Authors Notes: Hello all, I have read a few reviews on my latest chapter and I want to thank you all for words of encouragement and gratitude. In regards to Moghulis who brought up a good point concerning the random facts about my life that I was giving away. I did not mean to come across as a know it all, I do not know everything about politics. No one does as to why politicians have so many advisors because no one person knows everything. So I wish to tell you a little bit about myself:
I am a 27-year-old male with a political science degree from the University of Virginia, with a minor in sociology. I work part time at a major retailer making minimum wage while seeking another better paying job. I recently graduated from Sentara College of Health Sciences with a completion in Central Sterile Services program. I did work at a hospital in that field cleaning instruments, trays and endoscopes. My mother is a nurse, whom I ask medical related questions in regards to this story. If you want to know more you can pm me. So I want to be clear: I am not a professional writer or a doctor. Just because I have a degree in something does not mean I know everything about that one thing. I know a lot of stuff about certain small things, but I am not a know it all and you shouldn't take it as gospel. This story is entertainment and you all should not take what you learn in here and practice it in real life. The results may not have the best outcome.
This chapter will explain a few things that you all might have found confusing in the last chapter in respects to the dragons. I am going for realism in this story in regards to Hiccup and his leg. There will be another authors note at the bottom of this chapter. I wish to give a shout out to the following reviewers: Yumikana, orca3553, octaviangradius, DarkPhantom13, Cloud4012, ravenx1988, fanfictionmakermachine, the-unknown-guardian, fantasylover4evr, Ghost, Noctus Fury, Moghulis, Kilo8 (thank you for the defense), and TheWritingFactory.
Disclaimer: I don't own Disney's: Frozen or DreamWorks: How To Train Your Dragon.
Chapter 8
New Beginnings and Living through it All
It had been four days and Elsa was getting annoyed, Hiccup made a noise or two, but had failed to wake up. Though on a better note the IV fluid made his face return to its normal color and his leg looked much better. She quickly fell into a normal routine on the small island: wake up, go to Stoick's house, watch him until Astrid came over while which she would talk to Aaron or Gerda about things. After Astrid took command of over watch duties she was then invited to go on several tours of the island including the history of Berk, inspection of the harbor and viewing of the main hall with a detailed history of each Viking chief.
After the tours and histories of the chiefs she was led out to in front of the main hall doors. Looking over the village she saw the remnants of the destroyed catapult. She then remembered about the dragons, where were they all? She hadn't seen a single trace of a dragon, not a flapping wing or a call. Elsa walked down the steps followed by her Guards to the forge, she thought she had seen a large man who looked kind of like Stoick. When she arrived that man turned out to be the blacksmith, who introduced himself as Gobber. He had a portlier body than that of Stoick. He was also missing an arm, a leg and a few teeth. Maybe she should get her eyes checked, if she believed that this man was Stoick.
"So I take it yer looking for dragons?" Gobber asked in between hammer strikes, not even glancing up.
Elsa nodded her head in confirmation.
"Stoick had them all sent away to the far side of the island, well the ones that would listen that is. The others are either in the arena or still at the remains of their former home, the nest."
Elsa looked at all the hammers, swords and shields that lined the walls of the shop. She could see a small room in the back, "may I?" She asked pointing toward the small room. Gobber nodded, to which she then moved forward deeper into the forge and pushed a blanket that had acted as a makeshift door out of the way to see that the room was actually Hiccups drawing room. There were dozens of sketches, white prints and inventions that lined the walls and hung from the ceiling. She saw a wooden wheeled contraption that had a hollowed out center as if something was meant to come out of it.
She dragged her hand across the top of it and patted the spot where she saw Hiccups initials. Suddenly without warning the tube opened and a metal ball was catapulted through the open door and into the forge. Elsa stood in shock, eyes wide and mouth agape as she heard a loud groan come from Gobber in the other room. "Oy! Don't touch any of Hiccups contraptions, they haven't been properly calibrated yet! I'm…I'm going to go lay down for a while, that ball hurt."
"I'm sorry, do you require medical attention? Gerda can take care of you if need be." Elsa offered still rooted to the ground.
"No. The ball hit my rump and I don't want to blind Gerda with my hairy backside. Thank ye though for the offer Princess Elsa. I will be back in an hour or two. And be careful of yer surroundings."
She could hear the now injured Gobber hobble his way out of the forge and then she turned a dark shade of red in embarrassment. "Good job Elsa, not even a week here and your already hurting other people. You need to calm down and don't touch anything that looks like it could cause trouble." Elsa thought as she moved carefully towards Hiccups drawing desk. The desk was angled so that Hiccup would not have had to hunch over to draw or write, perhaps she could replicate this in her room with her desk.
There were drawings of people, dragons and of her. A smile came to her face when she saw how amazing she looked on paper, but next to her sketch was Anna's. She picked up the drawing and sat down on the stool located next to the desk. Anna looked beautiful, she was smiling and looked like she was at dinner. Did Hiccup draw this from memory? If that is true, then he has an amazing detailed memory and mind. Perhaps she could keep this one if he allowed her to do so. A single tear fell down her face seeing Anna smile. Elsa missed her sister dearly, every time Anna knocked on her door, it took all her will power not to open the door and hug her sister. She had to be strong though, Anna's life depended on it. One day when she knew she could control her powers fully she would talk to her sister again.
Putting the drawing back on the desk she moved to walk out of the room, but stopped just shy of walking through the makeshift door. A drawing in the corner caught her eye, moving around the desk and past some inventions she saw a sketch of Astrid. This sketch had full color whereas Anna's and hers were just black and white. Seeing the sketch of Astrid grinning back at her almost wickedly, a small breath of anger gripped her hand as she crushed the drawing. When she realized what she had done the drawing was a complete loss; torn and crumbled. Surely Hiccup would have known someone was in his room if he found his work like this. Quickly she compacted the paper into a smaller ball and encased it in her hand.
Moving out of the room she walked past a hearth with a still burning fire, she looked around and saw the backs of her guards who were looking away from her. Elsa then tossed the ball of paper into the fire and watched it wither away to ashes. Smiling at getting away with the destruction of Astrid's drawing she moved out of the forge and drew in a fresh breath of air. She saw Stoick moving toward her and a slight twinge of fear went through her. Had he seen her throw something into the fire, was she discovered?
"Princess Elsa how is me son doing?" He asked moving to stand in front of her.
Elsa had to look up at the massive Viking, "He is well Chief Stoick. I believe he will wake up any day now." "Hopefully when I am with him." Elsa replied in a casual tone, thankful that she was in the clear.
"If I may? Is it true that you were able to send all the dragons to the far side of the island, and where is this Toothless? Hiccup said the dragon was his friend and the two had bonded apparently enough to take on a massive dragon and save the entire village."
Stoick leaned against one of the pillars that held up the forge, "I sent most of them to the far side of the island with plenty of fish as a means to keep them there for yer sake. The others are being are being held in the former training academy under lock and key. As for Toothless, he is around. I believe I last saw him on the roof of me house. I tell you Toothless nearly gave yer Guards a heart attack when they saw him on the roof. Thankfully they listened to my command about not drawing their weapons or pointing them at a dragon." Stoick said then moved off the pillar. "Would you like to see them? They will be restrained of course. Ye don't have to accept my offer if ye don't feel up to it."
