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~~HE~~
A Chance Encounter, Chapter 3
~~HE~~
Hiccup could not help it, he stared. There was awe evident in his features by the widening of his eyes, or the way his mouth lay half-open.
"Is it as impressive up close as it is from afar?" Out of the corner of his eye, he caught her smirk slightly.
"Even more." And, Odin help him, he believed her.
He'd seen a few cities in his travels before, but none like this. None as big, or with buildings as tall, or with a harbor so extensive, or with ships so large. And the ships! They looked gigantic, even from up here, much bigger than his own drakkar warships. His eyes moved from the massive ships to the castle. It's walls were practically gleaming, and it was situated on a small island in the port. He'd seen a couple of castles before, but they were nothing but forts. Stone walls and a gate to protect the garrison inside. This, this looked majestic. A fitting residence for royalty.
Hiccup belatedly realized that his mouth was hanging open, and closed it with a thump, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, running his braid between his fingers. Queen Elsa let out a low chuckle, but Hiccup didn't think she was mocking him. It sounded lighthearted.
"It all looks very impressive. I have to admit, the ships did the biggest impression."
"They're even bigger up close." Elsa informed him.
"Let's get moving then!" Hiccup said, unable to contain his excitement, his anger over their previous discussion forgotten. "I want to see everything."
The procession started moving again, and Hiccup found his spirits lifted. Though he'd known that he was heading to the capital of Queen Elsa's kingdom, only after actually seeing it did it finally register. He knew that the mainland was very different from his own lands, but this place couldn't be more different from Berk if it tried.
He looked up, finding Toothless above in the clouds. His heart ached to be up there with him, but this was necessary. He knew how much the dragon disliked flying by himself, and it never ceased to amaze him. It had taken quite a while for him to be convinced that Toothless wasn't doing it just to be nice. But no, for some reason, the amazing Night Fury had gotten so used to flying with Hiccup's aid that anything else seemed alien and wrong to him.
Odin bless his big, draconian heart. What would he do without him?
"I'm assuming your people will be as accommodating of Toothless as you have been?" He asked the Queen as he looked at her, faint traces of sarcasm on his tone. He saw her flinch, and mentally patted himself on the back. Maybe rubbing it in her face was wrong, but she deserved it, and maybe this way she'd get used to the dragon's presence faster. Her distrust of his companion was getting really old really fast.
"I will take care of that issue." She responded, and turned her head back, motioning for one of her soldiers to move forward. Once the horseman was next to the Queen, she addressed him.
"Run ahead of us, get to the castle as fast you can. Inform my sister that we will be arriving in the morning with Chief Hiccup Haddock of the vikings, along with his dragon Toothless, who are both, my guests. Tell her to spread the word, too. I want civility when we arrive."
"Yes, my Queen."
With this, the horseman kicked the sides of his horse, and they took off down the path in a gallop. Soon, they were out of sight. Hiccup looked at the Queen, and she had a faintly smug expression about her. For a moment, her horse was replaced by a Deadly Nadder, and Elsa was replaced by another blond, smug expression in place as she teased him.
He shook his head, not willing to let such thoughts get to him.
"Is Toothless domesticated?" She suddenly asked, and he scowled.
'Domesticated?' He fumed inwardly.
"Toothless is not a pussycat, or a pet dog." He snapped at her. She was taken aback at the force in his voice, and he forced himself to take a deep breath and relax.
"Apologies, Queen Elsa, for taking out my anger on you. You are not the correct recipient for it."
Elsa studied him for a few seconds, before speaking neutrally. "Apology accepted, Chief Hiccup. My phrasing was very poor, I now understand. Let me rephrase. Can Toothless navigate buildings without making a mess?"
'Much better,' Hiccup approved, but didn't say it. Instead, he let his expression soften even more. He really had been frowning a lot lately. Separation from Toothless was making him snappy.
"If I explain to him that he must behave, he will behave."
"Is your constant presence required for his good behavior?"
Hiccup again had to remind himself that Queen Elsa knew nothing about dragons besides old tales, and that it was sensible of her to be asking such questions. He did not let his anger resurface.
"Toothless is very intelligent, he does not attack humans randomly. Likewise, he will not attack pets or flocks. However, the sight of weapons make him uneasy, and defensive. Any move that could be seen as aggressive should be avoided."
Queen Elsa nodded, and Hiccup assumed she filed the knowledge away for later perusal and use.
Hiccup took some time to study Queen Elsa, who was casually looking anywhere but him. He didn't really expect to know her after a single day, but he had no idea what to think of her. She gave him so many mixed signals, she'd have given his father a run for his money.
First she tried to kill them without so much as a 'How do you do'. Then, she was tripping all over herself and practically begging him to allow her to make up for it. She tried to be cordial with both him and Toothless, but Hiccup could see that she hated the dragon. And at times, she would look at him and flinch, her eyes widened and unfocused, and Hiccup won't know what to make of that.
Well, at least she seemed fairly interesting. He would stay at the castle for as long as he was entertained or found things interesting, and so far things looked promising. Her beauty has nothing to do with it, he thought to himself turning once again to look the profile she presented him, light blond braid falling over her shoulder and a small smile playing on her lips, but it is definitely a plus.
The rest of their journey for the day ended soon, after the sun dipped, and they made camp in a field that had almost no snow. They had well and truly left the mountain behind by now.
