A/N: This was inspired by the story "Restricted" by the FFNET author minichurros123

X

Hearing wings, Hiccup looked up with a smile. "Hey Astrid."

Sliding off of Stormfly, Astrid turned with a smile as she laughed. "Hey Hiccup."

Going to her, Hiccup put an arm around her waist and pulled her to him as he kissed her. A moment later, he pulled his lips from hers but didn't let her go. "I am glad that you could make it. There is something I want to show you."

Blinking as she sighed, Astrid already felt horrible about this, and he was going to make it worse. "What is that Hiccup? Because I have something that I need to tell you."

Laughing as he took her hand and lead her down the small trail, Hiccup smiled. "Come on I will show you."

With each step that they took, Astrid felt worse and worse about what was going to happen when she told him. She just flat didn't know how to stop it. Even the argument that she was in love with him, her parents then told her she had a choice. Do it, or she would be disowned and never be allowed to have anything to do with her new little sister. She couldn't let that happen.

"Look up Astrid."

Looking up as she blinked, Astrid gasped. As her eyes went wide. He had dug out a fire pit and seats into the sand with candles. It would have been perfect if not for what she had to tell him. "Oh Hiccup. You really shouldn't have done this."

With a laugh, Hiccup lead her to the dug out seats. "I wanted too. After the fight with Drago, we haven't really had much time to spend with each other. So I figured we would play hooky tomorrow and stay here tonight." Looking over at Toothless and Stormfly, he laughed. "They are already enjoying themselves."

Dropping her head as she sat down with him, Astrid felt her heart break even more as he put his arm around her waist. "Yeah."

A wave to Stormfly who came over silently, Hiccup reached in his pocket and pulled out the ring that his mother had given him so that he could ask her to marry him, and placed it on one of her teeth. They have been together for five years now, and he was going to be handed the title of chief soon so that he and his mother could spend more time together to make up for the years that they lost. It was time. For them to take their relationship to the next step.

Keeping her head down, Astrid had her eyes closed as she fought back the tears that she had forming in her eyes. Normally with what was going on right now, she would have felt warm, safe and at peace. But with what she was getting ready to tell him, she felt cold as ice. 'This is going to be so hard to do after this. He did all of this, and now after five years I have to break his heart.'

"Astrid. I know this isn't normally how it is done. But I can't do it the normal way you know that. So I did it this way. Right Stormfly."

Blinking as she looked up to find her dragon's teeth in her face, she gasped to see the most beautiful ring she had ever seen in her life on her tooth. "Oh Hiccup…."

Reaching out Hiccup took the ring from Stormfly as he turned to Astrid taking her her hand as she turned her teary blue eyes to his. "Mom gave it to me for this. I know we have talked about getting married. But I wanted to officially ask you now. Astrid Hoffsteder will you do me the great honor and marry me and become my wife?" He then started to put the ring on her finger, confident that she was going to say yes.

Looking down as Hiccup started to slide the ring on her finger, Astrid pulled her hand back and looked up at his now confused eyes. "Hiccup before you keep going with this I really need to tell you what I have to say."

Half laughing, Hiccup just looked at her with a curious and confused look. He thought she would be ecstatic about this. "You can't answer me first?"

Tears spilling from her eyes, Astrid just shook her head. "Hiccup I can't."

His heart racing, Hiccup took a few deep breaths. He didn't expect that. "You can't answer?"

Pulling her hands fully away from his, Astrid turned her back to him as she stood up and crossed her arms. "I can't marry you Hiccup. I love you, I will always love you and want to see you happy. But it can't be with me."

Seeing her getting ready to run, Hiccup reached out and grabbed her hand so she couldn't run. "What are you talking about Astrid? You want me to be happy but it can't be with you? Why not?"

"It is complicated Hiccup. I am sorry Hiccup, just please don't make this harder on either of us than it has to be." She tried to pull her hand free but he wouldn't let go. 'Oh please just stop it. I can't look at you right now or I am going to lose it.'

Turning her to look at him full, Hiccup held both hands as he looked at her. "You stand there and tell me that you can't marry me, tell me you love me and then think I am just going to let you walk away? I need a better explanation than that Astrid." When all she did was jerk away from him, he was breathing hard as he felt tears starting to form in his eyes.

Once he was not holding her, Astrid turned her back to him again as she dropped her head but couldn't stop her tears. "I want to be with you Hiccup. I would love to become your wife and have a family together. But there is a contract that my paretns signed when I was little that is coming back to bite them. If I try to get out of it, I will be disowned and never be able to see my sister again."

Trying to hold his own tears at bay, Hiccup felt like his heart was just shredded. "What contract?"

Wiping her tears away with a shaky hand, Astrid sighed. "When I was still an infant, I was promised to someone else. I was betrothed to someone on the condition that once we are married he moves to Berk. They hoped his father would have forgotten but he didn't and he is coming to call in on it. I can't do anything about it."

Moving to stand in front of her, Hiccup grabbed her shoulders. He wasn't about to let this just happen without a fight. Not after five years. "Astrid in a matter of months I will be Chief of Berk. If I don't want someone to stay there I can kick him out. My dad would now. If he can't be here then you don't have to do it."

"Hiccup!" Not realizing she yelled until after he flinched and let go of her, Astrid sighed as she dropped her head and covered her mouth. "I told my mom that I am going to honor the contract. By now my parents are already talking to yours and letting them know that I am telling you. My dad says it is an honor thing and I don't want to lose my whole family because of it."

