Chapter Text
The great cacophony of noise that had just moments ago rung through every corner of the Great Hall abruptly vanished, the voices around him seeming to have quieted ever so gradually and then all at once, like a wave cresting and crashing, as exponentially more people realized what was happening and fell silent.
All eyes on the Chief.
Hiccup looked around from atop the table he was stood upon, took a deep breath to steady himself, and began.
“I used to call Berk — Old Berk — sturdy. And it was. Even as new buildings replaced slightly less new buildings every other week, it remained sturdy. Unyielding. Stubborn.
Just like us Hooligans.
And Berk is still sturdy, absolutely. But now… now that wouldn’t be the first word I’d use to describe it. Now, I’d call Berk — New Berk — adaptable.
Also like us.
Because it is, and we are. When a 300-year war ended overnight, we adapted and changed everything. We’ve actually gotten pretty good at that. Change. Which isn’t to say that the change itself is always good. We’ve all said goodbye to family and friends, we’ve all started over out of necessity and not choice. Four years ago, Berk itself started over on this very island. And it was hard, and a bit scary, as new things can be. But change is also inevitable, and, more than that, it can be wonderful. It’s how we’ve found so many people here tonight — or, more appropriately, how they found us. It’s how Bodil found us. And Gustav, I think, would be the first to agree that that was a pretty amazing change.”
“Best change ever!” hollered the young man himself and Hiccup laughed along with the rest of the guests.
“Exactly.” He waited until the mirth died down, and continued. “So, yeah, change is inevitable. But when we change for the right reasons, when we let love fuel that change, it’s always for the better. On this new journey they’ve embarked on tonight, the love Gustav and Bodil share will change them in ways they can’t even begin to imagine. And that love, that union, will in turn change our community, in ways we can’t imagine.”
Hiccup took another breath. Final stretch. He could do this.
“It’s tradition during this speech to offer some advice, so here goes: people change people, and when you let the right people into your life, you change for the better. Gustav and Bodil, you are each other's right people. And your marriage will change you both. That’s good. That’s growth. That’s love. Just make sure you grow together, and it will all work out in the end. And when it gets hard, because sometimes it will, know that your community will be there with you every step of the way. Because this is New Berk. We’re adaptable. We change.”
Hiccup grinned.
“But tonight… we drink!”
An enthusiastic cheer erupted from the crowd as Hiccup raised his still full tankard in toast before carefully getting down from the table. He sighed, feeling no small amount of relief that all of his official duties for the evening were now complete… especially that speech. Hiccup didn’t mind marrying them so much, that was just following a script, and everyone was pretty focused on the couple themselves at that point anyway. But the official toast to kick off the festivities… that was when he still felt like an imposter.
Stoick had always been brilliant at toasts…
“Babe?”
Astrid was staring and Hiccup wondered how long he’d been musing.
“Hmmm?”
“I asked if you wanted something to eat.”
“Oh. Yes. Yeah, thanks.” She nodded and turned to leave, but then his brain caught up and he stopped her. “Want me to come with you?”
“You can’t,” she replied matter of factly.
“Why?” he asked, genuinely confused.
“Because you’re already a mug behind everyone else,” she teased, indicating his untouched mead, before her voice got softer. “And I know what tonight has taken out of you, so just sit for now and let me get you some food, ok?”
He nodded. She was right, as always. Astrid was really so much smarter than him.
“Thanks,” he said, kissing her forehead, and Astrid brushed her fingers over his cheek before disappearing into the crowd.
Hiccup made his way over to their friends and slid onto the bench next to Fishlegs.
“Great speech, Hiccup,” his friend enthused. “Very moving.”
“If you’re talking bowels maybe,” Snotlout added with a snort, though there was very little bite in his teasing these days.
“Supportive as ever, cousin” Hiccup replied with a sigh.
