People seem to be enjoying this story. I will say that while I like the reviews, PM's DEMANDING I update RIGHT NAOW aren't helping. If this chapter seems a bit 'rushed' as far as some things go, its because I decided that if I don't resolve this conflict now, we'll be here till next year
Hiccup wasn't entirely sure if this was going to work. Not that he didn't have faith in Toothless to not attack people. Rather, he was unsure if the queen's entourage could be trusted to not do something stupid. He didn't like the way that guard captain was eyeing him, not to mention the sheer amount of noise all the advisors who tagged along were making. He stood outside the blue door to the room where he had woken up, a basket of fish in one hand and well over a dozen people behind him.
Trying to play the odds in his favor, Hiccup placed the basket on the floor and turned around. "Ok, so I know this might sound a bit weird, but I'm going to need to lay some ground rules." The first person he drew attention from was the guard captain. The man narrowed his gaze at him, fingering the sword at his hip.
"And just what sort of rules are those, Viking?" He spat, emphasizing the last word as if it was an insult.
"Well, first of all, sir, Toothless kinda has a thing about strangers and weapons." This caught the attention of the queen's advisors.
"Preposterous," one of them shouted. "The damned thing will kill us all."
"It's a trick!" Another shouted. The trend continued with each man shouting accusations and threats against the boy and his dragon.
"We should have killed it when we had the chance."
"QUIET!" Hiccup jumped a little, making the spring in his false leg squeak with protest. For such a small woman, the princess was louder than Snotlout.
"Gentlemen," the queen instantly had her entourage in order. "This young man is here by my request. My father's law says that all who come before the court in peace may speak."
"Yes but your highness, that beast attacked us!"
"Us," the captain turned around. "Councilor, I do not remember seeing you the night the dragon broke in. You have said nothing supportive of her highness throughout the past two days."
"Thank you captain," the queen held out a hand to the man. "Hiccup of Berk had appealed to me, claiming that his dragon's actions were a misunderstanding. Therefore, I requested that he demonstrate how well trained it is." The queen glanced at him. Her back was rigid, her shoulders squared; nothing about her posture betrayed any emotion. Yet something in the furtive glance she gave him eased his stomach a small bit. She was truly giving him a chance. She was letting him speak his peace; something his father hadn't done the first time around.
Hiccup cleared his throat, collecting his thoughts before speaking. "Ok, so like I said, Toothless has a thing about strangers," he remembered his lectures at the dragon academy. "Dragons themselves have very protective instincts. I've seen it before. If you don't let him think you're a threat, he won't treat you like one." The princess looked at him. Unlike her sister, her hands were fidgeting and her eyes were darting around. She was the only one who showed actual fear. Taking a deep breath, Hiccup hefted the basket and opened the door.
"See bud, I told you I'd be ok." Immediately upon entering, Hiccup found Toothless right in his face. The dragon looked him over and sniffed him deeply, as if searching for any sign of danger. He quickly zeroed in on the fish basket. "Aha, I knew you'd be hungry." Hiccup declared as Toothless snatched a fish out with his teeth. Behind him, Hiccup could hear the sounds of disgust as the fish went whole down Toothless' gullet. Deciding to act before anyone else could, Hiccup nudged his dragon farther into the room, away from the door. He deposited the basket on the floor and allowed Toothless to help himself.
He turned back to the door. Behind him, the sounds of Toothless stuffing himself with raw fish. In front of him were a queen, her sister a princess, a captain of the guard, and a handful of dignitaries of a country that a week ago, he had no idea existed. The dignitaries themselves were all crowded in the hallway trying to catch a glimpse of Toothless, yet unwilling to step into the room itself. The captain of the guard and the queen stood in the doorway. The guard had his eyes trained on Toothless, as if waiting for the dragon to make one wrong move. The queen however, was watching someone else.
"So, does he just eat them whole like that?" Princess Anna had boldly stepped into the room. She was still wringing her hands together, eyes daring from Hiccup to Toothless, yet she still stepped forward.
"Most dragons do," Hiccup explained. "In fact, feeding is one of the key parts in dragon training." She stopped.
"Wait, what do you train them for?" Hiccup looked up at the queen. She focused her gaze on Hiccup, waiting for an answer. "Well for the most part, companionship." He reached over and scratched Toothless behind the ears. "He was the first real friend I made. I can't imagine my life without him."
"But, what do you use them for?"
"Moving things, reconnaissance, transportation, rescue missions."
"You mean you actually do fly them?"
In spite of the severity of the situation, Hiccup only had one thing to say. "Well I certainly didn't swim all the way here from Berk."
The princess' cheeks reddened a bit as she scratched the back of her head. "Oh right, forgot about that." She looked again at Toothless, who pulled his head out of the basket. He looked at Hiccup, then at the princess, as if he hadn't realized the two had been talking about him. Princess Anna was within two arm lengths of Toothless; her previous courage having fled her, keeping her from taking the last few steps. Hiccup stepped forward and offered her his hand.
"It's alright." He said. "Just give me your hand."
"Wait what?"
"It's a sign of trust." He stroked Toothless on his snout. "Between dragon and rider. It shows him you're not a threat, and it shows that he can trust you."
