A/N: I apologize for the long break, but I wanted to make sure I got this chapter just right. With a little help from my roommate, I think I finally got it perfect and I hope you guys think so too. Without further ado, here's the story.

Chapter 9—A Little Bonding

Castle

01JUN24—0324

Hiccup POV

"AHH FUC…" I held my yell as the pain flooded through me. It felt like I had just lost my limbs all over again. A cold sweat glistened my brow as I balled the sheets up in my left hand and held my screams. It was as if I could feel every nerve ending that was no longer there making its presence known once more. It hit me wave after wave, and even got to the point I thought I would black out.

Finally after twenty long agonizing minutes the ghost pain, as it was dubbed, subsided and retreated back to whatever realm it came from. A groan escaped my lips as I moved my left arm to look at my wrist watch. "Fuck, 4 am. So much for a peaceful night." I mumbled to myself as I moved my artificial limbs. Once I made sure everything was in working order, I picked myself up and moved to the closet where my gear was stored to get ready for a morning workout. I grabbed my fatigue pants, boots and under armor dri fit. I made my way through the castle to the door leading to the gardens.

Suddenly, I heard a noise come from the kitchen. I immediately grabbed my knife out of my pocket and made my way to the kitchen. As I got closer I heard a rummaging noise coming from one of the cabinets. When I glanced around the corner I saw the funniest thing I'd probably ever see. Anna was up on the counter grabbing a box of cookies from the top shelf with several already stuffed in her mouth. I returned my blade to its place in my pocket so that I wouldn't scare her when I made entry.

When I rounded the corner I cleared my throat to make my presence known, and the reaction I got was far too priceless. All in a flash Anna jumped, turned to face me, and then attempted to reply. "mmmuh huhup waha hu huing hup" "What Anna? I can't understand you with your mouth full." I said with slight amusement in my voice as I attempted to conceal a laugh. She held up her hand and pointed to her mouth. I nodded and gave her a minute to chew, swallow, and then try to speak again. "Ah, sorry about that." She said with a blush on her cheeks. I waved it off with a smile on my face and allowed her to continue. "I said 'morning hiccup, what are you doing up so early.'" "Oh, I'm just not that tired." She looked at me with a face that said she didn't buy it.

I relented "ok, fine. I won't tell anybody about your little cookie raid tonight" she blushed again "but you can't tell anyone about why I'm actually up either." She seemed a bit taken back but agreed none the less. "Ok, Hiccup but let's head to the table. You can join me for breakfast." I chuckled "I don't think cookies constitute a real breakfast." She looked at me like I had just grown a second head. "But I will have me a bowl of cereal, so just hang on a second."

As I sat down I noticed Anna looking at me expectantly "uh Anna, is there any reason you're staring at me like that?" She deadpanned "did you forget already? You were going to tell me why you're really up so early." "Crap I was hoping you'd let me get out of that one." I was rubbing the back of my head. She frowned a little "why don't you want to tell me? Stop being so reclusive, it's kind of annoying you know?" Now it was my turn to deadpan "thank you for summing that up." She just laughed "don't think that witty comment is going to get you out of it that easily." I groaned "…fine…"

I finished up the last of my cereal and looked up to see that I had Anna's full attention. With a final sigh I pushed my bowl aside and raised my gaze to meet hers. "Anna ever heard of something called 'ghost pain'?" She just shook her head. "Well basically, it's feeling pain in a limb that is no longer there." Her eyes widened in realization. "I see you have already put the pieces together. This is something I've experienced a lot, especially recently. It feels as if I'm losing my limbs all over again, and the pain is excruciating. Almost every night it feels like lightning is shooting through the places my leg and arm should be. It pulls me from my sleep and prevents me peace of mind. It's like having a nagging voice always buzzing in the back of your head. A constant reminder of what you couldn't do, and of the people you'll never see again."

