Hi!

How are you? Hope you and your family are fine. Here we have the third chapter of the fic!

Thanks so much for your reviews. I am overwhelmed of how many visit we have it! (crying of happiness) xD

As I'm doing with the Spanish version, I'm going to reply by PM to people who have account and at the end of the chapter to people who don't. Marcus S. Lazarus can also reply, so if you have any question, congratulations or doubts about translation, just named him in your review!

Un saludo desde España!

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CROSSED SOULS

Written by Sandy97

Translated by Marcus S. Lazarus

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3. ARENDELLE AND THE ICE DOME

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The Viking Council had been traveling for days.

They only made three breaks a day, two of them for the dragons to rest and eat something and a last one to sleep. Until now, they had avoided the nearby towns and kingdoms, spending the night in forests or uninhabited islets. They weren't quite sure if this trip was just a trap yet, but at least if it was, they wouldn't expose themselves so easily. They couldn't risk exposing their position to Drago's spies, if Drago was really looking for them.

After days of travel, many of the council members were in a cloudy mood, since they do not use to fly so many hours and exhaustion began to take its toll on them. Hiccup and the boy, Finn, seemed to be the only ones who were really enjoying the trip.

The Viking was amazed by the beauty of those landscapes.

He was surprised to see how different the color of the sky was as they approached Arendelle. Everything changed. Clouds, weather and trees, those one increasingly taller and more robust; and the mountains, white and haughty. However, what struck him most was the size of the continent.

As they advanced, the islands increased in size and closeness to each other, as if at the end of that trip they would end up joining together on a huge island that could host several towns. That idea fascinated him. How would different tribes coexist on a single island? In a continent. Would they be peaceful or would they fight for the land?

Had he gone alone or with the riders, he would undoubtedly have explored those lands and sent his people to infiltrate those towns, to observe them and study their customs. However, there wasn't time for anything so idyllic and he had to settle for taking notes and drawing some pictures while listening to the background complaints from everyone on board.

Well, if the usual Vikings fought; bored, hungry and tired Vikings could kill each other just for breaking the monotony. This is how Hiccup spent hours listening to them scream and argue about unimportant issues; Like who knew more or not how to cook the eel or who trained his dragon better or worse. They also talked about Arendelle, a topic that really interested the Viking. He was equally fascinated and terrified by the idea of a being with magical powers. Some said this was because the queen had been born a witch; others, on the contrary, said it was simply cursed — or blessed, depending on who told it — by magical beings, the source from which she drew her powers. However, the most controversial topic was undoubtedly Arendelle's religious beliefs.

Hiccup got tired of listening to them, so he didn't pay much attention, but the idea of having a single God who could also intervene in men with an almost slavery relationship seemed strange to him. Anyway, his Gods weren't any better either, so he decided to devote himself to drawing while arguing.

At nightfall they decided to stop in one of the mountains near Arendelle. In the background, the lights of the magic kingdom could be seen reflected in a kind of ice bubble that covered the castle and shone with red-hot light, reflecting colors that inspired fear and magic in the sky. Stoick, as a wise leader, thought that it would be best to arrive in the morning, since given the darkness they could take them as enemies. No one objected to that decision and without much thought they camped in a clearing in the woods.

The first thing they did as soon as they got off the dragons was to argue.

Hiccup, already used to it, stroked his dragon with affection, which seemed exhausted. He didn't like seeing Toothless like this, so he asked him to rest, curling him up on the floor, curled up. While everyone was still screaming, Hiccup, with his curious nature, watched as Arendelle's boy walked away up the hill and followed him.

"So this is your house, right?" Hiccup finally said to Finn, who had caught up with him at the top of the hill while staring taciturnly at the horizon.

The Vikings for their part continued fighting in the background, while they discussed how they were going to distribute the tents that night and who was going to keep what blanket. They were also fighting over the idea of making or not making fire. Stoick objected, but the cold was devastating so a freehand referendum was opened on whether to light a fire or not and who would stand guard.

The boy took a moment to reply, ending simply by nodding.

"Has that ice dome always been there?" Hiccup asked, remembering Princess Anna's words of terror in her letter. The boy denied, confirming the Viking's suspicions. "They're protecting themselves... Do you know how we can enter?"

"Queen Elsa," replied the boy.

"Queen Elsa?" Hiccup repeated. "Will she open the dome to let us pass?

The boy nodded again. "The Vikings do, but she won't let the dragons pass."

Hiccup frowned at this, puzzled. "Our dragons are not bad."

"She thinks dragons are bad," explained the boy.

"Well," said Hiccup, stooping down to the child's height, "we will teach her that she's wrong and help them not to be afraid of them."

"I'm not afraid anymore," said Finn.

Hiccup smiled at him tenderly.

"But you are very brave."

The boy shrugged, agreeing. Hiccup couldn't help but laugh. He stood up and scanned the horizon, suddenly nervous about the next steps. Somehow he himself could feel the magical nature of those lands and this created a certain fear in him.

"Come on," he said to the boy. "It's pretty cold here, and we don't want to freeze."

Finn obeyed immediately, but Hiccup stayed up there a few more minutes, watching the ice dome. Had Drago really become so powerful as to challenge a magical creature? Just thinking about it made him shiver, stuffing his hands into his pockets to warm them up. It was there that he was surprised to find something. Carefully he pulled that roughness out of his pocket, finding a poorly folded piece of paper.

He opened it and couldn't help but stupidly laugh at the contents. Astrid undoubtedly drew it. When had that paper gotten in there?

