Hi everyone! It's 10:30 AM and I didn't have to go to school today due to a snow storm (Thanks Jack Frost). So I thought I could pull off a story instead of sitting around for a whole day with nothing to do.

I guess you could call this story a new version of 'Safe and Sound' (which was deleted due to my lack of self-confidence). I say 'I guess' because the plot is quite different so it can also be a new story, which means you don't need to know it to understand this. (they only have a minor relation). Just pointing it out there for any of you who thought I completely abandoned it (which I kind of did for a while). But if you haven't read it then that whole paragraph was useless knowledge to you. BUT, here we go!

Chapter 1

Astrid Hofferson.

She was a hard worker. One of the hardest workers in the village, in fact. And she had plenty of strength and confidence to get her through it. She'd normally spend the hours of her day training in the ring, or violently planting her trusty axe into a tree, trying to find new ways to beat her classmates in Dragon Training. But training was no longer needed thanks to one Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. But there was still plenty of work to be done around the Village. Everybody had their own occupations which were required in an isolated Village. The people needed to keep themselves in Survival's Hands and for a Viking, that wasn't an option. With the no-longer occupation of training, Astrid was assigned to helping out around the house. There were chores to be done, lots of them. Since young teenagers like herself were a few years too short to be risking their lives out at sea like most adults, they would help out with housework instead where they were safe from all the outrageous occupational hazards that the gods could plant on their shoulders.

Astrid opened her eyes, looking around as she blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting themselves to the morning light. The sunlight shone beautifully through her only window on the left of her bed. Sometimes the amount of light could be disturbing, but her mother always told her she did not need curtains. Those were for the wealthier households. Astrid knew she had another typical day of work ahead of her, but she did not mind. The girl was very outgoing and energetic, and as a maiden of the village, she knew she was going to have enjoy her day's work whether she liked it or not because women were not excused. No one was for that matter.

She sat up and flipped the cotton blanket off of her as she turned her body to plant her feet on the ground, and slid right into her wool boots. She wore a dirty-white colored night gown that reached just under her knees with long, puffy sleeves and two pieces of string tied into a perfect bow at her neckline. Her gown flowed free of the scrunched up fabric as she stood up and walked over to wooden vanity at the other end of the room. It had a few trinkets on the surface, ones that she had received from friends and family throughout the years. They lay all around her looking glass that stood right in the center of the vanity.

As Astrid sat down, she picked up her brush and began to lightly comb through her hair, holding pieces of hair with one hand and brushing it out with the other so she didn't pull to hard. Her hair was long, a little higher than her middle back. Long hair was a pain to deal with, especially in the morning when it would get all tangled from the sleep the night before. But Astrid didn't mind spending all the time she needed brushing out knots. Most women would keep their hair up in a bun or in a braid, short or long. But Astrid would sometimes decide to keep her hair down and let it flow down her back like a river. She loved the feel of it. It made her feel free and wild, as she would ride on Stormfly through Berk's clouds. But she figured today would be really hot and sunny, and with all the chores that was soon to come, she decided to put it in her usual braid and leave that for a cooler day.

After changing into a loose, dark green tunic with puffy short sleeves and her regular leggings, she hopped downstairs to the kitchen. She would not normally be too hungry as soon as she woke up, so most of the time she would wait a couple of hours instead of stuffing something down her throat when she wasn't hungry. She walked in the room to a sink full of dirty dishes. Her parents must have already eaten.

"Yep. Those are for me." She sighed to herself. Her parents were the only other people living in the house, and they were mostly out during the day. Sometimes she would wake up and her father, Eirikwould be in the living room silently sitting in his wooden rocking chair with a mug. No one ever touched that rocking chair. And he wouldn't greet her, for he was rarely the one to speak, or even wear on a smile on his old face. Often he would angrily demand his wife and daughter around to do whatever he wanted with no complaints from them. Women were not supposed to deny their husbands or fathers.

