Who said that I might update before the weekend? Me? I have no memory of it! I know, I know, I am hopeless, but a new chapter is here and I must thank you all for all the wonderful reviews I received! They make me so happy and I love to hear your thoughts, they really do make me work faster believe it or not!
Also keep your eyes open, there are two "cameos" in this chapter, one from a certain Brave-movie and one from a movie that contains a mermaid with red hair, can you find them both?
Laidyx: They would be unstoppable haha! There are some conflicts coming up with the maids, some will be of a more serious matter (this chap.) others will be more fun, I hope haha!
Creeves59: Thank you for your review and your kind words! I promise I will finish this story, it's actually completely outlined, it's just a lot of editing to be done ;)
Noctus Fury: Thank you for your awesome review! First of all, I agree that Hiccup keeping his helmet on wouldn't been the best for their relationship, it would have been a bit to mysterious indeed! ;D
When it comes to Astrid, I can understand how you are feeling! How I see it though, Astrid is a new land and so out of her element, meaning that no matter how strong she is, I think she really would have felt the need to prove herself, making her regress to the person she was early on in the series when she felt that she had to do the same. She will change as the story goes on, she just needs some time to become more comfortable. Also you are completely right about Hiccup and Astrid being bf/gf, they would have only courted, that was a misstake on my part that slipped through xD
Ahh yes Elsa, she really is living in denial isn't she? Hiccup will simply have to change her mind, or maybe her sister and Rapunzel can make her see things a little clearer? Who knows?
7.
"You know; Chief Hiccup really is something special." Rapunzel said from her place on Anna's bed where she sat with her feet dangling in the air, watching her youngest cousin get her hair styled for her wedding
"That's what I have said! But Elsa is as stubborn as a mule and simply refuses to agree with us!" Anna exclaimed as Elsa, who was standing next to Anna's lady's maid to help, sent her sister an amused look.
"And I have said that that's because I have not formed a solid opinion on him yet, and don't tell me you have started to call him by his first name as well Rapunzel?" Elsa said, directing the last part to her cousin who simply smiled at her.
"As soon as you have spent five minutes with the man outside of your role as the perfect Queen, you will to Elsa. Besides, he hates it when people are too formal with him you know, he told me that last night, so I'm really just showing consideration." Rapunzel answered as Elsa shook her head.
"He told me the same on Berk, and I have really tried to explain to my sister that the Vikings never address each other with anything except their names. In fact, it was only Chief Hiccup they at times addressed as ony Chief, not saying his name at all." Anna said.
"Then they do use titles, a perfect reason to stay to etiquette here as well." Elsa said as Anna rolled her eyes.
"Come on Elsa, it's not wrong to call the man by his first name, we are still saying Chief in front of it." Rapunzel said and Anna nodded her head.
"Exactly, I mean everyone calls you Queen Elsa all the time." She added.
"That's a bad argument and you know it. Chief Haddock may be the leader of Berk but he is from a different culture, he has a last name, we don't. Therefore, of course the people have to refer to our given names." Elsa said in a voice which made Anna and Rapunzel exchange tired looks in the mirror. "Besides I cannot go around calling a man, a Chief no less, that I have just met by his first name! It would arouse too much gossip." Elsa added.
"But I call him by his first name and no one seems to care about that." Anna said.
"Yes, but you are getting married and everyone knows you are far too friendly for your own good." Elsa said with a gentle tug on Anna's hair as her younger sister stuck out her tongue at Elsa, before her eyes locked on her lady's maid in the mirror.
"What do you think of the Chief, Frida?" Anna suddenly asked her maid who looked startled at being addressed, a pink blush spreading over her cheeks. Elsa also noted how her hands began to fumble with Anna's hair.
"The Chief seems very kind, my lady." Frida said with a small voice, her eyes glued to Anna's hair.
"And what does the other maids say on the subject?" As Frida's blush grew, Anna giggled. "Come on, I know you must have talked about him!"
"They seem to agree with my opinion and that of yours, princess."
"I knew it! You have talked about him!" Anna squealed as Rapunzel smiled widely. "So, what do you think about how he looks?" At her question, Elsa had finally had enough with the nonsense and decided to interfere.
"Anna stop it! Everyone has the right of a personal life." She said in with a scolding voice, Frida looking very happy that the Queen had intervened.
"What?! I am just asking for their opinion on a very, very important subject!" Anna said, pouting.
"Aren't you about to get married in a few hours?" Elsa asked with a raised eyebrow as Rapunzel scoffed from her place on the bed.
"It's not like Anna is talking about running away with him, and I must say I am quite curious myself." Rapunzel said as she rose from the bed and pulled a chair with her so that she could sit down opposite of Anna, Elsa and Frida.
