The trader and the rider

Chapter 20

A/N: sorry for the wait, I explain why I took so long with this one in the end in another A/N, and for those who read the whole thing, I have a small treat waiting for you... ;)

A bright ray of sunshine woke me up. I rolled around in my bed, lazily, and I hugged my boyfriend from behind. It had been a while since we won against the dragon hunters. And since then, we barely had a good night of sleep like this one. The volcano kept threatening to fully erupt, making the ground shake violently when we least expected. Plus, we had a lot of work to do, helping Dagur and Heather build their village back up and get them resources, helping Mala and her people get back on their feet, and fixing our place as well. And in case that wasn't enough, my nightmares were back. I had talked with Tuffnut about them and what happened to me back when Hiccup and I went for Viggo in the stables. Those hallucinations weren't exactly new, to be honest, but it had been a long time since I suffered from them, and I never experienced the auditory kind before. It was scary, to say the least. At some points, I even thought it was a cruel punishment of the gods. But of course, Tuff did everything in his power to help me. He stayed over regularly, which helped me keep the nightmares away, almost as if he was some kind of amulet against them. And in case I did suffer from them, he would wake me up and calm me down.

But tonight had been an amazing night. No work, no eruptions or shakes, and no nightmares. Just us, lying on bed, and finally resting as we deserved. I nuzzled the back of his neck with my head, trying to put all his blonde hair away from my face.

-That tickles -he said with a cute laugh.

-Shhh, go back to sleep.

-I would, but, -he turned around, now facing me with that dorky smile of his- we can't lay around in bed today.

I smiled and cuddled him closer. Today was probably the only day we couldn't do that, as much as I wanted to. Because today was the 25th of June. We had officially been together for six months. And today was the day of our betrothal ceremony. It felt so surreal to think it had only been six months, after all the things we had been through. But after so much pain and crazy adventures, we finally got the chance to focus on ourselves for a change.

-Hm, and why would that be? Is today an important day at all? -I said in a teasing tone.

-Oh come on, you know what day it is.

-Maybe. But I like hearing you say it -I said, booping his nose and earning a smile from him.

-Well, ma chérie, today is our bethrodal ceremony.

-Oh, that was today?

-As if I'd let you forget it.

I chuckled as I remembered how he had been acting the last few days. Both of us were way happier and maybe even a bit more cheesy than usual, even in front of others. And he went out of his way to remind me every chance he got about today. He was a big romantic, and I loved it.

-I love you so much -I said, snuggling him and trying to cover ourselves with the sheets to stay in bed just a bit more. It was so comfy.

-Enough to come out of bed for me? -he asked.

-Don't get crazy here.

He chuckled and kissed my head, and he let me stay there, cuddling him while he petted my head. Eventually, he decided it was time to get up tho. He seemed like he was kind of in a rush, and he got dressed quickly while I lazily made my way out of bed. I stretched with a loud yawn and went to the cave to change. I wanted to look a bit nicer than usual, even if today we also had to work. It made me a bit mad since Tuff and I asked Hiccup with more than enough time if we could have the day off, yet he still said no. I mean, sure, we had to help people and blah blah blah some more stuff about being responsible, but come on! At least he promised, as well as Ruff, to let Tuff and I work together all day. So, in his honor, I'd try to look cute while building houses and hunting to get food. Sweat and dirt would probably ruin it quickly, but it was the thought that mattered.