A/N: Yes, I said this was ready months ago. Yes, I promised to upload it much sooner. Yes, I'm horridly late. We all know the drill, so I'll just leave the apologies and explanations (along with replies to most recent reviews) until the A/N at the end of Chapter 30 and let you get on with the next two chapters. Enjoy!
The town plaza was bustling with people, quite more than usual for this time of day, with the sun close to its zenith. It reminded Elsa of the day Anna and Kristoff had returned from their honeymoon in Corona, three months before—the day she had left Arendelle. It felt like an eternity ago. The only difference was that the multitude gathered today, instead of welcoming their beloved princess, would soon be saying farewell to their new Viking allies.
Surprisingly, Anna had taken it upon herself to provide some measure of control and order to the procession of Arendellians, with Kristoff's help, of course. And what a procession that was! Formed up in a line that went from the waterfront edge of the plaza to one of the two piers and back, all the villagers came to greet the Berkians one last time and bid them farewell. For this, the Riders and their respective dragons had positioned themselves with enough space between them, starting with Hiccup, Astrid and Stormfly; then, Fishlegs and Meatlug; next, Eret and Skullcrusher, even though they would actually stay in Arendelle; and finally, Valka, Stoick, and Cloudjumper.
The Stormcutter was actually perched in perfect balance on the mast of a large ship, the one that would carry Colonel Thorvald to his new home as Arendelle's ambassador, along with his and a couple more families. Kat and Arvid, the two brave kids that had joined Elsa to find the 'ice monster' all those years ago, had convinced their respective parents to move to Berk, if only for a season. Not such a difficult task, given that Kat's mother was one of the kingdom's historians and Arvid's father a Royal Guard; each had their own reasons to agree to the trip. Their ship was not as fast as flying, obviously, so Valka and Stoick had offered to accompany them all the way; between the former Viking Chief's expertise as a seafarer, and Valka and Cloudjumper to lead them home, that ship was sure to reach its destination.
Elsa pushed aside the somber thought that was threatening to emerge and took in the rest of the scene before her more closely. Apart from the men and women restocking the Riders' saddlebags for the not-so-long journey back to Berk, there were large groups of people surrounding each dragon. From the kids to the elderly, everyone seemed to want to have one last chance to see these winged creatures up close, to touch them and make sure they hadn't been dreaming the past few days. Even Olaf couldn't get enough of the dragons, delivering warm hugs to each of them in sequence… and then starting all over again. Sven preferred to keep his distance, not out of fear but to avoid tripping over the tiny snowman as he ran around.
The only Rider without a dragon for the townspeople to pet was Hiccup, though that didn't stop the villagers from greeting him fondly as they walked away from Astrid and Stormfly. Having returned the night before, Toothless and Wintergale had flown off before the break of dawn. Understandably, seeing as how they had been given the news upon coming back that the Vikings would have to return to Berk today, they'd probably just left so they could spend as much time together as possible before they had to say goodbye. Regardless, Hiccup was confident the Night Fury would be back on time for their departure.
True to the poem written by B. Blake, the two Furies had all but vanished from the face of the earth for three days, yet the dragon pair had still returned to their Riders exactly when predicted. Where they had spent that time was anybody's guess, but by then, the 'unlikely' couple had become inseparable. It still broke Elsa's heart that Toothless and Wintergale couldn't stay together, and Hiccup felt the exact same way. At least it wasn't permanent; both rulers had already been discussing the possibility of either of the two dragons spending certain seasons on the other's land. For example, Wintergale could fly to Berk on winter, while Toothless would come to Arendelle on summer, or vice versa.
The true challenge would come once the Furies had babies. Where would they nest? Which of the two Riders would have to let their dragon move permanently to the other's land? Would both Furies leave their Riders to settle elsewhere? That last question in particular worried Elsa the most. Thankfully—and again, going by what the poem seemed to indicate—there was no need for such concerns just yet. And, who knew? Maybe there was no need to worry after all. The one thing Elsa knew for sure was that Anna desperately looked forward to 'the ridiculously adorable cuteness of baby Furies'.
A distant high-pitched whistling sound that quickly grew in intensity broke her train of thought, heralding the imminent arrival of the two winged lovers as though they had been psychically summoned by Elsa's thoughts about them. She and the rest of the gathering lifted their heads and, indeed, a pair of dragons, one black, one white, came roaring potently through the clouds. The Furies soared closely overhead before stopping abruptly at a spot behind Hiccup and Astrid and landing graciously like only Furies could. Their sudden, spectacular entrance garnered them the cheering and applause of the gathering.
Elsa, for her part, was already making her way through the wave of people as quickly as possible when the young Chief spotted her among the crowd. He waved at her energetically, beckoning her to join him, as if their dragons' arrival hadn't been enough to motivate her. Upon getting closer to where he and the Furies stood, she took notice of a rather large and very ornate trunk, not unlike the ones in the castle attic where she and Anna kept some of their most valuable childhood treasures… and a very large stash of gloves Elsa still needed to give away.