The atmosphere took on a melancholy feel as a sadness seemed to seep in around us. I could tell she couldn't stand it, but her next words definitely brought a smile to my face. "Hiccup, while I can't claim to understand this 'ghost pain' or whatever, I can relate to that loneliness you feel. I spent eighteen years trying to get my sister to come out of her room. Three of which, I didn't even have the help of my parents, since they were lost in a plane crash over the mountains." Her face took a solemn look, but still a small smile remained as she continued. "Finally, she was coroneted to the position of Queen and I thought I had my sister back once more. However, that wasn't the case at first; I had to go through hell to get her back. Almost at the cost of my own life, but you know what all that made me realize?" I just shook my head and let her continue on. "I realized I loved my sister no matter what, and even though our past wasn't the greatest we still pulled through. Now, I know that I haven't actually lost my sister, but being excluded from each other's lives for that long I thought I had. It all worked out simply because the past is the past, and nothing is going to change that. However, the future is always changing, and….."

She looked up with a slightly sly smile "….that a few chocolate chip cookies can fix anything." As she said that she waved one in front of me. "Haha, I'm kidding. Seriously though, you can't let your past shape your future or its going to be the end of you." I sat there slightly awe struck and dumbfounded as I pondered her words. After a moment I found my bearings once more "that was highly insightful Anna, you really should be a public speaker." She smiled "thank you Hiccup, but first I have to show you up in a race." I was taken back a little, but responded with a smile none the less. "Alright there 'cookie monster', if you think you can keep up then go get ready." She shot me a humorous 'evil eye' and took off like a bat out of hell to go change.

A couple of minutes later she was back, and sporting a pair of black shorts with a white shirt reading 'free warm hugs'. With a slight chuckle I opened the door to the gardens for her, and closed it behind us. We made our way down to the beach just before the sun was up. As soon as our feet hit the sand we were gone.

Kristoff POV

I walked into the dining room to find everyone but Hiccup and Anna there. My curiosity peaked I decided to ask the others. "Hey have you guys seen Anna or Hiccup?" Everyone seemed to ponder the answer for a second before Elsa spoke up. "No, now that you mention it I haven't. It's odd usually she's up by now." I nodded and replied "I know, Hiccup is definitely up by now. I haven't see hide nor hair of either of them." Meathead put his two cents in "well did you check their rooms?" I deadpanned "well….no." He smiled at me and I just grumbled a reply "maybe I should have looked first."

I made to move to the wing of the castle that held the rooms, but before I could the door to the dining room swung open. Both Hiccup and Anna walked in chatting about something I didn't catch. What I did catch though was the look of both of them. The two of them were covered in sweat and sand from head to toe. It seems I wasn't the only one to notice, if the faces around the room were anything to go by. Finally, after a few seconds the two noticed all of us. "Morning everyone" Hiccup said with a slight smile still on his face. A group of mumbled 'morning' was the only reply he got. When he realized the conversation died there he made his plans known. "Well I see everyone is still asleep. If you guys need me I'll be in my quarters. I really need a shower anyway." Without a second glance he left the room, and also a slightly upset Anna.

Once she was sure he was out of ear shot she turned to us. "What the hell was that?!" I looked to her with a puzzled look "what do you mean?" "I mean that half assed good morning you shot him. Nobody even tried to attempt a conversation." Sven jumped in this time "you'll understand soon enough, as will you Elsa" he said as he turned toward her.

A few minutes later Hiccup came back with a grave expression on his face and spoke. "I see, why none of you spoke up this morning. It is indeed not turning out to be a bright day." I could see that the guys knew what he was talking about, but the girls looked lost. I filled in the missing information "a team was lost this morning in a raid on an Isis compound. All 6 members were ambushed and killed…..their bodies were strung up for the public to see." The looks of shock on the faces of those present who didn't know was not hard to miss.

Elsa looked at me and spoke "what's going to happen to their bodies?" Sven once again took the topic "right now nothing can be done. A force will be assembled to attempt to recover the bodies, but that is going to prove exceedingly difficult." I could see the confusion on Anna's face and decided to fill the unanswered question. "The enemy knows that we won't leave our men over there to be display ornaments, and because of that fact alone the enemy will be expecting us."

Toothless rushed in from whatever he was doing "guys, you already heard the news?" We all solemnly nodded our head before Hiccup proceeded with even worse news. "Toothless….I'm sorry….Meatlug and Hookfang were both on that mission." That news even shocked me, and everyone else in the room. Once again the two women looked at me with confusion, so I shuffled a little closer to them and whispered "Mason Reeves (aka Meatlug) and Charles Heindrick (aka Hookfang) were two of Toothless's oldest friends. Just like how Hiccup and Fishlegs were." I was about to continue on when Toothless spoke in a voice so broken it almost couldn't be pinged as his. "I…I can't believe it….they're both gone. Charles son had just been diagnosed with cancer….he was about to retire and take care of his boy."

