Authors Notes: Once again thank you all for those of you who have favorited, left a review or added this story to their alerts. This is the longest chapter I have ever written, it came out to be 50 pages on Word. This and the next chapter was originally one chapter but became so long, I had to chop it in two. The reason why this is releasing now and not earlier is because from 10pm last night to 6am this morning I had a stomach virus. What I experienced I would not wish on any of my enemies.
Moving on, this is a shout out to anyone living in Norway, Sweden or even Finland, if any of you would be able to send me a private message detailing any local festivals, traditional holidays or delicacies, that would be a huge help. Sure I could look it up online, but locals are more accurate.
On February 22nd is my first day of orientation for my new job. I was finally able to get the job at the hospital so thank you to everyone who wished me luck or prayed for me, I believe it made a difference. I had to call in some favors, so I really have to prove myself at the department, which is why the timeline for releases will change. My shift is rotating so I won't know if I will be working nights, days, evenings or mornings, it is whatever they need. And it is fulltime, so I will be working a lot more than what I am used to. After chapter eleven the every three week release will be removed to whenever I can get a chapter out. Don't worry about me quitting this story, I have to much invested in it to stop now. I swear to you I will not abandon this story, I will become apart of the lucky few who actually completes their story. Besides I have already written the ending and some chapters later on that just needs to be connected with the rest of the story. Plus I don't see myself finishing till 2017 anyway, too many avenues to explore.
I wish to give a shout out to the following reviewers: orca3553, fantasylover4evr, Yumikana, ravenx1988, supersandman86, Guest, Red Star, Noctus Fury, and Dew That Is Blue.
By the way Noctus Fury from what I could find a Chief is a Lord in Arendelle; so I do not know what Chiefs son would be called. Anyone of you know? And personally I believe Hiccup feels that he is not better than anyone else and would not want to be treated differently, as to why he would just want to be called by his first name.
Disclaimer: I don't own Disney's: Frozen or DreamWorks: How To Train Your Dragon.
Chapter 10
Death and Rebirth
"Chief Stoick!" Johann called out as he sailed into Berks harbor.
Stoick turned around and smiled at the friendly merchant, "ah Johann, how are ye? Yer about a week late." Johann threw Stoick a line and he secured it to a nearby bollard.
"Ah sorry Stoick, I made a trip to Great Britain and they tried to tax my goods. Had to bribe an official to get my trade through." Johann replied while rubbing his neck bashfully.
"Be not embarrassed Johann, I learned never to trust those Anglo-Saxons. They care only about money and power." He said as his son ran up to him.
"Mr. Hiccup, my you have done some growing." Johann called out as the young man boarded the ship.
Hiccup had grown in the two years after he and Elsa had officially gotten together; he was now nearly nine stones in weight and nearly two meters tall. The boy had done most of his growing after he had saved his father from Dagur the Deranged. A longtime enemy Alvin the Treacherous was now on their side and they need not worry about invasion since Dagur had been imprisoned on Outcast Island which used to be the home of the Red Death.
He, himself was still lanky but his muscles were growing and with the training that his father was giving him to become the next Chief, he was filling out his old clothes.
"That I have Johann, my seventeenth birthday was a few months ago and all the running around is bulking me up a bit." Hiccup responded in a less than high pitch tone, his body was going through puberty and he was slowly gaining a deeper voice.
Soon Stoick joined his son on the boat and looked about for new treasures.
"So what did you bring us?" Hiccup asked.
Johann moved about the ship showing them new rare treasures from the farthest reaches of the known world. "Ah, I have brought some wine from the Kingdom of France, some wool and silk from the Kingdom of Corona, fine swords from the Kingdom of Weselton and ice from the Kingdom of Arendelle." Johann said pointing over his shoulder to the large block of ice in the back of the hold.
Trade between the Kingdom of Arendelle and Berk had been restricted as of late, but Stoick was slowly opening up to the idea of sending more than just animal hides and iron ore to his southern neighbor. He was still hesitant though at attracting unwanted attention from the other kingdoms, they could possibly send up patrols to see what was to gain and the discovery of dragons could either go one of two ways. Either they were frightened and would seek to eradicate just as he had for many years or would try to acquire them for military purposes which sent a chill down his old spine.
The ice Arendelle sent them on every trade was some of the best ice one could ask for, sure they could get their own ice from the ocean but it tasted of salt and was hardly edible. But the ice from Arendelle was from their lakes or glaciers and when melted down it provided the cleanest drinking water one could ever want, either that or they could put their meats on it and preserve the food for weeks instead of days. The water was used for special celebrations and when they ran out of the ice water, they drank from the well.
Stoick was brought of his thoughts at the sound of his son making a comment about the kingdoms.
"So many kingdoms, too bad they can't just have their country be named with one word, like Berk." Stoick commented back.
"Well, if you would let me explore dad, Berk could become a kingdom too. There are many unclaimed islands in the archipelago we could have and thus we could become the Kingdom of Berk." Hiccup commented off handily as he looked at a Weselton sword.
"Oh and where would you get the Vikings to settle these new lands son? We have less than five hundred Vikings, we don't have the man power to claim and hold these new islands if a foreign country ever challenged our claim." Stoick countered.
Johann took a step between the two Vikings, "well Chief these kingdoms are so often at war with each other that I don't think they would notice if you claimed these lands. They hardly know you even exist. Only Arendelle knows you exist outside of their lands."
Stoick rubbed his hand against his forehead already knowing he had lost this battle, his son was beginning to sneak out at night to explore these new lands and map them out.
"Don't encourage him Johann; did we receive anything extra from Arendelle?" Stoick asked wanting to get out of the losing conversation.
Johann pulled out his manifest and looked over the shipments, "besides the regular shipments of medicine and blankets, I have a special package for Hiccup from Princess Elsa, and here you are Hiccup." He said while handing the medium sized package to the young Viking. Hiccup took it with a smile on his face before he excused himself and took off running toward his cove most likely.
"Anything for me?" Stoick asked.
"Actually yes, here is a letter from King Agdar." Johann said as he handed Stoick the letter with the official crest of Arendelle on the back.
"Ah, Agdar now that is a good name for a leader. I think his name means honorable or star. That King deserved every word associated with it." Stoick thought as he broke the seal and started to read the letter.
"Greetings: Chief Stoick of Berk, I hope you are well. I am writing to you to announce that my wife Idun and I are leaving in a month for a two week trip. I have told my daughters that we are traveling to the Kingdom of Corona to see their distant cousin Princess Rapunzel and the King and Queen. In truth we are traveling to Wolgast in the German Confederation to find a cure for Elsa's curse. I know we may find nothing but they are more advanced in the medical and science realm than us. Thus I am formally requesting that Hiccup be sent to Arendelle for Elsa. It will be the first time that we have left Elsa and Anna alone in the castle together and will not be available if something goes wrong with Elsa's powers.
Though, personally I do not see this happening since Elsa has control of her powers, but better safe than covered in snow. Your son Hiccup has a way with our daughter in calming her down or making her feel safe and this will be a good chance to advance their relationship in the correct direction. I will await your decision on whether you will send Hiccup or not. I hope you will let your son have a small vacation from your training. Elsa has told me from letters that your son has sent her that you are training him hard in the ways of becoming the future Chief of your village. I have the utmost confidence that Hiccup will become a great Chief and a good husband for my eldest daughter. With respect and admiration, King Agdar of Arendelle"
And under the king's signature was the crest of Arendelle.
"One month that is plenty of time to respond" Stoick thought, "wait a moment, Johann is late so how much time do I actually have?"
Stoick looked up from the letter to see Johann trading with other Vikings of his tribe, "Johann when was this letter given to ye?" he called out.
"About three weeks ago, Chief." He said then went back to trading.
Stoick's eyes went wide for a moment when he realized they were leaving in less than a week, if he sent out a letter today it would take four days for Johann to reach Arendelle and Hiccup would have to make the journey in less time than a boat could sail to that kingdom. He had to teach Hiccup another lesson before he would allow his son to go there; one that involved women and growing up. He still had to tell his son about the contract, but that would be for another time.
"Johann do you have a pencil and parchment?"
Johann looked around and found said materials then handed them to the Chief.
Stoick wrote out a letter saying that he would send Hiccup and he would most likely be in Arendelle in one week after he had taught his son about how to treat women as well as the birds and bees. With a signature and stamp to confirm the authenticity of the letter he folded it up and slid it into a spare tube to which he closed and gave to Johann for safekeeping and delivery.
"Johann, this letter is very important. It needs to be delivered to King Agdar as soon as possible." And to make it seem urgent Stoick handed Johann four gold pieces.
"Do not worry Chief, the letter will make it there in four days give or take. This reminds me of the time the King of Sverige called upon me to deliver a message of the Queen of France. Oh those were the times, it all started when…" Johann started, and Stoick was sucked into a retelling of most likely a dream that the merchant had. He was immediately jealous that his son was alone and reading a letter from someone who cared deeply for him.
