Author's Note: Right, so I have a lot of stuff to say, so bear with me! This story has breached the 500 review mark and it is all because of you readers! You readers are awesome! I have even received some artworks!
One is from DracoWolf316. You can find his artwork at deviantart /art/Touh-the-Sky-451351966?ga_submit_new=10%253A1398973048
The other is from Titania-queen-of-fairys. Her artwork is used as the cover! You people are awesome and I am unworthy!
YouNameIt: She might.
Guest (who suggested Jelsa fic): Probably not, because I don't have the feel for Jelsa. Not that I hate them or anything…it's just…
Thespurgin: There is such theory? I honestly didn't know about that. I decided to give more utility to Elsa's powers because I want to make it a bit different. In fact, I'm going to make other power users to be able to have the different kinds of utility, depending on their imagination and will.
Now, there are something strange in your reviews about the previous chapter regarding the subject of lemons. I found out that you, the readers are mostly perverts! What kind of lemons were you guys thinking about actually? It certainly isn't the lemon that I'm thinking of.
I mean, in the previous chapter Elsa and Hiccup was about to cook dinner and last time I check, the fruit lemon is a cooking ingredient.
So yeah…
Also, some readers told me that they preferred it if I put a warning when I want to start using lemons…so…here goes.
WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTENT WILL HAVE LEMONS AND HOT COFFEE! FOR THOSE THAT DO NOT LIKE LEMONS OR HOT COFFEE, JUST READ ON BECAUSE IT'S NOT LIKE I'M FORCING YOU TO EAT AN ACTUAL LEMON OR DRINK HOT COFFEE WHEN YOU READ THIS CHAPTER. ALTHOUGH IT MIGHT TRIGGER YOUR BRAIN TO REMEMBER THE TASTE OF LEMON OR HOT COFFEE, WHICH IF IT DID HAPPEN, I AM TERRIBLY SORRY!
Just kidding! Explanation is on the second author's note below.
CHAPTER 15 – His Story Part 1
"So how many lemons do you want in this?" Hiccup asked with a knife in his left hand that was hovering over a lemon.
"Just two is enough," Elsa said, watching over Hiccup as he was making their salad dressing. Hiccup nodded and sliced the lemons in half.
"Because it takes two to tango!" Hiccup said with a grin. Elsa smiled and lightly smack his arm to make him focus. Since the both of them were going to contribute to the dinner, they had agreed on each of their roles in the kitchen.
Hiccup offered to make the main dish of steak since there were plenty of meat in the icebox. Elsa agreed although she didn't mind on whatever that Hiccup wanted to cook. Luckily for her, the stock of whole fish will be used for Toothless. She would have to talk with Kristoff about stocking up on only whole fishes and not a single fish fillet.
That leaves Elsa to work with the side dish and dessert which Elsa was glad for. This was because she was proficient at making side dishes and desserts but not so much with the main dish, especially the ones that require meat. Most of the meat that she cook was rather…underwhelming to say the least.
Of course, Elsa's work was supposed to be very easy since she already had made her stock of salad dressing and dessert and stored the icebox. Imagine to her surprise to find that it was gone.
The only suspect that came to her mind was either Kristoff or Anna.
It wasn't much of problem anyway since they were easy to make. It also turned out to be blessing in disguise as Hiccup was interested in her recipe for the salad dressing. So, in order to remember it, he offered to make it himself with her guidance.
The recipe was honey-lemon salad dressing.
"The recipe is simple. Squeeze the two lemons into the cup, put some salt and pepper," Elsa instructed and Hiccup followed it mutely. "Pour one third of olive oil and one third of honey. You don't have to put the honey if you don't like it or you just want a stronger lemon taste. Oh and you can also put in some hot sauce if you like it spicy,"
Hiccup nodded. "Now, you can transfer them in a salad dressing bottle," Elsa said and Hiccup looked lost. The item in question was nowhere in sight.
"Oh my! I forgot! Sorry," Elsa sheepishly said and conjured a salad dressing bottle made from one of her unusual ice crystals. Hiccup shook his head with a smile and he did what he was instructed.
"And now you're done!" Elsa said and clapped her hands together. Hiccup smiled.
"That was easy," Hiccup said and looked at the salad bottle.
"Now don't forget to shake it well before using," Elsa reminded and Hiccup nodded. "Oh and in case you forgot…" Elsa said and with a swirl of her hand, Hiccup felt changes to the side of the bottle. He turned it around and found the recipe etched in different colored ice to make it visible, along with the reminder to shake it before usage.
Hiccup raised an eyebrow and whistled. "That is handy!"
