I wasn't expecting so much love and support from you guys. It was really inspiring. So much so that I was able to finish chapter 10. You guys surprised me. So..I shall tell you what happened.
My dog, Suzy...my family and I had to put her down. She was suffering from bladder cancer. I know I should be grieving, but she would not want me to grieve. So this chapter is dedicated to her and to you, who stood by me as I grieved the past 24 hours. So I give you chapter 10 of No Need for Titles. Enjoy.
It's time for the Reviews Review!
K.I. Hernandez: To answer your question, yes. Elsa is still going to end up with Hiccup. The pairing is set. In what manner they're together by the events of Frozen 2? That you will have to wait for. As for shoehorning him in Frozen? I'm gonna have to do that for Frozen 2. Just so it can work with the plot bunny I have.
joeyginise: Well, sorry to disappoint you.
Mark of Arendelle: Agreed! Love your profile picture by the way!
AliceCullen3: Thank you!
BeConFuzzled Writer: Thank you! As for how, you'll find out in this chapter!
warlocktoungue: Yep! The first battle is in this chapter!
Wodenfang: It's all based on looks. Toothless can just give a Hiccup a look and Hiccup understands what he's saying. He might not exactly understand that correct wording but he can get the meaning behind the look. Having Toothless talk is more for the audience can understand what he's saying without having to rely on grunts and growls all the time.
f5repeat: Don't give me any ideas. You never know what I might do with them. ;) Thanks for checking the story out!
bsmith1138: Thank you!
Guest 1 and Guest 2: Thank you!
ArmyWife22079: Oh believe me...I really wanted to take your suggestion and use it, but I think I made it even better this way. I hope you enjoy it!
Mark Andrew: Nope! All background work. And yes! They will report what he did. But not the way you might think. Read to find out.
Dodles: Thank you!
And that's all the reviews! Enjoy!
Elsa's POV
"...one broken door, 300 pounds, one broken shovel, 5 pounds…."
Elsa rubbed her temples internally wincing at the list of damages read by Kai and her financial advisor, Nicholas, caused by the storm she inflicted on Arendelle. Several crops had died, but some had survived the bitter cold temperatures. Most of the buildings in the kingdom had survived the storm, but some had broken windows, and pieces of roofs missing.
"And one fying pan..3 pounds…" Nicholas finished.
Elsa nodded.
"Yes...right.. Anything else?"
Kai gulped, dreading this moment.
"The orphanage collapsed."
Elsa's eyes widened as she suddenly froze her desk. Realizing what she had done, she took a deep breath, and turned to Kai.
"Are the children alright?"
Kai nodded.
"Other then Mother Superior receiving a minor head injury, yes."
Elsa let out a sigh of relief, waving her hand, unfreezing her desk.
"Send the money out to the people with the damages. And bring Mother Superior and the children here. They'll stay in the castle until the Orphanage can be rebuilt. I want it done before the Fall Festival."
Nicholas bowed.
"Yes, my queen."
Elsa nodded.
"You are dismissed."
Nicholas left, and Elsa laid her head down on the desk.
"What a way to start my monarchy…." she grumbled.
She sat up to see Kai standing there.
"Is there something else?"
"Yes, my queen."
He handed her some pieces of parchment.
"These are written reports from some of the visitors and citizens who were traveling during the storm. These were given to me by the General."
Elsa took them and read through them.
"The...Dragon Whisperers?"
Kai nodded.
"Yes, according to the reports several citizens reported two armored individuals who appeared to ride on the backs of dragons. While the descriptions of the dragons vary from report to report, one thing has remained constant. The description of the riders themselves. One had a hood and wore silver armor, while the other was covered from head to toe in midnight black armor covered in scales. He also wielded a sword which appeared to light itself on fire."
Elsa read another report, this one from Mother Superior.
"So...one Dragon Whisperer...saved her life...by shoving her into his dragon? The orphanage collapsed around him...but...he was pulled out by his dragon?"
Elsa turned to Kai.
"I need some time to ponder this matter...tell the General to post a guard...but nothing huge. Just an hourly patrol."
Kai nodded.
"Yes, my queen."
Kai left the office as Elsa stood up, walking to the window overlooking the courtyard. It had been only a week since the Great Thaw, and already she was being put under her first test. She stared out the window, deep in thought.
"So...these...Dragon Whisperers...trained their own dragons to be...helpful? But that's not possible..they're...mindless creatures...they destroy things...much like the storm I created...but they helped my people...even so I can not have a dragon in my kingdom, let alone two. I just hope they don't return."
