Chapter One – Propositions

For what felt like the millionth time that day, Hiccup's eyes strayed to the worn, leather-bound book sitting at the edge of the desk. His fingers twitched, yearning to open it and stare at the map. He wished he could just run out of the house, hop on Toothless, and fly until he dropped off the edge of the world. There was still so much left to discover, but instead he sat at his dad's old desk, poring over old documents to try and find a solution for the latest crisis on Berk.

Suddenly the door squeaked open and Hiccup turned to see Astrid walk in, a bright smile pulling at her lips. Seeing her kind blue eyes set him at ease.

"Do you need me to ride Toothless today?" she asked, walking up beside him.

"Yeah. I'm not going to finish this anytime soon." He nodded at the stack of papers before him. She gave him a sympathetic look, but nodded and turned to leave. "Astrid?"

She stopped and glanced over her shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Do you…how do you think I've been doing so far…as chief?" Hiccup asked. He needed some sort of affirmation. Some sign that he was doing something right.

Her warm smile made his spirits rise as she walked back over to him. "I think you've been doing the best you can, considering the circumstances."

Hiccup was unsure how to take that comment. "Meaning?"

"Well, there are food shortage problems, and a lot of the Vikings are homeless and have taken to sleeping in the Great Hall. Some people are complaining that things are different than when your dad was in charge, but after everything that's happened, I don't think things can ever go back to normal. Your dad never had to deal with a situation like this, and you're handling it the best way you can."

Hiccup let out a silent sigh. "I know I'm not my dad."

"No, you're not, but that doesn't mean you won't be a great chief." Astrid leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I know you'll figure out a solution. You're good at that."

With his spirits somewhat back, she left, closing the door behind her. As soon as she was gone he turned his attention back to the papers, and felt his vision swim as he stared at them. He'd watched his dad spend countless nights concentrating on paper work, while Hiccup drew up inventions and dreamed. Stoick made it look so easy, but it was harder than he could have ever imagined. Why didn't he try and pay more attention?

He couldn't make speeches as well as his dad, or plan things as smoothly as his dad, or run the village like his dad used to run it. But no matter what, he would keep trying to be the kind of chief his dad was—brave and selfless; someone who put his people first. Not only was it his duty, but he made a promise to himself as he watched his dad's pyre floating out on the water. He could only hope his dad was smiling down on him from Valhalla…but he doubted it. Not with all the things going wrong at the moment.

Rubbing his tired eyes, he tried to concentrate on the papers before him. The storage houses filled with food for the winter had been completely destroyed. All food grown on Berk was tough and tasteless—much like the Vikings themselves—but none of their food supply had been able to survive the Bewilderbeast attack a month ago. With winter only a few months away, Hiccup was desperate for a solution.

He leaned forward, elbows resting on the edge of the oaken desk and his face buried in his hands. At the sound of the door squeaking open he immediately sat up, thinking Astrid had returned. He didn't want her to see the toll all this had taken on him. However, he relaxed a bit when he saw it was his mother.

"What's troubling you, Hiccup?" she asked, walking over to him.

He forced a smile. "Nothing, just a little tired."

She stepped up beside him and gave him a knowing look. "I may have been gone for twenty years, but I'm still your mother, and a mother can always tell when something is bothering her son."

He turned his gaze back to the papers lying before him. "It's just that when the Bewilderbeast came he froze nearly everything."

His mother gave him a reassuring smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We can rebuild the houses."

"Yes, but we can't rebuild food, and there isn't enough time to plant new crops before winter comes."

Her smile slowly faded, a look of realization dawning on her face. Hiccup let his face fall into his hands once again. Years ago he'd made light of the situation when his dad complained that he had an entire village to feed during the winter, but now that he was in the same situation he saw just how stressful it had been for his dad. How could he ever compare?

"I haven't been chief for a month and I'm already failing my people," Hiccup moaned, raising his head.

"What about fish? Have you sent out more fishermen?" she asked.

