AN: Within a month I hope. I'm still figuring out my schedule so that'll probably be my update window. Hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Review response:

ToxicGentleman: I'll be honest, I find your username quite paradoxal, an in a way I like it. It's always good to see a fresh face reviewing one of my stories. I hope you'll feel as touched by this chapter as you were by the last one.

mc arno: I agree, in a way he is being selfish. But he is also thinking of others before himself: he doesn't want to endanger any of his friends, and he doesn't want to break his promise to Elsa. However don't think that the Archipelago won't be appearing for a while. I have a few cards up my sleeve.

thearizona: They are fleeing the queen. And some believe that he, a dragon rider, allied with a Night Fury and a White Fury, is the key to their freedom. That is why some seek him. Others forewent searching him, and decided to build a new nest to coordinate their resistance.

KE12: I am very happy that you liked it. We may or may not see more of this, but under a... different perspective.

Without further ado:

She couldn't stop the disappointed sigh from escaping her mouth when she found the tower lacking the black dragon and his young rider.

She backtracked until her back hit the stony wall, and, as if her feet couldn't hold her anymore, she slid down against it. Her knees instinctively reached up to her face as she hugged her legs and made herself look as small as possible.

She wasn't going to cry. She really wasn't. The time when she came to this very tower to shed her tears, away from the prying, judging eyes of the outside were long since gone, or so she told herself.

But… sitting there, alone in the dark, afraid of all around her, and even more of Hiccup's fate, made her think that, maybe this one time, it would be okay to shed a few tears. That this one time, it was okay to not conceal.

And so she did not conceal for roughly half a minute.

It wasn't for long; she both knew and felt it. But it was enough to unburden her of a good chunk of the fear that has been looming over her so far, twisting her thoughts and dreams, and making her volatile.

She wiped her face, gentle as ever, with the back of her gloved hand. Her eyes were only slightly reddened, and one could say it was from being awake this late instead from having cried. But it didn't matter, as no one would see her in her current state. She would go to her bed, sleep, and would wake up on the next as if she had not cried.

It had been that way before he arrived, and would probably keep that way.

She let out a sigh, the usual sorrow-filled sigh that has been present in most of her life coming out of her lips. Slowly she rose to her feet, and glanced at the books neatly folded around her, looking immaculate as if mocking her because of the reason they were like that.

The dragon boy wasn't there to mess up with them as he usually did.

She hugged herself, glancing more than once at the window, before finally looking at the stairs. As if she was walking to her death sentence Elsa descended, taking one step at a time, as if she was hoping that staying in the tower would keep her away from the truth.

It wouldn't, and she knew that.

But, when she was halfway downstairs, she heard a faint noise, so faint that, had the wood beneath her feet creaked, she wouldn't have heard it. She froze, focusing on her surroundings, hoping that she would pick up the noise again.

And so she did. It was still faint, but it was definitely there. It was a very subtle change on the wind the cause of that noise, which meant she could have easily dismissed. But, she was aching too much, and therefore hoping too much. Almost as if something was flapping…

Tentatively, she climbed back the stairs as quietly as possible, as if the slightest noise she made would make that noise in the wind vanish. But it didn't. On the contrary, it grew louder and louder.

When she came back to the tower's top, her breathing hitched, and she felt her heart explode with joy. Standing there was none other that the boy she so badly wanted to see and his faithful dragon.

"Hiccup!" she exclaimed, not fully controlling herself. The boy, unprepared for such welcome, was startled and tripled on his own feet, falling to the ground unceremoniously. Toothless, as always, looked unconcerned, as if he knew from experience that his rider would be fine. He also seemed happy to finally see Elsa again. "I see you're still the way you were before you left," she spoke, finally feeling happy.

The snow that had been on his shoulders and head somewhat ended on his face when he fell to the ground. Nevertheless, his annoyance vanished the moment he heard Elsa's voice. He felt happy, happy that he would finally see her, and happy that she sounded happy.

"I see that you're still amused by whenever my clumsiness get the upper hand," he grunted halfheartedly while wiping the snow off his face while sitting up to look at her. She looked as beautiful as she did the day he left. He noticed the slight red in her eyes, but didn't think it was from crying. It was late after all.

He rose to his feet, dusting off any leftover snow before glancing at Elsa. She wasn't hugging herself, and was smiling, but, just like him, she didn't glance at him for more than a second before looking away.

