Chapter 10: Every Storm Runs Out of Snow
Elsa woke up in a cell. Her head was pounding horribly, and sitting up made the room spin for a few moments. She saw Hiccup at the edge of the cell, looking out at the landscape in front of him. Nearly half of his hair had turned white, and he was shivering slightly. Elsa tried to look at the landscape with him, but as she did, chains tugged at her. Looking down, she saw her hands bound, completely invisible from the iron braces that encased them.
The door opened, Prince Hans entering.
"Elsa, we need you to bring back summer." Hans said solemnly, his breath misting in front of him.
"Don't you see?" Elsa asked. "I can't." Hiccup was about to interrupt, but stopped at a look from Hans. "You have to convince them to let me go." Elsa said.
"I will see what I can do." Hans said, exiting.
"He won't." Hiccup said darkly. Elsa looked at him; a questioned burning in her mind.
"Why did you save me?" Elsa asked. Hiccup looked at Elsa, a surprised look crossing his face.
"What?" Hiccup inquired, his face changing into one of confusion.
"Why did you save me?" Elsa repeated. Hiccup, with a sigh, slid down the wall.
"If I had to take a guess, it is because I…" Hiccup cleared his throat. "I…I think I…" He couldn't get the words out.
"Is it because you…are in love with me?" Elsa asked quietly.
Meanwhile…
Kristoff was racing to Arendelle upon Sven, Anna held close to him, trying to keep her warm. More than half of her hair had turned white, her body vibrating. He took his wool hat off and gave it to Anna. Racing to the gates, they opened.
"Get her warm, and send for Prince Hans immediately." Kristoff told the attendants. They nodded in affirmation. As the gates closed, Kristoff felt a slight pain in his chest. Sven whined at the gates, and Kristoff walked away.
Anna was laid down in a room, the attendants lighting a fire, and Hans entered.
"Hans, you need to kiss me." Anna said, quickly. The attendants left; leaving the two royals to privacy. "Only an act of true love can thaw my heart." Hans face lit up with understanding.
"True love's kiss." He said. Lifting her chin, he leaned forward, and both closed their eyes. Moments before they made contact, Hans stopped, opened his eyes, and leaned back. "Oh Anna" he chided. "If only there was someone who loved you." Anna was speechless, trying to understand. Hans, seeing her fail to comprehend it, began to explain. "As 13th in line, in order to rule anywhere, I was going to have to marry into the throne somewhere. Elsa would've been preferred but no one was getting anywhere with her. Then you, you were so desperate for love you were willing to marry me just like that." He doused the fire, so that Anna would freeze to death quicker. Her body had stopped shivering, trying to concentrate all of its remaining heat in the core. "All that is left is to kill Elsa, and bring back summer."
"You are no match for Elsa." Anna said.
"No" Hans disagreed, "You are no match for Elsa."
"You won't get away with this." Anna said.
"Oh darling, I already have." Hans said, closing the door and locking it. Anna leaned against the door, losing touch with reality.
Meanwhile…
Hiccup looked away at the question; but the silence was confirmation enough for Elsa. He did in fact, love her. Touched as she was by the emotion, she felt that she couldn't respond in kind. Hiccup sat there, until his face lite up with an idea. Hiccup made his way to the window, making the strangest call from his mouth that Elsa had ever heard. Another was heard in response, and Toothless bound toward the cell wall a few minutes later, eyes squinting in the wind. Hiccup could see faint bruises on his body, no doubt from his fight with Marshmallow.
When Toothless finally realized there were people present, he took off and hid, waiting and watching for Hiccup. When he saw that Hiccup was taken hostage, he loyally followed, waiting for Hiccup to summon him.
"I need you to break us out Toothless." Hiccup wrapped Elsa in his arms, his back facing the wall. A whistle started, and a fireball blasted the wall open. Toothless came in and let out an exhausted sigh, finally free of the wind. "Free her" Hiccup said, referring to the chains that held her. Toothless let out his fire in a beam, cutting through the chains and melting the locks. Elsa rubbed her freed flesh gratefully. "Let's go." Hiccup said, grabbing his helmet and holding out his hand to Elsa. Taking it, the three ran into the fierce storm that had begun.
Somewhere else in the castle…
Hans had convinced the council through a flood of tears that he and Anna had enough time to speak their marriage vows before she died. He tried Elsa with treason for killing her sister, and sentenced her to death. With his reign on the horizon, it took all Hans had to keep from smiling.
Outside Arendelle…
Kristoff finally snapped. He couldn't stand by and leave Anna. Even if she didn't return his feelings, he had to tell her how he felt. He wouldn't forgive himself if he didn't. Swinging up onto Sven, he started racing back to Arendelle, ignoring the storm that had started.
