Just a Drabble and some fluff in the end

Astrid sat in the living room of her and Hiccup's home, their daughter, Zephyr, on her lap, asleep against her chest. She hummed softly (it always put her to sleep), brushing her hand through the small girl's auburn locks.

The young Haddock had only turned two just yesterday and was still exhausted from the huge party the Berkians had thrown the future Chieftess. It was held in the Great Hall- music, food, and gifts, everything a little girl could hope for. Although Astrid thought it was a bit much for just a toddler. Zephyr seemed to adore the attention though.

Zephyr shifted her head so the right side of her face pressed against Astrid's collar bone. Astrid softly smiled and pulled the furs tighter around her daughter, not wanting her to be cold while she slept. She twirled a small strand of hair around her pointer finger, still humming a soft tune that was all quite familiar to the Haddocks.

The fire crackled and cast an orange glow across the living room, keeping it warm. The sound of the wood cracking and burning, the warmth of the fire, and the rush of wind outside was enough to put Astrid to sleep, but she stayed awake, awaiting for her husband to return from his chiefting duties.

She glanced behind her, out the window, and watched as fellow villagers scurried around the village, talking among themselves or shopping to provide for her family. Astrid shook her head, mentally reminding herself that it actually wasn't that late, the moon was still high in the sky.

Since having a child of her own, Astrid had been turning in earlier. She sometimes forgot about how late Berkians usually stayed up. So, on nights like this, when she'd look outside and find half the villagers still up and about, she couldn't help but feel shocked and a bit wistful.

Astrid would never trade the life she had now for anything but once in a while, she missed the life she had before. The days where she could be a care free viking and ride her dragon throughout the night whenever she pleased. But she couldn't anymore. One, because the dragons no longer lived on the Isle of Berk and two, because she was a mother.

But when Zephyr, her little girl, would sigh or mumble her name (well, Astrid's name in her mind), all those thoughts washed away and an overwhelming rush of love for her family filled her body.

Zephyr was such a sweet girl unlike some of the children her age in New Berk. Astrid had been appalled when she and Zephyr were walking around the village a couple months ago, and heard a young girl not much older than Zephyr, already sasing her mom.

Not that Zephyr didn't have an attitude, she did when she wanted one, but it wasn't bad. There were days or nights when Zephyr would throw a small tantrum because she didn't want to go down for a nap or go to sleep, but that was normal for her age.

But a toddler threatening their mother because she couldn't get a stuffed dragon since it was too expensive was uncalled for. Astrid thanked every god and goddess there ever was that Zephyr wasn't like that. She didn't know what she wouldn't do if she was that other mother.

Although, sometimes it was the parenting that led the child to think that speaking like that was okay, and other villagers, when they heard the young viking, laughed while Astrid just gaped at the mother.

Which caused vikings and other mothers to dislike Astrid just a tad bit more. She'd hear them muttering among each other- during dinner in the Meade Hall- how fearless Astrid Hofferson (now Haddock) was one of the most gentle mothers in New Berk. And some people didn't like that.

They wanted the future Chieftess of New Berk (there was quite an argument about that but Hiccup had won them over) to be a strong warrior, not a softy who was scared of everything. That was what some of the Berkians thought Astrid was teaching Zephyr to be.

But that was not at all that. She hardly even knew herself how Zephyr was going to be like when she's older. She did know, however, that she was going to make a great Chieftess. How were you supposed to teach a two year old how to be a fearless warrior if she can't even go outside by themselves? Astrid just thought it was too early.

And maybe it was the maternal instincts- not wanting her daughter to face any source of danger anytime soon. But, they were vikings and it was an occupation hazard, she knew that but it didn't stop her from trying to beat around the bush. 

Other mothers had already allowed their two year olds to start wielding weapons whereas Astrid was not for that idea. What if they tripped and fell with their sword toward them? Or drop their axe on their feet? As much as she loved Hiccup, she didn't want Zephyr to have missing legs like her father. Especially at two years old. Astrid and Hiccup both decided that four years old was a good age to start teaching her to have a weapon.

Astrid won't hesitate that she's a bit protective, just like everyone tells her. Gobber often laughs at her for it, she's a viking, lassy, loosen up a bit. She would just return the laugh and settle down but the anxiousness would never go away.

The first few months of being a mother, Astrid hated how protective she was over little Zephyr. She'd be hesitant to leave her in the living room alone when there was a fire in the fire pit even though she couldn't even crawl, much less roll over. But soon she started to understand that it was just part of being a mother.

Maybe she hated the maternal feelings because of how she was raised, her first axe was given to her as a baby and half the time she was left to fend for herself. So in a way, she was giving Zephyr the love and comfort of a mother that Astrid never got, even though she did have a mom.

