A/N: So, I've decided to write something for this fandom too. A little bit about the story. The events take place after HTTYD 2, something like a couple of years after. Meaning that all the members of the dragon training academy are in their early twenties. Reference to the movies and the animated series will be made from time to time, but mostly this will be a story focusing on the Tuffnut/OC relationship and of course there will be a healthy dose of Ruffnut, Barf and Belch, shenanigans and possibly embarrassing situations.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything except my original characters and I gain nothing but entertainment from this!

A fair warning, don't tale what you read very seriously. I'm only here to have fun. Enjoy! :)

Lina brushed her hair as Edda bounced the youngest of her children on her knee. She hid behind her task like a warrior would behind his shield, silently hoping that Odin would take pity on her and the earth swallowed her whole soon.

"Father is trying his best," Edda spoke, Hildegard gurgling as if in agreement with her mother. "Berk is becoming a great power and it falls to you to unite us all. It is a great responsibility. Their new Chief has agreed to a wed one of his men to you when father made the offer."

Much as she wanted to ignore those words, Lina saw the truth in them. Berk had dragons, something that other Viking tribes obviously lacked. She tugged at her hair one last time before depositing the comb underneath the fur pelt she used to pillow her head in the dark hours of the night. "I know my place, Edda," Lina assured her sister while braiding her hair. "And I know my duty."

On their small island two things were sacred honour and duty. Raised as the last daughter of the village's Chief, Lina had been told all through her growing years what was expected of her. All her life the brave men and women of her hone had protected her against outside threats. Now it was her turn to repay them. A marriage between herself and a dragon rider would ensure that should there be an attack upon her village, the forces of Berk would merge with her father's warriors and together they would repel the threat.

"Better some young warrior than Old Stooped Gren, don't you think?" Edda tried to make her smile as she was wont to do. All that Lina managed was a grimace.

Of course the fact that she found no acceptable suitors in her own village had played its part. Her father had tried, Odin knew he had. But Lina had not been amenable to any of her prospective grooms. The truth was that while she had been raised in the home of the Chief she was no natural daughter of his. Lina had been found of a wooden craft set adrift at sea. She had been alone in the small boat and when she made it to shore on the Island of Loutish Vandals the people had been kind enough to take her in. But they had never really accepted her.

She had been a small thing and that hadn't really changed even with all the years that passed. She lacked the stoutness that was considered ideal in a woman. Her form was slender, her skin freckless and her arms not made to hold a war hammer, a spear or a sword. Lina hadn't been bothered by it in the beginning, for Chief Heron's daughters, despite their differences, had embraced Lina as their sister. But with them gone, she found her life strangely listless.

Brunhild had been the oldest and the first to wed. Her home was further down in the village, but as a wife and warrior she had little time for anything but her home and weapons. Maeve had followed after, but her husband had died during a Berserker raid. That left the second sister in care of her twins, a handful even when they were on their best behaviour. Svipul had died in childbed, her son taken in by her parents when his father met his end at sea. Edda too had found herself a man, but he was of another island. He'd come to choose a bride, and his choice had been between herself and her fair sister. Lina bore Edda no grudge. She was not Viking wife material it would seem; it was no fault of Edda's.

As for the men of her own village, most considered her too skinny to be attractive and much too small to bear children well. In turn, Lina thought them either too forceful or much too old to wed. Her father had at one point considered giving her hand to Young Wrennon, who was in fact trice Lina's age and had had for wives before. Then there was Old Stooped Gren. He was not old at all, but he had a hunchback and a limp. He was a kind man, but he barely even knew how to feed himself. Lina did not want such a husband.

Somehow though, the Island of Berk seemed to be in need of unmarried women. Lina knew the Chief of the Hairy Hooligans had probably been very much attracted to the large dowry her father had offered to the tribe if one of his men took her to bride. It was humiliating. But she knew better than to complain.

"I just wish you could come with me," Lina said to Edda. "I will be alone there. Without any of my sisters. At the mercy of strangers."

"That's rot!" Edda chided her. "You'll have your husband and his family. That's not alone."

"If he'll have me," the younger woman muttered under her breath. Most men took one look at her and turned around in search of a woman more to their taste.

"Oh, he will. Why won't he? You are a pretty little thing. You haven't much meat on those bones, I grant you, but you face is attractive. I wish I had a face like yours." Edda brushed Hildegard's hair. She was a kind woman if not beautiful. And Edda really was not beautiful. She was broad shouldered and tall, almost two heads over Lina. Her hips were wide and her middle plump. She was a healthy woman in the prime of her life, with glowing skin and a mop of untidy red curls. She was not at all beautiful, but she had found herself a perfect place. Lina would have jumped at such a chance. She would trade her pretty face for a situation like Edda's.

