Frozen, the Dragon Princess
Dragon Training
Anna stayed on Berk another week, and she thought she could easily stay forever. The Vikings were a bit rough, but were also nice. Once he was sure she wasn't going to burn the village to the ground, even Stoic was nice to her, and Gobber was hilarious with his jokes and strange antics. But it was Hiccup and Astrid who she had grown closest too. Hiccup was so smart and nice. He was always patient with her and always took time to explain things too her. In a lot of ways he reminded her of Elsa. Astrid Also reminded her of Elsa, but more in the way she looked and her seriousness, but also the warmth, kindness, and even playfulness that Anna remembered Elsa having before she started shutting Anna out. Even now the three of them were speeding around Berk, Hiccup and Astrid on their dragons, Anna as a dragon.
"Ok, watch this" Hiccup said and without warning slid off of toothless back, falling through the air with a whoop.
"Show off" Astrid said as she and Anna dived after them.
"Watch this" Anna told Hiccup as they pulled up beside him and his dragon. Anna transformed in mid air, and grinned into the boy's surprised eyes as she felt the wind whip her face.
"First one to pull up's a chicken" She dared him as the ocean rushed up at them.
"Um guys" Astrid said as the ocean got dangerously near.
"HICCUP!" Astrid shouted and Hiccup quickly mounted toothless and the dragon pulled level, Anna shooting past.
"Anna!" Hiccup shouted and as she was less than ten feet above the water she transformed and pulled up, skimming the water with one talon before pumping into the air. She found Astrid and Hiccup had landed their dragons and joined them transforming back.
"That was amazing!" She shouted in glee jumping around.
"Let's do it again" She said grabbing their hands and pulling them toward the edge of the cliff.
"Let's not" Astrid said pulling her hand away.
"I think that's enough for today" Hiccup said running a hand through his hair.
"Okay, what's next?" She asked brightly.
"Well, I've got some work at the forge I've got to do if you're interested?" Hiccup asked.
"Really, you're going to put her in a room with fire, molten metal, and plenty of sharp objects?" Astrid asked cocking an eyebrow.
"On second thought" Hiccup said.
"I'll be good, I promise!" Anna begged. She really wanted to see what a real forge looked like.
"Actually your coming with me" Astrid said and grabbed her hand.
"Um, what do you want with her?" Hiccup asked, slightly worried.
"Training" Astrid said dragging the girl away.
"What kind of training?" Hiccup asked.
"Weapon training" She said as Anna followed her to the dragon academy.
"Didn't you tell hiccup you didn't want me around pointy objects?" Anna asked.
"No offense but your still a little too small to be using human weapons. This training will help you fight with your natural weapons" Astrid said and whistled. Stormfly stepped forward and glared at Anna out of one eye.
"You want me to fight, with her?" Anna asked nervously.
"You're a dragon aren't you?" Astrid asked sternly.
"Only sometimes" Anna said weakly.
"Well, you better be one…now" She said and made a gesture. Stormfly turned and with a flip of her tail sent a dozen poisoned spikes at her. Shrieking Anna formed a dome of solid air that deflected the spikes. The dragon wasn't done. Lunging forward she opened her mouth and breathed a jet of flame at her. Anna put up her hands and shielded herself, the flame hitting her but not doing any damage. The jet stopped and Stormfly looked down at her.
"Well, guess you're fireproof" Astrid said fingering her gigantic ax. Frightened and angry at what had just happened, Anna wiped tears from her eyes as she glared at the blonde girl.
"What? Are you just going to glare at me? Or are you going to do something about it?" Astrid asked, and her dragon snorted in approval.
"I thought you were nice, but you're just like my sister!" She shouted and transforming bowled them aside as she flew away. She landed and transformed still sniffling as she wandered the village. She heard hammering and followed it to find an open air building with toothless sitting outside dozing. He raised his head and looked at her before going back to dozing. She peeked inside to see Hiccup hammering a piece of metal.
"Your stronger than you look" She joked and he jerked in surprise.
"Don't do that" He sighed.
"Sorry" She said creeping inside.
"So how did Astrid's training go?" He asked.
