The walk seemed to go forever, Hiccup hadn't been away from Toothless longer than 10 minutes in the last 5 days, it made him nervous to be this far away now. They were in the castle now, as Hiccup was following the king and queen. They stopped briefly to put Anna to bed then carried on towards the kings office. Some of the others they passed looked wearily at Hiccup with concern or curiosity. Reaching the room at the end of a long hall, the king opened the doors. He and the queen entered, Hiccup was pushed in by two guards and led to a chair in front of a desk. He looked back momentarily to watch two guards stand outside and close the double doors.
He was suddenly feeling very nervous now and it showed in his heavily breathing. The king and queen sat in their chairs behind the desk and glanced to the two guards standing either side of Hiccup and nodded, they bowed and exited the room. When Hiccup heard the door shut again, he looked to the king and queen. "Yo–you said...I could...see my dragon from the window..." Hiccup said quietly.
"Yes I did. Come by the window..." The king said, Hiccup got up slowly and moved to the window. He looked down and saw the stables being dimly lit by lanterns and inside the far left one he could see Toothless laying down but still awake and nervous. Hiccup seemed to sigh in relief now, "Now that I've let you see him...I'd like for you to tell us what you're doing here? Your name, where you come from, why you ride a dragon?" The king asked firmly.
"My name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, I–I'm a Viking from the island of Berk in the Barbaric Archipelago...I ride a dragon because I understand they aren't dangerous...My village and tribe didn't agree with such, they only like to kill dragons...so I ran away..." Hiccup explained as easily as he could with his eyes never leaving the window.
"Berk, don't believe I've heard of it. Can you...show us on a map?" The king asked.
"If you have one, I can..." Hiccup replied, the king reached got up and walked to a barrel, he pulled out one labeled Archipelago and unrolled it on his desk slowly. Hiccup looked over it, similar to the maps he worked with but different too. Hiccup's green eyes searched over it until he found the location and pointed to a small island off the western coast of Scotland. "There..." Hiccup stated.
"I see. You're quite a ways from home then, how long have you been traveling?" The queen said now.
"5 days. Toothless and I rest during the day...and fly at night so no one sees us...A–are you...going to send me back? I don't want to go back...They will...kill Toothless...and me for being a traitor..." Hiccup said with worried now looking down.
"They would kill you, their own kind?" The king asked a little surprised. Hiccup nodded to him.
"It's a long story..." Hiccup sighed now.
"Can you explain it to us?" The queen asked him.
"I'm from a tribe on Berk called the Hairy Hooligans...We're constantly raided by dragons and doused in constant snow for 9 months, hail the other 3. My mother was taken by a dragon when I was just a baby according to my dead, he never found her remains. He's hated dragons since and never misses a chance to kill them when they raid us for food. For years...I've been the village joke. No one liked me there, I was constantly beat on, picked on, teased, and hated. My own father hated being around me, so he stuck me under his friend the village blacksmith as an apprentice. One night I shot down a dragon, my friend down there...the trap tore off his left tail fin. No one believed I'd done it, and my father yelled at me in front of everyone. Later that day, I went searching for the dragon. He's known as a Night Fury, the most elusive and dangerous dragon known to man or so that is what is believed..." Hiccup explained as the two royals listened closely.
"When I found him in the woods, I went to kill him. But I saw his eyes, they were full of fear. And I couldn't do it, I wouldn't do it. I chose to set him free, he pounced me and stared at me for a minute, I was afraid for my life and I think he saw that because he roared at me...then let me go as I had for him. I returned home to my father telling me I was going to be put in dragon training with the other kids...in the village when you reached 12, you could train to be a warrior, a true Viking and fight in the raids after passing dragon training. I didn't want to do it but my father made me...Because he's the chief of the tribe..." Hiccup sighed.
"Chief?" The two royals questioned.
"Oh...umm he is in charge...like a king, like you. He's rules over the tribe and I'm his son so I guess that makes me a prince of some sort?" Hiccup said a little unsure.
"Ah, I understand now." The king staged, "Carry on with your story then." He added.
