Chapter 15

Elsa and the Riders could hear the last cannon shots as they made their way back to the alliance fleet. From their vantage point high in the air they could see that the alliance had taken some damage in the fight, but thankfully all 256 ships were still afloat. A testament to the skill and power of the allied kingdoms. The Berserker fleet however was a total loss. Not a single ship of Dagurs thousand ship fleet had survived, and the sea was filled with debris. And angry Berserker survivors. Elsa could hear them cursing at her and the Riders as they flew over.

10 minutes later they were circling the flagship, the crews of all ships cheering at their triumphant return. Each dragon took its turn to land so as not to crash into each other on approach. Hiccup and Elsa waited above until the Twins, Snotlout and Fishlegs were safely on deck, then made their approach. Touching down on the deck, Elsa was relieved to see Anna running towards them, her arm in a sling and a huge smile on her face. She wasted no time. Jumping off Toothless, she ran to her sister and wrapped her arms around her.

"I was so worried, Anna!" she said, "Are you alright?"

"I'll be ok." Anna replied happily. "Doc says my arm will come back to normal in a few hours, once the shock effect wears off. But look at this!" She pointed to the bandage around her upper arm and grinned. "2nd degree burn. It'll heal, but I'm gonna have a battle scar, like you."

"Looks like it'll be a nice one too." Astrid added, smiling.

But Elsa turned and walked to the front rail. Once there, she stared out at the sea. Anna came over and saw what her sister was watching. The sea was still alive with activity. Berserker survivors clung to whatever they could find that floated. And the north seas natural residents, which had been attracted by the commotion, were now feeding on Berserkers. Sharks, Orcas and other creatures they couldn't identify could be seen plucking down the survivors one by one.

"Elsa. We have to help them." Anna noted.

But Elsa replied sadly. "We can't."

Anna was confused. "What do you mean we can't? We can't just leave them out there to die!"

Hiccup put a hand on her shoulder. "Anna. Elsa's doing the right thing. Let me explain."

Anna, and everyone else on deck, stood silent as Hiccup explained.

"First off, there are thousands of angry Berserkers out there. Even if our ships had the space to hold that many prisoners, what chance would we have containing that many angry warriors? But more importantly is that they wouldn't want to be rescued. As things are they will die in battle, which is honorable even to them. To be rescued now would be an unbearable disgrace. And they would try to kill us for trying. It's not logical, but it is their way."

Somehow, Hiccups words made sense to Anna.

Hiccup continued. "Elsa is doing the right thing now. Notice how she is standing tall, watching as each man is taken by the sea?"

Anna hadn't noticed before. But now she saw that Elsa stood with her head held high, her gaze never wavering from the carnage before her. Even though her eyes were filling with tears.

"She's honoring the men who've fallen in battle." Anna said, her voice shaky.

"That's right." Hiccup replied. "The Berserkers out there will see this as a sign of respect. In our culture, such a sign is a guaranteed pass to Val Halla, the viking afterlife. She's sending them off with honor, no matter how hard it is for her."

Anna said nothing more. Instead she stepped to her sisters' side, her eyes locked to the sea ahead. They were then joined by all the Riders, then as many of the ships crew as would fit on the forward deck. And for nearly a full hour they watched, until the last Berserker warrior was claimed by the sea. Then Elsa wiped her eyes and turned to the captain.

"Notify the fleet," she said sadly, "to set course for Arendelle immediately."

The captain saluted. "Aye Aye your majesty."

Hiccup spoke. "Um, your majesty. We should probably head back to Berk and report in. It's a closer flight from here than Arendelle."

"If you think it best." Elsa replied. "But may I ask a favor of you and the Riders?"

Hiccup smiled. "Feel free."

"We'll arrive at Arendelle in 2 days, then it'll take another 2 days to arrange and set up the victory celebration. Anna and I are hoping you and the Riders will be there."

Hiccup smiled. "Arendelle in 4 days? We can do that. And on behalf of the Dragon Riders of Berk, it would be an honor."

Elsa smiled. "The honor would be mine. And on behalf of Princess Anna, myself and all of the allied kingdoms, thank you for all your help, my friends."

With that, the Riders said their goodbyes to Elsa and Anna, mounted their dragons, and headed for home. Elsa and Anna watched them go until they were beyond sight.

"Elsa," Anna stated, "I'm really proud of you. For how you handled things earlier. If I had been the one to make the call, we might still be fighting off angry Berserkers."

Elsa smiled. "Thanks. But I'm sure Hiccup would have corrected you. Then you would have made the right choice."

"Maybe. But I'm still glad it was your call and not mine."

Elsa laughed. "He he! I'm sure you are."

Both smiled and went below for some supper.

Floating amongst the debris of the lost Berserker armada was a wooden barrel. It had probably contained ale or fruit or fish at some point. But now it contained one very angry viking.

Dagur glared across the sea at the alliance fleet as it sailed away from him. He had watched as his mighty Skrill abandoned him, and as his men were claimed by the sea. His hatred for the loss of his entire clan boiled within him, and he placed full blame not on the allied kingdoms, but squarely on the shoulders of 2 women. Through burning eyes and missing teeth he growled,

"Sisters of Arendelle, I will have my revenge!"