A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy this little prologue. It might not make much sense, but if you make it through until the end, I'll explain a bit more at the start of the first chapter. This introduction takes place about two years before Race to the Edge.

Prologue

"And so, Princess Eira, I was wondering..." For the first time since their meeting, the young viking seemed uncertain as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. "...would you allow me the honor of courting you?"

Eira took in the man and looked him up and down. He was not bad looking by any means, and he normally held himself with great confidence. He was kind and charming and skilled in battle. He would make a fine husband for any young lady. But...

There was no spark. No chemistry. If she saw potential for even a friendship, she would have given him a chance, but she felt no connection at all. She was sure he was a good man, but he was still like all the other good men who had so far asked to court her. It was not really her they wanted to be with; it was the princess. Was that all she would ever be?

"No." She gave him a sad smile to show she meant no harm.

The man appeared taken back by her blunt response, and it took him several seconds to compose himself. "Wh-why not?"

"It will never work out."

"How can you know that after one meeting?"

She raised her eyebrows at him. "How can you know you want to court me after one meeting?"

He opened him mouth but no words came out at first. "I can protect you," he finally said.

"Thank you, but I am quite capable of protecting myself. Now if you excuse me, there is somewhere I need to be." She turned her back on him and left before he could utter a protest.

Eira found her way back to Main Hall where she knew her father would be waiting for her report. Sure enough, the king and queen sat in the throne room surrounded by attendants and guards.

King Birger rose when his daughter entered. "Welcome back, Eira. How was your date?"

The girl shrugged. "I sent him away. He was positively boring."

Birger frowned. "Eira, you can't continue to turn down every man you meet. You will have to choose one of them eventually."

"But why does it have to be now? I'm 16! You were 23 when you married Mom."

"And I was 20," Queen Laila said as she strode forward to stand beside her husband. "It is never too early to start considering your future."

Eira took in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "I am thinking about my future, mom, and my future's not here. You know that. I was chosen."

Her parents exchanged looks. Birger raised a tentative hand. "Darling, one out of every generation is chosen. There is no guarantee the conditions will be met. It has been a long time since anyone but Torvald thought fondly of dragons."

Eira clenched her fists. She could not speak aloud the response at the tip of her tongue. How could she explain just knowing the time drew near? Her parents would hardly respect her feeling like this was what she was meant to do. Instead, she settled for something more practical. "But it has to happen soon. Attacks by dragon hunters are increasing rapidly."

"We can handle the dragon hunters here. We cannot wait for some idealistic fantasy."

"But it it does come to pass, we will certainly discuss our options," Laila said gently, laying a hand on the king's shoulder. "For now you need to focus on living your life to the fullest. Do you understand?"

Eira nodded. "Yes, mother."

"Why don't you take Swiftwings for a flight? I'm sure you'll both enjoy it."

"We can resume this topic later," Birger added.

Eira knew she would get nothing more out of this conversation, so she bowed and then headed to the stables where the royal family's dragons were kept.

Swiftwings let out a satisfied grunt when she saw her rider. The Windwalker had been with the girl since she was 10-years-old as per tradition. Eira's younger brother Oliver had recently adopted his own baby dragon, a Tide Glider named Dewwillow.

Eira led Swiftwings outside, and then she climbed onto the saddle placed on the area of the dragon where the neck met the back. She held onto one of her long spines, and then, without a word, they were in the air.

Eira never felt as free as when she flew with Swiftwings. She did not feel like a princess bound by duties and obligations. She felt like herself. She felt like a dragon rider. She felt like anything was possible. She could feel her destiny as assuredly as if it were before her.

The appearance of another dragon snapped her out of her thoughts, and Swiftwings had to slow considerably to prevent a crash. Eira recognized her older brother Haldor and his Snifflehunch Brightclaw. "What's wrong?" she called, reading the angst on his face.

"Dragon hunters!" Haldor said over his shoulder. "Get on the ground. I'm leading the guard to drive them off."

"I want to help!"

"No. It's too dangerous. You haven't been trained." He sped ahead without waiting for a response.

Eira clenched her teeth, but she obediently steered Swiftwings back towards the stables. She hated that her older brother was right. Why was he trained for combat while she remained defenseless? Was it because he was the future king or that she was a girl?

Either way, she would need to learn eventually if she would one day leave this land. The frequent attacks told her the time was drawing near. Torvald could no longer afford its isolationist policies. They needed allies - or else the existence of dragons and their people would be wiped out.

Uneasiness filled Eira's chest as her father gathered her family in the Main Hall hours after the attack. Her younger siblings - Ingrid and Oliver - stood on either side of her while Haldor stood next to their mother opposite of them. Birger paced right down the middle. When he paced, it meant he had something difficult to discuss.

Finally, he stopped and looked straight at Eira. "We interrogated one of the dragon hunters, and he gave up some interesting information."

Eira frowned. "What kind of information? Is someone after us?"

"No. Nothing like that." He glanced at Haldor as if asking his son to take the lead.

"He heard a rumor that many hunters have been put out of business," Haldor said. "They were attacked last year - by dragon riders."

Eira widened her eyes, and her heart thudded in anticipation. But... was it too good to be true? "Were they ours?"

Her brother shook his head. "If this man is to be believed, the riders were from Berk."

Berk. The place the people of Torvald had left all those years ago. Had they finally come to their senses and accepted dragons as equals?

Ingrid gasped. "So there are finally other dragon riders besides us?"

Birger nodded, a grim look on his face. "It would appear so."

Oliver scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "Isn't this a good thing? It's what we've been waiting for, isn't it?"

Eira understood the reason for her father's pensiveness. "It means I was right," she said softly. "The time has come. Someone will need to go make peace with them. And I was chosen."

Silence pervaded the room until the queen spoke up: "We do not even know if the rumor is true. We're not just going to send her off, are we?"

"Of course not!" Birger said vehemently.

"But I have to go!" Eira exclaimed. "It's my destiny!"

"She's right," said Haldor. "I know you want to protect her, but she's stronger than you think. She's amazing with the dragons and people as well. I think she's ready."

Birger sighed and ran a hand through his red beard. "I didn't say she can't go. I don't want to be rash about it. We need more information. I'll launch and investigation." His eyes met his oldest daughter's. "And we'll spend as many months as it takes getting you ready."

Eira took in a sharp breath. "Really?" Hope bubbled inside of her. For the first time, it felt like she could reach out and touch her dreams.

Birger nodded. "You'll need training in combat and negotiating to start. If you're up to it, that is."

A wide grin spread across the girl's face. "Of course I'm up to it. Thank you, dad!" She did not have time to worry about the sad faces of her younger siblings. Her life was about to begin!