Green was all around them now, with the occasional splash of white. Gentle forests sprawled over the edges of the road, and the soft song of a dozen different birds reached their ears, melodious and soothing.
Above them, the sky was clear, with only the traces of clouds left. The winds were changing. Winter was leaving Arendelle behind.
Hiccup looked back and saw the towering forms of the mountains, and vowed to himself that he and Toothless would explore them better in the coming days, hopefully blizzard-free.
The camp was set up, and everyone sat around the newly created fire to have their dinner, which was not much, but still more than Hiccup was used to. Stew, bread, and wine the likes of which he'd never had before. He wasn't complaining.
He was sitting next to the Queen, with the captain on a log opposite them. Hiccup knew the captain didn't like him, but didn't let it bother him. From the looks he was throwing him and the Queen, he wasn't sure if he disliked him more for trying to kill them or for having such a casual attitude with the Queen.
Honestly, Hiccup had no idea what the protocols for dealing with the Queen were, but he wasn't going to go out of his way to lick her boots. He would be respectful and he always was to people who deserved it, and so far Queen Elsa, despite his misgivings, appeared to belong in that category.
"How much more until the city?" Hiccup asked her over his stew, turning to look at her. He'd caught her mid-bite, and she stopped upon hearing his voice, piece of bread halfway in her mouth. Hiccup repressed a snort as she bit down, chewed, swallowed, and only then turned to look back at him.
He could see traces of annoyance for interrupting her dinner, or at least not waiting until she could speak. Getting a rise out of her was the most fun he'd had while in the ground, and he didn't think he'd stop anytime soon. He'd figure her out, sooner or later.
"Not more than five hours, after we leave in the morning." She replied, and very deliberately took another bite out of her bread, glaring at him and daring him to interrupt her again. He guffawed and rose his hands, palms open in a show of non-aggression. He saw the edge of her mouth upturn, and declared a victory.
"I think it would be better if Toothless walked in with us, when we arrive. It'd be better if the people saw the two of us together from the start, and it will be more convenient than having to call Toothless down later." He told her, once he was sure she wasn't eating anything.
She took the time to consider this, chewing softly and staring blankly ahead, and Hiccup let her, finishing off his stew and setting the bowl down.
"Alright. The problem with the mounts still stands, however. We will stop a mile outside the city, and send the horses ahead. You will call upon your dragon, and we walk the rest of the way. How does that sound?"
"Perfect, Queen Elsa." Indeed, he approved. The populace would see Toothless sooner rather than later, and thus save some problems down the line. "I have to warn you though, there have to be no aggressive moves from the crowd, or things could get ... complicated."
"I assure you that my subjects can and will be civilized, considering the notification I sent ahead."
She seemed certain of this, but Hiccup was less so. He didn't speak his doubts, however, for it was late and he was not in the mood for another confrontation.
"I will take my leave then. I will call Toothless to the other end of this field, it should be far away for the horses not to get scared."
Queen Elsa looked at him, and nodded. "Goodnight, Chief Hiccup."
"Goodnight." Hiccup called over his shoulder as he walked away, raising a hand. He nodded to some of the soldiers he'd been talking to yesterday and today, discussing saddles and different loading practices.
Once at the end of the grassy field, he brought his fingers his mouth and whistled. Toothless appeared not long after, landing heavily and pouncing on him. Hiccup laughed at the dragon's enthusiasm, and took the time to scratch him at his favorite spots, as well as clean some blood on his mouth from his unfortunate dinner.
Hiccup let Toothless burn the ground to get settled, and untied the sword from his belt, placing it along with his helmet next to the place he would lay on. He guessed that they were drawing weird looks from the soldiers at the other end of the field, but they'd have to get used to it eventually. Rider and dragon fell into a deep slumber, comfortable next to each other as nowhere else.
His dreams were, like last night, filled with snow. Sometimes it was the light snow of a lazy sunday morning, others it was the terrifying blizzard that nearly claimed their life. Hiccup was well and truly sick of the color white by the time he woke up.
He was woken up by a nudge from Toothless, who had not moved even though he'd been awake for a while. Hiccup heard footsteps approach, and shuffle uncertainly for a few seconds.
"Chief Haddock, sir? Are you awake?" It was one of the soldiers. Hiccup roused, and Toothless raised his wing to allow him exit. Hiccup saw the soldier visibly shake at his proximity to the dragon, but paid him no mind. It was too early for this.
"What is it?" He grumbled, rising to his feet and rubbing his half-open eyes with his hand. He had the distinct feeling that his hair was a disaster. Proof of this was Queen Elsa's weird look, and subsequent guffaws, all the way from her camp.
He scowled, and focused back on the soldier. He thought he'd caught the word 'breakfast' somewhere in there, so he simply nodded. The soldier scrambled away, doing his best to not appear as to be doing so. Hiccup did not care. He turned to the saddlebags, cleaning his face with some water, and running his wet fingers through his hair, trying to at least bring them to a respectable shape. Then, he put some water through his mouth, before spitting on the ground. He took a leaf of mint, and popped it in his mouth, enjoying the strong flavor.
He looked towards the camp, only to see Queen Elsa berate the soldier who'd woken him up for one reason or another. She'd obviously sent him to wake him, so what she could be scolding him for he had no idea, nor the inclination to find out.
"Hey bud," he said to Toothless, running his hand through his pristine scales. The dragon turned, and nudged his snout into his chest. "Good morning to you too."
