Dragon Music Tales

Queen of Mean

Summary: Juno has another terrifying nightmare about her joining forces with her biological father, Viggo Grimborn, with her betraying her friends just because she was feeling a little bit jealous of Heather possibly taking her place among the Dragon Riders, and maybe even in Ragnar's heart, and her being accepted into the Dragon Hunters as Viggo's heir.

Post-RttE.

WARNING: THIS ONE-SHOT TAKES PLACE IN A STORY THAT HASN'T BEEN POSTED YET. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

It was nighttime on Dragon's Edge. Juno was sitting in front of her hut, her knees brought up to her chest, holding them close. The brunette was trying her best to hold back her tears, her fists clenched tightly.

She shouldn't be feeling jealous. After all, Heather is her friend, and it was really great to have her back among the other Dragon Riders. But she didn't particularly like that the beautiful, raven-haired Berserker shieldmaiden with green eyes was getting a little too close to Ragnar. Wasn't she supposed to have a thing for Fishlegs now?

Well, back when they first met her, which was almost four years ago, she also didn't like that she was cozying up to the Iverson boy, along with getting on Hiccup's good side. But not all that was jealousy. She was also suspicious of her, a feeling that was shared with Astrid, who was a little jealous of Heather getting too friendly with the lead Dragon Rider.

But when they reunited with her a few months ago after so long, and the three of them were having some girl time, after Juno and Heather were done teasing Astrid about her growing relationship with Hiccup, they learned that Heather did have a genuine little thing for Ragnar back when they first met, but she had since moved on from him and now has feelings for Fishlegs. Or at least, that's what she told them. But maybe now that she was officially with the Dragon Riders, those old feelings for Ragnar had come back.

The thought of it was just hurting her so much. Maybe Ragnar would be better off with Heather. Sure, maybe Juno and Heather did have similar familial backgrounds, both of them being related to an enemy of the Dragon Riders. But Dagur was now their ally, having sacrificed himself to save everyone from falling into a trap.

But Viggo, he was their most hated and dangerous enemy yet. He actually lives for the hunting of dragons, just for profit; a sick and demented trade operation that not even Juno's own mother agreed with. That was why she had left the Dragon Hunters, along with her infant daughter, never to come back.

But now Viggo knows that Juno is alive, and he had known it from the beginning. Ryker had most likely reported to him about her after their first battle, which was why the Dragon Hunters had an interest of capturing her, along with Hiccup, until they finally met Viggo face to face.

And Juno wasn't stupid. She had seen the way some of the other Riders, particularly Snotlout and the twins to no one's surprise, would be looking at her with suspicion and a little bit of fear. Since she was Viggo's biological daughter, they were worried that she might actually join up with him, just because he was blood. It was absolutely absurd, and the other Riders agreed. But still, it didn't really help the situation.

Heather had once said that she thought that she was destined to be alone. Well, maybe it was Juno that was destined to be alone because she had always been seen as an outsider, mostly for reasons that were beyond her control.

Feeling the swarm of negative emotions swirling up in her and starting to eat away at her mind, she began to sing.

Juno: I'm so tired of pretending
Where's my happy ending?

Then, she stood up, feeling all warmth in her body and soul leave her, and everything for some reason became meaningless to her. Her eyes were cold and dark, and the expression on her face was like stone; lifeless. It was like she suddenly became an empty shell.

I followed all the rules.
I drew inside the lines.
I never asked for anything
That wasn't mine.

I waited patiently for my time;
But when it finally came,
He called her name.

Suddenly, it was like magma was slowly beginning to bubble up inside of her. She remembered particularly why she thought like that. After Dagur had sacrificed himself, and Heather needed some time alone, Ragnar eventually went after her to see if he could comfort her. Juno didn't think too much about it at first, but now, the scene was playing through her mind over and over again, making the magma inside bubble up even more, boiling her from the inside out.

And now I feel this overwhelming pain.
I mean it's in my veins,
I mean it's in my brain.
My thoughts are running in a circle
With nothing to gain.

I'm kinda like a perfect picture
With a broken frame.
I know exactly who to blame!

