Chapter 9:

The next day was gorgeous; a wintery blue sky without a single cloud. They wouldn't need to worry about wind gusts, because Gale had promised an easy flight. They'd invited Bruni, but the Fire Spirit still wasn't ready.

Elsa had said goodbye to the Northuldra, promising that she'd celebrate with them later that day. She'd then made her way back to Maelstrom's spot, hoping that she wouldn't have to keep her dragon a secret for much longer.

Maelstrom was more than ready. He even still had his saddle on, having refused to let her take it off the night before. Giggling, she climbed on the Night Fury's back, readying herself for the takeoff.

They shot into the air, with Maelstrom doing a spin or two. Elsa grinned as she held on, then began to steer them towards Arendelle. Her stomach was in a bit of a knot, but not because of the spins.

Through Gale, she'd sent a message ahead to Anna, telling her that she'd be bringing a plus one. Anna had written back asking who it was, saying how excited she was to meet them. Elsa had declined to mention that her new friend was a bit…different than Anna might expect.

They flew low over the water, with Maelstrom trailing his (healed) led across the surface. Before long they landed at the start of the bridge that led into the kingdom. Right where she told Anna she'd be.

It wasn't five minutes later that she heard the sound of reindeer hooves, and three voices shouting her name. Elsa moved a bit to block Maelstrom from view, and looked at him with her finger on her lips. The dragon understood, and lowered himself to the ground.

She turned to see the queen, Anna, approaching on Sven. Sitting behind her was Kristoff, smiling as wide as his bride-to-be. Sitting in front of the queen was Olaf, who was grinning widely and waving.

As soon as they were close enough, Sven's three riders disembarked en masse and ran towards her. Anna got there first, catching her in a hug. Elsa held her tightly, happy to see her sister, but she was also anxiously waiting for what she knew was coming.

She sensed the moment that Anna saw her dragon. Her sister pulled away and backed up. Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf looked incredibly confused; the queen never pulled away from hugs.

The Ice Spirit took a breath, and looked at her friends. Anna was staring at her in shock, clearly hoping for an explanation. She spoke up.

"There's someone I want you all to meet." She stepped aside, revealing Maelstrom in all of his glory. Olaf looked curious, Sven took a nervous step back, and Anna continued to stare. Kristoff, however, looked awestruck.

"Everyone, meet Maelstrom. He's a–"

"Night Fury." Kristoff interrupted. He took a slow step forward, eyes not leaving the dragon. "The Trolls told me about dragons, but I never thought I'd see one…"

"Dragons?" Anna asked. Her fear was quickly turning into wonder, and she found herself slowly approaching the dragon too.

"He crashed in the Enchanted Forest a week ago," Elsa explained, putting her hand on the dragon's back. "I found him, and I've been looking after him ever since."

"Hi!" Olaf had been the first of her friends to approach Maelstrom. "I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!"

He held out a stick-arm to Maelstrom. The Night Fury was staring at the snowman as much as the others were staring at him. He looked at Elsa, as if for an explanation.

"Anna and I built Olaf together a while ago. Why don't you say hi?" She encouraged him.

He looked back at the snowman's stick arm, sniffed it, then gave it a tentative lick. The snowman laughed, surprising the dragon, who then licked his face.

His attention was then turned to Kristoff, who was holding out his hand, palm up. The dragon sniffed the hand, then pressed his forehead against it. He heard the human sigh and give a small laugh. He opened his eyes and shoved his face into the man's stomach, asking for pets. As the man appeased him, the Night Fury learned that this human was Kristoff.

Anna, finally convinced that he wasn't dangerous, approached next. Elsa stood next to her, and placed her sister's hand on Maelstrom's forehead. The dragon knew instantly that he liked the queen; after everything his best friend had told him about her, how could he not?

He spread his wings and bowed before her, as it was the most respectful gesture he knew how to make. Anna seemed surprised, yet touched. Elsa met his eye, and gave him a smile of approval.

Sven, despite his initial unease, was quickly won over. He knew how excited Kristoff was to finally meet a dragon, and a friend of Kristoff's was a friend of his. He gave the dragon a friendly bray, and Maelstrom offered him a warble in return.

Now that they'd all been introduced, Anna led them all to the party. Elsa got on Maelstrom's back, and he walked after Sven into the kingdom. While she'd known that her friends would likely accept the dragon, she was worried about how Arendelle would react.

As it turned out, her worries were completely in vain. The people were understandably surprised to see the former queen on the back of a dragon, but it only took a few minutes (and Anna claiming that Maelstrom was a friend to the kingdom) before they came around.

Before long, the party was in full swing. The sounds of people ice skating, having snowball fights, and dancing filled the air. The kids all took an immediate liking to Maelstrom, with most of them petting him or trying to climb into his saddle. The Night Fury evidently liked the children just as much, and started a game of tag throughout the castle courtyard.

Eventually, Anna led her sister (with Maelstrom trailing behind) to the table. An enormous blue-and-white frosted cake was brought out and placed before the queen. The Night Fury sniffed it curiously, clearly wanting to taste it as much as everyone else did.

"Make a wish," Anna whispered as the candles were lit. Elsa smiled at her and whispered back.

"I don't need to." She put one hand on Maelstrom's nose, and put her other on Anna's shoulder. "I already have all I want." With that, she blew out her candles. Her sister grinned warmly while Maelstrom warbled.