So that was fast and just like I promised, here is the final chapter! I'm actually feeling a bit sad. I've been updating weekly since August, what will I do with my life now? Maybe study haha! Now go on reading and I'll meet you at the bottom.
Just one quick thing, there some last editing, so sorry for misspellings or strange sentences I've missed. I'll fix them up as I go!
Guest (1): Thank you, I'm happy you liked the story! Since you reached the mark, here is the new chap!
Guest (2): Haha I've heard your wishes, new chap up!
Guest (3): It might have been a cookie monster? (Bad humor, I know haha) Ohh thank you! Haha that would be a sight to behold, if Elsa ever gets a cold on Berk, it might even happen! That is a good question! But then there is always the possibility of no one telling them about Elsa's powers, even if I highly doubt that haha! Hope you'll like the final chapter!
Guest (4): And here is the final chapter! Thank you so much for your review, I'm so happy to hear you have enjoyed the story! Also I can't help to be curious about your idea about this chapter. As for most of your questions, they are answered in this chapter and some will be answered in the epilogue! Do want me to answer them with more detail, just tell me after this chapter and I will give it to you in epilogue!
Guest (5, chapter 10): Moving forward and only one chapter to go ;)
22.
The excitement surrounding the arena made the air pulse with energy as chatter from the watching Vikings turned into one single voice of cheer, joy and anticipation. Standing in the middle of it all, Elsa felt extremely small as she looked up at all the spectators. All the faces almost blended together and she felt nervous at what she was about to do.
When it had been announced that the Snow Queen would participate to even out the odds, the watching Vikings had at first only whispered amongst each other. The whispers had then turned more and more excited, until the air was boiling like now.
Still, despite the anticipation, it was clear they were all wondering how much of an obstacle the small Queen could be and Elsa couldn't really blame them. After all she had never really showed them her power. Sure she had created Fluffy, the small snowman now sitting happily next to Ingrid to watch the spectacle, but that was all they knew.
So seeing that many of the watching faces were both doubting and skeptical didn't surprise her the slightest. In fact, she knew as little as them about how what would happen, for she had no idea how well she could handle herself against the dragons and their riders.
However, even if she had never used her power in this way, Elsa knew her own strength. She was no longer afraid, she had changed. Thanks to Hiccup she had been given the motivation to accept who she was, she had learned to control her power and she was stronger than she had ever been before. With control and acceptance, she could now use her power to its fullest potential.
In a way, this would be her own test to see if she could truly control it. Sure the dragons weren't allowed to attack her in any way, but it would still be hard to keep them from the finish line. The riders and their dragons were all extremely skilled and they wanted to win, but she had the advantage of having studied them closely for a whole week while Hiccup had told her all he knew about them.
Seeing Gobber walk up to the great horn, Elsa felt her nerves gather like a stone in her stomach when he blew in to indicate that the first rider was out on the course. She didn't know the order in which she would face the Vikings for it another thing that had changed to even out the odds even more.
Taking a deep breath, Elsa held it for a moment as she allowed herself to feel everything, all of her excitement, her nervousness, her fears and her beating heart. Then she went deep into herself, to the very core she had rediscovered not too long ago.
She had lost her parents at a young age, she had fought the darkness and the loneliness. She had learned to accept who she was and by doing that her frozen heart had thawed. She had found love. She was the Queen of Arendelle. She was the ruler of Ice and Snow.
Around her lay a winter landscape unlike any other. The full moon was shining down at her, offering its cold light and comfort. A full circle, the sun making the moon shine while it, in return, offered the sun its needed rest.
She was the Snow Queen, this was her world and she was finally free to control it.
Slowly breathing out, Elsa felt her insecurities leave her like poison is drawn from a wound, this knowledge and her power filling her instead like a warm presence. A friend. It flooded through her and made her skin tingle, still her heart stayed calm, and she had never felt more secure or more in control.
With a smile, a look and a tiny nudge with her head, so small no one could see it, the snow around her flew to the sides of the arena, leaving ground free from its confinement. Once she had been forced to move her hands, now she no longer had to. It was so easy.