The silence that filled the room was awkward, and made Toothless roll his eyes and lie down on the ground with a heavy thud. He couldn't believe his rider was being so dense.

How could two beings deprived so deeply of any sort of social skills end up being friends?

Fortunately, or not, for Elsa, she broke up the silence, though with words she hadn't expected to utter, "I missed you," she said without fully realizing it. Her eyes widened before she turned around and shut them tight, as if afraid that such words would anger Hiccup.

She didn't know of what she was afraid. Was she afraid that he didn't miss her? Or that she had allowed herself to admit her feelings, even if only a tiny fraction of it? Or was that this could make him understand she wanted a hug?

"Hey…" she heard him say, and nothing else. Thinking that he would only say something more when she looks at him, Elsa decided to slowly turn her head and open her eyes. "I missed you too," he said, wearing that smile that always soothed her.

Elsa smiled, a real smile that Hiccup found enthralling, and one that Elsa didn't know when was the last time her face had one of those. The silence that fell between was now comfortable, instead of awkward. They were together at last, and each of their minds were at ease because of it.

Suddenly, after a moment of silence, Hiccup's eyes widened, as if he just remembered something. "Elsa…um…remember that dragon issue I went to solve?" he asked, his voice hesitant but gentle nonetheless.

"Um…yes I do," she answered, matching his hesitance. "Was it solved, by the way? Considering you came back I think it is, but I prefer to hear from you." Hiccup's foot shifted, a sign that she knew it meant that he was nervous.

"Err… you could say that. We found the dragon. It was…" he had to restrain himself from saying that Nightflight was his best friend's sister, "a Night Fury, albino. Do you want to see her?"

A cold breeze passed through the room, and Elsa didn't know if she caused it or if it came from the window. Still, she was used to Toothless only, mostly because it behaved, most of the times like a human. "Don't worry. You won't be in danger," he said, knowing this was probably what worried her.

She hesitated for another moment before slowly nodding. She might not trust him with her powers, but she trusted him to keep her safe. He smiled, before hopping on Toothless and flying off the tower.

The few moments that Elsa was alone she kept pacing around. Was that the right choice? Should I have even allowed another dragon to be in my home? she first thought.

What if they're spotted? Pa did increase security for anything unusual. But he is cautious, and he wouldn't risk the dragons' safety.

She glanced around before another thought struck her. There won't be much space. He'll be close to me. What if I lose control? No, that won't happen. That never did with him around.

Just as she heard the faint noise in the wind, the one she came to associate with Toothless flapping his wings, she started breathing deeply, opening and closing her hands to relief some tension.

First arrived Hiccup with his dragon. He landed as graciously as possible, a starting contrast to his usual clumsiness. "Okay… we'll need to step back so there's enough room for her."

Before Elsa could even arch an eyebrow he got close to her, way closer than her parents ever did, making her freeze on spot. He noticed it, but guessed that it was a consequence of being nervous about meeting another dragon. Thankfully he did not come nearer after noticing it. "Okay… you can come."

"I think…" he added under his breath.

Elsa counted every second as she watched the white creature slowly land inside the tower. Unlike Toothless her movements were clumsy, and she looked like as if she was panting, given the way that her lips were parted, and how her chest seemed to rise and fall rather quickly, at least compared to how Toothless breathed.

Hiccup went to her side and helped the dragon settled down, after sort of falling from the window. It was only then that she noticed it: a gash in her chest, with dry blood around it.

"What happened to her?" Elsa asked while marveling the dragon. She looked just like Toothless, albeit being white. She should have expected this, since they were from the same species.

And she had blue eyes, as beautiful as the ocean. In a way these eyes reminded Elsa of Anna's.

"She tried to pounce on me. I think she was scared and afraid that I was hunting her. But he defended me, and pounced on her while she was in midair. Unfortunately she got injured, but I'm taking care of that."

She noticed that when he said 'he' he didn't look at Toothless. She pushed the thought aside, thinking that it was something his dragon did that didn't settle right on him.

He looked at her then at the dragon. She noticed he seemed to be pondering a thought, as if he was unsure of something. It didn't take her long to find out what it was because he soon spoke up.

"Do you want to touch her?"

"Um…" She didn't mean to sound like she was at a loss, but that's how she, in her mind, probably sounded to Hiccup at this moment.

Do you want to touch her? The question burned within her skull, repeating over and over again, as if she was locked in a room, repeating this loudly as punishment for misbehaving.