He strapped his helmet on the saddlebags, certain that he would no longer need it. He tied his sword around his waist, and put his gloves back on.
"Here's the plan. You go find yourself something juicy for breakfast, okay? Then, in about four hours, find us. I'll signal you when it's time to come down. It will be after the horses go away. And no, you are still not allowed to eat any. That would be terrible manners."
Toothless grumbled through his teeth, ears flat on his neck.
"Honestly. You're the Chief's dragon. Try to act like it, eh?" He was rewarded for his cheek with a swift smack from the dragon's tail, which sent him sprawling to the ground on his back. He glared at Toothless from his position, and the mischievous dragon only did his imitation of laughter, a repeated, throaty sound that admittedly sounded exactly like the real thing. Hiccup had yet to figure out if the sound was natural or of it was, in fact, an imitation of the human sound.
"Just for that, I'm reducing your fish baskets to two."
This had an immediate reaction from the Night Fury, who let out an indignant cry and growled at Hiccup, teeth bared and eyes narrowed. Hiccup was not intimidated. He rose to his feet, and made a show of dusting himself off.
"Apologize, and I may reconsider." He offered. Toothless closed his maw, and stared at him. Eventually, the staring contest broke, and the dragon looked downward, ears pressed flat on his head, and a pitiful sound rose from his throat. Hiccup patted him on the snout.
"There, that wasn't so hard, was it? We're back to three baskets, now. See, apologizing always works."
With that helpful tip, Hiccup turned and started walking towards the camp. He had not expected the blow that came at him. He felt the blow from Toothless' tail at his back, and the next thing he knew he was spitting dirt, laying face first on the half-snow half-mud ground.
Behind him, the Night Fury was having a fit of what Hiccup could only assume was laughter. He had lied down flat on the ground, covering his head with his forepaws, and letting out the hacking sounds of his amusement again, this time much more intensely.
His brow twitched in annoyance as rose to his feet again. He probably deserved that, but he would die before he'd let the already prideful dragon know.
"Bad dragon," he admonished, shaking a finger at the Night Fury, who was ignoring him. "Very bad dragon." He chanced a look towards the camp, and all color fled his face as he saw Queen Elsa, eyes undeniably boring into his own, trying and utterly failing to hide her laughter, a hand over her mouth.
"I don't know how, and I don't know when, but I will get you back for this. Just you wait. You'd better sleep with one eye open from here on out, you hear? If you think you'll get away with this by only losing a few fish baskets, you're sorely mistaken." He threatened the dragon, who was just now beginning to get himself under control.
"Get your ugly snout out of here. Bad dragon!" Toothless rose to his feet, still laughing at him, and took to the air with a great leap.
Hiccup sighed, wishing that he did not have to go to the camp. He shook his head at this thought. He'd faced down vikings, dragons, giant dragons, and his own fears and insecurities. He shouldn't be intimidated because he made a fool of himself in front of a woman, right? Right?
"Quite the performance." Was the first thing Queen Elsa said to him, as soon as he reached their camp. He saw several soldiers try and fail to hide their smirks of amusement. He tried not to scowl too much.
"Thank you, thank you, I was trying. Good morning to you too."
Queen Elsa took pity on him, and passed him a piece of bread and cheese. He took them, nodding gratefully, and began to eat. Having seen the city, he did not doubt that the Queen could, if she so chose, to have practically everything she wanted for meals, even on the road. But Elsa didn't, instead going for the practical and the light. He could -and would- respect that.
He examined her a bit closer. Her braid was done in a different style today, though the differences were miniscule. She'd changed her clothes during the night. It was still a pretty similar ensemble, and still white, but this time there were quite a few blue pieces interwoven with the white ones, and even a hint of green at some fastenings. Her outfit would fit a hunter, albeit a horrendously rich and immaculately clean one. This, too, he approved.
He was suddenly thankful that he'd taken the time to clean his clothes on that stream he'd found earlier. Lighting two fires to keep him warm and dry his clothes had been easy, even if Toothless nagged him about it.
She caught him staring, and smiled. He averted his eyes, willing himself not to flush at such a rookie mistake. Again, she must have taken pity on him, for she did not comment or tease him about it. Is this what it felt like, to not be the only merciful person in the group?
Breakfast finished, the soldiers gathered up the tents and supplies, loading everything on the horses. They climbed on the mounts and were on the road again. Hiccup could feel the agitation in everyone, even the Queen. He could sympathize, there was nothing wrong with being eager to be back in one's home.
After an hour of traveling, they'd left all snow behind. The hills they were traversing were green and lush with vegetation. Arendelle, Hiccup noted curiously, was situated at the base of the hill, so that people were traveling uphill when leaving from the city. Around the city was the fjord, that spilled out to the open sea some ways away.
As they approached, he noted that Arendelle was not really as huge as he'd imagined it. Excluding the castle, the town couldn't be bigger than Berk. They were following quaint little dirt roads, carefully dug and zigzagging the hills, bringing them ever closer to the capital. Around them were a variety of empty fields, soon to be filled by working hands.
"Halt." Queen Elsa called, and the procession stopped. They couldn't be far away now, and even though a hilltop blocked their view of Arendelle, Hiccup knew they almost there.
"Dismount." Was her next command. All the soldiers complied, and ten of them gathered all the horses. Elsa waved them forward, and they left, following the twisting road until they were gone from sight. The remaining troops gathered in neat lines of three men across along the road, waiting for further instruction.
