The stars shone overhead in the night sky, a few clouds blotting them out in some areas. For a mere human, it would be nearly too dark to avoid a prevent finding a safe bath to walk. But, for a dinosaur, especially a Velociraptor, it was plenty of light.
Violet watched the cattle in the field below her as they grazed. Her scaly green skin was marked with small black stripes, the pattern breaking up her silhouette. To her right, hunkered down and watching the herd, was a dinomorph named Damian, whose form was a Dilophosaurus. To Violet's left was Mia, her form currently that of a young Baryonyx.
"I'm telling you," Violet hissed. "It's fun. Let's us blow off steam."
"Should we be doing this?" Mia rumbled.
"They won't know it's us," Violet chittered, taking a quiet step towards the cows. "Indi and Brynn both go hunting anyway."
Damian snorted. "If they do it, I don't see why we can't either."
The three carnivores began slowly stalking forward. They chose a specimen, a young heifer, and crept towards the animal.
Violet snarled, her body tensing, before charging forward. Her feet lightly touched the ground and her claws were raised, just as she neared the cow, she jumped into the air with a shriek, her legs and talons poised to strike.
Suddenly, she felt a massive set of jaws grab her out of the air and throw her into the grass. A massive dinosaur with a large head, brown skin, and scars on its body bellowed, the roar thundering into the quiet night air. The cows in the area ran off, their hooves pounding the ground.
Violet jumped to her feet, snarling, while Damian and Mia hung back. The Tyrannosaurus towered over them, its yellow eyes gleaming. The three of them knew this creature.
Brynn shrank down to her human form, glaring at the trio of youths, who all followed suit.
"What do you think you're doing?!" the older dinomorph said, her voice taking on an edge.
"We're hunting," Mia said meekly.
"No, you aren't," Brynn said, her voice stern. "Not anymore."
"But you and Indi do it!" Violet said. "Why can't we?"
"We hunt wildlife," Brynn said. "We don't hunt cattle."
"Didn't Indi hunt cattle when he first came here?" Violet said.
Bryan narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Are you really going to compare his actions at that time to your current situation? He was made to go on a mission. He didn't have a steady supply of food. You do."
"Then what do we do?" Damian asked. "We have to hunt."
"I was your age once," Brynn said. "If you need to kill something, go after a deer. Leave the livestock alone. Princess Anna already has enough on her plate right now, and we don't need to be dealing with any more angry farmers."
"Where is Indi?" Mia asked. "Didn't he leave with the queen?"
"He's not back yet," Brynn said. "But you three should be back home. Now."
The three young dinomorphs walked off, going back to their respective houses. Brynn watched as they dispersed, before transforming and walking off into the woods. Those three, especially Violet, were sure to cause her more problems. People thought teenaged humans were bad, but teenaged dinomorphs were more trouble, and even more dangerous.
She walked back through town, her footfalls making slight tremors in the quiet streets. The oil lanterns that provided some light for any late-night travelers cast a foreboding and intimidating glow onto her.
She went through the castle gates, shrank down, and entered the main building.
"That's them dealt with," she muttered. She heard footsteps walk up to her. Turning, she saw Anna coming up to her. She was in a nightgown and carried a small lantern to light her way through the darkened halls. It was the first time all day that the women had seen each other. "Everything alright?"
"Yeah," Brynn said, twisting her neck until it popped. "I was out dealing with who killed that farmer's sheep."
"You found them?" Anna motioned for Brynn to walk with her.
"Three teenaged dinomorphs," Brynn said, falling in step with the princess. "I was like them once, I know how it is. Tonight, they were going after some cattle."
"What did you tell them?" Anna asked.
"To not," Brynn said curtly. "I told them to go after wildlife. But tonight, they were to go home."
Anna nodded and the pair were silent for a moment, the only sounds coming from the clicking of their shoes on the floor.
"Why are you up?" Brynn asked.
"Couldn't sleep," Anna said. Brynn nodded, understanding. "Did you hear anything from the dracomorphs?"
"They were patrolling all day," Brynn said, before shaking her head. "They didn't see anything."
Anna was crestfallen. "There's always tomorrow."
It went unspoken between them, but they both knew that the longer Elsa and Indi were missing without a word from them or even a hint as to their whereabouts, the less of a chance that they would return. But, the princess and the soldier both had to keep up hope, not only for themselves but also for the people around them.