Hiccup did indeed receive a letter from Elsa besides the small box of lavender from inside the package much to his enjoyment; he was currently reading the letter while leaning lazily against Toothless who was sleeping in bottom of the cove. The two would often go there when they wanted to relax or go flying. Hiccup brought the box of lavender up to his nose and inhaled deeply, instantly an image of Elsa smiling at him came to the forefront of his mind. He returned that smile with one of his own, "so this is what it is like to be in love; I could get used to it."
Elsa had stated in her letter that her parents were leaving soon for Corona. She was afraid at being left alone with Anna and wished that he was there to comfort her. "Oh I would comfort her alright, a kiss here and there and then we would walk throughout the castle and talk about nothing for hours then kiss some more." Hiccup came out of his thoughts with a huge blush, "Jeez, I need to stop thinking about Elsa. She is going to drive me crazy just imagining her. Odin do I miss her." He said softly to no one.
"Miss who? You miss me?" Someone said as they plopped down beside him.
Hiccup turned to his right and saw his second-in-command Astrid Hofferson take a seat beside him a little too close for just being friendly.
"What is in the box?" Astrid said as she took said box and opened it.
"Sure, go right ahead and open it, it is not like it isn't your property and everything" Hiccup said to himself quietly, slightly mad that Astrid often went through the stuff that Elsa sent him.
He of course would protest but its Astrid, she would do as she wished, plus having that axe helped a little.
"Is this lavender? What are you doing with lavender?" She gave him an incredulous look that he would have that kind of plant.
"Elsa sent it to me. It is her scent and smelling it makes me relax. It helps me sleep too." Hiccup replied while taking back the box and holding it to his chest.
Astrid gave a small glare to the box and what it represented; she grew to hate that princess since it was Elsa that stole Hiccup away from her.
She then got an idea and a small smirk spread across her face, "You know Hiccup, there are other means that can help one relax."
Hiccup looked straight ahead and basically ignored what Astrid had said, instead he thought of Elsa.
"Oh, and what would that way be?" He said nonchalantly.
"This…" Astrid said as she moved in front of Hiccup and pressed her lips to his. It took several seconds for Hiccup to realize that it wasn't Elsa that was kissing him, "wait a moment Elsa is not on Berk, so who is kissing me?" He thought before his cloudy vision cleared up and saw that it was Astrid who was kissing him. Hiccup immediately pushed Astrid off of him and stood up, which woke Toothless up with a groan.
"Astrid, what in Odin's name are you doing!" He shouted, pissed that this was the fourth or fifth time that she had done things like this to get him to like her.
Astrid just smiled and tried to play ignorance.
"What? It was just a friendly kiss."
Hiccup groaned and brought his fingers up to rub the ridge of his nose, "Astrid for the last time, I am with Elsa, we are an official couple as recognized by both my father and the King and Queen of Arendelle. We, as in you and I were never and will never be together. You messed up your chance of being with me from years of neglect. All you are to me is a friend." He said forcefully.
"Well, I could be a special kind of friend. Elsa does not need to know. We could do everything that you and Elsa do together, but just do those things here on Berk." Astrid said with a smile.
Hiccup was stunned at what Astrid was offering him, but also a little disgusted. Did she think so little of his and Elsa's relationship that it could be broken by a mere kiss?
Hiccup moved to get on Toothless to get away from this awkward situation, "I will see you at the Dragon Academy tomorrow, Astrid. And I will not tell my father of what transpired here today." Hiccup said before engaging Toothless' tail and taking off.
Astrid watched the two fly into the blue sky, "one-day Hiccup, you will be mine and you will see that I am better than that little princess." She said with a small cynical smile.
Toothless and Hiccup flew around Berk for a while before landing inside of his room through the skylight. As Toothless went over to his food basket, Hiccup walked down the stairs to see his father cooking three large Atlantic Cod over the open fire pit. He then saw a large block of ice in the back of the house, with a small piece of it already chopped off and laying on the table. "Long day dad?" He asked while pointing to the ice on the table.
Stoick looked up from the fire, "aye, Gothi has predicted that a massive storm will come up from the South. I told Gobber to start putting supplies into the Great Hall."
Hiccup looked stunned by the news, "a storm this early? Here? But rain storms never come from the South; they usually come in from the West."
"Aye that they do, but Gothi is never wrong. Not only that, but the King and Queen of Arendelle are going on a trip to Wolgast in the German Confederation. They will be sailing through that storm, but as long as they stay along the coast and don't go out into the open North Sea they will be fine."
Hiccup tensed at the thought of Elsa's parents sailing through the storm.
Stoick saw his son tense up, "do not worry Hiccup, Arendelle has some fine sailing captains in their navy. They know what to do." Stoick said trying to relax his son. "Now sit."
He and Hiccup sat down at the table and started to consume their cod with much fervor. Halfway through, Stoick decided to bring up the rest of the letter. "Son, there is another matter I need to discuss with ye." He said after taking a drink of mead.
"What is it dad?" Hiccup asked while looking up from his fish.
"Since Agdar and Idun are going to another Kingdom that means Elsa is going to be alone with her sister Anna. Naturally her parents are scared at the two being together because of their history. They have asked that I allow you to go to Arendelle to keep Elsa happy and contented during their absence."
Naturally Hiccup perked up at the thought of being with Elsa.
"I have responded to their letter with approval of their request, but only after ye go through one more lesson in combat tactics and a special lesson in women."
"A special lesson in women? Dad what are you talking about?" Hiccup asked generally confused.
Stoick for the first time in his life was rather embarrassed having to tell his son about these things, usually the mother would tell her son about such things but with Valka gone, he had to step up and give this speech.
"Hiccup, every man goes through this in one point in their life; yers is now. Naturally at yer age ye will want to start to explore a woman's body. And since ye will be alone with Elsa while ye are there it will be easy for ye to do so. But I must ask that ye use restraint, for ye only have one innocence in life and that must be saved for one's wedding night." Stoick said while looking into his son's eyes. Thankfully his redness on his cheeks was partially covered by his massive mustache.
Naturally by now Hiccup knew what was going on and a huge blush spread across his face in embarrassment. "Oh Odin, please make him stop."
"Ye will naturally want to make Elsa happy by giving pleasure to her." His father said softly trying to use the correct words; "please Odin make him stop, I beg you." Hiccup thought wanting this moment to end.
After nearly a half hour of mind numbing talks Hiccup knew the lesson was at an end since they were talking about what to do on a wedding night.
"And when ye undress one another, ye must take control and make sure she is on her back during the process. That is the only way to move forward, we must have strong Vikings come into this world and ye being on yer back is not how things are done. And once you feel her release only then do you release yer seed into her. Ye may need to repeat the process three times that night to make sure she is well filled."
"Well filled? Odin please kill me now." Hiccup begged the God of Gods to hear his silent prayer.
But much to his dissatisfaction his father continued on.
"And naturally there are other positions ye can try, but the ones that have her on top; ye must spill yer seed outside her body. If ye do not ye will have weak children."
"Anything else dad" Hiccup said embarrassedly.
"Not really except, ye cannot use any birth control. Anything that prevents life is strictly prohibited, so no teas, herbs or skins are allowed during the 'process'. Understood?" Stoick asked his flush faced son.
"Yes father, and if that is all I will go upstairs and throw up." Hiccup said as he got up from the table and hobbled his way up the stair case.
"Son take this seriously, ye do not want a child before yer ready. Remember only after yer married are ye allowed to enjoy the flesh of a woman. Understand?"
"Please dad just stop already." Hiccup called down from the upstairs.
"Fine, ye will be leaving in five days and yer are allowed to take Toothless with ye. Since a ship would take too long and be at risk of sinking, ye can fly with Toothless over the storm and be faster getting to Arendelle. My only request is that ye hide yer dragon away from the public, they are not used to seeing a creature like that."
Hearing that Hiccup came to the banister that looked over the fire pit.
"Really?" Hiccup asked skeptical that his father would allow Toothless beyond the archipelago.
"Against my better judgment, yes. The storm that is coming will sink any ship that goes through it, and while I don't want ye in danger. I must please the King and Queen and if ye are keeping Elsa happy, then they can rest easy knowing nothing will happen between Elsa and Anna." Stoick finished then looked up to see his son with a smile.
"Now, don't go overboard with Toothless now, just because I am letting ye take yer dragon doesn't mean ye can do whatever ye want while yer over there. And that includes Toothless eating all the wildlife and setting everything on fire while yer off with the princess. Be sure to keep that dragon in line and in a cave preferably." He finished knowing he could see the gears in his son's mind moving already at what he would do while he was there.
"Yes father." Hiccup responded with a smile, "Night."
"Night son."
After he heard his son's soft snores he leaned back into his chair smiling at the fact that his son was becoming a man slowly, he just wished he had enjoyed Hiccups younger years instead of focusing on the village. He made a promise to himself to try and connect more with his son while he could.