Elsa smiled and felt a bit proud. "It's yours to keep,"
Hiccup smiled. "Thanks. Can't wait to try it,"
Elsa clapped her hands again. "Ah yes! We have the salad dressing, now we need the salad!" Elsa said and began to work on the salad on the counter. Hiccup followed her and placed the salad dressing on the counter. He then took the frozen steak and frozen bread from the counter to examined it.
"It's going to take a while to thaw the meat," Hiccup said. "And wouldn't the bread be soggy after it thaws?"
Elsa didn't say anything but just waved her hand at the frozen food. In an instant, it defrosted and left no trace that it was even frozen in the first place. Hiccup whistled again and Elsa smirked.
"Can I ask something? It's about your powers," Hiccup said as he lightly marinate the meat with just salt, pepper and olive oil. Elsa who was preparing the salad, stopped what she was doing. "I mean, it's fine if you don't want to talk about it,"
Elsa pondered for a moment. There was a high chance that they were going to talk about each other's past and her's was heavily linked with her powers. It was inevitable, so she might as well tell Hiccup everything…well, not all.
"It's alright, I don't mind," Elsa said and Hiccup was silent for a moment before he asked.
"Your powers…it was made public, especially to the rest of the world, right?" Hiccup said and Elsa understood what he meant by the world; the other nations. Elsa nodded. "So, how was the response?"
"It was…not what I had expected," Elsa started and she resumed her work on the salad. "The public opinion of Arendelle was mostly positive, to my surprise. There were some complaints here and there but it wasn't as bad as I expected,"
Hiccup nodded and Elsa continued. "About the rest of the nations, they were harder to handle. Arendelle is a small kingdom such that we barely exist in the map of the big nations. Then suddenly, we just pop out,"
"And not in a good way I suppose?" Hiccup asked as he prepared the meat.
"I would say it is a good and bad thing," Elsa answered. "It is good because the increased attention at least brought more trade to Arendelle. It is bad because…"
"The other nations are afraid of you," Hiccup said.
Elsa nodded. "I received a lot of letters from the other nations. Some ask what my intentions are, some ask for alliance and among others,"
Hiccup then took a pan and gave it a look over before he shrugged and place it on the stove. Surprisingly, the pan made from Elsa's ice didn't melt. "How is that bad? I mean it seems to me they were asking rather nicely,"
"It's true, they did ask nicely but…for how long? I know that they did it because they were afraid of my reaction if they didn't do it nicely. But what happens when they decided that I'm not worth being afraid of anymore?" Elsa answered.
It was a funny thought. She hated being afraid by others and yet, on the world stage, it could be useful.
Hiccup touched the pan and almost burned his finger from the hot ice-pan. He quickly drew it away and shook his hand a few times.
"And I even received letters from the…unsavory ones. Some claim that I am not my father's daughter, that I am a product of sorcery, a deal made with the devil and so on," Elsa said as Hiccup poured some olive oil into the pan.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Hiccup said and gave her a sympathetic look. Elsa smiled at the gesture.
"It's nothing that I can't handle. I'm used to it," Elsa said and Hiccup smiled. He then took the steaks and placed it on the pan and it sizzled wonderfully.
"You know, had my powers were not revealed, I would continue isolating my kingdom from the rest of the world," Elsa continued.
"Well, lucky for me that you didn't do that, huh?" Hiccup said and Elsa smiled.
"What about you? Would you continue with your isolation?" Elsa asked and Hiccup sighed.
"Yes and no. I'll let my people sail away from my kingdom for trading and other purposes but I'm afraid I can't let foreigners into the kingdom," Hiccup answered and Elsa raised an eyebrow at him.
"I won't keep the existence of my people a secret any longer but I still want to keep the dragons a secret for as long as I could," Hiccup said.
"But how?"
"Well, I'm thinking of controlling the goods that can be exported. Absolutely no dragon products such as eggs, meat, horns and others. Those that want to venture outside of the kingdom would also need to make a vow of secrecy about the dragons," Hiccup answered.
Elsa gave him a skeptical look. "It's not going to be foolproof,"
"I know, but it's better than nothing right? It is either that or complete isolation," Hiccup answered and Elsa nodded.
"How long do you think that you could keep the dragons a secret?" Elsa asked.
"It depends. The most optimistic I could give is a hundred years," Hiccup answered.
"That's…quite a short time. I mean, the book said that your village has existed for seven generations and that is more than a century," Elsa said and Hiccup sighed as he checked his steaks. He then added more ingredients to pan which went unnoticed by Elsa.
"True but we're living in changing times. Humans have existed for thousands of years and back then the rate of progress is slow. Now however, everything seems to be accelerating quickly, especially when it comes to war," Hiccup explained and Elsa nodded.
