New chapter and it's long! What is wrong with me, why can't I write shorter chapters? hahaha

Anyway I am posting this so late at night, so there might be some errors (you know the usual drill by now ;) )
So it is finally time for you guys to find out: What is really going on with Hiccup and Astrid! I have gotten this question so many times and I have not wanted to spoil anything for I knew what was coming, and soon, so will you!

Laidyx:

Astrid is actually behaving better than I expected her as well, but she is still a Viking and anything can happen. So glad that you liked the long chapter, for here is another one! ;D

6.

Hiccup sat by the table, which was placed close to the fireplace in the small cottage, pushing a pencil back and froth between his hands, deep in thought. Toothless was laying on the floor next to him, sleeping, while Sharpshot occupied the bed.

A knock on the door brought him back to reality as Astrid and Fishlegs walked inside without even waiting for a reply. They had taken off their armor and, just like Hiccup, washed away the dirt from their journey. They had also changed into the Vikings more classical attire.

This meant that Hiccup and Fishlegs were both wearing long tunics that ended just above their knees and dark cotton pants. Fishlegs was also wearing his helmet and a belt around his round waist.

Hiccup was, as usual, not wearing a helmet, but he also had a leather belt around his waist to hold his dark red tunic in place. Unlike the other two Vikings, he was also wearing black armor around his forearms. The armor was made out of scales he had collected from Toothless over the years and the way it reflected the light from the fire made it look like as if there were hints of red and green in it as well.

To anyone who had never met a dragon, the armor could easily be mistaken for black opal, one of the most expensive gems in the world.

Astrid was dressed in the same way as she would have been if she had attended a party on Berk. She was wearing a dark blue short sleeved tunic which was tucked in under a dark grey skirt with short spikes and ended just above her knees. Under the skirt she wore black tights to cover her legs.

Years ago, the spikes on Astrid's skirts had been made out of metal, but just like Hiccup had created armor from Toothless hard, fireproof scales, she had over the years replaced the metal with spikes which she had collected from Stormfly. On her arms she had tied dark brown leather ropes in complicated designs.

"So, do our great Chief approve?" Astrid asked as she sat down in the chair next to Hiccup, looking at the drawing that lay in front of him on the table. It was an early layout for a picture that, when it was done, would become the city of Arendelle.

"As if you would change anything even if I said that I didn't." Hiccup answered, putting down the pen and smiled as Astrid picked it up instead while giving him a small grin as she began to fill out some of the lines on the paper.

"So, who is going to address the dragon in the room?" Astrid said, focused on the paper.

"If you refer to the fact that Queen Elsa apparently can control snow with a wave of her hand, all I can say is the obvious; We really need to find out more about her power." Hiccup said with a sigh as he leaned back in his chair.

"That's really all you have to say?" Astrid asked, looking up from the paper with a skeptical look.

"What more is there to say?" Hiccup answered as he shrugged his shoulders. "This was not what we expected and it rises many questions, but what can we do about it?"

"We can demand some answers." Astrid said fiercely.

"We could, but we are not really in the position to make any demands, not now at least." Hiccup said and he could see that despite she didn't like it, Astrid agreed. "Besides, Queen Elsa could have chosen not to show her power at all. Even if I think it's a statement of power, at least she is being honest with us."

"You know Hiccup, sometimes I think you would have fitted better as some kind of book or something." Astrid said teasingly, but at Hiccup's stern look she sighed. "Fine! I will not throw a tantrum or threaten anyone to say anything, at least not in a deadly way."

Despite her very vague promise, Hiccup knew it would have to do for now.

"I promise I will try to talk to the Queen about this, it worries me as well you know." Hiccup told her, putting a hand on Astrid's shoulder, and for a second, her hard facade fell and she gave him a thankful smile before a glint of mischief was born in her eyes.

"Or we could just send Fishlegs to dig a little, after all which woman can resist a man who is so stunned by her appearance that he is ready to worship the ground at her feet." Astrid said, smiling at Fishlegs.

"For your information, I was not stunned in any way. I simply forgot what title should be used since I was not expecting the Queen to be so… queenly." Fishlegs said, his cheeks turning a little red.