"No, no. I will happily accept your offer for a tour of the dragons. Please lead on." As they moved toward the side of the island she thought she saw a black blur in her peripheral sight that was leaping from roof top to roof top till it stopped at its final destination; Hiccups house.
Nearing the wooden bridge that connected the main island to the arena over a deep chasm, she saw Spitelout waiting for them.
He bowed as she approached, "afternoon Princess Elsa, are you ready to view the dragons? They are all being restrained and some are behind bars in caves for a few of them are still wary of humans." Spitelout told her as he led the group into the arena. Pausing for a moment she looked up to see they were basically inside of a giant cage. "So this is where it all started with the dragon killing event which led to Toothless being captured and subsequently the battle at the dragon nest for the future of every Viking on Berk." She had been told the story by Astrid during one of their brief tradeoffs of Hiccup.
Looking back down and taking a glance at Spitelout she moved forward and curtsied toward him. "Mr. Spitelout I would like to offer me sincere thanks for sending us word of Hiccup's health. Without it we would have thought everything was just fine. I was told that you went without food or water for four days and nearly went mad from the sea. Only your training and years of being a successful Viking saved your life. So thank you again for all that you have done." Elsa stated then curtsied again.
Spitelout moved back and forth on his feet and scratched the back of his head looking somewhat embarrassed. "I accept your thanks Princess Elsa, but the part about the sea travel is a lie. Whomever told you about the sea madness and food bit must have been drinking for I was never in any danger."
Elsa's eyebrows arched a little at this new information, perhaps she should only talk to Vikings that are not drinking a lot of mead.
"In truth all Vikings take a satchel or a bundle of blankets into battle or on a journey with them. Some take a spare shield or sword, others take food and water and some take alcohol and medicine. I, for example keep a few loafs of bread, a sack of water and a spare map in case I become lost." He then pointed toward a small bundle of blankets held together by rope that was against a wall on the far side. "I did run out of food on the third day and water on the morning of the fourth, but by then I was less than half a day from your home. There were no storms, only clear skies and a good wind. In total there was never any danger of me going mad. Whomever told you this clearly is just looking for attention. I apologize for the wrong news that you received." Spitelout remarked then bowed slightly.
Elsa nodded her head at the apology. "No guilt is needed Mr. Spitelout, thank you for clarifying the story. Now if you would kindly show me some dragons, I would be most appreciative."
Spitelout moved forward past the Vikings guarding the cages and opened up a pen showing a dragon with a large body, small wings and what appeared to be warts over its body. The dragon woke up, hovered for moment before dropping onto its stomach and going back to sleep. "That is a Gronkle." Spitelout announced. "I guess he is a little lazy." Elsa thought, then walked over to a tall looking dragon with a large wingspan and a tail covered in spikes; it's head too had spikes. Its body was a mix of blue and yellow splotches. "And this is a Deadly Nadder, capable of throwing spikes at its enemies with a mere swipe of her tail."
At the sound of that piece of information not only did Elsa take a step back, but her Guards moved to form a small defensive screen in front of her. "Sorry, I did not mean to scare you. Moving on." He said embarrassed that he caused a small bit of trouble.
This went on for nearly an hour, Elsa learned about the different classes of dragons, what their measurements were and how they performed in previous battles against them.
She had been asked if she wanted to touch or pet a dragon but the Guards however prevented any physical contact between the Princess and 'the winged beasts' to which they referred to them as. They secretly did not want to explain to their King why his daughter was missing a finger or hand. They didn't want to take any chances.
Afterward Elsa was invited back to the Great Hall by Stoick for dinner and to be entertained with shows performed by the villagers or Hiccups new friends. Most of them trying to talk to her when she was by herself or walking through the village. Ruffnut asked about her hair, Tuffnut flirted with her, Astrid threw glares every now and then when they exchanged glances mostly due to watching Hiccup. Fishlegs stayed mostly to himself, but did ask questions about Arendelle and its history. The only one she did not see a lot of was Snotlout; he was still nursing his fresh wounds thanks to Astrid. She remembered she had told Astrid about what Snotlout had done to his cousin to which Astrid beat the crap out of him for, he literally crapped himself when she was pounding his face into the ground.
It was the fifth day since her arrival and even now and then she would gaze up from her book to look at Hiccups face to make sure he was still breathing. Doctor Aaron had taken out the IV only a few hours ago believing that he would wake up in a day or two. Now believing that he would surely wake up during her shift, she looked up more and more from her book to the point that she was barely reading. Becoming agitated that he had not yet woken up she put down the book and came to sit on Hiccups bed with him only a few inches away. She slowly and delicately brought her hand to brush his bangs out of his face to rest against his forehead.
Elsa thought for a moment about what to do next, she looked over each shoulder confirming the fact that she was alone, Gerda gone to boil some fresh water. She pursed her lips, and then retracted them. She relaxed then slowly leaned forward till she was only centimeters from his face and in a daring move she gave Hiccup a quick kiss on the lips, before pulling back quickly.
She brought her gloved hand to her lips and smiled, her lips were still quivering and her heart seemed ready to burst from this seldom act of love. As she gazed down at Hiccups face once again she noticed bursts of muscle movement in his jaw and cheeks, she immediately moved to sit up and check his pulse. He was breathing normally including take deep breaths from his mouth. She then saw his eye lids flutter open then close as if he was having trouble waking up.
"Hiccup? Are you awake?" Elsa asked the prone form of Hiccup.
"nnmmnnn" Hiccup responded slowly unable to fully wake up.
Elsa beamed with joy, smiling that he had finally woken up, partially. Elsa brought her hand up to Hiccups cheek and stroked it to help him wake up.
"Hiccup, can you wake up for me? Please?"
Slowly Hiccup opened his eyes to reveal a blurry form leaning over him; he saw blonde hair and rosy cheeks "Astrid?"
Elsa reared back and narrowed eyes at Hiccup, a look of insult etched on her face until she remembered that Astrid was one of the last faces he had seen on that fateful day. The look of hate slowly disappeared and a look of caring replaced it. "No Hiccup its Elsa, your friend from Arendelle." She reminded him in case he lost part of his memory.
Hiccup blinked a few times before a clearer view of Elsa and the room replaced the blurry image.
'Elsa? Why are you here, how…how did you get here?" Hiccup asked confused.
"Hiccup you have been asleep for nearly three weeks, I was asked to come by your father, Stoick. He wanted you to be surrounded by friends when you woke up" Elsa said gently, preparing herself to tell him about the leg issue.
"Why would I need to be cuddled" Hiccup said before moving to sit up, placing both of his hands on either side of him and using his feet to push him back towards the head board. But something was wrong as he leaned back against the board for only his right foot responded to the command, it was then he noticed that there was no small hill under the blanket next to his right foot indicating his left foot. As he gripped the blanket, Elsa spoke up.