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
"Come in."
Elsa turned around to be greeted by her amazing sister. Elsa smiled softly, looking at the spot in her hair which had once been white because of her powers.
Anna smiled.
"Hi, Elsa. How was your morning?"
"Slow….soo...how's Kristoff?"
Anna went beet red.
"Well...I..um…"
Elsa smiled, taking her sister's hands.
"I'm happy for you. Truly. I am."
Anna smiled back.
"Thank you, Elsa. I really like him…"
"Well..he's certainly no Hans."
Anna nodded.
"Speaking of….Hans did tell me something before...well...leaving me to die."
Elsa frowned, which prompted Anna to raise her hands in surrender.
"No, no, no! It's not like that. He said something about a man almost ruining his plans by handing out furs while everything was frozen. I thought it was nonsense. Something to throw me off, but while I was out today, I saw people dropping furs off at the blacksmith's shop."
"You mean Hadvar's shop?"
"Elsa, Hadvar died three years ago…"
"Oh…"
Elsa turned away, but Anna took her hands.
"Elsa, it's okay. You didn't know."
Elsa nodded slowly.
"I know...it's..it's just ..he taught Father how to fix a window when my powers cracked mine when I was 13…"
Anna gently squeezed her hands.
"I miss them too. But no one's ever really gone. They're inside our hearts, Elsa. So they're always here."
Elsa hugged her sister.
"What would I ever do without you?"
"You'll always have me."
Elsa smiled.
"Okay...so tell me the rest."
Anna nodded.
"I asked around, and they said Hadvar's apprentice handed out the furs. His name is Hiccup."
Elsa let out a giggle.
"That's his name?"
"Yeah, apparently. Don't feel bad. I giggled a bit too. So Hiccup runs the blacksmith's now. From what I heard from Kai, he even recreated our family sword."
Elsa thought back to just after she had unfroze the kingdom and was given the sword to hold.
"He made that?"
"Yep. And I got a good look at him...if Kristoff wasn't in my life, I would be all over him, courtship rules be damned."
Elsa was shocked.
"Anna!"
Anna laughed.
"I'm kidding. He's cute, but I'm not interested in him."
Elsa rolled her eyes.
"What am I going to do with you? So I assume you talked to him?"
"Nope," Anna replied. "You get to do that!"
Elsa's eyes widened.
"I can't...I have...work...things to do."
Anna gave her sister puppy dog eyes.
"Please? You need to get out more. Please?"
Elsa sighed, and glanced at her desk. Nothing new had arrived yet on her desk, and all her advisors had briefed her already.
"Alright…but just this once."
Anna smiled brightly.
"Come on!"
She quickly skipped out the door, Elsa following behind, pinching her nose.
"Why do I have a feeling this is going to go wrong? But Anna's right. I need to get out more. I can't hide anymore. I need to do this."
With a look of determination, Elsa stepped outside, heading for the gates and beyond that the Blacksmith's shop.
Hiccup's POV
Hiccup was taking a break from forging some tools and other items, taking a swig of his water skin. His ribs were groaning in protest from the strain, but he was doing alright.
"I think I can get one more job done today, and take the day off early. My ribs would appreciate it," he thought.
He glanced at the pile of furs laying in one corner of the forge.
"I'm glad I was able to help…..I really need to take those home…and I really need to rebuild my armor. But Toothless is still recovering and needs his scales. It's gonna be awhile before I can do anything."
Hiccup glanced out of the window, looking over the fjord. The sun had finally crested over the horizon, shining it's morning light against the water, creating a sparkle like image across it. Sealing the skin, Hiccup set it down, and went to grab a box of spare metal underneath the counter.
As he started to pull the box out, a voice caught his attention.
"Excuse me?"
The voice startled him, and he banged his head on the underside of the counter.
"Ow!"
He heard a gasp.
"Are you okay?"
Hiccup groaned, rubbing the back of his head.
"I've had worse."
It was true considering all of the testing he had done with Toothless' artificial tail and the multiple crash landings associated with it.
Hiccup moved back, and dusted himself off before standing up.
"Hello, how can I help…."
He paused, staring at the beautiful woman in front of him. For a moment he saw Astrid, but that soon vanished. Astrid may have once been a Valkyrie to him, but this woman was a Goddess.
"...today…" he finished.
The woman blushed, noticing his stare. Hiccup shook his head.
"Snap out of it. What are you? Fifteen again?"
Hiccup gently coughed.
"Sorry. How can I help you?"
