I'm trying to stagger uploads so that I have time to fix up chapters, but it's really hard!


With each passing day, Astrid became more and more distressed about her husband to be. As she spent much time alone, she also spent much time thinking. Should she have been more detailed? Or maybe she should go over to the workshop and watch? Would he be what she really wanted? Was this a good idea? Would she regret it later? And most importantly…

Would she finally be happy?

Astrid would have loved to go to leave her thoughts on someone else, but there was no one she trusted enough to look inside her head. Not even Tuff or Ruff, the only people she could call friends. The princess often paced in the library, which windows faced the front entry, so she could watch for the toymaker.

Day three had arrived, and sometime in the evening, Gobber and his assistant, Fishlegs, came to the front gates with a very large box in tow. The Princess watched eagerly as the duo struggled with the box up the stairwell. She flounced from the library and headed to the main lobby.

Gobber looked relieved. "Oh, thank goodness, I thought you would make us walk up all those stairs."

"Think of this as a special occasion. Now come on, man."

"Here, your highness." He handed the princess a crowbar. "If you would like to do the honors."

The princess dug the crowbar into the corner of the crate, and all the sides fell open simultaneously.

Astrid was struck speechless. The doll was not very tall, only a few inches above her, and it was not robust in any sense of the word. It was thin, too thin, and it showed in the face. His crimson hair was parted on the side in an effort to hide the patches. His nose and ears were too big, his skin too pale, his face too child-like. And yet, there was a refreshing air to him. The princess' crest decorated his front, like a sign of possession.

Gobber dabbed the sweat away from his brow. "Well, My Lady?"

The princess waltzed around him, giving him a once over, and then doing it again. She was quiet.

It looked like any other boy, but the large silver key in his back stuck out like a beacon. "He's like any other wind up doll. Just give his a good few cranks, and he'll start right up."

"Is he smart? Can he sing, entertain?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself, your highness?" The toymaker gestured to the key.

"Alright, I will!" For once in her life, Astrid became nervous in front of a boy. She grasped the key carefully. "How many times do I turn it?"

"Just once or twice for now."

As she was nervous, the princess turned the key only once. Instantly, the boy came to life. His bright green eyes flickered open and he smiled as he locked his gaze with Astrid. He threw his arms around her, "It is very nice to meet you, your majesty. I am yours."

Astrid inevitably blushed. "How did you know who I was?"

"My father told me, he said that the next time I woke up, I would meet the princess, to whom I was a present for."

"Father?" She asked Gobber.

"I made him after all."

"Ah, I see." She then addressed the doll. "Do you have a name?"

He pulled away from her, "I do not. Will you name me?"

Astrid blinked. "Uh…I suppose I should." She looked him over again. Because of his appearance, she dubbed him, "Hiccup."

Gobber furrowed his brow. "Are you sure?"

"This is my present. I will do as I want."

"Yes, my Lady."

Astrid turned back to the doll, "Can you entertain? Sing? Dance?"

He folded his hands in front of him, then began to sing. It was in tune, and simple. A little child's tune that anyone would know. Astrid smiled at least, it was refreshing to not have someone trying to impress with trills and arpeggios. And then he started dancing. It was basically just a sway, as he held his hand out to her.

She took it with a little curtsy and draped her other hand on his shoulder. They waltzed simply around the room. No flourish, no choreography, just travelling in circles. He stepped on her toes twice, but not hard enough to hurt.

Finally they returned to Gobber and ended the dance with another curtsy and a bow. Though, Hiccup bowed with one hand out and ended up slapping Gobber in the face.

He stopped and stared in horror.

But the princess, on the other hand, laughed so uproariously, she fell on the ground and kicked her legs, very unladylike.

Gobber and Fishlegs stood shaking. This is not going well. Even if the Princess was happy, what would Stoick say? This...thing would be in the limelight for years to come, and would make an embarrassment out of the whole kingdom at this rate.

Hiccup, on the other hand, felt differently. Seeing his princess laughing so hard, he could only assume she was pleased with him. He beamed proudly as he held his hand out to help her up.