"Yes, but after the day is done and everyone has eaten, there's barely any food left to store."

The fact that they now had an island full of dragons to feed didn't help matters, and since the Bewilderbeast was dead and Toothless was the new Alpha, all the dragons that had lived under the care of the Bewilderbeast for so many years had taken up residence on Berk. In previous years the storehouses always lasted all winter, but they had to start saving early. And every year when spring finally appeared, the storehouses were always empty. Vikings had almost as big an appetite as dragons, and now with the new mouths to feed, there simply wasn't enough food.

"Have you thought about rationing? Just until the stocks can be refilled?"

"I was just thinking about that earlier, but even if I did that, we wouldn't have enough food for the winter."

"What about the sheep?"

"I've put aside some sheep for food, but…we still need some sheep for the dragon races." When she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, he rushed to explain his decision, "I won't stop the races—the people need some hope."

Hiccup knew he should have set aside all the sheep for the winter, but he couldn't take that sport away from them. So many Vikings had their home destroyed in the attack—their livelihood blown to bits by ice. They needed some sense of normality—something to keep their spirits up. The dragon races provided that. For an hour or two, their worries could be forgotten. It was a small light—but a light nonetheless—to shine through the dark times.

"We'll think of something." Valka looked away, her gaze traveling to compartments on the wooden desk that had once belonged to Stoick. "Hiccup, have you gone through your father's old papers yet?"

"No. I meant to, but…" He gestured to the scattered papers before him.

"Years ago your father made a list of all the enemies of the Vikings," she said, gesturing for Hiccup to move aside. He stood up and let her sit down on the stool. She began shifting through the drawers, looking for the list. "If he still has that paper, perhaps we could find a former enemy willing to make a peace treaty with us. It would include trading, of course."

"But we don't have anything valuable to trade."

Hiccup knew most kingdoms had a currency, but Berk had always been all alone out in the ocean. Whatever they needed, they found on the island or did without. Occasionally Trader Johann would stop by their little speck of an island, but they would always trade goods instead of metal currency for things they wanted. There was no need for metal to be melted down for money when it was better used on weapons and inventions.

She finally pulled out a single sheet of paper with writing all over it, then turned to Hiccup with a smile. "We have our fearsome reputation. Any kingdom would be glad to have a clan of Vikings as their allies instead of their enemies. In return for trade, we could promise our full support if their kingdom is ever attacked."

The more Hiccup thought about it, the more he liked the idea. "Do you really think it could work?"

She gave a shrug and let out a small laugh. "We'll never know unless we try, and we don't have any better options."

Hiccup smiled and nodded in agreement. "All right, who's on the list?" He took a step forward and stood beside her, scanning over the names on the list. Next to each listed kingdom was the name of the most recent king or chief…if nothing had changed in the last twenty years, that is. "Hey, what about the Scots? This, um…" Hiccup followed the line to the name of their leader. "King Fergus. Do you think he would agree to a peace treaty?"

Valka frowned. "I doubt he would listen to us. Those Scots are brutal and can hold a grudge. When I was carried away twenty years ago the Vikings were still fighting the Scots, and they'll likely remember that. We have to find a kingdom that we haven't had any war with in years."

Hiccup's eyes scanned over the list. The paper didn't tell him which kingdoms the Viking clan had fought recently. He could still remember the wars that went on when he was younger, before they had stopped raiding to concentrate on their dragon problem.

"Ah, here's one," his mother announced, pointing to a kingdom near the end of the list. Hiccup leaned over and read it. Kippernium. Next to the kingdom was a name—King Caradoc. "We haven't fought with this kingdom in over forty years, and a Scandinavian noblewoman recently married their king, some twenty years ago." Hiccup knew what that meant. A lot of the Vikings were of Scandinavian descent. Even though a number of Viking clans had broken off from the country, they still remained on fairly friendly terms, meaning they left each other alone and didn't attack the other. "We've always been on friendly terms with the Scandinavians, so she might advise him to form an alliance with us."

