The Lost Pride of Berk (How To Train Your Dragon Fanfiction)

Part Four

Briar leaned off of Hiccup and just looked him in the eye for a moment. Her face was red and she was breathing like a fish out of water. He must have said something to her because she laughed before she turned to face the demonic woman and replied with a shaky voice, "Yes, mother?" She wiped tears from her cheeks before walking to her with perfect posture.

Hiccup ran back to Astrid quickly. His face and eyes were red too, and he couldn't talk straight. Astrid really loved seeing him like this for some reason. So vulnerable. The last time he'd really cried was after they'd gotten married and he received all the letters from neighboring villages about paying their respects to Stoick.

At the base of the castle, Briar Rose and her mother spoke in hushed tones, although Briar Rose really couldn't give any straight answers to her. "Berkians, your family. I understand." Her mother told her as she handed the toddler to Briar Rose, keeping her eyes on the strangers. "They're welcome here, tell them that." She told Rose before going back into the castle without another word.

Briar Rose waited to run to Hiccup again until her mother was out of sight. She could never act so improper in her presence. But as soon as she disappeared from sight, zoom!

"My mother said you two can stay!...You will stay, won't you?" She asked, glancing between Astrid and Hiccup. Bel in Rose's arms reaches out for Hiccup, and Rose handed her off to him. "Oh," Hiccup said in surprise at the baby now in his arms. He watched Bel for a moment before she laid on his shoulder. "I think we will stay a while." He finally replied.

Astrid smiled at the adorable scene between Bel and Hiccup. She suddenly had a depressing thought and her smile faded as her eyes drifted to the ground.

Rose saw Astrid's expression and finally spoke to her. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? You two must be married?" She asked glancing between them, and Hiccup nodded. Rose quickly curtsied. "Oh! The queen of Berk! It is an honor to meet you, your highness." She complimented, but Astrid didn't know what to do about this.

"No, oh no, I'm no queen. I'm...just the chief's wife." She clarified. Rose stood up again with a confused expression. Hiccup laughed and interrupted their conversation. "Uh, Astrid, Rose. Rose, Astrid." He gestured between the both of them and they both smiled at each other.

Rose then looked behind Hiccup at the dragon. "And...the Night Fury?" She wondered, almost afraid of it. "Toothless." Hiccup introduced one more time. Toothless pushed him aside to greet her.

Rose backed away slightly for a second, but when she realized how sweet and playful Toothless was, she was treating him just as Hiccup does. "You're so much nicer than my mother's dragon." She commented.

Hiccup was standing next to Astrid now, and when Bel saw her, she reached out for her next. Hiccup handed her off, and Astrid was glad to take her. Holding that baby made her day right there.

"Speaking of your mother..." Hiccup hinted. Rose looked up at him and smiled almost embarrassed. "Oh..she's my mother in law, I guess." She admitted. Hiccup's eyes widened. "You're married?" He demanded, looking back at Astrid and Bel. He actually got distracted by how good Astrid was with her for a second before he looked back to Rose. "And that's really your-"

"Yes, I was married, and yes, Bel is my daughter...she's nearly a year and a half old." She explained. Hiccup couldn't fathom it. A young girl, at the age of fourteen being married off and even having a baby. He knew that was her job, to be married to the prince, but how early it happened is ridiculous. "Wait," he started again, "You were married?"

Rose nodded, "Herid, my husband, he was killed in a war along with his father...just a few weeks ago actually."

"I'm so sorry for both your losses." Astrid intervened. Rose smiled. "Herid was never my ideal choice of a husband. He didn't respect me...Bel is proof of that. I was down hearted at receiving word of he and his father's death, but I didn't stop functioning; my mother did." She became silent for a moment, and looked momentarily like she'd seen a ghost.

Quickly just as it started she snapped out of her trance and beckoned for the three to come inside. They walked into the castle, the three of them walking in a row and Tootless behind them. Hiccup looked around at the decorated walls while Astrid talked to Rose some more about a subject he didn't like much.

"What do you mean Bel is proof of his disrespect?" She wondered. Bel had her head on Astrid's shoulder and was looking at Rose, and Rose smiled at her. "I do love Bel, but...she wasn't my choice. To get married and pregnant that young. It's against tradition in Herode for women to resist men. They take what they want, we don't have any say. Herid didn't love me, he barely liked me. He just wanted one thing from me..." She said as she watched Bel.

Astrid didn't know what to say. She felt horrible for Rose, a princess yet so objectified like she was. She'd been through more terror and pain and fear than her and Hiccup combined.

Rose suddenly looked up at Astrid's sorry expression. "Oh, don't feel sorry for me." She laughed. "Every part of my life was perfect...just not..." She looked away, at the ground as she spoke, "the nights..."

***

Rose showed Astrid and Hiccup to their room and let them be to get settled until dinner. Hiccup trusted her to also put Toothless away, and Rose took him to the roof where the stables were. Next to Toothless' stable was her mother's pet dragon, which wasn't much of a pet. She was more of a weapon.

Rose fed Toothless and stayed there and talked to him for a while since she knew she had time before dinner. "She won't bother you, she's just an old hermit hag. At least that's what I call her. Up here's the only place I get to use fowl language like that." She laughed as she pet Toothless while he ate.

She glanced over at the other dragon's stable. If you didn't live here, you wouldn't think there was a dragon in there. You couldn't see the shape of a big dragon in there, you couldn't hear it breathing, or see the smoke coming out of its nostrils. It looked like an empty stable if you didn't know any better.

Rose sighed, "Well, they're probably getting sick of babysitting Bel, I'd better go get her. See ya tomorrow, buddy." She kissed Toothless' head and walked out of the stall and slowly down the stairs and through the rest of the castle.

***

Astrid tossed Bel into the air to get her to laugh. It works every time. Hiccup smiled watching the two from the other side of the room. Astrid turned and happened to see him staring. Her smile disappeared. "What?" She wondered. Hiccup laughed and shook his head. "You're just so good with her." He complimented.

Astrid smiled again and looked back at Bel, who was smiling, but not laughing. She smiled bigger, and a little goofy to make her laugh. That worked too.

Hiccup was wondering why Astrid hasn't gotten pregnant yet, after almost a year....it was bound to happen already. He didn't say anything about it to her.

A sudden knock came on their door, and Hiccup rushed to answer it. He thought it would be Rose or someone familiar, but it looked like a servant. "The Queen invites you to dinner in five minutes." He informed him. Astrid paused and watched this endevar. "Uh, thank you." Hiccup replied, trying to make it sound like this invitation wasn't at all too formal....which it was.

As soon as he gave his response, the servant bowed, then walked down the hall again. Hiccup closed the door and gave Astrid a confused look, who couldn't contain her laughter. "Maybe we should start that, huh?" He suggested. "Yeah, start with a castle first babe."

Hiccup opened the door for Astrid and she walked across the room to him, stopping to give him a kiss first. When their lips touched, Bel put her lips on theirs. They both laughed at her.

Rose was around a corner in the hallway from Hiccup and Astrid's room. She had a clear view of the adorable scene, and was overjoyed that Bel is taking so well to these two...or more so relieved, really. She was confident that Bel would be alright now...