AN: Hello, and welcome to another chapter of HTLIG. I've noticed that the amount of reviews has decreased lately. Each and every review that you guys write is very much appreciated by me, and more often than not, it ends up inspiring me to write. I know the wait is a bit of a bummer, but bear it with me. I promised to finish this story, and I heavily intend on keeping my end of the deal.

Review response:

Pietersielie: Thank you. I wanted to focus more on Elsa, especially on how she thinks and feels. Unfortunately the movie showed us much more Anna's POV than Elsa's, and while that is not a bad thing, it did leave me wishing that they would have focused a bit more on Elsa.

Kilo8: Thank you, I'm glad that you liked it so much. On this story Elsa will be more open than in the movie, and I hope I portray it in a convincing way for you guys.

OechsnerC: I'm happy that you liked it, and I apologize for the wait. Here's a brand new chapter.

KE12: Of course, and we will obviously see her think a lot about this. I hope that you like the direction things will take from now onwards.

Noctus Fury: Easy there buddy. Even if that something more happens, it won't happen until much much later. I am also happy that you liked the Berk bit. I'm certainly going to bring our lovely town of Vikings back in the near future. One of the things that struck me, from the series, is how, more often than not, the dragons are shown as very understanding creatures. So I wanted to portray the same here.

Without futher ado:

Previously on HTLIG

Hiccup has finally returned from his mission with an injured albino Night Fury. Elsa is more than happy to meet again her friend. In the end curiosity wins over Elsa's fear and she ends up bonding with the dragon, much to her and Hiccup's surprise.

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 woman before her. "T-thank you," Elsa chocked out, feeling overwhelmed.

Hiccup stepped closer, before placing his hand on where hers was. She felt his touch again, only it carried much more tenderness this time. He looked her in the eyes, and smiled. For some reason she didn't feel the urge of taking away her hand from him, and that frightened her slightly.

"It's okay. All I could ever wish is for you to be happy." It was a simple wish, voiced with simple words, yet it was so much more for Elsa.

For a moment she allowed herself to smile. For a moment she allowed herself to shed a tear. For a moment she allowed herself to feel. And, as this happened, she noticed that not a single spark of ice was formed. She noticed that not for a single moment her powers stirred.

Both Hiccup and Nightflight would never forget the small, shy smile that crossed Elsa's face.

After so many years depressed, caged, she finally felt hope, the weak ghost of hope whisper so softly and quietly in her ear, almost inaudibly, that maybe, just maybe, everything wasn't lost.

That maybe, just maybe, he was the angel she so dearly needed in her life. The one that would help her finally reunite with Anna.

Maybe, just maybe, she could allow herself to feel around him.

She woke up with the sun shining on the mountain this day, not a single spark of frost to be seen. The wind was serene like the feelings inside her.

But she couldn't keep them like this, heavens know she tried.

She had not the day before, after all.

She didn't remember going to bed, or leaving the tower. All she remember was the sob she let escape and the unexplainable feeling she felt by touching the dragon and the warmth of his hand and how she risked so much the day before.

She kept questioning herself over and over again if she had made the right decision. She bonded with a dragon, even though she knew that riding her as Hiccup rides Toothless would never happen.

And she let him touch her hand.

She could barely remember the last time she let either her mother or her father touch her. She was so scared of hurting them that the mere idea of physical contact drained all her energies as she did her best to keep the ice within.

But, with him there was no fear, at least nowhere as intense as it was with her parents. No, instead, his touch had soothed her, comforted her in a way she longed for years, and that she had not realized she needed so much.

But she knew that, as good as it was, she had given up control the moment he touched her. She had allowed him to be in control, even if for only mere seconds.

And it was dangerous. She knew it very well. After all, all of this was only happening because she had not been in control that night when Anna was hit.

When she was ice cold…

Elsa gasped, rearing back as her hand froze a part of her blanket. While blinking fast, and panting, she started diverting her thoughts so the ice would stop. Eventually she ended up thinking about the dragon, and the ice not only stopped but receded, until all that was left was a small water mark on her blanket.

She looked at her hands with shock plastered on her face, before gazing at the mountain, through her window. Whatever that had receded her ice was tied to the white creature.

