Authors Note: Sorry for the wait. Enjoy!
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Chapter 2: The Downed Dragon
I quickly make it up the hill and race into the woods, pulling out my notebook, I trace a small map of Berk and add a single X as to where I am pretty sure the Night Fury is. I'm not afraid of getting lost, I know the woods better then Gobber knows the nefarious tail of the Boneknapper.
I step into the forest, glancing at the small clearing where I am sure the Night Fury is and see..Nothing.
Great. Just my luck again. Not that I have any good luck, it consists mainly of bad to worse.
After wandering around Raven Point for a few hours I come across another marked spot and close my eyes, it is going to be there. I open them and...nothing.
I let out a frustrated breath, and mark another X where the dragon might be, then scribble all over the two pages before sticking it on my vest pocket with a sigh of irritation. I kick a rock in front of me and it tumbles down the hill without any pauses.
I scowl slightly and clench my fists digging my fingernails into my palms. The dragon isn't helping me in the slightest. Dad is probably right and I did miss again. Wouldn't be the first and won't be the last, honestly probably the twentieth miss fire. After two, my dad just started to brush off my claims.
"Some people lose their knife or their mug, "I say feeling annoyance build up, "No, I managed to lose and entire dragon!" I whack a branch in front of me, and it swings back whacking me in the eye. "Ow!" I snap a hand over my eye a pained pulse ringing through the wound.
Black bark catches my attention and I turn my head; my eyes follow the branch to a burned tree, it's split in two, and blackish. I look at the ground near it where there's a large dip as if something crashed there.
How did I miss that?
Quickly forgetting my about my eye, I duck under the branch and into the dip following it to the end my hand lingering on a root with three deep gashes. Claw marks. Huh.
I climb up slightly and look over the upturned dirt my heart coming to a skidding halt. Lying on the ground is a Night Fury. I take in a sharp, hitched breath and pull my head down.
I force a calming breath through my nose and poke my head over again, the Night Fury is stuck, I stand up a little courage building. It probably can't get me like that. This is my chance, my only chance. I search myself, Where is my dagger? My fingers brush over the hilt and I grasp it pulling the weapon from my belt.
Now or never.
I jump behind a tall rock and glance at the dragon. It's caught in a bola, not just any bola, my bola. It looks both asleep, and in pain. "I-I did it." I realize. "Oh, I did it!" I cry and move away from the rock, "This- this fixes everything. Yes!" I say and place a foot on the dragon's arm. "I have brought down this mighty beast."
The dragon shifts and I stumble backwards my hands slick with sweat losing grip on the dagger. I regain my balance quickly and move forward again when I feel a deep stare. I turn my head slow and warily spotting the dragon's toxic green eyes staring at me with no emotion but fear.
It's afraid of me.
My own green eyes widen in surprise before I turn away from the dragon's piercing stare."I'm going to kill you dragon." My voice stammers sounding shaky and I shift my position on the dagger my fingers jumping up and down the hilt.
It stares
"I'm gonna-I'm gonna cut out your heart and take it to my father." I say. "I am a Viking." I tell myself. "I am a Viking!"
This is it. The moment when my father will be proud of me. When Berk will accept me.
I raise the blade above my head squeezing my eyes shut trying to shove out the deep doubt sinking through me. My eyes slip open slightly meeting the Night Fury's. It's fear, it's anger, hate, and yet, so much life. I look away and hear the dragon groan softly before laying down it's head.
It's accepting its fate. The fate I am forcing upon it.
My resolve crumbles my thoughts whirling past me and I drop the dagger blade flat on my head. I can't kill this creature, it's just like me.
I stumble backwards, "I did this." I mumble ashamed. I turn to walk away, but pause, looking back. I am going to free it, this dragons end, will not be by my hand. I move forward and lean down lifting the dagger up and start to saw at the ropes.
Whizz whizz SNAP!
A rope breaks and I move on to the next one, my hands a blur. It will just fly away but I am stuck with both feet on the ground.
Whizz whizz SNAP!
One more left….
Whizz whizz SNAP!
The second the last ropes snaps the dragon pounces on me. I take in a hitched breath as its claws wrap around my throat. I push myself further into the ground and see that I, as this beast was seconds ago, am trapped. The dragon opens it's mouth preparing to blast me out of existence. This is it.
Trying to help it yet the dragon will kill me anyway.
The dragon's glare hardens and I shut my eyes tightly before the Night Fury roars angrily in my ear. I open my eyes slightly watching as it whips around and takes off through the forest.
I grab my dagger and shakily stand. I look around me at the magic before I release a slow breath. I take a step forward slightly taking in shaky breaths, well alright, that's that-nope. My feet give out and I collapse.
000o000
I open the door to my house several hours later and see Dad sitting next to the fireplace poking at the flames. I freeze slightly. This is not going to be fun. I am going to have to face him soon and explain I can't kill dragons, figuratively and physically. I can't. I refuse to. Well I better do that now-it can wait. I turn racing up the stairs, almost there two more steps- "Hiccup." Dad calls. I cringe. Alright, apparently that time is now at this second.
"Dad," I say. I go down a few steps, "I-I have to talk to you dad." He turns around, clasping his hands together.
"I need to speak with you to, son." He says.
"I don't want to - I think it time- Fight dragons." We say at the same time.
