It happens at supper, next to the hearth. Valka is sitting across the table, picking at her last bit of mutton—Hiccup had been busy pushing it around his plate in attempts to make it look eaten—when she suddenly drops her fork and looks at him urgently. "That girl loves you."

Hiccup nearly chokes on the mead he'd been drinking to wash away the taste of poorly cooked meat. "Wha—who?"

"Astrid!" she replies, full of sudden determination. "I swore to myself I wouldn't get involved. I promised myself I wouldn't—and I'm sorry. I know I lost my right to advise you when I left. But son—"

Bewildered, Hiccup leans back in his seat. A few seconds ago they'd been having a quiet, peaceful meal. Now Valka's running her hands through her hair and worrying her lip like she's just thought of something horrible.

"Son, that girl loves you. Why haven't you drafted a contract?"

"With Astrid?" Hiccup says again, for clarification, still not exactly sure what his mother is getting at.

"If you could hear the way she talks about you. The way her voice changes when she says your name. She lights up whenever you're mentioned."

"Really?" Now he's wondering if Valka has actually gone mad. It's not that he doubts Astrid loves him, it's just, Astrid's not like that. She's not sentimental. She's punched him more times than they've actually kissed. "It'd be nice if she could save some of that lovey-dovey stuff for when I'm actually around."

Valka raises an imploring eyebrow. "Are you unsure of her? Do you care for someone else?"

"Of course not!" Hiccup sits up so fast the table rattles. "We know we're promised. We're just waiting."

"For what?"

Hiccup opens his mouth, ready to explain exactly what… and then, he realizes, he doesn't actually know.

He'd been sure she was it for him since he was fourteen… Hel, even before that. She was the only girl he'd ever wanted to be with. Of course he was going to marry her.

But they were young. There was time. Why did they have to rush just to sign a piece of paper?

"Hiccup." The fight flies straight out of Valka and she looks almost embarrassed with herself. "I'm an old woman. And things have changed, I know that. I suppose it's strange of me, to worry about tradition when I've been gone so long... But when I was a girl, it was a disrespect to the lady's family not to negotiate a contract. It was incorrect."

Hiccup frowns. Of course he's not disrespecting Astrid—that's the last thing he'd ever do. And things have changed. But, well, if he's being totally honest with himself… maybe not that much.

"I just thought we could take our time," he explains, sitting back down at the table, head swimming. "Things are still so… you know. Crazy."

Valka almost smiles. "You're a chief. Things will always be crazy. But you might find you'd like someone to help you shoulder the burden."

Hiccup look up at her in surprise. When did his mother get so sage about relationships?

Valka walks across the table and puts a hand on his shoulder. "You're a wandering spirit, son. You could fly off and search the entire world over and never feel satisfied. Trust me, I've tried myself." She places another maternal hand on his cheek, and it's warm and comforting and grounding. Sometimes it's hard to believe he ever went so long without a mother.

"I promise this is the last I'll say of it," she swears. "I see so much of myself in you, and that brings me such joy. You're just as I was when I was young. But I've made my mistakes. I made mistakes with your father..." Her expression grows wistful. "Oh, I held him off as long as I could. There was so much time we could have had." She smiles, and her eyes are a bit misty. "And then I lost so much time with you. I was so blind... I know this now. The least I can do is pass on my wisdom. Don't waste a precious moment of what you already have. That girl is waiting on you. Maybe it's time to settle down."

And then she pats his cheek and lets him go, drifting away so that he's left alone, staring into the hearth.