"They're supposed to come to see me at first light," Brynn said. "Then they'll go out and keep looking."
Anna nodded. After a moment, she stopped walking, looking through a window into the darkness of the night. Brynn stopped and stood with her.
"I miss them," Anna said quietly.
"I know," Brynn said. "I do too."
Elsa took her collection of ice bottles from the shelf and set them into a small box that she had made of ice. Folded up on Sleuther's back sat the remnants of her skirt that they had been using as a blanket for sleeping. Indi picked up the box and secured it to Sleuther's back on top of the fabric with some odd vines they had found.
The discovery of the Zippleback and their location in the Viking Archipelago made their plan simple: locate a friendly tribe of Vikings and ask for directions to Berk. Then fly to Berk, spend a couple of days there to rest, and then fly south to Arendelle. If they had any issues establishing friendly relations with the first tribe they encountered, they could use Elsa's position as a queen to their advantage.
The excitement at the possibility of returning home kept them both excited all night to the point that they barely fell asleep.
"How much of a wreck do you think Arendelle will be?" Indi asked as he finished tying a knot in the vines.
"Hard to say," Elsa said as she looked everything over. "Hopefully it won't be too bad."
"Aside from the people," Indi noted. "Everyone is worried sick."
Elsa nodded. "I think we're ready."
Indi went over to her and stood next to her, looking at their little ice house. "It's served us well."
Elsa smiled. "It has."
She stepped over to a tree and held out her hands. She channeled her magic and created a sheet of ice. Slowly, the ice sank in some areas, and Indi saw some letters appear, which slowly turned into words.
"Should this island not yet be named, it is hereby titled 'Salvation Island'. Queen Elsa of Arendelle and Sir Indi Rex were stranded here for seven days."
Indi smiled and put his arm around Elsa's waist. "Ready?"
Elsa nodded and the pair climbed onto Sleuther's back. Sleuther shifted beneath them, before extending his wings and taking flight. They soared over the island one last time, before turning to glide over the island.
Elsa turned her head, watching as Salvation Island shrank away behind them.
"Are you going to miss it?" Indi asked.
"A little, I think," Elsa said.
"I think I will too," Indi said. "Maybe we could visit it sometime."
Elsa put her arms around Indi and kissed him on the cheek. "Perhaps."
Sleuther flew for hours, making his way north. The wind and sun were beautiful on Elsa's skin, and she especially enjoyed the chill in the air. Elsa noticed that as they flew, more and more islands appeared. They soon passed over a smallish island that had many charred trees, except for a few fresh saplings.
"This is where we saw that Zippleback," Indi said.
Elsa looked down. "I wonder if dragons started that fire in a fight years ago, and it burned everything away."
Indi shrugged. "Not a bad idea."
Sleuther flew on, passing over more islands. Elsa and Indi kept their eyes open for any signs of civilization. Eventually, the sun made its slow pass overhead and started to touch the horizon.
"We might want to find a place to spend the night," Elsa said. Indi nodded. They soon came to another island, a small chunk of land that rose from the water and was surrounded by cliffs.
"Down there, Sleuther," Indi said. The dragon banked into a turn and slowly spiraled down, landing in a small clearing.
The pair dismounted, groaning.
"Why does riding hurt so much now?" Elsa asked.
Indi motioned to Sleuther's back. "No saddle."
"Ah," Elsa said with a nod.
The pair removed the ice box that contained their water and the fabric. Elsa made the caps of two of the bottles disappear and proceeded to dump the contents into Sleuther's mouth. She then chose two more bottles and made their caps disappear, before handing one of the open bottles to Indi. The young man accepted it and drank deeply. Thanks to Elsa's magic, the water was cold and fresh.
Indi gathered some wood and Elsa used her magic to create a small lean-to for shelter. Sleuther lit their fire, and he and Indi went fishing.
While they were gone, Elsa sharpened two sticks with a blade of ice, peeling the bark from them and honing them to points.
After a short while, the dragon and his rider returned with a hearty selection of fish. Indi and Elsa chose two, and Sleuther proceeded to snap up the rest. Elsa prepared their supper and Indi added more wood to the fire.
Sleuther curled up near their shelter, watching the pair work.