"Chief Hiccup is very handsome isn't he?" Rapunzel said with a smile to Frida, the girl once more blushing a little, but a dreamy smile spreading over her face as well. At the continuation of the subject, Elsa sighed tiredly.
"Well, he has caused quite the stir downstairs and I heard that he was one of the biggest topics of discussion by the female guests last night." Frida answered with a smile.
"Oh didn't I tell you he would create a stir!" Anna squealed before she seemed to remember something. "Wait! How is Eugene taking the competition?"
At her question Rapunzel laughed.
"Surprisingly well actually. He pouted for a while this morning when we met two maids in the corridor and they simply gave him a glance before they walked on whispering. But it is good for him not to draw all of the attention if you ask me." She said.
"I cannot believe we are still discussing this." Elsa muttered as Anna and Rapunzel simply smiled at her.
"Relax a little! We are just evaluating your guest, isn't that what you wanted us to do?" Rapunzel said with a grin.
"Yes, but this is not what I meant and you know it! Besides, now I am starting to worry that one of the maids will try to pursue him. A child out of wedlock would put quite the strain on our relationship." Elsa said as Rapunzel sent her a stern look.
"I spent the entire evening with Chief Hiccup last night and I can tell you Elsa, he may not have been raised as a nobleman, but that man is both more intelligent, compassionate and respectful towards women than any of those noble boys who prance around as if they own the world. Thinking he would do anything like that, it is not fair to his character."
"I agree." Anna nodded, a serious expression on her face.
"Me too." Frida blurted out, looking terrified as she noticed how the two princesses and her queen now looked at her sharply.
"And why would you say that Frida?" Elsa asked with a sharp voice.
"Well… uhm… one of the housemaids in my corridor she…." Frida stopped talking which only caused Elsa to look at her sternly.
"Go on." She said.
"Well… she… she… She told my roommate how she managed to sneak out when Chief Haddock and his friends left the party last night and she… uhm… she said that she talked to the Chief and that he declined her."
"Dear God." Elsa said, closing her eyes as she tried to keep her temper under control. That one of her own servants had offered… Elsa had never felt more embarrassed in her whole life. After all, what a servant did reflected directly on their employees and this... this was not good.
Not that it was unusual for nobles to take servants as lovers, but it was a very different thing entirely for a woman to offer herself to take on that role.
"I suppose this simply means I will have to talk to Mrs. Tomson again. Do you know who the maid is Frida?" Elsa asked when she finally had gotten her emotions under control, not wanting to take out her anger on poor Frida.
"I am sorry, but no your majesty, I do not." Frida said, staring at her shoes.
"Very well, if you find out who it was I want you to tell me or Mrs. Tomson. Also. you need not to worry Frida, everything you have spoken shall stay here. I will not tell anyone what you've told me. I highly praise your honesty." Elsa said, the honesty in her own voice causing a smile to spread on Frida's face.
"Thank you, your majesty. Uhm… I might need help from your lady's maid Brigitte, can I go and get her, your majesty?"
"Of course Frida." Elsa said, for she could tell that the girl probably needed some space, and as Frida rushed out of the door, Elsa knew that she had been right.
"Too bad she doesn't know who the maid is." Anna said, looking after Frida as she disappeared.
"It is, but honestly, I am just happy to know what is going on. But what will Chief Haddock think being assaulted his first night here?" Elsa said, letting go of Anna's hair as she made a stool of ice appear so she could sit down.
As she was trying to figure out how she could do damage repair, she suddenly became very aware of the fact that Rapunzel was studying her closely.
"What?" Elsa finally said.
"You know, you never told us what you think of Chief Hiccup?" Her cousin said with glittering eyes, Anna sitting up straighter in her chair at her words.
"Hey that's right! You haven't told us!" Anna said.
"Yes I have, I have already told you that I have not formed a good opinion on him yet." Elsa answered with a sigh, ignoring both Rapunzel's and Anna's skeptical looks.
"That is just political mumbojumbo and we all know it! Besides, you do not need to spend an eternity with a man to decide if he is attractive or not." Rapunzel said, smiling as Elsa's eyes snapped to hers with a slightly irritated look.
"Well, as the two of you seem to have missed, what a man appear to be is not a true picture of his character." Elsa simply said, trying to end the conversation.
At this Anna and Rapunzel simply shared a look before both turned back to Elsa who was keeping her face masterfully empty of any emotion.
"Are you really saying that to Rapunzel who's closest friends are bunch of thugs who, in reality, are just a bunch of really big softies? And to me who almost married a very handsome prince who happened to be a psychopath and wanted to murder us both?" Anna said with a raised eyebrow.
To their glee, Rapunzel and Anna saw how Elsa tried to think of a reply that would get her out of the situation, a frustrated expression creeping over her face when she realized she was not going to win this one.