Without hesitation, the girl immediately began to wash the dishes, grabbing a nearby cloth and a homemade bar of soap. This was only the first step of her day. Once she finished which didn't take long at all, she dried them with a new clean cloth and placed them in their proper places in various cupboards and cabinets. To finish it off, she quickly wiped the counters clear of any crumbs and spills, and then headed towards the front door. Her parents always seemed to make a mess and never clean it up. But Astrid never complained. She guessed it was understandable that they had to leave quite early to get things done around the village.

She didn't need a cloak or even a light, long-sleeved tunic for outside. It snowed often so she would keep one neatly folded right by the door in case it got too cold or there was a bit of wind. It was actually one of the few hottest days of the year, and that was soon to be over. The rain was to begin within a few days.

There was also a large woven basket that would sit at the door which Astrid had actually crafted herself. She hasn't had much experience in crafting, but she picked up a few convenient skills from Ruffnut over the years. She picked it up with both hands, shutting the door behind her and headed to the local market. Unfortunately, the Hofferson's did not have their own backyard garden like some other households, so Astrid visited the market often in able to keep the family supplies in good amount.

It was rather busy as it was most mornings, but because of the admirable weather these days, a lot more villagers came outside. There was also a great supply of new food coming in lately from other islands and tribes during the current trading period. Astrid walked with her basket in her arms, up to the various stands of food where mostly women were lined up, picking up their week supply of groceries. Astrid examined all the food, deciding which ones looked good to her. The blonde Viking loved to try new things so she would often attempt to look for foods she had never tried before, and pick those ones up first.

There were various fruits and vegetables, meats, eggs and bread, everything a Viking could think of. Astrid was beginning to get hungry just by looking at them. She spotted some unfamiliar fruit in front of her as she heaved her basket to her hip, wrapping one arm around it and slightly leaning to the side, picking up a handful of the berries. She looked closely at them. They were very small and round with a sort of blood red color. She moved her hand closer to her face so she could get a better look.

"Thoose are currants, dear." Astrid's head snapped up to the smiling woman behind the stand in front of her who innocently hooked her hands in front of her. She had dark brown curly hair that was put up in a messy bun and she wore a slightly dirty beige apron atop her patterned red tunic. Astrid looked at her and before she could speak the woman cut her off. "Well, goo on. Take theeim." The woman said cheerfully, smiling brightly.

"Thank you." Astrid smiled back innocently.

She continued walking along the stands, looking down at all the food as she picked up some corn and a large cabbage, along with a few tomatoes and apples, rotating them in her hand a couple of times to make sure that the ones she picked up weren't bruised or misshaped on any sides. Then she moved closer to the end where all the bread and meat were, not hesitating to grab a loaf of bread, a pile of shredded boar meat and a couple of chicken legs for Stormfly. Her basket was by now more than half full so she paid and headed home with a heavy basket in both her arms. She passed many villagers on her way back to her house, saying 'hello' to nearly every one of them even if she didn't know them. She was sure she knew everyone's names but there were many she had never actually talked to before. But everybody on Berk was really friendly, and she wasn't ashamed to say hello to a stranger.

"Astrid!" Astrid heard her name and almost struggled to not drop her basket, arching her back and shuffling her feet as she turned around. She smiled brightly as she saw Hiccup running towards her and holding a hand in the air. He barely stumbled through the grass as he ran to her, his silky hair glistening in the bright sunlight to appear an incredibly bright red color. "Astrid." He said once more, a warm smile on his face.

"Hey!" The girl cheerfully greeted with a huge and welcoming grin.

Odin, she loved seeing him no matter what time of day. Even if she was completely miserable and helpless the boy would still somehow manage to make her smile one way or another. He was unique. He had something special inside of him that she couldn't really pick out, in few words at least. He'd take her home when it was late at night or hug her tight until she fell asleep after having a nightmare. He made her feel like a little kid again. He did everything she never deserved and she couldn't thank him enough for that. Astrid never really had many friends in her life because for the most of it, it was train and win, no time for friends. Of course she talked to Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Tuffnut often and spent time with them more than anyone else but she wouldn't really call them friends. They were just there. And the only other teenagers on the small island.

