Anyone else feel like school is draining all your energy? I actually cannot stay awake half of the time. I've finally found some time to update.

Hiccup's eyes blinked open as he felt the arms around his waist tighten. He smiled and turned his head down to kiss the head of his lover. She stirred a bit and yawned into his chest.

"When did you come home last night? I woke up and you weren't there," she asked.

"I couldn't sleep so I decided to go on a flight and I was going to come back in a bit but then I saw Sig sitting on a cliff," She unwrapped her arms and pushed herself up so she could see him properly.

"Sigyn? Did she have another one?" He nodded, "Do you know who?"

"She wouldn't tell me. I thought- I thought that after Viggo she had opened up a bit more but she's reverting back to her old self. If she continues like this, I'm afraid of what's going to happen to her," He shed some light tears and Astrid frowned, reaching over to the bedside table to get a cloth, and wiped his tears.

"We won't lose our bright and beautiful Sigyn," she dropped the cloth and stroked his face, "I promise you that we will try everything to keep the vow we made to Viggo."

Hiccup grasped her hand and pulled it to his mouth, kissing her palm softly. She smiled as he let her get up and kissed his forehead in return. Removing the part of the blanket around his legs, she grabbed his prosthetic and gently began to put it in place, making sure to double check the mechanisms before turning to leave the room in order to go to the bathroom first. Hiccup watched her leave, putting his previous thoughts aside for a small while, and wondering how lucky he was to have her by his side.

He set about getting off the bed and made his way to the cupboard to get his clothes. However, he became distracted when he saw the small box peeking out from the back, and he grabbed it.

Sitting on the bed again, he held the wooden box and his forehead creased as the memories of the content of the box flooded his brain.

He opened the box.

Reaching for the letter inside, he put the box aside and smoothed the paper out.

Hiccup and Astrid,

I am writing to you because I am afraid that soon I will no longer be able to be with you as I will probably be in Helheim, repenting for all the lives I have worsened and the deaths I have caused.
How I know this, you ask? Sigyn had a nightmare. And it was about me. Since you guys already know what's going on, I don't need to explain further but I do have a favour to ask.
Sigyn told me that I was like a father to her. And even if I am not her biological one, as a father I should make sure that when I'm gone, she doesn't throw her life away because of it. I am asking this of you two because I also think of the two of you as the children I never had.
You are older than her, so you know what it is like to experience death more than her. It's going to hit her the most, so please do everything to console her and help her through this.
I hope the both of you will not cry too much either. Instead, remember me through laughter and happiness and forgive me for doing this to all of you.
I'm sorry and I want to thank the two of you for giving me another chance at life.
Tell Sigyn not to cry too much either. Not for me or for anyone else.

Sincerely, Viggo Grimborn.

Hiccup grimaced at the letter and his hand fisted in a ball, scrunching the paper. He wasn't angry- just distraught. He felt like he had already failed Viggo and he didn't know what to do.

In an instant, he had left his distraught thoughts behind, as the horn meant to announce visitors went off.

He stood up, quickly put the paper back into the box and placed it into the cupboard.

He got dressed and ran down the stairs where Astrid was waiting and grabbed her hand, running outside. Both roared for their dragons, who immediately descended from the rooftop they were playing on, and the riders jumped on to greet their guests.

Valka and Stoick walked out, watching the two.
"It's about time they arrived," she turned her head to her husband, "Come on. We all have to go to the main hall to meet the guests."

"Do we have to come too?" Snotlout asked, referring to himself, his father, Gobber and Hookfang.

"If you want," Snotlout grinned and whistled for Hookfang, who ignored him until Valka told him to stop messing with her nephew.

At the docks. From here on it's going to be a montage sort of thingy again. Sorry not sorry.

Hiccup and Astrid were already there, standing together, chatting excitedly. It seemed to Snotlout that whoever was coming was really close.

From the horizon, he could see four ships sailing towards them. Each with a different Crest, two of which, he recognised.

Eret jumped off Skullcrusher and rushed towards where the couple was standing, "Where are they? Shouldn't they be here right now?"

Astrid laughed and patted his shoulder, "Heather will be here soon. Look," she pointed to the ships, "they'll be here in no more than ten minutes."

He grumbled when the two continued to laugh at him and mumbled, "You try waiting for 2 months."

"Try three muttonhead," Astrid replied, slapping him on the head, "In our early days at the Island, Hiccup got kidnapped for three months."

"Yeah. I heard Astrid went on a rampage when it happened because she was so worried about me."