"My blacksmith mentor was the teacher there, it was me and 5 others in the class. My first day didn't go so great, a dragon nearly blasted me. My mentor had said that a dragon would always go for the kill but it got me wondering why the Night Fury hadn't killed me right away. I went looking for it and found him in a cove off the high point on the island, he couldn't get away because of the missing tail fin. When he saw me, he still didn't kill me. I returned the next day after failing again in training and something different happened. I went in the cove and offered him a fish, he ate it then offered me some..." Hiccup laughed a little.
"What do you mean?" The queen asked curiously.
"Oh well after he ate it, he spit half back up in my lap...then sat back waiting for me to take a bite of it. I didn't want too but he did so I did. It was gross but it seemed to make him happy, I tried to touch him and he growled at me gliding off. I followed him and tried to touch his wounded tail, he glared and I walked off quickly. As it neared sunset, I was sitting in the cove, drawing his picture in the dirt with a stick...he came over on his own to watch. He got a large branch and tried to copy me, it turned in to just a bunch of random lines..." Hiccup smiled still looking out the window at Toothless.
"I got up to see what he'd done and stepped on a line, he growled again so I stepped off and he calmed down. It was weird so I did it again, same reaction. Finally I stepped over the line and followed it to him, I ended up inches away with him breathing on my hair. I looked up and tried to reach for him again, he growled so I...closed my eyes with my hand out to him and then I felt his nose to my hand...it was a strange feeling, like we'd bonded. And I knew from there, I could never kill another dragon in my life. Toothless...understood me, that I was different from other Vikings and I understood that he was different and wasn't what everyone believed him to be..." Hiccup looked to the king and queen now.
"And this led you to running away?" The king asked him.
"Not right away, no. Later that night I was sitting with the class when my mentor had said that a downed dragon was a dead dragon. After everyone went to bed, I went to the forgery and made a mechanical tail fin for Toothless. I wanted him to fly again, after many failed attempts we got it. It took a few weeks and ended up that his tail only worked if I controlled its position. We worked together, as partners and friends. He was, still is my only friend...while we practiced flying, I learned tricks that brought out a dragons playful side, found their fears, and how to subdue them without hurting them...I used it in training and soon became popular among everyone." Hiccup sighed closing his eyes.
"They all thought I was some...dragon tamer. But I wasn't, I just...understood that they were misunderstood. I hated the attention on me because it was all based on a lie...about 6 days ago I was chosen as top of the class and the one who would kill his first dragon in the ring, in front of the village. I'd become a true Viking, like my dad always wanted me to be...because I was up until the training the worst Viking Berk had ever seen...My father was so proud of me...and I only hated it more because it was all a lie...so the night before my big test...I left a note saying I refused to kill dragons and didn't want to be in a place that believed I was a hero based on lies...I met Toothless in the cove and we left...been flying ever since...Just trying to find a place for us...where we're accepted." Hiccup told them as he looked back at Toothless now.
"That is...quite a story and you're only 12. So young...how have you survived?" The king asked him.
"I brought food with me, and when we ran out...I'd fish. Toothless would cook it for me... he likes his raw." Hiccup replied. "Are you...going to make us leave?" Hiccup asked lowly.
"You're 12, son. A child should not be out on his own..." The king began.
"Agnarr darling, just a moment...Hiccup, you said before that you left because the rest of your tribe would not understand what is misunderstood, correct?" The queen said lightly.
"Yes...Its not fair to the dragons to be killed for being misunderstood...I can't save the others but...Toothless and I got away, I won't let them hurt him...he's my only friend..." Hiccup replied as confidently as he could muster.
"What are you thinking, Iduna?" Agnarr the king asked her. She pulled him off to the side now while Hiccup was looking out the window at Toothless.
"Agnarr...he could be the one the elder troll forewarned us of 4 years ago..." Iduna began carefully.
"Iduna, this boy is 12 years old and riding the back of a dragon, a creature until tonight I believed was a myth..." Agnarr sighed.
