Mala

"Have you met Mala, Queen Defender of the Wing? She rules over the village with a kind, but firm hand."

- Skulder

Queen Mala is the leader of the Defenders of the Wing who makes her first debut in Dragons: Race to the Edge, Season 3. She eventually, and unexpectedly, fell in love with Dagur the Deranged before marrying him as well.

Early Life
"When I was just a little girl, there was an earthquake that disrupted the lava flow. It wasn't long before the Eruptodon was frantic and starving. He became so weak, he wasn't able to fly to another food source. Only deep prayer for the lava to return saved our beloved dragon, but, now..."

- Mala about her past

Mala has lived on Caldera Cay her whole life, being looked after by the Great Protector. She was told prophesies such as one where a man from a foreign land would save the queen on a field of battle, and he would become her king. When she was still a little girl, there was a great earthquake that stopped the lava in the volcano from flowing, threatening the Great Protector's life. But with much prayer, the lava returned and the Cay returned to being a peaceful place for both human and dragon. She eventually became Queen of the island.

Meeting the Dragon Riders
Mala first meets the Dragon Riders in "Defenders of the Wing, Part 1" after they are captured by Throk under the suspicion of being affiliated with the Dragon Hunters. Mala is willing to hear the Riders out but deems them guilty after finding Viggo's signature on Hiccup's map. As punishment, they are brought to the Nest where she throws Hiccup into a pit filled with Speed Stingers. Toothless and the other dragons then come to the Riders' rescue, leading Mala to realize she was wrong and released the Dragon Riders.

In an attempt to start over, Mala gives the Riders a tour of the village where she introduces them to the Eruptodon, the Great Protector. Then she notices that the volcano that the Eruptodon kept from flowing is now burning the hill above. As she arrives at the site, she realizes it's because the Eruptodon has disappeared. A dragon root arrow reveals that Viggo stood behind the capture and that he used the Dragon Riders as a decoy to complete his task. Feeling betrayed and misled, Mala accuses the Riders of betraying her and points her long sword at Hiccup, telling him that she will kill him herself.

New Alliance
"It is a good day, a day we shall always remember. The Great Protector has been returned, the village is safe once more, and the Defenders of the Wing have new allies in our fight against Viggo Grimborn: Hiccup and the Dragon Riders."

- Mala speaking to her tribe

After a brief confrontation in "Defenders of the Wing, Part 2" between the Defenders and Dragon Riders, a pair of Dragon Hunters are spotted hiding nearby. Hiccup manages to to convince Mala into seeing that they have all been tricked and that he only wants to help out. With the Eruptodon gone, Caldera Cay is endangered. It's then decided they will split up into two groups - with Mala accompanying Hiccup, Snotlout, Astrid and Fishlegs to find and rescue the Eruptodon. The remaining Riders will work with Throk to keep the lava from overflowing the village until the Eruptodon returns. Due to unwittingly saving Mala from a Dragon Hunter arrow, Snotlout is chosen as a viable candidate to become her king.

Mala and Hiccup's rescue party quickly comes to the realization that they have been misled and are heading in the wrong direction. Mala grows greatly concerned for the Eruptodon who needs a constant supply of lava in order to survive. When she reveals that the Eruptodon's hunger could lead it to eat through the crust of a dormant volcano, Hiccup realizes that Viggo has taken it to Dragon's Edge to destroy their base. The group then hurry over to the Edge where Mala helps them defeat Viggo's forces despite having their own defenses turned against them. Hiccup finds a way to divert the Eruptodon from its desperate but destructive path by having Meatlug and other Gronckles vomit up lava that the Eruptodon can feed upon. They are thus able to return the Eruptodon back to Caldera Cay and save both islands. This event forges an alliance between the Defenders and Riders, though Mala is left without her expected king as Snotlout flees from the scene after finding out he needs to cross a pool of hot lava in order to prove his worthiness.

