I'm back. So, this is a light hearted chapter. I hope the grammar is passable. YOu may like some story ideas, you may not.
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That's all I have to say. I own nothing, let me know what you think and here we go.
"Elsa! Wake up! Wake up!"
"Anna, go back to sleep."
"I can't sleep! The sky's awake! So, I'm awake! So, we have to play!"
"Go play by yourself."
Giggle. "Do you want to build a snoooowmaaan."
Elsa peaked an eye open to look at her little sister then screamed in horror. Anna was solid ice. She wasn't moving. Elsa looked around her bed, and there was even more people made of ice: Mama, Papa, Hiccup, and Astrid.
What had she done?
"Elsa." The voice called her. She whimpered, ducking under the covers.
"Please leave me alone." She begged. "Please."
"What have you done?" The voice accused before tutting in disappointment, "Elsa, I told you before: There's nowhere for you to go."
"This is just a dream." Elsa whispered, "Conceal, don't feel, don't let it show. Conceal, don't feel."
"Oh Elsa," spoke the man, "You can never have them."
"You're wrong," Elsa yelled, but even she didn't believe her voice.
Pitch snickered, "I'll be close Elsa. I'll never be far away, and I'll always be watching from the shadows."
Warmth on her face; that's what woke Elsa up. Strange, her bed was too far away from the windows for the sun to land on it, besides the maid was kind enough to leave them shut for her. Elsa opened her eyes, and it all came flooding back. She was not home; she was in Berk. Elsa was not in her big room, filled with carpets and stone walls. She was in a small bedroom made of wood. There was a small glassless window behind her and to her upper left. Instead of a smooth, soft linen bed, she was on a rough wool mattress filled with straw. She felt an arm laying on top of her, and she saw that the owner was Hiccup, the chief of the village. He must have found her out there. She remembered the boat tipping over, but that was it. She realized that she wasn't wearing her clothes from yesterday and discovered a more worrisome fact.
Where are my gloves? Elsa's breathing started speeding up; it wouldn't be long before ice spread. She saw her clothes on a chair in the corner but she couldn't see her gloves. She swung her eyes all over the room until she saw them on a night stand that beside the bed. She reached out carefully and snagged her gloves, she then got them on as quickly as possible. As soon as they on her hands, she realized that she was at square one.
I have to get out of here. Elsa shoved Hiccup's arm off her and jumped onto the floor. Or at least she would have if it weren't for the fact that Astrid was lying right where Elsa landed.
"OOF!" Astrid heaved at the sudden awakening. Elsa made to run for the door but was snatched from the ground before she took a step and was wrestled back to the bed.
"LET ME GO!" Elsa bleated, punching ineffectually at empty air.
"Oh, no you don't." Hiccup ranted, "I didn't spend half the night out in that storm looking for you and dragging you back just for you to run off again."
"Let me go!" Elsa squealed, "I want to go home."
"No, not until I have a little talk with you," Hiccup maintained before getting a solid grip on Elsa and giving a vicious shake, "Now look, I'm bigger than you are and stronger than you are so might as well stop wiggling."
"I just want to go home," Elsa said miserably. Neither of the two adults could say anything; they just looked at each other awkwardly. Hiccup let her go allowing Elsa to move into the corner of the bed and room, putting as much distance as she could between her and them.
It was Astrid that broke the strained silence, "Of course you do, that's where your family is, and everything that you know is at home." She saw Astrid reach for her, but she tucked her chin and hid behind her knees, "but you don't have to be alone. We can help you."
Elsa shook her head, "You can't help me. It's impossible."
"Ha, watch us. Impossible is what we do best." Hiccup chuckled, but soon his grin gave way to a frown, "We know what happened yesterday." Elsa cringed at the memory, realizing that the bruises were probably still there.
"I know that you were scared Elsa but you could have come to me. I wouldn't have turned you away."
"I know that but-" Elsa spluttered to a halt.
Hiccup sighed, "But you didn't want to make it worse?" Elsa nodded. She hated the kids for what they did to her but what about what she could've done to them. Who was she to call them monsters when she wanted to make them pay ten-fold, at the end of an icicle.
"Can you tell us who did this to you?" Hiccup pressed. Elsa shook her head. She wasn't going to be a tattle-tale either. "Elsa, come on. I know it seems like it doesn't get any better but trust me, it does." Do you know how many times I have heard that lie? If she had a chocolate candy for the number of times Mama and Papa told her that, she would've needed a second room to hold it all.
