She was... Lonelier than I was

Jack had already been flying around the world, alone, for about fifty years the first time he saw her. Even though he already had five decades of experience bringing winter to different countries and archipelagos, judging when to start winter in the northernmost islands in the Scandinavian regions was still tricky. They were always cold, but the transitioning seasons were consistently different. The Nordic elemental spirits were pretty temperamental, too. If Jack ever offended one of them, they could hold a grudge for an impressive four years, and hold back winter for weeks. Jack would have to come by every day, asking if it was alright for him to start winter, they would say no and start throwing pine cones and branches at him, and the entire situation could get very frustrating.

That year, Jack's timing had been off by a day or two. But since he would just have to come back again after 48 hours if he left, Jack decided to stick around and watch the Viking way of life.

For the most part, the tribe seemed like a tight-knit community. Everyone knew everything that was going on all the time, and there was not a single person who wasn't included in every single activity being held. Well, actually there was one.

She was a small thing, Jack noticed, compared to everyone else in her village. She didn't eat as much, and she certainly wasn't as bulky or obnoxious. Instead of being fearless in the face of danger, she ran and called for help. She made practical machines, not all of which were for fighting the dragons which plagued her island. She didn't get in fights with anyone, and mainly worked to keep the peace with everyone. In short, she wasn't stupid.

Jack was just flying around, preparing to start winter there on Berk, when he noticed her walking to the woods. Alone. Like always. He wasn't exactly sure why, but Jack followed her. Maybe he was curious. Maybe he wanted to make sure she didn't get hurt. Most likely he just didn't want to work just yet.

He saw the way she looked at the dry leaves, and the way she smiled at the patchwork of colors on the ground. Suddenly, Jack felt like he was intruding. She had never done much more than roll her eyes and say something sarcastic back at the village. Seeing her like this- so open and happy- made Jack feel like he was watching something incredibly personal. Something he shouldn't have been watching.

Just as he was about to turn away and start winter for the Berkians, the girl turned around and gasped. Jack knew that there was no way she could have seen him, so he whirled around, trying to catch a glimpse of what she had seen.

"W-who are you?" She asked. Jack blinked. No one had ever been able to see him before. He slowly turned back around and pointed to himself.

"You- you can see me?" Jack asked, feeling hope and expand in his chest. Maybe he wouldn't have to be alone anymore!

"Of course I can see you! What are you doing here?" The girl asked, looking very confused.

"My name's Jack" he introduced excitedly, "Jack Frost!"

"Oh gods!" The girl cried out as she backed away a couple of steps. "You're Jokul Frosti!"

"What? No, I just told you, my name's Jack," Jack was still wondering why it was only this Viking girl who could see him, but he didn't care who it was. He was finally talking to someone, after half a century of isolation! She could have been a troll, and Jack wouldn't have cared. He wanted to have someone to talk to. He was determined to be this girl's friend.

"My name's Hiccup," the girl said carefully. After a moment of silence, the girl- Hiccup- blinked. "You still want to talk to me?" She asked incredulously. Jack's heart went out to her. Even if everyone could see her, she was jut as invisible as he was. It was awful for Jack to just walk through people, and not be able to even have a small chat about the weather. But, for Hiccup, it was probably a whole lot worse. She could touch everyone, and they her. But no one wanted to, for whatever reason. Hiccup the Viking was the loneliest thing that Jack had ever seen, including himself.

"I don't want to just talk to you," Jack told her. "I want to be your friend."

And that's how it all started.