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Hiccup sighed as he tried to make the weight of his bookbag feel more comfortable. College textbooks must weigh fifty pounds apiece! How did he not need physical therapy for all the back problems they caused him?
Not that he made light of physical therapy. After all, he'd gone through a lot when he was a teenager after losing his left leg. People get crazy injuries all the time. But how he became an amputee would take the cake.
Because for him, it was the second time he had lost that particular limb. Only this time, it is permanent. Like everyone who lived in Dragon City, Hiccup had been reincarnated after the Norse God Loki had wiped out his former Viking self, home of Berk and the rest of the Barbaric Archipelago.
The God of Mischief had had had serious beef with him and his little brother and sister. But, because of them, everyone in the Nine Realms had transformed themselves and reached enlightenment.
The Trickster never could forgive them for that or how they persuaded his only daughter Hel to give up being a goddess to become human and marry a friend of theirs.
Over a millennium later, he and everyone else who had been there at the time of their old home's destruction had been reborn. Furthermore, the Gods and Valkyries of Asgard had watched over all of them.
For years, the Haddocks had their own Valkyrie watching over them. Her name was Kara, and she was the first Valkyrie to relinquish her role as a reaper and become a guardian instead.
She'd watched over Hiccup's family for years with her brand-new powers and position. When he'd lost his leg the first time taking down the Red Death with his siblings, she'd used a one-time power to regenerate it before anyone knew it was gone.
The point was she couldn't save it a second time when Loki tried to murder him since it was a one-time power. Though she'd been supportive as a godmother should be and helped him get used to having only one leg.
Needing a rest, the college kid found a bench and sat down. He'd been in college for two years now. Everyone on campus said he was the brightest and sexiest boy on campus. He had the hottest girl in all of Dragon City wrapped around his arm.
He was thankful for Astrid being his girlfriend. However, since it has been challenging to get her to fall in love with him in both his lives, according to his mother, love was never easy, and she was right.
There was also no guarantee that they fall in love again and be together even in their second lives. Thus he was appreciative that they'd fallen in love a second time.
Taking out his smartphone, he sent a group text to his family to find out how they were doing. He waited for three minutes before he got a reply.
Boden's text said he'd just got an A+ on his physical science test and was going out later tonight to celebrate with his girlfriend, Asta Caxel. Una said she was at the library with Orus getting some new books to read.
He at least knew where his parents were already. His father was at City Hall in the part of the city called Dragon Edge, working with the other government leaders of Dragon City.
Their mother was with her best friend Frigha at the movie theater, watching a new movie release. The Haddock children were elated that Frigha hadn't suffered the same fate as she had in her first life.
In the old days, Frigha and their mother Valka had been best friends on Berk. But then, they'd been bullied and ostracized for being different. She hung herself on her sixteenth birthday, and their mother discovered her body. After that, she strongly resented all of Berk for the rest of her life, covering up for her friend being driven to kill herself.
It also explained why Valka was concerned about her children's mental health. Also, why she nearly kills him after he attempted to build a flight suit on the first Dragon Edge?
But things had improved in their new lives in Dragon City. He and his siblings saw their therapist weekly and took medications for various mental illnesses. So things were brighter on that front.
" Penny for your thoughts, love?" inquired a pretty voice snapping him out of his daydream. Standing over him in chic clothing was his girlfriend, Astrid.
"Hello, Astrid! How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough! I had to get away from Snotlout. You think he stops being such a jerk with Raven around, but nope he's still so obnoxious."
"Some things never change, and Snotlout is one of them. So how did you do on your test in advance calculus?"
"Pretty sure I passed. I study hard enough. What about you? What's been the highlight of your day?"
"I'm happy today is over, and we've had spring break in two weeks. It will be nice to have more time with my family."
"Well, neither of us lives on campus; we commute here daily. But I hear you. So what do you want to do for spring break? I heard most of our friends planned a trip to Cancun, Mexico.
I'd love to see Snotlout slapped in the face for trying to flirt in Spanish! That be so much fun to see!" laughed the blond bombshell.
"I don't plan to go partying in Mexico. I rather stay at home and spend time with my family."
"You never change, Hiccup. Family always comes first for you. But, you take your promise seriously regarding Boden and Una."
"How could I not? Haddocks keep their promises, and they are my whole reason for being. I'm nothing without them."
"I understand why they mean so much to you. You know my adopted brothers and sisters mean a lot to me. I'm still laughing about how you tricked us back on Berk into becoming older brothers and sisters to your mom's brunch club friends."
"Well, it worked twice, so be thankful for that."
"Believe me, I am. But, still, I want us to do something for spring break. Something fun. And if we ain't going to Mexico, I at least want some vacation."
"I'm sure I can think of something fun for us. Now we best hurry. We have two more hours of class and then must hurry to catch the train home."
"Oh, joy, more schoolwork!" They walked hand in hand to the main building.
When Hiccup got home that night, he was exhausted. College was draining. Not to mention it gave his prosthetic a lot of wear and tear. He took off his prosthetic so his limb could breathe.
"Man, I wish school was easier. And I wasn't so tired after school every day!" he moaned as he massaged his leg.
There was a knock on the front door, and he called out, "It's open, Kara! Come on in!"
The door opened, and soon Hiccup was looking at his godmother. Senior Valkyrie and wife of the Angel of Death, Kara. She was beyond beautiful. Tall, fit, curvy, cascading golden hair, flawless alabaster skin, and large teal eyes.
"How are you today, Hiccup?" she asked kindly as she put the cheesecake she'd made on the kitchen counter.
"Couldn't be better! I'm worked to death every day. So I love it!" he replied sarcastically.
His godmother laughed and playfully said, "I've always loved your sense of humor. Still really how you are feeling? Your mother mentioned you've been in more pain lately."