Hiccup groaned in frustration before speaking again, "I don't suppose there was someone else who saw you get beaten that could tell us." Elsa almost shook her head but remembered the girl that saved her.
"Yes, there was." Elsa piped up. Oh, what was her name? Suzy? No. Sadie? No. Wait. Uh, SIGGY! Siggy was her name. "A girl who helped me. She fought them off. I think her name is Siggy. She helped me. And I didn't say thank you."
Hiccup smiled, "Well I know Siggy, so I'm sure we can fix that, but first, I want to make a deal with you Elsa."
Elsa cocked her head, "What kind of deal?"
"If you agree to be patient and wait until Trader Johann arrives with no escape attempts." Hiccup proposed, "Then I will make sure that the rest of your time here on Berk is worth all the trouble you've been through. No more bullies, anyway."
Elsa considered it, supposedly Mr. Johann would know a way home, and he was going to be here in about a week but could she hold out that long? Every day away from home seemed to be leading her closer to losing control. Having said that, she almost drowned just last night attempting to get home. "Deal." Hiccup held out his hand to shake, and Elsa carefully took it, conscious of what she was doing, and the deal was struck.
"Hey Elsa." Astrid interjected, "I need you to do something for me." Elsa nodded.
"Valka should be downstairs. I need you to go down and have her take you to my parents so that you can apologize." Astrid explained sternly, "You scared them halfway to Helheim." Elsa felt her cheeks redden with shame and embarrassment. She had forgotten that fact.
"Yes ma'am," Elsa replied and got off the bed to go downstairs. Before she could take a step, however, she was wrapped in a rib-crushing hug.
"Don't ever do that to me again." Astrid sniffled, "Please."
"I'm… sorry." Elsa squeaked. She was trying hard to relax. It's okay. It's just a hug, and you have the gloves on. You're fine. "I shouldn't have left."
"You're darn right." it was at least a minute before Astrid let her go. When she did, Elsa looked over to her clothes and changed into them. They were surprisingly dry. When asked, Hiccup said that they would've been put next to the fire to dry out. Elsa could hear herself going. Duh! Of course, they would. As she put on her jacket, something fell out. Elsa looked down to see that it was her Anna doll. Somehow, it didn't wash away. She slowly picked it up and looked at it. It was burnt up almost past recognition.
"What's that?" She heard Hiccup ask. She held it for Hiccup and Astrid to see.
Astrid gasped, "Oh sweetie. I'm so sorry." Elsa could feel a couple of tears making it through. Pull yourself together. It's a doll.
It's all I have left of her.
"Elsa, can I see it?" Hiccup asked. Elsa bobbed her head and brought it over. Hiccup looked it over and inspected it. What he was looking for, Elsa wasn't sure.
It was a moment or so before he spoke, "You know what? With Ingrid's help and yours and some of the finer threads from Johann, I bet I can get this to be good as new."
Elsa could feel her eyes widen, "Really?" She asked in wonderment.
Hiccup nodded, "Sure, Ingrid is great at sewing and weaving clothes, I'm not half bad at sewing, and I think that Johann has thin enough-" He didn't get to finish as Elsa gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheeks.
"Oh, thank you. Thank you so much." Elsa was so excited; she almost forgot that still had to go to Mr. and Mrs. Ingerman, "I'll see you soon." She then ran out the door with a spring in her step that was well-missed.
At first, he was frozen in shock from what just happened; then he was pretty sure his heart melted, all he could do was place a hand on his cheek and say, "I think I'm in love."
Astrid snorted, "And for once, he speechless."
Hiccup scowled at her, "Just what do you mean by that? Are you implying something" Astrid giggled before she got up and snuggled into his bed. "Hmm, I've missed this."
"Don't get ideas hotshot." Astrid jibed, "I'm just here for the body heat."
"Agh? Body heat?" Hiccup spluttered, "Excuse me ma'am but I need all the warmth I can get. I almost froze my ass off last night."
"Yes, and we thank you for the sacrifices you continue to provide," Astrid replied without a hint of gratefulness.
Hiccup huffed, "Well then, I better make the most of this." He reached over and drew her close for a kiss, in theory. It ended up being at least half a dozen, but he wasn't going to complain.
"You should get up," Astrid whispered.
Hiccup kissed her again before speaking. "I know."
"And yet you're not." She continued.
It wasn't a question, but he decided to answer anyway, "I had what you might call a realization last night." That was all he was going to say on the matter and Astrid seemed to accept it, "So how was the bog?" She immediately stiffened at the mention of her trip and her eyes clearly showed her discomfort.