In "Saving Shattermaster", Mala and Throk travel to the Northern Markets in search of new weapons but are unable to make a purchase as the merchants will only sell them to the Dragon Hunters. A confrontation between the Defenders and the Hunters is narrowly avoided due to the intervention of a cloaked and hooded figure who is later revealed to be Dagur the Deranged.

Mala send out a message to the Dragon Riders in "Out of the Frying Pan", seeking their help to hatch an Eruptodon egg. Due to the Great Protector's inability to move its egg into the lava inside the volcano, both Hiccup and Fishlegs offer themselves up for the task. Mala joins along along, wanting to personally take care of the egg during the flight. When the Fire Terrors attack, Mala does her best to defend the egg from the dragons. Hiccup eventually realizes that the Terrors only want to protect the egg and manages to persuade Mala into letting it go.

As they are exiting the volcano, Mala, Fishlegs and Hiccup find themselves having to rescue Astrid and Throk who are stuck inside an inverted diving bell. Since Meatlug is carrying so much weight already, they are only able to bring Astrid on board. Throk tells them to go on without him, willing to sacrifice himself for his queen. A look of sadness and regret strikes Mala's face for a moment, and she looks conflicted. Fortunately, the Great Protector swoops in and saves the day.

Mala questions Hiccup's decision to bring Viggo to Caldera Cay in "Shell Shocked, Part 1" but doesn't deny his request to keep watch over the hunter. They are soon interrupted by the Shellfire attacking the island, which distracts them long enough to give Viggo leeway to escape. Once the battle is over, Throk extends his apologises to Mala for letting Viggo get away. The queen then leaves the New Protector in the Riders' care to keep it protected from the Dragon Hunters.

Offering Refuge to the Dragon Riders
"Well, consider this your new home, Hiccup Haddock. You are all welcome to stay as long as you need."

- Mala to Hiccup

In "A Matter of Perspective", the Great Protector doesn't make it in time to save the village from the lava. Instead, its full-grown offspring steps in and finishes the job. This leads Mala to decide that it's time for the Changing of the Guard Celebration. She then sends a message to the riders, inviting them over to help out. When they arrive, Mala explains that the Eruptodon has served them for 40 years and that it will now journey to Vanaheim, the final resting place for all the dragons. She also states that it is not a sad day, as sadness is only a matter of perspective. It is instead a day to be celebrated as the Great Protector has earned its rest. Mala is then seen having breakfast along with the riders.

After the Edge is taken by Krogan and his Dragon Flyers in "Dawn of Destruction", Hiccup and the riders seek refuge on Caldera Cay. Mala welcomes them and says that they can stay as long as they need and that they should consider it their new home.

Mala tries to cheer up the Dragon Riders in "The Wings of War, Part 1" by telling Fishlegs about an ore mine and asking Snotlout to train some young warriors. She then has a discussion with Hiccup and Astrid where they share concerns over their current situation.

Marrying Dagur
In "Chain of Command", Mala participates in the meeting at her island, regarding the location where the Dragon Eye lenses should be found. She insists on keeping them inside the volcano on Caldera Cay, guarded by the Eruptodon. When Dagur suggests keeping them on Berserker Island, due to the fact that the volcano could erupt at any time, Mala calmly states that the Berserker guards allowed a coup to take place. She then argues with Dagur about the two possible locations. As they continue to argue about each others leadership, the twins decide to do some "mediation" on them. Mala and Dagur perform some trust exercises, Mala guiding Dagur blindfolded across a lava lake and Dagur catching her from falling, these exercises work much to everyone's surprise. They then work together to help Hiccup save Wingmaiden Island.

Some time before "Mi Amore Wing", Dagur and Mala begin to have romantic feelings for one another. Dagur eventually takes the Defenders of the Wing King Trials and passes, making him Mala's future husband. The couple announces that they're getting married to the Dragon Riders, to their shock. Mala and Dagur show off their love for one another to the DRagon Riders by kissing in front of them and calling each other sappy pet names. Ruffnut and Tuffnut offer to help Mala plan the wedding while Dagur assists Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, and Snotlout in delivering scrap metal to the Armorwing. While their away, the twins believe Mala is secretly planning to kill Dagur at the wedding (due to her battling a dummy that looks like him) and also mentioning a Dance of Blades and "a special gift that everyone will get after the ceremony". At the end, the twins confront Mala only for her to explain what she was really talking about; the Dance of Blades being a dance she and Dagur will perform on fresh "blades" of grass and the special gift is really lava trinkets.