"Great. Should I saddle up Toothless and pay them a visit?" Hiccup asked, already planning the trip. Valka immediately shook her head, laying a hand on Hiccup's arm.

"No, dragons are thought to be extinct in that area. We don't want to frighten them, and you can't deliver the message yourself. That's not how they do things in over there. First, we must send an envoy to deliver a message to the King, requesting a meeting with him to discuss the terms of our alliance. Then he will invite you to his Kingdom."

"All right." Hiccup agreed, trying to think of someone who would be able to complete the task. Someone he trusted. "I'll send the message with Astrid."

Valka shook her head again. "No, over there the women do not carry out important missions. Their place is seen as the home." Hiccup laughed at the idea. Any man foolish enough to tell a Viking woman her place was in the house might lose an arm. "To them it would be seen an insult if you sent a woman to deliver the message. It must be a man."

"How do you know so much about their customs?"

Valka smiled, a reminiscent look in her eyes. "I grew up in Norway, and my father was a merchant who traveled to distant lands to trade. One night when we were out at sea, the boat capsized and I washed up on the shores of Berk. Stoick was chief then, so he took me in. Of course, once your father and I fell in love we had to live in separate houses until the wedding."

"Was he always such a great chief?" Hiccup asked. As far back as he could remember, his dad was always the one with a plan—the one everyone looked up to. Hiccup was always considered a disappointment when compared to his father, and even though everyone looked up to him now—called him The Pride of Berk—fifteen years of being invisible was hard to forget.

"He was a lot like you—stubborn, but with a heart to serve his people." Hiccup smiled at this. "In fact, your father was the same age as you when he became chief. I didn't know him at the time, of course, but he often told me about his first few years as Chief."

Hiccup's eyes widened in surprise. His father didn't talk much about his first years as chief, or much about his past at all—being a man of few words—but he still found himself surprised that he shared more in common with his father than he thought. "You mean my grandfather made him chief when he was twenty?"

Valka's normally happy expression sobered. "Gunnar didn't pass on the title. He died during a dragon raid, and your father had to take over the role."

Hiccup wanted to know more. There was still so much about his father he was still finding out, and he could have sat there and listened to Valka talk about the past for hours, but she cleared her throat and smiled, seeming to remember the urgent matter at hand. "So, who shall we send?"

That proved more difficult. There weren't too many people Hiccup trusted with important matters. Astrid and his mother were among the few, and they were both women. What would dad have done? Hiccup thought, and suddenly an idea came.

He turned and gave his mom a smile. "Who was the one person dad trusted the most?"

Jane was making her usual patrol when she spotted something down in the woods out of the corner of her eye. She swung her head in the direction, orange hair whipping around her face. She pushed the curls back and leaned over slightly, peering down into the woods. Yes, there was definitely something down there. However, she didn't have a dragon's eyesight, and couldn't see exactly what it was. It was probably a deer or wild hog, but she always had to assume otherwise if she wanted to stay on the safe side. Before she could get a good look the dark object disappeared from her view—concealed by the dense cover of trees.

"Dragon, can you see what's down there?" she asked, patting his neck. He turned his head to the side, slowing down.

"Yes, there's a short life riding a horse."

This struck Jane as odd. When she left for patrol nearly twenty minutes ago all the horses were in their stalls, and people from the castle rarely rode out this far. There was nothing but forests stretching for miles and miles.

"Is he from the Kingdom?"

Dragon let out a snort. "Well how should I know? Do I look like I know every single short life in the castle? Now if you asked me whether I know all the cows in the kingdom that would be a different story."

Jane chuckled and rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Of course, you big lizard."

"But I will admit he is dressed strange."

Jane rose an eyebrow at this. "Strange how?"

"He is wearing animal pelts and a helmet with long horns sticking out of it. He also has a wooden leg and an arm with a spiked metal ball on the end."

