Chapter Twenty One: How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse

True to Gobber's word, Hiccup and Astrid were up and hobbling around the village by the time Devastating Winter had passed. True, their battle wounds were still giving them problems and many were going to leave a nasty scar (Astrid even had one forming on her chin to mirror Hiccup's. To this day Kyra still believes she'd done it on purpose somehow although Astrid denies it) but it was nothing a self-respecting Viking couldn't handle, although Astrid had to comply and use a set of wooden crutches for a while whilst her ankle recovered.

Spring was finally nearing the Isle of Berk and preparations were well underway for the most anticipated wedding in living memory. The ceremony was such a big event that the entire Meathead tribe and the Bog Burglars had arrived to help (the Hysterics hadn't replied to the invite, much to Kyra's relief, and the Berserkers hadn't even been considered, neither had the Outcasts. Duh) and even Heather, her husband and their families had arrived to help. All the while, Kyra was sure to keep everyone busy and that Hiccup and Astrid had as comfortable a recovery as possible in preparation for the big day.

"It's not as if we can have the bride limping down the aisle, can we?" she pointed out one day as the bride-and-groom-to-be oversaw the proceedings. "And Hiccup – no need to worry about the grave robbing thing. I managed to talk Dad out of that one."

"Thank the gods!" Hiccup praised, casting his gaze skyward. Aside from the Trust Ceremony, he hadn't been too fond of the old tradition of Grave Robbing for a gift the night before the wedding. His father had often spoken about it so Hiccup was over the moon to get out of the event. Astrid, on the other hand, had still had to sort out a completely new wardrobe for her life as a married women, as per tradition so she'd been spending a lot of time with Runa to sort that out. Hiccup's attention was caught by Artair who was helping out with the decorations in the plaza. "How's it going between you guys?"

"..." Kyra blushed.

"I'll take that as 'well'?" Hiccup teased. It was kind of his job as Kyra's younger brother – he'd missed too much over the last three years to miss the opportunity.

"Shut up, Hatchet-Head," Kyra stammered.

"Kyra's got a boyfriend!" Snotlout sang nearby. Hiccup whistled and on cue Camicaze slammed into the guy's nose again. "OW!"

"Stop stealing my job!" Hiccup yelled half-heartedly. Kyra giggled slightly. "Seriously, though – what's going on?"

"It's better than it was," Kyra admitted.

"C'mon! It was good before plus I've noticed you're wearing your best dress again!" Astrid grinned slyly next to Hiccup. For once she wasn't using her crutches but she still needed to lean on something for support when she was standing still. Kyra flushed as pink as the gem on her necklace which glittered in the spring sunshine.

"Okay! Fine! It's going well between us and who knows? Maybe it will happen? I don't know!" she gave up, throwing her hands into the air. "Now if you two lovebirds will excuse me..." She sprouted Gronkle wings and hovered off to help with some decorations on the nearby houses. Hiccup laughed slightly and gently put some weight on his new prosthetic leg, which he'd had some more design input than the last one and had helped Gobber make. It was sleeker than his previous one and also more advanced design wise, allowing for more balance control and was also better suited to the stirrups of Toothless' flying harness, with changeable attachments to suit different situations. Hiccup was rather proud of it if he did say so himself.

"What is it with Haddocks and being socially awkward?" Astrid teased, a playful smirk creeping onto her face.

"Here's to hoping the kids inherit your social skills," Hiccup joked, earning nothing but a gentle punch in the shoulder from Astrid. Somehow talking about family no longer seemed awkward. It seemed...right.

That was just it. Everything...from the villagers to the happenings on the Isle of Berk...just seemed right.

/\

The first month of spring passed and all of the necessary preparations for the wedding had taken place. Astrid's father and aunt, who'd taken the place of Astrid's late mother for the time being, had made the traditional offerings of goods and wealth to the Haddocks with the third lot of money as a dowry for Astrid herself. Hiccup, while he'd be in control of the money as a whole, would be unable to spend this himself – not that he minded in the slightest. Despite the breaking of the usual tradition of marrying in the autumn, the village was grateful for the warmer weather that spring brought with it and there was still enough pre-prepared mead to last the couple for their honeymoon (not that Hiccup or Astrid were looking forward to it – honey mead was far too sickly sweet for their liking).

