HICCUPS POV

As day flew by, I told (Y/N) how it happened. How my father, Stoick, the Chief, died. How it was my fault... that if I had listened to him that day and not tried to reason with Drago, it never would've happened... or better yet, if I hadn't met Toothless at all.

After a while I was able to convince her that she was not to blame and neither was I. I explained that life was merely a game of chance and all about being in the wrong places at the wrong times. That our actions do not define us... and that the love we both had for the right movement is what caused Berk and so many other islands to change their course about dragons. There were a lot of tears on both our parts, during those hours of talking, and I hoped that I had changed the way she constantly blames herself for what happened to her father.

Toothless and Libelle pounced across the surface of the island together joyfully. They immediately had a connection. As they bonded, (Y/N) and I were healing our bond. She apologised more than once about leaving, way more than she should've. I'm the one that should feel guilty, for not telling her about Astrid. As we talked, (Y/N) gave me multiple glances and signals to kiss her. She was warm in my arms, and her body pressed against me, her soft voice was delightful to hear as we shared our stories to each other. I wanted to kiss her badly, but I controlled myself not to engage until I could tell Astrid about her. I thought I could do it as soon as I landed back on Berk... but until then, I was deceiving both of them. It made me feel physically ill.

If I could just get (Y/N) to come back to Berk with me, I could make it work... I could end things with Astrid...

After that, I can tell (Y/N) that I love her and that I want to be with her.

YOUR POV

Hiccup told me everything. He relieved me of my past. We talked for hoursss, it was amazingg! He comforted me... nothing else happened. I wanted to kiss him badly, but I don't think he wanted to kiss me... maybe he thought that I didn't want to after last night- either way, nothing happened between us, yet it was still a day I'll remember for the rest of my life.

I showed him my scar... I lifted up my armour and tunic slightly so he could see where my father's arrow scraped my side.. he stroked the scar with his fingers. I whimpered when I felt his warm fingers gliding over my skin... I did my best not to show him how his touch made me feel.