"But that's just the point dear. Can you not recall what the elder said? 'A stranger with a gift of its own from a far away land and holds no fear riding a creature of fire will come to you. The stranger will be the one who can help Elsa control her abilities. I know not when or how...' Just think about it. He's a young boy, 12 like Elsa. He comes from a far away island and landed here among us on a dragon, a fire breathing dragon. A creature of fire. As the elder said, the boy has a gift of understanding. He saw truth where others see hate and fear...He ran away to keep his friend safe...This could be our chance, Agnarr...I don't...want to send him away when he could be the one we've waited 4 years to arrive..." Iduna revealed with worry on her tone.
Agnarr closed his eyes as he looked at Hiccup now who stared with concern out the window for his draconic friend. "Very well, Iduna. He will be given a chance and we will see if he is the one the elder spoke of...Its quite late to introduce him to Elsa this evening. We shall in the morning, I'll offer it to him." Agnarr stated to her, she smiled softly as they moved back towards the desk.
"Can Toothless and I stay...I promise he won't hurt anyone...we'll stay in the forest and won't be a bother..." Hiccup asked them.
"We will allow you both to stay, Hiccup. I'd like to however ask something of you in exchange..." Agnarr stated as Hiccup looked at him now.
"I–I don't know what I can do for you your majesties..." Hiccup said softly.
"We'd...for you to help our eldest daughter, Elsa. She's...a lot like you with being...different from the rest of us." Iduna said lightly.
"Does she...like dragons too?" Hiccup asked now.
"Well we aren't sure...She is...different, special but given what you've been through with befriending your dragon...we think you may be able to help our daughter adjust and learn to not fear being different." Agnarr added.
"I–I suppose I can give it a shot...Where...is she?" Hiccup tilted his head a bit to them.
"Its late now, we'll introduce you in the morning. We'll give you a room to stay here in the castle." Agnarr smiled softly.
"N–no its okay. I'll stay outside with Toothless..." Hiccup told them.
"But it's raining dear..." Iduna protested.
"I'll be in Toothless's wings, safe. Its where I sleep every night since we left...I don't...want to be away from him..." Hiccup looked down now.
"Very well, for now you may stay with your dragon until you both adjust here. There's an extra room in the barn, we can have a bed brought out for you." Agnarr stated.
"Thank you." Hiccup smiled to them now. "Umm do I just...call you king and queen?" Hiccup asked.
"No dear. You may call me Lady Iduna, majesty, or highness. And my husband Lord Agnarr, majesty, or highness." Iduna smiled to him. "And shall we call you...Prince Hiccup?" Iduna asked him.
"What...Oh no no...Just...Hiccup is fine your majesties." Hiccup said quickly.
"Very well then. Lets get you back to the stables and to bed. I'll have the cooks bring you something to eat and in the morning a guard will come get your for breakfast. We'll also give you a tour and introduce you to the staff." Agnarr replied.
"Thank you sir..." Hiccup smiled now, it was amazing. He thought this would end horribly for him and he'd be sent back to Berk on a ship since Toothless's tail was broken right now. He'd have to ask about that in the morning too, if there was a forge he could use to fix his dragon's tail. For now, he was tired and hungry so sleep and food sounded perfect to him. Agnarr shook his hand as Hiccup offered a bow to them both before they exited the room and returned to the stables, after a 10 minute walk. Thankfully it had stopped raining as Hiccup saw Toothless he ran towards him, hugging him. "Hi bud, see, I told you it would be okay..." He soothed his worried dragon.
"He does seem quite friendly." Iduna giggled a little.
"I can introduce you to him, as long as he isn't being threatened he won't be threatening..." Hiccup smiled.
"I'd like to meet him personally, how about you Agnarr?" Iduna asked, he nodded to her as Hiccup opened the stall and Toothless walked out slowly and cautious.
"Lady Iduna, Lord Agnarr. I'd like for you to meet Toothless, the Night Fury dragon. Bud...this is the king and queen of this island...And they are going to let us stay here..." Hiccup smiled.
"A pleasure to meet you, Toothless." The king stated calmly. Toothless warbled with a make shift gummy smile at them. Hiccup now yawned a bit as Toothless moved back in the stable and laid down with his wing up. The cook brought out two sandwiches for him, as a guard brought over a small bag of 15 or so fish for Toothless.
