'How many days have passed since I've been here?' Ash wondered as she finished drawing her carving in the wall. 'I know it's been more than a day, but not a week. And I've grown very hungry...'

As Dagur had ordered, Ash was not allowed any food but she was given water to keep her alive. The cell mates to her left and right were two Outcasts who had refused to submit to Dagur's rule after the death of Alvin and were actually pretty decent and polite men, often trying to give her a portion of their stale bread to keep her alive without the guards noticing.

"You know we haven't heard that red man speak in quite a while, no ramblings about three headed dragons or giant wolves or stuff like that." The prisoner to Ash's left said quietly. "Since the lass came, he's gone quiet. Last we heard of him was his shrieks as they dragged him out of the prison."

"Red man?" Ash asked, her interest perking a bit.

"Yeah he came here a few years ago rambling about how he could see images in the flames and Alvin always liked to shove a torch at him and jokingly asked him what he sees in the fire." The prisoner replied. "He always talked about a girl who has hair as white as snow and eyes that shine like amythests, who'd turn some tyrant to ash with four different dragons. But since you've came he's been pretty quiet."

"Think Dagur killed him?" The prisoner to the right asked. "Seems more likely that the boy would kill him just to shut the poor man up. It's like whoever tends to displease the boy looses his life or a body part."

Ash shuddered at the thought of loosing a hand or a toe because she did something to upset Dagur and rubbed her arm. During her time in the prison Dagur would come in to check on her and ask if she would accept his terms to ensure peace for Berk and her answer was always the same: no and with a very good reason.

"I won't marry you, and you can't make me!" Ash had yelled at Dagur the last time he had came in to see if she changed her mind.

"If you don't want to see Berk burned to the ground and your family in chains, you'd give me a more wiser answer." Dagur sneered at her as he placed a hand on the hilt of his axe. "Do I have to cut off a finger or a toe to send back to your 'brother' and family?"

"Go ahead! I'd rather loose my whole hand than spend the rest of my life with you!" She retorted. Of course he never even cut off any of her body parts but she knew his patience with her was wearing thing by the minute and the next time she was definitely going to loose a limb for sure.

"What do you suggest I do?" Ash asked her prison mates. "If he kills me that's just going to add fuel to the fire on the hate Berk already has for the Berserkers. My father and mother need me, I was supposed to go back to my country and help regain our homeland."

"Maybe...give into his demands but only pretend you really want to. And if he lets you out, you can attempt to escape." Lefty suggested.

"There's no way he'll believe her, he'll see it's a trick!" Righty pointed out. "She needs to be very convincing!"

"Right, I need to be more convincing. Just play the part of the desperate girl." Ash muttered. She heard several pairs of footsteps approaching them and looked out of her cell to see Dagur. She immediately scooted away from the doors as they were unlocked and swung open before Dagur walked in, his hand resting on the handle of his axe.

"Three days since I've made you my prisoner and in those three days I have asked you four times if you were willing to accept my terms." The young chief said, stroking the handle of his axe with his thumb. "And I know you're pretty desperate to get out of here and want to go home, so what is your answer this time, Ash Snow?"

'You have to get out, just play the part of a desperate girl for a bit.' Ash thought to herself and looked up at Dagur with frightened eyes.

"I-I am willing to accept your terms. But on one condition." Ash said in her best shaky voice and prayed Dagur would take the bait. "You have to promise to let me go back with at least three guards to make sure I don't do anything, and that the dragon I came on will come back with me."

Ash waited for Dagur's reply for what felt like hours. His hand still rested on the hilt of his axe as he kept his eyes on her, searching for a lie.

"Very well then, I'm quite glad to see that you've made the right choice, my future queen." Dagur said with a grin, taking her by the hand and led her out of the cell. "Of course if you said no I would have cut some fingers or toes off, but at least you didn't do that."

"Can I get something to eat and at least take a bath before we do anything?" Ash asked as they were walking through the prison.

"Of course! You wouldn't want to go home smelling like piss and sweat and on an empty stomach now, do you?" Dagur asked as they reached the doors. "Your parents would definitely kill me for that."

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

"It feels good to be clean again." Ash sighed to herself as she scrubbed her arm with a small cloth that was wrapped around a bar of soap.

The moment she was out of the prisons, Dagur sent Ash off with some clean clothes so she could take a bath in his quarters and be able to eat with him later. Once she was done washing and rinsed herself, Ash had grabbed a towel to rub herself dry when she heard a knock outside of the door.

"Have you finished with your bath?" She heard a guard outside ask.

