A/N: Okay, this took waaaay longer than I anticipated... But hey, here we go. Finally, the next epilogue to this story. Or, more precisely, the first part of this epilogue. It's going to be more like one short 'story', happening some while after the main events.

Have fun and I hope you'll like it ;)

To snoopykid: That's going to be the second part to this.

To Raiah: You have no idea what your comment did to me! In a good way. I might get to that, now that you've planted that idea in my head...

To Katveena: No, the 'I miss you' video and the parallels to the final chapter were not on purpose. But that's how my mind works, I guess... xD Glad you liked the epilogues so far, and as for your request.. here you go! ;)

To Httyd. Toothless: Glad you liked the epilogues so far, and I hope you'll like this one, too! ;)

To Guest: They are, aren't they? And they keep on being adorable! :)

To Guest: You're right, women can do incredible things, even after or especially after giving birth. And Astrid did have a full day's rest, that makes up for a lot!

. o O o .

Epilogue 3: Feeding Time

That morning, Hiccup woke to the low babbling of their daughter. He felt weirdly well-rested after going to bed early and Astrid handling Faye during the night. But that was the point, right? He would need a clear head today.

As quietly as he could, Hiccup attached his prosthetic leg, and carefully lifted himself off their bed. He only wore a light pair of trousers, but that had to be enough for now. Digging out a fresh tunic would be too noisy. Throwing a glance at Astrid's sleeping face, he couldn't help but smile. It wasn't often that she slept longer than him, so this sight of her, peaceful and relaxed by sleep, was a rare one to him.

Slowly, he sneaked through the room to where Faye lay in her baby bed. She was wide awake already, watching him with those big eyes of hers. They had begun to turn green during the last weeks – to Astrid's utmost delight.

"Morning, little princess," he whispered as he carefully lifted her up into his arms, and nuzzled her tiny face. "How about we get breakfast and let mummy get a little more sleep?"

The girl gave a happy gurgle, and tugged at his hair, just like every time she got the chance to do so. Chuckling quietly, Hiccup left the bedroom with Faye on his arm and carefully closed the door behind them.

Astrid deserved a little break. He tried to help her as best he could, but with the end of the winter, work in and around the village had practically exploded. Nearly every house needed repairing, as did the stables and fences. Fields needed to get tilled, and warehouses needed to get restocked. Both he and Astrid were busy practically all day, and caring for Faye took up the last bit of time they had. Sleeping in was a luxury, one he wanted to grant Astrid as often as possible.

And today, it was possible. He had no early meetings or appointments, nothing urgent to do this morning. Nothing except trying to feed his daughter.

He sat her down in the chair he'd made especially for her – higher than usual, so she could look over the table top, and with a harness made of cloth and leather straps to keep her from falling off. Or, Gods forgive, climbing out! – and turned toward their small kitchen.

"So, let's see," he murmured and scratched his neck. "First some warmed yak milk, right?" he fished for the small kettle, and poured in some of the milk before placing the rest back into the cooling room. At least keeping food fresh wasn't an issue with all the snow and ice on Berk. He hung the kettle over the dwindling fire, and threw in a fresh log of wood before turning back to the kitchen.

Faye watched him curiously, making small noises every now and then, while he prepared a bowl of porridge with honey and cut a few slices of last night's fresh bread. Their daughter hardly ever cried which was a blessing. Instead, she seemed to take in her surroundings with an earnest curiosity that even surprised Helka and all the other experienced mothers on Berk.

Everyone except Valka, that is. His mother had just smiled wistfully, and had told them how Hiccup had been the same when he'd been a baby.

After placing bowl and bread on the big table, Hiccup retrieved the by now warm milk and filled it into Faye's bottle, a simple flask with a cap made of thick cloth so she could suck on it. Another one of his inventions. It often made him grin how those had changed over the years. From barely working contraptions to shoot down dragons, over Toothless' tail and practical things like the water system, to little tools that made handling a baby easier.

He lifted Faye out of her chair again and on his lap to let her drink first, and watching her do so eagerly made him smile. Moments like these were so peaceful. There was no need to hurry to the next problem, no need to listen to any complains or requests, no need to think about how to solve another problem. He just needed to sit here, to hold this tiny miracle in his arms, and make sure she wouldn't choke.

