AN: Before you read this chapter, check out the deleted song "More Than Just The Spare."

Hiccup was incredibly bored. With Jack in isolation, Anna and Kristoff swamped with kingdom duties, and Rapunzel an official princess, he was pretty much left out. Nobody seemed to pay him much attention anymore. One day that spring, he decided enough was enough. He was going to sneak out of the castle and into the town. The gates were still closed in mourning, but he figured he could slip out the servant's side door pretty easily. He spent some considerable time preparing fine clothes into tattered rags. He mussed up his hair and dirtied his face, hopefully beyond recognition. Then, finally ready, he slipped out unnoticed.

Life had moved on in Arendelle. Of course people were still sad about their loss, but the town couldn't stay still either. The marketplace was especially busy in the early spring. The first thing Hiccup noticed was that his fashion sense was WAY behind. Trying to act casual, he slipped up to what appeared to be some sort of clothing booth, but when he realized that all the cloth was pink, he tried to slip away. Too late. The owner of the stall, a very tall, extremely skinny guy with black hair bent down over him, smiling desperately.

"The name's Once-ler. I see you're interested in my Thneed!" he said over-enthusiastically.

"Oh, uh. I was. Then I noticed it was pink."

"Oh, the color doesn't matter one bit! It's made of the softest, finest material in all the earth: Truffula tree fuzz."

"Truffula?" Hiccup asked, intrigued in spite of himself.

"Yes, sir! Almost magical trees that grow in a distant, far off land. Very exotic. Feel how soft it is!"

Once-ler picked up one of his products and laid it across the table, forcing Hiccup to feel the texture. It was extremely soft, but Hiccup didn't seem to think it would make him blend in any less.

"It seems wonderful, but…nobody else is really wearing it."

Clearly disappointed, the man's face fell. "You're right, it's not the height of fashion. It will be one day though, you'll see!"

"Well, I'd love to help you start the fashion craze, or whatever you call it, but I'm trying not to draw attention to myself right now, if you know what I mean."

Once-ler nodded wisely. "I know exactly what you mean. Family troubles, right? Trying to sneak out of the house so you can get away from your overbearing siblings!"

Hiccup was shocked. "Exactly! Except for the sibling part, mine is the opposite problem."

"Ah, yes. The ignoring. I went through that stage, too."

"And, did it ever end?" Hiccup asked eagerly.

"No. That's why I'm trying to sell my Thneed, so I can get more attention and love from my family."

He looked so down, that Hiccup felt sorry for him. "Maybe one day, when this is all over, I'll help you out."

The smile reappeared again, but this time it didn't look forced. He was genuinely happy, and quite touched. "Thanks! I'll hold you to that promise. What's your name, by the way?"

Hiccup hesitated. He couldn't give away his real name, or everyone would know who he was and he would get in BIG trouble. But, nobody in town knew his nickname…

"Hiccup," he said at last. "I'm Hiccup."

"Ha! We share a hatred toward our weird but inescapable names," the Once-ler said light heartedly. "Well, see you around, Hiccup."

"Bye," Hiccup said, waving. Smiling, he ventured back into the marketplace. He'd just made his first real friend.

Eventually, he found some clothes that looked fashionable yet weren't too expensive. Then, noticing how late the day was, he sprinted back to the castle. He hardly had time to discard the ruined Prince Casual wear and hide his new peasant clothes before the bell rang for dinner. Quickly, he washed up and ran down the hall, sliding into his seat across from Rapunzel at the last second. She frowned at him, obviously displeased at his lack of etiquette, but Hiccup was so happy he didn't care.

"Hiccup, where were you hiding today?" Anna asked. "I couldn't find you anywhere."

"Oh, uh…my secret. Can't tell. Why were you looking for me?"

"It's my birthday," Rapunzel said flatly. "We went on a picnic in the mountains and thought you would have liked to come."

"Oh." Hiccup's face fell. That would have been fun, getting to reconnect with his family.

"No problem," Kristoff said nonchalantly. "We can have another picnic tomorrow."

"No, we have a meeting tomorrow with the tax collectors," Anna reminded him, though she sounded sad.

"Oh. Well we'll have one eventually."

Hiccup cheered up at that, and when the birthday cake was brought out, he thought,

This has been the best day of my life.

