This chapter is so long and I have so many mixed feelings about it! It has been a horror to write and now, I am just publishing what I think is the best I can come up with! Also, somehow, I have lost my beta, but I have really tried to be thorough as I have edited this chapter, hopefully there aren't to many misspellings, but considering I have changed it a millon times, there probably are some!
Laidyx: Haha, you know there must be some tension for a coming chapter, this chapter however ends on a little friendlier note. I love your ideas for what could happen in this chapter, hopefully Astrid will hold herself in line, or at least we can hope that Elsa is wise enough not to fall for her tricks ;)
Comet Moon: I'm happy that you seem to like it, it's always so fun to hear from a new reviewer!
Noctus Fury: All I can say is, this chapter is walking on thin eyes as you will notice! I am so happy that you liked how I brought in Rapunzel and Eugene. Ohh the poor maids, I almost feel sorry for them! I can only imagine living in a castle with Hiccup and Eugene, they are not going to be staring at the clouds for a while haha! ;D
5.
As Elsa walked through the castle, everything she had ever learned about Vikings rushed through her mind. Anna had shared as much information on the Vikings as she had been able to after her visit on Berk, now Elsa only hoped that the friendly impression her sister had gotten would turn out to be correct.
After all, looking through all the old records on Vikings in the royal library, a very different picture had been painted of these people. There they were described as savages and conquers, known for burning cities to the ground, slaying children, kidnapping women and stealing gold. However, the last record of Vikings in Arendelle had been a spotting 200 years ago, so the records were very outdated.
Hopefully this meant that their culture indeed had evolved into the friendlier society which Anna had described.
What worried Elsa the most though, was the fact that the Vikings would bring dragons into her kingdom. This had been the greatest surprise that Anna had brought back with her a year ago. For hundreds of years, dragons had been believed to be extinct, killed off in a time when they had been hunted down fiercely. But not only had Anna told Elsa that the dragons were alive, they had also been thriving alongside the Vikings of Berk for many years.
The relationship between the Vikings and the dragon had fascinated Elsa enormously when Anna had told her about it. Apparently the two races had been at war for as long as either race could remember, but something had changed which had caused their relationship to change drastically.
When she had asked her sister, Anna been a little uncertain exactly what had happened, but she had known that it was Chief Haddock and his dragon who had been the main reasons for the change.
This had awoken another worry in Elsa, for what kind of man was able to tame a dragon? Who was this Chief Haddock who had managed to end a war which had been going on for generations?
All she could imagine was an impressive giant of a man, with a huge beard and a helmet with massive horns attached to it. This was, after all, how most Vikings had been described in the books she had read and she really had nothing else to compare to.
Of course she could have asked Anna what Chief Haddock looked like, her sister had even told her when she got back from Berk. At that point though Elsa hadn't paid the information any attention, simply because it had not interested her. Now she thought it would have been wise to at least know what to expect.
When Elsa finally reached the courtyard, she had to stop just outside of the castle doors as she took in the sea of people who had gathered there. They were all whispering and pointing towards the sky where tiny dots could be seen near the northern mountains.
A cold feeling settled over Elsa as she realized this meant that the Vikings probably had passed by her own palace of solitude. This however was not the moment to fear that Marshmallow had somehow noticed the three guests passing or not, and she pushed the thought back to worry about another time.
"Kai!" She called, and at once the captain of Elsa's personal guard stood next to her. The man had been with her since she was a child and he was one of the few people she fully trusted.
"Yes, your majesty!" He said, looking at her with eyes which betrayed his own nervousness at the coming guests.
"I want the villagers out of the courtyard. The dragons will never be able to land and I want our first encounter with the Vikings not to be displayed in front of my people." She said with a voice which, to her relief, sounded as firm and strong as she wanted it to be.
"You wish me to call on the guards to lead them out?" Kai asked.
Elsa thought this over for a second before shaking her head.
"No, just make sure I get some attention." She said.
Nodding his head, Kai waved to the guards around the courtyard, who all nodded in his direction before three of them went to ring the great old clock which was used to call upon the attention of the people. Soon the sound of the clock echoed over the courtyard and the people of Arendelle became quiet, turning towards the stairs where their queen stood.
"People of Arendelle, I understand that you are just as curious about our new guests as I am! After all, it has been many years since our land was visited by Vikings and dragons. Despite this, I ask of you that you still your curiosity a little longer and allows them to settle in in peace. They have traveled far and they will most certainly be tired from their journey. Therefore, you must allow them some room, at least for the moment."
There was no room for compromise in Elsa's voice and even though the words were kind, everyone could hear the power behind them. Most of the spectators felt that it was no room for argument and left immediately, trusting in Queen Elsa's judgment. Only a few people tried to stay behind, but were quickly, and firmly, guided out of the courtyard by the royal guards.