That note contained a self-portrait of herself on her dragon, with the ax held high and an inscription that read: "Be careful, Haddock. Don't make me go to Valhala itself for you. See you soon. I love you, Astrid. "

Hiccup smiled like a fool. Astrid's calligraphy was appalling, like that of all Vikings, but her drawings never ceased to amaze him. He always had to look at them several times to understand them and he loved it.

"What an idiot…" he said to himself, putting the paper in his pocket, still smiling, but with some concern.

The temperature had dropped considerably with sunset and the grass on that hill was damp with dew. Without a doubt at dawn all this would be covered in snow.

—. —. —. —. —. — .—.

"Anna!" Kristoff shouted when he saw the princess outside the castle, in the outer courtyard.

Anna was still looking with concern at the sky hidden under the ice dome. Kristoff approached her and put his arms around her.

"What are you doing out here in this cold?" He asked, noticing her ice cold. "I've been looking for you for a long time."

Anna didn't say anything, just hugged the boy, hiding her head in his chest.

"You're good?" He was surprised at her reaction.

Anna shook against his chest, without saying a word.

"Let's go inside, okay?"

Anna nodded, letting go of the boy, but taking one last look at the sky.

"They will come," he said with conviction. "You heard the Trolls already, our enemy is also the enemy of the Dragonmaster. We need each other."

"Elsa isn't getting better," Anna suddenly said, holding back any expression.

Kristoff looked down and squeezed her onto his lap.

"That thing she created to protect us is weakening her… Today she couldn't even get out of bed."

"Your sister's very strong, Anna," he said comfortingly, looking into her eyes. "Elsa will come out of this and help will come soon, I'm sure."

Anna was relieved by his words, but Trolls' words still echoed in Kristoff's head.

That fateful night, he and Sven set out in search of the Trolls for help and protection. Trolls were the ones who conjugated the stones to find a way to find what to defeat the bloodthirsty rider and his immortal dragon. It was there that the magic of the forest revealed to them that only the Dragonmaster could help them. And it was these same words that Kristoff transmitted to the princess and the court.

What he hadn't told Anna yet is that the Trolls saw something else in the stones: that peace would be sealed with a blood pact.

—. —. —. —. —. — .—.

The sun had not yet risen among the mountains when the Viking council stood up. The sky had already cleared and the ashes of a bonfire ended the freezing, silent night. Stoick was the first to leave his tent and prepare his saddle. The rest of the Vikings joined him.

The temperature had dropped considerably and some snowflakes were moving in the wind without curdling in the muddy earth.

Everyone moved from here to there, tying boxes and packing the tents. Hiccup for his part helped Gobber feed the dragons and check that everything was in order.

They carried a large quantity of food, blankets, and weapons, too many for such a long journey, and it was true that the dragons seemed exhausted. The marks on the leashes were beginning to harm some species that complained about the ties and tried to bite them free. Hiccup calmed them by smearing oil and ash on their chafing, but he understood that this situation had to end for the good of his dragons. He stroked the head of a deadly orange and yellow Nadder fondly, the dragon moving nervously from side to side and breathing heavily, possibly from the cold and lack of rest.

"Easy girl," he whispered to the dragon. "There's not much left; you'll get a good rest in a few hours."

Hiccup then listened to his father's call, urging them all to gather together in the center of that makeshift camp.

"Vikings," he said to start his speech, materializing his words in vain, "today is the big day."

The Vikings growled something unintelligible, like a tired cheer.

"Arendelle can already be seen in the distance and it is time to put into action the set plan."

Although Stoick already explained that plan during the assembly in Berk, it had been perfected throughout the trip. As the boy had asked them, they would enter by land, since surely in the air the citizens would only see enemy dragons. However, Stoick's plan also involved a division of the group.

First, the most experienced and veteran warriors of the council would go along with Stoick. And, a few hours later in another second round, the rest would follow. This would ensure that if it was a trap, they would not catch all of them and the youngest and fastest could fly back to Berk for help.

The sign of peace would be the waving of a white flag from the castle. If they didn't have it, they would send a light signal from the castle or, if impossible, upright torches at the castle entrance. If none of these three things happened, they had to fear the worst and had a direct order to retreat to Berk.

Hiccup agreed that it was a good plan, if not because his father had not let him go with him. He had said that for his safety, he should go in the second unit. He wanted to complain, but deep down he understood that he was the fastest of the riders and that it would not help his father if they captured him too.

"With that said," Stoick finished reviewing the plan, "get going!"

"And what about the boy?" Gervasio said suddenly, the oldest of the council.

Stoick knew that this conflict would come out sooner or later.

"He will come with us," he said flatly.

Gervasio didn't seem to agree.

"It seems foolish to me Stoick," he said, pointing at him with his Ax, which he had been trying to fit into his belt for a while. "The child is the only thing we can negotiate with."

"If we get to their land without the messenger they'll think we killed him," Stoick explained. "I'm not going to start a stupid war. The child is a letter of peace."

"True, but he's also the only thing we could negotiate with if they capture us."

Hearing this, Hiccup didn't take long to intervene, especially since he noticed that Finn was listening to all that conversation and was pressed against Gobber's wooden leg in fright, the blacksmith taking the boy onto his lap.

"Oh no, no," Hiccup interposed himself between the man and his father. "We will not have any hostages. As my father has expressed, we come in peace and this is how we want to be seen. We don't know if this is a trap or not, but we are cunning and we have dragons; we are not our enemies and I will not allow us to act like them."

