"I can't believe you did that!"

"Vessa…."

"Oh don't worry, it's no criticism. Damn you're a fast learner!"

"Okay…"

"No seriously, you could usurp the job of a Brothel Mistress."

"Okay, I get that that's supposed to be a compliment, but it really isn't."

"Okay fine, but you're a damned quick study. You would have done well in my former business."

"Not really."

"Oh, I saw the way you got him to bend to you with a head tilt."

"It's not like that. I mean, I've known Dagur since we were little. I've always had an idea how his mind works, you just gotta say the right thing. His new affection for me, well it just helped." Vessa laughed.

"You would have done well in a Roman court."

"I doubt that."

"Ha, a pretty face and sharp mind, you could have been an empress!"

"My face isn't pretty." Hiccup insisted, pulling her furs around her tighter.

"Ah, don't give me any of that modesty garbage. You're got a nice bone structure, a long neck, fair skin and red hair." Vessa told her, yanking lightly at a long of her reddish hair.

"My hair's brown." Hiccup insisted. Dagur had red hair, her father had red hair, many people had red hair, and she just wasn't one of them.

"A lot redder than mine is. Trust me; you'd be a commodity in Rome." Vessa argued, messing up her mistress' bangs.

"Hey, do you ever miss Rome." Vessa smiled mysteriously and lounged against the wall.

"Yes and no. I hardly miss my profession; my life with you has improved dramatically. But I miss the warmth, the crowds, the noise; I miss a lot of things."

"Do you ever miss your family?"

"Yes, but I haven't seen my family since I was a very little girl. They're probably dead by now, or forgotten me."

"I see." Hiccup didn't want that for herself, for all her anger towards her dad, she didn't want it to split her from her past.

"Do you miss your home?" Vessa asked.

"Not really. Everyone hated me, except Gobber, my teacher. I certainly don't miss my peers or the villagers, always telling me I was in the way. Here, Oswald has been like a father to me, and is fond of me. Dagur, well, he's taken to me, and I wouldn't give it up." Her family was here now, and they made her feel loved. That was what mattered, not just blood ties.

"Do you miss your family?" Vessa pressed.

"I miss my mom, she disappeared at sea when I was little, but I still remember a lot about her."

"And your dad?"

"He never wanted me. And he sold me off first chance he got." Hiccup spat.

"Well it's hardly unusual for a marriage to be arranged." Vessa reasoned.

"I know."

"And it was his job to see that you married well. You're married to a man who will be a chief, one who adores you at that."

"My father didn't know that going in."

"You're going to have to forgive him eventually, he is your father. You're his only child."

"I know."

X

"Lesson one, your opponent will try to kill you, never hold back." Hiccup stood there with a wooden sword in hand. Dagur held up his blunt sword and swung it quickly, stopping before her neck.

"Lesson two, you're smaller and faster, use it to your advantage." He swung his sword again and Hiccup blocked it with her wooden one.

"Lesson three, always keep your balance." He kicked one leg lightly, but toppled her whole body. Hiccup looked up at him. He pulled her to her feet again, taking relatively slow swings to let her get used to defending. Luckily she already seemed to understand dodging. Hiccup simply didn't have the massive muscle through things as he did.

"Lesson four, you are weak, use your opponent's strength against them. They will charge you; get out of the way last moment." He demonstrated and Hiccup managed to scuttle out of the way, then falling on her butt. Dagur started to put his hand out to her, but then Hiccup grabbed his arm and yanked hard, bringing him down. Then she put her wooden sword to his neck. Dagur looked at her for a moment and then started to laugh a deep hearty laugh. He laughed for a good five minutes and Hiccup even joined in for a few minutes. Dagur cupped her cheek, stroking her jaw, a fond smile on his lips.

"Lesson five, even if you're small you can win."

X

Hiccup and Vessa returned home one evening to find her husband sitting at the table. She hung up her cloak. Vessa scurried into the weaving room that had become her own quarters, sparing only a glance. Once the door to the room shut, Dagur patted his thigh, indicating for Hiccup to sit on his lap. Hiccup rolled her eyes good-naturedly and did as she was asked. She plopped down on his lap and leaned her head onto his shoulder. His fingers searched for the pins holding her braids and gently pulled them loose. This felt nice, it felt safe. He always made her feel safe these days. His finger carded through the loose auburn waves with a distant look in his eye.

"I have to leave in a few days." Hiccup sat back to look him in the eye.

"Where?" She asked, afraid of the answer.

"Your father wants another hunt for the nest; Dad and I are going to help. They need extra men." It was what she feared.

"Why are you going?" She asked, moving so that she straddled him, looking in the eye.

"I know how to kill dragons why else?"

"But people die on those quests all the time. What if you don't come back?" She insisted, her tiny fingers fisting the fabric of his leggings.

"I'll come back." His hand cupped her cheek but Hiccup wasn't soothed.

"But what if you don't? Your father and some men should be enough."

"A Berserker never backs down from a challenge." He told her firmly, this was getting to dangerous territory. She was pushing it, but she had to try.

"No!"

"Hiccup, I'll be fine." His thumb ran over her cheekbone, but tears started burning at her eyes. She should have known this would happen. This concept wasn't new, her father was a chief and her husband would be. She had to expect him to take risks for the tribe, for the betterment of them. But she wanted to be selfish and keep Dagur with her, because Hiccup wasn't sure she could deal with losing him,

"But…."

"I can do this; no dragon alive can stop me from coming back." Hiccup put her head back on his shoulder and accepted his embrace. One arm wrapped over her back.