And she didn't know if she had the courage to discover it.

When she came back to the Tower the white dragon was still there, with cloth wrapped around her wound, being fee by Hiccup. He had some fish and she wasn't sure she wanted to know how he got it.

She had a hunch that his boots being wet was related to it.

"So… you bonded with her, sort of, at least. Do you trust her?" The question felt so foreign that it froze Elsa's mind for a moment, before she could even begin formulating an answer. "I mean, part of the bonding process is trusting one another. So it's essential for us to know if you trust her."

"I…" She usually wasn't that lame to answer questions, which was why she scowled at herself mentally for doing so. Hiccup wasn't a threat, nor was veering into uncomfortable subjects.

Though trust wasn't exactly a comfortable subject.

If she was to be honest, she didn't. A good chunk of what she felt yesterday she attributed to Hiccup, rather than the dragon. She took weeks to even trust him a bit, and even her parents she didn't fully trust.

"It's okay. If I were to be honest I didn't trust Toothless when I bonded with him, not completely," he said, adding the last bit when he noticed the dark dragon, annoyed, looking at him. He must have noticed her face, and guessed her inner dilemma. "Complete trust only came during our first flight, after he picked me when I was falling and after we flew blindly through that maze."

"I'm sorry." It came off lamely, and she thought a slap was in need. A smiled, a very dork and adorable one appeared on his lips. Maybe there should be a word for that, like adorkable. Anna would probably come up with that…

"You don't have to apologize. It's understandable. I know you don't easily trust, and I have a feeling that they can feel this." His words kept her sickening mind from dwelling further about Anna, thus killing her small lived happiness.

"Thanks…" Her hand twitched, almost slapping her, but she assumed control. After all she wouldn't really be demonstrating gratitude for his comfort and understanding if she was slapping herself.

"It's okay…" That smile again, and this time Elsa felt her inside turn like a swooning teenager. He had a pretty smile, and a comforting one too.

She maybe also had a nice smile, but she wouldn't know. It's been awhile since she last fully smiled.

"Have I ever told you she actually has a name?" The look she gave him made him twist his feet and blush. He was probably feeling self conscious at the moment.

Stupid me!

"Well… I think she has at least. I somehow got to understand that. I think it is Nightflight or something like that." The name seemed awfully accurate considering the language barrier, but why would she point out that. A few weeks before all she knew about dragons was what she had read in fairy tales. He obviously knew much more than her.

"Nightflight…" Her voice creaked slightly, as she had been quiet for so long. Still, she could see how it didn't bother Hiccup, not even slightly. "It's a pretty name, but an odd one since she is white. I would assume that name was more appropriate for Toothless."

He snickered, finding a joke where she didn't-intentionally-put. "I agree. Nightflight is certainly a name more fit from him rather than her, since all he does during the night is fly."

The dragon clearly thought of smacking his tail on Hiccup, but thought better. Instead, he just smacked his lips together twice, as if bored, before lying down. Hiccup, gaping slightly at his dragon's behaviour, huffed in annoyance, making Elsa smile slightly.

She liked the name though. "I kind of like it. It's a nice paradox. A beautiful irony." She smiled in nostalgia, though of what she wasn't sure. "I always enjoyed paradoxes. They demand so much of one's mind to understand its apparently nonexistent logic, don't think you?"

Hiccup knew that she was talking of them. He is an extrovert and she is introvert. He is the epitome of freedom and she is a caged bird, that much he could say. She is an heir and he gave up on his heirloom.

Very paradoxical indeed. They couldn't be more different, and more like.

"I think that I'll retire tonight. I feel tired, despite today being rather dull." Her voice sounded slightly thick, as if she was sad. But Hiccup knew better than prying about her feelings. She would speak in due time. "Goodnight Hiccup."

"Goodnight Elsa." He watched as she descended the stairs, going to somewhere in the castle that he could possibly never see. He gazed at Nightflight and noticed that the dragon seemed a bit saddened.

"It's okay girl. Elsa is like that. She likes you, very much. Just… just give her some time. If there is anything she needs with everything, it's time." The dragon cooed, and earned a smile from Hiccup.

