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"Did you know about this?" She stops, amends, "sorry, stupid question, of course you knew about this, duh. You signed the contract and that'd be a ridiculous thing to miss, right?"
Hiccup doesn't look him in the eye. She twirls the flower Viggo gave her between her fingers and thinks about the countless flowers she's collected from him over the years. Soon after it started, she began drying them in the pages of her notebooks.
"I was only fourteen when you came to Berk. We barely had one conversation before you signed the contract."
Viggo stays silent, allowing Hiccup to gather her thoughts. Her eyes meet his, emotions swimming in their green depths.
"How could you know that you wanted me as your wife all the way back then?"
Hadn't word gotten to him that she was a screw up and bad at being a viking and basically a curse to her village? How could he look at that scrawny, rambling little girl and decide she was the one he wanted by his side for the rest of his life?
He smiles at her, tender, understanding. If there's anyone in this world that knows the struggles of her life, it's Viggo Grimborn, the man that became her confidant after their first summer together. One of his large hands comes up to cradle her face.
"At fourteen you were smarter than most people I'd met in my entire life and that was all on your own. I saw you and saw what you could become in the right environment with the right guidance and I knew that was the kind of person I wanted as my partner.” He pauses to let that sink in. “In the end, it is your choice, my dear. That was one condition your father refused to give up on."
"You're not the type to accept 'maybes.' Were you worried you wouldn't want me by the time I was eighteen?"
Viggo laughs, "four years is more than enough time to convince you that you'll live a good life by my side. Had I asked you to be my betrothed sooner, wouldn't you have agreed to it?"
"Can you make this sound less like a business deal?" Hiccup snarks at him. Regardless, she allows herself to lean into his hand, eyes turned away from him as she thinks it over. "I… I had responsibilities on Berk. With the dragons. I couldn't just leave them."
She doesn't even sound convincing to her own ears. Her tribe has sent her away every summer since she was fourteen. They practically threw her at Viggo when he offered to take her and she still remembers the feeling of betrayal that filled her when her father told her what deal he'd signed; Viggo would help their tribe if he could have Hiccup. She didn't know it was a potential betrothal at the time, but she was old enough to wonder if the hunter chief had any ill intentions toward her.
After a single summer of the man being nothing but considerate towards her and bringing her gifts and giving her guidance, Hiccup concluded he had no ulterior motive.
Now, it's come to her attention that it was a long ploy to have her hand in marriage.
That information doesn't poison their relationship as much as she thought it would. It doesn’t help it, either.
Hiccup sighs, closing her eyes. Viggo pulls her into him, his sturdy arms holding her tight. This man knows her better than anyone else and marriage isn't going to change that.
"What happens if I marry you?"
Viggo hums, kisses the crown of her head. "I'll not have you staying home and filling your time with chores, if that's where your concerns lie. I have always desired a wife that will stand by my side and that is where you will remain."
Already it sounds like a much better deal than she's heard from others. There were suitors that wanted to take her as a trophy, someone to keep at home yet brag about to anyone that will listen.
"Our union will mean you give up your birthright as first heir to Berk's throne."
That's fine with her. She never expected to keep it growing up and she never wanted it even when her father blatantly told her she'd earned it after the Red Death.
"You'll be expected to give me an heir, of course."
"You mean we'll be starting a family," Hiccup counters, because she doesn't want her children to be thought of as pawns and pieces. Viggo may choose an heir among them, but she won't let that define any of her children.
"Yes, darling," and Hiccup can hear the grin on his face. He continues, "and you will no longer return to Berk at the end of summer. Dalir will be your permanent home."
Viggo's village has always been kind to her. It didn't matter if she was the outcast daughter of Stoick the Vast or the crazy girl that befriends dragons; so long as Viggo supported her, they did too. She doesn't mind getting to call it her home.
"Any other perks I should consider?" She rests her chin on his chest as she looks up at him, a mischievous grin sliding onto his face.
"You'll never be unsatisfied in bed."
"Viggo!"
Hiccup jabs him in the gut and tries to pull away from him, but his arms are firmly around her as he laughs. The ferocious blush heating her cheeks is impossible to hide. They mentioned children and heirs, yet it hadn't sunk in that they would have to get intimate for that to happen. She can't fool herself, though, as she's thought about it before. So much of her time is spent with Viggo and the few boys her age that she interacts with have hardly gained her interest. Viggo is the only person she's truly imagined giving herself to if he ever made a move on her.
And here he is making a huge move on her by asking for her hand.
The part of her that adores Viggo wants to say yes. There's no question she'll live a wonderful life with him and be happy by his side. She'll never have to compromise who she is to satisfy him because he already knows her and she knows him and she might already love him. For once in her life, the next step could be easy.
On the other hand, the part of her that's still appalled by the secretive nature of the contract wants to refuse. Her father or Viggo should have told her sooner. She feels like Viggo had an unfair advantage knowing he had to win her affections by a certain date and she feels manipulated. How much of the past four years was Viggo honestly invested in her and how much of that time was he simply grooming her to become his ideal partner?
"You don't have to make a decision at this very moment." One of Viggo's hands brushes aside her bangs. The light in his eyes is so true, so loving. Maybe it doesn't matter how it started, because here and now this man seems to love her and was willing to wait years for her to be in his arms.
Hiccup nods at him and tucks herself back under his chin, arms wrapping around his back. She'll give him an answer later.
"Will you go flying with me?"
Flying helps her clear her head and having Viggo with her might help her envision the life they could have if she agrees to marry him.
"Anytime, my dear."
It surely beats trying to imagine a life without him.