“Don’t listen to him,” Ruffnut said, leaning as far as she could around Fishlegs to meet Hiccup's eye. “He’s just mad Eret’s on night watch tonight and can’t get drunk with him.”
“What? No. Shut up, Ruff, that’s not it at all,” Snotlout defended, crossing his arms rather petulantly across his chest. “I just think Hiccup focused too much on the past, that's all.”
“I think,” added a deep voice as its owner took a seat across from Hiccup, “you’ll find that for those of us new to the tribe, that speech was about the future.”
Hiccup smiled at his friend, and Bremer raised his mug in silent toast. He, of course, knew better than most what Hiccup had been talking about.
After Grimmel, after the dragons, it had taken very little time for the Hooligans to realize that New Berk’s position meant it was quite hard to find on purpose, but very easy to stumble across accidentally. A combination of unusual air currents and misleading sea flows east of New Berk meant that if you didn't know where to go, if you had nowhere to go, it wasn’t unusual to land on its shores.
And Hiccup was not the kind of chief to send away people with nowhere to go.
And so, often, those same people stayed.
Nowadays, it was one of the fastest ways the village was growing, along births at home and marriages from other tribes. It was people who were lost in the world finding a new home with the Hooligans. It was how Gustav’s new wife, Bodil, and her family had arrived two years ago, fleeing a conflict they wanted no part of. And it was how the man across the table raising his mug in toast had found his way there as well.
“Thanks, Brem,” Hiccup added, as Astrid returned with the food.
“What are you thanking Bremer for?” she asked lightly.
Hiccup smirked. “Not being Snotlout, mostly.”
“Hey!”
“A low bar, but I’m glad to have reached it all the same,” Bremer replied, and, sensing a losing battle, Snotlout just glared at the assembled group and drained his mug.
“I’m going to go find better friends,” he announced, standing.
“Snotlout, my good man, there are no better friends than your former dragon rider comrades,” Tuffnut declared philosophically. “And dragon rider comrades adjacent,” he added, nodding seriously at Bremer who gave him an amused nod back.
Snotlout pretended to think for a minute. “Nope, you guys suck,” he declared. Then he wandered off, adding a vague bellow for Gustov as he did. Astrid shook her head.
“Someone should go save the groom,” she said, with very little conviction.
“Not it,” said Hiccup with a laugh, touching his nose with one hand and grabbing a honey cake off the plate Astrid had handed him with the other. He chewed it with a moan. “My compliments to the baker,” he announced cheerfully. “Bremer, my friend, my deepest sorrow is that you weren’t here when Astrid and I got married. The sweets were sorely lacking that winter.”
“Are you saying I’m not sweet?” Astrid asked, quirking an eyebrow playfully.
“Not at all,” Hiccup managed to get out around a mouthful of cake. “Just that the sweetness of the cuisine couldn’t compare to you.”
Ruffnut made a weird choking noise. “Awwww, I think I might barf,” she said, and Hiccup genuinely didn’t know whether it was meant as a compliment or an insult. Instead of asking, though, he just focused on his cake; he was a smart guy, but unraveling the mystery that was the Thorston twins remained beyond him.
They stayed that way for some time, his little group, drinking mead and swapping jokes and enjoying the enormous feast that was part of any Hooligan celebration. It was nice. Excellent, really. Hiccup didn’t think it could get any better.
“Come on,” Astrid said finally, cheeks pink from drink and laughter. “Dance with me, Chief.”
And then it did.
---------------------
Dancing at a wedding, especially a Viking wedding, is often less grace and more enthusiasm. Dancing with Hooligans, even more so. But what the New Berkians lacked in elegance, they more than made up for in exuberance, the songs getting louder, the spins faster, the mood merrier.
Astrid and Hiccup were soon joined by Fishlegs and Ruffnut (the latter practically dragging the former into the great throng of revelers), and eventually Snotlout stopped giving Gustov questionable marriage advice long enough to kick up his own heels with the group (said heels leaving the floor entirely for a bit when Gobber appeared and fully picked up the shorter man for a turn around the Hall). Even Tuffnut spun around by himself for a while, dancing to a beat no one else could hear, but, really, what else was new?
