Chapter 4
The Dragon Riders of Berk, fearless warriors that rode into battle upon fierce winged reptiles that breathed fire, sat frozen and speechless before two beautiful young women. For a few moments they sat staring as small storms raged in the women's hands. Elsa and Anna smiled at each other, then snuffed out their storms. Elsa had their drinks refreshed, then began.
"First thing you should know, we are not demons or monsters. Though we both discovered our powers differently, we were both born with them. I grew up with my gift and it grew with me, but I had difficulty controlling it. When I was 8, I accidentally struck Anna in the head with my powers. Father knew someone who could save her, thankfully. But in order to keep her and Arendelle safe, father convinced me to hide away from everyone. So for 13 years I stayed hidden away in my room. Even after our parents were lost at sea, I never left."
She paused for a drink. Nobody moved.
"Then, on my coronation day, the sheep hit the wall so to speak. My powers became known, and I panicked. In my attempt to protect Arendelle by fleeing, I accidentally threw it into eternal winter. From that point the story gets rather personal, so I'll leave those details out. But in the end, my sister taught me that love was the key controlling my powers. Then I was able to end the winter I had unleashed."
"Wow!" Fishlegs blubbered. "That's so beautiful!"
"Really, Fishlegs?" Astrid commented dryly.
Then Elsa turned to Anna. "Your turn sis."
Anna sat up in her chair. "Well, here goes." She said pleasantly.
"I grew up normal. When Elsa struck me as a child, the person father took me to removed the magic from my mind. But what he didn't know was my powers are based in my heart. Pulling the magic from my mind just kept them from coming out. So for the next 13 years I was pretty much a normal girl without magic. When Elsa set off winter in Arendelle, I went after her. And long story short, Elsa lost control and struck me again. Because of that I slowly froze, eventually turning to solid ice."
"No Way!" Ruff gasped
Anna continued. "But it doesn't end there, obviously. The powers in my heart were released by being frozen, thawing me out. Now I had powers too; Fire magic. But I couldn't control them and risked destroying Arendelle if I couldn't learn fast. I ended up taking a potion to get control of my powers, but they had unpleasant side effects, making me very angry at everyone. I even almost killed my sister willingly."
"Wow! Fire powers AND angry?" Snotlout spouted, "You would have made a killer viking!"
Hiccup shushed him.
"The worst," Anna continued, "was what came later. Arendelle was attacked and Elsa and I had to team up. Not easy, given my condition. But in the middle of the battle, Elsa took an arrow to the chest. Thinking she was dying, my heart finally broke the spell and my full powers came out."
"What Anna left out," Elsa added, "was that, after I was taken to hospital, she completely let loose on the enemy and destroyed 200 enemy warships by all herself."
The Riders were stunned. These sweet looking elegant ladies had the ability to obliterate entire armies with a thought.
Tuff spoke up. "You got SHOT?!"
Ruff followed. "Did you get a scar?"
Tuff added. "Can I see it?"
Hiccup yelled. "GUYS, COME ON!", then turned to Elsa. "I'm really sorry about that. Scars are like a badge of honor to vikings. But that's no reason to be rude."
With that Elsa surprised everyone by pulling down the front of her dress JUST ENOUGH to reveal the scar from her surgery.
All the Riders piped "WHOA!"
"That's like 6 inches!" Fishlegs crowed
"You're my new hero!" Ruff exclaimed
Elsa blushed and pulled her dress back up.
Hiccup then asked, "Clearly you both are very powerful. So I have to ask. What do you need us for?"
A good question. But Anna had a good answer.
"It's true we could eliminate any threat that faces us. But that's not how we work. We refuse to use our powers to take life. Even if it would be easier, it's not our way."
"Killing what threatens you is more fun." Snotlout snorted.
Kristoff spoke up. "If Queen Elsa thought that, you would have been an ice sculpture before you could land."
Astrid busted out laughing. Snotlout just crossed his arms and grumbled.
"Quite simply, Hiccup," Elsa said, "We have the firepower, you have the knowledge of the enemy. Is there a way we can work together to defeat a common foe and make the North Sea safe for trade and travel again?"
Hiccup looked at Elsa and Anna. Then he stood and bowed.
"My ladies, the Dragon Riders of Berk are at your service."
The Riders howled cheered in agreement. Elsa and Anna smiled brightly. Even Kristoff was cheering and applauding. Elsa summoned a waiter and had him bring another round of ales, including one for Kristoff, Anna and herself. With everyone served, Astrid stood, held her mug high, and spoke.
"Here's to the combined forces of The Dragon Riders of Berk and The Sisters of Arendelle. Odin help anyone who stands against us!"
Everyone cheered and drank. And Elsa and Anna tasted ale for the first time.
That didn't go well.