Hiccup noted that several of them were staring at the black dot that Toothless, up in the sky, getting progressively bigger as he approached them. Apparently, Queen Elsa saw them, too.
"Do not be ridiculous." She scolded them, and her voice carried easily all the way to the last soldier at the rear guard. "There is nothing to fear. The dragon will not harm us." She sent a hard look at him as she said it, and Hiccup repressed the urge to glower back.
What did she think? That Hiccup could not control the dragon? That Toothless needed controlling in order to not go on a killing spree? He wasn't a captured wolf, barely brought to heel, for Odin's sake.
"Chief Hiccup and the dragon Toothless are our guests, and I want no skittishness around them, understand?"
A chorus of "Yes, Queen Elsa." responded to her, and she seemed satisfied. Just in time, too, for Toothless chose that moment to make his landing in front of her and Hiccup. Hiccup saw, through his peripheral vision, the captain stiffen, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword, but the older man did not make a move.
Toothless' landing had been more graceful than his other, careless ones, as if he understood that gentleness was key from now on. Hiccup walked and met the dragon halfway between them, rubbing his snout with his hand.
"Good boy." He murmured. "Here's what's going to happen now, and listen carefully, okay?" Once Hiccup was sure that he had the Night Fury's undivided attention, he continued. "You will walk next to me, yes, walk. We will enter the city. There are probably going to be a lot of people there, and you won't recognize any of them. Don't make any sudden moves, okay? They have never seen a dragon before, so they'll be afraid of you. Show them that they don't need to fear you."
At this, Toothless snorted, his prideful nature compelling him to imply that no, fear of him was not something to be avoided.
"Don't be such a beast." Hiccup scolded him. "We're going to be staying here for a while, and I don't want to deal with you scaring the stuffing out of people. You be on your best behavior when we're in the city or the castle, alright?"
Finally, Toothless relented, and let out a dismissive grunt. Hiccup, satisfied, turned to look at Queen Elsa. She was looking at him oddly, and he suddenly wanted to know how much of what he'd said she heard. Finally deciding it didn't matter, he nodded to her.
"We're ready."
"Alright, let's go."
They walked, Elsa and Hiccup side by side and Toothless next to Hiccup, close enough for him to rest a hand on the dragon's neck, extra insurance of the dragon's calmness. Toothless had gotten better with crowds over the years, but Hiccup mainly attributed this to him knowing the Vikings, and the vikings in turn treating Toothless as a member of their society. He was not sure if the presence of complete strangers would not discomfort Toothless to an aggressive state. Nevertheless, Hiccup trusted him, and his own ability to calm him down, if need be.
Idly, he scratched the dragon's neck as they walked. The ambling creature started purring from deep in his throat, eyes half-closing in pleasure, strange people forgotten.
"Chief Hiccup, may I ask you a question?" The Queen called from next to him. He turned to her, and graced her with an easy smile.
"I believe we've had this exchange before." She offered her own smile, and proceeded with her question.
"I've really tried not to ask. Believe me, I have, but it's been on my mind all morning. Please don't be offended."
"I sincerely doubt you would offend me, Queen Elsa. Ask your question."
"Why the name? Hiccup, I mean."
Hiccup blinked at her for a second, and then before he realized what he was doing he was laughing again. How many times did that make, now? He was having so much fun dealing with people outside of his tribe.
"I'm actually named after an ancestor." He replied once he controlled himself, not wanting to insult Queen Elsa. At least, not yet, and not so overtly.
"I remember you mentioned that you were the third, correct?"
"Correct. The first was the founder of Berk. The second ... let's not talk about the second."
"Well ... alright." He could tell she wanted to ask more, and the way she unconsciously bit her lower lip to stop herself was so cute, he had to stop himself from grinning.
"I know how it sounds but believe you me, it's not the worst. It's actually one of the better ones. Among the vikings, parents believe that a hideous name will scare off gnomes and trolls."
Queen Elsa cocked a delicate eyebrow, and Odin smite him if she didn't have it mastered to an art form.
"I don't think they'd be scared off by a name, personally."
"What would?"
His question and confusion made her look at him oddly.
"The trolls, of course."
"Trolls exist?" He asked, louder than he'd intended to. He had to quickly school his surprised expression before he made a bigger fool of himself. To his even greater surprise, Queen Elsa started laughing Unlike his own, almost barking laughter, hers was melodious and seamless, like music.
"What's so funny?" He asked her once she had her laughing down to the occasional giggle. She looked at him, angling her head slightly to the right, a wide smile on her face.
"Apologies, Chief Hiccup. It just seemed quite peculiar that you ride such a creature of legend as a dragon, and the existence of trolls surprised you so." Describing it aloud must have made her realize some hidden aspect of humor to it, for she started laughing again. Thankfully, it was more controlled this time, and her hand covered her mouth.
Hiccup thought about it, and he had to give it to her.
"Alright, I admit, that is kind of funny."
"Am I to assume that there are no trolls in Berk, then?"
"Not to my knowledge. Although there is someone who ..." he trailed off his question, looking at Elsa contemplatively. "What are trolls like?"
"Short creatures, humanoid in shape, can be disguised as rocks. We've had some dealings with them in the past. Lovely race, although ... excitable." Hiccup sensed much more hidden than what she'd let on, but perhaps this was a story he'd hear in the coming days.