Sometimes it scared her how much she loved Zephyr and how right it felt being a mom. More than a few years ago, she would have laughed at the thought of becoming a mother. She never believed she could care and protect a little human because of her hard dominar.

When she found out she was pregnant with Zephyr, a year after her and Hiccup's wedding, she was not happy, at all. She had a full on tantrum when she got home from Gothi's which she was quite embarrassed about. Astrid remembered storming through the door, brushing coldly passed Hiccup, and heading up to their room where she fell on the bed and cried.

And it was all because she thought she couldn't raise a child... and maybe because she didn't want to start wearing dresses all the time when she started showing.

The sad thing? Some people also didn't think she could because of her past. When her baby bump started to show, that's when people started to talk, and they believed she wouldn't be able to produce an heir for the throne.

Astrid snorted, still rubbing Zephyr's back up and down. As if that's all Hiccup and she cared about: producing an heir. No, they weren't like other vikings. They wanted a child because they wanted a child, not because of an heir.

Nine months after she found out she was with child, Zephyr was brought into their lives. Hiccup was ecstatic that he had a daughter but Astrid couldn't help but be slightly disappointed in herself. All the chief's wives before her had birthed a male to be the next chief but no, Astrid had to give birth to a beautiful baby girl.

Hiccup had reassured her plenty of times that everything would be okay, and with a heated and angry talk with the council, the law was changed: a girl could be an heir. After that, Astrid felt a weight lifted off her shoulders.

Since then, all she'd been worrying about is keeping her daughter alive. Though it was very unlikely, New Berk could be attacked by enemy tribes any day and they'd go for the chief and his family. So, she made sure her skills with an axe never faded, practicing any time she got.

And she didn't want to kill her daughter with her terrible cooking so she had asked Valka for an old cooking book of Stoick's (that chief could cook). Hiccup could too but since he was chief and rarely home during the day, she was left doing the cooking, not that she minded.

Another thing most villagers disapproved of, her ability to do house work. Everyone knew Astrid was more tomboyish than she let on, preferring to duel instead of cook, sharpen her axe instead of sewing, and beat up Snotlout instead of cleaning. They didn't like that but Astrid had her ways of getting things done: Hiccup helped her learn how to cook during her pregnancy (she still wasn't the best but it was tolerable), Valka taught her how to sew, and she could clean pretty well when she was motivated.

But sometimes she got out of housework when she needed a break. Astrid would just drop Zephyr off at Valka's (the woman never minded) for the day while she went chiefting with Hiccup. Though she didn't love being away from her girl for long periods of time. She was also quite clingy.

Other than the downsides, Astrid thought she was rocking it at being a mom. Her daughter ate her cooking, sat quietly with her toys while she cleaned and sewed, never fought when it was bath time, and loved to listen to her mother's voice. Though, maybe that was just the bright side of having an awesome daughter.

She had no idea how she got so lucky. Having Hiccup as a husband was one thing (she was very thankful), he was loving and caring, always putting his family before himself. But having Zephyr was another thing, it changed her life forever in the best way possible. She loved that little girl with everything she had and she was pretty sure the feeling was mutual.

Astrid was broken out of her train of thought when Zephyr squirmed in her lap. Lifting her head off her chest,  her ocean blue eyes gazing into Astrid's identical ones. "Momma," She muttered with a small smile, a small hand coming up to tug on a loose strand of Astrid's hair.

"Hey, little one," Astrid replied just as softly. "You should still be sleeping."

"Me no tired," Zephyr mumbled, pouting.

"Ugh, why are you so cute?" Astrid tapped her small nose with her index finger. The little girl giggled, swatting her mother's hand away. "I'm guessing you're not going to sleep?"

"Nope!" Zephyr exclaimed.

Astrid smiled. "Do you want a story?" She knew Zephyr loved stories, she'd get entranced with Astrid's scratchy voice, it calmed her for some reason. "About the dragons?"

Zephyr's eyes widened and she nodded. "Story!"

"Okay." Astrid moved Zephyr off her lap and onto the couch, laying the furs over her lap. She stood and walked across the living room, her bare feet hitting against the warm ground, and picked up a couple of Zephyr's wooden carved dragon toys. "Can I use these?"

"Yes, Momma," Zephyr replied.

"Thank you." Astrid sat down in front of Zephyr, on the ground, happy that she was only wearing her blue shirt and blue leggings ( she wore in the war with drago). She was slightly surprised when she put them on to find they still fit. She crossed her legs and brushed her long blonde hair- it was out of its usual braids- off her shoulder. "What story?"

Zephyr clapped her hands. "Daddy!"

