The Nightmare Clock
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the franchises featured in this work of fiction.
A/N: My first attempt at a Big Four-ish fic. I welcome all feedback and promise to respond to anyone who contacts me. This fic is a HiccElsa fic, but it will evolve. Promise lol.
XXX
"Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make...the..."
The older woman dressed in a burgundy gown glanced up as silence fell. She allowed the long lochs of blonde hair to fall to the ground, placing a hairbrush in her lap before folding her arms and shooting a look to the room's only other occupant.
"Rapunzel, what are you doing?"
The blonde girl in question stuttered for a moment before steadying herself and asking, "Mother, where did the song come from?"
The question surprised the older woman, "Why do you ask, my flower?"
Rapunzel considered her words for a moment before answering, "I know the song makes my hair glow with magic, but...how? And where did the song come from? Did you make it? And if so, how? Does any song work? And-"
"Rapunzel." That one word from Mother Gothel silenced the little girl in the purple dress, "There is only one song that matters, and that is..."
The young girl sighed to herself before singing "Flower, gleam and glow, let your power shine."
XXX
The sunshine pierced through the window in a brilliant ray of light, bathing the young princess in light. She blinked and squinted at the light, turning over and bundling herself into the covers. She'd begun to drift back to sleep when she heard the doors open.
"Princess? Are you still in bed?"
"...No?"
Cora had been a handmaiden for well over twenty years and, as such, she was accustom to all sorts of behaviors from the royal family. The King of Corona, Frederic the 3rd, was always the hardest to wake. His wife, Queen Arianna, was usually just starting her day when the maids knocked on their door. Princess Rapunzel, however, was not like either of her parents. She was always awake well before any of her maids entered her chamber, and was already well into her routine. She'd been that way since her return six years ago.
Cora sighed to herself, "Another nightmare, Princess?"
Rapunzel lifted herself slowly out of bed. Her head was pounding and her eyes had heavy circles under them. Her brown hair was quite out of sorts, a sight that was so alien to the handmaiden that she had to stifle a giggle from seeing it.
"Not a nightmare," the young princess argued, "A dream...or possibly a memory. I'm not sure which. But every one I have is so...so real."
"That's three times this week, Princess." Cora surmised, "Don't you think you should talk about this with someone?"
"I tell Eugene all of this, and you," Rapunzel retorted, albeit with a smile.
"I meant your...parents," Cora suggested.
Rapunzel stiffened slightly at the suggestion. It was true, whereas every other topic she would gleefully share with her mother and father, when it came to her powers she remained quiet. It wasn't fear or shame that silenced her; it was the look on their faces whenever the subject came up. She could see how it took them back to that horrible night she was stolen.
She never wanted them to think of that night.
"Not yet," Rapunzel muttered, "I-I can't..."
Cora cast a sad gaze on the Princess. She could understand where the Princess was coming from, but in the end the young royal was doing more harm than good. Still, as much as she cared for the Princess, she was royalty and would do as she would.
"Very well, Princess." Cora let the subject drop, "Now, if you're ready, it's time to meet the day."
"If-if I could just have a few moments," Rapunzel asked, rubbing her eyes slightly.
Cora frowned at her, but decided that the Princess needed a moment to pull herself together. She nodded and backed out of the room, closing the door behind her. Rapunzel stared out at the sun as it rose higher in the sky.
Every dream she'd had over the past month had centered around one thing: the song. Sometimes, it was just the song. She would sing it to Gothel, or Gothel would sing it to a golden flower. Sometimes she would be in that cave with Eugene, filling up with dark water only to be illuminated by her hair. But this latest dream was different. It was much more like a memory, but one she hadn't thought of in a very long time.
Why were these dreams happening? Was it just memories resurfacing due to it being her birthday soon? Or was it her powers?
The last time she'd used her powers had been when Gothel had stabbed Eugene in the back (she unconsciously grimaced at the memory). When she'd sang to him then, her hair hadn't glowed. Instead, the power came through her tears. She'd never cried since.
She was tired and more than a little upset, but she didn't feel like crying. Still, she needed to try. She needed to know. That meant she had to sing to test her powers.
"Flower, gleam and glow," she sang softly to herself, "Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine."
