Chapter 11

~~~~~~~~~~~

The next week rolled slowly. Waking up, getting Harley ready, breakfast, lessons, lunch, music, practicing music for a few minutes before sneaking off, sometimes meeting with Hiccup, sneaking back in time for dinner, sleeping.

Lessons were predictable and boring. Manner, etiquette, history, reading and writing, even conversation (which I was mostly excluded on), and a few more. Most of it was easy, stuff we learned in the basic classes (even in villages). The nobles had the upper hand, of course. Being better at reading, writing, and even detailed history, rather than the broad overview of it we learned in the village. They also were taught from birth about music, manners, and fancy but pointless stuff we didn't bother learning in small towns and villages. Even few city kids knew it.

And I grew increasingly annoyed with the dance lessons. The guards/ knights in training and even a noble young men were brought in to help, having all been taught the dances and knew them by heart. The noble girls knew them, whereas we town and village (poor) folks stumbled clumsily while we tried out best to get the hang of it.

Despite missing each other, the twins refused to dance together and spat insults without hesitation. I had never heard anyone have such a filthy tongues, but Mrs. Manning and the friends of the twins waved it off as a normal thing. Mrs. Manning eventually got them to settle down.

I was partnered with Tuffnut, who stuck his tongue out at his sister as the dance started. He grumbled on complaining about her, moving smoothly through the dance. I stumbled, careful not to step on his feet as I looked down. We were told not to, but many of us beginners couldn't help ourselves.

"Hey, you're pretty good at- ouch!- never mind," he noted. "Ow! Ow! I am very much hurt!" He hopped on one foot, causing a scene. I blushed unable to join in with the other laughing teens. I had accidentally miscalculated a step, then tripped as I went to correct it, falling heavily onto his foot.

"Aw, the Prince will never pick someone like you!" Jessica sneered. "Mute, dumb, bad dancer, poor manners, and poorer status! I don't even know why they let you come. There's no way anybody will want you to be their wife, especially with that kid around."

I glared, wanting badly to snap a comeback at her. I was even willing to smack her, but I held back.

Tuffnut calmed down enough to say, "That wasn't cool. She doesn't seem to bad to me. A little shy, sure, but it was her first mistake all evening."

"And if the Prince does pick Silence, she will make the best queen this kingdom has ever seen!" Ruffnut defended.

"How can the mute freak rule without speaking?" another girl, Ruby, challenged.

"How can a rude little b*tch rule a kingdom?" Astrid retorted.

"Ladies!" Mrs. Manning cut in. "Arguing is inappropriate for a lady to participate in!"

"Oh, we're not participating," Astrid assured. "I'm ending it. Silence is the nicest, kindest, and most caring person I have ever met. She is careful, smart, cunning, and clever in her own way. Unlike us, she can communicate without words and still be happy and content. She is the best friend a person can have, and this kingdom would be lucky if the Prince chooses her to be its queen."

I smiled, my chest warming with delight and joy that my friends had so much confidence in me. Not even my aunt believed I would be picked.

I rested my hand on Astrid's shoulder, giving her a soft smile as a thanks.

"You're welcome, Silence," she relaxed, watching Ruby, Jessica and the others huff but stand down.

"You are a great friend, and it's their loss if they can't see what a wonderful person you are," Heather added, kindly.

The rest of dance lessons was practice. I received a few comments from the "popular" girls, but it wasn't anything I hadn't heard before.

Lunch was with the boys, then we went straight back to practice, learning and practicing dance after dance. I wasn't able to sneak off and feed Harley, and Hiccup wasn't even there. He had said he was a noble, and other noble boys were there, so I wondered why he wasn't there.

I shrugged it off, assuming he had other things to attend to. I frowned as a thought crossed my mind: he got to skip this. Lucky. But then I remembered, the nobles had these dances drilled into him from a young age, so he probably had more lessons on dancing than I ever will.

Not lucky, then.

"Silence! Forward step, then right! Do it again!" Mrs. Manning ordered, forcing me back to the present. I huffed, but my partner and I started over, slightly slower until he figured I had gotten the hang of it, for which I was grateful for.

"You aren't that bad," Tuffnut murmured. "You are much better than Ruff." He grunted as an elbow suddenly made contact with his side.

"Heard that, mutton head," Ruff muttered, glaring at her brother.

"You were supposed to," Tuff commented, dryly, earning a kick to his shin. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! You butt elf! I will get you for that!"

"If you can catch me," Ruff smirked before darting off. Tuffnut followed her, leaving her partner and I partner-less.

Mrs. Manning sighed, annoyed at the twins. With their prank (which was a bucket of paint dumped over a noble girl's head) and all their fighting, everyone else was annoyed at them, too. Not that they seemed to care.

Ruff chuckled as she tripped Tuff, quickly climbing over him and punching him. He fought back as Mrs. Manning asked a few of the guys to help pry them off each other. This time, she made sure to keep the twins apart for the rest of the lesson.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~