The woman still had a slight blush to her cheeks, but spoke up.
"Are you Hiccup?"
Hiccup nodded.
"Yes. That's me. Hiccup Haddock. How can I help you today, Miss..?"
"Elsa…" the woman replied. "Queen Elsa of Arendelle."
Hiccup felt very embarrassed, and quickly bowed.
"Your Majesty!"
Elsa smiled.
"It's okay. This is actually one of my first times outside the castle. It's not your fault that you didn't recognize me."
Hiccup blushed.
"Still...I'm very sorry, Milady."
"Where the hel did that come from? Focus, Hiccup!"
Elsa smiled softly, her blush returning slightly.
"I...came here to give you my thanks...for helping my subjects out during the...well…"
Hiccup nodded.
"It was no big deal, Your Majesty. I did what I thought was right."
"Still...you made quite an impression on my sister."
She gestured to a strawberry-blonde haired girl, checking out the Confectioner's store with a blonde-haired man Hiccup recognized as Kristoff.
"I also want to thank you for recreating my family's sword," Elsa replied. "I remember the original from when I was young, and I have to say, save for the new blade, and it's lighter weight, I really thought it was the original. Quite exquisite work, Master Haddock."
Hiccup smiled.
"Just call me Hiccup. It's what everyone calls me anyways."
Elsa smiled.
"Very well. You may call me Elsa if you'd like."
Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck shyly.
"Thank you, Your...I mean...Elsa."
The door to the forge swung open as Heather entered, carrying some plaster cloth to wrap around Hiccup's chest.
"Okay, I got the plaster cloth! Pull off your shirt and I'll...oh...hi. I didn't realize we had customers."
Hiccup went beet-red and coughed gently.
"Heather, this is Queen Elsa…"
Heather bowed quickly.
"Your Majesty. What brings you to our shop?"
Elsa smiled.
"I was simply thanking Hiccup for taking care of my citizens while I was...away..and for recreating my family's sword."
"I see…"
Heather's eyes seemed to narrow as she took in Elsa's appearance like she was a wolf protecting her young. Elsa seemed to take notice of this and raised an eyebrow. Green eyes met blue eyes in an icy staredown. Hiccup interrupted the moment.
"Well...you're welcome, Your Majesty. Heather and I better start wrapping my ribs. Thank you for stopping by."
Elsa nodded, breaking eye contact with Heather.
"Yes..I should be getting back as well. Lots of things to do."
Elsa turned to leave, but glanced back to see Hiccup pulling off his shirt to reveal toned muscles. She quickly spun her head back, facing the castle, her face a bright red. Snow started falling around her, and she waved it away.
"What is wrong with me?"
Her face didn't stop burning until she reached the gates.
After a long day's work, Elsa had finally gone down to the dining room where Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf were waiting.
"Sorry I'm late."
Kristoff bowed quickly.
"It's no problem, Your Majesty."
Elsa shook her head.
"I told you. You can call me Elsa."
Kristoff nodded.
"...Right.."
Anna turned to her sister.
"So….you talked to Hiccup then?"
Elsa's face went a bright red remembering the brief moment she saw said man shirtless.
"Um...yes…"
She coughed.
"Yes. I did. I thanked him for his services. Shall we eat?"
Anna raised an eyebrow, but sat down, staring at Elsa with a knowing look in her eyes. As they ate, Anna spoke up.
"So, Mother Superior came to the castle today. I heard she's staying?"
Elsa nodded.
"Yes. Only till the orphanage is rebuilt. Hopefully before the Fall Festival."
As Elsa took a bite of her food, Anna spoke again.
"Maybe we should invite Hiccup to lunch as a thank you."
With a startled gasp, Elsa swallowed wrong, and hit her chest hard with her fist, coughing up her food.
"What?"
Anna quickly went over to her sister.
"Sorry! I'm so sorry! I wasn't thinking."
"Anna. It's okay! I'm fine."
Anna nodded.
"Sorry, I brought it up."
"No, no," Elsa replied. "It's a good idea, but…"
Elsa bit her lip, wanting to word this as tactfully as possible.
"But I don't think he'll accept."
Truthfully, Elsa didn't want to invite him. Everything about him made her feel all weird and she didn't know how to deal with the feelings she had...it wasn't love, or infatuation. It was more like...wanting to be his friend….
The last thing she wanted to do was embarrass him or anyone with her...awkwardness. Or scare him away because of her powers. She had managed just fine with her kingdom, Kristoff, and her sister, but one on one time with someone she didn't know personally? That was just asking for trouble.
