.

Astrid followed his gaze and asked, “Isn’t that the Nadder from yesterday?”

“That it is,” he replied. “Hello, Stormfly. What are you doing here?”

“You said I could spend time with her,” she squawked as she landed beside them.

“I did, but-”

“And I couldn’t come earlier because of Fannar’s orders-”

“That’s true,” Haakon admitted.

“-so, I’m here now,” she declared.

Haakon did best not to sigh at this example of draconic logic at its finest. “You can walk back with us, but I don’t think Astrid’s going to be okay with you coming in the house just yet.”

“That’s okay,” Stormfly trilled as she nuzzled his slightly nervous wife.

“Haakon, what’s going on,” Astrid queried, shying away from the overly affectionate Nadder.

“Seems she wanted to see you again,” he shared, hoping that would prove sufficient.

“Oh, well, that was nice of you,” Astrid said, tentatively reaching her hand out to stroke Stormfly’s scales.

Haakon let out the breath he had been unknowingly holding. His wife was warming up to the idea of being friends with dragons, and with this one in particular. He just hoped that Stormfly didn’t push her too hard, too fast.

Chapter Text

Astrid swung her axe randomly as she made her way through the forest. Dinner last night with Haakon’s family had been nice and the die game had turned a lot more rowdy with his siblings joining in. She wasn’t used to being part of a family, much less a large one, but she was slowly becoming more comfortable with them, and she had to admit, she liked it.

She smiled to herself as she reached the clearing she had been using for training. She had been alone for so long, but she didn’t have to be any more. A rustling in the bushes to her left caused her to look and discover that even out here, she was not alone.

“Hello, there,” she called out to the Deadly Nadder who seemed to be stalking her. “Stormfly, isn’t it?”

The blue dragon bobbed her head eagerly before bounding over.

It took all of Astrid’s self-control not to raise her axe to defend herself, but she remembered what Haakon had said, and Stormfly had been nice the other two times they had met, even if she liked to be much closer than Astrid was comfortable with. “What are you doing out here,” she asked, tentatively reaching out to scratch the Nadder’s jaw the same way she had seen her husband greet dragons on multiple occasions.

Stormfly squawked some kind of a response back at her, though she had no idea what it meant, before trying to grab a hold of her braid with her beak.

Astrid was able to fend her off, though it took a bit for the dragon to settle down. “I was going to train,” she remarked. “I guess you can watch, but stay out of the way, okay? I don’t want to hurt you accidentally. That wouldn’t go well for either of us,” she observed, thinking back to that first day she had met Toothless and Haakon’s warning.

The Nadder seemed to understand and settled herself off to one side of the clearing, her gaze raptly following Astrid’s every movement. It left her feeling slightly unsettled, but she pushed through it, warming up her muscles before running through her standard routine.

All was going well until she hurled her axe at a tree. Despite what Haakon had implied when they first met, her aim was impeccable and she hit it dead center. Stormfly clearly approved as she left her spot and raced past Astrid.

“What are you-” She stopped short when she saw that the Nadder had bitten down on her axe handle and pulled it from the tree. Stormfly trotted over with her chest thrown out, clearly proud of herself, and dropped the axe at Astrid’s feet. She eyed the slimy handle in barely concealed disgust and said, “Well, thank you, I guess.”

She grabbed her axe by the head, trying to dry off the handle in the grass, but it was still slightly sticky. Resigned to the fact that this was as good as it was going to get, she told Stormfly to go sit back down and once she was sure the dragon was out of the way, she threw her axe again, only for the Nadder to run past her in pursuit of the axe once more.

“Stormfly, I-” She gave up calling after the dragon, as she clearly wasn’t paying attention to her. “I can get it myself,” she muttered under her breath, right before the slimy axe was set in front of her.

Astrid grimaced as she noticed that Stormfly’s teeth were doing her no favors, having chipped the handle in several places. Drying her axe as best she could, she decided to cut her training short today as the Nadder seemed to be intent on interrupting her, even if it wasn’t done maliciously.

She began walking back home but noticed that Stormfly was continuing to follow her. She turned to the dragon and said, “I’m leaving now. Go on.” She made a shooing motion with her hands, but the Nadder just stared at her, tilting her head back and forth.

Astrid sighed and gave up, throwing her hands in the air and resolving to stop in at her husband’s workshop to see if he could get the dragon off her tail.

Fortunately, Haakon was there and not on some random part of the island, so she stormed in and pointed at the Nadder, asking, “Why won’t she stop following me?!”

Her husband startled at her sudden entrance, though he was quick to set aside his project and give her his full attention. “Well, she was supposed to be more patient and allow you a chance to gradually get to know her,” he responded awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, “but she’s following you because she chose you.”

That caught Astrid off guard. “What do you mean?”

“Like me and Toothless,” Haakon explained, gesturing to the Night Fury who had engaged Stormfly in some sort of game. “We’ve bonded. Same with you two. It actually happened two days ago, right when she first met you.”

“But why,” she demanded, thoroughly confused as to why a dragon would pick her when she had spent her whole life fighting them.

“She saw something in you,” Haakon replied softly, stepping to her side and squeezing her hand. “Normally, once a dragon grows out of the hatchling phase, they don’t have any more opportunities to find a bonded. That’s just how our traditions work, but Stormfly proved that it’s not impossible,” he observed, gesturing to the energetic blue dragon. Haakon watched the dragons for a moment before leaning closer and whispering, “She’s wanted a human friend for a long time. I could never find it in myself to dampen her hopes, but it turns out all she had to do was be patient.”

Astrid felt that between her husband’s sweet words and the look he was giving her, she was going to melt, but she somehow managed to find the words to ask, “And she wants me?”

“Mm-hmm,” Haakon nodded, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

She couldn’t help but think that nobody had ever wanted her before. Not even Haakon who was so nice to her, though he had been seeking her out more lately, so maybe that had changed. But she did not dare to ask that yet and so she turned her gaze to Stormfly. The fact that this dragon actually wanted her, wanted to be her friend, made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

“So, what do you think,” her husband said. “Are you willing to give her a chance?”

Astrid nodded slowly. “I think I can do that.” The words had barely left her mouth when she realized a complication. “I don’t know if my axe is going to survive our new bond, though.”

“What do you mean,” Haakon queried, to which she held up her axe and he quickly grasped her point. “Ah. Stormfly,” he called, quickly gaining the Nadder’s attention. “Astrid’s axe is not something for you to play fetch with,” he shook his finger at the dragon who crooned mournfully. “I know you didn’t mean it, but no playing with her axe, okay?” The Nadder bobbed her head just before Toothless tackled her and they were soon swept back up in their game.

Haakon took her axe from her, grimacing at how sticky the handle was, and walked over to a bin of what looked to be leather scraps.

“That’s what she was doing,” Astrid inquired. “Playing?”

“Yup,” Haakon confirmed, as he began to expertly wrap the handle of her axe with strips of leather. “Nadders are very playful. Engaging in games is a sure way to win her affection. And that’s another thing that Nadders are known for, being very affectionate.”

Astrid’s brow furrowed. “Is that why she keeps going after my braid?”

“Uh, kind of,” Haakon hedged, pausing his work for a moment. “Basically, she’s trying to preen you.” He resumed wrapping her axe handle and remarked, “It makes sense, really. Nadders are one of the most beautiful dragons and they like pretty things.”

She could feel the blush creeping up her cheeks at his inadvertent compliment but did her best to stamp it down. Her husband had never said anything to her about her looks and she had to admit, she was curious about what he thought of her, resulting in her blurting out, “Are you saying I’m pretty?”

“It’s not something that you can really deny,” he looked up at her and grinned, “but, I will say, I think there’s a lot more to you than just your good looks and skills with an axe.” He stood up and walked back, handing her axe over. “Here. This should help for now, but if she starts going after it again, just firmly tell her no. I’m sure she’ll calm down a bit once she’s gotten over the initial excitement of having found a friend. It’s a heady experience.”

Astrid nodded, realizing that there was a lot she was going to have to learn, but one thought in particular stuck out in her head. “Does this mean that she’ll be coming in the house now?”

“If you let her,” Haakon responded. “I did warn her that it might take some time for you to get used to the idea, so she won’t be offended if you’re not ready to take that step yet.”

Astrid decided that she would have to think about it. She had gotten used to Toothless being underfoot and Stormfly did seem to be fairly gentle, all things considered. Maybe it would be okay. Maybe.

Chapter Text

As they ate breakfast the next morning, Astrid asked her husband, “Today’s your weekly sparring session, right?”

“Mm-hmm,” he confirmed, only half paying attention as he was jotting down something in that journal of his.

“Would it be okay if I joined?”

His head shot up and he smiled at her. “Of course! I’ll bring my other sword with me and once Dagur goes to collect Sirena, we can go at it. Sound good?”

“Yeah,” she smiled back.

They were soon off to the arena, and this time around, she tried to focus more on how her husband and brother-in-law were maneuvering through the course rather than on their skills and technique. It looked to be even more chaotic than it had last time, though the fact that Stormfly had jumped in to help Toothless and Myrsky rearrange things probably didn’t help matters. She did notice a few things that she thought might help when it was her turn, but she would have to wait and see how it went.

Eventually, Dagur managed to disarm her husband, and they called it quits for the day. Haakon called for her to join him and she made her way down, passing her brother-in-law as he was leaving.

“Have fun,” Dagur said before mounting Myrsky and taking to the sky.

Astrid walked over to Haakon and found him growling at the Terrible Terrors, waving them off. She watched as the little dragons flew away and turned to her husband in confusion. “Why are they leaving?”

“I know you want to prove your skills, but this whole exercise is new for you,” he reasoned. Waving toward the haphazard pile of junk cluttering the arena, he suggested, “Get used to all this first, and then we’ll add the Terrors back in. Okay?”

She nodded slowly, feeling slightly disappointed that he thought she couldn’t handle it. She quickly shook that thought from her head, though, reminding herself that Haakon was only trying to help her, and what he had said did admittedly make sense.

Her thoughts must have shown on her face as her husband stepped closer and said, “You do realize we didn’t start out with this level of crazy, right?”

She rolled her eyes and gave him half a smile. “I know.”

“You’ll get there, I promise,” he reassured her, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “Now, before we get started, can I give you a few tips?”

She glanced at her husband to see him looking at her guardedly. She couldn’t exactly blame him considering how things had gone the last time they were here. “Uh, sure,” she accepted, basking in the warmth of the smile he sent her way.

“Ok, so the point of this course is to expect the unexpected, right?”

“I guess so,” she replied warily.

“While winning is the goal, defending yourself is key,” Haakon explained. “You have to know what’s around you, especially what’s behind you so you don’t find yourself backed into a corner.”

Astrid blushed, remembering how he had cornered her so easily last time.

Thankfully, her husband pretended not to notice her embarrassment and kept speaking. “So, until you’re sure of your surroundings, focus on defense. I know that’s probably not the Berkian way, but us Berserkers would much rather live to fight another day, even if it means the battle lasts a bit longer.”

“Okay, I’ll try it,” she ventured, before glaring at him. “Just remember, no going easy on me. You promised.”

Haakon laughed. “How about this? I hold back for a minute or two, just so you can have a chance to orient yourself?”

“Haakon!”

“Okay, okay,” he held his hands up defensively, though she could tell he was trying to hold back a smile. “I won’t hold back. Just don’t get mad at me if the fight’s over too soon.”

“May your overconfidence be your downfall,” she shot back archly, able to appreciate this time around that he wasn’t trying to mock her.

“We shall see,” Haakon declared, running straight at her with his sword raised.

With such an obvious attack, she had no trouble parrying him, and remembering what he had told her, she focused more on defending herself, though she was able to get in a few blows of her own before Haakon disarmed her.

“Very good,” Haakon praised her sincerely. “Could you feel the difference?”

“I could,” she responded. “It felt weird, but in this situation, it definitely helped. Go again?”

Her husband grinned and bowed playfully. “As milady wishes.”

-o0o-

Haakon had been pleased that Astrid enjoyed her second attempt at their course. And he was even happier that she had been willing to listen to his suggestions and take things at a slightly slower pace. She was a skilled fighter who just needed a little training to become great, and he could see that she would reach that level quite soon, especially as they began to train together in the forest every morning for an hour or so before he had to take care of his responsibilities. It was a nice way to start the day and spend a bit extra time with his wife, who, he had to admit, he was becoming fond of.

As these thoughts ran through his head, he put the finishing touches on his latest project and held it out to show Toothless who was lazing about in the corner of his workshop. “What do you think, bud,” he asked, critically eyeing the Dragon Iron axe he had just finished. “You think she’ll like it?”

Toothless rolled his eyes. “Everyone likes your weapons, Haak,” he remarked. “Even the dragons like them because of the way the colors connect them to their bonded.” The Night Fury stretched, and slunk closer, saying, “One thing I do know. Stormfly won’t stop crowing once she sees her bonded with an axe that matches her scales.”

Haakon laughed. “Too true.” He walked over to the far counter and collected the matching daggers he had made before closing the shutters and heading home with Toothless on his heels.

He wasn’t sure why he was feeling slightly apprehensive about the gift. He hadn’t felt this way about the clothes he had gotten her and he had already told Astrid that he would be making her weapons, so it wasn’t that it was unexpected. Maybe it was because she valued her axe so much and this was one of the few things he thought she would have certain standards about. He looked once more at the blade and the stylized Nadder he had engraved, hoping it would meet with her approval before opening his front door.

“Hey, Astrid,” he greeted her as he and Toothless stepped inside.

“Hey,” she replied, her attention focused on her knitting, which she was still trying to master. Toothless bounded over and she was quick to grab the ball of yarn before he could get to it. Looking up from her project, she nodded toward the axe and asked, “What’s that?”

Haakon stepped closer and held it out to her. “Well, I did tell you that I was going to make you weapons.”

“This is for me,” she inquired, accepting it reverently and running her hand along the blade.

“Yup,” he nodded, holding his breath and hoping she liked it.

“The color, it-”

“-matches Stormfly,” he confirmed. “That’s the main reason I won’t trade these weapons,” he shared. “The color and some of the strength comes from using dragon scales. I don’t know if anyone would put the pieces together, but I’m not willing to take the risk.”

“I had wondered how you got your sword to be black,” she confessed, “but Heather and Dagur’s weapons…” she trailed off, her brow furrowed.

“They match their bonded,” Haakon supplied. “Because of Windshear’s coloring, Heather’s axe looks normal and, while Dagur’s does too at first glance, there’s a slight purple tint to the metal. You have to really look for it though, so generally he can take it wherever and no one will notice anything.” He watched as she returned to examining her new axe, then suddenly remembered that there was more. “I made you some daggers as well,” he said, passing them to her.

She took them but was quick to set them aside, her attention fully on her axe. She held it to her chest and looked up at him, a huge smile on her face. “I love it, Haakon. Really, I do. I can’t wait to give it a try.”

He let out the breath he had been holding, relieved that she seemed so pleased with his offering. “Well, I was thinking…the Harvest Festival is coming up next week and there is an axe throwing competition. There should be enough time for you to get a feel for your new axe,” he reasoned. “If you wanted to participate, that is.”

“That might be fun,” Astrid commented. Smiling slyly at him she added, “It would give me a chance to beat you.”

Haakon laughed. “We’ll have to have our own contest for that,” he put forth. “Not that you can’t participate in more than one competition, but I prefer to keep my focus on the dragon racing event.”

“What’s that,” she queried, tilting her head.

“Riders and their dragons have to collect markers from around the island,” he explained. “They’re about the size of a sheep, so most of them are not too hard to spot, but the ones worth more points are always in hard to reach or out of the way places. It’s the best event, in my opinion, but I’m biased,” he grinned.

“It sounds interesting,” she acknowledged. “I look forward to watching it.”

“Who knows? Maybe next year, you’ll even be participating,” he speculated.

“I don’t know about that,” Astrid hedged. “I have to learn how to fly with Stormfly first.”

“You’re getting there. Your bond with her has definitely strengthened over this last week,” he reassured her. After all, just yesterday she had let Stormfly follow her into the house. “I’ll have a saddle ready for you soon,” he informed her. “I have a feeling you’ll be a fast learner. So, are you ready to start dinner?”

Astrid groaned. “I was already working on my knitting. Do I have to work on my cooking today, too?”

Haakon chuckled as he made his way to the kitchen. “Not if you don’t want to,” he said over his shoulder. “It’s really up to you.”

“Fine,” she grumbled, “but only because I like the way you teach.”

He tried to hide his smile, pleased that his wife seemed to enjoy spending time with him as much as he enjoyed being with her. They still had a ways to go, but this marriage was turning out much better than he had expected.

Chapter Text

Astrid was having a hard time trying to decide what to look at as Haakon led her through the village. Unlike yesterday when they had been setting up the decorations, the plaza was now bustling with life as everyone got into the spirit of the Harvest Festival. Haakon had explained to her that this first day, the focus was more on the games and competitions, while tomorrow would be the grand feast. Still, there were plenty of stalls set up around the village offering different foods and drinks and, while she wasn’t hungry yet, Astrid looked forward to trying the various options on offer.

“This is so different from what I’m used to,” she observed, causing Haakon to glance back at her.

“Did you have nothing like this on Berk,” he asked curiously.

She thought for a moment before responding, “I guess the closest thing would be Thawfest, but it’s just a three part strength and agility competition for the kids and younger teens. It takes place every spring, but there aren’t many decorations or much fanfare.”

Haakon nodded and continued to pull her along. “Our Spring Festival has some events for the younger kids,” he shared, “but otherwise, it’s the same as this one.”

Astrid ducked as a Terrible Terror flew rather close to her head but kept moving, not wanting to be late for the axe throwing competition, which was apparently the first event of the day. Her husband was expertly weaving through the crowds and managed to get them to the arena just as they were calling for all competitors to enter the arena.

He turned to her and inquired, “You ready?”

She removed her axe from her back and nodded firmly. “Yeah. I got this.”

“I’m sure you do, milady,” he grinned and gave her hand a squeeze before letting go and gesturing to the stands. “I’ll be cheering you on.”

Astrid took a deep breath before entering the arena and taking her place among the other contestants. She was assigned to the third group and as she looked around at the assortment of Berserkers, she noted that she had met a few of them briefly, but many were still unknown to her. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she turned her attention to the targets that had been set up and waited for her turn.

The first two groups moved swiftly, one or two Vikings being selected from each group to move on to the next round. When her group was called up, she hesitated for just a moment, waiting for everyone else to release their axes before throwing her own. She had learned the hard way that even though your aim may be perfect, someone else’s may not be, and she wasn’t about to take any chances on a stray axe hitting her own.

She had spent quite a bit of time this last week practicing with her new axe and it paid off as she hit her target just barely off-center and progressed to the next round. A few more participants were selected from the other groups and then the next round commenced, with two groups this time around. She was called to go with the first group, throwing a perfect bullseye. She and one other Viking were told they would be moving on to the final round and to wait to the side while the second group went.

There were only three of them for the final round and Astrid took a deep breath. This was her chance to prove herself to her new tribe and she wanted to win more than anything. She happened to glance up before she moved to face the targets and saw Haakon grinning and giving her a thumbs up. Maybe she wanted to make him proud, too, just a little bit.

For the final round, the contestants went one at a time, the best throw winning the competition. The other Vikings were good, their throws landing just barely off center, but Astrid knew she could do better. She let her axe fly and let go of the breath she had been holding as her axe hit dead center and she was announced as the winner.

She beamed and glanced up to where Haakon was sitting only to find he was not there. Distracted by wondering where he could have gone, she didn’t see him running into the arena and was caught unaware when he grabbed her hand and spun her around and into his arms.

“Congratulations,” he whispered in her ear as he held her tight.

She pulled back just enough to see his face and returned his smile. “I- Thank you,” she said, feeling rather breathless.

Haakon released her from the hug but kept his hand in hers as she received her medal, beaming at her the entire time and causing a strange fluttering sensation in her stomach. It wasn’t going away either as they left the arena, having to stop multiple times as several Berserkers came up to congratulate her.

Once they had gotten out of the crush around the arena, Haakon began to swing their clasped hands back and forth and asked, “So, what would you like to do now? The dragon races don’t start until later in the afternoon, so we’ve got some time.”

“What do you normally do?”

He shrugged. “Wander around, watch the events, join in a game or two.”

“That sounds good,” she replied. “What kind of games are there?”

Haakon looked at her for a moment before his face lit up and he began pulling her toward a grassy area off to the side of the village. “I know just the one. Kubb.”

Her brow furrowed, having never heard of such a game. “Kubb?”

“It’s a team sport,” her husband explained, “so we can play on the same side instead of against each other.”

“Where’s the fun in that,” she pouted as he came to a stop and glanced at her in fond exasperation.

“You know, not everything has to be a competition,” he pointed out. “I thought it might be fun to work together for once.”

Astrid mockingly sighed, but she couldn’t keep her smile from creeping through. “I guess it might be, at that. So how-”

“Hello, Haakon.”

She tried to hold back a groan as her husband muttered under his breath and together they turned to face Rayna who had come up behind them.

“Have you come for a game,” she inquired, fluttering her eyelashes at Haakon and making Astrid’s blood boil. “I was looking for a team to join.”

“We’re just here to watch,” he informed her, his voice completely bland, though he perked up a bit when he added, “But it looks like Lars still needs someone for their team.” He turned to the field and called out, “Hey, Lars! Rayna will join you.” He turned back to the redhead, a smug smile on his face. “There you go. Problem solved.”

Astrid could tell that the other girl was not pleased with the outcome of her attempt, but as Lars was yelling for her to hurry up and join them, there wasn’t much she could do. As Rayna walked away, she leaned toward her husband and murmured, “That was nicely done.”

“Well, thank you, milady,” he bowed his head slightly, acknowledging her praise. “Fending off Rayna is an art that I have mastered out of necessity. We can wait and join the next round.”

“So how does this work?”

“There are two teams and each has five wooden blocks,” he said, gesturing to the field with his free hand as he explained. “The goal is to use your batons to knock over the other team’s blocks which we then claim and set up on our side of the field. Once you’ve knocked down all your opponent’s blocks, then you get a chance to knock down the King, the one in the middle, and win the game.”

“Seems fairly simple,” she remarked.

“It is.”

They watched the game progress and Astrid thought that they should be able to win fairly easily, especially when Haakon’s siblings joined them and they decided to form a team with the five of them. The only problem was that, apparently, the siblings’ skill at this game was well known and no one wanted to go up against them as they were guaranteed to lose.

The problem was solved when Toothless came bounding over and warbled something at her husband before running off and coming back with Myrsky, Windshear, Goldie, and Stormfly.

