Appearance

Mala stands about six feet, four inches. The strain of running two tribes both balanced on the brink of war has left noticeable streaks of gray in her strawberry-blond hair and slight wrinkles on her forehead. Her eyes are green, a few shades lighter than her husband's, and while she cannot quite match Dagur's physical strength, she is strong, and lithe (though not quite so much now as she once was, having given birth thrice), and makes expert use of this in combat.

As Queen Defender of the Wing, she wears black armor with gold trim around the edges of the spaulders, vambraces, greaves, and tassets.  These tassets are also emblazoned with a gold silhouette of the Eruptodon near the bottom of each side.  On her back, she carries her primary weapon, a large katana-like sword, with which she is highly skilled.

Personality

Mala, like all Defenders, is foremost a proud, noble warrior.  She has learned great emotional fortitude, which serves her well when she alone tries to bear the collective burdens of both her tribes and her family, as she is wont to do.

Mala tries to always maintain a poise of calm intensity, except when she is alone with her husband.  Only then does she willingly allow the full weight of her emotions to be known.  She is more open with those close to her, such as her family, Throk, or the original Dragon Riders, but not fully.

When with Dagur and unconcerned, Mala can exhibit a playful, almost downright goofy side of her personality, although those she interacts with in official capacity would never guess she was capable of behaving thus.  Having been an only child, and single-handedly ruling the Defenders of the Wing for many years (in addition to her innate pride), sharing a burden with others does not come to her easily.  Under her husband's guidance, she has grown better about this, but still her natural desire is to carry everything and everyone on her own shoulders.

As a trained warrior and Queen Defender of the Wing, Mala has a very high sense of honor, and a deep respect for her tribe's ancient traditions.

History

Family Tree
-Dagur the Deranged (Husband)
-Heather (Sister-in-law)
-Unnamed son (Firstborn)
-Unnamed daughter
-Unnamed daughter (Deceased; Stillborn)

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Mala grew up learning the ways of a true noble under her parents' stern but gentle hand.  Early on, she was taught her tribe's history and traditions, and a deep respect for these instilled in her mind.  As a teen, she was, like all Defenders, taught the ways of the warrior, trained in both hand-to-hand and weapon-to-weapon combat.

It was through the years of this training that Mala became good friends with Throk, respecting his strength, dedication, and persistence as he respected her position and skill.  When she came into her own as Queen, she appointed him both her second-in-command and personal bodyguard. Next to her family, he was and still is her closest friend.

All throughout her queenship, the Defenders of the Wing have clashed time and again with first the Dragon Hunters, then later the Hysterian Alliance.  Early on, these battles proved Mala's character and capacity in leadership, earning her her people's unquestioning respect and loyalty.  During the war with Viggo Grimborn and his Dragon Hunters, in her 24th year, her people captured the original Dragon Riders on her island.

Because Hiccup Haddock carried a map bearing Viggo's signature, they were thought to be Dragon Hunters and spies, sent to capture the Great Protector.  They were put on royal trial, and Mala declared them guilty, sentencing them, in accordance with tradition, to The Nest.  However, when Hiccup's Night Fury leapt into action to save him from the Speed Stingers, against the sedative effect of the Sagefruit she had had her tribesmen feed the dragons to make them easier to handle and free, she was convinced of their innocence. 

Unfortunately, Viggo used the Dragon Riders as a distraction, to allow his men to capture the unguarded Eruptodon.  When Mala discovered this, she again turned on the Dragon Riders, seeing them as double-crossing traitors.  She very nearly killed them, but Hiccup managed to persuade her to give them a chance to prove themselves by rescuing the Great Protector and helping her tribe deal with the lava which, unchecked by the Great Protector's insatiable appetite, threatened to destroy their village and way of life.

This they did, and Mala welcomed them as new allies.  She also planned to make Snotlout Jorgenson her new king when he appeared to fulfill a prophecy spoken many years ago by a village elder.  However, he ultimately failed the last of the three traditional King Trials, designed to test the worthiness of prospective kings.  Thus, she remained single, though she and her tribe often worked closely with the Dragon Riders going forward.

In the end, this working with the Dragon Riders was what brought Mala and Dagur the Deranged together.  In her 25th year, the Dragon Riders and their allies met together with the Defenders of the Wing to decide what to do with the Dragon Eye lenses, so Viggo, Krogan, Johann, and their Singetail Fliers could not get their hands on them.  At this meeting, she and Dagur sharply contended about what was to be done.  In order to keep things from escalating out-of-hand, Hiccup allowed Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston to try their hand at "mediation", which, to the astonishment of everyone, worked very well.

Mala and Dagur discovered a mutual respect for one another, which rapidly and surprisingly blossomed into romance.  Dagur passed the King Trials, and the two were wedded.  A year later, at 26, she gave birth to a son.  By agreement with her husband, he was raised as she had been, a Defender of the Wing noble, schooled in the history and traditions of her dragon-revering tribe.  Ten joyful years later, at age 36, Mala again gave birth, this time to a daughter.  As their firstborn was primarily raised a Defender of the Wing, they decided that their daughter should be reared primarily a Berserker shieldmaiden. This was done, and for the next couple years, life went on as usual.

However, in her 39th year, things suddenly became more complicated.  Hiccup Haddock enlisted the help of the Berserker tribe to rescue the dragons still being hunted.  As Berserker Chieftess, Mala too was drawn into this conflict with the Hysterian Alliance.  She did her best to keep the Defenders of the Wing out of it, but due to the superior naval forces of the Hysterians, it wasn't long before they, too, were embroiled in the war, forced to defend themselves. 

Whether or not this additional stress was a contributing factor, tragedy struck Mala's family three years later.  She conceived a second daughter, but the baby was born without life.  She managed to remain emotionally strong (a trait born of long practice), but those close to her have observed an increased reservation and gravity about her in the two years since.