"About that…" She began awkwardly before falling silent
"What happened."
Astrid appeared to be struggling at first with how to answer him which seemed silly, he would find out one way or another, but she came to a decision, "Cami found someone on her island. The person was beaten up into something awful."
"Who?"
Astrid gritted her teeth before answering, "Heather. It was Heather."
Heather? Jeez, last time I saw her would have been after the mess with the defenders of the wing. Oh boy. If thinking about Heather didn't turn his stomach, Mala and her ilk did. That whole incident was a gong show.
"What's happened now?" Hiccup grimaced.
"Complicated," Astrid answered.
"What else is new?" Hiccup grumbled.
Astrid huffed in annoyance and explained it all: Dagur, the lenses, Heather's torture and escape. All of it. It did not put him at ease.
Hiccup groaned, "Ohhh Thor, and I thought today was going to be a good day."
Astrid grinned, "Another day in the life."
"Got that right." Hiccup admitted begrudgingly, "Where is she now?"
"She's holed up in the great hall. Her injuries don't make it easy for her to move." Astrid revealed.
"Oh great. Just what I need." Hiccup grumbled as he got up to get dressed, "Every Viking in the village knows and will be coming to chew me out for letting her come back."
"Oh, come on they don't hate her that badly." Astrid argued in Heather's defense before Hiccup gave her a pained expression, "Okay they do, but there was no convenient spot to put her in last night with the storm still blowing through."
Hiccup sighed as he finished getting dressed, "They are probably lining up at the forge now."
"Is it really that big of a deal?" Astrid queried. "I mean, I know Heather hasn't been easy to deal with but in this case, what's the worse that could happen?"
"Cami wouldn't have booted her out of the bog if it wasn't for a good reason and you know it," Hiccup stated plainly, "If she thinks Viggo will try to grab Heather again, then we have to consider that possibility."
"Never stopped us from taking her in before," Astrid argued.
"At the edge, sure." Hiccup conceded, "But I don't want Viggo anywhere near this village. Not if I can help it."
"So, what are we going to do?" Astrid asked him.
Hiccup sat down and took a breath before answering, "She'll stay for now. We'll keep an ear open for any news about the hunters. When she's better, she can do as pleases. Knowing her that will be flying off in the middle of the night."
Astrid figured it was a good time to change the subject, one that was more personal, "With that out of the way, would kindly tell me… WHAT THE HAPPENED LAST NIGHT? Honestly, I'm gone for a day and a half, and this is what happens?" Astrid had only heard bits and pieces and she was going to hear it.
"I know. I know." Hiccup admitted, "I should've been watching her but with the storm coming, I didn't have time and I thought Ansel and Ingrid had everything in hand."
"Just tell me what happened from what you know," Astrid commanded. Hiccup spilled what he knew of the situation and what he had been told, he didn't even know Elsa had been beaten until she was gone. It was hard to be mad at him since he was the one to save Elsa.
Astrid rubbed her temples when Hiccup finished telling her, "Aye, what are we going to do with her Hiccup?"
Hiccup laughed, "You make it sound like we're her parents."
"We're responsible for her so for the moment we might as well be," Astrid argued. She got up to get dressed while Hiccup walked out the room to give her privacy.
"True enough, well anyway, I'll talk to Siggy Ivarson, figure out who the ingrates are, and then-" Astrid coughed not impolitely. "Yes, I will take their punishment to you," Hiccup confirmed.
"Thank you," Astrid said as she finished getting dressed and exited the room.
"Just nothing too extreme." Hiccup admonished, "I would prefer if they were still breathing."
Heather hated Berk, or more specifically, she hated Berkians. It wasn't that she wanted to hate them but they made it so easy to do so. There were exceptions, of course, Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, heck even Snotlout and the twins, but just like that standoff on Breakneck Bog with the twins, so did everyone else on Berk see Heather. They viewed her with a suspicious mind and didn't care for her presence, and they made sure that she knew that. Obviously, five years had done little to ease the bitterness of her aid to the enemy. It wasn't like it was personnel. Anyone else would have made the same choices. Nobody saw it that way, and they had a long memory and even shorter tempers. Of course, being Vikings they had 'stubbornness issues,' so it wasn't going to change anytime soon. Heather had tried to fight Camicazi to send her anywhere but Berk for that reason and for the fact that seeing Hiccup and Astrid would send her guilt-tripping. Other than those Berk wasn't too bad, as Hiccup once said: We have fishing, hunting and a charming view of the sunset and of course the dragons.