Stoick sighed gratefully when he realized that his son maintained the sanity that every leader who wanted to protect his people should have. However, he also knew that the old council didn't very much approve of his peaceful way of acting first and foremost.

"You will tell me that I warned you when we were captured," Gervasio finished, bragging to his dragon.

Vikings, still clustered, began to disperse and mount their dragons. Stoick approached his son.

"Don't be stupid if they catch us," he said suddenly.

"I don't think I have to go rescue you anywhere…" Hiccup replied calmly.

Stoick nodded, robust. He squeezed his son's shoulder in farewell and climbed on his dragon.

"See you in a few hours," he said almost authoritatively. "Don't go out earlier."

The rest of the Vikings had come to say goodbye to the first group, made up of Stoick, Gobber, Little Finn, Spitelout, Gervasio and Alea. The rest would follow later.

"Be careful, Dad," Hiccup said almost in a whisper to his father, who nodded firmly and lovingly towards his son.

The Vikings dismissed their compatriots and quickly began to prepare everything for their own departure. The first rays of the sun were beginning to be seen in the sky, mixed with lilac and blue flashes of its reflection in the ice. It would still take a few hours for the sun to position itself high in the sky, but they still had to prepare.

The first thing they did was relight the fire, as the freezing cold was freezing their muscles and fingers. Hiccup forced everyone to put something to their stomach to warm up and regain strength. He had hardly any relationship with the Vikings who were by his side, but as a good leader he tried to unite everyone. He asked them to sit down for a while and rest a bit more before they got going, as they would need strength whether everything went well or went wrong.

After this he counted the supplies and tuned the dragons. Toothless didn't part with him all morning, going from one side to another next to the Viking. The dragon seemed to be more nervous than usual, but Hiccup blamed it on his survival instinct as he found himself in an unfamiliar environment. Also, Night Fury was not a good friend of the cold, so his friend really needed to move so as not to freeze.

"Yes, I'm cold too," Hiccup told Toothless when the dragon began to lick his hands as he tried to tie a knot without success, "but it's not necessary…

Hiccup wiped the dragon's saliva off his suit and continued tying boxes. He was looking for the best way to gauge the weight, so as not to harm the dragons.

"Chief Hiccup," a woman's voice called to him.

Hiccup turned to see Briel, the artillery chief.

"The sun is rising, should we get ready?"

Hiccup looked up and found that he was right.

"Yes," he confirmed. "Also erase any trace that may give us away."

The second batch of Vikings combed the area until the slightest trace disappeared that could reveal that someone had spent the night in those mountains. Everyone got on their dragons and checked that nothing was out of place.

The temperature had improved but the sky was beginning to fill with storm-indicating clouds. In the distance, could be seen Arendelle and its beautiful ice dome. Hiccup calculated that it would not take more than two hours to arrive.

In silence he signaled to the other Vikings to take flight and with the grace of the birds they conquered the sky.

—. —. —. —. —. — .—.

Anna was clutching a cup of hot tea in her hands as she looked at her sister's calm face. The only noise that filled the room was a mechanical clink from the back of the room, where Miranda prepared some kind of ointment in a mortar. For Anna, that sound was almost part of the natural environment of that room. Elsa had improved a little in the past few days, but was still very weak. The wound on his head was no longer swollen and the stitches had almost completely closed. Her body, however, was still badly injured and completely bruised.

Since her breakthrough on the day of the council meeting, she had barely gotten out of bed, as if she needed to regain her strength in haste for what might happen next. The Ice Queen had made clear her intentions to protect her people at all costs and had declared a state of emergency, starting by rationing food and offering everyone clean clothes and blankets. She had also reinforced the guards and doubled the number of daily relays, so that everyone could rest and regain strength in case the worst was coming. Other measures she took was to plan an escape route for the children in case Drago attacked again. This way at least the children could escape to the forest.

Since then, the queen only got out of bed twice to eat and little else; and except at night, the fever seemed to have stopped visiting her.

Anna was looking at her tea thoughtfully when suddenly an irruption broke the monotony of the room.

He was a court guard. Anna got up immediately and Elsa woke up confused.

"Princess, queen," he said in a nervous salute.

"What happened?" Anna hastened to reply.

"We have seen something in the sky," the guard replied, Anna looking at the man in surprise. "We think you should come and see it."

"Come on," Elsa said, sitting up in bed to the surprise of the guard. Embarrassed to see the queen in such a state, the guard nodded and ducked his head.

"Anna, go with him," Elsa ordered. "I'll join you in a moment."

Anna nodded and ran after the guard.

The princess felt her heart leap out of her mouth. They were not prepared for another dragon attack.

It couldn't be.

Arendelle wouldn't be able to resist.

—. —. —. —. —. — .—.

Hiccup followed the marked route thoughtfully. Arendelle was already clearly visible. Except for a small conversation in the background, they all flew in silence. The Viking looked at his companions and then at their dragons, realizing that they urgently needed to rest.

Although everyone in Berk had his own dragon, not all Vikings were used to flying so many hours. At that moment he missed being in the company of the riders, with their mutual curiosity and recklessness making any trip an adventure. However, right now, Hiccup only saw tired people who were fed up with flying.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, he noticed a certain nervousness in Toothless, who straightened his ears and tensed his entire body.

"Hey? You OK, Bud?" he asked, stroking the dragon's head.

Hiccup looked up, concerned. The clouds had practically closed the sky and what had been a sunny day had turned into a sea of grays and whites.

Toothless then turned his head in the direction of the forest and bared his teeth in defiance.