Absentmindedly, he hummed under his breath until the bottle was empty, and he placed her back into her seat.

"That was good, wasn't it? But how about something more substantial now?" he asked, and gave his baby daughter an earnest look. "Mummy said you usually eat a few spoonfuls in the morning. Think we can manage that?"

Porridge for breakfast was relatively new for Faye, so Hiccup hadn't gotten around to feed her the sweetened mush. But how hard could that be?

. o O o .

That morning, Astrid woke slowly and to the light of the sun pouring through the window. She blinked sleepily, slightly confused, and wondered.

No high babbling? No impatient rattling? No small hand on her face or her breasts, demanding food?

After rubbing her eyes, she glanced around the room and saw that it was empty. Faye wasn't lying in her bed anymore and Hiccup's side of their bed was empty, too. Instead, she could hear both light chortling and low murmuring coming from the main room, and smiled. So Hiccup took care of Faye already?

Astrid reached to where he'd lain before and found the spot still warm, and, with a happy sigh, she nestled back into the sheats. She wanted to stay here forever, surrounded by his warmth and his scent, and imagining his strong arms around her as he spooned her from behind. The thought made her shudder, and her insides coiled deliciously tight. Oh, what would she give to have him here with her right now…

But she wouldn't get the chance to be with him, not today, and probably not in the next few days, either. Astrid sighed, but accepted it. It wasn't like she had nothing else to do anyway.

For several more minutes, she kept lying in their bed. It was a wonderful feeling to start the day slowly for once. Not rushing up and being top alert right away, not starting to do things immediately. Just lazily enjoying the moment.

Then the noises from the front room changed and she couldn't hold back a grin.

"No, don't… wait! No. No, you've got to – Aaahhh – Open your mouth. Like thi – Aaahhhhh – See? Wiiide open." Hiccup's reasoning with an 8-month-old baby was adorable. But Astrid supposed she wasn't acting any different whenever she tried to feed Faye something other than milk.

And Faye at least seemed to enjoy herself greatly, judging by her cheerful cries and high babbling.

For another minute or two, Astrid stayed in their warm bed, simply listening in. Then she stood up, threw over one of Hiccup's older tunics that was now too small for him, and opened the door to the front room. And pressed her hand to her mouth to hold back the laughter.

Faye sat in the highchair Hiccup had made for her, waggling a wooden spoon in one hand while the other was buried deep in a bowl filled with porridge. While Astrid watched, the girl pulled her hand out of the mush, and threw it around enthusiastically, covering everything within a small radius in white blotches, including herself and her father.

"Nooo," Hiccup tried to intervene belatedly. "Why… you're supposed to eat it. It's yummy, see?" He tried to take the spoon out of her tiny hand, but Faye seemed to have other ideas. With another happy warble, she splashed both the spoon and her free hand into the bowl, causing something like a porridge-eruption, and covered them both in even more food. Hiccup froze, and then groaned.

"Alright, then. It's tasty, see?" he tried anew, and licked a particularly large blob off his forearm. "Mmmmmhhh," he made exaggeratedly. "Yummy. Come, try it, too. For me?"

But Faye just kept on babbling, making a move to spread her food even further, and Astrid couldn't hold back anymore.

"I think she's had enough," she laughed, walking over to the two of them, and grabbed the bowl before Faye could make an even bigger mess by throwing it to the ground.

Hiccup's shoulders slumped and he sighed. "Yeah, I guess so," he mumbled, and made attempt to stand up. But Astrid placed a hand on his bare shoulder, firmly pushing him down again.

"No, don't move," she ordered. "Let me get water and some towels, no need to clean the entire house just yet."

Hiccup groaned, but complied while Astrid placed a bucket with water close to the fire to heat it up and then filled another bucket with colder water. She returned to the mess with a couple of towels, and began to clean the table and floor of the worst before it dried in.

"How can I help?" Hiccup asked sheepishly, but Astrid just giggled and shook her head at him.

