I really couldn't help myself... I had to know the official story behind the rock and the fish in the previous chapter, and my little imagination wouldn't quit thinking about it. I really wanted to include something with Hiccup and Valka, so this was born.

Thanks so much to everyone who has favorite and reviewed this story! I really appreciate every one of you! ^_^

"Ah, that was a good one, Gobber. I'll, uh, see you in the morning." Before the large man could say another word, Hiccup slammed the door shut and leaned against it with a sigh.

From her seat on the hearth, Valka chuckled. "There's not much privacy for a chief, Hiccup," she reminded him with a gentle smile.

"Tell me about it." He ran a hand through his hair, glancing upward as the ceiling rattled from Toothless getting comfortable in his room.

Valka stood and came over to her son, lightly running her fingers through his hair. "Your village loves you, Hiccup. You're already a chief to be proud of."

"Thanks, Mom." He shrugged once, and she smiled. "Say…. I've got a question for you. About Astrid."

"Oh?" Valka looked over her shoulder at him as she took her seat again on the stool by the hearth and picked up a half-full tankard to take a sip.

"Well, it's kind of complicated. I mean, she and I have been technically engaged for eight months, and now that winter is coming, we've decided to wait until spring for the wedding. Anyway, when I first asked her to marry me, Dad was trying to give me some tips. You know, from when he asked you."

The tankard nearly slipped from her hand as Valka coughed, one hand pounding against her chest while her other set the tankard down on the table next to her.

"Mom, are you okay?" Hiccup crossed the room in three strides and placed a hand on her shoulder. Valka looked up at him with watery eyes and nodded.

"Fine, just fine." She coughed once more and wiped her eyes. "Tell me, what did your father say about…that day?"

"Well, he mentioned he gave you a rock."

"And a basket of fish, yes." Valka smiled, her eyes growing distant. "Stoic was a strange lad back in the day. Of course, he was the chief's son, so he had countless girls around Berk nearly throwing themselves at his feet!"

Hiccup took a seat on the floor just next to his mother, his back up against the rough stone of the hearth. Looking up into her face was like seeing her young again; she hadn't smiled much since returning to Berk.

"Well, your father had taken to stalking me around the village; of course he wouldn't say what he was really doing, but I had an idea that he fancied me. It carried on for weeks and weeks, until I finally approached him about it. He was embarrassed and stuttered like a fool, and then he gave me a rock."

From underneath her leather jerkin, Valka drew out a thick cord. Hanging from it was a smooth pebble with a hole in the center. She held it out to Hiccup, and he took it in one hand. "This is the rock he handed me. I didn't know what to do with it!"

Drawing it away, Valka loving touched the edge of the stone. "Stoic was a quick thinker, even then, and he stated his intentions. 'Valka, I want to marry you.' I was only sixteen at the time, and he was nineteen, but he was the most handsome man I'd ever laid eyes on. And no, it wasn't because he was the chief's son."

She nudged her son's shoulder while he laughed. After a moment, they sobered. "So, what did the rock mean? 'Cause knowing Dad, he came up with something."

Valka chuckled, letting the stone rest against her chest. "He told me it represented his strength; he would never let anything happen to me. I had to counter his offer by piercing a hole in it, but…"

Hiccup nodded, watching her face take on a reminiscent look again. "And the fish?" he prompted after a few moments.

"Oh!" She shook herself as if to clear away the old memories. "He personally went to the docks and fished the whole night just to prove he could provide for me. As thick as your father was, he could be quite a romantic."

The two shared another laugh, and then Hiccup grew quiet. Valka reached over and hooked her finger under her son's chin, tilting his face up to look at her. "What are you thinking, Hiccup?"

He grinned unexpectedly. "Wonder if it's too late to give Astrid her very own rock and basket of fish?"