Chapter 8: True Love

I would like to thank everyone for their appreciation of this story, and just for the record, I would like to know who Guest is. Not their real name, but what their username is. The moment of truth For this story!

Hiccup had gone deep into the forest by the time the ship had made it back to Berk. He didn't want to see Astrid leaving him, and he couldn't stand the thought of living so close to her and not being with her, so he decided to live on the island from then on.

It was in the middle of the afternoon when Heather and Firecracker finally caught up with him. He was sitting on a rock, his back to them.

"There you are! Where have you been?! We've been looking all over for you! And where's Astrid?" Heather bombarded her brother with questions and complaints. Hiccup sighed. "Astrid's gone back to Berk with her father and future husband," he said sadly. This caused Heather to become confused. "You mean you just let her go? Why?"

Hiccup sighed. "You were right all along, Heather. Humans hate us. They always judge us by our looks, and they never try to get to know us." This confused Heather even more. "What in the world are you talking about?!" "Don't you remember? She said to you last night 'who could love a Halfling,' and I'm sure that you should be at least a little offended." Heather sighed in frustration. "You're still not making any sense."

"Okay then, fine, I admit, I loved her. I loved her more than anything. I loved her with all my heart, and she hated me. A human like her and a Halfling like me don't go together. I heard the three of you talking." Now both Heather and Firecracker knew what Hiccup was talking about. "She wasn't talking about you, Hiccup, she was talking about herse-" Heather covered Firecracker's mouth and said quickly, "Someone else." Firecracker realized that he had nearly blown Astrid's secret, and he gave Heather an apologetic look.

There was a moment of silence before Hiccup turned around and looked up at them. "She wasn't talking about me?" he asked, his voice full of hope. Heather and Firecracker nodded. Hiccup stood up. "Then who was she talking about?" he asked. Now he was confused. "Let's just say that she cares about you more than you think," Heather said.

Hiccup's heart warmed for the first time that day. "She does?" Heather nodded. "More than you've ever known." Hiccup smiled, then he lunged forward and hugged his sister tightly. Heather was stunned, to say in the least. But she didn't hesitate to hug him back. "I never thought that I'd say this," Hiccup said, "But I never could have asked for a better sister." Heather smiled, hugging him tighter. "And I could never ask for a better brother."

They both pulled out of the embrace, and looked at each other awkwardly. "So, how much does Astrid care about me?" Hiccup asked. "What are you asking us for?" said Firecracker, "Why don't you go ask her?" Hiccup's eyes widened. "The wedding! We have to stop it!" "Don't worry," Heather said with a smile, "We know someone who can help."

On Berk, in the late afternoon, Astrid was looking at herself in the mirror. She had put on a flower crown that she was supposed to wear during the wedding. She looked beautiful with it on, but she wasn't happy. She looked down at the bouquet of flowers that Hiccup had given her the day before. She picked them up and looked at them. Every time she saw them, they reminded her of Hiccup.

I never got to tell him that I love him, she thought to herself as a tear slid down her cheek and landed somewhere in the bouquet. Arter then poked his head in her room. "Astrid? Are you alright?" Astrid wiped her tears and looked at her father. "I'm fine, Dad." Arter nodded. "Good, wedding's in five minutes. You look beautiful." He shut the door and left. Astrid looked at herself in the mirror once more before she left the room, the flowers in her hands.

When Hiccup, Heather and Firecracker arrived on Berk, the sun was close to setting, and the wedding had begun. They headed to the plaza, where the wedding was being held. Hiccup started to advance, but Firecracker flew ahead and stopped him. "Hiccup, wait! You wanna do this right, don't'cha?" Hiccup sighed in frustration. "What are you talking about?" "There's a line that you have to wait for," Firecracker said, "The preacher's gonna say 'speak now or forever hold your peace,' and that's when you can say 'I object!'"

Hiccup sighed again. "Look, I don't have time for this!" He tried to push past Firecracker, but the little dragon blocked him. "Hey, wait a second, hold on! Now look, you love this girl, don't you?"

"Yes."

"You want to tell her that?"

"Yes!"

"You wanna be there for her?"

"YES!"

"Then you gotta do things right!" Firecracker shouted. "He has a point," Heather said, walking up form behind her brother, "It could be what you need to do to make a good impression." Hiccup was really frustrated now. "Okay, okay, okay! When does the preacher say the line?!" Heather and Firecracker looked at each other for a second before the dragon came up with a solution.

"We gotta check it out!"

With that, Firecracker poked his head around the corner of a house, and looked into the plaza. "What do you see?" Hiccup whispered. "The whole village is there," Firecracker said. He looked again. "They're in the alter." He watched for a minute before gasping. "Oh, Dragonfeathers! He already said it!" The two Halflings gasped. Heather put her hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Forget good impressions, go get your girl!" Hiccup didn't need to be told twice. He spread his wings and flew out into the open.