"Hiccup I need to tell you something before you remove the blanket." Hiccup did not hear any of it wanting to find out what was wrong with his foot. As he ripped off the blanket his eyes fell to his foot or lack thereof actually. Time seemed to stop as his eyes widened and concentrate on where his foot should have been but was actually replaced with his with a discolored stump. He turned his head to Elsa whose lips were moving but he was unable to hear any of her words. His body slowly leaned back and his mouth opened to allow more air to be brought in, then his lips started to quiver, and his eyes started to become blurry from the amount of moisture coming to them.
"Where… where is my foot?" Hiccup started before asking "Elsa, what happened to my foot?" he asked earnestly hoping he could get it back somehow.
Elsa brought her hands around Hiccup to form a protective hold, sitting next to him on the edge of the bed. "Hiccup…during the end of the battle against that massive dragon you fought, you accidently flew into his tail which not only knocked you out, but broke your leg. As you fell into the fire generated from the dragon imploding, the flames badly burnt your flesh and muscles. If it was not for Toothless, who wrapped himself around you in a protective hold, you would be dead." Elsa whispered before taking a breath trying to steady her nerves, "when your father found you, he saw the remains of your foot and had to cut off the dead flesh and bone up to just below the knee.
Gobber is making a prosthetic foot for you, so you can walk normally. Hiccup, I'm so sorry this has happened to you, I…I will stay with you for however long you want." Elsa said as she looked at Hiccup face as he stared down at his stump, he did not move the entire time she spoke and that worried her.
"Hiccup? Can you hear me?" She asked earnestly.
Hiccup heard everything she said, but was unable to speak for he was thinking about how different his life would be without his foot. He thought about everything he did for his village and what does he get out of it? He loses his foot. His hands turned into fists and he started to shake with anger. "Why?! Why does everything happen to me?!" He screamed out, startling Elsa who scooted back slightly.
"What did I do that the Gods need to punish me for constantly?! I have done nothing but be nice and kind to all: my father, Astrid, Gobber, everyone in Berk and Arendelle, and you especially; I have not done anything out of malice towards anyone." He yelled then started to pound his fists on the bed with every word he spoke. "The Gods have ignored me for years; my prayers that I sent to them were cast aside. Snotlout hurt me nearly every week for something and everyone else wished I didn't exist or that I wasn't a runt and could actually handle a sword. And the one time where I save everyone from death, what happens? The Gods mock me and punish me by taking my foot!" He yelled as his hits on the bed became louder and stronger, Elsa got off the bed and stood about a meter away. She was frightened by this display of anger; she tempted calling the guards to calm Hiccup down.
Hiccup whipped his head towards Elsa, "why Elsa? Why does everything happen to me? Nothing has ever happened to you, it's only after I met you that things have started to happen to me! It's you isn't?!" He shouted before pointing an accusatory finger at her.
"You're the reason I nearly died that one time when we were out searching for trolls of all things. I wanted to stay in the castle, but you lured me out with the promise of trolls and what happened? I nearly froze to death and you came back without a scratch, you weren't even affected by the cold. Are you a witch?!" Elsa's eyes widened and took another step back as he said the word 'witch', her powers building as her fear escalated.
"That's it isn't, you're a witch! Did you curse me for not accepting your courtship?! Is this what I get for not wanting to be in a relationship just yet, for rejecting you?!" Hiccup yelled as he got out of the bed and tried to walk over to Elsa forgetting that his foot was no longer there to support him, he fell face first onto the wooden floor. But as the rest of his body impacted the floor his stump came into contact with a raised floor board.
"Ahhhhhhh!" He screamed out as he grabbed his stump in pain, waves of pain that he had never felt before rushed to him like an angry gronkle.
"Hiccup!" Elsa shouted as she tried to comfort Hiccup, but no matter hard she hugged him to her, nothing worked. "Guards, help!" She yelled over Hiccups shouts of pain, toward the front door.
Instantly three guards came through the front door and two more from the back door, they looked to see their Princess hugging Hiccup to her stomach as he was holding his stump in pain. "What happened, My Princess?" The Sergeant of the Guard asked as he looked at the scene in front of him. "Hiccup woke up and fell out of bed before I could tell him about his leg, please get the doctor" she asked fervently as Hiccups wails intensified.
The Captain nodded his head toward one of the guards who instantly left the house to seek Doctor Aaron. Him and another guard took Hiccup from Elsa and gently moved him to the bed holding him down as he thrashed around trying to conjure up the strength to not yell out in pain.
Elsa moved onto the bed again and tried to soothe Hiccup down, "Hiccup it will be alright, Doctor Aaron will come and he will make the pain go away." Hiccup was having none of it
"It hurts, it hurts so much! It's too much!" He yelled as he drove his head into Elsa stomach trying to get away from the pain.
Moments later Aaron walked into the house with Gerda and Stoick in tow, he instantly went over to his doctor bag and took out a syringe and a small vile. After getting the correct amount of liquid he found a vein above Hiccups left knee and inserted the needle into the vein, injecting the chemical. He withdrew the needle and put a small bandage on the injection point. He gave a small nod to Elsa.
"Hiccup it will be all right now. I promise that I will take care of you until you feel better, I will do whatever it takes to let you have a normal life." Elsa said as she stroked Hiccups head as he pushed his face into her hip
Hiccup looked up at her "Okay Elsa whatever yo…", but before he could finish he passed out.
Stoick looked at his son startled that he had passed out "What did yer give im?" he asked pointing to the needle.
Doctor Aaron looked at the massive Viking, "Morphine. It is used mostly to treat severe pain among other things. It is highly addictive and shouldn't be used for common illnesses. I already instructed Princess Elsa on how and when to use it. Do not fear your son is in safe hands." He reassured the concerned father.
"Aye" was all he replied before going over to his son and looking him for a moment then giving a small reassuring smile to Elsa who returned it. He then left the house to talk to Gobber about Hiccups new leg.
Gerda looked around the small house and noticed that she could do some cleaning to take her mind off the current situation and quite possibly talk to the Princess about Hiccup. The Princess looked tired and stressed beyond measure. "Right, Sergeant you and your Guards can go back to your posts, I will take care of the Princess here."
The Sergeant nodded his head and gave a hand signal to the other Guards who left the house, closing the door behind them.
Gerda took a rag out of her pocket and started to dust the shelves, taking note that it looked like the place hadn't been dusted in years. "The place really does need a woman's touch" she thought as she noticed that the Princess was looking at her injured friend with a small frown on her face. "What is troubling you besides the obvious Ms. Elsa?" She asked quietly while having her back turned to the future queen.
Elsa looked up at her maid before looking back down at Hiccup who was quietly sleeping on her lap. "He…he called me a witch." She said softly before continuing, "he said that all his troubles happened to him after he met me: he being bullied, being hated and losing his leg were all because of me placing a curse on him for rejecting my proposal of courtship. I'm starting to think it is my entire fault" Elsa said to Gerda while carefully moving Hiccup off her, feeling disgusted at herself for holding someone so innocent.
