Noblesse oblige

Part 2

Chapter 2

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Astrid asked while blushing. She couldn't believe her outburst just then and hoped she had heard wrongly.

"I wish for you to marry me," Hiccup said once more and Astrid's eyes narrowed. She then proceeded to pinch herself and realized that 'No, she wasn't dreaming' and 'Yes, the Crown Prince had just proposed marriage.'

"Forgive me if I say this but you are either an idiot or so calculating you come off as an idiot." She spoke plainly. Honestly, she was a woman with nothing right now. What did she have to lose?

Hiccup merely laughed and then regarded her with a critical eye. "You're right. I did come here with a secondary intention." He admitted. "But what I said before still stands. You were unfairly imprisoned. So you are free as of now." He showed Astrid a rusted set of keys and then used one of them to unlock her cell. "How about we talk about my other motives in a warmer place?" Just at that moment Astrid's stomach rumbled loudly causing her to blush and Hiccup to laugh.

Astrid blinked as a while later she sat in one of the many cozy rooms of the Palace with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands, a fire roaring in the heart, and her stomach filled with some of the most delicious chicken she had ever had. The carriage ride back had been filled with a somewhat awkward silence. According to Hiccup it would only be safe to talk once they were behind closed doors. She had been ushered out of the prison with haste once she agreed to listen. A carriage was waiting patiently at the side door of the prison and Astrid supposed it would raise eyebrows if the Prince was seen entering from the front door. The coachman didn't spare her a glance as Hiccup held his hand out like a gentleman to help her in the coach. With a flick of the reigns, they had been off towards the palace once both had been seated. She had looked out the window at the scenery. The leaves were beginning to turn orange as winter was not far away. The dampness of her cell had already emphasized that. Astrid also spared some glances towards the Crown Prince. The man was around her age and looked as innocent as a babe but from what Astrid had gleaned there was intellect there. She also thought he looked quite handsome but then mentally kicked her brain.

Astrid had put the porcelain cup down on the table in front of her and looked at her host critically. Hiccup had been munching on a biscuit that a maid had placed on the table. Her host seemed a lot more carefree than she thought he would be with all the secrecy he emphasized.

"Your Highness, I thank you for the hospitality but I think we should get down to business." Astrid said as she stared the Prince straight in the eye. "You asked me to marry you,"

"That is correct," Hiccup answered as he had finished his biscuit. "It is frankly of the utmost importance that I marry."

"Are you unaware of the reputation I currently have?" Astrid asked. "I am a disgraced former Noble. I have no house, no land and no fortune to offer if this union should come to pass. Politically I have absolutely no worth."

"Don't say that Milady. Anyone who can deck my cousin as you did and cause him to sit awkwardly for three days straight has a lot of worth." Hiccup smiled. "It may have been schadenfreude but it was a welcome change from his usual arrogant ego." Hiccup took a sip of his hot chocolate before looking at Astrid. "It certainly showed me that you are a woman that holds her virtues in high regard."

"Still, I will not be your concubine," Astrid held her head high when she said this. She would not be placed in that role, ever. The role of concubines differed from kingdom to kingdom. In some they were not recognized as official wives. In others, like Berk, they were. The problem however was that any concubine was also subservient to the First Wife. It was the reason Astrid saw red when Snotlout offered her that position. It would mean that she had to take anything Camicazi dished out and not be able to utter a word in her defense. Sure she would be a prestigious wife of a Duke but the abuse that could come with that position was one Astrid rather not have especially when she knew how sadistic Camicazi could become.