The first day of the celebrations had already arrived (by Viking tradition, any wedding celebrations that only lasted less than three days were considered shabby and Kyra was determined for her brother's wedding to not be remembered as such). It was Frigg's Day Friday, the usual day of holding the main ceremony of a marriage, and the village was ready. The bride and groom...less so.

In his house, Hiccup adjusted his ceremonial belt for the nth time running. His helmet was covering the majority of his messy hair (it had refused to stay flat no matter how much Kyra attacked it with a comb) and he was wearing an adjusted version of the tunic that Astrid had made him for his fourteenth birthday, back when Kyra had only just come back to Berk. A bear skin cloak was pinned to his shoulders by armour plates made from silver and Hiccup was also wearing the chainmail his father had brought him for his fourteenth – again it was adjusted to fit him but looking in the glass, Hiccup barely recognised himself.

The man staring back at him from the other side of the glass wasn't Hiccup the Klutz of Berk – this was Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, soon-to-be Chief of Berk.

"Last day of being Hiccup the Useless, huh?" he mumbled. Stoick, Snotlout, Fishlegs and Tuffnut stood nearby.

"You never were...okay, maybe you were," Snotlout gave up the suck-up act when his cousin made a face. "But, yeah – you're right."

"Just get ready because this is the first day of Being-Stuck-with-the-Girl-Who-can-Easily-Make-Your -Life-a-Living-Helheim," Tuffnut snickered. In retaliation, Hiccup whistled, Snotlout ducked and Tuffnut was met by a familiar green and red Terrible Terror to his nose. "OW! I AM HURT! I AM VERY MUCH HURT!"

"Never get tired of hearing that one," Stoick chuckled nearby.

"I can't believe it's finally happening!" Fishlegs gushed. "This is gonna be, like, a wedding of weddings! The Dragon Tamer and the best warrior on the island? This will go down in history, like, a legend or something!"

"And you know what else will go down in history?" Snotlout groaned. "Your face if you don't shut up!"

"Guys..." Hiccup grumbled as he examined his family's ancestral sword. His mother should have been the one to give it to him when his father died, but unfortunately she couldn't even be around to see her son on the happiest day of his life. Stoick could clearly catch his son's feelings and ushered the other teens out before walking over. Even as an aging man, he still carried the grandeur of a great chief.

"She would be proud of you, son," he smiled. "As am I." Hiccup smiled back in equal pride – secretly he had the stuffed toy dragon his mother made him stashed into a pocket in his cape. That way, no matter what, his mother was still there with him that day. Still, Tuffnut had had a point earlier.

This was, indeed, the first day of the rest of his life.

/\

Astrid's aunt gently brushed her niece's bright blonde hair and carefully plaited it so that her fringe formed what Kyra described as a French Plait across the top of her head and the rest of her hair formed a pair of braids that framed either side of her face. For now she wasn't wearing any head decoration but Astrid had seen the outfit Kyra had made especially for her with Runa's help – the dress alone was stunning. At that moment in time Astrid was just wearing an off-white cotton under-dress whilst her hair was being done.

"You're gonna look amazing," Heather grinned nearby. She didn't look to shabby herself in her best dress and her black hair fashioned in a neat bun at the nape of her neck. Ruffnut also looked decently presentable for once with her usual greasy, dirty hair washed until it was paler than Astrid's and tied in neat plaits and wearing her best dress. For once, the usually tomboyish girl felt pretty. She hated it.

"Well, if Kyra's work is anything to go by..." Astrid smirked slightly. Kyra shrugged, dressed in her emerald-green gown, golden tiara and pink necklace – she was the very image of a young bride herself regardless.