"Close the gates, I don't want any surprises at the moment." Elsa said to Kai, who was still standing next to her, and he signaled to the two guards by the gates to close them. The two nodded their heads and closed the gates with combined forces.
"Thank you, Kai." Elsa said, and the captain bowed his head before stepping back a little, still standing close to his queen.
"You know; Chief Haddock is really easy to get along with. It will go well. Besides, if it doesn't, you can just send an ice blast at him." Anna said, trying to ease the tension somewhat. But as Elsa simply sent her a harsh look, she knew her attempt had not been very successful.
"Or we could just send Olof and Sven after them." She therefore added, this time getting a small smile from Elsa who shook her head a little at her words. Happy that she had gotten a response, Anna took Elsa's hand and gave it a small squeeze, telling her sister it was going to be fine, before letting go.
Up in the sky the three dragons were now circling above them, getting ready to land. When they had circled a few times, all three of them began to descend from the sky.
Getting closer to the ground, the dragons and riders readied themselves for the impact, all three of them landing smoothly on the stone covered courtyard. The Vikings took in the high walls surrounding them and were slightly curious about two large structures in the middle of the open space. The two structures were shooting water high into the sky only for it fall into a pool again underneath.
Standing on solid ground for the first time in almost a day, the dragons took a few steps to get used to hard ground before standing still so that their riders could get off. Hiccup detached his prosthetic leg from Toothless saddle and changed it so that it would be more comfortable to stand on before he jumped off of Toothless.
When he landed on the ground, Toothless nudged him in the side affectionately and in return Hiccup patted his dragon as he loosened the reins on his saddle a little, discreetly taking in their surroundings as he tried to ignore all the eyes he could feel staring at them.
Meanwhile, Elsa took in the sight of the three Vikings and their dragons from her place on top of the stairs. To anyone around her, she was wearing the unreadable expression she so often wore in her role as queen and it was a mask she had mastered long ago.
Elsa could see that all of the Vikings were wearing light armor around their arms and legs, something that worried her slightly, but she also noted, with surprise, that only one of the men could be described as unusually large.
The huge man was the one farthest to the left and he was also the first to take off the helmet that covered his face, only to, to Elsa's amusement, replace it with another that had two tiny horns attached to it. The man was of normal height, but had a very broad and round build. His hair, which stuck out from under his new helmet, was blond.
The man appeared to be talking affectionately with his dragon who, ironically, was of a very round build as well. The dragon had an orangey color and looked strangely compact, almost more like a flying boulder than a dragon, and its wings were strangely small for its size.
As she watched the man, something about him made Elsa certain that this man was not Chief Haddock. She therefore turned her attention to the Viking farthest to the right who had just turned in their direction.
To her surprise Elsa saw that this rider was a woman. Anna had told Elsa that women had a very different role in society on Berk and yet, it was strange to see a woman standing equally next to two men.
The woman appeared to be the same height as the blond man and she was watching them with calculating, piercing dark blue eyes. She had a lean build, but her calm and firm stance showed that her body was stronger than it appeared. In other words, Elsa did not doubt that the knife and axe in her belt was not there for show.
The woman was, just like the man, blond and her hair was up in a long braid which fell down her back. Overall, despite the slightly harsh, cautious expression on her face, she was a true beauty and Elsa noticed how many of the younger guards were throwing threw quick glances in her direction.
Not that Elsa blamed them, this woman was exotic compared to the maids they usually met and she was radiating with confidence. That she was dressed in a short skirt and a strange fur-hood probably only added to the appeal.
Her dragon was also, ironically, very similar to its rider. Its scales were light blue, with sharp spikes on its head, back and tail which gave it a terrifying impression. It was also the largest of the three dragons and looked almost bored as it took in its surroundings.
"The man to left is Fishlegs and the woman is Astrid, Chief Haddock's right hand." Anna leaned over and whispered to Elsa, wanting to see if her sister would react to the information. Elsa, however, simply nodded her head in thanks before she let out a small breath and began walking towards the the three Vikings.
As they walked over the courtyard, Anna noticed how Elsa seemed to flow over the ground majestically, the perfect picture of royal grace. Behind her sister, Anna suddenly felt clumsy and out of place, something which she always had a tendency of doing next to Elsa, especially when her sister fully entered her role as Queen. For where Elsa had always been tact and grace, Anna had been clumsiness and giddiness.
Before the thought even had time to take root though, Kristoff suddenly took her hand in his and gave her warm smile. As he looked at her, Anna could see that in his eyes, she was perfect and the feeling of not being enough died as quickly as it had appeared as her heart swelled with love. When Kristoff had learned to read her so well she didn't know, but she nevertheless loved him for it.