Surrounded by so many people he loved, Hiccup wished his mom could have attended, and Eret, but there would be other weddings, he knew, and the duties and obligations of real life didn’t stop just because there was a party.
More's the pity.
How long they stayed, twirling round the room, Hiccup didn’t know; when he looked outside, the moon was higher than he’d thought it would be, but, then again, he was very pleasantly tipsy. Eventually they all sort of peeled off though, and when Astrid excused herself to find some water, Hiccup took the opportunity to lean against a wall and rest his leg. A moment or two later, Bremer appeared at his side.
“Having fun?” the other man asked with a smile. He was just slightly taller than Hiccup, so he barely had to turn his head to face him.
“Oh yes, oh excellent fun,” Hiccup replied. “You should have joined us.”
“Don’t dance… good,” Bremer replied, and Hiccup took a moment to examine him closer. Bremer’s dark, russet brown skin didn’t lend itself to a mead blush the way Hiccup’s own did, but as he took in the man’s expression, Hiccup realized with a chuckle that his friend was wearing the smile of the truly drunk tonight.
“No one out there would care,” Hiccup replied, pointing at a particularly spirited move Tuffnut was attempting with either complete or zero success, Hiccup honestly wasn’t sure which.
Bremer just shook his head, then frowned. “Wait, don’t you have a baby?” he asked.
Hiccup laughed; his friend really was quite gone.
“Mom is with Zephyr tonight.”
“Oh. Right. That makes sense. Didn’t see her here tonight.”
“Who, Mom or Zephyr?”
“Either.”
Hiccup laughed again and took the opportunity to prod his friend a bit.
“I mean it though… you could dance. You should dance.”
Bremer frowned again. “With who?”
“With anyone! Gunhild and Estrid are both looking for partners. Ashildr too I think. Just pick someone. Anyone! Have a bit of fun.” He looked out over the assembled crowd again, spying his wife making her way back over. Beside him, Bremer shook his head slowly.
“No. Not with anyone. Or… not with just anyone. I want…” His friend blinked blearily as he saw the Chieftess approach. “It’s like you said, I’m looking for my other right people.” He frowned and tried again. “Persons. Thor’s damn… you know what I mean.” He growled, clearly frustrated with his current lack of articulateness. He furrowed his brow and put great effort into getting his next sentence out at least mostly correct. “I want to love someone the way you love Astrid. I’ll not settle for less.”
Well… Hiccup couldn’t argue with that.
“I wasn’t suggesting you had to marry someone tonight,” Hiccup clarified. “One wedding per evening is more than enough for me. Just… take a first step. I just want you to be happy,” Hiccup reminded him.
Bremer regarded him thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“You do, don’t you?”
Hiccup tilted his head in confusion. “Of course.”
“...why?” Bremer asked, slightly bewildered.
Hiccup blinked; the answer was so obvious to him.
“Because… I want everyone to be?”
Honestly, the conversation was starting to confuse Hiccup, but maybe trying to have a deep discussion with a drunk Viking was always going to be a doomed endeavor from the start. Before he could move on to a simpler topic, however, Bremer shook his head again. “No other chief but you, Hiccup Haddock, would say such a thing and mean it.”
Hiccup frowned, something about the thought distressing, but he brushed it off as he refocused on his approaching wife’s smile.
“You’re drunk, pal,” he said instead, accepting a cup of water from Astrid as she finally reached them.
“I am,” Bremer agreed. “And now I think I will have that dance… with my bed. Goodnight Haddocks.”
He turned left, walking a few feet before realizing he was going the wrong way and turning around. He pointed himself towards the exit with a determined expression on his face, his second attempt much more successful than the first.
Hiccup laughed — his friend really was quite gone — as Astrid watched him with a perplexed expression on her face.