Neither Hiccup nor Astrid knew what their relationship was in 'romantic terms.' But they were definitely more than best friends. The whole Village could see it, and they themselves could too. But they didn't mind that both of them had been asked by an unimaginable amount of people what their relationship exactly was. All they knew was that they have done more than a kiss many times. The two of them were considered the most popular rumor in the entire village at one time. But yet, they still did not mind. Publicity was not a problem for them simply because it's been years since the beginning of their affections, and now it was completely used to that nobody ever minded enough to wonder anymore, and instead treated them no different from anyone else.

"Here, let me help you with that." The boy politely took the large basket from her arms and heaved it over one shoulder next to his ear, keeping it up with one arm and slightly leaning to one side as the two of them continued to walk together. Astrid immediately felt the relief of the released weight and was happy to walk straight again.

"Thanks." She said rather shyly with a smile, looking down at the ground for a warm second, then glanced at Hiccup and back to the path of grass in front of her. The boy was impressively strong, and had gained plenty of muscle throughout the years and yet still remained in his skinny figure. Astrid loved that. He had also grown in height by a little bit, enough for Astrid to look up at him now. No one had ever thought that Hiccup the Toothpick would grow or gain on any level.

They continued to make their way to Astrid's house, mostly in silence for it was a short walk, but definitely a relief from that basket for Astrid's weak figure. They could hear the faint chatting of all the villagers behind them along with the crunching of the grass underneath their feet and the occasional roars or wing-flapping of the various dragons soaring above them, flooding the bright blue sky.

The two of them arrived at the Hofferson house shortly after. Astrid stepped up the couple of stairs that led up to her front door, the wooden steps lightly creaking underneath her feet as she turned around and looked down to see Hiccup at the bottom. "There you are, Milady." Hiccup said cheerfully with that adorable smile and gave Astrid back her basket who gladly took it in both her arms. God's, he was such a gentlemen.

She giggled. "Thanks, again." Astrid said and before she knew it, he climbed one step and leaned his head up so he could delicately kiss her cheek. Her skin felt soft and smooth underneath his lips as many goosebumps had flown throughout Astrid's entire body.

"You're welcome." He said a little over a whisper, his voice sounded beyond delicate and gentle and his face stood just inches from hers as he never seemed to drop that adorable smile. Astrid could see her starstruck reflection in his bright green eyes. They were the greenest shade of grass, with the slightest hint of light brown.

He quickly turned around, jogging a few steps before turning back around to face her, hurriedly taking large steps backwards as he spoke. "I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked her in the short distance.

Astrid laughed and called back. "I wouldn't miss it!" She gladly accepted for she liked to stay away from home as much as possible because when she did, she didn't have anybody to tell her what to do and what not to do. Astrid was the type that loved the feeling of being free and when she wasn't at home with her parents, she didn't feel so under control, especially when she was with Hiccup.

She watched him happily turn around, continue to run and did a goofy jump in the air as he kicked out his legs and 'woohoo'd' in victory. Astrid laughed loudly and a couple of nearby villagers turned their heads to look at the amusing dork that was clearing embarrassing himself without a care which made Astrid laugh even more and shake her head. She loved the times where he seemed like he could never be happier. "That's my Hiccup." She whispered to herself then walked back into the house with a smile glued on her face.

Barely struggling to open the door with one hand, Astrid used her chin to help support the basket as she closed the door behind her with her foot before heavily plopping the closed basket onto the floor in front of her. She let out a sigh. "Mom?" She called out loud enough to be heard throughout the whole house since her mother Máría would often come home before Astrid did whenever she went out in the mornings. "I'm home!"

"Oh! Yes, dear. Did you bring the cabbage?" She heard her mother call from upstairs.

"Yes, mom." she called back. Picking up the basket once more, Astrid headed towards the kitchen while her mother came down the stairs with a basket of laundry in her arms.

"Oh, good," Her mother continued. "I need you to feed that dragon of yers. She keeps squawking and I don't know what. You wanted to keep her here, that's yer problem, not mine. I got enough work ta doo around here." Astrid could only roll her eyes and make mocking faces as her mother rambled, completely aware that she always makes things harder than they need to be. She did what she was told and plopped the grocery basket onto the counter, grabbing a couple of chicken legs from it and went outside to the back of the house.