After a few days of learning archery, sword tactics and how to disarm an opponent Hiccup was upstairs packing his things and getting Toothless' saddle ready for the trip.
"Now let me see if I have everything I need. Flight suit?" Hiccup looked down at his body, "Check. Interchangeable leg? Check. Spare leg? Check. Spare pouches to carry everything in for Toothless' saddle? Check. Umm spare clothing, food and supplies? Check. Mint leaves for my breath and some soap? Check."
After looking in all the pouches to which he then attached to the saddle, he looked around his room to make sure he had everything. Going downstairs and bringing up a basket of fish he turned it over and the fish poured out onto the floor.
"Here you go Toothless; I want you to have lots of energy so we can make at least three hundred kilometers by tonight. We have to hope we find an island we can land on by late evening otherwise we will have to keep flying till we do so." He said as Toothless ate up all the fish, wolfing them down without chewing.
"Right, buddy you go out through the skylight and get used to the weight. I will meet you at the cliff; I need to talk to dad first."
Toothless nodded his head then jumped onto the roof.
"Okay Hiccup you can do this, your first time traveling to Arendelle alone and your first big ocean trip. Just fly over the storm and everything will be smooth flying." Hiccup said confidently to himself as he traveled down to the workshop where his father was helping Gobber.
"Hey Hiccup, are ye ready for yer trip?" Gobber asked while inspecting an axe.
"Yes, just getting a spare tail for Toothless. Don't want to be stuck on a deserted island again."
Gobber nodded his head remembering when Hiccup, Snotlout and Toothless were stranded for the night and then worked together to get off the island. At least it improved the relationship of those three a little.
Hiccup walked into the forge and pulled out the tail and wrapped it in twine so it would be easier to handle. His father came out of the back and walked up to him.
"Ye ready son?" He asked as he gave Hiccup his old journal to which he secured under his flying suit.
"As ready as I will ever be dad" Hiccup said then smiled.
Stoick relaxed a little seeing his son had grown into a semi-mature young adult; though he was stubborn he took flying very seriously and would never intentionally get himself into harm's way.
"Well, be safe son."
Hiccup looked at his father and gave him a confused look.
"What?"
"That's it? You're just allowing me to fly off without a long winded speech?"
"Ye want a long speech? Okay." Stoick started
"Dammit, why did I say something? I should have just gotten on Toothless and flown away."
Hiccup came back to reality to hear his father talking about how to navigate properly.
"Dad, everything will be okay. I am a Viking and we don't get lost remember? Well, most of the time at least."
"Of course son, but just remember ye can tame women, ye can tame dragons, but ye cannot tame Mother Nature. So be careful and don't rush into anything."
Hiccup smiled and nodded his head; he then walked out of the shop and attached the spare tail to the underbelly of Toothless. He mounted and made sure everything was secure. He looked at the shop and waved his hand. Stoick and Gobber returned the gesture. Hiccup switched his foot into the takeoff position and Toothless jumped into the air and they began their journey. First diving down the cliff face then pulling up to skim across the ocean's surface so close Hiccup could see fish beneath the surface, and then pulled up slowly until they were above the cloud line.
After a full day of flying the two landed on a deserted island which looked like the same island he was stranded on two years back. The two found a cave and entered seeing drawings on the ceiling, this cave had been used several times over the years by travelers and other Vikings. Walking out and gathering some broken twigs and dried driftwood Hiccup made a fire while Toothless caught some fish that were in the shallows of the ocean.
He descaled the fish and cooked them up for himself while Toothless ate his share raw. The two then went to sleep near the smoldering fire.
The next day they were up bright and early to get started on their journey. After several hours of flying, he looked up from his journal to see the sun settling just underneath the clouds.
"Wow, this is beautiful. What do you think bud?"
Toothless grunted in response.
It was as if the sun was diving into a never ending ocean. He could see the moon behind him at his eleven o'clock; the stars were already above him in all their glory. Pulling himself closer to Toothless to gain some warmth, the temperature above the clouds at night was in the lower double digits and they could not fly for too long before the tail would freeze up.
"I wonder what Elsa is doing right now; I hope I can make it to her by the day after tomorrow. That would only leave her being alone with Anna for one day." Hiccup gave out a chuckle when he heard himself. "What am I worrying for? She can take care of herself, besides Anna would never invade someone else's privacy. Those two are ladies and they act as such, well maybe Elsa more than Anna." He gave out another chuckle before concentrating on an image of Elsa smiling at him. That thought alone made him feeling ten times warmer. "Odin, I love her."
A blush coming to his face as he said those three powerful words.
Elsa was currently walking down one of many hallways that led toward the bottom of the grand staircase that eventually would lead to the Great Hall where a painful memory resided. Passed that would lead to the welcoming room and out to the front gates.
Today was the day that her parents were sailing off to the Kingdom of Corona. They would be gone for two whole weeks. Two long weeks with no one to prevent Anna from knocking on her door and asking if she wanted to build a snowman.
"I wish I was on Berk with Hiccup at least he could entertain me or we could just walk around the island together. I hope he got my package, those lavender petals should let him remember what I smell like. God, do I miss him." She said to herself.
As Elsa walked to the staircase she could see her parents coming off the last step, approaching them and giving a proper curtsey. "Do you have to go?" Elsa said with a sad look of wanting her parents to not leave her.
"You'll be fine Elsa. Besides, a month ago I dispatched a letter to Chief Stoick asking if he would send his son to Arendelle to stay while we were gone. And two days ago I received a reply; he granted my request and would send Hiccup as soon as he gave him a special talk. I would believe since Hiccup cares deeply for you he will arrive here the day after tomorrow. Just go easy on him and no funny business." Agdar replied with a gentle smile.
Elsa couldn't believe her ears; her parents were sending her the one person that could make her feel like a normal girl if only for a little while. She was speechless.
"Your father is right Elsa, remember you are a lady and princess first then a lover. I do not want to see any markings on your neck when we get back, understood?" Idun asked her hopelessly in love daughter.
Elsa's face turned a crimson shade of red, "of course mother. I will be a good girl." She then gave a small reassuring smile to the two.
Her mother moved forward and gathered Elsa into her arms, Elsa hesitantly hugged back still wary of her powers. Her father soon joined the two and put his arms around both of them completing the hug.
"It will be okay Elsa, we will be back in two weeks and will have a nice dinner with Hiccup just the four of us. We will discuss the future of you two if you would like?" Her mother asked.
"That sounds alright, I will have to ask Hiccup first and see what he thinks of it. But he will usually agree as long as it makes me happy."
The three stayed like that for a moment before Kai cleared his throat.
"Sorry to interrupt your majesties, but you must be on your way before nightfall and the sun is beginning to set." Kai advised.
Agdar then Idun pulled out of the hug leaving Elsa standing in front of the staircase.
"See you in a little while Elsa and give our love to Hiccup when he arrives." Her father said to her as the Guards came in and took the luggage away to the ship. Her mother and father took one last look at her and smiled then walked toward the Grand Hall.
She on the other hand walked up the staircase toward the library. As Elsa made her way into the library, she walked over to the large window that overlooked the bridge to the castle, the village and the harbor. In the distance she could see her parents boarding the ship with an escort of Guards. After a few minutes they were sailing out of the fjord and into the open Norwegian Sea. Though that move frightened her, for far off in front of them were dark looking storm clouds with lightning dancing between the clouds that seemed to stretch for dozens and dozens of kilometers upward and outwards.
"It will be okay Elsa; they always come home when one of them traveld around the Kingdom. They always come back, they will come back and when they do Hiccup will be here and we will have a nice dinner together. All I have to do is wait two more nights and he will arrive then those two weeks will fly by." She said to herself as she turned away from the large window and retreating back into her room.
If she had looked back at the window she would have seen frost covering the bottom of the window sill, the wall and the floor where her feet had been.
"Just two more nights."
"Okay buddy, we are only a day from Arendelle. If we land now and start early tomorrow morning, we should get there by the evening and ahead of schedule. Sound good?" Hiccup asked toothless as they made landfall on an island near the western edge of the Arendelle coastline. Now all they had to do was fly across the entire breath of the Arendelle Kingdom which measured nearly three hundred and five kilometers across and God knows how far in length. Arendelle was really a massive Kingdom, nearly a thousand times the size of Berk. He had really lucked out in courting the right girl if he wanted to explore another kingdom with nearly free reign.
Toothless responded with his usual warble and a nod of his head.
The two set up shelter under the stars with Hiccup leaning against his dragons back for warmth.
He could faintly hear a low rumble off in the distance, looking off to see the storm just as Gothi had predicted was slowly coming their way.
"Hmm, it looks like we have a good eight hours before it comes here. It is best to be in the air within seven." He said as he brought the blanket up to his chest and closed his eyes. The cool breeze swept across his face, tussling his brown hair. Toothless on the other hand was eyeing the impending storm with a small bit of fear; him and those bright flashes never got along too well.
