Adrianna had a tendency to be a very talkative child, so when she stomped to the Larsons' in a rage, several people asked what was wrong. She refused to respond, deciding to sulk for a while before going to the records building and picking out a few simple-to-read books so that she could entertain herself quietly for a while. She considered this decision to be one of the best she'd ever made. The books transported her to new worlds and introduced her to exciting characters. It was slow going since she was new to reading but she enjoyed herself immensely. In fact, it was dark outside before she realized just how long she had been gone. Vikings weren't big readers so it was no surprise that no one had walked into the records building. She preferred the still silence.

Figuring that it would be wisest to go to the Larsons' before the sun set completely, she headed back and kept her head down, staying silent and pretending she was invisible. She didn't want to think about what she'd just heard. On the contrary, she had just read a wonderful story about a girl, much like herself, who had found herself in a magical land far, far away from her dreary home. How Adrianna wished she could be like the girl in the book. She certainly wouldn't have to worry about her parents divorcing anymore. Or anything else, really, except where to explore each day.

Erick knew his friend was upset without even seeing her very clearly on the path to the house. Her slumped shoulders, hair hanging in front of her face, and hands swinging by her sides were very obvious signals. He mightn't have known it was her at all if he hadn't caught sight of the purple skirt that swished around her knees as she walked and the red flower woven into her blonde locks. She was an easy person to spot in a crowd but she seemed to be trying to hide herself away. It was for this reason that Erick did not do any more than greet her when she walked in. He watched her walk to his sisters' room and shut the door behind her. She didn't emerge all night.

The next morning, he was very surprised to find her already out of the house when he was awake. Adrianna was not a morning person (neither was he, for that matter, but he generally rose before her). He had a funny feeling in his gut that he should go after her. His best friend was obviously upset and it didn't do any good to try to bottle it all up inside.

It didn't take a lot of thinking to figure out where she had gone. She liked quiet on mornings like this. It was a sunny day, so she was likely to want to spend it outside. He could think of only one place outside that brought her any sort of comfort.

Troll Bridge, which was what they had called it when they thought they'd tracked down a sleeping troll beneath it, was their hideaway. It featured a lot of trees to block out the worst of the sun's rays and heavy snow in the winter. The bridge was sturdy but quite old, with weeds and vines covering it so it almost looked as if nature had made it rather than humans. Beneath the bridge was a creek, though not a deep one. Across the bridge was a cave. Erick and Adrianna had ventured into it a little way but neither of them much liked the dark and were a bit timid about going in too far, especially considering what had happened to Stoick. The cave mostly served as shelter for the rain or heavy snow, but beyond that, they steered clear. They much preferred to pretend they were great adventurers and search for treasure. Their most interesting find had been a fossil. Hiccup had been very interested in it when they showed it to him. He praised his daughter and her friend for their find and the girl had been all smiles for days.

On this particular day, Erick immediately spotted his friend sitting on the bridge, swinging her feet over the edge, and pitching sticks and rocks into the creek. She had no flower in her hair. Though it wasn't intentional on her part, those who knew her best knew that she only forgot to put a flower in her hair on days when she was especially upset. Perhaps the flowers were her way of expressing her cheerfulness. As this was a fairly new habit she'd picked up, Erick wasn't entirely certain but be could tell from her glum expression that something was wrong.

"Hey." he said timidly, walking up to the end of the bridge. "You okay?"

His friend didn't respond. She angrily pitched another rock into the creek, where it landed with an audible splash. Erick shifted his weight to his other foot, feeling slightly awkward. Adrianna was usually the one who talked most of the time. He enjoyed listening to the many things her brain seemed to conjure up on the spot. A silent Adrianna was not a happy Adrianna.

"Listen, I know something's wrong." Erick took a step forward. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Adrianna finally focused her bright green gaze on him. Her brow furrowed. "No." she said. "I'd rather tell you a story."

"A... a story?"

"Yes." Adrianna stood up, brushing dirt off her skirt. "I've been thinking about it for a while and... I know how it begins now."

Erick had no idea how to respond to this so he remained silent. Adrianna took this as her cue to begin her story.