At this point Hiccup walked over and slung his arm around Toothless shoulder. "Come on bud, let's go have a chat." I heard Anna speak up "poor Toothless, seems Hiccup and him really do have a lot in common.

Anna POV

I didn't see Toothless or Hiccup after that for a long time. In fact, nobody saw either of them till just before dinner, and even then it was only Hiccup who decided to show face. I saw him pull the guys aside, and of course my curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to see if I could over hear some of the conversation. However, a quick nudge from my sister and a dirty look swiftly knocked that idea out of my head.

After a few minutes they concluded their business and proceeded to meet back up with me and Elsa. I shot a look at Kristoff that said 'what's going on?' He just replied with a look that said 'I'll tell you later.' A moment later Hiccup spoke "Alright ladies, it's been a long day so I'm going to retire. First though, Elsa may I have a word with you?" My sister nodded then the two of them took off to somewhere else in the castle.

As soon as they were out of sight I snapped my head to Kristoff "speak." He looked at me "geez, you don't even give a guy a second to breathe." I feigned offense "what's that supposed to mean?" He chuckled "kidding, I was kidding." I grumbled under my breath "yea you had better been kidding." He looked at me confused "what was that?" I quickly replied "nothing." After a moment he began with a sigh "we found out about that team from our OS back home." I nodded since Hiccup mentioned that once before and then he continued on. "Hiccup found out about Toothless two friends from Mrs. Gunsage..." I cut him off "who is Mrs. Gunsage?" Without a pause he answered me "she's the wife of a MARSOC marine. Her husband has done a few joint missions with us. Hell, his team has even pulled us out of a few…less than pleasant…situations. The two of them are good friends with us, and she also happens to be one of the representatives for things like this."

I nodded and waited for him to continue, which he did after a short pause. "Where was I?" I slipped in a quick response "at the part where Hiccup found out." A bright look hit his face "oh, right. Hiccup found out from Mrs. Gunsage over a secure channel in the operations room." A solemn look overtook my face "I see. Poor Toothless." He nodded "yea, he's going to be pretty down about it for a while." We made the rest of the walk to our rooms in a silence that almost seemed overbearing.

A few short minutes later we were at the door of my room. He bid me a pleasant goodbye and went to make his way to his room. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head "WAIT!" He stopped and looked at me with slight confusion. Without a pause I blurted out "I want to learn to shoot!" The look on his face was humorous, but my determination didn't waiver. "W…w…what?!" was all he could say. I shot him a look that said 'you heard me.' After a moment his face returned to normal and he spoke "ok, I'll talk to Hiccup about it…BUT, don't be upset if he doesn't approve the idea." I couldn't help the broad smile that spread across my face, and before I knew what I was doing I cleared the couple of feet between us and planted a kiss on his cheek. He stood there shocked, and as soon as I realized what I had done I bid him a good night and scurried back to my room. I didn't miss the smile that graced his lips as I shut my door. Feeling slightly embarrassed and elated, I decided to go to bed and easily fell asleep.

15 Minutes Prior with Hiccup and Elsa

Hiccup POV

I asked for a word with Elsa, as soon as she nodded, I began walking toward our rooms. As soon as we were out of listening range I began my brief. "Elsa" I saw her look at me from the corner of my eye. "Remember the other team you met at your friend's wedding ball?" I could see a spark light in her eyes "yes, why?" "Because, they are going to be coming back on station to assist with this protection detail." I could see a confused look on her face "I remember you telling me that, but honestly, what's so special about my sister and I?" Now it was my turn to sport a look of confusion "what do you mean? Both you and your sister are the last of the royal family."

She still didn't seem content with that answer "I mean what's so special about Arendelle?" With a slight chuckle I answered "well first of you have a slight…terrorist problem." She didn't seem to find it that funny "ha, sorry. On a serious note though, your country is a prime location for a terrorist regime to set up camp. You're close enough to both Europe and America to pose a threat, and isolated enough that a well-armed group could fortify and hold this country. However, under your leadership the country has shown no ill-will to any other nations. Well, with the exception of the Southern Isles and Weselton, but those are petty squabbles. Our mission here is to make sure you remain in power, have the opportunity to marry, and establish a strong military."