"What do you expect? I carry fifty pounds every day in books and walk more. My prosthetic nearly broke twice."
"Perhaps you should see if they could make you more durable?"
Shaking his head, "We don't have the insurance to cover a better one. Since I started college, I've needed a better one, but it's too damn expensive."
"I hate this world is so consumed by money. Life is simpler in Asgard or my husband's home in the Tenth Realm."
"How is Azrael anyway? Not seen him around for a while."
"He's back home training some new angels of death. The newbies are lacking in being emphatic about the dying. It's been a nightmare."
"Well, I wouldn't get into how crazy your love life is. You staying for dinner tonight?"
"Yep, which is why I made the cheesecake. When are your brother and sister getting home?"
"They should be getting home in half an hour. Mom's movie should be over by now. Dad will be home by six at the latest."
"Good. Now tell me the truth. When do you plan to pop the question to Astrid?"
"KARA! I'm still in college! I wasn't thinking of even doing something like that until I graduated. So why would you ask that even?"
"Because back on Berk, you were already engaged at this age and got married shortly after you turned twenty-one."
"In case you haven't noticed, this ain't Berk. The world changed a great deal since the days I rode on the back of a Night Fury."
"I'm just teasing, Hiccup. Though maybe you should at least give her a promise ring? You did give her that pendant in your first life. So why not give her a gift to show your commitment to her?"
"Because my BBBFF is too chicken to do that! He always gets tongued tied when trying to do something like that!" called out a bubbly voice. Then, turning, they saw Hiccup's little sister Una.
Despite being only ten, Una was six feet tall. What did one expect when their father was six-seven and their mother six-three? Una just blossomed sooner then others.
Una Haddock was one of the prettiest girls ever to be born. She looked like a blond version of their mother, Valka, with unique lilac tips in her hair.
No one could argue Hiccup and his siblings weren't good-looking. He and Boden looked nearly identical except for their clothes, and Boden wore his hair in a long ponytail.
He was trying to fix it as he walked in the door. "Hey, Kara! How are you doing? And how are you, bro?"
"Hiccup's in pain from college stress, and I'm doing fine. So I made a cheesecake."
"Yippee! I love your cheesecake, Kara! It's my favorite dessert!" squealed Una happily.
"Calm down, sis. If you jump up any higher, your going to hit the ceiling," Boden warned her, to which she pouted. Showing despite being tall, she was still a child.
"It's okay, Una. You are allowed to get excited. But please don't tease me on how my romantic side is lacking."
"But it's true, Hiccup. Mommy and I can tell that all men are big idiots regarding romance. That and most seem to have the emotional capacity of a teaspoon."
Kara couldn't help by getting stitches from that comment. "Oh, Una, what has your mother been teaching you?" she asked in laughter.
Una blushed pink and mumbled, "Mommy is trying to teach me how to be a woman, but its not been easy."
"Una, why are you so embarrassed to hit puberty earlier? Back in our days in Viking, you couldn't get enough of being taller then all the other girls!" Boden replied in confusion.
"Well, it's still awkward to be only ten and tall enough to play pro basketball. I don't even fit in my desk at school."
"It's alright, sis. We understand we do."
"I know you all do, Hiccup. Still, Kara's right. When are you going to pop the question to Astrid?"
"How did we get back on that topic? Look, I'm still in college and rather wait to be out before asking her to marry me. But you guys do have a point. I should at least give her some gift."
"Well, at least give her some gift during spring break. Come on, Una. We've got to let the dogs out before dinner."
"Coming!"
Later that night, Hiccup was relaxing on the back porch, lost in thought. He didn't hear his mother sit down next to him. "Sweetheart, how are you doing?"
"Oh, Mom! Please don't scare me like that! I've had enough frights for one day!"
"Sorry, honey, I didn't mean to. So from what I heard, everyone wants you to propose to Astrid or give her a gift to show you'll be married one day."
"Oh, for Odin's sake! Why can't everyone drop that? I'm only twenty! I'm not ready to settle down yet!"
"Honey, everyone just asking because what happened last time is all. We still have difficulty separating our memories from our past lives with our current ones."
"Well, just because we were all reborn doesn't mean our lives are the same as before!" he snapped irritably. Toothless whined at his feet, and he bent down to pet him.
"It's okay, boy. Not mad at you. Never could be mad at you, bud."
His mother sighed as she petted her dog Cloudjumper before answering her son. "I know that our lives aren't the same as before. But all the same, Hiccup, you might want to clarify that fact to everyone."
"Okay, I'll think of something. But I still wish everyone would drop it."
"They will in time, honey. They will. Don't be out here too late," as she got up and went inside.
Hiccup dealt with everyone's frustration by expecting him to propose to Astrid at the start of spring break. He thought he was going mad by then but didn't lose his head.
Instead, after they went for a swim in his backyard pool, he took Astrid aside. "Astrid, there is something I need to talk to you about. You see..." When she held up a hand to stop him.
"Hiccup, you don't need to say it. I've been bugged by everyone, too, about us getting married. Quite frankly, it's getting more annoying then Snotlout, and that's hard to do."
He laughed, "And I thought I was the only one being bugged about it."
"Hiccup, I don't want to be destiny's puppet. You and I don't have to do anything we are not ready to do. We can make the choices that suit us in this life.
We don't need to repeat what we did in our first life. We must live this life. So I'm more then fine waiting for when we are ready this time to get married."
"Well, I'm glad to know you feel the same way. Now how about we go for another swim?"
"Please tell me your not asking me to go skinny dipping with you!" she faked, being upset.
"No, I wouldn't ask you to do that, Astrid! But let's lose ourselves all the same!"
The two jumped back into the pool and began to make out. All was right in the world for them.