Gerda sighed, turned around and looked at the Princess who was now sitting on the chair beside the bed hands folded on her lap, "Ms. Elsa I don't know why the gates were closed, why you don't come out of your bedroom, and why you don't speak to your sister anymore, but one thing I know for certain is that this boy loves you and want nothing but the best for you. Otherwise he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of making those gloves for you" Gerda said while gesturing to the leather gloves that Elsa was wearing.
"What he said today was out of shock of what happened to him and fears of what will happen to him, come tomorrow. I can guarantee once he wakes up and gets his bearings he will apologize for his behavior and beg for your forgiveness." Gerda said with confidence before going over to the corner to retrieve a broom to which she started to use on the floor near the entrance.
Elsa thought about what Gerda said to her and she quietly hoped that those actions would come true. She would hate to lose Hiccup out of his fear of her. This situation had to be remedied and soon. Moments later a knock was heard and the door opened to reveal Astrid.
Astrid came into the room and gave a small nod to Elsa, "I'm here to take over watch duty."
Elsa looked up, then rose to greet the female Viking.
"Of course, please watch him carefully tonight. He woke up for a few moments only to tumble out of the bed and hurt his leg. We gave him a shot of morphine to take the pain away, so he might wake up with a start. If he wakes in pain, call one of the Guards and he will get the doctor." Elsa explained to Astrid who took all the information in with wide eyes
"Do not worry, he is in good hands. I won't let anything bad happen to him." She replied giving a small smile of reassurance.
Elsa bowed then left with Gerda, she turned to the Guards who were positioned outside the front door and ordered a 'round the clock' watch for Hiccup. The rest of the Guards followed after her toward the Great Hall where Stoick was having dinner with Gobber and a few other high ranking Vikings. Stoick waved her over and asked about Hiccup. Elsa told him that Hiccup was alright and would be on his feet as soon as the prosthetic was complete. Exhausted she fixed herself a plate of food from the table and sat down at a deserted table, which soon filled up with the Vikings she saw from earlier in the week.
"So, how's Hiccup?" a large rounded male Viking asked her as he moved to sit a few feet to her left, the bench creaking as he sat down.
"Yeah, how is he?" Elsa heard a few other Vikings say as they each sat down near her with their respective meals
She took a good look at all four of them, there was one with large muscles, dark brown hair and a smug look on his face "that must be Snotlout". Two that looked like they were twins, both had blonde hair and narrow chins, "Ruffnut and Tuffnut." And the heavy set one that was sitting next to her with kind eyes, "and he must be Fishlegs. Hmm, Hiccup was right Fishlegs does seem to be the nicer of the bunch." Elsa thought as she took in all the teen Vikings.
"Well?" Snotlout asked impatiently.
Elsa snapped back to reality "Oh, he is alright. He will make a full recovery and be walking by tomorrow, I hope." She said to the teens in a neutral tone, she didn't want to show too much emotion to people she just met.
"Oh, that is wonderful news. I hate to see Hiccup die especially after he saved us all from that massive dragon" Fishlegs said in a thankful voice.
"It is nice to hear you care about him, Mr. Ingerman." Elsa said in a gentle tone.
Fishlegs blushed at being recognized by a princess "Uh…uh thank you for recognizing me Princess Elsa, it is an honor." He stuttered out.
"Oh please, it is about time that Hiccup got knocked down a peg or two, he was hogging all the sunlight." Snotlout spoke in a snarky tone.
"And you must be Snotlout" Elsa said while giving him a pointed look.
"That's right babe" Snotlout said, then gave Elsa a flirtatious smirk while laying his hand down on top of Elsa's free hand that she was using to cut her food with.
Elsa gave a glare to the young Viking, but he didn't move his hand, he only winked at her. The sound of a sword being partly unsheathed and a heavy hand being put on his shoulder did catch his attention though. Snotlout turned his head to look at the tall Guard who had put his white gloved hand on his right shoulder, "Do not touch the Princess." The Guard said in a commanding voice.
It was then he had noticed that there were four Royal Guards surrounding not only Elsa but him as well. "Sorry, my bad" he said as he slowly retracted his hand and put it in his lap; fear evident in his voice.
The Guard took his hand off his shoulder and the sound of a sword being returned to its proper place broke up the dead silence, though the tall Guard did not move from his position behind Snotlout.
"Sorry about that, the Royal Guards are very protective of me" Elsa replied with a gentle smile, though the smile also hid an undertone of "do not try that again, or you will lose your hand."
The twins looked at each other and smiled wickedly, "that was awesome! Can you make them hit Snotlout or use him as target practice?" Ruffnut asked in an excited voice.
"Surely not. Even though they have to do what I say, I will not abuse their loyalty to my country or to me." Elsa replied in a serious tone.
"Oh man, the one-time something amazing happens, we can't have fun with it." Tuffnut moaned in disappointment.
"May I ask you all a question?" Elsa asked looking at everyone.
"Yes. Yeah. Yup. Go ahead" was what she got in return.
Elsa looked at each Viking before asking a very serious question, "will you treat Hiccup better considering what happened a few weeks ago?"
Elsa was met with silence as she twirled her food around her plate; the air suddenly became thick and cold around the table. She didn't know if she caused that to happen or she was imagining the cold.
Each Viking looked down at their laps as if looking deep into their souls for the answer. Snotlout looked mad that such feelings were asked of him, while the Twins looked confused and Fishlegs had a small questioning look his face. Elsa noticed that look.
"With the exception of Mr. Ingerman, each of you needs to apologize for your behavior of the last ten years or so. Hiccup said in his letters and private conversations with me that you three including Ms. Hofferson tortured and mocked him relentlessly." She said as she gave them each a pointed look.
"Why am I not included?" Fishlegs asked confused.
Elsa turned and looked at the hefty young teen, "the reason you need not apologize is because Hiccup told me that you were the only one he ever considered a friend. Since, you did not treat him harshly in any way." Elsa gave a thankful smile to him, which made Fishlegs blush from the attention.
"Thank you your highness for the compliments." He then looked down and smiled to himself, "Hiccup considered me a friend, he is the first person to do that. Perhaps I can do something nice for him later on." Fishlegs thought of different things he could do for his now wounded friend.
Ruffnut spoke up for her and her brother, "Well I guess we can be nicer to him as long as it's not too much work, but what's in it for us?"
Elsa gave the twins a questioning look then thought for a moment, "I would think that if you would get back in Hiccups good graces that he would allow you to ride on and maybe even train the dragons. There is also the possibility that those dragons can be used for war if the need ever came."
The Twins frowns turned into wicked smiles at the thought of destroying something with their own fire breathing dragons. "That would be awesome!" Ruffnut nearly yelled "Wouldn't it? We have so much free time and space, we could do mock battles and target practices." Tuffnut said back to her brother. The two of them grabbed their chins and thought of ways to bring their dreams alive.
Elsa thought for a moment, "was it really a good idea to give two pyromaniacs the possible means to create even more trouble or destruction. Well, as long as they don't come to Arendelle, we will be alright. I hope."
Everyone turned their head towards Snotlout who looked defensive with his arms crossed in front of him. "What? If anything Hiccup needs to apologize to me, he took all the attention that should have been on me and I deserve to be chief not that useless runt." Snotlout said while giving a defiant look.