As Haakon walked onto the field pulling her behind him, she hesitantly said, “Uh, are we playing against our dragons?”

“Yup,” Haakon smirked.

“And they’ve played before?”

“Oh yeah,” Heather chimed in. “They aren’t allowed to use their fire or spines to make it fair. Watch out though,” she warned. “Myrsky tends to aim a little high and you don’t want to get conked on the head by a slimy baton.”

Astrid nodded. “I will take that into consideration.”

The dragons were capering about on the other side of the field as Haakon went to set up the blocks for them, though they settled down as the batons were laid out. As Astrid looked at their opposing team, she could see that they meant business.

As they got started, Astrid had to admit that the dragons were worthy opponents. Toothless’ aim was incredibly accurate and Myrsky wasn’t as off as Heather had said. Of course, Haakon told her that it was only because the other dragons kept reminding him to aim lower. Windshear and Goldie weren’t too bad either and, even though it was her first time, Stormfly managed to knock over blocks with most of her throws. Despite the dragons’ skills, their riders still managed to win as Haakon and Dagur never missed, and neither did she.

The crowd that had gathered cheered as Haakon managed to knock down the King and the dragons grumbled good-naturedly.

“That was fun,” she declared with a huge smile on her face as her husband walked back over to her.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he said, leaning down to peck her cheek. “How about we get something at one of the stalls and watch the archery tournament while we eat,” he suggested.

“Okay,” she squeaked out, trying to fight the blush from her husband’s kiss.

Chapter Text

Haakon took Astrid to his favorite stalls and they collected what she thought was enough food to feed a small army before heading over to watch the archery tournament while they ate. She soon realized why he had gotten so much when Toothless found them and began nosing around. The Night Fury wound up getting more than his fair share before carefully curling around the two of them and taking a short nap.

It wasn’t long before Haakon stood and stretched, letting her know that they would need to get going. He roused Toothless and they were soon heading back home so he could collect his saddle and helmet.

They were almost through the village when a horribly familiar voice said, “Fancy running into you again.”

“It’s a small island,” Haakon ground out, reaching for Astrid’s hand as he turned to face Rayna. “But we have to get going, so-”

“No medals yet, Haakon,” she broke in, looking at him coyly. “For shame.”

“You know I tend to save myself for the dragon racing,” he replied coldly, though when he looked at Astrid, his gaze softened and he smiled. “And if all goes well, I’ll manage to get a medal to match my wife.”

“Mmm, just one,” she remarked, eyeing Astrid derisively.

Astrid took a deep breath and tried to keep her temper as her husband responded. “It’s her first time. It seemed only right to let her see what’s on offer, to fully experience the festival,” he reasoned. “Next year, she’ll have a better idea of what events she’d like to participate in. Perhaps she’ll even join us for the dragon race.”

“She’d need to have a dragon first,” Rayna taunted.

At that, Astrid stepped forward and proudly informed her, “I already do. A Deadly Nadder named Stormfly.”

“I didn’t know that a dragon would settle for someone so…mature,” Rayna sneered.

Astrid was about to show the redhead what a ‘mature’ warrior could do, but Haakon’s grip on her hand tightened as he moved slightly in front of her. “You know, grown dragon, grown bonded. It makes sense,” he observed lightly before looking at Rayna disdainfully. “Not nearly as unconventional as someone who had to visit the hatchery regularly for three years to find a bonded who would…tolerate her.”

Astrid did her best not to laugh at Rayna’s pinched expression, but Toothless had no compunction and was rolling on the ground behind them.

“Well, I would offer to keep you company,” Rayna smiled at Astrid insincerely, “but I have to get ready for the next event. See you up there, Haakon.” She waved flirtatiously, before disappearing into the crowd.

Haakon sighed in exasperation and they resumed their walk back home. “Sometimes, I wish she was bonded to a Changewing so she could just disappear,” he grumbled, causing Astrid to giggle. Before she could respond though, Haakon turned to look at Toothless and began scolding the dragon. “Aww, come on, bud. Your wing paint was flawless all day and you had to ruin it to laugh at Rayna? She deserves it, but still.”

“Do you have time to fix it,” Astrid asked solicitously. “I can help.”

“Thanks, Astrid,” he smiled at her and then turned back to his dragon. “You heard the lady. Go take a dunk in the river.” As Toothless scampered off he acknowledged, “We’ll have to work fast, but I think we can manage. Thank you for helping.”

“It’s no problem,” she commented. “Just show me what to do.”

By the time they got back to the house, Toothless was already there, sunning himself on the roof. Haakon pulled out the extra paint he had made, stating that it was there “in case of emergencies.” Astrid couldn’t help but laugh realizing that this situation was not wholly unexpected. Haakon painted guidelines on Toothless’ wings and she was put in charge of filling them in while he focused on the stripes around the Night Fury’s legs and the ‘V’ on his face.

They worked swiftly and finished with a bit of time to spare. Haakon grabbed his helmet and Toothless’ saddle from the house, trying to get the latter on as quickly as possible as the Night Fury was eager to go and not holding still. He finally got the last buckle secured and mounted, holding out a hand and telling her to hop on.

Not wanting to make him late, she said, “I can walk there if you tell me-” She stopped short as Haakon was shaking his head.

“It’s way up the mountain,” he explained. “You’ll see why once the race begins. I can give you a lift.”

She hastily climbed on behind him and as soon as they were in the air, she asked, “Will Heather and Dagur be competing as well?” She had noticed that Myrsky and Windshear had been painted too, though at the time she had just thought it was part of the Festival.

“Yeah. We generally refrain from participating in the other competitions, but this one is fair game,” he revealed as Toothless flew toward the other side of the mountain from where they had their picnic.

“I thought you just preferred this one,” Astrid remarked, recalling what he had said earlier.

“I do. But being the Chief’s children, we’ve trained harder than most,” he elaborated, “so it’s not really fair if we participate in the general contests. Dragon Racing is a little different though. It’s not for the faint of heart and you have to have a certain skill level to actually compete. Due to how things are set up, it also levels the playing field.” He paused before adding, “Personally, I don’t think Rayna should be allowed in. Her and her Nightmare barely put up with one other, but my dad says it makes for good comic relief and they have never been injured, so…” He shrugged as Toothless came into land, and Astrid noticed that the area was already quite full.

“Well, I’ll be cheering for you,” she said, wrapping her arms tighter around him in a hug before dismounting.

“Thank you, milady,” he grinned. “My dad should already be up here. I’m sure he’d be happy to have you sit with him and Sirena.” He looked around for a moment before spotting his family and pointing them out to her. “There they are. You good from here?”

“Yeah,” she smiled back and waved as Toothless launched them back into the sky. Once he was gone, she wandered over to his family and called out a greeting.

“Hello, Astrid,” Oswald welcomed her. “Come and join us. How are you enjoying the festival so far?”

“It’s been fun,” she replied. “I learned how to play Kubb and even won the axe throwing competition.

Sirena squealed. “You did?! Why didn’t you say anything earlier? Can I see your medal?”

Astrid removed the medal from the pouch on her belt and held it out for her youngest sister-in-law to look at.

“That’s so cool,” Sirena declared, handling it wistfully.

“Just a few more years, Sirena, and you can compete, too,” Oswald consoled her.

Sirena nodded and passed the medal back. Thinking that maybe a change of subject was in order, Astrid spoke up. “So, Haakon explained some of how dragon racing works, but I was wondering, who normally wins?”

Oswald laughed. “Generally, it’s a toss up between my children, though Haakon wins more than the other two. You’ll see why, soon enough.” A horn sounded and he directed her to look out over the island. “I believe we’re about to begin.”

The horn sounded a second time and she saw about a dozen dragons take flight and dive into the forest. A moment later, she understood why the viewing grounds were so high up. It wasn’t the easiest event to observe, but watching the dragons dive in and out of the forest and race around the island was a sight to behold.

Eventually, dragons and their riders started flying up and dropping the markers into their assigned net baskets, though several others seemed to score before Haakon made an appearance, the marker in Toothless’ paws so dark that it was hard to see. She leaned over and asked Sirena, “Is the one Haakon has worth more points?”

Her sister-in-law’s jaw fell open. “He found the black one already?! How does he do that,” she exclaimed. Turning to Astrid, she explained, “That one’s worth the most. Ten points!”

Astrid had to admit, she was impressed, especially when Dagur swooped in on Myrsky and tried to steal the black marker from them, but Toothless corkscrewed out of the way, leaving Myrsky to fly right into another player that had been attempting the same maneuver from behind them. “Is that allowed?”

“Yup,” Sirena answered, her eyes never leaving the race. “You can’t do anything to injure another contestant on purpose, but pretty much anything else goes.”

Astrid could see why this event was a favorite among the Berserkers. It was fully absorbing and quite the adrenaline rush. Much better than the Regatta back on Berk, she thought as she watched eagerly for Haakon and Toothless, cheering every time they dropped another marker in their basket.

According to Sirena, all the white and red markers had been found, being worth one and three points respectively. There were still two blue markers left, worth five points each, as well as one green marker worth seven. Haakon was in the lead, with Dagur two points behind him and the only one who was close enough in score to potentially beat him, considering Haakon was sure to come back with one of the three missing markers, at least in Sirena’s opinion.

Astrid scanned the forest with bated breath, looking for some sign of Toothless and her husband. Finally, the familiar black blur appeared, streaking toward the baskets, three dragons in hot pursuit, but none were able to keep up with the Night Fury.

She gasped in shock once she realized that Toothless was not the only one holding a marker. Haakon had one, too. If they could manage to get both of their markers in…

Astrid was on the edge of her seat, not daring to look away as Toothless dodged dragon after dragon, each one trying to steal their victory. The Night Fury managed to drop his marker in on their first pass, quickly flipping on his tail so that Haakon could drop his in as well.

As soon as the second marker went in, the crowd erupted in cheers. Toothless made a victory lap before coming in to land and Astrid was off like a shot, unwilling to wait any longer to congratulate her husband. She slammed into him as he was dismounting, wrapping her arms around him and declaring, “That was amazing!”

Haakon laughed and returned her hug. “I couldn’t disappoint you by not winning,” he said, smiling down at her. “I’m glad you enjoyed it, milady.”

The moment did not last, though, as it was interrupted by a needy Night Fury trying to wedge his head in between them. 

“Yes, Toothless,” Astrid laughed as she let go of her husband and scratched the Night Fury in one of his favorite spots. “You were amazing, too.”

She stayed right where she was as Haakon was presented with his medal, watching him with pride. The presentation complete, he came back to her side and wrapped an arm around her waist as she let her eyes wander around the crowd. She couldn’t help but notice Rayna making her way over to Dagur and Myrsky, and while she wasn’t sure what was said, she did see the tiniest lightning bolt slide off of Myrsky’s wing, straight toward the redhead.

Haakon laughed next to her, having seen it as well. “You would think she would learn that Myrsky can’t stand her any more than Dagur does. I swear, one day that dragon is going to do more than just shock her.”

She laughed at her husband’s remark, and leaned into him, thinking over all that had happened today and how she was finally starting to feel like she belonged among the Berserkers.

Chapter Text

As Astrid made her way down to breakfast the next morning, she found her husband’s eyes upon her.

“Good morning, milady,” he said, walking over to meet her at the base of the stairs and bowing as he presented her with a small bouquet. She could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks as their fingers brushed and she accepted his outstretched arm, looping hers through his and allowing him to escort her to the table where breakfast was waiting. “Are you ready for the rest of the Festival?”

“Almost,” she replied, glancing down at the black dress she was wearing. “I just have to add my sash, but I wasn’t sure which one as we’re supposed to match, aren’t we?” She glanced at him quizzically, noting that he looked very fine in his black ceremonial clothes, but as he hadn’t donned a vest yet, she was still clueless about which sash to use.

“That we are,” he hastened to reassure her. “I actually have something special planned for that.”

Her brow furrowed as her spoon froze midway to her mouth. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s eat first, then I’ll explain.”

Now, that was not fair. “Haakon!”

“The longer you take to eat the longer you’ll have to wait,” he grinned smugly before taking a bite of his breakfast, refusing to break eye contact, though she couldn’t help but notice the twinkle in his eyes.

Giving in, she rolled her eyes and ate her breakfast, sending the occasional glare his way, though all it seemed to do was amuse him.

When she finally finished, she pushed her bowl away and looked at him impatiently, practically daring him to make her wait any longer.

He laughed and told her to wait just a moment while he fetched something from upstairs. He came back down with a bundle in his arms and explained, “Well, since this is our first Festival as a couple, I commissioned a new matching set for us. I’ve noticed that you seem to favor blue so-” He opened up the bundle to reveal a vest and sash in the most beautiful shade of blue Astrid had ever seen. “There’s also an extra set of everyday clothes in here,” he added, “to replace the ones Toothless ruined.”

She reached out to run her hand over the delicate black embroidery. “Haakon, it’s beautiful. Thank you.”

He shrugged, seemingly embarrassed by her thanks. “I know Heather gave you her sashes, but I thought you might like something that was truly yours and not passed on.”

“I love it,” she declared, beaming at him. “The color is…I don’t even have the words.”

“I’m so glad you’re pleased with it,” he replied, pulling her into a side hug. “What say we finish getting ready and then we can head out?”

She nodded and moved to collect the dishes, but Haakon beat her to it. He helped her wash everything up and then passed her the new sash, which she accepted appreciatively. She wrapped it around her waist and then froze, realizing that she couldn’t remember how Heather had shown her to tie it. There was a special method, but so much of that day, her wedding day she thought wryly, was such a blur.

Haakon must have noticed her falter as he looked up from lacing his vest and asked, “You okay?”

“I-I don’t quite remember how I’m supposed to do this,” she admitted quietly, the sash hanging limply in her hands.

He stepped closer and held out his hands. “May I?”

“You know how?” She looked up at him incredulously.

“Yeah,” he responded, gently taking the sash from her hands and beginning to tie it. “Heather had a hard time remembering when she first learned, so I memorized the steps to help her.”

Astrid could feel herself blushing again at having her husband so close. It wasn’t even his nearness that was affecting her. After all, they had hugged plenty of times lately and she sat rather close behind him when they flew on Toothless, but he was helping her with her clothes! Even if it was just a sash, it felt rather intimate. Like something a husband would do to help his wife, which is what was happening, but their marriage wasn’t like that…

“How’s that,” he inquired, pulling her from her thoughts.

She glanced down, hoping that her cheeks weren’t too pink, and saw that the sash was tied, the knot lying just so. “It’s good, thank you.” Feeling the need to move the subject along, she realized that there was something she had forgotten to ask Haakon when she came down earlier. “Is my braid okay or am I supposed to do something fancier?”

“It looks beautiful as it is,” he smiled at her before adding, “There is one thing missing, though.” He reached into the pocket of his vest and pulled out a delicate chain with a topaz pendant, followed by a matching bracelet.

She began to shake her head, completely overwhelmed. “Haakon… It’s too much.”

“Please, Astrid,” he entreatied her, lifting her chin so she was looking at him. “I made them just for you and even got Ingrid to match the color of the fabric,” he said, gesturing to her sash. “It would be a shame not to wear them.”

“But you’ve already given me so much in return for so little,” she reasoned.

“Marriage is not about keeping a tally of who has done more. You’re my wife and I wanted to make this for you,” he said earnestly. “Your gift to me is letting me see you wear these. So, please, may I help you put them on,” he asked, holding up the delicate pieces.

She hesitantly nodded and he stepped behind her, fastening the necklace before asking her to hold out her hand so he could place the bracelet on her wrist. He took a long look at her and nodded. “Perfect.”

She didn’t know if she would survive all this blushing, but she thanked him sweetly, rising on her toes and pecking his cheek.

He grinned and finished lacing up his vest before extending his arm. “Shall we?”

She nodded and together they left the house, walking down to the village and wandering through the plaza. There seemed to be even more stalls set up today, offering more than just food and drink, as well as a few musicians playing off in a corner. As they browsed through the stalls, Haakon would greet the occasional Berserker and introduce her, helping her to get to know those who lived here. He even bought her a couple of trinkets she had admired, despite her insistence that he had already given her more than enough. He waved off her protests, declaring that she needed some kind of memento from her first Festival.

After a while, she commented, “There don’t seem to be as many dragons around today.”

“We do tend to celebrate together, but some traditions remain separate,” he shared. “They’ll spend today celebrating in their own way, though there is one part that will be visible soon. It’s quite a sight,” he declared, promising to point it out to her.

They continued their stroll, comfortable in each other’s company until they were interrupted by a vision in green and gold.

“Well, aren’t you two all matchy-matchy,” Rayna said, her voice dripping with derision.

“As befits tradition,” Haakon replied, eyeing her coldly before smiling at Astrid. “One I find I’m very fond of.”

Rayna huffed, clearly unamused. “Well, I suppose I’ll see you two up at the Great Hall later. Save me a dance,” she called over her shoulder as she flitted away.

“Not on your life,” Haakon grumbled under his breath to Astrid’s great amusement.

“Why don’t you just put her in her place once and for all,” she inquired curiously.

“Unfortunately, words don’t seem to get through her thick head,” he shared, “and I won’t resort to violence, so…”

“It’s just another form of communication,” Astrid proclaimed as she punched his arm.

Haakon shook his head. “Not over something like this. I’m not saying it’s inconsequential, but it’s not a matter of life or death. It’s best to just ignore her and take the high road.” He looked up and Astrid followed his gaze, noticing that the dragons were heading out to sea. “It’s almost time,” he said, grabbing her hand and leading her to the edge of the village so they had an unimpeded view of the ocean. “See where the dragons are gathering?” He pointed to a spot in the distance and she nodded. “Keep your eyes on the ocean just below them.”

It took a minute or two, but then, all of a sudden, a huge wall of water shot up and the dragons started diving and twisting in a display like nothing she had ever seen before. Eventually, she turned to her husband, thoroughly confused, and asked, “What exactly did I just see?”

He smiled and explained as they walked back into the village. “Generally, the dragons fish for their own meals, but on special occasions, Fannar provides a feast. He fishes underwater and fills his mouth before breaching and spewing out them out, creating a…waterfall of fish, for lack of a better term.” He paused before continuing, “Children don’t get to meet Fannar until they turn ten, but I had been raised knowing that I would be his aide and took the waiting rather hard. I looked forward to the Festivals every year as it was my chance to catch a glimpse of him, even if I couldn’t see much of anything,” he grinned at her ruefully and turned their steps toward the Great Hall where the feast was occurring.

Chapter Text

Upon entering the Great Hall, Astrid noticed that the tables were piled high with food and drink, more plentiful than anything she had ever experienced back on Berk. They filled their plates and joined Haakon’s father at his table, enjoying a relaxed conversation as they ate.

As more people came, the musicians found their way in as well, setting up in front of a portion of the floor that had been cleared for dancing. Soon the floor was full of life as couples spun and twirled in an explosion of color.

Haakon must have noticed her fascination as he leaned over and held out his hand. “Would you like to dance? I can show you the steps.”

Astrid instantly bristled, once again embarrassed by her lack of ‘feminine’ knowledge. “Why would you assume I don’t know how?”

“This is a traditional Berserker dance. Unless Heather has been giving you lessons, there’s no way for you to know it,” he said softly. “But if you’d rather not, then we don’t have to. I just thought I’d offer.”

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, feeling like her cheeks were on fire as she refused to meet his gaze. “I just…”

“It’s alright, Astrid,” Haakon reassured her, keeping his voice low as he reached out to squeeze her hand. “Your life back on Berk was different and there’s no reason to be embarrassed if there are some things you haven’t learned or are still learning.” He dipped his head down to catch her gaze and smiled. “So, with that out of the way, would you like to learn?”

She nodded and hesitantly smiled back, letting him lead her to the dance floor. What followed was two hours of uninterrupted dancing that Astrid thoroughly enjoyed. As always, Haakon was an excellent teacher and she found herself having more fun than… well, than she could ever remember having.

They eventually made their way back to Oswald’s table to rest for a bit, finding that the remainder of Haakon’s family had gathered there as well. They talked and ate for a while, just enjoying each other’s company until Sirena jumped up, having recognized the song the musicians had just started playing.

“Haak!”

He laughed and shook his head fondly at the excitement on his sister’s face. “Okay, little shadow.” He got up and to Astrid’s surprise, held out his hand to her. “Come on, Astrid. You’ll like this one.”

She looked back and forth between Haakon and his sister. “But-”

“It’s a three person dance,” Sirena piped up, grabbing Astrid’s arm and pulling her to her feet.

As Sirena reached out for her brother with her other hand, he sidestepped her and came to stand between them. “No, let me go in the middle.”

“But I want to be in the middle,” Sirena whined.

“Not after what happened last time,” Haakon replied firmly, looping his arms through theirs and leading them to the dance floor.

Confused and wanting to have some kind of idea of what she was getting herself into, she asked, “So, what are we doing?”

“Okay. The dance has two parts,” he explained, nodding toward the dance floor and encouraging her to watch what was happening. “The first is basically just a step hop. That’s all. And then when the music speeds up, the person in the middle will hook arms with one partner and swing around before switching to the other partner, back and forth until the music slows down again.”

“I think I can handle that,” she observed as they joined the crowd on the floor. 

The first part was quite tame, but she underestimated the enthusiasm of her husband as he whirled around her and his sister as fast as his Night Fury friend. By the time the music stopped, Astrid was feeling slightly dizzy, though her husband seemed just fine, despite having turned twice as much as her.

“How are you not falling over after all that,” she demanded incredulously.

Sirena giggled as Haakon shrugged. “The benefits of being bonded to Toothless. This is nothing compared to some of the stunts he pulls midair.” He pulled her close as the next song began, swaying slowly back and forth to the gentle melody.

Astrid laid her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, just enjoying the moment, though it did not last long.

Her eyes shot open when an unwelcome voice said, “So, Haakon, about that dance?”

She could see the frustration on her husband’s face when he responded, “In case you haven’t noticed, Rayna, I’m already dancing with my wife and would appreciate it if you’d leave us alone.”

“I never took you for one who would be tied to your wife’s apron strings,” Rayna derided. “Or maybe it’s her axe you’re afraid of. She doesn’t have it now, though,” she remarked slyly.

Astrid’s eyes narrowed. She had it up to here with this forward hussy’s insinuations and if Haakon wasn’t going to handle matters, then she would. These thoughts flew through her head so fast that before her husband could even respond, she socked Rayna in the nose.

The redhead shrieked in pain as her hands flew to her face, trying to staunch the bleeding.