"Is there anything else you wish to know, your majesty?" He asked.

Astrid cleared her throat of giggles. "One more thing," then she spoke deadly serious. "Do you love me?"

Hiccup and the toymaker both looked in shock, obviously not expecting this question. "I…" he started, but before he could finish, he froze. His eyes shut and the key on his back came to a stop.

Astrid could only stare at him.

"So, what do you think?"

"He's…perfect."

Regardless of how much Astrid approved of her present...Stoick did not. The Tsar had come into the lobby after Hiccup was delivered, and Astrid presented the toy as her groom.

"No, you are not marrying that—that thing!"

"Why ever not?"

"Because it's not real! It has no feelings, and cannot think on it's own!" He pointed to Hiccup, who was still frozen in sleep. She cranked the key a few more times, watching his face as he blinked awake and smiled at her.

"Actually, sire…" Gobber spoke quietly. "He is an adaptive learner. The more he experiences, the more he learns."

"Regardless, I forbid this union." He emphasised this with a sweep of his hands.

Hiccup frowned, not liking this new man, or the words he was saying.

"But Uncle, the end of the year is coming soon."

"And if I have to, I will pick a new groom for you! One that's not-…" He gestured wildly to Hiccup.

"But I thought you wanted me to be happy?"

"I do, darling!"

"Hiccup will make me happy."

"But how do you know? He can't feel anything!"

"Then he can't hate me, now can he?"

The room fell silent.

Stoick sighed. "Fine, you know what, I'll entertain your little fantasy. But when this all falls apart, then I'm allowed to pick your new groom."

"Fair enough, but it can't be Dagur." She sneered.

"I learned my lesson, no Zerker's for my Princess."

Astrid smiled, "good. But, you'll see. Everything will be fine. I'm sure Hiccup will be the best husband a girl could ask for." She batted her eyelashes at the toy with a smile.

"Oh I will!" He assured, almost a little too enthusiastically.

Stoick sighed. "Why do I get myself into these situations?" The Tsar shook his head and left the room.

Gobber stayed behind. "Are you sure about this?"

"I have never been more sure of anything in my life." She straightened the clothes that hung loosely on the toy. She'd have to get him measured and fitted.

"It seems to me that you are doing this just to spite Stoick."

She didn't look at him. "I love my Uncle. Why would I do that?"

Hiccup surprised everyone by speaking. "If you love him, why did you talk back to him?"

Astrid furrowed her brow and looked at the toy. "It's awfully soon for you to be talking like that. Especially since you don't understand anything."

Hiccup smiled at her, "you're right!"

She crossed her arms, "but you might have a point, Gearhead. Maybe…I should try to be nicer to him."

Gobber just looked between the two, and felt like he had completed a great deed to mankind. The princess actually listened to the toy. Maybe there was hope for her yet.

Astrid clapped her hands, calling for the twins. They fell in the doorway, obviously having been listening on the other side. Tuff jumped to his feet. "Yes, your majesty!"

"I need to you take Hiccup and start getting him fitted for his clothes. His suit is going to need to button in the back as well as in the front."

The toy walked over to the servant, still smiling. "Hello! I'm Hiccup! It's nice to meet you!"

The male twin was intrigued. "Hello…" He said carefully, grasping his hand. "The name's Tuff."

"That's a nice name…" Hiccup stated as he was led out of the room.

Gobber started to collect the wooden box the doll came in, when Astrid turned to leave with Ruff.

He shoved the box in Fishlegs's hands. "Wait!"

Astrid looked over her shoulder.

"Please be careful with him, your majesty. He's fragile…and he's my greatest creation."

She smirked at him, but said nothing.

Astrid, through no one's fault, did not see much of Hiccup until her wedding day. Wedding planning was exhausting, and if the event was to fit her standards, she had to approve of all the details. Every morning, Astrid would wind up his key to keep him going for most of the day, and then she left him in the library. It seemed like a good idea, have him learn from books, and be easily found by anyone that needed him for wedding preparations.

