Dear Gods.

She was so busted.

"P-prince Hiccup what are you doing here?"

"You were the one I danced with at the royal ball"

"I asked you first" she deflected, crossing her arms.

"I was coming here to get Toothless ready for the flight home. Your turn" he mirrored her action.

"Well technically what you said was more of a statement than a question so-"

"Astrid."

"I don't know what you you're talking about nor how you came to this conclusion but-"

"I had my suspicions, throughout the week. But what you just said, that confirmed it"

Astrid ran through what she had been saying to Stormfly, trying to figure out what tipped Hiccup off to her identity. He saw her trying to piece it together, and did so for her.

"You called your dragon Stormfly" he gestured to her scaly companion "That's what the Princess said her dragon was called"

"You may have misheard-"

"You also said you were overwhelmed, upset and angry before saying 'Take me anywhere girl'. That's exactly what the Princess said"

He had her cornered. The evidence was there. No matter how long she would deny if for, he wouldn't believe her. It would be so easy to call it a coincidence and wave it off. She could hop onto Stormfly and just fly away. Wait until he had to leave and then return. But none of those would work.

This was it. No more hiding.

She averted her gaze to the floor "Yes. I was the one that you danced with"

Silence. Tense, tense silence.

She gestured for Stormfly to go play with Toothless, who was also anxiously watching the pair. Stormfly did so with a great deal reluctance, leaving the two to sort out their feelings.

More silence.

"I don't get it" he shook his head "I asked you about the royal ball and you said you were only there for a few hours. You lied to me."

"Like you don't know a thing or two about lying" she scoffed cynically.

"Astrid I never lied-"

"Don't give me that!" she interrupted fiercely. He was not about to deny this. She wouldn't let him "You told me that you thought everyone was equal. You told me that my feelings mattered. And then you completely contradicted yourself with whomever it was you were talking to earlier. So yes, yes you did lie. But tell me Prince Hiccup, who were you lying to? Because you couldn't have been telling the truth to both of us, and I have a sneaking suspicion about who actually got lied to"

"I never lied to you!" he exclaimed before attempting to calm himself down "I never lied to you"

"Like I'm going to believe that" she replied sarcastically.

"I didn't, really!" he stepped forward, reaching to take her hand in his own. Though it pained her to do so, Astrid rejected his advance, stepping backwards and shaking her head. Hurt washed across his face. Slowly, he retracted his hand.

"I heard what you said" her voice shook as she spoke.

"I know and I'm sorry that I said it but you only heard part of the conversation"

"What more could you possibly have to say?" she asked, blinking back tears.

"If you'd just let me explain I'd tell you!"

She didn't want to hear it, but she was so tired of fighting. She leant back against the stable wall "Fine"

Clearly he hadn't been expecting that answer, she could tell from his wide eyes "What?"

"Explain. I'm listening"

He crossed his arms again "Will you actually listen? Or will you just reject everything I say?"

A sigh escaped her lips, it was difficult for her but she figured she could at least hear him out. She was curious to see what he came up with "I'm listening. Genuinely"

He seemed to believe "Good. So my father wanted to have a talk with me..."

xxxx

flashback

"Son, we need to talk"

"That's never good" Hiccup joked but changed his attitude upon seeing his father's face "What's wrong dad?"

"I just felt it's time we had a chat about marriage and whatnot"

He momentarily froze. He knew exactly who he wanted to marry. He wasn't so sure his father would agree "Why is that?"

"It's just now that you're getting older, this is expected of you and it's important you remember the rules"

Hiccup simply nodded, waiting for his father to continue.

"Now you know when you marry it'll be expected for you to be King. Or at least, start properly training"

"I know that dad, but why do I have to get married so young?"

"It's not that you have be married as such, but you should at least be thinking about it. I can't have been much older than you when my marriage was arranged to your mother"

"But dad, that was a different time. A lot of things have changed since then, including you"

"Aye son but that does not mean everything should change. Some things are better left alone. But speaking of things not changing, there's one more thing we should talk about" he sighed gravely.

"What is it?"

"Hiccup you understand that there are certain... Rules about the woman whom you eventually decide to court"

He nodded blankly "I do understand that"

"She would ideally be another royal but if not must still hold high stature in society. She must be of a decent class. We need someone with strong connections. Possibly with wealthy parents. She must be a respectable figure to others and-"

"Dad I know all of this" he interrupted "May I ask where this talk is coming from?"

Another sigh "There's been a lot of talk around the castle son"

"I thought you don't listen to castle talk"

"Normally I don't, but a lot of it has been centred around you this week"

He let out a low hum of disinterest "Is that so?"

"Yes, and it's all been about you being spotted with one of the servants on castle grounds late at night"

The young Prince was unsure of what to say. He could not deny, but he certainly didn't want to confirm.