She paused, examining herself. She used to feel it when her powers would begin to work. Sometimes. Sighing to herself, the young princess trudged over to the full length mirror in her room. She stood up straight and clasped her hands in front of her, then took a breath.
"Flower, gleam and glow," she kept her eyes on the mirror as she sang, "Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt. Change the fates' design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine."
Her hair remained completely unchanged. She smiled at her brown hair, partially relieved that it had not glowed. She couldn't help but worry though. If she still had no powers, then where were her dreams coming from? Or were they only dreams?
"Cora," she called out.
The handmaiden opened the door, "Ready, Princess?"
"Almost," Rapunzel smiled, " I've decided you're right. I need to talk to someone else."
Cora smiled in return, "Excellent. Your parents will be having breakfast shortly, so-"
"Actually, would you please bring me some paper. I need to write a letter."
Cora looked at her with some confusion, and a little disappointment.
"A letter?"
Rapunzel smiled, "To my cousin."
Cora contemplated asking for more detail or pushing the young princess to go to her parents, but she knew better. While Rapunzel was incredibly tolerant of her behavior, propriety demanded more. If the Princess's parents heard of her badgering their daughter, they would consider it improper and she could be dismissed from her post.
"Very well, Princess." Cora smiled softly at her; she could only hope this cousin of hers had some sage advice.
XXX
"Presenting her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, third of her name, Defender of the Northern Sea, One with the Wind and Sky."
Elsa mentally rolled her eyes at the last part, but didn't let it show as she regally entered the large room the would serve to allow the citizens of the realm an audience with her. It was a necessary part of every ruler's life on the throne, but it was also one of the last things she personally wanted to do.
It was only three weeks till the third anniversary of her coronation. It was an event she personally disliked but one which required her attention. Thankfully, the anniversary of a coronation was not considered important enough to warrant inviting foreign dignitaries but it would require a great deal of preparation. Feeding several hundred people, having music on hand and even housing some of her own dignitaries was an annual headache. Not because of the work alone, though; she had a support staff unlike any other, each able to do their parts in preparation for the anniversary with their eyes closed.
No, what bothered her the most about it were the memories of the coronation itself.
Her people...there wasn't a day in her life she didn't sing their praises. Any other group would have thrown her on the executioner's block, but Arendellians were even tempered and very forgiving. They hadn't even requested reparations from the crown, though Elsa had insured such reparations were given. The foreign dignitaries present had even been graceful enough to accept discounts on their trade goods, though she suspected it was more due to their recognition of her power.
Being the Snow Queen had its advantages, of course. But the days in which she revealed herself to the world still haunted her. Most of the year she was able to put her past behind her, but every year this time would serve to stir up her guilt.
That was why it was important to her to hear the pleas of her people, no matter how much she would prefer to crawl into a hole with her guilt. They had been utterly remarkable, and they deserved nothing less than everything she could give them.
She took her place on the throne, signaling her people to sit as well. These proceedings took place in her throne room, the same place her coronation had occurred. It gave enough room to seat whoever had chosen to attend today's audience.
Her announcer, Kai, stood to her right and spoke clearly, "Mr. Sigmund Svelgard of the village Tormmound."
A man with dark brown hair dressed in a gray tunic and brown pants rose and stepped forward. He was perhaps 30 or 32, and was clearly a man of the earth. In many kingdoms, his attire would be considered inappropriate for an audience with the crown, but this was Arendelle. Elsa was aware that not everyone in her kingdom could afford robes or suits, so she would hardly take offense to what was surely his finest outfit.
"Your Grace," Sigmund greeted her.
"Mr. Svelgard," she replied with an encouraging smile, "We trust your journey was pleasant."
"The roads are as safe as can be, Your Grace," the man responded, visibly loosening as he spoke, "Are you familiar with my village, Your Highness?"
"It is roughly a day's ride from the capital, if we're not mistaken," Elsa stated from memory, "Excellent farmland, right next to Lake Valvane. We visited last year."
"I recall, Majesty," Svelgard nodded, "My wife and son were very pleased to see you that day."
Elsa nodded slightly, grateful for the man's words.
"What can we do for you, Mr. Svelgard?"