"Fine!" She finally exclaimed. "Yes, I think Chief Haddock appears to be an interesting and intelligent young man, his training of dragons showing this strongly in my opinion."
"And?" Anna said in a sing-song voice as Elsa sent her a glare.
"And, I can understand that he is found to be very agreeable." Elsa said causally as both Anna and Rapunzel squealed loudly.
"Did you hear what I just heard?" Anna said to Rapunzel.
"I think she just said that he is very agreeable." Rapunzel answered with a huge smile.
"I did not say that." Elsa said fiercely but the other two weren't listing.
"You know that translates to that she thinks he looks good." Anna said.
"It does not translate…"
"Oh Anna dear, it translates to that she thinks he looks dashing." Rapunzel said with a smug smile in Elsa's direction, highly amused when she saw the tired look on her cousin's face.
"Dashing? I agree and I never thought I would hear it. Do you remember when she met the really handsome black-haired Danish prince with the heavenly blue eyes and what she said when she saw him?" Anna said.
"Was it not that he was nothing more than average? Or was it that she could not see what the fuss was all about?" Rapunzel answered as they both started giggling, Elsa now simply looking at the two with a frustrated expression.
"No, that last one was when she met the prince from Scotland, you know with the kilt, the red hair and the two identical twins!" Anna said.
"Yes that's…. AHHH!" Both women flew up from their chairs as they were suddenly hit by two rather large snowballs which came flying through the air.
"You want to know what I think? I think both of you need to cool down a bit!" Elsa said as she bent down to pick up more snow from the pile she had created next to her.
Anna and Rapunzel shared a hasty look with each other before running as fast as they could towards Elsa, both reaching for the pile of snow next to her. Soon, laughter began to echo through the castle along with screams and squeals. The battle went on for quite a while and it didn't stop until Mr. Karlsson, who wondered what was going on, opened the door to Princess Anna's room, and was hit with a snowball right in the face.
Hiccup had just come back from his morning flight with Toothless when Astrid and Fishlegs had told him that they were going into town to explore, taking Sharpshot with them since the small dragon had made it clear he refused to stay behind.
Of course they had asked Hiccup if he had wanted to come along, but at the prospect of spending some time alone for the first time in weeks, Hiccup had declined.
Now, Hiccup was going through his equipment for the first time in far too long. It was something that had been in the back of his mind for he last couple of weeks, but he had been forced to ignore it since he simply hadn't had the time. Therefore, it was a relief to finally be able to look it over.
As he worked, he noticed that a few pieces would need to be replaced while others only would need a simple fix up. The only problem was that for some of the repairs he would need a blacksmith, and he didn't know where the one in Arendelle was located. However, he could probably just ask young Fredrik when the lad returned to lead them to the wedding later that day.
While he was working, Hiccup fell into the very peaceful state where his mind could wander free since his body knew exactly what to do, having done the same movements countless of times in the past. Next to him, Toothless was laying on the ground resting, one ear on alert so he could pick up any sounds out of the ordinary, but nothing was heard around them except for the wind and the singing birds.
Finally picking up Toothless' saddle, Hiccup felt guilty as he took in the neglected leather.
"I have really put this up for far too long this time, haven't I bud?" Hiccup asked his friend as Toothless opened one eye and looked at him, grumbling his agreement before seemingly going back to sleep once more.
"Glad to hear you are not mad at me at least." Hiccup chuckled as he began polishing the leather that had become harsh and stiff from seawater, rain and snow. It didn't take long though until the leather started to become smooth and move with ease under Hiccup's skillful hands.
It hurt Hiccup that he no longer simply didn't have the time to take care of his best friend's equipment as he once had, instead he often had to leave it to Gobber to take of. Before he had become Chief however, Hiccup had always insisted on caring for all of Toothless' things himself, but it had been forced to change as his workload only seemed to grow.
It was not that Hiccup didn't enjoy seeing his people prosper under his rule, in fact it gave him great satisfaction and happiness, and it made him think that his dad would have been very proud with him. Still, this didn't change the fact that Hiccup often wished that he could just jump up on Toothless and go discover the world as he had done in his teens.
When Hiccup had taken over as Chief a few years back, his mother had told him that he had the soul of a dragon, but the heart of a Chief. As the years had passed, Hiccup had come to wonder if even his mother understood how true that statement had turned out to be.
In his heart, Hiccup was more than happy to dedicate his life to his people, to see them find happiness and trust in his leadership. It warmed him that they asked him for advice and showed him their unwavering loyalty even in the hardest situations.
But his soul, his soul was not content.