"Well its been quite a night, we'll be retiring for the evening. If you need anything, there will be guards wandering all night. Don't hesitate to ask." Iduna smiled to him.
"Thank you again your majesties..." Hiccup smiled, they nodded and headed inside. Hiccup ate the sandwich, loving the new taste. Toothless ate as well and not long after they finished Hiccup pulled his bedroll, pillow, and blanket out. He set everything up and laid down as Toothless's wing closed over him. "Night Toothless, tomorrow we start our new lives bud..." Hiccup yawned closing his eyes. Toothless warbled contently laying his head down and soon both of them were fast asleep.
(The Next Morning)
Elsa awoke before the sun rose as always, she forced herself out of bed and rubbed her eyes looking around. 'Another day of being locked in this room...' Elsa sighed out to herself. She took a shower, and got dressed then sat at her desk to review what her lessons would be for the day. There was a knock on her door as she turned to face it, "Come in..." Elsa said lightly, to her somewhat delight it was her parents, Iduna and Agnarr. "Good morning mother, father." She greeted dryly.
"Good morning, Elsa. How did you sleep?" Agnarr asked her.
"Okay I guess, this mattress is wearing down though. I've had it for 12 years..." Elsa shrugged lightly.
"We will get you a new one dear, it'll be ready for tonight. Glad to see you are up and ready. You'll be joining us in the dining room for breakfast this morning." Iduna smiled which took Elsa by surprise now. She was actually...going to be allowed out of her room? For breakfast with the family? Anna too? Elsa's lips turned to a wide smile.
"Really? I get too...leave the room and eat with you two, and Anna?" Elsa asked quickly in disbelief.
"Yes you do, and there is someone new to meet. He came late last night, we think...he might be able to help you with your powers." Agnarr began to her.
"You...told him about them? He's probably long gone by now...You...have let insiders in the castle since I was 8..." Elsa sighed closing her eyes and turning her head a bit.
"No we didn't tell him about your powers. We only told him that you need help adjusting to being...different. He told us his story last night when your sister found him near the stables...we think you two are a lot alike. If you want to tell him, you can but...not while Anna is around. We still don't want her to know just yet so when you see her at breakfast, act as though you're...finally feeling better." Iduna said softly.
"So you still...want me to lie to her? I haven't seen her in 4 years...she probably thinks I hate her..." Elsa didn't understand, why would they think this boy could help her with her powers if he knew nothing about them. Something seemed off here and she wanted to know the truth but for now. It was enough that they were going to let her come out of her room for the first time in 4 years since the incident. "As you wish mother, father. I won't tell her..." Elsa agreed.
"That's a girl, now...stay in here for now. Breakfast is served at 7:00 and its only 6:00. Your attendant will come for you when its time. We have to go make sure your sister is up, you know how she loves to sleep in." Agnarr said smiling, Elsa nodded to them as they left the room as she sat at her desk with a sigh. For now, it would have to do that they were going to allow her out.
(With Hiccup & Toothless)
In truth the Iduna and Agnarr weren't rising Anna, rather going outside to check on Hiccup seeing as he did spend the night outside. Thankfully it was warm enough that he could do so, they'd have to find away to move him in to the castle when the winter months hit. This was alright by them for now. The guard bowed to them as they stepped outside towards the stables, the far left one where Hiccup lay against Toothless but awake and leaning against him. Upon seeing them he stood up and offered a light bow in respect. He saw others doing it so he might as well too. "Good morning your majesties." Hiccup greeted them.
"Good morning, Hiccup. I trust you slept alright?" Iduna replied gently.
"I did, thank you. Did...both of you?" Hiccup asked them.
"We did as well. We've come to bring you inside, offer a shower to you?" Agnarr stated.
"Oh...umm sure?" Hiccup replied, early morning he'd asked for a book to read about the things here he should expect while here after explaining to the guard that he was from a place that didn't have all this. The guard brought him something that would explain all the modern things to expect while in Arendelle, Hiccup had been reading it all morning with the lantern from the stable stall. He'd read about electricity, the rooms, beds, other appliances used, showers, and toilets. Things made more sense to him now, but he knew he had a long way to go.