The group finally reached the Vikings just as the man in the middle took off the helmet that covered his face and he ruffled his hair as he fastened it to his dragon's saddle. He then turned in their direction and when he did, Elsa was, with one word, surprised.
Chief Haddock appeared to be in his mid-twenties and he was easily the tallest of both the Vikings and her own group. He had a very lean build compared to the other Vikings, even the woman. His left leg ended in a strange metal prosthetic which Elsa had to force herself not to stare at, knowing it was highly inappropriate. As he moved however, Elsa could not help to be impressed at his fluid and agile movements. It appeared the leg didn't bother him at all, making her wonder how long he had lived with the prosthetic.
Also unlike the other two Vikings, his hair was dark brown and unruly. It was a little longer than Kristoff's, which meant it was a length you never saw on the average noblemen, and, despite herself, Elsa found that she liked the fact that Chief Haddock differed from the boring nobility.
However, it was his piercing green eyes that caught her full attention. They were a dark green color she had never seen before, and they were just as impossible to read as her own.
In three words: Elsa hated them.
The color itself was beautiful, mesmerizing even, but one of the talents Elsa most relied on was her ability to read other people, and this was the first time she had come up completely blank which frustrated her slightly.
Overall the Chief could not be described as beautiful, nor dashing as Eugene, but Elsa would lie if she did not admit that the Viking Chief could, perhaps, be seen as appealing. At least in a "ruff" sort of way which was very uncommon among the men she met daylily.
The dragon standing next to him was the most catlike of all the dragons. It was pitch black and while it did not have spikes like the blue dragon, nor a huge mazelike tail as the orangey one, Elsa felt that the Chief's dragon, just like its rider, was simply a creature that did not give up his secrets so easily.
As she inspected the dragon it suddenly turned its own attention to her and met her eyes. As she met its eyes Elsa felt herself grew cold inside as piercing green eyes, nearly the same color as the Chief's, stared back at her. Not only was the likeliness uncanny, but as the dragon stared at her it was with an extremely intelligent and calculating look which told her that this creature was not simply a common pet. This was a person in its own, and it was highly aware of everything that went on.
The dragon then sniffed a little in air, his eyes never leaving hers, and it was not until Chief Haddock put his hand on its neck that it seemed to relax a little. The dragon looked up at him and blinked once before its eyes landed on Elsa once more, but this time its eyes were not as hard. Instead there was a curiosity in them as it kept on staring at her intensely.
As a natural response to her own discomfort, Elsa felt her power rise within and swirl underneath the surface, ready to deafened her should anything happen. But at the same moment her power rose within, the dragon once again smelled in the air as its eyes narrowed slightly. Its curiosity now mixing caution once more.
Telling herself that nothing would happen, Elsa managed to calm the cold flowing in her veins and as a result, the dragon immediately seemed to relax again, though it still looked at her with caution.
With surprise Elsa realized that the dragon was somehow able sense the power she carried within and, to her frustration, she could see that Chief Haddock had noticed his companion's odd behavior as well. His eyes traveled between his dragon and Elsa before they finally landed on her, still unreadable.
For a moment they simply stared into each other's eyes. She could see that the Chief was taking in her appearance and she wondered what he was thinking. What had he expected? Was she as he had imagined her? Or was she a surprise to him just as he had been to her?
For a few more seconds they both tried to read the other without success before Elsa decided to break the silence.
"I am very happy to finally meet you in person, Chief Haddock." She finally said in fluent Norse, and for a moment the Chief simply stared at her before an appreciative gleam appeared in his eyes and the hint of a smile grazed his lips. It surprised her how such a small change suddenly made him seem much more approachable, and how that in turn made her feel more at ease.
"As I am to finally meet you, Queen Elsa." Chief Haddock said, as he took a step forward and held out his hand for her to shake.
His gesture caused most of the guards around the courtyard to tense up as they stared at the Chief with anger. Any other guest, no matter his position, always bowed to the queen as they greeted her. They were after all guests in her land, and to bow was a clear sign of respect for her generosity. That the Viking Chief would suggest that he and their queen should shake hands, as some kind of equals in her own kingdom, was an insult of the highest degree!
The Vikings noted the tension the second it appeared and Astrid discreetly put her hand on the handle of her axe while Fishlegs looked around cautiously, both of them ready to act in case anyone would try to make a move towards Hiccup.
But the tension dropped quickly as Queen Elsa simply looked down at the Chief's outstretched hand, a small smile on her face, before she took his hand in her own without any hesitation. Neither one of them cared about the surrounding tension as they shared a firm handshake, looking into each other's eyes with hints of appreciation.