“Hmm, guess I don’t need an axe to put you in your place,” Astrid reasoned smugly. She stepped closer to the other girl, getting into her personal space, and growled, “Stay away from my husband.”

At that, Rayna fled and Astrid flexed her fingers. She was used to punching Vikings with more flesh on them and she had to admit her hand hurt. She glanced over at Haakon to find him smiling at her.

“My hero,” he bowed, making her giggle. “I think we may need to ice your hand, though.”

“That sounds nice,” she confessed. Feeling awkward about what had just happened now that it was over and she could think about her actions she said, “I know it’s not that late, but do you mind if we go home?”

“We can if you really want to,” he acknowledged. “But if you’re worried about others’ opinions, I promise no one is judging you.”

She nodded slowly, but maintained, “I still think I’d like to leave.”

“Alright. Come along, milady.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and gently guided her out the doors of the Great Hall.

The village was rather quiet now that the sun was setting, most everyone being at the feast, but Astrid found the silence calming. She was afraid she let her temper get to her, but quite frankly, the other girl had it coming. As they began to climb the hill to their home, she couldn’t help but ask, “What’s Rayna’s problem anyway?”

“She’s always felt she deserved the best, and to her that meant being friends with the Chief’s daughter and marrying one of the Chief’s sons,” Haakon shared.

“But you’re married now, so why is she still…” Astrid trailed off, not sure what word would best describe the redhead’s actions.

“Harassing me,” Haakon supplied. “Well, at first, she was probably hoping that you would break one of the laws and I would be back on the ‘market’ again, but now that you’ve bonded with a dragon, I would say she’s jealous of you and is trying to drive a wedge between us in the hopes that one of us will ask for a divorce,” he speculated, opening the front door for her.

Astrid stepped over the threshold and sat down near the unlit fireplace. “Would you,” she asked in a small voice.

“Would I what,” Haakon inquired as he wrapped some ice in a cloth and came to sit next to her.

“Ever consider a divorce,” she clarified.

Haakon looked up at her, keeping her hand in his as he applied the ice. ”Do you remember what I told you in the beginning, when you found out about Toothless?”

She thought back and slowly replied, “That a Berserker always keeps his word.”

He nodded. “And that I would be loyal to my vow. I meant it then and I mean it now,” he declared earnestly. “Rayna has never been anything other than a Grimora, a parasite. She’s honestly not worth your time, though I have to admit, that was a beautiful right hook,” he grinned and she found herself blushing, glad he wasn’t upset with her.

“Look, Astrid, I know we didn’t have the best of beginnings, but we’ve come such a long way. I care about you and want you to be happy. I’ve tried to show that, but maybe hearing me actually say it will help you to believe it’s true.”

She looked at him in wonder, in awe that such an amazing, thoughtful person could care for her. “I guess I’ve come to feel the same way,” she said shyly.

“I’m glad,” he whispered, leaning in and cupping her cheek with his free hand. “I would never push you to do something that makes you uncomfortable,” his eyes flicked down to her lips, “but may I?”

Her breath caught as she looked into his eyes and saw the tenderness there. She had barely nodded when he bridged the distance and their lips met.

She had never been kissed, fighting off any man who had so much as tried to touch her, but with Haakon it was different. He didn’t try to change who she was but encouraged her to be the best version of herself that she could be. He made her feel safe and…loved. Even if neither of them had dared to say the word yet, it was there in that kiss, even if it was just in the beginning stages.

She wouldn’t have minded if the kiss had lasted a little longer, but her husband pulled back as the door slammed open and Toothless stumbled in, looking a little worse for wear.

“I think someone overdid it,” Haakon commented, making her giggle. Toothless was completely ignoring them as he crawled up the stairs, apparently intent on making it to his bed. Haakon waited to make sure his friend was managing before turning back to her. “How’s your hand feel?”

“Better,” she responded, leaning toward him just a smidge and looking at him hopefully.

“Good,” Haakon said, receiving her hint and leaning in for another kiss.

Chapter Text

It had only been two weeks since the Harvest Festival, but Haakon noticed that the weather was already starting to cool down as he made his weekly circuit of the island, checking on the dragons and ensuring that all was well. There were no issues brought to his attention, though there were quite a few new members to their flock, all of them looking rather battle-worn.

Seeing as it was not normal for so many new dragons to arrive at once, he determined to speak with Fannar, especially as the condition they were in was rather concerning. It wasn’t that they were in pain or suffering. Most of their injuries looked old, but they were also incredibly skittish, even as he spoke to them in the dragon’s tongue.

Having completed all of their normal stops, Haakon encouraged Toothless to make his way to the ice nest. Landing on their favorite ledge, he dismounted and greeted the Bewilderbeast. “Fannar, is it just me or have we gotten a sudden influx of dragons in our nest?”

“Good eye, young Haakon,” he acknowledged. “I was wondering how long it would take you to notice.”

“Or, ya know, you could have just told me what was going on,” he grumbled in response. “Would you care to share? After all, I can’t properly assist you or the new dragons if you keep me in the dark.”

Fannar eyed him for a moment before reluctantly sharing, “I have been giving sanctuary to the dragons from the Red Queen’s nest.”

“The Red Queen?”

“The Alpha of the nearest nest,” Fannar clarified. “The one that frequently attacks Berk.”

“Why would they need sanctuary,” Haakon inquired.

“The Red Queen is not a benevolent ruler,” Fannar explained. “She controls the minds of her subjects, forcing them to raid in order to provide her with an unending supply of food. Unfortunately, I have not been able to glean much more than that from the fleeing dragons as her control leaves their minds rather muddled.”

Haakon‘s eyes narrowed, realizing that there was quite a bit that the Bewilderbeast was leaving out. “How are they breaking free in the first place?”

“That is not your concern,” Fannar growled, rising to tower over him.

“I’m sorry, but as your aide, I think it is,” Haakon declared. “Especially as I have a feeling that you are eventually going to need my help with whatever it is you are doing.”

Fannar grumbled, but eventually sank back down to Haakon’s level and admitted, “My call is stronger than hers. I ventured out this past week, pulling a raiding party from under her command.”

“To what end?”

“If I keep this up, eventually, there will be no more dragons to feed her and she will starve,” Fannar stated.

“Couldn’t she just go out and hunt for herself,” Haakon asked.

“She lives in a volcano and is too large to leave.”

It wasn’t a bad plan, per se, but Haakon could see many ways it could go wrong. “It’s rather risky, Fannar. Wouldn’t it be better to challenge her authority and end things sooner?”

The Bewilderbeast shook his massive head. “It would put both nests at risk. If she sent out dragons to fight, ours would have to respond. This way is safer and will minimize losses.”

Haakon could see the sense in that, but there were still too many unpredictable variables for him to feel at ease. “If you say so, Fannar.”

“I do,” the Bewilderbeast said decisively. “The only issue is that we have no concept of how many dragons she controls. Once the raiding parties become smaller, I would like you and Toothless to scout the nest, try to get an idea of the numbers left.”

He nodded along with Toothless. “Do you know approximately how much time we'll have to prepare?”

“Perhaps a month,” Fannar estimated, “maybe two at the most. But this topic must remain between us,” he insisted.

Haakon understood that the Berserkers as a whole did not need to know what was occurring. And while he was not looking forward to hiding this from Astrid, he also did not want her to worry unduly, especially as she knew all too well what those dragons were capable of. But there was one person who did need to know what was happening. “Dagur should be informed,” he asserted. “The numbers of the nest affect the village and without a proper count, he will not be able to plan accordingly.”

Fannar was not pleased with his pronouncement, but at least he saw the sense in it. “You may send him to me and I will share what he needs to know.”

“Yes, Fannar,” Haakon bowed, before mounting Toothless and leaving to deliver the Bewilderbeast’s message. He wished Fannar would reveal the whole plan to Dagur, but at least something was better than nothing. And knowing his brother, he may just refuse to leave until Fannar tells all. For all that the Bewilderbeast was rather mild-tempered, Dagur did know how to get on his nerves, so maybe things would work out how he hoped.

He passed the message on to his brother, resolving to check back in with him later to see how much he had been told, before heading to his workshop.

He would need to develop a stronger armor for this scouting mission. While they would never stand a chance against the Queen herself, there were still the other dragons in her nest to contend with. He couldn’t discount the possibility that she may send them after him and Toothless.

The Night Fury was fast and highly maneuverable. They could avoid multiple dragons at once, as they had proven at every dragon racing event they were allowed to compete in, but if a whole swarm was after them, they would need a way to defend themselves or cause a distraction so they could get away.

He had an idea for a smoke bomb, perhaps he could even lace it with dragon nip, but he would need to develop the bomb itself first, something that would explode upon impact he thought. He set to work on his task, but his mind wasn’t fully focused as he was also thinking of armor modifications and racking his brain for some other way to disperse a sedative to the dragons in the Queen’s nest. He was so distracted, that he didn’t notice one of his prototypes rolling toward the edge of his workstation and falling to the ground, resulting in him being thrown by the force of the large explosion that rocked the building.

-o0o-

Astrid was amazed as she thought about how much had changed in the past two weeks. Ever since their first kiss, Haakon had become much more affectionate, pulling her in for hugs and kissing her at the most unexpected moments. She couldn’t find it in herself to mind, and tried her best to return his gestures, though it wasn’t as easy for her.

She had also started flying with Stormfly. Haakon had presented her with a saddle as well as a fur hood, which, along with her new boots, helped her to stay warm, especially as it was starting to get cooler. They weren’t doing anything extreme yet, but she was slowly coming to understand how her dragon thought and moved, aided by tips and advice from her husband as he helped her to learn the language of the dragons.

She and Stormfly were just returning from a flight around the island when Astrid’s attention was caught by an explosion and the plume of smoke that accompanied it. When she realized it was coming from the vicinity of their house, she urged the Nadder to fly faster, dismounting as soon as Stormfly’s feet hit the ground and running over to her husband who was being dragged out of his workshop by Toothless.

“Haakon!” She knelt at his side and was relieved to find that he was conscious, if barely, though he was rather dazed.

He coughed and tried to sit up, mumbling, “I’m fine.”

She lent him a hand and Toothless settled behind him, providing him with something to rest against. “You’re not fine,” she declared as she looked him over. He didn’t seem to have any cuts or burns, but his continuous coughing was bothering her. “What happened?”

“Nothing major,” he waved his hand weakly.

“Nothing major?! Have you looked at your workshop,” she demanded, though when she took a second glance, it didn’t seem as bad as she had thought.

“It’s been through worse,” he responded.

She raised an eyebrow and glared at him. “And you?”

“Also been through worse.” He attempted to smirk but wound up falling into a coughing fit.

“Haakon,” she said in concern, resting her hand on his back in an effort to provide some sort of comfort.

When he finally got his breathing under control, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to his side, admitting, “I probably should have set my project aside until I could focus on it fully.”

“Is everything okay,” she asked, wondering what could have had him so distracted.

“Yeah, just something Fannar said to me earlier left my mind rather preoccupied,” he disclosed. She wished he would tell her more, but understood that there were some things regarding his duties that he could not always share with her. He pulled away reluctantly and carefully got to his feet. “Now, I need to see about starting repairs.”

She stared at her husband incredulously before jumping to her feet and grabbing his arm. “No. You need to visit the healer and make sure you’re okay.”

“Astrid, this isn’t anything that hasn’t happened before,” he endeavored to reassure her. “I promise I’m fine.”

“When Toothless dragged you out of there you were barely conscious,” she raged, “so forgive me if I beg to differ.” She refused to let go of his arm and he finally gave in.

“Fine, but I can guarantee that nothing’s wrong,” he said as he mounted Toothless.

She jumped on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist as Toothless took off. She held onto Haakon tightly as he was still looking just a little dizzy and she didn’t want to risk him falling off.

Her worry wasn’t unfounded as by the time they landed at the healer’s hut, her husband was swaying ever so slightly. Thankfully, there wasn’t much wrong with him other than having inhaled quite a bit of smoke. What exactly he had been working on, Astrid had no idea, but she was determined to make sure he followed the healer’s orders and took it easy for the rest of the day, even if she had to have Toothless sit on him.

Chapter Text

Haakon was generally an early riser, but this was one morning that he did not want to get up. He glanced at Astrid who was sound asleep in his arms and kissed her temple, amazed at how far they had come. That night they kissed, she had removed the rolled-up fur from the middle of the bed and, as time had gone on, she slowly moved closer and closer until they had reached their current arrangement. Hoping that she wouldn’t be too mad at him if things didn’t go as planned, he reluctantly slipped out of bed and went to get dressed.

He left a note for Astrid on the table downstairs before grabbing a cloak and heading to the workshop with Toothless on his heels. Opening up his locked cabinet, he removed his new armor and hastily put it on. He had made everything in secret and kept it hidden, afraid that if any of his family saw it, they would begin asking questions that he was not at liberty to answer.

Once everything felt secure, he fastened his belt with the improved dragon nip smoke bombs already in their individual pouches. These weren’t nearly as easily triggered as the first batch, having a safety pin to prevent accidental explosions, but he still wasn’t taking any chances. While a crossbow would have allowed him to shoot the smoke bombs further, he wanted something small and compact for this mission, so he hooked the slingshot he had crafted in the last slot of his belt before grabbing Inferno and heading outside.

“You know where we’re going, bud,” he asked as he mounted his best friend.

Toothless nodded. “Fannar explained where he intercepted the raiding parties and which direction they were coming from. It shouldn’t be too hard to find it from there.”

“Alright then. Let’s go.”

Toothless took off into the predawn sky and soon Berserker Island was nothing more than a small speck behind them. After a little over two hours of flying, Toothless noted that they were getting close and Haakon asked him to set down on one of the nearby sea stacks.

“We should rest here, just for a little bit,” he commented. “No sense going into a potential battle with our energy reserves depleted.” He dismounted and tossed Toothless a few fish that he had stuffed into one of the saddlebags, removing a small packet of roasted fish for himself that he had saved from dinner the night before. “You’re doing okay, bud? The Red Queen isn’t bothering you.”

“I can hear her call,” Toothless informed him, “but it’s nothing more than a faint buzzing.”

“Good,” Haakon nodded. “I know Fannar said he would project his call as loud as he could today, but I wasn’t sure how far it would go or if it would be enough to protect us.”

“We’re close enough now that if the Queen had been able to, she would have pulled us in already,” Toothless observed.

“At least we’re safe on that score,” he breathed a sigh of relief and they sat there for a few more minutes before Haakon stood and stretched. “You ready?”

”As I’ll ever be,” Toothless replied.

Haakon settled himself in the saddle and it wasn’t long before they approached a bank of fog that did not seem natural. Toothless didn’t even falter before entering and beginning to slalom through the sea stacks, even though visibility was incredibly low. After what felt like an eternity, they came out the other side to find the most unwelcoming island either of them had ever set their sights on.

The entire landscape was pitch black, from the beach to the basalt cliffs to the volcano that towered over everything else. There was no sign of life other than the occasional glimpse of a dragon wing or tail. But it was more than just the pervading sense of desolation. It was as if a feeling of dread and terror settled over the two newcomers, leaving them incredibly on edge.

“This is nothing like home,” Toothless grumbled as he steered them closer to the volcano, looking for an entrance.

“You can say that again, bud,” Haakon murmured. “Let’s just get in and get out.”

Toothless managed to find a crack in the volcano that led to the main caldera, passing many tunnels and caverns that would be too dangerous for them to explore. In the main caldera alone, there were at least one hundred dragons resting on the assorted ledges though none of them seemed very happy.

Toothless did his best to stick to the shadows, trying to draw as little attention to the two of them as possible, and eventually landed on a ledge high above the others. There seemed to be at least three entrances to the caldera and if each one had as many branches as the tunnel they had come through, there could easily be at least two hundred dragons living here, though it would be hard to say for sure. A more accurate count would be helpful, but Haakon was not about to risk their lives further, especially as a rather large dragon snout was rising from the haze below them.

He leaned forward and urgently whispered, “Time’s up. Go!”

Toothless leaped off the ledge, pumping his wings to gain altitude and get them out of the mouth of the volcano which seemed to be the nearest exit, but he had barely taken flight when the Red Queen bellowed, “INTRUDERS!”

Just as Haakon had feared, at the Queen’s pronouncement, a large mass of dragons took flight and came after them. He was prepared though and fired three dragon nip smoke bombs in quick succession, aiming for the walls of the main caldera as they flew past. They were moving quickly enough that the smoke didn’t affect Toothless, but many of the dragons coming up behind him fell back, dazed by the potent smoke.

While it did help cut down the number of dragons following them, it did not incapacitate them all. Haakon had hoped that maybe the dragon nip would have an effect on the Red Queen as well, loosening her control on the dragons, but unfortunately, it seemed that wasn’t to be the case as there were still at least twenty dragons on their tail, intent on following her command to capture them.

He leaned forward in the saddle, giving Toothless an unspoken cue to head back to the sea stacks. He still had a few dragon nip smoke bombs and while he wouldn’t shoot them at a dragon for fear of injuring them, he could make use of the rock formations and the thick fog. Between Toothless’ fancy flying and the dragon nip, they managed to lose most of the dragons, but as they broke through the wall of fog they were met by another dozen, seemingly waiting for them.

They encircled them and quickly started hemming them in, forcing Toothless to pull some crazy maneuvers. He had almost made it through the enraged horde when Haakon felt a searing pain along his right leg, causing him to yelp. He wasn’t quite sure what had happened, but he was going to guess that the Nightmare that passed had been just a little too close.

His cry of shock caused Toothless to halt momentarily and he was quick to reassure his friend. “Keep going, bud. I’ll be-”

He never finished his sentence as talons ripped him from the saddle, digging into his shoulders and through his armor. Another dragon grabbed his injured leg and he was pretty sure he screamed, but the pain was so great that he had no awareness of what he was doing or what was going on around him. The only thought that remained in his mind was that he was about to be torn limb from limb.

Just as the dragons began to pull, he vaguely registered the sound of two plasma blasts that he would recognize anywhere and he soon found himself falling, though it was not for long as he was scooped up and held close to a familiar black chest.

“Haakon,” Toothless shrieked, his fear palpable.

He closed his eyes and nuzzled his head against his friend, trying to block out the pain as he whispered, “Just get us out of here.”

He felt the Night Fury tighten his hold before putting on a burst of speed. He tried his best not to whimper as Toothless unknowingly put pressure on his wounds and focused on just trying to breathe, knowing that Toothless would manage to get them out of there.

He lost track of time as Toothless flew like the Red Queen herself was on their tail, which for all Haakon knew could have been the case. Eventually, his friend slowed down and soon they were descending. He felt Toothless’ legs loosen their hold as he was gently laid on the ground and he just lay there for a moment, trying to steady his breath.

“Haak! Haakon! Say something,” Toothless screeched, nudging his side and causing him to hiss as his injuries were jarred.

“I’m here, bud,” he murmured, slowly opening his eyes to see his friend hovering over him in concern. “A little worse for wear, but I’m here. Where are we?”

“About an hour from home. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop sooner, but it took a while to outstrip the other dragons,” Toothless whimpered. “You’re bleeding an awful lot.”

Haakon tried to sit up to get a better look, but his head was spinning and he fell back, feeling like he was about to throw up. “Bud, can you help me sit up? Slowly?”

Toothless gently scooted his head under his friend and carefully rotated so that Haakon could lean against him. His shoulders felt like they were on fire, but from what he could tell, they weren’t bleeding any longer. He should probably try to clean and wrap them but he didn’t think he would be able to do it on his own. Anyway, his leg was of greater concern. There were several deep gashes which were still bleeding, though rather sluggishly. Due to how he had been riding Toothless, the claw had missed his knee but cut heavily into his calf and thigh, not to mention the gashes from where the  other dragon had grabbed his leg.

Taking a deep breath, he asked Toothless to angle himself so he could reach the saddlebags and removed the bandages he had packed just in case. He slowly wrapped his leg as best he could, pausing frequently as his vision was swimming. He finally leaned back against Toothless and took a look at what he had managed. It was by no means well done, but it would be enough to get him back home.

He patted the Night Fury’s side with a shaky hand and said, “Ok, bud. That’s as good as it’s going to get for now. Let’s get home.”

Chapter Text

“Hey, Astrid!”

The blonde looked up from buckling Stormfly’s saddle to see Heather and Windshear approaching. “Hey, yourself.”

“I was looking for Haak,” her sister-in-law said. “Is he around?”

Astrid shook her head. “No. He left a note saying he had to take care of something for Fannar and he didn’t know what time he would be back.”

“Oh well, I guess I’ll catch him later then,” Heather remarked.

“Is there something I can help with,” Astrid queried.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. It’s nothing important,” Heather replied. Nodding at the saddle, she asked, “Want some company on your flight?”

“Stormfly and I are getting pretty fast. You sure you can keep up,” she taunted.

Heather scoffed and waved her hand dismissively as she mounted Windshear. “Please. I’m used to flying with Haak and Toothless. This will be a piece of cake.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Astrid smirked as she tightened the cinch and jumped onto Stormfly, encouraging the Nadder to give it her all.

Despite her playful teasing, their flight around the island wasn’t so much of a race as a chance for the two girls to catch up and just spend some time together, something Astrid would have never even considered doing back on Berk, but, oh, how life changes. They didn’t stay up for more than an hour, the weather having turned colder in the past week, so much so that Astrid wouldn’t be surprised if they got snow in the next day or two.

Upon landing, Heather invited her to join them for lunch and they made their way back to their family’s house. Sirena was just finishing her lessons for the day and lent Heather a hand fixing the food while Astrid talked with Oswald for a bit.

They had a leisurely meal and were sitting around the table playing a game when the peace was broken by a high-pitched whistle followed by an earsplitting shriek. They all froze and looked at one another before bolting out the front door. The dragons made it out first, most of them not even waiting for their bondeds and launching themselves straight into the air.

Astrid knew that sound, but still, she had to ask. “Was that-”

“Toothless,” Heather nodded as she climbed on Meda, Sirena jumping on behind her.

Astrid had no idea what was going on, but she had a bad feeling that it was nothing good. She felt a hand on her shoulder and saw that Oswald was offering her a ride on Bliksem. She nodded and swiftly mounted behind him, the Skrill quickly catching up to Meda and the other dragons.

Sure enough, there in front of their house was Toothless, roaring and looking around frantically. Astrid couldn’t understand why until they got closer and she saw the limp form on the Night Fury’s back.

“Haakon,” Heather cried as she stumbled off the Hobblegrunt’s back and raced toward her twin. Meda was keeping Sirena from getting any closer while Astrid was frozen where she sat on Bliksem’s back, unable to process what was playing out in front of her.