Only when he was high in the sky, free from the responsibilities that bound him to Berk, did Hiccup feel truly alive! When he was with Toothless and the other dragons, he was free and strong with the world ready for him to explore and learn from. With the dragons, he was never an outcast or different, and he understood them on such a deep level that he often felt he understood them better than his own people.
So it was far too often Hiccup wished he could just fly away and leave behind the responsibility he had never truly felt that he was ready to take over. But his heart never allowed him to do this, always weighing him down until he knew that his place truly was with his people, despite the fact that he still sometimes felt like an outcast among the other Vikings.
In other words, what was his strongest asset, what had brought his people and the dragons together, was also slowly tearing him apart as his heart and soul wished to go in different directions, neither one happy nor satisfied no matter what he did.
Deep in his thoughts, Hiccup unconsciously registered that Toothless suddenly noticed something. Hiccup noted how his dragon opened his eyes and looked towards the small road that led into town, but thinking it was just Astrid and Fishlegs returning from town, Hiccup didn't even look up. Instead he just picked up the saddle that had come to rest in his lap and continued working with it.
It was only when he noticed that Toothless didn't lay back down that Hiccup looked up and saw that it wasn't his friends who were approaching; It was Queen Elsa.
She was walking up the small road alone, except for a lone guard who was accompanying her. It appeared to be the man that Hiccup had understood to be the captain the day before, but it was hard to tell from a distance since they all dressed the same.
Staying seated, appearing as if he had not yet seen them, Hiccup took a moment to take in the Queen's appearance, which was very different from the day before. Her thick hair was in a simple braid down her back and she was wearing a very simple light blue gown. Overall she looked much more approachable than he had ever seen her before, had it not been for her usual unreadable expression.
As the pair neared him, Hiccup rose from his spot next to Toothless, gesturing for his dragon to stay put, and picked up an old rag, which had once been a shirt, as he started to dry off his hands. He had to admit that he was very curios to what had caused the Queen to leave the castle on her sisters wedding day to come here. After all, from what he had seen the night before, weddings were just as big a spectacle here as they were on Berk.
"Good morning Chief Haddock, Toothless. I hope all is well with you both." Queen Elsa greeted them both when she reached them, her captain staying a few steps behind her.
"Good morning Queen Elsa, it is, though I must say I am a little surprised to see you here considering the wedding is just a few hours away." Hiccup said, seeing no reason to beat around the bush.
To his surprise however, his words caused a very, very faint blush to appear on the Queen's cheeks along with a small sheepish look in her eyes. But just as fast as it appeared, it was once again gone, making him a little uncertain if it had been there at all.
"As it turns out it's sometimes best to give your younger sister some room on her wedding day." The Queen replied to him with a slightly distressed face that caused Hiccup to chuckle.
"Considering what I have seen on Berk, that seems to be the harsh truth about all brides on their wedding day." He said, still smiling.
"After what I have heard today, I do not doubt that." Queen said with a small smile of her own before she turned serious once more. "But the reason I came here is a very different one, one I felt needed to be addressed immediately. I heard from one of my servants that one of the maids approached you and your friends last night."
At her words, Hiccup tensed up, his defenses rising immediately as he tried to read if there was any anger coming from the woman in front of him, but to his frustration she remained as unreadable as ever.
It was not that Hiccup didn't know what the Queen was referring to, in fact he very well remembered the dark haired maid who had approached him the night before when he, Astrid and Fishlegs had left the party. She had asked him to help with a heavy bucket of water and not thinking much of it, Hiccup had not hesitated to give her a hand. When the girl later had thanked him though, she had placed her hands on his shoulders and suggested that was he in need of company, she was more than willing to help him feel less lonely.
At first Hiccup had been too stunned to say anything, for he had not expected any woman here to approach him in that way, but as soon as he had gotten over his slight surprise, he had firmly dismissed her advances and left. While some men would never have turned down the opportunity, Hiccup felt that he could never live with himself should he ever take a lover.
First of all, he didn't think it was morally correct, but second of all, he knew what consequences could follow. After all, he had seen, and found himself, far too many babies that had been placed to the wolves simply because they weren't wanted, but he had also seen far too many women fall into disgrace for one bad decision.
However, this didn't mean that Hiccup was a stranger to the fact that women who were turned down, sometimes wanted revenge on the man that had hurt her pride. On Berk, this usually meant that the man in question, if he was lucky, was hit with a maze in the head. If he was unlucky… well, let's just say Hiccup was very happy it had never happened to him.
That a woman would hit him in the head with a maze in Arendelle though seemed highly unlikely. Instead it seemed more likely the maid would have told the Queen a false story, which pretty much would explain why she was here right now.
Uncertain how to best handle the situation, Hiccup decided that honesty was his best option.
"That is right, one of them did." He therefore said, carefully watching Queen Elsa to see how she would take the news and to his surprise her expression didn't turn angry, it turned very apologetic.