In Elsa's case she felt respect towards the Chief for having decided to treat her as he would have treated any other equal in his own culture. In Hiccup's case, he liked how the Queen so easily had accepted and seemingly understood that his actions, indeed, was a clear sign of respect since he was choosing to treat her as any leader within his own society.
As they shook hands, Elsa noted how her small soft hand was a stark contrast to Chief Haddock's rough one. His hand revealed that this was not a man who simply sat in a room delegating orders, he had to be a part of the daylily life on Berk, something she thought told a lot about his character.
"You have to excuse my guards Chief Haddock; they simply love traditions at times." Elsa said with a polite smile as they let go of each other, both relaxing a little for the first time. Chief Haddock nodded, seemingly appreciating that she had chosen to not ignore the tense moment.
"There is nothing wrong in wanting to defend the honor of their ruler." He answered calmly, a hint of challenge in his voice. This time it was Elsa who nodded instead, knowing he was referring to the fact that Astrid just now had dropped her hand from the axe in her belt, looking as tense as ever.
"None at all. In fact, I find that loyalty is the highest praise one can get." Elsa said to him honestly. "Now as far as introductions go, I know you have already met my sister Anna and her fiancée Kristoff." Elsa said, deciding to change the subject, waving her sister and Kristoff forward.
"I think I remember somewhat. It's good to see you again Princess Anna." Chief Haddock said, and this time a genuine warm smile spread over his face as he shook Anna's hand as well. But despite his warm smile, Elsa noted his eyes were as unreadable as before, telling her that he was still on his guard.
"Somewhat? Trust me, you are very well remembered on Berk after your punching impression Princess Anna." The woman, Astrid, spoke up for the first time, a grin on her face as she nodded towards Anna in greeting. Her comment, which was met with a glare from the Chief, caused the man named Fishlegs to chuckle and despite his glare, The Chief seemed to hold back his own laughter as well.
Anna on the other hand blushed fiercely as she avoided Elsa's questioning look.
"We are both very happy you could come, Chief Hiccup." Anna said instead, smiling at the Vikings, as Kristoff shook the Chief's hand, Elsa noticing that Kristoff put more pressure behind it than needed.
"I hope everything is well with Mr. Snotlout Jorgenson?" He asked with a harsh tone. This time Chief Haddock didn't even try to hold back his grin as both Astrid and Fishlegs burst out laughing.
"His nose is forever crocked, but otherwise he's fine." Chief Haddock answered as he winked at Anna who had an innocent look on her face, her cheeks once again turning a little red as she smiled back at the Chief.
Elsa on the other hand felt very confused and for a moment she looked between Anna and Chief Haddock before she felt dread fill her. He could not mean that Anna had….?
"Anna, don't tell me you did what I think you did!" She exclaimed with disbelief, not caring that this was not the time for a confrontation as Anna met her sister's eyes for the first time.
"What? It's not like I really hurt anyone! I mean his nose did break but I didn't mean to hit him on the nose! It just happened to, you know, be in the way. Besides, he was being very clingy and Chief Hiccup has already agreed that he had it coming." Anna said, having the decency to look embarrassed.
Elsa threw a glance at the Chief who gave her an amused smile in return and Elsa decided let go of the subject since he, indeed, seemed okay with what had happened. At least she would let it go for the moment.
"She did all of Berk a favor, Thor knows how many times I have wanted to punch that self-absorbed dumbass in the face myself." The woman, Astrid, said as she walked up next to Chief Haddock and gave Anna a pleased smile.
"So pushing him off a cliff and nearly braking his arm doesn't count?" Chief Haddock said, smiling down at the blond woman as she scoffed, Elsa watching them with interest.
"Doesn't add up to all the times I have wanted to punch him!" She said, turning to Elsa with challenging eyes as she folded her arms over her chest, showing clearly she was not going to give Elsa the respect of shaking hands. "I am Astrid by the way, the Chiefs right hand and his closest friend. This is Stormfly, my dragon." At the last part she nodded in the direction of the blue dragon who was now inspecting one of the fountains.
"It's nice to meet you both, you are very welcome to Arendelle." Elsa simply answered, keeping her hands folded in front of her as she met Astrid's eyes without backing down an inch. This was her kingdom and even though she was not going to demand respect from anyone or force them to follow Arendelle's customs, she was not going to show politeness to someone who didn't show it in return.
Simply put, Elsa didn't care if she was liked or not. If someone disliked her, she was not going to put her energy into changing their minds. After all, tolerating the presence of people she disliked was something she did daylily. Not that she disliked Astrid, it was still to early for that.
