After that first night, Dagur became incredibly attached to his young wife. Hiccup was slowly learning to tolerate his more eccentric habits. She would never laugh at him when he was being strange; as it was his way, but she would express that might not be the best way to do things. In a manner of days, she found herself disregarding his constant violation of personal space. She ignored his hands constantly encircling her tiny waist, pulling her into his lap any chance he got, even going so far and spend long moments smelling her. They were married so they were being held to a different standard. However, she was not fond of him casually groping her in front of his men. Usually she gently guided his hand to a more acceptable location. He didn't like it, but was living with it. Hiccup learned quickly, he was revved up by open challenge, but subtle words could push his greatest rage into calmness, or whatever calm for Dagur was. And it genuinely calm him down, her presence was doing this alone. It was strange to have this kind of power over him, but she hated it at the same time. Power, it was never something she wanted, only happiness, but the power was an equalizer between them. If Dagur decided to kill her, she couldn't stop him. But she could guide him without him even realizing. Oswald approved greatly.

"You tamed him well." He told her one day when he caught her going about on her own.

"No offense, Oswald, but I'd rather not see it as taming." Again with this taming, controlling, she didn't want a relationship based on that.

"As you wish, but you do seem to get along better with him."

"I don't know, and frankly the reasoning is probably not something you want to hear."

"I know what a husband and wife do, lass, I was married once myself." Wow, there was an image she really didn't want in her head.

"Still…."

"You've done well with him though; he really seems to have taken to you."

"I guess, he just seems to like having me around now." She shrugged, praying Dagur's affection was not a temporary state.

"I knew you'd make a good wife for him, glad to see I was right. You make him happy, and in time, he might do the same for you."

"A nice thought."

"Never give up hope, lass."

X

"Dagur?"

"Hmm, what?" He asked not looking up from his mug to address the small girl on his lap. Apparently part of his routine now was to plop his wife on his lap when he was eating or drinking at their table. Hiccup didn't mind really, she had come to like the way Dagur smelled and the gesture made her feel safe. But she had maintained that this was a private thing, not to be done in the mead hall. Dagur agreed, reluctantly, especially when Hiccup stated that others didn't need to see her that way.

"I was wondering if you would give me permission to work in the forge. I was an apprentice to Gobber, and I wanted to continue working. I want to make weapons, to help Sven." She asked gently, till not sure how much Dagur was willing to give her. She put her hand to his chest for good measure.

"Sven?" That got his attention. This was the part she wasn't so fond of. Since their "first" night, he had become incredibly jealous and possessive. He was afraid someone might snatch her away. Hiccup had to constantly remind him, there was no one else she wanted, which was true.

"I have no interest in Sven, dummy. He's really old, besides, why would I want someone besides you. You're more than I can handle." Her words calmed him down so she continued. But gods it unnerved her when he looked her right in the eye like that. He loved doing it for reasons that were his own, but Hiccup was less than fond of the eye contact coupled with the lack of space between them. His hand stroked her cheek as if to reaffirm that she was actually there and not a dream. Hiccup decided to calm him further with a light kiss on his brow, nose then his mouth. Then drew herself back to continue the conversation.

"Anyway, I wanted to continue working my trade."

"Of course, why did you even ask?" He laughed, hugging her closer.

"I was told as a woman, I needed permission." Hiccup huffed the last word. Dagur's eyes grew dark. Other being afraid of someone taking her, he also never tolerated disrespect to her. It had started when she had told him how she had narrowly avoided being drowned as a newborn and how no one in the village ever let her forget it. She wasn't sure if the idea of never having her scared him or if by his utter possession of her, insults to her were to him as well.

"Did Sven say that?" his muscles tensed up.

"Yeah, I worked on your gift when he was out." She shrugged, trying to keep him calm by rubbing the underside of his jaw.

"Well, you can tell him to talk to me if he has further issue with you."

"I will. I had another request." She said slowly, moving to straddle him.

"Oh?" He looked interested, as always.

"The serving girl, Vessa, the Roman one."

"What of her?"

"I need an assistant, a helper, Vessa used to serve a blacksmith, she knows the trade and I was wondering if you would make her my assistant, servant, whatever." She finished with a shrug.

"Alright, but I expect a little compensation, I'm not the chief yet you know." He held her chin in his thumb and forefinger. Hiccup smiled in return. Dagur liked her smiles.

"You will be." Hiccup replied, kissing his mouth a biting his lip lightly. He liked a little roughness in his love. She endeavored to fulfil that role.

"Yeah, and that would make you the chiefs woman." His hand was rubbing her thigh and trying to push her tunic up.

"Wife and your woman." Hiccup corrected.

"Sure." A deep laugh rumbled in his chest. She smiled and kissed him again.

X

"So what sort of things did you have to do to get him to agree?"

"Nothing special."

"Oh no, no, no. I was details shrimp."

"Well, you're not getting any." Hiccup insisted, crossing her arms.

"Hiccup!" Vessa shouted. Vessa pushed her and Hiccup pushed back. It felt good to have someone to joke around with. Especially since Vessa was her own age, perhaps a little older, the girl herself was not entirely sure of her own age. This was something she had never had back home, Gobber was more of a father figure than friend, but he was her confidant at least. And in time, maybe that role could be shifted to Vessa, and maybe even Dagur.

Vessa was the closest she'd ever had to a friend, even if it was for Vessa's benefit.