She understood as Arendelle's army was rather outdated compared to other nations. The larger and stronger nations has moved on to firearms and had almost phased away the non-firearm weapons such as crossbows. A large part of Arendelle's army was still use them.
"So what happens then after a century?" Elsa asked. Hiccup was silent as he took out the steaks and placed it on a plate.
"At that time, the concept of dragons as effective war assets is laughable. Trying to use them for war would be like bringing a knife to a gunfight," Hiccup said and Elsa raised an eyebrow.
"Are you saying that…"
"Yep, by that time, we humans would have invented weapons of war that are better than dragons. Weapons that could fly faster and higher than dragons could and carry more devastating weapons," Hiccup explained and Elsa paled for a second at the thought.
It was funny and scary thought. Of all the creatures in the world, even with dragons, in the end, it was the humans that would become the worst thing around.
"Still, in a way, it's a good thing because then world wouldn't want to use them as weapons anymore. It still won't stop them from wanting the dragons for other purposes, however," Hiccup shrugged.
"Such as for sports? I know that humans have hunted animals to extinction just because for the thrill of it," Elsa said and Hiccup nodded.
"And for their products such as the horns, tusks, meat and others. I've known cultures that have superstitious belief about the health benefits that you could get from consuming the products of exotic animals," Hiccup added.
"Hmm, but what about the Vikings? They use dragon horns for their helmets," Elsa asked.
"The horned helmets are…you could say a relic when we're still fighting the dragons. I'm trying to phase it out though. Besides, those horned helmets were only useful when fighting against dragons. When angled right, it can prevent a dragon's jaw from closing in your head. That and gives a scare factor against the dragons," Hiccup explained.
Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Why is it only useful against the dragons? Why not against other humans as well?"
"That's because humans can grab the horns and…you get the idea. Our horned helmets are easy to knock off in case that kind of thing happens," Hiccup said and Elsa nodded in understanding. "Well, the steak is ready!"
"I'm just about done as well," Elsa said. "Now, that leaves the drinks," Elsa then went to the storage cupboard to see their choices.
"Let's see, we can have tea, hot coffee-"
"Hot coffee?" Hiccup said. "You like hot coffee?"
"No, not really. I'm more of a tea and hot chocolate person. Do you like it?" Elsa asked, eyeing the beverage. Anna was also the same as her, preferring hot chocolate over coffee. This makes it likely that it was Kristoff that put the coffee there. Unfortunately, her stock of hot chocolate was depleted, most likely because of Anna and Kristoff didn't replenish it!
Hiccup chuckled. "Not by its own. Either with lots of milk or sugar,"
Elsa smiled and she went towards the icebox to look for other beverages that might be in store. "Do your kingdom have coffee?"
Hiccup shook his head. "Nope. We caught wind of it when Trader Johann brought it. He thought that it might be a hit with the Vikings but the black color and bitter taste was a turn off. That and it makes certain people hyperactive,"
Elsa knew what the certain people meant. "Trader Johann?"
Hiccup nodded. "He's the very few traders that were brave enough to get into the Viking Archipelago before the kingdom was formed. And he's still among the very few traders allowed to get in,"
Elsa nodded and found chilled water and juices in the icebox. There wasn't any wine in the castle at all as Elsa didn't want to get drunk and risk losing control of her powers. That and it wasn't a good idea to consume it right now even if there is any.
"We have chilled water and juices and I can make cold tea or coffee with milk. What would you like?" Elsa offered.
"I guess juice would be nice," Hiccup said and Elsa nodded as she took out the juices.
"Alright, I believe we have everything ready!" Elsa said and Hiccup smiled.
…
"This is good!" Hiccup commented on the salad and Elsa smiled at the compliment.
"Thank you. Your steak is delicious as well," Elsa said. The both of them decided to just eat at the kitchen counter instead of at the dining hall. It was a quite a refreshing pace for Elsa.
Hiccup thanked at the compliment as well before turning towards Toothless. "How about you bud? Enjoying your meal?"
Toothless growled happily in reply as he devoured the raw fishes prepared for him. Elsa smiled at the interaction and she was secretly glad that the stock of whole fishes has been depleted. What she didn't know however was that Hiccup has saved one for a special occasion he had planned.
"If I may be so bold, may I know about your story, Hiccup?" Elsa started, causing Hiccup to look at her. "I would like to know more about the enigmatic-"
Hiccup choked on that part. Elsa patted him on the back and hand him a glass of juice. Hiccup accepted it gratefully.
"-Viking King who is also the Dragon Conqueror and I find that your book was a bit lacking in the finer details,"
"Wow, um, enigmatic? Me?" Hiccup almost stuttered and blushed a little at being called that. "Well, if I spill the beans then I wouldn't be enigmatic and mysterious anymore, right?"