"Daddy and Toothless?" Astrid asked and Zephyr nodded. She smiled and grabbed the Nightfury toy off the floor, holding it up. "This is a Nightfury, offspring of lightning and death itself! It's the rarest, fastest, and most dangerous of all dragons! Never go near this dragon. Your only chance: hide and pray it does not find you."

"Woah," Zephyr breathed, leaning in closer.

Astrid nodded in agreement. "It's speed was unknown. Do you know what unknown means?" Zephyr shook her head. "It means no one knows."

"Oh," Zephyr replied.

"Its size was unknown," Astrid continued. "That is, until your Daddy came across one."

Zephyr gasped.

"When vikings and dragons were still at war, your dad, Hiccup, shot down a Nightfury. The next day, he went to kill it and bring the heart to his father," Astrid spoke carefully, not wanting to spook Zephyr. "But, when he looked into the dragon's eyes, he saw himself, and freed it."

"Yay!" Zephyr clapped.

Astrid laughed quietly. "The dragon wasn't very nice at first, he was scared and didn't like Daddy very much. But, after earning his trust, they became best friends."

"Toothless!" Zephyr said.

"That's right, Daddy named him Toothless." Astrid grinned at her daughter. "Now, the rest of Berk didn't know about Daddy being friends with Toothless so he had to keep it a secret. But when he got himself in danger trying to train a monstrous nightmare in the arena, Toothless came and saved him."

Zephyr widened her eyes. "Saved Daddy? I 'ike Toothless."

Astrid's heart swarmed with love. "Me too, Zeph. Anyway, after Toothless saved Daddy, vikings grabbed him and tied him up so he could lead them to the dragons nest."

"Fly?" Zephyr scrunched her eyebrows.

"Oh!" Astrid exclaimed. "Yes, Daddy did fly on Toothless, and he took me on a flight too. But after that, Hiccup taught all of us- your Uncle Fishlegs, Uncle Tuff, Uncle Snotlout, Aunt Ruff, and Momma to train and ride dragons so we could go save Toothless."

Zephyr smiled. "Momma."

"Yup. Then, we battled the red death and won! After that, Berk and dragons lived in peace," Astrid finished. "Did you like that story?"

"Another one," Zephyr said. "Pease?"

Astrid pursed her lips. "I don't know, honey. It's getting late." Zephyr pouted. "Okay, okay, fine. I hate when you do that, I can't resist you!" She giggled. "Okay, what story?"

"Stormfly," Zephyr replied and pointed across the room to the wall where a tapestry of Stormfly hung.

"Alright." Astrid set the Nightfury toy down and grabbed the Naddar, holding it up so Zephyr could see it clearly. "This is a deadly nadder, a tracking class dragon. It can track things by smelling things."

Zephyr clapped her hands. "Cool!"

"The naddar is also dangerous, dressed with raisor sharp spikes." Astrid poked Zephyr's stomach with her index finger. The young Haddock laughed. "They breathe extremely hot fire that can melt stone and metal quickly."

"Fire." Zephyr pointed at the fire pit.

Astrid nodded. "Yes, but hotter. Now, I had a nadder, as you know, her name was Stormfly. She was my favorite girl." Zephyr jutted out her bottom lip. "After you, beautiful." Zephyr smiled. "She was blue with colorful scales and one of the most heartfelt dragons I've ever met."

"Like that." Zephyr pointed at the tapestry again.

"Exactly like that." Astrid smiled sadly. "She was one of my best friends and we were a great team. We fought off bad guys together!"

"Wow!" Zephyr exclaimed, hopping off the couch.

Astrid smiled. "We became friends when Daddy taught me how to train it. Hopefully, someday, you'll be able to meet her and Toothless."

"I want to!" Zephyr exclaimed.

"Good!" Astrid told her in the same tone. "Now, my little naddar, you should run before the big old dragon trapper gets you!" She stood and got ready to chase her daughter around the room.

Zephyr squealed and ran around the living room, Astrid not far behind her. She caught up to her daughter, wrapped her arms around her, and lifted her up into her arms, kissing her cheek multiple times. "Mommy!" She squirmed away from Astrid and pushed her shoulder.

Astrid gasped and fell gently onto the ground, laying down, exclaiming, "You got me!"

"I got you!" Zephyr repeated and climbed up onto Astrid, sitting on her stomach.

"You sure did," Astrid said, pinching Zephyr's soft cheek lightly, careful not to hurt her.

The door suddenly opened and both girls froze, staring at each other with wide eyes. Without looking, they both knew who it was because of the familiar step, click, step, click.

"Daddy," Zephyr whispered to Astrid, causing her to laugh quietly.

The step click got louder as he entered the living room, laughing quietly. "What's going on here?" Hiccup asked, finding his wife laying on the floor with their daughter on top of her.