"Which was why you stammered like a teenager and turned as read as a Monstrous Nightmare as soon as she looked at you." Astrid grinned and Hiccup couldn't help to smile as well.

"Well, it is not as if my dragon attacked her." Fishlegs said, trying to turn the conversation around.

"Yeah, because when Sharpshot attacked her with all of his mighty dragon affection he managed to look completely spellbound." Hiccup said with his usual sarcasm, giving Fishlegs a pointed look.

On the bed, Sharpshot looked up when he heard his name, but as nothing seemed to be happening he went back to sleep once more.

"Still, according to the custom here it was very rude to allow him to attack her the way he did." Fishlegs said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Then why didn't you stop him?" Astrid retorted. "Besides the Queen didn't seem to mind so much, the way she looked at Sharpshot, she appears to be a real softy if you ask me."

"Well, I think she appears very kind and considerate. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go out and check on the dragons for a moment before we leave, I think I forgot to give Meatlug her goodbye kiss." Fishlegs said as he rose from his chair and walked out of the cottage.

"I will never understand the relationship between those two." Hiccup said as they both stared at the closed door.

"I don't even want to understand the relationship between them." Astrid replied with force.

After that, Hiccup and Astrid sat in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts before Astrid spoke once more.

"You haven't said what you think." She said to Hiccup.

"About what?" He asked, wondering what they were talking about.

"About the Queen of course! I mean it's not like we have to ask Fishlegs, he apparently already adores her." Astrid said as she began twirling the pencil between her fingers, an unusually causal expression on her face while her eyes were fixed on the painting in front of her.

"I think she appears to be a strong and smart leader. Her people really do seem to adore her and she has a huge amount of respect from her guards. Also, I think she seems to have an honest interest in our culture which I find as a very welcome surprise and, despite what you say, picking up Sharpshot proves that she is quite brave as well." Hiccup told Astrid honestly.

"Well, I suppose I can agree with that, but she is just so emotionless and perfect and formal!" Astrid exclaimed, a frown on her face.

"Well, this is a much more formal world, we knew that when we came here." Hiccup said, smiling a little as Toothless groaned happily and stretched out his body over the floor.

"I know that. But look at the princess, at least she is showing some emotion! I am not certain we can trust the Queen at all." Astrid said.

"To be honest, I'm not sure we can either, but at least Toothless and Sharpshot seemed to accept her despite her powers." Or they had accepted her for that very reason, Hiccup thought, his mind wandering to the bewilderbeasts. They were natural alphas amongst dragons and had the strange ability to create ice instead of fire. A power now shared with said Queen.

"Yeah, we can say what we want about your weird dragon, but he is usually right." Astrid said, Toothless opening one eye as he sent her a small glare at her backhanded compliment. "You didn't say what you thought about the queen though."

"I think I just did." Hiccup said carefully, still wondering where Astrid was going with her enquiry.

At his response she rolled her eyes, but didn't look up from the pencil she was still twirling between her fingers.

"I mean that I want to know if Fishlegs is the only one I'm going to have to hit in the head while we're here, or if I'm going to have to suffer as you both do puppy eyes at her." Astrid's voice was causal, but as Hiccup looked at her intensely he felt a knot forming in his stomach.

To say that his and Astrid's relationship had had a rocky start was an understatement, but since they were fifteen, he and Astrid had been best friends. They had had each other's backs and been endlessly loyal to each other, always supporting the others decisions.

Still, from the very beginning of their friendship, there had always been the hint of an underlying attraction between them. In Hiccup's case he had had a crush on Astrid for years before she even noticed him, but it wasn't until their friendship had formed that those feelings had begun to grow deeper, and soon he had noticed that, perhaps, Astrid could return them.

As the years had gone by they had grown closer and closer, and when they at nineteen had declared themselves a couple the only question anyone ever asked was why they hadn't announced it sooner.

But things had changed after his dad's death when Hiccup had taken over as Chief. As Hiccup had buried himself in work to push down his quilt over Stoick's death, he had had less time to spend with his friends. This, along with the fact that Astrid had been unable to understand why he couldn't let go of his guilt, had put a giant strain on their relationship.