"Once upon a time," she said, her eyes glazing over a bit, "the two greatest performers in the world: an escapologist, who could escape from any lock that was ever invented, and an acrobat, who was so skilled it seemed as if she could actually fly, fell in love and got married." she clasped her hands in front of her face, staring at her fingers for a moment before turning back to Erick. "They performed some of the most incredible feats together that anyone has ever seen and people would come from miles around! Kings! Queens! Traders! And... knights! And not just to see their skill, but also to see their love for each other, which was so deep that it was said that Gronckles would purr as they passed them..." Adrianna suddenly trailed off, blinking a few times, her hands beginning to tremble. "And... and Monstrous Nightmares would... would w-weep with j-joy..." she let out a sob, her story nearly forgotten. Her hand moved to her mouth to try to stifle it but there was no stopping her tears. Erick moved forward. "N-no, I'm okay." she squeaked. "Except... except they didn't love each other. Even th-though everyone thought they did because it s-seemed like they d-did. Because that's what l-love really is. It's n-not real."

"Anna, what's going on?" Erick asked, taking a step forward.

Adrianna flinched. "It d-doesn't matter."

"Yes it does." Erick ventured forward again. "Come on, Annie, just tell me."

Adrianna shook her head but she didn't shy away from him again. "My parents are b-breaking up."

"What?"

"Y-yeah, they were f-fighting but I d-didn't think th-they'd break up." Adrianna sniffled loudly. "They're s-supposed to love each other! 'Cause if they c-can't, they can't l-love me or Finn. Not r-really."

Erick had no idea what to say. Adrianna usually wanted a hug when she was this upset but she kept inching away from him. Her arms twitched slightly, almost as if she wanted to throw her arms around him but was afraid of getting hurt once more.

"Annie..." Erick sighed. "I'm sorry that's happening. I don't know what to say."

"Promise me something." Adrianna sniffled again and wiped her nose. "Promise you're always going to be my friend."

"Annie-"

"Promise! 'Cause if you're not, I don't want to be friends anymore." Adrianna exclaimed in a rather shrill voice.

Erick hesitated for a moment. True, he and Adrianna had been friends for over three years. But she was a girl and other boys didn't have best friends who were girls. He'd already been teased a few times. But, then again, it wasn't like she could stop being a girl. And, in actuality, he much preferred time with her over time with other boys his age. But friends... forever? Was that even possible? Did people ever stay friends with those they'd been friends with so early on? Would he have to force himself to be friends with her later even if he didn't want to? What if she did something horrible? Would he have to stay friends with her even if the whole village hated her? He looked into her eyes for a moment and knew that that wasn't going to happen. There was no way Adrianna, the girl who let the butterflies she caught go, would ever do anything that would make everyone hate her. So, he supposed, she'd never do anything to make him hate her either.

Of course, he also hated it when she cried. So much that he would do just about anything to make her feel better. That meant they were best friends, didn't it?

"Yeah. I promise." Erick said, slowly approaching her and allowing her ample time to run away. "I'm not like your parents, Anna. I mean... I won't just give up because it's hard." She shook her head, shuffling backward a bit more. Erick took a confident step forward, reaching out a hand. "Anna... do you trust me?"

Adrianna let out a sob and threw herself into his arms. He stumbled backward a bit, not expecting a girl that small to be able to propel herself forward with such force. As she buried her face into his shoulder and let out her tears, he felt his heart flutter a bit. But, even though he thought about it for hours after getting home, he simply couldn't figure out why.

Xxx

Finn had never flown for longer than thirty minutes at a time. But it took much longer than that to get back to Berk. The sun was high in the sky before the familiar island became visible on the horizon. Though he wasn't gone long, he felt slightly nervous. Would his mother be angry at him? Worse still, would his mother be angry at his father? He promised himself that, no matter how bad things got, he wouldn't run away again but he wasn't sure if he could handle more fighting.

As Berk came into view, Hiccup's stomach began to churn. Astrid was somewhere down there. Her note had been a source of comfort but once she saw him in person, would things change? Everything seemed to have turned upside down for him. He had gone from desperately wanting to escape his life with Astrid to wanting her back more than ever. He was high above his home when he spotted the familiar blonde head in the small crowd that gathered to welcome him home. His wife was standing at the front, patiently waiting for them to land.