"You know? I don't think this would fit in any of your saddlebags," she said casually and with a wide smile, pointing at the trunk as she approached Hiccup. "Are you really going to have one of your dragons carry this on their paws all the way back to Berk?"
"You know they can," Hiccup shrugged, already hard at work along with Astrid to saddle Toothless up for the trip. Not an easy task, mind you, what with the Night Fury absentmindedly keeping his eyes fixed on his love. At least the rigging for the tail was no longer necessary, which would make things simpler.
"Sure, but should they? Isn't it a little bit unnecessary? I mean, you've already moved everything from these supply crates into your bags and baskets."
Hiccup laughed. "Don't worry, Elsa. We're not taking this with us. In fact, this is something we're leaving here. You see, we have a few parting gifts for you and Anna in this trunk."
"Gifts?!" Anna squealed and came running over, leaving the crowd-control duties in her husband's hands. Elsa shook her head as her little sister started rummaging around in the trunk. Anna had an uncanny ability to hear the words 'chocolate' and 'gifts' from miles away, even when mixed with other loud noises.
Her little sister's reaction was a welcome distraction, though; Elsa wouldn't have known how to answer to Hiccup. He had already given Wintergale a new saddle before they had left Berk—not one previously used by Toothless, mind you, but a brand-new, custom-made one—to replace the horse saddle Elsa had been using since their first flight together. Additionally, Fishlegs had pledged to give her a copy of the Book of Dragons for her library; in fact, he'd been working on it since before they left Berk. All of this had been overwhelming enough, and now it turned out they had even more to offer? Where had they kept those presents hidden in the first place?
With a grateful tear threatening to escape her eye, Elsa decided it would just be better to join her sister in finding out what the Vikings were leaving there for them exactly. The first gift she noticed, thanks in no small part to Anna who was holding it up, was a full-body leather suit strikingly similar to the one donned by Hiccup, yet also different somewhat. Anna handed it over to Elsa so she could examine it. It was hard to say for sure, but at first glance it seemed this suit had been designed with a female frame in mind. What was certain was that it did have the same gliding functionality integrated on it. "This… Hiccup, this gliding suit… did you really make this for me?" Elsa stuttered.
"Actually, that was first intended for me," Astrid said with a wink just as Hiccup opened his mouth to speak. "But it might just fit you."
"And, of course, you're free to give it your personal, magical touch," Hiccup added.
Elsa blushed while caressing the leather suit with her thumbs. This was a wonderful present indeed. She couldn't wait to try it out with Wintergale. "Thank you. Both of you."
"Don't flatter yourself too much," Astrid said with a dismissive tone of voice, waving her hand. "Hiccup's already told me he's thinking of an upgraded version for me."
Elsa smirked. Has she not sorted out her differences with Astrid already, she would've felt hurt at this remark. Yet behind the competitive, tough-as-nails attitude, Elsa had learned to find the camaraderie and loyalty of a true friend. It wasn't mere wishful thinking from Elsa's part; she knew Astrid was glad to part with the suit and let her have it.
As she was about to set the gliding suit down, two cylindrical objects inside the chest caught her attention, one white-and-brown in color, the other one darker and with a little more girth near the front. Elsa's first thought was that these objects were some sort of spyglasses or telescopes, but the lenses at the front didn't resemble any type of lens she'd ever come across, reminding her more of the top of a diamond than anything else.
She picked up the withe-brown one to take a closer look at the white carvings that topped each end of the artifact; they seemed to be made of ivory. One was shaped like the head of some sort of snake or dragon with its mouth open and tiny rubies in place of the eyes, while the other concealed seven buttons with engravings that could've easily been a match to each dragon class in the Book of Dragons. The brown middle section was composed of several rotating rings with ornate symbols decorating it. She realized that what she'd imagined to be wood was in fact metal, probably bronze or some other similar alloy.
Still holding the first artifact in one hand, she reached for the other one. The first thing she noticed as she lifted it up was that the dragon-head carving was radically different, clearly resembling Toothless. Aside from that, its design in general was simpler than the other artifact; the middle section was missing most if not all of the rotating rings, and the seven buttons were located on the side of it instead of on the rear end itself. Also in contrast to the other artifact, this one seemed to be made of metal in its entirety, likely Gronckle iron, albeit painted black in some places.
Elsa tried to look through both artifacts like one would a spyglass, but she couldn't see a thing. Actually, that wasn't true; she could see through it, but the image was distorted—exactly like trying to see through a large diamond, giving even more credit to her previous assertion. "So… how do these inventions of yours work, Hiccup?" she asked, still trying to focus through the lens.
