To: Maevarose - Yes, Valka has changed in her appearance and she is not Hiccup's mother in this fic. Thank you for your review!
Fairies fluttered everywhere setting the table up. At one point, Barf, winking at his female partner in crime, dove into someone's tea, only to splash out when they began to drink it. Ruff high-fived him eagerly.
"Ladies, ladies!" Gothel called out, "I have an announcement to make!"
"When don't you have an announcement to make?" Astrid mumbled under her breath as she poured out tea. All lady royals were expected to serve tea, to prepare for serving later on. But she couldn't seem to focus. What she had learned in the gallery had shaken her.
"In fact, let me introduce my daughter Rapunzel, who has plans to share of when she'll become ruler of Berk?"
Her daughter looked up, surprised. "I - I do?"
Gothel gave her a pointed look, so she stood up and said, "I do! Er.." Astrid felt sorry for her. Obviously this impromptu speech was not something she had wanted to do right now.
Her mother swooped in, as always and stood up to where her presentation was. "My brilliant daughter" - many girls rolled their eyes - "has noticed that we have far too many buildings and sites in Berk."
Astrid gasped. Right on the slide, there was a picture of her home. The tea trickled down a girl's shirt and she yelped.
Ignoring her, she went on, "We plan to bulldoze them and make parks, with fountains, and trees, and make the world a better place."
"But…" she struggled for a way to counter her point, "People live in those places. My family is there."
"It is?" Rapunzel asked quietly. Before Astrid could respond, Gothel broke in once more.
"Rapunzel is aware of that. Those people will move elsewhere."
"How?" Astrid asked furiously, "They're like me! They don't have any money! They can't just up and move!"
Gothel stared her dead in the eyes. "If I were you, I'd leave this school and get my family ready to move."
Desperate, she tried one last method. "Rapunzel?"
The princess didn't say anything, only looked at her hopelessly. Astrid bit back a remark on her extraordinary friendship skills. She ran from the room, only hearing Toothiana's quiet voice say to Gothel, "I think it is disgraceful."
"Duly. Noted."
She sat on the stairs of the school, refusing to let any tears pour out. She'd been so sure she could do it, had been feeling amazingly confident lately. But even if her family had a better life, what about the rest of the people who lived there?She couldn't, wouldn't, stand for it.
The carriage rolled up, with Stabbington riding it, looking as serious as ever. She picked up her bags and was about to get on when something nudged her side.
Toothless was standing there, wagging his tail and with a drawing in his hand. He handed it to her.3It was Gustav's drawing. She had forgotten to pack it in her rush.
Left on the doorstep. April 24th. Baby girl. Princess Astoria.
If she was Princess Astoria, then she had a job to do. Looking at Toothless again, she made her decision.
Without a word to Stabbington, she walked back up the stairs, into Princess Charm School.
She thought she heard him ride off.
It was nearing night when Ruffnut and Heather found her. "Astrid! Are you okay?"
"I'm better than okay. I'm ready."
"Ready?" Heather asked. "Ready for what?"
"To fight," she responded with as much force as she could, "If Rapunzel gets on the throne, she's going to ruin my home, and probably this kingdom along with it."
"If she gets on the throne," Ruff smirked.
"She can't. If we could just find a way to prove someone else is the true heir."
"Berk's magical crown!" Ruff quipped eagerly, "It's gotta be in the palace, right?"
"The crown lights up when place on the true ruler's head. And the coronation is tomorrow. So we need to find the crown…"
The girls simultaneously put their hands in and said,
"Tonight!"