Only three months after his father's death, Hiccup and Astrid gotten into a huge fight. Astrid had told Hiccup that he needed to man up and let go of his guilt, saying that he was being an idiot for not understanding he could not blame himself for Stoick's death forever when it had not been his fault. In response, Hiccup had told her that considering she could never understand any other person than herself, perhaps it wasn't a big surprise that she couldn't understand that sometime, people needed time to mourn, and that there were some things you could never forgive yourself for.

After those hurtful words, both of them had apologized to the other and they had both felt guilty for allowing their tempers to get the best them, but they had also decided to put their romantic relationship on hold for the moment.

That was now three years ago, and even though they had stayed the best of friends, trusting the other with their life, they had never tried to pick up the relationship that once could have been.

As Hiccup looked at Astrid now, he simply felt that despite all the years that had passed, he was still not ready to move beyond the simple relationship they now shared. To be honest with himself, he wasn't even sure that a new romance between them would even work out. Both of them had changed so much over the last years, and Hiccup still carried so much guilt, guilt he knew Astrid could never understand, nor accept.

And yet, Hiccup also knew that his feelings for Astrid had never truly died. Deep inside, the spark was still there. Over the years though, he had never gotten any real indication that she still felt anything for him as well, not until now.

"Well, unless you find another reason to hit me in the head, which I do not doubt you will, I can assure you that Fishlegs will be your only concern. Queen Elsa is a beauty, I would lie if I didn't say that, but unlike Fishlegs, I feel no need to turn red and stutter." Hiccup finally answered and Astrid turned to look at him again, now with a grin on her face.

"Oh, I do not doubt I will be able to find a reason!" She said as both began laughing only to stop quickly as they could hear a soft knock on the door. Sharing a questioning look with each other, they went to open it.

Outside stood a small, young boy. His hand was raised as if he had just been about to knock again and his eyes grew wide as he had to lean back his head to look at Hiccup. His face turned slightly red when the noticed Astrid and he quickly bowed to them both, his eyes now landing on Hiccup's prosthetic leg instead.

For a moment the kid just kept on staring before his eyes landed somewhere around Hiccup's middle.

"I have been sent to lead you back to the castle for the feast Chief Haddock, Lady Astrid and Master Fishelgs." He said quickly, throwing a quick look at Astrid again as his cheeks turned red once more.

"What's your name kid?" Astrid asked the young boy and he swallowed nervously.

"Fredrik, my lady." He answered.

"You know what kid, if I call you Fredrik, then you can just call me Astrid. I am not a big fan of the lady stuff you know." Astrid said, smiling down at young Fredrik who looked up at her in surprise.

"No one ever calls me by my name my lady, well, no one except Queen Elsa. All others only say "boy"." He said, looking a little nervous.

"Well, if you insist on using titles we will just have to call you Master Fredrik then." Hiccup said kindly to Fredrik, who looked up at him in awe.

"No, Fredrik will be just fine." The kid said, a huge smile spreading over his face.

"Good, then all we have to do is go and fetch Fishlegs, he is with the dragons. Have you ever met a dragon, Fredrik?" Astrid asked the boy, his eyes growing huge with excitement at the question. However, Hiccup noticed that his eyes also darted to Hiccup's metal leg.

"No I haven't, my la… Astrid!" He said, quickly correcting himself as a pleased smile spread over Astrid's face.

"Well, then I think it's about time you did!" She said, placing her hand on his shoulder as the trio went to find Fishlegs.

A warm summer breeze came in from the fjord, playing carefully with Elsa's dress. She was standing out on the balcony which was attached to her personal study and she felt herself relax a little as she breathed in the summer air.

Her study was one of the few places where Elsa knew she could find some solitude from the hectic life at court. Only Anna, Kristoff, Olof, Mrs. Tomson and Mr. Karlsson were allowed to enter the study without her permission, and out of those, only Anna had a tendency of bursting in without knocking.

In a way, it was quite sad how much time Elsa was forced to spend in here, but Arendelle was not going to run itself and her study was one of the few places she felt like she could think.

A new breeze came in, this time from the northern mountains and not from the fjord, and it brought with it a cold which Elsa felt herself welcoming more than the warmth. Breathing in the cold, she could feel her mind clearing and becoming more alert.