Heather was above the docks limping her way to the dragon pens. She would have taken the tunnel, but it was way too cramped for her limbs and her cane (She called it Bumpy), so she had to take the long way. In a way, it was rewarding because Heather got to see the tusk of the Bewilderbeast. She had heard the stories about the ice-spitting behemoth and wasn't sure what to make of them until she saw the tusk. It was kind of HUGE. A lot of the stories exceeded the size of the beast if Heather could imagine the dragon by using the tusk as a reference, but that did not take anything away from her shock. She could easily have walked on the defeated animal's tusk if it weren't for her arm and her bum leg. Heather got to the end and saw the scorch marks at the break point, the diameter which was at least two if not three times her height. After marveling at the tusk, she moved on hoping she wasn't too late. She wanted to meet Hiccup's mother, and she heard that she was at the Dragon pens.
She was looking at the open sea instead of where she was going. Apparently, she was too close the cliff where the grass ended, where the rock was smooth and sheer. She was putting put much weight on the cane which slid out from under her, and she followed it.
"OH CRAP!" she yelled. "Son of a-" She grabbed at the turf but it ripped right out of the ground, and soon there was nothing to hold on to at all.
"No. No. No. No. No." She yelled even if it was futile as she went over the edge. "Yaaaaah!"
"Snotlout for the last time, I don't care about your stupid boat," Eret shouted anything to shut him up. He and Snotlout had been leading the cleanup of the docks and were on their way up for a bite to eat. Snotlout was bemoaning the loss of his boat, and Eret ended up being the poor sap who had to listen
"Well, I'm sorry." Snotlout whined, "But do you know what it's like to lose something that you hold dear?"
"Yes." Eret snapped, "You might find this surprising Snotlout, but I was quite content with my life before you lot smashed it to bits."
Snotlout waved his hand in dismissal, "Bah. Details."
"Whatever." Eret conceded as he rolled his eyes, "But that does not mean you can complain about all your problems to me."
"Why not. Isn't that the way the sidekick works?" Snotlout wailed, "Between you and Hiccup, this village is chock full of leading men."
"Oh, so I'm the leading man, eh?" Eret mocked as he elbowed Snotlout.
Snotlout gave him a dirty look, "Don't joke about it, man. It's not funny."
"Just remember; your words, not mine." Eret quipped. Snotlout muttered something darkly under his breath. They were heading up the last ramp that led up to the top when Eret heard something.
"You hear that?" Eret asked quickly.
Snotlout was still grumbling, "Grlnnecnoe." Eret elbowed him, "Ow! What?"
"Listen," Eret demanded. With the extra bit of silence, they realized it was someone's voice that was close, but they couldn't see where it was coming from.
"ERET LOOK OUT!" Snotlout bellowed. The next thing Eret knew was that he was driven down against the wooden ramp with an almighty BANG!
"AAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHH!" He yelled. Something landed right on his back. He would've turned to see what it was but he wasn't in the mood.
"Are you alright?" Snotlout asked. What a stupid question.
"Oh, lust peachy Snotlout. Nothing like a broken body to start the day." Came the expected outburst. What was surprising was that it was not Eret who made the reply. It was a girl.
"Heather?" Snotlout exclaimed in surprise. Eret twisted around much to his back's protests to get a look, and sure enough, there was a raven-haired girl who was probably Astrid's age. That was all he saw and all he cared to see.
"Would you mind?" He growled, "My back is not a chair."
"You don't have to tell me." The woman retorted, crawling off his back and grabbing her cane that landed beside him, "I've been in more comfortable torture racks."
"Why does that not surprise me?" Eret growled, "Gah. Next time, why don't you watch where you're landing."
She scoffed, "Oh okay. As I'm plummeting to my death, I'll do everything in my power to avoid you because Thor forbid that I land on you." Eret winced. He had tried to stop what he was saying, but it was one of those moments where he couldn't stop.
Another time he would've been a more understanding fellow, but he was in no mood to be polite or diplomatic. In the last year, he had his fort blown to bits, had been bitten, burned, stepped on, squeezed, stalked, kidnapped, dropped from several thousand feet high and manhandled by both man and dragon and THAT WAS ALL IN ONE DAY. His time in Berk had not improved that. For all that Hiccup went on about peace, it didn't take much for him to find trouble. Now to add insult to injury some lady with attitude had flattened him.