"I object!"

Everyone's attention was now on the Halfling as he flew toward the alter. Astrid and Snotlout were there, along with Fishlegs, who was serving as the preacher under Snotlout's command. Astrid's eyes widened when she saw the Halfling. "Hiccup?" Fishlegs nervously backed away. Snotlout grunted. "Now what does he want?!"

As he drew near the alter, Hiccup dropped to the ground, walking the rest of the way. He turned to look at the crowd of Vikings, who were all standing up to get a good view of him. "I hate to interrupt," the Halfling said calmly, "But there's a few things that need to be taken care of." "What are you doing here?" Astrid asked, trying to sound like she didn't care about him. Snotlout grunted again. "It's rude enough being alive when no one likes you, but showing up, univited, to a wedding...!"

"Astrid!" Hiccup said suddenly, climbing the stairs to the alter, "Listen, I have to talk to you!" "Oh, now you want to talk?" Astrid said, still pretending she didn't care, "Well, it's a little late for that, so if you'll excuse me..." She started to turn back to Snotlout, but Hiccup stopped her. "But you can't marry him!" Astrid was relieved to hear him say that, but she pretended to be mad. "And why not?!" Hiccup hesitated. "Becuase...Because the only reason that he's marrying you is so that he can become the chief!" At the sound of this, there were murmurs amongst the other Vikings.

Snotlout was really mad now. "It's a lie!" He turned to Astrid. "My love, do not listen to him..." But Hiccup cut him off. "He's not your true love! He doesn't even love you!" It was true, Snotlout didn't love Astrid at all. But Astrid pretended not to listen. "Well, what do you know about true love?" This caused Hiccup to stutter, and his wings blushed a brighter red than ever before. Astrid's expression changed. She hadn't meant to hurt him.

Just then, Snotlout started laughing. "Oh, this is just too priceless! The Halfling has fallen in love with the chief's daughter!" He continued laughing, shooting a glare at his servents, who started laughing nervously at his command. The crowd of Vikings continued to murmur insults about Snotlout and his personality. There weren't too many people laughing, but it was enough to make Hiccup embarrassed.

Astrid took a step toward the Halfling. "Hiccup, is it true?" Hiccup looked at her, and was about to answer when Snotlout cut in. "Who cares?! It'd never work out!" He then turned back to Astrid and took her hand. "Astrid, we're only a kiss away from a happy future together, now kiss me!"

But Astrid didn't move. She looked at Hiccup, who shook his head, silently begging her not to do it. Astrid turned to Snotlout with an angry expression. "No," she said firmly. Snotlout looked at her in shock. Astrid wretched her hand out of the rude Viking's grasp, then reached up and took off her flower crown, tossing it aside along with the bouquet. "Hiccup's right. I can't marry you. You don't love me. You're a rude creep who cares about nothing but himself!" She then looked at the now setting sun. "It'd never work out," she said. She then turned to Hiccup. "There's something that you need to see," she said to him. She then turned walked toward the other end of the alter. "There's something you all need to see," she said for everyone to hear.

Hiccup started after her, but stopped when she turned to face them. She closed her eyes as the sun sank on the horizon. It was then that she began to change. Lines appeared on her skin, zigzaging into each other, forming scales. Her skin turned a light blue, and her fingernails grew into claws. When it seemed that it was over, a pair of blue, scaley wings burst out of her back. She was a Halfling again.

Many of the Vikings gasped, even a woman in the crowd fainted. Astrid opened her eyes and looked at Hiccup. The male Halfling was surprised to say in the least. He suddenly understood what she had been hiding from him all that time and why. He cautiously took a step forward. "Astrid?" When she didn't respond, he walked up to her. She watched him approach, her eyes never leaving him. He stopped when he was only a few inches away from her. Astrid sighed. "I wanted to show you before," she said, "I'm sorry, Hiccup. I never wanted to offend you in any way." Hiccup now understood what Astrid had meant. "You were talking about yourself, weren't you?" Astrid nodded. Hiccup gave her a small smile. "You know, even as a Halfling, you're still beautiful." Astrid's eyes widened. "Really?" Hiccup nodded. Astrid smiled at him.

The moment was ruined when Snotlout suddenly shouted, "It's a monster!" Both Astrid and Hiccup turned to look at him. Snotlout called for his servents. "I order you to get them both out of my sight, NOW!" All of the servents rushed forward, and tried to grab the Halflings. Hiccup tried to keep them from grabbing Astrid, but he was overpowered by their numbers. Soon, both of the Halflings were being held onto. "I declare that this marriage is binding, and that means that I'm the chief!" Snotlout shouted. He then pointed at Hiccup. "And as the chief, I banish all of his kind off the face of these islands!" He then turned to Astrid. "And as for you, my wife," He drew out his sword and pointed it at her neck, "I will have you sent back to that island for the rest of you days!"