They had now walked around the hill, and were following the downwards path towards the town that they could see, below. It was very impressive, and the castle looked even bigger the closer he got to it.
"They don't steal socks, by any chance, do they?" He asked. He had to know, once and for all. Queen Elsa looked at him oddly.
"Socks?"
"Left ones, to be exact."
"... not to my knowledge."
"Oh. Thank you for the information."
"You're very welcome."
They didn't say anything else, because they reached the outskirts of the town. Sturdy stone buildings became more and more common. With them, Hiccup had his first look at the people of Arendelle.
Small groups of people were gathered by the sides of the road to welcome their Queen back. No doubt, the rumors of the dragon had brought out even more than usual. Hiccup saw them, dressed in earthly colors, looking at the dragon in apprehension.
He would recognize the appearance of peasant anywhere. Berk did not have peasant in the sense of the lower class citizens, but they seemed to be prevalent almost everywhere else. Among the peasants were others, less in number but surprisingly plentiful, dressed in fanciful dresses and outfits of all colors, the luckier people of Arendelle. Purple, blue, red, they were all here. Hiccup, being from a society were practicality and ease of movement could make the difference between life and death, had never been able to understand these people.
The further in they went, they more people gathered around them. They were orderly, and no line of soldiers was necessary to hold them back. The closer they got to the castle, the rich people began to outnumber the peasants, until there were no more peasants on the crowds around them.
Hiccup didn't know how to feel about the fearful looks they sent Toothless, but the presence of the Queen next to him, perfectly calm, apparently was enough to soothe them.
Soon, the people got used to the sight of the onyx creature, and started cheering for their Queen, yelling welcomes, and Hiccup even heard his own name called a couple times.
He was almost overwhelmed by the crowd and before he knew it, they had reached the sea. He saw ahead of them the bridge that connected the town with the castle, and the great wooden gates wide open. Starting with the gate, there stood a pair of guards at each side, at intervals of five meters. If the guards were wary of Toothless, they didn't show it, standing rigid like statues. On the contrary, Toothless saw their raised halberds and crooned in discomfort. Queen Elsa turned to look at him, alarmed, but Hiccup patted the dragon's neck softly, and he calmed.
Hiccup's eyes caressed the castle, and he couldn't be certain that he wasn't swooning. The walls were built with sturdy stone and painted an earthly beige color. Left and right of the gate were towers, the roofs of which were painted light green. Along the length of the walls and in equidistant intervals, more towers sprang up, tall and proud.
The towers got progressively taller with every layer of walls, the closer one got to the center of the complex of buildings that comprised the castle, until the tallest tower that Hiccup had to crane his neck to see. Some of the deeper towers had carefully cultivated rose vines hanging around them, making for quite the fairy tale image.
Each tower bore the crest that Hiccup had seen on the armor and shields of soldiers. The golden yellow stylized crocus, emblazoned on a background that was purple on the left half and green on the right half. The crest was also on the stone above the gate, and each wall surface between turrets boasted a crest chiseled on it.
A lighthouse could be seen, tall and majestic, all the way from the other side of the castle.
Above them, on the ramparts, soldiers were already running around in what Hiccup assumed were their morning drills. He could see plenty of them standing rigid on their posts, bows or halberds carefully balanced over their shoulders.
They walked through the bridge with no problem, and then entered the gate. Hiccup tried to keep his staring to a respectable level, since he knew he had to make a good impression. He reminded himself that he'd have time to study the architecture of the place at his leisure, in the coming days.
Through the gate was a wide courtyard, with fountains here and there. It was mostly empty, and various doors adorned the side walls. Here, Queen Elsa stopped, and Hiccup followed her example.
The Queen turned and addressed the captain. "This is it, captain. I appreciate the escort of you and your men. You may rest and return to your families. Dismissed, and take two days off duty."
"Yes, my Queen. Thank you, my Queen." The Captain replied, bowing deeply, before smartly turning on his heels and marching to one of the side doors, no doubt a barracks of some sort. The soldiers followed him, leaving Hiccup alone with Toothless and Elsa, and the guards posted along the walls of the courtyard. With a careful eye, Hiccup could spot what he could only assume was the royal crest of Arendelle practically everywhere.
Hiccup was trying to think of something to say, but the Queen wasn't looking at him. Hiccup followed her gaze, looking ahead and down.
"What's this? New friends? And a dragon, too!"
He blinked.
"Hi, I'm Olaf! I like warm hugs!"
In front of him stood a snowman. Relatively short, it was otherwise pretty generic, comprising of three spheres of snow with twigs for arms and a carrot for a nose. What was unusual about it, was the wide smile on its face, the fact that it had its twig arms wide open, and the fact that it had spoken.
Keeping his face impassive, he turned to Elsa. She was regarding him carefully, he could tell she was greatly amused.
"Are you seeing this as well?" He asked, just to make sure flying for so long hadn't finally driven him mad. His comment finally broke the Queen's resolve, and she fell into a fit of giggles, which she endeavored to hide behind a hand.
"This is Olaf. He's our snowman friend."
While they talked, the snowman Olaf had decided that waiting for hugs was not going to cut it, and run the short distance between them, wrapping each tiny twig arm as far around Toothless' forepaw as it could.
Toothless peered down at the weird creature, and Hiccup could tell that, though he didn't feel at all threatened, he was very irritated by the snowy abomination. Indeed, Toothless' eyes had narrowed as he looked down at the thing hugging his limb. He looked up at Hiccup, and let out a low growl, baring his teeth.