"What are you doing here Heather? You couldn't resist this body?" Snotlout asked as held out a hand to help her up. He also didn't hesitate to add a smug smile. It didn't last long for Heather slapped him right there and then as well as refusing his help.
"I'm sure Astrid or Hiccup will explain," grumbled Heather as she stood up, her legs trembling, "Well maybe I should thank you for lending your body as a landing pad. My leg didn't break."
"Glad to be of service." Eret spat sarcastically. She scoffed and proceeded to limp up the ramp. With Snotlout's help, Eret slowly picked himself up from the wooden floor.
Snotlout glanced at him as he wrapped his arm around his neck, "Ale?"
Eret nodded letting out a sigh, "Please." They took it slow for the sake of his legs and back but as they went forward the pain receded. Eret took the time to see where the lady had fallen from. The top of the cliff was probably 15 to 20 feet above the planking. He guessed that she was too close to the edge and slipped. He grimaced, could've been worse he guessed, not that he forgave her or anything, his back and his pride wouldn't let him.
"I guess I should ask for your name." The 'lady' called back from the top of the walkway.
Don't do it. Don't do it. "Oh, where are my manners? Hah. I'm Eret, son of Eret." He answered taking a half bow. What could he say? Old habits die hard. It must not have been too bad, most people groaned, but she just rolled her eyes and sneered before limping away.
"Who is she anyway?" Eret inquired.
"Her name's Heather," answered Snotlout.
"Well, of course, that's her name but who is she?" Eret repeated his question, "I've never seen her before."
"Oh, yeah that's right." Snotlout muttered idly as the pair reached the top, "You've only been here a year. Well, it's complicated."
"Yes." Eret barked, "So would you kindly fill in the blanks."
"Oh, where to start?" pondered Snotlout before proceeding, "Short version: She's a girl from another village, her parents were held hostage by a chief named Alvin so that she would spy on us. We found out; Hiccup did that thing he does, we helped her and saved the day."
"That's it?" Eret asked.
"No." Snotlout shook his head, "Not even close: Her village was wiped out a few years later, she became a dragon rider vigilante thing and tried to get revenge on her parents' killer. Who ended up being her half-brother, still can't quite figure that one out yet, she did not get vengeance in the end. Later she joined up with her brother to work for Viggo of all people, but it was to learn more about him and take him down on the inside. Still not sure if I believe it, but that's just me and gods forbid that Hiccup and Astrid listen to me. Are you getting all this?" Eret's head was spinning from the rapid-fire delivery that Snotlout was giving.
"I got the gist of it" Eret replied, "Anymore?"
"Little bit," affirmed Snotlout, "Viggo called her bluff and sent her running, she later came back for a more extended stay, her brother also changed his colors, supposedly, but killed not long after. A few weeks later after a hairy run-in with dragon worshippers, she was gone. Haven't seen her in two years until this morning."
The pair strolled through the center of Berk where it was a scene of reclamation. The village itself was ok, but a lot of debris had been thrown all the place. "That was hard to follow," Eret admitted.
"Like I said, complicated," replied Snotlout.
Eret chuckled, "I like complicated women."
"Don't get any ideas mate." Snotlout muttered, "She'd eat you alive."
"What are you talking about?" Groaned Eret.
"Don't pretend you didn't say what just heard, mate," Snotlout admonished, "besides, she's a babe. A dame. Practically the most gorgeous woman this side of Hopeless. Just your type."
"Ha." Eret derided him as the reached the top, "Like you would know. You just better hope Astrid didn't hear that."
"Just because she doesn't like it doesn't make it false." Snotlout sang.
"And when she starts beating you to a bloody pulp," countered Eret. He could see the blood drain from Snotlout's face.
"Heather is the most gorgeous 'single' woman," Snotlout reiterated, "this side of Hopeless." Eret snorted. To Snotlout's credit, Heather was cute, but he'd met lots women that were cute.
"That's better." Eret chuckled. "Anyway, I didn't mean it that way. All I meant was that complicated women are more interesting to learn about than readable women. Same goes for men. Besides, shouldn't you be chasing after her if she's so gorgeous."
Snotlout smirked, "I am leading man material after all. However, it may surprise you Mister Eretson, but I am already claimed." The laughter could be heard across the island.
"Snotty, ha, ha, ha, that's a good one," gasped Eret, "Go on. Tell me another joke."
"Who said I was kidding?" replied Snotlout.
Eret stopped laughing or rather tried to, "Wait. You were serious?"