"Him trust me?" The princess asked. Her hands were shaking, her breathing was quickening.
"A lot of dragons have reasons to fear humans. And when they're afraid, they lash out."
"Afraid?" Hiccup was stunned to see that the princess was starting to calm down. Her face began to relax as she turned around to face her sister. Hiccup saw the queen's lips move, but couldn't hear what she said. The two royals locked eyes and the queen nodded.
"Ok." Princess Anna turned back around and held out her hand. "What, what should I do?"
"Just put your hand on his snout. That's all it takes." He guided her hand towards Toothless, letting go just inches from Toothless' skin. He stepped away, she'd need to reach out to him on her own. Toothless seemed to notice the princess now. He didn't growl, bare his teeth, or offer any sign of hostility. Instead, he looked at the princess. Gently, he took a half a step forward. Just enough for his snout to touch the tips of her fingers.
The princess gasped. Her whole body shook with shock from the contact and she shut her eyes. However, she didn't pull away or scream. One eye squinted open as she delicacy ran her fingers along his snout. Hiccup watched as her smooth and somewhat small fingers navigated the bumps and ridges of Toothless' skin. It was so strange to him; yeah dragons were fierce, but it was as if she'd never gotten close to one before. Still, the princess grew bolder.
Her eyes opened up. They met Toothless'. Hiccup wasn't sure what was going on, but the dragon nudged forward slightly; just enough that the palm of the princess' hand was also touching him.
"Ha, ha-ha, I can't believe it." Her lips began to twitch up into a smile. "I, Elsa," she called out, turning her head. "I'm touching a dragon!" To Hiccup's immense relief, the queen smiled along with her sister. He couldn't tell the reactions of the others with her, but if the queen smiled, then it was a good sign.
"Nice job bud." Hiccup scratched behind one of his ear-flaps, eliciting a deep purr from his throat. Hiccup then turned to the saddle on Toothless' back; the saddle he had been wearing non-stop since they were separated. "C'mon, let's get this offa ya." He reached over and began unhooking the bags of possibly-ruined supplies strapped to his friend's back.
"So, do all dragons act like this?" Hiccup could still hear a hitch of fear in the princess' voice, but she was still petting Toothless.
"Well for the most part, but from what I've seen, Night Furies are some of the most intelligent." he placed two bags down onto the ground.
"Night Fury?" She asked.
"Yeah, that's what he is."
"I thought he was a dragon."
"Well that too, but his species is a Night Fury." Princess Anna took her hand off of Toothless.
"Wait what?"
"There are different species of dragon?" The queen had left her entourage at the doorway and strode over to her sister.
"Yeah. Gronkles, Nadders, Thunderdums, there's a dragon for every season and every occasion." Hiccup's former confidence faltered when he noticed that the royal sisters were starting to look worried.
"Hold on, just how many dragons are there?" The princess asked.
"Are we talking individual dragons, or per-species?" It was an honest question; Fishlegs was still adding up the results of the last dragon census. Princess Anna raised a hand and opened her mouth, though her question died on her lips. The queen simply shook her head and continued.
"That is neither here, nor there," she looked at Toothless. "I must say, though, it certainly is fascinating."
"He." It was a pure reflex by now.
"He is Toothless." The queen nodded.
"Yes, he is quite possibly the most exquisite creature I've seen."
"You know, now that he's not trying to kill us."
Hiccup looked at the queen. Her posture hadn't changed in the slightest, still stiff and composed. However, something in her eyes had softened. Where originally they reminded him of his father; cold, unforgiving, always sizing you up, now they were different. He didn't feel like she was trying to look through him. Now, she was looking at him with the same gaze Toothless gave him, that of a friend.
"I'm glad you see things that way your majesty." He bowed at the waist.
"Hey wow, you're awake!" Hiccup's ears twitched as a new voice entered the room.
"Oh Olaf, you know him?" Hiccup straightened his back and looked around. Even though he couldn't see the newcomer, the royal sisters were both smiling.
"Yeah, I like him. He's real warm." Hiccup smiled and returned to Toothless' saddle. Anyone that made the queen happy was fine with him.
"Ooh-ooh-ooh, your friend's awake!"
"Yeah, his name's Hiccup." The Viking pulled another sack off the saddle.
"Wow, that's the weirdest name I've ever heard." He snickered. Ruff and Tuff often used his size and name as a point of mockery, but this person had said it so genuine that he couldn't help but laugh. "But it's a good weird. Like Dinglehopper. It's unique." With the sack in his hands, Hiccup turned to meet the newcomer.
"Well I wouldn't say it's unique, but - " There was no one behind him. The only thing Hiccup could see was,
Was a small cloud floating at eye-level.
"Umm, I'm down here."
Hiccup tilted his head and froze. Standing in front of him was a small snowman, not unlike the ones the children made back on Berk. The only problem was that it hadn't been standing there before. "Umm, hold on a sec,"
"Why, do you need something?" Hiccup felt a jolt run through his system, as if he'd been struck by a Skrill. He saw lips moving. He saw arms bending. He heard words spoken. His mind began rattling off ideas, reasons, excuses to explain the phenomena he was witnessing. However all that went out the window as an arms was presented to him.