Elsa gave a deathly glare to the pretty boy and she failed to notice how her hands were twitching from her powers that were starting to edge closer to the breaking point.
"How dare he say that about my Hiccup. Hiccup did not choose to be the next chief. And just because Hiccup stole some spotlight should not be an allowance for Snotlout to treat him like a piece of unwanted material." Elsa thought for a moment, what could she do? She couldn't have him openly punished, which was a one-way trip to an embarrassing and revealing situation. "Maybe I can have him endure a series of unlucky events, just enough to put him into his rightful place at Hiccups side and not a future trouble maker."
The other teenage Vikings just looked between Snotlout and the Princess waiting for one of them to make a move or say something, the tension could be felt not only by them but by the Guards as well. The Royal Guards looked at their Princess for any sign of hand or head movement to signal an order to move, attack, etc.
Elsa eyes snapped up to one of the Guards, then her head nodded slightly to her right.
The Guard nodded "yes, my Princess." He then gave a signal for the other Guards to follow him to the far side of the Hall away from the table.
"Mr. Jorgenson, while I disagree with your statement of how Hiccup brought your attacks upon himself and that he deserved them, I cannot outwardly have you punished. I don't have the power or the strength to do it myself. Though seeing that I might be coming to your island more and more in the future with me being Hiccup's future partner in all. I would suggest you tone down the rhetoric toward him, unless you wish to bring yourself unfortunate events." Elsa said to Snotlout in a diplomatic tone of voice but with a slight edge on the tip of it.
Tuffnut, Ruffnut and Fishlegs noticeably moved back a few inches from the two.
Snotlout on the other hand felt his lungs drop into his stomach and he forgot how to breathe for a moment. He could feel that this girl meant business and that he had to get far away from her, lest he be willing to lose his pride.
"Yeah. As if I would listen to a girl about how to treat my little cousin." He said while laughing before swinging his legs to get off the bench and standup only to slip and fall on his face.
Elsa gave a ghost of a smile before she had the ice slowly retract from underneath the bench and go back to her feet. The other Vikings in the hall however roared in laughter at Snotlout and his rotten luck.
"What in the name of Odin! Where did this water come from?!" He yelled before walking out of the Great Hall, while nursing his bruised ego and shaking the water off his vest.
The gang was still laughing when they saw the Princess rise from the table. "Leaving so soon?"
Elsa looked at Ruffnut, "yes, today has been a long day and I need to rest. And do not forget about what I said about treating him better, you should also ask him for forgiveness." She said before walking out with her entourage of Guards following behind her.
"She's right you know. You should apologize to Hiccup for tormenting him for all those years. You should pass along the message to Astrid too." Fishlegs told the twins who looked uninterested.
"Huh, I'm sorry. I can't think about anything besides Snotlout face planting the floor" Tuffnut said while laughing.
"Uggh." Was all Fishlegs gave in reply as he brought his hand down his face in frustration.
As she walked down the massive steps in front of the Great Hall the sounds of laughter still evident in the air as other Vikings spread the news of what happened to Snotlout, Elsa on the other hand was scolding herself for such a callous move on her part. "Not only did I technically threaten the cousin of the Chief, but I knowingly let my powers escape. That was too risky and need to make sure it doesn't happen again. On top of that I said that I would be Hiccups future partner as if I knew the future. I must be a good girl, be nice and diplomatic, and not let my powers slip out." Elsa thought to herself as she walked back to cottage that she was using as her temporary home, "I need a nap, maybe that will take this pain away that is clouding my head."
That nap turned into full blown sleep as she found out the next morning as the sun pelted her face with its rays of warmth. Shrugging the heavy blanket off her body she sat up and swung her legs over the edge letting them touch the cold wooden floor. Walking toward her robe that lay folded on a nearby bench, she looked out of a window to see the village waking up as Vikings swarmed the market for search of fresh fish and herbs. The grass still had fresh dew on its surface which glistened in the sunlight.
She put on her cashmere robe embroidered with the seal of Arendelle then went to put on her slippers to walk down the stairs to see what was for breakfast. As her foot made contact with the last of the stairs she saw Gerda making scrambled eggs and ham in a pan that hanged over the fire pit in the center of the room. "Good morning Princess Elsa, I hope you had a pleasant sleep."
Elsa moved over to the table that had been set already with linen, plates, silverware and a glass of water. "Yes, it was a pleasant sleep thank you for asking. Did I miss anything?" She asked her hand maiden.
Gerda looked over her shoulder for a moment then turned back to the simmering pan of food. "In regards to Mr. Hiccup, he did not wake up and I would believe is still sleeping soundly. His father came around this morning and told me that he expects his son to be on his feet and moving. I took this as an asking of you to teach him to walk with his prosthetic. His third in command, a Mr. Gobber attached his artificial foot to Hiccup's stump last night while he was sleeping." Gerda announced not taking her eyes off the breakfast for the young Princess.
"I see, thank you for telling me of this information. I just wonder if Hiccup will remember what transpired yesterday. If he will remember what he said to me." She said with a frown,
"that I do not know of your highness. It is in the hands of God now." She spoke as she brought over the pan and scraped the meal onto Elsa's plate. "Enough chit chat, eat up. We are expected in one hour."
Elsa nodded her head; Gerda had taken care of her when no one else could. When her father had the doors shut and sent the others away, she had stayed. When she reached adolescence, Gerda was promoted to handmaiden for Elsa. She looked up to her and talked to her when she was helping her into her dresses and baths. She had formed a small friendship with her hand maiden and hoped one day she could confide in her about her powers. "Maybe one day, but not today." She thought, smiling at Gerda who was cleaning the pans in the small sink.
Elsa followed Gerda's advice and quickly consumed her meal, after getting up from the table she walked toward the back of the house where the water closet was located. She opened then closed the door behind her as she looked down at the hole in the ground, the stench making her nearly gag. If there one thing she hated about Berk was the lack of hygiene for the most basic things. She saw people drink un-boiled water, consume raw fish, defecate in holes in the ground and apparently no one ever heard of the word 'soap' before.
"The next time I come here, I will bring a cargo hold full of soap and lavender seeds. That way I can make these awful places smell better." She did however notice that a bench with a hole cut out in the middle was placed over the pit. A small fissure connecting the pit to the outside where it would probably run down the hill was recently dug, that way with a bucket of water the excrement could be washed away.
As she hiked up her robe and pulled down her drawers she refused to sit down on the bench, instead choosing to hover over the hole. She nearly crossed her eyes in tranquility when she felt the releasing of her bladder, she had been holding in that liquid for over half a day. After hearing the last drop impact the soil she grabbed some wool that was placed in a bucket near the hole, she wiped herself with said material. After pulling up her undergarments and letting down her robe she left that awful smelling room to go upstairs to change. Once Gerda had helped tighten her corset and dress, she put on her cape and boots, letting the former skim a little on the floor to show her status to the village as a royal. She didn't like boasting her status or that she was better than anyone person, but she had to keep up appearances for nobility sake.