"Yes. Ragnhild comes from Meathead island and a respectable family, thank you very much." Snotlout responded loudly, "Why do people not believe when I tell them that."
"Well the way you flirt with women might be one thing." Quipped Eret. They made their way to the great hall as they talked.
"What can I say?" sniffed Snotlout, "to deny them my manliness would be a crime."
Eret shook his head, "I am so sorry that we are having this conversation."
"Well, snooze you lose." Snotlout shrugged, "I doubt she'll be around for long."
"Who? You're girlfriend?" Eret asked.
"What? No. Heather," snapped Snotlout.
Eret groaned as he took a misstep, "Snotlout don't take this the wrong way, but as a matchmaker, you're pathetic."
Snotlout helped Eret up the steps as he snickered, "Isn't being a matchmaker a part of what a sidekick does?"
"I thought you were the leading man," Eret protested.
"Your words not mine." Declared Snotlout as he opened the door and led him to a table.
"Well played," Eret admitted as he tediously sat down. "Thanks for the help."
Snotlout bowed in a rude manner, "No trouble at for the savior of the backside of one Heather Bezerker." Eret tried to hit him, but Snotlout ducked out of range of his arms.
"Snotlout Jorgenson you get back her right now so I can pulverize you." Eret snarled. Sadly, Snotlout wasn't that stupid and made a hasty exit. Eret made the most of his predicament and had someone grab him a tankard of ale. He nursed it for a little while, considering Snotlout's words but wrote them off as he should have done when he first heard them. After all, what did Snotlout know?
Elsa was currently sitting beside the Hofferson household looking out at the sea, appreciating the fact that she was alive. She didn't know how she survived other than what people told her, somehow Hiccup found her in the dark and stormy waters and brought her back to Berk. Elsa didn't know how she felt about it, she was grateful of course, but it reminded her of the people on the ship that ended up bringing her here. What right did she have to live while they died? It was a little past mid-day, and the sun was still high in the sky. Out in the ocean, she saw a pod of large water dragons jumping in and out of the water as they followed some course. They were amazing creatures, big stout blue bodies. When the leader reached the peak of his leap, he let out a loud roar that resounded all the way to where she was sitting.
"Wow." She gaped in awe.
"Titan Thunderdrums." A familiar voice called out. Elsa turned to see that it was Hiccup as she suspected, "Most pods only have one if any Titans but that pod is made up exclusively of Titans."
Elsa shrugged, "That's nice." She didn't know what it meant for there to be a titan dragon or whatever kind of dragon there was.
Hiccup sniggered as he sat beside her, "Terrifying would be more accurate considering that pod could wreak havoc on an entire fleet, but nice works too." The two sat in the grass just watching the pod continue their journey, neither of them saying anything. Elsa waited for him to speak but he just looked at the water, so she did the same. What is he here for? Well, if he thinks I'm going to be the first to speak, he is in for one heck of a surprise. Elsa buckled down resolving not to be the first one to be the first one to speak. It wasn't long before she started to get fidgety. She stole a look at him to see if he was cracking. Nothing. He was just sitting there, looking the same as always did, the only thing different was pouch he had beside him. She sat on her hands to not give away her impatience. A few more minutes in and her fingers were getting sore. She looked at Hiccup again who seemed content to be silent. All right, enough of this.
"Was there something you wanted Hiccup?" Elsa asked, trying her hardest to be nonchalant.
A grin appeared on the chief's face, "I wondering when you were going to ask," he replied.
"You were testing me?" Elsa accused.
He shrugged, "When you didn't ask why I was here when I first showed up I got curious. Most children and adults ask right off the bat."
Elsa pouted, "That's mean."
"All you had to do was speak," countered Hiccup, "Though I have to admit; sitting next to you, quietly enjoying the day, if only for a few minutes was rather nice. Thank you."
Elsa didn't quite know how to respond to that, so she changed tack, "Thank you for saving my life last night."
"You're welcome." Hiccup acknowledged without another word.
"Was there something else, Chief Hiccup?" Elsa asked again.
"Well, I must confess. I'm waiting on someone, and they're a little late." Hiccup explained.
"Oh," Elsa nodded. Was she disappointed that it wasn't for another reason?
"Ah." Hiccup exclaimed, jumping to his feet, "And here she is now." Elsa looked to where Hiccup was pointing and was surprised to see that it was Siggy.
"Siggy?" She asked.
Hiccup looked back at her, "Yep. I talked to her earlier today, and it was realized that you two couldn't talk to each other yesterday, due to certain limitations. Soooo, I figured a translator was in order and what kind of chief would I be if I didn't offer my services."