"Easy bud..." Hiccup tried to calm him. "Have you seen something there?"

Hiccup tried to narrow his eyes, with difficulty. Unsure if anyone was following them, he decided to act just in case.

"I think Toothless has seen something in the forest," he announced to the group. "I'm going to make sure they're not following us, go on."

The rest of the group was alarmed to hear that, as Stoick would never forgive them if something happened to his son, but they had no time to complain, since Hiccup and Toothless were already spinning in the air and descending into the forest.

—. —. —. —. —. — .—.

Anna ran through the castle hallways and sped down the stairs to the central entrance. Along with the guard, she crossed the great hall that was full of tables and chairs where some groups gathered to receive their daily dose of food. Anna almost tripped over a woman, but managed to dodge her at the last moment. With her heart beating at what felt like a thousand beats an hour, she managed to reach the inner garden where several guards pointed to the sky.

"Colonel Roston!" she said as best she could when she saw the colonel looking through a spyglass.

"Princess…" he said politely. "Where is the Queen Elsa?"

Anna tried to catch her breath as she stood up straight.

"It's coming," was the only thing she could think of to say, "Is that bad news?"

The colonel made a gesture. Anna hurried to look at the sky. The enormous figure of a dragon moved in circles on the ice dome. How strange, she thought when she saw him alone.

"See for yourself," the colonel said, offering the princess the spyglass. Anna accepted vigorously and brought the object to her left eye. That lone figure was certainly a dragon, but it didn't resemble the beasts that attacked them that terrible night; it moved awkwardly in the sky and carried two riders. Anna tried to focus her eyes better, seeing that they were raising a white flag. They were a fat blond man and a boy.

"FINN!" She screamed with joy, so much so that she almost cried.

Feeling as though she had taken a blow to the chest, she returned Colonel Roston's spyglass.

"He is the dragonmaster!" She exclaimed enthusiastically, waving her arms in the air, returning the signal "They have come!"

"Princess Anna, don't be hasty," the colonel recalled. "It could be a trap".

"He's right Anna," said a voice in the background.

The princess turned to see her sister Elsa, helped by Miranda and a white cane, come out of the castle doors. The ice queen had pulled back her braided hair and wore a dress reminiscent of her coronation. She was also wearing gloves and Anna realized that Elsa didn't want to show her wounds to anyone, as if by keeping them hidden they were not there.

The colonel brought the spyglass to Elsa, who could see with her eyes that an orange dragon with a fat blond man and Finn, —one of the sons of Joseph the blacksmith—, was flying high in the sky. Elsa remembered that she could not save the boy's parents, and seeing that living child was a great relief, especially when she found out that he had stowed away among Anna's messengers.

"What do we do, your majesty?" the colonel asked cautiously.

"Let us respond to his signal," the queen proclaimed.

Elsa ordered several guards to light some torches and move them so that they could see it from above. They both seemed to understand as the dragon started beckoning and descended towards the castle entrance.

The ice dome completely covered the castle and part of the bridge. Thanks to this bridge that separated the castle from the rest of the fjord Arendelle stood on, the palace had become a perfectly strategic place to protect themselves. The dome reached almost half the bridge, so Elsa asked that the gates of the castle wall be lowered, knowing that this way she could see her enemies on the bridge without exposing herself to danger.

Elsa clenched her fists as they opened the doors, feeling very nervous. She would not let her people be in danger.

A large crowd of people also left the palace and gathered to see what was happening.

"Leave everyone else behind," Elsa ordered the colonel, who in turn ordered his soldiers to form a human wall between the peasants and the entrance to the wall.

Anna's breath caught when the door opened fully and a group of Vikings and dragons appeared in front of them. Those beings were enormous and robust and the simple fact of finding the Vikings peacefully next to those beasts made them look like an imminent threat.

Suddenly, the dragon in the sky landed, causing everyone in the dome to step back, even knowing that they were protected by the ice wall. Elsa tried to be impassive, but fear invaded every pore in her body.

Anna was the only one who reacted as little Finn descended from the dragon. The little boy was helped by the man to get down. That Viking looked awful. He was missing a hand and a foot and had hardly any teeth in his mouth. However, the boy smiled at him and he smiled back, urging him to get closer to his own. Finn nodded and ran toward the ice wall, which he touched with his hands. Anna ran to him, too, bending down to place her hands in front of his on the other side of the ice.

"Finn!" Said the princess excitedly "Open up Elsa!" She looked eagerly at her sister.

Elsa didn't know what to do. Could they trust the Vikings?

All eyes fell on her. The queen looked up at the Vikings and took a deep breath. Carefully she removed a glove, showing a completely bandaged hand and fingers full of wounds. She aimed it at the ice wall and with a quick gesture, the ice where the boy was disappeared, causing him to practically fall into Anna's arms, the princess giving him an affectionate squeeze even as Elsa closed the ice again, to avoid surprises.

People began to applaud at the arrival of the uninjured child. Elsa put her glove back on and tried to hide the exhaustion that something so simple had caused her. After this she also approached the boy, relieved to see that she was in one piece.

"You're good?" she asked, looking over the boy. "Have they hurt you?"

"They're friends," the boy replied eagerly. "They brought me home."

Elsa hugged the little one.

"You're safe now," she assured him. "Where are the others?"

"They… we were attacked and the ship was destroyed," the boy explained, a little confused. "I hardly remember anything, I only know that they found me in the sand and saved me.

The boy pointed to the Vikings who were still on the other side of the dome.