As Elsa skewered the fish on the sticks she had prepared, Indi gave the refuse to Sleuther. The pair sat down near the fire and held their fish out over the flames.
The blaze crackled lightly, and a pillar of thin, wispy smoke drifted into the air. Some small sparks floated up from the fire before extinguishing themselves. A strong breeze blew at Elsa and Indi's hair. Below them, the waves crashed against the sides of the cliff, sending out deep booms that rumbled the air.
After a few quiet moments, Elsa spoke. "How far do you think we've come?"
"Hard to say," Indi said with a shrug, examining his fish, then holding it back out over the fire. "I've never really figured out what a day of dragon flight equals by ship or horse. But I think we are well into the archipelago. We might want to be on the lookout for any settlements. More importantly, we should be on alert for wild dragons."
Elsa turned her fish, cooking the other side. "Sleuther will protect us. But, I agree. No sense in taking unnecessary risks."
Indi nodded. "How should we approach new tribes?"
"With more grace and tact than we did at the Southern Isles," Elsa deadpanned. "That was not the best way to introduce them to Sleuther."
"It all worked out though," Indi said, smiling. "They now have their own resident dragon."
"Yes," Elsa said. She was silent for a moment, thinking. "I hope Princess Selma and Cinder are doing well."
"She already dotes on that dragon," Indi said. Deadly Nadders were a great choice for someone's first dragon, especially someone who would have an image to keep when they got older. Based on his time being around Stormfly, they were intelligent and easy enough to train but still had plenty of beauty and grace to complement their ferocity. Selma would have no issues with her image, especially since she was the only person with a dragon in the whole kingdom, and Cinder was a dragon that she could eventually ride.
"Though, I do wonder how people will see her," Elsa said.
"What do you mean?" Indi asked, turning his fish.
"She's a princess, Indi. She is more than likely going to be set up in an arranged marriage when she's older. How will Cinder impact that?"
"One of the lieutenants did bring that up," Indi said. "Though to be honest, I wouldn't worry too much. Consider it as an additional bar that the potential suitor will have to pass. Her parents wouldn't set her up with someone that wasn't good for her, right?"
"Political marriages are hardly about who is good for who, Indi," Elsa said. "They're about what is good for the people of both kingdoms."
"Even so, if the potential suitor can't handle a princess riding her dragon, that wouldn't look good on him," Indi responded, examining his fish. He nodded, satisfied, and began to eat. "He'll either have to be alright with Selma and Cinder, or the match won't work. You know just as well as I do that that girl and that dragon are bonded for life."
"Yes," Elsa said, a slight sigh escaping her lips. "Would he have to ride Cinder?"
"Probably not," Indi said. "Some people may have something to say about it, but above all else, Cinder is Selma's dragon. She might not even let anyone else ride her. You can't really fault anybody for that."
Elsa sat back and began to eat. The pair ate the rest of their meal in silence and watched the sunset.
Once they finished, Indi leaned back against Sleuther's flank and closed his eyes. Elsa watched the sight before her with mild amusement. She stepped over to them and sat next to Indi. She put her arm around Indi and the three of them watched as the light faded from the sky.
"Let's go to bed," she said after the stars had begun to appear above them. "I'd like to get an early start."
Indi nodded and the pair went over to the lean-to Elsa made and lay down beneath it, the icy shield providing ample shelter. Indi lay on his side, and Elsa curled up in front of him.
"I suppose it could be worse," Elsa said.
"Yeah," Indi said. Between sleeping on the floor of a cage for years upon years and a simple lean-to outside, it was an easy choice for him as to what was preferable. The pair fell asleep quickly, listening to the distant sound of the ocean below them.
Elsa watched helplessly from the sky as Anna ran through the streets of Arendelle, her bare feet slapping the ground. She charged around a corner, and a Velociraptor leaped over her head, burying its claws into a man. Over the rooftops, Indi and Sleuther raced by, flames shooting from the dragon's mouth. Out in the harbor, many ships were firing cannons at each other. From next to a dragon hunters' vessel, a giant mosasaur sprung from the water with a mighty roar, before crashing down onto the ship, the wooden hull splintering.
From Elsa's right, she caught a brief glimpse of silver flash, before she just managed to see the bolt of a crossbow enter her eye.