“What was that all about?” she asked.
“No idea,” Hiccup replied honestly before leaning down and giving his wife a kiss.
“And what was that for?” she inquired in much the same tone.
“Nothing, just… thank you for being my right person.”
She beamed up at him.
“Always,” she said, fiddling with one of the clasps on his outfit. “And, for the record, I loved your speech.”
Hiccup laughed. “You say that as though you didn’t hear me rehearsing it all week.”
She shrugged playfully, taking the now empty water cup back and placing it beside her on a table.
“Well, I loved it every time I heard it.”
“Did you then?”
Her smile was brighter than dragonfire. “I did. I do.”
Gods, he loved this woman.
“Hey,” he said, taking her hand in his and nodding towards the door. “I think it might be time to make our own exit. Are you ready?”
“Absolutely. Lead the way, babe.”
They snuck out the back, trying to avoid any enthusiastic goodnights from the assembled and over excited vikings. They started walking home, the night air bracing as always, but when they reached the plaza, Hiccup stopped them, turning to circle Astrid in his arms. She looked up at him with an amused expression.
“Yes?” she asked.
“It occurs to me, wife, that we are quite alone right now. Gloriously and for the first time in… five months?”
“That is how old our kid is, yes, though it’s not like — ”
“And it further occurs to me that my mother is staying with said kid all night.”
“She is.” Astrid agreed.
“So…?” he said, with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows.
“So…. what? I hate to break it to you, Hiccup, but your mother is staying with said kid in our house. Where do you propose we find this glorious alone time?”
Hiccup had an answer at the ready; he was a strategist after all. “The forge.”
Astrid laughed. “The forge? What are we, nineteen again?”
“You never complained when we were nineteen.”
“I was young and stupid,” she reminded him, poking him in the chest playfully. “And at least one of us needed to grow out of that phase.”
Hiccup pulled her a little closer and tucked an errant wisp of blonde hair behind her ear.
“Come on, it’ll be nostalgic. Plus we both know Gobber will be too drunk to go anywhere near there until at least midday tomorrow and, really, it’s the perfect place anyway.”
“Is it now?” she asked with no small amount of amusement. “And why is that?”
“It's warm, you'll be there, I'll be there, you'll be there…”
“You already said that.”
“Well it's the most important part.”
“Dork.”
“Is that a no, or…?”
The corners of Astrid’s lips turned up and she grabbed his hand from behind her back to link their fingers together.
“Come on,” she said, by way of answer, leading them to the forge. She took the long way, though, of course she did, passing the docks on their way, ever the general, ever the protector, wanting to check all was well before retiring — so to speak — for the evening.
But really, when she smiled at him like that, and held his hand like that, he'd follow her anywhere.
As they approached the watchtower she shook her head fondly. “The forge,” she scoffed with amused incredulity, as though she couldn’t believe she had agreed to such a thing, as though she wasn’t the one actively leading them there right now. “I swear to Odin, the very FIRST joke you make about your hammer and I'm going to — ”
Astrid stopped quite suddenly, both speaking and moving, and Hiccup had to skip slightly to avoid tripping at the abrupt change in speed. He turned to follow her gaze and saw Eret, who was supposed to be on night watch duty, making his way over quickly.
“What's wrong,” she asked, mood shifting as fast as her feet had in anticipation of trouble. But Eret just shook his head.
“Nothing's wrong,” he assured her. “Or, not as far as I can tell. But there is something odd.”
“Odd how?”
“Odd like a newly arrived ship.”
Astrid frowned. “At this time of night?”
“Well that would be the odd part,” Eret continued, walking them both over to where they could see the docks more clearly. “It arrived several hours ago.”
“And the crew?”
“No crew that I can see. Just a captain. Got off about half an hour after docking, walked halfway up the path, then, for no reason I could see, turned right around and headed back towards their ship.”
“That is odd,” Hiccup agreed.