X

Hiccup entered the forge, chatting with Vessa about inane things, the things girls their age were supposed to talk about. This was good and fun, and now she was going to work the forge too. Her day was getting better. Then the shadow of the lumbering man manifested in the concern of her eye.

"I thought we discussed this many a time, Lass."

"I know, but I'll be working independently, I won't get in your way."

"I won't have some girl child mucking up my shop."

"I have Dagur's permission! I won't be in your way, but I will be here."

"You listen here girl, I don't care if you're spreading your legs for the chief's son, but I won't be taking orders from you. You understand?"

"What!"

"You heard me girl."

"I am his wife; I'm not ashamed of it, or anything that comes with it."

"Show her respect, she's the wife of the future chief!" Vessa added.

"Ha, respect. What do expect girl, when you sell yourself for power and consort with a lowly slave wench?"

"Hey, whatever problem you have is with me, leave Vessa out of it! She is my assistant and under my protection. I won't have a lunkhead like you slandering her because you don't have the brain capacity to respect someone without something hanging between their legs!" Gods, that was embarrassing to say, but it seemed to get the point across. What she wasn't expecting was for him to reach for her quickly. Vessa tried to intervene, only to be shoved aside as Hiccup found herself pushed against a wall.

"Feisty, aren't you?"

"Let me go!"

"Your place is in you husband's bed, making him babies. That's your only worth. You're a weak sickly girl who should have been tossed to the sea. Your status is all that saved you. The Berserkers like strength, and that's something you don't have." Hiccup spat at him.

"You have a backbone girl, I'll give you that. But you need to be reminded of your place."

"Let her go!" Vessa was pounding on his back. Sven turned on her and grabbed her instead.

"You're even worse!" He snarled, pushing her to the ground. In a panic Hiccup grabbed the nearest tool, a pair of tongs and wacked him in the head.

"She's under my protection, you WILL leave her alone!" Sven crumbled to the ground and Vessa gave him a swift kick in the side before going to Hiccup's side.

"Hey, what's going on in here?!"

"Dagur!" Hiccup shouted, dropping the togs as if she had done something wrong.

"Hiccup, what's going on?"

"Nothing, really." The shake in her voice made it hard to believe her, especially their rather disheveled appearances. Dagur noticed Hiccup rubbing her wrist gingerly. He gently grabbed her forearm and brought it up for inspection. The skin was red and already beginning to bruise. Then Dagur turned his gaze on Sven who was trying to get to his feet. He released Hiccup and began walking toward him with a dagger drawn.

"Dagur, stop it. I'm fine, I handled it." She attempted to get his attention. No good.

"Hey Sven, got something to say?"

"She was acting all uppity. She needed a lesson."

"Is that so?" Then Dagur promptly suck the dagger in Sven's side.

"Dagur!"

"Hiccup is my wife. Anything you do to her, you're doing to me. Any insult paid to her is paid to me. No one hurts her, she is mine." He punctuated the last three words darkly. Sven only groaned in pain. Hiccup watched the muscles in his arm tense as he prepared to disembowel the poor man. Hiccup was faster though and grabbed his arm, pulling the dagger from Sven's body. Sven collapsed and Dagur turned his attention on Hiccup.

"What are you doing?!" He screamed in her face, but Hiccup stood her ground.

"I'm fine Dagur, he did nothing permanent. The man's learned his lesson."

"He will die for such an insult on you."

"Then you would be short a smith, I may know the trade, but I'm still learning. Shave his beard show everyone that he's a coward, but killing him is a tad extreme. Let him suffer in life." Hiccup could barely get the words out, but she knew Dagur, and knew what he wanted to hear. It worked too; his muscles released their tension as she continued to draw his eyes with a subtle tilt of the head. Eventually he huffed, storming over to the whimpering Sven and sawing off his beard in a single motion then grabbing Hiccup and dragging her out the door.

X

They barely made inside the house before the door slammed Dagur paced the room like an angry animal. Hiccup only hoped she hadn't pushed the influence too far. He seemed to decide something and pulled out a chair, then walking towards her. Hiccup managed not to cower even after her grabbed her, surprisingly gently, and led her to the chair, sitting her down. Then he rummaged through some chests before finding whatever it was he was looking for. He carried the box under one arm and dragged another chair in front of her. He took the seat himself and looked at her. Then he opened the box and pulled out, much to Hiccup's surprise, medical tools. He took one wrist, kissing the bruise before rubbing a salve of some kind in it then wrapping it up.

"Don't expect me to do this every time you get yourself into trouble." He told her sternly, finishing up one wrist and moving on to the other

"Thank you." She mumbled.

"You shouldn't have provoked him; he's twice your size. He could have really hurt you."

"I was fine Dagur."

"No you weren't, next time something like that happens, call me."

"You can't always be there; I have to be able to hold my own if I'm your wife."

"You don't need to, I will protect you."

"What if you can't, what if you can't get to me in time, what if you're hurt, what if you simply aren't there. I have to be able to protect myself." He stared at her for a long time, frozen in mid-wrap. He was thinking and he obviously thought she had a point.

"If you're going to protect yourself, you're going to have to learn how to fight." Hiccup smiled.

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Princess: Tender Dagur folks, tender Dagur. And some cover-art done by yours truly. My school year is looking hectic but I should be able t churn out ten more chapters before they slow down. My own little dragon Thorn is on my shoulder right now, being adorable, but I really need to trim his nails hey kind of hurt, LOL

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