Updated 01/15/20

Chapter 4: Denial?

Gathered around the council room, the council members waited patiently for the queen.

"Where is her Majesty?" Councilor Eric asked.

"She is currently taking a bath. I was nearby when I had heard that she returned. I went to her room to talk to her but a servant told me Queen Elsa requested privacy and would answer any questions during the meeting" Councilor Mia replied, as she sat across from him.

"Is the queen taking a bath implying what I think it is implying?" Councilor Reithan asked with a frown on his face, as he was clearly worried about the well-being of Elsa.

"Implying that the queen was raped last night and is trying to physically, mentally, and spiritually clean herself with a bath? I think not," an old voice said from behind. Turning their heads to the familiar voice, the council members see Master Helgen enter the room.

"I had a look at Queen Elsa just a few moments ago and she will be arriving shortly. She was practically dragged into my office by Princess Anna. She kept raving on about how she was fine but her sister was unconvinced. Taking a look at the queen myself, she was regal and calm as ever, perhaps even more so than the past couples of month. In truth I was starting to get worried about her health and stress before this whole incident but now it seems she was better than ever.

Listening to the doctor's words the men and women of the room quietly contemplated and compared them to their own thoughts. As it wasn't just the doctor who was worried about Queen Elsa in the past few months. The stress and overwork causing the deterioration of her body had everyone worried. Being the sole ruler of an entire kingdom simply couldn't be done. Anna helped as much as she could but there was a limit to how much of the burden she could officially take. Every time the issue was raised by one of the members, the queen merely brushed them off as lack of faith in her abilities and strength. Elsa was in complete denial, which was why the council members found it difficult to see the truth in Master Helgen's assessment.

"I hope you don't take this the wrong way Master Helgen but I would like to make the same conclusion once I see her myself. A woman's intuition is rarely wrong," Mia Seranov said.

"Then take a look all you want," Elsa said coming into the room with the general and Anna following closely behind her. Gone was her dress from last night and replaced with the familiar green and violet royal dress. Hair wound up in a tight bun and Elsa's crown rested comfortably on top of her head. Taking her seat on the throne all eyes were on her.

Reithan tried his best to identify any vulnerability from the queen. She seemed to look much better than how she looked yesterday. Glancing over at his fellow members they all shared the same puzzled look and disbelief. It seemed everyone was unconvinced that nothing happened to the queen last night. Seeing as how this wasn't getting them anywhere, Reithan decided to simply ask the Queen.

"Are you okay Queen Elsa?" Reithan asked with clear cautiousness in his voice, scared that Elsa was made of glass and would shatter at any moment with just his question.

"That certainly is the question everyone has on their minds isn't it?" Elsa replied with a small smile and exuded absolute confidence as if she could not be touched. "I suppose I shouldn't keep you all guessing any longer." With a straight face Elsa shifts her leg over the other and began to depict her adventure last night with a dramatic voice.

"When I arrived at his ice fortress last night, he ordered me into his bed. And then he forced me to sleep in his arms." Elsa described with a fake distress in her voice as she hugged herself with her arms. With her tone of voice and body movement being completely mismatched to her teasing eyes and radiance. Elsa continued the tale of her horrific time with the dragon king. "In the morning he made me eat breakfast and then sent me off on a dragon, ALONE to fly myself home. It was a truly frightening experience." Ending her tale, Elsa left everyone in the room, except Anna, completely flabbergasted and in disbelief.

"Elsa, no matter how scared you are or how frightening it was for you, you need to tell us the truth. It's not healthy to keep it all inside, you are still our queen and we won't think any less of you. Or is the dragon king making you keep it a secret?" Councillor Eric asked with concern.

Gazing back at the concerned look of everyone in the room. Elsa realized that she might have taken her joke a bit too far for such a serious matter. Sitting up straighter the queen decided to put an end to it once and for all.

