The Rite

Chapter 1

It had been years. Years since the Red Death. Years since Hiccup had miraculously turned his whole life upside down and Astrid was left utterly surprised. Happily surprised, but surprised nonetheless. She'd had barely a few hours to think through her feelings before they'd arrived back at Berk and she had refused to leave his side. All through the operation. Gobber wasn't the best healer, but the village healer had been killed in the chaos. His clumsy fingers almost caused Hiccup's death.

Astrids memories from that night were fuzzy. Mostly puckered skin, blood, and the sawing. Oh, the sawing.

Simply thinking of it now was making her lunch of cooked chicken and broth churn. Astrid clenched her teeth and flicked a strand of blonde hair out of her face. That particular strand was always getting in her field of view nowadays. Ever since she changed her hairstyle from a regular braid into an intricate side braid, a few locks of her golden hair constantly flew into her eyes.

Astrid sighed and kept walking. She was on her way to see Stormfly, since she had left her Deadly Nadder in her families stable.

Her hair wasn't the only change. Her outfit had altered, allowing her more protection for fighting. She was also, as the years had passed, older. This was probably the worst part of change.

Growing older is terrible. I wish things could just.. stay the same for a while.

Astrids thoughts rushed through her head at the thought of age. Age meant birthdays. Birthdays meant a certain deadline was drawing nearer and nearer.

Astrid shuddered.

The certain deadline was Astrids bane of existence. Being eighteen and nine months old, meant that the 'Rite of Coupling' was almost always at the forefront of her mind.

The Rite was an ancient Viking tradition that all teenagers had to go through. Or, at least all females. Most males went through it around the same time as the females though. The rite states that all females of a Viking tribe were of marrying age as soon as they turned eighteen, and had to be married off by the time they were nineteen. And, to keep the floods of warriors coming, they also had to bear child by their anniversary.

This whole tradition thing meant Astrid must get married in the next three months, and be pregnant in six.

She was so not ready for this.

It wasn't that she didn't have a boyfriend. Hiccup was possibly the best boyfriend in the known universe. He was kind, clever, interesting and genuinely cared for her and the dragons.

Their relationship was as solid as could be. Hiccup was still adorably clueless about some things, but had grown more confident about others. It was one of the things Astrid adored about him. He was adaptable.

It wasn't that she didn't want to be with Hiccup for the rest of her life.

She felt something for him that she never had before, and every day it got stronger. Like he was a magnet and he was slowly growing more powerful. Like he was a lifeline in a vast ocean, or a cool drink of water in an arid desert, which Astrid had never seen.

It also wasn't that she didn't want a baby Hiccup. That picture was downright cute.

It was.. the other side of the same damn coin.

It was that Astrid didn't want to be a housewife. She wanted to be free and fight her own battles and do her own things. She wanted to be independent and also have her lover. Astrid couldn't picture herself as the caring wife, knitting torn clothing and cooking dinner every night. She couldn't picture herself gossiping with the other wives, or greeting Hiccup as he said 'Honey, I'm home!'.

Astrid couldn't. She wouldn't.

It was that she didn't think she could do it. As much as she acted confident and unswayable, this was something else altogether. When she first got her Menarche, her mother had explained things and she was so shocked and scared by everything. She still couldn't even imagine it, growing a tiny human in her flat stomach. Going through unimaginable pain and suffering to bring life into the world.

And not to mention the sex. Astrid was scared she wouldn't do things right, but at the same time she heard of the pleasure and wanted Hiccup to feel that she would give something that invaluable to him.

Astrid couldn't imagine being a mother. Caring after a small human was something she felt that she would be horrible at. Feeding them, walking them around town, having to teach them how to live. Letting them make their own mistakes. She would be so conflicted all the time and would probably give herself a heart attack.

Married in less than three months. Pregnant in less than six.

These thoughts all rushed through her head. Self-doubt, fear, longing, and uncertainty were just a few of her many emotions.