"Queen Elsa, they are coming to help us."

The boy's eyes were bright with joy and Anna realized that what he said was true.

"Elsa," she said to her sister. "They are the help we expected."

Elsa didn't seem so assured. Unlike her sister, it was not the first time that she had dealt with neighboring islands and she understood that nobody helped anyone in exchange for nothing. There was always an interest and she didn't know if Arendelle could pay it.

Elsa got up with Anna's help and spoke to her subjects.

"Okay," she said out loud. "We are going to allow the Vikings to enter Arendelle,"

She turned to her guards and with a nod to the colonel ordered everyone to be on alert. The guards raised the shields and raised the swords. Elsa turned to the Vikings and taking off both gloves she used her magic to once again open the ice dome.

—. —. —. —. —. — .—.

Hiccup was flying low next to Toothless, who was looking in all directions. The Viking did the same, trying to see what it was that his friend was perceiving.

"Are you sure you've seen something, bud?" Hiccup asked his dragon when they found nothing.

Suddenly Toothless seemed to smell something and fell down through trees. Hiccup covered his face with his arm as the branches hit him.

"Hey!" he yelled at the dragon. "What's wrong with you?"

The dragons stopped dead in his tracks, finding that trees had disappeared. Hiccup had to blink several times. His eyes were stinging with the branches. Then, he realized that part of the forest had been burned and trees cut down.

"Gods…" he cursed, amazed at the image of that place covered in black snow with ash.

They both descended a little further until they found themselves flying practically at ground level.

"Who could have done this?" Hiccup asked the air.

'Drago'. It was the first answer that came to his mind.

This place didn't give him a good feeling, and he was about to turn back to warn his father before Toothless halted the flight, diving down to land. Hiccup tried to make him change his mind, but the dragon didn't allow himself to bend in his decision, so Hiccup finally agreed.

Carefully they descended on that swampy snow. Toothless searched the snow for something that Hiccup could not understand. After a while, he could see that his friend was digging up something. With a jump he got out of the saddle and grabbed with his hands what they had found.

"Dragon scales…" Hiccup said, taking out of one of his pockets a small crystal that he used as a magnifying glass, barely restraining the scream of surprise when he looked closely at that black and white scale.

"It can't be…"

Then he looked at Toothless, who shared his expression.

—. —. —. —. —. — .—.

Kristoff managed to find a place in the crowd when Elsa stepped into the dome for the Vikings. However, for his safety, the guards didn't let him pass.

The first to enter of all of them was Stoick, with his great bearing and width and his long and braided redhead beard. He had a peaceful look and raised his hands to his hip height in peace. Behind him was the group of Vikings and their dragons.

Elsa stared haughtily at the Vikings, as if she needed to earn his respect. Everyone gasped at the sight of the dragons, raising the buzz among the people who started to get nervous. Stoick was the first to speak.

"Queen Elsa," he declared, bowing his head slightly, out of respect.

Elsa did the same.

"Welcome to Arendelle," she said cordially. "Sorry, I don't know who I'm talking to."

Stoick smiled. He had already forgotten how formal they were in those lands.

"Pardon my manners, Your Majesty," the Viking apologized with his coarse Nordic accent. "My name is Stoick Haddock, also called Stoick the Vast, leader and chief of Berk Island."

"Welcome to Arendelle Mister Haddock, leader and chief of Berk Island," Elsa replied, trying not to sound rude. "What brings you to our lands?"

Stoick almost smiled at that prepared line.

"We received your help message days ago and decided to respond to it with our presence here today. If the fears that haunted your words are true, I fear that all of us are in grave danger."

Stoick was surprised to find the queen herself receiving him, since, according to the boy's words, his queen was seriously injured.

"We are very grateful to you, Your Majesty," Anna said suddenly to Stoick. "You don't know what this means to us."

Elsa looked at her sister incredulously for her audacity, but couldn't criticise her for it.

"We understand that you have made a long journey and may wish to rest?" Anna continued, despite the glare Elsa gave her.

"We appreciate your generosity," Stoick said. "We have been traveling for days and my men and women are exhausted. We also bring some necessities as an offering; we understand that in such a situation they may be necessary."

Elsa could not believe such kindness on the part of those people whom she hardly knew. The situation was strange, since Anna's warm words seemed to have relaxed the situation, but all the guards were still on alert and nobody had dared to take a single step. Stoick scrutinized the queen carefully, as if by looking at her carefully he could see her magical nature.

It was then that Finn, who had disappeared into the crowd, arrived with other children who ran towards the Vikings and their dragons. Elsa almost screamed in terror, trying to stop them, but the laughter of another Viking stopped her. The boy had thrown himself into the Viking's arms with one hand and one foot, and the Viking had lifted him into his arms.

"I told you he had only one hand!" Finn shouted to the other children.

Elsa was still looking concerned as a dozen children approached the Vikings and their dragons under Finn's friendly account.

"Don't worry Queen Elsa, children," said the Viking suddenly, "they never listen to anyone."

Anna smiled and decided to close all that protocol at once.

"Please don't wait here in the cold, come in and warm up in the castle," she offered, grasping her sister's hand.

Elsa seemed to react to that.

"Yes…" the queen said suddenly, causing the guards to lower their weapons. "Please come in and feel at home."

—. —. —. —. —. — .—.

Hiccup's hands ached from the cold, but he didn't stop his task of digging through the snow for more and more scales, following that trail of mud and snow.

"It can't be…" he kept repeating himself as he walked quickly through the snow followed by Toothless.