Laughing with joy, Elsa turned to where she knew the first rider would soon appear.
She was ready.
Let the games begin.
Fishlegs was the first out on the course. Under normal circumstances he would've been a little nervous, but knowing that Elsa was waiting at the end of the course had made him even more so. In fact, all the riders had been more focused than normal since no one really knew what she was capable of. Not even Fishlegs had seen much of her power despite having been in Arendelle for more than a month.
If Hiccup had more information than the rest of them, which Fishlegs didn't doubt he had, he hadn't shared it with any of them even when they asked. He had just said that they should ask the Queen themselves since it was not for him to tell.
Making their way through the course, Fishlegs felt how he only got more and more nervous the closer he and Meatlug got to the arena that was so full of anticipation he could feel it before he even started to fly towards it.
And as he got closer he finally saw her.
Elsa was standing in the middle of the arena, looking deceivingly innocent. Her eyes were trained on them and there was a clam around her that felt like a storm could erupt at any moment. In fact, it made Fishlegs even more insecure about what he should do when she just stared at him like that, not doing anything.
Torn, he wondered if he should try to simply fly over the finish line or if he should wait and see if Elsa would do anything. Not knowing anything about what she was thinking, Fishlegs finally decided on the first option.
"Let's just try to get this over with darling." He told Meatlug, his beloved dragon nodding her head happily as they set course towards the finish line.
The moment they flew into the arena, a huge pillar of ice suddenly shot up from the ground out of nowhere and it was more out of luck than skill that Meatlug managed to evade it. The second they had stabilized though, a new pillar suddenly appeared before them again.
"Keep going Meatlug!" Fishlegs shouted, trying to help Meatlug turn faster. This was their weakness, fast turns they couldn't see coming and, apparently, Elsa had figured it for a new pillar shot up in front of them once again.
This time though, they hadn't gotten the time to stabilize and the sharp turn forced them to turn in the wrong direction, the one away from the finish line. Fully turned, Fishlegs felt his stomach drop at the sight that now lay before them. The former pillars had all materialized into a curved wall that was coming that was coming towards them in a high speed and there was no way they could break the thick ice.
"Meatlug we really need to get out of here!" Fishlegs shouted in slight panic, seeing that an identical wall was closing in behind them as well. "We must try to get higher girl!" He told his dragon, Meatlug beating her wings as fast as she could to get them up over the wall, but before they reached the edge the two walls collided.
With shock Fishlegs realized he was trapped. Elsa had created a dome of ice around him and even if he had been allowed to use firepower, he highly doubted Meatlug would have been able to get them out.
Then, as sudden as it had appeared, the ice disappeared around him and he realized he had lost. Around the arena was an eerie silence, like no one could really comprehend what had just happened and only Elsa smiled up at him with glowing eyes.
The fierce calm around her was gone and there was pure laughter in her eyes when she looked at his shocked expression. Finally managing to shake it off, he sent her a smile back while gave her the thumbs up. In response, Elsa laughed and, to everyone's surprise, blew him a kiss that made him turn beat red.
Seeing the easiness between the Queen and Fishlegs made the arena come back to life with a few laughs before it erupted into loud cheers. Grinning and whistling, the Vikings were as burly as usual when Fishlegs left the arena, everyone wondering what was coming next.
And so the Vikings all watched in disbelief and awe as the Queen of Arendelle took out their worries one by one. It was clear she had studied all of them much more carefully than anyone had thought during the past week, for it was painfully obvious she knew both their strengths and weaknesses. The moment a rider entered the arena she seemed to know how to approach them and the world followed her every command.
With Tuffnut and Ruffnut she used their sibling rivalry against them. By creating different obstacles in their way, she forced the twins to make quick decisions and it only took two of those before they wanted to go in different directions. As a result, the twins barely even had the time to banter before they collided with a pillar that they could have evaded if they hadn't been pulling poor Barf and Belch in different directions.
At the impact the pillar shattered and a second later they were all encased in a large cage made out of ice, not that the twins were sorry about that.
