The Gift of the Princess (HTTYD)

Protection

Chapter 28: Protection

"Goodbye, Dad!" Snotlout called while jogging to the door of his hut. "I'm off to patrol with Ingrid."

"Ingrid?" said Spitelout. "You're still seeing that lass?"

Snotlout stopped and turned around to face his father, frowning. "Why wouldn't I be? I thought you liked her."

"I do like her, but it doesn't sound like you're making much progress. How long have you been together now?"

Snotlout scrunched his eyebrows as he thought back. "I think it's been a year."

"Then if you're serious about her, why haven't you asked her to marry you yet?"

Snotlout's eyes widened in shock. "M-marriage? We're not ready for that yet. Besides, Hiccup and Astrid have been together way longer, and they're not married."

Spitelout gave him a pointed look. "Do you want to follow someone else's lead or set your own path?"

Snotlout rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "It's just... we're not there yet. And we haven't even said we love each other yet." He was not an expert on relationships, but he was pretty sure that was a prerequisite to marriage. At least if you wanted a happy one.

Spitelout crossed his arms and shook his head. "No? That's no good. Well, do you love her?"

Snotlout had not given the concept much thought. Actually, he purposefully avoided thinking about it because he disliked dealing with pesky emotions. He knew he cared for Ingrid, and she believed in him and was always there for him. Sure, he could say the same for Eira, but there was something different with Ingrid. There was something more. His worries eased as he thought about her, and he found himself smiling. "Yeah, I think I do. I should tell her, right?"

"Wrong!"

Snotlout's smile vanished. "Why not? It's true."

"But you can't tell her that. Not yet at least. It's the woman's job to bring up such things. If you do it, you might scare her off. That's not what you want, is it?"

Snotlout shook his head. "No!"

"Good. Then you need to get her to admit it first. Make sure you know she's invested, and then you can do some proposing."

Snotlout was still not sure about the marriage concept, but he decided to let it go for now. "Okay. I'll do that. Thanks for the advice."

Spitelout grinned at him. "Anytime, boy-o. Have fun on your patrol!"

Snotlout's mind raced as he stepped outside, and he was so distracted he almost ran straight into Ingrid. "I'm sorry! I didn't see you there."

"I cam to get you because you were taking so long," Ingrid said with a hint of annoyance.

Snotlout's heart hammered. Was she mad at him? How could he get her to confess like this? "Uh, sorry. Let's go get our dragons and start the patrol." He ran off towards the stables before she could say anything else. He needed a plan if he wanted this to work.

***

While Hiccup had a rare break from his chiefly duties and Toothless was engaged in dragon business, Hiccup took the opportunity to work in the forge on a new tailfin for his dragon. He had found the blueprints he created years prior and made several adjustments. This had to be perfect.

"There you are," Astrid said upon entering the forge. "Where's Gobber?"

"I don't know," Hiccup said without looking away from his work. "He was here when I arrived." He had not paid attention to anything going on around him when he started his project.