Hiccup laughed. "What makes you think this was my handiwork?"
"You mean, other than using Toothless as inspiration to build one of them? Come on, this has 'Hiccup Haddock' written all over it."
"Well, I appreciate that, but I'd be lying if I said both were my inventions," Hiccup said. "The first one you grabbed is actually an ancient artifact we found a little over a year ago. I just did my best to replicate it—adding my own flair in the process, of course."
"Okay… what are these, then?" Elsa asked just as Anna took the artifact resembling Toothless from her hand and looked through it like she had done.
"Repositories of knowledge that can only be powered by a dragon's flame. We call them Dragon Eyes." Hiccup reached for the Dragon Eye that Elsa was holding. "Here, let me show you."
Raising a curious eyebrow, Elsa gave Hiccup the Eye as Astrid and Stormfly circled behind them. "The Dragon Eyes serve as projectors for lenses like this one," he explained as he removed a round object from within the artifact then put it back in place. "Some of them can be seen with any dragon's flame, but some—like this one—will require a dragon from a certain class in order to access their information." Hiccup aimed the Eye at the open lid of the trunk while Astrid whispered something into Stormfly's ear. The blue dragon then opened her mouth, letting out a soft flame.
"Whoa…" Anna said, her attention now drawn to the light emitted by the Dragon Eye that Hiccup was holding.
True enough, an image appeared projected on the lid. At its center was a depiction of a Deadly Nadder, surrounded by several other symbols and some form of written language Elsa couldn't decipher. Hiccup rearranged the rotating rings slightly, which brought forth a different projection of a dragon she didn't recognize.
"Now, this," Hiccup continued, gesturing at a tiny box inside the trunk, "contains each and every Dragon Eye lens we've ever found. They will work the same way on either one of the Eyes."
Powered only by a dragon's flame? Elsa repeated in her mind as Hiccup handed her back the ancient artifact. "Wow, Hiccup, I… I really appreciate this gift, but…"
"Your dragon doesn't produce flames," Astrid interjected. "Yeah, we know."
"Truth is," Hiccup said, scratching the back of his neck, "these two in particular are more than just gifts for you. We-we thought it'd be best to give them to you for safekeeping."
"Huh?" Elsa frowned.
"To say that all-out wars have been waged over control of the Dragon Eyes would not be overstating things. You see, they are such amazing tools for dragon knowledge, but in the wrong hands, they're just too dangerous. We considered destroying them, but we couldn't find the means to do so… But perhaps, in the hands of the greatest Winter Sorceress the world has ever known, they can be safe." Elsa blushed a little at this remark. "A-and, who knows? Whenever any of us do come visit, you can take the chance to actually use the Eyes a-and learn a little more from them."
"Alright, alright," Elsa said, giggling. "No need to oversell it, Hiccup. It's a lovely gift, and as I said, I appreciate it."
Hiccup smiled softly and nodded as Elsa set the Dragon Eyes back inside the trunk. She made sure to leave them in the exact same place she'd found them in, atop the many other gifts present. Most she recognized as objects from Berk's daily living, likely something for her to remember her time among Vikings, while others seemed to have come specifically from the Riders themselves. The promised copy of the Book of Dragons was there, too. As she opened it, she saw a dedication page at the very beginning that read in Old Norse: "For a fellow impassioned dragon lover and friend. May these pages always keep that flame alive in you."
Then she saw the tiny leather notebook at the very bottom. "Hiccup…" she said in a whisper, taking the journal in her hands. "Is this what I think it is?"
"Yeah…" Again, Hiccup took a hand to the back of his neck. Elsa found that particular tick of his 'brother's' endearing. "I-I would've preferred to finish that map before my dad appointed me chief of Berk, but that's hardly going to be an option anymore. I have new responsibilities, whether I like it or not. I thought of a few people who might finish it for me or, at the very least, keep it safe, and… well, you seem like the best choice."
"Me?" Elsa looked up in shock. "B-but I don't know the first thing about drawing maps. A-and besides, if it's a map you need, maybe we can find you one in my father's library. He kept so many ancient texts and—"
"Elsa, you're missing the point," Hiccup interrupted her, taking the journal and her hand between both of his. "I'm not telling you to ignore your responsibilities as Queen any more than I should ignore mine as Chief. This map is not meant to be more important than that. But this isn't as much about drawing a map as it is strengthening your bond with Wintergale."
Elsa blinked for a moment and fell silent.
"The time Toothless and I have spent mapping our world has been invaluable," Hiccup explained, "for it has made us closer friends. True, we've been doing most everything together for five years, whether on Berk or while exploring with our other friends. But when it's just the two of us…" He paused for a moment as he looked down at the journal, the faintest sign of a smile drawn at the corner of his lips, clear evidence of cherished memories resurfacing. "All I ask," the young Viking continued, "is that you find a way to forge a closer bond with Wintergale whenever you have the chance to do so. Use this map only if it serves you, or until you come up with something that's more like you."