Suddenly the dragon seemed to smell something and pulled its teeth out again. Hiccup reacted quickly and unsheathed his flaming sword. They were both silent for a moment. The Viking was breathing quite slowly, sharpening his senses. It was then that the dragon began to move in the snow. Hiccup followed without lowering his guard.

As trees advanced, they reappeared. All of them had also been burned, but at least they were still standing. It could only be dragon fire, Hiccup thought; since in the middle of that snow it was impossible to burn anything.

Then, the snow began to turn red.

Looking under his feet, Hiccup realised that he was walking on blood, clotted under the ice, forming a frozen river that fed the land and rotted trees that would never be born again.

Toothless gave a loud squawk that brought Hiccup out of his momentary state of shock and that's when he saw it. He had to suppress the urge to vomit when he saw that carnage, but his friend's disbelief and fear were stronger. He ran to reassure Toothless, holding his chair to calm him down, since the dragon had entered into a kind of nervous breakdown.

"Easy, easy, bud," Hiccup said, covering his ears and stroking his head. When he managed to calm him down, the dragon launched himself without thinking into the corpse of the other dragon.

Hiccup had never seen anything like it. Beneath his feet were numerous blood-painted lines drawing various runes in the snow. The Viking had never seen those drawings, but he felt that something devilish was hiding behind them. Before them was a set of large rocks carved with blood, which formed a circle that enveloped everything and inside which lay the corpse of a dragon.

The worst part was that this dragon was not just any dragon: it was a night fury.

And someone had ripped it open and torn its heart out.

—. —. —. —. —. — .—.

The white flag flew in the sky as a symbol of peace. Despite the collective fatigue, Vikings and villagers decided to convene an immediate council of war, to discuss the situation of Arendelle and her new guests. Down in the large inner courtyard, Kristoff and a group of men unloaded all the Vikings' merchandise and gifts. However, the dragons were not next to them.

As soon as the Vikings entered the dome, Colonel Roston requested that the dragons be left outside for security reasons, but while Elsa agreed, Stoick raised his voice to say that this was unthinkable. They would not enter without their dragons, let alone leave them unprotected at Drago's expense.

That first tension between towns alerted both councils, who verified that, although the Vikings had come to help, they didn't plan to bow as well as before the laws of Arendelle.

Elsa, as queen and representative of her people, felt totally exposed, as if a false step could unleash a war. After all, the Vikings had dragons and were known to be great conquerors and looters of towns, like their enemies, so not having them on their side meant certain death. After a moment where peace seemed fragile, Elsa agreed to let the dragons in, on the condition that they remain locked in ice cages until they prove their docile and peaceful nature. The Vikings protested, but Stoick as a wise leader accepted the queen's proposal. It was certainly a way to start the dialogue, although her decision didn't seem very popular among her own.

Following this, the white flag was raised in the sky to let the rest of the Viking council know that Arendelle was a friend and not an enemy.

Stoick had already advanced to the queen that more of his own would arrive, since the small initial tension had made it clear that an uninformed arrival of new Vikings on dragons would break the ephemeral peace that had been predisposed.

Elsa retired for a moment to her chambers as the Vikings and the council gathered in the great hall. With Anna's help, she reached her room, where she almost fainted from the effort. The use of her magic coupled with her attempt to feign normality had exhausted all her strength. And that still had the worst part left: signing a peace treaty.

"Elsa you need to rest," Anna demanded. "You cannot continue as if nothing happened."

"Anna, I'm not going to disappear now," she said cautiously, as she poured water on her face and Miranda loosened her corset. Anna wanted to question her, but deep down she knew that Elsa could not disappear now in the middle of the tension that had been generated with the matter of the dragons.

"Do you think we can trust them?" she asked, to her sister's surprise.

Anna didn't know what to answer.

"I'd like to think yes…" she answered cautiously. "They saved Finn's life and brought us food, blankets and medicine. Why should they betray us?"

Elsa thought for a moment and sighed deeply.

"We previously trusted the good intentions of those who wanted to help..." she said tiredly, reminding Anna of Hans' past actions. "And we were betrayed then."

Anna understood her sister's fear.

"This time we will be alert Elsa," she said confidently.

"I hope you're right…"

—. —. —. —. —. — .—.

The second arrival of new Vikings altered the population, who reconvened by the bridge to see the entry of the foreigners. Elsa made her magic again and opened a door in the dome to the Vikings and dragons, who were locked together with the rest. This time Stoick watched the scene from one of the castle windows, in one of the long corridors that gave way to the meeting room where both councils were.

A skinny guard approached the Viking to inform him that the rest of his own had arrived. Stoick nodded and thanked him, heading for the great hall.

Queen Elsa soon appeared alongside the rest of the Vikings, all of them escorted by the royal guard. Stoick was aware that they were being treated more like prisoners than saviors, making a note to discuss that detail later, but for the moment he pushed aside all that bureaucracy when he saw the doors of the room close and realised that Hiccup hadn't entered behind them.

He couldn't help but get up from his seat, drawing all eyes. As leader, he concealed his nervousness, reaching out to the newcomers to greet them and signal them to sit down, but also to sneakily ask where the hell Hiccup was.

"He parted with us, sir," one of the council Vikings whispered when Stoick asked under her breath. "His dragon caught something strange… he asked us to continue, he said it would not be long…"

"All good?" Elsa interrupted the conversation, inviting the Viking to sit next to the rest and Stoick to do the same.

"All right," Stoick confirmed. "We are missing a Viking, but he won't take long to arrive."