After their sleep, they awoke to a sight they had never seen. Waves the size of mountains was rolling across the sea, rain was coming down in sheets and the wind could knock down a mature tree. Even Hiccup was nervous to try and fly through something like that; luckily they were flying over it.
"Okay Toothless, are you ready?" Hiccup asked his dragon who looked weary of flying through something with that much lightning. Toothless looked back at his human companion and shook his head from side to side.
"It will be fine Toothless, we can fly over the storm just like we do at night, everything will be okay." Hiccup said trying to reassure his reptilian friend.
Toothless just nodded his head cautiously.
Hiccup put the tail into the takeoff position and Toothless jumped into the air, and after a few minutes they were flying above the clouds toward the darkened storm that seemed to stretch in front of them for hundreds of kilometers in every direction. Soon they were about to pierce the edge of the storm when Hiccup asked Toothless to climb higher. As they ascended into the clouds the rain pelted Hiccups unprotected face, he brought up a hand to stop the rain from pelting his eyes. "Odin's beard, I wish I had a mask or a helmet to protect my eyesight." He thought to himself as the storm drenched him and Toothless. Hiccup could swear they rose into the clouds for minutes on end; the storm seemed to reach up into the heavens and beyond.
"Okay buddy it seems we can't fly over the storm, take us back down and we will just fly through it." Hiccup shouted so his friend could hear him over the thunder, the howls of wind and the cracks of lightning that lit the sky.
Toothless just looked back at Hiccup with a disbelief look etched on his face.
"I know buddy, but we have no choice." Hiccup tried to reassure his friend.
Toothless dived back down till they were flying a hundred meters or so over the tree line. The weather was not better down there either, in fact it was worse. The wind and rain nearly caused him to be blown off his saddle a few times. "Dear Odin, I hope it is better where Elsa is" he thought to himself as he squinted his eyes so they wouldn't accidentally fly into a mountain.
Elsa paced back and forth in her room, tomorrow was the day that Hiccup was supposed to arrive but the storm had gotten worse from the night before. The ships in the harbor were being driven up onto the pier, and waves were hitting the mouth of the harbor entrance with such force that the wave spray reached over the walls lining the entrance that snaked their way back to the castle itself. Just then a flash of lightning lit up the sky and crashed down onto one of the metal rods that rose over guard towers. The booming sound from the crack of lightening caused the windows to vibrate. Elsa lit a gas lamp to illuminate her darkened room.
"It will be okay Elsa," she said to herself trying to improve her confidence level.
"Hiccup will make it through unharmed and then we can have dinner and talk for hours on end and maybe we can sit together and read books in the library in front of a warm fire." Elsa continued wanting to do so many things with Hiccup when he came.
"Please Hiccup come soon, I miss you so much." She whispered as she looked out of her window at the swirling storm clouds and moving sea that seemed to never slowdown in sending waves that crashed against the castle walls.
After hours of flying, Hiccup knew they were a quarter of the way there. But this rain and wind were something else, the storm seemed go on forever and never lost any of its strength. In fact, there was a point in the storm where it was absolute calm and they could see the starry night sky above them. But after a few more minutes they pierced another wall of clouds and they were once again drenched in wind and rain. It got to the point where he could barely breathe for if he opened his mouth the water would fly into it and he was not able to drink the water fast enough eventually causing him to choke on the rain. Hiccup pressed his chest to Toothless' saddle in hopes of not being hit as much by the wind, sadly it had no effect. Even Toothless was struggling to keep them flying in a straight line and with no visible land markers they could be flying in the wrong direction all together.
"Okay Toothless, we can't go on. Find us somewhere to touchdown and we will hunker down for the night." Hiccup yelled into his friend's massive ear.
Toothless didn't respond, he just dived through the tree line and landed with a thud. Hiccup unclipped himself and jumped off Toothless looking for someplace to take shelter, but there was none. There was nothing but trees for kilometers in every direction. As he realized the seriousness of their situation, the cold rain had soaked through his flight suit making his clothes underneath as wet as his hair. Shivers of cold wracked his body and he fought through the howling wind to find dry wood or pine needles to make a fire with.
Hiccup collapsed to his knees tired and out of breath, Toothless moved over to a small dry spot under a massive pine tree. He nestled to the ground and moved his wing up and over Hiccup protecting him from the rain. Hiccup looked at his friend who looked back at him and tilted his head toward his under belly. Hiccup got the idea and he slowly crawled into Toothless' embrace, Hiccup placed his head onto his friend's paw and felt Toothless retract his wing back against his side to insulate him and his human against the reduced wind and rain. Hiccup was sandwiched between Toothless' warm body and the dry ground. He could hear his friends' heart thumping away against his shoulder and that gentle rhythm eventually allowed Hiccup to close his eyes and fall into a gentle sleep. "I have the best friend in the world, Odin do I love my dragon" Hiccup thought as he drifted off into dream world.
Finally, after three days of flying short distances and resting underneath Toothless, the storm had finally died out and all that remained was a few dark patches of rain. He could see Arendelle below him as he flew around a tall snowy mountain. Now he had to find a cave and hide Toothless in there for two weeks, he would bring him food and supplies every other night and fix his tail so he could fly alone or hunt if he wanted to. After a little bit of searching he had found a small cove like the one back home that was near the back of the fjord, it had a small stream and high enough walls to protect Toothless from unwanted eyes.
"Okay Toothless you will be living here for the next two weeks. I have traded your tail out so you can hunt or fish on your own; you just need to avoid being seen by anyone. Can you do that?" Hiccup asked.
Toothless gave a puppy like expression as if saying "can I come?"
"I'm sorry bud, the people of Arendelle are not used to seeing a dragon and I'm afraid of what their reaction might be towards you. I will not take that chance. I will come back every so often with supplies and food to make your stay easier. But you can explore the area around you and hunt to your heart's content. Just stay away from the populated areas and make sure you're not tracked."
Toothless nodded his head in response; he then sniffed the air and took off toward most likely small game. Hiccup smiled that his dragon had found something to do while he was gone. Hiccup put everything he brought along into a large rucksack and tied it to his back, as he came out of the cove he caught a glimpse of Arendelle a few miles away. It seemed every time he came the village got more and more beautiful. He was able to see and take in more of the area around the castle, the levels of the hills that allowed the village to expand up and have different buildings to be built upon them. The wall that extended out from the castle seemed to be look stronger and more robust though in a peaceful way. Whenever he traveled outside the castle the village square was vibrant and filled with people, though for some reason this time not a soul was seen in the square. It could have been the recent weather, but this time something felt off, not even merchants were seen unloading their catch of the day.
Slowly he made his way over to the bridge that led to the gates and upon arrival to them he knocked. He looked behind him and saw that several of the lamp posts had toppled over onto the walkway, it seemed the city had taken modest damage from the storm. After a moment a small cutout of the door opened to reveal the face of the Captain of the Royal Guard. "Hello Birger, how are you this evening?" Hiccup asked the man who saved his life that one time in the forest.
"Hiccup? Is that you?" He asked after opening the gate and beckoning him in.
Birger and Hiccup knew of each other but did not know each other personally, mostly nodding their heads toward the other and the occasional small chat when Hiccup needed something, but other than that not much was said between the two.
"Yes it is Birger, how is everything in the land of Arendelle?" Hiccup asked as the two walked toward the Reception room.
"You mean you don't know?" Birger asked with a solemn voice.
Hiccup picked up the subtle voice change and was scared to ask what had happened.
"Don't know what? What happened? Is Elsa alright?" He asked immediately.
"Princess Elsa is fine, though now she won't even come out of her room for dinner or go to the library."
The Captain offered Hiccup a seat to which he took, the opposite seat facing him being taken up by Birger. The room was dimly lit and a sense of dread hung in the room, the once warm reception area felt cold and lifeless.
"Hiccup I wish you wouldn't have to find out like this, but King Agdar and Queen Idun died in the storm. The ship they were sailing on was consumed by the sea, only small pieces of the ship washed up on the shore. The funeral was held only a few hours ago, two large stones were laid down on top of a hill, with smaller stones laid down at the bottom of the hill for the Guards and sailors who also lost their lives." Birger said in a hushed tone, Hiccup could hear the sadness in his voice.
Hiccup was taken aback by this news, the King and Queen had treated him as if he was their own son. Adgar alone had given him reassurance and confidence in himself when no one else would, a tear came to his eye at remembering the chapel. Hiccup bowed his head and brought up his hand to cover his mouth that was hanging open from the shock that these two wonderful people had left the earth way too early. The two just sat on the couches in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before Hiccup asked a question not many would have asked.
"How many sailors and Guards did you lose?"
Birger was shocked that Hiccup asked that question, when people heard the Queen and King had died they usually forgot about the other people that must have been on the ship too.
"A dozen of my Guards, men I knew for years and nearly three dozen sailors." He replied in a solemn voice, the faces of those he had commanded flashed in front of him.
