The flickering light of Hiccup’s cabin softly illuminated the room.
There was only a small candle lit, casting gentle shadows along the contours of his face. He was hunched over several projects and maps, each one filled with plans and notes about how he should proceed with his strategies.
It was cold, but the man didn’t seem to mind. His calloused fingers, worn from forging and sword training, scraped against the edges of the papers and his charcoal pencils. Hiccup was bent over his own mess, lost in his personal world. His dragon slept quietly beside him — Toothless wasn’t unaware of his owner's nightly habits, but he was far too tired to follow him this time.
He was cautious, almost restless. He had no idea how many hours had passed in the early morning, but the feeling weighing on his heart was one of helplessness. He constantly pondered the “what ifs.” After the two fateful days with Viggo and an overwhelming victory that was only less damaging thanks to Dagur helping to free Heather — which ultimately led to the loss of the Dragon Eye.
A sense of failure had begun to take root deep inside him, and now he sat there, extremely focused and locked in his own thoughts. A frustrated growl escaped his throat, prompting him to rub his temples. He paused, breathing heavily.
Footsteps caught his attention. Hiccup lifted his head and his eyes followed toward the door. For a few seconds, neither Ana nor Hiccup said anything. She stood there in a white satin nightgown — light, embroidered, clinging to her voluptuous figure. She brushed a lock of hair from her face. In her hand was a wooden and metal mug, filled with a liquid that the man had no idea what it was.
Her steps were soft as she crossed the room and walked toward him. The sweet, citrusy scent of fruit she carried washed over his senses. He paused for a moment, simply savoring the sensation. Suddenly, the feeling of the ring on his finger became impossible to ignore. His eyes searched for the matching band on her hands, and for the first time since their arranged marriage, it felt comforting—satisfying—to see her there.
"It’s late. Couldn't sleep?" Hiccup asked gently as she leaned against the edge of the table, her smaller, curvy figure becoming more defined in that position. Her waist fit perfectly against the table’s edge. She crossed her arms and set the mug aside.
"I wasn’t sleepy," Ana replied, the Latin roots in her voice creating a strong accent over her broken Norse. Her eyes weren’t focused on him—they seemed distant, while her breathing deepened, her lips slightly parted.
She was Roman—an Alessi.
He was a Viking—a Haddock.
What a strange combination.
When Caesar had made that proposal to Stoick, Hiccup had never imagined they would end up in such a situation. They had consummated the marriage, tangled in new sensations and sighs, but after that, neither had touched the other. That thought had drifted to the back of his mind—until now. Now it was undeniable: seeing her so casually in that space felt far more comforting, even alluring, than he had ever expected to feel from the moment those rings were placed on their fingers.
The two rings had been crafted from iron and finished with gold—a symbol of a strong union between two peoples who, until then, had no real reason to coexist or connect.
Those words would sometimes slip from his lips and flood his thoughts, but seeing her like that, in the middle of the night, standing in front of him, made him want to pull her into his arms, to breathe in her scent, and to kiss the exposed curve of her chest revealed by the neckline of her clothes.
"Why are you up so late?" Her voice was soft and warm in Hiccup’s ears. Finally, his wife’s eyes were on his.
"It was a hard day," he replied simply. He didn’t want to talk about it now, and he knew Ana wouldn’t press him. That was one of the things that kept their relationship in balance—one of the things he had come to deeply appreciate about her.
"I know." The reply was barely more than a whisper. The young woman picked up the mug and took a long sip, her short, unruly hair falling slightly into her line of vision. Hiccup had to restrain himself from tucking one of the strands behind her ear just to feel the softness of her skin beneath the roughness of his fingers.
"What are you drinking?" he asked out of pure curiosity. He had begun to feel a deep desire to know more about her, to uncover everything the depths of her soul and being might hold. He found himself consumed by a hunger—to learn and discover everything about the woman he now knew was his wife.
"Wine. The last of what my father’s ships brought to Berk. There’s always some left over—your people don’t seem very interested in it." She spoke gently while swirling the mug slowly, creating a whirlpool with the dark, fruity drink. "Would you like to try?" Ana asked softly, extending the mug to Hiccup. He took it, his fingers brushing against her soft, delicate ones.
One sip was all her husband needed to draw his conclusion.
He took another, slowly, savoring the flavors. He had seen his wife drink this kind of beverage many times before—as she always said, white wine or red, and in this case, it was the latter.
"It reminds me of you," he said as he took another sip from the old wooden mug, the fruity taste and the bitterness of the alcohol lingering on his tongue. His eyes drifted to her.
"What do you mean?" The question came out uncertain, quiet, but direct—gentle, and yet so full of meaning and a deep desire to understand what was going through Hiccup’s mind. That single word was enough to make him pause, to consider whether he should follow his thoughts through or not.
The fruity scent seemed to grow stronger—no doubt from how close they now stood. Suddenly, the once cool night began to feel warmer, heavier.
"Unlike anything I’ve ever known… or tasted."
So that’s it, guys! This is my new project.
From now on, whenever I write stories with Hiccup, I’ll be using my OC, Ana — but in different situations and storylines. Only the name will stay the same.
Once again, this is an aged-up story — the characters are 23 years old, and it takes place during Race to the Edge.
If you’d like me to continue with this project or go back to the previous one, just let me know!