Finn slid off Toothless and was nearly bowled over by his mother. She got on her knees and squeezed him so tightly, his injuries began to throb. But he didn't care, not one bit, because he had missed her so much it had ached. He wanted to cry again but he held back, wiping his eyes on his mother's shoulder (thankfully devoid of the metal that day). She didn't seem to notice. When they finally broke apart, his tears had ceased and two identical pairs of blue eyes ecstatically locked.

"I missed you, mom." Finn said, his face breaking into a wide smile. "And I'm staying home this time."

"I am so sorry, Finn." Astrid leaned forward and kissed her son on his forehead. "And I missed you too, buddy. I promise, no more yelling and fighting."

Finn nodded, his cheeks beginning to become sore from all the smiling he had done all day. Astrid ruffled his hair and then looked up just in time to see her husband slip off of his dragon. Their eyes locked.

Hiccup swallowed and his eyes quickly dropped to the ground, unable to stay in contact with his wife's any longer. He felt the tears dripping down his face before he could stop them; he couldn't even look at her, he was so ashamed of how he had treated her all this time. Why did any of her behavior give him any excuse to treat her the way he did? And what in the world would ever give her a reason to forgive him? He deserved every hit that she may have in store for him. He deserved every bit of neglect or anger she might inflict on him. He would take it because he deserved every bit of it. Hands were on his face before he could reopen his eyes, thumbs brushing his tears aside. He opened his eyes to see teary azure eyes looking up at him and a forgiving smile on her lips.

"Shh..." Astrid whispered.

Hiccup held onto her wrist and kissed it gently. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."

Astrid stood on her tiptoes and rested her forehead on his. "We'll talk more later, but I forgive you. I am every bit as much to blame for all of this as you are. I shoved you away. But I don't care what happens from here on out, know this: I love you, Hiccup Haddock. I love you more than anything in this world." Astrid smiled through her words, fingers brushing into the hair by his ear. A few tears dripped down her cheeks when he saw the love grow in her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere. And neither are the kids."

"Astrid..." Hiccup shook his head with a wistful smile. "Why do you ever put up with me?"

Astrid smiled knowingly. "It was part of the contract. I signed up for this for life."

Hiccup didn't waste another minute. He pulled his wife into his arms and kissed her as firmly as he could. Astrid's hands rested on his face and she giggled when he lifted her off the ground. The villagers cheered and whistled around them, but went ignored. It was the longest kiss they had shared in forever and nothing could break them apart.

Except their son, who growled in disgust. "Blech."

Astrid broke the kiss with a breathy smile but didn't pull back. She rested her forehead on her husband's and met his eyes. So green, so full of life again, so full of mischief and love and devotion and passion.

She brushed her thumbs over his eyebrows and down to his cheeks. "I missed you."

Hiccup smirked. "I missed me too." She slapped his arm, making a few jerk in surprise. Hiccup grinned. "But I missed you more."

Arms growing tired, he finally set her down on the ground in front of him. Small arms wrapped around his waist and he looked to see an identical pair of green eyes looking up at him. He nearly cried with relief; the last time he had seen her, she hadn't looked so beautiful, so innocent, so kind and gentle. Adrianna was safe and she was his.

"Addie!" he pulled her into his arms and also lifted her off the ground.

Adrianna hugged her daddy as tight as he could without strangling him. A few tears slipped out of her eyes and she too knew that her daddy was back. He wasn't angry; he stood tall and handsome again, eyes bright and kind and happy. She couldn't be happier.

"I'm sorry I didn't hug you sooner." he whispered.

"It's okay, daddy..." Adrianna whispered back. "You needed to be with mommy first." she glanced over to her mother and then back at her father. "So... you love each other again?"

Astrid breathed a laugh and gently smoothed out her daughter's hair. "We never stopped. Not really."

"But you said..."

"I know, Addie. Sometimes people make bad choices when they're mad, or scared, or stressed. But that doesn't mean they mean all the mean things they say..." Hiccup paused for a second. "That make sense?"