"I am telling the truth and I am not scared. In fact I feel quite the opposite. He did not try to hurt me in any sort of way and he certainly did not threaten me to keep it a secret. We truly did just sleep together in each other's arms. In addition it seems that he understands my position and does not plan to interfere with my duties as queen. The only thing that has changed is where I will be spending my nights. With Hiccup in his ice fortress. Things have turned out better than expected… unless something happened while I was gone?" Elsa asked as she turned to face her general with a curious look. For some reason the queen did not seem to be worried at all even though she did not know the answer. Having the attention suddenly thrown onto him

The General stiffened at the sudden question and couldn't help but let out a small cough as he stood up straighter to give his report.

"We have tightened the patrols around the docks and have added better lighting in key areas for the night. There have been no reported sights of any dragons besides the one her majesty was riding on this morning." With everyone's attention on him the general took this opportunity to give his opinion on the matter.

"That doesn't mean we should let down our guards. Odd as this may be, Arendelle is still being held hostage. Things are fine now but we have no way telling if that might change. For the time being, we should gather more information and prepare just in case," General Grahm warned.

"Well I had only spent one night with Hiccup so far. He is not very talkative and so I did not get much information from him. The walls of fortress is quite thick except for at the very top so that light could get in. We would need a lot more firepower to get through walls and the only entrance is high above," Elsa said.

"That certainly isn't much information go on," The General commented as the others agreed.

"If I find anything useful I will be sure to inform you all. Until then, you are all dismissed" With those final words everyone began to get up from their sets and leave the room. Everyone except for Kai, the minister of finance who had been quiet this entire time.

"A quick word my Queen," Kai asked.

"I sure hope so, I have a lot work to do." Elsa said sitting back down on her throne.

"It is Queen Elsa. The Ice Fortress is located out at sea. There isn't really much out there and if the dragons aren't eating humans then they must be eating fish. Is the fishing trade going to be out of business very soon and what about trades by sea? Arendelle relies quite heavily on those trades. Closing the docks for a day or two won't be much of a problem but any longer and it will become serious. If you could inquire the Dragon King about this matter and get back to me it would greatly appreciated," Kai said before leaving.

OoOoO

Elsa quickly returned to her quarters with Anna following closely behind. Much was needed to be done tonight. Orders from the previous night that had to be reversed or changed due to recent turn of events. Also the morning reports that she need to finish up.

Barging into Elsa's office, Anna sat herself onto the edge of Elsa's table.

"So what happened Elsa? What did he say?" Anna asked, wasting no time in getting answers once they were alone together.

"As I've repeated before, nothing else was said." Elsa responded not bothering to look up from her work.

Anna frowned at Elsa's tepid response. "What do you mean nothing else? Why is he here with with an army of dragons at his back? Anna asked.

The phrase army of dragons echoed within Elsa's mind but she remained unfazed. But only for a brief moment. Suddenly all the flood gates opened and reality came crashing back. There was an army of dragon at the literal doorsteps of her kingdom!

"Oh, right all of that," Elsa said, eyes widened in surprise and blushing in slight embarrassment.

"It happened again didn't it," Anna asked.

"I don't know how I could possibly forget. What was I thinking?" Elsa stuttered out having been finally snapped out of her daze "It's like I take one look at him and suddenly all my fears and worries are gone. Like nothing else mattered."

"So what will you do now?" Anna asked

"I will have to try again the next time I see him," Elsa replied with a sigh, mellowing out incredibly fast and casually returning back to her work.

Not amused Anna shifted herself closer to the front of Elsa's table, snapping her fingers in front of her older sisters, "Hello? earth to Elsa, you are not taking this seriously enough."

"Well what do you want me to do Anna?" Elsa said exasperated.

"Have your eyes closed, pinch yourself I don't know, something!" Anna snarked, "Whatever spell he casts on you needs to be stopped"

"I don't think he is casting magic on me Anna," Elsa replied.

"Well it is the only explanation as to why you are suddenly so chill! No pun intended," Anna said to which Elsa simply glared at her.