"Well, since father is paying them in iron and copper to give me a husband, it's the last they can do and he'll be obliged to accept me." Hildegard crawled over the dusty floorboards into Lina's lap.

"You're the crafty one in our family. You'll find a way to have him open his heart to you," Edda predicted, moving around the room. "Here, let me braid your hair before mother comes."

As good as her word, Edda worked her fingers through Lina's hair. The tugging and the pinching would be nothing compared to the painfully embarrassing conversation she would have to hear from her mother, Lina was sure. Turra Daughterbringer was a good woman. But she was not at all eloquent when it came to intimate matters. Despite having had her fair share of births, she could only stammer through the advice that her daughters needed to hear before they were wedded. It was a agonizing and awkward process that would take too much of Lina's time and yield too little information.

"Can't you just tell me what all the fuss is about?" Lina asked, arms holding Hildegard securely to her chest. "I needn't wait for mother to hear this."

"And rob her of the privilege of educating you?" Edda gasped. "I think not, sister mine. Wait for mother you shall." She was tying the thick plait she had made, Lina felt. "Remember, we all suffered – I mean submitted to this family tradition."

Edda was right. Their mother's fumbling to explain to them the more intricate aspects of human relationships was a sort of tradition. From Brunhild to Edda, each and every one of her sisters had been taught by way of word about what waited for them in their marriage bed. And each and every one of them had been left with more questions than answers. As if the whole situation was not nerve-wracking enough. Edda's soft laughter was not soothing her one bit. Lina threw her a mean look.

"How comforting," the younger sister mocked. She rolled her eyes and handed Edda the child. "I wish you a good night." She'd had enough of sibling teasing for one night.

"To you too." It was just as well that Edda spoke, for the door creaked, announcing the arrival of Turra. Edda stood to her feet and walked past her mother with a smile.

Turra held two wooden mugs in her hands. The scent of warm milk wafted to Lina's nose. She breathed in deep. "I put some honey in yours," the older woman said kindly. She was almost unchanged from Lina's childhood. Still more wide than tall with big warm hands and kind dark eyes. It was one of the few thing she had in common with her family, eyes the colour of mud someone had once said. A few streaks of silver nestled among wider strips of spun gold. "How are you feeling?"

"Nauseous?"No quite, she decided upon further examination. She was queasy but not to a great degree.

"That the excitement," her mother said understandingly. "The day before I wedded Heron I was so thrilled I almost hugged my pet board to death." Lina could see that. "And the morning of the wedding, ah, I shan't bore you with such details. The more important thing is the wedding night."

Lina leaned in, curiosity stealing over her. "Aye. The wedding night."

"Aye." Her mother grew flustered and fidgety. "That. The wedding night." It was going even worse than Lina had expected. Silence stretched out between them. Turra chewed on her lower lip and cleared her throat. Resolve bloomed on her face. She took a deep breath. For a woman whose second instinct was killing enemies where they stood and the first, smothering her loved ones with attention, was just as dangerous, she required a bit too much time for such a simple task. "You husband will share your bed the night of your wedding, and you are expected to oblige him. He will," she stopped, searching for the right words, "Turra finished with a strong blush staining her cheeks. "All you need to do is follow your instincts and pay heed to your husband. He will guide you through this."

Once more silence reigned in the cramp space. The fire flicked in the small pit that had been dug in the centre of the room. The warm light painted her mother's face gently, making her seem softer than she actually was. Lina's breath caught. Automatically her hands came up to cover her mouth as a sob escaped her slightly parted lips. Swift as a cat, Turra gathered her daughter in her arms. Lina's head was pillowed by Turra's chest and in the comforting embrace of her mother she wept like she hadn't done for many years.

"There, sweet child," Turra soothed her. "There, there. No need for tears." Lifting her shin, the mother gave her a soft kiss. "You must be strong, daughter. You will have children of your own soon. Be strong for them for they cannot be so for themselves. You shall love them and rear them into fine warriors, I know. There is a brand new life waiting for you out there."

She could have said that she was happy as she was, she could claim she didn't want a brand new life, but Turra had always known when one of her children was lying. And she never let them get away with it. "I'm going to miss you, mother, and father too. And my sisters," she sniffled. "I'll even miss not being able to properly hold that broadsword." This was her home and they were her family, the only one she had ever known. She had grown up in this woman's arms, despite not being of her womb. "Mother, I really will miss you."