It was hard to argue against that logic. While Elsa and Wintergale had been able to strengthen their bond over the last few months, most of it had been during violent times, through the fight against Drago. Only twice had they spent time alone and in peace since Wintergale's return; during her short stay in the Ice Palace with Elsa, and over the course of their journey to the Sanctuary. They both needed more of that. If anything, that Viking map would serve as a reminder of it, something that would encourage her to find something suitable for her and the Ice Fury.
Words would not be enough to express her gratitude anymore, nor were they needed at this point. Elsa threw her arms around Hiccup and squeezed her adoptive brother as tightly as she could. Hiccup said nothing in return either but merely responded in kind. That small embrace soon became a group hug when Anna, Valka, and Stoick—and Olaf, because no group hug was complete without Olaf—all joined in.
When everyone finally pulled away from the hug, the Riders and their dragons walked down the pier amid cheers and goodbye waves from the crowd. On their way to the boarding ramp, Hiccup and Astrid paused to each give Eret a strong arm handshake and their farewell. Although Elsa was unable to hear what was said to the former trapper, it seemed enough to bring a tear to his eye. She would ask him about that at a later time.
The two remaining Riders eventually joined the rest aboard the Arendellian ship while Elsa, Anna, and Wintergale followed them all the way to the bottom of the ramp. As the crew weighed anchor and set sail, she bowed her head and exclaimed in a loud enough voice: "Safe travels to all, my dearest friends."
"Fara heill, min kærr systir æn félagi," Hiccup uttered in response, as the Haddock family and the rest of the Riders bowed reverently as well.
Elsa smiled widely at these words. As the ship cleared the pier, a strong breeze suddenly blew into the sails, propelling the ship forward with such force that it would become a speck in the horizon within the hour, probably in less time even. Halfway through that mark, Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, and Valka, all took flight on their respective dragons and flanked the vessel, keeping pace with it. Elsa knew that the three younger Riders would eventually fly ahead to let the Berkians know that some newcomers were on the way. She smiled at the thought of a proper Viking welcome for her people.
The crowd continued to cheer and wave until the ship finally vanished. Then, as the Arendellians cleared the docks and town plaza, Anna leaned to whisper in her sister's ear: "Um, Elsa… those words Hiccup said to you before he left… what do they mean?"
"I'll let you know later," the Snow Queen winked at her younger sister.
A/N: What about you, guys? Can you guess (or do you know) what Hiccup's farewell means? (Apologies to those who actually do know Old Norse if the phrase was improperly written; I had to use online translators and some wit to infer how that phrase should be structured.)
So, anyway, fun fact. I've already had this story pretty much mapped out from start to finish since late 2014/early 2015. Among other things, I had intended to tie the series (Riders/Defenders of Berk mostly) into the story in a slightly deeper way. Yes, the connection with the DoB episode Frozen should've been enough to imply that, but I wanted something else.
Spoiler alert: my tie-in would've been Heather. Yes, that Heather.
Originally, Heather was going to be Berk's ambassador instead of Eret. She would've come forward from among the crowd the day of the Vikings' arrival on Arendelle, having lived there with her 'family' ever since their departure from Berk five years prior. It would've been a nice surprise and a lovely reunion, and it would've given me a chance to bring back that character. Needless to say, Race to the Edge blew that chance (no complaints here, though; her and Dagur's storyline was one of the best things RttE gave us fans).
As you can imagine, I've actually changed a whole lot of things over the years. Some storylines that I wanted to develop might never see the light of day, while others I wouldn't have considered at first made greater sense later on in the grand scheme of things. I still wish I'd had a chance to go for the 'Heather-as-ambassador' storyline, but having Eret instead did provide a different set of possibilities that I'm eager to explore.
Now, I've already written a rant in regards to RttE two chapters ago, so I won't delve a second time into why I feel the final two seasons—or, rather, the very last one in particular—were rushed to the point where the storylines became 'slightly' conflicted. I will tell you, though, that in spite of all that, I wanted to link RttE to this story too; I just hadn't found a way to do so… until a few months ago, when a rather brilliant idea finally struck me, if I do say so myself.
It was most definitely not something I had originally considered; as a matter of fact, this chapter, just like the next two, was already complete and waiting for me to finish Chapter 28—and that tie-in was still not part of it. Hiccup would've only given Elsa the gliding suit and his journal/map in this chapter before leaving Arendelle. But the more I thought about the Dragon Eyes as an additional gift, the more sense it made—and the more excited it got me. So, I went back and added the Eyes into this chapter, hopefully in a satisfying way. Please do let me know your thoughts about it.
And yes, in case you're still wondering, Chapter 30 is up already, so… I'll see you guys there!