Hiccup turned to Elsa. "Toothless wants to know if he can kill it." He informed her. She raised that perfectly proportioned eyebrow again, and smirked at him.
"Tell Toothless he is free to try."
Not giving any thought at to why she accepted, he turned back towards Toothless, who was looking at him expectantly. The little snow hellion had yet to release his paw. Hiccup jerked his head towards the thing and with savage glee, Toothless raised his foot, snowman still attached, and swiped it away. The snowman flew off, shrieking as he did so, and crashed against a nearby fountain. His three pieces scattered and rolled to different areas of the courtyard.
Hiccup frowned. Had they just killed the Queen's pet? That would certainly put a damper on things. He glanced at her, but she seemed not at all worried.
"Oh dear. I seem to be in pieces." Again that annoying voice! Hiccup whipped his head to look at the fountain, and the piece of snow that was the head was laughing while the part with the hands and the piece with the feet dragged themselves to it.
Hiccup brought his hand to his face and rubbed his eyes, feeling a headache would soon trouble him.
"Olaf, go now. You'll get the chance to meet Chief Hiccup and his dragon Toothless later. We've had a long journey and the Chief need to rest." He shot Queen Elsa a grateful look, and she returned it with a smile. She waved her hand and a small trail of frost erupted from it. It quickly reached the pieces of snowman. They rose to the air and formed a single body again.
Olaf patted himself to check he still had everything.
"Thank you, Queen Elsa. Goodbye, Chief Hiccup and dragon Toothless!" The little bundle of snow scampered off, vanishing amid the columns at the sides of the courtyard.
"Did you have something to do with ... that?" He asked her.
"I may have accidentally given him life."
Yup. Headache. Any second now.
"Right, okay. I'll pretend you didn't just say you accidentally gave life to something inanimate, and wait until we're somewhere more comfortable before the full horror of the realization sinks in. Alright?"
Queen Elsa laughed. Actually laughed. She must have thought he was kidding.
"Fair enough, Chief Hiccup. Now, I think it's high time we went inside, don't you think?"
"Do we have to?"
Queen Elsa shot him a bright smile, not at all bothered by his petulance.
"Of course. I want you to meet my sister, Anna."
Hiccup looked at the inner gates of the courtyard that led deeper into the castle, feeling irrationally afraid. He sighed, and steeled his nerve.
"Right, let's go."
They walked the steps towards the double doors. Their wood was artistically carved in various depictions of climbing flora.
The guards posted next to the gate immediately opened each door in perfect synchronization, with bowed heads and murmurs of acknowledgement for their Queen.
Inside was a hallway. The wallpaper was a deep, wedged red that reached all the way to the high ceiling. Every three meters, chandeliers of three candles each lined the walls, though they were snuffed at this hour. The occasional suit of armor display desk completed the decor. All in all, it was a very warm and inviting place.
A group of people were waiting for them. Hiccup observed them very carefully as they walked towards him and the Queen. Their entrance had been noted and as soon as Elsa saw them, she stopped and allowed the group to approach them.
By this miniscule show of the pecking order, and by the clothes the group wore -the most extravagant yet- Hiccup assumed that these were members of Queen Elsa's government.
Hiccup quite enjoyed the fearful looks they sent Toothless, but none wavered in their step. That was something, at least. Toothless himself seemed to be having fun, because a look at his dragon companion revealed that the reptile had narrowed his eyes and was looking at the men and women like they were dinner. Hiccup knew Toothless was just messing with them, but they didn't.
They were five, three men and two women. One woman was relatively young, black hair caught in a delicate bun, and wore an elaborate yellow dress. The second woman was much older and, unlike the other female, her dress was much simpler, black in color with whites here and there, and wore ... something white and lacy around her head. Hiccup had never seen its likeness before.
The men were more clear cut. The first thing he noticed was the bald, aging man with what was obviously a military suit, made of fine green fabrics and a set of white gloves. The biggest giveaway must have been his hands, clasped firmly behind his back as he stood straight, in the presence of his direct superior. Or maybe the sword strapped to his waist might have given him out, fine. A general, no doubt.
The second and third men were similar in their dress, looking just like the excessively dressed rich people outside. One of them wore a monocle but other than that, Hiccup's eyes slid right off of them.
"My Queen," began the man with the monocle. Hiccup's opinion of the man immediately dropped upon hearing his voice. High pitched, and almost oozing. "We welcome you back to the castle."
"Ministers, esteemed members of the Inner Council, thank you for this impromptu welcoming committee." Elsa replied, and Hiccup thought he heard a hint of apprehension in her voice. "It is good to see you all. However, I had been expecting my sister. Is she not in the castle?"
This time, the younger woman replied. "She is, your majesty. You just missed her. Our Ice Master returned shortly before you did and commanded her full attention," she said with a small smile playing on her face, and Hiccup saw Queen Elsa grimace slightly and shake her head.
"We will find her and our wayward official ice deliverer, not to worry. Well then, I will take my leave. I will see you all once court is in session, and properly introduce you all to Chief Hiccup, leader of the Vikings. We've had a long journey, and his has been even longer, so proper procedure will have to wait until he and the dragon Toothless have been properly rested."
Hiccup's opinion of the Queen skyrocketed.
