Suddenly married (slow updates)

Chapter 9

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"What now?" Astrid had asked so innocently, and Hiccup, the great dragon tamer, her husband had not hesitated in getting them to work.
   Astrid might've reached a mutual understanding with Stormfly, but they had not truly bonded as dragon and rider yet.

It was still early so Hiccup had taken them to the ring to start the basic training.
   Back when the rest of the dragon riders learned their skills it was a "try it and hope it goes well" kind of situation, their very first flight being over the vast ocean steering directly towards the battlefield on dragon island, but Astrid was in no time crunch, so Hiccup was happy that his wife would learn under much safer conditions.

They walked into the ring, Stormfly and Toothless followed a few steps behind them.

"Okay, I'm gonna get the rope"

"The rope?" Astrid cocked her head to the side as she watched her husband run to a wooden crate by the wall and pull out a long rope, using a few moments to untangle it before he answered her question.

"Yes, a rope" he nodded. "Astrid, you might've flown on Toothless, but only as a passenger, so when you mount Stormfky any movement you make can aggravate her, that's why I'm gonna be pulling you along for a while, just until she gets used to you carrying you"

Astrid looked over at Stornfly, still curiously looking at her as well.
   She supposed it made sense, and at the least she was relieved that Hiccup valued her safety during this training.

"Stormfly doesn't have a saddle, unfortunately. Of course I'll get to making you one so you're not in pain, but right now you'll have to do without one" Hiccup explained as he walked closer, letting his hand glide gentle under Stormfly's chin as he went around her, securing the rope.
   Astrid was once again reminded that there was nobody that did this like Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. This was what he was great at, and it showed. "That's a good girl, Stormfly, very well done" he praised the dragon for allowing him to secure the rope without any struggles.

Then he held his hand out to Astrid, urging her to come closer and start the training.
   "So now I just mount her, right?"

"Yes" Hiccup nodded.

"Alright, give me a push" she lifted her boot and had hiccup secure her hands underneath it to give her the push she needed to reach the dragon's high back.
   "Whoa!" Astrid gripped tightly on the rope hiccup had secured, feeling the dragon nervously move underneath her. "She is... a lot taller than Toothless"

Hiccup chuckled. "You've been flying above Berk and you think this is tall?"

"You know that was different"

"It wasn't" Hiccup gently reached up to touch her knee, "you won't fall... I still got you" he understood why she was nervous, he was sure she felt like she had no control over what would happen next.

Astrid forced herself to look away from his gentle face and shining green eyes.
   "Okay" she gave a simple nod. "Let's get started then"

OoOoOoO

"What's going on here?" Fishlegs flew closer to the ring seeing Snotlout and the twins just watching on from the outside, seemingly finding something very amusing.
   Meatlug landed just behind them and Snotlout turned around to explain with a smug on his face.

"Hiccup's wife is doing dragon training"

"What?!" Fishlegs ran the few extra steps to the bars separating them from the ring, and sure enough, Astrid Haddock, formerly Hofferson, was sitting on top of their tracker dragon, Stormfly, gently being tugged along by Hiccup as he gave her pointers on how to have her legs and hands to not irritate the dragon.
   He kept on praising both of them and reminded Astrid to praise Stormfly as well as that simply thing would strengthen their bond.