Adrianna nodded, wiping her eyes again as fresh, blissfully happy tears began to drip down her face. Astrid reached into her satchel and brought out a small pile of papers.

"Well, I don't think we'll be needing these anymore." she said with a grin, handing the divorce papers to her daughter. "What do you think we should do with them?"

Adrianna giggled and ripped them in half, crumpling them in her fists. There were sighs of relief all over the crowd. She then made eye contact with Toothless and tossed them his way. The Night Fury shot a plasma blast at them, igniting the papers and leaving them unrecognizable.

"Well, looks like our family has weathered yet another storm." Hiccup said, beckoning for Finn to come closer and placing a hand on his shoulder. "And we got through it, just like we always do."

"And we always will." Astrid kissed her husband on the cheek. "I promise."

"Well," said Benen, stepping forward and causing several onlookers to wonder when he had come from, "I don't know what your problems were but you, strong Finn, have the most beautiful family I have ever seen."

Astrid beamed and looked down at her son. "And who is this gentleman?"

Finn beamed. "Mom, this is Benen. He was my..." he paused, rather embarrassed for the surrounding villagers to hear the word slave. Especially his group of friends standing close by... "mentor." Finn gestured to his mother. "Benen, this is my mom, Astrid."

Benen beamed at him. He patted the boy's shoulder lovingly before turning to Astrid and dipping his head and taking her hand in his.

"Tis a pleasure to meet you, milady." he said as he kissed her fingers

Astrid smirked at Hiccup. "Oh, a man after my own heart." Hiccup snorted, unable to keep the smirk off his face.

Benen let go of Astrid's hand and got down on his knees in front of Adrianna. "And you must be Finn's young sister, Adrianna." he took her hand and kissed it as well. Adrianna giggled and blushed; she had never been treated like a lady before. "Lovely name. As lovely as your eyes. Just like your father's."

Hiccup raised his eyebrows. "Are you saying I have lovely eyes, Benen?"

"You said it, not me. One should not be so prideful, chief." Hiccup gaped. Several people laughed at Benen's triumphant smirk. For a former slave and being silent for so long, Benen sure had a witty sense of humor.

"Oh, I definitely like him." Astrid said, nudging her husband as he helped Benen back to his feet.

"There's gonna be a War of the Wits before long." Hiccup smirked.

Adrianna grinned as well, one hand resting on her hip. "I could join it too!"

"Ohhh, sassy that one." Benen chuckled, poking Hiccup's arm. "She's going to be a fun teenager."

"I look forward to it." Hiccup deadpanned.

"Well," Gobber said, stepping forward and facing Hiccup and Astrid, "I'm sure you want to catch up. I can take the kids to my workshop for a bit. And Benen too; he needs new clothes and I'm sure I can re-size some of my old clothes so he can wear them before getting some of his own."

"Thank you, sir." Benen cheerfully shook Gobber's hand. "I would be most honored."

"I can show you around too." Finn added.

"I can't imagine a better way to spend an afternoon." Benen said, the smile just about plastered to his face. "Lead the way."

Hiccup and Astrid watched their young son and his newest friend until they were out of sight. Adrianna stood, hands clasped behind her back. She wanted to come too but she thought it would be best for Finn to do this alone.

"What do you say, Anna? Another reading lesson?" Gobber offered.

"You mean... archery?" Adrianna's smile widened when Gobber nodded. "Can Erick come too?"

Gobber looked over at the wavy haired boy and back to Adrianna. He didn't know Erick very well but it couldn't hurt give him a few lessons as well. He nodded again and led the boy and girl to his workshop.

"I guess that leaves us." Hiccup turned to his wife.

Hiccup held out his hand, which Astrid took without thought or question. They turned toward the path to their house, smiling at everyone they passed. Not many people stopped to talk, a couple waved or nodded back; a few scowled and turned away to their homes or stores. Hiccup swallowed the knot in his throat; he owed the village an apology as well. This thought led to another before he found himself thinking of his possible removal from office...