Queen Elsa nodded coolly and elegantly and began the assembly.

"People of Arendelle," she said, pointing to her people, "people of Berk," she pointed in the direction of the Vikings. "I open this dialogue of peace today to honor your courageous act of kindness by attending our call for help to our enemy, who is also yours".

In that speech Elsa explained the situation they were in and the state of precariousness that the castle lived in. She spoke of the number of wounded and missing and the time she estimated that they could last there besieged without doing anything. After this, she began to relate the facts that really mattered to the Vikings: Drago's attack.

Elsa explained slowly and without too much detail the attack they suffered. However, although at first everyone listened in silence, the topic sparked the Vikings' curiosity, prompting several questions about the nature of this incident.

"I don't remember the number well…" Anna tried to answer helping Elsa, who looked exhausted, "but it could be about forty animals, all of the same species," she explained. "Except for the dragon riding the rider, which was larger."

"Did he come alone?" Stoick asked.

"We didn't see any more riders," Colonel Roston replied.

"Is it true that you pierced its heart and it continued as if nothing had happened?" Stoick asked again, trying to get as much information as possible.

"My sister Elsa went through it from side to side, no beast can survive that."

"Are you sure about that, girl?" Gervasio, the oldest of the Vikings, suddenly asked, his face crooked and sullen. "It is well known that women tend to exaggerate and dramatize the facts."

Alea, Berk's sailing captain gave him a withering look but the Viking didn't seem to notice. Stoick agreed with her that this comment was not the most accurate.

"Are you claiming that I made this story up?" Elsa raised her voice, not losing the cold and threatening gesture. "I will not allow anyone to enter my kingdom and dare to call me or my sister a liar."

"I apologize," said Stoick hastily. "Of course we believe your story, we know the nature of our enemy; Gervasio just wanted to make sure we were really dealing with an evil from the underworld."

But that didn't seem to take the wind out.

"All I want to do is make sure this is not a trap to gain control of our dragons," Gervasio spat, to everyone's surprise. "Excuse me, Your Majesty if I am suspicious, but as you will understand, it seems strange to me that by chance our greatest enemy had razed your island with immortal dragons and only our island can help you. Not to mention that you, with your magical nature, have not been able to defeat him, but a few seconds ago you showed that with a simple gesture you could build and destroy an ice wall without any effort. And besides, you lock our dragons. Don't you think We have reason to be suspicious?"

"I demand respect from the queen," Lieutenant Riell rose from the table with a stern glare. "You cannot think that your daring is not paid dearly in our lands."

"So?" the old man continued. "Excuse me for wanting to know what we're here for."

It was then that the legislator from Arendelle also entered.

"Let me tell you that your speech is not without heroism, but believe me, you are not the only one here with the clouded judgment," he said so poetically that the Vikings could barely understand him. "Do you think I trust you?"

Anna swallowed and looked at Elsa, who was watching the scene tense. The princess noted how her sister struggled to hide her emotions and control her powers. Since she fell ill, she had little control over her powers, having ripped Arendelle's climate out of control and knocked her out of bed every two times.

"Everyone knows that Vikings are not to be trusted," legislator said cynically. "They conquer, steal, loot and rape women. Why would you come to offer us your help in exchange for nothing?"

Stoick also used all his self-control not to explode. His voice overshadowed the conversation.

"You don't know Drago as we know him," he said calmly and with a somber tone. "That man is capable of inhuman power. We have already faced him once and we know that each town he devastates makes him stronger. We are here to stop him and prevent him from becoming indestructible. We also have families to protect."

"Is he really your enemy?" the legislator continued. "Because it seems to me that you have everything in common, starting with those demonic beasts."

"Those beasts could bite your head off," Spitelout said, offended. "So show them respect."

"Your Highness," the legislator said, ignoring that comment. "Would you get those beasts out of their cages right now if the Vikings asked you to?"

Elsa knew where that question was going. Sometimes she wondered whose side the legislator was on. That inquisition generated a great silence. She held her breath for a moment before answering.

"No," she answered without hesitation. "I don't trust those beasts… but I trust the good intentions of the Vikings."

The legislator glowered at her and Colonel Roston stiffened at that.

To Stoick that phrase didn't sound like a victory.

"And what are those good intentions?" Lieutenant Riell suddenly blurted out, having been silent for a while.

Elsa looked at him blankly, then redirected her gaze to the leader of the Vikings. Under the table Anna held her sister's hand, which had begun to tremble.

"Our intention is to stop Drago," said the large Viking.

"What if that doesn't happen?" The young lieutenant continued.

"We will die trying," Gobber said determinedly, helping his friend and opening his mouth for the first time all night.

The queen tried to breathe, but her vision blurred. Her fever was coming back.

"And when you defeat him?" asked the legislator. "Will you return to your lands just like that, without asking for anything in return?"

Anna raised her voice, defending the Vikings, as if she really needed to believe in their good intentions.

"They will forever have thanks and a pact of loyalty with Arendelle."

"Just a friendship?" Said the legislator, almost laughing. "Excuse our princess, she lives in a fantasy world."

Elsa sprang to her feet and slapped the table, which made a sharp piece of ice grow and spread across the table, causing everyone to step back. 'Witchcraft', many of the Vikings thought.

"I think we all need to calm down," she carefully sat down again.

Anna looked at her with severe concern. Elsa was touching her own limit.

"I agree that both parties have their reasons to distrust," said the queen before the silence of all present. "The Vikings are exposed in our lands and we have deprived them of their dragons, so I understand their discomfort; But they must understand that my people only fear that good intentions are not a lasting peace pact when all this is over, if it ends..."

