Chapter 1

Queen Eleanor was going through the mail, like she normally would have on any other normal day. A couple of the letters were sure to be pure gossip, just some news that needed to be spread. Of that, she was sure. But, secretly, those letters were her favorite to read. Stories and the like were much more interesting to read about than all the threats from the kingdoms whose princesses were insulted by her son.

Eleanor sighed. Her son, Maraud. She couldn't understand where she went wrong with him. She had trained him like her mother had taught her brother, but her brother had never rebelled so extremely like Maraud did. Eleanor was running out of time, out of options. She needed Maraud to wed, but there were only so many princesses, and Maraud made all of them hate him with a passion. In fact, it had gotten to the point where Eleanor was sure all the princesses gathered together and formed a club to discuss why they hated Dunbrough's prince.

Eleanor sifted through the letters and picked out the promising ones. She skimmed through the first letter. Then read it again, more carefully. Her eyes widened, and she read it yet again. She ran to Fergus, her husband, and had him read it. She needed to be sure that the letter said what she thought it did. She needed confirmation that her desperate mind hadn't fabricated a story to give her a false sense of hope.

"Yes, Dear, this Hiccup Horrendous, she sounds like quite the charming princess. But why are you so excited?" Fergus asked, confused, at his wife's overwhelming happiness.

"Oh, Fergus! She hasn't heard of us! Hasn't heard of Maraud! And her tribe, Berk, still haven't made a peace treaty with us, yes? What if she was part of the treaty? We can go to Berk, say we have business regarding the making of a peace treaty, and propose at the same time! It's brilliant!"

"But dear, I have so much work to do these next few weeks…" Fergus whined. In all honesty, he simply didn't want to go, and Eleanor could clearly see it on his face. She sighed and says,

"Fine, I'll go alone. Maraud needs to fulfill his responsibility. He's a prince; he needs to know that his title makes some freedoms offered to others unavailable to him,"

Fergus stood up and started rubbing Eleanor's shoulders. She sighed and relaxed slightly.

"Now, Dear, I'm sure this Princess Hiccup will show him a thing or two, just like you did me. We can set up a boat for tomorrow, how does that sound? And I'll send a bird ahead of you so they don't accidentally attack you, either!" Fergus sounded so excited to help, but Eleanor rolled her eyes and said,

"Oh, my hero. Thank you, Dear,"

"No problem, Love. Now, come to bed, eh?"

"I have more mail to go through…" Eleanor argued lamely. Fergus shot her a look and Eleanor giggled. She couldn't believe it. There she was, an old queen with four children, looking for a bride for one of them, but the mere presence of her husband made her feel as if she were a wee lass again. She only hoped all her children find such happiness. "Oh, alright, I'm coming, I'm coming, so stop looking at me like that!"

Fergus laughed, "That's my girl!"

Yes, Fergus may be a bit… excessive at times, but Eleanor loved him just the same. She climbed into bed and fell asleep in the arms of her husband.

It took a week, but Queen Eleanor finally arrived at Berk. It was a little village. Cozy. Quaint. The people were anything but. The figures waiting for her at the dock were large, hulking ones, and Eleanor wondered if the Berkians sent the biggest members of the tribe to see her arrival. Actually, everything about the Vikings was big. The ships were massive. The houses were massive. The people were… massive. Suddenly, Eleanor had second thoughts about proposing to any of the girls from this island.

"Queen Eleanor?" The largest figure on the dock asked. His accent was just as thick as her own. The man was about as large as her own husband, if not larger. His nose was straighter, and a beard flowed down from his jaws. Following the Viking tradition, the beard, too, was almost too big to be functional. If this was the chief, what did his daughter look like?

"Aye, that's me. And you are Chief Stoic, I presume?"

"Aye. We got your message a couple of days ago. So, you come in peace, then?"

"That I do,"

Chief Stoic nodded his head. He asked if she has any luggage with her. When she replied yes, Chief Stoic turned to some of the men on his left and told them to take the luggage to the guest house. Guest… house? The Vikings had an entire house built for guests? Eleanor worked hard to conceal her shock. She must not have done a good job because the sound of small laughter was heard from the chief's right. Stoic didn't seem to notice, but Eleanor did. She turned to face the small girl- it was surely a girl who made the sound- and was surprised.