"Hey, I've been working my backside off since Winter to get this sorted for you guys," Kyra laughed. "Trust me, Astrid – it'll be great."

"It's not that I don't trust you," Astrid sighed, mirroring exactly what Hiccup had said to Kyra when he'd found out she'd planned the engagement party all those years ago. "It's just...well..."

"Out with it," Ruffnut snickered. "It's not like you can keep any secrets from him after today." All women present glared at the girl – she needed to get it into her head that there were exceptions to the 'married couples don't keep secrets from each other' rule. Even so, Astrid spat it out.

"Okay, I'm nervous, alright?" she admitted as her aunt finished off the last plait.

"Now, don't you worry, lass," the old woman smiled kindly. "You'll be absolutely fine – Hiccup has grown to be a fine young man. I'm certain he'll make sure your life is as comfortable as it can be."

"You have to say that," Astrid groaned. "You're my aunt." She asked to be left with Kyra for a while so the others left the room as the two best friends sat down opposite each other. Astrid remained silent for a few seconds before talking. "I haven't exactly been the greatest of girlfriends, have I?" Kyra seemed struck be the question.

"Don't be ridiculous!" she protested. "You've stuck with Hiccup through so much! If that doesn't scream 'good girlfriend', I don't know what does."

"I meant that I haven't treated him too well, have I?" Astrid pointed out with a grimace. Kyra thought for a second.

"Okay, so your relationship has been a tad violent on your part," she shrugged in admittance. "Astrid – you know more than me than relationships aren't always easy. I'm not saying that violent relationships are good because they're not!" she blurted out quickly. "But just because you're a tough girl doesn't mean you're not good enough for my brother." She paused and smiled. "I don't think I would rather have anyone else as a sister-in-law."

"You're my best friend – it's your job to say that," Astrid smirked although the smirk changed into a smile before she could stop it.

"And we're Vikings," Kyra pointed out in a similar joking tone. "It's our job to be tough." Astrid laughed a little bit as Kyra stood up to collect her dress. "Come on – let's finish getting you ready."

/\

By the time the sun had reached its highest point in the sky, everything was ready. The Hairy Hooligan Tribe, the Meatheads and the Bog Burglars were all waiting outside in the plaza for the ceremony to begin. Hiccup stood by his father at the end of a long aisle (Kyra had set the whole thing up that way) trying his best not to fidget as Toothless stood nearby with Windwalker and Stormfly stood opposite with her mate, a Nadder that wasn't a native to Berk but had been nicknamed Spikes. Stoick saw Kyra dart from Astrid house with the signal that everything was ready and he gave the musicians the cue to begin.

A cheery tune struck up as the entire gathering was alerted to the presence of the bride's arrival. Turning around, Hiccup caught the first glance of Astrid in her bridal gown and was immediately struck breathless by her beauty. Her main gown was floor length and made of white muslin with a decorative strip of blue, red and gold about a foot and a half off the ground with similar patterns at the ends of the mid length sleeves. Held up by two multicoloured straps and a belt with clasps depicting the Strike Class and the Sharp Class logos was Astrid's train, made of sky blue silk and hemmed with golden thread. On her forearms were silver armlets with Nordic patterns delicately engraved around pictures of dragons. On her head was a silver headpiece, the metal twisting around itself like a silver braid around her head with a deep blue sapphire inlaid in the front in between her two storm blue eyes.

Hiccup had to shake himself back into reality as Astrid reached the end of the aisle – she was even more beautiful up close.

"You look amazing," he mouthed to her quickly. She smiled and her face flushed pink.

"You look pretty good yourself," she mouthed back. Stoick cleared his throat and began the proceedings.

"Welcome, tribes of the Hooligans, Meatheads and Bog Burglars," he announced. "It is on this day – the first Frigg's Day of the Second Month of Spring – that we witness the joining of my son, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III – Hiccup Stoickson..." Hiccup flushed with pride at his father's usage of his other name. "...and his betrothed, Astrid Hofferson in marriage." He took his hammer – it very much resembled Mjölnir – Thor's hammer – and signalled for the couple to kneel. They did so. "With this hammer, I look to the God of Lightning Thor to bless this couple and ensure that no matter what hardships they may face that you give them the strength to fight through it."