Not stopping his tears from falling, Hiccup took a step back as he took a few deep breaths. "So you aren't even going to fight for this? You are set on it? Throwing way six years for someone you don't know."

Dropping her head even more as she choked on a sob, Astrid hid her face. "I have to do this Hiccup. If I don't I won't be able to have anything to do with my family. Including my sister again. I can't help it."

"I see then. I understand now." Dropping his head he turned and lifted a bucket of water and put the fire out. "I guess I should have let you go first then." He then looked at the ring and shoved it in his pocket as he jumped out and headed for Toothless. "I hope you are happy with him Astrid. I really do."

Lookin gup just as he got on Toothless, Astrid took a step. "Hiccup!" When he only stopped, she fell to her knees. "I am sorry. I am."

As tears dripped onto Toohless's saddle, Hiccup took a deep breath. He then gave her a nod. "So am I." And then he shot into the air. Six years. Six! And now when he was going to become chief and actually embrace it, he thought that they could take their relationship to the next level. And she dropped that on him!

He was pulled from his thoughts when Toothless grumbled at him. Sliding off he dropped his head as he headed for the door. "Come on bud. Let's go inside." Once he walked in he didn't even look up. Her parents were still there. He just turned and went up the steps straight for his room. He wasn't even going to try and talk to them about it.

Keeping his glare on the Hoffsteders, Stoic felt his wife put her hand in his. "You really want to do this? I can deny to allow you to do the contract. I would gather your daughter is in the same state or worse."

With a sigh, Astrid's father turned to Stoic and dropped his head. "It is hard to explain Stoic. But we can't. I am sorry."

With a sigh as he turned from them, Stoic closed his own eyes. "Then you can leave now."

Nodding, both left their chief's home and headed for theirs. Both their hearts breaking to see Astrid running from the barn into the house with red eyes as she cried. But they couldn't just back out of it.

X

Going up to her son's room, Valka sighed to see him sitting in his window. No doubt he was staring at Astrid's house. "Hiccup…."

Without even looking at his mom, Hiccup kept his house glued to the window that was now dark he knew was Astrid's. "I really don't want to talk about it mom. I know you are worried but I will be fine in time. I was rejected by everyone for fifteen years. I will be alright in time with this."

Going to her son, Valka hugged him from the side, and let her own eyes mist with tears as she felt his fall on her arm. "If you need someone to talk to. Your father and I are here to listen. I love you son."

"I love you mom." Once he heard the door shut, he slid down to the floor and dropped his head as he cried. He just couldn't believe that six years together and she was throwing it away like this. Just when his life was great. His mother was home, his father respected who he was. The village loved him. And he had the girl of his dreams. Then in one instant it all shatters.

Feeling a nose on his head he turned and leaned his head on Toohless's head and took a deep breath. "So how are we going to get over them Toothless. I never thought that this would happen. I don't know what to do."

But before the dragon could react, both jerked up when a huge bird flew in his window, hit a beam and then fall to the floor. Wiping his eyes, Hiccup looked at it odd as he slowly moved toward it. "What is that thing doing here?"

When the bird flew up to land on a post of its bed he noticed that it had a scroll tied to its foot. "A messenger bird?" Reaching out he took the note and then watched as it flew to perch on a rafter in the ceiling. Looking back down at the note he opened, his eyes went wide when he read it. "This is bad. But we need it. Come on bud."

Rushing from his room, he nearly crashed into his father at the bottom of the steps. "Dad….."

His eyes going past his son to look up, Stoic blinked. "What was that noise son?"

Handing his dad the note, Hiccup blinked. "A huge falcon messenger bird."

Taking the note, Stoic moved to stand by the fire to read it. When he read it, his eyes popped clear out of his head to see who it was from. But as he read it all, they got even wider with each word.

"Stoic,

I need yer help. I know ya have tamed dragons and ride them and train them. Please send me yer best dragon and rider fer a spell. I need them to help me find me daughter Merida. Someone had a dragon and took her! Please I need yer help!

Fergus"

Giving him an odd look, Valka blinked as she moved to his side. "What is it Stoic? You look so serious all of the sudden."

Not even looking at his wife, Stoic turned to Hiccup with a sigh. "You?"

Nodding Hiccup took a deep breath. "Please dad. You know I need this right now."

With a nod as he sighed, Stoic took a deep breath. "Then go pack your things and get some sleep. You will leave at dawn. Hold your hand up and say come and the bird will come to you. Bring it here. And I want you to think on a dragon to take with you other than Toothless."

Nodding, Hiccup turned and headed back up the steps. "Right dad. Thank you."

Turning to his wife's frantic eyes, Stoic sighed. "You remember Fergus and Eleanor right?"

"I do. We used to trade with them until the dragons made going by ship impossible." Then she gasped as her eyes went wide, Valka put a hand to her chest. "What happened to them?"

Shaking his head, Stoic looked back at the note. "Not them. Someone there with a dragon kidnapped her. They are asking for our help to get her back."

Looking up as Hiccup brought the hawk down, Valka sighed as she turned back to her husband. "I want him to take….."

Shaking his head as he sighed, but gave her a stern look. "Val. We need him to be comfortable working with the dragon he takes with him. He will chose the dragon."

With a sigh as she nodded, Valka leaned in his arms as a few tears escaped her eyes. "I gave him the ring that you used to ask me to marry you. He was telling me this morning how perfect his life was right now. He had Toothless. We were a family again, and he had a woman he would love forever. And then…."

Rubbing her back, Stoic sighed as they both looked up to hear Hiccup moving around as he got his things together to leave. "He is strong Val. He will work his way through this. You will see."