She exited the cottage and was immediately flanked by her Guards and Gerda, who gave her a book to read and walked by her side to the porch area. She settled down into a chair and told her to yell is she needed her assistance, Elsa nodded then opened the door and to see Hiccup already awake and looking at his foot with a frown. By the night stand was the opened letter her father had given to her. She then remembered asking Gerda to give it to him last night, she was afraid to go back to the house in case he was still angry. He then looked at her and turned his head away in shame. "Hello Elsa." Hiccup said shyly.
"So you remember last afternoon?" She asked with a frown, already knowing the answer.
"Yes, and I wish to apologize for my behavior, you did not deserve to be called that. I…I am so sorry, Elsa. Please forgive me; I will do whatever it takes to repair our friendship." Hiccup said with a pleading look in his eyes.
Elsa moved over to the seat that she had used for the previous day's watch, "Hiccup it is nothing to be embarrassed over, you lost control that's all. While the words you had used was a little hurtful, I will not use it against you in anyway. Thus your apology is not needed, let us move on from that event for today I am to teach you how to walk with your new foot." Elsa said with confidence, a smile coming to her face.
"Walk? I know how to walk, Elsa." He said while swinging his legs over the side of the bed and placing his feet on the floor then standing up. "Hiccup, I don't think you know how to bal…" She tried to say before she was cut off with Hiccup falling on top of her pushing her to the ground with a mild gasp coming out of her mouth as the air was knocked out of her lungs.
Timed seemed to stand still as Hiccup looked down and Elsa looked up, their eyes wide and dared not blink or move. Slow breaths escaped their mouths and blushes came to their cheeks, Hiccup was effectively on top of Elsa with her legs cradling his hips in-between her. They were both in a compromising position with Hiccups hands on either side of her body and their chests pressed together, their mouths mere inches apart.
"I hope to God, no one heard that and decides to investigate." Elsa thought then breathed in through her nose "is that peppermint? He smells nice. I could get used to this in the future." She shook her head of the last thought, maybe later. "Hiccup, could you move, you are squishing me."
Hiccup couldn't move he was drawn to Elsa and wanted to stay like this for as long as possible. "She smells so good; she smells of lavender and feels amazing underneath me. Wow, calm down Hiccup, you're not even in a relationship with her and you're already thinking of what comes later in the courting. Maybe I can…Hiccup?" he thought before he heard another 'Hiccup?'
"Hmm, what?" he asked looking into her eyes.
"Could you move, please?"
It was then he realized the severity of his position atop of her, "Oh, I am so sorry" he rolled off her and stood up shakily, moving to sit down on the bed as Elsa rolled over and pushed herself up to a standing position. "It is alright Hiccup, now let us try to get you walking properly again shall we?" Hiccup nodded in agreement. "Now, give me your hands and I will guide you around the room. I will not let you fall again, trust me." She said as she held out her hands for Hiccup to grab ahold of.
"I have always trusted you Elsa; you need not worry about that." Hiccup smiled while giving her his hands and standing up, nearly falling over, before Elsa tugged on his hand to balance him better.
After hours of balancing, walking and motivational talks Elsa believed he was ready to take a break. Hiccup let out a pent up breath as he lay back down on the bed moving his body underneath the blanket. Sweat dotted his face and his cheeks were flushed, he moved a bit to allow Elsa space to sit down next to him. A gesture which she accepted.
"So, I heard you gave Astrid a romantic flight on your dragon. I believe Toothless is his name?" Elsa quipped as she nestled against Hiccups side.
Hiccup blushed at the being next to Elsa; she saw this and thought he was thinking about Astrid,
"do you like her Hiccup?" Elsa was now looking straight at him, waiting for an answer.
Hiccup looked away for a moment to collect his thoughts, "Well, I wouldn't call it a romantic flight necessarily. The first half was flying through the clouds at sunset and the second half was flying through a dormant volcano with a massive dragon trying to eat us." He said while turning to look at Elsa, she had an alarmed look on her face. "Don't ask" he said while waving his hands.
"And yes his name is Toothless, he is a Night Fury who saved my life a few times and showed me things that amazed me into believing that humans and dragons can coexist." He then scooted back to rest against the headboard.
"Okay and the second question?" She asked then started to chew on the inside of her cheek nervously.
Hiccup twiddled his thumbs and spoke from his heart. "About Astrid, I think she is a beautiful girl with everything going for her, and I think she has a crush on me, but a part of me thinks it is just because I am a hero now. Before any of this, she wouldn't even acknowledge my existence and didn't stand up for me in anyway." He said while looking down at the small hill in the covers that marked his new foot
Elsa let out a small breath and a small smile came to her face, "And what about you and me? Could we ever be together?" She asked with a small bit of hesitation.
A full blown blush spread across Hiccups face as he scooted away from her.
"Elsa, I just don't know why you would want me of all people. I mean, you are beautiful and I am a runt. I am not handsome or anything special, in most regards you are perfect and I now have this thing." Hiccup said motioning to his new foot, Elsa saw his shoulders go down as if he deflated.
"Hiccup, look at me." Elsa said as she touched his chin. Hiccup looked up and at her face; her piercing gaze sent a shiver down his spine.
"You are one of only a few people that have ever been kind to me out of free will, most of the servants and guards have to be nice since I am a princess. Whereas you do it because you want to make me happy and I am so appreciative of that. Whenever you spend time with me or give me a present a rush of warmth envelops my body and that make me feel loved and cared for. I personally do not want to imagine my life without you. I would like to be more than just your friend, but if you truly believe you are not good enough for me, then I will not force myself upon you." Elsa said as she took her hand and put it on his shoulder.
"And as for being worthy, you demonstrated that you are capable of being more than just a runt. You are more than ready to be a leader, just look at how you took command of the situation with the 'Red Death'. You rallied your fellow Vikings and convinced them to put down their weapons and ride the dragons as allies and not as enemy's. Then you without a moment of hesitation attacked the massive dragon not for yourself but for your village, for people that didn't care about you before that day. You were willing to possibly lay down your life for your fellow Viking, for your friends and especially your father." She said as she gripped his shoulder then slowly brought her gloved hands down to his taking a hold of one. Taking in a massive breath and releasing it she continued.
"And before you say that you don't have the traits to be a leader or a worthy suitor, you do have some of them. You have initiative, energy, and especially perseverance. I have heard about and seen your workshop, that room shows that you are willing to pursue your goals, work long hours, and are ambitious enough to try again and again till you get it right. The Hiccup I have seen in my room and in the library back in Arendelle has great intelligence, analytical and verbal ability, behavioral flexibility, and good judgment to know when to do something or when to rethink your plans. If those are not traits of a leader, then I do not know what makes up a true leader."
Hiccups eyes grew wide as his brain registered that all the things that he had done were of leadership level and not of a useless runt. A blush was spreading across his face as he realized that his hand was not in his lap but Elsa's.