"You have my condolences; would you like me to make a sacrifice to the Gods so they can make a safe passage to the heavens?" Hiccup asked in a hushed voice.
"You can do as you see fit, but you must realize that the King and Queen did not have the same beliefs as you, we for the most part are Evangelical Lutheran and believe in one God."
Hiccup nodded his head realizing that not everyone believed the same way Vikings did, the world was just so big and he wanted to explore more of it and find different people, different cultures and different religions.
"I know that they didn't have the same beliefs as me and my fellow Vikings but, I just wanted to do something since I missed the funeral, I want to pay my respects." Hiccup replied back thinking of the conversation he previously had with Adgar.
"Well, their resting site is north of the castle about a five-minute walking from here, it is enough distance from the village that they cannot be disturbed from future growth." Birger directed.
Hiccup just nodded his head and then stood up and grabbed his ruck sack throwing it on his shoulder and moving away from the couch.
"Where is Anna, I need to pay my respects." He asked Birger.
"Anna? I would have thought for sure that you would want to see Elsa first." Birger responded.
Hiccup made his way to the reception door that led to the Grand Hall, but stopped before he opened it.
"I have ignored Anna for too long and besides I already know where to find Elsa." Hiccup said not turning his head back to Birger.
"Hmm, I suppose so. Anna is in the courtyard. I will see you around Hiccup." Birger said as he made his way back outside.
Hiccup opened the door and walked down the dimly lit halls to the hallway that held both his and Elsa's rooms; he quietly crept up to Elsa's door and put his ear next to the key hole. He heard soft breathing and a soft snore indicating that she was a sleep. Hiccup carried his stuff quietly to his old room; he tossed his rucksack on the bed and made his way to the courtyard. He saw Anna sitting on the same bench that they had used when she told him to talk to Elsa so many moons ago. Slowly moving toward her unseen he put his hand down on top of the bench and briefly hovered his other hand over her shoulder before retracting.
"Anna." He said quietly jolting her out of her day dreams.
Anna turned her head to look up at her friend with puffy red eyes from hours of crying; she instantly got up and went around the bench to hug Hiccup a gesture he returned fervently.
"Hiccup" was all she replied as they hugged for what seemed like hours, she crying softly into his shoulder.
It was then that Hiccup noticed that she was wearing a sort of black and grey color robe and a black cap that covered her ears and part of her head, as if a constant reminder of what had transpired only a few hours ago.
Hiccup just stroked her back with his right hand as his left held their waists together; he pulled back slightly and moved them back to the bench, sitting down.
"How are you holding up Anna?" He spoke softly
More tears streamed down Anna's face before looking up at her friend, "Awful, is this how you felt when you lost your mother?"
Hiccup was surprised that she would reference to him losing his mother as if those two events were equal.
"No, I was saddened but at least I still had my father but you have it worst since you lost both your parents at the same time." He said before taking her hand into his, "Everything will be alright Anna, I promise."
"No it won't, my parents were the only people I had in the world, and now I am truly alone. Elsa at least has you, while I have no one to call my sister or partner." She said shaking her head at Hiccups promise.
"What are you talking about? Elsa will always be your sister and I will always be your friend. In fact, I look at you as the sister I always wanted but never had. You are kind, sweet, gentle, and beautiful and always fun to be around." He said before moving forward and softly planting a small kiss on her forehead.
Anna's tears dried up and a blush came to her cheeks, she looked at his face and saw a small smile on his face as if conforming that he was telling the truth.
"That seems about right since my parents thought of you as the son they always wanted but could never have. They thought you were brave and wise beyond your years, kind, intelligent, and most of all a great future Chief for your village and a wonderful future son-in-law. I actually looked forward to the thought of you being my brother-in-law." Anna said then gave a kind hopeful smile.
Now it was Hiccups turn to blush, "me and Elsa? Marry?" Hiccup thought. "Personally I have not thought that far ahead. Me and Elsa are barely together as it is, we only see each other once every three years or so, and we stay in contact with letters and packages. We haven't even said 'I love you' yet." Hiccup responded while slowly realizing the fragile state of their relationship.
"But you love her right?" Anna asked.
"Of course I do Anna, but it is more complicated than that, to say those three words is a huge moment in a relationship and I don't want to say it nonchalantly or make it sound like it's an afterthought. The moment needs to be right and I just have to hope she says it back otherwise the relationship might be ruined." He said in a hushed nervous tone before looking out at the cloudy sky.
"From the fact that she always wears the gloves you made her and only talks to you should be a good indicator to how she feels about you." Anna countered with a small smile.
"And by the way, do you know why she always wears the gloves even when she is inside?" Anna asked innocently.
Hiccups eyes widened at the question and a thought ran through his mind remembering what Elsa had told him two years ago, "You can't tell her anything about my powers, why the gates were closed or why I can't talk to or play with her." Hiccup just looked around at the courtyard before looking back at Anna. "I will tell you later, I promise. But that whole thing about not having a partner to spend time with; Anna you will eventually find someone to spend the rest of your life with. You just have to wait till you find him or he finds you." He said wanting to get away from that sensitive topic concerning Elsa's secret.
Anna just gave him a disbelieving look, "It is not like I have much of a chance with being locked away in here, only a Queen or King can give the order to open the gates and I don't see Elsa giving that order in the near future."
Hiccup thought about what Anna said, and it was true. King Agdar gave the order to close the gates and not until Elsa becomes Queen could the gates be opened again.
"Well maybe you can sneak out of the castle like what I and Elsa did over a decade ago. Though I almost died from hypothermia so sneak out on a day when it is warm." Hiccup suggested then gave a chuckle.
Anna raised a brow at Hiccups suggestion, "I could never do something like that, and I don't break rules."
Now it was Hiccups turn to raise an eyebrow at the young princess, "you don't break rules? What about the rule of no riding bicycles while inside the castle or no touching of the paintings?" Hiccup asked with a knowing smirk.
Anna blushed at being caught, "well maybe not all the rules."
"Okay then, how about you and I do something? Like taking a stroll in the forest or dancing in the Ballroom?"
"You dance?" Anna asked Hiccup in disbelief.
"Well, actually I was hoping you could teach me. There are not a lot of chances to dance to music on Berk; most of our celebrations have us getting drunk and not much else." Hiccup said while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.
Anna nodded her head to his request, "okay when?"
"Later this week Anna. When I have spent enough time with Elsa to make her feel better and less depressed. But for now I wish to take a bath and then see her. I don't want to go to her smelling like a sailor." Hiccup said as he sniffed his shoulder then cringing at the odor.
"Okay, I will tell one of the servants that you need a bath" Anna said before getting up with Hiccup following her lead.
"Thanks" was all he said before giving her a small reassuring smile.
Anna just nodded her head then leaned up and kissed Hiccups cheek as a thank you for being a friend when she needed one the most. She then left Hiccup to his thoughts as she walked back toward her room her head slightly higher than before.
Hiccup stood there for a moment before asking himself, "wait a moment, why would Anna need to tell a servant that I needed a bath, wouldn't I just go to the Bath Room located at the back of the castle?" Brushing it off to just being a long and tiring day he went to his room and took out his pajamas.
While placing his belongings into their rightful spots around the old room, it was then he noticed that there was an extra door present that wasn't there the previous years. He moved to it and opened the door to reveal a medium sized water closet complete with a standalone tub in the middle of the room and pipes leading out from the floor to just inside the tub. The walls and floors were lined with fine marble and even the sinks and toilets were made of stone and porcelain. This had to be the fanciest water closet he had ever seen; he could only imagine what the Kings and Queen's water closet was like. It seemed like some of the rooms went under a renovation to give more privacy to the guest or royal. Just as he was going to explore the room more he heard a knock against this bedroom door.
He moved back into his room and opened the door to reveal a young servant girl not much older than him standing with a bucket at her side.
"Yes?" Hiccup asked perplexed as to why a woman who looked like an older Elsa but with brown hair was standing in front of him with bathing supplies.
Hiccup sadly did not put two and two together to arrive at the most reasonable outcome.
"I am here to bathe you, Sir." She said calmly and professionally.
Hiccup just stared at the girl as if she had a second head, "Umm what? Why would I need help bathing?" Hiccup asked confused.
"You are a royal. All royals have people like me to help them bathe. We draw the bath, put in the oils, help the royal into the tub and then scrub them clean. We also dry them and then clean up afterward. Plus, I was notified that you have a condition and would require extra help." She said then nodded toward Hiccups leg.
Hiccup followed her gaze and remembered he had a prosthetic foot. Sometimes he would forget about his condition since it had been two years and with the new foot, it had made life easier and less noticeable to him.
"Okay, please come in." Hiccup moved to the side and watched as the woman bent down to pick up the bucket and then went into the water closet. "Umm, may I watch you work?"
The servant looked confused, "I am from an island and have never seen a bath like this, and I usually bathe in a river or lake. Some of us even stand outside during a rainstorm and take our baths like that." Hiccup replied with a blush coming to his face.