"Your Majesty, I'm not here today representing my own interests." Svelgard explained, "I speak on behalf of the village of Tormmound. We've had a recent rise in sickness. Nearly a third of our people are bedridden."
Elsa frowned at hearing that, turning her gaze on Kai.
"Why were we not informed?"
"It's not his fault, my Queen," Svelgard answered for him, "We'd dispatched riders to the capital before, but one of them was...attacked by wolves. The other simply disappeared."
Elsa sat in silence for a moment, digesting the information. It seemed like something more than a coincidence for two riders to disappear, but she would withhold judgement until she heard it all.
"Describe the sickness," she gently instructed.
Svelgard took a breath before beginning, "The victims are all suffering from weakness, pale and any time they'd get cut they wouldn't bleed very much. We've had to bury 4 people so far, and another twelve have fallen ill. The ill are all young men and women, strong and vital. Their sickness has reduced our harvest. Any aid you can spare, your Majesty, would be most appreciated."
Queen Elsa nodded, "I'll instruct my personal physician to ride for Tormmound immediately, with full palace guard escort. As for your harvest, my minister of agriculture will see that a portion of our reserves are donated to your village. In the coming weeks, I pray your village recovers from your plight."
Svelgard nodded, "Thank you, my Queen."
Elsa sigh, turning her attention to the whole of her court.
"Should this sickness spread past the village of Tormmound, it is the duty of every citizen of the realm to inform the Crown as swiftly as possible."
"Yes, your Highness."
After court, she retired to her office and began to go through her paperwork. Letters from dignitaries, royalty or merchants commonly found their way to her desk. Her first letter happened to be a report from one of her country's fishing trawlers, the Jorman.
She read the first lines of the report for a moment before ringing a bell that sat on her desk. A moment later, she heard a knock on her door. She invited them in and the door opened, revealing Kai.
"My Queen?" The older man asked.
"You're more familiar with the ancient legends than I am," Elsa admitted, "What do you make of this?"
She handed the report over to her aide; the man took out a pair of glasses and began to read.
"30th of May, the Year of our Lord 1779. On our voyage down towards Corona for trade, yeoman spotted large shape against the Northern sky. Spyglass revealed a large beast against the sun. It appeared blacker than the night, with wings larger than any bird this ship has seen. It appeared roughly 9 miles away from the vessel, heading North or Northeast. It is in this man's opinion that we were witness to a...dragon."
Kai shot her a look of bewilderment before continuing, "Signed Captain Rorick Hoffer. A dragon, Highness? There hasn't been a recorded dragon sighting in well over 500 years."
"That was my recollection as well," Elsa remarked, "My father believed them to be myth, in fact. I am inclined to agree, were it not for one thing."
"Your Highness, having magical powers is not the same as there being gigantic beasts capable of flight." Kai objected with a familiarity only given to the Queen's most loyal servants.
"Perhaps, perhaps not," Elsa said idly, "Regardless, the very idea of a dragon sighting is troubling. The only thing worse would be Vikings."
"Neither of which have been seen in hundreds of years," Kai stated.
Elsa smiled lightly, "Indeed. So your learned opinion then?"
The older man sighed before stating "It's possible this dragon is nothing but a large bird or some hallucination of a man whose spent too long at sea. It's more likely, even. Certainly more preferable. But even if it is true, what could we do?"
"Order all our captains and spotters to keep an eye on the skies," Elsa suggested, "Have them carry arms they believe sufficient to repel a dragon attack. Otherwise, business as usual."
"Your Majesty?" Kai quirked an eyebrow.
"It's hardly appropriate to raise the army over a single report of a dragon," Elsa explained, "Until we either hear more reports or learn something new, we carry on."
Kai smiled slightly, please at hearing Queen Elsa's analysis of the situation. Ever since her coronation or, rather, her return from her coronation he had been pleased with her manner of ruling. She believed in kindness, mercy and using knowledge and wisdom to make decisions that best benefit her people. She was the kind of ruler men in his position prayed would come to the throne.
"As you wish, my Queen," Kai replied, "Will there be anything else?"
"Have Anna come visit me in a few minutes," Elsa instructed before showing a small smile, "Have her bring some chocolate."
Kai smiled in return, "As you wish, my Queen."