"As for the whole suitor thing. You, Hiccup are the only man who has ever expressed interest in me and given me something made by your own hand instead of something made by someone else's." She said while gripping his hand off and on, "mostly because you are the only person that my parents let me see; literally I have not even talked to another boy in my entire life. This is the first time I have talked to other people beside Gerda, the servants, the guards and of course my parents. Poor Anna, she must hate me by now; as to why she hasn't knocked on my door asking me to build a snowman with her, but I must distance myself from her, to protect her. I love her and hopefully I will show her that I still care one day. But not until I know I can't hurt her with my powers, until then Hiccup has my attention." Elsa thought for a moment.
She then noticed that Hiccup was staring at her with a weird look etched on his face, "what?" she asked him.
"Sorry, you were staring at the wall for about two minutes; it looked like you were having a conversation in your mind" Hiccup responded with a small smile.
"Oh. Sorry about losing track of my mind. Back to our discussion, you Hiccup possess everything a woman wants in a suitor. You are kind, considerate, you listen to me, you respect me and my family, you make me feel beautiful and you make me want to better myself. I could go on, but I digress. Though personally I feel that you will make a wonderful suitor and Chief one day, instead of being power hungry like most leaders, you will focus on bettering your tribe with your inventions and guidance. That is a man I want by my side from now till the end of time, in this life and the next."
As she finished speaking her case, she noticed Hiccup crying silently, tears streaming down his face. "Hiccup what is wrong?"
Hiccup looked up after sniffing back some tears to look Elsa in the eyes, giving her a heartfelt smile. "Sorry, no one has ever talked so kindly about me, not even my father."
Once she heard that she wrapped her arms around his small body and pressed herself to him, resting her chin on his head for she was nearly half a head taller than him at the moment.
Hiccup rested his chin on Elsa's shoulder, closed his eyes and breathed in the smell of lavender which calmed him immensely "So this is what it is like to be loved" Hiccup thought.
"Hiccup?" Elsa asked Hiccup, "Hmm?" he responded not wanting to break the embrace.
"Can I trust you with something important?"
"Of course Elsa, I won't tell a soul."
"I…I am not perfect by any means. I have hidden a secret from you, a most terrible secret, and one which could destroy me if not handled correctly." She spoke in a whisper.
Hiccup pulled back from the embrace, a scared look written on his face, "what is it?"
"You know when you called me a witch?" She asked the young man holding onto her hands as if he was holding on for dear life. "He's scared."
"Yes" was all he managed to reply.
"You are not technically wrong in the magical sense. I have… I have ice powers." She managed to get out finally gathering the courage.
Dead silence descended on the two young royals. Elsa was chewing on the inside of her cheek, while Hiccups face was etched with a confused and surprised look. Elsa could see that the gears in his mind were turning, trying to make sense of what she just said
"Umm, what?" was all he could get out before continuing, "ice powers, surely you jest?"
"It is the truth Hiccup and I will show you." She said before getting up and taking off her gloves, she stood about three paces from the bed and breathed in and out slowly. Bringing her hands up to shoulder height, but extended out toward the corner of the room. Hiccup could feel the temperature in the room drop a few degrees suddenly, but what really surprised him was that there was a ball of ice hovering in Elsa's palm. She then threw the ice at the corner of the room, to which it turned into a small snowman. Elsa turned around and tossed Hiccup a snowball that appeared out of thin air, too stunned to catch the snowball; it hit him square in the face.
"Oh, sorry Hiccup. I thought you were going to catch it." She said earnestly moving to wipe the snow off her friend's face with a nearby towel. As she wiped the last of the cold water off her Hiccups face two questions came to mind. "So, can I trust you with this secret and do you still want to be my friend?"
Hiccup did not speak for several minutes which seemed like eternity for the young princess.
Finally, Hiccup gathered the courage to speak, licking his lips and clearing his throat the words soon spilled out of his mouth and into Elsa's waiting ears.
"Elsa you are by far one of the most important people in my life, if not the most important. You have shown me so many things that no other Viking in history has or will ever see. From a library that shows great lands and people to stories of engineering that crossed rivers and conquered armies with ease. The books in your library alone hold more knowledge than I will ever hope to learn." Taking a small breath, he continued. "Your family has taken care of me, provided food, shelter, warmth and love. We may have hit a few low points in our friendship, but there is no way I will ever betray your trust. Of course we will stay friends and of course I will keep this a secret from whomever you want. However, I ask that you let me think for a few hours about starting in a possible courtship with you. If you don't mind waiting that is." Hiccup said with slight hesitation.
"Hiccup I have waited for over five years, I think I can wait a few more hours." Elsa finished then smiled and kissed his right cheek. "I will wait outside and will tell your father that you are sleeping and can move under your own power." The young princess said as she put her gloves back on and slipped quietly out the front door, a small thump was all that was heard that signaled the door was closed and he was alone again.
"Wow, so much information to learn in less time it would take to milk a yak. I need to rest my head and make my decision when I awaken." Slowly Hiccup laid back down on the wooden bed, his head resting on the thin pillow and his eyes closing. Slowly he let his mind drift off into nothingness as sleep took ahold of him. A lingering question floated in his brain as he walked in the land of unconsciousness, "if I get together with Elsa, how will Astrid take it, since I spend more time on Berk instead of Arendelle? Will she try and make a move against my wishes? Can we truly be together even when we live so far away from one another?"
He hoped that Astrid would respect his choice, but the fact that no Viking woman took defeat with open arms nagged him relentlessly to the point that he knew this decision would haunt him for years to come.
A cool burst of wind hit his face, and then he heard a soft growl followed by a soft whine. Slowly Hiccup opened his eyes to see a giant black dragon, Toothless. He smiled at seeing his friend still alive and well.
"Hey Toothless" Hiccup said as the dragon pushed his face into his cheek in an upward motion before retracting and doing it again.
"Happy to see you too bud" he followed with before grabbing his friend's face who was upping the ante with use of his tongue.
"Owwwww" he yelled out from the fact that his dragon had accidently stepped on his groin with his massive paw. Hiccup lunged forward to protect his nether region crossing his arms in front of his waist. It was then he realized that his dragon was in fact in his house, this was possibly the first time a live dragon was roaming free in a Viking house.
"Umm you're in my house. Does my dad know you're here?" He called out once again.
Toothless hopped up to him and tried to nuzzle his friend with his face before recanting when he saw Hiccup's hands move up as if trying to say stop. Instead he turned around and bounced near the fire pit knocking over some pots and pans before finally leaping onto a supporting column. Toothless stopped what he was doing when he heard his name being called.
"Toothless!" Hiccup said trying to calm down his dragon; at this rate Toothless would destroy his greeting area before his father would come in, seeing Toothless on the supporting beam he huffed in frustration.
"Oh come on…" He managed to get out before hearing a squeak.
Hiccup stopped and lifted up the blanket revealing a prosthetic foot. "So it wasn't a dream after all." He thought while frowning, even Toothless calmed down after seeing his friend's attitude change. Toothless heard a squeak and went to investigate; he dropped down onto the floor and went over to his human before sniffing the metal object where a paw should have been. He slowly brought his head up to where his friends face was before looking at him.
Hiccup let out a few deep breaths before moving to stand up and try and walk unassisted. "Okay Hiccup you can do this."
