So sorry for the short and boring chapter! I've had next to no time to write, because of all the studying and exams going on this week. It will definitely pick up more soon.

NatBlake- I've been running XC for two years now, and just earned my varsity letter! It's harder to run this time of the year, though, when there's ice and snow on the road and it's below freezing. Thank you for your review, and don't worry, there will be pleeennttyyy of Hiccstrid later on (;

harrypanther- hope this chapter explains most everything xD

Truelove7000- Yeah, Hiccup thinks Astrid is a totally independent, badass chick. haha.

SmartyPants10- Hiccup is stronger than Eret because of his powers, he just doesn't use them that often. Eret is strong, but not that strong. And Hiccup is strong, but he can still get knocked out my a punch, haha

TheNightFury- I'm not a fan of abusive Stoick, either, but it's a big part of the plot. Stick around for the end, you might be pleasantly surprised :P

BrawlerGamer- *golf clap* ya guessed it! They know that she knows he exists, but they don't know that she knows him as a friend, or that he's a prince.

Wow. Okay. Was not expecting that.

"Please don't think of me as a monster. I'm really just a regular guy," the prince pleaded. I must've looked quite shocked, and I could barely wipe the look off my face. The fact that hybrids existed were hard to comprehend. But Hiccup…

I regained my voice and reassured him. "I would never think of you like that." I wanted to say something else, too, but I didn't know what to say. What should I have said? This was a situation I had never imagined being in. And of course, I was true to my word. I wouldn't ever think of him as a freak. Even if I did, I would be losing practically my only friend.

Hiccup's expression relaxed some. "Thanks," he said. He reached to his bedside table and drank water from the glass that was sitting there. "So, you want to know why my dad doesn't like me."

"If you're comfortable with telling me," I said. "You don't have to." I really wanted to know, so I could help him through these awful problems, but I would have to delay my curiosity if he wasn't comfortable with telling me. Being such personal problems, I'd let him take his time.

Hiccup sighed. "You deserve to know, I suppose." He sent down his glass of water. "I was born prematurely. I was a tiny, sick, baby. Though my mother was joyful, my father was disappointed. Being a huge burly man, having a three and a half pound baby was not his greatest accomplishment. And since I kept getting sick, they brought a doctor in and screened me. They found that I was hybrid, I had the partial-dragon DNA. My father was so furious with me, being born the way I was. That was not how my father imagined his heir."

I scrunched my brow. Poor, small Hiccup, being rejected at such a young age. But something else caught my attention. Hiccup said, "That was not how my father imagined his heir". I thought that Eret was older than Hiccup?

"He went around to adoption centers everywhere, trying to find the biggest, strongest baby," Hiccup continued with a sad look in his eyes. "A sailor came to him with a heavy baby, saying that he couldn't care for him. This child was born at ten pounds, a pride to the couple. But they were too poor and the men on their ships were getting sick. Stoick gladly took this child in, who was a few months older than me. That's how Eret was named the heir, and I was cast off."

He sighed, eyes wandering around the room, not wanting to meet mine. He looked out the window. "That's why his eyes are such a weird color. He looked nothing like my parents, so they gave him green contacts to cover his natural brown eyes."

I reached out and held his hand, attempting to comfort him. "Valka just let this happen?"

"Well," Hiccup said. "She, um, has always loved me, but like I said, my dad didn't. A week after I was born, he, uh, didn't want to keep me. She did, but she had to make a deal with my dad. It was either keep me and have Eret as well and have him be the heir, or have no children at all."

My mouth was covering my hand. I was so shocked at the character of this king, and what he was shaping to be. Getting rid of Hiccup?

"And no, she doesn't know… um… that my dad…" Hiccup trailed off. But I understood. Of course, Valka didn't know that Hiccup was being abused. The queen was not the kind of person who would just let that kind of thing slide by. It took a small weight off of my chest, knowing that the queen still had good morals.

"It's okay," I said, squeezing his hand. But I could barely fake it. It probably sounded very unconvincing, because I didn't know if it was okay, or if it was going to be. Another situation that I thought I would never have to be in.

Hiccup sat up, straightening his posture. "It isn't though," he said, in a slightly more annoyed tone. "Not that I desperately want to be heir and king, but the fact that I don't want Eret to have it. He's got major temper issues, and I often hear him mumbling about starting wars with other countries just because the prime minister's daughter didn't dance with him at one of the balls.

"And I know that I'm… well… sort of weird, and I don't have many friends or people that like me, but feeling unwanted is one of the worst feelings ever."

My heart broke for him.

I couldn't imagine not feeling loved by one of my parents, feeling like one despises me because of what physical shape I was in and how I was born. Plus, literally being replaced by someone else's baby because of one parent's dislike for you.

