Chapter 1: When Elsa Meets Hiccup
Elsa ran outside, a little jump in her step as she danced her way into the snow. Snow. The one thing she loved. But just as much as she loved snow, she feared it. Elsa was born with the power to create and control ice and snow, a powerful and terrifying force to be reckoned with. As a young girl, she used it often and she so thoroughly enjoyed it. Until one day she slipped and accidently struck her little sister Anna with her power. The guilt she felt over hurting her little sister drove her to fear herself. With her feelings running wild with fear and anxiety, she had little control over her power and there was no one to help her. Being alone and not being in control was the most terrifying situation to be put into as a young girl. Her father attempted to help, though. He kept her inside, out of the view of the public so that no one would fear her or dislike her. Knowing that she had her father and mother on her side, she felt much better. But she feared she would hurt them just like she hurt Anna. She couldn't face Anna now because of that, even if Anna didn't remember, but she would never forgive herself if she hurt her parents, too, or anyone else for that matter.
But here, out in the snow, in the dead of night, she would practice. It was a safe haven, no one would know that she created it because snow was already on the ground, and at night, nobody would know that she had snuck out to practice. She liked the way the moonlight glittered off the ice she swirled into the air. She liked the way she could make ice drip in lines off trees, it was beautiful, like decorating the outdoors with accessories. She was careful to cover up her tracks when she came back home as well, adding more snow to the places where her footprints should be. She would hop into bed and dream of snow and ice and the beauty of it all, and when she would wake, the window and walls of her room would be frozen with her power. Her parents would have to take measures to open the door every morning when they came to visit her.
"Elsa, my dear?" Her mother would peak her head in.
"Good morning, Mama." Elsa would nervously fidget from her place by the window.
"Good morning, sweetheart." Her father would fully open the door and stride in, his wife in tow.
"Good morning, Papa." She would try to manage a smile for her parents.
Soon after their morning talk, her parents would take their leave, off to rule the kingdom, while she watched the outside world from her window, dreaming and wishing she were normal. Occasionally she wondered if her parents woke Anna up with the same mannerisms each morning, dismissing that soon after, thinking that Anna was normal and they would be much more open with their younger daughter. This would sting Elsa's heart slightly, but she never thought badly of her parents nor her little sister. They were her precious loved ones.
The rest of the day would be long and grueling as she read books and studied and practiced controlling her magic as well as other things like music and dance. She would wait for night. After dinner, her parents would come back to her room and talk about how her day went and if she felt any better about her magic and her control. She would get a little upset, normally, and ice would start to creep up the walls. They would try to comfort her and she would turn them away, for fear of their safety. It was in these rare winter months that she would sneak outside to practice the magic. Once she was certain everyone was asleep, she would duck through corridors and slip outside unnoticed.
It was a night in her 15th year that she met someone unexpectedly. She slipped into the woods, far out of range of the castle and out of town. The snow was heavier here, softer, untouched and beautiful. She danced in circles as she made ore snow fall around her. She draped the trees with icicles and built a snow family to play the night away with. He crept up behind her and scared her. She had been chatting absentmindedly to herself, pretending the snow people could hear her and were responding.
"Hello…" He said. His voice was slightly higher pitched and sort of nasally. She jumped, stiffening her shoulders and ready to run. She took a step forward, rigidly, to start running, but his voice rang out again. "Wait!" She noticed he had a thicker, harder accent. He wasn't from Arrendel…
"Y-yes?" She turned around to face him, backing up only slightly. He was just a boy. Younger than her, maybe, but roughly the same size as her. Small, thin frame, a nervous expression on his face.
"Do you make those?" He pointed to the piles of snow that had once been her snow people. When he had frightened her, ice crept across the ground and trees, breaking the things she had created.
"I had…yes." She nodded stiffly.
"How?" He tilted his head. A curious look on his face.
"Like this…" She swirled her hand around in the air and rebuilt two of the snow people. His eyes widened, his mouth gaped open. She backed up, "I'm sorry…"
"That's really neat!" He exclaimed.
She stopped short. "What?" That was not a reaction she was used to. No one had had that reaction since Anna…
"That's really neat. Do you wanna build a snowman? With me?" He asked.
"Y-yes…!" She gasped, happily. "My name is Elsa, I'm 15…"
"My name is Hiccup, I'm 14." He clapped his fist to his small chest.
"Hiccup?" she giggled.
"Vikings believe a terrible name will scare away gnomes and trolls." He explained.
"Why would you wanna scare away trolls? The ones I've met are nice." Elsa stated.
"Wait…they actually exist?" He smiled.
"Yes, you didn't believe in them, even though you're a Viking?" She giggled.
"Well…I had doubts. I probably shouldn't have. We battle Dragons on Berk. If Dragons exist, why shouldn't trolls." He shrugged.
"Dragons?" Elsa gasped.
"Yeah. They're pretty vicious. Don't ever try to take one on, Elsa. Just yell loud enough for me to hear, I'll rescue you." He puffed out his chest.
"You?" She raised an eyebrow.
"C'mon! One day, you'll see. I'll kill a dragon." He smiled.
"Okay." She smiled. Her eyes twinkled with glee at her first friend. She really liked him.
"Besides, I have to kill a dragon. To impress the village and take over my father's place as Chief." He sighed.
"You're going to be chief one day?" Elsa gasped.
"Yeah, what a burden, right?" He sighed again.
"I know how you fell, one day I'll be Queen." She sighed.
"Well, maybe we can rule together…as Chief and Queen." He smiled cheekily.
"What do you mean?" Elsa raised an eyebrow, a small blush dusted across her cheeks.
"HICCUP!" A deep, man's voice bellowed.
"That's my dad, I have to go." Hiccup looked stunned. Hiccup marched right up to Elsa, stunning her as well. He took a deep breath, kissed her cheek and then turned to run, shouting over his shoulder, "I'll come back for you, Elsa!"
Elsa held a hand to her cheek and the other to her heart as she rushed back to the castle to hop in bed and dream about ice and snow and the fun she'd had with Hiccup. He said he would come back for her. When? He said they would rule together. How? Did he propose? Is that what he was doing? Is this what true love is? Love at first sight? She wanted to see Hiccup again, immediately. She wanted to ask him if that's what he meant.