"Well, I would lie if I told you that was the answer I wanted." She sighed. "It appears then that I owe you an apology Chief Haddock. Here, what a servant does is directly reflected on their employer, for it is my duty to keep them in cheek. That my maid approached you in the manner which she did is both an insult to your character and a great fault in her own. Still I hope that you can accept my apology Chief Haddock, for I would be very sad if this would put a strain on our future relations."
Despite the grave expression on her face, there was an honesty in Queen Elsa's eyes which shone strongly in her eyes and Hiccup found himself to trust every word she had said, feeling that she indeed was truly apologetic for what had happened.
Still he felt that it felt a little strange that Queen Elsa would fear that he would despise her for something her maid had done… it had never even crossed his mind. Then again, if anyone did anything on Berk, they always took the consequences themselves. This was a different world; something Hiccup once again was suddenly reminded of.
"I accept your apology Queen Elsa." Hiccup said, a little surprised when Queen Elsa relaxed at his words. Had she really thought he would hold a grudge towards her?
"I am happy that you are so forgiving Chief Haddock." She said, and Hiccup couldn't help to smile slightly at her.
"Honestly, your apology was never needed, I was not offended last night and had I been, it would have been with your maid and not with you Queen Elsa. Besides, this is not the first time this have happened."
At his words, the Queen rose a questioning eyebrow at him as she looked at him strangely. At her look, Hiccup realized how wrongly what he had just said could be interpreted and knew he had to explain himself, not wanting her to get the wrong impression.
"I mean; it has not happened here before… not that I would have been offended then either… I mean it happens sometimes… I mean on Berk women are not so… why am I still even talking?" He finally said and buried his head in his hands, realizing that, in his embarrassment, he was only making matters worse.
Behind him, Toothless rolled his eyes at his rider, wondering how his companion still could get himself into these strange situations after all these years. Seeing the ice-woman's reaction though, Toothless knew he would not need to interfere. This time.
Not knowing what his dragon was thinking, Hiccup took a deep breath before he dropped his hands from his face and looked up at Queen Elsa, expecting to see a stern expression on her face. Instead she had a smile on her face, and at his embarrassed face, she laughed slightly. It was a beautiful pearling sound unlike anything he had ever heard before, and Hiccup found himself grinning back at her.
"As I said, I'm still happy you accept my apology Chief Haddock, and no worries, I think I understand what you mean." She chuckled as she looked at him with mirth shining from her ice blue eyes.
"Well, it's good then that at least one of us does." He said dryly, his words earing him a new warm and genuine smile and he noticed how the perfect royal picture, which had always made the Queen seem so unapproachable, had fallen away a little bit, showing a little bit of the person underneath.
"It is." Queen Elsa said to him as her eyes landed on the saddle still laying on the ground, a curious expression entering her eyes. "May I?" She asked, gesturing to the saddle.
"Sure." Hiccup told her and the Queen bent down. She studied the saddle carefully, her hands running over the now smooth leather that was still greasy and left a few stains on her fingers, but she didn't seem to mind as she inspected the saddle with a fascinated expression.
"This is exquisite work." She finally said, looking at the threads that held the different parts of the saddle together.
"Thank you." Hiccup said, a little amused when her eyes snapped to his with, filled with disbelief.
"You made this?" She asked, looking a little embarrassed when she realized the question could be interpreted as rude. "I do not mean to insinuate that you haven't or aren't capable, it's just not what I would have expected." She said as she rose from the ground, thankfully accepting the rag Hiccup still had in his hands when he offered it to her.
"On Berk, being Chief does give you a different position, but you are still part of the everyday life and it's the same for anyone in his family. Being the Chief's son, I had to to do my part like everyone else in our tribe and since I was very young I worked in the blacksmith to learn as much about the craft as I could." He explained, Queen Elsa now looking at him with interest.
"It must be very hard work I assume, even for a Viking. Did you enjoy your time there?" She asked as she returned the rag to him, Hiccup feeling relief that she hadn't asked why he had been placed in the blacksmith.
"I loved it and I still work there occasionally when there is time." He answered truthfully, for helping Gobber was just another thing which he rarely had the time to do anymore.
"I see. I must say that you keep on surprising and impressing me Chief Haddock; you appear to be more skilled than any of our finest craftsmen." Queen Elsa said with honesty.
"I don't know about that, but I appreciate it." Hiccup said, a little awkward at the praise, as Meatlug and Stormfly, who had been hunting, came back and landed at the edge of the forest.
At his friends return, Toothless rose from his place on the ground and he walked over to the other dragons, the three of them greeting each other affectionately.