Physical Appearance
Mala has very short, blonde hair with her bangs parted to the right. She has pale green eyes.

Mala's outfit is very similar to the rest of her tribe (mainly females') with the exception of it being longer and having a Mandarin collar and gold lining on her tunic and shoulder guards. The ends on the front of it have Eruptodon symbols.

Personality
"A Queen must always be willing to risk her life for her people."

- Mala

As leader of the Defenders of the Wing, Mala holds high authority over the island and does everything she can to ensure its safety, even if it means carrying the fate of both her island or people on her own shoulders. She always speaks elegantly, referring to Hiccup by his first and last name every time he is addressed.

As a defender, Mala holds a strong, religious admiration for dragons, actively antagonizing dragon hunters, suspected dragon hunters and anyone who may have done harm to dragons. This has led her to assume the worst multiple times, antagonizing the riders on and off again at the slightest provocation. This antagonizing can even lead to self-fulfilling results, twisting Hiccup words in the case against him at every opportunity.

Despite her cynical nature, she does have a strong sense of honor, waiving the charges when she sees Toothless willingly defend Hiccup from speed stingers, seeing that he was speaking the truth. She also cares about her tribe's traditions, as she insisted on taking care of the Great Protector's egg and making Snotlout face the trials that would make him her king.

She is shown to have a small sense of wonder at the idea of flying when Hiccup offered, though she politely declines, saying that it is "forbidden," but when her tribe's alpha was kidnapped she climbed onto Hookfang's back so she could assist the riders in their task of saving her people's guardian dragon.

Abilities and Skills

 * Fighting: Mala is a very skilled warrior as she was able to defeat two Dragon Hunters in a few seconds and quickly overpowered another with her bare hands, using ninja techniques.
 * Reflexes: Mala has very good reflexes as she was able to catch a flying arrow with her hand.
 * Agility: Mala has proven several times to be very agile as she can do flips. She also jumped from the back of Toothless on a Dragon Hunter.
 * Swordmaster: Mala is very good at fighting with her sword. She used it against Astrid, Hiccup and then against the Dragon Hunters.
 * Leadership: As the leader of the Defender of the Wing tribe, she rules by respect and her subjects obey her without questioning.

Throk
"My mission was to get my queen to safety."

- Throk, willing to sacrifice himself for Mala

Throk is one of Mala's most loyal member of the Defenders and sides with her even when he disagreed with Mala's decisions. He is her second-in-command and obeys her every order.

When Astrid and Throk were trapped in the volcano, he was willing to sacrifice himself so that Mala would be safe.

Great Protector
"We don't view this as a day to mourn. It's a day to rejoice. This is a well-earned rest for the Great Protector. We should all be so lucky to have lived such a meaningful life."

- Mala

Mala is shown to be very protective towards the Great Protector. She tried in all the ways to save her and bring her home.

While most warriors were sad that the Great Protector was going to depart for Vanaheim, she stated that it was a day to rejoice, as the Eruptodon has earned her rest.

New Protector
"He must be protected and must keep his hunger satiated. He's too young and frail to survive."

- Mala

While still an egg, Mala took care of the heir of the Great Protector. She insisted on carrying the egg herself to the cavern and fought fiercely to protect it from the Fire Terrors.

When it hatched, Mala asked the dragon riders to take it and protect it from the Dragon Hunters.

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III
"I now understand, Hiccup Haddock, you're not an enemy to dragons. The good of the many outweighs the good of the few, but with all of this knowledge you have, what good can it do for one starving dragon?"