"People are always talking" was what he settled on.

"Which is exactly what I thought. Until I noticed you were being quite friendly with one particular servant. At first I thought nothing of it because you tend to be nice to everyone but this was different. Tell me honestly, have you been meeting up with some girl late at night?"

"She isn't just some girl, her name is Astrid" he automatically defended without thinking, then realised what it must have sounded like and changed his tone "I think. But yes, we have been meeting"

"Why?"

"It really did begin as an accident" he explained hastily " The truth is she's been helping me. I... Was going on midnight flights with Toothless" Hiccup confessed, purposely avoiding eye contact with his father "I stumbled into Astrid on the first night and she helped me back to my chamber. After that, I don't know. We just kept meeting"

Stoick's face became grave "Hiccup you know I don't like you going on midnight flights in different lands. This isn't Berk son"

"Again, I know that dad" Hiccup said with slight exasperation "But I don't really understand your reasoning"

"I've explained this to you before. It's unfair to make servants-"

"Stay up so late, fine, I understand that point. But this girl never minded staying up for me and I made sure of that."

"But still, the land is so marvellous you should appreciate it, not go looking everywhere else for something that is right in front of you. You should not disrespect the quality"

"See, this is where I disagree" Hiccup replied as respectfully as he could "The land is marvellous but exploring it does not mean I do not appreciate it. If anything, I think what I do is more appreciative of the land. Not only do I love it enough to explore. I also want to expand it and see how much more beauty there truly is"

"Son it's more complicated than that" Stoick said somewhat sadly "The truth is... I worry. We don't know everyone here. You never know who has a vendetta or who has a bone to pick. I just don't want you getting hurt. We've... I've nearly lost you so many times now"

Hiccup saw it. That rare side of his dad. The caring, scared and, dare he say, vulnerable side of his father that almost never revealed itself. Hiccup felt closer to him because of it.

"Well that does make sense to me" he sighed "Okay dad you're right, I'll be careful next time"

"Thank you Hiccup" his father said gratefully "Now about this girl..."

"Dad we don't have to..."

"Of course you should be kind to the servants. It helps with your reputation and it's simply a nice thing to do. But you must remember she can not be a princess so-"

"Dad why are you telling me this? Of course she can't be princess. I get that. But it doesn't matter anyway" He felt the fifteen year old desperate to impress and seeking approval jump up within him

Stoick's eyes narrowed "Does it not? So you don't feel any romantic feelings for this girl?"

"Of course not!" He exclaimed hysterically.

"Are you sure? You do not want to be with the servant?"

'Astrid' he mentally corrected.

"That would never happen! I'm a Prince and she's a servant. We live in two different worlds"

"Hiccup..."

"Astrid, if that even is her name, is just a girl who helped me find my way back to my chambers after flights. She's not important to me, end of discussion"

"Son I-"

"How could I ever like a girl like that? It's unheard of! She's not of a royal standard. I could never..." He trailed off, finding himself in a large pit of self-loathing.

He could not insult Astrid like this, it was not fair to her. He loved her, but if he continued like this, he would not deserve her.

And so he shook his head "No, no, I can't do this. I did fall in love with her this week. And you know what? I can't say I'm sorry"

He wasn't. He really wasn't.

"What about the Princess?"

He hesitated "I don't know. I may never see her again. Whoever she is, she clearly didn't want to be found after that night. I love Astrid. She's kind and caring and compassionate. There's a quality about her. She knows what to say and exactly when to say it. She understands me better than anyone I've ever known. I know she doesn't meet royal standards, but she meets my standard. And I am completely and madly in love with her."

His dad stared at him fondly "You sound exactly like me when I first defended your mother to my own father"

Confusion rose within him "Wait what? Why would you have to defend mom?"

"I haven't been entirely honest with you about your mother. The truth is she was a village girl too" Stoick confessed, much to his son's surprise

"W-wait what?! Why wouldn't you tell me that?"

"We lost your mother when you were a wee baby" his smile saddened "I was devastated. And I thought that if, when you were older, I put you into a political love rather than genuine, you would not have to bare the same pain I did if anything were to happen. But if you are truly as deeply in love as you say you are, you should go for it!"

"I should?"

"Of course!"

"What made you change your mind"

His father's features softened "Love is a beautiful thing, and if you find it, you should fight for it. And never let it go."

"Really? Even if there's pain?"

Stoick let out a hearty chuckle "I'll tell you a secret son. Every relationship has pain, romantic or not. Love makes the pain worth it"

Hiccup hugged his dad and allowed his organs to be crushed as he felt his dad return the hug. Adrenaline coursed through as he thought about what he was going to do.

He was going to tell Astrid he loves her.

xxxx

"Y-you really said that?" Astrid asked quietly, billions of thoughts swirling in her head.

