I Love You to the Edge and Back (A How to Train your Dragon Fanfiction)

Chapter Six: Gift of the Girlfriend

"Mornin' Gobber. You got those axes for the wee ones? We can't leave them hanging on Snoggletog," Sven asked, leaning over the window of Gobber's shop. 

"Sven, I've already told ya. You can't give twenty sheep axes. You won't have any sheep left," Gobber said. "Astrid, what can I do you for? An axe sharpening? A bludgeon testing?" He asked, waving his hook in the air at Sven, who was talking to the guy in line for bread.

"No. Do you have anything I might be able to give Hiccup?" She asked. Heather gave her a thumbs up, looking at a different booth for Fishlegs.

"Well. Come on in, we'll see what I have," he said, opening the door for her. She stepped in, feeling right at home. This looked just like her home on the Edge, full of weapons.

"What are you looking for?" He asked.

"Well, something two times better than any Snoggletog gift Berk has ever seen," Astrid said.

"Ack. Not possible. No one is topping what Stoick got Valka that one year. Try something else," he said, gesturing to the weapons behind him.

"No, I'll just go find something else in Berk," Astrid said, pushing open the door. She then met Heather outside, who was eavesdropping on the conversation. 

"Astrid. We've tried every shop on Berk. There's no where else to go. Its almost sundown," Heather exclaimed, frustrated with her friend's inability to pick gifts.

"But I have to get Hiccup the perfect gift. I didn't get him one for our betrothal," she said, also frustrated. "Why don't you pick one for him. You seem pretty good at getting gifts for people you care about?" Astrid said after awhile.

"Yes. But, I'm not going to be around every time you want to get Hiccup a gift. You need to learn," Heather said, shoving Astrid towards a shop they visited earlier.

"You know Dagur? Shopping for people is a whole lot harder without Traitor Johann's shipload of random items," Hiccup said, picking something up and setting it back down.

"Can't you just make something?" Dagur asked.

"That's what I'll do, but I need the right metal," Hiccup relied.

"Do you mind telling me what your making?" Dagur asked. He always wondered what Vikings did for gifts.

"You'll find out tomorrow night," Hiccup replied, setting another chunk of metal down.

Dagur thought a moment before asking. "Why tomorrow night? Isn't Snoggletog a private family thing?"

"Not for a betrothed couple. The couple has to do a whole bunch of things, like the giving of the betrothal gift. Or, Snoggletog, for example, public. Its some sort of promise in front of the community," Hiccup explained.

"How is it some big thing if all you give is a clunky piece of metal?" Dagur asked

"That's the catch. For your betrothed, or spouse, you give the best of what you have. Like if you make something, you make it the best you can. If you buy something, its the best you can afford," Hiccup explained further. "Aha, I found it!" He exclaimed.

He tipped a gold coin the merchant's way, and clutched the crystalized metal in his hands.

"What is it?" Dagur asked.

"Its a metal made by the Titan Gronkle. It is a very pure metal made from a very special rock. It is tough, yet very pretty. Perfect for a Viking woman," Hiccup said, turning the crystal so it caught the light.

"Ugh. This is useless. No one has anything," Astrid said, sitting on the steps of the Great Hall in defeat.

"Astrid. What has Hiccup all gotten you?" Heather asked.

"Are you trying to remind me how terrible I am at giving gifts?" Astrid asked.

"No. Just answer the question," Heather said.

"Well, there's all my weapons, my betrothal gift, heck, even Stormfly is a gift from him," Astrid cried, throwing her head into her hands.

"Exactly. What do al- most of those gifts have in common?" Heather asked.

"I don't know," Astrid said.

"The fact that Hiccup or someone in his family made them. That's what makes them special. You can go get a mace anywhere, right?" Heather asked. Astrid nodded her head and she continued. "But you like yours cause its made by Hiccup."

"Your right. But, even if I could make something for Hiccup, what would it be? Everything is closed now," Astrid said, feeling snow start to fall.

"Well, what is the one shop that is open right now?" Heather asked, pointing to Gobber's. The girls ran over there, thankful to find he was still there.

"Gobber. I have an idea," Astrid said proudly. She told it to Heather and Gobber, and they got to work on it right away. Astrid did all the main things, while Gobber and Heather just helped. Astrid wanted this to be all her own. That would make it the most special for Hiccup.

After the trio was done, they took a step back to admire their handiwork. Astrid then wrapped it in yakhide, and took it to the Great Hall, to the place where the gifts would be exchanged the next night. 

Meanwhile, Hiccup and Dagur were finishing up what Astrid's gift would be. "Toothless, now!" Hiccup said. Toothless shot into the crystal, placing a purple orb inside the crystal.  Hiccup sealed it, and placed it in the wrapping.

"What was that?" Dagur asked.

"That was a plasma blast shot into the crystal. The crystal holds the plasma, making it so that the crystal glows purple," Hiccup explained. The two then headed back to the Great Hall, placing Hiccup's beside Astrid's. "Okay, I'm going to go to my house, you can come with me. I don't think the Hoffersons would like you over there. They are already wary of Heather."

"Sounds good brother," Dagur said.

Later the next evening, everyone gathered in the Great Hall for the exchange of betrothal gifts. First up was a Jorgensen-Madfock exchange. Next was a Thorston-Ingreman exchange. After that was the Haddock-Hofferson exchange. Asterisk looked over at Hiccup, who gave her a comforting smile.

She rouse from her seat, joining her hand with Hiccup's as soon as they met. He then reached for her gift first, but she stopped him, grabbing his arm. "I want you to open your's last," Astrid whispered. Hiccup nodded in agreement, handing her his gift. She unwrapped it, slightly confused.

"Its, a?" Astrid asked.

"Titan Gronkle crystal encasing Night Fury plasma," Hiccup said proudly. Astrid didnt understand its function, but even she had to admit it was beautiful.

"Okay, now open mine," Astrid said, excitement evident in her tone. Hiccup grabbed it, slightly intrigued by its size, shape and texture. With each time he went over the bumps, Astrid grew more excited.

"You do remember what happened the last time you gave Gronkle eggs for Snoggletog, right?" Hiccup asked.

"Its not a Gronkle egg," Astrid said, punching him in the arm.

"Just open it," someone shouted.

"I am!" Hiccup replied.  He undid the stitching holding the yakhide around the gift. It fell, revealing a female Night Fury.

"It's to represent the hope of one day perpetuating the Night Fury species," Astrid explained. She did a double take as she saw a tear drop from Hiccup's eye.

"You made this?" He asked.

"Yep," she replied, feeling accomplished.

"Its like the gift of the Night Fury, but better, because its the Gift of the Girlfriend," Hiccup said. He and Astrid then kissed under the light of the Snoggletog Star.

Dedicated to dragon_racers_ for the truly romantic one shots she writes and the unending support on this book.