He placed the hammer carefully on Astrid's lap – she winced slightly as the additional weight was put on her still recovering ankle but she did her best to hide it. Likewise with Hiccup. Stoick then looked back to the sky and recited the next prayer, asking for the gods Frigg and Freya, the gods of marriage and love, to provide their blessings and give Hiccup and Astrid and happy and fruitful marriage, one that would hopefully continue to lead Berk and aid the Archipelago into a strong era for the Vikings. The couple then stood to perform the next part of the ceremony – the Rings.

"Astrid Hofferson," Hiccup said as gracefully as he could, holding his ancestral sword in front of him – balanced on the tip of the sword was Astrid's ring. Damn, this is like the engagement party all over again, he thought to himself. Hiccup was never that good with words when it came to situations like these. "I...know this had been a long time to wait..."

"Got that right!" someone (I think it was Tuffnut) shouted. It was followed by a cry of pain although how it came about no one was really sure (Kyra and Ruffnut were prime suspects). Hiccup ignored it the best that he could and continued.

"But do you take me to be your husband?" he finished awkwardly, slowly lowering the sword.

"You bet," Astrid smiled jokingly, holding her right hand out. Hiccup carefully manoeuvred the sword so that it wouldn't give Astrid any more injuries and gently slipped the ring onto her finger. Astrid then picked up her own family's sword – it was shorter compared to the Haddocks' blade but it was still a piece of master metal work. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III – as chieftain of this tribe, will you take me to be your wife?" Astrid asked with a playful glint in her eyes. Hiccup grinned back.

"Is the question necessary?" he joked. Astrid punched him playfully as she slipped his ring onto his finger with some master sword work. Stoick then took the Haddocks' family sword and placed it tip down between the two teens – they dutifully placed their hands on the top of the hilt as they began to recite the vows.

"Hiccup – do you, as the future chief of the Hairy Hooligan tribe of Berk, promise to provide for your wife in any way that she requires?" Stoick asked.

"I will," Hiccup replied, his voice growing more confident with every word. It didn't matter that three tribes were watching – as far as he was concerned, it was just him and Astrid present in the plaza at that time.

"And do you swear to protect her and any family she will bare you, even if it means the cost of your life?"

"I will."

"Astrid Hofferson – do you promise to care for your husband and fulfil your duties as the woman of the household?"

"I will," Astrid nodded certainly.

"And do you swear to stand by his side and support him, even through the darkest times of married life?"

"I will." There had been no hesitation from either teens as the vows were finished. Stoick smiled and nodded at his son who nodded back.

"Astrid, as my wife, I give you the stewardship of my family's blade," Hiccup recited, taking the ceremonial sword and holding it towards Astrid. "I ask that you keep it safe and, should it be the gods wishes for me to leave this life before you..." Astrid gave him a look that said 'You'd better not'. "...that you pass it down to our first-born son and remind him of our family's heritage."

"I promise," Astrid smiled in return, taking the sword and holding it dutifully by her side ('Okay, she's looking more like a Valkyrie every second,' Hiccup thought). Stoick chuckled and began the final part of the main ceremony.

"Then, with the witness and the blessings of the gods, and all those gathered here today," he began. "It gives me the greatest pride to announce this couple man and wife." A cheer erupted from the crowd as Stoick laid the final blessing, joining Hiccup and Astrid together as a married couple. Kyra made a notion nearby. "Ah, yes – Hiccup, you may..."

"One second," Astrid cut in quickly. She stared at Hiccup for a while before punching him squarely on the shoulder. "That's for making me wait," she smirked.

"Meh – I guess I deserved that," Hiccup chuckled, rubbing his shoulder. Stoick, along with the rest of the crowd, let out a booming laugh before the chief repeated what he was going to say.