"My mom said stuff like that, and one day, she never came home." Dagur shrugged and continued rubbing his blunt fingers through her hair.

"I will, I promise you. No need to be scared alright, I'm not your mom. I will do my job then come back. If you honestly think a mere dragon can fell me, you haven't been paying attention." The cockiness in his tone made her feel a little better. Because she had yet to see anything best Dagur.

"Yeah." Then Dagur pushed her body back so he could see her face.

"Hey, look at me." Hiccup did as he asked. His fingers pushed her bangs away and his kissed her briefly, brief but full of unspoken affection.

"I ain't gonna die on you now, ya hear. I'll bring back the head of a nightmare and make you a cloak from its skin." Hiccup was frankly disgusted by both gifts, didn't change the fact that hearing it from Dagur was a good thing. For him, that was how he expressed affection. Their marriage would never be perfect, but Hiccup was pretty sure she could manage. A smile made its way on her face. She was feeling a little better.

"You better not; I think I'm just starting to like you." She said, sitting back a bit with a snarky grin.

"Oh, just like?"

"Well yeah, maybe in a few years I'll be able to say I'm fond of you." Then he laughed that incredibly strange laugh of his. He always laughed a few seconds longer than was would be considered normal. It made things just a little awkward but she was quickly growing used to it. So she waited for him to finish, then his mood changed and his body tensed.

"Are you worried what would happen to you if I die?" Hiccup honestly hadn't thought of that, but now that'd he'd brought it up…

"I really don't want to go back to Berk, besides, being a widow at my age, not really appealing." She tried her best to keep the bite in her voice but the quiver was a bit too much. She didn't want to go back to Berk to her father or anyone. Dagur noticed it.

"Well, then I'll have to make sure you'll always have a place here." He told her calmly leaning into the chair slowly.

"And how are you going to do that?" Hiccup asked, wondering who he was going to threaten over it.

"I'll get you with child." He told her fiercely, his hand grabbing at her thigh.

Now keep in mind Hiccup hadn't been a virgin since her wedding night, and she was well aware their nightly, and sometimes daily, activities could result in a child. It was the whole reason to have a wife after all. Yet somehow, much like losing her virginity on her wedding night, the thought of motherhood evaded her mind. Her face turned an unattractive shade of red, certainly not helped by Dagur's intense gaze. She fidgeted and eventually looked away, not sure what to say. Dagur waited a few beats before saying anything.

"Is there something I should know?" He raised an eyebrow the hand on her thigh traveling north to her waist and his thumb rubbing her belly.

"No, no, no, I am not pregnant, I assure you." She replied, waving her hands.

"Yeah you did just finish bleeding the other night." Dagur mumbled mostly to himself.

"Okay, can we not talk about that?" Hiccup told him flatly.

"Alright, then what's with the imitation of a trout out of water."

"Sorry, talking about babies kind of caught me off guard there."

"It's not news; you will carry my kid sooner or later."

"Well yeah, but I haven't really been thinking about that."

"Is there a problem?"

"Well, I am only thirteen."

"You'll be fourteen soon."

"That's not the point…"

"You're the one who brought up your age."

"It's not my age, it's, I'm small."

"Yeah and blood is red, what your point."

"Girls with tiny hips die in childbirth." She said quietly.

"You wouldn't, Odin knows you're too stubborn to die."

"This isn't a joke." Dagur leaned back, then he removed his helm, yup it was serious Dagur time.

"Are you really worried about that?"

"I wonder if I was married off with that expectation in mind." Dagur was quiet his silence prompted her to continue.

"I've always been useless and small; if I had been a boy I could have inherited the tribe at least. But Sven put it out there clearly, that my only use was to give children. I wonder if my dad just wanted me to be replaced by, gods willing, a healthy grandson." It was then Dagur interrupted her with a tap on her face.

"Hey, I will not hear crap like that again. I don't care what your father intended. You're my wife, you belong to me and we decide how we do things. If you want to wait, that's fine; there are ways to prevent it. But you have brought something to my attention and you should know that I wouldn't let you die so easily. I've grown fond of your silver-tongue."

"My what?"

"You can talk a man out of his soul, you're smart and bring the funny, I appreciate it. Besides, I enjoy your tongue for other reasons." Hiccup turned red and looked away.

"Just don't go saying stuff like that to your men."

"Why not?"

"Why not? Dagur, not everyone needs to know about our personal lives."

"I don't think we have anything to hide."

"You're just an exhibitionist."

"And you love me for it." A silence fell over them. There was no doubt denying that they had found a way to make their marriage work, but neither had said that dreaded four letter word. Hiccup contemplated her options and her own feeling on the matter. She had come to be fond of Dagur, that much was true. Despite the strain of his threadbare sanity, there were parts of him that were undeniably sweet. But she would not lie to him, omit the truth maybe, but lying to a man who had deranged in his name was just asking for trouble.

"Hmm." Was all she offered in response. Dagur regarded her for another few beats before accepting her answer an standing up, holding her in his arms.

"Alright, up to bed with us." Hiccup only smiled and withheld a witty remark.

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Princess: Another chapter with lame training scene and touchy feely moment. And one of the more problematic issues with young marriages. And Hiccup's own childhood traumas come forth.

Reviews:

Takara410: Well something similar.

Rladbfl2002: Here you are.

Viking Lady: I think so too, I'm glad you like the cover.

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HTTYDloverrrrr: Dagcup, that's what I call it.

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Emeraldshard: I think he's a big softie.

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