"Hmm, that is true. However, as much as I like a good mystery, I like solving it more. Isn't that the same for everyone?" Elsa said with a small smile as she slowly brought a piece of steak into her mouth. Hiccup gulped at watching the display before replying.
"That's true as well. Alright, so if I tell you my story, you'll have to tell yours as well," Hiccup said and Elsa nodded. "So where to start?" Hiccup looked away and stabbed at his last piece of steak as he pondered where to begin. "I lost my mother ever since I was a baby,"
"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that," Elsa offered her condolence. She too, lost her mother but not as young as Hiccup. Still, she didn't expect for the story to begin sadly so quick. Hiccup waved it away however.
"Nah, she's not dead. In fact, we got her back when I was 19," Hiccup said and Elsa almost sweat dropped.
"I don't understand," Elsa asked and Hiccup chuckled.
"I'm not good at telling the story of my life," Hiccup sighed and ran a hair through his hair before trying again.
"Well, my mother, Valka was abducted by a dragon during a dragon raid when I was still a baby," Hiccup began. Elsa only nodded in response. "Ever since then, it has always been me and my dad, Stoic the Vast for 19 years,"
"Your father didn't remarry?" Elsa asked and Hiccup shook his head.
"There's only one woman in his life and heart that he could take as his wife. Besides, he didn't believe that my mother could have died that easily. Looks like his belief paid off in the end, huh?" Hiccup said rather sadly and Elsa understood why. It wasn't that Hiccup resented the fact that his father chose not to marry another woman and gave him a mother but rather, it was a reflection of his own situation.
How Hiccup lost Astrid, how he believed that she was still out there, alive and was waiting for him to find her and how there could only be one woman in his life that he could love as wife.
Like father, like son.
"It must be hard, to live without a mother for such a long time," Elsa asked and Hiccup shrugged.
"It is. My dad didn't know what to do with me most of the time back then. It's hard for him to do it alone. It's not like he was being selfish by not…finding a replacement. He did try but he just couldn't. He blamed himself for the disappearance of my mother," Hiccup explained.
"And seeing another woman becoming my mother when it should be her…or thinking that when she did come back and suddenly found herself replaced…" Hiccup continued and Elsa nodded.
It would feel like the greatest betrayal. Still, it didn't change the fact that Hiccup was deprived of a mother for most of his life.
"That and there's not a lot of woman that can stand my dad," Hiccup grinned.
"I understand, but…I'm sorry to say this but it wasn't just about him or your mother, it was about you as well. I understand that it was a hard thing to do, but to deny you a mother when you were so young…" Elsa voiced her thoughts.
"Eh, I didn't mind. I mean, I did mind back then and have wished many times that I could have a mother but…everything turned out alright in the end," Hiccup shrugged. Elsa wanted to argue but Hiccup didn't give her a chance. "If anything, I'm lucky. Sure I have to wait 19 years, but I got my mother back. Most don't have that luxury,"
Elsa closed her mouth and looked away. She was fortunate for most of her life even though it wasn't as happy as she had hoped it would be. It was still more than most would get.
Hiccup noticed the growing discomfort and decided to continue with the story. He chuckled before continuing. "I was the odd one in the village. Do you know that the name Hiccup was also given to the litter of the runt?"
Elsa turned to him again. "That's a cruel thing to do!"
"Well, depends. It doesn't always mean that and I'm sure parents didn't name their children that just for spite," Hiccup said and Elsa gave him a curious look.
"And you were named Hiccup because?"
"My mother would often had hiccups when she was pregnant with me," Hiccup smirked. "It got so bad that she foiled a dragon raid because they were scared of her hiccups,"
Elsa gave him a disbelieving look. "You're bluffing!"
"That's what I was told," Hiccup said and Elsa giggled. "Besides, the name wasn't so bad. If anything it has sort of a…dual nature to it. A Hiccup can either do great things or bad,"
"Like what you did?" Elsa smiled and Hiccup shrugged.
"I'm sure the name Hiccup would be very popular in the future," Hiccup smiled. "Besides, we Hiccups tend to be smarter than your average Vikings,"
"Oh? Are you speaking only about yourself?" Elsa asked with a grin and Hiccup returned it.
"Well, we have Hamish the Second. His name wasn't Hiccup but he's still a hiccup. He made a puzzle so hard that many Vikings lost their limbs, life and sanity trying to search for it. Heck, it almost cost my dad his friendship with his best friend, Gobber," Hiccup explained. "I solved the puzzle of course, because only a hiccup can solve it,"
Elsa giggled. "Sure, I believe you. Still, I hope that you won't name your son Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Fourth,"
"Naw," Hiccup waved. "I'd give him a much cooler name like…Souleater or Stormdrinker or-"
Elsa gave him a serious look. "It's fine to name dragons that but you are not, under any circumstances, to name your children that!"