"You may now kiss the bride," Stoick laughed. Instantly, Hiccup and Astrid locked lips and the world seemed to halt as the crowd burst into applause that could have been heard from Asgard.

And clearly, it was.

"Ho-ho!" a booming laughter sounded, shocking everyone out of their skins. Hiccup and Astrid glanced upwards to see what appeared to be a giant raven coming towards them. Instinctively, everyone fell to their knees until... "Honestly, this again?" Hiccup dared a peek upwards and recognised the man that stood before him – it was the same man that had set him on the path to regaining his humanity.

"Great timing, Odin," Kyra joked nearby. She was the only one who hadn't knelt but she gave the signal for everyone else to get to their feet.

"Well, Hiccup," Odin smiled kindly. "It's good to see you back to normal." Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, as normal as I'll ever be," he noted dryly. Odin chuckled. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Just thought I'd come to give you my blessing in person," Odin explained. "I should also let you know that the others grant their own blessings freely and absolutely. Everyone in Asgard wishes the both of you a prosperous marriage."

"We're honoured, Your Excellence," Astrid curtsied. Odin smiled.

"Now, we'll be keeping an eye on the lot of you," he announced. "Knowing this island, who knows what trouble you'll land yourselves in?" A few Vikings shuddered but others, sensing the light heartedness from the King of the Gods laughed nervously. It didn't mean they weren't still scared of the gods. "Hiccup – just know that if you are ever in trouble, the gods are there for you. We just have a funny way of showing it."

"That's for sure," Hiccup remarked before he could stop himself. Still, thankfully Odin was in a good mood and he departed back to the heavens astride his giant raven.

The rest of the day seemed to fly past – the ceremony of Hiccup helping Astrid across a barrier onto the ceremonial boat went past without a hitch as Astrid didn't so much as falter as she made the transition from solid ground to the boat itself. As the village watched from the shores, the couple mounted their dragons and took to the skies – it was time for the final ceremony of the day.

"You ready for this?" Astrid called from Stormfly as she continued to gain altitude whilst Hiccup and Toothless stopped climbing. Any nervousness that he'd had three years in the past had completely vanished as Hiccup grinned with a confidence that rivalled Astrid's.

"C'mon!" he called back. "How many times have I caught you after falling off Stormfly?"

"Once."

Yay for the confidence booster, Astrid. Still once was enough for the both of them as Astrid launched herself off Stormfly and began falling in a swan dive with her arms spread out like the wings of an eagle. Hiccup waited until she'd fallen past him before taking after her on Toothless – the pair went straight into a nosedive and came neck and neck with Astrid within seconds. To prevent her from getting hurt, Hiccup took Astrid's hand and helped her get onto Toothless' back right behind him. As soon as he felt her arms around his midriff, he pulled up and Toothless extended his wings to stop the fall, the downdraft causing the sea beneath them to spray outwards as the Night Fury with the newlyweds on his back took to the skies once again and the tribes burst into applause once again.

New Trust Ceremony? No problem.

/\

The entire evening was spent feasting. Astrid and Hiccup were surrounded by people offering their congratulations and wishes for a happy future and the general atmosphere was a true delight to behold. There was music, singing, dancing – you name it, it was happening. Even Hiccup and Astrid had managed to dance an entire hornpipe without missing a step (which is more than could be said for Ruffnut and Fishlegs whilst attempting a reel).

All the while, Kyra looked on at her brother and new sister-in-law in pride and happiness. Her heart swelled with joy for the both of them and it pleased her to see that after so long and going through so much they'd still pulled through. She was so enthralled by the celebrations that she didn't notice Artair walk up beside her.

"This is amazing," he commented, out of breath from dancing. "Care to dance?"

"Oh, believe me – you don't want to see me on the dance floor," Kyra replied jokingly. Artair laughed back, having heard stories of Kyra's past attempts to dance. "I'm so happy for them."

"They deserve it," Artair agreed. Subconsciously, Kyra rested her head on his shoulder and he placed his arm around hers. Both teens stood silent, taking in the sights of the party for a while. Artair then dug his hand into his pocket and closed his fingers around something – he wasn't sure how it would go, but he felt that this was right. He cleared his throat.