XXX
The wind howled in the mountains as the sun began to sink into the horizon. It was a magnificent sight, a melting of gold, red, and purple against the white snow and blue ocean in the distance.
"Worthy of Freya herself," a young man voiced against the cold wind.
His companion groaned lowly, not bothering to glance up at the man.
He turned towards the great beast. He was a massive thing, larger than any horse that had ever been. He lay on his stomach, a mass of the blackest scales and wings that made him stand out like a shadow against the snow. He glanced up at his human companion with brilliant green eyes, eyes that shined with a bit of humor at the young man's frown.
"Don't sass me, Toothless," the human griped to the dragon, "We've still got a ways to go before we're back home. I might just walk it, let you fly on your own."
A swing of his tail and the human was on his back in the snow, pinned down by the great dragon. Toothless snarled a him for a moment, earning not even a hint of fear from the young man before he seemed to grin playfully and start to lick at the human.
"Agh, Toothless!" The young man complained, holding up his hands to try and prevent the worst of the saliva from soaking him.
The dragon jumped off him and let out a series of grunts that sounded suspiciously like laughter. The young man rose to his feet, wiping at his armor. He was dressed in a reddish black armor that was designed to resemble a dragon's scales. Strapped to his belt was a sword and what appeared to be the hilt of a sword without the blade. He had brown hair, a kind face with a large nose and green eyes that were almost the same shade as Toothless'.
"Why do you keep doing that?" Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the 3rd muttered, "You know that doesn't wash out."
He idly rubbed the back of his head, turning his gaze on the tapestry that was the sky. He had been traveling for quite some time, roughly a month if he had to guess. He had a lot of miles to go before he got back home.
He sat down in the snow beside his best friend, not minding the cold. He'd been raised on the island of Berk, a place that knew cold and snow better than the most frozen kingdom this far south ever could. It was the home of his tribe and family, the Vikings he'd grown up with and loved as his own. He was on his way back to them. He reached into one of the satchels attached to Toothless and withdrew a large map he had purchased in a shop about a days flight from here. He brought out his own map and a lump of charcoal. He compared the land before him to what was depicted on the map and found that this map was quite accurate.
"According to this map, we're in some country called Arendelle, near a place called...Tormmound." Hiccup spoke to Toothless, who contented himself to merely warble as he rested in the snow, "When I compare it to my own map, it looks like we're maybe...3 days flight from home. We've got maybe two hours of flight before we hit the coast. The most Northern coast actually belongs to the capital, and it's fairly close to another set of mountains. I say we rest here a bit, get some food in us then get to Arendelle. We find a nice spot to sleep and then at dawn we push for Berk."
Toothless garbled in the affirmative. Hiccup put away his maps and withdrew and separate notebook. He opened it to a blank page and began to sketch the skyline ahead of him. The Night Fury watched his human for a moment before allowing his eyes to close. A nice nap before they got to it again sounded lovely to the dragon. Unfortunately, that would not be the case.
Hiccup felt the dragon stiffen beneath him, and stopped what he was doing. He glanced behind him and noticed the dragon's ears twitch. Hiccup quietly placed his sketchbook down on the ground and considered his surroundings. His dragon's ears were far more sensitive than his own. If he was hearing something that made him wary, then that put Hiccup on edge too.
The wind died down with frightening speed, almost like someone blowing out a candle to kill the light. Hiccup and Toothless rose as one, the dragon crouching down as if to pounce, his sharp teeth revealed in a vicious snarl. Hiccup calmly reached into the dragon's satchel and withdrew his helmet. It was of same reddish black material as his armor. He secured it over his head and snapped it in place, then proceeded to draw his sword.
There was a sound in the air, a kind of squeaking sound that vaguely reminded him of an animal. He couldn't quite determine what, but it hardly mattered. They were so high in the mountains that the only animals would be birds, and they tended to stay away from dragons. As soon as the squeaking began, it stopped. Toothless opened his mouth a produced a steady flame, ready to spit it out at any attackers.
