Elsa's POV (surprise! Bet ya didn't see that coming)

It was my very first time captaining a ship. Lieutenant Mattias was usually the one who would hold such position, but for the sake of experience, I asked the Lieutenant to let me do the captaining job. He said yes.

The next thing my instinct told me to do after directing the ship's direction was to give everything a check. My men. Check.

Therondian sent off. Check.

Iduna's breakfast. Check.

Sails. Check.

Bruni. He's playing with Iduna. So, check.

Gale blowing the sails. Check.

Nokk moving the water. Check.

Perhaps I should tell these two not to rush as much as we did on our way to intercept the Therondian.

I looked up to the gust of autumn leaves blowing the sails. "Gale? Don't be so hard on the sails, no need to rush, okay?"

I was replied with chirping. I could only wonder how Gale actually produces that kind of sound. I walked my way to the poop deck of the ship and looked down the wooden railing to the water. There, a torrent of water was pushing the ship forward.

"Nokk!" I called, and the water horse resurfaced onto the water. "No need to push as hard as you did previously, okay?"

The horse nodded and dived into the water again. I just didn't want to tire the spirits if I didn't need to. Do they even get tired?

A question for another day.

Anna. She's feeding Iduna in the lower deck. Check.

Hiccup.

Hiccup?

I looked around for the Viking, walking my way from the poop deck to the lower deck. I briefly looked around; there were only some soldiers, Anna and Iduna, and our supplies. I descended down to the lowest deck, and there was nobody there.

I made my way up to the main deck and looked around again. Where could he be—oh.

I saw a wooden peg leg behind some barrels near a mast. Who else would it be, I wonder?

"Hiccup?" I walked to see the guy himself. "Bored?"

He looked up, slightly surprised. "Oh hey! No, just…"

I sat down with him on the floor. "Got something in mind?"

"Mmm not really."

Judging from his eyes, I could tell that he was hiding something. But I let it slip for now. "They didn't hurt you, right?"

"I'm okay, thanks."

His short responses really made me think there was something in his mind that might be bugging him. I wanted to ask him, but perhaps it was best to let him tell it by himself.

"Hey… thank you for your bravery, Hiccup," I landed a hand on his shoulder. "I had no idea what was in your mind when you stepped forward to those guys, but thanks."

He breathed a 'yeah' while smiling. "I mean, it was a little girl. It was a no brainer to hand myself. I'm sure you would've done the same."

"True. I can't believe how they could do that to a little girl."

"Indeed…"

Hiccup was not a bad conversationalist, but at the moment, he was doing bad. Seeing that there was no more response from him, I sat on one of the barrels to really enjoy the breeze of the wind fully. Perhaps it was the breeze made by Gale, but it was something enjoyable. Not to mention the view.

"Hey, um, has Anna told you?" Hiccup asked out of the blue, looking up to me.

"About what?"

"About the… expedition… and all," he sat on one of the barrels as well.

"Color me interested! Nope, she hasn't mentioned anything about it."

He rolled his eyes to me in a sarcastic manner. "Heh… You really are now more interested in going into adventures, aren't you?"

I shrugged. "I like going into the unknown."

He chuckled at the statement. "Right. So, Blue arrived. Out of nowhere."

I gasped deeply. "Blue?! The messenger dragon?!"

"Yeah! He just arrived last night, and on him, there was a letter."

I rotated my sight to see him better. "What did it say?"

"There are survivors. They're currently residing in Old Berk. They found a flock of Terrible Terrors in the archipelago, and decided to send letters in hope that one of them would find me. And one did, Blue! We're really lucky that he headed to the old and probably the only route he knew, Arendelle-Berk. The one who wrote the letter was…" He looked at me. "My mom."

"Oh gosh! That's great news!" I clapped my hands, and due to my excitement, a flurry of snowflake materialized around my hands.

"Coincidentally, last night, Anna was with me by the dock. So, we headed to her office to plan out the logistics for the trip. And then, of course, the prisoners broke out… and so on," he placed his hands on his hips.

"I'm going!" I proposed.