In a village of nothing but larger than life beings and buildings and beards, Eleanor did not expect to see such a dainty little girl. Her dark brown hair was in a messy braid over her shoulder, and her green eyes sparkled with humor. Her attire was… strange. She was wearing a green shirt with a dark brown skirt and light brown leggings. The skirt was made of cut up leather, stitched in a way to make them look like scales.

"Hello? Who are you?" Eleanor asked after she had gotten off of the ship. After being on the sea for so long, though, Eleanor almost toppled over. The girl reached out and re-balanced Eleanor before smiling at her. Standing next to the girl, Eleanor realized that the girl wasn't as short as she originally believed. In fact, the girl was almost as tall as she was, it was only when she stood next to the other Vikings was she short. Ignoring the queen's questions, the girl asked her own.

"First time here?" When Eleanor nodded, the girl said, "Yeah, it's a bit strange to outsiders that we Vikings have guest houses. But I've always wondered: if you don't have a guest house, then where do all the guests stay?"

"Well, we have guest rooms," Eleanor explained.

"In… a guest house?"

"No, guest rooms in our own houses,"

"You… let them sleep in the same house as you sleep in?" the girl seemed shocked, and Eleanor had absolutely no idea why.

"Of course,"

"What happens when they try to kill you?" the girl seemed genuinely curious, not at all joking. Eleanor, however, was shocked.

"When they what? I don't know about Vikings, but in Dunbrough, we usually don't kill our hosts,"

Eleanor was now truly worried. What if the Viking princess tried to kill her and her family when she was visiting? Did she truly wish to put everyone in danger simply to marry her son away to a princess? Surely there were some fine lower noble girls Eleanor and Fergus had looked over?

"You don't?" the girl sounded wistful. She looked over Eleanor's shoulders and pursed her lips. She said, "Gobber and Fargleturke are going to take care of your luggage. If you want, I could give you a tour of Berk?"

"That would be lovely, dear," the queen accepted kindly. The girl spoke in a strange fashion, and she looked different. Sadly, Eleanor knew that if one was different than everyone else, they were often discriminated. She wondered idly if this little girl was also set apart from everyone in her village. The girl started walking, and Eleanor followed, looking at the petite little thing in pity.

As it turned out, the girl did stand apart from everyone else in the village, but not because of scorn. They all loved her. Every time the queen and the girl would pass by a Viking, they would smile at her and ruffle her hair, give her a large hug, or just scream in her face. Just a simple: "Ahhh! Good Afternoon!"

Eleanor wasn't sure if there was some hidden meaning in the scream, but it seemed to please the girl. Maybe it was the Viking equivalent of telling her she looked pretty. Anyway, Eleanor didn't ask. But what Eleanor didn't ask, the girl did.

The girl turned out to be a curious little thing. She would show Eleanor the mess hall, then ask about Dunbrough's. She would show Eleanor the guest house, then ask more about Dunbrough's 'guest rooms.' She would show Eleanor the Sheppard with his sheep, then ask about what people in Dunbrough ate.

It started with simple questions, the answers to which Eleanor could answer with practiced ease:

"How does the mess hall in Dunbrough look like?"

"Dunbrough does not have a mess hall. We all eat in our own homes. In the castle, the royals and guests or family friends eat in a dining hall,"

"I'm sure you have parties sometimes, though, right?"

"Well, yes. Then, we gather everyone in the main hall. We set out our tables and take the rum out of my husband's private collection and we party all night,"

"But, if you're not having a party you eat alone?"

"No, we eat with our families,"

Then the girl would pause for a second, and spout a question which would make Eleanor think for a minute:

"Doesn't it get lonely? Not knowing your own people?"

"I suppose it does. But my family is entertainment enough,"

The girl would hum at Eleanor's response, as if being too polite to argue or disagree. And Eleanor would be horribly curious to hear the girl's real thoughts.

"That's the smithy," the girl pointed out a small, run down looking wooden structure.

"It looks very nice," Eleanor complimented while shivering. Even though Eleanor had packed her warmest traveler's dress, she was still freezing. She wondered how the girl in front of her was walking around without showing the slightest bit of discomfort. The girl grinned at the forge, and Eleanor could see a certain sparkle of fondness in her eyes.