"Just don't move. You'll only spread it further. Wait for the water to warm up so you can wash."

Grimacing, Hiccup followed her orders and sat still, while Faye began to lick the sweet mush off her hands.

"Now, she eats it?" he groaned, and dropped his head in defeat. "I can't believe it…"

Having finished cleaning up the floor, Astrid got back on her feet, and smiled to herself. "I'd say you can't make her do anything. She's stubborn Viking through and through," she said lightly, and leaned down to give Hiccup a peck on the cheek.

"Mmmh," he hummed distractedly, eyes glued to her bare thighs for a minute.

Grinning to herself, Astrid went to get the warmed up water. She set to clean up her daughter of the worst bits while Hiccup did similar to himself, and for a few minutes, they worked in companionable silence.

"How do you get her to eat it then?" he asked when he was done. He stood up, cleaned the table of dirty towels, and brought them to the kitchen counter.

Astrid followed him, the half-empty bowl and water bucket in her hands. "I don't get her to do anything," she stated cheerfully. "Sometimes she eats it, sometimes not. All it takes is patience and quick reflexes. And never place the bowl within her reach."

"Yeah, I got that," he grumbled.

Astrid chuckled, and reached for one of the cleaner towels. "Here, let me help you," she said, and began to clean his bare torso of further food traces.

Hiccup inhaled sharply and froze, and only then did Astrid realise what she was doing. Her movements became slower, more deliberate, as she ran the warm damp cloth over his chest and abs. Her free hand reached for his waist, supposedly to hold him in place while she cleaned his skin, but also very much to feel his skin beneath her hand. He felt warm, almost hot even, as he leaned in to practically loomed over her. When she looked up, his eyes were dark and dilated, lips slightly parted, and her heart began to beat rapidly.

There was a small drop of porridge still clinging to his neck, and without thinking twice about it, she stretched to lick it off his skin. A low growl rumbled through him, and then a warm hand was on her waist, pushing her back down on her feet, away from him. When Astrid looked up at him questioningly, there a pained look in his eyes.

"One of those days?" he asked hoarsely, and licked his dry lips. "Kindly hold that thought until I'm back, will you?"

Astrid slumped down inwardly.

"How long until you need to leave?" she asked quietly.

Hiccup was quiet for a while. When she looked up at his face, his gaze was directed at the light streaming in through the window. "Not long," he finally said, and then added, "Definitely not long enough!" He chuckled shakily, and nodded past her. "And I doubt that spoon would keep her entertained long enough anyway."

Astrid glanced over her shoulder, and spotted Faye gnawing at the wooden spoon with comical abandon. She smiled, despite the heat rushing through her veins. Right…

She turned back to Hiccup, and, wrapping her arms around his waist, leaned her forehead against his chest. He was right, it was one of those days. Even over eight months later, her body still hadn't entirely returned to normal. She was better at controlling her desire now, but sometimes it still got the better of her.

But Hiccup was right on another point as well. There wasn't enough time to… to do anything anyway. He'd had the morning off, but only because he would need to leave for a chiefs' meeting around noon. And that didn't leave them all that much time.

"I'll be back in a couple of days, maybe even tomorrow already," he reminded her unnecessarily. "It all depends on whether the other chiefs beliefe Laif and us, or whether we need longer to convince them."

That, too, Astrid had known already, and she relaxed at the reminder.

"They will believe you!" she stated resolutely. "Why shouldn't they? I mean, there isn't a single chief who approved of what Magnus did all these years, right? You already talked to them. All of them. Why should they change their minds now?"

Hiccup shrugged. "You're probably right," he murmured. "I'm still kind of nervous, though. My first official request at a Chiefs' meeting, and it's got to be one about life and death for a friend and his entire tribe."

"I'll all work out, you'll see," she said smiling, stretched, and gave him a peck on the cheek.

. o O o .

A/N: No, this is not the return of the angst. I just had no idea how else to end this part.

This is supposed to be a funny, fluffy, and, eventually, smutty side story that hopefully ties up a few loose ends and covers a few requests I got.

I want to make this into more, smaller parts as that's easier for me to write. Hope, that works out...