"He was talking about you today"

Astrid kept a calm expression, despite the whirlwind of emotions she was feeling inside "It wasn't me, it was the princess"

"Same difference" the princess rolled her eyes.

"It's true though, dude was totally awe struck" Ruffnut cut in.

Astrid was unable to hide the blush spreading to her cheeks "You're exaggerating"

"She's not wrong Astrid, Hiccup definitely seemed enamoured with you, he even said he might be in love"

At this, she could not help but scoff "I think you're all mistaking brief infatuation with love"

"But he actually said the word 'love'!"

"And he is making the same mistake as everyone else. Emotions are extremely confusing"

"Is that why you pretend that you don't have any?" Princess Heather asked sharply

"I do not pretend to be emotionless. I just have control over my emotions. I'm realistic"

"But you don't allow yourself to dream! To hope!" She attempted to argue

"And what good would having hope do?" Astrid asked, her tone also becoming sharper. "Getting my hopes up just to have them shot down?"

"This time they wouldn't get shot down"

"Princess, he's not in love"

"But Astrid-"

"Look even if he did fall in love, he did not fall in love with me. He didn't fall in love with Astrid the servant. He fell in love with the mysterious princess, the one who travelled the world, the one who had a passion for exploring and the freedom to do so. That... That is just not me"

Heather chuckled lightly ""You keep saying that. You keep saying he fell in love with the mysterious princess and her travels. I thought the same but when I asked him, you want to know what I thought after he answered me?"

"What?"

"I really think he fell for the girl underneath the princess"

xxxx

"I really think he fell for the girl underneath the princess"

Heather was wrong, she had to be. Prince Hiccup could not be in love with her. It was not realistic, not even practical.

She was wandering around the garden, the same area she had been in when she'd shared the kiss with the Prince. Astrid wasn't sure how she'd found herself in this particular spot, she supposed it held some level of sentiment now.

She wasn't emotionless, per say. Emotions were just something she wasn't very good with. Like she said, they were extremely confusing. And also quite easy to fake in her experience. On both ends. She could pretend to like people easily and people could pretend to care about her without meaning it.

"Hello?"

She was abruptly brought out of her thoughts when she heard a faint rustling. Automatically, she grabbed her axe and thrust it forwards. She could not see the figure clearly, but she could just make out the silhouette. Astrid aimed the axe towards the person's neck.

"Who's there?!" she asked inching forward and inwardly preparing for a fight. Aside from being a servant, Astrid was also a fierce, skilled, warrior.

"Woah! I-it's just m-me! P-prince Hiccup?"

"Prince Hiccup?"

"That's me" he chuckled nervously "Could you please move the axe away from my neck?"

She stumbled backwards in disbelief. She just held an axe to a royal's throat. That could kill her. Literally. If anyone were to discover that she did that, they might see it as her placing some sort of threat and she would be faced with the death penalty. Of course that scenario was unlikely, but that didn't make it worst case either.

"I am so sorry Prince Hiccup! You'll have to forgive me! Really, I had no idea-"

"Hey, hey, calm down" he chuckled "It's fine. I suppose it is a little strange for a random man to just be walking around the gardens in the middle of the night. You were on the defense. I get it"

And on top of everything else, he's understanding. Astrid groaned inwardly, why did he seem so perfect?

"Why are you walking around the gardens this late at night? If you don't mind me asking"

He waved a hand dismissively "I don't mind at all. I was with my dragon, Toothless, and just taking him for his evening flight when we lost track of the time. I was able to bring him back to the stables but I seemed to have lost my way whilst trying to find my sleeping quarters. I was hoping somebody could help me"

"I could take you back to your sleeping chambers, if you would like"

"That would be great" he sounded grateful, it was hard to tell his facial expression due to how dark it was.

"Of course, can you see me okay?"

"Well enough to get by, yes"

In a way, that worked to her advantage. Not being able to see her clearly reduced risk of him recognising her somehow. Being around him still made her slightly anxious though.

"Good, follow me"

They walked in silence, with Astrid looking behind her occasionally to make sure Prince Hiccup was still following her. Eventually, he spoke up.

"May I ask why you were also up so late?"

She slowed down so they were walking side by side, the situation was all too familiar for her.

"I was unable to sleep. Whilst I also enjoy the occasional midnight flight with my dragon, I also find walking around the gardens helps. It's an extremely peaceful environment, there's something wonderful about it"

"That's how I feel about flying with Toothless, it's always been calming for me. My entire life has always been hectic, there's so much stress and pressure to be this person I don't want to be. Flying allows me to escape the everyday life for a little bit"

She nodded "I see what you mean. Beserker Island is my home, but it also a land of labels, no matter how much it pretends not to be. When I'm flying, I have no label. I'm not a servant nor a royal. I am just a girl on my dragon. The sky is almost like your safe place"

"Exactly!"

Astrid giggled at his excitement "I must admit, I do find it strange that Princess Heather did not ask one of the servants to stay up for you"

his nervous chuckle returned and Astrid couldn't figure out why it was so endearing "Well you see, that would be because... I did not tell her"

She raised an eyebrow "You didn't?"

"I didn't want to bother her or have her make anyone stay up later than they needed to for me, plus my father doesn't like when I go for evening flights when visiting other tribes, he says it's disrespectful to not take in the beauty of the island properly at night and that it's unfair to force people to wait for me. The second point I understand, the first not so much"

"Maybe there are other reasons as well"

"None that I've heard. It doesn't matter, I still do my evening flight. It's easier if I do. You have no idea how awful a cranky dragon is"

"Clearly you need to see my dragon when I feed her fish instead of chicken" she laughed.

And then suddenly they were at his room. She wasn't sure how time had passed quickly. Astrid was almost disappointed that they're conversation was coming to an end. Almost.

"I don't think I ever caught your name"

She thought over it for a few seconds. The princess never mentioned her name...

"My name is Astrid"

"Lovely name" he commented making her blush, though he could not see that.

"Thank you. Good night" she whispered making sure not wake anyone else.

She turned to leave when he whisper shouted "Wait!"

The blonde servant girl turned to him once more "Yes?"

He grabbed a torch that was lit and went towards her "I really should see the girl who helped me tonight"

Her eyes widened in panic "No really, you don't need to-"

The light illuminated her figure.

This was it. The moment of truth.

He looked at her for a few seconds, eyebrows knitting together. A brief glint of recognition flickered in his eyes before disappearing. She'd never felt more self- conscious in her life.

"Thank you for helping me. Good night, Astrid" he said slowly, as if he wanted to say something else.

He shut the door and a mix of relief and disappointment flooded her. He had not recognized her. Her secret was still safe for now. It lessened her fears ever so slightly to know he didn't realize who she was. She couldn't quite pinpoint the reason she also felt disappointment. It's not like she expected him to recognize her, not like she wanted him to either. Yet, it still stung.

So much for avoiding Prince Hiccup.

Another chapter done!

Astrid and Hiccup meet again... Apparently the gods have it out for Astrid (Or I do, who's to say...)

What do you guys think should happen next?

As always please feel free to review! All feedback is appreciated (just make sure any criticism is written constructively)

Shohini :)