"I knew you'd say that. Anna was right. You would insist on coming. Are you sure?"

"Very. I'd be a great investment in the team," I showed off my power by summoning a flurry of ice. "Other than the fact that I want to make sure that you two are going to be okay throughout the trip. I can protect you with my power."

He merely looked down at the floor with a small hint of smile. I reached for his shoulder again and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"So it's a rescue mission? We take them back to Arendelle?"

"Oh no," he shook his head. "We're heading to New Berk afterwards, and perhaps to… the Edge of the World."

"Wait, what?"

"Elsa, the Therondian had learned about that place. Whatever they're going to do there, we can't allow it," Hiccup explained. "I imagine they are going to… well, you interrogated those guys, and you later learned that they sell humans, right? I think dragons, creatures that only exist all the way in the north, would bring them a fortune if they were to sell them."

I straightened my back, trying to catch up with all of this. I processed the adventure ahead of us slowly. It really is happening. I have visited Old Berk, yes. But New Berk, I have not. Let alone the Edge of the World. Does the name really mean the 'edge'? As in there is no more to see beyond that?

"Yeah, lots to come, Elsa," Hiccup scoffed. "Take it all in, first. But for now," He gestured to the view ahead of us. "We're here!"

I looked up to see the entrance to the fjord of Arendelle itself. Wait, how come we're already here?

"Gale!" I called to the wind spirit, and the spirit put itself at ease in front of me. "I told you that you didn't need to rush! Did you not listen?"

Gale simply let out chirping that sounded like laughter and dashed off to the sea. One of the five spirits, ladies and gentlemen, with a sense of humor. I gave my forehead a smack.

"I think what I saw was Gale last night…" Hiccup spoke. I took off my hand of my eyes.

"Pardon me?"

"Before being taken onto the ship, along the roof of the houses, I saw these… leaves, being carried by the wind. However, first, there were no trees with loose leaves around. Second, the movement of the wind was so supernatural, there was no way a wind would move like that," he explained, motioning his arms like the wind. "I wouldn't be surprised to know if that particular spirit is the humorous one, except if the one you haven't shown to me is also humorous."

"Ah yes, Gale was the one who told me there was a problem in Arendelle. Gale is… unique. Every spirit is unique, in fact," I shrugged.

We were nearing the dock in no time. Gale was really pushing the boat harder than ever, probably due to excitement of seeing Anna alive. The spirit literally lifted Anna into the air up to at least fifty meters high when it was 'greeting' her.

"Well, take your time. Tell Anna to catch some sleep as well, she hasn't slept at all," the Viking hopped off the barrel.

Our approach to the dock was actually too fast; I scolded Gale for being so extravagant with the amount of wind it made. Fortunately, we managed to slow down just in time. A childish spirit, who would've thunk?

The trio, Hiccup, Anna, and Iduna, were warmly greeted by the fellow Arendellians as they stepped their feet on the dock. Many cheered for their names for their heroism to save Iduna. From the crowd, out her mother appeared. She later expressed her gratitude to us in tears and sobs, and even asked if we would like something in return. Of course, we said no to the offer politely.

Even as we marched along the street, the cheering didn't stop. The thanks, the wishes, the cheering, or even the mere gestures like bowing down or hand waving. These small things, in a large scale like this, really emphasized just how important they were in my heart. Though no longer sitting on the throne, I would do anything to keep seeing these people smile.

Well, keeping them alive first would be a nice start.

We separated with Hiccup when we passed the inn. When he did so, I could see a slight change of expression on Anna. When my sister stepped off the ship with Iduna in her arms, her eyes only opened by half, as she hadn't really slept properly. She just had a taste of babysitting a girl, though it was brief, it forced her to keep her eyes peeled. However, when the Arendellians welcomed us, she suddenly turned to her bubbly-self. She smiled, laughed, and waved at our people. It was almost like her drowsiness was gone right away.

And then, when Hiccup left to his room, it returned right away. Not before she let out a sigh that she tried to hide away from me, anyway.