"I know. We will miss you to." Holding her even tighter, Turra hummed a song, a half-forgotten lullaby. "Make us proud, daughter. You shoulders might not be as broad as mine, but you have strength in you. All my daughters do. I've raised you well."

The sails had been spread wide, the bear-like creature, protector of the Loutish Vandals, artfully drawn of them. Lina ha always wondered why they'd chosen that animal. Of course there was a certain likeness between her clansmen and the bear; they were tall and broad, strong enough to snap a woman like her in two without much effort. Bears were fierce fighters and protective of their territory. Lina smiled. The bear was perfect fit. Glancing over her shoulder, Lina looked at her village one last time.

"Are you ready?" Heron asked her, gently taking her by the shoulder.

"I am," she answered in a soft voice. The iron ornaments in her hair jangled with every step she took, their gray shine bright against her dark tresses. The wooden stairs creaked under her feet as he climbed aboard the vessel.

The Brawny Maiden had been built especially for this voyage. It was long and wide, fashioned in the exact form of a brawny maiden, Lina thought. The wood had been painted in festive colours. The whole village had gathered to see her off. While they would never laud her as they did the Chief's trueborn children, they were blind good she did them, so they cheered her and hailed her with shouts of long live and good fortune. She was a seal. She was a promise of peace and plenty. She was a promise of dragons and no more Berserker attacks. Lina inclined her head towards the elders of the village as a sign of respect, waved to her parents and to Edda and to the people only after.

The ship set sail, moving slowly through the water. The journey would not be very long. Her father had made the same journey and he counted four days of journey and one afternoon. She took in the salty scent all around her and gave Captain Hutch a tremulous smile. Anxiety made her stomach rumble in protest. The smile slipped from her face.

"Don't be getting sick on my ship," Hutch warned her. "The smell will get dragons here faster than you can blink and then we'll all be dragon snack."

Hutch Hitchson had been sailing the sea long before she was born. Now he was an old man, with thinning grey hair and a long beard. He had the tendency to fall asleep in the mead hall and children would sometimes tie knots in his bread. When he woke the culprits were punished by their parents with untangling the wiry hairs and combing them straight. Sometimes a few lucky ones would be allowed to braid the beard. Of course their hands had to be freshly washed and scrubbed free of any dirt. But it was a treat they relished all the same. Hutch was a gruff man with a heart of gold underneath all the layers of dirt and stubbornness.

"I won't," Lina assured him, tapping her foot to the floorboards. She was not so sure of that actually. Her stomach rumbled again. Perhaps if she had something to chew on. Amid all the commotion she hadn't been able to take more than one bite of bread and a cup of water in the morning. Well, she didn't want to b eaten by dragons, Lina decided, so she would have to make do.

Looking up, Lina could not help thinking that it was a perfect day to set sail on. The sky was clear, light blue and cloudless. Odin was good. The sea was calm, and nothing seemed out of place. This would be a nice voyage, she was sure. Smoothing the invisible creases from her dress, she searched for anything that might serve as a stool. Lina had been up very early and she had walked all about the village, making last minute preparations and saying her goodbyes.

"Have you seen the man I am to wed?" she asked the Captain, hoping that at least she could find a description of his features if not his character.

"Can't say I have, lassie. But he is one of the dragon riders." And it seemed that it was all anyone could tell her about this man she would have. Lina sighed. "All those riders are brave Vikings. You are better off with anyone of them than you would have been with a man from our village."

Or with a Berserker. That would have been another brilliant choice. But it was not one Lina would have accepted, if only because that ilk did not know a thing about keeping their word. How many treaties had been signed with Dagur the Deranged only to be attacked later despite promises of safety? If she had to play the part of a seal, she would rather it be for a true pact. Besides, the dragon riders were young people, she would very likely get along well enough with them. And if she avoided all contact with Dagur and his men, her life would be complete.

Toying with one of the sleeves of her dress, Lina appraised herself. She had been garbed in the traditional bridal dress of her island. Which was to say that carious metal trinkets had bee placed in her hair, which had been allowed to flow down her back for one last time. After she wedded, it would be pinned up to mark her woman and mistress of her own home. She had also been given her maiden's belt, a heavy leather contraption that clung to her waist. It was extremely wide on her and studded with iron spikes. Her husband's job would be to unlace it without drawing blood. It was always a bad sign if he cut himself. Knowing her luck, Lina half expected that that would be the situation. She smothered a laugh.

Suddenly a shadow fell over them. Lina looked up, expecting that cloud had gathered for a storm. To her surprise and rising terror, a huge black beast was flying above them. Lina let out a squeal of distress. But the creature ignored her and lowered itself until it stood less than four feet above them. Captain Hutch seemed unconcerned.