"They are magnificent creatures." The Queen said from her spot next to Hiccup, the two watching the dragons interact. Looking down at her open smile as she looked at the dragon, Hiccup made a decision that he knew would not have been appreciated by Astrid.
"You know, you never really got a chance to meet them yesterday, would like to do it now?"
"You mean like interact with them?" Queen Elsa asked, looking up at him with a hesitant expression as he nodded.
"Yeah, I mean you have already bested the worst of them." At her confused expression, Hiccup couldn't help to smile. "Sharpshot." He clarified.
"But he is so small." The Queen exclaimed with surprise.
"And, as I said yesterday, he is a terror; you don't think we named his type of dragon Terrible Terror for nothing do you?" Hiccup said with a grin as Queen Elsa chuckled.
"I suppose not, though I cannot say I understand how you name anything." She said as she looked at the three dragons with determination. "Alright I want to meet them; I mean how many opportunities will one get to interact with dragons?" She said before turning around to her guard and said: "Kai?"
The man, who had been staring at Hiccup with a suspicious expression the whole time, looked at his Queen hastily.
"Yes, your majesty?" He answered, his eyes returning to Hiccup, who didn't know if he should be uncomfortable or find the situation funny.
"Chief Haddock has promised to introduce me to the dragons." She said, the captain's eyes darting to her.
"What?!" He exclaimed in horror as Queen only smiled at him with amusement.
"It's okay Kai, I will not force you to follow, you wait here." Queen Elsa said before she turned around and began walking towards the dragons. "Are you coming?" She asked Hiccup when she noticed that he didn't follow.
"Don't worry, I will look after her." Hiccup told the captain, who looked as if he highly doubted every single word Hiccup said, before he caught up with the Queen with a few long steps and they fell into step next to each other as they walked over to the dragons.
"You do know that I can look after myself?" Queen Elsa said, her expression unreadable, but this time, there was a playfulness in her voice which had never been there before.
"I do not doubt it, but perhaps it's best to be on the safe side. They are after all dragons." Hiccup replied with a pointed look.
"Well, I cannot argue with that." Queen Elsa responded, a smile on her face.
When they had nearly reached the dragons, Chief Haddock gave a small whistle to gain their attention and the dragons turned to look at them with curious eyes. The Chief's dragon, Toothless, was the first who walked up to meet them, the two others following behind.
Looking at the three dragons, Elsa suddenly felt very small, and she had to admit that she was very glad to know that Chief Haddock was right next to her. The fact that he seemed completely at ease, which perhaps was not very surprising, actually helped to calm down her own nerves.
"So, the best way to greet a dragon is to hold out your hand toward them and not look them in the eye, let them come to you. In that way it's the dragon who chooses if it wants to trust you or not, they are allowed to set the pace. Are you with me?" Chief Haddock instructed her with a calm expression.
"Hold out my hand and don't look them in the eyes, I got it." Elsa said, taking a deep, determined, breath which caused the Chief to smile at her.
"It can help to relax a little as well." He told her and she sent him a small glare in response, but still she forced her shoulders to relax a little. "So, first, we're starting with Meatlug." Chief Haddock said, Elsa looking at the dragon that belonged to Fishlegs. The round, orange dragon was looking at her with kind eyes filled with excitement.
"Now Meatlug is a Gronckle, a stone-eating dragon who is part of what we call the Boulderclass. Gronckels are known for being very friendly and Meatlug in particular is one of kindest dragons I have met. Now, just hold out your hand to her and don't look her the eyes." Chief Haddock said, seemingly completely unfazed by the situation.
Giving him one last look to see if he might be trying to trick her, but finding his face to appear honest, Elsa turned her eyes away from the dragon and reached out her hand in offering. To her surprise, it only took a second before she felt a very harsh muzzle against her hand and she turned to look at the dragon in surprise.
Meatlug was looking at her with the kindest eyes she had ever seen in a creature and with a smile, Elsa carefully moved her hand to scratch the female dragon behind her tiny ears. Her scales were she rougher than the scales of Sharpshot, but still somehow soft. At the attention, Meatlug held out her tongue like a dog and looked very happy as she seemed to vibrate a little, wagging her tail.
"She is adorable." Elsa said to the Chief, who smiled at the scene as Meatlug happily nudged Elsa in the side at her words.
"She is very affectionate and very loyal." Chief Haddock told her before gesturing to the blue dragon that belonged to Astrid, Stormfly.
"Now as Astrid said yesterday, this is Stormfly. She is a Deadly Nadder." He said and Elsa raised an eyebrow at the name.
"Deadly Nadder? I thought you said that the Terrible Terror had the worst name!" Elsa said slightly accusing, which caused the Chief to laugh.
