Until They Can Return in Peace - How to Train Your Dragon

Chapter 20 - Astrid

"MOMMY!!!", I hear my daughter scream bloody murder from her little room down from ours.

I rose from my slumber, alert with boiling blood shooting all throughout my body.

Is there someone in the house?!

Did someone dare put their hands on her?!

I sprinted the mere 10 feet to her bedroom, but what I saw was just a poor Zephyr with tears in her eyes.

Her back was against the headboard and she tightly clutched the little stuffed Toothless in her arms.

"Oh sweetie did you have a nightmare?", I say completely relieved.

She sniffs harshly, "yeah.."

"Yeah? Oh, come here", I put my arms out and she climbs into my arms, Toothless still clung by her fingers.

"I.. I dreamed.. that a dragon was hurting daddy...", she sniffs again, wiping her tear stained face.

"Oh Zeph, you don't have to worry about that. The dragons are far away in a hidden place. Besides, your daddy was a friend to dragons, they won't hurt him", I snuggle her close to my chest.

"Like Toofless?", she looks up at me with my own blue eyes.

"Yes, just like Toothless", I lightly giggle and smile.

She's holding on to my neck tightly now and I don't think she'll let go.

My tired self walks back and forth across the cool wooden floor.

My sweet girl never sleeps well when her dad is away. It was a long two-week trip, but he'll be home tomorrow!

"Hey Zeph"

"Yes mommy?"

"Since dad is away for one more night, do you want to sleep with me? It will be our little secret", I whisper and rub her nose with mine after she nods yes.

I climb back in Hiccup and I's bed and pull the covers up for us. As soon as I laid her down, she was fast asleep again. The plush still in her tiny arms.

Oh my kind, sensitive girl. The older she gets, the more she resembles Hiccup. I took her out to learn how to throw knives and her own little axe, but she decided to sit down and tinker with it to figure out how to make it into one whole weapon. That's pretty cool, but SO Hiccup.

I can't believe she's two and a half now, and growing an inch every single week. It breaks my heart at the fact that she probably will get her dad's height. I'm not ready for her to grow up.

I drift off to sleep thinking over everything I love about my precious girl.

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I helped Zephyr into her little leather skirt that resembled mine when I was a young Viking. It's nearly falling off of her tiny waist but I wanted to see it on her. I giggle at my attempt to make her wear it, but she's not having it. So I resort to her usual tunic dress, stockings and boots.

"Okay baby, ready to help mommy with some Chiefing before daddy gets home tonight?"

"Yeah!"

"Don't forget Toothless and your dragon journal. Grandma might be there to help you with the Stormcutter page", I say and she runs up the stairs and trots back down quickly.

I grab her hand as we walk outside. It's cooler now as fall is deep in it's season, just a month off from Snoggletog.

"Hello Astrid!", I hear Gobber say across the way in his blacksmith stall. He was hammering away at what looked like Snotlout's sword. His eyes wore more bags these days and his beard grew from a lighter blonde to white at the roots.