"Er…okay?" Hiccup nervously said under her glare. "Alright so, moving on! So like I said, I was the odd one in the village,"
"How so?" Elsa gave him a curious look.
"Well, my father said I had the attention span of a sparrow, that I would go looking for trolls instead of fishing-" Hiccup said and Elsa looked away for a second which was unnoticed by Hiccup. "-and I suck at being a normal Viking,"
"Of course since you were a Hiccup," Elsa smiled and Hiccup returned the gesture.
"It's true. It was hard for me to do the usual Viking stuff. I couldn't fight properly, I was-still scrawny-"
"Oh, hush! You're bigger than Tuffnut," Elsa cut in and Hiccup paused for a second before nodding in agreement.
"Well, I was back then," Hiccup continued. "Essentially, I couldn't do what a normal Viking could, no matter what or how hard I tried. I also have a different mindset. I think and perceive things differently, although I tried my best to think like the rest of the Vikings,"
"I don't think that it is your fault. Not everyone is the same. Different children requires different approach," Elsa said with a firm conviction. Hiccup smiled, it was exactly what he thought.
"That's true. But they didn't know any other way back then. My father also didn't know what to do with me and he figured out that I could be more productive by helping Gobber with blacksmith work. It turned out for the best in the end since it made me into what I am today," Hiccup gestured to himself and Toothless.
"I couldn't lift a sword back then, so I decided to make devices that would do the lifting for me. I couldn't destroy things with a sword or axe, so I decided to make things that would do the destruction instead," Hiccup continued and Elsa gave him a curious look before asking.
"But…why? I mean, you said that you tried to become like the rest of the Vikings, so I figured that you wouldn't give up on doing things like them. Why would you do it differently?" Elsa asked.
Hiccup was silent for a moment. "I've…come to terms on what I couldn't do. So I focused on what I could instead. It helped that I sort of have a one-track mind at that time. I thought that the Vikings wouldn't care how I accomplish things,"
Elsa gave him a sympathetic look. "You couldn't do things like them, so you did it your way and hope that in the end, they would accept you?"
Hiccup gave her a sad smile. "Pretty much,"
"It must be hard, to live that way. To try and be someone else that you're not, to try and fit in even when you couldn't," Elsa said.
"Didn't you try to live that way as well?" Hiccup replied and Elsa's eyes widened in surprise.
"I…I suppose," Elsa said and looked away.
Hiccup decided to continue. "Anyway, it turns out that even my way was…very hard to accept back then. My devices turned out to be way more destructive to the Vikings than the dragons! I was lucky that I'm the son of the chief. If not, I might have been banished!" Hiccup chuckled at the thought.
Elsa didn't think that it was funny. Even when Hiccup tried to be himself, it turned out to be worse than the Vikings. Just like Elsa. Even when she tried to be herself, she ended up doing more damage. Her running away from Arendelle during the Great Freeze was a testament to that.
"Why? Why would you continue doing it even though…"
"I don't know any other way," Hiccup simply said. "It's either to be myself or a Viking. I don't know what else I could be,"
Elsa stared at Hiccup's eyes sadly. It was such a sad predicament. Elsa knew that Hiccup couldn't be a normal Viking, yet at the same time, his own self wasn't accepted by them back then. It was just like her own situation. She could never be a normal person just by birth alone and it was hard for her to truly be The Snow Queen if she wants the world to accept her.
"It was funny really. I wanted to fit in by trying to proof that I could kill a dragon. I jumped at the chance to kill one," Hiccup said and Toothless gave him a sad look. Hiccup chuckled. "That was back then, buddy," Hiccup scratched the top of his head and Toothless purred.
"It was that drive that made me shoot down Toothless," Hiccup continued. "Of course, it was nighttime then and Toothless was almost invisible during dark, so no one believed me. It didn't helped that I destroyed most of the village, as usual,"
"So I immediately went searching for him as soon as I got the chance. It took a while but I found him in the end," Hiccup said and Elsa nodded. She know this part from the book. However, the book told that Hiccup chose to release it with the intention of training it. From what Elsa have heard from Hiccup, it doesn't seem that way.
"I found him and I was excited at first. I mean can you imagine it? I've failed and ridiculed so many times and no one believed what I could do. Now, after all that, I've done it! I've succeeded!" Hiccup said in a rather excited tone. "I could finally prove my worth! I could prove them that I wasn't Hiccup the Useless!"