Astrid tilted her head back so she could see her husband. "Laying here?" She grunted as Zephyr slid off her, kneeing her in one of her ribs as she did so.

"I see that," Hiccup chuckled, catching Zephyr in his arms, and throwing her in the air before catching her again, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "How's my little dragon rider?"

"Good," Zephyr replied, setting her hands on either one of his cheeks. "Daddy and Toothless are friends!"

Hiccup cast a curious glance in Astrid's direction who was now standing, combing her fingers through her long blonde hair. She shrugged. "I told her the story."

"Momma told you stories?" Hiccup asked Zephyr who nodded in reply and rested her head on his shoulder. "Someone's sleepy."

"She was sleeping until about an hour ago." Astrid walked over to them, wrapping her arms around Hiccup's waist, leaning her head on his empty shoulder. "Then I told her stories and chased her around."

"Momma wore you out, huh?" He bounced Zephyr in his arms gently. She giggled. "Should I tuck you into bed?" She nodded against her shoulder. "Alright, lets go." He walked up the stairs, Astrid trailing behind him, and entered Zephyr's room.

Astrid lit a candle while he walked further into the room with Zephyr.

Zephyr squirmed out of his arms and ran over to her bed, climbing over the railing and dropping herself onto the mattress. "I'm in bed!"

"We just need to get her a new bed," Astrid told him. "She can climb into her crib."

"Yup," Hiccup agreed and leaned over the wooden bed. "Goodnight, sweetie."

"Night, Daddy! Night, Momma!" Zephyr smiled when both her parents leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Love you."

"Love you too, my little naddar," Astrid said, tucking the furs around her.

Hiccup smiled. "Love you too, Zeph. See you in the morning."

Blowing out the candle, Astrid followied Hiccup out of the room, closing the door behind them, and down the stairs. "Are you hungry? I could heat you up some stew."

"If it wouldn't be a problem," Hiccup said, sitting down on the couch.

"Not at all." Astrid gave him a small smile and placed the small cauldron back on the hook in the fireplace before sitting down beside him. She placed her legs over his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." He set one hand on her thigh, right above her knee, while the other was set on her waist, pulling her impossibly closer. "Sometimes I just wish I wasn't the chief."

Astrid pursed her lips. She wouldn't lie, somedays, she wished the same thing. If he wasn't, her and Zephyr could spend so much more time with him but that was selfish. She knew what the consequences were going to be when she agreed to be his wife. But some days she just thought about what it would be like if they were a normal family in New Berk.

Pushing the thoughts away, Astrid leaned in close and brushed her lips with his. "Hmmm, me too but it's alright. I still love you." She pressed her lips to his but pulled away abruptly when she heard the stew boiling. "Hold on." She stood and took the cauldon back into the kitchen, pouring some stew into a wooden bowl.

"Thank you, M'lady," Hiccup said as he sat down at the table, a bowl of stew placed in front of him. He took a bite, and for once, didn't flinch at the taste. "This is actually good."

Setting her hands on her hips, Astrid said, "What? My cooking usually isn't good?" She laughed at the look on his face. "I'm kidding. I got the recipe from Fishlegs and followed it carefully." She pursed her lips. "Sorry, I don't have bread, I burnt it."

Hiccup snorted. "Of course you did. It's alright, I'm good without bread." He stood and brought his empty bowl to the wash bin, gently setting it inside. "I'm tired, what about you?"

"I could sleep." Astrid went back to the living room to put out the fire before heading upstairs into their bedroom to find Hiccup already on the bed, taking off his armor. "You're speedy," She commented as she slid under the furs.

"Long day," Came his response as he took off his prosthetic leg, setting it beside the bed. After blowing out the candle, the room enveloping in darkness, he slipped underneath the covers beside his wife.

It was a known fact in the Haddock household that Astrid was the cuddly one. To prove that point, Astrid shifted closer to Hiccup and pressed her face into the crook of his neck, her arms wrapped around his waist. "Love you."

Hiccup didn't mind that she liked to cuddle in bed, he liked it too, but she hugged him like a Koala bear. Sometimes, it got hard to breathe. He wrapped his arms around her in return as her cold foot brushed up against his remaining leg. "Love you too." He kissed her hair before falling asleep.

Astrid laid there for a while, listening to the rhythmic beating to Hiccup's heart, reminding her that this was all real and not a dream. She feared that someday, she'd fall asleep and wake up to realize that none of this was real- that she wasn't married to Hiccup and she didn't have Zephyr.

But she knew, deep down, that this was real and hers forever. Something that wouldn't leave her willingly, only by the hands of the gods, which she prayed to that they lived a long and happy life together.

Kissing his cheek one last time that night, she let herself fall asleep.