“What happened,” Oswald asked, taking the words from her mouth.

Toothless warbled and roared, but she could only catch one word in five, leaving her more confused than before. Thankfully her father-in-law was kind enough to translate.

“He says there were too many dragons and that Haakon has lost a lot of blood,” he explained. “His leg and shoulders are injured.”

Meda screeched and summoned Goldie over to Sirena before racing to the village.

“She’s going for the healer,” Oswald shared, carefully dismounting before offering his hand to Astrid.

She stared at it for a moment before realizing that they needed to get Haakon inside. She accepted Oswald’s help and turned to see that somewhere in all this, Dagur had arrived and was already helping Heather to move Haakon. Her father-in-law wrapped one arm around her and began to shepherd her inside, collecting Sirena and Goldie as they went.

They had barely gotten inside when Meda returned with the healer. Dagur and Heather were promptly shooed away once they had deposited their brother on his bed and it was a distraught group that assembled downstairs, anxiously awaiting news.

After a minute filled with nothing but faint moans from upstairs, Dagur firmly declared, “He’ll be okay.”

“You can’t know that,” Astrid snapped, the uncertainty of it all getting to her.

“He’s conscious,” Dagur shared, “if that’s any consolation. He was really out of it, but he’s conscious.”

“What was he doing anyway,” she mumbled, burying her face in her hands. She knew that she had come to care for Haakon, but the thought of losing him was just too much.

“Did you see his armor,” Heather commented, causing Astrid to look up at her sister-in-law’s puzzled expression. “He’s never worn that before. Could all this have something to do with whatever he was taking care of for Fannar?”

Astrid noticed that Oswald’s eyes hardened at that bit of information. “Toothless…” he trailed off, as the object of his question was nowhere to be found.

“He must have gone upstairs,” Dagur remarked.

“Would the healer have allowed him to stay,” Astrid asked, surprised that she would force Haakon’s family to leave but not his dragon.

Dagur snorted. “No one can separate Haakon from Toothless.”

Everyone was silent after that, having nothing to do but wait as they had lost the opportunity to find answers to their questions.

Astrid’s thoughts immediately drifted to Haakon and how she desperately hoped he would be okay. She knew that she had come to care for him, but she hadn’t realized just how much until she was faced with the prospect of losing him…and discovered that she couldn’t. She couldn’t lose him. He was too important to her. She…loved him.

She loved him. Those three words echoed in her mind as she wondered when that had happened. It had definitely been occurring gradually, but how could she have not realized it until now? Now when he was injured so horribly and she may never have a chance to tell him?

She wasn’t sure how long she had been caught up in her thoughts when her attention was grabbed by the healer coming down the stairs. She wanted to say something, ask how her husband was, but the words stuck in her throat.

“How is he,” Oswald asked and she shot him a grateful glance before focusing on what the healer was saying.

“Haakon lost quite a bit of blood, but he should be fine,” the healer disclosed, resulting in the entire room breathing a sigh of relief. “The cuts were quite deep, but nothing that won’t heal over time,” she continued. “He’ll need to take it easy for at least the next week, staying in bed if possible, though I realize that will be hard to accomplish.”

Astrid nodded attentively, determined to do what was needed to help her husband heal.

“Also, because of the length and depth of the cuts on his leg, it would be best if he could keep his weight off it for at least two weeks,” the healer added. “If he tries to use it too soon, there’s a chance the stitches may rip, lengthening the healing time. He’s awake though not fully lucid, if you want to speak with him, though I suggest you keep it brief. He refused the herbs I offered for the pain, but I’ll leave them with you in case he changes his mind,” she said holding out the bundle to Astrid, who eagerly accepted them.

As soon as the healer was out the front door, there was a stampede up the stairs, though they did try to be quiet about it, but all were eager to see Haakon and reassure themselves that he was alright.

Astrid let the others go first, feeling slightly overwhelmed by her recently discovered feelings. Setting the herbs on the table, she climbed the stairs but froze when she reached the top. Haakon was so incredibly pale, his freckles standing out in stark contrast to his skin. He was wearing nothing but a loose pair of shorts, but for once, his state of undress didn’t bother her. Her attention was instead on the bandages that covered almost his entire right leg and his shoulders along with most of his chest.

“Haakon,” she whispered, stepping closer.

He turned and smiled at her, wearily holding out his hand which she was quick to grasp. “It’s okay, Astrid,” he mumbled. “It’s okay.”

She knelt at the side of the bed, not letting go of his hand as his father reached out and lovingly brushed Haakon’s hair out of his face. “Son, I know you’ve done some crazy things in your time, but what happened out there?”

“Assignment from Fannar,” he revealed, blinking slowly, though whether it was from fatigue or pain or a combination of the two, Astrid wasn’t sure. “We prepared, but it didn’t go well. Tried our best.”

Oswald must have seen his struggle as he nodded and said, “Go to sleep, son. You need it.”

Haakon closed his eyes, his head bobbing imperceptibly as he fell asleep. Though he seemed to have relaxed slightly, Astrid noticed that his face was still pinched from the pain and she resolved to try and convince him to take the herbs when he woke up.

Oswald nodded toward her as he guided Heather and Sirena toward the stairs, the dragons following them, but Dagur sat down at the foot of the bed watching his brother in concern.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes until Dagur softly said, “Thank you, Astrid.”

“For what,” she asked, thoroughly confused.

“For caring for him,” he replied, nodding toward his brother. “I couldn’t see it at the time, none of us could, but you’re just what he needed.”

Astrid looked down and shook her head. “I’m sure he could’ve done better.”

“I highly doubt that,” he remarked. “You’re good for him.”

“I think you’ve got that the wrong way around,” she claimed, thinking of all that Haakon had done for her, had helped her to realize.

“No,” Dagur insisted, standing up and coming to kneel beside her. “You’ve helped to pull his head from the clouds. Yes, he still spends a lot of time with the dragons as part of his duties, but he’s so much more present than before and he hasn’t been spending so much time locked up in his workshop. That’s all you,” he said earnestly. “So, thank you,” he repeated, pulling her in for a hug.

With all that had happened today, Dagur’s thoughtful comment pushed Astrid over the edge and she found herself crying into his shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” he said, rubbing circles on her back. “Haakon always manages to bounce back. Just know that he’s not a very compliant patient.”

A watery laugh escaped her lips as she pulled back. “Neither am I,” she responded wryly, attempting a smile. “I’ll manage.”

Dagur nodded, his confidence in her clear. “One or another of us will be stopping by regularly to check on you both,” he informed her, “but if you need something, just send one of the dragons.”

“Thank you, I will,” she promised. “Though I do wonder where Toothless went,” she said as she looked around and noticed the distinct lack of Night Fury. “I would’ve thought he would be glued to Haakon’s side.”

“Yes, well-” Her brother-in-law rubbed the back of his neck and refused to meet her eyes.

Her eyes narrowed. “Dagur, what do you know?”

He held out his hands defensively. “It’s as Haak said. They had an assignment from Fannar and, if I know my brother’s dragon, I’m pretty sure Toothless went to give the King an earful. Escaping from everyone’s prying questions would have been an added benefit,” he shrugged.

“What were they doing,” she inquired, determined to get some answers.

“You’d have to ask Fannar.”

“But you know,” she pressed.

“I do, but only because I’m Chief,” he reasoned, “though Fannar did not part with all that information willingly. Regardless, we were sworn to secrecy,” he maintained, effectively ending her hopes of finding out more. “Don’t worry, though. Fannar will be hearing from me about the results of this as well, and if I know our dad, he will also have some choice words to say to him.” Dagur got to his feet and walked over to the stairs before looking back. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

She nodded and waited until she heard the front door close to bring Haakon’s hand up to her cheek. She would take care of herself and she would take care of her husband as well. He had taken care of her so many times, this was the least she could do.

Chapter Text

Haakon groaned as he felt the pain radiating down his leg and across his shoulders. Couldn’t it just go away so he could fall back asleep?

“Haakon?”

He slowly opened his eyes and found his wife looking down at him in concern. He blinked a few more times before saying, “Hey, Astrid,” and tried to push himself up into a sitting position, but his shoulders screamed in protest. He would have collapsed back onto the bed if she hadn’t caught him and helped, propping him up with a rolled fur. She didn’t say anything, her expression worrying him as she passed him a cup of water which he gratefully drank.

“How are you feeling,” she asked softly.

“Awful,” he confessed, trying to smile in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Everything hurts. I don’t remember much of the return flight or getting home,” he confessed, looking down at his injured body. It was only then that he realized he was wearing nothing more than the cutoff pants he would occasionally sleep in when the temperature rose an uncomfortable amount. Despite how their relationship had been progressing, he knew that Astrid still preferred to use the screen to change her clothes and so he used it as well in deference to her. He was sure him not having a shirt on would be making her uncomfortable, so he was quick to apologize, gesturing to himself and saying, “Sorry, I’m not-”

“It’s fine,” she hastened to reassure him, resting a hand on his arm. “You’re here. That’s all that matters.”

“What did the healer say,” he inquired.

“Bed rest for one week,” she reported, causing him to groan, “and you have to keep your weight off your leg for at least two.”

“Can I at least use crutches,” he asked hopefully.

Astrid pressed her lips together and raised one eyebrow. “How are your shoulders feeling?”

“I’m sure they’ll be better by next week,” he replied airily.

She glared at him and shook her head. “Nice try, but no.” She got to her feet and took a breath before saying, “Heather brought soup over. Would you like some?”

“That would be nice, thank you.”

He watched his wife go downstairs, thinking about the way she was acting. Something was off, but with a mind made hazy from pain, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He heard her moving around and resolved to ask her once he had eaten.

A few minutes later, she returned with a tray containing two bowls, as well as a steaming mug.

“I made you some tea, too,” she put forth, passing him his bowl and setting the mug on the table near the bed, before settling down next to him with her own meal.

He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until that first bite and found himself quickly polishing off his bowl. It made sense though as all he had eaten that day was a piece of roasted fish before they approached the nest. Setting his empty bowl aside he carefully reached for the mug but paused when he caught a whiff of the tea. He had a feeling he recognized it, but he wanted to be sure. “Astrid, what is this?” At her silence, he glanced over to find her staring guiltily into her bowl. “Astrid?”

“It’s the tea the healer left for your pain,” she murmured.

He set the mug back down and reached out to grab his wife’s hand. “I appreciate the thought, Astrid, but I’m not drinking that tea.”

“But, Haak, it will-”

His heart sped up, hearing her use his family’s nickname for him for the first time, but he adjusted his focus, squeezing her hand and explaining, “That tea makes me really sleepy and leaves my head feeling fuzzy.”

“You could use the sleep,” she pressed earnestly.

“I can handle the pain, Astrid,” he reassured her. “I really don’t like how the tea makes me feel.” Despite his assurance, though, his wife was biting her lip and seemed to be on the verge of crying. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand and gently asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just-” She paused as she tried to fight her tears, eventually whispering, “I just want to help you.”

“And you have,” he insisted, though apparently that was not the right answer as she started crying in earnest. “Come here,” he said pulling her closer.

“But your injuries,” she reasoned as she tried to wipe the tears from her face.

“It doesn’t matter,” he claimed, wrapping his arms around her despite the pain in his shoulders. “Now, what’s bothering you?”

She lightly laid her head on him and sniffed. “You were barely conscious and I was so afraid. I thought- I thought-”

“Shh,” he soothed, holding her closer. “I’m fine, Astrid. I’m not going anywhere.”

She took a stuttering breath and whispered into his chest, “I thought I’d never get a chance to-to tell you that I love you.”

Haakon rested his head on top of hers as a warmth unlike anything he had ever experienced before spread through him. “I love you, too.”

At that statement, she pulled back and looked up at him, thoroughly surprised. “You do?”

He smiled softly and nodded.

“Since when?”

“The Festival, maybe a little bit before,” he disclosed.

Her eyes went wide. “All this time?”

“Mm-hmm,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head and causing her to blush.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t want to push you or make you feel uncomfortable,” he replied.

“But you’re the one who’s uncomfortable now,” she responded, gesturing to their current position.

He shrugged his shoulders, forgetting about his injury, and hissed at the jolt of pain. “I’ll live,” he admitted, smiling wryly. “I know one thing that would help, though.”

She looked up at him, her face a picture of innocence. “What?”

He leaned down and captured her lips with his, letting the rest of the world and the pain from his injuries fade to the back of his mind.

-o0o-

Haakon sucked in a breath through his teeth as his wife unwound the bandages on his leg. “Astrid, do we have to do this now?”

“Yes, I have to change your bandages every day and check for infection. I’m not going to lose you,” she glared at him, though the concern in her gaze belied her tough expression.

“I’m sure every other day would be more than enough,” he groaned as his leg continued to be jostled.

“The healer said every day so that’s what we’re doing,” Astrid insisted. “She also dropped off an ointment this morning that’s supposed to help you heal. Toothless, get out of the way,” she said, nudging the Night Fury who had crept over, wanting to take a look at Haakon’s injuries himself.

“Bud, why don’t you go see if Fannar has anything he needs taken care of,” Haakon suggested, wincing as Astrid began to remove the wrappings around his shoulders. “I’m going to be out of commission for a bit, so you’ll have to take up my responsibilities for me.”

“I’m not speaking with him right now,” Toothless declared imperiously.

“What?! Why?”

“Why?! Because he almost sent you to your death,” Toothless exclaimed. “He could have made other arrangements or at least sent us with backup. He honestly doesn’t even need to know how many dragons were there. He could have just kept pulling them out until there were none left.”

“Toothless,” Haakon warned, glancing at Astrid.

The Night Fury rolled his eyes. “I didn’t say anything that could have given it away and she’s not that fluent anyway.”

Haakon sighed long-sufferingly and maintained, “The dragons need to be taken care of. Fannar can’t-”

“Fannar can manage on his own for a few days,” Toothless interjected.

Haakon reached up to rub his temples. “Could you at least ask Bliksem or Myrsky-” He trailed off as his best friend shook his head.

“Dagur and your dad are upset with Fannar, too,” Toothless shared smugly. “Neither of the Skrills will betray them that way.”

Haakon buried his head in his hands, groaning in frustration. He could understand his family’s concern, but this was a little much.

“Is everything okay,” Astrid asked in concern, pausing her ministrations to his leg. “Does it hurt too much?”

“No,” he shook his head, looking up at her. “No, it’s just that I’m going to need to go and speak with Fannar.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” she declared, rubbing the ointment in a little harder than necessary and causing Haakon to stifle a cry. “Sorry,” she apologized, looking at him guiltily.

“It’s okay,” he hissed, trying to calm his breathing. “I know you didn’t mean to do it.” He waited until she had finished wrapping his leg back up to say, “As for visiting Fannar, I don’t really have a choice.” He glanced at Toothless and muttered under his breath, “Stubborn dragon.”

“I can go,” she offered, moving on to his shoulders.

“I appreciate it, Astrid, but-”

“What do you need to tell him? I can pass it on,” she looked at him earnestly.

“It’s more than just giving him a message,” Haakon explained. “I need to take care of my responsibilities. Normally Toothless would cover for me, but it seems he refuses to speak with Fannar because of the danger he put me in.” He glared at the Night Fury who had curled up on his stone slab with his tail covering his face.

“I don’t exactly blame him,” Astrid grumbled. She was silent as she finished up, tying the bandage so that it wouldn’t rub against his wounds. Once she was done, she sat next to him, and observed, “This is important to you, isn’t it?”

Haakon nodded. “Two weeks is too long not to check in with the dragons. Especially with winter fast approaching.”

“But Fannar knows you’re injured,” she pointed out.

“Yes, but-”

“How about this,” she put forth. “Stormfly can take me to explain things to him and we’ll take care of as much as we can in your absence.”

Haakon smiled at her, touched that she would be willing to do that for him. “That’s really sweet Astrid, but you’re still learning the dragon’s tongue. How are you going to understand Fannar and the other dragons?”

“I don’t need to as long as Stormfly does,” she reasoned. “And if she needs assistance, she knows what words I’m familiar with and can get her point across.”

“I don’t know…”

“Please, Haak.” She grabbed his hand and held it in both of hers, staring at him imploringly. “You’ve helped me so much, and I want to help you, too.”

Her look was as potent as Toothless’ and Haakon found himself giving in. “Okay, but tell Fannar and Stormfly that I said you are only allowed to do what is absolutely essential. I don’t want him running you off your feet with things that can wait, especially as it will already be hard enough for you with the language barrier.”

She nodded enthusiastically, clearly pleased that he was trusting her with this. “And Toothless can stay here and make sure you don’t get out of bed.”

“Astrid,” he complained.

“Nope, healer’s orders,” she affirmed, turning to the Night Fury. “Toothless, you better make sure he stays there. If I find out he’s done otherwise, you will know my wrath.” Looking back at her husband, she asked, “Is there anything I can get you before I leave?”

“Could you bring me my journal,” he requested, figuring that if he was going to be stuck here, he might as well try to work on some designs.

His wife looked at him skeptically. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“My shoulders will hardly be moving and if I don’t have anything to do then I’m sure I’ll go mad,” he declared dramatically.

She rolled her eyes but relented and brought it to him, along with a few books from downstairs. He caught her hand before she could walk away and pulled her down for a kiss. “Thank you, milady.”

She smiled and said, “Hopefully, I won’t be long, but I’ll take frequent breaks to check in.”

He nodded and watched her leave. Left alone with his thoughts and a recalcitrant Night Fury, he turned to his friend and pointed out, “You could have made this a lot easier you know.”

Toothless merely grunted and turned so that he was lying with his rear facing Haakon.

“Useless reptile,” Haakon muttered as he opened his journal and set to making a few adjustments to the design for his latest invention.

Chapter Text

Taking care of Haakon’s responsibilities had not been easy, but with Stormfly’s help, it was doable. Astrid didn’t worry as much either when Meda started bringing Sirena and Goldie up to their house in the mornings to have Haakon help with his sister’s lessons, so at least that helped him to keep busy for part of the day.

Astrid was not amused, though, when she returned around lunch on the third day to find Meda still there but no sign of Toothless.

Meda huffed and fluttered her wings. “Home?”

“I’m staying,” Astrid replied, “if that’s what you’re asking.”

The Hobblegrunt bobbed her head and nuzzled Astrid before leaving the house.

She turned to her husband and asked, “What was that about and where’s Toothless?”

“Apparently, he did not want to be bothered with making sure I stayed in bed,” he explained. “I told Meda I would be fine and she could leave, but she insisted on staying until you returned.”

“I don’t blame her,” Astrid commented. “Would you have stayed in bed?”

“Yes,” Haakon declared, laying his hand on his chest as he assumed an expression of great offense. At her glare, though, he amended his statement to, “Maybe…”

“Exactly,” she nodded knowingly. “Well, if Toothless isn’t going to hold up his end of the bargain, he can help Fannar or be locked out of the house.”

“He’ll just go to my family’s house,” Haakon pointed out.

“You really think Meda will allow him in after today,” she inquired skeptically.

Haakon opened his mouth, but promptly shut it. “True,” he admitted. “And his only other option would be to go to the ice caves, where he’d have to spend even more time around Fannar. I think you’ve got him there, milady,” he grinned.

She leaned in for a quick kiss, before heading down to make them something to eat. “If I hear you trying to get out of bed, you’ll be in worse trouble than Toothless,” she called over her shoulder, causing her husband to laugh.

Thankfully, he remained where he was and she brought a game up with their lunch, resulting in a pleasant afternoon spent together. It was made even better by the fact that Haakon insisted the loser had to reward the winner with a kiss. She found she didn’t care so much about winning when she had that to look forward to.

-o0o-

“You should really still be in bed,” Astrid proclaimed as she helped her husband get settled on the bench seat in front of the fire. He was still wearing his sleeping clothes as they were easier to get on and off and didn’t rub against his injuries as much.

“The first day counts,” Haakon maintained, repeating the argument he had used to get her to let him come down in the first place. “Therefore, a week has passed and I can leave our room.”

She hummed noncommittally. “I do not entirely agree with that, but I know you’re getting stir crazy, so I’ll allow it. You still have to keep your weight off your leg, though.” The wind howled and she added. “Even if this storm lets up, you’ll have to stay inside.”

“But at least I can spend my day staring at four different walls,” he said optimistically. “Well, different parts of the walls,” he corrected himself, giving her a lopsided smile.

She rolled her eyes before grabbing a book and curling up next to him. “Read to me,” she asked, offering it to him.

He accepted the book and opened it as he observed, “You do realize that I’m aware of the fact you’re just trying to keep me busy.”

“Maybe I just like listening to your voice,” she smiled up at him but could tell he wasn’t buying it even though it was true. “Or it’s a bit of both?”

“That sounds much more likely,” he remarked, wrapping his arm around her as he began to read aloud.

With the storm raging outside, they spent a rather lazy day around the house. Even Toothless and Stormfly spent most of the day napping. Eventually, Astrid got up to make dinner, glad Haakon had been teaching her how to cook. She still couldn’t do anything fancy, but at least they wouldn’t starve.

She had just finished cleaning up and resumed her seat at his side when she heard something bang on the door. She turned to look at him in surprise as the storm was strong enough to keep even the most hardy Viking indoors. “What’s that?”

“It’s one of the Speed Stingers,” he revealed. “Can you let him in?” As she walked to the door, he further explained, “They’re one of the few dragons who aren’t affected by this kind of weather so we have a system set up where they can pass on messages.”

Astrid lifted the latch on the door and braced herself against the wind before opening it just enough to see a green blur slip in. She shut the door and turned around to see the small dragon chattering at her husband at a speed too fast for her to understand.

Seeing Haakon suddenly blanch, she rushed to his side. “What’s wrong?”

“My dad,” he stated briskly. “I have to go.”

She sat next to him and grabbed his arm firmly. “You’re not going anywhere with your injuries and what about your dad?”

“He’s sick, I have to go,” he repeated, looking around the room frantically.

“Haakon, I know that you want to be there for him, but-”

“No, Astrid, you don’t understand,” he protested, finally turning to face her. She could see the panic in his eyes as he said, “He got really sick last winter. We almost lost him. He never fully recovered and if something happens and I’m not there-” He breathed heavily as he buried his face in his hands.

Astrid reached out and began rubbing circles on his back, hoping to help him calm down. “You’re right, I didn’t understand and I’m sorry,” she apologized. Realizing how important this was to her husband, she quickly ran through their options. “Can Toothless make it down the hill in this weather? Walking, I mean?”