"I've apprenticed there since I was little," then, the girl looked down at herself and smirked, "Littler," she corrected.

"You're quite good company," Eleanor decided. "I hope the princess is like you,"

A strange expression crossed the girl's face for a second before she decided to ask another question.

"Why?"

Eleanor didn't know why, but she felt as if this girl could keep a secret. Maybe it was her smile- so open and honest. Maybe it was her demeanor- so calming and intelligent. Maybe it was the look in her eyes- like they had seen the darkest things on the planet and not told a soul, and whatever new secret was told to her could easily be kept as well.

Eleanor looked both sides before asking the girl if there was somewhere private they could talk. The girl pursed her lips and nodded. She led the queen to the biggest house on the island. It sat overlooking the entire village and was decorated by many wood carvings of dragons and Berkian ancestors. There were a couple of slash marks and charred bits on the wood, and the girl adopted an amused look on her face when she saw them.

The girl led Eleanor inside. It was a cozy place. Much like the village outside, it was comfortable and homey, but everything was outrageously over sized. The massive fireplace held a massive fire, with a massive fur carpet laid out in front of it. In fact, there were weapons and furs scattered all over what Eleanor could see of the house. It was warm, and it wasn't until then that Eleanor realized just how cold it was outside.

The girl led her in front of the fire, and Eleanor started to make herself comfortable on the couch that was placed there.

"No one comes in here," the girl explained. "Except for the chief and his daughter,"

Suddenly, Eleanor wanted to get out. She didn't care that it was warm in there, or that the couch was unbelievable soft. She saw the chief, and if he got angry with her for being in his house with a strange girl, she didn't want to know what he would do to them.

"Maybe we should leave, then," Eleanor suggested. The girl shook her head and laughed as she stoked the fire. There was a mischievous gleam in her eyes that Eleanor would have paid more attention to if the girl didn't say,

"No, we're fine. But what were you saying earlier? About the chief's daughter?"

Eleanor sat up straight, a difficult task in the plush couch.

"I have a son, a son who needs to be wed soon. Unfortunately, he doesn't care much for the princesses in our area. He's made them all hate him. So, when we heard of Princess Hiccup, we realized that she was our last chance at getting Maraud married. We- my husband and I- also realized that Berk did not have any sort of peace treaty with us. We figured if we make the marriage a part of the conditions of the peace treaty, we could kill two birds with one stone,"

Eleanor expected the girl to have either lost interest, or to treat the story like a fairytale. Instead, the girl had a completely serious look on her face. She bit the side of her bottom lip and mumbled her thoughts out loud:

"So, we would take out the threat of war from both kingdoms for sure? A marriage contract. Blood. Why hadn't we thought of that, yet? And land, land wouldn't even be an issue. The territories would stay the same. The only possible problem is Dad, but…"

Eleanor stopped trying to understand the girl. She kept mumbling, but it was complete gibberish. Words stringed together which didn't make any sense at all. "Toothless flying… alone… Build the tail again… Toothless overseas? It could work… if I could only… need to waterproof the…"

Eleanor looked nervously through one of the large windows in the house. It was getting dark, and she didn't want the chief and his wife, as well as their undoubtedly massive daughter to be angry at her for trespassing. She certainly didn't want the sweet, if a wee bit odd, girl in front of her to be punished for being kind to her.

"Listen, lass, we should get out of here soon. We don't want the chief, his wife, and his daughter to come home and find us in it, now do we?" Eleanor tried to gently coax the girl into leaving the house with her, but the girl suddenly adopted a faraway, sad look in her eyes. Though she had only known the girl for a short few hours, Eleanor knew those sparkling emerald eyes were not meant to look as dull as they did in that moment.

"The chief's wife is dead," the girl said. "My mother is dead," the girl looked at Eleanor and smiled, "But if I ever got another one, I would hope she would be like you,"

Eleanor's heart warmed. For years, her son had called her a horrid beast for making him do his duties. He always back-talked and never did anything without a fight. Her girls didn't really have time to talk to her; they were always running around, playing and such. It had been such a long time since she felt love from a child in a matronly way.

Suddenly, Eleanor found herself wishing this small girl was the chief's daughter. She hoped against hope that this small, sweet girl would be the one to marry Maraud. The only hesitation she had about that situation was that the girl seemed too fragile, and her son was undoubtedly a rough one. Would he break her?

