Wow, 2 chapters in 2 days LOL I am the queen of inconsistency. (Maybe its because we're finally getting the good ol' Hiccelsa interactions that really make me excited for it).

Also just FYI i'll be editing the previous chapters in certain places, nothing too huge, just mostly word choices and little plot holes. Like in the previous chapter I mentioned it was spring, but it was almost Elsa's birthday, and I forgot that her birthday is actually in winter so I'm going back and making sure that the previous chapter is set in winter LOL.

Hope you enjoy! Reviews are appreciated ;w;

CHAPTER 7

Hiccup's eyes fluttered open, the light hitting his eyes in a blinding way. He winced, shielding the light from his eyes.

Where was he…? The scenery around him was unfamiliar…

He squinted, his eyes slowly adjusting to the bright light, and with a startled gasp he dropped his hand, sitting bolt-upright.

He was back home. Back on Berk, in that cove that he and Toothless had spent so many hours together. He stood, his heart racing.

He was home!

"Hiccup," A familiar voice growled, echoing around the cove. Hiccup jumped again and whirled around to see his father. But his father… was different. He was old, worn, with ten times the amount of scars. He looked defeated.

"Dad?!" Hiccup gasped.

"You abandoned your people," Chief Stoic said in a whisper that echoed like thunder.

"I—I didn't mean to," Hiccup choked, backing away as tears flooded his eyes. "I was going to come back!

"You abandoned us, Hiccup. You abandoned the dragons, you abandoned your tribe, you left everything. You betrayed your family."

"I'm sorry!" Hiccup was sobbing now. "I'm sorry!"

"You murdered your best friend."

"I'M SORRY!" Hiccup screamed. Thunder was echoing in his ears now, as lightning flashed all around him and rain poured from the heavens. His father vanished in the downpour and Hiccup was left all alone as the water grew higher and higher, threatening to drown him.

"Hiccup!"

A voice was growing louder, echoing his name, until finally something kicked his ribs and Hiccup sat up as if he'd been electrocuted.

The nightmare was still vivid in his mind and he looked around his surrounding in utter confusion, before he slowly remembered where he was. He was hiding away in Elsa's closet… His makeshift bed was behind a row of her dresses, and he slowly pushed them aside to see Elsa, standing a few feet away in a nightgown.

"You were… you were crying," Elsa said softly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to kick you, but I didn't want to…" she grimaced, glancing down at her gloved hands.

"It's fine, I'm sorry," Hiccup croaked, aware how raw his throat felt. His cheeks were wet and he quickly wiped them. "I was having a… a nightmare."

"Do you get them often?" Elsa asked him gently, slowly kneeling. Hiccup frowned, shaking his head.

"This is the first," he admitted. "I haven't really… had any dreams at all until now."

"I see…" Elsa murmured.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Hiccup winced, glancing out the closet door to see it was still quite dark out.

"It's fine, I was awake anyways. I always have trouble sleeping," Elsa said, standing up. "I had some tea brought up, it usually helps me. Do… you want some?" she offered. Hiccup noticed the awkwardness in her voice, as if she were unused to sharing something as simple as tea.

"It's fine, I'm fine. Thanks," Hiccup sighed but got up anyway. He wasn't tired anymore, not after that horrible nightmare.

"Okay," Elsa nodded awkwardly and quickly walked back into her room, sitting at a small table where she ate most of her meals. A tray of tea was there.

Hiccup slowly walked into the room and glanced out the window, at the dark sky. He sighed.

The guards would be on high alert for at least another day, before giving up their search for him. They had heard the guards tramp all through the castle the day before, searching for him, but thankfully none had thought to check Princess Elsa's room.

He saw the many torches around the courtyard of the castle, and moved away from the window in case he was spotted. He slumped at the table across from Elsa. Elsa glanced at him before smiling softly and picked up a small bowl.

"I wasn't able to get any chocolates earlier, but Hannah brought some up for me with my tea," she said, pushing the bowl towards him. "Try it."

Hiccup lifted his head, glancing at the small round balls suspiciously.

"No offense, it looks like some kind of animal droppings."

Elsa immediately grew offended. Hiccup's cheeks burned.

"Just try it, you'll like it!" she insisted. He decided to not argue with her and picked one up, sniffing it carefully before popping it in his mouth.

