AN: Hello everybody. I hope you are all enjoying this story. Be sure to tune in on Valentines day for an extra update! School for once is going well and I've made some headway with finishing this, so once it is finished I'll start updating this story daily ;) 

The morning came fast for Astrid as she grumbled when the rays of light hit her face. Cracking open an eye she saw Hiccup sitting near the fire cooking yet another set of fish. It was then that the night's events came crashing down on her. Astrid sat up abruptly causing Hiccup to let out a 'EEP' from being startled. Hiccup quickly tried to cover his shock with a cough while trying not to look embarrassed. Astrid simply watched her savior and then let out loud laughter while clutching her stomach.

"Oh my Thor!" Astrid said between the laughter. "This is the first time I've ever heard someone yell 'EEP' from being frightened!"

"Har har har" Hiccup stated dryly while continuing to roast the fish.

"How long have you been up?" Astrid queried.

"Before dawn." Hiccup answered while handing Astrid a fish.

"I'm sorry that I have kept you then." Astrid said and then took a bite out of the fish. "Thank you so much for the food."

Hiccup nodded and then said "You haven't kept me. The benefit about being a wanderer is that time is never a constraint."

"If I might ask. What made you become a wanderer?" Astrid asked clearly curious about her savior.

"I...... I just couldn't stay in Berk anymore." Hiccup mumbled. "A lot of things happened and I decided to leave to find something better in my life."

"You're from Berk!" Astrid asked surprised. "That is way up north. Viking territory. There hasn't been much contact with the Vikings in quite a few years."

To this Hiccup nodded. "But you don't look like a Viking." Astrid stated.

"And what pray tell milady would a Viking look like?" Hiccup asked in amusement.

"You know, big, hairy, and build like a mountain." Astrid answered and then waved her hands in emphasis which caused Hiccup to laugh.

"What?" Astrid asked confused.

"It's just that I never expected someone belonging to the mainland nobility to be so...... laid back. Especially not the Dark Queen herself." Hiccup explained. "In my journey I saw a lot of them strut around dressed like peacocks."

This caused Astrid to laugh. "I couldn't agree with you more. Some of those outfits were ridiculous." Astrid still sporting a smile then winked at Hiccup. "I know what they say about me, and believe me when I tell you that some of those rumors are true, but that doesn't mean that I can't be laid back."

"So you actually turned King Nume's castle lime green?" Hiccup asked suddenly. "There was talk about that when I passed through one of the taverns in Euras."

"No. I did not turn his castle lime green." Astrid said looking aghast. "I turned it pink. Lime green would have never matched that stuck up king's shoes."

"Whatever did the king of Euras do to deserve such a fate?" Hiccup asked as he proceeded to pack up his belongings.

"He dared to suggest that I'd be far more useful bearing him heirs then running a kingdom." Astrid explained which caused Hiccup to lift a brow.

"He actually said that to your face?" Hiccup asked to which Astrid nodded as she helped him clear up the campsite. "Then he got what was coming to him."

"You can bathe in the lake if you want." Hiccup said. "It is slightly shallow near the big rock."

"Thank you but that will not be necessary right now." Astrid explained as she dusted off her gown. "I would much rather try to make it to the next village or town so that I might find some clue as to the fate of my guards."

"Your personal guards, as in the famed Shadow corps?" Hiccup asked as they proceeded to leave the forest.

"Yes, Forline's best and most loyal knights. I had ten accompany me as guards but we became outnumbered." Astrid explained. "They are too skilled to have been killed in that ambush and I'm going to find them before returning to my realm. They risked their lives for me and the least I owe them is getting them back safely to their families."

It was not a long trek through the woods and Hiccup and Astrid came upon the forest road from which Astrid had deviated. Astrid then began walking down the road and Hiccup couldn't help but laugh.

"Your Highness. The nearest town is that way." Hiccup yelled as he pointed in the opposite direction.

Astrid stopped walking and then quickly turned around. "I.... knew that!" She says and then walks in the other direction.

"Sure you did." Hiccup stated sarcastically and then he playfully added "Can it be that the Dark Queen, Master of forbidden magic, ruler of Forline, ice-Queen to all, is actually bad with directions?"

"I am not!" Astrid shouted as her voice rose an octave causing Hiccup to quirk yet another eyebrow.

"Tell you what. I need some more supplies so I might as well accompany you to the town." Hiccup reasoned and then proceeded to walk up next to Astrid.

"Well......eh...... you do whatever you want." Astrid hastily said but followed closely.