I pulled my sister with an arm close, passing through the main gate of the castle. "Let's have a breakfast. Then you wash yourself, and go catch some sleep, yes?"

"Hmmm… can't we just skip to the sleep?" Anna let out one big yawn.

My nose picked up an unpleasant scent from the air, and there was no way it could've originated from something else other than her. "You're smelly. At least have a bath first."

With that, I escorted her to her room to prevent her from sleeping on places where she's not meant to sleep in. Last time, she slept on one of the couches in the main hall of the castle, and drooled. It's the drool that I'd like to avoid.

After doing so, my mind urged myself to get something to eat. Before I could even make my way, one familiar figure came to me.

"Lieutenant Mattias," I called.

"Your majesty," he slightly bowed to me. "I need to ask you about something."

"Go on."

"It's about the fallen ones, when are you planning the funeral?"

Funeral?

"W-What funeral are we talking, Lieutenant?" My voice stuttered in shock.

"Did you forget?" He took off his hat, sighing. "The prisoners killed some guards in their way, Your Majesty. In total, ten men have lost their lives. Their families are grieving as we speak."

Goodness. I really did forget.

I hid my face with my hands, then ran them down. "I-I'm sorry. I forgot. Oh gosh… I… will think it through."


"How could I forget? I'm so stupid, Anna mentioned it right in front of me, how did I forget? I'm so stupid," I knocked my head with a palm. "So unqueenly of me, ugh!"

Due to irritation and embarrassment, a flurry of snowflake formed around my hands as I stared at them. However, I was about to take over Anna's duty for the day, which would involve papers. Ice and papers do not go together well.

I exhaled some air, inhaled afterwards, exhaled, inhaled, and ended it with a clap.

I walked my way to the office and twisted the door handle open. To my surprise, Hiccup was there.

"Hiccup?"

The Viking looked up to me, placing away the paper he was reading. "Oh hey."

"What are you doing in here?" I asked, closing the door behind me.

He gestured at the pile of papers on the desk. "I thought I'd read them in advance, so then I'd just tell Anna what's what."

He did not. What a guy. Even when he knew that Anna was most likely drooling in her slumber at the moment.

I smiled at him, walking towards the desk. "I'll help, oh!—"

My eyes stopped at the creature chilling on the couch by the window. Blue the Messenger Terrible Terror!

"Oh Blue! So nice to see you again!" I knelt in front of the dragon. Its eyes showed recognition right away, and it jumped into my arms, and around my shoulders.

"I miss you too!" I gave the dragon pets and rubs, and I was returned with purrs. Dragons and purrs, who would've thought?

"Dragon has been chilling here while we were gone," Hiccup chuckled. "Look at you, Elsa. Already looking like a dragon lady."

"Oh, please. I've only met this little fellow throughout my life—"

"Wrong! You and Anna have met Toothless and had a ride! Geez, how could you forget?" Hiccup cut.

He's right. How could I forget? What's wrong with my memory?

"True… Oh, and the sea dragons!" I said, giving more pets to Blue.

"Seashockers, Ma'am. They have names," he sarcastically replied.

"You have to tolerate me for that, you Vikings have a lot of complicated names for dragons," I chuckled. "I mean, how could you name this one Terrible Terror? Because the first word that comes to mind upon seeing one is Terror?"

He pondered for a moment and nodded down. "Pretty much, yeah. And there was never an encounter that is not terrible."

I laughed at him.

"Right…"

"Well, you're about to meet a lot more dragons, so better be prepared," Hiccup warned. "This is the logistics that Anna and I have settled with."

He handed me a piece of papers filled with scribbles and numbers. I sat down on the couch to read it. It took me a moment to really identify which parts were scribbles and which parts were the final information. After reading it thoroughly, I only had one question.

"It would take five days of sailing to get to Old Berk? I don't think it'll take that long, Hiccup," I furrowed a brow.

"When we were still trading, my ship was pulled by the Seashockers. They reduced the travel time significantly, remember?" He asked. Once again, my rusty memory failed me.