"You are Elsa, you hate not knowing and hate not being in control so why are you being so mellow about all of this." Anna said.

"I guess things have not gone as badly as we had expected it." Elsa let out simply, "Fretting about it now will do us no good,"

"But that's not you!" Anna said, "You always been the one worrying and looking ahead to the future, worrying about stuff that might never happen. And now all of a sudden you want to enjoy the peace?" Anna said.

"Call it a change of strategy," Elsa answered back, "To just go with the flow. I'm not going to try to go against an unstoppable force of dragons. Not when things are just fine and the consequences dire. If you are worried about me, don't be. This might be the best possible outcome given the alternatives. We should try to keep it as much as possible. Hiccup has been nothing but nice and pleasant to me so far." Elsa said but Anna remained unconvinced. In fact she looked even angrier than before. So Elsa decided to explain herself more, "now that I think about it, those would be the best words to describe my entire experience last night. Nice and pleasant." Elsa said.

"There you go again, calling him by his first name Hiccup. What else happened on that mountain Elsa?" Anna demanded with a louder voice to keep Elsa focused.

Getting up from her chair so she could add emphasis and energy to her story. "Last night, the first dragon I met was nice. He was a cute baby dragon, and kind of like Olaf with his big round eyes, and body, but with flapping wings. The ice fortress I spent the night was nice. As a fellow ice maker and self declared Snow Queen, I gave it my approval. And when I laid eyes on him, I didn't have quite the violent emotional response as the first time I saw him. I didn't cry or anything like that but at the same time everything just felt right and safe. And I don't know why I feel this way and why it doesn't bother me!" Elsa explained.

"We know nothing about him Elsa, how can you have such emotions when you barely know him. It's like me with Han's but a hundred time worst because you know you can't trust him but somehow you do anyways.

"That is true. And I certainly did try my best but life doesn't always go the way you want it to."Elsa said

"Just because it's fine now, doesn't mean it will be in the future. We need answers," Anna said.

Listening to her, Elsa could felt her pain. She was joyful whenever Anna was happy, and hurt whenever Anna was sad, wishing she could take her pain away. Of course it would work the same for Anna. But Elsa wasn't sure what to say or what to do, to make her feel better. Holding Anna and rubbing her back, Elsa struggled to find the right words.

"Anna…" Elsa said but is stopped abruptly when Anna grabs her by both her shoulders and forcing her to face her. Anna's cheeks were stained with tears but her eyes were filled with determination.

"Elsa you need to promise me you won't give up. Get as much information as you can but don't get any closer to that man," Anna said. Elsa didn't quite share the same optimism as her sister. But her younger sister said it with such a convincing and determined manner that Elsa couldn't help but agree.

"You've certainly been a real hardass to your older sister. When did you get so responsible?" Elsa asked with an amused look.

"When the Queen of Arendelle falters, then it's time for the younger sister to step up!" Anna declared proudly with hands on her hips.

"I promise Anna. I will get the answers we need" Elsa said. she had little faith that things would be different the next time she saw Hiccup, but nonetheless she would try.

OoOoO

It wasn't until near midnight when Elsa finally finished her paperwork. Things were quite hectic the past three days, but now that things have settled down, Elsa hoped that she would have more free time. With an undignified but satisfying groan, Elsa, slouched in her chair. Staring aimlessly at the ceiling, Elsa hoped to get a breather just for a few moments to think back on Anna's words.

"Anna is right. When did I become so complacent?" Shifting in her seat, Elsa recalls the events that happened last night. "The feelings that I felt last night… is not me at all. Nervous but never scared. Anxious but always complacent. I talked about returning to him every night as if it was nothing, when I should be dreading the idea. Why am I acting this way for a man I just met? It makes no sense at all, did Hiccup do something to me that I wasn't aware of?"

*Knock Knock*

Elsa thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door banging as she called the person to enter. After a short pause, a man from her royal guards came in.