"Thank you Astrid." Chief Haddock said with an annoyed look and an edge to his voice Elsa knew very well, for she herself used when she wanted to remind someone of their place without making it to obvious. At his words, Astrid to looked up at the Chief with fierce eyes, and for a moment it looked as if she was going to say something. In the end though, she simply gave him a sour look before she stalked away to her dragon.
When Chief Haddock turned back to Elsa, he looked slightly apologetic.
"Sorry about that, Astrid is… well she is Astrid. Now, this is Toothless." Chief Haddock said, gesturing to his own dragon who slightly nodded his head in Elsa's direction and she did the same. "And this is… Sharpshot!" Chief Haddock said the name with a harsh voice as a flash of green was suddenly heading towards Elsa with lightning speed.
On instinct Elsa rose her hands to deflect whatever was approaching, but before she had the chance to do anything the flash was already sliding into a stop by her feet. A tiny dragon looked up at her with yellow eyes, sniffing at her dress.
Around her chaos started to spread as all the guards took to their weapons, ready to come to the aid of their queen. But uncertain of how to act without hurting her, they thankfully didn't rush forward. Instead they looked at Kai to see if he would get her out of danger so they could attack the beast.
Kai on the other hand, who had forgotten all about his troops, drew his own sword, ready to rush forward and kill the attacker. But just as he was about to leap forward to defend his queen, he was halted in his step as she held up her hand towards him, telling him to stop.
For a moment, Kai wondered if he should disobey her orders to stop, but as if knowing what had crossed his mind she threw him a harsh look. Reluctantly, Kai therefore took a step back and put away his sword he raised his hand to tell the other guards not to interfere at the moment.
Hoping the situation was not about to get out of control, Elsa turned her attention back to the small dragon on the ground. The little creature had now begun scratching at the hem of her dress while whining loudly.
"He wants you to pick him up." Chief Haddock said, looking calmly at the scene and Elsa had to admit she was impressed that he seemed completely unfazed by the fact that her guards had nearly attacked him. As she registered his words however, that thought quickly disappeared.
"What?!" She exclaimed, not able to hold back all of her distress as she looked at the Chief with huge eyes. In return he simply smiled at her, his obvious amusement not entertaining her the slightest and she couldn't help to glare at him a little. Thankfully, Chief Haddock appeared to be a smart man for he immediately composed his features once more.
"He wants you to pick him up." He repeated.
Elsa looked down at the small dragon who was now staring at her pleading eyes.
Deep inside Elsa knew that this was one of those vital moments where the foundations of a relationship could strengthen or crumble. She also knew exactly what she needed to do to win Chief Haddock's respect, no matter how much that frightened her and went against her instincts.
So after an encouraging nod from Anna, who had told her that the dragons were supposed to be friendly, and her own hope that Chief Haddock wasn't trying to kill her, Elsa pushed down her fear along with her power as she bent down and picked up the small dragon.
It surprised her how light the small creature was; it was no bigger than a cat, but still it felt a lot lighter. It was also strangely warm against her always cold skin and she could feel its warm breath as it smelled her hands with great interest.
Then the small creature suddenly began sucking on one her fingers and Elsa could not hold back the cold which escaped from her hands. The small dragon immediately let go of the finger, chewing in the air as it looked up into her scolding eyes.
To her surprise, as it met her gaze, it simply bent down its ears as if apologizing for its behavior and then curled up in her arms as it began to purr. Its scales were surprisingly soft and Elsa had to admit that it actually was kind of cute.
"You seem to be a natural with dragons Queen Elsa." At his words Elsa looked up at Chief Haddock who was looking at her with interest and a kind smile. Under his piercing gaze Elsa suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
"Thank you! So what was the name of this little dragon then?" She asked, looking down at the small dragon to avoid the Chief's eyes for a moment.
"His name is Sharpshot. He is my messenger dragon and a terror." Hiccup answered as he watched how Sharpshot laid contently in the arms of the Queen, looking around at everyone surrounding him. That the impulsive dragon had nearly caused a minor disaster seemed completely lost to him.
Still, for once, the terror's impulsiveness had not been a bad thing. Hiccup had noticed that Toothless had been, and still was, very curious about the Queen and now Sharpshot had shown an equal interest. It was strange to say the least and Hiccup could not help to wonder why his dragons were reacting so strongly towards Queen Elsa.
"And you train all of your dragons to deliver messages?" Queen Elsa asked, looking up at him again with curiosity as she scratched a happy Sharpshot behind one ear.
Once again, Queen Elsa surprised him with her openness, respect and seemingly honest interest about their ways of life and their dragons. Considering how Hiccup had imagined the Queen he would have thought she would look down upon their simple life since her own culture was so very differently advanced than theirs. But instead she seemed ready to embrace it with an open mind.