"If by training you mean having her dragon try to eat me" She said and related what had happened.
"Wait, that doesn't sound like Astrid" Hiccup said.
"I thought she was really nice" Anna said sniffing.
"She usually is" Hiccup said.
"Hey, it's alright" Hiccup said putting a hand in her hair.
"I'm sorry for what happened. I'll talk to her, I promise" Hiccup said.
"So when do you think you'll be able to go home" He asked trying to change the subject.
"Maybe a few days, I think" she said. Hiccup continued to hammer as they sat in silence, Anna watching him.
"You wanna see something neat?" She asked and before Hiccup could stop her she had climbed into the coals and sat down in them.
"Whoa, Whoa, what are you doing?!" Hiccup shouted backing away as cinders were kicked up.
"What? The heat doesn't bother me" She said as she scooped up a handful of coals and rubbed them between her hands.
"I can see that, would you mind getting out of there, I have to work" Hiccup said as toothless poked his head inside.
"Ah, but it's nice and warm" She said plopping down on her back and sending up more cinders.
"Hey, be careful" Hiccup said backing up.
"It's really comfy" She said as the coals faded from orange to red and then to black. Hiccup came forward and sticking his hand into the coal came out with one in his hand.
"It's cold" he said.
"Yeah" Anna said sitting up and resting her arm on the side of the forge. Hiccup gave her a long look.
"What?" She asked.
"Look at you, your filthy" Hiccup said lifting her out of the dead coals.
"I guess we should get you a bath" He said and taking her by the hand led her out, his work forgotten.
"Follow me" He said and got on toothless. Anna transformed and followed the two to a cove, a beautiful hidden grotto away from the village.
"Wow" She said after transforming back.
"Alright, get in" Hiccup said tossing her a bar of soap and pointing at the pond.
"Turn around" She said and sighing the boy turned his back on her. Giving her own sigh she pulled off her clothes.
"Take those in with you and scrub them" Hiccup said not looking at her.
"You want me to wash my clothes?" She asked.
"You act like you've never done it before" Hiccup said.
"Well I haven't she muttered, but bundled the cloths under her arm and walked toward the pond. She carefully dipped a toe in and leapt back out again with a yelp.
"It's freezing!" She said.
"Don't be a baby, it's not that cold" Hiccup scolded her.
"Then you get in" She said
"I'm not the one covered in coal dust" Hiccup said and not looking thrust a hand out, pointing at the water.
"Why is everyone being so mean today ?"She wondered as she sulked over to the water Scowling down at it she decided that using a little magic was better than freezing to death. She placed her hand in the water and focusing, sent heat into the water until it was steaming. She waded in and began to scrub herself, when something bumped into her.
"Hey, I found lunch" She said and tossed the cooked fish onto land. As she washed herself and her cloths she pitched the dead and cooked fish onto land. When she was done she put on her sopping wet cloths and climbed out so see Hiccup had built a fire and were finishing the fish. Standing off to the side she circled herself in fire and let it dry her.
"You really are fireproof aren't you?" He asked and tossed her a fish which she caught with her bare hands and began to gnaw on it.
"I actually feel stronger after lying in those coals, like there heat gave me energy" She said.
"Really. Try taking power from this fire" Hiccup said. Anna tossed the bones of the stripped fish aside and stepping over to the fire put her hand into it and let the heat flow into her. The fire bent around her arm and went right into her. She felt energized and refreshed, and a little hyper.
"Amazing" Hiccup said putting his hand into the cold ashes.
"You think if I absorbed enough fire, I could go home?" Anna asked.
"Maybe. Only one way to find out" Hiccup said. The two of them flew to the dragon academy to find Astrid and Stormfly still practicing combat maneuvers. Anna hid behind Hiccup as they walked up to the girl shooting her dirty looks from around the boy's legs.
"Hey Hiccup" She said.
"What?" She asked seeing the serious look on the boys face.
"Can I have a word with you?" He asked and taking her arm led her a distance away. Anna glared at Stormfly who glared back at her out of one eye. Even though they walked to the other end of the arena, Anna could still hear them as if they were in front of her.