No matter how much Elsa loved the summer and the spring, she would never be able to deny that winter was her true element. Even when she was little, she had often chosen to stay inside the castle on the warmer days since she couldn't stand the heat. Of course, after the accident with Anna, Elsa had only ever left the castle on very, very few occasions at all, and never by choice.

As she remembered those years of isolation, and how light she had felt when she finally broke free, Elsa felt a small amount of panic rise within, knowing that her duties as Queen was now restraining her almost better than her parents had done all those years ago.

Pushing down the feeling, Elsa kept telling herself that she could never compare her life now with what had been, for no matter how little time she had for herself, she was happier now than she had ever been in her late childhood.

Taking one more deep calming breath, Elsa looked out over the landscapes around her.

Down in the harbor a ship was just about to dock and the city was full of life as her people was readying themselves for the end of the day. From the open windows below her, she could hear the familiar hum of voices coming from the quests and as she looked up towards the mountains, she could see three flying shapes over the forest.

Judging from their seizes, it could only be the Vikings' dragons. They appeared to be playing around with each other and Elsa could not help to wonder if Sharpshot was with them. Could he even play with the other dragons when he was so much smaller then them?

Then, out of nowhere, an image appeared in her mind of Sharpshot sitting in front of the other three dragons with a proud expression as they were all bowing down to the tiny green Terror.

No, that was probably a sight she would never see, Elsa thought with a smile. But still, who would ever have thought that she would see a dragon in her lifetime at all? Perhaps, nothing was impossible.

Loud laughter from downstairs suddenly broke her comfortable silence and Elsa sighed, recognizing the penetrating laughter of Lady Beltham. Lady Beltham was one of the women who was most fiercely trying to convince Elsa that her son was Elsa's best match. That Elsa didn't find her spoiled, pervert son, with a head filled only with sawdust, the least appeling seemed unable for Lady Beltham to understand.

And she probably never will if I do not marry, Elsa thought to herself as she held out her palm, conjuring up a large snowflake which she started to play around with. In reality, she was not up for a long dinner, full of polite smiles and politics. All she really wanted to do was sleep.

As she kept on playing around with the snowflake, she saw four shapes emerge from forest, the smallest one in front gesturing widely as it walked quickly.

Apparently little Fredrik had managed to fetch the three Vikings after all.

Elsa still was not sure what to think about the three Vikings. They all seemed hard as steel, Astrid without a doubt being the toughest, and it was obvious that they lived both a harder and simpler life than herself.

Still, Elsa could not deny that she was already feeling a huge amount of respect towards all of them. In Astrid's case, Elsa just knew that the woman had to be special, for no leader choose their right hand without careful consideration. That she had managed to attain the position as a woman was even more impressive, no matter how rude she seemed.

Master Fishlegs she already knew was a well-organized man, and from what she had not only learned, but also heard, he was a seeker of knowledge who could be a little nervous at times, but had a good heart within.

Then there was the Chief, Hiccup Horrendus Haddock III. He had been younger than she expected and seemed to be a very compassionate man, but he also seemed very intelligent. He was also the hardest for her to place, and Elsa felt that there was something about him that she yet was unable to see.

But then again, which nobleman or woman didn't have secrets? Chief Haddock was no nobleman, but he was a Chief, which meant that in her own culture he had the same status as a king. That he would not be good at keeping his secrets and intentions to himself was stupid to believe.

"Elsa, we need to get downstairs." Elsa jumped a little as Anna's voice brought her out of her thoughts and her snowflake dissolved into tiny ice crystals.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Anna giggled, joining Elsa on the balcony.

"I didn't hear you come in." Elsa answered, smiling at Anna who looked stunning in her green dress. Her hair had sunflowers woven into it and she was also wearing her golden tiara with emeralds.

"I am not surprised, you seemed very far away. Is there something you want to talk about?" Anna asked, her smiling face open and full of happiness.

"No, I just needed to clear my head a little." Elsa said, a comfortable silence falling between them for a moment before Elsa broke it.

"So?" She said with an unreadable expression.

"So what?" Anna asked, confused.

"So, you hit a man in the face, when you were on a political mission in a strange land?" Elsa said.