Anna's voice brought her out of her thoughts.
"...and that's why I think he'll accept. Elsa?"
Elsa gently coughed.
"Well...go ahead and invite him if you want. I doubt he'll accept."
She glanced down at her dress. It was covered in food.
"I'd better go change."
She wiped herself as best as she could, and turned to her sister.
"Good night, Anna. I'll see you in the morning."
Elsa turned, and left, not seeing the concerned look on her sister's face.
Anna's POV
"I hope she's gonna be okay," Anna said with a sigh. "It feels like she's retreating back into her old self."
Kristoff hugged her.
"I know. Just give her some space, and she'll come around."
Anna hugged him back.
"I hope you're right."
Kristoff gently rubbed his thumb against her spine to comfort her. Anna glanced up at him.
"Do you have to go?"
Kristoff sighed.
"Yeah. I'm sorry, Feisty-pants. The ice waits for no one."
Anna smiled softly, and kissed him gently.
"Make sure you come back in one piece."
"I promise," Kristoff replied.
He kissed her once more and walked with her to the front door of the castle. Anna watched as he climbed onto the wagon that was attached to Sven. With a wave, he goaded Sven, and the two headed out of the gates. Anna didn't go inside until he was out of sight.
The next morning, bright and early, Anna was up and dressed, a very unusual event as most days she slept in. She stepped outside, smelling the fresh morning air before heading out the gates to the blacksmith's shop.
When she arrived, the shop was closed up tight and the door was locked.
"Maybe he's off today…"
Anna decided to head over to the Land Proprietor's office. Hopefully, she could find where Hiccup lived.
As she entered the office, the bell above the door jingled as the door swung open, getting Mr. Walters, the Land Proprietor's attention.
"Princess Anna! What brings you in today?"
"Hi, Mr. Walters. I have a question for you."
"If it regards land, then I can answer it."
Anna smiled brightly.
"You don't happen to know where Master Haddock lives, do you?"
"Hiccup? Of course I do. I was the one who sold him the land. Quite the house he has managed to build."
"He built a house?"
Mr. Walters shook his head.
"No, not at all. He modified it. It's much stronger now. Why it was the only building that came out unscathed from the storm."
Anna was surprised.
"Wow..that's amazing."
"Aye. So why do you want to know where he lives, Princess?"
Anna smiled.
"I want to personally invite him to lunch in order to thank him for helping our citizens out during the winter."
"Are ye sure there's not a second reason?"
Anna nodded.
"Yeah...I want my sister to have a friend outside of the castle. Somebody she could talk to about her day or anything in general."
Mr. Walters nodded.
"Aye? Well let me get you a map."
He went to one of the shelves on the back wall and pulled out a map, unrolling it on the desk and grabbing a magnifying glass.
"My eyesight isn't what it used to be….ah..here we are."
He pointed at the map.
"Plot 53. At the edge of woods. North side of the castle."
Anna smiled.
"Thank you, Mr. Walters."
"My pleasure, Princess Anna. Good day to you."
Anna nodded and went out the door to head back to the castle to change into riding clothes. As she arrived back, she turned to one of the stablemens.
"Could you saddle up Kjekk for me? I'm going for a ride today."
One of the men nodded.
"Right away, Princess."
They set to work as Anna went to go change. Once that was done, she climbed up onto Kjekk, and rode him out of the gates and out of the village.
Hiccup's POV
Hiccup pounded the hot gronckle iron that would eventually become his new chestplate for his armor. With his ribs wrapped it was easier to do forge work, but very limited amounts. Not to mention being shirtless as well. Heather was in her wing of the home tending to Windshear, while Toothless was lying in the corner of his forge. He was finally on the mend as was Hiccup. Heather had told him that by the end of the weekend his ribs should be back to normal, provided he didn't do anything to hurt himself.
"With my clumsiness, who knows what will happen?" he thought.
Soon, those thoughts changed to Elsa and her visit.
"Well...I'm hundred percent certain I embarrassed her. Who am I kidding? I probably embarrassed myself. I need to find a way to apologize for embarrassing her."
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He turned to Toothless who was alert.
"Go in the rafters, bud."
Toothless climbed into the rafters as best he could, holding on tightly. Hiccup winced as he pulled on a shirt, and went to the door.
"Who is it?"
"Princess Anna of Arendelle."
Hiccup opened the door to see Anna, standing there, a bright smile on her face. He quickly bowed.
"Hi, Hiccup! May I come in?"