Elsa's eyes snapped open. Above her was the icy shield of her shelter. Wrapped around her ribs was Indi's arm, the young knight still fast asleep. She looked outside and saw that the sky was slowly getting brighter. She carefully unwrapped herself from Indi and crawled outside. She stood tall, feeling her back crack. She could not wait to return home and sleep in an actual bed.
Near the shelter, Sleuther was lounging, the dragon's fiery eyes bright. The queen smiled and stepped over quietly, rubbing his head. Sleuther crooned, pressing his head into Elsa's hand.
Elsa sat next to the dragon. "How did you sleep, Sleuther?"
The dragon rumbled before resting his large head on Elsa's lap. Elsa stroked her fingers along the Sleuther's head, watching as the sky slowly brightened. Today they would press on further north. She watched the sky when Sleuther jerked his head to the left, looking up at something. Elsa turned to look in the same direction when she saw it: a dragon. A glance showed that it was a Monstrous Nightmare, this one bright orange.
Though she had not doubted him, Indi was right. They were well beyond the edge of the Viking Archapeligo.
"That's a handsome one," Indi's voice said. Elsa turned to see him standing nearby, his arms stretching above his head. "Might be a little bigger than Hookfang. Hard to tell from this distance."
Elsa rose from her spot next to Sleuther. "Good morning."
"Morning," Indi said with a nod. He began gathering sticks and placing them into a pile. "Do you want to go get breakfast? I can set up a fire in the meantime."
He held a larger slick in his hands and snapped it in half, before adding the pieces to the pile. Elsa smiled and nodded. "Let's go, Sleuther."
Sleuther ducked his head, allowing Elsa to climb into him. She held onto his horns, and Sleuther charged toward the cliff, before jumping over the edge. The pair plummeted for a few seconds, before Sleuther threw out his wings, catching the air. They shot out over the water, the wind blowing through Elsa's hair, the spray from the ocean kissing her face. Sleuther roared and shot upwards, and Elsa hung on tight. The dragon turned into a barrel roll, forcing Elsa to hang on tight with her hands and her knees around the dragon's body.
Sleuther straightened out high flight, and Elsa laughed, rubbing the dragon's head. "Alright, boy, let's go get something to eat."
Sleuther roared and dove towards the water. He came close, gliding over the surface, and shot a blast of fire into the water, the heat making steam rise upwards. The dragon doubled back, grabbing several of the fish in his jaws. Elsa leaned over the side and reached her hand out. She created a spear made of ice and stabbed at the floating fish, scoring a hit on three of them. Satisfied, she hefted her spear and directed Sleuther back to the island.
The pair landed on top of the cliff where Indi was waiting for them.
"I see you two got on well," he said. Elsa dismounted and removed the fish from her spear.
"We did," Elsa said as Sleuther set his collection of fish on the ground, before lighting the fire with a small shot.
Indi began preparing the fish. Meanwhile, Elsa packed their things into the box made of ice and Sleuther started to snap up his meal.
"Do you think there's any water on this island?" Elsa asked, examining their supplies.
"I assume you mean fresh water," Indi said and Elsa nodded. "I don't think so. Why? Are we getting low?"
"We will need to keep watch for an island with fresh water so we can resupply," Elsa said. They had enough to get them through the day, and perhaps tomorrow if they went on strict rations, but she was wary of that. They had gotten extremely lucky on Salvation Island.
"We'll look for an island with a spring, then," Indi said as he set the fish near the fire to cook. "We'll also need to keep an eye out for any tribes that could give us some directions."
Elsa feigned despair. "Oh, how helpful it would be if both problems could be dealt with on the same island."
"Agreed," Indi deadpanned.
The pair waited for their fish to cook. Above them, the sky brightened steadily to a bright blue. A few small clouds dotted the expanse.
Once their meal had finished cooking, the pair ate quickly. They each had one bottle of water and Indi tied the box to Sleuther's back. Indi and Elsa mounted the dragon and the trio took flight.
They soared above the ocean, racing over the waves beneath them. The air blew past them, flowing through their hair. They landed on several islands to look for water. The first few had nothing except for a few trees. The fourth island was quite large; the tall mountains and large forests were obvious. As Sleuther circled overhead, they saw that it had several small streams that glittered in the sunlight and flowed from the mountains to the ocean. A small beach greeted them on the south side of the island. Had they somehow managed to drift here after the storm, they would likely be able to live comfortably. The forests would have provided plenty of wood for fire and perhaps an actual house.