"Yes and I wanted to tell you that, but you walked off before I could explain!"

"In my defense, I had just heard you say we couldn't ever be together and that I didn't matter to you, it's fair that I would assume anything else you had to say would be negative" she argued.

"I suppose that is fair. I can't say I'd have been too lenient either, had the roles been reversed. I just wished you'd let me explain a little bit" he paused momentarily "Just as I wish you'd told me about your identity earlier"

Astrid took a deep breath, he'd seen through her deflection.

"I did not mean to mess with your emotions, that was never my intention" Astrid told him sincerely "I only wanted to attend the ball, I never thought I would dance with you, let alone anything else. It truly was an accident"

"Why were you dressed as a princess in the first place?"

"It was rather silly really, Heather was talking about how she hated the marital pressure of the ball and I made a 8 comment about how I thought it would be fun to attend the ball and next thing I l know I'm in a ball gown. I was only going to stay for a few hours and then... You happened"

"But we've been spending so much time together this week. Why would you not tell me? Did you you not trust me?"

"Of course I trusted you. Hiccup, I told you about my family name. That's extremely sensitive to me, obviously I would have to trust you to tell you that"

"So if you trust me, why wouldn't you tell me?"

'He's really not giving up' Astrid thought to herself.

"Why did you say what you said to your father?" She asked, sad smile plastered onto her face. Upon seeing his wordless response, she answered for him "Because you were ashamed, or embarrassed, maybe, I don't know. But you didn't want to tell the truth about me"

"But I did tell him-"

"Not by first instinct" she cut him off "When confronted with the mere possibility of having feelings for someone like me your first instinct was to not only deny it, but also vehemently insult me in the process. Why?"

Once again, Hiccup was speechless. Astrid decided to continue.

"That is why I did not tell you. I knew that if you found out who I really was you'd regret that night at the ball. And that was the last thing I wanted"

"I would never regret that night. Ever"

"That's what I thought. I almost told you. I was on my way when I heard what you said. It was a reminder of sorts, I suppose. It made me remember and realize that" she paused, looking down "That telling you would ultimately amount to nothing"

"And why wouldn't it?" He questioned.

"Because it can't'' She responded bluntly "It's not like this changes anything. We could never be together. It's part of the reason I stopped you from kissing me last night"

"But Astrid, we can be together. I wouldn't care if we didn't, but we do have approval"

"Only from your father, not the rest of the Archipelago. They won't be easy to deal with. I'm not going to be the reason you face any more scrutiny" she sighed "I'm sorry to say it Prince Hiccup, but just because we'd like to believe we can be together, doesn't mean we actually can"

Hiccup's frown deepened "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Talk about what you'd like to believe and what you actually believe, as if there's a difference"

"I'd like to believe that every person is equal. But how can I when every piece of evidence points to the contrary?" she replied in a lieu of an explanation.

"I thought the same thing when I met Toothless" Hiccup said thoughtfully "I'd been raised to think of dragons of nothing but nuisances and pests. Cold blooded murderers that would always go for the kill. Yet, Toothless didn't. I wanted to believe that Toothless was simply a kind gentle creature but, like you, I didn't know how to think that given everything I'd been taught"

Now it was Astrid's turn to be speechless. Noticing this, Hiccup proceeded.

"So I began to look deeper into things. It was true, dragons had killed hundreds of them. But we'd killed thousands of them. It wasn't their fault. They were being controlled, completely innocent. You can believe what you'd like to believe, sometimes you just to take on new perspectives to do it"

"Well enlighten me, how can I take a new perspective on our situation then?" she asked bitterly, finding herself getting increasingly frustrated by the Prince's persistence.

"Look, I love you and you love me. This should be about us. Not about anyone else. This is up to us"

She scoffed and frantically looked past him "I never said anything about loving you"

"You didn't need to"

I don't-"

"Yes you do" he countered fiercely.

"Cause you obviously know my feelings better than me" she deadpanned.

"Then look at me and say it"

"I did look at you"

He grabbed her chin and pulled her closer to him. The sudden move made Astrid breathless.

"Look me in the eyes... Tell me you don't love me... Do that and I'll leave you alone" the words barely come out as a mere whisper. So quiet yet, so clear.

She stared into his beautiful eyes and saw all of his emotions. Love, passion, fear, sadness and so much more. In that moment, she truly understood how much he loved her . she couldn't do this. she couldn't break his heart.

"Gods above Hiccup" she groaned, tearing herself away from his grip "Why do you have to make this so difficult?"

"So you do love me" he said, a hint of amusement lying in his voice.