Elsa's eyes widened in surprise. She didn't expect this reaction from Hiccup. Of course, she could relate. After having all those crushing defeat and to finally experience your first victory…the feeling could be overwhelming. She would know. After all, she sang on top of a mountain while creating an ice castle. She did not expect the nickname, however.
"So…what did you do?" Elsa asked. She already knew the answer since Toothless was still alive but she needed to know personally from him.
"Well, I approached him and I was about to kill him with the puny knife I had with me. But then Toothless opened his eyes and looked at me. That was the turning point," Hiccup continued. "Have you seen this guy's eyes?"
Hiccup gestured to Toothless large eyes and Elsa nodded. "They're rather large, aren't they? Like a mirror,"
Elsa then understood what Hiccup meant.
"You saw yourself when you look at him," Elsa said and Hiccup nodded.
"I saw a lot of things. I saw a dragon that was just as scared as I am. I saw myself holding the knife, ready for the kill. Seeing that reflection of myself was…it's like…trying to commit suicide by stabbing yourself with a knife in front of a mirror," Hiccup said and Elsa gave him a weird look.
"That's…unsettling,"
Hiccup nodded. "But it's true. I know it's strange, watching you try to kill yourself but that was how I felt and saw myself at the time. I was watching myself holding the knife and at that time I understood what would happen. If I kill Toothless, I wouldn't have just killed a dragon, but myself. I would cease becoming Hiccup The Useless…I would finally be Hiccup The Viking…"
"But you didn't," Elsa said.
"I couldn't because of fear at that time. Turned out fear has its uses, eh?" Hiccup said with a grin and Elsa returned a weak smile. "So I released him,"
Hiccup smiled fondly at Toothless, who smiled in return. "He tried to fly away at that time but couldn't because his tail fin was clipped when I shot him down," Hiccup gestured at the prosthetic tailfin.
Elsa nodded, finally knowing why Toothless was in such a condition. "He was stuck in a cove and it became sort of his cage for a while. I returned, because of my curiosity to study him. After all, there wasn't any records of a Night Fury before,"
"It was during that time that I learned a lot about the dragons. I then decided to help restore his flight capability again seeing that it was my fault and he looked really glum at that time," Hiccup said and Toothless snorted and smacked him lightly on the head.
"It's true! You looked so sad back then! You were even jealous of a small bird!" Hiccup chuckled and Toothless growled again.
"Whatever you say, bud," Hiccup replied and Elsa could only guess at the conversation between the two. "Anyway, my dad had me enrolled in the dragon training program at the same time. Well, it was a different dragon training back then. We learned to kill, not to ride them,"
Elsa nodded. "You should see me back then. Before I met with Toothless, I was barely able to fight against a dragon! Then I applied what I learned and managed to subdue them almost effortlessly," Hiccup said and Elsa tilted her head.
"How?" Elsa asked.
"Well, most dragons are afraid of eels and they really like a certain type of grass. It's like catnip to them. Scratch them at just the right spot and they'll fell asleep," Hiccup explained and Elsa nodded.
"I see. I find it strange for such powerful creatures to have such…peculiar attributes" Elsa said and Hiccup shrugged.
"That's their charm," Hiccup replied. "Anyway, back to my story, my popularity skyrocketed and I became the talk of the town, much to her chagrin,"
Elsa's eyes widened and Hiccup nodded.
"Astrid. She was super competitive. Top of the class, the only one that's serious and competent enough about dragon killing. Can you imagine being in her shoes? I used to be at the bottom of the class and ended up being in her way most of the time. Then suddenly, the position changed! I could take down dragons without using weapons at all. Although I would say that my smarts is my weapon,"
Hiccup smirked and Elsa shook her head with a smile.
"Anyway, I felt weird back then because it was what I always wanted. What I thought I wanted. I wanted to fit in, to be accepted by the Vikings and they almost did too," Hiccup continued. "It was then I realized something. Remember when I said that I hoped that I could become like them using my own way?" Elsa nodded. "Well, that was the case. I couldn't take down dragons using the conventional method but I could using my own way,"
"But to truly become like them…all I had to do…was to kill a dragon. And at that point, it was easy for me to kill a dragon. I could kill a dragon," Hiccup said sadly.
"But you wouldn't," Elsa said.
Hiccup smiled weakly. "At that time I wouldn't,"
'At that time?' Elsa thought. She then remembered what the twins had told her and she understood.
"Vikings on dragons versus the other Vikings on dragons,"
"I learned a lot about them. I learned that they weren't the vicious, blood thirsty creatures we always thought them to be. I learned that we can coexist with them just fine," Hiccup continued. "Unfortunately, I wasn't able to communicate properly with my dad and…we have stubbornness issues,"
Elsa raised an eyebrow and Hiccup avoided her eyes and looked sheepish. "I wasn't very good at communicating back then, okay?"