He couldn't understand their language. But he didn't need to. With one last pat, he bid her goodnight and snuggled in, before drifting to sleep.

As much as she tried, Elsa couldn't keep her mind of the dragon - Nightflight, she reminded herself. She had been true to her words: after she left the tower she had flopped onto the bed and fallen sleep without a hitch. When she woke up, she was fairly pleased with this, as often she struggled to fall sleep.

Not to mention the nightmares. Given how pale her skin was she was surprised that the bags under her eyes were not more obvious. Not that this mattered much. Only a handful of people ever saw her, her mother being the one that most of the times was with her, and no matter how subtle her bags could be, her mother would always see them.

Elsa looked away from the mirror hanging above her vanity. Her hair was put in the traditional braid. She didn't like looking at herself while her platinum blond hair cascaded over her shoulders. It wasn't that she didn't find herself pretty that way-and, as she thought with a blush, she knew Hiccup would say so-but that seeing her hair free made her feel less in control.

And lacking control meant people getting hurt by her powers.

She sighed. There still was the whole Nightflight issue. How could she even trust the dragon when she didn't fully trust the friend she has had for over a month? Touching her-bonding, she recalled-had felt amazing. But she knew, from seeing Hiccup interacting with Toothless, that there was much more to a bond than simply touching the dragon's forehead.

However she didn't want to lose that feeling, even though it went strictly against her directive of not feeling. She felt torn apart, as torn as France was during the revolution in 1789. A small smile crossed her lips. Hiccup often used comparisons of historical events with mundane things, such as feelings. He was rubbing off on her, it seemed.

That thought didn't alarm her as a small part of her wanted to. Could she trust anyone? That question flew inside her hand like Toothless flew in the sky. It went back and fro swiftly, and claimed as much of her attention as possible.

She vaguely heard a knock and allowed the person to enter, knowing it was likely her mother. Vaguely she looked, through the mirror, said woman entering her room. Maybe I could talk to Mama? She did help me understand better what Hiccup is to me, she thought, hoping.

But, she worried that would make her mother even more suspicious. So far she had not inquired her daughter. But Elsa knew she couldn't keep hinging on her luck. Especially considering she didn't have much in the first place.

"How are you, my dear?" Idun asked as she set down the books and brought a chair up to Elsa's desk. Elsa turned around and shrugged when her mother looked at her. She wasn't feeling up to talking, not while her mind was under siege by the trust issue. "I see. Did you have any nightmares this night?"

It was not a question her mother asked often, which surprised her a bit. But she could also see that her mother was trying to understand if something was afflicting her or if she just had a bad night.

So, less surely than before, Elsa replied by shaking her head. Idun frowned slightly, but did not pursue the matter. Elsa was glad of how patient her mother was. As much as she loved her father, she feared showing weakness, showing feelings, as she knew doing so only led to questions she couldn't control.

And she knew well what lacking control caused.

"We've been knee deep on History and politics lately so we'll go with subjects based more on numbers." Elsa peaked up slightly. Her mother was probably trying to make her feel better. "Let's start with some Algebra. I want to see how well you are."

And so she solved numerous questions, each on its own time. This type of subject didn't need much input from Idun, so she settled on watching Elsa without being too obvious.

Her daughter seemed focused, but Idun could see her eyes flicker every once in a while. While that eventually happened to everyone deeply focused, she noticed Elsa was doing it far more than she usually did. So something is bothering her, she concluded.

She wanted to ask what, but did not do so. She noticed Elsa's shoulders were tense, but in an 'I am focused' way. That meant these exercises were soothing her, and for that Idun was glad. She knew how her daughter craved for control, and understood it far better than her husband. Which is why she let Elsa learn math related subjects. Idun knew there wasn't anything more orderly and controlled than math. At least basic math. Anna's tutor, which was her friend as well, had shown her a few times more complex math subjects.

She wished she could forget it.

Idun was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of Elsa putting her pencil down. As per usual she started checking the answers, while Elsa awaited. Usually if something was bothering her daughter she would speak up during this time. "Mama?" Idun hummed, not taking her eyes off the paper. "Have you ever had an unexplainable feeling about something?"