Haakon raised his head and blinked a few times before glancing at Toothless who nodded earnestly.

“Okay, wait here.”

Her husband grabbed her hand as she stood, not allowing her to get far. She turned back to him as he asked, “What are you going to do?”

“I’m packing,” she responded. “If we’re going down there, we’re not coming back until the storm is over…or maybe until your dad is better, so we may as well take what we’ll need with us.”

Haakon tightened his grip on her hand as he looked at her in astonishment. “We?”

“I’m not letting you go alone, muttonhead.” She freed herself from her husband’s grasp and grabbed Toothless’ saddlebags before racing upstairs. As she packed a couple of changes of clothes and some other necessities she asked, “Does your family have extra furs?”

“Yeah, there should be plenty,” he answered from downstairs, though his voice sounded miles away.

She stuffed the bandages and ointment for his injuries into another saddlebag before heading back downstairs and grabbing a few books. Lastly, she went to the locked cabinet to retrieve her knitting. They would probably have a lot of downtime and she may as well keep her hands busy.

She was startled by Haakon saying, “You keep your knitting in there?”

She blushed and shrugged. “Well, it’s the only place I know that Toothless can’t get to it.”

Her husband let out a bark of laughter that bordered on the hysterical, quickly slapping his hand over his mouth. “Sorry, I just-”

“Don’t worry,” she reassured him, understanding that he wasn’t thinking clearly right now. “I’m sure everything will be okay,” she said as she grabbed Toothless’ saddle off the peg by the door.

“I can do that,” Haakon offered, scooting forward as if he was about to stand.

Astrid glared and reminded him, “No weight on that leg.” Toothless padded over and held himself unnaturally still, something for which she was grateful. “I’ve got this,” she declared, “just correct me if I do something wrong.”

She only needed minimal prompting, and that was only because her husband loved to make things complicated. She attached the saddlebags and grabbed their cloaks, helping Haakon bundle up before getting him on Toothless’ back.

She walked over to the door and turned back, asking, “Stormfly, are you coming with us or will you be ok here?”

“Home,” the Nadder crooned, settling herself down by the remains of the fire.

Astrid nodded and opened the door, letting the Speed Stinger zip out in front of Toothless before stepping into the frigid night herself, closing the door behind them. She quickly jumped on behind Haakon and pulled her cloak more firmly about her as the snow swirled around them. Toothless cautiously made his way down the hill, the rest of the Stingers appearing around them and guiding them in the right direction. Astrid was grateful for their help as she couldn’t see anything past the tip of Toothless’ nose, though the Night Fury seemed to be doing fine without any assistance.

She scooted closer to her husband, wrapping her arms around him, cloak and all, and rested her chin on his shoulder. She wasn’t sure what these next few days would bring, but she wanted to make sure that he knew she would be there for him.

Chapter Text

“What are you doing here,” Dagur inquired as they made their way inside, Haakon still on Toothless’ back.

Haakon stared at his brother incredulously. “Did you seriously think I was going to stay at home after you sent a message telling me Dad was sick?”

“I told you this would happen,” Heather said as she came down the stairs, having heard the commotion.

“Yeah, but he’s injured,” Dagur gestured to his brother before turning on the newest member of their family. “I expected more from you, Astrid.”

Haakon was livid. He swung his injured leg over Toothless and limped up to his brother, waving off his wife and twin’s attempts to help him. “Dagur, apologize to Astrid right now,” he growled, refusing to back down.

“Calm down, both of you,” Heather said, stepping between them and pushing Dagur back as Astrid wrapped her arm around his waist. He took the hint and shifted his weight onto his good leg as his sister continued. “Haak and Astrid are here now and seem to have made it safely despite this horrendous storm.”

“All thanks to Toothless and the Speed Stingers,” Astrid chimed in. “And for the record, Dagur, I did what I could to make it as safe as possible.” Glancing at Heather, she added, “We’re staying, by the way.”

“I’m sorry for snapping,” Dagur apologized sincerely, much to Haakon’s satisfaction. “I’ve just had a lot on my mind.”

He could understand where his brother was coming from and as Astrid seemed to accept his apology, he moved on to ask, “How is Dad?”

“He’s not doing great,” Dagur admitted, his shoulders seeming to sag.

“Did you send for the healer?”

“We sent a message,” Heather shared, “but it’s the same illness that struck him last year and there’s not much she can do. She did send some herbs, but…”

Haakon nodded as she trailed off, understanding just how bleak the situation was. “Where’s Sirena?”

“I sent her to bed,” Heather informed him, a guilty expression crossing her face. “She doesn’t realize how bad things are just yet and I’m not sure how to tell her.”

“I’ll handle it in the morning,” he offered.

“Thanks, Haak,” Heather replied, her relief evident. “I need to get back upstairs.”

“I’ll go with you,” he declared, glancing at Astrid to see if she would be joining them. She reassured him she would be up soon and helped him get situated on Toothless’ back before sending them off.

Though Haakon knew his father was sick, he was not fully prepared for the sight that met him. Even though Heather informed him that the illness had just come on the night before, his dad already looked as bad as he did last year, if not worse.

Heather helped him off Toothless and into the chair next to the bed. After checking their dad one last time, she left to get some rest, taking Meda with her. Haakon sat there in silence, watching his dad’s labored breathing as he slept, desperately hoping that he would somehow pull through.

It wasn’t long until Astrid joined him and together they did what they could to keep his father comfortable. Sometime past midnight, Dagur came in to relieve them, and upon reaching his old room, Haakon offered his old bed to Astrid, saying that he would take Dagur’s, but she insisted on sharing. It was a little tight and Astrid was practically on top of him, but he had to admit, he found her presence in his arms comforting, so it was worth it.

They woke up a little later than normal, the storm outside still raging, and freshened up before heading downstairs to find the rest of his family finishing their breakfast.

“Haak,” Sirena exclaimed, her confusion clear. “What are you doing here?”

He let Astrid help him off of Toothless and into a chair before he exchanged glances with Heather and Dagur. Giving them a slight nod, he turned to his youngest sister. “Dagur sent word that Dad was sick, so we came down.” He took her hand in his and explained, “It’s more than just a cold Sirena. Do you remember how he got really sick last year?”

She nodded fearfully.

“Well, it seems he’s caught the same thing again, so we came to help.”

“Will he be okay,” she asked in a small voice.

“I don’t know, munchkin, “ Dagur responded, coming up behind her and pulling her in for a hug, “but we’re going to try our best.”

She nodded tearfully as Heather got up to take her shift at their father’s bedside. Astrid retrieved their breakfast and once they had eaten, she went to wash the dishes while Haakon helped Sirena with her lessons before going to relieve his twin.

Their father spent most of the time sleeping, his body valiantly trying to fight off the illness, so there wasn’t much to do other than refreshing the wet cloth on his forehead and helping him to take a drink or some herbs on the rare occasions when he woke.

During one such episode when he was more lucid than he had been, he turned to his son and said, “Haakon?”

“I’m here, Dad,” he replied, grasping his father’s hand in both of his. “Do you need something?”

He shook his head slightly. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m so proud of you, son. You have taken on your role as Fannar’s aide with aplomb and I know the dragons and our legacy are in good hands.”

Haakon smiled softly. “Thanks, Dad.”

“You’ve also made your wife happy,” his father said smiling at him weakly. “I know there were times in the past few months when things have been hard, but you’ve done so well. I would even go so far as to say that you are a perfect match, as much as your mother and I were.” He paused to catch his breath before finishing by saying, “Remember to be there for each other during all the challenges you may face. You will be stronger together.”

His grip on his father’s hand tightened as he shook his head, knowing why his father was saying all this, “Dad-”

“I love you, son.”

“I love you, too, Dad,” Haakon responded, his voice cracking, “but you’re going to get better.”

“Only time can tell,” he observed as he closed his eyes.

Haakon held his breath as he watched his father’s chest rise and fall, slowly relaxing as it seemed that he was just falling back asleep. He knew that losing his father was a very real possibility, but he wasn’t ready for that. None of them were.

He sat there for a few more moments trying to compose himself before deciding to head downstairs for a bit. As he maneuvered himself onto Toothless, Meda promised that she would keep an eye on his father and allow the rest of them to spend a bit of time together.

He arrived downstairs to find Heather and Sirena halfheartedly playing a game at the table while Dagur helped Astrid with her knitting and the dragons laid about dispiritedly.

His wife was quick to come to his side and help him get situated on the bench seat by the fire, even though he could have managed it on his own. “Keeping busy,” he inquired, nodding toward her discarded knitting project.

“Trying to,” she shrugged. “Is it my turn to go up?”

“In a little bit,” he said, pulling her to sit down beside him. “Meda is watching him for now.”

She nodded and retrieved her knitting as he pulled out his journal, wanting to record the words his father had said while they were fresh in his mind. He hoped the worst wouldn’t come to pass, but just in case it did, he didn’t want to forget that moment.

He had just finished writing it all down and was blinking back tears as he turned to a fresh page when Astrid leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek before wrapping a scarf around his neck. He instantly recognized it as the piece she had been knitting on and off for the past few months and picked up one end to look at her handiwork. “You finished it?”

She blushed and nodded. “It’s not perfect, but I wanted you to have my first completed project. I kept having to start over so it took me longer than I expected.”

Haakon smiled at her, unsure what he had done to deserve such an amazing wife. “Thank you, Astrid,” he said before pulling her in for a hug and burying his face in her shoulder. As he held her close and drew from her strength, all he could think was that his dad was always right and he couldn’t be more grateful for his wife.

-o0o-

Astrid had been watching over her father-in-law for a few hours when she heard him say her name. “What can I get you,” she inquired, hastening to his side.

“Nothing, my dear,” he coughed. “I just wanted to thank you for being such a good daughter. I’m glad that I’ve been able to stick around long enough to see how close you and Haakon have become.”

“And I’m sure you’ll be around to see much more,” she reassured him, trying to keep her voice upbeat.

“Thank you for your optimism, my dear,” he said, his breathing becoming more labored. “Now go and get some rest.”

“I will in a little bit,” she replied, doing her best to make him as comfortable as possible.

He nodded slightly and soon dozed back off, but Astrid was worried. She was trying to remain positive for her husband and his family, but she had to admit it was becoming harder and harder.

Dagur eventually came to relieve her and she left to discover her husband tossing and turning in his old bed. She quickly got changed and crawled in next to him, his arms instantly wrapping around her and his heart rate gradually slowing. As she lay there with her head on his chest, she allowed herself to relax, realizing that even though she may not feel like she was doing much, she was making a difference, however small it was.

The next morning, Astrid was relieved to see that the storm was finally tapering off. At least there was one thing for them to be thankful for.

She helped Haakon up and onto Toothless, but no sooner had they stepped out of their room than Meda was at their side, shepherding them downstairs and to the table for breakfast. It was a rather somber affair as Haakon and his siblings were worried about their dad, especially as Dagur hadn’t come down yet.

With the way Meda was acting, Astrid had a bad feeling that things had taken a turn for the worse last night. She didn’t think she was the only one either as Haakon and Heather were doing nothing more than pushing their food around and glancing at the staircase, waiting for their eldest brother to arrive.

When Dagur eventually did come down, all eyes were on him as he came to join them at the table. Astrid felt her stomach drop as she took in his red-rimmed eyes and slumped shoulders, so different from the confident brother-in-law she was used to seeing.

“Dad’s gone,” Dagur announced quietly, his voice raw with grief, “He passed away in his sleep a couple of hours ago.”

As the realization set in, Sirena started bawling and Haakon was quick to pull her into his arms, trying to comfort his little sister despite his own grief while Dagur did the same for Heather.

Astrid sat there quietly, feeling like she was intruding on this private moment. She hadn’t know Oswald as well as his children did, but she had treasured him and the role he played in her life. As she was trying to hold back her own tears, she suddenly found herself enfolded in a pair of wings. Glancing up, she saw Meda looking at her in concern. She leaned into the Hobblegrunt’s embrace, thanking the dragon for her support as she cried for the father-in-law who had helped her so much.

Chapter Text

The next day was rather gloomy, but at least the weather was holding, Astrid thought as they gathered on the beach for Oswald’s funeral. She stood next to Haakon, his arm wrapped firmly around her shoulders to help him to maintain his balance as he was determined to stand. She was just as determined, though, that he keep his weight off his injured leg as much as possible, thus their current arrangement with her arm around his waist to give him further support. Heather and Sirena stood next to them, the latter trying very hard not to cry. Dagur gave a touching speech and, though it was not long, she did not believe there was a dry eye among the assembled Berserkers.

Then came the part of tradition that she was all too familiar with, launching the ship out to sea. It had been a regular occurrence back on Berk, but this was the first time she would be expected to shoot one of the flaming arrows. She had been too young when her uncle and mother passed away, and her father had never received a proper funeral, having been lost in one of the searches for the nest. She was grateful for the tips Haakon had given her when they were first married as she didn’t want to embarrass his family on this solemn occasion.

The arrows all flew with unerring accuracy and the assembled Berserkers watched as the flaming ship floated further out to sea, with Bliksem hovering above it as the other dragons circled in a show of respect. Once the majority of the dragons had returned to shore, Bliksem gave the most piercing, heartrending screech Astrid had ever heard before blasting the boat himself and disappearing into the clouds.

Sirena had held up well throughout the whole ceremony but that was her breaking point. She threw herself into Haakon’s arms, and Astrid helped him to keep from falling over, though Toothless was soon at their side as well, crooning sorrowfully and lending his support.

Heather soon collected her sister from her twin’s arms and began to lead her back home, though Astrid did not miss the glance her sister-in-law exchanged with her eldest brother. She was sure there was still much for the siblings to discuss, but in the meantime, she was getting her husband off his foot and onto his dragon.

A moment later, Dagur approached. “Haakon, are you and Astrid heading back home today or…?”

“Yeah, we are,” he responded as Astrid climbed on behind him. She was sure Stormfly was somewhere nearby, but this was much more convenient and allowed her to remain close to her husband.

“Could I ask a favor,” Dagur asked.

“Anything.”

“Could Sirena stay with you for a bit,” her brother-in-law requested. “There are a lot of repairs that need to be made after the storm and Heather and I won’t be home much, but she’ll need a lot of support. Plus, she’s the closest with you.”

Haakon nodded. “Don’t worry about it. She can share the bed with Astrid and I’ll sleep with Toothless.”

“No, you will not,” Astrid broke in, glaring at her husband. “You still have to be careful of your injuries and I’m not letting you sleep with Toothless.” Turning to Dagur she inquired, “Can Haak’s old bed be brought up to our house?”

“I’ll make the arrangements,” he assured her. “Thank you both.”

With that settled, Toothless ambled back to Haakon’s family’s house so they could collect their belongings along with a teary-eyed Sirena and a few extra dragons before heading home. Dagur came along not much later with the extra bed in Myrsky’s claws and they set it up in the far corner of the room, moving the screen to allow Sirena some privacy. Haakon did promise Astrid that as soon as his injuries were healed, he would see about splitting the upstairs into at least two rooms so if they ever needed to host someone again, they would be prepared, but for now, it was doable.

Haakon spent most of the day trying to console Sirena, Meda hovering around the two of them, while Astrid put their things away and tidied up the house a bit. She made an early dinner seeing as Sirena had worn herself out and sent the girl to bed early. Haakon wasn’t in much better shape and it didn’t take much to persuade him that they should turn in early too.

She fell asleep quickly but woke sometime in the middle of the night to find that her husband was gone. Toothless was still on his rock slab, so the odds were Haakon hadn’t gone far. When she heard a faint noise from downstairs, part of the mystery was solved. Wrapping one of the furs from their bed around her shoulders, she crept down the stairs to find her husband hunched over in front of the remains of the fire, attempting to hold back his sobs.

She shook her head as she hastened to his side, sitting down beside him and wrapping her arms around his shuddering form. “Oh, Haak.”

He stiffened and wiped away his tears as he struggled to get his emotions under control. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, his voice rough.

“Whatever for,” she asked incredulously.

“I didn’t mean to wake you up,” he disclosed.

“You didn’t,” she reassured him. “I just missed your warmth.” She pulled the fur from her shoulders and wrapped it around them both, snuggling closer to him and tucking her head beneath his chin. “You do know you don’t have to hide your grief from me, right?”

She felt him nod. “I didn’t want to disturb Sirena,” he admitted. “She’s been through enough already and I need to be strong for her.” His breath hitched, but he continued, “At least when Mom died, we still had Dad, but now the only parent she’s known is gone.”

“I’m sure she’d understand that you’re hurting, too,” she reasoned.

“I suppose you’re right,” Haakon acknowledged. “I just miss him so much…”

Wanting to assure her husband that he was not alone, Astrid softly said, “I miss him, too. Obviously not as much as you, but still…”

Haakon pulled back and looked at her in concern. “I’m so sorry, Astrid. I’ve been so caught up in my own grief and trying to take care of Sirena that I haven’t asked how you were doing with all of this.”

“I’ll be okay,” she replied, smiling bittersweetly.

“Astrid,” he pressed.

She dipped her head, but her husband was soon cupping her cheek and encouraging her to look at him. She did her best to hold back her own tears as she confessed, “I think I’m more upset by losing your dad than I was when mine didn’t come back.”

“I’m so sorry,” Haakon murmured as he held her tight, making her feel safe enough to let her tears fall.

“It’s just, your dad cared so much,” she sniffed, “and he always gave the best advice.”

“That he did,” her husband agreed.

“He-he saw me as his daughter. I-I’ll always treasure him for that.” She looked up at Haakon and could see that his eyes were swimming with tears as well.

“You’re part of our family, Astrid,” he confirmed, “and I wouldn’t trade you for the world.” He leaned in for a kiss and she poured her whole heart into it, hoping that in some small way, it may help to mend his.

All good things, though, must come to an end. When they came up for air, she laid her head on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart, and reminding herself that though she may have lost a father figure, she still had a husband who was very dear to her and needed her help right now. Speaking of, “How did you get down here, anyway?” When she did not receive a response, she glanced up to find a guilty expression on his face. “Haakon…”

“I didn’t want to bother anyone,” he muttered.

“You’re never a bother,” she responded, kissing the corner of his mouth. “I would’ve helped you, you know.”

He hung his head sheepishly. “I know, but you’ve been so busy and my leg didn’t hurt that bad. Plus, you need your sleep.”

“The same goes for you,” she observed.

He sighed. “I know, but I’m not quite ready to go to bed yet. I’ll join you upstairs in a little bit,” he promised.

She gave him a pointed look. “How?”

“Uhh…”

Coming down the stairs was one thing, but she was not about to let him attempt going back up on his own. “We can stay here if you want,” she offered, receiving a grateful smile in return.

“Thank you, Astrid,” he said, pulling her closer.

She snuggled up to him, and while the bench seat was not as comfortable as their bed, she was tired enough that she was soon drifting back to sleep.

Chapter Text

Haakon grumbled as he felt a puff of air in his face. “Cut it out, bud,” he murmured, reaching out to push his best friend’s snout away, only the surface his hand landed on was not smooth and rounded like he expected. He cracked his eyes open to find, not Toothless, but Meda staring at him in concern. Before he could process why she was looking at him that way, the loud clanging of pots from the kitchen caught his attention. Astrid was stirring in his arms and last night was slowing coming back to him as he loosened his grip on his wife and leaned forward to find his little sister in the kitchen.

”Morning, Sirena,” he greeted her groggily, glancing out the window to find the sun well over the horizon. “I didn’t realize it was so late. How are you feeling?”

“Like you care,” she retorted, turning back to whatever she was making for breakfast.

He blinked a few times, unable to believe that those words just came out of his sister’s mouth. “Excuse me?”

“Dad just died and you don’t even care,” she spat, refusing to look at him.

“Sirena, why would you say that,” he demanded.

“Just look at you,” she yelled, her voice cracking. “You’re happy in your own little world. You don’t care about the rest of us anymore. I wish I was back home,” she said defiantly. “At least Heather would have had breakfast ready.”

Haakon couldn’t understand where all this was coming from. “Sirena-” he began, a warning tone in his voice only to be interrupted.

“Forget it. I’m not even hungry anymore,” she declared, turning on her heel and stomping toward the front door. “Come on, Goldie.”

The little Nadder looked back and forth, unsure of what had just happened, before scampering after her friend. Meda trailed out after them, assuring Haakon she would keep an eye on Sirena, leaving him to wonder where his sweet, sensitive little sister had gone.

“What just happened,” he muttered.

Astrid leaned her head on his shoulder. “She’s grieving,” she stated simply.

He shook his head vigorously. “No, grieving was her crying almost non-stop for the past two days. I don’t know what that was,” he proclaimed, gesturing to the front door his sister had just stormed out of.

He felt Astrid’s hand on his arm and glanced over to find her looking at him earnestly. “When my Uncle Finn died, I was mad that he was taken from me and it took years for me to let it go. It fueled me to train harder and to become a better warrior, which was good, but I lost myself in the process. It wasn’t until I came here that you and your family helped me to move past that.” At that statement, Haakon pulled her in for a hug, but his wife was not finished speaking. “She’ll be okay,” she reassured him. “She just needs time.” She pulled back and smiled at him. “Let me see if I can finish whatever she was making for breakfast and then maybe I can take her to the woods to train since the weather seems to be holding. Help her work out some of her frustrations.”

“Thank you, Astrid,” Haakon said, kissing her forehead. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“And don’t you forget it,” she replied with a smirk. Cupping his cheek, she added, “And Haak? Don’t take to heart what she said. It came from a place of hurt and she didn’t really mean it.”

He gave her a small smile and nodded, pulling her in for a kiss before letting her get up.

Astrid was able to salvage the porridge that Sirena had abandoned, though how his sister had dirtied so many dishes was beyond Haakon’s comprehension. After eating, Astrid washed up and changed out of her pajamas, before taking a look at his injuries and rewrapping them after applying more ointment.

“The stitches are pulling a bit because someone used his leg too much yesterday,” she observed looking at him pointedly. “Please stay off it today and try to keep it propped up.”

“Yes, milady,” he responded meekly, to which his wife snorted before grabbing her axe.

“I mean it,” she shouted over her shoulder as she headed out the door.

Haakon chuckled, but he had every intention of following his wife’s instructions. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but his leg and shoulders were bothering him after yesterday’s activity. He also didn’t dare cross his wife.

The house was quiet with most everyone gone. It was just him and Sharpshot left as Toothless had gone to check in with Fannar, Stormfly accompanying him to see if there was anything for her and Astrid to do. Deciding to take advantage of the peace and quiet, Haakon picked up the book he had been reading and settled in, intent on escaping reality for just a bit.