Hiccup snuck out again a few days later, when it became clear that the picnic wouldn't be happening anytime soon. Unfortunately, the Once-ler was gone. Another tradesmen said he had moved on to another city, to try his luck there. Hiccup sighed, saddened that he had lost somebody else. No matter, he would just make other friends.

Or, maybe I'll just get to know the city first, he thought. I hardly know this place.

So, he contentedly wandered the streets, looking at all the sights and sounds. As long as he could find the market, which lay right outside the castle gates, he figured Arendelle would be a pretty easy place to maneuver. He started with the one familiar street. He recognized the tailor where he had found his peasant clothes, and the library that Elsa had dedicated the year she died. Hiccup had been present at the dedication, but hadn't been able to visit since.

That would make a nice afternoon, he thought. He very nearly went in, but then, Nah, I'll save that one for later. Maybe during a rainy day. Today is a day for exploring and adventure.

The rest of the street was filled with fun, colorful store fronts. Hiccup stopped by the sweet shop for some chocolates before continuing the exploration. As it turned out, that street ended up in the wealthy neighborhood, where he was yelled at by some snobby boys his own age. Luckily, a kindly old lady stopped them and told them to go home, it wasn't nice to yell at peasants, since it wasn't their fault they had no where to wash.

On second thought, maybe she's not as nice as she looks, he thought as he fled the scene.

He ran into the same lady in the shops a few minutes later.

"I'm sorry, my boy," she said sweetly. "Are you lost?"

"Yes," Hiccup said. "I mean, yes ma'am. I'm kind of new here."

"Oh, that explains a lot," she laughed. "Well, if you go down to the wharf, there's a map store near the big gazebo and the fisherman's inn. That'll help you out."

"Um, thanks," he said awkwardly.

Not sure what else to do, Hiccup found the map shop and bought one. He sat down by the wharf, dangling his feet into the cool fjord waters and poured over the map, making a list of all the places to visit. Nearby, some sailors unloaded cargo off a double masted ship. They joked about how chilly it was, and Hiccup overheard one of the older men cut in seriously.

"Not nearly as cold as it could be!"

"What do you mean?" the younger boys asked.

"This is said to be a cursed land. Long ago the trolls—laugh if you may but people believe it—foretold a prophecy:

"Your future is bleak

your kingdom will splinter

your land shall be cursed

with unending winter.

With blasts of cold will come dark art

and a ruler with a frozen heart

then all will perish in snow and ice

unless you are freed with a sword sacrifice."

"Well if that isn't the bleedenest thing," the others scoffed.

Hiccup turned away, thinking of his mother. Had the prophecy come before or after she took the throne? Had she dealt with any hate or fear because of her powers? He kept thinking until his stomach reminded him to eat. The Mermaid Lagoon was the nearest on the map, so he tried there.

"I'm sorry," the bar keeper said, eyeing him suspiciously. He had a long black beard and a hook for a hand, which was a little frightening. "But you'll need money if you want to eat."

Without batting an eye, Hiccup pulled out two gold coins. The man raised an eyebrow but he took the money without complaint. Hiccup took a seat near some sailors. They looked like the same ones who had been unloading the boat all afternoon.

"Excuse me," he asked a little timidly. "But where have you come from?"

"Corona and the Southern Isles," one of them said. He looked like he was only a little older than Hiccup himself. "Have you ever been?"

"No, but I'd like to, some day," Hiccup said eagerly.

"If we were looking for an extra crew member, I'm sure the captain would love to welcome you on board. But I'm afraid we're a little full at the moment."

"Oh, that's alright," Hiccup said quickly. "I can't leave now, anyway. Family duties and all that."

The boy nodded and looked away, laughing at another sailor's joke. Hiccup couldn't help but feel disappointed. A barmaid sidled up and dropped a plate of food in front of him: a stale roll and and a sickly looking fish. He poked it in disgust, but when he saw how the people ate it so hungrily, he decided not to complain.

Is this how people really eat? he wondered. I need to mention this to Anna. But without explaining how I know…

"So, tell me about this measly kingdom," he overheard a sailor saying.

Hiccup jolted, wondering if someone were talking to him.