They ended up walking for most of the day and Astrid was seriously thinking of getting more practical shoes when they reached the town. She had gotten some blisters from walking in heels all day but didn't want to say anything to Hiccup. 'She could handle this' She thought 'She might be nobility but she wasn't going to whine every few minutes for a break like she had witnessed some of the princesses doing'. This wasn't her first time walking with sore feet and she was sure it wouldn't be her last.

The sun was setting when they finally reached the town. It wasn't big but it surely wasn't small either. "Which town is this?" Astrid asked. "We didn't pass by here on our way to Castow."

"This is Rutivik, a border town between Gothrasea, Iliest, and Thellone. Thellone's capital Haleah is probably about a day's ride on horseback from here." Hiccup explained as they entered the town. Astrid had put up her hood. They got some curious looks but the townspeople mostly ignored them. "This place used to get many traders until the locust plague three years ago. Now those merchants try to avoid this place as much as possible." Hiccup then bend down to whisper in Astrid's ear "It would not be wise to let them know who you actually are here. This town blamed the locust plague on dark magic, and they aren't very welcoming to its practitioners."

Astrid nodded. "I will keep that in mind. I will be getting a room at the inn and then I'll ask around tomorrow if they have heard any rumors about captured soldiers. Will I see you again?"

"I don't know milady but I do advise caution." Hiccup stated. With that warning Hiccup departed in the direction of the blacksmith's stall.

Astrid let out a sigh and then trudged down the muddy road. She came to a stop when she saw the inn sign, which hung crookedly. Astrid took a look at the building and cringed. This was probably the only inn in a town this big and it didn't look very inviting. The inn, The Dreaming Minstrel, was a two storey wooden building which had seen better days. Astrid entered the building and found herself in the tavern below. The men drinking there were rowdy and she pulled the hood of her gown further down to avoid their leering glances.

"I would like a room for the night." Astrid said as she approached the bar.

"20 bronze pieces." The bartender said while holding out his hand. Astrid was glad that she always carried around a pouch of coins if anything were to happen.

Astrid paid and was given a room number. Her path however was blocked by a burly man who smelled of way too much alcohol. "Ya aren't from around here are ya miss." The man slurred while eyeing her.

"No I'm not and if you would excuse me." Astrid said as she tried to sidestep the man.

"A pretty little thing like you should keep me company tonight." The man stated as he decided to grab her wrist and dragged her close, knocking down her hood.

Astrid was tired and annoyed and she would have liked to get a good night's sleep so she stomped on the man's foot with her heel. The man let out a yowl of pain and let go of Astrid who quickly headed up the stairs.

The patrons who turned to look at the man who was nursing his hurt foot couldn't help but laugh. The man grumbled and sat down at a rickety table.

Meanwhile an hour later, Hiccup had just finished sharpening his sword and daggers. He let out a yawn and debated if he should get a room at the inn or simply camp out nearby. Walking down the road he however didn't have time to decide as he heard a crash from the inn and he looked up to see a man hanging onto the second story window shouting for help.

More crashes followed and he hurried into the tavern below to see that a bar fight had broken out and the room was in utter chaos. Some of the men were even fighting on the stairs leading up to the rooms.

"What happened here?" Hiccup asked out loud to the barman who had wisely ducked under the bar to avoid flying projectiles. The entire tavern was in an uproar.

"They want the witch!" The barman screamed at Hiccup.

"What witch?!" Hiccup asked as he dreaded the answer.

"The Dark Queen herself!! One of the men recognized her from the wanted poster and now they all want her dead."

Hiccup grumbled as he took another look at the stairs. There was no way that he could get up there that way. Hiccup could hear the men shouting slurs of 'vile demon', 'heretic', 'abomination' and what not from the second floor and flashes of green light could be seen from the stairs as men were being blasted away.

Hiccup got an idea and then dashed out of the building, narrowly avoiding a fist to the face and side stepping a few brawling men on the floor.

He came back to the window where the man was still clinging onto. Hiccup could see the flashes of green inside the room. The walls of the inn had nothing he could climb up on. He took a deep breath and then yelled at the top of his lungs "ASTRID JUMP!! I'LL CATCH YOU!!"

There was a green light far brighter than before and Hiccup could hear the thudding of bodies against a wall. He could then see a disheveled Astrid climb out of the window. "YOU BETTER CATCH ME!!" She yelled back as she stepped on the head of the man still hanging there and jumped in Hiccup's direction.

Hiccup had to act quickly. He took a step back but managed to catch Astrid. The force of the fall however send him sprawling to the ground.