Stoick was one of the first to happen upon the toy. He sat on an ottoman, a large tome in his hands.

"Ah, Hiccup…what are you doing?"

"Reading," the toy said simply.

"You can read?" It wasn't supposed to be an insult, but it sounded like one.

"Yes…though, when I picked up the first book, I couldn't…but as I stared at the pages…everything made sense." Finally, the toy looked up to him. "Does that sound strange?"

"Yes, very," Stoick assured. He eyed the cover. "That's some hefty reading you've got…"

"I want to absorb as much knowledge and culture as I can before marrying Astrid. I want to help her, not be a burden."

Stoick was surprised, to say the least. He pulled out a chair and sat next to the plaything. "You know, in all honesty, Astrid would love to teach you things. She's always complaining about how bored she is."

Hiccup studied the man's face. "Why would she be bored in a place like this?"

The Tsar scratched the back of his head. "One would wonder…"

The night before the big event, Astrid retired to bed early. It would be a long day of faking socializing and slapping a smile on her face. But, it was a relief, since she'd be left alone after this. No more talk of weddings, and husbands...maybe heirs though. Hmm, that could be a problem.

There was a gentle knock on the door. "Astrid?" Spoke Hiccup's voice, quietly.

"Oh, Hiccup. Come in."

He opened the door, and stood in the frame, looking a bit nervous.

"I didn't think you'd still be running." She noted.

"I asked Tuff to wind me up a little bit longer, I have to talk to you."

Astrid sat up on her bed and padded the mattress beside her. "Then let's talk."

He nodded and took his spot, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. The gesture was endearing.

"Are you nervous?" She asked.

"Is that what emotion this is?" He asked, his voice shaking. "I wasn't sure...but I started feeling it after I noticed that...I don't know what kissing is."

Astrid tilted her head. "You don't?"

"No...I was reading a book. One that had a wedding in it, and during the wedding, the couple kissed, and I wondered if we were going to do that during our wedding?"

She nodded. "Well, yes. Traditionally, that is how the wedding ends. The couple shares a kiss to signify that they are husband and wife."

He rubbed his arm. "Oh, okay that's what I assumed...but I still don't know what a kiss is."

"Well, it's when two people...typically they like each other, they touch lips."

"Lips? That seems...unsanitary."

Astrid laughed. "It does, doesn't it?" Then she blew air out her nose. "I guess it's best if we did."

"Did?"

"Kiss, right now."

"Now?" He questioned, his eyes widening.

"There will be a lot of people at the wedding, and I can't have you making a fool of yourself in front of them. Of course, there's the rehearsal tomorrow night, but...maybe it's best if we do this now."

Hiccup shrugged. "I suppose you're right. So, what must I do?"

Astrid stood, and pulled him to his feet. "Well, we'll be standing at the altar like this, holding hands." This she demonstrated. "At the very end of the ceremony, the minister will say, 'you may kiss the bride.' And then, we'll lean in, closing our eyes…"

She didn't explain the rest with words. Instead, she cupped his soft cheek gently, and pressed her lips to his.

Being that he was a machine, it was not surprising that his lips were cold and unmoving. He placed his hands on her waist, but did nothing else.

She pulled away, and studied his face. "Well?"

"I liked it!" He confirmed with a smile.

"Well, we'll have to do it a few more times, so get used to the idea."

"Okay!"

Astrid grinned at his eagerness, but to honest...she hadn't liked the kiss. There was nothing there. Just a cold, obedient toy.

Though, she supposed that's what she deserved. The cold and heartless princess paired with an unfeeling machine.

"Goodnight, Astrid." He said suddenly.

"Oh, goodnight." She replied.

He simply walked over to a chair in the corner of the room, sat down, and closed his eyes. His key stopped turning a moment later.

She waited a moment, stepped over, and knelt in front of him. Pressing her head to his chest, she listened. There was faint whirring and clicking sounds, gears grinding, humming.

But no heartbeat.