The General took a step forward to address Elsa. "Of course we understand Chief Haddock's need for rest, and we will not impede it. However, your own presence is necessary now, my Queen."
Queen Elsa frowned at this. Hiccup would have to start taking notes on these eyebrows. They must be magical, somehow.
"What is this about, General Mertok, that it can't wait?"
"Your Majesty, the ambassadors from Corona, the Southern Isles, and Grandland are here. You need to speak with them, and soon. It is important."
The general's look towards Hiccup had been anything but subtle. Apparently, this was something not meant for his ears. Who would've thought. The Queen gave a nod, and turned towards the older woman.
"Gertrude, can you take Chief Hiccup and lead him to his quarters? Arrange for the best stables for the dragon Toothless, and-"
"Wait, did you say stable?" Hiccup asked, eyes narrowed. Queen Elsa closed her mouth and looked at him in confusion. Hiccup ignored the council, which were all, with the exception of the woman Gertrude, glaring at him for interrupting the Queen.
"Is it not appropriate lodgings?" She asked slowly, unsure. Hiccup shook his head.
"Not at all. Toothless is not a horse. I have told you before, Toothless goes where I go. I assume a room big enough for the both of us can be found?"
The Queen's confusion didn't clear, but that didn't stop her. She'd apparently learned to take his weird -to her- ways in stride.
"Alright. Gertrude, please lead Chief Hiccup and his dragon to their appropriate quarters."
Turning fully to him, she spoke. "Apologies for having to leave you alone so soon, Chief Hiccup. But as I'm sure a man of your position understands, duty calls. Get comfortable in your quarters, maybe rest a bit, and perhaps I will see you in the evening."
"That is acceptable." Hiccup nodded at her. She returned his nod and began walking briskly down the left hallway, the four members of her council following her, throwing the occasional glance at the dragon over their shoulders.
He and Toothless were left alone with Gertrude. Now that Hiccup gave her a more thorough once-over, he noted the way her shoulders leaned forward, or the way her head was tipped respectfully forward. This woman was no minister.
"This way please, Chief Haddock." She asked and started leading him to the right. Hiccup followed the woman through the set of doors at the end of the hall into another corridor.
"Excuse me if this is a rude question, but what exactly is your position here, madam Gertrude?" Hiccup asked the elder woman as respectfully as he could manage.
"I am the Head Supervisor of the castle's servants, my Lord. I have served Queen Elsa all her life, and her parents before her."
Hiccup absorbed this, and tried to pay attention to where they were going. They were crossing hallways and wide rooms, meeting the occasional staff along the way. They had obviously been instructed not to run for the hills at the sight of Toothless, but some were less successful in hiding their fear than others. He noted with satisfaction that Toothless had retracted his claws, and left no damage on the obviously expensive carpets. He'd hate to have to explain that to the Queen.
Ten minutes later and by the time they had climbed two sets of stairs, Hiccup was hopelessly lost and merely following Gertrude, hoping she didn't leave him alone to find his way out.
She stopped on a set of doors, similar to two other sets in this particular hallway. The doors were big enough that Toothless could fit through. Gertrude did exactly that, opening both doors wide open, and waved her hand towards the inside.
"Get comfortable, my Lord. Your bath has been arranged in the room beyond those doors over there, and someone will be here after that to show you around, answer your questions and generally be your guide during your stay here. Is there anything I could help you with right now?"
"No thank you, Gertrude. I think I've got it. It was good to meet you."
"And you, my Lord." Yes! He managed to draw a smile from her wizened features. She started ambling away, her slight limp becoming more noticeable when looked at from behind.
Hiccup followed the woman's progress with his eyes, a fond smile on his face. He liked this Gertrude. Perhaps he'd track her down later for a talk.
Moving inside, he closed the doors behind Toothless and inspected their new living quarters. They were enormous! It was almost as big as all the rooms of his family house on Berk put together. There would be no problem of space. On the far side, glass doors led to a wide balcony, something that Hiccup approved of immensely.
The room was decorated much the same way as the rest of the castle, with welcoming red and blue hues, plenty of candles to keep the place perfectly lit even in nighttime. What must surely have been four beds meshed together by a skilled carpenter stood to his left and, to his even greater joy, a big desk with a full writing set lay on a corner. Ink-pot, empty paper sheets, and even some books.
To his great disappointment, maintaining ink on any but the couple months of summer was impossible on Berk, hence his heavy reliance on charcoal. But no longer!
Through the set of doors was a bathroom, and it was full with strange and weird devices the likes of which he had never seen before. He recognized the bathtub at least, because of its telltale shape.
Never one to back down from discovering the quirks of something new, he decided that now would be a great time to take a bath.
He returned to Toothless, who had been dozing off on the tiles next to the already lit fireplace. He removed the saddlebags, placing them on one side, before getting to work on the dragon's harness. He removed the saddle and the tailfin, leaving the dragon devoid of anything he wasn't hatched with. Toothless crooned his thanks, and closed his eyes, his mouth curled in a soft, unconscious smile.
Hiccup smiled fondly at the Night Fury, and proceeded into the bathroom. He inspected the bathtub carefully. After brief tinkering he realized how it worked, with one lever releasing cold water and the other releasing hot. He closed the drain and set the water to flow in a combination of hot and cold that leaned heavily to the warmer side.
