Finally. The quarry he'd razed Berk for was here. It was a shame the other night fury had died, but Hiccup was still there for the taking. It might actually be more satisfying this way, imprisoning and using the person who had given him so much trouble over that other night fury. It was here, in this pitifully soft kingdom, that he would finally get what he destroyed Berk and all its Vikings for.

And when he got hold of the runt turned dragon, he would sear his mark into the flesh above his heart and ride him like a subjugated beast. He could feel the chills running up his spine already.

Elsa's parents left soon after dinner, saying they didn't want to be caught in the darker parts of the night still on the mountains. The route down would be much quicker, so she needn't worry about them. Not that she would. She was more worried about the dragon hiding in his room.

Had Hiccup had enough to eat? Was he too cold? Or worse, had he heard about the man hunting him? No, he needed to hear about that, so he could tell her more about this Dagur and what he wanted from him. In fact, if they'd already been preparing, they could be here any day now. Her parents hadn't said anything about transportation, so they might be coming on foot. That would give the two on the mountain at least a day to prepare, but if they used sleds there was only a matter of hours. So as soon as her family was out of sight, she ran to the wall sealing Hiccup in and knocked. "They're gone, you can blast the door now."

He did just that and walked towards her, brows raised and eyes alert. Anything interesting happen? "Well, I told Anna about my powers. Apparently my parents did not think she needed to know. They loved the stone artwork, though. Speaking of which, you'll have to melt off the ice I put over that portrait of you and me in my room."

Momentarily distracted from the more important issue, the two walked up the stairs into her bedroom and Hiccup mustered the smallest blast possible, the same kind Toothless used to use to light lanterns back when Berk was still around. Still, a portion of the ice wall melted away with the cover, letting the shards stick out in a row of bumps and ridges. Elsa quickly repaired the space. "Thank you, Hiccup." But the tone was not at its usual lightheartedness, so Hiccup raised his brows and brought them together, asking a question with his face. Is there something else?

She walked over to the bed and sat down at the foot of it with a gentle fwump as she sank into the snow mattress. Hiccup followed and leapt up onto the bed, resting his body along its length and propping up his head and shoulders with his forepaws so he could see eye to eye with the princess. She took a deep breath, and for the first time noticed that Hiccup had a smell. It was the sharp tang of any animal, but the cold from his contact with the ice tickled her nose along with the slight scent of charring. It was no perfume, but not completely unpleasant either. The breath and subsequent discovery set her a little more at ease and made it easier to say the next words. "Someone is looking for you."

The effect on Hiccup was small but immediate. Where his head had been sloped towards her, he now held it straight up and his ear flaps shot up from their previously relaxed and slightly concerned position at half-mast. She calmed him, reassuring. "They're not here now. But my father said they'd seen and spoken with a party looking for a night fury. Are you one?" he nodded, relaxing a bit more. "But my father didn't mention sleds or any good snow transports, so I think they're coming on foot. We have a while to hide you before that Dagur fellow gets here."

She didn't think the name would have an effect on Hiccup. It did. He growled and his brows drew together, making the scales between them rise in ridges down his nose. "Do you know him?" again, he nodded, but now he was more tense than ever, almost rigid. But before Elsa could ask another question, he sprang off the bed and began frantically drawing with his claws on the floor. Elsa watched as the image of a man manifested belong Hiccup's paws. He wasn't especially tall, but had very broad shoulders, and he was covered in a mixture of fur, leather, and armor. The helmet had two very oddly shaped horns, and a tattoo of three slash marks ran down one side of his face. It matched her father's descriptions.

This was the man hunting her friend.

But why?

She repeated the question out loud and in response, Hiccup drew another image, with him chained and his wings bound, Dagur standing in front of him. Elsa got off the bed and inspected the picture closely. With a horrified expression, she looked back up at her friend. "He wants to imprison you?"

The night fury nodded and began drawing another picture. This time it was him flying, but with the other man on his back. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst parts were the lines of leather trailing from Dagur's hands that ended in hooks piercing the membranes of his wings. Elsa looked at her friend again, tears threatening to spill over. "That is how he would fly you?" The dragon nodded, slowly and with his eyes closed.

Elsa got up off the floor. She put her hands underneath his chin. "Don't worry, friend. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." She pressed her hands against the bottom of his jaw, bringing his face forward until their foreheads were touching.

They slept beside each other that night, with Elsa cradled in Hiccup's beautiful black wings. She would not let him go back downstairs. The pictures had been too vivid. She needed to know that he was safe and with her, not chained or flying with disfigured wings. So she clutched at his ear flaps, pressed herself to his broad belly as he cocooned her in the leather of his wings.

Hiccup didn't mind. He had missed her during the day, when he was sealed away from her. And the news of Dagur had scared him, especially since he knew exactly what the Berserker chief would do to him. He'd used it as taunting material often enough when they were fighting over Toothless. So it felt good to hold Elsa, the only good thing that had happened to him since the fall of Berk and his cursing.

Both of them slept easily that night, the nightmares unable to penetrate the warmth and comfort they extended towards each other.

They were woken the next morning by a crash and angry shouts.

I can't believe we're here at the attack already! An give yourselves a pat on the back for earning this chapter early. She finally held him in the signature pose of this story! Does anyone recognize the quote I slipped in? I love doing that for this story.

Sorry for the earlier mix up, I accidentally posted a chapter from my HTTYD story on this one. I'll try not to let that happen again. If you think I could improve this, or there was a particular part you liked, review!