The magma that threatened to burst out suddenly cooled down as Juno regained her composure almost hauntingly. She knew what she must do. She could no longer trust anyone on Dragon's Edge if they think that she is a possible enemy because of her birth father.

She began to walk back inside her hut, where Coccinelle was still sleeping, and she headed over to her desk. She then picked up a charcoal pencil and began to write on a piece of parchment.

I never thought of myself as mean.
I always thought that I'd be the queen.
And there's no in between,

'Cause if I can't have that,
Then I would be the leader of the dark
And the bad.

Now there's a devil on my shoulder
Where the angels used to be,
And he's calling me the queen.

When she was done writing, she rolled up the paper and tied it with a string. She quietly headed back outside and into the stables. She plucked her sleeping dark blue Terrible Terror, Bluestreak, and then tied the message around his leg, waking him up.

He was about to nuzzle his trainer when he suddenly felt her cold demeanor radiating from every part of her body, the light gone from her eyes. She was like an empty shell now, not like the kind and spirited girl who trained him. It was like her soul was gone.

Juno walked out of the stables and held Bluestreak to the air. "Get this to Viggo." She said. "You'll know where he is."

Then, she threw him into the air, and a brokenhearted Bluestreak headed over to the island of the Dragon Hunters, powerless to disobey her.

Two days later, the Dragon Riders were all locked up in a cell on board on of the Dragon Hunters' ships, all of them wondering just how they were captured all of a sudden. The Hunters had decided to attack them when they weren't expecting them, and they easily overpowered them. Luckily, Juno was the only one who managed to escape, and they were hoping that she would come back with some backup.

But within minutes, their hopes were quickly dashed when they saw Juno being escorted by the Hunters, surrounded on all sides, while Coccinelle was shoved into a separate dragon-proof cage by two other Hunters. The door were slammed shut when Juno stopped in front of them.

"Juno!" Hiccup and Ragnar exclaimed, worried for their friend.

Then, Viggo came up beside her. "Well, isn't this a tender reunion?" He asked, looking at his daughter.

But what horrified the Riders the most was the cold smirk on Juno's face as she looked up at their enemy and then back at them. Hiccup and Ragnar were lightly shaking their heads, not wanting to believe it.

"No." Hiccup whispered. "Juno."

Ragnar had a look of pure heartbreak on his face. "No. Juno, this isn't true. It can't be!" She can't be betraying them.

Juno just looked at them indifferently while slowly walking up to the bars that separated her from them. "I decided that I'm done running away from who I really am." She said coldly, the tone of her voice sending chills down their spines. "Who I was born to be. And unfortunately, you guys were keeping me from that."

"No!" Ragnar denied, his heart breaking into thousands of pieces. "I know you don't really think that, Juno."

Her lifeless brown eyes just narrowed at him. "Then you don't know me at all."

With that, she walked away from the bars and over to the commander's quarters, a chilling smirk on her face as she started to sing again. If they wanted their friend as a villain, then they got it.

Being nice was my pastime,
But I've been hurt
For the last time.

And I won't ever let another person
Take advantage of me.
The anger burns my skin,
Third-degree!

Now my blood's boiling hotter than a fiery sea.
There's nobody getting close to me.
They're gonna bow to the Evil Queen!

Your nightmare's my dream.
Just wait until they fall
To my wicked schemes.

She then entered the commander's quarters, looking around the room that had maps pinned on every wall. Maps that led to rare dragons and having locations of the Hunters' enemies.

I never thought of myself as mean.
I always thought that I'd be the queen.
And there's no in between,

'Cause if I can't have that,
Then I would be the leader of the dark
And the bad.

Now there's a devil on my shoulder
Where the angels used to be,
And he's calling me the queen of mean.

(Calling me, calling me,)
The queen of mean. (Calling me, calling me.)
The queen of mean. (Calling me, calling me.)

Later that day, everyone had been brought to the island of the Dragon Hunters for a so-called "celebration". It was meant as a ceremony to welcome Juno into the clan of the Dragon Hunters, and to take her rightful place of heir of the tribe's throne. The Dragon Riders were also "invited" to attend the ceremony. They were tied up and held back as they watched their corrupted friend walk down the long walkway up to where Viggo was waiting for her.