With Snotlout, the Queen used his own vanity against him. It was almost a little painful to see how she lured him with a false pretense that he was going to make it only for her to conjure up a huge wave of snow close to the finish line, the wave knocking him and Hookfang down from the sky when it hit them. To say that Snotlout was angry when he and Hookfang looked up from the pile of soft snow, both unharmed, was an understatement.
Still, as it would turn out, the Queen wasn't invincible. Even though it was more luck than anything, Skullcrusher and Eret managed to get past her when the pair took a chance and flew right through a wall of ice. The wall shattered at the impact and with a few fast beats of his wings, Skullcrusher managed to get them over the finish line right before the Queen could do anything else.
By being the first to even finish the course, they therefore were the first to gather any points at all, even though their time turned out to be far from flattering.
As for Astrid, she turned out to be the Queen's most difficult opponent. Of course the Vikings didn't know Astrid had been Elsa's first trainer, but that knowledge helped the Shield Maiden and Stormfly as they masterfully avoided pillars, blasts of snow and strong winds. Still, in the end, they were forced down to the ground in the same way as Snotlout and Hookfang since Stormfly was not strong enough to fly through the snow like Skullcrusher had done earlier.
With all the Vikings cheering for the Queen, Elsa walked over to Astrid and offered her hand to the other woman who was laying in the pile of snow that had pulled her out of the sky. With a smile Astrid accepted her hand without second thought, despite her defeat.
"It's always good to see training give a result!" Astrid said, before turning more serious. "You do know Eret will win this if Hiccup doesn't get over the finish line?" She asked, Stormfly chattering as she shook the snow off of her wings.
"I know and I have a plan if Eret does." Elsa answered with a smile, Astrid seeing how her eyes glittered.
"You're gonna give Hiccup hell aren't you?" She grinned.
"I cannot have anyone to calling me partial. Besides, this is the only time I might actually have a chance of beating him." Elsa replied.
"And maybe you also like giving him a small heart attack should Eret win?" Astrid asked, laughing when Elsa smiled. "Give him your worst." She answered, giving Elsa a light punch on the arm before leaving the arena.
Left alone once more, Elsa felt how the nervousness she had been fighting all along started to break through again. This was indeed her only chance of ever beating Hiccup and Toothless, they were simply far too powerful even for her when they were allowed to use their offensive skills.
With the moon shining upon her, Elsa thanked it for its light as she looked up into the night sky, trying to see if she could spot the black dragon. The itself was horrible, worst of it all really since it gave her time to think. She knew she only had one chance to keep Hiccup and Toothless from finishing the course and it was by using her power in a way she had only done once before. The only difference was that then she hadn't been able to control it, now she thought she could.
Seeing the pair approaching in great speed, Elsa closed her eyes and relaxed before letting go, stretching out to the world around her. It was hard, being torn in so many directions, and she could sense every single crystal of ice and snow around her. But she didn't become lost, the core of who she was stayed and it became the anchor that kept her grounded.
Letting out a deep breath she felt how the world changed around her, how every small snowflake started to twist and turn.
With a smile she rose her arms, opened her eyes and saw how the storm grew around her. She could hear the Vikings surprise before it was quenched by the wind and the whole world turned white.
Hiccup couldn't see anything and the snowstorm was only growing in strength around him and Toothless. They had been forced to land the moment they entered the arena, the winds making it impossible for them to stay in the air as the storm raged on.
Elsa had told him about the storm she had once created, so he had known it could happen, but seeing her do it was another thing entirely. He could feel her in the storm, how the harsh winds that made it impossible for them to fly still slowed down around them so they wouldn't get hurt in any way.
Still if he hadn't had his helmet on, he doubted he would have been able to keep his eyes open.
"Toothless, do you know where we need to go bud?" He asked his dragon, Toothless growling in response as he shook his head. "I suppose we'll have to guess then." Hiccup told him, trying to remember which way they had been facing when they landed.
Thinking he had some kind of map in his head where they needed to go, they slowly started walking towards where he hoped the finish line would be. After all there was no way of knowing if they were walking in the right direction or not. The situation suddenly reminded him about that one time when they had been a snowstorm with the Snow Wraith.