In the castle…
Anna heard the door being unlocked. The door creaked open, a carrot being the lock pick. Olaf giggled, and asked Anna what happened. Telling him about Hans, Olaf scoffed.
"At least Kristoff put your needs before his, trying to help you." Realization hit Anna like a ton of bricks.
"I need to get to Kristoff; I don't how I know this; but he's coming back for me." Anna said, shakily standing up, going outside through a window.
/
Hans entered Elsa's cell, finding the wall blown inward. Growling, he set out after her.
/
Hiccup was helping Elsa through the storm, although she was the one supporting him. With the help of Toothless, the two of them were basically dragging him along. Hiccup dropped to ground, gasping out in pain. Elsa removed his helmet, and watched as the rest of his hair turned white.
"Go on Elsa." Hiccup said.
"Not without you." Elsa said.
"Yes without me." Hiccup said.
"ELSA!" Hans shouted. Hiccup turned towards the man, nearly invisible in the storm.
"Toothless, go." Hiccup said. Toothless' ears perked up, and Hiccup, the last thing he wanted to give his friend before he died, locked his tail in place. Toothless took off away from the castle.
/
Sven was racing, trying to avoid ship crashing into the ice-filled fjord. Failing, he bucked Kristoff off of him, getting him to safety. Sven slipped into the icy water afterward.
"Sven!" Kristoff shouted. A black shadow crashed into the water, and then Toothless pulled Sven out of the water. Both were on an iceberg, shaking the water off of their bodies fiercely. Kristoff, smiling, set off towards the castle.
/
"Take care of my sister." Elsa shouted to Hans.
"Your sister is dead. She came back from the mountain, cold as ice. She said you froze her heart." Hans told her. Elsa felt numb. It wasn't possible. She had done everything, even running away to keep her sister safe. But it wasn't enough. As sorrow encompassed her, the storm collapsed as her legs gave out.
/
Kristoff saw Anna, and Anna was going as fast as she could toward him. Her legs felt like stiff planks. Looking back, she saw Hans, sword in hand, ready to kill Elsa. Anna made the first selfish decision of her life, and went to Kristoff. Reaching him, she immediately kissed him. Indescribable warmth flooded through her, thawing every part of her frozen body. Free from death, she looked back, and what she saw amazed her.
/
Hiccup saw the intention of the prince, and wasn't going to let it happen. Standing to his feet, his right hand grabbed Inferno, and his left hand gripped the hilt of Firestorm. As Hans swung down, Hiccup pulled Firestorm free, the metal letting off a ring as it scrapped against its scabbard. Before it was free, Hiccup pressed a button on the handle guard. Blue flame shot across the blade.
The two swords met with a clang, Elsa looking behind her at the sound. Hiccup then let Inferno enter the battle. He swung Inferno at Hans' neck, and Hans barely stepped back, avoiding being decapitated.
"I thought you would be dead by now." Hans said. Hiccup smiled, despite feeling like death.
"It takes more than a little cold to kill me." He swung Firestorm around, striking at Hans. Now, if Hiccup had been at full strength, the battle would've lasted mere seconds. Hiccup was the best swordsman on Berk, having trained for years in secret. With swords, he could usually beat both Snotlout and Astrid at the same time. But, with ice in every vein of his body, his body responded sluggishly, barely parrying any strike thrown back at him, and his own swings and lunges were sloppy and slow, Hans easily parrying and dodging. The last strike of the battle, Hans locked swords with Hiccup, and then snaked his blade around Firestorm and plunged his sword into Hiccup's gut, pushing it in less than an inch.
"How does it feel boy?" Hans asked as he prepared to thrust it in deeper. Hiccup swung Inferno down and to his right, pulling the sword free from his armor, the chain mail under the leather blocking the sword. The swing spun Hans around and Hiccup forced Firestorm through Han's chest. Han's looked down at the blue flaming blade sticking out of his chest.
"I don't know, you tell me." Hiccup said, and ripped Firestorm free from Han's body. With that, Hans collapsed, Hiccup following shortly after.
Elsa crawled over to him.
"I guess I do love you." Hiccup said, his hands starting to frost over. Elsa began to cry, a single tear falling from her eye.
"I love you too Hiccup. I didn't know what love felt like until now." As Hiccup's body began to become a perfect ice sculpture, Elsa leaned forward, placing her lips on his. When she pulled away, Hiccup's body completely froze.
AN: Hiccup can't be dead; can he? This story just ended, the hero never dies at the end. Call me evil, but you have to wait until next week to find out. Please don't hate me. The finale is next week, and see all of you then; take care!