Hiccup's smile faltered only slightly, but his hand kept half-stretched, waiting for her reply. He was patient, as had been so far. So there was no reason for Elsa to think he wouldn't be this time. Still, she didn't want to test how patient he could be. She didn't want to hurt his feelings like she has done, so far, with all of her family. She didn't want to fail him too.

But how can she do that? How can she not fail him? She was so afraid of touching, of feeling, that the mere idea of feeling another creature's flesh made the ice stir inside her body, tingle in her arms as if they were numbed from lack of flowing blood.

She wanted to touch the dragon. How many chances would she ever have to do this? He never had offered to touch Toothless. How many even had the opportunity to touch a dragon? According to him, few, if she was to consider the dragon being alive, not dead.

And besides him, probably none other touched a dragon in a friendly way.

But… it would required touching. Apart from that time she forced herself to hold her mother's shoulder Elsa couldn't remember the last time she willing touched anyone with their consent. Had it been when she had been eleven? Or had it been on one of her birthdays?

She couldn't remember, and it both angered and saddened her.

Still, she knew she needed to give him an answer. Part of her wanted to shrink away and bluntly deny his request, but that would only hurt him. She had missed him, more than she could have ever imagined.

She didn't want her first her action toward him, after he just returned, to be hurting his feelings.

A memory came back to her, enlightening the dark depths of her depressed mind. She had touched Hiccup, a day or two before he had left. She had called herself a monster, and wondered how he was so kind to her. In a way she had risked him, with no other reasons than simply wishing to feel reassured. And he came out unscathed.

Maybe she could allow herself to feel around him. She thought about this before. He was the epitome of freedom, yet he gave it up to stay with her. There simply was no other reason that he would have to have stayed in Arendelle after this dragon incident.

Could she give up something in return? He knew how to handle himself; he came back with no injuries, it seemed, even if his dragon had a fair share in this.

She didn't want to hurt him, and she was afraid of how he would react if he learned about her powers. Those fears were some of the ones that would plague her forever.

He was open-minded, but under fright even the open-minded people bite back. She knew it from experience. She still remembered her father's accusatory tone when she had pleaded for help years ago.

"You can trust me, Elsa. She won't hurt you, I promise. I'll understand if you don't, but I want you to feel it. It's…" his eyes shifted to Toothless, something she had been attentive enough to notice. "…something unlike everything you have ever felt."

His words brought her back to her initial dilemma: Feeling. She needed control. Concealing her feelings resulted in controlling her powers, thus resulted in everyone being safe.

But… he kept her safe. Not only her, but her family, and the whole town as well. She didn't think the entire kingdom would have been under peril because of one rogue dragon; Arendelle, after all, was more than just this tiny harbor town.

Still, he kept them safe, even if he owed them nothing. He did out of his own will, expecting nothing back. Just like… she was protecting everyone from her powers.

Elsa subtly shivered, not from the cold, but from realizing how alike she and Hiccup were sometimes. They were so different. The runaway heir, and the imprisoned heir. The freedom to see the world, and the trapped bird. He was kindness itself, while she only hurt everyone.

But still, they had a few things in common, much to her surprise. He saw things differently, just like she did. He protected her, just like she protected him. He could be as dangerous as she was, and he gave up on his freedom for someone, just like she did.

"I… are you sure?" A lame reply was better than nothing, she decided. And for the first time, she allowed herself to feel a little intimidated, frightened even, and to show this.

"I'm sure Elsa. Nothing will happen to you. Nothing will ever happen to you if I can have a say in that." His confidence was soothing and reassuring. He sounded as if he wanted to protect her so badly, as if he wanted to be her knight in shiny armor and fight every evil lurking toward her.

He would touch her arm, if not her hand, she realized. Touching someone was one thing, but being touched was a concept nearly forgotten by Elsa. She dared to take one step forward, frightened more of herself than of the majestic creature in front of her.

She inhaled deeply. Please, let not this be another one of my mistakes. I might as well kill myself if I hurt another person close to me. The thought of ending her life was not a foreign idea. It haunted her, tainting her dreams with horrific nightmares, poisoning her sleep until she was startled awake.

She had considered doing this, more than once. But she always thought of Anna, sweet, stubborn, loving and caring Anna, and how she would be heartbroken the moments she would hear that her sister killed herself.