"Whatever you wish, Sir." She replied.
"It's Hiccup, if you don't mind and what is your name?" He asked nervously.
She was setting the bucket down as he asked, "its Halle, Sir."
"That is a nice name, I believe is means 'Home Rule', if I'm not mistaken." Hiccup replied moving to sit down in the chair near the bath tub.
Halle said nothing as she got everything prepared for Hiccups bath, first corking the bath tub then turning a knob which caused water to stream out of a pipe; soon enough steam could be seen coming from the pipe. She grabbed a glass bottle from her bucket and poured some of its contents into the growing water, soon bubbles could be seen spreading across the surface of the water. Once the water reached half way up the inside of the tub, she turned the same knob the other direction and turned a different knob on. This time there was no steam coming from the water which meant it was cold. Halle then put on an apron and rolled up her sleeves as she draped a folded towel near the back of the tub to act as a pillow. After a minute or two she turned the knob off and tested the water with her finger, nodding her head she looked at him.
"It is ready Mr. Hiccup" She said then waited, "please strip down and then I will help you in."
Hiccups face went crimson at the fact that he needed to be nude in front of a woman whom he didn't really know that well. Hell, he just met her and she was going to see everything.
"Umm do you mind if I keep my under trousers on? The only woman I want to see that region is the woman I will marry in the future." He said softly as moved a hand over to his crotch region as if trying to show her what he meant.
"As you wish, Mr. Hiccup" She said then moved to gather his clothing.
"Thank you" was all he said in response as he pulled his armor and arm guards off followed by his green tunic leaving him topless. As he looked down at his torso he could see that his muscles were rippling under his skin and as he looked back up at Halle he could see a small tint of pink spreading across her cheeks. "Professional, huh?" He asked, letting his confidence get the better of him.
Halle just gave him a hard stare as she tried to get rid of her blush.
Hiccup sat back down on the chair and moved to take off his one boot. He slowly untethered the straps that clung to his prosthetic foot; after the straps were undone he twisted his foot in a counter-clock wise direction. Hearing a small snap, he pulled the foot forward and it popped off revealing his stump. He leaned forward and placed his metal foot on the floor next to the tub, as he looked down at the supports that were holding up the tub, he noticed they looked like claws and the tub was in fact a light reddish color. Hiccup leaned back into the wooden chair and untied his drawstring that held his pants together. Feeling them loosen he slid them forward till they were a lump on the floor, he blushed a little as this was the closest a woman had seen him naked before in his life.
"Are you ready Mr. Hiccup?" Halle asked as she moved to stand next to him.
"Yes" Hiccup responded as he held out his hand for Halle.
Taking a hold of his hand Halle guided him to the tub, where she instructed him to sit on the edge and swing his good foot over the side and into the water.
"Whoo, ahh" Hiccup breathed out as the hot water made contact with his skin. Now standing up Halle moved behind and told Hiccup to lean back as she moved her hands up to his upper arms and help guide him down into the water. As the last bit of his skin slid into the water, he rested his head on the folded towel.
Hiccup sighed in relief as his bum rested on the bottom and the hot water flowed into his body's cracks and crevices.
"Is the water hot enough Mr. Hiccup?"
"It is wonderful, is this how Elsa and Anna bathe?" Hiccup asked incredibly jealous that his girlfriend and her sister got to experience this luxury. He usually bathed in a semi clean river that was frigid most of the time. As to why he took a three-minute bath.
"Yes, they usually take a bath like this once a week. We wash their hair and the process usually takes about an hour, but as of late Princess Elsa has had Gerda draw her baths for her. Leaving us to attend to Princess Anna mostly, you are actually the first guest the castle has seen in many years." Halle said as she got a glass bottle out of the bucket and poured the contents in to her right hand.
"Are you ready for me to wash your hair?"
"Yes, is there anything you need me to do?" Hiccup asked.
Halle nodded, "Submerge yourself under the water to get your hair wet."
Hiccup nodded as he slid under the water line completely and stayed under for a few seconds coming up with his hair clinging to his forehead and neck. He moved to wipe away the water from his eyes but Halle pressed a towel into his face with her left hand. Wiping the water away from his eyes helped immensely to see.
"Thank you, Halle." Hiccup said as he blinked his eyes a few times.
"You are welcome Mr. Hiccup, now sit up and I will wash your hair." Hiccup did as she instructed and a few moments later his hair was filled with white soap and bubbles. She brought over a bucket of fresh warm water and poured it over Hiccups head rinsing the soap out.
"Please sit on the edge of the tub and I will scrub you" Halle said as she helped Hiccup into a sitting position. Hiccup wobbled for a few seconds before gaining stability. Halle took a sponge and squirted some soap onto it then began to scrub nearly inch of Hiccups body except for his manly region down south. After he was scrubbed down Hiccup slid back into the water and rinsed himself.
Halle bent down and submerged her arm into the water to uncork the tub. Hiccup watched as the water level decreased and so did his body temperature; he felt the warm air of the room wrap itself around his body. Hiccup placed each of his hands on either side of the tub to lift himself onto the edge of the tub to swing his leg over the side, Halle then led him over to the chair where a towel was waiting. As he got settled into the chair Halle came around with another towel and started to pat him dry. Hiccup took the opportunity to use the towel he was sitting on to dry his legs and waist.
"Is there anything else I can do for you Mr. Hiccup?" Halle asked as she picked up her supplies and placed them back into the bucket.
"Yes, what time do the chefs go home? In case I want to eat something or get some food for Elsa." Hiccup asked as he pulled his pajama pants on with the left side being shorter for his prosthetic. The drawstring was knotted and he bent over to pick up his long sleeved night shirt.
"They go home at nine o'clock, Mr. Hiccup. You have two hours before the kitchen closes." She replied as she looked out the window at the setting sun.
Hiccup thought back to his conversation with Anna about the dance lesson. "Say Halle, do you know how to play any instruments?" He asked taking a shot in the dark.
Halle looked at him strangely, "yes. I know how to play the violin and one of the cleaning staff knows how to use the piano. Does that answer your questions?"
"Actually I have one more. What is that seat in the corner?" Hiccup said as he pointed to a white porcelain seat with a white bowl and string hanging above it.
"That is a flush down toilet."
Hiccup looked at it for a moment, "how do I use it?"
Halle didn't speak for a moment, these toilets were just installed last year and were now making their way into the city. They were not as fancy as the ones in the castle but they served their purpose well enough.
"Well, you first untie your drawers and sit down onto the seat, where you then relieve yourself and once you have wiped yourself clean with the wool, you pull down that string which releases water into the toilet which flushes your excrement away. After that is done you wash your hands with soap and water in the sink and dry them with the hand towel. Is there anything else?" Halle asked a little flustered at having to teach a man on how to use the toilet; she just hoped he didn't ask her to clean him afterward.
"No and thank you for everything Halle. I hope to see you around the castle sometime over the next two weeks." He said as he pulled his leg on and secured it into position. At night the prosthetic was less secure because there were no clamps locking it into position on the pants, but it was safe enough to walk around before he took it off to get into bed.
"You are most welcome, Mr. Hiccup. And perhaps I will see you again if you decide to take another bath." She replied with a smile before leaving the bathroom and then the bed room. Hiccup heard a soft click knowing he was alone.
"I suppose it is time Hiccup. Time to see how Elsa is fairing; hell she is probably crying. I cried my eyes out when I got here and she just held me in her arms and told me to get everything out. Time to be the supportive partner you need to be." He said to no one in particular as he stood up with a small wobble.
As he opened the door and looked across to see Elsa's shut door, he cast a gaze down at both ends of the hallway to see if anyone was looking. The hallway was deserted like always. Moving out of the room and taking three steps forward he arrived at his destination. Hiccup's closed fist hovered in front of the door ready to knock. "Breathe Hiccup, you are just going to comfort your girlfriend nothing to be scared about. It's not like she will freeze you or anything" Hiccup thought to himself with a chuckle before stopping "wait a moment would she freeze me?" He thought again eyes wide.
Hiccup shook the nervousness from his mind and knocked on the door, waiting a moment before knocking again. "Go away Anna" he heard Elsa say through the door. Hiccup realized Elsa did not know he had arrived. Instead of knocking on the door and announcing himself he grew bold and turned the handle downward to open the door.
Pushing the door inward, the room revealed that it had a dusting of frost on it. Snowflakes hung in the air as if stopped in time, the windows and ceiling even had frost on them. Taking a step into the frosted room Hiccup felt the temperature drop a few degrees, his gaze fell to Elsa's form lying underneath the covers on the bed with her back facing him. His new found boldness led him to the side of the bed that faced the door, turning around and sitting on the bed he detached his metal foot and laid it across the bed side table. He pulled his legs onto the bed and snuggled underneath the covers and very gently wrapped his body around Elsa's. His right arm brought her body against his, his leg intertwined in between hers and his chest against her back. Hiccup pushed his nose against the back of her head and breathed in relishing her scent.
