"And so it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to this, the birthday of my three sons as they take hold of their future with both hands. For we all know…" Hiccup zoned out after the first five minutes of lengthy speeches, most of them from nobles who would never let a tree grow in their gardens for fear of blocking out arrows. It was a terrible idea for wartime, but, unfortunately, a great strategy for today, as his father was about to explain. "Today, my sons will choose a bride. By the code of our tradition, each will take his finest bow and one arrow, shooting it into the sky. Whatever fine maiden returns the shaft will be the wife of the prince whose arrow she holds. I discovered my wife this way, as did my father and grandfather before me, with twelve generations of kings doing the same before them."

Something kicked Hiccup's prosthetic under the table. He looked to his right and saw his younger older brother staring with rapt attention at his father. The youngest prince rolled his eyes. When were they going to learn that that didn't work when you hit steel instead of flesh? But this was his brother, after all. The one who spent more time hacking up training dummies in a day than he did reading in a month. He'd probably never notice the kick hadn't hurt, but thank goodness his eldest brother was on the other side of his father. He might actually have kicked the flesh leg.

Finally the speeches were through and it was time to move the gathering to the palace front lawn for the actual shooting. The three princes, Hubert, Hamish, and Hiccup stood in front of the massive crowd of nobles, mostly men, given the nature of the day. Three of the knights came forward and presented each prince with a bow and arrow. Gawain brought up Hiccup's and whispered a "good luck" in the boy's ear before walking back to the crowd to stand with the others. The prince smiled crookedly. Of course Gawain would wish him luck, with the way they'd been training so hard these past few weeks, working on aim and velocity and a lot of other things that his other brothers didn't have to worry about, with their natural athleticism and inborn talent for the bow.

The order to draw was bellowed across the palace grounds. Hiccup notched the arrow on the bowstring and tried to pull the feathers back until they brushed his cheek, tightening his core as he did so. He managed to get it all the way, but knew he couldn't hold it for long. "Aim," shouted the drill sergeant. All three princes raised their bows up, though the angles were different, with the elder princes holding it almost directly up and Hiccup angling so the arrow was at about fifteen degrees above perpendicular with the ground. "Fire!" and at that moment, several things happened at once.

Hiccup took a step forward with his left leg to steady himself for the shot and fell into a rabbit hole. The end of the prosthetic plunged down into the earth beneath him and the surprise made him lose his grip on the string. The arrow shot into the woods that bordered the castle grounds and the string snapped back into position, slapping against his hand. No doubt there would be a welt there later on. While the nobles rushed forward to congratulate the two elder princes for their excellent shots, Gawain and a few of the older knights helped Hiccup back to his feet and tried to brush him off. "Good try, lad," soothed Gawain. "And who knows? You might get a wood nymph or a flower girl. They're a lot more fun tham nobles." Hiccup smiled at the older man. It was good to know that someone at least was on his side.

The nobles and their tittering wives followed the king and three princes, one rather disheveled, back through the castle entrance and into the dining room where a lavish feast was prepared. The king ascended the stairs to the high table where seven seats now perched, instead of the four that had been there earlier. The princes and their father lined up behind their seats, with an empty one next to each of the boys. The king cleared his throat. "Now, friends, we wait on the whims of fate and fortune. Let my good sons gain brides worthy of them to sit at their sides. Let us celebrate until they arrive." He pulled out his chair, a bit more like a throne actually, and sank down into it as his sons did the same. The rest of the crowd quickly followed.

The low hum of conversation in the hall was occasionally broken by outbursts of laughter, the snapping of bones as someone pulled free a chicken or goose wing. His brothers were engaged in conversation with their father, with the seats meant for their brides on either side of them. Hiccup sat, blocked off by two empty chairs and listened to the whir of noise around him as he munched on some of the fruit the kitchens had managed to procure for the feast. He gazed around the room at the various noblemen and their wives. No daughters were present of course, as they'd have to give up their chances of being Queen to do so. But it wasn't really the people he was interested in as much as their metalwork.

Several of the men had brought swords. A few had precious stones or designs crafted into the metal of the handles, which were the only part he could see at all clearly, and he itched to get his hands on them to get a better look. The duke sitting at the leftmost table at the end nearest the raised platform where the royalty sat had a very nice one, with…were those diamond chips in the pommel? He had to get a closer look.

Hiccup rose out of his chair with the pretense of getting another bunch of grapes when the doors at the front of the hall opened and a woman walked in. Striding up between the center tables, she trailed her embroidered gown through the rushes on the floor and, when she reached the high table, held out an arrow for the king's inspection. While the king looked over the shaft, Hiccup got a good look at who would probably be his sister-in-law. He used grey goose feathers, and the feathers on the tip of the arrow were too white to be his.

The precious metals on her person were very finely crafted, like the gold thread embroidery that ran all the way down the billowing sleeves and around the square neckline. Her braid was also bedecked with jeweled hair clips, probably sliver, set in a wing design. This was a noble's daughter for sure, and Hiccup wondered which of older males in the room was about to have his daughter marry into royalty and boost his standing. He hoped it wasn't him, even though it probably wasn't; she was at least twenty-four and he was hoping for someone a little closer to his age.

The king stood up. "This arrow is tipped with swan feathers. Hamish, this lovely young lady is your bride." The middle son circled the table and took his bride's hand and kissed it, although his eyes lingered on the gold rose pinned to her bodice. Hiccup wanted to roll his eyes at his brother's lack of subtlety. The new bride took her place at Hamish's side and the occupants of the hall resumed their seats to wait for the next bride.

Second, and longer, chapter is up and running. I'm trying to take things slowly. Next chapter, Hiccup's bride shows up.

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