But, if she hurt Hiccup, if she hurt her only friend, she didn't know if she would be strong enough to go forward, to endure watching him in pain, to endure breathing, knowing that yet again she hurt someone that cared for her.

She stretched out her arm, and closed her eyes, as if she was about to be burned or slapped. It was silly, ridiculous even, to close her eyes. Still, she knew Hiccup would not judge, because to him all that mattered to him was only her comfort.

Just like she had foreseen, his hand grabbed her arm. Not… really grabbed, but more like touched, as if he was unsure of how much touching he was allowed to do.

She flinched, half-expecting that reflex, but did not shelter her arm near her chest as she usually did. Instead, her arm kept half-stretched, unmoving.

She could feel his hand hovering just above her arm, and, just to make sure, she opened her eyes enough to confirm it. He was waiting for her, waiting for her to either bail out of this craziness or to go forward with it.

Please don't let me regret it.

The thought crossed her mind, settling down within the frozen storm inside it, as if waiting to unravel its static state to say you shouldn't have done this, around the same time that she lifted her arm slightly. Only slightly enough for her to feel his touch.

She did her best to not inhale sharply. His touch was warm, gentle, soothing in a way. She had forgotten how it felt to be touched by someone else. His hand curled subtly, grasping her arm in the most soft way she could ever dream.

His thumb stroked her arm, slowly, hesitantly, gently, and only once. She liked it, much to her dismay, and didn't protest, even if her eyes were tightly shut. He did it again, and she felt some tension and apprehension leave her body. She felt torn between running away and savoring the brief moment of comfort that he was giving her.

How many times she had wished that her mother would hold her and stroke her back? Or would even simply stroke her arm, the same way he was doing at the moment?

He must have noticed it, though she couldn't see if he had, because it was only then that he tugged her arm forward. He did it gently, using only enough force for her to feel something. She complied by taking a timid step toward the white dragon.

She took another hesitant step while keeping her eyes closed, for reasons that she didn't want to think about. He wasn't questioning her, demanding her to open her eyes, and wasn't, hopefully judging her.

Another step she took, before she felt him stop tugging. She frowned, a sight Hiccup thought it was cute, but that he couldn't appreciate much because he could feel how much Elsa was scared.

He had a feeling it wasn't only of touching Nightflight, if the way she flinched at his touch and kept her eyes closed were of any indication.

He nodded to Nightflight, and looked at her a bit worriedly, hoping that she would understand the hidden message: go slowly. He didn't want to voice it, in fear of how Elsa would feel.

With bated breath she waited, not opening her eyes, not shying away from the warm touch of his hand.

Then, she felt something. A tingling feeling, so weak it could have been her imagination. But, before she could dismiss it, she felt it again, stronger this time.

The dragon; she was brushing, probably her head, on Elsa's fingers, so lightly.

The dragon nudged her hand again, as if testing if Elsa would be scared away or not. With each nudge, each brush, the dragon touched more of her hand.

With each touch, Elsa inhaled sharply, because she couldn't stop herself from doing so.

Then… the dragon nudged her, but, unlike the previous times, the reptilian kept touching her hand. Elsa was wearing her gloves, but she could still feel the Night Fury's scales, feel its warmth.

One eye dared to open, to look around, to confirm none of this was a wild dream. She saw Hiccup smiling, his hand slowly letting go of her arm.

And she could see her palm, lying stiffly on the dragon's snout. She tensed, feeling every muscle in her body beg her to do what she was used to: to recoil back, shrink away from what she could not control.

But… it felt inviting, and different. It whispered her name, it kept telling her to not back away.

She curled her hand, enough so that her palm laid spread on the dragon's face. She pressed her hand a little more, fully closing the gap between her gloved hand and the dragon's scales.

It made her feel special. For a moment there were no ice powers, no fears, no responsibilities, nothing. For a moment it was only her finally touching a mythical, majestic creature, and experiencing something otherworldly.

She opened her eyes fully and darted them to Hiccup, who stood by them, smiling. "Feels amazing, doesn't it?" She mutely nodded in response. "The first time I bonded with Toothless I felt like this too. I…I don't think words can ever describe this feeling."

A strangled sob escaped her mouth, startling slightly the boy and the dragon. Elsa's hand slid down to hold Nightflight by the chin, while her eyes opened to look at the blond woman before her. "T-thank you," Elsa chocked out, feeling overwhelmed.