"Just drying myself and I'm going to get dressed." Ash answered and grabbed her small clothes to put them on. Once she had them on and quickly pulled on the clean trousers that felt a little too big around her waist and quickly tightened the laces. Then she put on the tunic Dagur had lent her that also fit too big before braiding some of her damp hair over one shoulder and walking to the door to opened it an inch. "I'm done."

"Wait for the chief then." The guard said.

Ash closed the door and walked over to the desk that was laid with maps and strange drawings. She saw two drawings that were stuck to the wall with knives. It took Ash a moment to realize that they were her father and Hiccup and felt anger boil in her stomach. She was just about to storm over and tear them off the wall when Dagur walked in.

"You're looking a lot better than how you were an hour ago." Dagur noted and Ash did have to agree with him. An hour ago her silver hair was an ugly and dirty grey color and her skin was a nasty looking color from the times she was sleeping on a dirty floor, and she now wore clean clothes that were a slightly bigger than her old ones. "Feeling hungry?"

"Yes I'm a bit famished." Ash said walking with him to the door and allowed him to take her hand. "So...how are we going to do this? The wedding I mean?"

"Well we draw up some terms of agreement, announce it to your family and decide the date and the place." Dagur explained.

"I always thought I could have my wedding the way it was done in my country." Ash sighed as they made their way out of the ship. "My parents married under a weirwood tree with the Seven watching them."

"The Seven what?" Dagur asked.

"Seven gods, the old gods of the North before this other religion came along. Apparently there is only one god and requires sacrifices of royal lineage." Ash explained and made a face. "He's apparently the god of light and the people who lead the prayers are fire priests and priestesses. My father knew a fire priestess and apparently brought him back to life when he was stabbed several times by his own men."

"Fire priest...do they dress in red?" Dagur asked and Ash nodded.

"The one my father knew wore red robes and had pale skin, red hair, dark eyes and a necklace that had a ruby on it that seemed to pulse with light when she did her prayers. They can see visions in the fires but most of the time they are misinterpreted or are wrong." Ash said and looked at him. "Alvin apparently had a fire priest here in the cells and he would see images in the torches. Since the day I came he went silent, do you know why?"

"Never saw one in the prison. All of the prisoners look the same after they spent a couple of weeks or months in the cells." Dagur said and looked away. "Now no more talk of magic, let's discuss more of our wedding."

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

"He's taken her into the hall, how do we get her out?" Hiccup asked the gang as he lowered his eyeglass.

"How about old Buffnut goes in to do some entertaining?" Tuffnut suggested. "Dagur already likes my jokes and songs."

"Are we really gonna send him in?" Astrid asked Hiccup.

"I think maybe we could try. Maybe send Ruff in with him. He's already seen you, me, Snotlout and Fishlegs." Hiccup replied and looked to the twins. "Think you can figure out a way to get Ash out of there without shedding any blood?"

"We shall try our best!" The twins said in unison before hurrying off.

"Think we can pull it off?" Ruffnut asked her brother as they arrived at the hall where they saw Ash and Dagur go in.

"I most definitely can, but I suggest you stay out here and hide. I'll get Ash to leave and then you try to get her back to the gang and then I'll try to get back." Tuffnut replied and adjusted his helmet. "It's time for Buffnut the Berserker to make an appearance again and entertain his chief."

Tuffnut walked into the feast hall to find several Berserkers busy eating or standing guard as Ash was seated next to Dagur with an uncomfortable look on her face while Dagur was talking about something and had an arm wrapped around her waist. A sheet of parchment sat between them but from where he stood, Tuffnut couldn't even see what was written.

"...and so you know we'll probably have to have children you know." Tuffnut heard Dagur laugh and saw Ash cringe.

"Maybe...we should at least wait till we're a little older. This whole marriage thing and the production of heirs is just to awfully soon!" Ash said moving away from Dagur a bit. "And my parents will certainly not approve of how rushed it is, especially my father!"

"They'll stop being mad when this marriage ends our little war." Dagur replied and and moved closer to her.

"Did I hear a wedding being planned?" Tuffnut yelled when he stepped out of his hiding place. "I'll be so happy to sing a few songs for the new couple at the wedding feast!"

Ash's eyes widened in horror before she quickly gave Tuffnut a blank look.

"Why don't you teach us a song from your country?" Dagur suggested. "I'm sure your mother and father taught you a few."

"Well...there was one I know but I don't sing it at any feasts." Ash said in a quiet voice.

"Well let's hear it!"

"No, now isn't the time. We haven't even finished the treaty." Ash said pointing to the paper. Dagur made a face but picked up the charcoal pencil and handed it to her.

"So... when's the wedding?" Tuffnut asked, hoping to lighten the pouting chief's mood.