"Oh that…" Anna laughed nervously, knowing it had been stupid to believe Elsa would let this go, but as she looked away from her sister, she missed the amusement in Elsa's eyes.

"Yes that." Her sister said.

"Okay, I know it was stupid! But all the time we were there he was being clingy and really annoying! So this one night when he tried to kiss me I just…" Finally, Anna looked back at Elsa who was doing her best not to laugh. "You are not mad." Anna said in disbelief.

"I was a little shocked at first, and I really think you could have handled it differently, but considering the circumstances I must admit I probably would have done the same thing. Besides, the Vikings didn't seem to mind." Elsa said with a chuckle.

"You're evil!" Anna answered with a laugh as she nudged her sister in the side with her elbow.

"And now you are being hostile once more, were you raised in a barn or something?" Elsa laughed, avoiding Anna's light punch in her direction. "But honestly, you look beautiful tonight Anna." Elsa said as Anna's smile grew warmer.

"Not as beautiful as you though." She answered.

"I thought it was called beautifuller?" Elsa said teasingly, Anna rolling her eyes as she faked an annoyed expression.

"Right, how could I ever forget?"

"THAT is the question of the day, isn't it? Now, I think we have to join our guests. Shall we?" Elsa said, holding her arm out to Anna who took it with a huge smile, the two sisters leaving Elsa's study behind as they walked downstairs, together.

When the three Vikings entered the castle, all they could do was stare at the lavish decorations. Statues, paintings and hundreds of candles were burning to keep the castle lit. It didn't take long for little Fredrik to realize that his company was distracted by the very different interior and he found their slightly stunned faces a little funny.

Still, he didn't dare to say anything and allowed them to take in the castle in silence as he led them to a giant room where all of the guests had gathered before the dinner.

"I'm not allowed to go past the doors, but if you need anything, just ask the servants and they will help you." He said to the Vikings who all looked at him with questioning eyes when he stopped outside the doors.

"I see. Thank you for your help Fredrik, we hope to see you again soon." Chief Haddock said, Astrid giving him a wink while Fishlegs ruffled his hair on their way into the room.

When the three entered, for a moment all they could do was stare a little in wonder at the scene in front of them.

"Welcome to the world of dolls." Astrid finally muttered next to Hiccup, and he couldn't have said it better himself.

While both men and women dressed up to formal occasions on Berk, it was nothing like the spectacle before them. The women were wearing huge dresses in different pastel colors. On top of this, they were also wearing different jewels or diamonds. Most of them also wore white cloves that covered their hands and everyone had their hair up in different hairdos, some more lavish than others.

The men on the other hand were not much better, though they were a huge contrast to the women's colorful display. They all wore identical strange black jackets with white wests underneath and black pants. Around their necks, a white piece of cloth had been tied into a strange pattern. Some of the men also wore round gold medals on their jackets, or a cloth in the shape of a line which went over their right shoulder and under their left arm.

When the Vikings entered, they noticed how the room seemed to stop for a moment as all of the guests stopped talking before they began to whisper amongst each other. One woman sent Astrid a degrading look, which Astrid answered with a glare that caused the woman to take a step back in fright.

"They look like someone just plucked them out of a child's imagination." Fishlegs said with disbelief.

"More like out of a nightmare." Astrid scoffed as the Vikings noted a couple that was making their way through the crowed, both with warm smiles on their faces.

The woman was very petite and dressed in, to the Vikings surprise, a very simple blue dress. Her green eyes were shining with excitement and she was the only woman in the room with hair so short that it only went to her jaw. As she walked up to them, she almost seemed to be bouncing.

The man on the other hand was much calmer than the woman and of ordinary height. He also had brown hair, longer than most of the other men in the room, and small stubble on his jaw. He was extremely handsome and his smile showed perfect white teeth.

"You must be Chief Haddock, Astrid and Master Fishlegs! I am Rapunzel, Elsa's and Anna's cousin, and this is my husband Eugene." The woman, Rapunzel, said when the couple had reached the Vikings. She took a hold on her husband's arm as she spoke and he smiled down warmly at her before turning to the Vikings with a mischievous look in his brown eyes.