Hiccup glanced behind him to make sure Toothless was out of sight.
"Yeah, sure, come in."
Kjekk seemed skittish as he glanced around. Anna turned to him.
"It's okay, Kjekk. I'll be fine."
Kjekk seemed to settle down as the two went inside. Anna was surprised at all the drawings and weapons along the walls.
"Wow…"
"Welcome to my humble abode. So what brings you out here?"
"I wanted to personally invite you to have lunch with me and my sister at the castle."
Hiccup was shocked.
"Me? Why?"
"You helped our people while me and my sister were away. You didn't have to, yet you stepped in. And I really appreciate it. My sister appreciates it too, even if she's not the best at showing it. So...can you come?"
Hiccup blinked.
"Uh…"
"This is your chance, Hiccup! You can apologize!"
Hiccup nodded with a sigh.
"Sure."
Anna tackled, Hiccup hugging him.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Hiccup groaned.
"Can't...breathe…"
Anna instantly let go.
"Sorry!"
Hiccup shrugged, rubbing the back of his head.
"It's okay. So do you have a date scheduled or….?"
Anna nodded then her face turned to concern.
"Yep. You were injured during the storm?"
Hiccup hadn't noticed, but he had reached down to hold his ribs.
"Oh...bruised ribs. Nothing too extreme."
"When are you going to be healed?"
"Sometime maybe about the end of the weekend," Hiccup replied.
Anna smiled.
"How about Monday at around noon?"
"Sounds perfect. Thank you for stopping by, Princess Anna."
"You're welcome. Now heal up!"
Hiccup chuckled, seeing a joking look in her eyes. He bowed mockingly.
"Of course, Your Majesty."
Anna laughed followed by Hiccup as she headed out the door and climbed onto Kjekk. Hiccup watched her leave and closed the door before calling Toothless down.
"Looks like I'm gonna need a change of clothes, bud."
A bark from his dragon confirmed it.
It wasn't until Saturday that Hiccup had managed to get down to the tailor to be fitted for a nice lunch suit. He figured if he was going to apologize, he needed to look his best. Especially in front of a Queen. He had asked Heather to remove his viking braids, he had combed his hair, and slicked it when it wouldn't stay in place.
Monday came and Hiccup stood outside the castle gates, waiting for Anna to come and greet him.
"Hiccup!"
He turned to the voice to see Anna coming to meet him.
"You made it."
Hiccup nodded, holding out a box of chocolates.
"These are for you."
"Chocolate! Thank you! You didn't have to get this for me."
"I felt like it."
Anna finally took in his appearance.
"Wow...you look..different. It's a good different!"
Hiccup chuckled.
"I got what you meant. I wanted to clean myself up a bit."
"Well you're gonna blow my sister away! She won't even recognize you!"
Anna all but dragged him inside the castle. Once they reached the dining room, several servants were there taking care of the table and getting it prepared.
"We're almost done, Princess Anna," said one of them.
Anna nodded.
"Thank you, Kate."
Soon the servants left and Hiccup sat down across from Anna, who was sitting at the right end of the chair that was her sister's at the table. Kai stepped into the dining room and announced Elsa, as Anna and Hiccup stood up. Elsa effortlessly glided into the room, her train of ice trailing behind her. Hiccup was gobsmacked as he took in the details of her dress, seeing all of the patterns of the snowflakes in it, each one different than the other. He knew what he was drawing when he got home.
"Please, sit. And welcome to our home, Hiccup."
"The pleasure is all mine, Elsa."
Hiccup bowed once before sitting.
"I would like to apologize for my behavior last week...it was…"
Elsa held up her hand.
"No, it was mine..I'm not the best at socializing and…."
"I think we both can agree we're socially awkward," Hiccup replied interrupting.
A long pause went between the two. Anna winced waiting for a major fallout. But instead a giggle was heard.
"Elsa's….giggling?"
Sure enough, she was giggling, then laughing. Hiccup soon followed after.
Hiccup smiled.
"Can we start over?"
Elsa nodded. Hiccup held out his hand.
"Hiccup Haddock…"
Anna watched as Elsa contemplated shaking his hand before she grasped it.
"Queen Elsa of Arendelle."
The two smiled.
"I think this is the start of a great friendship," Hiccup said.
"I agree," replied Elsa. "Let's eat."
As the three ate, Anna watched the two carefully. She kept seeing small glances between the two. She knew there was something more there. More then a friendship. And she was going to do everything in her power to make sure Elsa was happy. And if that meant she needed to help the two fall in love, so be it.