Elsa nodded. "So I decided that it was easier for me to just run away with Toothless and leave forever. I finally decided that I want to just be myself," Hiccup said and Elsa looked surprised at this. She didn't know about this.
"Well, can you blame me? Dragons are much easier to deal with than people," Hiccup reasoned and Elsa could agree on that. After all, she too ran away from others during the Great Freeze.
"I guess that's why my mother preferred the company of dragons than humans," Hiccup said. Elsa raised an eyebrow but didn't ask any further because she didn't want to interrupt the story. "I almost made it too, if it weren't for Astrid,"
Hiccup chuckled at the memory. "She was the only Viking that was suspicious of my rise to fame. So she decided to follow me to learn my secret. She failed a few times but on the day that I want to leave, she found the cove where Toothless was,"
Elsa could only imagine how it went. "It went just as you expected. The Viking girl that was hell bent on killing dragons met with one of the most dangerous dragons in history. Luckily no one was hurt. We managed to disarm her and she ran away to tell the others,"
"I was sure that there was no hope anymore for me in the village. What would happen if the Vikings were to know that I've been lying to them? They were expecting me to kill dragons but instead, I'm siding with them," Hiccup continued. "Fortunately, Toothless here had a different idea. I don't know why he decided to go after Astrid but I'm glad he did,"
"I think he just wants to "remove the threat"," Hiccup said and Toothless shrugged.
"Anyway, we flew after her, pick her up and put her on top of a tree. I wanted to explain but she didn't want to listen, so I said that I'll show her instead," Hiccup said with a smile as he remembered the fond memory. "She was reluctant of course, but she didn't have much choice, so she accepted,"
"Toothless of course, decided to be difficult. He flew around like a deranged dragon," Hiccup said and Toothless growled in reply.
"I know it worked but that's one heck of a first impression!" Hiccup replied and Toothless growled again.
"Figures," Hiccup said and Elsa wondered what the conversation was. "Anyway, Toothless scared her and she apologized. Only then Toothless decided to play nice. We gave her a…I guess, a flight to remember,"
'Just like mine?' Elsa wondered and felt a flash of pain in her heart. Could it be that she was retracing the steps of Astrid?
"She changed her mind about dragons after that. Of course, things got complicated when Toothless brought us to the dragon queen's lair," Hiccup continued.
"The Red Death," Elsa said the name with a whisper and Hiccup nodded.
"It turns out the dragons has been stealing our food to feed her since she was too lazy to do it herself, which was a good thing actually. If they didn't do it, then the Queen would come out from the nest and raze whole islands. Heck, if she were to come out any earlier, there wouldn't be any Berk and who knows where she would go from there," Hiccup explained and Elsa involuntarily gulped.
She could only imagine the sight of a flying mountain capable of releasing a torrent of flame closing in on Arendelle…
"The queen noticed us and we barely escape with our lives. We returned and Astrid decided to tell the village about it. I disagree since that means the Viking would want to go after the nest which would require Toothless. I know what would happen," Hiccup said and Elsa have a surprised look on her face.
"So did you ran away then?" she asked and Hiccup chuckled.
"No. Running away wasn't in my mind anymore after that. I just told her I'd think of something, that I'll tell my dad differently. I want to show them that dragons aren't what we thought about them and we can live with them. After all, if I can convince Astrid, surely others would be easy, right?" Hiccup explained.
"Of course, I was wrong. The next day was my final test to see if I can truly be a dragon slayer. My father who was away searching for the nest during my rise to fame, didn't know of my methods. He panicked when he saw that I discarded all weapons and armor and approached a Monstrous Nightmare, one of the most dangerous dragon known. He thought that I was being suicidal, so he interrupted the test," Hiccup continued.
"Of course, it all went downhill from there. The Monstrous Nightmare panicked and becomes too aggressive to calm down. Toothless heard the commotion from far and came to save me from the dragon. In doing that, he was captured by the Vikings. My father learned of the truth. To say he was disappointed was an understatement because he disowned me," Hiccup said without a hint of sadness in his voice.
Elsa's eyes widened in surprise. "That's…that's a horrible thing to do!"
Hiccup shrugged. "People tend to make bad choices when they're mad, scared or stressed. I know I've done it before,"
Elsa was silent for a moment. She wasn't truly innocent in that part as well, but still to that extend! "But…that's too far!"
"Perhaps, but I can understand his position. Those that lead has to make tough choices. He has to choose between his people or family," Hiccup said.
"But, if he listened to you it would benefit everyone!" Elsa argued.