"You have me now," I said, in a weak voice to cheer him up. "Hell, even when I'm sent home, you will not be able to get rid of me."

The next few days had me thinking a lot.

Whenever I passed Eret, or saw him, anger toward him bubbled up inside of me. But I knew I had to keep the cap closed and contain my emotion, for I didn't want to give away that I knew something about him.

Seeing him at a meal, or spending time with other girls, I took notice to his eyes. They were definitely contacts, that was easy to tell once I had learned the truth. But I was a bit upset with myself for not seeing this earlier. I should have guessed after I had found out about Stoick and Hiccup in the first place, a couple of weeks ago. I should have known why Eret had a weird accent, different from the rest of the family. I should have questioned more the fact that Eret looks nothing like the rest of the royals. After my conversation with Hiccup, the realization was so obvious it almost hurt.

Hiccup being a hybrid was another thing that was definitely less clear, but there were clues. How come I never questioned how he got into my room in the dead of night, coming in from the outside of the castle? His room was on the fourth or fifth floor, and the castle roof had pillars and towers jutting out everywhere. He swung into my room with ease, too, and exited with the same enchanting, foreign grace. Inhuman grace.

I had made a promise to myself to get down to the bottom of these castle conspiracies and scandals. I needed to find out everything about Eret as I could. Once I found out about Hiccup's real right to the throne, I knew that if I had any chance of stopping Eret becoming king instead of Hiccup, I would take that chance without hesitation.

Using my handy typewriter, I started to outline a rough draft of a first plan that I would need to take. I kept my papers hidden from my maids. Dory could be a quite curious person, so I kept them in my leather bag, which was one of the only things that they didn't touch, let alone clean.

The first thing I needed to get close to exposing Eret was a camera. I knew, from the casual chatter of my maids while they prepare me for the day, that one of the maids they work with owns a camera. Not of high quality, because maids are quite poor, overall, but it was a gift from her husband, who sent it to her from his work overseas. I needed to find that maid and snatch her camera, but only for a short while. Then I would return in.

Laying in bed, going over my procedure in my mind, I knew there was no way that I could tell Hiccup about this. He was a bit of a scaredy-cat when it came to this, he was not a risk taker when it came to his father. He especially would be dead if he were caught trying to find what I planned for the near future. He would tell me not to do it, but my determination and stubborn personality would always win over him, even though he was great at persuading people.

That gave me an idea.

Girls around me were always mentioning wanting to see their parents and families. What if…?

My eyes widened and my mouth opened into a huge smile when I thought of an idea. I would suggest a dance! A ball! It could be a win-win situation for everyone. The girls got to see their families, the royals would be able to meet them, and while everyone was distracted, I could search the royal quarters for evidence that Eret wasn't related to Stoick! I had to take this idea to someone. But who?

I knew. I would take it to Valka. She's practically the only royal, besides Hiccup, that I trust in this castle. I was even feeling uneasy about my innocent maids- wondering if they knew about Hiccup and Eret's throne drama. Valka would hear me out, especially after caring for her son. I couldn't wait to take this to her, but I knew I had to wait a little bit. December was approaching fast, and it would be much more appropriate if it were closer to the holidays. I supposed I could do a teensy bit of waiting.

The next morning, after a large breakfast, as I was walking to my room, Dory handed me a note with a knowing, giggly smile on her face. Confused, I took it, seeing my name in sloppy print on the envelope. I sat down on my bed, opening it.

The thick, cream paper was filled with big letters, looking like they were written by a ten-year-old. Go figure, it was signed by Eret. I guessed his penmanship wasn't his main focus at the moment, or at any point in his life.

Lady Astrid,

Join me at the shooting range after dinner, six-thirty sharp. Bring a jacket and your best game!

Prince Eret

I crumpled the note, earning a few looks from Jane and Tina Bell, who were dusting the furniture around my room. I just smiled at them and told them that I was just so excited to be asked out on a private date with the prince. They gasped with joy and danced as they dusted. That was nice a nice feeling for me because all the maids wanted to serve the winner of the Selection, for pay raises and caste promotions. I was glad I was able to give them something to hope for, even if I knew I was going to lose in the end.

As I had known before I was even Selected, I didn't want to win. I didn't want to win this competition. But being the incredibly competitive person I was, I had my own competition. And I was going to win. To me, if there was a competition anywhere, I had to take place in it. But this one, to me, was not about winning Eret's heart. My winning goal was to tear down his royal place brick by brick until nothing was left but a pile of rubble. And let me tell you, Astrid Hofferson does not lose competitions. I will win.

This chapter was totally boring, I know. I'm updating between my world history and Spanish exams. But I'll post two chapters this upcoming week, one on Wednesday and one on Christmas!

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