**COMPLETED** On a perfect, sunny, winter morning, Hiccup breaks up with Astrid. She later finds companionship with someone she never expected. Will Astrid trust in Fate and move forward in a new relationship, or will she be consumed by her broken h...
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Toothless called to his rider, Hiccup.
Then Toothless's playmate, Stormfly, swooped with him onto a high plateau with a friendly "sqwauck!".
Stormfly planted her talons on the island, and Astrid, Stormfly's dragonmaster, dismounted from her in a hurry to meet Hiccup who had followed yet another secret discovery to draw on his map of unchartered territory near his home village, Berk.
"Afternoon." Hiccup called, still outlining the view with a black stencil.
"Where have you been? You missed the dragon race." Astrid wore her thick burlap coat with wool over her chainmail guards for flying. Her boots were thick with sheep's fur, too.
Hiccup had not cared about the new cold from autumn. He was clad in metal shoulder pads, knee pads, and elbow pads, and underneath it all was a body suit of padded leather and cotton that suited all nineteen year old Viking men like him. Hiccup's helmet was covered in slobber between Toothless's canines.
Hiccup was so focused on drawing that he didn't notice how Astrid smiled cheekily behind him and adored his features from his wind-ruffled, short, chestnut hair to his clusters of freckles on his cheeks to the soft creases between his eyebrows as he drew in silence.
"Where have I been, Astrid? I was avoiding my Dad." Said Hiccup.
"Oh, no. What happened, now?" Astrid sat on the grass and watched the dreamscape of forests and distant lakes scribe as greasy, black lines on the crumpled parchment under Hiccup's long fingers in his handglove.
"Oh, you're gonna love this. I wake up, the sun is shining, the terrible terrors are singing on the rooftop...."
Astrid mused. He would never not sound like a dork.
"....I saunter down to breakfast thinking all is right with the world, and I get: 'son, we need to talk.'"
In a nasally mockery of Hiccup's voice, Astrid recited, "not now Dad--I got a whole day of goofing off to get started! Haha!"
"Cut that out, Astrid, and let me finish for once."
What the...?, Astrid thought. She lifted her head to see Hiccup glaring at her. It was too cute.
"It was a joke, Hicky." Damn. Astrid showed him a smile. It felt uncomfortable on her face. She had never forced a smile in front of him until just then. It might have been her imagination, but Hiccup had just given her a stinkeye.
"Anyways. So, he goes: 'you're the pride of Berk, son, and I couldn't be prouder--"
"Aww, thanks, Dad! I'm pretty impressed with myself, too!" Astrid zooted with a long snigger. Hiccup had totally said that.
"I don't sound like that."
Astrid watched Hiccup fold his map curtly and pocket his utensils. She mumbled, "someone has got a tree up their butt."