Elsa let a smile peek through. This time she could get a good look at her defender from the bullies as she got closer. They were about the same height, but that was basically where the similarities ended. The first thing that stuck out was Siggy's hair; It was light brown and short, barely coming below her ears but what the hair lacked for in length it made up for in puffiness. The amount of space her hair took was enough for two of Elsa's heads. Her face was round, freckly and had a light covering of dirt like the rest of her person. She also had a big toothy grin that didn't go away; it was complimented by what would have been a pair of buck teeth if one of them wasn't missing.
"Halló þarna, Ella!" She called, waving her hand in greeting. Elsa could guess that she was saying hello so she waved back. Siggy finally stopped a few feet from them. Elsa was at a bit of a loss; she wasn't sure what to say. Fortunately, Siggy didn't wait for an invitation.
"Þú ert að leita góður, allir hlutir consiered," She said.
Hiccup translated, "You're looking good all things considered."
With that Elsa spoke, albeit hesitantly, "Oh, ah, tell her I say thank you for helping me yesterday." Hiccup relayed the message to which Siggy blew a raspberry and said something else, rapid-fire.
Hiccup relayed, "What that? Oh please, no thanks required. It was my pleasure to kick butts."
For whatever reason at that moment Elsa remembered the first time she said butts, she ended up getting her mouth washed out with soap from her mother, "Well thank you regardless. I needed help." Hiccup relayed the message to which Siggy made a reply, Hiccup frowned a little at her words but relayed them.
"Ha, you're not kidding about that. I've seen rabbits put up a better fight than you."
Elsa shrugged and replied, "Well to be fair, I've never gotten into fights before."
Siggy cocked her head, "Really? Never?"
"Not fist fights, anyway," Elsa added.
"In fairness, that wasn't a fist fight it was a beating" Came Siggy's reply through Hiccup.
"I just wish I knew why. It's not like I did anything to them. I hadn't even seen those kids before." Elsa whined.
Siggy muttered something to which Hiccup snapped a quick reply which started what appeared to be a short debate before Hiccup relayed the response.
"It doesn't take much for those three to do that. Jealousy this time." Hiccup repeated her explanation, "At the end of the day, they're just rat eating munge buckets."
Elsa was confused, "What does she mean by that?"
Hiccup hemmed and hawed before finally answering, "The kids who attacked you are children of families who deep roots in Berk and are wealthier than most. Most of the time, that kind of thing doesn't matter, but it can grant certain… privileges to those families. Like who teaches their children the finer points of fighting."
"What does that have to do with me?" Elsa asked.
"Apparently." Hiccup explained, his voice heavy with disgust, "They didn't like the fact that some 'outsider' got to be the ward of the best fighter in Berk who's taken a liking to you, while they were 'merely' taught by her. They also didn't like how their 'training time was shortened because Astrid has been busy with you."
"You- You mean- I was attacked because Astrid rescued me?" Spluttered Elsa. She seethed under her face. Her composure hid the forest fire that roared within. Those ungrateful… ingrates. Did I ask to be thrown about in the storm that carried me here? NO! I didn't ask to be rescued. I didn't ask for Astrid to take me in. I didn't ask to be here. And I certainly didn't ask to BE HERE! She looked down at her hands balled into fists, they were shaking in rage but then her eyes caught something else and panic seized her. The edges of her boots were starting to get frosty. Breath! Breath! Breath! Conceal! Don't feel! Elsa brought her emotions under control. No amount of self-served justice is worth it. Not like this.
"I have to admit." Hiccup continued, "Never have I so willingly handed their punishment to Astrid so that she could deal with them in a most Viking manner." Elsa wouldn't deny that she took pleasure in that tidbit of information.
Siggy spoke again which Hiccup relayed, "Don't think about them too much. They're not worth the effort. Unless you want to crack skulls." She finished with a twisted grin and cracked her knuckles. Hiccup laughed nervously as he translated that one, but he brushed it off.
Hiccup opened the pouch that Elsa noticed earlier. He pulled out the contents which were revealed to be paper. "I wish I could stay here, but I have to get back to work, but Siggy volunteered to give you some company." He turned to Siggy and probably said the same thing.
"But how are Siggy and I supposed to talk?" Elsa asked. Siggy said something her language, maybe asking the same thing.
"Well, this is where I get to be inventive." Hiccup stated, "What do you see? Hvað sérðu?" He held a piece of paper to Elsa and Siggy. Elsa could see that it was a chart of the letters of the alphabet, but then she saw the runes of the Norse. Each rune had a matching letter or group of letters.