This time she did put down the paper, and looked at Elsa. "How so?"

"Like when you read something and it gives you a feeling so deep it rattles you to the core, or when you meet someone and you get to know one another and you just feel so… so…" The words died before they even reached her mouth. But that didn't seem to faze her much. She let out a sigh. "And you just feel drawn to that person in a way so unique…?" Elsa lamely finished, her cheeks slowly turning pink.

Idun pursed her lips in thought. "I believe I understand what you mean." She did think so, but was not going to voice out that she felt iffy that she was reading Elsa wrong.

"How do you react to it?"

The Queen almost had to physically stop herself from laughing. It's a silly question. I can't tell you how to react anymore than I can tell you how to react to broccoli or to chocolate. She never voiced out such words. Elsa clearly wanted to be in control, and would not help her saying that each case is unique, any more than she would not help her daughter if she said she should behave in a certain way.

"It's… complicated." Idun inwardly cringed as she noticed Elsa frown. She should have thought of a better word. "If something written rattles you so deeply then you should take in how it does so, and try to understand why. The closer you are to an explanation, the better you know yourself."

She could feel Elsa's gaze, silently begging her to continue her explanation. She was feeling suspicious. First the love talk, then this. Is Elsa meeting with someone? she wondered. Her daughter was so reclusive this question seemed farfetched. The current subject could have passed as mere curiosity, because of a text, or an author, but the love talk was too specific, too inquired by her daughter to shrug off.

Worse was that she knew she couldn't confine to her husband her suspicious, or Elsa would completely shut off. Between a rock and a hard place, Idun mused sadly. "With a person, it… depends." She inwardly cheered when that word seemed to receive no negative emotions from Elsa.

"That inexplicable feeling may be a sign of love; that you're slowly falling in love with the person. It may mean that you found yourself that one friend that will always stick with you, always help you and always be truthful with you. It may mean that you bonded with that person, to the point where when you are with this person you could easily be mistaken as siblings. It heavily depends of how you met this person, and how you interact the next few times you meet again."

Idun stopped to allow her daughter to digest her words. Elsa seemed deeply thoughtful.

She was slowly taking in her mother's words. There seemed to be more than this, but she could see her mother was doing her best to help her control. She remembered how Hiccup and Toothless acted like brothers sometimes, and so she decided her mother's explanation was, at least, partially right.

Which led to her and Nightflight. Was the dragon a sister to her? As much as Elsa thought she already knew the answer: no. Was she her love? Definitely no. At least Elsa wanted to think herself as normal on the romance department, even though she knew it would never be used.

But what about being a friend? Hiccup often spoke with Toothless, and often spoke of how he often spoke with Toothless. The dragon was as much his brother as he was his confidant. Could Elsa open up this way to Nightflight? Probably not, considering she had not opened up with either Hiccup or Toothless. But, like her mother said, it depended of meeting with her again. Elsa was not bonded to either Hiccup or Toothless, but was with Nightflight. For all she knew the dragon was aware of her powers.

If so, that led to an entirely different question: if that was true, than Toothless trusted her to not hurt Hiccup. This changed everything, and so Elsa decided to ignore this thought.

For the time being.

She sighed, frustrated as usual that she couldn't completely control the situation. The room was cool, which may have passed as normal if not by the fact that the sun was shining outside, the sky clear, save for a few solitary clouds, and it was warm, an oddity itself, considering they were in winter.

But, nonetheless, her mother gave her a direction, a path to follow. She was no longer wandering blindly. She now had an objective in mind. And if that failed… Well, if this fails, I'll just choose a different path. Maybe ask her again, in a different way.

Satisfied with her situation Elsa nodded, a thin smile on her lips. "Thank you Mama. I hope one day to have the same insight that you have on so many different subjects."

She didn't notice how strained her mother's smile was. "I believe that one day you will. Maybe you will even surpass me," she offered gently. "Now," she said while looking to the clock. "Why don't we return to your studies? I believe we have a little more of politics to do."

Elsa groaned, but couldn't bring herself to be upset. Her mother helped her, and while she was not perfectly well-she could never be-she was in a much better mood than before.