His escape was short-lived though, as he had barely started a second chapter when Astrid burst through the front door. Taking one look at her face, Haakon said, “Uh, I’m taking it that it didn’t go well?”

His wife huffed and plopped down next to him. “Not at all,” she disclosed. “Apparently, I don’t ‘train properly’. I know that as far as my skill level goes, I’m still catching up to you, but she’s only eleven. There’s still plenty I can teach her!”

“Where is she now,” Haakon asked softly, not wanting to upset Astrid further.

“Meda dragged her off on a walk,” she replied, waving her hand half-heartedly.

“Dragged,” he repeated, one eyebrow raised.

“Yeah, well…”

“What exactly happened,” he inquired.

Astrid sighed. “Let’s just say that Sirena's grief is speaking for her right now.”

Haakon reached for his wife’s hand. “Astrid, please tell me what happened.”

She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I know she’s just trying to find someone to blame for everything that’s going on.”

“It matters to me,” he insisted, wrapping his arm around her waist.

She didn’t resist, leaning against him and resting her head on his shoulder as she finally told him, “She said it’s my fault that Oswald died.”

“WHAT?!”

“It’s just the grief talking,” Astrid remarked matter-of-factly, though Haakon could tell his sister’s words were affecting his wife more than she was willing to admit.

“That may be so, but that is no excuse for her to talk to you that way,” he asserted. Feeling that there was more that she wasn’t sharing, he asked, “What else did she say?” When his wife did not respond, he prompted her. “Astrid?”

“That-that everything’s changed since I came and…”

“And?”

Her nose scrunched up before she quietly added, “And that she hates me.” She finally looked up at him and he could see the hurt in her eyes. “She doesn’t mean it though,” she claimed, defending his sister despite her cruel words.

“I don’t care if she means it or not,” he stated harshly.

“Haakon, her dad just died,” she reasoned. “She’s having a hard time.”

“I don’t care. You don’t treat family that way,” he maintained. Taking a deep breath, he leaned forward and let his head fall into his hands. “I’m so sorry, Astrid,” he apologized. “You shouldn’t have to deal with any of this. I obviously didn’t think things through when I accepted Dagur’s request to have Sirena stay with us, but I never would’ve thought anything like this would happen. She’s never acted this way before.”

“It’s not your fault, Haak,” she comforted him, wrapping her arms around him. “And didn’t you say that this was the Berserker way? Looking out for one another and helping?”

“Yeah, but not like this,” he grumbled, returning her embrace.

“If it’s any consolation, Meda was appalled,” she revealed. “I believe Sirena was in for a thorough scolding during their walk.”

“She could use it,” he muttered, burying his face in his wife’s shoulder. Before he could ask Astrid how she would like him to handle things, though, the front door creaked open and they turned to see his sister’s bonded trying to sneak in.

“Goldie? Where’s Sirena,” he inquired.

“With Meda,” she trilled softly.

Haakon tilted his head, thinking it strange that Goldie would have come back here on her own. “You didn’t want to stay with them?”

The little Nadder shook her head. “Sirena is acting strange and she was mean to your mate. I didn’t like it,” she declared, ruffing her wings in her agitation.

This whole situation was getting out of hand and he needed to speak with his sister before things got worse. “Sharpshot, do you mind finding Meda and asking her to bring Sirena back home?”

The Terror bobbed his head and zipped outside, leaving Haakon to tell his wife, “I think it would be best if it was just me and Sirena when I talk to her. If Stormfly’s back, maybe you could go for a flight?”

Astrid nodded. “She’s perched on the roof,” she confirmed. “A flight actually sounds like just what I need. Goldie, would you like to join us?”

The fledgling squawked in agreement, pleased to have been included.

Astrid kissed her husband on the cheek before grabbing her saddle and heading outside, leaving Haakon to think about how he wanted to go about this discussion with his sister. Out of the siblings, he was the one she was most likely to listen to, but he had never seen her like this, so he could only hope that she would hear him out.

Chapter Text

Haakon’s hopes for an easy discussion were squashed when Sirena stomped inside and flew up the stairs, not even glancing his way. He turned to the Hobblegrunt standing just inside the doorway and said, “Thank you, Meda. I’ll take care of this if you want to stretch your wings.”

She bobbed her head and came over to nuzzle him. “I didn’t get too far in our discussion, but I did make it clear to her that she will need to apologize.”

“Thanks,” he replied as he reached up to scratch behind her frill. “Sirena, could you please come downstairs?” When there was no sound of movement from upstairs, he called out, “You know I can’t come up after you right now.”

“Sirena! You listen to your brother right now,” Meda growled as her scales turned red, “or I will drag you down the stairs just as I dragged you out of the clearing five minutes ago.”

Haakon bit back a smile as he heard his sister making her way to the stairs. Meda could be quite fearsome when she wanted to be and he and his siblings had learned that you do not cross her when she’s like this.

Sirena descended sulkily, and plopped on the bench seat opposite him, only for Meda to let out a warning growl. His sister scrunched up her nose but moved to the bench he was on, albeit on the other end. Satisfied that she had done all she could, Meda huffed toward Sirena and nuzzled him once more before heading out the front door.

Haakon took a deep breath before looking at his sister and saying, “Sirena, I’m at a loss right now. I understand that you’re angry and that you’re having a hard time, but when has it ever been acceptable to take that anger out on someone else? What would Dad have said?”

“Dad’s not here,” she responded angrily, crossing her arms.

“I know, but how do you think he would feel if he saw you behaving like this,” he queried, noticing his sister’s shoulders slump ever so slightly. “I know that this is not easy and I want to help you, but I don’t know how,” he admitted, running his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry if you’d rather be at home, but Dagur and Heather have a lot of responsibilities they have to take care of right now and we thought that at least if you were here, you’d have the support you need, but Astrid and I can’t give that to you if you push us away,” he disclosed.

“None of you even care,” she shouted, still refusing to look at him.

Taken aback by her outburst, Haakon did his best to remain calm. He winced as he attempted to scoot closer to his sister, not making it very far as he asked, “What do you mean?” When she continued to stare at something on the other side of the hut, remaining quiet, he entreated her, “Please, Sirena. Help me to understand.”

Her voice wavered as she said, “You’re all acting like nothing happened. Like Dad didn’t just die. It’s business as usual.”

“Sirena,” Haakon sighed, trying to think of how he could explain this to her. “Sometimes, we don’t have the luxury to grieve like we want to. There was just a big storm and, as Chief, Dagur has to be there for our people. Heather also has her hands full helping with the repairs. If it weren’t for my injuries, I would be out with Toothless helping check on the dragons and lending a hand as well. It’s not that we don’t miss Dad,” he assured her. “We do, but we have other responsibilities that have to come first.” Seeing that his sister seemed to be calming down just a bit, he continued, “I was only seven when Mom passed away.”

“At least you got to know her,” she snapped.

He took another breath, forcing himself to remain calm as he knew she was only lashing out because she was hurting. “I remember that Dad missed Mom something awful, but he had four children and a village to take care of, and you were just a baby. He had other responsibilities that didn’t allow him to sit in his grief. Same with Meda,” he shared. “She had promised Mom she would help look after us. She couldn’t just leave like Bliksem did.” Remembering what Astrid had told him last night, he said, “Do you know why you found us down here this morning?”

Sirena shook her head sullenly.

“Because I came down here last night so my sobs wouldn’t wake you,” he revealed, finally getting her to look at him, her surprise and confusion more than evident. “Astrid realized I was gone and when I wasn’t ready to go back up, she stayed down here with me.”

At that, his sister seemed to deflate. “Oh…”

“Come here, Sirena.” He patted the spot next to him, hoping that what he had said made enough of an impact that she would be willing to close the gap between them. She slowly scooted over and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as she began to cry. “I love you, little shadow. We all do,” he affirmed as he slowly rocked back and forth. “And we all miss Dad, we just grieve in different ways. You have to remember that the rest of us have been through this before. Not that it makes it any easier, but we know what to expect and that it will get better with time. We also know that it’s going to be the hardest on you,” he confided, “so we’re trying to be strong so you have people you can lean on. I’m sorry if that gave you the impression that we don’t care. That couldn’t be further from the truth.” He held her tighter as she nodded against his chest, letting her get it all out before he moved on to the other topic that needed to be discussed.

Once her tears had slowed, he pulled back just a little and looked down at her. “It’s okay to be sad or angry when someone you love dies. That’s normal,” he explained, “but please try not to take it out on anyone, okay?”

“Okay,” she sniffed as she nodded.

“And you need to apologize to Astrid,” he added firmly.

“She told on me,” Sirena asked, looking hurt.

“Not willingly,” he revealed, “but even if I hadn’t pushed her to break her silence, Meda and Goldie mentioned what happened as well.”

Sirena glanced down and blushed, mumbling, “I didn’t mean it.”

“I know. And Astrid knows, too,” he acknowledged, “but you will still be apologizing because what you said was false and hurtful. Do you understand?” His sister nodded reluctantly and he continued, “Astrid’s lost a lot of people in her life too, so she knows what we’re going through and she was close to Dad, too. You can talk with either of us anytime, okay?”

“Okay,” she replied quietly.

“And while we’re on this subject, you also need to apologize to Goldie and Meda.”

Sirena looked at him in confusion. “Why?”

“For the way you acted,” he clarified. “You put Meda in an uncomfortable position and made her look bad, considering she has had such a large part in raising you. You also made your bonded feel like she wasn’t safe around you.”

“I did,” she asked fearfully.

He nodded and told her, “She didn’t like how you were acting. I think she was afraid that if you were mean to me and Astrid, you may be mean to her next.”

Sirena shook her head vigorously. “I would never-”

“I know,” Haakon said, “but you need to remember that she’s still young. Things like this can have a big impact on her. I don’t think it was that serious but remember that any loss of trust will need to be earned back and that’s entirely up to you.”

“I’ll make it up to her, Haak,” she promised. “Where is she, anyway?”

“Out for a flight with Astrid and Stormfly,” he shared. “I’m sure they’ll be back soon, though. In the meantime, why don’t you start thinking about your apologies, hmm?”

His sister scrunched up her nose, but nodded, curling up against his side as he kept one arm around her. Her brow was furrowed in thought as he leaned down and kissed the top of her head before picking up his book. Their discussion hadn’t gone as bad as he feared and he had managed to reach his sister. He just hoped it would have a lasting impact as he did not want to go through this again.

Chapter Text

“It’s been two weeks, Astrid,” Haakon declared, “and my stitches were taken out this morning. I’m fine.”

“And two days ago your leg wasn’t looking so great because you used it too much,” she reminded him. “I know it’s still bugging you.”

“It’s not that bad,” he insisted, edging toward the door and Toothless’ saddle.

“Haakon!”

“I’m not doing anything major,” he maintained. “I just need to speak with Fannar before this next storm hits, and then I’ll be right back home.”

Astrid glared at him. “I find that hard to believe.”

“I promise,” he swore. “And from the looks of things, we’ll probably be stuck inside again anyway, so I’ll have no excuse not to take it easy,” he reassured her, hoping that would be enough.

“I’m coming with you,” she announced.

So much for that, he thought. “But Sirena-”

“Is busy with her lessons with Meda,” she pointed out.

“She would be if there were no distractions,” Meda claimed. “Just hurry up and leave, so we can get back to work.”

Giving in to the inevitable, Haakon grabbed the saddle and stepped outside, to find an eager Night Fury who did not want to stay still. Noticing that Astrid’s hands were empty, he said, “You’re not going to saddle Stormfly?”

“And let you lose me as soon as we take to the air,” she asked incredulously, taking the saddle from him and ordering the Night Fury to hold still as she put it on. “No, thank you. I’m riding with you.”

Toothless laughed and Haakon rolled his eyes. “Oh yes, bud. Very funny.” Though he had to admit, he didn’t exactly mind his wife wrapping her arms around his waist after she mounted behind him.

They were soon in the air, and Toothless was taking the long way around, clearly about to milk this flight for as long as he could.

And apparently, he wasn’t the only one as Astrid rested her chin on his shoulder and commented, “This is nice.”

“I’ve missed this,” he admitted, smiling as he took a deep breath of the frigid air. “There’s nothing like flying.”

“Mmm, I was thinking more about the fact that it’s just us,” she replied, though, at a grumble from his best friend, she amended her statement. “Well, us and Toothless.”

Haakon glanced over his shoulder at his wife and, noticing her expression, said, “You okay, milady?”

“Yeah, I’m just not used to being around so many people all the time,” she shared, a blush appearing on her cheeks, though it could have just been from the wind. “My family was always small and I spent so much time training on my own…” she trailed off and Haakon was once again reminded of how lonely his wife’s upbringing was. “It’s just been a lot,” she confessed, “between staying at your family’s house and then having Sirena, Goldie, and Meda stay with us. I don’t mind, really I don’t, I’m just not used to it.”

“I’m sorry, Astrid,” he apologized, turning his head so he could kiss her cheek. “I should have thought of that.” He paused in thought before saying, “Maybe Sirena can head back home before the storm hits. Dagur and Heather will be there and, while I know it will take a while for all of us to move past this, I think she’s coping better now. Regardless, it would do her good to be with the rest of the family. And once the storm passes, maybe she can just join us for the day if Heather and Dagur are both busy. Would that be better?”

“I really don’t mind if she comes back to stay,” she responded, avoiding the question completely.

“I know, but I think it would be better for her, too. She hasn’t seen Dagur and Heather at all these last few days, so all in all, our current arrangement could use some adjustments,” he acknowledged. “We’ll find Dagur after this and talk with him, okay?”

She smiled at him just before Toothless dove into the tunnels. “Okay,” she whispered, holding him tighter.

Before he could say anything else, they were landing on the ledge in front of the great Bewilderbeast and he called out a greeting. “Hello, Fannar.”

“Haakon,” Fannar exclaimed. “It is a pleasure to see you up and about. I was sorry to hear about your father,” he said, offering his condolences.

“Thank you,” Haakon replied as he dismounted, and walked over limping slightly. “I’m still restricted, but I needed to speak with you about the other nest.”

At that, Fannar bristled. “You dare to open this topic in front of her,” he bellowed, nodding toward Astrid. “Could you not have sent a message with Toothless?”

“It’s not like she understands that much,” Toothless grumbled under his breath.

“I still maintain that this needs to remain between us,” Fannar declared belligerently.

“Considering she has had to help me deal with the aftermath of the assignment you gave me and has been assisting you in the interim, I think she has a right to know,” Haakon contended, crossing his arms and refusing to back down.

Astrid sidled up to him, looking slightly uneasy as the mammoth dragon glared at them. “What’s going on?”

“Patience,” he muttered, fully intending to tell her everything later whether Fannar gave him permission or not.

The Bewilderbeast must have realized his intentions as not a moment later he relented. “Her and Stormfly, but this goes no further,” he demanded. “Tell her what you will, but if I hear that this has spread further-”

“It will not,” Haakon hastened to assure him.

“Very well,” Fannar remarked. “Now, what was so important that you needed to speak with me?”

“Toothless told me that he already reported our findings to you,” Haakon said, glancing toward his friend.

Fannar’s gaze swung over to the Night Fury as well. “In the middle of his rant, yes,” he confirmed drily.

“That rant was completely deserved,” Toothless asserted. “Haakon could have died!”

Preferring to move on from such a loaded topic, Haakon informed Fannar, “As I was recuperating, I realized that our estimate on the dragons in the nest may not be completely accurate.”

The Bewilderbeast nodded. “I understand that you could not explore the whole nest-”

He shook his head. “No, that’s not what I mean. As we were approaching the nest, Toothless could hear the Queen’s call. It didn’t affect him, but the point is it was there,” he stressed. “Despite the fact that you are luring her subjects away, she is still pulling more in. There is no way for us to know if you are making a difference, other than a return trip, which I would rather not undertake.”

“Agreed,” Toothless chimed in, wrapping his tail protectively around Haakon and Astrid.

“Hmm, perhaps I will need to venture out more frequently,” Fannar surmised. “Winter is not the best time to proceed, most dragons being cooped up in the nest and unable to fly due to the weather, but as long as conditions are promising, I will go out every night.”

“Are you sure this is going to work,” Haakon pressed, still thinking there had to be a better way to go about this. “I mean, while it’s true the Queen did not leave her nest, preferring to send her subjects after us, I cannot see that she will take this situation lying down.”

“Trust me, Haakon,” Fannar maintained.

“We did last time and look where it got him,” Toothless snarled.

Haakon rested his hand on his best friend’s head in an attempt to calm him down. “I will leave this be for now, Fannar, but I still maintain that it would be wise to have another plan.”

“I will think on it,” Fannar begrudgingly promised.

He nodded his acceptance, knowing that was as much as they would get from the great Bewilderbeast. Mounting Toothless and feeling Astrid’s arms wrap around his waist, all he could think was that he had a lot to try and explain to her. He just hoped she took it well.

Chapter Text

Thankfully, Astrid had taken the reveal of Fannar’s plan tolerably well. Of course, it most definitely helped that Haakon had waited until the storm hit and she couldn’t storm off to give the Bewilderbeast what for, though she did forbid him from doing anything like that again, whether Fannar ordered him to or not. Even though it had been two weeks, he could see that the moment he came home barely conscious still haunted her, and he had reassured her that he had no plans to repeat the experience, much to her satisfaction.

The storm lasted for six days and while it was longer than the last one, it was not as harsh. Most everyone still stayed inside, preferring not to brave the elements, and with Sirena back at his family’s house, it allowed Haakon and Astrid to spend some precious time together.

When the weather finally cleared, there was a thick layer of snow and the lakes were frozen over. After checking in to see that the village was in good shape and the dragons were all safe, his family decided to spend some time together and go ice skating.

Haakon was glad, as they hadn’t had a chance to be all together since their father’s funeral and they needed this. He dug out his skates and found an extra pair for Astrid to use before dragging her out of the house and onto Toothless despite her protests.

They were the first to make it to the lake his family preferred and as he passed Astrid her skates, she repeated, “But, Haakon, I don’t know how.”

“And that’s why I’m going to teach you,” he declared, showing her how to tie the skates onto her boots.

With their skates on, he took her hands in his and carefully led her onto the ice as his sisters and their dragons landed nearby. He began showing her how to move her feet, helping her to stay upright.

“Haakon, are you sure you should be doing this,” she pressed, a look of concern on her face.

He smiled at her. “At least let me show you the basics, milady, before I’m banished to the sidelines to watch.”

“But your leg-”

“Is feeling fine right now,” he insisted. “If it makes you feel better, I won’t stay out long, okay?”

She glared at him for a moment before accepting the inevitable. “Fine. But if it hurts tonight, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She shook her finger at him, but quickly grabbed his hand again as her feet started to slip out from under her.

Haakon kissed her blushing cheek. “Don’t worry, milady. I’m sure you’ll be skating circles around us in no time.”

After a couple of laps around the lake, he could proudly say that his prediction was true. Astrid was quick to catch on and once she felt confident enough to skate without him hovering nearby, she shooed him off to sit with the dragons and rest his leg.

“What if I sit on Toothless,” he asked cheekily, gesturing to the Night Fury who was sliding around the lake on his belly.

She snorted delicately. “Nice try, but no. I want you healed, babe. That means you still have to take it easy, okay?”

He sighed dramatically and replied, “I don’t like it, but I’ll do it for you, milady.” He gave her a quick kiss before skating off in the direction of Windshear, Meda, and Stormfly, careful to avoid Goldie who was following Toothless’ lead. The dragons kept him quite toasty as he watched the girls and it wasn’t long before Dagur and Myrsky flew in, being the last to arrive.

Noticing his brother was not on the ice, Dagur came over and asked, “How’s the leg?”

“Healing slowly,” Haakon responded. “The wife insists I take it easy,” he said nodding toward Astrid who was skating by. Noticing how rigid Dagur was standing, he asked, “How are you doing?”

“Fine,” was his terse reply.

“Dagur, I know you better than that. What’s wrong? You know you can talk to me about anything,” he pressed.

“I’m just missing Dad a lot,” his older brother confessed. “I know I’ve been Chief for half a year now, but it feels so different with Dad being gone. Before I could always bounce ideas off of him or ask his opinion.” Dagur ran his hand through his hair. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found myself heading home to do just that before realizing he’s not there.”

“You’ve still got me,” he pointed out, “and I’m sure Heather would give you good advice, too, if you asked her.”

“I know,” Dagur sighed, “it’s just Dad-”

“-was Chief,” Haakon supplied, understanding where his brother was coming from. “He’d been through all this before. I get it.”

“I know you do,” Dagur admitted, leaning against Myrsky who had come over to comfort him. “I just don’t want to fail our people.”

“You won’t,” he assured his brother, coming to stand beside him. “We wouldn’t let you.”

“Thanks, Haak,” Dagur responded. “I know our people trust me… I guess I’m worried about what the other tribes will think. We’re already well aware that Berk has no confidence in the Berserker’s ‘deranged’ Chief,” he said sardonically.

“And who cares what they think,” Haakon reasoned. “Yak brains, all of them.”

At least that managed to bring a slight smile to his brother’s face. “Even Stoick?”

“Especially Stoick. Just look at how he sold Astrid off,” he fumed.

“That didn’t turn out so bad, though, now did it,” Dagur smirked.

“Well, no, but I don’t think he had any kind of concern for how she would be treated,” he explained. “After all, he would have preferred if she married you, despite the fact that your ‘derangedness’ was the whole cause of the arrangement in the first place.”

“True,” his brother acknowledged wryly.

“Don’t worry about them, Dag,” Haakon said, resting his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “They’re going to think whatever they’re going to think, but that doesn’t matter because we know what’s true.”

“You’re right,” Dagur smiled, pulling him in for a bear hug. “Thanks, Haak.”

“Anytime,” he smiled back, but as his brother released him, he noticed him staring out at the girls on the lake, his brow furrowing. “There’s something else bothering you, isn’t there?”

“I’m just worried about Sirena,” Dagur admitted.

“Has she had another outburst?”

“No, but she seems to have become fixated on if Bliksem is coming back,” his brother revealed.

Haakon nodded slowly, his gaze drifting to his youngest sister as well. “I guess it makes sense in a way,” he reasoned. “He’s our last remaining connection to Dad, a surrogate father if you will.” He paused before adding, “You know, once he comes back, he would be a good one to turn to for advice as well.”

“I know,” Dagur nodded distractedly. “You do think he’ll be back?”

“I do,” he confirmed. “He just needs some time to grieve, as we all do,” Slapping his brother on the back, he said, “But that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy the good times.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Dagur grinned, pulling out his skates and fastening them to his boots. When Haakon joined him in heading out onto the lake, he inquired, “Are you sure you should be going out there?”