"No need to fret," he told her. A moment later someone jumped off that mountain of a beast. "Mistress Lina, meet Hiccup Horrendous Haddock, the third, chief of the Hairy Hooligans." He gave her an amused glance. "Master Hiccup, this is Lina daughter of Heron the Wise.

The newcomer stared at her with thinly disguised interest. There was even flicker of shock there. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance," he said, a model of decorum. "When your father proposed an alliance between our clans and said he would send the last of his daughters, I confess I was expecting someone a little different."

Chief Hiccup was a tall man with an open face and green eyes that immediately caught her attention. He was handsome and young. A pity, had he been her husband she could have breathed easier now. "Chief," she replied, "I hope I am not a disappointment."

His face went red. "I did not mean it like that," he stuttered, one hand gesturing wildly. "You are rather young."

"I am old enough to wed," she offered. He looked at her very seriously, inspecting every inch of her. Lina was tempted to say to him a few choice words. She was not a horse. And she did not appreciate the dragon looming over her. "Must your whatever he is fly so close above us?"

"Toothless?" He seemed not to understand her for a brief moment. His lips curved in a smile. "He is harmless, Lina daughter of Heron, but he cannot come aboard. His weight would sink the boat."

"Then he best not put one paw in it, or I'll have his hide," the Captain warned.

"Is it not a little early for a greeting committee?" Lina watched the dragon eyeing her. There was a certain cuteness to his face. The Chief had referred to the dragon as a he. However, why had he been given that name, when quite clearly he was in possession of razor sharp teeth? Lina did not even bother trying to understand.

"I have come to ensure none of you meet any mishaps en route to Berk. These are dangerous waters." He gave her a shallow bow. "And I thought you might like to hear about the man that has been chosen for you."

Finally, Lina smiled. She had grown a wee bit worried when he mentioned unsafe waters, but the prospect of hearing about her future husband temporarily shifted her attention. "That would be most welcomed," she said. "Would you care to come to sit down with me?"

The small bench she had been provided with was certainly wide enough. Hiccup nodded and she led him by the arm, trying not to stare too much at the metallic leg. Viking often had such limbs to replace those they'd lost. The man did not seem bothered by her scrutiny. He sat down with her and gave her a reassuring smile.

"I used to be the runt of the litter," he told her without preamble. She felt the kinship almost as soon as the words left his mouth. "The other children in the village would tease me and I never really had any friends. And then Toothless came along and changed everything."

Furrowing her brown, Lina resisted the urge to lean in. "My husband was one of those children?" Oh great, she could already picture the man's face when he saw her.

"Aye, but he is not a cruel person. A bit of a trickster, Tuffnut Thorston is his name. If there is any chance of mischief, you may be sure he and his sister will dive right in. They are twins. We have a saying in Berk, where there's smoke, there's the twins." He laughed and for some reason Lina found herself laughing with him. At least her marriage would never be dull. "We were hoping a wife might help settling him down a little."

"He rides a dragon as well, is that not so?" she questioned, her interest raised. "What sort of mighty beast is it?" Lina knew very little about dragons other than that they breathed fire and approaching them usually resulted in severe damage to one's health or possibly even death.

"He shares a Hideous Zippleback with his sister, Ruffnut. They have named the two heads Barf and Belch. Tuffnut is in control of Belch, while Ruffnut had command of Barf."

A strange name, Lina though. "They have a strange sense of humour, these twins," she observed. That would suit her just fine. Lina was less comical minded, so she supposed that she would worry about the practical aspects of life, which was all she'd ever done anyway.

"Indeed. I think you will like the twins." Hiccup sat back. "They are eccentric to a certain point, and their pranks are not always in the best of tastes, but they mean no ill." She even understood the unspoken promise that nothing potentially lethal would happen to her. Lina was quite proud of herself and very grateful for the warning.

"Perhaps your dragon would like it more if you climbed back on," she said after a brief pause. Toothless seemed anxious to have his rider back and Lina felt it was not her place to obstruct him.

"You may call his Toothless if you wish," he said by way of putting her at ease. "Anyway, Toothless and I will be watching over fro up there." He pointed to the sky and sat up. Toothless growled, putting Lina in the mind of a wild thing. She pressed back against the wood and the Chief gave a soft laugh. "You'll get used to the dragons. Berk is full of them."

Somehow that did not put her at ease at all. Lina managed a smile, or what she thought was a smile. It might not have looked like a smile. "I am certain you are right," she replied woodenly.

A/N: Dun dun! That's it for now. Do tell me what you think.