"It will take longer, Hiccup explained, "but you have the extra paper to write out what you want to say and use the chart to translate it. Það mun taka lengri tíma, en í grundvallaratriðum að auka pappír til að skrifa út hvað þú vilt segja og nota töfluna til að þýða það." When he finished explaining it to Siggy, Hiccup showed them what he meant, tapping a rune that matched with a letter and wrote down the letter and so on and forth, until he spelled out a word.
"Hello." Hiccup grinned, "I'll leave you to it. I hope you two can make it work."
Elsa murmured, "We can try. I guess."
"Alright." Hiccup winked before he walked away, "Good luck." As soon as Hiccup was out of sight, the two of them grabbed a sheet of paper and tried to have a conversation. Well, it didn't take a genius to figure out that it wasn't going to work. Elsa was too particular and took too long while Siggy didn't give two bits about spelling.
Eventually, Siggy wrote down. PLAY?
Elsa wrote back. PLAY WHAT?
Siggy wore what Elsa dubbed the 'done' face. ANYTHING.
Elsa thought about it and came up with a game. One that she and Anna enjoyed. HIDE AND SEEK?
A smile cracked through Siggy's face. YOUR ON. She dropped her stuff and covered her eyes. "einn, tveir, þrír, fjórir, fimm…" Elsa realized she was counting and ran off. Now, where could she hide? She spotted a porch that was tall enough to let children fit underneath and dove for it, crawling to the far corner.
"Tilbúinn eða ekki hér kem ég!" She heard Siggy shout. Ready or not here I come, she realized. She couldn't help giggling, hide and seek was fun. "Ella." She could hear Siggy calling, "Oh Ella… Ella." Elsa saw her walk in front of the gap under the porch. She continued walking on by without bothering to check. "Hvar ertu Ella?" Soon she walked by right where Elsa was laying down.
Yes. Elsa cheered mentally.
"FANN ÞIG!" Siggy yelled as she poked her head under the porch.
Elsa groaned and started counting "1, 2, 3, 4…"
The two of them played on through the day, switching to tag and other small games that didn't require much talking.
Before she knew it, Elsa could hear Astrid calling for her, "It's supper time."
"Awwww.." Elsa moaned. She turned and saw Siggy grinning and holding out her hand.
"á morgun?" She asked with a toothy grin. Fortunately, Elsa could guess what she meant, since it was close to their word for it.
"I morgen." Elsa agreed. Tomorrow. She took Siggy's hand and shook it.
Elsa agreed to try to sleep on her own, but she had a sneaking suspicion that Astrid was right outside her door. She tried to get to sleep when she heard something outside her window. Something rustling. She slipped underneath her covers, hoping there was nothing.
"ELLA!" Siggy's head popped into the window and Elsa made a small shriek.
"SHHHHHH!" Siggy had a finger to her lips. Oh, like you're any quieter. What ended up happening was a long night of drawing and telling stories. Elsa mostly did the drawing while Siggy did the story telling. Elsa couldn't understand what Siggy was saying so Siggy would draw out what she was telling, at least the best she could. Soon Elsa could hear names float through her story: Thor, Loki, Thjalfi, and Roska. As far Elsa could make out: Thor and Loki were two gods, of lightning and thunder and mischief, respectively. Thjalfi and Roska were a brother and sister who had to serve Thor after Thjalfi disobeyed one of Thor's orders, something about breaking the bone of one of Thor's goats. Which was ironic considering that the four of them had just eaten those same goats the night before. Apparently, they could be brought back overnight. The story went on to where they met these giants, and the small group had to face all these challenges and how they were not what they seemed: an old woman, the seas, and a snake that wrapped itself around the world. It lost something in translation. But Elsa went with it; she loved how into the story Siggy was. She would get excited as she would hit a punch line then take a dramatic gasp and keep going. Not long after she finished the story, Siggy grabbed the letter chart and wrote something down. She then gave it to Elsa face down and ran to the window. When she got to the window, she turned around and urged her to flip it around. Elsa did and read the note.
YOU KNOW. YOU DON'T TALK VERY MUCH. I LIKE YOU! Elsa looked up at Siggy who gave her a wink and climbed out the window. Elsa carefully folded the paper and put it on the nightstand. She made a new friend. NO. Elsa corrected herself. I made my first friend. She then laid her head on her pillow and drifted off to sleep.