"Oh! I'm sorry, you must be tired! Here, I'll take you to the guest house. You can rest for the night, and around noon tomorrow, you, the chief, and the- princess," the girl paused a beat before saying princess. An odd grimace graced her otherwise beautiful face while she recited the word. "Can discuss this marriage proposition you've thought of," Eleanor tried to hide her nervousness at proposing her deal, but she tried her best to hide the expression. She must not have done a very good job because the girl smiled a little and reassured, "I have a feeling the chief'll agree to it. I just hope your son is ready for her. She can be… quite a handful,"

Eleanor studied the gleam in the girl's eyes, and not for the first time that day, Eleanor felt as though the girl knew something she didn't- something obvious that Eleanor should have known, but didn't. Deciding to chalk up the paranoia to being in a strange village populated with large people all on her own, Eleanor nodded graciously at the girl.

The girl stood up to lead Eleanor out, but suddenly winced and practically fell next to Eleanor. The queen started at the sudden action. While the girl wasn't the most graceful person in the world, she didn't seem to be the type to just trip over nothing.

"Are you alright dear?" Eleanor asked, concerned, at the girl's face, drawn with pain.

"Fine," the girl breathed. She reached down to her left leg and Eleanor almost jumped out of her skin. This girl's right leg was petite, like the rest of her, but it was complete, unlike the left one. Eleanor couldn't be sure if the girl was born without the leg, had to have it taken off because of a sickness, or because of some accident, but she was sure that she was concerned about the girl. Her face was suddenly pale as she tried to reach down and gingerly touch the nub of flesh.

Eleanor couldn't breath as the girl let go of the leg and tried standing again. Obviously it pained her, but the girl didn't whimper or cry out. She barely limped as she led Eleanor out of the house. The two walked in an awkward silence until the girl laughed weakly,

"Sorry about that,"

"No problem at all, dear. But, how are you feeling?"

The girl froze and Eleanor almost bumped into her. The older woman looked at the girl and tried to decipher the expression on her face, but it was gone too quickly for her to categorize.

"Just fine," the girl answered cautiously, as if Eleanor was giving her a test, and the wrong answer would cost her life. "I lost my leg a couple of months ago, and when it's cold outside, it gets sore. Unfortunately for me, Berk is almost always cold, but I've gotten used to the constant pain. So, now, when I go from the cold to somewhere warm, my leg begins to ache again. It's a vicious cycle, but I'm a Viking. I can handle it,"

It was odd. Eleanor had actually forgotten that the girl was a Viking. She seemed nothing like everyone else in her village. Eleanor just wanted to smuggle her in one of her trunks and take her home with her, like a cute wee souvenir from Berk. Sadly, she couldn't.

As the girl walked away from the guest house, Eleanor found herself wondering once again what the girl's name was. No matter how many times she asked, the girl would avoid the question. It was a fact that the queen simply had to accept: that she would never know the name of the smallest Viking to ever have lived.

Eleanor went to sleep, the last thought on her mind was a life where the beautiful girl with one leg married her unruly son, whipped him into shape, and he lived happily with her for the rest of their lives.

In the morning, Eleanor was greeted by the small green eyed girl, along with some of her friends. The two other girls with her were both blondes. One of them seemed tough, but pretty enough, with crystal blue eyes and a round face. The other was attractive in her own way. She had a long face, with brown eyes, but she seemed to make comments almost like a boy. Both were at least three inches taller than the little brunette Viking girl, and both seemed to have a protective stance around her. Friends, then.

"Good morning, Eleanor," the girl greeted.

"Hello," Eleanor smiled back.

"I hope you don't mind, I brought some of my friends with me. This is Astrid," the intense one with blue eyes, "And Ruffnut," the lass with brown eyes and strange comments about almost everything.

"No problem at all, dear,"

The three of them started walking around the town. Eleanor couldn't help but to notice that while the atmosphere of the town was like one big family, everyone seemed a little sad and lifeless, almost like everyone was missing someone. Trying to phrase it delicately, in case she struck a nerve, Eleanor implored of the little brown haired girl,

"Has someone recently left the town?"