"Oh yes. Well, if so… this seems to be good enough—" I snapped a finger as I remembered something.

"I can bring Nokk! Or Gale! They would be able to shorten the traveling time!" I proposed.

Hiccup showed a look of doubt. "Are you sure? Don't they belong in Northuldra?"

I was about to say yes, it was at the end of my tongue.

"Uh… Maybe I can take one of them. I still have to ask the Elder first, too, actually," I sheepishly admitted. "What do you think? Nokk? Or Gale?"

"Perhaps the serious one, Nokk," Hiccup crossed his arms. "But if the Elder does not allow, it will be fine."

"I think she will allow it."

"Let's hope so. Oh, I forgot something. Weaponry. Bring armors. We might very well be going into a war," he looked at the window. The word 'war' reminded me that Hiccup had experienced it when a man who claimed could control dragons threatened Berk.

"Dragons… versus men. Goodness, I never thought it would happen, but it might very well be taking place as we speak. And I saw how good Therondians are in battles, so good, I could barely see anything."

His description froze me, emphasizing once again how much of an unknown fate that was ahead of me.

The Viking turned to me and widened his eyes. "P-Please don't overthink it, Elsa."

I shook my head to regain myself. "Yeah… Okay, let me write that," I picked a feather pen from the desk and wrote what he told me to. I put it away afterwards, it was time to focus on other paperwork.

"Alright. So," I took a sheet from the pile. "What's this all about?"


"Mrs. Deler requests Anna to have her appearance at her daughter's birthday," Hiccup said as he read a letter.

"Aw, that's a cute request. When is the birthday?" I asked.

"It's… a week from now."

I pondered for a moment. "Well… we will be gone, by then."

"… Sorry, Mrs. Deler."


"We are about to run out of silk, while winter is a month away," I reported while reading.

"Don't you have any other alliance with another kingdom that supplies you with fur?" Hiccup asked.

"Uh… not really. I think Corona has some, but we were relying on you when it came to fur," I replied.

"We'd better ask the kingdom right away," He pulled an empty sheet of paper to write a letter.

"We won't make it in time though. Besides, the castle stores some extra supply for this kind of occasion for the people."

"If so, then the deal doesn't have to take place before winter, right? Either it happens in or after winter, at least fur would be secure after the deal is set. That is, if they have fur to begin with," he suggested. Once again, his mindset outsmarted me. And he complained when his father talked about him taking his position, though, I guess, any child of a leader would complain. But Hiccup was anything but a wrong choice for the position.

"… Agree to agree."


"A letter from… the Southern Isles!"

My eyes widened at the name. "Throw that into the fire!"

His face showed doubt. "Are you sure you don't wanna—"

"NO!"

His body froze at my sternness. "O-Okay! Mm, Blue? Care to help?"


It was nearing evening. Hiccup and I were on an endless streak of paperwork, and were doing surprisingly well. We were just about to finish the last paper there was. After this, we could finally call it a day.

"Well, we're gonna have to hear from Anna about this," Hiccup commented, yawning loudly afterwards.

"Indeed. Oh, before I forget, can I ask you a favor?" I asked. My request immediately caught his interest side, judging from his sudden change of expression from the sleepy one to the not-so-sleepy-anymore one.

"What?"

"You do know there were… casualties when the Therondians broke out of prison, right?" I shoved my hands together in uneasiness.

"Mhm. How many were there?"

"Ten. I was wondering if we could… do a Viking funeral for these men? Knowing it's you, I think it would give them a great honor," I proposed.

"Oh wow…"

Of course, such favor was something big, something that Hiccup would not be able to answer right away. I gave him the time by sitting back down on the couch.

"I… would be honored," he nodded with a smile. "When do we do the funeral?"

"I was thinking right before we leave. I think that would be the perfect time."

"Sounds good to me too—"

He was cut when the door of the office opened, revealing one yawning Queen of Arendelle herself, still very much in her bed hair.

"Good morning, Anna," Hiccup and I welcomed in unison.

"Morninggg… Where's breakfast?"

She had definitely thought she had entered the dining room, again.