I will save you

Chapter 8: Stupid Rules

Astrid's POV

For the third time that week, I had awoken in the early hours of the morning with a bubbling stomach and an urge to let anything I had eaten before I went to bed be spewed out on the grass outside my front door.

As I once again emptied the contents of my stomach, Ruffnut was there to hold my hair. Ever since she stumbled across me vomiting at the crack of dawn a few days before, she had insisted on staying at my side until we found out what was causing my constant vomiting and nausea.

"There, there, let it all out." Ruffnut yawned, half awake as she unenthusiastically patted me on the back. "You done yet?"

"Yeah, right now." I replied as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "Why does this keep happening?"

Ruffnut shrugged, but remained uncharacteristically silent as we made our way back inside the house and slumped down at the table. Ruffnut handed me a cup of water and we just sat there in absolute silence, only disturbed by the slight sound of me sipping on the contents of my cup.

"Astrid?" Ruffnut asked after a while. "When was the last time you bled?"

I almost spat my water out in Ruffnut's face, before I realized that I hadn't bled in quite a while. I took a second to taste the question, thinking long and heard before answering. "I-I don't remember."

Ruffnut crossed her arms as she raised one brow at me. "And when was the last time you and Hiccup ... well, you know?"

I bit my lip as I had a quick review of the past weeks in my head. I cleared my throat before taking another sip of water. "Uh ... the night before Hiccup left?"

Ruffnut sighed. "And before that?"

"Uh ... the night before?"

"Gods in Valhalla, did you and Hiccup sleep together every day the past two weeks?" Ruffnut asked, seemingly very tired of questioning me about my bedroom activities.

I took another sip of water, refusing to look her in the eye.

Ruffnut shuddered. "Well, I think it's safe to say that there is a high chance that you are in fact, pregnant."

I took a moment to process her words. Pregnant. Huh, I had never really had much of a chance to think about starting a family with Hiccup before Ruffnut uttered that one word. Perhaps the thought of having a family had floated around my mind maybe once or twice, but never in a serious manner. Surprisingly enough, I kind of liked what I was hearing. "You really think so?"

She nodded vigorously. I blinked rapidly as I leaned back in my chair, taken aback. Pregnant. I just couldn't help but let the image of a little version of me and Hiccup dance around my mind. Gods, was it tempting.

"Uh, Ruffnut? Do you think that maybe we could ... keep this between you and me? Just until we're certain that I'm ... you know?" I asked Ruffnut, praying to every god that she wouldn't accidentally slip up around our friends, or worse, around Hiccup.

"Of course, but now I think we should get some sleep. I heard that's important when you're p-u-r-e-g-a-n-a-n-a-n-t." Ruffnut spelled out as she rose from her seat.

"Thank you Ruffnut, now I know the incorrect spelling of 'pregnant'" I rolled my eyes as I followed her upstairs, my hand resting subconsciously on my flat belly.

***

"What? No way I'm going to follow those rules!" I exclaimed as I shot up from my seat and marched towards the front door, stream practically shooting from my ears.

"Astrid, if you want your baby to live to see its own birth, I highly recommend that you follow them." Ruffnut replied, calm as ever.

"They're just so ... dull! I'm going to be so bored for the next nine months!" I groaned as I stomped outside and plopped down on the stairs leading up to the Great Hall.

After six more hours of sleep, Ruffnut and I had finally woken up again and had some breakfast, and right after a surprisingly good meal, she hit me with some rules for my pregnancy that was based on tips she had overheard from the older women on Berk:

1. Under no circumstance am I allowed to fly, seeing as falling could risk killing both me and the future heir to the Berkian Throne, that I happened to be carrying inside me.

2. Stay as much inside and get as much rest as possible, that way I won't risk tripping over a branch or being hit by something which could lead to the death of the baby.

3. No axe throwing, at all!

4. No raw fish, Meade, yaknog or any beverage brewed by Gobber, seeing as they could all harm the baby.

5. No exercise in any shape or form!

I shook my head, letting out a frustrated groan as I fiddled with the locket that hung from my neck. "Stupid rules."

"What stupid rules?" A familiar voice asked, followed by a loud 'thud' as something heavy landed beside me. I turned my head towards the sound of the voice and nearly jumped at the sight of my husband.

"Hiccup? What are you doing here? I thought you weren't supposed to be home for another three days!" I panicked slightly, shooting up to my feet so the two of us were standing eye to eye. Toothless tilted his head at me, before eyeing my stomach suspiciously. Oh my gods, he knew.

"Luckily for us, we finished sooner than planned, so we were all allowed to return to our homes for the time being. Aren't you happy to see us?" Hiccup asked with a wide grin as he scratched Toothless under his chin, earning a long purr from the night fury.

"Yes! Yes of course, I'm just ... surprised! That's all!" I chuckled nervously as I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and avoided eye contact with him.

"Astrid, are you alright?" Hiccup asked, brow raised as he attempted to meet my gaze.

"Yes, of course! Why wouldn't it be?" I chuckled nervously, once again. Dear gods I was going to let this slip by accident, wasn't I?

"You're just acting sort of strange ... and you aren't out flying with the others." Hiccup gestured to Snotlout, Fishlegs and Tuffnut, who were busy screaming their lungs out as they raced to wherever they were planning on causing trouble next.

"Yeah ... I just wasn't really in the mood and you know ... Uh, Stormfly was feeling kind of tired ... yes! Oh, my poor dragon!" I scrambled to come up with a plausible lie, and somehow, Hiccup took the bait and just accepted it as the truth. "How about we discuss something else?"

"Sure." Hiccup smiled as we sat down together on the steps leading up to the Great Hall. "What do you want to talk about?"

I gazed out over the town, watching our people buzz around and interact with one another, just having a normal day on the island they called home, surrounded by friends and family.

"Well, when you were gone I just started thinking about when ... when we're going to start a family?" I asked him, trying to act as cool about it as physically possible, even though my heart was almost beating through my chest and I felt like I was going to scream in frustration if I had to wait another second for his response.

"Hm ... I don't know. I suppose I've thought about it a few times, but never so seriously." Hiccup gazed up at the sky before turning back to me. "Well, considering all the time I will spend traveling back and forth the next few months to cement this alliance ... I-I don't really think right now is a good time for that. But once we've gotten that alliance all sorted out, we'll have all the time in the world to start our family."

Fantastic, my husband wasn't even close to ready for having a baby. I glanced down at my belly before turning my gaze to the ocean. What would we do if he didn't want us?