"What?" We ask in sync again.
"Uh, you go first." He says. Curiosity getting the better of me I go down the stairs.
"No, you go first." I encourage.
"Alright, You get your wish: Dragon training you start in the morning."
My thoughts again for the umpteenth time skid to a horrific halt.
"Oh man, I should have gone first." I say quickly my hands fidgety. "Because, I was thinking, we have a surplus of dragon fighting Vikings but do you we have enough-" I pause make up an excuse, cat takers, bread makers- "Bread making Vikings, or small home repair-" He tosses an axe in my arms and I nearly fall backwards from the weight. Where did it come from! It was not in his hand two seconds ago!
"You'll need that." He says with a brisk nod, as if telling himself. How is a weapon I can't even hold going to help in battle? I'll probably chop myself in half before I win any battles.
I stare at the tall redhead in disbelief, "I don't want to fight dragons." I say honestly, he turns his frame shaking and for a moment I'm confused before he throws back his head and laughs.
"Come on, yes you do." He says as though it's the most obvious thing in the world. Which earlier it would have been. But that Night Fury...
"Rephrase: Dad, I can't kill dragons." I say he turns around serious again.
"It's time, Hiccup."
"Can you not hear me?" I ask.
He turns towering over me, "When you carry this axe," He says and easily lifts it from my arms, "You carry all of us with you." He says, and places it back in my arms. Great. "Which means: you act like us, you talk like us, and you think like us." He then looks at me his hands going out for a moment staring at me as if he can't find the right words to explain what he's thinking. "No more of all...this."
I drop the axe a little in annoyance, "You just gestured to all of me." This is not very helpful. At all. Really I feel worse than before.
His gaze hardens, "Deal?" He asks.
"This conversation is feeling very one sided." I inform him.
"Deal?" He asks louder his gaze hard tone almost threatening.
I sigh,"Deal."
"Good," he says and tosses a pack over his shoulder seeming satisfied. Ah, another Nest hunt. Winter is setting in and it should be the last expedition for the season. . He walks toward the door, "Good, train hard." He puts his helmet on, and opens the door, "I'll be back. Probably."
I raise an eyebrow at his words, "And I'll be here." I say to him, he shuts the door with a slam and I add softly, "Maybe."
(Elsa POV)
Double.
Two sided.
More than one.
My life is two sided; horribly combined as one and it doesn't seem to be going any of the slightest bit up hill. The door makes a soft creak as I shove it open my gloved hand lingering on the edge for a moment.
Cursed.
I am cursed. With ice and snow and there isn't much I can do about it beyond trying not to feel, my powers affect the environment around myself and others and if I feel upset or panicked I start blizzards.
Conceal don't feel.
"Elsa!" Anna exclaims looking up from the horrible ball of yarn that's on her lap, (probably supposed to be a sweater) her face breaking into a wide smile. Tossing the yarn to the side she rushes forward and throws her arms around me bouncing slightly. I tense my body going rigid but I return the hug halfheartedly.
I pull away from the ecstatic thirteen year old and she goes back to the ball of yarn gathering it off of the floor. My aunt, Ingrid looks up at me eyes studying. After me and Anna's parent's death when I was six my aunt and her husband, Fearless Alden Arendelle took us in. Though my uncle's death came quickly after that, my aunt become cold and encouraged me heavily to hide my powers from everyone.
Including Anna.
However, even as clueless as she can be sometimes, Anna isn't a person to be reckoned with sometimes I fear her. She knows but my aunt doesn't know she knows she we pretend she doesn't when we're around her.
It is relieving and without Anna, I would've set off an eternal winter on Berk by now. Not as if the weather ever feels like doing otherwise.
"Anna," Ingrid says slowly her patience level is low though, more than usual. "Prepare for bed." She commands and Anna looks up at me as if silently asking if she should. I give a brisk nod and the younger red head picks up the terrible mess of yarn, grabs her boots and scampers from the room in a quick blur.
Ingrid lowers the large piece of wood she's holding, sculpting into something and stares at me for a long moment. "The chief is taking an expedition to find the Nest." She says after a moment of silence. I glance left towards where Anna ran off to. I don't understand how this relates to me.
"Gobber is directing dragon training and I want you to go." Ingrid says and I struggle to keep my jaw from falling. But my curse! If I make one slip up everyone will know and that will be the end of me. Who will take care of Anna?
"But-" I start to argue my fingers curling inwards. What if it escapes and harms someone? Anna wouldn't be my only victim then.
"Elsa," Ingrid says and rests her hands on my shoulder, "It's time you contributed something to this village beyond fear. This isn't a request, it's a command." Ingrid says and I stare at her for several long moments and it isn't until I hear the sound of ice spreading across the ground that I realize my hands are shaking.
Ingrid leaps back from the magic and shoots me a sharp glare, "Hurry and get rid of that before your sister sees." She commands and whirls around storming off towards her bedroom. I stare at the ice spreading across the ground my heart sinking my lips quivering slightly my hands continuing to shake.
"I don't know how."
Authors Note: Elsa will be getting a POV! :) To answer some questions: Yes, the paring is Hiccelsa, but Astrid isn't in the story and since Elsa is taking the place of Astrid...anyway. Um, I am going to do my best to keep Elsa on character to who she is in "Frozen". :)
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