A/N: Well, this is it. The last chapter. Kind of bittersweet, really. On the one hand, I'm excited the story's complete, but on the other…this has been such an enjoyable experience that I'm kind of sorry to see it end…

Ah well…enjoy!

Chapter Twenty

Journey's End

Thursday, April 18, 1912

Rain lashed the decks of the Carpathia as she drew slowly into New York Harbor on Thursday evening. It was hardly the triumphant arrival they'd all been expecting. This was supposed to be a momentous occasion: the completion of Titanic's maiden voyage, the first crossing of the world's largest and most luxurious ship. There had even been talk that she would reach America on Tuesday night instead of the scheduled Wednesday arrival time. And now…now the Titanic lay at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, some two miles deep, buried in eternal blackness. She would remain there for the rest of eternity, not to be seen again by human eyes until the discovery of her wreckage over seventy years later.

Titanic was gone but by no means would she be forgotten. Already people were preparing inquiries, intending to get to the bottom of the disaster. Many uncomfortable questions would be raised: why had the "unsinkable" ship's watertight construction failed? Why were there not enough lifeboats for everyone aboard? Why had she been steaming at full speed into an ice field? Why were some of the boats launched only half-full? Why had only one boat gone back to the site of the wreck to pick up survivors?

Things were about to change. New safety regulations would be put in place. There would be enough boats for all souls aboard every ship on the sea. Lifeboat drills would be enforced for every vessel so that the confusion and panic that had overrun the Titanic in her final moments could possibly be avoided in the future. An ice patrol would be sent into the North Atlantic to shepherd icebergs away from steamship traffic. Wireless operations would become mandatory twenty-four hours a day so that a distress signal wouldn't go unnoticed, as Titanic's had.

But it would come to more than that. The Titanic marked the end of an era. The class distinctions of the time, which had already been under some strain, were now crumbling in the wake of the disaster. The idea that having money and wealth could buy one everything was thrown into serious doubt. After all, it hadn't saved many of the men in first class. But perhaps most noticeably, the Titanic shook the very foundations of mankind's confidence. No longer would men be so sure of themselves. Never again would humans put such unwavering faith in technology. There would never be another "unsinkable" ship.

But none of this mattered to Hinrik, not at the moment. Right now all he cared about was that his world had been irrevocably changed, and he wasn't sure what he was going to do about it, or even if anything could be done. He, Astrid, and Riley were standing on the Boat Deck of the Carpathia, staring up in companionable silence at the Statue of Liberty as the ship steamed past it. The rain didn't bother them. Indeed, after what they'd been through Hinrik doubted any minor discomfort would ever bother him again. He shifted a little on his crutch and winced in pain. His leg wasn't looking any better. The ship's doctor said he thought the leg would have to come off when they reached shore. Hinrik didn't much like this idea, but he tried to look at it as a minor inconvenience, something he'd have to overcome. Besides, he had much more pressing matters to deal with.

Astrid might have been reading his mind, for she looked up at him and asked, "So what happens now?"

Hinrik turned his head to look at her and smiled faintly, squeezing her hand a little. "I don't know," he replied honestly. "I suppose we try to put our lives back together."

"Your leg?" Astrid inquired, looking down at the bandaged limb.

Hinrik shook his head. "It'll probably have to be removed. I guess I could get a prosthetic, though."

Astrid frowned but didn't press the issue. Hinrik then turned to Riley, who stood just far enough away to give the couple their space but close enough to be reached. "Where will you go when we dock?" he asked.

Riley shrugged. "No idea," she replied with the barest hint of sadness in her voice. "Apart from my mother in England, Terry was the only family I had. I'd planned on going wherever he went, but now…" She trailed off.

"Well, why don't you come with us?" Hinrik offered. "If you have no place to go, you can stay with my mother, Astrid, and me, at least until you find something that suits you. I promise you'll be welcome."

Riley smiled weakly. "That's very kind of you, Hinrik. Thank you." Then she smirked at Astrid and added teasingly, "You found a good one, Astrid. Hang on to him."

Astrid giggled and wrapped her arms around Hinrik. "I plan to." Hinrik grinned.

There was a moment's pause. Astrid's smile slowly faded and she finally spoke the thought that had been plaguing her ever since Hinrik had sent Heather away Monday morning.

"Hinrik," she said hesitantly, "what are you going to do about…your mother?"

The question was vague but Hinrik didn't ask for clarification. He didn't need it. He sighed and admitted, "I don't know. I guess I'll figure out something. With Dad gone, the business belongs to me, so…maybe I can work something out." He shrugged. "I'm trying not to worry about it. What will happen will happen, and in the end I can only hope for the best. I'll do what I can to save her, but if I can't then I'll settle for making her last years the happiest they can be." He smiled sadly and pulled her into a one-armed embrace. "That's where you come in, Astrid. I have a funny feeling that Mother is going to just love you. I think she'll be happy to meet you, and happier still if you decide to…stick around."

"Stick around?" Astrid repeated, frowning up at him. "What exactly does that mean?"

Hinrik didn't answer immediately. He seemed to be considering something. Astrid noticed that his ears had gone red, though. She supposed that could have been a result of exposure to the cold rain, but…

Hinrik took a deep breath to calm himself and said, "I'll swim and sail on savage seas with ne'er a fear of drowning…"

Astrid blinked in confusion. Why was he reciting the lyrics to that song? He wasn't even singing, he was just speaking the words like he was…

Wait…

"…and gladly ride the waves of life…"

Astrid's heart seemed to stop beating as Hinrik turned, set the crutch aside, and dropped to one knee, holding both of her hands in his. He looked up at her, and she gazed into his eyes. There was a world of emotions in those shining green orbs: she saw fear and nervousness, but they were overwhelmed by pure love and adoration.