A rustic little cabin, Elsa thought to herself with a silent chuckle as they landed on the beach. Indi dismounted from Sleuther's back. Something had caught his eye from the air, and he wanted to investigate it.
"Go fill up the bottles at a spring," Indi said. "I want to look around here for a minute."
Elsa nodded and moved forward on the dragon's back. She held onto Sleuther's horns and they took flight once more. Indi watched for a moment before turning to explore the beach. Near the base of a cliff, pushed up onto the rocks, was a ship. It was fairly concealed by a collection of trees that grew out from the cliff face, their long branches handing down like wispy fingers. The ship was small, and the mast was broken off about halfway up, but it was still recognizable. The hull seemed to have sunk into the sand a little ways as if the ship were sailing on the sand.
He gently pushed the branches aside and stepped near the ship. There were several runes carved into the ship's hull, but he had no way of understanding them. He stood on his toes and peered over the edge. Anything of major value seemed to have been taken years ago, with the only things being immediately apparent were some dead leaves and brown pine needles. From above him, the trees creaked. The noise caught his attention and he looked up. From the branches, large yellow eyes with thin, vertically-slit pupils met his. He began to back away and the dragon slowly advanced.
Elsa hung onto Sleuther's horns as the dragon flew over the forests of the island. They landed at a nearby stream and Elsa dismounted, taking the box of supplies with her. As Sleuther took a drink, Elsa approached the water and refilled each bottle. She thought for a moment and waved her hand, making a few extra bottles, before filling those as well. A couple of extras would not hurt.
She waved her fingers, tapping each bottle with her magic, and set each bottle carefully into the box. She sat the box back on Sleuther and tied it down. Satisfied she mounted the dragon and gently tapped her heels against the dragon's side. Sleuther took flight, gliding easily over the forests of the island. As they approached the beach, Elsa screamed. "Indi!"
The young man had his hands forward in a placating manner. In front of him, stalking forward, was a large dragon, one Elsa had not seen before. It was orange with green spots. It walked on two legs and it had a large frill that extended from the back of its skull. Its mouth had a large underbite, with long pointed teeth. The end of its tail had a long vertical fin.
Beneath Elsa, Sleuther roared, getting the strange dragon's attention. Elsa threw her hand out, sending a stream of magic shooting forward. Between Indi and the new dragon grew a patch of long, thin icicles that drove the dragon a bit. The dragon jumped, its orange scales changing to red in a ripple down its body.
Sleuther landed in front of his rider, snarling at the new dragon. He smashed through Elsa's ice and charged the newcomer with a fiery roar. The new dragon's color shifted to blue and it quickly jumped into the air, flying away.
Sleuther roared after it. Elsa jumped down from Sleuther's back and ran over to Indi.
"Are you alright?" she said, grabbing at his shoulders.
"I'm fine," Indi said. Elsa looked him over. He seemed startled but otherwise unharmed.
"What kind of dragon was that?" Elsa asked, glancing at the sky.
"The not-friendly kind," Indi said. "I think I disturbed their nest."
"I can't leave you alone for three minutes," Elsa muttered, shaking her head. "What did you find?"
"A ship," Indi said, taking her hand. He led her over to the concealed ship and pushed the branches aside. Elsa's eyes widened as she examined the abandoned vessel.
"Indi, this is a Viking longship."
"Yep," Indi said with a single nod. "Did you see any signs of people from the air?"
"I did not," Elsa said. "But Sleuther and I did restock our water supply."
"Well, that's something at least," Indi said, turning back to the ship.
"Is there anything interesting in here?" Elsa asked as she made a set of stairs of ice and started ascending.
"Not that I saw," Indi said, following her up onto the ship. "Since you didn't see any signs of people here, part of me thinks that they managed to get rescued somehow."
"I hope so," Elsa said as she started looking under the benches. Though she knew her view was unpopular in Arendelle, her time with the dragon riders had shown her that the Vikings were people too. At least on Berk, they were no better or worse than her own people. On Berk, based on what she had seen from the riders, they had adjusted to living amongst large reptiles far easier than her own people. The number of complaints she had to deal with after when Indi left to go north for the first time was initially worrying, but things had calmed down somewhat.