- Mala, understanding Hiccup's bond with the dragons Paranoid over the opposition Viggo has presented her, she immediately suspects Hiccup and the other riders of being spies. They attempt to plead a case, but Mala is able to compile a list of evidence (and even twists his own words as he defends himself) and ultimately find him guilty. She goes back on the charges when she sees Toothless (drugged on their special medicinal fruit) defend him.

She immediately goes back to distrust, even vowing to destroy his village and his people, when she thinks that he willingly distracted them, leading to the Great Protector's kidnapping. However, when Hiccup helped Mala save the Eruptodon and each of their islands, they became friends and allies in their fight against Viggo and his hunters.

Dagur
Dagur did in a way save Mala and Throk in the Northern Markets from a fight with the dragon hunters in "Saving Shattermaster".

Dagur and Mala hardly knew each other existed until Dragons: Race to the Edge, Season 6, when they couldn't agree on anything while trying to help the Riders decide what to do about Johann. The twins try to trick them into getting along, and although their efforts didn't work as expected, the pair soon found they had an attraction for each other. Dagur attempted the trials that Snotlout had failed earlier in the series, and passed. Therefore, Dagur was now in line to become the next King of the Defenders of the Wing, and Mala's husband.

The two have a very public though quick romance throughout the remainder of the season (even doing "Eskimos" and "butterfly" kisses with "beard scratching"), and they finally marry in the finale with the Dragon Riders, Heather, and Throk as their witnesses. It is possible that their respective tribes were united through their wedding.

Snotlout Jorgenson
"It has been foretold that a man from afar would come to my island and save me on the field of battle, and that man will become my king. Snotlout, you are that man."

- Mala

In "Defenders of the Wing, Part 2", despite believing that Hiccup and his riders were Dragon Hunters, Mala chose to go with them to rescue the Great Protector. She chose to ride with Snotlout aboard Hookfang after Snotlout save her from dragon hunters' arrow. She then told Snotlout that she would choose him to be her King. She believed that Snotlout was the warrior that would come to her island and save her on the field of battle. Snotlout was at first awestruck that he was the foretold warrior and accepted her offer to be Mala's king.

Toothless
"You do have a connection with him, Hiccup Haddock. I do not understand it, but I cannot deny it."

- Mala

Toothless warmed up to Queen Mala instantly, much in the same nature as Valka. He was even allowing Mala ride him, somthing that he didn't do for anyone else.

Fishlegs Ingerman
"Fishlegs, there is an ore mine in the middle of the island. Oxides, sulfides, silicates."

- Mala cheering Fishlegs up

Mala and Fishlegs cooperated to save the Great Protector and bring it back to Caldera Cay.

When the Eruptodon laid an egg, Fishlegs offered Mala help to fly it into the volcano. She accepted it and came with him. Inside the cavern, Mala, Fishlegs and Hiccup solved the problem with the Fire Terrors by giving them the egg, then returned to the surface.

Astrid Hofferson
Mala, Astrid and Hiccup had a brief conversation about the new threat of the Dragon Flyers. Astrid and Hiccup explained their situation to Mala.

Tuffnut Thorston
Tuffnut went on Hiccup's side during Mala's trial and talked to the queen but only managed to anger her even more.

Trivia

 * Mala is the second original female character in the series. The first being Heather.
 * Mala is the first female leader of a tribe.
 * Mala's sword resembles a Japanese katana.
 * Mala has the shortest hair of all female characters.
 * However, Ruffnut's hair was briefly shorter at the end of "Free Scauldy".
 * It is possible Mala is loosely inspired by Valka's original character, which was when she was planned to be the villain for the sequel.
 * In the original, Valka began to trust her family, but when she saw the ships, she assumed Hiccup and Stoick betrayed her. This is similar to when Mala went back to her original belief that Hiccup was working for Viggo after the Eruptodon was taken.
 * Mala is the first female character that has shown interest in Snotlout.
 * Like Heather, Dagur, and Throk, a bit of Mala's armor comes in layers.