The girl looked up, surprised, at Eleanor, as if she couldn't believe Eleanor had picked up on the signs.

"In a sense, I guess we all had to lose someone recently," the girl answered flippantly. "But they'll come back. We're just missing them right now, that's all. Thank you for noticing," the girl looked into Eleanor's eyes, and Eleanor was astounded by the amount of intense intelligence and hardship they harbored. Eleanor constantly forgot while she was around the girl, but these were Vikings. Vikings were constantly killed and lost their own on their voyages to discover new lands. Fights broke out, lives were wasted, innocence was lost. And this girl was one of those Vikings.

Once again, Eleanor found herself wondering about the Viking princess. Would she be anything like the down to earth little brunette? Or would she be like all the other princesses Maraud had pushed away?

Someone from somewhere in the village shouted something, and chaos ensued. The little girl sighed and said to the queen,

"I have to go, but Astrid and Ruff can keep you company. You can have breakfast, if you'd like. The meeting is in five hours in the mess hall, okay?"

The girl didn't wait for an answer before she turned and walked towards the shouting. Moments after her brown hair was out of sight, the yells ceased, and the two blondes Eleanor was left with exchanged glances. They looked at the queen and told her to follow them.

In the few hours Eleanor had spent with Astrid, she had learnt one thing: do not get on her bad side. There was a boy, a tall, meaty one, about the size of her Maraud, who kept bothering Astrid and Ruffnut both. Eventually Astrid grew tired of his harmless flirting, and Eleanor learned why Vikings had such haunted looks in their eyes. If that was what happened when one of them was mildly irritated, what happened when they were fully angered?

Again, the Viking princess came to mind. Eleanor shook her image of the girl out of her mind. All girls were beautiful, and Chief Stoic's daughter had to be in her own way as well. It just might be a bit more difficult to discern than in someone else's face. The little Viking girl, for instance, was breathtaking from the first time anyone looked at her. Hopefully Maraud would give the Viking princess a chance at least. The last thing Dunbrough needed was her son offending an island of Vikings.

Eleanor took a deep breath before pushing the mess hall's doors open with all her might. They were massive, made of solid wood, and entirely too heavy. Eventually, someone from the inside noticed her efforts and opened them from the inside. As it turned out, it was the little girl from the village, except she looked different.

Her brown hair twisted over her shoulder in a braid, more complicated that the one from yesterday, and there was a wreath of flowers on her head. She was in a long dress, made of animal skin and furs and tied together with strips of leather. The only thing which looked natural on her was the glint in her eyes. The one which said, you still don't know? And Eleanor was sure she wasn't imagining it. Before Eleanor could ask the girl about what she knew, she was interrupted by Chief Stoic.

"Ah! Queen Eleanor. Having some trouble with the door, eh?"

Eleanor smiled uncomfortably, but Stoic simply laughed and said that most newcomers did. He led Eleanor to a big table in the middle of the deserted mess hall. To Eleanor's confusion, the small girl went and sat by him.

"Now, about that peace treaty…"

And so Eleanor and Stoic spent a good hour going over the specifics. They then had the girl write it all out and they signed at the bottom.

Oh, Eleanor realized she's here to write the contract. Then the queen looked around the mess hall. She was struck with the urge to leave things as they were with the Vikings: a new peace treaty made with the chief, a new friend in the form of a wee delicate flower, a new-found appreciation for fur coats. But no, Eleanor was a queen, and queens had to do their duty. Eleanor cleared her throat and said,

"Before you go, Chief Stoic, a moment," the chief sat down again, a knowing look in his weary eyes. Eleanor took a moment to silently compose herself before she blurted out, "While the peace treaty was one of the major deciding factors on my journey here, Dunbrough does have another proposition for you,"

The chief aged ten years right before Eleanor as he nodded for her to continue.

"I do have a son, a strong one, who is in need of a wife. I would like to propose to your daughter, if she would consider being the bride,"

The old chief looked long at Eleanor. It took everything in the dignified queen to not squirm under his gaze.

"Any why haven't you asked any of the princesses from your area?"

Eleanor winced silently. This was a delicate matter, and needed to be presented as such.