Jane frowned. Nobody would wear such strange clothing in Kippernium, and she knew of no one in the whole Kingdom who had had a wooden leg, much less an arm like the one Dragon had described. It must be a foreigner, then. The question was, was he friendly? He almost sounded dangerous, with an arm like that.

"Which direction is he headed, Dragon?"

"East, towards the castle." There was a brief pause. "Shall we go and roast him?" Dragon gave her a grin.

Jane frowned and shook her head, sending her curls flying. "No. We must go back and warn the others. He might be a threat to the castle."

Jane and Dragon hastened back to the castle. When they arrived Jane jumped off Dragon and ran up to Sir Theodore, who was polishing his sword in the training yard.

"Sir Theodore, while Dragon and I were out on patrol we noticed a strange man riding through the forest. We know he does not belong to this kingdom."

His gray eyes snapped up to meet hers, and he sheathed his sword. "Strange, you say? How so?"

"Dragon told me he was wearing fur and a helmet with horns. He also had a wooden leg and an arm with a spiked metal ball on the end."

"Horned helmet?" Sir Theodore repeated, a brief flicker of panic flashing in his eyes. Just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. Uneasiness bloomed in her stomach. She had been a squire to Sir Theodore for eight years, and there were few things that scared him. If Sir Theodore was fearful of this stranger, then God help them all.

"Alert Sir Gunther at once, and stand guard with him at the entrance," he ordered as he stood. His voice was tight—clipped. Jane noticed an impassive look crossed his face to hide his true emotions. Knights were trained to hide any signs of outward weakness. Emotions must not be carried into the arena or the battlefield—it clouded the judgment. If an enemy saw a fearful look upon a knight's face, it could be used to their advantage. "I will go and get Sir Ivon. Let no one pass until we have arrived."

"Who is the stranger, Sir?"

"If I am correct in my assumptions, it is a Viking."

Jane's eyes widened in alarm. She had heard many tales of the savagery of the Viking raiders. They attacked mercilessly and killed without reason. Anyone left still standing after a Viking attack was taken as prisoner and sold into slavery. Jane reached down to grip her sword—her one weapon against this dreaded enemy. He was only one man—but he might be a scout. Whatever reason he had for being here, it could not be good.

Sir Theodore started to walk away, but then stopped and turned back to face Jane. "Has this stranger seen Dragon?"

"No, Sir."

"Then tell Dragon to stay out of sight. Viking ancestors were the greatest dragons hunters to ever exist, and we want to try and resolve this peacefully, don't we, Jane?"

"Yes, Sir."

When Sir Theodore turned the corner and disappeared from her sight, she started towards the castle entrance. She had turned to walk away when Dragon swooped down and called her back. "And what should I do?"

"Just wait inside the castle. Do not let the stranger see you. I'll use the sword whistle if I need assistance," Jane replied, patting the hilt of the dragon sword tied around her waist. Her fingers brushed over the rune symbols before rushing to the castle entrance, where Gunther was serving sentry duty.

"What is it, Jane? Come to see how a real knight does his job?" he asked, looking down on her. Jane decided to ignore him this time, knowing there were more important things at hand.

"There is a stranger headed towards the castle. Sir Theodore has ordered that no one shall pass until he and Sir Ivon have arrived."

As soon as he heard this the mocking look on Gunther's face disappeared, and the smug grin he wore was replaced by a serious frown. He stood up straighter and faced the entrance, hand reaching down to grip the hilt of his sword. Jane stood tall at the other side. Finally, a man just as Dragon had described rode up. He was even stranger in person. Not only was he dressed different, but he had a long, straggly mustache and big, bushy eyebrows.

"Who goes there?" Sir Gunther called out, his grip tightening around his sword.

"My name is Gobber, and I have a message for your King," he said casually as he dismounted his horse.

"We cannot let you pass, sir," Jane replied. She gripped the hilt of her sword and was ready to draw it when Sir Theodore stepped into view, holding up a hand to stop Jane. Sir Ivon was right behind him. Both stepped in front of Jane and Gunther, as if to protect them.