At that last sentence, everyone fell silent, seeing the queen for the first time a certain weakness.

"Let's agree then," the legislator proposed, redirecting his queen's gaze to the Vikings. "What have you really come looking for?"

Stoick had been on millions of councils of war, but he had certainly never encountered anyone as highly cynical and insufferable as that man.

"We seek peace and justice."

The legislator laughed.

"The Vikings seeking peace and justice…" he said wryly. "What do you really want? Power? Money? Magic?"

Elsa knew that all this was going too far.

In that moment, she remembered the wise words her father had said to her one day and realized that as much as she wanted to believe that the world could offer her something better, sometimes a queen had to make sacrifices.

"Arendelle does not have great wealth and everything we had was lost in the fire," she explained, standing up slightly and holding her hands to the table. "I cannot give you the key to my magical nature either, because I do not know it myself, but I can offer my hand to the dragon master as a pact of eternal loyalty."

Everyone held their breath upon hearing that. Anna herself could not believe that her sister was willing to pay such an expensive price. The line between loyalty and slavery was easy to cross. Stoick had never seen such determination in a person.

"Your Majesty," the legislator objected.

The queen looked at him defiantly.

"There is no law deciding on me," she said bluntly. "Arendelle will never be able to pay for its salvation and I understand that blind faith in the goodness of others is not an option for any of us." Elsa spoke decidedly, noticing how something inside her was dying. "If that is the price of peace, I am willing to pay it."

"Queen Elsa," Stoick tried to oppose, when he noticed Gobber's hand on his knee, who shook his head in denial.

Gobber knew that to reject the queen's offer was to sign the war.

"I'll let you think about it in private," Elsa offered, who looked at hers and invited them with her eyes to get up.

They all obeyed without any question, quietly leaving that room and leaving the Vikings alone in it. The last to leave was Elsa, holding on to her sister's arm.

As soon as the door was closed and they were far enough away from the room, the council burst into hundreds of questions for the queen. Many of them rebuked her for her recklessness. Everyone agreed that once she was married to the Vikings, her husband would have every right to her.

"We have no other options," Elsa defended herself. "What did you want me to do? Your words almost caused a war!"

The queen had never used a tone so cold and accusatory, so much so that everyone fell silent, ashamed. Anna herself was somewhat afraid of her sister.

"You've exposed and humiliated me to the Vikings." Elsa trembled with anger as she clung to her sister so she wouldn't fall. "If there was any other way to reach an agreement with them, we have lost it because of your pride and arrogance. Do you think you are better than them?" she glared at the legislator. "You should remember that you are still breathing because I spared the lives of everyone here who called me a witch."

No one dared say a single word. Elsa was so furious that she was unaware that a snow-water storm had started outside the dome. That and that her nose had started to bleed.

"Colonel Roston," she said without hesitation. "Take the legislator out of my sight."

The colonel obeyed.

"From now on you are relieved of all your duties," she said wearily to the legislator. "And the others, all go back to your chores. My sister and I will close the deal with the Vikings."

The legislator would have put up some kind of resistance if it were not for the first time that he felt terror towards the queen. So he obeyed, like everyone else, leaving her alone in that corridor with her sister. When all of them disappeared, Elsa collapsed, slowly falling to the ground by the grip of Anna, who was trying to hold her unsuccessfully.

Elsa began to spit blood, in addition to all that was already coming out of her nose. Anna panicked, grabbing the hem of her skirt and trying to wipe her sister clean with them.

"Elsa, don't force yourself…" she said, urgently helping her sister back to her feet.

"My God Anna… what am I going to do now..."

Anna's soul broke when she saw Elsa like that. Her sister was gasping for breath as she tried to contain her emotions.

"Easy… we'll look for a way to find something to negotiate with and…"

"Anna…" Elsa silenced her sister. "This is not a fairy tale that ends well; Dad already warned me once that queens don't marry for love…"

"Elsa I will not allow you to do this to yourself."

Elsa was going to reply when the doors to the living room opened and Gobber appeared behind them. The Viking, seeing them both on the ground covered in blood, was petrified. In the background the Vikings could be heard arguing loudly and agitatedly.

"Are you okay?" he asked, not understanding anything. "I can get help…"

"Wait!" Anna begged, trying not to let anyone inside hear them. "Please do not say anything."

Gobber hesitated for a moment, but ended up going out and closing the door behind him, approaching both of them and cursing under his breath at the Vikings' tongue.

"Can you know what happened to you? Your Majesty," he asked concerned to the queen.

The Viking crouched down next to them and took a handkerchief from his pants, offering it to Elsa. Anna held it down, wiping the blood from her sister's face and forcing her to tilt her head back to stop the bleeding. However, it was not necessary for princesses to answer him, since the words of the boy Finn came to his head.

"You are sick…" he said tentatively.

"Since the attack my sister is quite weak," Anna explained. "So much effort does her no good."

"Please," Elsa asked this time, with the bleeding more controlled. "Don't say anything to your chief."

Gobber nodded, understanding the queen's situation.

"If the word of a Viking makes any sense to you," Gobber replied solemnly, "you have my word."

Elsa smiled at him gratefully and Gobber took his time to talk.

"Your Majesty," Gobber said with a sad expression in his face "I came to warn you... that we have already made our decision."

.

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lentebloem02: thanks so much for your kind review and welcome ^^ Hope you like so much as us. Greetings from Spain too!

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