Thirteen years. That's how long Berk had been at war with the southern Yorvani. 'Southern' was not an accurate term, he supposed. The Yorvani had spread out like a disease over the Wilderwest—nearly surrounding the small country of Berk.

He looked out his bedroom window. From here, he could see miles upon miles of farmlands—and beyond that, the distant Eastern Mountains. And none of what he saw even belonged to Berk anymore. The Yorvani had claimed them as well—thirteen years of bitter war—fighting to the tooth and bone to keep themselves safe and independent—pointless.

At least the people of Berk would be allowed to continue their daily life as usual, not much would change, save for the fact that they would be subject to the Yorvani's barbaric and cruel rule. His father, the king of Berk, would be kept as a prisoner in one of the Yorvani's strongholds. Alive and well treated, but a prisoner nonetheless. At least they had the sense to know that his father would be a useless puppet king—he would find ways to have his own bidding done. But the thought of his father as a prisoner pained him. The fact that he would most likely never see him again pained him even more.

It was Yorvani tradition to kill the former rulers of the countries they conquered, and to force their own traditions upon its people. But Berk would be safe from that, at least for now. Reluctantly, Hiccup had made sure of that.

He wondered if what he agreed to do was degrading in some way—he would never be king of Berk, but it was certainly better than a Yorvani execution.

There was a knock on the door, and Hiccup stood quickly, nearly knocking over the candle at the table he was sitting at. The door opened and a guard stepped through. "Milord," the guard said. He was Yorvani, Hiccup recognized instantly. "They are expecting you."

Hiccup nodded, glancing at the tall mirror standing at the other side of his room for a moment, before chastising himself. So what if he didn't look his best? He shouldn't care about that.

He followed the guard through the castle, wondering if this would be the last time he ever set eyes on his childhood home—the home that should have been his to live in and rule till the end of his days.

As he entered the large reception room, he found, to his surprise and shame, that there were faces he recognized. Lords and ladies of Berk who were spared. But most were Yorvani, looking at him in interest. Most likely they came with their liege—the High War Chief of the Yorvani, eager to see Hiccup and measure him up to their standards.

The crowd parted, and he saw a figure standing facing away from him, clad in intricate armor. Golden hair was pinned to her head in many intricate braids. The guard who had escorted him, cleared his throat, and the woman turned, fixing startling blue-grey eyes on him.

Under different circumstances, he would have thought her beautiful. But at the moment, all he could do was shiver under her attentive gaze. He felt a blush inch up his neck as her eyes traveled down his body, hidden as it was beneath court clothes. Finally, her eyes rose to his. "You are Prince Hiccup?" she asked.

He nodded, unable to speak.

She smiled, nodding her head in slight acknowledgment. Then she turned away, and continued her conversation with the two men she had been speaking with.

Hiccup let out a long breath that desperately needed to be released. Just like that, attention diverted away from him, and he was left feeling cold and empty, relieved as he was not to have over fifty set of eyes on him.

So this was High War Chief Astrid, daughter of the War Goddess Kor, and Divine Leader of the Yorvani.

He supposed there could be worse women to become the consort of.

He hoped.

TO BE CONTINUED?

Consort au except Hiccup is the consort ;))))))

So this is a new au I've started, and since my other works in progress probably wouldn't do well on this site, I'm posting this one here! Is this a story you guys would be interested in reading more of?

This chapter is a prologue, so it's much, much shorter than the normal chapters, which will most likely will be longer, should you guys want more :)

Note: The rating of this story may be bumped up to M at some point, depending on how detailed I decide to go on the story. I just haven't written that far and it's not clear to predict.

Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim to own the copyright or IP of the HTTYD franchise.

See you soon (hopefully)!