“Right. I was considering going down, finding out what — ”
He stopped speaking as all of them saw the same thing at the same time; the captain suddenly emerging from below deck and once again beginning the long trek up the docks. An air of tension settled on the three; Eret palmed his swords, watching the approaching figure carefully, and Astrid, who Hiccup had thought unarmed at the wedding, now held a dagger as well.
“Where did you have that hidden?” he whispered to her, neither of them taking their eyes off the stranger.
“Nowhere you need to concern yourself with now,” she murmured and Hiccup winced at the implications.
“Next time warn a fella, won’t you?” he hissed, visions of getting fresh and cutting his hand open in the process effectively killing whatever remained of his amorous mood, and she rolled her eyes so hard he could see it even though she was only in his peripheral vision.
“More pressing matters, babe, focus,” she said, just as the figure reached them. After pausing a moment the mysterious captain stepped closer — nervously, if Hiccup was reading the body language correctly — and removed their hood.
It was a girl. Or, rather, a young woman, but definitely younger than him. It was hard to make out her features in the dim moonlight, but the nervousness… that was even more apparent now.
“Hello,” she said, warily taking in the three of them. She held no weapon Hiccup could see, but, then again, as his wife had just so effectively demonstrated, looks could be deceiving. “Is this Berk?” She seemed to reconsider her words. “Or, I suppose, New Berk?”
Her Norse was perfect, though there was just a hint of an accent there that indicated she was, to quote Tuffnut, ‘not from around these parts’.
“It is,” Hiccup confirmed, before either of the two slash-happy soldiers to his right could respond more aggressively. The mystery woman nodded.
“You’re a hard group to find,” she said, chuckling awkwardly even as she twisted her fingers in front of her.
“Bit of a problem with the neighbors,” Hiccup explained with a shrug. “Had to move. How can we help you at this late, late, very late hour?”
The woman took a deep breath and visibly forced herself to speak. “Right, I’m… I’m looking for someone. Your Chief actually.” Hiccup opened his mouth to answer, but the woman continued. “Stoick Haddock,” she said. “Or perhaps Stoick the Vast?” she added quickly when no one replied immediately.
Hiccup felt cold, colder than he had a moment ago, and he wished he was self-delusional enough to blame the change on the evening temperature.
“I’m sorry,” he said, making the great effort not to mumble as he did, “but Stoick died, several years ago now.”
At his words, so many emotions flashed across the woman’s face in quick succession, or perhaps all at once, that Hiccup could only catch one or two. Sadness certainly. Anger? Perhaps regret? Eventually though, she schooled her features into something approaching neutral.
“Oh,” she said, her voice suddenly thick and slow. “Well then… that’s… I’m sorry to hear that. It seems I’ve come an awfully long way for nothing. Sorry to have troubled you,” she said tightly as she turned to go, leaving Hiccup, Astrid and Eret behind and very, very confused. She’d only taken a step or two, though, before she turned back, twisting her hands again.
“Sorry, one more question. Stoick had,” she swallowed. “Stoick had a son. I don’t know very much about him. Just what he was like as a boy. Terribly, terribly small, I know that much, and incredibly kind, apparently, even for a child. I’m sorry I can’t give a better description, but can you tell me… do you know if he survived?”
Her tone made it clear she didn’t think he had, and Hiccup gave an uncomfortable laugh. “Oh, well, ha ha, funny story there — you, uh, you found him!” She frowned in confusion and Hiccup went on.
“Yeah, that, uh, that would be me, actually. Stoick’s son. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Chief of New Berk, at your service.” She gaped for a moment, another maelstrom of emotions swirling across her face, but Hiccup had had enough now and crossed his arms, growing weary of the one way questions. “Right, so, now that we cleared that up, who might you be then?”
At his question, the woman blinked very suddenly, as though startled. Then she straightened and forced herself to look him in the eye. “Well Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Chief of New Berk — I think I’m your sister.”