Hiccup pulled his arm free of the servents, and whistled loudly. A dark shadow covered tha area, but Snotlout barely noticed. "I will have perfection! I will have order! I will have...!" A loud roar split the air as the Red Death landed behind the alter, leaned down, and swallowed Snotlout in one gulp.

That was his last monologue.

Heather and Firecracker were on top of the Red Death's head, looking down at everyone. "Alright, nobody move!" Heather shouted, "We have a mad dragon here, and we're not afraid to use it!" The Red Death roared again, louder this time. Hiccup and Astrid stared up at Heather in amazement. "Don't worry," the Halfling replied, "Turns out, all the Dragon Queen here needed was a friend or two." She patted the dragon, who crooned.

Arter then stood up in the crowd. "Release my daughter and the Halfling at once!" he ordered. The servents, now without their master, let go of the two Halflings. Now free from their restraints, the two Halflings hugged each other tightly. After a minute, they both pulled out of the embrace.

"Astrid, remember when you said 'Who could love a Halfling?'" Hiccup asked, taking her hands in his own. Astrid shrugged. "Yeah, why?" Hiccup smiled at her. "I think the question you should be asking is 'Who could love me while I'm a Halfling?'" he said. Astrid was a bit confused. "Who could love me while I'm a Halfling?" she asked. Hiccup's smiled widened as he answered her question.

"Me."

Astrid's eyes widened at what she heard. "Hiccup, are you saying that...?" "Yes, Astrid," Hiccup replied. He paused for a few seconds before he said what he had been wanting to tell her since the day before.

"I love you."

Astrid was both surprised and overjoyed. Hiccup had just said the three words that she had been hoping to hear. She had thought that he loved her, but she had to know for sure. "Really?" she asked. Hiccup squeezed her hands. "With all my heart," he said. Astrid smiled, and put her hands on his shoulders. "I love you too," she said. Hiccup felt a sudden warmth spread throughout his entire body. "Really?" he asked. Astrid's smile widened. "With all my heart." The two of them smiled at each other. They had both confessed their feelings at last. They both leaned in until they met in a gentle, loving kiss.

The kiss was spreading feelings that neither of them had ever felt before. Their hearts warmed, and the warmth spread throughout their bodies. They both deepened the kiss, and Hiccup enveloped her in his wings. As they kissed, Astrid's dragon features altered. The skin of her wings became thicker and stronger, her scales hardened slightly, and her claws grew sharper. She barely noticed as she relaxed into the kiss that they were sharing.

When they finally pulled away, Hiccup looked at Astrid and noticed her slightly altered features. "Astrid, are you okay?" Now noticing the changes, Astrid looked at her claws. "Yeah, but...I don't understand. I thought that I would be normal." Hiccup sighed, smiling at her. "I think you're already normal," he said. Astrid looked up at him. "What do you mean?" Hiccup's smile widened as he took her hand in his own. "Maybe you were meant to be a Halfling all along," he said, "Maybe we were really meant to be. I think...this might be the real you." Astrid then smiled at him, her wings blushing a light red.

Hiccup noticed her wings and his smile widened. "Your wings are turning red." Astrid looked behind herself to see that he was right. "That's something I thought I'd never hear anyone say to me," she admitted. The two Halflings smiled at one another before they pulled each other into a tight hug. They were together at last.

"Astrid," Hiccup said suddenly, "I know that it's only been at least a minute after our first kiss, but since we're both Halflings, and we both love each other I was wondering if maybe you would...be my mate." Astrid smiled and tightened the hug. "I'd love to."

Arter watched the two of them, and an idea suddenly came to him. "Perhaps this could work," he said to himself.

Five years later, all three Halflings and Firecracker were all living in a house built for them on the very edge of the forest, overlooking the village. Because he was Astrid's mate, Hiccup was now officially next in line to be chief. But he didn't mind. He was with his true love, and that was all that mattered.

He was looking out the window when he felt a small tug on his leg. He looked down to see a small, green, male Halfling gripping his leg. "C'mon, daddy, you said you'd play with me!" the little Halfling complained. Hiccup laughed, reaching down and taking his son in his arms. "Alright, just a minute." He looked over at Astrid and the others, who were with two more young Halflings. Astrid looked up and smiled at her mate. He smiled back at her as she stood up and walked toward him.

Realizing what his parents might do, the little Halfling covered his eyes, and peeked through his fingers. Sure enough, the two Halflings leaned in and kissed. Their son watched them with wide eyes. It wasn't the first time they'd done that in front of him, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

The two Halflings pulled away, and looked into each other's eyes. "Are you up for a flight later?" Hiccup asked. Astrid smiled at him. "You know I am." Hiccup smiled at her, his heart full of love.

"I love you, Astrid."

"I love you too, Hiccup."

Yes! They finally got together, and they even had kids! Please review and tell me what you thought of this story!