An explosion of a sweetness Hiccup had ever tasted melted onto his tongue. He stared, at the bowl, wide-eyed as he held the chocolate in his mouth, not wanting to even swallow it.

"Good?" Elsa pressed.

"Odin's left sock, this is amazing," Hiccup groaned, finally chewing and swallowing. Elsa blinked.

"Odin's what now?"

"Left—nevermind. Viking term," hiccup shook his head. Elsa blinked again.

"Viking?" she echoed. "What do you mean?" Hiccup stared and his shoulders slumped.

"Did you not believe me when I said I was turned to stone for eight hundred years?" he grunted.

"...Well… not really. You're speaking very good english for someone who claims they lived eight hundred years ago," Elsa pointed out.

"Troll spell," Hiccup said glumly. "I can understand and speak any language now, I guess. Trust me, to me you're speaking Norse."

"More magic?" she whispered.

"Yep."

She considered him for a few moments, contemplating this.

"But… wait, so… you're really a viking?" She said. "As in… the people who conquered and pillaged other people?"

"What?! No, no," Hiccup sat up at once."That's more of a Meathead or Uglythug thing to do. Their viking tribes are more of the pillaging type. I'm from Berk, we kinda just… stay put. We're the stubborn type, too stubborn for our own good, defending our land from dragons…" Hiccup trailed off, realizing he was talking about Berk in the present tense and his heart clenched.

"I see…"

Hiccup met her eyes for a moment, before looking away again.

"So… You had those powers since you were born?" he pressed.

"Yeah," Elsa grimaced, fingering her teacup.

"Are you sure some witch didn't curse your mom before she had you?" Hiccup asked. "That's something that happens in folk tales."

"My parents keep telling me that's not the case, but I'm not sure I believe them," Elsa admitted. "They're currently trying to find out answers, why I'm like… this," she gestured half-heartedly to herself. "I think they must have visited about a hundred libraries by now across Norway."

"...This might sound like a dumb question, but where's Norway?" Hiccup asked curiously. Elsa blinked and gave him an incredulous look, which made his cheeks turn red.

"Listen, a few months ago I was only aware of, like, my own island of Berk and a few other places across the Archipelago," Hiccup snorted dryly. Elsa came back with a map and set it down in front of him.

"This is a map of the entire world," She said. Hiccup did a double take.

"What?!" he cried, staring. "The whole world? That's impossible!"

"It's not. This is us," Elsa pointed to a small area on the map. "This whole area here is Norway, and Arendelle is this tiny dot here. Actually, that dot is probably ten times the size Arendelle is," she smirked, making Hiccup's jaw drop further. He stared at the map, taking in the size of the other countries.

"It… it… it's so…" he fumbled for words, his green eyes stretching wider as they took in the sheer size of what the world must be. "It's so big," he whispered.

"It's huge," she agreed.

"It's all been explored?"

"Not all of it, just the big countries, and not even all of that. A lot of land hasn't been explored in depth, I don't think," Elsa said, gesturing to a few of the large continents. "The Americas for sure has a lot of unexplored land, untouched by men."

"Wow…" Hiccup breathed. He squinted at the map, trying to see if he could find the archipelago he knew, but couldn't even see it. Were these countries that big? Was the world really that big?

"Some days…" Elsa sighed, her eyes drooping as she stared at the map. "Some days I wish I could just… leave. It would be better for everyone, you know? Every day I tell myself conceal it, don't feel it, don't let it show… but some days I don't know if it does any good, and I can't bear to think what might happen on a day I need to hide it the most. What might happen to my family… to Arendelle…" she looked out the window, her eyes laced with fear and sadness. "There's a lot of uninhabited places around the world, I could just stay there without having to worry about hurting anyone."

Hiccup looked up, meeting her eyes with empathy.

"Why can't you?" he asked softly.

"Because…" she trailed off, her voice catching in her throat. "I just can't."

He frowned, wanting to press further, but decided against it with the look on her face. Instead, he glanced back at the map. Her words echoed in his mind, striking a cord in him.

"You sound like me," he muttered.

"Pardon?"

"I… left. I left for the same reason," he said. "Well—not the exact same reason, but… I thought it would be better for everyone if I'd left. Berk… my tribe fought dragons, killed them, trained us to kill them because they were nothing but dangerous beasts. But…" his eyes filled with tears. "Then… then I met Toothless. And he… wasn't. And… you know, I don't know if this is obvious or not, but I'm not exactly the best viking out there. I could never take down a dragon, much less kill one, and when I befriended a dragon, that was… I guess the last straw and I realized… I was just too different, so I left." he swallowed hard. "And look where that got me. I shouldn't have left… but I didn't know how I could stay."

