A Promise To Keep

Finding Closure

Hiccup couldn't remember the last time he went out during sunset in Berk. He was so used to coping himself up in his room, avoiding himself of any human interaction as best as he could that the idea never crossed his mind. But now, as he walked down some unfamiliar streets, he wished he did before.

The sky above him was a mixture of orange, blue and purple, presented like a painting, with light purple clouds slowly gathering and the sun slowly setting behind the horizon. It was a calm and peaceful view, which was a feeling he hadn't felt for the past couple of weeks.

Hiccup continued walking down the street, which didn't have much residents walking by as well. As he did, his eyes kept on looking down at his hands, which was holding a small bouquet of flowers. Just looking at them made the pit of his stomach grow and he would even consider heading back home. But he knew he had been holding off on this visit for too long, so he pushed those feelings aside and pressed on.

The purple in the sky began to darken and with each step, he found himself taking deep breaths to calm his nerves as he reaches his destination. Eventually, after walking for about 10 minutes, he finally made it.

He was met with a large fenced area, being the size of an average common park, with a relatively large gate. The gate had a sign at the top in the shape of a curve. The sign read 'Berk Cemetery '.

Hiccup stared at the sign and took one long deep breath, trying to stop his body from shaking. The moment he managed to stop it shaking to an acceptable degree, he slowly walked up to the half-opened gate, opening it wider and entered the cemetery.

He walked down the path in front of him, walking between the two grassy lands covered with gravestones, both old and new. It made his heart race with each step he took, causing his breath to quicken, but he managed to take deep breaths to calm himself. As he continued deep into the cemetery, the number of gravestones start to decrease, revealing more green space and large trees. He then took a turn at a corner, and on that path, there are two gravestones lined.

One was very odd, with a few little chips of the stone missing and moss covering most of it. The one next to it was much newer. Hiccup walked up to the newer gravestone, standing right in front of it where he read the stone:

'Astrid Hofferson

2002 – 2019  Age: 16

Loving Daughter and Best Friend

Beloved by all who knew her

May her smile continue to shine above '

There was a framed picture of Astrid on the side of the stone, smiling brightly at the lens, with plenty of flowers accompanying the photo in front. Hiccup clenched the bouquet he had in his hands, forcing himself to not run off with emotion crawling into him. It was hard to believe that it had been two weeks since Astrid passed away, and all that time, he couldn't bring himself to visit her grave. But today, he told himself this would be the day. That he kept her waiting for too long.

"H-Hey... Astrid." His voice was quiet and shaky, but he managed to compose himself. He then stepped a little closer to the gravestone, gesturing to the flowers in his hands.

"I-I didn't know... what flowers to get... so I thought... daisies would be nice." The gust of wind was the only thing occupying the empty silence between him. He sighed before crouching down and placing the flowers along with the others.

"I'm sorry... I took this long. I-It's just..." He sighed deeply, choosing to sit on the ground. He could already feel his tears forming, which prompted him to rub his face quite aggressively, trying to calm himself before wrapping his arms around his propped-up legs.