"We've decided to have it when we're both eighteen but someone suggested two weeks." Ash said giving Dagur a look. "Once I signed this, a truce will come between both the Berkians and Berserkers, and once I marry Dagur the truce will be a peace treaty."

'I don't really this is what Hiccup had in mind, but if it's in a year...no Dagur would never hold a truce for that long.' Tuffnut thought to himself and glanced at the treaty. 'And Ash knows this as well. Once she signs it she knows Dagur won't keep his promise for long.'

Ash took the charcoal pen and looked at Tuffnut. He quickly shook his head slightly and pointed to the doors of the hall. Ash quickly put the pen down and stood up.

"I need to use the bathroom." She whispered to Dagur. "It's a...woman situation."

"Just hurry up, I'll sign my name first." Dagur whispered back as he took the pen from the table.

Ash quickly exited the hall before Tuffnut said he had to use the bathroom as well and hurried off to follow her out. Once they had left the hall, Tuff grabbed Ash by the arm and pulled her away from the direction of the village and to where the wild dragons normally resided.

"Wait I forgot Ruffnut!" Tuffnut exclaimed before a large pebble hit his helmet.

"I'm right here! I went back to the riders to hide myself!" The female twin snapped as her brother rubbed his dented helmet.

"What are you all doing here?" Ash asked. "Not that I wasn't waiting for someone to come at some point, but seriously!"

"Your parents got worried when you didn't come back after a day and then your dad had a major flip out when we told him you were on a mission to make peace with Dagur for Berk." Ruffnut explained. "But after day three of your disappearance we decided to come and find you!"

"Well I am quite glad someone was worried about me. But before we go I need to go back and sign-"

"No way in the heck you are signing that paper! You know Dagur won't let you go free or even keep the peace!" Tuffnut interrupted.

"Wait what did you agree to do?" Ruffnut asked giving Ash a cross look. "Don't tell me you promised to let him...you know."

"No no! I made a deal with him saying I'd marry him in a year if he'd make peace with Berk." Ash said shaking her head. "Right now he thinks Tuffnut and I are using the bathroom and will be sending out guards to look for us if we don't come back. Where are the others?"

"No clue, they left before I even came back!" Just then, they heard shouts from some guards and the shrieking of dragons along with an explosion. "Oh, there they are."

"Oh seven hells Hiccup, what did you do?!" Ash groaned.

"I see them with your dragon! He's dangling from Hookfang's talons!" Tuffnut yelled and pointed to the red and black dragon.

"I can't ride him, and I'll only slow you all down!" Ash exclaimed as the group circled overhead and look to the group of wild dragons.

Her eyes landed on a large black Monstrous Nightmare with traces of red in it's scales and she began to make her way towards it. The dragon hissed at her as she held her hand out to it and began speaking softly to it in Valyrian.

"What is she doing?" Astrid asked as the older teen got close to the dragon.

"Is she...taming it?" Fishlegs asked in surprise as the dragon lowered it's head towards the girl and pressed it's snout against her palm.

"She did it!" Hiccup cheered and pumped his fists into the air. "She tamed her first dragon!"

"And it was a Monstrous Nightmare! I am so proud of this woman!" Snotlout cheered and Hookfang growled in annoyance.

"FIRE!" The riders quickly dove out of the way as arrows were launched at them. Ash's new dragon roared at the Berserkers and Outcasts as they tried closing in and spewed fire in their direction.

"Ash!" Ash turned her head to see Dagur and several guards making their way towards her. The Nightmare hissed and she held her hand out to silence it.

"Wait for my signal." She murmured softly to the dragon.

"You tricked me!" Dagur yelled and pointed a finger at her accusingly.

"I did nothing of the sort, but my friends have pointed out some things to me that you would never keep your promise." Ash said with a shake of her head and glared at Dagur. "And do you think that I would have married you if you broke that? Peace treaties are meant to be built on trust, something I lack with you." The Nightmare roared in agreement and nuzzled her shoulder gently before glaring at Dagur.

"Guards, kill the dragon and lock her up!"

"Dracarys." Ash murmured and pointed to the Berserkers and Outcasts. The dragon let loose a huge flame before she swung herself onto it's back and held on.

The dragon launched itself into the air and took off after the other dragon riders. Aemon squawked at the new dragon and glared at Ash as if accusing her of abandoning him on purpose for three days with an injury.

"Relax you big baby, once we get home I'll set the wing right and make you a nice sling or cast for it!" Ash said to the angry Nadder. He made a disgusted noise and glared at her before growling at the Nightmare and facing the clouds and sky in front of him.

'Oh I do hope father is not as cross as him.' Ash prayed as the island grew smaller behind the group. 'He is going to have a fit when he finds out of the proposal.'