Chapter 5

Lunch with the Riders had been an enlightening experience. Both sides had learned much about each other. And Anna and Elsa had learned that ale is no friend to them. The taste stuck in their mouths and even the wine that they followed it with couldn't wash it away. Unfortunately their efforts to clean their taste buds had led to both of them becoming a little tipsy. Actually, tipsy would be a huge understatement. To prevent a potentially embarrassing situation, Kristoff had the sisters brought to their rooms to sleep off the effects while he made arrangements for the Riders accommodations.

"I'm grateful for your understanding, Hiccup," Kristoff said, "They don't normally drink, let alone that much."

"No problem." Hiccup smiled, "The first time I drank ale I spent the night begging for Odins forgiveness. They'll be fine after some rest."

Astrid added joyfully, "And thank you Director for these amazing accommodations!"

Kristoff looked around. It was the stables, but it had room for them and their dragons. If they were happy here, then so be it.

"I'm glad you're happy here. Feel free to explore the village at your leisure. Anything you need is yours for the asking. Just try to keep in mind that most of the villagers have never seen vikings, and for those that have, it wasn't a pleasant experience."

"Well then." Hiccup replied smiling, "We'll just have to make sure we give everyone a good first impression. Right guys!?"

The Riders cheered out in agreement.

Kristoff dismissed himself. But as he left, he questioned whether it was a good idea to set a group of vikings free in Arendelle. In doing so, he had shown them trust. He could only hope his trust wasn't misplaced.

Thankfully it wasn't.

The morning sun shone brightly through Elsas bedroom window. But for Elsa, it was NOT a good morning. She had no clue how she wound up in her bed or what time it was. She remembered she had been drinking with the Riders and...

"OH MY GOSH!" she yelled, followed by "OOOW!". Had she made a fool of herself in front of Arendelles newest allies? What must they think of her? The only honorable thing to do now was to get up and face the music. And Elsa paid dearly for every step from her bed to the door. Opening the door, the hinges squeaked. A familiar sound came from across the hall.

"OOOWW!"

Elsa propped herself against the door frame and looked across the hall. Anna was also propped against her door frame, looking just as bad as she felt. Both girls winced in pain as Gerda came walking down the hall, each step sounding like a hammer striking an anvil to them. She handed each of them a small bottle.

"A gift from Master Hiccup," She said, trying not to giggle, "He claims it will help you recover from yesterday's festivities. An old viking remedy." She then turned and walked away, 'accidentally' kicking over a brass vase in the process.

"GERDA, YOU'RE CRUEL!" Anna yelled. Gerda chuckled as she rounded the corner.

Elsa and Anna looked at each other, then the bottles.

"What do you think, Anna?" Elsa asked

"The last time I drank from an unknown bottle," she replied, "it didn't go well for me. But then again, it did come from Hiccup and I don't think we can possibly feel any worse."

With that, both girls disappeared back into their rooms. To take their medicine.

An hour later, Anna knocked on Elsa door, "Are you still alive, Elsa?" Elsa opened her eyes. To her surprise her headache was gone and she felt a hundred times better. She sat up on the bed and replied, "Come in, Anna. I'm still here."

Anna entered, looking much better than she did an hour ago. "Do you feel as good as I do now? That stuff Hiccup gave us is amazing!" Elsa couldn't disagree, but she still couldn't smile. Anna picked up on it.

"What's wrong, Elsa?" she asked

Elsa answered, "Do you realize what we did yesterday?"

Anna thought for a moment. "I can't remember...OOH! You don't think we..."

"Embarrassed ourselves? Disgraced our family honor?" Elsa stated.

Anna put her hands to her face. She knew precisely what Elsa was referring to. Even though neither of them could remember yesterday's events, they were both quite sure their behavior was FAR from distinguished. And in front of new allies to boot.

"There's only one way to fix this, Anna." Elsa said, "We have to apologize to them. Personally.".