Suddenly married (slow updates)

Chapter 8

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It was that same night that Astrid put on a shawl and stepped outside onto the porch of their home.
   Their home was on a small hill overlooking the rest of the village, only towered by the chief's own home.

She wondered if he was lonely in there. Alone.
   His son was no longer there, and neither was his wife. She felt bad for her father-in-law. It couldn't be easy. She looked back at her own home and reminded herself that it wasn't easy for her husband either, but as she had learned, he was a very strong man.

'I have my father, friends, and Toothless...and now you, to keep me from spiraling' she remembered what he told her, and so also remembered how her cheeks had heated up when he said that.
'I'm happy, you're the one I got to marry' he had told her, and she agreed.

She could find humor in her situation.
They had both hated the idea of an arranged marriage to somebody they didn't know, and Astrid had wanted to experience love when she felt ready.
Never did she imagine that she was ready. It felt like she had waited to meet Hiccup all of her life.

"These people... this village" Astrid whispered into the dark as if hoping it would keep her words a secret. "These dragons... Hiccup...Berk feels like home"
There wasn't a part of Berk, not even it's dragons, that Astrid didn't accept yet, and that realization tugged at her lips and made her smile.

She closed her heavy eyes, feeling tired, but not sleepy.
   She listened to the wind tug at the trees near their homes, listened to the mockingbird singing at night, and to the dragons in the distance. She opened her eyes once more and saw no dragons in sight. She wondered if the sounds were coming from the forest where the wild dragons were.

OoOoOoO

"Good morning, Astrid" Hiccup yawned as he walked in to greet Astrid.
He had gone on his early morning flight before Astrid woke up, and now when he got back he was greeted with the pleasant smell of a prepared breakfast.

"You made breakfast?" Hiccup smiled and tried to get control of his hair that was messed up by the flights and the dust rain outside.
"You didn't have to, I would've gladly made something"

"Just say thank you" Astrid rolled her eyes to the sky, but her smile remained on her face.

"Right, thank you, Astrid" Hiccup blushed and sat down on the chair in front of the fire in the middle of the room.

"There's actually something I want to speak with you about," Astrid told him as she carefully handed him a plate of food and a cup of mead brewed on fresh honey. A gift from their wedding.

"What is it?"

"One day, I will be chieftess, and you will we chieftain. I've already grown to think of Berk as my home, but I want to be a true part of this village as well"

Hiccup in turn gave Astrid a sad smile, misunderstanding where Astrid was going with her little speech.
   "You are a part of the village Astrid. I got one don't think there's anyone here that doesn't already love you" Hiccup stilled.
   'Oh no,' he panicked. 'The L word!'.

Astrid didn't pick up on what Hiccup was silently panicking about, so she continued to explain. "Thank you Hiccup, but that isn't really what I meant with that" she finally sat down herself, cradling a cup like Hiccup's.
   "I want to live like them, understand them, to be a Berkian"

Hiccup's heart swelled with every word.
   "I'll guess, you've thought of your own way to accomplish that?"

Astrid leaned back.
   "Do you think I could learn how to train a dragon?"