Don't leave me

Chapter 22: Milady

Hiccup's POV

"Astrid?" I asked softly as I sat up in the bed, patting the side only to find it empty.

I furrowed my brows as I raised my voice. "Astrid?"

"Yes?" Her voice rang from downstairs. I climbed out of bed and went downstairs to find her and Toothless eating their breakfast.

Astrid pushed a bowl towards me. "I made you breakfast too"

I stared at the mixture in the bowl, a little surprised that Astrid had taken time out of her usually busy morning to make me breakfast. Then I was reminded of the quality of her cooking in general as the smell hit my nose.

"Wow, thank you" I tried to smile as I held back the urge to run outside and get some fresh air. I glanced over at Toothless, who was happily slurping down his fish, somehow unbothered by the smelly creation that sat on the table.

Astrid put away her bowl and made her way towards the door. "I suppose I'll see you tonight then"

I rushed over to her and took her hands in mine. "Why don't you stay? I decided to take some time off"

"Again? Why?" She raised a brow as she searched my eyes for a clue.

"Because you are very important to me and I'd like to spend some time with you" I smiled.

Her eyes shone as a smile appeared on her face as well.

***

"Where are you taking me?" Astrid asked, one hand covering her eyes and the other holding mine.

I moved a branch out of the way. "You'll see, now come on!"

We stumbled through the trees and over a few rocks before we finally reached our destination. Hand in hand as we reached a beautiful waterfall, hidden deep within the forests of Berk.

"You can open your eyes now" I told Astrid as I gave her hand a small squeeze. She let her hand fall and was in awe the second it landed by her hip.

"Wow, Hiccup, this is absolutely gorgeous! How did you even find this place?" Astrid asked me, eyes still glued to the noisy waterfall before us.

"I would say that it was a good mixture of flying with Toothless and exploring Berk on my own" I shrugged. "Do you like it?"

Her smile grew wider as she turned towards me. "You know I do"

We sat down on the grassy ground. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders as our heads leaned against one another and we both turned our gaze towards the waterfall, watching it carefully and drinking in the moment.

I glanced over at her and couldn't help but suck in my breath. Gods, was she gorgeous. Blonde hair shimmering in the sunlight, blue eyes reflecting the waterfall and pink lips bent up in a smile.  I wrapped my arm tighter around her shoulders.

"I love you, Astrid" I told her, unable to tear my gaze away from her. How had I even managed to end up with her?

She slowly turned towards me, her smile growing larger as our eyes locked onto one another. She brought her hand up to my face, her fingers tracing my jawline before they cupped my cheeks as Astrid pressed her lips against mine.

She ended the kiss with another gorgeous smile before she pushed me to the ground by pressing a hand on my chest. A small chuckle escaped her as she pecked my lips yet again, only to roll over beside me this time. She made her self comfortable in the pit of my arm, snuggling herself further into my shoulder as she closed her eyes.

I let my arm rest around her waist as I stroked her cheek, earning yet another smile from the most beautiful woman in the world, making me the happiest man on the planet.

It was at that moment that I was convinced, this was the woman that I was going to marry one day.

***

I blinked to find the sky much darker than it had been earlier. I let my gaze wander around me and found that I was far from my bed. I sighed as I was about to sit up, only to be weighed down by something on my arm. I glanced to my side only to find Astrid sleeping soundly on it, seeming more peaceful than I had ever seen her.

I let out a soft chuckle as I brushed the bangs out of her face. "Hey"

No response. I nudged her forehead with my nose before pressing a soft kiss onto it. "Babe, you gotta wake up"

Astrid's eyes slowly fluttered open, instantly shining as soon as our eyes met.

"Hey" She breathed, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Hey" I tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "You ready to go home? It's nighttime already and if we're not back soon, I'm worried they'll send a search party for us"

Astrid chuckled as she sat up and stretched her limbs. "I can't believe we actually fell asleep"

I snorted. "Neither can I, but when in good company I suppose"

Astrid rolled her eyes at me as she stood up. "I would punch you, but I believe sleeping on the ground is punishment enough"

"Anyway" She begun as she dusted off her skirt. "You ready to go back home?"

I stood up and took her hand in mine. "Whenever you are, milady"