She hoped that if there were people who had been stranded on this island, they would have made it off safely and made it back to their families. She opened a barrel, finding nothing.
Indi opened a crate and lifted up a rusty hammer. "Just some old tools. Nothing exciting."
"Here we go," Elsa said as she lifted a small box from a storage area in the bow of the ship. Each movement she made with the box produced a metallic sound. She materialized a rod of ice and pried it open. Inside of the small chest was some old cloth that had deteriorated beyond use. Scattered amongst the fabric scraps were several small coins, some made of gold, others of silver. Indi stepped over, taking a look.
"Wow," he said, picking up one of the gold pieces.
Elsa smiled. "If we find people, this should be able to buy us a room and a few good meals."
"Agreed," Indi said.
They spent a few moments rooting through the chest Elsa had found, selecting the coins and setting them to the side. Elsa created a small box of ice and placed the money inside, before freezing it shut with an icy lid. The pair mounted Sleuther once more, and Indi reassured him that he was fine. The trio flew onwards, continuing their northward journey.
They flew all day. Around mid-afternoon, they spotted another dragon near them, a purple Deadly Nadder. The dragon gently glided near them, showing no hostility.
Elsa watched as the peaceful dragon observed them for a moment before flying off.
They passed over more islands, all of which were devoid of humans.
Just as the sun began its downward arch towards the horizon, another island appeared on the horizon. Tall mountains reached towards the sky. The smell of sulfur reached their nose. Sleuther perked up, looking around.
"Hang on," Indi said. "Take us higher, Sleuther."
The dragon complied, flapping his wings to gain altitude. Now safely above the island, Indi and Elsa looked down.
"There's houses down there," Elsa said.
"Yeah," Indi responded. "Where should we land? I don't want to make a panic."
"On the edge of the island?" offered Elsa.
"Perhaps," Indi said. "But wouldn't it be suspicious if two people just appeared on their shores, no worse for wear?"
"You may have a point," Elsa said, tapping on her chin. "Let's set down in the forests. Maybe we can find out what these people are like before revealing ourselves."
Indi nodded and directed his dragon to a densely wooded area.
Sleuther landed among the trees, he looked around, sniffing. Elsa and Indi dismounted, removing their supplies from the dragon's back.
"The town was that way," Indi said. "Let's go take a look."
Elsa nodded and turned to Sleuther. "Go hide, boy. We'll call you if we need you."
Sleuther rumbled and took flight, the wind from his wings blowing his riders' hair and clothes. Elsa and Indi nodded to each other before walking quietly to the town. As they came close to the edge of the forest, they saw a group of buildings, each was elongated and had curved roofs. The pair inched closer, where they saw a familiar group of dragons and a group of people.
The dragons were instantly recognizable as those belonging to the dragon riders. The riders themselves, however, were kneeling together in a circle, their arms bound behind their backs.
The people surrounding them were all dressed in tight leather garments and their faces were covered.
"What are the chances?" Elsa whispered as she stared forward.
"Incredibly small," Indi said in a hushed voice. "But just our luck…"
The pair watched quietly as a fit and muscular man stepped forward. His hair was red and he held a large war hammer. Indi watched as Hiccup stood to meet the man. The man said something, then forced Hiccup to his knees.
"What's he saying?" Elsa whispered.
"His name is Throk," Indi said, using his enhanced hearing as Throk introduced the next person who was walking up. "And that is Mala, this island's queen."
Elsa watched a woman strode up to the bound dragon riders. Her hair was short and blonde, almost boyish in style. She wore black leather that had gold trim. Mala carried herself highly, as though she were a more strict version of Elsa.
Elsa listened as Indi relayed what was being said.
"They believe that the riders are dragon hunters," Indi said. "I think these people had some run-ins with them in the past."
Elsa pursed her lips. "Should we stop this?"
"Probably," Indi said, listening for a moment more. "These people are going to keep the riders locked up tonight. We could break them out tonight."
"No," Elsa said. "If these people are against dragon hunters, they could be potential allies of ours. I'd like to speak with this Mala myself, queen to queen. Perhaps even ease her suspicions of our dragon-riding friends."
Indi nodded and the pair slunk back into the forests. Indi whistled for Sleuther, and the dragon appeared after a moment. The pair gathered up their supplies. As Elsa mounted Sleuhter, a faint smell drifted into Indi's nose. It felt familiar, in a way that he could not place.