"No, just this type of dragon and not all of them can be trained, they are mostly too impulsive to rely on and they like to travel in groups." Hiccup answered honestly. Still he didn't want to share just how many hours of training that was really behind each terror capable of delivering messages and left that information out. But as Queen Elsa looked at him with a thoughtful and calculating look in her piercing ice blue eyes, Hiccup got the feeling she didn't fully buy his causal reply.
He had early on noticed how Queen Elsa seemed extremely good at reading people. Thankfully, over the years as Chief, Hiccup himself had become a master at concealing his emotions. The only problem was, Queen Elsa appeared to be even better at this game than he was and he never knew how much he was giving away.
"I see." Queen Elsa finally replied simply. "Well then, perhaps you should return to Chief Haddock now when we have said hello little guy?" She then said to Sharpshot who looked at her with defying eyes. A small purring sound could be heard from him and Hiccup, who recognized the sound, imagined how the terrible little dragon threw a small fireball at the Queen and the chaos that unfold.
To his surprise however, Sharpshot immediately stopped purring as the Queen simply threw him a challenging look. The next second he had left her arms and was soaring towards Princess Anna, landing on her shoulder as he took one of her braids into his mouth. At his behavior the princess simply laughed and happily scratched him under his chin.
This, however, turned out to only be a distraction as Sharpshot suddenly got a hold of the diamond ring on her finger and flew away with it in his mouth. For a second everyone simply stared after the small dragon before Kristoff started running after him.
"He seems like quite the handful." Queen Elsa said calmly as she took in the scene of Kristoff running after the small dragon.
To Hiccup's relief she didn't appear upset at Sharpshot's behavior, instead there was a small amused smile on her face, which grew when three of the guards joined in on the hunt as well on her captain's command.
Princess Anna was laughing loudly, clutching her sides as she cheered them all on and even Astrid was grinning widely as she looked at the stressed guards.
"If only handful would cover it." Hiccup answered with chuckle, happy that they had not brought Fishlegs' terror with them as well. "Toothless, perhaps you can help them out a little." He said to his black dragon, feeling a little sorry for the men hunting Sharpshot who was now sitting on top of one of the water decorations.
Toothless however simply gave Hiccup a look which clearly said he still found the situation to funny to anything just yet.
"Is there any risk for the ring to be permanently stolen?" Queen Elsa suddenly asked with a calm voice and Hiccup shared a questioning look with Toothless.
"None at all, he's simply playing around, he is still young." Hiccup answered honestly, wondering what the Queen was thinking.
"Well, then I see no rush to catch him. Princess Anna clearly doesn't mind so let him have his fun. Besides, my guards can need to get to know a dragon of his sort a bit more, I would not want them to accidently injure one in the future." She told him as new round of guards joined in on the hunt while the others were catching their breaths.
At her words, and her hint at their continued partnership, Hiccup couldn't help to grin at her.
"As you wish then, Queen Elsa. In the meantime, I can introduce you to the last of my company: This is Fishlegs, the man you have been mostly in contact with, and this is his dragon Meatlug." He said as the couple stepped forward. Hiccup noted how the Queen's eyes swept over the pair, taking them in just as carefully as she had done with all of them before her usual polite smile appeared once more.
"I have heard many positive things about you Master Fishlegs, my council and I are very impressed with your work." At her words, Fishlegs began fumbling with his hands as he turned a little red, looking everywhere except at the queen.
"Thank you madam, I mean my lady… uhm… your majesty." Fishlegs's stammered while Hiccup did his best not to say anything teasing to his friend. Next to him, Toothless was rolling his eyes at the man who was staring at Queen Elsa with a dazed look.
"If you wish to call her anything, your majesty is the best." Princess Anna said, having a huge smile on her face as she looked at Fishlegs with compassionate eyes, making Hiccup wonder how many men she had seen pining after her sister over the years, and just how many who had been able to do more than simply adore her from a distance.
As he took in Queen Elsa's kind face full of patience as she seemed to wait for Fishlegs to say anything more, Hiccup knew that this was probably a situation far from unusual to her. How many that had been able to get close to her however was impossible to say considering it was impossible to see if she was flattered or not.
Not that it was in any interest for Hiccup, after all the Queen's personal life was not for him to interfere with.
"You heard that Fishlegs? Or you can just keep on mumbling, that way nothing can go wrong can it?" Astrid suddenly said gleefully, breaking the silence as Fishlegs turned red with anger, and probably embarrassment as well. Hiccup sighed and was just about to interfere when Queen Elsa gave Fishlegs a kind smile.
"What title you choose to use is not of vital importance Master Fishlegs, I am not your queen and as I have been informed they are not commonly used on Berk. Now however I suspect you all would like some time to rest before tonight so perhaps you would like to see where you will be living during your stay?" Queen Elsa said, giving Hiccup a small nod as he sent her thankful look for her interference.