"We thought we could save you a little from the stares of the mob." Eugene said, everyone knowing that he was referring to the fact that most of the other guests now were whispering even more amongst themselves.

"We really don't care what they think." Astrid answered the man, looking at him with caution, trying to figure out if he was trying to trick them.

"Then you are wiser than any other person in this room I can tell you. But I do hope you will not drive us away Astrid, I was a thief before I married a princess, and despite her attempts to turn me around, I must admit that my less honorable side wants nothing more than to cause as much gossip as anyone possibly could." Eugene answered her with a wink.

At first, Hiccup thought Astrid would say something angrily, but to his amusement she blinked once, almost as if she had to collect her thoughts, before a smirk spread over her face.

"You know, I think we are going to get along pretty well, Eugene." She said as Rapunzel smiled widely.

"Looks like you have finally found a group of people who you will get along with then dear." She said to her husband who sent her a fake angry look. The love between the couple was almost radiating from them, and still, it was in a way that didn't become too much.

"You hurt my fragile heart." Eugene said, placing his free hand over his heart as he pouted slightly.

"You have trouble getting along with people?" Fishlegs asked him, but it was Rapunzel who answered instead.

"Eugene has a tendency of being a bit to honest for most nobles and along his old thieving friends he has not the best reputation. In fact, I get along better with the thugs than he does." She said with a smug smile as Hiccup tried to understand how this small woman, who apparently was also a princess, could move in those circles.

Apparently she was tougher than she looked.

"Oh come on! We have worked it out! I even invited them to our wedding!" Eugene exclaimed as Rapunzel simply laughed.

"Yes, but only after I forced you." She said before she turned to the now smiling Vikings once more. "So how is your impression of Arendelle so far?"

Hiccup, Astrid and Fishlegs all shared a look during which the latters made it clear that they wanted Hiccup to take this one.

"It's very beautiful and very different from Berk." He said simply since it was the most accurate description.

"A political answer, Elsa would have loved that, but still I am happy to hear your first impression has been good." Rapunzel said just as the door farthest into the room opened and all the guests started to move in that direction.

"They are opening the doors into the dining hall, just follow us and we will show you right." Rapunzel said, the three Vikings following the couple who seemed to be their new allies in this sea of nobles.

Just as they were about to pass through the doors though, a man dressed as most of the gentlemen stepped forward and stopped them with a smile on his face. His hair was graying on the sides and he appeared to be in his late fifties or early sixties.

"Ah, you sir must be Chief Hiccup Haddock III of Berk, I am the butler of Queen Elsa and I am very happy to welcome you to Arendelle." The man said with a bow to them all and as he looked at them, it was with kind eyes that held no judgment, making him the third person that night not to stare at them as if they were outcasts. The other two being Rapunzel and Eugene.

"And this I presume must be lady Astrid of Berk and lord Fishlegs of Berk." The man said, giving each of them a small bow as well. Hiccup could see that Astrid was dying to tell the kind man off, but throwing a look at Hiccup she simply crossed her arms over her chest and said nothing.

"Mr. Karlsson, Astrid here isn't someone who enjoy titles very much, so I think just using her name would be better. After all we are all too formal around here all of the time anyway, aren't we?" Eugene said, throwing his arm around the other man who looked highly irritated and removed Eugene's arm with all the dignity he could.

Looking at the pair, Hiccup got the feeling that this happened very often.

"I think the lady can speak for herself if she wishes to." Mr. Karlsson said, his tone very dry as Eugene simply grinned at him.

"Actually, I prefer just Astrid." The person in question said, sending Hiccup a happy smile as he smiled back at her.

"Hmm… then of course will I follow that wish, Astrid." Mr. Karlsson said, sending her a kind smile which was very unlike the stern one he had sent Eugene. "Now, I must just say that it is a great honor for Vikings to grace these lands. If you ask me, it has been for too long since anyone relied up anything around here." The last part he said so low only that only the Vikings and the royal couple could hear.

"But now I will show you to your seats, if you would please just follow me." Mr. Karlsson said before leading them into the room which was even more striking than the last one. Flowers decorated all of the pillars, and four long tables took up the huge hall. On these lay white linin cloths, on which there were porcelain plates, silver cutlery and crystal glasses.