Maybe he should introduce Elsa to the evasive dragon sometime, after this he had a strong feeling they would get along very well.
Walking through the white world, Hiccup had no idea how long he had been in arena. Time seemed to have disappeared around him and he suddenly wondered if they would ever get out.
"I told you I had a few tricks up my sleeve." Elsa's soft voice was suddenly heard in front of him and he saw her emerge from all the white with a smile on her face. Rising her hands, the storm suddenly calmed around them, creating a small circle of peace while it still raged on on the outside.
"This is amazing! How do you do it?" Hiccup asked, looking around in awe as he reached his hand out of the circle. He had expected some kind of resistance, but there was nothing at all. His hand just went right into the storm outside.
"I have a place of peace that keeps me grounded. It's all thanks to a certain Viking who helped me realize I needed to stop fighting." She told him as she walked over to him. "Some love might be present as well." She smiled.
"That would explain it." He answered, Elsa chuckling as she looked up at him, her smile being replaced with a frown instead.
"What is it?" Hiccup asked her, seeing her expression.
"You know I hated the fact I couldn't see your face the first time I met you because of that helmet and I still hate it now." She said, reaching up and pulled it off before allowing her hand to caress his cheek. "You know I have never created anything like this willingly before, I never could." She told him quietly, her eyes far away as she followed his jawline with her fingers and eyes.
"What have changed?" Hiccup asked her, her eyes finding his.
"I have learned to let go off the fear and I have learned to accept this, to accept me. I have something that anchors me, understanding. Still I wonder how it would have been if I had never feared this, if I hadn't walked down the wrong path from the beginning." She whispered and Hiccup could see how the dark memories suddenly came over her, how the light in her eyes faded as the storm slowly closed in on them.
"You're here now and that path has made you who you are. We're here thanks to that, isn't that what's most important?" He asked her, taking her hand as Toothless gently nudged her in the side. Looking at them both, he saw how the warmth in her eyes returned as she came back and the storm stopped approaching.
"You are right." She smiled at him. "Both of you." She added, giving Toothless a pat on the head. "You know Eret is the only one who has made it past the finish line." She said causally, smiling when Hiccup frowned.
"Well with this storm I'm not surprised he is the only one, though I'd like to increase that number to two." Hiccup replied.
"Oh he didn't face the storm; you are the only one who has done that." She answered, smiling when he looked a little affronted. "You should see it as a compliment." She told him, her eyes suddenly glowing as she pulled him closer to her. "I wanted to see you." She whispered.
Looking into her ice-blue eyes that seemed to hold a storm of their own, Hiccup noticed how he allowed her to pull him closer without any restraint. However, when her lips nearly touched his she started to pull back like earlier that day. This time though, there was no one watching, and Hiccup drew her back to him, taking a gentle hold of her face as he leaned down and kissed her.
With a small thud, Elsa dropped the helmet that was still in her hands and she blinked at him when he pulled back, Hiccup smiling when her face turned flushed.
But to his surprise her dazed expression was soon replaced by a victorious one instead as she started backing away from him slowly.
"We never said the game was over. You really shouldn't get distracted so easily Chief Haddock." She smiled at him, gesturing to his feet. Looking down, his eyes widened when he saw that she had frozen his metal leg to the ground.
"What… you…?" He stared at her, her eyes glowing as the storm suddenly fell away around them, exposing her victory to everyone.
At the sight of their Chief standing with his foot frozen to the ground and the Queen smiling triumphantly at him, a stunned silence spread over the arena as everyone tried to comprehend what they saw, everyone wondering if it was really over. They had all been so certain their Chief would win, Hiccup always won.
But they, along with Elsa, had forgotten about one very important detail and it was that Hiccup could detach his leg.
Seeing their Chief send the Queen a smug smile, they watched in silence as he freed himself from his leg, Toothless jumping to his rider's aid. When his dragon reached him, Hiccup grabbed a hold of Toothless, the pair moving in the prefect sync they had developed over the years. Pulling himself up on Toothless' back the pair then lifted from the ground and flew over the finish line with ease, everything happening so fast that no one had the time to react, even less do something to stop them.