"I suppose that's how you look at it. The nadders got their names from the spikes on their bodies that they can throw at their enemies, of course they can also breath fire if they wish to, but it's the spikes that make them stand out." Hearing his explanation, Elsa gave the Chief a skeptical look.
"How can that in any way be classified as less dangerous than little Sharpshot?" She asked with disbelief. "No wait, don't answer that, I don't think I want to know." She added when Chief Haddock opened his mouth to explain and her words only made him smile even more. "So do I just approach her the same way?" Elsa asked as she watched Stormfly who, unlike Meatlug, didn't seem to be the least interested in her.
"Yes, but do not feel disappointed if she doesn't choose to come to you. Nadders are very emotional dragons and it takes time to win their trust. Also Stormfly is… she is Stormfly."
At his words, Elsa couldn't help to remember that Chief Haddock had said something similar about Astrid the day before and reaching her hand forward, Elsa had no expectations at all which turned out to be wise, for Stormfly simply looked at her hand for a moment while chattering a little to herself. Then she turned around and walked away in the direction of the cottages.
"I guess I have some work left to do there." Elsa said, thinking that the same applied to her rider.
"With time she will come around, she just needs to know what you are made of, but after that she will never let you down." Chief Haddock answered and, for some reason, Elsa felt that he was referring to Astrid just as much as she herself had.
She didn't put to much thought into this though as Chief Haddock walked up to his own dragon and laid his hand on its neck.
"And now, this is Toothless. He is a Night Fury and and my best friend, aren't you bud?" Chief Haddock asked the dragon who nudged his rider in the side affectionately. "Just don't think too much about it if he is a little wary, it usually takes some time to win his trust fully as well."
Elsa nodded her head in reply before she held her hand forward a third time and tried to ignore the piercing eyes that was looking at her intensely.
And, indeed, Toothless was inspecting the ice-woman carefully. He had just met her once before, but Toothless had already then been able to feel that inside the ice-cold shell she had built around her, there was a genuine kindness and a warmth towards those who was allowed underneath her icy armor.
What made him most curious about her though, and had made him so already at their first meeting, was that the ice-woman also carried a strange cold inside her. Toothless had never encountered any creature where the cold was a part of them as they were in the white-haired ice-woman. It was attached to her very being and flowed through her body as easily as any emotion, but it he had noticed how it at times almost seemed to rage against her like a tide since she had detached it from herself. It also made her smell funny, for there was a biting cold which accompanied her otherwise normal human smell.
Then there was also the darkness, the darkness that at most times was nearly hidden, but crept around her and gave a foul smell. It was, in a way, similar to the darkness that had once weighed down his Hiccup many years ago, but it also smelled like the darkness that now had weighed down his life-partner since the death of his older kin and he had taken over as Alpha for the humans.
So looking at the ice-woman, Toothless wondered if this human, who came from a different world and appeared so detached from herself, could be the only one who could understand his Hiccup? Also, he couldn't help to remember another human who, against his own fears, had once offered him friendship, much like the ice-woman did now, for he could sense her fear no matter how good she was at masking it.
Making his decision, Toothless reached forward and touched the ice-woman's hand, drawing back and shaking his head a little as he felt the strange cold against his muzzle that seemed to seep from her hands. At her huge smile however, Toothless did not argue when the ice-woman walked forward and placed her hand on his head in thanks, her cold hand already not feeling as strange as before.
Hiccup, who was watching the interaction, was a little surprised that Toothless had decided to accept the Queen so quickly, but he knew better than to question Toothless' decision and decided not to dwell on it to much.
"Two out of three, I think it's my turn to be impressed Queen Elsa." He said instead.
"Thank you Chief Haddock! Though I more think it's the dragons who deserve the praise for being so accepting." Queen Elsa said as Toothless who gave her a pleased look at her praise.
At least they would have no trouble getting along now.
"I must ask however, why the name Toothless?" Queen Elsa asked.
"It's because he has retractable teeth, the first time I met him I thought he was toothless and the name just kind of stuck." Hiccup answered as Queen Elsa looked at Toothless with interest.
"How does it work?" She asked.
"I'm not completely sure but… Toothless!" Hiccup exclaimed as his friend, apparently, had chosen that the best way to answer the question was to show Queen Elsa himself by grabbing a hold of the hem of her dress.
Luckily, the Queen only stared at him for a moment before she started laughing at his dragon who was grinning up at her with his usual toothless grin, his eyes full of mischief, before he let go of her dress, his teeth coming back out as he opened and closed his mouth a few times.
"Well, I think that explains it, thank you Toothless." Queen Elsa said with a huge smile as Hiccup simply glared at his dragon.
"Perhaps a little warning next time bud? You know, so no one thinks you are trying to eat them." Hiccup said as Toothless sent him a slightly offended look before he suddenly jumped forward and started licking him all over.