"Here are your places for the night." Mr. Karlsson said as they reached the end of one of the two middle tables. "You will have the company of Princess Rapunzel and Prince Eugene all night. Let me also tell you that her majesty the Queen will be sitting just a few seats away from you, so these are some of the most valued places in the whole room. Should you need anything during the night, just ask one of the servants for me."

With these words, Mr. Karlsson gave one final bow before he walked away.

Hiccup, as it turned out, was seated next to Rapunzel, while Fishlegs and Astrid were seated on the opposite side of the table, Eugene sitting on Astrid's left.

"What did he mean when he said that these are some of the most valued places?" Astrid asked as the room continued to fill up.

"I have already told you that on the way here Astrid, did you not listen?" Fishlegs asked, sounding a little offended.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Astrid replied with a pointed look that caused Fishlegs to send her a sour one in return before explaining once more.

"As I have told you, the closer you sit to the Queen, the more value you are shown to have to kingdom and the royal family. So by placing us close to her own seat, Queen Elsa is showing the rest of the guests that she finds high value in the connections between Arendelle and Berk." Fishlegs said, as Rapunzel nodded her head at his words.

"That's right. Elsa is making a real statement, but she is also showing that see values you as Berkians too. In fact, by doing this, she is making your stay here so much easier. Most of the people in here will do their best to get on your good side now." She filled in just as the last couple entered the hall.

Looking around again, Hiccup indeed noticed how many of the other guests now looked at them with a curiousness which hadn't been there before.

At the sound of a pole hitting the ground three times, the lively chatter in the room quickly died out as all of the guests turned towards the doors through which they had just entered. A young man was standing next to them with said pole in his hand. Noticing that that he had the full attention of the room, he cleared his throat loudly before he began speaking.

"Presenting, her Royal Highness Princess Anna of Arendelle, duchess of the southern sea and her fiancée, Kristoff Borgman, Ice Master and spokesman of the ancient mountain trolls." The man announced loudly, causing all of the Vikings to share a surprised look at the mention of trolls.

Rapunzel, noticing their reaction, sent Hiccup a curious look.

"Later." He whispered to her and she nodded her head before they both turned their attention back to couple who was walking into the room arm in arm.

Both Princess Anna and Kristoff were wearing smiles on their faces, and the guests they passed either bowed or curtsied to them. When they finally reached their places at the end of their table, which was the one next in line to the one where the Vikings were seated, Princess Anna met Hiccup's eyes over the sea of people and she waved happily to him before she turning her attention back to the announcer.

The man once more hit his pole in the ground three times before he spoke.

"Presenting, her Royal Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, Duchess of the northern mountains and the northwest sea, ruler of ice and snow and Sovereign of the Royal family order of King Agnarr I."

As Elsa walked into the room it fell into complete silence as most of the guests looked at her with awed expressions. When it came to the younger male nobles however, most wore either hungry or dazed expressions on their faces, Fishlegs joining in on the latter.

And as Hiccup took in the appearance of Queen Elsa, he felt that he couldn't really blame anyone for their reactions, for she was truly a sight to behold.

As she walked through the room she, just like earlier that day, almost seemed to float over the ground. Her dress, which was of a fairly simple design, followed her every moment while the hundreds of tiny diamonds, which had been swoon into the skirt, glittered in the candlelight. As she moved they shifted into different colors of blue, making it look as if the dress had a life of its own.

Her blond hair, which was almost white, was up in a bun at the back of her head and to Hiccup's surprise, he could see that frozen snowflakes was sprinkled in it to reflected the light. A tiara made out of white gold, with three huge blue sapphires, rested on top of her head, while her pale skin got a slightly warmer tone from candles.

Overall she was the perfect picture of how anyone could ever imagine a Queen.

But as he looked at her, Hiccup also noticed that the warm smile on her face didn't reach her eyes. Instead her ice blue eyes were as unreadable and calculating as always. To his slight discomfort, Hiccup realized that the Queen he had met earlier that afternoon was nothing like the one standing before him now.

This was the Snow Queen in her full glory.