He moved towards the soaps, and there were so many of them! He recognized soap, but next to the tub there were also glass bottles filled with a sort of cream. He put some on his fingers and smelled it. It smelled very much like soap but, more importantly, it smelled heavenly. With a wide smile, Hiccup emptied half the glass bottle into the water. Immediately, it started to bubble over.
There was a chair, so he moved to that and started removing his clothes. He'd already placed his armor pieces with the saddlebags, so he removed the fur vest he wore underneath and then his tunic. His breeches and underwear soon followed, and he was left with nothing but his prosthetic.
With great care, he started unclasping the straps of his metallic foot. The harness, of his own design, reached all the way to his hip, and it took him the better part of three minutes to be removed safely. The metal contraption was placed next to his clothes, and he stood on one leg, holding onto the chair.
He hopped towards the tub, careful to not trip or slide, and checked the water. It was just the perfect temperature and there was a layer of bubbly soap above it. He cut the water flow and eased himself inside, holding onto the railing some genius had decided to place on the tub's interior.
With a soft sigh, he submerged his body into the water, easing his muscles. He closed his eyes, smiling contentedly. Maybe he could make something like this in Berk. Few Vikings took bathing to such a degree as he did, but even if no one used it other than himself, it would be worth it.
An unspecified amount of time later, the soft sound of footsteps made him open his eyes. Before he had time to ask anything, the door to the bathroom opened, and two servant girls walked inside. They wore short-sleeved dresses, and carried sponges and a bundle of fabrics with them.
As soon as he saw them, Hiccup scrambled to a sitting position, water flying everywhere as he struggled for words.
"What-, who-, how ... what are you doing here!"
The servant girls looked up at his frantic tone, and confusion settled in their features.
"My Lord," one spoke. "We are here for your bath. Did you not wish to have one?"
"Yes I did, and I don't see how that's any of your business! Leave, for Odin's sake."
"But my lord, this is our duty. We assure you that-"
"I don't give a dragon's claw what your duty is, get out!" He sincerely hoped his face was not as red as he imagined it would be as he lay in the water, trying and failing to cover himself with the bubbly soap.
The servant girl frowned at him. "My lord, we are professionals."
"Out!"
They mercifully took his subtle hint and, after a brief nod, left the bathroom, closing the doors behind them.
Hiccup collapsed back into the tub, letting out a deep breath, and groaned. He finished his bath soon after that, once his fingers started creasing, and gingerly lifted himself off the tub. He seated himself on the edge, and used the towel that sat next to the tub on a stool to dry himself.
He hopped back to the chair and his clothes, but all he saw was his prosthetic and a bundle of clothes that he'd never seen before.
When had they ... no matter.
He took the time to readjust his prosthetic, and then inspected his new clothes. The undies were easy enough to figure out, and he placed then on in short order. The leggings were tighter than what he was used to, but they fit him and they were soft on the inside, though rigid on the outside. They were a soft brown color, woven with black thread at the sleeves and up to a point beneath the knees.
The tunic he was given was simple and light green, just how he liked them, but it was intricately woven with golden threads that would separate him from a crowd of peasants. The footwear was the most weird so far. Rather than the fur boots he was used to, he was given a pair of smaller, if no less snug, shoes made of hard leather.
He smirked. What was he supposed to do with the left one? In the end, he wore the right one and left the other one where he found it.
Dressed, he walked outside. Immediately he noticed the new arrival in his quarters. A young man, a few years younger than himself, blond hair cut short and styled to the left side, dressed in the white and blue uniform that on the way here he had learned to associate with the assistant staff.
"Greetings, my Lord."
"Greetings. And who might you be?"
"I am Arnod, and I will be your guide during your stay here." Hiccup was pleased to know that Arnod did not steal fearful glances at Toothless, neither was the dragon glaring at the young servant. By the looks of it, the Night Fury was sleeping.
Then again, who knows how long he had stood here, waiting for him. Maybe he and the onyx creature had reached a sort of agreement.
"Arnod," he said, tasting the name. "Do you mind if I call you Ernie, Ernie?"
Ernie blinked, and then bowed his head. "Not at all, my Lord."
"That's great, because I don't mind that you're going to call me Hiccup from now on, either."
"I am?" Ernie asked.
"You sure are."
"Very well, Hiccup."
"Good, good," Hiccup nodded encouragingly. "Finally some progress. Now, tell me what exactly it is you're going to be doing for me."
"Well, I am here to act as your guide and to answer any of your questions. I will be available to you most hours of the day. I have been given leave to show you around, give you a tour of the castle and the city, explain some of our history, etcetera."
"I see," Hiccup said, nodding. "Well, that's good, then. I was invited here by the Queen, but she had to leave unexpectedly and I'm starting to believe that this won't be a rare occurrence."
"Her Majesty the Queen is very busy, doing her very best to keep our great kingdom prosperous and happy."
"Yes, yes, I'm sure she is. Tell me, Ernie, what is there to do on Arendelle? What can you show me?"
"Well Hiccup, that's a very broad question. Do you have anything specific in mind? Something you'd like to see first?"
Hiccup thought about it, pursing his brow. What did he want to do first? On his very first day on a completely new and strange kingdom?
His eyes landed on the saddlebags and Toothless' harness. After a few seconds of contemplation, he smiled.
He turned towards Ernie, wide grin still in place.
"Say, Ernie," he asked, "Do you guys have a smithy?"
~~H~~
End Notes: If anyone has questions or would like a clarification, ask me in a review.