"It wasn't your fault, Hiccup," Elsa said softly. The words were so strange to Hiccup that he looked up, startled.

"What?"

Elsa reached forward but then thought better, pulling her hands back.

"It's not your fault, what happened to you," Elsa went on.

"Yes, it is," Hiccup growled, looking away. "I left. I got my best friend killed. It's as simple as that."

Elsa looked at him sadly, and Hiccup instantly regretted the tone of his voice.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

"No, it's fine. I just… wished I knew what to say."

"So do I," he admitted, looking up at her. "I think we're a little too similar," he snorted weakly. She smiled back just as tentatively.

"Honestly… I'm really happy there's someone who somewhat understands," she murmured.

"Yeah…" Hiccup said softly. "For what it's worth… I hope you find a way to control your powers, so you don't have to even think of leaving."

"Thanks, Hiccup," Elsa said with a pained smile.

They stared at one another for a few moments before Hiccup glanced back down at the chocolate.

"Can I have another?" he asked hopefully. Elsa gave a much warmer smile.

"As many as you like," she offered. Hiccup smiled back and took a couple more.

"How old are you?" he asked her, popping another delicious chocolate in his mouth and savoring it.

"Fourteen. I'll be fifteen tomorrow..." Elsa said with a small shrug. "You?"

"Fifteen. Well—technically eight hundred and fifteen," Hiccup realized. "If you wanna get technical." Elsa snorted softly.

"You're short for a fifteen year old," she smirked softly.

"Wow. Really? I am?" Hiccup drawled, putting a hand to his chest in mock surprise. "No kidding! I had no idea!"

"I just thought vikings were supposed to be really tall," Elsa said defensively with another small laugh.

"Oh, they are. They're huge. My dad is like, seven feet and a half tall."

"Okay, now you're just fibbing."

"No, I'm not! He's…" Hiccup's grin faded as he realized, once again, he was talking about his father in the present tense. He swallowed, looking away. "He was… well, the tallest, bravest viking I ever knew."

"I'm sorry," Elsa said at once, but Hiccup shook his head.

"Don't be. It… It hurts more to not talk about him," he admitted. Elsa's eyes softened.

"What was he like?" she asked. Hiccup pondered that question, fighting the heat that rose to his eyes.

"Stubborn," he murmured. "Really, ungodly stubborn. Very much act first, think later. But when you're defending your tribe from dragons, you need that. He's brilliant, too, though. And he cares for nothing more than protecting his people," he croaked, a tear falling down his cheek.

"What about your mother?" Elsa asked. Hiccup shrugged.

"I never knew her," he admitted. "She died when I was a baby."

"I'm sorry," Elsa grimaced.

"Don't be."

"Did you have any… any friends, other than your dragon?"

Hiccup snorted softly at that question.

"Kinda. There was Gobber, my mentor…" and he just started talking about his home, grateful for her listening ear. He talked about everything that had been weighing on his mind, his old home, about everyone that he knew, how he had even started to feel like he was one of them in the weeks before he left.

Elsa listened, taking in his stories with soft eyes and a kind smile.

"And what about your dragon?" she asked him after Hiccup was silent for a few moments, lost in thought. "You said his name was Toothless?"

The question made his heart stab in pain, but having talked about everything else already, it was easier to open his mouth.

"Yeah, Toothless," he sniffed, wiping away a tear.

"Did he have no teeth?"

"Nah, retractable teeth. That was scary as hell when I found out, let me tell you," Hiccup snorted, another tear escaping but this time he let it fall. He was tired of suppressing them at this point. "He was… amazing. I helped him fly again, I flew with him, and he took me to places that… that humans can only dream," he croaked, his eyes flitting up to the ceiling, as if he could see through the wood and mortar to the inky sky beyond.

"You flew?" Elsa whispered. Hiccup nodded. "Those wings that you have… can you still fly?"

"I have no idea. I haven't flown since…" he looked away, a pit in his stomach. "The idea of using them… I just can't. I mean, how would you like it if your best friend's appendages were attached to you?"

Elsa grimaced.

"That would be awful."