"Yes, thank you, that would be great." He answered, before Astrid or Fishlegs had the time to say anything.
"Wonderful! As your hostess I shall of course show you to the cottages we have prepared for your stay myself. Now, if you will just follow me." Queen Elsa said as she took the lead, Hiccup and Toothless falling in next to her, the rest following them along with five guards and the man who appeared to be their captain.
Their presence was not something which went unnoticed by Hiccup and he exchanged a look with Astrid who gave him a small nod as she kept a close eye on the men surrounding them. Knowing Astrid was on alert, Hiccup turned towards the Queen who walking calmly next to him.
"Do you fear to be attacked your majesty?" He simply asked, concealing as much of his own tension as he could. At his question, Queen Elsa simply gave him a polite smile as she looked at him steadily.
"My guards follow me everywhere when I leave the castle Chief Haddock. Thankfully, they have not needed to interfere so far." She answered calmly, but he could see a slight tension in her shoulders. It was almost as if she was expecting him to argue with her, and although Hiccup highly doubted that the Queen brought this many guards with her on a normal walk, he also thought it showed that she was a wise enough not to trust anyone before she had a reason to.
After all, only fools believed themselves to be safe from the dangers of the world, something that Hiccup himself had learned the hard way. As his dark thoughts entered he felt Toothless nudge him a little in the side and he sent his friend a thankful look.
As it turned out, the Queen was not leading them through the main gates, but through a smaller gate at the back of the open yard.
"I assumed that you didn't want to be displayed for all of Arendelle, at least not yet." She said to Hiccup as she saw his questioning look as they had walked through the gate, and once again Hiccup had to admit he was a little surprised at her consideration.
"The gate will be open for you during your stay here, but of course are you all very welcome to inspect the city if you would like." Queen Elsa continued as they walked into the forest.
"Thank you, I think Fishlegs will invade the town as soon as he is able to, he has been talking about nothing else the whole journey." Hiccup answered, hitting himself mentally as he saw how Queen Elsa threw him a cautious look at the word "invade". Hiccup was after all not unaware of his ancestors past.
"Well, I hope it will live up to his expectations." Queen Elsa said slowly. "As for your journey I hope it went without trouble. Was the map to any help?"
"It was; we never would have found our way without it, so it was very kind of you to send it." Hiccup answered, and at his reply the Queen gave him a small smile, seemingly relaxing a little again.
"I am happy it came to use. Of course I hope we will get the chance to discuss our partnership a little while you are here Chief Haddock. We are very pleased with it, but there are always matters which… Ah here we are." She exclaimed as the forest opened up before them, showing three small cottages. To each of them there was a windshield attached to the back.
"Princess Anna told me that your dragons prefer sleeping outside, but we added the windshields for them so that they can get shelter if the weather turns foul." The Queen said, gesturing to the windshields which indeed looked completely new.
"They would have managed, but they will like it. Thank you, it was very kind Queen Elsa." Hiccup said as the Queen smiled at him, and for the first time it was something close to warmth in it.
"If there is anything missing, just send a message with the boy who will come here in a few hours. He will lead you to the welcoming dinner which will be held tonight at the castle. There you will have a change to met the other guests. The boy will also instruct you should you have any questions about the event." Queen Elsa told him as Sharpshot suddenly came soaring through the air and landed on her shoulder.
A second later, a guard appeared and he barely had the time to come into a stop next to the queen when he noticed that the tiny dragon had taken refuge on her shoulder.
"My queen!" He exclaimed as he bowed deeply to her.
The Queen looked a little stunned at first, but then she smiled at Sharpshot who still had the diamond ring in his mouth as she threw an amused look at the nervous guard.
"Are you having some trouble catching this little guy Mr. Jacobsen?" She asked the guard who glared at Sharpshot. The dragon looking very innocent.
"He is quite the terror Queen Elsa." The man said as Queen Elsa, her glittering eyes gliding over to Hiccup who shrugged his shoulders.
"I told you." He said, smiling as the guard sent him a nervous look.
"So you did Chief Haddock. Well, perhaps you will have better luck next time Mr. Jacobsen." Queen Elsa said to the guard who bowed once more before retreating to the rest of guards who were watching the scene with grins on their faces.
"Now I would very much like for you to give that ring back." Queen Elsa said to Sharpshot, holding up her hand to him. The small dragon however simply avoided her hand and lifted into the air once more, ready to keep up the game he was playing.
To Hiccup's shock though, his dragon didn't come far as Queen Elsa rose her hand and waved it in Sharpshot's direction. As she did this, a gust of wind and snow appeared seemingly out of nowhere. It flew towards Sharpshot and threw the small dragon out of balance, giving him no other choice than to land on the ground.
