Chapter 4

Astrid was sprawled on the comfy bed like a starfish. The blankets were all bunched up and her hair was sticking out at some very odd angles. There were several giggles in the room which caused Astrid to crack open an eyelid.

"Whaaa….." She asked groggily as she saw three silhouettes in her room. This caused her to pause for a moment before sitting up sharply sending several pieces of her hair flying in her face. Astrid coughed and then in a less than dignified manner pushed the hair out of her face to reveal three maids standing before her bed.

"Greetings Lady Astrid," The maids said in unison as they curtsied. Astrid blinked for a moment and then remembered the events that had transpired yesterday. Hiccup had taken Astrid to her new rooms, which were next to his and normally assigned to the Crown Princess. The Queen had then ordered three of her personal maids to attend to her. She remembered their names. From left to right there was Minden, Atali, and Nadia. "We are here to help you dress and get ready for the day."

Astrid blinked taken somewhat off guard. "Uhm….. I can dress myself," She uttered not entirely sure of what was going on. At home the maids never helped her dress. Sure they brought in a basin of water so she could wash her face and they did draw the bath but these maids were holding items of clothing and they had that glint in their eyes that seemed like they would not take no for an answer.

"You are to be the Crown Princess and our future Queen once you marry Prince Hiccup," Atali stated. "This level of service is to be expected. We were assigned as your Ladies in waiting and we will fulfill our duties."

Astrid blinked for a second time as it dawned on her. "You three are Noble ladies too?" She asked. At first, she thought they were simply maids but to have actually already been assigned Ladies in waiting when she hadn't married Hiccup yet was a shocker. The Ladies in waiting differed from the normal maids as they were daughters from Noble families. Usually, daughters that would not see any inheritance since they were either born from concubines or were the 4th or later child in the family. Nobles usually sent them to the Palace so that they could serve a higher ranking woman and gain influence or find a husband that would elevate their status.

"We are," Nadia answered. "But your ladyship we should get you ready. Prince Hiccup expressed the desire to take you somewhere later today." The three ladies giggled again and Astrid had the impression that they found her and Hiccup…. cute.

That glint was back in less than a heartbeat though as Astrid let out a squeak as all three ladies descended upon her. She was soon stripped of her nightgown, tossed in the bathtub, dunked with lukewarm water and scrubbed from head to toe with scented soap. It did feel somewhat nice to take a bath again after being locked in a damp cell so Astrid didn't mind so much. When she was dry she, however, did blanch when Atali held out a corset for her. Oh, how she hated those infernal things.

When Astrid finally left the room she was looking every bit the prim and proper lady any Noble or Royal would strive for. Her hair was done up in an intricate braid with a single flower ornament added, she wore a somewhat simple dark blue and red dress that accentuated her bosom and hips and she had donned a single silver necklace with a sapphire stone. Astrid was never one for earings so she didn't wear those. It was one of the areas she wouldn't compromise on. Not even her mother could get her to wear earrings and that was saying something since her mother could be stubborn to a fault. The Ladies in waiting were very proud of the end result and beamed at her. Atali even hinted that the Prince wouldn't be able to resist her charms.

Astrid blushed as she set out to explore the castle. She had been given permission to wander wherever she wished and so she took advantage of that. It wasn't every day that someone could just explore the Royal Palace willy nilly.

A couple of hours later Hiccup along with Toothless were at wits end. They had been looking for Astrid for the last hour but couldn't spot her. She wasn't in her rooms, not in the dining hall. the rose garden and the Royal gallery were also Astridless so now they headed towards the kitchens.

"What do you think bud. Think she'd be here?" Hiccup asked the Nightfury merely chirped and lolled out his tongue. The kitchen, however, was also devoid of Astrid. The only people they found there were the maids, the Royal cook Mala and Dagur munching on a cake.

"You're going to get fat," Mala commented as she watched Dagur scarf down the cake she had made.

"Then stop feeding me deserts," Dagur said before letting out a giggle. "No one can compete with your cake." This caused Mala to actually blush and look away from the Royal gardener.

"Have any of you guys seen Astrid?" Hiccup asked with a frown. He knew the palace was big but it usually didn't take this long to find someone.

"Oh, yeah," Dagur said. "I think my sister is trying to kill her at the army barracks." The red-head said casually as he popped another forkful of cake in his mouth.

"WHAT?!" Hiccup exclaimed before he and Toothless rushed out of the kitchen. The Prince didn't hear Mala admonish Dagur and telling him he could have worded it better.

Hiccup was on Toothless' back and flying towards the army barracks at blinding speed. Those he passed could only see a black blur. Gobber who was one of them exclaimed as he got knocked to the floor: "Just what is that lad up to now?!"

When Hiccup reached the army barracks there was a crowd of cheering soldiers in the courtyard. Both he and Toothless pushed their way through and saw the scene before them. To say Hiccup was shocked was an understatement. In the middle of the crowd was his fiance and the Knight Captain going head to head with a pair of axes. They seemed to be evenly matched as both Astrid and Heather parried blows. Hiccup was in awe as Astrid flowed seamlessly into attack after attack with a dress and heels on. Not many women could move that gracefully with such a big axe and the Prince was watching the fight with wide eyes. Then he remembered what he came here for.

"Just what is going on here?!" Hiccup exclaimed as Astrid and Heather were now at a distance from each other while out of breath. Both women and a multitude of soldiers finally noticed Hiccup standing there.

"Just a friendly spar!" Both women said in unison causing Hiccup to raise a brow.

"A friendly spar?" Hiccup asked again as he looked at the area the two women had fought in. Several barrels had hacking marks and some crates were just plainly destroyed. Neither of the women were making a big deal out of it but if Hiccup had to guess then his money would be on Heather challenging Astrid to a duel to see how good she was in combat. She had done the same thing to Princess Margarette who actually had come crying into the throne room about it. Hiccup, however, was not going to say anything more about this. Some advice his father had given him when he was ten rang in his head. "Son never get in between two women having a fight. Especially if those two women have very sharp weapons in hand."

"So Hiccup what brings you here?" Astrid asked while slightly out of breath. She had her axe slung over her shoulder casually and was looking at both Hiccup and Toothless with curiosity.

"Well I was wondering if you would like to move your dragon into the Palace." Hiccup said which caused Astrid's eyes to light up.

"I can?!" Astrid asked excitedly. "Then what are we waiting for! Let's go get her!"