"You know that I do" she snapped "Your optimism is infuriating you know"

"I know" he flashed her a grin "But the optimism makes the drama easier to put up with"

"And Thor knows how much of that you've had to put up with this week" Astrid said "Gods, if I'd known how much drama would happen after the ball, I wouldn't have even gone"

"Funny" he said walking closer to her, daringly putting his hands on her waist. She froze on the spot "Because if I'd known everything that would happen after the ball, I wouldn't hesitate to do it again"

"Y-You would? Why?"

"Because it, at the end of it all, it would still lead me back to you"

"But Hiccup look at me" Her voice cracked painfully as she looked down, attempting to remove his hands "We do live in two different worlds. I could never be royalty. That night I was a princess was a one time thing. It's not who I am, I don't know how to do it. and I don't want to embarrass you..."

He removed his hands from her waist, only to cup her face and tilt her head upwards, forcing her to look at him. "Please listen to me"

She found herself too captivated by his gaze to resist.

"Whether you're a Princess or a servant, I don't care. I fell in love you. And no matter what happens, as long as you continue to be understanding, loving and empathetic. As long as you always keep that calm but fierce spark in you. As long as you keep being yourself, I will always love you."

She swallowed thickly, despite lump forming in her throat. Astrid could feel herself giving into her emotions. No matter what reason, excuse or explanation she came up with, it was to no avail. She wanted him, there was no point in denying it anymore.

"I love you too"

The way his eyes lit up made her heart soar. His grin was infectious, as Astrid also found herself smiling. It was like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders and now, cliche as it sounded, she was floating on air. Butterflies invaded her stomach as he moved closer. He stopped, as if to ask for permission. She wasn't surprised, he tended to do this. She nodded, anticipation rising within her.

In that moment, she was Astrid. But maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

Their lips connected and Astrid was flooded with joy. In At that time, nothing stood in their way. Being with him just felt right. There were thousands of cliche ways to describe the kiss. She didn't care about the labels. Let them be. For the first time in years, she was genuinely happy. Astrid never understood how amazing the feeling was, and now she had it, she never wanted to let it go. And in that moment, she vowed to always strive for that feeling in the future.

Feeling elated, she slid her hands up to Hiccup's waist and pulled him closer. His lips moved insistently against hers. It was gentle but passionate. She couldn't help but smile into the kiss. It was pure bliss. She wanted the moment to last forever.

Eventually, he pulled away. Astrid was absolutely sure she was smiling like an idiot. She didn't mind, he was too. He rested his forehead against hers.

"Gods, I love you" he whispered before kissing her again.

"I" kiss "Love you" another kiss "Too" One more kiss "So much"

There was a time where Astrid never thought she'd get here. Not as in kissing a Prince in the middle of the stables. Well, okay, she hadn't really imagined that scenario either but it wasn't the one she was talking about.

The whole love thing was what she was talking about. Astrid had never really seen herself falling in love with anyone, let alone a Prince. It's not that she didn't want, she just never really saw it happening for herself. What with her low class and family name, she didn't think anyone would want her, didn't see how they could. And so she'd resided to a life of servitude and solitude. Astrid couldn't say the idea particularly upset her. Over thethe years settling had become rather easy to do. It was only now, with him, she began to understand the truth. That she deserved love, and that she could fight for it.

And it wouldn't be easy. She was not blind to the challenges that faced them. It would be okay, they could handle it.

The love would make the pain worth it.

And... That's it! Well except for the epilogue.

The final film may have already come out but the franchise is not over for me. Which is why I'm planning on continuing to write for the fandom!

So I have a sequel prepared. And here's the plot:

Being a princess for the rest of your life is much harder than just for one night, and Astrid's learning that the hard way. As Astrid tries to get a grip on her new life, she can't help but be intrigued by a rogue rider...

And on top of that I'm going to do one more story. I'm currently deciding between two. So instead of a fun fact I'm going to tell you both plots and you can tell me which you'd rather read.

Story 1: AU set in the rtte timeline. Astrid had been taken from Berk and raised under the hand of Viggo Grimborn and his brother Ryker. Now at 18 she has a secret, she loves dragons. As she finally tries to escape, her life is turned upside down by the dragon riders. Especially one rider that she has an undeniable connection with. Now she must figure out what she's going to do, and who she wants to be.

Story 2: Modern AU. Astrid didn't have the best of lives. Being put into, and eventually being aged out of, the system wasn't fun. People had their own opinions on foster kids. And more often than not, they were negative, so she kept it to herself. She had had her fair share of foster placements but none ever stuck. Still, despite her rough upbringing she still managed to create a stable life for herself. At the age of 18, she's working at a neat coffee shop just off campus of Berk University. Her life was perfectly fine, enter Hiccup Haddock. Astrid struggles to navigate a relationship with him and hide her own history.

I get that a lot of people don't like modern AUs but I personally don't mind them. Plus, I really think that story could be very interesting. I love both stories so it's up to you! Tell me which one you want more!

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

Shohini :)