"Queen Elsa, five dragons have landed on the upper gardens."

"The Dragon King is not there?" Elsa asked.

"No, your majesty," the guard replied.

"That's odd, he said he was going to be there to pick me up," Elsa thought.

With a nod Elsa started to follow the guard to the upper gardens. Elsa found the familiar blue dragon that she rode this morning along with two Nightmares and two Gronkles sitting at the end of her gardens along with General Grahm and Master Helgen standing off to the side with a few soldiers next to the palace entrance. When Elsa arrived the general and the doctor were already engaged in a conversation.

"These dragons are truly fascinating. Animals that can fly are known to be smaller in size but here we have dragons easily towering the biggest of animals. And such variety as well." Master Helgen said, "During their time Vikings riding dragons looked like they were going to control the whole world. I wonder if knights riding dragons could do the same thing. "

"That certainly is an interesting premise, a knight riding a dragon into battle, it would probably be an amazing and a terrifying experience for the enemy," Grahm mused.

"Well the queen did ride one this morning we could just ask her," Helgen noted.

"Terrifying," Elsa answered as she walked onto the garden, grabbing the attention of all the men, "but once the fear of falling disappears, it truly does become magical, it reminded me of the first time I discovered my powers."

Turning around the two men and her soldiers gave a smart salute to the queen. Walking by them Elsa gives them a quick thank you for all their hard work today.

"Before you go I have a quick report to make," the general said, grabbing Elsa's attention. "The scouts have reported that the dragons are bringing in raw resources into the fortress. Large trees, rocks, and whatnot. They are making an effort to take longer trips to gather their resources so pretty much nobody is affected by this. Couldn't hurt to ask the man what he is doing with all of it," Grahm reported with a shrug of his shoulder, not sure what to make of it.

"Thank you general, I will be sure to ask him" Elsa said.

"If you could also wait a bit longer your majesty, I have taken the liberty of preparing some things for you to take with you," Master Helgen said.

Elsa was about to ask the doctor what he was talking about but her question is quickly answered with Anna coming out with servants carrying chests.

"I've gathered up all the things you asked me to get Master Helgen," Anna said, " Various foods, herbs, and extra clothes, along with a bunch of other things I thought Elsa might need."

"Are the dragons even intelligent enough to know to bring this stuff with them if we ask them to?" Grahm questioned.

"From what I can tell, they aren't mindless creatures." Elsa replied, as she took a closer look to the dragons who have yet to move.

"Heyyy, ummm... Dragons, I am ready for you to bring me to your master now and could you take this stuff along with us to the ice fortress?" Elsa asked, pointing at the number of chests.

Slowly the dragons got up from their sitting positions. The blue Nadder from that morning walked up to her and lowered itself so that Elsa could mount her. With a quick brush of her hair, Elsa removed her crown, handing it to her sister, and undoing her hair to let her braid fall loose. Not wanting to embarrass herself, Elsa used her ice powers to lift herself up to her dragon. With a caw, the Nadder ruffled itself and opened her spikes to ready itself for flight. Sitting comfortably on the dragon's neck, Elsa took one last look at her subject to find everyone wide eyed as if they were bewitched.

"If I may be so bold your majesty. You look absolutely stunning on top of that dragon," Master Helgen said with a small smile.

"Thank you," Elsa replied. Her face turning red from being complemented in front of so many people. Elsa was unaware of how truly beautiful she looked. Sitting on top of a supposed mythical beast, the extra height caused everyone to look up to Elsa that allowed for the combined view of the dragon, Elsa, and the starry night sky and moon making it feel like they were looking at a painting. A beautiful depiction of a goddess, their Snow Queen. Everyone was snapped out of their awkward reverie when Anna steps forward to speak to Elsa.

"Elsa remember what I told you, remember what you promised me."

Elsa's face softened hearing her sister's word. The only thing she could do was nod her head in acknowledgement as the dragons took off.

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Cover page by Mistress of the Snow

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