The girl was immediately welcomed by the squawking of her Deadly Nadder as she opened and walked through the gate of her backyard. Stormfly excitedly approached her, flapping her wings everywhere and twitching her head to the side. She must have been here for a while if she was this excited. Astrid's parents made it clear on the first day of Stormfly's stay, she would not be allowed in the house so Astrid would usually let Stormfly do whatever she intended for the day; to fly around with the other dragons and walk around the village. And then at night she would know to come home and sleep where she always would in the backyard. She loved it there. She had her own comfortable pen with a roof and lots of hay. And she also knew to be present for when Astrid feeds her. She wouldn't miss that.

"Hey, girl!" The blonde greeted cheerfully, stroking the scaly blue snout of her Deadly Nadder. "Ah, sorry I'm late. You must be hungry." She said. "Yeah well, here you go." She took a few steps back and threw the chicken in her hands towards Stormfly who caught it perfectly in her mouth and swallowed in nearly seconds. Astrid threw another one, and Stormfly caught it perfectly once more.

It was almost a routine for Astrid to give her her daily feed of chicken because she loved it so much. She wouldn't have the right energy without it. Astrid smiled lightly as she looked at her dragon, then brightened her face and smile as if she just thought of an idea. "Hey! You wanna go for a ride?" Astrid nearly jumped, receiving an excited squawk of agreement from Stormfly. She laughed as the Nadder began to excitedly prance on the spot. "Alright, alright, calm down." She said with a hint of a laugh in her voice when the Nadder tried hard to hold still so that Astrid could climb on. She walked over to Stormfly's side and extended her arms up so she could grab on to the saddle with both hands, using her arm strength to pull herself up as she carried a leg over and straddled the back of her dragon. "Okay," Astrid leaned down closer to Stormfly's head as she held tight on the leather saddle. "I'm ready." Then Stormfly open her wide wings, bent her knees, and gladly leapt into the sky.

ooo

Later that night, Astrid and her mother set the dinner table while her father sat quietly in the living room in his usual chair reading some sort of bad shaped book that he had along with his whole other shelf of books that Astrid had no interest to. He had just gotten home about ten minutes earlier and didn't normally speak to his wife or daughter so it was rather quiet for the only thing that could be heard was the clanking of the plates as the two of them put out some cutlery on the outside of the table with different dishes of food in the center. There was also a large wooden plate with a freshly hunted chicken, a basket of small baked potatoes and homemade bread, and another small plate of different vegetables that Astrid had picked up at the market earlier. Both women had their own creative skills that they gradually gained throughout their years and used that to their advantage when setting the table at dinner, so they'd lay out neatly folded colored napkins underneath each plate and a gardenia flower in the center of the table with a couple of leaves around it for decoration, a different flower for each day.

The two women sat down quietly when they were finished, Máría brushing her hands underneath the back of her thighs to straighten out her dress as she stooped to sit down. Eirik cleared his throat and stood up, noticing that dinner was ready and then walked over to the table, his footsteps echoing in the silent air as he set down the book on the dinner table next to his plate and took a seat across from Astrid, Máría on the end. He immediately began to dig his large hands through all the food and put some on his plate, Astrid and Máría soon following after him for they were quite hungry themselves and were not going to waste their times waiting for him to say something. Astrid's plate was a little less than half full, with one bannock and some vegetables on the side. She didn't usually eat a lot. She didn't like to.

Nobody said anything for quite some time so she hesitated, put her hands in her lap innocently and shyly hunched her shoulders, lightly clearing her throat before speaking. "Dad?" She finally asked.

Eirik only mumbled a 'Hmm?' as he continued filling up his plate until it was nearly a mountain of food, then picked up his fork and knife and started eating without looking at his daughter. That wasn't exactly the response she wanted. Astrid cleared her throat again, glancing down at her clenched hands in her lap and then back at him, wondering if she should even be speaking. "Um." She paused. "I took Stormfly for a flight today." She began, her voice higher, trying to see if she could start up a decent conversation with him.