But not right now. He needed to focus on Astrid and only Astrid right now. Even if they did remove him from office, his only responsibility was fixing his marriage. Because even as some people had told him already, if he couldn't handle his marriage, how could he possibly handle an entire village?

They walked in silence and before they knew it, their house appeared before them. Smoke blew out of the chimney, presumably from a meal cooking or boiling water for laundry. Emotion bubbled in Hiccup's chest at seeing his... their home again. A knot formed in his throat again at what he had planned to do in order to rid himself of the pain he had been feeling. He never wanted to see this place again, the house that he nearly built with his own hands, the house that he and his wife started their new life together and that his children grew up in... were growing up in. He stopped in front of the door, the wooden step creaking underneath his prosthetic. Astrid looked at him with a look of concern to see tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. How selfish could he possibly get to leave his wife and children for all eternity?

Astrid pulled his hand to her chest, regaining his attention again. She smiled at him tenderly and continued up the steps, pulling him after her. Hiccup stepped into the house, surges of emotion beginning to rage as Astrid closed the door. She stood in front of him again and Hiccup nearly broke down right there.

"Astrid... Astrid, I'm sorry..." Hiccup choked. Astrid wrapped her arms around him, tears of her own springing to her eyes. "Honey, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry!" her husband sobbed into her shoulder.

"I forgive you, I promise, Hiccup-" Astrid tried to soothe him, but he couldn't stop.

"That doesn't change the fact that I treated you like absolute garbage, Astrid!" Hiccup stared at her with puffy eyes. His exhaustion wasn't lost on her. He may be back to his old self, but he certainly hadn't slept well in a long time.

Astrid brushed his bangs out of his eyes. Before voicing her thoughts, she pulled him over to the couch so they could sit and talk more comfortably. They sat side by side, arms wrapped around each other, hands moving hair or brushing each other's face; the tenderness of physical contact was needed and necessary.

"You weren't very nice. At all." Astrid sighed, forcing him to maintain eye contact. "You were... angry, all the time. You hated being in the same room as me, so you wouldn't try. You wouldn't talk or even look me in the eye." Tears rolled down her face and Hiccup opened his mouth to apologize again, but she stopped him with a few fingers on his lips. "No no, let... please let me finish." Hiccup bit his lip and nodded for her to continue. "You were selfish and hateful and impatient and cruel. But you didn't get that way on your own."

"Astrid-"

"No. Hiccup, I said just as many hateful things. I shoved you away; I acted just as self-righteous and proud as you did." Astrid licked her lips and took a calming breath. "When I married you, I made a promise to you to stand by you when you needed me and aid you when you were hurt or distressed, to help you fight your fights. Those fights aren't just physical, they're also emotional. The fights up here," Astrid tapped his temple with a single finger. "Are just as important as the fights out there," she nodded toward the window. "I didn't help you or stand by you. You risked everything, your family, your tribe and your own life. You've even got the scars to prove it." Astrid ran her fingers down the long scar on his neck. "All I did was spit you in the face for it."

Hiccup sniffed and shrugged. "I guess I could have used a little support..."

"We're getting there." Astrid smiled a little. "You needed every single bit of support I could muster." Her fingers dove into his hair and massaged his scalp while he hummed appreciatively. "I said it before and I'll say it again: I love you, Hiccup, and I forgive you for everything. Just... promise me you won't ever turn into that monster again."

"I promise." Hiccup replied instantly with conviction. "And I forgive you too. I..." Gods, how was he going to say this? "I'm sorry that I didn't... plan to come back. It's surreal to think that I was ever that far... gone."

Astrid nodded, still brushing her fingers through his hair. "What changed your mind?"

Hiccup pursed his lips and she felt him tense. "I... had a nightmare," he nearly whispered, eyes downcast.

Astrid was afraid to ask him, but she knew he needed to talk about it. "What happened?"

Hiccup sighed, pulling her hand from his hair to hold it. "I'll start at the beginning... but brace yourself."