"Well, my son, Prince Maraud, is not much of a charmer. In fact, he seems a bit brash at times, choosing to take the girls out on rides in the woods instead of going for picnics or walking through the market with them. Understandably, the princesses were offended by his acts and chose to… decline offering their hands to him," As well as almost waging war against us on multiple occasions Eleanor finished mentally.

The chief raised his eyebrows and looked at the small girl next to him. She shrugged her shoulders and piped,

"Queen Eleanor's people and those around her are remarkably sheltered. The princesses study, sew, and practice their enunciation all day," the girl spoke her next words too softly for Eleanor to hear, but the chief heard, and he only fondly rolled his eyes at her. Eleanor found herself wondering why the girl was still there. Shouldn't she have left, and let the princess take her place?

"So? What are your thoughts?" Eleanor asked Stoic, hoping against hope that he would at least agree to think it over.

"I think I should let my daughter voice her thoughts first," the large man said gruffly. Eleanor sat up straighter, if possible. Her muscles tensed, but her face was a mask of calm. Not calm enough, apparently, because the girl gave her a suppressed smile of reassurance.

"Of course! Where is the lass?" Eleanor asked. Stoic looked at her, as if deciding whether she was joking or not.

"Hiccup is right here, next to me, of course," he said slowly. That was when everything clicked in Eleanor's brain. Her eyes widened as she looked at the petite girl in a new light.

Her hair swirled in complex twists around her head, framing her beautiful face almost as well as the splash of freckles on her cheeks. Her eyes were as bright as the stars, asking the queen: do you see now? Of course she saw now. She would have to be daft not to.

"Y-you, dear?" Eleanor stuttered, her mouth trying to catch up to her brain.

"Yes, her. This is my daughter: Hiccup Haddock Horrendous the Third. If you have any sort of problem with that-" Stoic was starting to get angry, but calmed when Eleanor reached across the table and held the small girl's hand in her own.

"You will be so happy if you come with me. I promise, I'll show you everything I told you about and more! I could… I could be your new mother,"

Eleanor looked imploringly at the girl-Hiccup- and could practically see the determination in the way her jaw set. Hiccup looked at her father- Eleanor could hardly believe they were related, what with Hiccup looking so different than the chief- and said,

"Daddy, I think it's time I stopped being so Useless," The chief looked as if someone had punched him in the stomach.

"Now, Hiccup, there's always time to-"

"Daddy," Hiccup said gently, "If we join Dunbrough, who would attack Berk? And with my marriage ensuring peace between us, we can finally be at ease with the eastern mainland because we'll have reinforcements,"

Eleanor could see the reluctance in the chief's eyes. After an eternity, he let out a long breath and said,

"I suppose if your boy is anything like you, I'm sure my daughter'll be fine,"

Oh, he's like me, alright, Eleanor thought, Almost disturbingly so. And not in the best sense, either. Eleanor didn't voice her thoughts. She finally got a fiancée for her son, and she wasn't about to destroy what she worked so hard to get. Besides, despite her looks, Hiccup was a strong young girl. Eleanor had witnessed her opening the thick doors all by herself with minimal struggle. If anyone could handle her son, it would be a Viking princess.

As soon as the three royals left the mess hall, they were swarmed by a crowd of people. Hiccup slipped through them fairly easily, then sped away. Eleanor couldn't keep track of her future daughter-in-law because of the trees in front of her. Well, they weren't actually trees, but 50% of the Vikings were wooden legs and arms. That, plus their size, and they were practically the forest surrounding the village.

Just as Stoic calmed everyone down, a loud screech/roar was heard. Eleanor jumped. On Dunbrough, they had the demon bear Mordue, but Eleanor had never even considered that Berk had their own monster!

To her utter confusion, instead of rushing to fight the source of the noise, the villagers around her chuckled. Stoic chose to ignore the sound altogether, and announced Hiccup's engagement. The villagers' reactions varied. Some of the older women looked at each other and said, 'Well, it's about time!' The men all went up to Stoic and patted his shoulder, telling him it wouldn't get easier. They all earned glares for their words of 'comfort.' The younger peoples, the ones around Hiccup's age, all stared wide eyed until the black haired boy who had irritated Astrid, still bandaged and bruised, cried out,

"What?!"

A long, low whine breezed over the village, as if agreeing with the boy's outburst of anguish. All around Eleanor, the villagers laughed.