"I wanted…" Hiccup forced himself to take a deep breath, close to crying again. "I just wanted our bodies to be separated so I could give him the proper viking funeral, but…" Hiccup's eyes burned with tears. "The Troll King said that was impossible, so now I have to carry around my best friend's wings with me till I die."

"Maybe he would have wanted you to use them," Elsa said softly. "How did that curse work, exactly?"

"The trolls said that the curse combines bodies, but not minds," Hiccup murmured. "So either one lives and one dies, or both die."

"Maybe Toothless gave his wings to you, to give you a chance?" she suggested.

Hiccup frowned and shook his head. "It's what I would have done for my sister, if it were us," Elsa shrugged, looking away. He looked up, studying her carefully.

"I don't know," he whispered. "I just don't know if I can."

She nodded, understanding. She sat back in her chair, picking up her tea and sipping it.

Silence grew between the two of them, the both of them lost in their thoughts.

"Well… I think I'm gonna try to go to bed," Elsa said softly, finally setting the empty teacup down.

"Yeah, okay," Hiccup sighed, grabbing one more chocolate before he stood up. "Goodnight, Elsa."

"Goodnight, Hiccup."

When Hiccup woke the next morning, he realized something big must be going on from the many voices that were in Elsa's room. He quickly scooted as far back as he could in the closet, glad that there were a bunch of dresses for him to hide behind and that the closet was so big—it was more like a giant room. Once he was sure that no one would be able to see him, he stayed as still as possible. The voices in the other room slowly grew more clear.

"...sure you won't see Anna today?" Hiccup heard a deep, unfamiliar voice.

"I don't know if that's a good idea. Remember what almost happened last year?" Elsa replied, frustrated.

"I know you think staying away is the best thing to do, but it's your birthday. Why can't you just…"

"Elsa, the floor," another voice spoke up. A woman's voice..

"Papa, you know why," Elsa was firm, but clearly scared. "Once I'm able to control my powers, and Anna won't be in any danger, then I'll see her. But as I am now… so many excitements will be too much for me. It's best if I don't see anyone."

"My darling…" the woman's voice said softly.

"Mother, no, please, don't touch me!"

"I'm sorry." There was a few moments of silence, only filled with Elsa's sniffles.

"I—I need to be alone. Please." Elsa croaked. "My magic… I—I can feel it slipping again."

"Alright… if you feel better later, have a servant sent for us. Perhaps we can have dinner together."

"Or I'll just freeze dinner," Elsa muttered bitterly.

There was the sound of a door closing and then deafening silence.

Hiccup slowly got up, pushing aside the dresses. He stepped for the closet door and cracked it open, peering out.

Elsa was sitting on her bed, staring dully at her gloved hands. She looked up at the sound of the door opening, however, and almost jumped at the sight of Hiccup.

"I almost forgot you were here," she said, sliding off the bed.

"I forgot that you said your birthday was today," Hiccup said, glancing at the door.

"Listen… Hiccup…" Elsa croaked, wringing her hands. "I know I said you could stay, but… I—I'm really scared something might happen. My birthday is always the worst day for me, I can never control myself properly…" she trailed off.

As she spoke, Hiccup saw ice grew along the floor from her feet. He grimaced.

"Do you think I should leave?" He asked quietly.

"I don't know…" Elsa looked out the window. "The guards are still doubled. If you left, it would have to be during the night."

"I see…" Hiccup looked out the window as well. He hated how much pain Elsa was in, how she refused to even touch anyone. "When I go… I'll find something to fix you. To fix the both of us," he promised. Elsa met his eyes.

"I don't think that will happen, but… thank you, Hiccup," she murmured. "I… I appreciate it."

There was a rhythmic knock at the door and the two of them jumped in surprise.

"Elsa?" Anna called from the other side. "Uhm… Happy birthday, Elsa."

A slip of paper slid under the door. Elsa walked over to it and took it, a small pained smile forming.

"...Thank you, Anna," she murmured.

"Can I come in?" Anna asked hopefully.

"No. No… sorry." Elsa quickly retreated from the door. Anna let out a disappointed sigh.

"Okay… bye." Her footsteps faded away. Hiccup glanced over at Elsa, who was now by the window and staring at the picture. She sniffled.

"She always draws me Olaf," she murmured with a painful smile, looking up at Hiccup.

"Who?"

