It was a bit strange for everyone involved- it was the same girl they had all known as a child but she was older now. And though she had been gone a very long time, it in some ways felt as though it was just yesterday that she was taken away. At least… that was how it was for Hiccup. He regretted all the days lost. Not being there to see her grow and learn, unable to lend her a guiding hand. He could have searched for her on that island but hadn’t out of a desire to avoid an unnecessary war. Now maybe he was fooling himself because she was here again: wishing them a goodnight and disappearing up the stairs to the room that had once been his own back when he was her age. He closed his eyes and soaked in the heat of the fire. The warm rumble as Toothless exposed the underside of his neck and purred in contentment against Aurora’s side. Ava was almost old enough to take on his duties but Hiccup wasn’t sure how to approach the matter of her bloodline. Would she even want to take this job after being away for so long?

He didn’t want to push her, there was still time and if she really didn’t want the position he supposed Astrid’s kid was capable enough. Hiccup really viewed him as a skilled warrior before anything else though- like his mother. Ava had always been smart though and seemed to have inherited his ingenious mind with her clever inventions. He was just going to have to broach the subject at some point… That was the only way to do it.

But not tonight.

Because at that moment she was already asleep. Blizzard slumped over onto his back with a soft sigh, the cool wood feeling nice against his scales- he heard Ava’s breathing even out as she sunk into slumber and felt himself following suit. It was going to be weird spending more time in Berk as he expected this was where she would want to stay but it was probably okay. He was too tired to think about it right now anyhow.