"Okay, okay I forgive you! Stupid reptile." Hiccup finally managed to get out, Toothless giving him a smug smile as he sat down on the ground next to his rider.
"He sure do seem affectionate." Queen Elsa said, looking at Hiccup with glittering eyes as he could tell that she was doing her best not to laugh, and he had to admit he was impressed that she managed to hold it back. But when he tried to dry some of the saliva off, he could hear how a small laugh escaped her. "Does he do that to everyone?" She asked, clearing her throat.
"No, only me and Thor knows I have tried to make him stop." Hiccup said as he tried to see if any part of his shirt was not filled with saliva.
"You know; I think he is only trying to show his affection." Queen Elsa said as she pulled a handkerchief from a pocket in her dress and gave it to him, a huge smile on her face. Once again Hiccup found that he couldn't help to smile back.
"He is a nightmare." Hiccup replied half heartedly, knowing the Queen was right, as he managed to dry off a little of the saliva with the extremely soft piece of cloth. Then he saw the stain on the Queen's dress. "And now I have to apologize, it doesn't wash out." He said, gesturing to the part that was now covered in dragon saliva and to the soft cloth he held in his hand.
"Oh, it's no worry, the drees can always be altered a little and the handkerchief is old anyway." She said lightly, looking down at the stain on her dress. "I must say that Toothless seems to be the holder of many secrets." She added as she looked at his dragon who in return, looked back at her in with an unreadable expression as if to prove her point.
"He is; I still learn things about him that I didn't know before. But as with everyone, with time we have come to trust in each other and we are learning something new everyday, aren't we bud?" Hiccup said, nudging Toothless in the side as his dragon sent him a slightly amused look.
"Time is a factor of course, but you gain no ones trust if you do not earn it as well. I think that earing the trust is even more important." Queen Elsa said as Hiccup looked back at her face which had become more closed once more. Still, he could see that there was something that could be hinted in her eyes; was it fear? Or was it simply hesitation? He wasn't sure, but for some reason, Hiccup felt that he would have been able to connect to the feeling if he had been able to understand it.
"That's true, but if no one is ever brave enough to take the risk to trust someone, they will never have the change to prove that they can be trusted either. To gain trust, you must both give and risk." He told her, thinking back to the risk he had taken the day he had found Toothless and chosen to release him, but also the risk his friend had taken when he in return had let Hiccup go.
For a moment, the Queen looked at him with searching eyes before a small, almost sad, smile spread over her lips.
"I do believe you are right Chief Haddock." Queen Elsa said quietly and she was just about to say something more when a throat cleared behind them.
Turning around, Hiccup saw the captain standing there, taking in Hiccup's appearance with a stunned and slightly disgusted expression, not that Hiccup could blame him.
"Yes, Kai?" Queen Elsa asked the man, a slight edge to her voice, and he stopped staring as he turned to look at her instead.
"Uh yes… Queen Elsa, we need to return to the castle now if you are to be ready for the wedding." He said, his eyes gliding back to Hiccup and Toothless.
"Yes of course." The Queen said, a slightly stressed look crossing her before her mask of politeness fall back on. It wasn't until now, when he saw the big contrast, that Hiccup understood just how much that mask had fallen away, even when they had spoken about trust.
"Once again, I am very happy that you accepted my apology Chief Haddock and I look forward to see you at the wedding." Queen Elsa said to him before she turned to leave, but she turned back to him just as quickly once more.
"And I really appreciate that you trusted me to truly meet with your friends." She said, her face once more open with a gentle and slightly hesitant smile on her face. "You can also keep the handkerchief." She said with a pointed look in his direction before she walked away.
For a moment, Hiccup looked after her as he thought about the very different side he had just seen of the Queen and how easy it had been to interact and talk to the woman underneath. Perhaps there was a possibility that some kind of friendship could form between him and the Queen after all.
Heading back towards his cottage to try and wash out the saliva, he had barley reached the door when Fishlegs and Astrid came walking up the road.
"Don't say anything!" He said to them both as he walked past them, Astrid and Fishlegs wearing equal grins on their faces.
"We weren't going to! Just make sure to wash it all out!" Astrid said as he closed the door, a smile on his face as well.
In all honesty I wanted to cut this chapter a little short, but in the end I decided against it for there was nowhere I really could cut it off! But, let's leave that behind, the next chapter is the wedding! :D
Leave your review on what you think about Hiccup and Elsa, any progress in this chapter? What will happen? And what about little Toothless, what role will he play? ;)
Also, did you find the small cameo-mentions? If you did, tell me and I might send you a small snippet from the next chapter which might involve Elsa, Hiccup and a full moon. Just saying haha!
Until next time my dear readers!
/Lysistrate