"It's… this snowman we made as kids," Elsa said, showing him the picture. It wasn't a bad drawing, but it was definitely an odd looking snowman. "We used to play with each other all the time. She would tell stories, I would make little snow figures to go along with the stories… I would make characters, too…" Elsa sniffled. "Olaf was a happy snowman that liked warm hugs."

Her eyes darkened.

"And then I hurt her."

Hiccup stared, his eyes drifting from between her and the picture.

"...May I ask what happened?" he asked softly. Elsa looked at him.

"...I guess it's only fair, since you told me a lot about yourself," she whispered. "There really isn't much to tell. We were little kids, playing too much… and I couldn't keep up with her…" she shuddered, swallowing a lump in her throat. "I accidentally hit her head with my powers, and… her hair started to turn white," her voice started to tremble. "She was turning to ice. Father took us to the trolls, who were able to reverse the spell, but… well…" she shook her head. "Her memories had to be changed, too. I don't want anything like that to happen, ever again."

Hiccup reached out his hand but Elsa flinched away. He immediately drew back.

"Sorry."

"I just… can't touch anyone," she whispered, shaking her head.

"I'm sor—"

"No, don't apologize. It's fine. My mom tries to hug me all the time," Elsa smiled painfully.

"When I find a cure for the both of us, I'll come back," Hiccup swore. "I promise."

Elsa looked away, back to the drawing of the snowman.

"This might be silly to ask, but… can I have something to remember you by?" Elsa asked softly. Hiccup paused, thinking. He didn't really have much, but…

"Do you have any parchment?" he asked. Elsa nodded and went to her desk, taking out some paper and some pencils, handing them to him. Hiccup took them and sat at the table, and began to sketch the first thing that popped into his mind.

Elsa watched him draw, curious as the thing on paper grew more detailed.

"Is… that your dragon?" she asked at last, as Hiccup drew the wing.

"Roughly," Hiccup shrugged. "It was the first thing I thought of."

"He's… not quite what I expected. Are dragon's faces really that… shape?" Elsa asked.

"Night Fury heads are," Hiccup shrugged. Elsa stared down at the paper for a bit longer.

"Why don't you draw yourself?" she asked softly. Hiccup snorted.

"I don't have a mirror," he said, looking up at her.

"There's one right there," Elsa pointed to the other side of her room, above the dresser where a large silver mirror was. Hiccup blinked. He hadn't really paid attention to it before.

A curiosity filled him and he got up, slowly approaching the mirror. He was a little startled when he finally saw his reflection. Unlike the rough mirrors in Bekr, this one was smooth and pristine, and gave a perfect reflection.

He really had changed in the last few months. His face was much thinner, his hair longer. There were deep bags underneath his eyes, as well.

A part of him grew just a little curious. Slowly, he took off the pendant around his neck and let the draconic features appear once again.

His ears were giant and black, much like Toothless's ears, and there were scales trailing along his cheeks. He was mildly surprised that that was the only change he could see. His eyes were still the same, at least. But he definitely wouldn't be drawing his own face... he needed something else to give her.

He stared at this reflection for a bit longer before turning around back to Elsa, an idea forming. He pulled back his sleeve and felt around for a loose scale. One came off easily and he gingerly held it out to Elsa.

"Night fury scale to remember me by," he said.

Why were his cheeks so warm? Was it because picking off a scale was embarrassing? Was she going to be embarrassed by it?

Elsa took the scale, and thankfully didn't seem embarrassed. She studied it with fascination, turning the scale over in her fingers and watching the light reflect off of it.

"Thank you," Elsa said, looking up and giving him a soft smile.

"Could… I have something to remember you by?" Hiccup asked.

"I don't really have much, but…" Elsa glanced around the room and walked over to her dresser, digging through the drawers. "I could… give you an old glove?" she tried, taking one out.

"If you want to," Hiccup said.

"I feel like it's not a very good gift, though… here," Elsa walked over to her desk and brought out the map of the world again. She rolled it up with the glove and then handed both to Hiccup. "Here," she smiled. "So… that when you find a cure… you can find your way back."

Hiccup's cheeks grew even hotter, touched at the gesture.

"Thank you," he said softly, taking them. Elsa took the scale and night fury drawing.

"May I ask more about dragons?" she asked him, looking up. "What were they like? What other kinds of dragons were there?"

Hiccup smiled a little.

"Do you have another piece of parchment?"