Astrid elbowed Hiccup in the chest and turned to him menacingly, "Are you joking right now?! Do you know how worried I was during that time? I could barely eat or do any of my duties because all I wanted to do was look for you!"

Hiccup laughed and pulled her into a hug, "I know. But instead of dwelling on the past too much, how about we just think about the future."

"You know, you have follow your own advice as well," she whispered. Hiccup just sighed and tucked her into his arms, resting his head on top of her hair and agreeing with her, remembering the box he had opened earlier.

A few moments later.

"Heather!" Eret exclaimed when the girl mentioned ran towards him and hugged him tightly.

"Eret! Did you miss me? I missed you a lot." She asked, as he buried his head into her shoulder pad.

From Astrid and Hiccup's point of view, they could see droplets fall onto Heather's shiny armour and hear Eret sniffling. Hiccup smiled at his friend knowing that, contrary to his strong exterior, he was very weak when it came to love. Although Astrid knew that too, she couldn't help but gag.

"Is he crying?"

"I believe so."

"Is it bad that I want to laugh?"

Hiccup would of nodded if it wasn't for the dragons behind him, who had been laughing at Eret for a good few minutes before she had asked.

A couple of minutes later

After the display of affection put on by Heather and Eret, Hiccup and Astrid had turned their attention to the final ship that had yet to reach the shore.

Stoick furrowed his eyebrows, his frown lines evident. The crest on the ship was something he had seen before. And he didn't like it one bit.

"Alvin!"

Hiccup rushed towards his father and rambled to him, "Dad. Dad. I know what you're thinking. The outcasts are one of your worst enemies. But why was that? You were friends before."

Stoick glared at his son, "He told you?"

"Who else?" Hiccup sighed, "Look dad. Alvin has saved me countless of times and has been there when the Island especially needed him. I'd risk a lot to help him as well. So please. For my sake. Please try to get along and maybe reconcile with him?"

Stoick looked at his son, his eyes immediately softening at the request. Internally, he pouted. He just couldn't win against his son. Hiccup was right. If Alvin was on good terms with his son, he could be on such terms with his old friend as well.

"Fine. For your sake, son," Hiccup looked up in shock, amazed at how quickly he had convinced his father. He thought he would have to go as far as begging his mother to say something, but he was surprised that he didn't even look at his mother to plead for help.

Valka was just as surprised.

Once Alvin had set his feet onto the sand.

For a long time, Alvin and Stoick just stared at each other. Anyone who was around them could sense the tension wavering off their stubborn beards.

Finally, Stoick decided to be the bigger man  and began to slowly walk towards the man he used to call his best friend.

Alvin looked the same as ever, just larger and older. Then again Stoick was in a similar situation (probably due to the fact that raids had lessened meaning the people could eat more).

Once Stoick was directly in front of Alvin, they both grunted.

"Heh. Loohs like you've be'ome vastah wih yer old age, eh Stoick?"

The man in question just glared at him, before replying, "Looks like you still don't have a brain even with your large head."

Alvin burst out into a laughter which was in between disbelief and amusement. It was hard to tell, "Well. Yer always were the brains in our team, huh?"

For the first time since he had looked at Alvin on this day, Stoick smiled sincerely and brought out his hand, "I think it's time we put the past behind us and call it a truce."

"Eye Stoick, I think so too," he took a step forward and brought his own arm out, clasping it to Stoick's and shaking it gently.

"Weeell," Gobber intervened, "thah was very easy. Some migh' say it were more than jus' a coincidence."

Hiccup sneaked a glance at Astrid, wondering if she was thinking the same thing as him. Truthfully, Gobber was right. The outcasts had known about Stoick and Berk and had already agreed to call a truce for the sake of peace. If they hadn't, they may have lost the trust of the Island, which would of crucially impacted Outcast Island and may have caused many of it's aspects to deteriorate. But Berk didn't need to know that.

This day had increased the confidence Hiccup had for the future. It had shown that even the worst of enemies couldn't bring the people of the Island down. It had shown that sometimes, the past was better kept in the past then held onto for the future. However, it was good to sometimes remember the path that had been forged to get to the present day and, although it shouldn't be dwelled upon, the past was just as important as the present is and the future will be.

Hiccup smiled at Astrid as he finally understood that the answer he was looking for would show up when it was fated to do so.

He just had to be a bit more patient.

Okay. I'm going to stop there. I am knackered and I want to go to sleep now. Hopefully, I will be able to post on Saturday but I actually have a test coming up and I really need to revise for it.
If I don't publish on Saturday, I'll try to post on the day after my test.
Hope you enjoyed today's chapter.
Bug Out Sky Riders 👋.