Only when Toothless gave a proud roar did the spectators realize it was all over and, when they did, the arena exploded as the Vikings all cheered and screamed loudly, everyone shouting to each other what had just happened.
"You really shouldn't get distracted so easily Queen Elsa." Hiccup smiled down at her from Toothless, his eyes shining at her when the pair landed next to her once again.
"If you hadn't had Toothless it never would have worked. I had you, admit it!" Elsa only replied, crossing her arms over her chest as Hiccup carefully glided down to the ground, Toothless supporting him carefully since he was missing his metal prosthetic.
"It was a collective effort." He replied, trying to find his balance to he could lean down and pick up his leg, only to see Elsa pick it up instead and offer it to him like it was nothing at all. Seeing his slightly disbelieving expression she smiled at him, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before putting some distance between them once again.
The gesture was so small that Hiccup didn't think she understood how much it meant to him that she was so unaffected, it was one of the few things she could never understand, but it didn't lessen its value for him.
He didn't have the chance to thank her though since Spitelout rose from his seat and the whole arena went silent.
"Having looked at this challenge, the judges have decided to make a special decision. Considering this challenge has been unique in so many ways and only the Chief and Eret son of Eret managed to get over the finish line at all, we've decided to not look at the points or the time. Instead both riders will be rewarded as winners. One wish each, both of which will be voiced at tonight's feast!" He announced, the whole arena cheering loudly once again.
From his place with the other dragon riders', Eret sent Elsa a wink across the arena before being flooded by the horde of Vikings that was coming down to congratulate him.
"Hey stop glaring!" Elsa exclaimed, hitting Hiccup in the side when she saw the look he was sending Eret, his eyes leaving his friend as he looked at her instead. "I told you to win and you didn't so you have no right to glare." She told him.
"I did win." He replied, doing his best to hide his amusement when she gave him mischievous look.
"Not really, you're sharing the victory with Eret. It's not the same." She answered.
"And whose fault is that?" He asked with a pointed look.
"I can't help that you get easily distracted." She replied, her eyes glittering as he finally smiled at her.
"You never admit defeat do you?" He asked as the hoard of cheering Vikings was starting to close in around them as well.
"Says the man who refuses to admit it himself." She laughed before they were whisked away by the cheering crowd of Vikings.
The feast following the tournament was more lavish than any of the previous ones, but the biggest change for Elsa was that she no longer stood on the outside. She was constantly surrounded by Vikings who wanted to know more about her powers, never once appearing frightened of her. Instead they praised her for her skills, wondering how long she would stay and if she was willing to train with them.
When it was time for the winners to announce their wishes, Elsa watched with a smile when Hiccup's face turned surprised as Eret asked for a kiss, but not from her. Instead he grabbed a hold of a Brigitte, the whole Hall cheering loudly at the couple, even Elsa laughing happily at the huge, but slightly embarrassed, smile on the older woman's face.
What no one had known was that Brigitte had approached Elsa early that morning, asking if she would be allowed to stay on Berk instead of returning to Arendelle with rest of them. At her question Elsa had only made sure her friend knew what she was doing before releasing her from service without any hesitation.
Then, as Elsa had been on her way up to arena with Astrid before the competition, she had seen Brigitte and Eret talking quietly in one of the rooms they had passed. For a second Eret had met her eyes and the gratitude in them had told her all she needed to know.
In other words, Elsa had known Eret would never ask her for a kiss if he won, not when he knew he could get one from the woman he had asked to stay.
As a result of the excitement from the sudden turn of events, music started to spread in the Great Hall as the Vikings all started to pair up and start dancing. For Elsa this meant another new experience as well when a young Viking named Gustav invited her to dance in the usual Viking fashion.
He simply grabbed a hold of her and whisked her away into the dancing crowd.
Allowing herself to relax and let go of her usual restrains, Elsa soon fell into the much faster and freer dance movements as she flew over floor along with the rest of the laughing Vikings. She moved from partner to partner, all of them burly men who smiled at her and treated her with more respect than most nobles did at home.