"He didn't know that for sure. It wasn't a guaranteed success so he had to choose between what he felt was best at the time. Besides, he-no, the Vikings has been fighting the dragons for most of their life. Dragons were the problem. Then suddenly, somebody said that they could be the solution instead? If someone said that one of the solution to your problem is something that you would never do, would you do it?" Hiccup explained.
Elsa tried to speak but closed her mouth again before she found the word. "It was...it seemed like the most logical choice at the time,"
Hiccup nodded and Elsa sighed. She wondered, what would her father do if her powers truly went out of control? In fact, she has experienced one of the measures to stop her, the shackles that were used to imprison her during the Great Freeze.
And what was worse…she later found out that that wasn't the worse-case-scenario solution they had prepared.
"Anyway," Hiccup decided to continue instead of suffering the silence. "Toothless got caught and was used as a way finder for the nest. I was banished and had to stay on the island with the rest of the children. I didn't know what to do at that time. I could only watch the ships sail away, knowing that they won't return. My father, my friend, my people…"
"Then Astrid managed to knock some sense and crazy in me. I got to my feet again and the rest is just like in the book. I helped my friends bond with their dragons, we flew to the dragon's nest, saved Toothless, my father realized his mistake, we made up, Toothless and I fought the Queen and we saved the day," Hiccup finished. He was lazy to go into detail about the fight with the Red Death because there wasn't much to it that the book didn't cover.
"So let me get this straight...you chose to be yourself, to hold on to your values and do what you think was right," Elsa asked and Hiccup nodded. "In the end, you are the one that changed the Vikings, not the other way around,"
"Yeah, pretty much," Hiccup shrugged.
"That's inspiring," Elsa said with a smile and Hiccup returned it. "Anyway, about the presentation of your story...it had a good start, but there's hardly any climax at all! For someone who had been through a lot of exciting adventures, I expected at least some action sequences! And the ending, urgh! It was rushed!" Elsa said in a playful mocking tone.
"Well excuuuuse me Princess-"
"Queen," Elsa corrected with a smile and Hiccup eye rolled in response.
"Well excuuuuse me again, My Queen. I'm a man of action, not words," Hiccup replied.
"Well, unless if you want to reenact your past, then you'll have to do better with your words," Elsa countered.
"Says the one who hasn't tell her story yet," Hiccup pointed out. Elsa smiled before she answered.
"All in due time. Besides, you haven't finished yet. I believe that you still have more stories to tell. After all, isn't that just the first part of the tale of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock The Third?" Elsa countered again.
Hearing this, Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't mind telling Elsa his story since she seemed to like it very much. "It's going to be a long night then,"
"Well…we could have some hot coffee. I heard it's good at keeping people awake and alert," Elsa offered.
"Sure, why not," Hiccup shrugged.
Elsa smiled as she started to work on the coffee while Hiccup washed the dishes. Hiccup has a very interesting life, perhaps more so than others she had met so far, including herself. And because of that, he has a lot of interesting stories to tell.
Elsa loved stories since she has read a lot of them during her isolation years. It was her way of escaping into worlds and adventures far beyond the walls of her room. Furthermore, hearing it being told was much more interactive, fun and interesting than reading it. Secretly, the passive Elsa, now having tasted a slice of adventure in her life, found herself wanting for more.
Still, as she thought about it, that was all she had been doing, reading and listening to the stories of others. After all, they were more interesting than her own. How could the story of her adventure during the Great Freeze could ever compare?
Elsa thought about it sadly. That adventure and the one she had with Hiccup would probably be the only adventure she would ever had in her life.
Little did she know, the story of The Snow Queen would be just as adventurous and perilous as the Viking King's in the future. After all, her adventure would decide the course of the world.
Author's Note: Did you guys see what I did with the lemons and hot coffee? Ehehehe.
So! Explanation! The thing is, I know what kind of lemons you guys meant. The lemon question I asked in the previous chapter was actually, a prank/social experiment. What do I mean by this? Well…
It was a prank because it's a play at the meaning of the "lemons". Yes, I know what kind of lemons you guys were thinking and I was counting on that to make it work. You see, when I finished the previous chapter, I had no idea what to write on the end author's note when suddenly the cooking part clicked to me to use the lemons.
It was a social experiment because I want to know your thoughts on the subject of "lemons". It was "testing the waters," kind-of-moment, so to speak. The polls I've set up shows that a lot of voters want lemons. Most of the reviewers also want lemons BUT you want it to be done tactfully in sense of proper timing and…how much lemons I'm going to use. Which I agree, if I ever decide to use lemons.
You see, I've already decided long before that there will be implied sexual content in the future of the story. However, on the subject of whether said sexual content should be thoroughly described…well, so far I'm still on the fence. But don't worry, said sexual content will be very far in the future. You guys will be informed when it starts to get a little...lemony.
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