As usual, however, her emotions were almost completely locked away. She was a stone cold warrior.

A stone cold warrior that would be married in a few months.

Odin's Beard, she had to stop thinking about it. Or think about it more, she didn't know anymore.

Through all her pondering and thoughts, her feet apparently changed their mind. She wasn't heading to her house any more, she was walking up the path to Hiccup's house.

Oh Thor, she didn't need to be here right now.

She needed to think things out on her own, and.. and.. Oh Thor almighty, Hiccup's head peers out of the window at the exact wrong moment.

His emerald eyes lock on hers and he smiles. His head removes itself from the window and before Astrid can think of an excuse to why she's up here, the door swings open.

"Astrid!"

Hiccups voice calls, a bit of excitement tinting his tone.

"Ah- Hiccup!" She waves, a little sheepish.

He gestures her inside and theres no backing out now.

Astrid walks in and smiles at him. She would normally give him a hug, but for some reason(hint hint everything else in the fic) her arms don't lift.

Hiccup instantly senses somethings wrong. She could swear that he's telepathic sometimes. Its not always a good thing. "Astrid, whats up?"

His worried tone cracks her tough exterior, but only a little. "Nothing, really." Or a really big something. "I just wanted to see you. Is it so wrong to come up here without problems?" A sarcastic smile graces her lips, but it isn't genuine.

"..Astrid." His eyes narrow. "What's going on? I know something's up. Not that I'd mind if you had come up here without problems. Which you do. Sometimes. But other times its with problems and I sit here just like now and you sit on the wooden stool and we talk about all the stuff-"

Her finger lightly touches his lips. She resists the urge to punch him out of his trance. "Hiccup. You're babbling again. Not that I mind. Its cute." A light blush settles on her cheeks, drifting right through her tough girl armor.

He stops talking, then smiles a little, removing her hand from his lips and catching it in between his own two hands. "So what's really going on? Don't 'oh, nothing' again, because you know I can tell." A little smugness comes in his voice when he mentions being able to read her.

"Yeah, well.." Astrid starts, then trails off. How is she supposed to talk about not wanting to marry her boyfriend or be pregnant, but also wanting to at the same time, with her boyfriend?

Hiccup waits patiently while she finds her words. Her lips quiver a bit, like they want to spill everything, but her head is telling them not to.

Apparently, her lips win.

"I.. just.. I don't think I'm ready!" She says at last.

Hiccup seems puzzled.

"Ready? Ready for what?"

"For this! For us! Or, no, that's not what I meant. Um.. crap. Okay, I'm not ready to be a housewife.. or a mother.. or the Rite or any of it! I don't think I'm mature enough to care for a child! I don't think I'm ready for marriage, even though I really want to be with you. I'm just so unsure of myself, and the Rite's in a couple months, and you're already eighteen, and there's nothing putting it off! Unless I'm being too forward, and you weren't going to ask me to marry you and I'm just being an idiot-"

It was Astrid's turn to have a finger on her lips.

He chuckles a little.

"You find this funny!? I-"

Astrids outburst was cut off by Hiccups next words.

"Astrid.. Did you seriously think that I wasn't thinking of you when I thought of who I was going to marry? I have since I was twelve! And I know that's kind of weird, seeing as we've only been dating for four years and.. well, I'm getting off track. Astrid, I love you. More than you could ever know. I love you with everything I have, and I couldn't live if something happened to you. The Rite isn't just to force teenagers like us into marriage, It's also to ensure that couples like us get time as a husband and wife, because, look at my dad, one of us could die very early on in life! How could you be unsure of yourself, Astrid? You're the most beautiful, intelligent and tough girl I've ever seen. You're strong and you can get through anything. I have no doubt you'll be one of the best mothers around. Who's the top female Viking probably in the whole world? I'll give you a hint. I love her."

Astrid took several seconds to absorb this whole speal.

"H-hiccup.." Her face was set in awe and shock and love.

"Yeah?"

"I love you so much right now."