Among the young men in Arendelle she would always be a woman first and a Queen second. This meant she was open for marriage and a great price for those who wanted power. Here however it was clear it was the other way around. Here she was a leader first, one who had shown herself to be both very powerful and strong, she also just happened to be woman.
In the Vikings eyes she was a Queen and she could see they didn't only see her as an equal, but someone they had a deep respect for as well.
As the evening turned into night, Elsa saw Hiccup watching her from the sidelines with a smile, his green eyes following her more and more intensely all the time. In the end his burning gaze and the high rush of happiness that surged through her made Elsa abandon her partner as she started to make her way through the crowd towards him.
When she had nearly reached him, Hiccup finally excused himself to the Vikings he was talking to and met her half way.
Reaching him, she threw her arms around his neck, for once not caring they were in plain view of everyone. She didn't even think much of the fact that Hiccup hugged her back and very clearly breathed in her sent.
"Let's get out of here." She whispered to him, pulling back as she grabbed a hold of his hands, the excitement rushing through her mixing with the love she felt for him as he smiled down at her. His green eyes were burning and for a moment Elsa was frozen in his gaze, only coming to life when a loud voice was heard over the music.
"Just kiss her already!" Tuff shouted, looking at them with a huge grin while Astrid, Ruff and Valka all glared at him. "What?!" He asked them, earning him a hit in the head by Ruff and a punch from Astrid.
Sharing a look, Elsa and Hiccup knew it was only a moment before the intoxicated Vikings around them would also realize what was going on, so with a huge smile Elsa dragged Hiccup's after her quickly through the crowd. When they finally reached the doors, they were both laughing, smiling at each other as they were greeted by the shining moon.
Okay, so maybe they were a little intoxicated as well.
Drawing in a deep breath Elsa allowed the cold to fill her and clear her head. With a smile still on her face she then led Hiccup in silence through Berk to the old pillar of ice the Bewilderbeast had left behind.
"You never got a chance to voice your wish." She told him, Hiccup looking at her with a questioning expression. "I could make them all disappear, if you want to." She explained gesturing to the ice, Hiccup realizing she was offering him a chance to get rid of the dark memory. She was giving him the opportunity to take away what was constantly reminding him about his father's death.
Had she offered it to him two days ago, he would have asked her to do it, but now… now he no longer wanted her to. The ice was a reminder not just to him, but to all of Berk of what had happened on that dark day and it would hopefully make sure they never forgot.
"I think it's needed for us to remember." He therefore told her, Elsa accepting his answer without any questions, she only smiled happily and looked out over the ocean.
"Solitude, it's underrated really." She said, Hiccup putting his arms around her waist as she leaned back against his chest.
"I can leave you alone if you want." He told her, Elsa hearing the humor in his voice as she turned around to glare at him.
"Don't you dare, if you do I will freeze both of your feet to the ground this time." She answered, leaning her head against his chest while Hiccup chuckled and tightened his hold around her.
In the background she could still hear the cheers from the Great Hall and the music from the Vikings instrument. It was such a different world and still, she had never felt more like home. Over the past week she had slowly started to get used to the Vikings way of life and today was the first day she felt like they had accepted her into it as well.
This didn't mean she agreed with everything in their culture or that she knew everything about them, but there were aspects of it she had come to love.
The openness, fierceness and more equal view were some, but learning that she was more like them than she had thought was another. All her life she had been taught to suppress this more lighthearted part of her, but it had always been there wanting to break free.
Just like Hiccup she belonged in both worlds and she over the past week she had come to realize her power might not have been the only reason she had always felt like an outsider.
Maybe that was also the reason why she felt so whole with Hiccup, for she felt whole when she was with him. His warmth had become something she longed for and she wanted him in her life. They had tried to be apart and it hadn't worked. In fact, the mere thought of living without him now made her feel slight panic and the old pain returned in her heart.
With him she felt alive and she wanted to hear his heart race alongside hers when they kissed. She wanted her blood to rush in her veins and she no longer wanted to feel cold. She wanted them to grow old together, have children…
At the thought she suddenly felt a deep longing she had never experienced before, one that made her want to put her hands to her stomach. How would it feel, to have life grow inside of you? A child out of love that would be a part of her and a part of Hiccup? A little boy with brown unruly hair and piercing green eyes like his father?