"Indi," Elsa said. "Is, everything alright?"
"Uh, y-yeah," Indi said, shaking his head as he climbed onto the dragon. "I just thought I smelled something." Elsa rubbed his shoulder, and Sleuther sprung into the air. They flew off to store their items on a nearby sea stack. They camped on the vertical rock formation, completely exposed to the wind. Dragons flew to and from the island regularly, as though it was a haven for them.
Indi pulled the remains of Elsa's skirt around himself as he huddled against Sleuther's side. They forwent building a fire out of fear of arousing suspicion and being discovered.
"Are you cold, Indi?" Elsa asked.
"I've been better," Indi said.
Elsa frowned. It was a foolish question that she had asked. The young man was shivering. They had made it far enough north that without proper gear, the combination of cold and the wind would take its toll on just about anyone. Not to mention that Indi was still clothed in the outfit that he had modified on Salvation Island to make himself more comfortable in the heat.
Elsa lay down next to Sleuther and pulled Indi down next to her. Sleuther rumbled as the two people snuggled up next to him, covering them with a wing.
Indi audibly sighed. Between Sleuther's wing blocking most of the wind and the heat from inside him, he felt a little warmer. He put his arms around Elsa.
"What's your plan for tomorrow?" he asked quietly in the dark.
"I'm thinking about that," Elsa said. "As you said before, showing up on the island completely fine is probably not the best option. We could have Sleuther drop us in the ocean and we could swim there in the morning, but that could lead to further questions, and I don't feel like lying to another royal on our first meeting."
"Probably wise," Indi said.
Elsa thought for a few moments in the dark. "Maybe Sleuther can fly us to the island, and we can land on the shore. Then we can walk to the village. We won't be riding a dragon, so that won't scare anyone."
Indi nodded, pulling Elsa closer. Once again, it was a plan, at least. Exhausted, the pair drifted off to sleep.
Sleuther woke them in the morning with a grunt. He unfolded his wings, revealing the morning sky to them.
Elsa blinked in the sudden light, before rubbing Sleuther's flank. "Good morning, boy."
Beside her, Indi groaned, rolling over and burying his face in his arms. He mumbled, his voice muffled. "This is stupid. Why does morning have to be so early?"
"Because it does," Elsa said with a chuckle. "And because the universe wants to annoy you."
Indi groaned once more before revealing his face. "Well, the universe can go away."
Elsa sat up and slowly rose to her feet. She looked over at the large island, the landmass rising from the water defiantly. The tallest peak of the mountain appeared to have been sheared off at the tip, and she saw that there was smoke rising from the top. The island was volcanic.
Indi stood next to her and attempted to fix his hair. "Well, let's get this over with."
Elsa nodded. She went to their box of supplies and took out a bottle of water. She unfroze the cap and took a sip, before swishing the water around in her mouth and spitting the water out. She then proceeded to drink the rest of the liquid.
She passed Indi a bottle and made the cap disappear, before taking out several more bottles and dumping the contents into Sleuther's mouth. The pair mounted Sleuther, and Indi directed the dragon to fly near the island. As Sleuther neared the water, he slowed down but did not stop his flight.
"Ready?" Indi said, taking Elsa's hand. Elsa nodded, and Indi turned to Sleuther for a moment. "I'll call you later, buddy. Stay safe." Sleuther crooned and the pair took a deep breath and jumped from his back.
Elsa felt the wind blow around her as she and Indi plummeted into the water. She felt Indi's hand tighten as they sank for a moment, and she returned the gesture, before releasing him. The pair swam to the surface, the waves rocking them. She looked up and saw Sleuther gliding off, the dragon glancing back at them.
They swam to the island and staggered onto the rocky shore.
"Well, we're here," Elsa said, slicking her hair back behind her head. She saw Indi shaking his head, flinging the water from his hair.
"Again," Indi added. "Let's go find this Queen Mala before our friends are killed."
Elsa nodded and the pair set off into the forest. The trees were alive with small animals. many birds made their nests in the branches, and Terrible Terrors played in the underbrush like scaly cats. A shadow passed overhead, and she saw a familiar shape in the sky that made her smile a little; Sleuther was keeping watch over them.
She and Indi walked to where the village was and exited the tree line. Glancing around, they saw that the town was quiet, and seemed completely empty.