"You need to go easier on her" Hiccup said.
"What are you talking about?" Astrid asked.
"I'm talking about sickening Stormfly on her" Hiccup said.
"It was training, exactly how we learned" Astrid said.
"Yeah, and the Gobber method of throwing kids to dragons to see if they lived or died worked so well" Hiccup said sarcastically.
"Astrid, she's still a kid despite what she's done, we need to be patient and gentle with her" Hiccup said. Anna heard all of this from her position across the arena. On the one hand she felt happy that Hiccup was on her side, but on the other hand it felt like the same whispering her parents did around the castle. She put on a smile as they walked back to her.
"Anna…I'm sorry for what I did. It was wrong of me to sick Stormfly on you" Astrid said, and Anna could smell her guilt. She wrapped her arms around the girls waste earning a grunt from her.
"I forgive you" She said and hesitantly Astrid put her arms around Anna, wrapping her in a light hug.
"I think I need to go home now" Anna said disengaging.
"Are you sure?" Hiccup asked and she nodded.
"I miss my parents" Anna said and as soon as it was out of her mouth she realized she did as homesickness settled over her and she couldn't keep back a sniffle.
"But I though you still didn't have enough power to go home?" Astrid asked.
"I don't, but maybe if I could eat more fire, I can?" She reasoned.
"Eat fire?" She asked looking at Hiccup.
"Don't ask" Hiccup said, then got a contemplative look on his face.
"Right that reminds me. Wait here." He said and hopping on toothless flew away, leaving the two girls in an awkward silence.
"Um astride…I was wondering…if it isn't too much trouble…if we could try that dragon fighting again." She asked.
"Sure" Astrid said giving her a smile. While Hiccup was gone they worked out combat exercises and by the time Hiccup returned with Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins, Astrid and Anna in dragon form were engaged in combat in midair. Anna dodged a jet of flame from Stormfly and hit the blue dragon with a shot of fire from her own snout, stunning the dragon.
"Are you okay?" She asked both dragon and rider as they landed.
"Yeah, you're a fast learner" Astrid said impressed.
"Wow, not bad" Hiccup said.
"So what was your idea?" Astrid asked as Anna turned back.
"Well, Anna can regain her strength by absorbing, or eating fire, so, I was thinking if we had our dragons hit her with their flames, it could restore enough of her magic to get her home" Hiccup explained.
"You're not serious" Astrid asked.
"I'm game" Anna said brightly.
"You are serious" Astrid said.
"Meatlug and I will sit this one out. I don't think molten earth is what you need" Fishlegs said and they fluttered across the arena.
"Okay, show me what you got" Anna said standing in front of the gathered dragons.
"Wait, what if you get hurt?" Astrid asked.
"I won't. I trust you guys" She said smiling brightly, causing Astrid to blink.
"Ok, let's do this" She said as Stormfly stepped up beside her.
"Oh yea, this is gonna be good" Snotlout said with a sinister chuckle. The dragons stood in a circle and at hiccups signal let loose their flames. They hit the girl all at the same time and she absorbed them like she did with the forge fire and the campfire. But while those were gentle but strong, this was wild, untamed. It felt like a storm inside her, wild, fierce, and fun. Wrestling with it, struggling with it, was completely exhilarating and unlike anything she had ever felt before. She laughed wildly and joyously as the flames vanished inside of her and she felt, but the storm remained.
"Anna, are you alright?" Astrid asked. The small girl couldn't see it, but her red hair had turned even redder, gaining a bright red hue that looked like liquid fire. Her deep blue eyes, normally sweet and full of fun, were filled with a blue light, and crackled like lightning, but the most disturbing for those who could see her back was the pattern that all but burned through her cloths, the tattoos that marked her as a dragon born burning with power. Seizing the power with both hands she focused it and shot herself forward through time, hurtling back to her own time, and landed on the floor of her room dazed and exhilarated.
Sorry this chapter took so long, but I'm in the middle of school, so my writing time is limited. So the How to Train your dragon Arc is over. Next Arc is going to be Brave, I already have the plot mapped out. Until then.