Her jaw dropped open as he concluded, "…if you will marry me, Astrid."

For a long moment she simply stared down at him, too stunned to do more than gape at him. And then a smile broke across her face and she gasped, "Yes…yes, I will."

Hinrik beamed up at her, rising unsteadily to his feet and pulling her into an embrace that almost knocked the wind out of her. But she relished it, hugging him back and burying her face in his neck, not even bothering to stop the tears that were pooling in the corners of her eyes.

"I love you, Astrid," Hinrik murmured.

"I love you too, Hinrik," Astrid replied, her voice rather thick.

They pulled apart just far enough to kiss. His hands held her body gently yet firmly against his own, while hers played in his hair. Riley watched all this with a little smile playing at the corners of her mouth. For half a second she considered making a joke, maybe a snide little "Get a room, guys," but she decided against it. After all they'd suffered, they deserved this moment together.

After a minute they broke apart and grinned at each other. Hinrik was the first to break the silence between them. "I…I don't know if you'd want it," he said hesitantly. "I would more than understand if you don't. But I still have the ring I bought for Heather. Would you…like to try it on?"

Astrid considered this for a second. Her first thought was to tell him to hurl the thing into the harbor and let it be lost forever. But she stopped herself. A ring was a ring, she reasoned. It didn't matter that he'd bought it for Heather. He didn't love Heather. He never had. He loved her, Astrid, and she knew it. So she smiled and replied, "Sure."

Hinrik sighed in relief and dug into the coat pocket for the ring. His smile slipped and a frown clouded his features. "What the…" He pulled his hand back out and gasped, his eyes going wide and his jaw dropping.

"Holy cow!" Riley yelped, taking a step closer to gawk. Even Astrid couldn't contain her surprise, gaping down at Hinrik's outstretched hand.

He was holding an assortment of fine jewelry. There was a golden necklace, several rings, an emerald brooch, a string of pearls, an elegant hair comb, and a silver chain with a beautiful pendant hanging from it.

It was this last piece that Hinrik recognized. "These are Heather's," he said. "How did they end up in my coat…?"

He and Astrid looked at each other and answered the question together, "Her father!"

"Grant put the coat on me before he pushed me into the lifeboat," Hinrik recalled. "He must have gone back to her room and grabbed some of her jewelry."

He dug back into the pockets again and discovered even more jewelry, along with several thick stacks of bills. Altogether he was carrying a small fortune in his pockets. "Well, that certainly explains why the coat felt so heavy," Hinrik remarked. "I have to admit, I had wondered about that. I just figured it was a heavier fabric."

"Whoa…" Riley breathed. She'd never seen so much money before in her life and the sight was rather breathtaking.

It was Astrid who had the idea. Looking up at Hinrik she said, "Well…I think we just found the solution to your mother's money problem."

Hinrik looked at her and considered. "Well…I guess Grant did put the coat on me…I can hardly be accused of stealing it."

"Yeah!" Riley said, catching on. "It was totally a gift from your ex-future-father-in-law! Nothing dishonest about it!"

Hinrik smiled and slipped the jewels and money back into his pockets, glancing around to make sure no one else had seen it. Then he pulled out a single ring and presented it to Astrid. "Milady?" he said, and grinning, Astrid held out her left hand. Hinrik slid the beautiful diamond ring onto her finger and let out a single breathless laugh when it fit perfectly.

"I'll take that as a good omen," Astrid remarked, gazing down at the ring, sparkling despite the gloomy weather.

"It's a great omen," Hinrik confirmed, taking her into his arms. "The best." He kissed her again and added, "We're going to be all right. All of us. Somehow, someway, everything's going to work itself out. Trust me."

Astrid turned to look at the city that lay before them. A crowd had gathered, made up of people anxiously waiting to hear news about what had happened when the Titanic went down. There would be newspaper reporters and investigators, and there would be family and loved ones of survivors and victims alike, all clamoring to be the first to hear anything new. They would soon be among that throng, fighting their way through the masses in an attempt to get somewhere warm and quiet. There would be questions to answer, problems to work out, options to consider. There would be grieving and mourning, and they would be haunted by nightmares for years to come.

But all that could wait for a minute or two longer. For now, in this single moment, she was Astrid Hofferson, engaged to marry Hinrik Haddock, and she was the happiest woman in the world.

Astrid looked back at Hinrik. She smiled and brushed a hand against his cheek. "I trust you."

She took his hand and then grabbed Riley's with her other, and together the three friends prepared to disembark.

A/N: The End!

Wow! This is officially the longest story I've ever written. The complete draft stands at 86 pages. I cannot tell you how much that excites me!

If you're interested in more of my work, feel free to check out my other stories. I've got another HTTYD crossover, this one with Disney's The Little Mermaid. It's called Out of the Sea. Hiccup is Ariel, Astrid is Eric, Toothless is Flounder (sort of), and Excellinor (from the books) is Ursula. There's also a collection of one-shots called Hiccup's Undersea Adventures, which are all placed within the same AU as Out of the Sea. There is also a sequel in the works. In addition, I have a collection of HTTYD one-shots, as well as a separate one-shot of Hiccup singing "Let It Go" from Disney's Frozen. Feel free to take a look! I hope you enjoy them. :)

Thank you all so much for all your reviews and kind words! I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this story! One last thank you to UnderTheWillowTrees for your kind permission to borrow a few elements of your Titanic stories. I hope you like the end result as much as I do.