"What is it? Choke on a chicken wing or something?" Kyra asked half jokingly half serious. Artair shook his head.

"No, I'm fine, it's just...I wanted to ask you something," he replied, taking a tiny object out of his pocket. He didn't uncurl his fingers to show what it was so Kyra frowned slightly. "Listen, I know that it started...weirdly with us, to say the least, but...over these last couple of months, I really think we've...I think there might be..."

"Something?" Kyra finished. Artair nodded. "I know what you mean..." she admitted, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear shyly. WHY? she screamed in her head. Artair smiled.

"And, uh..." he stammered, taking Kyra's hand. "This isn't...I mean, I'm not asking this because it's my duty to," he spat out. Kyra's eyes widened as Artair's fingers uncurled to reveal a delicate ring made of intertwining bands of gold, silver and copper. "Rather I'm asking because I want to," Artair finished, his hazel gaze meeting the eyes of different greens on Kyra's oval face. Kyra's was stunned silent – true, things had been going well between her and Artair but she still hadn't actually expected him to figuratively pop the question!

Even so, her heart started beating so fast it was a miracle it didn't just give out. In her hesitation, a familiar motherly voice sounded in her head.

"Admit it – you knew and wanted it to come." It was Windwalker.

"What are you talking about?" Kyra asked, her gaze instantly shooting across the Great Hall to where the Star Backed Night Fury and her mate were sitting together over a spit roasted hog.

"I mean that you knew this would happen from the moment you saw him," Windwalker explained. "It's something us dragons can't help – you were just able to control it a bit more."

"That makes little to no sense, Windwalker."

"Kyra – dragons know when they've found their soul mate." Kyra needed no further explanations. It was true – as soon as dragons had found their match, they were together for life. As a human, Kyra's instincts when it came to this were slightly suppressed and she wanted to go slowly and avoid anything permanent. Turns out that all she'd been doing was hold off the inevitable – no wonder she felt the way she did around Artair. It wasn't something she could help even if she tried. She turned to face Artair again.

"Not because it's my duty," she smiled warmly, her eyes glittering in the firelight as she held out her hand to accept the ring. "But because I want to...with all my heart," she finished. Artair's smile widened and he slipped the ring onto her finger. The pair locked gazes for a split second before Kyra pulled Artair's face towards hers and they kissed, sealing the deal.

Across the hall, Hiccup and Astrid beamed from ear to ear upon seeing that their closest friend finally had the chance to experience the happiness they had now. Maybe a summer wedding wasn't as farfetched an idea after all. During this, Toothless purred contently as he and Windwalker gazed upon the celebrations and reflected on the past few years.

And there you go. The celebration of Hiccup and Astrid's wedding lasted a week and a half and to be perfectly honest, I don't think half of the village actually remember any of it. Kyra and Artair were due to be married the following summer – I'm not going to go into too much detail on how Stoick coped with his daughter leaving home. First time I think any of us have actually seen the guy cry... Then again, these are Vikings we're talking about. They're not exactly the most predictable bunch.

As it turns out, there's still a lot we need to learn about the world – both the humans' world and the dragons'. So far, at least, we've managed to cope with whatever life on Berk throws at us, whether it's death defying situations or even something that seems as trivial as a betrothal. But even if my rider's come close to death sixteen times now and Astrid's started her own tally we've been able to show, with a lot of patience and stubbornness born within every Viking, that it is indeed possible...

...to cheat a Dragon's Curse.

The End

AN: Well, here we are. The end of another story! Thank you guys so much for all of the support you've given this fanfic - it's meant a lot to me as a writer. Like I said, I'm working on the final story in this series but unfortunately it may not be published until the beginning of next year - I'll try my best to get it done as quickly as possible for you guys but until then, I've got a few more stories for you to read that I'll get going soon. Until then, reviews welcome but no flames and I'll see you guys around!