Nothing could have prepared Astrid for the horrific experience her husband had endured in his subconscious. In the end she had to be honest; yes, the nightmare snapped her husband back into his old self, but she never would have wished it to have been this terrifying, this painful, this full of torture... the nightmare was the embodiment of all things abominable. Tears dripped down his face when retelling the dream, his face full of anguish when he told her how their children died: Addie by Dagur's very hands, Finn by a mob of callous, heartless people. Astrid shivered herself when told of the abuse she endured, the pain of losing her children after her husband's death, and her blood ran cold at the scene of Dagur's death by her own hand. Hiccup's hands shook as he told the tale and his voice wobbled, and he didn't refrain from telling the details as he didn't know how he could explain without downplaying anything.

The couple had lost track of time when Hiccup finally stopped speaking. A lock of golden hair fallen from her braid wrung around his forefinger, an easy distraction from her probing eyes. She cocked her head to catch his finally drying eyes.

"I'm sorry," Astrid sighed. "That's... I've never heard of a nightmare that bad."

Hiccup shivered. "I just hope it never happens again... I mean, I'm back to my old self and I'm trying, really trying to let Brawn and Dagur go. But I have the feeling that it won't just happen one time and never again," he smiled wistfully. "Why is it sleep is one thing I need so dearly, yet no matter what I do it escapes me?"

"Sleep will come. You still have me, after all." Astrid smiled and kissed his forehead.

Hiccup hummed thoughtfully. "Really?" he gently pushed her bangs behind her ear as he continued, "How's that? Because that mischievous glint in your eyes couldn't possibly put me to sleep."

Astrid's smirk widened. "Not until I wear you out first."

Hiccup's eyes widened and jaw dropped before Astrid seized his mouth with hers, roughly pushing his back against the couch. A squeak of surprise sounded from Hiccup's throat before a thrill swooped through his stomach. Astrid's mouth moved fast and hot against his, which he hadn't felt in... he couldn't even remember. He didn't think he'd ever experience anything like this with her again. He felt his breath hitch as his brain crackled with memories and tried to catch up with her.

A moan escaped him when she bit his lip, sending shivers through him. "Astrid..." he murmured.

"Hush." Astrid commanded without preamble before capturing his mouth again.

Her hands pulled at his leather vest and buttoned shirt below before her nails began to scrape his collarbone. Hiccup moaned again at the pain and pleasure of it, and finally his limbs caught up with her movements. He grasped her by the hips and pulled her into his lap, making her squeal in surprise. His hands ghosted her waist and traveled the plains of her back before his fingers found her hair. He drew his lips away from hers to warmly caress her neck while he pulled the ties and pins out of her long locks. Astrid gasped and sighed at every kiss on her sensitive skin below her ear and the curve of her neck.

Tendrils of curly golden hair enveloped him when he finally loosed her braid and he hummed happily at the overwhelming scent of honey and mint. Astrid pressed her thin frame closer against his, her knees pressing to his ribcage in a hot straddle that sent eager shivers through him. A little voice in the back of his mind pointed out that, yes, he had indeed chosen the most amazing woman in the world to marry. His fingers dove into her hair to pull her impossibly closer, their mouths inseparable.

His fingers tucked under the belt of her skirt, searching for the hem of her shirt. Blue orbs hovered over green as she drew away for a moment and swiftly pulled her blue shirt over her head in one fluid movement. He smirked but was internally dismayed to find a white undershirt still in the way, but that didn't stop him from planting a kiss on the hollow of her throat and slowly making his way down. Astrid shoved her hands into his hair and pressed him closer, a hot sigh escaping her throat and sounding in his ear.

"Hiccup..." she whimpered, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his temple. "H-how long has it been?"

Hiccup sighed and pulled his head up, shaking her loose hair away from his eyes. "I haven't the foggiest."

"Well then, my husband," Astrid gave him her most seductive expression, which she was pleased to see replicated. "I do believe it is time to change that."

Astrid placed one foot on the ground, grabbed her shirt with one hand and her husband's hand with the other and yanked him to his feet. Hiccup laughed in surprise when his beautiful, amazing wife nearly dragged him up the stairs (he silently thanked the gods he didn't trip on the way up). Reaching the master bedroom, Hiccup kicked the door closed with his prosthetic, and the world and all its problems were soon forgotten.