He also showed me his bare leg without his prosthetic. It shocked me to see how much his life had changed because of the accident and how him and his dragon became to share almost the same disability. They truly rely on each other. I can tell they're close, just like Libelle and I.

~~~~

As night fell... we hunted and cooked above the camp fire that Hiccup lit, we sat down, ate, and talked some more...

"...Sounds like you've had lots of new experiences on the Edge.." I said, regarding Hiccup's past stories.

"I did, we all did. We learned so much about so many different dragons!... *sigh* Woah, times have changed so much since then.. I- I still cannot believe that at one point you were among the Wingmaidens! That wasn't far from our island!" Hiccup said excitedly with a hint of frustration.

"Well, yes but I was fifteen at the time, you weren't living at the Edge until about two years later. Plus, I didn't stay there very long.."

"Why? Where did you go after the Wingmaidens?"

"I wasn't needed there. I headed much further South after that, to a chain of islands.. that's where I found my sword among other things such as silver to buy a leash and food that lasted about a week." I lifted my sword from the ground and glided it out of its sheath. It had copper coloured rust forming on both sides, slowly spreading downwards from the hilt towards the tip of the blade. "It's not much.. but it had to do."

Hiccup chuckled.

"What?" I asked

"You say 'found'... but you stole." He replied with a sheepish grin on his face. He was equally impressed as he was shocked that I had rebelled in my past.

"Well- I had to- There were some things I had to do... to survive."

"You're definitely still a Viking!" He chuckled.

"Haha! The truth is.. If you want gold or silver you have to take it." I stated in a thick Viking accent, impersonating the older generation of Berk. Hiccup laughed at my accurate impression of our people.

"You did what you had to... You always surprised me in the most random ways when we were younger. This just proves that some things forever remain unchanged. After all, you were never one to follow rules..." He smirked, I smiled in agreement and sighed with relief of his strangely positive reaction towards my past crimes.

"Hey! You have to tell me the story behind your sword! How on Earth did you think to get it to... you know, set fire?!"

He wielded his sword out of its sheath and it lit up in flames, just like it was before.

"Hahaa! Well, it took a while... I wanted to create a sword to distract people and dragons... to enchant them not as much to hurt them." He turned off the flames and showed me the blade itself. "I made it completely hollow in the middle so I could disarm easier, so there's less chance of a violent fight. Fire is always something that mesmerises people and dragons... We're all attracted to it like bees to honey. Even though it's a weapon, it's made it easier to negotiate with enemies instead of fighting them. More lives speared. It's still a battle sword though- I can still fight with it... You can't have peace without taking percussions."

He handed me the sword to examine. I was astonished by the craftsmanship of it

"It's magnificent! didn't fight so its original purpose definitely prevailed... yep, this is definitely a weapon made for , Hiccup. You've always been a great blacksmith. You never stopped creating amazing things back at Berk." He blushed at my compliment.

"Did you ever- have you ever killed with your sword?" He asked. I was astounded that Hiccup asked such a question...

"No. I don't think I could... There would have to be a huge reason for me to kill someone. Fortunately, I've never had a big enough reason to, or had a dangerous situation where I couldn't fly away from... I came close to it on a few occasions- I've fought for my life before, but have never taken another life to do so... Libelle and I've always been avoiding trouble when possible."

"Yeah... No, I understand." Hiccup retreated from his question. "So you're a shield maiden!" He smiled.

"Haha, of sort I guess." I giggled. "Have you ever killed someone, Hiccup?"

"I- uh...well... yes. There were times where I had to fight to protect innocent dragons and the people I loved. Even though I didn't want to take lives, I could never let my friends and family die. Ever since we've made peace with dragons at Berk and expanded the life on our island, dragon trappers treat us like a destination, some ships have been cursing us for the past few years, trying to take our dragons and wealth... they normally attack during the winter when we least expect them to. The ones I killed and sent to Niflheim were bad people... but- *sigh*" Hiccup lowered his head in shame and regret.

"Hey. Don't feel guilty. They were bad people, Hiccup, you just said so yourself.. you only protected your own as a good Chief would... Sometimes you have to do things you never thought you would do for love..."

His eyes gaped upon me with appreciation and he smiled. He studied my face, I caught him looking for more than a second at my lips... my stomach fluttered. Our bodies started leaning closer to one another as the smouldering fire below glowed ardently, sculpting our faces. He placed his forehead against mine and we closed our eyes. Our lips were inching closer towards each other and our breathing began to heavy...

When Hiccup said-

"Ugh... *suppresses a cough* (Y/N)... do you- do you think you could come back to Berk with me tomorrow at sunrise?" Hiccup interrupted our moment of weakness with pure desperation in his eyes... I couldn't say no.. I also didn't want to say no. I had no one who relied on me, unlike Hiccup who's Chief! He has to go back to Berk, and I don't want to be parted from him again.. But my family are in Berk. They still have no idea about what happened to dad.. I can't face them.

"I'm not too sure tha-" I started explaining my answer...

"Please. It would mean the world to me. I know you'll love Berk as it is now! Almost everyone has a dragon of their own!"

" everyone...?"

"Well..." he hesitated.

"It's them isn't it... my family. They have no dragons..."

"They're not the only ones who don't have one! There are some who-"

"I caused that Hiccup... I've made their hate for dragons permanent. It's easier for you when your mother sounds like the queen of all dragons!"

He paused... he knew I had a valid point. He took a deep breath before gambling to say..

"Don't you think you should still come back to see them? They think your dead, (Y/N)... it's only right to let them know that you're alive... and besides, maybe you could teach them to love dragons the way you do?? Yes it's true that my mother was born to live in peace with dragons, but I can confidently say that for the longest time, I thought it was impossible to change my father's mind about dragons... but who knows, (Y/N)? Your destiny is unwritten." he spoke with a coherent voice of reason.

"I guess I could maybe-"

"YES!" He shouted with a huge smile on his face. He squeezed me in his arms and kissed me on the cheek.

I touched where he kissed me, with my finger tips, my cheeks flushed crimson red... I grinned with delight. I hope I've made the right decision... I'm finally going back to Berk..

~~~

Early next morning we were off before the birds could sing their melodies...

We both flew on our dragons and headed back to Berk. On our way, the sun raised as I thought of hundreds of different scenarios that could happen when meeting my family again, whilst soaring through the blood-flecked clouds.

But flying next to Hiccup made my nerves half by size instantly. He kept me calm and we relished the ride back home.

We talked... We laughed... We had a playful, unspoken race between us to see who could reach Berk first...

When we flew, I could tell that Hiccup enjoyed being up in the air as much as I did. His peaceful expression showed he loved the air hitting his face, flowing through his hair, making him feel completely free. He appreciated every moment in the sky as did I. On the ride home.. I remembered that we shared the same soul.

I love him so much.

END OF CHAPTER