"Hi, I'm Olaf."
Naturally, Hiccup did what any brave Viking warrior would do.
"WHY IS IT TALKING TO ME!"
His entire body reacted at once. His arms flew up to his face and his legs catapulted him over the back of Toothless. He landed in a crumpled heap on the other side of his dragon.
"Oh, aurgh, what was that!" He shouted, struggling to return to his feet. With a rumbling groan, Toothless stood up and took a few steps backward. Hiccup's legs landed on the floor in an undignified heap, allowing him to take a better look at the, yes, talking snowman.
He propped himself up on his hands. Looking up at the royal sisters, he quickly realized that the situation had reversed. With one hand, he pointed at the snowman.
"W-what is that?" Princess Anna 'humphed' and placed her hands on her hips.
"That's Olaf."
"Olaf?" He let his hand drop. "How is he doing that talking thing?"
"I can do this too." To Hiccup's horror, the snowman brought both hands up to its head and picked it up off its shoulders. Hiccup felt his next word die in a raspy wheeze that was forced past his lips. "See, neat huh?"
"Umm, Olaf, I don't think that's helping." The queen told it, placing a hand on the top of his head and forcing it back onto its shoulders. She then walked over to him and offered him a hand. "Hiccup, please know that this was not my intended plan." While his hand was still shaking, he reached out and took the offered support. The queen's hand felt cold, like she had forgotten to wear mittens in the middle of winter. Putting some of his weight on the queen, he pulled himself to his feet.
"How, how, HOW could this be a plan," he asked, his old stammer coming back to haunt him. "What, how, he, what?"
"Hiccup of Berk," the queen's official-sounding statement ground Hiccup's mental gears to a halt. She took a deep breath. "While I do not believe in fate, I do not think that you coming to Arendelle is simple coincidence."
"Why not?" He asked.
Instead of answering, the queen extended her hand, palm up. A nimbus of snowflakes and ice began to dance in the air over her hand. "Because your quest has come to an end."
()()()
After reading and hearing about the Viking's reason for coming to Arendelle, Elsa was more hesitant than ever about revealing her powers. His journal was sparse on the details of the frozen ocean, but island nations were more dependent on sea trade than her own. She was responsible for any damages and deaths caused by the ice, a prospect that did not sit well with her. Now, looking at the young lad standing in front of her and very much afraid, she had another reason to be apprehensive about her powers.
"You, what," She canceled the magic.
"Please, I allow me to explain."
"Ice, snow," he glanced down at Olaf. "Talking snowman!"
"Yeah, it's a bit much to take in." It was then that Elsa saw realization dawn over Hiccup.
"You, you froze the ocean?"
"Please Hiccup,"
"It was my fault." Elsa's braid smacked against the side of her head with the momentum at which her head spun around to face her sister.
"But, but she has the ice powers." Hiccup pointed out, motioning a shaky hand to Elsa.
"Yes, however if I hadn't confronted my sister the way I did, she would not have lashed out with her powers."
"Anna?" Elsa whispered. Never once in the past month would Elsa have pinned the blame of the Summer of Frost on her sister, most certainly not in front of what could be called a foreign dignitary.
"Lashed, she lashed out at you?"
"It is complicated, but know that the frozen waters were a misfortunate byproduct of internal politics. And for that," Anna dipped into a full curtsey. "You have our most profound apologies."
It was the first time Elsa had ever seen Anna act as a true princess. For a moment, she could see the dignity and grace her mother had possessed. A smile worked its way to Elsa's face. "Hiccup of Berk," she turned back to her Viking guest. "I must say that I am ashamed that we have not been able to properly come to terms. You have shown me that Arendelle need not fear your dragon, and that we have wrongs to right against your people." Hiccup drew one arm around to scratch the elbow of the other.
"Well, it's not. I wouldn't go to say that really. I mean, no one died."
"Oh, that's always good to hear." Olaf announced.
"Regardless, I must speak with my advisors." Elsa clapped her hands twice. Kai opened the door and stepped inside. "Please feel free to make use of this room. If you have need of anything, please speak with Kai or one of the other servants."
"Um, thank you your highness." Hiccup offered a short bow. "I need to look through my stuff, see what survived the storm. And I think I need to speak with a blacksmith about a few things."
"We shall make the proper arrangements." With that, Elsa turned toward the door.
She could already hear her advisors arguing. She could imagine that many spoke of her sister's admittance of guilt, or over Olaf's sudden intrusion. She already had the beginnings of a plan forming in her mind. As queen, she had to think of a great deal of things at once, not the least of which included a very thick ledger filled with guard rotations and watch times. If she could make peace with this rider and dragon, then she could help further guarantee Arendelle's safety from the raiders that Captain Orik spoke of.
But for now, she had to speak with Bishop Thomas about Friday, and the memorial to be held.
As far as updates go, everyone's gonna have to take a chill pill. I wanted to update this chapter now, but further FF updates are going to be a while. I have other commitments on this site, and its high time I return to Uminari City.
STAND BY READY, SET UP!