"Excellent, if you'll come this way with us..." Iduna smiled. Hiccup rubbed Toothless's head and got up to brush off the straw, he dug through his bag for a change of clothes and then moved beside them.
"I'll be back soon Toothless." Hiccup told his friend. Toothless snorted with a nod in response to him as Hiccup followed the king and queen inside the castle once more. They didn't go as far this time, enough to a bathroom which Hiccup had read about. The king and queen said to be ready in an hour, Hiccup nodded as he went inside to shower, and use the bathroom. It took him a few tries to get the warm water right but after he did he took his shower and cleaned up. After 20 minutes he stepped out, dried off and redressed himself.
Stepping out he was met by a large male standing in uniform like the others from last night. "Morning sir. The king and queen have already informed us you'll be staying and I've been assigned to you as your attendant. My name is Anders, I'm here to make sure you have all you need, give you a tour and answer questions you may have. I'll also be overseeing you lessons here." Anders informed.
"Lessons?" Hiccup blinked a few times.
"Oh yes, to bring you up to date on all the modern-ness of Arendelle since it came to my attention on the book you asked for this morning. For now, I've been asked to bring you to the dining room for breakfast. Lets hurry along, the king and queen don't like to be kept waiting." Anders insisted to him, Hiccup nodded as he followed behind Anders. More halls and doors but they reached what Hiccup assumed was the dining room, Anders opened the door as Hiccup looked around in awe. This was going to take some getting used too for sure.
Iduna and Agnarr were already seated at the table beside one another. Hiccup spotted Anna there too, didn't the king and queen say that they had another daughter? The one he was supposed to help? "There you are, Hiccup. Come come, sit with us. Elsa will be down soon and then I can introduce you two." Iduna said with a gleam, it was clear she was excited about this meeting though Hiccup had no idea why. Anders led him towards the table and had him sit down in a chair on the kings right side.
"Well I think...proper introductions are in order while we wait for Elsa." Agnarr stated smiling. "I am Agnarr Agoarsdotter, the king of Arendelle." Agnarr said offering his hand to Hiccup.
"I'm Iduna Agoarsdotter, the queen of Arendelle." Iduna introduced as she shook Hiccup's hand second.
"And I'm Anna, princess of Arendelle!" Anna said with excitement. Just then the doors opened once more as a female attendant walked in with a girl behind her, Hiccup assumed this was Elsa. She had pale blonde hair tied in a braid, a blank band on top. She wore a blue coat and skirt with black on it, and white gloves. The royal family stood, so Hiccup did too. "Elsa!" Anna said happily rushing over to hug her sister whom she hadn't see in years.
"Hi...N–no hugs...still not...feeling well...b–but getting better." Elsa lied softly to her younger sister.
"That's okay! Getting better is good...ma–maybe we can play again soon?" Anna said quickly.
"Maybe..." Elsa replied as they reached the table and this is when Elsa noticed the auburn haired boy with forest green eyes dressed in something she wasn't quite familiar with. A green tunic, dark brown pants, lighter brown boots, and a dark brown fur vest. Understanding that she was a princess, Hiccup made the first move and offered a bow to her. She returned it with a curtsey.
"Elsa, this is Prince Hiccup. And Hiccup...this is our daughter, Princess Elsa." Agnarr introduced calmly.
"A pleasure to meet you, Prince Hiccup." Elsa said softly to him.
"The pleasure and honor is all mine, Princess Elsa. I hope that we can...be friends." Hiccup smiled to her as he offered his hand out to shake hers. Elsa was a little hesitant at first but she took a deep breath and reached her hand out to his and shook it lightly. It was that moment when she realized that her powers didn't spark in response like they had before, Elsa didn't feel afraid. It was new to her but she liked it.
"I'm sure that we can." Elsa responded with a smile as they shook a few times staring in to one another's eyes. A faint blush formed on their cheeks before they lowered their hands and sat down at the table when Anna, Iduna, and Agnarr had. The king and queen only looked at one another, they knew they'd made the right choice. Things were going to be just fine now, the king clapped his hands together as breakfast was brought out and placed before each of them on a plate. In the silence everyone began to eat peacefully.