"What is your business here?"

"I have a message for your King."

"And who has sent you?"

"Chief Hiccup of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe." Jane furrowed her eyebrows, trying to figure out why the name of that tribe sounded so familiar. She had heard of the Vikings, but the name of their tribe seemed to stand out in particular. Jane shook the thoughts away, making herself focus on the present. She looked to Sir Theodore and saw his jaw tighten—the only sign of emotion on his face. It was silent for a few moments, but finally Sir Theodore spoke.

"Very well. Leave all weapons with Sir Ivon here, then we will escort you into His Majesty's Throne Room. He will also take care of your horse."

Gobber pulled a dagger from his belt, then slipped a giant ax from the sheath slung across his back. After emptying his saddlebag of three other weapons, he took the reins of his horse and handed them both over to Sir Ivon. He gave them a big smile.

"Well, that's it."

"Please remove your weaponized arm, sir." Sir Theodore said, nodding towards the metal appendage. Gobber frowned, but reached down and unlatched the straps and clips keeping his hand in place. After he handed it over Sir Theodore nodded to both Jane and Gunther. Jane instantly jumped into action, taking the right side of the stranger, while Gunther flanked his left side. Sir Theodore led the party to the double doors of the Throne Room. A guard stood on duty, and Sir Theodore asked him to announce them.

A moment later the guard returned, giving them a nod. "The King will see you straight away."

The party of four walked in. Jane stood tight as a spring, ready to act if the situation called for it. Her hand rested on her sword, in case the stranger should try to harm the King. Gobber bowed when they stood before King Caradoc, and pulled a letter from his pocket.

"Your Majesty, I have a letter here from Chief Hi—" Gobber tried to step forward, the letter in his outstretched hand, but Sir Theodore's hand clamped down on his shoulder, stopping him.

"You are not to approach the King. I will hand over the letter," he said. Gobber handed him the letter, which Sir Theodore then gave to King Caradoc.

"Sort of a roundabout way of doing things, don't you think?" Gobber asked, a smile on his face. Everyone was silent as King Caradoc broke the wax seal and opened the letter. He read the contents, then smiled slightly as he turned his gaze back to Gobber.

"I must admit I am relieved you come on friendly terms, considering the past between our two kingdoms."

"Yes, but the past is in the past. We have a new Chief. His name is Hiccup."

"Yes, I read that in the letter." King Caradoc glanced down at the letter briefly. "When last our kingdoms met your leader was named Gunnar, correct?"

"Yes, he was Hiccup's grandfather." Jane recognized that name from somewhere, but as hard as she racked her brain for details, couldn't remember where she'd heard it.

"And Hiccup's father? What of him?" the King asked, drawing Jane's attention back to the current matter.

Gobber looked down at the ground, his expression becoming solemn. "He died in a terrible accident nearly a month ago. Hiccup took over the role, and is very eager to put the past behind him and move forward. He is a peacemaker, and wants to be on friendly terms with your kingdom."

Jane furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. A Viking on a peace mission? That seemed to go against everything she had heard about the savage raiders. What reason would they have to make peace with Kippernium?

The King leaned back in his chair. "I see. Tell me more about this Chief Hiccup."

"Well, he's smart and brave and noble—" Gobber began, but King Caradoc held up a hand.

"I do not imply you are being dishonest, but those are the pleasantries every subject uses to describe his King. Tell me more about the real Hiccup. I want to know the man behind the title, so to speak."

Gobber was silent for a moment, then began to speak. "He's stubborn and boar headed—just like his father. He doesn't listen most of the time, and he can never stay put. Sometimes he acts without thinking. Now that I think about it, he does that a lot, actually. He's too trusting for his own good, and he always believes in the best of people to a fault. He's young and not very experienced in being Chief, but he has the best intentions of his people at heart. He would not hesitate to risk his own life for them, as he has displayed in the past."