"Well," Indi said quietly. "This is a change."
"Where is everyone?" Elsa whispered. She glanced at Indi, who closed his eyes and listened for any hint. The pair were silent for a moment, the only noises the soft whisper of the wind and the faint call of a dragon in the distance.
"That way," Indi said, pointing into the town and the pair hiked forward. Elsa felt Indi take her hand with his, and she interlaced their fingers.
They walked for a short distance, when, from between the houses, came several black-clad figures. They carried spears, and the points were aimed at the pair of newcomers.
"Names," one man spat. "And state your business."
Beside her, Indi was watching the people closely, his eyes darting from one to the next. His hand tightened around hers. Elsa straightened herself, putting on her best queenly face: assertive and not showing any fear.
"I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle," she said. "I request an audience with Queen Mala."
Two of the people leaned close to each other and muttered something before turning back to Elsa. "Queen Mala is in the process of dealing with other intruders on her island."
"We mean no harm, but take me to her," Elsa said sternly. "Now."
The people looked at each other for a moment before nodding. Slowly, most of them lowered their spears, but a few of the warriors kept them trained on the pair.
Indi and Elsa were led to a stone amphitheater, where they saw Mala sitting on a throne and speaking with the riders. Many of the leather-clad people who were around the riders yesterday were present as well, watching the proceedings. Next to Mala stood Throk, still armed with his large hammer. On the other side of Mala from Throk was a slightly older woman who was dressed very differently from everyone else. Her clothes were also black, but rather than leather, she wore a simple dress. Her pale skin was marred with scars, including an ugly one across her cheek.
One of the warriors that had escorted Elsa and Indi walked forward, getting his queen's attention with a bow.
"My queen," he said, straightening. "We have some more unexpected visitors."
Mala's gaze darkened as she looked over at Elsa and Indi. "Who?"
"The woman claims to be a queen of a place called 'Arendelle'," he said. "The man has not identified himself yet."
Mala squinted at them. "Send them over."
Elsa led Indi over to stand in front of the queen. Indi glanced over at the riders, whose hands were still bound, though this time their wrists were tied in front of them rather than behind. Indi caught Hiccup and Astrid's gaze and gave them a discreet wink. Looking forward, there was something about the older woman that Indi could not tear his gaze away from. Something about her felt familiar, in a way he could not explain.
"Queen Mala," Elsa said, tipping her head respectfully, getting Indi's attention. "I would like to formally introduce myself. I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle, first of my name. My companion here and I have been lost at sea for weeks. We managed to make it here to your island, and we request aid in returning home. In return, you will be welcome in Arendelle at any time, and you will have our friendship and aid should any trouble follow you."
Mala was silent for a moment as if she were trying to read Elsa. "Well met, Queen Elsa. I apologize for the urgency of my words, but I must continue with this current interrogation."
"Help us, Queen Elsa!" Tuffnut said, catching everyone's attention. The outburst made Mala's eyes switch to the dragon riders, then back to Elsa.
"Do you know these dragon hunters?" she asked, pointing at the bound riders.
"I am acquainted with them," Elsa said with a single nod. "May I ask what they did?"
"They've subjugated dragons," Mala stated as though it were obvious, her eyes narrowing at Elsa. "Forced them to do their bidding and don't allow them to think for themselves."
Elsa sighed. Indi's gaze went back to the older woman in the black dress, trying to discern the feeling he got from her.
"And who is that man behind you?" Mala said.
"This is one of my knights, my champion, and fiance," Elsa said, a hint of pride touching her voice. "Sir Indi Rex."
"Wait, fiance?!" Astrid exclaimed.
The hands of the scarred woman in the black dress began to shake. She stepped forward, gaining everyone's attention. Indi watched her closely as she approached. He cocked his head, examining her. Elsa watched closely as the woman reached out and gently touched Indi's face.
"Indi?" the woman in black said, her voice breaking. "Is it truly you?"
Indi's eyes widened and he grabbed the woman, wrapping his arms around her. The woman began sobbing into his shoulder and the pair sank down to the ground, clinging to each other.
"My boy," the woman said through her sobs. "My sweet boy."
"It's me, momma," Indi said, his voice breaking. Elsa saw tears streaming down his face. Indi glanced up at her before turning his attention back to the woman. "It's me. I'm here."