Chapter 4

Hiccup stared up at the Northern Lights as he lay in the courtyard. Toothless was curled up beside him, snoring quietly. The other dragons were in a small pile, sleeping soundly as well. Hiccup's arms were folded behind his head as he thought about the day's events. This day had not been anything like he had been expecting.

Even though the Queen and her people didn't seem to mind the dragons, Elsa had requested the dragons remain in the courtyard so as not to panic the other servants in the castle. Hiccup had tried to sleep in the room given him, but without Toothless by his side, sleep evaded him.

The Queen of Arendelle. Elsa. Her beauty was unimaginable. She was a force to be reckoned with- even before knowing of her magic. Her speech was soft, yet knowing. It commanded attention. Her eyes were the brightest blue he had ever seen. And then there was her magic.

How does one achieve ice magic? Hiccup thought as he stared at the flowing green and purple lights in the sky. The more he thought about it, the less he understood it. So, he decided to focus on something else.

"I wonder how Astrid's doing."

Toothless grumbled quietly and nudged Hiccup in his sleep.

"Hiccup?"

"Mom?"

Hiccup sat up and saw Valka walking down the steps into the courtyard. He eyes were wide and full of sorrow, her body seemed hunched in anguish.

"Mom, I thought you were sleeping."

"I was. But I was worried about you." Valka sat beside her son. Her eyes bored into Hiccup's. He knew she wanted to say something, but she couldn't quite find the words. Hiccup waited for her to speak. "Hiccup… I need to apologize."

Hiccup sighed. "Mom-"

"No. I did a terrible thing- forcing you into this. I've been thinking a lot today, and I want you to make your own decision."

"Mom, she and I have decided to go through with this engagement."

Valka nodded. "I'm sorry. I should not have even gotten involved. I mean, I've only been in your life for a short amount of time. You are your own man. I should have let you make that decision… for yourself."

Hiccup sighed again.

"Mom, I'll admit. I was mad at you. I still am… but I know what you were trying to do. And I respect you for that. That's why I've gone through everything- and I'm giving this all I've got. It's the right thing to do, even if it isn't easy. It was an agreement made between our people. I intend to honor it. And so does she."

Valka smiled and nodded.

"So, she has ice magic."

"Uh-huh. Hey mom… you never told me how this arrangement came about."

"And I take it you want to know?" Valka chuckled. "I supoose that would be a wise idea."

Hiccup sat up and turned toward his mother expectantly. Valka sighed and closed her eyes.

"Well… as you know, Berk is a well kept secret. The best kept secret we have. It's not on any maps. It's often referred to as a legend. That's the way it has been for generations. Well, your father and I had decided to look outside the archipelago of Berk for new lands for us to inhabit. This was before you were born. Well, we ended up meeting the King and Queen of Arendelle mid-ocean. They thought we were an enemy ship."

"And that's how you met?"

Valka nodded. "We spoke many times. Wrote letters. Had meetings. We began to talk about a peace pact between our lands, where our people could go to escape the dragon's war. You see, your father wanted their help in fighting the dragons, but Agnarr and Iduna believed fighting was not the answer. They offered aide in medical supplies and foods, but refused to aid the war. Then you were born. You were only a few months old when we brought you here to Arendelle. Iduna was extremely doting to you. They had been trying for a child, but had not had any luck."

"But Elsa said that there aren't any records of Berk and Arendelle having any communication- other than our engagement pact. There aren't any maps in the royal library. Only a few paragraphs of a legend of dragons."

"That's the way we wanted it."

"Why? If you wanted to make a peace pact with them, wouldn't you want their people to know-"

"Your father thought it was best, because of our war with the dragons. We were the ones who did the travelling from Berk to Arendelle, as Vikings, we have faster ships for that purpose. Besides… dragon raids were not something we actually wanted to risk Agnarr and Iduna to."

"Ah." Hiccup sighed and leaned back, stretching his legs out in front of him. "So I've been here plenty of times before?"

"About three times before today. The last time you were here, we signed that agreement. We had received word that Iduna had had a child. A daughter. It was Agnarr's idea to unify our people through your engagement. Your father took that opportunity and ran. Said it would help Berk rise above the dragons. Give us our best chance at survival if the dragons couldn't be beaten."

Hiccup's heart squeezed. It was definitely something Stoick would have done. A Chief protects his own. It was a good way to protect his people. Toothless let out a deep breath in his sleep and flicked his tail, his tongue hanging outside of his mouth slightly.

"You know, we all expected you to marry and unite the kingdom and our village, while we were all still alive. It would have been easier for you if that had happened. But now, it's a job and a half. I'm here for you if you want me." Valka said quietly, her eyes drifting up to the sky. "Has she met Toothless yet?"