The King smiled. "Thank you for your honesty, Sir."

"So, shall I tell Hiccup you have accepted the proposal? Of course, he would like to come here and hammer out the details—"

King Caradoc held up a hand, cutting him off. "I did not say that. I would first like to discuss this matter with my counsel. You will receive an answer in the morning." He motioned for a guard standing nearby to step forward. "In the meantime, my guard will escort you to a chamber for the night. Anything you need will be brought to you."

"Thank you very much, Your Highness."

As soon as Gobber disappeared the King turned to his two knights and one squire. "I will confer with you here again in one hour." With this, the three were dismissed.

Jane immediately went out to search for Jester. She needed to know why the name Hairy Hooligan Tribe sounded so familiar. Perhaps Jester would recognize it and give her some answers. She figured there had to be some history between Kippernium and the Viking tribe. There had only been two major wars against the kingdom, but there were a lot of enemies of the King. Jane found Jester sitting on a high wall, playing a new song for Dragon.

"Jane! You've got to hear this new song by Jingle Boy! It's hilarious!"

Jane smiled. "Maybe some other time."

Jester laid his lute aside, a smile blooming across his face when he saw her.

"I have something to tell you," Jester said at the same time that Jane said, "I have a question for you."

"You go first," Jester said, gesturing towards Jane.

She smiled and shook her head, her curls fanning around her face. "No, it's all right. You can go first."

Jester grabbed his lute and walked over to Jane. "Well, you see…" He paused for a minute to look over his shoulder. Dragon sat there, staring at the both of them. Finally, he let out a sigh and heaved himself into the air with a flap of his wings.

"All right, I can take a hint. I shall go and talk to the cows, they like my company."

Jane chuckled. More like they feared his company. She turned her gaze back to Jester to see a serious expression on his usually smiling face. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no. Nothing at all. Everything is fine—great, even. I just…I'm not sure how to say it…"

"The Court Jester is at a loss for words? This must be very serious indeed," Jane teased, but for once the smile he gave her in response didn't quite reach his eyes. "All right, now you have me worried. What is it?"

Jester reached a hand up and scratched at the back of his neck, showing clear discomfort. "I know the most important thing to you right now is your Knighthood, but seeing as how you're less than a year away from becoming a proper Knight, well I figured now was as good a time as ever to tell you." Jester glanced up at her, as if making sure she was still paying attention. "You see, for quite a few years now, I've been—I am—in love with you, Jane."

Jane was surprised and not surprised, all at once. She supposed she should have expected this sooner or later. When she was young, and first began her knight's training, she had a crush on her best human friend. It was apparent to Jane that he had feelings for her as well. As time went on, she fancied she may even be in love. But then seasons changed and she grew out of her awkward teenage years so full of confusing changes, and her feeling dimmed down. She would always love and care for Jester—just not in the way he apparently loved her. Jane assumed Jester had outgrown his feelings for her as she had for him, but evidently she was wrong—and now stuck in an awkward situation.

"Jester…" Jane's voice came out barely above a whisper, unable to say much more.

What should she do? She loved Jester, but more like a brother than anything else, and she didn't want to hurt him. If she rejected him, would he cease to be her friend? Jane immediately shook her head. No, he had always been the one person who stuck beside her no matter what; she was silly to even let that thought pass through her mind…but it might change things between them. Jane raised her eyes to meet his steely gaze, eyes shining kindly. A hopeful expression was on his face, but it quickly fading into uncertainty. He was still waiting for an answer.

"I am…flattered, Jester. You mean a lot to me as well."

"Oh! I forgot the question part!" Jester explaining, slapping a hand against his forehead. "Jane, may I start courting you?"

A bit long for the first chapter, but I couldn't see cutting it any shorter, and honestly, this is all I have written so far. But I do have the whole plot planned out (from beginning to end) for this one, so that helps. Not sure when the next update will come, since I have a few stories going on at once, but there will be updates for this one.

Hope you enjoyed the start of this story! :)