"Hiccup?" Elsa asked curious and afraid at the person whom she hoped was her beau.
"Hello beautiful" he replied genuinely.
After hearing Hiccup's voice Elsa turned in his arms to face him. Seeing his kind and gentle face Elsa relaxed and snuggled into his embrace. "I missed you so much" Elsa said as she breathed in Hiccups scent, mint and pine forest.
"And I missed you more" Hiccup said then pulled his hand free from her embrace and traced Elsa's cheek; she shivered from the touch. As his and Elsa's head laid upon the pillow they just stared at one another being happy that they were together once again. Slowly Hiccup inched forward and captured her lips with his, he sighed in relief when Elsa returned the kiss. Elsa wrapped her arms around his back and brought them closer together, their chests now touching. Hiccup shivered from then closeness of their bodies; slowly he pulled back from the kiss.
"Hiccup what is wrong?" Elsa asked confused at the sudden end of the kissing, a blush creeping upon her face
"Nothing. I just wanted to try something new, if that is okay with you?" He asked sheepishly
"Sure, do as you wish Hiccup." She replied with a motivating smile.
Not bothering with a reply he simply recaptured her lips and brought his right hand to the small of her back before slipping his tongue into her mouth. Hiccup turned his face to the side so he could move more of his tongue with greater ease. Elsa naturally pulled back from the foreign move and brought a hand up to wipe away the excess saliva from her lips.
"Hiccup, what kind of kiss was that?" she asked incredulously, stunned that her beau would pull that strange move.
Blushing Hiccup put Elsa at elbows reach just in case she wanted to smack him, she wouldn't be able to. "It is how the French kiss their lovers." He replied innocently.
Elsa raised an eyebrow, "oh and how would you know this Hiccup?" She asked as she then narrowed her gaze at him.
Hiccup gulped at the question "umm, a book told me." He said then his nose twitched.
Seeing that he was lying to her, her gaze turned into a hard stare. "Hiccup tell me the truth, now."
"Astrid kissed me." Hiccup replied.
"I'm sorry?" Her tone was drenched with genuine confusion.
"Astrid kissed me."
Her face darkened and her tone followed suit. "Where were you?"
"We were in the fields and I had gotten her dragon under control when she experienced a small dose of Dragon root. Its causes most dragons to become aggressive and only through constant calming can a dragon recover either that or remove the root. I thought Astrid was coming over to thank me, but she pulled me to her and kissed me that way." Hiccup replied casting his eyes downward, knowing he had done wrong.
"I see." Elsa responded.
Her calmness made the hairs prickle on his arm and his palms sweat. He felt like he did when he came upon a new dragon for the first time. "You do?"
"Yes."
She then grabbed his shoulders, pushed him down against the bed moving on top of him, and then kissed him. The kiss showed no anger even though he knew she felt it. It was warm; wonderful it was . . . her kissing. It was a kiss that only his girlfriend could give him. His arms moved up and wrapped around her neck and his lips moved against hers. Her hands rested on either side of him. She then inserted her tongue into his mouth, shocking him. His eye lids snapped open and he looked at how her gaze bore into his. He opened his mouth more to allow more of her tongue in.
Then she pulled away. "That was better?"
He blinked and one eyebrow arched. "Of course it was! I never kissed her back!"
"Good." She then rolled off of him, but still stayed in his arms. After a moment's hesitation she continued, "Don't see her again."
"What?"
"You heard me. Don't see her again. She clearly doesn't care that you are spoken for and she will try to get you to like her at every possible moment. So, I am asking you to stay away from her."
Hiccup didn't speak for a moment trying to figure out if her request was even possible.
"No. I'm sorry Elsa but I can't honor your request. Astrid, while annoying is an important part of my team and second in command of the dragon training academy. I just can't start not talking to her, sooner or later she will say something to my dad and he will make me confront my problem. So it is better just to tell her that I don't want her making any advances toward me and it is best she knows that, so she knows she is not gaining any traction." Hiccup replied resolutely.
Elsa turned her back toward him and looked out the large window at the mountain in the background
"Are you angry at me?" He asked
"No. I'm just wondering where she lives."
He buried his face at the back of her neck and chuckled. "You aren't going to freeze her are you?"
He felt Elsa tense up and then he realized what he had said. "Elsa, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." Hiccup knew Elsa was thinking about her sister. "Elsa, I'm also sorry you lost your parents, they were the kindest people I have ever met." He felt Elsa start to shake so he turned her around in his arms to find her softly crying, but the tears froze halfway down her face. Stunned at how she was trying to control her powers that were leaking out he kissed the frozen tears which turned back to liquid, he then wiped them away with his hand.
"I know you didn't mean it like that Hiccup, it's just I already lost my sister and now I have lost my parents. I am now truly alone." She said then burst into tears.
He immediately wrapped his arms around her and cradled her head into the crook of his neck; her hands fisted his shirt and tried to pull him closer to her. He allowed himself to be pulled into her embrace; her tears flowed freely onto his shirt and the pillow they were lying upon.
After many tremors that flowed through her body and into his, the crying died down.
"Feel better Elsa?" she heard Hiccup say gently
"Yes and thank you for holding me, this feels nice." She added as she snuggled once again into his embrace.
"You are most welcome and Elsa you must realize that you are never truly alone. For I will always be by your side even when I am not here; as long as my heart beats I will be by your side physically and in spirit. You just have to believe that and you will never be alone. And Anna wants to be your sister again; she asked me why you don't talk to her anymore. I had to lie to her because you still haven't told her the truth yet." Hiccup said as he rubbed her back with his hand
"What did you tell her?"
"I told her that I would tell her why you don't speak to her next week. This will give me time to come up with a good lie which will actually have some truth to it so it sounds convincing." He said vehemently.
"I know and I'm sorry Hiccup, it's just every time I come close to telling her my powers start to act up and I leave. I can't even knock on her door before the ground would start to freeze." She told him feeling humiliated and embarrassed at her cowardice.
Hiccup let out a pent up breath of air that had been holding in. "I understand Elsa, don't feel bad. When you can control your powers appropriately please do and tell Anna the truth, before it comes out in the worst way."
"I can promise you that Hiccup, you have my word."
"Good, are you hungry?" He asked after looking at the now night sky through the window and then hearing the eighth chime from a nearby wall clock.
Before she was able to answer her stomach growled long and loud. As it continued Elsa face lit up with a huge blush and Hiccup tried to contain a laugh.
Once it had settled, Hiccup spoke up "I will take that as a Yes", and then laughed.
Pulling out of the vice like grip of Elsa Hiccup sat up and put on his foot, then pushed off of the bed and stood up.
"I will go to the kitchen and ask the chefs to make us something, have any requests for desert?" he asked with a smile.
Elsa stared at the man that was her future husband but he didn't know that yet. She blurted out the first thing that came to her mind, "You."
As Hiccup realized what she had said, his face turned a dark shade of crimson. It was then Elsa also realized what she had said, "I mean chocolate, hot chocolate if they have it." She replied quickly.
After a moment of awkward silence, he spoke again.
"Chocolate it is. See you in a little while." He replied before opening the door and closing it behind him.
As he made his way to the kitchen he stopped to lean against a wall, "my God does that woman know how to make me feel weird inside." Hiccup said then thought about the cold ocean hoping that the tightness in his trousers would decrease. He was not used to visuals plaguing his mind that were the kind that married couples mostly likely had. Taking a deep breath then releasing he pushed off the wall and continued his trek toward the Kitchen failing to see a flash of strawberry colored hair move around the corner.
As Hiccup shut the door, Elsa turned and groaned into her pillow embarrassed at what she had said. More and more often she dreamt of what she and Hiccup would do at their wedding and sometimes on their wedding night. Turning back around to lie on her pillow she smiled to herself at what she and Hiccup had experienced only a short while ago. That type of kissing was foreign to her until he had initiated it, though it would be forever marred by the fact that Astrid had kissed him like that first and not her. In truth she did want to freeze Astrid just so she couldn't come near her love.
"Love?" She thought for a moment "Yes, love. I love Hiccup and I hope he loves me. I wonder if I should tell him that before he goes back to Berk. He deserves to know how I truly feel about him and maybe then I could tell him about the marriage contract. Should I tell him though? I mean his father should have told him by now, but it's clear that he hasn't. No, his father must tell him. Those were one of the rules of the contract and I don't want to break it otherwise he could marry Astrid since the contract would be voided. Until then I will just hold my tongue, well in a non-physical way I mean." Elsa thought then gave a smirk which slowly went away at remembering that she would never see her parents again. They would have been so happy to see the two of them marry. She just had to hope that they were in heaven and were happy that she and Hiccup were together. She would pray tonight; it was the least she could do.
After staring at the moon for more than an hour she heard a knock. Moving towards the door but before she opened it she called out, "yes, who is it?"
"It is Hiccup, do you mind opening the door. I have a tray of food and I can't get the door open." Hiccup said through the wooden door.