So despite her beauty, Hiccup did not in any way feel enchanted by the Queen like so many others appeared to be, because for him, this was a perfect picture which was impossible to reach by any mortal on this earth, and there was nothing in that he found enchanting at all.

Reaching the end of the same table where he was seated, Queen Elsa made a hand notion for everyone to sit down. For once thankful that he had listened to Fishlegs during one of his rants, at least a little, Hiccup drew out the chair for Rapunzel so she could sit down, feeling a bit of smug when he saw the stunned expressions on some the other guests closest to them.

Even Astrid said nothing as Eugene to drew out her chair. Instead she simply sat down and sent both him and the man on her other side a dazzling smile. Meeting her eyes over the table though, Hiccup could see the mischief in her eyes, making him wonder just what she and the former thief had been discussing.

Especially considering that the man in question was wearing a similar expression.

When everyone was seated, Queen Elsa was the only one still standing as she looked out over the sea of guests with a smile on her face.

"Friends, family and valued guests, I wish to welcome each and every one of you to Arendelle! It is a great joy that you all have wanted to take part in our celebrations to honor the union of my beloved sister, Princess Anna and her man of choice, Kristoff Borgman. Tomorrow, they will join hands as they enter into holy matrimony, but for now let us enjoy the food, wine and the very fine company that have gathered here tonight for this lovely event."

With these words Queen Elsa picked up her wineglass from the table as all of the guests did the same and rose to their feet, the Vikings mimicking their movements.

"And now, a toast, for the strengthening of strong bonds." Queen Elsa said and everyone repeated her before taking a small sip of wine, this time waiting to sit down until Princess Anna and Queen Elsa had taken their seats first.

When everyone was seated, a lively chatter began to spread all over the room once more as dozens of servants rushed out from two hidden doors in the back of the room. They were all carrying huge trays of food and first served the Queen and the Princess before continuing down the tables, all in perfect sync.

"So, trolls?" Rapunzel asked finally Hiccup who smiled at her.

"Ah yes, it's just that my old mentor has a huge fascination for trolls. He has this idea that as soon something goes wrong, it is the trolls that are tricking him. He also thinks that they have a special love for left socks." Hiccup said, doing his best not to laugh at Rapunzel's dumfound expression.

"Why left socks?"

"I have no idea, to be honest I don't even think Gobber knows." Hiccup answered as both of them laughed.

"So you don't have trolls up in the high north then?" Rapunzel asked with genuine interest.

"I have never seen any, though I suppose there is a possibility. After all we get our names to scare them off. The more terrifying or strange the name is the better it's said to keep the trolls away when you're a child." Hiccup said, shrugging his shoulders as Rapunzel grinned at him.

"And here I thought I would be the interesting one when I told you about my small chameleon named Pascal." She said, and this time, it was Hiccup who looked confused.

"Chameleon?" He asked.

"It is a small reptile that can change color." Rapunzel told him.

"A reptile? You know what Princess; I think finding something to talk about won't be a problem. Have you ever heard of dragons?" Hiccup grinned as the couple kept on talking throughout the evening.

At the far end of the table, Queen Elsa was in deep conversation with the crown prince of Sweden and Sir Anckarloo, the three discussing the early stages of a possible marriage between the prince and her trusted advisor's eldest daughter.

This, however, didn't keep her from keeping a close eye on the three Vikings during the night, feeling very happy when she saw that they were all enjoying themselves. At one point, she locked eyes with Chief Haddock. His green eyes seemed to hold a small flame as they reflected the candlelight and for a moment they simply stared at each other. Then Rapunzel said something which brought his attention back to her and Elsa saw how a smile spread over his face at whatever her cousin was saying.

Feeling quite pleased with herself, Elsa then turned her attention back to her own company, happy that her careful planning had paid off just as she had intended it to.

Am I the only one who can really picture Astrid and Eugene being a little like Fred and George Weasley from the HP-world had they lived today? They just seem like such a good fit to me haha!

Anyway, I am working in the next chapter and you are finally about to see Elsa and Hiccup interacting with each other; alone! Well, some dragons might be present but they will at least be the only humans. So keep on sending in your reviews and, maybe, I will update in less than a week. No promises though, after all, I have to study for uni as well!

Until next time!
/Lysistrate