She was being patient; she was always patient. But she knew one day she would eventually come to the point that waiting was too hard. Well, it was already hard, but she loved her father. He was her father and she wasn't going to dishonor him or her family. Eirik just loved being grumpy and minding his own business but no one understood why. Maybe it was best that way. The family is already breaking apart and pulling it a little more would only destroy it. They were not the richest, nor the happiest family in all of Berk. But Astrid tried so hard to remain measured. She was thankful she even had a family.

"Did you?" He asked with only a glance up at Astrid but then back to his plate as he cut through his chicken. It wasn't enough for her, his tone didn't sound amused, but at least he replied with words. And the glance was a plus.

"Yeah," The girl smiled and spoke a little louder since he had given her more than one syllable this time. "I think she's really starting to get the hang of that new saddle now. She used to get really irritated by it. Maybe it's because she didn't like the texture of the new leather against her back?" Astrid paused and looked at her father to see if he would say anything, possibly give an opinion if she was lucky. But he only continued to stuff his mouth as if he hadn't eaten in years. "Well, either way, she's getting better about it." The girl decided to continue for the silence was mocking her. She often got the time to talk to her mother about everything that was happening since they had lots of time for that, but she hadn't caught her father up on any news that was going on in her life recently because he was only home in the evenings. He didn't specifically ask her how her day was, or what she has been up to lately but she wanted to tell him.

Expectantly and patiently, Astrid looked at him for what felt like forever, stuffing his mouth with anything and everything he could. But she quickly realized it was useless. She pierced her lips together awkwardly, the silence was haunting her. It was too quiet. Glancing in all directions, she finally focused on her plate to start eating.

Máría's eyes moved over to Astrid sadly and she loosened her grip on her cutlery, letting her elbows drop. "Oh, is she?" The woman asked brightly, answering Astrid's previous words so she was not being ignored. She knew she was just trying to get her dad's attention and start a little conversation. What was wrong with that? Astrid only looked up at her. She didn't want to say anything and she knew what her mother was trying to do.

"Well, excuse me." Eirik beamed and Astrid's eyes widened as he violently dropped his cutlery onto his plate so it made a loud and echoing clanking noise, breaking the silence that filled the room. But that was not the kind of silence-breaker that either Astrid or her mother had wanted. "I'm trying to have a decent meal here but all I can hear is your bickering." He spat out the last word.

"It wasn't bickering." Astrid mumbled ashamedly as she looked down at her lap and fiddled with her fingernails, too scared to look into her father's eyes.

"Then what is, Astrid? Because my definition is just about the same as you telling me all these… things, shoving them in my face. When can I just get some peace and quiet around here?"

"You get enough of it when you just sit around not even speaking to anyone." Astrid raised her voice, and nearly clenched her teeth, her voice rising with anger by the word. She was getting tired of this bullshit. The girl knew she was talking back and she wasn't allowed to, nobody in any Viking house was allowed to. She was raised to obey her parents but she felt like she couldn't take it any longer.

"Astrid." Her mother attempted to say calmly, her voice soft as she warned Astrid to not go any farther for she couldn't bear to see what her husband would do. She had seen it before, he has done it enough. His anger would rise to the top and he would yell for what felt like forever, he had even hit Máría a few times and Odin knows why. The woman was even scared of her own husband sometimes and standing up to him was only going to make things worse. She had learned that a long time ago.

Eirik had never liked Astrid as a daughter, he thought she was a mistake and she shouldn't even be in the family. Astrid had known that; she always had. It broke her heart but she tried so hard to not let it get to her. She had only thought about it maybe once in her whole life because she tried so hard to successfully keep it out of her mind.

It was silent. Astrid decided she didn't need to say any more. She looked at her mother, then back at Eirik. His glare felt like it was piercing into her soul, but she would not let it scare her. "I'm full." She mumbled as she quickly crumpled up her napkin and dropped it on her plate, then stood up and pushed out her chair to leave to her room.