Hiccup shouted as he felt something land on his back, a hard blow that sent him careening off the mountain into the air and his sword out of his hand off the mountainside. He heard Toothless roar in anger and let out a volley of flame, but that didn't matter much to Hiccup. He had larger concerns, namely not landing on the jagged mountain below. He quickly latched his arms into catches on his side, then pulled out. He felt the flaps on his side and back open and his descent slowed. He looked around and saw the snow on the mountain below him, but to his left was a slope that would give him enough room to glide till Toothless could catch him.
He turned to his left and waited, keeping his eyes on the slopes before him. He was getting too close to the slopes now, much further and he didn't think Toothless would be able to catch him before he struck the mountainside. He was perhaps ten feet above the snow traveling roughly 60 miles an hour, and once he struck the snow would help soften the blow, but not enough to prevent his death.
The snow grew closer, perhaps 5 feet now. He sighed to himself and closed his eyes, readying himself for the end. Instead, just as he reached 3 feet above the snow, his body was clutched softly in a set of clawed paws and lifted up swiftly into the air. Hiccup opened his eyes and started to laugh as he was lifted into the air. He felt himself get tossed up high into the air and landed in Toothless's saddle.
"Thanks, bud," he started as he grasped the saddle, "That was a close-"
He stopped speaking and gaped at his best friend. Toothless was bleeding from a large wound on his right shoulder, a wound that was clearly very painful as the Night Fury would wince anytime his wing flapped.
"Are you alright, bud?" Hiccup asked, and receive only a grunt of pain in response, "What was that? A troll or something?"
Toothless let out a growl that turned into a whine as he continued to fly.
"We need to find somewhere to rest," he said.
They reached the foot of the mountain and swept over it until they found a cave, just large enough for the dragon to fit into. Hiccup went outside and gathered what wood he could, soaked with snow though it was. He grabbed a dry blanket and had Toothless light it on fire and he set it atop the driest branches, setting a fire. He used the light to examine the dragon's wound. It was still bleeding, but the blood had begun to still. Hiccup reached for his sword instinctively only to remember it had fallen off the mountain. He reached into his satchel and withdrew a dagger and set it against the fire, letting it glow red against the heat. Once it was hot enough, he withdrew it from the flames and held it up for Toothless to see.
"This is gonna hurt," he said sympathetically.
The dragon eyed the blade for a moment before turning his gaze away. Hiccup stepped up to the dragon and gently laid the glowing blade against the wound. The dragon stiffened against the pain, but did nothing else. He took the blade away and examined the wound in the light, finding it had completely stopped bleeding. It was scabbed over a bit already, a testimony to the dragon's strength.
Toothless looked up towards the mouth of the cave, a snarl on his features. Hiccup turned and raised his dagger, his eyes squinted as he tried to see past the flames. He couldn't hear or see anything, but he knew whatever had attacked earlier was there. Just beyond the light of the flames.
Hiccup reached along his belt and withdrew the hilt and pressed a switch on it, causing a steady stream of green gas to leak from within. He tossed it toward the mouth of the cave, expecting to hear a thud when it hit the ground. Instead, he heard nothing. Hiccup backed up into the dragon, who covered him with his wing.
Toothless let out a great blast of flame. When it struck the green gas, a cloud of fire enveloped the mouth of the cave. As it lit, a great cry of monstrous rage echoed in the cave. It was so loud Hiccup thought he might go deaf.
The fire finally died out, leaving nothing but smoke and darkness. Hiccup stepped out from behind Toothless's wing and picked up a lit branch before stepping forward towards the mouth of the cave. The wind outside threatened to blow out his torch but it gave him just enough light to see. There were bits of metal left over from the canister and scorch marks along the mouth of the cave. He glanced down to the floor of the cave and spotted something shining in the light.
It was a dark viscous fluid that had a reddish shine to it in the light. Whatever it had been that'd attacked them, that trick with the Hideous Zippleback gas had succeeded in harming it. Perhaps it would leave them be for the remainder of the night.
"It's alright, Toothless," Hiccup said, coming back to his friend, "I think it's gone now. We'll just sleep here tonight and in the morning we'll go to Arendelle. I'll get some bandages and medicine for you."
He stopped speaking, noticing that his friend had already gone to sleep. Sighing, the young Viking slipped beneath the dragon's wing and closed his eyes. It would be morning in a while. Until then, he would sleep a fitful sleep plagued with nightmares.