15: Silence.

15: Silence.

Berk was never silent, even at night.

Sometimes Hiccup would just lie there, awake, listening to all the noises that came hidden with the darkness over the island.

Snoring was one of them. Vikings had a habit of snoring, and so did dragons, it seemed.

Even Toothless gave out little snorts every now and then as he lay curled up, tail and wings twitching.

There was the sound of the sea, softly washing up and down on the shore. In the daytime it could never be heard in the village over all the chatter, but at night it was easy to hear the comforting sound whilst lying in bed.

There was also the sound of the rain; Berk was wet quite a few months of the year, so it wasn't uncommon to hear the pitter-pattering of rain outside as the sky emptied it's buckets.

But there was one noise that Hiccup always ended up listening to, more than anything else.

Astrid always slept by his side now, curled up and snuggled against him, both of them keeping each other warm through the cold nights. And when he couldn't sleep, he'd listen to her. Her whole body was like a lullaby to him, soothing and reminding of him that the love she so willingly gave to him everyday.

Her breath, tickling his cheek if she was close, or creating little breezes that blew her hair out of her face.

The quiet murmurs she sometimes uttered as she dreamed; a lot of the time it was his name, and it always made him smile with happiness whenever he heard that she was on his mind even whilst she was sleeping.

And then there was her heartbeat. It reminded him that she was oh, so so alive. And it also made him think about how she'd given her heart to him, and how he'd given his heart back to her.

So, whilst all of Berk slept through the noises of the night, Hiccup lay and listened to his beloved's lullaby before sinking back into a sleep full of content dreams, just about her.