"My mom told me she taught you some Viking dances." Hiccup suddenly said, pulling her out of her thoughts. To be honest she was a little happy he had done it for it scared her a little at how strongly the vision had materialized in her mind.
"She has, though I'm not the very good, we only started a little yesterday." She replied, gathering her thoughts as she noticed that the music from the Great Hall had shifted into a slower melody.
"I think you did just fine before, but if that's how you feel, how about a lesson?" He asked with a smile, Elsa giving him an amused look when he offered his hand to her. "Come on, you gave me my first lesson, it's only fair I am allowed to give you one beneath the full moon as well." He told her.
"If you are trying to be romantic you are failing very badly." She replied, but she still took his hand and couldn't help to smile when he drew her close. "If you step on my feet I will not be merciful." She threatened.
"Don't you trust me more than that?" He asked, laughing when she only sent him a pointed look. "I'll be careful, now focus." He told her, Elsa smiling as she placed her arm next to his. Looking into his eyes, she felt how they drew her and the air around them started to tingle as they walked around each other, before switching arms and direction.
The soft music from the Great Hall set their pace, a soft, clear voice she recognized as Valka's singing words that was too far away for her to pick up, but they all held deep love and longing.
When Hiccup went down on one knee before her, she smiled as she danced around him before he rose and took both of her hands in his. Getting closer to each other, the music slowly increased it's pace for each step they took and her heart followed. Spinning her around so her back was against his chest, Elsa felt her cheeks flush at their closeness, their hands still connected in front of her.
When Hiccup suddenly spun her around once more, she laughed happily when he lifted her up in the air by the waist and twirled around with her a little before carefully putting her back on the ground.
In the background the music had stopped and she stood so close to him that there was barely any room between them. Looking into his green eyes, Elsa remembered how the love in them once had scared her. Now it only made her feel like her heart could never grow enough to hold the feelings she felt for him in return.
"You are so beautiful. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen, both inside and out." He whispered to her. "Once I wanted to search the world, now all I wish is to be with you, to love you, to hold you. The Snow Queen has stolen my heart so slowly I didn't notice, like growing frost in the winter. I love you and when the time is right, I'll ask for your hand, a real proposal." He told her, Elsa smiling as he leaned his forehead against hers and and she could feel his warm breath on her lips, teasing her.
"It was only right she stole a heart as well I think, considering the Viking Chief slowly thawed her frozen heart and claimed it once it was open without giving her any chance to fight him." She replied. "Not that I want it back, I love you too." She whispered and, for the first time, she took the first step. Pulling him down to her, she kissed him and she gasped when he pulled her to him.
With the moon shining down on them they were in that moment free of their titles and their responsibilities. They didn't think about the obstacles and the problems ahead, for there would be far too many for them to worry about. In that moment they let it all go and allowed themselves to only be Elsa and Hiccup, two people like anyone else.
And somehow they would be alright. They had each other and together they were much stronger than they were apart. Somehow they could do it, they could rule their lands and still be happy.
So standing there on the edge, with the endless ocean in front of them, Hiccup's warm arms around Elsa who listened to his racing heart, breathing in his scent of firewood, sun and wind, they felt no doubt that this was meant to be. This was the path that an old troll once had spoken about.
And had they been able to talk to him, to see the huge smile on his old face as their path against all odds shone brightly in the dark, they would have asked him if they were right.
Of course he would never have given them an answer, but he would have told them that many things are meant to happen, but few of them ever does. Choices get in the way and changes the paths. But when they do happen, we always know the truth.
We always know if they were meant to be.
This is the end, here we leave our couple! Is so sad! Also, yes, this means I am one of those horrible authors who leave you with an open ending! ;D But this story was always, as I wrote in my first chapter, about falling in love. What happens next, that's for all of you to decide, or at least to some point for there is still the epilogue and I decide what happens in that, the perks of being the author you know ;)
The epilogue will be up on the 24th, so tune in then if you want to know what happened next and with that I will say for the last time with in this story; Until next time!
/Lysistrate