She had changed into something else for the ceremony, something more appropriate for a Dragon Hunter. She wore a dark brown tunic with black leather guards on her arms and her knees, black leggings, and matching fur boots. Her hair was still the same style, and there was a black dragon scale cape trailing behind her. And instead of her usual dragon pendant, there was a bronze medallion bearing the Hunters' crest around her neck.

Something's pulling me,
It's so magnetic.
My body is moving
Unsure where I'm headed.

All of my senses
Have left me defenseless.
This darkness around me
Is promising vengeance.

She finally made it up to Viggo, who was holding a bowl of paint in his hands. He dipped his fingers into it as Juno knelt down in front of him. When she looked back up at him, he started painting her face with the royal crest of the Dragon Hunters on her forehead.

The price that I'm willing
To pay is expensive.
There's nothing to lose
When you're lonely and friendless!

So my only interest
Is showing those princes,
That I am the queen
And my reign will be endless!

That last note echoed a couple of times when Viggo had finished painting the crest of her heritage on her forehead, and she stood up. Viggo gave her a cold calculating smirk, which she returned and she turned back to face her new tribe.

"My daughter has returned to us!" Viggo shouted, and the Dragon Hunters all shouted with triumph at their new heir. Ryker showed no emotion, as usual. Juno, no, Hilda, just smirked at the crowd of Hunters as she walked back down the walkway, Ryker silently handing her a sword.

I want what I deserve!
I want to rule the world!
Sit back and watch them learn
It's finally my turn.

If they want a villain for a queen,
I'm gonna be one like they've never seen.
I'll show them what it means!

Now that I am that,
I will be the ruler of the dark
And the bad.

'Cause the devil's on my shoulder
Where the angels used to be,
And he's calling me the queen of mean!

(Calling me, calling me.)
The queen of mean! (Calling me, calling me.)
I want what I deserve!

She had just shot her sword up into the air, and then slammed it down hardly, causing hundreds of stone chips to fly.

Juno gasped for air, panting heavily as she shot up in her bed, back in her hut. She looked around her room, and then down at herself and saw that she was still wearing her normal clothes. She then looked over and saw that Coccinelle was woken up from her scream and was coming over to her. She nuzzled her Trainer gently, trying to give her some reassurance. Juno smiled at her dragon and gently petted her across the head.

Just then, there was the sound of her hut hatch being opened up, and then someone came inside. "Juno?" It was Ragnar.

The Iverson boy came over to her bed. "Are you alright? What happened?"

Juno shook her head. "It's nothing, Rag." She said. "I'm fine."

Ragnar lightly bit the corner of his lip, not really believing her. "The last few times you said that, you weren't fine." He said, walking over to her.

He then took a spot next to her on her bed. "You were struggling with the truth about your past, and you didn't come to us for help."

Juno looked down at her legs. "I'm sorry." She said softly. "I thought... that everyone would've looked at me differently if they knew about the truth. Now it seems that they do."

"Ah, don't listen to those three muttonheads." Ragnar said. "You'll always have me to watch your back. Same with Hiccup and Astrid."

Then Coccinelle lightly growled over at him. "And Coccinelle, too." He added.

Juno lightly chuckled at that. "Yeah." She said, lifting up her eyes to meet his. "You're right. Thanks, Rag."

Ragnar smiled back at her gently and then wrapped an arm over her shoulders, pulling her into a much-needed hug. "Anytime, Juno. I'm always here for you. And don't you forget it."

Juno just hummed in appreciation as she hugged her best friend, and the boy she loved. It was just a nightmare. Only she can have the power to overcome them, and her past, once and for all.

A/N: I actually finished this in time for Halloween, but the site decided to have problems so I had to try again to upload this so that people can read it. Really bad timing, that's what it is.

Anyway, the song I used is "Queen of Mean" from "Descendants 3". At first, I wasn't sure which direction I should take concerning this song, but then, I think I finally found a way how I can use this. However, I don't own the song in any way or form.

Well, I'll see you guys later this month, with the second to last one-shot of this collection. The next song is "Loyal Brave True" from the new live-action version of "Mulan", which is just spectacular despite it not being a musical.

See y'all! Please leave a review about what you think. And remember to stay healthy!

Got to fly! ;)