"Well, it ain't much for sight-seeing, that's for sure," one of the older men laughed. "But they've got a thriving ice export, and a good market that draws crowds from all over the region. Their queen died a few years ago, I heard, so her sister is the acting steward until the crown prince is old enough."

"Crown prince?"

"Yeah, the boy next in line for the throne, Jack I believe. Although they say he's very mysterious and not good with people. There's a lot of rumor surrounding the kid. Nobody knows much about him."

"Huh. I've never heard the term crown prince before."

"It's not used very much. See, it's only needed when there's another prince who won't get to be king. Well, not likely. Let's just say that other prince is the spare. He's only needed if the crown prince dies and doesn't leave an heir. You might say there's an heir and a spare for every kingdom."

Hiccup pushed away his plate and left rather quickly, heading back to the palace. Strangely enough, he didn't feel like exploring any more.

"Spare?" he wondered, walking through the streets to the servant's entrance. "Am I really just the spare?" He started to sing sadly.

"I'm not part of the town, not born to be king.

Just somebody hopelessly in-between.

He's the scholar, athlete, poet.

I'm the screw up," he sighed. "Don't I know it. But then who could ever compare?

Of course they're gonna think I'm just the spare…

Well, I won't care!"

At this point, he had slipped through the servant's door and into the secret passages within the walls.

"So I'm the extra button on a coat

In case another one comes loose.

But if I have to be a button

Why can't I be a button that's of use?"

He ran around the corner and nearly ran into Maudie, carrying fresh white sheets. "Oops!"

"Careful, master Henry!" she scolded. "Oh, you're all filthy. Get up to your room and clean yourself up!"

Grinning, Hiccup continued running down the halls, gaining confidence.

"I may lack style and I may lack grace

And once in a while I fall on my face

But this little button deserves a place in the sky

This button wants to fly…" he yelled as he burst into his room.

"Wait, buttons can't fly, doesn't make any sense!"

Laughing, he tore away the rustic garb and splashed water over his face.

"So I'm a rusty horseshoe hanging up

Over somebody's old barn door

And I'll be hanging there forever

Just wishing the horse had one leg more.

And maybe I can't be the perfect one

And maybe I err on the side of fun

But horseshoes need a chance to run somewhere

This horseshoe is more than just a spare!"

Now clothed, he ran out to the balcony and looked out to sea longingly.

"Someday I'll find my thing

A thing that's all my own

That thing that makes me part of something, not just all alone

If only all this feeling I have in my heart

Could mean something to someone, how I'd love to play that part!"

He scaled the column onto the roof, hanging onto the spires like he used to do with Jack and Rapunzel.

"So I'm just the second born brother

Who most of the town ignores

Like a button, like a horseshoe

Like a boy who's bad at metaphors!

Maybe I don't have a magic touch

And maybe I don't have a talent as such

Just this heart with much too much to share…"

He slid back down to the balcony and ran to the door, ready to take on anything.

"So I'll never be the heir, but I'm more than just a spare!"

Rapunzel opened the door and they nearly ran into each other, squeaking in surprise.

"Whoa! Um, hi," he said awkwardly, hoping she hadn't heard.

But she was smiling sweetly. "It's fine, don't worry about it. It's just, um, time for dinner."

"Oh. Thanks."

"Maudie refused to tell you, she says you nearly ruined her sheets a few minutes ago."

"Ah. That. Didn't really think about the consequences there…"

"What were you doing in the servants halls?"

"Um…trying to avoid being seen while I was covered in dirt?"

"Oh, yeah, of course," Rapunzel said sarcastically. "Obviously that makes sense." They walked for awhile in awkward silence. "Hiccup, I'm sorry if I haven't been there for you recently. I know we used to have a lot of fun together."

"And Jack."

"And Jack," she added sadly. "So, I'm sorry."

"Well, maybe we could spend some time together tonight," Hiccup suggested.

"Oh," Rapunzel looked taken aback. "I would, but…I'm leaving."

"Again?"

"Yeah. There's a party for all the princesses in the region. Princesses from DunBroch and Corona, and I think there's one from Berk, too. Anyway, mother thought it would be nice for me to go. It establishes good relationships."

"Makes sense, I guess," Hiccup shrugged, frowning a little. "How long will you be gone?"

"A week," she said, avoiding his gaze.

"Oh. Ok. Have fun then."