Empire at war (A Httyd Fanfiction)

Chapter 8: Calm before the storm

A/N: Saturday was easily the most torturous shift I've ever had at Amazon, just thinking about it makes me infuriated and frustrated. Time to move on with the story here, this chapter will mostly contain some smutty goodness and fluff before things go from 0 to 100 in the next chapter.

(Normal pov)

Zephyr Haddock was within her chambers within the massive tower in the center of the Haddock Empire, the young princess was dressed in a simple night shift, her auburn hair which was usually braided was flowing down her shoulders, and she was seated on her bed while reading a few chapters of the Red Maw saga, it was a book that told of all of the Red Maw's wars starting back when Hiccup brought the Vikings of Norway together and ravaged England and to their latest conflict which was not long ago. If there was one thing that Zephyr was known for, it was for her creative mind; she had invented many traps to help catch wild game lurking within the forests, she's artistic and carries around a notepad and charcoal stick wherever she goes to sketch the world around her and beyond.

The day today was mostly uneventful, she and her bonded dragon Dart patrolled the city from above and reached out to the capital city's outer defense outposts. Dart, who is, in fact, one of Toothless's brood is a crossbreed between Night Fury and Light Fury, a species of dragon Hiccup and his dragon sympathizers stumbled across in a secret haven for dragons, the Hidden World. Not only did she do patrols around her home, but there was the pressure of being married to a man within the empire and carry on the Haddock bloodline. Zephyr did want to fall in love, she envied the love between her mother and father because it seemed so... perfect. She was both eager and nervous to marry a man of significance within the empire, but her father also told her to follow her heart as well; if there was a man of common blood that she favored, she had her father's permission to bring this commoner before the Haddock family and see whether or not he's worthy of being wedded off to royalty.

Suddenly, knocking pulled Zephyr out of her thoughts of love and away from the chapter she was reading and she then looked to the door of her chambers and spoke. "Come in!" The door opened, revealing her older sister Ingrid. "Sister," Zephyr said in greetings, "please, come in." She said while placing a bookmark in the form of a feather on the chapter she was reading. Ingrid entered her sister's room, closed the door, made her way to the bed, and sat beside her half-sister. "I have good news," Ingrid said with a beaming grin, "I'm pregnant." Zephyr's eyes widened and a joyful laugh escaped her lips. "That's wonderful! Avery's seed has finally taken hold inside of your womb?" Ingrid nodded in confirmation, Zephyr then pulled Ingrid in a warm embrace and murmured congratulations in her ear.

After sharing a warm embrace, the two half-sisters broke off and Ingrid then caressed Zephyr's auburn hair. "Hmmm, one day my dear sister, you're going to meet a man and make him the luckiest man in all of Midgard," she said with genuine truth, "have you any interest in any men within the city and throughout Norway?" Biting her lower lip, Zephyr spoke her mind. "Well... there is this one man who is twenty winters old, like me. He's very handsome, he's a common blacksmith who works alongside Gobber and his other apprentices," she then spoke with admiration, "he's tall, lean and wiry like our father, stunning blue eyes that you could easily drown in, and had dirty blond hair done in a man bun fade."

"And do you care to tell me what name this man carries?" Ingrid inquired with a teasing smirk.

"His name is Leif the Commoner," Zephyr said, "both his parents died in earlier wars our father waged against foreign kingdoms and empires that rivaled our own. He lives within the city, but he has forsaken the call to become famous like most Vikings, all he desires is to live his life in service to our father and the gods."

"A noble path," Ingrid said, "and do you favor this man?"

"We've been friends for quite some time now," Zephyr confessed, "I believe he feels... intimidated by my station in this life, or perhaps he believes he's unworthy of associating himself with me for too long." Ingrid hummed in understanding and wrapped one of her arms around Zephyr's shoulder and pulled her close. "Has Leif's gaze upon you lingered on occasion?" She inquired, Zephyr nodded in confirmation, causing Ingrid to chuckle lightly. "The man harbors an interest in you," she then continued, "yet if he believes he is unworthy of you, prove him wrong and reassure him."