She moved forward and turned the handle and pulled to reveal her lovely beau with a tray full of steak and vegetables and two cups of hot chocolate.
"With compliments from the chef and his staff. Once I told him that you were hungry, he relit the ovens and went into the freezer to pull out these steaks. He even had his staff make fresh chocolate just for you. I must say you have some dedicated people who are willing to follow you once you become queen." He replied jollily.
"Well that is a thought to consider when the time comes for me to be crowned." Elsa said in a faraway voice.
Hiccup placed the tray down on a table sitting underneath the large window; he lit the gas lamp and seated himself waiting for Elsa. She sat down and Hiccup divvied up the food. After a few moments of silence Hiccup asked, "So, how is your steak?"
Elsa looked up and after she finished chewing, "it is very good. I have not had such a fine meal with good company in a while. Most of my meals become bland after a while since the chef doesn't change the menu; it is just the same variety day after day."
Hiccup looked at his girlfriend and saw that she was becoming bored with her life, "well who wouldn't be? She hasn't gone outside the castle walls in over two years. She has no idea about what treasures lay outside these walls. Her people, fresh air, new foods and more are only a few hundred feet away. Maybe I can sneak her outside for a ride on Toothless, though we don't have a good record with sneaking out, I nearly froze to death the last time." He thought as he chewed on a piece of broccoli.
"How are things with you on Berk?" He heard Elsa ask
"Oh, they are good. We have discovered new islands, dragons and enemies. There are so many unpopulated islands around the archipelago and no one has claimed them yet, maybe Berk can become a Kingdom in the future. I and the gang have our own dragon academy where we learn and teach others about dragons and how to ride them. We also discovered dozens of new species of dragons and they…" He said to her with enthusiasm.
Elsa who had been listening intently tensed up at the word 'enemies'. "Wait a moment, what new enemies?" She said concerned that Hiccup was putting himself in danger.
"Oh. Just a few hundred men who have tried to kill me, you know nothing dangerous or anything." He said quickly trying to move past that issue.
"Hiccup, slow down and tell me the truth." Elsa replied narrowing her gaze at Hiccup.
Hiccup released a pent up breath and nodded his head, "well, Dagur the Deranged is Chief of the Berserkers, a tribe of troublesome Vikings living in the Uglithug Territories. He had first come to Berk to renew a peace treaty between the Berserkers and our tribe. We were expecting his father Oswald the Agreeable, but Dagur told us he had been 'retired'. We pressured him to sign the peace treaty, but all he wanted to do was insult his father and hunt dragons. Fearful that he would find and want to kill our dragons we hid them and then staged a dragon attack on Berk. Dagur fled Berk and said to sign the treaty in his name." Hiccup took a breath to drink some hot chocolate then continued.
"Months later I and my crew were on an island training to be able to fight and survive without our dragons when I came across Dagur and his camp. Once again he was hunting dragons, long story short he found out we trained dragons and he attacked me. I fought back and defeated him barely. Then after that he tried to invade Berk and took control over the Outcasts who were commanded by Alvin the Treacherous, another Viking who had a bone to settle with Berk. So now he had the Outcasts and the Berserkers under his command. Alvin who we all believed was killed by Dagur rescued Snotlout when I had suspended him from the academy for nearly getting Astrid killed during an exercise. He had flown out to a deserted island and was knocked unconscious by a Whispering Death." Elsa's eye began to twitch at the thought of Hiccup doing battle, interesting how he didn't mention any of this in his letters.
"Alvin arrived on Berk and returned Snotlout to us unharmed. He tried to propose a deal with Stoick about reclaiming his island from Dagur and having the Outcasts ally themselves to Berk, we refused. After that Dagur invaded Berk again and took my father hostage, when I went to rescue him the plan failed and I thought it was all over. Thankfully reinforcements arrived and Alvin knocked out Dagur as payback for taking his island and tribe. Even Alvin and my father made up and we are at peace with the Outcasts I believe. Dagur on the other hand, we believe he was deposed but there are unconfirmed reports that he is still Chief of the Berserkers. So all in all, not much happened in those two years since you visited Berk." Hiccup said as he tried to downplay the seriousness of the matter.
Elsa's mouth was hanging open slightly and her right eye was really twitching, "not much happened!" She yelled at him, "you were nearly killed half a dozen times, and how dare you try to downplay the seriousness of this matter Hiccup. I need you alive to be able to call you my beau and yet you nearly get yourself and your team killed on a monthly basis. I know you want to explore but you must be smart in how you do things." Elsa said tensely, getting angry in how stupid he acted all for sake of exploration.
"Smart? I do act smart Elsa. You should see how the other members in my team act before I come up with a plan; most of them don't think, they attack. And at least I have the courage to do something about my problems instead of hiding behind a door!" He yelled back, but then put a hand up to his mouth realizing what he had said.
Silence descended upon the room for a moment.
Elsa looked at him angrily for a moment then got up from the chair and walked to the door of her water closet with her back to him. "I think it is time you go to bed, I need to sleep and digest everything."
"Elsa, I'm sorry about what I said. It was in the heat of the moment" Hiccup said getting up and moving towards the bathroom door. He moved to rest a hand on her shoulder but she moved away after he made contact with her skin.
"Is that what you really think Hiccup? That I don't have the courage to tell my sister about my powers?" She replied back to him then turning around to look at him in the face.
"I believe that I am acting courageously because I am protecting my sister from myself and even though I want to tell her but I am too afraid that I might hurt her again. So I'm sorry if I am not using your definition of the word courageous." She said vehemently.
Hiccup nodded his head, "you are absolutely right Elsa. Courage does come in different ways and forms. So I am sorry again about what I said, I want you to have your sister back with minimal effort or pain. I just wanted you to be happy." He said softly.
Elsa nodded her head at this, she wanted the same thing too, but just didn't have that kind of courage just yet, but one day she would tell Anna the truth. Hiccup saw her nodding and moved forward to pull her into a hug. He brought his arms around her and kissed her neck, trying to show how much he cared about her.
Minutes ticked by as they held one another in a warming embrace.
Elsa laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes letting Hiccup draw random circles on her back with his fingers. She had every right to be angry at Hiccup, his insult cut deep, but it was stupid to stay angry at him. They could be doing so much more with their time than arguing or staying away from each other.
Hiccup gently swayed them back and forth in a gentle manner as if he was rocking a crib or Toothless to sleep. Speaking of Toothless, he would have to go and check on him tomorrow, to make sure he was okay living in the forest. He then heard Elsa let out a yawn, before he felt more of her weight on his body.
"You ready for bed Elsa?"
Too tired to speak, she just nodded her head. "Well you better change into your night wear first, and while you are doing that I will fix your bed." Hiccup said then pulled out of the embrace.
Elsa moved into the bathroom taking her nightgown with her. Hiccup meanwhile moved toward the bed and fixed the sheets and smoothed them out. Once everything was settled he got into the bed and detached his metal foot, dropping it onto the floor with a soft thud. Leaning back against the head board he waited for Elsa to finish her nightly duties. "Odin's beard Hiccup you are taking an enormous gamble; it is one thing to slip into the bed with a woman while she is awake. It is another thing completely to sleep with her in her own bed. Well, it is not like we are going to do anything, besides we will be fully clothed." He said to himself in his mind nonchalantly. He just hopped no one notice that he wasn't sleeping in his bed tonight, the scandal that could arise was the last thing Elsa needed at the moment.
He heard water flowing then after a few minutes the water stopped and Elsa moved out of the bathroom in a long light blue nightgown leaving nothing to the imagination. Her hair was let down and hung down around her the top of where her breasts would be. Hiccup blushed lightly as he saw her in the least amount of clothing he had ever seen her in.
Elsa raised an eyebrow and blushed too, bringing her arms up and crossing them over her chest, "umm Hiccup, what are you doing in my bed?" She asked as she made her way over to the empty spot of the bed near the window.
"I was waiting for you to get in. Elsa you just lost both of your parents, I do not want your night to be haunted by demons. I will stay with you tonight so you can sleep in peace." He said gently then folded back the covers and held them up so she could slip in.
Elsa's cheeks turned bright red from the implication that he wanted to sleep with her, it was one thing to be held in a loving embrace for a short period and it was another thing entirely to be held all night.
Elsa just nodded her head and slipped beneath the covers. Hiccup brought the covers up to shoulder high before he leaned over and kissed the right side of her forehead. He then settled in behind her and pulled her into his embrace, with his arm snaking around her stomach and his legs entwining with hers. Elsa felt her body become hot from the close contact of their bodies, then she felt her neck heat up as Hiccup kissed the back of her neck before gently saying 'goodnight.' Elsa just nodded her head again and closed her eyes, slowly falling asleep to the rhythm of Hiccups heart which she could feel through her back. The last thought to go through her mind that night was "I could get used to this."
Additional Authors Notes: Sorry, but Elsa's parents still had to die, otherwise all of this would have been impossible.