Hiccup shook his head. "Not yet. I'm hoping we will have some time tomorrow to get to know each other a little better."

"She is magnificent, isn't she?"

"She is… beautiful, and powerful."

"Her sister is a little odd though."

"Princess Anna?" Hiccup chuckled. "I suppose. I kinda like that though. She's kinda like me- I'm a hiccup. She's a hiccup, in a way."

"Oh, Hiccup…"

"I've embraced my Hiccup-ness. It is what's made me, well, me."

Valka smiled. She reached out and placed her hand on Hiccup's peg leg. She sighed.

"I am sorry."

"I know mom."

"And you, forgive me?"

"Of course. You were trying to do things right. I don't blame you."

"You're a lot like your father, you know that?"

"I thought I took after you?"

"Oh, you do. But your decisions, it's a lot like Stoick."

Hiccup smiled.

Somewhere deep inside the castle, a high pitched shriek cut through the silent night air. Toothless raised his head, his ears perked high and his eyes narrowed as he stared at the balcony. Hiccup and Valka stood up and began to run back to the doors entering into the castle. Toothless ran right behind them.

Upon entering the castle, Hiccup was greeted by servants running back and forth in a panic. Olaf was also running around screaming, though the brunette could not make out a word the creature said.

"What's going on?" Hiccup cried as he was pushed around. A bulky blonde man stopped and pulled him to the side. His brown eyes were huge and frightened. Behind him a giant brown animal bellowed and snorted.

"Something happened to the Queen!"

Hiccup's stomach dropped. Toothless growled loudly and bolted toward the double doors of the throne room. Hiccup took no time in following him. The doors were pulled open and Hiccup froze in the doorway.

Princess Anna was hunched over her sister's body. Her shoulders were shaking as she held Elsa's head and torso close to her chest. Hiccup approached the two figures slowly, taking in every detail of the room. Ice was spiked outwards in patches, centering around Elsa. The floor looked patchy with ice, and icy frost was creeping up the walls.

Toothless wrapped himself around the girls, his wings folding around them like a tent. Hiccup knelt down beside Anna. She didn't seem to even notice anyone else was with her. He placed a wary hand on the girl's shoulder and heard a panicked whisper escape the princess' lips.

"Don't worry Elsa, I got you."

The doctor had been inside the Queen's room for hours. Toothless sat by the door, his eyes never moving from them. Princess Anna sat beside Toothless on the floor, her eyes swollen and red, knees pulled up to her chest. She stared at the wall in front of her. She had been forcibly removed from Elsa's side when the medic arrived, and had not moved from that spot since the doors were closed.

Hiccup sat on the other end of the hall, the double doors of the Queen's room directly in his line of sight. The other Vikings had taken their dragons for a morning flight, per Hiccup's request. It would give them something else to think about.

"Princess Anna?"

Anna blinked and opened her mouth as if to reply. But no sound escaped her lips and she closed her mouth again. Her eyes never moved from their fixed pint on the wall. Hiccup sighed and tried again.

"Princess Anna. Can you tell me what happened?"

Anna shook her head.

"Nothing?"

"I was having trouble sleeping." She whispered, her throat hoarse. Hiccup then realized the shriek that he had heard had been Anna's.

"So, you got up…" Hiccup supplied patiently. Anna nodded.

"Usually I can go to her room and talk to her. But she wasn't there. So I went looking for her. You were with your mother. I thought about asking if you'd seen her. But then something told me to look in the throne room. So I went there."

Anna shuddered.

"She was there. Ice was everywhere. It looked like she was fighting something. And then she collapsed. Her ice started breaking apart. Started spreading. Spiking. I didn't see anyone else."

Hiccup nodded.

But before he could say anything more, the doctor opened the doors, a tired yet worried look on his face.

==Okie dokie lovelies! I meant to upload this on Friday but forgot. I'm sorry for the slight delay. ravenx1988: Elsa will learn about Hiccup's past, as well as meet Toothless. Just not quite yet, obviously. I hope you like this chapter! Grim: Hiccup is upset with Valka, for at least some of those reasons. But he understands that she was just wanting to do right- she's trying to make up for her lost time, in a mixed up way. Randomgirl11: I am happy you still love it! Thanks! Dew That Is Blue: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Colonel Pepper: I think that I covered Hiccup's initial reaction in this chapter- Elsa's will be at a later time. Noctus Fury: Hiccup was a little too upset to remember to bring his helmet, but don't worry. 7thManiac: Don't worry- I don't bbq people, I appreciate your feedback! The original plan was that Hiccup and Elsa would marry as Prince and Princess, but because of the deaths of their leader parents... well... yeah. It does make it difficult. To be honest I'm struggling in trying to find a solution to the living arrangement problem. But I am glad that you like that I'm not ignoring something that important.