I saw a slight pink tinge to her cheeks when I brought up the topic of marriage, but I let that slide for now. We continued our walk for a few moments in silence before she spoke up again "Hiccup?" I looked at her and replied "hm." She looked at me with eyes full of curiosity "is there anything you're afraid of?" That question caught me slightly off guard "w…what do you mean?" However, she kept up that cute questioning look "I mean, you face death a million times and stare it down, so there surely has to be something that you're afraid of."

I didn't want to answer at first, but her gaze held true. I thought about it for a few moments before finally answering "I mean…I guess I am. I guess my biggest fear is seeing the ones I care for the most get hurt. I'd give my other arm and leg to never again lose one of my men." I saw her nod as we stopped at our doors, but I wasn't finished just yet. "However, I would give my life to make sure you never get hurt." Instantly she looked at me in shock, but before she could say anything I gave her a small peck on the forehead. "Goodnight Elsa" I said as I turned around, walked into my room, and closed the door. That night I had a pretty restful sleep.

Elsa POV

I stood there staring at his door for a long moment in a blissful shock before I turned around and made my way into my room. I don't really remember changing into my night clothes or even laying down for that matter. My mind was focused on all the events that happened over the course of this evening.

I can't believe I blushed like a schoolgirl when he mentioned marriage, ugh I bet he thinks I'm hopeless. Wait, maybe he didn't notice. I hope he didn't it would be so embarrassing if he called me out on it! And if Anna found out then I'd never live it down. I closed my eyes for a moment and let out a small sigh. What came over me? Do I even think of him like that? Does he even think of me like that?

He's never shown anything toward me until just a few minutes ago. Maybe he does see me as something more! A feeling of elation rushed through me at that thought. I mean he kissed me on the forehead, and told me he'd give his life for me. I couldn't help the butterflies that found their way into my stomach when I thought that. Okay Elsa, let's calm down now. Maybe he meant it in a friendly way. A small bout of sadness came over me with that thought, but couldn't overpower the lingering elated feeling. Then again if he did mean it in another way maybe something could come of it.

Once again the memory of him mentioning marriage made its way into my head as yet another blush reached my cheeks. However, another upsetting thought popped into my mind. But, could it work between the two of us? I mean he's from another country and is pretty high ranking in the military. He has to be a valuable asset, and one they're not going to let go of easily. Another sigh escaped my lips as more thoughts like that made their way into my head.

For all I know he may never see me again after this protection mission of his. I mean, if what Punzie and Merida said holds any value, then he bounces from country in need to country in need. Who's to say he hasn't met somebody else yet? I could feel a slight amount of frost crisping my fingertips as I thought that.

Wait, didn't Toothless say that he was hurt previously by some girl back home? Maybe he's still hurting from that experience. Maybe there's still hope! If I can show him the love he's been missing for so long, then maybe he'll stay. Toothless did mention something about Hiccup looking for a new place to settle down away from all the pain of his past. I'll have to talk to the team tomorrow see if I can't dig up some information on the mystery man.

With a feeling of determination in my heart I began to plan my own personal mission. Looks like I've got my own mission to accomplish. It seems that my sister has taken a liking to Kristoff, and it also seems that the feeling is mutual with him. Who knows maybe Hiccup can work something out. From the sounds of it, it seems like most of the team doesn't have much time left on their enlistments. In fact, I think Toothless said that this would be his and Hiccup's last mission before they decided to get out. Which means I need to work fast!

Although if tonight is any indication, I may already be on the right track. With a smile on my face I rolled over on my side. As I began to feel my eyelids get heavy, dreams of little children with brown hair and ocean blue eyes sleeping in a chair on the lap of a king whose similar features radiated love and warmth, put my mind at ease. I knew I'd sleep well tonight, because a man with a heart of gold is protecting me. With a final whisper of "goodnight Hiccup," I slipped into a blissful dream world.

A/N: Alright guys and gals, send me your reviews. Let me know what you guys think. If you have anything you'd like to see in the story, send me a PM. I've got the main plotline written, but I'm always open to ideas for a small fill in. Anyway, like I said, please review and who knows if your review is really helpful, (or just makes me smile) you may see your username in the story. Thanks!