“I’ll be fine,” Haakon replied, waving his hand dismissively. After all, he had rested for a while and his leg wasn’t bothering him, so there would be no harm in him going out for a little bit longer.

Of course, a little bit turned into the rest of the afternoon, and by the time he was getting ready for bed, the scars on his leg were throbbing. He wasn’t quite able to hide the hiss of pain that escaped him as he was changing and Astrid was soon at his side.

“Is your leg bothering you,” she asked, one eyebrow raised.

He cringed and admitted, “Perhaps just a little.”

Astrid rolled her eyes and went to retrieve the ointment. “I did warn you,” she reminded him.

“That you did, but it was worth it,” he insisted, thinking about how much he had enjoyed teaching her how to skate.

She returned to his side and took care of his leg, scolding him all the while. He knew he deserved it, but there was only so much a man could take, so he pulled her in and silenced her with a kiss.

Chapter Text

Astrid found herself being woken from a deep sleep by another one of Fannar’s roars. Haakon groaned into her hair before untangling himself from her and their furs and getting up to get dressed.

“Traders again,” she asked sleepily.

“Yeah,” he replied, yawning as he attached his armor. “I’ll be back in time for breakfast.”

“M’kay,” she mumbled, wrapping the furs tighter around her. Haakon kissed her forehead before he left, leaving her to fall back asleep with a smile on her face.

By the time she woke, he was already back and fixing breakfast. His leg had healed nicely over the past month, mostly thanks to the barrage of storms that kept them inside, so she wasn’t worried about him overdoing things anymore and took her time getting ready.

As she came downstairs, she noticed her husband’s cheery mood, so different from his grumbles earlier, and remarked, “It’s amazing what a difference a few hours can make. I swear, you’re like a little kid when the traders show up.”

“It’s not like we really travel anywhere and there are some things we just can’t get here,” he grinned, then wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear, “like gemstones.”

“Haakon, don’t you dare!”

“But why not, milady,” he inquired cheekily, leading her to the table.

“Because it’s too much,” she declared, smacking his arm and reminding him, “You promised you would lay off on all the gifts for a while.”

“But I like spoiling you,” he pouted.

The man was as bad as his Night Fury. “Haakon,” she said firmly as she crossed her arms, intent on carrying her point.

He sighed dramatically, before finally giving in. “Fine, no gems, but I make no other promises.”

“You are trouble,” she glared at him. “Do you know that?”

“Yup, and you love me for it,” he smirked.

She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide her smile. “More like in spite of it.”

He swooped in for a kiss before encouraging her to sit and eat so they could get down to the docks. She shook her head fondly and tucked in, Haakon once again ushering her out the door as soon as they had finished, throwing her cloak around her shoulders as they went.

After a quick stop at his workshop, they were on their way, and, upon reaching the docks, she was pleased to see that it was Johann who had arrived.

“Ah, Master Haakon and Miss Astrid,” the trader greeted them. “It is good to see you both again.”

“You as well Johann,” Astrid responded with a smile.

“And are those more of your signature weapons for me,” he asked, gesturing toward her husband’s full arms.

“As always,” Haakon confirmed. As they stepped onto the ship, he told her, “Take a look around, and I’ll join you in a minute.”

Astrid wandered around, but as always, Johann’s wares were a hodge podge of everything you could imagine. Haakon eventually joined her, having completed his trade, and asked, “Find anything?”

“Not yet,” she answered, “but it might take me a while to find anything in this mess.”

“Too true,” he acknowledged, glancing around the untidy ship. “Just in case, here.”

“Haakon,” Astrid shrieked when he dropped a pouch of gold into her hand.

Ignoring her attempts to give it back to him, he informed her, “I already got what I needed, so I’ll see you later, milady.” He swiftly kissed her on the cheek before bolting off the ship, making good his escape.

Astrid just stood there shaking her head. She still had gold left from the last time he traded and if the weight of this pouch was anything to go by, it would take her all year to spend it. She knew he liked to spoil her, but she maintained that this was just too much.

“Things between you and Master Haakon seem to be going well,” Johann observed from behind her, breaking her train of thought.

“They are,” she admitted, blushing when she thought of just how close they had become. “Though I would rather Berk remain in the dark about that fact,” she added, glancing at Johann meaningfully. It’s not that it really mattered, but she didn’t want Stoick to get the impression that what he had done was acceptable.

“My lips are sealed,” Johann promised.

Assured of his silence, Astrid couldn’t help but ask, “Have you been there recently? To Berk?”

“They were actually my last stop before coming here,” he disclosed. “I had to adjust my route a bit this time around in order to avoid the storms.”

“I can understand that,” she commiserated. “How are things there?”

“It has been an especially hard winter for them,” the trader revealed solemnly. “The dragon raids have left them rather low on resources. They have lost more than normal these last months, perhaps due to the fact that their best shieldmaiden is no longer there,” Johann implied, looking at her knowingly.

Astrid laughed awkwardly, not sure what to say. She didn’t feel that she had made that significant of a difference back on Berk and her life was so different now that she could never even think about fighting dragons.

“Of course, Berk’s loss is the Berserker’s gain,” Johann continued, seemingly unconcerned by her lack of response. “Then again, there’s never been a dragon problem here, has there?”

“No, we are very fortunate,” she commented. Not wanting to stay on such a potentially loaded topic she diverted the trader’s attention by asking, “I was wondering do you have any more journals?”

“That I do,” Johann replied. “In fact, I think I have just the thing,” he said before hurrying off.

Astrid had no idea what brought her to ask that of all questions, but her and Haakon’s six month anniversary was at the end of next month and she did want to get him a little something, so she supposed it would do.

Johann was soon back at her side, holding out a black journal. The color itself was uncommon, most people not wanting to take the time to dye leather for something so trivial, but upon taking a closer look, she saw that the cover had been embossed, depicting the ocean waves.

“This is perfect,” she declared. “Any recommendations for something to go with it?”

“A gift for Master Haakon, I presume,” Johann queried, causing her to fight down her blush as she responded in the affirmative. “Then might I suggest this squid ink,” he proposed, holding out a small clay container. “It was wrestled from a colossal squid I came upon in the Northern Waters.”

“That would be great, Johann,” she said, giving him a slight smile, hoping he wouldn’t launch into one of his tales.

“There is actually quite an intriguing story that goes along with that Miss Astrid,” he began. “You see-” He broke off, much to Astrid’s relief, as someone called for his assistance on the other side of the ship.

Trying not to draw attention to herself, Astrid continued to poke around, finding a few other things to purchase. She waited until Johann was fairly busy to approach and pay for her items, successfully avoiding what was sure to have been a nonsensical tale.

As she was walking back home though, she realized that she had nowhere she could hide Haakon’s gift. Changing course, she was able to find Heather who was more than happy to help. At least she had some yarn to take home with her, so she wouldn’t have to lie about if she bought something or not. Of course, if all went well, this would be part of Haakon’s gift too, but he didn’t need to know that.

Chapter Text

“Whatcha working on?”

“Gah!” Haakon whipped around to glare at his twin as he tried to calm his racing heart. “Heather, don’t scare me like that!”

She laughed as she walked further into his workshop. “I wasn’t trying to,” she claimed. “And honestly, you should have heard Windshear land. What had you so focused, anyway?”

“An anniversary gift for Astrid,” he revealed.

Heather quirked an eyebrow. “Isn’t that, like, seven months away?”

“Well,” he drawled, “I wanted to do something for our six month anniversary.”

“Did you now,” his sister smirked. There was something else there, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing,” she declared breezily, grinning like mad. Stepping closer, she asked, “So what are you making?”

“You won’t tell Astrid,” he pressed.

Heather rolled her eyes. “Really, Haak? You know my first loyalty will always be to you.”

“I know,” he replied sheepishly, “but I really don’t want to spoil the surprise.”

His twin sighed long-sufferingly and promised she wouldn’t say anything, so he passed her the piece he was working on and explained, “I’m remaking our wedding bands. It took some trial and error, but…”

“Oh, Haak,” Heather gasped. “It’s beautiful. How you manage such detailed engravings I’ll never know.”

“I’ve got one other project I want to do,” he admitted, “but these will take the most time, so I wanted to start on them first.”

“She’ll love them,” Heather proclaimed, passing the ring back to him.

“I hope so,” he responded, setting the band down on his workbench before turning to his sister. “So, how have you been?”

“Keeping busy,” she shrugged.

He nodded, observing, “At least the worst of the storms seem to have passed.”

“I know,” Heather agreed. “I hated being cooped up inside. Too much time to think,” she said, scrunching up her nose.

“Thinking about what,” Haakon probed, even though he already had a good idea what was on his sister’s mind.

“Dad,” she murmured, leaning against him. “It’s just so different than when Mom died.”

Haakon nodded as he wrapped an arm around her. “We were so young and we still had Dad.”

“True,” Heather replied. “I just feel like-” She trailed off, sighing heavily.

“Like what,” he asked softly.

“Like I’m going to fail our parents,” she confessed, her voice barely louder than a whisper as she laid her head on her twin’s shoulder. “Like I’m going to fail Sirena.”

He let his head rest on top of his sister’s as he said, “Heather, you’ve helped with her so much these last few years. You know Dad was always grateful and proud of you. Why should that change now?”

“Because they’re gone, Haak,” she exclaimed, pulling away from him and wrapping her arms around herself. “Both our parents are gone. For all intents and purposes, we are Sirena’s parents now.”

Knowing that getting too close to his sister was not a good idea when she was so worked up, Haakon calmly remarked, “In a way, we kind of already have been.”

She turned to look at him, her frustration replaced by confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Dad has always been there for us, but he had a lot of responsibilities being Chief. We’ve been helping teach and train Sirena since she was born, so in a lot of ways, not much has changed,” he reasoned.

“I suppose that’s true,” Heather hesitantly admitted.

“And we still have Bliksem and Meda,” he pointed out. “They may not be our parents, but they knew them better than anyone else and are still here keeping an eye on us.”

His twin smiled slightly. “And at the rate we’re going, they’ll be kept on their talons for a long time to come.”

He laughed. “Isn’t that the truth?” He opened his arms and Heather stepped into them, accepting his hug as he said, “Just remember, Sirena’s upbringing doesn’t rest on your shoulders alone. It’s up to all of us.”

“Thanks, Haak,” she murmured, returning his hug. “You always were the wisest of us.”

“Well, someone had to be,” he responded drily, earning him a punch in the arm.

-o0o-

Astrid was surprised to come home and find Haakon already cooking dinner. “I thought it was my turn tonight,” she commented.

He walked over and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her from behind, saying, “I wanted to do something special for our six month anniversary.”

Astrid knew she shouldn’t be surprised, considering how thoughtful her husband was, but somehow it still caught her off guard. “I-” She broke off, though, as Toothless slunk past, rubbing against them in his own form of congratulations before walking out the front door, taking Stormfly and Sharpshot with him. “Where are they going?”

“Giving up some privacy,” Haakon replied as he kissed the crown of her head.

“That’s a first,” she remarked, glancing over her shoulder to look at her husband who was now awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yeah, well, I may have bribed Toothless with a basket of fish,” he confessed, causing Astrid to laugh.

She looked up at him and smiled coyly. “If that’s all it takes, then we should do it more often.”

His eyes lit up at her suggestion and he spun her around, kissing her tenderly. “Dinner will be ready soon,” he told her when they eventually pulled away from each other, “but first I have something to give you.”

“Haakon! You promised!”

“You can’t expect me not to give you something on our anniversary,” he declared overdramatically.

Astrid’s eyes narrowed as she realized what her husband was implying. “You’re going to use this as an excuse every month, aren’t you?”

“Maybe,” he grinned, a twinkle in his eye.

Haakon was absolutely incorrigible, but when he looked at her like that, she was putty in his hands. “Fine,” she huffed, giving in, “but if we’re exchanging gifts, I get to give you yours first.”

“You got me something,” he asked in wonder.

“Yes, I did,” she revealed, “and it was going to be a lovely surprise until you went and made this into so much more.”

“It’s still a lovely surprise,” he acknowledged, leaning in for another kiss. “So, should I close my eyes, or…?”

She shook her head and laughed, though she had to admit she loved the eager expression on her husband’s face. “What am I gonna do with you?”

“Love me,” he suggested, his face the picture of innocence.

Astrid rolled her eyes before pecking him on the lips and slipping upstairs. She collected his gift from her cabinet where she had put it yesterday after retrieving it from Heather, tucking one of the items into her vest, before heading back down.

She watched anxiously as Haakon opened it, hoping he would like what she had chosen. His eyes immediately focused on the black journal and she let out the breath she had been holding as he ran his hands over it appreciatively, a smile on his face. The ink, he was already familiar with, but upon spying the fine-tipped brushes, he turned to her and asked what they were for.

“Johann said that in other countries they use these to write or draw with ink,” she explained. “I thought you might like to give it a try.”

“I love it, Astrid,” he said, once more gathering her into his arms. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied, throwing her arms around his neck, careful to conceal the last item she had hidden in her vest. “There’s one more thing, though.”

“Wha-”

He didn’t get much further than that as Astrid pulled the hat she had knitted him onto his head and over his eyes. She giggled as he pulled it back just enough to peek out from under the brim.

“Really, milady?”

Astrid just smiled and replied, “Dagur’s been giving me lessons and I wanted to surprise you.” She paused before adding, “Don’t tell Heather, but he’s a much better teacher.”

At that, Haakon laughed. “I won’t say a word. I promise.” He reached up to adjust his hat so it sat properly, and asked, “How do I look?”

With that goofy grin on his face, there was only one answer she could give. “Like a dork.”

“Ah, but I’m your dork,” he countered as he removed it to take a better look. “It’s beautiful, Astrid, just like you.” She blushed at his compliment, happily accepting the kiss that went along with it. “So, is it my turn now?”

“I’m all done, so I suppose so.”

“Okay. My gift has two parts as well, though the first part is technically for both of us,” he disclosed as he reached into the pouch on his belt and pulled out two rings, holding them out for Astrid to take.

She looked at them closely, marveling at the swirls of blue running through the black rings, the detailed engravings taking her breath away. “Are these…?”

“Mm-hmm,” Haakon confirmed. “I had originally wanted to make them with Toothless’ scales, but couldn’t because that would have raised too many questions, so I used Goldie’s to achieve this color,” he shared as he grabbed her left hand and ran his thumb over her wedding band. “At the time, Heather had told me I could always make another set, so I did. But if you prefer to wear the original bands, that’s fine, too. I just thought these would be more personal,” he finished, looking at her hopefully.

“Haakon, I-I don’t have the words.” She paused trying to collect her thoughts, but no words seemed sufficient for what she wanted to express. “They’re beautiful,” she finally said. “I would be happy to wear mine. Though I suppose we’ll have to wear our golden ones when there are visitors?”

“Unfortunately, that would be for the best,” he conceded. Taking her new ring from her, he held it up and asked, “May I?”

She nodded and he slipped off her golden band, replacing it with the new one and kissing the back of her hand. “Now for part two,” he grinned. “Close your eyes.”

Astrid looked at him incredulously. “Really?”

“Yup,” he replied with a smirk.

The things she put up with, she thought as she closed her eyes and heard Haakon move to stand behind her. It was but a moment before she felt a slight weight settle around her neck.

“Haakon, I thought I told you-”

“Open your eyes,” he whispered in her ear.

She glared at him over her shoulder before looking down at the necklace, a puzzled expression crossing her face.

“It might make more sense if you look at the other side,” Haakon suggested.

She did as he suggested, finding that while one side of the pendant was black, the other was blue…just like their wedding bands.

“See, milady,” he said, kissing her cheek. “I didn’t break my promise, though I do think the scales look just as stunning as any gem.”

It was perfect. Just absolutely perfect. And there was only one way to thank him properly, Astrid thought as she launched herself into his arms and kissed him with all that she had.

Chapter Text

Haakon checked Toothless’ saddle one last time in preparation for the dragon races as he thought over how well things had gone so far. His family had stuck together throughout the morning, cheering Astrid and Sirena on in their events, proud when they both won and celebrating with their own little feast off in the grass. He and Astrid had split off after that, wandering through the plaza briefly before heading up here.

Speaking of his wife, he turned to her and cheerily asked, “You ready, milady?”

She paused her fiddling with Stormfly’s saddle and murmured, “I don’t know. Maybe I should wait for the next Festival. After all, shouldn’t one of us be with Sirena?”

He stepped behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist. “She’s got Bliksem and Meda with her. She’s just fine, though I can’t say the same for you. What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” she admitted, turning around and burying her face in his chest.

He held her close and said, “I’m not going to pressure you to do this if you don’t want to, but you have no reason to be worried. You did just fine on our trial run.”

“Yeah, but that was just with your family,” she muttered.

He pulled back slightly and placed a finger under her chin, tilting her head so she was looking at him. “And my family members are probably the fiercest competitors in this game,” he reminded her, knowing that her hesitance was just nerves. “I promise, we weren’t going easy on you, and if you can handle us, then you can handle this,” he encouraged her.

She blushed as she glanced down, eventually nodding her head. “Okay. I can do this,” she stated, only for Stormfly to squawk in offense from behind them, causing her to laugh. “Correction, we can do this.”

“That you can, milady,” he reassured her, giving her a quick kiss. “In fact, you actually have an edge, seeing as Stromfly is a Tracker Class dragon. She’ll have an easier time finding the markers than some of the others.” The warning horn sounded and he pecked her cheek. “You’ve got this,” he said, staring into her eyes and hoping to bolster her confidence before running off to mount Toothless and slip his helmet on. And just in time, too, as the starting horn sounded and the race began.

Toothless was off like a shot, heading into the denser part of the forest and toward the caves where the markers worth more were generally hidden. Haakon was quick to redirect him though. “Hold on, bud. Down there,” he said, pointing to a red marker.

“But Haak, that’s just a three-pointer,” Toothless complained, even as he adjusted his course.

“I know, but this one’s for Astrid,” he disclosed as his friend scooped up the marker. “I’m not going to give her a one-pointer, but I’m going to get in enough trouble as it is for doing this. You know how she likes to accomplish things on her own.”

Toothless laughed, knowing just how accurate Haakon’s statement was.

They sped back, passing Astrid and Stormfly as they were heading in with a marker of their own. Toothless flipped over the baskets, dropping the marker in Astrid’s before wheeling away, though he wasn’t fast enough for them to miss Astrid yelling at them.

“Haakon!”

He chuckled to himself as Toothless remarked, “It’s a good thing you didn’t give her the black one.”

“Don’t I know it,” he grumbled under his breath as he ducked down to avoid the branches the Night Fury was expertly flying through. “So, do you have any ideas where the black one is?”

“Maybe, I was thinking-” Toothless broke off, though, as the horn sounded again. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” Haakon admitted, “but we need to get out of these trees. I have a bad feeling about this.”

They had barely cleared the treetops when a massive roar shook the island. One that could only have come from Fannar.

“DANGER!”

Haakon glanced around, trying to discern the source of said danger, his eyes widening as they landed on the approaching swarm of dragons, led by none other than the Queen herself.

“Oh, no,” he said, a sense of dread filling him to his very core. “Bud, we’ve got to get out there. Now!”

“And do what,” Toothless asked incredulously, refusing to move until they had some sort of a plan.

“I don’t know. Distract her,” he suggested. “Fannar should be able to remove the flock from her control before he leaves the ice caves, but we can’t let her make it all the way here. Can you imagine the destruction? We need to buy enough time for Fannar to get out there.”

“Okay,” the Night Fury reluctantly replied, speeding out toward the already diminishing flock of dragons, “but if for some reason the dragons start coming after us, we’re turning right back around. I’m not going to through that again.”

“No complaints here,” Haakon agreed, relieved to notice that not only were the dragons from the Queen’s nest freed from her control, but they were also turning on her. “At least it looks like we’ve got some help,” he observed as they approached the melee, stopping a short distance away. After all, there was no reason to risk themselves if she wasn’t coming any closer to Berserker Island.

They hovered there for a few moments, watching the chaos, but despite their numbers, the dragons were no match for their former Queen. “We’re going to have to head in there, bud.”

“Where do you want us?”

Haakon’s head whirled around to find his sister and wife hovering next to him on their dragons. “No. I need both of you to go back,” he ordered, shaking his head emphatically. “I can’t risk either of you getting hurt.”

“We can take care of ourselves,” Heather declared firmly.

Astrid was not content to stay quiet either as she said, “I’m not leaving you out here on your own when I could help.”

“And you’re my twin,” Heather added. “I’m not leaving either. Just accept it.”

He growled in frustration, knowing that convincing them to head back would be nigh impossible. “Fine, but watch your backs,” he warned them as a stray burst of fire came their way. “She’s mad.”

“No duh,” Heather retorted, rolling her eyes.

“Heather, this is not the time for-”

“So, is this where the party moved to?”

Haakon turned to glare at his brother and Myrsky who had just joined them. “Dagur, what are you doing here?! We can’t risk losing our Chief!”

“If you think I’m leaving the rest of you to fight this battle on your own, you’ve got another thing coming to you,” he snapped back.

“But who’s taking care of our people,” Haakon demanded. “And who’s watching Sirena?”

“Relax. Meda’s with Sirena and she’ll get her out at the first sign of trouble,” his brother reassured him. “And Bliksem’s keeping an eye on everything else. Now, what’s the plan?”

“Other than keeping her busy, I don’t know,” he admitted. “Fannar should have been here by now.”

“Isn’t that him there,” Windshear asked, her eyes flicking toward what proved to be the great Bewilderbeast who was remaining submerged.

“Finally,” Haakon breathed a sigh of relief. “For now, help the others distract the Queen. Maybe see if you can lead her further out to sea. If we can keep her from spotting Fannar, maybe that will work in our favor.”

“Got it,” Dagur nodded, leading the girls in a charge toward the Red Queen.

With the Queen occupied, Haakon led Fannar a short distance away, placing themselves behind the intruding Alpha so that she would hopefully remain unaware of their presence. The Bewilderbeast slowly surfaced just enough so that his head was out of the water.

“Fannar! Please tell me you thought about other plans like we discussed,” Haakon entreated.

“I did, but I will admit, none of them took into account the fact that she would enter my territory,” the Bewilderbeast revealed, a concerned expression on his face.

“Can you take her,” Haakon inquired, needing to know what options they had.

“If we were on land and she could not fly, maybe, but not out here,” Fannar confessed. “My defenses are better suited to close combat.”