Once he did, he shook off the snow which had stuck on his wings as he sprinted over to Queen Elsa and laid the ring by her feet before retreating up to his normal place on Toothless's back.
"Now that wasn't so hard now was it?" Queen Elsa said casually as she bent down and picked up the ring. "Until later this evening then Chief Haddock, Toothless and Sharpshot." She then said as she winked in their direction and threw them all an innocent smile before she turned and walked away, wishing his friends and their dragons' farewell as well.
Standing rooted in place the three Vikings were left to stare after her, Princess Anna, Kristoff and the guards with a mix of shock, amazement and disbelief.
"What… did she just… how…?" Fishlegs stammered as Hiccup and Astrid just shrugged their shoulders. Then Astrid suddenly tensed and her expression turned sour as she noted that one of the guards had stayed behind.
"Why are you still here?" Astrid hissed at the remaining guard while eying him angrily, causing him to swallow nervously.
"The queen wishes that all of her guests feel protected, my lady." He stammered as Astrid's eyes turned even darker at his poor choice of words.
"We are Vikings; we hardly need any protection! And don't you ever dare to call me a lady again! If you do, I will cut your leg off with my axe to show you just how much of a bloody lady I'm not!" She spat and with those words she walked away, Stormfly following her rider while chattering angrily. Fishlegs and Meatlug exchanged a look with Hiccup before they followed Astrid quickly as well.
Hiccup however was looking at the remaining guard, who was now wearing a very frightened expression on his face.
"You know what, I will give you some advice from a Viking to a non-Viking; never call the lady a lady. Especially considering she really is marvelous with that axe of hers." Hiccup said with a wolfish grin as he patted the guard on the shoulder. "Also, I cannot guarantee that our dragons will appreciate the company, they are quite territorial. But I suppose you will probably notice if they don't want you around." He added, as he walked past the guard who looked at him with wide eyes, his mouth opening and closing in fear.
As Hiccup walked towards the cottages, he chuckled a little to himself before his racing thoughts took over. Vikings believed in many mythical creatures, they lived with dragons for Odin's sake, but controlling the elements? That was a different story and it woke far too many questions.
First of all, what was Queen Elsa really capable of? Could the flawless ice palace they had seen be her creation? After all, did not an ice palace seem oddly fitting for a Snow Queen? And if she had created it, what more could she do?
But most importantly, what kind of situation had Hiccup led his friends into?
"You couldn't have been a bit subtler, and, I don't know, broken the news a bit more carefully?" Anna asked her sister as they headed back towards the castle.
"Anna, there is no way to brake the fact that a person can control ice and snow carefully. Besides, they need to know before tonight, everyone else already knows." Elsa answered.
"Perhaps, but there was no need to show off!" Anna huffed, looking a little thoughtful before she suddenly started laughing loudly.
"What?" Elsa asked her sister, wondering if the wedding nerves had finally gone to her head and driven her crazy. She became even more worried when Anna looked at her with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"It's just that we were worried about how the presence of just Eugene would rile up the female staff. Just wait till we have both him and Chief Haddock in the same room." She said as a huge grin spread over her face. Elsa stared at her sister for a moment before realizing she was probably right and she groaned at the thought.
"Dear God, they will try to eat each other alive just to get a glimpse of them! I am so happy the men servants are handling the dinners, otherwise we would have a civil war every meal as they all tried to serve either man at their table." She said, already thinking about the war which would, without a doubt, go on downstairs anyway. "I have to talk to Mrs. Tomson."
"I'm not so certain that will prevent a civil war Elsa." Anna said as she began laughing again, Kristoff joining in while Elsa just looked extremely tired, thinking about the extra work.
Behind the trio, all of the guards were doing their best not laugh at the Queen's obvious distress. Well, all except Kai. He simply sent them all a harsh look and told them that if they didn't wipe their grins off their faces, he would offer them up to Mrs. Tomson every time she needed help to break up any fights between the maids the coming week.
This caused all of the men to to turn ashen and their smiles were gone in a second. Turning forward, it was Kai who grinned instead, feeling very happy to know that for once, his troops would follow his every whim.
When he thought about it, the Vikings and the royal couple from Corona was allowed to stay in Arendelle for as long as they wished, he was not going to argue.
So that was one very long chapter! I really hope you liked it! Of course you have to tell me what you thought!
Did you notice any of the little hints I've dropped? What did you think about Elsa's way to "brake the news" and how do you think the Vikings will react? Also what did you think of little Sharpshot? Remember a review will make him very happy! ;)
Now I am going to bury myself in some more books! Until next time!
/Lysistrate