He sat up straight and put weight onto his right foot before moving to stand. He leaned heavily against the foot rest at the end of the bed then took a small tentative step forward with his left foot. "Ha I did it, now to just continue like this and not fall down" Hiccup thought before walking another step, but he leaned a little too far to the left and ended up falling forward "Oh no!" Thankfully Toothless caught him before he did a face plant on the floor.
Toothless saw his friend falling forward too quickly so he lunged forward to stop him from hurting himself again. He heard a mumble of words in a thankful tone and replied back with his own thankful growl. Toothless allowed his human to lean on him while walking slowly to the door that led outside.
As Hiccup opened the door a monstrous nightmare roared overhead, he immediately closed the door. Waiting a few seconds, he then told Toothless to wait inside while he investigated the activity outside. He pulled open the massive door to reveal a Berk full of Dragons and Vikings living together without violence. "Wait? What? I knew it I'm dead" he told himself unable to believe what was taking place in front of his eyes.
A hearty laughter was heard then a massive hand landed on his shoulder, "No, but you gave it yer best shot. So what do ye think?" his father asked as he pointed to the construction of the dragon pens. He could see Royal Guards standing near his house and a few other houses down the hill, he then looked over to see other Vikings shout with exuberance that he was awake and alive. They even ran up to his location making a circle around him, they all had smiles and looked thankful for being alive.
"Turns out all we needed was a little of…this," his father said as he gestured to all of him
"You just gestured to all of me" Hiccup responded in an amazed tone, his father smiled and nodded his head in return.
He then saw Gobber push his way through the throng of Vikings "Well most of ye, that bit is me handiwork, with a little 'Hiccup' flair thrown in. Ye think it will do?" he asked pointing to his metal leg.
Hiccup rotated out his foot to inspect said handiwork, "eh, I might make a few tweaks" he said then felt pain in his right shoulder. He was knocked off his balance and was amazed that he didn't topple over. He heard Astrid's voice "That's for scaring me."
"That's it; I can't take any more violence from this woman. Where is Elsa?" he thought and looked out at the crowd, it was then he saw her slowly making her way through the crowd. He walked forward to meet her, a smile coming to his face as she saw him. She returned the smile with one of her own, she saw him move forward but then tripped on a bent up stone. She instantly caught him and moved to be at his side allowing him to use her shoulder to hang onto.
"You alright?" she asked with genuine concern
"Now, this is what I always wanted a person who genuinely cares about me. I want Elsa to be my partner." Hiccup thought and gave a relaxed smile, "yes, thank you." He said then took ahold of her hand and intertwined his fingers with her gloved ones.
Elsa gave a surprised look at the boldness of his actions in front of everyone no less. "Does that answer your question Elsa?" she heard Hiccup ask before giving her a soft smile.
"Yes" she whispered back before moving forward and rewarding his bravery with a kiss on his lips. Instantly she heard 'gasps, ohhs' and 'ahhs' resonate from the crowd around her, but she paid no mind to them. She pulled back when she saw Gobber approach.
Hiccup turned and was immediately handed what appeared to be a new tail for Toothless. "Welcome home" Gobber announced with a smile.
"Night Fury!" he heard a Viking call out.
Toothless came up from behind and trounced on a few Vikings knocking them out of the way, he wanted to be included in the happiness too.
Elsa laughed for the first time in what felt like ever when she saw Toothless harmlessly knock over a few Vikings and saw the exchange between him and Hiccup. "Those two will make quite the team together." She thought then saw Hiccup move to attach the new contraption to Toothless' tail.
Hiccup mounted Toothless and saw how his prosthetic locked into place, moving it forward and back to see how the movements changed the positions of the tail. "Amazing, Gobber did some great work. I guess I still have some things to learn from the master blacksmith."
"You ready?" he asked Toothless. Receiving a playful grunt in return he looked forward to see the entire village working together with once was their enemies. "Beautiful" he whispered, he then looked to his left to see Elsa calmly looking at him a smile on her face.
"Don't worry. I will be here when you come back, go on, you deserve this." He heard Elsa say with a smile, she folded her hands in front of her and watched as she walked toward his father. He looked back to see Astrid giving him a small glare. "Ooh, that's right. I rejected her, oh well she rejected me for the last fifteen years. I made my decision and can't go back on my feelings; I want to be with someone who actually wants to be with me for me. I must move forward and never go back."
Hiccup moved his foot triggering Toothless' tail to move into the take-off position; Toothless saw this and jumped into the air.
Soon Hiccup was joined by all his new companions on their respective dragons; they flew down the hill past the docks under a bridge and finally spun into the clouds. "Freedom" he thought happily, tears coming down his face.
Elsa made her way over to Stoick as she saw her beau fly into the clouds, she smiled at this, "he deserves to be happy, even if it does scare me a little, but I must have faith that he will come back uninjured."
She saw Stoick stop talking to Gobber who wandered off to his shop and turned around to acknowledge her presence. "I am so proud to see ye two together. Ye two of all people deserve happiness, especially with what has happened. With Hiccup losing his foot and you losing your sister basically." The last part he said in a hushed voice.
Elsa's eyes widened at the fact that he knew her secret; "you know?" She whispered back.
"Aye, yer father told me years ago. It is good to know that you can control your powers without the fear of harming others. I understand and respect yer decision to tell Hiccup about yer powers. You will make a fine queen someday, Elsa." He spoke with unabridged confidence.
Elsa blushed a little at the confidence he had in her and also the fact that her father had lied to Stoick about the extent of her ability of control her powers. She could control her powers to some extent but was still afraid about using them around people.
"Well, if you will excuse me I wish to go down the hill and watch Hiccup fly around." Elsa stated; pushing down the lingering thoughts of telling Stoick the truth concerning her control over her abilities.
"Your excused Princess Elsa, and try the cliffs. It gives great views of what you are seeking."
Elsa bowed her head while giving a curtsey; she then walked down the hill followed closely by her guards.
As she slowly made her way down the hill several thoughts ran through her head. "How many more days should I stay? Am I allowed to boast that Hiccup is mine now? And what are the rules and boundaries of our courtship?"
Elsa finally made it down to the cliffs and leaned against a boulder watching Hiccup and his friends fly around in the clouds. After an hour she saw Hiccup glide down to her position landing just a few meters away.
"Miss me?" Elsa asked with a grin.
"Of course, your face is much prettier than Toothless'" Hiccup replied back chuckling.
Toothless gave a snort in response to the comment knowing they were talking about him.
Hiccup climbed down off of Toothless and walked over to Elsa, though something was different with his facial expression from walking over from his dragon to the boulder. He had a sort of frown mixed with a needing to know look etched on his face.
"Hiccup what is wrong?" Elsa asked pushing off the boulder and standing up straight.
Hiccup scratched the back of his head and kicked some dirt around before looking at Elsa's face fully, "Elsa we need to talk."
Authors Notes: What did you think of that? I swear these chapters keep getting longer and longer. By the way I got my old shift back and will have Saturdays off for now on. So expect chapters to be released in the afternoon instead of the evening. And the bit about Hiccup freaking out from losing his leg is justified because if any of us woke up with an appendage we would surely flip out. Thank you for reading and have a nice day.