Haakon had the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind, but he wasn’t sure if it would be sufficient. “Would your ice be enough to stop her?”

“I am not sure,” Fannar responded. “I did not even think she could break out of the volcano, yet here she is.”

“But would it be enough to slow her down,” Haakon pressed.

“If hit in the right spot, perhaps,” the Bewilderbeast revealed. “What are you thinking, Haakon?”

He explained what he had come up with and, with Fannar’s approval, they put it into action, Haakon and Toothless racing back to the others and firing their most powerful blast at the Queen.

It was more than enough to get her attention, though she showed no signs of coming after them. He called for the others to hold their fire as Toothless fired shot after shot at the Red Queen, further enraging her if her spewing fire everywhere was anything to go by.

Unfortunately, not everyone was able to get away in time and Stormfly cried out as her wingtip was caught in the flames. She was struggling to regain her balance and Haakon felt his heart stop as he saw Astrid slide off her back. Toothless saw it as well and needed no prompting to dive after his best friend’s mate, pulling up just before they hit the water.

“Astrid,” Haakon yelled, leaning precariously over Toothless’ side to make sure that the dragon did catch her.

“I’m here,” she called breathlessly, allowing him to let go of the breath he had been holding.

A massive roar distracted him from his relief, causing him to glance behind them. The Red Death was firmly focused on them, just as they had hoped, but Astrid dangling from Toothless’ paws was an added complication. “No time to go back for Stormfly now,” he muttered, before reaching out for Astrid. “Take my hand.”

Understanding what Haakon was trying to do, Toothless adjusted his grip, allowing Astrid to climb up his front leg enough to reach her husband’s hand. Haak helped pull her up behind him and she was quick to wrap her arms around his waist, just in time for Toothless to maneuver away from another burst of flames. Astrid was breathing heavily and clearly rattled by her near-death experience, but still, she asked, “What’s the plan?”

“No time to explain,” Haakon replied as Toothless fired one last shot at the Red Queen. “Just hold on tight.” He had barely finished speaking when Toothless zipped away from the Queen, staying as close to the water as they could as they led her into their trap.

Haakon could see Fannar, waiting underwater just ahead of them. He just hoped that the Queen was so focused on them that she remained oblivious. As soon as they reached the Bewilderbeast, Toothless shot straight up, climbing as fast as possible as they heard the telltale sound of Fannar breathing out massive spikes of ice. As Toothless continued to ascend, Haakon looked behind them to see the Red Death floundering as most of her tail was encased in ice. Unable to gain altitude, Fannar rose from beneath her and speared her underbelly with his tusks, ending her reign and her life.

Chapter Text

Haakon removed his helmet as Toothless circled around, the three of them watching as the Red Queen sunk into the depths of the ocean. He glanced over his shoulder to take a better look at Astrid, now that they were not in imminent peril, and noticed her windblown appearance. “Are you okay?”

“I will be,” she responded, holding him tighter, if that was even possible. “Where’s Stormfly?”

He looked around and noticed that Fannar was already long gone, heading back to the ice caves, while the other dragons from the deceased Queen’s nest were quickly dispersing. Pointing toward where his siblings were hovering, he said, “Looks like Windshear has her. Let’s get back to the others.”

As they approached, he called out, “Are you all okay?

“Other than Stormfly, I think so,” Heather replied.

“How bad is it,” Astrid asked, her voice wavering.

“Hard to say until we can have a closer look,” Dagur observed, “but I don’t think it’s anything too serious.”

“That’s a relief,” Astrid remarked.

“More than you know,” Haakon muttered under his breath as he felt her leaning heavier against him, finally relaxing now that the battle was over and they were all relatively okay. While he was glad that Stormfly wasn’t seriously injured, he was unable to find that same sense of relief, still thinking about how he had watched his wife falling toward her death.

“Let’s get back,” Heather encouraged, breaking his train of thought. “I don’t know how much longer Windshear can carry her.”

Haakon noticed that the Razorwhip was beginning to struggle slightly, but trying to change Stormfly to another dragon midair was fraught with difficulties. Fortunately, they managed to make it back home just fine, though all their dragons were clearly spent, as were they.

Of course, they weren’t given a chance to collect themselves as they were soon swarmed by curious Berserkers.

“Don’t worry, everyone,” Dagur announced, taking charge of the situation as Sirena broke through the crowd and ran straight into Haakon’s arms. “It’s all been taken care of.”

“What was that thing,” someone from the crowd called out.

“An Alpha from another nest,” Haakon shared, passing his crying sister over to his twin as he stepped forward to support his brother. “She was a cruel Queen who did not deserve to rule. Fannar has been working to free the dragons from her control and end her reign, which you witnessed today.”

“I think this calls for a celebration,” someone else yelled.

“It’s a good thing we’re already having one then,” he commented wryly, causing the crowd to laugh.

“What about the dragon races,” another Berserker asked.

Dagur glanced at his siblings, both shaking their heads slightly, and said “I believe that our family will be bowing out, but if anyone would like to resume the competition, you are more than welcome to.”

With that, there was a mass exodus from the plaza as most everyone returned to the dragon racing grounds.

“I must admit, I’m kind of surprised,” Astrid acknowledged from where she had come to stand by his side.

“I’m not,” he responded. Noting the confused look on her face, he explained, “Everyone’s worked up from watching the battle and they need some way to blow off steam. Plus, the Festivals are highly anticipated events and the dragon races are always the highlight. No one wants to miss out on that. And, since we aren’t rejoining, it’s opened up the opportunity for someone else to take the medal home. Trust me when I say the ensuing competition will be fierce.” Looking closer at his wife, he could see that the events of the day were catching up to her, so he wrapped an arm around her waist and began walking out of the plaza. “But I think we better be getting home. There will be plenty of time to celebrate tomorrow.”

Astrid looked up at him, gesturing back toward the racing grounds. “Are you sure you don’t want to-”

He shook his head and she stopped short. “Toothless flew for his life today,” he pointed out. “He deserves a rest. Plus, we need to take care of Stormfly.” He glanced behind them to see the two dragons trudging along, clearly ready to head home. “And I’m not fully convinced that you’re alright.”

“It’s nothing that won’t heal,” she reasoned.

“Astrid…”

She gave him a slight smile. “Being grabbed out of the air as you’re plummeting toward the ocean is bound to leave some bruises, but it’s fine,” she reassured him, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’m alive and that’s all that matters.”

He smiled at her weakly, glad she was okay, but still having a hard time shaking recent events from his mind.

Arriving home, he quickly removed the dragons’ saddles and checked them both for injuries. Toothless was fine, and while Stormfly’s wing was slightly singed and she wouldn’t be able to fly for a few days, it wouldn’t take too long to heal.

Astrid was incredibly relieved to hear that, though she wasn’t as thrilled when Haakon turned his attention to her.

“Haakon, it’s not that big of a deal,” she protested.

“Look, I’m not forcing you to go to the healer, unlike some people I know,” he said pointedly, causing her to blush, “but, please, at least let me see how bad it is.”

“It’s just some bruises,” she claimed as he shepherded her up the stairs.

“Astrid…”

“Fine,” she huffed, gingerly removing her layers one by one.

“Oh, Astrid,” Haakon breathed, noticing the bruises around her left arm and leg where Toothless had grabbed her, not to mention some further redness along her back where she must have slammed into the Night Fury’s stomach.

“It really isn’t that bad when you think about it,” she noted optimistically, going to retrieve a small jar of ointment.

Haakon agreed as he helped her with the hard to reach places. The thought echoed through his head that it truly could have been so much worse.

With her injuries taken care of, he insisted she put on her sleeping clothes as they would be more comfortable, and once she was dressed, he pulled her close, careful to avoid the worst of her bruises, and buried his face in her hair, trying to hold back the emotions that were threatening to overflow.

Astrid held him tight, though after a moment, she softly asked, “Haakon, what’s wrong?”

“I almost lost you,” he murmured.

“You didn’t though,” she put forth gently.

He pulled back slightly, cupping her cheek as he said, “I know, but what if Toothless hadn’t made it in time?”

“Now you know how I felt when you came home from the nest,” she reasoned, causing him to look down in embarrassment.

It was true that what she had been through was, in a way, so much worse, but it didn’t make the situation any less frightening. He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he startled when she reached up to brush a stray tear off his cheek, one that he wasn’t even aware was there. He looked back at her, noting her earnest expression.

“I’m not going to promise to stay away from dangerous situations, even if you tell me to, because I’m going to do what is needed to protect my home and those I love,” she declared, “but we can promise each other to be more careful, okay?”

“Okay,” he replied, just before he leaned down to capture her lips.

Chapter Text

“What do you mean Stoick wants Astrid there for the treaty signing? Why,” Haakon demanded of his older brother.

“I don’t know,” Dagur informed him, holding out a piece of parchment, “but Johann delivered his request when he was here yesterday.”

Haakon took the message from his brother and read over it before resuming his pacing in front of the fire. “She’s not a part of their tribe anymore. He has no right to request this.”

“It’s not such a big deal, Haakon,” his wife observed from where she was curled up on the bench seat. “I don’t mind.”

“But you haven’t been feeling well,” he said, sitting down next to her and taking her hand in his. “And even with the dragons pulling the ship, it’s not an insignificant journey.”

Astrid shrugged and admitted, “So, I’ve been a little nauseous lately. It’s not that bad.” She paused before adding, “And isn’t it worth it to keep the peace?”

“Not with the way they’ve treated you in the past,” he grumbled. Shaking his head, he maintained, “I don’t like this.”

“No one said you had to go, too,” his wife pointed out gently.

He stared at her incredulously. “Do you seriously think I’m going to let you go without me?” He shook his head again, saying, “No, we’ll just have to change the plans. Toothless can take care of the dragons on his own while we’re gone and Heather can be acting Chief.”

Astrid looked at him skeptically. “You sure Toothless will go for that?”

“Well, he can’t go to Berk,” he stated matter of factly. “That’s too big of a risk.” Turning to his brother, he asked if the adjustment to their plans was acceptable.

“That’s fine with me,” Dagur approved. “It’s probably better this way since Stoick seems to respect you more than the rest of us.”

“Idiot,” Haakon scoffed.

“Not gonna argue with you there,” his brother agreed with a grin before turning serious. “You both are sure about this?”

Haakon looked to his wife who nodded firmly. “Looks like we’re going to Berk,” he observed with a complete lack of enthusiasm.

-o0o-

While it would have been quite impressive to arrive at Berk with the entire armada in tow, Dagur wanted nothing more than to get back home as soon as possible, resulting in their party having only three ships. It had taken a lot of convincing on Haakon’s part to even reach that size as Dagur was intent on setting out with just one.

Berk was just now appearing on the horizon, meaning that it was time for Bliksem, Myrsky, and Bliksem’s daughter, Synkkiä, to head below deck. Their assistance had been invaluable though, as their towing the boats cut their travel time in half. None of them were exactly thrilled about having to hide away, but they knew it was for their own safety. And just because they were concealed, did not mean they were not on high alert, ready to make themselves known at the first sign of danger.

That last bit of the journey seemed to go extraordinarily slow without the Skrills’ assistance, but finally, they pulled into the dock and moored the ships.

Haakon stepped off the boat at his brother’s side to be greeted by Stoick and his welcoming party. “Dagur, it is a pleasure to see you again,” he boomed, though in Haakon’s opinion, it came across as incredibly fake.

“Yes, well, the treaty won’t sign itself, now will it,” Dagur replied, smiling tersely.

“Did Astrid come with you,” Stoick was quick to ask, glancing over the ships.

“Yes, she’ll be along soon,” Dagur answered before pushing his way through the crowd and gesturing toward the switchbacks leading up to the village. “Now, shall we?”

Haakon could tell that Stoick was not pleased to be pushed around, but his brother was not in the mood to deal with simpletons. He watched them head off, staying behind and waiting on the docks for Astrid to join him as she had been sick right before they docked and needed a moment to compose herself.

He was becoming increasingly worried about her, but she kept insisting that she was fine and he didn’t want to push it. Though if this kept up much longer, he was going to insist that she visit the healer.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a hand running up his arm as a rough voice whispered in his ear, “My, aren’t you handsome?”

He jumped back, surprised that he had let his guard down enough for someone to sneak up on him like that. “I beg your-”

He never got to finish though as Astrid began yelling as she disembarked from their ship. “Ruffnut, get your filthy hands off my husband!”

The Berkian rolled her eyes and said, “Sheesh, Astrid. How was I to know?”

“You could have looked at his left hand,” Astrid countered, coming to stand by his side and shoving his hand with his wedding band on full display in the other girl’s face.

Ruffnut shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. “Snotlout said you raised a big fuss, but I don’t see why you would have,” she remarked, her eyes roving over him in a way that reminded him far too much of Rayna. “If you don’t want him-”

The next thing Haakon knew, his wife’s axe was at the other girl’s throat. “I’m warning you right now, Ruff, if you thought I was a good warrior before I left, my husband’s family has helped me to become ten times better.” She glared at the Berkian as she growled, “Stay. Away. From. My husband.”

“Yeah. Sure. Whatever,” Ruffnut trailed off as she walked away. She didn’t make it far before she paused and looked over her shoulder, saying, “If you ever change your mind, though-” She ducked just in time to miss being hit by his wife’s axe and went scurrying up the switchbacks.

As Astrid went to retrieve her axe, Haakon inquired, “Was that really necessary, milady?”

“Yes,” she stated firmly, sliding her hand in his as they made their way to the village. “I’m assuming everyone headed up to the Great Hall already?”

“Yeah,” he confirmed. “Dagur really wants to just get the treaty signed and get out of here.”

“I don’t blame him,” Astrid murmured, leading him through the village and gesturing to a few points of interest as they went. Berk seemed to be smaller than he expected, but then again, considering how many raids they used to deal with, he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised.

They walked up the steps to the Great Hall and he pulled the massive door open, allowing his wife to go in first. Unfortunately, that gesture of chivalry was counteracted by Berk’s idiot heir practically pouncing on her as soon as she crossed the threshold.

“Hey, babe,” Snotlout leered. “I’ve bet you missed me, huh?”

Haakon laid his hand on one of the stocky heir’s shoulders, his fingers digging into the bonehead's flesh. “Kindly take your hands off my wife," he spat, "or I will not be held responsible for my actions.” 

Fortunately, it was enough to get the idiot to let go of his wife. He quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her toward where he could see his brother was sitting with Berk’s Chief. “I don’t care what Stoick wanted,” he grumbled. “We should have stayed home.”

“It’ll be fine, babe,” Astrid reassured him. “We can take these idiots any day.”

“So true,” he smirked, stealing a kiss before having to deal with more Berkian buffoons.

Chapter Text

“Ah, Astrid. I’m so glad you could join us,” Stoick greeted as they approached.

“At least someone’s satisfied,” Haak grumbled under his breath, resulting in his wife elbowing him in the ribs.

“I came in the interest of keeping the peace between our two tribes,” Astrid told her former Chief as Haakon pulled out a chair for her. “I would recommend you not ascribe any further motives to my being here.”

“Yes, well about that,” Stoick said awkwardly. “I realized that I may have acted hastily during the last treaty signing and I wanted to apologize. It wasn’t fair to you and if you would like to make a claim for divorce, I would be happy to-”

Dagur slammed his fist against the table and demanded, “What is this really all about?”

Stoick tried to play innocent, asking, “What do you mean?”

Haakon wasn’t buying it though. “Oh, stuff it, Stoick,” he snapped. “You sold Astrid off in an attempt to keep the peace. I find it hard to believe that you’ve gone soft all of a sudden and want to fix your ‘mistakes.’”

“It’s because these fools spend all their time slacking off, isn’t it,” Astrid chimed in, gesturing to the others in the great hall who appeared to be her contemporaries. “Johann had mentioned that things here weren’t the same since I left, that you weren’t able to defend against the raids as well. But if you think I’m going to come back just because you can’t whip them into shape, you couldn’t be more wrong,” she finished, glaring at Stoick.

While what his wife said made sense to an extent, there was still something wrong with this reasoning, causing him to add, “Plus, haven’t the raids stopped?”

“While it is true that we haven’t had a raid in months,” Stoick admitted, trying to keep his temper under control, “it is no guarantee that they won’t return. They are probably just biding their time.”

“They aren’t,” Haakon stated confidently. “Their Queen is dead and without her forcing them to raid, they can live their own lives.”

“How would you know that,” the Chief of Berk sneered.

“Because Haakon led the attack that ended her,” Astrid responded smugly.

Though the look on Stoick’s face was priceless, he had to clarify his wife’s statement. “It was a team effort,” he said, knowing he wouldn’t have been able to help as much as he did without his family and Fannar’s assistance. “But I can assure you, the dragons as a whole should not give you much trouble.”

Stoick was not one to listen to reason, though, and continued to press, “Even then, Astrid, if you want to come back-”

“Why would I,” she fumed. “I’ve found a true home, with people who actually care about me. I wouldn’t give that up for the world, so you can just drop it.” She glared at her former Chief before turning to Haakon. “I’m going to step outside,” she whispered. “There’s actually one person I’d like to speak with while we were here and if I stay, Stoick will just keep trying to convince me.”

He nodded in understanding. “I’ll come with-”

She shook her head, stopping him mid-sentence. “I’ll be fine on my own,” she reassured him, “and Dagur looks like he’s about to blow his top,” she observed, glancing over his shoulder. “He’ll need your support. I’ll meet you back at the ship, okay?”

“Okay,” he replied, pecking her cheek and watching her leave before looking toward his brother. He could see that Astrid was right and the next words out of Stoick’s mouth sure didn’t help.

“Yes, well, about that treaty,” he said, clasping his hands together, apparently prepared to forget that the last five minutes had even happened.

“Yes, the treaty,” Dagur drawled. “Give me one good reason I should sign it after that,” he spat, gesturing wildly toward the doors Astrid had just walked through.

“Our tribes have been allies-”

“For too long in my opinion,” Dagur muttered, causing Stoick’s face to turn an alarming shade of red.

“Your father-” He began only to be cut off.

“My father was a great man,” Dagur declared with a dangerous edge to his voice. “A man who would not have tolerated the way you are treating his daughter.”

Haakon nodded firmly in agreement. If Stoick had been smart, he would have seen that he was treading into dangerous waters, but no one said the Berkians were blessed with great intellect.

“He would have done whatever was necessary to keep the peace,” Stoick pointed out through clenched teeth.

Dagur simply raised one eyebrow. “As you can see, I am not my father, am I?” At that, he stood, informing the Berkians, “I will not declare war on you, even though I probably should,” he added under his breath. “We will not attack your pitiful tribe unless provoked, but just know that whatever you start, we will finish,” he proclaimed emphatically. Turning to his brother, he said, “Come on, Haak. I do believe we are done here.”

As they walked out the doors to the Great Hall, Haakon told his brother, “Astrid went to speak with someone. I don’t know how long she'll be, but she said she would meet us back at the ship.”

“Is she safe here,” Dagur queried, glancing meaningfully behind them at the party from Berk who was accompanying them to the docks.

“She can take care of herself,” he responded. “I say give her a half an hour before we tear the village apart.”

“Sounds good. Plus that will give us a chance to get the harnesses on.” Dagur smirked, saying, “I do believe Berk should be left with a warning of just what we are capable of.”

Haakon grinned back at his brother, eager to see the look on the Berkians’ faces when they saw what was lurking in the bowels of their ships.

Harnessing the dragons did not take long, and, fortunately, they spotted Astrid descending the switchbacks just as they had finished. Haakon met her halfway, and once they had boarded the lead ship, Dagur said his farewells.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye,” he said casually. “Oh, and Stoick? I’m sure you’ve heard the stories about the Berserkers taking Skrills into battle, haven’t you?”

The Chief of Berk scoffed. “Those are nothing more than-”

He had barely begun speaking when Haakon let out a dragon call, signally the three Skrills to come up from the hold. They were quick to launch themselves into the air and begin towing the boats, mostly so they could get out of range before the gobsmacked Berkians came to their senses and tried to attack.

“Don’t say we didn’t warn you,” Dagur called back, letting out a laugh that bordered on insane.

“What was that about,” Astrid asked, her confusion apparent.

“Let’s just say that we never have to deal with Berk again,” Haakon replied with a grin.

Chapter Text

Haakon had to admit, he was glad that their stay on Berk had been so brief as it allowed them to get home the same day, even if it was rather late. He glanced down at his wife, who was still asleep in his arms, and marveled at all that had happened this past year. He would never look on Berk favorably, but they had brought him this amazing woman that made his life complete, so he could never fully hate them.

Astrid began to stir and he leaned forward to tenderly kiss her forehead, watching as her eyes fluttered open. “Happy anniversary, my love,” he whispered.

She smiled and replied, “Happy anniversary, Haak,” before capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. When they eventually parted, she said, “Can you believe it’s been a year?”

“It doesn’t seem possible, does it,” he remarked before smiling impishly. “Would you like your gift now?”

“Haakon,” Astrid reprimanded him, slapping his arm.

“What,” he asked innocently, knowing that sometimes his wife found his abundance of gifts overwhelming, but he couldn’t help the fact that he enjoyed spoiling her.

Astrid glared at him playfully, before giving in. “Fine,” she conceded, even offering to let him go first.

He reached under the bed, grabbing her gift from where he had stashed it late the night before. “I know that last winter you were frustrated by your lack of mobility when wearing a jacket, so…” He passed her the parcel and watched as she opened it to reveal a fur vest and matching arm bracers. “I know it won’t be practical for the whole winter, but I thought it would allow you more movement on the days that aren’t quite as cold,” he explained.

“I love it, Haak,” she said, smiling at him. “Though I can’t guarantee how much use I’ll get out of it this winter.”

“Why,” he inquired, feeling slightly confused.

“Well, you see, it has something to do with your gift,” she shared, confounding him further. “I can’t give it to you just yet,” she admitted, reaching for his hand and resting it on her stomach, “but maybe in about seven months.”

His breath caught in his throat as he realized what she was implying. “Astrid, are you saying-?”

She smiled and nodded, tears gathering in her eyes as she announced, “I’m pregnant.”

“You’re sure,” he pressed, not daring to get his hopes up. “Absolutely sure?”

She laughed and nodded again. “I went to see Gothi when we were on Berk. She’s the healer there and she confirmed it.”

“Oh, Astrid,” he uttered, completely overcome with emotion as he gathered her in his arms and held her close. “This is the best gift ever. Thank you,” he said softly.

A year ago, Haakon never would have thought he would have ended up here, but as he kissed his wife he thought that there was nowhere else he’d rather be.